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nxrthmizu · 3 years

Text

kill em’ with kindness

fandom | miraculous ladybug

genre | lila salt, so much salt

summary | marinette takes the high road to a better life.

w.c | 8.1k

author’s note | had this idea for a few days after i wrote victory tastes bitter, which really blew up on ao3 (thanks for all the support <3). always wondered what it would be like if marinette just. played nice. so here she is, being an absolute badass.

author’s note.2 | okay so since i did not write this in one sitting, i get that the story probably doesn’t flow as properly as it should. will edit if i ever find the will to do it.

Marinette was done. They wanted her to be a model student? Fine. They wanted her to stop being mean? Fine. They wanted her to be friends with Lila? Fine.

Luckily for Hawkmoth, no akuma plagued the sky of the previous night, or she would rain hell on him. There was no more tolerance left inside her to spare, and she certainly wouldn’t go out of her way to make some for the manipulative pest problem Paris has had for way too long.

She looked up into the mirror, having exchanged her pigtails for a low ponytail, strands curled to frame her face. Bluebell eyes glistened with a fire that burned brighter than hope— Hope that her ‘friends’ would see sense. Hope that Adrien would be there for her. Hope that the good guy would always get the happy ending. No more being patient, no more being passive, no more putting up with things she didn’t have to.

If Lila Rossi wanted a battle, then fine, a battle she would get. Marinette was lowering her white flag, replacing it with a battle emblem that scorched red, redder than blood and redder than the anger her friends would feel when she was finished. No more peace negotiations. Rossi wanted a fight, Rossi wanted a challenge. Who was Marinette to deny her from what she wanted?

They didn’t know what was coming for them.

The power of makeup was truly one that reigned apex among the world. A few touches of her makeup brush was all it took to erase her dark eyes from existence, give her skin a more radiant glow (She promised that she’d take time to give it a natural glow after she was done being nice), and ease a cherry-pink blush onto her cheeks, making her freckles stand out more in contrast. Marinette Dupain-Cheng meant business, and when she meant business—

“Good morning, Marinette! You look great today!” The head of the student council, a sensible, down-to-Earth blonde by the name of Noelle smiled, speeding up slightly to catch the bluenette on the steps of Francois Dupont. “Love the new look.”

Ah yes. The new look— A royal blue blazer, detailed with golden embroidery of cherry blossoms bursting at the sleeves and the collar, accompanied by a classy-looking silk blouse tapered with a soft, black felt. The pleated black skirt (Made from heavy cloth so that it wouldn’t flap about in the wind) was lined with a beautiful scarlet at all the edges to complete the look. Knee-high black socks trailed all the way into the slight heels that Marinette had added flower adornments on, just so she could tap a little of her own touch on it.

“Thank you,” Responded the bluenette with a smile.

“Woah! Someone looks like they got a good night of rest.” Madeline, the president of the Art Club teased, flocking to the other side of the girl. “That mascara looks sharp enough to kill, girl!”

Sharp enough to kill?

Oh, that wouldn’t be necessary, Marinette mused to herself, sending out thanks to those who had complimented her on her way to class. Nothing sharp was going to be required for the liar’s downfall— No, no. That would just be too messy, and she wouldn’t even think of staining her new outfit. Of course, the ensemble was crafted from her own hands, as stated by the classic MDC that graced the inside of her blazer, the collar of her blouse, and one of the pleats of her skirt. Besides… Lila wasn’t worth getting her hands dirty.

She was going to do things the right way.

The kind way.

“Good morning, everyone.” She greeted, walking into the classroom, garnering their attention with her punctuality. Every set of eyes in the room were attracted to her, like iron fillings to magnets. Some of the gazes were malicious, hateful; Some were doubtful, wary; One was pleading, as if spelling out ‘Please keep taking the high road!’— And then there was Chloe, who was entirely uninterested.

Good, Lila was already present.

“I’d just like to take a minute of your time. Won’t be too long, I promise.” She took a deep breath, ignoring the imploring gaze that dug at her side, courtesy of a blonde that sat in the front row (And no, it wasn’t Chloe she was referring to). “I’d just like to say…”

The class watched with bated breath.

“I’m sorry.”

Alya blinked. So did everyone else in the room. Stunned faces greeted Marinette’s apologetic one, including Lila’s— She didn’t even have to fake her reaction. What on Earth was Marinette trying to pull off? What kind of stunt was this?

“I realise that I’ve not really been the best version of me lately,” She admitted sorrowfully. I haven’t been the best version of me because I was being boycotted and isolated, “It wasn’t fair to put you all through this,” It wasn’t fair that you idiots had to lose all your reputations because of the words of one liar, “And people got hurt as a consequence,” Me. I was the one who got hurt. “I realise that things haven’t been all smooth-sailing in our class lately, so I’d like to apologise to everyone.” I’d like to apologise for not being able to save you from a liar who only sees her own personal gain.

A practiced breath escaped Marinette’s throat as she waited for her cue— The school bell— And set her bag on the teacher’s desk. Good, everything was unfolding right on time. Not quite far away, there was a distinct clack-clack-clack of someone’s heels— An auburn teacher, perhaps? Marinette reached into her backpack and drew out a package she had meticulously wrapped in brown paper and tied in golden ribbon. Sitting passively on top of the package was a small note, decorated in hand-drawn flowers and a hummingbird in the corner.

“Here,” Marinette strode up the steps of the class, stopping right in front of her former seat— Now Lila’s— Internally taking pleasure in the first time she’d seen the Italian’s true expression. “For you, as a token of my apology. I understand if you don’t want to forgive me,” Marinette swallowed painfully, biting her lip, as if she was trying not to cry, “But I just want to make things right.”

Lila blinked.

What the hell was happening?

The silence was broken by a quiet sob, one that did not originate from Marinette. Instead, Mlle. Caline Bustier stood in the doorway of the class, clutching her books and notes for the day’s lesson, wiping away a tear that dropped from her eye. “Oh, Marinette,” The teacher sobbed, “I’m so proud of you.”

“That’s so sweet of you, Marinette.” Rose sniffed, wiping away a few tears of her own that had started dripping during the bluenette’s speech. Juleka patted her girlfriend’s back, trying to calm the emotional blonde before she cried out a tsunami on top of her textbooks, giving Marinette a thumbs up to show her approval.

Alya beamed, seemingly proud of her former best friend, who had (In her opinion) finally started to see sense. “I’m so proud of you, girl!”

(Adrien was too shocked to form any words.)

“Could you… Open it?” Marinette asked hopefully, ignoring the teacher for the favour of the liar who ruined her life. “I… Just want to know if you like it.”

The Italian could do nothing more than grit her teeth when Alya urged her to open it. What kind of trick was Mari-Brat up to? Never mind— She’d just spin it into something stupid and the class would take to it like starved animals. With no other choice, she tore apart the brown paper, discarding the golden ribbon on her desk. The class gasped, oohs and aahs echoing all around as the package unfolded to reveal a pretty, beige-coloured cardigan, hand-stitched with murals of foxes, jumping livelily among berry bushes.

Stitched into the inside of the cardigan in pastel blue were the words ‘Lila Rossi’, done in an exquisite cursive that could no doubt only come from Marinette’s hand.

“I made it for you myself,” Marinette sniffed humbly. “I know you’re a really great model and you’ve probably seen clothes that are much better than this one, but I poured all my feelings into it. I spent every night of last week working on it, and—” She hiccuped rather loudly, instantly covering her mouth with her hand in embarrassment. “I just hope you like it.”

“I…” Lila was at a loss for words. She had an itinerary full of the lies and stories she would spin that day (“Marinette texted me mean things last night,” she would weep tearfully to Alya, sniffing and wiping away tears on Alya’s shirt sleeve, “I just want to be friends but she just keeps… Attacking me!”) but no matter. A smirk danced along the Italian’s lips. “Did you design this yourself?”

Judging by the smirk that Marinette could practically hear in the other girl’s tone, the liar already had a trick up her sleeve. If Marinette had to guess...

Something along the lines of she stole this design from [random designer], who just coincidentally had the time to be Lila’s friend. Or maybe the friend of Lila’s grandmother. Whichever didn’t matter much, because Marinette was prepared.

Marinette crossed the room in mere seconds, returning back to Lila’s seat with a sketchbook that she’d pulled from her bag. “Here!” She chirped, flipping open the page with an exercised movement, not even having to shuffle through the pages to find the correct sketch. “I brought the original sketch, just in case you wanted to see it so you could get a professional to redo it for you.”

Lila opened and closed her mouth like a gaping fish out of water. Beside her, Alya’s eyes sparkled, envy still glowing in her eyes at the sight of the intricate foxes, coloured in hazel, gold, and orange threads.

“Thank you, Marinette.” Lila gritted through her teeth, basically seething at the thought of having to thank the girl in front of her, who was smiling like an innocent sunshine child.

The bluenette then turned her attention to her homeroom teacher. “Sorry for interrupting and taking up class time, Mlle. Bustier.”

“It’s not a problem, Marinette,” Mlle. Bustier wiped at her eyes, slightly embarrassed now that the whole class was watching her cry at the sight of her ‘model student’ correcting her wrongs. “E— Excuse me.” She mumbled, clearing her throat. “Let’s pick off from where we stopped yesterday. Open your textbooks to page 63, please.”

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The rest of the day went along smoothly. Marinette sat at the back of class, as usual, sighing in boredom as class was derailed off course, whisked off by another one of Lila’s tall tales. Honestly, they were already weeks off schedule— How the hell were they expected to sit for the final exam, at this rate?

She huffed quietly to herself, watching Bustier trying (and failing) to act like she wasn’t interested in Lila’s story. The woman— An actual adult— Fell for Lila’s usual tricks like a fool, taking in every single word in drunken thirst. Did Mlle. Bustier really have nothing better to do than get absorbed in a teenage girl’s wild fantasies (in a way it was like that). At that thought, Marinette sat up straighter in her chair, an idea going off like a lightbulb above her brain.

Was it...?

After further thought, Marinette settled back into her chair, humming thoughtfully as she drummed her fingers against her table quietly. Yes... Yes, perhaps.

Perhaps it was possible.

The rest of the lesson passed in wasted time as the class took a major detour to go on a warped journey through Lila’s lies, and before Bustier knew it, the lunch bell had rung. Students chattered animatedly as everyone got up, Mlle. Bustier’s announcement of ‘please go home and study this chapter by yourselves, everyone’ was pathetically drowned out by the rest of the noise.

Marinette collected her things quickly, needing her exit from the classroom to go off without a hitch, exactly the way she planned it. “I’ve got to go back to my parents’ bakery for lunch,” She said shyly, shrinking into herself as her classmates turned to look at her. “I... Was thinking of bringing some macarons back later. Before I go, though... Lila, is there anything you’re allergic to?”

“What?” The girl being asked snapped back as a reply, the words leaving her mouth too fast for her to register. Before she knew it, the whole class was staring at her, mouths agape. “I... I mean.” Clearing her throat, the liar plastered on a sweet smile. “What was it, Marinette?”

“I wanted to bring some macarons back for everyone.” Shyly, the bluenette repeated her plans. “And... Since I’ve been in class with everyone else here for a while, I know their allergies, but not yours. Is there anything you’re allergic to that could be in baked goods?”

The Italian cursed under her breath— Mari-Brat really wasn’t letting up. The bluenette had made sure to cover any ground that the Italian could use and turn back against her. “As far as I’m concerned, I’m not allergic to anything.”

Brightening visibly, Marinette nodded, shooting the Italian a smile. “I know things between us aren’t going to get better immediately, but I promise to do my best in fixing things! See you guys after lunch.”

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Lila was getting really, really fed up. For the whole morning, she wasn’t able to come up with any reason to blame Marinette. If things kept going at the rate that they were, the class would be fully convinced that the bluenette was a changed woman, and that couldn’t happen. There was, in the end, a downside to having such a gullible bunch of classmates— Sure, they swayed easily to her side, but that meant that they swayed back to Marinette’s just as easily.

Hissing under her breath, Lila looked up to catch Alya and Nino’s concerned looks.

No.

She was Lila Rossi. She was resourceful. She had Gabriel Agreste behind her back. She was powerful. She was not going to let Mari-Brat halt her plans in their tracks ever again.

“I’m going to go use the bathroom real quick,” She said, excusing herself from the lunch table. Perfect! Now all she had to do was come back in tears, saying that Marinette confronted and mocked her in the bathroom, and the class would be all hers, once again.

Little did she know that Dupain-Cheng was one teensy step ahead.

As soon as Lila rounded the corner of the cafeteria, Marinette appeared, having just had a lovely chat with Rose (And Juleka, although it was Rose who did most of the talking). The two were at the front steps of Francois Dupont, having a lovely couple moment that Marinette hated to interrupt— But she needed to have at least a word with them.

“Rose, Juleka!” Marinette greeted, box of macarons held carefully in her arms, as if it were a box of important jewelry instead of just a box of pastries. “Oh— Rose, is that a new watch? I’ve never seen you wear it before!”

“Yep, it is!” Rose beamed, delighted that someone (Besides Juleka) had finally noticed it. “Isn’t it pretty?” Indeed it was. The watch in question was a pretty, intricate-looking thing done in rose-gold metal, with a pastel pink leather strap holding it down. The background of the watch face was a white background with a thin film of rose-gold metal, cut to resemble a wall of precious rose vines.

“It is!” Agreeing wholeheartedly, Marinette offered her classmate a smile. “Oh by the way, what time is it?”

Rose peered at the watchface, returning the answer with an equally-bright smile. “11.47.”

“Thank you.” Marinette thanked, continuing her way through the school until she reached the cafeteria. Just before she fell into line of sight, though, she hid behind a wall, peering over the corner until she spotted the table she was looking for.

Perfect— Lila just walked away. Marinette thanked the gods for all the luck that she was having— Okay, maybe she thanked one god in particular more than the others. Gently, she patted the secret pocket that was sewn into the lining of her blazer— Tikki, who had magic powers, managed to create a miniature ‘room’ inside the secret pocket, with the pocket itself acting as a portal of sorts to the room. After a few seconds, she felt the pocket tap back, managing a small smile of gratitude for her kwami’s constant love and support.

“Hey, Alya, Nino.” Marinette greeted shyly, box of macarons propped up against her hip. “Where’s... Lila?” She hesitated slightly with her question, acting as if it was a little out-of-place to ask about the Italian girl.

“She went to the bathroom.” Nino provided, mouth still full of unchewed food. This gifted him with a smack from his girlfriend (“Don’t talk with your mouth full!” she scolded,).

“Oh, I see.” I definitely see. I know what she’s going to try and pull later— I have to time this properly. Timing is everything.

Marinette continued to make small talk with the two, whom she had not talked to for a very long time. Much to her surprise, they were very warm and accepting, quite unlike the people who slung slurs and accused her baselessly a few days ago. One morning made all the difference to people who believed anything, she supposed.

All of a sudden, something in her chest buzzed, as if it were a fire alarm, vibrating in warning— She had to go. “It was nice talking to you guys again.” She admitted, having briefly dipped into a pool of what their friendship used to be like. “But I have to go. I promised Kagami I’d meet her for a few minutes before lunch ended.”

Alya’s eyebrows jumped up comically in surprise. “I didn’t know you still talked to her. I thought you two were… Love rivals.”

“So what if we were love rivals?” Marinette shrugged with a simple smile. “Adrien is… As much as it’s odd to admit, he’s just a boy. Neither of us let him get in between us. He’s just a boy, and it’d be stupid for us to not get along just because we like the same boy. It doesn’t bother Kagami that we used to like the same boy, so why should I let it bother me? Besides,” Marinette tilted her head slightly. “It’d be stupid to give up a great friendship just because of a boy.”

With her last words still hanging in the air, Marinette turned tail and left, walking faster than usual. She had little time left— As she neared the wall that would shield her from the view of the cafeteria, she sped up her footsteps, practically half-sprinting just so she could get out of sight before Lila Rossi returned, looking like someone just killed a puppy in front of her very eyes.

“Oh my god, what’s wrong?” Alya jumped to her feet instantly, reaching out to comfort her best friend, who was moments away from having tears stream down her cheeks.

“I… I thought she’d changed.” Lila sniffled, biting her lip to appear as if she was desperately trying not to cry.

Alya frowned. “Who?”

“Marinette.” Lila stated as if it were obvious, faltering for a moment— Why had Alya bothered to ask? Shouldn’t it come pretty obvious? The liar dismissed the thoughts and continued in her performance. “She threatened me in the bathroom. She… She confronted me and mocked me, saying… Saying that all of you… All of you are idiots for believing that she’s changed. She… She said everything was an act to turn you all against me.”

Nino’s jaw dropped so far that it touched the floor. “Uh… Dudette, are you sure it was Marinette?”

“Yes!” Lila spun to look at him so fast that it was a wonder she didn’t break her neck. “Are… Are you doubting me? Oh my god, it’s working. She’s turning you guys against me. I just want to have friends, I don’t get why she hates me so—”

“You’re… Absolutely sure it was Marinette? You saw her face?” Alya repeated her boyfriend’s words, emphasising each and everyone of them as she looked Lila in the eyes.

“Alya, not you too.” Lila sniffled, tears basically dropping out of her eyes like big, fat droplets of salt water. “It was her— I saw her blazer, it had MDC stitched onto it.”

An uncomfortable silence settled in between the girl and her boyfriend, neither quite knowing what to say. “Oh. I… I see.” Alya said at last, turning back to her food. “Well… Lunch is almost over. Let’s… Let’s get back to class.”

“Marinette just threatened me in the bathroom!” Lila puffed up, clearly upset now. “She mocked me! She called you guys stupid for believing her act!”

“Dudette.” Nino shattered the ice-cold silence at their lunch table, swallowing heavily. “Marinette was with us the whole time you were in the bathroom.”

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The tension inside the room was so thick that Adrien could cut it with his bare hands. God, what had happened? The day had started off so well— Marinette agreed to be friends with Lila, god bless the girl— But as it turned out, one hurdle folded over only to be towered over by a taller one.

“Alya—” Lila began tearfully, her pitiful look attracting the sympathy of those who still didn’t know what was going on.

“You claimed that Marinette threatened you in the bathroom.” Alya interrupted. “While she was with us the whole time in the cafeteria.”

Faltering, the Italian struggled to find a way to squeeze herself out of the tight spot. “M— Maybe it was someone else.” Reluctantly, she backed out one trap into another one.

“You said that you were sure! You said that she was wearing a blazer with MDC stitched on it. Marinette was wearing that blazer during lunch!” The reporter shot back, Nino at her side, trying to extinguish the conflicted fire blazing inside Alya’s heart.

The seeds of doubt had been sewn, and Lila was going to have a tough time weeding them out. “I... I’m sorry!” She burst out into tears, sobbing pitifully in front of the class, most of which were already in attendance. “My lying disease is acting up again. I... I can’t help it. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone!”

“Uh... Is this a bad time to ask if anyone wants macarons?” Marinette cleared her throat awkwardly, standing at the front of the room. Her royal blue blazer had been shed, and it now hung over her arm, properly folded into half. Earlier, she had asked Rose for the time to make sure that she had a witness in case Lila tried to pull another act— But as it seemed, the Italian was determined to dig her own grave and all the work had been done.

The students of Mlle. Bustier’s class shared looks.

“I’ll... I’ll have one.” Mylene cleared her throat, hoping that it would diffuse the situation.

“Me too.” Kim followed, not missing the way Marinette flinched slightly at his words. Most of the words he had said to her of late had not been nice at all— But he justified that with the fact that she was being a bully to Lila, like Chloe had been to Marinette herself.

“Great!” Marinette cleared her throat awkwardly, slapping on a strained smile. She passed the box to the front row, where Sabrina and Chloe were, gesturing for them to pass the box along until everyone got their fill.

Internally, Lila seethed, anger burning like a wildfire that tore down every lush sign of life in her path. The girl had never felt that livid in her entire life— Who did Dupain-Cheng think she was, having a change of heart out of nowhere, pretending to play along with those oh-so-innocent eyes of hers?

“I... I think I know why my disease acted up again,” Lila sniffled, loud enough to gather attention again. Unsure glances passed around like an object that no one wanted, carried from hand to hand forcefully as no one wanted to hold onto it for too long. “It... It must’ve been because of... Of the cardigan that Marinette made me! You must’ve known that...” The Italian squinted at the cardigan on her desk, “... Cotton triggers my lying disease!”

The bluenette, still passing around macarons, stopped in her tracks. Inside her mind, Marinette was shaking her head, an amused smile on her cheeks. She had to give Lila credit for that one— She would’ve never anticipated that lie from her nemesis. “That’s terrible!” She sucked in a breath, putting on a dismayed look. “I’m really sorry, Lila! I know it seems like I did this on purpose, but I promise I didn’t! To make it up to you, I’ll make you another one.”

Is she serious right now? Lila scoffed mentally. How long does she plan to keep this going? No matter— She’ll eventually drain herself out and I won’t even have to meddle in this matter.

Marinette sniffled, collecting the cardigan pitifully from Lila’s desk. “But to prevent future incidents, Lila, I just want you to know that this isn’t made of cotton... It’s made from the highest-quality of star silk, which is incredibly difficult to produce and is rather expensive. It’s such a pity... I thought that only the best of materials would be deserving to be used to make an apology present... I guess you can’t wear it. I’ll just make another copy of the cardigan with some normal-range silk.” Sighing, the bluenette pretended to mull in sadness for a few seconds before an idea struck her. “Alya! You aren’t allergic to star silk, right?”

The flow of conversation redirected suddenly, with the reporter snapping to attention and nodding eagerly as she realised what was about to happen.

“Then... Since I’ve spent so long on this, I don’t want it to go to waste... Why don’t you have it, instead?” Offered Marinette with a sweet, shy smile on her face.

Lila, still caught up in shock by the reveal of the material— Was then slammed with a wall of flaming anger as Alya squealed, coddling the soft, fluffy material that made the cardigan the exquisite product it was.

“Marinette’s right,” Adrien chipped in with his own two cents, “Father can rarely get his hands on that material— It costs a fortune, and if hand-made... It takes forever.”

“Oh, I wove the silk by myself,” Marinette added shyly after Adrien’s contribution, “So I apologise if it’s not up to the quality of industry-level star silk.”

The reporter gushed, still cooing and running her hands over the gorgeous threads of fabric that made up the cloud-like base of the cardigan, eyes sparkling and the details of the embroidery.

Marinette smiled, returning to her seat without a fuss. The rest of the class continued to pass the pastries around, the perfect description of ‘ignorance is bliss’ as they pretended as if they couldn’t see the way Lila was shaking in anger. Alya, on the other hand, could see nothing but the garment in her hands, her ‘best friend’ having become invisible for the time being.

Just as well that it turned out this way, Marinette hummed, twirling her pen in hand, Let that be my departing gift to Rena Rouge.

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Tomorrow arrived like clockwork, never late and always on time. The crowd of students clamouring by the front of Francois Dupont hushed to silence as they parted for two dark-haired women, both of which were giving off waves of confidence. Simple conversation flowed between the two, who were perfect examples of elegance and grace, their traditional-inspired attire complementing the royal-like aura they had.

“This dress is really lovely, Marinette,” Kagami smiled gently, admiring the way the fabric flowed around her. The designer had gifted her friend with a maroon-coloured hanfu-inspired dress, complete with hand-sewn embroidery of a golden dragon curled around Kagami’s waist and neck. The dress was completed with a pleated skirt that went all the way to the heels. At first, the fencer was reluctant about the skirt due to the limited maneuverability, but then Marinette revealed that the skirt was very simple to take off as it was just tied around the waist.

“You look gorgeous in it. It suits you.” Marinette replied, dressed in a similar looking dress. Her hanfu-inspired dress was light pink in colour, with silver threads depicting cranes flying about freely. The pleated skirt was grey in colour, lined with a soft circle of white.

Kagami blushed slightly. “Thank you.” Briefly, the Japanese girl wondered why on Earth Marinette would go and embroider a dragon onto her dress— Was it purely a coincidence, or...?

“I’m really glad you decided to transfer here,” Marinette smiled softly, her dark blue bangs framing her face as the rest of it was gathered into a braid that Kagami had helped weave. “It’s going to be nice! I’ll get to see you a lot more often.”

“We’re in different classes, though.” Frowning, Kagami wondered if she should request a change of homeroom.

“For now.” The designer winked playfully. “Oh, I have to get to class. See you during lunch?”

Without waiting for a reply, the blue-eyed girl moved away gracefully, leaving Kagami in confusion.

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“Good morning,” Marinette greeted gracefully, sweeping into the classroom with her bag over her shoulder and a package in her hands. This package was clearly not as exquisitely-wrapped as the one from the day before, as it was just brown paper and some rough string.

Alya brightened at the sight of her friend, shrinking away slightly whenever Lila tried to say anything. Sure, the reporter did shake off the initial reaction and respond to whatever her ‘best friend’ said, but the damage had been done.

“Here’s your new cardigan. It’s made from the same material as your shirt,” Marinette smiled warmly, placing the package on Lila’s table. “It’s a little different from the one I brought yesterday, but I still poured in all my emotions when I made it, so I hope you’ll accept it.”

Through a gritted smile, the Italian thanked the designer, clenching her fists under the table. That was the second time in two days she had to thank Mari-brat! She swore that if she had to do it again a third time, she was going to slap someone.

“Oh, Marinette!” Alya called out excitedly, wearing the cardigan that was originally supposed to be Lila’s. “This cardigan is so soft! It’s really amazing to wear! As expected of you, girl!”

The bluenette stared back at the reporter, wavering for a bit. She had a feeling that Alya wanted something from her...

“So... I was wondering...” The reporter’s expression turned sheepish, with Marinette’s internal thought-train going ah, there it comes— “Could you remove this and put my name instead?” Alya picked up the corner of the cardigan, pointing to the inside of the garment, where ‘Lila Rossi’ was embroidered on.

“Ah...” Marinette didn’t even have to fake her nervousness. We already agreed on this, She told herself, No more doing free stuff for people. No more. “Sorry, Alya. My parents need a lot of help in the bakery recently,.. You know how it is! Family always comes first. I’ve already taken out a lot of time to make the cardigan for Lila... And I promised Kagami I’d go out with her this weekend. I’m afraid I don’t have time...”

There was no missing the way Alya’s face fell instantly. “Couldn’t you put off Kagami for me? Aren’t we best friends?”

“I thought Lila was your best friend,” Feigning an expression of innocence, Marinette tilted her head slightly. “You shouldn’t go around saying things like that, Alya. You might hurt Lila’s feelings. Besides, a promise is a promise. I wouldn’t want to hurt Kagami’s feelings either. Not to mention— I gave you that cardigan for free. That was two weeks’ worth of hard work. I’m afraid I don’t have the ability to take time out to alter it for free either. If you really want to get it done, you could ask an external tailor to do it for you. I know a few who can do really good embroidery.”

Alya faltered. “But... We used to be best friends...”

Snorting mentally, Marinette continued to hold her calm composure. “Like I said, you really shouldn’t say that, Alya. Lila might get upset and we don’t want to hurt her feelings— Right, Adrien?”

The blonde jumped when the conversation turned to him out of nowhere. All of a sudden, every eye in the classroom was fixed on him. “R— Right, of course.” He said, forcing out each word.

Satisfied, Marinette nodded, still wearing her ever-so-kind smile. “Exactly.”

──────── ⋆⋅❉⋅⋆ ────────

“Hey, why don’t we all go out and have a picnic outside during lunch?” Alya suggested loudly, jumping up as soon as the lunch bell rang. “Marinette, you can come along too!” Something inside the reporter’s chest was stirring, and with the events of the past few days, Alya felt like she just had to quench that unsettling feeling— And the first step to that was to mend things with Marinette, even though it was the bluenette’s fault for always having been biased to Lila. Alya smiled, proud of herself. She would be the bigger person, she would forgive Marinette, she would integrate the designer back into the class again.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Marinette replied just as quickly, “We don’t know what Lila might be allergic to— She could easily trigger a reaction if we go out, especially since it’s spring.”

A collective choir of groans rounded the class.

“Well, I’m going to go back to the hotel to have a first-class meal,” Chloe turned her nose up at her classmates. “... Dupain-Cheng, would you like to come?”

Shock painted the faces of the whole classroom. Did Chloe just... Ask Marinette something... Politely?

“I’d love to take that offer, Chloe.” Responded the bluenette, graceful and flawless as ever. “Perhaps tomorrow?”

“Suit yourself. They’re serving lobster today.” Chloe huffed. “If you’re really that busy, then fine. We can discuss...” The Mayor’s daughter trailed off as she blushed.

The bluenette giggled knowingly. “You’d like to commission a dress from me, right?”

“... No.”

“...”

“... Maybe.”

“Alright.” Marinette nodded. “Then maybe it’ll be more convenient if I head over to the hotel after school. I’ll need to take your measurements and we can discuss the prices after.”

“Whatever.” Chloe waved her away haughtily, a poor effort to cover up her embarrassment. “Sabrina. Let’s go.”

“Chloe?” Alya guffawed. “Why are you commissioning something from Marinette?”

Rolling her eyes as if Alya had just asked the stupidest question ever, Chloe answered plainly. “Because she’s one of the up-and-rising designers in the industry? Have you seen what Dupain-Cheng is wearing today? Celebrities are already fighting for spots in her commission list. Even my mother and Gabriel Agreste acknowledge her talent. I’m not dumb, Cesaire. I can recognise a future fashion queen when I see one.”

Wow, Marinette breathed, looking at the stunned faces around the room, Chloe sure knows how to create an impression.

“W— Well.” Stuttered the reporter after Chloe made her big exit. “Then... What about going to the bakery for lunch?”

“Didn’t Lila say she saw a rat in the bakery the last time she visited it?” Marinette pointed out. “The health officer checked the surveillance and the claim was dismissed, of course, because my parents make sure the bakery is as hygienic as possible— But I’m sure Lila is traumatised from that incident. I wouldn’t want to force her to come along to the bakery— And we wouldn’t want to leave her out either, right?”

This elicited another round of groans.

Oh, I am enjoying myself way too much, Marinette chuckled mentally.

“Then— Then...” Alya struggled visibly before she was put out of her misery.

“It’s fine, Alya.” The designer reassured her. “I wouldn’t want to bother Lila. I’m sure she’s still upset at me. You guys go ahead. I have to go back to the bakery to help my parents out. See you guys after!”

──────── ⋆⋅❉⋅⋆ ────────

Slam!

Lila fumed, hand still pressed on her locker door. What. The. Hell. Was Mari-brat trying to do? She didn’t miss the way some of her classmates sent her unsatisfactory looks after that pre-lunch stunt that Marinette had pulled.

And what was the thing about high-and-mighty Chloe commissioning from Marinette?

Sure, Lila would admit that the cardigan that the designer made was indeed gorgeous, and the fabric was smooth and velvety, a quality unlike any of the clothing that Lila had ever had the privilege to touch— But surely a lowly brat like Dupain-Cheng couldn’t be that popular... Right?

Dammit, hissed the Italian girl, Maybe I should’ve tried being friends with Mari-brat instead of Cesaire.

──────── ⋆⋅❉⋅⋆ ────────

“Is that... Marinette and Kagami?” Nino gaped, prompting Alya to turn around. It was true— Walking up the steps of Francois Dupont together were the two blue-haired girls, a gentle smile dancing on Kagami’s lips as Marinette talked animatedly, her hands waving around quickly to further elaborate her point.

Students lounging around the entrance for lunch couldn’t tear their eyes off the two and their matching dresses. Sure, the two girls had walked into school the same way that morning— But now that the afternoon sun was high up in the sky, the golden and silver embroidery was glinting luminously, revealing the true caliber of Marinette’s craft.

“But... They’re rivals.” Stuttered Alya. She just couldn’t understand... Weren’t they supposed to hate each other?

“They both like Adrien but they can still get along,” Nino remarked thoughtfully, taking a bite from his sandwich. “So Marinette wasn’t lying about going to meet Kagami yesterday.”

Alya was silent.

“Alya? What’s wrong?” Worried, Nino put a hand around his girlfriend’s shoulder, care and concern shining through his honest eyes.

“If... If Marinette doesn’t get jealous or biased over someone who also likes Adrien...” Alya started quietly, eyes still fixed on the two girls, “Then why was she so against Lila?”

──────── ⋆⋅❉⋅⋆ ────────

“Mlle. Bustier?” The teacher looked up at the voice of her favourite student. Fondly, she smiled. Marinette had finally seen the light and changed her ways, becoming the helpful, generous, kind Marinette that served as a great example for her peers. “May I make an announcement before class ends?”

“Of course, dear.” Mlle. Bustier gave permission instantly— Marinette was taking up the reins of leadership again! The teacher couldn’t help but do a happy dance internally.

“I have an announcement to make, so if everyone could listen, I’d be really thankful.” Marinette started, her clear blue eyes meeting those of her classmates.

She took a deep breath. This is it. I’ve done what I needed to do, now it’s time to finish the job.

“These past two days... Have been great,” Marinette started wistfully. “I really missed hanging around everyone, just like we did before,” Before you all turned your backs on me and stabbed me when I wasn’t looking, “But I can’t deny— And neither can you— That the things that have happened... They had a really deep impact. And I’ve realised that I can’t just ignore that damage that has been done.” The damage that has been done to me. “So, for the better of everyone— I’ve decided that I... Will transfer classes.”

It was as if an explosion had gone off in Mlle. Bustier’s classroom.

“Girl! You can’t do that!” Alya exclaimed in dismay, “We can fix things! Everything has been going well these few days, haven’t they?”

“Dudette! Honestly, we forgive you.” Nino sighed, “Things just aren’t the same if you’re not here anymore.”

Adrien didn’t say a word, but the imploring gaze he wore said enough. Please don’t leave me here alone. We promised we’d fight together, right? As long as both of us know...

Marinette held her hand up to silence them, and the classroom, just as swiftly, became the deadly silence that followed post-disaster. “I understand. But once again, this is for the better,” — Of my mental health, “I’ve talked to Mlle. Mendeliev, and she’s agreed to take me in. I believe that once the changes have taken place, we can all grow more freely without restrictions.”

In the corner, Mlle. Bustier was tearing up and dabbing at her eyes with her sleeve.

“Mlle. Bustier,” Marinette turned to her teacher, no malice in her eyes. “I’ll be under Mlle. Mendeliev’s care now.”

“Marinette...” The teacher sobbed quietly, with Chloe shooting her a look of disgust from the front row.

“It’s not going to be easy for any of us,” Marinette turned back to the class, “But with time, I’m sure we will all prosper. Especially since you will now be under the care of our one and only Lila Rossi.”

Adrien looked like someone had just killed a puppy in front of him.

“Since I am the current class president, I thought I’d pass on the duties onto the most capable person in our class.” Marinette explained warmly, never moving her gaze away from the bewildered Lila. “Lila has the most connections in our class out of all of us, and she’s met so many CEOs and entrepreneurs that she must know a lot about organising and planning. I’m sure you can do it, Lila, but...” She paused. “You can handle it, right?”

“Y— Yeah. Of course.” Lila stuttered.

“You promised the class that you’d get BTS to perform for the year-end fundraiser since you were supposed to be in an arranged marriage with their youngest member, Jungkook.” Marinette continued, God I am enjoying myself too much honestly, but I ain’t going to stop now, “And you said you could convince your godfather, Bruce Wayne, to allow the class to go to Wayne Enterprises for this year’s class trip.”

“She said she could convince Tony Hawk to give me an internship, too!” Alix chipped in.

“And that she’d bring me along the next time Prince Ali asks for her help for a charity cause!” Rose smiled.

“She said she’d introduce me to the CEO of Graham Films!” Nino’s eyes shone at the idea.

The class continued to talk all over one another until Marinette silenced them once more. “Now, now. Let’s not overwhelm Lila. We wouldn’t want her to be overworked or to feel like the expectations are set too high, right?”

The class agreed, nodding along.

Marinette made eye contact with Lila, offering her a sweet smile as she did so. Lila, on the other hand, had no taste for such politeness. Instead, she straight-out glared at the former class president.

This is your problem now.

──────── ⋆⋅❉⋅⋆ ────────

“Marinette! I was hoping to catch you before you went home,” Alya panted, having been able to find the bluenette in the locker room before the designer slipped out of her reach. “You... You’re really serious about leaving?”

“Yeah.” Smiled Marinette, organising her textbooks into her bag, dusting down her skirt. Noticing Alya’s crestfallen expression, she took the initiative to continue the conversation. “Is there anything else, Alya?”

“Did you... Did you really hate Lila because she liked Adrien, too?” The reporter asked somewhat timidly.

Marinette giggled. Normally, when the girl giggled, you could hear a gentle tinkling of wind chimes— But at that moment, Alya heard the freezing winds on Mount Everest instead. “Don’t be silly, Alya. All this over a boy? Besides, I’m over him.”

“Then...” Alya swallowed difficulty. “Lila... Really was lying this whole time?”

The gaze that swept across the reporter was stone cold, and it made Alya feel as if she was dangling over a valley of jagged rocks. “What do you think, Alya?” Even so, the bluenette maintained a sweet smile.

“She was. She was lying the whole time.” Alya suddenly felt as if she had a shortness of air. “This whole time—”

“Oh, good for you. You finally learned how to see further than one feet in front of you.” Marinette hummed. “I’m proud of you, really. But I’m afraid that I don’t have the time to listen to you slowly come to conclusions after I’ve tried making you see sense for the past half a year. I tried to stop you from ruining your futures, but I guess determination was always one of your good traits.”

Alya slipped to the floor, having lost the feeling in her legs. She placed one hand against the lockers for support as she shook, weakly looking up at the girl who she was once so proud to call her ‘best friend’.

“Marinette?” Kagami’s voice rang through the room, indicating that the girl was waiting at the doorway. “You said you were heading to Bourgeois’s hotel after school— Would you like a ride?”

“That’d be nice, Kagami. A moment.” The designer looked down at her friend and smiled, albeit a little sadly this time— And then she lowered her voice.

“Determination was always one of your good traits.”

──────── ⋆⋅❉⋅⋆ ────────

“Marinette,” Adrien perked up at the sight of the bluenette leaving the school doors— Side by side with Kagami, who looked ready to draw a sword and start a duel then and there.

“This’ll just take a minute, ‘Gami.” Marinette reassured, gently patting her friend’s arm. “Why don’t you get in the car first? It looks like it’s going to rain.”

Reluctantly, Kagami nodded. “Alright.” Warily, the fencer stepped down the stairs and into the car— But even as she sat in the vehicle, she watched over her fellow bluenette like a hawk, ready to jump out and challenge the blonde if the situation called for it.

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, not quite knowing what to say. Luckily for him, the designer decided to start the conversation.

“I just wanted to say thank you.” Marinette smiled softly. A few months ago, when she looked at Adrien, she would see the kind, generous, pure-hearted boy with the finest golden hair and the brightest green eyes. Now? All she saw was a spineless, sheltered, passive child that was afraid of confrontations.

“For what?” Adrien looked at Marinette, and no longer did he see the cute, pigtail-adorning girl that would blush fiercely everytime he tried to talk to her. Instead, he saw a beautiful, young woman, a rock that had pulled through all the odds to become a vibrant, iridescent diamond.

Marinette was glowing with confidence, her presence diffusing into the air around her and triggering eyes to look up every time she walked by. There was something about the way she held herself that just made the woman demand awe and respect from those that crossed her path. The old ‘Clumsinette’ had been shed like an old snake skin to reveal a treasure, a better version of the bluenette that had always been waiting for her time to come.

Bluebell eyes met green ones just as rain began to patter down onto the streets of Paris. Marinette glanced up slightly, not at all bothered as she smoothly retrieved an umbrella from her bag, holding it out for the blonde to take. A flush of deja vu burst through Adrien’s veins and through his skin as he took it with a mumbled thanks, eyes blown wide as Marinette let loose her hair from her ponytail, pulling her blazer over her head to avoid getting her head wet.

Adrien could only gape as Marinette uttered familiar words back to him, a knowing smile dancing across her lips as she ran off into the rain as if an invisible weight had been lifted off her shoulders. The bluenette looked lighter, brighter, ready to take flight and soar towards the success that her crops of hard work had finally started to bear. Before the blonde model knew it, Marinette Dupain-Cheng had slipped out of his grip, already spreading her multi-coloured wings to land among the stars.

“Thank you for telling me to take the high road.”

──────── ⋆⋅❉⋅⋆ ────────

this was both satisfying and tiring to write...

#ml salt #ml saltfic #saltfic #lila salt #marinette dupain-cheng #adrien salt #miraculous ladybug #alya salt #[ris writes]—✧

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whaleofatjme1920 · 3 years

Text

In the Backyard Catching Fireflies (Hoodie X F!Reader X Masky)

In the Backyard Catching Fireflies

[Hoodie X F!Reader X Masky]

[Warnings: slight blood]

You honestly could have dreamed you would be in this type of situation if you were looking at this from the lens of last year's Reader. It was a mistake to even make contact with them to begin with.

As a child, your mother would often bring you into the woods to look for fun things: flowers, mushrooms, rocks, sometimes bones or pieces of trees. Other times, she brought you out there to practice her own magick, other days it was just to spend time in nature, and every other time than those reasons was just to spend time with you, her one and only beloved daughter. The correct term would be ‘witch’ but your mother never actually called herself one. Magickal practitioner, maybe, but never a ‘witch.’ You, on the other hand, absolutely took that term with pride.

You being a witch was what accidentally caused you to meet them to begin with. One evening, while out and about in the forest on the edge of town where you looked for fresh violets to eventually make violet syrup for your daughter’s ‘magical creature tea party,’ you found your favorite stretch of woods filled with the scent of blood. How strange, and it didn’t strike you as an animal’s blood. No, this was much stronger, more metallic, and carried the weight of sins past in its wake. As you looked around the forest to see what on earth was causing the terrible scent, you saw two men get spit out in between the trees. They flailed for a moment before getting tossed onto the forest floor, looking so much worse for wear.

“Oh my gods!” You exclaimed in surprise as you began to run over to the two, wondering if they were okay. You drew cautiously near them, only momentarily pausing to grab a large stick from the ground should they pounce when you finally got close enough to see their faces. How peculiar - their faces were covered. The one in the yellow hoodie had a ski-mask with a frown etched onto its surface, and the one in the tan coat was donned with a white mask with feminine features.

Your eyes flicked down to their midsections - that’s where the blood came from. They’re out cold, and you confirm that by trying to get them up. No dice. Against your better judgement, you load them onto your little wagon and bring them back to the car. It wouldn’t be right for you to just… leave them to bleed all over the forest floor.

You entered back into your house around the early evening, tired from trying to drag two grown men much bigger than you into your garage and set them up so you can work on them.

“Mommy?” Your small daughter’s voice piped in as she popped her head through the door leading to the garage where you were. “Who are they?”

“Got hurt,” you replied. “Can you get me the first aid kit?”

Your little girl smiled widely and nodded before she quickly zoomed back into the house. “Make sure to get the lavender and rosemary oil too! Can you do that for me, Magnolia?” You called out.

You heard your little girl running around as if she went back to get something. She eventually came back to the door, her arms full of things she thought you needed and the things you actually needed. “Thank you so much, baby,” you said with a small smile, petting her head as she put the things down on the table for you. “Go upstairs and watch some TV for me, okay? I don’t think I want to overwhelm our guests.”

At the sound of being able to watch more spongebob, she zoomed off and allowed you to get to work.

You mentally asked the two men before you to forgive the intrusion as you lifted their shirts to get at their wounds. You’re not sure you’ve ever seen something like this before. Is that… Are those claw marks? You dab a piece of cloth with some isopropyl alcohol and move to the white masked man and get three of the four lines cleaned when he awoke. His eyes shot open and his hand was gripping painfully tight at your wrist.

“Who the hell are you?” He asked in a panic, struggling to get you off of him in his half awake state. “Where are we?”

“Woah!” You cried out as you attempted to wriggle your hand free from his grasp. “I’m just cleaning you up-”

“Where are we?” He’s rattling off questions so fast and so loud that it wakes the second one up.

Due to you not being able to hold him down as well, he was able to pounce up and pin you to the ground, ready to end your life.

“Agh- stop!” You cried out in shock. “I just wanted to patch you two up!”

The man in the ski mask looked into your eyes for any hint of lying, or deception only to find none. Still, you were a normal person getting involved with two proxies. That in itself warrants death according to their society’s rules - and the Slender Man’s will.

“Wait,” the man in the white mask sighed. “Let her finish this up. You’re bleeding out on the floor.”

On cue at his comrade’s words, Hoodie glanced down to his midsection. He was indeed bleeding out on the garage floor and by extension, you. Realizing he was in no state to even consider inflicting damage, he relented.

An awkward silence quickly built up once you were back working on them. “So… What’re your names?”

“Hoodie.”

“Masky.”

“Interesting names,” you noted as you continued to work. “I’m Reader.”

“Interesting name,” Masky mirrors.

You laugh slightly.

That wasn’t the last you saw of the two men. They left almost immediately after being patched up much to your chagrin, but came back about a week later to properly thank you.

“We noticed some spell books in your garage before we left,” Hoodie began before nodding for Masky to go to the back of the car (they stole). “One of them being florals and it looked like you had some space in the front of your house. So, we brought you some flowers.”

You move your vision from over Hoodie’s shoulder to see Masky holding planters full of flower’s you’ve never even seen before. “Oh my gods,” you said in slight surprise as Masky places the small bushes down in front of their designated spots.

“We can plant them for you - or if you don’t like them we can-”

“No, no! They’re beautiful and the front lawn needs some color,” you beamed, looking at the array of colors dotting your front lawn. “How did… Where did you even find those?”

“We know a guy,” Masky said as he went back to the car to get a shovel.

You ended up going out there to help them plant the flower bushes and spent some more time in their company while you worked.

“So, tell me about yourself,” Masky said as he began to carefully place one of the shrubs into the dirt.

“Too broad,” you teased slightly.

Masky rolled his brown eyes. “You and magick.”

“My mother practiced, now I do,” you replied as you gently scooped back some of the dirt. “Most of it is home related work, but these plants are such a big help.” You took in their sweet scent. Come to think of it, you don’t think you’ve ever seen these types of flowers before anywhere. “What about you two?”

“Travelers, of some sort,” Hoodie piped in. “Never stay in one place for too long.” He glanced over to Masky to continue.

“That’s pretty much it,” Masky whistled slightly. “Used to be film students. Now we just… Go wherever the winds take us.”

From there, you began to hear stories from the two. Mostly little adventures they’d gone to, creepy towns they never wished to visit ever again, people they wished they stayed in contact with and everything and anything in between. It was actually rather nice to talk to other adults - and while they were relatively quiet about their past past, they seemed at ease talking with you about these things.

In return, you told them about other memories and anecdotes in your life. Small memories of climbing up the mountain with your mother, meeting your friends, your academic adventures and what brought you out to this part of the country.

“Wanted to get away from it all, I guess,” you said as the three of you sat on the front porch. “Figured it would be better to start again out here than face everything that had happened back there.”

Hoodie shared a look with Masky for but a moment. You hadn’t gone into detail about what happened back then, but they could somewhat fill in the lines with their experience of the world so far.

They came by plenty of times after that - sometimes together, sometimes not. Most of the time they stayed on your porch with you, chatting away about the day’s events and what would come next. You told them about your job, a teacher’s assistant to middle schoolers, and how you often passed your time. They eventually showed you their faces - and lord were they handsome - and still refused to tell you about their actual work.

“It’s dangerous, that’s all you need to know,” Hoodie had said one night while sipping a beer bottle.

Yet, they seemed to come by even more than usual when they met your darling little girl, Magnolia. Somehow, they’d managed to avoid her and her them throughout all their visits, but one afternoon near the beginning of the school year, that all changed.

She’s only 7, and the school bus often lets her out about a block from your home. You trust her enough to walk there and back (though another part of you wants to hold onto her forever and never let go).

“What time is it?” You hummed, sipping at your iced tea.

“About… 3:30, why?” Masky asked as he looked at his watch.

You immediately perked up. “She should be home soon,” you said eyes wandering from the two men on the steps with you towards the direction you knew your little girl was going to be coming from. And just like clockwork, there she was.

“Mommy!” She cried out, a large smile on her face as she began to run the rest of the way to the front steps.

“Mags!” You giggled as you maneuvered your way through the two men before hurriedly meeting her half way. “There’s my special little girl,” you laughed, taking her into your arms, picking her up and spinning her. “How was your day?” You ask, carrying her in your arms as you make it back to the front porch.

Masky and Hoodie move aside slightly as you sit back down with Magnolia on your lap.

“It was so fun! Today, we talked about bugs!”

“You did?” You asked as she nodded rapidly. “Tell me all about it while I get you something to drink and a snack, okay?” You said as you put her onto the steps before standing and opening the front door - and propping it open so you could still hear her and see her from the kitchen.

“We learned all about butterflies and what happens when they’re babies and become pretty,” Magnolia began to explain. “And then Miss Honey said we were gonna get caterpillar babies in our classroom and release them later. And then, she told us about bees and how bumbly they are-”

You listened to Magnolia go on about her lesson with a small smile as you fixed her some iced tea and apple slices. You could listen to her all day. When you failed to answer one of her questions, you heard Masky picking it back up for you.

“Hey Mommy? Why is the sky blue?”

A beat of silence because you honestly didn’t hear it.

“The atmosphere,” Masky began as he looked up at the perfectly azure sky. “You know what the states of matter are, don’t you?”

Magnolia nodded. “I do! Solid, liquid and gas,” she answered.

Masky smiled back and nodded. “Yeah, that’s it. Atmosphere is air and it covers the whole earth like a blanket,” he explained.

“It does?”

“Absolutely,” Hoodie chimed in.

Magnolia looked in between the two men with stars in her eyes, urging them to continue.

“The atmosphere changes the way that light from the sun reaches us,” Masky continued. “Light comes to us in wavelengths,” he moves his hand up and down like ‘waves’ to show what he means. “And those wavelengths look different depending on what they hit,” he claps his hands together, “and how long they are.”

“Do shorter wave… wavelengths show different colors?” Magnolia asks, clearly enamored in Masky’s teaching.

“Smart girl,” Masky chuckled softly as he ruffled her hair.

You finally come back from the kitchen with Magnolia’s snack and drink, more than pleased to see how well Masky and Hoodie were doing with her. Magnolia was admittedly a shy girl - she never really warmed up to people easily, especially not men given the situation with her father (who you’d rather not think about most days).

“And what about rainbows? Are those wavelengths?”

Both Hoodie and Masky laughed slightly before entertaining your daughter’s question as she sipped on her drink and bit into the apple slices. You watched with a small smile as you listened to the three talk.

After meeting Magnolia, Hoodie and Masky were more often at your house than not. And it carried on like that throughout the school year.

Masky often helped Magnolia with her science and math when you didn’t (feel like it).

“Mhm, and how many do you need to add to 5 in order to make 9?” Masky asked, eyes

glancing between your daughter and her math worksheet.

Magnolia smiled widely, “It’s 4.” She said it so confidently that you felt your heart burst from the living room.

“Good job,” Masky smiled back just as widely. “I’m sure you don’t know what you have to add to 8 to get 15, do you?”

“7!”

“Gods, you are so smart,” Masky chuckled warmly, hand once again ruffling her hair.

Hoodie was much more inclined to help with her reading and language arts skills. Seemed he had a knack for those things over math and science anyways.

“Spell bridge.”

“B-R-I-D-G-E.” Magnolia said with a grin.

Hoodie nodded. “Alright, how about… Believe?”

Magnolia furrowed her eyebrows slightly but gave a stab at it anyways. “B-E-L… I-E-V-E.” I before E, right?

“Good one. And laughter?”

“L-A-U-... F-no… G-H… T-E-R?”

“Nice job!” Hoodie complimente in an excited tone, scooping Magnolia up onto his lap making her burst into a fit of giggles. “You are seriously gonna kick everyone’s butt at the spelling bee on Friday.”

While they grew closer with your little girl, you noticed they had also grown oddly close with you as well. It came in little bouts - sometimes Masky would be cuddling with you on the couch while you watched the late night news. Hoodie would sometimes spend time with you in the garden and help when he didn’t have to - he was there just because he wanted to be with you. There were some days when they’d get you little trinkets, plants and herbs to help with your magick. Masky would even remind you of the full moon so you could put a jug out for moon water - and Hoodie would inform you of when the planets were in retrograde to potentially explain any odd behavior (remember: mundane of magickal.) They were helpful. Other times the three of you would spend the day together and eat brunch and act like your own individual family unit. And in your own unique way, you were - what with Magnolia now referring to the two men as her ‘aunt Hoodie’ and ‘uncle Masky’ much to the former’s original hesitance to accept that title.

It wasn’t just you feeling this way either, it was both of them as well. Masky was surprised to see how fast Hoodie had grown to care about you as Hoodie doesn’t really care about anything anymore. Maybe himself, definitely Masky, and definitely the other two in their group - but that’s it. To care for a human and her child… That’s admittedly out of pocket for him. They’re not sure what exactly to call it, maybe it’s love, but it’s a different kind of love. One that doesn’t have a name.

Ever since they entered your life things have been better. Life has been sweeter. Your little girl is more outgoing than ever and she’s finally coming out of her shell with not one, but two positive male role models.

And that led to now. The sun had finally dipped below the horizon and the stars were coming out to play. Magnolia was about to go on summer break - and the four of you had been planning on visiting the beach sometime soon. There were a lot of things to look forward to (another magical creature plus aunt Hoodie and uncle Masky tea party) being one of those things.

“Careful with the jar, Mags,” Hoodie said as he handed Magnolia a good sized mason jar to her awiting hands.

“I will!” Magnolia said before she zipped outside the backyard.

“Masky, you want anything to drink?” Hoodie called out from the kitchen as you got together the materials for s’mores.

“Lemonade, if we have it,” Masky replied.

“Good choice,” Hoodie mumbled before turning to the fridge.

After the two of you had everything you needed, you and Hoodie went out to the backyard and started to set everything up on the glass table Masky sat at. You settled into your seat as Hoodie got a fire going in the pit and when that was ready, he let it burn and took a seat at the other side of you. With Masky to your right and Hoodie to your left, you felt an odd sense of peace.

“It’s a nice night, yeah?” You hummed out in content as you watched your baby dance around with the fireflies.

“It sure is,” Hoodie agreed, hand lightly resting on top of yours.

“Ditto,” Masky smiled, arm now around your shoulders.

In the grass, Magnolia giggled as she caught fireflies, admiring how beautiful the flashes of green looked as they danced through the swaying leaves of grass.

#masky #hoodie #marble hornets #creepypasta #creepypasta x reader #masky x reader #hoodie x reader #mh #reader insert #x reader #masky headcanon #hoodie headcanon #marble hornets x reader #fluff

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redux-iterum · 3 years

Text

A Kindling: Chapter Three

(AO3 counterpart here.)

“Shut up.”

“Yep.”

“Shut up.”

“Yep!”

Rusty was tickled by Smudge’s expression—mouth dropped open enough to catch a ball, eyes wide as Rusty’s paw. Smudge had listened to his story in complete disbelief, and now was visibly reeling from Rusty’s adventure.

“And they actually meant it,” Smudge said at last.

“I mean, I don’t know why they’d offer if they didn’t want me there.” Rusty’s chest was filled to bursting with excitement. He couldn’t help tip-tapping his feet to release the energy. “But Smudge, the forest—the smells, the plants—it’s amazing there! If I could—”

“Woah, woah, woah.” Smudge held up a paw and shook his head. “You can’t be taking this seriously.”

“Well, they meant it, right?” Rusty said, purring in delight. “So I am!”

“No, not just that they offered it.” Smudge leaned forward, looking alarmed. “You can’t just leave and bugger off into the woods! We have no idea what’s out there. You could get killed, you could get sick, or starve, or—”

He cut himself off, eyes searching Rusty’s face, desperate. The excitement in Rusty’s chest settled down immediately and he softened his voice.

“It’s a possibility,” he said. “I know. But… honestly, I’m willing to take those risks. It’s just…” He looked up and a little sideways, searching for the right words. “It’s not horrible here, but I’m not… I feel like I could be doing more. Seeing more. Just living in this neighborhood, it’s not…”

“Fulfilling?” Smudge offered unhappily.

Rusty nodded.

Smudge looked crestfallen; he didn’t even meet Rusty’s eyes. He drew in a big breath and let out a heavy sigh.

“If you go, we can never talk again,” he said, quiet. “Your new friends won’t let you see me. I’ll have no idea if you’re doing okay or not. Or if you’re even still alive.”

Rusty lifted a paw, halfway to reaching out to Smudge, then retracted it. “It won’t be all bad. I can at least walk by the border once in a while and wave to you.” He tried a more cheerful tone. “And I’ll know that you’re safe in your house, getting fatter and comfier by the day, right? You aren’t going anywhere.”

Smudge made a breathy noise that could have been amused, but he still didn’t look up at Rusty.

Rusty tried again. “I just don’t know if this is the life for me. When I went into the forest… it was like a part of me woke up. I started hunting without knowing what I was going after. It felt natural.” The recollection stirred excitement in his blood, and his voice took on a tone of wonder. “If the Clan cats hadn’t shown up, I-I don’t know! I might not have come back. Not for a while. There’s so much to see in the world, in that forest alone. It doesn’t scare me. Maybe it should, but it doesn’t.”

Smudge’s eyes flicked up to him. Rusty reached out again and rested a paw on Smudge’s head, trying to be comforting. Honesty came out instead.

“I don’t know what could happen to me,” he said. “Or what will happen to me. I could die, yeah, but I don’t know for sure. And I like that. It feels like being alive. Here it just feels… the opposite.” He tilted his head. “Does that make any sense?”

Smudge’s eyes drifted down again, and for a moment Rusty was afraid he’d lost him. Then, slowly, he raised his head. Rusty quickly took his paw away and waited as Smudge regarded him with a sadness he had not seen in his friend before.

“You never were content here,” Smudge finally said. “Even when I first met you. That’s why you wandered all over and pestered everyone by going into their yards. Your home wasn’t enough.”

“Right,” Rusty said softly.

Smudge briefly shut his eyes and sighed again. His sadness was now a little more affectionate.

“I guess…” he started, paused, and then, again, “I guess I’m not willing to stop you from being happy. If you want to be with those ferals… if you really want to live out there and risk your life… if that’ll make you happy, then maybe you should do it.”

Rusty purred, halfway between pleased and trying to comfort his friend. “Thank you. I’m sorry that I have to leave you behind. I really am. I wish they’d let me talk to you, at least.”

“Eh.” Smudge waved a paw with a blatantly false casualness. “I’ve got plenty of cats to talk to here. And you certainly will have company, if they’re really a group.”

An idea came to Rusty. “Maybe… maybe my human will get another cat, and they’ll be even better friends with you than I could ever be.”

“I doubt that,” Smudge said fondly. “You’re pretty awesome. Hard to top.”

Rusty’s tail curled. “Thanks!”

“And I’m pretty awesome too,” Smudge prompted, somewhat sarcastic.

“You’re very awesome.” Rusty stood up and bumped his head against Smudge’s shoulder. “Here, let’s meet at noon tomorrow. We should hang out and play as much as we can before I go.”

“That’s a good idea.” Smudge returned the gesture. “In the meantime, I’m going to sleep. So should you. It’s late and I’m tired from all this life-changing talk.”

Rusty snorted and turned, waving his tail. “I’ll see you here tomorrow.”

“Sleep well,” Smudge said, and a bit of unhappiness crept into his voice again. Before Rusty could say anything, he clumsily hopped off the fence and plopped onto the cut grass, trotting back into his house. Rusty could hear his human cooing over him and shaking a kibble bowl.

Rusty didn’t feel like going to sleep. He felt like running straight into the forest again and calling for the Clan cats to let him join them now. Some small, reasonable thing in the back of his head reminded him that he should still be thinking things over, but the greater part of him was fluffing out his fur in a pre-emptive thrill of exploring the woods. His tail wagged up and almost over his back, and his paws kneaded at the chipped paint on the fence.

His mind ran wild as he returned to his yard, scenario after scenario making him forget the irritating clipped grass beneath his feet. Those cats were giant—would they all be taller than him? Would the kittens be taller? How many members of the Clan were there? How long would it take him to see every step of the forest? What about the other Clans that were mentioned? What were they like? Would he get to meet them?

The possibilities made him shiver in delight. The bell on his collar jingled tauntingly and his delight vanished in an instant, replaced by irritation.

Right, he thought. One other thing to do before I leave.

He stepped through the door-flap, pawing at his collar every other step. It wasn’t particularly tight—his neck was too skinny for that—but it wouldn’t go over his head. A few paces into the house, he sat down and started pushing at it with his back foot, trying with all his might to squeeze his head through the gap. The metal clasp dug into his throat and it became difficult to breathe. The back of the collar pressed against his head, touching his ears. He unconsciously let out a frustrated growl (strained a little by his current situation).

At this, there was a shift of cloth. When he looked up, his owner was walking towards him from the living room and into the kitchen. They crouched down in front of him and tilted their head, making high-pitched, soothing noises.

Rusty stopped struggling and met their eyes. It occurred to him that he had never quite paid attention to them before, couldn’t remember their face—had never even studied their face, really. The moon had vanished and reappeared since he had come here, and it was only now that he realized his owner’s eyes were dark and soft.

Perhaps that was a sign that he should leave.

Rusty was jarred out of his thoughts when their hands came to circle his neck and began fiddling with his collar. He sat still, waiting politely until the collar was unbuckled and lifted away. The human spoke again, a little louder and sweeter, and gently scratched around where the collar had been. He thanked them with a purr and rubbed his cheek against their hand, though the gesture meant little to him. They stood again and walked away, setting the collar down on the counter before moving back into the living room and sitting down on their chair.

Rusty watched them distantly, the image of some animal running around on their lit box. He stood up and slowly turned his head, observing his surroundings. It was all flat and even and perfectly curved or cut with an exact line. The floor under his feet was cold and completely smooth. The air in the kitchen was stiff and a little too warm. The one or two smells he could pick up were stale (his kibble) and nastily foreign (whatever flowers were sitting at the windowsill).

It was plain, he thought. Simple. It was no wonder he had been blown away by the forest—there was so much to it. Here…

Smudge had given him the right word. It wasn’t fulfilling. It was nothing. A life of nothing, he thought, was not one he wanted to live.

At noon, Rusty jumped onto the rail splitting his yard from Smudge’s. His faithful friend was sitting on the grass, looking morose. Rusty called his name and the look faded instantly when Smudge noticed him.

“I was worried you were going to sleep in again,” he said as Rusty jumped down into his yard. “You haven’t happened to change your mind, have you?”

“I’m afraid not.” Rusty offered an apologetic half-crouch when Smudge hung his head. “But we still have time. What do you want to do?”

“Well…” Smudge stood up. “If you’re about to go, we should go around the neighborhood and say ‘bye’ to the few cats you haven’t annoyed by intruding.”

“They’ll be thrilled that I’m gone.” Rusty puffed out a jokingly dramatic sigh. “I think you’re the only one that will miss me.”

“Then we should get one last pester in,” Smudge said. His tail, still kitten-short for his size, thwapped Rusty’s back leg. “What did the homebody call it? ‘Blaze of glory’ or something.”

“That’s for when you’re about to die.” Rusty led the way to the fence and climbed up again with ease. He turned around and waited for Smudge.

“Where you’re going, that might be appropriate,” Smudge muttered as he clambered after Rusty, making a cheerful face when Rusty gave him a pretend-irritated look.

Once Smudge was on the rail, Rusty led the way down the row of yards, his tail high. Saying farewell to everyone, he realized, was not going to be as sad as he might have thought. To him, it was just a symbol of his transition into his new life.

He just hoped that everyone in the Clan liked him more than everyone in the neighborhood did.

#warrior cats #warriors redux iterum #iterum #a kindling #book one #arc one #chapter #chapter three

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mybrothershands · 3 years

Text

MBH/Dumpling 2

second installment, same art because otherwise you'll be waiting on it all day tomorrow. Characters by myself and @diddlesanddoodles and editing by @thundering-susurrus

The giant pinched up his face as if he smelled something bad. He then prodded the lump in his chest-pocket. "Get up, you lazy fool."

Several emotions crossed Yale face all at once, from anger to confusion to relief. Now that he knew where to look, Yale could see a distinctive lump in the man’s front pocket and heard the smaller voice emanating from within. Well, if he had a human companion of his own, that was a welcome relief. But he still kept his hand on Nenani. Grinning, he jerked his head to indicate the lump on Ka's shirt. “Ah, well I suppose that answers that. He yer assistant then?”

"Parasite, more like," he said, fishing around in his pocket until he caught the man by the shirt and pulled his shoulders over the lip of the pocket.

"Why you little two-ton son of a hog-bellied cob, I ought to--" The human smacked the hand away.

A nervous laugh escaped the giant, and he clasped his hand over the smaller man's mouth. "Er, this is my brother. He took care of me when I was small," said Ka.

Yale had been watching Ka fish around in his pocket and smirked at the human’s grouchy reply. The human’s snark immediately reminded him of Farris, but upon hearing Ka call him his brother, Yale gave pause. His curiosity was piqued.

“Wha –? Really? Can’t say I’ve ever heard ‘a that. That must be one hell of a story,” he said and jerked his head towards Ka. “Ye must’ve had a time of it keepin’ ‘im fed and clothed proper.”

The giant paused, then seemed to draw back within himself and looked away. Cairo, however, had no such loss for words. "Got that right. Ungrateful, too. You should see the spot in my side where he--" The massive hand clamped over his mouth again.

"I, erm," Ka cleared his throat, worry painted on his face. "I was old enough to work when he took me in. I cleared land for a human farmer in exchange for food. Cairo paid for my clothes and gave me a place to stay."

Polly then decided to use his leg as a scratching post and began rubbing her face up and down the side of his pants, leaning into him. "Woah, hey!" Ka said as he was knocked off balance. Once he found his feet, he pulled her bridle back over her ear and straightened her forelock. "But yes, I'm," he waved his hand in a circle, "I can work with humans just fine. They just need to let me know they're there and keep away from my feet."

“Ah, well no worries there,” Yale said with a light laugh as he pulled his apron aside to reveal Nenani at his hip. “You know better than to be underfoot, ain’t that right Dumplin’?”

Nenani nodded while she observed the new giant and silently marveled at his height. Despite the way in which he towered over them, he had a kind face, and she was not afraid.

“Farris doesn’t like it if I’m on the floor,” she explained. “He doesn’t trust the footmen to keep a look out.”

Ka's expression softened. She was a little thing, even for her kind, with auburn hair that shone in the sunlight. Somehow she met his gaze without fear, and it gave him pause. "H-hello there," he said quietly. "I am Ka. It's nice to meet you, miss."

It took the giant a moment to realize that the young man must have been hiding her, and why he had questioned him so. Come to think of it, he had not seen a single small person, nor chest pocket since he had entered this town. Pieces began to fall into place, and he decided he should not stay here for long. Not with Cairo. Absently, his hand found its way to his pocket.

“Hi. I’m Nenani,” she replied back, trying to look friendly. He looked so nervous, she thought. Yale easily scooped her up and sat her on his leg. After getting comfortable, she gestured up at the cook and said, “And he didn’t say so, but this is Yale.”

Looking confused, Yale looked down at her. “I didn’t introduce myself at all did I?”

“Nope,” she replied. “That was very rude. Lolly would swat you.”

“Ah, well,” he said, giving Ka and Cairo an apologetic shrug. “She wouldn’t be too pleased with me bringin’ the lil’un on this errand either. So there’s that.”

Cairo grumbled as Ka fawned over this little girl. She seemed unafraid and even kind towards his brother, which he respected. Still, he regarded Yale with a critical eye. Hooking his elbow over the frayed lip of the pocket, the human raised his voice. "What kind of kitchen is this anyway, boy? It's a bit late in the day to be fetchin stuff. What are you doing out here now?"

“Best kitchen in Vhasshal,” Yale fired back with a smug grin. He pointed over his shoulder towards the castle behind them. “That being the royal kitchen.”

“But Gjerk didn’t clean the chimney and it ruined the luncheon roasts,” Nenani supplied with a frankness that made light of the true disaster. “Almost caught the whole kitchen on fire.”

Yale frowned and, blushing just a bit, agreed with a muted nod. “Aye. Well, even the best kitchen in Vhasshal can fall victim to inattentive tenderfoots. So we’re needin’ to shuffle things ‘round a bit. Headin’ to a merchant who raises and sells field rocs.”

Ka's face became a smiling mask with a blank stare. Royal kitchen? Was this boy not worried that some stranger picked off the street could poison someone Important? Even the king himself? What if something went wrong and he was blamed for it and put in prison? Even he himself was not sure he deserved such trust, and yet kept his mouth shut in hopes that there was something he did not know.

Cairo, meanwhile, looked the man up and down, and then the girl in turn. They seemed easygoing and honest, if not a bit frank. At last he nodded. "We will accept your offer."

The giant balked. "Cairo, I'm not sure--"

"Shut up," he said, waving a hand. "Your belly's been a'growling all day, and I'll have no more of it. This is an easy job, and you're gonna take it," Cairo barked.

Ka paused, a hint of frustration on his face. Still, this was Cairo. The giant seemed to let go of his worries and nodded. "Just tell me what to do," he said, fixing Yale in his gaze, "and I'll help as much as I can."

He seemed eager enough, Yale thought. And even if his kitchen skills were minimal, so long as he could hold a knife, he could find something for him to do. Ka’s human companion was clearly the more dominant of the two, which Yale found to be quite amusing. And even a bit refreshing. He was so used to humans reacting to him with fear or at the very least nervous suspicion. Not that they did not have a valid reason of course.

He decided he liked Cairo.

“Well, first we gotta go collect them rocs and scurry on back,” Yale said with a grin. “So if we just wanna follow along we’ll go get that done and we can get ye to work.” He paused as he considered Ka. “And get ye somethin’ t’eat. Farris might gripe at me fer it, but believe me. He’s gonna be thankful fer yer help. Even he don’t show it. Or say it. Or yells at ye.”

Yale flicked the reins to usher Polly forward, bringing a hand up to hold onto Nenani when she almost fell off his lap.

“Ah!”

“Oh, sorry there, Dumplin’.”

"Oh," said Ka as he backed away and let the animal slip past until he could walk beside the cab. This Farris fellow seemed a bit crotchety. "Thank you," he said above the creaking wheels. The mention of food set his mouth to watering. They had had so many good things down at the market, maybe now he could get his hands on something. "I can pay you, but I'm afraid my coin may just be trinkets to you."

From his pocket, Cairo squinted one eye, adjusting his position to better watch the small giant. "Why you call her 'dumpling,' anyhow?"

“It was a joke,” Nenani explained with a flat look. “Wasn’t a very funny one.”

“I dunno, I thought it was a pretty good one,” Yale replied with a knowing grin. He poked her belly and the girl squealed and laughed, batting at his fingers. She lost her balance and almost fell back off his lap, but Yale was quick enough to catch her and place her safely down on the bench beside him. He ruffled her hair into a bushy mess. “Anyway, I caught this one here after she’d nicked some fruit. And right in the middle of the King’s weddin’ feast too. Don’t think I’ve ever been that stressed in my life.”

“He threatened to eat me...” Nenani said with the same flat expression.

As lovely as he found the girl's laugh, Ka's smile quickly faded as the girl voiced the joke. He made a sound half way between a choke and a quack. "Hmm?"

Cairo looked more surprised at the noise his brother made than Nenani's admittance. "Oh he did, did he?" He sat up, eyeing Yale. "He looks like a pansy to me."

Yale could not help the smirk of satisfaction at seeing the way Ka reacted. But his focus drew to the man’s pocket and the human within. Leaning towards them and planting his hand on the other side of where Nenani sat, he grinned at the human man.

“Big words fer a fella who travels by pocket,” he challenged. “Why not come on outta there and I’ll show ye how much of a pansy I am.”

Nenani glared up at Yale and grabbed onto his sleeve and gave it a firm tug. “No fighting.”

Cairo merely laughed at the girl's reaction. "I ain't stupid. Think I'll stay in the pocket, eh?" He slapped Ka's chest.

The giant rolled his eyes. He kept pace with the cart fairly easily, even as the Svaldifari trotted. He cleared his throat. "Keep acting like that and I may just let him have you."

"What!" he exclaimed, clutching a hand over his heart. "He might skin me, don't you think? You brute, you should protect your poor old brother."

Ka sighed, plodding along. "You can take care of yourself just fine."

“Smart man, your brother,” Yale said to Ka. “With him taggin’ along, ye might just survive a day in Farris’s kitchen.”

There was something very comforting about watching Cairo and Ka banter. It was all too easy for Yale to be drawn back to the horrible memories of the war and the way it seemed to him at the time that the bloodletting would never cease. Yet before him was a man who openly and easily called a human his brother.

“As fer skinnin’: nah. Too much of a hassle. Much easier to just toss ye into the stew and pop the lid on.”

Beside him, Nenani rolled her eyes. She had become nearly desensitized to all staff’s banter about eating and cooking people. Cairo didn’t seem like the sort to take Yale seriously. But Ka, she observed, seemed to not care for the jokes at all.

Ka lolled his head back, exasperated, then clamped his hand back over Cairo's mouth. "Ne- Nena-nani, er..." he chewed on his tongue for a moment, still trying to decide how many syllables the girl's name had. "Nenani," he said decisively. "He... Yale. He said he found you stealing?" said the giant, desperate to change the subject.

There were a few shoves and knocks on his hand before there at last came a double-tap and Cairo's mouth was freed. However, he kept his mouth shut for once and watched the road ahead. The mare seemed to need a bit of guiding, unused to going this way, but Yale was not quite paying attention. He peered ahead. Was this the way they had come before? Where was the market?

“Oh. Yeah,” she replied as she fiddled with the hem of her skirt in slight embarrassment. “But it’s not like what Farris and they all thought at first. I’m not from the Hill Tribe, I’m from the Southlands. They were loading a bunch of carts near the docks and I tried to sneak in and grab a persimmon before anyone noticed, but the basket was really big and I just...kind of fell in. And got stuck.”

Yale stifled a snicker as he corrected Polly’s path. She whinnied at him in annoyance. “I remember all them peels, lil’un. It was certainly more than one.”

“I was in there for three days,” she said and stuck her tongue out at Yale. “What else was I gonna eat? The basket?” When Yale only shrugged at her, she continued. “I grew up being told stories about Vhasshal and I was really scared. So as soon as the caravan stopped, I tried to run.”

“Caught her tryin’ to make a run fer it,” Yale added lightly pinching her arm. “Didn’t get all that far. Like...a half a dozen yards maybe before I got ‘er.”

Ka frowned. He did not like the way that last bit sounded. He steered away as they passed another cart on the road. He wanted to ask the stories about Vhasshal, and why she had been so frightened, but the girl had not seemed a bit embarrassed about that point in her past. Come to think of it, maybe he did not want to know. "Persimmons... have peels?"

The edge of the village was approaching, and Yale could hear the sound of the rocs long before their pens came into view. Their destination was a handsome little cottage just at the end of the tight clusters of row homes. Though was an older building and had but a thatched roof, it was well maintained and clean. Behind it were the roc pens. There were a dozen or so of the birds loose in the larger space, and Yale felt relieved. He was only going to need ten for the luncheon service, and he’d be able to get a few extra just in case anything else went horribly wrong today.

“Well, I think they’re actually husks,” she was saying. “They’re from overseas somewhere. But you’re not supposed to eat the outsides because it’ll make you sick.”

“Ye did get sick though. Just not from eatin’ fruit,” Yale pointed out. His eyes trailed after the other cart as they passed, having seen the way they had been gawking at Ka. Poor guy must get that a lot.

“Yeah, I had the red reap,” Nenani said. “It was terrible. But Farris took care of me and gave me medicine and watched me all night while I had the fever.”

Ka blinked, trying to make sense of this new information. He had no idea what red reap was, but then again, he was not familiar with most diseases. "It sounds terrible," he said, worry on his brow. The way she had explained it, it sounded deadly. He could not imagine having to care for someone through the night, not knowing if the little thing would make it.

Though he had not yet met the man, Ka found himself reconsidering this Farris guy. If he was the type to yell at someone new, it seemed a bit backwards that he would worry over a thief. He shook the thought away. He had not met him yet. Maybe he would understand later.

It was then he heard some bird-like squabbling, and looked up to find a pen with some frighteningly large feathery beasts. "What... are those?" He felt a bit stupid for asking, but then again, nothing was familiar to him here. Nothing at all.

"What, you never seen a chicken before?" Cairo butted in.

“Oh them ain’t no chickens,” Yale answered, giving Cairo an amused sideways glance. “Those are common field rocs. Those beauties eat chickens fer breakfast. Literally. They’re birds of prey. And they’re what we’re here fer.”

Yale maneuvered the cart towards the pens and when they were close enough, he pulled the reins lightly and Polly came to a gentle halt. She turned to her head back at Yale, expectation in her eyes. With a chuckle, he reached into his apron pocket and pulled out a pressed oat cake. Turning to Ka, he held out the treat. “Wanna give Polly her reward while I go spend the king's money?”

A grin spread across Ka’s face, and he chuckled. "Seems she's in good hands," he said, gently taking the biscuit from him.

~~~

Twelve common field rocs were in the back of the cart, their wings tied down to their sides and hemp sacks placed over their heads to keep them docile. Nenani hung off the back of the driver’s bench, looking down at the immobilized birds. They were as large as cows, and it was a little daunting to think that there were birds that big in the world.

The trip back was fairly uneventful, except that news of Ka seemed to have made its way around the village, They seemed to be getting more stares than before, but Yale made a point of staring down whatever gawkers he noticed. But he did not have the same presence as Farris did, and mostly, the people just kept on staring.

Nenani found it to be pretty rude, and to several she stuck out her tongue.

As they approached the back gate that led to the kitchen courtyard, the guards stationed there did double takes as Ka came into view, but Yale was quick to head off any questions. “He’s here to help out for the day. If you have a problem with that, take it up with Farris.”

There was enough of a threat in those words that they were allowed to pass without any form of harassment.

“Don’t let those guards make ye nervous none, lad,” Yale said to Ka. “Most of ‘em are real decent fellas.”

Yale was still looking towards Ka as he directed Polly along the road, around the last bend, and into the courtyard. He pulled the reins and was about to say something else when felt a tug on his sleeve and he looked down at Nenani. “Hm? What’s it?”

Nenani merely pointed further ahead of them and Yale’s gaze followed along. A large fire pit had been lit in the middle of the yard, and the largest of their cooking pans was placed over the top, with a sizable pile of pumpkins next to it. Saen and Avery were in the middle of carving a few up but had made little headway.

But what had caught their eye was none of them, but the solitary figure just a short distance away. Standing with his arms akimbo and looking very displeased was Farris. His green eyes narrowed at Yale.

“Yer fuckin’ late.”

Ever since the border guards, Ka had gotten increasingly fidgety. As soon as Yale quieted down, he slowed up and walked behind the cart. The castle ahead was bigger than any he had seen, especially this close up. He ran his hand up and down his sleeve, trying to create some warmth as his breath crystallized before him. Upon hearing the voice, the giant's first impression was how gravelly and frayed it sounded, possibly from overuse. The second was that it did not sound happy.

"What's it to you?" Cairo muttered under his breath. It was more of a knee-jerk reaction, than anything, but it was enough to remind Ka to keep an eye on him. The human's left arm and legs lolled out of the pocket. He picked at his teeth as the giant walked. "Move over, Ka, I want to get a look at this meathead."

Ka merely shook his head, hand straying up to cover the man. "Be careful here. We don't know for sure if it's safe yet." There came a grumbling and a shove at the fingers, but for the most part he kept his mouth shut.

Before Yale could even begin to explain himself, Farris caught sight of Ka, and the kitchen master’s eyes widened as his gaze traveled up and up and up until he met the taller giant’s eye. “And just who in the Seven Hells are ye?”

Before Ka could answer, though, Yale jumped in. “Came across him on the way to get the rocs. He was lookin’ fer some work, and I offered to let him help us today.”

All through Yale’s explanations, Farris sized Ka up with a critical eye, pausing at the distinct bulge in the tall man’s pocket. His eyes narrowed suspiciously before turning their vitriol onto his assistant.

“Oh ye did, did ye?” he demanded. “Are ye fuckin’ daft boy?”

Yale hopped down off the cart. “We need the extra help, and as mad as ye are, ye can’t deny the big fella could be of some help. Hell, he’d make short work breakin’ down the pumpkins.” Yale leaned around Farris to yell past him towards his fellow cooks. “A whole lot faster than them two knobheads!”

Saen and Avery looked up from their work to glare back at Yale. Avery waved his knife in the air, calling back, “Go fuck yerself, Yale.”

Yale was still grinning when Farris drew his attention back with a growl. “And ye think I’d let just anyone off the street come in and cook in my kitchen, do ye?”

Yale glanced over his shoulder at Ka and then back to Farris. With a shrug, he said, “Honestly boss, I don’t think he’d fit. Be a bit tight.”

Farris’s ever-present glare faltered as an amused smirk crossed his lips. With a grunt he looked back at Ka. “Ye have any experience in a kitchen there, son?”

The giant clutched his fists against his chest, shoulders hunched and brow scrunched with worry. Though the man was half his height, he scared Ka. He looked like someone who knew how to fight and just might if aggravated.

"Y-yessir, just a bit, sir." Ka stuttered, coming out from behind the wagon. "Look, I promise I mean no harm, sir. I just, well I- I- I was looking for some work is all. He was nice enough to give me a chance. I promise I'll do my best if you'll only let me help."

Farris was silent for several moments, eyeing Ka once more. “Where ye from?”

The giant straightened up a bit, a slight hope welling in his chest. "Benhyke, sir. I'm... trying to find my way back there, actually."

“Never heard of it. So ye mean to tell me yer as tall as a fuckin’ house with no proper sense of direction?” The kitchen master didn’t give Ka a chance to answer before walking over to the cart where Nenani sat. He laid his arm across the drivers bench and looked at the girl. “What say ye Dumplin’? Think he’s some sort of secret assassin tryin’ to worm his way into the castle?”

Nenani blinked and shook her head. “No.”

“Well, if yer so sure,” he said with a small smile and scooped her up. Tucking her into the crook of his arm, he turned back to Ka. The warmth he had spoken to Nenani with was gone and the harsher tone returned. “Ye got a name?”

He scratched his head, still harboring the initial insult in his mind, and had not quite heard him speak to the girl. "What? O-oh I am Ka. And this is--" he paused. At first caution took over, but once he saw the way he cared for Nenani, the fear melted. "--Cairo," he finished.

Upon hearing his name, a single hand came out of the pocket and gave a dramatic wave. "Evening to you, you motherless goat," he called, then the hand disappeared again.

Farris’s expression darkened and, behind him, Yale was making a frantic motion with his hands at Ka that translated roughly to “Bad idea. Stop.”

“I’ll give ye fair warning now, boy,” Farris warned as he walked towards Ka. Pressing further into his space, he stared up at the taller giant and pointed towards his pocket. “Keep that one’s mouth under control or I’ll be doin’ it fer ‘im. I’ve had plenty of humans toss out insults at me and, one way or another, they learn not to. If ye wanna work, I’ve got work fer ye. And you’ll be paid fair wages fer it. But if that one skulking in yer pocket don’t watch it, he’s gonna become intimately acquainted with the inside of a roasting pan.”

Ka's face paled and he backed away, clutching one hand to his pocket. "No! No, please, he's my brother. Y-you can't--I won't..." He seemed to get ahold of himself then, squared his shoulders. "Take that back," he said, regaining his ground. If it were not for the girl in his arms, Ka was not sure what he might have done.

Farris did not back away, and his only movement was to use his free hand to cover Nenani as though to shield her. He met Ka’s eyes with a firm unwavering stare. “I don’t take it back. This is my kitchen and my word is law.” Farris let a small smirk come to his lips. “Just keep in mind though, I didn’t say nothing about actually cookin’ ‘im.”

The giant blinked, relaxing a bit. "What?"

At this point, Cairo heaved a dramatic sigh and pulled himself up. He looked the man up and down and came to a conclusion. "Ugly lump."

Nenani poked her head out from behind Farris’s hand. “No fighting.”

At Nenani's word, Ka took a step back. There was still anger in his blood, and he elected to stay on his toes, but any hostility was snuffed out by the girl's voice.

Farris only adjusted his hand to ruffle her hair. “Well ye ain’t no Blue Thorn Beauty yerself,” Farris shot back at Cairo, then raised an eyebrow at him. “Ain’t ye a bit old fer being carried ‘round like a babe?”

Cairo raised a brow, then patted the chest behind him. "This one here's the baby when it comes down to it, little man. Now--" He cut himself off as if he had heard something. "Alright already," he grumbled at apparently nothing. "What do I have to do to get your sorry bag of bones to do something decent, eh? This boy's half starved."

"Cairo..." Ka hissed through his teeth. "I haven't done the work yet."

Farris huffed and rolled his eyes. “Yale,” he called without taking his eyes from the pair. “Go grab this one one ‘a the leftover meat pies.” He paused, reconsidering the man and his height. “Make that two.”

“Will do, boss,” Yale replied, flashing Ka a wide grin before running off towards the stairway that led into the kitchen proper.

“I don’t run a charity here,” Farris told him sternly. “But if yer gonna be any use to me at all today, it wont be with an empty belly. Ye’ll eat and then ye’ll work. Understand?”

"No," Cairo said blatantly before Ka had a chance.

#crossover with doobdles

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saipng · 4 years

Text

me? write a frenrey one shot fanfic with them drunkenly playing truth or dare? it’s more likely than you think

Nights like these made it all worth it.

The lulling whir of the air conditioner kissed his flushed cheeks as the sound of dying laughter dissipated through the air. The noise of the streets outside the window and the quiet chatter of the TV filled the room instead, and the smell of home cooked food mixed with old cologne and alcohol seemed to cling to his very clothes. His eyes traced the long shadows cast in red, pink, and blue, painting the familiar scene in technicolors.

It was nights like these, Gordon thought, that made it all worth it.

Joshua was long asleep in his room, snuggled next to his favorite plush toy of a head crab that Bubby (lovingly) stitched together out of old scraps of clothing. Tommy arrived first, as was usual, tagging Sunkist along and letting her carry a bottle of wine between her teeth. Dr Coomer and Bubby came later, always together, always the same chorus of ‘Hello, Gordon!’s, always a big bright smile and a warm tingle in his heart. Darnold arrived late, later than he usually would if he were to come at all, but this time he brought his ‘strongest potions’ and Gordon was equal parts terrified and excited to try them out.

Benrey was already there by the time Gordon remembered him. He always simply appeared, but even that became routine at this point.

Gordon never invited any of them.

It was enough, he thought, that they would come over like this, with food and alcohol and maybe a DVD or a board game, and they would spend their time in peace and (relative) quiet. Having the company was enough.

Gordon smiled, sudden warmth spreading through his belly.

“Hey-Hey guys,”- He stuttered, trying to get up on his already slightly shaky feet, the attention of the room shifting towards him from the TV as The Science Team all turned their heads in unison.

“Woah- Um, okay. Creepy. Guys, do you wanna like- Hey guys, do you wanna play Truth or Dare?”

It wasn’t the first time they would be playing it, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. Bubby, particularly competitive in, well, everything, immediately perked up.

“What, you itching to lose just like last time, you little bitch boy?”

“Okay, just because I refused to drink an entire glass of bleach doesnt mea-“

“Bitch boy!”

“Um, I would like to go first, Mr Freeman!”- Tommy piped up, having a surprising competitive streak in him too.

Truth or Dare, for most people, was a game of fun and embarrassment and messing around. For The Science Team, it was more like a battle for dominance and glory.

Most of their games were, actually. Gordon already lost 6 packs of Uno cards to fire, and Jenga is completely forbidden in his apartment for the foreseeable future. And god forbid he ever saw anyone with a box of Monopoly ever again.

Gordon took an uncertain step, steadying his feet as he raised his glass and nodded, -“Sure, Tommy. Truth or Dare?”

“Oh, and why do you get to ask,”- Bubby piped up, crossing his arms.

“Because I offered the game, alright? Now-“

“Truth or Dare, Tommy?”- Dr Coomer took over, and Tommy immediately replied with a resolute “Dare”.

“Fantastic choice, my young friend!”- The older man smiled, and then his face immediately turned to stone. Gordon swallowed, on the edge of his seat (still standing) at what might come next.

Dr Coomer was known for going to the extremes. His dares were either along the lines of “Do a chicken dance” or “Drink this glass of bleach” (which was exactly where Gordon drew the line last time). One time he dared Bubby to eat a pack of ramen raw, and the maniac actually did it.

Once Dr Coomer opened his mouth again, Gordon’s heart sank to his feet.

“I dare you to drink-“

“No! No more bleach drinking! That is banned forever, okay, it’s-“

“-An entire glass of Dr Darnold’s strongest potion!”

Gordon paused in his tracks. Suddenly, the bleach idea didn’t seem to be as bad.

He threw a quick glance at the man in question, who seemed to be perfectly beaming at the suggestion.

“Why, I do think my potions are way too strong for you, Tommy! The side effects can be unpredictable!”- He exclaimed, already reaching over the precariously shaped vial, -“Now, I will need you to have a bucket by your side and a pack of ice and maybe a pair of tweezers-“

“I will be fiiiiine,”- Tommy slurred, more determined than ever. He was not one to pass up a dare, no matter how insane it sounded. Gordon began to wonder whether he had any tweezers lying around, just in case.

In the next second, with an agility unbecoming of a man as drunk as he already was, Tommy threw back the glass and Gordon watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed at every resounding gulp. He couldn’t help his jaw clenching as the fiery burn resonated in his own throat at the sight, a shiver running down his spine, The feeling was something akin to watching a car crash, the horrifying fascination making his stomach turn when Tommy thumped the vial back on the table and wiped at his mouth with his sleeve.

He had to sit back down for this.

“go, tommyyyyyy!”- Benrey shouted from somewhere behind the couch, and for once, Gordon agreed wholeheartedly. At this point, he was pretty certain that Tommy was the most badass person he knew.

“Hoo! Yeah! Woo- Aw-Awright, z-zat- Eazy! Eazier zan... zan.....!”- Tommy blinked hard, his eyes clouded over as he tilted further and further to his right, and yeah, maybe he was going to have the worst night/morning of his life, but damn if the street cred he earned in that moment wasn’t worth it.

“Cake!- Darnold helpfully supplied, and Tommy forcefully threw himself at the man to give him a huge hug.

“Iz cake!”- He slurred from Darnold’s shoulder, waving an arm around way too close to Bubby’s face, -“Whoza next!?”

“Gordon!”- The latter smirked, slapping away Tommy’s hand and leaning further back into Coomer.

Gordon turned his head so fast his neck cracked, a slight headache immediately forming from the whiplash.

“No!? What!? No, I didn’t agree to that. Why me!?”- He began pouring himself another drink. Suddenly he was really craving some of that strongest potion.

“Because you offered the game, right?”- Bubby grinned, and Dr Coomer nodded in agreement.

“You did offer the game, Gordon.”

“I know I offered the damn- Hey, why don’t we have someone else go, huh!? Why not- Why not Benrey?”- At the mention of his name, said being popped his head up and stared directly back at Gordon, -“He, like, never participates! What’s up with that!”

And he wasn’t lying, either. For someone who consistently talked about gaming, Benrey almost never took part in their late night competitions. Gordon could never tell why – he could never, ever tell why anything with this guy – but to him this felt almost deliberate. Of course, everything Benrey did felt deliberate – that is, he was always deliberately trying to get on Gordon’s nerves.

And this time was no exception.

“huh?”- Came the simple response, and the burn in Gordon’s stomach turned to a burn in his chest.

“Yeah, you never do anything! Here we are, running around like headless chickens, doing whatever stupid shit we want each other to do, and you just sit there!”

“whu-?”

“What, you think this is like, some kinda free show for you? Some kinda performance piece!? No, nope, that won’t do, buddy. You’re gonna participate or you’re gonna get the hell out of here, alright? Truth or Dare?”

“dare”

The reply came so fast, Gordon nearly lost his footing while sitting. He blinked down at the glass in his hand, brows furrowing in concentration.

Alright, sure, cool. Maybe he didn’t expect Benrey to actually answer. And maybe he definitely didn’t expect him to choose dare. This was fine. It was fine.

Gordon poured himself another drink.

“daaaaare,”- Benrey whined at the same time as Bubby said “The man has chosen dare, Gordon, now will you please give it to him!”

“Alright, alright; don’t shout at me, I’m thinking!”

“Well, think faster!”

“It is rude to make other people wait, Gordon,”- Dr Coomer pursed his lips as Tommy may or may not have said something in agreement. He was now more than half lying on Darnold, who didn’t seem to care in the least, and his hand was absentmindedly stroking Sunkist’s back.

Knowing him, though, he most definitely was on Benrey’s side here. They all always were.

“Would you like some ideas, Dr Freeman?”- Darnold offered, and Gordon reached his boiling point.

“No! No, alright, I got it! I dare you to, uh,”- Gordon looked Benrey over, his stupid acidic gamer slogan hoodie making his retinas hurt, watched as the same hooded eyes not blink as they stared back, dull, unseeing, bored, overcast in a shadow that seemed to be permanently encasing his sharp face. And then Gordon scrunched up his nose as he said with the most vitriol possible, -“I dare you to take off you stupid beanie.”

It was but a beat of silence before Benrey, understandably this time, went, - “huh???”

“You heard me,”- Gordon doubled down this time, fully recognizing how stupid and inconsequential his dare seemed in comparison to Coomer’s, but damn if he wasn’t going to insist on it now, -“Come on. Show us what’s under there. Show us what- Show us what you’re hiding.”

Benrey blinked once. Then twice.

And then he was suddenly making his way towards the front of the room, crawling on all fours like an animal, and his gaze pointedly fixed on Gordon as he said “ohhhhh does feetman wanna- does feetman wanna see my secret parts. does feetman wanna take a glance at my uhhhh my special place”

Gordon nearly choked on his drink, a renegade laugh escaping this throat as he desperately tried not to have vodka pour out of his nose.

“What the FUCK, man, don’t call it that!?”

“what next, you gonna ask me to take my shoes off. maybe my socks? i’m gonna need to see a signed permission for that first”

“Shut up, shut up, shut up!”- Gordon slammed the table as he keeled over, and he could almost physically feel Bubby rolling his eyes.

“You gonna do it or what!?”- He nudged Benrey with his foot so that the other nearly toppled over.

“what, that it”

“Wh-What?”- Gordon managed in between taking deep breaths, feeling the room sway slightly from side to side. He hated how everything the guard said made him lose his shit. He especially hated it right then, when he was staring right at him with that self-confident smirk that still somehow managed to look bored. He hated it so much.

“is that all? weak”

“What, you wanna take off your shirt too? Be my guest, man, fucking- Strip down to your pants. Do it. You won’t.”

Benrey stared at him.

Gordon regretted every decision he ever made that led him up to this point.

Benrey smiled.

And then in one confident motion he ripped off his hoodie, his beanie coming along with it.

He threw them to the side, the pile of clothes landing on Sunkist, who didn’t seem to mind in the least, and this was exactly the point where Gordon realized that this was a bad, bad, horrifically bad idea.

He didn’t know what he expected to see when Benrey took off his hat (or helmet or whatever other stupid thing he was wearing at the time), didn’t really think about it (or tried not to) but damn if it wasn’t this. It was just - just hair. Completely normal hair, almost insultingly so, jet black and cropped short to his skull. But it wasn’t even the hair that was the biggest offender - no, it was the now completely open, completely normal and completely handsome face that was staring back at him. Completely human, completely right, and so disgustingly unobscured that it made Gordon’s stomach do back flips that would have scored tens all around at the Olympics.

When Benrey’s fingers twitched to remove the undershirt that he had underneath, he knew he couldn’t take it anymore.

“Okay, okay, fuck! We- We get it! You did the dare, alright, enough! That’s just indecent exposure at this point! Chill out, man!”

Benrey didn’t reply, but didn’t move to strip down any more. Gordon allowed himself to breathe again.

He was way too drunk for this.

He poured another drink.

After an uncomfortable stretch of terrible silence where Gordon could acutely feel the burn in his face and shoulders, Dr Coomer finally spoke up with an “That was a shitty dare, Gordon!”

“Yeah, it was horribly underwhelming. Not even writhing snakes underneath that thing,”- Bubby immediately joined, and at that Tommy perked up only to mumble “badgers” and then fall back down onto Darnold, knocking them both over to the floor.

Gordon couldn’t keep in the laughter that bubbled up from his stomach, and he had to look for support if only to stay upright. At this point, he was certain that if he were to fall down, he would not get back up again.

Of course, it just so happened that this time his closest support structure was Benrey, and by the time he realized that he was grabbing onto the other’s shoulder, it was way too late. Benrey was already staring at him, a smirk stretching over his lips that, without the ever-present shadow painting over his eyes, now looked almost... Nice. Sweet.

Gordon shifted in his seat, slowly removing his hand and clearing his throat.

That’s right. Play it cool. Play it cool.

Easier said than done, though, especially considering Benrey’s skin was practically burning next to him.

Gordon pulled at his hair tie, freeing his curls if only to have something covering his face. Dammit, Freeman, play it cool!

“Alright, which of you lightweights is going to go next?”- Bubby sighed, clearly resigning to being an observer this round, rather than a participant.

“gordon,”- Came a voice directly from Gordon’s right, and he immediately opened his mouth in protest.

Only to be shut up by Bubby before saying a single word, -“If you even so much as make a single sound besides “Truth” or “Dare”, I swear to fuck I will set your curtains on fire.”

Gordon was really tempted to say “Fuck off, not again”.

Instead, he resigned to whispering, “...Truth.”

“huh? what was that? truth? does little baby want truth? does little baby want his truth bottle?”

“Shut the fuck up, asshole, that doesn’t even make sense. The game isn’t called Dare or Dare, I can choose what I want.”

“stupid shitty baby can’t even handle this truth.”

Gordon snorted, fists curling up at his sides as he inhaled sharply, turning to face the permanent annoyance of his life that was Benrey.

“Okay. Okay. You know what? Okay! You wanna dance Benrey, huh? You wanna dance? Then let’s fucking dance. It’s dare. I choose dare. Hit me.”

Benrey’s smile only widened as Gordon’s heart sank deeper and his ears tingled with a warmth that was unwelcome, but not unfamiliar. And before either one of them could make a move, there was the distinct sound of clothes shuffling, the noise of something breaking, and then Tommy was kneeling on the floor, swaying from side to side like a piece of grass in a gentle breeze, finger pointed up, eyelids half closed as he barely managed out an, “I d-daaare- I dare Miste-ww Freeemann and B-Ben- Rey- To danz!”

Having finished his incredible statement, Tommy fell onto his other side, head landing right on Sunkist, and Darnold gently patted him on the shoulder mumbling “There, there.”

Gordon could only side eye the other scientists. He would be laughing right now, really, if he wasn’t so perfectly outraged by the proposition.

“Uh, how about no? You know I love you Tommy, but if you think that even for a second-“

“chicken man.”

“...What?”

“gordon freeman more like. more like gordon fowlman.”

“Hah, that was a clever one, Benrey! Keep it up!”- Dr Coomer encouraged, and Gordon really didn’t need that in his life right now.

“I’m not afraid to dance with you, I-“

“chickon fowlman”

“Fucking stop, alright! We’re both drunk as shit, and I doubt any one of us is a good dancer, we’re probably gonna break some-“

“what, no. i’m a great dancer. i’m the best- the bestest at dance. moves. number one in just dance 2003 on the playstation 2- got an award. a diploma. what do you got. stupid chicken legs. cluck cluck cluck, i’m idiot baby, i can’t dance-“

Gordon was on his feet in seconds, the room spinning around like a freaking kaleidoscope, but he’d be damned if he let this pretty- this cute- this shitty garbage sack believe that he was better than him. Even if it was true.

At this point, he was more than drunk, he was pissed, he was warm, and he wanted to wipe that stupid smile off of Benrey’s face if it was the last goddamn thing he did. If that meant he needed to dance, then he was going to fucking dance.

“Fine, okay, sure! Let’s go, let’s fucking go, go, go! Dr Coomer, hit us with a beat!”

If it was a dance battle Benrey wanted, it was a battle he was going to g-

The soft sound of a gentle piano was definitely not what Gordon expected to come out of the- Of Dr Coomer...? He honestly wasn’t sure where Dr Coomer was producing the sound from, but that mattered less at the moment than the particular sound being produced - which certainly wasn’t what he had in mind.

“What the fuck!? What is this shit?”

“Gordon, this track is As Time Goes By by the Claude Williamson Trio-“

“No, no, I don’t give- Who cares about the name of the track!? We’re not fucking slow dancing! Give us something with a beat!”

“But Gordon, I enjoy this song.“

This was yet another moment where Tommy decided to speak up, suddenly raising his hand with one finger pointing at the ceiling, his voice muffled by the perfect dog’s fur as he muttered “I- I dare Mr Freeman- and- and Benrey to- to Slow. Dance. For fiiiiiiiiiiive miiiiiinuuuuuutesssssssss.”

His hand fell back to the floor with an audible thump.

“No! Hey, no, that’s not- That’s not in the rules! You can’t just change the original dare like-“

“Oh my god, silently! Quietly! Without words! Slow dance for five fucking minutes with your mouths shut tight, okay! That’s your fucking dare!”- Bubby threw his arms up, and the reflection in his glasses told Gordon that his curtains are very much in immediate danger.

This was dumb. This was more than dumb, this was shitty, stupid, against all rules, and really, he should just kick them all out and be done with it all.

So, like any rational and sound-minded person, Gordon swallowed down the horrible tightness in his throat, and opened up his arms in an invitation.

He didn’t mean to bite his lip when Benrey approached him, really, he didn’t, but his chest refused to stop pounding, his arms felt sticky and gross, and his vision was only ever so slightly blurry when he reached out his hand and grabbed Benrey’s.

“I’ll lead,”- He barely whispered, maybe more like mouthed so that didn’t count, and Benrey did not protest for once, his other hand finding his way over to Gordon’s shoulder. Gordon hesitated only a second before lightly guiding his fingers to the other’s waist.

There was a moment of certain panic, blood freezing over as an electric current ran through his spine, sudden realization that he couldn’t remember the last time he danced with anyone flooding his senses, before being replaced with a gentle, coaxing burn when he felt Benrey pull at him and take a step backwards. Gordon swallowed hard again, allowing his drunkenness to overtake for a moment, letting himself sway ever so gently as he tried his best to guide the other around the room. This wasn’t exactly a waltz, not even close, but at least he was conscious enough not to step on any feet or trip over his own.

This was... excruciating.

He didn’t know where to look, eyes darting around the room like he was desperately looking for an escape, and his hands and hair felt altogether way too sweaty for any of this. He didn’t want to hear Benrey’s slightly exalted breathing, the firm press of his hand in Gordon’s own, the feeling of those dark, dark, immensely dark eyes staring right into his very being. Five minutes, Gordon learned by the first 30 seconds, was an outrageously long time.

It was only around the second minute mark, when Gordon was certain he was going to pass out before finishing the dance, that his vision darkened for a split second, and it wasn’t before long that a feeling of complete and utter surrender washed over him. Shoulders dropping down, muscles releasing with an almost audible click, he felt his anxiety dissipate in the air along with that unbearable, pulsating heat. The only thing left was his heavy eyelids defiantly staying open and the soft sound of the piano keys running through the air. He willed his head to turn to Benrey then, finally allowing himself to make eye contact for the first time, and the sea of gently glowing blue orbs around them nearly overwhelmed his vision.

“calm down,”- Benrey mouthed, and Gordon gladly obeyed, nodding his head ever so slightly.

His arms felt like cotton, like melting butter, so he allowed both his hands to travel to Benrey’s lower back, not able to keep them up anymore. Benrey, in turn, gently wrapped his own arms around Gordon’s neck, and Gordon couldn’t find it in him to protest.

He could find it in him to be delighted, though.

He didn’t know what it was, exactly - the alcohol, the forced silence, or the gentle blue light that filled his very soul, but he suddenly felt braver, braver than he had ever been before. But more importantly, he felt curious - and so he tugged Benrey a little closer, just that much. He knew it was but a gentle pull - no, he was certain of it. The rest of the way between their bodies Benrey closed on his own.

Gordon’s stomach ignited in fireworks, his ribs prickling with the sensation of the other flush against him, the touch of his skin intoxicating in ways he didn’t remember were possible.

And all the while, his eyes were glued to Benrey’s, almost morbidly mesmerized by the two dark caverns that refused to reflect light and seemed to only take, take, and take.

Benrey’s fingers tangled in his hair, and Gordon couldn’t help the genuine smile that easily found its home on his face, couldn’t help the breath that got stolen when he saw that same smile reflected on Benrey’s own.

His fists balled in the other’s thin shirt, and he couldn’t remember the last time he felt so secure.

Serene. Right.

It’s nights like these, Gordon thought, that make everything worth it.

The last note played, the orbs burned out, and the only thing left standing in the middle of it all were the two of them, still clinging one to another, breathing hard as though they have just finished an intense exercise routine, and for a brief moment, time stood still.

And Gordon felt as though something unspoken has passed between them in that one moment.

And in the next, raucous applause followed, mostly provided by Dr Coomer, with Darnold gently joining in. Bubby let out a few claps as well, and they almost didn’t sound sarcastic.

“Bravo, Gordon! What a beautiful display of emotion!”- Dr Coomer kept on clapping, wiping a tear away from one eye as he cheered, -“For 2 Play Coins, I can replay the same song again!”

“N-No- Uhm-“- Gordon began, feeling his throat as dry as a summer in a dessert, having to cough violently as he practically peeled himself from Benrey. The immediate cold and overall shittiness that followed almost weren’t worth it, -“Ahem. That’s- That’s quite alright.”

“Ah shit, there he goes on talking again,”- Bubby rolled his eyes, and the atmosphere seemed to return to normal.

Benrey went to sit next to Tommy’s most probably unconscious form, and Gordon, after hesitating for way too long, sat down on the opposite side of the room.

A decision he came to regret immediately, if the brief look Benrey gave him was anything to go by.

How that permanently bored, expressionless face could carry so much emotion, Gordon would never know.

What he did know was that he needed another goddamn drink.

And from that point on, it was a huge blur. There were more dares, of course. He was pretty sure Darnold had to do a keg stand and Coomer and Bubby had to exchange clothes.

It was all stupid.

It was all ridiculously fun.

Gordon didn’t feel right throughout any of it.

His mind only came back online closer to morning, when the only thing keeping him awake was the constant noise of conversation and sheer willpower.

“truth,”- Benrey said, crude drawings of Sunkist now decorating both his arms. Gordon wasn’t sure if this was part of a dare or if he just did that for no reason.

“You want to mix it up a little, eh? Think this will be easy, don’t you?”- Bubby’s smile was sharp, all teeth and evil intent, and Gordon suddenly was really happy he wasn’t at the receiving end of that. Bubby was the most entertaining when he was being mean to someone else.

“hit me.”

“Okay. So. Who, out of this group, do you have a crush on?”

Oh. So Gordon was on the receiving end of that after all, huh.

He didn’t know why was it, exactly, that that question hit him like a pile of bricks. But it did. And now he was anxiously staring at Benrey, heart beating so fast it threatened to break through his rib cage.

Benrey, on the other hand, didn’t look nearly as panicked. He just... kept on staring at the floor. And he kept on staring. And he kept on staring until he finally blurted out an. “bbbb.... d.... coomer.”

“I am flattered, Benrey, but I am quite happily married,”- Dr Coomer replied hugging Bubby close, who only rolled his eyes and snorted.

“Bullshit! It’s called Truth, now say the goddamn truth!”

It was at this moment that Benrey’s eye met Gordon’s.

It was at this moment that Gordon knew precisely what to do.

In a move that probably required him to be way more sober, he kicked the table so hard that half the glasses and bottles on top of it tumbled over, some rolling to the floor and breaking with a resounding crash.

“Fuck! What the fuck!”- Bubby exclaimed, throwing his feet up on the couch, and even Tommy came back to life for a second to look around, before passing back out on Sunkist again.

“Careful, Dr Freeman! These babies can melt through concrete!”- Darnold immediately busying himself with picking up his vials, and Gordon took this moment to stand up, exaggerating his slur and wobbliness (though not by much) when he said, -“Woo... Huh... Sorry- Sorry, guys, I must have- Man, I’m dying, I think I- I need sleep, guys, I-“

“Yes, yes, we get the message,”- Bubby sighed, as Dr Coomer immediately laid straight down on the couch, forcibly pulling him down as well, -“Goodnight, Gordon.”

“Good night, Gordon!”- Coomer echoed, closing his eyes and passing out within seconds.

“Take care, Dr Freeman,”- Darnold nodded, before snuggling up next to Sunkist and Tommy.

Well, that was easy. If there was one thing about The Science Team that Gordon appreciated most of all, it was how they didn’t bother asking questions. It was better that way, really.

He should be a better host and at the very least get them blankets, Gordon thought, carefully avoiding the broken glass as he made his way across the room.

This was a problem for tomorrow’s Gordon.

Now, however, he had more pressing matters to attend to.

Benrey stood up as Gordon approached him, staring silently, before turning around and abruptly making his way to the entrance.

“Wa- Wait- Benrey, wait!”- This time it wasn’t an exaggeration when Gordon nearly tripped over his own feet. His head was throbbing with a headache unlike any other, but he shut that part up for a brief second. More important matters, -“Where the hell are you going!?”

“away?”- Benrey replied as though that was the most obvious thing in the world.

“But- Wait- I mean. Why? You can stay here? I’m not kicking you out?”

He stared. And then he stared some more.

It was true that Benrey usually disappeared before morning came, like some sort of vampire that could only come out at night. Gordon never questioned it, never bothered to ask him why he left – it didn’t matter that his apartment always felt a little emptier.

It didn’t matter before, but it mattered now.

“I mean- I know there’s not a lot of room, and the guys are all over the living room, but, y’know, my bed is a double, so if you wanna, you can-“

“i don’t sleep”

Gordon blinked down, the ramble in his head and his words interrupted by this simple poignant statement. He tilted his head, desperately trying to keep standing upright.

“What? Like, at all? That’s bullshit man, that’s complete- and I- I saw you, okay, I saw you sleeping in-“

“kind of gay of you. watching me sleep. wanna see my hair then. then taking my shirt off then. then dancing with me like-“

“Shhh- Shut up, shut up!”- Gordon hissed, taking Benrey by the hand and quietly leading him back to the bedroom. There was no way he would be able to handle this conversation standing up, -“This isn’t- It’s not like that, okay, it’s-“

“It’s not?”

It wasn’t often that Gordon was able to tell what Benrey was thinking or feeling at any given moment. In this instance, however, the disappointment in his voice was so palpable that he could almost taste it on his tongue.

“N-No! Wait, I mean- Yes? I mean- I- I don’t fucking knoooow, man,”- He sighed, dropping down on the bed, head immediately spinning like the propellers of a helicopter, heart drumming, jaw aching, -“I just- I’m too drunk, Benrey. I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t- I just know I don’t want you to leave.”

He didn’t know if that was enough. It didn’t sound enough to him.

But to Benrey, apparently, it was.

In a moment the space besides Gordon felt the bed beside him dip, that already familiar heat seeping through his skin like nuclear radiation, overwhelming him whole.

He felt himself magnetized, moving closer to it almost unconsciously, keeping his eyes closed to prevent the room from spinning crazy. His hand worked of their own volition, desperately searching for anything to hold, and when he felt a set of fingers interlace with his own, he allowed himself to exhale all the tension in his shoulders.

“Thanks,”- He whispered, snuggling in closer, inhaling a scent that was near acidic, but not unpleasant. He didn’t know how he would justify this to himself tomorrow, didn’t want to think about that just yet, and he heard a stream of sweet voice being spread around the room.

He opened his eyes just for a second, just a brief moment to register the vibrant pink floating around his bedroom, the gentle glow that outlined Benrey’s hooded eyes, and for once he thought he could recognize something in them.

Gordon exhaled softly, holding on for dear life.

“Goodnight,”- He said, or maybe thought, or maybe imagined, his consciousness finally fading into sweet darkness.

“gordon,”- Benrey replied then, quiet, soft, and with the certain conviction of a man giving the right answer to a demanding question.

#frenrey #hlvrai #half life vr but the ai is self aware #there is also a smidgen of boomer in there #and softly implied darnold/tommy #i cant believe this is my first fic in two years and this is what i write #hlvrai truly is incredible huh #fanfiction #sai.fic

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siren1song · 4 years

Text

Let’s Go Out with a Bang

Summary: Patton’s got a bit of a double life, and people from both lives end up meeting each other. Well... this should be interesting.

Warnings: Mentions of drugs, mentions of alcohol, mentions of sex

Word Count: 1,360

Taglist: @acanvasofabillionsuns, @emo-disaster, @greenninjagal-blog, @jungle321jungle, @sleepy-sides, @gattonero17, @another-sandersidesblog, @strawberryjellystuff, @remusownsmyuwus, @logic-with-a-pinch-of-deceit, @gr3ml1n-loser, @main-chive, @kiribakuandcats, @firey-alex, @orca-iguana, @spooky-scary-virgil, @yalltookmyurlideas

Notes: I’ve been trying to work on this. For ages. And I’m so glad it’s done now. Feral Patton everyone.

Commissions!! | Buy Me a Kofi!! | Join Casper’s Crew!! | Ao3 Link!!

Patton sometimes felt like he led a double life. This was because he had two totally different friend groups, neither one aware of the other or how he acted with either group.

There was his friend Logan, Roman, and Emile. They were great people, and he loved hanging out with them, though he preferred to act more on the tamer side with them. He enjoyed watching cartoons, talking about Disney, and learning about new things scientists were discovering all the time.

It was a fun time! And sure, he may throw the innocent act on a little hard at times, but it was funny watching Roman and Emile stumble around themselves when a dirty joke was made and he pretended not to understand.

Then there were his other friends. Virgil, Janus, Remus, and Remy. All of them knew how he really acted, especially at night when they were partying at some college party or practically taking over a club with their enthusiastic feral energy.

Patton made dirty jokes, he’s had one night stands, he’s gotten absolutely wasted. Hell, he’s also tried some drugs at Remus’ request though those he wasn’t really in favor of.

He even swears like a sailor, and has slept with all four of those friends at some point or another, though it all remained strictly casual because Patton didn’t really do romance. Patton preferred platonic relationships and sexual intimacy over romantic intimacy and actions, and Remy was right along with him in that, providing the label aromantic when he wondered about it idly.

It was a nice label, and Patton wore it proudly in both groups. Which meant he probably should have expected them all eventually meeting each other during Pride.

“Patton?” Roman spoke up, drawing Patton’s attention from the knitting project he was working on.

There was no way he could have predicted seeing Janus over Roman’s shoulder, eyebrow raised at seeing Patton’s more subdued dad aesthetic compared to the feminine punk style he liked to sport when he spent time with him and the others.

“Hey kiddo, what’s up?” he asked, smiling as he leaned back in his chair and set his knitting in his lap.

This should be an interesting conversation.

“You know Janus? As in the yellow punk dude who’s been driving Logan insane in his philosophy classes?” Roman asked, stepping inside the room and giving Janus the opportunity to lean against the door frame.

Patton fought back a giggle because according to Janus, Logan has also been sleeping with him for two weeks.

“I’d say we’re pretty good friends, yeah!” was his response, Janus coughing to cover up a laugh that Roman caught.

Narrowing his eyes, Roman looked between the two of them before sighing.

“Is there something you’re not telling me, padre?”

Patton shrugged, shifting his project and yarn to the table by his chair and getting a bit more comfortable.

“There’s a lot I’m not telling both of you, I’m willing to answer questions though, if you have any.”

“Just like that?” Janus asked, squinting at Patton suspiciously.

Patton grinned in a way he usually only did around his feral group of friends, mischievous and sly.

“Of course not, what do you take me for, JayJay? I’m not boring.”

“Woah, what?” Roman interrupted, staring at Patton with wide eyes and prompting the giggles Patton had held back earlier.

“That’s what I thought,” Janus said, ignoring Roman’s confusion, “so what’s the price this time, Fae?”

“Fae?” Roman asked incredulously, getting a little more frantic in his search for answers.

Patton just hummed, tapping his chin in thought.

“You pay for a whole night of clubbing with me and Remus-”

“You know my brother?!”

“-and I’ll answer whatever you want,” Patton continued as if Roman had never interrupted.

Janus nodded, though he seemed to wince at the affect that would have on his wallet.

“Hello? Roman here is very confused and would like some answers!” Roman said, finally pulling Patton’s attention to him.

“Ah, sorry Ro! I’ll answer whatever you want after JayJay, okay?” he said, smiling apologetically.

Roman moved to plop on the couch, staring at Patton with wide eyes.

“I… sure. Okay, why not.”

Patton would reach over to pat his leg, if he wasn’t on the far end of the couch.

Janus cleared his throat, narrowing his eyes at Patton suspiciously.

“Why do I have to pay but Roman doesn’t?”

Patton raised an eyebrow, giving Janus a sweet smile they both could tell was fake.

“I dunno, why does Roman know your name when it took me two years to graduate from Dee to Jay and another to Janus?”

Janus flushed, glancing at Roman before looking away.

Ah, he likes him and Logan then.

“Never mind. What’s with the dad get up?” he asked, very quickly moving on and earning a snicker from Patton.

“I like it,” was Patton’s answer.

“Right, and the punk style I usually see you in?”

“I like it too.”

Janus nodded, looking Patton over for a second.

“Lack of swearing?”

“Swearing?” Roman whispered, distressed as he looked at Patton, who was struggling not to laugh.

“Don’t usually do it outside the group,” he answered, crossing his arms and leaning one elbow against the arm of his chair.

“…Give me one swear and I’ll be satisfied,” Janus said, looking at Roman.

And honestly, Patton couldn’t deny Janus the hilarity of seeing Roman witness Patton cuss for the first time, could he?

“Son of a bitch. Happy?”

Janus swallowed noticeably at Roman’s surprised squeak, clearly forcing back a laugh.

“Very, thank you.”

Patton rolled his eyes, and then looked at Roman apologetically.

“Okay Ro, shoot your questions, I promise I’ll answer.”

Roman just stared at him, mouth hanging open and eyes wide. Patton couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for him, honestly.

“How long? Have you been hanging out with my brother?” he asked, seeming to recover enough to be able to get his words in working order.

Patton hummed, biting his lip and looking up at the ceiling in thought.

“Uh… I think four years? Maybe five? I don’t exactly remember when I joined the group, just know Remus is the one who brought me into it.”

“Four and a half years,” Janus spoke up, earning a thankful grin from Patton before he looked back at Roman.

“There ya have it, four and a half years.”

Roman nodded, then looked at his lap.

“You go clubbing?”

“Every week! Usually Fridays and Saturdays since I don’t have work those days.”

“Right. The days you disappear and we all thought you were volunteering at an animal shelter or something,” Roman said, now pushing his fingers through his hair.

“He’s allergic animal dandruff?” Janus said, clearly confused as he looked at Roman.

“Well, just cats actually. I could probably volunteer at a dog shelter and be fine. Ooh, that sounds fun too, I should do that!”

Patton clapped his hands together in excitement at the idea, trying not to wiggle too much in his chair because his stims weren’t exactly something Janus had seen— at least the ones that weren’t him dancing anyway.

“Fae, focus,” Janus said, clearly amused by Patton’s excited side tracking.

“Right! Yeah, I go clubbing on those days. I also have a tattoo on my shoulder! And I have matching snake bites with Janus! We got them together, it was fun.”

Roman blinked, looking at Patton in confusion.

“I’ve never seen the holes?”

“Do you stare at my mouth often?” Patton teased, grinning widely at Roman’s responding blush.

“Don’t you also have a tongue piercing that you got with Remus?” Janus commented.

Before Patton could answer, Roman made a noise that drew the attention of both him and Janus.

“You were the friend he got that piercing with?”

“Roman, kiddo, I was the friend who did a lot of things with Remus, I don’t really think you want to know the extent of that.”

Patton couldn’t help but feel a mixture of amusement and pity at Roman’s noise of distress.

The conversation clearly wasn’t over yet, but considering how amusing it already was, Patton could not wait for the rest of it.

#casper writes #ts patton #ts janus #ts roman #aromantic patton #mentions of drugs #mentions of alcohol #mentions of sex #patton with a tattoo #patton with piercings #patton just goes off when he's with his feral friends tbfh #we stan

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glacecakes · 4 years

Text

Alchemy Lullaby (3/?)

Of all the changes that came with living in the castle, becoming a father was not one he anticipated. When Eugene encounters a small child suffering like he did, he gives them the opportunity to grow up the way he never did... helping them both heal. (AU where Varian is 4 and gets adopted by Eugene)

Chapter 3: Settling in.

Art trade with the lovely @finnoky, who asked for Varian getting new clothes and a nightmare! This was so much fun to do, thank you so much for being patient with me QAQ

Previous chapters here

One thing Eugene learned fast about Varian was his hatred towards mornings.

The kid was not a morning person; while Rapunzel rose and set just like the sun, and Eugene had to get up early to help the guard, Varian would happily sleep well into the afternoon unless he was physically pulled out of bed. And even then it was a struggle to get Varian dressed, with him sleepily complaining and moaning the whole time. It didn’t help that Varian didn’t really have any clothes of his own. All they had were the clothes the King and Queen kept from their hopes of Rapunzel coming home. Depressing, and also too small.

So, when Eugene pulled Varian out of bed this morning, he decided it was high time to get Varian clothes of his own.

“Good morning, you two!” Rapunzel called, bright and cheery as ever. It had been only a few days since the dinner, but since then Varian had quickly become a staple in the castle. They were almost late to breakfast because all the maids wanted to say hi and pinch his cheeks.

But who could blame them?

“G’morning Punzel,” Varian murmured. He curled further into Eugene’s arms, safe and warm. The kid would be bouncing around after breakfast, but until then he was a little cuddlebug. Not that Eugene was complaining.

“Are you excited for today?” The princess asked, stepping into place beside Eugene as they entered the dining hall.

Varian cocked his head. “No. Why?”

She laughed, ruffling the tyke’s hair. “Eugene’s taking you into town today. You’re gonna get some new clothes, and some toys!”

“If he behaves for the tailor, he’ll get some toys.” Eugene corrected, smiling at how Varian’s eyes lit up.

“Oh come on, Eugene! What’s the harm in indulging a child every now and again?”

“Yea!” Varian nodded. “Indulge me. What’s indulge mean?”

Rapunzel bopped his nose, earning her a giggle. “It means getting you a gift just because! And I think you deserve one.”

She’s not wrong. Despite the occasional hiccup, Varian’s adjusted pretty well to his new life, maybe concerningly so. Children need boundaries, they need stability! And this may be the first time he’s ever had that. Besides, he’ll need toys eventually, all kids do.

Eugene sighed. This was a losing battle. “All right, we’ll go get some toys. But!” He sent Varian an overly dramatic stern look. “If you behave, I’ll let you get a few extra. Deal?”

Varian’s feet swung happily. He bounced up and down in the man’s arms and nodded so fast his head may as well fly into space. “Deal!”

Varian babbled happily, skipping along with one hand in Eugene’s. It was like the kid never breathed, seamlessly switching between topics like it was no big deal. In fact, he kept talking right up until they entered the tailor’s. Then, his words morphed into a “Woah,” mid sentence.

Varian gazed around the shop, overwhelmed by the bright colors. He’d never seen so many clothes! And they were all so fancy too! He never had more than a few pairs of clothes.

“Mister Fitzherbert, a pleasure,” The shopkeeper said as he approached the duo. He was a thin man, with a long, pointed beard, and his hair kept in a low ponytail. Eugene had been coming to him ever since he started living in the castle.

Varian’s happy demeanor vanished almost instantly, being replaced with an unreadable, even steely expression. Even though Varian acted upbeat and bubbly to the palace staff, he was still nervous about strangers. Eugene knew from experience that not everyone was nice on the streets, and Varian unfortunately had to learn that fast.

“Hi Francis, looking good as ever!” Eugene chimed. He kept his voice positive to calm the child. “This is Varian, he’s staying with me. Varian, this is Francis, he’s gonna help you get some new clothes, ok?”

Varian pouted. “What’s wrong with my clothes?” He liked his clothes! They kept him warm during the winter and cool during the current summer. His shoes broke halfway through his time on the streets, though. He’d been barefoot like Rapunzel up until now.

“Well…” how do you politely tell a child he was wearing rags? “You just need… new ones. Nicer ones! You gotta look your best!”

It wasn’t the best argument, judging by the way Varian fidgeted uncomfortably. He clung a little tighter to Eugene’s hand, sizing up Francis, unsure if he was safe.

The man kneeled, never letting go of Varian’s hand. “Hey, you’re safe here.” he whispered. “Francis just wants to help. Your clothes were ok on the streets, but you need different clothes for palace life. I’ll be here with you, ok?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Varian nodded. “Ok,” he mumbled.

For his part, Francis did his best to appear friendly. “Right this way, you two, I just need to get the young man measured for fitting.”

The process was pretty straight forward, with Francis keeping his tone light and Eugene showering the child in praise. Slowly but surely, Varian relaxed.

“Ow!” Varian winced, flinching when a pin poked him in the side. “Why do I need to get poked again?”

“Beauty is pain,” Eugene responded deadpan. Francis rolled his eyes.

“It’s to make sure it fits, young man.” he said. “And it won’t if you keep squirming.”

For his part, Varian seemed satisfied with the answer. He liked to ask a lot of questions, his mind constantly whirring and wondering. While Eugene adored him, it got exhausting real fast. He couldn’t keep up with Varian’s mind half the time. Before he could answer one question, the kid would ask another. It was fine when they were simple questions, like why Rapunzel was busy, or when was bedtime. But the other day Varian had asked him what air was made of. What was Eugene, an encyclopedia? He didn’t know!

Finally, Francis stepped back, giving the child an approving gaze. “Well, don’t you look handsome!” he cooed, and Eugene couldn’t help but agree.

Gone were the green rags and ruined sleeves. Instead, Varian wore a sea green sailor shirt with white buttons and a yellow clip-on tie. His white pants were stainless, but for how long who knows. The boots were near identical to Eugene’s own, practical but stylish.

To put it simply, he looked precious.

Gosh, the old him would’ve laughed at current him. Gushing over a child? Flynn, kids are cute, but come on!

For his part, Eugene kept his cool. He gave Varian a grin and a thumbs up, earning a toothy smile back.

“What do we say, kid?” Eugene chimed, mimicking the phrase that he’d heard so many times.

Varian cocked his head in confusion. “You’re welcome?”

“The other one.”

“Oh!” Varian turned to Francis. “Thank you!” Then he turned back to Eugene.

“Sooo… was I good?”

Eugene barked out a laugh. “Yeah, kid. You were good. We can get you a toy or two.”

The look on Varian’s face was brighter than the sun.

Rapunzel sighed as she stepped out of her final meeting for the day. As much as she’d wished to go with Eugene and Varian to the store, she’d sadly had other duties to attend to.

God, that kid was cute. He was so curious and sweet, and yet the pain of his past shone through the cracks. It had been a shock to see Eugene come home with a newly adopted(?) toddler to take care of, but something about him drew her in almost instantly. Motherly instinct? Fondness for Eugene’s kind heart? Something else? She couldn’t tell. Whatever it was, Varian was here to stay for as long as he wanted, and Rapunzel would treasure every minute of it.

Speaking of him, a shrill “Punzel!” sounded from down the hall, followed by the pattering of fast footsteps.

She whipped around, and oh, she might melt at his new outfit!

“Look at you!” She gasped, effortlessly scooping him up into a hug. All those years of pulling Gothel up a tower meant Varian weighed nothing to her.

“Who’s this handsome young man? If I recall correctly my Varian doesn’t wear buttons!”

The little boy laughed, delighted. “Punzel, it’s me! I wear buttons now!”

“You do!? But that can’t be! My Varian doesn’t wear shoes either!”

Varian responded by quickly removing his shoes. “See? It’s me!”

Rapunzel bit her lip, desperately trying not to burst into laughter. “There he is!” She squished their cheeks together as they hugged. “Now, where’s Eugene?”

“Over here.” a muffled voice called.

Eugene stumbled ever so slightly, face hidden by several boxes. They were filled with books, stuffed animals, and various other toys.

“So much for some toys, huh?”

A red face peaked around the boxes. “He’s very convincing.” In truth, Eugene pretty much grabbed whatever Varian so much as looked at. Kids needed boundaries, sure, but they also needed a place to start from. And Varian, before today, didn’t have a single toy. All he had were the few baby toys the King and Queen kept, not nearly enough for an almost five year old. Eugene never had much growing up either. He’d shared with the other kids in the orphanage, sure, but he himself only owned four or five toys over his entire childhood cooped up there. If he was to give Varian the childhood he deserved, the one orphanages couldn’t, that included enrichment and entertainment.

Well, that and Varian was very convincing.

“Come on, bud, let’s go put these in your room.”

The child’s room was quickly coming together. He was given a bigger guest room just down the hall of Eugene, near the stairs to Rapunzel’s room. That way, he could reach either caretaker easily. While he still didn’t have much furniture outside of the typical bed and dresser, his bed was full of plush toys, perfect for cuddling into. A plush white rug sat in front of the bed, and in the corner of the room a toy chest was now full of puzzles. The bookshelf was full of a bizarre mix of child books Eugene picked up, and the classics previously in the guest room. It was truly starting to look like a proper room to be lived in. The rest of the day passed relatively peacefully, thank goodness. The outing and following room decorating took out most of Varian’s toddler energy, leaving him pretty tame all the way up to bedtime.

But it was at bedtime things quickly went south.

The moon sat high in the sky, its full light shining down on the small figure darting through the trees. He didn’t know where he was going, but he just had to get away! Get away, get away before they hurt him! He’s not safe here!

Where was here, again?

Varian skidded to a stop, his chest heaving which each breath, tears streaking down his face and blurring his vision. He hastily wiped the tears away. Just a few feet in front of him was a familiar face.

“Momma?” He called. His mother didn’t respond. “Momma!” He tried again, running up to her…

...Only for a large, black rock to shoot up in between them.

Varian let out a shriek of terror, stepping back as another shot up. Then another, and another. Slowly they jutted out towards him, sharp points gleaming under white light. Varian took one step backwards, then another. Then, he turned around and began to race back in the other direction. The rocks only picked up in speed, trailing behind him.

“It’s your fault!” His mother cried, her voice booming. “You rotten child, I left you for a reason!”

Varian whimpered, legs aching from the running. A stray rock shot up from under his foot, and the small child went tumbling down a massive hill. Down, down, down, he rolled to a stop on the forest floor.

He tried to pull himself up, but found himself too exhausted. He was cold, scared, and tired.

Looking up to the sky, Varian cried out for help, “Eugene! Eugene please! Where are you!”

As if he had spoken Eugene into existence, his caretaker loomed over him.

Varian held out his hands, begging Eugene to pick him up. Carry him away, back to the castle where he was safe and happy with Rapunzel and Cassandra!

Eugene gazed down, eyes cold as the moon in the sky. He shook his head.

“It’s your fault,” he said emotionlessly. Then he walked away.

The tears returned tenfold. His lip wobbled, and Varian couldn’t stop the wail that escaped him.

“EUGENE!”

The black rocks caught up to him, faster than before, closer and closer and closer--

Varian shot up out of bed with a heartbreaking cry.

He wheezed for breath, grabbing the first toy he could find: a stuffed raccoon. A tear fell onto the plush toy. Then another. And then a third. Soon, Varian was sobbing wildly, unable to control his tears.

It was his fault! It was always his fault!

....What was his fault again?

He hiccuped, and finally looked around. No longer was he trapped in the cold, huddling next to a building in an attempt to stay warm after another sleepless night. He was in the castle, safe, with Rapunzel upstairs and Eugene down the hall.

...Eugene!

Varian slipped off the bed, stuffed raccoon in hand, and quickly opened the door.

The hallway was barren, empty this late at night. Moonlight shone through the windows.

Moonlight reflecting off obsidian rocks as they came closer and closer--

Varian whimpered, rushing down the hall to Eugene’s room.

Eugene was always a light sleeper. It came with never having a stable home life. If the smallest of doors creaked, he needed to be ready for an attacker at any time.

But he had a feeling this was no attacker.

He opened one eye, and sure enough, Varian was quietly staring at him from the doorway.

“Hey bud,” he whispered, sitting up. “You can come in, just give me a second.” A small part of his mind complained about being woken up. That part quickly shut up when he lit a candle and saw the tear tracks on his ward’s face. He opened up his arms, and the dam broke. A blue and black blur shot into Eugene’s arms, and the man let out a small oof.

Varian shook in his embrace, the adult’s shirt quickly becoming wet as the child cried out his fears once more. “Hey, shh, it’s ok,” Eugene whispered, pulling Varian in close. “You’re ok, you’re safe.” He rocked them both back and forth, letting Varian cry it out while he comforted him.

“You wanna tell me what happened?” Tiny fingers dug into Eugene’s night shirt.

“I had a dream you left me…” Varian whimpered, and Eugene’s heart splintered.

He sighed. “Aw bud, I’m so sorry. It was just a dream, though. I’m not going anywhere anytime soon. And even if I was, I’d take you with me.”

“Really?”

“Sure, kid.”

That seemed to partially do the trick. The tears were rapidly drying, and Varian seemed spent, but he still clung to Eugene like a lifeline. The man weighed his options for a moment. On the one hand, Varian needed to go back to his room. Being able to sleep alone was an important step at his age. But he’d been doing ok before… So would it be ok to let him stay one night?

Eh, screw it. His kid, his rules. “You wanna stay here for tonight? Just tonight, though. Tomorrow you gotta sleep in your room.” Varian nodded into his chest. He just wanted proof that Eugene was here, that he wasn’t going to leave him.

“Alright.” Slowly, Eugene lowered them both onto the bed, Varian atop his chest. The adult pulled Varian close, tucking them in together. “I got you, Varian. You’re safe with me, I promise.” He pressed a kiss to inky black hair, and Varian hummed, content. His eyes slowly slid shut, lulled to sleep by Eugene’s steady heartbeat and the all encompassing warmth.

Eugene closed his eyes, smiling.

“Good night, kid.”

#tangled #tangled the series #varian #tts varian #tts #tangled eugene #team awesome #eugene fitzherbert #tts eugene #finnoky

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we-rate-tmnt · 4 years

Note

I request: Leonardo. Please and thank you 🙏.

Idk if everyone loves Leo or if my header and avatar just remind everyone about this amazing blue boy. (This one’s super silly btw. I’m just sillier as time goes on. Character development I guess?)

The iconic leador Leonardo (1987)

Bro idk why but I loved this Leo. I have a tiny memory, especially with this version but I clearly remember that I thought he was the funniest and the coolest. I mean, he had swords, what was I supposed to do as a 7-year-old. NOT like him??? Anyway, while Raph was the best at insult comedy, I think Leo had the best puns and punchlines. I really like how nonchalant this Leo is compared to his iterations, going along with really silly ideas and having fun along the way. But because of this, his leadership is a little forced at times, he seems like such a chill and fun dude that when he gets serious, I have to squint and ask ‘are you Leo? Or were you just putting on act a moment ago?’ Or my perception is entirely warped over time. Either way, good turtle boy, could have used some work tho. 5.7/10

Here comes grumpy lad wooo this is all read very monotone btw Fearless Leader (2003)

What. What the fuck happened. I was actually so confused when Leo turned really angry and serious and almost manic. I thought that episode when he popped into Casey’s window and was like ‘Hey bitch lets go beat the shit out of some lowlifes’ I was WOAH THERE BUDDY BACK UP BACK UP BACK TF UP. It was so sudden to me and when it was finally explained, it made some sense??? Like yeah, character development is great an’ all but this ain’t it chief. I can’t imagine what it was like having to wait for these episodes to release one at a time. Bc I watched every episode back to back on Youtube and I was genuinely bamboozled. But when you have an experience like that where guilt is weighing down on you from a situation you couldn’t control, it would’ve been HELLA HELPFUL to have at least a flashback, like a line saying ‘I was so useless!’ at BARE MINIMUM. Like right after Shredder is booted off to Planet Zula, Donnie would notice that Leo didn’t seem all that happy and would ask why and Leo would get upset and yell at Donnie saying that ‘You wouldn’t understand’, ‘You don’t know how I felt, how I feel because of that’, etc. Like you don’t even have to say he felt guilty or helpless, just give us something to grab onto. We’re merely six-year-olds who thought they could climb the YMCA rock wall in easy mode but instead the script riders harnessed us up on the hard one and wouldn’t let us come down until we rang the little bell at the top. I think that is the only problem I had with his Leo. The sudden change of calm and decisive to angry and irrational was so jarring that it felt unnatural without that crucial context. If you want a surprise reveal, at least hint at the reveal (like just about every Disney movie with their ‘twist’ villains) not wait until the very last moment. I think this might be my least favorite Leo and I think the season where he stood out the most and seemed the strongest was Fast Forward (Which was GOOD FIGHT ME), especially in scenes with Dark Leo, his clone. He sees so much of himself in Dark Leo but he also sees something he had once grasped (AKA the poorly written character arc, I CANNOT stress how bad I thought it was). Although, I honestly think he’s a really good character and he’s a pretty neat guy. However, this score is entirely held up by Fast Forward and his connection with Usagi, sword bros to the end of time. 3/10 (2 for FF and 1 for Usagi)

And now a Leo that makes me genuinely feel UWU Leo (2012)

I cannot stress how much I like this guy! Like his design is so appealing, his dedication, his obsession with Space Heroes, like I FUCKING LOVE IT. And everyone knows, that shit with Karai, at first when they didn’t realize they were related, I can let slide but kajsdflksadf what even like why did the writers feel the need to add in more ‘love interest’ implications like yuck yuck yuck. The only two interactions with Leo and Karai that I really like are when Leo defeats her using the healing hands technique and when Leo has a goth/emo/punk/idk I’m new here phase and they team up and EXPLOSIONS. He was introduced to us as being incredibly naive and his idea of leadership is from some old cartoon that’s basically star trek but ethically questionable. After his fights in season 1, to the finale with the technodrome, you can see his growth. He’s able to formulate plans and make life or death decisions. BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE. When Leo got hurt, I felt like the oof sound effect mixed with some tears I normally shed at some Shojo manga bs. While the episodes following were super weird, it was a nice way to help Leo recover, not only physically but spiritually (Although I don’t remember the spirit arc at all except the epic Raph vs Fishface fight, so we’re skipping that). When Master Splinter really died, you could tell there was a huge impact on Leo, but he had to remain stoic and lead the family now. A lot of heartbreaking moments in this series came from Leo and I’m glad they took at least some thought into developing him. Tiny head Leo will haunt my nightmares, but the giggly fanboy will warm my heart constantly. 6/10

I only have one word for this Leo (Heroes in a Half Shell: Blast to the Past)

This is a super crazy bad idea accent on the super crazy bad part have I mentioned it’s also a really terrible idea/10

Okay, spoiler alert, didn’t really think this Leo was that grand Leo (2014/2016)

Painfully average. He didn’t stand out that much, Raph was part of the focus and had that touching scene at the end, Donnie was ICONIC and Mikey (with his weird-ass eyes) was super lively and funny! Leo? Uh, I don’t remember a single line he said. Because he never really grabbed my attention, I don’t have too much to say on this version. The Raph and Leo fight felt forced and the whole ‘keep this stuff that could turn us human a secret’ was pretty pointless and was added just to cause drama, I don’t even remember what that Splinter and Leo conversation was about. Design-wise, really neat! You can see some more traditional Japanese clothing/style mixed with modern (I’d feel a lot better about this assumption if some could tell exactly what the heck he’s wearing, but I get traditional Japan warrior vibes from it) in his look which was super neat! Other than that, if you like him, please tell me why because I don’t get. He was just kinda eh. 5/10

AHHH MY BOY YASSS WHOOO!! Neon Leon (2018)

Okay, I loved Ben Schwarts already from Parks and Rec but like him being Sonic AND Leo, like DUDE. He’s super funny by himself but teamed up with this shows writing and animation, it makes it hilarious. I literally love this Leo so much, maybe because we’re alike but honestly, he’s amazing. I love his design with the red and yellow crescents accenting his skin and livening up his color pallet. He has a very healthy and natural dynamic with his brothers, he’s the first to know what’s wrong and tries his best to make up for his actions. This is really prominent in the most recent episodes, along with the episode portal jacked. In both, Leo is separated from his brothers. Portal Jacked is in a more literal sense, while Air Turtle handles in more of an emotional sense. While both are brief, Leo sees his error and tries his best to make it up to them. I love his dynamic so much and it’s so nice to see something like this compared to the unnecessary drama and tension between the brothers in the previous series. It’s refreshing and this is something a younger audience needs to see; instead of fighting, it’s better to work together and improve yourself along the way. Improvement is a big theme for Leo here. He’s a goofball, makes jokes at every opportunity and isn’t quite skilled at fighting or using his weapon. But he grows over time, he learns to manage his power and he’s working on mastering it. He’s trying to put aside his narcissism more and focuses on his family. I think the approach they took with him rising to leader rather than slapping it on his forehead was the goddamn best decision they could make. He’s making plans, finding loopholes, helping out and getting out of his comfort zone. I cannot stress how well this show has handled Leo, along with the other characters. I can’t wait to see more episodes about his growth and I am awarding him with one of the greatest honors I could give... 10/10

Storytime: I drew a super cute 2012 Leo, you should look at him. Shameless self-promo, but you should follow me on my main blog bc I’m nice and I draw pretty pictures. Also. I have a little 2012 Leo Happy Meal toy??? I think??? guarding my window and he’s been there for YEARS. I need to bring him in and refresh his paint job.

Wow! I didn’t expect this many requests for Leo, so the blog will be momentarily spammed with the requests, but it shouldn’t be too much! Up next should be the last turtle (Mikey) and then we can get to some REALLY great requests I’m eager to answer. As usual, please comment and reblog! I’d love to hear your opinion!

#Tmnt #teenage mutant ninja turtles #leonardo #1987 leo #2003 leo #2012 leo #2014 leo #2016 leo #rottmnt leo #Rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt #asks #I forgot how my tagging system worked

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dogcopter · 4 years

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Dogcopter Appearance Masterlist

thank you to resources SU Wiki Dogcopter and Dogcopter/Gallery, and Steven Says wiki transcript searcher

This is just a list of Dogcopter appearances in SU, not analysis. One or two may surprise you!

Dogcopter episode appearances

Lars and the Cool Kids

Lion 2

Some people say ‘You can't teach an old dog new tricks’... Unless you're Dogcopter 3, in 3D! This February, the fur hits the fan!

Steven: Whoah, I can see why this is your favorite film franchise. Connie: That's right! In a world where humanity is pushed to the brink, it turns out that the one who is most human, is a dog! Copter. Steven: and did you see where that missile came out of? Connie: Heh, yeah. I just hope it stays faithful to the book.

Amethyst: Oh, that's easy! Who needs to go see movies when you’ve got magic?

Steven: I'm sorry! I ruined everything, didn't I? I don't know why you hang out with me. I mess stuff up all the time. Connie: I don't know why you hang out with me! I'm so much more less interesting than you! And obviously you have some sort of magical destiny. Why would you even care about something like Dogcopter? Steven: Why?! Because it's Dogcopter! He's a dog, and a helicopter, and a cop! He shoots missiles out of his butt, and he's gonna save the world! Dogcopter is very cool and important to me. Connie: Well, I'm no Dogcopter.

Keep Beach City Weird

Dogcopter 3 SUX April 23, 2014

I saw Dogcopter 3 in 3D tonight and all I have to say is WOOF!

First of all, it’s a huge mistake to turn the last Dogcopter book into THREE movies. Yes, the last book is over 900 pages, but there’s not enough story! And the 3D was completely unnecessary. If I wanted to see butt missiles flying at my face, I’d feed a dog some bottle rockets and put on a pair of safety goggles.

Dogcopter is supposed to be an uncompromising look at the military-industrial-pet complex, not “fun”! Fun is the worst.

Also, if you live in the Delmarva area - do not see it at the Beach City Cineplex. The parking lot is a mess! Probably from a bunch of angry Dogcopter fans rioting. Ugh, I’m going to see this 3 more times to make sure I hate it.

Tags: dogcopter 3 in 3D keep beach city weird kbcw

Lion 3

Dogcopter: I win. Steven: Oh, what? That was a good move! Dogcopter: Thanks. Steven: Dogcopter. How do you do it? Dogcopter: How do I do what? Steven: I mean, what's your secret? How'd you get so talented? Dogcopter: Don't focus so much on talent, Steven. Making art is all about communication. A piece of art is a conversation. Every choice you make, is a statement.

Continued under cut

Dogcopter: Don't worry about labels, or conforming to a standard. Just be true to yourself, and people will appreciate your honesty. Steven: Woah. Thanks for the advice. Dogcopter: And take a deep breath. Steven: What?

suworkbook wrote a brilliant piece of meta around this dream

Steven: Here again? I don't know what this place is but it feels... familiar. Why can't I breathe? Wait a minute... Lion! Lion, my face is not your bed! What's going on with you?

Chille Tid

Steven: Whoa. Dogcopter! Mr. Copter! Sir! I'm one of your biggest fans, can I please have your autograph? Dogcopter: (meows) Steven: Mr. Copter, please! Steven: Hey wait! Where are you going?! Steven: I hope the rumors about Dogcopter in the tabloids aren't true. Steven: Huh? Oh! Hey, Pearl! Steven: Wait! Don't eat me! Steven: Oh, man! Thanks for the upgrade, Pearl! Now I can catch up with Dog— Steven: Woah, Amethyst? Steven: Hmm... This is... getting really weird. Lapis: This is weird. Steven: Hey, that sounds a lot like— Lapis: Steven! Steven: Lapis Lazuli! Lapis: Steven, what are you doing in here?

Keep Beach City Weird

KEEP BEACH CITY SPOILER FREE January 04 2016

Hey weirdos! For the past few months, I’ve done something unprecedented - I’ve stayed off the internet.

It was hard but I had to do because I’ve been trying to stay SPOILER FREE for the movie event of the new millennium! This December was the revival of one of the most famous sci-fi franchises in the world. Yep, you know what I’m talking about: DOGCOPTER.

So for three months, I sequestered myself from all internet communications. I handed over my laptop and my phone to my little bro, Peedee, and ordered him to bury them in an undisclosed location in the deserts of New Mexico.

I think he just put them in the walk-in freezer at the fry shop.

I won’t lie, it was hard. But I calmed my nerves by reacquainting myself with the “Young Adult Conspiracy” section at my local library. And instead of getting in arguments with internet trolls, I got in real life arguments! With my dad!

And after months of avoiding and spoilers or teasers or trailers, I was in line for Dogcopter 4, and then some dummy walking out of the theater TOTALLY SPOILED EVERYTHING and was like, “I can’t believe that Dogcopter’s parents are actually cats.”

Ug! I hope you’ve seen the movie because that’s pretty much the big ending. Dogcopter dies defending the planet but then he comes back to life because he’s actually part cat and cats have 9 lives. Anyway, the movie was pretty much ruined. So now I’m back. Spoilers are the worst.

Tags: Keep Beach City Weird Dogcopter

Fun fact if you invert this poster and adjust the contrast a bit, some odd diagram in the back appears:

Steven’s Birthday

Amethyst: What are you doing? Steven: Well uh...What are YOU doing? Greg: What are YOU doing to your body? Amethyst: Woah, woah, woah, have you been stretching yourself out all day? Steven: No! I was just... slouching. Greg: Why are you doing this? It... really isn't like you. Steven: Because, Dad, I can't stay a kid forever, when Connie grows up and becomes president what is that gonna make me? First Boy!? Amethyst: Steven, you can't just keep stretching forever. If you hold it too long, you could really hurt yourself. Steven: Yeah well, I'm half human so maybe it works different for me, we'll just have to wait and see, right? Greg: Steven...

Connie: That one's... "Canis helicopterus". Steven: Uh-uh, "Helicopterus"? Connie: Yeah, Dogcopter, get it? Now you make one up! Steven: Okay, um, That one's, uh, snake constellation. Connie: That's... pretty good. Are you okay? It looks like you're gonna throw up. Steven: Oh yeah, everything's fine! Connie: Okay... that's good. You know, to be honest, I was a little worried before. This might sound silly, but I'm really glad that I'm going to get to grow up with you. Connie: ...Steven? Steven! What's going on? What happened? Connie: We were just talking then all of a sudden- Pearl: He turned back into a baby?! Connie: YES!

Keep Beach City Safe

DOGCOPTER 4: ALL DOGS GO TO WAR Jan 5 2016

Dogcopter 4 has finally been released! All Dogs Go to War!

I’ve been dying to see this movie for age, but I never had the time. I’ve been so busy with my blog and picking the perfect present for Steven. I’ve watched all the other Dogcopter Movies, but I haven’t had time to watch this one. But now I have a little free time to do something. After I watch it I won’t spoil it for the rest of you. I’m gonna be a Smart Spoiler and drop hints in my post for you guess. Only those who have watched it will notice the clues. Yep, watching it 9 times.

#Dogcopter 4 #Steven's Birthday Present #Dogcopter Movies #Smart Spoiler

Same Old World

Lapis: So, what does happen in Empire City? Steven: Well, let's see. If you lived here, you could get a cool apartment, and be a single Gem taking on the big city. You'll have a fun job at a local coffee shop and come home to a wacky roommate... Lapis: I have no idea what you're talking about. Steven: Awww.

Kiki’s Pizza Delivery Service

Steven: I'll take care of this! Kiki: Steven, be careful! Steven: Don't worry about me! Anything is possible when you have... rockets for bones! Kiki: Steven, that was so brave! Steven: Well, it's cheddar than nothing.

Steven: Oh, hey, Dogcopter. Dogcopter: (meows) Steven: See ya, dream Kiki! Kiki: Oh, okay. See you, dream Steven! Steven: Dream Steven!

Little Homeschool

Steven: Sadie's been touring with The Suspects, promoting their new album, and Connie has been getting a head start on college prep. She's two years away from applying, but she says it doesn't hurt to start early. Steven: And speaking of higher education, Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl and I have been cooking up a dream of our own! Cherry Quartz: I have no idea who you're talking about.

Snow Day

Amethyst: Guess what we've got lined up tonight. "Pupcopter's Sky-High Adventure"! Pearl: Sheet masks with cute animal faces! Garnet: And, most importantly, pizza. Steven: Uh, guys, I've been a vegetarian for, like, a month, and "Pupcopter" is for 6-year-olds, and I have my own skin care routine. Anyways, it's cool. I already ate. Amethyst: Oh well. We'll just watch the movie with Cat Steven. Garnet: My bad. I was sure we were in the pepperoni timeline.

In Dreams

Dogcopter: (flies away) Stefan: Noooo!

Together Forever

Lion: (roars) Connie: Huh? Steven: Hey, Connie! How you doin'? Connie: Steven? What are you doing here? Steven: You're gonna have a fifteen-minute break in...two minutes, right? Connie: Whoa! Spot on. Steven: Connie, let's go for a walk. I'm sure you could use some fresh air. Connie: I would love to! But um... Steven: No, no, no! Don't worry! We'll go with Lion, and I promise you'll be back in fifteen minutes! Connie: Okay! Let's do this!

Growing Pains

Drew: I know you're eager to chase the mail truck, Dogcopter. But the mail truck is a decoy. Good boys chase the blue car. Be a good boy, Dogcopter. Drew: Nice work, DC! Now get the bomb off the bridge! We're almost out of time! Drew: Dogcopter! No! Drew: Dogcopter, I can't lose you. Drew: Is this... what I think it is?

Announcer: Dogcopter 6: Till Death Do We Bark: I Now Pronounce You Man And Woof! Steven: Everyone's getting married but me! Ugh! I feel like poop.

#dogcopter #steven universe #steven universe meta #copter lore #rose is lion 2020 #kbcs lore #long post

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nopanamaman · 5 years

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So what’s really up with those demon and angel characters?

I’m gonna say right off the bat - this isn’t an explanation of the song series I used these two for. In fact, the songs featuring these characters on their covers have surprisingly little to do with one another! I just liked the simple designs and drew them whenever it felt appropriate. I tried thinking of an actual story to tie them all together around the time I made The Heartwarming Story Of My Creation, but it was so messy and full of edge that I promptly scrapped it lol

HOWEVER!

These characters DO come from a short novel/comic idea I had way before starting vocaloid. It was a rather silly concept for a slice-of-life story, which could potentially evolve into something with an actual plot!

~So here it is~

It all takes place in a world where having a demonic servant is treated as the norm. In fact, not having a personal demon is considered weirder than having one! There are ads for various contracting agencies, different demon ratings, demons who specialize in different services etc., etc. It’s not uncommon for parents to bind their child’s soul to a demon as soon as the baby is born, though it’s often done a bit later in life (however, if you’re under 18, you can make a contract only with special permission from your guardian).

Since everyone and their mother has a being with reality-bending powers at their side, the servants have very strict limitations on what they can and can’t do. At base level the overwhelming majority of them boil down to being an extremely efficient houseworker - they are restricted to doing stuff like chores, buying things, helping with communication, keeping company, changing their own appearance to suit the customer’s tastes (a lot of people stick with the demon’s default monochrome-human-with-horns-and-tail form, though, since that’s what they’ve grown used to) changing the clients appearance (usually not to an unrecognizable degree), being a bodyguard, etc.

There are ways of lifting some of those limitations by binding more than one soul to a single demon (but the servant will continue to fully obey only one person). So the most powerful demons tend to be familial - those who have been passed on from parents to their children over the course of generations. The most influential people in the world have extremely strong familial demons.

Truly powerful familial demons are rare, because:

the parent may not have tied the child’s soul to the familial demon before dying

by the time most parents die, their children have already gotten a servant of their own

the child doesn’t want to accept the familial demon for personal reasons

Some people are hesitant or straight-up opposed to the idea of getting a servant, since, while demons never disclose any details about the process of soul consumption or, for that matter, anything about the afterlife, it’s widely understood to be hellish. The thing is, it’s unclear whether “happy” afterlife even exists - unlike demons, heavenly beings like god or angels or even ghosts do not manifest in the physical world. Some believe that there is no paradise at all, and the only two options for the soul after the body dies are being consumed by a demon and continuing its existence in that particular demon’s “hell” or simply disappearing. The lack of information about what really happens after death makes many people brush off the consequences of making a contract in favour of living a much more safe and comfortable life.

Like I said in the beginning, the comic was supposed to be a series of slice-of-life episodes involving a group of demon friends and their clients (with Kafka being the focus). I didn’t develop them that much, so their characters were pretty simple!

Since demons’ actual names are near impossible for humans to pronounce, they tend to settle for nicknames. They are primarily genderless, but usually present themselves as either male or female for convenience sake; they can change gender according to their client’s wishes. Like humans, every demon is an individual and, while their baseline powers are the same, depending on their heritage, talent and the way they use the souls they consume, their higher-tier abilities and battle styles may differ wildly. Generally it is considered rude to ask a demon what their higher abilities are - even good friends may not know the real extent of each other’s power.

Making contracts with humans and serving their clients for an entire lifetime to them is basically like a regular customer service-type job. Their moral beliefs are a bit different than those of humans, so, while humans can grow very attached to their servants, the demons themselves feel little to no remorse about consuming their clients’ souls. In a way it’s similar to how people treat farm animals. The animal can be cute and you may appreciate the times spent with it, but in the end you’re not going to be too torn up about eating it.

While demons live for a long time and technically do not require human souls to survive, consuming a human soul is the highest form of pleasure for them - not only does it boost and replenish their power, but also gives immense spiritual fulfillment. A demon living purely off of animal souls will always be much, much weaker than a demon who has eaten a single human soul over the course of the last 100 or so years.

Oh, but what about the angel girl?

Angels don’t manifest in the real world, right?

Right?

R I G H T ?

Right.

Levi was another important character (woah, shocking), second only to Kafka. They were a familial demon, who had been growing displeased with the way their client - the most recent heir - had been conducting his life. Kafka had a strange, vaguely hostile, but close relationship with Levi.

I had a few ideas about what I want do with the story, but it’s definitely not something I can fully dedicate myself to currently. Still, I think it’s a fun, kinda nonsensical concept that I’d like to use in the future. Or not!

At least now that I’ve thrown it out there

#the sheer size of this post #an absolute unit #i know i promised it a few days ago but come on #myart #scraps #idk how to tag this #demonverse #blog #obligatory homestuck joke #Kafka #Ron #Levi #levi your angle form #Levi yuor debil form #devi #void #beginner's guide to heresy #bgh

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youllallriseintheink · 4 years

Text

Breaking the Timeloop Chapter 5: Risk

Bendy fell onto his hands and knees, coughing and sputtering on the ink as it drained away. This was it. If this hadn't changed him, nothing would. He would be a loathsome monster forever. The anticipation nearly made him shake. Cautiously, he lifted a hand to his face. It felt wet-he nearly panicked before remembering that he'd recently been suspended in liquid and would have been covered in it regardless. His other hand found his side. It didn't feel like an inch-thick layer of sludge over bone. It was solid and rounded. Bendy smiled, and smiled wider when he realized he could move his face now. He wiped the ink from his face. He'd done it. He was lovable.

The tube lifted, and he hopped out, noting how much bigger the jump was at under half his old height, and how that still didn't make his left foot scream in pain. "Testing...oh, yes! I can speak! Oh, this is amazing! When can show this Joey Drew?"

Henry looked stern. "We aren't doing anything until you help us save the others."

"Oh, right. Of course." Bendy had forgotten about that in his utter elation. "But first, shouldn't we fix Boris?"

"Fix Boris?"

"Y'know, fix this ink damage," he explained, touching Boris' arm and then pulling his hand away, causing a few globby strings of ink to come with it. He seemed a bit taken aback by how much there was, and so did Boris. "Woah. You're in pretty rough shape, buddy. I can tell you're pretty ink-tough, but still, let's get you in that machine." With that, Bendy began leading Boris by the hand to the ink machine. Henry followed.

"How do you know how the ink machine works?" Henry asked.

"I was trapped down here a long time. Thankfully, Sammy asked what I wanted a few times, yelling through the walls within hearing distance of me. I wanted cutouts everywhere. I can see through em', you see. I saw a lot of things in my years, including some different uses of the machine."

"Ah, I see," Henry replied. It seemed like a reasonable explanation, and the demon had no reason to lie. He seemed happy as could be. Henry couldn't help but be nervous as they entered the ink machine chamber that harbored the small, movable part of the machine.

"Alright, Boris. In you go," Bendy instructed. Boris looked confused. Then, he looked at Henry for guidance. Normally, Henry would have encouraged Boris to obey. It would be a good experiment, resulting in information on the ink machine for his journal. Now, with the end tape gone and this loop most likely his last chance? Henry hesitated. A thick glob of ink trailed down Boris' glove and began to pool on the ground. This was a toon who needed repairs.

"It's okay, Boris. Go into the machine," he said in a calm, reassuring voice. Boris nodded, then climbed into the massive pipe. "How long will it take?" Henry asked Bendy.

"A few hours. Let's go back to the others, shall we?" Bendy said, sounding utterly contented. Henry took a deep breath and followed the ink demon out.

The duo found Tom and Alice, who were constructing a walkway over the ink river. Though it was nowhere near completion, Henry couldn't help but wonder if Boris could have made it back, now that it was half the distance through ink. Nonetheless, he accepted that he might have killed Boris for nothing, and walked over to the duo.

"Oh, Henry! How did it go?" Alice asked before Bendy emerged from the river behind him. She gasped, then smiled. "Better than I could have hoped. Wonderful! But where's Boris?"

"Bendy put him in the machine," Henry said, a hint of sourness escaping into his voice, "He said it was to fix his ink damage from swimming over to me."

Henry prayed that Alice would show some reaction to this, to let him know if Boris was okay. Unfortunately, her only response was, "Oh, so that's how it works. Alright. Now, let's plan this out. Henry, you know the most about all this, so you lead us."

"Alright. Let's see: who's left to save?" Henry checked his guidebook. "Bertrum Piedmont: soul residing in an octopus ride in Storage 9. Lacie, presumably a lost one or searcher. Grant Cohen, ditto. Let's split up. Bendy, Tom, go get some physical remains of the people that we want to bring back. Keep your eyes out for searchers or lost ones who talk or show individuality. Alice, you come with me, and together we'll kill Bertrum. Then, we'll regroup and make a plan to find Lacie and Grant, if you haven't already found him.

"Sounds good," Alice replied. "But first, we should kill the other Alice. We're going to have to do it eventually to extract her soul. Why keep her alive now? She'll just be a danger if she escapes."

"You're right," he admitted. He wasn't looking forward to the task of killing a helpless little woman.

Tom was hunched in concern and rubbing his forehead with one paw- something that Henry had never seen the gruff old wolf do before. "You'll have to excuse him," Alice said. "He was nearly killed by her before I found him. He's not looking forward to seeing her again.

"Don't worry, you can stay here. I can do it alone."

"With Bendy," Alice corrected. "You need to collect her soul, remember?"

"Right," he said, keeping the frustration out of his voice.

The two set out for Alice Angel's merch room. Henry had to tell the little toon to stop running ahead of him three times. It thoroughly disgusted him how lovable Bendy was acting, as though he hadn't just recently been antagonizing them and holding years of his progress hostage to get his way. As though he hadn't just destroyed Henry's sense of trial-and-error and replaced it with constant risk. It reminded him of how friendly and pitiful Joey had been acting right before suggesting he visit the studio.

Acting. Joey Drew had always been good at acting to get his way. Acting as a caring, passionate artist. Acting as a harmless, lonely old man. Acting as a menacing monster. And now, acting like an adorable, childlike toon. Watching Bendy prance around in a way that would fool anyone else made Henry feel older than he ever had in his life. "Kid, we're about to murder someone!" he snapped, "Maybe show some respect and stop acting so cheery."

"Sorry," he replied, and fell into lockstep beside Henry.

Finally, they reached the room that contained the Alice Angel clone. Alice, still bound, turned to face them as the door creaked open, looking vulnerable and sad. Henry slowly stepped forwards, as he might approach a wild animal he didn't want to scare off.

Alice squirmed helplessly in her binds. "Stop, please!" she shrieked. Henry tried putting a hand over her mouth, but she bit down on it until it bled. "Don't you dare disrespect an angel!"

"Alice, it's-"

She spotted the toon. "Bendy, do something, please! We're the same, remember? The creator lied to us! And this one's lying to us now! he wants to kill me!"

"It's for your own good!" Henry yelled, though he doubted she could hear a word he said over her own panic. It was clear that, as he'd feared, there would be no reasoning with her. Henry raised his ax and brought it down on her chest. Blood-like ink spilled out. She shrieked in pain.

"The creator lied to us! Please, Bendy!" Bendy winced at the sight, but did nothing. Henry raised the ax above his head and brought it down a second time, into her stomach. It would have been enough to kill a human, for certain. "Don't you remember me?" were her last desperate words, before Henry struck her in the head, killing her instantly. Bendy cupped his hands over her escaping soul and ate it.

Bendy found himself still staring at her dead body. "She'll be back soon," he said to himself.

"Yes. She'll be saner and happier, too," Henry added emotionlessly. "This was for the best."

Walking back, the two were silent. Henry passed the words "The creator lied to us" on the wall. "Y'know, I'd always assumed that it was you who'd written that. But, I suppose he did lie pretty despicably to Susie."

"No, I wrote it," Bendy replied.

"Well, then, I've always wondered: what did he tell you that you're so mad about?"

Bendy looked down, looking as though he were about to cry. "It's... a long story."

This could be useful, or at least interesting information. Thinking of his journal, Henry replied, "Well, let's hear it."

#Bendy and the Ink Machine #Henry Stein #Toon bendy #malice #breaking the time loop #my fanfiction

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amnachil · 4 years

Text

To the Perfection Chapter 1 Part 10

Here’s the next part !

Thomas Sunday February 17 – Monday February 18

"This is amazing, astounding, fabulous ! There is a god among us ! His plays are incredible ! Muller is a real bless from heaven !"

Yeah, right... Everyone was celebrating Raphaël's team victory at Cody's mansion. And this damned presentator was making useless praises. Honestly, Thomas was only thinking about Dan. I wonder what he thinks about all this stuff... Does he ever get jealous of all the fame around big bro ? The young teenager liked the idea, but well... His crush was too perfect for this kind of things. I should just enjoy our evenings together, when he ends up so overstuffed he's barely conscious. I never expected to be able to rub his amazing belly...

"You brother really is something." smiled Cody next to him. "He's gifted right ?"

Thomas looked at him and smiled. You really are something : a fuckin' leech.

"Of course he is." he lied anyway.

"By the way, do you know what's going on with Ilhan ?" asked his friend. "He seems a bit... weird lately."

The ginger looked towards their buddy. He was munching crips in front of the telly. Each time he was taking a handful of food, he looked at it, and then sighed with weariness. Seems like he got used to eat a lot the evening now...

"What to you mean by weird ?" asked innocently Thomas.

"Well, he looks kind of sleep deprived ? Less energetic, like uh... more submissive."

Thomas's smile grew wider. Cody had always been observant. But that's none of your business.

"Maybe he's stressed because his grades ain't improving much despite my zealous help." he suggested. "I mean, I allowed him so much of my time... Look, we should show some benevolence and cut him some slack."

"Sure." agreed Cody.

"I'll talk to him and see what he has in mind." finally assured the ginger.

Well, to be honest, he didn't really talk about that. Thomas joined Ilhan upstair, and made sure they were alone. Then, he put an hand on his middle-section and smiled.

"Looks like you fed yourself already quite well." he whispered. "Can't wait me uh ?"

"Man what the hell did you do to me ?" mumbled Ilhan. "I just feel like I need to stuff myself !"

The ginger smile grew. For his own personnal pleasure, he had always be careful to feed his friend with high sugar-based and caloric food. He also made a schedule for the session, in order to get Ilhan's metabolism accostumed to the stuffing. That way, his stomach also stretched and get used to bigger quantities of food. And of course, he linked the bloated feeling and sexual desire.

"Thomas can you look at my eyes and not my belly ?" asked Ilhan. "You don't realise on what mess I am, do you ? My grades are dropping since I can't concentrate, I'm getting out of shape and I'm pretty sure Joël and Cody suspects we're... I don't even know what we are doing ? Are we a couple ? A fling ?"

You talk too much. Thomas opened a room and smiled.

"You should just enjoy the moment, Ilhan. Don't you want to have a good time with someone as wonderful as me ?"

His friend frowned. But he was completely under his charms anyway. And so they entered in the bedroom.

Thomas left Cody's home in the middle of the night. He wanted to spend his early morning with Dan before school. To be honest, I was only thinking about him, even while I was fucking Ilhan. Gregory's idea wasn't working very efficiently. Was it bad ? Maybe. But the young lad didn't care for that right now. He was almost home when he bumped into Darren. Damnit.

"Hello Thomas." smiled his professor. "You were celebrating your brother's victory with your friend I guess ?"

He nodded slowly.

"Well, I can't blame you to be up so late, or early, since I'm myself right here." laughed the teacher.

Yeah, and what the hell are you doing in the street at this hour ?

"Party ?" he asked more diplomatically.

"I was having a video game night with Dan." replied Darren. "Anyway, gotta go or I'll be wasted tomorow, I'm not that young anymore eh !"

Thomas watched him go away. He spent the night with Dan ? Now that he thought about it, his crush had talked about his long time buddy back in town... I don't like this at all. Dan is mine.

Dan Wednesday February 20

"Shouldn't you... urp... be in class ? It's 2 pm. Burp."

Dan slid an hand to his pants, and unbuttonned his zipper. The extra room he got from it made him sigh. His belly expanded freely. He lied back. Being sat was a bit uneasy. His eyes went down to the plate right in front of him. Two more slice of pie. He looked to all the empty plates around. Did I eat that much alone already ?

"I'm not skipping anything important." whispered Thomas. "And I think you need a little help to finish your meal."

The junior looked at him, amused. You enjoy this, right ? His friend was rubbing his distended stomach with expertise. It was very appeasing. Thomas suddenly put a slice right under his nose.

"Don't you smell that ? You want it right ?" he said genuinely.

Dan frowned. He was beyond stuffed, and nearly in a food coma. To be honest, he wasn't thinking straight, and sure, he wanted to eat that pie. He was just too much of a glutton to miss this opportunity. But he wasn't too groggy yet to not notice how much Thomas was into the feeding.

"Please... Can you talk to me normally ?" he asked. "I mean, I get you are taking advantage of my absolute lack of control over my appetite to have fun, but don't treat me like an animal please."

Thomas blushed. It was very unusual, but Dan didn't think about it. He was too focused on his belly.

"Sorry." stumbled the ginger. "I thought it would... help you finish... But if you prefer when I'm not talking I can just..."

"You can talk." cut Dan. "Just, be normal okay ? I don't feel at ease when you're playing a role."

"Sure. I'll be myself. Now, let's finish this pie."

The junior's belly let out a groan which drew Darren's attention.

"Man, you look stuffed."

They were at this one's home since two hours. They had been playing video games and talking about this and that. Despite his already gargantuous lunch, Dan had found himself eating snacks all the afternoon. I stayed completely bloated this whole time... It was more than a urge to be full : stuffed was his natural state now. Thanks god Thomas's parents were buying enough food to feed an army...

"Sorry." he said. "I definitely am."

"Well. I hope you don't mind gaining weight, because you're ballooning pretty fast." laughed Darren.

Thanksfully, it wasn't a jugdment, just a joke. It make Dan more conformtable. I really missed him. He sat up straight with difficulties. I'm not used to my new weight.

"Anyway, Darren there is something I would like to do." he changed the subject. "You know I have a boyfriend ?"

"Yeah ?"

His friend offered him a slice of pizza and a beer. You must be kidding me ? Despite his thought, Dan took it, of course.

"I want you to meet him. You're my best and eldest friend and I'm sure Raphaël will..."

"Raphaël Muller ?" interrupted the chestnut teacher. "Oh my god. You're in love with the God of Soccer ?! I can't believe it."

Darren looked astonished. Well... I know my boyfriend is someone famous. He shook his head for a moment, manifestly surprised.

"Man that's... woah. You want me to meet Raphaël ?"

Suddenly, he opened wide his eyes. Dan was too focused on his distended stomach to notice it, but a glint of panic crossed Darren's look.

"What about this sunday ? He'll be back in town for a week."

The young teacher didn't answer. He frowned, but when Dan looked at him, he forced a smile.

"Sure thing." he said. "I'm sure it will be great."

Darren was kind of weird. The junior had left his friend an hour ago, and he was going home. Because he was stuffed, he was walking slowly, an hand on his bloated belly. I really need to watch what I eat... He had grown from thin to chubby fast enough. And he was getting seriously fat now. But nobody was helping. Thomas was more than eager to feed him. Darren and Carol were always testing his limits. And himself enjoyed all the food way too much. I don't mind having a belly, but I don't want to be completely out of shape... I'll be ridiculous next to Raphaël. A noise suddenly caught his attention. He glimpsed someone who was breaking into an house. No way... At start, he wanted to call the police, but he recognized the thief... I must be hallucinating...

"Shirley." he hailed her. "What the hell ?"

His sister stopped. She turned towards him and smiled.

"Hi Dan. Looks like you have enjoyed yourself."

"What are you doing ? An old lady live here."

"Yeah, I know that. Look, I just needed a roof for the night. You can't blame me for that, can you ?"

Dan sighed. She was completely out of her mind. She didn't care about the law anymore.

"Sis', I should be calling the police..." he looked at her. "Just come with me."

They walked in silent. Am I doing the right thing ? Thomas wouldn't mind the extra company for one night or two, but it couldn't be a long-run solution.

"You need to stop this bad stuff." he finally said. "You'll be in jail in no time otherwise."

"You worry now ?" she laughed. "You weren't so concerned when mom and dad almost sued me."

"And you weren't nice to me either." he recalled. "Not to mention you tried to charge Raphaël of a fake sexual assault."

She froze. For a second, she looked desesperate, and he regretted his words. But soon enough, she replaced her distress by anger.

"You and your Raphaël... You're so lucky he wants to stay with you. I mean, look at you Dan. You're an average student who barely managed to pass in thrid year. You're dumb, indecisive, and naive. And you're not even good-looking, my dear fat brother. When was the last time you made something good in your life ? Raphaël is a god, a famous player who is idolized in the whole country. How long before he finds someone way better than you huh ? You're here judging me, but you're not better at all, stupid brother !"

And she ran away. Dan looked her outline disappear, both shocked and saddened by her attitude. Why is she so bitter ? Her words crept in his mind. He suddenly felt awful. Ugly and stupid. He recalled Sam and Carol's words. Even Darren called his boyfriend the God of Soccer. Afterall, they were right, weren't they ?. Raphaël was the perfection among humanity. How the hell could he love someone like Dan ?

To be continued

Well, a part focused on Raphaël without the man being physically here.

Thomas got it easy, with two feedee who enjoy his company... (or do they ?). At least, Ilhan is obeying him for now;

Dan’s always been insecure so it’s not suprising he feels that way when everybody tells him how perfect Raphaël is. Now we have to see what he will do about it.

#to the perfection #TP #Thomas #Dan #weight gain #stuffing #Dan's growing very well #Dan's has self-confidence issue #Ilhan's getting chubby #Shirley is a criminal #Seriously she's not nice #Chapter 1 #part 10

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earth-ambassador-jim · 5 years

Text

Changeling Loyalties: Chapter 6

A Small Problem

Toby is quite happy with his life, but then the Amulet of Daylight just had to choose his human friend. What’s a changeling to do? Good thing Toby never really liked Gunmar anyway.

I forgot to post this here...

AO3 - Fanfiction

~~~~

Toby was practically drooling as he stared at the strange and colorful crystals the vender was selling.

“Close your mouth, Tobes,” He heard Jim say with a snicker.

Okay. Maybe he actually was drooling, but could he really be blamed? They didn’t sell these kind of things on the surface.

“Sooo, how much are these?” He asked the shopkeeper, a stout, light grey troll about a head taller than Blinky. He leaned against the table and tried not to look too interested.

“What’ve ya got?” The shopkeeper asked in a gruff bored tone.

Toby blinked. Did the trolls here have a currency? They ate the metals humans prized for their own currency. He looked around him at the different stalls trying to see if he could spot a transaction, unfortunately most of the trolls were just talking.

In the Darklands, while it was generally every troll for themself, they did do some bartering. Toby himself had been rather skilled in finding and extracting valuable gems and minerals. It had not gotten him very far in a society based on violence, especially when the other changelings kept stealing from him. Eventually he had put a stop to that by crushing some stinger crystal and putting it in an offending troll’s food; the results were not pretty but it did the job…

“Toby we need to get going,” Jim said, tapping his shoulder.

“Right!” Toby shook himself back to the present. “Let me just try something first.”

He turned back toward the shopkeeper, who was now polishing what looked like a glowing amethyst on a stone wheel.

“Sir? Sir!” The troll pulled the crystal back and turned toward him with a grunt.

“What kind of things are you looking for?”

“What’ve ya got?” The troll repeated, making Toby feel a bit like he was talking to an NPC in a video game.

“Nothing at the moment…” The troll started turning away. “But! I happen to have unlimited access to the surface.” Toby’s gaze darted around quickly cataloguing the wares at the other stands. “Socks… blankets, tin cans… lightbulbs, you name it I can get it for you!”

Now he had the troll’s interest. The troll’s eyes, grey-brown and translucent (smoky quartz maybe?), sized Toby up. The changeling carefully kept his pose casual.

“Hmmm… Come later and A’ll give ya a list. Bring that stuff and w’ll talk.”

“You got it,” Toby said shooting him finger-guns and winking for good measure.

Jim let out a groan, before grabbing his arm and dragging him off.

~~~~

“Trollhunter!”

Toby jumped as a portly troll lady barged in on their history lesson.

He shot her a look of annoyance as Blinky turned toward her. He had actually been enjoying himself. Aaarrrgghh was quite comfortable to lean against, he had Jim beside him and out of danger, and Blinky was a very good reader. Also, while he knew the basics of what happened at Killahead, he had never really learned the details.

“What is it Bagdwella? Is it the heartstone?” Blinky asked closing the book with a concerned expression.

“Stalkling?” Aaarrrgghh rose to all fours.

“Is Bular in Trollmarket?” Jim asked nervously.

Toby doubted that was the case; there’d have been a lot more screaming.

“No. No. No!!!” Bagdwella yelled waving her arms around. “Rogue gnome!!!!”

~~~~

The glue traps were kind of creepy, Toby reflected with a shudder. He wasn’t familiar with gnomes, but their skeletons looked eerily human. Not to mention he’d always been of the opinion if one was going to kill something they should do it quickly. He figured it fell into the whole “treat others how you wanted to be treated” thing. Slowly dying from starvation and dehydration was not a nice way to go.

Bagdwella was explaining her problem to Jim who seemed to be just as baffled about why he was being called on to help with this as Toby was.

“See you need a gnome catcher,” He said with an awkward smile when she had finished. “And I’m, well, the Trollhunter. So…”

“Oh no, Master Jim,” Blinky interrupted. “The Trollhunter cannot refuse a call and what better a call for you to train with than a pint sized quarry.”

Toby supposed he could see Blinky’s reasoning there. Still…

If Toby had come to one of his superiors over something this trivial he would have gotten a harsh reprimand for wasting their time at a bare minimum. Did they really treat all the Trollhunters like this or was it because Jim was new and hadn’t earned their respect yet? Or, more likely, because he was human?

A sound that was something like a guitar drew their attention to a rack of socks. The gnome emerged strumming a makeshift instrument made out of a small rake and singing incomprehensible words. It was actually a pretty good musician. Toby found himself warming up to the creature… at least until it stole his belt and nugget nummies.

What ensued after that was something like a cross between slapstick and the world’s worst game of wack-a-mole. The gnome eluded them at every turn, slipping out of their hands and through crevices, stealing things all the while, until it ultimately got Jim’s amulet and escaped into its hole.

“Oh come on,” Jim muttered as he foolishly reached his arms into the hole.

“So what now?” He asked, finally giving up and turning to Blinky.

Blinky sighed.

“Well if you had lost or rejected the amulet would have returned to you, but unfortunately as it has been thieved it will not do so.”

Toby choked on his saliva.

“That… seems like a really bad system,” Jim said slowly echoing Toby’s thoughts.

Blinky shrugged.

“It talks about it in A Brief Recapitulation. Not much is known as Merlin was notoriously close-lipped. Fortunately that is not the problem at hand.” He folded his upper arms behind his back and started tapping the lower ones together. “No, our current problem is how to retrieve the Amulet.”

“Well what am I supposed to do?” Jim complained, “I can’t fit in that hole.”

A slight, but concerning, smile formed on Blinky’s face as he tapped his chin.

“Currently.”

Toby wasn’t sure what he was talking about but Aaarrrgghh apparently knew.

“Bad idea,” The Krubera rumbled shaking his head with an apprehensive look.

“No Trollhunter has ever lost his amulet,” Blinky said irritably. “We'll need time to procure the Furgolator.”

“Uh, the Furgolator?” Jim, understandably, sounded concerned.

“Don't you worry about anything, Master Jim! Tend to your studies. We'll watch over the hole.” Blinky said resting a hand on his shoulder. “Tomorrow, you'll return refreshed to deal with this, um… little problem.”

Toby, however, was not about to let it go that easily. Especially not when Aaarrrgghh seemed to dislike the idea.

“What, exactly, is a Fergolator?” He asked, narrowing his eyes slightly.

“It’s a machine we use to compress minerals,” Blinky said. “If the gnome won’t come out, the Trollhunter shall go in.”

“You’re going to shrink me?” Jim yelped.

“Precisely!”

Toby did not like the sound of that.

“Have you tested it on humans before? Or at least animals?” He asked. “Because from what I know, humans do not compress well.”

“Well…” Blinky had the nerve to give them a guilty smile. “No… but I’m not concerned…”

Toby crossed his arms.

Blinky frowned.

“It’s our best option,” He said throwing up his arms. “Do you have any other suggestions?”

Toby glared at him, something unpleasant simmering in his chest. His fingers twitched.

“Not yet, but anything’s better that squashing Jim in a machine that’s never been tested on humans.”

This was his best friend they were talking about.

Jim glanced from Toby to Blinky then quickly stepped between them.

“Woah there!” He held out his hands placatingly. “How about instead of arguing we take a break and do some brainstorming.”

“That sounds like a stellar idea,” Blinky relented with a smile.

Toby huffed and stepped back. He needed to get Blinky some books on human anatomy before the troll went and did irreversible damage to one of them.

~~~~

After quite a bit of discussion it was decided that Jim and Toby would acquire a high powered vacuum cleaner and see if they could suck the gnome and his stolen goods out of the hole. However, as it was going to be dark soon, they would be coming back to do it the next day.

“Well that was… something,” Jim said pulling off his werewolf mask.

For some reason Toby had insisted on them wearing their disguises until they got into the bushes.

“Yeah…”

Jim glanced over to see Toby frowning. His eyes darted around their surroundings as if he was looking for something.

“Toby?”

Toby blinked and refocused on Jim.

“Yeah it was! I can’t believe Blinky was just going try shrinking you like that!” He grinned. “Though if it worked I guess we could have had you go to school in my Sally-Go-Back clothes. You would have looked so cute.”

Jim groaned but felt a smile creeping across his face anyway.

“Maybe we could have shrunk you instead. I could have gotten you a chocolate fondue fountain to swim around in.”

“Tempting but no.” Toby said with a shudder. “I’m already way too short.”

“I like to think you’re fun-sized.”

He shot Jim a mock-glare.

“Hey! That’s my line. Anyway, I’ll hit my growth spurt soon.”

“Uh-huh…”

Toby attempted to punch his shoulder and almost tipped his bike over when he dodged. Jim smirked at his friend and sped up.

“Hey! Get back here!”

The race home left them both winded but Jim didn’t mind. It was nice to have a bit of normalcy for once. It was also nice messing around with Toby, he’d been a bit worried that…

“Oh look, Mom… I mean Dr. L’s home!”

She was. Her blue car had just pulled into the driveway ahead of them. Jim couldn’t help but to pedal a little faster.

“Hey Mom!”

She was just getting out of the car and turned at his call.

“Oh! Hi Jim!”

Jim coasted into the driveway and hopped off his bike to go give her a hug. With everything that had happened over the course of the week it felt like it had been forever since he’d last seen her.

“Good to see you kiddo,” She said returning it.

“Hey Dr.L!”

“Hi Toby,” She said with a smile as they pulled apart. “Are you boys going to be home for dinner tonight?”

“Oh course,” Jim said.

“You sure have been out late,” She continued, retrieving her bags from the car. “Do you have some big school project or something due?”

“Or something…” Toby muttered.

Jim winced, he felt a bit guilty about not telling his Mom about Trollhunting but she had enough on her plate right now. She’d be worried (Terrified if he was being honest with himself). It wasn’t like she could do anything about it.

He frowned, feeling the happiness leak out of him as his hand drifted to his empty pocket.

Blinky had said that if he refused or lost the amulet it would come back to him (unfortunately that didn’t work if he was trying to get it to come back on purpose. Seriously what was Merlin thinking?). It was… It was a little disconcerting to hear just how permanent the position he now held was. No take backs… and yet… he’d never had the chance to accept or refuse it in the first place.

“You okay, Jimbo?”

He glanced to his right to see Toby staring at him, eyes bright with concern. It looked like his Mom had already gone in the house.

“Yeah… I just… I guess I’m a little bothered by what Blinky said about the amulet returning if I reject it.”

Something in Toby’s expression shifted, his gaze becoming a little sharper.

“Do you want to reject it?” He asked tone completely serious.

Jim blinked, a little taken aback.

“I… I don’t know… I mean I don’t really care for the fact that I have a killer troll out to… well… kill me, but Trollmarket’s cool and I like Blinky and Aaarrrgghh… Draal not so much…”

Jim trailed off, frowning, then shrugged.

“Well it doesn’t really matter since I can’t get rid of it.”

He turned back toward the house.

“Come on, I’m going to get started on dinner. With any luck I’ll get it done before the hospital calls Mom again.”

There was a pause and then he heard Toby make a noise of agreement and follow.

~~~~

Toby was in good spirits when he retired to bed for the night

Dinner had been delicious: salmon, wild rice and a nice side salad, curtesy of Chief Jim. They’d called Nana over and the four of them had eaten together for the first time in about a month. Afterward they played a round of Rummikub before Toby and Nana retired to their house for the night.

He’d gotten his homework done and even gotten a round of video games in before going to bed. Unfortunately he should have known his lucky streak would not last long.

It was about three in the morning when Toby’s phone went off. He groaned and groped around in the dark until he found it. Toby hissed at the bright light before squinting at the screen. He groaned again. Maybe he could just pretend he’d slept through his phone going off…

He sighed and sat up dislodging Kracka from his chest. The goblin shot him an annoyed look.

“Sorry,” He said in English before switching to Goblin. *Gather pack. Called for clean-up.*

Kracka immediately perked up and darted off, rousing Bob who was sleeping at the foot of the bed on the way by.

Toby snorted, padding over to the closet to grab his hoody. At least one of them was happy about this.

#Trollhunters #tales of arcadia #trollhunters fanfiction #toby domzalski #Tobias Domzalski #changeling toby #changeling!toby #Jim lake jr #James lake Sr #blinky galadrigal #aaarrrgghh #My writing #My posts #Changeling Loyalties

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beanie-beebo-writes · 3 years

Text

It follows

Series Summary: Reader is running from financial problems and his/her studies, will they catch up with him/her? Charlie's close friends (none other than Sam and Dean) go to check up on the reader due to Charlie becoming worried for him/her. Trouble pursues, as the reader wants to keep silent about his/her struggles.

Warnings: Insinuated non-con

Masterlist

Chapter 13

"I was a student, a student who thought they knew where they were going in life. Obviously, I was wrong. After a couple semesters, everything just felt... wrong. I wanted change, but I didn't know how to get it. I figured I needed to start over, completely. I thought maybe I would find my path.. but I didn't. Everything just turned into a mess. I quit my job, and left all of my unpaid loans; I just ran. I cut off almost all ties to 'the old me', except for Charlie. I couldn't leave her, I love her too much. I think she understands somewhat, but I never really told anyone this much in depth."

The boys nodded after you briefly summarized what you had been running from in the past year and a half. You were surprised, they actually looked like they understood you. Maybe they could help you after all.

"(Y/N), I kind of know how you feel." Sam said.

"You do?" You asked, not even bothering to compare them to the Edlund novels anymore.

"Yeah, I mean, this wasn't my planned life at first. Hell, I didn't want it to be. Our father raised us into this life, but I tried to escape it, by going to law school. It didn't matter, because it all came flooding back the moment Dean broke into my dorm with bad news on our father. I tried to escape, but I couldn't, because it was part of my life." Sam explained.

"Like you said, you can't run from shit forever." Dean added.

You smirked; you didn't feel so on edge anymore. If you were all closer, you would have stood up and hugged them both, but you didn't want it to seem awkward. You cleared your throat in slight discomfort.

"So, what did you find out about the other families?" You asked.

"Well, pretty much the same story," Dean replied, "the victim goes out, doesn't come back, and is found mauled by a 'wild animal.'"

"Are they all in the same area?" You asked.

"Not really, but they are all mostly close to this one wooded area, all except one or two cases." Dean said.

"So what, the wolves go out of their way, go into town, and attack?" Sam asked.

"Maybe they had an enemy?" You suggested.

Sam nodded in response. "Alright, so we scope out the woods, figure out how big the pack is, and go from there?" He asked.

"That sounds like a plan to me," Dean said, "You up for it, (Y/N)?"

You smiled at their consideration and nodded. "Yeah. I mean, you guys got my back, right?"

"Of course, we'll do what we can to help you. After all, you seem to need some direction anyway." Dean said.

Sam looked at Dean with a smile. Dean looked back at his brother and nodded. He walked over to his duffle and pulled out one of his silver handguns, making sure the safety was on.

"So, how are you with firing a gun?"

~~~~~~~~~~

You all pulled up to a clearing, which seemed to be quite peaceful at this time of night, as it should be. The serenity sure didn't fool you though, already knowing something waited for you in those woods. The boys looked at you in the rear view mirror, you nodded back reassuringly. You stepped out of the car and looked up at the trees towering over you, feeling as if they were going to entrap you.

"Alright, so I figure we scour the area, find out where the pack is located, and meet back by the car in a half an hour." Dean said. "We're going to split up, to cover more ground. Sammy, you're tagging along with (Y/N). Any objections?"

"Nope." You and Sam replied in unison.

"Good, let's head out then."

You walked into the woods, both instantly splitting from Dean. You and Sam took a left, seeing what you could find on the makeshift trails. Dean went to his upper right and had gone completely off trail, to cover where you two didn't. You turned on your flashlight hesitantly, not sure if it was a bright idea. Thankfully, Sam followed suit. The both of you aimed to be as unnoticed as possible, in order to not attract any unwanted visitors. Which was hard to do, since you were in a dark forest, in early autumn.

It wasn't more than about forty minutes later, and you had still come across nothing remotely pointing towards a pack of wolves. There were no odd tree markings or carcasses, just slightly weathered bark, scattered underbrush, and occasional litter thrown about. Plus, it was quiet...too quiet.

"Hey Sam, could we go farther in? It doesn't seem like there is anything left to search in this area." You asked.

"I don't see why not. I mean, Dean is on the complete other side." Sam said. "You're right; these woods are more wide than deep. What have we got to lose?"

You were at the edge of the woods in no time, facing the back of an average-sized manufacturing building and a lonely side street. You hummed in confusion; Sam huffed.

"Something is off, here." You said.

"Tell me about it." Sam replied, also confused.

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

Dean searched every inch of the woods, he was sure he did. Hell, he passed the same clearing twice, or at least he thought he did. It was a wooded area, which was literally being surrounded by an endless maze of trees. He wished he brought some sort of tree marker, it would probably have made this way less difficult than it already was. It wasn't the similarity of his surroundings that weirded Dean out, it was the lack of signs pointing towards lycanthropy. He had figured this would be where they would reside, or at least where they scavenged the organs they needed. But there was no trace of anything; no mangled body parts, human possessions, anything. They could have hid elsewhere, but the woods were a perfect area to conceal the bodies, at least for animalistic standards. The only other places Dean could come up with, were some suspicious neighboring houses, and there were none. This was a hard place, and he was the rock.

Just as he was about to turn back, he heard a twig snap. Of course, it could have been any other animal, but not with his luck. Dean instantly turned around to be face to face with a beautiful woman. Her face was elongated and was slightly bruised up. Dean had never been more confused but turned on in his whole life.

"Hey." She purred.

He blinked in confusion as lust took over his body. "Hi." Dean replied huskily, blushing.

"What's a handsome man like you doing out here?" She asked.

"Well, you know, just, looking for something." He stammered.

"Hmmmm. Well, by the look on your face, I can say I found what you're looking for." She flirted.

"Heh, well, I'm not sure." He said.

The strangely beautiful woman stepped closer, making them millimeters apart. Dean's heart hammered in his chest, almost out of nowhere, as he looked at her plump lips.

"I can make you sure." She said with a wink.

She closed the short distance between them, kissing him roughly, but passionately. Dean kissed back, feeling a hot, fiery energy surge through his body. If this was how it felt to be under someone's spell, well, then he liked it. He had no idea how she took his mind off of whatever he was doing, but that didn't matter anymore.

She gradually began to get too rough. Dean winced as she drew blood from the side of his neck, causing him to try and pull away.

"Woah, hey, not too rough, that hurts you know." He commented.

Suddenly, the pain brought him back from wherever his brain was, and he ripped her off of himself. What he saw then, definitely wasn't human, or not a sane one anyway. Her eyes eerily were filled with desire and hunger, and her intentions seemed different from when she first drew Dean into her spell.

"Come on honey, don't you want some more?"

Dean used the small amounts of pain to fight whatever it was trying to use on him, and planted his feet firmly into the ground.

"Don't even try." Dean grunted.

She smiled, showing her perfectly straight teeth, throwing him off completely.

"Oh, come on, don't play hard to get, I know you want me." She said.

Dean slashed her arm with his silver blade, which surprisingly had no effect. He furrowed his brows and he looked at her bleeding cut. With the same expression on her face, she closed her eyes and raised her arms. The wind suddenly picked up around them and her cut slowly healed. As quick as it started up, it died back down, and her cut was non-existent.

"I wouldn't have done that, if I were you." She said, pouncing onto Dean.

Luckily, Dean got the upper hand, and he ran off in the direction of the front of the woods. No matter how lost you were in a forest, you could always find the edge. This wooded area wasn't particularly large, making it easier for him to make an exit out. She followed him until he reached the edge of the trees, giving him more of a reason to sprint all the way to the car. You and Sam were leaning on the side of the car, and perked up when you heard Dean crashing through all of the branches.

"Dean?" Sam called out anxiously.

"Sam, start the car." He yelled back.

You both got into your seats; Sam turnedthe ignition key and starting up the Impala. By the time Dean jumped into the passenger seat, the car roared to life and you sped out of the clearing, away from whatever had just happened in the woods.

#spn x reader #spn reader insert #spn fanfic

1 note · View note

whumppile · 7 years

Note

First of all, I love your writing very, very much! And was wondering, if you could write a fic where Tony accidentally hurts Peter. Having hallucinations or mind control or something (maybe even a rage attack and Peter gets in the way trying to stop him for doing something, I don't know). And with some angst guilty after :)

Aw thank you that’s so sweet! I’m so glad you like my writing that means a lot to me!! Oooh yes I can! This is such a great fic, I actually had someone else request something just like this so, @shoyzz-art this one is for you too.

I hope you like it and as usual I’m sorry it took so long to do. It’s called “Control” And I’ll post it on my other fanfic accounts. PLease tell me what you think of it?

Peter nudged his elbow against Tony’s armour, as the twowalked away from the mess of their last battle. “That was a pretty stickysituation, wouldn’t you say?”

Tony’s groan ended in a laugh. “Oh, god.”

Peter bounced a little on his feet, high on the adrenalinefrom the fight. “My spider senses tell me you aren’t a fan of puns.”

Tony continued to laugh, as Peter walked beside him. It hadbeen a good mission, and Peter had even gotten to use a web grenade or two.He’d probably say the best part had been when Cap literally threw him at atarget, that was awesome, but his thoughts were interrupted when his visionexploded into white.

Stars flew across Peter’s vision, and the teenager blinked,suddenly finding himself on the ground. He hadn’t known what happened until helooked to see Tony’s arm sticking out towards him, and he paled as he realized.

Tony had hit him. It had been so unexpected that Peterhad no chance to block it.

His face throbbed painfully, and his ears rang, as Karenspoke. “You have sustained a mild concussion.”

The teenager got shakily to his feet, words unsure.“Woah, okay, I didn’t think you’d be that annoyed.”

Tony took a halting step forwards, and Peter held up hishands cautiously, not knowing what might happen next. Tony grunted, and hisarms came up to reach for Peter, fingers curled as if he were trying to chokehim.

Peters blood ran cold, as he looked for any recognitionin those cold eyes on the Iron-Man mask

“Is this some sort of weird training thing? Because we just finished a battle,I think we should take a minute.”

Tony let out a growl, before his fist swung towardsPeter’s face again, but he was prepared this time, and he caught it in onehand.

“Hey! What’s going on? Seriously, Tony you’re scaringme.”

Tony kept fighting his grip, pulling at his arm beforeslamming his free fist into Peter’s chest, sending the youngest Avenger soaringacross the street. He skidded across the concrete, before flipping himself overand landing on his feet, in a crouch.

“Tony, what is happening?!”

But the suited man in front of him said nothing, justmarched over towards him, his heavy metal boots clanking threateningly on theground. Peter had never been scared of Tony before; he’d been intimidated, ofcourse, but he’d never been afraid for his life.

Tony marched towards him, as Peter got to his feet,blinking away his blurred vision. He held his hands out in front of him, insurrender, and backed away as Tony came closer.

“Karen, what’s going on? Is that really Tony in there?”

The Iron-Man helmet opened, before the AI could answer,revealing Tony’s cold, indifferent, face. He looked so little like himself,eyes empty and uncaring, that a shiver ran up Peter’s spine.

“I do not know what is causing this behavior, but itdoesn’t seem as though he is going to stop.” Karen sounded a tad worried, andPeter knew that she had reason to be, because although Peter was strong enoughto take on Iron Man, he couldn’t bring himself to do anything to hurt Tony. Andhe knew, if it came down to him or Tony, he would choose Tony.

The other man came closer, and Peter took a deep breath.“Karen, call for help. Tell Cap we have a situation.”

The AI obliged, sending out a distress signal, as Tonymarched over to Peter. The teenager fired a web, swinging up onto a buildingacross the deserted street; ever thankful that civilians had been evacuated forthe previous fight. If he could just distract Tony, and keep him occupied tillhelp came, it might all turn out okay.

Tony’s expression twisted a little, as Peter continued toswing out of reach, leading him slowly down the street; he looked angrier, andhis movements became more purposeful. He no longer looked like a stiffmarionette, more like his old self, just really, really, mad.

His arm shot out and fired a beam at Peter, just as hewas swinging to another lamp post, and the blast of heat and light struck himin the chest, sending him crashing to the ground.

His suit protected his skin, but the blast burned, andhit him solidly, like a bat. Karen’s voice was worried. “I have detected acrack in one of your ribs.”

Peter grunted and wrapped an arm around his chest. “Yep,felt that one.”

Her voice came again, as Peter watched Tony come at him.“Help will be here soon.”

Peter threw a web at Tony, sticking his feet to theground, and tying his arms to his sides, watching warily as the man struggledin the bonds.

“Sorry Tony, I don’t know what’s happening, but whateverit is, we’ll fix it. I promise.”

Tony grunted, and groaned, sounding more like an animalthan himself, and Peter flinched back as he jerked particularly hard in hisrestraints.

“Tony? Can you even hear me?”

The other man’s eyes were so empty. He looked mad, buthad no recognition in his glare, and Peter quickly looked around for anycivilians, before pulling his mask off.

“It’s me, it’s Peter. Do you know who I am?”

Something flickered in Tony’s eyes, like something in himwas wavering, but it lasted only a second before he screamed in rage and shookhis head roughly and pulled at the webs tying him down.

Peter was scared, he’d never seen anything like thishappen, and he didn’t know what else to do but keep Tony tied up until helpcame. His webs were usually very good at holding people, but Tony always hadhis suit geared up for anything, and he watched in horror as the suits surfaceheated enough to melt the webs, Tony pulling at it like gum.

Peter cursed as his mentor surged towards him, and triedto dodge the oncoming punches before they hit him. He had trained with Tony before,and knew a lot of his moves, but he wasn’t usually this fast. Tony alwayspulled his punches, but this time, he was using every ounce of strength he had,and with a suit of metal, it was a lot.

Peter was struck in the face again, stumbling back,before receiving a blow to the side of his head, and another to his chest. Painflared through him, knocking the air from his lungs as he slid across theconcrete once more.

He hadn’t even had enough time to get up, before Tony wasstanding over him, gripping the collar of his suit and hauling him up, holdinghim while he drew his fist down, over, and over, into Peter’s face.

Spider-Man could take some hits, but Tony’s fists wereencased in metal, and even Peter’s abilities couldn’t protect him from the harmthat it brought. He cried out in pain, as he was struck, his head snapping tothe side with each punch.

He couldn’t hear Karen with his mask off, but he didn’teven need her to tell him his concussion was worse, and that something in hisface was broken. He felt blood running down his forehead and cheek, and saw itsmeared on Tony’s fist as he tried to push it away.

He felt awful, his eyes barely able to open, and breathscoming as wet, pants, from between his aching teeth. And while he didn’t wantto hurt Tony, he couldn’t stand the pain anymore.

He shoved his hand against the metal chest plate of Tony’ssuit, pushing him back a good few meters, so that he could attempt to stand onhis shaky legs. Everything was spinning, and it was hard to see through theblood pouring over his eye, but he held up a trembling hand as Tony watchedhim, furiously.

“P-please. Stop.”

But those eyes, that were so familiar, and usually sokind, were full of an empty sort of hate. It was as if Tony was nothing but ashell, with endless rage and anger, but no reason or direction for it.

He came forwards again, and Peter let out a sob. He wasscared.

“Please, I don’t want to hurt you. This isn’t you, thisisn’t right. Please, Tony, stop.”

He jumped out of the way as the mechanic ran forward tograb him, only to be yanked down to the ground by his ankle. He slammed againstthe pavement, groaning in pain as his injuries were jostled, before screamingin agony as Tony’s metal fingers squeezed his ankle, crushing it until it brokein his hold. Peter felt the bone snap, his vision going white as he tried tosuck in a breath.

Tony rolled him onto his back, and lent over him asPeter sucked in a breath and sobbed once more, trying to shove the man awayfrom him.

“Please! Tony, stop hurting me, please. You don’t want todo this.”

Tony scowled above him and brushed Peters hands away fromhis chest. Usually, Peter was stronger, but Tony wasn’t holding back, and hisown injuries were making him weak, and he no longer knew if he could keep Tonyfrom killing him.

Tony had always said he’d protect him, but now he was theone hurting Peter, and Peter didn’t know what to do.

“Tony!”

He looked in those eyes as he cried, and he knew then,that if he didn’t stop him, Tony would kill him.

He needed to fight back. At least until help came.

Peter threw a punch, landing on Tony’s cheek and leavingan angry red mark, though he hadn’t hit nearly as hard as he could have. Tonybarely reacted, grunting with the impact before turning back to the kid andcatching the next punch. His metal hand caught Peters fist, and squeezed, justas he had on Peter’s ankle, snapping his fingers beneath his grip.

Peter screamed and writhed beneath him, pain blurring hismind and turning it to panic. He used his uncrushed hand to fire a web to tieTony’s arm to a nearby lamp post, but it didn’t last more than a second, beforeTony pulled it free with a scream of rage, and twisted the webs ends in hisgrip.

He smiled horribly down at Peter as he brought the web toPeters throat, and used it to strangle him.

Peter had never been more scared in all his life. Hepushed his good hand against Tony’s chest, desperate enough to leave dents inthe metal, as Tony pulled the ends of the web and squeezed Peters throattighter, making him choke.

The teenager’s vision was going white, he couldn’t getany air in, and he knew that he would black out soon.

But, he couldn’t get free without hurting Tony. If heused his full strength on him, he could end up crushing his skull with onepunch, or hit his chest so hard he had a heart attack. And he couldn’t do it.So, he struggled, and tried to push Tony off him, as his lungs screamed fortheir need for air.

His limbs grew weaker, the longer he went without oxygen,and soon his hand slipped from Tony, to smack against the ground, as his braintried to conserve oxygen by taking it away from his muscles. He could no longermove, just blink hazily up at the man killing him.

Peter had heard about people’s lives flashing beforetheir eyes as they died, but all he saw was the rage on Tony’s face, before itwas replaced by the familiar, and concerned face, of Captain America.

………..

Steve had received the distress signal just as he was finishingwith some civilians. A van had been flipped during the fight, trapping multipleinnocent people; so, when Karen informed him through his coms, that Peter andTony needed help, he didn’t answer right away. The civilians needed help too,because while he could lift the van easily on his own, one of them was pinnedand moving it would cause more harm.

He stayed to help, as did the rest of the team, becausethere was just too much to do and they didn’t have all the Avengers present. Heand Tony had gotten the call to action, and Tony had taken Peter along, whileCap took Wanda and Vision. They didn’t have as much back up as they usuallydid.

He was sure they’dbe okay on their own, but hurried as much as he could.

It took too long to help those in need, in fact, he hadwanted to leave earlier, but the people that had been trapped were onlyteenagers, and they had begged him to stay with them till the ambulance came.And he couldn’t say no.

He stayed until the civilians were okay, and then tappedat his coms, asking Karen for an update on the others.

“How are Tony and Spider-Man? Still need assistance?”

The AI’s usually happy voice was tinged with worry, andher words quickly made Steve’s chest fill with the same heavy weight.

“Tony has been compromised, and is currently attackingPeter. Peter doesn’t appear to be breathing.”

Steve’s heart thumped hard against his rib-cage, and hisblood ran cold. He stood, grabbing Wanda’s arm, and tugged her to where Tonyand Peter were located, as he yelled at the AI.

“Why would Tony be hurting Peter!?”

Wanda’s eyes grew large and scared, as Vision followedbehind them.

“I do not know. Please, hurry; Peter’s vitals aredangerously unstable.”

Steve began sprinting, feeling the burn of his muscles ashe used every ounce of strength and power, to get to his team mates as quicklyas possible.

They were about to turn the corner, onto the street wherethe trackers lead them, when Wanda stumbled back, hands coming up to hertemples.

“Woah, Steve wait.”

The super soldier skidded to a stop, impatiently turningback. “What?”

The young girl’s eyebrows furrowed as she lifted herhands and began curling her fingers, red streams of light seeping through theair around her.

“There’s someone here, I don’t know who but I can feelthem. They’re trying to invade my mind, yours too.”

Steve was desperate to get to Tony and Peter, he didn’tcare who tried to stop him, he would not leave them.

“Is that what’s happening to Tony? Is he beingcontrolled?”

Wanda nodded, frowning in concentration as she curled herfingers tighter, as if pulling on an invisible string to someone’s mind.

Steve inched towards the next street, needing to find theothers. He could already hear the faint sounds of someone choking, someoneyoung; and he felt sick with worry about what he might find, or be too late tostop.

“If I go there, am I going to get controlled too?”

The girl shook her head, gasping at the strength neededto hold back the attacker. “I’ve got them distracted, I know where they are.I’ll block out their influence, and Vis can help me stop them. You go help Tonyand Peter.”

Steve didn’t wait a second, sprinting to where the soundsof gagging were getting quieter.

He had a million things going through his mind, and athousand bad images for what he might be met with when he found him; but whathe saw, made his heart skip a beat.

Tony was crouched over Peter, with webbing twisted in hisgrip, wrapped around the teenager’s throat. He was squeezing so hard Peter’sface was turning purple, and his hands were weakly pawing at the metal armorover Tony’s chest, before falling limp.

Steve surged forward, just as Tony began to shake,twitching and groaning as he seemed to come back to himself. Cap pushed themechanic off the teenager, just in time to see Peter’s eyes roll back into hishead.

He could barely breathe as he unwrapped the web fromaround Peter’s throat, placing a hand on the kid’s chest.

Tony groaned behind him, metal scraping against concreteas he stumbled, confused. “Peter? What happened?” Steve didn’t even look behindhim, but he knew Tony was no longer being controlled. That was one problemsolved, for now, but the other one…

He placed two fingers at Peters neck as he used his otherhand to tap his coms.

“I need a medevac now! Get Bruce on the line!”

Peter didn’t respond to his gentle ministrations, andblood dripped from the cut over his eye, as well as the one on his cheek, andhis nose. God, the kid was a mess.

Bruce’s voice came through the coms, hurried, andconcerned

“What happened?”

Cap’s words were breathless, and he almost forgot Tonywas behind him, as he spoke.

“Peter was strangled, he’s not breathing and his pulse isweak and rapid.”

Tony sucked in a greedy breath behind Steve, and metalclanked again as he tried to come closer. “God, did I-?”

Steve didn’t have time to be gentle with him; he flungout a hand and an apologetic frown to his team mate, before turning back to thedying teenager beneath him.

“Tony, stay back!”

Bruce’s words were quick and focused, and Steve was gladsomeone knew what to do. “Start rescue breaths, it’s just like CPR but withoutcompressions. Try not to move his neck or head too much, he could havesustained some damage, I’ll put him in a collar as soon as I get there.”

Steve did his best to be gentle, as he opened the kidsmouth and tilted his head back. He could hear Tony crying softly behind him, ashe breathed into Peter’s mouth, pausing to allow him a chance to breathe on hisown, before trying again. But nothing was happening.

“It’s not working! He isn’t breathing and his pulse isgetting weaker. Bruce, what do I do?!”

The answer came quick, as Tony’s breathing got harsher.“I’ll be there in three minutes, keep breathing for him, he can’t go withoutoxygen for much longer!”

Steve had done a lot of horrible things in his life, morethan most, but he’d never been more afraid than when his shaking hands held ateenager’s mouth open, so that he could breathe for him. Peter was innocent, hewas bright, and kind, and so, so young. But he was about to die at the hands ofhis mentor, and Steve didn’t know if he could save him.

Tony’s mind was fuzzy, and slow, but when he saw Peterlaying there, unmoving and bleeding, he felt as though his whole world hadstopped.

Bruce came, and Tony couldn’t bring himself to move as helent over the youngest member of their team. He wasn’t as calm as he usuallywas, cursing and grabbing at equipment.

“His throat is too swollen, I’m going to have tointubate. Dammit, get that line in.”

His chest felt as if it were caving in, as he watchedmedics swarm over that vulnerable form, placing IV’s, wrapping a collar aroundthe kid’s neck, and shoving things in his throat. And it was his fault. He hadtried to kill his kid.

The mechanic choked on a sob, as he saw Peter’s brokenfingers, lay still on the concrete, limb stretched towards him, as if reachingfor him, for help. But he could give none.

“God, Peter, I’m so sorry.”

Hands took his trembling shoulders, as Peter was liftedcarefully onto a backboard and strapped to a stretcher, Bruce hoveringdiligently over him. Tony didn’t have to look up to know that the firm butgentle hands belonged to Steve. His voice was sad.

“Let’s go home. Bruce has got him.” He offered noreassurance that Peter would be fine. Because he didn’t know. The kid was sobattered, that he didn’t look like himself at all; and he didn’t know whatwould happen.

Tony went with him, and wished he was the one hanging onby a thread.

………………

The list of injuries was long, and each addition madeTony want to throw up even more.

“He’s healing fast, as usual, but it will take a littlewhile for everything to go back to normal. The cuts over his cheek andforehead, took a few stitches each, to close, but they’ll be fine. His ankleand hand are in casts, and should come off in a week or so; his rib will healon its own. His cheek was broken, which caused a lot of swelling, and it’lltake a little longer than the others to heal, but it didn’t need surgery.”

Tony winced and looked away from the x-rays on screen. Heremembered the feeling of Peter’s bones snapping beneath his grip, the way theteenager had screamed and begged him to stop. An ankle, four fingers, and threeknuckles. He swallowed his nausea.

“What about his… when I…” He couldn’t say it, butgestured to his neck. He couldn’t say the words, couldn’t say the wordstrangled, or choked, or attempted murder. Bruce nodded, and swiped at hisscreen, pulling up images of more scans and x-rays.

“The swelling went down, he’s breathing on his own now,but it’s still very painful for him so he shouldn’t talk just yet. Luckilythere was no damage to his neck or spinal cord, and his CT and MRI showed nolasting damage to the brain.”

Tony sighed, because he could tell that wasn’t it.

“But-?”

Bruce pressed his lips together. He didn’t want to sayit, but Tony’s expression was hard, and he knew he would just look through hisfiles if he didn’t tell him.

“He’s showing signs of confusion and short-term memoryloss.”

Tony ducked his head, rubbing a hand over his face.“Jesus.”

Bruce tried quickly to amend as Steve placed a comfortinghand on his team mates shoulder. “It should pass soon, and it’s most likelyjust because of the concussion. But…because of how long he went without oxygen,I have to keep an eye on it. Just to be safe.”

Tony stood, and began pacing as Steve’s hand fell fromhis shoulder. Tension and anxiety was evident in his rigid stance, and everfidgeting hands.

“You should have me locked up.”

Steve started forward, interrupted as Tony spun to facehim. “Tony- “

“I almost killed him! I broke his bones Steve, Istrangled- “

He choked on the words, and closed his eyes as he triedto keep from hyperventilating. His voice was quieter as he tried again.

“Tell him that I’m sorry, and that he’ll never have tosee me again.”

Steven tried to grab his arm, but sighed as he wasdodged, and watched Tony leave. There wasn’t anything he could do for him, heknew, but it wouldn’t stop him trying to dig Tony out of the grave of guilt heburied himself in.

……………………

Peter was laying in his bed, drugged enough to keep thepain at bay, and watching the clouds pass outside his window, when Steve walkedin.

The teenager turned to him as he entered, and Steve had ahard time not walking right back out again. It had been a day sincethe…incident, and he wasn’t looking much better than when he’d found him lyingin the street. Heavy bruises covered his face, and ringed his neck, with stripsof bandages taped over his skin to cover the rows of stitches.

His casted ankle and hand were propped up with pillows,and the whole room was kept dim and quiet so as not to aggravate hisconcussion.

But he smiled as much as he could, because that wasPeter; and Steve smiled back, sitting on the edge of the kid’s bed.

“Hey, bud. Are you feeling any better?”

Peter shrugged a little, eyes blinking slowly, as hisglassy gaze slid over the super soldier’s face.

“Where’s Tony?”

Steve swallowed, unwilling to give the message themechanic had wanted him to. “He’s giving you a little space, till you feelbetter. It’s hard for him to see you like this, after what happened.”

The teenager looked disappointed, good hand fiddling withthe wires stuck to his chest, till Steve gently tugged them away. His voice wassmall, and weak, throat still recovering, and his words came as hoarse whispers.

“Is he mad? I hit him, to try and get him off me, but I didn’twant to do it. I didn’t hurt him, did I?”

Steve’s heart broke at the worried look in Peters eyes.He’d been almost killed by his mentor, and here he was, worrying about onepunch.

“He’s okay, buddy. You did a good job controlling your strength.He’s not mad at you, he just can’t…see what he did to you, without it hurting.”

Peter nodded a little, looking tired. “It was scary, butit wasn’t him, right?”

Steve nodded, and stood, tucking Peter’s blankets overhis chest. “No, he would never do that to you, if he could help it. It was amind manipulator, he decided to have a little fun, but Wanda and Vision tookcare of him. He won’t be hurting anyone ever again. And Peter you have to know,if anything like that happens, you’re allowed to protect yourself; you canfight back, even if it might hurt us.”

Peter frowned. “No, I couldn’t do that. Hey, Steve?”

Cap adjusted the kids pillows as he nodded, gesturing himto continue.

“Where’s Tony?”

The soldier sighed and looked down at Peter, brushing hishair back over his forehead. “You already asked that, Pete. He’s okay, he’ll beback soon. You just get some sleep now, you’ve done enough talking.”

The youngest Avenger did as he was told, sinking backinto his pillows, and quickly falling asleep, as Steve rubbed a hand over hisface and tried not to cry. What was he going to do?

……………………..

It took only a few days for Peter to heal enough to getout of bed. Tony stayed away from him, but kept an eye on his kid through camerasthroughout the compound, and updates from the rest of the team. He didn’t wantPeter to see him, but that didn’t mean he would leave him completely. He stayedlocked in his lab, and refused to come out.

Steve also thought it might have been a way of punishinghimself too, that Tony thought he had to look at the injuries he caused, thathe deserved to feel that sick guilt eating away at him every time he saw Peterthrough the camera’s footage.

So, for four days, Tony kept an eye on him. He watched asPeter got stronger, the way he smiled when the other Avengers signed his casts,and how he went back to his normal talkative self as soon as his throat wasbetter.

Cap watched movies with him, and Bruce patiently answeredthe same questions over and over when Peter forgot the answer.

But that got better too, Peter’s memory improved, and hisattention span was less like a bird, flicking from one point to another withoutlanding for long.

Peter was getting better, and the bruises were fading,but Tony’s memories about what happened were not. He could still see everythingso clearly, and feel the way it had all felt.

He knew that Peter had been having nightmares, too. Hebarely slept himself, so when Peter screamed in the night, Tony could hear it,he could hear the names Peter called out, and the pleas for help.

“Tony! Please, don’t! Stop, hurting me, this isn’t you!Steve, help me!”

No, he couldn’t see him. There was no telling what mighthappen when Peter saw him again, he could have panic attacks or PTSD, and Tony wouldn’tbe responsible for any more of that kid’s pain.

But Bruce and Steve were insistent; they came to hisroom, and spoke to him each day with updates, and meals that they forced him toeat.

“He asked about you again today. Remembered the answer too,so he’s improving. He misses you.”

Tony didn’t look at the doctor, just took the offered plateand set it down on his desk before turning back to a project he’d been workingon instead of sleeping.

“He had another nightmare about me, too. What, you thinkI couldn’t hear him screaming at two AM this morning?”

Bruce slammed his hand down on the desk, making tools andmetal rattle. “You know what he was dreaming about? He wasn’t scared of youTony, he was scared for you! He hasn’t seen you in days, he thinks you hatehim! His nightmare was about you being hurt, about him being unable to controlhis own strength when fighting you off!”

Tony’s breathing was speeding up, and he ignored the wayhis hands shook as he tightened a bolt on his project.

“He shouldn’t ever have had to fight me off. That’s thepoint.”

“He knows it wasn’t your fault, you would never hurt him.He needs you.”

Tony pressed his fingers to his eyes till bright spotsdanced across his mind. “I can’t.”

Bruce’s voice was softer, and Tony sighed as he felt hishand drop on his shoulder, gently squeezing.

“Yes, you can. Because you promised you’d always be therefor him, and I won’t let you break that promise.”

His hand left Tony’s shoulder, and he thought that wasthen end of it, until Bruce spoke again, quiet, and sad.

“He got this for you, by the way. Said it was his apologyfor punching you.” His footsteps faded away, and Tony took a breath beforeturning around to see what Bruce had left on his work bench. It was a mug, andTony’s chest squeezed as he read the words printed over it.

‘World’s best Dad Tony.’ The ‘dad’ had beencrossed out, and ‘Tony’ written in Peter’s neat handwriting, with permanentmarker. Tony covered his mouth with one hand as he picked the mug up, knowinghe was going to cry. Because, he was well aware that Peter was smart enough to knowhow to order a personalised mug, he didn’t have to get this one and scribble itout, but he did, which meant it was intentional.

Tony held the mug and cried.

………………..

Peter grunted in annoyance, as he tried to spread peanutbutter over his toast, with his casted hand. It would be coming off soon, butit was just so annoying.

Steve let out a small laugh and came over to help, gentlytaking the knife from his grip and doing it for him, as Peter gave him agrateful smile.

“Thanks, Captain America. You save people and you maketoast, what can’t you do?”

The older man laughed and nudged the kid with his elbow. “Hey,don’t get smart or you can keep trying to do this yourself.”

“Local hero bullies injured child, that’ll look good inthe papers.” Peter and Steve both turned at the voice, shocked to see Tonyleaning on the doorway of the kitchen, casually sipping coffee from his newmug.

Peter hobbled over to the man, the moon boot on his foot makingit difficult to walk without looking stupid, but he smiled all the same andwrapped his arms around Tony’s chest.

“Tony! You’re back!”

Steve pulled the mug from Tony’s hand so that he couldhug him back, and he gave the soldier a nod before looking down to the teenagerattached to his chest.

“Yeah, I’m sorry I left. I won’t do it again.”

Peter pulled back, frowning sadly. It was still hard forTony to look at him, but it wasn’t about how he felt, it was about Peter.

“Why did you leave? Were you hurt too? I tried to becareful but I just didn’t- “

Tony quickly shook his head and took hold of Petersshoulders. “No, no you didn’t hurt me at all. You should have, but you didn’t.I just didn’t want you to have to see me again. I didn’t want you to be scaredof me. Peter…I am so, so sorry for what I did.”

Peter relaxed, sighing at the knowledge that Tony wasokay. Jesus, what did he do to deserve this kid?

“I know it wasn’t your fault, I forgive you.” The wordswere so simple, and Peter’s eyes had been honest and bright as always, as he’dsaid them, yet they hit Tony like bricks, slamming into his chest and takingevery gasp of air with them.

He sniffed, vision blurring with tears once more, as hepulled Peter back to his chest for a hug. He felt as if he could finallybreathe.

“Thanks, kid. I missed you.”

Peter hugged him back tight, smiling. “I missed you too.”

#whump #fanfic #Spider-Man #peter Parker #tony stark #steve rogers #Bruce banner #mine #fanfic prompt #blood #violence

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