#while Otto is the one doing all the stuff while watching them fight

[buttercupshands]

mixing is in progress...

[spicy30]

Modernness of 1400s 003

Pairing: HOTD x Fem!Modern!Reader

Extra: The reader is noted to be bilingual (Spanish speaking) and is familiar with the majority of Latin-based languages, No use of Y/N

cw: alluding to r@pe, misogyny, brief mention of drugs

Rating: 18+

Not proofread

Tags: @fan-goddess @meowmeowmothermeower @bunxia @your-favorite-god @coolalienstatesmansports

WC: 6.2K

Aegon Targaryen

Watching a strange woman enter the Throne room with strange attire (not that Aegon minded the extra show of skin and the fact that he was able to ogle the figure without a dress obscuring his view. Aegon Targaryen most definitely did not mind) was definitely not something he was expecting, along with the death of Vaemon Valeryon. He'd rather look at you than the severed head of the Valeryon.

However, watching you and hearing the way you spoke to his uncle and his father. It was most amusing. You were easy on the eyes (even if the under of your eyes was a little dark) as well so just watching you was good even if you weren’t doing anything. However, the more you spoke, the more his smile faded. It was a shame such a fine woman such as yourself was not right in the head. You spoke of all these places and even claimed to call everyone uneducated. It was clear you were mad. Though Aegon was never one to discriminate. He’s never had a mad woman before, what excitement you would bring. His fantasizing about you was cut short when his father was taken away and you once more opened your pretty mouth talking about ‘drugs.’

“Did you know, there are only two drugs that can kill you if you just quit them? Opioids, which is what your ‘milk’ is, and alcohol funny enough. Once your body becomes dependent on it, or in other words, you get addicted, if it is ripped away from the addict. The body will go into shock, thus killing the addict. Just a little fun fact to think about if you feed him that stuff every day.” That made Aegon think just a bit. Aegon wouldn’t say he had a problem with wine. He could stop if he wanted to, he just doesn’t want to. Besides, what would a mad woman know about such things?

“You think you know more than the Maesters?” His grandsire asked. Aegon was not much of a fan of Otto but made his points. A small smile grew on Aegon's face wondering if you really thought you knew more than the Grand Maester. 

“Well…if my ears do not mislead me and I heard you still do leaching or bloodletting. Then I think I just might.” Aegon saw a smug smile grow on your face. You were definitely a mad woman. What education could you possibly have that would outclass the Maesters?

“If anything, you’re doing more harm than good. While leeches can be used in other ways that would be beneficial, this is not one of the ways. Your idea of leaching and bloodletting comes from the notion of bad blood or good blood right? Something along those lines. Well, there's no such thing as bad blood or good blood. What there is in the body is something called bacteria. It's on a microscopic level, don’t think you’ve discovered it yet, that's okay. Misinformation is common these days. Well in any case, when you bleed the patient, I’m pretty sure you deprive them of white blood cells and then force the body to focus on the cut instead of the actual issue that the body is facing. White blood cells are kind of like the fighters, they fight off the bad bacteria. Well it might not be exactly because of that reason, but it's one of the many reasons why it doesn’t work.” Aegon scoffed. Nonsense you blabbered out. White blood cells? Fighters? Inside the body? You were unbelievable. You were the hot, unbelievable, mad woman. Would you be as fun as you were mad? Aegon must have you. He decided there and then he would have you. Maybe give you a bastard or two. Mad children with their mad mother. 

His fun ogling ended when you left with his elder sister. Of course, only women would be so stupid to believe you. A shame that the future Queen fell under that category. 

The next time Aegon saw you, you had a red and bruised lip. Your hair was all in a mess and blood trailed down your chin. Such a pretty face, even when struck. He didn’t get to see you for long before you walked past him. Everyone bowed with you as the exception as he and his brother passed. He watched you pass by with a smile on his face. He turned to take a look at your backside. Those trousers did wonders for you, the round bottom was perfectly hugged and the shape of your thighs looked lascivious. He had seen countless women naked, though somehow the covering of your body only served to excite him. Leaving everything for him to imagine and feeding his lustful gaze, but just barely. 

“All women who look like her should be made to wear trousers if their arse looks like that.” He grinned and told Aemond tearing his eyes away from you and looked forward as they went to go meet their mother. However, his younger brother, even the dull one, did not respond. 

As they both reached their mother Aegon did not pay much attention to what she had to say though he heard the loud cries of his father inside the room. A grim fate. Aegon hoped that whatever his father had, he would not inherit the dreadful disease. Aegon focused his gaze on the ground. He narrowed his eyes as he stepped back noticing that he was stepping over specks of blood on the floor. Disgusting.

Soon enough after enough of his mother’s rambling, he quickly headed off to his chambers, schemes in his head started to play out of ways to get you. Normally he would just take you by force, but it seems that his elder half-sister has taken you, so unfortunately, that was not an option anymore. He sat down to pour himself a cup of wine. Before he began pouring your words echoed in his head.

“Did you know, there are only two drugs that can kill you if you just quit them? Opioids, which is what your ‘milk’ is, and alcohol is funny enough.”

He paused looking at the dark liquid before shrugging and pouring. “Words of a mad woman.” He hummed out drinking his wine happily. He sat in his own chambers trying to think of ways to perhaps woo you. He was a prince. That title came with perks. Surely he could impress you somehow. You were commonly born, a simple act should do the trick. Perhaps a necklace. Women seemed to enjoy those. No, you were common born, he should give you something that didn’t cost him anything, but just enough to get you to drop those trousers for him. 

He grinned as an idea popped into his head. A dragon ride. A common born riding a dragon, that would make any swoon for him. 

Gulping the rest of the wine down he stepped outside. He assumed you were somewhere in the west wing of Maegor’s holdfast, that was the way you were headed. Making his way over there he ran across a cute little maid, he could stop for a quick fuck, right? 

“You there. Stop.” He called and grinned as she looked up towards him with scared eyes. But his attention was instead brought to a black piece in her arms, she clutched it closely to her chest. “What is that?” 

“Something belonging to the Lady that came in today. I was assigned to deliver it to her, your grace.” The young maid finished and suddenly he decided that no, he did not have time for a little fun. Here you were missing one of your belongings. It would only be right for it to be returned to you. It would earn him some points with you. 

“Give it to me.” Aegon extended his hand. The young maid hesitated but a look from Aegon had her quickly handing it over. “Where is she? I’ll give it to her.” 

The maid gave the answer and Aegon dismissed her. The maid did not need to be told twice before she scrambled off. Aegon tugged to try and get the bag open. It was a strange material and something held it closed. Like metal stitches. He shook the bag vigorously trying to get the things inside to fall out. A small metallic tube fell out. Aegon was quick to pick it up. He shook it. There didn’t seem to be anything inside. He held the top and it came off showing a… red stick? He didn’t know what it was. He smelled it and it gave off a mint-like smell mixed with something else he couldn’t name. 

He swiped his thumb over the red stick, though it showed pink and glossy on his thumb. It was some sort of pigment? Aegon looked around before he licked his thumb. It didn’t taste like anything, maybe just a little mint, but nothing else. He played around with it a little more before he discovered if he twisted the bottom more of the red stick would come out. Aegon does know how long he stayed in the hallways playing around with this red stick. Finally, he capped it and put it back into the pockets of the bag. He saw a little metal piece at the edge of the metal stitching. He pulled it and the metal stitching became undone. A child-like curiosity took over Aegon as he continued to play with the metal stitching, enjoying the sound it made when he opened it and closed it. 

Then he reached inside, curious as to what he would find. His hand touched something cold and firm. He pulled it out. It was a strange small box. He pulled it out and shook it next to his ear, but nothing sounded. He opened the top and found two small things inside. He opened and closed the top over and over again. How did the top stay on without a latch? He wondered. Aegon pulled at one of the things inside the box and to his surprise they came out with no effort. He put it back and it fell back into place. 

Aegon knew it was stupid, but he put his hand out as he flipped the box to see if the pieces would fall. He assumed they would, but to his shock, they didn’t. He shook it a bit, but they didn’t fall out. He let out a sound of amazement before taking out one of the pieces and inspecting it. He didn’t know what to make out of it. He let the thing fall back into its place before he let the small box fall back into your bag. He dug back into the bag and felt another cold firm box. He pulled out and inspected. On this box, there was no opening, just a black reflective thing on the front, with circles on the back. He tapped on them and nothing happened. 

Aegon used the black piece on the front as a makeshift mirror to look at himself, though he much preferred the mirrors they had. As he observed it more, it looked like it was made out of some sort of metal. Aegon began pressing the buttons on the side of the box thing. Nothing happened. He tried again. Once more nothing happened. He hummed and shrugged, dropping it back in. It definitely wasn’t as cool as the other box he picked up before. 

He felt something thin and weird. He pulled it out and it was a white line…it looked like a rope. He pulled out two others with another box thing. You sure did love boxes. This box had two metal things protruding out of it. They weren’t sharp, so if they weren’t used as weapons, what was this for? He looked around it, nothing to open this one either. He dropped it back inside before inspecting the weird-feeling ropes. On one it had two metal parts protruding out of both sides. Observing the shape he grinned and pulled out the last box. Looking at both shapes, he inserted one metal piece into the hole the box had. It clicked and he gave a triumphant grin. However, if this box was a rope holder, what good was only one entrance? Shrugging he moved onto the second rope. This one had a circle at the end. It had an indent on one side, but flat on the other. It had a sleek feel. 

He wondered what it could possibly be used for. A whip? Why would you carry a whip? Then he remembered you were a mad woman. Dropping it back inside he dug around some more before pulling out a circle. He clicked the top of it and it popped open. Inside was a very clean mirror. It looked new and polished. Only those of wealth had mirrors, however, none in such pristine condition. Aegon began to second-guess himself. Perhaps, you were not commonly born at all. He dropped the mirror back in and walked to where you were staying. He gave a knock before he opened the door. It smelled sweet and fruity. How you had managed to get your room to smell better than the entire castle was beyond him. 

He looked up and he felt his pants tighten against him as he looked at your small clothes. They were unlike anything he’d ever seen. Yes, leaving your body to the imagination was nice, but nothing beats seeing you in these salacious small clothes. 

You gave a surprise yell before covering yourself. A shame, he would’ve liked to look longer. 

“Is this what women wear where you’re from?” He asked. If it was, Aegon knew where wanted to go once he was free to leave this keep. Once he claimed you, he would ask to take him where you were from and perhaps you would take him there and Aegon could live happily. 

You yelled at him to get out. He tossed you your purse before trying to get one last look before leaving. Mid-way back to his room he stopped. Damn! He had forgotten to ask you if you would want to go on dragon back. Aegon Targaryen was a man who lacked much shame, however, he still did have some, and going back to ask you would be taking away the little shame he did have. It was of no matter, it’s not like you were going anywhere. 

Later that night at the dreadful family dinner, Aegon was pleasantly surprised when you came. He admired the dress. You did look good in green. It complemented his own suit, though by extension also his dreadfully boring brother, Aemond. Though the longer he looked towards you, the subtle differences he saw. For one, the bruise that should be on your face was not there, and your lips were shown as if they were coated in a pink-red honey. It reminded him of the thing in your purse he was playing with earlier. Though what you had on your lips shone brighter than when it was on his thumb. 

The dark under your eyes that was there when he first saw you was also gone. Your eyelashes seemed longer and darker than he recalled. Your eyes looked bigger and overall, if he thought you were easy on the eyes before, well now it was just better. Certain parts of your skin shone under the light highlighting your face. You looked unreal to him. This only served to encourage him further. 

Aegon Targaryen had to have you, even if it was just once. (He knew he wouldn’t be able to keep it at just one)

Throughout the night, the both of you smiled at each other and Aegon took every shred of attention you gave him. Even when you did laugh at his expense, he took it. His one goal tonight was to have you, or at least take a step closer to sharing your bed sometime in the near future. So when his cousin; Jacaerys, took his wife to dance, he couldn’t bring himself to care too much. Though, it did irk him just a bit. So standing he went to ask for your hand to dance, never noticing he just saved you from a night of drowning in pity. 

“A dance my lady?” He asked.

“I don’t know how to dance the way y’all dance.” You answered and he picked up the informality you spoke with. How were you not commonly born? What was ‘y’all?’ Aegon ignored it in favor of trying to get a dance from you.

“How do you dance to this music?” He tried though from the corner of his eye he saw Jace and his wife dancing and once more just a little pin of annoyance stirred in him. 

“Waltz maybe? I don’t know” You responded and Aegon found himself asking what a waltz was. Nevertheless, Aegon persisted.

“Teach me then.” Aegon took your hand and pulled you from your seat. He wouldn’t allow you to say no. As you rise from your seat Aegon is positive that inviting you to dance was the best decision he has ever made. You smelled heavenly, it was almost unreal and he had to physically restrain himself from hugging you and burying his face into your neck and simply inhaling you. 

For a split moment, a thought of a monogamous relationship entered his mind. Having only you by his side he’d become addicted to your scent and honestly, he doesn’t think he could ever stomach any smell from any other woman in King’s Landing. He inhaled deeply trying to get more as you both walked to the dance floor. 

You took him by surprise as you got closer to him and once more your sweet scent invaded his nose. Everything about you smelled heavenly, even your breath smelled nice, which was rare. He hoped the wine would be the only thing you smelled from him. “The best I have is from Cinderella.” You whispered and took his arm and placed it around your waist and you held his hand. 

“I don’t know what Cinderella is, but if it means you’re this close to me, then I think I’ll like it,” Aegon spoke in a light manner, but he meant every word. Any dancing that would allow him to be this close to you, he would gladly learn “So what now?” 

As you taught him the steps of this dance he relished having you in his arms and soon he felt as if the rest of the room faded away. You completely engulfed him and the entirety of his being. Perhaps, with you, he would become mad as well. Now that he had you in his arms and looked at your impossibly perfect features, he doubts any other woman would be able to compare. He would go mad if he did not have you. Some way, somehow, Aegon Targaryen would make you his, permanently. 

Jacaerys Velaryon 

The first time Jacaerys was able to really look at you, it wasn’t under the most favorable circumstances. For one he was fuming at the insinuation Aemond had made. Secondly, you had just been pushed into him and he nearly fell on top of you. Despite all that, the only thing he could really focus on was your features and the scent you emitted. You had smelled quite nice before, but the way you smelled now, combined with the way you looked. It was enough to just have him staring at you shamelessly before he would look away when you looked towards him. As you continued to hold him back and he held you due to helping you up from when you fell on top of him his eyes subconsciously traveled down to look at your exposed skin and it almost seemed that you had specks of gold across your skin giving it a shine that he has never seen before. Not even the wealthiest Lannister shinned as your skin did. 

Unfortunately for Jace, Aemond just had to make another comment and once more Jace was angered looking away from you and glaring at Aemond. Though to his surprise you came to his defense. Never once had Jace spoken a word to you and the only word you ever spoke to him was ‘stop.’ He watched you face Aemond with a glare, but as you moved the scent from your hair hit him in the face. He fought the urge to inhale and as if you were torturing him, you turned once more to look at him, or at least that is what he assumed. In the midst of having you in his arms, he felt you stiffen and rip yourself away from him. He turned and saw Daemon and then your cautious look. You looked as if you were ready to run away at any given moment. 

Though Jace understood. He had threatened to kill you if you could not heal the King, but anyone could see he was beyond saving. It was an impossible mission and you just happened to be the poor soul who would bear the punishment. He watched as Daemon grabbed your face and held it so tight that blood came from your lip. 

For the second time that day, Jacaerys looked away from you as you seemed to plead for help from anyone. When he looked up again he saw Aemond taking you away. Not once did you glance back. 

That night he and his brother sat inside their mother’s chamber while she tended to his injury on his sword-holding hand. Luke had asked what happened earlier but Daemon did not give them an answer. 

“I will go make preparations to see you both sent home, then I will return on dragon back.” His mother spoke and Jacaerys was the first to oppose the idea. He didn’t want to go home, not yet. For one he was just promised to Baela and would like to talk to her just a bit more and of course, there was you, whom he was ever curious about. Both he and Luke made their cases about wanting to converse with their betrothed to pressure their mother into letting them stay.

Luke really ended up winning his mother over by making the excuse that Rheana would not see her grandmother for quite some time and that it would be cruel to only let her see once under such grim circumstances.

Both Jace and Luke walked out of the room happy with themselves as they both went to their own respective rooms. 

The next time you crossed Jace’s mind was when he overheard the maid talking about you. 

“There is something wrong with her!” One of them whispered. 

“All of those things within her room! I don’t even want to touch her sheets!” Another spoke. 

Jacaerys watched as another maid ran over to them explaining what she saw this morning. “I saw white foam in one of her cups!” 

“Is she rabid!?” The other quickly speculated and while Jacaerys wanted to roll his eyes at the insinuation, why would there be white foam in a cup in your room of all places? 

“She does not drink much water or eat much, all signs of it! The girl is rabid!” And just like that Jacaerys witnessed the birth of a rumor that spread like wildfire around the keep.

All around you were the topic of such terrible gossip. From tales of madness because they heard you yelling or strange melodic sounds from your room. Then of course there were the strange drinks you fed to King Viserys. As strange as it might be, the King did seem much better from what his mother told him. For a whole week, he stayed away from you and the wing that held your room and instead was with his betrothed.

“Let's go to the west wing,” Baela said while smiling. In this past week, he had seen that Baela was more mischievous than he would’ve thought. 

“The West Wing? Why?” Jacaerys asked. He knew exactly why but he honestly did not want to confirm such rumors that flew around you. 

“Just come on!” Baela pushed and she walked off without him and reluctantly Jace followed. As he entered the Castle walls, it was hot and humid. He pulled his collar just a bit to try and get some airflow through his thick clothing. As they reached closer to the west wing they found it completely empty. Had you really driven everyone out of this wing? As they neared your door they heard giggles from the other side and faint sounds of clapping. Both Baela and Jace turned to look at each other as they neared the door putting their ear against it. 

“Nikola Tesla who?” A squeal of happiness was heard. Who was Nikola Tesla? Jacaerys wondered. He had never heard a name like that, much less the last name. Just then they heard the door moving. You were opening the door and both Jace and Baela stepped back and looked away. Though he was facing away he knew when the door opened. A familiar scent of you invaded his sense of smell and once more he was taken back to the night where he held you, your glossy lips that seemed unnaturally pigmented though they suited your face nicely and of course the shimmering your skin.

“Your grace? Graces?” You questioned. Both he and Baela turned to face you. Upon seeing you he immediately averted his eyes to the ground. You were in your night clothes, it was mid-day. 

“My lady! You are a nightgown!” He heard Baela speak in a shocked tone. 

“Oh, so that's what this is called. I thought it went under the dress.” You spoke in a nonchalant tone as if you did not care that this was nearly as bad as inviting a man into your room. It was most inappropriate though occasionally and unwillingly his eyes traveled to parts of your exposed legs. He quickly looked away reprimanding himself, but he did a second-take when he saw your toenails. They were…white? Then he looked up to take a look at your hands, and to his surprise your nails were also painted white and they were rather long. He wondered how he had not seen that before.

“No, you wear those to sleep. My lady it is midday.” Baela spoke once again, clearing her throat. 

“Oh really? I guess time does fly by. Anyways I wear this all day, it provides good airflow, but I’m guessing this is not appropriate attire by his reaction….” He could practically hear the purses of your lips and could imagine the reaction you had on your face. “Well I came to ask the maids to deliver me breakfast or I suppose lunch now. I do have a lot of work to do.”

“Breaking your fast? At this hour?” Baela asked and Jacaerys saw the shift in your stance. 

“Yeah, they got me slavin’ me away. The work I’m doing right now takes priority and I’m allowing myself a small break to eat a bit.” You spoke in such a carefree way even though you were in your nightgown. It was certainly something to see or hear in his case.

“Okay well… if you see any maids.” You snapped and he lifted his head to see you pointing at them both. “Send 'em my way.” And with that, you turned around and went back into your room. 

 He turned to see Baela already facing him with a disbelieving smile. She gave a scoff before she led him away and they did send the first maid they saw to you. 

…

Jacaerys stood outside the dragon pit waiting for a carriage. Your carriage. He didn’t know how exactly this wager came to fruit, but he felt extraordinarily excited for what was to come. 

All he knew was that one moment he was walking along the West Wing (Ever since he had gone there with Baela he found himself frequenting that area much more than he should.) and the next you were next to him walking around the Maegor’s keep.

“So you grew up here with Aegon and Aemond?” You asked and Jacaerys found himself wondering how familiar you were with his uncles to call them by their names without using their titles. 

“Yes, though after the death of  Lady Laena, we moved to Dragon Stone.” He explained as you walked next to him. 

“Who is Lady Laena?” You asked looking over to him and Jacaerys turned to look at you. Once more you looked slightly different once again. Your skin tone seemed more even than last time, and your eyelashes once more looked more defined giving you the appearance of bigger eyes. Your lips seemed more pigmented as well, but as always you smelled heavenly. 

“She is my Aunt and mother of Princess Baela and Princess Rheana.” He watched you nod in understanding. “Princess Baela is the one I saw last time, right?” You asked and he nodded. 

“Is the late lady Laena your aunt on your father’s side or mother’s?” You asked once more after a moment of silence. 

“Father.” Well by technicality, Laena wasn’t his aunt at all. More like a distant relative. Though you didn’t need to know that. 

“Prince Daemon…?” You purse your lips trying to figure out his family. It would take quite a while for you to learn all of his family and how they were each connected. He shook his head. “No, Daemon is not my father. My father is Ser Laenor Velaryon. He passed not long after his sister.”

“Oh…my condolences.” You looked away from him, seeming embarrassed you had brought it up. “Thank you, but do not fret my lady. It happened long ago.” He tried to remedy your guilt. 

“Okay let's choose a new topic, what do you want to talk about?” You asked and he drew a blank. No one had asked him that normally conversations had a purpose and once it was fulfilled they would go their separate ways. It was always like that except with his brother, but that was his brother. “I do not know. What would you wish to converse about?” 

You stopped and he turned to face you watching you tap your chin while you smiled and looked up thinking. “Oh! Tell me more about this place.” 

“Maegor’s holdfast?” He didn’t know exactly how it was made but everyone knows the story of Maegor the Cruel. 

“Sure. Yeah, tell me about Maegor’s holdfast.” You began walking once more and he followed your lead. 

“I must confess my lady, I do not know much about how Maegor built this place, only that it was secret pathways and that every builder that made his holdfast was sentenced to death by him so that no one would know all the secret passages.” He explained as he looked around the grand walls of the holdfast. 

“Woah, that's a bit much no?” You spoke and turned towards Jacaerys who nodded in return. “He earned the name Maegor the Cruel. Everyone knows the story.” 

“Not me.” That was all you said and Jacearys explained the infamous story of the cruelest king the Seven Kingdoms has ever known. 

“Wow. His story reminds me of Henry VIII. He certainly has the wives for it.” Jacaerys had never heard of him before. 

“Henry? Who was he?” He asked and you smiled towards him. 

“One of the most infamous Kings of England.” And with that another long hour of you explaining the history of Henry VIII to Jacaerys. He lost track of time as you both walked in circles throughout the holdfast. 

“I can certainly see resemblances, though Maegor was never on friendly terms with the citadel,” Jacaerys spoke as he watched you touch the walls around you.  

“Yes, Anne Boleyn is a beloved and iconic figure in history.” You gave him a smile. It was clear you favored her. 

“Quite cunning she was.” He offered. 

“When you get a man to divorce his wife, which wasn’t accepted then, and then get a whole country to break faith with a religion majority practice. You’re a lot more than cunning. In the end, her daughter became the second Queen England ever had and her rule was considered one of the most glorious in English history. Then she promptly ended his lineage, the Tudor lineage, and a new fraction in the English monarchy came.” Yes, certainly more than cunning Anne Boleyn was. All the struggle in his life only for his line to end as revenge for her mother, was ironic. Though his thoughts hung on the way you spoke of divorce. It was hardly accepted here either and was usually a taboo topic, though you spoke as if it was something normal.

“Is divorce common where you come from?” He asked you and to his surprise, you nodded.

“Most couples that marry end up divorced. It is more than common, it’s the norm.” Divorce here was unthinkable, even if the woman was barren or a husband happened to father many bastards, it was always scandalous when divorce was spoken about. 

“You look surprised.” You told him with a smile. “I promise that is the least surprising thing about where I come from.” 

It was a challenge. Throughout the entirety of your conversation, never once had he said something that truly had you surprised like how your comment about divorce had him. 

“You don’t think King’s Landing has things surprising or interesting.” 

“That's an ugly way of saying it. I’m just saying that nothing here isn’t something I already know about. I guarantee whatever your most advanced version of the technology is, I can come up with something that outclasses it.” You gave a cocky look. “I’m a pretty smart girl.” You grinned as you walked ahead. 

Jacaerys smiled and ran to catch up with you. “I think I could show you something that would surprise you.” 

“Are you, Prince Jacaerys Valeryon, proposing a wager?” Jacaerys watched you stop and place a hand on your hip with a smile. 

“Only if you accept my lady.” He reciprocated your smile. 

You let out a hum and pursed your lips as if thinking over his suggestion. “What do I get when I win?”

“Is it when already?” He scoffed out. A dragon ride, he doubts you’ve ever been on a dragon and if he must, he’s sure Vermax will agree to do a couple of tricks.  

“Oh yeah. I think I know a little something that’ll outmatch anything you got.” You shot back with a little laugh. 

“Well if you win, I will complete one request, anything.” It was a dangerous game to play, but so be it. Jacaerys would like to see your reaction to Dragonback.

“Anything? Thats dangerous. You’d best rethink that.” You warned and he saw a mischievous glint in your eyes. “I’m confident. Anything, silver, gold, a title. Anything you name it.” Jacaerys stood behind his word.

“You got yourself a deal.” You grinned and extended your right hand. He took it and you gave a firm shake. “So when do I get to see this…grand thing.” You spoke as you gripped his hand. 

“Tomorrow morning. Wear trousers, you’ll need them.” He held your hand tight unwilling to bend to you. 

“Noted. Where do I meet you?” You asked with a brow raised.

“The dragon pit.” He answered confidently and he saw your brows shoot up with a smile as you tilted your head. Already a small victory, a showing of what was to come. 

“Dragons? Like Komodo dragons?” That made Jacaerys backtrack a bit. His confidence dimmed just a bit. 

“You have dragons?” His tone gave away his hesitance and he cursed himself. 

“Well, they’re not traditional dragons. No wings, but they are the largest lizards in the world and have one of the most venomous bites in the world. Pretty fearsome, I didn’t think you’d have them here.” You answered with a thoughtful smile. 

With that, his confidence returned. Jacaerys kept quiet and only smiled. He was definitely winning this wager. 

So now here he stood waiting to receive you. It wasn’t long before your carriage stopped in front of him. You opened the door and you stood there with a black cloak on your shoulders and on your face sat an unhappy expression.

“My lady.” He greeted helping you down. You got down and turned away from him holding onto the carriage. 

“Yeah, just uh…give me a second,” He saw your shoulders shake. Had you gotten sick in only a day? “Sorry, motion sickness, and the city doesn’t exactly smell the best.” Jacaerys nodded, not that you could see. You smelled so different from anyone else here, it was no wonder you were sensitive to smell. If he would only smell you all day, he’d be sick smelling King’s Landing too. 

“You’d like it better on Dragon Stone.” He shouldn’t have said that. Jacaerys Valeryon was promised to Baela Targaryen. He knew there was an implication in his words, but for now, to make himself feel better, he would not acknowledge it.

You simply gave a hum before turning to him. Taking off the hood you smiled. “Sorry. Okay now, let's go see about that wager.” Jacaerys offered his hand with a smile and you took it. You walked to the Dragon pit. 

“I want you to meet my dragon: Vermax.” He spoke in low tones before nodding to the dragon handlers. He turned keeping his eyes on you. As the ground shook your smile faded as your mouth opened in shock. 

“IS THAT A DRAGON!?”

Note: I think it's funny having Aegon play with AirPods and lipsticks also him not knowing how magnets work or zippers. Also Guys, pls talk to me 🥹 Ask me things.

Previous I Next I Masterlist

To be added to Tag list: !(•̀ᴗ•́)و ̑̑

[insom-nom-nom-niatic]

I see you write Troy Otto Fics 🫣

“you fixed me. you fixed my broken heart.”

could I request a angst turned fluffy fic where Troy is being an ass but around reader he’s an awkward ass bc he doesn’t know how to process his feelings but one day reader confronts him and is like “dude tf” and he reveals it all ? 👉🏽👈🏽

It has been quite a while since I have done any requests and succeeded in actually writing them, so first of all THANK YOU. And secondly, this terrified me so I'm sorry if I changed a few things because that's how my head works.

CHARACTERS: Troy Otto x Female Reader

WARNINGS: Normal FTWD stuff. FEELS!

Everyone within a few miles distance could have heard the yelling coming from the militia tent. No one could tell who had started it when the ruckus had suddenly erupted moments ago. All you could tell was that the boys were finally fighting back at Troy, making your feet pace a little quicker and making your way across the ranch. 

When you made it to the ruckus, you noticed the eyes peeping through the windows of the outlying RVs and tents scattered around. Giving an all knowing smile to the peeping eyes, you quickly disappeared behind the tan curtains finding a group of 5 men squaring off against 2, Troy, with Nick holding Troy back. 

Your entrance was soon noticed and the group grew silent. 

“What in the holy hell is wrong with you all?” Toeing up to John who was rubbing the newly formed bruise on his jaw. Nick let go of his hold on Troy’s jacket, heading to the back of the tent with a grunting sigh, catching your gaze as he did so. 

“You have all been a bunch of children the past few days, and now this?” Turning on your heels you make eye contact with Troy. Scanning his features, you take in the red patches growing upon his cheek and jaw line before meeting his gaze once more, this time more worry and sadness laced in your eyes. “You’re going to attract every walker within miles, and if you’re all fighting eachother, who is going to fight for the rest of us?” 

All men in the tent sunk a bit in their boots, all eyes staring at the ground. Troy’s cheeks reddened, not from a sucker punch this time. You look over to Nick, a smirk turning at the corners of his lips as he stared back. 

“I’m sorry ma’am,” Cooper spoke up. “We had a disagreement. We will watch our voices.”

John scoffed loudly, his eyes shooting back up to Troy on the opposite side of you. “I think she should know. We’re done getting the shit end of everything and still getting shit on while others can skate by and get the royalty treatment.” His eyes then shifted to you, scanning your frame up and down. You could feel the hair on your neck raise at the feeling, and you could feel the way Troy shifted his weight behind you. 

“It’s not her fault,” Nick finally raised his voice. The tone sounding over this bull shit and ready for someone to lay everything out. “You’re all being a bit dramatic anyways. Troy hasn’t done shit, except be an ass as usual.” 

This earned a raised eyebrow and questioning look from Troy, standing with both hands on his hips. Everyone knew Troy was kind of an ass, that’s how he got the miltia where it is, but you had never really seen what everyone else said about him. He was typically kind and oddly gentle when you were around him. He wasn’t this “monster” you hear the ranch whispering about. 

“Troy-” you took a deep breath, your back still turned towards him with your eyes staring straight back at John. “-Say you’re sorry.”

The tent went still. No one, not even Troy, was expecting that. No one told Troy what to do other than his late father and brother, and after they had expired, no one would have ever tried. Let alone tell him to apologize. 

To everyone’s surprise, Troy spoke. 

“I’m sorry,” his voice low and grumbled through gritted teeth, but he said it. The men all shook their heads in response. Not knowing how or what to do next, they funneled out of the tent one by one. All as quiet as a mouse leaving only Troy and yourself in the space.

Turning on your heels, you lock eyes with the tall brunette. His face red and one eye growing bloodshot from what you assume was a nice hit from John. His eyes weren’t angry though… he was nervous as he tried his best to maintain the eye contact. 

“I didn’t think you would actually say it, but I’m glad you did.” Your lips turned into a gentle smile, closing the distance between you both. Your hands reached up to his face, cradling his jaw in both palms, fingers carefully brushing over the small cuts and broken capillaries in his skin. 

Troy returned the smile once he felt your warm touch. His blue eyes fluttering closed with a sense of comfort that felt so extraterrestrial to him. “Thank you for stopping us, Nick, that bastard, was close to getting his ass kicked too.” His voice cracked witha chuckle between his words. 

“Your still a ass though, Troy. You have to change that. I hear it from so many here, yet I never see it. So I know you are capable of being a gentleman, Troy Otto.” 

“If you tell me to, then I guess I have to.” Troy’s body shook with a mischievous laugh. His eyes opening to find yours once more. The closeness between you both instinctively closing little by little. “You fixed me, you know that?”

His words caught you off a little bit, making you stutter in your actions. His skin felt warm against your touch, his mere presence so close brought on a sense of safety and openness. You could have stayed like that for hours… days. It somehow felt right. 

What he spoke, however, caused a twisting feeling in your gut. 

“I was broken after everything, after everyone was gone. I was alone and hurt in so many ways,” Troy’s eyes softened. He had figured opening up to you would be impossible, his feelings always getting the best of him and taking any words he wanted to say and throwing them out the window. Bu here and now, with you like this, he was at peace. 

“I was broken and you fixed me-” His eyes fell from your own to land upon your lips, those nerves that had stopped him from saying it all previously appearing in his belly again. “-so thank you.”

You could feel his tension grow in the moment so you took matters into your own hands, raising to your tip-toes and crushing your lips to his. Years it had been since you had ever felt this feeling. Even then, it didn’t feel like this, not this strong. 

Troy was a pain in the ass. 

At times, an actual ass. 

But you were his golden key to change. 

And there was about to be a lot of it. 

[ravioliet]

What I think OSMU would be in the mlp AU:

Opal: pegasus. Longs to leave the Arctic to find somewhere warmer where she can fly.

Omar: earth pony. Doesn't understand Opal completely, but he agrees with her other reasons and he wants to see the world so there's that.

Oswald: unicorn. Mostly uses his telekinesis for sorting stuff in his job as a library-museum pony, but has been tempted to try out stuff in old spellbooks every so often.

Orla: dunno atm. was very young when the event celebrated on Hearth's Warming Eve occured. Still guards the 44-leaf clover.

Oprah/the Big O is still here and looks WAY more regal than when we last saw her(s2 finale). Like our main 4 are astounded by it when they first see her.

Veering off the OSMU track, I think Olive is protective of Otto, as in canon, but it gets extreme sometimes. Blank flank insult from Oren? She will yeet him across the room with her telekinesis. It takes a lot out of her to lift a whole pony tho. Aside from the fact that Ms. O is an alicorn who could easily overpower her if she tried that, that's why she opted for a stunpulse during "Ms. O Uh-Oh".

Also I wonder if there's some sort of ritual that Directors go through to turn their successors into alicorns. T'would be interesting!

yeah! so i never really got around to watching osmu beyond the few episodes i managed to catch on pbs kids but i know some things and yeah this seems pretty accurate, might have to steal from this haha

anyways yeah mlp Olive is so funny to me, she's pretty good at magic and all that but she's also still into sports and athletic stuff which most don't really expect from a unicorn so sometimes she'll pull stuff like letting someone think she's going to fight them with magic and then opting to kick them across the room horse style or something. Ms. O does stuff like this as well since she was an earth pony first before becoming an alicorn and she has the earth pony strength and resilience and everything. she has a full grip on her alicorn abilities because she's been one for a long while now but she still does stuff like kick holes in walls just because. you do not want to end up in a fight with either of them they have both magic and physical strength and you WILL lose.

and about the alicorn bit i've actually been plotting out some of the alicorn stuff and you got it pretty close with the ritual thing actually! in my mind when a director has to step down or leave for whatever reason they either have to hand off their alicorndom to their successor themselves or they have it revoked by someone else and passed on for them if that makes sense. it's just so that there aren't any random alicorn civilians out there or anything lol. because in my mind at least director level alicorns aren't technically royal alicorns (if they are they're very low ranking) they just have alicorn powers and leader status. however the Big O position does come with royal alicorn status, with their sorta domain being the whole organization since it's all across equestria and everything. so yeah you pretty much got it spot on with the whole idea of Big O Oprah being more regal and powerful looking because she's technically a princess now! she's very small compared to the other princesses but she's a princess nonetheless :)

​i also have some silly facts about alicorn Olive and Otto in particular that i might share later if i feel like it but i don't know if i should wait until i've drawn them or not sdhfjh

[icebluecyanide]

Alex Rider S03E01 Reaction

So I've already watched all of s3, but I decided for some reason to keep a liveblog & take a moment after every episode to write down my thoughts/predictions/questions at the time. Some of it is very amusingly wrong, but I'm going to share it anyway because I do always enjoy reading liveblogs/reaction posts myself so maybe other people will want to read it too.

Note that while this contains no spoilers for later eps, I have read the book and reference it, so warning for book spoilers and me being unable to stop comparing the two.

Liveblog

Hey I’ve been there! (Malta)

I am petty but I don’t like Alex sharing what Yassen told him with people lol. But I guess they had to make it a group project for the show and it’s not the stuff with his dad which is what Alex in the books felt was too private to share so oh well

Tom and Jerry(/Jay??) ahsdlfhs

Alex thinking Yassen wasn’t lying to him 😭 and he does seem to have kept the part about his dad a secret!

oh damn he wants to destroy Scorpia!! and Kyra also wanting him to, that could cause interesting conflict when he joins them later

also i forgot that Scorpia actually killed Ian in this lol

Kyra is going to do machine learning lol

Love the Alex/Kyra ship fuel with the hurt/comfort scene

ahslfhs how did they even find that villa tho? LIke I thought that was just the piece of wall Mrs Rothman was photographed in front of, surely that gives them no clues about where she’s staying?

And not to be mean but Kyra did kinda bring the stabbing on herself ashdflhs. Going off on her own because she got bored and then expecting Alex to do the fighting and treating the fight weirdly casually

It’s interesting how they seem to have changed Scorpia’s structure/origin story what with Mrs Rothman being elected and there being no client for this operation.

Them referencing Alex getting in with Tom setting fireworks in the books... i mean it's a nice reference but also actually that was more fun than Kyra just being able to hack their way in ngl ahsdlfhs. Not really the show’s fault, but modern tech & computer tricks make spy stories more boring

Also Alex just walked into the party in his suit and honestly this is one of those plots that only works because Otto is not a teenager. If he actually looked like a teen, he would have stood out waaaay too much (which was actually a concern in the book)

Alex grabbing champagne and later putting it back down again haha good way to blend in, I suppose

Getting his phone out?? In the exhibition?? So rude

Love the trend of doctors/scientists in Alex Rider wanting to be paid more for their work. Honestly they deserve it because they won’t even get to publish their extraordinary findings

‘I can hear you breathe’ Love Nile

Nile please how are you surprised at Alex attacking you asdfs

Shame we didn’t get Nile overpowering him like in the books, the difference in their fighting skills was so much bigger there, but I think they made Alex more of a fighter in the show. In the books he mostly needs to rely on the element of surprise and usually when he’s in a fight he’s outmatched and needs to use some form of trickery/his environment to win while show!Alex actually has pretty good fighting skills

I love Nile’s actor but I wish he could have actually taken Alex down like in the book, the way he loses Alex and doesn’t even realise it & thinks he died makes him look a lot less competent tbh

How did Alex climb up there?? And more importantly, how is he getting down haha

I get the feeling Yassen isn't gonna show up until Alex is with Mrs Rothman lol but at least we got to hear his final words ot Alex like four times

Overall

Really exciting, love seeing Malta and I’m intrigued at the differences between the book and the show and where it will lead. 

Thoughts/predictions

I imagine the race Tom’s brother mentioned will play a role and I liked the little bit we got with Tom about his grades being bad and maybe wanting to drop out. I guess Tom’s parents aren’t going through their divorce in the show? Also really enjoyed Alex and Kyra being more invested in the investigation than Tom and how they are apparently planning to take down Scorpia for their families.

I liked how we got to see more from Julia Rothman and Scorpia already and I’m intrigued by what Invisible Sword will be. Love Max having his ‘I have grandkids now’ moment and trying to talk Julia Rothman down and her being like ‘no I want to kill’. Looooved Nile telling Mrs Rothman to shoot him if he ever lost the appetite for killing.

I also really liked Alex talking about his dad and how he had nothing to do with spying and how his world got turned upside down when he learned about his uncle being a spy and now it’s happening again.

Questions

What is Invisible Sword in this?

What’s the deal with Julia inheriting her place at the table? Not sure if I like the new origin story for Scorpia but I’m intrigued by the way they have a council now instead of an executive board and how it changes the vibes.

Are Alex and Tom and Kyra gonna fight?

[rakuya-nikki]

Re:Zero - Entry #11

I've spent the past several days fervently rewatching Re:Zero, and not only did I learn a lot of new words and get great studying from it, but I was able to remember just how much I love this show.

I'm usually not good with gore. Well, "usually" as in I'm still not good with gore. There's a particular scene in the show involving some... bunnies, that I had to skip because I can not handle that shit lmfao. But I feel like this show has just enough of that kind of stuff to where I can deal with it. I definitely don't wish I was Subaru, though, that's for sure.

This show's themes of self-worth, loneliness, never giving up, finding out how to better oneself, and so many other things, are really interesting, especially when compared to other Isekai. The idea of "dying and starting at a checkpoint" is already a brilliant concept to base a realistic, dark fantasy story off of, but it's really executed so well in this show.

I never really thought about it before, but this pseudo-time travel mechanic really is like Majora's Mask. And just like that game, this show manages to use that to create amazing characters, motivations, reactions and emotions. People will do things slightly different for various reasons per each "round", and it really makes them feel complex and human, even if a... lot of characters are... very extra lol.

In terms of my favorite characters, obviously Subaru has a big leg up given how he's the main focus for so much character development. And he really does feel like his own character. Like, he's not someone you, the viewer, want to insert themselves into. Hell, like I said before, I'm really glad I'm not him. This is a story, one of someone who constantly compares himself to and relies on others, who utterly lacks self-worth or love, who believes he has to bear the burden of pain and suffering in place of everyone else.

When I first watched the show, I was younger, more depressed, had much less self-worth instilled in me, and those themes were really impactful at that time. Of course, I was also bittered by them a bit, in the sense that I didn't have a Rem to tell me they loved me, or an Echidna to be a source of comfort (albeit not good comfort). I didn't have an Emilia to fall in love with or anything. But I also didn't have a horde of bunnies eating me alive so that's fair. Anyways, yeah, even if I didn't have the cast of beautiful women (and, more importantly, Otto) to help reassure my self-worth and show me the love that I wanted, I still took heart in the idea of loving yourself.

The show loses some impact upon second viewing, but it also helps me really appreciate the pacing and ordering of events. When you first watch it, things can feel kind of hopeless, scattered, chaotic, painful. Which, I reckon, is part of the point, and it's impressive the show can make you feel those things. But watching it while knowing everything that happens really helps me notice how intentional certain details or events are, and how everything connects and affects Subaru and the others. It's a really solid show.

I'm so excited for Season 3 to happen, though I dunno when that'll be. Much like Mushoku Tensei, I may have to add this to my list of "things to read eventually". Though apparently the Light Novel is not progressing very quickly. Oh well, it's an option.

The show is full of so much emotion. In its facial expressions, in its incredible voice acting, and in its events. The scene at the very end of Season 1's final episode is perhaps one of the best bombshells to end a season ever. Like, you did all of that work, half a season's worth of scheming and fighting, to finally overcome it, and at the very end, you find out that just one of the things you were trying to protect is... gone. Especially the way the show starts out Season 2, with the despair, the willingness for Subaru to end his own life to try it over again, only to realize his checkpoint has been updated to after it's happened, so he can't possibly save her.

It's such a powerful way to take what looked like an overall victory, and bring back some reality to the situation. It's grim. It's really impactful. The show's full of those moments, where you can feel Subaru's anger, anguish, relief, pain. And, like I said before, the emotions on display through the facial expressions and voice acting is unbelievable. I don't think I've ever seen a show depict such emotions as well.

Very impressive show, I'm so glad to be able to experience it once again. And not only that, but get some great studying out of it too. The show's language is a lot more complicated than I was expecting, but because of it, I've made over 100 flash cards and got so much practice. I was even able to point out some certain words that, I can tell, this author likes to use more than other people. At least, I think so. It's cool to be able to notice those types of things.

My favorite characters are either Echidna, Emilia, Subaru, or Beatrice. Though I love Otto too. When I first watched Season 1, when I was younger, Rem became my comfort character (I refuse to use the word "waifu"), but I've since forgotten who that character is. Unfortunate.

[eliotquillon]

For the character ask game, what about Otto?

one aspect about them i love:

god i’m such a sucker for this in general with characters but i LOVE the contrast between otto’s “idgaf fuck it we ball” external attitude and his internal “i am a Hot Mess and Nobody Likes Me” attitude. it’s such a funny contrast to book 1 otto and also it pretty much explains everything about him, ever. he’s just a silly goofy teenage boy!!

one aspect i wish more people understood about them

hmm i think the fandom understands otto pretty well but i really wish more people talked about the parallels between him and raven? i have brain rot obviously but i think they have so so so much in common in terms of trauma + upbringing + various identity crises and while i do joke and jape about their politician killing world tour i genuinely think they understand each other on a level that not many other people get. i love the cheeky irreverent side of their friendship but i think they have a very genuine connection that otto would really rely on post bloodline. something something they would both fight through hell to help each other but would complain the entire time

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have about this character

these are literally canon TO ME but: 1) otto is autistic, 2) otto had a vague crush on shelby around interception point era but even he was self aware enough about how much she’d rip the shit out of him for it that he never said anything, and 3) for me, otto’s post bloodline future involves him trying to immediately throw himself back into glove, realising it isn’t what he wants, and then taking a very long break to go to uni and eventually becoming a teacher or a professor. with the occasional heist for old times sake

one character i love seeing them interact with

SHELBY TRINITY. say it with me: shelby/otto nation. if shelby/otto have 1000 fans i am one of them. if they have 10 fans i am one of them. etc etc. even just platonically i love their rivalry and the way they bring out the best AND worst of each other and just how much they genuinely love and care about each other. one of my favourite scenes is in deadlock when shelby literally runs over to him and basically flings herself into his arms. i do ship them in a “i think they maybe had a very brief teenage fling that was horrific for everyone involved/both had a crush on each other at the same time but mutually decided not to pursue it” way but outside of that i genuinely adore their friendship

one character i wish they would interact with/interact with more

this is kind of niche but i really love the scene at the end of rogue where nero sits at otto’s bedside and apologises to him and i always wish we had more of that…idk, tenderness between them? i think it’s obvious that otto genuinely respects nero a Lot and while we do get quite a few scenes of them together in canon i have always felt robbed of my graduation/epilogue scene with the two of them together. nero really turned otto into the man he is and i just wish we saw more of them together

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have that involve them and one other character

kind of talked about this before with the otto/shelby stuff but here’s another one: i ardently believe that otto is the messiest person alive (because he spent so much time running off doing his own thing at st seb’s) and that it drove wing INSANE to point where one of their only real arguments was in first year when otto lost it over the snoring and wing lost it over the literal mountain of assignments on his desk. they didn’t speak for a full day and then the next morning they both woke up and apologised at the exact same tjme. shelby likes to take the piss by using it as her “horror story” whenever they all watch a scary movie together lmaoo

[no-name-nacho-cheese]

IT WAS THE MORE FUN STUFF VERSION!!!

Okay play by play thoughts under the cut bc it's a lot. But overall I still love this movie especially because it hurts. Love the actions and emotion in this movie, I feel like everyone is given a chance to really show off their range of emotion in this at some point. I love a good show that shows off an actors ability to do their job well. I don't really understand why we never got an ASM-3. But also I never watched those movies until before I saw No Way Home the first time.

Everyone is laughing at the expected parts still 2.5 years later

Small claps and cheers for Matt Murdock

I can't stand Stephen strange in this

What gets me SO MAD is that strange just starts casting the spell at a minors will. Also, this man is a 40-50 year old in a MEDICAL FIELD. He should know to take a CASE HISTORY before casting the spell!!!! Then he blames the kid. Count your days Stephen strange. You probably got sued and saved by professional liability insurance at the hospital.

Why does strange still have the eye of agamotto if he doesn't have the time stone?? (Accessorizing)

Clapping for Doc Ock!!!

The admissions lady from MIT had SO MUCH TIME to unbuckle and scooch over to the other side of the car and get out.

Giant cement cylinder: 1

Spidey sense:0

Bluetooth-ass nanotechnology pairing to a new device

People clapping for green goblin!!!

Do you guys think that Columbia alumni otto octavius and curt Conners feel irritated with the trio talking about how great MIT is lol. I can imagine during the montage them going "you know... Columbia is a very good school"

I love the obvious similarities between Norman Obsorn and Bruce Banner, fight me and also ask me more

Conners and doc ock ABSOLUTELY sat and watched as the trio duck taped Peter's smartphone to his suit.

Green goblin's mask eyes being sepia to match the 2000s movies he came from *chefs kiss*

After playing the ps4 spider-man game, I should have known may would die since she works at FEAST

It is absolutely mays fault that she dies and no one remembers Peter. Fight me

The JJJ cutaways following the same pattern as the ps4 podcast is yes

Otto having nothing to do but stand dramatically facing away in his cage

Max would love reddit, specifically the AITA page

Strange talks a lot about sacrifice for others when the most he's sacrificed in his movies is his girlfriend that didn't love him.

HATE strange for destroying the iron spider armor

Seeing the spisey sense wiggles !!!

HOW did they get from greenwich to central park and upper east side in 2 seconds in the mirror dimension

Peter parker 🤝 wanda maximoff "I have it all under control" (while having no clue what they're doing and making things so much worse for themselves)

Sinister 5 wondering why MJ is wearing half a shirt bc they've got no experience with crop tops being popular yet

SANDMAN LOOKING AT THE PICTURE OF MORGAN STARK AND THINKING OF HIS DAUGHTER

Sandman "I don't trust anyone" who trusted Peter immediately and helped him stop max

Otto gets the new chip in his neck and starts singing "If I were a rich man" from Fiddler

Intro to the hybrid nanotechnology suit, my favorite suit to use in the PS4-5 GAMES

Happy Hogan I could never hate you

"Something feels off" Max that's anxiety.

THE APARTMENT BUILDING FIGHT SCENE TAKING CHOREOGRAPHY FROM THE PS4 GAME

Happy hogan crying out for Peter will always get me

Conners only getting one liners lmao

Me hoping May gets out anyways

Sure is a good thing those pumpkin bombs don't turn people into skeletons anymore LMAO

sm nwh, or as I like to call it, the longest and worst 24 hours of Peter parkers life

Sorry, did Ned WATCH strange do that movement

Clapping for Andrew!!!

THE WEBB THEME SONG FOR ANDREW IN THE BACKGROUND

Clapping for Tobey!

ELFMAN THEME SONG FOR TOBEY

In another universe I can see Avengers tower being Peter's safe space but whatever

I can't stand MJ as portrayed by Kirsten dunst. Just yeah

Lmao Ned will be hobgoblin in the future mark my words

Andrew "I want to see the holes" Garfield you will always be famous

Every conversation between the 3 Peter's

Rmemeber when they tried to get people to think it was only Tom Holland in the fight scene in the trailer? Lol (what hit the lizard? Must have been debris)

WHAT IS CONNERS TRYING TO DO TO ANDREW? LICK HIM????? PUT THAT TONGUE AWAY

MICHAEL GIACCHINO FLAWLESSLY COMBINING HIS TWO SCORES FOR DR STRANGE I LOVE YOU

Miles morales mention I love you

Does doc ock have transitions glasses or did he just change sunglasses to signify him not being evil anymore

Andrews Peter dropping it low when landing in front of strange

CLAPPING FOR ANDREW CATCHING MJ

MULTIVERSE!! BLACK CAT, SCORPION, RHINO, KRAVEN, MYSTERIO

this movie is so Stephen strange's fault

The fight being on captain America's shield, another morally righteous hero who will fight people to near death when his loved ones are threatened thank you civil war character foil, I could so talk more about this someone please ask me to.

Nothing I love more than watching a morally good hero fall into hatred and revenge and almost kill someone on a rampage

Tobey let Tom murder green goblin 2k24

Did all the other villains just sit and watch Osborn get the crap beat out of him lmao

Why does Tobey give me Steve from blue clues vibes. Anyone else? No? Okay

Always tempted to leave the movie before the final spell is cast

Wong wouldn't have let this happen if he was around...

The final handshake gets me every time.

People audibly crying at goodbyes

Bye villains! Have fun being cured but going back to right before you died so you die anyways!!!

WHY DIDNT PETWR STAY THERE??? He knew from the get go that he wasn't going to tell them

Whelp time to go read fix it fics!!!

May having the same gravestone as the video game.

I love this movie. Love the end credits scene that WASNT a trailer.

Once again in theatres to watch Spider-Man No Way Home (this will make it 5 times I've seen it in theatres)! Hoping that this is the more fun stuff version!!!!!

[arsenic-catnep]

i cannot believe now i've got an addict boyfriend bc of you [no genuinely thank u for posting all these things that are "problematic" and stuff as well, it's so nice to not feel judged for some of the shit i think about or like as a concept bc it's not good irl]

anyway now i have thoughts i'm sorry imagine being aegon's favourite maid and yk falling for the dickhead and his stupid adorable puppy eyes and starting a relationship with him

at first it's not a problem, sometimes he even makes reader pick up the poppy for him as part of her maid duties and he's happy and carefree for once on the stuff so it doesn't seem so bad.. sometimes the trips are actually so good that it's hard to even think of them as bad at all, he'll get so affectionate and even become vocal about how he's in love (when he has a hard time to do that while sober) sure the coming down isn't great but he bounces back

until he has the first real bad withdrawal bc idk. poppy is running out all over town. it gets bad real quickly and while everyone thinks he just has a bad cold reader is holding him while he shakes and cries and tries everything to calm him down, like drawing him baths and looking after him. crying with him when he's begging for another dose.

it's so bad to watch him like that that she very willingly goes out to get him more

after that she watches more carefully, tries to make him take less and less and even goes through fights with him about it. yet she still always takes care of him when he's coming down

okay sorry violence tw but back to the point where he'd sometimes sent reader to get him the poppy seeds. when he has an overdose that has to be treated by a maester, his addiction comes out and alicent and otto go mental (they'd known he was on sth but not like this) another servant tells on aegon and reader and not only on their relationship but also that she supplied him with the substance occasionally. which causes her to get severely punished (.. whipped? put on a pillory? .. branding?) aegon only finds out after the punishment is already done

i'm a sucker for anything resembling happy endings so he is the one taking care of her now, even as he's going through withdrawal again and the aftermath of the overdose, he's caring for her wounds and the psychological effects from being in the cells and how she was treated during the punishment. as soon as he can he's taking her as far away as possible from his mother and grandfather (they move in with nyra and no war happens pls and thank u no dead dragons for me)

he apologises every day and actually ends up so terrified and sorry for what happened that he goes through with not consuming milk of the poppy anymore just to make sure he's always there to protect her from any further harm. her scars from the punishment make him remember it

I love this so much. I love drug addict storylines and rehab story lines.

I can just imagine Aegon pulling some shit like Elton John in Rocketman with the overdosing then going out into the middle of a party and yelling "For next trick! I'm gonna fucking kill myself." before collapsing into the pond.

[jnixz]

OBDLC. Another reason the Psychic 7 go on that trip post-ending. Otto's not feeling comfortable having Gristol on Motherlobe grounds. (And neither do the others.)

Oh even just after pn2 they definitely don't like him around. Not one bit haha

Although I imagine if they think about him they’d be feeling all kinds of angry than uncomfortable since Gristol isn’t in the areas they would be, nor does he have any power to do anything to them. Psychonauts know what’s up so he is under watch. 

So really, we’d have to stop a couple of people from the temptation of throttling him and cause more legal headaches.

I’m not really sure what would happen to him, other than mentioned Sasha Experiments/Tests (to which I think won’t all be that bad, I mean the ones we’ve seen are psyche exploring stuff. I even take the ‘mostly harmless’ as getting his ass-kicked by mental constructs and getting headaches but anyway)

In my own ideas of post-game, I'm still unsure what to do with him. Although part of me definitely wants to have him do some humble work to make it really stick that life is more than being a entitled rich asshole. 

Where he would work would be in question, though if it is still in HQ then yea that WOULD turn for a more uncomfortable presence for people who got dragged onto the consequences of his actions (Read: Mal Whirlpool Tornado) 

Beh, I cannot put into words what I’m trying to get at what with how chances for change are given in Psychonauts. Still though I can understand not wanting to due to his disregard for all those who perished in Grulovia and the entire events and intent of the scheme in pn2. Another person we’d really need to punt is Theodore. Anyway this paragraph is steering off-topic on stuff I’d really have to reflect on about psychonauts code of ethics and morality and all that life narratives could call to question *handwaves*

SO even without speculating on game aftermath or obdlc, there are many reasons why they wouldn’t like him around. 

Interrupting their efforts of finally being able to help Lucy. That very chance they would have wanted to do back then in Grulovia. They weren’t able to think of it back then since many things were still unclear, things they didn’t know, and also because Maligula was very aggressively fighting them that they weren’t sure if Lucy could really be brought back. 

Said interruption ruined that entire happy reunion into a reminder of the trauma they had the first time (Maligula wrecking everyone with water, but now a bit worse because MAN, they weren’t prepared for that to happen again at all). 

Having the intention of using Maligula as a weapon again (Lucy, their dear sweet Lucy, a good person forced into this) just like his father had done (not like he could would have been able to do it but still, the intent. Absolutely rancid)

While a memory vault implies a bit of awareness of his father’s attempt at Maligula's execution, I wonder if he ever knew Theodore’s bomb threat to Lucrecia before she broke with the Valermo Dam Incident.

Makes me wonder if the rest knew Otto had the Malik Bomb displayed near him, constantly nearby to remind him of what the Maliks have done. 

So I suppose this brings me back to the point of reaction being more on anger for their friend than discomfort for themselves, just even more emphasized and reminded of in the OBDLC

Also, in the process of spinning this in my head to give a more substantial answer, I got this answer to the actual question that is a bit more general thoughts on what the Psychic 7 could think about Nick | Gristol not limited to OBDLC but does have a sprinkle of that here. 

Gristol is currently being held in the Psychoisolation Chamber. I imagine it’s not actually Compton’s Office Chamber they put him in but another room that is completely empty save for maybe a bed in Psychoisolation as pseudo-jail. Just like how it is implied with Terryl offering a room to Raz, I imagine that space actually has more than what we see in game. Also like it’d be a waste game-development wise to make a separate room for that post-game information, so this is a pretty good reuse of assets. Point is, don’t let this man touch Compton’s stuff, like seriously theres a lot of stuff in there --that’s a bit of security risk. 

Even though Compton still works in the Psychonauts, his isolation wouldn’t really give him much other than possibly just getting his mail delivered to him by Nick from the mailroom. Interactions are few and if there were more it’d probably be like maybe buttering him up like the media which is eugh go away please, also please don’t talk to me you might get hurt if I get overwhelmed but politely of course. 

Afterwards though given the concern Compton feels about lives in general, the psychic accidents, deluge and the whole spy stuff, one of the things he would dislike about Gristol the most is Gristol’s blatant disregard for life of others. That family is not fit to have the responsibility of a ruler to care for its people. The one thing that would bring discomfort to him is the knowledge that Nick | Gristol could have been around his family and grandkids what with the letters Dogen sends to him and Sam interning at the Motherlobe. 

Given what we see of Cassie's past of being forced to work as a counterfeiter, she'd want some justice done right this time. However possible that is while keeping the Lucrecia | Maligula thing a secret to keep everyone involved in the truth of that safe. So like -- Oh the Maliks that made her stay in Grulovia so they could take advantage of her? To keep their riches to themselves and subsequently took the kind and lovely Lucy away from us and forced her into being Maligula? The man who just attempted to do the same thing again just so recently? BEES! BEES FOR GRISTOL.

After having the whirlpool experience quite possibly sending Helmut into a Panic Attack, he’d definitely want to get out of the body that only knows the taste of caviar. Just like Compton, he'd be uncomfortable that this man does not understand the consequences of Maligula's power, being a direct victim of it in the battle. He has so much to catch up on though so I doubt he would think of that guy so much. Maybe whenever he learns of the aftermath in Grulovia and when Raz tells him stuff about Gristol’s brain level.

Bob has only ever heard of Nick the obsequious lickspittle from Truman so his impression is already low, but that's irrelevant anyways because Gristol's actions just reminded his husband of his ‘death’ -- prepare to be swung around by vines and peppered by plant-bombs. Get wrecked dumbass, this is what its like. Not that this would actually happen bc legal reasons but just know that the forest would watching, and it would be tripping this man up if he ever tries to escape.

Lucy would tell off Gristol that even though he is now an adult, he still the same spoiled little rich kid just as she remembers in Grulovia. He’d just be as horrible as Theodore, but worse even. I imagine she got all kinds of thoughts about the Malik family. Channel that energy from this dialogue in this cutscene to the right person this time. Also her own family is definitely better than his. Better at doing stuff for themselves, better flips, better at loving each other and hell better at managing money. Aquatos roasts Maliks time when?

We definitely know the events of Grulovia has been something Ford has been thinking of for a long time, whole or otherwise. Given his discoveries with Lucy’s memories, the time spent in Grulovia searching for Helmut’s body and the bomb threat that was found, the letters and the orders and all kinds of info to stir on. There’s a big scope to this and man it really does get personal. Even his separated fragments knows a bit of what’s up with the Maliks during his little dialogue when he was reconnecting with those aspects. His experience as leader he’d be really appalled by the way the Maliks disregard their citizens, and more importantly how they used Lucy to do that, so this is real personal right from the start. A very heavy topic for this old man to think about, especially if we take in how the thoughts he would have on this are also thoughts affected a certain someone has had a better condition to stir on.

Speaking of, Otto! Now here’s someone who could really stir on his thoughts about the whole thing for the last 20 years. Just a lot of thoughts on the whole thing, including the ones I manage to type up on the others. It’s a deep train of thought one can get lost in when one is alone or is staying up late at night *stares at own clock*.

The beginnings of things going wrong in Grulovia, starting with the War that Lucy left for to help, all while in a vulnerable state. The news of Maligula. The aftermath of the deluge with all the refugees, the personal trauma, death and all the loss. The everything afterwards with the Psychonauts and the drifting apart of the Psychic 7 6. The discoveries in that time span about the Lucy’s letters and the Maliks rule. Just everything we could think of being pondered in those years before canon game starts. So much things one can think about if one isn’t too busy thinking about work as a distraction. Just. Continue on move past that. Try to do better. Can be quite a build-up of anger I’d say ;) Obdlc aftermaths or other character developing moments wise, Otto can share more openly about it to his friends this time, knowing they’d be open to hear him about it after the years of keeping it in or keeping it light and vague for others.

Oh right Gristol, uh yeah Ford is very allowed to be his intimidating authorative self and Otto is going scrutinize and upgrade the Psychonauts Security so much so that this doesn’t happen again. Those thinkerprint system definitely had a bit of a hole that needs patching. These two are people who take actions that are needed and man can they do it.

So like yeah uncomfortable? Sure, just a tad. But these old folks are powerful individuals, and they are together now and man can they can mess him up if Gristol tries anything. If anything, them taking that vacation is keeping him safe.

Anyway the Psychic 7 are going on a vacation, they deserve not thinking about all that stuff for a while, or at least not worrying about it. They can have contemplative sharing with each other regarding the events that has happened, I think. Get those bonds repaired again by understanding each other again just like the past so that they can move in the future together this time around.

[achliegh]

Golden

Yeehaw Leo… it's all because this song came on one day (I don’t even really listen to country anymore so it really is fate). Leo is based off that song, each chapter is going to be based off a yeehaw song too.

Characters belong to @lumosinlove

Beta: @the-most-slytherin-hufflepuff & @punkkkkboi

TW/CW: Smut, terrible yeehaw sayings and jokes, injuries, mentions of past death/suicide, minor character death, underage drinking, mentions of past arrests, cringe

Chapter Songs (listening in order is recommended):

Chapter 16:

Hours after Noelle Landed in Montreal, Thomas and Clay landed in New Orleans. A few hours ago Clay’s parents dropped his truck off at the airport so he could take Thomas around the city to see his favorite places. They didn’t bring much just carry on backpacks, so walking out the door and feeling the heat was what they did next.

“It’s Winter!”

“It’s so warm, I missed it.” Clay sighs happily and grabs the little dangly adjustment strap to Thomas’ bag and starts leading him to where his parents said his truck was following the directions on his phone that his mom typed out. It stayed in daily parking so they didn’t have to go inside the parking garage. Thankfully. Thomas was expecting Clay’s truck to be just like his one in Gryffindor, large bright red and loud, but to his surprise they start walking over to a teal blue old truck. It must have been from the 70’s or something. Thomas stopped a couple feet back just taking in the scene.

Clay, glowing under the sun just in a shirt and jeans standing next to a light blue truck making this all seem like a picture on one of those tiny calendars with old cars on them. The concrete around them was a bit off but he didn’t mind.

“What? Something wrong?” Clay looks at him from the other side of the truck after finding his keys in his bag and tossing it into the bed of the truck. “You can toss your bag in the back if you want, there isn’t a ton of room in the front.”

“I was just looking at something pretty is all.” Thomas acts all nonchalant as he tosses his bag in the back next to Clay’s and climbs in the now unlocked vehicle. Clay gets in on the driver's side and gives him a confused look, turning his head in the direction of where Thomas was just looking.

“All I see are cars, was there a cool one I missed?” He looks back at Thomas only to find his boyfriend a good inch from his face. He feels his cheeks heating up and hopes Thomas can’t tell. “What?”

“I was staring at you, Stupid.” Clay feels his cheeks get even more red and glares at Thomas a bit. Thomas has definitely stuck to his words recently in telling Clay he is ‘Pretty’ and ‘Beautiful’ all the time but Clay still doesn’t know how to react. Recently it has been smacking Thomas upside the head… then usually smooching him but that's besides the point. He has grown up his whole life being criticized for how he looks, then suddenly girls were throwing themselves at him and calling him ‘Hot’ and ‘Sexy’ but never the things Thomas or Noelle says.

It makes him feel vulnerable when they say stuff like that.

“Shut up.” Clay gives him a quick kiss and goes to pull away but Thomas holds him by his shirt to deepen the kiss, Clay doesn’t even try to fight against it. He smiles and kisses him more sweetly before they actually pull away. “I’m hungry, let's go eat!” He smiles a bit as Thomas laughs and buckles up, pulling out of the parking lot he starts to drive further into the heart of the city. Thomas watches all the old and new buildings mix together to make a wonderful blend of modern and historical.

It was so amazing, beautiful and fun.

He notices the buildings are getting more off the ground and raises an eyebrow, he goes to ask Clay what the houses are doing on stilts but the NOLA Native beats him to the punch.

“They are for when it floods during storms. Like hurricanes and flash floods, we have a flood wall as well but they don’t always hold up.” Clay has put on his dark wire framed sunglasses, driving with one hand on the wheel and his other elbow resting on the open window seal of the car, wind blowing through his hair. Just looking so in his element. “We are headed towards the harbor because they have the best seafood boil restaurants. My favorite is Mama Junes but Leo’s is Olive and Otto’s. So we tend to fight about where we want to go.” Clay glances over to Thomas who is just soaking everything in. Looking relaxed and calm.

They pull into the small broken concrete parking lot and park right in front. There are old buildings lining the narrow sidewalk just feet away from the docks. The sidewalk was poorly taken care of but it added character. Clay hop out of the truck and wanders over to Thomas side and opens the door bowing to him.

“Your highness.” Then he trips him on the way out making him stumble causing Clay to laugh hard enough he has to lean against the truck so he doesn’t fall over. Thomas rolls his eyes smiling and closes the door. Looking out at the docks he notices all the people doing their jobs and wonders what it would be like to be on a massive ship. He is knocked out of his thoughts by being hit in the side of the head by a pen.

“Where did you even get a pen!?” Thomas picks up the pen from the ground and starts chasing Clay around the truck for a good few minutes before he finally catches him from behind and wraps his arms around his waist picking him up, swinging him around to the other side of him, both laughing uncontrollably. Thomas' stomach lets them know that it senses food is nearby by rumbling loudly.

“That was weird I could feel your stomach growling, we should go eat before the fishermen get off work for the night.” Clay turns around in Thomas arms and just looks over his face for a moment, running his fingertips over the side of his face. He loves Thomas…

He should tell him soon and Noelle, of course Noelle. She is everything, beautiful, smart, sarcastic, and treats him like a real person. Clay didn’t know if he was ever going to date another woman after Ashley, hell, he didn’t even know if he would ever get away from Ashley. But he never expected to get so lucky. He never in a million years ever expected to be loved like two people.

Well, he hopes they love him.

They pull away after just looking at each other for a solid thirty seconds before Clay leads Thomas down the street a bit to a restaurant that looks straight out of the 60’s. Thomas was picking up a theme of stuff Clay likes… the theme is old. Doesn’t help that he and Noelle are older than the southerner either. They get a table, order food, and people just keep coming up to the table to talk to Clay like old friends. Men, women, old and young everyone wanted to talk to him.

When their food does show up it is something called a ‘seafood boil’. Thomas has heard of it before but always thought it was boiled right in front of you, which it is not. It also shows up in a plastic bag for some reason. Clay teaches him how to crack crab properly, only ending in one thumb being cut open by the sharp shell. Whose thumb?

Clayton London Bruss’ and he was annoyed about it.

They finish up eating and paying, Clay gives the young waitress a 50% tip because he can and wants to. They head out the door full and happy, walking past a group of old women who are playing poker at one of the tables out front.

“Well if it isn’t Mr. Bruss himself! Long time no see, Sugar.” The woman the farthest away from Clay smiles at him and Thomas is worried this is going to go bad. “Looking mighty handsome there young man, be careful one of these days I’m gonna leave my husband for you.”

“Mrs. Bell! You can’t say stuff like that!” He laughs and walks over to give her a kiss on the cheek, giving Thomas time to take a good look at her. She was an older looking black woman who has definitely lived a full life, she was wearing a lot of blush and eyeshadow but her ruby red lipstick is what really stood out. Especially when she gave Clay a kiss on the cheek.

“I’m old, I can say what I want, within reason. Now tell me where you have been these last few months! We miss you and Leo on Fridays.”

“You here to stay for a while before you take off and get yourself hurt at those rodeos?” The woman across from Mrs. Bell spoke up, she was a white heavy set woman with a shirt that has two hurricanes on the boobs of her shirt that say ‘Lily’ and ‘Katrina’. He doesn’t know how to respond to that.

“I assure you Miss Lila, I am only here for a day or maybe two.”

“Who is this hunk that with you Clayton, I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on him.” Clay smiles brightly and walks back over to Thomas’ side. Ignoring the hungry stares pointed in Thomas' direction by all four women.

“Sorry but he is off limits.” All the women make a mock sound of disappointment. “He’s my boyfriend.” They are stunned for a moment before they all gasp in delight and congratulate them.

“You always knew how to pick them, I always thought Your friend Leo and you would end up together. But I am so happy for you.” Mrs. Bell smiles at them.

“Everyone always thought Leo and I would get together but honestly, he's not my type.” Clay winks at the ladies who all giggle as they walk past, saying goodbye to one another. The ladies pick up their game from where they left off. Thomas was still in shock. Those elderly ladies.. Congratulated them! He was not expecting that. He was expecting to be chased off with a purse or something. Then again, Clay does seem rather close to them.

“How do you know them?” Thomas looks at Clay who is saying hello to the people he knows that pass them on the way to the restaurant. He apparently knows everyone.

“Well, they have a poker tournament every Friday at Mama June’s so Leo and I would volunteer there for fun. Other people would work to get paid but we never needed the money, instead we were the two who would lose on purpose just to give the people their money. Most people who go to the tournaments are on the poorer side of town and we always tried to give back. So that's what we did. We would bet obscene amounts of money just to make sure people could pay their rent or bills or do whatever they do to relieve stress after a long week of working.” Thomas stopped walking, Clay didn’t notice for a few steps and then turned but to look. The sun was sinking down behind him and it made him glow. Thomas has known he has loved Clay for a while now but Noelle and him had a plan to tell Clay together. But at this very moment in time, his heart was so full of adoration he couldn’t help himself.

“I love you.”

Noelle watched, she watched the entire interaction her father had with Leo. She knew it wasn’t going to be good. She had listened to his insult Leo while she was in the kitchen with her mother and honestly it made her feel sick with anger. Leo was exactly what they wanted for Logan. Yet, they brush him off because of something stupid. She was pissed, helping her mother get ingredients out for dinner but decided she didn’t want to help. She was exhausted mentally and physically. So she decided to go take a nap, walking out of the kitchen and up the stairs to her childhood room.

The biggest bedroom in the house. It was painted seafoam green because that was her favorite color in secondary school, posters of her favorite bands and pictures of her friends all over the walls. Little origami birds made by her best friend hang from fishing line over her king sized bed with pristine crisp white matching bedspread, pillows and sheets. Her full length mirror was next to her large white desk with a lamp that cost forty dollars on it. Her bean bag chairs of varying sizes and colors on the corner next to her TV and PlayStation.

She never noticed how spoiled she was. But being in this room and then thinking about her sisters and Logan’s room, it made her ears ring with guilt. She started going to therapy after she got out of the house because she didn’t understand why she would just be consumed by guilt or sadness whenever she was around Logan. They never had a good relationship when they were younger fighting all the time, Noelle just saying really nasty things that she regrets and now they are pretty much each other's best friends. Her therapist told her that it was because her father was a narcissist and raised her to believe she was better than all her siblings but as she grew older she knew that it was wrong.

After that appointment she called Logan to apologize for everything over the phone, he was confused but still listened and let her get everything off her chest. Then he invited her and their sisters to family skate. There is where she met Thomas, she was uncomfortable around him for a while but she couldn’t understand why. Then it hit her.

Her father would speak poorly of any person of color any chance he got… and she believed him when he said all those terrible things. Things that should never be said. So she erased everything he ever said from her morals and continued to hang out with Thomas, when he asked her out it was a no brainer to say yes.

Her father wasn’t happy but it's not his life to live, she paced up and down her dorm on many nights when she should have been studying worrying about what her dad would say but in the end she understood that none of it mattered… By then she knew she was in love.

Months later she started going to the Godric University in Gryffindor to continue her masters degree she told her parents it was to keep an eye on Logan, she moved in with Thomas but never told her parents. Logan was ecstatic. She hadn’t seen him that happy in… well, when their dad told him he was proud of Logan for getting drafted and “doing something with his life”. It stung but Logan couldn’t stop smiling.

Then there was Clay. Stupid, Charming, Challenging, Beautiful Clay.

He waltzed into their lives like he was meant to. Stumbling once but never stopping. She wasn’t expecting to get a text from a random number saying “Hi, My name is Clayton and I have been talking to Thomas over the phone for a few months. He mentioned he had a girlfriend but I think we have started flirting and I wanted to let you know, because I know Thomas talks about you all the time and is madly in love with you. I just wanted to let you know that… I think I have caught feelings for him and if you would like me to stop talking to him I will.”

It scared her at first not answering the message for days, letting it hang over her like a storm cloud, Thomas had never mentioned an interest in the same sex before and she was worried she would lose him. So they talked about it, Thomas showed her the messages willingly and hadn’t noticed the flirting until she pointed it out. She started messaging Clay. They got on really well and before she knew it, he was all her and Thomas talked about.

They both realized they liked him, together.

Meeting him in person for the first time was intimidating because how do you balance a relationship already formed and stable, to a relationship with a new person at the same time? Would they get jealous? Would they fight? Would they end up splitting up?

But instead, Clay made them stronger, happier. They were happy before but sometimes it felt as though something was missing. Noelle didn’t really know or care about Polyamrous relationships until Logan started talking to her about how it feels to love two people.

“It hurts sometimes but it is also something I can’t live without. One being wild and free and the other grounded and calm, sometimes they switch or we all switch in dynamics but… I wouldn’t trade either of them for the world. It's the most I’ve ever loved and been loved in my life.” and she wanted that as well but never thought she could do it.

Then it happened, she felt like she was on the edge of a cliff ready to dive off at any minute but she was worried she would regret it. She eventually jumped, landing in the water below of safety and love, never looking back. She never would.

Her and Thomas told each other they loved one another on the same day at the same time. A day she would never forget. They were stuck in traffic arguing about something stupid, probably about schedules because that was their main issue always missing each other on the way out the door, they stopped for a moment. Noelle was still fuming but Thomas was calm, he was always calm, he put his hand on her leg and she looked at him. They held eye contact for a few seconds before they said at the same time.

“I love you.”

Clay was stunned. He stared at Thomas letting the words he just spoke sink in. He never expected to be told that by someone other than his parents, Leo, Reg and Eloise. His heart suddenly started aching and his throat became tight as he felt a drop of something on his cheek. Looking up to see if it was raining he only saw a clear blue sky beginning to tint purple. Then he felt a strong arm wrap around his waist and a hand cup his cheek, turning his head to meet those soft dark brown eyes.

“Is it raining?” Thomas smiled a bit at him and wiped his cheek.

“You’re crying. Are you okay?”

“You love me?” Thomas smiles so bright, so calm and so lovingly at him that it makes him feel like he is about to burst with emotions.

“Yes, I do.” Clay puts his hands over his own overworking heart and squeezes.

“Why?” Thomas is a bit taken back by this question, his expression changes a bit to concern for a moment. Wiping away another tear that has fallen.

“Because, you make me happy. You are caring, sweet, kind and…” Clay squeezes his eyes shut listening to Thomas list off things about himself that he couldn’t believe were true. “You are beautiful.” Clay lets out a strangled sound from his throat and turns to bury his face in Thomas’ chest hoping he could hide. “You are so so amazing Clayton, I just wish I could show you what I see, what Noelle sees too.” Oh god, they have talked about being in love with Clay and he didn’t even know! Noelle wasn’t with them but it felt as though she was everywhere. She was in the blue of the ocean, the sound of it hitting the shore. The beauty of the city just so alive yet caring. She was everywhere and not there at the same time.

“Noelle loves me too?”

“Yes, but don’t tell her I confessed for her. She will kill me.” This makes both of them chuckle. Clay pulls away enough to look Thomas in the eyes once more and he says back.

“I love you.”

Judy was waiting by the door, the food for dinner was in the oven staying warm, Garland was outside on the porch smoking a cigarette waiting for the boys to arrive. It would be any minute now. Clay says they just ate but Judy isn’t one to let her guests get hungry. She remembers Thomas from when the team was down at the Knut’s ranch for a week. She remembers him being polite and helping her move the chair around the table to make sure everyone would fit for the meals.

He was also a very good looking man, he was tall, dark and handsome as Clay would say. She never in a million years would have thought that that would be the man Clay ended up with. There was also Noelle who she spoke with when some of the team was at the bar, she was so very sweet and funny as well. But again, never someone she thought Clayton would end up with.

She saw the dust down the driveway and knew the boys were moments away, Clayton knows she doesn’t like him driving at night. She remembers when Clay was just a young little boy, coming home after driving in the dark crying because he almost hit a possum. He was always emotional. She knows people like to take advantage of his kindness and use it against him, his vulnerability showed everyone he has ever met his flaws.

She can only hope that her son is being treated well up north. She prays they aren’t like Ashley.

The truck pulls up, parking in his normal spot across from the door, hopping out of the truck Judy watches as her son and Thomas link hands as they walk towards the door. Garland stands up slowly, his back and hips have been bothering him as he gets older, shaking Thomas hand after stubbing out his cigarette he leads them inside.

“Ma!” Clay runs over to hug her and lifts her off the ground making her laugh, he seems to be in a wonderful mood. “I missed you.” He starts sniffing the air and making his way towards the kitchen knowing his favorite is somewhere to be found. He was always reminding her of her puppy. Judy places her hands on her hips and shakes her head at him. She looks at Thomas and notices the absolutely love sick face he has on as he watches Clayton leave the room. She smiles. That was something she only ever read about in her romance novels, she wonders if Garland ever looks at her that way.

“Hello Thomas, it's good to see you again.” She watches as he smiles at her and extends his hand for her to shake, she playfully swats his hand away and pulls him into a tight hug. It takes him a minute to hug back but when he does it is tight. Clayton was in good hands.

“Long time no see.” He smiles at her as they pull away, a bit pink in the face. “You look stunning as ever, I might add.”

“Stop hitting on my mom! You’re gonna make my dad jealous.” Clay smiles at Thomas from the doorway of the kitchen with an oven mitt on one hand holding a large bowl of what looks like red beans and rice. Something he always tries to replicate at home but can never get it right. A spoon on the other hand and eating straight from the bowl. Judy laughs for a second.

“Clayton, please use a plate. How many times have I told you that you can’t just eat from the bowl.” Judy takes the towel from over her shoulder and takes the bowl from him, walking in the kitchen. A few minutes later they all sat around the table eating and chatting.

“I think I’m going to bring Noelle down for the two weeks we are back here before we leave for rodeo this summer.” Clay talks with his mouth full and Thomas rolls his eyes a bit. Smiling. Sharing a look with Judy.

“Clayton, have I taught you no table manners over the years.” Judy smiles at him and Garland snorts.

“Nope!” He laughs but moves to the side so Judy can’t smack his arm. “Okay, okay. You have but this is who I am mother goose. I can’t change it.”

Garland actually laughs at this. Thomas has noticed that Garland is a rather soft spoken man, old with a round beer gut but still jolly. Kinda like Santa with the beard, but he doesn’t think Santa wears work overalls. Thomas also notices a bisexual flag pin on his old beat up hat. That must be the pin Clay talks about sneaking onto his dad's hat that he ‘never noticed’ Thomas suspects he did notice. But wants to support his son in any way he can. That makes Thomas feel so happy that he can’t explain it.

Later in the evening before the sun has fully set but the stars are out and bright, plus there is a full moon tonight lighting up the area with ease, Clay had excused himself to the restroom to clean the lipstick off his face while Garland and Thomas went outside to chat.

“Has Clayton told you anything about his last relationship?” Thomas shakes his head no watching as Garland sits down in an old rocking chair and lights a cigarette. Offering one to Thomas. He declines. “Well, she got him into a lot of trouble. Being the Sheriff daughter and all. Plus she had a temper and if I’m being honest I don’t think she ever actually liked Clayton.” He takes a drag and Thomas furrows his brow listening intently. “She only dated him for status, he was one other the only people targeted by the sheriff and he is black so she thought of him more as a chess piece to her rebellion than anything. She is pregnant now and I have a terrible feeling that…” Garland shakes his head, deciding not to tell Thomas what his theory is.

Clay walks out the door and finds them chatting.

“Not giving him the shovel talk are ya, Pa?” He smiles at Thomas and puts out his hand for him to take. “I’m gonna take him on a tractor ride because he has never been before.”

“I wasn't giving him no shovel talk but I am telling him he best respect you.” Clay smiles at his dad and nods. “Go on! I’m not keeping you from counting the cattle.”

“Ha Ha.” Clay rolls his eyes and drags Thomas over to the old looking tractor sitting by the entrance to the gate to the pasture. “Come on! There is somewhere I want to show you!” Clay got them settled, the tractor wasn't very large and it was old so he sat on Thomas’ lap as he started driving in the pasture.

“Comfy?”

“You are a very nice cushion.” Clay smiles as Thomas scoffs and wraps his arms around his waist pressing the side of his head to Clay back. He was having a great time but he was getting a bit uncomfortable from the old seat… and Clay’s ass bouncing up and down on his lap. The drive from a bit before his hard on became noticeable.

“Thomas… are you hard?” Clay can feel his cheeks heating up as he feels Thomas dick under him, ever since Thomas told him he loves him he has been wanting so have some passionate lovemaking… not necessarily on a tractor though. “Please don’t tell me tractors are you new kink.”

Thomas laughs into Clay back and smooths his hands down Clay's abdomen to rest on the top of his thighs. “Maybe not tractors but you bouncing in my lap sure does get me going.” He laughs as Clay pulls off into a grove. Trees surrounding a pond or lake, just a body of water. Wildflowers everywhere, not blooming but he could still smell them. Clay turns the tractor off and stands up doing his best to turn around to face Thomas and not trip on the petals.

“Want to do something about it? We are in a place that Leo and I call ‘Secret’ so we might as well.” Clay straddles Thomas, his arms resting on his shoulders as their faces are just inches apart, only the light of the moon is making them visible to each other. Thomas wastes no time gripping Clay ass and pulling him in for a ferocious kiss. They made out for a while, Thomas smirking into the kiss every once in a while from when he grabs Clay’s ass making him gasp a bit. Normally Clay was very pliant when kissing, very submissive and soft, today he was fighting Thomas for dominance over the kiss and it was incredible.

Thomas felt Clay’s hand slowly fall from his shoulder down to his waistband, unbuttoning his pants with one hand and unzipping them. Thomas rarely ever wore jeans but he felt it was appropriate for meeting parents. Clay ran his finger up and down the bit of Thomas’ underwear that was just behind where the zipper was, teasing him. Feeling his breath hitch Clay smirks, pulling away from the kiss.

“You gonna fuck me or do I have to do it myself?” Clay barley finished the sentence before Thomas somehow maneuvered him so he was on his knees on the tractor seat, resting his chest over the backrest making an ‘oof’ when his diaphragm hit the rest. “Hand me my phone.”

“Think you are gonna get bored?” Thomas raises a questioning eyebrow but hands Clay his phone from the cup holder.

“No… just thought Noelle would Like a video of us.” He smiles looking back at Thomas with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Thomas is stunned for a moment, suddenly whipping out his own phone and pulling up snapchat.

“You’re so smart.” Clay’s smile goes from mischievous to soft in a second, just before Thomas yanks down his pants. “Wait… We don’t have any lube.”

“Check my front pocket, I’ve been carrying it around all day.” Clay is poking around on his phone looking rather uninterested but below the surface he was the most excited he has been in a long time, his dream was to have someone love him, fuck him, and want him in Secret. It’s finally happening.

Thomas reaches into Clay's front pocket, placing a couple small kisses on his back as he does, pulling out a packet of lube he is a bit worried. “Is this gonna be enough to prep you and fuck you?” Clay doesn't answer, just whistling as he kicks his feet a bit, then Thomas sees it, a glint in the moonlight. He looks down and notices… Clay was wearing a plug. He loudly groaned and pressed his forehead to Clay's back. “You’re gonna kill me!” Clay laughs a bit.

“I actually would rather keep you alive for now.”

“For now!?” Clay laughs again.

“As long as I’m alive at least.” Thomas smiles and shakes his head, slowly pulling the plug from Clay. He watches the screen of his lover's phone how his face looks tense but relaxed at the same time. Thomas pulls his own pants down his thighs and tears open the packet of lube with his teeth and pours it onto his cock. Clay zooms in on him.

After spreading the lube on himself he wipes the extra off on Clay’s shirt who is about to protest but gasps as Thomas pushes into him in one smooth glide, not moving just waiting for Clay to adjust. Holding his shirt between his teeth Thomas opens his phone and starts recording with the flash as he starts moving in and out of Clay, slow but deep. Clay’s own recording is on his front facing camera on his face with flash, he actually forgets he is holding his phone for a moment and closes his eyes just enjoying the jolts of pleasure through his body. His phone dips a bit so it isn’t on his face anymore and Thomas stops moving altogether.

“Phone Clayton.” Clay swallows because Thomas never calls him by his full name unless he is in trouble, he fixes the angle without complaining and is rewarded with the deepest thrust yet. Moaning loudly he pushes back onto Thomas a bit and feels him start to speed up. Punching sounds out of him as his diaphragm hits the seat and Thomas’ cock knocks the wind out of him. He is making sure to put on a show as he starts sending the videos to the groupchat of him, Thomas and Noelle.

Thomas’ video also start sending, he is making sure the angle in the video is right to see him fucking clay, sometimes pulling out slow and fucking in fast. Sometimes pulling out fast and pushing in slow. He was taking Clay apart in ways he didn’t know possible.

Clay was getting close, after his third video to Noelle he starts getting shaky, he eyes are rolling back and his mouth is constantly slack. He is used to Thomas tossing out degrading shit when they fuck, and he loves it, but tonight Thomas was completely silent and it made Clay realize just how loud he is. Thomas drives a good three more hard thrusts right into Clay's prostate and then on the fourth he says pressing on it and grinds into it causing tears to fall from Clay’s eyes for the second time today. It sends Clay over the edge, cumming harder than he has in a while and that says a lot because he usually cums hard when he is with his partners.

Clay clenches around Thomas as he starts cumming and it sends him over the edge as well, sending the last video he leans forward and grips Clay's hips tightly as his body tenses. Once he is finished he slowly pulls out, neither of them being a fan of over stimulation, they both wince a bit.

“We don’t have anything to clean up with.” Thomas is thinking about using his shirt but that might be obvious to the parents.

“You could.. Put the plug back in, then use the dirty rag in the bottom of the cup holder for the seat.” Clay isn’t looking at Thomas, he probably thinks it's weird that Clay wants the plug back in. “Just… Just til we get back home.” Clay's face is burning with how embarrassed he is. Thomas thinks for a moment feeling his own face heat up, Clay wants everything he just put in him to stay in him… it was extremely hot but he didn’t know if that's how Clay saw it, taking the plug from his hand that was holding his phone, he help it between his ring and middle finger to make sure they didn’t lose it. He gulps down all his excitement that is threatening to make him hard again and watches closely as he uses his free hand to pull Clay open again. He slowly inserts the plug back into his boyfriend and lets out a shaky breath. How is he supposed to talk to Judy if he knows Clay is walking around with his baby juice still in him.

Oh god.

Clay slowly sits up and rolls his shoulders out, they are a bit stiff. Thomas wraps his arms around Clay's middle after they both pull up their pants and wipe off the seat, Clay’s head falls back on his shoulder, smiling sleepily.

“Hey,” Thomas pokes Clay’s cheek with his nose in a way of telling him he wants a kiss, turning his head Clay gives him a sweet chaste kiss smiling when they rub their noses for a moment. “I love you.” Clay turns around in the seat clumsily, just about falling off but thankful Thomas catches him by his belt loops and pulls him back onto the seat both laughing wildly. Smashing their lips together they are still laughing playfully biting each other's lips and noses.

“I love you too.”

Noelle woke up from her nap in one of her bigger fluffier bean bag chairs, it held her and probably would hold Thomas as well. Her phone was going nuts, sixteen snapchat notifications from Clay and Thomas. She sighs happily, still having an hour until dinner she was excited to talk to her boys, opening her app she clicks on that little purple square and it's a video of Clay's face, but then it zooms in on Thomas… lubing himself up. Sitting up a bit too fast and making herself dizzy, thanks anemia, she starts watching closer. Watching all the videos in full she is incredibly hot and uncomfortable, she curses as she tries to take a screenshot of Clay’s face and accidently closes her phone.

She watches closely at all of the videos, Thomas’ of his cock fucking Clay and Clay’s reaction to this on his own videos. She scrambles to her bag to pull out the gift Clay had gotten her from a fucking tiktok video. It was a rose toy, the first time she used it she came in a minute and a half, crying from how good it was at the same time. She decided to take a video of herself getting off to them… they would appreciate that.

Stripping out of everything except for the hoodie Thomas gave her over a year ago she gets to work. Setting the phone up on the fancy footboard of her bed she gets a bit camera shy, sitting there for a moment thinking about how bad she wishes she was with them. She also was nervous to use the rose on her own because it was really powerful and she didn’t know if she could actually keep it on herself long enough to actually finish.

Then she starts thinking about how Clay and Thomas will react to the video, definitely would get them going again and she would love to hear or maybe even see what they did. She is starting to think she is a bit of a voyeur… She take a deep breath and starts the video, She awkwardly waves at the camera, noticing how her hair is poking out of her hood over her head and she laughs, taking a deep breath she holds down the button on the rose for three seconds and she feels it turn on, buzzing in her hand. She spreads her legs and places the rose onto herself, instantly she knocks her head back on her headboard. Putting her free hand over her mouth to keep her from making noise she scrunches her brows and squeezes her eyes shut. Pressing harder she feels her legs start to shake and her abs clenching. Her toes start to curl and her eyes roll back as she already starts to fall off the edge, already being so turned on and the power of the rose being too much she cums taking the rose off her and curling forward as she shakes, shivering violently. She is breathing hard and feels around for her phone. Stopping the video she sends it to them with a little heart emoji. She looks at the time and smiles as she still has twenty minutes till dinner, she cleans up and gets dressed in something a bit nicer. Her face is still red and glowy but she doesn’t mind. She gets a notification and it's from Thomas in the chat, three drooling emojis and

‘I love you’.

Later on in the night after Judy and Garland have gone to bed and Thomas was on his phone just scrolling on tiktok, Clay got him addicted, the man himself walks into the room with arms full of snacks, placing them on the table in his room. His room was the size of the living room in the apartment, it had two red walls and two white. It seems like Clay has never been one for monogamy in any sense of the word. It had a large king size bed, on a fancy mahogany bed frame with fancy sheets and bedspread that don’t match in the slightest. A walk in closet that was full of clothes and trophies along with a gaming system and boxes with names on them full of little trinkets that Clay has found. Leo and Eloise's boxes are the only boxes left in there because Thomas, Noelle and Reg have all taken their boxes with them. Judy and Garland have a room full of things Clay has collected for them over his whole life.

“Did you get cleaned out? I want to make sure we pack the plug for home, I think we could have some good fun with that.” Thomas moves to the edge of the bed to sit with his feet touching the ground, about to get up to get some pretzel sticks. Clay had gone quiet, he was just chatting about how he was upset that his favorite heifer was sold and his parents forgot to tell him.

“Ummm… yeah.” Thomas senses something is off and motions for Clay to come over to him with his finger, Clay shuffles over to him between his legs, Thomas rests his hands on Clay hips and looks up at him. Clay is looking anywhere but him.

“Clay, what's wrong?” Clay sighs and looks down, Thomas ducks his head a bit to look Clay in the eyes, he looks worried. This made Thomas worry as well.

“I just- it's embarrassing.”

“What's embarrassing?” Clay starts to fidget, pressing the tips of his fingers in between his other fingers. Thomas takes his hands and gives them a squeeze.

“I still have the plug in… because I want you in me. Always.” Clay feels his cheeks heat up and he is waiting for Thomas to get grossed out but instead Thomas smiles at him.

“I don’t think that’s embarrassing, I think that's actually pretty hot.” Clay looks deep into Thomas eyes before moving onto the rest of his face just to see if he is lying, he realizes he is being truthful and tackles him back onto the bed. They eventually stop rolling with Clay on top of Thomas, they are both only in their boxers so there wasn’t much between them. Clay grinds down on Thomas as he feels him getting hard. Thomas goes to put his hands on Clay's hips but is stopped short, Clay pins his hands above his head smirking down at him.

“I’m in charge tonight, keep your hands here. I’m gonna undress us.” Clay shimmies down the shocked Thomas’ body, yanking his boxers off and tossing them over his shoulder, doing the same with his own. He lays down and slowly takes the plug out of himself after scurrying over to get the lube causing Thomas to laugh.

“You’re so cute.” Thomas lays there buzzing with excitement, He jumps a bit when the cold lube hits his way to hard cock and makes a sound of offense when Clay snickers at him. Swinging his leg over Thomas and not even pausing as he sinks down on him. Humming happily. Thomas can’t help it when he goes to move his hands again but Clay pins them back to the bed.

“You should learn to- listen” Clay is moving his hips not even stopping to take a breath. Thomas was groaning under him. Clay has not ridden him yet and it is so different, Thomas was definitely not in control and Clay was so hot being so bossy. Noelle is teaching him things. He was the one gasping and begging for more and Clay was the one giving yet receiving at the same time. He was in his own state, yeah Thomas could put him into a submissive mood with just a simple gesture but he was enjoying this. Clay eventually lets go of his hands but Thomas keeps them there as he watches Clay just focus on fucking himself. His arms stretched over his head, one coming down to glide down his chest and to tug his own neglected cock every once in a while but he was dragging this out because he was in control.

Eventually Clay takes one of Thomas' hands and moves it to his dick, Thomas starts to jerk him off causing his rhythm to stutter. He was moaning and his head was falling back, Thomas started meeting his thrusts and he groaned. He was getting close, he was about to tell Thomas this when he suddenly felt a heat filling him up, his eyes snapped open and he saw Thomas’ mouth open and his head tipped back.

He just came… before Clay did! That never happens!

The feeling of Thomas cumming in him, and the thought that Clay made him come first for the first time ever. He spurts onto Thomas’ stomach, flopping forward and putting all his weight onto Thomas.

“We” Clay was still catching his breath as Thomas kissed all over his face, sweaty and breathing hard he smiled. “We can clean up, but I want you in me when we fall asleep.” Thomas’ heart soared at the thought, this new kink of Clay’s was quite nice, not gonna lie. They clean up and snuggle into bed in a spoon position, Thomas hard and in Clay as he falls asleep, driving him mad!

After Thomas is positive Clay is asleep and he has gone soft he pulls out and rolls over so his back to Clay and calls Noelle. A couple of rings and she answers sounding groggy.

“Noelle! So much just happened! Clay has a fucking warming kink! A WARMING KINK!” He whispers yells as she snorts at him but tells him to go on. “He just pinned me to the bed after having a plug in after we fucked on the tractor! He fucked himself on me! I Came BEFORE him!”

“And I missed all this just to see my dad kick Leo out of the house! That’s dumb! You guys better do it again when I’m home because I was to see that! Anyways I need to rest because tomorrow will be long and boring and tense. Goodnight I love you.”

“Good luck and Goodnight Sugar Tits.” Noelle laughs at him.

“I love you too.”

[the-melting-world]

Strength | Side A: "Outsider"

art by @ ligiawrites

~ In which a secretive barhand becomes reacquainted with a Door…

The Trio Appearances: Kipling | Khleo | Ozy

Arcana LI appearances: Asra | Nadia | Lucio | Valdemar

Track Origins: “Outsider” by Blanco White

Not sure if this is the right track? The full album can be found here: Strength

Khleo is Non-binary and uses she/they pronouns interchangeably

cw: mentions of death, plague stuff

~ 3.5k words

After their meeting with their patron Arcana, Khleo travels back to the tavern to tie up some loose ends before they begin their journey back to the gardener…

< Are you sure you want to do this alone? >

~ Yes. I have to, Hefe. ~

< Call me if you need me. I won’t be far. >

With that, Hefe slunk out of the alley. Khleo watched her familiar go. When the large, pale cat disappeared around the corner, Khleo faced the door that led to the basement of the Chandrian. She stepped up to unlock it, swung it inward, and wheeled her cart of empty crates inside.

Once Khleo had put away the cart, she started tidying up the basement. After the floors and benches were cleaned and straightened, she went to the fireplace.

Khleo gathered some wood and rested it gently on top of all of their quilts. They tore down the curtains. Then they lit a match, lowered it to the logs, and watched them catch flame. Once the fire was alive and crackling, Khleo retrieved her poncho from under the minibar, pulled up a stool, and made herself comfortable a few feet away from the gently roaring hearth. She sat facing the staircase with her feet planted on the floor and her poncho draped over her lap.

Khleo’s brow bore no crown of flowers. Her shoulders did not bear the weight of an animal skin. There was no proper throne to support her back or provide rest for her arms. There was currently no lion companion at her side. Yet when the barhand closed their eyes to meditate, they felt the Doors of Strength’s realm echoing all around them. They felt their powerful arms tingle with the imprint of many divine strengths. Endurance. Compassion. Calmness from Within.

Khleo mediated and radiated the glow of fortitude at the seat of the only throne she had ever known, in the one kingdom she had been made to reside over for so very long. She lorded over that which was hers — that which had always been hers — and she waited.

The final blow was coming. Her fight was nearly finished.

Khleo waited for that door at the top of the flight of stairs to open so she could see this fight to the very end.

Well… it had been ages since Khleo had properly meditated and so it wasn’t long before she dozed off...

“What did you get that out for? You’re not fighting tonight.”

With a startled grunt, Khleo jolted into consciousness. She saw Otto sitting on one of the benches across from her, having himself a whiskey. Based on the way his arm was stretched across the surface of the picnic table and the rest of his relaxed body language, Khleo assumed he had been watching them for a while. He reeked of several glasses. It must have been four – five in the morning.

Khleo cleared their throat and rubbed their eyes. Conversationally, they said, “I’m just getting one last look at it.” They folded the poncho into a neat stack. “And then I’m leaving it here with you.”

Otto half-coughed, half-laughed into his tumbler. “You can’t go anywhere.”

Khleo’s voice was clear and calm, her usual rasp present but not holding her back.

“I am going somewhere. And I'm not coming back.”

Otto’s lip curled. “Somewhere. Yeah right.” He barked a laugh and took another drink. “Wohin?” The question came out like he never expected an answer.

Khleo’s dark brown eyes met his.

“Zum Biergarten.”

Otto’s snarl faltered, but his grip on the glass tightened. “That’s a fairytale, Khleo. Hans thought it was real too. Look how he ended up.”

Khleo blinked slowly. “You think Papa believing in fairies is what made his life shitty? Believing in his dreams — in himself — that’s what kept him going.”

Otto set his drink down on the table. Who was this person sitting across from him? He would have expected them to blow up by now.

“You’re quitting, right?” Otto narrowed his eyes, knowing that he could call them out on their bluff. “So then stop running your mouth and get the fuck out of my sight.”

But Khleo didn’t fuck off. They kept talking.

“You used to believe in him too, Onkel. I remember.” They swallowed thickly before proceeding. “I remember a time when you believed in things… when you were kinder to me.”

Since when did they talk like this?

Otto got up. He swayed a bit as he tried to point to the door. “I said get out.”

Khleo didn’t move. “Only, for whatever reason, you couldn’t believe in the beer garden. That was too hard for you, but you always believed in Papa. So when he died in the plague, that part of you went away with him too.”

“Shut up.” Otto was the only one standing, but Khleo somehow made him feel like the smallest thing in the room. His eyes burned for some reason. Maybe it was the whiskey.

“You’re wrong. I never gave a shit about my brother’s stupid dreams!”

“You did. Once upon a time.” Khleo lifted her chin. “I remember.”

Otto hurled his glass at her like she was a cockroach. The barhand didn’t flinch, but the tumbler missed anyway and shattered against the fireplace.

Khleo began to stroke her hand over the name etched on the back of the poncho. Quietly, she said, “It’s why you could never believe in me, isn’t it? You told me all my life that I’m more like Hans than you, but you could only punish me for it. You were too afraid to believe in anyone else again.”

Otto was too drunk for this.

“Khlee. Get. Out.”

He slumped defeatedly back onto the bench.

Khleo stood up and approached him with the poncho. She gently set it on the wood beside him.

“Not everything got burned after the plague. I kept the old wardrobe and whatever was left inside.”

The barhand dropped something else on top of the poncho. Otto reluctantly turned to see that it was an old photograph of him and Hans. Steins in their hands and identical beards stretched into jolly grins, they stood together under the beer garden sign.

Otto didn’t know how long he was staring at the photo, but when he looked back up, the fire was out and Khleo was gone.

.

.

.

.

~ The Empress’ Door ~

Hefe guided Khleo through the streets of South End until they arrived at The Empress’ Door, a plant and magic shop according to Hefe.

“This is where she works?”

< Your gardener and her magician, yes. I’m sure. >

Right. Khleo suddenly remembered. She wasn’t about to come face to face with just Kipling, but with Asra too. The day before, Hefe had said that the barhand was about to enter the territory of magicians. Now as they stood at the threshold of the magic shop, Khleo felt the reality of this. Asra’s magic was like a deep, refreshing stone well – seemingly bottomless and meant to replenish, to rejuvenate. While Kip’s magic was briny, more ancient and coupled with the springtime energy of earthen enchantments.

When Khleo entered the shop, her view of the front desk was obscured by a long open shelf covered with overflowing, potted plants. She followed the wall of thriving vegetation until she could see further inside.

She spotted Asra helping Kip lift a plant onto a shelf that was honestly too high for either of them. They giggled as they both struggled to keep the plant from teetering out of control. Eventually, they managed to secure the large fern and stepped back to return to their duties.

There was an awkward silence that followed when the magicians finally turned around and registered Khleo’s presence. There was uncertainty on all of their faces. Khleo cleared their throat several times, not knowing if they should be the one to speak first.

Asra looked like he wanted to be there and at the same time, didn’t. Kip seemed to be waiting on Khleo to make the first move. She placed a hand on Asra’s back to steady his nerves and gave Khleo an encouraging nod.

All the confidence from that morning had abandoned Khleo’s voice when she blurted, “What’s going on with you two anyway?”

Asra hid behind his hand and averted his lavender eyes. He muttered an apology right before – laughing? – into the fold of his red scarf.

Kip chuckled, but not unkindly. “We’re together, Khleo.” She waved a hand to the interior. “We own this shop and we both live here too.”

Khleo set her jaw. “Oh.”

Then the barhand quickly assessed the body language between the two magicians. It didn’t seem as if Kip and Asra were keeping anything from each other, so Khleo decided it was best to come clean.

“Um… Kip and I kissed yesterday. A few times.”

Asra was still blushing, but not as deeply as before. “I know.”

The last thing Khleo expected was for Asra to suddenly stride across the room and gather them up in an all too familiar embrace.

“You don’t have to say anything else, Khleo. I want you to find all the things you’re looking for just as much as Kipling.”

Khleo tentatively hugged the magician back, using his warmth to ease some of her fear and confusion.

Asra said, “I’m going to stay behind so Kip can show you the way.”

Khleo nodded as much as she could. “Oh. Alright.”

Asra withdrew some. Khleo let their strong arms loosen around his back and slide down by his waist before they let him go. The magician offered up one last gentle smile. Khleo’s hands fidgeted when he tried to turn away. They reached for Asra’s waist again.

“Hold on.”

They tugged on Asra a tad too suddenly. The magician stumbled into the barhand, getting a mouthful of rough curls while they pressed their face against his softer white tassels. When Asra was steady, Khleo spoke half in whispers, half in purrs.

“Thank you, Asra.”

Asra made a puzzled sound. “For what?”

Khleo locked her arms around Asra in a more meaningful embrace. “For that reading the other day… I needed that.” She sighed. “I was being a stubborn pain in the ass. But you were patient with me even after I snapped at you.”

Asra chuckled, his own hand coming up to sweep her hair out of the way so he could breathe. He said, “Would you believe me if I told you I have a friend who’s much grumpier than you? I’m used to it.”

Feeling a weight lifted off them, Khleo gave the magician one last squeeze and put some distance between the two of them. Asra offered up a tender smile before walking back towards Kip and saying goodbye to her. Khleo tried not to stare too hard at the private familiarity between the two mages, but her curiosity made it difficult to find interest in the plants.

When Asra left, Khleo approached Kip, who guided her towards the enclosed garden so the two of them could have a little privacy to themselves.

“Hey,” Khleo whispered as soon as they were both walled off in Kip’s miniature world of stone and greenery.

“Hey.” Kip replied softly, her syrupy brown eyes holding questions that she wouldn’t voice aloud.

Khleo exhaled. “I quit the Chandrian.”

Several emotions flashed across Kip’s face. Before she could act on them, Khleo took control, locking one arm around her waist and the other around her shoulders. The barhand steadied the gardener against their chest and found her lips with ease. “I don’t want to talk about it yet.”

Kip’s response came out muffled, but Khleo picked up on the understanding all the same. She would have just been content with holding and being intimate with Kipling right there in the garden for as long as she could. They didn’t need to go anywhere or make any more new and terrifying discoveries into the past. This was much easier–

“Khleo?” Kip managed to wiggle her face out from inside Khleo’s claiming embrace. She slid her palms up the barhand’s starched shirt to establish a little more space between them.

“Do you know who I am? Who I really am?”

And there was the answer. Kip wasn’t going to let the two of them get lost in each other. Not yet. There were things that needed to happen first.

Khleo sighed and unraveled herself from around the gardener.

“I remember things. Sometimes I forget them. Sometimes I hold on. But no matter what, it always feels like I’m dreaming. And the dreamer, the one who I see in my body…” They closed their eyes and shook their head. “I don’t know that person anymore.”

Kip thrummed her fingers against the vine-like details in Khleo’s open collar.

“Can I show you something?”

Khleo grinned wryly. “Does it involve going through one of those wave tunnels?”

Kip matched their smile. “Yes... Does that scare you?” She went about unhooking her gauntlets from her toolbelt anyway.

Khleo watched her put them on. “I think it would if you weren’t here to protect me.”

Kip was almost done adjusting the second gauntlet. “The Doors are like old roads we used to play on as kids. Just give them a little time and you’ll find your footing soon. I promise.”

Once Kip had given them instructions and they were walking side by side inside of the wave tunnel, Khleo’s nerves faded a bit. Kip seemed to know what she was doing and she had been right earlier. These tunnels of rotating seawater felt almost as comfortable as the fighting ring for Khleo.

“I’m taking you to the place where you showed me how to open the Doors.” Kip gestured to the moving liquid walls. “Like this one.”

Khleo scanned the rotating ceiling, still mesmerized. “I’ve met a lot of mages, but… I’ve never seen magic like this in Vesuvia.”

“That’s because only people from our island are born with it.”

Khleo looked back down and over at Kip. “So, how does it work? Do you need a key, or?”

Kipling’s eyebrows jumped a little at the question. “I know how it all works, but I couldn’t even begin to explain it. That’s Ozy’s territory.”

The mention of the third umbra’s name sparked Khleo’s memory.

“Ozy…”

Kip glanced at them, her face unreadable.

Khleo furrowed their eyebrows. “Was he... the tall one who was always laughing?”

Kip nodded with a light of fondness in her eyes. “He was always making us laugh too.”

“So,” Khleo looped an arm around Kip’s waist and lightly bumped their hip against hers. “How did I lose it? The magic.”

Khleo was hoping that the contact would get Kipling to relax around the subject, but the gardener artfully slid out of Khleo’s hold and quickly replied. “We’ll get to that. Come on, Khleo. We’re almost there.”

Khleo shuffled after her, threading her finger through one of Kip’s belt loops so they wouldn’t get split up. Kip chuckled and paused to remove one of her gauntlets. She unlatched Khleo’s hand from her belt and fitted it against her own. A new warmth came over the barhand at the contact. Holding onto Kip’s hand like this made Khleo feel like she had finally come home.

When the two umbras emerged from the Door, they walked out onto a grove growing on a broad cliffside. Khleo did not know the names of the trees peppered about, but they were guayacan trees. Ahead of them was the ocean, breathing down at the bottom near the bedrock. It was a tealish, enchanting sort of blue. Like the piercings Kip wore.

“This isn’t our original island, but it’s pretty much an exact copy. Ozy made a bunch of them.”

Khleo had let go of Kip by now. She was wandering to the edge of the cliff, trying to steady her breath. The breeze was so warm and delightfully tropical. It kicked up her curls and stiffened them with salt crystals too small to see.

Khleo felt connected to this place. Like they belonged there. Like they belonged with Kipling.

The barhand lowered herself onto her knees and pressed her ear to the earth. She listened.

A pair of gardening boots came into view. Kipling squatted in the grass beside her friend. Stroking back the curls from Khleo’s freckled brow, she said, “You used to come here by yourself when everyone was asleep. This place was yours before you chose to share it with me.”

Khleo sat up and rocked back on her heels. Once again, she took in the ocean and the limestone rock. Sifting through the memories that came in waves, she saw a small child reaching up into the fabric of space and prying it open with every tiny muscle that their frame possessed.

“I came from... this?” Khleo whispered, as if they didn’t already know the truth and didn’t feel it so powerfully just then.

Kip watched them, eyes shining like some salt might’ve gotten trapped there.

“You did.”

Khleo dashed away the droplets cresting over their eyelids with the back of their hand. Another rush of memories flooded their mind.

All of the secrets Khleo and Kip shared here. All the bonding that happened between them under the moon. And years later, their first kiss under the sun and clouds.

… Khleo working slowly on a necklace, pouring every bit of love that they had to spare into the way they fed the black twine between grooved teeth of the individual cowrie shells. They had wanted everything to be perfect for Kip back then. Before they told her that they were starting to fall in–

“Can I show you one more thing?” Kip asked, breaking Khleo out of her reverie.

Kip brought Khleo to an underwater cave. The gardener had to convince the barhand that they were a strong enough swimmer to handle the journey. Khleo surprised themself when they came up for air in the underground pocket.

As Kip helped them climb onto one of the rocks beading out from the concave wall, she told them about how the two of them used to come there and scream as loudly as they could.

“What kind of stuff would we scream about?” Khleo asked as she clambered onto the slick, rocky platform.

Kip straightened up. “Whatever we wanted.”

Khleo didn’t need an invitation. Once she was steady, she started to shout absolute nonsense at the naturally domed ceiling.

Kip gave her shoulder a playful shove. “What was that?”

Khleo gave a lopsided shrug, reminding Kip of when they were much younger. “Doesn’t matter. Your turn.”

Kip prepared to come up with something when she noticed the way Khleo was looking at her. The gardener poked the other in the chest. “You’re just going to stare at me like that?”

Khleo caught her hand and teased the gaps between her fingers with her own. “What the hell else am I supposed to look at? The rocks? Go on.”

The umbras shared one more episode of cheeky glances before Kip closed her eyes and shouted too.

“I missed you!”

Khleo didn’t need to ask who Kip’s words were for. The barhand closed their own eyes, rocked back on their heels and roared, “I’m so glad you found me!”

Kip laughed before chasing Khleo’s echo with, “I’m glad I found you too! I want you to stay!”

“I don’t want to leave!” Khleo exploded, her shoulders shaking with emotion. “Not ever again!”

The barhand crossed her arms over her chest to hold her body together. Kip made a raw, tangled sound as she seized Khleo from behind, burying her face in her mop of wet curls.

Tears streamed down Khleo’s face. “Why did I leave you, Kip?” They choked on a sob. “Why would I do that without telling you that I…”

The ceiling opened up. Something came down.

Their descent into the water was neat and grand like a legendary sword slicing into stone. Or a long foretold comet burning through the atmosphere.

Whoever had just dived in during Kip and Khleo’s tearful reunion swam back up from the depths.

Oz’mandias broke the surface, inhaling deeply and throwing back his locs hard enough to spray Kip and Khleo’s ankles.

“Hello, Khleo,” Ozy greeted while he treaded water with absolute ease, as if he were born right there in the lagoon. “The Doors have been talking to me. They told me that they really missed you. Almost as much as I did.”

Khleo, with their face still red and tear-streaked, shot Kipling a look.

The gardener looked from Ozy and back to Khleo before asking, “Khleo, how much of Ozy do you remember?”

Khleo chewed the inside of their lip in uncertainty as they took another good look at Ozy. By now, the eldest umbra was propping his elbows on the rock.

It wasn’t a full answer, but Khleo started with, “I don’t remember you ever having that scar on your nose.”

Kip was close enough that Khleo sensed the ripple of tension tear through her body. The barhand looked over at the gardener and touched her shoulder in concern.

“You okay?”

Ozy interrupted, “Khleo, follow me.” He let go of the rock and pushed off through the water.

“I’ll show you the place where I got this scar.”

[lady-hammerlock]

A Second Chance - Chapter 2/6 (Spider-Man PS4, Otto x Peter)

AN: I just realised that I never posted chapter two here, so here we go. In this chapter we get some MJ and Otto out on patrol with Peter. As usual the full chapter is under the cut.

CHAPTER TWO

“I saw what happened with Vulture and Electro,” Miles began.

Peter had just left Doctor Octavius and their old lab behind after spending the rest of the night in the company of his old mentor. He still wasn’t sure how he felt about working with Doctor Octavius again, or about Doctor Octavius breaking out of the Raft in the first place. Was it really his decision to allow a criminal like Otto Octavius to roam free? All he knew was that despite everything that had happened between them, after a few hours in the older man’s company he had found himself relaxing and even smiling around Doctor Octavius once more, as though nothing had changed between them.

“Yeah,” Peter replied as he came to a stop on a nearby rooftop. “With any luck they’re already safe and sound back in the Raft.”

“What about Doctor Octavius?” Miles asked.

Peter fell silent as he watched the sun rise over New York, not sure how he was supposed to explain his decision to give Otto a second chance to Miles.

“We talked,” Peter began.

For a moment he found himself panicking again, wondering if he had made a mistake in leaving Doctor Octavius all alone in their old lab, and whether he should have perhaps insisted on constant supervision instead.

“Come on Pete,” he muttered to himself beneath his breath, quietly enough that his earpiece wouldn’t pick it up. “What the hell am I doing?”

“And?” Miles prompted. “Is Doc Ock still out there?”

“Yeah,” Peter replied quietly, “and he’s not going back to the Raft. I, uh…”

“What is it Pete? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Or at least, I’m not injured. We didn’t even fight. He said he wants to work with me, and that he wants us to be friends again. I want to believe him. Is that crazy?”

Peter waited for Miles to yell at him, to tell him that yes, Peter was being crazy and was making a terrible decision, but instead Miles fell silent for a moment, and when he next spoke his voice was as quiet and subdued as Peter’s had been.

“No,” Miles said. “It’s not crazy.”

“After everything he did…” Peter said, realizing that he was closer to breaking than he had first thought.

“Hey Pete,” Miles continued. “I get it. I do. With everything that happened between me and Phin, and me and my Uncle Aaron, I super get it.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you don’t have to have anything to do with him,” Peter offered.

“Hey, it’s cool,” Miles said. “I mean it. He obviously means a lot to you. And if I’m gonna be hanging out with the Prowler when he gets out of prison and maybe even fighting crime with him, then I can’t see any reason you couldn’t do the same with Doc Ock.”

The two of them had already discussed the issue of Miles’ uncle, and while Peter didn’t have any problems with Miles working alongside the Prowler, he wasn’t sure that the Prowler’s crimes could be equated to what Doctor Octavius had done.

“The Prowler didn’t unleash a deadly virus on the whole city Miles.”

“No,” Miles admitted, “but Doctor Octavius hasn’t spent most of his life stealing stuff or working for scumbags like Simon Krieger either. The Doc used to be a good person when the two of you worked together, right? No reason he couldn’t go back to being a good person again.”

Peter wanted to believe that. It was hard to though. No matter how he looked at it, Otto had been responsible for Aunt May’s death, and Otto had nearly killed him too. It was hard to forgive someone for all of that.

At least Miles seemed to be accepting of Peter’s choice as far as Otto was concerned. That was one less thing for Peter to worry about.

“Thanks for understanding Miles,” Peter said. “And for talking this through with me.”

“Hey, no problem,” the other Spider-Man replied. “And if you need help with him or anything, then just remember I’m only a phone call away. Or text message. Whatever.”

“Yeah, same to you,” Peter replied.

--

Despite Miles’ offer to help, Peter knew that he wasn’t going to let Doctor Octavius anywhere near Miles, at least for the foreseeable future.

Over the next couple of days Peter made sure that he kept tabs on Doctor Octavius as much as possible. Part of him still thought that the safest thing would be to keep an eye on the older man twenty-four seven, but he knew that such a thing wasn’t practical. He couldn’t neglect his other duties just because he was still worried about Doctor Octavius, no matter how much he knew he could rely on Miles if he needed to. There was too much good that he could do out there in the city to allow one man to distract him.

Besides, as far as Peter could tell, Doctor Octavius wasn’t really planning anything dangerous, or doing anything at all that had Peter worried. He had been blind to Doctor Octavius’s scheming and inevitable downfall before, but this time around he was looking closely for signs that Otto was doing anything even vaguely suspicious, and he couldn’t find any.

As far as he could tell Otto stayed holed up in their old lab for the most part. Whenever Peter swung by to check on the older man he found Otto busy tinkering with his arms, or working on some other gadget or scientific study.

One afternoon he checked on Otto at the lab to find him working on designs for what looked like an improved web shooter. He pulled his mask off as he walked over to join Otto at his workbench.

“Oh Peter!” Otto called out as Peter approached. “I’m glad you stopped by. I was wondering if I could get some information from you about the chemical makeup of your webbing. You see, I was working on…”

“I can see Doc,” Peter said, leaning over Otto’s computer and inspecting what the older man had been working on.

“I thought if you adjusted the tension here then you might be able to fire your webs faster, giving them greater speed and accuracy, but as you can see, it would all depend on the elasticity of…”

Peter tuned out the rest of what Doctor Octavius was saying, focussing instead on the design itself. He could already see how the web shooter’s design might be an improvement on his current one. It might be a bit more fragile than his current design, but he could probably counteract that by adding some additional reinforcement in a couple of key places. He would have to put aside some time to tinker with the design a little and get the new version up and running.

“Looks great Doc,” Peter said once Doctor Octavius had finished speaking. “Could you email me what you’ve got so far?”

“I could,” Otto replied, “but there’s still further refinements to be made, and I’m happy to take care of that and the initial testing phase as well.”

It would be nice to let Otto do just that. At the very least it would save Peter the time and the effort, but it would mean entrusting Doctor Octavius with the formula for his web fluid or a sizable sample of it, and ideally one of his current web shooters as well. Peter had spares. It wasn’t as though he would be leaving himself vulnerable by giving Doctor Octavius what he needed, but he would be giving Doctor Octavius a lot of information about his current gear, and he still wasn’t sure that he could trust the older man with that sort of information.

“Let me think about it, okay Doc?” Peter eventually replied.

“Peter,” Doctor Octavius began, and Peter could hear the disappointment in his voice. “I want to help you! You told me that I would have to work to earn my redemption, but I can hardly do that when I am confined to this lab, when I am not allowed to fight alongside you or to even…”

Doctor Octavius had begun to raise his voice, but then he suddenly broke off with a frustrated sigh. One of his hands reached up to gently rub the bridge of his nose.

Peter knew that Doctor Octavius was right. Eventually he was going to have to take a leap of faith where the older man was concerned, otherwise they were never going to make any progress at all. He just wasn’t sure that he was ready for that leap of faith just yet.

“I’m sorry for lashing out Peter,” Otto said.

“Hey, at least no cups or controllers were broken this time, right?” Peter joked.

Neither of them smiled.

For a moment Peter considered leaving one of his web shooters and some of the web fluid with Otto so that he could complete the design that he was working on, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do it.

“I uh… told MJ that I’d meet her for dinner tonight,” Peter said.

He reached out and placed a hand on Doctor Octavius’s shoulder, feeling strangely self-conscious as he did so.

“I should get going,” Peter said. “But I’ll check on you later?”

“You do what you have to Peter,” Otto replied. “It’s not like I’m going anywhere.”

Peter gave Otto’s shoulder a last squeeze, before heading towards another corner of the lab, where he had stashed a backpack containing a few supplies and a change of clothes. At least he didn’t have to get changed on the roof anymore.

He glanced over at Otto a couple more times before leaving the lab, noticing the resigned slump of the older man’s shoulders. Otto was already back to working on something, although Peter couldn’t tell from his current distance whether it was the web shooters or something else.

Peter sighed, his heart suddenly feeling heavy as he watched his old friend. He knew that MJ would be waiting for him though, and so he left the lab and Doctor Octavius behind.

--

One of the good things that had come out of Peter and MJ’s trip to Symkaria earlier in the year was a chance for the two of them to finally sit down and just talk for a while without being interrupted by police sirens or supervillains. What had come out of that admittedly strange and slightly awkward conversation was a mutual conclusion that they were better off as friends, and that any time they tried to make their relationship more than that, it inevitably ended badly.

The trip to Symkaria was primarily supposed to be about MJ’s work for the Daily Bugle, but getting away from New York and his duties as Spider-Man had made it feel like a holiday to Peter, and he had initially anticipated that the two of them might be able to snatch a few moments alone for romance. The conversation with MJ had quickly put an end to any romantic plans he might have been making however, and soon enough the two of them settled into a strange sort of in-between that Peter still wasn’t completely sure of.

He knew that their decision to drop back to being just friends was the right one, but what it ultimately meant when they got back to New York was that they had been seeing less of one another. They still spent time together, which was more than Peter could say for any of the times when a romantic relationship between the two of them had devolved into hostility after one too many fights. He still had plenty of fun whenever he spent time with MJ too, but it was strange to think that it wasn’t going to turn into anything romantic; that Peter couldn’t just lean over and press a kiss to her lips.

“So what’s been going on with you?” MJ asked as their food arrived. Their favourite diner was under new management after the owner had passed away earlier in the year, but the remaining staff had made sure that the old man’s spirit had been kept alive, and the little diner still made the best fries in town as far as Peter and MJ were concerned.

“Oh, you know,” Peter said, leaning back as the waitress put his plate down on the table in front of him. “Keeping busy. I think this whole teaching thing is going to work out. Miles keeps trying to get me to take my internship at his high school, but I feel like it would be pretty weird considering that I’m already friends with a couple of the students.”

“He’s already your student,” MJ pointed out.

“No way,” Peter said. “I might have called him that last year, but these days I’m sure he could teach me a thing or two.”

“And how is your other job going?” MJ asked, as she reached across the table to steal one of Peter’s fries.

“Oh, you know,” Peter said. “It’s fine.”

“It’s fine?” MJ repeated, laughter dancing in her eyes. “Don’t give me that Pete. I covered the Raft breakout for the Bugle, you know.”

Peter mentally chastised himself. He should have known that he wouldn’t be able to get away with saying so little to MJ of all people. She knew him too well.

“So then you know that Spider-Man has already dealt with Electro and Vulture,” Peter replied. “So yeah, it’s fine.”

“And Doctor Octavius?” MJ asked, suddenly turning serious.

She reached across the table and gently laid her hand on top of Peter’s own.

Peter hesitated for a moment. He was sure that he could tell MJ about everything that had happened between himself and Doctor Octavius since the breakout, and he wouldn’t have to worry about her going to the police about it, or writing a story for the Bugle, but he wasn’t sure that she would understand.

She had known how much he had cared about Doctor Octavius, and she had been the one to help him pick up the pieces of his broken heart after Aunt May had died and Doctor Octavius had been sent to the Raft, but he was also pretty sure that she would yell at him and tell him that he was being an absolute idiot if he told her that he was giving Doctor Octavius a chance for redemption.

“I don’t know,” Peter said, lying to MJ and hating himself for it. “I haven’t seen any sign of him. I guess he’s laying low somewhere.”

“Hmm. I guess he must be,” MJ said, while Peter made sure that he was focussing all of his attention on the burger in front of him and nothing else. “It’s weird that he hasn’t tried to reach out to you at all. I mean, the two of you used to be so close. Not that you’d want him reaching out, but still…”

“Yeah,” Peter replied, trying to sound as casual as possible. “It is weird.”

“You know he’s gotta be planning something, right?” MJ said, her pasta-covered fork lingering halfway to her mouth. “I just wish we knew what it was.”

As far as Peter could tell, Doctor Octavius’s current plans seemed to consist of nothing more than trying to make himself as useful to Peter as possible. His earlier conversation with Otto came back to him, and he felt his heart sink again. Suddenly the burger in front of him didn’t seem so appetizing anymore.

“You know something!” MJ said, seemingly out of nowhere. “There’s something about Doctor Octavius that you’re not telling me.”

“What?” Peter said, feigning ignorance. “No. Of course not. I’m just worried is all. He’s still out there somewhere, and you’re right, we don’t know what he’s up to.”

“Bullshit. Don’t forget Pete, I can tell when you’re lying,” MJ said, gesturing somewhat threateningly with her fork as she did.

Peter glanced around the diner, checking that no-one else might be listening in before he continued, but everyone else in the diner seemed more interested in their own conversations than listening in on Peter and MJ’s.

“All right,” Peter said. “He might have made contact with me.”

No way was he going to tell MJ that he had helped Doctor Octavius with his new arms, or that he knew exactly where his old mentor was, or that he was very seriously thinking about taking the older man on patrol with him soon. MJ would look at him as though he was completely insane.

“I don’t think he’s planning on hurting anyone though,” he said. “As crazy as it sounds, I think he just wants a chance to make up for what he did.”

MJ did not look convinced. If anything she looked even more wary than she had before.

“Pete,” MJ said. “Just… be careful okay. I know that he used to be your friend, and that you used to look up to him, but…”

“It’s okay,” Peter said. “You don’t have to tell me. Don’t trust him too much. Don’t let him get to me. He’s still the guy that tried to destroy half the city. I know.”

MJ still didn’t seem convinced to Peter, but at least she nodded and forced a smile, and Peter knew that at the very least they would be able to finish their dinner together without her bringing it up again.

--

The very next night Peter approached Doctor Octavius at their old lab once more. He still didn’t know whether he was making the right decision. His head told him that he was probably making a terrible mistake and that this was going to end in disaster, but his heart told him that he had to take a chance like this on Doctor Octavius eventually, otherwise what was the point?

“Peter,” Otto greeted him with a smile.

“Okay,” Peter started. “First of all; you’re going to have to get used to calling me Spider-Man when we’re out on patrol. We can’t have you accidentally revealing my identity.”

“Of course,” Otto immediately corrected himself, “Spider-Man.”

Peter couldn’t tell whether the older man was mocking him or not, but he decided that for now it was probably better if he let it slide either way.

“Second, while we’re out on patrol together,” Peter continued. “You will follow any and all of my instructions; is that clear? I’ll be the first to admit that in the lab you’ve probably forgotten more than I’ll ever know…”

Peter winced at his own choice of words. Memory loss had been one of the potential side effects of Doctor Octavius’s neural implant after all.

“But when it comes to superhero-ing I know what I’m doing, all right? Or at least I do most of the time. This is going to be super delicate with the whole ‘you releasing a bio-weapon on New York’ thing so we’re going to have to be really careful as it is. Unfortunately you don’t have a secret identity to hide behind either. Everyone already knows who you are, so yeah, super, super careful, and you follow my lead and do everything that I say.”

Doctor Octavius lumbered over to Peter slowly, looking at him with a very curious expression on his face. Peter was just glad that the older man wasn’t wearing his goggles for once.

“You’re talking about this, about me joining you on patrol, as though it’s more than just a hypothetical situation Peter,” Otto observed. “I mean Spider-Man, of course.”

“Because it is,” Peter said. “You want a chance to help me and earn your redemption, and I’m giving it to you.”

“I’d be honoured,” Doctor Octavius said, his mechanical limbs proudly lifting him a few inches higher in the air.

It was good to see that Doctor Octavius was still willing to help, but a very large part of Peter still couldn’t help but worry that he was about to make a monumental mistake.

“You step one metal claw out of line,” Peter said, temporarily yanking his mask off so that Otto could see how serious he was beneath the mask. “And I will not hesitate to put you right back in the Raft. Is that clear?”

Otto did not look impressed, or even a little bit intimidated by Peter’s threat.

“You’ve made a similar threat before,” he said. “And don’t worry Spider-Man. I don’t have any more intention of turning against you now than I did the first time.”

Doctor Octavius’s words were not as comforting to Peter as the older man was probably hoping they would be. Still, it was a start.

“All right then,” Peter said as he pulled his mask back on. “Let’s get out there and help some people.”

--

One of Peter’s biggest worries about taking Otto out on patrol was how the police were going to react when they discovered that Spider-Man was willingly working with such a high-profile criminal as Doctor Octavius. Working with someone like Black Cat had been one thing. Felicia only stole things. As far as Peter knew she had never killed someone in the course of committing her crimes, or at least not deliberately. Prowler had likewise been rather small-time, and his first public appearance working with his nephew had been helping out the people of Harlem during a crisis. It was easy to forgive someone who had so obviously changed his ways.

Doctor Octavius meanwhile… Peter didn’t want to linger too long on all of the people that he had either hurt or killed in the name of getting revenge on Norman Osborn.

The other thing that Peter was worried about was Doctor Octavius himself. He knew that the new neural interface was not affecting him nearly as much as the original had, but they couldn’t be sure that there weren’t any lasting side effects, or that Doctor Octavius would have the necessary control for taking down criminals non-lethally. There was a fine line between stopping crime and permanently injuring those that committed it. Peter was incredibly conscious of that line, and also conscious of how Doctor Octavius’s arms had been built more for strength and brute force than subtlety and finesse.

As it was he was taking note of the way their weight fractured and dinted a lot of the surfaces they were travelling on as the two of them traversed the city together. The collateral damage was already lessened compared to when Doctor Octavius had been operating under the influence of the first cerebral implant, but Peter still thought it was something that the two of them could work on improving. He got enough complaints about the mess his webs and his crime-fighting techniques left as it was.

“Now remember,” he told Doctor Octavius as the two of them stood on a rooftop, scouting a break-in down below. “We’re apprehending these guys; making sure that they get locked up in jail where they belong. We’re not punishing them.”

Doctor Octavius scoffed, as though he had not needed Peter’s lecture and did not appreciate his patronising tone.

Peter shook his head before turning his attention back to the five men below. Two of them had guns, which was not ideal, but apart from that it seemed like a relatively straightforward crime. He had wanted Doctor Octavius’s first assignment to be a simple one, and despite the presence of both guns and innocent bystanders, this was probably as simple as they were going to get. At least it was night-time, which meant that both potential casualties and potential witnesses could be kept to a minimum.

“Try to target the two men with guns if you can,” Peter said. “Get them out of the way first. Also, try not to get in between the attackers and the hostages in the store if you can. The gunfire from the criminals might hit them instead of you if you’re not careful. Try to draw the criminals outside of the store if you can, so there’s less chance of collateral damage or any bystanders getting caught up in the fight.”

Otto was silent. Peter couldn’t tell whether he was trying to absorb what Peter had said or just couldn’t be bothered with a reply. Peter turned his attention back to the crime scene below, where one of the gunmen was now shouting something at a woman behind the counter.

“All right,” Peter said. “You ready?”

Doctor Octavius’s nod was subtle, but it was a nod nevertheless.

That first hold up did not go nearly as badly as Peter had feared. Doctor Octavius was able to yank the guns right out of the robber’s hands, and all of the offenders seemed shocked enough by the sight of Peter’s new ally that it gave Peter an easy opening. Peter and Otto had all five of the criminals webbed up and ready for the police in less than a minute, after which Otto scurried back up the side of the nearest skyscraper while Peter delivered a couple of reassuring one-liners to the people who had been working in the store at the time of the hold up.

All in all, Peter thought that things had gone surprisingly well.

Things went just as smoothly for the second crime that he and Doctor Octavius dealt with too.

The third however…

They had come across a weapons deal going down between what looked like the Maggia and one of the smaller, up and coming crime families. That in itself was reasonably routine, but there were a few big, tough-looking guys that Peter knew they would have to keep an eye on. It was the sort of fight where if he had been on his own he would need to plan things very carefully and be on alert the entire time. Even if he had been with Miles then they would have come up with some sort of plan of attack beforehand.

He gave Otto a few pointers before they crashed the weapons deal together, and at first everything was going well. The two of them fought back to back, and for a while they were able to hold everyone off.

Things looked as though they were going perfectly fine, at least until one of the bigger guys managed to grab hold of Peter. Peter tried to push the larger man off, but he was even stronger than he looked. The thug shoved Peter up against the side of a nearby car, his arms tightening around Peter’s neck.

Peter brought his legs up to try and kick the larger man back and away from him, but there wasn’t enough room for him to get enough force behind the kick. He gasped, already finding it hard to get air with the other man’s hands squeezing his neck so tightly. It made it hard to think, but he knew that he wasn’t out of options. If he turned his wrists around and fired a couple of webs in the other man’s face then that should at least give him an opening.

He was about to fire his web-shooter, but he didn’t get a chance before Doctor Octavius was slamming into the larger man, pulling him forcefully off Peter with two of his mechanical arms and letting out a loud, ferocious scream as he did so.

“How dare you!” he roared as he slammed the thug face first into the ground, sounding just as angry and deranged as he had when he and Peter had fought for the final time.

Doctor Octavius manipulated the other man with his mechanical arms, turning him around and then slamming his mechanical arms into the other man’s face, beating him again and again. There was a scowl on his face as he did it too; real anger of an intensity that Peter had only ever seen Doctor Octavius aim at himself or Norman Osborn before that moment.

“Doc, stop!” he called out when he realised that Doctor Octavius had no intention of stopping his relentless assault any time soon.

He grabbed Doctor Octavius’s flesh and blood arm, and when that failed to stop him, or barely even get his attention, he shot a web at one of the arms that had been pulverising Octavius’s victim, pulling it back with all of his strength and hoping that he wouldn’t have to use much more physical force than that to stop Doctor Octavius.

“Stop! Otto!” he called out again as he pulled back on the web and Doctor Octavius’s arm as a result.

That seemed to get Doctor Octavius’s attention more than his earlier attempts had.

His arms froze in their assault and he whirled around to face Peter, the scowl still firmly on his face, before he realised who it was that he was scowling at and the expression fell from his face to become one of absolute mortification.

“He was going to kill you,” Octavius hissed, clearly eager to return to beating the other man senseless.

“But he didn’t,” Peter said, realizing as he did that his voice still sounded a little raspy, and that his throat was sore after the larger man’s attempt to kill him, which really didn’t help the point that he was trying to make.

“See?” he said, gesturing vaguely to himself. “I’m fine. You don’t need to hurt him anymore Doc.”

Peter realised that there were two men that neither of them had taken down yet, but they had been too busy watching Doctor Octavius pulverising their friend in horror to do anything. Now that things had died down however they charged back into the fray with an angry scream.

Peter and Doctor Octavius made very short work of them, and while they were webbed down and hurling vitriol at Peter and Otto, Peter knelt down to quickly examine the man that Otto had beaten half to death.

“He’s still alive,” Peter said with relief, “but he’s going to have one hell of a hospital bill after all this.”

Otto just folded his arms in front of his chest. If he felt any remorse at all then Peter had a feeling that it was because he had upset Peter, and not at all because of what he had done to the now unconscious brute.

The sound of sirens approaching the scene was their prompt for the two of them to flee to the top of the nearby buildings.

--

When they were safely away from the crime scene and hiding on a nearby rooftop out of view of any of the police or any of the criminals, Peter turned his attention back to Otto and what he had done, or perhaps it was more accurate to say, what he would have done if Peter hadn’t stopped him.

“You can’t do that!” he told Otto. “You can’t hurt them like that. Not unless there’s no other way to stop them. And you can’t let your anger get the better of you.”

His voice was still a little broken, and he had a terrible feeling that when he took his mask off later that evening he would find bruises around his neck. Those would be a little difficult to hide or explain away in any way that wasn’t absolutely humiliating. He could probably just wear a scarf for the next few days, which would be uncomfortable considering how close it was to summer, but better than the alternative.

“He was going to kill you,” Otto insisted, looking no less angry about the idea than he had earlier. “What was I supposed to do? Just stand there and let it happen!? He could have…”

He broke off with a loud, angry growl, before storming over to the side of the roof and slamming one angry, mechanical fist into the rooftop below, leaving a definite crack in the concrete as he did so.

Peter realised then that it wasn’t anger that had made Otto snap so much as it had been fear; fear of the other man hurting Peter of all things. He didn’t know whether it was touching or just plain confusing considering how much Doctor Octavius had hurt him in the past, and how close Otto himself had come to killing Peter.

“Hey,” he called out softly as he slowly approached Doctor Octavius. He placed a hand on the other man’s arm, checking to make sure that Otto seemed okay with that simple touch before giving his arm a soft, reassuring squeeze.

“I’m all right,” he told Otto. “Look at me. I’m fine. Nothing happened, and nothing was going to happen. Even if you weren’t there I would have found a way out of that.”

Peter was getting a little better at reading Otto while he had his goggles on. He could tell very clearly, even around the goggles, that Otto had definite doubts about what Peter had just said.

“Really,” Peter said in answer to Otto’s unspoken doubt. “After everything I’ve been through and all of the supervillains I’ve gone up against, you really think some random mobster with more biceps than brains is going to take me down?”

Judging by the scowl on his face, Doctor Octavius did not find the idea as ridiculous as Peter did, but neither did he look as though he was preparing to storm off and murder someone right at that moment, so Peter considered it progress.

Peter took a seat next to Doctor Octavius, his feet dangling over the side of the building.

“A lot of people are going to try to kill me,” he told Otto. “Or you. You can’t snap like that anytime I’m in danger, or we’re going to have a big problem.”

Doctor Octavius audibly exhaled, before his mechanical arms dropped him down to sit on the edge of the building alongside Peter.

“We’re going to have a hard enough time getting the city to trust you as it is,” Peter said.

“I know,” Otto conceded. “But it’s not going to be easy for me to keep calm when I see people hurting you like that.”

Peter didn’t know whether he should be touched or concerned. He also didn’t know whether it would be wise to say what he was about to, but he had never really been very good at keeping his mouth shut, even when not saying anything was probably the smarter option.

“You know that you hurt me way worse than that idiot could have, right?”

The words hung between them in the night air. For a moment Peter wished that he could take them back, but he couldn’t; no more than either of them could take back every punch and blow that they had landed on one another a year ago.

“And that,” Doctor Octavius eventually said, “is probably the biggest mistake that I have ever made.”

Neither of them said anything more for a very long time, and when the silence between them was broken, it was by the Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man app alerting them about another break-in happening just a few blocks away from where they sat.

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

[lavenderpearls]

Some thoughts about Basta (and Capricorn)

I just saw a post about the Inkheart characters and how PTSD could be a possible explanation for Basta‘s behavior. And I had thoughts about it.

So I decided to share them, even though I have no idea if anyone is interested in this.

I think that PTSD is kinda a part of what’s going on with Basta. We know he had a rough childhood, wasn’t treated well by his parents or the people that were supposed to care for him back then. And later Fenoglio stated that Capricorn didn’t treat him much better. (And let’s be honest, we also see that Capricorn only „cares“ for him as long as he‘s useful). And then there’s all the other stuff, like that time he got both his arms burned or later when Mo read him, Capricorn and Dustfinger out of their world.

So yeah, he surely has been through a lot.

But while that would be enough to end up with PTSD, I think he fits the criteria for Antisocial Personality Disorder a bit better.

According to the DSM-5 the symptoms of Antisocial Personality Disorder are

• Failure to confirm to social norms concerning lawful behaviors, as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest. (Do I even have to say anything here?Basta killed people, is the reason for Dustfingers scars, stole stuff, broke into houses, used to set things on fire, kidnapped people, all of this multiple times and in Inkspell it‘s literally mentioned that he was arrested after Capricorn died)

• Deceitfulness, as indicated by repeated lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure (Tbh this is more of a Capricorn thing, who also has ASPD imo, just a different subtype, but I‘ll get into that later)

• Impulsivity or failure to plan. (Throughout all the books Basta is CONSTANTLY doing impulsive stuff, and in Inkheart Capricorn literally said that this was a problem with him)

• Irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults. (I can’t mention all the times this was the case, it would be too much)

• Having no regard for the safety of self or others. (Pretty self explanatory.)

• Consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations (A little more difficult, because of the way the inkworld works and how Basta's life turned out in our world. He‘s never had a normal job. His job basically was being a criminal.)

• Lack of remorse, or inability to feel guilt, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another. (The times he killed people and didn’t give a shit? The fact that he had no problem with threatening children? Just to name a few things. He never really seemed to feel guilty for all the things he did. The only time he kinda feels bad about it is when he thinks this could cause problems for himself, like that time he made sure the cat in Meggies room could escape through the window. He didn’t care about the cat. He was worried that it would bring bad luck to him to let it starve in there. Just as an example.)

So with all this we can be pretty sure he has ASPD.

But there’s more to unpack.

One of the criteria for the disorder is that these or at least similar antisocial behaviors already occurred before the age of 15. We don’t know exactly if they did, but I think we can assume it. If I remember it correctly Fenoglio mentioned that Basta was younger than Meggie, wo was 12 at that time, when Capricorn took him in. And probably not because he felt sorry for the boy, but because he saw something in him that could be useful later.

Speaking about Capricorn. I said that I’m sure he also has ASPD. But he’s pretty different from Basta. At least in some ways. He’s so cold most of the time, much less impulsive, he’s able to plan ahead and also to control a bunch of other criminals.

To make this a little shorter, there’s a lot of different theories about this that include different subtypes, but one basically says that you can somewhat put people with ASPD in two different groups.

The ones that are cold, more rational and manipulative (like Capricorn) and the ones that are more openly aggressive and impulsive, like Basta. (That’s also where people sometimes draw the line between psychopaths and sociopaths, even though there‘s also a little more to that, but I‘m not gonna get into it now cause this text is already ridiculously long)

But to stay with all this 'subtype of ASPD'-stuff for a little longer - you might wonder at this point where Basta's superstitions and his constant fear of bad luck fits into all this. And I have a theory for that as well.

Malignant Narcissism. A syndrome first described by Otto Kernberg. It’s, to keep it short, a mix of narcissistic personality disorder (which btw very often appears together with ASPD) and ASPD.

It’s, apart from all the stuff I mentioned earlier, characterized by sadism (remember how Basta actually enjoys threatening people, how he likes to tell stories about all the awful stuff he and others did in detail, watching people get uncomfortable, etc? Sounds pretty sadistic to me.) AND paranoia. He’s constantly afraid something bad is gonna happen. But this could also be due to some OCD that he might have as well. (I gotta say this here, with personality disorders it’s not uncommon for people to have multiple ones that overlap. That’s what often makes it so hard to give a proper diagnosis.)

But what’s more interesting to me is that malignant narcissists, while usually not caring about anyone but themselves and being unable to maintain healthy relationships with others (remember when Dustfinger was hiding in Bastas house and mentions that Basta has literally no friends?), can show some sort of loyalty to a few people. Which is the case for Basta, since he‘s incredibly loyal to Capricorn.

So while generally being a pretty awful person, Basta has, at least somewhat, the ability to care about a selected few individuals.

Which I think is also the reason why there’s more fanfiction about him than Capricorn. Capricorn doesn’t care about anyone. He doesn’t even care about his own mother, or Resa, who was known to be his favorite of out all the maids. As soon as she caused problems for him, he decided to get rid of her. So with him, there’s a lot less to explore and to work with.

And, something more general about ASPD, it‘s as far as we know at this point, usually caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, such as neglect or abuse during childhood.

And Capricorn is a great example for this, since the genetic and environmental factors are both definitely there. We know his father used to beat him, and Mortola displays a lot of ASPD symptoms herself.

And for Basta, it was mentioned that he was a very unhappy child. Sadly we don’t know anything about his parents or what exactly happened during his childhood. (Maybe we could ask Cornelia about his parents in the next livestream?)

There’s still more I could talk about, for example some interesting studies about ASPD and reactions to fear that would also apply to both Basta and Capricorn, just in different ways or how ASPD works in general, but maybe I‘ll make a different post about that sometime.

Also feel free to tell me what you guys think about this, it‘s super interesting and I bet there’s even more to say that I haven’t talked about.

[topazy]

Under my skin

Pairings: Troy Otto x OC

Warnings: None

Chapter: 1.06

Wylie

I watched as Troy rushed to separate the fight that was taking place. On closer inspection, I could see Leo was beating up Jake. I was surprised that others hadn't intervened before.

Troy pulled Leo off his brother with ease. “What the hell is going on?”

Neither Jake nor Leo answered.

Jake fixed his shirt and rubbed the blood off his nose. “I’ll see you up at the house later.”

I felt guilty, like I should have done something to help Jake. He had been a good ally to me since I’d arrived at the ranch, and I now considered him a friend. I was so busy watching Jake that I nearly missed Leo trying to square up to Troy, which was a big mistake on his part.

Two other guys tried to talk him out of it.

“Come on, man, this isn’t worth it.”

“This is crossing a line, Leo. Back down now.”

“Troy will beat your ass. Walk away while you still can.”

Surprisingly, Troy wasn’t taking the bait. I couldn’t hear everything Leo was saying to him, but I heard the mention of Jake and Jeremiah's names. Troy stood firmly while Leo got closer to his face.

I glanced between both Otto brothers. I took in their situations. Troy was now standing with a smug look on his face, and his brother was a good distance away from the madness. After a moment of pondering what to do, I decided to go after Jake, so he wasn’t alone. As I started to walk away, I heard a yelping noise. I quickly turned around to see Leo clutching at his face as another guy had his hand on Troy’s chest trying to calm him down.

When the prick stepped back, I was able to see his nose and how fucked up it looked. Good. He deserved it.

I glanced over at Troy, who was already staring at me; he gave me a slight nod. Taking it as a go ahead, I made my way towards their house.

—

I knocked on the front door and entered after hearing a muffled ‘come in’ from Jake. “Hey, how are you?”

He was sitting at the kitchen table with a cold cloth on his mouth. Jake's lip bled so much, Leo must have gotten at least one good punch in. I imagined his father would be furious when he found out what had happened.

“I’m okay.” Jake said, removing the cloth, allowing me to see how swollen his face was becoming. “Did you get all the stuff you needed?”

“Yeah, I did.” I took notice of a family photo that hung next to the window. It was strange to think of the ranch as an actual home before the apocalypse. “You look like your mom.”

Jake’s face lit up at the comment. He smiled at the picture fondly before shaking his head. “Yeah, back when the world was sane. Do you have any pictures of your family?”

I nodded. “I had a few in my bag when... this all started. My sister had just gotten a Polaroid camera, so we took some ‘practice’ pictures about a week before.”

“Yeah, Troy mentioned he’d seen you looking at some photos a few times.” Jake gave me a knowing look before continuing. “What are the photos of?”

I let out a soft chuckle, remembering the exact moments I took the treasured photographs. “One of them is my mom. She was so pissed off when I took it. My sister Libby dyed her hair at home and stained the good bath towels. The picture is of my mom discovering it. I have one of me and my two friends, Ellie and Malia’s matching love heart ankle tattoos, and the last one is of my dad's tragic tattoo.”

“What did he get?”

I rolled my eyes at the memory of Wiley Woo.

A look of amusement spread across Jake's face. “Sorry? He got what?”

“My dad got Liberty on the back of his left elbow, and Wiley Woo on his upper arm. It’s what they called me when I was a baby.”

A stumbling sound came from another room in the house, causing Jake to suddenly appear uncomfortable. “Um..thanks for coming to check on me, but I better get ready for my shift tonight.”

“Yeah, of course.” I nodded, smiling, “Have a good shift, and hopefully it stops bleeding soon.”

—

My mind was so occupied, I wasn't even paying attention to anything going on around me. My thoughts were running elsewhere when I felt something brush against my arm.

“Hey.”

I had a warm feeling flush over me as Troy settled into the chair next to me. My cheeks burned, “hi.”

Even though it was dark and the only light was off from the fire pit in front of me, I could still see the bandage wrapped around Troy’s knuckles. I automatically placed my hand on his to get a better look.

“Sorry,” I mumbled, realizing I’d probably crossed a line.

Troy said nothing but kept his hand where it was. I gulped down before continuing to look at it while he stared at me curiously. Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see others giving us stage looks.

“Why are they staring at us?” I asked in a low voice.

A wicked smile spread across Troy’s face as he leaned in closer to me. “Because I shot the last person who grabbed my hand like that.” My eyes widened with shock, I struggled to find a way to reply when he laughed. “It’s a joke, Wylie. Relax, I’m not that crazy.”

I let out a nervous laugh before letting go of his hand. We sat in comfortable silence, watching the surrounding people. Another family had suggested having a small bonfire as it would be good for morale, but so far the only individuals who seemed to be really enjoying it were the kids.

I was actually jealous of their childlike wonder, not afraid of what was lurking outside the ranch.

The sound of Troy clearing his throat distracted me from my own thoughts. “Thanks for going and checking on my brother.”

“It wasn’t a problem.” I shrugged, “We are friends, so I don’t mind.”

“Are we friends?”

The look Troy was giving me was making my heart race. I couldn’t help but smile back. He was so arrogant at times, but still attractive as hell. How was that even possible?

“We can be friends if you want.” I quipped back before standing up. “I’m going to call it a night. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Goodnight, Wylie.”

[spideyhexx]

Here’s my loose pitch for a Spider-Woman movie. It’s not super specific in some areas, I just wrote down my ideas. The main characters I’d have is:

Jessica Drew (Spider Woman)

Otto Vermis (HYDRA leader)

Herbert Hoover (High Evolutionary)

Bucky Barnes

Sam Wilson (Captain America Sam Wilson)

Olivia Octavious (the female counterpart of Otto)

Disclaimer: I know a bit of Jessica’s origin and I know some of these characters don’t obviously fit that but I put them in because this is how I’d want them to be in it? For something different, you know? Also I like Bucky & Jessica....they’re a lot more alike than I thought they’d be.

- her geneticist father moves to a place (I think it was something with the wendagore mountains in the comics but not sure) with high levels of radiation that put Jessica at risk of dying

- As she falls ill, her father and Herbert (high evolutionary) inject her with spider serum that’s supposed to help her not die but it puts her in a coma

- The high evolutionary constructs a chamber for her to lie in while she’s in the coma

- Jessica doesn’t wake up until many years later. She was blipped away and when she comes back, she’s no longer in the chamber, and has no memory of her life/name

- Herbert finds her and tries to act as a friend but she’s resistant. He at most tells her her name, Jessica Drew.

- As Jessica is living her life, her powers start to show. She falls into a romance with Jerry, only to accidentally kill him with her powers (venom blasts).

- The townspeople look at her as a monster and that she’s highly dangerous. This is when she runs off and runs into Otto Vermis, a high ranking official of HYDRA. Or if using HYDRA feels too repetitive, Otto could be just working on his own and be a manipulative bad guy. Or he could be working for a different corrupt organization. HYDRA isn’t needed, but is tied into Jessica’s origin which is why I’m including it!

- Otto offers his home to Jessica, and tells her he could help her. Otto trains Jessica to be an assassin for HYDRA, becoming the Arachne but Jessica continuously is rebelling against them. This changes when Otto brainwashes her and sends her out to kill Cap, Sam Wilson.

- She’s caught by Sam/Bucky and brought in to a prison facility where Olivia Octavious is eager to experiment on Jessica and her powers.

- Bucky has a one on one with Jessica. She tells him she’s fighting the voices in her head telling her that HYDRA is good. She tells Bucky she’s going to kill Otto, and that she needs his help. She begs him to help her escape.

- He reveals Olivia’s unethical plans to Jessica as well, and how against them he is.

- Bucky feels for Jessica and helps her escape the prison facility which ends in a fight between Sam and Bucky.

- Jessica goes back to HYDRA and kills Otto, but before, he tells her she was made from an evolved spider, instead of a mutated human (lying to her to mess with her).

- Jessica, distraught, runs off. She changes her appearance and tries to live in San Francisco away from everyone. There, she meets Lindsey McCoy (when of her close friends from the comics!) and she moves in with her. (In a sequel I’d do the storyline of them becoming PIs together)

- Meanwhile Olivia’s rage and her desperate need to continue her experiments causes her to go out looking for Jessica.

- Bucky and Sam also set off to find Jessica, afraid of what she might do and afraid of what Olivia might do

- When they do, it results in another battle where she’s desperately telling them to leave her alone and how she wants to just live a normal life, how she feels so alone, how she’s not sure if she could even control her powers.

- Bucky and Sam sympathize with her. Bucky had Sam promise that they’d be the only ones trying to help her, but Sam betrayed this and had called for assistance, where they reprimand Jessica and lock her up once again.

- Bucky is very mad at this. Sam understands his anger, but knows Jessica is a loose canon right now, and it’s for the best, which Bucky hates to admit that Sam is right

- This is shortly deterred when Olivia blows up part of the prison to kidnap Jessica. She takes her to her facility where she begins to experiment hoping to find out things about her powers. This reveals to Jessica that she IS a mutated human, unlike what Otto told her.

- Jessica breaks out of Olivia’s restraints and Olivia unveils herself in her doc ock get up.

- Her and Jessica fight, Jessica injures her pretty badly and that’s when government agents show up. Jessica flees as Olivia is taken into custody.

- As Jessica flees, she runs in to bucky. He’s supposed to capture her if he finds her but they share a moment of insane trust where he tells her to go, run far away from here. To stay low. He gives her a comm device to reach him if she ever needs help. Jessica hugs him, truly hugs him, the first admiration she’s felt towards someone in so long, and thanks him for all that he’s done.

- So she’s off on her own.

- The end credit scene is Jessica in a bar with her hood up. She’s watching tv when they show the newsreel of when spidey’s identify is revealed. Jessica, astonished by another spider person, who seems in peril, quickly leaves the bar, leaving us wondering if she’s off to NYC to see this spiderman.

- Another end credit scene depicts Bucky looking at his comm device, like he’s hoping it’ll beep and her voice will come through. Sam comes in and Bucky hides the device. Sam tells him he knows what he did, and starts to make fun of him for doing so, because it MUST mean that he likes her. Bucky deflects it a bit and just says she reminded him of himself. He just felt the need to help her. She deserved a good life and it wouldn’t be behind bars for stuff she wasn’t even fully conscious she could do.

So yeah that’s it! Let me know your thoughts! Be easy, I don’t know everything about all of these characters alignments in the comics but I like this idea for a first Spider Woman movie and I thought it would be cool to have Sam and Bucky apart of it too!