#yeah he does and it’s Crick

[nezumasa]

Dead wife yaoi

[olive-riggzey]

I blame this post for making this dumb idea spawn in my brain

Because now I’m convinced that Temenos actually doesn’t realize what a twig he is, like a small dog that barks at much bigger animals on the other side of a fence. I DUNNO-- (Also this was my first time doodling like half these characters so there’s a lot of improvising haHA)

[moresrush]

By the gods, you are terrified of loving a man who tries to help everyone he meets --- but you chide him for his selflessness and you remind him, again and again, that you intend to keep him WHOLE as you travel together on land and sea. He, in turn, reminds you that he is no pushover, that it is the two of you against the world --- and someone should start warning people. He's going to make big changes, and you fear the ones he will instill in you the most.

[viridiave]

but I can't shake this feeling that I was only pushing the spear into your side

[blackbirdi]

Rain and Realizations

Brief Description: James is so in love with Y/n and Y/n loves the rain.

Point of View: 3rd Person

Word Count: 797

Character: James Potter x Reader

James and Y/n were studying in the common room together. Well, Y/n was studying, James was just there to have an excuse to stare at Y/n for hours on end.

Outside, rain clouds were gathering, darkening the ground of Hogwarts, and sending students inside at the threat of rain soaking them to the bone.

Y/n lifted her head after what felt like years of studying to adjust her neck; thanks to looking down at her work for so long, she had gotten a crick in it. She smiled at James (who returned it with a lovesick smile) before she looked out the window. Her smile widened as she saw that rain had begun to fall.

"James, look," she said softly, pointing at the window. "It's raining!"

James swooned. Merlin, did he love the sound of her voice.

His eyes finally left Y/n as he turned towards the window. The sky outside was dark, covered by grey clouds compared to the usual bright blue that it normally was. Raindrops hit against the window pane, racing down the glass; it was indeed raining.

"It is," James replied, looking back at Y/n. "What does it matter?"

"I love the rain," Y/n cooed, looking at the window longingly. She gazed out the window for a moment longer, then her face lit up and she turned to James. "We should go out there," she suggested.

James hesitated to reply. He would hate to reject her proposal and make her sad, but he'd also rather not go outside in the pouring rain and get soaked to the bone.

Sensing James's hesitation, Y/n pleaded, "Come on, please, Jamie?"

Red bloomed across James's face, he looked away from her in shyness as she used his nickname, reserved for her, and only her.

How could he say no to her when she was practically begging him?

"I – okay," James sighed, finally agreeing with her.

Y/n grinned happily, quickly packing her things away as James followed suit. Her things were put away faster than James, as she tossed her book bag to a corner of the common room where no one would touch it.

"Hurry up, James," she urged him, rushing towards the portrait hole, waiting eagerly to get outside.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," James reassured her, setting his book bag down next to hers before walking over to her.

When James was close enough, Y/n grabbed his hand, rushing them both out for the common room, through multiple corridors, and down into the courtyard.

The rain was falling down from the clouds in a light drizzle, the perfect kind of rain for Y/n. For James, it was another story: his vision had been blocked from the rain smearing his glasses. Y/n giggled as she realized this, taking a step closer to James and removing his glasses from his face.

"Can you still see?" Y/n asked him.

"Yeah," James whispered.

He almost couldn't catch his breath with her this close, her face inches from his. His head felt funny as her scent invaded his nose, not even the rain unable to block out her lavender scented perfume.

Y/n looked away from him, holding his glasses tightly in her hands, being careful to not break or drop them.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Y/n murmured, smiling softly as she looked across the courtyard, then up at the sky, the rain hitting her face and cooling her down.

"Yeah," James agreed, looking at Y/n longingly. "It really is."

And in that moment, that very moment, James realized just how in love with her he really was.

All he could see, all he could think about, everything came back to her. Whenever someone smiled, all he wanted was to see hers. Whenever someone laughed, all he wanted was to hear hers. Whenever he made eye contact with someone, all he wanted was to gaze into hers. Whenever he was alone, he craved her presence. He was in love, madly and wildly in love with Y/n L/n.

But she didn't love her, and that much was easy to see for him. Sure, he knew that he meant a lot to her, that she cared for him, but she cared about everyone, all her friends meant a lot to her. And that's all he was to her: a friend.

But he could live with that, right? It was enough to be her friend, right? He still got to help her when she was down, laugh with her whenever she broke into a fit of giggles, be at her side though everything. That was enough, wasn't it? Even though it wasn't in the way he wanted, he still had her. And that would be enough, right?

Right?

[ddejavvu]

I think anakin loves head and like I know that men in general love head but like he takes it to another level. This man would want to be sucked 24/7. and honestly no problem for me cuz I would give that man the sloppiest head in existence 😩

send me anakin thoughts/requests !!

this post is 18+, minors dni.

so the thing is that he just wants his dick sucked 24/7, you're so right. and it's not that he expects it from you, he knows it's not like you owe him or anything, it's just that.. if the urge hits.. he's gonna ask. he's got zero shame. he's not gonna try to take a cold shower (unless he has other, more important things to do, which is rare), he's not gonna try to muscle it down, he's just gonna be upfront and ask if you'll suck him off. 'cause like.. you do it so well. and why would he put himself through mediocrity, or even disappointment altogether when you're on the couch and you might say yes to helping him? you don't look tooooo busy, he'll just ask :)

once he gets into this routine of asking every time, you'll probably tell him he doesn't even have to ask. it's not necessarily a structured free use contract, you're just hearing 'angel can I please have your mouth' 86 times a day so you shrug the 87th time and say 'you don't have to ask, ani. i'll do it whenever you want.'

boy does he take that and run with it!!! you're relaxing on the couch sipping tea and reading and he comes rushing in from his workshop already undoing his buckle. you hear it and it's like you're pavlov's fucking dog, your mouth practically waters and you scramble to bookmark your place before it gets jostled. sometimes he straddles your thighs on his knees on the couch for easy access, sometimes you just slouch a little bit on the cushions and he holds your head to the side to stick his dick in your mouth. it's abrupt sometimes, you don't always get much warning, but you don't care, it's worth it. you'd suffer a thousand lost places in a novel or even another shattered holopad (he'd gotten a little too eager to fuck your face and had jostled the couch cushions so much that it had fallen face-down onto the floor) if it means you get anakin's dick stuffed into your mouth.

is he a little rough sometimes? yeah! do you walk away with a little bit of a sore neck? yeah! are you gonna decline his request next time? no! cause if you complain to him all whiny that he fucked a crick into your neck he'll lay you out flat on the bed on your stomach and massage it for you, which means he has his hands all over your skin, which means he's gonna offer to give you a full back massage too, which means his hands are gonna be really close to your ass, and.. well..

sometimes (a lot) it happens in the shower, 'cause he sees you naked and well.. not much he can do to stop that. he's a little enamored by you. which means you're kneeling on the slick shower floor with his hand tangled in your wet hair and water streaming into your eyes and sometimes blocking out your airway through your nose while you suck and choke and gag on his dick. You always come out of it a little out of breath, but you'd rather suffocate down there than stop.

god there's something so ridiculously sexy about the thought of just. existing. just chilling. and all of a sudden anakin's hand is on your face, hand cupping your jaw as he turns your head to the side. he's already got his dick out, it's in the hand that isn't holding your face, and he just feeds it right into your mouth. fuck whatever you were doing before that, it's not important.

if he's kneeling over you on the couch he'll fuck into your mouth with a hand on the back of your head, grunting and groaning and moaning and hissing while you gag a little on how far his cock is being repeatedly shoved down your throat. he revels in the way your face scrunches, the way your eyes well up with tears as he hits the back of your throat. if you manage to look up at him his breath will stutter in his chest at the sight of your red-rimmed, teary eyes staring up at him, and he'll heave out a 'kriff, angel.' or grunt, 'shit'

some other grunts and groans you might hear from him are things like 'oh- so good, so good, so-good-so-good-so-good!' 'babe. baby, i'm gonna- mmf! I'm gonna cum, now, baby, I'm gonna cum!' and 'good. kriff that was- so good. thanks for letting me have your mouth, angel.'

[corporatefrog]

꒦‧₊ ꒷ HEADCANNONS: Going on a Road Trip with Kyle, Kenny, Stan, and Butters (Separately) ✧.*

✧.* tags: college au, road trips, ✧.* Charactions: kyle broflovski, stan marsh, kenny mccormick, butters scotch a/n: I drove home to visit family this weekend and the 5 hours drive always drags. so i made up driving buddies to pass the time lol masterlist

Kyle

He definitely drives. Not because he prefers driving but because he refuses the thought of someone else being in control of the car that isn’t his mom (sheila is def a crazy driver but he’s desensitized)

He’s a good driver though. ALWAYS uses a turn signal, even if there isn’t a car behind you

“Kyle we haven’t seen anyone for 20 minutes, why are you using your blinker to change lanes”

“Well i thought i saw headlights in my rearview”

“That’s the stoplight we just passed-”

I feel like he’d love a good road trip. Airports are too stressful and driving means you can chit chat and get actual food and not hear a baby screaming for 3 hours

PODCAST LISTENER

He’s got at least 5 episodes downloaded depending on the genre you want

Like listening to commentary or informative podcasts so you guys can talk about them together

“So I downloaded a podcast about the history of Jeoprady and a few episodes of a JK Rowling audio- documentary- thing.”

“Have I told you that you are the best person ever” 

“Yeah, but you could tell me again”

Kenny

LOVES ROAD TRIPS!

Blasting music! Head out the window! Going 85 on a 55 back road! Let him in the car!

Prefers to be a passenger so he can be silly without risking the car crashing

He always has to stop for snacks at the beginning so you can munch on the way (and because gas station snacks are the absolute best) 

“Corn nuts?”

“Check”

“Bugles?”

“Check”

“Muddie Buddies?”

“Double check”

He’s got a mega playlist full of both of your favorite car jams that he updates regularly 

Definitely a ton of Black Eyed Peas

And some tyler the creator too probably

If you’re going on a longer trip, he is OUT after 4 hours

Absolutely drooling, head turned to a weird angle that’ll give him a huge crick in the neck once he’s up, but god DAMN is a restful

He’s up in 45 minutes and ready to party some more

If you’re driving through the night, he likes to stop and pull to the side of the road so you can look at the stars

And so he can piss

Stan

Give him aux or he will cry

Whereas kenny knows the difference between car vibe music and home vibe music, stan does not

Bro definitely put every fall out boy song EVER on there

Which like, you’re not complaining. 

He probably likes to switch drivers every few hours so you both can take a break and enjoy the drive.

He prefers being the passenger though, he likes staring out the window and unfocusing his eyes so everything blurs together

Probably enjoys flights a bit more honestly

“I mean, it’s like 2 hours and you’re there!”

“2 hours + 1 for getting to the airport + 2 for getting through security + 1 for waiting to board + 1 for landing” 

“Yeah and??? You don’t have to drive??”

Randy probably had a shit ton of frequent flier miles for some reasons so the marshs were a flying family for sure. 

Butters

Passenger princess.

Give him a blanket PLEASE

Whenever you stop for gas, he finds the BEST trinkets

“Look at this air freshener I found! It smells like honeysuckle! Can we put it in the car for the rest of the drive?” 

Likes to having music playing low so it’s just in the background while you guys talk

Definitely brings mad libs

“Okay can i have an adjective”

“Uh,,, Smelly >:)”

Bro starts GIGGLING 

He’d like to go on the drive just to play road trip games with you

Doesn’t know how pumping gas works

“YN!! You have to stop the gas!”

“What do you mean butters, the tank isn’t full”

“But it’ll overflow if you just let it keep going!”

“What-”

The sweetest driving buddy ever

[the-kr8tor]

can I request a Hobie and reader after they had a baby and she has like that post depression things women have and he also helps her change her diper thing cause she's still bleeding a bit, I feel like people completely ignore the realistic reality of post birth

Hi, hun! I took some creative liberties with this, hope I wrote it okay ❤️ thank you for requesting!

Pairing: Hobie Brown x fem! Reader/ Spider-Punk x fem! Reader

Tags: No use of Y/N, no specific physical description of the reader, TW blood mention, a dash of hurt/comfort, fluff.

It's Fluffy Friday!

ʕ⁠·⁠ᴥ⁠·⁠ʔ

You linger in the doorway, now all cleaned up, wearing comfortable clothes. Watching as Hobie changes the sheets of your shared bed, you feel guilty that you've bled through his favourite bed sheet, hands wringing together, index scraping at the dry skin near your thumb nail.

"I'm almost done here, lovey." He moves briskly around the bed, fitting the sheets over the soft mattress. "There" Hobie pats himself on the back for doing it quicker than he thought. His smile fades when he sees your frown. Glancing at his newborn daughter sleeping soundly in the crib, he makes his way to you, outstretched arms at the ready.

You step into his waiting arms, head laying instinctively on the crook of his neck. His familiar scent mixed with your baby's calms you a smidge. Hobie rubs comfortingly at your back, kneading at the soft skin of your waist.

"Do I smell like throw up to you?" He asks, trying to make you laugh.

"No, you smell like her" you nuzzle further into his skin, sniffing when a few tears manage to escape. "I'm sorry"

"What for? Don't be, yeah?" Hobie's eyes flicker towards your daughter when she moves in her sleep. "I'm not afraid of a little blood," he says softly.

"But it's your favourite sheet," your voice small, muffled by his skin. He knows it's not just the sheet, everything overwhelms you, Hobie wants to take all of your pain away. It makes him angry, not at you but at the pain you're experiencing even with the most wonderful thing that could happen to you two.

The only thing he can do right now is hold you, bring comfort whenever you need it, and help as much as he can to ease and calm your mind. He embraces you tightly, mindful of his strength, trying to absorb your ache.

He hopes it's enough for you.

You leave a chaste kiss on his jaw, wiping at the tears sticking to his neck. "I haven't asked you if you're okay"

Hobie smiles at you, placing a weighted kiss on your temple, he doesn't care that the angle will definitely leave a crick in his neck right after. "I'm okay, she's perfect, yeah? Let me worry for you two"

Heart soaring, you nod appreciatively, tears prickling in the corner of your eyes. A cry startles you, Hobie's senses warn him for a split second, striding over to the crib. Hand never leaving yours.

You follow him, smile slowly spreading on your lips as your daughter opens her doe eyes to stare at Hobie. She stops crying immediately after he carries her. She's Hobie's alright.

"Hi" you coo, thumb caressing her chubby cheeks.

"You ruined mum and dad's moment, huh?" He bounces her in his arms lightly. You giggle at his comment, glad that he didn't lose his humour.

Head laying on his bicep, you smile at the little bundle, bringing your index to her tiny hand, she closes her small fingers around your finger, heart melting at the touch.

With your little family by your side, you know it's gonna get better soon.

Reblog banner by @/cafekitsune

[ellephlox]

Echolocation

Summary: A bat gets in the apartment. You discover that Daredevil actually does have at least one fear.

Pairing: Matt x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Just some swearing.

The apartment was serene.

And it was serene in more than volume level. There were no bandages left unwrapped on the counter or dried blood on the floor. No paperwork scattered on the table; Matt's work had somehow hit a lull over the past few days. The billboard outside was flashing a steady rotation of neon orange and blue, rhythmic to the point of atmospheric. Outside, there were no sirens, no screams. You wanted it to stay that way, because Matt was currently in a tee shirt and boxers, stretched out on the armchair and listening to an audio book with his earbuds in. You were curled up on the sofa, a book in your hands, fully absorbed and hardly paying attention to anything else.

It was, mercifully, peaceful.

And then Matt's head snapped upward, so fast that he rubbed his neck as though he had cricked it. "There's a bat in here," he said, so flatly that you thought you misheard him.

"A bat?"

"In the hallway."

"I don't see anything," you said, twisting around. "Are you sure?"

And that was when the thing soared by your head, flapping near enough that you felt it breeze by your head. "Oh, shit." It circled overhead, black and small. You dove to the floor, snatching a pillow to cover your head with. "Matt! Get it!"

You expected him to leap onto the couch, maybe do a flying kick through the air and knock the bat to the ground. But Matt went on the floor beside you as the bat swooped again, his head tilted as he listened closely to its movements.

"What are you doing?" you hissed, cringing as the bat flapped nearby again. "Aren't you going to... attack it? Shit — stop dive-bombing us, you little—"

Matt's face was reluctant. It was an expression you rarely saw on him, and it was disconcerting. "I'm not a fan of bats."

"Are you serious? You're — no offense — but you're practically a bat yourself!"

"They used to get into the orphanage sometimes and the nuns would just let them fly around for awhile until they found their way out. I've woken up to a bat on my bed before."

"On your bed? Ew."

"It was just sitting there, like it knew I was terrified."

"Damn. We're going to have to make a list of Things Matt Survived. Diving out a window, hundreds of fist fights, double-edged blades, undead ex-girlfriends, massive building collapse..." you said, ticking each on your fingers. "And now rabies. You're an official rabies survivor, Matt."

"I never actually had rabies."

"But the bat on your bed could've had rabies."

Matt winced as the bat flew overhead. "Why don't you take the reins on this one?"

"Take the reins?" you demanded. "I'm not the one with superpowers!"

"So you're going to burden the blind man with the responsibility of catching a bat?"

"You really don't like bats, do you?"

Matt lowered closer to the floor as the bat reentered the living room. "Whenever they got into the orphanage, they really hurt my ears, because I didn't know how to filter sounds as well back then," he admitted.

"Right. Bats make high pitched sounds for their echolocation, right? High frequency pulses, or something?"

"Yeah. I hated them. Still do."

"Ugh." You got onto your hands and knees, scoping out the room. The bat wasn't visible at the moment. "Can't believe I'm doing this."

Matt's eyebrows raised. "You're going to catch the bat?"

"For your information, I don't appreciate your incredulity. And it's your fault—" You thrust your pillow you had been using as a shield at him. "—for making me feel bad for your ten-year-old self. So, yes, I'm going to go catch myself a fucking bat tonight. Do we have any fishing nets?"

"Yes, right in the closet next to my badminton rackets and surfing wetsuit."

"Your sarcasm is not helping, Matt." You got to your feet, hunched over in case the bat came in. "Where is it right now?"

"Behind the coatrack. Be careful it doesn't scratch or bite you, in case it does have rabies."

"Are you really going to make me do this on my own?" you asked, hurrying to the kitchen for a trash bag. "Because, seriously, you're more agile than a cat and you beat up bad guys at night, yet you're leaving your poor girlfriend to risk her life all by her lonesome."

"You were the one who volunteered," Matt reminded you, still pressed against the floor.

This is getting ridiculous. You straightened, pulling the trash bag out and whipping it open. "Alright. Take notes, young grasshopper. I'll show you how it's done."

Matt watched you with what seemed to be amusement as you crept into the entryway. You could see the bat, sitting on the floor. Scooping it with the trash bag wouldn't be easy. But now you were determined to catch the damn thing, so you neared it a bit loudly in hopes that it would get frightened and go back into the air.

It stayed on the floor.

"Okay, then," you muttered, bending onto your knees. "Stay still." You lunged forward with the bag, but the bat took off at the last second, its wings grazing your hair as it flew upwards. You fell backwards, desperately covering your head, but the bat wasn't interested in you; it continued back into the adjacent room and flew to the top of the stairs, near the roof access.

"I know you're laughing," you snapped to Matt as you got to your feet. "Why don't you do it, tough guy?"

"I'm content here on the floor."

"My knight in shining armor."

"Want a good luck kiss?"

"No," you grumbled, pursuing the bat up the stairs. "I'm going to get it."

"Don't fall off the stairs."

"Ha. Wouldn't you feel bad if that happened and I ended up breaking my leg?"

Matt didn't say anything as he sat up slightly, smiling as though he were watching a damn comedy movie. He probably felt like he was. You were fairly sure that you were projecting quite the scene in his world on fire.

This time, as the bat flew near you, you refrained from getting out of its way and instead slashed the bag through the air, roughly where the bat was.

And—

It worked. You felt the bat hit the other side, inside the bag, and you sealed it shut immediately, yelping as the bag moved furiously. "Matt!"

"Go release it on the roof."

"What? What if it flies back at me in anger?"

"It won't."

"Or it could come back into the apartment — I don't even understand how the hell it got inside in the first place!" You thrust the bag towards him. "Take it! I caught it, you take care of it!"

"Alright." Matt got up and loped towards you, his hands in his sweatpants. If you didn't know any better, you'd think he was strolling into a spa for a massage. He took the bag, twirling it a few times to tighten the top, and then went up to the roof access. A few moments later he returned with an empty bag.

You looked at him suspiciously. "Why were you on the floor the whole time if you weren't even afraid? I thought you said you hated bats."

"I do."

"But you weren't afraid!"

"I wasn't," Matt confirmed, grabbing you by your waist and pulled you in closely. "My hero. You saved us from the bat."

You pushed him away. "Excuse me? If you weren't afraid, then why the hell did I go just catch a bat with a fucking trash bag?"

"Because I wanted you to enjoy the triumph of catching your very own bat," he deadpanned. "You were amazing, sweetheart. And... it might've been slightly entertaining for me."

"I can't believe you! Lying there on the floor! You asshole! And what if I'd gotten rabies from it?"

"I could smell the bat. I knew it didn't have rabies."

"Of course you smelled the bat," you muttered, drawing in to Matt against your will. Speaking of scents — he smelled clean, like fresh detergent, and you wanted to bury yourself in him. Sensing your change in disposition, he pulled you in again, this time towards the couch.

"I'll make it up to you," he said mischievously, tugging at your sleeve. "Come here."

"Fine."

"Although... I might've gotten a video of you while you tried to catch it in the entryway, just so Karen and Foggy can witness your accomplishment, too."

And to his credit, Matt let you tackle him into the couch without a complaint.

A/N: I dearly wish that I could say this all comes from imagination. A bat spent about five days living in our house last week and we could NOT CATCH IT. Literally it would fly in the living room, I'd scream and dive for the floor, my dad would be hollering at the dogs to get them safely outside, and by the time we got our act together it would always be gone, in hiding, until it emerged again the next night promptly at 9pm.

[ordinaryschmuck]

Full Family AU Part 35

"Camila..." Manny's voice called out from the darkness in Camila's mind. She rose through it, blinking her eyes open and found herself on the couch of her living room. She turned her head and saw that Manny was kneeling next to her, Camila's hand in his as his face lit up with a smile. "How you feeling?" he asked.

"I...had the craziest dream," Camila told him. "Vee had left the house and we found her with that annoying woman who ran out at work--"

"Annoying?!" an aggravated voice shouted, making Camila's eyes widen. She then sat up and looked to the foot of the couch, where stood Marilyn, one hand on her hip, the other holding out the staff, and two bits of tissue stuffed into her bleeding nose. She was also glaring at Camila, but she could care less about that.

"How--HOW ARE YOU ALIVE?!" Camila screamed. "Your head just went...PEW! It flew off your body and into a tree!"

"Yeah, thanks for that by the way," Marilyn said, totally annoyed as she cricks her neck. "Not only did I think you loosened some bones a little but you also might have broken my nose! Do you know how long I'm going to a healer to use their magic on me now? For, like, thirty minutes!"

"...I repeat." Camila stood up from the couch, knees shaking a bit but Manny was there to get close and keep her steady. "How are you alive? How can anyone survive their head getting blown off?"

"Lady, I don't think you've noticed, but I'm not like anyone else." Marilyn then waved her staff and flicked her left ear as if that was supposed to mean anything. But the confused looks she got from both Nocedas proved that it didn't, earning an eye-roll from Marilyn. "I'm a witch," she said instead.

"A witch?!" Camila shrieked. She clutched onto Manny tightly, whereas he just stared blankly at Eda.

"That's...the least craziest thing to happen this week," Manny said, running a hand through his hair. "Man, Luz found a really bad time to fall asleep."

"Wait, where is Luz?!" Camila asked, adjusting her priorities to something more important. Manny answered by pointing a foot away from the couch to show Luz laying on the floor, King snuggled up in her arms as they snored softly. Normally, such a display would make Camila's heart melt, but the worry of what the hell that creature in Luz's arms could be made her heart quicken in pace a bit instead.

"Don't worry about King," Marilyn told her, catching onto Camila's worries. "He's just a little guy with big dreams of being the King of Demons. Mostly because I put that dream in his head."

Camila stared at Marilyn with wide eyes.

"Oh, I don't actually mean that he will," she added in quickly. "It's just a little lie to make him feel bigger than he is. Sort of like playing pretend. I'll make sure reality sinks it...eventually."

Camila narrowed her eyes at Marilyn now and turned her attention back to her daughter. She then noticed Vee sitting cross-legged next to Luz and King, wide awake and still staring at Eda.

"Has Vee been like that this whole time?" Camila asked.

"Yeah," Marilyn said with a shudder. "No offense, but you've got one creepy kid."

"No offense--And I'm genuinely not trying to be offensive here," Manny spoke up. "But I'm starting to think it might be because of you."

"Me?!"

"She's acting like this because she smells magic," Manny explained. "She told us she sort of...feeds off of it. Maybe she's smelling the magic coming off of you and it's making her...like that."

"What the heck kind of thing eats magic?" Marilyn couldn't help but asked, more concerned of her safety than ever. She then glanced at King, wondering if he'll be safe being that close to a magic eater.

"That," Camila said, "is a need to know basis. And some crazy bruja with a detachable head and inability to pay for her dog's check ups does not need to know anything yet."

"...Seriously?"

"Seriously."

Marilyn groaned and, for some reason, started digging into her hair. Eventually, she pulled out a deck of cards and waved them at Vee.

"Hey, kiddo," Marilyn said. "You want a snack? Here ya go."

She tosses the cards over, and they just smacked Vee right in the face. She blinked, sniffed, and then looked down at the pack. Then, like a beast finding a meal, she pounced onto them and started eating each card at a time.

"What...are those?" Manny was the first to ask.

"My Hex 'em, Hold 'em cards," Marilyn said as if it made sense. "They cost a dollar a deck, but have some good magic stored in them. Should be enough for the little monster."

"Don't call my daughter a--" But Camila's outburst was cut short by the sound of a little THUMP. She looked back to Vee and saw she had now passed out on the floor with Luz, cards still in her hand as she snored gently.

"Well, looks like that tuckered her out," Marilyn stated, a proud smile. Yet Camila couldn't help but stare at her with an astonished expression. With a bit of annoyance still there.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Well, I suppose a better introduction is necessary." Marilyn twirled her staff and hit the butt of it on the floor, causing a yellow aura to glow around her. "I...am Eda the Owl Lady!"

"Eda? I thought your name was Marilyn."

"What? Oh! That?" Eda laughed with a wave of her hand. "That's just a name I tell people when I visit. The truth is I'm the greatest witch in the Boiling Isles!"

"The Boiling Isles?" Manny asked now.

"A land from a realm that's just outside your own, with bits of our world leaking into yours and creating most things that you humans would call a myth. Consider us your next door neighbors who often dump our trash into yours when our garbage bin's gotten a little full. As for how that happens, well, I can answer that another time. But for now, I have but one question for the two of you."

Camila and Manny just gaped at her, neither knowing what to say or what to think. For the third time this week, all that they thought was normal got shattered into oblivion, and there's no way of going back.

At this point, all one can do is go forward.

"Wh-What's your question?" Camila asked.

"Simple...Can me and my boy crash on your couch for a bit?"

[stone-stars]

Transcript:

Caldwell: Here we go, Jake, these are some-- these are some retrospective coals that you're about to be raked through. Jake: Oooh. Caldwell: (reading) "What does Hardwon want to do after they've won the war?" Emily: Woahh. Caldwell: "Both Bev and Moonshine have family and homes to go back to, but not Hardwon." Emily: What?! Caldwell: "If it happened now, would he keep traveling?" Jake: I think there-- there was definitely a time where I imagined Hardwon-- I really liked the idea of him retiring to the Crick, because of how much he like, took to the Crick. Emily: Yeah! Caldwell: Mhm. Jake: But I guess now it's sort of-- we're not sure in what state the Crick is? Caldwell: Yeah Jake: But I do-- I feel like, Hardwon has-- He's pledged himself to Maw Maw. He's got-- yeah. Emily: Yeah. I wanna point out that I definitely consider-- like, I don't think-- When Moonshine thinks of her family, like, absolutely Hardwon would be in there. Caldwell: Yeah. Emily: So like, I don't-- Like, obviously Bev as well, but like, y'know, saying that "Hardwon doesn't have family to go back to"… Jake: Yeah, I-- I think-- Emily: You've got-- You've got Moonshine! Caldwell: Yeah! Jake: That-- I love that-- Emily: And Bev of course, I'm sure, but I didn't want to speak for Caldwell. Jake: I do love that Moonshine took offense to the premise of the question. Caldwell: Hardwon does have family! Emily: (laughs) Sorry. Jake: "First of all, he does have family." But I agree. I think that Hardwon definitely feels like he has family. I feel like there is a high concentration of them at the Crick-- He loves Crick life. I think he'd like to settle down there… with Triss. That’s what I think Hardwon wants. [Everyone laughs.] Murph: So sad! Caldwell: Are you gonna-- Murph: So, just absolutely, devastatingly sad. It just-- It makes me so sad for Hardwon. Emily: I also like how you say "with Triss." Murph: I-- I hate it. Jake: (Hardwon voice) "I just want a quiet stump with you, baby." Murph: I just hate it. Emily: And it's like, not even a specific one I don't think. Murph: (laughing) I-- It makes me-- It hurts me how sad it makes me, the idea that Hardwon wants to just, after all this, settle down with a dumb, mean person.

@operationslipperypuppet and i were talking about moonshine and hardwon being each others’ homes, and then this question came up in a hearthside i was listening to. and. yeah.

[cookies-over-yonder]

after-effects

During the ten-mile hike through the forest to the Crick, Beverly's legs won't stop hurting.

ao3

p.s. i'm only on tales of the crick so no spoilies please

Beverly lays flat on his back, staring at where he knows Erlin's picture is on the wall.

It's been an hour. Or maybe two.

And he can't fall asleep.

The unbearable pain in his legs is keeping him awake.

But he was healed, and his legs are fine, so they shouldn't hurt so bad. It doesn't make any sense.

Maybe it's a growth spurt?

A really painful one at that.

Bev cringes, and then sighs, letting a few tears fall.

He misses his home.

And his mom. And his dad. And Erlin.

At least there's finally a chance to rest, and tomorrow they'll be at the Crick.

So he just hums a song to himself until he finally falls asleep.

-

"Ten miles!?" Beverly asks Ol' Cobb.

"Yep, just a short ten miles then we'll be at the Crick," he answers.

"Ooh, this is the perfect time for me to tell y'all the story of the Crick!" Moonshine chimes in as they start to walk.

Beverly's legs hurt less than last night, but it's still a constant ache. And he doesn't feel any taller.

Moonshine starts to tell the story, something about two cousins falling in love...? And Pawpaw interrupts her to start whining at Bev.

"Pawpaw, I'm tryna tell a story here, where are your manners?" Beverly hears, his eyes fixed on the ground as he fights to catch his breath. They just started the hike, why is he so tired?

Moonshine continues her story, though Beverly isn't really listening as much as he'd like to, with the majority of his mind focused on the pain in his legs. It's a throbbing pain, not as sharp as when he fell, but still, it's severe enough to be distracting.

"Beverly?" he hears, distant.

Bev looks up and sees the others a little ways ahead of him.

"Sorry, didn't... didn't mean to... to fall behind," he says between breaths, jogging to catch up to them.

... Jogging was a bad idea. It's evident when the pain starts to get even worse with each step, making him feel nauseous, and probably look it too, considering the hand on his shoulder.

"Young Bev, you okay?" Moonshine asks.

"Yeah, just—the fish probably just didn't sit right, I'm okay, Moonshine. Let's, let's keep going."

And they do keep going, and Beverly tries his best to ignore the sets of worried eyes on him, and he tries to ignore the way he feels like his legs might give in any second. 

After what feels like five hours, but what was most likely just one, everyone decides to take a break.

Beverly sits down with his back against a tree and shuts his eyes, fighting to catch his breath.

"You sure you're okay?" Hardwon asks, and Beverly knows it's not meant to be patronizing, it really does make him feel like a little kid.

"I'm fine, just a little tired," Beverly says, trying and failing to not scrunch his face up at the throbbing pain in both his legs.

"Alright," Hardwon says, and Beverly feels him still sitting there beside him, so he lets his head fall against Hardwon's arm, and his breathing slow.

-

Beverly wakes up from Pawpaw licking his face, and he finds himself laying in Hardwon's lap.

"Mm, is break time over?" Beverly asks, sitting up and rubbing at his eyes.

"Yeah," Hardwon says. "You were out for like ten minutes."

Beverly stands up, and Hardwon immediately catches him when his legs give in, causing him to yelp.

"Are you okay to walk?"

"Yeah," Beverly says, cringing at his leg pain, "you can put me down now."

Hardwon does, and they all continue to walk, Moonshine with a hand on Beverly's back.

The fastest Beverly tries to walk is still slower than average despite his best efforts, and every few minutes, he doubles over, balancing with his hands on his knees in an effort to catch his breath.

"I can carry you, Bev," Hardwon says at the second hour when Bev's been standing still on trembling, excruciatingly aching legs and panting for about ten minutes.

Bev tries to speak, but the pain is so bad, all that comes out is a squeak, so he shakes his head instead.

He takes in a deep breath in, and out, and stands up straight, shooting Hardwon a forced smile.

"I'm okay. The... the exercise is good for me."

Hardwon exchanges a look with Moonshine and Ol' Cobb. Beverly tries to ignore it, but he can tell they're talking about him via rapport spores.

"I'm fine, guys! We're not even halfway there yet, let's go!"

Beverly starts to jog through the forest, and immediately regrets it when his body continues telling him to stop, before forcefully stopping him, causing him to collapse onto the ground, getting a mouthful of dirt and a face scratched up with twigs.

He lifts himself up with his arms and spits out the dirt, and when he tries to shift into a kneeling position before standing, he can't.

...he can't.

Beverly can't move his legs.

It doesn't make sense. They're not broken, he got a full night of sleep, he's been healed, he should be fine.

But they hurt so fucking bad, and he can't move.

He fights to catch his breath, and he can't, and his eyes blur with tears, and there's chatter around him but he can't quite parse the words of it, and fuck, this is just like when he fell from the tower.

And he's being moved, and propped up against a tree, and his pant legs are being rolled up, and he can't breathe, and he can't stop sobbing.

"I can't see any injuries," he hears.

"I—I'm... I'm... no—not injured," Beverly says between gasps and sobs.

Though with the way he can't move the lower half of his body from how badly it hurts, he isn't too sure.

There's more chatter that Bev can't quite parse, and he puts his hand in his mouth and bites hard. 

It hurts so bad.

It hurts so bad, and he can't stop sobbing, and he can't breathe.

There's hands on his face. 

"Young Bev, hey, we need you to take some deep breaths for us," Moonshine says.

Beverly tries to speak, but it comes out muffled.

He takes his hand out of his mouth.

"Sorry. My legs hurt so bad. Sorry, I'm sorry, fuck."

Beverly hears the words "broken legs" and "panic attack" and before he can try to connect the dots Moonshine is talking to him again.

"Beverly, can you hear me, hon?"

Bev nods, and he feels big hands grasping his own. Hardwon.

"I—I can't, I—I—I, ah, I, I—"

Beverly realizes that the only words he can get out are "I" and "can't," so he decides to stop talking altogether. Hardwon squeezes his hands, and Moonshine tells him to breathe with her. She breathes in, and with eyes shut, he tries to follow along, sucking in a quick breath, and letting it out in a sigh.

They do it again, this time Hardwon joining in with an exaggerated breath and a squeeze of Bev's hands to the rhythm of it.

Beverly opens his eyes, and he's greeted with the concerned gazes of Moonshine and Hardwon right in front of him, still breathing deeply for him to follow along.

"I," Beverly starts, breathing in, and out, "I'm not injured," he says, his voice raspy and weak. "Suh—sorry, I—don't know what just happened."

"You've been acting off all day, young Beverly," Moonshine says, running a hand through his hair.

"I'm just... I'm just a little sore. That's all."

"I don't know, man, you fell and then immediately started crying and hyperventilating," Hardwon says.

"I thought I broke my legs again," Beverly finds himself saying, quiet and shy. "Sorry, it's—that's stupid, we—we should keep going."

"It ain't stupid to feel scared," Ol' Cobb chimes in.

"That's right," Moonshine says. "Young Bev, we can get your legs checked out at the Crick if you'd like."

"That's okay, Moonshine, I—I'm—I think I'm fine."

"Can I at least carry you the rest of the way?" Hardwon asks, and Beverly nods.

Hardwon scoops him up bridal-style, and Beverly bites his lower lip in an effort to distract from the pain in his legs.

"Here, drink up," Moonshine says, and Beverly opens his eyes expecting to be met with a mouthful of Crick water, but she's holding up a healing potion.

Beverly downs it, waits a moment, and feels no effect.

"You feeling any better?" she asks.

"Uh... yeah. Thanks, Moonshine."

Beverly curls in on himself a little, and buries his face in Hardwon's torso, and passes out immediately.

When he wakes up, they're only a few minutes away from the Crick, and Bev's legs feel the slightest bit better, though still incredibly weak.

"How are you feeling?" Hardwon asks.

Beverly whines in response despite himself. He tries to move his legs, and he manages to wiggle them a little. "Yeah," he croaks out.

"Yeah?"

"I mean—I—I'm okay," Beverly corrects himself, "You can put me down."

Hardwon sets Beverly down slowly, keeping a hand on his shoulder. As they hike the final stretch, Beverly keeps his gaze fixed on his feet, one step after the other, and ignoring the concern floating around the adults accompanying him.

But the greater restoration fixed his legs, good as new, so there's really nothing to be concerned about.

The constant ache in them is something entirely unimportant, and Beverly is perfectly fine.

[analisegrey]

So…I only just started writing this, so I likely won’t have it done in time for whumptober proper…but figured y’all might not mind a snippet.

__

It’s with great effort that Vegas tries to set his anger aside. He and Pete were set up, were sent right into a trap with a supposedly-vetted prospective client, and so help him, whoever gave the bad intel had better hope they don’t survive long enough for Vegas to find them. When he does (and he will), he’s going to take them apart. He’ll have the pleasure of seeing what their internal organs look like, and if the person is very lucky, maybe he’ll kill them before that happens.

First things first, though.

“Pete? Pete can you hear me?”

It takes a couple of tries before he gets any kind of response. Pete’s frustratingly just out of reach, and so he has to wait for Pete to come up to awareness, groaning as he starts to move.

“What-”

“Careful, Pete. Easy does it.”

A minute or so later sees Pete unsteadily sitting up, swaying slightly from one side to another as his sense of balance keeps shifting. Every once in awhile his arms will jerk in aborted attempts to catch himself, forgetting momentarily that his hands are bound. Eventually he scoots back to lean against the wall perpendicular to the one Vegas is chained to.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Pete says, face scrunching as he brings his hands up to pinch at the bridge of his nose. “I’ve got a killer headache, but I think it’s whatever they used to knock us out.” He rolls his shoulders, and Vegas catches the subtle movement of Pete’s limbs from top to bottom. “Everything else seems okay, though. Maybe a little bruised, but not too bad.”

Ready to run. Ready to fight. Ready for whatever Vegas may need of him, should the chance arise.

“What about you, Vegas?”

“About the same, really. Headache, a bit sore, but otherwise alright. I could have done without this, though,” he says, lifting his arms slightly to highlight where his cuffs are attached to the wall. “Have a hell of a crick in my neck from being slouched weird before I woke up.”

“Oh please, I’ve seen some of the positions you sleep in,” Pete says, head tilted back against the wall, eyes closed and a smile on his face. “I find it amazing that some of them are compatible with having bones.”

[viridiave]

Spoiler-heavy thoughts about Crick and how the Game Mechanics treat Temenos’s story

So. yeah if you press ‘Keep Reading’ I should probably let you guys know that these thoughts are just a tiny bit unhinged. And again - spoiler alert! You’ve been warned!!

GAME MECHANICS AND UI

- Gonna preface THIS section by asserting that yes, not EVERY mechanic needs to be taken apart under a microscope and re-contextualized into the greater lore of the game. Not EVERYTHING has to mean something to everybody. Some of my classes in game design disagree though and honestly for the genre that Octopath Traveler is, that being a story-heavy role-playing game where the narrative is half the game, I'd say that integrating lore into the mechanics and vice-versa wouldn't hurt - in fact it ENHANCES the experience. The second game does this pretty handily through the EX Skills (the first of the skills being Divine Blessings, and the second being earned at the end of the story.) and the Latent Powers.

Okay the Latent Powers? Honestly that part's mostly for Hikari. Shadow's Hold/Light's Radiance is STILL one of the best examples of Gameplay and Story Integration that this game has

No I swear I don't have a bias for 'other selves'/'deep parts of yourself made manifest' what are you talking about -

I swear I can write an entire separate post JUST about the EX Skills. Mostly for Osvald, Castti, and mOTHERFUCKING TEMENOS AGAIN

aND THIS IS WHY I GO FUCKING BONKERS WHEN I THINK ABOUT THE DEMO VERSION OF THE GAME LIKE WHAT THE FU-

- Literally the fucking emblem for Temenos's story is a staff and a sword over the Sacred Flame like - they REALLY want you to know how important Crick is to this tale

- tHE FACT THAT CRICK IS THE ONE WHO HAS COVER. NOT EVEN HIKARI OR THE WARRIOR CLASS. IT'S CRICK - DOES THIS COUNT AS FORESHADOWING???

I'll like - write here what I should have written in the bath - and that's me being like 'oh it's because he's recklessly protective. OH SHIT IT'S BECAUSE HE'S RECKLESSLY PROTECTIVE'

I fully acknowledge that it doesn't have to be that deep. MAYBE I'm pulling stuff out of my ass. But allow me to go bonkers over Crick and his for-some-reason-worryingly-appropriate moveset

Man I wonder how bonkers I'd go over Malaya if she was allowed to throw hands. I want her to complement Castti's moveset so bad

- Also the fact that both of their kits complement each other. Crick's bulkier build was made specifically with supporting Temenos in mind.

My guy's Sacred Sword reduces the enemy's elemental defense. Wonder if that implies that the Sanctum Knights normally work with magic and/or magicians

aGAIN HE HAS FUCKING COVER which is PERFECT because early-game Temenos can and will faint if a monster blinks at him too hard

Then there's his OTHER skill Godsblade's Shield which RAISES his physical defense to SO HE CAN COVER FOR TEMENOS BETTER LIKE. AT SOME POINT I SHOULD JUST ASK WHY THEY TRIED SO HARD FOR HIM SPECIFICALLY

And I mean. It makes SENSE but I don't think any of the other helper characters really had this level of chemistry in their mechanics as these two do

Emerald and Gus both have healing moves for better survivability considering how squishy Osvald and Agnea are

And it makes sense, Temenos already has access to a healing move because he's a cleric

The thing that separates Crick from them is that neither Emerald nor Gus really have moves to further support their leads on the level that Crick does. Emerald is fast and he breaks well and Gus is clearly meant to be the DPS of Agnea's Chapter 1, but again - Crick has moves tailor-made for Temenos to go off and do his thing

You lose Pirro and Scaracci/ Rai Mei and Ritsu after the intro and none of them really complement the Throné and Hikari and vice versa as much as Crick and Temenos do with each other

The difference with them too is that they have established relationships with their lead characters prior to the story, sometimes even encountered as antagonistic forces

Pirro, Rai Mei, and Ritsu are all bosses that were once considered close comrades of Throné and Hikari

Scaracci displays mutinous traits throughout Throne's Chapter 1

Emerald subverts this by acting mutinous - which, his conflict with Osvald amounted more to a sacrifice of goodwill

He knows Osvald and how he acts even prior to the beginning of Chapter 1, so he's in this category of having an established relationship

Gus averts this completely by just being a genuinely supportive part of Agnea's life

Mechanically, you never have anything to do with these characters again past Chapter 1 - save for Rai Mei and Ritsu being bosses. Hikari's companions also play an integral narrative role in his final chapter, with Ritsu being encountered as a boss again for the final time

Crick is a subversion of all of them in that he doesn't have any direct relationship with Temenos prior to Chapter 1, and though we never use him as a helper character ever again he consistently shows up as an integral part of Temenos's story up until his death in Chapter 3: Stormhail

Weirdly Crick is also the only one out of all of them where the use of Path Actions is required more than once - Osvald has to Scrutinize Emerald at one point

AND GODDAMNIT OF COURSE THE FIRST AND LAST TANGIBLE INTERACTION WE HAVE WITH CRICK IS TO FUCKING GUIDE HIM I'M SO MAD ABOUT THIS BOOKEND IT'S SO MEAN AKSJKAS

And this in itself makes complete sense given that he has larger roles to play outside of Chapter 1 - just not in the same vein as Ritsu or Rai Mei, but the fact is that Temenos's story is VERY good at establishing and building up chemistry between its characters

bUT FOR MECHANICS WE NEVER HAVE TO USE AGAIN AFTER CHAPTER 1?? THEY WENT SO HARD AND I WANT TO KNOW WHY

- It's not as big of a deal as it looks but I also find it funny just how much fun the devs seemed to have with Crick's introduction and entry into the party - using the Path Action to fucking TROLL with him.

- ON THAT NOTE, LET ME FREAK OUT OVER GUIDE AS A PATH ACTION A LITTLE MORE

I saw a post on Reddit earlier about the 'summoning townspeople' Path Actions and it kind of shook my world a little, so I'll just put my response to it here

For a guy who makes it a point to tell people not to follow anything blindly it's INCREDIBLY hilarious to me that Temenos's Path Action is getting people to follow him blindly.

MECHANICALLY, it's because he's the designated cleric. Temenos has Guide, because Ophilia has Guide. But thematically it's interesting to think about just how antithetical it is to his central creed of doubting, and how this specifically applies to Crick.

I did go back and check and yeah - Crick's one of three individual people I was able to find over the course of the stories that has a required Path Action used on them more than once.

Malaya is one other example with Inquire, and she even one-ups him with one use of Soothe. And I'll get to HER when I get to Castti's essay - I mean infodump - because it's like. Somehow even MORE heartbreaking than this instance of Guide

While I'm here I'll also mention Roque, who also has two instances of a Path Action used on him, namely Purchase and Hire in Partitio's Chapter 5

But back to the dramatic aspect of it it's like. I really want to shake the devs because it's so mean of them to have Temenos's relationship with him begin by guiding him towards not only the cathedral but to a healthier way of thinking, and to end with Crick's fucking GHOST leading Temenos to the crucial truth that he's lost so many people to find, including Crick himself

- I won't scrutinize everything about the cleric class itself but I WILL talk about the EX Skills, because to me it's ironic just how mean they are. I'm glad that the irony isn't lost on the fanfic writers like I see you guys use these as fanfic titles - bless you all

First - Prayer for Plenty, the sequel's answer to how absolutely fucking broken Saving Grace was as a passive in the first game. Limiting it to JUST Temenos's natural moveset feels like it should be sending a message honestly - it's a way to prolong the lives of his comrades and he couldn't do that for the ones he held dear in his own story. Can't help but feel like the fact that this is the one he gets from AELFRIC'S SHRINE rubs salt in the wound - no pun intended -

Secondly is Heavenly Shine and it's like. It's a holy nuke filled with divine power that drains Temenos's magic reserves completely. He invokes Aelfric's name when he uses it to and to this day I think the reason it feels cathartic to use is because it feels like a manifestation of Temenos's wrath

Unlike Osvald's own magic kamehamehadouken nuke where he learned it out of a need to protect Elena, Temenos learns this AFTER his story - and maybe it's just my concern speaking but man I really want this to represent his sheer need to go absolutely fucking apeshit like my man is NOT in a good place after his story is done

- This is the part where I go into the tinier, 'definitely stretching this past the realm of MATTERING' details that actually have something to do with the game mechanics

Some of Temenos's class lines are reminiscent of Crick's own. We've drawn the comparison with Temenos's Sweeping Cleave line already and it's adorable

Temenos Sweeping Cleave [insert handshake emoji] Crick Sacred Slash: I'll cleave you in twain!

Reaching even further here. His lines for Lux Congerere and Sacred Effulgence also somewhat invoke Crick's declaration of 'cleaving the shadows from this world', but it's not exact and I'm just indulging

Lux Congerere: Banish the shadows from this world!

Sacred Effulgence: Aelfric, banish the shadows from this world!

I'd also be extremely remiss to NOT mention the recruitment of Ort in postgame and it physically hurts me to summon him because of the way he says 'I will avenge you, Crick!' like DUDE. Oh well at least he's grieving healthily

Sacred Slash brothers let's gooo

There's like. No way that I'll be able to fit all of this in my other thoughts about Crick that are dedicated mostly to his and Temenos's arcs so. It's like not even in a ship sense anymore even if I do think they're fruity as hell

Honestly I'm just glad to get this all out of my system EXCEPT THERE'S MORE, because Temenos's story loves to torture my brain and its themes resonate with me a bit TOO much

[homerforsure]

Encompassed: Coda for 6:10 In a Flash

Edit: Now on AO3 because I love attention

Pain arrives in increments. 

First, the headache that reminds him of how long it's been since he last ate, drank, slept. The nagging, insistent squeeze that doesn’t go away even when Maddie sees him rubbing his temples and offers him the bottle of ibuprofen she keeps in her purse. 

Next, it’s one sharp stab in the center of his chest, when his son, just a goddamn kid, asks the question he’s had to ask too many times before.

“Is he going to be okay?” 

“You know your Buck. He’s- He never gives up. Not ever.”

“Are you scared?”

“Yeah, buddy. Yeah, I’m scared.”

“Me too.” 

Panic tastes metallic at first and then like the sea as Eddie sobs silently on the edge of his bed before slipping down to the floor. He digs his fingernails into his arms and the fresh pain is an anchor, keeping him from spinning away in the churning dark. He’s gonna die He’s gonna die He’s gonna die He’s gonna die He’s gonna die. 

Then it’s the weight of a bruise–technically three, four bruises maybe, but they all throb in time over his shoulder and down his arm and across his back and over his hip and thigh. If he’d been wearing a tank, he would have been fucked, cracked ribs and all. But maybe then he would have gotten to stay. He’d submit to the white and blue gown if it meant he could stay. 

Hugging his son is a good ache, one that tugs on all the others and soothes them at the same time until he hears a request that feels like fingertips pressing into every place that already hurts.

“I want to see Buck.”

“Maybe later.”

“There might not be a later!”

They fall asleep together in a shitty hospital chair after Christopher cries out every last ounce of pain into Eddie’s shirt and Eddie picks it up and holds onto it for him because that’s what it means to be a dad. 

“He told me he wasn’t going anywhere.”

The crick in his neck afterward is a mockery of the rest of his pain and, god, does Eddie feel all of it when Hen takes Christopher to the bathrooms and to get a snack and he realizes that somehow, he’s alone.

No. 

Not alone.

With Buck.

Because Buck is still in there. Eddie pounded on his chest to drag him back and the proof of it is in green lines on screens and shrill little beeps that slice at his sanity like death by a thousand cuts. 

He’s crushed breathless with pain now. Not a heart attack. Heart break. It might kill him just the same. 

“You said that to me too, you know,” he says as though they’re shoulder to shoulder with beers in hand. It’s always so much easier to say what he means when he doesn’t have to look Buck in the eye while he does it. “You said you weren’t going anywhere.” 

Buck moved toward the door and Eddie’s heart stuttered even as he sniffed, fighting to right himself and pretend he hadn’t just destroyed his house and possibly his reputation in the eyes of his son and his best friend. “Thanks. Thanks for coming,” Eddie said. “I can call you tomorrow. Let you know…” 

He’ll never forget the look that Buck gave him as he slipped off his shoes and pulled his key out of the front door lock where he’d left it in his frenzied run inside. 

“I’m not going anywhere,” he said. And he hadn’t.

His fingers tangle in the blanket that sticks to the calluses on his hands and he doesn’t take Buck’s hand. Eddie knows how they fit together. His skin tingles with the memory of Buck’s too weak grip when he lay under the truck, later of Buck thinking he could squeeze hard enough to make Eddie give up and leave him alone when he fought through physical therapy, later still giving Eddie something solid to hold onto during his own recovery. What he doesn’t know is how it might feel to take Buck’s hand for no reason at all. He was thinking that he had time to figure out what it means that he’s been wondering about it more and more. 

“Tomorrow isn’t promised to anyone.”

“That kid,” he starts, coughs, tries again. “That kid needs you.”

Christopher is three for four on people he loves going into an ambulance and coming back out of the hospital again. Buck skews the average. Buck always comes out of it okay. He always- He always- 

“I need you.” 

This time the hurt is everywhere. It starts in his marrow and spreads hot through his bones and tissue. It flows through him like blood, perfusing his organs, flooding every cavity in a tide that can’t be staunched. It’s like every part of him that ever held love for Buck has been set on fire and now wails out in helpless, screaming agony. And there’s nothing he can do. 

Nothing, 

Except. 

Eddie grabs onto Buck like a lifeline, grasping his forearm and squeezing like he can pull him out of this with one good heave. He might never let go. Not until Buck wakes up and squeezes back.

[thedepthsoffandomminds]

Maze runner chapter twenty-five

Previous chapter

Masterlist

“Be careful Thomas.” Brenda said to him as you all followed Gally to a tunnel in the ground. You stood beside Newt holding onto his jacket.

“Can't Fry go?” You say to him, with a pout. Newt curled his lips up in a laugh before brushing your hair back behind your ears and kissing you.

“I'll be okay. We'll be back before you know it.” He tries to reassure you as he sits down to tie the loose shoelace on his new clothes. You do not miss the slight shake of his hand as he does it.

“Hey y/n, I promise I'll bring him back to you.” Gally smiles, it hadn't been that long but your old friend looked so much older than he did before. You thank him and give Newt one more kiss before moving back beside Frypan, who rubs your shoulder comfortingly

“Well, I wouldn't mind betting that tiger is hungry,” Lawrence announced from his door. Mai Mai shook her body excitedly.

Gally led Thomas and Newt through the sewers into the main city beyond the wall. Hundreds of people walked in all directions, some with masks on their faces. The city was almost beautiful, with it's tall sleek buildings and thousands of lights.

Gally takes them through the streets as a mandatory curfew comes I think action and police cars patrol.

The three boys climb up a grey wall to one of the highest levels. There was a small set up of blankets against the wall and Gally pulled out a large telescope, setting it up on the railing.

“Lawrence has been trying to find a way in for years. Place is crawling with soldiers. They got surveillance everywhere. Scanners on every floor.” He explained.

“Sounds like a bloody fortress.” Newt mused.

“Yeah, I thought you said you had a way in.” Thomas scoffed.

“I might.”

“You might? What the hell do you mean "might"?” Thomas could feel his anger bubble up again.

“Take a look.” Gally gestured to the telescope, “ I said I had a way in. I didn't say you were gonna like it.”

Thomas looked through it and saw the one person he had spent six months trying not to think about. Teresa, there working inside working.

“Look after y/n’s antics here they really locked down the place. It's harder than ever to get in.”

“Y/n’s antics?” Newt asked.

Gally sighed, “she hasn't told you, has she?”

“Told us what?”

“We had a guy on the inside. There was all this chatter about new human trials happening, then it all went crazy. Crick told us that they had a girl in there, the first thing she did was smash up a whole ward, then she was given something, the virus I think; but we don't know for sure. It didn't do to her what it did to us but it gave her strength. Like crazy stupid strength. She tore at least ten men apart trying to get out. It took like seven knockout darts to take her down. I didn't know it was y/n until we got security footage almost a week later and by then they'd moved all the kids.”

“I don't…why wouldn't she tell us that?” Thomas looked at Newt who was chewing on his finger. A million thoughts were going through his mind.

“Would you tell us if you massacred a bunch of people?” Gally shrugged, "there were rumours that she almost got the kids out as well. Security got really tight after that. Ava closed the doors that week."

“We should go back to the others.” Newt says.

“Yeah, hey maybe I shouldn't have told you, y/n won't be-”

“DON'T TELL ME WHAT Y/N WOULD WANT!” Newt shouted before composing himself again, “I know her better than anyone.” He breathed heavily and Gally put his hands up in front of him in surrender.

“Yeah of course you do. I wasn't…”

“Let's just go.” Thomas said, grabbing Newt's shoulder.

“No. There's gotta be another way.” Thomas shook his head and moved back to the table you all sat around.

“Like what? You've seen the building. She is our only way in.” Gally repeated.

“You really think she's gonna help us?” Thomas argued.

“I don't plan on asking for her permission.” Gally replied flatly. You didn't like the implications of his words.

“Am I missing something here? This is the same girl who betrayed us, correct? Same dick?” Brenda scoffed.

“I like her.” Gally laughed.

“What, are you afraid your little girlfriend's gonna get hurt? Hmm? Because this has obviously never been just about rescuing Minho. Has it?” Newt spat out from his seat beside you.

“Wait, what are you talking about?” Thomas asked.

“Teresa. She's the only reason that Minho's even missing in the first place. Now we finally have an opportunity to get him back. And what? You don't want to because of her?” Newt stood and stepped closer to Thomas as he spoke, causing Thomas to slowly step back toward the wall, “Because deep down inside you still care about her, don't you? Just admit it.” There was a venom I. His voice you'd never heard before.

“Newt, I-”

“ Don't lie to me! Don't lie to me!” He grabbed Thomas's jacket and shoved him against the wall. Seeing then what he had done,Newt blinked rapidly and tried to calm his breathing. “Sorry. I'm sorry.” Newt whispered before darting from the room. You look to Thomas and then darts after Newt.

He sits on the edge of the tall building.

“Newt?” You fears of his accident in the maze were flooding back to you. He looked back slightly.

“Sorry about that. Back there. I guess I can't

hide this anymore.” He lifts the arm of his jacket and shirt to show you the bite wound. It was dark around the edges and his veins were filled with the darkness.

“Why didn't you tell me?” You sat beside him but not fully on the edge.

“Didn't think it would make any difference. All I know is that WICKED must have put me in that maze for a reason. Maybe it was literally

just so they could tell the difference between immunes like you and people like me.”

“No Newt, I saw all of your files, you're immune just not as immune as me. I think, I think you're like Gally, but I can help you.” you slide your hand into his, entwining your fingers.

“I don't…y/n I don't want to be one of those things.”

“I'm not going to let that happen.” You say kissing him.

“We have to save Minho.” He reminds you.

“No, Gally, Thomas, and Fry can get Teresa, you and me are staying here. I can fix this.” you hold his head in your hands so he has no choice but to look into your eyes. A tear drops down his face onto your wrist.

“Guys?” Thomas's voice sounded from the door. You weren't sure how long he had been standing behind you but by the looks of his face it had been some time.

“I'm sorry, Tommy.” Newt moved away from the ledge and stood up, before he could take another step Thomas threw his arms around him.

“We can fix it?” Thomas looked at you and you nod.

“I need some equipment but yeah I can.” You say.

Next chapter

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