#i wanna try making an arg myself :3

[bunnyspine]

Hiii hello

I had an idea for a project (inspired by welcome home!)

This little guy, covered in stickers, is the main character!

He is a teacher that works with elementary school students ^^

He is very energetic and loves learning/teaching new skills :3

(He's still nameless, but the arg is called Sunshine Funtime!)

#i wanna try making an arg myself :3 #i have some ideas ^^ #oh btw #he gives you stickers for correct answers!! #arg #welcome home #welcome home arg #original character #character design #oc #art #digital art #paint tool sai #puppet #sunshine funtime

[super87nova]

Hi everyone, it's been a VERY VERY long time hm?

Sorry about that! Anyways, here's some extremely old Megaman battle network art I made.

Alot of people like this, and this is my most popular art piece to date. I have no idea what they see in this, it's not even suggestive either.. I'm proud of it, but I can do MUCH MUCH better.

I'm posting here because I wanna say a bit, and I feel bad if I bloat my other socials like DA and whatever the hell twitter is now.

I've been extremely sad, and very low energy, not even enough to get out of bed, I have a YouTube channel called N::AyanoNova::L which I post voice diaries called iNDiGOLogs, I've recorded 3 of them, but I'm back at square one of being afraid to post them, afraid to view the ones I already have. The feeling of hatred towards myself is getting worse now, before I can ignore it, but now it's getting over bearing, I don't even wanna talk with my friends anymore because of it, they deserve a friend not a patient. I also have another YouTube channel that's secretly public, I'm not going to tell you it, but if you look around on my profile and put your ARG thinking hats on, I think you'd find it, if you want too, that channel is for my more unfiltered self that's not happy.

I miss my best friend, I miss talking to her, she commissioned my icon and since we are no longer friends, but I still love her and miss her deeply, I can't change it and I sadly don't have the original picture...

I just want this all to end, I wanna go back in time, I don't wanna deal with this, i can't, I don't fit in any where, not on the internet or in reality.. I want my sis back, I want my mom to be alive again, I want to be pretty, I want to be skinny, I don't want my huge tits anymore, because that's what all people freaking see and care to talk about, I want a job, I want to support my doggo, I wanna post my stories and art and wanna live that life that people on DA, Tumblr and YouTube live, where they can freely share their creative stories without being scared and have videos about them, no matter how stupid and dumb it is... Ugh Sorry for venting.

I have another blog where i post my dreams and now daydreams and stories I make with Character.ai due to not wanting to put my 2 friends through horrible rps of characters they don't care about xD I'll read the dreams I have there, and try my best to not think negative and to just escape...

Enjoy the picture, I'll try and be more active here.. But no promises, because I'm forgotten, I do like how I drew Roll and MegaMan, Ugh one more question if you read this far, What can I do to improve!? I can't figure out why my art looks so muddy and gross.. Please help me ^^

#art advice #sketch #drawings #digital artist #vent #vent post #megaman #megamix #battle network #megaman battle network #rock n roll #rockman #rockmanbattlenetwork #megaman.exe #roll.exe #anime #fanart #video games #gaming #doodle #i'll try and post more art #artist problems #my art #artwork #capcom

[pupcuck]

waaa sorry! i really cant help myself when it came to your last fic! ashley is gone for the day—nothing out if the ordinary, she’s shopping and spending all the money that leon doesn’t think twice about. you sit in her room, waiting for her, it’s unfortunate that for the past few weeks, all you can think about is her father. the once disgustedthoughts are replaced by your own disgusting desires. competition wasn’t something you wanted commonly, but this was a burning feeling in your chest. you needed to be the only one that leon saw, the way he held ashley, the way he kissed her lovingly, and the way he’d spit on you if he wanted to (not that you’d mind).

it consumed you to the point where you’d start to change your act. you wanted him to notice you more than anything, you were determined to show him that you could do better than ashley could. you’d start putting more effort into how you looked, trying to copy ashley to a degree where the different was noticeable, but not in such a way that dots could be connected. sitting in her room, you tried to look as innocent as possible as her father walked in.

the conversation you both was short, but you were full of yourself and you go straight to the point.

“i can treat you better than she can.” you mumble but just enough for him to hear. leon’s not caught off guard, but he is intrigued. he wonders how you went from despising him to now, wanting him. he gives you a chance, just one. you gag around him, something ashley wouldn’t do, you cry and babble about how you need him, and he feels bad. how long have you needed this from him? he’s quick to sink in to you, he’ll admit, you’re slightly tighter than his girl, slightly. you’re a foreign feeling so he hisses, mumbles out short groans, and sits back as you bounce on him, little tears fall from your eyes as you clench around him—taking him for all he’s worth.

he doesn’t say anything to ashley when she comes home that day and neither do you. you feel guilty but leon just doesn’t want to deal with his daughters whining at the moment. you leave later that night and don’t expect anything to happen again. you’re a little sad—thinking of it as a one night stand. you get ready for bed and you’re one blink away from sleep until your phone buzzes.

unknown number:

i don’t mind showing you how to actually please a man.

—————

i LOVEEEED ur last fic ARG. i just can’t stop thinking about how leon is embedded in our minds and we just get fed up with how he doesn’t give us enough attention! would u ever make a part 2 of that fic ? no pressure! just wondering :3

HIII thanks for writing a whole ass drabble in my inbox omg? and I probably won’t do a part 2!! but I do wanna write ab leshley and president leon as separate ideas :3

I think he is very in love with ashley so you have to be so careful with how you word things around him, like that’s literally his princess, but also why would he pass up on a cute young thing!!! and ash likes you sooooo much if fucking you is keeping you around and you make her happy then like what else is he meant to do? and it’s not like it’s bad, like all he’s doing is fucking he’s not losing anything

#tw incest #inbox 💌

[mug-of-shark]

aight so like

figured i should do an intro post to myself maybe?? if u don’t wanna read this long-ass thing just keep on going ^-^

i’ve made a pronouns page btw

Up first! name n pronouns :)

my name is kitt, critter, or fox, and you can use just about any pronouns for me <3 if using neos, stick to

cey/ceyr/ceyrself,

ki/kiy/kiyself,

ti/tyr/tyrself,

xey/xem/xemself

aroace methinks

interests is up next?

I like a lot of things. Interests and fixations I currently have are:

-generation loss fuck i love generation loss ranboo my beloved

-good omens!!!!!!!!!!

-jse egos(specifically antisepticeye i fuckin love him)

-creepypastas and general slenderverse things(specifically marble hornets, everymanHYBRID (HABIT <3) and ticci toby)

-dream smp. it may be dead but the characters and story have fundamentally changed me i think so yeah

-hlvrai!!!! actively desiring making cosplays of these bastards

General hobbies n shit!

writing(fanfic),

drawing both digitally and traditionally,

character-making,

cosplaying,

listening to music

scrolling tumblr for art

watching videos (like old slenderman args)

daydreaming about shit that will never happen <3

doing silly minecraft smp lore (fatality smp <3!!!)

My favourite things!

I like navy blue, lavender, dusty light blue, pastel yellow, blood-red, and sea-foam green.

My favorite song changes hourly but the bands I like are A Perfect Circle, Cavetown, Derivakat, Melanie Martinez, Madame Macabre, Bastille, and Set It Off.

Aesthetics i enjoy are pink horror, cryptidcore, cottagecore, weirdcore, dreamcore, and dazecore.

If you want me to clarify any of my posts, shoot me an Ask, n I will try to get to you as soon as I can.

Thank you!

btw if you can’t understand my tones just tell me n i’ll add more tone tags /gen

i try to convey tones but i’m kinda ass at it unless i’m writing fanfic in which case it’s like i discovered every fucking adjective on the planet and am determined to explain That One Feeling A Character Had in the utmost detail.

Extra Notes!

I am on AO3! Find me at BlankFoxx!

I have ADHD! Lovely!

#intro! #you’ve now learned things about me #what will you do? #i reveal far more to the internet than i ever will irl lol #if you actually know me n you find smn you wanna know more about please do ask me thank you loves #even if you don’t know me ask me things if u wanna know i’ll be happy to answer/clarify ^^ #anyways this is so fucking long #uh #cya nerds /affectionate #love u <3

[anopenlettertomyexs]

FAQ

Just made this in case anyone stumbled upon here. Hidden under the cut VVV

1. Why did you make this?

I get obsessively fixated on things that happened in the past and it makes me panic and overthink stuff, and I don't have anywhere else to vent this. That might be my ADHD or OCD that causes it. Regardless, I heard this can be a great way to treat these intrusive, obsessive thoughts. Maybe I'll regret it and delete this, but I dunno.

2. What are you hoping to gain from this?

To make it clear, I don't want to reach out to these people. If I wanted to, I would've indulged in these compulsions way earlier and bombard them, or I would've tried harder to keep in touch with them. It's purely just closure for myself to treat my obsessive thoughts. I'm also a whole ass adult now, and I wanna let go of the past. Maybe bringing it up and talking about it isn't helping it, maybe it will. I've moved on a lot, but I truly want to just let it go y'know?

3. What if one of your exs sees this blog?

If somehow one or more of them see this, and deduce who it is behind this blog, then... well I don't know. Depends on who stumbles upon here. Some of them I'd be glad they finally know how I think about them, others I'd just get pissed off. Regardless, I don't really care. If they wanna reach out to me I won't respond because I've already gotten my peace, but if it gives them closure to respond here... then they can.

4. Why do you have so many of them?

I'm not proud of it. I was a very clingy and emotionally immature kid. I didn't know how to love myself so I depended on others to love me, which hurt me and others in the end. Luckily, I am in a better place now, I've been in a long term relationship and I've learned to love myself too. I'm writing this before the letter so I don't think I'll even write to all of my exs, because some of my previous relationships either didn't feel like one, or we've already made up, etc.

5. Can I ask you more questions?

I don't know why but sure. Anon is off though. Just more comfortable that way... I'm unsure if I'll actually answer them though. Depends on how often I check this email, cause as soon as I'm done typing the letters, I'm logging out.

6. What's your main?

Sorry but I'm not giving that out, not even in DMs. There's a reason I'm making an entirely separate blog. Plus some of my exs in my letter were abusive so I'm not giving them a way to contact me.

7. Is this an ARG?

No. I am (unfortunately) a real person, with real feelings, trying to properly heal. This isn't part of an ARG or anything like that. Just gonna clear that up in case anyone potentially thought that.

8. Do you have a therapist?

No, due to a lot of reasons I don't. It would be nice though. I did have one in the past though, and I'm sure this blog is something my old one would approve of to help me.

9. If I do ask you something, how do I refer to you? (Pronouns, name, etc.)

To keep my privacy just refer to me as AOL (An Open Letter). Please do not use pronouns for me, just AOL in place of them (but for accessibility's sake, they/them or it/its is fine)

10. Why not use tags?

Cause ultimately I'm scared of getting potential contact from others, so I wanna minimize it as much as possible without outright removing the option.

Hopefully this clears up a lot of questions so I don't have to get scared of repeated notifications lol

[1990jeevas]

DAMIEN!!!! HIYA MAN!!!!! it's been awhile... i hope you've been doing well or at least are chugging along :]..... i come to you because i realized you have changed to a welcome home theme and i just needed to say something because oh mein gott... i found the project because of night mind's video and it is so Delightful and AMAZING to see a project with as much clear love, talent, and passion put into it as this one, not to mention how well done the horror and puzzles have been so far—i am so. Extremely Excited for wherever it's gonna go (though i will have to force myself to be patient for updates 😭😭)

SO!!!!! please tell me, what are the things about welcome home that interest you the most? any general thoughts or ideas or theories about, well, anything at all? id love to hear anything you have to say, no matter what those may be :D!!! WAAAUGH!!!!!!!

HIIII CALLI HIHIHI :3 i also found welcome home through night mind (as i imagine many others have, ive noticed a sudden influx of fan content in the following days of nick's video and subsequent streams) anyways i am also so very excited to see what clown has in store for us!!

as for the things that interest me most about welcome home, it is definitely the aesthetic of it (horror and puppets and bright colors...some of my favorite things) but also i really like how the mystery has been set up so far! like how all the little clues have been hidden is so cool to me especially bc this is like. the first time ever that my dumb brain has actually been able to comb through a website and find stuff myself without relying on others to show me stuff. like. for as much as i love content like args, interactive horror stuff, etc. im reallyyyy bad at actually participating or searching for stuff and it usually makes me lose interest but so far it's been simple enough that i can enjoy it and still be surprised but also not feel dumb if i miss a couple things bc im finding Most of it myself for once, ya know? i don't rly have any theories so far, i think it's too early for that (for me at least) cause i think if i were to try and theorize rn id probably miss the mark by a lot 😭😭 rly the only thing i even wanna theorize about rn is who tf those girlies r in that one pic with julie like there's 3 of em with her and they're like green blue and orange i think and oh. oh i love their designs so much i wanna know them...

anyways!! pls tell me ur own thoughts and theories and whatnot im sooo curious :0

#shit self #asks #zincellia #calli tag 🍉

[wasteteeth-beanjuice]

Ok serious wasteland moment this is fucking rare so enjoy it pissfuckers.

Jesus fucking crust 2020 is almost fucking over and....yeah what the hell, This year has been a wholeass character arc for me and i met alot of badass people here,

First of all I started off being a absolute fuckin nobody who was fresh outta a traumatic event with a toxic ex lover. (you know who you are.) And after that i had to like....find myself again, a rebirth if you will now i had a few phases and met another toxic group that also fucked me up mentally, but nothing really hit til i found....

Him.

It was nearing the end of summer, i had just fallen for my abuser again as she used me and dragged me along for months leaving me feeling very emotionally drained i decided to check out that "dammitgrandpa" game evreyone was talking about. After finishing thh i layed my eyes on what would soon be the fictional character to change my life..yeah i feel kinda stupid dedicating a entite part of this sentimental post to nagito komaeda...but he really did change me for the better or worse, komaeda became my biggest comfort charecter and my highest kin in the span of a month it didnt help i have his fucking luck, (lmfao i almost died lile 5 times this year) but in all reality the danganronpa fandom really helped me cope with all the bullshit i have to deal with at home. I guess this brings me to the next part..

Komapocalypse

I swear on maedas left toe this is one of the best things to happen to me. Running 470/420 has been so much fucking fun and i am not done in the slightest. (Allthough i might take a few breaks to focus on cosplay but we will get to that) after being kicked out of a group for being "annoying" my chaotic emergy took a backseat but here i was being myself for a fucking change and people ENJOYED IT, not to mention all the badass pogchamps i met through this fuckhole of a arg, including the fucker who inspired me to make a longass emotional post (looking at you kaz👁) but in all fucking honestly, thanks guys. I...didnt think i had the strength to cut off my friend of 3 years that was trying to force me into their weird cult, i fuckin love you guys/p

On the topic of love, mmy wife

Txidzud?igdzuydtuzute i was not expecting to have you confess to me the same day my mom tried to hit me with a car but here we are!, jesus fucking crust i fuvkinf love her so much even though its hard for me to be emotionally vulnerable at times, hayley...you really helped make this post apocalyptic timeline great for me, <3

Reaching the end of this fuckpost i just wanna thank the people who dont have tumblr but are equally pogchamp

-My cat raven, yeah i wasnt expecting to find a trashcat this year nor for her to become my best friend but now when i see a dark shape hovering over me i know for the most part its safe!

-the rest of my pets, These fuckers mean the world to me and if anything happens to any of them i will kill evreyone in this world and then myself.

-komaedalovemail (allthough they are on tumblr i highly doubt they will ever see me.) I'm a huge fucking klm fanboy having a picture of fetus hinata taped to my wall and their fucking horrific vibes is what got me to create komaeda470 in the 1st place. Fucking thanks you weird band of pogchamp maedas,

-My cosplay firend group, Yeah I didn't expect clicking on a kokichi cosplayers tiktok live would give me a wierd group of people who all call me uncle but i have adopted all of you and will teach you guys the art of arson, (this includes my child i adopted after they found my 470 blog and was on call with me when i found a dead cat in my driveway and had a panic attack ily/p you're poggers)

-Ezra, bro bro bro bro bro i litterally couldn't make it through this fuckyear without you, i know you think your shit but honestly i look up to you and not just because I'm fucking short as hell. I'm so sorry my annoying ratass with 50 bracelets on each arm bugged you about homestuck almost 3 years ago, you're fucking poggers and im breaking into your house in eather a kokichi or nagito cosplay this weekend,

-ADAM.... YOU SCARE ME SOMETIMES ARE YOU OK??? but you're mister funnyman ig you're pogchamp

With all that sentimental shit outta the way back to your regularly scheduled shitposting love, the omnipotent God of chaos wasteland hope boner nagito komaeda komaouma the 69th~🔥🥩

[bearpillowmonster]

Top 15 Music Artists!

I won’t be doing a separate song one, instead I’ll just recommend a few for each artist (at most 3). Other than that, there aren’t any rules to this, no order, it’s all just opinion. I will however say that I don’t like “one genre or another” I either like a song or I don’t and I’m not as big of a stan for individual artists, just what song they created so I always hate when people ask me. Not to mention most music I listen to is from either a game, anime, or movie. I’ll try to make most of these the clean versions.

Daft Punk: This is an easy one. They created the Tron Legacy soundtrack (Tron seems to always make its way onto most of my top 15 lists), they are my number 1 that I would go see in concert (that’s still around) if only they’d have another tour. So many other artists have sampled their work and people have mixed their tracks with other artists on YouTube and they just add to the excellent sound. 

Some notable jams: Robot Rock, Instant Crush, Something About Us

David Bowie: This a bit of a comfortable one, in a way it reminds me of my stepdad but his music ranges from stuff about space to just every day stuff that massages your needs, another one that can have remixes done and just add to the magic. I’ve heard some of his songs before he died like Moonage Daydream in Guardians of the Galaxy but it was only after his death that I really started liking his music. I used to think he was an actor first and a musician second but I stand corrected. 

Some notable jams: Oh! You Pretty Things, Moonage Daydream, Space Oddity

The Weeknd: This boy can drop a track and the words don’t even have to matter because the lyrics can be twisted but the vocals and the beat say otherwise and I know somewhere, somehow, you’ve heard his music even if you haven’t realized it. Oh and Starboy? Yeah that features Daft Punk. Oh and that song? Got its own Marvel comic! (before it was cancelled after the first issue due to name and story issues) 

Some notable jams: Starboy, Secrets, Reminder

Kendrick Lamar: I don’t consider myself into rap much but I genuinely think that Kendrick is probably one of the best rappers. Who else do you know that talks about Grey Poupon mustard and makes it sound good? His voice is recognizable and calm but almost raspy but then he can turn it and make it fast and angry, either would make just about any song sound good. I wish they had him cover ‘Can you feel the love tonight’ for the Lion King, because I could just imagine how good it’d sound especially with Beyonce. 

Some notable jams: Humble, Poetic Justice, Swimming Pools

Electric Light Orchestra: My introduction was Don’t Bring Me Down but what really brought me into their music was trying to come up with something classic for a soundtrack for one of my stories and well this stood out the most. 

Some notable jams: Don’t Bring Me Down, Turn to Stone, Strange Magic

The Black Eyed Peas: I grew up in this age. This was the kick-off to getting myself into music. It was my first CD, it was my first song on my new iPod nano, it was the first time I even showed an interest (which was late in the game).  

Some notable jams: Imma Be, Just Can’t Get Enough, Back to Hip-Hop

Aerosmith: Another early one for me because this is what I was exposed to as a kid and everything since then has made an impression on me. Steven Tyler had the most plays on that iPod nano. I would normally suggest Dream On but I picked You See Me Crying first because it came to mind first to display the range of music they have, it’s a very sad song but also a bit of a calmer one that I don’t think gets nearly as much attention as it should. 

Some notable jams: You See Me Crying, Cryin, Walk This Way (Ultimate version)

Kanye: He made a music video based on Akira. Did I mention that it popularized the shutter shades again? Oh, and the song? Yeah it samples Daft Punk. That’s not even the only time he did that either, he sampled a track from Tron with Kid Cudi (but it was just a demo). He does a lot of sampling but somehow he builds on the original songs and tracks and makes them better. 

Some notable jams: Stronger, Roses, Through the Wire

MJ: I can’t find a better deconstruction of a song than Billie Jean. It’s practically a masterpiece. Take the track out and the vocals still sound good. Take the vocals out and the track still sounds good. You can do whatever the heck you want to this song and it will still sound good, I even listen to the Animal Crossing remix sometimes. The closest I could find to that was Billie Joel’s ‘For the Longest Time’ because it’s acapella. 

Some notable jams: Billie Jean, Bad, Thriller (vocals only, it’s creepier)

Twenty One Pilots: Trench. Need I say more? I like nearly every song in that album and that’s rare. I see plenty of stans for this band but that’s not what made me care, because a lot of their old songs are ear worms and have been overused and I think even they realize that such as ‘Ride’ and ‘Stressed Out’ (more like Worn Out). But then somehow something good came out of the Suicide Squad movie, a special song, Heathens! By the title, it sounds odd but upon closer inspection, it’s juicy. On top of that, Trench comes out and basically clarifies that a lot of their music videos connect and involve theories with their own universe and whole ARGs devoted to it. 

Some notable jams: Heathens, Legend, Chlorine 

Genesis: If I could give this band a number, it would be 17 because that’s the age that Genesis seemed to define. I liked a lot of their songs but I began using the songs as references to my love life at the time because I was going through a lot. I like Phil Collins on his own too but Genesis simply has more tracks that I love, I even bought and read Phil’s autobiography because as you probably already know, he did the music for both Tarzan and Brother Bear. 

Some notable jams: Invisible Touch, In Too Deep, Tonight Tonight Tonight

John Mayer: I almost put Drake Bell here instead but John Mayer is the kind of music you listen to when your heart aches and I for one like it. 

Some notable jams: Heartbreak Warfare, Moving On and Getting Over, Gravity

Smash Mouth: These later ones are getting a bit weird, huh? But yeah, the famous ‘All Star’ creators make some decent music, I won’t even reference any more from Shrek.

Walking on the Sun, Can’t Get Enough of You Baby, When the Morning Comes

Sweet: You remember that part in Regular Show where they had the dance off with the ghost DJ’s? Or how about the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 trailer? I even have a shirt with their logo on it because I liked the idea of making it tie-dye but it didn’t work very well so now it’s just an orange stained Sweet tee. 

Some notable jams: Love is like Oxygen, Fox on the Run, Ballroom Blitz

Sheryl Crow: “This ain’t no disco. This ain’t no country club either. This is L.A.” I can’t help but vibe when I hear her, I’m not into country (as you can see from this list) but she makes it fun, she is an exception of sorts, she doesn’t do just one thing. If you read her Wiki, she does basically all genres and I like that she isn’t bound to one thing, it’s representative of her fun music and personality. Yeah, she’s guilty of the mainstream wear out as well but they can’t have them all. Picture is technically Kid Rock but she’s featured and I’d feel bad if I didn’t include it. 

Some notable jams: All I Wanna Do, Picture, Real Gone

#sheryl crow #sweet #smash mouth #music #artists #top 15 #john mayer #genesis #my taste #top #twenty one pilots #michael jackson #kanye #aerosmith #daft punk #david bowie #weeknd #kendrick lamar #elo #electric light orchestra #black eyed peas #list

[rogue-barnes-16]

THE MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE OF NATASHA ROMANOFF (part V/?)

Summary: after the too convenient disappearance of Natasha Romanoff, the Avengers —a local biker gang— search for help in the most unexpected place in order to get their friend back. Will it help, or will the situation just get more twisted and dangerous?

Pairing: biker!Bucky Barnes x reader

Genre: angst-ish (biker gang au)

Tags:

The mysterious disappearance of Natasha Romanoff: @shirukitsune @retrxbarnes @montypythonsholysnail

Permanent taglist: @notexactlythatgirl @thisismysecrethappyplace @sofreakinmanyfandoms @pizzarollpatrol @bubblycypress87 @1a-girl-has-no-name1 @loislp @lovenaturefirst @dyanna-corona @2ptonpt @goodnightmode @disneyprincessbuffyannesummers @mannls @cutie1365 @catch22inareddress @mybooradley @sebastianisasnack @butifulsoul125 @unlikelygalaxygiver

Warnings: language

A/N: I've been kinda missing for quite a while, posting something here and there, but I kinda miss writing regularly so I'll try come back to posting twice-thrice a week, but you gotta give me a bit to get some shit rearranged and written for that schedule to be possible. Meanwhile, enjoy this part of the series and if you wanna be added to the taglist, send an ask <3.

The mysterious disappearance of Natasha Romanoff masterlist

Rogue-barnes-16 masterlist

I took a deep breath and threw myself against the backrest, waiting for the first location to load while my hands ran through up my face and through my hair.

A yawn escaped my lips as I checked the laptop's clock first, and the timer for the code to do its magic second.

Leaving the laptop over the chair where I had been sitting, I walked my way to the kitchen and poured myself what would be the fourth coffee of that morning.

As soon as I finished, I made my way to the balcony were I used to spend those early mornings with my mug held between my palms.

I took a sip of my coffee, resting my elbows over the small balcony's railing. My were eyes closed as I breathed in the forest morning breeze.

"So much for saying it was a one-night stand." A teasing voice behind me asked, and a grin tugged the corners of my lips. "You still here?"

"It's been two weeks since that." I taunted him, taking a sip. "get over it."

"can't get over you." He dramatically stated in his morning husky voice, which made the sentence seem way more romantic than I thought it was.

"So fucking cheesy." I laughed.

"Bare with me, doll." feeling his lips against my temple made my smile wider while a pair of hands traveled from behind me to rest on my hips. "this is mine." he tugged the hem of his jacket, which I was wearing.

I hummed in response, leaning my back against his chest. "It's chilly out here. I didn't wanna get cold."

He tugged the hem of his jacket eagerly, feathery kisses tracing a path from my shoulder to my neck "come back to bed" I chuckled at his eagerness . " it's still warm."

"I got work to do" I replied noctant with the sole goal of sort-of upsetting him in a playful way. "No time for cuddling."

"Please, Y/n." he whined, slowly pulling me away from the balcony to take me back to the bed. "Just ten minutes."

"It's not gonna be ten minutes." I retorted playfully, turning around to kiss his lips as we entered the bedroom once more. "You're not fooling anyone with those puppy eyes, Barnes."

He let out a subtle laugh "at least you won't get cold."

I shivered.

It was always a little bit too chilly during the morning in that balcony.

I felt the urge to squeal when a jacket was suddenly thrown over my shoulders as a reply to my subtle shiver.

I held it back, though, and instead, grabbed the lapels clothing offered and put it on while a tall figure made its way to my side "Drop the coffee, yunky." Sam teased, resting his elbows over the railing without sparing me more than a subtle glance. "it's like the tenth one I see you with this mornin'."

"It's just the fourth one." I responded, looking before me to avoid eye contact with him as I took a sip of the coffee. "It's nice to see your level of drama hasn't changed at all."

"it's good to see your level of sarcasm is still the same, too." I shook my head with a smirk I couldn't hold back. "I kinda missed that annoying sass."

"Oh boy, ain't I aware of that."

His amused yet brief chuckle preceeded a surprisingly soothing silence between the two of us.

"So" I looked over to him and, by the knowing half smile in his face as he watched me intently, I just knew what he was going to mention. "a boyfriend?"

"Hell no," I denied with a scoff. "we're not talking 'bout that."

"C'mon, Y/n." he whined, turning to face my side. "I won't tell Barnes."

"Sam" I pinched the bridge of my nose as all the bad memories from those last days with them came back around, as if they had been summoned by Bucky’s last name. "I still don't trust you. Any of you."

"Uh... Sorry."

"Like-- I appreciate you tryin" I explained the best way I could. "but we're not there yet, and I don't know if we ever will."

"Yeah I'm-"

I shut my eyes as the self-awareness of how rude I might have sounded hit me. "I'm sorry I-"

"No, no, I'm sorry, you're right." he sighed, rubbing is hands together in an anxious manner. "And... I know it's not my place to ask any of this, but-" he took a split second to measure his words before speaking. "You're happy with him, right?"

I frowned, not at the question itself, but at what was carefully hidden behind it. "what d'ya mean?"

"I mean, you're with him because he makes you happy, right?"

"Wilson, why the fuck would I be with him if he didn't?" I inquired, now turning around to face him as my tone turned more hostile each passing second.

"I shouldn't be sayin' this but-"

"But you're gonna say it anyway." I finished. He opened his mouth a couple of times but nothing came out. "C'mon, what d'ya mean?"

"Listen-" he glanced around before continuing the sentence he had just started. "I'm just sayin I hope it's 'cause you're happy together and not 'cause of Bucky."

We eyeballed each other for a hot second while the anger built up inside me, making it so damn hard for me not to explode.

"Y'know what? I'm not havin' it." I stated, stepping away from the balcony in order to reach the living room.

"That's not an answer."

"You don't fuckin' deserve one." I hissed, grabbing the laptop to finish what was left to do as quickly as I could, now eager to flee out of there.

How dare him? I thought to myself. Who the fuck gave him the right to say shit like that.

The moment I was done with the laptop, I smacked it shut and, picking up my jacket, I rushed downstairs.

I was so inside my thoughts that I ended up bumping into Bucky on my way out, which left us both with barely enough balance to avoid falling down the stairs.

"Shit- sorry."

"Don't worry." he let go of my forearms, which I didn't know he was holding, and I shockingly enough, had to do the same, since I gripped his arms to avoid falling. "You okay?"

"Yeah- I mean..." I puffed, affirming with my head. "I'm fine."

"I..." I stared into his eyes for a moment, watching him trying to read me in order to find out what was wrong. "You sure?" I only nodded as his worried irises observed me. "you finished?"

"Yeah, everything's set in the laptop already." he mumbled an 'alright' and stepped aside, freeing the way for me to exit. "I... I really hope you find her."

"I'll call you if I need your help again." he answered, and, right after, attempted to climb upstairs.

"Bucky wait!" I followed him just to be close enough to be able to grab his hand, which made his whole body tense. "I changed my number." I explained whilst getting a pen out of my pocket to scribble my new number on his palm. "there it goes." I let go of him with a pang of sadness that I wouldn't even admit to myself. "keep me updated." I requested, trying my best to ignore the tinge of red creeping up his neck and ears.

"Okay. Have a good time with your boyfriend." what was meant to be a smile ended up as a pursed lip, and I couldn't blame him since I felt my mouth doing the same gesture as I climbed downstairs to the door.

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

BUCKY'S P. O. V.

I double checked Natasha's phone's latest locations, which Y/n had managed to get before leaving, before going back to the map in order to revise which were areas out of New Jersey and Queens.

"Hey" I spun my head to the door frame, against where Sam's side was now resting. "How's it going?"

"Uh... I think we have something." I informed him, pointing at one small area near the center of Manhattan. "I called Carter— I know, Steve's gonna kill me." I stated, anticipating whatever Sam must have thought of saying out loud. "She said Hydra's boys have been seen in this area for a while and--"

"I wasn't asking 'bout Nat." he cut me off, tilting his head to the side slightly while the faintest tinge of worry showed up in his eyes. "I meant-- y'know what I meant."

"What d'ya want me to say?" I questioned with a wannabe-careless shrug. "It's going. Just like it's been goin' for 'bout year already."

I took a peek at his face and I just knew he was about to explain to me how different it had been today from the rest of that year of me drowning in self-pity.

"Don't-"

"She got a boyfriend."

"Yeah, I heard that too." I replied sarcastically, getting up in order to reach for the phone again.

"What I mean-"

"She moved on, I know." I finished his sentence, starting to mark Peggy's number once again. "Can you focus on-"

Sam teared the phone away from me in a swift movement, which left me shocked for a couple of seconds.

"what the hell, Wilson?"

"Don't call Peggy," he warned me, locking the phone and placing it in his pocket. "Steve's gonna end you. And-"

"I swear if it's 'bout-"

"I wasn't gonna say that she moved on, you idiot." he snapped. "I was gonna say, don't do anything fucking stupid."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It means she's not single." my friend warned me with arms crossed, no longer resting against the door frame. "It means that if somethin' happens and she doesn't stop it-"

"Nothin'll happen," I assured him with a sting of pain in my heart.

He sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "I'm just sayin'..."

"Sam."

"I'm tryna help, man." his reply sounded as a desperate whine. "If you do something stupid and her relationship goes south, the blame's gonna be on you."

"It wouldn't-"

"It will," he argued, lowering the voice before continuing. " 'cause it's easier to blame the ex who fucked her up."

"We're all adults."

"Yeah" he agreed. "but you're my friend and I don't wanna see you bawling and weeping for another year."

"I'll be just fine."

#Bucky Barnes x reader #Bucky Barnes x you #Bucky Barnes x y/n #Bucky Barnes fanfic #Bucky Barnes gang au #Biker!Bucky Barnes x reader #Bucky Barnes modern au #Bucky Barnes au #Marvel biker gang au #Bucky x reader #Bucky x you #Bucky x sam #Sambucky #Winterfalcon #Winterwidow #Bucky Barnes smut #Stucky #Bucky Barnes angst #Marvel masterlist #Mcu bucky Barnes #Sam Wilson x reader

[empathicstars]

roosterteeth’s rage quit → sentence starters (pt. 2)

warning for offensive language! feel free to edit anything in any way to make it work! pt. 2/?? (pt. 1 here) 

❝ What the hell is the difference between a shark and a zombie shark? It fucking eats you anyway, who gives a shit! ❞

❝ They got a fucking hashtag for this? ❞

❝ You move slow as shit! ❞  

❝ Ooh, I have a knife. I’ll fucking stab the shit out of you. ❞  

❝ Is that a shark? The music’s kicking on, so I think that’s a shark. ❞

❝ Well... I just flashbanged myself. ❞  

❝ Arg, mateys, where’s your shit? ❞

❝ Goddamn, this makes my brain wanna fucking explode, fuck. ❞

❝ You’re just waiting to die, and the second you’re fucked, you’re boned. ❞

❝ I’m fucking bitches up like it ain’t nobody’s business. ❞

❝ Fun fact: go fuck yourself. ❞

❝ Alright, bitches, let’s crawl our way to success. ❞  

❝ Goo goo ga ga, bitch. ❞  

❝ Alright, I’ll -- I’ll waste 19 minutes trying to fucking set some stupid fucking joke up. ❞  

❝ Were any fucking lightbulbs installed in this house? ❞

❝ I’m gonna get killed in here. I’m gonna get killed in the dark. ❞

❝ I’m assuming this is going to be one of those things that fucks my mouth but sounds great doing it. ❞

❝ Confirmed, it’s semen, Half-Life 3 confirmed, the wall’s made out of semen. ❞  

❝ Don’t fucking try to wedge yourself in the hole, shithead. ❞  

❝ Oh, my God! Language. ❞  

❝ It’s a fucking odd place to be buried but, y’know, whatever. ❞  

❝ Eat shit, you stupid shit-eater! ❞  

❝ Fuck your shields, fuck your laser beams, fuck your bullets, fuck your... your carrots. ❞  

❝ So you’re just driving down the street, you see this fucking thing behind you. You’re gonna fucking floor it, right? Like, I’m going through red lights. ❞  

❝ And now we’re -- I have no fucking idea. ❞

❝ Stay on the road, dude. Stay on the road. Don’t worry about it. ❞

❝ You wanna beat the shit outta me? I’ll be swinging by Pluto in, like, five minutes. ❞  

❝ Dude, space sucks. Why does everyone wanna go to space? You go out, you leave your house, you barely get six miles, and you get fucking beaten to death! ❞  

❝ Y’know, these are the problems. These are the problems to future technologies, y’know? You gotta get used to it. Everything doesn’t work out great immediately. ❞    

❝ I’m gonna detect my knife into his spine. ❞  

❝ Fuck you, galaxy, you fucks. ❞  

❝ Go go go, run away. Oh my God, oh my God. No, I didn’t do it, nobody saw me. ❞

❝ Did my fucking feet drown? Is that what happened? ❞

❝ Sorry to ruin your bearskin rug or whatever the hell it is a thousand times because my fucking blood is being splattered all over it. Look at it! It’s ruined! ❞  

❝ Fuck you, you smug piece of shit. ❞

❝ God, I hate sports. ❞  

❝ You’re not a goddamn airline pilot. ❞  

❝ They’re just wrecking me. They’re just killing me! They’re fucking Nancy Kerrigan-ing me! Are you seeing this? ❞  

❝ Lay you the fuck out. First goddamn worthwhile thing I’ve done. ❞

❝ I am now going to soak in a fucking bathtub filled with ice until I cry myself into a fucking frozen coma. ❞  

❝ Oh, boy, I love math. ❞  

❝ I’m not sure what I’m exactly piloting, it seems to be a small . . . thing? ❞

❝ Start me on threat level red, I don’t wanna start in daisy pink. ❞  

❝ Watch out, everybody. We’ll shape your asshole. ❞  

❝ Almost got fucked, but I didn’t... story of my life... ❞  

❝ What do I do? There was 98 fucking snakes! That was like, Indiana Jones’ worst nightmare! I was totally boned! ❞

❝ This is a clusterfuck of fuck. ❞  

❝ I don’t know, I think we’re dealing with giant fucking ants, asshole. ❞  

❝ There’s foul play involved. ❞  

❝ I’m like a fucking goldfish. I do the same thing over and over again. Why am I not learning my fucking lesson? ❞

#rage quit #rage quit sentence starters #rage quit ask meme #achievement hunters #( incoming message from queuefleet. ) #[ i'll be away when this posts but send them in and take it from me anyway because GOD KNOWS the notifications system is fucked either way ] #( ask meme list. )

[extrasteps]

Cold Little Heart

For @bisexualmctatenski Thiam Secret Santa

Written for @laugers

She gave me the prompt: I would love to see something to Cold Little Heart by Michael Kiwanuka. (I know it’s angsty, but i love angst sorry aksdgsbn)

Merry Christmas Yana!!!! Welcome to the angst fest, I hope you enjoy it <3

Scott, Stiles, Lydia, Malia, Derek, Peter, Jackson, Ethan, Hayden, the entire McCall Pack, were all gone. Off to college, or a job, or just travelling, to all the corners of the world

The only line of protection left in Beacon Hills was a beta werewolf with IED, a chameleon chimera, and a human with a misshapen bat. To be fair, most days it was enough. The Dread Doctors were gone. The Ghost Riders were gone. The Anuk-ite was gone. No supernatural being was quite willing to risk it, these days.

But for Liam it was still hard work, keeping the hunters at bay while trying to maintain his GPA and lacrosse captaincy. If there was just someone else to help out with patrols, maybe it would not be so hard, but there was no one else.

Every now and again Liam thought about Theo, had wondered what he was up to, finger hovering over the call button, staring at his name. But every time he had slowly lowered his phone and put it back in his pocket, something stopping him from reaching out.

Theo had been through so much, and though he was no longer pretending to be the embodiment of pure evil, he had left, claiming that he had needed some time to get his head screwed on right.

Now, though, Liam did not have the luxury of giving Theo space.

The phone rang four times before it picked up. “Hey Liam.”

“Theo,” Liam said urgently. “I need your help.”

He heard the sound of the truck starting up in the background. “Text me the address,” Theo instructed, and then hung up. Liam pulled the phone away from his ear, mouth gaping open. That was it? No ifs, buts or maybes? Just, text me the address?

Liam shot off the text and paced as he waited for Theo to arrive.

Five minutes later Theo pulled up in front of him, and Liam jumped into the passenger seat.

“What happened?” Theo asked.

“Hunters. They took Corey and Mason,” Liam said, putting his seatbelt on.

“Where are we going?” Theo asked.

Liam pulled out his phone, showing Theo the address that the hunters had texted him. Theo put it into his GPS and took off. “You know it’s a trap, right?” Liam said.

“Of course it is,” Theo said grimly. “We can handle it.”

Liam stared at him, taking in the minute changes from the past few months. His hair was longer, curling around the nape of his neck. Theo brushed at it impatiently, pushing it out of his face. He had stubble, like he had not shaved for at least a week. It made him look older. He was also wearing a brown leather jacket that looked fairly new, and dark jeans.

He looked healthy, rested.

The last time Liam had seen Theo he had looked pale, with dark bruises under his eyes from lack of sleep. Something had been haunting him, but he had never talked about it, and Liam had never asked.

Liam had been afraid that Theo dying was becoming unavoidable with the way he had thrown himself into fight after fight, with no care for his own wellbeing and no sense of self-preservation. He had lost count of the amount of wounds Theo had taken for him. He had been heartily sick of seeing the chimera bleed for him.

He had been sad to see Theo go, but now that he was looking at him and could see how it had helped, he knew it had been the right decision.

“I missed you,” he said suddenly. Theo’s hands tightened on the steering wheel and then relaxed.

“Yeah?” He asked.

“I nearly called so many times,” Liam said, looking away, a light blush dusting his cheeks.

“I wouldn’t have minded,” Theo smiled.

“Oh,” Liam said, feeling foolish. “I didn’t want to disturb you.”

“Liam,” Theo scolded, glancing at him and then back at the road. “Why would you think that?”

“I know you needed to leave, needed some space,” Liam said quietly, biting his lip.

“Not from you,” Theo said softly. “From the fighting, from the nightmares, from the pain.”

“Pretty well sums up my life these days,” Liam said bitterly. Theo pulled over and looked at Liam sharply, eyes intense as he looked Liam up and down, leaning closer to inhale his scent, sifting and categorising his emotions.

“Maybe I should have taken you with me,” he said after a moment. Liam’s heart thudded, and he ducked his head.

“You look great,” Liam said after a moment of gathering himself. “You have to tell me your secret.”

“Get the hell out of dodge,” Theo said simply, still watching him. Liam looked everywhere but at Theo.

“That’s not really possible. Scott left me in charge.”

“Fuck Scott,” Theo said, raising an eyebrow at him. “You have to look after yourself. Let him worry about guarding the nemeton.”

“Tempting,” Liam sighed, staring out the window.

“He’s the alpha,” Theo said, grabbing his arm and making him turn to look at him. “It’s his problem, not yours.”

“He trusts me,” Liam said, his eyes pleading with Theo, begging him to understand. He could not just disappoint his alpha.

“Fuck this,” Theo growled, dropping his arm. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and started a video call, tapping his finger on the steering wheel while it rang.

“Theo?” Scott said, his face scrunched up in confusion as he answered the call.

“Scott,” Theo said, nodding at him. “We need to have a chat.”

“What’s going on?” He asked, eyes sharp.

“Your little beta is working himself to the bone looking after this fucking town, and it needs to stop,” Theo said. He glared at Scott, jaw set in a determined manner.

“What are you talking about?” Scott asked. Theo turned the camera on Liam so that Scott could see him.

“Hey Scott,” Liam said quietly, lower lip wobbling at the concern in Scott’s eyes as he searched Liam’s face.

“Liam, what- why didn’t you tell me?” Scott asked.

“I didn’t want to let you down,” Liam said, shifting in his seat.

“Theo,” Scott growled. “Why didn’t you tell me it was getting this bad?”

Theo turned the camera back on himself, suddenly looking guilty. “I didn’t know. I haven’t been around for awhile. I was dealing with my own shit, putting myself back together. I was a fucking mess.”

“It’s true,” Liam agreed. “And I didn’t call him.”

“You guys should have been looking out for each other,” Scott sighed. “You’re pack. And Liam, I told you to call me if you needed help.”

“I thought I could handle it,” Liam muttered.

“So, what’s going on right now?” Scott asked. Liam and Theo jumped, remembering their purpose. Theo handed Liam the phone so that the beta could talk to Scott while he drove.

“The hunters have captured Mason and Corey, they texted me an address. I called Theo to help,” Liam explained.

“How many hunters?” Scott asked.

“I have no idea,” Liam said, shaking his head. “I didn’t even know they were gone until they didn’t show up for school and I got the message.”

“Alright,” Scott said, going into alpha mode. “Text me the address they sent you. I’ll get Argent to back you up. Derek’s not too far away either, so I’ll see if he can get there in time to help you. Can’t hurt to let the Sheriff know, too.”

“Ok,” Liam nodded.

“And Liam?” Scott said. “Be careful, both of you. Look out for each other.”

“We will,” Liam nodded.

“We’ll talk about the other thing once Mason and Corey are safe, I promise,” Scott said. Liam nodded, giving him a weak smile.

“Bye,” Liam said.

“We’ll talk soon,” Scott promised, ending the call.

Liam sent the text and then handed Theo his phone back. He leaned back into the chair, sighing.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Theo asked, glancing at him.

“I suppose,” Liam said, fidgeting in his chair. He felt raw, exposed. There was nothing he hated more than feeling like a disappointment.

“Hey,” Theo said, shaking him out of his reverie. “You have nothing to feel bad about. It’s ok to need some time to look after yourself. Do you feel like I let anyone down because I had to leave for a bit?”

“No,” Liam responded, shaking his head vehemently.

“Then why is it different for you?” Theo said gently.

“I don’t know, it just is,” Liam growled.

“Look, Liam, you and I, we make a pretty good team. We’re gonna go to this stupid little hunter base, kick some ass and save Mason and Corey,” Theo said, determination shining in his eyes as he glanced at Liam. “And then after that, I’m taking you on a fucking holiday.”

“A holiday?” Liam asked, his lips twitching into a smile.

“Yep, wherever you wanna go,” Theo said.

“I have school, and lacrosse,” Liam pointed out.

“Who cares? The way you look, I doubt you’ve been excelling at either recently,” Theo said, raising an eyebrow at him.

“That’s true,” Liam admitted, his shoulders slumping. He had been so tired, always falling asleep in class and forgetting about assignments, and Coach was starting to threaten his captaincy if there was no improvement in his effort in the games and at training.

“One week off won’t hurt,” Theo said with a shrug. “Then you’ll be back, good as new, and you can go back to being Liam Dunbar, history nerd and superstar athlete,” he said with a mocking grin.

Liam rolled his eyes. “Yeah, whatever, let’s just focus on finding Mason and Corey.”

“For now,” Theo said, smirking at him.

***

They pulled up about a kilometre away from the address that had been given to Liam and got out of the truck. They were on the very edge of Beacon Hills, where there was mostly old farmsteads and shacks.

“We’ll go cross-country,” Liam said.

“Avoiding the roads,” Theo nodded. “Good idea.”

Liam set off, checking Google Maps on his phone periodically to make sure he was heading in the right direction.

“I think that’s it,” he whispered to Theo.

Ahead of them was a huge barn, with at least four or five cars and trucks parked in front of it.

“That’s a lot of hunters,” Theo said, narrowing his eyes as he counted heartbeats. “At least seven, if we assume that two heartbeats belong to Mason and Corey.”

“They’re definitely here,” Liam said, scenting the air. “I can smell them.”

“We should wait for Argent,” Theo said.

“Yeah, let’s go around the back and see if we can pick any off while we wait,” Liam said.

“Bloodthirsty,” Theo smirked. Liam rolled his eyes, walking away, Theo following him.

They made sure to stay out of sight, eyes glowing and ears peeled for the slightest noise. They could easily have placed sentries and traps in the trees. If they were hunters worth a damn then it was almost inevitable.

Theo’s phone buzzed just as they reached the other side.

“Argent says he’s ten minutes away,” Theo whispered, showing the text to Liam.

“Perfect,” Liam said. “If we get caught, he can bail us out,”

He went to step forwards, but Theo held him back. “You’re being reckless, why?”

“Those are my best friends in there,” Liam growled.

“Getting yourself killed won’t help anyone,” Theo said, eyes narrowed in anger.

“I don’t care about that,” Liam said dismissively. “As long as they’re ok, it doesn’t matter if I get hurt.”

“It does fucking matter,” Theo snarled, shoving him against a tree, his hands bunched in Liam’s jacket. Liam struggled, trying to get away, but Theo was a lot healthier than him at the moment, whereas Liam was running on three hours of sleep and a protein bar.

“What do you care?” He muttered.

“Of course I fucking care,” Theo hissed.

“You left,” Liam said, looking at him, his eyes finally showing the pain he had been swallowing down for months.

“I needed to,” Theo said, his hands soothing down Liam’s chest. “But I would have come back in a heartbeat if you asked me to.”

Liam stared at him, mouth gaping open like a fish. “Why?”

“You’re so fucking dense,” Theo scowled. And then he was leaning forwards and kissing him with all the passion he could muster. It lasted for maybe ten seconds, and then he pulled away. Liam gasped for breath, feeling like he had run a marathon.

“Oh,” Liam said, one hand reaching up to rub at his sensitive lips.

“No suicide missions,” Theo growled, turning away and walking a bit closer to the barn.

“Ok,” Liam whispered, following after a few moments.

On this side of the barn, they could see an open door. From it they could hear the low hum of conversation, though they could not pick out individual words.

“We just need to wait a few more minutes,” Theo said in a low voice. “Argent is nearly here.”

“I don’t know if I can,” Liam said, restless, his eyes intent on the barn, fangs bared, claws digging into his palms. It was like the closer he got to the barn, the less control he had. Theo grabbed his hand, soothing his thumb over Liam’s palm, rubbing small circles.

“They’ll be fine,” Theo said quietly.

Liam took a deep, shaky breath and nodded.

They watched the barn. There was no movement inside, only the hum of conversation and nine steady heartbeats. Liam jumped when Argent seemed to materialise beside him.

“This is the address they sent you?” He asked. Liam confirmed with a nod.

“It’s a fake,” Argent said.

“How can you tell?” Theo asked urgently.

“I can see the flicker of the TV through the door,” Argent said, pointing. “Which accounts for the conversation. They probably have something rigged to play heartbeats.”

“I can smell them,” Liam said, frustration seeping into his tone.

“Oh they were here at some point, definitely,” Argent agreed. “But it’s just a giant trap. I can tell you that as soon as you touch that door handle, something would explode.”

“So if they’re not here, then where are they?” Liam growled.

“Somewhere close enough that they would hear the explosion, but not so close that you could hear or smell them,” Argent mused.

Liam pulled out his phone, checking the surrounding properties on Google Maps. Argent and Theo looked over his shoulder.

“That one, maybe,” Argent said, tapping the screen. It showed a large farmstead a few kilometres away.

“Alright, let’s go check it out,” Theo said.

“What do we do about the barn?” Liam asked. “Do we just leave it?”

Argent frowned. “I’m not sure. On the one hand, if they don’t hear anything they’ll be suspicious, but on the other hand, they might just kill Mason and Corey if they think they managed to kill you.”

They all paused as the heard the sound of a vehicle pulling up, circling back around the house, they saw that it was Parrish and Stilinski.

“Hey,” Argent said, moving forwards and waving, getting their attention.

They met halfway, and Argent relayed what they had discovered.

“I’ll get the bomb squad in,” Stilinski said with a scowl, pulling out his walkie talkie and barking orders into it.

“I guess that answers that question,” Theo shrugged.

“I’ll go with you guys,” Parrish said.

“Alright,” Argent nodded. “Let’s go.”

The four of them headed out, following Liam’s phone to the new destination. After half an hour of light jogging, Liam picked up Mason and Corey’s scent again.

“I can smell them,” he said quietly, stopping as he inhaled deeply.

“I can too,” Theo said, standing beside him.

“We must be getting close,” Argent said grimly. “Keep an eye out for traps.”

They fanned out, moving through the forest carefully. Liam stepped carefully over a hidden bear trap, having spotted a glint of metal just in time.

“Careful,” Theo warned, his eyes sharp as he glared at Liam.

“I know,” he said.

He was hyper aware of the chimera as he continued to track through the forest, his spicy scent swirling around him, intoxicating him. His lips still tingled from where Theo had kissed him, and he licked his lips, chasing the taste. Theo’s heart jumped and LIam turned to see him staring at LIam’s lips, eyes wide.

“Pay attention,” Liam scolded.

Theo jumped, startled. “Right,” he muttered, turning away. Liam smirked. At least Theo was just as affected as he was.

The four of them circled around the homestead. There were two hunters standing at the front door, large guns held in their hands lightly as they talked in low voices. Liam sent out his senses, trying to tell how many hunters there were. There had been a lot of cars back at the abandoned warehouse, and there was no telling how many people they had packed into each car.

“Four maybe,” Theo whispered, “or five?”

“The rest must be in the woods then,” Liam whispered back.

Suddenly, they heard a voice cry out in pain and rage flooded through Liam immediately. He barrelled towards the house, fangs bared.

“Liam,” Theo whispered angrily.

“That’s Mason,” he cried out. He paused just out of sight of the house and Theo ran towards him, fisting a hand in the back of his shirt.

They tilted their heads, listening.

“No, please,” they heard Corey beg. “He’s human, leave him alone.”

“Theo, let me go,” Liam snarled.

“You’ll get yourself killed,” Theo snapped.

“Mason won’t heal, I will,” he pointed out, straining forwards.

“Liam,” Theo said softly.

“Yeah, yeah, I know, you’re not dying for me,” Liam said, eyes glowing gold as they focussed on the house with a single minded intensity.

“You fucking idiot,” Theo growled. “I was lying, obviously. I’d do anything for you, up to and including dying.”

“What?” Liam said, whirling around finally.

“Was it not clear before?” Theo rolled his eyes. “I’m head over heels in love with you.”

Liam’s mouth gaped open.

“Who are you and what did you do with Theo Raeken?”

“He went on holiday for two months and realised a few things,” Theo shrugged.

Another scream echoed through the forest and Liam flinched.

“I have to,” he said, eyes pleading with Theo. His heart sank as he stared into Theo’s eyes, a horrible sense of wrongness and fear lancing through him. Why did he feel like this was the last time he would ever see him?

“Ok,” Theo whispered, letting his hand drop. Liam was gone before his hand even fell to his side, a sense of loss settling inside him. The last thing he wanted to do was turn away from Theo, but Mason needed him.

He was on the two hunters before they could even turn, let alone raise their weapons. Liam tried to dispatch them quietly, but the second guy yelled as Liam punched him and his gun clattered to the ground. Shouts could be heard from inside, and Liam burst through the door, roaring his fury.

Three hunters rose to their feet from the lounge room, turning to stare at him, eyes narrowed as they cocked their weapons. Liam’s eyes flashed.

“Kill them,” one of the hunters yelled.

Mason’s screams increased and rage and adrenaline blinded him. And then Theo was there, shoving him towards the hallway as he bared his fangs at the three hunters.

“Liam, go,” Theo roared.

Liam stumbled as he heard gunshots behind him and Theo’s pained grunt but he ran on, kicking down the first door he came across.

He came to a stop as he saw a hunter with a blade held against Mason’s throat, beady eyes fixed on Liam.

“One more step, wolf boy, and he dies,” he spat out.

Liam glanced at Corey, who was chained against the wall, tears streaming down his cheeks. He looked untouched, but Mason, Mason was a wreck. He was tied up in a chair, his clothes ripped and torn, rope burns clear on his wrists and legs. One eye was closed over, an ugly black bruise surrounding it. There were shallow cuts up and down his arms, oozing blood that dripped and lay in a pool at his feet. From the amount of it, it was clear that this torture had been going on for hours.

“Liam,” he whispered, his breath coming out of him in shaky pants.

Suddenly, his rage cleared, and he saw with perfect clarity. The man’s arm tensed, and a rivulet of blood leaked onto the knife, and then Liam was wrenching him away, shoving him up against the wall.

“I’ll kill you,” he said in a low voice, eyes sparking with the promise of death and destruction. “I’ll fucking kill you for what you did to my friend.”

“You can’t kill him,” Parrish said from the door, gun levelled at Liam’s back.

“Look at him, Parrish,” Liam said. “They did that, to a human.”

“And he’ll be going to jail for a very long time,” Parrish promised, “but I’m not gonna go and let a kid become a killer over it.”

“He’s not a kid,” the hunter muttered. “He’s a fucking monster.”

“You’re the monster,” Liam hissed, the hunter groaning as he pressed his head into the wall. One little push, and his skull would split open like a watermelon. His wolf snarled, begging for violence and blood.

“Liam,” Parrish warned.

“He deserves to die.”

“Yes, but you don’t deserve to kill him,” the hellhound said in a gentle voice. He stepped closer, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Let him go.”

“Liam, please,” Corey begged.

Liam closed his eyes, trying to get himself under control. He let the hunter drop and took a step back. Parrish pushed past him and wrapped the hunter in handcuffs, hauling him back up to his feet.

Walking over to Corey, he ripped the chains from him, and the other boy fell to his knees in front of Mason, crying as he brushed a hand over his cheek and took his pain. He pressed his forehead against Mason’s, whispering his name.

“Come on,” Parrish muttered. “Theo needs you.”

“What?” Liam said, eyes widening as he whirled to look at Parrish.

“He’s hurt,” the hellhound said.

The gunshots, the pained grunt, Liam realised. They’re hunters, they would have been poisoned bullets.

He rushed from the room and almost skidded on his knees as he fell to Theo’s side. Hands shaking, he ran them down Theo’s chest.

Theo’s eyes were closed, a thin layer of sweat beading his pale skin, barely breathing. Blood pooled underneath him, soaking into Liam’s jeans. So much blood.

“Theo,” he whispered. “Theo wake up, look at me.”

“I’m sorry,” Theo muttered, a frown creasing his face, his eyes still closed. Liam carded his hands through Theo’s hair, pulling him up and into his lap. Theo whimpered, and Liam pressed a hand to his cheek, pulling away the pain in thick black bands. Tears welled in his eyes, dripping down his cheeks and landing on Theo’s face. His vision blurred and he bit through his lip, holding in his sobs, but they wracked his body anyway, making him shake.

Liam kept watch over him, leaching his pain, listening to his weak heartbeat flutter in his chest, staring down at his lips to make sure he was breathing. When the ambulance finally arrived, Theo already looked like he had one foot in the grave. The paramedics lifted him onto a gurney and took him away, and Liam stayed in the same spot as the sound of sirens echoed and then drew away.

There was so much blood.

“They took Mason as well,” Argent informed him, pulling him to his feet. “You need to get cleaned up so that we can go to the hospital.”

“I can’t,” Liam said, eyes still glued to the puddle of blood.

Guilt wracked his body. Theo had been safe, had gotten away from all this supernatural bullshit, until Liam had called him. He had looked so healthy and happy, but now all he could think of was the pale, gaunt look of death shadowing his face. What if he didn’t make it? Theo had told him he loved him, and Liam hadn’t said it back, had abandoned him to save Mason. And mason, he would never have been tortured if he wasn’t friends with Liam.

“This is my fault,” he whispered.

“No, Liam, it’s not,” Argent said firmly, shaking him. “Snap out of it, kid.”

“My fault.”

“I’ll take him,” Parrish said.

They bundled him into the cruiser. Parrish must have gone to fetch it. In the back was the hunter. Argent was keeping watch over the others while they waited for the Sheriff. He laughed, fingers curled into the bars of the cage that separated them.

“Only good wolf is a dead one,” he whispered gleefully.

Liam ignored him, staring down at his hands, covered in blood. It was all he could smell, the metallic tang of Theo’s blood, soaking into the fabric of his jeans.

***

His mother screamed when she opened the front door.

“What happened?” She shrieked, pulling him into a bear hug, staring over his shoulder at Parrish.

“A friend of Liam’s was shot. He’s at the hospital,” he explained.

There was more conversation but Liam tuned it out. It didn’t feel real, like he was disconnected. At some point someone stripped off his clothes and shoved him under the hot spray of water. He stared down at the drain blankly as red swirled through the water and down the drain.

The water shut off and he was wrapped in a towel. He should be embarrassed that someone was drying him off and dressing him, but he felt numb.

He laid in his bed and stared at the ceiling, his mind empty.

Houses flash past as he stared out the window of the car. Someone was saying his name but it echoed, like he was hearing them down a tunnel, making his ears ring.

One foot in front of the other, and finally there are signs of life as he halted at the door, pushing back against the hand guiding him. He doesn’t want to go in that room, doesn’t want to see Theo with a million tubes pouring from his body, keeping him alive. He had heard enough to know that Theo wasn’t healing, that he was in a coma and that there was nothing anyone could do now but wait, wait and see.

“Liam,” Corey whispered from inside the room.

He closed his eyes, taking a shuddering breath and then stepping through the door.

“How is he?” He asked, his voice hoarse, eyes clenched shut. It’s his fault, his fault, his fault, and he didn’t want to see.

“No change,” Corey said. “Liam, it wasn’t your fault.”

“Yes, it was,” he said quietly. How could they even look at him? How could they stand to look at him? It was his fault, they were hurt because of him, because of what he was.

“No,” Mason croaked. Liam’s eyes flew open, seeing Mason lying in the bed, staring at him. He focused on him, ignoring the other occupant of the room lying unmoving on his bed.

“Mason,” he said, moving to his bedside. “How do you feel?”

“Between the drugs and Corey, not much,” Mason muttered, speaking slowly. Corey ran a hand through his hair, smiling weakly down at his boyfriend.

“I’m sorry,” Liam said, eyes downcast as he stared at his clenched fists. He had washed his hands so many times, but he could still feel Theo’s blood under his nails, still see the blood coating them, pooling on the floor at his knees. It haunted him.

“Nothing to be sorry for, you saved us,” Mason said, coughing at the end of the sentence. Corey hushed him, helping him sit up and sip at a cup of water he held to his lips.

“Sit with him,” Corey said quietly, looking at Liam. “He’d like that.”

Liam nodded, the numb feeling rising in his chest again as he moved over to finally look at Theo.

He was still pale, with tubes down his nose, the machine rattling with each breath. There was a large drip attached to a needle in his wrist. A grey clamp around one of his fingers lead to a machine that measured his heart rate, beeping with every pulse of blood that ran through his body. Another machine monitored his brain activity, wires connected to his temples with small round white patches. He looked away from it, swallowing past the lump in his chest, unable to stare at the thin wavy line.

Lying over the top of it all was the scent of bleach, a sickening sweet sour smell that burned at his nostrils.

Liam sat down in the chair at his bedside, his legs shaking, unable to hold him up a moment longer. It didn’t look like Theo. Didn’t smell like him. This was a stranger lying in front of him. His wolf whined in his chest, unnerved.

Reaching out, he took Theo’s hand in his. The skin was cool to the touch, his hand limp. Despair flooded him.

“Please don’t die for me,” he whispered helplessly. “Theo.”

The only response was silence, that and the sound of the machines keeping him alive.

Liam bowed his head, resting it against Theo’s hand, praying to any god that was listening, begging, pleading.

Save him, save him and I’ll do anything.

His chest cracked open, his heart cold as it law open, raw, exposed.

Please.

He had to tell Theo, tell him that he was sorry, tell him that he loved him too, tell him that he needed Theo just as much as Theo needed him, tell him that he wanted nothing more than to drive off into the sunset with him and never ever return.

But now, now he may never get that chance.

He pressed his lips to Theo’s hand, and waited.

Scott, Stiles, Lydia, Malia, Derek, Peter, Jackson, Ethan, Hayden, the entire McCall Pack, were all gone. Off to college, or a job, or just travelling, to all the corners of the world

The only line of protection left in Beacon Hills was a beta werewolf with IED, a chameleon chimera, and a human with a misshapen bat. To be fair, most days it was enough. The Dread Doctors were gone. The Ghost Riders were gone. The Anuk-ite was gone. No supernatural being was quite willing to risk it, these days.

But for Liam it was still hard work, keeping the hunters at bay while trying to maintain his GPA and lacrosse captaincy. If there was just someone else to help out with patrols, maybe it would not be so hard, but there was no one else.

Every now and again Liam thought about Theo, had wondered what he was up to, finger hovering over the call button, staring at his name. But every time he had slowly lowered his phone and put it back in his pocket, something stopping him from reaching out.

Theo had been through so much, and though he was no longer pretending to be the embodiment of pure evil, he had left, claiming that he had needed some time to get his head screwed on right.

Now, though, Liam did not have the luxury of giving Theo space.

The phone rang four times before it picked up. “Hey Liam.”

“Theo,” Liam said urgently. “I need your help.”

He heard the sound of the truck starting up in the background. “Text me the address,” Theo instructed, and then hung up. Liam pulled the phone away from his ear, mouth gaping open. That was it? No ifs, buts or maybes? Just, text me the address?

Liam shot off the text and paced as he waited for Theo to arrive.

Five minutes later Theo pulled up in front of him, and Liam jumped into the passenger seat.

“What happened?” Theo asked.

“Hunters. They took Corey and Mason,” Liam said, putting his seatbelt on.

“Where are we going?” Theo asked.

Liam pulled out his phone, showing Theo the address that the hunters had texted him. Theo put it into his GPS and took off. “You know it’s a trap, right?” Liam said.

“Of course it is,” Theo said grimly. “We can handle it.”

Liam stared at him, taking in the minute changes from the past few months. His hair was longer, curling around the nape of his neck. Theo brushed at it impatiently, pushing it out of his face. He had stubble, like he had not shaved for at least a week. It made him look older. He was also wearing a brown leather jacket that looked fairly new, and dark jeans.

He looked healthy, rested.

The last time Liam had seen Theo he had looked pale, with dark bruises under his eyes from lack of sleep. Something had been haunting him, but he had never talked about it, and Liam had never asked.

Liam had been afraid that Theo dying was becoming unavoidable with the way he had thrown himself into fight after fight, with no care for his own wellbeing and no sense of self-preservation. He had lost count of the amount of wounds Theo had taken for him. He had been heartily sick of seeing the chimera bleed for him.

He had been sad to see Theo go, but now that he was looking at him and could see how it had helped, he knew it had been the right decision.

“I missed you,” he said suddenly. Theo’s hands tightened on the steering wheel and then relaxed.

“Yeah?” He asked.

“I nearly called so many times,” Liam said, looking away, a light blush dusting his cheeks.

“I wouldn’t have minded,” Theo smiled.

“Oh,” Liam said, feeling foolish. “I didn’t want to disturb you.”

“Liam,” Theo scolded, glancing at him and then back at the road. “Why would you think that?”

“I know you needed to leave, needed some space,” Liam said quietly, biting his lip.

“Not from you,” Theo said softly. “From the fighting, from the nightmares, from the pain.”

“Pretty well sums up my life these days,” Liam said bitterly. Theo pulled over and looked at Liam sharply, eyes intense as he looked Liam up and down, leaning closer to inhale his scent, sifting and categorising his emotions.

“Maybe I should have taken you with me,” he said after a moment. Liam’s heart thudded, and he ducked his head.

“You look great,” Liam said after a moment of gathering himself. “You have to tell me your secret.”

“Get the hell out of dodge,” Theo said simply, still watching him. Liam looked everywhere but at Theo.

“That’s not really possible. Scott left me in charge.”

“Fuck Scott,” Theo said, raising an eyebrow at him. “You have to look after yourself. Let him worry about guarding the nemeton.”

“Tempting,” Liam sighed, staring out the window.

“He’s the alpha,” Theo said, grabbing his arm and making him turn to look at him. “It’s his problem, not yours.”

“He trusts me,” Liam said, his eyes pleading with Theo, begging him to understand. He could not just disappoint his alpha.

“Fuck this,” Theo growled, dropping his arm. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and started a video call, tapping his finger on the steering wheel while it rang.

“Theo?” Scott said, his face scrunched up in confusion as he answered the call.

“Scott,” Theo said, nodding at him. “We need to have a chat.”

“What’s going on?” He asked, eyes sharp.

“Your little beta is working himself to the bone looking after this fucking town, and it needs to stop,” Theo said. He glared at Scott, jaw set in a determined manner.

“What are you talking about?” Scott asked. Theo turned the camera on Liam so that Scott could see him.

“Hey Scott,” Liam said quietly, lower lip wobbling at the concern in Scott’s eyes as he searched Liam’s face.

“Liam, what- why didn’t you tell me?” Scott asked.

“I didn’t want to let you down,” Liam said, shifting in his seat.

“Theo,” Scott growled. “Why didn’t you tell me it was getting this bad?”

Theo turned the camera back on himself, suddenly looking guilty. “I didn’t know. I haven’t been around for awhile. I was dealing with my own shit, putting myself back together. I was a fucking mess.”

“It’s true,” Liam agreed. “And I didn’t call him.”

“You guys should have been looking out for each other,” Scott sighed. “You’re pack. And Liam, I told you to call me if you needed help.”

“I thought I could handle it,” Liam muttered.

“So, what’s going on right now?” Scott asked. Liam and Theo jumped, remembering their purpose. Theo handed Liam the phone so that the beta could talk to Scott while he drove.

“The hunters have captured Mason and Corey, they texted me an address. I called Theo to help,” Liam explained.

“How many hunters?” Scott asked.

“I have no idea,” Liam said, shaking his head. “I didn’t even know they were gone until they didn’t show up for school and I got the message.”

“Alright,” Scott said, going into alpha mode. “Text me the address they sent you. I’ll get Argent to back you up. Derek’s not too far away either, so I’ll see if he can get there in time to help you. Can’t hurt to let the Sheriff know, too.”

“Ok,” Liam nodded.

“And Liam?” Scott said. “Be careful, both of you. Look out for each other.”

“We will,” Liam nodded.

“We’ll talk about the other thing once Mason and Corey are safe, I promise,” Scott said. Liam nodded, giving him a weak smile.

“Bye,” Liam said.

“We’ll talk soon,” Scott promised, ending the call.

Liam sent the text and then handed Theo his phone back. He leaned back into the chair, sighing.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Theo asked, glancing at him.

“I suppose,” Liam said, fidgeting in his chair. He felt raw, exposed. There was nothing he hated more than feeling like a disappointment.

“Hey,” Theo said, shaking him out of his reverie. “You have nothing to feel bad about. It’s ok to need some time to look after yourself. Do you feel like I let anyone down because I had to leave for a bit?”

“No,” Liam responded, shaking his head vehemently.

“Then why is it different for you?” Theo said gently.

“I don’t know, it just is,” Liam growled.

“Look, Liam, you and I, we make a pretty good team. We’re gonna go to this stupid little hunter base, kick some ass and save Mason and Corey,” Theo said, determination shining in his eyes as he glanced at Liam. “And then after that, I’m taking you on a fucking holiday.”

“A holiday?” Liam asked, his lips twitching into a smile.

“Yep, wherever you wanna go,” Theo said.

“I have school, and lacrosse,” Liam pointed out.

“Who cares? The way you look, I doubt you’ve been excelling at either recently,” Theo said, raising an eyebrow at him.

“That’s true,” Liam admitted, his shoulders slumping. He had been so tired, always falling asleep in class and forgetting about assignments, and Coach was starting to threaten his captaincy if there was no improvement in his effort in the games and at training.

“One week off won’t hurt,” Theo said with a shrug. “Then you’ll be back, good as new, and you can go back to being Liam Dunbar, history nerd and superstar athlete,” he said with a mocking grin.

Liam rolled his eyes. “Yeah, whatever, let’s just focus on finding Mason and Corey.”

“For now,” Theo said, smirking at him.

***

They pulled up about a kilometre away from the address that had been given to Liam and got out of the truck. They were on the very edge of Beacon Hills, where there was mostly old farmsteads and shacks.

“We’ll go cross-country,” Liam said.

“Avoiding the roads,” Theo nodded. “Good idea.”

Liam set off, checking Google Maps on his phone periodically to make sure he was heading in the right direction.

“I think that’s it,” he whispered to Theo.

Ahead of them was a huge barn, with at least four or five cars and trucks parked in front of it.

“That’s a lot of hunters,” Theo said, narrowing his eyes as he counted heartbeats. “At least seven, if we assume that two heartbeats belong to Mason and Corey.”

“They’re definitely here,” Liam said, scenting the air. “I can smell them.”

“We should wait for Argent,” Theo said.

“Yeah, let’s go around the back and see if we can pick any off while we wait,” Liam said.

“Bloodthirsty,” Theo smirked. Liam rolled his eyes, walking away, Theo following him.

They made sure to stay out of sight, eyes glowing and ears peeled for the slightest noise. They could easily have placed sentries and traps in the trees. If they were hunters worth a damn then it was almost inevitable.

Theo’s phone buzzed just as they reached the other side.

“Argent says he’s ten minutes away,” Theo whispered, showing the text to Liam.

“Perfect,” Liam said. “If we get caught, he can bail us out,”

He went to step forwards, but Theo held him back. “You’re being reckless, why?”

“Those are my best friends in there,” Liam growled.

“Getting yourself killed won’t help anyone,” Theo said, eyes narrowed in anger.

“I don’t care about that,” Liam said dismissively. “As long as they’re ok, it doesn’t matter if I get hurt.”

“It does fucking matter,” Theo snarled, shoving him against a tree, his hands bunched in Liam’s jacket. Liam struggled, trying to get away, but Theo was a lot healthier than him at the moment, whereas Liam was running on three hours of sleep and a protein bar.

“What do you care?” He muttered.

“Of course I fucking care,” Theo hissed.

“You left,” Liam said, looking at him, his eyes finally showing the pain he had been swallowing down for months.

“I needed to,” Theo said, his hands soothing down Liam’s chest. “But I would have come back in a heartbeat if you asked me to.”

Liam stared at him, mouth gaping open like a fish. “Why?”

“You’re so fucking dense,” Theo scowled. And then he was leaning forwards and kissing him with all the passion he could muster. It lasted for maybe ten seconds, and then he pulled away. Liam gasped for breath, feeling like he had run a marathon.

“Oh,” Liam said, one hand reaching up to rub at his sensitive lips.

“No suicide missions,” Theo growled, turning away and walking a bit closer to the barn.

“Ok,” Liam whispered, following after a few moments.

On this side of the barn, they could see an open door. From it they could hear the low hum of conversation, though they could not pick out individual words.

“We just need to wait a few more minutes,” Theo said in a low voice. “Argent is nearly here.”

“I don’t know if I can,” Liam said, restless, his eyes intent on the barn, fangs bared, claws digging into his palms. It was like the closer he got to the barn, the less control he had. Theo grabbed his hand, soothing his thumb over Liam’s palm, rubbing small circles.

“They’ll be fine,” Theo said quietly.

Liam took a deep, shaky breath and nodded.

They watched the barn. There was no movement inside, only the hum of conversation and nine steady heartbeats. Liam jumped when Argent seemed to materialise beside him.

“This is the address they sent you?” He asked. Liam confirmed with a nod.

“It’s a fake,” Argent said.

“How can you tell?” Theo asked urgently.

“I can see the flicker of the TV through the door,” Argent said, pointing. “Which accounts for the conversation. They probably have something rigged to play heartbeats.”

“I can smell them,” Liam said, frustration seeping into his tone.

“Oh they were here at some point, definitely,” Argent agreed. “But it’s just a giant trap. I can tell you that as soon as you touch that door handle, something would explode.”

“So if they’re not here, then where are they?” Liam growled.

“Somewhere close enough that they would hear the explosion, but not so close that you could hear or smell them,” Argent mused.

Liam pulled out his phone, checking the surrounding properties on Google Maps. Argent and Theo looked over his shoulder.

“That one, maybe,” Argent said, tapping the screen. It showed a large farmstead a few kilometres away.

“Alright, let’s go check it out,” Theo said.

“What do we do about the barn?” Liam asked. “Do we just leave it?”

Argent frowned. “I’m not sure. On the one hand, if they don’t hear anything they’ll be suspicious, but on the other hand, they might just kill Mason and Corey if they think they managed to kill you.”

They all paused as the heard the sound of a vehicle pulling up, circling back around the house, they saw that it was Parrish and Stilinski.

“Hey,” Argent said, moving forwards and waving, getting their attention.

They met halfway, and Argent relayed what they had discovered.

“I’ll get the bomb squad in,” Stilinski said with a scowl, pulling out his walkie talkie and barking orders into it.

“I guess that answers that question,” Theo shrugged.

“I’ll go with you guys,” Parrish said.

“Alright,” Argent nodded. “Let’s go.”

The four of them headed out, following Liam’s phone to the new destination. After half an hour of light jogging, Liam picked up Mason and Corey’s scent again.

“I can smell them,” he said quietly, stopping as he inhaled deeply.

“I can too,” Theo said, standing beside him.

“We must be getting close,” Argent said grimly. “Keep an eye out for traps.”

They fanned out, moving through the forest carefully. Liam stepped carefully over a hidden bear trap, having spotted a glint of metal just in time.

“Careful,” Theo warned, his eyes sharp as he glared at Liam.

“I know,” he said.

He was hyper aware of the chimera as he continued to track through the forest, his spicy scent swirling around him, intoxicating him. His lips still tingled from where Theo had kissed him, and he licked his lips, chasing the taste. Theo’s heart jumped and LIam turned to see him staring at LIam’s lips, eyes wide.

“Pay attention,” Liam scolded.

Theo jumped, startled. “Right,” he muttered, turning away. Liam smirked. At least Theo was just as affected as he was.

The four of them circled around the homestead. There were two hunters standing at the front door, large guns held in their hands lightly as they talked in low voices. Liam sent out his senses, trying to tell how many hunters there were. There had been a lot of cars back at the abandoned warehouse, and there was no telling how many people they had packed into each car.

“Four maybe,” Theo whispered, “or five?”

“The rest must be in the woods then,” Liam whispered back.

Suddenly, they heard a voice cry out in pain and rage flooded through Liam immediately. He barrelled towards the house, fangs bared.

“Liam,” Theo whispered angrily.

“That’s Mason,” he cried out. He paused just out of sight of the house and Theo ran towards him, fisting a hand in the back of his shirt.

They tilted their heads, listening.

“No, please,” they heard Corey beg. “He’s human, leave him alone.”

“Theo, let me go,” Liam snarled.

“You’ll get yourself killed,” Theo snapped.

“Mason won’t heal, I will,” he pointed out, straining forwards.

“Liam,” Theo said softly.

“Yeah, yeah, I know, you’re not dying for me,” Liam said, eyes glowing gold as they focussed on the house with a single minded intensity.

“You fucking idiot,” Theo growled. “I was lying, obviously. I’d do anything for you, up to and including dying.”

“What?” Liam said, whirling around finally.

“Was it not clear before?” Theo rolled his eyes. “I’m head over heels in love with you.”

Liam’s mouth gaped open.

“Who are you and what did you do with Theo Raeken?”

“He went on holiday for two months and realised a few things,” Theo shrugged.

Another scream echoed through the forest and Liam flinched.

“I have to,” he said, eyes pleading with Theo. His heart sank as he stared into Theo’s eyes, a horrible sense of wrongness and fear lancing through him. Why did he feel like this was the last time he would ever see him?

“Ok,” Theo whispered, letting his hand drop. Liam was gone before his hand even fell to his side, a sense of loss settling inside him. The last thing he wanted to do was turn away from Theo, but Mason needed him.

He was on the two hunters before they could even turn, let alone raise their weapons. Liam tried to dispatch them quietly, but the second guy yelled as Liam punched him and his gun clattered to the ground. Shouts could be heard from inside, and Liam burst through the door, roaring his fury.

Three hunters rose to their feet from the lounge room, turning to stare at him, eyes narrowed as they cocked their weapons. Liam’s eyes flashed.

“Kill them,” one of the hunters yelled.

Mason’s screams increased and rage and adrenaline blinded him. And then Theo was there, shoving him towards the hallway as he bared his fangs at the three hunters.

“Liam, go,” Theo roared.

Liam stumbled as he heard gunshots behind him and Theo’s pained grunt but he ran on, kicking down the first door he came across.

He came to a stop as he saw a hunter with a blade held against Mason’s throat, beady eyes fixed on Liam.

“One more step, wolf boy, and he dies,” he spat out.

Liam glanced at Corey, who was chained against the wall, tears streaming down his cheeks. He looked untouched, but Mason, Mason was a wreck. He was tied up in a chair, his clothes ripped and torn, rope burns clear on his wrists and legs. One eye was closed over, an ugly black bruise surrounding it. There were shallow cuts up and down his arms, oozing blood that dripped and lay in a pool at his feet. From the amount of it, it was clear that this torture had been going on for hours.

“Liam,” he whispered, his breath coming out of him in shaky pants.

Suddenly, his rage cleared, and he saw with perfect clarity. The man’s arm tensed, and a rivulet of blood leaked onto the knife, and then Liam was wrenching him away, shoving him up against the wall.

“I’ll kill you,” he said in a low voice, eyes sparking with the promise of death and destruction. “I’ll fucking kill you for what you did to my friend.”

“You can’t kill him,” Parrish said from the door, gun levelled at Liam’s back.

“Look at him, Parrish,” Liam said. “They did that, to a human.”

“And he’ll be going to jail for a very long time,” Parrish promised, “but I’m not gonna go and let a kid become a killer over it.”

“He’s not a kid,” the hunter muttered. “He’s a fucking monster.”

“You’re the monster,” Liam hissed, the hunter groaning as he pressed his head into the wall. One little push, and his skull would split open like a watermelon. His wolf snarled, begging for violence and blood.

“Liam,” Parrish warned.

“He deserves to die.”

“Yes, but you don’t deserve to kill him,” the hellhound said in a gentle voice. He stepped closer, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Let him go.”

“Liam, please,” Corey begged.

Liam closed his eyes, trying to get himself under control. He let the hunter drop and took a step back. Parrish pushed past him and wrapped the hunter in handcuffs, hauling him back up to his feet.

Walking over to Corey, he ripped the chains from him, and the other boy fell to his knees in front of Mason, crying as he brushed a hand over his cheek and took his pain. He pressed his forehead against Mason’s, whispering his name.

“Come on,” Parrish muttered. “Theo needs you.”

“What?” Liam said, eyes widening as he whirled to look at Parrish.

“He’s hurt,” the hellhound said.

The gunshots, the pained grunt, Liam realised. They’re hunters, they would have been poisoned bullets.

He rushed from the room and almost skidded on his knees as he fell to Theo’s side. Hands shaking, he ran them down Theo’s chest.

Theo’s eyes were closed, a thin layer of sweat beading his pale skin, barely breathing. Blood pooled underneath him, soaking into Liam’s jeans. So much blood.

“Theo,” he whispered. “Theo wake up, look at me.”

“I’m sorry,” Theo muttered, a frown creasing his face, his eyes still closed. Liam carded his hands through Theo’s hair, pulling him up and into his lap. Theo whimpered, and Liam pressed a hand to his cheek, pulling away the pain in thick black bands. Tears welled in his eyes, dripping down his cheeks and landing on Theo’s face. His vision blurred and he bit through his lip, holding in his sobs, but they wracked his body anyway, making him shake.

Liam kept watch over him, leaching his pain, listening to his weak heartbeat flutter in his chest, staring down at his lips to make sure he was breathing. When the ambulance finally arrived, Theo already looked like he had one foot in the grave. The paramedics lifted him onto a gurney and took him away, and Liam stayed in the same spot as the sound of sirens echoed and then drew away.

There was so much blood.

“They took Mason as well,” Argent informed him, pulling him to his feet. “You need to get cleaned up so that we can go to the hospital.”

“I can’t,” Liam said, eyes still glued to the puddle of blood.

Guilt wracked his body. Theo had been safe, had gotten away from all this supernatural bullshit, until Liam had called him. He had looked so healthy and happy, but now all he could think of was the pale, gaunt look of death shadowing his face. What if he didn’t make it? Theo had told him he loved him, and Liam hadn’t said it back, had abandoned him to save Mason. And mason, he would never have been tortured if he wasn’t friends with Liam.

“This is my fault,” he whispered.

“No, Liam, it’s not,” Argent said firmly, shaking him. “Snap out of it, kid.”

“My fault.”

“I’ll take him,” Parrish said.

They bundled him into the cruiser. Parrish must have gone to fetch it. In the back was the hunter. Argent was keeping watch over the others while they waited for the Sheriff. He laughed, fingers curled into the bars of the cage that separated them.

“Only good wolf is a dead one,” he whispered gleefully.

Liam ignored him, staring down at his hands, covered in blood. It was all he could smell, the metallic tang of Theo’s blood, soaking into the fabric of his jeans.

***

His mother screamed when she opened the front door.

“What happened?” She shrieked, pulling him into a bear hug, staring over his shoulder at Parrish.

“A friend of Liam’s was shot. He’s at the hospital,” he explained.

There was more conversation but Liam tuned it out. It didn’t feel real, like he was disconnected. At some point someone stripped off his clothes and shoved him under the hot spray of water. He stared down at the drain blankly as red swirled through the water and down the drain.

The water shut off and he was wrapped in a towel. He should be embarrassed that someone was drying him off and dressing him, but he felt numb.

He laid in his bed and stared at the ceiling, his mind empty.

Houses flash past as he stared out the window of the car. Someone was saying his name but it echoed, like he was hearing them down a tunnel, making his ears ring.

One foot in front of the other, and finally there are signs of life as he halted at the door, pushing back against the hand guiding him. He doesn’t want to go in that room, doesn’t want to see Theo with a million tubes pouring from his body, keeping him alive. He had heard enough to know that Theo wasn’t healing, that he was in a coma and that there was nothing anyone could do now but wait, wait and see.

“Liam,” Corey whispered from inside the room.

He closed his eyes, taking a shuddering breath and then stepping through the door.

“How is he?” He asked, his voice hoarse, eyes clenched shut. It’s his fault, his fault, his fault, and he didn’t want to see.

“No change,” Corey said. “Liam, it wasn’t your fault.”

“Yes, it was,” he said quietly. How could they even look at him? How could they stand to look at him? It was his fault, they were hurt because of him, because of what he was.

“No,” Mason croaked. Liam’s eyes flew open, seeing Mason lying in the bed, staring at him. He focused on him, ignoring the other occupant of the room lying unmoving on his bed.

“Mason,” he said, moving to his bedside. “How do you feel?”

“Between the drugs and Corey, not much,” Mason muttered, speaking slowly. Corey ran a hand through his hair, smiling weakly down at his boyfriend.

“I’m sorry,” Liam said, eyes downcast as he stared at his clenched fists. He had washed his hands so many times, but he could still feel Theo’s blood under his nails, still see the blood coating them, pooling on the floor at his knees. It haunted him.

“Nothing to be sorry for, you saved us,” Mason said, coughing at the end of the sentence. Corey hushed him, helping him sit up and sip at a cup of water he held to his lips.

“Sit with him,” Corey said quietly, looking at Liam. “He’d like that.”

Liam nodded, the numb feeling rising in his chest again as he moved over to finally look at Theo.

He was still pale, with tubes down his nose, the machine rattling with each breath. There was a large drip attached to a needle in his wrist. A grey clamp around one of his fingers lead to a machine that measured his heart rate, beeping with every pulse of blood that ran through his body. Another machine monitored his brain activity, wires connected to his temples with small round white patches. He looked away from it, swallowing past the lump in his chest, unable to stare at the thin wavy line.

Lying over the top of it all was the scent of bleach, a sickening sweet sour smell that burned at his nostrils.

Liam sat down in the chair at his bedside, his legs shaking, unable to hold him up a moment longer. It didn’t look like Theo. Didn’t smell like him. This was a stranger lying in front of him. His wolf whined in his chest, unnerved.

Reaching out, he took Theo’s hand in his. The skin was cool to the touch, his hand limp. Despair flooded him.

“Please don’t die for me,” he whispered helplessly. “Theo.”

The only response was silence, that and the sound of the machines keeping him alive.

Liam bowed his head, resting it against Theo’s hand, praying to any god that was listening, begging, pleading.

Save him, save him and I’ll do anything.

His chest cracked open, his heart cold as it law open, raw, exposed.

Please.

He had to tell Theo, tell him that he was sorry, tell him that he loved him too, tell him that he needed Theo just as much as Theo needed him, tell him that he wanted nothing more than to drive off into the sunset with him and never ever return.

But now, now he may never get that chance.

He pressed his lips to Theo’s hand, and waited.

#thiam #thiamsecretsanta #thiamsecretsanta2k17 #liam dunbar #theo raeken #it's christmas in australia so it counts #enjoy #sorry for the ending?