#yeah they are kind of just. ocs now. whoops

[mizzyislost]

apparently theres some rain world fandom discourse going around?? thats crazy anyways heres my gourmand and artificer as one of my favorite pieces of sonic fanart (its the last one)

[callsign-magnolia]

Undiagnosed // Ch. 21

Mature Content 18+

Jake Seresin x Neurodivergent OC

Summary: Katie Blair grew up trying to be the perfect daughter. She always struggled to be the prim and proper little girl her parents wanted. Big personality as a kid, but now at 25, she's the shy admiral's daughter who just keeps her head down and tries to get through law school. So what happens when she's had enough and with help from a certain Lieutenant, she gets out.

Warnings: Emotional abuse, trauma response, abusive parents, smut, mentions of thoughts of suicide.

Word Count: 3.6k

Chapter 20 | Masterlist

“Who do you think you are-” “Shut up!” I yelled as I turned to face her. She closed the door a shocked look on her face. “How fucking dare you.” I said as I pointed at her. “How dare I?” I nodded. “Yeah. As I grew up I realized what a shitty mother you were but I never expected this kind of low from you!” She was reeling. “Shitty mother? You should be grateful to us! We raised you with only the best-” “AND I WAS MISERABLE!” I screamed. “You raised me with so much fucking trauma! You want to know why I was so ‘emotional’? Maybe you should read these!” I tossed the papers at her, the paper clip keeping them together. She grabbed them and within a second her face fell. “How did you get these?” She asked. “My doctor gave them to me when I went to see her today. Asked me of I was taking anything for my ADHD and depression.” I’m sure my face was tinged red, showing how angry I am and I hope she understands the severity of this. “You didn’t tell me.” I seethed. “You didn’t tell me when you knew of ways to help me.” I said as I stepped closer. “Instead you let me suffer and struggle and be made fun of and called the weird kid my entire childhood.” I was in her face by the time I finished. “You let me suffer and consider suicide at fucking thirteen years old when I could’ve been in therapy and on medications to make me function better!” “They only gave us this diagnosis to shove pills down your throat! You don’t have any of this! You were and are just a bad misbehaved child! You needed what our parents gave and that was a good ass whooping! I messed up with you because I was too soft on you.” She stepped past me and I was shocked. 

“Too soft on me?! Smacking me in the face was too soft? Daddy beating the hell out of me with a belt was too soft?! You’re sick in the head!” I said and she scoffed. “I did what I had to do-” “No, you did what you thought was easy! Because you couldn’t buck up and be a decent person or a good mother! Because having patience for your child was too hard!” “WE COULDN’T HANDLE YOU!” She screamed in response. “YOU WERE THE WORST BEHAVED CHILD I HAD EVER MET!” It shouldn’t have but it stung. “We couldn’t handle you! I couldn’t stand to be in the same room with you! Especially when you were a baby! You would just cry and cry and I almost just stopped taking care of you all together but I knew if you died your father and I would be in prison!” My chest heaved at her words. It hit me hard how little she truly cared. I walked over and snatched the papers as a coughing fit hit me. “Maybe I’ll get lucky and you’ll drop dead. It’s the least you deserve after all these years of torture and abuse.” She laughed loudly at my words. “I’ll be here good and long after you’re dead. If I’m lucky I’ll watch them lower your casket.” I stopped in my tracks at her words. “No, you won’t. Because now I have a happy life and I’m away from the misery you’ve inflicted on me!” I said as I turned away from her and headed for the door. “Oh by the way, I was at the doctors for a flu diagnosis. Hopefully one of your lungs will collapse and you’ll suffer on the floor.” Her face dropped. My mom rarely got sick but she’s in her sixties so she’s more susceptible. “You little bitch!” She rushed forward and raised her hand but my fingers wrapped around her wrist, effectively stopping her. My free hand came back before my own palm connected with her face and she stumbled back. 

My chest heaved as I looked at her down on the floor, holding her face as she breathed heavily. “It hurts doesn’t it?” I asked and she moved her hand, revealing a red mark. “All the times you and daddy hit me, it didn’t just hurt physically. I sat there and I wondered what I could’ve done to deserve it, what made you hate me. But now I know all I had to do was be born. Don’t worry, you’ll never see or hear from me again. You can start pretending I never existed.” With that I walked out the front door, slamming it on my way out. I got in the truck and immediately left. I picked up my medicine before going home. As soon as I was home I grabbed all my stuff and went inside. When I got the door closed and latched everything hit me at once. I leaned against the door as the sobs hit and sunk down till my knees were against my chest. I almost feel like it would be better if I did something to make them hate me, but simply my mere existence made my mother want to go as far as kill me. Having my mother confirm they never loved me hit hard and I feel like my heart is being split apart. Eventually I got up and took a shower, knowing it may make me feel a little better. Once I was out I dried off, took my medicine and crawled into the spare bed in the guest room. I wanted to do my best to keep Jake from getting sick and that meant sleeping in here for a while. My mind raced with all the thoughts and memories of my parents, how I never truly did anything, they just hated me. Tears ran down my face, soaking my neck and pillow as I cried myself to sleep. 

Fingers ran through my hair and roused me from my sleep. “Hey, darlin’. Why you in here?” Jake whispered, leaning down to kiss my temple. “I didn’t wanna get you sick.” I mumbled. “I appreciate that. What did the doctor say?” Everything came rushing back and tears came to my eyes. I sat straight up, keeping the covers against my chest as I looked away from him. “I-I do have the flu.” I said as I rubbed my eyes. He hummed and kissed my bare shoulder. “I’ll make some soup for dinner.” I shook my head. “You don’t have to. I’m not hungry.” He raised a brow at me. “Are you sure?” I nodded, giving him a small smile. “I’m sure.” He sighed and kissed my head again. “Okay, you’ll holler if you need me right?” I nodded as I laid back down and he stood. “I love you, Jake.” I whispered as he walked towards the door. “I love you too, Katie.” He closed the door behind him and my tears came back. I leaned over to my purse in the chair next to the bed and pulled out my diagnosis papers. I read over them the words depression, attention deficit hyperactive disorder, and autism glared at me from the white paper. If Jake saw this would he change his mind? Would he no longer love me? The thought terrified me. I couldn’t lose him. He’s a big part of me figuring out who I am without my parents, I’m not sure I could turn around and figure out who I am without him. “I won’t tell him. He can’t know.” I said as I stuffed the papers back in my purse, laying down again. “I can’t tell him. “ I muttered, fingers gripping my pillow tightly. 

Two days later I still felt like shit and I haven’t eaten. “Katie darlin’, you have to eat. You’re starving yourself right now.” Jake muttered as he came into the guest room. “Jake, I’m just not hungry.” I was sitting up in bed doing some school work and this was the third time today he’s asked me to eat. I’ve been drinking a bunch of water but I had no appetite. “You’re not going to get any better just sitting there and not eating. You’re only gonna get weaker and it’ll take you longer to get over this.” I huffed, closing my eyes. “Jake. I am not hungry. Now please, stop pestering me about it.” I said. “Katie, you have to eat.” I slammed the lid of my laptop closed. “Jake! I am not hungry! Now for the love of God JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!” I yelled and he stepped back in surprise. I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Jake, I'm sorry. I just don’t feel good and I just want to be left alone.” I set my laptop on the table and laid back down, my back to him and the door. He sighed before leaving and closing the door and more tears streamed down my face. Another day passed by, it was almost time for Jake to come home from work and I was in the kitchen finally trying to make myself something to eat. 

I had decided to just do some noodles with a little chicken and tomato sauce. The chicken was already cooked so I just tossed it into the pan with the sauce. I leaned against the counter reading as I waited and when the timer went off for the noodles I heard the front door open. I grabbed the pot and walked it to the sink to drain them but as I went to tilt it I lost my grip and the pot went into the floor spilling noodles and boiling water everywhere. “Katie?” Jake sounded concerned and came into the kitchen. I just stared at my food on the ground and everything within me broke. “Dammit!” I screamed, grabbing the pot and slamming it down onto the counter. “I can’t even just make fucking pasta!” I felt like all of my emotions were just gonna explode out of me. “What dumbass can’t make pasta?!” My hands went into my hair as tears burst from my eyes. I felt like I was having a complete breakdown. “Katie, darlin’. Your feet!” My feet had been covered in boiling water but I honestly couldn’t bring myself to care. Jake rushed over, lifting me till I was sat on the counter. “Oh, Katie, your feet.” They were an ugly shade of red and I could feel them throbbing. Jake cut the sink on and turned me till he could stick my feet under the cool water. “Stay there while I clean this up.” I just stared at my feet in the sink. Jake cleaned up my mess and took my chicken off the stove before turning to me. He cut the water off and grabbed a paper towel to dry my feet. “I’m sorry.” 

He looked at me with raised brows. “Why are you sorry?” He asked as I started to cry. “You just got home and I made a mess and I just let you clean it up. I should’ve stopped you and done it myself. God I’m such an awful person! I can’t even cook for myself without making a huge ass mess and I’ve been so mean to you when all you’ve tried to do is help me and-” I was startled when his large hands gently grabbed my face. “Hey, hey. Where is all this coming from?” He asked as he stared into my eyes and I started sobbing. I was sobbing hard and he just pulled me into him and held me. I clutched to him like a child as my tears soaked his clothes. His hand rubbed my back and he whispered soothing words to me as he held me. “I’m sorry!” I cried into his shoulder. “You have nothing to be sorry for.” He held me for a few more minutes until I calmed down and I sat up and looked him in the eyes. “I went and saw my mother a few days ago.” His eyes widened and his face turned red. “Katie, why would you do that?” He didn’t sound mad, but he looked it. “I-I had to confront her. I couldn’t go the rest of my life without talking to her.” I spit out, hoping to ease his anger but I realized I had brought up a whole other situation with it. “Confront her about what?” He asked, confusion all over his face. I bit my lip, not knowing how to tell him. “Katie, what is going on? Is this part of why you’ve been acting weird the last few days?” He asked as his hands slid from my face to my neck. 

I slid off the counter and walked away, up to my room and he followed close behind. “Katie.” He asked as he stopped in the doorway. I had the paper in my hands and I stared at it. “When I went to the doctor I discovered a few things about myself. Things my parents never told me. N-no matter how you feel about this I’ll respect it. If you want to break up we can, if you want me to leave I will-” “Darlin’.” He walked over and grabbed my hand, pulling me to sit on the bed next to him. “You need to talk to me, Katie.” I sighed, holding the paper out to him. I buried my face in my hands as he read it. I’m not sure how long we sat in silence for but when I sat up his arms were hanging down between his legs as he stared straight ahead. “Jake?” I asked. “I can’t believe this.” He muttered, looking down at the paper again. “Jake, I’m sorry-” “You’re sorry?!” He jumped up and I got scared, he stood over me and I could swear smoke was coming out of his ears. “How can you be sorry when you have nothing to be sorry for?!” He asked and I was confused. “Your parents, the two people who were supposed to love you and take care of you kept something this big from you? Your entire life?” He asked, staring at the paper again. “Yeah.” I muttered, looking down at my hands, not wanting to meet his gaze but I yelped when I was grabbed and he pulled me into him. He squeezed me and I stood still for a second before hugging him back. 

“Katie, I swear to you, your parents will never be able to hurt you again.” I pulled away, meeting his gaze. “Yo-you don’t think I’m weird or want to break up?” I asked and he set the papers down before pulling me into him again, one arm around my waist, the other cradling my face. “Katie, I fell in love with you. Everything about you. Every little quirk in your personality, all of it. Katie, all of this is what makes you you and I fell in love with every bit of it. Now there’s just a name for all of it.” Tears soaked my cheeks as I bit my lip. “I love you, too.” I said before squeezing him to me. He held me as I cried, rubbing my back. “Is this what you confronted your mom about?” I nodded, wiping my eyes. “I was so angry when I found out I barged my way into her house and yelled at her.” He cracked a small smile. “And I hit her.” I confessed and his face fell. “I’m going to assume she hit you first?” I tilted my head side to side. “She attempted but I stopped her and then hit her.” My face burned with a blush. “Well it was self defense.” I hummed as my eyes locked on the door behind him. “I asked her if it hurt. I hope it did. I want them both to hurt like I have my entire life.” Jake’s face fell and he tilted my chin so I was looking at him. “They’ll get what they deserve Katie, but it’s also not good to wish harm on people.” I knew he was right, it would only tank my mental health. “You’re right.” I muttered and he held the back of my neck, pulling me towards him till his lips pressed against my forehead. “Why don’t you go put some burn cream on your feet, crawl in bed with some socks, and I’ll make your food and bring it to you.” I shook my head. “My feet don’t hurt, and I can make my food. You just got home from work-” He stopped me, shaking his head. “I just got home from work and I want to make you food. You’re exhausted from being sick and constantly thinking about what’s on these papers.” He said as he shook said papers. “I want you to relax and finally get some rest.” I sighed, giving in. “Okay.” I said and he smiled. “And you need to go get in our bed, I haven’t been sleeping right with you in here.” I pursed my lips. “Jake, I’m still sick.” I said and he shrugged. “If I haven’t gotten it yet, I won’t now.” I sighed again and nodded. “Okay. Where’s the burn cream?” I asked and he grinned. “Under the cabinet, in the first aid kit.” I nodded, trudging out. 

I did as he asked and put the cream on my feet and slid some fuzzy socks over them  before crawling in bed. I curled up facing Jake’s side, his smell wafting into my nose and I quickly drifted off. “Darlin’.” I immediately woke up, looking up at him as he held a tray. “Sorry, it was so easy to fall asleep.” I said as I sat up. He set the tray next to me and chuckled. “You’re exhausted. I reheated some of that tomato soup you had in the freezer, and made you a grilled cheese.” He said before kissing my temple. “Mm, thank you.” I muttered. I set the tray in my lap as he stood from kneeling on his side of the bed. “I’ll be back, gonna get you something to drink.” I just hummed as I started eating. It was good and I could already tell I was starting to feel better. After a minute Jake came back in with ginger ale and a second tray. “Here.” He sat the drink on my tray and sat next to me before kicking off his shoes. I watched as he wandered around the room, grabbing a pair of sweatpants and kicking off his jeans and longhorn shirt before slipping the sweatpatns on and crawling in bed with me. “Thank you for this, Jake.” I said as I leaned back against the pillows. “You’re welcome, darlin’.” He grabbed my hand, kissing it gently before letting go and grabbing the remote. “Okay, let’s see what movie we can find.” 

The following week I was much better and went back to school although I was shaking on Tuesday for clinicals. “Hey, glad to see your feeling better.” I was startled by Crystal’s voice as I walked into the break room. “Oh, yeah. The flu really kicked my butt.” I pulled out the breakfast sanwich Jake made for me before he went to work and sat across from her. “Last time I had it I didn’t think I was gonna make it out alive.” She said and chuckled. “Thankfully mine wasn’t that bad.” I told her. “Well let me know when you’re done and we can get started.” I furrowed my brows in confusion. “Get started?” She nodded. “Yeah, you’re with me. I was the only one who didn’t get one of you so you’re with me.” She smiled at me and I felt so relieved. “Oh, thank god. I was scared I was going to be paired up with someone mean.” I laughed. I had heard from Starla that the nurse she was paired up with was awful towards her and she left here crying on the second day of clinicals. Crystal chuckled and shook her head. “No, just me. Meet me out at the nurse’s station once your done.” I nodded and continued eating. Soon others filed in including Annie. “I’m so glad you’re back. Brooke and I are studying at her apartment tonight, we wnated to know if you wanted to join?” I nodded. “Let me see how I feel after today and I’ll let you know before we leave.” She gave me a thumbs up before walking out. 

Once I was done I cleaned up and walked out towards the nurse’s station. Most of the rooms were dark and empty as I walked by and rounded the corner to see Crystal in front of a computer. “Okay, have a seat.” She said as she rolled a chair over. “Kim is going to review all of our patients with us.” I nodded and sat down with my notepad and pen. Once we got everything I blinked rapidly. “You okay?” Kim asked and I nodded. “Yeah, it’s just a lot to take in and I already feel like I’ve missed so much.” Kim and Crystal both nodded. “Well better get used to it sweetheart. It’s all fast paced around here.” I nodded and she smiled before standing. “I’m getting out of here. I have the next three days off and I’m only going to use them to sleep.” Crystal and I both said our goodbye’s before she stood. “So, you wanna go check some vitals with me?” I nodded rapidly, excited to get started.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Taglist: @graceandpursuit @cherrycola27 @daisydaisygoose @rosiahills22 @deanoheartspie @cornishkat @high-speed-r @fogle97 @mygyn @ohgodnotagainn @emma8895eb @senjoritanana @kmc1989 @sandaltoesocks @dempy @itsdesiree86 @sunderland-6 @jstarr86 @brooke-stinson @rachkon @topguncultleader @bethbunnyy @topgun-imagines @clancycucumber230 @seitmai @kkrenae @djs8891 @shanimallina87 @wildxwidow @eugene-emt-roe @hisredheadedgoddess28 @littlewhiterose @formulapierre @wade-wilsons-chew-toy @bethabear @halstead-severide-fan @gg-trini @memeorydotcom @schreksdoubledeckerhomechecker @inthestars-underthesun @praline357 @fanboyluvr @greaser9902 @felinegrate @lemmons1998 @thegoddessc @lynnevanss @daddyslittlevillain

[inhurtandincomfort]

Hi! For the random OC questions: 14. What types of characters would they gravitate towards in fiction? drop their kinlist 20. What was your first thought in creating them? 27. List five of their recent Google searches. 31. Who are they afraid of?

For Eldwin, Jowan, Ancassius and Kieran

Thanks for the ask!! From this ask game

14. What types of characters would they gravitate towards in fiction? drop their kinlist

Eldwin: Definitely family-oriented characters. Hmm I can't really drop a kinlist because I don't know very many characters lol (during that vibes poll trend I quickly realised I consume very little media 😭) but yeah characters who would give up everything for their family, maybe have a sad backstory relating to family like Sanemi from Demon Slayer, also Tanjiro and Nezuko. This is not just me projecting but honestly Childe from genshin, tragic backstory, blood-thirsty weapon for the Tsaritsa, but he adores his little siblings and will do anything to protect them? Yeah that sort of character.

Jowan: GOOD FATHERS. I'm sorry but even his repressed ass would be a sucker for soft family dynamics. I haven't seen more than like two episodes but I think he'd feel something watching Bluey. I couldn't say he'd cry, because it's Jowan. But he'd feel something.

Also maybe Shinobu (from demon slayer) if you don't know she's a doctor, she seems sweet and is always smiling but it's a mask because underneath she's burning with anger and stole the personality of her dead sister. Yeah he'd probably think that's interesting.

Ancassius: Tengen Uzui. I'm sorry he was the first one who popped into my head he'd love Tengen. Bold, flashy, absolutely adores his wives above anything else - yeah. Tengen-type characters. (sorry I rly like Demon Slayer it's basically all I know.)

Kieran: He'd gravitate towards characters who grow from hardship. Characters who have been through so much but instead of choosing anger they fight to be good. Characters who could easily become assholes, but they wake up every day and actively choose kindness.

20. What was your first thought in creating them?

Okay, so Eldwin was my very first oc ever made, probably at least 6, 7 years ago now. Obviously, I wanted someone to whump. That's basically the sole reason lmao. I also wanted to explore historical fiction - it was initially very light fantasy, basically victorian london with elves and magic, but as since bloomed into a world of it's own.

Jowan was literally just a tool for lab whump. That's it. I based his personality loosely on Varian from Tangled: The Series, but he was never supposed to have been a full fleshed-out character. Then I made him a little too silly and a little too sad and whoops here we are. I'm glad though, I love him and I'm happy others seem to love him too <3

Ancassius I thought it would be pretty fun for him to compliment Eldwin as a character. I mean if Eldwin's edgy and serious and gloomy, Ancassius is bright and cheerful and hopeful, I thought they'd be fun together. In super early drafts they just worked together, but then I thought Eldwin needed a friend, so now they're the childhood friends angst. Yay for them!

Kieran. Because Eldwin is much more morally-grey, I wanted to play with the archetype of a sweet and kind whumpee. I also wanted to play with a famous whumpee but things didn't turn out that way lol, so that's still on the table for a future character.

27. List five of their recent Google searches.

ELDWIN

Cats

How to stop cat from scratching furniture?

I feel like I'm not real

How to hide scars with makeup?

Undetectable poisons

JOWAN

Restrictive cardiomyopathy

Blue Morpho

Introduction to psychology

Dr Otis Bell

How to stop nightmares

ANCASSIUS

Permanent hair dye

unexplored locations

what is skibidi

Black Syndicate

Junshan Yinzhen

KIERAN

Nintendo Switch 2

Video game gifts

How to deal with depression

Anxiety

Restraining order

31. Who are they afraid of?

Eldwin:

Is it cliché if I say himself lol. Okay, maybe...he's afraid of a lot of people. I think he still is afraid of Alistair just because he doesn't know what he's about, and he can't read him. He's been nice to Eldwin so far (notreallybuteldwinthinksso) but there's just... something about him. Not like Mordwen, who has this vague otherworldly-ness about her, no Alistair is very much mortal. Just... I mean, he's the leader of a mafia for a reason. And Eldwin's certainly heard rumours. I think he can't predict Alistair at all, and that frustrates and scares him.

He's afraid of Mordwen even though he rarely see's her anymore, not since he doesn't need her to teach him magic. But he still remembers what she was like, and the crushing feeling of wrongness when she's in the room. Almost like being in a dream...

He's afraid of Clyde and Nels only a little bit, just because he knows Clyde will punish him just for the sake of it. With Nels, it's less that Eldwin's afraid of Nels himself, and more that he's afraid of messing up around him because he trusts Nels to only punish him when he deserves it, but that still doesn't make it easy. I think he's also afraid of disappointing him not because of punishment but because he likes Nels...

He was once terrified of Vor'gol (his pact demon) but that fear has waned in recent years hearing nothing from him. He probably should be more afraid, but alas.

JOWAN:

Well, it was his Father, but he's been dead for several years. Hmm I think he's simultaneously afraid of everyone and yet of no one, know what I mean? Don't worry I'm not sure I do either.

I'll say Clyde makes him nervous though. Clyde has never and will never harm him, Jowan is working there willingly after all, but... he's just intimidating, and it's quite clear that he doesn't like Jowan.

ANCASSIUS:

Merfolk, in general. Which is a bit unfair as most of them are fine, but some of them are like... well I saw some like sea-naga art I reblogged ages ago, with I think hypnosis, and well, it inspired me haha. Reckon he's probably also made a few enemies in his time. Generally though Ancassius is very confident and it's hard for him to be afraid of a person.

KIERAN:

Lukas, of course. Need I say more? Also Heather to an extent, but we may or may not talk about that in the next fic, depends what I'm doing LOL.

It was Lukas' friends who got Lukas into making the red room and snuff content in the first place, he met some shady people. I wonder if Kieran will ever meet them too?

[seenoversundown]

Insidious : Seven

Jake Kiszka x Rory (fem oc)

Warnings: drinking, language, subtle illegal behavior, subtle nudity, Jake is a man after all. (I don’t think I missed anything but feel free to dm if I did!)

Word Count: 2.8k I think idk

Author's Note: I— 🤭🫠 have fun babes!

Albuquerque, New Mexico | Day 1 

After the night we had, all of us slept in. When I got up, Josh and Rory were sitting in the front of the bus, sipping on coffee together. I had chilled out after talking to Sam for a bit, but she was already tucked away in her bunk by the time I went to sit with the boys. 

Our show wasn’t until tomorrow night, so we had all day to kill. Fortunately for us, the hotel let us park there early, we just couldn’t check in. The three of them take off to grab something to eat, and I don’t know what possessed me to linger behind with Rory. 

“You don’t have to hang out with me, you know?” She says, walking into the bathroom with her little makeup bag. 

I wander over, leaning against the doorframe, looking at her in the mirror, mumbling, “I know.” 

“Are you just gonna watch me do this?” She asks, making eye contact through the mirror. 

My arms folding over my stomach, I hum, “Mhm.”

She just laughs to herself before opening the bag, and starting to pull various things from it. Watching as she just gently rubs a few things into her face, I could see the slight redness on her face. Did she cry? 

“It’s weird to do this with an audience,” she says, peeking over at me. 

Knowing that she was actually upset bothers me. Not that I’m mad she knows what happened, she probably needed to know about it really. I just.. wish she could have figured it out on her own. The last thing I ever want to tell someone is that kind of information. 

I’ve been in enough situations before where I’ve watched men do heinous things involving women and wasn’t able to help. Now that I’m in a position where I can handle myself in a fight, I’m not going to sit by and watch anymore. She may piss me off, but I’m not going to let her get taken advantage of like that. 

“Whoops,” I let out, still watching her as she takes her time. Truth be told, I find it a little comforting. 

Grabbing a different brush, for whatever reason, she asks, “So, what’s the plan for tonight?” 

“The guys are figuring out where they wanna go right now, so your guess is as good as mine.” 

She chuckles quietly, breathing out, “Well, okay then.” 

We sat in a semi-comfortable silence for a bit, just the sounds of her opening and closing products. 

“Do you get sick of being on tour?” She asks, startling me. Frankly, I had zoned out by that point. 

Clearing my throat, “Um, sometimes, yeah.” 

“I looked up what you guys had done before and it seems like a lot,” she tells me. 

She looked us up.. she probably felt like shit after what I said to her. 

“Just lucky, I suppose,” I chuckle. 

Hours pass and all of us find ourselves at a bar nearby, per usual. The vibes in this one seemed decent so I have to give the boys credit tonight. 

Ever since Danny found that Ruby girl, he’s just been Sam’s wingman when we go out. Not that Sam really needed help getting girls attention, he has an aura about him that just caused heads to turn. It’s beyond me, they don’t live with him. 

I wander around with Josh after we grab some drinks. Rory decided to follow us around, which made sense since she seemed to gravitate towards Josh. 

The two of them whispered to each other as we found somewhere to linger. I couldn’t help but watch Sam try to pick up girls, of all nights— not tonight, bud. Please. 

“How’s that beer?” Rory pipes up, getting my attention. 

I look at the bottle I’m holding and it’s already practically empty, telling her, “Apparently, it’s hitting the fuckin spot.” 

Making her laugh, which is an improvement from last night. She sips on her drink and then turns to Josh.

It’s been a while since we had any sort of girl around us like this. She was the last one and I think we all needed time before anybody else joined us after that. Though it was nice when Ruby visited, she really is a sweet girl. Incredibly innocent from what I’ve gathered— or was innocent. 

“I think I’m gonna go grab a new drink real quick,” Rory tells Josh, and I glance over. 

“Do you want another?” Josh asks, grabbing my now empty beer bottle. 

I nod, “Sure, whatever you’re feeling.” 

Keeping them in my line of sight, I watch the two of them go up to the bar. It’s only a couple minutes before I see her shooing Josh away. He comes back with two glasses, holding one out for me. 

“You didn’t stay with her?” I ask quietly. 

He shrugs, “She told me it was fine.” Pausing to sip his drink and then following with, “Plus, I could feel you burning a hole in the back of my head with that stare of yours.” 

“I’ll keep an eye on her,” I breathe out. Looking around quickly, asking, “Can you figure out where the other two are? I’m trying to make sure nobody gets too loose before..” 

“I’m on it,” he says with a salute. 

Trotting off to go find Sam and Danny, I find myself watching Rory at the bar. She really is a pretty girl and it’s hard to deny it. I don’t know what it is about her specifically yet, but something is just captivating. 

Alternatively, I finally see my brothers emerge from the crowd and Sam is chatting up a tiny little blonde. She definitely seems into him, which isn’t shocking. The moment she touches his arm I can’t help but laugh to myself. If she only knew. Watching them has me entertained for a few minutes at least. 

When I look over and Rory seems like she’s searching for someone as this guy talks to her. She’s been nursing the same drink for a while and the fact she’s holding it so one of her hands is over the top, she’s clearly nervous. 

Moving a little closer, she spots me, letting her eyes get wide for a second. She looks back over to this guy and takes a little step back. Ahhh, she wants to be rescued this time. Quickly drinking what’s left in my glass and setting it on a random table, I walk towards her, waiting for her to notice. 

The moment she saw me, I could tell she was over whoever this person was, but couldn’t get away from him. Trying to decide what to do as I’m walking over to her, she turns her head when she sees me, her hand reaching out towards me with a smile. 

“You made it,” She says, in an overly happy tone. “I missed you.” 

Oh, okay, lay it on thick then. Feeling her hand slide around my waist, I pull her into me, her head tilting up slightly to look at me, as I tell her, “I know, I’m sorry baby. Work was crazy.” 

Glancing over, I reach my hand out, “Hey, I’m Jake. You are?” 

“Oh, uh, Matt,” he hesitates, shaking my hand.. sort of. “I didn’t realize–” 

Smiling at him, I cut him off, “Oh, it’s okay, bud.” I glance at her and then back to him, her hand lightly scratching my back as I say, “A girl this beautiful– I can’t blame you for wanting to talk to her.” 

I wasn’t anticipating her next move, but she turns into me, her face close my throat and she lets out, “Aww, babe.” 

“I’ll just-” Matt points behind him, turning away. 

Giving it a second and then whispering, “He’s gone.”

“Ugh, thank you,” she mumbles, pulling back from me a bit. Her hand grabs mine before I can pull it back, and she just.. holds on. “He just kept talking and wasn’t getting the hint that I wasn’t interested.” 

Distracted with the way she’s casually just tracing the veins in the back of my hand as she talks. I can’t help but look at the drink next to her and how she hasn’t drank almost any of it. 

“I just don’t want.. that.. to happen again,” her voice is small as she says it. She looks back up at me, her stare is soft, almost scared. I look  at her for a second, I notice the way it almost looks like she has gold mixed into the brown of her eyes. 

“Hey,” I mumble, my thumb barely grazing her wrist. “I won’t- I mean.. none of us are going to let anybody do that to you, okay?” 

She just chews on the inside of her lip, like she isn’t sure what to say. Glancing over, I see the time on someones phone before they lock it, realizing it’s just late enough. Looking back at her, I can feel the uncomfortable anxiety coming off of her. Now’s your chance. 

“Do you just want to go back to the hotel?” I ask her, moving a little closer. “It’s okay if you do.” 

She looks back at me, “I guess you guys don’t really need me here, right?” 

“I’ve hardly had anything to drink, so I can wrangle them later,” I tell her, hoping she takes the bait. 

Letting out a deep breath, she asks, “Can you come with me?” Pausing for a second, but then quickly adding, “Just like until I’m there, then you can leave obviously.” 

“I can if you want.”

“Please?” 

She holds onto my hand as I turn and start walking toward the exit, pulling my phone out to let Josh know what’s going on. 

Me: hey i’m bringing rory back to the hotel, let them know to be ready 

Josh: okay gotcha

The ride back to the hotel was quiet, I couldn’t decide if she was still nervous or just uncomfortable talking in an uber. Either way, I walked her back inside, wandering to the elevator. Standing on opposite sides of it on the way up to her room. 

She whispers, “Thank you, by the way.” 

“Yeah, of course,” I mumble back. 

Walking down the hall and finding her room, she lets us both in. She flips all the lights on, and seems to nervously walk through the room making sure nobody else is here.

“Are you always this timid in hotels?” I ask, a slight chuckle coming out with it. 

She whips her head around, telling me, “Well, usually I don’t have rooms to myself so it’s less scary. But, lets be honest here, I’m not winning any fights.” 

Watching her pull her arms up and pretending to flex, I feel corners of my mouth twitch, fighting the urge to laugh at it. I spit out, “We may need to work on that.” 

“Why?” she flops down onto her bed after successfully checking the entire room. Yeah, I probably shouldn’t have said it like that. “That’s what I have the four of you for,” she giggles out. 

Looking at the floor for a second, I let a small laugh out, “Hah, yeah.” 

My phone vibrates in my pocket, I slide it out to check. 

Josh: give us like 10 mins, well be there. 

Me: just lmk when i can stall in here 

“How late do you guys normally stay out?” She asks, pulling me out of my phone. 

Oh, you don’t wanna know. I mumble, “Ehh.. maybe like three at the latest.” 

She taps her phone, lighting up the lockscreen, she tells me, “Well, don’t feel like you have to sit here.” 

“No, it’s okay,” I start. Hesitating to sell it, but adding, “I just figured I’d hang out for a few minutes until you we’re comfortable.” 

She gives me a small smile, “Well… thanks.” She stands up, grabbing her bag and then looking at me, “Actually, I’m gonna change real quick if you don’t mind waiting.” 

“Go for it,” I tell her, sitting on the edge of the bed and waving toward the bathroom. 

Scrolling through my notes on my phone for a minute, trying to ignore whatever she is doing in the bathroom. It is only another minute or two before she walks back out. My eyes feel like they’re deceiving me, but I blinked a million times and it’s not going away. 

Rory walks out, just in a bralette and these shorts that are practically painted on her. Doing everything in my power to not just watch her walk past me, but my brain isn’t in control at this point. 

The hidden tattoos on her sternum have me struggling to keep my jaw together. A few pieces I couldn’t fully make out on her stomach as she passed by. The blur of her legs passing me and I guess I hadn’t looked at her hard enough to notice the tattoos on her thighs.

My head follows her as she passes me and bends to put her bag back in the corner, and the way her ass was barely hanging out of the shorts– if I didn’t need to leave in a minute, I would be sweet talking my way into her bed. 

Shaking my head quickly as she starts to turn around, my phone vibrating in my hands making me jump. 

Josh: we’re here 

Me: give me one second

“Better?” I ask, trying to look respectfully at her but, god, she’s making it difficult. 

She nods a few times, plugging her phone in and flipping open the covers. I try to stop her from getting too comfortable.

“Why don’t you come lock me out?” I ask. “That way we know you’re safe.” 

Standing up from her bed, I start to walk out and wait for her to come grab the door from me. Turning to face her, telling her, “Text one of us if you need anything, okay?” 

“That works,” she says. Whispering, “Thank you again. I’ll see you in the morning.”

My eyes drop from hers, glancing down at her body for a split second, before I say, “Get some rest.” 

30 minutes later.. 

“Ready?” I look back at the three of them, Sam pulling his hair back into a bun. 

I pull the door open, not hearing an alarm. We all make our way into the building, seeing a soft light coming from down the hall. The click of the heavy door shutting louder than I would have liked. 

“Hello?”

We all stare at each other as I shake my head silently. Moving through the halls of this building, trying to figure out where we’re supposed to be. It feels like years trying to stay as quiet as possible as we do this, but we finally get a grip on where we are when we’re faced with a problem. 

“Who are you?” they ask. 

Glancing back at the boys, before I answer, “I think you already know, don’t you?” 

“No,” the hesitation in their voice enough to know that tonight would be an easy night on us. “I don’t owe them anything.” 

Stepping toward them, cracking my neck on both sides, I smirk at them, “Sadly, I’ve been told that you do. So, we can make this easy or..” 

Six

Eight

Masterpost

Taglist: (reply or dm to be added)

@gvfsstardust @myleftsock @imleavingyoufornewyork @dont-go-home-without-me

@literal-dead-leaf @lizzys-sunflower @mackalah @klarxtr

@edgingthedarkness @writingcold @takenbythemadness @i-love-gvf

@earthgrlsreasy @peaceloveunitygvf @gretavanfan @musicspeaks

@jazzyfigz @smoking-jakelane @demonrat444 @hollyco

@josh-iamyour-mama @wrldabomination @broken0mens @whereiskeara

@gvf-luna @lilbitx @gvfstuddedmajesty @katuschka @chloeshell1219

@becinabubblegvf @scoreofinfantryvines @ourlovesdesires

@sanguinebats @nicoleghost18 @lightmy-love

@monkeylaura627 @myownparadise96 @cheersdannyx2 @dyslexicchild13

@lallisonl @mohollandtx @fleetingjake @allof--mylove

@anythingforjtk @musicislove3389

@i-choose-the-road @demolitiondanchipsversion @godly-sinsx

@joshylanefleet @alantern-inthenight

@justwantjosh

[rubykgrant]

This took entirely too long to finish because I wanted to give them pretty outfits, and I know nothing of fashion, so I re-drew the clothes like a dozen times, and I finally don't hate it at least, so I'm done!

ANYWAY, what's this? Is that Tucker and Poppy? Yeah... I didn't plan this. I had many different scenarios for how Poppy meets the other characters, some in small groups, a few one-on-one. The real defining relationships I had in mind for her was giving Red Team a new person (they get so few), it was really important that she meets Sarge first when he's missing his boys (but doesn't want to admit it), and when she joins the group, Simmons THINKS he's gonna hate her, but nah- they just vibe (he in particular doesn't have a buddy except for Grif, he needs another friend!). Yes, Poppy is also a secret (fake) Freelancer, but she wasn't involved with the main shenanigans back in the day, so she doesn't have a strong past connection to Wash and Carolina (but Red Team is still proud they finally got their own Freelancer, even if she wasn't "official"!). The way I had her meet Tucker; Sarge wants somebody to give an example of Freelancer training to the soldiers he's working with (not yet knowing that Poppy was part of that). Wash and Carolina are busy... but, hey! Tucker went through that kind of training, and he's got the calves to prove it! Tucker arrives a little early, planning on making a cool entrance... and then he falls down a hill. Poppy is the only one around at the time, so she helps him back to his feet, and promises not to tell anybody what happened. When she introduces herself, she uses her first name, so he returns in kind- Lavernius. As the training demonstration goes on, Tucker and Poppy occasionally make quiet little sarcastic comments the others don't hear, and when Tucker says something that makes her laugh, Poppy happily tells him- "Hey, you're funny!". Tucker isn't used to people appreciating his quips, so he has a little moment where he goes... "I am?"

WHOOPS. That was cute. I didn't plan on that being so cute. I really didn't. It just happened. Now I had the problem of imagining how far they could go with this. Honestly, I was a little hesitant to have an established character in a relationship with one of my OCs... it felt almost arrogant or something, like- look at my OC, she's so special, and this cool character LOVES HER. It also felt like I was being dismissive to other relationships people like that involve Tucker (which is a lot, because he is indeed a lover-boy). So, even as I continued to think about my RVB story-line, I kinda kept anything with Tucker and Poppy off-to-the-side in my head. They kept being cute, though. He really decided- "I will prove how mature and polite I am capable of being by NOT hitting on the first new girl we've had in the group", and then he caught FEELINGS. He doesn't know what to do with those when they're SERIOUS. It really doesn't need to be so complicated, though; Poppy likes him right away. She knows she going to fall in love with him, and when she does, she just waits for him to kinda catch up. There are a lot of things they wind up sharing, including humor, quiet moments, comfort. They show each other their favorite movies, they ask "what is something you never got to do when you were younger?" and then help each other do those things (and Tucker feels what it's like when somebody is interested in you with a soft and slow kind of passion, that can still be fun and playful. not only did I realize how cute they could be... I realized how much Poppy would adore him. Tucker doesn't have to do any flirty smooth-talking, or prove anything to her. she wants him to know how much she appreciates being able to listen to him talk, being able to hold him, being able to share this closeness, and what it really means for her, who has never been drawn to anybody before, or even felt lonely for something she didn't care if she might be missing. they're both together now, and nobody has to miss anything~)

Tucker is standing in front, with Poppy behind him, She has her arms wrapped around his waist, one hand on his hip, the other hooking her fingers to the hem of his pants. Poppy is leaned over slightly, pressing her face to the crook of his neck, kissing him where the skin is exposed. Tucker has one hand raised in a thumbs-up, the other holding Poppy's arm at the wrist. One of Tucker's legs is raised slightly, where Poppy's knee brushed against his inner thigh. He has a proud smile on his face, giving a wink. Tucker has short black hair, warm-dark brown skin, and tiny double stud silver earrings. His shirt has a loose unbuttoned collar, with the sleeves rolled up above his elbow. The color is mostly dark-teal, with a pattern similar to celestial/astrology circles and stars in a lighter aqua. His long-sleeved under shirt is a vibrant peach tone. His pants are a pale cream color with a darker shade from the knees-down, with short boots that are a foggy-gray. Poppy is wearing a top that is styled like an a-symmetrical vest in a pale seashell white, with a wrapped sash around her waist that is a dusty rose color. Her skirt is a gradient of turquoise/yellow/pink in pastel colors, with dark mauve leggings, and short red boots with buttons on the side. Poppy has a sandy-tan skin tone, and long brown hair with lengths parted in the center and swept back from her face. Her expression is relaxed and pleased

[anniesocsandgeneralstore]

↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺ 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚 | 𝐣𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐱 𝐨𝐜 | 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞

Summary: A mission at Christmas time - you would think the universe would take it easy on them. Instead, Juno's life changes forever when she gets injured, and John decides to be selfish. (wc: 7350 whoops)

Warnings: fake relationship but only briefly, there is czech in this and i tried my best, another superhuman person, child kidnapping/hostage situation, violence, blood, oc becomes deaf, walker is emotionally constipated about his divorce, thunderbolts spoilers this is so long I'm so sorry

✎……surprise, this character is disabled!

TRACK ONE | TRACK TWO | MASTERLIST

“So where did we get married?” Juno asked as she shrugged on her coat.

“Um…” John thought for a moment as he went through the motions of clipping his gun holster to his belt, then remembering he had a walking armory with him and deciding to leave it at home. “You’re from New York, right? There.”

“Nah. That’s not really her style.”

He looked over at her with an incredulous expression. “Her?”

“Yeah. I’m not, like…Super great at undercover stuff. So having a full backstory helps,” she said, winding a thick scarf around her neck. “My name is Alma Penner. I like hiking, rock climbing, travelling, and white water rafting. Grew up in Tennessee. Dad’s a doctor.”

“You sound rich,” John scoffed, but there was some humor behind it. “What’s my name then?”

“I don’t know…I was thinking maybe Ryan?”

“Ryan? Nah, that’s not him.” He poked fun at her and she rolled her eyes as he grabbed his coat. “How about Cooper?”

“Cooper Penner? It rhymes!”

John put his hand on the door with a huff. “This really doesn’t matter. No one’s gonna ask what our names are.”

“They might,” she replied.

“They won’t.”

He opened the door and they stepped out into the street. 

Prague really was beautiful this time of year. The Christmas trees were up, the markets were teeming with people, there was the perfect amount of snow on the ground. Fine enough to be plowed away and the streets to be cleared, but high enough to leave a light blanket in yards and on rooftops. Juno’s breath billowed into the night air like smoke as they walked to Wencelas Square.

John kept close to her side. Elbows brushing. Never keeping her more than an arm’s length away. Juno looked up at him. He looked…Different out of his suit. Jeans, cable knit sweater, long wool coat. He had changed on her again and she hadn’t even noticed until they were walking along those cobbled streets. He had kept the longer hair and the beard, but there was a trimness to it now. He looked like he could finally sleep at night. His clothes were back to that rigid order she had known him for. A slow change, but a good one. The way he looked down at her as he was bumped closer to her side, he knew that she saw it in him. She supposed she looked different to him too in her plaid coat, bulky scarf, and hat. They just looked like regular civilians. A couple, even. That’s what Valentina wanted all of Prague to believe anyway.

The square was packed with people. Locals and tourists alike — all of them talking, laughing, or singing carols. A band was playing jaunty Christmas music somewhere. The pathways between stalls selling souvenirs, ornaments, and all kinds of Czech cuisine were lined with lights. A fresh snowfall was beginning to start, light and sparkling. It was beautiful, like something pulled out of a postcard. 

She was nearly starting to forget what they were doing, allowing herself to get distracted by a stall selling stained glass window hangings. Until John grabbed a hold of her bicep to keep her close at his side.

Right. They weren’t here to enjoy the market. They were following a target. He quickly pivoted to guiding her arm to loop through his.

“Watch your step, Alma,” he muttered just for her to hear.

When she looked up, a smirk was quirking the corner of his mouth. A tease. A jab. But it just made her grin in her small way, using her other hand to curl around his arm as well. “Will do, Coop.”

He rolled his eyes with a snort that was entirely ungentlemanly. Juno hid her grin, showing slightly crooked teeth, in the softness of her scarf. Another moment to forget what they were doing. Allowing herself to get distracted by how easy it was with John. Too easy. It scared her in some ways. Since that month-long stint in France there had been some kind of open door policy between them. He had never set foot in her apartment, God no. Metaphorically. Emotionally. She let him see and she saw right back. Unspoken but there. Understanding that didn’t need to be voiced. They both had their shit. Their skeletons. Their reasons. And it was enough to let it be. 

 “Come on. We can do recon from there.”

John pointed at a place selling sausages a few yards ahead. A place lined with lights and had a few tables out front for people to stand and eat. She could smell the spices used in the meat from there. It broke whatever spell had been cast over her. She pulled down her scarf and nodded without a word. Right. The mission. The target. He could be anywhere. 

They got in line for the stand, trying to act casual as they scanned the crowd, and when they got to the window the seller grinned at them widely. “Dobrý večer! Co si přejete?”

“Uh, two, please,” John said as he pulled his wallet from the inner pocket of his coat — filled with bills courtesy of OXE. 

“Ah, Americans! What brings you to Prague, eh? Besides our beautiful Christmas markets!” He laughed heartily as he grabbed a pair of tongs and began scooping sausages from the grill in front of him.

John wrapped his arm around Juno’s waist and smiled down at her. “We’re on our honeymoon.”

She could feel him through every layer she had on. The weight. The warmth. Professional as she was, it was hard to ignore. He pulled her in tight. Like it was something he had done a thousand times. And maybe it had been, with his wife. His real wife. The one who left him. She wondered if he was thinking about her then. Their own honeymoon. 

Did he wish she was her?

She serpentined her arm around him in return, not as well practiced, almost tentative, and grinned up at him, hoping that it was convincing. Her acting had never been the best. The seller seemed to buy it, at least. John certainly didn’t, as he kissed the top of her head for added effect. She felt it down to her soul.

“Young love,” the seller sighed, placing the sausages in buns on plates. “How long are you here for?”

“Just a few days,” John answered vaguely, untangling himself from her to give the man his due.

“Well, have fun.” He handed them their food and waved. “And Veselé Vánoce!”

They took their sausage and found an empty table closest to the pathway. The perfect vantage point to look for their target. Juno could see everyone as they passed by, hoping it seemed like she was just checking out the other stalls across the way, as she loaded her food with mustard. She took a bite as she took her place across from John and nearly moaned.

“Holy shit, that’s good,” she said, wiping spare sauce from her chin.

He looked at her for a moment. Something caught on his face like adoration or confusion. He settled on shaking his head before taking something small from his pocket and shoving it in his ear. Right. Earpiece. Mission. Valentina waiting in some OXE control room for them to do their job.

“Val, you sure our guy is here? There’s…Thousands of people here. He’s gonna be hard to spot.”

Juno quickly dug out her own earpiece, trying to avoid the mustard on her fingers, to hear Valentina’s reply. “He’s there. He messaged his girlfriend earlier today that he would meet her for a bag of things before heading to the airport. We need to stop him.”

Jesus, how were they supposed to find one man in this crowd? They continued to eat their food in silence, watching the people and hoping Valentina would have more information for them soon. They finished their meal and John took away the trash. Still radio silence. When he came back, he took her hand across the cold metal and it nearly made her jump. As he turned her hand, so much smaller than his own, palm down and ran his thumb over a raised scar on the back of her hand, he glanced over at the sausage stand suggestively. And there was the seller with a lull in customers, looking at them with a smile and a hand on his hip like he was watching his own kid dance at their wedding. For a moment, Juno didn’t know what to do. John ran hot. His skin felt wonderful in comparison to the frigid air. Part of her wanted to curl into it. Some lost little bird finally finding a place to land. Somewhere warm and safe. But the other part felt foreign, wanted to retract and hide and hiss. It was all part of the act. She knew that. But she couldn’t help the way she squeezed his fingers yet sat up pin straight — as far away as she could get without fleeing the scene. John’s eyebrows furrowed, his thumb stopped that repetitive motion that was driving her insane.

“Our guy just sent another text,” Valentina spoke into their ears, suddenly, it nearly made them jump. “They’re meeting at the fish soup stand in the center of the square. Move out, now.”

They tried to keep up the act for the vendor still watching, or at least John did, as they casually pulled away from the table — hands still joined — and back into the ever moving crowd. As soon as they were lost in the noise and bustle of thick coats and wool hats, they disconnected. Juno discreetly created a forty-five, his preferred weapon of choice, and slipped it into his pocket. No need to make her own yet. There was still time. 

They headed back to the center of the market. To the fish soup stand with a giant cauldron over a fire — bubbling away the carp and potatoes and herbs she couldn’t place. It smelled wonderful, something homey and the sea about it. Juno longed to try it but there was no time. No more enjoying the market, even if only for a moment. It was less busy here, people had moved on to other places in the market or filtered out through the exit. And there, waiting at one of the tables by the fire, was the man tehy were looking for. Disheveled, long, thin hair in a ponytail, his clothes looked worn.

“There he is,” Juno pointed out in a low voice to John, who followed her line of sight to their target.

U.S. Agent’s shoulders squared. His chin tilted. A hunter locking in on it’s prey.

“We have visual,” he said.

“Well, take him the fuck down. I want him outta here,” Valentina said.

They shared a look but began to move in on their target. Carefully weaving through the crowd so as not to draw too much suspicion too soon. They could just be two people who really wanted to get to the soup stand. No longer a couple, that was for sure. John now allowed a good distance to come between him and his partner. Juno didn’t mind though. His proximity was beginning to confuse her more than anything else.

But then their target made direct eyecontact with Juno. She stopped dead in her tracks, unsure what to do. Then he bolted. Ran away from the stand and towards the exit without caring who he ran into. Forgetting about his girlfriend and the precious few items she was going to bring him. 

“Shit!” John hissed before he took off after him. 

Juno put her finger to the piece in her ear. “Target is on the run, we are in pursuit.”

Juno followed close behind in the path John created as he carelessly shoved civilians out of his way. She had to bite her tongue to keep herself from apologizing on his behalf. The cold air burned her lungs, each breath felt like pins and needles to her throat. But she kept going, only a few yards behind John. She knew he could run as fast as a speeding car. Had seen him do it on multiple occasions. But they were running through the busy Christmas streets, there were people everywhere. They had to keep some semblance of this missions discrete premise. 

Their pursuit took them out into the streets of Prague, towards the warehouse district, where everything was practically abandoned. John and Juno rounded a corner after their target, only to find a woman screaming and pulling her hair, the man they were after already far up the street carrying a small boy by the waist. She was pointing and shouting for the police. But then she spotted them in their nondescript coats, taking in the scene, she headed for them desperately.

“Pomozte nám! Unesl mi syna! Pomozte mi, prosím!” she wailed, pointing down the road.

John kept on running, releasing his gun from his pocket and silently signalling for Juno to deal with the civilian. Her Czech was better than his anyway. She stopped, panting for breath, in front of the now weeping mother. Listening to John’s footsteps disappear into the distance. They could have just left this woman to flounder in confusion and terror — let her call the police and create that sloppy mess. She knew this plan was better. Her placating the woman while they did their job. But in the back of her mind she couldn’t help but think John didn’t want her around. And it stung.

“Madam, jsme s americkou vládou a pomůžeme vám získat vašeho syna zpět,” Juno said, pulling out her wallet and flashing the inside for just a moment. 

It was partially the truth. She certainly didn’t have an official badge of any kind. But it was enough to get this woman to cry anew, her hands reaching for Juno’s with a tight grip, pulling her closer. There was an open trust in her expression that made Juno’s guts twist up. 

She had to get that kid back. She had to help her partner.

Giving the woman’s hands a squeeze and telling to wait where she was, Juno sprinted after John and their target. 

As she hopefully ran in the right direction, she thought about the file she and John had read over, back at the safe house. Michal Holas. Rogue OXE employee. Has the ability to produce sonic screams with an acute sense of hearing. Caused an explosion in China that killed twenty people. Knew he was in trouble so he was running. But first he needed to go home. See his girlfriend. And according to Valentina that was ultimately his downfall. His sentamentallity. 

She just hoped that John wasn’t doing anything rash. Being sentimental in some way that she didn’t understand.

Eventually, after searching and listening and on the verge of praying, she found John and Michal inside an abandoned warehouse. It wasn’t completely empty. There was still machinery for making who knew what scattered about, tripod lights, and a few tables. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust, the particles danced in the moonlight that filtered through the high windows. John was down on the ground, pointing his weapon up at a balcony some twenty feet in the air that led to what used to be the bosses office. Michal was at the top of these stairs with a struggling, crying child in his grasp. A gun pressed to his little temple.

“Let the kid go, Holas!” John yelled, rough and deep, before looking over his shoulder to see Juno join him at his side. “You’re outnumbered!”

“By who, exactly?” Holas called back with a kind of desperate grin as he jerked the child to the side. “Knock off Captain America and some little bitch?”

John rolled his shoulders, corrected his aim. But that wasn’t the thing that made Holas’ eyes widen and his grip on the precious cargo he carried falter. It was Juno — with four spears, thick metal harpoons really, conjured all around her. Suspended in the air by her head, each deadly point aimed right at him. Efforts from years of intense training, being able to telepathically control the weapons she created. But only breifly. Only until they were too far for her power to reach. Out of the corner of her eye, John was looking at her with raised brows.

Holas didn’t need to know that, however. So when she launched the harpoons at him, taking special care to avoid the boy still clutched in his grasp, he panicked. Dropped the child in a last ditch effort to save himself. Scrambled for the office door as his little hands gripped the railing with everything he had. But his efforts to escape her aim were useless — one of the spears lodged in his shoulder and pinned him to the wall. The other three punctured the metal siding of the warehouse with a sharp screech and a thunk. 

But the boy, in his big down-filled coat and cap, began to slip. He cried out as he tried to hang on.

Then he fell.

John reacted faster than Juno ever could. As she stepped forward, he lept. Dropped his gun and jumped at least ten feet into the air. Another thing that that serum did to him, she supposed. She halted in her tracks, heard her boots squeak against the concrete, just to watch as he effortlessly caught the boy midair. Curled up into a ball, child tucked against his chest, and landed with a thud back on the ground. John groaned in pain, face pinched up as he unfurled himself to reveal the child unharmed on his chest.

Juno started up the stairs towards Holas, finger to her ear as she said to an awaiting Valentina: “Target secured. Bringing him into custody now.”

“Fucking finally” Valentina replied.

Holas let out a scream just as Juno rounded the top of the stairs to the balcony. He had pulled himself off of the spear, perched on his knees gripping his gushing red shoulder. Juno had to admire his determination. His will to survive. Because surely Valentina was going to kill him. Clean up the mess they made, using whatever means necessary. And maybe some part of her wanted to see him get away, because when he picked himself up off the floor and staggered into the office, she didn’t go after him immeadiately.

“Shit, he got away. In pursuit,” she said.

“No!” John practically screeched from below, stopping her in her tracks. “I’ll go!”

She looked over the railing. He was already on his feet, the boy sniffling behind him. He took the stairs two at a time and she watched him come up bewildered. 

“I’m already here, what the f —” she started. 

But he didn’t let her finish as he pushed past her. “Your Czech is better, just fucking go!”

There was no room for argument. He stormed into the office after Holas without another word. And Juno let him go. Leaving her alone with the boy who looked at her with wide, tear-filled eyes. Confused and afraid and curled in on himself. She sighed as she descended the stairs. What on earth had she done so wrong that he didn’t want her help?

Then she held her hand out to the boy and said, “Pojď, vím, kde je tvoje máma.”

He immeadiately smiled and took her fingers in an iron-like grip. All the trust in the world she didn’t deserve. They walked back to where his mother was waiting, the air still frigid but pleasant after the sweat she had worked up. Talking about what he was doing for Christmas and what he hoped to receive from Ježíšek. This would certainly be the most memorable Christmas of his entire life, but he seemed in good spirits as he let go of her hand and ran straight for his mother. Juno recieved a hug and multiple kisses on the cheek for returning her son to her.

Then they all ducked as an explosion went off only a few blocks away. The mother pulled her child into his side tight. No fire. Just dust and flying cement blocks. Something capable of being created by a sonic boom.

“John…” she breathed as she turned to the developing dust cloud.

She didn’t need to think twice about running towards the disaster. Her heart pounded in her chest, thumped against her ribs until they ached. A sharp sting was beginning to form in her legs as she pumped them as hard as they would go. Cold air forgotten. Her mind raced. She hated to admit it, but John Walker might have been the only person she cared about in the entire world. He spoke to her in a way no one had in a long time. Like she was a person. Not a malleable young woman he was manipulating into a weapon. Not his own personal armory he could take from without her permission. A person. Not a hero. Not a villain. Just Juno. Even though he seemed to hate her now, she couldn’t help but care about him. And she hadn’t gotten that cat, so where else was her affection supposed to go? There wasn’t anyone else.

Half of the warehouse had crumbled into a heaping pile of broken concrete blocks and twisted metal framework. The wreckage was still trying to settle, metal against metal and shifting rubble. Dust from the explosion still clung to the air, falling slowly back to the ground but getting stuck in her lungs as she tried to breathe. She coughed, raised her scarf to try and act as a filter. It only partially worked. Every breath felt like fire in her chest, her rough cough uncontrollable as she searched the wreckage. 

“John!” she called his name, voice horse already. “John!”

A pile of blocks shifted to her left, a few fell from the pile. Juno ran to it and began to dig, tripping in the process but never stopping. It didn’t matter if this might have been Holas. It had to be him. It just had to be. The blocks were heavy and cut her hands but she couldn’t stop. Lifting another brick, she saw the end of a familiar coat. Tan wool now covered in dirt. A cry of some relief she had never known tore from her as she worked faster. Her hands and arms burned with the effort, fresh gashes added and red seeping from the wounds.

She uncovered his legs first. His jeans were torn at the thigh, showing only a fraction of a deep wound that wept crimson. A slice of bone.

“Oh, God, John! Can you hear me?” she said as she continued to unveil him.

Then his hands appeared just above where she lifted more blocks, coated in a layer of grey dust, his arms raising as more bricks fell off of him. He pushed himself up into a sitting position while she quickly shoved aside the rest of the concrete that covered him. It was the worst she had ever seen him. Covered in dust, hair disheveled. His ears were coated in dried blood. But his blue eyes shone like crystals as he blinked up at her, nearly confused.

“You came back for me?” he asked, loudly, almost screaming it into her face.

Juno flinched at the sudden noise. “Of course I did!”

Then some disappointment she couldn’t understand crossed his face. Just for a moment. Something didn’t go his way. Her heart sank to think that it was the fact she was there at all. 

His eyes widened, his beaten body tried to get up, as he looked over her shoulder. Juno turned, only to get knocked back by a sonic blast. She felt it in her bones first, a low rattling and constant pressure. Then in her ears. A high pitched, loud, screeching that didn’t stop until she was flat on her face yards away from John. Rubble bit into her skin as she practically bounced off a pile of bricks, her eye instantly began to swell. She landed on her back and it knocked the wind out of her. Ten Michal Holas was standing over her. 

The cut on his forehead was bleeding, blood running down half of his face. His breathing was labored. He cradled one arm in the other, most likely broken. 

“You two are becoming a real pain in my ass,” he grumbled.

Then he screamed again. Juno slapped her hands over her ears to try to block out the noise, but it was no use. Eventually all she heard was a ringing, dull and persistent. Even with her eyes screwed shut her head began to spin. That damn ringing. It just wouldn’t quit. Her body felt heavy, forced harder into the ground by the force of the sonic wave. Her ribs began to ache. 

Shit.

He was going to crush her.

She could feel her powers attempting to save her life. Trying to create anything that would make this stop. But she didn’t know if anything was created or if all attempts were futile against this slow agonizing death. What a way to die. On Christmas Eve no less. 

Suddenly, the pressure against her body stopped. She opened her eyes and the night sky danced with more white spots that definitely weren’t stars. Taking her hands away from her ears, she saw her palms coated in blood that definitely wasn’t the cuts from digging out John. Well, that wasn’t good. The world spun even as she lay completely still. Felt the rubble beneath her fingers and the wreckage digging into her spine. Where was Holas? Why had he stopped? How much time did she have before he took another deep breath? Juno rolled onto her front, slowly pushing herself up onto her hands and knees. God, everything hurt. And that ringing…It still hadn’t stopped. That probably wasn’t good either. 

With enough strength gathered, she sat up straight, knees on the ground. 

Holas was still standing before her, but he wasn’t screaming at her. Then she noticed John was standing right behind him. Arms wrapped tight around him like a straight jacket, hand over his mouth. John had big hands. Funny that it took her until this moment to figure that out. But John was yelling something at her. She could see his mouth forming words, definitely loudly from the way his lips parted wide as he held Holas firmly, but she couldn’t hear a thing. 

Oh, right. Their mission: stop Michal Holas by whatever means necessary. 

A gun formed in her hand. Second nature. An instinct. She took aim at Holas, sure that John was saying something about not shooting him. He should have known she would hit her target. She always did, one way or another. The bullet found it’s home in their target’s skull and the mission was over. Holas went limp in John’s grasp, and the super soldier dropped him without another thought.

The gun slipped from Juno’s hand shortly after. She should have been able to hear it clatter to the ground. But there was nothing. She stuck a finger in her ear to see if it was maybe some pressure that needed relief. It wasn’t. The only change was her finger now covered in blood. Her earpiece was missing. The ringing had finally stopped, but in some ways she missed it. Because now there was just…Nothing. A tight panic began to fill her chest as she scrambled to her feet. No, no, no, no — this couldn’t be happening. The crumbled building. The streets illuminated by a few lamps. She should be able to hear something, anything. The sirens going off in the distance but getting closer. The still settling wreckage. Her heart pounded against her sore ribs, forced every breath to be stinted and shallow. She stumbled over the rubble as she searched desperately for some relief from the silence but knowing deep down it would never come. 

Then there was John. She didn’t even know he was coming until he was right in front of her. Until she ran right into his awaiting chest. Tears stung the backs of her eyes and she hated it.

She was fucking useless. Valentina was going to dump her. Leave her with no job and no experience other than this. Would she even be able to deal arms deaf? What would she do? Where would she go? 

John grabbed hold of her face, cheeks cupped in wide palms, and forced her to look up at him. He said something else but she couldn’t hear him. She searched his face for something, anything. Some kind of sign that everything would get back to normal soon. But that sign never came. Instead, he grabbed her hand and placed it on his chest. Made her feel as he took slow, deep breaths. He put his hand to her sternum, pressed in tight to let her feel the weight. Juno clung to him in kind. Gripped the fabric of his coat like stairway railings — the only thing keeping her from falling. His eyes shone like the afternoon sky as she copied his breathing. In and out. 

“I-I can’t — I can’t hear…Anything,” she finally managed to say, unsure if she was screaming or whispering.

He started to say something, she watched his mouth move around words that probably included a curse or two. He pressed his finger to his ear and she gripped him all the harder. He was talking to Valentina. Nodding, John took hold of her hand and began to lead her away from the scene.

“Where are we going?” she asked, lifting her hand to pick at her ear again, to see if that helped now.

She could, at the very least, clearly see him say the word help.

John Walker came into the hospital and he still didn’t know why. He hated hospitals. They made him feel claustrophobic despite the vaulted ceiling lobby and plethora of windows. Like one of the doctors or nurses would come up to him at any moment and deliver bad news. How bad would the news really be anyway — the only person he knew inside was a coworker.

Coworker. Was that what Juno was?

It didn’t help that the last time he was in a hospital was one of the happiest days of his life. The maternity wing’s entrance was to the right as soon as he walked in. He had to duck his head, avoid it like some old acquaintance from high school he didn’t want to talk to. He had never been so proud. So happy. Life — held in his hands, only a few minutes old.

He fucked that up too. Just like he seemed to do with everything lately. It was what he did best now.

The least he could do was try not to fuck up whatever was between him and Juno. A cordial acquaintance. A work friendship. A real friendship. Whatever it was. She was nice enough. Quiet — but could still make him laugh in a way he never expected. Skilled. Always seemed to know what he was thinking. An excellent partner. The best he had had in…A long time. 

The last time he saw her she was thrashing around on a helicopter. Losing her shit because she couldn’t hear anything. Screaming and looking to him for answers that he couldn’t give. Then one of the medics sedated her and John stopped looking after that. They dropped her off at the hospital and took him to the airport after he insisted on getting patched up there. Even now, even though he liked to think that he was above that, he wondered how she was.

So, he was standing in the hospital giftshop, feeling lost and slightly idiotic.

What did she even like? Flowers? No, she hated flowers. At that safe house in Paris she said they never lasted long enough, just another thing she could let die. Balloons? How the fuck would he know her feelings on balloons. Then he spotted the plushies lined up on shelves near the counter. It was mostly bears wearing t-shirts. Bunnies. Cats. Juno said she was thinking about getting a cat. He advised against it, dogs loved more anyway, but she had just smiled and said that a cat would be quieter. He should have expected her to say that. 

He grabbed the cat plush, holding a little sign that said get well soon, and paid for it. The woman behind the counter smiled but didn’t ask questions, and he was glad.

Juno was on the third floor, room 308. He clutched the stuffed animal in one hand as he pasted his visitor’s badge to his jacket. Regret filled him about the gift then. But there was no turning back now. God, why was he doing this at all? 

Because you care what she thinks, some voice and some shame whispered inside him. The words nearly made him flinch. Accurate and piercing to his core. This wasn’t even about her. It was about him. And she would probably be able to see that. Always had been. Because she cared about him. He could see it. In the way she always created a gun or extra ammo before he even asked for it. The way she passed him a granola bar silently when he complained about being hungry. The way she came back for him after that warehouse collapsed. 

You care about her, that voice whispered again. That took him more by surprise than the previous thought. Did he? He did stay up to watch TV with her when she couldn’t sleep, on multiple occasions. He did buy her a postcard in Paris when she said she had never been before. He did go back and save her from that arms dealer when the job was already done, when he could have just walked away. He did try his best to calm her down after she lost her hearing, hand to her chest.

Fuck. He didn’t have time to think about this right now.

He was at her door already.

Turning around and leaving was still an option. He could still bail. Let her deal with this all on her own. Because he knew that no one else was coming. But, fuck, he cared about her and he couldn’t even deny it even if he didn’t want to think about it. So he knocked, stupidly, knowing in the back of his mind she probably wouldn’t even hear it. He saw the bleeding, he knew her hearing was most likely permanently damaged. Then he pushed open the door. 

Juno was asleep. Her bed was still sitting nearly all the way up but she was resting back on a mountain of pillows. The sides of her face were no longer stained crimson, in fact, she was completely clean. Her hair, dark brown and shining, was down for once. Not done up in the usual pigtail braids she liked to sport. She looked so peaceful. John had never seen her like that before. Without worry. Without care. Without that sadness that seemed to cling to her like film. 

She looked…Beautiful.

She moved in her sleep, eyes scrunched up as her head lolled to one side, then her arms raised in a barely awake stretch. Shit. For a split second, John thought about sprinting from the room. Never acknowledging why he had come to visit her or why he had just watched her sleep for at least five minutes.

But then her eyes were open and he couldn’t have moved from his spot at the end of her bed even if he wanted to. He was stuck there, trapped by her eyes like dirt filled graves.

“John?” she questioned quietly as she sat up in bed. “What are you…You came to see me?”

“Well, I, uh — yeah, I did,” he gulped around the words, flashed her a tight smile as his hands fidgeted around the plush.

She stared up at him for a moment, clearing thinking about something hard. Then she sighed and gestured to him. “You’re gonna have to come closer. I can’t hear you.”

God, why hadn’t he thought of that? He quickly side shuffled the end of the bed and came around to stand at her side. 

John swallowed something thick. “I brought you this.”

He set the stuffed animal on her bed and quickly pulled his hand away to hide in his pocket. Juno grinned at the gift, more certain, reached out to take it with gentle hands. He watched, heart racing for reasons he couldn’t explain, as her fingers ran over the soft fur. Traced the letters stitched into the sign. As her smile grew in size and her brown eyes became warmer. Garden beds waiting for something to be planted.

“Thank you,” she finally said, deciding to place the plushie in her lap.

“Yeah, course.” John shuffled awkwardly in his spot when she stared up at him, brows furrowed, some frustration and desperation in her face. Then it hit him. Right. She still couldn’t hear him that well. After another minute of shuffling, he sat down at the edge of her bed. “So, uh, how you feelin’?”

She nodded, glanced around the room. “Better. I’m getting released today.”

“Wow. That’s great. What’d they…What’d they say?” He nodded towards her, towards her ears.

“Got a tympanoplasty. Fixed my…Eardrums supposedly. Still can’t hear shit. Sounds like everything’s underwater. They say I’ll know in a few months if it even worked.” That sadness that hadn’t been there since she woke up returned and it twisted up something inside him.

“You talked to Valentina yet?”

“No.” A simple answer, no details. It was just like Juno and for some reason it made John smile. Then she asked: “Why didn’t you trust me to go after Holas?”

“I don’t — I don’t know,” he replied after a beat of silence, he felt caught offguard by the question but knew it was coming.

That wasn’t good enough. “If you didn’t want me to go on the mission with you, you should have just told Valentina.”

“Hold on —” He moved his hands down to his jean clad knees, all defense. “ — I never said I didn’t want you on the mission.”

“You didn’t have to. It was clear you didn’t want me around. Especially if you want to get yourself killed or whatever you were trying to do by going after him alone. You could have died, John.”

“No I wouldn’t have,” he scoffed.

Anger. That was an emotion he wasn’t used to seeing on her. Juno was calm, collected. Calculated in nearly a cold way. But never angry. He was the mad one. He was the one who lost his temper. She was the one who made him breathe. She was the one who made him step back and think. She was the one who rolled with the punches better than anyone he had ever met. But now here they were in that hospital room, her forefinger and thumb rubbing her stuffed cat’s ear, and she was visibly angry.

“It’s like you wanted to get yourself killed and I was just in the way,” she said, softly — too softly.

John stared at her for a second longer than he should have. She looked away first, but he couldn’t stop. He was thinking, as he laid under that rubble and did nothing to help himself, how much easier it would be if he just died. It would save himself and the people he loved a lot of pain. Would keep him from fucking anything else up. But then Juno had dug him out. Called his name with a desperation that he didn’t want to understand. Not yet.

Suddenly he found himself saying: “The divorce got finalized. She…She got full custody.”

Juno’s face softened. Her shoulders dropped. “I’m so sorry.”

Then a nurse walked in with a smile and a clipboard, pulled back the privacy curtain without warning. John practically lept from the bed, shot away like he was caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to. He remembered doing this before too. Her signing all the papers while he hushed the little life in his arms. A little life he’ll never get to see again without spending money on lawyers that he definitely didn’t have. 

“Hey, Juno, we are almost ready to get you out of here. Just gotta sign the discharge papers, then you’re good to go,” the nurse said cheerfully as she handed off the clipboard, then she quickly looked up at John then back to Juno with raised brows. “This your boyfriend? He’s cute.”

“Um, no, just a friend,” Juno replied.

A friend. Is that what they were? Friends? The thought brought something warm to John’s chest as he watched Juno work the pen over the page — a pink tint to her cheeks that definitely wasn’t there before.

“But he’s not the neighbor that brought you clothes, right?” the nurse went on, sitting at the edge of the bed just like he had been only a moment ago.

“No, he’s not,” she said, not looking up from the clipboard.

“He can speak for himself, you know,” John pointed out, nearly grumbled. 

The nurse looked up at him with a bemused smile. “So he can. Tell me, friend, you’re the one who’s going to drive her home, right?”

His brows furrowed. His hands fitted themselves into his pockets to hide some part of himself. He glanced over at Juno who still refused to tear her eyes away from her discharge paperwork. She needed something? From him? No one had needed anything from him in a long time. Wanted anything he had to offer. Besides maybe Valentina, but he didn’t want to count that. 

“You need a ride home?” he questioned, the words soft but loud enough for her to hear.

She flicked those brown eyes up at him. “I was going to call an Uber.”

“Well now you don’t have to!” the nurse cut in.

She didn’t seem like the type to argue with. Adamant. Like talking to a brick wall.

“Is…Is that okay?” Juno asked him as she set down the pen and handed back 

Before he knew what was happening he found himself nodding. “Yeah. That’s alright.”

“Perfect! You are all set to go! Have a great day, you two.” The nurse hopped up from the bed, clipboard in hand, and powerwalked out of the room with a smile.

Just the two of them alone in the room again, only this time, if felt heavier. Juno swung her legs over the side of the bed and John backed up to make room for her. Scooping up a small totebag, she got to her feet. 

She pointed to the bathroom. “Gonna go change.”

“Yeah. ‘Course.” He coughed as he stepped back further. 

When the door clicked shut, he sighed. How did he go from begrudgingly getting her a gift to driving her home from the hospital? Because you care about her, that voice whispered again and he shoved it to the back of his mind. Undeniable. But he could ignore it for just a little bit longer, just a little longer. He didn’t want to fuck this up too. And maybe that meant keeping her at a distance. Not letting her in. But it was too late for that and he knew it. He knew she didn’t like flowers and wanted to get a cat. He knew her favorite weapons to conjure. He knew the places she wanted to visit most. He knew she was scared, right now, that she would become useless. He had always been a bit selfish, and maybe that was what he was being when he decided to keep her. Close and known.

When he decided to drive her home and pick up takeout. When he decided to watch her favorite movie with subtitles on. When he decided to let her fall asleep on his shoulder and not dare move.

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[ford-pines-lover]

Sweet Dreams

stanford pines x oc

tags: fluff, college!stanford, sfw

word count: 1389

the summary: Ford and Celeste meet in college. Friends since first meeting. They travel to Gravity Falls together to study the anomalies there. Ford and Bill get too serious about the portal, Ford gets sucked away forever. Celeste has to learn how to live with Stan and try to get her fiancé back. Is that even remotely possible? What would be the cost? Would it be as dangerous as Ford always said it would be?

Prologue

College. A new beginning. Well. Kind of. I am sitting in the auditorium of a small school on the east coast. There’s creaky floorboards every time the speaker walks, the microphone is screechy every few words, and there is some less-than-motivational signage up. “Not your first choice!” and “We’re number two!” are the ones that stand out. The smell in this room is almost comforting in a way. It smells like an old library, but mustier. Not bad. 

Backupsmore University. The only school that wanted me (and a full ride) after I tried to get a full ride scholarship to Harvard or Berkeley, but my sob story wasn’t enough, clearly. Now I am stuck with people that don’t have the same aspirations as I do, but hey, there is at least one in a crowd that has big dreams. Not everyone here is here just for “the experience.”

I notice a boy in the crowd looking bored and restless. He was just like me. The boy had nice brown hair and glasses that made him look like a nerd. Well, I can’t say much; I also have glasses. 

“We’re number two!” The speaker ends his speech, and the freshmen are released to their respective areas. I sigh and attempt to hurry out of the auditorium, but I bump into someone. I stumble and regain my posture.

“Oh, um, I’m so sorry,” I say to the boy—oh, wait, it’s the boy I noticed in the auditorium. He stopped and looked at me, examining all my features before saying anything.

“No, no, you’re alright.” He smiled and kept walking. He had an intriguing energy about him that I couldn’t quite place. I watched as he walked down the hall, towards the library on this side of campus. Ah, so he is a nerd. It was so obvious. I chuckle to myself as I stride back to my dorm. I decided to room by myself. Something was telling me that I shouldn’t share my space with another student. They would be subject to my horrible sleep schedule and nightly romance reading. No, being serious, I just have bad study habits that I wouldn’t want to subject another person to. 

***

“The DNA of one organism is being split apart by helicase…” I mutter as I am jotting down notes for my Biology I class. I decided to study in the library today due to my wanting to explore the library. The amount of books is remarkable due to this being a school on the smaller side. 

I notice someone sitting on the other side of the library with a stack of books on quantum physics. Huh. Wait. No, that was the guy that I bumped into earlier. He looked so calm and focused on his subject. I wonder why he is at this school and not at some fancy science school. Well, perhaps people are thinking the same about me. Probably not, honestly. 

I get up to get another book and “accidentally” bump into him again. 

"Oh, whoops, so sorry,” I nervously chuckle. 

“No worries. It seems like we are seeing a lot of each other today.” The boy put his hand on the back of his neck.

“Yeah, no, it seems so.” I look up at him curiously. “I’m Celeste, by the way.” 

“Ford, Stanford Pines,” he smiles. We share a smile before he begins to speak again. “What are you studying?”

“Paranormal biology, you?”

“No way! I am working towards my PhD in the study of the paranormal.”

“That’s so cool! Would you want to be study partners? I don’t really have anyone else here.” 

“I don’t really either. My roommate seems like an interesting specimen, though.” 

“I’m sure. Everyone here at BMU is odd to say the least.” I think back to when we were being greeted at the door and there was a giant “BMU” mascot greeting us with some less-than-motivational words. “Why have more when you can settle for less?” The mascot would shout as we were walking in. It was a constant reminder that I could have been destined for more. There was something pulling me to greater things. 

“Oh, yeah, for sure.” Ford sighs and moves his books over. I took that as my cue to ask:

“Well, can I sit with you?”

Ford smiles, and I sit down next to him. His body language is tense, and he seems a bit sweaty. His mannerisms were very hesitant. He seemed to be hiding his hands. He was wearing a nice light blue button-down and some khakis. Ford seems too proper for this school, too... smart. 

“So…” I start, deciding I don’t want the awkward silence, “Why are you going to BMU? Clearly you’re worthy of more.”

Ford’s pupils shrank, and he gulped. Did I strike a nerve? Did I say something wrong? I start playing with my hair, occasionally pulling a strand out. 

“I-” Ford sighs and looks to the window. “Yeah, no, I know, it just didn’t work out that way, unfortunately.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” I try to comfort him, but I’m unsure of what to do. “I didn’t realize it was a sore subject.” 

He lightly smiles and goes back to studying. His notebook was full of equations and drawings. So was his textbook. Let’s hope he didn’t borrow that from the school; otherwise, he will have a field day. I chuckle to myself, going back to my biology 1 assignment. All of this is a review from my senior year biology class. My teacher was a professor before deciding she wanted to teach high school. She went super in depth, and right then I knew I needed to study biology. Everything about life and cells and the expansion of “what is life exactly?” was something I needed to be answered. That’s where the “paranormal/anamolous” studies came in. Our thoughts on “life” are too Earth-centric. What if life forms out there aren’t carbon-based? What if life forms don’t need oxygen to survive?

“You seem lost in thought, Celeste.” Ford speaks again, giving me a warm smile. 

“Yeah, I’m just thinking about how weird it is that I am a freshman in college,” Lies, “but you know life keeps moving.” I play with my hair, not really wanting to expand on the monotonous reason why I was lost in thought. I don’t want to bore him too quickly.

He chuckles, “I think about that all the time. One day I was the “King of New Jersey," and the next I’m sitting in a college library studying like hell for my PhD. Where did the time go?” 

We both simultaneously go back to our studies in silence and peace. 

A year passes by. I grow closer with Ford while still maintaining my studies. This college isn’t so bad. Just a couple more years.

Another two years pass. 

Knock knock

I know that signature knock. Ford always does two short knocks before entering my dorm. 

“Ah Celeste! There you are. I have some very exciting news to share with you!” Ford walks into my dorm with a winning smile. The light in his eyes could light a thousand rooms. “I just got granted 100,000 dollars to research! Isn’t that awesome?” 

I gasp and smile. “No way, Ford! That’s incredible!” I raise my hand to give him a high-five. Now that I think of it, I’ve never given him one. He hesitantly raises his hand and high-fives me. Or high-six? Why not a high-eleven? “So, whats next?”

He gives me a warm smile while also showing some nerves. “Celeste, you mean a lot to me as a research partner and as a friend. I bargained with the grant money people, and" Ford pulls out another 100,000 dollar check. “This is for you.”

I am dumbfounded. A check? For what? “I– Ford, what are you trying to say?”

“Would you want to join me in research of the unknown?”

I beam. “I would love to! Where would we go?”

His face lights up with excitement. “Well, I have been researching where the most anomalous things happen in the United States.” Ford reaches into his pocket to reveal a map with dots on it. Oddly enough, one dot is in my hometown. Interesting. “It’s all centralized in this one town in Roadkill County, Oregon. Gravity Falls.”

Sweet Dreams

here it is in ao3 for the ones that like to read it there :)

[jay-i-guess]

WHO WANTS TO SEE MY POKÉMON OCS I SPAWNED OUT OF MY ASS

Yeah so I’ve been replaying Moon and wanted to try my hand at drawing anthro Pokémon since I don’t really do that…and then I was like Woah this is pretty fun and kinda went crazy whoops. UHH here’s the two pages that started it all

First page we got some random Sylveons that made me wanna kms bc I love Sylveon but can’t draw it WAAAAHHHHHH CRIES. But yeah anyways Espeon, Umbreon and Eevee are here too they’re so silly. And the second OOOO BOY they’re the ones that really made me go crazy designing shit. Here’s a Jolteon and Allan Raichu I made because hehe jock x cheerleader pokémon yuri would be cute. I love them sm they’re so silly…gotta actually name ‘em later- Been calling this Raichu Dawn (named after my actual Raichu in my current Moon playthrough teehee)

Dawn as Pikachu + her fuckass family members I randomly invented muahaha. She’s still young but evolved by accident like a dumbass so her brother evolved too to match her teehee. Probably got a Very stern talking to from their parents after that who knows- Dawn is the only named one btw I’m so sorry girl your siblings and their friends are nameless💔

More silly doodles with eepy Dawn AND ALSO FEATURING a random Vulpix, Torracat and Incineroar

The previously mentioned Vulpix and Torracat were just random at first but have now been repurposed woohoo‼️ Vulpix is Alolan Vulpix now and kind of a prissy asshole who would get epic character development later n stuff (wow I love weiss schnee)

Them as adults bc I felt silly…they might have an epic yuri moment who knows. And why yes Torracat/Incineroar is in fact a girl…butch Incineroar is based I think

AND LASTLYYYYY here is Dawn’s little sister once again, and her bestie Igglybuff + them evolved because fun hehe. I didn’t expect to love them as much as I did but it was a welcome surprise >:)

Also looking up the in-game heights is fascinating- You can see Jigglypuff got progressively larger because I did Not know it’s actually taller than Pikachu lmao😭

Uhhh okay that’s all for now kids!!! Can’t wait to draw even more silly creatures…and to actually name them-

[bigqueenrandy]

The ghastly labyrinth

This is a book I’m working on for my oc’s, and is currently still in the works. Please enjoy and remember all things mentioned are a work of fiction!!

Location: Lockwood highschool

Subject: Ellania yamsine

Time: 12:08

🔔*School bell*🔔

Shuffling and prepubescent voices can be heard echoing through the halls. Along with loud footsteps, Lockers slamming and doors locking. It’s the end of the day and Ellania is walking home with [Unknown] “Hey Ania? Don’t you ever get tired..?” Ellania snorts looking over at [Unknown] “Yeah doesn’t everyone? I mean I hope so, it’d be kind of weird for us not to get tired at some point?” She laughs to herself, rolling her shoulders back as they continue on their walk home.

[Unknown] groans as she stops to turn towards Ellania, “No, you didn’t let me fucking finish. I was about to say, do you ever get tired of being popular and pretending everything’s a fucking joke?” Noticing [Unknown] had stopped in her tracks, Taking the initiative she grabs her wrist. “Well that’s a stupid question of course I fucking do, Now come on!” Sarcasm dripping off the tip of her tounge as she continues walking. Noticing the absence of movement from her friend she drops her hand. “I mean come on now, what fuck nut doesn’t get tired of having people bother them all the time?!?” Ellania steps back turning to face them, noticing the tension she takes a moment to lean back and sigh. “you know what’s funny?” Her head tilted back as her dark brown hair frames her face. [Unknown] Stares at her, fists clenched as her body sways against the current of the wind. “Nothing’s fucking funny Ellania.”

Ellanias head reels, feeling her body tense as the agitation eats away at her flesh. Her breathe becoming jagged and sparse as the air grows thick. “Well with an attitude like that nothings ever funny with you.” Watching her chest rise and fall, [unknown] looks her up and down watching her slowly unravel like a ball of yarn. “Listen I don’t know what kind of shit show goes on inside your head when you’re daydreaming all the fucking time.” Ellania steps closer, jaw clenched and limbs locked. “But I’ll give you something that’ll snap your ass back to reality.” [Unknown] scoffs, rolling Their eyes ignoring her visibly pissed off friend. “Oh yeah? Tell me honestly what could I have possibly done this time to make you so upset huh??”

[Unknown] Scoffs as she takes a step closer to her. leaning in just enough for her words to ram right through Anias thick skull. “Or are we just going to blame it on the fact that a faggot like you can’t even make your own mama proud?” Those words hitting Ellania like a truck, she forcibly grabs [Unknowns] shoulder. Feeling her body stiffen as she punches her dead in the nose. [Unknown] screams as she covers her nose, falling to the floor. As she feels the blood gush through her finger tips. Ellania reaches down and grabs her by the hair roughly, dragging her back home.

Entering the house she lifts her up, propping her arm onto her shoulder. As she helps her walk to the guest bathroom, [Unknown] takes a seat on the toilet. Clutching her nose feeling the thick milky blood gush out of it, Wetting a rag Ellania holds it up to their nose. “I…I’m sorry for lashing out on you like that.” The room falls silent, [Unknown] takes in her words like a sip of cinnamon laced poison. She clicks her tongue as they open their mouth to speak, eyes watering as reimburses herself in the faint altercation that wraps her mind. “I don’t forgive you..For gods sake you punched me in my fucking nose and almost broke it… I can’t keep forgiving you Ania.”

Ellania frowns, brows furrowing as she wishes she could take it all back. This happens every time they speak on the fact she’s ‘popular’ rolling her eyes as she groans. “I don’t know why you haven’t learned your lesson yet [Unknown]” Looking over at her she smirks, punching Ania in the shoulder. “Fuck you..if I had the strength I would whoop your ass right now.” Leaning back against the toilet she feels her nose a bit, feeling the ridged bone that’s been cracked to the side. “Atleast try hitting me less hard next time or getting anger management…” Ania laughs as she grabs some pain killers, “Yeah not fucking happening.”

Location: Ellanias house

Subject: [Unknown]

Time: 4:50

[Unknown] groans as she tosses and turns in her best friends bed. Feeling drained and exhausted from restless nights, of pain and agony. “Fuck..” she breathlessly leans over the bed as she sits up, slipping on her shorts as she wanders down the hall. Completely forgetting she’s at ellanias house and her parents are probably home by now and worried sick. She leans through the hallway door as she notices Ellania’s mother sitting on the couch but Ania no where to be seen. [Unknown] walks into the living room greeting Ellania’s mom with a smile and a small wave. “Hi miss Yasmine, uhm I was wondering..do you know where Ellania is by chance?” Miss Yasmine looks over the couch pointing to the garage door. “Last time I checked she was in there working on something, if you can’t find her I’ll call her for ya.” Her thick southern accent echoed through [Unknowns] eardrums as she walked over to the garage.

“Hey Ellania?” [Unknown] calls out to her, wondering why and what she could be doing in the garage. “Yeah?” Ellania looks over her shoulder, noticing [Unknown] peaking into the doorway. “Oh hey! I couldn’t sleep so I wanted to come bother you” Walking over to her, she takes a seat on the bar stool next to her. “Oh shit did my mom say anything about your nose?” [Unknown] shakes their head no, leaning over to look at what she’s doing. She notices a few things, a small wrench, a hammer and black tape..?

“Hey uhh…why does it look like you’re about to commit a crime right now?” Ellania pauses looking over at [Unknown] “heh..about that..I uh I gotta do something tonight that I can’t really disclose at the moment.” Ellanias voice cracks a bit as [Unknowns] brows furrow, tilting her head in confusion and concern. “What the fuck do you mean you can’t really ‘disclose’ at the moment?” sighing as she looks down at the table, “Ania don’t tell me you’re gonna..” Feeling a hand go over her mouth she looks up confused.

Ellania looks down at her, pupils dilated and eyes wide. “Shhh..it’s a secret…you can’t tell anyone, Do you understand me? Or you’ll end up with more than a broken nose.” [Unknown] nods her head quickly, gripping onto Ania’s wrist as she looks up at her with pleading eyes. Ellania slowly peels her hand away from her lips, brushing her hair to the side. [Unknown] quickly responds breath jagged and heart racing, “I..I understand..but can you atleast tell me who?..” Leaning away from her Ellania frowns, rolling her shoulders back as she leans back against the bench. “Not necessarily but I can tell you one thing.” Sighing harshly as her breath cuts through the air like a knife. She looks over at [Unknown] eyes bloodshot and weary “I’m not coming back tonight.”

End of chapter 1

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter and many more to come!! I really enjoyed writing this and being able to share my ocs story with all lovely people!

[kimberlyannharts]

Prime #2 notes -

= I'm going to be totally honest, I think I'd be way more into this if this was focusing on the actual (well, "actual" as in "alternate versions" i guess) MMPRs and not a cast of OCs. I know people love to say how PR needs to ~break away from MMPR~ but can you understand why having a book that's using a majority of MMPR concepts (Eltarians, Rita, Bulk, the armored T-Rex suit, the broken Triceratops coin in #3's previews) but not the actual characters I care about would bug me a bit? I'm sure there's probably ~a point~ being made there but still

= and yeah yeah yeah I know Lauren and Orion aren't OCs but I mean.......................they kind of are in spirit. Orion more than Lauren because at least she has more of her show characterization and story being applied here vs Orion being Orion because he mentioned being an Andresian refugee and liking fro-yos.

= Speaking of OCs in spirit we see the VR Troopers without their helmets for the first time and they do indeed seem to be Kaitlin and JB (based solely on their designs; they aren't named and only have one line each that give no indication of personality). We'll have to see how they go. Kind of hate Ryan already though whoops

= Speaking of hate i did ask for characterization for Valentina beyond "Ryan's girlfriend" and I got....."class traitor" ok. Obviously she'll get an arc where she grows out of this if she's going to be part of the team but it's hard to give her benefit of the doubt right now when she has no apparent reason for ratting out Jun beyond her being unable to exist without her fascist police boyfriend for five seconds

= Still don't really have a favorite character yet since again they haven't really gotten me invested but Jun is still the most interesting

= Lauren and Orion are definitely going to be a romance and I guess I'll just have to grit my teeth and deal with that

= Very obvious overarching theme of free will in this issue, which lines up with Melissa's style of each individual issue having its own theme, which is fine. Like the colonization of the Eltarians, it's just very on the nose

= I still hate Rita's design. Also tbh not a fan at how slimmed down Bulk was (and don't give me "well he's a trained soldier!!!!" nonsense, his Coinless counterpart was bigger and he literally lived in an APOCALYPSE)

[awrkive]

*Disclaimer* this is a long lil thing btw (that sounded better in my mind whoops 💀) but finally read NB properly (because I always read a few chapters and had to go back because of life and being busy and then I forgot and yada yah-) but I’m up to date now AND *squeal*

N. B. Jungkook. I have nothing appropriate to say about you.

🫦🫦🫦🫦🫦🫦🫦🫦👄👄👄

OH EM GEE DEE U EAT IT UP EVERYTIME

giving her the flower? Buying her the cushion? Carrying her to his bed? the reassurance? The attentive listening? Watching her show with her and showing active interest? OH MY- *jumps onto the ceiling*

AND THEN THE SEXUAL TENSION???????????????????????????? 😩😩😩😩woof WOOOOOF 😩😩😩😩😩😩😩😩😩😩😩😩😩😩

FIXING HER SPAGHETTI STRAP???? LIFTING HER ONTO THE COUNTER… WITH ONE FUCKING ARMMMMMM?????? SPOONING HER… SHIRTLESSSS.. AND THEN HE HAS MORNING WOOD TOO???????? AND THEN LICKING THE FUCKING MATCHA COOKIE BATTER…. OFFFF….. (I’m using pauses for dramatic purposes) HER… FINGEEERRRRRRRRRRR???????????

😮‍💨 yeah so I’m even more insane than I was before thank you so much

But I’m so EXCITED for the next update and to see how the story progresses! I feel for OC because he’s saur scrumdiddlyummmmm but she feels scared because of the work dynamic.. hence the reason why she avoided his kiss.. but yeah super super super excited..

Here is your crown 👑 and your flowers Miss Dee 💐

you enumerating all the things hes done so far is kind of giving me whiplash like why am i realizing just now nb jk is a slut😑😟 u get oc tho hehdhdhs she sees nb jk and her mind jus goes brrbrrrr. how can she ever navigate a life with dis sexy man who obviously wants her to be around... lets find out when the program resumes...

lastly thank you so much for reading nb hehe 💗💗 im so glad you love the fic so far!

[chil-aglia]

𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐞 |ROTTMNT| (Leo X Male OC)

𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐋𝐚𝐢𝐫

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Inside the lair, the turtles were acting out a scene from a Lou Jitsu movie. Leo and Mikey were acting as brainless zombies—or mummies, in this case. The two brothers close in on Donnie, the duo both saying in unison; "We are mummies. Give us your soul."

Donnie feigns fear and dramatically placed his hand to his head. "Help me, Lou Jitsu." He begs, to which Raphael jumps in all excited like, “Oh, yeah! Who's your daddy, mummies?" He announces, charging at Leo and Mikey who gulp at the sight of their brother.

“Oh no."

The two get tackled by Raph who laughs in delight. Adriaen was sitting in a beanbag chair, scrolling through his phone. He wasn’t interested in playing fake pretend, especially for a Lou Jitsu film.

He was never a fan of the films but now knowing what Splinter was actually Lou Jitsu, it just felt awkward for him. “Man, I never get to be a mummy." Donnie complains, slumping his shoulders as Mikey leans against him. “Fine, be the mummy-if you can beat Tazan the mummy king." He laughs, he and his brothers whooping before walking to the exit, “Where do you think you four are going?" Splinter spoke up, turning around in his chair and eyeing his sons.

“A rooftop showing off the rare Lou Jitsu meets the mummy ninja."

Adriaen hums to himself, he was invited to join them, but he denied. He wanted to stay home tonight and just relax. Plus, if he were to watch any movie, it wouldn’t be a Lou Jitsu one.

"Let me know how it is...after you see it some other time because tonight you all stay in and clean!" Splinter announces, shocking everyone who groans, but it was to be expected considering the lair was a pigsty.

"No, the classic pause followed by a rug foiled out plans! I hate those." Donnie exhaled in annoyance at his plans being ruined, "Come on, Pops, we cleaned last year." Leo tried to reason, but the fact that he even said that comment was not helping his case. ”That’s disgusting.” Adriaen uttered to himself, "Yeah. Plus, it ain’t even dirty." Raph added in, supporting Leo but it only took a few head turns to eye the place to see how disgusting it was.

Moldy pizza, stacked dirty dishes, junk laying around. It made Adriaen shudder at the sight and look away before he got an aneurysm. Out of the brothers and himself, he was always the one to clean up after themselves, trying to keep the living space in order. He hated it, hated cleaning up after the guys and so he altogether just didn’t do their chores and only did his.

I’m starting to regret that I probably should’ve cleaned their stuff up. I won’t be getting a quiet night in at this stage.

“Uh, we should find the turtles who did that and get them to clean up.” Leo smirks, hoping it would somehow convince Splinter but of course it didn’t as Mikey wails. “Now we’re gonna miss the movie." He points out in obvious disappointment, but Donnie perked up and started typing away on his technical armband.

"Not necessarily. I may have a—“ 

Leo frowns and interrupts him, “Please don’t say fix bro." He begs to which Donnie deadpans and finishes his sentence, “A fix bro." He taunted to which Leo groans and crossed his arms. “We’ll be here all night fixing your fix." He truthfully told, Adriaen would never say this to Donnie’s face (at least not right now) but all his inventions turn out to be a total bust most of the time and cause some kind of issue for the others.

“Scoff! Prepare to—“

“Nah, nah, nah, nah, and don’t say eateth thy words" Raph cuts him off this time to which Donnie once again finishes his sentence with utmost confidence.

“Eateth thy words."

Raphael huffs, pouting. “You always say that, but we never do.” He mumbles to which Adriaen blankly stare at the oldest brother. “Ah ha…you’re serious about that aren’t you?” He sarcastically asked, shaking his head at the large snapping turtle. Donnie gave a slight hiss when Leo snatched his armband off him, taunting laughing and keeping it out of his reach as Donnie tried to grab it back. “Not amusing, Leo." He growls as Leo chickens and pats his brother on the head.

“Relax bud, just saving you from another epic fail. It’s all good."

Donnie managed to slip by and snatch back his wristband, placing it back on his arm and pressing buttons. “Despite your juvenile antics and complete lack of faith, I give you all Shelldon." Donnie introduces his newest invention, activating his technology, the Shelldon invention pops out of the table and a floating silver head with two yellow eyes stared at everyone.

“Good morrow kind sirs."

Leo blinks and gulped, leaning against the beanbag that Adriaen sat in. "Uh oh." He muttered, uncertain about this creation. Adriaen puts his phone down, having one leg crossed over the other comfortably and watching Shelldon in curiosity.

“Shelldon is our automated smart lair. Here to make our lives comfy, cozy and completely free of menial chores." Donnie explains, as mini vacuums appear from the walls and started tidying up the floor along with the table and everything else.

Adriaen blinks in surprise as he subconsciously moved his foot out of the way, so the vacuums didn’t bump into him.

Huh, okay…it’s not so bad.

"Applause and waiting for your applause." Donnie smirks proudly, as his brothers all set out their praises and claps. "Okay. But what can he do for me?" Splinter raises his brows at him questioning. “With my help, snacks are only a split second away." Shelldon promises, as a symbol for Shelldon blinks on Splinter’s chair and spun the rat around before throwing him towards where the snacks were.

Adriaen widened his eyes and ducked down slightly since Splinter was flying towards his direction. The rat zips past him and after grabbing the snacks, he was thrown back towards his chair, landing safely.

"Whoo hoo! I never had to use my legs again. Good job, Purple!" Splinter praises, chomping down on the food he got. “Isn’t that like…unhealthy?” Adriaen muttered, eyeing the father of the four brothers. "Allow me to tidy up, gentleman. And if you like I could play that Lou Jitsu movie for you know." Shelldon informs as the projector turns on and the movie begins playing, much to the boy's excitement. Adding onto the excitement, an assortment of junk food was displayed on the clean table.

"Shelldon is crushing it, Donnie." Raph smiles happily, sitting down and scarfing the food down his throat, Mikey and Leo joining in.

"What Rapheal? I cannot hear you over you eateth-ing thy words. Zing!" Donnie confidently smirks, hands on hips as his invention, Shelldon softly laughs, “Good one, sir." He muses, feeding into Donatello’s ego.

Adriaen hums and shakes his head; he wasn’t going to spoil the fun, so he takes out his headphones that he had cushioned between the beanbag and himself and placed it over his head. Scrolling through his phone he plays some of his music, sighing and leaning back further, eyes closed as he does his best to relax.

To be perfectly honest, he hasn’t been sleeping well. Every time he went to bed, he would be dreaming about that creepy dreamscape with the haunting white door and the even more haunting sign.

Who Are You?

It kept weighing in on his mind, he didn’t know who he was, it’s the whole reason he agreed to ask help from Ronin who even he couldn’t find anything about Adriaen. Whenever he was in that dreamscape, he’d try to open the door, but it was locked, as though it was only there to taunt him and not to reveal all the answers he seeks.

It was becoming agitating for the latter. He knew who the brothers were related to, which he still feels guilty for not telling them, but he also can’t help but feel some kind of…jealousy?

I’m so pathetic…

He would think over and over. It was juvenile of him to be so jealous over something like this, but he just couldn’t help himself. It wasn’t fair. Wasn’t fair that while the others were so easy to discover about their DNA and origin, Adriaen had the misfortune of being difficult to find more about himself.

He opens his eyes, reminding himself not to fall asleep, he didn’t want to face that door again. Not yet anyways. He glanced down at his phone, he wasn’t doing anything on it, just a black screen with his reflection staring right at back him.

Eventually everyone went to bed, all sleeping soundly in their rooms. Adriaen of course had more trouble to sleep, but even he couldn’t find the drowsiness.

It was just him and that door.

-----

The next day came around and everyone was in the arcade, all doing their own things. Leo and Raph were having a tennis ball massage where the balls would shoot at their shells.

Mikey and Donnie were playing a game on the machines, and Adriaen was sitting leaning against one of the arcade games, silently watching. 

"How bout some music, Shelly baby?" Raph instructs the invention only for loud and horrid techno music to play out loud. Adriaen jumped at the sudden noise and placed his hands over his ears to block out the noise.

That’s one way to wake up.

“Ugh! You got anything less ear bleeding?! This is awful!" Raph yells over the music, tense. “Correction: This is Master Donnie’s number one playlist.” Shelldon informs to which Donnie smiles and shimmy’s his shoulders.

“My fave songs to which I may jammy jam."

Leo sighs in relaxation at the massage., “Great massage, bro. You know this is your first non boneheaded invention." He noted, only for Shelldon to fly over and scold also for his comment.

“How dast you insult one as selfless and pure as Master Donatello?"

“What he said." Donnie spoke up from where he was, Leo rolling his eyes and grinning lazily. “Coollax. I’m just razzing him, bud." He assures the machine, as he gazed over to Adriaen.

“Adri, you wanna try this massage? You look a tad bit tense there.”

Perking up at the mention of his name, Adriaen shakes his head in response. “No thanks.” He assured, trying to come off as his usual self, but Leo was quick to take a mental note that something was on his crush’s mind. However, the red eared slider didn’t want to overstep, he knew that if he tried asking about it, Adriaen would just hold onto his troubles longer, maybe even forever.

”If you say so…”

Mikey whoops out loud, spamming his controller, "Are we talking or crazy copter-ing? I’m laying the hurt on you here bro." He teases, obviously taking the lead on the game to which Donnie lightly panics.

"No, no. I will not be defeated.”

Mikey's chair suddenly springs him out, letting the purple bandana turtle win. “What was that? Did Shelldon make my game glitch?" Mikey narrowed his eyes, Adriaen who saw the whole thing blankly stared at Mikey.

”I mean he didn’t make the game glitch. Just threw you out the chair.”

Shelldon flies over, “I would never." He defends himself as Donnie nods in agreement, “He would never. Oh look, I won the game.” Donnie smirks, clapping his hands and standing up from the chair, “Victory massage please, Shelldon." He softly orders, going over to where Raph and Leo were, the tennis ball machine switched from the two and focused on Donatello.

"Hey!"

“Where'd my relax go?"

Donnie lets out an exhale of relaxation, rolling his shoulders as the tennis ball impact his shell. "Oh, yeah, tennis ball massages are the best! Yeah..." He sighs out, Leo eyeing his brother with a pointed look.

“Hey, did you program him to be your best bud or something?"

"I would never."

Shelldon flies over to Donnie, floating next to him. “He would never." He repeats to defend his creator to which Donnie lightly chuckles, “Please, nothing is more important to me than the happiness and comfort of my brothers." He assured, turning around to which the tennis balls redirected to Leo’s face, hitting him repeatedly.

"Oh, ah!"

Raphael laughs but then he gets hit by them. Adriaen watched on before Donnie gestured to him, “And don’t worry, I didn’t forget you my good fellow. Your needs are just as important than my brothers. Shelldon, a refreshing drink for Adriaen here please.” He claps his hands together, his creation flying away to get the drink.

”Huh? Donnie I’m fine. I don’t need a drink—“

Adriaen trails off when Shelldon returns with a juice in a glass cup, handing it over to Adriaen who instinctively takes it.

”Um, thank you?”

”You are most welcome.” Shelldon replies, floating away as Donnie watched on proudly at his creation. Adriaen looks down at the juice, shrugging his shoulders and sipping at the liquid.

Wow, that’s some good juice.

He noticed the boys had left the arcade, covered in bruises from the tennis ball machine and from behind flung out the chair, he would have followed them, but he decided against it, instead once he was done with his drink he walks away to the more secluded area of the lair. The dojo.

It wasn’t used much, and it was small, but Adriaen didn’t mind, it just meant this secluded area was more than enough for him to get some peace and some training in.

He stretched his limbs and shook off any tension in his muscles before doing some shadow boxing. He makes mental notes of his footing and punches, he knew that this was difficult to train on his own, he use to have hand to hand combat sessions with the others until they all got lazy and lost interest.

Adriaen was working up a sweat, moving from shadow boxing to kicking at a training dummy that had been around for a while, maybe he should ask April or someone to get the dojo some new equipment.

He jumps back from the dummy and twists his body to perform a round house kick, only to stop when he hears yelling from the kitchen.

”What the?” He muttered, walking away from his training session and over to the kitchen to see the boys (excluding Donnie) run out the area and hide behind a wall.

”What is going on here?” Adriaen interrogated, hands on hips as Mikey ran over and shook his shoulders, “The vacuums have lasers!” He shouts, but this only puzzled Adriaen more.

”Uh….okay?”

Leo sighs and crossed his arms with a narrowing gaze. "I’m starting to think this whole Shelldon smart lair thing is a scam. Donnie’s just getting back at us for picking on him." He informs, to which everyone yelped when the voice of Shelldon spoke up from behind.

To add on to the shock, Shelldon was floating next to a flying microwave.

"Never. He’s too beautiful for that. I promise. I am here to serve all of you. Right after I delivered Master Donatello all the pizza."

Shelldon holds up a pizza box and flies off to wherever Donnie was.

"The microwave flies."

"What?"

"A pizza butler? It is good to be Donnie."

Adriaen groans and walks away, “I’m going back to training.” He mumbles, heading towards the dojo. Since then, he’s been training for a few hours before calling it a night. Much like everyone else they went to their respective rooms to sleep. Adriaen had none of his gear on him, which was the norm for him whenever he headed to bed.

But tonight was…noisy.

Ear bleeding techno music was blasting out loudly throughout the lair, and to add into it, the vacuums were knocking things down and bumping into stuff in each of turtle's room. The speakers of Shelldon’s voice echoed on repeat as well.

“You are the bravest turtle, Donatello and strongest and hunkiest. You are a real dreamboat."

No one would be able to fall asleep to this disaster, unless you were Donnie and Splinter. Adriaen was laying on his bed, facing the ceiling with bags under his eyes, he already didn’t sleep well enough lately but now this? This was just next level.

I’m starting to miss that stupid white door tonight.

He sits up and gets out of the bed, shoulders slump as he drags himself away from his room. He sees the others doing the same, Raph silently gesturing to everyone to meet in skateboarding area, which was the quietest area in the lair at the moment. They all meet up and sit down, Leo leaning against Adriaen who leans back against Leo. The two obviously tired. 

“I can’t live like this. Shelldon’s turning our home into Donnie-land." Raph groans, before Leo scoffs in utter annoyance, “We gotta take Donnie down a peg.” He states, having Adriaen hum in agreement with him.

”No kidding. I am not listening to that every night.”

Mikey sighs and rolls around on the floor, "But how? He’s so brave and strong and he’s such a dreamboat!” He complimented, the lines from Shelldon staining his mind that he just instinctively repeated it.

”Wait. Why did I just say that?"

Raph clears his throat and leans against his palm, “Too bad Shelldon doesn’t love our favourite things." He grumbled, and this of course sparked an idea into the slider’s mind. “That’s it. We should beat Donnie at his own game." Leo grins, standing up and making his way to Donnie’s lab/room. He explained quietly that they should re-wire Shelldon and no one complained about the idea.

The turtles sneak inside, careful to not disturb Donatello who snores away. While Shelldon is recharging, Leo, Adriaen, Mikey and Raph approach him, upon sensing a presence, Shelldon wakes up.

“Excuse me, gentleman. May I help you?"

Leo gave out a sly smirk, leaning towards Shelldon. “Ha, we are good, my friend.” He assures, as he started to play around with the wiring. Adriaen leans over and helped him redirect the circuits. “Red wire here. Blue wire there.” Adriaen instructed, as Leo smiles at his handiwork. “Chippy thingy into the thingy. Reprogramulating is easy!" Leo announces, ignoring the uncertainty in Shelldon’s voice.

"I’m not sure this is....”

Shelldon suddenly powered up, his tone and attitude changing drastically. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Gnarly upgrades, dudes!" 

Powering off Shelldon for the rest of the night, everyone snuck out of Donnie’s room and headed toward their own to get a peace of sleep. When morning arrived, the turtles were inside the kitchen eating some burritos for breakfast. Adriaen wasn’t all that hungry, so he settled on for some coffee to wake himself up.

"Best brother ever!" Mikey praises Shelldon, unaware that Donatello strolled in with an amused expression. “I always thought so." He playfully teases, to which Mikey shook his head and corrected Donnie.

"Not you. Shelldon."

Shelldon zips around and floats near Mikey, "Back at you, Mikey! Too bad our buzzkill sixth wheel had to crash the party." Shelldon complains, gesturing to his creator. "That is an unexpectedly harsh greeting. Now what is for brekkie today?" Donnie mumbled before changing the subject and looking around at what the others were eating.

“Burritos!" Mikey sings, but Donnie hums and declined the idea of having a breakfast burrito. “Tempting. But my culinary needs are more refined. One flavorless juice, Shelldon." He asks his creation who rolls his eyes in annoyance.

“Fine! Ugh...flavourless juice is served."

Shelldon mixes juice in a blender, putting some ice cubes in it and pressing the button to blend the drink, but with no lid the liquid squirted all over Donnie.

This earned a laugh from everyone.

"Ah! I demand to be cleansed immediately." Donnie whined, to which Shelldon emoted a smile. “Okie dokie." He says, controlling the faucet and splashed Donatello with the water.

"No, no, no, no! This is not actually cleansing me!"

Mikey grins and points his burrito towards Donnie’s direction, "No fun when Shelldon isn’t doing what you like, Is it, D?" He sasses, as Donnie was dripping from the water and scowls at his brothers and Adriaen.

"What have you rapscallions done? Did you mess with his programming?"

"We would never." They all say together, Shelldon backing them up.

"They would never."

Raph gazed towards the machine and smiles gently, “Shelly music." He orders as the soft and vibing-like music plays. Mikey and Raph bop their head to the music and Leo danced around. He went over to Adriaen and without warning grabbed his wrist and pulled him up from his seat, swaying him around.

”Whoa! O-okay, Leo. You’re going to drop me if you spin me.” Adriaen noted, he was caught off guard and he clung onto Leo who held Adriaen’s hands and danced him around the kitchen. ”You’ll be fine. Just trust me.” Leo assured, winking as he held Adriaen by the waist and the two waltz.

"Check this out, dudes. Come on, dance Donnie, dance!" Shelldon spoke up, grabbing everyone’s attention as vacuums surround Donnie and start shooting lasers at his feet, to which Donatello had to jump around to avoid being hit.

"No lasers! And more importantly turn off that music!"

Raph chickens lightly, “Nice moves, Donnie. Well played, Shelly, but you can stop now." He asks the floating head, but Shelldon didn’t seem to listen or care.

"Sorry, R dawg. Parties just getting started. As soon as I give Donnie the boot, us real bros can bro out."

Donnie continued to be fired at by the lasers, his brothers and Adriaen watching briefly with narrowed eyes. “Okay, that’s enough. Time to chill, Shelldon. Jokes over." Leo warns, lowering his voice slightly as though he was scolding a child.

"Come on, bros. Just let me turn Donnie into turtle dust and I can be your fourth brother and Adriaen’s friend. It’ll be excellent."

Vacuums started to join together and started to merge as one, the group staring in horror as the mini vacuums became on large one. “You four messed with his circuitry!" Donnie accuses, to which everyone else denied in unison.

“We would never."

“They would never." Shelldon defended as the large vacuum started to charge forward, making the turtles run away and flee out the kitchen. But the vacuum was too big to get through the doorway, which had the others sigh in relief. The group stop at the centre of the lair, the area with their skateboarding ramp.

Shelldon approaches the squad, “Hey, there you guys are." He greeted playfully, Mikey narrowing his eyes at the flying head. “You can’t be our fourth brother." He announces but Shelldon scoffs.

“Beg to differ with you bros. Like it or not I’m in and Donnie’s out."

Shelldon flies up and controls a bunch of other machinery, sharp tools and whatnot. It was certainly…intimidating. Raph growls before looking to Donatello, “Just admit it, Donnie, you made him favour you over us."

“You made him try to vaporise me!"

Adriaen shrugs his shoulders and looks away, mumbling to himself in hopes no one heard him, “Well he’s not wrong there. Wasn’t on purpose, but still…” He told himself before focusing back on Shelldon who rolls his mechanical eyes.

“Enough whining, Donnie.”

Shelldon released a bunch of metal claws at the turtles who dodge and jump around to avoid getting snatched.

”I love having brothers!"

Adriaen skids to a halt, with a concentrated gaze he twists his body slightly and round house kicks at the machine arm, snapping it off. The others do the same, punching the claws off before they could grab anyone. “Awesome! This is like a fun game attack except with punches and kicks.” Shelldon muses like a little kid.

Four metal arms grab Leo, Adriaen, Mikey and Raph, pinning them to the wall harshly, even creating some cracks on the said wall. ”Ack!” Adriaen gasped out; the wind being knocked out of him briefly as he struggled against the metallic grip. Donnie gets restrained by a table and a saw appears to his plastron.

“Time to snip a branch off the family tree."

We probably shouldn’t have messed with the circuits.

"If I am to perish, tell me the truth brethren you reprogram him, I promise no hard feelings." Donnie asks, to which his brothers and Adriaen didn’t admit it right away. “Don’t fall for it." Leo whispered but Mikey was never great at keeping secrets, "Okay, fine. We did." Mikey admits to which Donnie glared a bit at them.

“I knew it! Hard feelings. Massive hard feelings.”

Adriaen sighs and stared over at the restrained Donnie, “If it helps, we didn’t purposely make Shelldon crazy.” He tried to explain but Donnie just huffed and leaned back into the table.

”Well at least I’ll go to my end knowing I was the better turtle.”

"No way. You totally programmed me to favour you." Shelldon announces, to which Raphael let out a victory laugh, “I knew it!” 

The saw gets closer to Donnie making said turtle whimper out of fear, bracing for his demise. "Shelldon, no, stop! If you really wanna be our fourth brother Shelly, fly your microwave butler on over. It’s burrito time." Raph lies, hoping his comment got through to the machine who stared silently in suspicion.

They sweat but fortunately it worked as Shelldon brightens up, "Oh, why didn’t you say so, bud? Burritos coming right up for my bros." He smiles happily, the flying microwave floating over to Raph, which had the snapping turtle breaking free of the claws as he grips the microwave and chucks it hard at Shelldon.

"Not cool, bro!"

He exploded upon the impact and the turtles were released, dropping to the floor as Adriaen grunts and groans, rolling his shoulder slightly. "What a day. Great invention, Donnie. Now you just gotta invent something to clean up all of Shelldon’s mess." Raph sarcastically told, looking around at the destruction.

“This sounds like a job for Shelldon 2.0." Donnie perks up, immediately the others shrieking at him.

"No!"

"Which will not play favourites."

Adriaen shakes his head before flinching slightly when Splinter walks in on the disarray state of the room, his loud booming voice yells at his sons and Adriaen.

"What did you do? You destroyed my detective microwave friend!"

Leo, Raph, Adriaen and Mikey all guilty try to play it cool, "We would never." They say together as Donnie joins in, also looking piteous from the mess as he slightly hid behind Leo and Adriaen.

"They would never."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: I APOLOGISE FOR ANY GRAMMAR MISTAKES THAT WERE MADE, I TYPE REALLY FAST AND OFTEN DON'T SEE THEM UNTIL I ACTUALLY PUBLISH THE CHAPTER.  

Adriaen is so use to the chaoticness it’s insane.

First Chapter here

Next Chapter here

[castlebyersafterdark]

I'd like to think that at some point a bit farther into their relationship, either mike or will would randomly discover some really Weird™️ kink (just, seen as weird by other people - no kinkshaming here lol) that they're into and be incredibly embarrassed about it. or, like, maybe they subconsciously knew they were into it growing up but once they were in a committed relationship it randomly pops out one day and it's like oh okay maybe we should...discuss this 🤣 it truly makes me giggle thinking of various instances where this could happen

For example, these scenarios:

- will randomly dropping one day in the heat of mike fucking him that he wants mike to breed him and afterwards mike is like 👁👁 what and will is like 👁👁 what.

- or, if we want to get really weird, one of them having to pee after sex and the other being like (without thinking at all, post sex haze, getting ready for round 2) CAN I WATCH??? 💀💀💀 I feel like I can see either of them saying this

- will being really really really into having makeup on/feminine clothing the first time he tries it and mike going absolutely feral about it

- something about foodplay idk...like mike spilling chocolate sauce on his face or smth (Lil messy eater) and will popping a boner at the dinner table. Whoops

- Mike needing to do something involving ropes (don't know what this would be but humor me here) and will being a little bit too into him tying the ropes (maybe they're docking a boat idk)

- I think you've said stuff about armpits on here and...yeah. yeah

OBSESSED WITH ALL OF THESE ❤️ So into the concept of them discovering kinks with each other, through each other - and aren't the best explorations and instances of this recognizing that these often aren't planned? Horniesss leads to some wild and revealing and vulnerable places. Something you never realized was A Thing or finally reaching the point where you can't deny something you're into any longer. Breaking down your very inspired list:

Breeding kink, absolutely. Will blurting out some shocking statements. Shocking for the two of them because Mike's usually the one running his filthy mouth. But one night it's so good, Mike's fucking him so good and Will gets so lost, moaning out to fuck him harder, breed him deeper, get him fucking pregnant. And it's... what. 👀 They don't address it. But the very next time they fuck, once Mike's really giving it to him, Mike starts going on about wanting to knock him up and Will absolutely loses his mind. They don't really talk about. It just slips out now and then after that when the sex is particularly rough, primal, feral.

YES WEIRD WOW I can so clearly see the pee one coming from Mike? They're in the afterglow and Will really really needs to get up and Mike's being so clingy, insists on following Will to the bathroom. And Will's kind of got a hang up about this, he doesn't even typically want to be heard in the bathroom, always shuts the door even when they're living together ("Will, I've had my face literally in your ass but I can't hear you take a piss?" "Exactly!!") But that day Will's desperate and tired and relents and lets Mike follow him. Mike gets close, asks to watch. Will's weirded out, but then Mike asks to hold him. Literally, Mike pressed against his back, Will's dick in hand to guide him as he relieves himself, Will doesn't know what to think and then he feels Mike growing hard. Face instantly hot. Dick twitching in Mike's hand. This might be the start of something Mike wasn't sure he'd ever admit but something just snapped that day. He had to know for sure. Well...

Will in makeup!!! He starts experimenting. It's not something he particularly wants day to day, but he likes playing in the bedroom, pretending to be, well himself but a different version. He likes how it makes him look pretty. Mike likes the way it looks smudged on Will's eyes and lips, how the black lines of the mascara and eyeliner streak Will's cheeks as he gets taken apart, sobbing in bed as occasionally happens. Lipstick prints around the base of Mike's dick as Will swallows him deep. Something about seeing the makeup stained into their sheets from where Will's face had been pressed as Mike fucked him and held him down on the mattress really turns them both on.

I love the rope and food one but I'm drawing a blank on expanding ideas but they're still very interesting and if someone can come up with an expanded vision please share with the class.

Ahhhh, pits. A normal, everyday clean pit is great, and Will will sometimes end up there when they're cuddling, Mike's arm over his shoulder and he just turns in and buries his face, so warm. Turning there while making out to nibble or bite the skin, lick the sensitive area. But hmmm either after a workout or during really vigorous sex - the sweat and scent of a man. What a turn on, what an indulgence. Will breathing deep, lapping at sweat, not just there but on Mike's skin in general. The length of his neck and down the center of his chest where it's gathered. Or Mike getting all sweaty from something and Will pressing himself all over him, not even caring. Going down on Mike after his workout before he lets Mike shower. It's Will who is so tidy and neat and put together in his normal life having a little bit of a fetish for Mike messing him up, the arousal from the scent of your partner, etc.

Feel free to share any more ideas, this was fun 😉😉😉

[felixravinstills]

obligatory felix ravinstill ask for the character thing

Ask Game

Thanks for asking, Bel! I tried to keep things rooted in canon which… uh for obvious reasons was hard!

My first impression Related to the current president, is he going to be important? Oh, it doesn't look like it.

My impression now Felix Ravinstill is the most thematically important character in tbosas actually. That's my guy! My boy!

Favorite thing about that character Um, well, ignoring everything that I've mostly made about him (bc clearly I like that) which is nearly everything. I kind of love that Coriolanus has such little to say about it. It speaks to not knowing him despite Felix being a Ravinstill. So many different ways to interpret why that's the case, but it does help me build my case that even people who are keeping track of important players doesn’t single anything out about Felix other than his relationship to the President which adds fuel to my fire that he’s kinda isolated and may not have many close/sincere friends.

Least favorite thing I hate that I've been making him up since January. I hate that he's my favorite little guy.

Favorite line/scene

The movie's "Have you tried this lamb? It's scandalous." will always be iconic for apparently changing my life, but Felix deciding to send Dill the water using whatever sponsor money has is also interesting to me.

Favorite interaction that character has with another When he's gossiping with Dean Highbottom.

A character that I wish that character would interact with more Coriolanus Snow. I like the dynamic of weird jealousy that I've invented for them, and I can kind of see Snow's narration potentially giving credence to that in whatever we do get (but it could go either way like everything with Felix). Alternatively, I'd love for him to interact with Max (his great-uncle) but that's another guy that I basically just made up so…

Another character from another fandom that reminds me of that character

I once compared him to Iphigenia (Greek Mythology), and I can stand by that in the narrative role I have given him in many of my fics...

If we want a character who's like him in canon, look no further than random office worker that I randomly get attached to in the background of an action movie.

A headcanon about that character

Ummm, is there a headcanon about him that I haven't shared at this point? I'm drawing a blank, because I never shut up about him.

His relationship to Ravinstill cousin OCs, Marius and Gnaeus is like meeting their eyes as they turn down a different hallway just as he enters the one he's currently in.

A song that reminds of that character Growing Sideways by Noah Kahn… Just "I'm terrified that I might never have met me" and "And if all my life was wasted / I don't mind, I'll watch it go / Yeah, it's better to die numb / Than feel it all."

I think I meant to mention this to Lily when she was doing the Noah Kahan song assignments but I… uh forgot. Whoops. (better late than never with the thoughts sharing though, @persephoneprice getting to the Persephone ask soon!)

An unpopular opinion about that character

This isn't really an unpopular opinion, but I think most people headcanon him as having a lot of external pressure put on him. I do think that's the case to the extent that there's external pressure put on a lot of the mentors to act and be a certain way, but I think that a lot of that for Felix is also self-imposed. Mostly, because in my head, President Ravinstill takes a "of course, my family can do whatever they want" approach to things, but has failed to communicate this to any of them.

Favorite picture

he looks so... pompous. I love him. (added the same picture again for better crop)

[dayundying]

How does your OC feel about (canon character)? - ayem

Which canon character annoys your OC?

Is there anyone who your OC would die for?

What is your OC’s ‘‘darkness moment’’ in the plot?

for moon :>

OOOOOOO SALEM U SPOIL ME!!!

1: Unfortunately they haven't actually met ingame but I can hazard an edjucated guess! Uncomfortable! For mostly being Nerevar incarnate reasons but also because she genuinely reminds him of his wife, Sun, at Sun's worst moments. In sooo many ways, mostly personality wise.

2: The closest I can think of is Fargoth, he felt so very awkward and guilty, didn't even use his ring so he was like, yknow, i have it and now he just cringes into his skin everytime he's in Seyda Neen. It's nothing against the people of Morrowind, more of a personal thing but he's incredibly, INCREDIBLY uneasy being regarded in some sort of relationship with anyone there. But he knows he's just ought to smile and nod and be polite. Someone calls him his friend and hes in the most pained voice nodding like "YEAHHHH MHM. YUP."

Actually even back with the argonians and possibly even back in black marsh he still did not care for being anyones friends. I think antisocial is the wrong word but he was definitely a loner and thought that nobody would understand him, infact ignoring Sun-And-Rains genuine acts of kindness until he finally caught on that she genuinely cared and wanted to be his friend.

He had a cycle of goes out in the dark -> nobdoy understand me -> goes out in the dark nobdoy understand me. It was like yeah people don't talk to you cause youre nocturnal, but that just pushed him to stay away from the people around him more. Sad! Oh well, theres other nerevarines.

3:

Pre Morrowind: Sun-And-Rain, he would find it to be that exact dumb heroic thing he's so fond of

During: Not really anyone. Losing contact with your wife and everyone else you knew doesn't inspire him.

After: Noone*, but in a different way, he doesn't stand in his own beliefs OR Morrowinds OR The Hists/Black Marshes. He's REALLY had better days than this...

*Possibly would let himself die after 'resolving' Sun-And-Rains necromancy problem, hand in unlovable hand style. Finally losing the momentum of his life, his work is finished, voila.

4: So far? The worst thing I can really think that he did that /isn't/ morally founded (ex: killing evil cause ur a good guy) is not supporting Sun and her mother more Pre-Morrowind. And it wasn't intentional it was a incredibly unfortunate lack of foresight :(

Whoops for this being as depressing as it was. I guess that yeah Moon has never been a completely happy character despite his less serious origins. Its unintentional!!! DX

maybe.

[werrrrrd]

CHARLES XAVIER X OC pt.15!! whoop whoop

WARNINGS FOR ENTIRE STORY: shock therapy, manipulation, death, suicide, surgery is mentioned including an undetailed description, stitches, slight malnutrition, forcive murder, abuse of authority, blood, lots of blood stuff since this is like her power, anger issues, aggression, mentions of murder as well as the actual murder, mind reading, OC is not very kind to herself sometimes, let me know if you notice any others. No sexual assault but definitely Shaw being creepy.

AN: it was a long wait! thanks for being patient, most likely there will only be 2-3 parts more for this story. I'm not gonna lie I was literally drifting in and out of consciousness while I was doing a quick edit of it so the writing might be worse than usual and there are likely some typos. I would do it again but I don't feel like it haha. But its another little soft domestic life sort of chapter with just a bit of TRUAMA in the middle so enjoy that.

To be able to care for someone the way I wished someone had cared for me when I had been with Shaw was an extremely healing experience. I felt constantly like I was floating, the weight I had held for many many years gone. Charles was of course perfect, always checking on me. The other day I walked into my room to find a book placed on my bed, a collection of short stories. A note was attached that read.

“Ive been meaning to read this for a while now but it seems I never have the time. Perhaps you can recount the stories to me if they catch your interest? - Yours Charles”

That night I stayed up late. I read an entire third of the book and when I ran into Charles the next day, I couldn't help but thank him with a small peck on his cheek. I told him what the stories were about and admired the way he blushed at me. 

Unfortunately there is always something that still needs addressing. After resting for a good few weeks I felt completely recovered from my injuries. Charles and I were sitting on either end of the couch in the lounge, our legs tangling in between us. Charles set his book down and looked at me. I felt curiosity rise in his emotions. Curiosity mixed with reservation. He had a question that was being stifled, and I did not like it. 

“Go on and say it.” I watched him. He opened his mouth, shutting it when he couldn't think of the words. I sat up getting slightly impatient, but I waited a second to let him arrange his words, a trait I was slowly picking up from him. 

“Youre mutation… its a sort of traumatic trigger for you, yes?” he asked.

Now it was my turn to process my thoughts. I hadn't been expecting that question, and I realised why he had been suppressing it earlier. It was a sensitive subject I suppose and he didn't want to upset me.

“I… I think so, yeah.” 

“Hmm…” Charles said, his hand on his chin speaking slowly. “Would you be open to trying some things, maybe a sort of exposure therapy? Something to help you create a healthy relationship with your powers? Only if it interests you though, you don't have to do anything you don't feel like doing,” He reminded me.

I smiled to myself as I thought for a moment “...explain what exactly you mean” my voice was not accusatory so he took that as a good sign and went ahead to continue.

Charles closed his book entirely and set it on the coffee stand next to us. 

“I believe every mutant is blended with their mutation, it is a part of their identity, intermingled with the rest of who they are and that connection can never be severed, even when they don't use their abilities. It is a thing to be celebrated, that connection. I want you to be able to embrace that part of yourself, I don't like that you've been made to feel that your mutation isn't yours, that it was a tool for someone else. I want you to reclaim it as your own.” He said softly. 

My heart picked up slightly at what he had said. Nerves and anxiety arising within me. He was right, even if I didn't use it ever again, my mutation was a part of who I was that could not be ignored or repressed. And the things that had happened because of my mutation were not things I looked fondly back on. My mutation was still Shaws, even with the good things I had done with it, healed raven, helped Charles, It was not mine. After years of not having control over what I did with my powers, in my mind they became someone else’s. Charles was reminding me that they were mine and that I needed to work to heal that relationship between me and my mutation. 

I ran my hands through my hair and down my face. My eyes flitted as I thought, before coming back to Charles. 

“Im willing to try whatever you think may help.”

Charles' blue eyes lit up, slightly surprised. 

“Are you sure? You know that its only if you want to, if you feel like its-”

“-Yes im sure charles! I trust you.” I interrupted, my voice firm. Charles stopped speaking to look at me intently, observing my expression as closely as he could from where he was. This didn't seem to be enough so he sat up until we were only a foot or two apart, his face becoming the only clear thing in my frame of vision. It seemed to get clearer the longer I looked at it, everything past it a blurry mess. His eyebrows furrowed and his finger tips came to rest on my cheek making me shiver inwardly. The smallest smile made its way to his face and he let out a spout of air from his nose, his chest releasing tension.

“Alright dear. Thank you… for trusting me.”

We began small, Charles instructed me to feel the people around me. This wasn't much of a challenge for me. It had always been a natural thing for me to do, I did it even when Shaw wasn't around I would use my powers to feel the warmth in the blood of everyone near, how they were feeling, the motions they were doing. 

I felt around through the house, I felt people in their rooms, some napping, some working out, some just sitting. I felt a calm rush through me at the restfulness of the mansion. No one seemed to be on edge, all recognised that they were safe in this place with these people. No one's heart was hammering in anger, no one's fists were clenching preparing to strike. 

“You seem to be handling it well.” Charles noted.

“This part of my abilities is different from the rest. I think it's because I'm not controlling anything, just observing it in its present state. Kind of like your telepathy in a way, I don't feel like I'm endangering anyone by letting myself sense their presence and the space they hold.” I had my eyes closed and my hands resting in my criss crossed legs. When I opened them, Charles was smiling softly at me. 

The next day we were in Charles study. I was sitting in on a game of chess between him and Erik, not paying much attention. I heard Erik mumble a quick, “check…mate” before Charles chuckled lightly and tpok Erik's hand to shake over the table. 

“How has your training been, May?” Erik asked without looking at me. 

“We haven't done much but it's good so far.” I replied

Erik's eyes flicked to Charles who stared back with something in his eyes. His elbows rested on the table and hands clasped together in front of his mouth obscuring most of his face from me. He seemed to be reading Erik, though I couldn't tell if it was with his powers or just by observing his expression. Charles let out a sigh before leaning back in his chair and looking over at me.

“Do you think you're ready for the next step, perhaps?”

I tilted my head and pursed my lips, slightly dreading it. But I knew that I wanted to do this, that it was important to me. I think maybe, some of my will to do this sourced also from Charles, I could feel in him a desire to make things better for me and help me heal from my past and that desire was seeping into me, not that that was a bad thing. 

‘I think so,”

Soon the chess table was set to the side and I was sitting in Charles’ seat, Erik across from me. His eyes were like steel. I wasn't sure if he was trying to be intimidating but I didn't succumb to it regardless. My back was straight and my hands were firm in their placement on the table. Charles was standing to the side with his arms crossed instructing me to tap into Erik's blood and feel it within him. 

I felt it pulsating, a strong heart beat, a quick and efficient system. I almost rolled my eyes. Of course Erik's blood health was top notch, this guy was practically a machine. 

Charles laughed next to me, my thought sounding into his head by accident. 

“Right, let's try something small first. How about moving his hand, does that sound alright?”

I nodded and Erik placed his hand on the table where I could see it. I felt my heart beat quicken slightly and a headache budded just at the thought of controlling his hand, but one glance at Charles and I felt my resolve increase. I took a quick deep breath in and out and flicked my finger up, a motion to make the blood in his hand lift.

His hand remained still on the table. 

I chuckled a little bit. “Are you resisting?” I said to him, I figured he was just trying to lighten the mood, though unlike Erik, was appreciated. 

He shook his head at me, not a single bit of humor in his eye. I furrowed my eyebrows and did it again, a small confused smile on my face.

 I did it again. This time my whole hand came up in an attempt to guide Erik's hand to lift. Not even a tendon twitched, nothing happened. He wasn't resisting, I could feel it, no extra blood was being sent to his arm to fight me off. It just wasn't moving. My smile quickly faded

My heart beat quickened and I pulled my hands off the table to grip the arms of the chair I was sat on. My eyes flashed up at Charles and then quickly around the room. I felt the panic rise within me, flashes of Shaw in my mind, reminding me of what was the punishment for when I didn't use my powers the way I was told to. Although I knew I was safe here, fear washed over me in remembrance of when I wasn't.

Charles felt the rise of emotions in me and came to kneel beside me, close to eye level, his hands going to my shoulders. His sudden movement made me jump and my hands twitched to hold him still, He froze mid-movement and my whole body tensed. Our eyes locked, both wide and confused. My head was spinning and my headache started to gnaw at my skull. Quickly though, I came to my senses and let him free. He dropped and regained control of his body. 

I swallowed thickly and put my head in my hands apologizing

“It's alright love, It's okay.” Charles backed up just slightly. I fought back tears, not wanting to feel weak. He ignored the subtle quiver in my chin and stared as I ran a palm over my forehead to brush the hair out of my face, his hands clasped firmly on the chair. 

Erik across from us had his brows furrowed and watched me scrutinizingly. 

“Its triggered by your emotions then, fear probably, maybe pressure.”

Charles hummed, still focused on me. I focused on getting my breathing under control, not much processing what Erik had said, not really sure if I had even heard him right with the blood rushing in my head deafeningly loud. 

After a few moments, I calmed down and felt a wave of exhaustion following my adrenaline rush. 

“Maybe you should rest. We can try again tomorrow if you're feeling well enough,”

I nodded weakly. Charles stood and gently helped me stand before leading me out of the door and down the hallway to my room. On the way there I felt Charles' emotions turn to guilt. He was afraid he had pushed me too far too soon. It was making his gut tighten and his hands that were being used to carefully guide me to my bed shook ever so slightly.

“Im… im ok, really.” I put a hand on my chest where my heart was before I had sat down on my bed. 

“No, you're not. I'm sorry, I need to be more careful with this-” “Charles please! I'm alright, it's not your fault.” I sat down on my bed and patted the spot next to me. He looked at where I patted guiltily and then looked back at me. I didn't understand how someone's eyes could always be so starry and captivating. Every time he looked at me it was like his eyes were drawing me in, making me lose balance. 

He let out an exhale and took a seat next to me. He held his arms awkwardly close to himself, almost afraid to touch me. I realized he didn't want to scare me, not out of fear of what I would do, but fear that he would hurt me. I turned in my spot to face him, he didn't meet my gaze but I could tell he was listening.

“Dont you dare.” I spoke sternly

“What?” He looked at me wide eyed

“Blame yourself for that, for my reaction.” I said “That had nothing to do with you, you know that.”

“You panicked! I shouldn't have come at you like that, I should have taken it slower,” It was almost as if he was trying to convince me why I should be angry. I wasn't liking it one bit. Why was he blaming himself for something that wasn't under his control?

“No!, you did nothing wrong, I thought I was ready, and maybe I wasn't but that's not your fault.”

Charles sighed quietly. “I just want you to feel safe,”

I laughed making him furrow his eyebrows

“I feel safe Charles. Safer than I have been, probably ever. And the only reason for that is because of you. If it weren't for you I'd still be with Shaw, or dead in that damn parking garage.” I paused to make sure he understood what I was saying. “To be honest, if that had been anyone but you coming towards me, likely I would have sent them flying through the wall.” 

He smiled a little bit at that. 

“I just want to be sensitive, I don't want to rush you into anything,”

“I don't feel rushed in the slightest, and honestly, with Shaw still out there, maybe I need to be a little more rushed.” 

Charles shook his head at me looking serious. “I told you not to worry about that,”

“I don't think I can not worry about it, I'm sorry. But I want to be ready for when I'm needed, and even if I'm not needed, I want to help. I want to be a good person, on the goodside ”

“You are on the good side now, but you've always been a good person.” Charles whispered. My eyes filled with tears at the words that he said. I almost felt my heart being stitched back together, something deep within me filling with love. I chewed my lip to keep it from trembling. My eyes shut and let my chin drop as the tears dripped and slid hot tracks down my cheeks. 

I felt Charles, his hands twitched in his lap, the urge to reach for me strong but the worry of scaring me again making them stay put. I opened my eyes to stare at him again, his expression torn.

“You can touch me… please touch me.” I cried softly. 

His face crumpled and he immediately came closer, his fingers wiping the tears from my cheeks before stroking my hair back and cradling my head in his shoulders where I cried out the emotions of the day. He kissed the side of my head, grounding me to him. My arms wrapped around him, his presence making everything feel like it was going to be ok. 

After completely wetting the shoulder of his shirt with tears I pulled away. He watched me closely, about to ask if I needed anything before I grabbed him gently by the head and brought our lips together. 

He let out a small gasp before melting into me. My lips were wet and salty with tears, tears that were still coming. The emotion in the kiss was making my head spin, my gut swirling with affection. He soon pressed his hands to my face pulling us apart so we could catch our breaths, and rested his forehead against mine. 

“You should go to sleep, rest up, Can I get you some water?” Charles whispered, his hands slid from my face to my neck where he lightly stroked my collarbones. I nodded softly, my eyelids drooping. He let out a soft “Okay” before leaving me to get undressed and into bed. When he returned I was already nearly asleep despite still being sat up against the head board. 

“Here darling.” he put the glass in my hand which I took a few gulps of before setting down on my nightstand to finish tomorrow. I snuggled into bed, slipping down until my head was on the pillow. Charles pulled the covers up to my chin and stroked my face from where he was sat on the side of my bed.

“Thank you, you always take care of me.” I whispered, my eyes watching his every move, soaking in the tender look in his eyes. The calmness of the mansion once again washed over me before my eyes drifted shut and I sighed feeling warm and comfortable. The gentle touch of his fingers the last thing I felt before I fell asleep.