#of course we gotta make it chaotic

[sea-owl]

recently I've been thinking about the haruno clan being a powerful civilian clan and not a lot of people realize because they're busy with the shinobi shit and all that. sakura thinks they know, so she doesn't tell them, and then on a mission one day she gets found out somehow and team 7 loses their shit.

maybe cause of a proposal, or something? cause I imagine a merchant clan would be a good investment lol. she gets proposed to and they all go batshit lol

I also think it could be interesting considering she's tsunades apprentice, yknow?

You know what would be hilarious, if this happened during the genin days.

I imagine the Harunos probably traded in something related to plants, possibly teas or maybe even some plant based medicine. That's why Sakura chose medic nin later on because it was something she was familiar with. They were traveling merchants for a long time, probably in the last few generations they decided to settle down in different areas to have a more permeant base. Kizashi moved to Konoha himself from the Sand Village to help expand business. (I am always in the belief that at least one of Sakura's parents is from the Sand) Sakura really doesn't say anything because she thought they knew, yeah her parents live pretty humble, that has to do with the fact her family is so used to moving a lot it was better to travel light. It's not like she was hiding it.

Then one day they got a mission that just so happened to be in the town where one of Sakura's extended family member lived. Weirdly enough team 7 were requested specially. Kakashi knew that some members of a powerful merchant clan lived in that town but he didn't know the clan's name. Sakura was going to tell them it was her family but she thought it be funny to surprise them, after all they never bothered asking the merchant's daughter who the powerful merchant family might be.

They meet with the client and Sakura was immediately weirded out.

It started out normal enough. The client, Lord Inoue, had introduced himself and had said he hired them to help out during the negotiations with the merchant clan. They had planned to arrange a marriage between themselves and the merchants. Of course team 7 agreed so the village can get paid and they can get that bag.

Then things started getting weird.

Lord Inoue called in his son, Daichi, who looked to be fivish years older than the genin. Daichi got down on one knee in front of Sakura.

Several people proceed to lose their shit, including a member of the merchant family who was visiting to hear more about the negotiations from Lord Inoue. This being Sakura's pink haired aunt, Nadeshiko.

Aunt Nadeshiko proceeds to lose her temper and yanks her niece back. "Who the hell do you think you are trying to go behind our backs and propose to my niece without her father or me present! You broke lord! I will be taking my niece and if you have any hope for these negotiations to work you better pray for good fortune!"

Lord Inoue, trying to gain some control, sputters that he has the shinobi under contract and they can not go with her.

Without hesitation Nadeshiko turns to Kakashi, her hands already reaching for her purse. "How much do you need for me to buy out the contract?"

Kakashi is so fucking confused by this point that Sakura has to give the number.

Nadeshiko rolls her eyes. "That number is insulting. We will pay triple. Here is half." She proceeds to toss her purse at Kakashi and then walk out the door with Sakura in hand. The boys scramble after.

While walking out the boys see the matching Haruno circles on Sakura's and Nadeshiko's backs.

"Well," Kakashi said as he put the money away. "We know the merchant clan's name now."

#here I go again #of course we gotta make it chaotic #there's no other way #nadeshiko is throughly insulted #her niece can do better than some broke lord's son #hell either of her teammates would be a hundred times better #at least they're making money #at least they have a job #naruto #haruno clan things #sakura haruno #haruno sakura #haruno clan

[redstarwriting]

shit happens

spider squad x platonic!reader

request?: yes

request: “Okokok, first of all CLASH WAS SOOOO GOOD OMGGI come bearing a request only if u want to. Teen!spider!reader who is Miguel’s favorite because they don’t cause him trouble. But it’s only because they get severely anxious when they break rules (I’m not projecting, you are). So he assigns them to go on a mission with the problem children hoping they’ll rub off on them, but the problem children just corrupt them. I just need more spider children being chaotic together and tired spiderdad MiguelMwah mwah love ur writing )pls only write this if u feel like it)”

requested by: anon​

word count: 2k

genre: platonic

Warnings: language, anxiety, Miguel being unrealistic with his expectations, electrocution, spider squad gettin thrown around

A/N: omg wait no bc same HAHA as someone with diagnosed severe generalized anxiety i get so anxious to break the rules even though my spirit always tells me to lol, i hope you enjoyed this anon! thank you for the request :)

───────────────────────────────────

You were the golden child. There were quite a few teens in Spider Society, but you were by far Miguel’s favorite. And that’s all because you did what he said. Now did that mean you never questioned his authority? Of course not, you questioned him all the time. But you were too nervous to go against him. You were too nervous to go against anyone. It’s proven a problem in your job since the police are not your biggest fans, but luckily you befriended a nice police captain who eases your fears every now and again. Your weekly visits with Spider-Therapist have been helping with the problem, too. Which is great for you. But you still did what Miguel said. Mans could be scary.

And that’s how you ended up here. With Hobie Brown, Gwen Stacy, Miles Morales, and Pavitr Prabhakar. There was an anomaly that needed taken down in Hobie’s world, and Miguel stuck you with the four of them. To say you were nervous was an understatement. “Right, so anyone got a plan?” Hobie asks, in his thick accent. “What? What do you mean, dude, we’re in your world,” Miles says, and Hobie shrugs. “So? Not my villain, dunno ‘ow to stop ‘im.”

“Okay, well we know that he’s an electro variant, so… what can we do with that?” Gwen asks, and Pav sighs. “Be electrocuted,” he says sadly. “Miles can handle that,” Gwen says, and Miles snaps his head toward her. “Miles cannot handle that! Why are we saying Miles can be electrocuted?!” Miles yells, and the other three shush him. “’ow ‘bout you, mate, any ideas?” Hobie asks you, and you shrug. You look around before pointing up to the water towers on the roofs of the multiple buildings in New London. “Water,” you suggest, and they all look where you’re pointing. “Smart,” Gwen says with a nod. “How do we get the water to him, though?” Pav asks, looking at you again. You frown. “I… actually didn’t think that far.”

“Well, ‘at’s, easy. We just bust ‘em. Get ‘im to fly near one and,” Hobie makes an explosion noise and uses his hands to imitate an explosion. “What? But what about all the people who will lose water?” you ask, and Miles cocks his head to the side. “It’ll get fixed fast, probably. It’s our job to fuck shit up and then have other people fix it cause if we don’t fuck shit up, shit gets fucked anyways,” he says, and you sigh. “But Miguel said to try and not cause too much of an issue—”

“Oi. Who gives a flyin’ fuck what ‘e said. Not me. And this is my bloody world, I’ll cause as much damage as I want to,” Hobie says, and you look down. “Sorry.”

“You don’t gotta apologize for nothin’, mate,” Hobie says, and you mumble another ‘sorry.’ “You know what? I think Electro can wait a minute,” Hobie says, turning towards you, “More important matters to figure out ‘ere.”

“Like what?” you ask, and he shrugs. “Why are you so nervous?” he asks, and you gulp. “I-I’m not, I just—”

“You definitely are,” Gwen says, and Miles throws in a ‘yup!’ with a nod. “Is it us?” Pav asks, a hint of sadness in his voice. “W-What? No, that’s not it,” you say, waving your hands in a frantic way to say no. “I just am nervous in general. It really isn’t that big of a deal, guys, we should be focusing on—”

“Nope. You’re not gettin’ outta this, you been in ya ‘ead this ‘ole time.”

“I’m always in my head, it really isn’t that big of a deal—”

“Is ‘at why you try to avoid everyone? Don’t talk to no one?” Hobie asks, and you gulp. “I-I talk to some people…” you mumble, and a small frown forms on Gwen’s face. “The therapist in Spider Society doesn’t count,” she says, and you look down. “Well, why not…? He’s a person...”

“Because he’s like 40, and you’re our age,” Pav says, “you’d get along better with us, bro.”

“Miguel said that if anyone could make us not as ‘moronic’ it would be you, but I feel like he just kinda takes advantage of you instead of recognizing the pressure he puts on you. I have some experience with that,,” Miles says, and you sigh. “He scares me, okay? If I break the rules then I might simply pass away from him yelling at me,” you say, and Hobie shakes his head. “Love, the rules are all bollocks. Made by people who just wanna control your life.” Gwen nods. “Miguel is cool, sure, but if anyone can get away with anything… it’s you,” she says, and Miles chimes in. “And if you’re really that scared, remember he literally chased me around his world and destroyed a train because of me. You’ll never piss him off to that point.” You stay silent, playing with your fingers. Pav reaches out and grabs your hands. “Rules are meant to be broken, (Y/n), I learned that from Hobie. And besides, the villains we face are the biggest rule-breakers imaginable,” Pav assures, and you nod slightly. “And rules are such rubbish. ‘ey’re always different anywhere ya go. Try not to put so much weight on your mind ‘bout it, breakin’ ‘em ain’t a big deal,” Hobie says. You do actually kinda feel better. Hobie brings up a good point. Rules are different everywhere you go, so breaking one every now and again isn’t that big of an issue. In fact, it can be kind of encouraged. “Besides, breaking rules is almost like challenging ideologies, you know? Like, in breaking a rule, you challenge a system in place that is telling you not to break them. No one likes that. Where would we be if people didn’t break rules?” Gwen says. “That was deep,” Miles says, and Pav nods. “'at was a wicked way a’ puttin’ it, Gwendy.”

That’s a good point, actually. You think for a bit. If you look at it as challenging a system, or even doing what’s right, who’s to say it’s a rule that shouldn’t be broken? Hobie smiles underneath his mask because he knows they’ve gotten through to you. “So, whaddya say we go blow up some water tanks, eh?” Hobie stands, rubbing his hands together. “Okay,” you say. Gwen and Miles fist bump, and Pav does a little clap. The five of you jump into action, immediately starting to taunt and lure Electro to get him close to the towers so you can douse him and put him out.

The plan was going pretty well for the first two attempts, but he eventually catches on to what the five of you are doing. Which makes it harder. Miles does, in fact, get electrocuted. As does Gwen and Hobie, and coming in as no shock to anyone, Miles is definitely the least affected. You were able to dodge all of the attacks. “You’re doing great, (Y/n)! Mind telling me how the fuck your spidey sense is so strong?!” you hear Miles yell. “MILES LOOK OUT!” Gwen screams, but it’s too late. He gets electrocuted again. “Ouch, bro! That one looked like it hurt!” Pav yells, and Miles, who is now lying face down on a roof, raises his hand up in the air, flipping him off. You snort, and then see Hobie fly past you, landing on another water tower. “Hey! Dumbass! Over here!”

“Oh, please. You expect me to fall for that? I know what your little plan is, and I’m not about to be put out,” Electro says, firing some electricity out at Hobie. Unluckily for Hobie, it breaks the water tower and electrocutes him and the water that pours out of it.

You land next to Hobie, who is now just laying on the rooftop, but he grunts and mutters some British slang that you wouldn’t understand even if he explained it to you. So, you know he’s fine. “I have an idea,” you say, and he nods. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. But we need to make sure no one is on the street.”

“What’s the goody-goody plannin’ on doin’, huh?” he says, standing. “You’ll see, just make sure there are no civilians or anyone who will get hurt. And keep him distracted.” With that, you leap and go to another one of the water towers. You take a deep breath, thinking back to what Miguel said before the five of you left.

“Try not to destroy the city while you’re at it. (Y/n), I trust you’ll keep them all in line,” Miguel said, and you timidly nod. You’d love to not destroy the city, but it’s so hard doing that as a Spider-Person. But you also don’t want him to yell at you for going against his orders. Now you’re conflicted. “No promises, Miguel. We’re gonna do what we gotta do,” Miles says and Miguel sighs. “If anyone can reign the four of you in, it’s this one. Don’t let them pressure you into acting up, okay?”

You frown. Fuck that. Miguel is pressuring you into not doing your job right. You can’t always be perfect and careful. And lucky for you, the four of them were really good at distracting villains. You web two of the support legs, yanking them and breaking them off the water tower. It starts collapsing, but you catch it. “Shit, you’re heavy,” you grunt, but regain your balance, holding it on your shoulders. You twist your body, ripping the other supports off and making the water tower completely free. You get Electro in your sight and take a deep breath. You lift the water tower, tossing it up in the air before leaping out of the way and towards Electro. You shoot webs from both hands, connecting them to the water tower and yanking it towards you. You swing it around, connecting it with Electro’s body. Sure enough, it knocks him down and explodes on impact, drenching him. And you. And Hobie, Miles, Gwen, and Pav; but hey, you did it.

You land on a roof and look down. Sure enough, Electro is knocked out cold and completely out of electricity. You swing down, placing him in one of the technological cells that Miguel developed specifically for Electros, and nod. “That… probably could have gone better,” you mutter to yourself. Your self-deprecating thoughts were cut off immediately. “That was AWESOME, (Y/n),” Gwen says, giving you a thumbs up and hug. “Yeah, little Spider, that was bitchin’,” Hobie says, giving you a fist bump. “You made it look so easy! How did you do that, you have to teach me!” Pav says, clearly excited and impressed. “You were out here talking about how you didn’t wanna break rules so instead you broke an entire water tower? That’s cool, why don’t you try being less cool next time for the sake of us,” Miles says giving you a pat on the shoulder. You smile. “Thanks, guys.” Their praise was enough to make you feel better for completely and totally wreaking havoc.

But when the five of you return, soaking wet, Miguel pinches the bridge of his nose. “I said… to not destroy the city…” he mutters, looking at you with disappointment. You look down. “City’s still standin’, mate. (Y/n) kicked ass,” Hobie says, and the other three make sounds of agreement. “Y-Yeah, Miguel. All I did was break one water tower, it’s not that big of a deal,” you say, and he sighs. “One? You all broke four water towers on four different buildings! And you flooded an entire street! You’re supposed to be the responsible one.”

“Dude. I’m a teenager. Shit happens,” you say, a sudden burst of confidence from being around the group of four allowing you to speak out. Miguel puts his hand on his jaw, sliding his hand down. “Remind me to never team the five of you up again,” he mumbles, and Hobie elbows you. “Nah, we’re a band now. Sorry ‘bout it,” Hobie says, motioning everyone to leave Miguel’s sight. You all follow. When you’re out of Miguel’s office, Hobie bumps your shoulder. “See, that wasn’t all that bad, was it?”

He was right, it wasn’t that bad.

───────────────────────────────────

#spiderverse x reader #atsv x reader #hobie brown x reader #gwen stacy x reader #miles morales x reader #pavitr prabhakar x reader #spiderverse #spiderman #spiderpunk #spidergwen #hobie brown #gwen stacy #miles morales #pavitr prabhakar

[norrizzandpia]

oscar piastri after care

Someone tell me why i have NOT written for op in like YEARS? Guys its a crime

One Lucky Man (OP81)

Summary: After care with OP!

Warnings: insinuations of sex obvi, language, Oscar being lewd

Oscar’s chest heaved up and down as he flopped to the side of Y/n’s body. There was a flush to their faces and sweat clinging to their skin as they turned their heads, smiling softly at each other in the post-sex haze.

“I’d give that a solid 10 out of 10,” Oscar stated, a smirk on his face as he leaned over the mattress and picked his boxers up off the floor, slipping into them and sliding off the bed.

Y/n giggled, “Did you just rate the sex we just had?”

Oscar nodded triumphantly, “Yes, of course, I did. Gotta give credit where credit’s due.”

Y/n, jaw open, scoffed, “I assume you’re referring to crediting yourself.”

His feet stopped him just as he was about to step fully out of the room. He turned around and caught her gaze with a mischievous glint in his, “I did make you come like five times.”

Y/n wasn’t given a chance to respond, Oscar having run down the hall and away from her the moment the sentence left his mouth. She rolled her eyes at his attitude, not genuinely upset seeing as he did make her come five times. When he returned only a few minutes later, in his grasp a granola bar and water, he helped her off the bed.

“Why are you making me leave the cozy bed?” She gave, her hand clutching his as the soreness in her legs threatened a fall to the floor.

He chuckled with a shake of his head, “You have to go to the bathroom, Y/n. Come on, we’re responsible adults, right? Practicing healthy and safe sex, right?”

Y/n grimaced, “Oscar, stop talking like you’re some well educated physician. It’s freaking me out. Plus, we are very much not responsible adults. You just tried to hijack Lando’s car last night and almost crashed it into a pole because you got too excited and hit the gas pedal too hard.”

At the mention of their chaotic dinner with Lando the night before, Oscar let out a guttural laugh. He helped his girlfriend into the bathroom before closing the door, the sound of his chuckles being heard even on the other side of the door.

When she was finished and opened the door back up, Oscar pulled her into his arms again. He laid a kiss in her hair as he dragged her back to bed. Falling onto the heap of blankets, he practically forced the snack and water down her throat.

“Oscar! Oscar! I’m eating it, goddamn.” She laughed as he shoved it into her hand, wrapper somewhere on the floor from when he’d thrown it over his shoulder.

He smiled widely as she chewed, feeling uneasy as he stared at her eating a random granola bar. They passed the water to each other between sips, kisses being shared in the midst of it all as Oscar sidled up next to her.

He lightly pushed her back down to a lying position, tugging her into his side before pulling the comforter over them. Her head stuffed into the crook of his neck, Oscar laid kisses in her hair. His hands ran up and down her back as he started mindlessly talking to her, “Do you know how beautiful you are? I mean, seriously, when I first introduced you to Lando, he pulled me aside and asked how I had managed to even get your number in the first place. It’s cheesy and you’ve probably heard it from guys millions of times before, but I genuinely don’t think I have seen anyone more beautiful than you. I don’t even think words can describe how beautiful I think you are.”

He felt warmth against his neck. He smiled at the blushing she was enduring in the midst of his words, “I don’t care how many times you try to argue me on this. I will never let you win. You’re just… I don’t know. I just love you a lot.”

Y/n pecked his neck in a kiss, “I love you too.”

Oscar shook his head, “Nah, nah, nah, but I love you more.”

Y/n scoffed, “Oscar, no-”

Oscar interrupted her, “No fucking way, Y/n. I love you more. End of discussion. There is absolutely no way anyone could love anything more than I love you.”

She shrugged, “Whatever helps you sleep at night, baby.”

“You help me sleep at night,” He murmured, another kiss to her hairline. She moved away from his body just enough to stare up at him.

She smiled, “You’re a great boyfriend, you know?”

Now was his turn to blush, “Yeah, yeah, whatever. You’re just, like, a goddess, so you just deserve it.”

Y/n laughed, “Osc, I’m not a goddess, but thanks.”

He kissed her sweetly, “Sure, tell that to the millions of people online who continuously ask how you ended up with me. I’m one lucky man and everyone knows it.”

#mclaren #f1 x reader #f1 fanfic #f1 imagine #f1 fic #oscar piasstri #oscar pia #oscar piastri fanfiction #oscar piastri imagines #oscar piastri fanfic #oscar piastri imagine #oscar piastri #oscar piastri fluff #oscar piastri smut #oscar piastri x reader #mclaren formula 1

[belovedspector]

Leap Year

Pairing: Jake Lockley x gn!reader (mentions of Steven Grant x gn!reader and Marc Spector x gn!reader)

Word Count: 1.3k

Summary: Jake has never celebrated his birthday. He didn’t even have a birthday, until you urged him to pick a date. Of course, he picks the most chaotic date possible.

Content: Fluff, one use of a pet name (honey)

A/N: I was thinking about the fact that it’s a leap year, and this idea sort of just came to me. I don’t have much else to say about it. Enjoy! :)

Masterlist

“When’s your birthday?” you ask out of the blue one day over dinner.

Jake pauses, forkful of pasta halfway to his mouth. Carefully, he places the fork back on his plate and says, “Don’t have one.”

“What do you mean?” you ask.

Jake shrugs. “I know Marc’s is March ninth. I didn’t exactly check the calendar on the day I first showed up.”

“What about Steven?” Your food is now totally forgotten.

“Same as me, I guess,” Jake says. He looks into the reflection of his glass, likely listening to one of his alters.

You sit there for a few moments, deep in thought. Finally, you look up at Jake. “Well, then you’ll have to pick one.”

“What?”

“You and Steven should pick your own birthdays.”

Oh, boy. Jake knows that look in your eyes, knows from the way they’re sparkling that there’s no way you’re letting this go.

“Look, I dunno—” he tries.

“Come on, it’ll be fun!” you encourage him.

Jake knows there’s no getting out of this. “Fine,” he relents, pretending to be more annoyed than he actually is. Really, he thinks your enthusiasm is adorable, and he’d do just about anything to make you happy.

You cheer. “Great! Do you want me to help you pick a date? I should have some astrology books around here somewhere—”

“Astrology?” Jake scoffs. “I don’t need astrology. I already know what date I want.”

“Oh? Which one?” You lean forward in anticipation.

“February twenty-ninth.” Jake sits back in his chair and crosses his arms, a self-satisfied smirk on his face.

“February twenty-ninth?” you repeat. “Why?”

Jake shrugs. “Why not?”

“I don’t know, I—” You sigh. “I guess there’s nothing wrong with that. I’ll put it in my calendar,” you say with a smile. “Now, we just need to find a birthday for Steven.”

“He’s already blabbing on about it.” He rolls his eyes fondly. “I think he’ll take you up on the astrology book offer.”

“Perfect!” you say. He can see the moment you get that faraway look in your eye, no doubt already analyzing which sign would match Steven best.

Seasons change, time marches on, and Jake completely forgets about the birthday conversation. Sure, Steven had made a big fuss over choosing his own date for a while, but, once that was settled, there was no need to think about the matter anymore.

So, it comes as a shock when, on a random winter day, Steven has called out of work and insisted that Jake take the body. Jake tries to argue, to get Marc on his side, but it’s no use. His alters slip deeper into the headspace, leaving Jake alone for the time being.

He notices you’re already out of bed, and it’s at that moment he hears movement coming from the kitchen. He throws on a t-shirt and sweatpants and gets up to investigate. Sure enough, there you are, singing to yourself as you stand at the stove.

Jake has spent a lifetime creeping in the shadows, so he’s gotten very good at sneaking up on people. Silently, he moves across the kitchen and wraps his arms around you from behind. You startle before laughing and leaning into the touch.

“Good morning, Jake,” you say brightly.

“Morning, honey,” he mumbles, burying his face in your neck. “What’re you doing?”

“Making pancakes.”

Jake perks up at that. “What’s the occasion?”

You laugh. “Don’t you know what today is?”

Jake thinks about it. “March first?” he tries.

“It’s a leap year, silly,” you correct him, “so it’s February twenty-ninth. Happy birthday!”

Oh, right, that.

“You didn’t have to do anything special,” Jake protests.

“Are you kidding? This is the first-ever birthday you’re celebrating. We’ve gotta make it special.”

Jake feels something warm blooming in his chest, a feeling that is occurring more and more often when he spends time with you.

You plate the now-finished pancakes—banana, his favorite—and lead him over to the kitchen table, which has already been set. You dish out the pancakes and pour two glasses of juice before joining Jake at the table.

“Is this why Steven and Marc were being weird this morning?” Jake asks as he cuts into his pancakes.

You chew thoughtfully. “Probably. I swore them to secrecy.”

Jake grunts. “Really, you didn’t have to do all this.”

“Oh, Jake,” you say with a grin, “we’re just getting started.”

Jake hates drawing attention to himself. It’s the antithesis of his being; at least, it used to be, when he was still keeping himself hidden from his alters and working for Khonshu. Now, even though he can be more present, it still makes him uncomfortable to be in the spotlight. So, being the center of attention, the “birthday boy,”  isn’t really his style.

Of course, you know all this, and you plan the day around it. There will be no impromptu singing of “Happy Birthday” by waiters and random patrons in a restaurant—not on your watch. Instead, you spend a nice, quiet day together, walking around the city like a couple of tourists. It’s a mild day, not nearly as cold as it could be, so you even get to spend some time in the park, one of Jake’s favorite spots to relax.

It’s rare for Jake to get to spend a whole day with you like this. Sure, he and his alters have figured out a pretty fair schedule, but between work and life, it doesn’t always work out. Some days, he only catches glimpses of you in the morning, and come evening you’re so tired that he practically has to carry you to bed.

On the way back to your home, you make a quick stop at a little building with a pink awning. “Lily’s Bakery,” the sign reads in looping cursive. You pop in quickly and return moments later with a matching pink box.

“What’s that?” Jake asks.

“You’ll see,” you say with a glint in your eye.

After you’ve cooked and eaten Jake’s favorite dinner, you bring out the pink box again. You tell Jake to close his eyes, and, with a little eye roll, he complies. There’s some rustling, the sound of a box opening, and the click of a lighter before you say, “Okay, open!”

Jake uncovers his eyes, and he’s shocked by the gasp that leaves him. In front of him is a chocolate chip cookie cake that you’ve added candles to. Blue letters spell out, “Happy Birthday Jake,” and there’s even a little taxi cab drawn with frosting.

“I hope this is okay,” you say quickly. “I know you’re not the biggest fan of cake…”

“Are you kidding? This is perfect,” Jake assures you, blinking back the tears in his eyes.

When you sing “Happy Birthday” to him in the comfort of your home, Marc and Steven join in from the headspace.

“Okay, blow out the candles and make a wish!” you say.

Jake doesn’t need any wishes. He already has everything he could ever want right in front of him.

“What about next year?” Jake asks as the two of you lay in bed that night.

“What do you mean?” You roll onto your side to face him.

“My birthday next year. Do we skip it?’

“Of course not,” you say. “We’ll just celebrate the day before or after.”

Jake hums.

“Is that okay?” you ask.

If you had asked Jake that a year ago, the answer would have been a flat-out “no.” He hated drawing attention to himself, hated being fussed over. He felt like he didn’t deserve it.

What a difference a year makes, though. Instead, he smiles at you and says, “That sounds nice.”

“Happy birthday, Jake,” you whisper, leaning over to kiss him softly before returning your head to the pillow. “I love you.”

By the time he murmurs back, “I love you, too,” you’re already asleep.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Please feel free to let me know what you think! Also, I have some ideas for follow-ups with Steven picking his birthday, plus celebrating Marc’s birthday, so let me know if that’s something you’d be interested in! :)

#moon knight #mcu #jake lockley #marc spector #steven grant #marc spector x reader #steven grant x reader #x reader #jace writes #jake lockley x reader #just realized i managed to spell lockley wrong in the tags whoops

[desperate-gay]

leah being boyfriend leah (cause we al love boyfriend leah) and trying to get the reader to take her medicine AND then BOOM teammates walk in (specify if you like) and like nobody knew they were together they though like FRIENDS

HAVE FUNN ILYYY DOMESTIC

Medicine

Leah Williamson x fem!reader

It was the time of year when the weather started to shift a little and everybody got sick. You, of course, are one of those lucky participants. This morning you woke up congested with a pounding headache, and your girlfriend took quick notice of this.

And here you are, still in bed arguing with Leah that you are perfectly fine. She stands at the end of the bed in a tank top with her arms crossed over her chest, giving you a look.

“Baby, I’m fine.” You assure her, yet you still remain in bed with the covers resting over your body. Your girlfriend has noticed you kicking and pulling the blankets up constantly through the night and morning, most likely because you have a cold and you’re experiencing temperature fluctuations. But you being you, you are too stubborn to let her know she’s right.

“I will give you €20 and I will leave you alone if you close your mouth and breathe through your nose.”

You squint your eyes at her, knowing where she is getting at. The chances if you do follow through with it, you’ll either suffocate or you will get proven wrong. Her eyebrows are raised, waiting for you to do something. You shake your head and get up out of bed.

“I gotta pee.”

Leah rolls her eyes at your obvious attempt to avoid the situation. “Would you stop being so bloody stubborn and just admit you are sick!” She shouts over the closed bathroom door. After a few seconds, she hears the toilet flush and the door open. You step out for just a second and give her a pointed look.

“I am not sick.”

Turning around, you make your way back into the bathroom to brush your teeth. “It’s not a bad thing you know. It happens to you almost every year.” Leah follows you, demanding that you give up on your front.

“Well lucky for me, it’s not happening this year.” Your words are muffled by your frothy mouth, but Leah understands every syllable. She sits on the standing tub and just stares at you through the mirror.

Once you’re done, you wipe your mouth with a rag and turn your body to look at the blonde. You place your hands on the counter behind you and look back at her. Finally, she stands up and puts her hands up in surrender.

“Fine. Then I guess you wouldn’t mind on Mills and Rach comin’ over, would ya?” Leah was already walking out of the bathroom, too ahead to see your eyes widening. Of course, you love the two but together? Together they are chaotic. And that would just add more pressure to your head, but you have to act like you’re excited to see them or Leah will question why you don’t want them over. While walking away, the blonde has a smug smile etched on her face, knowing exactly what she’s doing. She just wants you to admit that you’re feeling under the weather so she can wrap you up and take care of you.

“That sounds great, baby!” Her smile drops at your reply, and little does she know, so does yours.

—

A couple of hours later, both you and Leah lay on the couch, snuggled up in a blanket, watching Brooklyn 99. Your head leans on her shoulder while her arm is wrapped over yours, her hand rubbing up and down your arms, keeping you close. You feel a tickle in your throat and you bring up your fist to try and muffle your cough, but Leah notices your body jerking.

“Alright, that’s enough. I’m getting you some medicine.” She gets up from the sofa and heads toward your bedroom to get the cold medicine.

She returns to the living room with a spoon in one hand and a bottle in the other, making your eyes pop out of your head. “Leah, I am okay-“

“No, you’re not, and you are going to take this medicine right now.” Her voice is stern as she pours the syrup on the metal. You bounce up and start to make a run for it. “Y/n, I swear to god!” She places the spoon gently on the table and runs to find you.

As Leah is chasing you around the house, the door opens revealing Millie and Rachel with a few treats in their hands. They’re about to call out for the both of you before they are cut off by you sprinting past them, Leah hot on your trail.

“You will never catch me!”

“I will force this down your throat and you will take it!”

Both of the guests' eyes widen and they look at each other, Millie mouthing a wow as Rachel nods in agreement. They hear a huge thump along with a few screams.

“Get off of me!” Leah had somehow tricked you and hid herself in a corner where you were running past, giving her a chance to tackle you to the ground. Her legs clutch together your legs while her arms pin yours to the wooden floor.

“Millie, Rachel! Get me the syrup from the table, now!”

“Don’t listen to her, you guys!”

The two cluelessly drop the snacks and grab the medicine to give to Leah. When they come into the kitchen, they quickly hand the defender the spoon and bottle and back away, seeing you struggle underneath her. You gasp and look at the two.

“Traitors.”

Leah moves up so her knees are pinning your arms, leaving her hands free to gather what she needs. You continue to move your legs, hoping she might spill and give up, but much to your dismay, she has a steady ground. Millie and Rachel have already made their way to the living room to find something to watch so they can eat their food.

Your girlfriend pours the red liquid onto the spoon and starts to move it towards your mouth. You continuously shake your head back and forth, making it almost impossible to make it in your mouth, but the blonde uses her other free hand to grab your jaw and hold it in its place.

“Baby, please. We- we can talk about this.” You try and reason, but she just shakes her head with a smirk on her face.

“Nuh uh, now open wide, doll.” Her hand squeezes your cheeks, causing your jaw to slack open. The cold metal clanks against your teeth as the cherry syrup glides its way down your throat. You squeeze your eyes in disgust, hoping for the taste to go away as soon as possible. “See that wasn’t that bad.” Leah smiles when you open your eyes and leans down to place a chaste kiss on your lips.

Your tongue hangs out in disgust to show that it really was that bad. Your girlfriend rolls her eyes and gets off of you, offering you a hand which you take. The two of you walk into the living room to see Millie and Rach laughing at what seems to be the movie Grown Ups on the TV.

“Hello there, love birds!” Rachel says with a laugh. Leah places her arm over your shoulder and chuckles at your pouting face. She brings you back to the sofa to resume the position you were in not too long ago.

—

By nighttime, the duo left, leaving you and your girlfriend in the house alone. Your headache had luckily gone away, but your nose was still clogged, you constantly felt like you had to cough, and your hearing felt muffled.

Once in bed, you cuddle up to Leah with your head on her chest and her arm wrapped around you. Her eyes are closed but yours are still open.

“Baby?”

“Hmm?”

“I think I’m sick.”

With her eyes still closed, she laughs at your final admission and kisses you on the forehead, pulling you closer to her.

#leah williamson x reader #woso x reader #leah being bf #bf leah williamson #leah williamson #woso #lgbtq

[doctorbitchcrxft]

Bloody Mary | Supernatural Series Rewrite | Dean Winchester x Reader

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader (Eventual)

Warnings: canon violence, canon gore, mentions/descriptions of parental death, implication of suicide (take care of yourselves, my loves)

Word Count: 6379

A/N: Happy Saturday! Asks/Taglists are open!!

Series Rewrite Masterlist

You and Dean hadn’t talked much since the events on the plane. In fact, the two of you barely looked at each other anymore. Not out of disgust, your stomach just fluttered every time you caught a glimpse of him for reasons you couldn’t explain. You didn’t exactly like him, but you definitely didn’t hate him, either. In fact, your most recent journal drawing had been of your hand wrapped in Dean’s. You smiled at the memory.

Sam slept in the front seat while Dean drove the three of you to Toledo, Ohio. You had actually been the one to find this case. Steven Shoemaker’s eyes had bled when he died. According to his obituary, his death had been swift. He was much too young to have had a stroke or an aneurysm, and seemed to be in good health. Therefore, you concluded this was your kind of gig. 

Sam began to stir, catching your attention. You straightened in your seat as the Impala came to a halt in front of a large hospital complex. Sam’s stirring and whimpering was getting worse by the second.

Dean shook his brother. “Sam, wake up.”

He bolted straight up, confused, taking both you and Dean by surprise. After taking a second to catch his breath, he said, “I take it I was having a nightmare.”

“Yeah, another one,” Dean reminded him.

“Hey, at least I got some sleep.” Sam’s faux optimism caused you to shake your head. 

“You know, sooner or later we're gonna have to talk about this.” 

Apparently, Sam was choosing the latter. “Are we here?” he asked.

Dean was happy to drop the subject, too. “Yup. Welcome to Toledo, Ohio.”

The three of you began to approach the morgue wing of the hospital. You noticed Sam was holding the newspaper you’d circled Mr. Shoemaker’s death in. “So what do you think really happened to this guy?”

“That's what we're gonna find out. Ladies first,” you joked, holding the door to the first floor of the hospital open for the brothers. 

After making your way through the labyrinth of hallways, you found the dimly lit and vacated morgue. In the large room were two desks. One was labeled with a nameplate for Dr. D. Feiklowicz with neatly stacked packets, files, and books atop it. The other was a chaotic mess of stray papers labeled “Morgue Technician.”

“Can I help you?” he asked.

“Yeah. We're the, uh, med students,” Dean responded.

“Sorry?” the morgue tech asked.

“Oh, Doctor—” Dean gave his best shot at the name, “—Figlavitch didn't tell you? We talked to him on the phone. He— uh, we're from Ohio State. He's supposed to show us the Shoemaker corpse. It's for our paper.”

“Well, I'm sorry, he's at lunch.” The morgue tech was smug, snarky, and clearly lacked people skills.

‘No wonder they have him locked up down here,’ you thought.

Dean changed course. “Oh, well, he said, uh— oh, well, you know, it doesn't matter. You don't mind just showing us the body, do you?”

“Sorry, I can't.” The morgue tech gave a tight-lipped smile. “Doc will be back in an hour. You can wait for him if you want.”

“An hour? Ooh. We gotta be heading back to Columbus by then,” Dean tried. “Uh, look, man, this paper's like half our grade, so if you don't mind helping us out—”

“Uh, look, man,” the technician mocked, “No.”

Dean laughed a little and turned around, mumbling. “I'm gonna hit him in his face I swear.”

You took the opportunity to try a different tactic. You leaned down on the morgue technician’s desk, doing your best to take advantage of the fact that he probably has had little contact with women. “Please?” you asked innocently. “These guys are my tutors. I’m really struggling in this class, and I just—” you bit your lip, “—I really need a good grade on this paper.” You used your arms to push your breasts together. “Please?” 

You could tell you had him on the ropes. “Uh…” He couldn’t tear his eyes away from your cleavage. He cleared his throat. “I, uh, I guess I could do that for you.”

You smiled innocently. “Thank you so much.”

He began leading the three of you into an attached room to where the bodies were stored for autopsies. You turned around and winked at the boys with a smug smile. Dean rolled his eyes.

The morgue technician pulled the rack Steven Shoemaker’s corpse rested on out from the wall of stainless steel cells.

“Now the newspaper said his daughter found him. She said his eyes were bleeding,” Sam said.

The technician pulled the sheet back from over Steven’s face. “More than that. They practically liquefied.” The poor man’s eye sockets were still bloody, and they hadn’t yet been sewn shut. You could see the dried blood peeking out from under his partially-closed eyes. 

“Any sign of a struggle? Maybe somebody did it to him?” Dean suggested.

“Nope. Besides the daughter, he was all alone,” the technician answered.

“What's the official cause of death?” Sam asked.

“Ah, Doc's not sure. He's thinking massive stroke, maybe an aneurysm? Something burst up in there, that's for sure.”

‘Nope, he’s way too young and in much too good health for that to have been the cause,’ you thought, but kept the thought at bay.

“What do you mean?” you asked. You didn’t like playing dumb, but with this guy, it was necessary. 

“Intense cerebral bleeding. This guy had more blood in his skull than anyone I've ever seen,” the tech answered. Although, he was more responding to your boobs than to your face. You fought the urge to snap in front of his face and get his eyes back on target. 

“The eyes?” Sam asked. “What would cause something like that?”

“Capillaries can burst. See a lot of bloodshot eyes with stroke victims,” the morgue tech shrugged.

Dean’s tone was still aggravated with the guy. “Yeah? You ever see exploding eyeballs?”

“That's a first for me, but hey, I'm not the doctor.”

“Hey, think we could take a look at that police report? You know for, uh...our paper.”

“I'm not really supposed to show you that.” The technician looked back at you.

You suppressed the bile rising in your throat. Before you could do anything else, Dean stepped in front of you and pulled out his wallet. He shoved two twenties at him, hoping that would be enough. You could see the technician deflate, but accepted the money anyway.

Dean’s actions puzzled you. But you would be lying if you said your heart didn’t flutter at the thought of him doing it out of protectiveness of you. 

When you had finished looking over the police report, the three of you began making your way out of the building. 

“Might not be one of ours. Might just be some freak medical thing,” Sam suggested after having seen the report. 

“How many times in Dad's long and varied career has it actually been a freak medical thing and not some sign of an awful supernatural death?” Dean replied. 

“Uh, almost never.”

“Exactly.”

“Alright, let's go talk to the daughter.” Sam started picking up his pace out of the building. You were happy to see him getting his mind off Jessica and back into the job.

“Wait, Dean.” You grabbed his arm lightly before he could catch up to his brother.

He turned to face you. 

“Why’d you do that?” you asked. 

“Do what?” He furrowed his brow.

“Give the morgue tech your hard-earned poker money,” you half-smiled. 

“I just didn’t wanna watch you prostitute yourself for information,” he replied gruffly, turning away from you. 

You took offense. “Hey, I was not—”

He turned back to you and brushed a hand over his hair. “You’re right, you werent.” He paused again, and his voice came back quiet. “I just didn’t like the way he was looking at you, ‘s all.”

Your heart swelled in your chest and your cheeks began to heat up. “Thanks, by the way,” you said as you continued walking. You nudged his shoulder with yours. “You’re going soft on me, Winchester.”

***

When you arrived at the Shoemaker house, you hadn’t expected to be in the midst of the funeral gathering. If you did, you would’ve dressed more appropriately. Given this fact, you felt slightly awkward when you knocked on the door. A man let you in and pointed you toward the backyard and the two daughters of Steven Shoemaker.

The two sisters were sitting with two blonde girls near the firepit. Dean addressed the older, dark-haired girl. “You must be Donna, right?”

“Yeah,” the girl responded.

“Hi, uh, we're really sorry,” Sam lamented.

“Thank you.”

“I'm Sam, this is Dean and (Y/N). We worked with your dad.”

The girl looked at her friend before looking back at your trio. “You did?” She seemed surprised. 

“Yeah. This whole thing. I mean, a stroke…” Sam trailed off.

“I don't think she really wants to talk about this right now,” one of Donna’s pretty blonde friends spoke up. 

“It's okay. I'm okay,” she assured her friend. 

“Were there any symptoms? Dizziness? Migraines?” Dean asked.

Donna shook her head. “No.”

The younger sister, who looked to be about twelve, turned around. “That's because it wasn't a stroke.”

You were intrigued.

“Lily, don't say that,” her sister urged her.

“What do you mean?” you asked the young girl.

“I'm sorry, she's just upset,” her sister responded for her.

“No,” Lily wasn’t having it. “It happened because of me.”

Donna placed a hand on her shoulder. “Sweetie, it didn't.”

You got down on Lily’s eye level. “Why would you say that?”

“Right before he died, I said it,” she said softly.

“Said what?”

She lowered her voice even more. “Bloody Mary, three times in the bathroom mirror. She took his eyes, that's what she does.”

Donna interrupted. “That's not why Dad died. This isn't your fault.”

“I think your sister's right, Lily,” Dean broke in. “There's no way it could have been Bloody Mary. Your dad didn't say it, did he?”

Lily tried to take this in. She shook her head. 

“Exactly,” you told her. “I’m sorry, we weren’t trying to upset you. We’ll just be leaving.” You pulled the boys away from Donna’s group and went back into the house. Making sure no one saw you three, you crept upstairs to the bathroom where Mr. Shoemaker passed away. 

Sam pushed the door open, and you noticed some dried blood still on the floor. “The Bloody Mary legend. Dad ever find any evidence that it was a real thing?”

“Not that I know of,” Dean replied. He walked ahead of Sam into the bathroom. 

Sam stooped to the floor and touched the dried blood. “I mean, everywhere else all over the country, kids will play Bloody Mary, and as far as we know, nobody dies from it.”

“Yeah, but maybe it’s fine everywhere else, but not here,” you suggested.

“The place where the legend began?” Sam tried.

You shrugged as Dean opened the medicine cabinet. 

“But according to the legend, the person who says B—” you stopped yourself and noticed your reflection in the medicine cabinet’s mirror. “You know what is the one that dies. But here—”

“Shoemaker gets it instead, yeah,” Dean finished for you.

Sam rose from the floor. “Right.”

“Never heard anything like that before. Still, the guy did die right in front of the mirror, and the daughter's right. The way the legend goes, you-know-who scratches your eyes out.”

You considered Dean’s words for a moment. “It's worth checking in to.” You went to leave the bathroom when you noticed one of Donna’s pretty blonde friends approaching you.

“What are you doing up here?” she asked. 

“We— We had to go to the bathroom,” you answered, not believing yourself.

“Who are you?” the girl pressed further.

Dean stepped closer to you from behind. “Like we said downstairs, we worked with Donna's dad.”

She shook her head with scrunched eyebrows. “He was a day trader or something. He worked by himself.”

“No, I know, I meant—” 

She cut Dean off. “And all those weird questions downstairs, what was that? So you tell me what's going on, or I start screaming.”

Sam put a hand up to calm her. “Alright, alright, we think something happened to Donna's dad.”

The blonde looked at you three like you were stupid. “Yeah, a stroke.”

“I don’t think so,” you argued. “He was pretty young to be having a stroke. His eyes wouldn’t have liquified if he’d had a stroke. I think it might be something else.”

She scoffed and crossed her arms. “Like what?’

“Honestly? We don't know yet. But we don't want it to happen to anyone else. That's the truth,” Sam responded.

“So, if you're gonna scream, go right ahead,” Dean snarked.

“Who are you, cops?” she asked, her brows still furrowed.

“Something like that,” you shrugged.

“I'll tell you what. Here.” Sam took a piece of paper and a pen out of his jacket pocket and wrote his phone number down. “If you think of anything, you or your friends notice anything strange, out of the ordinary, just give us a call.” He handed her the piece of paper before leading you and Dean down the hallway.

Your next stop was the public library. 

“Alright, say Bloody Mary really is haunting this town,” Dean began. “There's gonna be some sort of proof— Like a local woman who died nasty.”

“Yeah, but this is hard. The legend is unbelievably widespread with hundreds of different versions of who she actually is,” you rebutted. “One story says she's a witch, another says she's a mutilated bride, there's a lot more.”

“Okay, then, so what are we supposed to be looking for?” Dean asked you.

Sam answered. “Every version's got a few things in common. It's always a woman named Mary, and she always dies right in front of a mirror. So we've gotta search local newspapers, public records as far back as they go. See if we can find a Mary who fits the bill.”

“Well, that sounds annoying,” the older brother commented. 

“No, it won't be so bad,” Sam replied, “As long as we…”

You cleared your throat, gesturing to the only two computers in the library that had “Out of Order” signs on them. 

Sam chuckled humorlessly. “I take it back. This will be very annoying.”

The three of you picked up boxes of the town’s newspapers and numerous books of Toledo’s public records and brought them back to Sam and Dean’s motel room. 

You were beginning to go cross-eyed after reading for so long. Minutes turned into hours. Dean was sitting in a chair, you were sprawled across the floor with papers and books scattered around you, and Sam eventually fell asleep.

You stood up to stretch your legs and noticed his closed eyes. “Poor fella,” you said quietly. “How’s he been sleeping?”

“How d’you think?” Dean responded, eyes never leaving his book.

You nodded. “That’s what I was afraid of.”

“Maybe we should get him to take something,” you suggested.

Dean chuckled. “He won’t do it.”

“Is it just because I’m suggesting it that you’re saying that, or do you really think he won’t take it?” you countered.

He gave you a deadpan expression. 

“You Winchesters are just about the most stubborn people I’ve ever met in my life. Including your dad,” you jested. You heard Dean chuckle a little, too.

“And I wanted to tell you,” you started, “I understand why you’d suspect me in your dad’s disappearance.”

He looked away from his book and over at you. “What do you mean?”

“What you said back in Colorado? The Wendigo case? I get it.”

Dean raised an eyebrow. “You’re still on that?”

“I mean, yeah, that was just about the most heated fight we’ve had. It kinda stuck with me,” you answered honestly, looking down at your stripey-sock-covered feet. “Anyway, I just wanted you to know that I understand.”

A moment passed silently.

“And I, um—” you took a deep breath, “I want you to trust me.” You looked back at Dean who was studying you carefully.

The tense moment was interrupted by Sam jolting awake in his bed. “Why'd you let me fall asleep?”

“Cause I'm an awesome brother.” Dean’s attention was back on his book. “So what did you dream about?”

“Lollipops and candy canes,” the younger brother responded hazily while staring up at the ceiling.

You laughed humorlessly.

“Did you guys find anything?” Sam asked.

“Oh, besides a whole new level of frustration?” Dean responded sarcastically. “No. I've looked at everything. A few local women, a Laura and a Catherine committed suicide in front of a mirror—”

“And a giant mirror fell on a guy named Dave—” you chimed in.

“But no Mary,” Dean finished for you.

“Maybe we just haven't found it yet,” Sam tried.

“I've also been searching for strange deaths in the area, you know… eyeball bleeding, that sort of thing. There's nothing. Whatever's happening here, maybe it just ain't Mary,” Dean said.

Sam’s phone rang just as his brother finished talking. “Hello?” A look of concern crossed his face. He was trying to calm whoever it was on the other end down.

You waited until he got off the phone to bombard him with questions. “What? What happened?”

“Charlie,” he told you. “Her friend’s dead.”

***

Charlie sobbed as she relayed the story of what happened to her friend Jill. “And they found her on the bathroom floor. And her— her eyes. They were gone.”

You had met her in a park not an hour after she had called Sam.

“I'm sorry,” the latter responded.

“And she said it,” Charlie told you. “I heard her say it. But it couldn't be because of that. I'm insane, right?”

“No, you're not insane,” you said.

“Oh, god, that makes me feel so much worse.” You feared that might be the case.

Sam was honest with her. “Look. We think something's happening here. Something that can't be explained.”

“And we're gonna stop it,” Dean assured Charlie, “but we could use your help.”

You knew exactly where Dean was going with this. And thankfully, Charlie obliged. She snuck you and the boys into Jill’s room through the window. Dean and Sam gave you a boost into the second story room before throwing up Dean’s duffel bag.

“What did you tell Jill's mom?” you asked Charlie.

“Just that I needed some time alone with Jill's pictures and things,” she replied simply. “I hate lying to her.”

You heard someone closing the blinds and curtains behind you. “Trust us, this is for the greater good. Hit the lights,” Dean instructed her.

She obeyed but asked, “What are you guys looking for?”

“We'll let you know as soon as we find it,” the older brother responded.

Sam handed you a digital camera. “Hey, night vision!” You turned it on. You aimed the camera at Dean.

“Do I look like Paris Hilton?” he asked.

You rolled your eyes, suppressing an amused smile. You walked over to Jill’s closet door and began filming the mirror on it. 

“So I don't get it,” Sam began. “I mean, the first victim didn't summon Mary, and the second victim did. How's she choosing them?”

You shrugged. 

“Beats me,” Dean answered. “I want to know why Jill said it in the first place.”

“It was just a joke,” Charlie replied.

“Yeah, well somebody's gonna say it again, it's just a matter of time.”

You had made your way over to the bathroom and filmed around the mirror. You stopped when you noticed a trickle of something running from behind it. “Hey, Sam?”

“Yeah?” He came over to you. 

“Look at this.” You showed him the substance oozing from behind the mirror.

Sam looked to his brother. “There's a black light in the trunk, right?” 

While Dean left to get the light, you and Sam pulled the mirror off the wall. When Dean returned, you could see a handprint and the name “Gary Bryman” illuminated by the black light. 

“Gary Bryman?” Charlie asked.

You looked up at her. “You know who that is?”

She shook her head. “No.”

You learned from Sam’s research and Charlie that Jill had killed Gary Bryman, an eight-year-old boy, in a hit and run accident. Dean then decided you needed to return to Donna’s house. When you pulled the medicine cabinet mirror off the wall, sure enough, there was another handprint and the name “Linda Shoemaker.” You learned from Donna that her mother had overdosed on sleeping pills. You had left Charlie at Donna’s house to comfort her friend after you and the boys had upset her with your questions about her mother’s death. 

You then traveled to Fort Wayne, Indiana to investigate the death of a woman named Mary Worthington. She had died the same way these victims were; bleeding from the sockets where her eyes used to be. You spoke to the detective who was the lead on her case. He believed she spent her last moments trying to expose her killer she was having an affair with. She went as far as to start spelling out the name of her killer in her own blood on the back of her mirror. She only got to the third letter of her killer’s name before passing away. It made complete sense to you that her spirit would spend its time exposing the secrets of other murderers. Mary Worthington’s body had been cremated, but the mirror she wrote on had been returned to her family. Now, you and the boys were trying to track down where that mirror had ended up. 

“Oh really?” Sam responded to the man on the phone. “Ah, that's too bad Mr. Worthington. I would have paid a lot for that mirror… Okay, well maybe next time… Alright, thanks.” He hung up.

“So?” you asked.

“So that was Mary's brother,” he informed you. “The mirror was in the family for years, until he sold it one week ago to a store called Estate Antiques. A store in Toledo.”

Dean momentarily looked away from the road to his brother. “So wherever the mirror goes, that's where Mary goes?” 

“Her spirit's definitely tied up with it somehow,” Sam responded.

“Isn't there an old superstition that says mirrors can capture spirits?” you chimed in.

“Yeah, there is. Yeah, when someone would die in a house people would cover up the mirrors so the ghost wouldn't get trapped.”

Dean connected the dots. “So Mary dies in front of a mirror, and it draws in her spirit.”

“Yeah, but how could she move through like a hundred different mirrors?” you challenged.

“I don't know, but if the mirror is the source, I say we find it and smash it.”

“Yeah, I don't know, maybe,” Sam sighed. His phone rang. “Hello?... Charlie?”

***

You and the boys picked up Charlie and brought her to the motel you were staying in. You and the Winchesters were busying yourselves with covering every reflective surface in Sam and Dean’s room with sheets, blankets, jackets; anything. Charlie’s gorgeous blonde hair was knotted and messy, her eyes were puffy from crying but remained closed, and her knees were drawn into her chest. 

Sam sat on the bed next to Charlie. “Hey, hey, it's ok. Hey, you can open up your eyes Charlie. It's okay, alright?”

She looked up slowly. 

“Now listen,” he began softly. “You're gonna stay right here on this bed, and you're not gonna look at glass, or anything else that has a reflection, okay? And as long as you do that, she cannot get you.”

“But I can't keep that up forever. I'm gonna die, aren't I?” Charlie’s voice trembled.

“No. No. Not anytime soon,” the brunet assured her. 

You sat on the floor in front of her and put a hand on her knee. “We need to know what happened, babe.”

“We were in the bathroom.” Her eyes brimmed with tears again. “Donna said it.”

“That's not what we're talking about,” Dean stated. There was something dark behind his tone. “Something happened, didn't it? In your life— .a secret— where someone got hurt. Can you tell us about it?”

The tears were flowing from her eyes now. “I had this boyfriend. I loved him. But he kind of scared me too, you know? And one night, at his house, we got in this fight. Then I broke up with him, and he got upset, and he said he needed me and he loved me, and he said "Charlie, if you walk out that door right now, I'm gonna kill myself." And you know what I said? I said "Go ahead." And I left. How could I say that? How could I leave him like that? I just...I didn't believe him, you know? I should have.” She pulled her knees back to her chest and buried her face between them. 

You felt completely horrible for her. But there was no time for a therapy session because you and the boys were off to that Toledo antique store where Mary’s mirror was being kept.

Dean sped down the road despite the pouring rain which you deeply wanted to protest against. You remained silent anyway.

“You know, her boyfriend killing himself, that's not really Charlie's fault.” Dean broke the silence.

“You know spirits don't exactly see shades of gray, Dean. Charlie had a secret, somebody died, and that's good enough for Mary,” you told him.

“I guess,” he shrugged.

“You know, I've been thinking. It might not be enough to just smash that mirror,” Sam chimed in.

Dean turned his head to his brother. “Why, what do you mean?”

“Well, Mary's hard to pin down, right? I mean she moves around from mirror to mirror, so who's to say that she's not just gonna keep hiding in them forever? So maybe we should try to pin her down, you know, summon her to her mirror and then smash it.”

“Well, how do you know that's going to work?” Dean asked. 

Sam shook his head. “I don't; not for sure.”

“Well who's gonna summon her?” his brother’s tone got a little panicked.

“I will. She'll come after me,” Sam replied solemnly.

“You know what, that's it.” Dean pulled over to the side of the road. “This is about Jessica, isn't it? You think that's your dirty little secret that you killed her somehow? Sam, this has got to stop, man. I mean, the nightmares and calling her name out in the middle of the night— it's gonna kill you. Now, listen to me, it wasn't your fault. If you wanna blame something, then blame the thing that killed her. Or hell, why don't you take a swing at me? I mean I'm the one that dragged you away from her in the first place.”

“I don't blame you.” Sam’s voice cracked.

“Well, you shouldn't blame yourself, because there's nothing you could've done,” Dean responded sharply.

Sam tried to shake his emotion away. “I could've warned her.”

“About what? You didn't know what was gonna happen! And besides, all of this isn't a secret, I mean I know all about it. It's not gonna work with Mary anyway,” Dean said.

“No you don't,” was all Sam could muster.

“I don't what?” 

“You don't know all about it. I haven't told you everything.”

You had been trying to stay out of it, but couldn’t hold it back anymore. “What are you talking about?”

“Well, it wouldn't really be a secret if I told you, would it?” 

You and Dean were taken aback. “No. I don't like it. It's not gonna happen, forget it.” 

“Guys, that girl back there is going to die unless we do something about it. And you know what? Who knows how many more people are gonna die after that? Now we're doing this. You've got to let me do this.”

Dean gripped the steering wheel, clenched his jaw, and pulled back out onto the road. The air was heavy and tense in the car. You sat back in your chair with your arms crossed over your chest. No one spoke for the rest of the drive.

When you reached the shop, you picked the lock on the door to reveal dozens of mirrors. 

“Well, that's just great,” Dean grumbled. He pulled out the picture you’d gotten from the detective in Indiana of Mary’s body next to the mirror. “Alright, let's start looking.”

The three of you split up. You were an incredibly detail-oriented person, but even still, all of the mirrors seemed the same to you. 

“Maybe they've already sold it,” Dean called from across the room.

Your flashlight came to rest on a mirror you could swear you’d seen before. “I don't think so. C’mere, Dean.”

He came over to you and held up the photo to the mirror. And sure enough, it was a match. 

“You sure about this?” Dean asked his brother. 

Sam nodded and handed you his flashlight. Taking a deep breath, he says, “Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary.”

You whipped your head in the direction of a light coming through the store.

“I'll go check that out. Stay here, be careful,” Dean ordered. “Smash anything that moves.” He crawled away from you and you heard him distantly say, “Crap.”

You paid no mind to Dean as you tightened your grip on the crowbar. 

You heard a whooshing sound behind you and wheeled around. In the mirror was Mary. You sprang to action and smashed your crowbar through the dead center of it. 

You could hear a distorted version of Sam’s voice coming from behind you, but before you could aid him, your own reflection caught your attention. It wasn’t quite syncing with your movements; instead looking at you menacingly. 

Before you could move to hit it, you felt an insane pressure coming from behind your eyes, your throat constricted, and blood began to ooze down your face. 

“You can’t keep running, (Y/N),” your reflection told you. “How could you? How could you be so careless?”

The blood dripping from your eyes began to mix with your tears. You didn’t have enough breath to protest. You began to sink to the floor, the crowbar clanging to the ground.

“It’s your fault that they’re gone. Why didn’t you try harder? Why didn’t you fight to keep them alive? Why did you have to kill them? Your guilt should eat you alive. You don’t deserve another family. You know you don’t deserve to be happy again. You know your recklessness will get these boys killed, too. You are so selfish! And your brother! If you hadn’t done what you did, he would still be alive, too. You are worthless. All you bring is death and—” 

The pressure around your throat released when Dean’s crowbar went through the mirror. He barely spared you a second look before going over to his brother. 

“Sam, Sammy!” you heard from behind you. 

You clutched at your throat and began to cry. You knew Dean had turned cold once more because he heard what your reflection said.

Sam groaned in pain as you saw Dean shouldering his brother and pulling him toward the exit of the shop. 

“C’mon, (Y/N),” Sam urged you. 

You shakily stood and did your best to follow the brothers out. Your dizziness caused you to fall back down to the ground on top of shards of glass, making you yelp as they pierced your hands. 

“Help her, Dean!” you heard Sam demand. 

Dean came to your side, clearly in no hurry, and cradled you in his arms. Before he could get anymore than two steps, you noticed Mary crawling out of the frame of her original mirror. Her dark hair was matted and fell in front of her face. Her dress was tattered, and her limbs moved in an inhuman manner; cracking with every movement. You and Dean were sent flying across the floor toward Sam, and the bleeding of your eyes started again.

You looked to the mirror inches from your head. Despite your weakness, you forced yourself to grab it and turn its face toward Mary.

“You killed them!” you heard her reflection cry. “All those people! You killed them!” Mary started choking just as you had and then melted into a pool of blood on the ground. You threw the mirror you’d been holding and shattered it completely.

You dropped your head back to the floor.

“Hey Sam?” you heard Dean say.

“Yeah?”

“This has got to be like,what, six hundred years of bad luck?” the older brother joked. 

Sam chuckled weakly. You couldn’t even muster up a laugh due to the bile rising in your throat. Memories were eating away at you, and the fact that Dean had heard your reflection was only adding to your anxiety. Your breath began to quicken, but you did your best to soothe yourself.

“(Y/N).” Sam drew you out of your trance. “Can you stand?” 

You tried your best to, but couldn’t. Dean squatted down next to you. “C’mon.” He motioned for you to let him carry you. You complied. You looked up at his chiseled face. You swore he was handcrafted by the gods; perhaps Adonis himself. Your hazy mind couldn’t focus on anything aside from his beautiful green eyes. You had so much to say to him about what he’d heard. You knew he didn’t think highly of you, but your relationship had begun to get better. You didn’t want, well, you, to ruin it all now. 

“Dean, I—” you started.

He cut you off. “We’ll talk later,” he said gruffly. Despite his cold and guarded tone, he put you down gently in the back of the Impala.

You ended up falling asleep in the back of the Impala. When you next awoke, you had been tucked into your bed in the motel. Your boots had been discarded, your jacket had been removed, and your key that you kept in your jacket pocket was now on the nightstand beside you. The gesture was sweet, but your mind immediately started reeling about the conversation you needed to have with Dean. 

You checked the clock; it was ten in the morning. You were surprised how late you had slept, and figured the boys had dropped Charlie off; potentially had even left town without you. Your anxiety getting the best of you, you rushed over to their door. Dean opened it when you knocked.

“Hey,” you breathed.

“Hey,” he echoed.

“Can we talk?”

He nodded. 

You led Dean back to your room. You sat cross-legged on your bed and Dean chose the chair across from you.

“Okay, um,” you sighed. “What do you want to know?”

“Who’d you kill, (Y/N)?” came his straightforward and dry response. “Why did it say you’d get us killed, too?”

You looked down at the floor, the tears beginning to well up in your waterline. “I wanna tell you, I just—”

“Look at me.” His voice was firm.

You did.

“I need to know.”

You took a deep breath. “When I was eighteen, I was coming back home from one of my first solo hunts. My dad had sent me to take out a vampire nest on the edge of the town we were staying in. There were only three vamps there at the time. I got so excited that I had nuked them all, I didn’t account for the fact that all three of them seemed like newbies. I didn’t… register, I guess, that one or more was probably missing.” You averted his gaze, struggling to keep your voice level. “And so, I left. I went back to the house we were squatting in, and, um, one of them followed me.” Tears began to roll down your cheeks.

“Sweetheart, that’s not your—”

You shook your head. “It is. He turned them, Dean. He turned my mom and my dad. I— I had no choice. I had to—” Your sentence was cut off by a sob, but Dean understood what you meant. You wiped a hand over your face and did your best to continue your story. “I sat with their bodies for a long time after. When my brother came back and saw what I’d done, he drew his gun on me. He, um, he wouldn’t listen. He wouldn’t let me explain. He couldn’t shoot me, though. He… He just… left. And then— And then, his best friend called me a few days later.” The tears came back. “He found my brother’s car.” You pressed a hand to your mouth. “And he was dead in it.” Broken sobs wracked your body once again. “It’s my fault that they’re gone, Dean, it’s my fault.”

You couldn’t bear to look at him. You knew how disgusted he must be with you. And then, you felt the bed dip beside you. Then, a hand on your arm. Then, he pulled you to his chest, and you melted into his embrace. Your cries still shook your body, but Dean’s strong arms held you together. He sat with you like that for a long time. 

You and the boys had decided to leave Toledo sooner rather than later after Sam told you what Dean had done to the cops in front of the antique store. Long after leaving Toledo, Dean broke the comfortable silence that had settled over the car.

“Hey Sam?”

“Yeah?”

“Now that this is all over, I want you to tell me what that secret is.”

The younger Winchester sighed. “Look, you're my brother and I'd die for you, but there are some things I need to keep to myself.”

Your eyes remained trained on Sam as he looked out the window at something you were passing by. His expression went from confused to scared to saddened, and you knew he was seeing Jessica. After all, you had no doubt your face mirrored his every time you saw your mom standing on a street corner or your dad’s bloodied body lying in your footpath. In time, you knew he would learn to live with it just as you had. 

Series Rewrite Taglist: @polireader @brightlilith @atcamillanorrman @jrizzelle @insomnia-bookworm @procrastination20 @mrs-liebgott @djs8891 @tiggytaylor @staple-your-mouth @iloveshawn @jesstherebel @rach5ive @strawberrykiwisdogog @bruhidkjustwannaread @mxltifxnd0m @sunshine-on-marz

#dean winchester x reader #dean winchester x y/n #dean winchester x you #dean x reader #dean x y/n #dean x you #dean winchester #supernatural #spn #supernatural series rewrite #spn series rewrite

[arent-i-the-fairest]

Hello! if request stilll open, i read your fic of "heated competition" i was kinda wondering what the twst boys react when reader choose the twst boys' dorm and what would be like staying in their dorm too?

ps: its okay to reject this request if this is too much author-san.

𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝟐)

author’s note : part 2 is finally here, yay~! ♡ this is probably my longest work yet. hope you enjoy, my dears!

part 1 here!

in front of you was a piece of paper— a piece of paper that had the names of all 7 dorms on it, arranged in random order.

“well, here goes nothing.” you placed your finger on a random name. “eeny, meeny, miny, moe, catch a tiger by it’s toe..”

grim watched in anticipation as your hand flicked between the dorms, sitting on the edge of his seat as the rhyme started coming to an end. you smiled as you let out that final “moe”.

“that settles it! we better go and tell our new dorm leader the news, hm?”

heartslabyul

riddle is over here acting like he expected this from the beginning when he and everyone else knows how much he didn’t. if anyone talks about how uneasy he actually was, it’ll be off with their head!

trey is really surprised— he was sure ace, deuce, and riddle’s overbearingness would have made you immediately eliminate heartslabyul as an option. he’s glad you made the choice you did though, the dorm will benefit from having another sensible person.

cater’s super excited!! new dorm mate! now come closer so he can snap a “welcome to heartslabyul” pic, he’s gotta remember this moment! he’ll send it to you later~!

ace is like riddle, except he did expect this from the beginning. while you were carrying some of your stuff to your new room, he decided to sneak attack you and threw himself on your back, making you drop all your bags— a great start to your time in the dorm.

deuce is in disbelief, you! chose!! heartslabyul! he was starting to have his doubts on if ace’s plan was really gonna work or not, but looks like it did! and him, being the great guy he is, helped you out a ton with moving in and setting your things up.

life in heartslabyul

POSITIVES : there’s never a boring day (a fancy way to say it’s always chaotic), almost always getting off the hook because turns out riddle has a serious case of favoritism towards you, getting to bake with trey, tending to all the cute animals, and of course, tea parties with everyone.

NEGATIVES : it’s hard to get some alone time, keeping up with dorm duties, ace always coming into your room uninvited, and having to do extra studying about the queen of hearts + her rules. all 810 of them.

savanaclaw

when you told leona, you were confused by his reaction— which was borderline maniacal sounding laughter. turns out he was just thinking about how hard he’s gonna make fun of vil and malleus for losing the competition.

ruggie let out a biiig sigh of relief when you told him. it was looking like you were favoring some of the other dorms over savanaclaw, you had him worried!

jack didn’t really know how to go about welcoming you. he ended up just gifted you a little cactus he grew. it’s super cute, it’s got pink flowers on it!

life in savanaclaw

POSITIVES : following jack on his daily runs, helping out ruggie with chores or whatever else he might need help with, hanging out with leona in his room, and being able to do just about whatever you want as long as it doesn’t cause trouble!

NEGATIVES : it’s overbearingly hot, lowkey smells like sweat 24/7, and most of the residents are hotheads. and very strong. which is a dangerous combo— so you have to be careful to not piss them off, and if you do, you gotta run. or you could take them on if you’re just built like that!

octavinelle

looks like azul has a new employee! you’re thrown into action right away, he’s showing you all the ins and outs of working at mostro lounge— and bam, you’re in uniform serving people fancy drinks. welcome to octavinelle!

jade is very pleased, promising that you won’t regret your choice. which you may or may not. he’s just excited to see how long it takes until a catastrophe strikes.

it’s hard to shake off floyd after he found out you were joining his dorm. you’re just tryna do your job, serving orders, but floyd wants to get you to follow him around the dorm so he can show you all the neat things about it. eventually you cave in, let’s hope you’re back before azul notices!

life in octavinelle

POSITIVES : getting free food from mostro lounge, making cute terrariums with jade when you both have spare time, floyd making work hours feel shorter, and azul being a surprisingly decent boss.

NEGATIVES : working at mostro lounge is not optional, having to worry about shady people (just about everyone in octavinelle), the twins deciding to bother you for no reason, and having to deal with floyd’s NDE inducing squeezes 2x more frequently than normal.

scarabia

because of kalim, everyone in the school will find out about you choosing scarabia within like a day— he’s shouting about it from the rooftops. (lowkey rubbing it in everyone’s faces.)

jamil politely bows and lets you know that he’s glad you chose them. the reaction might’ve been a little underwhelming, but he’s very happy. he also really wishes kalim was in a different dorm so he could subtle brag about it to him.

life in scarabia

POSITIVES : this is by far the dorm with the friendliest residents, parties just about every day, jamil’s cooking, kalim helping you out financially, and being able to just relax with jamil in silence when you get exhausted by the parties.

NEGATIVES : like mentioned above, the parties can get exhausting, another dorm with overbearing heat, and the boys bring up their concerns about poisoned food and other dangers a lot, which obviously gets you a teensy bit paranoid.

pomefiore

hah, just like vil expected! now he knows for sure you’ve got a good head on your shoulders, choosing pomefiore. thank goodness you didn’t choose savanaclaw— he shudders at the thought of you in the middle of such an unruly place.

ever so dramatic, rook throws himself in your arms. with his hand on his forehead, he starts to ramble about how happy he is and doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon.

epel is super relieved; he thought he totally blew pomefiore’s chances. but that aside, he’s gonna go out of his way to help you with adjusting to pomefiore, all the new routines and lessons probably gonna be a bit to take in for you. despite you being someone vil is fond of, he knows the dorm leader won’t take it too much easier on you.

life in pomefiore

POSITIVES : seeing great improvements in your skin with each day thanks to vil’s products, bonding with epel over your shared pomefiore-related struggles, and becoming the person who probably knows the most about rook in the school.

NEGATIVES : having vil breathing down your neck nearly 24/7, a good bunch of your fellow residents are snooty, and rook stalking you. if you ever feel watched, just point in the opposite direction, yell something along the lines of “is that leona??” (or floyd, ruggie, anyone rook finds interesting will work really), and book it.

ignihyde

you sent idia the news over text, and when he read it, he screamed— like, the whole dorm heard it, probably thinks there’s a threat, and he’s gonna have to clarify there’s no danger + issue an apology to everyone kind-of-scream.

life in ignihyde

POSITIVES : you get as much alone time as you need with not a soul judging you, godly wifi, and you actually learn a lot about engineering, technology, and such!

NEGATIVES : you break something? you gotta pay up for it— and everything here is high tech and costs a fortune. and the other residents are pretty difficult to work/get along with, so you might have a little trouble making friends in your dorm. plus there’s a little too many of them that smell like axe body spray :’(

diasomnia

malleus smiles so wide, it’s so wholesome! and a little scary. but he starts dragging you around the dorm, no real idea where he’s going to take you, and not caring either— he’s just so overjoyed right now!

lilia is the one who informs you about the dorm! he tells you about the history of it, what the students are like, all that jazz. he decides to drop the boring talk after he sees how you disinterested you are though, deciding to go and show you what your first dorm duty is. it’ll be fun, he promises!

sebek is glad that you were finally able to see diasomnia is the best dorm! you get upgraded from a simple ‘human’ to ‘human with considerably great intelligence’, good on you!

poor silver was a bit late to the party, finding out about all this much later than everyone else did. when he finally found out, he gave you a gentle hug. a warm welcome.

life in diasomnia

POSITIVES : being proud of yourself every day knowing you saved the school from malleus’ wrath by choosing diasomnia, getting into mischief with lilia, messing with sebek, naps with silver, and having the pleasure of being packed with knowledge on gargoyles.

NEGATIVES : sebek is almost always yelling and you have yet to develop a tolerance to it, being surrounded by super magically gifted people is a teensy bit intimidating, and lilia’s cooking.

the good thing about all of the dorms? pretty men. mwah mwah byebye thanks for reading!! ♡(´ε｀ )

#im sORRY ABOUT THE AXE BODY SPRAY JOKE WITH IGNIHYDE I COULDNT HELP MYSELF #i love ignihyde hehe they don’t smell like axe body spray <3 #twisted wonderland x reader #twisted wonderland #twst x reader #twst #riddle x reader #ace x reader #trey x reader #deuce x reader #cater x reader #leona x reader #jack x reader #ruggie x reader #azul x reader #jade x reader #floyd x reader #kalim x reader #jamil x reader #vil x reader #rook x reader #epel x reader #idia x reader #malleus x reader #lilia x reader #sebek x reader #silver x reader #gn reader

[aquaquadrant]

Title: poor language

Warnings: Shipping (Ethubs, past Impdubs, kissing), session 4 spoilers, references to past seasons

~*~

“You know, Impulse came with me to kill the dragon.”

Bdubs says it casually as he slides off his horse. They’ve officially ended the session, but a few players are still hanging around, catching up on the session’s chaotic events before heading back to their respective worlds. So naturally, he had to stop by Etho’s place to gloat some more about his legendary accomplishment.

Etho, doing some last minute work on his chicken farm, doesn’t look over at Bdubs’s arrival. “Oh, yeah?”

(‘You know, our old thing- if things come down to it, we don’t betray each other.’)

“Yeah.” Bdubs ties his horse to one of the fence posts of Etho’s sheep pen. “Yes, he did, he- it was me, him, and Pearl first before those other- those sneak- snipers, freaking kill-stealers came in after, of course. But Impulse, he- you know, he couldn’t actually kill anything this session so he was just helpin’ out, shooting th- the uh… end crystals… moral support…”

Etho nods, his back still turned to Bdubs. “Good, good.”

“Yes…” Bdubs clears his throat. He puts as much admiration into his voice as humanly possible. “He did amazing.”

(‘Guess what? Impulse and I are in love.’)

“I’m sure he did,” Etho replies, his tone perfectly, infuriatingly neutral.

Irritation flickers through Bdubs. He pauses for a second, working his jaw. “Eeugh- you know it was my task, right?” he presses. “I ha- my hard task, most impossible task in’a world, kill the ender dragon in the life series…”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Finally, Etho climbs out of the chicken hole, dusting his hands off. “I- I kinda figured, ‘cause you know, you were pushing real hard for it…”

“Uh huh.” Scowling, Bdubs puts his hands on his hips. “Well- thanks a lot, then, for the help!”

(‘You could’ve went for me, and you chose not to.’)

Etho’s grinning behind his mask. “What, you expect me to fight a dragon just to help you out?” he asks teasingly.

(‘You clearly don’t know how Etho works.’)

Bdubs’s voice dies in his throat. He swallows, glancing alway. “No,” he lies. “No, I don’t…”

“Gotta play smart in these games, you know?” Etho puts his hands in his pockets, walking over. “Going to the end, uh, it just doesn’t make logical sense. Like, especially if it’s not even my task.”

(‘Etho, I feel like if this whole thing falls apart, alliances and stuff- it’ll still be you and me. We’ll still stick together.’)

“Right,” Bdubs murmurs sullenly. He folds his arms. “Right, right, right, of course.”

Etho comes to a stop in front of him. “So like, why else would I go?”

“Why else, right…” Bdubs echoes. His chest feels tight all of a sudden.

(‘He’s a survivor, that’s all he does.’)

Etho sighs. “What- what’re you doing, Bdubs? Why are you here?”

Bdubs’s heart jolts. “Uh- jeeze, can’t I just stop by to chat?” he demands, throwing his arms up. “Goodness sakes!”

Etho tilts his head. “Well yeah, sure, but you’re always here,” he points out. “Like, since day one you’ve just been finding reasons to come over here…”

(‘Where’s your boyfriend, Bdubs?’)

Bdubs feels his face heat up. “Oh, would you- maybe I come over to see Cleo, did- did you think of that?”

“Cleo’s not here right now,” Etho says evenly.

“Ah hah…” Bdubs rubs the back of his neck. “Well, that’s- yes, yes, okay, you’re right. So what?”

“So, if you wanna be around me so bad, why didn’t you team with me at the start?” Etho asks, taking a step forward. “Why’d you go join up with the Mounders?”

(‘The first thing I wanted to do was… well, yes, of course! Of course, team up with you, yes.’)

“Uh…” Bdubs takes a step back. “I mean, I didn’t- things happen, you know, organically, and- and I didn’t really… I had to build a- a house, upside-down house, other people started buildin’ around me while you- you ran off into the middle’a nowhere!”

(‘Etho has no loyalty to you. He’s just immediately teamed up with the next guy that’s come along.’)

“I think we both know why.” Etho starts walking forward again, forcing Bdubs to take equivalent steps back. “We’ve known each other a long time, Bdubs. We’ve got other worlds outside of these games, where we can spend time together without all the uh, the manipulation and deception and killing.”

Bdubs’s back suddenly hits a tree- he has nowhere else to go. His heartbeat pounds in his ears. “Uh, yeah? And…?”

Etho shrugs, looming over Bdubs. “But that’s just part of the game. So like, we can make all the promises we want, but uh, we both know that sometimes… things don’t end well. So maybe it’s better to keep our distance this time. That way it’ll hurt less, when it happens, and we won’t ruin what we have outside of the game.”

(‘I have a strong feeling we’re not gonna be friends at the end of this.’)

“So that’s it?” Bdubs challenges, indignation rising inside him. “Just- just avoid me, so you don’t feel bad if you turn ‘round and stab me in the back, huh?”

(‘You know I would never kill you, Bdubs.’)

Etho’s eyes flash. “You wanna know why I didn’t go to the end for you, Bdubs?” He leans in. “Cause I don’t have to prove anything to you.”

“Oh, is that a fact?” Bdubs breathes incredulously, staring back up at Etho. “You know what I think? I think you’re just scared. Not of the dragon, sure enough, but of what it’d mean t’go fight it for me.”

(‘I gave him the courage! He was scared.’)

Etho’s expression betrays nothing. “You think so, huh?”

“Yeah!” Bdubs puffs out his chest, a fierce grin spreading across his face. “Impulse didn’t care, as a matter of fact he was happy to do it!”

(‘Now, is this a happy marriage?’)

“Yeah?” Etho’s voice is dangerously soft, almost playful. “Then why aren’t you at his base right now?”

Bdubs deflates again. He should’ve known better than to try and make Etho feel threatened by his history with Impulse. They both know their connection goes deeper than that, than a single season of bound hearts and souls.

(‘Um… I want Etho.’)

“Okay, okay,” he says sheepishly, face burning, “you got me. In fact, I think Impulse- he was already planning on goin’ before I was, not even to help me out specifically.” He shakes his head. “Sheesh! I was just- is it too much to ask for a- a little attention?”

(‘Why can’t you be normal about Etho?’)

Etho hums noncommittally. He braces a forearm against the tree above Bdubs’s head, leaning in so their faces are mere inches apart. “You’ve got my attention now.”

Despite the tension, Bdubs huffs a laugh. “So much for- for keepin’ your distance, huh?” he jokes, reaching a hand up to tug Etho’s mask down.

This time, he can see Etho smile. “Well, we’re not technically playing the game right now. Session’s over.”

“Good point,” Bdubs chuckles, tilting his head up to meet Etho’s lips.

He knows this doesn’t come easy to Etho. He doesn’t have the same boldness as Bdubs when it comes to love, doesn’t throw his entire self into it with reckless abandon. He’s more cautious than that- always has been. He shelters his heart behind his aloof nature, his uninvested ‘easy-going’ attitude, and he wraps his words up in clever metaphors and the guise of amusement- lest anything he say be taken seriously as a weapon to wound him. So words aren’t always enough to convey what he really feels.

But they don’t need words for this.

Bdubs is well-versed in the dialect of Etho’s hands, the way they grip his waist to pull him closer. He’s memorized the divots that Etho’s scar has left in his lips, the way it feels against his own. He knows the slant of Etho’s jaw beneath his fingertips, the way his head tilts and shoulders bow to accommodate their difference in height. Every movement, every touch, every breath between them is part of their own unspoken language, communicating everything Etho’s left unsaid in his own unique way- and Bdubs remembers why he never should’ve doubted.

(‘He loves me. He cares. He does.’)

~*~

#secret life smp #life series smp #ethubs #hermitshipping #my writing #this is meant to be a little stand-alone thing #not related to any other fics i’ve written #the power of ethubs compelled me #me throwing as many canon lines in here as i can bc it’s not just me right??? #y’all are seeing this?????

[deconstructthesoup]

It's Black Friday, which means I'm, of course, thinking about Starkid... and I have a theory that the specific order that the LiB are always listed in (Pokotho, Bliklotep, T'noy Karaxis, Nibblephem, Wiggoth Y'Wrath) are, in fact, the order of how powerful they are, from least to greatest.

Let's start with Pokey. Now, on the surface, yeah, being able to completely take over people and turn them into hollow shells that speak your voice may be pretty damn powerful, but I think this actually works to the LiB's detriment. Think back to what Hidgens said, way back in TGWDLM---the existence of the hivemind would result in world peace, because if they're all under one mind, one "Singular Voice," there's nothing to fight about... but the LiB are all about sowing chaos, driving people to ruin. And if Pokey takes over everyone, there's nobody left to mess with. Even Webby outright compares Pokey to the rest of his brothers, which speaks a lot to how they see him---short-sighted, close-minded, and probably a little selfish. (I could also bring up the fact that unlike the others, he seems a lot more serious and even somber in his infliction, tying into his stone-face mask, but that's a whole other thing.) He's also, interestingly enough, one of two LiB who weren't introduced by way of Sniggles---even Nibbly got a little song from two of them after he did his Honey Queen munching---so maybe that means something? Idk.

Blinky definitely seems to have a good deal of power, if the horrors going on in Watcher World are anything to go by, but it also seems kinda... limited. From what we can see (heh), Blinky just operates out of this theme park, and unlike the others? He actually got defeated. Alice and Bill broke out of the effects, flooded Watcher World, and made it out with their bond strengthened rather than broken. Compare this with Pokey succeeding in taking over the world in TGWDLM---even if he failed later in Yellow Jacket---Tinky easily pulling the rug out from Ted's feet in Time Bastard, Nibbly snacking on Linda without so much as a second thought in Honey Queen, and Wiggly fucking starting a nuclear war in Black Friday despite his cult getting defeated and him not actually manifesting, you gotta wonder... what's up with Blinky failing? But I think his human look in NPMD speaks to that---it's a very laid-back look, and I saw someone suggest that he (or she, here, I guess) is trying to emulate the type of teen who's just there to chill, sit back, and watch TV. Maybe Blinky's whole deal is that he's fairly passive, and just wants to watch the chaos happen while he nudges some folks in the right direction. I could be completely wrong, of course.

Now, Tinky as the brother who's smack-dab in the middle actually makes a lot of sense. His domain is time itself---that's nothing to sneeze at! He's incredibly devious, and he always seems to get what he wants! His specialty is driving people insane! But when you look at the fact that he seems a little too chaotic, even for his brothers, and the fact that his eldritch form is, uh... kinda tame, since it's literally just a yellow goat, you have to wonder if Tinky suffers from middle-child syndrome. He's powerful, sure, but he's weird. Either he gets overlooked or he's just there to be along for the ride---I'm just guessing this based on the fact that he had, like two lines in The Summoning, even though he's probably the reason the messed-up timeline in Hatchetfield exists. He's just the crazy middle child, and honestly? That works. Good for him.

Nibbly, I think, is the only LiB (aside from our tentacle boi) who is explicitly stated to be considered "unique," with a power set that automatically puts him on a different level than a lot of his brothers. He's the only one who can regularly manifest in our reality, which makes him the only one who can physically affect the real world---and sure, that means eating pagent winners, but it could also mean a shitton of other things. It's kind of amazing that with his constant hunger and the power to manifest on Earth once a year, he only limits himself to one sacrifice... and maybe that's the point. Maybe the sacrifice only exists because Nibbly used to use that night to cause as much devastation as possible, and he's calmed down since then. Which, uh... yeah, scary thought.

And, yeah, Wiggly is obvious. He's in charge, he makes the decisions, he's always revered over the others---it's pretty clear that he's the most powerful brother, and though everything he does in Black Friday speaks to that, I have a feeling that we don't actually know the extent of Wiggly's true power... and maybe, that's the point. The other LiB get clear-cut domains---control, surveillance, time, and hunger, with not a lot of room for wiggle room, if you'll forgive the pun---but for Wiggly, it's not so obvious. We know that his line in The Summoning is "Wiggly wants his wrath," but it's not just wrath that he preys on. In Black Friday, he uses what people want to become strong, quite literally marketing himself as the solution to all of their problems. In NPMD, he asks Steph, Pete, and Grace for the thing they cherish. He's not just wrath, but greed and desire, and that adds a punch. Also, that extra bit of complexity makes him line up perfectly as a devil figure.

And considering all of this, you have to wonder---where does Webby fall in all of this? Is she stronger than her brothers, and it's just that they outnumber her, or is she weaker? Is she older or younger (this might've been answered, I'm not as caught up on livestream lore as some may be)? Is it just her in the White, or does she have sisters? She's described as "A Queen in White," not "The Queen in White," which points to there maybe being more, but why haven't we seen more? Why is it just Webby fighting against her brothers, and why can't she do more?

*pauses*

Wow. Okay. Jesus, that got away from me.

Anyways, the Hatchetfield saga has super cool horror worldbuilding

#starkid #hatchetfield #tgwdlm #team starkid #black friday starkid #nerdy prudes must die #the lords in black #wiggog y'wrath #nibblenephim #bliklotep #pokotho #t'noy karaxis #webby hatchetfield

[carionto]

We fail alone, we excel together

Formations are a staple of effective drills, training, and practice in every military across the Galaxy. They are a showcase of unity, leadership, trust, and loyalty. And fancy outfits. Gotta go for a style victory when actual wars are quite uncommon.

Humans are pretty good at this sort of thing. Not the best, as there is always some inconsistency, somebody doing their own thing, or improvising a solution to a fumble. Honestly, theirs are one of the more interesting to watch. It takes a lot of effort for some to conform to a herd style behavior, and it shows.

One time, a soldier tripped and was about to drop their knife, but thinking quickly, they began to juggle it, along with an ammo magazine and a sidearm they quickly pulled out. Aside from surprising everyone with their juggling skills, the surrounding soldiers noticed immediately, and, without a word, began to juggle with the same items as well.

But it wasn't chaotic - first, once the first loop was done, the soldiers in front, behind and to the sides of the first one started juggling in sync, and with each completed loop it spread the same way, creating this beautiful expanding diamond effect.

Not everyone was equally skilled, of course, and some ripples started to appear. However, since they all knew how long until the current parade music ended, the soldier in the center of the formation, not the original one, stopped juggling, and with each loop the inner layers also stopped. When the final corner soldiers put all the items in their place, the song also came to an end and a new one took its place.

Afterwards, we heard the colonel of that battalion issued an official reprimand for not following the rehearsed performance. Unofficially he praised them, as he himself had been approached by a general about this "surprise addition" and admired his "unorthodox thinking" and "proactive decision making". The colonel obviously lied and gleefully (well, as gleeful as a gritty military veteran with lofty ambitions can get) accepted the praise and promised to deliver other surprises in the future when they would prove most effective.

Big nonsense exchange of words that simply meant the soldiers doing all the actual doings would now have to actually prepare some kind of new and impressive feat. If there is one thing you can rely on, is higher ups turning everything you do into more work...

#carionto #humanity fuck yeah #humans are deathworlders #humans are space orcs #humans are space australians #humans are space oddities #sometimes I don't know if all of these tags actually apply #but I'm now too reluctant to figure out what is more correct #so basically screw it #correct me if i'm wrong #like actually do correct me when I'm wrong about stuff #it helps

[blue-grama]

The Sign finale probably should have disappointed me, but... didn't?

It's been a heck of a run lately with Thai BLs that haven't quite stuck the landing, and it's got me pondering why The Sign worked for me despite sometimes feeling like a storyboard for a longer, better show.

I don't think they pulled off the emotional payoff they needed, despite that last reunion scene being so pretty and well-acted, simply because too much happened offscreen, from Khem's recovery from a gunshot wound to the entire multlifetime Tharn/Chalothon dynamic getting resolved without us seeing any of it. But somehow I wasn't that mad about it? And ultimately I think it's because this show did so many things well and so many things I'd love to see more of that I'm just like, yep, I enjoyed that ride sirs, please show me something this gorgeous again. In that sense it's joining something like Manner of Death or Kinnporsche where it's like, plot holes? Yes. Bizarre tonal shifts? Absolutely. Occasionally insane writing choices? Uh-huh. Love it anyway? You betcha. So here's what really, really worked for me:

Premise

I am always going to be onboard with QL that isn't solely coming-of-age or coming out. I'm not against those stories, of course, but give me gay romance with adult characters who know themselves and are doing adult things. I'm also a partisan for romances with high external stakes, so the mixture of crime and reincarnation was catnip to me.

Do I care that none of this training makes any sense? No.

2. Setting

Listen. Is The Sign the reason I have a document on my laptop titled "Imaginary trip to Thailand without ever seeing a beach?" Not exactly. But it's also not not the reason.

I am being willingly manipulated by the Thai Tourism Authority.

Kidding, kidding, but I do love when my Thai shows feel Thai or my Korean shows feel Korean, etc etc. I want to be driven to Wikipedia to learn more! Half the fun of watching stuff from not your own country.

3. Chemistry

I think @biochemjess covered what was underwritten about the romance in The Sign. Billy and Babe carried it on their backs and it was hard to dislike their romance, even when the series skipped over key beats.

Any time the pink lighting came out, you were gonna be in for a good time.

4. The camerawork

I don't know enough about film to speak intelligently about this, but the camerawork and aesthetics of this show were just so lovely to watch. It was really doing a lot. @chaos0pikachu wrote about it better than I ever could.

LOVED THIS. LOVED IT. So good.

We had some really lovely storytelling and visual parallels, too, like the first episode and finale both having a big action warehouse scene, or the multiple times that Phaya and Tharn ended up overlooking the Mekong river.

5. It was always kinda off the rails

I know some people felt this show started out with a strong premise and didn't live up to it, but I gotta say, I didn't have that experience. It was always kinda a bonkers watch for me. There were long training montages, random bodies in the shallows, missing genitals, extended performance art, that comedy flashback to Khem and Thongthai's college years... I never knew what I was going to get each Saturday. And I kind of loved that? I'm into unhinged. I was comparing this in my head to Last Twilight, which did disappoint me in the end, and I think it's because Last Twilight was NOT always bonkers and DID set itself up to tell a straighforward story, then dropped the ideas it had been juggling in the last episode. The Sign always felt chaotic to me, so a chaotic ending was par for the course. This is where I'd compare it to KinnPorsche, which had the weirdest fucking ending, but like, okay??? Why not!

End result? I see the flaws, but I'm giving this show tender forehead kisses anyway. Here's hoping for more like it.

#the sign the series #the sign #the sign meta #the sign bl #phayatharn

[angelltheninth]

Denji getting head from a female s/o 😔 gotta be good and caring to him yknow

Gotta be best and caring for best horny, chaotic protagonist.

Pairing: Denji x Fem!Reader

Tags: nsfw, smut, first time getting a blowjob, teasing, oral cockwarming, whimpering, praise, virgin!Denji, fast orgasm but Denji is no quitter

A/N: Denji is pervy but damn he would be probably be more clueless then pervy. Fun to tease though.

As eager as Denji was to get started when you told him you wanted to give him his first ever blowjob he might have been a little too eager. Hard as a rock and dripping just from feeling your hand wrapping around the base of his shaft.

"Holy shit, its really happening." He whispered a little delirious with pleasure and not completely sure he wasn't dreaming again.

You smiled up at him, giving the cockhead a little kiss. Denji whimpered and tried to stay still, tried to stay focused on you. His reactions were adorable, his blush reaching his ears, past his neck even. Didn't even need to put your mouth on him to make a mess of him, or his cock. Just your thumb passing over the head had his cum webbing to your finger in a warm white string.

"You've jerked off before right?" You ran your hand up and down his pulsing cock, spreading the cum drops all the way down his balls.

"Of course I have. But your hand feels better. Not as rough or callous. It's uh... nice you know?" He bashfully rubbed the back of his neck, "I may have also jerked off while thinking about this exact scenario."

"Good that you're so honest with me." With the flat of your tongue you licked a long line up his cock, and then back down, making sure to let your lips brush against him. "I always liked that about you Denji. And I'm happy that I'm discovering more and more about you to like." His cock twitched at the attention it was getting, his sharp teeth clenching along with his abs. "I'll go down on you now okay?"

"Okay? More then okay! Hell yeah!" Because he was so eager, so innocent, so touch starved he didn't last even a minute. As soon as your mouth wrapped around him he let his head fall backwards, his hands hanging, digging into the couch cushions, "Oh god, oh, you... really know your stuff! Ah, fuck me! Wait! I'm... hold on... fuck that's so good, your mouth is so good! How the fuuc-!"

Denji came with a cry, flooding your mouth with shots of warm cum. Although a surprise you tried to dink it up but the surprise was evident on your face, as was on Denji's who stared at the cum dripping from your mouth in both awe and disbelief.

"Fuck." He cringed in embarrassment.

You chuckled as you pulled away, thick drops of cum still coating your lips and his cock, "Nothing to be ashamed of Denji. Just look," You licked up his cock, letting the flat of your tongue scoop up more cum in your mouth, "you're still hard. We can do this more then once."

"Oh." He looked so cute, all embarrassed like that. Some of his bravado seemed to have come back when he looked back down at you, his fingers twitching as they eased your mouth closer, "You'll help me with stamina training then?"

"Gladly." You closed your mouth around him again, ready to do this as many times as it takes.

#chainsaw man #chainsaw man x reader #chainsaw man smut #chainsaw man imagine #chainsaw man headcanons #denji x reader #denji smut #csm #csm x reader #csm smut #csm headcanons #csm imagine #chainsaw man x you #denji x you #csm x you

[cairavende]

Worm Arc 8 thoughts:

. . . . .

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

WHAT THE FUCK! WHERE DO I EVEN START? WHAT DO I EVEN SAY?

I just. I . . . WHAT?!?

Ok I'm just diving in, it's probably gonna be chaotic (hey, just like the Endbringer fight!)

Someone needs to give Scion like, a beeper. Get a tinker on that to make it an extra good one. Maybe it should be in bracelet form so he can't lose it? Fuck it, just give him an ankle monitor as well so we know where he is at all times.

I adore the shit out of Dragon and really wish she didn't run a fucking prison so I could like her even more.

Legend is not great at the pre battle pep talk. He doesn't lie to them sure, but that sure doesn't seem to help moral at all. Sometimes you just gotta go "lets fucking do this!" and start punching gods ugly middle child.

Seriously, he just keeps bringing the mood down. They probably shouldn't have let him do this after his villain "not boyfriend" died fighting an Endbringer, it clearly tore this man apart. (No this is not canon as far as I know and I don't expect it to be. But I took this "I have seen too many good heroes,” he paused for a fraction of a second, “And villains, too, die because they let their guard down." and just fucking ran with it. He paused cause he was chocked up because his rival that had incredible sexual tension with him got killed fighting an Endbringer. It's canon for me.)

Sucks to be Newfoundland I guess. Or sucked. Cause it ain't there no more.

I wonder if we get full death numbers for all the Endbringer attacks ever. Or even just how many attacks there have been. Obviously Kyushu and Newfoundland were extreme causality events. But Kyushu was Leviathans 6th attack, so they had at least started to learn how things work. It seems like the first few Endbringer attacks would have been massive. I dunno, I like numbers and I'm curious.

The fight holy shit it just keeps going. Everyone is fucking dying and it just keeps going. Skitter is doing her best in all of it and I'm proud of her. Providing medical aid when she can't figure out what else to do. She's a good egg. Look for the helpers.

Tattletale just gets washed off a roof and I have to spend the rest of the fucking arc waiting to learn if she is ok! I was worried about my baby! Not Skitter, my other baby. No not Bitch, the third baby.

Early on I said "throw Clockblocker at him". And while that didn't exactly happen I am glad that I had the right idea. Too bad they didn't use the timestop grenade after that instead of before though, could have just stuck him in time for a few years. Kicked the can down the road as it were.

Look at Skitter being the one to get someone to save Clockblocker too. Everyone is there but she is the only one that noticed he was drowning. She is very good at seeing the details. Saving his life is a fair trade for the whole bug thing at the bank.

At least a lot of the Nazis croaked during the fight. That's a small bonus.

Of fucking course Magic Stick Batman tried to plan this all so he gets to have the big final fight and be the hero. Let a bunch of people die to do so. No surprise at all, this guy has been an asshole since day 1.

On the note of him though, more like "Armmaster" now! Eh? Ehhhhhhh? Cause, cause see, Leviathan ripped off his arm. So now he only has one arm. Instead of two. An 'arm' instead of 'arms'. See? You get it.

AND THEN WE GET SKITTER GOING BACK IN TO THE SHELTER TO FIGHT LEVIATHAN 1 ON 1 TO SAVE CIVILIANS. "Which left me only one thing to do.  I had to be better than Mr. Gladly." FUCKING LOOK AT HER! LOOK AT MY AMAZING DAUGHTER! SHE IS THE BEST OF US!

AND THEN SHE TORE LEVIATHAN A NEW ASSHOLE! LITERALLY!

And then he just fucking breaks her back and she starts to drown.

AND THEN! AND THEN AND THEN!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FUCKING BITCH! BITCH PULLS HER OUT OF THE WATER RIGHT BEFORE SHE DROWNS! JUST COMES OUT OF NOWHERE AND SAVES HER GIRLFRIENDS LIFE!!!!!!! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

And then all the dogs die. And I got very sad. And very mad.

Fucking Scion finally shows up, the last two dogs die after he gets here but he doesn't really try to move fast enough to save them. I spent like 10 minutes just swearing up a fucking storm at this guy for not coming sooner. I'm pretty sure the Endbringers are his fault anyway. Fuck this prick.

And after all this Skitter has to deal with being cuffed up in a hospital! WTF guys. Rude.

I really feel like they should just pass some laws to prevent capes from suing hospitals during events like this so the hospital staff can actually talk to people. Seems like it would make things a shit ton easier.

Panacea is in love with her fucking sister isn't she? God dammit girl. You are definitely going to end up as a villain and a really fucked up one too.

I fucking LOVE that Taylor escaped the handcuffs by using her bugs to get a key and everything! She is so fucking clever, I love the shit out of her.

Sophia is Shadow Stalker I FUCKING CALLED IT! FUCKING HA! (See Arc 6 thoughts). Also more proof that the heroes are shitheads.

I loved watching Tattletale absolutely god damn CLOWN on Armmisser. Uses his password to get priority access. Just completely reveals all the shit he pulled. Fucking Legend laser blasts him when he tries to attack her, amazing. I will never not love to see this man get clowned on.

BABIES BREAKING UP? EVEN IF JUST FOR A CHAPTER? NO!! BABIES BE FRIENDS FOREVER!

The dogs names carved into the monument. Just. Fuck. I cried. A lot. They were the bestest puppies. They were brave. They were strong. They were good. They mattered.

Interlude 1 thoughts - I loved getting some Lisa PoV. She is possibly my favorite and getting to see her power from her perspective was fun.

Interlude 2 thoughts - Coil is a horrible horrible human. I've established that. But oh my god I would read an entire book from the perspective of someone with his power. I love the shit out of powers and abilities like that I dunno. Just my absolute favorite.

#Worm #Worm Web Serial #Parahumans #Cairavende reads Worm #WOLFSPIDER #WOLFSPIDERWOLFSPIDERWOLFSPIDER #Rachel Lindt #Taylor Hebert #Endbringers #WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT ARC FOR REAL THOUGH GOD DAMN #In addition to Sophia being Shadow Stalker I also called the dogs dying. I am less happy about being right on that one. #Brockton Bay just got even more beachfront property! Think of the tourism! #God there is so much I didn't mention. I could have written posts about every chapter if I wasn't too fixated on reading to pause to do so. #Just . . . fuck what an arc

[ticklishthoughts1]

Hyperfocus:Ribs

NGL, this was long overdue but I have been busy as of late ^w^

I'm just sitting down, reading, a relatively often occurence. I look up as they come in, and a smile lights up my face. I wave them over, setting the book down and hugging them, then moving over on the bed so they can lay next to me, they themselves getting a novel. Life can be so chaotic, fun but wild at times. It makes these times with them, just quietly being together, enjoying each others presence, all the more precious. Of course, them being them, the silence wouldn't be forever. I feel a poke in my side, and look up, only to see them reading. Hmm. I slowly look down, and 3 minutes later, another poke. I whip my head up, and see them looking at the book, a barely contained silly smile on their face. Aha. I roll my eyes playfully, then pretend to look back down. As soon as they slowly reach out to poke my sides again, I grab their wrist, turning, straddling their wasit, and using my forearm to hold both arms above their head, on the pillows. I smirk as they struggle to pull free, but don't, and touch foreheads with them softly, whispering "New Story. This one is about the Little Lee who liked to poke the bear...The Lee with Ticklish Ribs~". My insinuation is noticed, I can tell by the small look of lee panic in their eyes. I smirk, and simply rest one hand on the left side of their ribcage, before drawling out "Now...let's see how many toys we have to play with, hmm?~". I roll their shirt up, before resting two fingers on an individual rib, "counting" it, by vibrating both fingers on the rib and moving on to the next rib as they squirm around under me. "1......2......3...4.....5....6....Dang it! You're so Squirmy! I lost count of which one I was on...guess we gotta start allllll Over!~ Try to be still this time, Darling. 1.....2....3.....4...5...6...7...8..........Ah heck, I got lost in your eyes about that. Dang. What number was I on? An 'EEHEHEHEHEIHIGHT' ? What is that? Guess we'll just restart again~". I "lose count" 3 more times, and get it right on the 6th try, then I stop, locking eyes with you, and growl out happily, my voice deepening. "I'm gonna do it again. Not because I lost count. Because I can tell you're loving this, and that's just so cute I wanna keep going forever, Sweetheart~". The Flustered Expression on their face tells me I hit the money on my Analysis of their feelings about this whole event. Good. I count the ribs one more time, Painstakingly Slowly, and then finally, I stop counting, and get up.

Oh but I'm not done.

Not by a long shot.

Instead, I tell you to wait, leaving the room for just a second before coming back with a couple of paintbrushes, and paint that's safe for their skin. I giggle evilly, then climb back on the bed, drawling out "Here's the deal, cutie. You have to keep your hands above your head, whether gripping each other, or on the bedframe, while I paint. If you can't, I'll pin you again~". I tilt my head, smiling as they lock their arms over their head, then go over, and straddle them once more, beginning to paint. I'm thorough, using a smaller brush to get in between each rib. My concentration is pure, but not enough to not notice how hard they're trying to keep still for me, which I note on: "Awwwww, you're doing such a good job Baby!~ Being nice and still for me...guess you still like this, huh?~". I wink at them, both of us knowing full well that you loving it was the entire reason I do this. After about 3-5 minutes I finish painting, then raise a washrag, giggling as I begin to scrub the paint off, wiggling my fingers through the rag, and watching them stop holding their arms above their head, cooing "Calm down baby we've gotta get you clean!~". When done, I grin at them then say slowly, softly "There we go...clean enough to eat~". I chuckle when I see their eyes widen, and before they can stop me, I start nomming their ribs gently. I do this for 2 minutes, then, scrub them off AGAIN, and finally, pull you into a hug, stroking their back gently. After a while, we get back to reading, and it's like nothing happened.

Except for the blush on their face.

And the warm smile on mine.

#tickle thoughts #sfw tickle community #ler mood

[tangledinink]

New chapter of I'm Sorry, Teenage Mutant What Now? is up! The Hamatos are finally back home, but things still don't feel quite normal. Eventually, emotions, tension, and conflict come to a head. Leo dies in a glue trap. Sexy pigeons will be discussed. Read it on ao3 or below the cut!

[ prev ]

They had been back home for twelve days now. And every day that they had been home, they waited for their dad to explain things to them. At first, they were patient. Then they prodded gently. Then they asked. Then they demanded. But every time, there was no real answer.

I mean, he did answer, technically, every time, but not… really. He’d always sort of freeze up and get this far-off look in his eyes and nervously pick around the topic, explaining but not actually explaining at all, and then at the end of it all they’d discover that none of their questions had been answered. They’d ask him to tell them about the Hamato destiny, and he’d tell them that he had ceased contact with the Hamato Clan a long time ago. They’d ask him why he wore a bracelet, and he’d tell them that the existence of yokai was meant to be kept a secret. They’d ask him about the deal with Big Mama and his relationship with her, and he’d clam up and tell them that they had known each other a very long time and it was difficult to talk about. In the end, they’d always only be told things they already knew. And Leo got that it was hard and that he was stressed, and he understood-- he did. But didn’t they deserve to know at this point?

Mikey, of course, was the most patient with him. But, to his surprise, Raph was by far the least.

“Pops. We gotta talk about this.”

“Red, now is not a good time…”

“That’s the fifth time you’ve said that, Dad! When is a good time?! You can’t just keep doing this!”

“Raphael, please…”

“No, Dad! This isn’t fair! We need to talk about this! You can’t keep just dodging all of this, we deserve to know--”

This was their third day going back to school now, slowly attempting to get back into the swing of ‘normal,’ and Raph and their father had had this conversation every morning over breakfast since they started. And it wasn’t like Leo wasn’t on Raph’s side or anything-- he was. And typically, he’d be right in there with him, getting on their dad’s case and making an argument, but, lately, he was just…

Exhausted.

He shoveled mouthfuls of cereal into his mouth, scowling slightly and slumping over the table as he listened to his dad and his oldest brother do their usual back-and-forth, with Mikey occasionally jumping to play referee. He found it annoyingly ironic how much their morning routine had changed, and yet, at the same time, stayed the same. It was still chaotic and loud, with voices overlapping over each other, and a slight air of frenzy overlaid over everything… but for entirely different reasons now. 

Thank god that April still showed up every morning. Though with a bit less mojo than she usually did.

“Oh, look, April is here,” Leo announced loudly as soon as she slipped her way into the apartment, getting up to his feet with a purposefully dramatic scrape of his chair against the floor. “We should probably get going, or else we’re gonna be late, or whatever. You guys ready?”

The conversation stuttered for a minute before Raph huffed, getting to his feet as well. The rest of his brothers followed suit, with everyone beginning to clean up and gather their things so they could make their leave. Leo grabbed his backpack off the back of his chair, pausing for just a moment to double-check its contents and wrinkling up his nose.

“Hang on. I need my laptop. You guys go ahead, I’ll catch up,” Leo muttered, getting a chorus of vague acknowledgments in return as he looped his way out of the kitchen, jogging up the stairs. 

Right, laptop, laptop-- exactly where he had stupidly left it the night before, charging on his desk, rather than in his backpack like it was supposed to be. He yanked the charging cord out so he could tuck it into his bag, rushing slightly, not wanting to get left behind, and the whole trip wouldn’t have taken more than thirty seconds, tops, if he hadn’t made a critical mistake.

Looking slightly to the left and catching his own eyes in the mirror.

His hurried steps immediately ground to a halt. It felt like getting caught in a glue trap, and he just… stopped. A little voice in his head told him that he was in a hurry, remember? But the voice was ignored.

He stopped and stayed, and examined his reflection. 

Even as he was doing it, he felt stupid. But he did it anyway-- very slowly swaying from one side to the other. Turning himself to the right, and then to the left, his gaze roaming up and down himself. Taking silent inventory. Making quiet critiques. 

He hated this new habit he had formed. He hated hating himself. He had never hated himself before. Even when things had been awful and frustrating, he had never hated before.

He couldn’t even understand why things had changed like this. Just because it wasn’t real? Because it had been worse two weeks ago? Because he wasn’t sure what the future would look like anymore?

He had had better reasons to hate himself before now.

[ April: leo youve been typing at me for ten minutes now.

April: whatever it is just tell me already ]

Leo whined loudly, laying his head back down flat on the cold tile floor, burying his face in his hands. Okay. This was it. The worst moment of his life. Literally the epitome of misery and humiliation. His life would never get worse than this! He had peaked at twelve-- could you believe it? That had to be a new record. He would call the Guinness people if the circumstances were different, and it wouldn’t just immediately make his head explode from mortification.

He stayed just like that, laying flat on his back in the bathroom, his phone providing a steady weight on his sternum as he considered the cruel joke that was his life for just a bit longer. It took about three more minutes before he finally got up the nerve to text her back.

[ Leo: ok look

Leo: i need ur help

Leo: but if you tell anyone else abt it ever then ill immediately die and also kill you. got it?

April: i know youre not threatening me right now leonardo

Leo: OK SO YOU KNOW HOW SERIOUS I AM

Leo: PLZ?????

April: fine. what??? ]

Leo groaned loudly, pressing his phone up against his forehead, and, for the millionth time, considered just figuring this out on his own somehow. But he had been attempting that for a while now, and it was not going near as well as he had hoped. There was a decent chance that these jeans were beyond saving.

[ Leo: can you bring me pads or tampons or whatever the fuck. please. ]

April’s response was near immediate.

[ April: omw. are you home? 

Leo: yeah. 3rd floor bathroom.

April: ill be there in like five minutes. ]

Leo sighed softly, rolling over onto his front to shove his face against the floor. He had a hard time feeling any sense of accomplishment because this just meant that April was gonna show up. This sucked. This wasn’t fair. Why did he have to deal with this? 

He marinated in his misery until he eventually heard a very soft knock on the door. He willed the universe to end his life but was ignored, so he kind of mumbled gibberish in response, and after a moment, April poked her head in. She scoffed at the sight of him, rolling her eyes as she slipped her way into the room, closing the door behind her.

“Leo, why are you on the floor?”

“Because my life sucks,” he grumbled in response, not picking up his head.

“Dude, you’re gonna be fine,” she sighed, kneeling down next to him and slinging her backpack off. “Look, I’ve got you! I just kind of grabbed some of everything ‘cause I wasn’t really sure what you needed? Do you guys not have anything in the house?”

“I don’t know!” He sighed. “I mean. Maybe? I think there’s some emergency stuff tucked away, like… somewhere. But I don’t know where. And there’s no way I’m asking Dad!” He hissed. “... This is so unfair. The people at the clinic said I wasn’t gonna have one!”

April frowned. “Are the blockers not working…? Leo, if something is wrong, then we gotta tell someone--”

“Nooooo,” Leo groaned, picking his head up just enough to scowl, his face scrunched up. “Technically,  they said that… I probably wasn’t gonna have any. But that I might have… like… one, ish, before the blockers kicked in all the way.” 

He whined softly, letting his head drop back down.

“... I was just really hoping that I wouldn’t. This sucks. I think I’m dying from blood loss, by the way. How much blood can you lose before you die? I think I’m approaching whatever that limit is!”

April scoffed as she settled down to sit next to him, leaning over so she could rub his shoulders a few times.

“Well, then, you just gotta do this once! And then you’re all done! That’s not too bad of a deal! I’ve gotta deal with it all the time.” 

“Yeah, but you’re a girl!”

April sighed deeply.

“Yeah, I know,” she said. “But there are guys who deal with periods all the time, too! You’ll be okay. You just gotta get over this hump and you’re home free.”

“This is so unfair,” Leo grumbled bitterly.

“I know,” April relented.

“I hate this.”

“I don’t blame you.”

“I’m gonna lay here and wait until I die.”

“No you’re not.”

“It hurts.”

“Well, here. I brought you some Midol. And I can go make you some tea, too, if you want. That usually helps.”

“... Okay.”

“Alright,” April sighed, getting back to her feet, leaving the backpack behind. “I’ll go grab some new clothes for you and start the tea. I’ll be back in, like, five minutes, okay? Don’t die on the floor while I’m gone.”

“No promises...”

“Seriously, Leo,” she sighed, her hands on her hips. “Chill. I know this, like, super sucks. And it’s not fun. You’re allowed to hate it. But you’re gonna be fine, okay? I promise.”

He had been alright, actually. It had sucked, but then after a few days, it was over, and it hadn’t happened again since. And he had hated every minute of it.

But even then, he hadn’t hated himself. It wasn’t like this.

 Distantly, he heard Raph yelling for him from downstairs. Frowning, he spared a final glance at his own self in the mirror before he shoved his laptop into his bag and left the room.

---

That first day they had been back after everyone went back to their rooms and pretended to be able to fall asleep, their dad had eventually tempted them all out with breakfast. And once they had eaten, Dad migrated to the living room, putting on a movie, and they had all followed after him. Usually, Dad always sat in his easy chair-- an old, but beloved and reliable pillar of the home, the fabric worn away from years of use. But that day, he hadn’t.

He had sat on the couch. And Mikey had sat on the couch, too, tucking himself up against his side and laying his head down against his shoulder, and their dad had wrapped his arm around him. Leo had ended up on his other side, likewise held close by their father’s arms, and then Raph had piled in, too, and even Donnie joined them, all five of them squished onto the couch together, not really watching the movie playing on the TV, but really just… taking comfort in each other’s presence. Allowing themselves to feel that, yes, beyond a shadow of a doubt, they all had made it. Everyone was here and accounted for. They had made it back home. Everyone who was supposed to be here was.

After several days of hounding their father for answers and receiving no reply, however, Raph had stopped joining them on the couch. Leo stopped a bit after that, too, and then so did Donnie, until it was just Mikey and his dad, curled up in silence in the living room each day, watching old Lou Jitsu films play, the soundtrack filling the space with white noise.

“Dad,” Mikey had said one day while the credits rolled, his voice soft, just barely above a whisper. “You have to talk to us. We can’t… we can’t just keep pretending like things didn’t happen.”

“I know,” their father had sighed, his voice drooping with exhaustion. “We… will. I just… I am trying…”

“Okay,” Mikey had replied, and they hadn’t said anything after that.

That had been almost four days ago. And Mikey was still waiting. 

He knew his brothers were having a harder time, though. He couldn’t blame them, either. That was the worst part.

“Raph, we need to be patient with him. He’s really trying…!”

“We’ve been patient!” Raph hissed. “We’ve been patient our entire lives! How much longer do we gotta be patient with him? Mikey, come on! This isn’t okay! I mean, he could have-- Leo could have--” his protests died out, and he grit his teeth, turning to glare out the subway window instead. “We can only wait so long, Mikey. You gotta be reasonable.”

“I know, but…”

“It’s like nothing has changed,” Leo muttered, his lips curved into a frown.

“That’s not true!” Mikey insisted. “He wants to tell us! He does! I just think this is really hard for him, okay?”

“And it’s not hard for us!?” Raph huffed.

“Look, I know that it didn’t exactly go that well last time, but… maybe if you guys talk to him together?” April suggested weakly, gesturing to the group, looking hopefully between them all. “Like, if you sat him down, and all of you tried to talk to him… I mean, like, everyone this time…”

April didn’t even touch Donnie, but as soon as she so much as turned towards him, he pulled away sharply, curling his lips and signing very definitively ‘NO TOUCH.’

“Okay! Okay, that’s fine, I wasn’t--”

‘NO TOUCH.’

“I got it, Dee, chill! I’m not gonna touch you!” April huffed. Donnie all but glared at her, absolutely bristling, before he curled back up on himself, staring out the window again. April glowered, rolling her eyes as she slumped down in her own seat, arms crossed over her chest.

Mikey frowned a bit. Okay… Note to self. Check on that later.

“If we corner him, it’s just gonna freak him out more,” Mikey insisted. “And us arguing with him every morning isn’t helping! If we wanna sit down and talk with him, we have to be cool about it. Can you guys please just let me lead on this?”

“Mikey, it’s not your job--”

“It’s not your job, either!” Mikey immediately snapped. “I can handle this, okay? And you guys are just making it worse! Can you please just trust me, for once, and let me handle something on my own instead of trying to take over!?”

There was a long beat of silence, and Mikey winced a bit. Ooh, had he said all of that out loud?...

“I just… I think I can do this better on my own,” he said after a moment, forcing his voice down into something more level, more calm. There had to be something he was capable of doing on his own-- something helpful. Anything. Surely this was it? “I really can. Please?”

Raph frowned. And he sighed very softly.

“Okay. Fine. Whatever you say, Mikey.”

---

It had only been, like… two weeks. Just two weeks away from his locker, his own damn locker. That was hardly any time at all. He had been doing this multiple times a day for two semesters now. Even just two weeks ago, with everything he had going on, he knew the combination right off the top of his head, no problem. Yesterday, even, he had known the combination.

And now his mind was completely blank. 

Raph hissed in frustration, spinning the lock around for the fifth time, resetting the damn thing so he could try again. Okay, so, it was 12-18, and then… What? 03? Was that right? That felt out of order. How could he not remember this? It was just three numbers. It was his locker combination, for god’s sake, he couldn’t have just forgotten.

He yanked at the lock, and it didn’t give. He groaned, his head falling forward to smack against the cold metal surface with a solid thud.

“... You good?” April questioned from his left, leaning over slightly to give him a curious look.

“Leo and Donnie were right,” he grumbled, his face set in an absolute scowl. April paused, raising a brow slightly.

“Right about what?”

“I beefed it.” 

“Raph, I’m gonna need you to elaborate a little.”

“With Dad!” He hissed, pulling back, lifting his head from the locker just so that he could scrub his palms over his eyes angrily. “When we talked, that time, on the train-- I knew somethin’ was wrong! I knew that there was somethin’ goin’ on, and I just… I just let him not tell us! I just let him keep his damn secrets and deal with everything on his own instead of steppin’ up! I choked!” 

“Raph, come on, that’s not--”

“Yeah, it is!” He insisted angrily. “If I had done somethin’ then, if I had actually pushed and gotten him to talk to us, maybe none of this would have happened in the first place! I knew there was somethin’ wrong, and I just ignored it and let it go instead of mannin’ up and dealin’ with it head on, and now everyone is completely miserable, and I can’t figure out how to fix any of it, now everythin’ is just-- it’s all completely--”

“Raph!” April hissed, cutting him off. “Dude, stop it. You’re spiraling.”

Raph bristled, turning to scowl at her, thinking about arguing for a moment. But eventually, he just grumbled, looking back down at his feet and stiffening slightly. 

“So what if I am?”

“You and I both know that if you pushed Yoshi then, he just would have pushed you back. I mean, jesus, dude, we were all literally held hostage by a spider, and he still doesn’t wanna talk to you guys! You think if you had just played your cards a little differently during one conversation, things would have actually changed?”

Raph frowned, shrugging a bit. “They might have,” he finally said. “At least then I would have tried.”

Maybe if he had pushed then, at least now, he wouldn’t have to see his baby brother plummeting through the air every time he closed his eyes.

“Raph, you did try! You all tried! You’re still trying! But it doesn’t all fall on you, okay? I mean-- you’re sixteen, for god’s sake!” April hissed, her voice cracking slightly, this small, unspoken pressure pushing up the edge of it-- wobbling in such a way that had Raph’s head picking up, his brows furrowing. “You can’t be expected to deal with all of this! I mean, this is all-- this is all-- a lot, and, and a lot happened, and things could have gone really badly, and everyone is scared, including your dad, and us, and--”

“Okay. Okay, I know. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, idiot! Just-- just stop blaming yourself--”

“April.”

“This is all--”

“Hey. April.”

She didn’t respond right away, hunching her shoulders and gritting her teeth. He could see her jaw tense from here.

“You’re spiralin’,” he said, but she didn’t laugh the way he was hoping she might. Well, it had been a long shot. He sighed a little bit, leaning over slightly, his eyes roaming over her face while she glared off to the side.

“Apes, are you… okay?”

---

[ Raph: sound off

Mikey: yo

Leo: wut

Donnie: Present.

Raph: me and april are over in the north stairwell on the second floor. forget classes. let’s get outta here

Leo: im sorry are u telling us to skip class rn

Raph: yes

Leo: who are u and what have u done with our brother

Raph: cut the sass or we’re never doin this again

Mikey: okay!!! :D 

Donnie: Why are we skipping class, praytell?

Raph: we’re gettin manicures

Mikey: OHMIGOSH YES

Donnie: I would like to request we go to the establishment on 83rd.

Leo: dude duh thats where we always go

Raph: were goin to the place you like dont worry

Leo: say no more, omw ]

---

“What color are you gettin’?”

“Blue,” Leo hummed.

Raph had honestly been a little bit worried it would be difficult to get them out of the school and make it over here without any trouble, given how recently they had pulled almost the exact same move (he was pretty sure the only reason they hadn’t gotten in massive trouble was because, you know, their whole situation,) but it had been just as easy as the first time. Damn, maybe their school needed better security. 

Once he had gathered up all of their siblings, they made a beeline for their preferred nail salon. They had all been coming here since they were still new in the city. It was comforting. Familiar. Not much had changed over the years, with the same dim neon advertising out front and the same worn, padded chairs and tables inside, the same wall of nail polishes on display by the front for them all to peruse at their leisure.

Even just the air of this place held comfort, oddly enough. 

“Of course you are,” Raph chuckled.

“That’s his life color,” Mikey chirped, and that made Raph smile a tiny bit.

“Yeah, Raph. It’s my life color,” Leo said, turning just enough to give Raph this absolutely shit-eating grin, to which Raph rolled his eyes in response.

“You always get blue!”

“Yeah, and you always get red.”

“No, I don’t!”

“Red or black.”

“I look good in red!” Raph defended.

“And I look good in blue!” Leo said, shooting him a look and a cocky sort of smile. But there was something about it that kind of made Raph squint a little. There was just sort of this corner of his eyes where the smile didn’t quite touch, like a shadow, almost--

“What about you, April?” Mikey questioned, turning to glance at their sister with a curious look. She hesitated for a second, looking sort of thoughtful.

“What’s my life color again?”

“Green,” Mikey reported proudly, absolutely beaming at the question, more than a little excited at the chance to share. Raph quietly thought that he’d have to make a point to ask more about it later, just so he could get that look on his face again.

“What kind?”

“Like, uh…” Mikey paused a moment, examining the wall of nail polish bottles, looking from the selection to April and back again a few times before he settled on a bright shade of chartreuse that reminded Raph of new spring leaves. “Like this!”

“I’ll go with this, then,” she said, smiling the tiniest bit as she took the little bottle in her hands. Raph thought to himself that she still looked… tired. But a lot less spiral-y than before.

He felt less spiral-y, too. 

“This way we’ll all match,” she explained. “We’ll all have life color fingers.”

“You gettin’ purple, Donnie?” Raph questioned, leaning over slightly to glance at his brother, who stood off to the side. The question was really just a formality. He knew Donnie would get purple. He always got purple, and, just as expected, Donnie nodded, holding up a little bottle of vibrant violet varnish in reply. 

They always went to this place on the rare occasion that they did this because this place didn’t mind if Donnie just used their supplies and did their own nails instead of being touched by any of the nail techs. Whatever made his little brother happy-- Raph didn’t mind.

So long as they were all happy.

And safe.

He clenched his jaw for a moment, glancing over at Leo from the corner of his eyes, where he was debating between a neon cyan and a glittery cerulean with April and Mikey, trying to gather votes as he weighed the pros and cons.

So long as he was safe.

“Leo, didn’t you get the glittery one last time we came here?”

“You remember that?” He muttered, not even looking up. “I mean, yeah, probably, but Mikey said it matches my life colors…”

“Of course, I remember!” Raph scoffed, leaning over slightly to look. “... Well, the glitter is very you.” 

“Is it?”

“Yeah. ‘Cause you’re, like… you know! Sparkly!” Mikey teased, grinning a bit, nudging the other, and Leo laughed, but in this way that felt ever-so-slightly left of normal, hip-checking Mikey in return before placing the two bottles back on the shelf. 

“Well, if I got that one last time, I should probably get something different,” he said, picking through the selections for a moment before settling on a more understated navy. Raph didn’t think he had ever seen Leo pick out a color so dark before.

“That one?”

“Yeah. It’s classy,” Leo insisted. “You know. Elegant and all that.”

“Psh. Who needs class when you can have razzmatazz?!” Mikey argued, gesturing to the absolute collection of bottles he had bundled up in his arms, ranging from neon magenta to metallic orange. “Variety is the spice of life, baby!” He did this every time.

“You’re lucky all the nail techs always like you,” April remarked with a scoff.

“For some reason,” Leo added.

“Remember that time he tried to do a cartwheel and he nearly knocked over the entire acrylic display?” April laughed. Mikey flushed.

“That was one time!” He argued. “And I was only ten! Plus, nothing got broken!”

“Nothin’ got broken?” Raph echoed.

“Well, not many things!”

“Aw, come on, guys, he felt bad!” Leo defended, even though he was smirking, slinging an arm over his baby brother. “And it was an accident! It wasn’t as bad as the first time we came here--”

“Hey--”

“-- and Raph drank one of the nail polishes.”

April cackled.

“He what!? How have I never heard this before!”

“It was our first time! I was only, like, six!” He cried. “It was bright red! Like candy! I thought it would taste good!”

“So you drank the entire thing!?”

“Everyone freaked out,” Leo laughed. “We had to call poison control.”

“I was fine.”

“And that was our first time here,” Leo clucked his tongue. “What an impression we made… Remember?”

“Dad was so embarrassed,” Mikey giggled. “He had made it this whole thing, too, us ‘going out’ in the city and having a family day to see all the things in New York.”

“And we went up to the zoo beforehand, right? And then Mikey got lost when we were looking at the cheetahs, and Dad was freaking out because that place was packed and we couldn’t find him anywhere,” Leo remarked.

Raph scoffed loudly. “I remember! It was so busy, no one even realized he was lost or anything! Everyone just assumed he was with someone else,” Raph sighed deeply, shaking his head. “Mikey always wandered off, and then he never freaked out when he got lost. At least when Donnie wandered off and got lost he’d cry about it so someone would notice and help,” he tsked. “Mikey would have gone ‘round that whole zoo by himself for the entire day and not even cared,” Raph said, and Mikey snorted.

“I don’t remember that!”

“I do!” Raph huffed. “No one even realized you were some sad little lost kid ‘til you tripped and fell down eventually and started cryin’. And then that finally clued some people in and they found one ‘a the employees to help you out, and that’s how we found ya’. And I remember when we finally did go and get you, they gave you this little flower clip from one of the gift shops for your hair to make you stop cryin’ and you were happy as a clam! You didn’t even care you had been lost, you were just happy you got a flower. And Donnie and Leo were so jealous. Dad had to buy us all hair clips before we could go home because you guys carried on so much.”

“Okay, that I remember,” Leo snickered. “I think we still have those. Or I have mine, at least, somewhere in my room… And we went to get lunch at that one place up in Manhattan after that, didn’t we?”

“Yeah. Uhhh… Rakken Ramen!” Mikey said, his eyes lighting up with the memory. “I remember because Leo kept making puns about rock-and-roll and stuff.”

“And we had edamame for the first time. And mochi,” Leo hummed.

“That place was so good,” Mikey sighed deeply. “We haven’t been there in forever… we should go back…”

“We should,” Leo agreed. “And maybe this time Raph won’t eat anything that’s not food.” 

“You kinda had a habit for a while, huh?” April remarked with a grin, giving the other a look. Raph scoffed.

“Right, like I was the only one. We all put shit in our mouths.”

“Yeah, but you were the worst,” Leo challenged.

“You’re still the worst,” April laughed.

“I am not!” He protested. “If anything, Mikey’s the worst. Remember that time he swallowed a penny?”

“Lots of kids swallow pennies!” Mikey whined. “It’s common!”

“Five different times, Angelo!? Why did you keep eatin’ pennies?!”

“I dunno! They looked good!”

“Y’all are menaces,” April laughed softly, shaking her head. “Can’t take you anywhere…”

“Okay, but what about the time at the craft fair when April--”

“Not another word, Leonardo!”

---

“DONNIE!”

Leo rarely actually knocked and waited for his twin brother to allow him access to his room, instead just preferring to throw himself through the door with wild abandon and panache for extra dramatic entrances. He definitely wasn’t gonna knock and wait today. Donnie looked up from whatever he was working on at his desk, huffing loudly and rolling his eyes.

“Leo, I said to--”

“Guess what!!!” Leo did not have time to listen to Donnie’s lecture about ‘privacy’ and ‘boundaries’ and ‘basic manners’ right now. He was way too excited. Donnie sighed, his brows furrowed as he glared at the other.

“... What?”

Leo paused, looking his brother up and down, and then scowled, placing his hands on his hips.

“Well, if I tell you, are you going to be actually excited?”

“What?”

“I’m not gonna tell you if you’re just gonna be all…” He gestured to the other. “Donnie about it. It’s really cool. So you’ve gotta be excited. Got it?”

Donnie blinked slowly, staring his twin down with an unamused expression.

“Yes, dear brother. I promise to express sincere joy and excitement at whatever news you’re about to impart upon me,” he deadpanned, glaring at the other all the while.

“Okay okay okay,” Leo backed up a bit in order to pose. “Me and Dad just talked. And he said!... That I can start taking puberty blockers!”

Donnie blinked in surprise.

“Oh. That actually is cool. Like… genuinely. Congrats, Nardo”

“I KNOW!!! I’m so excited!” Leo cried, moving to flop down on his brother’s bed in sheer delight, kicking his legs. “This is so freaking cool! Eat it, puberty! Good luck ruining my life now!!! I’m not gonna have to do any of that stupid nasty girl stuff!!!”

Donnie frowned just the tiniest bit, rolling his eyes.

“What’s wrong with girls?”

“Nothing! But their girl stuff is gross,” Leo responded with a huff.

“No, it’s not.”

“It is too. We went to the same health class. I know you think that stuff was nasty!”

Donnie visibly shivered, but huffed a bit, holding his ground.

“I dunno,” Donnie mumbled, shrugging a tiny bit, his eyes still glued on his phone. “Being a girl doesn’t seem that bad.”

“What?!” Leo scoffed loudly, sitting up to give his twin an incredulous work. “Yeah, it does! Being a girl is the worst!”

“Well, how would you know?” Donnie challenged. “You’re not a girl.”

Leo opened his mouth and then closed it again. Huh. He supposed he had a point.

“Yeah… Well. You’re not a girl either,” Leo huffed in rebuttal.

When Donnie didn’t respond right away, and Leo paused, his brows knitted together. Oh, hey. Wait a minute. He narrowed his eyes.

“... Why?” He pressed, leaning forward a bit, trying to get a glance of his twin’s face, though they remained firmly facing away from him. “... Do you wanna be?”

“No!” Donnie scowled, and then hesitated, leaning their head back. “No. Not… really.”

“What does that mean?”

“What?”

“Not really. That’s not the same as not wanting to be a girl.”

“Well. I don’t--”

“If you wanna be a girl you can just be a girl.”

“I don’t want to be a girl!”

“Then what’s the issue, dude?”

“I don’t wanna be a girl… all the time. Just. Kind of. Some of the time? Ugh. Nevermind. This is stupid--”

“Well, just do that, then,” Leo said. “Just do the some of the time. What’s stopping you?”

Donnie paused for a moment, frowning a bit and sort of examining his feet.

“I don’t know,” he finally admitted.

“Well, then, we should just do it,” Leo announced, crossing his legs. “If you don’t like it, we can just stop and go back. It’s easy.”

“I don’t even know how I would accomplish that!” Donnie protested.

“Well,” Leo said, tilting his head to the side, considering for a moment. He supposed he wasn’t completely sure either, since he had come out at the ripe age of five, but he had certainly picked up a pretty good idea over the years from friends, peers, books, and of course, the internet. “Do you wanna change your name?”

“No. My name is fine.”

“Okay,” Leo said. “... Do you wanna be. Like… my sister?”

“Not really,” Donnie said. “I mean. I still want to be your brother. You guys can still call me your brother. I don’t…” He frowned. “I don’t want to be not your brother.” 

“Oh, okay.”

“And I still want to be Dad’s son.”

“That’s fine. Uh. Is there anything you do wanna change, then?”

Donnie shrugged a little, picking at the edges of their sweatshirt thoughtfully. “No. Not right now,” he finally said. “I guess just… you knowing is sufficient. For now.”

“Oh. Yeah, okay. Cool.”

Donnie sighed very softly, letting out a long breath, and Leo watched as his brother’s frame slowly untensed and relaxed.

“Okay. Cool.”

---

“You already chipped it,” Raph remarked, leaning over his shoulder gently to look at his nails. Leo resisted a sigh, leaning away in turn, pulling back from the contact.

“Yeah. Bummer. I’ll probably just take it off later,” he said with a hum, looking back down at his phone-- trying to act casual.

“Take it off? But we just got ‘em done!” Raph protested.

“Yeah, but it’s chipped,” Leo said, shrugging. “I dunno what you want me to do. I must have done it while skateboarding or something.”

“When did you go skateboarding?”

“The other day,” Leo said, noncommittal, leaning back in the seat of the train slightly, glancing out the window. “Hey, do you think pigeons are gonna evolve to be, like, sexy?”

“What.”

“Well, like. Half the pigeons you see are boring, right? Just… Regular pigeons with the boring, standard pigeon affair,” he quickly launched into an explanation, gesturing out the window as he spoke. “But then some of them are, like, crazy. Like, white with black spots or brown or whatever. Like. Some of them look super cool. Do you think New Yorkers will develop a preference for the cooler pigeons, and give them more bird seed, and therefore effectively breed out the normal ones? Like. Artificial natural selection? But for birds looking cool?”

“... What?” Raph repeated.

“That would be so horrible!” Mikey protested. “You can’t just feed birds based on who’s the prettiest!”

“Plus, like, would it even work? ‘Cause, I mean, maybe the regular ones are, like, scrappier, so even if people were givin’ the other ones more food…”

And off they went. Leo sighed quietly in relief as his brothers easily took the bait, spiraling off into a pigeon debate and leaving him in peace. Thank god.

He settled into his seat, shifting just enough so he could watch the world fly by in a blur. If he didn’t focus his eyes on everything, it all just blended together, as though someone had taken a palette knife over reality. The train hummed and rocked as they went, and the corners of his lips twitched slightly as he watched.

It had been, what-- a month since they had last attended a martial arts tournament? But it felt like a goddamn lifetime. The world was so different now, and, once again, no one even seemed to realize it. 

There had been several long arguments about whether or not they would attend, just as there had been several long arguments about whether or not they would go back to school or whether or not they would return to sports and other after-school activities. Long, lengthy debates about whether or not it was safe, whether or not it was too soon, or if just sitting at home and waiting was doing more harm than good, etc etc, with no one on any one clear side, everyone just worried and anxious and upset each time, all smeared together into sludge. Leo still wasn’t sure if it was the right move, but he didn’t think that sitting at home, with everyone locked away in their own rooms or arguing with each other, was a good idea, either.

Back when their dad was still missing, he had thought, pretending like everything is normal is so stupid. Why are we doing it? But now it was all he wanted to do. He wanted so desperately to pretend like everything was normal. He wanted so badly to act as though the problem wasn’t there. If he didn’t look at it, maybe he wouldn’t have to feel it. If he didn’t look at it, maybe no one else would, either.

The rest of the train ride was pretty quiet, aside from Mikey and Raph chatting about pigeons. It was odd. Usually, they would all talk. Their dad would chat with them, Donnie would chat with them… Usually, Leo had things to say, too. 

But not today. The train ride seemed long.

And yet, no time had passed at all before they were there. Leo liked the familiar buzz-- the bustle and shuffle of the people, the hum of excitement in the air, the promise of competition. At least this hadn’t changed. His family stuck close as they went through the usual routine, getting signed in and finding a spot in the bleachers, just like always, and they all played their usual parts-- Mikey thinking he forgot something before their dad revealed that, no, he had remembered, and it was in the bag, their dad taking the time to try to hype them all up, and Leo informing Donnie that he was gonna wipe the floor with him, (now that he no longer had any kind of head injury… He found that some of the usual joy of threatening his brother with bodily harm was gone now that he had watched them be beaten into unconsciousness by a stranger.) However, he did not receive the return banter he would usually expect, bringing the sense of familiarity coming to a grinding halt. Leo frowned a bit, trying not to sulk as the group made their way to the locker rooms. He hated the way things felt… wrong. Would it really kill Donnie to just play along?

“Hey,” Raph leaned over slightly as they walked, shifting the pace slightly so they were just a few steps behind Donnie and Mikey. Already, Leo didn’t like the look in his eyes. “Are you good?”

Leo’s brow twitched a bit, and he resisted the urge to huff. Oh, great, now Raph, too? He had already gotten the exact same question from Mikey at least eighty times over the past week. He swore his baby brother must have a timer on his phone for how often he came sidling up with those big eyes, trying to see if he was ‘okay.’

“Yeah, Raph. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Just checkin’!” Raph immediately said, looking a bit nervous, rubbing the back of his neck. “You just. Uh. I dunno. You seem a little… off. That’s all.”

“I’m fine, Raph,” Leo dismissed, rolling his eyes.

“You sure? Because lately, I know, uh, things have been a little…”

“Raph. Seriously,” Leo cut off, bristling a bit. “I just said I was fine. I’m fine, okay?”

And he was! Seriously. He was… fine. It wasn’t a big deal. None of this shit was anything he couldn’t handle on his own. He scowled at the way his brother was looking at him, hunching his shoulders slightly and picking up his pace, following Mikey and Donnie into the locker room with a tiny grumble. Ever since the Battle Nexus thing, everyone just looked at him all the time like they thought he was gonna break, and Leo didn’t even get why. He was fine, wasn’t he!? Everything had worked out, so what was the big deal? They were all home now.

Whatever happened, happened. Leo, for one, was keen to get over it and move on. It wasn’t like anything had changed.

He already couldn’t sleep at night before all this. So it’s not like anything was really different.

He could tell that Raph had more he wanted to say, but thankfully, he didn’t, and the group busied themselves with getting changed into their gi, shoving bags into lockers and making sure everything was all prepped and ready. Leo fell quickly into the familiar routine, a soft sigh escaping him at the blissful relief of it, letting himself sink down inside. It was like ice water on sore, hot muscles, and he thought, god, didn’t they think this was better?

Wasn’t it so much easier to just go back to what they knew instead of lingering over everything that went wrong? Everything that hurt?

And he, himself, hadn’t been intending to linger. He had planned to head out into the main tournament area with the rest of his brothers, once they all had their shit ready and were making their way.

But they had walked past the long row of sinks in front of the bathroom stalls, and he had seen himself.

And goddammit. He was stuck again.

His breath kind of stuttered for a second and then stopped, staying nestled up in the middle of his chest for a moment. He paused, stopping, staring, examining for a moment and scrutinizing. His hand moved on its own, brushing against his own jawline, tilting his head ever so slightly to the side. But every angle looked the same to him. 

He felt stupid doing this. Bobbing his head from side to side, expecting that to be enough to change anything. 

It wouldn’t. 

He already knew.

He finally tore his gaze away from himself, feeling grateful that he was alone in the locker room until he realized that he, in fact, wasn’t. Mikey and Raph had gone on ahead, not noticing him stop and stay behind. 

But Donnie hadn’t. 

For one long, heavy moment, the two of them stood there in silence, staring at one another. It wasn’t until Donnie began to move that Leo did, too, immediately and knee-jerkingly reacting to the threat of his brother signing to him-- or worse, speaking to him-- and potentially saying the same shit that he had heard a hundred times before over the past week-- the past four weeks-- and did not want to hear again.

“Don’t,” Leo spat, his reaction time leaping to the forefront to show itself off, shutting Donnie down before he had a chance to do anything. “I’m fine, got it? It’s not a fucking crime to look in the mirror. I am fine. I don’t wanna hear it. I don’t want you to ask, I don’t wanna hear any of this stupid emotional bullshit right now over nothing. Especially not from you.” 

Donnie didn’t really respond, at least not right away, and Leo was bothered by the fact that his twin brother’s expression was unreadable. Donnie wasn’t always especially expressive, and he tended to wear his ‘resting bitch face’ more often than he didn’t, but it was never unreadable to him. Leo had long ago mastered the art of being inside his brother’s head. He had always been able to catch on to what Donnie was feeling if he looked long enough.

He couldn’t right now. Had something changed with Donnie? Or had something changed with him?

Both of you. Neither of you, something cold and stinging hissed dramatic prose inside his ear. All that’s changed is that you know the fact of the matter now.

You didn’t come into the world together. That connection you’ve always touted is fabricated. There’s no special bond. There’s no unbreakable link.

That is not your twin.

(And he had known this for a while, hadn’t he? He wasn’t stupid. He had realized long before now that they could not possibly be biological twins. But the identity had still stayed on his person up until this moment, and now he felt it falling out of his hands. It only made him angrier.)

Rolling his eyes, though he wasn’t even sure at who, Leo brushed past the other, making a beeline for the exit. “I’m in the first match,” he said, roughly, as if that were a good explanation, as if that was a good excuse for him to take his leave, shouldering his way through the door and leaving Donnie behind. 

His throat felt tight. He couldn’t have this conversation right now. 

The gap had grown so wide.

He didn’t dare to reach out an arm to check, but he wasn’t sure Donnie was within his reach anymore.

That sucked.

He ached for the familiar to come back.

Reaching his legs out long to build a hurried stride, he focused on pushing everything back down into his stomach and catching up with Mikey and Raph, entering the tournament space and feeling all the chatter and cheers of the fray creep up quickly and crawl into his spine. He hadn’t been lying before. He really was in the first match. 

“Yo! Leo. There you are,” Raph turned to face him when he approached, joining the other two at their little corner of the meet. Some of the other kids from the Lou Jitsu School of Ninjutsu dojo were there, too, and Leo made it a point to ignore all of them. “You g--”

“I’m fine,” he snapped, giving his brother an absolutely dangerous glare. Raph and Mikey exchanged looks, just for a second, but thankfully dropped it.

“... Alright. Where’s Donnie?”

“I dunno,” he dismissed, tossing his stuff down into a heap, kicking his shoes off and beginning to pull his hair back properly, wrinkling up his nose as a few clumps of curls brushed against his cheeks, escaping his grip and falling back down into his face. Goddammit.

He had always loved his hair. He spent hours on his hair. He lovingly bleached it, never allowing his roots to creep up too far, and religiously maintained the red streak framing his face. He adored showing off the coily ringlets, tossing them around and flipping his hair dramatically whenever he got the chance. But lately, it was getting on his nerves. He was thinking about chopping it all off. 

Raph knelt down next to him, silently taking over, pulling his hair back in an easy, practiced swipe of his large hand, untying the baby blue ribbon from his half-up topknot and calmly beginning to wrap it all into a ponytail instead. Leo frowned, but he let him. 

He tore off a long piece of sports tape with his teeth, wrapping it around his wrist with one hand. He had done this a million times, but now his heart clenched anxiously as he wound the tape over the silver bracelet on his wrist, the tiny blue crystal tucked away out of sight and out of reach. His brothers helped him shrug on any required padding, wriggling into sparring gloves and boots.

This was a larger meet, and usually, Leo preferred those, because there was stiffer competition and more events to partake in, but today it made his nerves tremble, squirming up and down his body, pressing against his muscles. Across the mat, Leo saw his opponent doing the same as him, preparing for the coming fight, some of their teammates hyping them up. A man who Leo assumed to be the coach bent over him, speaking fervently, likely giving some last-minute instructions and pointers. For some reason, it made Leo’s stomach turn, even though he knew his Dad was nearby, tucked into the front row of the bleachers amongst the many other parents and spectators and watching. Though their Dad was the one who, truly, taught them martial arts, he had long since retired from ‘officially’ coaching at the dojos, making way for other senseis to take his place. And Leo really liked their coach. But right now, he wished that it was their dad instead. 

It wasn’t, though. 

“You got this, Leo!” Raph encouraged as he stepped up to the mat, rolling his shoulders a few times, getting in a few more last-minute stretches as he approached. 

“Yeah! Kick his butt!” Mikey cheered from the sidelines, and the rest of the team was following suit, rallying behind him as the event began, just like they all did for every match, just like the other kid’s team was doing for him.

Leo didn’t really know the kid on the other side of the mat, though he recognized him vaguely. He knew the opposing dojo, having crossed paths with them at these events before, and it wasn’t uncommon for him to be able to recognize other competitors in he and Donnie’s weight class. He didn’t know his name or anything-- didn’t know a damn thing about him, just had vague recollections of facing him before in the past and taking him down with ease. 

He breathed in slow and deep, and then he let it out again.

He would do it again today. 

He had done this a million times before. He zeroed in on just this little pocket of the world; just this other kid and him. Everything else faded off as he closed the curtains on it all, coaxing his brain and body together and into focus, stringing them together and aligning his head, his torso, his limbs, and his will.

The boy across from him bowed, and Leo did too, bobbing his head forward stiffly.

“Stance!” The referee’s voice rang out.

Leo’s left foot slid forward, twisting slightly to find a firm hold on the ground. His right foot, in turn, moved back, and he shifted ever so slightly, allowing his center of gravity to sink just a bit lower, holding parallel to the ground. And though he took care to keep his body loose and fluid, all his muscles tensed, bunched up ever so slightly in preparation. 

The boy across from him did the same.

“Fight!”

Leo had always relied, to some degree, on his speed. He had a balance-- of course he did, their dad had taught them himself. He had strength behind his blows. He had dexterity and agility, he could think on his feet. But his greatest merit had always been that he was fast. He could endure a hit, but he didn’t have to if he could get out of the way first, and hit back. He was good at it. It was what he did.

He had done this a million times.

The other boy-- his stance was solid, Leo noted in the back of his mind. He was fast, too. He clearly knew what he was doing, was clearly good. He always had been. Why was he just noticing now--?

He was fast, too, but not faster than Leo. At the ref’s wave, the boy leaped forward, taking the offensive, rushing his opponent with an aggressive lead. And it should have been easy for Leo to dodge.

Leo was faster than him. He knew he was faster than him.

But for some reason, he didn’t move. His legs knew what they needed to do, and he knew what he wanted his legs to do.

But it didn’t happen.

Leo hadn’t been expecting a collision.

He hadn’t expected pain. He knew, even as it was happening, that he could dodge this and counter. He was in the middle of a tournament. It was familiar. He had done this a million times. 

What was wrong with him?

His legs didn’t listen. He didn’t move… and he was fully expecting to be punished for it.

The impact came and he went down hard.

---

“Leo, honey…”

Inwardly, Leo cringed, suspicion crawling up through his spine as he braced himself for an unpleasant conversation. He already knew what that tone of voice meant. Grown-up’s don’t just go, “Leo, honey…” for nothing.

He reluctantly turned to face the camp counselor who was addressing him, folded at the knees and leaning over slightly, as if she were talking to some little kid, which he was not, thank you very much. He was going to be starting the fourth grade in the fall, as a matter of fact, which was quite relevant, as it would so happen, to his current situation. 

This milestone meant he was finally old enough to participate in the day camps overnight event. He and Donnie had long anticipated this occasion, looking forward to this day for months now-- especially since Raph and April had gotten to do the sleepover last year and told them all about it. He and his siblings had been coming here during the summers for nearly as long as Leo could remember. Yeah, sure, they did other stuff, too. Donnie did his space camp, Mikey did his art camp, etc. etc.… But they always wrapped the season up with Camp Laurelwood during the month of August, all attending together. And Leo always had a good time, but he had been especially eager to attend this year. Not just because he was finally deemed old enough to sleep overnight. But because he and Donnie were and Mikey still wasn’t, which brought a whole other unique sense of joy and accomplishment to the entire situation. They hadn’t even technically started the overnight yet, and Leo was already so excited to brag and tell his little brother all about it tomorrow.

But suddenly, he was feeling a little less excited. 

“Don’t you think maybe you’d like to set your stuff up with April? In her tent?” Rosie suggested, gesturing slightly across the way, where April and a few other girls were getting settled, sorting through backpacks and playing rock-paper-scissors over who got which cot. Leo glanced over at his sister and scowled, hugging his sleeping bag to his chest.

“No,” Leo immediately responded, his face scrunched up into a prickly glare. Typically, he was all for hanging out with April. He liked April! But how dumb did this counselor think he was?

Did she really think she could trick him that easily?

The corner of Rosie’s lip twitched slightly. “Are you sure? I bet April and her friends would be really excited to have you join them,” she pressed, and Leo bristled. He knew full well that his Dad had already talked to the camp director about this. He already knew he was allowed in whatever tent he wanted. And he knew that every other camp counselor that he had worked with this year so far-- they were all really cool! He never had any issues with anyone else up until now.

He had thought Rosie was cool, too. Up until now. 

He was confident that if he put up a fuss, he could resolve this pretty quickly. He was really good at putting up a fuss. He had long ago learned how to fend off the occasional dumb adult who tried to nudge him in the wrong direction like this. He had found some time ago, under his father’s guidance, that he could shut down most situations like this by simply declaring (as loudly as he possibly could,) that no, he didn’t want to talk about his private parts with them, can you please stop asking? to whichever random adult was pestering him. They’d usually back off pretty quick after that.

And it was almost always adults, too. It used to baffle him when he was little, but now it just got on his nerves. 

He could kick up a fuss, yeah.

He just really wished he didn’t have to. 

“I don’t--”

“No, Leo has to be in my tent. With me.”

Leo glanced over in surprise as Donnie planted himself firmly by his side. 

“If he’s not in my tent with me, then I’ll cry,” Donnie reported, quite calmly, pursing his lips slightly as he glared up at Rosie. “And scream. The whole entire night long.”

Rosie floundered, just for a moment, before she forced a tiny laugh. “I’m sure you’d be fine in separate tents for one night. Plus, don’t you think it’d be more fun if you both got to hang out with some other kids for a change--?”

“I assure you I would not,” Donnie responded immediately, barely even letting the words leave her mouth, crossing his arms over his chest. “You see, I’m only nine, and this is my first time ever sleeping out in the woods. And Leo is my twin brother,” he added, pressing just a bit harder than he had to on the last word. “So there’s obviously a lot of potential for tonight to be very scary for me. And different. I’m sure you have notes on the clipboard you carry around all the time about me. So if you make me and my twin brother sleep in different tents, I’m gonna freak out. I’ll stay awake the entire night. And I’ll come into your tent to scream,” he said, very-matter-of-fact like he was making a promise. “I might even throw up, that’s how hard I’ll cry. And then I bet other kids will get scared and start crying, too. They definitely won’t be able to sleep, at any rate. So then the whole entire camp will be up. I bet they’ll have to make the camp director come down, eventually, ‘cause I’m gonna freak out so bad, and she’s gonna ask why you made us sleep apart from each other in different tents, and why you’re making Leo sleep in the girls’ tent, ‘cause I know your clipboard says--”

“Okay!” Rosie hissed, her face flushed slightly as she got back up to her feet-- rising up to her full height. “Alright, Donnie. That’s enough. It was just a suggestion. You and Leo can be in the same tent.”

Leo gaped slightly. Donnie grinned the teeniest, tiniest bit. And they both watched as Rosie walked off, suddenly finding something on the other side of the clearing that desperately needed her attention right away. And then Leo grinned, too, whipping around to face Donnie and laugh.

“Dude, that was cool!”

“I know,” Donnie said.

“Did you see her face!?”

“Yes, I did,” Donnie confirmed, and his grin grew a little wider. “... what a dum-dum.”

“Seriously,” Leo muttered, rolling his eyes, sighing a bit. “... Thanks, Dee.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Donnie said, though he seemed quite pleased with himself. “Obviously, I can’t just sit idly by and allow people to pick on my little brother.”

“We’re the same age!”

“Yes, but I was born first,” Donnie insisted, grinning widely, and Leo scoffed, shoving him gently. Donnie shoved him right back, but not hard.

Yeah, Leo could have handled Rosie by himself. He knew how to. But it felt… really good to not have to. And that was the cool part about Donnie, Leo thought to himself. He always kind of seemed to know when Leo didn’t want to. He even knew when Leo couldn’t handle it himself, even when Leo himself hadn’t realized yet, and he’d step in then, too. 

They had always done that. The back and forth. When Donnie was struggling, Leo would jump in and he’d fix it. And when Leo needed help, Donnie would put himself between Leo and the problem, and he’d fix it, too. That was just how it worked. Of course, Raph, April, and Mikey would do the same for either of them and had, in fact, done so plenty of times. They’d all gladly jump to each other’s aid whenever they needed it.

But it was just a tiny bit different when it was him and Donnie. They were twins. The world was just set up in such a way that they tended to traverse it in tandem… which meant he always had someone to lean back into if he needed it. Steady. Reliable. Comforting. And it had just always been that way. They had always done this.

“Whatever. Come on, let’s go put our stuff in the tent before all the good spots are taken!” Leo encouraged, grabbing his bag and shoving Donnie’s into his arms.

“There are good spots?”

“I dunno. Maybe!”

---

Of course, he had seen Leo get hit before. He had seen Leo get hit lots of times. I mean, it’s martial arts, of course people are gonna occasionally land hits on him. Quite frankly, it was usually one of them-- either Donnie snagging him during an event, which was not at all uncommon, or him and Raph getting him during training. Or, you know, just good old-fashioned brotherly banter.

But Mikey hadn’t ever seen him get hit like this before.

He just fucking crumpled.

And it was horrifying to watch, not just because of the sight of his brother slamming down onto the mat, his feet splayed out beneath him, and not just because of the sound, seeming to echo through the stadium over everything else-- but because he watching it happen and he felt so guilty, and he wasn’t even sure why. He wasn’t the one who took him down. It had nothing to do with him. But still, this bright, fidgeting lump rose up into his chest and lodged itself into his throat, pulsing dangerously there like a spark to kindling. Mikey quickly shoved it back down, forcing himself to settle.

Not now. 

He watched Raph jerk next to him, and he reached out to grab his arm, because he wanted so desperately to run over to Leo’s side right now and check to make sure he was okay, and he knew Raph did too, but they both knew better. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see their dad getting to his feet. 

Being here suddenly seemed like a really bad idea, actually.

It took him a second, but Leo began to sit back up after a moment, seeming dazed. Relief flooded through Mikey’s entire body. Logically, he knew that Leo couldn’t be injured that badly in a high school tournament, they were both wearing safety gear, the floor was padded, but it just-- it just felt--

He clenched his jaw, tamping it down again. 

The referee and their coach alike moved to check on his brother, and Mikey couldn’t hear from here, but one of them waved down one of the medics that always lingered around at the events. He could see from here that Leo was shaking, but trying to get to his feet anyway, his body moving in this stiff, painful way that looked out of place on him. It wasn’t what he usually wore. And after a bit of fussing, some examining, and what looked like some arguing, Leo was up again, testing each leg, taking a few steps, as if to prove to the adults clustered around him he could, in fact, walk.

There was a bit more debate, and he was allowed off the mat (or perhaps dismissed from it.) Mikey felt like he was a caged animal waiting to be fed for how he was pacing, bunched up and quivering with anxious energy, wanting to throw himself at his brother as soon as he got back to them and see if he was okay, check on him, help him, just be near him--

 But Leo walked right past them, all but pushing Mikey away when he reached out to him.

And. Okay. That… hurt, a little. Mikey swallowed, trying to dismiss the sting. He was sure Leo was embarrassed, and probably in pain after taking a fall like that. Plus, clearly something was wrong, for him to get taken down in the first place. Maybe he was sick? Maybe something happened?... Don’t take it personally, don’t take it personally…

He chased. He knew that Raph was, too, and their dad was no doubt right behind them, and the Hamatos returned to the locker room that they had just come from not too long ago.

“Leo!” Mikey cried, hurrying to catch up. Leo didn’t respond.

“Leo, are you--”

“I’m fine, Mikey. Can you just give me a minute?”

Raph scoffed, bristling behind him. “Uh, clearly you’re not fine! What happened back there? Are you hurt--”

“If I was hurt, then the medic wouldn’t let me walk away, obviously,” Leo spat in return, but Mikey could see from here that now that they had retreated to the locker room, away from the prying eyes of officials, a limp that hadn’t been there before had begun to color Leo’s gait. 

He heard the door open and close, and he was right. Their dad was right behind them.

“Blue!” Dad fret, moving to join them as Leo plopped down on the nearest bench, wincing slightly at his own harsh, careless movements, beginning to yank off his gear and toss it to the side. “Are you--”

“If anyone,” Leo hissed, his shoulders tensing up sharply, “Asks me one more time if I’m okay, then I’m going to lose my mind! How many times do I have to say it!? I’m fine, okay!? I’m fine! I just got hit in a fight, alright!? It’s a fight! It happens! It’s not the end of the world! Can all of you please find something else to fuss over?! I’m fine and I don’t want to talk about it!!!”

Mikey blinked in surprise with the venom in his brother’s voice. This was so… unlike him. Yeah, he knew that Leo didn’t like attention, at least, not attention like this. He didn’t like people to worry about him. He was independent. He wanted to be the caretaker, Mikey had noticed long ago, even if Leo hadn’t yet, rather than the one taken care of. He was too proud to always accept help when he needed it. But he didn’t act like this. He distracted, he made jokes, he dodged questions and, yes, okay, he acted like a brat sometimes.

But he didn’t treat people like this.

Mikey narrowed his eyes, and he set his jaw.

“No.”

Leo groaned loudly, tipping his head back slightly. “Mikey--”

“No. Leo, stop it! Just stop, okay?!” He hissed, his own hackles rising to meet him. “Do you think we’re stupid!? You’re not fine! You’re clearly not fine! Obviously, none of us are fine, okay!? Can we please just admit that things are bad right now so that we can try to fix it and make it better instead of just… pretending like nothing happened?!” He seethed. “I have tried so hard to be patient with all of you, but this sucks and it’s not fine. We need to talk about this! About-- everything! This clearly isn’t working! I’m-- I’m trying to be patient, and I can’t--”

Some tears rose up in his throat, pricking the edges of his eyes, and he grit his teeth with frustration, trying to will them away but finding very little success. 

“It’s not gonna get better unless we do the work and fix it, okay? Just admit that things suck right now, Leo! Please. I know it’s not fine and I don’t know why you’re trying to trick us i-instead of, of t-trusting us! I trust you! Why don’t you guys--”

He hiccuped a bit, squeezing his eyes shut and balling his hands into fists, setting his jaw slightly. He shifted ever so slightly, edging his feet apart to try to stabilize himself and fight against his shaking knees. Raph sighed softly, resting a hand on his shoulder.

“Leo, come on. We’re just worried about you…”

Leo drew his arms around himself, looking sharply to the side. “I’m not--”

“Blue.” 

It was their dad who spoke up this time. 

He moved to Leo’s side, sitting down next to him, a hand resting on his shoulder. It was quiet for a moment.

“Do not take this out on your brothers. This is my fault,” he said. “If you’re going to be angry at someone, be angry with me. I-- I know I have let you all down.”

Mikey could see Leo swallow from here. And he could see Dad swallow, too, his brows furrowing together as his fingers traced a slow, gentle back-and-forth trail across Leo’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” Dad continued, and Mikey could hear this little pinch to his words like he was trying not to cry, but refusing to let himself do so. “I know that… I know that things are difficult right now. And they have been for a while. And I know it’s… it’s because of me and my actions. And I-- I have not been there for you the way you need me to.”

He stopped and Mikey suspected it was to get a handle on himself again, to get control of his voice.

“I’m sorry. I am… afraid. But that is… That is not a good excuse. I-- I don’t want--”

He broke off again, and this time a tear escaped, making a break for it, tracking its way down his father’s face. Their whole life, Mikey could count the amount of times they had seen their dad cry on one hand. But lately, the number was climbing rapidly, and though Mikey had already tried and failed to keep tears off his own face quite some time ago, now they only came faster. He swallowed a sob.

He was almost surprised to hear Leo sob, too, shifting just enough to hide his face against their dad’s shoulder. And in a second, their dad’s arms were around him, and Mikey couldn’t stand to be so far away from them anymore-- a whole foot away. Their dad opened an arm to make room for him right away when he approached, and then for Raphael. There wasn’t enough room for them on the dumb little locker room bench, but they made it work. It wasn’t about settling in and getting comfortable. It was just about hanging on.

“I’m so fucking mad at you,” Leo wept, his voice muffled by their father’s robe.

“I know. You deserve to be,” Dad whispered.

“You-- you’ve sucked since we got home.”

“You’re right. I have sucked,” he murmured softly.

“How could you leave us alone like that?” Raph said, his voice wrenching its way from his throat like a gasp. “We worked-- we worked so hard to find you. And everyone was so scared. I worked so hard. And you were just-- you were just gonna leave. How could you do that?!”

“I’m sorry,” Dad bit out. “I’m so sorry, my sons. I thought-- I thought I was doing the right thing. I’m sorry.”

Mikey hiccuped softly.

“You have to talk to us.”

“I promise I will.”

“We can’t-- we c-can’t do this if you don’t trust us and, and explain, this is... Dad, this is so scary.”

“Everything really sucks right now,” Leo added in, his voice absolutely shaking. “Everything sucks and you won’t h-help us. Y-you’re not--”

“I know. I know. I’m sorry. I’ve… I’ve made a lot of mistakes,” Dad said, his grip on them tightening slightly, pulling them even closer like he was afraid to let them go. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes. I’m sorry. I will-- I will do better. You don’t have to-- to forgive me. But I will do better. I swear I will do better.”

Mikey sobbed, absolutely burrowing his way into his father’s embrace as deeply as he could. His back and his knees hurt from the position he was in, and the posts of his earrings were digging uncomfortably into his neck, but he didn’t care. The entire world felt so cold and right here felt so warm. And so for a while, they all just stayed like that, quiet and close, until Mikey finally began to run out of tears, all wrung out and exhausted.

Having emotions was so goddamn difficult sometimes. He never realized how heavy they all were until he started trying to hold them all down. He thought to himself, jesus, is this what Donnie feels like all the time?

… Wait.

Mikey pulled away just the tiniest bit, his eyes doing a quick sweep of the locker room for something that he already knew wasn’t here. 

“Where… where did Donnie go?...”

---

It was dark here. There was no moon or sun here. No stars or sky above.

Donnie supposed that, logically, that made sense. The Hidden City was underground. He supposed he was aware, but it hadn’t sunk in properly until now, examining the skyline off in the distance. He could feel the echoed thrum of the city even from all the way out here, but it felt removed, as though it were secondhand. 

Everything was painted in this soft, barely-there blue glow of the towering mushrooms that grew in abundance here, providing the only lighting for him to see by. He had thought about taking out his cell phone to use the flashlight, but he didn’t want to see the missed calls and texts that he was sure were there by now. Under different circumstances, he imagined that he would be excited by the foreign fungi, thrilled for the chance to study them, to take samples and field notes… but he wasn’t now. 

For a long time, he had relied on facts and reason. They had always held him up, providing a reliable and steady basis for his life. But now, all of a sudden, they weren’t there anymore. He didn’t know where they had gone, but he knew he had been left behind. 

It had taken him a long time to get here-- wherever the hell he was. He didn’t really know, actually, and he wasn’t exactly sure why he had come here. It was an obnoxious labor to retrace their steps from back when they had first attempted to find the secret door Sunita had told them of, operating purely off of memory and uncovering it on his own. He was sure that at least a few hours must have passed, and for all this time and effort, he was now simply in the middle of nowhere. He just didn’t know where else to go. 

They didn’t recognize the plants that brushed up against the edges of their hands, but they thought quietly to themself that they reminded them of ryegrass. Perhaps if ryegrass were taller and bluer. 

They wished they could feel excited about that.

They didn’t.

Their steps faltered, slowed, and stopped. For a second, they stood still, listening to the deafening quiet of this place. Standing alone in an empty field, staring off at nothing. And as soon as he stopped moving, it all caught up to him.

An unbidden, furious sob clawed its way painfully up his throat. And then a second, and a third, and his skin crawled at the unpleasant sensation of tacky tears dripping down his cheeks, which only worsened this already horrible moment. Why did people always say crying was cathartic? Crying was horrendous. Crying was tortuous. He swiped desperately at his face, trying to remove the offending liquid, but they kept coming, and the more frustrated he became, the more tears fell.

Gritting his teeth, a short, resentful shriek escaped from his mouth, and his hands were shaking bad enough that he was almost unable to tear his bracelet from his wrist, clawing the jewelry off of his body with frenzied yanks of his trembling hands. But he still managed. 

The sensation associated with the complete transmutation of his body was still just as awful as before, and he gagged several times, bent over and heaving for a moment as dizziness briefly overtook him. But there was nothing in his stomach to bring up to begin with. He sobbed angrily, steeling himself and forcing himself upright again.

He reared back and threw the bracelet as hard as he possibly could. 

Logically, they knew that this was foolish. The cloaking crystal was highly valuable. This was a rash decision based entirely on emotion, and there was a chance he may regret it, given enough time. But logic had failed them. Logic wasn’t here. They had held onto it so desperately, but their steady presence was gone, and the comfortable cloak of numbness that they had worn as a shield for the past week was suddenly gone, too.

It was an emotional decision. And these were emotional thoughts, he knew. But they were all he had right now.

[ next ]

#tw dysphoria #tw transphobia #tw menstruation #sorrywhatnowau #tmnt #rottmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt fanfic #rottmnt au #rise of the tmnt #disaster twins #rottmnt disaster twins #rottmnt human au #rise tmnt #tmnt 2018 #fidgetwing #writing

[crazyk-imagine]

Persuasion at it’s... Finest?

Pairing: Tom “Iceman” Kazansky x Pilot!reader  Characters: Pilot!reader, Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, Nick “Goose” Bradshaw, Bradley Bradshaw

Briefly mentioned: Carole Bradshaw, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell Warnings: Nick being traumatized, friends with benefits situation, Bradley doing all that he can to fight the monsters in his room, did I imagine Nick calling reader at 2am... yes, Tom doesn’t care if Nick knows, not gonna lie... Toms told Ron about the reader, and he approves (not just cause, it pisses mother Goose and Mav off), Carole is a trooper for enduring this chaotic mess, P.S. Carole loves the reader Word Count: 619

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

You grunt at the sound of your ring tone. ‘Maybe it’s a dream.’ Your phone is tossed beside you. 

“Phone.” 

You roll your eyes even though they’re still closed and blindly reach for the phone, not prepared for the brightness of the phone even as you thought about it to mentally prepare yourself. 

You close your eyes, setting your phone on the mattress. “Let’s try this again,” you mumble, slowly opening your eyes to peek at the, still, bright screen. 

“What the hell?!” You answer the call, wondering why the hell your damn cousin is calling you now when he knows you’re gonna met up with him and Pete later today after your done with work. 

“Why are you disturbing my slumber, asswipe?” 

He ignores your crankiness and gets right into what he called you for. “Do you know how to make anti-monster spray? Brad doesn’t believe I know how to make it?” 

“You’ve got to be f-” 

“Speaker.” 

You know he’s pulled away from the phone to tell the young boy to say hi, which he does and dammit- it warms your heart. “Hi, Bradley. Why don’t you think your dad knows how to make the monster spray?” 

“He didn’t do it like you.” 

“That’s because he’s trying to distract you with jokes, so you forget what he’s making. It’s a- a clever way to throw the monsters off his trail.” 

“Really?” He asks, like he doesn’t believe you. 

“Yep. Now, that you know how your dad can make the special spray and let him work his magic, can I hangup and you two cleanse the whole house?” 

“But I,” he yawns. “Like talking to you.” 

You smile, knowing how hard he’s fighting to stay awake. “I know, Brad but you gotta let Nick do his thing so you can get all the sleep you need in order to help your mom out with some things.” 

“Okay. We’ll see you soon, right?” 

“Of course. I’ll try to make it over earlier than I said so I can scare your dad.” 

“I heard that.” 

“Good.” You can hear rusting, slowly figuring out that Nick is getting the phone away from Bradley. 

“Hey,” he whispers. “Sorry about that. I know you were sleeping but-” 

“He has your genes.” 

He chuckles, “exactly.” 

“If I don’t make it on time, I’m blaming you and we all know how much Viper likes me. Some might say I’m his favorite.” 

“No one says that.” 

“That’s because they know to keep their mouths shut.” 

“See they do talk about how you’re his favorite, then I don’t believe you.” 

“You’re annoying.” 

“Oh! I’m annoying.” 

“Yeah,” you say, without missing a beat. 

“You’re one to talk.” 

His hand brushes against your low back as he reaches for you. “Are you done yet?” He wraps his arm around your waist, pulling you closer to him. 

“Who is that?” Nick asks after Carole takes Bradley so he can be put to bed (making sure to take the spray with her). “Is that- was that ICEMAN!? What is he doing in your-” 

You hang up on him and quickly turn your phone off soon after. 

“He’s not gonna stop calling,” Tom points out, mumbling into your pillow.

“I know but I can hold him off for right now.” 

“As long as we get to sleep longer, I’m fine with that.” He burrows his head deeper into the pillow. 

You shake your head. “You’re getting up when I do, buddy.” 

“No.” 

“Yes, you are. We both have to be there early.” 

“Anyway, I can persuade you into a different activity, other than sleeping?” 

“Nice try.” You pat his cheek and lay back down, pulling your sheets and comforter over your shoulder.  

#top gun #top gun fanfic #top gun fanfiction #top gun imagine #top gun imagines #tom iceman kazansky #tom iceman kazansky x reader #tom iceman kazansky imagines #tom iceman kazansky imagine #iceman x female reader #iceman x reader #tom iceman kazansky x you #tom iceman kazansky x pilot!reader #crazyk-imagine