#worst case scenario i got it from my brother who's been sick but refuses to test or mask and has been consistently going to work while sick

[thefabelmans2022]

i've got fucking covid for the first time four years in this is such bullshit

[dearmantis]

Blood on your hands

Pairing: Pietro x Reader

Summary: Westview was your home, but the nightmares you have every night tell a different story. When hallucinations start to take over your day to day life a around the same time Wanda introduced you to her brother Pietro, one of your best friends tries to help. 

Help herself, not you. 

! Part two of Old wounds ripped open, can be read on it’s own though ! 

Warnings: spoilers for episode 7 of WandaVision(?), mentions of death and blood, angst, nightmares, a bit of survivors guilt, horror (if you squint a bit), hallucinations, some weird/ creepy stuff involving a corpse (not Vision and not sexual, it’s just weird and a bit sad)

Word Count: 3.2k

Author's Note: Blood on your hands is less focused on Pietro and instead centered more around the Reader and their experiences after the events of Old wounds ripped open. It does involve Pietro again though, don't worry.

Also, some parts of this seemingly got mixed up for some reason so if some passages make no sense and feel out of place that's why. I've been trying to fit it but I mightve overlooked some parts so please tell me!

You had weird dreams since your first day in Westview, your head filled with blurry scenes, blues and whites bleeding into each other as calm voices spoke to you, warm hands caressing your skin, creating scenarios that made no sense but felt familiar enough, like they had had happened once, in a world, a life, vastly different from the one you lived in now.

It would’ve been quite beautiful if they weren’t accompanied by a deep feeling of melancholy, sadness seeping into your body and clinging onto your bones every night, the pictures becoming clearer and the feelings stronger with every passing day. 

The night a day before you met Pietro, Wanda's twin brother you don’t remember ever hearing about even though you had been best friends with Wanda since you were 4, the dreams changed.

Suddenly, the sorrow and heartache transformed into fear, cold sweat clinging on your skin every time the panic got strong enough to rip you out of your sleep and you woke up, drenched and shaking.

There was no comfort in the emotions that overtook you during those dreams, no warmth in the sorrow that seemed to fill you up like water, drowning out everything else.

Just this overwhelming sense of terror and grief, slowly choking the air out of your lungs and turning your muscles weak.

You thought about talking with Wanda about what you saw and heard in your dreams, about the gunshots, the screams, the blood, but something held you back. As soon as the idea came up in your mind you knew that this was not an option, no questions, no but’s.

You just knew.

However, as the days went on, the dreams became worse.

People turning to dust, Wanda crying and screaming, a man dying, burns all over his body, a stone being ripped out of the forehead of a strange man, his body falling dead on the ground… and a man with white hair being shot and killed.

All you were able to do was watch, unable to prevent what was happening.

In those dreams you could heal, your hands glowing in a warm golden light, heat burning in your fingertips, but no matter what you did, people continued to turn into dust, the burns stayed, the stone was still gone and you were always too far away to save the man, distancing yourself further every second no matter how hard you fought to get closer to him.

You felt useless, helpless, undeserving. 

The fear of Wanda finding out about your nightmares grew steadily with every dream, the outside signs of your sleepless nights becoming more and more obvious, but no matter what tricks and tips you tried, not a single night was slept through calmly.

It didn’t help that the scenarios all held the same familiar feeling the ones before the meeting with Pietro did. Melancholy and pain now ruling hand in hand over what was once supposed to help you relax and restore your energy for the next day.

You started hallucinating after 2 days. Vision was always gone or with Wanda and something about Pietro's company made you feel uncomfortable, so you started to spend your time more by yourself, now really regretting that you didn’t get a dog when the idea first came up.

It began with randomly seeing people on the street turning to dust.

The first time it happened you felt like you were going to turn to dust as well, your heartbeat loudly hammering in your ears as you ran out of the house screaming, trying to help and save your poor neighbors from certain doom. It happened two more times before you realized that your mind was playing tricks on you,, too exhausted to work like it was supposed to.

Halloween night was the worst.

Knowing that you wouldn’t be able to actually rest, you decided to spend the night on the couch, watching any kids show or movie you could find, until you slipped back into unconsciousness at around 11 pm during a scooby doo marathon.

Wanda had invited you to come along with her, the twins and the boys since both Vision and Agnes would be busy that day but you refused, claiming that you felt sick and wanted to spend the night in your bed sleeping and watching TV. The young mother had looked you up and down, pity in her watchful eyes, before she took your hand, squeezed it, and told you to call in case anything happened and you needed help. You had nodded, thanking Wanda and promising her to come over as soon as you felt better.

The reason why Halloween was the worst was because the dream you had was different once again, this time for seemingly no reason at all.

Wanda was currently being dragged away from a body, the body of the man you had seen before in previous dreams. The one who got shot while you were in the air, unable to get closer to him no matter how hard you tried. Her hysterical screaming was the only thing you could hear, sokovian insults directed towards those dragging her away, someone named Ultron, and you.

You were on what you recognized to be a helicarrier, even though you don’t remember ever having seen one or heard of one, the word unfamiliar and familiar at the same time.

Wanda stared at you as you slowly approached the body, still being held back but now silent like everyone else around you, all of their eyes focused on you and you alone.

An empty feeling had started to fill your mind since the helicopter had landed, not a single emotion or thought racing through your head when you lifted your hands, a warm golden glow engulfing them, and placed them on the man's chest.

The wounds healed, golden threads filling the wounds before turning into normal human tissue, but his heart stayed still, no matter what you did.

“This is your fault too. You promised you would be there! You promised you would keep him safe, you disgusting liar. I tried to defend you so many times but HYDRA and Ultron were right. You���re useless.”, Wanda uttered, her eyes wild and glowing in a deep shade of red, her hands called to fists.

Your powers got stronger and stronger, now able to rebuild entire missing limbs like you had done just a few minutes ago to save an old man instead of only healing small cuts like during your first weeks with HYDRA, but death was still irreversible to you.

A part of you simply accepting what she had said as the truth.

You should’ve been there. You directly disobeyed orders. This is your fault too. There was no denying of these simple facts.

Another part of you however, the part of you that was trained by Hydra and followed Ultron, filled with toxic thoughts and jealousy because Wanda was stronger than you, got more attention than you, was more important than you overall, saw a chance to strike.

“You knew that he was still getting used to his powers, Wanda. And you knew that he was already getting exhausted, making him slower. It was your job to protect him too. After all, you’re the one who can rip through those robots like nothing. I’m just a useless healer.”

Both of you would regret these words years later, Wanda sitting in her room only two months later, hysterically sobbing and shaking like a leaf, none of the other Avengers being able to do anything other than calling you, begging you to take a break from helping with the rebuilding of Sokovia because something was wrong with Wanda and no one knew what to do. When you arrived you laid in each other's arms, trying to calm each other down, talking about how much you missed each other and what happened during and after Pietro's death.

Oh, something was definitely wrong.

A loud knocking on your door was what ripped you out of your sleep, quickly jogging to it, thinking it must be Wanda trying to check on you. Instead, Agnes was standing in front of you, a sweet smile on her lips.

How Wanda saw his dead body everywhere, and how you couldn’t touch wet things anymore or wash your hands with cold water because it kept reminding you of his blood soaked shirt and the way your hands were covered in his cold blood, the red liquid dripping from them until it dried to a dark brown layer.

“Hey Y/N,”, she greeted, moving past you to get into your house. “Wanda told me about you feeling a bit sick so I came over to check on you. You’re my friend too, afterall. I wanna make sure you’re doing alright.”

Slowly your eyes moved down, landing on your hands. 

Agnes was already waiting for you in the kitchen, preparing two cups of tea like this was her house, shooing you back into the living room while loudly talking about how important it was for her to take care of her close friends. You were about to sit back down on the couch when you finally heard it.

Dripping. Something was dripping.

Red.

Turning, your eyes followed the path you had walked as well as you could, moving from the couch, small red drops leading to the door with its now blood covered doorknob, to the kitchen, and then back to the couch.

You silently watched her from the door, your mind still half stuck in the dream you had, trying to understand what was happening when the door slipped out of your grasp, closing on its own. 

“Oh Y/N, I didn’t send you into the living room for you to just stand here and stare into nothingness. Sit down, sweetheart. The tea is nearly done, just give it another minute.”, Agnes suddenly said, setting two cups and a small bowl down on the living room table before pushing you down onto the couch and turning the sound of the TV lower.  She quickly sat down next to you, covering you and herself with the blanket that had fallen to the floor while you had slept. 

“So, darling, tell me about how you’re feeling. Wanda seemed awfully worried about you. She kept babbling about not knowing what was wrong with you, a true sweetheart, isn’t she?”, Agnes laughed, patting your knee before carefully pulling the tea bags out of the cups.

You knew it had to be a hallucination, the man's blood on your hands coming out of the dream you had, just like the people turning to dust, but it looked so real, the feeling eerily familiar to you.

With a big grin on her lips, she gave you one of them, taking a big sip of it while watching you do the same thing from your own cup. 

You were nearly finished with your tea when you noticed that you hadn’t told Agnes or Wanda about what was wrong with you. the cup covered in blood when you sat it down, the liquid on your hands seemingly unending and refusing to dry like it had in your dream.

For a while you sat there, together, watching scoobie doo while drinking tea, talking about the boring ads or about your time in Westview. 

“Agnes, why aren’t you with Wanda and the twins right now?”, you asked, your voice not louder than a whisper, somehow aware that asking about her knowledge about the nightmares wouldn’t end well for you. 

“Like I told you, I wanted to make sure you’re alright and don’t feel too lonely. Now finish your cup of tea so I can leave knowing that you’ll sleep well tonight. I even put out a big bowl of candy on your porch to make sure no one will ring the door to wake you up tonight.”

If that was all it took for her to go, you would obey, you thought to yourself, downing the rest of the bitter tasting tea in one go before standing up.

With every passing second, Agnes company seemed to make you more and more unconfortable, her aura more dominant than usual. You needed her out of your house. Now. 

Agnes smiled at you, took the cups and stood up to go to the kitchen. “Not before I washed these, sweetheart. Then I’ll leave you alone to sleep. Wanda will be fine for another few minutes.”

“Come on, Agnes. I bet Wanda already misses you greatly. You should meet them before the twins go to bed.”, you exclaimed, lifting the blanket from her body and folding it.

A sigh escaped your lips as you walked to the door, suddenly stopping when your eyes jumped to the middle of the hallway.

You were frozen in place, unable to move even when Agnes came out of the kitchen.

She dried her hands with one of your towels before carelessly dropping it on the floor, grinning at you before leaving with the words “Have fun tonight, Y/N. I know you missed him so much.”

When the door fell into its lock, you dropped to your knees, hands shaking and legs weak like pudding.

Pietro.

Pietro, Pietro, Pietro, Pietro, Pietro Pietro.

Here.

On your floor.

You didn’t know how long you sat on the floor, staring at that body, just that you still hadn’t moved when the sun started to rise again, your eyes glued to the corpse while you tried to sort through your newly gained memories.

Dead.

Of course your immediate thought had been to blame Wanda. She was the only person you knew who had the power to take away memories and manipulate your thoughts and feelings and she had a motive.

She was your best friend. Your best friend since kindergarten and the only one who knew about your crush on her twin. Memories from inside Westview also came to mind, from when you woke up in Wanda's kitchen after she introduced you to Pietro for the first time, a day before the introduction you actually remember, your memory coming back after “Pietro” had introduced himself to you.

Wanda had tried to explain her decision to bring you to Westview. Reasoned that you were still so depressed and she just wanted you to feel happy, to get the fairy tale ending she thought you deserved, even if it had to be without Pietro.

Wanda, who probably controlled everyone in Westview, including Agnes who had just talked about missing a man while you stared at the hallucination of his corpse in your hallway. 

And she would never be cruel enough to you to give you the nightmares and hallucinations you had now. 

There was no way Wanda had possessed Agnes to do this to you. 

But she had also claimed not to know where the other “Pietro” came from.

As soon as the realization hit, you stumbled to your feet, the world turning as you ran out of your house, pushing past people as you tried to get to Wanda’s house as quickly as possible. She, Vision, the twins… everyone could be in danger.

This wasn’t Wanda. 

If a dead robot and two probably imagined or possessed kids can even be in danger...

You didn’t bother to knock, simply storming into the house, screaming for your best friend.

She immediately reached out to touch you, giving you another once over with her eyes.

“What is going on?”, she responded, a confused look on her face as she came out of the kitchen, panic visible in her eyes as soon as she saw you. “Why are you covered in blood? What happened last night?”

“It’s Pietro’s blood, not mine.”, you said quickly, like that explained anything.

“What blood? Hell, Y/N, you look like you died twice. And what’s this about Pietro’s blood? Do you mean that impos-”

Her eyes began to glow red and you knew she was searching through your mind, trying to make sense of your words.

“You knew it wouldn’t hold for long. Me and Pietro were never as affected by your powers as others were.”, you whispered, trying to answer the unasked question that was hovering in the room.

“Not that Pietro. I mean our Pietro. The one who died in Sokovia in 2015. The one I loved… love. The one I love. It’s his blood.”

“I didn’t give you the nightmares or the hallucinations. I didn’t do that. That wasn’t me. I made sure to keep them as far away from you as I could.”, Wanda insisted, probably more to calm herself down than to prove something to you since you also didn’t think of her as capable of that cruelty.

Her eyes lost their glow but she continued to watch you before quietly saying “Go upstairs. Vision is away and the Twins are with Agnes today. Sleep, I’ll make sure you won’t have nightmares. The hallucinations wont stop if you don’t sleep. You’ll keep seeing the blood on your hands and the corpse on the floor.”

You nodded, walking up the stairs like she had told you before entering the bedroom, only pausing for a second when you saw Pietro’s corpse laying on the right side of the bed before laying down next to it.

“I know Wanda, I know. But someone else did, and I want to find out who without being under the control of someone else. I can’t help when you do that. I can’t use my powers if I don’t remember that I have them.”

Slowly, you reached out to lay your hand on his chest, the glow of your powers only slightly dimmed by the blood. If you closed the wounds maybe you would be able to pretend this was simply a happy dream. A happy dream of a life you could’ve had if you had listened to Steve's orders to stay on the ground with Hawkeye to heal civilians, or if you had simply been less of a coward and told Pietro about your feelings before that last fatal battle.

Like seeing his dead body in your hallway and being covered in his blood wasn’t already traumatizing enough, your mind had to one-up itself once again.

If, if, if.

Always those stupid useless if’s.

You carefully covered the body of the now healed hallucinated corpse with the blanket before getting more comfortable yourself and closing your eyes.

You had completely forgotten to tell Wanda about your suspicions concerning Agnes.

[dialovers-translations]

DIABOLIK LOVERS Do-S Kyuuketsu VERSUS Ⅳ Vol.6 Laito VS Yuma [TRACK 5]

Original title: ゲームの方向

Source: DIABOLIK LOVERS Do-S Kyuuketsu VERSUS Ⅳ Vol.6 Laito VS Yuma [CD not owned by me]

Audio: Here

Seiyuu: Hirakawa Daisuke & Tomohisa Suzuki

Translator’s note: You know shit is about to get serious when Laito’s voice drops. I honestly like how even Yuma was SHOOK by it. I don’t blame him though, I am terrified of Laito’s serious side as well. One moment the guy is smiling and making dirty remarks, then the next he is ready to end your entire family line. :’’)

Track 1 ll Track 2 ll Track 3 ll Track 4 ll Track 5

→  LIKE MY TRANSLATIONS? SUPPORT ME ON KO-FI!

Track 5: The Game’s Direction

Yuma: ...Eve, he says!? I don’t care who this Kino guy is, but you’re watchin’ from somewhere through these cameras, aren’t ya!? How do ya know she’s Eve!? Who the fuck are ya!? 

*BZT*

Yuma: ...!? Another message appeared...!

Laito: Seems like he won’t ignore us this time, but actually give an answer. 

Yuma: Yeah. ...’I am Kino. Karlheinz’s...illegitimate child...!?’ One of...Laito’s siblings?

Laito: ...!?

Yuma: Karlheinz’s...illegitimate child? What is this about!?

He turns towards Laito.

Laito: My brother...That guy’s...child. Fufu...Fufufufu...Ahaha...Ahahahaha!!

Yuma: O...Oi...

Laito: Ahahaha...It all makes sense now~ He planned this whole farce because he’s after that man’s powers which currently belong to me. Fufu~ 

You frown.

Laito: Rest assured. I haven’t gone crazy. After all, I’ve been broken all along. I thought Kino was simply a guy who gets a kick out of messing with others, but seems like I was wrong. His objective is you - Eve - in other words, he wishes to become the next Demon King. I can only assume he locked me up in here to steal Karlheinz’ powers.

Yuma: Haah!? ...Then why am I here as well!?

Laito: He obviously tried to create tension between us. With those assignments, you see. Just think about it, our personalities clearly clash, no? In reality, we’ve become hostile towards one another and if she had not stopped us, we were one step away from lunging at each other. Best case scenario, you would have left me fatally wounded, which would give Kino an easy opportunity to steal these powers.

Yuma: ...!? The fuck does that mean? So I’ve been used? From the very beginning till the very end?

Laito: Nfu~ ...Honestly, that guy’s a freak on a whole different level from me. On top of that, in the end, it always boils down to that Karlheinz...I’m sick and tired of hearing that man’s name...I’m fed up with it.

Yuma: O-Oi...

Laito: It was such a fun class as well, but I’ve lost all interest in the blink of an eye. ...This Kino, you know, I don’t know if he’s my older or younger brother, but I think it’s about time he starts standing on his own legs (1), so to speak. That guy is DEAD after all...!

*BZT*

*BOOM*

Laito: ...!? T-The device...exploded!?

*BZT BZT BZT*

Laito: This sound...Watch out!!

Laito pushes you out of the way.

*Rustle*

*SHATTER*

Laito: Are you okay? ...I’m glad. However, seems like we’re not out of the woods just yet.

*BZT BZT BZT*

Yuma: ...Fuck!? What’s goin’ on!?

Laito: We failed the task, so I guess this is our penalty? Alternatively, he figured that if he cannot get his hands on that blood, he might as well just massacre us all?

Yuma: This isn’t a joke! We’re still Vampires at least...but what about her!? 

*SHATTER*

Yuma: Oi! Come into my arms! If ya were to take one of those blows with yer body, you’d be in serious shit!

You worry about Yuma. 

Yuma: I’m fine! I’ve got a broad physique. I can be yer shield! ーー Ugh!

He tugs you his way.

*Rustle*

Yuma: Fuck...What do we do? If only Ruki were here...

Laito: What’s the point in mentioning someone who isn’t even around? 

Yuma: Then help me think here! I can’t even use my powers properly ‘cause of the magic barrier!

Laito: I know~ We’ve been completely driven into a corner. However...You really think things will go your way?

Yuma: ...!

Laito: You want this supreme power which has been forced upon me? In that case, I’ll give it to you. As much as you’d like. You planned out this whole thing...Looking back at it now, there were several hints to your true intentions all along. Of just how badly you want these powers. It’s hilarious. Even though...I never asked for these powers in the first place...!

Laito charges up his powers and fires an attack.

Laito: Arghーー!

*CRASH*

Yuma: ...Ugh!! ...! Those are...That man’s powers? Ya...I thought ya couldn’t use them!?

Laito: Haah, haah...I didn’t think I could either!

Yuma: ...!! It didn’t work at all! So even these powers are useless!?

Laito: No...We can get out...through there...

Yuma: The glass is melting...! 

Laito: Even if my powers didn’t work...He can’t stop the fire I set...I’ll burn this whole building to the ground! ...You take care of her!

Yuma: Understood! ...Oi, I’ll carry ya, ‘kay? 

Yuma picks you up.

Yuma: Listen carefully. Hold on tight, remember?

The classroom slowly starts collapsing.

Laito: Are you two ready!?

Yuma: Yeah!

Laito: I live in the moment...Always prepared to risk my life...However, I’d rather not die because of that guy. ...I’m tired of this game. I’ll end it here...! Ugh!!

Laito fires another attack.

*BOOM*

*CRASH*

...

You are watching the burning building from the outside. 

Yuma: Fuck...It’s burning...This scenery brings back bad memories.

*Rustle*

Yuma: Ah...Woah there. Can ya stand by yerself?

You nod.

Yuma: I see. ...Ya don’t have any wounds or burns, right?

You confirm his statement.

Yuma: Haah...Good.

Laito: ...

Yuma: ...Oi!

Laito: Hm? ...What?

Yuma: Ya...said ya don’t have anything ya refuse to give up, but ya do. 

Laito: Hm? ...I don’t. 

Yuma: Stop playin’ dumb. Rather than yer whimsical side, when ya were actually bein’ serious earlier, ya gave a much better answer. 

Laito: What are you talking about~? I don’t remember~

Yuma: Che...You’re back to yer usual self, huh? That nasty smile of yers grinds my gears.

Laito: That’s so mean! Don’t make fun of someone’s face! ...Aaah~ I tired myself out, but seems like we won this game~ 

Yuma: Can ya really call this a victory?

Laito: We managed to clear all the tasks, so it is, right? In the end, we clearly proved it, right? That the Vampire deserving of her...is me~

Yuma: Aah? Don’t be spoutin’ bullshit. I’m obviously a better fit for her? 

Laito: You’re still surprisingly persistent after everything that happened, huh? 

Yuma: Haah? Ya wanna settle the score here?

You run up to them, stopping their fight.

Yuma: ...!? What’s yer problem!? Don’t suddenly jump in between us.

Laito: Nfu~ Don’t worry. We won’t fight. ...Our real enemy seems to be somewhere else after all.

Yuma: Eden’s destruction, the Demon World’s chaos, Demons being hunted down in the human world...On top of that, Karlheinz’s illegitimate child. There’s no way we’ve seen the end of this.

Laito: I know. However, let’s not worry about the future. For now, let’s rejoice we managed to avoid the worst. 

The school bell rings in the background.

ーー THE END ーー

Translation notes

(1) 親離れ or ‘oya-banare’ literally means ‘to leave one’s parents’ and refers to the moment someone starts living alone and becomes independent. 

[sun-moon-stars-jedi]

Batfam Ficrecs - Part 3

Don’t have anything to read during the holidays? No problem, here are some great Batfam fanfics. Most of them are fairly recent, so hopefully you’ll find something new. The focus is on fluffy and funny gen Batfam stories, but I also included a few H/C stories and two JayRoy ones.

My other Reclists for fluffy Batfam fics are here and here if you’re looking for even more. Have fun reading =D

Short and Sweet Stories:

How To Break Up A Knife Fight by RubyofRaven (Gen, 1.5K, Rated Gen): In which Alfred is away, Bruce has an emergency, and someone needs to be left in charge. Family fluff Batfam style with a perfect ending.

A Hindering Hand by collectivefandomstuff (Gen, 4.3K, Rated T): When Dick is refused the opportunity to coddle Damian, he decides to lavish his other siblings with his questionably helpful assistance. They are palpably ungrateful. Dick being an annoying older brother is hilarious and sweet at the same time. Good feel reading.

Halloween Wonder by alecmagnuslwb (M/M, 1.7K, Rated Gen): Jason and Roy take Lian trick or treating and she has a specific request for their costumes. Sweet JayRoy family fluff.

Get Out Of My Room by damthosefandoms (Gen, 2.2K, Rated Gen): Dick likes to mess with his little brother. Jason enjoys being a little shit to his older brother. Everyone always says they’ll get along when they get older. They’re not so sure about that. Sweet and funny story about Dick and Jason being brothers.

Have I Told You About Minnie? by Hinn_Raven (Gen, 4.5K, Rated T): After you’ve known Matches Malone long enough, you get used to him telling you about his kids. Not that his kids know about it. Bruce is a proud dad, even when he is undercover, and can’t stop telling everyone about his awesome kids. Nice focus on the relationship between Bruce and Stephanie.

Night at the (National History) Museum by collectivefandomstuff (Gen, 7.2K, Rated T): The Batbros cause havoc at a gala and it is hilarious.

Nutella by good_ho_mens (Gen, 1.7K, Rated T): Dick just wanted Nutella, and Jason didn't feel like getting shot today.

One Wrong Step by good_ho_mens (Gen, 3.0K, Rated Gen): Damian steps on a mine and Jason refuses to leave. Also, Tim worries. Batbrothers bonding during a crisis and it is so good.

Put On Your Mask (We're Going Shopping) by shanahane (Gen, 3.2K, Not Rated): It's been... some time since Bruce has done any sort of shopping. Still, somehow, miraculously, the trip to the supermarket is a not a complete disaster. One could even describe it as successful. Wholesome Batdad with his sons.

Friends That Say (You’re Not Alone) by ProsperDemeter (Gen, 3.5K, Rated Gen): Clark visits Wayne Manor during Christmas and sees a totally different side to Bruce in how he behaves around little Dick. Sweet and wholesome, good dad Bruce and little ray of sunshine Dickie.

siblings being siblings series by envysparkler (Gen, 12.3K+, Rated T): The Batkids notice that Bruce never confronts Jason about little mistakes and start to use him as a scapegoat. It spirals from there. Super funny, especially once Jason gets his revenge.

 Hurt/Comfort Stories:

in doctor's office lighting (i didn't tell you i was scared) by good_ho_mens (Gen, 8.9K, Rated T): Tim gets meningitis and it isn’t pretty, but his family is there for him. A sickfic that goes pretty deep, including the first real look at how Tim’s missing spleen will influence his life. Hurt comfort done super well.

Tough Love by iselsis (Gen, 7.6K, Rated T): Jason finds his mother dead on the bathroom floor, but his grief is interrupted when a strange man breaks into his apartment and kidnaps him. The moment you get what is happening this story changes completely and it is so good.

Zoetic by PurpleArrowzandLeather (Gen, 4.2K, Rated T): Jason goes inside a burning building to save people who are trapped in their apartments. He doesn't come out. Emotional and sad, but so satisfying. (And Chapter 2 makes everything better again.)

Looking for Home by Team_Alpha_Wolf_Squadron (Gen, 11.8K, Rated T): Bruce and Jason are lost in the woods, not knowing how they got there, or even where they are. A little road trip even when there is no road is always good for bonding though. So, so great. Not gonna say more to avoid spoilers. Background Bruce/Clark, but that’s not really important.

Broken Bodies, Daisy Bloom Series by RandomReader13 (Gen, 15.6K+, Rated Gen to M): The Batfam during the zombie apocalypse. A very realistic take on how to survive the zombie apocalypse, with emotional family moments and the expected worst case scenario happening but with a twist.

Waylaid by Elya_Rho (Gen, 31.7K, Rated T): All Damian wanted was to spend the day alone with his father. Then Drake had to go and ruin everything by getting himself kidnapped... Damian pretending not to care about Tim while simultaneously doing everything possible to safe him is so good. Very nice Batbro story.

 In Progress:

Keeping Score by Elya_Rho (Gen, 67.3K+, Rated T): Brothers can turn anything into a competition … including saving each other's lives. Don’t worry about it being a WIP, there are no unresolved cliffhangers. The individual missions are so good and get even better with each chapter. I reread all of them several times already, so definitely worth a try.

the thing with feathers by bacondoughnut (Gen, 16.3K+, Not Rated): When Dick and Bruce go missing and Tim can't find them on his own he turns to the only other person he can think of for help, Jason. He just hopes they can keep from killing each other long enough to save their family. Jason reluctantly helping Tim, great detective work and begrudging brotherly bonding, what more could you want?

Drink Deep in the Morning by GordandV (Gen, 4.0K+, Rated T): Robin era Jason talks Dick into taking him driving. Sweet Batbrothers in an interesting magical realism AU. A WIP with only one chapter, but the world is established in such an interesting way, it’s really worth a read.

A Change Of Scenery by Sun_Moon_Stars_Jedi (M/M, 18.5K+, Rated Gen): Jason finds himself stuck in the past while Roy has to deal with the fourteen year old version of his husband. Time travel is just so much fun! I’m shamelessly putting my own fic here, it’s fluffy and funny, so if you’d like to, give it a shot.

Epic Series:

Emotional Motion Sickness Series by Batbirdies (Gen, 348K+, Rated Gen to M): A series beginning with Bruce Wayne finally deciding to go to therapy, and the ripple effect afterwards. I can’t put into words how good this series is. If you like Bruce as a good dad, who makes up for his faults and is there for his kids, you absolutely have to read this!

Flightless Birds Series by Ionaperidot (Gen, 181K+, Not Rated): A Bruce without the Batkids meets one with them. Cue Batdad collecting abandoned kids from the multiverse. The progress Bruce and each of the kids makes is amazing, an absolute must read. Slight TimKon, but the pairing is not the focus of the stories.

In For a Pound Series by Cdelphiki (Gen, 248K+, Rated Gen): Talia gives Damian to Bruce when he is still a baby and it changes everything. I’m sure everyone has already read this amazing series, but on the off chance that you haven’t, go do it. Everything Cdelphiki writes makes you feel warm and happy, family fluff of the highest quality.

[change-the-world-someday]

You can rest now, kid.

A/N: This is the first fic I’ve ever written and posted on here. Please be nice. Any feedback is great. I’m open to critisism.

Rossi x GN!Reader (Platonic)

Summary: When an unsub refuses to give up a hostage, you decide to take matters into your own hands. A certain BAU Dad diagrees.

⚠️TW⚠️ Death, Angst, Hostage situation

Masterlist

—•—

It was meant to be simple.

The unsub's holding a young boy hostage in his house, a run-down cabin a way into the forest. The BAU has been helping the local police department to find a serial killer, creating a comprehensive profile that narrowed the suspects down to a white male in his late-thirties who's kidnapping children in order to make up for the loss of his two twins. He's killed three children between ages seven and ten, two girls and a boy, and is showing to escalate.

And that's bought them to now.

"We have to go in!" The local sheriff argues, starting to order his men to gear up and call in SWAT.

"Are you dumb?" You pipe up. "If we storm the place, you'll scare him and we'll lose one more life which is completely unneces-"

"Y/N, that's enough," Rossi cuts you, the youngest agent, off. You sigh and sit back, glaring at the local enforcement. You're the youngest on the team, six years younger than boy genius, and was promptly adopted into the BAU family two years ago. Rossi immediately took a shine to you, seeing too much of himself in you. Loyal, fierce, and at times, downright reckless.

"What they're trying to say is that we don't want to startle Mr Davenport so the best route is negotiation."

The sheriff looks over you two and sighs, giving a nod and dismissing you with a wave. You return to the team.

"What's the verdict?" Emily asks.

"Negotiation," Rossi replies. "And Y/N almost got their head kicked in."

Hotch nods. "Okay. Morgan and Prentiss, I want you two ready to go, worst-case scenario. L/N, I want you to try and negotiate with him. Dave, watch over them and make sure they don't get themselves killed. Reid, JJ, and I will try and find a way to get the boy out."

Everyone nods and splits off. You and Rossi head over to the small area set up in front of Mr Davenport's house. You go to grab the megaphone, only to be stopped by Rossi.

"Kid, be careful," he warns, "you know how unstable this guy is. I don't want you doing anything stupid."

You nod before turning the megaphone on. "Mr Davenport!" You call. "I'm Y/N, I'm with the FBI. What's going on in there?"

Suddenly, a window opens, and the local police aim their guns, ready to take a shot. Rossi puts his hand up and turns to the sheriff. "Get your officers to put their guns away. It's making me nervous, imagine how this guy feels. We have to negotiate."

"You can't take him!" A voice comes from the open first-floor window. "You can't!"

"Okay," you reply. "Do you mind telling me why?"

"He's mine!" Mr Davenport shouts as his face shows at the window. He's gaunt, his face is long, pasty, and his black hair is greasy, coming down to just under his chin. His eyes seem hollow.

"With all due respect Mr Davenport, you can't own people. That was outlawed in 1865, over a hundred years ago."

"He's my son! He's my boy!"

You sigh. "How old are you, Mr Davenport?"

The question appears to catch the unsub off-guard. He frowns.

"I-I'm sixty-three."

"Okay. If your children were alive today, how old would they be?"

Rossi raises his eyebrow at you; what are you planning?

"Twenty-four."

Rossi's eyes widen—oh shit. You're going to exchange yourself with the boy. "You can't do that."

You turn to the older agent. "Dave, what other choice do we have? He won't give that boy up."

"But then we risk losing you!"

"I agreed to that risk when I took this job." You turn back to the house. "Mr Davenport, I'm twenty-four. The boy you have is the wrong age. He's only ten. Do you think we can trade? I'll be your child. I didn't have a father growing up."

That's true; you father walked out on you when you were just a kid, leaving you with your single mum and your two older brothers, forced to share a two-bed apartment on the rough side of town.

"Okay."

"Can I come to the door, please? Then, you can send the boy out, and I'll come in."

"...Okay."

Immediately, the place jumps into action. Rossi grabs you by the shoulders, forcing you to drop the megaphone. His eyes tell all.

"What the hell are you thinking, kid?" He almost yells. "He won't let you go after this."

"I'll find a way out," you reply, taking his gun off and placing it on the table next to the megaphone. The Unit Chief runs over, his brow furrowed.

"Y/N! Are you insane? That wasn't a part of the plan! You could die in there!"

"If I don't go, that kid doesn't return to his dad. I can't let that happen."

"And I can't lose an agent! Let alone a friend!"

"Hotch, if you can tell me another way to get that boy out alive, I'll take it. Tell me, anyone, right here, right now," you seethe.

At this point, the whole team have gathered around, abandoning their previous positions to hear the argument between you and the two agents; the 'dads' and you, the youngest. There's a deathly silence in the group—you're right.

There's no other way to do this.

Rossi lets out a long sigh before turning to you. "Okay. You promise us, promise me, you'll get out of there alive."

You nod. "I promise."

"Let's go."

You grab a bulletproof vest, strapping yourself up, before walking up to the front door. The porch is withering away, broken boards making deadly tripping hazards and the smell of urine strong enough to make anyone vomit.

"Mr Davenport!" You call. "I'm here. Can you bring Jason to the door please?"

There's rustling inside, and the door creaks open. You look down to see a short boy, up to just above your hip, walk out. He stops in front of you, looking at his feet. You kneel down.

"Hey, kid," you greet, "do you want to get out of here?" Jason nods. "Good. Now, you need to run down to where the police are, okay? Can you see the man with the long hair?" You point to Spencer, and the young boy nods. "Awesome. Go to him, and he can take you to your parents, alright? Go on."

Jason nods and takes off running, letting you get back up. Immediately, you're greeted with a shotgun pointed at your face. Mr Davenport is stood there, in a jumper and trousers that definitely haven't been washed in at least three days. You nod and follow the man inside.

—•—

"It's been three hours, Hotch, and radio silence," Rossi panics. "They haven't got out yet."

"Dave, I really don't know what we're meant to do," Hotch replies, "we can't scare the unsub; we both know how that'll end."

"What if we take him by surprise?" Morgan asks, butting in. "If he thinks Y/N's his kid, he'll try and make a routine, right? It's seven, which is a normal time for people to eat."

The team think over this for a while.

This is it.

Donned in bulletproof vests, earpieces in, and guns at their waists, the BAU move in. Morgan and Prentiss take the front door, JJ and Reid head to the side gate, and Rossi and Hotch move in from the back door.

"Okay. Go," Hotch orders and breaks in the back door. Sure enough, you and Mr Davenport are sitting there, Mr Davenport eating and you're there, hands tied behind your back, bulletproof vest off. "Mr Davenport, put your hands in the air, now!"

It happens in an instant.

Two shots.

Mr Davenport falls from his chair, bleeding on the rotting wooden floor, a hole in his chest.

One hole.

Rossi's head shoots up and looks at you. You're in a white shirt. It was white. A red splotch is slowly spreading from your abdomen. You fall to the side.

"We need medics in here! Now!" Hotch shouts as Rossi runs to your side. He's dropped his gun, discarded somewhere on the floor, and catches you before you hit the floor.

"R-Rossi?" You ask. The senior agent shushes you.

"Don't talk, okay? Just stay awake. The medics will be here soon. Please, just keep your eyes on me. Keep looking at me."

Dave's eyes are becoming glossy with tears, one rolling down his face. One hand's keeping pressure on your wound, the other running a hand through your hair.

"I-I'm sorry," you splutter. The team is frozen, unable to do anything. They can't do anything.

"What for?" Dave asks, his voice thick with emotion, yet still gentle, as though he were a father looking after his child, comforting you as though you're sick.

"I d-didn't k-keep my p-promise," you stutter, breathing laboured and heavy. Rossi's eyes widen.

"Don't say that. Don't say that. You're going to be okay, kid. They're on their way. Dammit Hotch, where are the medics?"

Hotch can't reply. He doesn't know what to do.

Your eyes flutter, flitting in and out of consciousness. "Hey, hey, stay here. Stay with me. Please, don't leave us. Who else is going to listen to Reid ramble, and encourage him? Who's going to work out with Morgan? Who's going to taste my new recipes?"

You let out a strangled laugh, providing a sense of comic relief in the room, and give a shuddered breath.

"I'm sorry. D-Did we g-get him?"

Rossi lets out a small, breathy laugh. "We got him." He looks over at Hotch, Morgan, Emily, all the team. "Reid, please tell me they're going to be okay."

But the boy genius doesn't have to say anything. Rossi can tell in his eyes.

You're not going to make it.

Slowly, the senior agent removes his hand from your abdomen and instead takes your hand. He squeezes it, giving reassurance. Something you definitely need.

"You can rest now, kid," he says, giving your hand one last squeeze.

—•—

Hope you enjoyed. Sorry it was so angsty, I saw one of those ‘how the BAU would react to your death’ TikToks and thought I could do one with Rossi. Send some requests for Criminal Minds!

TAGLIST:

@spideygirl2003 @ssebstann @ogmilkis

[alirhi]

22

Title: Winter's Frost Chapter: 22/? Fandom: MCU Rating: R to be on the safe side Pairing: Loki/Bucky Summary: Loki never told anyone the real reason he became so obsessed with Midgard. Much better to let them think he wanted to hurt his brother than draw their attention to the one thing in the universe that makes the God of Mischief truly vulnerable. Notes: Due to massive levels of incoherent rage at the thought of what they did in Thor: Ragnarok, I have decided to pull from actual Norse mythology again. Everything after The Avengers has been erased in this fic, anyway, so fuck it. Hel and Fenrir are Loki's children as it always should be.

Loki sighed, head resting on Bucky's chest as he basked in the simple joy of hearing his beloved's heart still beating. "I hope you know that you're not allowed to ever die on me again."

"Technically, I haven't died yet at all."

He frowned, pinching Bucky's side and making him laugh. "I mourned you for nearly fifty years, James, and it almost destroyed me."

"Loki..." It was Bucky's turn to sigh as he pushed the Trickster off of him and they both sat up. "Serum or no serum, I'm still human. Eventually, I'm gonna grow old and die. That's just the way it works."

"I don't want you to." Feeling like a child, tears choking him that he refused to shed and Bucky's hands gripping his, Loki shook his head. "I can't lose you again."

With that sad smile he was so sick of looking at, Bucky squeezed his hands a little tighter. "You lived over a thousand years without me, Doll. You'll be okay. You've got Sigyn-"

"I hardly think that's relevant." Prying his hands loose, he wiped furiously at his eyes. "Especially since, if the oaf can't sway Odin, I'll likely never see her again, either. Or my other children."

It was truly beginning to sink in, just how much Loki had sacrificed in his mad scramble to rescue Bucky, and he could tell from the stricken look on his lover's face that it was hitting him, as well. A grown man – a God– and he'd behaved like a reckless child ever since he'd first discovered his soldier alive. He'd succeeded, at last, but at what cost? If his actions left him forever on the run from Asgard, he would never see his wife and sons again; his one consolation was that at least he had his daughters. Hel ruled her own realm and answered to no one, least of all Odin, and Eira... He would die before letting anyone take Eira away from him.

"Jesus, Loki..." Bucky winced, pulling him closer for a hug. "Nari, Fenrir... I'm sorry, I can't pronounce the snake's name-"

That got a half-hearted laugh out of the Trickster, and he laid his head on Bucky's broad shoulder. "Jormungandr. It's alright, love, I'm impressed you remember any of them."

"I get headaches," he admitted softly, "when I try to push too hard, but it's coming back." Arms tightening around the other man, he murmured, "There's a lot I'd rather never think about again, but I don't want to lose a single memory I have with you."

"Don't force it," Loki cautioned as gently as he could, bringing one hand up to tangle in that beautiful dark hair. "It will come back; a remarkable amount already has. Just be patient."

"...Nari," Bucky whispered, shaking his head. "Fenrir, Sleipnir, Jor...Jormun... Can I just call him Joey? I know that's not how the J is pronounced, but his name does start with a J, technically... Right?"

At that, Loki buried his face in Bucky's shoulder and laughed so hard he couldn't breathe. "I would pay to see the look on Jormungandr's face if he ever actually heard you call him Joey!"

"Loki, I'm being serious!"

"About 'Joey'?" He could hear the grin and the suppressed laughter in his beloved's voice, so he didn't feel bad for being unable to contain his hysterical laughter.

"About your kids." He didn't sound amused anymore. With a firm grip on Loki's shoulders, he pushed him back to look him in the eye, and the atmosphere instantly shifted. Expression pained, Bucky reminded him, "What you lost, for me... If you can't fix this, you'll lose your whole damn family. Did you think I was just reciting their names trying to remember them all for a fucking Christmas card or something? Eira's brothers, her sister, her step-mom... Your whole family, everything you built before we met... My God..."

"Yes." His attempt at a snarky, slightly cheesy retort fell flat even to his own ears, but Loki still tried. Prying one strong hand from his shoulder and cradling it between his own, he told him, "I am your God. As for my children... Sleipnir was already taken from me long ago. I'm not sure he even knows I'm his mother."

"Christ, Doll, that makes the rest of this worse!"

"I haven't 'lost' anything." Freyja, how he wished he believed what he was saying. All that mattered at the moment, though, was that Bucky believed it, and so he soldiered on. "Not yet. Odin is a stubborn old fool, but he is old. Worst case scenario, if I can't return home without ending up in chains while he lives, well... he'll die soon and Thor will take the throne despite my best efforts – I really had a lot on my plate when last the Sergeant and I met – and because he's sentimental and forgiving, I'll be welcomed back with open arms."

"'Home'?"

He blinked, confused. "What?"

For someone with such a remarkably expressive face, Bucky could, on occasion, be difficult to read. With the most curious look that Loki couldn't quite identify, he pointed out quietly, "You still call Asgard 'home.'"

He scoffed and shrugged. "Force of habit, I suppose. Best not to read too much into it, darling."

"Right." There was a brief moment of tense silence, and then Bucky, bless his strange mind, smiled and nudged him. "Look, thanks to the serum, I don't really get sick anymore. So as long as the purple menace doesn't lop my head off, you've still got decades before you have to worry about me croaking on you."

Though he appreciated the effort, Loki couldn't quite bring himself to share his love's optimism. After all, what were decades to a being who would live for millennia? Rather than point that out, though, he focused on the other troubling fact: "James, Thanos is dangerous."

"Why, because he kicked your skinny ass?" he teased. "Or, to be more accurate, his minions kicked your skinny ass. Did Thanos actually do anything? How do you know he wants anything nefarious with these magic doohickeys?"

"Because one man amassing ultimate power has never been for the benefit of others, no matter how they delude themselves for the sake of remaining the heroes in their own stories." Giving him a bland look, Loki grumbled, "One would think a World War II veteran would understand that better than most."

Still clinging desperately to his attempt at humor, Bucky shrugged. "Hey, I'm still holding out hope on the kitten theory. You can't deny the world would be a better place if everyone had their own adorable kitty to spoil."

Finally, finally Loki chuckled, shaking his head. "I'll tell you what, darling... Survive what's coming with sanity intact, and I'll get you a kitten myself."

Bucky snorted. "Oh, baby, the sanity ship has sailed. Are you kidding me?"

"The best you can manage, then," he amended with a soft, sad smile. "Just stay close to me, so I can keep you safe."

Watching the other man's expression crumble and all the humor immediately vanish as if it was never there at all, Loki wished he'd never spoken a word.

"No," Bucky told him quietly, but firmly. "I'm sick of constantly being rescued and protected."

"It's not that I think you're weak-"

"Do you remember what I told you when you wanted to stay and fight just so we could be together?"

He did, though he failed to see its relevance. Still, to prove to Bucky that he was paying attention, he dutifully recited his own words back to him. "'You're outside of all this and that's where I need you to stay.' But neither of us is 'outside' of this one-" He was interrupted by his lover snorting and rolling his eyes. "What?"

"Not that part." Shifting position slightly so that he and Loki were facing each other directly without either having to twist, he took the Trickster's soft hands in his own - one rough and callused, the other chilly and unyielding - and reminded him, "'You make me weak. If I see you out there, you'll get me killed.' Well, babe, this time neither of us gets to walk away, so we both need to be focused on the enemy, not each other. Don't waste energy trying to protect me. Having to protect Eira got you both captured. When the war comes, just fight it, and trust that I can look out for myself."

That was a terrifying proposition. Enhanced by mad science or not, Bucky was still only human. The thought of him standing alone and fighting Thanos or one of his psychotic minions with no powers was enough to make Loki sick to his stomach. Perhaps it would be best to leave Bucky in New Mexico with Darcy and Eira; after all, run-of-the-mill human dangers didn't simply vanish because a bigger threat loomed. They would need someone to look after them, as well, and Bucky could certainly handle some random thug looking to cause trouble.

He opened his mouth to suggest it, but his thoughts must have been showing on his face. A metal hand clamped over his mouth before he could utter a sound and Bucky snapped, "You're not sidelining me. Purple Space Hitler calls for all hands on deck, so deal with it."

With a sigh, Loki batted his hand away and shook his head. "You really are the most stubborn creature, James."

___________________________________________________

Next Masterlist

[angstmatsuscenarios]

Suuji had a very tense verbal argument, and after that, they both avoided each other as much as possible, and only talked to each other if it was to start another fight

I strayed just slightly from the original prompt because I was having a hard time writing Suuji fighting and making it feel right, but I hope you like this! It’s based a lot on the “Punishment” skit from s2.

Realistically, Ichimatsu knew it wasn’t his fault--he could only afford so much cat food each week, and the more cats showed up the less food they each had to eat. Still it had been steady for awhile, the same six cats appearing in the alley every day he went to feed them. He’d become attached to each one of them, seeing them almost as his own even though he couldn’t officially keep them as pets. 

One cat in particular, a ginger-colored kitty he’d named Momo, seemed especially attached to him as well. She always curled up close to him when he sat with the cats, sometimes crawling right onto his lap for a quick nap and purring contently as he stroked her fur. She was gentle and sweet, not a bit skittish as the other cats sometimes were, and whenever he prepared to leave she would follow after him and butt her head against his leg for more attention. It made him happy, though his heart also ached knowing she couldn’t come home with him.

And then one day, out of the blue...she was gone. Only five cats lingered in the alley that day, waiting for their meal. At first Ichimatsu thought she was just hiding, even though she never usually did, and told himself not to panic even though an anxious feeling clenched at his heart. But as he fed the cats and played with them, she never showed up. By the time he was prepared to leave, she still hadn’t appeared, and Ichimatsu suspected with a sinking sensation in his stomach that he’d probably never see her again.

He wasn’t stupid. This had happened with other cats before, and he knew what it meant. Something might have happened to her--in the best-case scenario, someone could have brought her home and adopted her. Worst case...something bad happened to her that he wished not to contemplate.    

Whatever. No matter what happened, it was unlikely he’d ever see her again. And the thought made his chest ache and his heart feel hollow.

Ichimatsu dwelled on it the rest of the day. He was quiet, not talking to his brothers unless spoken to first, and even then he was curt. They were used to this sort of behavior and didn’t question it...all except for Jyushimatsu, who was far more attuned to his immediate older brother’s feelings than anyone else—sometimes even Ichimatsu himself.

Jyushimatsu waited until everyone had gone off to do their own thing before approaching Ichimatsu, who sat huddled in a corner of the living room, curled up in a ball.

“What’s wrong, Ichimatsu-niisan?” Jyushimatsu asked, in a gentler voice than he usually used.

At first Ichimatsu hasn’t wanted to talk about it, but Jyushimatsu could be persistent...and, well, maybe he’d feel better if he spoke up. He inhaled and then exhaled slowly before speaking.

“I’m being punished.”

“Eh?” Jyushimatsu tipped his head to the side, regarding Ichimatsu with confusion.

“Today was a good day. Mom got us treats from the store, I found an extra hundred yen in my wallet I didn’t realize I had...which means something bad had to happen to balance out the good.”

“...ah.” Jyushimatsu nodded slightly, though his expression had clouded over some. “What was it?”

“....Momo is gone.” Ichimatsu had told Jyushimatsu all about the cat before. “She never showed up for her food today. Whenever a cat disappears, they never show up again.”

“I see.” Jyushimatsu pressed his hand to his mouth thoughtfully. “But how is it a punishment…?”

“Because I’ll never see her again.” Ichimatsu frowned. “Isn’t it obvious? Something terrible could’ve happened to her. Maybe she was stolen, maybe she got sick and didn’t make it. Who knows? I never will.”

“But maybe it’s a good thing—maybe it means a good loving family found her and took her home,” Jyushimatsu suggested, ever the optimistic one.

“But unless I know for sure, I can only assume the worst.” Ichimatsu sighed heavily. “I just don’t know why I’m being punished this way, with something happening to Momo...it’s not fair to her if she suffered too...why couldn’t fate make me suffer a different way, like stubbing my toe or getting caught in the rain?”

Jyushimatsu didn’t say anything for a long moment. When he spoke at last, in a gentle tone, it wasn’t what Ichimatsu expected to hear.

“Ichimatsu-niisan...don’t take this the wrong way, but...maybe your punishment theory is kind of ridiculous?”

Ichimatsu snapped his head up, straightening his spine from its slumped position. “Excuse me?”

“You’re always saying you get punished for good things happening, because of the whole balance of the universe...but isn’t it possible these things can just happen, with no reason?”

Ichimatsu scowled at that. “What do you mean? You know it’s true. Nothing in my life ever goes well without something bad happening to put me back in my place. That’s how the whole shitty universe works. It’s balance.”

“I just don’t think the universe is out to get you, like you keep insisting.” Jyushimatsu sounded a little less patient this time, after hearing Ichimatsu’s snappy tone. “Why can’t you accept bad things happen and there’s nothing that can be done about it but deal with it?”

Ichimatsu clenched his hands into fists. “Because unlike you, I can’t see the world as all sunshine and rainbows—bad stuff does happen, and it sucks, and it ruins the good things. Because it’s supposed to.”

“It doesn’t have to be that way! And it’s not all sunshine and rainbows for me!” Jyushimatsu exclaimed, jumping to his feet and glaring down at Ichimatsu. His smile had quickly been replaced by a frown. “But it’s nicer trying to be happy than be a doll of darkness and think everything is out to destroy my day!”

Ichimatsu balked at that—Jyushimatsu had never called him that before, even when the others had. He squinted angrily at Jyushimatsu, suddenly seething, though the rage was mingled with just a little hurt.

“I had a bad day, Jyushimatsu—I don’t need to deal with this shit if you aren’t going to try and help me.”

“I did try, but you didn’t listen!”

“No, you didn't listen!”

Before either of them realized what was happening, they were screaming at each other, spouting off accusations—Ichimatsu blaming Jyushimatsu for not being sensitive enough, and Jyushimatsu arguing that Ichimatsu was too pessimistic for anyone’s good. It was hard to focus on who was saying what and why after awhile, their heated voices overlapping each other’s and becoming louder until Osomatsu and Karamatsu finally showed up to check in and intervene.

The older brothers tried to ask what was going on, but Ichimatsu and Jyushimatsu couldn’t explain without starting to yell at each other again, prompting Osomatsu and Karamatsu to split them up and each try to calm them down. Somehow Osomatsu managed to get Ichimatsu to breathe normally and stop feeling like he was going to boil over with his anger...but just barely. 

Inside, Ichimatsu was a shaky, confused mess. He and Jyushimatsu hadn’t had a fight like this in ages, since they were kids. And although part of him wanted to try patching things up right away, just to get rid of this weird feeling pressing down on his chest, another part of him still fumed. Jyushimatsu had said some terrible things too, things that were unwarranted when all Ichimatsu needed was some comfort. And Ichimatsu refused to be the first to apologize.

Jyushimatsu hated arguing just as much as he did. Surely, he’d be back any second to make amends.

But he wasn’t. Instead the two brothers didn’t see each other again until dinnertime, and they wouldn’t look in each other’s directions or speak to each other once during the meal. At bedtime they didn’t say goodnight to each other, and for once were glad they slept on opposite ends of the futon. 

 The other brothers noticed the rift between them, how cold they acted around each other, and it was unsettling to them. No one knew how to fix it, and figured they’d work it out on their own, they way they always had with their fights.

But it was hard for everyone to see the two brothers, the closest friends ever, not speaking to each other.

—————

Days wore on. Ichimatsu and Jyushimatsu continued to avoid each other, and act distant when they were in the same room together, barely acknowledging each other’s existence. The other brothers became more concerned, and tried to get them to speak, but neither would budge.

Ichimatsu didn’t know why it had to be so hard, or why he didn’t want to talk to Jyushimatsu first. It wasn’t that he liked being in the middle of a fight with him—he hated it, it made him feel sick inside. But he still wanted Jyushimatsu to approach him first.

At least, he thought he did. Truth be told, after having some time to cool down, Ichimatsu realized he had said some nasty things too. And he had to admit he didn’t think Jyushimatsu would ever intentionally hurt his feelings either. Still...he didn’t know how to talk to Jyushimatsu now, what to say to make things better. So he didn’t, even though it felt awful.

One afternoon Ichimatsu sat on the back porch, thinking, trying to come up with a way to fix everything. He was so lost in thought he didn’t notice anyone joining him.

“Ichimatsu?”

Ichimatsu jumped at the sound of Jyushimatsu’s voice. “Jyushi, I—“ he began, still not sure what he was saying, but when he turned around to face his brother he stopped short and could only gaze in astonishment at him.

Jyushimatsu stood there, cradling a cat in his arms—a familiar ginger-colored cat. Momo.

“Look who I found in the park,” Jyushimatsu said quietly, with a little smile. “She was following me home. I think maybe she thought I was you.”

“M-Momo….!” Ichimatsu stood up quickly, and Jyushimatsu carefully transferred the cat from his arms to his brother’s. Ichimatsu cradled her close, gently stroking her fur, and she purred and nuzzled herself against his neck. “I thought you were gone…”

“She must’ve got a little lost,” Jyushimatsu said. “But look, she came back to you! She didn’t want to stay away…” His voice trailed off, and became softer as he added, “And uh...neither do I.”

Ichimatsu peered up at his brother, momentarily distracted from the excitement of his cat returning. “I guess we should talk.”

“Ichimatsu-niisan...I’m sorry I said what I did, about your punishment theory being stupid...I could’ve been a lot nicer about it. I just didn’t want to see you beat yourself up and think you don’t deserve to have good things happen to you without bad things happening too. Life can be happy sometimes, if you let it be.”

“I know...I guess that’s just hard for me to believe.” Ichimatsu glanced down at Momo, then back up at Jyushimatsu. “I’m sorry, too. I never should’ve said you didn’t understand because you’re happy all the time...I know you’re not, it’s just easier for you to see the bright side, which is a good thing.”

Jyushimatsu peered at Ichimatsu hopefully. “Does that mean everything’s okay again?”

“Yeah...I mean, if you’ll forgive me.” Ichimatsu gave him the smallest smile, which Jyushimatsu returned wholeheartedly. 

Momo purred loudly then, as if to chime in and say she was happy with this turn of events too. Jyushimatsu reached out and gently petted her head.

“You know...you say there’s a balance in the universe, that there has to be bad stuff to balance out the good stuff. That you have to be punished if too many good things happen at once,” Jyushimatsu noted suddenly. “But maybe...maybe the opposite is true, too. Bad things can be rewarded with good things. Momo disappeared, and we had a fight...but now, she’s back, and we made up.” He beamed at Ichimatsu. “That’s balance too, isn’t it?”

Ichimatsu considered this--maybe Jyushimatsu had a point. It was so easy to constantly focus on the bad, rather than the reverse of that. But it made sense, didn’t it…? After all, here they were, all together and getting along again. Ichimatsu couldn’t have asked for anything better than that. 

“I think you’re right, Jyushimatsu.”

Maybe the universe wasn’t always so cruel, after all.

[sweetness47]

Rogue Angel

Pairing Dark!Cas x Nephilim!Reader

@castielspnbingo​ – angst

@spndarkbingo​​ – Godstiel

WARNINGS: not much yet…but this is part one…FOR ALL CHAPTERS (just in case): violence, dark!Cas, pregnant reader, dark smut, Dom!Cas, sadism, major character conflicts, injuries to major characters, etc…

Summary: Cas has been infected with demonic venom, and his wife is the only one who might be able to bring him in, before he grows out of control and threatens everything, literally.

YN stood in front of the bunker, her eyes adjusting to the sunlight while she dusted off her jeans and tee. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and went over the details of her mission. Honestly, she had been shocked when Chuck said yes, she’d been so sure he’d refuse her request. It had nothing to do with her skill set, or her ability to get the job done, more to do with the personal conflict this job presented to her.

YN was the best ‘Celestial Bounty Hunter’ heaven had. She was the one who got the job done, every time, without fail. And when Heaven was out of options, she was the backup plan. And she always succeeded. Except, this time, her job was to contain and bring in her husband. She was to apprehend Castiel.

When Cas had first been infected with the demonic venom, heaven had tried everything to cure it. YN blamed herself, even as Cas swore otherwise. If she’d been paying more attention to her surroundings, Cas wouldn’t have had to push her out of the way. He’d taken the hit for her.

Chuck had tried to send others after Cas, six times to be exact, but none ever returned. They’d all been killed by her husband. YN came to Chuck then, and volunteered, stating that she had a higher chance of staying alive. She was Amara’s daughter after all, half Deity, half human. Chuck had finally relented, but suggested seeking help from the Winchesters, to which YN readily agreed.

YN had met and worked with Sam and Dean numerous times, and trusted them implicitly. They were great hunters, and better still, great friends. She knew they would want to help. Cas was like family to them, and besides, it would be rude not to involve them.

She told Chuck she couldn’t give an exact time for retrieval. YN would need to test the waters first, to see how far gone Cas was. She would need to see how much power he’d gained, and how he reacted to different scenarios, different people.

As she walked toward the bunker door, a tiny bit of doubt surfaced. What if one of both of the brothers got hurt or killed as a result of getting involved in this hunt? YN shook the idea away as quickly as it surfaced. That could never become a reality. It would be too painful, especially for as. Literally, that would break her husband.

She pulled out her phone and dialed Sam. “Hey YN! ‘Sup?” came his cheery voice.

She tried to smile as she spoke. “I’m outside. Would it be ok if I came in?”

“Yeah, always.”

YN hung up and unlocked the door. She was barely down the stairs when she was greeted with hugs and brotherly kisses on the cheek. “Where’s Cas? Haven’t seen him for a couple of days.”

YN looked at Dean, and tears pooled in her eyes. The brothers were horrified, instantly assuming the worst, but YN held up her hand. “He’s not dead. He was poisoned. The venom is playing with his mind, and he’s become dark, dangerous. He’s unstable, and I’ve come to stop him, take him back to Heaven so we can find a cure.”

Dean nodded. “We’re in. Say no more.”

Sam agreed, but YN needed to clarify the situation. “Just so we are all on the same page here, I need to tell you that the venom has also affected Cas’s powers, and continues to change what he can do. I was told that if I couldn’t stop him, I’d have to destroy him, and that isn’t an option for me. But neither is needless sacrifice or heroism. Until we know exactly what we are dealing with, we proceed with the utmost caution.”

Both men nodded their understanding. “We’ll follow your lead, YN.”

YN made the guys some food while they got their stuff together. Mary and Jack came in, greeting YN in a similar fashion as the guys had, giving hugs and warm greetings. YN wished Jack could help as well, it would be good to have another Nephilim as backup, but without his grace, that was not in the cards for this hunt.

YN and the boys backed up the following morning and headed out, but not before she told Jack and Mary to stay away from Cas. She didn’t want anything to happen to them. Mary promised to ward the bunker while they were gone, and Jack promised to help her and keep safe.

With that, the trio set out to find Castiel and stop him. YN leaned her head back against the soft leather seats and tried to find Cas. It didn’t take long. He wasn’t even trying to hide anymore, and that concerned her. He may believe himself too powerful to stop, more powerful than even Chuck or Amara. Maybe he had even developed a God-complex, and that could make him not only dangerous, but also reckless.

Her hand absently rubbed her stomach, flat and trim, but carrying a child, their child. Cas didn’t know yet, she’d never had the chance to tell him. She only hoped she could apprehend and cure Cas before she started to show.

“Feeling ok?” Dean asked, gesturing to her hand movements. “I thought you didn’t get sick.”

“I’m ok Dean. I’m pregnant.”

Both brothers’ mouths fell open. Dean did double-takes between watching the road, and glaring at his friend. “What the hell? And you gave us a pep talk about unnecessary risks?”

YN cut him off. “I’m fine for now, and more than capable of doing my job.”

“Yeah, maybe for now, but what happens when we are forced into months of chasing Cas? You won’t be able to fight.”

YN sighed as she turned to Sam. “I’m hoping to have this done in a week, two at the most.” She paused. “Cas doesn’t know yet, hell my mom and uncle don’t even know. The poison happened before I got the chance.”

“We love you YN, but we’re pretty sure you’ve gone insane.” YN snorted at Dean’s comment, but he glared at her. “If anything happens to the kid because you took risks, that’s gonna hit Cas hard, and you will never forgive yourself.”

“That’s why I don’t plan on getting into a situation where that happens. I need to talk to him. See where his head is at, where his power sits, and if my husband is still in there somewhere.”

YN caught a glimpse of Cas’s mind again. “Hurry Dean, he’s holding a bunch of civilians in the recreation center, including children. And he’s planning to kill all of them.”

Dean pressed the gas pedal to the floor, and Baby sped down the pavement. They were 10 minutes out, and YN prayed they would get there in time. Thankfully, she had connections in high places.

The Impala barely stopped when YN jumped out the door. Sam got out and sprinted after her, leaving Dean to park the car. YN burst into the arena just as Cas raised his hand.

“Castiel! Stop!”

Cas turned to the voice. “YN. What are you doing here?”

“I’ve come to bring you home Cas. Your sick. The poison is affecting your mind.”

Cas frowned. “The poison hasn’t made me ill. It made me better, stronger. I see things more clearly now, it’s like my eyes have been opened.”

“No, husband, you’re not better. Look at what you were about to do! You were going to kill hundreds of innocent people.”

“No one is innocent.”

She came to stand in front of him, and the Winchesters began evacuating everyone. “Cas, this isn’t you. Please, let me help, let me take you home.”

“I don’t need your help YN, or anyone’s for that matter.” His eyes began to glow red. “Move aside wife, I do not want to hurt you.”

“I can’t stand aside Cas. I won’t let you do this.”

“Then you leave me no choice.”

Cas raised a hand, sending YN flying backwards. She caught herself mid-air and sent a burst of light back at her husband, momentarily blinding him.

“Cas stop! Please! Don’t do this!”

“If you aren’t with me, then you’re against me.” He raised his hand again to strike.

YN raised her hand to deter him. “Stop! I’m pregnant!”

[kiruuuuu]

Making out like a Bandit Part 1/3

Jäger needs help and Bandit is there for the rescue. Both of them are roughly in their mid-20s in this. I guess it’s an origin story? Third part contains all the goodies :) (Rating T, fluff/a bit of angst? maybe?, ~3.6k words)

.

“So, we met through your brother, that’s probably easiest since it’s also true. Was it on the job? Did we stumble into each other at some point, did we go to the same party and he introduced us?” Marius’ brain is quick-firing possible scenarios, providing both reasonable as well as inane ones as he overtakes an idiot who really should be in the right lane yet refuses to switch over, blocking the middle lane completely. As soon as he’s past him, he accelerates the car and his thoughts simultaneously.

“Dude, relax, you’re driving like a madman”, says the person sprawling next to him, the seat moved all the way back so he can stretch out his long jeans-clad legs. “You’re putting way too much thought into this. Don’t you want to come off as natural?”

“Most of all, I want to come off as reasonable”, he replies quietly but lays off the gas a little nonetheless. He’s been useless for the past few days, drowning in a sea of worries and what-ifs and increasingly ridiculous scenarios, switching so rapidly from eerie calm to extreme tension over something that shouldn’t mean this much to him yet does. He barely ate, considered cancelling the entire thing several times but knew he had to go through with it. Had to.

“I can do reasonable”, the guy agrees easily and flashes him an open grin. He’s an odd one, that much is clear, there was definitely some hesitation when he was suggested to Marius even if he’s not adept at pinpointing what exactly it is that feels slightly off about the other young man. One thing helps a little with his frayed nerves at least: he cleaned up nicely. When they initially met to discuss a few details, the guy called Dominic showed up with an impressive stubble, well-worn clothes, bed hair and a sour attitude where now he’s dressed in clean trousers and a freshly-ironed, subtly-patterned shirt. He’s shaved, looks like he even styled his hair and applied an undeniably attractive cologne that put Marius on edge immediately as soon as he caught a whiff of it.

To be very honest, he’s stunning. He looks like someone whom Marius would notice in a club, on the street, in the supermarket, instantly obsess about and possibly dream of but never interact with for fear of blunt rejection purely because he’s so far out of Marius’ league. His jaw could cut glass, his hazelnut eyes are piercing and his broad chest looks perfect to rest one’s head on, his toned body and his height are just an added bonus. He moves with a mesmerising confidence that Marius both admires and deeply envies. There’s only one problem with the entire situation: He’s straight.

“Okay, so, let’s decide on maybe the first date and first impressions, how about -”

“I love this song”, Dominic interrupts him mid-sentence, doesn’t pretend to be apologetic about turning up the volume of the radio and even starts singing along a little. “What’s your uncle like? He means a lot to you, right?”

Marius has to raise his voice to fight against the music now. “He does, yeah. He raised me after both my parents died when I was still a kid.”

“Oh shit.” The volume is lowered considerably again, the effect almost humorous, quelling Marius’ rising irritation right away. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. He did a fantastic job regardless. He’s one of the greatest people I know, dedicated to his work, honest and smart, I have nothing but respect for him.”

“Then it makes sense – I was wondering why you’d care what your uncle thinks of you being gay.”

Marius just answers with a strained smile.

.

It’s one of the worst ideas he’s ever heard, not only because he despises lying but also because lying to his family is something at which he’s always been terrible. His friends could pretend to be ignorant about the fate of the freshly baked cookies even with crumbs around their mouths whereas he basically confessed to wanting to eat one before he even does. Additionally, it means he’d have to get another person involved for which he’s entirely unprepared, so at first, he discards the suggestion despite the fact it worked out reasonably well for the guy telling him about it.

And reasonably well in this case means that the person pretending to be his friend’s boyfriend so he didn’t have to come out to his parents all alone actually caught the knife thrown at the poor sap in mid-air, shielded him bodily from further harm and offered to stay the night to ensure he’s fine. The two of them are still dating, which Marius supposes is wonderful for them yet he can’t get over the haunted look in his friend’s eyes as he recounts how he was basically expelled from his own family.

Still, he refuses to entertain the notion for a year during which he very carefully chooses which places to frequent just in case someone who might snitch to his own family runs into him making out with yet another mediocre-looking dude who’s indubitably more interested in Jäger’s lower head than anything he has to say. At some point, he gets sick of it and decides to make the jump, to at least let his uncle know why he wanted to own a skirt even if he never put it on in public as a child, why he insisted on watching each and every cowboy film on TV as well as most football matches (even though he hates football) and why his first attempts at dating girls went so horribly wrong.

He’s probably a coward. Dragging someone else into this extremely personal matter just so they can offer moral support is nothing but selfish, he knows this, and yet it’s reassuring to know he won’t be alone. There’s absolutely no chance his uncle is going to react like his friend’s family in any way but despite this, having someone there who will possibly share the weight of disappointment and disgust so it doesn’t weigh him down as heavily is too tempting to dismiss the prospect. He asks around in his circle of friends, some of which immediately offer to do it themselves but Marius is close enough with his uncle that most of them have met him and even introduced their wives, so they’re out of the question.

Eventually, Cedrick speaks up.

Cedrick is someone who’s usually drifting at the edge of Marius’ vision, a friend of a friend of a friend, popular and hard-working though he has a reputation for being a little strange, sometimes even callous. He’s loud due to genuine confidence in the fact that people want to hear what he has to say, Marius is loud to mask the fact that he assumes no one cares – the end result is similar, however, and so they don’t interact very often whenever they’re stationed together. When Cedrick approaches him one day and mentions having heard about his troubles, Marius steels himself in expectancy of a vaguely hurtful joke though ends up pleasantly surprised when all he receives is encouragement and sympathy. It turns out that both of them assumed they disliked each other, so after an awkward conversation to clear everything up, Cedrick mentions his twin brother who’s visiting the Ruhr area at the moment and that he’s probably spontaneous enough to go through with Marius’ plan.

Dominic really does share a lot of similarities with his brother but is actually more burly, visually more intimidating and, unfortunately, gorgeous. There’s something about his demeanour that sets him apart from Cedrick, ensures they won’t be confused – Marius would be hard pressed to identify what exactly it is but he notices an uncomfortable attraction with which he’s too familiar. Handsome straight guys are the source of equally many broken hearts as desperate jerk off sessions, they’re the bane of Marius’ existence and the one mistake he keeps making. He doesn’t learn and as much as he hates lying to others, he’s a master at lying to himself.

.

The entire car ride, which takes longer than the usual hour due to traffic, he’s careful to keep his eyes on the road instead of the impressive figure next to him but even so, he’s not impervious to their ongoing conversation. Dominic seems unwilling to dwell on Marius’ game plan, instead jumps from topic to topic, sometimes based on a car plate he spots or a news story being discussed on the radio, though more often than not entirely at random. He appreciates the distraction and finds his voluntary companion to be an interesting and interested talker though when they arrive, he wishes they’d chatted more about what kind of plot they’re going to act out as soon as they enter the house. He feels entirely unprepared.

“I don’t think I can do this”, he says, his stomach in knots upon him laying eyes on the home in which he grew up, the four walls that are heavy with memories. It used to be a safe haven, a place of freedom and comfort in which he never felt wrong. He does now, sharply and suddenly, all the possible ramifications of his impending confession flooding him at once. His uncle always told him he didn’t need other children if he’s got him and what used to sound lovely to his ears now creates a lump in his throat.

“Can I call you sweetcheeks?” The unexpected question startles a short laugh out of him that shakes him out of his downward spiral of unproductive thoughts and he smiles at Dominic, grateful for the comment. “What’s the worst that could happen, hm?”

“He disowns, insults and assaults me”, Marius shoots back matter-of-factly.

“What’s the best case scenario?”

For this, he needs to think a moment. “He accepts me as I am and even supports me.”

“And what’s most likely going to happen? Probably somewhere in the middle, right?” His uncle loves him and if previous altercations are anything to go by, he’s not a confrontational person at all. Reluctantly, he nods which turns out to be a mistake because now Dominic is beaming at him with the force of a thousand suns. “There you go. It’ll be fine. I’ll hold your hand during, if you like, and you can cry on me until my shirt’s soaked afterwards, but right now, you got shit to do. You got this. Let’s go.”

Marius finally understands why Cedrick roped his brother into this instead of volunteering himself – Dominic is proving to be an absolute sweetheart.

.

“It’s good to see you, come in, come in. Who’s this?”, his uncle pats his arm as he slips past him into the familiar house and then shakes Dominic’s hand. “Hello, I’m Helmut.”

“Dominic Brunsmeier, a pleasure. You can call me Dom, everyone does”, Marius’ companion responds politely and shuts the door behind him. They’ve come this far so Marius decides to takes the next logical step.

“Dinner is almost ready, you can sit down in the kitchen.” The fact that he doesn’t question Dom’s presence and instead accepts him into his home without protest simply because it was Marius who brought him along stings a little – he’s so unsuspecting.

“Actually, there’s something I’d like to talk about beforehand. Can we…?” His uncle seems surprised but ushers them to the living room nonetheless and this is where the reality of what’s happening finally catches up with Marius who is eternally grateful that he at least made it to the sofa before his legs give in. He can feel his heart pounding in his temples and while it does help, it doesn’t do much to have Dom by his side until he sits down right next to him, their thighs touching, his hand brushing over Marius’, thumb running over his knuckles for a brief moment. It centres him in a way, allows him a brief respite to take a deep breath and prepare himself mentally once more, just like he’s done every day during the previous week.

This is him. His uncle deserves to know about this because it’s a large part of him, his future and past, and leaving him in the dark just doesn’t seem fair. This is who he is and he can’t, won’t change anything about it – and this realisation helps. He’s content with himself. And even if his uncle might not be, it’s ultimately less important than his own opinion of himself.

He hesitantly leads up to it, speaks deliberately and has rehearsed most of it before, and while he probably only voices a couple of sentences, it feels like he’s talking for an eternity which is reassuring because his uncle hates interrupting people – so as long as he’s talking, he’s fine. He forces himself to stop, closes his mouth, resists the urge to squirm in his seat, to inspect the room to find something to comment on, switch the topic. Dom next to him is silent, a few of his fingers stroking Marius’ leg out of view in support. He hasn’t felt this vulnerable in a while, it’s as if he willingly presented a weak spot to someone with a weapon and trust is the only thing keeping him from flinching.

His uncle seems pensive. Not disappointed – not yet –, not angry or confused but Marius expects the quiet thinking to tip over into any of those soon. Instead, he looks at Dom. “Am I right in assuming you’re together?” Dom, the utter angel, simply nods and agrees. “Then you can consider yourself a very lucky man.”

His face lights up once more. “I do.”

Marius just stares. Not only did his uncle just use the informal “you”, reserved for family and friends, he also – what sort of reaction is that? “Wait -”

“How long have you wanted to let me know? Don’t tell me you worried yourself sick over this, your cousin’s gay.”

Now his eyes are almost bulging out of their sockets. “What?”

“From your dad’s side. Markus. Did you never – well, I guess you didn’t. I just hope I’ve made enough food. You really should’ve told me you’d bring a guest. You’re planning on staying, right, Dom? I’d like to get to know you better.”

“I’d be delighted”, Dom replies and sounds nothing but genuine.

And Marius just looks back and forth between the two, trying to process what just happened.

.

Dinner is entirely surreal and Marius feels like a complete and utter fool the entire time. The first half is spent on him answering his uncle’s questions about when he knew, what his experiences have been like so far and he’s forced to disclose all of it with Dom watching him with a small smirk and dear God Dom is probably judging him so hard internally because he made such a big deal out of it and it turned out to be absolutely nothing to worry about. A few times, he has to interrupt his uncle before he starts with the really embarrassing stories (though Dom subtly tries to guide the conversation back to them, as if Marius wouldn’t notice). It’s domestic and lovely and decidedly strange.

The rest of it is spent on Dom and this is where the whole thing might crumble. Marius completely missed the point where he could sensibly tell his uncle what’s up and is now stuck in this pretend relationship that threatens to blow up any second but the longer they talk, the more apparent it becomes that Dom knows exactly what he’s doing. It turns out he’s using all the topics they’ve discussed on the way here to drop natural-seeming remarks that imply how well he knows Marius, and though he disagrees with some of the “relationship” details that Marius brings up, it only serves to strengthen the front they’re putting up because they end up bickering like a real couple.

“Oh, you have a twin?”, his uncle asks curiously at some point and Dom nods.

“We both joined the BGS at the same time, yeah. Sometimes we dress the same to see whether Marius will end up holding the wrong person’s hand but so far, he’s behaved very well.” He winks at Marius, making him blush and his uncle laugh.

“You’re not that similar, actually”, he replies begrudgingly and adds, before he can help himself: “Y ou’re more handsome.”

“I’m beginning to understand why you suddenly developed such a passion for sports when you got that new teacher all the girls were fawning over”, his uncle muses but Marius can barely hear him due to Dom’s smile eclipsing pretty much everything around him. This was a terrible mistake. All of this was a mistake.

After they’ve eaten – and though it was nothing special, it tasted of home regardless – Marius shoos his uncle away, insisting that they’ll take care of the dishes since he never bothered to buy a dishwasher. As soon as he’s out of earshot, he murmurs: “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know he’d take it this well and now you have to -”

“Don’t be ridiculous, this is hysterical. I’m having the time of my life, sweetcheeks”, comes the easy response and Dom actually does sound like he’s enjoying himself immensely.

“Call me that again and I’ll slap you with the wet towel.”

“Oh, is that what you’re into?” He chuckles at Marius’ exasperated expression that partly stems from the fact that Dom is playing his role a little too well. Weirdly enough, he seamlessly fits into his life, he’s witty, charming and sincere, his humour aligning perfectly with his and even his uncle’s and right now, he looks completely at ease, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up and him almost elbow deep in dishwater. He’s gone from someone whom Marius would admire from afar to someone about whom he’d daydream – like waking up next to him, cuddling while watching TV. Only he has the bonus of being really, really hot. His lower arms, despite being halfway obscured with foam, look more than strong enough to hold him down and - “Really though, I’m happy for you. And I like your uncle.”

And his uncle likes him, which is a whole new problem. Because he’ll have to find an excuse as for why Dom isn’t in his life anymore the next time he visits and that means more lies on top of the ones that are currently stacking up. At least his biggest worry is gone now and he won’t have to hide such a fundamental part of himself anymore, which got rid of the worst knots in his stomach – but his uncle finding out Marius expected him to react so negatively that he made up a boyfriend remains a fear of his still.

“Hey. Cheer up.” He turns his head to answer only to find Dom’s face right in front of his and then he kisses him, nothing spectacular, just a short peck on the lips before he returns to his task but a kiss nonetheless. Habit kicks in and he involuntarily chases him, earns another blinding smile and a second kiss, yet this time neither of them withdraw and it’s an awkward angle, Dom’s arm is in the way, they both seem unsure about committing and it’s perfect, it’s quiet and unexpected and shy but Dom smells heavenly, his composed and supportive presence is doing wonders to Marius’ soul and all he wants to do is to snog him senseless, until the water is cold, until the sun goes down, until his uncle checks on them. He takes note of his smooth cheeks, the long eyelashes gently curving, the specks of gold in his honeyed irises; they tilt their heads and eyelids flutter and someone clears his throat behind them.

Marius jolts, barely stops himself from jumping away from Dom, reminding himself he’s supposed to be doing this, whirls around and feels warmth creep into his face at the amused expression on his uncle’s face. “Do you boys want to stay for the game? The BVB is going to play Schalke into the ground – hopefully.”

Okay, no, this has already gone too far and with him almost making out with Dom he’s straying uncomfortably far into dangerous territory. Besides, he can’t stand football, which is the perfect excuse for them leaving as soon as possible. He’s adamant on not ruining things with Dom so his budding friendship with Cedrick doesn’t get tarnished, not to mention the fact that he’s probably provided the twins with enough ammunition for blackmail to last them a lifetime. “Thank you, but I think we’ll -”

“Sure.” His mouth snaps shut and his head whips around to Dom who doesn’t even have the decency to return his gaze. “Another Dortmund fan, hm? I can get behind that as long as it’s against Schalke, we have a common enemy.”

A broad grin is Dom’s reward for such a betrayal. “That’s what I like to hear. Marius, if you don’t want to watch it, you can do me another favour. The model helicopter I bought a few months ago is broken again and I’ve had trouble fixing it. It’s in the garage.”

He barely resists the urge to glare at the utterly unapologetic man next to him. “No, it’s okay, I’ll join you. I’d rather make sure you don’t tell him any embarrassing things about me.”

His uncle dramatically puts on a mock hurt expression. “What, me? I’d never, cheese weasel.”

And while Dom snickers into the dishes, Marius’ face gets even hotter.

[michisilver]

Miu and Lance letters

(it’s a bit long, but these are Letters that Lancefer and Miu sent back and forth to each other while she was gone. It explains some of what was going on for both of them during that time and gives you a small peak into their relationship with each other)    Dear Lance, *the next section of the letter has several sentences scribbled out as if the writer was second guessing themselves* I imagine you're wondering where I am at the moment, and the truth is I'm not entirely sure but what I can tell you is that I am safe with my brother Jared. Well as safe as one can be on a pirate ship with your brother being the captain, I should take it as a compliment that his men seem to adore him and had no issue taking the boss's 'baby brother' aboard which is a great deal better a response I got than when I was female. I did spare them the details of what happened with the cannibals but they got the jist of it and seemed more than happy to help me track the Shaman down. At the moment I think it may be the only way I'm going to be able to reverse this... *The letter looks like it's half signed before a line goes through it and then the letter continues*  I'd been trying to avoid really talking about what happened... or facing the things that happened there... even after I woke you up with my screaming from nightmares. I had really hoped that I could avoid ever facing the cannibals, or more to the point that shaman, ever again. I just finally admitted to myself that I needed to find and face this shaman on my own, and from what I can tell he and a few of his tribesmen got away. How I'm not entirely certain, but it seems as if they took a lot of the spoils from all their 'meals' to buy their freedom. The men who were discovered to be the ones that let them go were severely punished, I hear. 

*The letter continues on the next page* My brother Jared has always been pretty good at hearing the goings on all over, and as such we are currently following clues as to where they could have gone to... I feel foolish for having waited so long, worried that the trail has gone cold. If only I hadn't been such a coward, afraid to face 'him' again... so many things could have been different. I guess thinking on the what if's isn't going to do me any good though. So... I'll leave you with this... I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly, and I miss you desperately... Miu ~~~~ Dear Miu,  I miss you just as much, love. I wish you would have allowed me to come with you. I could have gotten Lord Francel to approve the time needed. But as you said, thinking on 'what ifs' will do us no good. Honestly? I just want you to be happy. If that means you need to do this to be happy? Then you have my support. Completely. Next time just ask me to come with you. The apartment feels so empty without you by my side. I will pray to Halone every day to watch over and guide you on this. Just remember how much you mean to me and keep writing to me. Let me know you're safe. It will go a long way in soothing my worry over your well being. I may ask Tara is she does not mind me spending time around her place in the mean time. It may help to keep my mind distracted. Especially from the whispers of that stone. Without you here it feels like it's trying harder. I am going to try to find a way to deal with it. If staying with Tara helps while I search, then it will be worth it. So you focus on finding your answers and I shall find some of my own. Then when you come back to me, we can work on planning that wedding. No more things shadowing our happiness.  With all my heart  - Lance ~~~~ Dear Lance,  I seem to find myself reminded just how different one is treated depending on their gender, sometimes I'm almost tempted to stay male after everything is said and done just because of the fact I'm not treated like I'm incapable of fighting or taking care of myself. I say this because today the ship was attacked and I've lost count how many times people have shoved me somewhere safe or told me I wasn't needed... it's very frustrating, I can very clearly remember it happening on ships especially from when I was growing up.  this time though, I wasn't only not shoved somewhere safe but I was expected to fight. And fight I did, I've been picking up a few... unorthodox spells on my travels... one of which sent lightning streaming down onto our opponent's ship, catching it's stores of gunpowder on fire and putting a hole in their hull. The fight was won without any blood shed, at least as far as I can tell... I wouldn't loose much sleep over them if there was, as while they are called 'pirates' they are the scum of all pirates... they follow no code and kill indiscriminately as well as attack their allies and friends alike when it suits them.I may have frightened the crew a bit with that attack though, they've given me a wide berth and done their best not to get on my bad side... which oddly reminds me... I don't know what will happen when or if I face the Shaman... thus just in case, as I don't know how the crew will act if I suddenly turn female... I've brought with me a fantasia if I need it.  When my mind isn't distracted with combat, looking for clues, or dealing with the crew I find myself looking out across the water thinking on what you have been up too, how have things been with you while I was gone? Have you been sleeping well? Have you struggled more with the stone? and then thinking about the wedding... heh, I still don't know what you see in me... but I'm grateful everyday that you seem to find something not only worthy of your time but also your heart, knowing that here I am at sea so far away from you, well I know many would have written me off... I wouldn't blame you if you did... Though I really hope you don't. I wish I'd thought to take something of yours with me when I left, I've nothing of you to curl up when I try to sleep at night.  Rather I toss and turn all night missing having the warmth of you next to me at night, and when I do dream... they're fitful dreams of worst case scenario's... sometimes I even find myself back at that village, that too small cage of woven bamboo that might as well have been solid steel for all the good trying to break it did.I could never stretch my limbs out, I couldn't even turn my head very far, and then the sounds... I could never see what happened to them... only hear the sounds of the men they dragged out of the cages, the wet sound of blades cutting through skin, sometimes they would skin the men alive before putting them above the fire to cook... I think they had a sick pleasure out of torture... The only reprieve from my cage was when the Shaman came to drag me to his hut, I wanted to run every time but my limbs wobbled and trembled weakly from having little to no food, dehydration,  and being curled up in a tight ball for so long.  I never looked forward to the shaman though, as each time he'd take joy out of watching me struggle to move, knocking me to the ground as he half dragged and half guided me to his hut, and then knowing that I would loose parts of myself once more. I don't know what happened to me in that hut, I can only remember that I hated that hut and him and I feared him, but why... I don't know. He some how blocked my access to those memories... I think that may have been part of why I held myself back for so long when it came to facing him again.... I'm terrified of what I will discover... if I'm able to break his curse will I also break that block of my memories? Will I be able to live with myself if I know just what it was that he was doing?Sometimes, I just want to give up, use a crystal and teleport back to you... but then I'd be doing us both a disservice... so... I continue to persist in this... for lack of a better word, trial. Wishing I could curl up with the at least the scent of you in my bed at night.  your sun Miu ~~~~~ My summer sun,  As I have said before, whatever form makes you happy is how I want you. Physical limitations can be worked on. We can teach you to fight much like I have been helping my cousin. Tara agreed to allow me to stay with her after much debate on where I would be sleeping. She refused to let me take the couch and kept trying to give up her bed. In the end we settled on her adding an extra bed to the apartment for me to sleep in.  I sleep alright most nights. I'd sleep better with you safe at my side. You should know after all this time, you can not get rid of me so easily. I have cared about you since the first day we met and you offered to show me around the part of Eorzea that I've never seen before. Not many souls seem to care about showing around some Ishgardian knight. Without you and Tara, I'd probably be lost to this world by now. All that happened to my family... (There were a few dried wet spots on the page around this paragraph) I do not think I would have continued on without her friendship and your love. I was truly ready to surrender to the madness of that stone.  Tara managed to reconnect me with my brother. Sadly it is only over a linkpearl as our mother still watches him like a hawk. Yet it brings me much joy to hear his voice. To know he never gave up on me despite the family disowning me. Halone have mercy. I wish to hold you just as much as you want to be with me. This distance is maddening. However keep strong and keep forging forward. If this is what you need to do, then do it! I know Halone will guide you back to me just as she has before. If she is willing to grace me with you once, I feel she shall do so again. Once you return we can resume the wedding plans. After I get some much needed alone time with you of course.  Your Sky, Lance ~~~~

    My sky,  So many times there is little to do while traveling through the sea's, and thus my eyes tend to travel upwards towards the long stretch of blue skies... and I'm reminded of you, how much I love looking into the warmth of them, not even the sky can truly do justice to the beauty of your eyes. Jared tells me we're nearing the location he's heard rumors of a new tribe popping up among the islands that fit the description of the shaman and the cannibal tribesmen. Thankfully there aren't many of them left and the men here had no love for those that devour the flesh of hyur, elezen and miqo'te alike. If anything they seem to be anxious to rid the seas of such troublesome beasts.  I'm so glad you've been able to avoid being alone, I always worry about you as it is with your line of work, what happened with your family, the stone, and then just being alone... so knowing you aren't alone and someone is keeping an eye out for you is reassuring. It wasn't at all a difficulty for me to show you about Eorzea, if anything it gave me more time to spend with you and steal glances at the handsome nobleman that I had run into with my distracted clumsiness.  I hope your brother is just as happy to hear from you as you seem to be to hear from him. Maybe some day he can stand up to your bother and sister and the both of you will be able to see each other face to face again. I'd love to see the younger brother of the man who stole my heart, even when I tried to keep distance between us to save you from that dirty pirates daughter.I pray the gods bring me back to you soon, and... I'll admit wedding plans don't sound nearly as interesting as resting in the warmth of your sky once more.  Love,  Miu ~~~~ Miu, Just take care of yourself, love. I'll stay alive and well for your sake. I swear it. After all this gives you a reason to come back home. Knowing you have someone waiting for you who loves you.  Something strange happened the other day. I was leaving Ishgard after leaving something for my brother. I ran into someone... Or rather he was looking for me. Alexois was outside of the gates. We... Talked for a bit. Over a flask of whiskey.  Miu... You're right. He's changed. There is something different about him then I remember. Almost like he's finally growing up or something like it. Maturing maybe? I told him to leave before I'd have to arrest him. I am still a knight and he is still wanted. So I gave him a chance to walk away. I don't want to have to be the one to kill him or arrest him. He actually apologized to me for the things that happened. Seemed he wanted me to understand his side of things. I do not approve of the choices he made... But sometimes in life we make poor choices with good intentions. This doesn't make us friends again but this doesn't mean we're still enemies.  I miss you, Miu. I pray to see you soon.  Love,  Lance ~~~~ Lance,  I'm so ecstatic to hear that! I'm even more glad to hear that he approached you, I'd tried to talk him into explaining to you what had happened and why but... he seems to believe he doesn't deserve any joy or goodness in his life. I hope the two of you can possibly meet up and talk some more, and maybe not become friends again but at least... open communication between the two of you again.  Just like you talking with your brother again, it's never helpful to close ourselves off from those of our pasts that meant and still mean much to us, though hurt will often make us close our hearts off... Now, I suppose i should give you an update on my own situation at present. We hunted down and finally caught up with the Shaman and what was left of his cannibal tribe. It's so strange how when I was captured by them that they seemed like such monsters that haunted my dreams even after I had gotten free. Seeing them now in a new light... they seemed so... pathetic... the only reason they'd managed to capture me and the pirates that had entrapped me was because of the shipwreck and our weakened states. Now they're so emaciated, skin clinging to bodies that seem almost inhuman from just how thin and weak they were. The men had been so eager for a fight, and were just a bit disappointed that it hadn't been much of one... The shaman though... he had been far more difficult to face off against. His magic's nothing I'd ever faced or seen before... still we were able to take him down. I didn't know what to do, as I didn't truly want to kill him even after everything that had happened... my brother though took the choice from me and slit the mans throat, Jared seemed angry when he did it as well... I hadn't realized how angry he was at my situation until that exact moment.  It makes me wish he wasn't a pirate captain so I could spend more time with my brother than the few times he comes to port and actually lets me know he's there...  As soon as his throat was slit many of the emotions and memories he'd siphoned off me returned in a jumble... I still struggle to organize them together into something that makes sense, and it's so odd how... those memories don't even feel like mine anymore. It's hard to describe... In any case I didn't need to take the fantasia as I had thought, as while I felt the magic that kept me locked to this form fall away... it wasn't enough to change me back. I am fairly certain now though that I can change back as soon as I take a Fantasia.Something which I will hold off on doing until I get back home and I'm able to see you again... I'm coming home... I can't wait to be in your arms again Lance.  Your loving sun,  Miu

[welovekpopscenarios]

Forever Pt. 2 (Jeonghan x Reader)

Admin: Mimi

Prompt/Ask: can i ask for the jeonghan angst sequel ahh h it’s really gold. thank you! !! ily

-AND-

Hi! I just read your Jeonghan angst scenario 'Forever' and i thought it was really good! If it's not a hassle or something, is it possible for it to have a sequel? :)

Fandom: SEVENTEEN

Genre: Angst, fluff (?)

Pairing: Jeonghan x Reader

Warnings: Hospitals, surgery, sadness, etc

Word Count: 2655

Authors Note: FIRSTLY I’M NOT A MEDICAL EXPERT - I don’t know much in the medical field, and while I did my research, there may be some inaccuracies. However, here is the requested second part to Forever! I hope everyone enjoys it as much as the first part (which you can find below if you haven’t read it). Again, let me know if there are errors, feedback is appreciated, and happy reading ^^

 - PART 1 -

Jeonghan didn’t think it was possible for a person to be permanently sad for their life, but after everything that has happened with you and your accident, he’s beginning to question his original thoughts.

It’s been two years since you had slipped into a coma, and Jeonghan can honestly say those two years were the darkest years he’s ever experienced in his lifetime, and the longer you stay asleep, the darker his life becomes.

He visits you every day – well, he tries, but eventually work crawled on his back like a gremlin and he had to somewhat return to the life he had before the tragedy struck. The only difference was this life had a huge gaping hole in it that you filled, and despite being surrounded by his brothers and family and friends, Jeonghan has never felt as alone as he did.

The daily visits were shortened to every second day, then every week, and at this point he’d be lucky to even see you once a month, and the thought makes him absolutely sick to his stomach. He’s felt so guilty some nights that he actually did get sick, bent over the toilet as he clutched at his gut as he dry heaved, the streams of tears falling from his eyes long forgotten. He spends those episodes in the bathroom for the night, shaking and sobbing as he lays on the cold tiles of floor.

Those episodes happen more often than he’d like to admit.

He knows the other boys try their best to make him happy, to reassure him that ‘if there’s a downhill, there’s an uphill’ as Wonwoo put it one night, to drag him out of the pits of gloom and despair he’s seemingly buried himself in, but there’s a part of Jeonghan that knows it isn’t enough. And that makes him feel even guiltier, not even finding comfort in the ones he calls his family.

The other members know he isn’t getting better. He’s aware of that fact, but he just can’t muster up the energy to perform a miraculous change, even if it was for them, because he knows at the end of the day it won’t bring you back. So, he chooses to brood in silence and goes about his everyday duties as a performer, the designated mother of the group, a brother. He drowns himself in an unhealthy amount of work, the more the better. Anything that helps to forget about you lying alone in a hospital and to stop him from breaking down for the umpteenth time that week.

Jeonghan, a man who once held a caring yet cheeky attitude and a love of life, is now living a bitter and resentful lifestyle, all because of one simple phone that could have waited.

His never-ending pain is not helped, when on one of the scarce visits he takes to see you, your parents are discussing whether or not to put you out of your misery and turn off the machines that are the only thing keeping you alive.

“Her condition hasn’t been getting any better, Jeonghan,” your mother explains, choking out the words with a heavy heart, and a part of Jeonghan sympathises with her. It must not be easy to make the decision of keeping their child in a hospital bed as she withers away or, to put it bluntly, kill them. But right in that moment, Jeonghan despised your parents with every fibre of his being, aghast at the thought that they were giving up, giving up on their child, on you.

“But it hasn’t gotten worse,” he argues back. His hands are starting to shake – from rage or fear, he does not know, he can’t tell anymore. But he knows he is going to fight tooth and nail, until he bleeds and bleeds, everything he’s worth and then more, to stop them from turning off your life support. Because if they do that, they kill him as well. They kill his life support, and he doesn’t know how well he’ll function anymore when that happens. So, selfishly, he fights to keep you breathing in this world. He’s not giving up on you.

Your father furrows his brows, his face more worn and tired than he’s ever seen before, and his heart feels a twinge of pain for the man.

“I’m sorry, Jeonghan, but I don’t think that’s a decision for you alone to make. We’re her parent’s- “

“Which is exactly why you should be helping her, not killing her!” he snapped.

Normally, he wouldn’t dare to speak to your parents in such a manner. He always spoke to your parents with the utmost respect, after all, to disrespect them would be to disrespect you, and that was always the last thing he wanted. But in this moment, Jeonghan threw manners and honour out the window, and instead, the panic seeped into his mind, making him act similar to a dog whose precious teddy was being taken away from him.

The argument went on for hours on end, so long that Jeonghan didn’t even remember most of it, just that at the end of it his sweet voice was hoarse and he was drained of energy and patience. And hope.

He would have stayed longer if not for Jihoon and Mingyu essentially dragging him out of the hospital and back to the dorm for rest. But that fight was far from over. He called, begged and pleaded every single day for them not to give up hope, to not lose their only child, to keep trying. He took more days out of his busy schedule than he probably should, yet he couldn’t have cared less. But this was a losing battle, and Jeonghan could feel it as if it were vines wrapped around his throat, getting tighter and tighter with each passing day.

A losing battle indeed, until an unlikely hero in the form of one of the doctors of the hospital came and saved Jeonghan’s sanity, and restored hope into his heart.

In some other hospital in some other city Jeonghan didn’t hear, tests and procedures were underway to help those with a severe dose of damage done to their brain, like you. Jeonghan was no medical expert, most of what the doctor explained to him and your parents went over his head, too complicated for his liking, but he got the gist of what he was saying. There was a potential cure, a way of waking you up. There was hope. And in what felt like decades, Jeonghan felt lighter.

There was a dull spark in his chest, a little one, not enough to light a fire, but it was there, Jeonghan knew it, and he cherished it, the hands of his soul caressing it in its hands. For that flame represented you, and now, now he felt a little less lonely.

Your parents were on the fence about the procedure, and Jeonghan wanted to scream out loud. They’d be stupid to miss this opportunity, and Jeonghan said as much, but your parents retaliated with the argument that it might not work and your condition could get worse or you could die. At that, Jeonghan had felt it wise to bite his tongue to keep from snapping back that they had been mulling over the decision to end your life or not.

The doctor must have taken note of the anguish in Jeonghan’s dark irises and decided to take pity on his poor, broken soul, for he was persuading your parents with facts and stats provided on the procedure, and eventually they agreed to give it a try, one last attempt to save your life before it’s gone forever.

Jeonghan could feel practically everything deflate with what could be described as the biggest sigh of relief anyone has given in the history of man. Appointments and information was set and given, and with that, Jeonghan departed from the hospital, reaching the dorms in short time. Reaching the dorm, he took off his shoes and headed towards the dining area where he could hear the hustle and bustle of the boys. Opening the door, all heads turned towards him, greeting him quietly (quietly, because it was an unspoken fact that happiness and boisterousness was not something that is associated with him anymore), and Jeonghan took a deep breath.

And then he smiled.

It was the first, genuine smile he gave in two years. Not the smile he used when in front of the cameras or on stage, or the even the one’s he gave the others when they asked him if he was fine. This was a real smile, one that made his face ache at the stretch, one that was actually happy.

Everyone sat up straighter with curious expressions on their faces, and when asked what happened, he told them the full story, from start to finish.

He doesn’t think he’s ever heard cheering and hollering as loud as it was in the dorm that night than even in one of their own concerts. For once, the dorm had a light-hearted atmosphere, and everything felt ok. He was crying by the end of the story, but instead of gloom these were tears of joy, of relief.

And he felt ok.

He was ok.

The lead up to your treatment was torturous. You were moved to a different hospital, one farther away from the dorm and that frustrated him to no end, but he was promised countless lifts from everyone else, so travel was assured. He along with your parents were given the necessary information of the surgery, the ifs and buts, what could happen, what might not happen, etc. Jeonghan was a ball of nerves for weeks until the day of your surgery, opting to visit you once a day like he used to, memorising your face in case the worst were to happen. And his mind couldn’t help but think about the worst were to happen. But he kept a stoic façade, refusing to let it get to him – not anymore.

The day of your surgery, the other members spent the day in the waiting room with Jeonghan despite his insistence that they go home and get rest. But they refused, refused to let him on his own in such a nerve-wracking time, and he was grateful for their support, as always, even if he felt like it didn’t help in his darkest of moments. He once again found himself staring at the hideous artwork that this hospital offered, new pieces for his eyes to be scarred with. But unlike last time, he noticed the colour more, the odd strokes and brush of paint on canvas, and he decided he didn’t hate them as much as he used to. The array of colour and pictures brought wonder and comfort to his mind, and he was weirdly glad that they were there, if anything it was a distraction to what was happening to you right now.

Leaning against the firm surface of the chair with Chan’s head resting against his shoulder and Seokmin’s head in his lap, his mind wandered to memories of you. And he didn’t think about memories such as first dates or first kisses this time. Instead, the thought about the little things: the way you’d look when you saw an animal, eyes alight with excitement, or the way you’d laugh when you heard a dirty joke, shocked laughter reverberating around the room you were in. He thought about your favourite foods, about the shine of your hair after a shower, about that one top sitting at the back of your wardrobe that you never wear but you can’t bear to part with. These things that he took for granted, but these things that are so inexplicably you, and he allows a small smile to grace his face, how these little things bring a feeling of home into his heart.

Hours later, one of the doctors in charge of your operation came out, seeking out your parents but Jeonghan followed, desperate to hear what she had to say. The surgery was a success – everything went off without a hitch, and that you responded to the treatment well. His heart stopped at the news, not fully registering the weight of the news until he looked at your mother give a sob of relief and your face display a look of shock. His knees felt weak in the best way, and he asked when they could see you. The doctor replied that you were resting, that they did not know when exactly you’d wake up, but that it should happen eventually, if things went well. You can’t wake someone up from a coma, he knows this, and with the news up how well the procedure went, Jeonghan was even more willing to wait, a revived sense purpose in him now.

It was another month of an agonising wait when Jeonghan woke up to Seungkwan screaming at him from the other room at 01:24am, that the hospital rang the dorms phone. He rushed out of his bed to see most of the other boys in the living room in various states of fatigue and sloppiness, hair sticking up every which way. Jeonghan feared the worst, and the past two years of grief already began to smother him like a shadow descending over his form, but Seungkwan’s face was brighter than the rest, and what he said next nearly made Jeonghan collapse from happiness:

“The hospital! They called! You missed it but they called! Y/N’s awake! She’s finally awake!”

The driver of the van they took had sweat running down his neck, stress from the boys’ constant yells of “hurry up!” building within him, but Jeonghan remained surprisingly quiet. He couldn’t speak, for if he did so, he would burst into tears, the tightening of his throat restricting him from uttering a sound anyway. As soon as the van was outside the hospital, he sprinted out, the other boys following suit and nearly crashing into walls as he ran to your room, still in the clothes he wore to bed.

Eyeing the door to your room, the one you were awake in, he stopped before he could reach it. He clenched his eyes shut, inhaling shaky breaths, and raised his fist to knock. Rattling quick but quiet knocks against the door, your father opened the door, cheeks stained with tears and ushered him into the room quickly. Jeonghan froze once he saw you.

There you were, lying in a damned hospital bed, looking slightly weak, eyes wondering wearily around the room. But alive.

So very much alive.

Your eyes followed your fathers form before eventually landing on Jeonghan, and the rest of the world blurred. All he could see was you, a face he never thought he’d see look at him again, never smile again, never exist again. But you looked at him. Looked through him, almost, like you usually do when you know something happened to him, and he watched as your eyes widened in recognition. He couldn’t believe his eyes, feeling this was a dream, and that he’ll wake up to a horrible reality, but then you whispered:

“Jeonghannie?”

And everything burst.

He ran to your side and took your face in his hands, trying to see past the ocean of tears in his eyes as he laughed in disbelief, body far too weak to stand on his own as he leaned against your bed. And then you smiled again, and it felt as if colour and light returned to his life, saturating the most beautiful hues, but none as beautiful as the colours of your eyes as you stared back at him in confused glee.

He said he’d wait forever. And he was worried forever would not let him.

But he did wait, and now, he gets to spend that forever with you by his side.

As you should be.

[prydwencats]

Looooong Personal Post Ahead

You’ve been warned. Dad has gotten pretty depressed.  Despite his chemo treatments making a difference, he feels like everyone is moving on without him—which is partially true because one of his brothers moved away and quit hanging out with him once he got sick.  Another one of his brothers refused to talk to him, I think out of apprehension or fear...  it’s that or he’s just an ass but I’d like to think he’s a little deeper than that.  ...or WAS deeper.  That brother died unexpectedly Wednesday morning, and the brother who’d moved away from my Dad because he was sick, was there to have to deal with it.  Maybe there’s some kind of justice at play there or maybe it’s just awful luck, I don’t know...  But Dad didn’t go to the brief showing because other people in the family have been sick and his blood levels were really down and so he just got more depressed.

I took my son to have four baby teeth extracted because he’s lucky enough to have crooked adult teeth that need help coming in.  I didn’t lie to him the procedure wasn’t that bad but we had a bit of a problem stopping his bleeding...  It probably didn’t help that he had some sinus-y issues and coughed a bit, but we ended up at the dentist’s office at 10 pm that night so she could pack his gums.  (It’s worth noting that his dentist drove half an hour back into town to do this so she’s kind of awesome.)  And even with the packing in, he still bled lightly up until I made him go to sleep at 1 am.  Friday came around and he was oozing/seeping a little bit,and even though his dentist didn’t have office appointments that day, she had me bring him in just so she could make sure everything looked okay before the weekend came.   Friday afternoon I took the kids with me to do some random Christmas shopping.  I was in an oddly festive mood and was very relieved my son’s gums had (mostly) stopped bleeding.  I consider myself a very attentive, paranoid person—I’m very aware of the people around me and what they’re doing because I just don’t trust them.  But somehow, I don’t really know how, when we went to go check out, my oldest daughter got distracted and fell behind, and I lost her.  It was a busy store, carts were everywhere, and I fucking lost her.  I can’t even explain how hollow and alone you feel when you are literally yelling a child’s name out in a crowded store and you’re surrounded by strangers who are just staring at you.  Not that its their fault for not knowing who to look for or anything but it was such a crushing isolating feeling.  I remember running up to the front of the store with my other two children and grabbing the first employee that had a radio while all these panicked, worst case scenario type thoughts were flickering through my mind.  What if I wouldn’t see her again, what if someone had grabbed her, how would I fucking live or function not ever knowing what happened to her—you know the usual terrifying parental fears that take on a whole new level of scary when you are actually faced with that potential situation.  Thankfully she came bursting out of some aisle further down looking quite terrified herself.  Apparently she’d heard me and just couldn’t get to me.  I cried so much over it.  She cried over it.  Even the 4 year old was rattled and went on and on about how she would’ve found her and brought her back...   And then today, (Saturday), I had to go back to the same store, and when I first got into the checkout line, I had that punch to the gut feeling reminding me of what had happened last night.  I was very eager to get home.  And I was in a good mood once I was, until my neighbor across the street flagged me down.  For those of you who are new or just don’t follow my personal drama, my family moved into a new house exactly three months ago.  The whole process was so awful and the market was so competitive, it sucked but I’ll spare you.  But long story short, we extended ourselves a lot and made an investment on a decently large house in a really sought after part of town.  It’s not a ‘rich’ neighborhood, but it’s a very safe, very nice neighborhood.  And then my neighbor across the street informed me that the house next to mine was becoming a “sober-living” home, aka a substance abuse recovery house.  I felt so ill.  And I’m not trying to say they don’t need a safe supportive place to stay while they try to rebuild their lives, but most of my family consists of druggies, my husband’s parents are useless, sometimes unpredictably volatile druggies/alcoholics, and our old house was surrounded by druggies.  We pretty much went all out to try to get our children in the best area we could to get them away from that lifestyle, and just when we were getting settled, our new neighbors file for divorce and sell their house to some out of state rehab organization.  I’m really not trying to be mean, I know these people need support, but I am a mother to three young children and I understand the kinds of crowds people with substance issues can draw.  I understand how desperate someone who needs a fix can be and the things they will do, and one of my children’s bedrooms directly faces this new recovery house.  All it will take is one break in, one confrontation, one anything for something really bad to happen.  We went all in to try to safeguard our kids against this and the city is just allowing them to move in.  We weren’t warned or informed, we found out in the newspaper where the developer was bragging about how welcoming the neighborhood was.  Welcoming...  I’m reeling.   The neighbors across the street are furious and worried.  How could we be welcoming if we were never informed?  I’m stuck in this weird place where the Christian in me is like, “Don’t worry about this, this is going to help people and you’ll be fine,”  but I am really worried because I would’ve never considered buying a house next to a recovery house, and if this causes our property value to drop, we may never be able to sell this place and get away if things do go bad. My brother has tried really hard to try to reassure me that things will probably be okay and that there’s no point in stressing myself out over an issue that hasn’t arisen yet.  But I’m obsessive and I just can’t let it go.  We went all in and this is where it got us. I’m just so emotionally exhausted.  I’m drained, I’m tired, and if this house ends up being a bad thing we’re trapped where we are for at least a few years. 

[docsamurai]

Sleeping With the Enemy: Twilight

Today two years of plans come to fruition. Today I will die. Today I can only hope to take my enemies with me. Today is my wedding. In the worst case scenario I need to protect my family and friends so I won't be using real names, but you can call me Bella Swan. The story I'm about to tell you is hard to believe but if I fail I'll need others to take up the hunt, so please believe me when I tell you that monsters are real. When I'm done though, I'll be what the monsters fear.

Let's start at the beginning. It all started my Junior year at a new high school in Washington. My father had convinced my mother to let me live with him after she met a new husband. It seems like a lifetime ago. Back then the only thing I cared about were cute boys and good books. That all changed when I met Him. I'll call him "Edward Cullen" because frankly using his real name disgusts me. I'll admit that for a moment when I first saw Edward I found him attractive, but of course, that's exactly what makes him so dangerous. Edward came from what appeared to be a large adopted family. His "brothers and sisters" were all impossibly attractive and largely kept to themselves and at first they seemed to avoid me.

That all changed one day in the parking lot. Just as I began to notice Edward staring at me from across the lot an out of control car nearly careened into me. In the space of a breath he had crossed the lot and effortlessly stopped the car with one hand. Before anyone could see he was gone again. My heart racing and my head swimming from the adrenaline I thought he had saved me. I know better now. Frankly I wouldn't put it past him to have orchestrated the whole event.

Later that same night I awoke to find Edward standing in my room watching me sleep. At first my brain refused to believe it, that I was simply dreaming and when I looked again he was gone. It was the most unsettled I had ever been in my entire life. Which is saying quite a lot considering that earlier that same day I had almost died.

He told me that I must have imagined it. Looking back I realize that line was perfectly practiced. He knew just what to say to make sure I wouldn't forget it. To make sure that I wouldn't give up. How many times had he done this before? How many times had he piqued his victim's curiosity just enough to make them think they were uncovering some great secret? To make them think they were trapping him as opposed to the other way around?

It worked.

I sought help from an old childhood friend "Jacob" and learned of a local legend. The legend of the Pale Men, monsters in human form, feasting on the blood of the innocent. Jacob chuckled at the old stories and muttered "Vampires" rolling his eyes. I laughed with him but I knew what I saw. I started seeking out any information I could on these old legends and it was on a trip to a bookstore specializing in the occult that I had my next run in with Edward. I was leaving frustrated having hit yet another dead end when I was accosted in the parking lot by several thuggish men. Edward came swooping in out of nowhere, almost running over the men in his car and commanding me to get in. It was here that I realized he was behind everything. Looking back I wonder if he hadn't been so blatant about everything if his plan might have worked. A mysterious savior coming in at the last second twice in a row and both times being from an out of place danger in a parking lot. There was no reason for any car to be moving as fast as it did in a school parking lot the other day and now there were suddenly half a dozen "dangerous" men in a well lit area outside of an occult bookstore. Those poor souls were just pawns in his sick game.

As he drove me back to the sheriff's office where my father works, he went on and on about how he felt protective of me. Every word that came out of his mouth sickened me. If I'd had a gun I would have put it to his head right then and pulled the trigger. I know now that it wouldn't have worked but I was already infuriated with his smug, manipulative bullshit. Not having a weapon I decided to play along. We got to the office where I met “Carlisle”, the master and sire of the Cullen clan and found out about the murders. Carlisle is a Doctor, no doubt so he can get an easy supply of victims or simply fresh blood to sustain them between hunts. Mutilated bodies had been turning up around town and Carlisle had been called in to help identify the victims and to determine cause of death. It was being kept quiet as the small community would have been torn apart by the news. The closest the police could determine was that due to the sheer savagery of the attacks it must have been a wild animal. Carlisle and I locked eyes and I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt that him and his people were responsible for these attacks and that he was only letting the police find the bodies so that I would find out and know exactly what I was up against.

It was meant to terrorize me. A killer taunting their victim. The sick fuck must have been getting off on it. I knew that they could kill me any time they wanted and that the only reason they were keeping me alive was to be their entertainment. They thought I would be afraid. They thought I would resign myself to my fate. They thought they had lured another "dumb young girl" into their games.

They were wrong.

I became obsessed with finding an answer to one simple question: How do you kill something that doesn't live? Night after night I spent as much time as I could dare searching the internet for answers. I had to be careful though. Edward's little show the other night proved that they could come right into my room at any time, that they could watch my every move. I made sure that I only searched for general information about vampires and hoped that it would happen to contain the answers I sought. Most of it was conjecture and myth. Half crazed stories from survivors and lunatics. It was part desperation and part madness that led me to confront Edward, alone in a forest armed with only a hidden knife. "I know what you are!" "Say it." I could feel his breath on my neck. "Vampire." He taunted me from the treetops, showing off his speed and power he called himself the perfect killing machine. I told him that I wasn't afraid. I had every intention of shoving that knife in his neck and sawing his head clean off. I would probably die in the attempt but I wasn't going to let innocent lives be fed to these monsters. I wasn't going to be their amusement.

He surprised me though. He admitted that he was infatuated with me. Something about me made him crave me. I was expecting to die and now I was being told that he was in love. I still don't know what the Cullens were planning with me but I couldn't believe for a second that an immortal being that hunted humans for food and had lived for possibly hundreds of years would feel anything for a mortal. To this day I don't know what stayed my hand. Maybe I wasn't as ready to die as I thought? Maybe it was just morbid curiosity? I tell myself now that I was just waiting to see if I could kill all of the Cullens. I hope I don't live to regret that decision. It was then that he showed me his true form. Walking into the sunshine he shone like diamonds. A predator that was designed by some dark god to hunt humans, of course he would be beautiful. True evil is always seductive. The spell was broken almost immediately. "I'm a monster!" he pouted. It took every ounce of self control I had to not laugh in his face at his blatant manipulations. I decided then and there to play along. I would need to bide my time, wait for an opening and strike only when I was sure I could kill. "You're beautiful." I cooed.

The rest of the year was spent dutifully playing the role of lovestruck idiot. I overlooked the blatant invasions of privacy when Edward would sneak into my room. I feigned ignorance and let them tell me about their secret ways. Edward tried to romance me all year in some of the most cliche ways imaginable. Seriously I can't even count how many times we read poetry in a field of flowers. I just wish I could have told Jacob about this as I found it all hilarious. I practically choked on my own tongue trying not to laugh when they tried to tell me they were “Vegetarians” because they only ate animals. A part of my soul died that day when I realized that I was finding humor in the death of my fellow humans.

It was towards the end of the year that Carlisle must have remembered that he needed to tie up the loose end of the mutilated bodies that were found around town. I was told that there were vampires, James and Victoria, who were hunting me specifically and shortly thereafter I got a call from James who told me he had my mother. I walked willingly into the trap knowing that the Cullens would have to respond in force and I would finally get to see how they disposed of their own.

I was not disappointed.

It was brutal and I could not wait to do it myself. The only problem was that I would need superhuman strength to rip a vampire limb from limb as they had. Things finally clicked into place: I needed to become a vampire. If I had to sacrifice my soul and become a monster to kill the monsters then I would do it without hesitation. It was a dangerous game I was playing. I had to out think an entire clan of killing machines. I had to let them think I was harmless and to win them over. I could never let it slip that I was planning their destruction. I had to make them think that I truly loved Edward and that I couldn't see right through their plans. The hardest part was feeling the icy touch of Edward's corpse-like hands on me but the thought that kept me warm through everything was that one day I would be able to see the look in his eyes as he drew his last breath. I would take from them everything they ever took from an innocent and I would make sure that they paid in rivers of blood.

This was the end of my Junior year of high school and I knew that I would spend the rest of my life hunting the Cullens to the ends of the earth.

[radioactivedelorean]

Light at the Darkest Time

Brain Trauma AU Masterpost

Based on a conversation I was having with @nour386 - this might be added to the final story, when I eventually get there!

(idk, I really felt like writing something like this all of a sudden)

@witete @a-million-chromatic-dreams @crossroadsdimension @sixerpines @transformersg1fan271

____

“Mr Pines? Could I have a quick word with you outside, please?” A doctor poked his head through the doorway into Ford’s room, looking across at Stan with a clipboard in his hands. “It’s about your brother’s condition.”

“Of course, one sec,” Stan got up from his chair and arched his back. He winced as it popped and cracked in protest. He ruffled Ford’s hair lightly, the older twin remaining unresponsive. “I’ll be back in a minute, bud.”

Stan joined the doctor outside in the hallway, taking note of the fact that a nurse was with him. “Have you found out what’s wrong with him yet? It’s been like three weeks, surely you’ve found something.”

The doctor exchanged a glance with the nurse beside him. “I’m afraid not. In fact, I have been having a discussion with the nurses monitoring him and we have concluded that there isn’t much we can do for him at this stage.” Stan felt his heart skip a beat. He tried not to think of the worst case scenario. “What do you mean?”

“I regret to inform you of this, but your brother’s condition is only deteriorating. He’s completely paralysed and as each day passes his condition gets worse. There is nothing we can do to help him from this point forward.” The doctor frowned. “I’m sorry, but we believe that it is best if you start thinking about end-of-life choices, if you haven’t been doing so already.”

“End of life choices?!” Stan snapped. “You mean he’s dying?!” He said this in a hissing whisper, knowing full well Ford could hear every word.

“Mr Pines he’s been on a life support machine for the past week and has been on oxygen for two weeks.” The doctor said. “Fairly soon he won’t be able to so much as open his eyes. He is already totally paralysed and without that oxygen mask he would not be able to breathe. At this rate, the future for him only holds more suffering.”

“There has to be something left that you can do!” Stan exclaimed.

“There isn’t, I’m afraid. Frankly it is a miracle in itself that he has managed to survive this long.”

Stan forced back the tears that threatened to spill over. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Ford had fought so long and so hard to stay alive and now they were going to put him down like some sick or injured pet?! “Well you know what? My brother is the strongest, most stubborn and damn well the most tenacious man I’ve ever met. If you think he’d want to just give up after all this then you’re wrong!”

“Mr Pines,” The doctor’s voice hardened. “We’ve looked over his file a hundred times, trying to find something that would help him. We’ve come up with nothing. There are drugs available that would give him a temporary solution but they are incredibly expensive and neither yours nor his medical care covers it, not even combined. The drugs would only offer a temporary cure. Judging by the severity of his condition, they would wear off rather quickly and he would only deteriorate once more. The only choice we have at this stage is to turn off those machines.”

“You can’t!” Stan cried out. “Th-there’s gotta be another way, I refuse to sit there and watch my brother die!”

“Mr Pines,” The nurse said softly, one hand on his shoulder in a weak attempt at soothing him. “This is something that is far beyond our capabilities by this point. Not even the most skilled doctors in the world would be able to help him. The best thing we can do for him is to cut the machines.”

Stan swallowed back the lump in his throat. “Th-then what?”

“We will just have to hope that his suffering ends quickly.”

Stan felt as though he had been repetitively hit in the stomach with a sack of bricks. “Y-you don’t understand! I’ve waited all my life to finally be able to sail on a boat with him! It’s been our dream since we were kids. We were so close - you can’t take this away from him so soon! We worked so hard to get here and now you’re telling me the best thing we can do for him is kill him?!”

“As unfortunate as your situation is, we must think of what is best for your brother. Do you truly believe he wants to remain living at this point?”

Stan tried desperately to hold back tears. “This isn’t happening. This isn’t fair! He’s already been through so much shit and now this happens to him?! You can’t take his life support away!”

“Mr Pines, it’s time to face the reality of your brother’s condition. He can’t breathe on his own. He has been on intravenous medication and nutrients since he arrived here. He is paralysed beyond any hope of recovery. He has been losing weight at an alarmingly progressive rate. If we keep him alive much longer, he is only going to suffer more than he already has. He will be given a painless injection in the morning and his machines will be disconnected.”

“I w-won’t let you!” Stan stood in front of Ford’s door, his arms out to his sides. “I won’t let you take my brother away!”

“I’m sorry?” The doctor looked rather stern, one eyebrow raised.

“I won’t let you kill him!” Stan cried. “You’ll have to go through my dead body, ya hear me?!”

“Mr Pines.” The doctor snapped. “Stop this foolishness immediately. There is nothing that can be done for your brother. I am sorry to have to tell you, but he is going to die no matter what we do. His paralysis is far too severe. Making half-baked threats is not going to improve the situation at all. Now, either go back to your brother’s bedside and calm down or I will be forced to call security and have you removed from the premises.”

Stan gritted his teeth, his furious navy eyes locked with the doctor’s stern green ones. He let out a deep breath and let his arms fall back to his sides. The nurse put a hand on his shoulder and guided him back to his chair. Stan allowed her to do so without protesting. The doctor huffed and walked back down the corridor, clipboard in hand.

“I’ll just get your brother his last IV for tonight.” The nurse patted Stan’s shoulder gently and left the room to fetch another IV bag for Ford’s ‘dinner’.

Stan took a seat in his chair, eyes glazed over and staring at the foot of Ford’s bed. “Last IV for tonight” most probably meant his “last ever IV”, if they were planning on killing him in the morning. The nurse returned a moment later and hooked up the IV. Stan watched her hook the IV into the cannula in Ford’s arm, part of his brain realising that those hands could easily be the ones who would soon end Ford’s life. She cast Stan a quick glance before taking the empty bag and leaving the room.

Stan’s eyes drifted from the cannula in Ford’s arm up to his face. Ford’s cheeks were sunken, his eyes had dark bags beneath them and his mouth was partially agape. His eyes stared emptily up at the ceiling. What was most noticeable were the streaks of tears running constantly down Ford’s face. Stan grasped his brother’s hand tightly, squeezing it gently. Tears of his own welled up in his eyes and spilled down his cheeks.

“Oh Ford…” he murmured quietly. “I’m s-so sorry… I just wish there was something I could do for you…” he choked on a sob. He shifted his chair closer to Ford’s head and leaned forward, pulling Ford close in a hug. He could feel Ford’s tears soaking his shirt, but his brother didn’t move. Ford lay completely limp in Stan’s arms. Stan kept a hand on Ford’s head, burying his face in his brother’s hair as tears continued to run down his face. “I’m s-so s-sorry, P-Poindexter… if I could take your place I would in a heartbeat.”

Ford couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Of course he’d heard everything the doctor had told his brother. He was paralysed, not deaf. He was going to die in the morning. Those butchers were going to give him a lethal injection of strong sedative and then take his life support away. Ford regretted not seeing the kids one more time. He didn’t want them to have seen any of this, but he at least wanted to be able to see them one more time before he left. He didn’t want to go before he saw them one final time.

He could see it in his head: the nurse giving him a mournful expression as they stuck the needle into his wrist and administered the injection. He could see Stan sobbing beside him, gripping his hand tightly. Ford realised that his brother’s grief-stricken face would be the last thing he saw. He realised the twins would show up at the hospital, looking for him, only to be told that he’d been disconnected from life support and put to sleep. He could see Mabel breaking down into loud, harsh sobs and demanding to know where Ford was, claiming the doctors were lying, that her grunkle was fine. He could see Dipper slowly sink to the floor, tears running down his face before finally breaking down into sobs. He could see the twins hugging a tearful Stanley, sobbing and burying their faces in his chest. He could see Stanley locking himself away in the cabin on the boat. He could see the twins shutting down emotionally, the regret on their faces as they realised they never got to say goodbye.

Ford allowed himself to cry silently. His body never moved, his mouth never made a sound, yet tears kept pouring down his face. That was all he could manage. He felt Stanley run his hand through his hair in an attempt to try and calm him down. Ford could feel Stan shaking with his own sobs. Ford guessed the hand through his hair was more Stan trying to keep himself from breaking down entirely. It didn’t seem to be working. Stan’s quiet sobs echoed in Ford’s ear. Ford realised Stan was probably going to be crying for the rest of his life.

------

Later that evening, when the nurses had made the final checks on Ford for the evening, Stan was sitting on the side of Ford’s bed, holding Ford’s hand in one of his own, the other passing through Ford’s hair gently. A half-finished cup of espresso sat on the side table. Stan refused to allow himself to sleep. He wanted to spend as much time with Ford as possible before Ford was taken away from him forever. Tears dripped slowly down his face again.

A sound other than the steady beeping of the machines Ford was attached to could be heard in the room. A steady whirring sound gradually grew louder until a small purple circle appeared on the wall opposite Ford’s bed. Ford couldn’t summon the strength to look across as the circle grew in size until it reached from the ceiling to the floor. Stan jumped up from the bed and stood protectively in front of Ford’s bed. Last time he’d seen a portal similar to that, a torrent of unholy nightmares came spilling out. If some otherworldly monster was coming through to murder Ford at his lowest point, they’d have to go through Stan first.

But what - or rather who - stepped through the portal wasn’t what Stan was expecting. A tall, pale, female creature stepped through. She was dressed in flowing peach-coloured robes with delicate embroidery and had no less than seven eyes. Stan raised his fists in a defensive position. “Listen here, whoever you are. I don’t know what you’re thinking but if you think you can come in here and -”

“Relax,” the woman held up a hand. “I mean no harm to either you or your brother. I wish to help Stanford, not to hurt him.”

Stan felt tears pricking at his eyes again. “Well you’re too late! The doctors already gave me a spiel about how he’s too far gone and there’s nothing anyone can do about it, so get out of here!”

“Nobody on Earth is able to help him, no.” The creature said. “My name is Jheselbraum. Some call me Jheselbraum the Unswerving, but just Jheselbraum is fine. I have met your brother before, many years ago when he was on his quest to defeat Cipher. I am the one who put the metal plate into his head to protect him.”

“Fat lotta good that’s done him!” Stan snapped. “That damn plate has fried his brain! It’s the reason he’s even in this state in the first place!”

“I admit that that was an event I failed to foresee. Now, however, I wish to take your brother home with me in order to provide sufficient treatment so that he may recover.”

“If you think you’re taking him anywhere without me, you can damn well think again!” Stan retorted. “I’m not leaving my brother in the hands of anyone, not since those doctors are gonna kill him in the morning.”

“Which is why I must get him to my home as soon as possible.” Jheselbraum stated. “We must hurry - your brother’s time is severely limited.”

“He can’t breathe without that oxygen mask.” Stan pointed to the mask adorning his brother’s face. “You take him off that thing and he’ll suffocate!”

Jheselbraum took a step forward. She stood beside Ford’s bed and pulled a small clip with a tube at one end from the pocket of her robes. She pulled the oxygen mask off Ford’s face, clipping the small clip to Ford’s nose and slipping the tube end into his mouth. Ford’s ECG reading remained stable. Stan realised that his brother wasn’t afraid of this Jheselbraum lady. He was perfectly content. Stan sighed and let his arms fall to his sides, noticing that Ford could breathe perfectly fine with that clip on his nose.

“I’m still going with him to wherever you take him.” He said. “You’re not separating me from him while he’s like this.”

“Then you are more than welcome to join him.” Jheselbraum calmly turned the machinery off before disconnecting the electrodes and IV connected to Ford’s body. She made sure everything was disconnected properly before lifting Ford up into her arms. Ford’s arms hung limply below his body. He gazed weakly up at Jheselbraum, who began walking back towards the portal. She stepped through it and disappeared. Stan took a deep breath before grabbing his jacket and following her through.

[paymeintea]

Tsukinami Prologue Translation under the cut (and a CG near the end)

Rooftop Garden

Yui: (The breeze is really nice…)

Monologue

Months have passed since I came here.

At first, time passed peacefully, but it soon changed. Even now the situation in the demon world is changing drastically.

This started because the vampire king, the supreme ruler, Karlheinz-san gave his powers to one of his sons in the Sakamaki house.

When the balance was maintained it had been peaceful, but the state of the demon world got worse in the blink of an eye. Since then, in every demon tribe, those who would be inheriting great power stood to try to take the throne and become the next ruler of the demon world.

Riots were breaking out throughout the world…

Yui: (Vampire, Wolf, Adler [Hawk], and Vibora [Snake]… these are the four most important tribes in the demon world. Separate to these are Carla and Shin whose family consisted of founders… they’re First Blood. They have more power than what any other tribe holds so, because of that, they’ve gotten asked a lot from many other people… to use the power of the founders. Even today, they’ve been asked incessantly by a myriad of demons.) … It must be hard. (But it seems like the two of them are turning people away at the door indiscriminately. To tell the truth… I’m a little relieved. I was worried about getting wrapped up in riots, it’s scary.)

Footsteps, Shin appears

Shin: Haa… I’m exhausted today, too.

Yui: Ah, Shin-kun. Thank you for your hard work.

Shin: Yeah. Ah, I’m shot. Even after being turned away, they don’t quit. I’m getting sick of it; they’re really a pain. I keep telling them my brother’s not going to see them no matter how much they beg… they’re too persistent. Haa

Yui: It must be hard everyday

Shin: Yeah, that’s it. But, I do understand why they would want us to lend them our powers. Because, we’re part of the founding family… and First blood after all. Ah, right, here, I’ll give this to you.

Yui: Wha? (What’s this jar…?)

Shin: It’s something some demons brought to offer. It doesn’t suit my bother, so it must be for you.

Yui: For me?

Shin: … Someone who would bring something with such cute wrapping to my brother has more problems than what he came to us about.

Yui: (That might be true… they went to all the trouble to bring it, so I should open it.) Ah… look, it’s conpeito!

Shin: I know… we already examined it in case of the worst possible scenario.

Yui: Ah, that’s right. Thank you.

Shin: You’re welcome, though all I did was give it to you.

Yui: but I’m happy. Now, I’m going to have one… (Ahh, I’m a little nostalgic.) … Here, Shin-kun, you have one too.

Shin: Hm. … Ah, it’s really sugary.

Yui: Fufu, yeah. But, somehow, I feel relieved with this flavour

Shin: Is that so.

Yui: (Like this, I almost feel like I’m back in the human world relaxing…) Are conflicts rising in the demon world?

Shin: Its a once in a  lifetime chance. If you run from this, you might be overwhelmed next time.

Yui: (Karlheinz-san’s powers have gone to one of his sons at the Sakamaki house… I wonder how they’re doing now. Could they already be fighting with another demon tribe…)

Shin: Hey, hey. You’re thinking of those guys right now aren’t you?

Yui: Eh?

Shin: Don’t play dumb… you were thinking of the Sakamakis, right?

Yui: … Yes, only for a moment. We did spend a lot of time together, I don’t want anything bad to happen to them.

Shin: Ha—… you really are softhearted. Anyway, we’ll refuse anything and everything, but if there comes a reason we will fight them again. If we do, then what will you do?

Yui: That’s… (I don’t want… to see people I know fighting at all… but I don’t know what I should say) ….

Sound of strong wind

Shin: … The wind’s started. We should head inside.

Yui: Yes…

Scene change - Yui’s room

Yui: (They might fight… I don’t want to see it, but they might have their own reasons. It might be their wish to have the hegemony currently held by vampires back in the hands of the founders again, but while Karlheinz-san was there that plan was a failure. They may be able to step it back, but if they do… hmm, I’m going around in circles.)

Knock, knock

Carla: I’m coming in.

Yui: Yes, go ahead

Carla enters

Yui: (I wonder what’s wrong so suddenly)

Carla: … There’s something I haven’t smelt before, do you know anything?

Yui: Eh? Umm… could it be this conpeito?

Carla: ….

Yui: I gave one to Shin-kun earlier and we ate them together.

Carla: Conpeito? … It’s a strange smell, I thought some radicals were trespassing.

Yui: (And then he came to see me. He was worried.) Do you want s conpeito, Carla-san?

Carla: I don’t need one… I don’t like sweet thugs.

Yui: I see…

Carla: Do you like them?

Yui: Yes! When the sweetness melts along my tongue I feel happy somehow.

Carla: … I see. Then it was word it to permit you to receive it.

Yui: (He’s usually busy, and we can’t talk a lot, but it sounds like he was thinking of me… I’m happy.)

Knock, knock

Shin: Brother? The food’s done.

Carla: Alright, Let’s go

Yui: Yes

Scene change to a great hall

Yui: (I feel really relieved when we’re all together, but… it seems kind of tense.)

Carla: … Situation report.

Shin: It’s the same as always, they’re only interested in our power. Too many of them were rude, and I felt like burning them all to nothing.

Carla: It’s unavoidable. Our powers are stronger compared to theirs, of course they would want them.

Shin: But there’s only two of us; their hopes for violence are too transparent. To think we would be taken in by something of that level really pisses me off…!

Yui: (Shin-kun is dealing with a lot of demon tribes every day, his stress might be piling up considerably.)

Shin: Of course they won’t say it directly, but tins there’s only the two of us, they’re trying too much to take advantage.

Carla: However, the fact that it’s just us is reality. That’s just speculation about the other demon tribes.

Shin: … Hey, what are you planning to do? If it continues like this, what will happen?

Carla: … This isn’t the time to be impatient.

Shin: Are you sure? Day after day, good for nothing demons come to the castle… I’m already sick of it! It’s the ideal time to steal back the hegemony of the demon world, so why are you just being silent.

Carla sighs

Carla: ….

Yui: Shin-kun, please calm down a bit...

Shin: You don’t know anything… just shut up!

Yui: That’s… (I’m not bearing the front of it at all like Shin-kun, and it’s not like I’m doing anything. I don’t know a lot about the situation or its present conditions, but… I’m a little hurt.)

Carla sighs

Carla: …..

Carla leaves

Shin: … What was that…

Yui: …. (I’ll go with Carla-san too.)

Scene change to the Entrance Hall

Yui: Ha… (I might have said too much)

Carla: Don’t blame Shin.

Yui: I don’t intend to. Shin-kun must be exhausted.

Carla: Shin is still young, and because of that he’s quick to get carried away. He wants to break out of this closed situation as soon as possible. Perhaps if I’d some something similar when I was young… As a rule, I can’t decide on something as a reasonable course of action so easily.

Yui: That’s true…

Carla: right now, there’s only the two of us. No matter how much power we have, we’re outnumbered… it would not go well. I don’t have the inclination to be used by any demon tribe… it’s a matter of the pride of the founders.

Yui: (Pride. It’s a word with heavy importance.)

Footsteps

Yui: (Surely, Carla-san will have his own way of fighting, right. Shin-kun is movement and Carla-san is quiet… even though they’re holding the same thoughts, they feel very different… It’s a little difficult.)

Screen goes black, a crow caws

Yui: (Hm… what’s that sound...?)

She opens her eyes

Yui: (Crows? Why are they here…)

Shin enters the room

Shin: Good…

Yui: Shin-kun! Has something happened?

Shin: Some mysterious people are attacking… it’s good that you’re safe.

Yui: And Carla-san?

Shin: He’s fine. You should be worrying about yourself right now. Let’s go

Yui: Eh? Where?

Shin: We’re moving to a different mansion, and well wait and see there.

???: — I won’t let you run.

Kino appears on the screen

Yui: (Who…?)

Kino: Hey, I’m Kino… I’m a member of the group called Raven.

Shin: Ah, I see. After creeping in so stealthily, what do you want?

Kino: I came to get this girl… Did you like the conpeito?

Yui: Eh?

Kino: Take my hand… Eve.

Yui: (Why does he know that… Eve…?)

Shin: Ha? I won’t hand her over to you. If you want her… it’ll be after you defeat me.

Kino: Ehh? That’s so bothersome. Well, if you feel like it then I will.

Shin: Heh… I’ll show you now, you chatterbox.

Yui: Shin-kun, don’t!

Shin: Get back…!

There’s a loud bang

Yui: Kya!

Kino: Hmm…. the fighting style of the First Blood is pretty lame.

Shin: Ha? Don’t be stupid!

Kino: Ahaha, you’re not hurting me at all! What are you trying to do… other than break your own castle?

Shin: I’m going to kill you…!

Yui: (What should I do. I want to stop them, but its not like I can get between them…)

Carla: … Ha!

There’s a sound of powers being used and the screen flashes

Kino: Ggh… ku… ha…

Kino falls

Yui: Carla-san…!

Carla: What bad manners. When requesting an audience with a King… you should first declare your name.

Kino: Owowow… Well, that was to be expected. This is definitely the power of First Blood. I’m Kino, Karlheinz’s number zero prince.

Yui: Eh? (This person is also Karlheinz-san’s son?)

Shin: … There’s another hopeless vampire around other than those guys?

Kino: I just came to say ‘hello’ today. I’ll come again to retrieve Eve as I’m the one to become Adam.

Yui: (He’s looking at me…)

Crows caw

Kino: Oh, looks like it’s time… see you.

He starts to run, but pauses

Kino: Ah, that’s right. You with the long hair, you’re suffering from a fatal disease right?

Yui: (How does he…)

Kino: You don’t have long left, and if you want to keep hiding it you should hand over that girl.

Carla sighs

Carla: ….

Kino: Ahaha. Bye, bye

Crows caw again and Kino leaves

Shin: Tch, wait!

Carla: Stop… leave it for now.

Shin: For now.

Yui: (Carla is dying… because of Endzeit. His behaviour hasn’t seemed to have changed at all so I’d forgotten… it’s something he can’t recover completely from, so it’s like he’s always next to death.)

Carla: … What nonsense.

Carla leaves

Shin: ….

Scene change to a balcony

Monologue

Endzeit. It’s been a while since I’ve heard its name.

It’s because Carla-san was maintaining a behaviour that didn’t allow anyone to think of it. Even though it looks as if the sickness has lessened, it wouldn’t be strange for him to still be feeling the pressure of the attack.

He had to have been hiding it from us sot hat we wouldn’t realise.

When I thought about it, my chest seemed to tighten in pain.

Yui: (Endzeit won’t disappear at all—but if I worry too much he won’t like it…)

There’s a howl in the distance

Yui: (… Huh? Someone’s going with the wolves into the forest… Shin-kun?! Carla-san… isn’t there. He can’t be going to get revenge for before, right? I have to stop him!)

Scene change to the forest

Yui’s running

Yui: Haa… haa… (In hindsight, running after them was a little rash. I know I should have told Carla-san… but I don’t think I could have faced him after before… Anyway, I’ve come this far, I should go after them—) !! (No way, someone’s grabbed me from behind, who…?) I’m sorry, forgive me…

Shin: Coming after me this far, what do you want?

Yui: Shin-kun?

Shin: Go back to the castle. I’ll forgive you if you do. Hurry!

Yui: Wait! Shin-kun, where are you going by yourself?

Shin: … My brother is being eaten away by Endzeit. There’s no more time to waste. If we stay locked up in the castle like this doing nothing we might be defeated… I want to do something before then. The hegemony of the demon world will be ours again…!

Yui: (Shin-kun… I understand feeling impatient, but I don’t think Carla-san will be happy at all.) But, making a move haphazardly isn’t good. We should think of another method first, but don’t you think it’s a bit late right now?

Shin: Then it’ll be too late!

Yui: It won’t be!

Carla: … What are you doing?

Yui: Carla-san…

Shin: Brother, I’m sorry for going ahead myself. But…

Carla: … You’ve always been like this. You’re too reckless.

Shin: ….

Carla: What did you intend to do?

Shin: First I was going to visit the Wolf Tribe. They’ve always protected their domain fiercely, have a strong sense of duty, and the chief’s leadership is perfect. I thought they’d be the best to make a pact with and become allies.

Yui: (I see… so it was that.)

Carla: I see. However, listen well, Shin. We are First Blood, we don’t aim to side with others.

Shin: But before with Mertz…

Carla: I was unwilling, but gave in due to his worshipping behaviour. That was all.

Shin: … Then what are you saying we should do?

Carla: … We, both of us, will take the demon world as our own.

Yui: Eh?

Carla: … No, all three of us.

Yui: (Eh… he’s looking at me?)

Shin: … Brother...! Let’s do it. We’ll definitely win…!

Monologue

When Carla-san corrected himself to all three of us, my heart beat loudly in my chest. I finally felt like they were acknowledging me as a friend; my heart grew warm.

But, I felt a shadow of worry as well.

There was someone we would have to fight. The new person who appeared claiming that they would become Adam. I wondered, could survive all the confusion and fighting in the demon world?