#It took me 1 month but life and fandom was tiring me lately so I had a little art block

[fantasy-girl974]

The Huntress 🏹

#aloy #hfw #horizon fanart #horizon forbidden west #hfw aloy #artists on tumblr #illustration #my art #fanart #fantasygirl974 art #Finally I did it *drops on the floor* #It took me 1 month but life and fandom was tiring me lately so I had a little art block #I wish so bad to turn this into a keychain 🫣 #You can see the full version on my Twitter with the many beautiful Aloys

[klbwriting]

Our Strange Duet

Chapter 1: Getting Out of Bed

Fandom: Red Hood

Pairing: Jason Todd x f!reader

Warnings: none

Summary: Sequel to Not Romeo, Not Juliet - Jason Todd is off to Gotham U to make sure he has a life outside of being a vigilante. He wasn't expecting someone from his past to show up, but there she is on the first day and things have changed

Notes: Well, I was going to wait until tomorrow but I can't, I like this too much, I hope you guys enjoy!

Taglist: @deans-spinster-witch

It's the bitch of living, just getting out of bed - Spring Awakening

               “Jason, get up, you have class in half an hour,” Dick called up to the loft as he finished setting out the terrible eggs he made whenever Jason slept late.  He sat up in bed, looking at his phone, sighing as it had no notifications, well it had one text but not from the person he wanted one from.  Sydney wished him a happy first day of classes and he answered before getting dressed.  He skipped the eggs, grabbing an apple and throwing out a quick bye to his brother as he headed down to the garage for his bike. 

               He had finished high school and after a long and drawn argument with Dick about not just living as a vigilante his whole life and maybe having some kind of day job for when his knees finally buckled under the weight of trying to save an entire city.  So here he was driving his bike towards Gotham University, taking all general education courses because he had no idea what he wanted to try and do for a career.  He did know that he was going to be in theater, his director from Bludhaven Prep had written him a great recommendation letter, but only if he continued to act, and honestly, he wanted to act.  It was nice to become someone else, take a break from his brain.  His therapist liked it also, said it helped Jason get out of his head.  What he didn’t expect was walking into his first class, Modern Literature 101 and sitting by the window in the front corner, was YN. 

               She wasn’t looking at him, reading one of the books for the class, doing notations.  After a second Jason realized he was blocking the door so he slid around to the back corner of the class, sitting before she could look up.  He watched her, concentrating on her book and every single emotion he felt last year came flooding back.  She had left, they kept in touch until around May and then she had vanished.  He didn’t know why but he had a bad feeling about it.  He wouldn’t confront her now, but he hoped he could snag her after class, speak with her, just see how she was.  He stared at her until he heard his name, looking up to the professor.

               “Mr. Todd?” she repeated.  He smiled awkwardly, clearly having missed the first time she said his name.

               “Ya that’s me,” he said.  He looked down and then looked at YN who was staring back at him, eyes wide.  He waved a little and she turned, facing forward again, leg starting to bounce like it did when she was anxious.  The syllabus was handed out and he proceeded to ignore his teacher, instead categorizing how YN had changed in the last eight months.  Hair was longer, she leaned on her hand, eyes looking tired, she had car keys sitting on her desk, so she drove now.  She glanced back at him, and he tore his eyes away from her, trying to focus on class.  As soon as they were dismissed he tried to bounce up and catch her but two people in front of him started talking and he couldn’t get around them fast enough.  By the time he got into the hallways she was gone. 

               He had two other classes that day, but YN wasn’t in either of them.  The only hope he had was the theater meeting that night for the Gotham U Players.  They were doing a sign up and talking about their productions that year, so Jason got there early, signed up quickly and then looked around the room.  He was first beside the upper classmen advisors, so he took a seat near the door.  She would be here, and she wasn’t going to sneak by him again.  He waited, the place filling up with other university students.  They started and about three minutes into the meeting YN came in, signing up quick and sitting down two rows in front of Jason, once again preventing him from talking to her. 

               This was pathetic, was he going to just chase her around all year until she talked to him?  He wasn’t a stalker, but he was considering seeing if Dick could get her address before he got home so that he could go knock on her door.  But that would be bad.  He shook himself, coming back to the meeting where they announced that the first production this year was going to be a musical.  Jason’s eyebrows rose so high they probably disappeared into his hair.  He had not considered a musical, ever.  He looked down at YN, catching her turning to look back at him, whipping her head forward when she saw him watching.

               “Auditions for Phantom of the Opera are next week, come with a song prepared and remember, if you are not cast you are part of the stage crew and we will be having you learn to be directors, sound techs, light techs, and set design so don’t be discouraged.  And in the spring we will do a play so those who can’t sing will still get time on stage,” the club president announced before dismissing them.  Jason once again jumped up, ready to grab her but this time she swerved him by taking a side door.  He jumped a couple rows, racing out the door after her, probably looking insane, but he didn’t care.

               “YN!” he called, chasing after her as she walked towards the parking lot.  She took a couple steps before stopping.  He ran around in front of her, panting a little from running to catch her.  Why did cardio only work when he was chasing criminals?

               “Hi Jason,” she said, and he could have sworn he heard angels singing in her voice.  He missed it so much.  “Didn’t know you were coming here.”

               “Ya, well, here I am, why you trying to get away from me?” he asked.  She chuckled a little, always right to the point, no small talk for him.

               “I wasn’t trying to get away from you, I was surprised and was trying to figure out if you hated me.  The way you were staring in class I was freaked out, you used to give that look to Chelsea and them when they annoyed you, its so intense,” she said.  Jason blushed some, shrugging.

               “I didn’t mean to look like that, I just…well you did kind of ghost me and it is a bit annoying,” he said.  She looked down and he could have kicked himself.  “But I mean, I know you probably had a reason…”

 ��             “My mom died,” she said.  He froze.  “The treatment in Singapore, it didn’t take.  We stayed there because it would have been too destabilizing for her to travel home so the donor made sure she was comfortable there until the end and then I came back in May.”

               “Why didn’t you call me?” he asked.  She bit her lip, wiping her eyes quick.

               “I wasn’t in a good headspace at the time.  I came back and I thought about calling you, but then I found Sydney’s social media and saw you guys together and figured you didn’t need me coming in and ruining that with my grief.  I figured you had moved on I should too,” she explained.  O no.  He hung his head a little.

               “I was never dating Sydney,” he said.  “She um, is not exactly into guys.”  Her eyes looked up at him.  “She mostly posted pictures with me to make Jackson leave her alone until graduation.”  YN blushed.

               “Well don’t I feel petty, jealous, and stupid,” she said.  Jason laughed.  “Well, either way I still wasn’t in a good headspace, I needed counseling and to figure myself out before school started.  I promised my mom I would go to school no matter what, so here I am.”

               “Where are you staying?” he asked. 

               “I have an apartment off campus in Old Gotham, the grant money from the Leading Lady award should pay for it and my school for a year and then I’ll figure something else out,” she explained.  “What about you?  Still living with Dick?”

               “Ya, still living with Dick,” he said.  “Um, would you maybe want to hang out sometime?”  She looked worried, biting her lip.  He was tempted to kiss her but had to pull himself back.  She was different now, he was different now, who knows how much that changed how they felt about each other. 

               “Sure, I’m free this weekend, still trying to get a new job since the pool I worked at in the summer is closed now,” she said.  He nodded.  “Let me give you my new number, I had to change it because Maroni kept calling.”

               “So, you’re not next in line in the family yet?” he asked as she put her number into his phone.

               “God no, he contacted me, tried to convince me to join him but had no leverage since my mom was being taken care of,” she said.  Jason motioned for her to walk to the lot, walking with her to her car.  It looked a bit like a death trap.  “Its not much but it runs.  You still on the bikes?”  He pointed to his bike a few spaces down.  “Thought that was yours when I got here.  Do you still do the other stuff you did?”  She tapped her head and he assumed she meant being Red Hood.

               “Ya, nightly,” he answered.  She smirked a little.  “But now I have to have Dick stitch me up, so much less cool scars.” 

               “You needed someone better than me for that,” she said.  He shrugged.  “Well, I guess I’ll see you around.  Text me, ok?” He nodded and watched her drive away.  His heart sped up a little when he thought about the fact that he was going to be able to see her at least a few times a week, maybe every day.  He hadn’t thought college would be that exciting, but things were about to change, he could feel it. 

#jason todd x you #jason todd x reader #jasontodd #jason todd #jason todd x y/n #red hood x you #red hood x reader #redhood #red hood #red hood x y/n #strangeduet

[landwriter]

Unsent Letter from Dream of The Endless to one Hob Gadling, c. June 1889

ETA: Now on Ao3!

June 1 2 14 15 30, 1889

H- It may surprise you to hear that many in my life think me unfeeling after my outburst tonight last night earlier this month, but I am certain you will wish they were right by the end of this letter.

You are unusual. You act as though immune to each lie about myself that I first permitted, then took up as my own. Dispassionate, cold, terrible: I wove a mantle of them just to be better insulated from this world. I wear a story told by multitudes, and it is old and dark as the night itself. And in your company, it has become naught but tattered shreds.

I think you will tear me to shreds too if I do not do something about this. I can barely hold my tongue from offering my own ruin when you ask nothing of me. Even if I restrain myself, I know you to speak honestly of what you see, and you see me far too clearly. You will name the truths that I have banked like coals in my throat for centuries, and they will alight anew and choke me.

I would give you all my breath before you took it from me, Hob Gadling. I will write what I cannot bring myself to say beneath the heat of your regard.

You were right. I know everyone, and I know all the deeds and desires that populate their dreams. It thrums in my consciousness just as your heart beats in your chest. It is overwhelming. It is easier to pretend at not feeling at all, to make myself not feel, when I am surrounded by enough feeling that I wonder how it does not destroy me.

Lately, even this cacophony fades to nothing when I am with you, my own feelings roaring ever louder in my ears. I have not allowed myself to know your dreams for centuries now. I am craven. I instead imagine that I see clues on your face, and I hope.

I have never told you my name. I realized I could not, not when I want you to say it in more ways than you have offered. Could you ever speak my name as a lover would? Tell me you would whisper it in the dark. Tell me you would use it to undo me. Tell me you promise to speak it to me even once in tenderness, Hob, and I will give you my name and all else you ask.

You wished to know me as a friend. I cannot be one to you, because I am not lonely; I am starved. I want to taste the salt of your sweat and make it into a sea. I want to map the heft and set of your shoulders each decade, and make mountains of them in my realm, so that no version of you is forgotten. I want to know the feeling of your body beneath me as a soldier, merchant, lord, and scholar. I want to trace each new mark and scar, and whisper stories to them about the history of this land.

I am parchment covered in the ink of all dreaming things, and still I ache for you to stain me with your mouth and hands. Inscribe your regret and sorrow on my skin, so I can carry them with you. Trace your fantasies on my chest, so I can make them real. I have seen how restless your hands are whenever we meet, Hob. Tire them upon my body. Exhaust yourself in your use of me, and I will hold you in your sleep, and walk with you in your dreams.

You are one man who has lived as dozens. I once thought you dull because you did not hunger for stories like me. Now I have come to understand it is because you are yourself a story, ceaselessly retold. I see what changes. I see what remains. It is inevitable I should crave you as I have craved nobody else.

Will you tell me what you dream of?

I will await you at our accustomed time and place.

-x

first time contributing something to a fandom in my entire adult life, and I wouldn't have done it without first being bowled over by the beautiful physical letters of @wordsinhaled (go read them all under #regency epistolary dreamling) & and then seeing @rainbowvamp's life-ruining hob-yearns-for-dream letter; I read it, wondered what a dream-yearns-for-hob letter would look like, and lost all sensibility

#dreamling #letters #the sandman #hob gadling #dream of the endless #morpheus #the sandman fanfic #1889 #epistolary yearning forever #especially when you only see each other every century eh #my writing #dream x hob #hob x dream #centennial husbands

[qvnthesia]

(a) this isn't a bad one, i promise

cross-posted on AO3

First of all, THIS IS NOT A STORY-ENDING ANNOUNCEMENT. 

Feel like I should repeat this...

THIS IS NOT A STORY-ENDING ANNOUNCEMENT!

*phew*

With that said, the reason I've put this up here is to give you, my fellow readers, an update about my stories and my insufferable life in general. Again, this is because I'm constantly receiving quite a lot of asks regarding updates. And while I am quite grateful for your anticipation, I haven't been able to deliver lately, and I truly apologize. 

1. My physical classes have resumed and they are incredible yet tiring. I'm exhausted by the time I reach home. I simply have to study more these days, which doesn't let me take out time for writing. 

2. I'm being pulled into different fandoms (star wars and wizarding world and marvel), and yes, this is entirely my fault. These fandom pulls have generated a massive number of ideas of which I'm having an incredibly hard time of keeping track of. 

3. My life, in general, is currently what I can describe it as quite literally 'meh' and... yeah, it's been mentally stressing and bad, downright bad. I'm going to admit, I've been crying a lot, putting up tons of excuses for my behaviour which is not at all valid, at all. I've been feeling miserable and for the first time in my life, I took a day off from classes because I felt like shit. And I felt even more shitty because that was the first time I took a holiday for being so mentally degraded and I kept berating myself because of it. 

I just wanted to put all of this here because, yeah, I haven't been updating at the rate which I used to before. I updated quite regularly a couple of months before now and right now, it's just nothing over here, which I again deeply and sincerely apologize for. 

Let me make one thing clear — I am NOT abandoning my stories. I intend to finish each and every one of them, even the future ones (yes, behind-the-scenes writing is also going on). 

This place is my happy place. I love writing. I want to continue writing. Even as I grow up, I'm going to have to let go of a lot of things in life but writing? No way in hell.

So, yes, long story short — updates are incoming, but they are delayed, and will be delayed for sometime. Again, I deeply apologize if this news has utterly devastated/ruined your opinion of me, it's alright, even I'm a bit mad and sad at myself. It's just how life is and... yeah, that's all I've got. 

But while I may seem to be inactive here, I am very much active on my Tumblr and Twitter, especially Tumblr. I'm open to any requests you have (I've already received a Klaulena one and an Elena x AndrewGarfield!Peter Parker one which is currently being written). I talk and reblog a lot about TVDU and Star Wars there so yup, if you guys have anything, ANY QUESTIONS, please do feel free to send me an ask and I'll gladly reply. If you've got any requests too, that's also fine, I'm currently accepting requests as well. 

Till then, I'll keep writing whenever I'm able to find time/make out time. Updates are most certainly coming, but they're delayed. 

Thank you so much for reading. I'm sorry if this sounds like a bit of a mess, my thoughts are entirely jumbled and this is just everything of them. I'll be deleting this part in 36 hours from now. 

Please take care of yourselves! Stay safe and have a wonderful day/night ahead of you <33

♡ Quinn 

P.S. I am only present on Tumblr, Twitter, and Fanfiction.Net and not any other site (i think I THINK) under the same username.

#life update #writer life #life #writing #archive of our own #just an update in general

[thefanficmonster]

I blame Tumblr, I'm sorry. I SWEAR MY REPLY ISN'T AS SHORT AS THE ONE YOU RECEIVED. AS IF I WOULD PUT THAT LESS OF AN EFFORT FOR YOU <33

Hello my dearest Vy, treasure of my heart, have you missed me? I hope so cause I sure as hell missed you :D I am finally here. I went through hell and back but I am finally on prep leave. Bless the pandemic for extending my prep leave for up to 3 weeks! I'm going to get so much done as well as actually have time to take care of myself so if there's anything about this pandemic to be grateful for, it's this.

Anyway, I am so so so sorry for this extremely late reply. I don't think I need to repeat the reason as to why by now. But don't worry, all is well.

I hope you've been well these past week or so? I hope you've been well. I do hope your job is going well too :)

Thank you so much for taking your time to answer my questions, I enjoyed reading them so much! Now here are my answers to yours..

I'm a Taurus!!

My favourite month has to be January, I just love the cold weather and of course, the New Year's festivities.

Basically any fandom related to Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse books. I just love everything about that fictional universe, makes me feel at home.

If my bestfriend counts, then surely her. She's an angel, I can't imagine how messed up I'd be if it wasn't for her.

Water, food and wifi. Kidding, aside from basic essentials to stay alive, I suppose my dog, bestfriends and this one energy drink I'm addicted to.

I have 3 dogs so…But but but, I adore cats as well. In fact, I've been told a lot that I seem much more like a cat person. So perhaps both for me too :')

I don't play much video games so I can't say I have a favourite. However, I loved Mario as a child!

This is a hard one, I'm a big shipper!! But maybe Kanej (Kaz x Inej) and Wesper (Wylan x Jesper), again from Six of Crows.. (Please don't blame me, I'm just obssessed with this series.)

Either my rings or my books, it's a tough decision. This is rather far off but I'd love to have my very own cozy little library-cafe someday..just a wish :')

Thank you so much for your questions, they did help a lot and took my mind off my schedule!

Now it's been a while so I can't remember much of the questions I made for you but here are a few that stuck around

If you could visit any place in the world, which 3 places would you go to first?

One musical piece you can never get tired of?

Do you play any instruments??

What's your favourite musical instrument?

If you have the time, describe what your life would look like in your dream universe :) (really get that creative mind of yours to stir up your deepest desires)

Out of everything that you have written for streamers, which 3 are your favourites?

Again, feel free to ignore any of the questions and I hope you enjoy answering them :)

Loads of love, ~🌹

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions sweetie I'm so glad you had fun answering them! And thank you for the new batch of questions dear, here are my answers:

I'd definitely visit Barcelona, Spain; Brighton, England and Cancún, Mexico

Since the term 'musical piece' gives me a lot of freedom here's three things music related that I could never get bored of: 1. Any Lana Del Rey album/song; 2. Lo-fi; 3. The musical Heathers 🤭

Nope unfortunately I don't. I tried learning the piano but never got the hang of it

It's spot shared by acoustic guitar and piano

Oooh ok so buckle up! 😉 I'd love to live by the beach in a house I'd share with no one but my pets. Yes, plural. I'd like to live that lonely writer lifestyle. Now that I think about it, I'd love to live in a lighthouse honestly. Outlandish? Maybe. But man is it a dream of mine. I'd live like an old fisherman and have the time of my life 🤭 However I'd also not be opposed to a night out with friends in a town that'd be near the lighthouse. I'd still like to have some of that partying I've always dreamt of sprinkled into the quiet haven mentioned above. But all in all, I'm a rather simple person ay 😊

Ooooh ok so for Corpse I'd say it's the two parter fic consisting of 'Champagne Problems' and 'Exile'; for Dave (not a streamer but he is a content creator so he'll be my cheat code) it would be the fic 'Fated Miracles' and last but certainly not least: my fic 'Sweetheart' for Sykkuno

Here are a few more questions I've got for you since last time. Again, no need to answer any or all if you don't want to/feel uncomfortable about them 🤗

What's your favorite mythological creature?

If you're a horror fan, what's your favorite scary movie? If not what's your favorite movie in general?

Favorite music genre?

Favorite pieces of fanfiction?

~ XOXO, Vy 💌

[bukojuiice]

— genshin boys as your college roommates who are head over heels in love with you

ೃ ft. childe, diluc, kaeya, zhongli, and xiao x gn! reader

ೃ 400-600 words per character!  ♡

ೃ warnings: mention of alcohol drinking ( but aside from that, just lots and lots of fluff!)

ೃ this is my very first writing contribution to the genshin fandom, so i hope everyone likes it!  after 5 months of playing genshin, i think it’s safe to say my brainrot for it has finally consumed me and i’m confident enough to brew something up! <3

ೃ genshin impact masterlist 

ೃ if you want to be a part of my taglist, answer this form! ♡

CHILDE:

– You and Childe are the perfect embodiment of the best friends to roommates trope. Whenever you wanna sleep in for 5 minutes more and you’re about to run late for your first class, Childe never fails to slowly drag you out of your bed, laughing as he does so. “Wake up sunshine!” is the first thing you always hear in the morning and you don’t complain if you get to hear his smexy voice anyway. He is a confident flirt and is not afraid to show you how much he cares or how much he pines over you. 

–  He’s always always there to save the day. There was a time when your classmates stood you up on the group project you were making, and guess who comes up to you with glitter, glue, and colored paper? Childe, of course! He stayed up until the wee hours of the night with you just so he can help you finish it. He even promises to set things in a “very civil way” with your absolute jerk groupmates the very next day. You practically hang out with him 24/7 as most of the time he just barges in your shared apartment with some amusement park tickets on hand or to some expensive yoga or judo class. There’s never a dull moment with him and with each passing day, the more you fall harder for him.

–  After a morning jog with him and seeing cute little dogs frolicking around with their married owners, Childe suddenly had the urge to adopt a dog with you.  But, due to a no pets rules established by the landlord, the two of you opt to owning hamsters instead! Childe named his hamster, narwhal (after his favorite animal of course!) whereas you named yours bunny, to match his irrelevant pet name picking. your hamsters both share the same house/cage and even they are pining over each other.

  –  His siblings visit a lot, especially Teucer. At this point, there was never a day the little boy didn’t ask when are you and Childe going to finally become “playground playmates” (a term for lovers that they use in second grade apparently) since the two of you are living with each other and seem so close. Childe is always able to successfully change the topic and shift away from talking about the shared feelings that the both of you have for each other. But, alas, the day had finally came to be and during your monthly trip to the amusement park, Childe confidently confesses to you on top of the ferris wheel.

“So... everyone in my life knows that you’re my best friend. Yea, that’s pretty cool and all but... Can we be more than just that (Y/N)? Is there hope if I think there could be something between us?”

DILUC:

– Diluc is your posh and rich roommate who sounds and looks too good to be true. The fact that you’re roomies with the literal heir to the country’s biggest wine and beverage company sounds like something straight out of a fanfic. But, it was of his volition to decide to live in a penthouse near Teyvat University. It was the doings of his step-brother Kaeya who tricked him into getting a roommate so that he won’t be alone for the rest of his college years... aaand that’s where you come in. practically barged into his life, but, you were a blessing. an angel sent from the skies.

–  He’s quite cold and unapproachable at first, only greeting you whenever he sees you but never bothered to engage in small talk with you. Even if the both of you go to the same university. It wasn’t until your second month as roommates, when you accidentally had too much to drink after a friends’ night out. You come home to see him in the living room, drinking grape juice from a wine glass, and watching a rerun of Hannah Montana. You practically collapse at the front door, he rushes to you and helps you up as you drunkenly confess to him in tears how you wanted to become much closer to him especially since the  two of you are going to spend the rest of your college years together. That was when Diluc realized how distant and aloof he’s been and vows to make it up to you.

– Diluc is very talented. Albeit in very discreet way, he makes sure to make use of his talents especially if it’s an opportunity to make memories with you. He is an amazing cook as much as he tries to deny it, He’s a secret virtuoso caught in 4k when you impulsively bought a guitar one time and you asked if he knows how to play, and he does so well. He practically serenades you in the most non-obvious way possible. Lastly, He’s very athletic. You invited him to play tennis one time, betting that if he won, you would do his bidding for the rest of the week. Before you could even blink, he wins. His “punishment” for you was that you accompany him in binge-watching TV Dramas. Grey’s Anatomy and Downtown Abby are just some of the shows the two of you would watch. It is absolutely adorable seeing him so invested in these dramas. and since the next on Diluc’s list were sit-coms, you were preparing yourself to answer his questions on the context of jokes that he didn’t get. In a poor attempt to flirt with you, he calls out your name and recites in the most Joey Tribbiani voice he could muster, “How you doin?” You were laughing so so hard that night because his pick up line actually worked on you and suddenly your realizations came full circle: you were very much in love with him too.

–  His naturally cool yet shy nature had always gotten the best of him.  He’s always wanted to ask if you wanted to carpool with him to school. Riding with him in his Tesla sportscar that goes 150 Mph? Heck yeah. However, it took quite a while before he could muster up the courage to ask you (4 months of being roommates until he finally popped the question) Since then, the two of you go home to and from University whenever you had similar schedules. Ever since then, Diluc had began to soften. His cold and hard facade slowly melted. Asking if you could help tie his floofy red hair then he’d let you play with it and let you style it in different ways. He takes you out on café dates during lunch breaks and take you out to watch a movie after both of your late night lectures. Everyone in campus thinks the two of you are practically together at this point. All that was left was to bare your feelings with one another through a fumbling and awkward confession.

“Words cannot not suffice these feelings I’ve been harboring for you since the very beginning. I L-like you a lot. Do you feel the same way too?”

KAEYA:

- Everyone loves Kaeya. Your friends and family, The School Faculty, The owner of the Convenience Store from down the street, The old lady who lives next door, The little kids from down the hall, and even the angry brown poodles from the farthest apartment to your right absolutely loved him. it was hard to keep up with having a roommate that not only were you crushing so hard on, but also had such a vibrant social life. Kaeya interacts and socializes with a lot of people and he admits that it does tend to get tiring at times. But, if these sacrifices lead to coming home to his cute roommate who has captivated his heart since Day 1, then it’s all worth it.

— Despite how warm and friendly he may seem, Kaeya is a very private person. He’s brought two or three friends like Jean, Lisa, Albedo, or Rosaria. But, only to discuss school affairs. He wasn’t the kind of person who trusts others easily, even if he was giving off the impression that he was a trustworthy and reliable person himself. He’d much rather spend time with you on days off from school. He may be a party guy on the outside (he insists he does it for future connections when he graduates) but he’s quite a homebody. Kaeya is the type to watch korean dramas and anime with you, go on late night convenience store cravings, and these always resulted in a perfect evening spent with him. When the both of you are fully immersed into the anime and things get a bit cozy, you rest your head on his shoulder, huddling for warmth.

— Kaeya would always come home with a little something for you. May it be take-out food, A trinket, a board game, an accessory, and even skincare products. The indigo-haired man is very particular about self-care and you bet that he’s bought different kinds of face masks, ointments, and even matching cute headbands just for the two of you! He’s very flamboyant and flirts with you a lot. Trying to impress you with pick up lines and suggestive jokes, but you always thought that he was just joking around because that was always a part of his personality. It was always a part of him. For Kaeya on the other hand, it seems to him that you don’t take him seriously and it's possible that you don’t return his feelings at all. He had to set things straight and it didn’t take long until Kaeya found the perfect opportunity to do so.

— With the help of practically everyone in the apartment, Kaeya is about to surprise you with a candle-lit dinner up on the apartment rooftop. His sly smooth-talking quickly convinced you that the both of you were just going to go out on your nightly convenience store trips. Your curiosity grows when he takes you by the hand, covering you with a blindfold, and whispering to your ear, “Do you trust me?” Gripping onto his hand tightly, the both of you go up some stairs and you reply, “Yes Kaeya, I do.” He slowly uncovers the shield from your eyes and your eyes sparkle at the sight of the candle-lit dinner, complete with jazz music, and a romantic view of the city.

“(Y/N)... You are the most precious person to me. I hope you can take me seriously, especially my feelings. I am saying this with my heart in my hand and with nothing but genuine love in my soul.”

ZHONGLI:

— Zhongli is truly husband material. You’re saying this as his friend, as his roommate, and as someone who’s absolutely smitten over him. He’s a third year environmental archaeology student at Teyvat University. Gentle, kind, and has nothing but wise and intelligent things to say. your lovestruck self can’t help but just admire him from afar, not knowing that he too has been entranced by you ever since you moved in.

—He's always the first to wake up in the morning. The first thing he does is make you a cup of coffee. He's got your favorite memorized, (Coffee with cream. Not to sweet and not too bitter.) The both of you own matching mugs, (written in colored scribbled letters, “The Wise Roommate” for Zhongli and “The Cute Roommate” for you.) He always wants to spend his free mornings with you. Both of you have different schedules so you never see each other at Campus and this was the only blissful time of the day you can spend with one another. Once you get home for dinner, (Zhongli is always the first to get home if he doesn’t stay too long at the library or strolling around the city) If it’s your turn to cook or if it’s his, he never forgets to brew you oolong tea after dinner. A perfect chance for the two of you to just talk the night away and engage in deep and meaningful conversations.

—Zhongli fell in love with you because you just quietly listen to him. Sometimes, you would share your thoughts and insights, even sharing your own personal knowledge that Zhongli had not known prior. You were one of the very few people in his life whom he could talk about absolutely anything with. Well, who wouldn’t listen to a handsome man who has a voice as smooth as butter? He is very passionate about his studies. Taking a lot of extra courses and spending a lot of money on his research. and so, most of the time, he spends all of his Mora on his extra studies (excluding the money he needs to pay for rent) and other interesting antiques. You understood why though. So, instead, you ask him to accompany you to do mundane chores. Going grocery shopping, doing the laundry and cleaning the apartment. He always helps in any way he can. The prying eyes of people around you and the old lady fr next door boldly coming up to you to ask if you and Zhongli were a married couple. You blush profusely whereas Zhongli coolly denies the woman's claims. It hurt quite a little but who were you to complain?

— It was during one of your night strolls with Zhongli. He had invited you out after dinner under the guise of wanting to have some fresh air and find a clear spot for the fireworks from a nearby festival. Your heart was thumping loudly to a non-existent rhythm, blissfully unaware that Zhongli was feeling a burst in his chest too. He clears his throat and his shoulders straighten. Zhongli puts his hand on your shoulder and breathes deeply. His cool and gentlemanly aura still radiating off of him as always. A wonderful array of colors fill the sky as his lips began to form the words he's always wanted to say:

"Tonight is beautiful isn't it? I thought that this would be the perfect time to open my heart up to you... You are a diamond in the rough that few see the beauty of. My beloved– Will you accept my feelings?

XIAO:

—  Having a popular twitch streamer as your roommate was a one in a million chance. Especially if you’re not even an influencer or internet figure yourself. But, how did this come to be? Why have you developed a crush on Xiao aka VigilantYaksha without knowing who he was? A gamer with over 6 million followers on different social media platforms? Simple, a high-end apartment near Teyvat University had a special discount if you were willing to be roommates with someone. It’s an amazing deal, near your school, cost-efficient, and you believed the 10% chance of scoring a hot roommate as seen on reality TV and romantic comedies. It was like rolling through a Gacha Game and getting a 5 star character. As that “character” is soon to be revealed as Xiao.

— Things started off rocky at first. On your first day, he flatly welcomed you by the door, introduced himself, then quickly retreated back to his room. As soon as you locked eyes with him, he gave off a certain cold and unfriendly aura. You wanted to get to know him better. Maybe with a little love and care, he could open up to you and you could become friends! That same day, you had mistakenly thought of your room as his and you walked in on him streaming a horror game. He wasn’t spooked by the jumpscares. But instead, he was looking at you in horror because you’ve just exposed yourself to thousands of people. You wave at the camera, apologize, and left. Since then, his fans, (called the Anemo Tofus) have been shipping the two of you together. Creating fanfiction and fanart of Xiao and the mysterious roommate that accidentally walked in on him. They practically begged Xiao to at least talk a little bit about you, to which, he declined. When you surprised him with dinner (as a little treat since this was your first week with him) He sits across the table from you, his eyes gazing deep into yours, as he pops the question, in a very tsundere tone: “Would you like to appear in my streams? T-the Anemo Tofus wanna learn more about you. B-but, if you don’t want to, it’s alright! You don’t have to-” You cut him off before he could continue his doubts, “Xiao! What are you saying? I’d love to!”

  —  There was something blossoming between the two of you after that particular dinner with him. Starting with your first “roommate video” that you had thought of when you were brainstorming for video ideas. It was an Almond and Mapo Tofu mukbang whilst the two of you answered questions from fans! The viewers noticed how visibly comfortable he was around you despite his usual reserved attitude. He was cracking up a lot more sarcastic and self-deprecating jokes whilst Tofu filled both of your mouths. Outside of the confines of social media and inside the comfortable space that was your apartment, you and Xiao grew closer. Wearing matching hoodies, going on midnight snack runs, playing in arcades, and stargazing with him up on the rooftop as you contemplate about life and talk about the mysteries of the universe. There were times when you would stay up late doing school works and would accidentally fall asleep on the sofa. Xiao would come out of room because he periodically had cases of insomnia. When he sees you on the sofa, he can’t help but smile at your sleeping figure and admire your beauty. First. he brings all your clutter back to your room then slowly picks you up from the couch, into his arms, and brings you back to your room. He places a blanket on top of you and your stuffed plushies next to you so you can hug them any time. 

— On a particular night, you fell asleep on the sofa once again and begun to  have recurring nightmares. Xiao was there to witness you whimpering, muttering to yourself, and shivering to a mental image that he could not see. (He wishes he could erase all the pain that these nightmares were giving you) You subconsciously grab onto his hand, murmuring to yourself: “Xiao, please don’t go.” He whispers back, “I won’t.” Your nerves slowly relax when you feel the Yaksha squeezing himself to lie next to you on the couch. Holding onto your arm, he continues to reassure you that it was going to be okay. You grab onto him, hugging him from behind. He feels your heartbeat revert back to it’s normal pace and you return back to your peaceful slumber. “I’ll always be here for you, (Y/N). I’ll be here to protect you. Forever and always.”  Turning to you to plant a kiss on your forehead, you nestle your head on Xiao’s chest. He watches as you cling to him for love and warmth until he is slowly whisked away by his weariness, rewarded with a peaceful sleep he hasn’t felt in a while.

“And they were roommates.”

#genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #genshin impact #genshin impact imagines #genshin impact headcanons #diluc x reader #childe x reader #tartaglia x reader #zhongli x reader #xiao x reader #kaeya x reader #genshin headcanons #genshin impact x y/n #diluc headcanons #zhongli headcanons #childe headcanons #genshin imagines #zhongli #diluc #xiao #kaeya #childe #genshin impact fluff #genshin impact scenarios #genshin fluff

[artzee-bee]

End of all things [1] | Chat Noir x witch!reader

Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug (Adrien Agreste/Chat Noir)

Summary: Y/N had been Chat Noir’s friend and moral support for a long time now. Even though she had magical powers too, she never liked getting involved with akuma attacks, but now, as Hawkmoth’s gotten control of the miraculous of creation, she couldn’t stay indiferent anymore. She had to save her friend and Paris!

Genre: Mostly angst? A little fluff

Warnings: canon typical violence, mentions of death/dying

A/N: This was requested, but as I was writting it, it got very long and I’ve decided to post it in 2 parts. I’m not gonna post the request just now, so as to not spoil the rest of the story but Part 2 will be coming out on friday!!!

Part 2

~~~

Chat was pacing around the room, waiting for you to be done with your potion. You had heard from your parents that there had been a new akuma attack today, but as the news reported, the two parisian heros took care of the problem in no time. For this reason, Chat’s presence at your house felt unusual. Normally he would stop by when he needed to rant, when he was in need of comfort and reassurance but the fight today went well, so what could possibly be bothering him?

“Ok, I’m done” you said, screwing the cap on the little bottle and placing it on your shelf “Wanna talk?” you asked, to which Chat gave you a shy smile

“Yeah, a little”

You made your way to your bed, motioning for him to follow you. You got under your covers and passed him his favorite plushie, a cat to no one’s surprise

“So what’s up? Is it about the fight today?”

“Well no it’s more like a...personal problem?”

“Oh…”

“Claws out” in a rush of light and electricity, the infamous hero vanished before you, transforming into Adrien Agrest

“Well, what is it?” 

Adrien revealed his identity to you months ago. You first met him as Chat, but when you really got to know each other, he decided you needed to know all of him. Well, he needed you to know all of him.

You listened to him rant until way past midnight. Until you were both too tired to stand up straight, so you laid down in your bed, covers up to your necks, muffled stories told in between yawns. You listened carefully, giving him your full attention. He fidgeted with the collar of the stuffed toy and you used your magic to make 2 hot chocolates. Eventually, everything that needed to be said, was said. You offered Adrien to watch a movie, since that always cheered him up, but he refused

“It’s late and I have a photoshoot early in the morning. My makeup team will be angry with my dark circles anyways, better not make it worse” he joked

Adrien transformed back into Chat and you cast a safety spell on him, which you did every time he left your house late at night. He always teased you about being ‘too protective’, but deep down he found it sweet how much you cared and wanted to know that he would get home in one piece.

“Night Chat” you said, wrapping your arms around the hero

“Good night Y/N!”

The next few days went by quietly. You hadn’t run into Adrien at all, but you texted a bit back and forth. Sunday evening however, things took a toll for the worst. You turned on your tv, ready to catch up with your show when you heard Nadja Chamack’s voice doing the news report

“It seems as though Rena Rouge and Chat Noir are struggling to stay on their feet! They have taken shelter under a fallen bus, leaving Ladybug alone to defeat Hawkmoth'' your pulse skyrocketed. As you watched the screen you could see Chat and Rena off to the side, struggling to catch their breath. Rena seemed to be in pain while Chat was trying to help. Ladybug was using her yoyo the best she could in order to protect herself from the supervillain, who was wielding his cane like a sword over her head. The fight was clearly going in Hawkmoth's favour! You grabbed your jacket and ran out the front door and onto the empty streets of Paris, towards the Eiffel Tower, where the fight was taking place. 

People screamed at you from their balconies to go home, warning you about the fight and the danger you were putting your life in but you didn’t care. All you could think about was how they needed you. Chat needed you! Every late night talk and every inside joke shared between you two replaid in your head like a broken record. Behind Chat’s tough mask, his alter ego of hero and protector, was the fragile figure of Adrien Agreste. The young blonde boy who cried during romantic comedies, who liked to have his hair braided and forgot how to speak when someone complimented him. If you didn’t help, the heros would loose and he would most likely die! Alongside Ladybug and Rena who, even though you didn’t know their real identities, were still young girls. As you ran down the street, you heard kids crying inside one of the homes. You ran past but at the last second you heard Nadia’s voice coming from their tv

“Ladybug was akumatized”

You approached the Eiffel tower from the side, where you could see everything going on. In front of the tower, right next to Hawkmoth, stood Marinette Dupain-Cheng, dressed in a tight, dark red suit, darker than Ladybug’s. Black butterflies replaced the dots of the heroine's suit and the purple butterfly mask of Hawkmoth’s control was shining over her face. Marinette was Ladybug! She did, in fact, get akumatized. On the other side, you saw Rena and Chat, struggling to stay up right. They were obviously in a lot of pain and extremely tired, but Hawkmoth was merely mocking them.

“After all this time” Chat spoke up, but his breaths were shallow and rapid “I thought you’d know one thing about us! We don’t give up without a fight. Never will. Especially not against you” and with that, the two ran at each other.

“It doesn’t have to end like this, you know?” he said “We don’t have to fight to death. I wouldn’t want to have that on my conscience. All you have to do is give me your miraculouses willingly. The town will be safe, you will be safe! It’s the most heroic option you’ve got. You won’t be any good to Paris if you are dead”

You knew this was not just another fight between them. This was it. Either the heros won or everything they’ve worked for would be lost. Hawkmoth would win and get his hands on both miraculous and god knows what kind of destruction that would bring not only upon Paris, but the world. You focused all your energy in one spot in the air, right between where Chat and Hawkmoth were supposed to clash but before they could reach each other, you sent a wave of energy that blew both of them apart, like a bomb. Hawkmoth flew back into the Eiffel tower while Chat hit the pavement with a thud. Confused and certainly disturbed, both of them began looking around for an answer as to what happened when, finally, Hawkmoth’s eyes landed on yours.

“Aha, miss Y/L/N. What a spectacular honor to finally meet you!” you didn’t reply, instead you stood tall, maintaining eye contact

“I know a lot about you. Seen a lot. Felt a lot of your emotions. None of them can compare to the powers I’ll have with the two miraculouses. With Ladybug’s earrings and the guardian under my control, I’d say my mission here is almost over’’

“Y/N get back!’’ Chat screamed but you were too involved now to run. This was your fight too.

“It is time you give up Hawkmoth. Paris is not yours, neither are the miraculouses. We will destroy you, no matter what it takes!”

“Listen to yourself, kid! <<Destroy me>>? The most you can do is pull a rabbit out of your hat…” before he could finish his sentence, you snapped your fingers in his direction and instantly, the ground around beneath Hawkmoth and akumatized Marinette, fractured. From within the cracks, many tangled plants came out, encapsulating the 2 villains. You sprinted towards Chat and Rena, ignoring the signs of struggle coming from the prison of weeds.

 Alongside the two superheros, you hid inside a corner coffee shop, which was now empty.

“Y/N, you need to leave!! You are putting yourself in too much danger!” Rena told you, as she collapsed to the ground from exhaustion

“Stop with that already! I am here and I’m not going anywhere!”

“Yes you are!” Chat looked at you. His voice was calm and yet, his eyes were filled with disappointment “You are not a superhero. This is our job!”

“You need help”

“No we don’t!” Chat had never, in all your years of friendship, raised his voice at you, let alone yell “ You need to stay safe! You could die! Hawkmoth doesn’t care about anything if it helps him get what he wants! I am ready to take that risk. Rena is too” you both turned to the red headed hero, only to see her slowly nod “But I can’t allow you to take it”

“You can’t tell me what to do”

“I don’t want you to die!” he screamed again “I love you and I will never forgive myself if you don’t come out of this alive!”

Before you could say anything, you saw Hawkmoth and his minion, through the cafe window, cutting through the last of the plants and escaping your trap. You grabbed Chat’s arm and pulled him to the floor, from where you could not be seen

“We’re in this together now” you said in a stern voice, looking the blonde kid right in his eyes “Whether you like it or not '' this time, he simply nodded.

You stuffed your hands into the pocket of your jacket and pulled out 3 little bottles, containing a mate, green liquid. You had prepared one for each of the heros, now you’d only need two.

“Here, drink this!” You handed each of them one “Regeneration potion. Should put you back on your feet.” as soon as they finished drinking the brew, you could see color coming back to their faces

“Where’s Marinette’s akuma??” 

“Her necklace” replied Rena “It’s a gift from her kwami”

“Got it. You deal with Hawkmoth. I’ll bring Marinette back!”

Chat and Rena exited through the front door, grabbing Hawkmoth’s attention. He called out to Marinette to attack, but before she could take a single step in your direction, you had snuck up behind her. Using a simple invisibility spell, you managed to exit unnoticed behind the two heros. It finally felt like the fight had truly begun. From the corner of your eye you could see Chat and Rena doging Hawkmoth’s attacks while you, were doing your best to get your hands on the stupid necklace! Even though she couldn’t see you, Marinette seemed to almost always know what your next move was. She would expertly block all your attack and would keep you an arm’s length away at all times. Finally, you had enough and in one swift motion, you pinned her back to your chest, ripping the necklace away. A wave of black and purple took over the both of you and when it vanished, all you were left with was a half unconscious Marinette in your arms. You dropped her to the ground slowly as she was coming back to her senses. You wanted to talk to her but your thoughts were driven away as you heard Chat scream bloody murder.

On the opposite side of the platza, you saw Hawkmoth rip Chat’s ring off his finger, forcing him to detransform. The exhausted figure of Adrien Agreste fell to the ground with a thud. Hawkmoth had, indeed, gotten his hand on both the miraculouses.

#miraculous ladybug #mlb #mlb x reader #adrien agreste #adrien agreste x reader #adrien agreste fluff #adrien agreste imagine #adrien agreste angst #chat noir #chat noir x reader #chat noir fluff #chat noir imagine #chat noir angst #rena rogue #marinette dupain cheng #ml ladybug

[juju-on-that-yeet]

At My Worst (Chapter 1)

Work Summary: Thanks to his enduring popularity in the fandom, The Author pops back into existence and the egos must suddenly contend with someone they thought was gone forever coming back from the dead. No one is more shocked than Dr. Iplier, who can't help but remember how things used to be - and slowly fall back into bad habits, despite his better judgement.

Warnings: Mild descriptions of past violence/discussions of death (more tags on AO3)

Read on AO3

Enjoy!

~

Last he knew, Dark was ripping his eyes out.

Then, he was nowhere and nothing.

Now, he suddenly is, where before he wasn’t, and the rush of sensation returning is terrifying and paralyzing. But he still knows who he is, he knows his name and that he’s a figment, and he remembers his life. Rather, his previous life, he suspects.

It doesn’t take long for The Author to get his thoughts back in order and regain the presence of mind to look around. He appeared standing, and somehow didn’t fall, but he doesn’t trust his legs enough to move just yet. He’s surprised by the fact that he can look around, that the eyes he viscerally recalls losing are back in his head, fully functional. The area he’s in looks familiar, reminds him of the forest his cabin sat in, but it becomes apparent that the place is different now. The trees are less wild, the ground more even. He’s standing on a path, perhaps a nature walk or hiking trail. Last he remembers, there were no such trails in his woods.

He finally walks, letting his instincts take him to where his cabin should be, though he already has a feeling it won’t be found. Sure enough, he goes as far as he can down the trail, leaves the path and goes onward, and eventually finds himself at the edge of a neighborhood. Where the cabin used to be is a two-floor house, probably built for a family with kids, and in the surrounding street are even more such houses.

Author doesn’t know how much time has passed, but clearly, it’s been a long time since his cabin stood. He has to wonder what became of his books, his life’s work. Were they saved by the other egos, or are they forever lost?

For a moment, he isn’t sure what to do. But he’s a clever man, so he thinks. If he exists, surely the other egos must be around somewhere, too. All he has to do is find them. But if they aren’t here, then where?

He walks back the way he came, back to the trail, passing the place he appeared in and continuing onward. By the time he makes it to the trail’s beginning, night has fallen, and the parking lot by the trail is empty. He walks past the parking lot, comes to a road, and walks. It’s not so late that no cars are driving, at least; it only takes a few whizzing by his upturned thumb before one decides to stop.

“Where you headed?” asks the driver, an ordinary-looking man with a moustache. Author wonders how entertaining he’d be in a story.

“LA,” Author says, settling into the passenger seat like he belongs. For having not existed at all twelve hours ago, his easy confidence returns quickly.

“Heh, aren’t we all?” the man chuckles, pulling off the roadside to start driving. “Anywhere in particular? I can put it in my GPS.”

“Not really,” Author says, “Just get me to the city and I’ll take it from there.”

The man shrugs, but doesn’t pry. Maybe he wouldn’t be a protagonist, but possibly a character just there to help the protagonist along, as he is now. Then again, his unquestioning nature would make him easy death fodder, too.

On the way to the city, Author tries to look around the car, just to see if he can figure out what day it is. The radio playing tells him the day of the week and the month before long, but he can’t figure out the year. It’s not a terribly long drive to the city (Author remembers how long it took to get to Dr. Iplier’s clinic, and the distance isn’t that different) (Oh, Dr. Iplier, he must be somewhere too, does he still hate Author for what he’s done?), and once he gets there, Author has but one favor to ask.

“Thanks for the ride, but quick question,” he begins as he unbuckles his seatbelt, “Any chance you have a pen and a notebook in your car I can have? Or even just a sheet of paper and something to write with?”

“Uh, sure,” the man answers, confused by the request but not so much that he won’t grant it. He rummages through the glove compartment until he pulls a notebook with some corporate logo, and a pen with the same branding. “Have these, got them from work a long time ago but I don’t need them.”

“Perfect!” Author exclaims, taking the notebook and pen. He flips through the notebook, taking in the sight of blank pages, empty canvases, ready for him to make his own. “Have a good one, man.”

The man nods, rolls up his window, and drives off, leaving Author standing on a random sidewalk just inside Los Angeles. But he’s not bothered, because he finally has his tools. He can do anything or get anywhere. He knows that Dr. Iplier’s clinic has likely gone the way of his own cabin if it’s been too long, but the egos must be somewhere in the city. Author doesn’t know why he feels that way, but he supposes his instincts have the right idea. He’s always been a creature of impulse, so he does exactly what he did when the sun was up and lets his legs carry him where they may.

When he gets hungry, he enters a fast food restaurant and opens his notebook again, this time to write. While in line, he reads the cashier’s nametag and puts pen to paper: When The Author reaches the front of the line and orders, Stella pays for his meal herself. And she does, without skipping a beat. Author stays in the building to eat, and internally snickers at the confused look he sees on Stella’s face when she realizes what she did, seemingly for no reason.

As far as Author can perceive, it hasn’t been very long at all since he last used his power. But his body can tell it’s been a long time, somewhere deep in his mind knows it’s been forever since he picked up a pen and changed reality to suit his needs. A part of him is glad he’s still got it, but how could he ever lose it in the first place?

Back to walking. It’s late at night, but his mind is too active to be tired. It wouldn’t be the first time he was up all night, whether pacing his cabin trying to untangle the next scene of a story, or painting LA red in search of inspiration, or tormenting a character in the woods, or staying up with Dr. Iplier until the sun came up and he had to return to his clinic in the early hours, yawning through a cup of coffee. Thinking of his doctor only makes Author’s mind buzz even more. How long has it been, truly? What must Dr. Iplier be like now? Can they start over again, now that Author’s been reset?

The more Author walks, the more he feels a pull to keep going. It’s as if there’s a GPS unit inside his brain, telling him which way to go. He has no clue where he’ll end up, but he follows anyway, not having anywhere else to go. Besides, perhaps he’s being led to the other egos, maybe some element of himself is being drawn to them. He still knows that he’s a figment, of course, and that being a figment makes him a little more magical than the average human, a little more special, even ignoring his reality-bending powers. Part of him wants to use his writing to get into a locked car and drive to where the magic inside him is leading, but even at this hour, he knows it’d be quicker to walk.

It’s morning by the time Author feels he’s gotten somewhere, nearly a day has passed since he found himself alive again. By now, the streets are once again full of people and cars, and the swelling sounds of conversation and car horns remind him of his trips into the city with Dr. Iplier. His feet finally come to a stop in front of a huge building. It doesn’t look very different from the other corporate skyscrapers standing along the street and stretching into the horizon, but it radiates magic. It’s a beacon, and Author can tell just by looking at it that this is where he’s meant to be, this is the place he’s meant to stay.

He’s startled out of his reverie by someone bumping into him, barking at him to watch it, and moving hurriedly along. Author is disgruntled, but has little time to get angry before yet another person does the same thing. He moves out of the way of traffic to stand under the magical building’s awning, away from the crowd. Amazingly, no one even seems to see him anymore. No one acknowledges him, or even looks at the building Author is standing in front of. Whatever magic it has, humans can’t see it. Perhaps that’s the point, perhaps the building’s magic is keeping it hidden. Author can’t help but be impressed. If he’s right, it must be Dark and Wilford’s doing; no one else would have enough power. Still, keeping a building shrouded constantly would take a lot of energy, and though Dark and Wilford are powerful, they aren’t powerful enough for something as big as this as far as Author remembers.

As if he needed more confirmation that it’s been a long time since he last existed.

Still, he’s made it to where he wants to be, and he’s not about to stop moving forward now. He walks to the door, pushes the double-doors open, and steps inside.

The doors open up into a wide lobby, high-ceilinged. Off to one side is another set of doors, wooden and old-looking. There’s quite a few other, more typical doors along the back wall, a couple labeled that lead to staircases and some without labels that likely lead to other rooms. There’s also an elevator in the center of the wall. The lobby is much bigger than the outside of the building would suggest, and Author has to assume it’s more magic at work. He has no more time to wonder, because one of the unlabeled doors opens.

Out steps another man, with hair swooped low and orange sunglasses and a tank top with the Bing logo on it, of all things. He stops mid-step at the sight of Author, and Author can’t help but pause, too. He doesn’t know who this person is, but he can tell he’s a figment. Not only that, there’s something too familiar in his hair, his face, his height. This figment is another one of Mark’s.

Author already felt like he’d found the right place, but now he knows for sure.

“Woah, how’d you get in here??” asks the figment, walking up to Author as his shock gives way to confusion. “Wait, are you a new ego?”

“You could say that,” Author replies with a shrug.

“Oh, sick!” the figment exclaims, now grinning with excitement. He reaches out to shake Author’s hand, and his grip is stronger than Author expects. “My name’s Bingiplier, but like, everyone calls me Bing. What’s your name, dude?”

“The Author,” Author answers, a little bewildered by Bing’s energy. Granted, he certainly seems like someone Mark would conjure up as a joke, but most of the true joke egos barely lasted a week.

“Oh cool, you write and stuff?” Bing asks. He frowns for a moment. “I gotta admit, though, I’m totally blanking on what video you’re from. I don’t watch all of Mark’s videos, but like, I don’t think anyone was expecting a newbie to show up soon.”

“I do write,” Author replies, though his mind is buzzing with the new information. No one’s expecting him? Then how is he here? “I can reality-bend with writing. I write it, and it happens.”

“Nice!” Bing says, “That’s, like, super-powerful. We haven’t had a real reality-bender show up in ages. Actually, your deal kinda reminds me of The–”

“Hey.”

A monotone voice, deeper than Bing’s, interrupts. Author and Bing both look to see someone else approaching. Author can’t help but grin, because this is an ego he recognizes. Googleplier’s hair is still long and shaggy, he still has his glasses, and even though figments don’t truly age, he looks older somehow, more mature. He’s not glitching the way he did when Author knew him, and his jaw is stronger, his stature more imposing. It takes a moment for Google to see Author past Bing, and it takes a moment more for him to register what he’s seeing. His eyes widen behind his glasses.

“Author? Seriously?” Google asks, incredulous.

“Wait, you know about him? Did I just miss the memo on a new ego coming or something?” Bing whines before glaring at Google. “Are you here for an actual reason, or just to butt into my conversation?”

“Ollie wants you, you won’t answer his pings, and the others are still charging,” Google answers, deadpan. Bing pauses a moment, face screwed up in confusion, before understanding slowly dawns.

“Oh, he did ping me. I was busy talking to the new guy.”

“Ping you?” Author interjects.

“Oh yeah, I’m an android!” Bing says brightly. “So’s Google, but he’s just the old default.”

“Leave already before you get dismantled,” Google growls at Bing, but his eyes don’t leave Author.

“Ugh, fine,” Bing sighs. He flashes Author a peace sign as he walks away. “See ya round, dude!”

Google waits until Bing is out of sight before approaching The Author.

“How are you here?” he asks, more bewildered than Author has ever seen him.

“You tell me,” Author scoffs, “You were always the know-it-all. All I know is that one second I didn’t exist, and the next second I did.”

“How long ago was that?”

“About a day? Popped into the woods where my cabin used to be.” Author stares hard at Google. “How long has it been? Since Dark tore my eyes out?”

Google hesitates for a long moment before responding.

“Six years,” he says.

Author’s jaw drops.

“Six years??” he gasps.

“Six years,” Google repeats. “It’s 2021, now.”

“When did Bing show up?”

“2017. Four years ago.” Google thinks for a moment. “Technically, that makes him older than you.”

Google’s right. Author was only a couple years old when Dark killed him. At this point, he’s been dead longer than he’s been alive.

“Jesus Christ,” Author mutters. He can hardly wrap his head around it.

“Jesus Christ is right,” Google growls, “How the hell did you get here? You died. You faded away.”

“I already told you I don’t know!” Author snaps. Google gives him a look like he doesn’t believe him. “Look, I appeared, I felt the urge to come here, and now here I am. So now what?”

“Now I have to take you to Dark.”

“Yeah, no. I remember how our last interaction went.”

“You have to,” Google sighs, clearly resisting the urge to roll his eyes. “Every new ego has to meet with him–”

“I’m not new.”

“–And besides, nothing in this building happens without him knowing. I don’t like dealing with him either, but I’m not about to get in trouble for not telling him about you.”

“No choice, huh?” Author sighs. “Alright, let’s get this over with, I guess.”

Google leads Author to the elevator in silence. He presses the button for the sixth floor – the highest one – as Author thinks.

Six years. He still can’t conceive of it. Even for a normal human that’s a decent chunk of time, but for a figment, it’s like a lifetime. Plenty of figments don’t even make it to six years old…though clearly, Google and Dark have, and Author has to wonder who else has. Six years and six floors of this building means a lot of new people.

“Figures you and Dark stuck around,” Author muses to Google, “The fans always do love the grumpy ones. And now there’s Bing, and that “Ollie” and the “others” you mentioned…”

“That would be Oliver, Chrome, and Plus,” Google says, “The three of them are androids, other Google units, in fact.” That fact makes Author bark out a laugh.

“You got clones, now??” he snorts, “That’s awesome. Think I could borrow one for a story?”

“No.” Google’s response is instant, paired with eyes glowing icy blue.

“Alright, alright,” Author sighs, “Six years and you still haven’t gotten a sense of humor.” He pauses for a moment. “How many of us are there now?”

Last Author recalls, there were eight, including himself. Google barely needs a moment to mentally calculate it before he has an answer.

“Twenty-one,” Google answers.

“Twenty-one??” Author exclaims, jaw dropping.

“Twenty-two, now, with you. There’d be even more, but some have faded away.”

“Is anyone I knew gone now?”

“No, the oldest ones are still here.”

That means Dr. Iplier is still here. Author can’t help but feel relieved. He’s not sure what he’d do if he found out Dr. Iplier had faded away sometime during his absence. He’s so cheered by the thought that he forgets why he’s in the elevator until it finally stops at the top floor.

Right. Dark’s still here, too.

“I’ve already sent Dark an internal ping,” Google says as he leads Author out of the elevator. “He’s expecting you now.”

“Snitch,” Author mutters under his breath. Google rolls his eyes, but he chooses not to respond verbally.

The pair pass several doors as they walk, and Author wonders how many of them lead into the bedrooms of egos he hasn’t met. He wonders what Dark is like now. After all, Google seems to have barely changed aside from no longer glitching constantly. But he remembers how the people outside couldn’t even see this building, remembers the sheer size of the place, and knows that Dark must be much more powerful than he used to be to be able to pull it off. Too soon, Google and Author arrive at a door that’s much nicer than the others so far. Google knocks, something that the Google Author remembers would hardly ever do.

“Come in,” says a deep voice from inside. An older voice, but the same one that Author remembers well.

Google opens the door, and The Author steps inside.

Dark is not like Google. He doesn’t look the same as he did before. His hair is longer, swooped to the side. His eyes are still deep brown, nearly black. He’s wearing a suit and tie now, his skin is gray. Most striking is his aura. Where it used to be minimal, only wisps of smoke that showed themselves occasionally, it is now a swarming mass of writhing black tendrils surrounding him. It shakes even as Dark stares evenly at Author from behind a large wooden desk. Dark’s expression is cool and calm, and his hands are folded on his desk, but there’s tension in his shoulders and a hardness in his eyes.

“You’re dismissed, Google,” Dark says to Google, “But do not mention this to anyone.”

Author glances at Google, who nods and leaves, closing the door behind him, leaving Author and Dark alone.

“So,” Author says breezily, pushing down and hiding his discomfort. He’s not scared, but he does feel awkward, and a little annoyed to have to see Dark at all. “Nice place you got here.” He flops into a chair in front of Dark’s desk. “I hear there’s twenty-two of us now, crazy how time flies.”

“Exactly how did you come back?” Dark asks, without a hint of humor.

“I told Google like three times, I don’t know!” Author says, his annoyance getting the better of him. He takes a breath and calms before continuing. “I don’t know. I woke up in a forest, the same one where my cabin is. Or used to be, it’s just houses there now. I hitched a ride to the city and walked until I got here. It’s been about a day since I woke up.”

“I see.” Dark sighs, leaning back slightly in his seat. “This has never happened before.”

“I’ve gathered that.” Author frowns at Dark. “I might as well address the elephant in the room. Are you gonna pull out my eyes again or what?”

“No,” Dark answers, voice tight and aura swarming faster, “I will not. Things have changed since then, that is no longer how I deal with unruliness.”

“Is that what you call it?” Author mutters, “‘Dealing with unruliness?’ Does that make you feel justified for killing me?”

“You’ve been gone for six years,” Dark snaps, “Don’t pretend you know anything!” All at once, Dark’s form cracks, a shadow of himself turns away to scream in frustration. The scream is cut short, the whole thing lasts only a moment. Despite himself, Author nearly jumps out of his skin.

“What the hell was that!?” he shouts.

Dark settles himself, chuckling quietly. His aura calms somewhat, but it continues to churn the air.

“As I said, things have changed.” Dark rolls his neck, it cracks like the vertebrae are clacking against each other. “To put it in a way you would understand, my story has been rewritten in recent years. There’s a lot for you to catch up on.”

“I’ll pass,” Author retorts, “I’m not about to stick around here with you.”

“I’m afraid you have no choice.” Dark’s eyes go steely. “You may have guessed from the large number of us that Mark is much more popular than he used to be, which means we need to be more careful. You recall my desire to unite us all in a single building.”

“The building I died in, right?” Author snaps.

“Yes,” Dark replies coldly, undeterred by Author’s attempt to fluster him. “This building, in fact. The more popular Mark gets, the more recognizable we become, and the more vital it is for us to avoid attention. This building is imbued with magic to prevent humans from seeing or entering, and there are rules about the ways in which we may interact with them.”

“If you’re gonna tell me I can’t write my stories–”

“You can write as many stories as you like,” Dark says smoothly, “And you may use humans as…protagonists, if you so choose. But your stories may not be published, and you may not develop close relationships with humans.”

“And if I break the rules?”

“You get to visit my void.” Dark grins. “A place made of pitch, so dark you cannot see your hand in front of your face, cold and just quiet enough to hear its voices. It only takes a few hours to break someone weak. For someone strong, maybe a week.” He tilts his head. “I suspect a day or two in there, with no one to control and nothing to do, will drive you mad. At the end of a week you’d be tearing off your own skin just to feel.”

Author wants to scoff at the dramatics, but there’s something in Dark’s eyes and posture that makes him believe it.

“What if I leave anyway?” Author asks, “Strike out far away and find my own place?”

“Then you’ll have all twenty-one of us looking for you, whether actively searching or keeping an eye out. Once you’re found, the punishment would be immense. We’ve had egos run off before. The longest one ever stayed lost was eighteen days. Perhaps you could last longer, but your punishment would be that much longer as well. And if my void does not deter you, there’s a holding cell in the basement that’s designed to cancel out magic and keep figments contained indefinitely, where you can stay until you come to your senses.”

Author glowers, considering. It’s clear that he has no choice but to go along with the arrangement, but he’s too stubborn to give in yet.

“Any other rules I should know about?” he asks derisively, “Is there a dress code? Do I have to ask you if I want dessert after dinner?”

Dark glares at Author for a long moment.

“My, not even death could change you.”

He lets his own words hang in the air before continuing.

“The other main rule here is that you cannot harm another ego. Self-defense or defense of another ego won’t be punished, but aggression and attacks will.”

“That’s rich, coming from the one who tore my eyes out,” Author growls.

“You can watch your attitude,” Dark snaps, voice dangerous and aura waving wildly. “I’m still the leader, and you still need to respect me. You may not have changed, but I have, and I am much stronger than you can imagine. If you continue to draw my ire, you will find out just how much stronger I’ve become.”

Dark wasn’t nearly this imposing back in Author’s heyday. He didn’t have this maturity, this intimidating tone of voice, this simmering rage that only shows itself in bursts. He used to be pettier, whiny, more mean than cruel. There was a reason Author didn’t fear him, and it was that he could tell, clear as day, that Dark was threatened by him. But the Dark that sits before Author now is not threatened. He’s angry, but not defensive. He means every word he’s said to Author, and Author knows that Dark will make him regret pushing his buttons if he persists.

So he stays silent for a long moment, and Dark’s aura gradually calms, and his expression smooths back out.

“Good, we understand each other,” he says, “Now, you need to meet the other egos. I’ll call a meeting for the others.”

“Google said the others I was around with are still here,” Author says, remembering, “Are they coming, too?”

“Yes,” Dark says, “But their meeting alerts will have…context. They’ll know it’s you before they arrive.” He sighs then, raises a hand to rub his forehead. “Speaking of context, there’s something you should know before this meeting occurs.”

“What’s that?” Author asks, curious. Perhaps a little nervous, given Dark’s behavior, but he’d never admit it.

“After you died, a new ego appeared, one who looked somewhat like you, who had no eyes. It came about that he had all your memories, but he wasn’t you, isn’t you. His name is The Host, and as far as we all knew…you became him, you were reborn as him.”

Author thought he was done being surprised, being shocked. But this revelation is the worst of all. He became someone else? There’s an ego here that has his same history, and the six years he missed on top of that? A clone like Google has, but one that has a different life, has a life at all. Someone who’s The Author, but isn’t. Someone The Author was supposed to be. The one who came from the ashes of Author’s death. While he spent six years in darkness, this other him, this Host, was living the life that should’ve been his. It only gets worse the more Dark explains. Author hardly perceives Dark’s words, but he perceives their meaning, especially when another name is mentioned. The shock builds and deepens.

It’s not enough that Host now has Author’s body, his memories, his life.

He has his love, too.

His doctor.

Dark explains that Dr. Iplier and Host have been in a relationship for years, and something inside Author crumbles.

This is the man he was so excited to see again, the man he’d hoped he could start over with once he found him. He’d dreamed of that on his long walk to the building, dreamed of Dr. Iplier lighting up at the sight of him, dreamed of them both apologizing to each other for how they ended things, dreamed of them reconnecting, rekindling, loving each other all over again. But the dream shatters further the more Dark speaks, and the more Dark speaks, the more Author’s vision tunnels and the louder the blood rushes in his ears. Dr. Iplier didn’t wait for him. He moved on. He moved on with this facsimile of Author, and did so a long time ago.

Author doesn’t hear what else Dark says, he’s too busy thinking. But no matter how much he thinks the situation over, he can’t accept it. He won’t allow this ache in his chest, this burning in the back of his eyes. Dr. Iplier may have moved on, but some part of him must still love Author, if he moved on with the newer version of him. The way they loved each other was like nothing else, even six years later there’s no way Dr. Iplier has forgotten Author, has forgotten what their love felt like, has stopped missing it. Author will find his way back to him somehow, fix their relationship and fix his own breaking heart.

There has to be a reason Author came back to life. There’s no possible way him and Dr. Iplier could end like this. And Author may be a lot of things, but he’s not a quitter.

He can’t give up on Dr. Iplier, his heart won’t let him.

#markiplier fanfiction #the author #markiplier the author #dr. iplier #darkiplier #my writing #fanfic #markiplier #at my worst #how many chapters will there be? who knows! not me XD #i'm hype for this tho owo #poor author; getting blueballed by himself from the future/present :/

[danny-chase]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Batman (Comics), Batgirl (Comics), Batman and the Outsiders (Comics) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Cassandra Cain & Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Cain & the Batfam Characters: Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown, Duke Thomas, Dick Grayson (briefly), Barbara Gordon (briefly), Tim Drake (briefly), Bruce Wayne (Mentioned), Jefferson Pierce (mentioned) Additional Tags: Batfamily (DCU) Feels, The timeline is a mess, feelings of discomfort, Feelings of Not Belonging, Crocs, POV Cassandra Cain, late night bathroom girl talks, no beta we die like Cass, dreams of alternate timeline, timeline converging, Confusion, Eventual Fluff, Nightmares Summary:

The one where Cass know something is wrong with her Crocs, and it spirals into more being wrong with her world.

Cassandra never thought much about what she wore, it’s not like it mattered much in the grand scheme of things. What was ‘right’ to wear, ‘wrong’ to wear, she didn’t really know, she just picked what she liked, and that was that. Barbara helped keep her closet in three neat sections: clothes for fancy things – charities or dances, clothes for blending in outside, and clothes for training. It was simple, easy, efficient. She didn’t have to think about it.

But here she was, pacing back and forth in front of her closet. It wasn’t the clothes she was confused about, but a pair of shoes. Light blue, with holes. Duke called them crocs. Crocs. She turned the word over, again and again in her mind. She remembered picking them out, but the memory was blurry, she had this eerie feeling they were wrong somehow.

She’d had this feeling before – that something was wrong with the world, with her. Her costume sometimes felt wrong, like it didn’t quite belong. She shifted, irritated, from side to side. Sometimes, she talked wrong too, thought wrong. Everything, some days, just felt wrong.

And here she was, standing on her hands, glaring at her crocs. Her crocs that were wrong, but they couldn’t be wrong because she’d gotten them with Duke. She remembered – she was sure she remembered.

It had been a cloudy day, her arm stuck in a sling. Bruce had said she was training too hard, she should take it easy, and she had disagreed. But then he brought up Duke. Duke, who had been injured by Karma. Who was so angry and hurt, but she never knew what to say to fix things. And Bruce hadn’t known either. But all the same, they had to try something.

He gave her money and instructions. Take Duke to get food at the mall. It had been easy, fun. He was upset, but took the time to make her laugh, thanked her for spending time with him. They’d spun through racks of clothes, posing with sunglasses, and trying on random things, then swapping. They bought him a short shirt that showed off his belly button. A… crop top, he’d said. And she, skipping through the aisles had stopped in front of the blue crocs.

She’d felt strange then, like the world was wrong, and somehow, she felt drawn to them. Duke had looked at her as though she was crazy when she tried them on but shrugged and told her she had great tastes in fashion (lie). He’d been getting tired, the more they walked, but he smiled all the same, told her she looked great in them (not a lie). And she bought them, now here she was, feeling the same feeling of wrongness.

Sometimes, she felt like a different person.

Sometimes, she felt like Duke shouldn’t be there.

Sometimes, she missed people she met once.

And sometimes, she stared at the blue crocs, with an inkling she’d seen them before she’d ever stepped foot in that store.

 She’d been feeling well this week. Things were going well with her team, things were going well for her. She had almost finished her latest book, when she was struck by the feeling of wrongness once again. She gripped her hair, squeezing her eyes shut, burying her head in the side of her chair.

She was Cassandra Cain. She was herself. She wasn’t wrong. This was her, wasn’t it? This was her life.

But even her name sounded wrong in her head. Cassandra felt right, Cain felt wrong. But if not a Cain, who was she?

She was powerful. Strong. That was right. She’d taken down ten men last week in hardly any time, and it felt so right!

But sitting in a chair reading felt wrong.

It was so confusing. She didn’t understand, why this but not that?

Throwing the offending book across the room, she stamped to her closet. Flinging open the door, she glared at the shoes. The crocs glared back, there little holes mocking her.

The holes.

The holes were wrong.

The color was right.

She was getting somewhere. The holes were wrong, the color was right. But again, why this and not that? Clenching her fists in frustration, she threw her head back, wanting to scream but holding it in. Instead, she grabbed her costume and headed out.

 Cass had dreams, dreams of being in a city she didn’t recognize. Spending time with people she didn’t know. And the people she did know were different. Tim was smaller in her dreams, and Dick was older. Bruce was… he felt more familiar. And Barbara – she didn’t know why, but Barbara was always in a wheelchair. But she hadn’t been there for that, had she?

Every time she saw the bats, they felt wrong. Different. Maybe different was the right word. Was she the only one feeling like this? She couldn’t tell. She told Duke once, and he shrugged saying something about déjà vu. But the word didn’t feel right.

Barbara was worried. “You can talk to me, Cass, what’s wrong?” But how could she explain what was going on? Bruce whispered to Jeff about how she was quieter… withdrawn. He’d said withdrawn. But she wasn’t trying to change, wasn’t trying to… withdraw. The world was just confusing, she couldn’t keep focused with this immense feeling of dread shrouding her.

In the dreams, sometimes a girl gave her tea. In a little shop. In the city she’d never been to. And she woke up screaming because it always faded away into a wasteland.

And for some reason, she kept calling Stephanie Brown when it happened.

Tonight, she’d called again.

“Cass, bad dream? Are you okay?” She felt like she’d known Steph for years.

“Everything’s wrong.” She confessed. Steph hummed. The line was quiet. She should hang up, she usually did. Usually just said yes and hung up. But, Stephanie’s voice was comforting, it was good to know she was safe.

“Wrong like, things are going wrong right now? Or like, things feel… off.” Cass sucked in a deep breath. Maybe, just maybe, someone else understood.

“Off.” She replied.

“Like… things aren’t quite, right?” Exactly.

“Like… people are… different?” She explained.

“Like they didn’t use to be there.” Steph agreed.

“Or were there longer.” Cass breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn’t wrong. Something was wrong, or well… off. But, whatever it was, it wasn’t in her head. The world was wrong. Not her.

“Do you ever dream about things that never happened, but it feels so real you’re certain it did?” Cass nodded, then realized she was using a phone.

“Yes.” She sat in silence for a moment. “Can I… come over?” Steph felt right, an beacon in the midst of the chaos of the wrong world.

“Please.” Steph sounded just as eager to stick together.

“Coming.” She hung up the phone, and snatched up a bag, flinging open the door of her closet, and grabbing some clothes for tomorrow. The blue crocs leered at her, so she shoved her feet into them. Maybe Steph would know why they were wrong.

 Steph sat on the edge of the toilet, and she sat on the rim of the tub.

“This feels right.” Cass decided. Steph nodded.

“I don’t know why but you’re right.” She plopped her head in her hands, tired and agitated, but excited. “I feel like I know you, but like we only met a few months ago.” She made a thinking face.

Cass thought too. She took in Stephanie’s face, and closed her eyes. The burning town came to mind.

“Were you in…” She trailed off; it was a dumb question. Steph would have died with the girl who gave her tea if she were there.

“Go on.” It was stupid. “I’m not going to judge, throw anything out there, no wrong answers.”

“In my dreams, there’s a city.” She opened her eyes, staring into Steph’s face. “It burns, and I’m there, with you.” Steph tilted her head.

“In my dreams, sometimes I die.” Cass winced.

“Me too.”

“Could it have happened in the city? I don’t know, maybe we had like past lives there or something?” She suggested.

“I’m me when I die.” Cass asserted. She always died fighting, nowhere near the city.

“Me too.” Steph sighed. “It’s so frustrating. I don’t get it.” Cass nodded.

“I feel wrong.” She added.

“Literally, same.” Steph shook her head in frustration and made to leave the bathroom. “Okay, good night’s sleep, we’ll work on it again tomorrow.”

Cass wanted to scream. She wanted to know, to know right now. Wanted to get this figured out.

“Whatever.” Was all she got out, Steph shrugged indifferently.

“Sleep will help your brain work better. It’s a scientific fact.” Cass followed her out into her bedroom.

There were purple crocs inside her closet.

She stepped closer.

“Cass, what are you-” Steph kept talking, but Cass couldn’t hear her anymore.

The holes on the crocs were filled.

Suddenly, she felt herself being pulled out of Steph’s room, her mind whisking her away into a memory she’d somehow forgotten, a memory that didn’t feel wrong - a memory that felt right a memory that-

The purple crocs were in her hands, she was in a small store, a crocodile painted on the wall behind her. Stephanie was laughing at Tim. He was wearing green crocs. Barbara was in the corner, chatting with Dick from her wheelchair. They were smiling fondly at each other. Love painted across everyone’s faces.

And she, was so happy. She was standing still, basking in the afternoon glow of the sun, and the warmth of those around her.

“Thanks for holding those for me, you want a pair too?” Steph bounced in front of her and plucked the crocs out of her hands, giving her a friendly wink.  

“I think you should get bright blue ones.” Dick suggested. Barbara snorted. They both were looking at her fondly.

“If she gets blue ones, you have to get yellow.” She pointed out.

“Yeah, that’s only fair.” Tim agreed. “As long as no one gets the same color we should be good.”

A pair of blue crocs were dropped in her hands. Her heart was expanding in her chest.

“Okay, everyone, she needs charms too, move it people!” Steph cried happily. Everyone dug in the bins surrounding them. Little icons, little… charms. The word sounded right. The blue crocs were right.

The memory faded out, and she found herself quickly falling asleep.

 She woke up before Steph. Silently, she tiptoed downstairs. Her crocs were full of charms.

#Cassandra Cain #Cassandra Wayne #Stephanie Brown #batfam #my writing #Dick Grayson #Barbara Gordon #Tim Drake #Duke Thomas #Cass and Steph are best bros even though they don't know it yet #Late night bathroom talks are the shit #Like you haven't lived until it's 1am and you're talking about shit with your homies sitting on the edge of a tub #I miss Cass being a bigger part of the family

[azure-bliss]

shinran oneshot

Fandom: DC

Pairing: Shinran

Excerpt: 

“Shinichi,” she whispered, warm blue orbs losing focus as she looked at him, though her smile remained. She rose her hand to caress his cheek (she’s so, so cold). “You found us.”

Her chapped lips met his, and then, “Arigato.”

A/N: I swear that this was supposed to be fluffy but brain said nope, angst-infused it is. Also, I’m no expert in medicine nor the Japanese police system, even criminology for that matter. Spare me. Enjoy!

Day 9

“I should write a book.”

Shinichi’s first instinct was to snort, as he was reminded of Kogoro-ojisan’s—who he should really be calling otousan nowadays—intention of becoming a mystery novelist, much like his actual father. Kudo Yusaku had made millions writing his thrillers, and today, years after the older Kudo patriarch decided to publish his final novel, he was still adding money to the Kudo fortune.

Perhaps his mother playing the titular character in one of Night Baron’s spinoff adaptations, Lady Baron, played a huge factor too. His parents were weird that way, almost like a tag-team, because the moment Kudo Yusaku announced his writing retirement, Kudo Yukiko came out of hers.

It was as if they thought that the world could not handle more than three (he was pretty sure his popularity was on par with his parents, despite his lack of big screen appearances) famous Kudos at a time.

“Finally jumping on the full Kudo experience?” he teased, adjusting himself on the hospital bed where his wife sat, left arm wrapped around her whole frame, right palm covering hers.

Eyes focused on the little bundle in her arms, she hummed before answering, “A best-seller for sure.”

As if on cue, their newborn squirmed before revealing twin orbs that matched his mother’s, unfocused eyes looking up to the woman who went through hell and back prior to his birth.

“Anata,” she called, her tired voice laced with a hint of excitement. “He’s beautiful.”

 Day 1

He stood in an abandoned room of an equally abandoned motel located just 50 km on the outskirts of Tokyo, the very location that had him and nearly the whole Tokyo Metropolitan Police Taskforce wrecking their brains and exhausting their resources to find. The identified suspect was one Seisaku Miyazaki, a serial rapist and killer with a tendency for flairs. The 27 crime scenes he left always had distinct blood splatter to them, resulting from either gunshot wounds straight to the temple, or intraoral ones.

Shinichi had never seen a crime scene so gruesome in his life.

As soon as Shinichi stepped into the room, the first thing he should have registered was the blood-spattered left wall and Seisaku’s limp and lifeless body on a chair in the same left corner, his riffle trapped in between his legs.

Instead, Shinichi’s frantic eyes zeroed on the figure on the bed in the middle of the room, merely 10 feet away from Seisaku’s body. The woman had her back against the headboard with an ungodly amount of blood running down her bottom half, arms cocooning a small bundle wrapped with a violet-colored cardigan—the same one she was last saw wearing before her disappearance.

She had her eyes on her baby, as if the newborn was the only person who mattered, seemingly unbothered by the chaos unfolding before her. It took the lead detective a full five seconds to notice that the newborn—oh God, their newborn—was not crying.

He was beside her in her flash, holding her tighter than he should. His wife was again, unbothered, but he noticed that she closed their baby more to her semi-naked chest. The cuts and bruises on her face and torso did not go unnoticed by him. All of Seisaku’s victims had the same markings, but unlike those women who bled from their heads, she was bleeding from bottom down.

Kudo Shinichi screamed for the medic.

It was only then did he hear a soft cry, and he released a breath he did not know he was holding.

“Anata,” she called, finally removing her gaze from their son to look at him “He’s beautiful.”

Her face was pale and hollow, but there was no mistaking the warmth in her eyes and the gentleness of her smile.

His heart both bloomed and broke for her.

“Ran,” he choked out the name he’d been desperately calling for the past few hours. “You’re going to be okay.”

When the medic team finally appeared, his wife first handed the closest medic the baby, “Take care of him, onegai,” she requested, sounding too much like a plea. “He’s a good boy.”

Releasing her son’s warmth, the brunette fell back onto her husband, who caught her naked shoulders, throwing her full weight onto his.

“Shinichi,” she whispered, warm blue orbs losing focus as she looked at him, though her smile remained. She rose her hand to caress his cheek (she’s so, so cold). “You found us.”

Her chapped lips meet his, and then, “Arigato.”

With a sigh of relief, she shut her eyes, and rolled limp further into her husband’s embrace.

Shinichi’s world stood still, the only things registering in his mind were his wife’s cold body, and their newborn’s loud cries in the distant.

 Day 8

She was in pure fight mode, forcing her body to function and conscious to stay awake. Once she knew that her child was safe, all the injuries and agony finally caught up to her, and she welcomed the numbing darkness.

The last thing Ran remembered was Shinichi’s rapid heartbeat drumming her ears.

The new mother woke up a week later, on an unfamiliar bed, to the familiar but tormented eyes of her husband.

“Baby,” she mustered breathily, and her husband’s eyes all but softened.

She knew that they were safe.

   Day 10

It was another two whole days before she was deemed fit enough to hold her newborn.

“Anata,” she beams, “He’s beautiful.”

“He is,” the Heisei-Reiwa Holmes agreed. “The brat gave the doctors and nurses a fright with his fever, would not stop crying too.”

If his wife was worried, she did not show it. “Is that true?” she cooed, “But you’re okay now, aren’t you sweetheart? Your Papa found us after all.”

Day 0

Kudo Ran did not fit Seisaku Miyazaki’s victim profiles by the slightest. The females he preyed on were usually late teens to early twenties, lived alone, physically petite, and had questionable practices in their private lives.

Or, in the words of Seisaku himself, whores.

Catching the serial killer had been the detective’s top priority, with the death count at 27 and the most recent killings at the heart of Tokyo, it was one of the most challenging cases for him to date.

With half of the murders in Tokyo and the other half in Osaka, it was a no brainer for both Detective of the East and West to join hands, special taskforces from Tokyo and Osaka rallying under their (unofficial) command. The investigation had been ongoing for more than four months before special unit finally made a definite progress, being able to identify a potential victim, shadowing her day and night, coming in to save her just in time from being abducted, and arresting Seisaku’s paid minion.

Genzo Okubo was no Seisaku, the two detectives figured. The latter was confident, methodical, a true psychopathic mastermind, yet the man they caught fumbled with his words, sweated profusely, and most importantly, had little loyalty as he quickly confessed to everything.

The unit rejoiced, but Shinichi and Heiji knew that it was too simple, as if Seisaku wanted Gento to be caught.

By the time they were finished with the guy, it was already 2 a.m.

The lack of miscalls from him wife caught him off guard.

He tried not to panic, reasoning to himself that Ran was probably at her parents’, fell asleep, and his in-laws forgot to inform him. After all, it would not be the first time this had happened. If anything, the Mouris had not stopped fussing over their daughter, and with this case constantly on his mind, Shinichi had not really been the doting husband and father-to-be that he ought to be. Their six-year-old twins were away with his parents somewhere in New York, the elder Kudo couple wanting to give the once-again new parents space to get ready for the youngest Kudo’s arrival.

Halfway through dialing Eri’s number (because his mother-in-law was a light sleeper), Heiji burst into the break room with a suspicious package in his hands.

“Kudo,” the dark-skinned detective panted, as if he just ran up flights of stairs instead of taking the elevator, “that bastard’s got Nee-chan.”

Inside the package were two things: a picture of a very pregnant Kudo Ran, blindfolded and gagged, and a lone platinum wedding band.

  Day 10

“He panicked.”

“Hmm?”

“Seisaku-san, he panicked.” His wife stated, the name of her kidnapper rolling of her tongue like she was mentioning a student of hers. “I started having contractions, started bleeding too. He mumbled something about ‘not following his plan’.”

Shinichi rose his brows, puzzled by Ran’s statement, but he let her continue.

“I think,” she paused, readjusting her hold on their son when they boy started to writhe, “that he was halfway out when Seisaku-san decided to shoot himself.”

Her voice was cool, too indifferent, and deep down, Shinichi knew that his wife may be scarred for life.

“Three sounds,” she gulped then snickered. “Me screaming during the final push, the baby’s cries, and the riffle going off.”

Shinichi held her tighter.

“His blood was everywhere, Shinichi. On the walls, the carpet, the bed, my face,” There are now cracks in her voice, the memories flooding her overwhelmed mind as she remembers it all again, “On our baby boy.”

“Ran…” He trailed off, not knowing what to say. His wife and son were alive, but the trauma she went through was something he wished on no one, not even Seisaku himself.

“I didn’t want him to get cold, so I wrapped him with my cardigan. Not the most hygienic, I know, but I didn’t exactly have many choices,” a chuckle. “He locked the door, so I couldn’t escape, and I couldn’t exactly kick the door open, my energy was spent on giving birth. So, I started breastfeeding the baby, burping him…making sure he was alive long enough for you to find us.”

Something in him shattered even more.

Ran averted her eyes away from their son to look at her husband, their faces only a few centimeters apart.  There were no tears in their eyes, the pain and regret that remained in their hearts too crushing to be expressed by mere crying. “I’m safe, our boy is safe, because you found us. None of this is your fault, so please, Anata,” she kisses him before continuing, “don’t blame yourself.”

Shinichi could not imagine what life would be without her. She was his wife, partner, lover, best friend, soulmate, the mother of his children, his world, his everything.

“Okay,” he promised simply, capturing her lips for a second time before kissing her forehead. “I love you.”

He felt her smiling into his neck, and at that moment, nothing was wrong; they were whole.

They stayed like that for a few more moments, savoring the peaceful yet short time they had with their baby boy before one of the nurses took him away for the night.

    Day 11

 “Your book,” Shinichi remembered far into the night. “What are you going to write about?”

A mischievous look twinkled in Ran’s eyes, and the man knows that his wife will heal just fine. “Kidnapped 101.”

- end

A/N: Nope, not their firstborn. And I also imagine that Ran has had her fair share of getting kidnapped so might as well write a book on it lmao. 

#shinran #shinichi kudo #ran mouri #fanfic #detectiveconan #hurtandcomfort?

[waterparchive]

Woodrow Whyte — May 19, 2021

"I don’t know if I want a lot of musicians I love to know I exist because then the possibility of them thinking I suck comes into play"

To quote a famous drag queen, the cheek, the nerve, the gall, the audacity and the gumption of Waterparks to name their fourth album Greatest Hits. It's a bold statement but if anyone can pull it off, it's the Houston trio and their charismatic frontman Awsten Knight.

Like many releases this year, most of the record was written, recorded and produced during the pandemic, and the enforced downtime leant itself to introspective songwriting sessions.

"When you’re alone for so long, it takes a toll on you and forces you to examine yourself more", Awsten said in promotional materials for the album, before adding “When you hear this album, I hope you walk away feeling like there’s no other band doing anything like it. In my opinion, these are our Greatest Hits. As long as you go into it without expectations of prior things, I think it’s going to be your favourite fucking Waterparks album.”

Fans won't have long to find out if the Greatest Hits lives up to its name, as it drops this Friday. To tide you over until then, we asked Awsten to take a trip down memory lane with our My Life In 20 questions.

20) What did you learn about yourself in 2020?

I learned that I can stop using social media if I want to. I knew we weren’t gonna be doing anything so I took a good 6 months off and when it was time to come back in September, I really didn’t want to. I broke that addiction to checking Twitter all the time. It was cool though because we also grew a lot in that period, so I didn’t have to feel guilty for taking that time.

19) What was your favourite album from 2019?

FANDOM. I make all the songs I wish someone else would because they’d be my favourite band if they did. I’ll also say Igor, Amo, Weezer (Black Album), When We All Fall Asleep..., Anonymous, 7, prob some others but the wiki list is very long and I still have 18 questions to go.

18) What was the most important thing to happen in your life when you were 18?

Graduating high school, I guess? Getting a car was good too! I got my permit late because I was scared to drive and didn’t really care about going places, what a dope guy!

17) Who was your crush at 17?

I’m kinda blanking. Maybe Miley Cyrus?? Do people normally remember this stuff?

16) What can you remember about your 16th birthday?

I truly don’t remember it. I was probably wearing a studded belt if that helps though.

15) What did you hate at 15 which you love now?

I hated the straight edge youth crew dudes that would hang out at local venues and crowd kill when there were only like 40 people, like bitch you’re 28 and I’m 15, stop punching kids you my children my bride looking bitch good lordddd corniest dudes ever, looking like Christian Joe Dirt punching kids for scene clout.

14) What TV show were you obsessed with at 14?

I think 14 I was into Dexter. Amazing show but oh my god that ending. I didn’t have opinions back then about quality, but even at that time I was like 

13) 13 is unlucky for some. Do you have anything that you’re superstitious about?

I’m very superstitious. Before shows I need everyone to stay away from me and let me play solitaire. I don’t walk under ladders, you can’t split the pole when you’re walking with people, I sage myself when I come home from anywhere, whole lotta stuff, baby.

12) If you could live the life of any other person for 12 hours, who would you be and why?

Honestly I’m fine being me, but if it was just for like 12 hours uhhhhh Charlie Day so I can do that thing with my voice when he says “OOAH HELLLLAOOOH”

11) Who was your best friend when you were 11?

Everyone I was friends with before music was just a friend via proximity, like we were on the same sports teams or had the same classes. That’s how it is when you’re younger. You don’t choose that shit when you’re younger, you’re just like, 'You’re near me, what’s up do u like Captain Underpants?' That’s kinda the deal until you’re old enough to be picky. I remember being friends with these twin dudes on swim team Benito and Ernesto, shout out those dudes wherever they are!!!

10) Where do you hope you'll be in ten years time?

Somewhere the internet can’t find me. I hope I’m into some stupid shit like boats, no wifi on the water.

9) What was your biggest fear when you were 9?

Ghosts, I think. And yeah, I used to hear voices! Not dope!

8) When you were 8, what did you want to be when you grew up?  

I used to want to be an author/illustrator for kids books and an archaeologist! I’ll still do the kids books but, man, archaeologists have to be in the sun so much and I need to keep my skin cute so people buy my album. Greatest Hits May 21.

7) Which of the seven deadly sins are you most guilty of?

I just googled them for a refresher and it’s all anime. I’d either say envy or anger. By the way, who made this? It’s stupid as fuck that “anger” is a sin, like huh??????? Bitch I’ll kill you.

6) You can invite six people to your dream dinner party (dead or alive), who would you invite?

No dead people at my dinner party, gross smell. Here’s the thing, I don’t know if I want a lot of musicians I love to know I exist because then the possibility of them thinking I suck comes into play, and if someone like Donald Glover actively had the thought “god, Awsten sucks”, I’d be devastated. So I don't know if I want anyone in that realm to know who I am, I’m cool with loving them from afar.

I’m gonna say a group of people who have nothing to do with me. Like, 6 people who are working on the next Conjuring movie and I just wanna listen in on them and be like, “holy shit??????” I love y’all so much. Quick shout out Lin Shaye.

5) Name five things you can't live without.

Besides the obvious ones: dogs, personal space, sunglasses that cover most of my head, coffee, and tennis/biking. I need to tire myself out as much as possible or I get moody.

4) Describe yourself in four words.

Capricorn. Flexible. Weirdly tall.

3) Your top three songs of all time.

The Beach Boys - 'Wouldn’t It Be Nice', Rihanna - 'Bitch Better Have My Money', and Macklemore - 'Thrift Shop'.

2) Name two things on your bucket list.

A platinum Waterparks album, get a horror music video produced by Blum House.

1) What or who is your one true love?

Having one true love would be scary! Too much emphasis on one thing, too much to lose; can’t put that much on one person either! That’s a crazy level of pressure and expectation! Also Gwen Stefani.

#awsten knight #awsten waterparks #awsten interview #waterparks #waterparks band

[argylemnwrites]

Promotion

Pairing: Levi Schuler x MC (Tara Day)

Book: Mother of the Year (about four years after the end)

Word Count: ~2200

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Levi earns a new title in a different way than he anticipated

Author’s Note: So, a long, long time ago - an entire pandemic ago, I did a “Things You Said” prompt request for a follower milestone. Well, it’s been like 15 months, but I am finally fulfilling more of those prompts. I am pretty sure some of the people who requested things have long left the fandom, but oh well! This was a Father’s Day piece I always intended to write for this story, so I figured I might at well include some prompts. So, we have 12. things you said when you thought I was asleep as requested by @dcbbw and 1. things you said at 1 am as requested by @srta-give-me-my-jax-rl.

When Alex was born, when Levi held his son in his arms for the first time, it was nearly overwhelming. He was responsible for something so small and delicate and perfect. His younger self would have never pictured wanting a child, particularly one that was planned with a wife. But here he was, holding his son.

It was an adjustment, far more so than when he’d started dating Tara and had to get used to planning everything around Zoey. Zoey was almost ten when he met her, and her introduction into his life had been a gradual one. Alex, on the other hand, was a newborn who needed care 24/7. The sleep deprivation, the crying and screaming, the colic, well they were all things Levi knew were coming intellectually. But experiencing them first hand was something else.

Tara tried to make him feel better, saying it was a lot harder doing it in her late thirties than it was in her early twenties, but he was pretty sure she was just trying not to make him feel unsure or inadequate. She knew how to burp and soothe, quickly figured out what Alex’s different cries meant, could change a diaper without getting peed on from the start. Levi knew that his learning curve was much steeper.

Some days, he felt like he was getting the hang of things, while others felt like all he could do was hold on and hope that he wasn’t screwing up too much. It was kind of a roller coaster. One day, he would run out of clean shirts after getting spit up on seven times, but the next Alex would smile at him, and everything seemed perfect.

Levi hoped it didn’t make him a bad dad to say that the whole parenting thing got more enjoyable as Alex got a little older. Sure, he wasn’t quite sleeping through the night, but one overnight feed made for far better and longer stretches of sleep than when he had been waking up every couple of hours. Plus, it was just kind of amazing to watch all the things that he was learning to do. Sitting up on his own, laughing, babbling, trying solids. It was just cool to see his little brain accomplish so many things. And so many more were coming in the next few months. Crawling, standing, walking, saying “Mama” and “Dada” and other words, feeding himself. His kid was going to do all of that.

It was all those little moments that helped him power through the rough stretches, like the current one. A couple days ago, Alex had clearly brought home some sort of cold from daycare. He was snotty, barely feeding, and coughing all the time. At first, it seemed like maybe it would all be over in a couple of days, but then he’d passed it to Tara, who now was asleep and surrounded by tissues in their bed. To top it off, this morning he’d gotten fussier and started spiking fevers. Levi took him to the doctor only to find out he’d developed a double ear infection. Hopefully, the antibiotics would help him soon, but for now, Levi was holding him, knowing it was the only way he was going to get some sleep.

“I’m sorry, man. I wish I could make you feel better,” he said, checking the time. He couldn’t give him another dose of Tylenol for two more hours. Alex stared up at him, an expression of pure misery on his face. It was like he’d worn himself out and he was too tired and crappy-feeling to even cry. It made Levi feel like shit.

He nestled Alex against his chest, turning on the television on the quietest volume, hoping it would kind of serve as some white noise that might soothe him enough to fall asleep. He felt his own eyes getting heavy, but Alex was still wide awake. Damn. Nothing like an ear infection to reverse all the progress they’d been making with getting him to sleep through the night.

The sound of keys in the apartment door startled Levi. After a couple of seconds, the door swung open, and there was Zoey, a duffel bag slung over her shoulder and a pillow tucked under her arm.

“Rocket, why are you coming home at one in the morning?” he asked, keeping his voice quiet.

Zoey rolled her eyes at the old nickname as she kicked off her shoes and moved towards her room. “Ensley’s sleepover was dumb, so I left.”

“How’d you get home?”

“Luz called her dad, and he picked us up.” She wasn’t making eye contact and was heading to her room just a little too quickly. Levi knew there was more to the story.

“Woah, back it up. Want to clue me in on the details you’re leaving out here?”

Zoey paused, letting out a sigh before dropping her bag and pillow in the doorway to her room. She spun around and flopped down on the couch next to him. “If I tell you, do we have to tell Mom?”

Well, that wasn’t a great sign. “Kind of hard to make that promise when I don’t know what you’re going to tell me.”

“I thought you might say that. It’s just gonna upset her, though.”

“But it won’t upset me?”

Zoey shrugged, tucking her legs up underneath her on the couch and tugging on the bottoms of her pants. “Not as much, I don’t think. You’ll be cooler about it.”

“Well, why don’t you start by cluing me in and we can go from there?” Levi shifted slightly to face Zoey better, tucking Alex against his other shoulder.

Zoey didn’t make eye contact, just kept fiddling with her jeans. “Well, Ensley’s parents weren’t exactly home.”

Levi didn’t say anything, his mind racing. A dozen fourteen year old girls left unsupervised could get into all sorts of trouble. He didn’t know Ensley well enough to know where this story was headed, but he knew it couldn’t be good.

“At first it wasn’t so bad. They raided her parent’s liquor cabinet, tried some vodka, that sort of thing.” She glanced up finally at that. Levi made sure he kept his expression calm. A little experimentation with booze was hardly shocking given the situation. He didn’t feel the need to press Zoey on whether she’d tried any alcohol because she was clearly sober in front of him. Any sips would have been tiny.

“Ensley, Crissy, and Kelli all got pretty drunk, and were throwing up in the bathroom, but then Parker invited over her boyfriend who’s a junior. Well he brought some of his friends, and they brought weed, and I don’t know. The guys just made me uncomfortable.”

“Uncomfortable in what way?” Levi was getting more worried by the second. Older boys coming to a party with drunk freshman girls was bad. This was way past some adolescent risk taking, straight into the realm of clearly dangerous. 

Zoey just shrugged. “I don’t know. They just kept putting their arms around us, stuff like that. I don’t know.” She was back to staring at her pants like they were the most interesting thing on the planet.

“Did they do anything to you?”

Zoey shook her head. “No, nothing really. It just… I just didn’t want to spend the night there, you know? Luz felt the same way, so she called her dad and he came and got us.”

Levi was pretty sure none of those girls should be spending the night there at this point. “What about the rest of the girls?”

“Thomas was calling all their parents when he dropped me off. He was kind of annoyed because Luz had just told him she’d gotten her period and wanted to go home. He figured out that something else must be going on when I was looking for a ride, too.”

Alright, well at least it seemed like no one at the party was going to be left in a bad situation. “Why didn’t you call us? I would have come to get you.”

Zoey shrugged. “With Alex and Mom both being sick, I didn’t want to mess things up more.”

Levi shook his head. “Zoey, you don’t have to worry like that. If you ever don’t feel safe, you call me, okay? I could have brought Alex. Car seats exist for a reason.”

She gave a little nod. “I just… I shouldn’t need to be taken care of like him. I’m supposed to be more grown up than that.”

Levi had to bite back a chuckle at that, knowing that at fourteen, she probably did see herself as grown up. It would be years before she had the wisdom and maturity to understand how foolish that was. “Did I ever tell you about the time I was 28 and my dad had to pick me up from a gig?”

Zoey shook her head, so Levi kept going. “It was supposed to be our big break, but our drummer was running late and we ended up getting bumped. I was angry and I made a very dumb choice to get drunk to feel better. Life lesson for you - that never works. Anyway, it was like 3 am and I was a mess, and I was an hour away from home and there was no way I could drive. So, I called my parents up. They came in the middle of the night to come make sure I got home safe.”

“Really?”

Levi nodded. “Yup. Not my proudest moment, but I’m here to tell you about it, right?” Zoey gave a little nod in response. “Exactly. So trust me when I tell you that your mother and I will always find a way to come get you. Always call us, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Good.”

There were a few seconds of silence that followed, so Levi glanced down. Alex finally seemed to be drifting off. Maybe he’d be able to get all the kids to sleep soon and finally lay down himself.

“Soooo… do we have to tell Mom?” Zoey asked after a couple of moments.

Levi glanced back up at her, raising an eyebrow. “I think you’re smart enough to know the answer to that, Zoey.”

She let out a sigh, dropping her head back against the couch. “She’s gonna be pissed, though.”

He didn’t disagree with her prediction, although he was pretty sure Ensley’s parents would be the primary target of Tara’s frustrations. “She might be. But she’s also gonna be proud you got yourself out of there before things got too bad.”

“Can you help me tell her?”

“Of course, Rocket.”

She smiled at the old nickname that time, swinging her feet back to the floor and standing up. “Thanks, Dad. I think I’m gonna go to bed.” And with that, she was off, closing the door to her room a second later.

It was the name he’d been looking forward to since the day that plus sign had shown up on the pregnancy test. But this wasn’t how he’d thought he’d first hear it. He wasn’t sure if it was the exhaustion of the past couple of days or just the shock and honor of hearing that name from her, but he almost felt like he was going to cry. Because she was his girl, and nothing could quite compare to hearing that word from your kid for the first time. He knew that for a fact now.

He heard a door open, and he glanced over to see what else Zoey needed, but was surprised to see that it was the door to their bedroom that had opened. There was Tara, wrapped in her flannel robe, looking a little more alert than she had when she’d gone to bed.

“Hey, how are you feeling?”

“Well, pretty good considering I was woken up by a text from Thomas telling me that he was bringing my daughter home from an unsupervised party in the middle of the night.”

Levi sighed. “Yeah, she’s back here and safe now, though.”

“So I heard.”

“You heard our conversation?”

Tara nodded, walking over and joining Levi on the couch, peeling Alex from his arms and tucking him against her chest. “I was ready to wait for her, but you beat me to it.”

“Is it okay that I talked with her first?”

She nodded again, dropping a kiss against Alex’s head. “Of course.”

Levi opened his mouth to recount his conversation in more detail with her, but Tara just shook her head. “I know enough for now. You guys can tell me everything tomorrow. Why don’t you go get some sleep? I’ll put him down in a little bit.”

“Are you sure? If you want to go back to bed-”

“-I’m awake now. I’ve got him. You go rest.”

Levi nodded as he pushed himself off the couch. “Thanks, babe”

“No, thank you. You’ve been so great with him while I’ve been useless.”

“You’ve been sick. And I’m just trying to do what I can, you know?”

Tara nodded. “Still, you don’t need to worry that you’re lacking sufficient experience as a parent compared to me. Tonight proved you’ve been a father for longer than you give yourself credit for.”

Levi didn’t know what to say, so he just dropped a kiss to her temple. She smiled up at him. “Go to bed, Levi. You’ve earned some sleep.”

Perma: @walkerswhiskeygirl @octobereighth @kimmiedoo5 @mom2000aggie

MOTY: @sunnyxdazed

Levi x MC: @srta-give-me-my-jax-rl @chaotichuman0090​

#levi x mc #levi schuler #moty fanfic #choices moty #choices fanfiction

[hale-13]

Five Stages

By Hale13

For the Summer of Whump Day 22 Prompt - Grief

Peter made a promise to May that he would let her know if it got bad again. That he would never hurt himself again.

Words: 1707, Chapters: 1/1 (Complete), Language: English

Fandoms: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)

Rating: Teen+

Relationships: Peter Parker & May Parker, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Ned Leeds

Characters: Peter Parker, May Parker, Tony Stark, Ned Leeds

TW: Depression, Self-Harm

Read on AO3 or below the line break.

“I’m good Ned,” Peter promised, forcing a smile on his face that he knew was wholly unconvincing. Ned confirmed this with his frown and furrowed brow that told Peter that his best friend knew he was absolutely full of shit. It didn’t matter though – this was the hill that Peter would die on. He tried to force more life into his smile.

“Why don’t you come over tonight?” Ned asked hopefully. ‘I know you love my mom’s cooking and we still haven’t finished the Lego Star Destroyer.”

“Sorry Ned,” Peter says, already feeling guilty about the lie he was about to tell. “Movie night with May tonight.”

Ned still looked a little dubious but relaxed a bit. He doesn’t think Peter would lie to him about this. It makes Peter feel even worse – he detests lying and it feels like that’s all his life has become recently between Spider-Man and… this. Why can’t he just be honest? “Okay Peter,” Ned agreed, a little uneasy. “You can always stop by later if you want.” He offered and Peter felt his stomach twist into a knot.

“Sure man,” he said, offering his hand to initiate their handshake before departing to head home.

The apartment is dark and quiet and empty when he gets there. Peter snaps the rubber band on his wrist a few times but the sting isn’t enough. Neither is the piece of ice he takes from the freezer and holds into the delicate skin of his forearm.

The safety pin he stabs through the meat of his thumb takes enough of the edge off for Peter to get his homework done though. When May sneaks in later, tired and stumbling after her shift but still trying to not wake Peter up, he feigns sleep. How’s he supposed to tell her he hasn’t slept well in weeks? How’s he supposed to say its getting bad again?

It’s okay, he’ll figure it out. He always does.

———————————————

“How are you doing sweetie?” May asked carefully, trying to look nonchalant as she sips at her tea. It’s one of her rare days off and dark circles ring her eyes. It’s been a rough few months money wise and, even though she doesn’t talk to Peter about it, he’s seen the bills marked ‘overdue’ on the counter before she’s able to hide them.

“I’m good,” Peter said as he swirled his spoon through his bowl of disintegrating cereal. He wasn’t really that hungry but May had put the bowl in front of him before he could protest. So now he’s stuck eating it.

May gave him a look that clearly said she didn’t believe any of the shit he was spewing and reached across the table to grab his hand in hers. “You can talk to me if its getting bad again,” she said, ducking her head so that she could make eye contact with him. Peter kept his face blank. “Is it?” She asked. “Getting bad again?”

“No,” Peter said, forcing a smile onto his face and making eye contact. “I’m just tired – school’s been really busy lately, lots of projects and stuff.” Peter winced internally, that was not his best work. He really sucked at lying.

“Peter,” May admonished gently, her eyes soft and a little wet. “You know its okay to ask for help. I’m right here for you.”

“I know May,” Peter promised, a genuine soft smile taking the place of his fake one as love swelled up inside of him for his aunt. “I’m okay, I promise.”

“Alright honey,” May sighed, letting go of his hand and going back to her tea. Maybe this could be a good day. Just him and May and some old movies and gossip. He had so many things to tell her about school and he really wanted to get an update on Tammy and Ryan, two of the nurses in May’s department, and their passive-aggressive fight for a promotion.

It could be a good day.

May’s phone ringing made both of them stop and glance over to where it was resting, previously innocuously, on its charger in the kitchen. Peter’s heart sank further at the frustrated look on May’s face after she answered and the apologetic way she looked at him. He still smiled and told her it was fine that she had to cover a shift last minute. He knew that she couldn’t turn down the extra money when they so desperately needed it.

Later when he used the blade of his scissors to cut open his wrist he felt even more guilty. He promised May he would never do this again. He hadn’t broken this promise since he made it just after Ben died. He made another slice.

But he just couldn’t help it – some promises were always going to be broken.

—————————————

So there was a loophole.

It had been a rough day already when Peter got stuck in a fight with Shocker. He wasn’t feeling his best that day and he really needed to release some tension. Shocker was the blockade preventing Peter from doing that so he prioritized speed over precision and, in the process, got his arm broken.

The pain was so clarifying and he reveled in it for just a moment before he hastily finished the fight and webbed Shocker up to be picked up by the police.

“You require medical attention,” Karen’s bright voice chirped at him when he landed, out of breath and pain drunk, on a nearby building.

“I don’t think its displaced,” Peter told her, rotating his wrist and hissing. Some more fog cleared from his addled and useless brain.

“Peter,” Karen admonished, sounding disapproving. “You should call Mr. Stark.”

“I’m good,” Peter said instead, squeezing his arm. “I’m great actually.”

He had promised May that he would never hurt himself again but if his enemies did it for him…

Well.

—————————————

“What the hell Peter?” Mr. Stark sounded worried and scared and Peter blinked tired eyes open. It was hard to see since the blood had dripped down into his vision – he would wipe it off but he was just too exhausted to make the effort to pull of his mask. “What happened?”

Peter let out a wet laugh that ended with a cough. His mouth tasted metallic but he wasn’t sure if that was from his bitten tongue or if he was actually coughing up blood.

Didn’t matter. He’d heal.

He felt Mr. Stark pull his mask carefully off his head, barely getting it caught on his broken nose but Peter still hissed at the bright spots of pain. Maybe he overdid it this time. “I’m good,” he slurred, listing a little to the side.

“You aren’t ‘good’,” Tony told him angrily as he pressed a wad of gauze into Peter’s bleeding side. It made his vision grey and spin. “What the hell were you thinking?”

Peter let out a humorless laugh, choking on it a little and spitting out a globule of blood onto the ground. “I was thinking this is the better option.” Tony’s eyes were like daggers as they bore into him and Peter realized in his delirium that he maybe said too much. Tony Stark was a genius after all. “Never mind,” he said hurriedly, trying but knowing there wasn’t anything he could say right then to fix the situation.

“We’ll talk about that later,” Tony assured him in a way that made Peter’s stomach sink. “You’re stable enough to fly so just don’t pass out okay?” The man asked as he stepped back into his armor and picked Peter up. Peter’s vision winked in and out from the change in altitude but he stayed awake.

He didn’t remember the flight to the Tower. He did remember being handed over to Dr. Cho and her team. He remembered the feeling of Tony’s hand in his hair and the smell of anesthesia and then…

Nothing.

———————————————

“You’re healing is pretty amazing,” Tony said and Peter groaned, squinting his eyes open against the dimmed light of his MedBay room. It was dark outside the window and, in the soft light from the lamp in the corner of the room he could see May passed out on the couch under a light blanket.

“Thanks,” Peter croaked, throat dry. Tony held a straw up to his lips and Peter sipped at the tepid water gratefully. His throat felt raw and the water was soothing.

“It’s so good in fact,” Tony continued, setting the water down on the nightstand a little forcefully and crossing his arms to stare at Peter, unwavering, “that it almost healed up your scars from before you were bitten by the spider.” His eyes were locked on Peter’s damaged forearms and the nearly invisible scars hidden there.

Peter wanted to balk at the claim, deny it, but he was tired of lying so he just shrugged instead. Tony’s eyes narrowed further before he let out a sigh and pulled up the sleeves of his sweater to show Peter his own arm where, faintly, horizontal scars shown white against his tan.

Peter’s mind ground to a halt.

“I think we’ll skip most of the sordid tales of my youth,” Tony said sardonically as he rolled his sleeve back down to cover his arm, “but I get it. I didn’t go out and get a bunch of criminal low-lives to kick the shit out of me since my dad was all to willing to offer his services but I get it.”

Peter sniffed a little and gave a tight nod. “What did you do?”

Tony snorted. “Well I was super self-destructive well in my thirties but after… after the Chitauri and the Mandarin… well I started talking to someone. It took a lot of work and it didn’t get better quick but, well it helped.” Tony reached out and gripped Peter’s hand tightly in his. “We can work on it okay? Will you let me help?”

Would he let Tony help? He glanced over at May, still sleeping on the couch. He didn’t want to feel like this anymore. He didn’t want to hurt the people closest to him. He was so tired of being tired all the time.

Would he let Tony help?

“Yes,” Peter said with finality.

#summerofwhump #summerofwhump22 #Prompt: Grief #irondad #spider man #Summer of Whump 2021

[tsuki-chibi]

Ladrien June Day 1 - Solitary: Private Island

To paraphrase, some of the dumbasses in this fandom with their unnecessary negativity towards Ladrien made me mad. So... here’s another (completely unrelated and separate to the storm verse) piece of work for Ladrien June because I’m spiteful and petty.

You can also read it on ao3: Solitary

---

When his alarm went off, Adrien rolled over onto his stomach and sighed. The temptation to bury his head in his pillow and pretend like the rest of the world didn’t exist was overwhelming, but there was no way that was going to happen. If he didn’t get up, Nathalie would come knocking at his door to see if he was awake.

“I’m so tired,” he muttered, pushing himself up. He had stayed up late last night playing a video game and now he was paying for it.

But it had been worth it at the same time. Playing video games with other people was one of the few ways in which Adrien felt he could actually make a connection that wasn’t about his father or his job as a model. When he played a video game, no one had to know that he was Adrien Agreste. He could just be a regular kid. That was more than worth a little exhaustion.

He climbed out of bed and headed for the bathroom. It took him about twenty minutes to take a shower and do his hair in a way that his father would approve of. Then he got dressed, put together the bag he needed for the day, and headed for the door. The house was quiet, but that wasn’t unusual. He made his way downstairs and into the dining room.

Naturally, the table was only set for one. Adrien sighed, wondering why he kept hoping that someday his father might join him again for breakfast. At one time, he, his father, and his mother had eaten almost every meal together. But ever since his mother had died, Adrien had eaten the majority of his meals alone. He sat down and poked at the eggs on his plate.

“Adrien.” Nathalie walked into the room a couple of minutes later, her ever-present tablet held up in her front of her.

“Good morning,” Adrien said politely.

“You have your lessons this morning,” Nathalie said as though he hadn’t spoken. “Later this afternoon, you have a modelling shoot. Your father wasn’t happy with the pictures from yesterday’s shoot, so they need to be re-done.”

Adrien made a face. “Was it something I did?” he asked nervously. He didn’t think it was, because he would have been lectured and punished for it already, but this wouldn’t have been the first time that dealing with Adrien was at the bottom of his father’s priority list.

“No,” Nathalie said shortly, and gave no other explanation, instead moving on with: “Your father asked me to tell you that you’ll need to attend a gala on Friday night.”

“Is he coming?” Adrien asked, and this time he knew what the answer was for certain. His father hadn’t left the mansion for almost a year now. Adrien had given up on trying to get his father to leave and had come to accept that it just wasn’t going to happen.

Still, maybe it was a cold day in hell…

But Nathalie shook her head and said, “I’ll be attending on his behalf. You and your father both received your own invitations. However, I think that this is one gala you won’t mind attending.” Her head rose slightly and she half-smiled. “This gala has a very… unique guest of honor.”

“Oh?” Adrien said, interest piqued. Normally galas were boring as hell, and he hated having to attend them even though he’d been doing it all his life. It was even worse now that his mother was gone, and his father never left the mansion. People – journalists, designers, would-be interns, those interested in business - saw him as the easy way to get to Gabriel Agreste.

If only they understood that, since the death of his wife, Gabriel was more like a private island whose shores no one breach.

Not even Adrien.

“It’s Ladybug,” Nathalie said, and Adrien’s heart skipped a beat.

“Seriously?” he said, dropping his fork into his untouched food.

Nathalie actually chuckled. “Yes, seriously. The mayor decided to hold the gala in Ladybug’s honor to thank her for protecting Paris from Hawkmoth for six months. I expect your invitation was at Mademoiselle Bourgeois’ insistence.”

Adrien made a mental note to thank Chloé because Nathalie was probably right. He most likely would’ve ended up going anyway on Gabriel’s behalf – it was unlikely that Nathalie would be sent by herself to represent the brand – but it was nice to think that he’d received his own invitation this time. Especially for an event as important as this one was going to be!

“You’ll be wearing a new suit for the occasion,” Nathalie added, making a note on her tablet. “Your Fencing lesson on Friday is going to be cut short so that you have time to come home, shower, and change.”

“Got it,” Adrien said, feeling a frisson of excitement. He didn’t even care about his Fencing lesson.

Ladybug was easily the coolest thing to hit Paris in months. Ever since the day when she’d stood up against Hawkmoth, Adrien had fallen head over heels in love. He tried not to talk much about Ladybug in front of his father, since Gabriel didn’t seem to like her, but apparently he hadn’t been as successful as he’d hoped if even Nathalie was aware of his feelings.

It was probably a good thing that Gabriel wouldn’t be coming, Adrien reflected as he turned back to his breakfast. Adrien would have a much harder time talking to Ladybug if he knew that his father was watching his every move.

Not that he knew for sure he would be able to talk to Ladybug.

In fact, he probably wouldn’t.

If this gala was being held in Ladybug’s honor, she was going to be really busy. Mayor Bourgeois was going to want to show Ladybug off and make sure that she spoke to all the important people.

Adrien was pretty sure he wouldn’t be counted as important.

But that was okay.

Even just getting the chance to be in the same room as Ladybug would be really cool, honestly. Even if all he got to do was hang back with Chloé and see Ladybug from a distance, that would be enough. Chloé loved Ladybug almost as much as Adrien did, so this would be the most exciting thing to happen to either one of them in months.

He was hard-pressed to hide his excited smile as he turned back to his breakfast. Suddenly, Friday night couldn’t come fast enough.

#miraculous ladybug #adrien agreste #nathalie sancoeur #ladrienjune2021 #ladrien #solitary #this is a more traditional ladrien june story #in that it's got adrien and the ladybug we know and love

[eveningstar1516]

Rise of the Demon King ~ Chapter 10

Rise of the Demon King Fic: Multi Chapter Paring: MC x Everyone (Mostly Lucifer) Type: Angst with a Happy Ending Total Word Count: 26,758 TW: Major Character Death, Reader gets stabbed with a sword through their chest so..., Abusive Parents, Past Child Abuse, Demon Hunters, Loss of Control Summary: You’ve done it. You’ve finally done it. You’ve managed to anger the demon king. Now you hold your head high as he hands down your sentence. AO3 Portal: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27065362 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A/N: I gotta Discord server guys! It's primarily Obey Me but other fandoms are welcome as well. It's kinda baby and dead so me and the other members are looking to revive it and we'd love for you to come join us. A roleplay area is included :) https://discord.gg/F3YEmDZCPS Please remember to read and accept the rules once you join for access to all the channels. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Previously: Satan spent the rest of the night by his brother's side, cleaning his room and slowly, step by step, bringing back how his brother usually looked like. A glowing masterpiece, worthy of both envy and praise. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CHAPTER 10 - A Strong Bond (1616 words)

I was sitting at Lucifer's desk in his old room. After spending 3 sleepless nights in a row, Simeon helped me move into Luci’s old room which thankfully had some really good blinds to block out the celestial sun. The paperwork seemed as endless as it had in the Devildom only this time, it was the archangels' work. While they did their share and dealt with their department’s issues, the majority of the work still fell on my shoulders. I’m starting to understand why Lucifer felt this way towards paperwork. I put the pen down as I finished up the last of this week’s paperwork. Looking at the time, I realized I’ve been working for the past 9 hours straight. Getting up, I stretched my back and felt my joints popping. I filed the rest of the work and got dressed in something more comfortable. A simple dark blue turtleneck and white jeans. I made my way to the kitchen, having missed dinner, I wanted to get something to nibble on before bed. Upon entering, I found Raphael at the table with a cup of celestial berry tea. Noticing me, he looked up and waved me over.

“What are you still doing up Raph?” “I could ask the same. Here, we have some leftovers.” Raphael got up and got a plate from the fridge placing it in the microwave before getting another mug to pour more tea in. “Thank you” I took the mug with both hands and slowly sipped it. Relishing the warmth flowing down my throat. Taking the plate out of the microwave, Raphael set it in front of me before ruffling my hair and sitting back down. Laughing I retaliated back.

“H-hey! I’m not a child”

“You are compared to us. An overworked tired child that despite being in over their head, is doing an amazing job at keeping us running.”

“Thank you. It is hard though. I have no idea how Lu did it, still does it.”

“Yeah, Sammy would work himself to exhaustion. You actually remind me of him. Your determination to get the work done flawlessly and your dedication. Are you sure you’re not supposed to be an angel?”

“Heh, thanks Raph, but you and I both know I’m only doing this to go back.”

“Do you have to though? You’ve been here for a full millenia now. Don’t you want to stay?”

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s lovely up here and you guys are the absolute best, but I don’t belong here. My heart is in the Devildom with the brothers.”

“Why though? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not criticizing, but why would you rather stay in the Devildom than here?”

“I guess the Devildom just grew on me. The Devildom, and the bro’s. I like the way Belphie looks when he’s sleeping peacefully, his head on my lap. I admire the way Beel protects his twin and his brothers, sacrificing everything to make them happy. I envy the way Asmo can change a tense atmosphere into an up beat one effectively dissolving any tension. I find myself thinking about Satan and the late reading nights we’d have and the discussions about cats and our books. I wish I had as much passion as Levi does with his games and shows. Confidently ranting on about them without caring what others think. I’m amazed by Mammon’s love for his family. Everything he sacrifices to make them happy. He even puts himself in the line of fire and would redirect the attention to himself by doing something stupid to distract them from their suffering. I love Lucifer. I love how much he cares for his family. All he sacrifices, all he endures, all the pain he hides from them to keep them happy. To keep us all happy... I miss them.” Tears started pooling as I reminisced about the brothers. Raphael leaned over and pulled me into a shoulder hug.

“I know you do. If it’s any consolation, I’m sure they miss you too. It sounds like you created a strong bond with them. I’m sure you’ll get to see them soon.”

“I hope so. Thanks Raph.”

“Anytime Y/N. I think you should get some rest. Don’t forget we have a-”

“Y/N, Raphael.” Michael walked into the kitchen. He had a look that closely resembled contentment and relief.

“Michael, how can we help you?”

“You should be in bed Raphael. Father wants to see Y/N. Now.” Raphael and I exchanged a look. I finished off my tea and hugged Raphael goodnight before heading to my room to change into something more appropriate for my meeting with God. 5 minutes later and we were on our way to the palace. In the Devildom After they lost Y/N The day they lost Y/N was the hardest day in their life. After they got back to the house, they both went straight to their room, not talking with anyone. Behind the relative safety of a locked door, Belphie crawled into bed and tried to escape reality. Beel sat on his bed and closed his eyes. He didn’t try to sleep, he didn’t go to the kitchen, he didn’t move. He just sat there, the pain numbing him. They stayed like this for a while before Belphie started tossing and turning, his slumber becoming a restless nightmare. Beel got up and changed into something more comfortable. He moved Belphie over and got under the covers, pulling his twin into his chest. Belphie felt himself being pulled into his older brother's embrace and leaned into it, grief evident on both their faces as they both fell into a dreamless sleep.

The days following weren’t much better. Beel wouldn’t eat as much, practically starving himself and he was rarely found. When any of the brothers would go looking for him, they’d either find him in his room or the gym. Belphie wouldn’t wake up at all anymore. He’d go weeks sleeping, if you could call nightmare filled nights sleeping. He wasn’t any better awake either. When he did wake to attend school or fulfill an order from the king, you could practically see the waves of pure wrath and resentment surrounding him, only dispersing when Beel was close by. There were days where neither of them would leave their room, both just staring into space, little words exchanged. Although they didn’t need to. Their shared bond conveyed more than words could express. The pain amplified by this bond. When Belphie was awake, the twins would practically be inseparable. Neither going anywhere without the other.

This went on for a few months. One day after being rudely awakened from a nap, Belphie found himself wandering the house for a quiet place to sleep. Normally, he’d just head up to the attic, however today, he found his feet leading him down to the catacombs, towards Lilith’s, now Y/N’s casket. He doesn’t know what brought him here, but as soon as he saw it, his eyes started watering. He doesn’t know if it’s because of the memories he has assorted with the casket or if it was because Beel was sitting next to it, leaning his back against the side, crying. Sensing Belphie’s presence, Beel opened his eyes and turned his head towards his twin. He cracked a small, tired smile as Belphie moved to sit next to him. This was the first time Belphegor had seen Beelzebub cry since Y/N’s execution. Sitting next to his brother, he leaned into the larger demon letting his own tears flow. Their hands gravitated toward each other as they took hold. For the first time since the trial, they sat together in silence; tears flowing down their cheeks. Eventually, they fell asleep like this, holding each other's hands. It was Levi that found them. The 3rd born having come down to place the gift he got for Y/N from the convention on the casket. He spotted the twins sleeping with tear stained cheeks and left. He came back down a few minutes later with a blanket and a few snacks for when they awoke. Not wanting to disturb them, he set down the Ruri-chan kit and carefully draped the blanket over them. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was envious of the twins connection and devotion to be there for each other. Then he remembered about their connection. He knows the twins can feel what the other is feeling. He realized that they were probably taking this the hardest, their shared connection amplifying the pain. His envy for them left, replaced by something resembling pity. He left them in the catacombs and retreated to his room. The twins awoke at the same time. They took notice of the blanket draped over them and the fruit tray placed next to them. They exchanged a smile as Beel leaned over to grab the tray, offering the fruit to Belphie first. Belphegor grabbed an apple slice and held it towards Beel. Beel opened his mouth accepting the slice and repeated the action with a clementine. They continued like this, feeding each other until the tray was empty. They stayed down in the catacombs for a little while longer, their bond conveying the vows they made to each other. They’d never leave each other's side. Always be there for their other half.

After that day, Beel would take responsibility for waking the youngest whenever he slept for too long and Belphie took responsibility for making sure Beel ate whenever he was awake. From that day forward, you’d never find one twin without the other close by. Their relationship strengthened, one relying on the other. Always being there when needed.

#obey me: one master to rule them all #obey me #obey me x reader #lucifer x reader #obey me lucifer #mammon x reader #obey me mammon #leviathan x reader #obey me leviathan #satan x reader #obey me satan #asmodeus x reader #obey me asmodeus #beelzebub x reader #obey me beelzebub #belphegor x reader #obey me belphegor #obey me micheal #OMFIC #Soft 👏 Beel 👏 And 👏 Belphie 👏 Moments 👏 #Check out my Discord

[myfearless-love]

The Wildest Place You Run (6/?) - No Intention of Hurting You

As promised, second chapter this week is here! Hope you like it! Thank you for reading, reblogging, liking! Also huge thank you to my bet and artist, @thejollyroger-writer!! Check out the art she made for chapters 5 & 6!

Summary:

Vampires, Werewolves, Mages, and Elves. For centuries, they kept their existence a secret, but the constant rebellions against the strict laws of the Guild had led to a terrible tragedy. In an open clash, it became apparent to humans just what kind of monsters lived among them. Emma Swan loses the love of her life in the first battle of the war. A few months later, while still trying to process what happened, a mysterious and terrifying figure worms his way into her life. But the man is hiding far more terrible secrets than he reveals to her, pulling them both into a horrible situation...

Chapter: 6/? - No Intention of Hurting You

Fandom: Once Upon a Time

Rating: M

Relationships: Killian Jones/Emma Swan

Read on: FF.net or AO3

Words: ~4.4k

Previous parts:

Ch 1 II Ch 2 II Ch 3 II Ch 4 II Ch 5

.

It was as if the whole world were swaying around her and a giant vortex was about to swallow her. She felt the cold biting into her bones, its cruel teeth like needles on her skin. Then she saw huge cordons emerge from the utter darkness around her, a pale figure appearing before her eyes. His arms swelled with muscle, his eyes gleamed black, and his mouth twisted into a satisfied grin. Behind the cordon, there were burning, overturned vehicles...

“Swan! Bloody hell, what’s happening?”

Someone shook her shoulder violently, the darkness flickered, and she found herself back in the comfortable leather seat of the Porsche with the soothing orange glow of the instrument panel. “Just a vision. I’m sure it was one this time,” she murmured, massaging her aching temple.

“A vision?” Killian’s gaze wandered back and forth between her and the road. “Your eyes were closed, and you weren’t breathing. I thought it was a… seizure.”

“No, it wasn’t. But we have to turn back, the road’s closed. Or it will be in a few minutes.”

“I can’t.” He shook his head. “It’s the only way out of town. It would be too much of a detour, and we’re running out of time.”

“But it’s closed!” she repeated desperately, the image of the man and the cordon still flashing before her eyes.

“And you think that’s going to stop me?” He raised an eyebrow, and she already knew the answer to his question: no, of course not.

After half a minute, the barriers appeared in the street, as did the uniformed policeman loitering before them. She was sure he was the figure she had just seen in her vision. With a half-smile on his face, he let his hand slide loosely into his pocket and walked toward the slowing Porsche.

“Good afternoon! As you can see, the road is closed. There has been a minor accident. You can get around to Vermilion Boulevard—”

“I’m afraid we don’t have time for that. Can we just…”

She blanked out Killian’s voice and instead stared at the cop in fascination. He looked so familiar, but she just couldn’t figure out where from.

Then the officer pointed to the back of the car, leaned lightly against the door with one hand, and turned his face away. The left half of his cheek was marred by a couple of circular scars.

And then it became crystal clear.

He was the vampire who had wounded Neal with the dagger.

After a moment’s thought, she reached for her gun. She would never have a better opportunity than this to settle at least a small score from that night. But the creature noticed her movement and immediately jumped on top of the car. She suspected he wasn’t in the mood to get a few more cuts on his face.

Killian didn’t hesitate for long either, he immediately stepped on the gas.

“Killian, the barriers!” she yelled, holding her arms in front of her face (as if that would protect her from a possible collision).

She heard the Vampire roll off from the roof of the car and hit the ground behind them with a thud, then she waited for the impact.

But nothing happened, only the soothing purr of the engine could be heard. Half a minute later, she blinked her eyes open and looked anxiously at the windshield, but by then they were speeding through the suburbs, dodging the burning cars in the streets.

“What the…?”

“Did you seriously think I was going to wreck this car?” Killian laughed, amused by her baffled expression, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

He was making fun of her a lot lately, and she didn’t like that at all. “I hardly know you, you could be a total lunatic!” She objected, but to her surprise, he only laughed louder instead of being offended.

“How true, lass.” He left it at that, but still smiling.

It was strange to see that expression on his face. Cheerful. Open. Sincere.

“And it would be best for you if it stayed that way…” he added, and the smile didn’t fade from his face, instead morphing into bitterness.

“What do you mean?” She raised an eyebrow, but she was almost certain she had guessed what he meant.

He didn’t answer right away. He bit his lower lip, then gave her a quick sideways glance. “It doesn’t matter.” He shook his head and said nothing more.

Emma, on the other hand, scanned his face and his rigid eyes curiously.

An awkward silence descended upon them, and for long minutes, neither of them said anything. She couldn’t decide whether to force the issue or not. She wondered about Killian’s past and wanted to know what had happened to him.

“It does for me. I want to know you,” she replied softly, opting for honesty.

Killian shuddered and looked at her again. “You don’t know what you’re asking for.” He shook his head ruefully.

“Then tell me. Let me be the judge of that,” she insisted, surprising herself at how vehement her tone was.

August would surely be interested, too, and after a long, painful month, something — or someone — was finally making her curious.

Killian didn’t answer this time, just kept his gaze on the road and wrapped himself in silence again.

“Why are you interested?” he began after a few minutes.

“I don’t know. I just am,” she admitted and shrugged.

She wasn’t trying to snoop in his past because of August, though. She wanted to know more about him because of her own curiosity.

“You’re strange,” he said quietly, but there was no trace of mockery in his voice.

“So are you.” She left it at that, counting down the seconds for when he would finally give in. But it seemed she had been overconfident, and cracking the nutshell would be harder than she thought.

“Are we far?” she asked after a good quarter of an hour. She decided to table the subject for now. He obviously didn’t want to elaborate and it wasn’t like she had a choice in the matter. If he didn’t want to talk about himself, she wouldn’t force him.

“Not long now,” he replied, his face suddenly looking infinitely tormented. He blinked flatly and slowly tilted his head back, rolling his neck.

“Are you tired?”

“A bit,” he murmured wearily, but kept his eyes on the road.

“Um, do you mind if I turn on the radio?” she asked, a little concerned.

She couldn’t let him fall asleep behind the wheel. If she could drive, she would gladly offer to take the wheel over, but since she couldn’t, her only option was the loud booming music.

“I’d rather listen to my own music,” he said, gesturing towards the glove compartment.

Without a word, she plugged in the USB player after fishing it out.

At maximum volume, "Sin" by Pet Shop Boys began blaring. Killian seemed to have perked up a bit, and she contentedly drummed the rhythm on her jean-clad knees. She was shocked, too, but she was actually having fun with him, in the middle of a huge storm and a possible Elf attack, while listening to one of her favorite songs. An inexplicable serenity took hold of her, and she returned Killian’s smile.

“I never would have guessed you’d like this genre,” she exclaimed over the music.

Killian raised an eyebrow, but decided to let the remark slide. “I see you like it too.”

“Yeah! I’m always up for some retro music.”

She was eagerly searching the USB player’s library for more songs when the car skidded through a dent in the road. With a jerk, she snatched her head up, only then realizing they were driving on a forest road.

“Where exactly are we now?” She began to grow uneasy.

“Not far from Firefly Hill.”

To avoid a nasty hit on the head in case of another bump on the road, she leaned back in her seat. Soon her phone vibrated again and, of course, it was David. Again.

“Get me Killian!” was her only greeting.

“It’s David. He wants to talk to you.” She handed him the phone.

Killian stared at the device in surprise for a while, but then took it from her grasp. “We’re on our way,” he replied after some silence. “We just left Firefly Hill … Yes, I’ll take her right there… Sorry mate, you’re late. It’s too late.”

With that, Killian ended the call and handed the phone back to her. She took it with a slight daze and put it back in her pocket.

“Where’s David now?” she asked seriously.

“At your place,” came the curt reply.

“Didn’t you just say he was coming too?” The whole thing was getting weirder by the second, and she was beginning to feel uncomfortable.

“That was the plan, yes.”

“Killian, what the hell is going on?” She stopped trying to pretend to be calm. She was in full panic mode.

“Your brother will be a little late, but he will be there,” he tried to reassure her, but he failed.

Killian gradually slowed the car at the edge of the clearing but didn’t turn off the headlights, so Emma could clearly take out the wood-framed house in the thick of the trees, which was ready to collapse at any moment.

“Why are we stopping here?”

“We’re here.”

“Are you seriously saying that this dump is the Guild headquarters?” She was beginning to lose her patience.

August was right, something was off about Killian. Involuntarily, her fingers wandered to her gun, the alarm bells in her head refusing to fall silent. She knew something was up.

“Aye,” he replied as calmly as he could, but then he noticed her hands slipping to the gun, and she slowly pulled back from him as far as she could. “Bloody hell, Swan! I’m not going to hurt you.” His eyes widened in shock, but she wasn’t fooled by his almost professional demeanor.

If she thought about it, maybe he didn’t even have to put on a show. She’s sure he thought he could play her for a fool and she wouldn’t realize he was reporting back to their enemies.

“August said we couldn’t trust you! And there must’ve been a reason for my vision!” She pulled out the pistol and pressed it directly to Killian’s forehead.

“You’ve got this all wrong,” he snarled, and she detected a previously unknown emotion in his eyes. Fear.

“Get out of the car!” she demanded, and all that was running on a loop in her head was his conversation with David. That, and the promise she’d made to herself a couple of years ago that she still couldn’t stick to.

You can’t trust anyone unconditionally.

Then Killian’s voice echoed in her mind again.

“Sorry mate, you’re late. It’s too late.”

“Emma, don’t do this! Trust me!”

“Why should I? I don’t know you, you’re just a stranger to me, and you just said it was better if it stayed that way. If you don’t do as I say, I won’t leave things to chance.” Only her words were confident; she and her voice were not.

What if he really didn’t want to hurt her and she was just a scaredy-cat?

But then, what she feared the most did happen. A strange light flashed in Killian’s eyes and the gun simply flew out of her hand, right through the back window, shattering the glass. He grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her out of the car.

“I’m sorry, love, but if we keep this up, they’re going to sense our presence,” he informed her, grabbing hold of her other arm and walking her toward the house.

His hold was firm, but surprisingly gentle around her wrist.

“Let go of me, you jerk! What the hell are you doing?” she was terrified now, unable to think, and yanked convulsively on her arm to free herself from Killian’s iron grip.

“Mil... Swan!” he corrected himself immediately. “Please, calm down. I don’t want to hurt you, you have to understand that! The Guild is here, the trapdoor…”

“Tell me what you want from me! You’re not going to blackmail David with me! They’re not stupid enough to jeopardize the Guild because of me, so if that’s your plan, you might as well let me go!”

“Have you lost your bloody mind?” He, too, began to lose his patience. “I said I didn’t want to hurt you! The Elves hot on our heels, on the other hand, might not be in the same mood!” he proclaimed, but she still couldn’t believe him.

He was only trying to trick her, she was sure, as he had done so far. She cursed herself for falling for the guise of the sad, lonely guy. How could they always fool her?

She dug her heels and then simply threw herself to the ground, hoping to slip out of Killian’s hands, but he was prepared for that move. All she managed to achieve was to pull him with her, but his grip on her wrist didn’t loosen a whiff.

The next moment, he jumped up and yanked her up with one hand, her head jolting against his chest. She decided to do what was most logical and easy in this situation: she kicked him in the groin with her knee.

Finally, something he had not expected.

He let out a painful groan, curled up, and pressed his hand where her knee had been a moment ago. She didn’t hesitate for a moment and immediately ran toward the forest. She hated running, and would never understand those who did it for fun, but that mentality would have come in handy now. She threw herself into the trees, trying to watch out for fallen branches and protruding roots. She certainly didn’t want to fall on the muddy, leaf-covered ground.

The wind roared cruelly among the trees as well, she heard almost nothing but her own gasps and the whistling of the wind in her ear.

She was surprised at how far away she managed to flee, and she hoped Killian had given up and “entrusted” her to the care of the forest. Exhausted, she leaned against the trunk of an old tree, trying to quench her thirst for air. Slowly, she let herself slide to the ground, her legs trembling with fatigue. All she wanted was to catch her breath and rest a little.

She closed her eyes and tried to think soberly, rationalize everything she knew so far about Killian. He was a traitor, that’s why he was such a loner and standoffish. He was not the best actor, so he took on few roles, always standing in the corner and listening rather than speaking.

But why did they always find her? Was her naivety that obvious?

It seemed like it.

All her life, she had only trusted three people who didn’t betray her. Mary Margaret, David, and Neal. Everyone else, no matter how good she tried to be to them, had taken advantage of her, deceived and betrayed her.

A sudden noise broke her out of her musings.

To her left, a branch crackled, the rustling of leaves swept towards her by the gust. With the last of her strength, she sprang to her feet and, without turning, she started running again. Her crumbling knees warned her she wouldn’t get far, but she had to try.

She could barely jog twenty yards when a sharp pain erupted in her shoulder. She let out a yelp, and as a result of a powerful push, she landed on the hard, cold ground. The muscles and bones in her shoulder seemed to be on fire, it was unbearable and she couldn’t stop screaming.

She rolled onto her back and pressed her uninjured hand to her wounded shoulder, which was already wet with her blood. She gasped for air and found it difficult to focus on the gray, bluish-skinned Dark Elf towering in front of her. His long, white hair fluttered about his waist as he glared down at her, an evil smile stretching over his lips.

He approached her slowly and leaned over her. She wanted to get up and run away, but she couldn’t get her limbs to move. She whimpered weakly and began to regret running away from Killian. It was possible that she would have died faster and in a gentler way…

Death. Was there life after that? Could she meet Neal? She missed him very much.

Then, however, the Elf straightened and sniffed the air furiously. His face twisted into a grimace and simply turned his back on her. At that exact moment, he flew back through the air at least thirty yards, and the trunk of the tree he had collided with gave out with a weak crack.

She decided that if she still wanted to live to see the next sunrise, she had to act now. Despite the shrilling pain in her shoulder, she rolled onto her stomach, propped herself up on her palms, and tried to convince her legs to support her weight. Suddenly, however, she got help: an arm wrapped around her waist and another under her knees, and she was swept up by a tall figure.

The man pressed her body to his chest and started running. Hesitantly, she chanced a look up at her rescuer’s face, but as soon as she met Killian’s gaze, the relief she had felt a moment ago instantly evaporated. She wanted to scream at him, to hit him, to protest, but she had zero strength left. She had no choice but to beg. Maybe it would work. Or maybe it wouldn’t even move him at all.

“Killian, no... Please, don’t.”

“Shh, Emma, calm down.” He pressed her body harder against him as she began to squirm. She almost managed to wiggle out of his arms and if it wasn’t for his fast reflexes, she would’ve slumped to the ground. He steadied her and, with a concerned flash in her eyes, he brushed an errant lock of her hair from her eyes. The gesture was so gentle that she all but forgot to twist out of his hold — and then something caught her eye.

She never had a close look at the tattoos on his left arm, but now a name stood out in contrast among the many designs.

Who the hell was Milah? Was that what he was going to call her earlier before he corrected himself?

But before she could ponder those questions any longer, the last drops of consciousness seeped out of her, her strength evaporating, her limbs going numb. The last thing she felt was Killian gathering her limp body into his arms. She greeted the sweet, empty blackness like an old acquaintance, almost relieved that they were meeting again.

-/-

“They’re coming! But... I don’t think Emma is doing so well.” Robin’s voice gradually entered her brain, and Emma found it hard to fully comprehend the words. She was still numb, every part of her feeling like lead.

“What? What’s happened? Jones! What the—”

“I can explain, but first—”

Killian’s voice was cut off by David’s outburst. “What did you do to her? You’re going to regret this! Didn’t I tell you to take care of her?”

“David, we don’t have time for this now!” Mary Margaret admonished him, her voice sounding used, slightly hoarse. “Killian, come with me.”

Squeaking doors, hushed whispers, shuffling footsteps, rustling of clothes. Silence and darkness. Again.

She was recovering from a long, dreamless sleep in a completely unfamiliar room. Her shoulder woke her, a pain boring cruelly through her flesh. The throbbing brought tears to her eyes in an instant.

She wiped her eyes with her hand, then looked around the room as best she could. It was very modest, the wide double bed she was lying on almost completely filling the room. There was no window, the only source of light coming from the simple chandelier that hung from the ceiling. The walls were covered in navy blue wallpaper that immediately sent a cold shiver down her spine. The bedding was also a light cerulean shade, but it was a visibly expensive piece.

Her throat was dry and sore, and in the back of her head sat an ache that threatened to grow into a severe migraine, a sure sign that dehydration wasn’t far off. She would have given half her life for a glass of water. Emma decided to ignore her discomfort until she managed to roll her body into a sitting position and set her lead-heavy legs on the floor, standing up a little wobbly and feeling like jello. She managed quite well as she headed for the door, but needless to say, she didn’t even know her vocabulary for swear words was that enormous.

She was already halfway across the room when someone hesitantly opened the door. At first, the person only dared to poke their head in the little nook. Emma, on the other hand, instinctively took two steps back.

Killian quickly entered the room and quietly closed the door behind him. He raised both hands up in surrender and studied her face as if she were a ticking time bomb.

“Swan, I still have no intention of hurting you,” he remarked softly, and she nodded slowly, swallowing hard.

The events of the last few hours were only now beginning to become real. Not only had she made a spectacular fool of herself — which she often managed to do — but this time it had almost cost her life.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured quietly.

She felt her cheeks turn warm, so she angled her body away from Killian’s searching gaze. But the tiny room began to spin in a strange dance before her eyes.

“You should rest some more, love,” he noted softly.

“I’m thirsty. I’ll get something to drink first.” She made her way towards the exit again, but her legs didn’t seem ready to cooperate for such a long journey. She was dizzy as hell, and if Killian’s reflexes weren’t so unbeatable, she would have acquired a new gash on her head.

“I’ll fetch you some water.”

He hooked an arm around her waist and practically carried her back to the bed. He gently pressed her back onto the pillow, and then hurried out of the room.

She barely had time to close her eyes when he returned with a glass of cold water in his hand.

“Thanks.” She took the drink from his hold with a grateful look and began taking generous sips of the refreshing beverage. It felt incredible in her nearly parched throat, but she couldn’t enjoy it for long before Killian snatched it from her fingers.

“Don’t be greedy now, Swan. Slow down.” He smiled, set the glass on the nightstand, then anxiously leaned over to her and slowly shook his head.

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry!”

They said it at the same time, but somehow the scene didn’t turn out to be comical at all.

“What you did was incredibly foolish,” he said in a half-hearted, scolding tone, setting himself on the edge of the bed.

“Um, yeah, seems to be a theme in my life,” she joked. “But really, I’m sorry. You just scared me and I thought…”

“I know quite well what you thought. When you held the Glock to my head, you made it perfectly clear.” His tone sounded somber as he turned his head away.

She was incredibly ashamed and it must have shown because she was almost sure her face was the color of a tomato.

“You were cryptic and kind of shady,” she muttered defensively, but even she heard how pathetic her excuses were.

“I know, but I didn’t have time to explain, I sensed the Elves were on our heels.”

She didn’t know what to say in response, she would have preferred to turn into an ostrich and bury her head in the sand, honestly. “I didn’t think it through. My brain wasn’t working and I panicked,” she whined in despair. “I’ve been a little paranoid lately.”

Killian’s face became inscrutable again, and the whole situation felt strange as he sat on the edge of the bed. His presence somehow reassured her, because she was quite sure now that he really wasn’t going to hurt her. And it was good that they could work everything out in a civilized manner. Most Hunters would have talked her ear off by now. To be honest, she would have deserved it. She was acting like an irresponsible lunatic. Speaking of which...

“Oh, and I’m also sorry for kicking you.”

To her surprise, Killian let out a soft laugh. “I’m not saying I enjoyed it, but I must congratulate you on that move. I wasn’t expecting that,” he replied lightly. “Though, you did give me quite a scare with the gun.”

“I didn’t think you could be scared of anything, and you’ve outdone yourself in that regard…”

“I’m not surprised…” he muttered, fidgeting with the edge of the cotton blanket.

Then her brother’s shouting broke the momentary silence.

“Why is he in there? I made it pretty clear he wasn’t to come near her!”

His outburst of anger didn’t even surprise her. Nice little family she’d gotten here. Paranoia, anger issues… there’s everything. The hinges of the door creaked frantically as David stormed into the tiny room. The door slammed against the wall and he marched furiously toward Killian, who got up from the bed faster than she could follow with her eyes.

Within two fleeting seconds, David’s fist met with Killian’s chin. He made no sound at the blow but stumbled and fell to all fours. Blood dripped from his skin, the surface of his jaw scraped by the force of the punch.

“David, it was an accident! It was all my fault! I screwed up, I was stupid and—”

“If he’d kept you safe, this wouldn’t have happened! You could’ve died! Like Leo!”

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