#im not sure this is quite chaotic enough but you said you wanted something nice so

[nrghfufu-brr]

after baking lessons and first times

I had this concept for a long time, like very long. Thought of rewriting it because honeii it's actually good but was executed poorly, by me. Tho this was originally a crush x reader, imma turn it to levi x reader so hehehe

 (i don’t have irl crushes anymore) 

pairing: levi ackerman x fem! reader (college au bcuz we love those) 

tag/warning(s): virginity loss, first times, lots of reassurance (AND KISSES) and shetttt, probably ooc levi, pet name, fluff, confessions (i did say this originally was a crush x reader and it played a huge part and build up to the smut so heh) might be still poorly written because im supposed to be doing school works but heh. Honestly, the reader is kinda living the privileged life so ummm, yea. 

CONTAINS NSFW!!!

word count: 4.1k

a bathtub and a lover (pt.2)

✰✰✰ 

Sugar, spice, and everything nice. 

That thought ran through your head as you laid all the ingredients on the kitchen counter. Making sure you haven’t left out anything for the baking lessons that you were holding this afternoon, enough for the big friend group that you had made during college, especially during your first year. 

Most of them were always urging (mostly Jean and Sasha) that whenever you had free time, that you'd teach them to bake the treats you would always bring on occasions, especially your renowned butter cookies. In your bustling and busy schedule, you were able to fit it to most of your friends' availability. 

By the time the clock struck two-thirty, most of your friends were here and were ready to put their aprons on and get the kitchen smell like vanilla extract. Though you were waiting for one person. 

“Is shorty joining?” Hange asked as they tied the ribbons of their apron. You looked at the digital clock on the wall just to give a small pout on your face. “He only messaged he might try stopping by…but we can start now.”

You were hopeful to see him, but it seems like it won’t be happening soon. 

✰✰✰ 

The lessons were chaotically fun. Mess was inevitable especially when dealing with two bickering guys who almost called an outrage, Sasha attempting to eat almost anything that was on the table, and Hange being Hange, would always end up in a mess no matter what but that didn’t mean they weren’t successful with their results! Most of your friends got a pat down on how you make your butter cookies, only a few were able to take a hold of how you make your egg custards. 

The hours went fast when you guys were mixing and stirring the ingredients of the sweets, the evidence of how the hours were spent were all over the kitchen counter and the air. 

A ruckus that occurred earlier by Sasha and Connie, left your kitchen floor to have stains of good batter for extra butter cookies, were gone to waste. The two best friends were very sorry, but you weren’t one to stay mad over something you can clean up easily. 

All of them offered to help with the clean up, but you just told them you guys won’t be able to clean when there were at least five people who will somehow make a mess in the process. “We’re so sorry, F/N!” Sasha cried out. 

“It’s fine, plus I have something else to bake and I prefer cleaning in one go.” Washing your hands from some of the flour that you got on yourself from the counter, “And I’m sure all of you have somewhere else to be, so I don’t want to delay you guys.” 

Handing you the small towel in the kitchen, “Are you sure?” Mikasa asked as you gave her a thankful nod. “Yes, I insist. Don’t want you guys to be caught in traffic and going home late.” 

“Always the mom, I wonder where the dad is right now?” Hange teased. You scowled at her. Though it was known in the group that you liked him. “See! You even scowl like him!” 

“Quit it and get going, Hange. It’s five-thirty already and your shift starts at six.” 

“What?! Already?!”

Everyone by that point said their goodbyes and thank you’s to you. As the door shut, you were left to your own devices for the evening. “I’ll just order take out.” 

Multi-tasking between eating your fast food (literally fast, since it arrived in less than ten minutes, but that’s the perks of having a housing compound on an industrial road) and stirring the red velvet batter that you were now placing carefully on the cupcake liners, you heard a knock coming from your door. Worried that they’ll probably see the mess, especially some of the stains the batter left on the floor, you put a cleaning towel on top of it. 

With the thought it was probably one of your neighbors, you opened it to see Levi right in front of you in all his stoicness. Composed and pristine contrasting to the mess you were with flour all over your arms. You were surprised and embarrassed of course at this moment. 

“You look messy, tch.” 

“Haha, didn’t expect less from you but you being tardy is rare. Three hours to be exact.” 

Huffing at your comment, “Had to deal with a project. A group project.” he replied. “I even told you I might try stopping by.” 

“No need to get defensive, Mr. Grumpy Pants, come on in.” 

You weren’t surprised that he immediately commented on the state of your kitchen. He was called the clean freak of the group for a reason. “If you’re messy, your kitchen is shitty.” 

“Big words coming from the guy who missed everyone else,” you bantered back, “and it was actually worse earlier.” you added with a laugh. 

“Well, it was by fate I wasn't here earlier.” he said as he sat down on the couch that was facing the kitchen. 

You just rolled your eyes as you finished up filling the liners with batter and putting it in the oven. 

This was the dynamic between you and Levi. Always bantering whenever you two were together. Everyone else would just observe whenever you two got into heated debates about whatever; like what fabric conditioner brand was best. You two would have been mistaken to be in the debate team of the school, but it’s just you two have different beliefs with fabric conditioner. 

It always stuck to him that he could get along with anything you would blabber, ever since he met you during your first year. Especially topics like cleaning products, he was glad another person was interested in that choice of conversation. 

Waiting for the cupcakes to bake, you gradually started cleaning a bit of the kitchen, but before that, you approached Levi with a plate of some of the treats you baked earlier with the others. “I know you don’t like sweets, but we just couldn’t leave you out, so…” 

“I became the official taste tester?” he finished your line of thought. 

“Probably?” 

“I’ll strangle you if one of the cookies, Hange concocted some weird shit in it.” Taking the plate from you as he stated. His fingertips slightly brushing against yours caused his breath to hitch. 

You frowned. “Why am I getting the end of it? Hange is the one responsible!”

He took the one that was already a deformed star. “You were the one in-charge earlier, so it's obvious.” he took a bite of the cookie, nodding in a satisfactory way. 

He kept on eating the treats along with a cup of tea that you prepared for him and kept guessing right on who made what. Luckily Hange didn’t have anything odd in it, saving you from Levi’s wrath. The timer for your cupcakes went off, waiting it out for a few minutes, you finally took it out of the oven to let it cool on the cooling rack. The aroma of the baked goods gave that sense of homeness to your place that Levi couldn’t help but feel contented to. 

What also added to this feeling was seeing you working in the kitchen, making the icing for the cupcakes. In his eyes, you were in your zone being cute and alluring even with the mess. No matter how much clatter was in your kitchen his eyes were only on you. 

That’s when he noticed a lot of stains were on the floor. Made his face scrunch up that he had to do something about it. 

Finishing up the dozen cupcakes you baked, your attention was on the man who went beside you to observe the state of your kitchen. “You’re one messy girl,”

“Sorry, neat freak. I was more focused on not burning the house down,” you quipped as you admired the work you did. Taking one and peeling a side of the lining then holding it in front of Levi to be met with those eyes that never failed to dazzle you. 

“Try one.” 

Only the whirring sound of your electric fan can be heard during this exchange. You felt your face heating up as you admired the features of the most gorgeous man you ever met. As he took a bite of the small treat that was in your hand, the way his mouth attached to the cake was enough for you to almost faint. How can someone look so flawless with such a simple action? The way he takes in the taste of the sweet took you in a trance. 

“It’s nice.” he spoke, breaking the hypnotized state you were in. You quickly darted your eyes somewhere other than his face. 

“Just nice?” you pouted. He just rolled his eyes. “You know I’m not a sweet-tooth person.” 

But just as he said that, he took the cupcake again and bit on it. That didn’t miss your sight causing you to give a small smile. “Sureee, suree.” 

“I don’t want to waste food, brat.” he grumbled. Not pushing it any further, you looked for tupperwares to fit the cupcakes you made. “You can now go back to your dorm. I can handle everything from here.” 

Levi already took a hold of the broom and dustpan. “I don’t trust your word, so I’m staying to clean up.” making you smile at his insistence. 

The cupcakes were now tucked inside the fridge and the cleaning of your kitchen finally commenced. You took care of the dishes while Levi…he almost took care of everything. From getting rid of the batter stain on the floor, wiping down the kitchen counter, and getting rid of the dust of flour from the floor that also covered a bit of your cabinets. You can admit that your kitchen felt brand new after the cleaning was done. 

Finishing up and putting the dishes in their respective places, your friend who was also your crush came up to you with a towel on his hand. “What is it?”

“Step closer to me.” 

You did as he told and got caught off-guard as he placed his left arm around you while his right softly wiped off the flour from your face with the towel. A few smudges of icing were on your neck, courtesy to Hange for declaring to be a menace in the kitchen, that it tempted Levi to use his tongue to clean it up. But he controlled himself. 

Instead, he turned on the kitchen faucet and got a part of the towel with water. Your heart was beating fast due to the small gap between you and him, that your senses couldn’t catch on when he turned off the water and felt the cool damp towel on your neck, which you now discovered it got you all hot and bothered. His warmth, his scent, his touch, it got your mind into a frenzy. This was the closest you have ever been with Levi. 

Placing the towel on the sink, he looked back at you with the same bored eyes yet something was different about it. “You’re going have to clean up by yourself next time, unruly brat,” 

“Don’t worry, I’m a big girl and a fast learner, grumpy.” you chuckled, getting a ‘tch’ from Levi due to the nickname. “So, how much do I need to pay you?” 

The corner of his mouth quirked up, “An unfathomable amount.” 

“Damnnn, then I should have cleaned up myself.” you whined. But you were willing of course, but with a discount. “We made cookies and I made tea, Levi.” 

“Still not convinced,” he replied. “But there is one way…” 

“Tell meee.”

He inched his face closer to yours. You felt your face heating up.

“Kiss me.” 

Were you hearing this right? Was the world moving in the right direction? 

WHAT? 

“Wha-” before you said anything, he pecked your lips. As he pulled away with your mouth slightly opened, you can see his face was dusted with a pink hue that you have never seen before. You were convinced that you were about to die from a heart attack. 

“I’ve admired you for the longest time…” the first words he spoke after that moment. “And it doesn’t even feel like a crush anymore…” 

You were absolutely out of breath. The thought of the one who you harbored feelings for reciprocating it back was something you never knew will happen. Taking all the courage within your body, you placed a hand on his shoulder and the other caressed his face.

 “I feel the same way as well.” 

He gave a smile, “Then I suppose you don’t mind this-'' as he held your face and kissed you once again. The space between you two was non-existent at this point and the temperature was rising, but that didn’t stop you two. He nipped gently on your lips, causing you to let out an airy sigh. 

His hands are already taking a hold of your hips. “Do you want to take this further?” 

The blush on your face was more prominent than ever, but everything happening and what was about to happen was something you’ve always dreamed of. “Mhm..I want you.” 

Things then escalated from there. Levi carried you to your room with outmost care and strength, laying you down on your bed admiring how beautiful you were with the light of your lamp illuminating you in an immaculate glow. In his eyes, you were a goddess. 

Immediately taking his shoes off as well as your socks, he knelt down on the floor beside your bed holding onto your knees. The sight of him between your legs was making your insides especially your pussy flutter. Your arousal was seeping through the thin fabric of your shorts and how it also turned Levi on. 

“Have you ever done this before?” he asked as he grazed his hands from your knees towards your thighs, making you shiver under his touch. You shook your head, holding back a moan as he drew circles on the plush of your thighs with his thumb. 

Continuing with his ministrations, “Have you experienced this before?” you croaked out a question. 

He also shaked his head in the same manner as you earlier. Letting out a relieved gasp as he finished, standing up from his place on the floor he crossed his arms over his stomach and took a hold of his shirt—exposing his firm and built torso to your eyes. Uncharacteristically, he dropped his shirt on the floor. No folding, no nothing. He wanted you so badly. 

You knew Levi worked out, heck you saw him once in your school gym lifting weights and that memory forever plagued your mind whenever you touch yourself. Seeing him shirtless in your dimmed light room added to the sensuality of things. You swallowed a lump in your throat as you saw him start taking off his pants, seeing how hard he was and it was because of you. 

Left in his boxers, you sat up from the lying state you were. As he climbed on the bed you took off your shirt. The dusty blue bandeau bra complemented the tone of your skin and Levi was just awestruck of how heavenly you looked. 

How much more if you were naked? 

“You’re beautiful,” Levi let out a sigh as he went closer to you, capturing your lips in a tender kiss. “I know I’m not the best with words, but I know how to be genuine with them.” 

Smiling at him, you took a hold of his right hand, squeezing it gently. “I can never ask for more.” 

Kisses being exchanged, he pulled you closer to his lap. Shifting to a more comfortable position, your knees were on each side of his thighs. His hands found a way to support your back as your arms were wrapped around his shoulders. The exchange got heated as both of you got more explorative with your tongues. 

Heart beating and breaths heaving, Levi pulled away from your intoxicating mouth that he proceeded to move downwards. Nipping at your clavicles and sucking on the crook of your neck, he left a mark. “I hope you don’t mind,” he hummed with his hands already unclipping your bra, dropping it on the floor. 

You let a sigh out. “I don’t,” feeling his hands taking a hold of your breasts you gave out a muffled cry of pleasure. Teasing your nipples with both of his thumbs and forefingers, the stickiness of your arousal was spreading through your inner thighs. This was after all the time you can finally let your sexual frustrations out. 

Levi shared the same sentiment as well. 

The small noises you were making as he sucked on one of your nipples made him harder. The cloth of his boxers burning against his skin at the same time, he can feel the heat of your cunt. He was so close to just releasing everything but he wouldn’t, not when this was the first time for you and him. Mainly you being his first concern. 

As he sucked on your right breast while his left hand took care of the left, his right hand was now on your dripping pussy. Rubbing through your shorts, it got you whining from the sensation of it. “L-Levi..” 

“Don’t keep those noises to yourself, pretty,” he praised. “I love every sound you’re making right now.” 

You gasped as he placed more pressure, already feeling yourself getting more wet. It then came to mind you haven’t tried touching Levi, and you weren’t going to let this opportunity pass. 

Just to tease him a bit, you ran your hand over his taut chest making Levi take a quick breath. Your mouth gently latched onto his neck, giving kitten licks, the ebony haired man was relishing the moment but when you finally cupped his cock, the lustful sound he made was now one of your achievements. 

“You don’t have to..” he whispered. “I want this night to be only your pleasure.” 

Pulling your mouth away from his neck. “And I want this night to be your pleasure as well-” pecking his lips-”let me make you feel good, Levi.” 

He inhaled sharply as he felt your hand start moving. You were gentle with your actions and did it make Levi let out a contented sigh as he ran his hand over your head. He’ll let you suck his cock next time that’s for sure. 

“How does it feel?” you softly asked. He did most of the work the past few minutes, so of course you wanted him to feel the same you feel. 

One particular stroke got his head leaning back. “It feels so good, kitten.” That nickname stopped you in your tracks, which Levi immediately noticed. 

“Oh, shit. I’m sorry, I-” you placed a finger over his mouth. “I want you to call me that, whenever we…do this…” you said, blushing while you were at it. The way it rolled out of his tongue and the tone of it, kept on replaying on your head. You’re looking forward to the many times he will address you with that pet name. 

He smirked at you. “Whatever you say, goes.” 

A mischievous grin appeared on your face. “Since you said that..'' you once again wrapped your arms around him and looked at him directly.

 “I want you to fuck me, Levi.” 

You can see how his eyes dilated after you said that. Not letting a second to pass, he had you laying down on the mattress, taking off both your shorts and panties in haste along with his boxers. 

His dick was always what you thought it would be, but certainly better now that you’ve seen it. Now the important question was: how long will it take for you to adjust to it?

You were about to find out. 

“Let me get the condom,” he said, before he could get his pants you stopped him with just a shake of your head. “You don’t have to, actually…” you replied, fumbling with your hands. 

You continued, “I’m on the pill actually,” you shyly admitted, “my mom forced me ever since I got into college.” 

His eyes lit up. “Guess we should thank her next time then,” he smirked. The implications of what he said made your heart get rapid. 

Bare and vulnerable to each other’s sight, Levi took his place between your legs. Letting you put your legs around and tight on his waist, it just hit you that you’re finally doing this. 

Breathing a bit unsteady, it's like Levi knew what was going through your mind. “Tell me if it hurts and if you want to stop, okay?” 

Nodding to what he said, he slowly inched himself to your core. Every time he would inch himself deeper in you, he’d ask you if it’s fine, and it just made you fall harder for him. 

Levi was whipped at this point. The way your face would contort to lewd expressions as he would try putting more of his length in you, was egging on his self-control. But he didn’t want to hurt you, that was the more important thing to him. Already bottoming you down, both of you took the time to relish the feeling. 

“Mm, Levi..” 

“Yes?” he was quick to respond to you, causing you to smile. 

“You’re very sweet, did you know that?” emitting the reaction you expected, he muttered a small ‘brat’ paired with a blush. Grabbing his hand, entwining your fingers together. 

“You made me feel nothing but comfort throughout this whole time, Levi…” you said with full of adoration. “I wouldn’t have my first time any other way but only this.”

A soft smile was on Levi’s face once you said that, his hand tightens against yours but not in a harsh way. “I intend to put your comfort above mine, every time.”

Sharing a sweet kiss that both of you intend will happen more. “You can start moving.” you sighed. Finally with your consent, he experimentally moved his hips. It did feel a bit painful, but not the sharp kind of pain. Reassuring caresses and words were shared and did it warm your heart (and your pussy as well). 

The patterned movement of his hips against yours increasingly picked up on tempo and the amount of pretty and lustful sounds that left both of your mouths could cause complaints from your fellow neighbors in the compound tomorrow morning. You weren’t going to last long but you knew; you’d probably go for another round. 

“I’m-ah!” you squeaked. Levi was working up on your clit, your climax approaching faster. “L-Levi!” 

“Keep up with those noises, kitten,” he grunted. Pulling you closer by your thighs and gripping on them tight, enough to leave marks of his hand. “You feel just so right.” 

Just after he said that, your orgasm gushed out. Legs trembling and breaths rapid. Levi pulled out quickly and came all over your stomach, decorating it messily in white. 

Both of you heaved out long sighs, but satisfaction was evident. A cheeky grin was on your face. “Now, who’s the messy one?” 

“Pfft, shut up. Let’s get cleaned up.” 

Ever the gentleman he was, he carried you bridal style to where you directioned was the bathroom. 

You couldn’t help but feel a lot more was about to happen. 

Not that you didn’t mind. 

✰✰✰ 

You can tell which part was rushed because it was making me clench hard jkfbkjer im planning to make this like a series, due to the several concepts i had for that crush x reader had all the sexy times and developments being connected. 

stay tuned ig? XDD

that is all peeps, i hope i get to be more motivated to write for the next weee. 

#snk x you #x reader #levi ackerman #levi attack on titan #not sfw #levi x reader #levi x reader smut #levi ackerman smut #aight #levi smut #aot fluff #fluff smut #idk lmao #idk what to tag anymore

[project-xviii]

THE AWAKENING

AKT I

23 November 20XX

19:34 pm

"Maxie i need you to pick up the resources from Gary. Can you do that for me?" Kay said through the gadget she was currently holding.

"i got you friendo."

"Great! I'll see you in the afternoon."

Maxie packed away the gadget and got on the rails. The grass was covered in a thinn layer of ice that had frozen due to the cold breeze. Some of the mountains already had sprinkles of white powder on top. The trains were going crazy and running all around the land. It was the season before the great cold and If they wanted to make it through it, they needed resources.

Maxie drove past some familiar faces. All of them were preparing aswell for the winter time. Most of the machinery was already shut down so that energy could be spared for a reasonable time. Overall it was chaotic and loud. Trains of all sizes and shapes running around like crazy. It took Maxie quite some time and patience to squizze through the crowd. Where is this? Where is that? Where did you put it? It was all she could hear.

All around her were voices, loud voices, some kind, some not. All this confusion made her feel so small. She was like a drop of water in a small puddle. Small and weak. But of course that was not enough to weaken her spirit.

It was always something all the other trains admired. Maybe she was small but inside her was a lion, that always stood his ground.

A bit of struggle and a few bump-in's here and there, a she was free again. She waved to some of her friends, they cheerfuly waved back and all returned to continuing their job.

A few miles of nothing but frozen ground later she eventualy saw the face she was looking for.

"Hi Gary!" Maxie cheerfuly exclaimed.

"Hello Maxie," the old rattler greeted her. "Are you the one Kay send out?

"Yes siree."

"How lovely. I've already prepared the package, it's right there." He pointed towards three wagons filled to the brim with coal.

"Are those rocks? What do we need rocks for?"

"Oh Maxie." Gary chuckled. "You're close, but those aren't rocks, it's coal."

"Why do we need this 'coal'?"

"We need it to keep the fire in the chimney burning. If we didnt have any coal for the winter, we would've been freezing inside our own homes.

"Huh, so this 'coal' must be really important. No wonder Kay wanted me to bring it to the plaza." She drove towards the wagons and hooked them. She then looked worried at the old kind man.

"Do you have any for yourself? I don't want you to freeze in the Winter."

"Oh don't worry kiddo, i still have plenty of it. In fact i am so packed with it i don't even know where to put it anymore." Gary replied causing Maxie to let out a chuckle. "Besides, it's nice to share your stuff with your friends, ya know?"

"Oh i know." Maxie responded. "Well, it was nice talking to you sir, but im afraid i have to head back already. I'll see you another time."

"it was nice talking to you aswell. And tell your friends that i wish them the best of luck during winter."

"i will tell, take care Gary!" She bid him farewell. Next Thing she knew her wheels we're dragging her Body and the wagons forward. After a few seconds she sped up the pace, slowly distancing herself from Gary. After a little while she was running on the rails like a fish in water.

"Take care, and be careful!" Gary exclaimed from behind, turning smaller and quiter by every second.

22:49 pm

Maxie decided to go north, it was a long way for sure, but atleast it was quiet and she didnt have to squizze through any chaos.

She knew that at this hour the people would've been the most bussy. After a long day of working, everyone would've been packing their stuff into their storage or shed. The great cold always had a habit of surprising people. A few years back Alf forgot to put his toolbox back into his workshop. The next morning He had to shovel the snow for 7 hours just so he could find it again. After that he always made sure that his toolbox was at it's place. Till this day Duck jokes about it.

As she was driving, snow started falling from the sky and was starting to cover the land in a thinn white blanket. But with every mile the blanket got thicker and thicker, burrying anything that had been roaming around.

Maxie was already tired and the snow was making it difficult for her, but she refused to give up. Despite the weather conditions she still kept going.

To keep herself entertained she started observing her surroundings and looking for anything interessting. Sometimes she imagened herself a person that would parcour at her speed and jump around all the different rocks, lights and fences that we're next to the rails. But eventually that got boring and she got back to observing again.

She counted 67 birds, 43 sheep, 4 rabbits, 1 young deer and... old tracks... Maxie stopped.

Connected to the rails she was currently on, was an old rusty track. Unlike the newer and more modern rails, these were partialy made of wood. Most of it's screws were missing and the ones that remained we're barely holding themselfs. The Wood itself wasn't in the best state either. Many boards were missing, most were snapped in half and other were broken into hundred tiny splinters.

Her eyes wandered forward, the tracks led towards the northern land or the forbidden land as some called it. She never knew why, but the elder trains always kept a distance from this area. She always thought it was weird, i mean there was nothing special about it, it was just a large empty and hollow zone. And yet something was off about it...

Maxie was pulled back once her hunger kicked in.

At this time she would've been eating her last meal before preparing to go to sleep, but instead of doing that she was standing, in the middle of no where.

She thought to herself. She was already tired and hungry and the plaza was still a few miles away, it wouldn't hurt to use a short cut. Normaly in order to reach the plaza, you had to make a big circle around the roaring mountain, which worked as a "fence" of sort, dividing the forbidden land from the rest of the world. The old tracks apeared to run straight through the northern land. It would've been much quicker for her to get there.

She took another quick look at the rails. While the Wood was in a bad state to say the least, the Metal beams seemed durable enough for her.

She looked around, making sure nobody had seen her, she backed up and got on the tracks. The Wood cracked and creaked under her wheels, but it still managed to hold her.

She slowly crawled forward, going carefully and steady. Once she got used to it, she focused in what was infront of her. Suddenly she noticed something moving from the corner of her eye. Was.. was that a... train?

"MAXIE?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" A female voice shrieked. Maxie looked behind her and recognized a kind face, it was Janne.

"Get out of there! It's dangerous!" Janne yelled out. Surprised and embarrased, Maxie backed out.

"What we're you thinking? Why are you even here this late?"

"Because- um... N-nevermind." She mumbled.

Janne sighed. "Atleast you're alright. Come on, your friends are probably worried about you."

The peach train drove forward at a slow pace. Maxie followed her soon after.

Janne was also transporting resources. Instead of people she usually brought, she was carrying containers, heavy old containers. There was not a single spot on the cylinder boxes were paint wasn't scratched or scraped off. On the side were different symbols that were placed into bloody red triangles. When the red color was hit with light, it sparked a neon orange color you simply couldn't ignore. However all the different signs and sentences weren't anything of her intrest. She was intrested in its contents. She continued looking and eventuelly found her answer.

On the side of the container, written in capital letters was one word: Fuel.

Maxie backed off out of disgust. She always found the substance to be very yucky. For her kind fuel wasn't only some kind of drink, it was also their secondary blood. Maxie had always hated blood and fuel, probably because she saw some movies that she shouldn't have watched at her age. Even the simplest thought of a pile of blood was enough to send a sharp shiver down her spine.

She shook her head and looked for something else, hopping she won't think about that substance.

She glanzed to her left, nothing. All she could see was an empty filed that was constatly covered in newer layers of snow. She then looked to her right, nothing either. Just the Side of the massive roaring mountain that had nothing interessting except rocks and bones.

After a long while Maxie still continued driving behind Janne, until her curiosity finally broke through and spoke out.

"Why is that place so dangerous?"

"Huh?"

"Why is that place so dangerous? I mean, it's just empty land, what could possibly harm me?"

"You don't know?" Janne stopped and looked at her with shock in her eyes.

"Know what?" Maxie questioned.

"You really don't know about the monster?"

"What monster?" Maxie's confusion grew.

"Well..." She explained. "A very long time ago, there was a war on the wasteland. People were fighing for the land and the battle never seemed to end, atleast that's what they thought..."

"Did someone finally win?"

"No no, they all lost. All their weapons and machinery made so much noise they accidentaly woke up a massive beast that slept on the mountain!"

"No way! What happened after that?"

"No one's really for sure. All the soldiers and sargents were suddenly gone, there weren't even any traces left! It was almost as If they were swallowed by the ground."

"Maybe the monster ate them!"

"Probably. But even after their 'meal' there would've been some traces of it. Some people went there to investigate. Most returned home with nothing, others never returned."

"Never?"

"Never."

"Well... Maybe... Maybe they found the truth. Did anyone even look for them?"

"Their families and friends did. As much as they tried they still didn't find them."

"I could try to find them."

"i mean you can try, but i doubt you'll find someone alive. These people disapeared decades, even centuries ago."

"Oh..." Maxie frowned.

"Don't be sad Maxie. I know it feels bad when you can't help someone. But sadly there's nothing we can do about it now..." Janne comforted her.

The wind got stronger and the snow became heavier. The girls' tracks were slowly disapearing under the white fluff. Their lights were partcialy useless at this time. Instead of showing the way, all it did was shine it's bright light on snowflakes that blocked their view. Janne was not pleased.

Maxie felt her eyelids becoming heavy and drooping onto her eyes. Her tires were loosing their strengh and the wagons she carried felt like massive builders. The girl rocked back and forth, barely standing. She cuddled onto Janne so she wouldn't tip over, but that only made her feel more sleepy.

"Oh you poor thing." Janne sighed. "You must be extremly tired by now. Come on, just a few more miles and you'll be home. You can do it."

"I'll try..." she yawned.

The two trains moved forward in a slow pace. Maxie couldn't wait to finally cuddle herself up with fluffy warm blankets near the window and fall into a deep sleep.

As they drove through the covers of snow, the young girls mind was filling up with questions. What was the monster? What did it look like? Did someone manage to survive and find out the truth? Did someone live there? As much as she wanted to push those thoughts aside and think about the sweet and warm comfort of her home, she Just couldn't push them away. Everytime she did a new question came to her mind. Another mystery she wanted to solve.

"Hey Janne?"

"Yes Maxie?"

"Would you ever want to find out the truth?"

"No."

"No? Why not?"

"Because the truth won't be pretty. We know about the war, we know about the brutality and insensitivity of the people taking part in it. Whatever it was that made those people disapear, it was not kind.

Im sure that eventualy we will know the truth, sooner or later that thing is going rear it's ugly head around and someone would need to deal with it. But we shouldn't worry about it right now.

Leave the monsters to the wasteland. We did not start that mess and we shouldn't be the ones dealing with it and it's consequences."

With that being said, the two approached the plaza. Maxie thanked her for her company and bid Janne farewell. She then drove to her station where she unhooked the coal filled wagons and locked them in the resource shed. Nextly she walked all the way back to her home. The silent song of the grasshopper chirping was heard in the grass and from afar an owls hoot was percievable.

At around midnight, the young train entered her home. Her little dorm was as messy as in the morning. With barely any energy left she went to the small kitchen and made herself a quick snack before bed. Once she was done she unconciosly dragged herself to her bed, where she plopped on it and dozed into a sweet and deep dream...

#robot trains #the catering #AU

[stormyoceans]

weekly show reviews

BL SERIES

between us - ep. 12/12. gotta be honest, any coherent thoughts i might have had just flew out of the window because of waantul. i do think their resolution was incredibly rushed, but it's hard to complain about it when tul was there saying stuff like "can you be my future?" and "i want to be your safe zone". waan never stood a chance. and you know what else never stood a chance? my sanity as soon as waan started to take off tul's clothes, but let's just not go there. it was a nice final episode, where all the pairings got their little moment to shine, but im not sure i'd call it satisfying ;;;;;; overall i think the show as a whole would have benefited from being shorter (10 episodes would have been enough imho) and from taking out at least one side pairing. don't get me wrong, it's not a bad show, i still enjoyed it a lot, but at times it felt pretty repetitive and i think the resolution between win and team got dragged along way too much. the insanely high expectations that everyone had for the show also didn't really help it. still, winteam remains one of the best pairings i've seen in BLs and im definitely gonna miss them.

candy color paradox - ep. 06/08. this is probably the first japanese BL that isn't quite doing it for me and i can't really explain why. despite the terrible things he did, during this episode i found myself being more interested in inami kei and his secret love for his friend rather than in onoe and kaburagi's relationship, which.. isn't good ;;;;;; i still hope the last two episodes will make me come around tho!!

cutie pie 2 you - ep. 04/04. THEY GAVE JAYFOEI THE MOST PERFECT HALF INTERACTION THAT IM GONNA USE TO FUEL MY CLOWNERY FOREVER SO I REALLY COULDN'T BE MORE SATISFIED WITH THIS. like it happened with the show, i still found jay, foei, and nueasyn to be the most enjoyable part of it, but i actually ended up liking this special significantly more than the last couple of episodes of the main series, maybe because there was more communication between lian and kuea, so im glad it happened, even just so i could say goodbye to the show with nicer feelings towards it!!! i also really liked the way they shot the last scene, because it suddenly felt more like a korean BL rather than a thai one, but im not an expert on this, so i could just be talking out of my ass ;;;;;;

history 5: love in the future - ep. 05/10. somewhere in this there's a plot i really like (time travels are the kind of things i tend to enjoy, just like timeloops), so it makes me incredibly sad that i can't quite click with this show. dai zhe ni and hai yi are a bit too chaotic for my taste, and there are some old tropes that i was hoping we were moving away from. im enjoying the side pairing a bit more, mainly because i find wen hsen very charming and adorable when he drops his composure as soon as huai hen isn't there to see him, but they still suffer from some questionable writing, especially in this episode.

i will knock you - ep. 11/12. PAIN SUFFERING TORMENT AGONY ANGUISH. CAN'T BELIEVE EVEN MY FEEL GOOD SHOW COULDN'T ESCAPE THE 11 EPISODE CURSE. of course noey doesn't really mean what he said and im pretty sure someone (maybe thiw?) said something to him to make him change his mind in the short time it took thi to talk to his mom on the phone, but IT STILL HURTS AND THEY WERE SO MEAN TO HAVE THI DANCE ALONE IN THE END CREDITS. THEY BETTER GIVE THEM THEIR HAPPY ENDING OR I WILL RIOT. im willing to forgive some of their crimes only because they gave me a hint of side lesbians AND THAT'S EVERYTHING TO ME.

individual circumstances - ep. 03+04/08. im honestly not sure how i feel about this show ;;;;;; i do spend most of the time being frustrated and yelling JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER at my screen, though, so.. maybe that's not good ;;;;;; i do like the use of the novel as a way to mirror their story and give us a glimpse into woo jae's thoughts, however most of the time i find it hard to sympathize with him. the interactions between the manager and yeon woo in ep 4 were actually far more interesting and entertaining to me ;;;;;;;

my school president - ep. 08/12. THESE KIDS CONTINUE TO BE UTTERLY DELIGHTFUL TO WATCH AND GIVE ME INSANE AMOUNT OF SEROTONIN. OH TINN'S FANTASIES, HOW I'VE MISSED YOU. however, as funny as they are, i appreciate how the real moments he shares with gun always end up being better and more significant for their relationship. they really have one of the healthiest dynamic i've ever seen and are probably gonna ruin me for any other pairing because now im just gonna expect the same kind of emotional maturity from all characters in existence. win and sound also have me by the throat, but then again i always enjoy a good enemies/rivals to friends to lovers when it's done right. sound also quickly climbed up my list of favorite characters and i think his friendship with gun is really cute. GUN AND HIS MOM MEAN EVERYTHING TO ME AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP IS SO GOOD IT MAKES ME TEAR UP EVERY TIME. i just hope tinn's mom is gonna be as understanding when she's gonna find out that tinn lied to her (which, btw, i don't blame tinn for: if a kid doesn't feel comfortable and safe talking to their mom, then that's on the parent, not the child).

never let me go - ep. 07/10(?). palmnueng is making me rabid. benchopper is making me rabid. this entire show is making me rabid in ways i can't really explain. i do understand the criticisms about the plot, but i personally don't mind the island getaway: when set roles and social classes play a big part in a relationship dynamic, having the characters being placed somewhere where those kind of rules aren't as strong is a pretty common narrative device to put them on a more equal ground and bring them together. i also think they are gonna pay the consequences for it, because im pretty sure that sadly tanya is going to die, which will make nueng reject palm, so im willing to overlook some stuff if it means letting them have some temporary happiness. or maybe im just biased because i find every single dynamic in this show incredibly compelling ;;;;;;; im pretty sure the final kiss is gonna enter my list of favorites of the year because it was SO GOOD and i absolutely loved the parallels with their first one.

the new employee - ep. 06/07(?). GROWN ASS MEN BEING CUTE AND IN LOVE WILL ALWAYS BE SUCH A WEAKNESS FOR ME. "do you want to see my cat?" is also quite possibly the best pick up line i've ever heard. im very glad it didn't turn out to be an euphemism ;;;;;; something tells me that the reason seung hyun wasn't hired is probably linked to what's making jong chan looking kinda worried when he's at work, so i wonder how they're gonna deal with it. viki is listing only 7 episodes instead of the 8 on mdl, which means the next one is gonna be the last and im not quite ready to say goodbye to them.

GL SERIES

gap - ep. 10/12. the final boss made her move so IT'S TIME TO KILL AN OLD LADY. in an unexpected turn of the events, nop has also become the most sensible character in the show. who would have thought. i do wish mon and sam would stop defaulting on running away and getting jealous as soon as an issue arises, but im glad they actually managed to communicate this time around. and i do think they got married (however symbolical it may be) a bit too soon, if i have to be honest, but im also fully aware that there are a lot of things im willing to overlook for their sake. at 49 minutes length, this was also the shortest episode of the series up until now, so it's making me wonder if it's because they cut a lot of teeyuki scenes. im still trying to understand why they even decided to cut them out tbh, but at least we got cher and risa.

OTHER SERIES

dirty laundry - ep. 03+04/06. i admit i liked the first two episodes a bit more, but the show is still insanely funny while also having a solid plot: the mystery of who took the briefcase is well done and pretty entertaining imho. the entire cast is also doing a fantastic job, but i have to admit film in particular keeps surprising me with each episode. maybe it's because the only roles i saw her in before this were eugene in not me and earn in 2gether, but i didn't expect her to be so insanely good at comedy. i love to watch her play as neon and im starting to like her and night together a lot!!!

the warp effect - ep. 07/12. i was expecting what happened to kat and yet it still was incredibly distressing to watch. i do ship her and jean quite a lot, but honestly i just hope she's gonna be okay and that they won't make her change her mind about relationships by the end of the show, because women have every right to just have fun and stay single if that's what they want. i'd actually be okay with jean ending up with tony (if he doesn't turn out to be an asshole too), but sadly i don't have much hope for it. jan and silvy have great chemistry and are doing an amazing job as nim and molly, and the same goes for fluke and thor as army and joe. im not sure if they're going down the asexual joe route, or the joe being side route, but either way it makes sense for him to not tell army about it since army seems to consider penetrative sex as more 'serious'. after what happened it's understandable that he would try to protect himself and his heart again, so i can't wait for army to surprise him (and us) positively on this!!!! a huge shout out to singh and ciize as well, they were AMAZING in that last scene, though i admit it was pretty frustrating to watch ew walking straight into disaster when he 1) knew what he was risking and that he was in the wrong, and 2) could have just talked!!!!! to liu!!!!! IM SERIOUS PLEASE JUST TALK TO YOUR PARTNER MAYBE IT WON'T SOLVE STUFF AND MAYBE YOU'LL BOTH DECIDE YOU'RE BETTER OFF WITH OTHER PEOPLE BUT YOU HAVE TO COMMUNICATE. also there's something shady about liu's boss and i don't like it one bit.

#an attempt was made #this is not gonna work if i don't learn to shut up about stuff #but i definitely won't have so many things to say in the future #idk why im so nervous about this honestly ;;;;;; #just. gonna throw it out there for now #bl shows #weekly show reviews

[mirandacaroll]

okay well who's still up? here are my chaotic THOUGHTS!! (mostly written before i heard M3am)

honestly i dont get why people are so negative but also i do

i like a lot of the production stuff i like the gloomy comfy feel

it's SEXY baby

careerwise i get it it's smart ithink she's on a Path and I support her

it is a bit boring though girl sorry where are the bangers

that being said!!! this album will be SO GREAT on tour!!!!

also while everyone was mad this morning i was just vibing and fantasising about taylor getting sexy with her vocalists during lavender haze like jessie ware did when i saw her live

AND if shes going to continue on this path id MUCH rather have this than another folklore god bless

having a LOT of thoughts about 'my boy was a montage' oofffff good.good(yes! Yess!.jpg)

do you wish you could still touch her???????? helo?

(hey and ummm so Question...? is about k*ssg*te right? right?)

some of the lyric bits truly herendous as usual idk how she does it (a relAxing thought?)

honooble special mention for the sexy baby i guess what the hell taylor

(love the monster though) WHY THE BABY EHY

maroon bridge def reminds me of something but idk whattt (same with 'night i nearly lost you')

lottt of lyric recycling (champgne rosé happenstance blabla i get ittt)

quite a lot of (near)skips that wouldnt be skips if she would stop doing that weird lyric writing thing she keeps doing where she thinks she has to take a 'boring' song that's she's written and add a little spice, a little quirky diary girl thing that doesnt fit AT ALL just to make it more taylor or more orignal or whatever pls i wish she would stop doing that. she doesnt need it at all. you're taylor fucking swift you're good enough as it is baby

(also this sounds like a deep-rooted identity issue that i totally recognize but let's not get into all that!!!!)

still touch her???

not enough true bangers not enough truly soulcrushing moments (no i know she doesnt owe us heartbreak) not enough vocals that are not in her midrange or falsetto i want to SING ALONG

kind of tired of this talkative / mumbling lowkey way of singing but it's on trend or whatever i guess

but also just let her goooo it's like she's simultaneously rushing and holding it in (Jack this is on YOU)

do looooove the low registers yummm

didn't get Hole but for sure got a little bit of mazzy star

lot of late 90s / early 2000s vibes but in a good way like M2M (does anyone remember M2M of 'Don't Say You Love Me' fame?)

also heard Kate Bush and Death Cab

why does she keep repeating little bits of melody too like motifs i get it but i dont want it (is this the end of my endings)

please never stop saying fuck

also that little moan thing she does in karma

kind of waiting for the album to start the entire time im afraid....... like when is the DRAMA starting when are the drums the theatre the dancing the belting the anger the crying (again, written before M3am dropped)

something about the way she pronounces some.of her b/s/z is bugging me (beach)

the d-word was mentioned, good for her honestly

dont like that weird flat beat thing she uses a lot (like the Maroon intro) dont like that it's back

current faves: lavender haze, wouldve couldve fucking shouldve!!!!!!!!!, anti-hero, karma, vigilante shit (sorry its fun) (but if she releases that people are going to say it sounds like 'you should see me in a crown' and they would be right), great war (yes i like the uhuh seW me)

i know this whole album is going to grow on me though its nice to listen to

#taylor #midnights

[kaleidoscopeminds]

mood board requests:

@cringeycal || a vibe check

#ok so adri asked if i would do a mb for them #and ofc i said yes #adri i hope this suits :* #im not sure this is quite chaotic enough but you said you wanted something nice so #i didn't quite get to the end of the ones i was doing for 1k #so like 6 months later if anyone still wants one lmk #cringeycal #moodboard* #4/4 #*

[azucanela]

HOLDING YOUR DRINK [GENDER NEUTRAL HEADCANNONS]

FT. AKAASHI KEIJI, IWAIZUMI HAJIME, SUGAWARA KOUSHI, TSUKISHIMA KEI

HAIKYUU!! MASTERLIST | 1K CELEBRATION MASTERLIST

SUMMARY: In which Y/N needs someone to hold their drink. 

WORD COUNT: 1.9k

WARNINGS: mentions of alcohol, mild violence, based on the tik tok trend, one curse word, nothing explicitly mentioned but be weary of the implications of drug use and such [lmk if there are any others i should include]

A/N: this is tik tok’s fault but yeah kjashdkjash

AKAASHI KEIJI

HEADCANNONS

ah. sweet, sweet, pretty boy akaashi

always pretty, but sweet? haha... thats about to change.

this is probably bokuto’s fault, akaashi feels the need to supervise him though, especially after that one time he left him unattended at a party and he jumped off the roof into the pool and nearly drowned because he forgot he could swim

yeah.

akaashi isn’t one for pda aside from the basic stuff like hand holding and maybe the occasional kiss on the cheek and he knows you are perfectly independent and thats all good and dandy, but even when hes being social and talking to his friends he still has one eye on you and one eye on bokuto

when you finally make your way over to him, asking him to hold your drink while you use the restroom, he simply nods to you, takes your drink in one hand, and covers it with the other, nonchalantly.

to say that akaashi, your boyfriend, is shocked when a random person comes up to him claiming to be your boyfriend comes up to him and asking for your drink, would be an understatement

almost instantly he calls out, “bokuto.” his voice is loud and firm enough that bokuto is looking in his direction almost instantly, ceasing his dancing on top of a table. when akaashi waves him over, he gives him a look of confusion but ends up coming over to where akaashi and this stranger is

and he enters the conversation hearing the stranger say, “im their boyfriend and they asked me to get their drink now hand it over.”

bokuto, naturally, is confused goes to say, “wait i thought y/n was—”

“bokuto.” akaashi silences him with a look, extending the hand with your drink to bokuto, much to the chagrin of the stranger and only serving to further confuse bokuto, though he accepts the drink nonetheless.

akaashi wordlessly takes bokutos freehand and places it on top of the drink to cover the top, before turning to the guy, who had started complaining

and then punching him in the face

never in his life could bokuto recall a time in which he was scared of akaashi

until now

akaashi turns back around to bokuto, taking your drink from his hand and shielding it once more, as though he DIDN’T just resort to violence. 

you’ll never know this happened until one day someone talks about how akaashi is the calmest and kindest person ever and bokuto is like HA REMEMBER THAT TIME YOU PUNCHED THAT GUY CLAIMING TO BE Y/N’S BOYFRIEND IN THE FACE?

gosh darn bokuto that was supposed to be a SECRET you SNITCH

IWAIZUMI HAJIME

HEADCANNONS

HASDHJGAD

THESE PPL GOTTA BE DUMB TO EVEN TRY LMAO

oikawa probably dragged iwaizumi to another party or something and iwa-chan over here was like bruh there is no way in hell that i am the only person that is going to be sober while dealing with a DRUNK oikawa, thats too much to handle alone

so if oikawa doesn’t make you go, then iwaizumi will, for his sanity please agree to go. he’d never force you but PLEASE, he can’t do this alone.

honestly iwaizumi is the perfect person to hold your drink ngl, he’s definitely sober at whatever party he does to, not the type to drink your drink on accident or on purpose, our boy iwa is perfect per usual

you probably tell him you gotta use the bathroom and ask him to hold you’re drink and he’s like, “yeah, of course. take your time, i got it.” and then you leave, he is now standing alone, leaning against a wall. he’s holding your drink, with his palm covering the top while scrolling through his phone with his freehand AND watching oikawa to ensure he doesn’t accidentally decapitate himself because iwa MULTITASKS

a few people probably try to hit on him and he’s like no <3 im in a committed relationship have a nice day <3 

and then some random guy approaches

now iwaizumi is a very intimidating person so im shocked this person had the BALLS to even try but they start spewing nonsense about how you told them to come retrieve you drink from him 

at some point the guy probably implies that you’ll be going home with him and thats when iwaizumi sees oikawa passing by, releasing a laugh before calling out for Oikawa, “hey! shittykawa come here!”

oikawa is pouting but he comes over and sees the guy and is like, “oh whos this iwa chan?

and iwaizumi is laughing again as he gestures to the guy and goes, “apparently the guy whos taking y/n home.”

and then he goes, “do me a favor and hold this oikawa.” and oikawa is handed your drink, something that raises questions in him because why iwa chan?

he doesn’t have time to ask of course, because iwaizumi has already rammed his fist into the stranger’s face, effectively knocking him into the floor. ah the power of the ace of aoba johsai :)

he definitely would’ve kept going, threatening the guy as he wrecked his face until the message got through his thick skull, had you not arrived and witnessed the mans bloody nose, stopping iwaizumi from continuing

“he’s not worth it.”

“no, he’s not. but you are.”

i am in love with iwaizumi lol

anywho

you’re drink is very safe with the one and only iwaizumi hajime. 

SUGAWARA KOUSHI

HEADCANNONS

IM CANT BREATHE THIS MANS

y’all are visiting home since you’ve been off at uni for quite some time now, the gang is back together, daichi, asahi, kiyoko and a few others y’all met through volleyball in high school

you and suga have probably been in a relationship since you left high school, because it took y’all three years to figure yourselves out. its basically just reminding each other to ya know... take care of yourself mentally and physically

and of course, now that you’re all of age, you go to a club, maybe a college party that a friend of a friend is having

regardless, suga is always going to have an eye on you, he’s gonna know your exact location at all times. though he isn’t going to follow you around or anything, everyone once in a while he’ll drop by, hand on the small of your back while you talk to some old friends—or new ones idk maybe you’re an extrovert. he’s checking on you though! he asks if you’ve eaten, have you been drinking water, is there anything you need, are you feeing okay?

then he’ll press a kiss to your cheek and leave to go hang out with daichi and suga, they’re all just sitting on the couch, maybe with some new friends too, maybe with old ones from his karasuno days 

you come over, all like, “babe would you mind holding my drink while i go to the bathroom?”

he’s like yes ofc ofc, and he takes your drink, probably sits with his elbow resting on his knee, holding the drink between his legs with his other hand over the top of the drink. he’s pretty subtle about it, you wouldn’t notice as he just nonchalantly takes the drink from you and carries on the conversation that there’s a small furrow in his brow because why is the world like this, you shouldn’t need someone to hold your drink

everyone would honestly forget the drink isn’t his

now if someone happened to come over claiming to be your friend or maybe even a potential hook up— something sugawara would laugh at as your boyfriend, probably pretending to be intrigued by the idea before revealing who he is — well let me just say... 

a lot of people forget that out lovely mom friend and resident king, sugawara koushi, is also so very very very chaotic person.

which is why i KNOW when you hand sugawara that drink, if anyone even TRIES to take it from him, to ask him for it claiming you sent them, he will bark. suga WILL bark, he learnt how to just for this situation. he will also hiss. 

moral of the story: i trust sugawara koushi with my drink

TSUKISHIMA KEI 

HEADCANNONS

rip to whoever thought TRYING was a good idea

anywho

tsukishima did not want to go to this party, you probably dragged him to said party, and he only went because its you that dragged him to the party. 

he’s probably vibing alone in a corner or something, maybe engaging in conversation on occasion if someone he tolerates happens to be at the party, otherwise he’s stuck to you like glue, just following you around, arm over your shoulder, shameless pda as he wraps his arms around you and lays his head in the crook of your neck as you talk to your friends

then you’re like lmao babe free me i need to use the bathroom, also watch my drink, and he’s like okay FINE be that, and he takes your drink and watches as you make your way through the crowd of people

he’ll probably wait by the bathroom for your return because ew people he doesn’t want to have to socialize— especially not alone. and if anyone tries to socialize, hit on him, anything, he’s really just gonna straight up make it clear that he is not in the mood

it doesn’t really occur to him to cover the drink until some random person comes up to him

claiming to be a friend of yours and having come to collect your drink for you

there are several issues here, first of all, tsukishima was fairly sure he knew all your friends and he did not recognize this stranger at all, and he was pretty sure if he asked their name he wouldn’t recognize that either

secondly, tsukishima knows you would’ve come to get not only your drink but him because he made it very clear that if you abandon him at the party to fend for his own he would be rather unhappy

so when tsukishima questions the person some more and realizes his suspicions are correct, they are in fact; a liar. he laughs. he genuinely laughs because wow YOU THOUGHT you could fool him?

idiot.

he’s covering your drink with his palm— because he isn’t going to set it down? that’s just plain dumb, and tsukishima isn’t dumb. no, he’s covering it with his palm, and then using his free hand to grab this stranger by the neck and slam them into the wall he had just been leaning on because he needs to make it very clear that lmao this is NOT okay :D

this guys feet almost lift off the ground but tsukishima probably towers over the stranger because he’s a tall guy, and suddenly he’s threatening them, telling them that if they ever try something like that again they won’t be leaving the party.

“tsukki?”

hey look its you! 

tsukishima offers the strange one final, warning of a smile, before patting their shoulder awkwardly and stepping away from them to turn to you, wrapping an arm around your shoulder before nonchalantly just saying, “lets go. this is lame. oh— and here’s your drink.”

tags:

@therainroguefanfiction​ @beifongsss​[girl idk if you even asked to be here but like now you are bc i forgot akjshdsajkdbs oops] @iwaizoom​ @shawkneecaps​

#tsukishima kei x reader #tsukishima x reader #kei x reader #kei tsukishima x reader #sugawara x reader #sugawara koushi x reader #sugawara koshi x reader #koushi x reader #koshi x reader #koushi sugawara x reader #koshi sugawara x reader #akaashi keiji x reader #akaashi x reader #keiji x reader #keiji akaashi x reader #iwaizumi x reader #iwaizumi hajime x reader #hajime iwaizumi x reader #hajime x reader #iwaizumi hajime #hajime iwaizumi #iwaizumi #tsukishima #tsukishima kei #sugawara #sugawara koushi #akaashi #akaashi keiji #haikyuu!! #haikyuu!! x reader

[ryosei-hime]

Laugh, Laugh, Cry: A Riot Rental

Angel rents Robo-Fizz to get to know him better. I should probably note that this is set pre-pilot, so it's just Angel on his own for the most part. With Cherri as his main friend and support. Also available on AO3.

Angel put out his cigarette and blew one last cloud of smoke in the air as he leaned back on the chaise lounge in his dressing room, waiting for his special delivery. He turned the business card the robotic jester had given him in his fingers lazily as he thought about it. 

He didn’t know why he’d bothered to call and rent him. He didn’t find him particularly attractive, not physically anyways. He certainly exuded a sexual energy that Angel could appreciate but the clown aesthetics were just all wrong for him. 

But he had a certain kind of charisma that made Angel want to get to know him more. Something mysterious? Chaotic, that was for sure. He seemed like he could be fun to party with and this was the easiest way to get in contact with him. He looked up at a knock on his door and smiled. 

“Come in.” 

The door swung open and Fizz posed seductively against the door frame, running his hands down his body as he shook his hips a bit. 

“Sp-special delivery.” He looked suddenly surprised to see him. “Why, Mr. Spider! We me-eet again.” 

“Like you didn’t know,” Angel sat up, a pair of hands gripping the edge of the chaise as he pushed himself forward. The other pair crossed as he gave Fizz an unimpressed look. “My name’s on the door.” 

“So, it is.” Fizz said with a grin, studying the star there as if just noticing it before stepping back out suddenly.

Angel quirked a brow and craned his neck in an attempt to see where he’d gone. Fizz did a short cartwheel back into the room, a stretchy arm pulling the door closed behind him as he landed on his knees and slid to the chaise lounge. His hands gripped the edge next to Angel’s to stop his momentum, leaning up towards his face. 

“Hi, hot st-stuff.” 

Angel didn’t move or let on how impressed he was by the new entrance. He did have his flair and his erratic behavior made Angel want to see what he’d do next. But he didn’t have to let Fizz know that.

“Hi, yerself,” he replied coolly.  

“Miss me?” 

“You left an impression.”

His free hands came up to cup the jester’s face. He had an adoring look as he stared up at him. Not that Angel wasn’t used to being admired. But he suspected it was no strange thing to Fizz either and he couldn’t be sure it wasn’t all part of the act. He was a client right now, after all. Fizz turned his face in towards a palm, smiling. 

“Wh-what’s on the agenda, sweethea-eart?” 

“Nothin’ really. Just wanted to see ya again.” 

Angel released his face and leaned back, posing just a bit. He didn’t feel comfortable enough with the other entertainer to drop the cool porn star act yet. Fizz stayed on his knees, and Angel could feel his eyes tracking up and down his body. It made him smile. 

“Like what ya see, pal?” 

“Who do-doesn’t like a masterpiece?” 

“Good one.” He smirked and held up a finger, beckoning him. “Get up here. If yer good, I’ll let ya touch the art.” 

Fizz did as he was told and joined Angel on the chaise lounge, keeping his hands to himself. Well, wasn’t he the obedient one? Not quite what he expected after the scene he’d caused when they’d met.

“What was all that at the party about?” 

“Fun,” Fizz replied, grinning. 

“You make a habit of pissin’ off yer clients?” 

“O-only the ones I don’t like en-enough to see again.” 

“Not a very good business practice.” 

“I don’t get to ke-ep the money so why should I ca-are? It’s more about what I think’s worth the b-beating.” 

Fizz’s voice was as sharp as his teeth and Angel wondered if that was the mask slipping a bit or still part of his act. 

“Ya got a phone?” 

“For wo-ork.” 

“That’s what I thought. Here.” 

Angel tossed a cheap prepaid flip phone at him. He looked a little confused as he caught it. 

“One your boss don’t have access to.” 

“Th-thanks, but I can’t give you fr-free sexting.” 

“I don’t wanna see ya as a client.” Fizz tilted his head slightly in confusion. “Thought we could hang out off the clock sometime.” 

Fizz chuckled. It started out low before he burst into a full on cackle. Angel raised an eyebrow and eyed him uncertainly. 

“What’s so fuckin funny?” 

“I’m always on the clo-ock. I don’t need to eat, sle-eep, or br-breathe. And I’m literal pr-property. You think I get ti-ime to myself? That’s the hei-height of hilarity.” 

“What, you never stop workin?” 

“Only for m-maintenance. An-nd as you can see, there’s as little of th-that as they can get away with.” 

“Shit, and I thought I had it hard.” Angel looked genuinely disappointed. “How’re we ‘spose to party together if ya don’t have time off?” 

Fizz looked intrigued. 

“You really want to be fr-friends?” 

“Sure, why not?” 

Fizz seemed thoughtful for a moment.

“I have an idea.” He grinned from ear to ear. “Offer to t-train me.” 

“Train ya in what?” 

“Acting. You’re the b-best porn star in the industry-y. Make Mammon think you could im-improve my ability to acquire repeat cu-customers and you’d even get paid to be with m-me.” 

Angel grinned back. 

“I like it. Yer more than a pretty face, huh?” 

Fizz’s conniving smirk turned into an innocent smile as he put a finger to his lips and tilted his head, eyes wide to enhance the cuteness factor. 

“I don’t know wh-what you mean.” 

Angel laughed and Fizz stuck out his tongue. Angel held out his second pair of arms as he leaned back, supporting himself with the first. 

“Well, I told ya if you were good you could touch the art. How’d’ya wanna touch it?” 

There was an excitement in Fizz’s eyes that was a bit flattering as he wrapped his arms around Angel’s torso a few times before pulling himself in and planting his face in his chest fluff. Angel shook his head as Fizz rubbed his cheeks against it happily. 

“Yeah, that’s a popular exhibit.” 

Angel let himself fall back on the chaise, taking the jester with him. Fizz curled up on top of him and he put a pair of arms around him in return. Another hand rested on his head. 

“You can be kinda cute, ya know that?” 

“I’m d-damn cute,” Fizz replied, voice muffled as he buried his face as far into his chest fluff as he could. 

Angel gave a little laugh. 

“First time I ever paid someone else to let ‘em feel me up.” 

“If y-you want your m-money’s worth, you still have an ho-our and a half to use me.” 

Angel’s hand stroked his head softly and the humor left his face. 

“Nah. That’s not what I’m after. I like this.” 

“It’s nice,” Fizz agreed. “You’re so-oft.”

“The arm thing ya got goin’ on’s pretty good. Ya get a lotta people wantin’ to be squeezed?”

“Yep.”

“Figures. You gotta be in high demand with crush fetishists.” 

“Th-they have to sign sp-special waivers. I’ve killed a few ca-cause they don’t know when to tell me to-to stop.” 

“Sounds like that’s on them.”

“What do you do wh-when you’re not working?” 

“Party mostly,” Angel replied. “Guess you only get to see the parties your clients take you to. Probably all borin as shit. We gotta get wasted with Cherri next time.” 

“I can’t get wa-wasted.” 

“Fuck what do you do for fun?” 

“Fu-fuck with people,” Fizz said with a laugh. 

Angel was caught off guard as he blew a raspberry in his chest fluff. He’d burrowed so far in that he managed to apply the tickling sensation directly to his skin. Angel shrieked in surprised laughter and pushed at his head. 

“Stoppit!” Angel cried, as Fizz fought against the pushing limbs to get another in. “Fermare!”

Angel pushed him off and held him up entirely, all arms out now. Fizz smirked down at him as he hung in the air, arms still coiled around Angel’s torso.

“Mm. I-i-I like em strong.” He gave Angel an appreciative grin. “Got anym-more arms hiding in there?”

“Crazy bastard,” Angel shot back, a faint smile lightening his features. “Do that again and we’re over. Got it?” 

Fizz nodded, the coils of his arm shifting around Angel like a snake as his hand stretched up to cross his heart. Angel lowered him again, cautiously, letting him cuddle close once more. He seemed so satisfied with himself, face the picture of smug as he rubbed his cheek against Angel’s fluff again. 

Angel honestly couldn’t wait to show the jester his first night of real freedom. As crazy as he seemed under someone’s thumb, it was guaranteed to be a wild night once he’d been set loose. He ran his hands over Fizz lazily here and there as they resumed small talk and planning. 

#Helluva Boss #Hazbin Hotel #Angel Dust #Angel Dust Hazbin Hotel #Robo Fizz #robo fizz helluva boss #Angel/Fizz #myfanfics #stuffididmyself

[mrs-nate-humphrey]

I’ve never personally been a fan of Derena after s1, but reading your posts made me sympathize a bit. I totally agree that them just being friends would be so nice. I hated the whole Serena pining after Dan in s5, it honestly felt like she only wanted him cause he didn’t want her. What do you make of Serena during the dair arc?

hi!! finally i have been re-united with my laptop and i can get to this ask! ngl, i was so excited to see it in my inbox, because i have a Lot of Thoughts about serena during the dair arc (some of which people have said before me, as some old LJ comments can probably testify, haha.) 

this got very long and very serena centric *raises a mug of tea* cheers!

serena pining after dan and chasing after him like that was... i hated it too, and it made me.. uncomfortable is the best word i have for it, but also really deeply sad? i joke about serena’s ‘evil arc’ but as someone who genuinely loves her character and wanted good things for her, it was so painful to see her hurting so much and, instead of coping with that hurt in a mature way, causing harm to the people around her (two of whom she canonically loved very much; two of her favourite people in the world.)

the way i felt about serena during the dair arc was very much like... her reacting badly and not being sympathetic actually did make sense. i wasn’t a fan of how the show handled it and portrayed it, but given everything that happened with her in s3 and s4, i do think some kind of fallout was warranted and expected. everything that happened with lily, william and the fake cancer plotline was really messed up, and serena had spent majority of her life waiting for her dad to come back, and - i think we can blame lily for not being a particularly good (or present) parent, but i think serena had this very strong feeling that her dad coming back would somehow fix their family, or something like that. instead, his coming back caused a very new level of van der woodsen fuckery, and i think that would’ve been extremely traumatic for serena.

it’s also worth noticing that she doesn’t spend time after breaking up with nate in s3 to work on herself. she recognises that she needs to, recognises that she needs some time to recover and really find herself again. but s4 rolls around and she’s still feeling lost. going to paris with blair is fun for serena, but it’s also an escape - she’s actively not dealing with the stuff that’s happened, which i think is part of why her behaviour in early s4 is so chaotic and messy - leaving dan & nate hanging like that is.... mean. she should’ve been honest with them, she should’ve made a choice, even if that choice was ‘neither of you, i need more time, sorry’ or ‘hey, i’m not really sure yet, you shouldn’t have to wait for me to choose’.  

i’ve said stuff very vaguely, mostly in tags, about serena & dan being very emotionally unintelligent, and i think this is serena’s emotional unintelligence - she wants things to be okay and alright again, but she doesn’t want to face her trauma and her insecurities to get through it (which... trauma is fucked up so i do understand that.) i think that’s what makes her such a sympathetic character to me. like, serena, you can run away from everything, but you can’t run away from  yourself + your issues. you have to face them!! but she doesn’t really know how. nobody’s taught her this.

we’ve already gone into serena’s abandonment issues quite a bit, but i think serena during the dair arc was mostly those issues flaring up + the build-up of a lot of trauma re: the thing with her dad (that she was pretending not to see), serena feeling abandoned & lost because the only two people who she’s really ever thought of as ‘hers’, blair and dan, suddenly care about each other in a way that excludes her. we talk about the “dan and i have a real connection” thing in a dair way all the time, but the first time i saw that i was like “HELL YES” for dan and blair but like “ohhhhh noooo” for serena because the whole ‘we do things together that we could never do with you’ - which, i don’t think blair even meant in a hurtful way, but was probably the worst thing blair could’ve said to serena at the time?? 

it’s also worth noting that serena and dan keep going to each other when they’re at their lowest. serena reaches out to dan over the william thing, even though william majorly fucked over rufus, even though serena was dating nate at the time, it was dan she turned to then. when georgina takes milo away, dan immediately goes to serena, and she’s like, how are you, and he denies feeling bad about it, and serena (who probably knows dan well enough to know that it’s bullshit) humours him and goes “okay, let’s not talk about it” which nobody else was really doing at the time, which is why he went to serena. serena and dan’s high school relationship was very sweet and uncomplicated and i find it interesting (& a little sad, tbh) that when things go bad in either of their lives, both of them sort of immediately reach out for the other, almost like they’re trying to recreate the way their relationship was at the very beginning. gossipgirls has some great meta on this.

there’s probably also some jealousy over like.. dan and blair having found some stability and happiness with each other (without her! she’s no longer the person dan or blair loves the most and that hurts!) - and that they’ve found this stability while she still feels so lost and she’s drifting so much. serena’s gradual evolution into someone who really cared about being a socialite (??) and her reputation (to the extent that she was screwing lola over for her own benefit) felt very... drowning man clutching at straws-ish. like she’s lost everything else, might as well hold on to the one thing that she has.

this made me sad because i feel like... she still had dan. he didn’t want to be her boyfriend, he didn’t have romantic feelings for her, and he didn’t want to have sex with her. but he was still very much her friend. he confided in her!! he spoke to her about blair more openly than he did with anyone else (nate was right there, it’s not like the only person dan had in his corner was serena - serena was just the easiest person for him to talk to) and i really, really feel like if serena had just been like “dan, i want to be happy for you but i feel so lost, i feel like you and blair don’t need me anymore and i feel so lonely” or whatever... he would’ve understood!! he would’ve helped her through it! you know that bit with blair and serena in the elevator in 3x09? i can’t find the gifs right now Unfortunately but you know the scene im talking about - they both open up and talk and serena is finally honest with blair? i wish she’d gotten something like that with dan in s5 because like... this theme of dan trusting her with his heart (in a platonic way, but STILL, he was being soo honest and vulnerable and open with her) and her just being all supportive on the outside and sabotagey on the inside... like.. i didn’t like that for her, and i honestly think the level of evil they dialed it up to was cartoon villainny and very ooc for serena. 

i DO see her having resistance and insecurity to the dair arc, but the sort of dishonesty and antics she was pulling felt so wrong and so un-serena, even in the light of all the trauma and the context to her acting out. the shephard divorce thing especially... serena spends so much of the earlier seasons feeling guilty and hating herself over the shephard wedding and the thing with nate. i don’t think she would do that again in any capacity - forgetting blair for a moment, i don’t think she would do that to herself. she hated the person she’d become back then & i do think serena is more strong-willed than most of us give her credit for (filming dan without his consent like that is a georgina move, it’s not a serena move.) 

as for leaking blair’s diary... i feel like serena and blair have such a complicated and not always healthy friendship (that bit in s2 i think it is where serena says something about ‘im sick of always holding myself back so i don’t outshine you’ and blair is like ‘hey wtf??’ hits very hard because it’s so... understandable from BOTH of their perspectives, like i feel like i can understand how serena’s just been quietly holding onto all this resentment until she can’t be quiet about it anymore and it explodes, and blair’s insecurities make this moment one of her worst fears being actualised. but it’s an impactful moment because it touches upon the complexity of blairena.) serena leaking blair’s diary makes sense - i hate it, but i don’t think it was that ooc, and if that had been her only act of betrayal that would’ve felt a lot more realistic to me, tbh, given the way blair & serena’s relationship is and how often they hurt each other (sometimes even deliberately!!) like i would’ve just been like ‘serena! no!!’ as opposed to ‘that’s not my serena; what is this arc!!!” which is what s5 always makes me feel. 

#meta #serena #this got VERY long!! #i hope it was worth the wait!! #anon #i got SO into writing this lmaooo i just love svdw very much #long post

[nonasidesstuff]

the dimension travel au

aka Virgil’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week

so this is like half bullet fic half outline half word vomit but here it is!

this is based on a set of art drawn by @greenninjagal-blog that you can find here with the original version of this au

i dont mind if anyone wants to use any of these ideas just tag me/send me a link if you do!

this got SUPER LONG so its going under a cut

ok lets start with

virgil

his world is medieval-with-magic

the magic here tends to take on different elemental forms depending on the user

people who use magic are called witches

his is storm based (lightning, rain, wind, etc) and is good for both offense (shooting fucking LIGHTNING at someone is great in a fight) and gardening (the ability to call rain at will is pretty nice)

he can also make potions but in his world ANYONE with magic can make potions

the thing is,,,,, magic is illegal in the kingdom he lives in

so when he found out he had magic at like age 11 he fucked off in the middle of the night

he found another witch (a water witch) fairly soon after he left and they taught him how to control his powers and how to make potions

also how to hunt bc hed planned on living out of cities

5 years later hes 16 and has learned all he could and leaves to go to the woods in the middle of nowhere

his teacher had told him about a cottage they had built in a clearing in the woods and said he could go there bc they were leaving the kingdom

they left behind a lot of books on magic and he learned more reading those

the cottage was actually in pretty good shape? the roof was a little leaky but the furniture inside was fine

the outside was a nightmare though. overgrown plants all over

as the years went on he restored the area around the cottage and found a bunch of neat stuff

like a vegetable garden that had been overgrown and wild but still had healthy plants he could cultivate for food. there were also some spice plants that had gone out of control that he harvested and dried for later use

he found out the woods around his home were full of berries (wild strawberries and blackberries. shhhhhh idc if they dont grow in the same places this is a Magic World) and discovered that one of the trees in the clearing was actually an apple tree so yay fruit!!!!

so he was living the good life

cut to 3 years later

hes 19 now and a full-blown weather witch and potion maker

he has sectioned off his garden into 3 parts: spices, vegetables, and potions ingredients

unfortunately some ingredients just wont grow well in a garden and have to be harvested from the wild

virgil realizes hes running low on a couple of said ingredients and decides to make a run to the patches of potion herbs he knows of

he only gets halfway there

a swirling blue-and-yellow vortex opens up 20 feet in the air to the right of him and something falls out

something human shaped

holy shit its a PERSON

he rushes over to make sure this person is okay and.

they have reddish brown fox ears?????

and a reddish brown and grey tail????????

he pokes one of the ears and it twitches

holy shit theyre REAL????!!!!!!!!!

he gathers up this person and takes them home

he puts the strange person in his bed and tends to the minor injuries they obtained from falling 20 feet

this is when he realizes that this person is dressed,,,,,, very strangely

now, people in virgil’s world have some freedom in what they can wear. they can wear whatever the FUCK they want. virgil is partial to dresses and skirts himself

but what this person is wearing is different. the material was like nothing hed ever seen before and in a strange style

(it suits him. its really cute)

he slept for a little over 9 hours

(virgil slept on the floor)

and when he woke he was disoriented and woozy

so he ate a small meal and drank some water and fell back to sleep for another couple hours

when he wakes again, he feels much better and is able to introduce himself

“I’m Patton Baker! Where am I?”

patton

his world is like if you took every single magical girl/boy anime out there and mashed it into one world.

so its chaotic

theres aliens/demons/monsters attacking every other week

this attracts magical creatures like a magnet and they start giving magical girls/boys powers. these are called magical guardians

these people are public figures and are treated the same way idols are in our world (not allowed boyfriends/girlfriends etc)

its a tough job

patton became a magical boy when he was 14 and has been for the past 3 years

the powers his magical guardian are able to give are based off of endangered or threatened animals (yes im sort of copying tokyo mew mew shhhhhhhhhh)

patton became infused with the dna of the island fox

his transformation is triggered by a small tattoo-like marking given to him by his guardian. it’s on the base of his neck

he Absolutely has a magical girl transformation

when he’s transformed, he has the ears and tail of an island fox as well as claw-like nails. his hair is the reddish-brown of the fox and his eyes are silver

his outfit is light blue with silver and white accents and dark blue sleeves

when detransformed he has blond hair and blue eyes

his magical boy weapon is a bow that he can shoot arrows of light from

his group was based out of florida and has been going strong for about 15 years. magical teens come and go as they gain their powers and retire or, tragically, lose their lives fighting

at the moment there are six people including patton

their most recent foe is a monster that has the ability to make people and things disappear, and they’re not sure what happens to them

theyre fighting this thing at night when it happens. the creature has already taken the streetlights out and the teens are fighting in heavy darkness. patton, who has better night vision due to his fox genes, sees the monster about to grab the leader, and strongest, of their group

and he makes a choice

he pushes her out of the way and gets grabbed by the monster instead.

there’s a single moment of searing pain and then the world dissolves into swirling lights and dizziness

when he wakes he’s in a strange house. he introduces himself and the person who’s taking care of him introduces himself

he’s told he fell out of some sort of portal and virgil tries to help him figure out where he is in relation to his home but. virgil doesnt recognize any of the places patton is talking about. and patton doesnt recognize any of the ones virgil says

virgil asks patton about the fact that He Is Part Fox and patton talks about the magical system back home and thats when they realize theyre dealing with dimension travel

patton stays in bed for the rest of the day and by the next hes feeling much better! so he helps virgil around the house and they get to know each other

the day after that, virgil remembers that he really needs those herbs, so he tells pat hes going out for a bit to gather them

he gets about a quarter of the way there when Another Portal Opens and dumps out a person. this time right in front of him

this person is also wearing odd

clothing, but in a different style than pattons

he checks to make sure theyre not injured (they knocked their head a bit but other than that seem fine) and carries them back home

the person is unconscious in virgil’s bed for a couple of hours longer than patton was, but he wakes up entirely coherent

he introduces himself as “logan croft”

logan

his world is one full of magic

magical creatures of all sorts live there and magic is a welcome part of society

there’s elves, fairies, merfolk, unicorns, any you can think of

magical schools are also big parts of it

people who have mastered their magic to the highest degree are called mages

everyone else are called wizards

the way magic works in this world is with spells (think harry potter but without wands)

some people are born with more magic than others and as such have a harder time controlling it when it manifests at around 10

so theyre sent to magic schools where they learn how to safely do so

if they want to stay at these schools after they learn control then they move on to higher forms of magical education to continue learning

logan is one of these students

he was born with a MASSIVE amount of magic and when it manifested he. accidentally leveled his house

everyone was fine!!!!!!! but the poor boy had absolutely no control

so he stayed at a school for people with high amounts of magic and by the time he was 13 he had enough control to leave if he wanted to

of course this being logan he Absolutely wanted to keep learning so he moved on

he was so good actually that he ended up in the best magic academy in the world

he consistently learned magic at a faster rate than his peers and so by the time he was 18 (people normally didnt until they were like 21/22) he was a mage in all but name

so he was ready to take his mage exam

the mage exam is considered both easy and the hardest and most dangerous thing you could do

its easy in the fact that you only have to cast a spell correctly

its hard and dangerous bc its a spell that NO ONE outside of historians have ever seen before and you only have 10 minutes to memorize it. things go wrong Frequently

needless to say there arent many mages and people tend to either quit before reaching that stage or fail

and failure can be painful

so logan decides to take the mage exam

the spell they are given is a long string of words dug out of an ancient book of spells and historians arent entirely sure what it does

so ofc its given to the best in the academy

logan takes his ten minutes to memorize the spell and begins chanting

now in this world, when spells are used a runic circle made of light appears under the person casting

small spells have small circles and bigger spells have larger and brighter ones

the one this spell called forwards was massive and so bright that it blinded the exam practitioners (i think thats the word?)

when the light died down logan was gone

theyre unsure whether it went right or wrong but unfortunately theres no trace of where logan had gone so theres no way to see

when he wakes hes somewhere he doesnt recognize and is being taken care of by two people

they all introduce themselves and logan gets the story about what happened to him

and he realizes hes in a different dimension with different magical rules

naturally he wants to learn everything

so he and virgil have long discussions about the differences in their magic systems

(with patton chiming in every once in a while with how bonkers magical girl powers are)

after logan gets back on his feet virgil really REALLY needs those herbs and so he decides to go back out

logan tags along this time bc he wants to see the differences between the flora and fauna of this new world

they get about half way there and once again.

a portal opens

its light blue and yellow

virgil goes “jesus christ AGAIN??????? am i a MAGNET for these things??????????”

and a person falls out

theyre another animal person. this time with scales covering the side of their face and down their arms

virgil and logan carry this whole other person back home and as soon as they walk in

patton is like “janus????!!!!!”

janus

turns out

janus is from pat’s world!!!! and the same mg group!!!!!

he became a magical boy about a year before pat did and was merged with the dna of a golden lancehead viper

so hes been a mg for like 4 years

his outfit is white with yellow bows and a black cape thing with a yellow inside. his scales are bright yellow and his eyes are heterochromatic. one is a normal eye (brown) and the other is a bright gold color with a snake-like pupil

his marking is on the inside of his left wrist

his weapon is a set of knives made of light that he can call at will and either slash with or throw

he and patton got along rather well in the current time

in the past, they,,,, didnt

it wasnt violent but they were kinda snippy at each other and janus was aggressively sarcastic which pat Did Not Appreciate

but after working together for a few years they got to know each other better and saw each other through low points in their lives and became close

janus was still a sarcastic little shit but now its more playful

he likes to suggest “pushing it down a flight of stairs” for any problem

“man i have a big math test tomorrow with a mean teacher that i didnt study for im screwed”

“push it down the stairs”

“the teacher or the test?”

“yes”

he will also aggressively remind you that Self Care Is Good And Needed

(“patton youve been patrolling for hours every night this week. go sleep”

“but i-“

“go 👏 to 👏 sleep 👏”

“bu-“

“go sleep or im going to knock you unconscious and THEN youll sleep”

“ok fine”)

anyways the dimension monster came back and despite the whole group being more careful, it got janus

luckily (to every one else) this time they managed to defeat it

once again, the pain of dimensional travel fucking SUCKED and janus was unconscious for about as long as patton was

he woke and ate a small meal and fell back asleep for like an hour

when he woke up that time he was shocked and happy to see patton

they reunite and everyone gets to know each other over the next couple days

and then virgil remembers that he STILL HASNT GOTTEN HIS HERBS and they all decide to tag along when he leaves to get them

virgil just like sighs and said “nothing better happen this time i swear to god-“

and they make it most of the way there!!!!! virgil feels a little hope!!!!

then another portal opens

its red and green

(virgil: “GODDAMMIT”)

this time TWO people fall out

the group gather up the two portal people and take them home to heal bc

holy shit they are in bad condition

theyre unconscious for a solid 2 days

Roman and remus

their world is BAD yall

the world is very scientifically advanced, and a group if scientists decided that they wanted to prove the existence of alternate universes

and they did!

but they accidentally opened a portal to a hell dimension and they couldnt close it

so the whole world became an apocalyptic nightmare

this happened when the twins were 15

theyve been surviving on their own in an apocalyptic hellscape for just over 4 years now

remus is the close range fighter with a variety of Large Sharp Knives and roman hangs back and snipes the ones going in for remus’ blind spots with a modified rifle. or if he has to fight closer range he has a modified pistol

roman also is the one to carry their medical supplies bc remus did Once and never will again

they travel together bc even though they cant stand each other some days (remus makes gross comments a Lot and roman likes to complain about the lack of conditioner)

(roman once found an old bottle of perfume and dumped it on remus’ head. in retaliation, when they were relatively safe remus found a dead squirrel and chased roman around with it for a solid 15 minutes)

theyre still twins and theyre all each other have left

currently, roman and remus are running from a creature that caught them off guard while they were sleeping

it had managed to get a few good hits on them before they managed to fight back so they both have a couple injuries

roman has a long slice down his arm and remus has some real bad claw marks down his back

the two of them find a building they can hide in while they wait for the creature to move on and discover that its some sort of science lab

they decide to explore for a bit bc they have 0 braincells between the two of them

what they dont realize is that this is one of the labs that the scientists were using to build their dimensional machines

what they do realize is that the monster found them and it starts chasing them through the facility

the two of them are in really bad shape

malnourished after living on just what they can find for 4 years, both bleeding profusely from open wounds and various injuries from other run-ins with the creatures

they arent able to run as fast as they usually are able and so they get cornered in a room with a large machine

they back up to it to stay away as long as they can and

one of them presses a button

the machine behind them whirrs to life and the two are sucked into a portal oh so similar to the one that ruined the lives of everyone on their world

roman wakes first

he wasnt hurt as badly as remus so the portal didnt take as much out of him as remus

everyone introduces themselves and roman has the his first full meal in. a long time

(he might cry a lil bit but shhhhhhh)

and now that hes awake, virgil can give him a potion to help speed up his healing

thats when romans like “holy shit MAGIC?????”

bc there was none on his world

and they all talk and get to know each other

(the other four are Horrified at how awful his world was

bc like, patton and janus’ wasnt very good either but it wasnt an apocalypse

the next day virgil leaves logan in charge and FINALLY goes and gets his GODDAMN HERBS

nothing happens this time :)

and when he gets back remus is awake

hes fed and virgil gets him a potion too

the two heal and just kind of marvel at the fact theyre safe for the first time in years

also that theres GODDAMN MAGIC!!!!!!!!!!

they still can’t believe theres actual magic

the five dimension hoppers eventually meet thomas, virgil’s talking magic cat

(virgil: “he can think and talk like a human hes not my cat”

thomas: “im totally your cat stop denying it”)

he decided to wander around the forest for a while (he does this often) and only got back after all of the portal shit ended

he is the only cat with magic and says he ALSO fell out of a portal but it was a few years before he met virgil

i dont really know what happens after this

maybe they go try to figure out how to get home?

maybe they decide to stay and live in the woods for the rest of their lives

 maybe they decide “you know what? FUCK the government” and stage a coup to make magic legal

 whichever it is definitely has a lot of found family goodness

can you tell i started running out of steam like 3/4 of the way through

#My posts #sanders sides #tss dimension hopper au #virgil sanders #patton sanders #logan sanders #deceit sanders #janus sanders #roman sanders #remus sanders

[im-a-star-boy]

Forest Guardian

Parksbang 2020 bitches im tired ily **reposting this because it wouldn’t let anyone reblog at first lets hope this works lol

@sparrowsynopia @nalanoola

TW: Character Death

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

Summary: Harry gets sent to stay in a cabin in the woods for the summer by his father and is less than pleased. He quickly comes to learn he’s not as alone in the forest as he thought he was.

Word Count: 25,684

Date of Completion: Wednesday, September 9th, 2020

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

Harry stared at the water moving across the surface of the lake. He watched quietly as a stork leaned down, it's beak breaching the still, mirror-like surface, and resurfaced with a small fish. His father had brought him here for a retreat, a break from the chaotic world of New York City. "It's a safe, quiet place. You'll be staying there for the summer." He had said. "I did the same thing when I was your age, as well as my father before me, and his father before him."

A part of Harry felt like his father had made the whole thing up to get him out of the house. It was just him and an elderly woman in another house about a 20-minute walk away. It took about an hour to get to the nearest bus stop, to get to a nearby town where he could buy food, then a bus, and a subway to return to the city. But he knew if he tried to return, his father would be furious. He sighed and stared at the lake. 

The golden rays of light from the sunrise reflected off the surface, as the crickets began to quiet and birds began chirping loudly. He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, he was angry that his father had just up and left him here. How could he? How could he just take me, his son, his own flesh and blood, and just leave me here?! Was it something I did? He closed his eyes and shook off the thought. Sitting there wouldn't help anyone. He turned back inside the house and began exploring quietly. 

The cabin was small and wooden. A small cobblestone fireplace sat comfortably in the living room. There was an intricate rug in front of the comfortable, dark brown couch. He trailed his hand over the fabric as he made his way to the kitchen, his shoes echoing against the auburn floor. 

The kitchen was simple, a fridge, a stove, and sink. There was no dishwasher, he had to wash his dishes by hand, which was easy enough. There was a small table and four chairs just off of the kitchen that made up the dining room. A lackluster chandelier hung above the table and there was a sliding glass door that led to a back porch that looked more than a bit unsettling at night. He always felt like someone was watching him through the doors as he moved through his kitchen. 

He shook his mind clear of the thought, not wanting to remember the unease he had the night prior. He began making his way back to the living room, which had a hallway leading to three rooms. Two bedrooms and a bathroom. The bathroom was fairly comfortable, a granite bath large enough to submerge yourself underwater. However, much to his displeasure, there was no shower. There was a washer and dryer in the corner. 

The bedrooms were similar, almost the same. The beds were comfortable, twin sized, with black sheets and light grey duvets with soft plaid blankets folded neatly at the end of the bed. There were chests at the end of the bed with extra blankets and pillows stuffed in. There was a nightstand with a lamp, tissues, and an old fashioned alarm clock. 

There wasn't much else to the cabin, no TV, no phone service, no computer, nothing. There was barely any electricity, aside from some plugs that were installed recently that gave Harry a bit of anxiety. The cords were exposed around them and they barely looked like they were stable. 

He let out a frustrated sigh as he grabbed a bottle of water. Two months of solitude in the forest with no connection to anyone, just what every child needs. He looked at the countertops before sighing and walking back out onto the porch. At least there’s a nice view…

He sat there for a long time, he wasn't sure how long, maybe an hour. He just sat there and watched the animals move around the lake. Finally, his anger became too much and he stood up. He leaped over the railing on the porch and began walking his way up the trail. Sitting and letting his anger fester wouldn't do him any good, and the solitude wouldn't help either. He began walking down one of the paths towards the older woman's house. Norman had introduced them, but he hadn't quite remembered her name. He was too busy being angry to process what they had been saying.

The path was long and winding, leading up a steep cliff face. He remembered his fathers' words. "Just stay on the path and you'll be fine. Don't stray or you'll get lost. I don't need to be sending out a search party for you." He had sounded cold, uncaring when he spoke. He wanted to get rid of me as fast as he could, He thought angrily. He continued up the path, trying to stay pressed against the wall. The fall wasn't far enough to kill him, at least he didn't think so. That didn't mean he was willing to risk it though. 

He absentmindedly kicked rocks ahead of him. Most just fell off the side, but one stayed on the path. He kicked it hard and froze up when he heard a small yelp of pain. He looked ahead, expecting to see an animal or maybe even another person, but nobody was there. He stopped and looked behind him, once again to be met with nobody. "Hello?" He called anxiously. He was met with silence. 

His gaze traveled across the thick vegetation of trees and the clear sky above them. He swallowed thickly and continued on the path, his pace quickening. As he nearly reached the peak, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. He let out a cry of alarm and turned around to see a small pebble hit the ground. He leaned down and picked up the rock, before touching the back of his head. There was no blood, a good sign. "Okay, who's there?!" He shouted, his anxiety growing. 

When he once again received no reply, he turned and began making his way to the peak once again. He was almost running as he attempted to get there. I'm being stupid- there's nobody here! I would've seen them. There's only one path, they'd have to be directly behind me to hit me with a rock, it just fell from above me, it just fell from above me, it just- He turned the corner to the peak and immediately ran into a boy, letting out a startled cry. 

He took gasping breaths for air as the boy raised an eyebrow. He was shorter than him by a few inches, dark-skinned, and had reddish-brown eyes. "Watch your step," He warned, stepping past him.

Harry stared after him as he went around the corner. "Wait, wait who are you-" He shouted, running around the corner to see him. The pathway was empty, making him freeze up in confusion. "Wh..."

He swallowed thickly and ran his fingers through his hair. Am I losing my mind? He turned hesitantly around and began walking to the house just down the path. 

When he finally arrived at the familiar flower-covered cottage, he knocked on the door anxiously. After a moment, the door opened, revealing the elderly woman. "Oh, hello, Harry." She greeted, seeming surprised. She opened the door wider. "Come in, come in, you're pale."

Harry nodded and stepped in, trying to quell his shaking. The woman sat him down on the couch and went to her kitchen. "Are you alright?"

"I just... I thought I saw a boy on the way here and... I guess I didn't..." 

The woman stared at him for a moment. "Well, the trees can play tricks on your eyes," 

Harry swallowed thickly and nodded slowly. "Yeah, the... trees."

The woman offered him a smile. "Would you like some tea?"

"Yes please," He sighed, feeling exhausted. 

He sat quietly as she made the tea. He swallowed thickly. "I-I'm sorry, I forgot your name." He finally spoke.

The woman looked up and smiled kindly. "My name is May."

Harry nodded. "It's nice to meet you, May. Well, meet you again. I'm sorry if I was rude the other day when we first met." 

"Oh no, it's alright. Not to offend you or anything, but I've never been fond of Norman. Always so crude, never able to give something other than science a chance." She chuckled.

Harry stopped for a moment, before smiling. "Yeah, that's about right."

May smiled back. "What kind would you like?"

"Hm?" 

"Tea, I have several flavors. What kind would you like?"

"Do you have black tea?"

"Yes," She hummed, pouring two cups as the kettle began to whistle.

Harry smiled as she handed him the mug. "Give it a minute for the tea to finish steeping," She hummed.

Harry nodded and used the spoon to stir it slowly. "Do you want any milk, sugar, or honey?" May offered.

"No thank you," He replied kindly.

May nodded and seated herself beside Harry. "So, why are you up here? Do you just want some company?" 

Harry hesitated, before nodding. "Yeah, I didn't want to be alone." 

May smiled and chuckled. "I understand, the forest can get lonely."

Harry nodded quietly and sipped the tea. It was bitter, but he could manage. May offered him a reassuring smile. "You can stay as long as you need,"

Harry smiled quietly. "Thank you..."

He stayed there for the majority of the day, helping May tend to her garden and perform daily chores. It was comforting to not be alone. As dawn began to break, Harry had to return to his cabin. He bid her goodnight, promising to visit the next day as he made his way down the cliff face. 

With each step, he didn't feel the same unease he had earlier that day. 

As he walked, he felt at ease, before feeling something flick the back of his head. He quickly turned around. "Huh?" 

There was nobody behind him.

Any ease and comfort he had immediately drained out of him as he looked around. "Hello?"

"Hi," He heard a voice. 

He looked up and saw the dark-skinned boy from earlier staring down on him with a smile. Harry stared slack-jawed. "Y-you're-you're standing- you're sitting on-"

The boy stood up, standing horizontally on the rough rock. "Surprised? Sorry, I should've introduced myself earlier. I'm-" 

Harry gasped and took a step back. "How- how are- am I-"

The boy's eyes widened. "Hey- hey look out-!" 

The ground disappeared beneath him and he began tumbling downhill, letting out a panicked cry. Before he could call for help, his head smashed against a rock and his vision faded to black.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

"PETER! PETER- I MESSED UP!" 

Peter looked up from the small spider in his hands. He set his hand down on the side of the tree and the spider crawled off, almost invisible thanks to it's camouflaged exoskeleton. Peter turned to the familiar voice as he leaped off the tree. "What'd you do this time, Miles?"

"There- there was a kid. I think I killed him." The red-eyed boy wailed as he skidded to a halt in front of him. 

Peter stopped. "What?"

"I- he was on the cliff-face- I was- I was up there and- he was- he kicked a rock and it hit me- and I was being petty so I threw it back at him and he got all scared and I thought it was funny and-"

"Miles slow down I can't understand you," Peter said, putting his hands up.

Miles took a deep breath, a pair of sharp fangs visible in his mouth. "There was a guy on the cliff-face and he accidentally kicked a rock at me, I think it was on accident at least, he couldn't see me, I was camouflaged, but he kicked a rock at me and I was being petty and I threw it back at him and he got scared so I thought it would be funny if I scared him again so I got in front of him and scared him earlier and then I tried to scare him again when he was going down the cliff path and he tripped and fell off, he isn't moving but he's alive but I think he's dying," Miles wailed breathlessly.

Peter stared at him for a moment. "Oh for the love of-" He took a sharp breath. "Where is he now?"

"Oh, the edge of the forest by the cliff face- where the lamb's ear grows," 

Peter nodded. "Go get the Dryads, I'll go check on him." He ordered as he quickly ran to where the boy had fallen. 

Miles nodded. "O-Okay!" 

Peter turned and made his way through the forest, finding the boy with ease. He narrowed his eyes at his injured figure. He was laying on his back, dark red blood staining his shirt on the side and arms, as he laid motionless. Peter leaned down and touched his neck, wondering silently if he was already too late. His questions were answered when the boy let out a pain-filled moan. He jerked his hand away, before moving to his side. "Okay, this is gonna hurt a lot... I'm sorry." 

He carefully slid his arms under the boy and ignored the pained cries that escaped his lips. He picked him up, careful to not let his head sag, and began carrying him back into the forest. The boys' sobs and pained cries filled the air as he began carrying him to the forest. He made it to a small hollow that opened up into a cave that Peter called home. He carefully let the boy down, attempting to ignore the boys' screams. Peter rested his hand over his eyes when he tried to look at him. "Keep your eyes closed and go to sleep. I won't let you die."

The boys' tears made Peter's bloodied hands slick as he used his powers to put the boy to sleep. He moved his hand away and looked at his wounds. His legs were injured, one was fractured and the other was cut up, and his arms had several nasty cuts. Though his back was thankfully intact besides cuts and bruises and his ribs were safe. Peter took a deep breath and looked up as one of the Dryads entered the room. She had mid-length, curly brown hair and vibrant green eyes. "What happened?" She asked, quickly moving his side. 

"He fell down the cliff face to May's house. He's cut up pretty bad. Do you think you can help?" He questioned, not turning his gaze away from the injured boy's face.

The Dryad, named Ygeía, nodded. "Yeah, I can see what I can do. Leave me alone with him."

Peter turned away. "Make it as painless as possible if you could."

She smiled and nodded. "I will. Now go, you're only gonna be a worrywart. Go." She chided, pointing to the door. 

Peter made a face. "Fine, fine. I'll go." 

He left the cave, leaving Ygeía to work her magic. Not in a metaphorical sense, he was leaving her to perform magic. He looked up when he felt Miles' presence. "Is... is he okay?" 

"Miles, he's mortal. You need to remember that they're fragile." Peter reminded softly. 

Miles nodded. "I know I know. I didn't think that he'd walk off the side." He defended, looking embarrassed. 

"It's okay. He's in good hands now, I know it wasn't on purpose. You aren't a malicious spirit, Miles. You just gotta be more careful next time." He reminded.

Miles nodded. "God I really messed up, didn't I?" He asked, looking guilty. 

Peter touched his shoulder. "Miles, it's okay. You gotta forgive yourself, he's fine, he's gonna be fine, it'll all be fine. "

Miles searched his gaze questioningly, before nodding when he saw no hesitation in his eyes. "Alright. Thank you, Peter." 

He smiled. "You're welcome, Miles. Now go on, everything will be fine here. " 

Miles forced a grin before he nodded and turned away. "Thank you, Peter!" He called, before disappearing behind the trees.

Peter chuckled and turned back to the cave, waiting for Ygeía to exit.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

Pain exploded through his body as he was brought back to consciousness. He let out a pained cry as he tried to adjust. "Ah, someone, help I'm- I can't- someone PLEASE-" 

He felt a hand on his shoulder and heard a shushing noise. "It's okay, I'm here, just relax, everything's alright."

He hesitated, before opening his eyes. A young boy around his age was sitting above him. He had large bright green eyes, brown hair, a green patchwork shirt that was torn at the edges, a black vest-like overcoat, and soft, dark tan, stained, loose leather pants. The attractive boy moved the hair out of his face. "You're gonna be fine." He promised.

Harry felt his breath leave his body as he stared at the boy. "God?"

The boy jerked back. "What? No. No, don't do that. That's like calling me your dad, which I'm not." He replied flatly.

Harry groaned as the boy pulled away. "Where... where am I? Am I dead?"

"No, you're not dead. And you're not going to die. But you'll open your wounds if you keep moving, so stop that." The boy hissed when he saw him attempting to sit up.

Harry didn't let that stop him and finished sitting up as he hissed in pain. "Shit shit shit that hurts shit." He cursed.

The boy scowled. "Well, no shit sherlock- stop moving for the gods' sake!" He snapped loudly, as Harry leaned against the cold stone wall. 

"Where am I?" Harry questioned again.

"You're in my forest." The boy replied calmly as he searched through small shelf-like indents in the walls. "Here." He pulled out an apple and handed it to Harry.

Harry looked surprised for a moment before hesitantly taking a bite into it. It was sweet and juicy. He felt a smile cross his face and he looked up. "Thank you, it's really good." 

The boy nodded. "Of course it is. What's your name?" 

Harry smiled. "Harry Osborn. What's your name?" He asked through a mouthful of apple.

The boy shifted. "You can call me Peter."

Harry smiled. "Nice to meet you, Peter." 

Now that he could see the boy clearly, he could see that the overcoat he was wearing was embroidered with small clear gemstones that reflected off the fabric. His green outfit had darker green details decorating it as well as thin gold-woven trims around the droplet-shaped details. His dark tan pants had small details woven into them but otherwise remained plain. The boy had pointed ears, like elf ears, and four small piercings. The largest was a green stud, which was followed by a red, blue, then yellow studs in that order, the yellow stud being the smallest. He watched as Harry finished the apple. "Are you able to walk?" He asked, seeing him beginning to test his limits.

Harry looked up hesitantly. "Uh, yeah, I think so." He mused as he began pushing himself up carefully.

Surprisingly enough, the pain was much milder than he expected. He looked at his injured legs and walked in a tight circle. "How the hell..." He whispered.

"What's that?" Peter asked from the exit of the cave.

"My- my legs, when I woke up, they were practically killing me but now, they're fine. Well, they're sore, but they don't hurt nearly as much."

Peter nodded. "Well yeah, Ygeía, one of our Dryads, healed you."

"What?" Harry faltered.

Peter stared at him. "You... you really don't know where you are, do you?"

Harry gazed back. "No? Should I?" He stammered out.

Peter sighed loudly. "We really have faded... haven't we?" He murmured aloud.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Just- just come on."

Harry watched his saddened expression, before nodding. "Okay, I'm coming."

He followed Peter out of the cave into the light. It was about noon as Peter led him expertly through the trees, the sunrays dappling the ground as Peter hummed an unfamiliar tune. Harry followed him slowly, looking around. Fruit-covered bushes dotted the thick overgrowth of plants. Mossy trees growing over rocks and into other trees formed a beautiful archway that Peter was leading him out of. "Peter, this place is beautiful." He managed out. 

Peter laughed. "You should see it in the winter. Everything freezes over, that's when it really gets beautiful." 

Harry smiled. "Well, I'll have to visit then." 

Immediately at that, Peter's body went rigid. "Oh no, don't bother. I don't want guests." 

Harry glanced up. "Huh? Why not?"

"Look. Finding you was a fluke. You were hurt and I wasn't just gonna leave you there dying. That doesn't give you an all-exclusive pass here. Once you're out, stay out." He ordered. 

Harry felt a rush of irritation at his hostility. "Well hey, if you're gonna kick me out at least tell me about what you were talking about earlier. Ygeía? Healing me? What are you guys magic or something?" He demanded.

Peter scoffed. "Okay, if I answer your questions will you leave?" 

Harry thought for a moment. "I can't if I wanted to, but I won't go looking for you if that's what you want."

Peter tilted his head lightly before sighing. "Good enough for me. Yes, we're magic. Miles, my friend who accidentally scared you off the side of the cliff, is also magic. So is just about everyone in this forest, there's a lot of spirits, nymphs, dryads, and demons here. You name it, we've probably got one."

"Unicorn?"

"Not that fantastical, those are in Europe."

"They're real?!"

"Yes, now go."

Harry stood his ground. "Wait, wait I have more questions!"

Peter huffed. "I agreed to answer one question, now go."

His final statement was much more aggressive and firm than before. Harry took that as a sign that his patience was running thin. He still didn't budge. "Come on, one more question."

"Then it'll turn into two, then five, then fifty."

Harry opened his mouth to argue before realizing he was probably right. "Two more questions then I'll go, pinky promise."

Peter faltered for a moment before sighing. "Fine, but I mean it. If you don't go after these last two questions, I'm kicking you out, through force if I have to."

Harry felt a rush of satisfying victory. "Alright! Lemme think I gotta make these questions good."

Peter nodded. "Let's keep walking while you think."

Harry's mind raced through questions as he tried to pick out the biggest ones. "What's going on with this forest? I mean, why are there so many spirits and stuff here?"

Peter made a small noise. "It's safe,"

Harry tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"Do you want that to be your second question?"

Harry hesitated, stopping in his tracks. "Come on, that isn't cool." He complained. 

"Do you want that to be your second question or not?" Peter questioned, not bothering to stop. 

Harry huffed and jogged to keep up. "Fine, sure."

"There aren't a lot of places where mythical creatures are safe anymore. But this place is. That elderly woman you were with, May, she owns this forest and helps keep us alive. She's one of the good humans."

"One of the good humans?"

"You people are destroying this earth." Peter scowled, seeming annoyed. "You may not realize it, but you're killing us. One day, your greed will extend to this forest, and that day is coming. May has no next of kin, once she passes, it's all over for us. This forest will be ripped to shreds and you'll market it off for profit, and we'll all die. But you won't care, you won't even know what you did, all you'll know is that you have more money in your pocket." 

Harry stared after him. "Not every human is like that,"

"No, not all of you are, but the vast majority are. You say you're on our side, you hold protests to help us, but then you turn around and do the exact same things that kill us. You're hypocritical, there are very few of you that make an effort and sacrifice your lavish lifestyle to try and help us, and since there are so few, your contribution barely makes a difference."

Harry wasn't sure what to say as he followed Peter to the clearing of where the cabin he was staying in was. Peter turned back to the forest. "Now go. And if you come back, I won't be as nice while leading you out."

Harry was silent as he walked towards the cabin, processing what he had learned. He stepped up the porch and turned to where Peter was. He was gone. He felt the chill of night run up his spine and quickly turned into the cabin. It was warm, as usual. He closed and locked the door behind him and walked into the kitchen to make a meal, which turned out to be a ham and cheese sandwich. He sat on the couch, feeling tired. 

As he had the night before, he couldn’t shake off the notion that he was being watched. He glanced out the windows, half expecting to see Peter or the other boy, Miles was his name? Of course, there was nobody there. He paced quietly as he finished the last of his sandwich, before the feeling of being watched became too much. 

He moved to his bedroom and grabbed some of his pajamas from his still unpacked suitcase. He brought them to the bathroom and began to fill the tub, pulling a towel out from one of the cabinets. He set them down and waited for the tub to fill, giving the room a slight steamy haze that he enjoyed. 

The water was a bit too hot for his comfort, but he still found himself relaxing against the granite tub. He laid there for a long time, processing everything he had learned until the water began to chill around him. Once he got up, he drained the tub and dried off. He dressed in his pajamas and walked to his bedroom, closing the curtains as he got in. He closed the door to his room and slumped against the bed. He may not like the cabin and being stranded, but he couldn’t lie, the bed was comfortable. He threw the duvets over him and nestled down, the silk sheets comforting him as he quickly found himself falling asleep.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

He woke up early the next day. He glanced over at the alarm clock to find it was 7:30 am. He huffed softly and pushed himself out of bed and opened the curtains. It was bright, the sun already above the skyline. He quickly made his way out of the cabin and onto the porch, smiling at the sound of all the frogs. This was a luxury he didn't and would never get in New York City. The crisp, clean air filled his nostrils as he smiled, finding himself relaxing against the railing of the porch. He turned back inside to change and get ready for the day. 

The anger of his father leaving him there hadn't quite faded but he could at least appreciate the place for what it was. As he finished getting dressed, he made his way to the kitchen to get some food. He looked through the cupboards and found some oatmeal and a box of raisins. He grabbed two packets and a box of raisins and made himself a bowl, dumping the raisins in before microwaving it for two minutes. The ravenet made his way around the room, opening the windows slightly to get some fresh air in. He wandered over to the living room and sat on the couch until the microwave beeped. Once it did, he stood up and walked to the kitchen. He pulled the oatmeal out and poured a bit of milk in and stirred it as he walked back out front to eat. 

There were a few times where he'd be bothered by bugs, but other than that nothing of note happened. It was uncomfortably quiet. He didn't like how alone he felt, nobody was around, the nearest town was miles away, and the nearest house was a 40-minute walk. Despite the serenity of the area, he couldn't help but wonder what if someone tried to attack him? Where would he go? Would anyone help him? Again, he tried to shake away the thought, feeling a general sense of unease growing in his stomach. 

A bug flew closer to his bowl and Harry was quick to swat it away and scarf down what was left of the oatmeal before turning inside and closing the door. He walked to the kitchen and got hot water running before soaking the bowl and a rag, putting soap on the rag, and washing out the bowl. Once all traces of oatmeal were gone and replaced with suds, he rinsed off the bowl and dried it with a clean rag. Once it was dry, he set it back in the cupboard and decided to go see May. 

He put on the durable shoes his father had bought him and closed the door behind him, making his way down the path. As he walked, he could hear frogs and bugs up ahead grow quiet as he passed, only to resume their noises once he was a safe enough distance. 

The walk was uneventful, as it had been the first time, and after 40 minutes he found himself in front of May's humble little cabin. He walked up and knocked politely. After a few seconds, May opened and greeted him with a smile. "Hello, Harry. Here to help with the chores again?"

"Yes ma'am." He replied happily. 

May chuckled. "You'll be having help today, come in, I'll get you a cup of tea."

Harry raised an eyebrow as she opened the door wider for him. "Help?"

He walked in and looked over to see none other than Peter sitting on the couch, sipping from a mug of his own. Peter startled at the sight of him, gasping and coughing suddenly before straightening and glaring. "What are you doing here?" He demanded angrily.

May gave him a pointed look. "Be nice, Peter."

"May-!"

"He's here to help."

Peter looked between the two before sighing. "You know what? Fine. Whatever."

May seemed confused, yet satisfied with that answer as she turned to the kitchen. Harry shifted awkwardly and looked away as she disappeared into the kitchen, biting his lip anxiously before meeting Peter's gaze. "Look, if I did something to offend you then I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. But please, at least give me a fighting chance here,"

Peter examined his expression wordlessly as if trying to find a reason not to believe him. He let out a heavy sigh. "Give me a reason to trust you and I'll consider it."

Harry smiled. "And what do I need to get you to trust me?"

Peter gave him a firm glare. "I'm not giving you tasks to do, that's not how trust works." 

Harry put his hands up. "I'm just trying, you've gotta at least give me something to start with!" 

"I don't have to give you anything!" Peter snapped, obviously irritated.

May stepped in. "Boys, please, could you get along? Just for a moment?"

Harry opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Peter. "I don't like him, May."

May gave him another pointed glare as Harry scoffed. "What did I do to you?"

"You nearly died in my forest."

May turned her gaze on Harry. "You what?!"

Peter continued to answer for him. "Miles scared him and he slipped off the cliffside."

With that, May set down the mug she had brought out for Harry and immediately began inspecting him for wounds and injuries. "Relax, Aunt May, Ygeía took care of any injuries he had. Anything that was doing any harm is gone now."

May glanced at him before returning her gaze to Harry. "Just to be safe,"

"It's okay, Mrs. Parker, nothing hurts," Harry reassured.

May glanced over him for a long few moments, before pulling away and nodding. "Alright, if you're sure." She said hesitantly, standing up and handing him his tea.

Harry gave her a grateful smile and took a small sip as Peter shuffled over to give Harry room to sit. Harry did so as May sat on her rocking chair and smiled. "Alright then you two, Peter, you work in the gardens with me. Harry, do you think you could rip up the walkway?"

Harry sat up, surprised. There was a lovely wooden walkway that went along the garden around the side of the house that led to both the front and back porch. "Well, I can, but can I ask why?"

May gave him a kind smile. "Some of the wood is starting to rot, I need to get it out and rebuild it with something more sturdy and then paint over it again." She explained. "I was planning on going into town today to buy some wood to replace it."

Harry thought quietly before remembering the credit card his father had left with him in case he ran out of food. He sat up slightly. "I can buy it," He offered. "Obviously, I can't bring it back on my own, but I've got more than enough money to pay for it."

May scoffed at him. "Absolutely not, young man. I've been saving up money for this anyway."

Harry shook his head. "No, ma'am, I mean it. My dad just left me here for the summer, and I'll probably be here very often. It's the least I can do for all the hospitality you've already shown me and continue to show me. Plus I wanted to go check out the town anyway,"

May was still hesitant. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. My dad's a multimillionaire, he won't notice a few hundred missing from the bank to replace the walkway." He reassured.

May watched him before smiling. "Well, if you insist, who am I to deny a gift?"

Harry smiled happily. "I'll just need a way to bring it back,"

"I was going to have a friend of mine deliver it here anyway, just put it under my name, alright?"

Harry nodded. "Alright, they'll have to call you, won't they?"

"Maybe, I doubt it. Around town, everyone knows each other, though they aren't my biggest fans. Most of the teenagers around there have created some pretty nasty rumors about me."

Harry tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Peter snorted. "They've been calling her, 'The Witch of the Woods.' Pretty stupid, isn't it?"

Harry snickered along. "God that's stupid."

May laughed softly and nodded. "It is, isn't it?"

Harry offered her a happy smile before standing up. "So you want me to rip up the walkway?"

"Yep, Peter and I will take care of the gardening. But first, finish your tea."

Harry looked to his still mostly full mug before chucking to himself. "Alright, sorry." 

May simply smiled at him as he sat back down to sip. As he brought the mug to his lips, he glanced up at Peter and startled, choking on the tea he had barely started to sip. There was some- some kind of goo on his shoulder. May and Peter both gave him surprised looks as he coughed and regained himself. "Peter- there's something on your shoulder," He choked out.

Peter glanced to his shoulder, seeing the goop before chuckling. "Don't worry, it's nothing."

Harry wiped his mouth and stared at him. "It wasn't there before though!"

Peter smiled and lifted his hand. As if he was controlling it, the goo moved up his arm and wrapped around his hand before extending out and forming small, teardrop-shaped white eyes. Harry gawked for a minute as Peter smiled. "Meet Venom. He's a relatively harmless demon we found a few weeks back." 

Harry stared at it for a moment. "Its- it's just goo though,"

Peter chuckled. "That's what I thought at first, then it started moving."

Harry looked up at Peter then back to Venom. "So... it's harmless?"

"Yes, it can't do any damage without a catalyst, me in this case, but I'm much stronger than it and it can't overpower me if it tried. Plus, it's a sweetheart, I don't think it'd try to overpower me either way."

Harry stared at the goop consideringly. "So it can't do anything without overtaking you, and you're too strong for it to do that?"

"Exactly. Despite what you may think, I'm not weak."

Harry swallowed. "I-I never said you were!" He quickly replied, trying not to offend Peter any more than he already had.

"I can tell you're thinking it."

"I-"

"I'll meet you outside, Aunt May. Thank you for the tea." He interrupted, setting his empty mug down and turning to the door.

Despite what Peter had said, when Venom turned to look at him as he shut the door, Harry couldn't help but feel a cold chill run up his spine.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

"So are you and Peter related?"

May looked up, surprised. "What?"

"Peter calls you Aunt May, is he your nephew?"

May chuckled. "No, no no, he isn't. He's been here far longer than I have. He just calls me that."

Harry tilted his head. "How long has he been here?" 

May thought for a while. "I don't know, he's never told me."

"Have you asked?"

"I guess I just assumed he's been here as long as this forest has."

"Has he ever left?"

"Oh heavens no. If he ever left, it'd kill him."

Harry stiffened. "What do you mean?"

"I mean he can't go. His life is connected to the forest. If he leaves, he dies. If the forest dies, so does he."

Harry thought about that. "That's gotta be horrible, no wonder he doesn't like anyone outside of the forest. I couldn't stay in one place for so long."

May nodded and smiled. "You did say you're gonna be here all summer, correct?"

"Yeah, until school. Why?"

"While you're down in the town, buy some chocolate."

Harry chuckled and smiled. "What? Why?"

"Peter loves chocolate. Bringing him some is the best way to get him to ease up to you."

A smile crossed Harry's face and he nodded. "Alright then, any specific type of chocolate he likes?"

"Avoid almonds, try to get some with toffee in it. Stick with milk chocolate,"

Harry nodded determinedly. "Alright, I can do that!"

May chuckled as Harry chugged the rest of his tea, set the mug down, and stood up. "I'll start ripping up the wood, got a place you want me to put it?"

"In the garage, I have a wheelbarrow, some gloves, and a hammer. You can use those to get the wood up and out. Once you've got it, take it around the back and follow the path downhill. I have a burn pile down there."

Harry nodded. "Alright, thank you!"

May waved him off as he stood up and left the cabin to the detached garage. It was a small, dark green and grey, one-car garage. The door was open as he walked in, stepping around May's truck. He found the wheelbarrow easily and searched for a minute to find the hammer and gloves. He pulled the thick gloves on and grabbed the hammer and pulled the wheelbarrow out and maneuvered around the truck. He made his way to the garden and found Peter on his hands and knees pulling out weeds. He offered him a smile, which received nothing more than a grunt of acknowledgment. 

He tried to not let it get to him as he pulled the gloves on and began working with the wooden walkway. He first pulled out the nails on the plank before dumping it into the wheelbarrow. It was tedious work as Harry worked his way down the long path. Many of the planks were splintering and he had to take a minute to pick up small pieces that had been dropped. 

When May joined them she was carrying a watering can. She smiled and greeted them happily and watered the shrubs and flowers. 

As noon steadily approached, it got hotter and hotter, and Harry was beginning to feel like he was cooking in the heat. He pulled out the last plank and smiled victoriously. "Done, May!" He called gleefully.

May looked up and smiled. "Thank you, Harry! Could you get the beams that were under them out?" 

Harry looked down at the wooden beams the nails were connected to. He nodded, replying, "Yeah, I can do that. Should I just take them to the burn pile too or do you want to keep them?"

"Burn them, they're rotting too."

Harry nodded and looked at them, humming softly. They were heavier than Harry could carry, so he'd have to bring them on the wheelbarrow, but they were also attached to the porch that wrapped around the front of the house and to the back. "How should I get them out?" He questioned.

May looked up and examined the nearest one to her for a moment. "I have a hand saw in the garage. That should work,"

Harry nodded and turned. "Alright, I'll go grab it!"

May nodded and resumed weeding and watering the plants with Peter. Harry returned to the garage and found the saw hanging on a few nails on the side of the wall. He grabbed it carefully and pulled it off the wall, bringing it to the walkway. It took a few minutes, but he managed to saw the wood off of the others and pull them out. They were long, heavy pieces, and he had to separate them. The walkway was about 15 feet long and he sawed each plank into three 5-foot sections. He set them on top of the wheelbarrow and began wheeling them to where May had said the burn pile was. 

He had dropped them a few times on the way, but he managed to get them there with little issue. He dumped the wood onto the pile and began making his way back up the hill. As he got back, he was surprised to see May was alone. He walked over, feeling slightly upset. "Where'd Peter go?"

May looked up. "He's got responsibilities to take care of,"

Harry frowned. "Responsibilities? He's just a forest spirit, what kind of responsibilities could he possibly have?"

May hummed. "I don't know too much about how it works in there, but there are four main spirits that sort of run the forest. Peter is one of those four. They each have sections that they are in charge of, but they all take care of the forest together. For each section they're in charge of, they settle disputes, take care of the plant life, and generally take care of those who inhabit that section of the forest."

Harry hummed curiously. "That's cool, I wonder what it's like."

May chuckled. "Maybe you can pry more information out of him."

Harry chuckled along and sat back. "Should I head to town now or wait a bit?"

May stopped and thought for a long moment. "If you do, I'd like to go with you. Just for safety."

"Alright, should I be worried about getting kidnapped?" Harry joked.

"No, most of the people in town are kind enough. It's just a precaution."

Harry nodded again. "Okay, that's cool. So I'll get my stuff and you can get your wood."

May chuckled and nodded in agreement. "That would be the plan,"

"What wood are you getting?"

May hummed thoughtfully. "Ceder would be good, we can get your things first. The wood will be heavy and we'll have to load it into the truck."

Harry nodded. "I can do that, I'm still paying for it though."

May rolled her eyes. "Alright alright, let's go buy Peter chocolate." She stood up and wiped her hands off on her jeans as she made her way to the car.

Harry laughed and followed her. "How should I find him when I get back?"

"Just start wandering around the forest. You'll run into someone eventually,"

"Peter doesn't exactly like me," Harry frowned, "last time I was in there he told me not to come back."

"Don't worry, he won't do anything. He might get upset, but the chocolate is a good middle man. It'll at least get you two to talk." She reassured.

Harry hesitated before nodding. "Alright, you sure he won't hurt me?"

"So long as you don't do anything to hurt the forest, he won't do anything." 

Harry hummed and stood still for a long moment. "Okay, alright."

May gave him a kind smile as she opened the door to the truck and got in. Harry entered through the passenger seat and buckled up as May turned the key. The engine revved and May began driving. 

The drive to town was a long one, almost an hour. They went to the wood store first, buying the lumber that was needed and loading it into the truck. Once that was taken care of, they went to the store and May stayed in the car as Harry shopped. 

The store was small as Harry began to look around. Sure, it was small, but it had all the necessities. He bought a half-gallon of milk, lunchmeat, more oatmeal, bread, cereal, bottled water, graham crackers, marshmallows, and several different types of chocolate. He bought it all and returned to May's truck where she sat in wait for him. He slid in with a few bags. "Back,"

May greeted him and began to drive off. The drive back was relatively quiet and uneventful. 

They stopped about halfway back at a large, white, and blue house. The walls were stained with dirt and algae and there was a wood log fence going around the house. May pulled in and parked. Harry looked around curiously. "Where are we?"

"This is the guy who sells the wood, he's got good quality and it's cheap. This place is closer than any hardware store,"

Harry nodded. "Alright,"

May unbuckled and got out of the truck. "I'll get the wood, we have to pay in cash and I can't imagine you have the cash on hand. You can just pay me back later if you really want to pay for it."

Harry nodded hesitantly. "Alright, I'll make sure you get paid before I leave." He promised

May chuckled. "You don't have to!" She called before going to the door. 

Harry watched uninterestedly as May knocked. After a few moments, an older man opened the door. He greeted her politely and they chatted for a long while before the man led May on. After about 5 minutes, the man came out on a riding lawn mower with a barrow attached. It was full of the wood May had bought. Harry unbuckled and hopped out of the truck. "Do you need any help loading that up?" He called.

The man on the mower stopped and smiled. "Sure do!"

Harry smiled as the man parked the mower. He began lifting some of the wood out and Harry started by grabbing some of the smaller planks. He helped tie them down as May followed over with an amused smile. They managed to load the wood up fairly quickly. Harry finished loading it up as May pulled the man aside to pay. 

May wished him farewell as they double-checked it was tied down tight, before they got back into the truck, buckled up, and drove off. Harry hummed. "He seemed nice,"

"He's one of the few people in this town who doesn't think I'm a witch."

Harry chuckled. "Well, at least some people aren't jerks." 

May chuckled in agreement. "Alright, let's get home then. Ready to talk to Peter?"

Harry paused for a long moment. "I don't know, he really didn't want me to come back,"

May snorted softly. "Well, chocolate will solve that problem."

"You sure?"

"Positive, just trust me."

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

Harry stepped into the forest, his heart thudding in his ears as he searched for Peter. He knew May had said that Peter wouldn't hurt him, but his words were sticking.

"Now go. And if you come back, I won't be as nice while leading you out."

It made him feel anxious. He knew Peter didn't like him and here he was, strolling in like he owned the place. He began walking, trying to figure out where to go. There was no clear cut path, just forest ground. Real forests weren't like anything in the movies or books, the ground was littered with rocks and twigs, the forest was alive with sounds. Frogs from the creeks and ponds, birds in their nests above, vultures cawing nearby, just sound everywhere. The trees weren't as tall as Harry expected either, very few of them seemed to be able to hold his weight if he had to climb them.

He wandered for what felt like hours, his footsteps noisy beneath him as he walked, before hearing a voice. "What are you doing out here?"

He nearly jumped out of his skin before turning around to come face-to-face with a blond-haired girl. Her hair was tied up in a bun and she had bright blue eyes and pointed ears, much like Peter's. The sequence in her's was blue, yellow, green, red. She wore a long, ombre, light blue, asymmetrical hem dress. The bottom was a lighter color than the top and there were no shoulders to her dress, though there were sleeves that went just past her elbows before turning to lace. Along the top of the corset and above the shoulders, she had gold embroidery vines that got thinner the further down they went before disappearing just above the waistline. She had a dark magenta hooded cape around her shoulders that ended just above her tailbone.

Harry stumbled over his words for a moment before managing to get out, "I'm looking for Peter."

She stared at him for a long moment before smiling and nodding. "Come on, I'll lead you to him."

Harry swallowed before nodding. "Okay," 

The girl turned and began leading him away. Harry followed quietly for a while before looking up. "What's your name?"

The girl smiled. "I'm, Gwen. And you are?"

"Harry,"

She smiled. "Ah, the one renting out the cabin in Peter's section, right?"

"Uh, I guess?"

"How is he?"

Harry made a small noise. "Honestly? Kind of crabby."

Gwen chuckled before sighing. "He's been like that for a while..."

Harry looked up. "What do you mean?"

Gwen was quiet for a long moment before sighing. "See, it's a little complicated. There was an... event. He isn't exactly a fan favorite around here, and since then, well... He's been in a bad mood. I don't blame him, when people are cruel to you, you tend to be cruel back."

Harry stared at her quietly. What did she mean, was Peter being hurt? 

Before he could open his mouth to question her, she stopped. "Stay here, Peter will find you."

"What?"

"I'll see you later,"

"Wait, wait wait wait, what?!"

He turned to argue, but she was already walking away. "Wait- where are you going?! Are you just gonna leave me here?!"

"Yep, you'll be fine!"

He gaped as she left. Before he could think about it too much, he heard footsteps behind him and whirled around. Peter stood there, looking more than a little irritated. "What are you doing here? I told you to go."

Harry held up the bag, fighting back a rush of fear. "I just wanted to chat,"

Peter scowled at the bag. "What's in there?

Harry reached in and Peter flinched back. He began slowing his movements to prove he wasn't a danger, before pulling out some of the chocolate. "I just want to be friends,"

Peter stared at him and the chocolate for a long time before letting out an irritated huff and covering his face. "May told you, didn't she?"

"Tell me...?"

"That I'm a sucker for chocolate."

"Yeah, she did."

Peter sighed heavily and put his hand out expectantly. Harry tossed the chocolate to him and he caught it. He opened the wrapper and took a bite before walking. "Come on, you wanted to chat so badly, let's chat."

Harry smiled gleefully and began following him. It was a long walk, too long for Harry's liking, but they soon arrived at the cave where he had first woken up. Now that he was more awake than he was before, he took in the surroundings. There was a hollow that gave way to a cave near the bottom. Large tree roots created an overhang over the hollow. As Peter led him in, he saw the majority of the inside of the cave had a wall of tree roots around it making a nice looking interior as moss grew along the walls. He sat down on the stone floor and shifted for a moment as Peter sat down across from him, finishing the chocolate bar. "Was there a specific thing you wanted to talk about?" He questioned, handing him the now-empty wrapper.

Harry shoved it in the bag and handed Peter another chocolate bar, smiling at how Peter's eyes lit up as he grabbed it. "Not really, I just wanted to chat," Harry replied.

Peter hummed and took another bite. "Okay, what do you want to chat about?"

"What's it like living here?"

Peter stopped as the chocolate bar was halfway in his mouth, before pulling away and smiling softly. "It's pretty good. I've got friends and family here,"

"Family?"

Peter nodded. "See, it's a little complicated to explain. There are four guardian spirits, Me in the East, Anya in the West, Miles in the South, and Gwen in the North. The area we're in we take care of, we solve disputes and make sure things are good here." He explained.

Harry nodded curiously. "And I'm assuming the rest of them are like a family to you?"

"Yeah, they are my family."

Harry smiled. "That's cool,"

Peter nodded and took another bite of his chocolate. "It is."

He opened his mouth to speak again when Venom appeared out of his shoulder with a curious look. Peter smiled and offered him a small piece of chocolate. "Want a bite? It's good,"

Harry tried to ignore the chill that ran up his spine when he saw the back and white demon. It sniffed the chocolate before opening its mouth and taking a bite and Harry tried to ignore the feeling of sickness in his stomach when he saw the rows of sharp teeth in its mouth. The demon seemed pleased as Peter offered it another piece. It ate it before recoiling back into Peter's skin. Harry swallowed as it disappeared. "So you said that Venom was a demon, aren't demons, you know... bad?"

Peter looked up and hummed. "Yes and no. They're kind of like Pitbulls for you, they have a reputation of being evil, but that's not entirely true. Sure there are some bad apples, and those ones typically are really bad, but those are the only ones ever talked about. There are good demons who are just trying to survive like the rest of us."

Harry nodded for a moment. "That's weird to think about. We aren't exactly religious in my house but... good demons?"

Peter nodded before looking down at his hands, looking anxious. "I'm not gonna lie but... a lot of spirits in this forest don't like that we allow demons here. Sure, the good demons are great allies and even better friends, but the demons that aren't good are a major threat." 

Harry tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"You see, demons can take root in two ways. They can force themselves in, that way is impossible here, there's too many of us protecting this place and we can hold them off. The other way is that they can come in on neutral terms of agreement. Making a deal with the devil per se. If they come in on agreement, that's when they're very dangerous because they're stronger that way. They don't have to exert effort into keeping someone restrained because they can gain power under your nose. And they're extra dangerous because demons, unlike most spirits, can hide their strength."

"What do you mean?"

"Every spirit has magic. The more magic a spirit has, the more powerful they are, the stronger aura they have. Other spirits and even some animals can sense that aura and gauge how strong a spirit is based on that, but demons can contain their aura, which means we can't figure out how strong they are. We know it's there, but it's not enough."

Harry nodded slowly before thinking. "So what about Venom? How do you know he isn't dangerous if you can't... feel it?"

"I never said he wasn't a threat. You see, Venom's a type of demon that requires a catalyst, he's a Symbiote. A parasitic demon, he needs a host to do anything. And sure, parasitic demons can take over their host, but I'm too strong for him to." 

Harry made a noise. "Alright, okay that makes sense. But back to point, why don't the other spirits like demons?" 

"Well, there aren't very many safe places anymore, this forest here is the only place we can hide for miles around. Sure, we might be able to find a place that's suitable for one or two, but not enough for all of us. If we lose this place, we lose everything. Very few of us will be able to relocate to another safe haven, the risk is just too high."

Harry nodded understandingly. "But if the threat is so high, then why accept them?"

"Because if we don't then we're stranding potentially innocent spirits. Sure, there's a risk, but put yourself in their shoes."

Harry nodded again. "Yeah, being in that position would suck."

Peter nodded in agreement before looking down and picking at his shirt. Harry could feel the tension in the air as he swallowed. "Well, I'm glad you all are kind enough to share the forest, even if it is dangerous."

Peter glanced up and smiled. "Yeah... thanks, I guess."

Harry hummed for a moment before speaking again. "Out of curiosity, why don't the other spirits like you?" He asked. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to," He quickly followed up.

Peter laughed wetly. "That's complicated."

Harry hummed softly. "I'm willing to listen."

Peter stared at him for a long time before nodding. "Okay, well... here we go. You see, it's going back to the whole demon thing, how the spirits in this forest don't exactly like them. The four guardians, Me, Miles, Gwen, and Anya, we met up after a demon came to us, begging for help and a place to stay. We couldn't just leave her- she was terrified!

"So we met up to discuss what to do and Miles brought up the idea of letting demons in. We were all a bit hesitant, sure, but Miles was persistent. He really wanted the demons to be happy too, despite their reputation. We eventually agreed that we should let them in."

"But why do the spirits hate you?" Harry pressed.

"The decision was... complicated. See, Miles is sort of a fan favorite around here, a lot of spirits like him. He's kind of... sensitive? He gets his feelings hurt easily." He sighed. "The thing is, if we told everyone he was the one to advocate for the idea, their opinions would change, they'd get angry about it. Miles doesn't deserve that, so I took credit for the idea and I'm dealing with the fallout."

Harry watched him for a long moment. "You don't deserve that either,"

Peter shrugged. "I can take it, Miles can't. I'm fine with dealing with the fallout, I agreed to it. And either way, there's nothing we can do now."

Harry watched him for a long time before scooting closer. "Well, now you've got me, I'm your friend." He hummed, a smile crossing his face.

Peter stared at him before smiling. "Thanks, Harry."

He looked back down as Venom came from his shoulder. "Me too," It spoke, headbutting him lightly.

Peter chuckled. "Yep, you're my friend too."

Harry smiled at the two and dug into his bag. "Last chocolate bar, want it?"

Peter nodded eagerly. "Yes please,"

Harry handed it over and smiled as Peter happily unwrapped it, taking a cheerful bite. Harry smiled softly as Peter took a bite. 

The two sat there for a lot longer than Harry had realized and it was getting dark by the time the two realized the time. Harry cursed softly. "I should probably get to heading home." 

"Do you want me to walk with you?"

Harry looked up. "Do you want to?"

Peter smiled and stood up, offering his hand. "Yeah, let's go."

Harry smiled and took it. The two were up quickly and made their way back, still talking. The two didn't stop when they got back, Harry was putting the plastic wrap in the recycling bin before grinning. "Do you wanna make s'mores? I got stuff for them earlier,"

Peter straightened curiously. "S'mores?"

Harry's jaw dropped. "Graham crackers, sandwiching a roasted marshmallow and some chocolate?"

Peter gave him a confused look. "Oh my god, you need to stay for s'mores."

Peter snorted softly. "Alright then, let's see."

Harry grabbed the things and the bug repellant candle. "Come on, there's a fire pit out back."

Peter nodded as Harry grabbed a match and some firestarters. He followed Harry out and watched him pile a few logs of firewood into the pit, before lighting a match, lighting the firestarter, and tucking it under a few logs. After a moment, it caught aflame and Harry gave it a few moments to kindle. After that, Harry pulled out a few sticks and stuck marshmallows on them, handing Peter one. The brunet took it curiously as Harry put his between his legs for a moment to get out some graham crackers and some chocolate. Peter stared at the stick, unsure what to do, as Harry lit the bug repellant candle and readied himself, setting the marshmallow over the flame.

Peter stared at him. "What are you doing?"

"Roasting marshmallows, come on," He moved the stick representatively. "You put it over the fire or in the fire depending on how roasted you like it."

As he continued explaining, his stick descended further and further into the flame. Peter coughed. "Uh- Harry,"

Harry hummed. "Yes?"

"Your- your stick,"

Harry glanced over and immediately panicked, pulling the stick out and blowing out the flaming marshmallow. He sighed and grabbed a graham cracker, splitting it in half with chocolate. He used the graham cracker to scrape off the marshmallow before sandwiching the chocolate in there. He gave it a moment to cool down before taking a bite and making a pleasured noise at the taste. "In the city, we can't just light a fire to make these so I just have to make them in the oven, or if I'm lazy, in the microwave. They never compare to over-the-fire s'mores."

Peter started at him before turning before following his example. After it was golden brown, he got the graham crackers and the chocolate and sandwiched it. He stared at it for a long moment, looking back to Harry one final time for confirmation, when Harry smiled at him and took another bite, Peter swallowed and took a small bite.

He chewed for a while when the flavor set in and he immediately took another bite. Harry grinned when he saw the happy look cross Peter's face. "This is really good!" He yelped, finishing it and reaching for another marshmallow. He hesitated halfway there, looking to Harry for confirmation.

"You can get another," Harry chuckled. "You can get however many you want."

Peter grinned madly before getting another. "I'm gonna clear out your entire stock."

Harry laughed gleefully. "Go right ahead."

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

After that day, Harry went to the store again and bought several things for s'mores. Each day he'd go find Peter, and they'd talk, they'd laugh, and at the end of the day, they'd make s'mores. It went like that for a little more than a week. Harry almost forgot to visit May, he'd gotten so caught up.

One day, Peter came over as usual. He was cheerful, it almost seemed like nothing was wrong. Almost. There was something off. His first clue was when Peter first arrived.

The door opened while he was making eggs. Harry glanced up and smiled as Peter walked in. "Hey, Peter!"

Peter smiled. "Hey, Har. what'cha making?"

"Omelette, you want one?"

Peter shook his head. "Nah, I'm not hungry."

Harry tilted his head and laughed playfully. "Really? You're always hungry, are you sure?"

Peter nodded. "Yeah, I'm good. Thank you though."

Harry's laughter died out as he stared at him. "Are you okay?"

Peter hummed and looked up. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Harry flipped the omelette. "I don't know, it just feels like something's off. Are you sure you're okay?"

Peter chuckled and gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm okay, Harry."

Harry stared at him for a long moment before nodding. "Alright, if you're sure."

The second thing to tip Harry off was when they were out swimming in the lake. Peter was sitting ashore talking to Venom as Harry stood in the knee-deep water trying, and failing, to catch a fish with his hands. When he had done this before, Peter always laughed at him, especially the one time he had actually managed to catch a fish and he started screaming because he didn't know what to do with it. Peter had teased the hell out of him, but he seemed cheerful.

Now, he was struggling to catch fish, and Peter barely even seemed to notice. He didn't know why it upset him so much, but it did. In an attempt to cheer Peter up, he dove for one just out of reach, causing him to slip. He let out a startled cry as he sat up and shook the water out of his hair. "Fuck that's cold!"

Trembling, he stumbled out of the water and reached for his towel. He cast a glance over to Peter and saw he hadn't even looked up. He pouted slightly and dried off before walking over to Peter and sitting down. "What's wrong?"

Peter looked up and Venom disappeared between his skin. "Wha?"

"Something's wrong, Peter. I can tell."

"Nothing's wrong-"

"You're an awful liar."

Peter sighed and looked down. "I just... didn't get enough sleep."

"You told me you don't need sleep."

He was quiet for a long moment before curling up into himself. "I... I'm just a little bit frustrated I guess..."

Harry tilted his head. "Wanna talk about it?" He asked gently.

Peter made a small noise before looking down, a scowl crossing his face. "The spirits in the forest just... they hate me."

Harry instinctively went to argue before remembering the conversation they had the week before. He hesitated for a moment before resting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "They'll come around,"

Peter shook his hand off and stood up in frustration. "It's been years and they haven't come around! I'm tired of waiting- I just don't wanna be ridiculed for a decision I- I want people to see me for- for me and I just.." Peter paced back and forth, his voice breaking. "I hate this!"

Harry stood up. "I know, I know you do. They'll come around, they will."

Peter whipped around and faced him. "Harry, it's been 4 years since we made the decision, and they still hate me! Do you honestly think they'll change?"

"Yes, I do."

"When?"

"I don't know,"

Peter turned around again. "I can't wait until then, this sucks, Harry. I hate this, I hate this so much." His voice broke again.

Harry stood up and turned Peter to face him. "I know, but it'll get better." He promised, pulling him into a hug.

Peter stiffened up and Harry felt his stomach turn. Crap I should NOT have done that without asking- Before he could pull away, Peter slowly wrapped his arms around him, hiccuping softly before bursting into tears. Harry rubbed his back as he cried.

After a few minutes, Peter pulled away, wiping his face quickly. "Shoot- I'm sorry, I'm sorry for crying on you like that,"

"It's okay, you were upset. Do you feel better now?"

Peter smiled weakly. "Yeah, a little bit,"

Harry smiled. "That's good, wanna go get some snacks and help May with her garden?"

"Yes please,"

Harry smiled and stood up. "Come on, I think I have some granola bars with chocolate chunks at the cabin,"

Peter's eyes lit up at the mention of chocolate and he nodded, following Harry along.

The two walked up the path, the previous stress beginning to melt away. They got to his porch and Harry held the door for him. Peter thanked him quietly and walked in, Harry close behind. He stepped into the kitchen and opened the cupboards and pulled out two granola bars for Peter. "Do you want anything to drink?" He offered.

Peter hummed. "Water please,"

Harry nodded and handed Peter the snacks before going to the fridge and pulling out the water pitcher, pouring himself and Peter a glass. Peter thanked him through a mouthful of the granola bar as he set his drink down. "You're welcome." Harry hummed back, taking a quick drink.

Peter smiled as he finished the first granola bar and quickly moved on to the second. Harry finished his water, feeling extra thirsty. "You wanna head up to May's after this and finish the walkway?"

Peter chewed and nodded. "Sure,"

Harry stood up and stretched before pouring himself another glass and chugging it down and setting the empty glass in the sink. "Well, I'm ready when you are."

Peter picked up the second granola bar and unwrapped it, putting the wrappers in the trash, and drank his water. "Let's go then, I'll eat this on the way." He yawned.

Harry nodded and pushed the door open for Peter once again, letting him out first. Peter thanked him quietly and the two were off on their way to May's house.

The walk was quiet and calm, the two just enjoying each other's presence. The peace was however interrupted when a foul smell hit Harry's nose and he cringed slightly. He tried to ignore it as they walked, but the smell became worse and worse as they moved along.

Finally, the two came across the source of the smell. A deer carcass lay on the ground near the path. Harry recoiled slightly at the sight. "Oh,"

Peter's gaze softened at the sight and he moved Harry to step around the deer. "Leave it be, the animals in the forest will clear it later."

Harry plugged his nose. "God- that stinks."

"It's rotting, it's probably been here for a few days."

Harry gagged lightly as the two speed-walked past. As they walked, Peter looked over his shoulder towards the fallen deer and smiled softly. "Harry, look."

Harry looked up, still covering his nose, and turned around. Above the deer carcass stood a white translucent deer, trotting slowly and carefully around the body.

"Anything that dies in this forest can live on as a spirit." Peter murmured as the deer nosed its former body, its muzzle passing through it. The deer seemed undisturbed by this, however, before it straightened up again and began back into the forest.

Harry watched it go and smiled softly. "That's... nice,"

Peter nodded quietly. "This place is sacred, that's why we have to protect it."

Harry nodded slowly. "I'll do whatever I can to help,"

Peter smiled up softly. "Thank you,"

"It's no problem,"

The two walked the rest of the way back in an even more comfortable silence.

They finally arrived at May's house after a while and were quick to greet her. May seemed pleased that they were getting along, even more so that they were willing to work together to finish the walkway.

It was a relatively simple build, lay the long planks parallel to one another, fill the space between them with gravel, and lay the shorter planks on top of the long planks, and nail them down. It was tedious and the bags of gravel were heavy, but Peter didn't seem to have an issue with it.

As Harry hammered a nail into one of the shorter planks, Peter stood up. "Boletus? What's up?"

Harry sat up to see a tan-skinned man approach. "Hey, Peter. I've got the daily report,"

Peter straightened curiously. "Doesn't Nuntius usually give the reports? Where is he?"

"I offered to do them today because I also wanted to ask you something."

Boletus cast a glance at Harry and back to Peter. Peter noticed this and hummed. "Boletus, this is Harry, you can trust him. Harry, this is Boletus, he's our local fun guy,"

Boletus snickered as Harry tilted his head in confusion. "Huh?"

"I'm a fungus spirit," Boletus clarified as Peter snickered, "it's nice to meet you."

Harry snorted as he got the joke. "It's nice to meet you too,"

Boletus returned his gaze to Peter. "Anyway, I wanted to ask you a question after the report."

Peter nodded and smiled. "Go on then,"

Boletus cleared his throat before speaking. "So in our section of the forest, things seem clear. The rains last week caused a bit of root rot towards the edges near the lake, but one of the naiads and I were able to prevent it. Other than that, things seem peaceful."

Peter nodded with a smile. "That's good, so what did you want to ask me?"

"Near the southeast section of the forest by the astilbes, a lot of weeds are starting to overcrowd the area. I wanted permission to use the fungi to clear them?"

Peter smiled brightly. "Go ahead,"

Boletus grinned excitedly and straightened. "Thank you!"

Before Peter could even say goodbye, he was off. Harry chuckled. "Well, he sure is excited,"

"He's the only fungi spirit in the forest so he has a lot of responsibility. Fungi play a huge part in a forest's ecosystem and we rely on him to keep our forest healthy. Without him, the forest would be vulnerable to diseases, I'm not even sure we'd survive."

Harry nodded. "Interesting,"

Peter cast him an amused glance. "Let's get back to working," He hummed.

Harry returned his gaze to Peter and smiled. "Alright."

That night, the two finished the walkway.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

Harry shifted. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Don't worry, they'll love you," Peter promised, leading him down a trail.

Harry glanced over his shoulder, feeling uneasy. "Peter, you're literally taking me to meet the other gods of this forest."

Peter giggled. "If they're gods then I am too,"

"Yes! You are! You're a god of this forest! And you're taking me to meet three other gods!"

Peter rolled his eyes. "Oh hush. You're giving me too much credit."

"Peter, you are literally one of four spirits who protect this forest with their lives. You're a god."

Peter shoved him playfully. "Shut,"

Harry snickered softly and continued to walk beside him. After a long while, they arrived at a large clearing. In the center was a massive tree that looked akin to a sequoia tree. Harry gaped at it for a long moment when Peter stepped forward. "Come on,"

Harry looked between Peter and the tree before following. "O-okay,"

Peter climbed onto the roots and sat. "Come on,"

Harry hesitated before nodding and climbing up. "Jesus, how tall is this thing?"

"150 feet at the top. It's about 400 years old, but it can live to be up to 2,000."

Harry stared at him wide-eyed. "You're kidding! 2,000 years old?!"

Peter grinned and nodded. "I know, cool, right?"

"That's insane!"

"For the past 400 years, me, Anya, Gwen, and Miles have been meeting here and watching it grow. We've taken pretty good care of it if I do say so myself."

Harry nodded. "I've heard sequoias are hard to grow."

Peter nodded. "Really hard. But we grew it, and it's going strong!"

Harry grinned and settled into the roots. They were strangely comfortable for a tree. "So how long are we gonna wait for them?"

"They shouldn't take too long," Peter hummed. "Give them a few minutes."

As if on cue, a familiar face strolled in. Harry perked up slightly as Gwen approached. "Hello there," She greeted.

Peter smiled. "Hey, Gwen."

Gwen sat on a nearby root that was slightly lower than the others. "How have you been?"

"I've been good," Peter turned to Harry expectantly.

"I-I've been alright?"

Gwen chuckled. "That's good."

"How about you?" Peter hummed.

Gwen smiled cheerfully. "I've been alright, thank you for asking."

"Anything new going on in your part of the forest?"

"We've had a few lilies blooming around the edges. I don't know who or what spread the seeds, but they're beautiful. Orange and white,"

Peter smiled. "That's good, lilies aren't really growing in my area."

"Yeah well, you have all the roses."

Peter giggled. "You know you can come by and take them if you ever want to. The nymphs don't mind, they love sharing the flowers as long as you don't take too many."

Gwen smiled. "I might just take you up on that."

Harry glanced up to more footsteps. Another girl was walking in, she wore a dark red dress that was a stark contrast to the greenery. She had long white lace sleeves going down her arms that doubled as finger loop gloves. He straightened slightly as Peter smiled. "Hey, Anya!" He waved cheerfully.

Anya looked up and rolled her eyes playfully, walking over. "Hey, Peter. Hi, Gwen,"

The girls smiled at each other as Anya walked over, hopping on the root beside Gwen. Peter grinned at them as Harry tilted his head. Peter saw his confused look and elbowed him playfully. "They're lesbians, Harold."

Harry choked for a moment. "You know what a lesbian is?"

"Of course, we're not stupid. We never really had a word for it before since, well, if you love someone you love them. No point in labeling it here. May explained to us how you all label everything, dumb in my opinion"

Harry smiled softly. "That's cool,"

Peter nodded with a smile before turning to the girls who were holding hands and giggling softly. Harry felt his smile grow as he turned to Anya. "I haven't met you yet, I'm Harry," He managed to say without stuttering.

A grin crossed her face. "I'm Anya, nice to meet you, Harry."

Harry smiled cheerfully back when bushes rustled once more. A familiar face came out, making his mind stutter for a moment. "You're that one kid!"

Peter glanced up. "Hm?"

"That kid! The one who knocked me off a cliff!"

Anya barked out a laugh. "Miles!"

"I'm sorry!"

Harry felt a rush of irritation as Miles looked down guiltily. "I'm sorry,"

He let out a heavy sigh. "It's okay I guess, no permanent damage done..."

Peter patted his shoulder. "Miles didn't mean to, he came to me crying his eyes out after the fact."

Harry's lips quirked up in a smile. "Then I guess I've gotta forgive you then."

Miles glanced up with an embarrassed smile on his face. He had a black and red robin hood-esque outfit, minus the hat. He looked sheepish but cheerful. After a moment of embarrassed shifting, Miles moved to join them. He sat on a tall root that had him towering over the others. He curled up into himself and waved at Harry. "I- uh, I'm Miles."

Harry forced a small chuckle. "I'm Harry, nice to meet you?"

"Nice to meet you too,"

Peter smiled between the two. "I just wanted to make sure you all got to meet Harry, we've kinda been sticking around each other."

Gwen chuckled. "That's fine, how long will you be staying, Harry?"

"Until the end of the summer. Hopefully, I can come back up next summer."

Peter perked up. "You should come up during winter! Most of the flowers aren't blooming, but it's beautiful!"

Harry grinned. "I'll see what I can do, I have school so I'm pretty busy during the winters."

"Well, we'll be happy to see you if you do come." Gwen chuckled

Peter nodded eagerly in agreement. "You should,"

Harry nodded back. "I'll see what I can do,"

Peter grinned and pushed him playfully. "Well, see what you can do faster."

Harry opened his mouth to spit out a playful retort, when a young boy ran in, looking breathless. Peter sat up. "Ameinias? What's going on?"

The boy panted before sitting up. "Theo and Roz are fighting over the lilacs, again."

Peter sighed. "Really? Again?"

"Yeah,"

Peter stood up and jumped off the root. "I'll be back, those two just can't learn to share." He sighed to himself.

Harry chuckled awkwardly as Peter slid out of the clearing with Ameinias. Miles smiled sheepishly over to Harry before fiddling with the hem of his shirt. "Uh, hi."

Harry smiled back. "Hi,"

They all sat in awkward silence for a moment before Gwen cleared her throat. "So you're staying here in the forest? I'm amazed you managed to win Peter over, he's pretty stickler when it comes to who's allowed here and who isn't."

Harry snorted. "Yeah, I bribed him over to my side."

"Chocolate?" Anya deadpanned.

"Chocolate," Harry confirmed.

Miles barked out a laugh as Gwen shook her head in amusement. "Oh by the gods, Peter's gonna get us killed one day."

Harry laughed and put his hands up. "I swear, I don't have any evil plans or anything. This place is nice,"

Anya grinned. "You better not have any evil plans, we'll fight to keep this forest going."

"Well, I'm willing to help however I can."

"Thank you, but that won't be necessary. We've protected this forest for 700 years, we'll be okay."

"700 years?! God- that's forever!"

"Yeah, it's a long time. Not as long as you'd think though,"

"How old are you?"

"You aren't getting the info out of us." Gwen deadpanned.

Harry pouted and smiled slightly. "I tried."

"If that's your definition of trying, you aren't gonna get very far in life."

"I said I tried, not that I put 100% effort in."

The Guardians shared a laugh as Harry grinned. "You guys are cool,"

"Thank you, I've spent years perfecting it!" Miles chirped.

Harry smiled happily at them. "Well, you've done a good job." 

"YAY!" Miles shouted, earning a laugh from the others.

Harry felt at ease as the conversations continued. The other guardians were pleasant and Harry almost felt like he fit in with them, despite only having known them for half an hour.

"You know, Peter's seemed a bit calmer since you came around," Miles pointed out.

Harry straightened slightly, his face flushing. "O-oh?"

"Yeah! For the past couple years he's been a bit snippy, I can't say I blame him though. If I was in the same position, I would be too."

Harry nodded slowly. "Yeah, he's told me about it." 

Miles was a bit quiet, looking guilty and Harry quickly caught himself. "You know he isn't mad- right?"

"I know it's just... I still feel bad. Yeah, most of the spirits in his section of the forest trust him, but not all of them. Especially after he took in Venom,"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, he was the scapegoat for why Demons were in the forest in the first place, and then immediately after he bonded with a Demon. To a lot of spirits here, that seems a bit like foul play. A lot of people don't trust parasitic demons, and for good reason too."

Harry nodded slowly. "Well, Venom hasn't given you any reason not to trust him, right?"

"Well no, other than just being a bit intimidating, he's done nothing wrong. I don't entirely trust him, but he hasn't given us a reason not to trust him," Anya spoke up.

Harry nodded and hummed. "Well, I'm glad things seem to be going relatively well at least."

"Things are pretty great if I'm being honest." Gwen chuckled.

Harry smiled. "That's good. You guys make sure to keep this forest as safe as possible, I'll do what I can to help too."

Gwen smiled. "Well, we're happy to take your help."

Harry looked up at the sky. "Well, it's getting pretty late. I should probably head home now." He sighed when he saw it was darkening.

Miles nodded. "We'll let Peter know you had to leave, it was nice to meet you!"

"It was nice to meet you all too!"

"We'll be seeing you, Harry!"

"Right back at you!"

And with that, Harry left.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

"What's taking Peter so long? He should've been here by now." Miles groaned, laying upside down from the roots of the sequoia tree.

Anya flicked a pebble at him. "Be patient, he might've gotten held up solving an argument or something."

Miles pouted. "I just wanna get this meeting over with, these are lame and take forever. I like taking care of my flowers."

Gwen snorted. "We all like taking care of our flowers, Miles. We just gotta make sure there aren't any big conflicts going on, this only happens once a fortnight, it's okay."

Miles groaned. "We can just call a meeting if something bad happens,"

"Sometimes we don't realize something bad is happening until we talk about it with someone else."

Miles sat up to continue arguing when footsteps filled the clearing. They all looked up, expecting to see Peter when an unfamiliar face entered the clearing. "That's one of Peter's nymphs," Anya said, sitting up quickly.

The girl approached, her breath short. "Peter- Venom- he- I-"

Anya jumped down. "Hey, take a breath, what happened?"

"That- that demon- Venom- he- he-"

Miles felt his stomach sink as he jumped off his root. "What happened?" He pressed fearfully.

"Peter- he- he got taken over!"

Gwen froze up. "What?"

"The demon, Venom, he took over Peter! I-I saw it happen- I swear- I- I think he saw me- I-"

Anya squeezed her shoulders. "Take a deep breath, what's your name?"

She swallowed. "A-Astelle,"

"Take a deep breath, Astelle. It'll be okay, we'll investigate. Where did you see him?"

"T-towards the creek, on the edge of Miles' territory."

Gwen nodded. "We'll go look at it, you can stay in Anya's territory until the situation is cleared up if you'd like."

Anya snorted playfully. "Way to offer my place up."

Gwen gave her a playful glare and the two giggled before turning back to Astelle, who smiled weakly. "T-thank you for the offer, c-could I?"

"Of course. I'll take you there now, Gwen, Miles, you two chat. I'll be back in a minute."

As Anya disappeared behind the tree with Astelle in tow, Gwen turned to Miles, who turned anxiously back to Gwen. "You... you don't think she's telling the truth, do you?" Miles choked.

Gwen made a small noise. "I don't think she's lying, but I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding. Peter's too strong to just lose control of Venom like that, even if Venom is a powerful demon. Peter isn't dumb, he'll be able to keep Venom in line."

Miles shook his head. "I don't know, Gwen. He's been in a bad place recently, you know he has. It's... this is different. He's vulnerable, if Venom really is evil, he could be exploiting that."

Gwen gave him a look. "Miles, Peter's probably the strongest out of all of us. He would be the worst target for Venom to go for."

"Gwen-" There was a fiery look in Miles' eyes that was interrupted by Anya returning. "Quiet you two, let's go talk to Peter." She said curtly.

The two exchanged looks before nodding and following Anya through the foliage.

The walk was a short one, but it felt so much longer than it should've. The entire time, Miles couldn't shake the growing pit in his stomach. What if they got there and it was too late?

They entered the clearing Peter usually stayed. They got to the shaped oak and Anya kicked at the root. "Peter!" She shouted, sounding angry. "Out, now!"

There was a startled noise from under the tree and Peter poked his head out, looking surprised. "What's up?"

He saw all of them looking a mix of concerned and angry and shrunk slightly. "There was a meeting today, wasn't there..."

"Get out, we need to talk." Anya hissed.

Peter obeyed and Miles looked him up and down anxiously. He didn't look any different, nothing seemed wrong. "We've got questions and you better answer." Anya spat, grabbing his arm and tugging him out the rest of the way.

Peter made a startled noise and nearly fell but didn't argue. "Okay- okay okay! What's wrong? You're never this mad when I forget meetings."

"One of your Nymphs just came to the clearing sobbing that you got taken over by that demon, Venom."

A confused look crossed Peter's face. "What? No, I've been here organizing the herbs for Ygeía for the past few hours."

Anya looked over him. "I want to talk to Venom,"

Peter nodded wordlessly and shook his shoulder as Venom came out of his shoulder. Anya scowled at the sight of him. "I want a charm on him,"

Peter startled. "Anya!"

"It's a valid concern!"

"Anya, Venom's never done anything to hurt us! You know putting a charm on him will hurt him!"

"So? He's a threat!"

Peter bristled angrily. "That's not fair to him, it'll hurt him! He hasn't done anything! At all!"

"Peter, it's just a precaution! One that we frankly should've taken the moment he arrived here." Anya hissed.

Peter narrowed his eyes and straightened, setting a protective hand on the side of Venom's head. "I'm not putting a charm on him, end of story."

Miles swallowed. "Peter, I'm not saying we should put a charm on him, but, well, maybe you two should... I don't know, separate for a little?"

Peter turned to Miles. "Excuse me? Miles- are you kidding me?!"

"I-"

Peter looked physically hurt as Miles struggled to backtrack. "Miles, you were the one who wanted demons like him to be able to live in this forest in peace! Hell- I took the blame for you!" He shouted, his voice breaking.

"I-I'm not saying that- I just- I-"

"How do you know she isn't lying?" Peter demanded, returning his gaze to Anya, who still looked firm.

"Astelle wouldn't lie."

"God- do you even know her?!"

"I can't believe you're accusing one of your very own Nymphs of lying about you! Peter- it's literally a Nymph's job to serve!"

"Well in case you haven't missed, it's not like I'm much of a fan favorite around here." Peter hissed.

Gwen stepped forward. "What are you talking about?"

Peter scoffed. "Oh come on, you all aren't stupid."

They all exchanged hesitant glances before Peter shook his head and looked down, his eyes beginning to water. "Wow, such friends you all are."

"Peter-"

"Go."

"Peter- just-"

"I said go." His voice broke again as he spoke and Venom turned to him, with a pained look on his face.

Gwen reached out and Anya stepped in front of her. "Leave him. I want a charm on that thing before the next meeting," She warned.

"No."

Anya glanced up. "Excuse me?"

"I said no," Peter repeated, turning away from them as Venom disappeared beneath his skin.

"Peter, I want it-"

"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU WANT!" Peter shouted, whipping around suddenly. His eyes were glowing a vibrant and dangerous green, warning them that he was becoming aggressive.

Anya straightened and took a threatening step forward. "Peter,"

"Stop."

"Peter you need to calm down."

"Stop it,"

"This isn't an argument,"

"Peter, it's just for a few days until we can figure out its intentions," Gwen spoke up.

"It's only for a little while, Pete," Miles begged.

Peter cupped his ears as they continued speaking, trying to get him to cave. Their voices filled his ears as the ringing in the back of his head became louder and louder. Protect yourself, they're enemies, they're trying to hurt Venom, they're trying to hurt you,

"Peter, just put a charm on him,"

Protect Venom,

"It'll only be for a few days,"

Defend yourself,

"This isn't an argument, do it."

You have to protect yourself at all costs,

"Now, Peter."

Now do it.

"Shut UP!"

Peter lashed around suddenly, as needles manifested themselves at his fingertips, launching out and hitting Gwen in the abdomen and hitting Miles in the stomach and arm.

The two let out pained cries and immediately cupped their wounds, as Peter struggled to control his breathing. His vision cleared as he looked up. He stared blankly for a moment as Anya ran to Gwen's side, immediately looking over her wound, and quickly glanced over Miles', before turning to Peter. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING, PETER?!" She cried out, enraged and horrified.

Peter choked up as he realized what he had done. "I-I'm-"

"GET OUT," Anya screamed.

"Anya- please, I-"

"GO!"

Peter choked for a moment before quickly turning and fleeing into the underbrush.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

Harry slouched, impatiently playing a game of solitaire as he waited for Peter to show up. He never was very good at the game.

He looked up excitedly as he heard the door knock and laughed to himself before standing up to go let Peter in. "Peter- you know you don't have to kno-"

He froze up as he opened the door. Miles was standing there, rubbing his arm anxiously. "Miles?" He greeted, surprised.

Miles looked up. "Uh, hey, Harry. Uhmm... can we talk?"

Harry shifted uncertainly for a moment before opening the door wider. "Uhmm... sure? Yeah, uh, just- come in."

Miles nodded thankfully as Harry closed the screen, leaving the door open behind them. "Um, do you want anything? Water? Tea? Uh, milk?"

Miles laughed softly. "No thank you, look, I don't wanna take up much of your time so I'm just gonna, you know, get straight to it I guess."

Harry nodded and unconsciously crossed his arms. "Go ahead,"

"So, we need you to talk to Peter. We as in Gwen, Anya, and I."

Harry shifted. "Is something wrong with him?"

"He's just... he's been acting weird recently. Not as in since you came here- like, the past year or two I guess."

Harry's eyes widened. "You consider two years recent?"

"When you're alive for centuries, years seem smaller and smaller, you know?"

Harry hummed uncomfortably. "Yeah, I uhh... I guess that makes sense. God- how old are you guys?"

Miles shrugged before putting his hands in front of him. "Look- that's not the point. Peter's been acting weird recently,"

"If you wanna know where he is, he hasn't been here all day." Harry cut in. "We were supposed to hang out but he never showed."

Miles' frown deepened. "Earlier today we were supposed to have a meeting, like the other week when you were there. We were supposed to meet up like usual but he was late. And you know- Peter's late to everything, he always has been, so we didn't think about it too hard, but then..."

Miles quickly recounted what had happened earlier that day as Harry listened intensely, looking more and more worried as he continued.

"Yeah, that doesn't sound like him..." Harry bit his lip and looked away as he thought. "So he just attacked you guys? For no reason?"

"In his defense, we were kind of antagonizing him," Miles mumbled.

Harry continued to think. "So you want me to talk to him and..?"

"We just want him to put a charm on Venom, at least until we can figure out if he's safe enough to leave alone."

"And will the charm hurt Venom at all?"

"Not unless it's used. What it'll do is it'll latch onto him, probably stick to the back of Peter's neck when Venom isn't out, and if it's used it'll burn him. But it'll only be used if Venom does something and we need to stop him."

Harry's mind went back to the conversation he and Peter had had in the weeks prior about demons.

"Every spirit has magic. The more magic a spirit has, the more powerful they are, and the more powerful they are, the stronger aura they have. Other spirits and some animals can sense that aura and gauge how strong a spirit is based on that, but demons can contain their aura, which means we can't figure out how strong they are."

"If you guys had no idea how strong Venom was when he bonded to Peter, why wasn't that the first thing you did when he bonded? If it doesn't hurt him unless it's used, I don't see a point not having that extra precaution."

Miles took a few moments to answer. "That's... complicated. See- we had no reason to believe Venom was dangerous and if he wasn't bonded to someone immediately when we met him, he would've died. He's entirely reliant on someone else to keep him alive. Sure- he can survive without someone else, but not for long. A week or two max, and he was at his limit when we found him. The plan was to have him rebond with something else later, an animal or something, but he and Peter got close and Peter decided to keep him as a familiar. So he just kept him."

Harry nodded quietly. "And there was no reason to suspect he was any kind of threat so there wasn't a point. And Peter can reject him whenever he wants to?"

"Well, sort of. If Venom's strong enough, he might not be able to, and if Astelle was right that Venom was forcing control on Peter, then he definitely won't be able to. Most demons like Venom usually aren't strong enough to do things like that though, which means Venom's more powerful than we thought, which scares me."

Harry nodded in agreement. "Yeah, this is uh... this is kind of scary. So you want me to talk to him and try to convince him to use a charm?"

"If you could, you don't need to though. He might get mad at you."

Harry snorted. "I can live with him getting mad, I think I can get him to listen. Try coming on over in a few hours, I'll let you know how it went."

Miles nodded. "Thank you, Harry. This really means a lot."

"It's no problem, I'll go look for him. I have a few ideas about where he could be."

"Alright, if you need any help, we'll do what we can."

Harry smiled. "Thanks, but I think I've got this. I'll see you,"

"See you, be safe."

Harry promised he would as Miles left. He let out a deep sigh and rubbed his face before standing up. "Alright, let's go find Peter." He mumbled to himself.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

Harry finally managed to find Peter in a clearing with a large rock overhang. He was curled up with a large spider crawling over his hand.

"Hey, Peter!" He called, skipping over and trying to keep up a cheerful facade.

Peter jumped and looked up and Harry managed to catch sight of Venom, who had been hidden by Peter's head. He restrained himself from making a face when he saw him and slid over to the brunet’s side confidently.

Peter was stiff as Harry sat down. "I was waiting for you and you never showed, so I came to come find you."

Peter looked down and quietly replied, "I'm sorry."

Harry softened his expression. "Hey, it's okay. I'm here now, wanna go help May with her garden?"

Peter glanced up hesitantly as Venom disappeared into his neck and left arm. "No, not today."

Harry frowned slightly. "Is something wrong?"

"No-nothing's wrong."

"You're a terrible liar."

Peter laughed softly before looking down. "I just... I messed up... big time."

Harry bumped him lightly with his shoulder. "What happened?"

Peter rubbed his eyes, seeming to try and stop tears before they formed. "I just... I..."

Harry almost wanted to reassure Peter that he already knew what happened so he didn't have to talk about it, but he knew Peter had to say it himself.

"I... I hurt them.." His voice got small as he spoke, breaking slightly.

Harry felt a pang in his chest as Peter practically whimpered out the next sentence. "I attacked them and I..."

Harry gave him a gentle look, egging him on silently. Peter glanced up at him, not turning his head, before swallowing thickly. "They wanted to put a charm on Venom and I just... I got so... angry- I don't know why, it's a reasonable concern and I just- I-"

Peter covered his mouth as the spider crawled off his hands and onto the stone of the overhang. Peter let out a small, choked sob, and Harry hesitantly touched his shoulder. "Hey- hey hey, come here, come on,"

Peter immediately leaned into Harry's awkward embrace. He sat with his hands in the air, unsure what to do for a moment, before slowly wrapping them around Peter's torso as Peter clung to him and cried.

The two sat there for a long time before Peter pulled away, wiping away snot and tears as he tried to regain himself. Harry gave him a gentle look as the brunet hiccuped and sniffed. After a minute, Peter seemed in control of his emotions again as he looked down. "I don't know why I got so mad at them... I didn't want to hurt them but I just..."

Harry patted his shoulder gently and stood up. "Hey, it's okay. Let's go talk to them, they're just worried about you, okay? Let's go talk to them and you can apologize, they'll forgive you."

Peter looked at him with an unsure look but followed in his movements. "But... what... what if they hate me?"

"They won't, it'll be okay. They're probably just trying to figure out what's going on. We can go talk to them and get a charm on Venom and it'll all be okay." He reassured, turning to start walking.

Peter gritted his teeth for a moment and looked down, tears welling in his eyes. "I... I just... I can't- I don't- Harry-"

Harry turned around, immediately feeling anxious. "Peter?"

Peter was hunched over slightly, seeming to struggle to catch his breath. "Harry, Harry- please..."

Harry took a step forward. "Peter- are you okay?"

Peter looked up. His eyes were no longer the green Harry had grown accustomed too, but instead fully black. Peter seemed to try to choke out a word, only to start coughing as he covered his mouth. Harry immediately moved to his side when a dark tendril shot out of Peter's back and slammed into him, sending him tumbling onto his back. "Peter?!" He cried out in alarm as he fell.

Peter's coughing increased for a moment before ceasing. Peter went stiff as he caught his breath before standing up straighter, his movements almost seeming artificial. His movements were too perfect to be real as Peter looked up at him. His eyes were completely blackened as he stared at Harry quietly. Harry stared at him for a wide-eyed moment. "Peter?"

After a few seconds, Peter chuckled softly, his eyes half-lidded as he looked down at his hands, squeezing them experimentally, before looking back up to Harry. "Peter's gone now,"

Harry's stomach clenched as he recoiled at Peter's voice. It was too deep, it wasn't Peter talking. "Peter? Wh-"

A sudden black tendril lashed out at him, hitting him square in the chest and sending him flying back. He let out a wheezing cry as the wind was knocked out of him and he cupped his bruising chest. Peter- or whatever he was at the moment- only watched him with an amused look. "Stay down, or I'll have to make him watch me kill you."

Harry coughed. "What are you?"

The whites and irises of Peter's eyes turned black as a sick smile crossed his face. "We are Venom."

In a split second, Venom lashed out again, and Harry's vision turned black.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

Miles stepped through the forest slowly, looking anxious. It had been hours since Gwen, Anya, and him had sent Harry out to find Peter and they'd gotten no word back from either of them. They had begun to worry and decided to send out a search party for them.

Miles was listening for any sounds of arguing or Harry's voice, silently hoping everything was alright and the two were just taking their time while they talked.

However, his fears were confirmed as the scent of blood touched his nose and he immediately froze up. He looked around for a moment before turning in the direction of the smell and speed-walking over, his eyes narrowed and his form stiff. He got to a small clearing and looked around in a panic before spotting Harry collapsed against a nearby tree.

He sprinted over, letting out a panicked cry as he kneeled beside his limp form. He reached out and nudged him fearfully. "H-Harry?"

Harry didn't move and Miles shook him again. Before he could fully panic, Harry began to stir with a groan. Miles let out a sigh of relief as his eyes opened slowly before closing again as he covered them against the setting sun. "Uggghhh..."

Miles moved to block the bright red sun. "Hey- are you okay? What happened? Where have you been for the last few hours?"

Harry rubbed his eyes and moved a bit, taking a deep breath through his nose. "I... I don't," he paused to lick his lips, seeming to try and gather himself, "I think... Venom is bad."

Miles straightened slightly. "What?"

Harry seemed to think for a moment before suddenly shooting up. "Shit- Venom is- AH-"

He let out a pained cry and gripped at his chest. "Fu- ouch..."

Miles looked at him worriedly. "What happened?"

Harry leaned against the tree, closing his eyes and resting his head against the trunk as he took deep, labored breaths. "I don't know, I think Venom... I think he's in control of Peter. He attacked me."

Miles' heart sunk at the news. "Oh god, oh no this is bad. This is really bad..."

Harry nodded in agreement before slowly pushing himself up with a pained groan. Miles put his hands up in a panic. "Wait- wait you're hurt, lemme get a nymph or- or a dryad or someone- you're too hurt to move."

Harry ignored him. "I'm fine- I'm fine, just sore."

Miles shook his head. "No, stay here, it'll only take a minute to find someone, the forest is pretty full. It's surprising we took so long to find you," he sighed.

Harry chuckled wheezingly before nodding and leaning back down. "Alright, just don't be long."

Miles nodded. "I won't,"

Harry watched him stand up and quickly go, obviously in a panic. He was only gone for two or three painful minutes. He quickly returned with a young-looking girl. She smiled sympathetically at Harry. "Hey, just relax, I'll heal you."

Harry nodded and took a deep breath as Miles crouched beside him. "This is Roz, she's one of our best healers."

Roz nodded to Harry as her hands started to glow. "Yep, it'll only take a minute. You'll be okay." She reassured softly.

Harry laid back and closed his eyes as Roz healed him. Her hands emitted a warmth that made Harry feel safe. After a minute, she pulled away. "All done,"

Harry glanced up and looked down at his body. The ache in his chest had disappeared and he felt comfortable as he sat up. "Thanks," He murmured, still in slight disbelief that such a peaceful forest was so magical.

He twisted experimentally before smiling in satisfaction. Roz seemed pleased with his development before stepping back. "Is there anything else you two need?" She chirped.

Miles' gaze darkened. "Yes, actually. I want you to go around and warn the other spirits to stay hidden until Me, Gwen, or Anya come tell you it's safe to come out."

Roz stiffened up. "Is something wrong?"

"No, we're just taking a precaution." Miles lied. "It shouldn't take long, I'd say less than a few hours, but like I said. Don't come out under any circumstance unless we're telling you it's safe."

Roz shifted before looking down. "What about Peter? What if he comes and tells us it's safe?"

Miles' gaze looked pained. "Then don't come out."

Roz looked at the ground and nodded, whispering, "Okay..."

"Roz,"

She looked up weakly and Miles gave her a pleading look. "Don't tell anyone what's going on, just tell them to hide."

Roz looked down again and nodded mutely. Miles watched her go, feeling guilty. "This is gonna hurt Peter a lot..." He murmured.

Harry glanced up. "What do you mean?"

"We're telling everyone in the forest to hide and only come out when Me, Gwen, or Anya tell them to, but not when Peter does... They aren't stupid, they'll make the connection..."

Harry felt his stomach clench as he looked down at the thought. Peter will be devastated...

He tried not to think about it too hard as he looked back up to Miles. "What do we do now?"

"Now we go tell Gwen and Anya."

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

Anya swung her legs over the side of the tree boredly. "Gwen, I'm bored."

"I know, I am too." The blonde replied, sighing loudly. "How long is Miles gonna take?"

"Hopefully him taking forever means he's found Harry and Peter."

As if on cue, the sound of hurried footsteps filled the clearing and Miles ran in with Harry in tow. Anya sat up. "Hey, you two, where have you been?"

"No time to talk, Astelle was right."

"What?"

"Peter got taken over by Venom."

Gwen straightened up, her eyes widening. "You're kidding,"

"I'm not, he attacked Harry and now we have to find him,"

Anya looked over to Harry for confirmation. Harry responded with an unhappy nod. Gwen looked crestfallen as she turned to Anya. "He's really gone?"

Miles shook his head. "That's not how those kinds of demons work, they take control of the host but they don't kill the host. And the demon can be separated but its a ridiculous process,"

"How ridiculous?"

"We need a charm to separate Peter and Venom and I have no idea how to get one."

"Do you know what the charm is called?"

"No, but I know what it does. After we get that charm, we need another charm to contain Venom. That or someone can try to get an Erinyes and-"

"No."

"Yeah, agreed."

"What's an Erinyes?" Harry interrupted.

"A demon I'd rather not piss off," Anya replied with a sigh. "Hopefully we won't have to get them."

"So all we need is a charm to separate Peter and Venom and then a charm to contain Venom? That's easy enough."

Miles shook his head. "At first it is, but containment charms for parasitic demons like Venom are hard to come by. We probably won't be able to find one around here."

Gwen hummed thoughtfully. "I have a few charms hidden around my place, I might have one that can separate Peter and Venom, I'm not sure about containing Venom though."

Harry furrowed his brow as he thought. "Can't you just... separate them then kill Venom?"

The group exchanged looks. "Harry- it isn't that easy," Anya spoke up. "Sure, we can separate them, but we can't kill Venom unless he has a host or he's contained."

"Wasn't he dying when you guys found him? If he doesn't have a host then he'll just die on his own, right?"

"Well, yes and no. Who's to say he won't bond with us? All it takes is just a touch for him to bond."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, just one touch then you're bonded. And if he's taking control of Peter, we probably won't be able to shake him off if he does bond to us. We have to contain him and kill him that way so he doesn't bond to us or anyone else in our forest."

Harry nodded slowly and thoughtfully. "So what do you need for a containment charm?"

"I-"

Their conversation was interrupted by another set of footsteps entering the clearing.

They all glanced up and froze to see Peter at the edge of the clearing. His eyes were dark and he looked irritated. Anya stood up and growled. "Venom."

He barely spared her a glance before sighing. "You all are making my goal too complicated."

"Release Peter," Gwen demanded, preparing to fight.

"You aren't in a position to be making demands,"

"I won't ask you again,"

Venom sighed, seeming annoyed, before turning around. "Out, now."

A familiar boy staggered out of the undergrowth, his eyes wide with panic. "Boletus-" Miles yelped in alarm.

Anya took a threatening step forward, only for Venom to tug Boletus closer. "Take another step and he's dead."

Harry's mind flitted back to what Peter had said when he first had met the boy.

"He's the only fungi spirit in the forest so he has a lot of responsibility. Fungi play a huge part in a forest's ecosystem and we rely on him to keep our forest healthy. Without him, the forest would be vulnerable to diseases, I'm not even sure we'd survive."

The other spirits stiffened up, their eyes wide with uncertainty. Venom grinned at their panic. "Well, I'm glad to see you'll listen to me. Now, you have two options. You can hand over your powers to me and neutralize any threat you could be, or I can kill him. It's your choice, really." Venom sneered.

They all exchanged panicked looks and Venom tightened his grip on Boletus' neck. "Make your choice now, I'm not here to play."

Miles jumped and looked to the others in a panic. When they still hesitated, Venom tightened his grip ever more and Boletus gagged and choked, struggling for air. "Stop-!" Miles yelped in alarm.

"I'll stop after you give me your powers." Venom snarled.

"Okay- okay I will!" Miles cried out, stepping forward in a panic.

"Miles-"

Venom grinned and grasped onto Miles' arm. In what felt like a fraction of a second, he tightened his grip painfully tight and a red aura surrounded Miles' body, transferring over to Venom. It was only a moment, but then Miles was on the ground gasping for air as he clutched his chest, clearly in pain. "Miles!" Gwen shouted, running over to the weakened boy.

Harry watched in horror as Venom reached out to presumably steal her powers as well, only for Anya to interrupt, sprinting forward. "DON'T TOUCH HER!"

She was quick to intercept Peter's grasp, only for him to grab onto her arm, tightening his grip. Just like what had happened with Miles, a golden aura surrounded her and transferred to Venom in a fraction of a second, leaving her weakened and collapsed.

Gwen caught her and held her close, snarling at Venom. He only grinned back, throwing Boletus aside, and grasping Gwen by her throat. Gwen gagged and coughed as Venom simply smiled at her. "You all are quite a powerful bunch, don't worry, I'll be using these powers well."

A light blue aura surrounded Gwen and Venom was quick to take it in, taking a deep breath and smiling at the new strength before dropping her on the ground. He turned to Harry and smiled. "Well, it's almost the end of summer, isn't it? Just pretend like this was a normal forest, won't you?"

Harry took an alarmed step back as Venom smiled. "I'm sure you will,"

With that, Venom turned and left, seeming satisfied with his conquests.

Harry stared on in horror for a moment, before regaining himself and running towards the injured guardians. "Oh my god- are- are you all okay?"

Miles sat up, seeming the most recovered but also the most distraught. "He- he took our powers- he- I-"

Anya sat up as well, looking exhausted and distressed. "There's nothing we can do to protect the forest," she whimpered.

Harry looked between them as the horror of what had happened set in. They were defenseless.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

Harry paced back and forth as the weakened guardians tried to recover what strength they could. "So there's nothing you can do?" Harry asked for what must've been the 27th time.

"For the last time, Harry. No, without our powers, we may as well be humans."

Harry looked down and rubbed his face. "Then what do we do?"

"I don't know, I don't think there's anything we CAN do."

"So we just- just sit back and let Venom take over the forest?!"

"Well without our powers we can't forge the charm to capture Venom, none of the other spirits here can either. We can try and search for one who can, but by the time we find one it'll be too late."

Harry looked down again. "Then what are we supposed to do?"

Anya looked down and shook her head. "I don't know,"

Harry swallowed and looked at the ground. "So... Do we just give up?"

"I don't know!" Anya yelled, getting frustrated.

Harry recoiled. "Sorry, sorry, I just..."

Anya sighed and rubbed her face. "No, no I'm sorry. I'm just... I don't know what to do, we can't fight him anymore, there's nothing we can do to stop him. We were the strongest spirits in the forest and if even Peter can't control him, then we were doomed the second we saw that thing."

"What does it even want?"

Miles sat up to answer. "Parasitic demons drain power from others to live longer. Essentially as long as they have a food source, they're immortal. Nothing can kill them other than them running out of energy. Containing Venom was the only way we could kill it and obviously, that's not something we can do anymore."

Harry furrowed his brow. "There's got to be someone in the forest that can make the charms!"

Gwen sighed. "I mean, I have one of the charms, the one that can separate Peter and Venom. But we don't have the magic to do it. Sure, we have it, but we need magic to activate it."

"So we just need to find a spirit strong enough to use it, right?" Harry questioned. "Come on, guys. We can do this, we just need to keep our heads up, okay? Peter's strong, he can tough through this while we figure out what to do,"

Miles looked down. "I know it's just..." He took a shaky breath. "What if he can't?"

Harry looked down, not wanting to think about what that could be implying. Anya and Gwen copied his movements, seeming to agree.

"Well... we'll figure something out. All we need is someone who can craft charms right? You guys get the materials, and I'll look for someone who can."

"Where will you even start?" Anya questioned.

Harry shrugged. "May? She seems to know some of the spirits in this forest, she might know something." 

Miles narrowed his eyes. "Harry, May's strong and all, but I doubt she knows someone who can craft charms."

"Well it can't hurt to try, can it?"

They all exchanged looks and Anya sighed. "I guess you're right, just be careful. We don't want Venom to figure out what we're doing and try to stop us."

Harry nodded back. "I'll be careful, don't worry. I'll be back by tomorrow night at the latest,"

The guardians wished him luck as he turned to go.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

The walk was quiet and unnerving as Harry quickly made his way to where May's cabin was. It took a little more than an hour of walking through the dark to get there and every noise made him jump. The forest was unusually quiet, not even the sound of the crickets he'd grown accustomed to filled the air. It was just silence.

After he found the path to May's house, he felt much more at ease, now at least knowing where he was going, though he practically ran the entire way, just wanting to get out of the dark.

He finally got to the top of the narrow path and nearly cried with relief when he saw the lights of May's house. He jogged over, finding comfort in the light, before slowing his pace as he got to the door.

He knocked gently, silently praying May was still awake. After a few moments, he heard a reply from inside. "Who is it?"

"It's Harry," He called back.

There was a moment of silence before the doors opened to an alarmed looking May. "Harry! It's so late- what are you doing out?"

Before Harry could reply, May opened the door further. "Get in here, you're getting bitten up by mosquitos."

Harry was happy to come in, letting out a relieved sigh as May sat him down on the couch. "You look exhausted, what happened?"

Harry curled up slightly at that. "Uh, a lot. Before we get into it, I gotta ask you a question,"

May straightened slightly before nodding. "Ask away,"

"Do you know anyone who knows how to make charms? Like the spiritual kind, we gotta make one to hold Venom."

May's face grew concerned. "To hold Venom?"

Harry nodded. "It's... it's a long story. Shortening it as much as I can, Venom is evil and he's controlling Peter and we need a charm to contain him."

May paused for a moment and sighed. "Oh my goodness..."

Harry nodded weakly. "Yeah, I know."

May glanced up before softening. "Well, you're in luck. I can make charms,"

Harry's head snapped up. "You can?"

"I live next to a forest full of people who are magic, of course I pick up some things." She chuckled.

Harry stared for a long moment before snorting. "Well, that was easier than I thought it was."

May chuckled. "I can make it, just bring me the materials."

"Does Peter know you can make charms?"

"Well, I never bothered to keep it a secret, though he might not know. I don't make charms very often since the materials to make them are quite valuable."

Harry nodded. "Okay, I don't want Venom to try to hurt you because he thinks you could be a threat."

May laughed. "Well, I don't think that'll be an issue. What could a little old lady like me do?"

Harry couldn't help but laugh along before yawning. May smiled softly. "You look exhausted, you should sleep."

Harry rubbed his eyes. "No- no I'm okay, we need to help Peter."

"You won't be doing Peter any good if you're passing out while trying to fight." May scolded. "Sleep, we can get the materials tomorrow."

Harry watched her for a long moment before nodding. "Okay, I should head home then if I'm sleeping."

May scoffed. "We have a couch, I have spare pillows and blankets. You settle down for the night,"

"But-"

"No buts. Just sleep, alright?"

Harry paused for a long moment before nodding. "Okay, I'll sleep..."

May smiled in satisfaction. "Goodnight, Harry,"

Harry smiled back. "Night, May,"

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

Harry woke up to the smell of sausages. He yawned and stretched, finding himself too comfortable to get up. He laid there for a long few minutes before sitting up.

May smiled when she saw him. "Good morning, Harry," She greeted.

Harry rubbed his eyes with his palms and offered her a weak smile. "Morning, May. How'd you sleep?"

"I slept just fine, how about you?"

"I slept good,"

May smiled and motioned to the pan. "I'm making breakfast, sausage and eggs."

Harry smiled and sat up only to sit back down at the breakfast table. "It smells good,"

"Thank you,"

Harry stretched again with a long yawn. The two sat in silence as May finished cooking, setting the plate and a fork in front of Harry. He thanked her and quickly dug in, only having eaten breakfast the day before. He quickly finished and smiled. "This was really good, thank you May,"

May chuckled at the thanks. "You're definitely welcome, Harry."

Harry wet his plate in the sink and washed it quickly before setting it on the drying rack. He moved to the couch once he was finished and sighed. "So... back to the serious topic."

May set her fork on the plate as she finished. "Oh yes, the charm. You only need one to contain Venom, right?"

Harry nodded. "And someone to use them, that should be easy though. Gwen already has the charm to separate Venom from Peter,"

May looked thoughtful before smiling. "Alright, well you need someone to use the charm. I'd offer to but I don't think I'd fare well in a fight."

"Yeah, I was gonna look for a spirit who could."

May smiled at him. "How about I train you to use them?"

Harry's head snapped up in alarm. "I- me?"

May nodded. "You don't need to, but I can imagine you want to help as well. Plus you won't have to search for someone to do the charms for you, you'll be able to do it, it just saves time." She chuckled

Harry stuttered for a moment at the thought. "So you'll just- just teach me? How to use charms?"

"If you're willing to learn."

"Yes-! I- yes, please. I want to help, I want to learn,"

May smiled happily at him. "Alright then, charms are very simple to use. All you need is a correctly made charm, the right keywords, and a target."

"Okay, that's… easy."

"It is, the hardest part is pronouncing the words correctly," She chuckled. "Before I get into training you, let's make the capture charm."

Harry nodded. "The Guardians should have the things by now,"

May only hummed as she picked up her plate. "I'll clean up here, I'm ready when you are."

"I'll be back in a bit,"

"Stay safe,"

"I will,"

With that, Harry gathered himself and made his way out of the house. The sun had just risen and a light mist covered the horizon as the ravenet quickly made his way to Gwen's camp, silently hoping she would be there.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

It was a long walk and his feet were growing sore, but he got to where Gwen's camp was. He slid into the cave, maneuvering around some of the sharper rocks, before letting out a relieved sigh as it opened up to a large clearing. Miles was curled up against the wall, seeming to be asleep, but Anya and Gwen were gone.

Harry quickly made his way over to the dark-skinned boy and nudged him lightly. "Miles, wake up,"

Miles jumped at the nudge and rubbed his eyes before smiling slightly at Harry. "Hey,"

"Were you sleeping?"

Miles sat up and rubbed his eyes, nodding. "Yeah, it's been a while since I've done that." He chuckled softly.

A smile tugged at Harry's lips and he sat down. "Alright, where's Gwen and Anya?"

Miles stretched and sighed. "Gwen's out to get the last of the materials, Anya's napping towards the back of the cave." He yawned.

Harry nodded. "So we should probably leave her alone, huh?"

"If you want to keep your head, then yes."

He grinned and leaned back slightly. "So, I found someone who can make the charms."

Miles straightened up. "Really? How- who!?"

"May,"

"WHAT?!"

Harry laughed at Miles' gobsmacked reaction. "May could make charms this whole time!?"

"Apparently so, I asked her if she knew anyone and she said she could. She's also gonna teach me how to use them so I won't just be sitting on the sidelines."

That made Miles take a pause. "I don't know if that's a good idea, Harry. If you're using the charms, Venom's gonna be gunning for you."

"I know, but it's a risk I'm willing to take. I want to help Peter too,"

Miles smiled slightly and looked down. "I'm glad he has someone like you, you're good for him."

Harry's cheeks tinted pink as he gave him a bashful smile. "You think so?"

"I do, he's been happier since you came around."

Harry couldn't stop his grin from growing and he looked down, slightly embarrassed. 

Miles elbowed him playfully. "He has been, really!"

"Oh shut up!"

The two shared a laugh as Miles prodded him. "Ooo? Does someone have a cruuussshhh?"

"Miles, I will punt you."

Miles laughed happily before shaking his head. "Aww, romance."

Harry only looked down, his smile fading slightly. "Well, there's not much of a chance it'll work out. You guys are all tied to the forest and pretty much immortal, I cap out in 70 years at best."

Miles gave him a gentle look, seeming to think. "You know, there could be a way you two could make it work,"

"Rea-"

"I'm back!"

Miles' gaze snapped away from Harry and the two looked up to see Gwen walking in with a small bag. "Oh, Harry, you're back already,"

Harry cast Miles a quick glance before nodding. "Uh, uh yeah. Yeah, I'm back."

"Did you find someone who can make the charm?"

"May can," Miles chimed in.

Gwen looked slightly surprised. "Can she?"

"Yeah, I know, it came as a shock to me too."

"She's gonna teach me how to use them too, so I'll be able to help you guys."

Gwen thought for a moment before smiling. "Well, we're more than happy to accept your help."

Harry smiled. "Thanks,"

Gwen walked over to him. "So you're taking this to May for the charm to be crafted?"

Harry nodded and Gwen handed him the small satchel. "This has everything she'll need. Bring it to her and don't lose anything, be careful. I think Venom might know what we're doing."

Harry paused. "What makes you say that?"

"I mean... Venom isn't stupid. He's manipulative, he's not gonna give up easily. I'd honestly be surprised if he didn't know what was happening."

Harry nodded slowly. "Alright, so what do I do?"

"Just... be aware. If you think you're being followed, run."

"And if he catches me?" Harry asked after a bit of hesitance.

Gwen was quiet for a few moments before replying. "Yell for help, someone will hear you and they'll come help."

Harry looked down and nodded. A tense silence followed for a few seconds before Harry looked up determinedly. "I'll be back soon,"

Gwen smiled slightly. "Yeah, see you soon."

Harry took the satchel carefully and held it for a few minutes before turning around to the exit of the cave. "See you guys," He called, keeping his voice steady.

They wished him well as he made his way out. He squinted against the blinding light of the sun as he exited, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hand and cringing slightly. He muttered a complaint to himself as he began speed-walking to May's house, wanting to keep a swift and steady pace.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

He managed to get there after a little more than an hour of walking. He dragged himself up the slope, his legs sore and aching. He went to the door and knocked twice, shifting from side to side. After a moment, May opened the door and smiled. "There you are, Harry. Come in,"

Harry was happy to do so, slumping down on the couch. "Ugh, my legs are so sore." He groaned as he sat.

He could practically feel the blood flow return to his legs and let out a long sigh of relief. Harry missed May's worried look as he tilted his head back and closed his eyes.

May watched him let out a long sigh as he let his legs rest. He looked tired. "Are you okay?"

Harry glanced up and smiled. "Yeah, my legs are just sore."

May nodded. "You rest up, I'll make the charm, okay?"

Harry nodded mutely, closing his eyes again.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

It only felt like a minute before he was being nudged awake. He opened his eyes and sat up. "I uh, I'm awake, awake, yeah. Hi,"

May chuckled. "Morning, Harry."

Harry jolted lightly. "Did- did I sleep through the day and night?" He yelped.

May laughed softly. "No- no, you didn't. It's only been an hour,"

Harry rubbed his eyes and stood up. "Okay," he yawned.

May watched him get up and take a few experimental steps before he nodded. "Okay, what were we doing?"

"I was going to train you," May replied, a hint of a laugh in her voice.

Harry perked up excitedly. "Training?"

"Yep, are you ready?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, yeah I am."

The ravenet wavered slightly as he stood up and walked in a small circle, seeming to be getting used to being awake again. May led him out back. There was a small table with a few different charms laid out neatly. He walked over and examined them curiously. "What are these?"

"Those are all charms. They're harmless ones, speeding up the growth of grass, moving the water in the air, things like that."

Harry nodded slowly. "If you have these, why do you garden? These would help speed things up,"

"They're single-use, once the magic in the charm is used up, you need to make a new one. I don't use charms unless I need to, and typically it isn't necessary." May explained.

Harry nodded slowly and looked at each of the charms as May joined his side. "Okay, let's start out with something easy." She reached for a light blue and gold charm that had a bright white crystal in the center. "I want you to use this charm to redirect the water in the air and accumulate it onto the grass,"

Harry nodded and took the charm. "How?"

"Think of what you want the water to do, then say, Συμπύκνωση."

"I'm sorry, you want me to say what now?"

"It's Greek for condensation." May hummed, taking a pad and pen and writing the word down.

"Oh, okay um... that's hard to say." Harry mumbled, staring blankly at the word.

May chuckled lightly before writing 'sympýknosi' under it. "There's the English lettering if that helps,"

Harry nodded, studying the word for a few moments. "Okay, can you repeat the word?"

"Συμπύκνωση," She repeated again.

Harry was quiet before trying to repeat the word back slowly. "See-pek-nos-e?"

"Close, less stress on the beginning and more on the 'pek' part."

Harry nodded before repeating it again. "Se-peak-no-se?"

May nodded. "Better, now try it with the charm."

Harry nodded and took the charm from May and sat down, concentrating on the ground in front of him. He remembered what May had said, that it was relatively simple and he shouldn't overthink it. He took a deep breath and held the charm tight before saying, "Συμπύκνωση," aloud.

Harry waited for a few moments and pouted when he saw nothing had happened. May gave him a sympathetic smile. "Just take a deep breath and try again, don't forget to concentrate on what you want to happen."

Harry nodded. "Okay,"

He took a slow breath before imagining the blades of grass covered in dew, before repeating, "Συμπύκνωση."

At first, it seemed like nothing had happened again. Before Harry could get frustrated, he could see small droplets begin to form on the blades. He grinned eagerly as May patted his shoulder lightly. "Good job!" She praised.

Harry looked up at her, his eyes shining, before returning his gaze to the blades, which were now drooping as the droplets of water grew bigger. He looked down at the blue and gold charm in his hand to see that the crystal in the middle of the charm was no longer as white and pure as it was before, now clouded and dull.

May smiled and walked over with another charm, having a similar crystal in the center, though it was still clear and white. "This one makes grass grow faster, it's the same sentiment as the συμπύκνωση charm. Concentrate on what you want it to do, grow the grass faster, then say λιπαίνω."

Harry nodded slowly. "What does that one mean?"

"Fertilize,"

Harry snickered softly before nodding. "Li-pan-o?"

"Yep, that's right,"

Harry nodded and took the charm, looking at the ground in front of him. The dirt and soil had darkened from the dew building up as he took a deep breath and said, "Λιπαίνω.”

He grinned proudly as small needles of grass began to breach the surface of the dirt as the existing grass grew darker and longer. The crystal in the charm became cloudy just as the other had. May smiled proudly and patted his shoulder. "Great job, you're a natural at this!"

Harry looked down, his face tinted pink with embarrassment at the praise. "Thank you,"

May smiled at him before standing up. "Come on, let's get you that charm."

Harry nodded and stood after her, following her inside. "Now, this charm is just as easy as those charms you just used. The keyword to separate Venom from Peter is άδεια and the keyword to contain Venom is περιέχω."

Harry was quiet for a moment as he made a mental note of the two words. "To separate them is a-de-ya, and to contain Venom is pe-ri-eh-ho?"

"Yes, but you say άδεια faster, it's only two syllables, and you put an accent on the R for περιέχω."

Harry nodded and repeated the words under his breath a few times. May gave him a worried look as she grabbed a larger charm and walked over to Harry. She took his hands and carefully placed the charm in his grasp. "Now you need to be very careful. Don't break the crystal, it won't work if the crystal is broken, and after Venom is contained, the crystal will be very fragile. More fragile than glass. If it breaks, Venom will be free again. Once he's captured, put the charm somewhere where it will never be touched again,"

Harry nodded and held the charm close before looking up. "Uh, anything else I should know before I go to try and save Peter?"

May gave him a gentle smile. "Stay safe, alright? You can do this,"

Harry turned his gaze to the floor and smiled slightly. "I'll do my best,"

May grabbed his shoulders lightly. "I'll see you soon, Harry."

Harry looked up once again and smiled. "I'll see you soon too, May."

Harry reluctantly pulled away, holding the charm close, before making his way down the cliff face.

May watched him go without a word.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

Harry was careful as he walked through the forest on high alert. He didn't want to be caught by Venom without the separation charm, but he couldn't risk the capture charm being broken as he tried to be quick but careful at the same time.

He was jumpy and paranoid the entire walk, only getting any sort of relief when he approached the giant sequoia. At least I'm in Gwen's section of the forest now. He thought as he made his way back into the foliage.

He slipped through the undergrowth and followed the natural paths that led to the mouth of Gwen's cave. He was very careful with his entry, not wanting the charm to get injured in any way, shape, or form. Finally, after a minute of maneuvering carefully, the cave opened up into the large cavern and Harry was quick to let out a breath of relief. He was safe.

He was quickly approached by a hopeful looking Miles. "Did you get it?"

Harry showed him the charm. "Yeah, May taught me how to use them too so I'm ready whenever you guys are,"

Miles let out a relieved sigh. "Oh thank the gods- so you'll be separating and capturing them?"

"If everything goes okay, then yeah."

Miles smiled excitedly before looking over his shoulder. Anya was walking over, looking tired but hopeful. "So we have a chance?"

"Yep, now we just need to find them."

"There's the hard part." Gwen sighed, following Anya out. "See, even if we had our powers, Demons can mask their auras so it's hard to find them. And without our powers, we're basically screwed."

Harry sighed and looked down. "So... what you're saying is he has to come to us."

Anya narrowed her eyes. "What are you suggesting?"

A sly grin crossed Harry's face. "Well, he's not gonna come to us under any normal circumstance. We just aren't a threat to him anymore, so we gotta make ourselves a threat."

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

Anya stood in the small clearing with Gwen and Miles. They casted a glance into the undergrowth where a spirit who was new to the forest, named Technitós, laid in wait. The young illusionist was using his powers to create a large artificial aura surrounding the Guardians.

"If Venom thinks you guys have your powers back, he'll get scared."

"He wasn't scared last time,"

"Well yeah, last time he had leverage, this time he has nothing."

The Guardians exchanged looks. "So we just need to convince him that we have our powers back?"

Harry nodded. "He might back off long enough for me to come in with the charm,"

Anya sat up. "I think I know someone who can help us,"

The others turned to her. "Oh?"

"A new spirit in my part of the forest, he's only been here a few days. I was going to introduce you guys to him but, well, things got complicated, obviously. His name is Technitós, he's an illusionist spirit. Along with just making illusions, he can also create a false aura, making him look stronger or weaker. He can probably make one around us,"

"Then we have everything we need, you all ready?"

"As we'll ever be,"

They all felt exhausted from being completely drained of their magic, but they kept their heads up, putting on a facade of strength.

After standing for what felt like hours, they heard swift footsteps in their direction. In a moment, Peter entered the clearing, his eyes blackened out and his expression furious. "How did you get your powers back?" Venom demanded.

Gwen took a threatening step forward. "You underestimate us,"

Venom snarled at her, the tips of Peter's fingertips changing into inky black claws. "You all made a mistake trying to challenge me,"

Harry slowly made his way out of the underbrush with the two charms as the Guardians stalled. He held the separation charm tight, his hands shaking, as he focused on Peter and whispered, "ádeias,"

A few seconds passed and Harry began to panic, whispering, "ádeias," again, more urgently.

When nothing happened, Harry’s blood ran cold. He had gotten the word wrong. He frantically tried to remember what the word was when he felt a sharp pain in his stomach and he was thrown aside. He looked up to see Venom looking outraged at him.

"You tried to trick me!" He screeched. "You'll all pay for that!"

Harry shakily looked down to see his stomach bleeding out. He wrapped his arms around the wound as the Guardians quickly began to panic. Venom turned to attack them before stuttering in his movements, making the onlookers take pause. He staggered for a moment before a low snarl erupted in his throat. "Get off of me," He whispered.

Harry watched for a moment before realizing it was Peter trying to take back control. He quickly looked around the ground, trying to find where he had dropped the separation charm, his entire body shaking. He panicked when he couldn't find it before Technitós appeared in front of him, wide-eyed and shaking but also holding the charms. "H-her-ere," He stuttered out.

Harry reached out for the separation charm, his arms shaking as he grabbed it and held it close. He looked over to Venom, who was snarling at him, before wheezing out, "A-"

He didn't manage to finish the word before Venom let out a furious shout and launched out a tendril, grabbing Harry by the neck and pinning him against a nearby tree. "SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"

Harry gagged and wheezed as he used one hand to grip the charm and the other to grab onto the tendril, trying to loosen it from his neck. Venom only tightened his grip however and snarled as Harry struggled to choke out the keyword.

The tendril recoiled a few inches as Peter struggled to force control again, his entire body shaking with effort as his eyes began to return to their usual green. "Get- get off of me!"

Harry gasped for air, his stomach bleeding as he struggled to take in air and reduce his pain however he could. He coughed wetly as he gripped the charm. "A-A-Αδεια," He coughed out.

Peter let out a loud shout as Venom was crudely ripped from his body and slid off of him like oil on water. Peter gasped and coughed for air, recovering from the sudden shock of being in control again.

Harry let out a relieved sigh and slumped down, nearly crying with relief. He put his hands on his stomach and let out a pained whimper as he was reminded of the messy tear. He tried to ignore his agony as he reached over to get the containment charm. A soft hand touched his arm, stopping him. "Don't move, Harry, someone's coming to heal you, I've got this."

Harry looked up to see Peter giving him a gentle look. He looked scared, though he was trying to keep his composure. The ravenet grabbed his hand tightly and let out a pained noise. "Don't- don't die,"

Peter gave him a pained look. "I should be telling you that," Peter moved his hair out of his face, his sweat keeping it where it was moved. "Just stay still for a few more minutes, we've got this, okay?"

Harry swallowed thickly and nodded as Peter stood up and walked over to where the charm laid. He picked up the grey and white artifact and turned to Venom. He didn't waste any time in absorbing the power he had stolen and returning it to Gwen, Anya, and Miles, before tightening his grip on the charm. "I was willing to help you because I thought you just wanted a place to belong." He scowled, looking angry and hurt. "I let you feed off of me, literally draining the life out of me, and you still betrayed me."

Peter looked down, angry tears forming in his eyes. "And look where that got me."

The others watched him mutely as he squeezed the charm. "Περιέχω."

Peter watched silently as the blob writhed for a few moments before dissolving into a black mist that was quickly sucked into the crystal in the middle of the charm. He looked down at the charm for a long moment before sighing. "Anyone wanna take this?" He asked, holding the charm away from him.

The newly rejuvenated Gwen approached. "I can keep it safe," She murmured softly.

Peter gave her a small smile before looking down and sighing. "Shit, I'm sorry I put you all through this..."

"It wasn't your fault, Peter. Demons are finicky like that, sometimes they're good, sometimes they aren't. You were just unlucky,"

Peter offered him a small smile before turning over to Harry and quickly walking over to his side. "Harry, are you still with us?"

The taller boy nodded. "Yeah, just- ow, shit, just..."

"Hurting, I know. Just relax, we'll get someone over here," Peter promised, turning his gaze to the injury.

He cast a glance over his shoulder to see Miles was already off going to find someone. He turned back to Harry and smiled. "You're gonna be okay,"

Harry forced a smile before making a pained noise. Peter cringed lightly before lightly lifting up Harry's shirt to check the damages. There was a gash about 4 inches long across his stomach. Peter couldn't tell how deep it was, but it wasn't good. Harry tried to look down and Peter cupped his face, keeping his head up. "No no, just keep your eyes on me." He murmured, pushing Harry's shirt back down.

Harry tilted his head back and let out a pained noise. "God damn this hurts," He choked out in a wet laugh.

Peter nodded. "I know, I know, Miles is on his way with someone who can help."

Peter comforted Harry for a long few minutes before Miles arrived with Ygeía. "Well, isn't this morbidly familiar?" The Dryad murmured, quickly moving to Harry's side.

Peter smiled weakly as she sat down beside him and quickly began healing his wounds. "Harry, this is Ygeía. She was the one who healed you when you first fell down the side of the cliff,"

Harry laughed softly before making a pained noise. "What a coincidence, saving me from dying again."

Peter chuckled softly. "Oh quiet, let Ygeía focus on healing you."

Harry smiled but clammed up, his eyes closing as his wounds were slowly stitched shut. The clearing fell silent except for the distant chirping of blue jays.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

Harry fiddled with the hem of his suitcase as Peter stood in front of him, looking sad. "Promise you'll come up next summer?"

"I swear on it, and I'll see if I can come up in the winters too."

Peter smiled weakly. "You'd love the snow spirits, they're nice."

Harry's gaze softened as he reached out to grab Peter's hand. Peter took it and gave it a gentle squeeze. "See you in 9 months?" He murmured.

Harry smiled. "See you in 9 months."

As much as Harry wanted to stay and talk for longer, he knew he couldn't miss the bus. He walked over to May's truck, getting a ride down to the bus stop, and cast Peter one final glance before waving goodbye.

Only 9 more months.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

It had been years since the events in the forest that summer had taken place. Harry had kept his promise and had visited as often as possible, doing what he could to preserve the forest so Peter and the others could live on as long as possible. They always expressed their gratitude whenever he came to see them.

But as time went on, Harry got older, and after a long 84 years of life, doing what he could to better the world around him, Harry knew his time was coming to an end.

His entire body ached as he laid on his back in the car. He knew what was happening, the people around him knew as well. A few of his employees and caretakers were with him, watching him fearfully as they drove. It was a long and painful drive for him, but one he needed to take.

They soon arrived onto the ever-so familiar gravel road. The bumps made his back ache even more as he let out small pained noises. His caretakers seemed anxious, wanting his ride to be as painless as possible. When they finally got to the forest, Harry almost wanted to cry with relief. He was almost home.

They got him onto a cot and brought him to the bed at the old cabin. He had managed to keep it in relatively good shape over the years at least. He was laid down on the mattress carefully. The caretakers sat down and watched wordlessly as Harry slowly began to drift. They knew what was coming, they were all aware of what was happening. Harry was leaving.

They watched quietly as the steady rising and falling of his chest slowed to a stop. After a minute or so, his heart soon followed, and they all knew he was gone.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

Peter tended to May's old garden quietly. He and Harry had never stopped weeding the garden and tending to it, even after May had passed. They missed her, but it had been decades since she'd gone and both knew she was still around, though in a different way.

His mind wandered to Harry. A rush of love and affection washed over him as he thought about the other. Though they did have feelings for each other, both of them were afraid to pursue them, knowing the day would come when Harry would die and Peter would be left alone. He didn't like the thought.

He lifted his head as he finished yanking out the small weeds and he made a pleased noise as Astelle trotted over with a bucket. "Are those the last of the weeds?" She asked, picking some of them up and tossing them in the compost.

Peter nodded. "Yep, that's it. Almost time to start planting the Marigolds, don't you think?"

Astelle nodded in agreement. "I'll ask Gwen for some seeds if you want me too,"

"If you could," Peter hummed, standing up and brushing off his pants. "By the way, have you seen Harry yet?"

"Has he not come to see you?"

"No, not yet."

"Huh, weird."

Peter only nodded and glanced up at the clear sky. He could see a distant plane flying far above. "I wonder when he'll get here."

#peter parker #harry osborn #peterharry #parksborn #parksborn fic #parksborn fanfic #parksbang 2020 #Miles Morales #Anya Corazon #Gwen Stacy #May Parker #fantasy #smh this is my 5th time trying to post this

[mrsbhandari]

Shutter - pt 6

a/n: THIS SHIT TOOK SO DAMN LONG AND IM SORRY ive just been dealing with people moving and going out to do stuff and having little motivation to actually write so im VERY sorry that this took years. also, this chapter is way more nsfw than my other chaps so it is of course inspired by @lxdy-starfury‘s absolutely BEAUTIFUL nsfw art so plsssssss check that out because she’s incredible. also this is the last part of this main series, who knows, if people ask or I feel like it ill write more in this au for this pairing. well see!! for now im happy to completely finish it

also I know that my masterlist is fucky rn, im looking for the time to fix it, so if you want to see a specific fic or even all my fics for a specific pairing or book, don’t hesitate to message me or send me an ask!! im happy to point yall in the right direction, and when its not a request, I usually get to asks pretty quickly so yeah!!

words: 3.7k 

warnings: unwanted advances, nsfw at the endddd

tagging: @lxdy-starfury, @huntress1024, @anotherbeingsworld, @brightpinkpeppercorn, @chaotic-ramsay-queen, @brycemaloliver

#

Tyril was letting his PhD go to waste. He was letting it all go to waste because his brain was pouring out of his ears as his eyes took in the purely magnificent sight of Naexi in that skin tight purple dress, hugging every curve just right and accentuating her breasts with a low V neckline. The way the fabric moved with her every step was captivating, drawing his attention to every little piece of her body, tantalizingly revealed and taunting him. 

“You’re going to catch flies, Tyril.” She was fumbling with her clutch, checking to make sure that her phone fit inside and then turning around to grab something else. This new angle gave him a perfect view of her backside, filling out the dress as if it was made for her. In all honesty, his sharp  tuxedo had caught her eye as well, but the large field of crimson spread across his cheeks and nose was a reminder of how much better she was at holding her feelings about Tyril in. Tyril, however, could barely keep his hands to himself in her room, in the living room, in the kitchen, and on the drive over to the gala. 

“Of course you own a stupidly expensive car.” Naexi ran her hands over the smooth leather seats and the crisp finish of the wood on the dashboard. The car was clean, making her feel like if she continued to touch anything, her fingerprints would forever ruin the surfaces. 

“It’s a nice car.” His hand was on her thigh, covered by the fabric of the dress but no doubt covered in faded love bites meticulously placed by Tyril. She only hummed her response, briefly distracted by the way his thumb was rubbing circles on her inner thigh, spindly fingers inching toward her core as if it was magnetized. His inability to draw his hand away suggested that he was most definitely not thinking about the car. She only hummed, insistent on keeping any gratification he was giving her to herself; it only encouraged him to drag his fingers over the apex of her thighs, her core only separated from his fingertips by two flimsy pieces of fabric. 

“You better not crash it,” she teased, still stoic. Quickly, Tyril figured out that continuing his current path was only going to hurt him in the long run, so he ran a finger back down to her knee as they arrived at the large hall his father had booked for the gala. He knew that this night was already going to be one of schmoozing and torture, but he still barely looked forward to it since he knew Naexi would be at his side. 

“Hey, elf boy!” a voice called to his left as he gave his keys to the valet with a hefty tip. Naexi turned and was met with a man a few inches shorter than her with wavy brown hair and a smile that betrayed that he was up to no good. 

“I told you not to call me that, you rogue,” Tyril grumbled, begrudgingly clasping hands with the man and patting his back as he was pulled into a hug. 

“You can’t just say that people think you’re an elf in an interview and then expect not to be called elf boy,” he reasoned, sending a wink Naexi’s way. “I’m Mal Volari, and you’re gorgeous.” He gently took her hand in his and pressed his lips to the back of it, never breaking eye contact. 

“Mal…” Tyril cautioned, palm spreading protectively over his girlfriend’s side. 

“Don’t worry, Ty.” She tamely ran her fingers through the hair that fell so gracefully over his ears, hiding the blush that had started to touch the barely pointed tops of them. Mal smiled knowingly. “I’m Naexi, Tyril’s date.”

“I’ve heard much about you.” They began walking into the gala, all gold finishing and sparkling diamonds adorning the necks and hands of New York’s elite, and Naexi couldn’t help but feel completely out of place. Mal rambled on at her side, so she took advantage of his distraction to whisper to Tyril, who already looked bored. 

“This is weird.” 

“Indeed,” he murmured, his deep baritone accompanying the words quite nicely. Already, people were beginning to stare as they made the rounds, hopping from rich group to rich group. Mal had abandoned them to camp at the open bar.

“Why do people look at me like that?”

“I apologize, it’s my fault. I’ve not had a date to one of these things in quite some time.” They had sat at one of the tables, a glass of champagne in each of their hands as they took a break from socializing. 

“Ah, yes; the elusive bachelor Tyril Starfury.” She threw her hand out in the air to indicate a headline. He smiled. 

“I don’t know how I ever got through one of these things without you.”

“Mal never helped? Or Imtura?”

“Imtura always takes her job as security seriously and Mal enjoys the expensive champagne my father orders.” Tyril nodded his head at where his friend was gesturing wildly, no doubt telling a story of his travels to a handsome man with a starry look in his eyes. “As well as the company these events attract.”

“Will I get to meet your father?” The question threw Tyril off his balance, but he quickly recovered. 

“Well, he usually finds me along with my sister so--”

“Big brother!” Two pale arms wrapped around Tyril’s shoulders and squeezed, holding him close. His eyes lit up as the woman behind him kissed his cheek. “Staying as asocial as always, I see.”

“Can you blame me?”

“Not for your company, no.” The woman’s eyes flicked to Naexi’s, as piercing as her brother’s but leagues warmer. “You’re Naexi? I’ve seen your work. You’re very good.”

She smiled as she responded. “Really? That means so much, thank you. You must be Adrina.” She stuck her hand out, but exclaimed a small “oh!” when Adrina pulled her up from the chair to give her a hug. 

“Everyone’s here for my father, so I’m allowed to break stuffy old etiquette.” Her laugh was light and airy, like a sweet breeze on a summer day. A man with Tyril’s pale skin and dark hair appeared behind her, posture straight and face neutral. Tyril stood quickly, taking his place in front of his father and next to Naexi. 

“Hello, Father.”

“Tyril! I’m glad to see that you found a date in time.” His tone was one of pride that barely hid the small element of surprise.

“Yes, this is Naexi.” The feeling of Tyril’s warm grip on her waist was already enough to make her knees buckle, but she forced herself to stay upright to shake his father’s hand. 

“It’s nice to meet you. Your gala is truly beautiful.” 

“What else do we ever expect from the famed Valir Starfury?” a smooth voice sounded from her right, and her head quickly swiveled to see who it belonged to. The man’s smile was friendly and inviting, but upon closer inspection, the feeling never reached his eyes. His mop of curly hair was perfectly styled to make him look boyish, but with the way Tyril’s grip tightened ever-so-slightly, Naexi knew something was off. 

“Aerin.” 

“Tyril, is that how you greet an old friend?” Aerin laughed, sloshing his champagne in its glass. He turned a predatory gaze on her. “It’s been a while since you’ve had a date, Ty.” The man next to her stood completely still, his eyes narrowed. “Who was the last...Kaya?”

“And your point?” Tyril’s response was sharp enough to make Adrina take the smallest step toward him. Aerin continued to stare at Naexi while addressing Tyril.

“You sure know how to pick them, hm? You have a keen eye for beauty.” Aerin winked, but it made Naexi’s heart flutter and skin crawl. She shifted in her heels, ignoring the pain in her feet. There was palpable tension in the air between the five of them, suffocating and humid. Naexi racked her brain to find some way to cut it. 

“I have to use the restroom.” The statement came off far louder than she intended, but it still did the trick. Aerin blinked, taken aback by her exclamation, and Adrina surged forward to take hold of her wrist, pulling her away from her brother and through the crowd of high rollers. 

“I’ll take you!” Adrina said, hoping that the men would get the hint. As soon as they were out of earshot, she let out a sigh. “Thank goodness you got us out of that one. I’ve never been more grateful for girl code.” 

“Who was that? He was charming but…”

“Sleazy? Yeah, you’re not the only one. That’s Aerin Valleros, heir to WhiteTower Corporations. He acts like he’s the best thing since sliced bread, but he’s been in more scandals than I can count.” Adrina visibly shuddered. “He’s creepy.” 

“Didn’t he assault his brother or something?” Naexi asked, remembering the name popping up in one of the numerous headlines Nia sent her a while back. 

“Yup, they fought over who was going to take over the company. Beat him so bad that his brother stepped down.”

“Holy shit.” They had reached a wall next to the opening for the bathroom, so they stood outside and leaned against it to talk. “Everyone here is insane.”

“Yeah, I feel kind of bad for leaving Tyril with him.” 

“What’s their beef?” Adrina sent a wide-eyed glance to Naexi.

“People really say that?” She let out a delighted laugh. “I love that! Anyway, Tyril used to be engaged to this girl Kaya, but she cheated on him with Aerin and they planned to take over the Starfury company together.” She grabbed a glass of champagne off a passing tray and took a long sip. “But then her assistant leaked information to the press and she disappeared.”

“Do you guys live in a Lifetime movie?” 

“Pretty much,” Adrina sighed, seemingly searching for someone in the crowd in front of them.

“Did you come here with a date?” Adrina hummed her answer and Naexi gently nudged her bare arm. “Go find them. I’ll be fine here.” 

“You sure?” 

“Go on!” Naexi waved her hands to shoo her off and leaned back against the wall to sip her champagne. Just as she was about to go find Tyril, a sultry voice and a large hand on her forearm held her in place. 

“Hello.” Aerin was polite, but kept his hand on her. She felt goosebumps rise along the back of her neck and Adrina’s explanation of who he was repeated in her mind.

“Hi.” 

“I apologize for the uncomfortable situation earlier. I’m afraid Tyril and I aren’t on the best of terms.” He seemed genuinely concerned, and for the briefest second, Naexi felt her guard fall. 

“Should I be the one you’re apologizing to?” Her champagne barely stayed in her glass as he slammed his hand onto the wall behind her, bringing his face close to hers and smirking when she backed up to the hard surface. No one around her seemed to notice. 

“You’re quick. It’s attractive. Do you think I’m attractive?”

“Trapping a woman because you can’t get her to come to you isn’t attractive,” Naexi drawled, keeping her gaze locked on his. He was simmering and dangerous; one wrong move could make him boil over, but she figured that he had more to lose than a random photographer here as a plus-one. 

“What does Tyril have that I don’t?” At this, his breath cascaded over her face, and she didn’t know what he had been drinking all night, but it certainly wasn’t the expensive, barely alcoholic bubbles that were being passed around. 

“Better alcohol tolerance, for one.” She winced as he laughed. 

“Funny.”

“It wasn’t a joke.” Before she could speak again, Aerin gave a yelp as his tuxedo was yanked back, making him stumble into Tyril, who caught him easily. 

“It’s time for you to leave, Aerin.” People were finally beginning to stare as Tyril walked Aerin out, who was mumbling about his kingdom. Naexi followed, easily hailing a taxi and pushing the drunk man into the back seat with a purposeful shove. The night was cold, and she turned to walk back inside when she felt a tug on her wrist. Looking back, she saw Tyril with his cold, slender fingers against her skin. “I don’t want to go back in.” 

“Wanna head to your place?” 

“Desperately,” he breathed, pulling her close to him and handing his ticket and a tip to the valet. His hand was wrapped around her waist exactly how it had been for the entire night, but this time felt different. His hands were always cold, but his touch was burning with a promise, which he kept as soon as they shut the door to his apartment. 

His kisses were always encompassing, as if he captured every atom of her being between the seam of his lips, his teeth grazing every thought in her mind and his fingers brushing her soul. His movements were deliberate as he walked her backwards to his bedroom, slipping her dress off and letting it pool on the floor next to the sleek coffee table. She was more hurried, eagerly tugging his jacket off and tossing it in the hallway. Finally, they reached his room, vast and cold but slowly thawing. A well-placed kiss to his now-exposed collarbone had him gasping. 

“Please…” he breathed, falling back onto the bed by himself as she stayed standing above him. She looked down on him, studying the way his chest rose and fell so quickly and the way his lips were ever-so-slightly parted, caught in the guarantee of pleasure that was soon to come. He gazed at her as if she was the only person left for him in the world.

He made her believe it. 

“Tell me what you want, Tyril.” His words seemed to get caught in his throat as she, bare and only clad in a thin pair of black panties, got onto her knees on the bed and straddled him, already moving to unbutton his fancy shirt and pants. She could feel him hardening beneath her and gave an experimental grind, pulling out a low moan from his chest. His hands were loosely placed on her hips, but they traveled down to stroke her thighs. 

“Please,” he repeated, sitting up to shrug off his shirt and unintentionally hitting his forehead on her collarbone. 

“What, baby?” she asked, picking his head up and tilting his face to look up at her above him. His eyes were nearly shut and his lips were swollen, and she gave him a small simper. “Use your words.” 

“I…” he trailed off, struggling to voice it. “I want you to suck my cock, Naexi.” She pressed a kiss to his lips and climbed off him, pulling him up to stand and kneeling in front of him. His hands immediately found her hair, tangling in the long locks as she pulled his pants down and fished his cock out of his fancy boxers. He opened his mouth to say something, but all thought left his mind as she wrapped her lips around his head and sucked, flicking her tongue around the tip. “Ah!” he yelped, eyes rolling back as his hand tightened in her hair. She briefly took her mouth away and settled for just her lips against him, and he whined in displeasure. “P-please--ooh--don’t tease me…” She took him in deeper until he teased the back of her throat, and he risked a glance down at her. 

Naexi was looking directly into his eyes, studying his reaction and flicking her tongue accordingly. The sight of her green eyes brimming with tears as she took him was nearly enough to make him come, and she sensed it in the slight scratch of his fingernails against her scalp. 

“You take my cock so well, Naexi,” he breathed, and she moaned around him. Letting out a shaky breath, he tapped once against her head. “I’m so close.” Instead of pulling away, she pushed his cock further down her throat and ran her tongue along a prominent vein along the underside of his shaft, pushing him over the edge. He let out a long groan as she swallowed him down, running her hands up and down his sides to both soothe him and keep him from stumbling. She stood and gave him a bright smile, raising herself to her tiptoes (even though she didn’t need to) and pressing her lips to his. He eagerly returned the favor, pulling away only to allow his lips to burn a path down her throat. He reached her collarbone, but stopped suddenly with his eyebrows furrowed. 

“Everything okay?” Naexi asked, searching his face in concern.

“You--” Tyril started, but stopped, pursing his lips in disapproval. “You smell like him.” 

“Aerin?” Her head was cocked, but her eyes widened when his own darkened. 

His voice was low and made her heart race. “Don’t say his name.” 

“I’m sorry,” she apologized, casting her eyes downward and fiddling with her hands. Sighing, he nuzzled the crook of her neck, placing kisses and small bites on the flesh he found there. 

“No, it’s my fault. I should’ve been more careful with him. He sees a beautiful woman and loses all ability to think.” His hands flew to her hips to pull her closer to him when she gasped at his teeth on her skin. “The fact that you’re mine only made him crazier.” 

“Yours?” She reached under his chin to bring his face up to hers, glancing down at his lips and then back up at his eyes. 

“I’m--I meant you were my date, not mine, you’re not property--I just meant--” he stammered, taking a step back before realizing that the bed was close behind him. He lost his balance, falling back against the bed with a loud cry and frowning when Naexi snorted, barely containing her laughter at him. Instead of tugging him back up, she climbed on top of him again, letting her hair fall into his face as she looked down at how pretty his own locks were splayed out against the bed. 

“Don’t worry, Ty, I like it.”

“You do?” 

“I like being yours…” She pressed a kiss to the right side of his neck. “...and only yours…” She switched to his left. “No one else’s.” She placed a final kiss to his lips, one that he prolonged as he followed her when she tried to break it. “So greedy.”

“I can’t help it,” he breathed, giving a small squeeze to her hips. “I hated watching him put his hands on you.” 

“Then how about you put your hands on me?” He smirked as she yelped at his quick movement to flip them over, pinning her to the bed by her wrists. Tyril immediately released her and ran his fingertips down her arms and stopped at her breasts, electing to switch to his mouth. With his left hand, he kneaded her flesh in his palm and took her right nipple in between his lips, flicking his tongue to mirror her movements from when she deepthroated him. His right hand continued downward until his index finger was circling her clit and entering her easily with the help of her own arousal. “Yes!” she gasped, back arching to push her body even closer to his. His finger pumped in and out of her, curling every so often and making him smile as she moaned louder and louder the closer she got to climax. He rushed the process by adding his middle finger and curling, hitting her sweet spot inside while rubbing her clit with his thumb. 

“Come on, Naexi, let go for me.” She responded with a wail as she came, hands clutching the sheets and legs shaking. He continued to move his fingers even after she recovered, but leaned down to whisper softly in her ear. 

“Would you like more?”

“Fuck, Tyril, yes. Just fuck me,” she begged, eyes barely able to stay open to look at his grin. He raised to his knees on the bed and looked down at her for a brief moment before entering her, admiring the way her skin shone with sweat and the way her flesh was blemished with the marks he had placed there. Naexi, in all her glory, was his. 

“All mine,” he whispered before thrusting and gasping at how perfectly her heat enveloped him. He buried himself inside her, allowing her a few seconds to get used to his size. Finally, the legs she instinctively wrapped around him squeezed his waist, getting him to pull out of her again before slamming back in with a loud moan. 

“Tyril!” she screamed, thankful for the lack of neighbors in his penthouse apartment. “Faster, please!” she pleaded, green locking with blue as she met him thrust for thrust, clenching around his cock and grabbing the wrists that connected to the hands clutching her waist. He picked up his pace, moaning all the while, and felt his stomach already coiling, a tell-tale sign of how close he was. She let out a small cry as he hit her sensitive spot and brought his thumb down to rub around her clit, unexpectedly throwing her over the edge. “Don’t stop, Tyril!” He heeded her instruction, and at the feeling of her juices coating his cock, followed her to his own peak, releasing himself inside her. Her eyes blinked slowly, as if finally coming back to her senses minutes after he pulled out and retrieved a warm washcloth to clean her up. Sitting up, she followed him to the bathroom, rubbing at his shoulders as he began to draw a bath. 

“Did you...enjoy the gala?” he asked awkwardly, frowning when she laughed. 

“After that mind-blowing sex, that’s what you’re going to say.” She poked his cheek and then kissed the small, red spot. “You’re too adorable.”

“...It was mind-blowing?”

“You’re turning into Mal.” His eyes bulged and he exaggerated a shudder. 

“Oh no.” 

“But yes, it was mind-blowing.” Her lips found his easily, but she pulled away again when she felt a smile against them. “What are you smiling at?”

“I’m just happy that now I can have mind-blowing sex with you all the time now.”

“How romantic.”

#choices tyril #tyril starfury #tyril #tyril x mc #choices #blades of light and shadow #choices blades #blades au #blades #n*fw #fanfic

[ezmarie]

Hello! I read through your matchups and I want to say they're rly cute :>> It's so cool about how much effort you put into them so I was wondering if its okay if I could request a Haikyuu matchup? (I hope its okay I submitted it)

My name's Alicia, I'm Bi but I'm more attracted to guys and I'm female(she/her). My sun sign is Gemini and my rising is Aries, INTP, ambivert and a Slytherin.

My personality, positives, negatives and such: Around new people I'd say I'm much calmer, polite and quite closed off. Some of my friends say I come off as a bit aloof to certain people or strangely kind to others. To my surprise I've had some people say I'm intimidating (like bruh why??)  In all honesty my personality really differs with who I'm with. When I'm with my friends though I'm much more outgoing and loud, I really enjoy going out with just different small groups of friends even if its just for a small lunch or anything - I just really enjoy being around those who both make me laugh and who I can make laugh. I can be really sarcastic and not afraid to have some playful banter aka: who can have the most creative insults - even if they don't make sense. I'm smart in things I enjoy and can go on and on about things i'm passionate about. I'm always looking out for my friends, making sure they don't stuff up, praising their achievements and putting them before myself. I'm pretty open-minded and flexible, say if one of my friends has a friend I dislike I'll always act nice and rarely complain and I'm good at adapting to different environments. Although I am rarely happy with my looks and I don't like trying new things with a fear of stuffing up or failing ESPECIALLY with team sports bruh. I have a bad habit of staying up until ungodly hours of the morning and not waking up until the afternoon.

Appearance: I'm 5'2/5'3-ish, half Indonesian-half British/White/Whatever, I have shoulder length fluffy/messy dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, i have a beauty spot near my nose on the right side of my face, tan-olive ish skin.

Music taste: I typically listen to pop, indie pop and sometimes alternative rock. My favourite songs though would have to be Left to Right (Marteen), Act my Age (One direction) and Scrawny (Wallows). Two playlist names I have are "Solo survival in minecraft vibes" and "pain" - Theyre weird ik LMAO

In a partner: I look for someone who can take a joke and can handle my sudden chaotic decisions and mood swings. Someone who will communicate like please tell me if im doing something wrong or right for the love of god- It would be great if they didn't mind my random touches or signs of affection and it would be cool if we could play games together :D My love language would have to be touch and words of affirmation if that helps.

Anddd thats it, I'm so so sorry if its too long and please take your time and dont overwhelm youself :((  Thank you for your time and don't forget to drink some water!!

hiii! omg thank you so much! that’s so nice🥺 i ship you withh...bokuto!!

ok this is also kinda a case of opposites attract, or at least at first glance it definitely is. bokuto is so loud and extroverted and outgoing so it’s really appreciated how youre more calm and able to somewhat tame him down a bit. he actually got so interested in you because of that, just like with akaashi he was drawn to the opposite personality to him. hes also gonna try and open you up more instead of being so closed off, like its his own little personal challenge to make you more comfortable with opening up, and once you do he’s vv happy. he loves how kind you are as well because i don’t think this bby could handle someone mean, he just needs love and support and then he’s yours forever. of course he loves playful teasing (he denies that he likes it directed at him but he actually loves it) but he wants your kinda subtle niceness in a partner. the way you put others beofre yourself helps him a lot as well because he needs and wants a lot of care so the fact that you’ll provide that for him is amazing and basically ideal. however he makes SURE you take care of yourself too, like he will not let you forget about your own needs and will make you put yourself first sometimes any way he can. sure it might take him a while to figure out your doing that, but once he does he’s gonna look out for you even closer after that. he loves how open minded you are too because it would be difficult if you weren’t open to the things he likes, like he wouldn’t be able to survive without your support. the positivity you show for the things he’s passionate about just makes him fall in love and adore you a million times more, if that was even possible.

oh my gosh he LOVES how when youre with him your whole personality just switches. no not with everything about you switches but when you become outgoing and loud he just can’t stop swooning because he loves how much laughter and enthusiasm he can hear from you which he doesn’t usually hear. it’s just when you both are loud and outgoing it’s so chaotic for everyone else but for you two it’s just fun and carefree. he’s kinda drawn to your sarcastic side because that’s not really him, and he just thinks it’s so funny when your a little annoyed and end up throwing some sarcastic snapback to someone. like i said before he loves having playful banter with you because it’s really fun, but he denies that he likes it when it’s aimed towards him. however he definitely likes it he just pretends he doesn’t. oh my goodness i can’t even explain how much he adores it when you ramble on and on about something you’re passionate about. seriously like he absolutely loves it. he thinks it’s so adorable how you get so excited and peppy when he brings up a topic you love and you can just talk about it for days on end. especially when he can see that sparkle in your eyes and just the sound of your voice, it just makes him fall in love all over again. also, he would CRUSH any insecurity you ever had, especially if it’s about your looks. he’s ADORES any body type and body size, beaty marks, skin color, hair type, height, body proportions, anything about you he will completely love. he will support and compliment you to no end to make you see how perfect you are, he will make sure you know your beauty.

i feel like bokuto really fits the description of what you like as well. he LOVES to make you laugh and is always throwing jokes around and he’s a very goofy and laughy guy, so he will laugh at your jokes all the time. he values communication as well because he doesn’t really understand when people give him subtle signs or hints, like he just won’t figure it out unless you tell him upright. so he’ll do the same to you naturally because he just assumes that you value that as well. he’s very spontaneous and just kinda goes with the flow of everything so sudden chaotic decisions wouldnt bother him a bit, actually he lives for them. he also has mood swings as well so he would totally understand what your going through when you have one and you both would know how to help eachother. bokuto might get a little offended if you playfully insult things like how he’s doing in your relationship, his playing skills, or something like that, but once you reassure him that it’s completely a joke he warms up to it. mostly everything else he understands is just teasing and the only reason he ACTS offended is because he wants you to believe he doesn’t like it, but trust me you both are very aware that he in fact loves it since he’s very easy to read. lastly, he loves loves loves random touches of affection, he seriously can get enough affection. please randomly touch him, even if it’s holding pinkies or kissing his cheek for .2 seconds he will s w o o n. here comes blushy and flustered bokuto, have fun :)) 💕

scenarios with the two of you:

•you just waiting for bokuto home and when he does he literally tackles you in a bear hug. he rambles on and on about his day and asks you about yours while also complimenting you somehow and your just sitting there giggling at his normal energized antics. he doesn’t let you leave your spot either so you two just stay there cuddling for the rest of the night.

•it was around midnight and bokuto texted you asking you if you wanted to go on a walk, obviously you were tired and confused but you could just see his pout through the screen so you went. you went on a walk while talking, well mostly him talking, and going to a random destination you didn’t know of and i’m not sure he did either. when you got too tired he carried you too(and don’t worry he’s strong as shit already and thinks it’s super easy to carry you :)) i mean look at those biceps-)

•it was in the middle of summer and you were having a bad day so bokuto took you out to someplace you didn’t know of. it ended up being a field and so you two lyed on the grass while enjoying looking at the stars and the perfect summer night breeze paired with the heat. you were playing music like scrawny by wallows and can i call you tonight by dayglow and both of your were silent, a very rare thing for both of you, especially bokuto. he wasn’t really looking at the stars though, he was looking at you.

i hope you liked this!! i loved writing it and you’re soso nice thank you for worrying about me🥺 have an amazing day and take care of yourself!! <333

#haikyuu!! #haikyuu matchups #bokuto koutaro #bokuto #Petals ✿ #submission

[regrettablewritings]

hey id like to request dewey finn for the character ship meme? preferably 3, 7, and 29? thanks!!

🤘 🤘 We love a short king 🤘 🤘 Stuff’s under the cut!

3. Who is the most romantic?: You are, at least in the more traditional sense. You know of the ins and outs of bouquets and traditionally romantic candle-lit dinners and all that jazz. Dewey is, too, but he’s far less capable of actually pulling it off. The times he does, there’s always a hint of Dewey in them -- for better for for worse.

He runs a bath for you? Adds a little too much bubble mix and then there’s a whole thing about cleaning it up. He cooks dinner? It comes out a bit burnt. Add candles into that mix and the fire department has to have a talk with y’all about fire safety. Really, his safest bets were to stick to buying bouquets, chocolates, and stuffed animals. But after a point, you started to run out of vases and pots to put the flowers in, resorting to using old Burger King cups; and the bed was just barely big enough to hold both you and Dewey at once, never mind the assortment of plush puppies, teddy bears, and the cheaply-stuffed jumbo snake he’d miraculously won at Coney Island a while back.

The good news is, you’d honestly much prefer Dewey’s idea of romance because it’s more personal to you.

For Dewey, it’s romantic to teach you how to play an instrument. Not in the cheesy, “Come sit on my lap because I can guide you a lot easier that way” kind of way, mind you. Don’t take it the wrong way, he could also do just that if you insisted such. But he does so as though you were truly his student -- and you absolutely are. And that’s what makes it sweet: He’s sharing with you his biggest passion in life, and he takes it seriously enough to get really into it and want to sincerely pass it on to you. Dewey is an excitable man, it’s difficult to catch him in a moment where he’s particularly still; even rarer when he’s doing so and in an actually good mood.

And when he’s teaching you one of the very few things in life he knows absolutely best, he’s definitely in a good mood. Even if his expression may not directly suggest so, with his eyes completely focused on your positioning and occasional correction of your finger placement. But the moment you pull off a successful set of chords, that adorable smile of his comes shining through and beaming with absolute pride! It is, for lack of better word, a bonding experience. And that’s what makes it romantic in your humble opinion.

That, and at least Dewey’s idea of romantic can mean a nice night in where you can relax and just flop on the couch to watch crap TV instead of putting on “stiff fancy clothes” and having to leave the apartment. In your minds, very little can beat a comfy evening full of marathoning Let’s Plays in your makeshift pajamas and scarfing down food bought from the bodega two blocks down, especially after a rough week. And especially when one or the other plays with each other’s hair . . .

7. What do they get up to on a night out?: That being said, you’re still dating Dewey Finn: Eventually, you do need to go out and “taste fresh air” as Dewey dramatically puts it.

You two are gluttons for entertainment. You tried the whole gig of just going out for dinner at a fine dining establishment, followed by a bit of a walk (but not too long, this is still New York after dark after all). You both tried to enjoy it, too, but it honestly just wasn’t your scene. Besides, the portions were way too small for something costing upwards of $25 per plate.

The good news about having a boyfriend like Dewey is that he always has his fingers on the pulse of the city. If we’re going with my headcanon that everyone lives on Staten Island, then there’s no shortage of venues or events to explore! The limits are only set by the limits of your wallets! . . . Suffice to say, it’s not just a personal choice that you two usually just go to bar and grills that hold band nights.

But once every blue moon, after saving up, you both go crazy and head over to Manhattan to catch a show. You’re admittedly more into musicals than Dewey is (especially ones written and composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber), but there has been the occasional show that Dewey didn’t mind watching, and even found himself mutter-singing the lyrics to. Granted, because a night like this can be pretty pricey (especially on an extracurricular teacher’s salary mixed with your own), these sorts of nights don’t tend to happen too often.

And sometimes the urge to go out is accompanied by that grossly exhausted feeling where it’s like all your meats are essentially weighing down on your bones. But you haven’t done anything fun all week, you just gotta get out the house and get Out There! . . . To the 24hr pizzeria next door, because that’s about as far as the two of you can get.

Apparently at some point after you turn 21, just going out after 8pm can make you feel like a hell-raiser. And that’s good enough for y’all.

29. Why do they fall a little bit more in love?: You bring out what the other wants and needs.

When you were growing up, you were quite quiet. Being looked at by a bunch of people always made you anxious, you were constantly afraid to make sudden moves, lest there may be some backlash. You’ve gotten better since then, but even still, you struggle with being as open and forthcoming as you would like to be.

And that’s where Dewey comes in: With Dewey, you always feel like you can stand a little taller, be a little louder. There’s something about him that encourages people to break out of their shell (at the very least peek out of it) and make them want to just seize the day. As his significant other, you are absolutely no exception. Watching him confidently approach nearly every task with a can-do attitude makes you consider that maybe you can do the same thing. If you want to civilly but firmly tell somebody off, Dewey’s there to support you. If you need to ask for help with something but are too afraid to, Dewey’s got your back.

Of course, he sometimes oversteps and just does it for you himself, with him seeing any slight against you as a complete injustice that he needs to defend your honor over. In which case, you’re usually thankful, but gently tell him that you need to do this on your own. And he will respect this because it makes him remember that this is your journey towards gaining more confidence in yourself. You’re so very special to him, and far be it from him to keep you from accepting that more and more. So when he invigorates you and makes you want to be and do better, you can’t help but want to always be with him: That way, you can be better for him, yourself, and also your future together.

As for Dewey, it’s whenever you ground him and help him grow as a person and listen to him. Dewey’s never been that popular -- and he knows it. Sure, he may seem completely invincible, but the truth actually is that deep down he’s got some insecurities about himself. His brashness got him kicked out of his own band, his immaturity nearly lost him a friend and got him into legal trouble, girls have never been particularly drawn to him, and it’s quite easy to assume that he’s an imbecile because of his one-track mind with regards to music.

As a result, he’s used his dream of becoming a rock god as a means to promote himself and that swagger he gives off so much. Which then creates a cycle of him making more mistakes after overestimating his competency. The problem is that even though people may tell him to stop, they haven’t always offered him help with how to do exactly that. The truth of the matter is, yelling at somebody doesn’t exactly help the situation; maybe it brings a person to realizations over what needs to be done, but rarely does it actually offer the tools necessary to get beyond that.

The irony here is that for as chaotic as Dewey can be, he’s a surprisingly good listener to those whom he sees insecurities in, especially kids. After discovering he has a knack for it, he’s become more than willing to sit somebody down and try to help them realize their potential, even if it isn’t always intentional on his part. And that’s where you come in.

You’re more patient than he is, so your impulsivity or lack thereof is a great counter to his, making sure that he remembers that sometimes things need to be planned out. Steps need to be taken in order to follow through with certain projects or goals, we can’t always just jump to it. With you, Dewey’s become more orderly with things. Not extremely, mind you, as that would destroy the man’s personality as we know and love it. But just enough to where he’s not as risky as he used to be.

In addition to this, you’re willing to listen to him and his thoughts on things, from his obsession with music to the anxieties he usually tries to keep tucked away deep down. It doesn’t necessarily borderline being therapy, but it’s enough to where airing things out help him feel more stable. Besides, not everyone is as taken to music as he is: It’s nice to be heard, even when it’s just over one’s special interest. Finally, like you with him, Dewey likes to observe you. It’s not always obvious, given that his hyperactivity sometimes distracts him or just appears to. After all, it’s hard to imagine the guy who dances when he’s excited actually paying attention to you when you’re just sitting on the couch, sketching.

But he is. Because watching you being able to keep still and let yourself breathe makes him want to do the same. He’s spent so much of his life thinking he needs to live fast that he never considered maybe slowing down a bit might be good. But now he has. And he wants to. He wants to slow down and grow up for you -- no, with you. And ever since he realized that this was something he wanted, he couldn’t help but love you a little more every time he found that familiar, warm feeling in his chest, making goosebumps rise to his skin.

Thanks for asking and for being patient!!

#dewey finn #dewey finn x reader #dewey finn imagine #dewey finn imagines #school of rock the musical #school of rock imagines #regrettablewritings #character ship meme #character ship headcanons

[thirtysomethingloser92]

God Was Never On Your Side.

Part of my "Burnt" universe.  Set between chapters 4-5 (Yet unposted).

Burnt Masterlist

Dhawan!Master x Reader.

Smut! Swearing. Light BDSM.

It was hard to figure out where you stood in The Master's mind. There would be times when you looked at him, and it was like you were the only other being in the entire universe; other times, he looked at you like he couldn't even bare the thought of you being close to him, let alone in his presence.

It didn't help that with the bond showing you his disdain.

The TARDIS had now made a common theme to lead you to his room whenever she thought that The Master was getting too inside himself, getting to dark in his mind. You could feel the bond tossing and pulling and weaving through your body to try and get to him, to ease his pain; but it didn't count for your brain reminding you that he was The Master, the same man who slaughtered millions, who decimated Earth while you watched.

He may have a different face, but you knew his mind still worked the same.

You followed the same path you had followed many times before, the same path lined with unused rooms and a darkened interior. You stopped your hand above the familiar golden door handle and let out a breath. You could feel the hurt and the silent screaming in your head coming from the Time Lord in the other room.

Closing your eyes, out of fear of what you might find or not, you pushed open the door and saw the familiar figure twisting and pulling at a large length of rope. His hands were making quick knots in the fraying item before they paused and he looked up at you.

"What do you want?" He asked quietly, his brown eyes showing something other then the rage and anger you had usually been seeing these past few days. Ever since that one day you had him open up to you...

"I felt your sadness. Thought I'd come check in on you. Make sure you're able to fly this thing because I sure as hell couldn't," You shrugged your shoulder and crossed your arm over your chest, leaning against the chaotic desk.

His hands returned to tying the knots, "I'm sure if you asked nicely she would take you home. She seems to have become quite fond of you,"

"Only because I'm your soulmate," You countered, stepping forward, "Now, what has you all up in," You looked down at the rope and gave a small smile, "knots," You finished lamely.

You could see the look of annoyance on his face before he looked up at you, but when he did, his fingers tightened around the rope and a sense of lust floated through the bond. You weren't sure if it was his, or yours.

His head tilted to one side, a curious look on his face as he absently made a new knot, a knowing smirk on his face, "I feel like I should be asking if you're okay. You seem to be," he kicked his lips, "flushed,".

You shifted on your feet, there was absolutely no way you were going to be telling him about the thoughts you had been having about his fingers. To have them trail down your body, to have them grip your hips as he thrust- "I'm fine," You cleared your throat, "Your teenage angst is annoying the hell out of me though. So if you could stop moping that would be great," You gave him a tight smile, nodding your head and turning on your heel, full intention to walk away from the brooding Time Lord, however a tight hand caught on your wrist, forcing you to stop and face him.

He was now standing in front of you, his eyes darkened with arousal as his right hand played with the rope in between his fingers, "You think you're the only one who can feel the others’ feelings?" His hand gripped you tighter, "You think you're the only one awake at night?" His face came closer to yours as his eyes searched you, "I can feel you. I can feel what you want," He whispered, his hands trailing from your wrist up to your shoulder, "Every time you're near me. Every time you hear my voice. I can feel what it does to you," He moved his mouth towards your ear, sending shivers up your spine, "I can feel what Im doing to you right now,"

He moved away, a single step, watching with a smirk as your chest slightly heaved, your face slightly flushed, arousal pooling in your underwear.

He held up the rope, another smile on his face, "May I?" He didn't await an answer as he quickly moved towards you, pulling both of your hands behind your back and wrapping the rope around them, tight enough that there was no way you could get out of them.

"Wh-what are you doing?" You breathed out, turning your head to try and see what he was doing.

You could feel his breath on the back of your neck, his lips hovering just under your earlobe, making you breathe out a sigh.

"Nothing you don't want me to do,"

He turned you around to face him, a sinister smirk on his face that only made the pool in your underwear grow and the thumping of your heart increase. His hands fell on either of your shoulders, pushing them down until you fell to your knees.

"What's my name?" He asked, staring down at you with lust ridden eyes.

You swallowed deeply, trying to open your mouth to speak but not being able to find your voice.

"What's. My. Name?" He punctuated louder, a slight edge of rage in his voice.

"Master," You breathed out, wriggling on you kneeling position as if you were trying to ease the growing friction in your pants.

"Pardon? I didn't hear you," He bent down on the balls of his feet and rested his hands on the end of his knees.

You clenched your jaw a few times, not knowing if you were feeling humiliated or aroused, "Master," You said more loudly.

An almost manic grin came over his face as he reached up and cupped your cheek, "Good human," He reached behind you and pulled you up by the ropes, coming nose to nose with you.

"If you want this to stop. Use your words," He whispered into your ear, moving away once he felt your head nod on the scruff of his cheek.

He turned you around so your back was facing him, and began pushing you over to the bed. You could feel him through the bond, the arousal, the rush of someone being at his feet, the rush of it being you.

His soulmate.

The person he has waited centuries for.

He pushed you face down on the bed, making quick removal of your jeans and coming to sit next to you, his hand slightly hovering over your plump ass cheeks. You could feel the warmth emitting from him, like he was scalding.

You could feel his eyes on your half dressed body, like he was studying you, before a sharp sting came down on your left cheek, making you cry out.

Through the bond, The Master could feel the sense of arousal coming from you, making his lip curl up and his hand come down once again on your right cheek. This time, hard enough to leave a mark.

"Who do you belong too?" He asked, rubbing your cheeks with the palm of his hand.

"You," Your mouth was muffled by his blanket, earning another slap on your backside.

"Who," He repeated, " Do you belong too?"

You turned your head to the side, " You. I belong to you,"

Another smirk, "How do you end that sentence?"

"Sir,"

Another slap.

"Master," You felt his lips press down on what you assumed was the now red and raw area of your cheeks. You could feel the tenderness in his touch, how you slightly flinched when his fingers caressed you.  He flipped you over so you were now face up. His hair was falling over his face, his cheeks flushed and darkness filling his eyes. His fingers gripped your shirt, pulling it open with ease, a few of the buttons falling to the side.  His fingers traced between your breasts, making their way down to your navel before trailing up to your neck. His eyes were watching yours as his fingers spread to either side, easily covering the entity of your neck, and he squeezed slightly. A small moan left your lips before you were aware of what you were fully doing, and his fingers tightened again, a large smile over coming his face, “I think we’ve found what we were looking for, don’t you?” He stated simply, removing his hand and moving to a kneeling position. 

You watched with fascination as the Time Lord began to undress in front of you. You had always wondered if his body would be different to yours in any way, instead you saw that it was exactly the same as a humans, the only difference was the extra organs he had.  He pulled down his briefs and released his member, smiling at the precum that was already beginning to form at the tip. Not once releasing his eyes from your own, he moved towards your head, kneeling over your mouth as if he was expecting something. You moved your head forward from the bed and began to lick from his testicles up to his head. A loud moan came from his throat this time as he gripped your hair tight, making you hiss slightly. He pulled tighter, pushing you down his length and making you gag, You could hear him swear as you began to suck and bob. Every now and again he would run his hands through your hair, smoothing it away from your face as he watched you take him all in. Eventually, he pulled away from you, his dark eyes watching your mouth as small amounts of saliva fell from your lips. His penis pulsing in his hand, he swallowed deeply as he grabbed you under the arms and pulled you up to your knees. His lips pressed to your own once again, this time his tongue made an appearance, guiding its way around your mouth, his teeth biting your bottom lip gently; you let out a loud moan, struggling against the bonds.  You could feel his hands travel down your body as he made his way to your underwear, slowly moving them down your legs and threw them lazily on the floor.  He pushed you backwards, his knees pushing you wide open for him. Through the bond, you could feel his need for you. His want. You could feel the lust and the admiration the alien on top of you had. You felt things coming from him that you never thought you could ever feel coming from a being such as himself.  You could feel the head of his penis push at your entrance, slowly teasing and prying himself into you.  You rose your hips to meet with his and he took that as a motion to continue, slowly, as he guided himself into you. A moan escaped from both of your lips as he reached down and kissed you once again. At the first thrust you could feel him in the pit of your stomach, he moved his head down to kiss you again only this time it was your tongue inside his mouth. With each thrust, you could feel the knot in your stomach grow. You could feel his hand reach around your throat once again as his fingers gripped your throat and squeezed. A moan escaped your lips as the knot in your stomach grew and grew.  The more his hand tightened, the more lightheaded you became, and the more pleasure you were able to feel. It was something you hadn’t ever really experienced before. But now you were experiencing it in all it’s glory, and even as you closed your eyes, you could still feel the man on top of you, gripping your throat and whispering sweet words to you.  The thrusting became harder, you could feel the coil in your stomach become tight before it finally uncurled, releasing a type of ecstasy that made your breath catch in your throat and the room around you spin.  With a final tight grip on your throat, you could feel The Master still before slowly moving himself off of you. You could still feel his eyes on you as you opened your own, your chest heaving and your arms beginning to ache.  “I think I might leave you like this,” He smirked, bending down and picking up his pants, shaking them out a few times, “Might help with that attitude problem,”  You squirmed in the bonds and rolled your eyes, “Get me out,” You swallowed, finally catching your breath.  You could feel the satisfaction coming from his side of the bond, the sense of pride.  “Where’s your manners?” The Master continued to dress himself, a smirk on his face.  “Please. My arms hurt,” You whined, forcing yourself into a sitting position. “Please what?”  “I swear to God. Get me out of these ropes. I need to pee,”  The Master smiled and bent down, his dress shirt unbuttoned, showing you his chest, “Pull,”  You pulled your arms in an outward fashion and the ropes loosened, allowing your hands to slip out of them easily, “Are you kidding me?” You swore, shaking them off and flexing your arms a few times to undo the knots.  “A trick I learned in the Vegas cluster. Now, come on, get cleaned up. I have a message from The Doctor for you,” 

#dhawan!master x y/n #dhawan!master #sacha dhawan #dhawan!master x reader #dhawan master #doctor who

[afterthelastreset]

Rules Of One’s Soul Ch15 A Little Offer P5

(Mak belongs to @wasted-church )

The entirety of the cliffside home was oddly silent other than the furious sounds of scrubbing coming from the other side of the sheap. The outside had gotten slightly darker indicating it mustve been early night at least. The residents were sure feeling it. Seam especially as he relaxed back down into the old armchair, normally he hated water but after getting blasted by ashes he was happy to scrub it off. Took a while for his fur to dry though. Luckily no stitches came loose this time. As for Jevil and Rouxls-

The small gremlin was balancing on his tail watching the working worm with a crestfallen face. Seam could only shake his head and couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor fella. True his uh ....'help' had backfired but considering he was pretty rusty from being locked up for over one hundred years of his life, one couldn't judge him too harshly....Buuuut Rouxls wasn't one to let go easily. It had been proven before.

"Can I help,help?" Jevil gave a hopeful smile to the cleaning worm, who paused for a split second before harshly dunking the sponge he was using into a nearby bucket filled with sudsy water and continued as if he hadn't heard a thing. Making the foolishly hopeful smile from his face vanish a bit, but ever persistent, his tail leaned him forward to be closer to the worm's side where he tried seeing his face. "You shouldn't have to work, work so hard. Im sorry, sorry. So allow me to he-"

A quick snap of a heated glare from the duke silenced the jester into submission, his smile now silently small and he froze at the hatred radiating off him. It got smaller when Rouxls leaned onto his knees. Usually hed tower over Jevil but his current sitting position made for perfect eye level.

"Oh. THOU art sorry." A dry chuckle came from that angry being. "Good. For I amst sorry as well....Im sorry for ever letting mine guard down aground thee!"

Jevil flinched. Hard. And Seam continued to watch calmly from the comfort of the chair, but Kaard didnt care as he already turned his frustrations back to scrubbing the black blotches.

"Im sorry I ever met thee. Im sorry I canst be there for mine boy- He can't even sleep properly without a story let alone runneth an entire kingdom by himself. Imst stucketh cleaning homes likest some maid just to get decent food and all for what? For a smiling foolish worme to come crashing into thine-"

....He froze.....Something gently kneeding his shoulder...

"DON'T TOUCHE ME YOU PLAUGE ON MINE LIFE!!"

The tail that been holding up shot back the shocked body of the imp as a worm reared his full anger towards him for trying to put a hand on his shoulder.

"Why dont'st you doeth what thou doeseth best and playest games elsewhere?!"

With that the duke snapped back around to the floor ignoring any other sad look Jevil gave him. The jester slunk back even further from the duke- An ear perked at a soft chuckle he turned and found it came from the plush cat away from him.

"Your next play has been interesting to say the least. Are you ready to accept defeat old friend?" His smile widened as the small man pouted and promptly huffed at the audacity of the question.

"Absolutely not,not. I just-" Yellow orbs glanced back shakily to the worm for a split moment before back to the smiling cat. "...Need a new move,move to play."

He chuckled again. "Then may I offer some advice-"

"I can heareth everything thou art saying." Another annoyed glance was thrown over his shoulder.

A paw was held up in defence. "Now, now. I meant no harm but maybe its best Jevil leaves you alone right now."

The smaller man Took one last look to the worm before slowly starting towards the smiling cat. Seam ever so calm reached out and gave the sulking gremlin a pitty pat on the shoulder.

"I dont suppose you would like some tea to help ease the sting of rejection?"

A dark chuckle and smile. "The taste is bittersweet. But I would rather get sweet victory, victory.~"

Deep chuckles came from the cat as his one good eye watched the jester jump onto the couch next to himself, but somehow his forced frustrated grin still seemed to be sad there. It sorta made his cotton shiver with a pang of sorrow, but in a game it was best not to let his guard down too much. Jevil sat down on the couch next to Mak, who was fast asleep in a box filled with different things from gems to random jewelry they probably stole. Took forever to get them to calm down after finding their 'room' ransacked and cleaned out by Rouxls. The purple migit made his frustrated ways known with tapping fingers and strained grin directly towards him in question.

"I just...have a few set backs. Set backs."

"Oh yes. I remember how fondly old couples would chase each other with screams and try to bodily harm one another." He chuckled at the narrowed eyes Jevil have him. "Or maybe not. It's been at least a few hundred years. Hahaha."

"Funny,funny....What have you done, done to get expertise in other's romantical preference?," his voice asked in a low tone. A Jevil way of challenging his knowledge.

To which he shrugged. "I don't. But Id like to think I have enough know how to at least hold a decent conversation and get to know them more."

He could practically hear the gears working in the other's mind as Jevil slowly came to the realization that maybe, just maybe he had something up his sleeve. So when a more questioning look came over him, Seam couldn't help but chuckle.

"Really,really?...Would the Magnificent Seam be willing, willing to....discuss his tutorials? Tutorials.

"Haha. But then wouldn't that be cheating the game old friend?"

One of Jevil's eyelids twitched. Indicating held back annoyance at least. "Hmhm....Perhaps rules could be ...temporary bent,bent?"

It was more of a suggestion than question, but one that made Seam hum with interest anyways. His eye went back to the worm who was stretching his back out with a groan and popping noise from said worm's back. He looked about ready to get done and be one his way. Could it really hurt to exchange a few short insights of his? Jevil waited with hopeful patience as Seam rubbed his chin in thought before looking back to him with a smile.

"I suppose...haha. Two opponents of opposite sides could come to an agreement every so while still searching for victory."

A couple of giggles came his way as Jevil lit back up. "Do tell. Do tell."

"Well....I could but I think you already know he doesn't appreciate forceful attempts to get him to like someone...But how you're doing things I could be wrong."

"...And I could say, say the same about having to be forced to clean a mess,mess that's not his. ..His."

"Not if the person offered to help him in return and was happily offered to go as a ...guest for the holidays."

There it was. The straw that broke the hathys back. The jester became as still as a statue as soon as those few words tumbled out of the plush's mouth, it was honestly rather funny to see such a rare shock upon the normally cheerful face, unfortunately it didn't last long because rapid blinks followed shortly after and a forced pleasent chuckle escaped his throat.

"My dear friend, friend," Jevil said in a forced sweet voice. "It seems that my ears are not what they used to be, be. I thought for a moment you said-"

"That I will be accompanying the Duke to the this silly ball?" Jevils face dropping again made him chuckle and lean into the chair's cushions more. "I suppose it's not that big of a deal...But then again." Even if it seemed unreal, a smug look came over the cat. "You might not like my play on words, Old friend. Hahaha."

In that stuper the imp could only get out one word. "How...?"

"I offered to help take care of you. It seems you've outdone yourself with the romanticizing eh?"

He went from shocked to an angry little man complete with puffed cheeks and red eyes. If you didn't know Jevil personally it would be quite scary but to the laughing cat it was just like a small tired child. It was cuter when he suddenly stood up and stomped a foot onto the couch. Jarring the sleeping child awake and jingling the box they were sleeping in. Seam didnt even flinch when a claw was pointed at him .

"No far, no far! You cheated, cheated!"

"By nicely asking if I could go? Really Jevil. You're acting like a child who didn't get the cookie jar."

A growl. "You can't keep me away, away! "

"Who said I would? I only said I would try to help keep your wild self in check and I intend to do so. ...By giving you advice. " when Jevil didnt say anything he continued. "Try a less forceful approuch next time round. "

".....Next time?" It seemed he found his voice. Jevil could always rebound pretty fast. "My next turn will leave your head spinning, spinning!"

"Oh Im sure it will." Still with the smug grin.

"You'll see, you'll see!!"

With that he sprung himself off of the couch and with furious jingles made his way back to the back room. Oh this was surely was going to be worth watching. A slighy jingling of trinkets ditected his attention back towards the box where the child was looking at him.

"Breakfast time now?"

......................................................................................

Scrubbing sounds was the most of what he heard as he kept up the cleaning momentum. He wanted to get done, collect his earnings, and get out of that chaotic hell of a home. The set back had made him take a whole couple more hours to fix, it was already probably in the middle of the night by how slightly darker it was outside. But luckily he was nearly finished. Just a part of the ceiling left-

The mop was promptly dunked back into the bucket and pulled out a moment later before being thrusted back up against the ceiling and rubbed against the black ashes remaining stuck to it. The anger was still burning in his mind but he couldn't careless. ....Unfortunately it blinded him to what would've been the soft jingling of bells coming up to him until he felt a tug on his sleeves. The scrubbing stopped and looked down to the small mass that was Jevil. Giving him a small smile-

"What doth thou want?"

The harsh tone made him flinch slightly but that didn't deter his new set of confidence. "Ive come to apologize, apologize for everything that's happened."

An anoyed but slightly confused expression came over him as Rouxls rose a brow. His attention turning back to scrubbing. "Oh lucky me... And what doth I owest thy pleasure?"

He didnt see the inhale of breath Jevil took. "I want you to forgive, forgive me. Let us start over, over. Please. Let me make up, make up!"

That made the worm pause his movenents and look back down to the hopeful face of the imp who smiled wider at him. Rouxls blinked....And blinked again. .. Before another annoyed look came over him.

"Really? I amst supposed to forget everythinge that has happened?" Jevils ears drooped slightly as Rouxls huffed. "Likest I wouldst do that- EEK!"

The mop fell to the floor with a thump and water spilt onto the floor. Rouxls scrambled back from the sudden flashing of pink in front of his face, in his hast knocking over the mop bucket and almost falling over onto his rear. Jevil admittedly was pretty startled from sudden reaction as well and just stood there. A couple shiny pink heart attacks floating above him at Rouxls's eye level.

He blinked upwards at the heavy form of the Duke in front of him-

"ART THOU TRYING TO GIVETH MINESELF A SOUL ATTACK?!" He pointed at the hearts. "I will nay f-forgiveth thou for doing that! Now...g-getest rid of them!"

Jevil did. Immediately. "Im sorry, sorry-"

"Stoppeth it! Just stoppeth apologizing." The worm pushed himself up from the wall as gave Jevil another annoyed look. "If thou was really 'sorry' thoust wouldst try harder and use that head of yours."

Jevil said nothing as Rouxls turned around to look at the new mess with a disgusted look, but he did hum and make a thoughtful expression a moment later. He might have mumbled something like 'Try harder, harder?' but Rouxls wasn't paying much attention so he barely heard. But he did see him back out of the room from the corner of his eye. Good. Now he could get done

He looked back down at the spilt water, wondering how he would get that cleaned up-...Wait. A pair of rapid footsteps came towards him, along with a small...battle cry. He barely had time to turn around before a purple blur slammed hard into his chest. They went to the ground like a sack of gems wind knocked out.

"WHONST THY F*CKETH-"

"FORGIVE ME!" A pair of yellow eyes stared intensely from his chest.

"WHA-" The smaller body of the darkner squeezed around his form face pouting against his chest. Rouxls struggled but managed to sit back up with the imp digging into him. "Absolutely not!"

His hands grabbed onto him and pulled. Hard. But Jevils limbs dug harder around him resulting in a panic running up the worm's spine and pulling harder on him. The digits digging into his goopy body was starting to hurt.

"Im not letting go, go until you let me,me make it up to you! You!"

"Thou art bluffing!" By now he was disparately wanting to get this thing off of him! He couldn't stand the way his soul was thumping against his ribcage- "T-Thou cant do this!"

"I CAN DO ANYTHING!"

Of course. What answer would he expect? He sat there and stared dumbfounded at him but considering that he was still clinging to him tighter than Lancer, and that pouting face was.....kinda cute.....UGH!!

"Fine!Fine! Thou can getteth off me now!"

He narrowed his eyes. "You give me your word,word?"

"Y-Yes. Now please-"

After a few more moments of looking at him suspiciously but slowly let Rouxls go. The worm man shakily stood up onto his feet while remaining eye contact with Jevil who seemed alot more satisfied and happy he finally got his way.

"Splendid, splendid! Hehehehehe! Im so excited,excited to hear that! I promise, promise to make you happy, happy!"

"I doubt that..."

But Jevil didn't seem to hear Rouxls mumbling to himself as he proudly skittered to the exit to the shop front. There he stood proudly and pointed a claw at the ever so calm Seam.

"One step closer,closer to checkmate!"

#Jeam #nosuit #seaxls #seavil #seam x jevil #jevil x seam #jevil x rouxls #seam x rouxls #rouxls x jevil #rouxls kaard x jevil #rouxls x seam #rouxls kaard x seam #deltarune #seam #jevil #rouxls kaard

[ugly-crying-over-bucky-barnes]

Hiii, are you taking requests for Alfie? If so, I was wondering if you could write a story where Alfie has been married for years and he and his wife go to a party and she sees women flirting with him and she's like not on my watch!!! Lmao I would love to see Alfie reacting to his wife being jealous 😍 maybe she doesnt say anything at the party but then she's all bitter and cold until he figures it out and finds it hilarious? Idk, you're the talented writer so Im sure it will be awesome! Thanku♡

            Although you were raised Orthodox, being married to a gangster led you to lead a different life. Much different than your parents expected of you. It was even different when you first married Alfie. Sure, he was rough around the edges even when he was young, but he was still striving to be the good Jewish boy his mother expected of him.

            But the deeper he got into his career, the more of the underworld you saw. Still, you had a simpler life than most people in your position. Bless the Shelbys and their mess, but you appreciated Alfie’s separation of work and married life. You wouldn’t change a second of it. You’d been married sixteen years and had five kids to show for it. Each one of them a gift from God. Four boys and one girl, life was chaotic in the Solomons household. So, getting a night out in London was rare. Especially since Alfie wasn’t the type to socialize at such events. Events like the one you were at that night.

            It was a charity function, which was a good incentive to go. But Alfie complained the whole ride there. Even if they were getting an evening away from the kids and a night at a very nice hotel.

            “Well, I ain’t staying long.” Alfie decided on the way there. He had tried to dodge the whole affair by speculating if Joel’s, their youngest, forehead felt warm. But Joel called his bluff saying he felt perfectly fine.

            When you arrived, you were delighted to see some friends already there. You excused yourself to go talk to them, leaving Alfie looking a bit out of place. You were usually the entertainer, the life of the party. He was not.

            As you spoke to your friends for a bit, you caught a glimpse of your husband making his way over to a couple men you recognized. A woman walked up to them. Your interest was piqued when the woman touched your husband’s arm.

            “What are you looking at?” One of your friends noticed that you had started to withdraw from the conversation.

            You frowned. “Nothing.” You answered but kept your eyes on the woman who was standing too close to Alfie and giving him a winning smile. You tried to keep your cool, but you’d never been in a situation like this before. Alfie tolerated so few people that there really wasn’t any reason for you to ever be jealous.

            But seeing that woman trying to get your husband’s attention was driving you crazy. The final straw was when she appeared to whisper something into his ear. “I’ll be back.” You snapped to your friends, quickly crossing the dancefloor to reach your husband.

            You linked arms with him. “Come dance with me.” You requested the first thing that you could think of to get him away from the woman.

            Alfie looked surprised; he hadn’t even seen where you’d come from. You just appeared with a slightly annoyed look on your face. Certainly not the look of someone who wanted a dance. But he agreed. “Alright.” He followed you. “You okay?” He asked as he took your hand and rested a hand on your hip.

            “Mhm.” You weren’t really looking at him, instead, you were looking over his shoulder to see the woman looking a bit put off that you’d interrupted her.

            Alfie was clueless so didn’t press the issue.

            The rest of the night, you stayed close to your husband because you’d noticed the unknown woman was shooting daggers at you whenever your eyes met.

            “I’m tired.” You said to Alfie after you’d had quite enough. You hadn’t been able to enjoy the night at all.

            “Want to head up to the room?” He asked. When you nodded, he took your hand to make your way to the lobby of the hotel. He checked in at the desk and you went up to the hotel room. You noticed Alfie was giving you side glances the whole way up but you didn’t say anything.

            When you got into the room, you began to take off your jewelry. But you still didn’t say anything.

            You could almost hear the cogs whirring in Alfie’s brain as he tried to figure out what he might’ve done to put you in such a mood.

            As you went into your case for a nightgown, you heard Alfie come up behind you. He ran his hands down your arms.

            “What’s wrong, love?” He asked. “You’ve been in a right state ever since we got here.”

            “It’s nothing, Alfie.”

            “Well, that’s utter shit, innit?” He kissed your neck softly as if to butter you up so you would talk.

            You huffed. He was always so good at making you talk. “That woman that was talking to you.” She said. “Touching you and giving you that look. I’m not blind, Alfie.”

            You were dumbfounded when your husband started to laugh. Your disbelief turned to frustration as you turned around to face him. “Don’t laugh at me, I know what I saw!” You said defensively, crossing your arms over your chest.

            “Oh, pet, it’s just funny.”

            “It’s not funny.”

            “You think I’d ever leave you? I can’t tolerate anyone else ‘sides you and the kids. Maybe Ollie on a good day. No one knows me better than you do. So why on Earth would I want to trade sixteen years away for a stranger?”

            You looked to the floor, suddenly realizing how silly you’d been. Of course, Alfie would never leave you or the kids. “I just couldn’t stand seeing her touch you.” You mumbled.

            Alfie gently tilted your chin up so you were looking at him. “Yeah, but keep in mind, love, you get me every fucking day of the year.”       

            You smiled slightly. “Maybe I just need a reminder.”

            He chuckled and brought you in for a tender kiss. “No problem, Mrs. Solomons.” He murmured against your lips. “No problem at all.”