#who'd try to wear the costume

[icarus-suraki]

Halloween is coming, so remember, if there's a Halloween party...

Friends don't let friends dress like The Crow.

[nightingale-prompts]

Nightwing gets a sidekick introducing: "Batboy"

Continuation of this post: "Danny has Bat wings"

|Next|

Dick tries to tell himself that he's better then Bruce. He's not going around taking young orphaned boys with unique abilities willy-nilly. No, he very careful. Besides this is first- well second sidekick.

He's doing a public service anyways. You can't have a kid with giant bat wings just falling from buildings. If Nightwing hadn't stepped in to stop those goons trying to catch the kid and sell him then who knows what would have happened. What if they tried to cut off his wings and turn the boy into a bloody trophy for the Bats?

There are many villains in Bludhaven who'd take the boy out or take him in. Dick already had a sinking feeling that Heartless would try his hand at killing the kid after all he targets the weak and helpless like a coward.

It was easy enough to convince the boy to be his friend. Dick did have natural charm and charisma after all. All it took was a meal from batburger and a fruit cup to get the kid to open up.

Danny (apparently his family gave him a normal name) didn't live with his family anymore due to ideological differences. That difference was that they thought he shouldn't exist anymore and wanted to turn him into an experiment. Poor kid didn't even get to finish his freshman year of school before he had to leave. He was a small town vigilante for a few months before the incident.

Dick saw an opportunity but was subtle about it. He invited the kid to live with him until he got his education. Its also totally ethical because the kid was a vigilante already.

Everything kind of went by quickly. Dick had done everything possible to hide Danny until he could come up with a plan of how to tell everyone.

True Dick didn't "need" a sidekick but come on, look at him! He's a boy with bat wings! Dick could put a little cowl on him and dress him up like Batman. I mean he's not a dog but it would be funny. The irony there, the bird-themed hero now had a bat-themed sidekick. That is the universe's way of sending a message.

After training Danny Dick learned that the kid had an endless supply of energy and ADHD that rivaled his own at that age. The kid also couldn't fly, it was actually closer to gliding which was still useful but he kind of looked like a flying squirrel when he jumped off ledges.

The term issue with taking Danny in was that Dick was still a Wayne and while he could hide the kid while he was swinging through Bludhaven, Dick Grayson could not.

Danny could hide his wings like they weren't even there whenever he wanted to look human. Which was a start, next he needed a new identity. One that wouldn't tip anyone off.

Dick needed to pull some strings without alerting Barbara or Tim. A new name was forged: "Daniel Nightingale" (Dick patted himself on the back for that one).

With that Dick was ready to let Danny out in the field. For the most part, Danny was as reliable as any Robin if not a bit crazy. Danny was way too charming for his own good but also completely feral. The public adored the domino-masked kid in his green and black costume. Danny didn't wear a cape because of his wings so he used them as a cloak.

When citizens saw them in public they'd offer the kid fruit cups and candies just to get close enough to see his wings. The people of Bludhaven were also excited to have their own version of Robin since Gotham had so many. Also, the kid was so marketable. Look at the way his wings flapped when he was excited.

Danny's or more specifically "Batboy's" presence would not go unnoticed.

Well, this can't end well.

Welp. Dick should have expected this. He couldn't even be upset. He doesn't regret anything that he's done.

Danny was still in bed, actually it was a hammock which was more comfortable for a bat. Dick wondered if he could sleep upside down. The kid was comfortable here and probably better off here than in Gotham. Once the adoption goes public however things will get complicated. Danny may end up Bludhaven's sweetheart or outcast. He'll probably end up fine...probably.

[devonpink]

Jack O'Bros

You'd think attending a slutty Halloween party full of hot guys would be a blast, but you'd be dead wrong. My god were they all brain-dead! Don't get me wrong, I like a good old-fashioned hot dumb ass from time to time, but all of them?! Also, I never imagined pumpkin heads being the hot costume for men this year? Who'd want to wear a carved-out dirty pumpkin on their head all night? I guess that's dumb jocks for yah. What sucks is I was really looking forward to that party, but I just had to get out of there. They were all starting to give me the creeps, not in that fun Halloween way but actually.

Those pumpkin heads were all acting so hive-like, talking in monotone and endlessly repeating the same phrases. "The pumpkin heads must grow. All men must be seeded. We must grow. We must seed." What the fuck is all that?! I thought it was all some elaborate joke but nope. The creepiest part was that you could barely hear them unless you got up really close to their carved-out pumpkin mouths. However, if you did that, they'd suddenly garb you—a little too tightly I might add. I eventually dipped out after getting grabbed one too many times. Uh, that party sucked. At least they were all shirtless, so I got something out of it.

Thank god the party wasn't too far from my apartment, so I could clear my head over a nice walk. However, halfway home, I ran into another Jack O'dumb ass.

Aside from the pumpkin on his head, he was carrying one in his hand. He was muttering the same hive-like crap the others were, but I could only focus on that and instead how the carved-out pumpkin he was caring looked exactly my size. It was creepy. I walked past him, trying to ignore him, but the second I had my back to him, he forcefully shoved that disgusting pumpkin he was carrying on my head!

It was so fucking gross, the smell was repulsive—not like a pumpkin, but axe body spray mixed with masculine musk. It was as if my head was shoved in a jock's sweaty pit. The reek instantly made my head spin, causing me to fall to the cold concrete beneath me. I could barely think, my eyes rolling back from the intensity. Suddenly, both my ears were penetrated by something that felt like a vine. I started shaking in pure fear, grasping the ground. The pain was excruciating, but the pleasure of my conscription soon took hold. The vines drained my thoughts—my everything—and replaced them with only what should remain in a pumpkin-head drone. I gasped in agony, not in pain but utter pleasure. It felt so fucking good. I wanted more, so much fucking more.

Within a few seconds, I finally heard the sweet mantra of the pumpkin heads. "The pumpkin heads must grow. All men must be seeded. We must grow. We must seed," I said with a smile, although you couldn't see it behind my new head. I quickly got up from the ground and tore my shirt off, revealing my sweaty ripped abs. How else are you supposed to entice the future recruits, bro?

After all, the pumpkin heads must grow. All men must be seeded. We must grow. We must seed.

Join us, bro.

[sehnsuchts-trunken]

Rooster At 5, Bradley At Night

Bradley Bradshaw x Penny’s niece!reader 10k words (.....yes. 10k. i know)

summary: You've been hooking up with Bradley for three weeks now. You're also hooking up with him tonight.

a/n: this is pure smut. honestly pure smut. 18+ i will now list all the things that you have to look out for. first and foremost i have NEVER written smut before dont kill me pls im trying my best. ok so

name kink, rank kink, choking, unprotected sex (dont be like them, just know theyve had the conversation nothing bad will happen), oral sex!fem receiving, dom bradley, some "good girl" because i am a sucker for that, in general a lot of talking because bradley is A TALKER!!!!!!, a little strength kink? is that a thing? and a shit ton of begging

this can be read as a stand-alone most definitely, but is set in the same universe as "Tuesday Night" and “Not A Coincidence” and "Take Me On A Joyride" so maybe give those a read too?

top gun masterlist

You were behind the bar this evening, a rag in your hands as you wiped down the sticky wooden top for the bazillionth time and hummed along to the music coming from the jukebox. You were behind the bar most evenings, pouring beer and rum and whiskey and mixing cocktails (occasionally taking some sips of your own), smiling and laughing and flirting with customers left and right.

For the past few months now, the most regular of those costumers had been the Dagger squad.

They'd shown up here one random evening and hadn't left since. And it didn't seem like any of them would any time soon.

Not that you wanted them to, oh no. You had grown so close in so little time that it was scary at this point.

"Settle a bet for us, Junior."

Jake slid up to the bar as if it was second nature, putting an empty bottle of beer in front of him and resting one elbow next to it. You looked up at him and smiled, threw your rag over your shoulder and grabbed the bottle, condensation dripping down onto your fingertips. Rooster came up right behind him and your smile deepened even further.

"Hit me, Bagman", you challenged, set two full bottles on the bar top and then rested your forearms against the edge.

Jake grinned at you as he raised his beer in a toast.

"If you had to get with one of us tonight, who'd you get with?"

You didn't even flinch.

"Bradshaw", you said, quick like a shot, and watched Jake's face fall like he'd expected a different answer with just a tiny bit of amusement. You glanced at Rooster, who had already been looking at you, and whose only reaction to the fact that you were literally talking about sleeping with him was a small quirk of his lips.

"Bradshaw? Are you kidding? You- I'll give you a second to think about it, Junior. Don't you wanna think about it for a second?", Jake asked, regaining his facade, letting a tinge of his accent slip as he leaned in and winked at you. "You know, actually think about it. Imagine it. Picture it. Visualise it."

You decided to give him the satisfaction. So you pushed back from the bar top, crossed your arms, raised your eyebrows and eyed the two of them up and down - just because you could, just for the fun of it. Jake was in his usual jeans and shirt, leaning in with a self-assured grin and his hand wrapped around his beer bottle. Bradley was wearing one of those Hawaiian shirts that fit snugly on his bicep, his sunglasses tucked into the collar of the white top underneath, hair on the practically perfect side of unruly and his eyes fixed on yours so intensely that you had to bite down on your tongue for a moment there.

You counted to five.

"Bradshaw", you said again, dropped your arms and grabbed the rag from your shoulder. Jake's lips parted and a betrayed sort of gasp left his mouth before he started complaining - you shook your head and stepped over to the next customer and only allowed yourself to grin when you'd turned away, out of his sight.

You wouldn't give him that satisfaction.

You still didn't know whether to be surprised at this "bet" the both of them had made. You were pretty sure anyway that Jake had been the driving force in that. You knew the two of them well enough by now to not only be aware of their.... you could only call it a rivalry, really, but also of Jake's weird, warped sense of mischief. Maybe he had some narcissism problem or maybe some old trauma response. Who cared? Not you. It made for entertainment every night you were behind the bar. And also every night you were in front of the bar, drinking and dancing with the squad. You loved him, you really did. But definitely not enough to not put a stop to his ego whenever you could.

And if that way was by flaunting how very platonically you felt about him (because he was a self-named womanizer and couldn't understand how anyone could possibly not be attracted to him), you would.

...

It was 2am when Penny told you to pack your things and go. Most of the bar was empty already, except for three or four small groups of people, but those she could manage alone. Usually, maybe, you'd have declined, but tonight....

Well.

Jake had found someone to hook up with after his earlier disappointment and the rest of the squad had left at some point during the last hour too - the rest of the squad except for a particular pornstache guy.

Rooster had said goodbye to Fanboy and Payback ten minutes ago, had assured them he didn't need a ride home, he'd order another drink and then take an uber, had sat down on a bar stool, nursed his beer and watched you clean up and then pack your things. You'd sneaked glances at him now and then, so you knew that he'd watched you.

When you stepped out from behind the bar, he sat up and followed you out of the Hard Deck wordlessly. Armed with a purse, fumbling for your car keys, fighting down the smile on your lips and the bubbling anticipation in your stomach, you took a second outside to close your eyes and breathe in the mild evening air.

Then two arms sneaked around your waist. You let out a sigh as warm breath hit your neck.

"So you'd rather get with me than Bagman, hm, Junior?"

You chuckled, pushing back a little, closing your eyes and allowing yourself to relax for the first time tonight.

"I think you know very well that I'd rather get with you than Bagman, Rooster", you muttered, running your hands up his, up his arms, up naked skin until you could slide your fingertips underneath his shirt, up his shoulders... "I'd rather get with you than anyone."

He pressed a kiss right below your earlobe, bit down softly on the same patch of skin, soothed it again with a kiss.

"Oh, I know", he laughed quietly into your ear, his breath sending shivers down your spine. You settled even further into his arms. "I'd rather get with you than Bagman, too."

You had to laugh as well - the image of Hangman and Rooster was truly funny. But it was difficult to keep laughing when Bradley pressed more and more kisses to your neck, trailing a line of them down to the hemline of your shirt, nuzzling his nose in there when he couldn't go further. You tilted your head back a little to rest it against his shoulder, a pleasant flush rising up within - a comfortable warmth, the knowledge that you were safe, secure, protected. The way he always made you feel.

"Just to be clear - I do get to get with you tonight, right?", you asked, a grin on your lips because you knew the answer very, very well. Rooster chuckled into your ear and let out a hum.

"What do you think?", he muttered, one last, open-mouthed kiss pressed against your skin before he pulled away, pulled at your hand to twirl you around, pulled a squeal from your lips, one that conjured a smile on his face every time. "Take me home?"

...

The ride home was silent except for the radio in the background, but you were pretty much tuning that out. The steering wheel was sturdy in your hands, the night lights bright and blinding and your concentration on the streets and the car was waning ever so slowly, ever so steadily because Rooster's hand was slowly, steadily inching up your thigh. He'd put it innocently just above your knee when you'd strapped yourself in, his thumb sweeping in circles over the fabric of your jeans, but by now he'd brushed so far up that you were finding it hard to direct your thoughts back to driving.

Luckily, the drive back home only took ten minutes.

You weren't sure you'd have survived even a second more. He squeezed your thigh one last time as you turned the ignition off, then unbuckled his seat belt, opened his door and got out and you were left alone in pure silence for exactly two seconds. You took a deep breath in and out. One day, and you knew that, Bradley would be the death of you. He could get you all riled up with so very little that you felt like you were going mad sometimes. In a very good way, of course.

And just as you were lamenting on the bubbling anticipation in your stomach, on the images your brain conjured whenever you were close to him, whenever you were touching him, whenever-

"Madam", Rooster smiled, leaning one arm on the opened car door and reaching the other hand out for you to take. "Would you do me the honours?"

You could only shake your head and grin at him, giddiness making you squirm in your seat as you pulled your hands away from the steering wheel and put one of them in his.

"I could never deny you any of your wishes, kind sir", you said, allowing him to pull you out of the car and into his arms instead. He hugged you close, tilted his head down to nuzzle your nose with his - you had to put your head back to be able to look into his eyes when you stood this close in front of him, nevermind kissing him.

"Really?", he smiled, his fingertips dancing along your side, hooking into your belt loops, pulling your hips flush to his. You grabbed at his biceps to steady yourself. Or maybe just because you could. "Any of my wishes?"

You let out a sort of agreeable hum and grinned up at him.

"Whatever you want", you nodded.

It was the truth, simple and just. You'd do anything. You'd let him do anything. You trusted him like you'd never trusted anyone before and up until now, you'd only ever been rewarded for putting that kind of trust in him. Something about this felt right. Something about him felt right.

"What if I wanted to spend the rest of the night between your legs?", he muttered, eyes flicking down to your lips as your breath hitched.

"Well", you whispered, because whispering was the only thing you still knew how to do. "As I said, I won't deny you anything."

His eyes met yours and his lip quirked up and then, before you could do anything more, he'd dropped down, wrapped an arm around your legs and hauled you up. You let out a gasp and crossed your arms behind his neck in reflex, a soft, shocked "Rooster!" falling from your lips. Bradley only chuckled, closed the car door with his hip and started carrying you to your front door with seemingly no problem whatsoever.

Gods. Sometimes you forgot just how strong he really was.

But then, in moments like these, he picked you up and threw you onto your bed or pushed you up against a wall and you remembered. And you felt that sting in your stomach that had you press your legs together every time.

Now you didn't even have to remember. Now you were dangling safely from his arms, your hands linked behind his neck, your fingertips buried in his hair, your eyes wide as you watched him, as you tried to steady your irregular breathing because shit, this was happening. This was happening like it had been happening for over three weeks now.

He sat you down carefully in front of the door, but you were in such a trance that you needed to take a moment (or two or three) to stare at him, at this man, this fairytale prince, this god. Your man, your fairytale prince, your god.

"You need to unlock the door, honey", he chuckled, wrapping an arm around your waist and turning you so you were facing the door, his chest pressed to your back, his breath fanning the exposed skin of your neck and right, right, right, the door! The door. The lock. The key. The key in your purse! That key. The key for your door. Right. Key, key, key.... Where the hell was that goddamn key? You were sure it was somewhere there in your purse. You'd put it in there like you always put it in there. Key, Key, Rooster, Rooster's arms around you, Rooster's hands brushing over your skin, Rooster's breath on your ear, Rooster between your legs, Rooster- Key! Key, key, key---

There.

At the very bottom of your purse, finally! There it was. You pulled it out with an almost triumphant sound, unlocked your door to Rooster's soft laughter behind you and stumbled into the dark hallway in a half-intoxicated way that shouldn't have been possible because you hadn't drunk anything tonight.

You threw your purse to the side and switched on the light and turned to Rooster just in time for him to have closed the door behind him and reached for you, his hands on your hips - so big, splayed so wide, his fingers so long - crowding you against the wall, his breath fanning over your mouth and then, finally, his lips on yours.

For the first time today, you were kissing him. He was so wide, so tall, so huge, everywhere all around you, his arms, his hands, his chest, his shoulders, his neck, his chin and his cheeks and his lips and his hair. Your hands sunk into that hair, tugging at the roots and grabbing his head as though your life depended on it, depended on keeping him safely, steadily right on front of you, right here, pushing you against the wall and leaving you practically no room to breathe, to touch, to feel anything other than him.

You wanted him.

With every fibre of your body, your soul, every particle, every cell, you wanted him. You wanted him everywhere all at once and you wanted him now.

So you bit down on his lip and allowed his tongue in and brushed your hands down his shoulders, down his chest to pull off that god-awful Hawaiian shirt that you admittedly found very attractive, but that was so incredibly, annoyingly in the way right now. You tugged it off his chest and down his arms and didn't care when it fell to the floor - that was where it should be, that was where it belonged.

You reached for the top then, for his waist to brush your fingertips below its hem, pushed it up, up, up until you could feel bare skin, washboard abs against your palms. That satisfied you for a moment - for a moment of running your fingers along the sharp edges of his stomach, for a moment of feeling his body heat, for a moment of being closer.

Luckily, Rooster had always been quite in-tune with you. He noticed the very second that your satisfaction turned to impatience, that your roaming, wandering hands weren't exploring, weren't enjoying anymore but were searching, longing for more - for more skin to touch, more, more, more.

He pulled away from your lips to get rid of his top, leaving you a panting, wide-eyed mess and by god, he'd only just gotten started. He hadn't even touched you. How were you already so wound up?

You blamed the fact that you'd had to stare at him from a distance for the past five days (you'd had late night shifts, he'd had early training days) and decided not to think about it further.

Especially not as his top joined his shirt on the floor, as he looked up at you with red smudged on his chin, kiss-swollen lips and unruly hair. His chest was heaving, his breath coming shorter than usual and his pupils had grown so dark you had to swallow hard.

Without thinking, you reached out and tried to wipe your lipstick off his skin.

That made him grin a little.

"Rooster?", you muttered, looking him right in the eyes. He let out a hum as he stared, a bit lost in thought it seemed and still quite shamelessly, only further at your lips. "Either take me to the bedroom or take a step back so I can get on my knees."

He let out a chuckle then and met your eyes, digging his fingers through your belt loops and pulling you a few inches away from the wall.

"I think you may have forgot something, honey", he said. "What about that wish I made?"

You let out a shuddering breath as you tried not to let your imagination run wild.

Rooster only grinned, and it seemed that your expression showed him just how much you didn't mind his wish at all, because he reached around you, grabbed the backs of your thighs and lifted you up, so effortlessly that it made you blush a little. You didn't even have to hold onto him, only had to wrap your legs loosely around his hips as he carried you through the hallway and into the bedroom.

That allowed you to focus all of your attention on pressing your lips to his skin.

He was warm. So warm. You trailed your lips all over his jaw, his throat, his shoulders, his bicep, and then, when you couldn't go any further down, Rooster had already found the light switch in your room and was dropping you onto your bed, pulling a surprised gasp from you.

The mattress was soft and bouncy as you landed on it, heat in your cheeks and your throat tightening at the sight in front of you - Bradley Rooster Bradshaw standing at the foot of of your bed, half-naked, sweaty, breathing heavy and looking down at you like he was a predator and you were his prey, like he wanted to devour you whole.

Which he did.

You raised yourself up onto your elbows at the same time that he advanced - pounding on you, almost, with a grin on his lips that set ablaze the slumbering flame in your abdomen. You didn't know which one of you got rid of your shirt, only that a few seconds later his lips were on yours, his hands reaching for your bra clasp and your shirt discarded somewhere on your floor.

You breathed hard against his mouth as his fingertips brushed along your back, along your bra, then slowly slid it off your shoulders, down your arms...

Cold air hit your breasts just as Rooster pulled away from you to fling your bra away to join your shirt on the floor, leaving you cold and panting, your eyes closing and opening again and staring at him as he stared at you, as he admired you, all bare, soft skin right there, right in front of him, just for him and nobody else.

You felt his palms against your ribcage then, pushing you down onto your back, onto the mattress, your breath hitching and your eyes closing in anticipation. He dropped a kiss onto your collarbone. Another just above your cleavage. Another onto the top of your breasts. His thumbs brushed right below them.

You wanted more. You always wanted more. You needed more.

But he was just trailing kisses along your breasts, never lingering for long enough, never biting or sucking or licking and as much as you were enjoying this... You needed more.

"Rooster", you sighed, dragging your hands through his hair because you needed more. He hummed against your skin. You could feel the vibration all over. "Roos, please."

He grinned - against your skin at first, before he looked up and right at you. "What was that?"

You bit down on your lip. God damn him. He always did this. Every single time, he did this. And the worst part was: You didn't even mind. You didn't mind begging, you didn't mind pleading, you didn't mind doing so much of it that you couldn't do, couldn't say anything else anymore. So you did just that.

"Please", you repeated, a little breathlessly. Rooster's grin widened.

And then he pulled away completely.

You could have screamed. You honestly thought, just for a second, that he would leave you lying there - panting and begging for him, with a bare chest and arousal heating up every part of you. But of course not. Of course not. This was Bradley fucking Bradshaw. He didn't leave you unsatisfied.

No.

Rooster got up from the bed only to grab you by the waist, to pull you down to the edge and kneel down on the floor. You swallowed hard. He fiddled with your shoes first, loosening the laces and taking them off, tugging down your socks and your pants and oh dear lord, you couldn't concentrate on anything he was doing.

He was kneeling in front of your bed. You bit back a moan from that alone.

Any and all forms of Bradley Bradshaw were jaw-droppingly gorgeous, but to you, nothing would ever top the sight of him on his knees for you.

You tuned back in when your jeans thumped to the floor, when his fingertips danced softly, teasingly up your calves, up your knees, up your thighs. You clenched your jaw when he reached your underwear, when his eyes met yours again in one final reassurance that this was what the both of you wanted, and then he pulled it down your legs too and hooked his hands behind your thighs.

Your eyes fluttered shut. You took a deep breath - one, two, one, two.

One, two.

One, two.

You frowned and blinked open your eyes again.

Rooster was staring at you, blatantly staring at you with a knowing smirk plastered on his lips and his fingers digging into your hips, sure to hold you in place, not allowing you to push even an inch closer to him.

"Roos", you whined, for what already felt like the dozenth time tonight, your hand sinking into his hair, splaying out, tugging at the strands, trying your hardest to pull him in. He didn't move.

"Yes?", he asked, with that grin just deepening, telling you he knew exactly what he was doing.

Of course he did. Of course he'd make you- God, of course, of course, of course! It had been his idea. It had been his plan, his wish, his goddamn idea and now he was making you-

"Fuck", you grumbled, teeth digging into your bottom lip. You didn't want to do this. You didn't want to do this because he hadn't even had you lying here for five minutes and he already wanted you to do this. "Roos, just-"

He bit down softly on the skin of your thigh then, pulling a surprised gasp from you, leaving your sentence hanging half-finished in mid air. You had to tilt your head back, had to throw a hand over your face because gods, you couldn't look at him now! Not with his breath meeting your thigh, with the feeling of his moustache against your skin, not with that grin on his lips. If you did, you'd melt in less than a heartbeat. You weren't about to give in that easily.

At least that was what you told yourself. You repeated it in your head like a mantra - he had barely touched you, he was the one who'd wished for this, you wouldn't... you weren't... you hadn't...

Fuck!

"C'mon honey", he encouraged, pressing a kiss high up on your thigh. You let out a shaky breath. He was close, so close now and he had you wound so tightly, so incredibly tightly that you felt like you were burning up from inside and-

"Bradley", you gave in, the word falling, tumbling from your lips in almost a moan. "Please, Bradley, please."

He was on you in a heartbeat. Licking a stripe up your slit, tongue flattened and you cried out, digging your fingers deeper into his hair, pulling, pushing, back arching off the bed as he finally, finally gave you what you wanted, what you needed. He dove in like a starved man, licking, pushing, tasting you, devoured and ravaged you, took everything and gave everything at the same time.

Bradley was a god. You'd never had a man eat you out like this until you met him.

His hands pressing against your hips to hold you down, to keep you right there for him, not letting you move an inch from him, only letting you push impossibly closer, your mind, your body screaming more. More, more, more. More of him. More from him. More him.

His tongue found your clit. You cried his name into the vast nothingness of your bedroom, eyes squeezing close and hand cramping into the sheets next to your head, thighs clamping around his head, caging him in, his palms forcing your back still on the mattress.

You could faintly make out your own moans, your own voice as his tongue circled, traced and dipped -

More.

He drew your clit into his mouth. You felt the coil in your stomach tighten, send a shiver through your body, make your legs twitch.

Please.

He sunk his tongue into you, brushed your clit, up and down and everywhere.

Bradley.

You were coming close. Close, so close. Every inch of your skin was tensing in anticipation, clenching, clutching. You babbled something of the sort, not listening to yourself, not able to, not starting or stopping, controlling none of your words, none of the sounds falling from your lips. Bradley loosened one of his palms from your hips and immediately you were pushing, arching up, held down a heartbeat later as he pinned his arm down again, his tongue working you, not faltering once and-

pressure.

His thumb on your clit.

You screamed out his name.

Your nails dug into his scalp. Your heels clasped around his back. Every single nerve in your body was on fire. And Bradley didn't stop.

He worked you right through your high, circling his thumb on your clit and sinking his tongue into you, holding you down, holding you close until you were panting, gasping, your legs unclasping from his head, your fingers loosening in his hair, loosening from the bedsheets, your eyes fluttering open, meeting his and only then did he relent. He pulled back softly, stilling his thumb and pressing a kiss to your thigh, watching you as you slowly came back to reality, back to him.

You blinked once. Twice.

He pulled his thumb from you as he rose up from the floor, running his hands along your sides instead, along your ribs, your breasts, your throat, studying the irregular rise and fall of your chest, mapping out your body beneath his. You watched with parted lips as he brought both his hands steadily down next to your head, as he leaned down to meet you in a kiss - heavy and heady and intense and full of all the right emotions. You could taste yourself on his tongue.

But before you could do any more, press yourself up or pull him down, he was gone again, hot breath meeting your lips and that familiar smile crawling back up onto his face.

"Enjoying yourself?", he asked, tilting his head to the side a little, catching the light of the overhead lamp. Wetness glistened on his moustache. You bit down on your bottom lip, doing your hardest to conceal the smile that was fighting to get to the surface.

Instead, you let out an agreeable hum and brought your hand up to his stache to wipe at it, to wipe some of you off him and admittedly, you already knew that wouldn't do much - but the simple act of innocently cleaning him off like that, fingers brushing above his mouth, just caressing his skin, it made something in your stomach churn.

"How about you? Now that we've checked one wish off your list... Any more?", you muttered, trailing your fingers along his cheek, down his scars, following those lines of skin you knew so well, burning them into your mind, burning him into your mind. You'd never seen anyone as beautiful. You didn't think there was anyone as beautiful out there. Your breath hitched, fingertips catching on a birthmark, before you snapped your eyes back up to his. "Any more wishes at all, Bradley?"

A sort of grunt left him as you did your best not to grin - you knew just what buttons to push, didn't you?

"You know", he muttered, dropping his head, brushing his nose down the sensitive skin of your throat. "I could think of a few more things."

"Yeah?", you asked, just on the right side of breathless again, skin tingling wherever he decided to place a few deliberate, almost chaste kisses. "Like what?"

He'd worked his way down to your breasts again, still holding himself up with both his hands.

"I could fuck you nice and slow, just like you deserve it", he said softly, the words flowing from him as easily as if he were talking about breakfast the next day. Rational, sober, collected. You, on the other hand, could feel the wetness pooling in between your legs again. You couldn't believe how reasonable, how practical, how composed he could stay while he said things like that - how he'd fuck you, how he'd eat you out, how he'd pull every single thought from your mind with his fingers and his mouth and his cock.

"Or", he went on, completely unbothered still, stopping in between words to drop kisses onto your breasts. "I could fuck you hard and fast, because that's what you want, right?"

A moan tumbled from your lips all of its own accord, your eyes fluttering shut again. He was conjuring visuals in your mind that had you clenching your legs together, hands clawing their way back up into his hair - you needed something to keep you here and now, to keep you grounded.

"I'm right, honey, aren't I?", he muttered, obviously satisfied with himself. "You want me to fuck you rough, don't you?"

You were sure you'd crossed some border into heaven and just hadn't realised it. This man would truly be the death of you one day.

"Yes", you breathed, scratching at his scalp, tugging at the roots of his hair. "Yes, please, Bradley."

You could feel his grin against your bare skin.

"You look so pretty begging for me, honey", he smiled, raising himself up and before you could complain much about it, before you could as much as open your eyes again, he was dropping a kiss to your lips, long and longing, parted lips pressed against each other, breathing each other in.

Then he pulled away from you completely and you did let a whine fall from your lips after all, raising yourself up onto your elbows to blindly follow after him as he straightened up and then bent down to pull off his shoes, his socks, to fumble with his belt - all in fucking slow motion apparently, that's how long it took, two hours just to take off his goddamn socks and you were just sitting there, staring, blinking, hazy mind clearing up the way it always had to after you'd been so close to him, watching, staring, watching, staring...

An eternity, it seemed, until you grew too impatient and decided to take matters into your own hands. Quite literally.

You pushed yourself up, reached for his belt yourself, pulled it from its buckle, unhooked it, opened it finally, finally, finally! and blinked up at him again, all wide eyes and smudged lipstick and swollen lips and Bradley felt pretty sure he died a little just then - this had to be heaven, you had to be heaven. You brushed a strand of hair behind your ear and your tongue ran along your lips and he had to swallow hard.

His jeans fell to the floor, chased quickly by his boxer briefs and you took a deep breath as you looked at him, leaning forward, leaning in to reach for him-

He took both your hands in his and pushed you down on the mattress again, another of those pathetic whines dropping from your lips at being denied the feeling of him.

"Fuck, Roos, please", you begged, sounding pitiful to your own ears by now, pleading for something you knew he'd give to you anyway, just so goddamn impatient that you couldn't even help the words rolling off your tongue.

He let go of your hands, reached for your waist instead to pull you up, to tug you firmly farther up the mattress until he could follow after safely, until he could nudge your knees apart and trail a line of kisses up your shoulder, his hands finding their usual spot next to your head.

"What was that, honey?", he grinned against your skin, holding himself up above you to look you right in the eyes.

You wrapped your legs around his waist, pulled a moan from yourself and a similar groan from him, squeezed your eyes shut and had immediately forgotten what it'd been you'd said before. What it'd been he was asking about.

He brought one hand down to your thigh, squeezing tight, holding you even tighter to him, and pressed his hips down into the mattress, pulling another moan from you and, again, a similar groan from himself, making sure that you couldn't move against him on your own, that you were completely at his mercy.

As always.

"Please", you whined, desperate now, trying to rock your hips against his and not succeeding, not succeeding because he was holding you still, holding you down, holding you helpless and defenseless, withholding the one goddamn thing you wanted from him right now. And after all that talk too! "Roos, please, Bradley, do something."

You were far from whining now, breathless and moaning and sobbing basically, hands clawing at his shoulders and nails digging into his skin, begging and pleading and he was just holding still, doing nothing. Nothing, nothing, nothing and you wanted more, you wanted something, anything.

"Look at me", he panted then - the only sign at all that he was somehow affected by this as well. "Look at me, honey, open your eyes."

And what else were you supposed to do but follow that command, grant him that wish?

So you forced your eyes open, forced yourself to look at him.

A thin layer of sweat gleaned on his skin. His stare was fixed on you and you alone. And his pupils had dilated so far that his usually hazel eyes were practically black now. You sucked in an unsteady breath.

"Good girl", he praised and you were done for.

You could have come from that alone.

Those two words, breathed into the nothingness of the room, onto your lips, onto your naked skin, sent a shiver down your spine, down your back and your hips and your legs, a shiver so violent that it pulled a moan right with it, a string of them. You barely heard Bradley's groan above you before he pulled away just the slightest bit, pulled away to brush his hand down your side, down your chest, down your hips, between your bodies, to reach for himself and stroke his tip through the wetness between your legs, your back arching off the mattress, into him, into more of him and-

"Wait", you panted.

Bradley froze immediately. His expression shifted to worry in the span of half a second, furrowing his brows and pulling away from you.

"What's wrong?", he asked, still breathless. You closed your eyes and took a breath, tensing, forcing yourself to keep down on the mattress, even as cold settled on your skin now that he wasn't warming you up anymore - inches away from you again. Considerate idiot.

"Just-", you stopped, opened your eyes, looked right at him. "Do you think Jake suspects anything?"

Bradley kept still for a few seconds. A shallow breath and another, your chest rising and falling and you had a hard time thinking, even now that he was barely touching you anymore. You were wound tightly, and you'd been so close, and now...

"You're not seriously thinking about Jake right now", Bradley said, almost accusingly.

You had to admit, it was a bit strange - you were naked, panting, your legs wrapped around his hips, and still you were thinking about Jake, about the bet, about what you'd said hours ago at the bar. You hadn't even been thinking about it, really. It had just come to you, overwhelming you, and you... you had needed to get it out. Still, you did have to admit, it was absurd.

So you bit down on your lip to conceal a smile, a grin, trailed your hands to his hair to brush it behind his ears, almost innocently (but just almost).

"I'm sorry, I just...", you whispered, stroking your hands down his scalp. "We've kept this between us for three weeks now. I don't want to have ruined that."

Bradley shook his head at you, dropped it to his chin, his curls brushing your nose, your cheeks, and sighed onto the skin of your throat.

"You're unbelievable", he muttered, dropping a kiss between your breasts now that he knew you weren't uncomfortable or afraid or anything of the sort in the slightest. Your breath hitched again. You didn't want to talk about this. You wanted him inside you, wanted him to make good on his promise from before. But you knew you had to, because otherwise the thought wouldn't leave you alone, even though the coil in your stomach, the heat in your body screamed bloody murder at you for it.

He looked back up, raised his chin again to meet your eyes.

"Don't worry about Jake", he reassured, one hand starting to softly, just so very softly, brush up and down your side. You had to swallow. "He won't even remember tomorrow."

He dropped another kiss onto your skin, a little further down, that grin, that moustache against your ribs.

"And I'll make sure you won't remember either, pretty girl. Alright?"

You nodded so quickly you almost got a head rush, eyes fluttering shut in anticipation, head tilting back just the slightest, your fingers digging into his hair as his lips trailed down your skin, the covers rustling as he settled further back, as his breath ghosted over your center again.

"Need to hear you say it, honey. Say it for me."

"Please", you babbled instantly, not even thinking, not even close, not when Bradley was giving you such easy instructions to follow. "Please, Roos, please."

You could feel him shake his head, obviously unsatisfied, breathing hard, hands travelling up and down your thighs and nothing more, leaving you in some state of being touched but not really being touched and you felt like going insane again.

"Try again, honey", he tutted, and you were already about to plead, to beg even more when he went on - "Look at me, baby, look at me and try again."

You blinked open your eyes, tilted your head down to look at him, all pretty and wide-eyed, just like he'd asked, your fingers cramping in his hair.

"Please, Roos-"

He raised his eyebrows and you knew then, you knew where your mistake had been - you should've known before, you should've-

"Bradley", you moaned. "Please, Bradley, I want you. I need you."

He grinned at that, dropped a kiss to your thigh before flattening his tongue against your folds again, drawing another moan from you. Your eyes stayed fixed on his, but only because you knew he wanted you to, only because you knew he needed you to. His palms splayed out against the backs of your thighs, keeping them still, as always.

His tongue drew a circle on your clit and you arched off the bed, into him, a whine tumbling from your lips, followed by his name. He pulled back much too quickly, much too easily, with a much too satisfied grin on his lips, looking up at you for just a second before he leaned down to drop a kiss to your hip.

"Bradley", you complained, cut off by your own moan when you felt his fingers trail through your wetness instead of his tongue, all soft and slow and you rocked your hips against his hand - more friction, more touch, more, more, more.

You hadn't been kidding when you'd said that you wanted him. That you needed him.

Bradley chuckled, kissing his way up your body again, one hand next to your head to hold himself up just the way he'd done before, but his fingers brushing, stroking, his thumb on your clit, moan after moan spilling from you. You needed more. More.

You tried to shift closer, tried to cant your hips into his palm for more, blinking up at him and whimpering and fuck, Bradley was just human after all, how could he deny you anything if you looked at him like that? So he started drawing little circles with his thumb, little circles on your clit, and pushed a finger into you.

You rewarded him with the soft sound of his name rolling off your tongue, your hands reaching for his arms, clawing at his biceps. You had needed this, had needed him and now... Now you needed more. More, even as he pulled his finger from you and pushed in again, starting in a slow, easy rhythm, drawing little moans, quiet whimpers from you. You rocked your hips back onto him, pushed for more. More.

"More", you voiced your thoughts, begging, pleading again - you weren't getting what you wanted, you weren't getting what you wanted, you weren't getting what you wanted! And you'd been so close, you'd been so goddamn close, but now he was just lazily pushing his finger into you, with one of those grins on his lips that told you he knew what he was doing incredibly well too. He was a tease, a goddamn tease, and you-

"More what, honey?", Bradley asked, interrupting your thoughts, your spiraling thoughts as his finger moved ever so slowly, teasing, playing.

You let out a whine as he stilled completely, his finger nestled inside you, touching you but not touching you enough, not nearly enough and he'd make you go crazy one day, he would! You tried to push your hips into his hand. Not that it did anything.

"More what?", Bradley asked again, looked at you as you refocused on his face, his eyes because you knew he'd want you to. He always wanted you to look at him.

"Please", you whispered. "Bradley."

His smile deepened, but he didn't move.

"Nice try, baby", he chuckled. "But that wasn't the question."

You grumbled and tilted your head back, squeezed your eyes shut and took a deep breath. You wanted more. And he was making you say exactly what.

Putting the power in your hands, it seemed - but you knew it wasn't that. He'd already promised you to do just what you wanted, had said it so easily, so soberly that he'd left you dazed. And now he was asking you to do the same.

You couldn't. He knew you couldn't.

So you let out a small whimper, let your head fall to the side to look at him again, eyes wide and teeth digging into your bottom lip and kept still as best as you could, even as the desire, the need to fuck yourself on his finger grew with every passing breath - trying to make sure that he wouldn't tease you further. He'd done that before already, you knew that he could and he would.

He seemed to have realised it too, your legs, your hips calm now, your eyes fixed on his.

"Please fuck me, Bradley", you said softly, only a little breathlessly, a little nervous around the edges, doing your best not to let your restraint show. You weren't used to just saying stuff like that out loud. It was different, somehow, to say it, and to say it right to his face too.

But as much as you tried to hide it, your body still had the same reaction - breath coming shorter, heat shooting straight to your cheeks, the coil in your stomach tightening again.

Bradley's eyes on yours didn't make it any better.

Neither did his grin as he pulled his finger from you, pulled a moan from your lips right with it, as he brushed it through your folds, up and down before his fingertip stopped on your clit.

"Fuck you how, honey?", he asked. He wanted you to lose your mind, you were sure of that. You bit down on your lip, furrowed your brows, forced yourself to think, to keep thinking even though he was drawing circles on your clit now, bringing you back to the endless loop of more, more, more in your mind.

"Fuck me-", you panted, starting and stopping, closing your eyes. "Rough, please, Bradley. Please."

He pulled his fingers from you entirely, chuckling as you mewled and blinked up at him again, as you watched him raise his hand to your lips. You parted them in reflex, let him push his fingers into your mouth, rest them on your tongue. This, finally, was something you felt much less nervous about. So you hollowed out your cheeks and sucked his fingers clean.

Bradley had you well acquainted with the taste of yourself by now. Not that you minded.

You made sure to keep your eyes fixed on his as you brushed your tongue along his fingertips. He let out some sort of sound caught between a moan and a groan and a curse and, maybe, your name, and you had a hard time keeping your grin concealed as you sucked, spurred on not only the fire in your own abdomen, but in Bradley's as well, red heating up your cheeks and your legs growing restless.

You were getting impatient again. You needed more.

Luckily, it seemed that Bradley had about enough of this as well.

He pulled his fingers from you with a pop, shook his head with a grin, trailed a line of your spit around your breasts, around your nipples.

"You look sinful", he muttered, dropping a kiss to your lips before you could even begin to think about a response, all open mouth and breathing each other in, the taste of you on both your tongues. "Tell me again how you want me to fuck you rough, honey. Just once more. Can you do that for me?"

You nodded, nodded without thinking, panting a bit now, pressing your legs together at his voice, at the look in his eyes, at... at him, at everything about him. You needed him. You'd do anything he asked.

"Fuck me rough, Bradley. Please."

His eyes darkened further. He brought his lips down on yours again, firmer now, heavier now, claiming your mouth, your tongue, your lips, claiming you, back to the familiar, thrilling predator and prey game that the two of you had abandoned at some point along the way.

"Good girl", he rasped.

You let out a pitiful moan. God, this man would absolutely be the death of you.

Good girl.

You couldn't press your legs together any further, couldn't possibly get any more friction, could only whine and whimper and moan and wait, wait as Bradley reached between your bodies and finally, finally, finally pushed into you.

You'd been waiting for this for the past five days.

You let out some pathetic sounding sob of his name as he pressed his hips snugly to yours, stretching you out in the best of possible ways, dropping his lips to your throat, to your neck. You clawed at his arms, at his shoulders, pulled him close to you, even closer. Eyes squeezed shut, head thrown back, breath hitching.

Bradley gave you the entirety of half a second to adjust to him, half a second in which you could barely get past the moan of his name before he was moving, thrusting, his cock sliding in and out of you, drawing sounds you'd have been embarrassed about in any other situation.

But you could barely hear them.

You could barely do anything other than moan, anything other than scratch, hold, claw at him, anything other than let him wrap your legs around his waist and push in, pull out, push in again, his hold on your thigh so firm you'd see the marks tomorrow.

He fucked you with a relentlessness that reduced you to a mess of numb limbs, that pulled every last thought from you, one by one - with a rhythm, unfaltering, unwavering, with soft grunts and moans rolling off his tongue, with his mouth moving against your skin, working his way up to yours.

You met his lips in a frenzy, your hands tangled somewhere in his hair, your nails scratching somewhere down his back, your legs wrapped around his hips, your lips parted, your moans swallowed, his cock sliding in and out of you, the delicious drag of him building, setting alight the coil in your stomach.

You'd been waiting for this for too long. You wouldn't last much longer, not after he'd already pulled the first orgasm from you. Not after he'd been building you up for so long.

"Bradley", you moaned against his lips. "More."

He pulled back an inch and you blinked your eyes open, focused on him, on the blush on his cheeks and the rise and the fall of his chest as he slowed down a bit, drawing another whine from you, feeling different now, slower yes, but more deliberate maybe, more teasing maybe, hitting other spots, dragging it out, feeling more and less intense all the same and - most importantly - letting your close, so close grow weaker and weaker and weaker.

"You know-", Bradley panted, letting his thumb brush over the skin of your thigh, loosening his grip just the slightest. "You know how to ask, pretty girl."

A sob made its way past your lips. You wanted more, you needed more - you'd be good for him, you wanted to be good for him, but you forgot, you brushed right past it when he had you like this. So wasn't it his fault, really?

"Fuck me harder, Bradley", you whimpered - you'd lost the ability to feel embarrassed somewhere along the way. You didn't care anymore, not with his cock so slowly sliding in and out of you, not with his eyes on yours, not with... no, not anymore, you needed more now and you were desperate to get it, already rocking your hips back onto him in search of more - more friction, more touch, more him.

He pressed his lips to yours again, back to claiming you, back to firm, back to teeth and tongue before pulling away, pulling out, pulling another wail from you as he sat back on his ankles, hard and panting.

Then his hands clasped around your waist and you had no time to react before he had turned you over, your face smushed into the pillow, fingers reaching up to dig into the sheets.

He thrust back into you in one swift motion.

And you screamed.

You didn't know how he did it - you didn't want to know, really - but he hit that sensitive spot inside of you instantly, the new position allowing new depth, allowing new touches, new feelings, new and more and you couldn't think, could only touch, only feel.

Only touch, only feel him.

The drag of him, the push of him, the way he hit all those spots he needed to hit to have you up there, to have you close within seconds again.

He trailed his fingertips along your spine, sent a shiver through your body as he fucked you rough, just like you'd asked of him so very, very nicely. He reached your neck, reached around to your throat and when his fingers brushed along your jaw, he clasped his hand around it and pulled. Pulled you up, right to his chest, sweat sticking to your skin as you moaned his name.

You let your head drop back onto his shoulder, gave him more skin to touch, more of your body to claim, more of you to make his as he thrust relentlessly into you, as his other hand brushed between your legs, up your thighs until his fingers met your clit, pushed down and pulled an even louder moan of his name from you.

His hand closed around your throat at the same time.

You choked back a gasp, breath hitching, back arching off him and into him both, more and less clashing in your mind because this was what you wanted, this was what you'd begged him for, but all of it so suddenly, following each other so closely - too much, not enough.

You clenched around him.

Bradley let out a moan - his lips against your ear, the sound of it in every fibre of your body, of your mind, of your soul. And that was it for you.

You came with another cry of his name - a scream, a sob, maybe, or none of it, you weren't sure - maybe you let out no sound at all, rendered silent for once. The world was white for a second, your mouth dry, your throat hoarse, pleasure coarsing through every vein, every limb, every muscle, every bone.

You went slack against him. Your legs gave out, your eyes fell shut, your arms, your hands loose at your sides, and the only reason you didn't fall back onto your mattress were Bradley's arms around you - on your throat, around your hips. His fingertips circling your clit still, his hips snug to yours as he bit down on your shoulder, as he reached his own high, his moustache scratching deliciously against your skin, grounding you as your breath slowly came back to normal, as you won back the feeling in your legs.

You stayed still for a minute - just catching your breath, allowing yourself to take whatever time you needed to come back to yourself, to really notice the way Bradley held you up all on his own, the way his chest felt against your back, the way he had his lips pressed to the skin of your shoulder, the way his thumbs brushed ever so softly up and down, one along your throat, one along your stomach.

You never wanted this to end.

You were warm and safe and satisfied in his arms.

A slow smile spread on your face. Bradley's breath fanned softly over the shell of your ear. You could feel your own heart beat in your chest.

"Satisfied now, honey?", Bradley rasped, voice rough in all the right ways, his lips ghosting over your neck. You let out a soft hum in agreement. He chuckled against your skin.

"I'm gonna let go of you now, princess", he cautioned (you could just so push back the whine that wanted to escape) before ever so slowly, ever so carefully pulling his hand from your throat, pulling his arm from around you - softly pushing down on your back instead, hands wrapped around your hips again, laying you back down on the mattress and then turning you over. The bed was cold in comparison to him. Cold and lonely.

He had to pull out as he lay you down and that whine left your lips after all - you were empty and cold and lonely now and you wanted him, more of him, all of him again. Your legs were mushy and your mind still reeling, but you didn't have to think much anyway, not when you knew just what you wanted. You reached out, arms, hands in mid air as you tried to grab him, any of him.

He was sitting back on his ankles, running his hands through his hair, meeting your eyes as he saw you reach out for him. He looked positively exhausted.

You got hold of his hands and pulled him down, onto you. He brought them - and yours right with them - down next to your head in reflex, effectively pinning you down, and though neither of you had planned that, you still had to fight back a smile.

You were breathless, chest still heaving with the sticky intoxication of the moment, sweaty and hot and satisfied, truly, and you wanted him to wrap you up in his arms now and let you fall asleep on his chest.

Instead, he leaned in with a grin and kissed you. Kissed you with all the fiery passion fading into heady contentment, slow and deliberate, because he had all the time in the world now - it was the middle of the night and both of you were growing tired, your bones heavy, your muscles aching deliciously, your thoughts quiet, lazy almost. The middle of the night where romance could now dominate what had before been lust's reign.

That was what this felt like, Bradley's body on yours, his skin sticky with sweat, his fingers intertwined with yours, pushing down into the mattress. This felt like golden honey dripping down onto the reality of the moment, like gods' ichor flowing in your veins, like unnecessarily long and flowery metaphors for a feeling you felt too afraid to name this early on.

Bradley pulled away, let go of your hands and sat back once more - you followed him on some invisible kind of string, pushing up onto your palms, blinking at him in confusion.

He dropped another quick kiss onto your lips with a chuckle.

"Do you want me to carry you to the bathroom?", he asked, a grin playing on his lips, his hands brushing over your ribcage, your stomach as though he, too, had some carnal need to keep touching you, to keep his fingertips moving over your skin at all times.

You closed your eyes, allowed the smile on your face to grow as wide as it wanted, and nodded at him.

"Yes, please, Roos", you mumbled, bathing in the yellow light of your bedroom lamp, in the soft buzzing of the ac, in the rhythmic tic-toc of your kitchen clock. In all these daily-life things, because they weren't daily-life right now. Right now, Bradley had just fucked you, right now, Bradley was sitting in front of you, right now, Bradley had his hands on your body, right now... Right now, you were happy, happy and satisfied, content with the world.

"Back to Rooster, are we?", he asked, drew his hands back from you and got up. Your smile deepened.

"I thought you liked your callsign", you quipped back innocently, eyes opening again as he wrapped his arms around you and lifted you off of your mattress, into the air, just because he could, just because you wanted him to. You didn't think you'd ever possibly get tired of his strength. He was a bit like your own, personally crafted superhero.

"I do", he muttered. You crossed your arms behind his neck, pressed a soft kiss to his jaw. "But the entire squad uses it."

"Oh", you said, exactly like that, because oh, indeed. "So when I say Rooster..."

"I think of work."

You pulled back a bit to look at him, even as his eyes were focused on the wall, trying to find the light switch for the bathroom.

"And you don't like that", you concluded, teeth digging into your bottom lip as a thought struck you. "You don't like thinking of work, Lieutenant?"

Bradley froze.

Bullseye.

"What did you say?"

His eyes focused on you, fixated on you, his jaw clenched, his eyebrows furrowed. You did your best try at an innocent smile, at a doe-eyed look somehow, but you doubted you achieved anything even remotely close.

"Lieutenant", you muttered again, heat pooling in your lap once more simply at the look on his face. You'd uncovered another one of his layers and you were already anticipating the consequences. "Do you want me to beg again?"

[ziekaramaik]

Spoilers for Agatha All Along (for real)

Okay, so.

I didn't start watching the series until after episode 7 was released. I didn't want to know too much about it, but accidentally came across screenshots on tumblr sometimes. In particular, I saw a pic of Lilia in her pink Glinda costume.

Now see, I'm not great with faces. And I was deliberately trying to NOT look too closely at that screenshot. So when I started watching the series properly and got introduced to the coven, my memory transposed Sharon's face onto that Glinda costume I saw. (Mostly I figured she's the only one who'd want to wear it.)

Episdoe 2, when Agatha recruits Sharon for the coven, I'm thinking, "So eventually it'll be revealed that funny woman from WandaVision was secretly a Good Witch all along. Okay."

And then she dies in episode three. But no big deal. Because I was "spoiled", I genuinely thought she was gonna come back.

Then I get to episode 7. Oh. It was Lilia in that Glinda costume.

And then the series ends. And Sharon never came back. I seriously didn't see that coming. I watched her die on screen and spent four more episodes not-knowing she was dead.

I got a Reverse-Uno spoiler.

[dawnbreak-daily]

@doot-slayer-scp666, I'm going to answer here, if you don't mind :3

Here is Noon dressed as a mosscreep and Hollow as a... Maskfly :D

Noon strikes me as someone who'd put a lot of effort into the costume, since he loves crafting. And Hollow is the one to wear a kid's mask and stare you down with a deadpan expression if you try to say anything about it.

Alternatively, they would do an annoying couple's costume thing, like dressing up as protagonists of the Unlikely Union.

[fatkish]

For my request, based on MHA and Disney's Aladdin, can you write a oneshot featuring Aizawa and a male reader with bondage and gags please? In the story, after being inspired by the bondage scene from Aladdin, the reader and Aizawa go to a love hotel to try it out. Aizawa would be the one who'd have his hands and barefeet shackled, his mouth cloth gagged, and would even wear an Aladdin prince costume as part of the set up. You can decide on the intimate acts as long as Aizawa is kept tied up and gagged the whole time. What do you think?

Aizawa x Male Reader NSFW: Pretty Boy

After watching the new Aladdin movie during one of their dates, (y/n) begged Aizawa to let him be the dominant one and have an Aladdin inspired sexual experience. (Y/n) managed to convince and persuade Aizawa into letting (y/n) book a room at a love hotel and they would have their fun there once (y/n) collected all the necessary toys and equipment. He told Aizawa the date they agreed on and told Aizawa to wear a butt plug on the way there so that he’d be somewhat prepared.

 The next few days passed as (y/n) made sure to prepare everything, he bought a vibrating cock ring for Aizawa to wear as well as a sexy male belly dancer costume. Then he made a special order for a gag veil to be made for Aizawa to wear. Then (y/n) was able to buy some incense and candles. After buying all the stuff he ordered and putting it together, he informed Aizawa that the room was ready for their arrival at the hotel.

When (y/n) got to the hotel, he paid for a room and make sure to set the mood with lighting, turning the lights of and lighting the candles and incense. (Y/n) then pulled out a Bluetooth speaker and pulled out his phone to play some Arabian music. The room was painted with black walls and had a large four poster bed with red silk sheets. (Y/n) grabbed a towel and laid it down on the bed. As the incense and candles burned, the scents of cinnamon, spiced chai tea, sage and bergamot filled the room.

While Aizawa changed in the bathroom, (y/n) prepared and laid out all the toys and equipment. When Aizawa exited the bathroom, wearing the costume and the gag, (y/n) wolf whistled in appreciation. As Aizawa walked over to (y/n), (y/n) made sure to tie his hands up. (Y/n) then used his foot to spread Aizawa’s ankles and secure a spreader bar to them. After that (y/n) made Aizawa bend over the bed, brushing the cloth skirt aside as he pulled out the plug that Aizawa wore.

After pulling out the plug, (y/n) applied lube to his fingers and pushed them deep into Aizawa’s ass, spreading and scissoring his hole as he fingered Aizawa. (Y/n) then grabbed the vibrating cock ring and slipped it on Aizawa’s cock. Next, (y/n) grabbed the egg vibrator and spread Aizawa’s cheeks, pushing it in and up against Aizawa’s prostate. (Y/n) turned both toys on causing Aizawa to choke and make muffled sounds of surprise. (Y/n) then flipped Aizawa onto his back and began to play with Aizawa’s nipples, pinching and pulling on them while he began to fist Aizawa’s cock.

(Y/n) then turned up the vibrations and began sucking on Aizawa’s nipples. Swirling his tongue around and nipping them.

“Mrph erm” Aizawa groaned as he was panting into the gag as (y/n) gave Aizawa’s cock a firm squeeze. Aizawa began to groan softly and seized as he came.

“You’re doing so well for me, baby. Do you have it in you to give me a few more orgasms?” (y/n) asked as he looked down at Aizawa.

“Mrh hm”

“Good boy”

(Y/n) the grabbed the bottle of lube and poured a bit onto his fingers. He then reached behind him and began to slowly finger himself. He grabbed the vibrator’s remotes and turned the vibrations up higher. Aizawa’s thighs tensed as his back arched in ecstasy. (Y/n) then pulled his fingers out as he poured some lube onto Aizawa’s cock.

“I hope you’re ready, cause I’m going to ride this pretty dick of yours.” You said as he hovered over and carefully sat down on Aizawa’s cock. Aizawa closed his eyes and breathed deeply as (y/n) sunk down on his dick. Once fully seated, (y/n) clenched his inner muscles making Aizawa give a groan. (Y/n) started to bounce slowly, as he looked Aizawa in the eyes. (Y/n) then grabbed the cock ring’s remote and turned it all the way up.

“Erm! Urhmm, ermph rrm hrm” Aizawa cried into the gag, as his thighs tensed. (Y/n) began to speed up him bouncing as Aizawa tried to thrust up into (y/n).

“Are you close?”

“Mmhmm”

(y/n) then turned the egg vibrator up to the max setting causing Aizawa to scream into his gag as he came while (y/n) slammed his hips down and ground down onto Aizawa.

“Do you think, you can give me one more?” (Y/n) looked down at Aizawa as he nodded after taking a moment. (Y/n) then got off of Aizawa and turned him over. (Y/n) then pulled the egg vibrator out, and attached the vibrating nipple clamps to Aizawa. (Y/n) then bent Aizawa over as he grabbed the bottle of lube and poured some out onto Aizawa’s anus. After that, (y/n) pushed three fingers into Aizawa’s ass. (Y/n) then curled his fingers, digging them into Aizawa’s prostate causing him to thrust his hips. After pulling out his fingers, (y/n) then applied lube to his own dick.

“Last one pretty boy, you ready?”

“Mrph” Aizawa nodded as he looked back at (y/n).

(Y/n) then slowly pushed in, sink each inch in slowly. But before he fully sheathed himself inside Aizawa, he slowly pulled back out till his head was the only part left. (Y/n) the grabbed Aizawa’s hips and pulled him back onto his cock.

“Erm!”

(Y/n) began to thrust into Aizawa at a moderate pace. Reaching down between Aizawa’s thighs to give his balls some attention. As (y/n) thrusted, he palmed at Aizawa’s balls, gently squeezing and rolling them in his hand. After a moment (y/n) increased his pace, speeding up and pushed Aizawa down face first into the bed.

“Oh, baby, you feel so good squeezing me like this. You’re so tight and hot, I don’t think I can last long.”

“Ersh erm mer ert!”

Aizawa shouted into his gag as (y/n) pounded into him, hitting his prostate with every single thrust due to the new angle. After a few more minutes, (y/n) came with a shout, hunching over Aizawa’s back and gripping his hips. Aizawa then came a final time as his spend shot out onto the towel beneath him.

After a few moments, (y/n) turned the toys off and removed them. He then released Aizawa’s restraints and let him remove the spreader bar. After cleaning and putting the toys and equipment away, (y/n) came over to Aizawa with a damp warm towel and cleaned him up. (Y/n) then picked up the towel off the bed and set it aside in the bathroom.

“Thank you so much for indulging me on this baby.” (Y/n) whispered into Aizawa’s ear as he gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“Next time, I’m tying you up and edging you. I’m going to make you cum and milk your prostate, see how you like it” Aizawa threatened as he closed his eyes and relaxed his sore body.

“Sounds like fun, rest now love, I booked the room for the whole day and night so you can sleep and I’ll be back with food when you wake up”

(Sorry this took so long @princeasimdiya12, I haven’t finished the drawing yet so I’ll add it once I’ve finished it. I hope you enjoyed this, it’s kinda my first time writing something like this so I hope it’s good)

[simplysedusa]

Do you have any silly head-canons for the rrb. And I mean downright ridiculous.

I'm so sorry this took a while to answer. The original one that I was gonna talk about turned out to be a bit..angstier than I realized and I figured it'd be best to save it for a ficlet idea I came up with. 😉😈

So, here's some other silly headcanons:

I stated in another post talking about the Rowdyruffs that Brick's guilty pleasures are boy groups. This also applies to K-Pop groups. He's into K-Pop (but he listens to other genres of music as well) and only Boomer and Butch know because they hear his tone-deaf ass mispronouncing every other Korean word in the shower. Both Boomer and Butch decide to keep this info to themselves because 1.) they want to live and 2.) who'd believe them? Brick's got private, secondary stan accounts with VPNs locating him in the Bermuda Triangle, pretending to be some 15 year old girl named "Becca". He's mostly a boy group stan (NCT, Ateez, Stray Kids) but a few girl groups managed to catch his interest (Dreamcatcher, G-Idle, Twice). And no, he's not above arguing with twelve year olds about record sales or popularity.

I'd imagine Bubbles stops by the Ruff household and catches Brick humming a very familiar tune to himself, and she's the one who casually tells others whenever the situation calls for it. Much to Boomer and Butch's chagrin, no one bats an eye.

After the events of "Bubble Boy", Boomer suggested getting revenge by having them dress up as the Powerpuffs and causing chaos across town. Originally, Brick and Butch were against it, but then considered the "evil acts" they could get away with and were suddenly on board. Unfortunately, they couldn't find the right dresses (plus Boomer and Butch's hair would NOT cooperate) and they gave up.

Halloween is their favorite holiday. Scaring people and free candy were great, but the boys really loved wearing costumes that they stole from the Halloween Party stores downtown. Their favorite group costume was of the Ministry of Pain (and the looks of Townsville citizens' faces as they arrived at their doors made it all the better for them).

Boomer's a dog person, Butch is a cat person, and Brick's neutral. The three had discussed wanting a pet to play with while under Mojo and HIM's care. They both reluctantly agreed so long as the vote was unanimous. Boomer and Butch damn near fought to the death to try to convince the other or Brick to change their minds. Boomer decides to let the matter slide. He finds a Beebo and keeps it a secret until after they move in with Ms. Keane.

Since receiving their new hairstyles in "The Boys Are Back In Town", the boys are very particular about their hair. They started to wear color-coded silk bonnets to bed after getting the idea from Sedusa when they broke into her place by sheer coincidence one night and spotted her wearing one.

RANDOM BITS OF KNOWLEDGE IN REGARDS TO SCIENCE AND ROBOTICS. The boys may struggle with finding the atomic weight of a certain element, but they know chemical reactivity (what elements will react to one another without exploding) like the back of their hands. Blueprints for death rays are like memorizing phone numbers for them. They were kicked out of the robotics club on their first day (and almost expelled entirely) after demonstrating how to build an actual laser and for rebuilding functioning, miniature Mojo robots from scratch. Blossom nearly considers going back to homeschool when she learns that she shares all of her A.P science classes with all three of the Ruffs.

It takes everything in Butch to not make another Rowdyruff once he learns of Bunny and Bullet. Brick likes the idea but thinks it's too much work, while Boomer is completely repulsed at the idea of having another brother. (He might just help make a Rowdyruff pet however, but his Beebo and Valentino are enough of a handful. 😉)

That's all I got at the moment, but if I have more, I'll be sure to share lmao.

[piningpercussionist]

Sort of belated, but it's still applicable somewhere I'm sure- Happy Halloween!

My optimistic Halloween deadline for chapter one of the werewolf fic has clearly not gone to plan, but it will be here soon! Like, before the week is out, if not tomorrow. And with a similar time frame, you all may receive photos of my Halloween costume this year! (It was Kim, if I hadn't stated that somewhere already; I just wasn't able to dye my hair for day, so I'll be taking better photos once that's done.)

The cover for chapter one is nearly done, and I was considering finishing and posting it before midnight came and went, but alas... instead, for the curious who just can't wait, here's a teaser!

And a bit of writing for you, although I want to note really quickly that I'm taking this but from the first draft on my phone and NOT the final cut. So there may be some tweaks in this passage when you see it in the coming days 👍

     After a moment of whirrs and chaotic sound, the signal came clear through, filling the room with the station's jaunty little opener as the host returned from break.

     "Welcome back, Toronto! Let's go ahead and recap today's forcast for those just tuning in: it's a brisk March morning out there today, be sure to wear a coat if you're headed out- and if you plan to be out late, be prepared for some snow later this afternoon or early tonight. Traffic reports seem to-" Kim listens as he drones on, mostly just keeping an ear out for anything along her route. Hearing nothing of the sort, she finishes her coffee and sets down the mug, stretching her arms up and back over her head. She fights a yawn and a wince as she does so, nearly biting her tongue at the pain she sparks stretching a bit too far. The ache spreads down her shoulders and back as she lets out a soft sigh, trying not to feel irritated with herself.

     Eventually, she gets up to set her mug in the sink, intending to wash it before heading out- but as her hand reaches for the faucet, the broadcast catches her attention once more, causing her to stop and listen.

     "In other news, there was apparently a rather gruesome display found in the Albion Hills Conservation Park early this morning. The bodies of several animals, primarily deer from what has been found so far, have been cropping up over the past few months in what seems to be the spree of some large, wild canine, experts warn. Attempts were made to track the creature, but so far all trails have turned cold. The park is still open, but caution has been advised if you're planning on camping in the area. Joining us now is-"

     The man's voice continues to drone on as Kim quietly sets the mug down in the sink, gripping the edge of the counter while Neil lets out a short whistle. "Wow. They're finally addressing it on the news, huh? Wonder how bad it must've been."

     Scott's puzzled voice rings out, a touch of fear in his tone. "Uh, addressing what? What's happening?"

     "You haven't heard? Last year or so, there's been this really strange string of animal deaths all around Toronto- people think they're connected."

     "Woah, really?"

     "Yeah. Some even say it's a werewolf." Neil leaned forward a little as he put emphasis on the term, lifting his hands up to mime ears atop his head.

      "How come I hadn't heard about this?"

     "Kind of a grim subject, man. Who'd want to talk about it? Besides, you have heard about it before. It's kind of a hot topic these days." Stephen's chair scrapes against the floor as he pushes back from the table; Kim scoots a little to the side and tries to school her expression, knowing he'll be heading towards her with his dishes.

     "What?! When? I feel like I'd remember that!"

     Thinking fast, Kim tries to put on her best shit starting grin, turning to address Scott. "Scott, you wouldn't remember it if the thing had leapt out of the bushes and bit you. The empty-headedness with which you float through life is fascinating, really."

     Stephen and Neil chuckle a little at that, adding to the intensity of Scott's frown. Crossing his arms, he scoffs, leaning back in his chair as he mutters to himself. "I'd totally remember if it'd done that- 'cause I would've kicked its butt, whatever it is..."

     Stephen shakes his head as he sets his things in the sink, reaching to turn the faucet on. He rolls up his sleeves as he lets the water run for a moment, looking at Kim out of the corner of his eye. "Hey, don't you have work today?"

     She nods once in response, thankful for the out, even though she didn't need it. She pushes herself away from the counter and makes her way out of the kitchen, throwing up a hand to wave on her way passed. "Try not to do anything fatally stupid- we've got band practice tomorrow."

     As she's slipping the strap of her bag over her head, she's pretty sure she hears Scott start to say something- but she doesn't have the time for it, genuinely; she's out the door and into the frosty air, taking in a deep and greedy breath to shock the senses. She lets herself have just a second to herself- then, she's off, brisk gait sure to have her sufficiently warmed against the chill by the time she reaches the video store.

So, yeah! Just a little sliver for ya. But again, barring anymore interruptions to my workflow, chapter one should be posted within a week! (And if it takes any longer than that, it'll be nearly double the length, probably, because it'll mean I've finished off the last chunk of what I'd originally plotted as chapter one.) Anyhow, if you're all the way down here reading this still, I feel like you might deserve another Treat for this Hallows Eve... hm....

Well, it's not open open yet, but if you want, you can check out the blog I've got reserved for all this! It will be an ask blog... I'm still workshopping the rules, but please: BEFORE YOU FOLLOW IT, READ THIS ⬇️⬇️⬇️

!! Blog Content Warning !!

This blog may contain the use of slurs, (drawn) gore or descriptions of gore, sexual content, animal death, and even possible character death. All content will have the appropriate tags and community labels, to the best of my ability.

Read that? Well, don't say I didn't warn you. You can check out a sort of Meh playlist and even prod around for some old pages I'll likely be removing or altering on proper launch (if you're on desktop, anyway,) at @lycanthropicdrunkenloner

Hope everyone had a great night! I'm gonna go eat and get Sloshed now lol 🤘

[starlitangels]

Costumes

I missed my children OMG it feels so nice to have them back 1.9k words

—

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" Natalie shouted. Her little feet thundered down the stairs. She had excitement in her voice but David still looked up in concern. "Look, look, look!"

She ran into view around the corner.

"Ta-daaa!" She spun in a circle.

Oh, thank God, David thought.

His six-year-old daughter was standing in a black-and-white checkered overall dress with a white shirt underneath and her red rain boots. Her hair had been pulled into a pair of pigtail braids. There was a basket on her arm.

The obvious clue of her costume was the vibrant red cape with the hood pulled up and bobby-pinned to her hairline.

His mate had, once again, outdone themself. Not that he was surprised. They loved dressing the kids up for Halloween. And them being them, always had to be Extra™ about it.

"You look so good, Natty!" David said with a small smile.

She giggled and ran at him, leaping for a hug. David caught her and hoisted her up to sit her on his hip.

"Are you excited to wear your costume to school today?"

She nodded so hard it seemed like she'd almost throw her hood off even with the bobby pins. "Uh-huh! It's gonna be so fun!" She balled her fist in the chest of David's shirt. "Guess what Gabe's going as!"

David leaned closer to her, conspiratorially (as if his mate hadn't told him months ago). "Who?" he asked quietly.

Natty giggled again. "I'll give you a hint! It goes with my costume."

David pursed his lips. "Hmm... who are you for Halloween again?"

His baby laughed. "Daaaaaddy! I'm Little Red Riding Hood!"

"Oh! Of course." He booped the end of her little nose. She squeaked through her giggling. God, she took after his mate. "So then I'm guessing Gabriel is... a loaf of bread."

She shook her head—her whole body following with the enthusiasm of the movement. "Nooooo!"

"Is your brother... a cookie?"

She shook again. "No!"

"Hmm... is he the grandmother?"

She squealed with laughter. "No!"

"Well, then, I'm stumped."

"Daaaaaddy!" Natalie protested. "It's not that hard!"

At that moment, another set of footsteps thundered down the stairs. "Rrraaawwwrrr!" Eight-year-old Gabriel tore into the room in a button-down plaid flannel and jeans. There were tufts of fake fur glued to his hands and the sides of his face, all disappearing under his shirt. He had some fake teeth in his mouth. His face had been dusted in a slight layer of paint to match the fake fur better and the end of his nose had been blackened in a triangle with some face paint.

Natalie shrieked in delight and squirmed in David's hold to put her dad between her and her brother.

"I am the Big, Bad Wolf!" Gabriel cried, trying to growl and failing through the fake plastic teeth in his mouth.

David chuckled quietly. "You will be one day," he said.

Gabriel preened. "I know! I'm excited."

"I'm gonna be even bigger!" Natalie teased.

Gabriel blew a raspberry. "No you won't! You're a girl!"

Natalie growled—more successfully than her brother if David was honest—and moved to lunge for her brother. David held her tighter to him. "Nope," he said. "You're not going to ruin your costumes before you get to school."

"Daaad! He's being mean to me!" Natalie protested.

"Gabriel. Be nice to Natalie. Natalie, no tackling your brother while you're both dressed up."

Natalie bared her teeth in a childish snarl at Gabriel. Who tried to do the same around the plastic ones in his mouth.

David's mate made it down the stairs at that point. Bits of face paint stained their fingertips where they'd been helping Gabriel. They smiled at the sight of Natalie fighting to free herself from David's hold to attack her brother. David met his mate's eyes. They smiled.

"Alright you two," David said with the quiet, firm, but loving authority of a man who'd been an alpha long before he was a father. "Let's get in the car."

Gabriel grabbed his backpack and David gave both the kids their lunchboxes after setting Natalie back on her feet. They both went running for David's mate's car—where Natalie's car seat and Gabriel's booster seat were buckled in. David and his mate put the kids in their seats and piled into the car to drive them to school.

Natalie filled the whole five-minute drive with rambling. Guessing what her classmates were gonna be dressed up as, expressing excitement for Trick-or-Treating, and so on. Another normal morning for the Shaw family.

When they got to the school and started getting the kids out of their seats, a familiar little voice "Rawr"ed from nearby.

Gabriel leapt from his booster seat in time to collide with Evelyn—who was dressed as Spider-Man. Asher was laughing a couple cars down the drop-off lane as he shut the back door to his mate's car. He jogged over while Gabriel and Evelyn wrestled. Gently, so they didn't mess up their costumes. Asher leaned against David's mate's car with his arms folded.

"I never want them to grow up," he said softly. "They've grown up enough. They can stop now."

David couldn't help but chuckle in quiet, bittersweet agreement. "Yeah," he agreed.

"Uncle Aaaaash!" Natalie exclaimed, barreling into Asher's legs for a hug.

"Oof! There's that strong girl!" Asher said, bending and scooping her into the air while she screamed in excitement. She kicked her legs. "How are you doing, Natty?"

"Put me down!"

Asher kissed the top of Natalie's hood and set her down. David's mate caught her hand before she could run off. They smiled at David. "I'll walk her to her classroom. Make sure Gabriel gets inside?"

"Of course."

They nodded and handed Natalie her tiny backpack and lunchbox before walking off holding her hand.

David and Asher watched the two of them go. Gabriel and Evelyn kept wrestling, like they didn't even notice.

"You ever wonder if we made the right choice?" Asher asked.

"Meaning?"

"Sending them to normal elementary school. Instead of the same school Lily, Danny, and Micah go to?" Despite Asher still being Asher, he'd improved a bit at not breaching covert in public.

"No. I don't wonder. Both of our mates thought it was important for our kids to have some normal schooling before puberty. And now that they're here, I agree with them both. I think it's done our kids a lot of good."

Asher sighed. "Just don't want to break their hearts when they go to middle school and lose all their friends."

David leveled a look at Asher that was so full of sarcasm it would have frightened a lesser wolf. "I don't think our girls could lose their friends if their friends wanted them to," David said. "Or have you not noticed we've got the most gregarious girls in the pa—family?"

Asher laughed. "Touché," he said. "And good point." Asher shoved off David's mate's car and snatched Evelyn around the waist. "Nuh-uh-uh, Ev. No pulling on Gabriel's costume."

Evelyn growled, her warm black curls shaking in the weak autumn morning sunlight.

"C'mon, my little monster. Let's get you to your classroom."

Evelyn snapped her teeth playfully at her dad, who wasn't fazed and just laughed.

Gabriel turned to David with wide eyes. The same green as David's own. "Time to go already?" he asked.

"Yeah. But today's gonna be fun. You're gonna have a good time and you'll be home before you know it." David grabbed Gabriel's backpack and lunchbox and handed them to his son. Gabriel shimmied his backpack onto his shoulders and held a hand out.

David took it and walked Gabriel to class.

Gabriel hugged David around the middle before going into his classroom. David passed a friendly wave to Gabriel's teacher before going back to the car. Asher waved to him before driving off himself.

David waited for his mate to come back. "Ash is right," David said to his mate when they returned from dropping off Natty at her classroom.

"That's rare coming from you. About what?"

"The kids are getting too big. They need to stop growing up now."

David's mate gave him a smile. "Awww. Sappy. It's sweet." They popped a kiss on his jaw and went to get in the car.

David climbed in as well. "I just don't want to miss any of this. One day they're gonna be teenagers and they're gonna hate us."

"You think so?"

"Isn't that what teenagers do?"

"I didn't. Did you?"

David thought about his dad. "... No."

His mate shrugged. "Then maybe we'll get lucky."

—

Ten Years Later...

—

"Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad!" Natalie ran down the stairs, a beaming smile on her face. Micah Collins and Danny Greer close on her heels. All three were dressed up. Natalie had on a black cloak and purple, gothic dress with fake fangs in her mouth.

David looked up from his laptop on the kitchen counter. "What is it?"

"Micah's uncle is gonna come pick us up and we're gonna take Rose Trick-or-Treating, if that's okay." Natalie pointed over her shoulder. Micah's vibrant cyan pixie cut had been sprayed white. She looked supremely out-of-character, dressed as a fairy. The glitter and the short pink-and-green dress contrasted with her claw scars from shifter wrestling.

David raised his eyebrows. "Did you ask—"

"Yes, yes. Your mate said yes, Uncle Milo and his mate said yes. Micah's parents said yes. Micah's uncle said yes," Natalie said. "Just hoping for you." She gave him an anticipatory smile.

David gave his daughter a small grin. "Then go ahead."

Natalie beamed and bounced a little in excitement. "Thanks Dad!" she rushed forward and kissed his cheek around the fake fangs in her mouth. "I've got my phone. We'll be back by ten!"

Micah and Danny both grabbed at her arms and the three of them all rushed out of the house, talking excitedly and clinging to one another. Danny tripped over his Superman cape. Natalie and Micah caught him. "Love you!" Natalie shouted over her shoulder. The front door shut behind them right as David caught a glimpse of Vincent Solaire's Porsche SUV parked on the curb.

The three climbed into the SUV. Micah in the front, Danny and Natalie with Rose in the back.

Vincent gave David a wave. David returned it before the car drove off.

David's mate appeared. "Natty and her Musketeers leave?"

"That would have been a good costume for them this year," David deadpanned. "Yeah. Vincent just picked them up."

His mate nodded. "Good thing Rose is eleven and still can Trick-or-Treat so those three can 'supervise'," his mate remarked, perching on his lap. He wrapped his arms around them and rested his forehead on their arm. Their other hand played with his hair.

Upstairs, Gabriel was yelling at Evelyn and Lily while the three played a video game together.

David felt his mate rest their cheek on his head. "Wanna go downstairs and watch a movie?"

David blinked. "Sure. Which one?"

"That one that scares Gabriel."

"Guaranteeing we get a couple hours alone, angel?" he asked, almost teasing.

"I plead the fifth," they replied, sliding off his lap.

With a low growl, David pursued his laughing mate down the stairs.

—

Tag list: @zozo-01 @pinksparkl @arialikestea @shellssstuff

[froot-batty]

I'd read an analysis of their relationship...

Bet?

So the best way I'd describe Steph and Ed's relationship is kind of like an ouroboros, or a self-fulfilling prophecy. When Steph comes into the picture and tries to help Ed not be.....himself, it results in him acting out even more in rebellion of a perceived attempt to control him, just as their parents had tried to do. Steph, growing increasingly frustrated with his refusal and more and more violent in her attempts, basically becomes her father. She's coming from a genuine place of wanting to help him, but it begins to resemble their dad's attempts to "fix" him. And their ways of trying to help Ed become more and more the same

Of course, Ed is at fault too. He doesn't even want Steph to go away like he's desperately trying to get her to do. He craves attention, and getting it from his sister - who'd basically outshined him their entire childhood - feels good. So does hurting her and stressing her out. He's bitter and childish and he can't punish his parents so he punishes the closest approximation of them, his sister

So for most of their relationship, Steph trying to help makes Ed do even more shit, which makes Steph have to try harder, and so on and so forth. It's a feedback loop

...Uuuntil Steph gets paralyzed

Then it's like, oh shit. Steph wants nothing to do with Ed anymore; she'd been trying so hard to get him back on a good, sane path, and now her life has been changed irreparably. She can't wear her costume anymore and do the one thing that made her feel like she was making a difference. That made her feel worthy of being alive. And she HATES Ed for it

Ed feels absolutely terrible for it. It was unplanned and, deep down, that was still his sister. They used to be close once, a very long time ago, and he never meant for it to go this far. To hurt her so badly she'd never come chasing back after him. He's lost his only source of devoted attention and, in some ways, the only hope he ever had of being someone other than The Riddler. He never wanted to go back anyway, but, still. It's the point where he realizes there's no hope for him anymore

Ed tries to get in contact with her in the hospital and afterward when she returns home, but she's pretty firm in never seeing him again

[drunkelreporter]

Well here we go, a starter call for the new festival!

Roberto will be out and about observing the festivities to write articles on; someone needs to write the feel-good fluff pieces still. Other then that, I'll include some further details about his activities under the cut!

I'll cap this at 3, castmates/current family members exempt.

Spirits Jubilee

Roberto will be out and about during the Jubilee celebrations, looking for anyone who'd like to have their photo featured in a series of small articles he'll be writing throughout the duration of the Jubilee. Catch him talking to aercons, taking pictures of families dressed up, or get your muse featured in his article if they're wearing a particularly interesting costume.

Twilight Screams

If your muse can sweet talk him into it (or bribe him) your muse might be able to get Roberto to come with them to a haunted house. He will absolutely pretend to be bored and untinterested, right up until he gets properly startled and screams. And then he'll never admit that he did.

Gladus Feast

Roberto will be both reporting and indulging at the feast, wandering around and sampling the various activities available to try. Primarily the Pumpkin Patch, Corn Maze (he may be lost, be nice to the old man), Smore's Making, and the Bulb Beetle Gazing. Seriously, someone get him out of this maze.

Totem Poles 

There's a very confused brown bear bumbling around town. He really could use a hand figuring out what the hell is going on, please. And a very large glass of booze for the stress and surprise.

[soleminisanction]

How did Steph become Robin and how did she become fired? I know it was her starting a gang war but how exactly?

I had this whole thing typed up last night with citations and everything and then the post editor glitched and I lost the whole thing. :/ So, take 2:

Around Robin issues #124-125, Tim's father Jack discovered that he was Robin and went to Wayne Manor with a gun to threaten Bruce over the whole thing. To keep the peace, Tim volunteered to step down as Robin and promised his dad that he'd give that life up forever.

Shortly thereafter (Issue 126), Steph was stalking Tim at his school because if she doesn't see him every day she immediately assumes that he's cheating on her. She arrived at just the wrong moment to witness his classmate Darla plant a kiss on him, took that as proof that he was cheating, and ran away without bothering to wait the ten seconds it would've taken to see Tim push Darla away and tell her, again, that he has a girlfriend, sending her off in tears.

Steph went straight home, made herself a Robin costume, then went to the Bat-cave and told Bruce she would be the new Robin now. And Bruce agreed to let her try.

It's never actually defined what Stephanie's motivation for this is, BTW. We're left to pick it up from context clues -- like the fact that she was perfectly happy being Spoiler and had zero thoughts or plans in this direction until she saw Tim "cheating," and the fact that she then immediately ghosted Tim for what's implied to be weeks, potentially months, with no explanation.

It is, however, implied that Bruce might be going along with it all as a -- quoting Alfred -- "scheme to lure Tim back." Which, yeah, is not great.

So Bruce sets Steph up with a non-homemade Robin costume and a stupid new haircut (it only looks passable when Damion Scott draws it, everyone else needs to stop trying) and gives her this ultimatum.

Remember this for a later post, this one got too long. This arrangement of theirs lasts for a grand total of two full issues.

Seriously. Steph is hired as Robin at the end of issue #126, and she's fired at the end of #128. She appears in, I think, one or two issues of Cass's Batgirl, maybe the same months' corresponding Detective Comics and Batman issues (I don't really care to look them up to double-check), and a single B-plot appearance in an issue of the contemporary Teen Titans mostly dedicated to Superboy calling her a backstabbing wannabe poser and telling her she'll never be welcome at the Tower because she's not the real Robin.

That is the only time those two have ever spoken, BTW. Which is why a lot of people have been annoyed that they're suddenly being written as buddy-buds in the recent continuity for no reason.

Anyway, the point is, Steph's Robin career lasted a grand total of 3 months out-of-universe and forty-nine days in-universe, which we know because she started calling her diary-based narration her "War Journal" and counting the days there. This was recently re-confirmed in 2021's Robins miniseries.

Which brings us to how it ended, which is where I need to correct you slightly, anon. The gang war wasn't the cause of Steph's firing, it was the result.

The cause was an encounter with a powered-armor-wearing assassin called Scarab, who'd been hired by an old enemy of Tim's to kill black-haired, blue-eyed boys in Gotham in the hopes that she would eventually kill Robin. Encountering Steph with Bruce convinced Scarab that she must've killed her target ("resulting in the need for a replacement") and she was preparing to leave Gotham when Bruce & Steph tracked her down.

Bruce suited up in some power armor of his own and went down to fight Scarab, giving Steph strict orders to stay in the Bat-plane and not touch anything. Over the course of the resulting fight -- in which Bruce does seem to struggle a bit but never loses his cool and never seems to be in more danger than he would be in other fights -- he repeats these orders to Stephanie no less than five times.

Stephanie does not listen.

Stephanie rushes into the building, continues to disobey orders once she's there, and immediately gets herself taken hostage. Her life is threatened by the bad guy and Bruce lets Scarab go to save her.

That incident is what gets Stephanie fired.

Interestingly, despite what Bruce said about this being "the precise moment [Stephanie's] out," he actually waits until his injuries from the fight have recovered to drop the bomb, and it's implied that he stretches that out longer than he usually would -- out to a full three weeks -- to give her time to stew. Which I find very interesting, I'll talk about it more in the later post.

The gang war comes in because he gives her some privacy in the Batcave to collect her personal belongings before she goes, including her personal files off the Bat-computer. While doing this, she decides it's a great idea to steal one of Bruce's, quote, "contingency plans" to "wipe out all crime in Gotham... if worst came to worst." This particular plan involved bringing all of the Gotham crime families under Batman's control, and Steph figured that if she could "set that in motion, show she could help him" then he might "take her back."

Unfortunately, one of the "Big Secrets" that she wasn't privy to as a result of being on probation was the fact that Matches Malone, the guy on whom the entire plan hinged, was actually one of Batman's secret identities, so when he didn't show up to the meeting she arranged... boom. A bunch of mafia heads ended up dead, and that led to retaliation from their subordinates. Cue War Games.

[stevenblueniverse]

Steven BLUE-niverse chapters 35-40 these following chapters are extremely important and change the feeling of the series from now on

Chapter 35 double birthday

It was night, Steven took his phone from under his pillow where he hid it and checked the time, 23:58, perfect, in 2 minutes he'll jump down the stairs and to where his birthday crown and cape waited for him. He checked the phone one more time then made his move, not even checking to see if blue had woken up before him, or if he was being too loud. He dashed down the stairs and saw the Cape and crown waiting for him untouched, he looked around before he took them, maybe she'd be waiting for him and jump out to get them before he would.

As he wrapped the Cape around himself and put on the crown he heard clapping, he quickly put on the light to see who was making that sound, it was blue diamond! She was in the corner this whole time, pearl was there too, holding a cookie cat on a plate for him. "Happy birthday Steven", blue softly said, both he and his mother shared the same birthday and always played a game to see who'd first get the king costume as soon as the day started, this time she let him win.

"I beat you!", Steven joked, sticking his tounge out, "yes, but this time I let you win, its a big day for you , you're now 12!", blue quietly congratulated him. "it is also a important day for you my diamond", pearl spoke up, gesturing the cookie cat she held to blue, "you are now 20 thousand years old". "Well pearl thanks for making Me feel so old!", blue replied, feeling quite awkward and wanting to change the subject, "how about we go and wake your father up? He must know that you're the first birthday king today!".

Since it Was very early Connie wasn't invited at first, she'd be invited when it's blue's turn for a party, as they share the same birthday Greg came up with the idea that they get half a day each and whoever puts the crown on first will have their party first. "Congratulations birthday King!", Greg said, leading Steven to his makeshift throne he had prepared outside the house.

lapis and pearl where wearing small birthday hats, and Greg wore a clown costume. "So what are they doing?", lapis asked pearl, playing with her hat, "it's a human tradition, celebrating how many years old they are, Steven is 12 today and my diamond is now 20 thousand years old", pearl explained, lapis looked back at blue, who was singing to steven with greg and giving him presents, "I honestly thought she was older", lapis said as she watched her diamond closely.

Steven quickly opened his first present, it was from his mother, it was a long blue Cape she had made for him from her old clothes. "I remember hearing you wanted to dress like me so I made this for you, it's from an old cloak of mine", she quietly told him. "Woahhhh", Steven exclaimed, quickly jumping off the throne and taking off his birthday Cape to put it on. "I am blue diamond!", he laughed, pulling out his scythe and jumping in the air. pearl applauded him while lapis nervously saluted. "Guys! Come on! I'm not the real blue diamond! well not yet!", he said, making his scythe dissappear and putting his birthday Cape back on and putting the cloak back in its box.

"My turn now Steven", lapis said, walking up to him, she was holding a box, this shocked blue and pearl, neither of them knew she'd also be bringing him a present. Lapis bowed down to him and offered him the box high above her head, "this is for you, my diamond, i got it when I overheard your parents speaking about presents so forgive me if it seems a bit... rushed", lapis said, trying to sound as posh as possible but also fighting the urge to laugh at how pathetic she sounded and the funny face steven was giving her.

"Oh wow lapis! You don't need to do all that for me!", Steven said, taking the present and slightly gesturing to her to stop bowing. they both looked at eachother and laughed when she got up, "my diamond was I too posh?", she joked, "yes lapis lazuli! Blue diamond is very mad!", Steven joked back. He opened the present, so many ideas rushing through his mind to what she could've possibly got him, as he pulled open the small box he was met with a water gun and a little card with a shockingly good drawing of them together on it.

"I definitely didn't steal the water blaster from two kids", lapis nervously said, avoiding eyecontact, "it's for your powers! You can infinitely fill it with water!", Steven cheered at this and took out the gun, filling it with water with his powers and shooting Greg right in the face, making all his clown makeup melt right off him. "awww come on! This took me so long!", Greg huffed, storming off to the van to redo the clown makeup hed put so much effort in.

"There's another thing there in the box too Steven", lapis said, getting his attention and making him pull out the card, as he opened it he was met with more drawings lapis did of them both and a small drawing of pearl.

on the card was written:

"Hello there Steven,

I'm sorry I am not very sure what this party is for but I'm writing on this paper to tell you how thankful i am for you and my diamond's gems for freeing me and being my friend

From, your friend lapis lazuli"

Steven looked up from the card then back at lapis, "you did all of this for me?", he asked her, amazed, "yes", she quickly replied, "thank you so much!", he jumped off the makeshift throne and hugged her tightly, catching her off guard. "It's my turn now lapis," pearl quietly said, tapping on her shoulder, lapis turned around embarrassed and quickly walked away to go and sit down. As this was happening blue checked Greg's phone for the time, it was 06:00, still way too early to invite Connie here.

Pearl bowed before giving Steven her two presents she had prepared for him, she first gave him something that wasn't in a box and just wrapped up, Steven recognised the shape immediately and ripped off the wrapping excitedly. " WOAH!? DID YOU ASK MUM FOR THIS?", pearl had gifted him a small gem tablet, with this he could read some diamond reports and look at gem life, the week before she had spent hours putting locks on it incase he accidentally used it to message yellow diamond or interfere with his mother's work. "She asked me to let her give you this for a long time! And with my Cape and this screen I'd say you're officially a diamond in training!", blue told him. Steven looked through all the many tabs and special gem apps with wonder, thanks to his mother's diplomatic powers he was able to know all languages so could understand the tablet quite quickly.

"Hey! Schtu-ball!!", Greg called, running from the van with his clown makeup freshly redone, as Steven watched him he fought the urge to shoot him with the water gun again or "blaster" as lapis called it. "It's now My turn!", Greg said, pushing pearl out the way and jumping in the middle while Steven laughed at him.

"Steven I baked you a pie!", Greg exclaimed taking out a large pie he was hiding from behind his back, "I must tell the truth and that pie does look good", pearl whispered to lapis, "I think Greg looks good, blue diamond agrees!", lapis joked, making them both giggle as blue stared them down.

"I sure hope nothing happens to it!", Greg said, taking dramatically big steps closer to steven to give him the pie until...

"WHOOPS", Greg very, definitely not on purpose, fell and smashed the pie, right onto his face, "woah are you ok!?", blue cried, about to run to greg but then he stood up and looked back at blue, pie covering his face and laughing hysterically as chunks of the now ruined pie and makeup dripped off his face , Steven also joined in laughing and blue just stood there, confused.

Blue stayed still looking at greg in the clown costume in shock, until pearl awkwardly walked up to her and told her, "My diamond, it is nearly 12:00, your turn", blue looked back at her confused at first then quickly went back to her normal state, "oh right, right!", she studdered, Greg laughed at her more, wiping the remaining pie chunks and clown makeup off his face, "I really freaked you out there didn't I blue-blue?", he said, walking up to her as she looked him up and down, "what about the poor pie!?", she asked him, a hint of sadness in her voice, "because its funny!", Steven yelled to her, he was still sitting on his throne looking all cute and goofy.

Greg checked the time, 10:00, still a bit too early for connie, "I'll call her just before it's blue-blue's turn alright?", Greg told steven. "call who?", Steven asked, Greg looked at him like he was stupid, "your girlfriend, connie", replied. "SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!", Steven yelled, turning bright red, "you sure? I think I saw a lot of proof she is!", lapis said, making pearl burst into laugher, the loudest she had ever been.

"Are you guys sure they're lovers?", blue asked cluelessly, making everyone giggle more, "call Connie over and ask her", pearl joked to blue who immediately took it seriously and used Steven's phone he didn't even know she had to call her while he begged her not too. "Hello Steven?", Connie said over the phone, as soon as she heard Connie's voice blue became too nervous to say anything and froze making Greg have to take the phone from her and speak with Connie himself. "Hey Connie, I'm just wondering if you'll like to come to Steven's birthday party", Greg said, winking at steven who was very embarrassed. "Oh! Of course I'd love to! I'll be there right away!", Connie said, quickly hanging up the phone to get ready for the party, Greg gave the phone back to steven right after. "I thought you guys would say worse things", Steven said, looking down at the phone and breathing a sigh of relief.

Connie quickly ran to their home and saw the party outside, "oh no was I late?", she asked as she saw them all eating cake and cookie cats, "not really" Steven said, mouth full of cake "it's actually still early", he picked up the phone to check the time "it's only- OH MY GOSH! MUM ITS YOUR TURN IN TWO MINUTES!", he yelled quickly jumping off the throne and giving his mother the Cape and crown as Connie watched, confused. "What do you mean it's her turn?", Connie asked him, "oh well me and her have the same birthday so we share it! We get half the day each and double parties!", Steven proudly told her, thinking this was something very unique and cool, he put his diamond cloak back on, "today I'm 12 and today mum is 20,000!".

Everyone quickly changed the birthday balloons and cake as blue sat on the throne with her eyes closed, "I did get both of you presents actually", Connie quietly said to Steven, handing him one of two boxes she had brought with her, "I'll open it tomorrow when it's no longer mum's party", Steven promised her.

"Alright blue-blue you can open your eyes now!", Greg said, as she opened her eyes she was met with everyone yelling "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" As loud as they could and balloons shaped like the number 20 everywhere. "We could only find stuff for 20th birthdays", Greg confessed, a bit embarrassed. "But we did Make this very accurate cake!",Steven said, showing her a large cake they had made with a ridiculous amount of candles all over it. "Oh cool", blue quietly said, a bit uncomfortable with all the attention on her.

"Who will be first to give the presents?", greg asked everyone, using a fake microphone and doing a TV presenter voice. "I'll go first!", Connie confidently said, walking towards blue, holding a box in front of her. "She brought that for her just in case", Steven whispered to his dad as she made her way to blue diamond. "Hello, m-miss blue diamond", Connie, studdered, giving her the present, "it's really not much but I think you will like it!", Connie said, as blue opened the present.

Connie gave blue diamond one of her drawing pads, it was filled with all sorts of drawings of her, mostly in anime style and with impressive amounts of detail. Blue spent a while looking at each drawing and praising Connie until Greg jumped up from behind her throne and clapped her ears, yelling, "BORING! DONT WASTE OUR TIME", making blue become all dizzy and discombobulated.

Now it was Steven's turn, pearl never gave blue presents as to blue her job was a present (she'd have to tell pearl this every birthday when she did give her something). He had prepared a card for her, like lapis did for him and 3 special presents, two where old things he and his father found in the storage unit and the other was something he recently bought for her. Steven took a deep breath and walked to blue while holding the three presents, he was being very careful and panicking that he might drop them, he even had a special order the presents would go in when he gave her them, the new gift first then the two older ones.

"Alright mum, here you go", Steven nervously said, giving blue the first gift, the newest one. The first gift was a pair of oversized heart shaped sunglasses, in the same box came a card he had written for her. "I saw that singer lady you love wears those glasses so I got you them", he excitedly said, watching her put them on and try to read the card through them. "You mean THE lana del rey? I'm so proud you know her!", blue said, the happiest she'd been during this whole party but was quickly upset by pearl mumbling, "why can't she go a day without talking about that talentless clod", while Greg laughed and agreed with her.

"Lapis it's your turn now!" Pearl called to lapis who immediately became nervous, "WAIT NO! I STILL HAVE THESE 2 PRESENTS"! Steven yelled back to them, making lapis have a quick sigh of relief but continue panicking on the inside as she had brought nothing for her diamond. "I know you'll like this one", Steven said to blue, handing her his 2nd (or 3rd if you count the card) present to blue. His present was an old photo of her and greg together from before he was born, with greg looking up to her with a hotdog in his mouth and her awkwardly smiling back at him.

"Wow, I forgot this photo existed", blue said, "back then I was much more okay with barbaric human food, now I gag looking at such things as...hot dogs", she put the photo on the table next to her and cringed thinking about her hatred for meat. Now Steven was kinda scared, did she not like that present? Then she might not like the last one he had for her. "I also have this", Steven said, much more nervous than last time and shaking as he gave her the last gift.

His last gift was an old white coat he had found in a chest at the very back of the storage unit, when blue saw it she couldn't help but gasp. "where did you find this?!", she asked Steven, "it was just at the back of the storage place", he replied, as this was happening Greg looked back at them, shocked and angered and wispered something to pearl who nodded back to him, lapis looked at them and was confused, waiting for answers, this white coat seemed to be something important to blue but something Greg didn't like and hid?

"OK NOW YOU'RE TAKING FOREVER!" Greg yelled at them, "lapis your turn now!", he called, making her stand up and lightly pushing the very nervous lapis to blue.

"I-...I don't have anything my diamond", lapis confessed, looking to the ground in embarrassment. "Oh that's fine! Your loyalty Is a present to me anyway!", blue said, trying to reassure lapis but someone wasn't having it. "What!?", pearl loudly and angrily said, standing up from her chair, "my diamond she KNEW of this day yet didn't give you a present but gave STEVEN one", lapis looked back at pearl, upset and suprised to how she was acting, they where having fun just a moment ago!

"Why did you not get our diamond a gift but get Steven one? AND ICLUDING A CARD!", pearl questioned her, confronting lapis and now standing next to her, in front of blue, "i-", "YOU HAVE NO REAL REASON DONT YOU!", lapis tried to explain but pearl kept yelling over her, not giving her a chance to even say one word. "I-", "APOLOGISE TO YOUR DIAMOND", "I don't-", "YOURE A BAD UNLOYAL AND LAZY GEM!". This continued and blue just watched, feeling powerless and weak but also annoyed. "I'M DONE! IM NOT PLAYING THIS STUPID CHILD'S GAME ANYMORE!", lapis yelled, flying away back to the home, not only did Blue feel powerless but now like a child.

"Well My diamond she truly is annoying isn't she?", pearl asked blue, turning around any giving her a confident smile, but blue didn't answer, she threw off her crown, Cape and glasses and stormed away with tears in her eyes as Connie and steven frantically followed after her.

Chapter 36 baby blue

Lapis and pearl continued screaming at eachother, barely giving blue's disappearance or steven and connie running away after her a second thought. During this, Greg went to grab the white coat Steven had gifted blue, it was now thrown on the ground, "this should have never been found", he said to himself, as he planned on how he could get rid of it before blue saw.

Blue continued walking away from them and bot looking back, she couldn't take it anymore. Her mind was wondering, "why is everyone so upset" "do I make them upset?" "Is this all my fault" "it is my fault" "I need to stop playing these childish games as pearl said" "or being childish" "I am childish" "I am a child!", those thoughts distracted her from everything else. she looked at her hands, they looked smaller than usual, "child's hands", she thought as she looked at them.

Steven and Connie tried to chase after blue but couldn't see her anywhere, they went to durgy, their home, even the ocean but no sign, Steven's last idea to where she would be is just wondering about beach city so him and Connie quickly ran to see if she'd be anywhere around there.

At the big donut, the two workers, lars and sadie waited for customers, it had been quite a quiet day with barely anyone buying anything so they mostly spent the day like how they usually did, bickering with one another. As they quietly argued with eachother the door opened and a little girl with blue skin and white hair stepped in.

The little girl waddled her way over to the counter, struggling to walk with her oversized dress, she was so small could be barely seen by the two workers. "can I have the usual please", the little girl said, her voice sounded very upset, like she was about to burst into tears at any moment. "The usual?" Lars asked, looking down to this scared girl, "I work here everyday and I've never seen your ugly face here before!" He laughed. His words really upset this already sad seeming girl, her droopy blue eyes opened as wide as possible, "oh shut it lars!", she yelled, this now got sadie's attention and she turned to look at this strange girl who someone knew lars' name.

"You just think you can say these things to your own customers! Well you can't! If you continue like this everyone around you will grow up leaving you all alone!", the girl continued yelling, until she saw her reflection and fell to the floor. "WHY AM I SO LITTLE!?", she screamed, pointing at herself in the reflection, sadie quickly ran to this girl to see what was wrong and sat her on a chair. "Could you please tell us what's wrong?", sadie said, trying to comfort this odd child, "this isn't supposed to happen! I'm not supposed to be so young!", she girl yelled, starting to cry, as she cried a giant blue diamond on her chest hidden by her long clothes began to glow, making her age go from at least 10 to about 6.

"I gotta reverse this! I NEED STEVEN TO HELP ME!!", she said through tears as she shrank down some more, sadie looked closer at this girl, she started to notice that she resembled a certain boy who always visits her shop, she even had the same diamond pupils and curly hair as him. "steven who..?", she asked, very sure she'd know the answer, "STEVEN DIAMOND UNIVERSE!", the girl cried, her yelling was heard by steven and Connie who where nearby who quickly ran to the big donut.

"Mum!?", Steven called, bursting open the door and being met with sadie trying to help blue diamond who had now turned into a toddler. "What the!?", Connie exclaimed, looking at blue, "she's turned into a kid....", Connie took some steps back out of shock. As Steven and blue looked at eachother Blue quickly jumped off the chair and ran past them, leaving the big donut while screaming, "STOP LOOKING AT ME!!", Steven and Connie quickly chased after her, calling for her to stop and try to explain what was happening to her body.

As Steven and Connie chased after blue, she tripped and fell to the ground, being covered by her now giant robes. "Mum!", Steven cried, running to her side. "so what do you think happened to her?", Connie asked him as she approached steven who was looking down at the small blue diamond, now completely covered by her long robes. "I don't know, we have to ask her", Steven said, moving the robes. As he moved the hood over he revealed that blue diamond had now completely turned into a baby. The baby blue looked up at him, then to connie, then to her small arms and started crying, her power quickly affected Steven, which then caused it to affect Connie. Eventhough her power was strong they still where able to carry the screaming blue baby and take her back to the others, as they got closer durgy appeared and they rode on her to Greg and the others.

During this, Greg and the gems where getting rid of all the things they had set up for the birthday parties. Lapis was quiet and waiting for blue to come back, she made sure to keep all the other presents with her in case pearl or greg accidentally threw them away while greg was about to throw blue's coat out into the sea, "These things she makes us do are so funny sometimes", pearl said to Greg but was quickly interrupted by Connie and steven on durgy, holding a crying baby blue diamond.

Greg looked back, terrified, thinking blue had saw him try to destroy her coat but was met with his son frantically handing him a blue baby. "DAD WHAT'S GOING ON!? MUM TURNED INTO A BABY!?", Steven cried, pearl took the baby blue from Greg's shaking arms, "my diamond's age can change based off her mental state", she explained, as baby blue stopped crying and looked up at pearl with her diamond eyes, "if she feels like a child, is scared or feels like she's being treated as a one she becomes one", she let the baby blue hold onto her finger, "i remember she was a toddler for 3 weeks straight once, i had to brush her hair", pearl smiled remembering that moment with her diamond and how close they can be.

"So how do we turn her back!?", lapis said, running to look at baby blue who laughed at her and tried to grab at her hair. "Gems were never babies, are diamonds different!?", she looked at pearl, desperate for answers. "she seems to have calmed down now. she'll be ok soon if she keeps like this, albeit very embarrassed" pearl said. But baby blue's mood soon changed again as she saw Greg holding her coat, she quickly began to cry and squirm out of Pearl's hands and try to grab Greg. "She wants so see greg", lapis said taking blue out Pearl's hands and bringing her to Greg, much to Pearl's protest

As lapis brought her closer, Blue grabbed Greg's hand and got out of lapis' grip, she had aged again, this time slightly older, about 4 years old now, her hair had grew back to how it was before too. "gweg... don't throw my skin away...", blue said, trying to hold back tears, Greg looked at the now slightly older blue in shock and froze, blue saw this as the perfect opportunity and suddenly grabbed the coat and ran.

Steven and Connie couldn't help but just watch frozen as the slowly aging blue diamond ran to them with the white coat and put it on as greg yelled at them to stop her. "Help pwease", blue said, putting the hood of the white coat over her head as both pearl and greg ran to her, screaming for her to stop. "Mum what's going on!? Why don't they want your coat!?", Steven asked her, "and why did you turn into such a adorable baby!", Connie yelled. The young diamond looked back at greg and pearl who froze in their tracks, as the walked towards them she got taller and taller.

"Why did you hide this from me?", she questioned them, her voice was now her normal, deep voice. Greg was frozen in fear, lapis watched, she had so many questions but knew to stay out her diamond's way. "M-mum?", Steven asked her, touching her back lightly, blue turned around, she was now a slightly chubby teenager with freckles and curly hair, "My diamond", pearl said, walking towards blue and lightly touching her cheek, "you've returned to your true age, how you looked before pink's shattering", this immediately calmed blue down and she ran to the water to see her reflection.

"Good, you calmed her down, now we can get her coat", Greg wispered to pearl but she just ignored him and went to see the ecstatic blue diamond. "I can't believe it", blue said, as she looked at her reflection "all the grieving, its gone away, I now look how I actually am supposed to!". Steven ran to his mother to look at her again, he couldn't believe this is how she was supposed to look. "what!? You look more like a big sister than a mum!", Steven said, blue laughed at this but Greg wasn't laughing at all. "You have your coat and now you're so young!?", he said, sounding disgusted, "you've become a child! Now what are people going to say! Not only am I dating a space selkie but a space selkie that looks like a school girl!", Steven looked back at his father, "what is wrong with you!?", he yelled, "Not only do you steal her present but you hate how she actually looks!?".

Connie had been silent for most of this but finally decided she needed to speak up, "Can anyone tell me what the hell is happening right now!?", she said, loud enough the bring everyone's attention to her, blue stared at her then took a deep breath, "my powers went weird", she said, a bit embarrassed everyone saw what she looked like as a baby "and Greg didn't want me to have my skin in case I returned to the ocean to be a selkie", this just confused Connie more, "So you're like a mermaid!?", she couldn't help but keep asking even if blue seemed slightly uncomfortable.

Blue looked at greg, then to pearl, then to lapis, then to steven and finally to connie, "it's a long story", she said, trying to find the right words, "I never wanted to tell Steven, I thought I only would if he was a daughter, but it seems I must tell all of you", she continued, slowly taking off her coat and folding it, holding it infront of her. "Connie, Steven, ill talk with you both by the sea, does that sound OK?", they both agreed and followed after blue, leaving Greg angry, lapis confused and pearl scared.

Chapter 37 three or one?

The three of them looked out to the sea next to beach city. Steven was right next to his mother, sitting by the shore but Connie stayed slightly away, near the rocks and sand. "Did my present hurt dad?", Steven asked his mother, going to put his hand on the coat before blue very lightly smacked it away. "No", blue said, moving the coat away from steven and holding it on her lap closer to.

"I heard you call that present your skin", Connie said, walking towards blue, her slight fear to even ask blue more questions being heard in her tone, "and steven said he found it in his dad's storage unit, did Greg hide this from you?", she asked, blue looked back at her and sighed. "I understand why he'd hide it", she said, before becoming quiet and muttering "it is a common thing husbands of selkies do".

"Mum, you know you're quite bad at answering questions", Steven said, slightly joking and trying to lighten up the mood, "now you're just going to make Connie more confused". Blue looked back at Connie and apologised, "oh I'm so sorry forget me and my issues please miss maheswaran! How about you talk about yourself instead! We cant just have my misery ruining everyone's day!", Connie quickly took blue's invitation and sat next to her and steven to talk, it still shocked her how much blue had changed, now she looked only a couple years older than Connie herself.

"So I guess we can all talk about what we have been trying to do recently and take turns", blue said, in a much more happier voice and trying to change everyone's moods. "I'll go first!", Steven exitedly said, putting his hand up like he was in school. Steven stood up in front of Connie and blue for his "turn", not understanding what blue meant completely. "So, recently with dad and pearl I've been trying to learn how to dance!", he proudly said, doing some funny dances that made Connie and blue laugh.

"I'm suprised you can even dance In front of us", Connie said, "I've never even danced in front of anyone before", she continued, her voice becoming slightly sadder as she spoke one, "I've always wanted to but I'm just scared people will just stare at me". "I understand you", blue said, putting her hand on Connie's shoulder, "I was very similar to you with many things, I was so scared to do anything, singing, even showing my face in public!", this made Steven remember pearl showing him some old photos of his mother, she always wore her hood over her eyes, in public on homeworld it seemed. "but if you do those things in front of people you trust it can really help you with your confidence and get used to people", blue told her, Connie thought about blue's advice for a moment, "maybe I can dance with Steven?", she suggested, quickly getting Steven's attention, "he did just show us his recently learned awesome dance moves" she laughed.

Steven quickly pulled out his phone and gave it to blue to play any sort of fitting dance music while he prepared to dance with Connie, taking his shoes off and doing some exaggerated stretches. "Alright, just tell me when you're both ready and I'll play the music", blue said slightly walking above the nearby hill to give them more space to dance and so the music wouldn't be too loud and distracting to her. "and Connie if you feel uncomfortable Steven will definitely stop, right!", she called to steven from the hill who confidently replied "yes mum!".

Blue played some cringe romance music she found on Steven's phone, it was still very loud eventhough she was on the hill. The music and dancing was a bit embarrassing for the both of them at first, with them blushing and laughing at the music choice, especially steven who knew blue found this song on his special playlist he had made just for connie. Steven was quickly able to make Connie more confident with her dancing by laughing with her and complimenting her on her dancing and trying to copy some of her moves.

As blue watched them, pearl suddenly appeared and sat next to her diamond. "how are you?", she quietly asked blue. "just watching my future daughter in law", blue joked, winking at pearl who just cringed and looked at Connie with disgust. "You know Greg is very worried about you", pearl said, "everyone is, they all say I'm crazy", blue mumbled, "yellow says I need my mind fixed and Greg says I need love but it never works", blue quietly ranted to herself as she watched Steven and Connie dance together.

As Steven and Connie span around together, something started to happen to steven, the gem on his chest started to glow, very brightly and make quiet but noticable noise. It quickly caught blue's attention who immediately ran down there, trying to yell at them to stop as she feared this may trigger his powers, and maybe harm connie, but they didn't listen, they where too distracted with one another . so blue made no other choice and rushed inbetween them, going to literally slap them away from eachother. "STOP!", blue yelled, running to them, but it was too late, Steven started to glow, it also made Connie glow and quickly triggered blue's gem as well as she made contact with them as they all touched, a giant light lit up the entire beach as pearl watched in shock.

"My diamond!?", pearl called, as the light faded. her voice was still quiet but filled with fear and panic. she didn't know what to think, she didn't even know if she could go down there to see her diamond. she slightly looked down and saw smoke moving away, revealing only that only one person was visible, laying on the groun, they didnt look like any of the three of them. Pearl lightly gasped at this and ran away, deciding to not tell anyone of this and to just tell Greg and lapis they where just speaking about normal things and blue was not upset at all.

Chapter 38 what is a true fusion?

Bright blue eyes open, eyes belonging to the being who now lay on the beach where steven, Connie and blue once where. This new being slightly sits up and looks to their arm, their skin is dark, like connie's but blue patterns are across their arms and legs, patterns that resemble almost resmeble mehndi. "What the...why is my arm..like yours...ours..", the news being says, observing their new body in shock, starting to realise what they are.

The being stood up, "we...you..how-" "THIS CANT BE HAPPENING!...I fused!", they say, inside them are three confused minds. "You fused!?", "its a gem thing" "are we stuck together!?" "No don't worry", the fusion reassures themselves holding their hands to comfort the scared beings within them. Standing up, the fusion looks around for pearl, they had just saw her before this happened, "pearl must've ran away..",  "what would she think of us now", they huff to themselves. The new fusion is scared but mostly curious, not only is this a fusion of two diamonds, but a fusion of a human too, the first in all of history, they go to the water by the shore, looking at their reflection.

The fusion mostly resembles blue diamond and Connie, with barely any sign of Steven being visible. the light blue dress Connie wore and blue's robes have mixed together to make a dress that almost resembles that of a indian lehenga, with Steven's star shirt working as a blouse for the lehenga, having a diamond shaped cut in the middle fully revealing only one blue diamond gem in their chest. Their eyes are the same diamond eyes that blue and steven shared, with their nose being from Connie. Their hair is mostly black besides one white streak, with side curls from blue.

"Woah! we look...awesome", "what are we even!?", "something that has never happened before" "how can we show anyone this?!" , there is a mix of panic and excitement among the fusion, with the part that is Steven feeling the most proud and wanting to show everyone. "we must show everyone this!" "What will they say!?" "How will our families react!?" Steven was quickly able to overpower the parts that are blue diamond and Connie and the fusion began to run home to show their family this new discovery, as they ran across the sand, getting used to their new body, the three of them felt so powerful, especially Connie who felt a new, never before felt level of confidence.

"I hope my diamond will be back soon", lapis said, looking out the window for blue while pearl and greg spoke to eachother. "She's probably bringing Connie back home, she'll be back soon, it's getting late", Greg said, quickly going back to speak with pearl who'd been great at keeping her secret from him and lapis. As lapis continued looking out the window, she saw a familiar looking shadow approaching the home, she quickly opened the door to salute and greet her diamond, only to be met by something no one could predict.

"So what do you think?", the fusion asked them, pearl was still speechless, she really had seen a fusion back at the beach! Greg was about to faint and only lapis could speak up. "You're truly something, I can't believe it! a diamond and a human!", she congratulated them, looking at the form of this fusion closely. "My diamond, Steven? You only have one gem? Is steven and blue still in there?", lapis asked, a small bit of worry in her voice, fearing she may have lost either her leader or a close friend, "don't worry we're both here!", the fusion confidently replied. "what would the name of this fusion be? You are two blue diamonds", lapis asked them, just calling them blue diamond would feel strange and be very confusing.

The fusion had already thought about this a lot, then a side of them spoke up with a great idea. "I had a lesson in school about this super big blue diamond called a hope diamond what about that?", lapis nodded, the other parts of the fusion also agreed, "well then, hope diamond, it is great to meet you", lapis said, bowing to the fusion and shaking their hand.

Pearl took some steps forward then flinched right back when hope diamond looked at her, those eyes, their face, it was just like blue but at the same time, so different. "my diamond, p-please unfuse this is, not like you, why are you...", she studdered, looking disgusted at the fusion. "Pearl, Steven just discovered this can't we at least have some fun?", hope replied, the look she gave pearl was the same look blue would give her enemies, a stare that sent shivers down Pearl's spine and quickly made her go completely silent.

"BLUE WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!", Greg yelled, finally having the guts to speak, "are you permanently stuck with Connie now!?". "No, its fusion, we can unfuse when we want, this is new for all of us, but I promise we aren't stuck!", hope diamond tried to explain but Greg was having none of it. "BLUE UNFUSE THEM NOW!", he screamed, "she's a diamond you don't tell her what to do!", lapis suddenly yelled back to Greg, shocking both him and pearl. As they all started to argue again, hope diamond walked out the house, they didn't want another repeat of the birthday incident that had happened only hours before.

"Well that went badly" "its the best it could've gone, I would've been quite shocked if I saw such a thing for the first time too" "at least we are together", they began talking to themselves again, wondering around beach city, catching the eyes of many locals, with their appearance and clothes. As they walked around they noticed a bright light and music coming from somewhere, it was a party, "maybe we can show them some of our fusion magic!", "are you sure?", they thought among themselves again, only this time one voice was silent.

As they stepped into the party, everyone's eyes went on them, at first hope liked this and danced around feeling very confident but that didn't last long, when they looked up they noticed everyone else wasn't dancing with them, just watching them The entire party had frozen to watch hope and it was scary. Hope stopped dancing and hid in the corner, "I can't dance with anyone watching how do you do it!? If only I was with you both but not like this", the beings inside the fusion started to speak among eachother, being too scared to look behind them in case people where still watching. Now that the small amount of confidence had weared off they felt more alone than ever.

"I can't do this!" "Come on we are a fusion! We are strong together!" "NO I CANT THEY'RE WATCHING". The fusion started to fight within themself until hope's body started to shine and split back into three people, Connie, blue and steven had finally unfused and lay on the ground as everyone danced around them.

Connie quickly got up and ran to steven to hug him, maybe now they could dance together as they weren't alone. "we should probably get out of here", Steven said, getting up from the ground, "yeah we should", connie replied, "what do you think Mrs universe?", as the two of them turned to face blue they froze, blue was still on the ground, she hadn't moved since they unfused and her eyes had gone completely blank and her whole body seemed to be shivering.

Steven and Connie started to panic, trying to wake up blue but couldn't, "MUM!? MUM!", Steven cried, trying to pick blue up but she was completely limp and very heavy. Steven grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her around trying anything to get her to move, he turned back to connie, about to cry and said, "what do we do!?", Connie was frozen, she looked down towards blue and reached into her pocket to call her mother, "I'll ask my mom! She's a doctor, her eyes almost look like she's having a seizure we should call 911!", connie told steven. Steven shook his head, "we can't she's a gem!", he cried, "they might take her away and do all sorts of experiments on her!", "well that's the only option I know of!", connie yelled back.

As the two began to argue a shadow started to loom over them, quickly silencing them, they looked up and where met by lapis, she was flying above them, holding pearl and greg, they'd followed hope diamond here. Lapis, dropped pearl and greg to the ground, they both immediately ran to blue, "I knew this would happen!", pearl said, "Greg! Please help me pick her up!", she called, holding the top of blue's body up, greg went to the other side and lifted up her legs. "lapis you must also help us fly her back home and get Steven and Connie home too!", pearl frantically called to them, Greg and pearl both began to drag blue out of the party as lapis summoned a water hand from the near by ocean to hold them both up while she grabbed Connie and steven with her hands and flew off with them, the water hand that contained the three of them following after.

Chapter 39 redemption and remorse

Blue was frantically carried into the home by pearl and greg and laid down on the couch. Steven even tried some more to wake her up by getting her coat but it didn't work, she just laid there lifeless, her eyes completely blank and mouth slightly open. "What happened to her!?", Connie pleaded pearl to tell her, "it is getting dark, you must leave soon, Connie maheswaran", was all pearl said, gesturing Connie to the door. "I can't leave! Look at her!", Connie cried, but her cries where no use, pearl and Greg had to drag her into his van and drive her home.

Steven tried to tell his father and pearl to be kind to connie but in the end he was powerless in this situation. He sat with lapis and watched blue, she didn't move at all, she looked dead, it terrified him. "Lapis, do you know what could be happening to her?", Steven asked, finally breaking the silence, lapis gave him a look of fear, already telling him she didn't know before she spoke, "i-i have never seen my diamond like this", she addmited, her voice sounding defeated.

"A fusion, not only of a diamond but a human and a gem human hybrid! Truly something new! But something wrong?, yes something that should've never happened", blue thought to herself, she floated in a completely dark world, she was alone, she had escaped her body and her mind was in some sort of new world. Blue's thoughts had distracted her so much she was able to unfuse and leave her own body to just think. Back before pink's shattering she was able to do this much easier but now, because of her weakened mental state when blue left her body she was usually left convulsing or asleep in the physical world. Blue looked through her memories, when she fused with Connie and steven she was reminded of something but something she can't properly remember, maybe, now that she was just with just her thoughts she could see that memory again.

Greg and pearl returned not long after, they where shocked Steven was not as mad at them as they thought he'd be for taking Connie away, instead he just spent all his time at blue's side. "Has she started shaking or drooling?", pearl asked Steven, as she walked up to blue and checked on her, her eyes still wide open and blank, she hadnt changed at all. "No, she's just been the same, do you know what this is?", Steven asked pearl, the way she looked at blue and checked her face made it look like she had done this many times and was used to it. "Yes, I know what this is", pearl replied, walking away from blue and sitting down on the ground next to steven.

"My diamond has left her body", pearl explained, as Steven moved along the ground to sit near her, "something must've made her think so much that she's left this world and gone back to her mind", Pearl's words fascinated steven, he knew his mum and all other diamonds had crazy powers but he wasn't expecting her to be able to make herself a ghost. "this time is much more peaceful compared to all the other times she has done this", pearl stopped for a moment and quickly looked a blue again and took a deep breath, "blue diamond can use this power for all sorts of reasons, but because of a certain event in her life, when she does it now it causes her to lose control of her body in this world, making her fall to the ground, she usually starts to shake and foam at the mouth when she does it".

Blue looked through more of her memories until she finally found it, a random event that quickly changed into something very special, something that happened 5750 years ago. Blue was visiting earth, at this time it was still pink's colony and she was making sure it was going well, the reports of rose quartz where just starting to spread and become a big fear among the gems so she came here to protect and help pink against them.

On this day, a high ranking gem, a sapphire had come to visit her, sapphire gems had a magnificent ability, they could see into the future and where very important to blue. The sapphire came with some Ruby guards and met blue, telling her she predicted rose quartz would attack, defeating all but one of her Ruby guards and then attacking her, but after sapphire would be attacked rose and other traitors would be caught immediately after.

"Alright guys, she'll be ok soon don't worry let's just play some music and leave her alone", Greg said, taking out his guitar and some CDs and lightly pulling steven to move away from blue. As he played music Steven covered his ears, the way his father was acting enraged him, how could he be so uncaring for his someone be always spoke about loving. Pearl didn't react to Greg, she just stayed by blue, waiting for her to wake up, "my diamond, what has bothered you now to do this!?", she thought to herself, becoming more and more scared for blue as each minute passed, she was never out for this long usually.

"Schtu-ball stop being so miserable!", Greg joked, as he played his guitar along to some very loud annoying music, Steven couldn't take it anymore, he finally snapped. "DAD STOP!", he yelled, as he yelled a blue aura of energy covered him and a large wave of energy went through the room, breaking the cd player and making Greg drop his guitar and fall to his knees, everyone turned to look at steven, his hair was wavy like his mother's and he was surrounded by pure blue power. "My Steven....", pearl studdered before quickly silencing herself, lapis watched in fear, this small and innocent looking boy still had the powers of blue diamond, Greg looked at his now broken cd player, "Jeez kid, you're just like your mother", he huffed, before storming upstairs to his bedroom, "DAD WAIT!", Steven called to his dad, his powers quickly waring off and everything returning to how it was.

The sapphire waited by her Ruby guards, she knew what would happen and accepted it, today would be the end of the rebellion and of rose quartz, well that's how it was supposed to go. Suddenly they appeared, the rose quartz and her renegade pearl, "WE ARE THE CRYSTAL GEMS!", they announced, quickly jumping down and attacking, the Ruby guards where all easily defeated by rose, then the pearl went to attack the sapphire, and then it happened, the future was changed. One of the rubies was left, she somehow changed the entire prediction and ran to protect the sapphire and as she grabbed the sapphire, pulling her out the way, they both fused. Gems like Rubies or topazes could fuse with the same type to make larger ones of eachother but this was unlike anything else, two entirely different gems making one new never before seen being, and the confusion they caused allowed the rebels to escape, if that ruby listened to sapphire, none of this would've happened and pink wouldn't have died, blue clenched her fists and gritted her sharp teeth as she continued watching this memory.

The two quickly unfused after, blue diamond had witnessed this all herself, enraged she spoke, "the rebels have fled! Sapphire! This isn't the future you described to me!", the Sapphire tried to apologise but blue also had some words for the Ruby, "how dare you fuse with a member of My court! You will be broken for this!", as soon as blue commanded this punishment, the Sapphire grabbed the Ruby's hand and fled, never to be seen again.

Blue watched that part of the memory over and over, constanly repeating it she had changed so much since then, since pink died. She thought about that Ruby and sapphire a lot, it was that ruby who stopped the early end to this war along with the capture of rose quartz, it was her that caused the death of pink, but still the ruby was still doing her job of guarding the sapphire she understood why she did that, even if it did change the future and cause so much more suffering.

Blue put both her hands on her head, a feeling was taking over her, regret, she needed to find those two gems and apologise but knowing the crystal gems, they could've joined the rebels as they saw no choice, they probably became traitors thanks to HER. "It was my fault, I shouldn't have took everything that sapphire said as truth! If only I fought that rose myself instead of running away!" Blue thought, thinking about all the actions she couldve and can do "Why do I always run away from even the smallest conflicts! ever since I was on the f-"

Steven went back to sit by blue, now his dad was mad at him and he scared everyone with his powers. Lapis sat next to him, trying to keep him happy and talk with him. Pearl now stood over blue, she had now put the heart shaped sunglasses over blue's eyes that Steven gave her to cover up the fact her eyes where still white and open. "I have a theory of why blue diamond could be like this", lapis said, quickly becoming quieter when she noticed pearl listening in, "I think", she slightly slumped down to Steven's level to wisper in his ear, "she fainted from being so shocked by your fusion!", Steven nodded back, this was starting to become his theory as well, the timing just seemed so perfect for that to be the case.

just as he was about to say more he was interrupted by a odd sound, the best way to describe this sound was that it sounded like that of a camel snoring but underwater, it was coming from blue, she was starting to make odd breathing sounds and move a bit, her arms becoming very stiff and straight and pointing in the air as her face seemed to be cringing, her back also started to arch, pushing her stomach in the air and her head into the back of the couch. "What could you be thinking about in there, My diamond", Pearl wispered as she watched blue, greg quickly ran down the stairs to see what was happening and was horrified.

"The sapphire and Ruby must've met up with rose on earth and joined her, maybe they still live with her!", blue thought, remembering the crystal gems where in beach city "I must ask amethyst!", she slapped herself across the face "No! I must find them myself!", if she would be able to apologise to them she must do it alone, or else it may not feel sincere, but how could she even apologise for this? "I must check around beach city!", she looked up and saw a bright light above her, she reached up and jumped into it, closing her eyes.

When she opened her eyes she was met by her home's ceiling, she looked down confused and saw her body, laying on the couch, shaking intensely, while Steven was panicking, she had now left her body completely. "Oh no! I was just going to see if I could sense any other gems around her!", she thought, looking down at steven feeling the same regret she felt for those two gems for making him see her in such a state, "but I must do that later", she quickly jumped back to her body.

Blue finally opened her eyes and was met by steven nearly about to cry, pearl sighing from relief, Greg about to call an exorcist and lapis crying. "MUM! YOU'RE BACK!", Steven yelled, quickly jumping on blue and hugging her, "my diamond! You're okay!", lapis said, wiping away tears, "what happened?", she asked, pearl looked at lapis and was about to hush her, "yeah, blue-blue, what happened?", greg asked, moving lapis and pearl out the way "I haven't seen you do that in a while". Blue looked at greg, her expression showing fear, "I need to redeem myself", she said, her voice cracking.

Chapter 40 Mr universe and the crystal gems

Over these past days, mr universe had announced yet another tour across beach city and similar towns around them, this one would be much longer and last weeks, this really angered Steven who was taking care of his mother. Blue diamond still hadn't recovered from what happened, pearl was even confused and had never seen her act like this after she left her body before. She spent most her days crying and being paranoid, flinching at the smallest things and rocking back and forward.

"I'll be going soon schtu-ball! take care of your mother for me!", Greg called to steven as he was about to walk out the house and to his van, this time Steven wasn't just going to let Greg leave, he was going to follow after him. He waited for Greg to leave the house and then started his plan, "look after mum for me", he wispered to pearl who quickly obeyed him and went up to blue's room. Steven looked out the windows to see his dad getting in the van then very quietly stepped out of the house. As the van drove off, Steven chased after it, he had noticed sometimes when his father said he was doing concerts, there were no reports of him doing one at all, he must be going somewhere secret and hiding it from everyone and using these concerts to hide where he was really going.

The van drove to an odd looking hill that seemed quite abandoned, as Steven peaked behind a rock he noticed this hill was surrounded by a mental fence with keep out signs all over it too. Greg got out and jumped the fence, Steven walked a bit closer and hid behind the van to see what his father was doing, then he saw it. "Hey rose! I'm here!", Greg called, then the rose quartz herself stepped out, with that pearl from the kindergarten and another gem, a tall one with glasses, Steven wanted to scream, his father was speaking with the crystal gems!?

"So I've got the best idea for you guys, rose you're a great singer, pearl you seem like a keyboard type girl and garnet you'd be good on the guitar", Greg said to the gems, walking back to his van as they spoke, Steven panicked as his father got closer and quickly ran to a closer rock to hide, somehow his dad didn't see him. Greg took out some music equipment from his van and set it up over the fence, Steven watched in shock and horror, "dad is making music with the crystal gems!?", he thought, feeling himself start to become sick with the disgust he felt for his father speaking to that rose, he needed to tell his mother, but how would she react, he knew that wouldn't go well.

"Oh Mr universe you're so interesting", rose said, watching him set up some microphones after he gave the other gems a guitar and keyboard. The fact she even spoke with his father made Steven fill with rage, he could feel his energy building up, he wanted to kill all those traitors, he needed to avenge pink diamond! He clenched his fists and started to shake, should he confront his father, or wait after, he wasn't sure he could wait, he might throw up if he heard that rose speak again.

"Alright guys everyone ready!" Greg called to the gems as he stood infront of them, guitar in hand and now standing in front of a camera ready to record them all. "Of course we are!", rose playfully called back, holding the microphone to her mouth, ready to sing, "yes", the tall one, called garnet said, her voice very direct and monotone, "fine...", the pearl said, she seemed wore weary of Greg, acting a bit defensive near him. "Alright! Time for Mr universe and the crystal gems!", Greg announced, as the camera counted down to start the video.

As the music started, Steven quickly decided to get out of there, he just couldn't take it anymore. He ran away back to home as fast as he could, no one noticed him thankfully and they kept playing their loud music. Steven rushed back home and slammed the door behind him, scaring blue and lapis who where on the couch together. "My Steven what is wrong!?", pearl said, going up to check on him, "you look awful", he really did, he was shaking, sweating and fighting away tears. "I'll talk about it later", Steven studdered, going to his room. Steven spent about half an hour in his room, just screaming into his pillow, his anger for his father was indescribable.

As Steven tried to lay on his bed and calm himself down, the door opened, It was lapis lazuli. "Hey there Steven", she said, walking into his room and sitting on the edge of his bed, "you looked really upset, are you ok?", Steven looked at lapis and took a deep breath, he needed to prepare himself for what he was about to tell her, he needed to make sure he wouldn't cry. "My dad, that Greg guy you know he is...", Steven stopped himself and took another deep breath, lapis waited patiently for him to continue, "he is.....I SAW HIM WITH THE CRYSTAL GEMS", he broke, bursting into tears and triggering his powers, causing a dark blue aura to fill the room and cause lapis to cry.

"He is what!?", lapis exclaimed as the powers made her cry giant tears, "HE'S FRIENDS WITH THE ROSE QUARTZ!", Steven hysterically cried. Lapis tried to hug him to calm him down, "steven, this is something really crazy, we must not tell blue diamond of this", she said, looking at him in his eyes, "why?", Steven asked, through tears. Lapis felt a bit of fear come over her before she spoke, she must be very careful with her words here, "we will tell her later, she isn't in the right state now", she looked down to steven,"if we told her now, her rage will be unstoppable and uncontrollable".

[cure-icy-writes]

I'm in a weird place in terms of cosplay right now. Basically, I want to make more things and learn new skills, but I'm actually trying to downsize my current cosplay hoard. Which means selling and finding new homes for a lot of my old stuff. Plus, my size has changed, which means I need to find new homes for, and replace, even more.

I think I'm at the point where I'd rather do commissions, or at least sell the things I make to people who'd appreciate them more, rather than just keep making heaps of outfits and props for myself. I want to learn wig splicing! But I don't want to keep that wig. Does that make sense?

I guess my real issue here is that I'm still not very confident in my skillset. Maybe this is just me being a perfectionist. But if I charge money for something, I don't want to send out anything less than the best I can give. I want to take pride in my work. It's okay if I wear something less than perfect, because it's a learning experience. But I'd be ashamed if I sold it.

....Maybe it's time for me to just take that theatre costuming class. I could stand to get some professional upgrades to my skills, after all.

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

Would the Tails Polycule like to dress as each other?

You know, this is a good question, so I'll do my best to answer! (Under the cut, though, cause it's sort of a lot)

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Tails

Nine's clothes

Technically Prime!Tails is modern Tails, and since modern Tails has official art/renders of himself in different clothing, Prime!Tails has also likely worn other clothes outside of his usual clothes.

That's all to say that Prime!Tails to me is no stranger to shirts or pants. So while he doesn't wear full outfits often, I don't think he'd mind Nine's clothes. Honestly, I think (minor design differences aside) he would probably enjoy looking in the mirror thinking about how much like Nine he looks and seeing if he can fool anyone into believing he's Nine.

Also I...kind of like to imagine Tails wearing Nine's vest shirt thing whenever they sleep in the same place together. I think it'd annoy Nine a bit at first but like...boyfriend jacket situation 🥺👉👈

Sails' clothes

Sshshsb I can imagine Tails trying them on for the first time like "So this is what I would like as a pirate! Arrrgh". Essentially, I'd think he'd have fun with it, probably play pirate for a bit. Plus, since he and Sails look pretty similar, I think it would be funny if they trained each other in their own dialects to pull a switcheroo move for fun.

All in all, I think Tails would find some of the choices unnecessary or weird (at least for when he wears Sails' clothes), but I can see him keep the outfit in mind in the event he needs to dress up in a different outfit for some reason or needs inspiration for a pirate costume. Sails also has this weird sorta little jacket thing so...boyfriend jacket again👉👈

Hey, what can I say😂 I think Tails would be the type to wear a piece of clothing from someone he's really close to/is dating around his place because it feels nice and smells like them

Mangey's clothes

I think he'd try his clothes on once, but I don't think he'd love it as much. Ultimately, out of the three, Mangey has the least clothing it seems like, and anything that's not his gloves is made out of leaves of some sort. So I think Tails would enjoy analyzing his outfit so he could make himself clothes in some hypothetical event that may never happen where he ends up on a deserted island without clothes. Even though the details of clothes probably really don't matter to Mangey much as long as they get the job done, I can see Tails trying to convince Mangey to wear something else. However, I don't see Prime Tails as someone who'd be a clothes designer expert, and he'd be hard pressed to get Mangey to wear something else regularly. So I think after futile attempts, at best he'd just succeed in making Mangey's current outfit more durable and just try not to worry about it all anymore.

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Nine

Tails' clothes

You are getting him to do this like. Twice at most, for two reasons.

First, early in the relationship I think Nine would still have hangups on his similarities to Tails, so wearing Tails' clothes and seeing how much he looks like him makes him feel...a number of things, most of which he doesn't like.

Second, idk, I think Nine would feel exposed without the clothes he usually wears. Part of this is due to how he grew up, of course. Nine wore his usual clothes in that brief backstory moment in Prime Episode 1, so while there's not necessarily a confirmation, it's not a big stretch to assume he grew up wearing full clothing. Plus, multiple others in New Yoke can be seeing wearing more clothing/accessories than just gloves or shoes if not full clothing (like New Yoke!Big). So I think he's sort of just used to wearing full clothing and feels weird about it. The other part of this is that I personally see him feeling a bit awkward if not weird about his body, so he's not really confident even doing something small like losing the shorts or his top. I also happen to like headcanoning Nine as transmasc, so (while that's no confirmation of anything for this au) do with that what you will

I think the only times this is happening if Nine is convinced to swap clothes with Tails/loses a dare or game and has to, and/or if someone gets him to agree to try swapping places with Tails to see if anyone's fooled by it. Only two times I can see it.

Sails' clothes

Like with Tails' clothes, I can see him just feeling weirdly exposed about it all. Since Sails' outfit has the most coverage out of the three, I think he wouldn't mind wearing Sails' outfit as much as the others and one would have an easier time convincing Nine to wear it. But he would still be uncomfortable about it (while finding some choices in the outfit unnecessary or weird the same way Tails does). I think he'd be more comfortable wearing Sails' outfit if he had pants/shorts to wear with it or an undershirt at least.

I think Nine is someone who could come to like the "boyfriend jacket" idea like Tails, but ultimately wouldn't be incredibly keen on this for any of the variants usual wear. If Sails had a sweater or coat or something then yeah, okay. You could catch him wearing it and taking in his boyfriend's scent. But the jacket thing from his usual wear? Not his favorite.

Mangey's clothes

At most you will get him to wear it exactly once (see the Tails' clothes section for more detail). That one time would just be because someone convinced him or because for some reason or another he has to try it on. There's barely more clothing than what Tails wears when it comes to Mangey's outfit, so I think Nine would feel pretty uncomfortable and exposed about it.

I can see him taking interest in how the clothes were made (like the shoes for example) and keeping it in mind like Tails would, but that's about it.

All in all, while Nine would find all three of the other's clothes to just be uncomfortable and also not really understand how they walk around like that, he ultimately leaves them to their own devices and doesn't care what they wear.

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Sails

Tails' clothes

I think being without certain accessories he keeps on would be a bit weird for him, but I don't think he'd mind it too horribly much. While he prefers his own clothes, it's also definitely not a bad thing that one of his boyfriends has decent quality clothes he can wear if he ever needs an emergency outfit change I guess (of course that's assuming Sails wouldn't keep a change of his own gloves at least, but I digress).

If anything, since Tails' regular outfit doesn't consist of a lot, I think the most interest he'd have in dressing up like Tails would be to pull some switcheroos and see if he can convince certain people that he's Tails.

Nine's clothes

I think he'd definitely get some enjoyment out of pretending to act like Nine (whether that's teasing him some or seeing if he can convince others that he's Nine for fun). I don't think it would be his favorite outfit to wear (bit restricting feeling maybe) but he's not necessarily opposed to wearing it. Like Tails, though, I can see him stealing Nine's shirt vest thing. While Tails usually does it in the comforting safety of the home, I can see Sails being a bit more bold in wearing his boyfriend's "jacket" around outside the lab or inside a home. Like with Tails' situation, it would doubtless annoy Nine for a while (but not forever).

Mangey's clothes

I think compared to Nine and Tails he'd probably be the most comfortable in Mangey's outfit. I don't think it would be the most fun for him to dress up in, but I think it's an outfit he could handle wearing like for days on end for example. If Mangey made stuff like the shoes himself, I can see Sails complimenting him on his work and learning from it just in case he needs the knowledge.

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Mangey

Tails' clothes

They're not that different from his usual wear in terms of how much clothing is there, but I think while you could get him in the clothes on occasion he doesn't really enjoy it. The gloves are one thing and I think the shoes are something he'd like looking at, but not to wear. He's the type of fox who wears the same kind of clothes all the time and is probably a bit picky.

But again since Tails' outfit isn't really restricting you could convince him to do it on occasion

Nine's clothes

Do not pass go do not collect $200

You may get him to dress like Nine once or twice and only for fun, but this fox does not love wearing a lot of clothing. I think wearing Nine's clothes it would feel weird in general, a bit restricting, and I can see it being a bit of a texture nightmare for him (even just with there being so much more than he usually wears).

However, I think he is someone who wouldn't mind wearing around Nine's shirt vest thing as a boyfriend jacket or like sleeping on a pile of his clothes. Mangey is not immune to the urge to smell like/breathe in that boyfriend smell.

Sails' clothes

I think he would be more comfortable than he is in Nine's clothes and find more enjoyment than he does with Tails' clothes. So I think on occasion you'd get him to fully dress up as Sails.

However, I think there are certain things (like how Mangey is with Tails' shoes) that he'd rather look at than wear. So more often than not I think he'd put on Sails' belt, bandana, or jacket thing whenever he wants to dress up like him or have the comfort of wearing his stuff. Like with Nine, I think he'd be known to steal the jacket thing sometimes (more than he does with Nine's shirt vest thing), or sleep with some of Sails' clothes/accessory items. He is not immune to deriving comfort from/pretending someone he cares about is with them by wearing or holding their stuff and breathing in their scent.

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Thank you so much for the ask, anon! This one was a lot of fun to answer, as I enjoyed digging into my interpretations of these characters to answer your question and decide on what kind of occasions they'd even choose to dress up as each other🥰