#these two need and /want/ to stay with each other. literally together til fucking death

[general-cyno]

sometimes I see manga panels or anime screenshots of luffy and zoro being silly and I'm hit with the reminder that zoro not only believes his dream/ambitions mean nothing without luffy but that he's said this out loud. to an enemy, no less, as he chose to exchange his life for luffy's. that luffy himself would lose his absolute shit if something bad ever happened to zoro and the reason why luffy tends to worry less about and rely more on him is bc he knows how strong zoro is, can and will be and the lengths he'd go to protect others, especially the people he cares about, since this part of zoro's character is exactly what ultimately convinced luffy to recruit him in the first place. that even though zoro's the one with the grand gestures it likely means so much to luffy, who experienced tragedy early on and is afraid of losing those he loves to the point he vowed to become strong just to avoid so, the fact that zoro's such a steady presence and force beside him - one he can count on to keep everyone, and luffy too, safe. insane levels of devotion and trust going on between two dudes who shower once a week.

#zolu #tp #came back from a beach trip even more insane abt these two cheers #luffy's I need you and zoro's vow in opla are so perfect bc they straight up slap your face with how much #these two need and /want/ to stay with each other. literally together til fucking death #imagine what that's like for someone like luffy who's had ppl he loves leave him even if not by choice #bc external forces make them mostly #prying zoro away from luffy would take extreme circumstances like sabaody or luffy somehow deeply disappointing him #the latter of which luffy's proved he wouldn't do and the former is the reason why zoro bowed to his sworn rival #for the chance to become stronge enough to surpass even him. bc if zoro's stronger - the strongest - sabaody won't happen again #at least not if he can help it

[thatshithurted8]

jeff wittek imagine where the reader and jeff go on vacation together like to vegas or miami???

Holiday 

Summary: Throughout your mini holiday in Miami with your boyfriend Jeff, he realizes just how special you and your relationship are. 

Word Count: 2.3k

Warning: Tooth rotting fluff, mention of alcoholism and Jeff’s accident

A/N This is also inspired by KSI’s song Holiday! 

I wanna wake up every mornin', feelin' better 'Cause I know you're sleeping by my side And every moment we're together I remember just to keep it all for you and I

Jeff’s brown eyes slowly open, being awoken by a crying baby that was a few rows behind you two. He lets out a yawn before looking over at you who were fast asleep on his shoulder. 

Something that not a lot of people knew was that Jeff hated flying despite being a certified skydiver. Ever since he was younger he was never a fan of flying, only now he was a bit more comfortable with it due to his experience skydiving. Nevertheless his initial nerves after waking up quickly wash away just from being in your presence.

Wanting to capture this seemingly perfect moment, Jeff slowly grabs his phone out of his pocket without disturbing you and takes a quick picture. As he analyzes the picture his heart swells at how at peace and comfortable you looked sleeping on him and in one of his sweaters. The two of you were extremely tired from catching a red eye flight to Miami so no wonder why you both fell asleep. 

Saving the picture Jeff puts his phone away and slowly opens the blind of your window seat. The rising sun shines into your row, the rays illuminating your face making your features and long lashes more prominent. The purpose of the trip to Miami was to watch the Logan Paul vs Floyd Mayweather fight. In fact you were ecstatic when Jeff told you he got you guys tickets to the event since you grew up watching boxing with your family and you were a huge fan of Mayweather. With that being said you had no idea how close the tickets Jeff got were to the ring. 

Jeff’s breath hitches as he admires you. He was so in love with you and was so excited to see your reaction to being ringside. As Jeff softly moves some stray hairs out of your face he realizes everything he does is for the benefit for not only you, but your relationship as well. It was you two against the world. 

I see that body in the sunlight Feelin' the heat and it feels right I wanna do this for the rest of my life

“I know you guys are dating and all, but you seriously need to stop staring before you sink the boat with your drool.” Mike Maijlak says walking over to Jeff’s side and handing him a La Croix. 

Jeff booked your mini holiday to last a few days before and after the fight which gave you guys the opportunity to explore Miami and let lose. With that being said neither of you were going to turn down Mike’s invite to join him on a yacht to party. So there you were talking and dancing with some girls you knew from LA while sipping on a La Croix. 

Jeff lets out a laugh while opening one of his favourite drinks. “I can’t help it man, just look at her.” He says taking a sip of the bubbly liquid while continuing to admire you from afar. 

The Miami sun that shined onto your skin paired with your infectious laugh, seemingly gave you a golden glow that made you standout. Not only that, but the bikini that you were wearing flattered your body type so well. 

After feeling as if someone was staring at you for the past few minutes you finally turn and look around the boat to find the owner of the eyes that were on you. Quickly your eyes find Jeff’s brown ones and you realize it was just Jeff staring at you the whole time, causing heat to wash over your body at his gaze. 

You shoot him a smirk and wink in return before turning back around to continue your conversation. A smirk of his own falls upon Jeff’s face as you do so, along with a light shade of pink on his cheeks. 

“You’re so whipped.” Mike laughs shaking his head, finally speaking up after watching the whole interaction. 

“Well I wanna be whipped for her for the rest of my life then.” Jeff says without realizing how big of a statement that was while his eyes remained on your beautiful figure. 

Oh, I know, I know, you know the vibe I wanna stay with you every night You and me underneath the lights I'm always good when you're by my side I know, you know you're on my mind You really make me come alive I wanna be here for the rest of my life

“Jeff look at my hands I’m literally shaking I can’t believe we’re this close!” You exclaim while glancing between your boyfriend and the boxing ring in front of you. 

“Only the best for you doll.” He says sending you a wink while laughing. For the past hour and a half as you two watched the undercards you continued to gush about your seats making Jeff happy to see you happy. 

Without wasting another second you roughly grab Jeff by his green shirt and pull him in for a passionate kiss. Just before the brunette could immerse himself into it fully you pull away. Some of your lipstick was smudged and Jeff knew without a doubt he had some on his lips, but he didn’t care. In that moment it truly seemed as if you two were the only ones there under the rings bright lights and in an arena full of screaming fans while you two stared into each others eyes lovingly. 

Your attention on your boyfriend is torn away when the already loud arena becomes even louder as Mayweather starts to walk out. Quickly you start to cheer for your favourite boxer while jumping up and down and clapping excitedly. Jeff glances between you and the boxing legend before his gaze finally lands on you. 

You look over at your boyfriend with a smile that was from ear to ear. “It’s Floyd fucking Mayweather!” You exclaim pointing over to the undefeated boxer entering the ring. 

A smile washes over Jeff’s face as he laughs at your excitement. You truly resembled a child in a toy store. Seeing your excitement only made Jeff more excited, causing him to join in on cheering for Mayweather despite being friends with Logan. 

There was no one else Jeff would rather be with to witness the fight and this thought only made him realize he wants to be by your side for the rest of his life. 

Looking for sun rays, needin' them good days Fly me away-away, you're my holiday Cool like the ocean, lost in emotion Fly me away-away, you're my holiday Whenever you're here it's a good time Strawberry shirts in the sunshine Ice-cold drinks 'til the moonlight You're my holiday Whenever you're here it's a good time Strawberry shirts in the sunshine Ice-cold drinks 'til the moonlight You're my holiday

The next few days after the fight was a whirlwind, but in a good way. Despite having a good time underneath the Miami sun and it’s nightlife Jeff wouldn’t be having as good of a time if you weren’t there. You truly made the trip for him, making the sunny days that were good for his mental health even better and the dreary days full of life from your infectious positivity and smile.  

You let out a loud laugh as you and Jeff wrap your arms around each others, mimicking a toast before brining your drink to your lips while your boyfriend did the same. At the same time you two sip at your virgin drinks while maintaining eye contact with each other in the close position. You gulp down the rest of your cold drink despite it being alcohol free before untangling your arm with Jeff’s and ordering another at the outside bar. 

Over the past four years of knowing Jeff the two of you created a special connection that no one in your friend group had with each other. And that was being sober. Jeff turned to alcohol after his break up with his ex girlfriend while you on the other hand turned to it to deal with the death of your mom. To say you were there for each other was an understatement. When the temptation to drink was too much Jeff would call you up and the two of you would go on late night hikes and talk about everything and anything, and vice versa for you. There was always a mutual pining for one another, but neither of you acted on it due to how broken you both were at the time. However, as the years went by your feelings only intensified along with Jeff’s. Though it wasn’t until a few months after Jeff’s accident when he took a leap of faith and finally confessed his feelings to you after realizing how short life truly was.

Jeff places his glass on the bar as well, placing his hand on the small of your back while looking around the crowded club that was partly inside and partly outside. Once you get a refill of your drink you turn around sipping on the paper straw, your back leaning against the bar causing Jeff to redirect his attention back to you. 

“You look beautiful.” He says looking down at you in his arms. 

Heat washes over your face and Jeff’s smile widens at how flustered you still got after all this time together. He loved showering you in words of affirmation and he meant every thing he said to you. Although, you always look beautiful the way the moonlight reflected off of your skin made you look angelic. It was a great contrast to you earlier in the day at the beach wearing a strawberry printed bikini that made Jeff feel a certain way. 

“Thank you baby you don’t look too bad yourself.” You say placing a soft peck on Jeff’s lips before pulling him towards the dance floor. 

I wanna stay up 'til the mornin' with you talkin' Just to listen to the things you say And every time we're in the middle of the city I imagine us so far away

The two of you sat down in a booth with Mike Majilak and Logan Paul at a random Denny’s that was in between your hotel and the club you four were previously partying at. By now the jet lag and the numerous activities you and Jeff participated in was starting to catch up to you. However, that wasn’t apparent to anyone other than Jeff as you talked the boys ears off while eating. 

“We’ll see you guys later! And once again Y/N text me when you’re free to film an episode of ImPaulsive.” Logan says as him and Mike get out of the booth, placing money on the table and getting ready to leave the restaurant. 

“Of course!” You exclaim before picking up your lemonade and drinking what was left. Jeff bids his goodbyes to the two influencers and once they leave you quickly rest your head on his broad shoulder, letting out a loud sigh. 

“You okay doll?” Jeff asks placing his hand on your thigh. 

“Yea just tired.” You say kissing his neck and placing your hand on his cheek. Similar to Jeff you were able to pick up on the energy of situations and that affected how you acted. So once Mike and Logan left you felt as if you could finally wind down from their partying aura. 

A comforting silence falls upon you two and your eyes slowly flutter close as the rising sun shines in through the Denny’s windows. As cliche as it sounded Jeff felt as if it was only you two in the quiet breakfast place. The brunette rests his head against yours and his eyes follows your lead by shutting close. 

The two of you remain in this position for a few minutes, cherishing not only the first quiet moment of the trip, but also the little moments you two shared. 

Ooh, ooh Ooh, you're my holiday

Scratching at his eyes and stretching Jeff slowly and quietly gets out of bed, the sun filtering in through the hotels curtains and onto your sleeping body. You looked so peaceful and he didn’t want to disturb that. Once you guys returned to your hotel room from a night out partying and a very early breakfast at Denny’s the two of you instantly fell asleep. 

Jeff glances at the analogue clock on the bedside table which read 2:34pm before he slips on a pair of pants and a t-shirt. Making sure to not wake you Jeff grabs his phone, wallet and room key then quietly leaves your shared room. However, before he leaves he makes sure to place a gentle kiss on your forehead and whisper to you how much he loves you. 

Throughout the trip he was constantly reminded of how much he loved you. You helped him through some of the darkest times in his life and after all this time of knowing and being together Jeff finally knew what he had to do. 

Remembering a shop that was a few buildings away from your hotel, Jeff quickly walks over to it wanting to be back before you woke up. The Staten Island native hands become clammy as he approaches the store, his tough guy persona seemingly crashing down with every step he took. 

The bell above the shops door dings as Jeff walks in causing a sales representative to walk over to him with a welcoming smile. 

“Good afternoon how can I help you?” She asks. Jeff takes a look around the quaint shop and all of the glass casings before redirecting his attention back to the worker. 

“Hi uh yea, I was wondering if you guys have any engagement rings?” 

#jeff wittek #jeffrey wittek #jeff wittek imagine #jeff wittek fluff #jeff wittek angst #jeff wittek smut #jeffs barbershop #jeff fm #jeff wittek x reader #jeff wittek x you #mike majlak #logan paul #fic recs #vlog squad

[porcelain-soupspoon4]

You’re Not So Bad (Isaac Foster x Reader)

A/N: I finished Angels of Death a few weeks back, and it was so good! I just had to write a short story about it. I’m not the best writer, but hopefully my first writing of this anime is somewhat close to Zack’s character.  

Warnings: Cussing, Blood Mention (it’s Zack)

You never expected to meet someone like Zack until he arrived on Floor B2. You assisted Reverend Gray, acting as another guardian of B2 after he took you in when he found you as a homeless teen, sleeping on the outside steps of his building. He wasn’t the best father figure you could’ve had, but he still treated you better than the streets did. When hearing the elevator on your floor ding, you wanted to see who was there, but Reverend Gray stopped you, warning you to be careful of the people you may meet. When you asked why, he described the people that held the names Isaac Foster and Rachel Gardner. In all honesty, you didn’t think they were actually as bad as he made them sound, considering that he over exaggerates his descriptions of people to you to keep you safe. Also considering the other psychotic people he had as guardians on the other floors, you could trust your own gut when you met the duo. You stayed hidden in the background while you watched Reverend Gray journey with Rachel to Dr. Danny’s floor. Watching them leave from the end of the hall, you saw a man in a dark brown hoodie and a scythe laying on the ground. That must be Isaac Foster. You could tell that he was bleeding out badly, a pang of guilt and empathy coursing through you. You were hesitant to approach him, remembering that the Reverend said he was dangerous to meddle with and there was a high chance he could react violently to you if you dared to try and talk. But seeing him looking on the verge of death, you couldn’t help but walk slowly toward him. It may seem unreasonable to walk right into danger, but you knew you could take care of yourself. Reverend Gray provided you with a weapon of your own, a basket-hilted sword. He helped you to perfect every swing and stab. Not only that, but you weren’t too bad at fighting hand-to-hand either. Luckily, Isaac Foster appears to be too injured to try and fight back anyway. I honestly don’t think my sword would be able to block his scythe well, I hope he doesn’t use it on me, you thought. As you got closer and closer to the strange man, he fidgeted a bit. You paused your movements, clutching the handle of your sword in its scabbard. He weakly turned his head towards you, his eyes opening slowly. 

“Who the fuck are you? You gonna try and kill me?” he questioned, a sharp tone in his voice. You noticed he made no effort to reach for his scythe, so you let go of your sword’s handle. 

“No.....I wouldn’t try to kill someone if they’re already dying,” you responded. He let out a dry laugh. 

“I hate to break it to ya sweetheart, but I’m not dying any time soon. Monsters are hard to kill. Besides, good ‘ol Rachel’s gonna fix me up. But enough of the chitter chatter, you didn’t answer my first question. Who the fuck ARE you? I thought there’s only one guardian on each floor, unless Reverend Shithead cheated,” he spat. You let out a small chuckle, finding his way of talking a throwback to when you were a teen. Although, he seemed to be around the same age as you, twenty or twenty-two years old. His bandaged face looked confused to your lighthearted reaction. He scowled, “Hey, what’s all that laughing for? I didn’t even say anything funny.” 

“Oh nothing, just thinking of my teenage days. But to answer your first question, I am another guardian of this floor. My job is assisting Reverend Gray on this floor, though I’m not really allowed to interact with the people who come here. But I uh, couldn’t help feeling a bit bad for you, seeing you bleed out like that,” you finally confessed. Letting out another dry laugh, he looked at you with a smirk. 

“Feeling bad for me, huh? Not the best decision. Don’t know if you can already tell, but I’m a cold-blooded serial killer. If I wasn’t feeling shitty at the moment, I’d cut that pretty head of yours off. Seeing you this calm around someone like me really pisses me off,” he said. You only let out another small chuckle, which irked him even more. 

“I’m sure you would, Isaac Foster. Although, I don’t think a fight between the two of us would end so quick. My weapon may be smaller than yours, but I can hold my own very well. If I could survive majority of my childhood and teen years being alone in the streets, I think I could survive you,” you calmly said. His temper apparently sky-rocketed because the next moment, he was yelling. 

“The name’s Zack, you bitch! Don’t go being so confident in yourself, it’s sickening to watch. I bet my ass could ruin all that confidence with just one land of my scythe. I’ll have you begging for your life, just you wait ‘til I’m in a better state to kill ya. Ugh, now I have two bitches to kill!” he groaned, then coughed loudly, more blood oozing out of his wound. You felt guilty again, wanting to at least stop the bleeding for a little while. 

“I carry some bandages and patches with me in case there’s a time I ever need to fix myself. If you need some I can-”

“Just leave it alone, will ya? I already got Rachel getting shit for me back on the other floor, I don’t need your damn help! Why the hell does everyone wanna help me?” 

“M’kay, but you’re bleeding pretty badly, by the time she comes back, you’ll most likely be passed out-”

“I said leave it alone! Stop tryna play nurse, your stuff probably won’t even do shit.” 

“But it’s better to stop the bleeding as soon as-”

“Will you shut up? You’re gonna make me go into shock.”

“I just wanna help-” 

“I said I don’t want any damn help!” 

“Well you won’t be much of a monster by bleeding out all over this damn floor! If you wanna at least live long enough to kill that girl Rachel, you could at least be somewhat decent and let me patch you up before you go all out, getting your own self killed instead! Now shut the fuck up and let me help! Geez! How does that blonde girl deal with you?” you shouted. Your yelling got him to close his mouth and shut up, surprised that he got someone as calm as you to get angry. How can I get her angry, but not scared shitless? It’s like she wasn’t even phased by my damn appearance, he thought. There was a short silence in the hallway, until Zack finally spoke up. “Didn’t know you had all that anger in ya. Heh, to be honest you even got my crazy self startled. I have no clue how Rachel deals with me, but all I know is her messed up head wants me to kill her. So I’ll do it. If I want to keep my promise to her.....I guess you should do what ya want. But don’t be a pervert about it.”

A small smile formed on your face as you took out your supplies in the small medical bag you carried around. 

“How the hell are you smiling after all that? Sheesh, I’m starting to think you’re even weirder than Rachel is,” Zack let out noises of disgust. You scoffed, rolling your eyes at his childlike behavior. 

“Tell me something.....,” he began to say, “why haven’t ya mentioned anything about my appearance? I’m literally covered in bandages and burnt underneath. Don’t I freak you out at all? Why aren’t ya scared?” 

“Well, I’ve seen crazier. I also don’t like to make a judgement about someone based on only their appearance. Sure you’re not ordinary looking, but I know there’s more about you than what I see on the outside,” you replied. Everything that you needed to help him was taken out. You didn’t have any type of alcohol or a sewing needle and thread to fully cover what you believed to be a deep gash in his abdomen, but it was all that could be done for now until Rachel got back. You reached over towards his wound, but hesitated. You looked him in the eyes, as if you were silently asking for permission. He nodded slightly, his breathing hitching a bit when he saw the look your eyes held. You looked so genuine, not one hint of fear in you. Was that.....kindness? No, it couldn’t be. Why would anyone show kindness to him? You unzipped his hoodie, a faint blush on your face. Sure he was an asshole, but it still felt.....somewhat intimate? Not in an inappropriate way, just in a trustworthy way. The fact he had so much trust in one stranger to help him like this.....it was odd. You undid the bandages already on him that were worn out. His wound was revealed, and so was his skin. Wow....is all of him burned? You shook your thoughts away. You grabbed a bunch of gauze sponges you had and grouped them together, beginning to apply pressure to his wound. Zack hissed at the pain, saying almost every curse word you think is in the dictionary. You let out a soft “Sorry” as you continued to clean up the big amount of blood on his body. Once you began to bandage him up tightly, Zack started up another conversation. 

“You’re different from the other guardians.....why aren’t ya trying to kill me? Isn’t that what you guardians do?” he asked curiously. You showed him another small smile. That damn smile, why does she smile so easily at me? It’s not like Rachel’s forced ass smile. What’s up with this bitch? Why is her smile so.....familiar? 

“Well, like I said before, I just assist Reverend Gray on this floor. He’s the main guardian. I’m just someone he happened to take in after he found me sleeping on the steps of this building. Heh, teenager me. Homeless after my parents abandoned me as a toddler. I’m not sure what made Reverend Gray want to keep me. Sometimes he acts like a father, but then I remember how self praising he is,” you sighed, “I know the people on the other floors kill so you expect me to be the same, but I don’t want to kill someone if they aren’t totally out of their mind.” 

“So is that why you didn’t try to kill me? Cause ya think I’m not totally out of my mind? Heh, well I’m pretty sure me killing people for fun isn’t sane either. I hate seeing people happy, sooooo I kill ‘em. What’s not psycho about that?” Zack stated. 

“Well for starters, I didn’t try to kill you because you were already injured, so it wouldn’t have been fair. And you can’t be totally out of your mind if you let me help you with your injury.” Zack scowled at your reply, knowing you were right. Even as a serial killer, he had morals. He hated lying, and he himself would never tell a lie. 

“You remind me of him too much,” he grumbled. Your head perked up. 

“Did you say something?”

“I said you talk too much.” 

“No, you definitely said something else.” 

“No I said you talk too much.” 

“Doubt it, tell me what ya really said.” 

“That is what I really said.” 

“No.”

“Yes.”

“Zack.” 

“Ugh, I said you remind me of him too much,” he said softly. 

“Him?” you questioned. Zack sighed. “There was this man I met when I was younger, a blind man. He let me stay at his place for a couple days. Even after I told him I killed a guy, he still had that dumb smile on his face. He always had that smile on his face around me. It was annoying, him being so calm around someone like me. Pissed me off, but I didn’t kill him. He fed me and everything. I mean he already died cause of something else, but it doesn’t matter anyway. Are ya done with my bandages yet? It feels like it’s been hours!” 

You rolled your eyes at his commentary. “Well, whoever that man is, he had quite the patience with you.” 

“Hey! I was giving you a compliment! Geez, way to be rude!” Zack crossed his arms, turning away from you. You only chuckled once more. You finally finished wrapping enough bandages as you could, making sure it was snug enough. 

“Happy now, angry boy? I’m done. They’ll still get bloody, but at least the bandages are fresh and not worn out,” you said, giving him another smile just to annoy him. 

“Thanks,” he mumbled. “I never caught your name. Since I told ya mine, it’s only fair you tell me yours.” 

“It’s (Y/N),” you said. 

“Well (Y/N),” Zack rubbed the back of his head. “You’re not so bad.....maybe I’ll keep ya alive.” 

#angels of death #angels of death zack #isaac foster #zack foster #isaac foster x reader #isaac x reader #zack x reader #angels of death x reader #zack foster x reader #angels of death imagines #isaac foster imagines #isaac foster fluff #anime #isaac foster fanfic #angels of death fanfic #aod #aod x reader #satsuriku no tenshi

[gaygryffindorgal]

hphm fic: 'til tonight do us part

fandom: harry potter: hogwarts mystery

pairing: mc/merula snyde

word count: 2.2K

summary:

A party in the Slytherin common room leads both Verna and Merula to confront some things about themselves...

“You don’t know shit,” was what Merula spat back at her and Verna didn’t know what she said wrong this time. “You prance around like you own this school and think you’re so damn special!”

“That’s fucking rich, coming from you,” Verna arched an eyebrow at her nemesis. “You’re the one proclaiming to anyone who will listen that you’re the most powerful witch at Hogwarts.”

warnings: underage drinking, swearing, merula being mean

author’s note: no proof-reading, we die like men! aka i wrote this thing at 3am in my notes app and english isn’t my native language.

hphm fic: 'til tonight do us part

“I’m not sure about this,” Ben Copper said and caught up to Verna. He had been tailing behind her and Charlie for the past several staircases. “Maybe I should’ve stayed in the common room studying with Rowan…”

“Cheer up Ben, this is gonna be fun,” Charlie attempted but Ben still didn’t look convinced. He had been trying hard to step out of his comfort zone with varying degrees of success.

“Hush the both of you, we’re almost there.”

The three of them were approaching the Slytherin common room entrance in the dungeons and the utmost care was needed. Parties in Hogwarts were notoriously difficult to organize if you wanted anyone but your own house members to attend. This one had coordinated times at which someone from Slytherin would let students belonging to other houses in. Barnaby had agreed to open the door for Verna, Charlie, and Ben at 9.30.

“Why are we even going to a Slytherin party…?” Ben asked as they reached the entrance.

“Because Barnaby invited us and I can’t say no to him, it’d feel like kicking a puppy,” Verna answered and glanced around to make sure no one else was in the corridor. “Besides, I think all of us need to let out a little bit of steam.”

“You are aware that most Slytherins think we’re the worst?”

“Yeah, that’s part of the fun,” Charlie said as the door to the Slytherin common room swung open.

“Verna! You guys made it!” Barnaby greeted them with open arms, spilling a bit of the contents of his pint.

“Well Ben almost stayed behind to study but I’m very persuasive!” Verna announced and dragged both of her friends inside past Barnaby.

“Don’t say the S-word Verna, it’s forbidden,” he said with a grimace.

“Oh shit, sorry.”

They had all been extremely tied up with studying for their O.W.L.s for the past weeks and it did sound appealing to just forget the exams for the night. The common room was dark and illuminated by a green glow. Verna wasn’t sure what its source was, but it did create certain menacing flair for the party. The music was loud, and many of the attendees were dancing to its beat.

“So, where’s the fire whiskey?” asked Charlie and Barnaby pointed them to the direction of the drink selection before going off to talk to some of his friends.

“See, Ben, no worries, there are plenty of people from other houses in here,” Verna said observing Tulip and Tonks chatting with some 6th year Slytherins, as well as Penny and André sitting on a couch, heads close together, obviously deep in conversation.

“Is that… a thing now?” asked Charlie.

“Last week I asked André if he was seeing Penny and he said no,” Verna muttered.

“So, you think it’s a new thing? Or is André just full of shit?”

“Guys… I hate to interrupt your gossip club but…” Ben yanked Verna’s sleeve to get her attention. She turned to look where Ben was glancing. Merula Snyde was walking towards them, looking like a storm cloud.

“Oh, here we go…” Charlie whispered, and Verna gently punched him in the arm.

Merula stopped short in front of Verna and glared at her. She seemed taller somehow and Verna noticed she was wearing platform shoes. “What the fuck are you doing here, Malinda?”

“I came to party.”

“Nobody wants you and your loser friends here.”

“Barnaby invited us,” Verna said simply and waved at Barnaby, who waved back, smiling.

“Lee couldn’t read a room if it punched him in the face with a book made for toddlers.”

“Don’t be rude Merula, we’re just here to get drunk and hang out with our friends.”

Charlie saw this as an ample opportunity to poke the hornet’s nest and added: “At least we have some of those.”

Merula snapped her death glare to Charlie. “Shut up Weasley.”

“Anyway! We were just about to go talk to Penny, so I’ll be seeing you Merula!” Verna interjected, handed Ben and Charlie drinks, and ushered them towards Penny and André. “Just pretend I don’t exist, if you can,” she added with a wink, grabbed a drink for herself and followed her friends. When she glanced back, Merula was still standing there, staring daggers at her back. Verna couldn’t help but be amused.

~

It turned out both André and Penny still vehemently denied being involved with each other romantically in any shape or form, so Verna let it slide. They spent a good couple of hours drinking, talking, and dancing. Verna hadn’t realized how much she needed a night off until she finally got one. Between her studies, detention, and trying to find the Portrait vault, her free time was sparse.

“Vernaaaa… can you bring me a glass of water?”

She was called out of her thought by Penny, who had, to be fair, downed quite a few drinks by then.

“Sure, sit tight,” Verna got up and navigated to the table filled with various drinks. Penny had not been herself ever since her sister got trapped in the portrait and Verna knew she was frustrated by how long it was taking to break the curse.

~

As she was filling a cup with water, she heard a familiar voice behind her: “Water? That’s weak.”

“Hi Merula…”

“Don’t tell me you can’t hold your liquor,” Merula mocked as Verna turned to face her. Her makeup had smeared just a little in the corners of her eyes.

“It’s not for me,” Verna tried to move past Merula. The latter stepped in front of her to block her path.

“Maybe you should take Haywood to sleep, she looks like she’s about to pass out any second now.”

“Maybe you should mind your own damn business,” Verna suggested and started to feel annoyed.

“What? I’m just worried about my fellow students.”

“You’ve literally tried to kill me.”

“Bygones,” Merula smirked and took a sip of her drink.

“Maybe after you apologize.”

Merula had the audacity to laugh, she truly was infuriating. “Don’t hold your breath, Malinda.”

Verna had had enough and pushed her way past Merula, ignoring her grunt of protest. She was beginning to think Merula enjoyed pissing her off.

~

“Did Merula give you trouble?” asked André once she got back.

“No more than usual.”

“Maybe we could curse her hair to fall off or something,” suggested Charlie lazily, having taken up most of the couch for himself, leaving just a small spot for Penny to sit in and sip her water.

“Chaz, as much as I would love to do that, I think we’re better off just keeping away from her tonight. After all, I’m actually supposed to get along with her for professor Rakepick’s sake.”

“Aren’t the both of you prefects…?” André asked, amused.

“Well yes, but that doesn’t really mean anything, I mean Merula is a prefect too!” Charlie protested.

André shook his head and returned to his conversation with Ben. Something about his gobstone collection.

“Guys… I feel a little sick…” came a quiet voice from Penny’s direction.

“Shit, don’t throw up on me,” Charlie quickly sat up and pulled away from Penny’s immediate vicinity.

“Okay, maybe you should call it a night,” Verna said and set her drink down on one of the tables. “C’mon, I’ll walk you back to your common room.”

“Oh… you don’t have to…”

“Shush, it’s no trouble… c’mon,” Verna took Penny’s hand and pulled her up. She swung on her feet for a second or two but seemed to be able to walk at least a little bit. “Charlie, can you tell Barnaby to let me back in in like… 10 minutes?”

Charlie saluted her and said: “Sure thing.”

That meant there was approximately 50% chance he’d forget and Verna would have to miss the rest of the party.

~

Getting Penny to walk in a straight line was a bit more difficult than Verna originally thought, but they managed to get out of the Slytherin common room and headed towards Hufflepuffs’.

“I don’t think I should have gone to that stupid party…” Penny mumbled. “I feel guilty enough as it is doing anything other than researching the vaults…”

“We’re doing everything we can, Rakepick is trying to find a way to break the curse right now,” Verna said, trying to sound confident but honestly, she wasn’t sure which one she was trying to comfort, herself or Penny.

“You don’t understand, Bea is all alone…”

Verna bit her lip. She knew Penny was taking this hard. “Penny, I get it. My brother is missing, I want to find the Portrait vault just as much as you.”

Penny let out a stifled sob. “Merlin, Verna I’m sorry. I didn’t think…”

“I know, I know it’s okay…”

~

Verna managed to get her friend safely to the Hufflepuff common room and started to make her way back to the party. She felt a little bit drunk and, being absolutely honest with herself, she would’ve preferred to feel a lot drunk. Before she could make it halfway back, she heard another pair of footsteps in the silent hallway. She was expecting to see other people heading to bed from the party, but instead it was Merula Snyde, who rounded the corner.

“Are you following me, Snyde?” Verna asked.

Merula’s face transformed into a scowl. “Stop flattering yourself, Malinda.”

“Well, I just think that you mysteriously run into me a lot these days…”

“Shut up.”

Verna lifted her hands in the air as a sign of surrender. “Suit yourself, can you let me back into the party since you’re out here?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because I despise you.”

“Okay.”

“Okay? Is that what you have to say?” Merula asked and her hands balled into fists.

“I don’t really care, honestly. You’ve been on my case for four and a half years, I know you hate me,” Verna explained. She was fed up with Merula’s constant provoking.

“You don’t know shit,” was what Merula spat back at her and Verna didn’t know what she said wrong this time. “You prance around like you own this school and think you’re so damn special!”

“That’s fucking rich, coming from you,” Verna arched an eyebrow at her nemesis. “You’re the one proclaiming to anyone who will listen that you’re the most powerful witch at Hogwarts.”

Merula blushed and that made her even angrier. “I don’t do that anymore!”

“Sure, but you used to, while I’ve always just wanted to mind my own business.”

Merula took a few quick steps closer to Verna. “You think you’re better than me, huh?”

“That’s so not the point.”

“Then what is the point? Please enlighten me, illustrious Verna Malinda.”

“The point is, that you’re mean. And arrogant. You go out of your way to make people feel bad,” Verna made sure to stress each point, so they’d maybe sink in. “I’ve tried to be your friend more than once.”

Merula let out a mocking laugh. “I don’t want to be your friend.”

“The what the devil do you want?”

Something blazed in the purple of Merula’s eyes at the question, and before Verna could react, the other girl had pushed her against the wall. Vaguely, Verna thought about how easily she could free herself from the grasp, but she found herself not really wanting to. Oh.

“Merula what- “

“Shut up,” Merula grumbled. “Just shut up, you’re ruining everything!”

Confused, Verna studied Merula’s features. The colovaria-spell keeping her eyes purple had started to fade out the littlest bit and if you looked closely, you could see specks of brown. Merula had tiny little freckles dotted across her cheeks and nose that Verna had never noticed before (If her gaze also dropped down to Merula’s lips, then that was neither here nor there).

“I don’t want to fight,” she told the shorter girl. Merula’s expression remained unchanged. Verna sighed. “Just let me back into the party, I promise I won’t bother you.”

“No.”

“Fine, I’ll go to bed then, this isn’t worth it.”

That seemed to change something for Merula again, because she moved, grabbing Verna’s shirt to pull her closer. Verna tried to ignore the excitement in the bottom of her stomach, but it turned out she didn’t have to, because Merula didn’t hiss out any more thinly veiled threats or insults. Instead, she kissed her. There was something ferocious and hungry about the kiss that made everything inside Verna twist into knots. She pulled Merula closer by her waist and found herself not giving a damn if someone happened to walk by right then. For a blissful moment, Merula had her hands in Verna’s hair and was kissing her like she actually wanted to be there with her, and then just as quickly as it started, she pulled back again. The girls stared at each other in the silence of the corridor. Verna’s heart was beating its way out of her chest.

“Barnaby’s gonna open the door for you,” Merula only said and then turned her back to Verna, hurrying to the opposite direction along the corridor. Verna stood there for several seconds, dumbfounded. She raised her fingers to her lips and wondered whether she’d just imagined that. Slowly she forced her jelly-like legs to walk back to the Slytherin common room.

 ~

Like Merula had said, Barnaby was there to let her in, as cheerful as ever. Verna went back to her friends who had migrated to talk to Tonks, Tulip, and Liz. Charlie handed her abandoned drink back and assured her no one had messed with it. Verna wasn’t feeling particularly up for the party anymore. Her mind kept wondering to the dark corridor, messy mascara, and hot, fire whiskey-laced breath on her skin.

fin.

if you read the whole thing i’d love to hear what you think! this is the first time i’m actually publishing any of my fics, despite having written them for years so this is kind of like a moment for me, personally :’)

#hphm #hphm fic #hogwarts mystery fic #merula snyde #mc x merula #verna x merula #verna malinda #*my writing #i'm TERRIFIED #i've never published any of my fics before but apparenty that's #gOoD fOr YoU or whatever #so here i am #im rly sorry about the nonexistent british 80s slang i rly didnt even try #*oneshot

[phoebehalliwell]

you've talked before about how s4 feels rushed, with Prue's death and grieving, Paige's intro, and then the Cole!Source plot. so, if you were writing the show, how would you handle Prue dying, Paige coming in, all of it?

i feel like. okay so like. this is ur soft reboot y’know this is ur upheaval of the norm you are basically making ur own mini new show within the world, but this is a major deviance from anything you’ve done previously. so like. it’s time to vibe check exactly what you wanna do. and irl they opted to go more more overarching plots, snappier moments, and drifting further a major lightening of tone and steering away of myths that exists in the shadows to like. a mermaid episode. which like sure. on paper, night not have been like bad. but. meh. i get that we keep making the source a bigger and bigger thing so he’s gonna hafta be like a major plot point sooner or later, but i feel like the majority of fans really sorta like the demon of the week format and how it’s the sisters themselves fighting them it’s not The Charmed Ones Vs. The World it’s The Halliwell Sisters Are Trying Their Best To Save The Day and i like the grounded element that adds. (speaking of grounded elements i also definitely wouldn’t do the change in mythology i think s5 was the most blasphemous i really really didn’t like what they did there.) so like. introducing a new sister. i think a crucial part of this would be reconstituting the power of three. i think it definitely should have been on the fritz for the first part of s4 as piper and phoebe struggle to let go of prue and accept paige into their lives, and like on the flip side paige struggles to come to terms with the basic idea of having a family and having people who stay by your side i think we should sprinkle in a lot more backstory for paige and i think that’s where her and phoebe should bond the most where instead of phoebe being like new sister!! we’re going to be bffls!! they’re more just like tentative where phoebe still plays the same role she did in s1 trying to get paige like into the craft trying to get her to accept it and see it’s beauty but instead of like a prue reaction like what magic isn’t real this is too dangerous what did you drag me into blah blah blah like paige’s issue isn’t with magic being real it’s with like. being charmed. being this paragon of good magic. especially with being half angel. like i would love to see paige struggle with that being like no you don’t understand like i’m not a good person i was like an evil horrible teenager and i’ve done awful stuff and i’m selfish and i always show up to work late and blah blah blah and really just painting this awful picture of herself and her and phoebe would bond bc a) phoebe was also a little devil child so they have that in common b) phoebe literally just met paige and so she’s really offering like a fresh perspective that paige doesn’t really get to see like paige is looking at herself through this distorted mirror and phoebe like woah woah woah woah woah like i don’t think you realize this but u are actually an insanely good person? like look at all you were able to do without magic? there’s a reason this happened to you okay there’s a reason the universe chose you and it’s not something to be afraid of it’s something to celebrate and just like. give me some quality phoebe/paige. and then keep piper/paige roughly the same i’ve spoken a lot on how much i like how they didn’t seem to like each other at first and how they were both very uncompromising in the type of women that they were and despite both being stubborn and snippy they ended up growing really well together i would end up sprinkling in a couple more heart 2 hearts between the two bc they rarely got any but yeah. and then while i’m still on character dynamics i think we should have brought sam in as more of a recurring character just to like have around and also maybe thru him flesh out patty more bc you have just ripped the halliwell family apart killing prue i would like to see time dedicated to healing the family you know really establishing them as A Family not just as The Charmed Ones. travelling on to plot, as stated earlier, i don’t like the overarching source bit not a fan i think we can keep having him send minions in between phoebe’s premonitions demons after cole and maybe even a charge or two for paige and that’ll keep us stacked enough to get a firm sister dynamic til s4 finale the source thanoses it like fine i’ll do it myself promising us a big charmed/source battle in s5. since i’m doing that there will obviously be no cole source plotline bc lbr it completely blows. now, i’m not a huge fan of phole. never really have been, i’ve said this before, i’m not a huge fan of the ‘pretends to be in a relationship with somebody to kill them trope’ bc while the evil party might be developing genuine feelings the good party is falling in love with a hoax and that kinda bugs me. flip side of this i do love the idea of actively trying so super hard not to fall in love with somebody but you literally just can’t help it because that one’s great, so theoretically phole would sit neutral But there’s the fact that like cole’s what like 110 during the show? and he’s been like top demon for a really long time? what i’m saying is he was evil and brutally killing people for like a century. that’s a lot of time. i don’t like it. But. again there’s this forbidden love tilt and also a large part of the fanbase Love phoebe & cole so if i’m running the show imma say fuck it phole endgame bc it’s what the people deserve. a large part of this would be turning a blind eye to cole’s whole past and pretending that y’know maybe he never killed anyone! and it would be him ready to fight the whole underworld simply so he could have a life with the woman he loves, which could be sweet. i don’t think i’d ever really want to see queen of hell phoebe or source cole just bc like. meh. what did we really gain from that? phoebe’s character tanked piper suffered more paige was just there like hi i’m new here What like it wasn’t that good. also side note when that happened the girls should have all lost their active powers like they did in power outage. but w/e. we’re not doing that so we don’t need to worry about it. so yeah, my s4 would really take a primary emphasis on healing the family, a secondary emphasis on making phole endgame, and a tertiary emphasis on the source sending various minions and assassins to kill them. also shax would take longer to vanquish

#okay Super Niche Here but anyone remember that show no ordinary family? it got cancel after one season #where they did a phole thing where like okay so for context #family all gets superpowers there's a mom dad son and daughter #and the mom works for some science company that was like evil or something i forget The Point Is #the mom had an assistant she was a lil brunette or whatever she was cute she and the mom were close #and the evil company sent like some guy to seduce her for information or something idk i was in elementary school when this aired #The Point Is #they're like on a date or something don't ask me for context and like she's like what's your name #and he's like oh uh bc he has to lie or something and sees the name jonathan on a waiter's name tag and says his name's jonathan #AND THAT'S HIS NAME FOR THE REST OF THE SERIES #KING THAT WAS A LIE #WHAT'S UR REAL NAME #now #disclaimer #this could be entirely fake and made up #but i have a vivid memory explaining this to like alexandra in the backseat of my dad's suburban in the elementary school carpool #i swear to god this happened #bc it's haunted me ever since #charmed #s4 #💌

[thefigureinthecorner]

finished the covers for my caleb and adam playlists! putting them together because like......... i have to. i can’t separate them

there is a caleb/adam playlist too but i’m gonna post that cover separately bc i have a different idea for that one

playlist notes under the cut!

caleb

yes, this playlist is 40% sleeping at last. no, i am not going to apologize for that. they have an album called emotions, it was kind of impossible to not use those songs.

falling for the first time- barenaked ladies: this gives me some strong caleb vibes, and i think it’s because it’s kind of an upbeat but also vaguely self-deprecating song? i mean, come on. I'm so cool, too bad I'm a loser/I'm so smart, too bad I can't get anything figured out/I'm so brave, too bad I'm a baby/I'm so fly, that's probably why it feels just like I'm falling for the first time

son- sleeping at last: And I will try, try, try to breathe 'til it turns to muscle memory I'm only steady on my knees One day I'll stand on my own two feet And I'll run the risk Of being intimate with brokenness Through this magnifying glass I see a thousand finger prints On the surfaces of who I am

soul meets body- death cab for cutie: it’s got some caleb/adam elements, but ultimately i chose to use it as a caleb song, because it feels more specifically like caleb seeking out adam’s emotions because they make him feel more like himself; So brown eyes I'll hold you near/'Cause you're the only song I want to hear/A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere

joy- sleeping at last: i just really love the way emotions are described in the songs on this album (well, except for fear, which has no lyrics and is also not on this playlist). i also just really love The clumsy start of adolescence/The glue that mends our broken remnants/An overwhelming sense of reverence/It's a glimpse of light in a mine of gold for caleb

a new mission- josh whitehouse: ah. this song. this was the song that made this playlist really, really difficult to make, because it was the first song i added and it set a very high bar for literally every other song on the playlist. it just feels so perfect as a caleb song to me, especially early on, when he was still figuring things out and he was constantly overwhelmed by all the feelings around him and in him.

Sometimes I can't control a feeling that I get inside my chest Even with those who are close to me, the ones I call my best I lose sight of all my confidence, in a heavy single step It's happened ever since my childhood, things I thought I'd put to rest I can keep my mind intact by getting on with a new mission I can push myself, having heavy ammunition When something gets me down, for a second I'm distracted I look back amongst the lights I consequently lit my path with

anger- sleeping at last: I mean, it kinda feels like this song has to be on here, yknow? especially with this part, which genuinely feels like how caleb describes anger sometimes: Like wildfire, it starts in my chest/The silence grows louder, ringing out in my head/I feel the Earth shaking under my feet/I feel the pressure building until I can't breathe/And it takes everything/And it all spills out, reckless but honest words leave my mouth

if i say- mumford and sons: aaand now we’re at the sad part of the playlist, because i can’t make happy playlists apparently. this one is definitely a safehouse caleb song; Show me your hands/Are they cleaner than mine?/Show me your face/Did you cross the line?/Show me your eyes/They any drier than mine?/Your soul survives/But peace, you'll never find

organs- of monsters and men: also a safehouse song, but more aftermath than in the middle of things. it’s sadder, more subdued.

sorrow- sleeping at last: more safehouse! who would’ve guessed!

I feel out of focus, or at least indisposed As this strange weather pattern inside me takes hold. Each brave step forward, I take three steps behind. It's mind over matter-- matter over mind.

Slowly, then all at once A single loose thread and it all comes undone

up with the birds- coldplay: caleb likes coldplay, so i had to include one of their songs, and this one is just. kind of perfect?

The sky is blue, Dreamed that lie 'til it's true, Then takin' back the punch I threw, My arms turn wings, Oh, those clumsy things Send me up to that wonderful world And then I'm up with the birds

--

adam

some of these songs are here for tone; the line between what adam would listen to and what helps me draw him is very thin compared to most characters. i did try to make sure they were all songs that fit him at least a little bit, though.

all the kids are depressed- jeremy zucker: i mean. i feel like the title kind of speaks for itself here, honestly. also the lyrics fit pretty well. there isn’t a ton of explaining that needs to be done for this one.

three- sleeping at last: yes i am back on my sleeping at last bullshit no i don’t care this song is perfect go look at the lyrics they’re all good here’s some of them: Maybe I've done enough/Finally catching up/For the first time I see an image of my brokenness/Utterly worthy of love/Maybe I've done enough

velodrome- dessa: this was one of the songs i included primarily for the tone; it’s one of the songs i listen to full volume on my Nice Headphones when i’m feeling too much at once because it kind of just gets rid of everything somehow. it just creates this kind of,, pleasant hollow feeling, if that makes any sense at all. but i realized after i added it that some of the lyrics do kind of fit: With a bell to tell us when we're hungry/There's a bell to tell us when we're tired/A bell that tells us to rise and fight/A bell to rise and die/It's just all bells/Sometimes I ring myself/To see if I might chime

drowning- jay brannan: a lauren playlist song, because like. fuck. that is all i have to say on this song: fuck

trapdoor- twenty one pilots: adam is a top fan because of course he is. i listened to this one a lot in high school so i’m passing it on to adam, and it also felt like a good follow-up to drowning

marching bands of manhattan- death cab for cutie: god this song is perfect. also, another song i listened to a lot in high school.

And it is true what you said That I live like a hermit in my own head But when the sun shines again I'll pull the curtains and blinds to let the light in

Sorrow drips into your heart through a pinhole Just like a faucet that leaks and there is comfort in the sound But while you debate half empty and half full It slowly rises, your love is gonna drown

nine: sleeping at last: god, this song. it fits way too well and it hurts. it’s genuinely difficult to choose lyrics from this song, and i recommend looking at the full lyrics because holy shit, but like

Who am I to say what any of this means? I have been sleepwalking since I was fourteen Now as I write my song, I retrace my steps Honestly, it's easier to let myself forget

Still, I check my vital signs Choked up, I realize I've been less than half myself For more than half my life

Wake up; fall in love again Wage war on gravity There's so much worth fighting for, you'll see Another domino falls either way

better days- radical face: 90% of my playlists have radical face songs. adam especially needed one, though, because his playlist notes mentioned he’d probably actively seek out queer artists, and also there was a youtube q&a where ben cooper said he never writes songs while he’s happy, and honestly the whole discography has adam vibes imo. anyway: When you're always drifting out to sea/Because the ground won't stay beneath your feet/And your head is pouring gasoline/On the person you prefer to be/Try to remind yourself/That it's probably gonna take some time/But there are better days to find

the little things give you away- linkin park: it just has that drowning vibe. i mean, it makes sense, they reference drowning, like, a lot in the song, but i feel like the tone of it adds a lot to that too. like, i can feel that guitar, you know? or maybe that’s just me. idk, it just works, i think.

in a week- hozier: you ever just listen to this in a dark room lying on your back with your eyes closed and yeah? because like, i do sometimes, and i kinda feel like adam does too. i needed a hozier song on this playlist and this felt like the most fitting one to add, and a nice subdued end to the playlist.

#the bright sessions #caleb michaels #adam hayes #i am v proud of these playlist covers honestly #i think that might be one of the best calebs i've ever drawn

[inkribbon796]

Little Wonders Ch. 2

Chapter 2: Twists and Turns of Fate

Summary: Logan felt something he’d never felt before: blind, brain numbing fear. His whole body had tense up like a wound-up clock. He could speak, he couldn’t scream. Regrettably he couldn’t even think.

Chapters: 1, 2

Logan felt something he’d never felt before: blind, brain numbing fear. His whole body had tense up like a wound-up clock. He could speak, he couldn’t scream. Regrettably he couldn’t even think.

Chance of Death: 100%

The logical Side was trying to think of anything but his brain was only coming up with reasons he was going to die instead of looking for a useful solution. He could barely even wiggle to attempt to free himself. The door sounded heavy. No one knew where he was. The Host had warned him before this even started that he would be unable to help Logan.

“Don’t leave evidence,” Bim mocked Dark’s tone of voice. “Fucking asshole, who does he think I am? I don’t leave fucking evidence.”

A dull thud from Bim’s elbow hitting the table startled Logan. “So, what’d you do?”

Logan’s throat seized up with fear, rendering him literally speechless.

“Bet it was pretty bad for the Old Man to deal with you,” Bim leaned over the table and gave his newest victim a wide toothy smile. “You’re working with the heroes aren’t you?”

“Confessions given during coercion are unreliable and untrustworthy,” Logan refused, once he could calm himself enough to speak. He desperately wanted Patton or Roman, he felt alone and terrified.

The young villain scoffed, and Logan startled when he felt something sharp cut into his previously unmarred cheek, giving out a choked gasp. “I’ve heard people say and promise a lot of things you know? I can see why the Old Man drags out his kills, but you know, I don’t think I can do that tonight. I’m just so fucking hungry!”

With no warning to Logan, Bim punctuated his statement by stabbing Logan right next to the lung, Bim’s hunger making him sloppy. Logan screamed out, pain piercing his body as he instinctively tried to get away but the cuffs kept him from doing so.

“But,” Bim grabbed Logan by the cheek and forced him to look in his direction, his fingers digging into the cuts and scratches, “I think I can drag this out long enough to be fun.”

A bang came at the door, startling both Bim and Logan. Logan went very still, and Bim angrily hissed and turned to the door.

“I hate being interrupted during dinner,” Bim growled, his voice starting to get farther away.

Logan’s racing heart wasn’t helping.

“Yeah what do you want Old—” Bim hissed before everything went quiet.

There was a muted scream, then Logan was left with footfall running towards him.

“Shit,” someone cursed.

“A little help here!” Someone else called out.

“I’m a bit busy here,” the first voice called out.

Logan felt a bit disoriented, a still functioning part of his pain told him he was most likely going into shock, which would be fatal for his condition. His wrists and ankles, along with all of his body felt considerably lighter. Not helped by his inability to see.

“Let’s go, before Dark shows back up,” the first voice was becoming increasingly familiar.

Finally Logan felt like he was being moved, which snapped his brain almost into hyper awareness as he was moved. At the moment he could be sure if it was a good thing or not, but he couldn’t hear Bim anymore.

After about two minutes they stopped.

“You think he can find us?”

Virgil?

“Yes, hand me your watch, I’ll call the heroes.” Logan vaguely recognized Deceit’s voice. “Do not remove that knife yet.”

“I,” Virgil already sounded like he was panicking. “Hurry, he’s dying.”

“Compress the wound,” Janus ordered. “Stay quiet.”

“Shit,” Virgil sobbed. “Shit.”

“How bad is it?” Logan asked.

“It looks like he got you in the lungs,” Virgil answered.

Logan took a shallow breath, “I do not feel like I have a punctured lung.”

“Okay, okay, that’s good,” Virgil said in hysterics.

“Virgil, I need you to remain calm,” Logan ordered.

“How can I remain calm when you were stabbed in the chest,” Virgil told him. “You’re not Remus or Ro, you’re gonna die. How are you not freaking out.”

“My survival right now hinges upon me being calm until help arrives,” Logan reminded sharply. “Now that I am away from Bim I can not afford to panic. I need you to calm down.”

“If I hadn’t dragged my feet we could have gotten to you before you got stabbed. I saw Dark dragging you along and I froze up,” Virgil sounded like he was sobbing.

“Virgil,” Logan tried to cut in, trying to think of what Patton would do.

Scream, a part of his brain reminded, to which Logan sharply reminded himself was unhelpful.

“You’re going to die and it’s going to be my fault,” Virgil panicked.

“Let it go,” Logan told Virgil, his tone had a slight lilt to it from the song, but Logan couldn’t sing ballades too well and he’d been stabbed so it would have been asking too much from his already taxed system. “Let it roll right off your shoulders.”

Virgil snuffled a little bit as Logan kept going, “Don’t you know? The hardest part is over?”

“Let it in,” Logan pleaded as Virgil silently came back to Logan’s side, pressure finally being out onto his stab wound. To carefully stop the bleeding while not jostling the scalpel. “Let your clarity define you.”

“In the end,” Logan grimaced in pain, “we will only just remember how it feels.”

“Our lives are made,” Logan’s hand scooted over to touch Virgil’s fingers, the ones still on his chest, regretful of the fact he couldn’t see him. “In these small hours, these little wonders, these twists and turns of fate.”

Virgil managed a smile as Logan sang, touching his free hand to Logan’s face and carding it through his hair.

“Time falls away, but these small hours,” Logan grimaced back. “These small hours still remain.”

Despite the pain he tried to reach up to touch Virgil’s face, so happy he was with him. But the logical Side was stopped immediately by the shooting pain through his body. He screamed out.

Desperate, Virgil carefully moved Logan into his lap, urging him to stop.

“Let it slide,” Virgil picked up, trying to keep the bubble of calm going, if only for his own sake to keep him from screaming and panicking. He knew he was a bit pitchy and probably singing a bit deeper than it was normally sung. “Let your troubles fa~all behind you, let it shine.”

Logan, however, didn't seem to mind, just watching Virgil sing, “Til you feel it all around you.”

“And I don’t mind,” Virgil told Logan. “If it’s me you ne~ed to turn to, we’ll get by.”

“It’s the heart,” Virgil began on his own before Logan regain enough strength to continue along with him. “That really matters in the end.”

Virgil was too worried about Logan, to realize that the logical Side’s eyes had turned to a deep, dark shade of blue. Logan’s glasses were destroyed so he couldn’t make out the subtle glow of Virgil’s deep, dark purple eyes in the darkness.

“Our lives are made,” Logan sang with Virgil, feeling his body get charged a bit with some kind of energy. “In these small hours.”

“These little wonders,” their singing had become a little quieter, to preserve as much of Logan’s strength as they could. “These twists and turns of fate.”

“Time falls away,” Virgil carded his free hand through Logan’s hair again. “But these small hours, these small hours, still remain.”

Janus was creeping back to their hiding spot, hearing their voices before he could see them and was about to chew them both out. He knew leaving Virgil alone with Logan hadn’t been the best idea, but it was their only option, but it wouldn’t do them any good if Janus went to the trouble of disgusting and redirecting Logan’s and their trails if someone heard them singing in the tunnels.

Then he stopped when he saw the glow of purple eyes.

“All of my regret,” Virgil kept softly singing with Logan, feeling his body charging with energy, knowing what it meant, but wanting to hold Logan even closer. “Will wash away somehow.”

“But I cannot forget,” Logan agreed as Virgil realized that Janus was there and silently begged for help. “The way I feel right now.”

Janus carefully moved over, trying to disrupt the torn magic trying to knit itself back together. He carefully but quickly pulled the scalpel, using the magic he could conjure up to make it relatively painless. They’d both tried fusing with Remus when he’d been stabbed, and the result was the Dragon Witch having a knife sticking out of him, and a healed wound around the blade. Logan did cry out but Virgil stroked his face, their eyes still glowing different colors.

Virgil held Logan close, putting as much pressure on the wound as he could.

“In these small hours,” they both tried to sing, but Logan’s much more pained. They let out a soft glow, and the words became a bit stronger as one person sat in their place, “these little wonders.”

Janus backed up with the scalpel, making it disappear up his sleeve as he gave the new fusion its space. The fusions’s arms around his body as if the two halves were still trying to hold onto each other.

“These little wonders,” the fusion sang, “these twist and turns of fate.”

“Yeah, these twists and turns of fate,” the fusion kept going, his grip on himself slightly less desperate and tight,” Time falls away. Yeah, but these small hours, and these small hours.”

The magic in the air began to slowly dissipate, which revealed Janus because they were less likely to be caught. “Still reman, yeah~yeah, oh, they still remain.”

“These little wonders,” the fusion continued. Janus quiet went back to check the mouth of their tunnel, braced to see Dark or one of his cronies. “Oh these these twists and turns of fate.”

“Time falls away,” the fusion slowly opened his eyes, “but these small hours. These little wonders.”

“Still remain,” he trailed off softly, letting go of himself to look at his hands and the now magically closed up stab wound of his chest. Even Logan’s shirt and vest had been magically repaired as if nothing had happened.

But everything had happened.

Virgil’s thoughts were churning as Logan grabbed the reins of their fusion. In place of Logan’s suit coat and Virgil’s cloak was a long dark blue cape, the shading so dark that it was almost black, the inside of the cape was an equally dark purple color. The cloak was a bit shorter than Virgil’s cloak, and lacked a hood.

“Hello,” Janus greeted softly, trying not to startle the new fusion. One he’d never thought he’d get to see with Virgil insistence on never fusing again when he’d joined the Light Sides.

“Jan?” The fusion still sat kneeling, the Logan in him paused at the name. Janus? Deceit was Janus?

Janus smiled in the dark tunnel, unsure if this fusion took after Virgil’s night vision. “Yes, do you have a name?”

The fusion thought for a couple seconds, “Brain, my name is Brain.”

Smiling a bit more softly, Janus held out his hands and Brain took them, standing up on shaky legs. “So, Brain, where to now?”

“The base, I have to let the heroes know that Logan is okay,” Brain decided. “Do you know where we are?”

“An abandoned railway station fifty miles out of town,” Janus motioned and Brain began to follow him. “Virgil and I have been looking for a way to reverse his curse, and there was supposed to be some kind of witch in the area. Before we could find her, Virgil spotted Logan and almost got his head taken off by Dark.”

“I should be lucky you two were in the area,” Brain began to whisper, the two of them tiptoeing through the tunnels. He grabbed Janus to pull him closer, looking nervous, “I can’t see far away.”

Janus offered his hand, “Come on, then.”

They walked in silence for a couple seconds, Brain pausing to look at some of the graffiti on the walls a couple times in distraction. Then Janus paused them.

“What do you mean you can’t find them!” Dark boomed, Brain tensing up.

“Boss, we looked everywhere,” one of Dark’s network nervously answered.

Brain could almost smell the fear in the air from Virgil and heard a wet, squelching sound — the sound of the man’s head being ripped from his neck — along with the rip of a hole in the Void.

“Clean everyone out,” Dark ordered. “Once Bim has had his fill, I’ll smoke them out.”

Janus tugged on Brain’s arm and Brain stayed quiet, trying not to draw attention to either of them.

Dark’s voice began to get farther away and the tunnel started getting a bit brighter.

“Hey!” Someone called out behind them.

Brain, with Virgil’s reaction time and forethought, screamed and threw up a fear wave, willingly shaping it to look like Dark. The guy screamed and Janus grabbed Brian, the two running into the woods.

“Heroes, some help would be appreciated,” Janus ordered into Virgil’s communicator as he took off in a random direction with Brain.

Thankfully that was when Jackie came in and, at Janus’s immediate insistence to take Brain first, scooped Brain up and ran back towards the base, leaving him in the garage to go back for Deceit who was probably at Dark’s non-existent mercy.

However now Brain was now left in the garage with Patton and Roman looked different levels of confused. Marvin and Iplier were them, feeding off of their unease. Being left alone with the three heroes left Brain and his two halves just as uneasy.

“Where’s Logan?” Iplier asked.

“He’s a Side,” Patton commented. “But you’re not Orange.”

“No,” Brain took a deep breath, thankful that Logan was part of his make up. “I am Brain, I am a fusion between Logan and Virgil.”

“What?!” Roman shouted.

Patton let out an excited screech, clapping his hands to his face, “Ahhhhhhh! Virgil’s first fusion.”

“Virgil has fused with Dee and the Duke to make the Dragon Witch multiple times,” Brain corrected.

“Hi Lo,” Patton waved at Brain. “Having fun in there with Virge?”

“How do we know it’s really this Brain fellow and not that snake in Side’s clothing?” Roman demanded.

“You tried to swipe Virgil’s Nightmare Before Christmas posters, and then almost got your head caved in with Logan’s clipboard when you stole all the Crofters in the fridge and then lied about it.”

Roman crown, sheathing his sword, frowning and looking at Marvin and Iplier, “Okay unless they told that slimy snake, it’s them.”

“Yah sure?” Marvin asked incredulously.

“Yes, they’re Logan and Virgil fused,” Roman looked unhappy. “I take it you two, for whatever reason, fused in the heart of Dark’s territory. I’d be more upset if that wasn’t so romantic.”

“Well,” Brain became acutely aware that Jackie was back with Janus, and both of them looked none the worse for wear. Jackie walked over and gave Brain the watch. “Oh thank you, Logan was stabbed by Bim and in trying to calm each other down they fused.”

“He was stabbed then?” Iplier shouted. “Are you still bleeding?”

“Fusing and unfusing resets our forms, so as fun as a visit would be, Doc, I’m good, although I do need to yell at your boyfriend,” Brain said.

Iplier rolled his eyes, “Sure, what’s he do this time?”

“Brain is referring to the Host’s actions regarding both Anxiety and Logic,” the Host suddenly appeared behind Iplier, leaning his head on his doctor’s shoulder.

Iplier jumped a bit, “Host, don’t do that?”

The Host looked pleased by the reaction he had cause. He leaned away, stepping from around Iplier.

Janus let out a low snake-like hiss when he realized the Host was there, his serpentine pupil narrowing. “You!”

“Now,” the Host smiled. “The Host regrets to inform the Sides, that he does not have anything to say that would make him look any better.”

“You obviously hate us,” Brain blurted out.

“Brain is very much incorrect,” the Host corrected. “The Host had to determine what timeline he existed in, which he was thankful to have Virgil’s help for, and Logan would be ineffective as a spy if he believed he was constantly watched. He would be unable to discern the Host from the Entity. Anxiety would not have fused with Logan, even to spare the other Side’s life if he felt pressured to do so. The ensuing loss would have been incalculable.”

“Why gamble with their lives at all?” Janus demanded angrily.

The Host looked offended by that, “Gambling implies there was a likelihood of the Sides losing, which the Host did not allow for by ensuring that Anxiety was not in the base you the time Dark became suspicious, and that word of a forest witch reached Deceit. Therefore the heroes are still able to have the best possible ending when the Actor arrives.”

“Are yeh playin’ wit’ our lives like a video game, yeh right bastard?” Marvin demanded.

“The Host doesn’t prefer to think of it that way, but if that is the easiest to understand then the Host will argue that he is looking for the best possible future and nudging various individuals — villains, heroes, and civilians alike — into positions they need to be in. The Host was unsure which timelines were possible or what would have been the best until Anxiety refused to fuse with anyone post-joining the heroes, which would have broken the curse immediately since Virgil now doesn’t technically exist, Brain does.”

“It was that simple?” Janus demanded. “We could have been done with that ages ago if I had known that!”

“Ah, but Virgil would not have been by the train station, if Deceit had known, the Host reminded proudly. “Logan would have been disbelieving of a threat under the Sides’s noses, and the Coalition and police would not have gotten concrete evidence against Bim.”

“So we’re on the Good End route?” Roman asked.

Host sighed, “Sure. The heroes can go with that, if it helps them.”

“Good, because I need a nap,” Brain decided, already heading into the base. “Out.”

Janus left the base with a curt goodbye, making sure Brain was actually okay before he took off.

For the first day Brain stayed in the base, dragging Virgil’s stereo system into Logan’s workshop and starting to work on some small projects when he could hold his own attention. Logan was going to have to deal with a lot of half-finished projects when Brain separated.

One day turned into two. Then three.

Brain managed to finish one of his projects, giddily excited in pride and accomplishment, walking around Logan’s office in a black t-shirt and jeans. Patton often sat with him, asking what he was doing, Roman was quietly supportive as he ranted about his newest role in a play. They weren’t exactly pushy but after four days it had been the longest the Sides had ever stayed fused and Brain could tell Roman was either jealous or worried . . . and being a fusion with Virgil meant that Brain’s anxiety hiked through the roof. An anxiety that was calmed during a movie night at the Light Sides’ apartment.

The trio were watching some movie and Brain was starting to doze off, head leaned back against the couch.

Then, as gently as they had fused, the fusion was suddenly Virgil with his head leaned back against the pillow, Logan sitting in his lap, sleeping against him.

Patton smiled and let out a silent scream as he took out his phone to start taking pictures. “So cute,” he cooed in awe.

“Quiet,” Roman hissed, smiling, “you’ll wake them up.”

Virgil grumbled and held Logan a little closer, making Patton more excited as he took more pictures. The four Core Sides reunited once again.

#Superhero AU #Masks and Maladies #Thomas Sanders #Markiplier #Analogical #Logan Sanders #Bim Trimmer #Janus Sanders #Virgil Sanders #Darkiplier #Roman Sanders #Patton Sanders #Dr. Iplier #the Host #Dr. Iplierst #LAMP #angst #death threats #threats of cannibalism #Little Wonders by Rod Thomas #I’m gonna drop this and run #stabbing #magic #thank goodness for magic

[aubrey-plaza]

I've seen a lot of fic rec lists lately given everything happening. Do you have any recommendations to get us through the lock down? p.s. I love everything you write.

omg thanks anon!!

I know these are scary times so have here a quick and dirty list of my fave fics starting with Staubrey and then just... veering offcourse. They’re all femslash except the one I marked with an asterisk but yeah. 

as always, I’m not gonna rec my own fics on my this list bc that’s cheating but if you wanna read them pls click this link and that ends the self promo for today lmao

 recs under the cut!

Stacie x Aubrey

Snowbound  

by ACamp_toner / @stepintotherevolve​ (22.171, complete, rated E)

summary: The Bellas go on a ski trip and Staubrey happens

notes: this has amazing smut and features just enough jealousy to spark these two idiots into a meaningful talk. there’s also side bechloe and a healthy dose of humour.  

The Howl

by @tiny-maus-boots​ (30.739, wip/currently being written, AU)

summary: Stacie's pack is forcing her into a corner but Fate has other plans for her - if she doesn't die first.

notes: werewolf!Stacie and vampire!Aubrey who meet on a full moon and fuck. there’s more to it and a great backstory that’s being wonderfully developed (trust me, I’ve been told of the plans and I’m ri-ve-ted). also has some amazing soft moments and a fab spark of heat.  

Prelude in Lydian Mode

by knappster / @ss-staubrey​ (5972, complete)

summary: Remember tonight... for it is the beginning of always.

notes: I will rec this fic til the day I die. It’s such a lovely brand of staubrey and a perfect example of the idiots to lovers trope.  

and the songbirds are singing (like they know the score)

by angelranger (2326, complete)

summary: It came as a slight surprise to Stacie that Aubrey, the same Aubrey who had grown up in a strict and dysfunctional household, was just so good with her daughter.

Bella seemed to unearth a side of Aubrey that was just so unbelievably soft, a side Stacie is almost positive even Aubrey didn’t know existed. But there she is, sat on the carpeted floor in front of the coffee table, sat right next to Bella, drawing outlines for the four year old to colour in.

notes: oh god i love a good, soft bella fic and this one hits all the right notes. it’s sweet and lovely and features singing Bella to sleep which is like. my weakness. go leave some more love on this deserved fic!

Sansa x Margaery

The Crackpots and These Women

by Netgirl_y2k (8089, complete, WEST WING AU)

summary: "You're in charge of press relations," Yara told Margaery, gesturing to Sansa. "Relate.”

summary: yeah you read that fuckin right that’s a West Wing AU. My love for this mashup has no bounds. It’s so perfectly coy, the way I imagine adult Sansa and Margaery would be, combined with the hopeful tinge of WW, and the pining of a somewhat open ended yet hopeful finish. If you like either of these universes, read this.  

Kind Regards

by MsCFH / @hell-much (9835, complete, explicit, part of a series!)

summary: Margaery Tyrell is determined on setting foot in the Northern market of Westeros by establishing a collaboration between the Tyrell Corporation and Stark Incorporated.

The only problem? The likewise gorgeous and stubborn Deputy Managing Director Sansa Stark.

summary: holy hell this fic is amazing. they hate each other SO MUCH. the author has a vibe setting skill that makes me want to weep. the smut is off the charts hot like there are literally no words. go read it and then read the series bc it’s *that good*. please go get your church lady fan before reading because you WILL need it.  

EXTRA NOTE: same author is writing a post-s6 canon compliant fic where Marg is actually still alive and if you’re looking for a full weekend activity, go ahead and binge this one (it’s a wip but is still being updated)

lay all your love on me

by 1once (9498, complete, show-compliant)

summary: It has been eight years since her demise.

But for the world of her, she cannot figure out why. For what? Why was she alive?

notes: i will say just one thing: flower. magic. okay, i’ll say more things. this fic is the redemption show!marg deserved combined with the fun supernatural magicky aspect of flower magic that’s just so in character. reading this fic feels the way a warm cup of tea in your hands on a cold winter’s day does.  

til you come back home

by heart_nouveau (7978, complete, AU - modern setting)

summary: “Using one-night stands to distract myself from my crush on my roommate counts, right?”

-

Margaery Tyrell is an ambitious law student who needs a perfect grade point average if she wants to stay at the top of her class - and she is not going to throw that away by falling for her very attractive, very sweet roommate, one Sansa Stark.

notes: margaery is a moron with feelings aka my favourite type of character.  

Birds of Prey’s Dinah x Helena

Siren Call

by ThanksForListening (3300, complete, part 2 of a series) 

summary: "It always happened in the quiet moments. The early hours of the morning, when the leftover energy from a mission hadn’t quite disappeared yet. The sleepless nights, when memories clawed their way into her mind and wouldn’t let go until her screams released them. The lazy afternoons, when the radio played softly and melodies she’d almost forgotten danced around her lips. It was only when the world went still that Dinah felt her watching.

She didn’t remember the first time she noticed it. The staring. Maybe it was because Helena was always watching everything and everyone around them that Dinah didn’t realize how frequently that attention fell on her. How it felt different. Helena looked at the world with suspicion and anger and indifference, but not her. She looked at her with something much softer, something she hadn’t found a name for just yet. No word in her arsenal was deep enough or strong enough to describe it.

Whatever it was, she could feel it now.”

notes: gahhhhh this fic. “What do you see,” she finally asked, “when you look at me?” is a line that I’m gonna think about until the day I die. this is the second fic in a series and you can read it as a standalone but the first fic is also fuckin amazing

after the afterparty

by novoaa1 (1181, complete, set right after the movie ends)

summary: The Canary had let loose a delighted snort at that, as if she found the whole thing somehow laughable.

(Which it wasn’t, to be clear—laughable, that is.)

“Are y'all seeing this shit?” she’d turned to ask the rest of them, earning a giddy squeal from Harley and a bemused scoff from Montoya even whilst Helena remained stock still in place, dutifully blinding herself with one hand. “Absolutely adorable.”

“Shut up,” Helena had hissed back more out of instinct than anything else, though her tone was markedly devoid of any real anger.

(And if Helena had felt her cheeks flush ever so slightly beneath her palm at the Canary’s glib assertion, she certainly didn’t let on.)

Or: Sionis falls. The rest of them remain.

notes: just. read it.  

knew your love (before i kissed you)

by z0ejake / @zxyjxy (58.263, wip / currently being written, rated E for the last chapter)

summary: Surviving the massacre of your entire family at the age of eight is a pretty impressive feat. Training for fifteen years in Sicily until you can kill a man with one hand and a hairpin is also a pretty impressive feat. Returning to the city where your family was cut down and killing every single person involved in their deaths is maybe the most impressive feat. Somehow, it's never been enough for Helena.

notes: bro this fic is a masterpiece and zoe is a genius. features absolute moron feral dumb jock helena and my favourite version of dinah: patient and endeared and a little teasing.  

the war is over (and we are beginning)

by ace_verity (12.573, 5/5, complete)

summary: The thing is, Helena has no idea what comes after.

The past fifteen years, she’s had a singular goal. She's never given any thought to what she’d do once she killed the men who murdered her family in front of her.

Maybe, Helena realizes, she never actually thought she’d make it this far.

—

In which Helena Bertinelli joins a team, buys a cactus, beats up criminals, goes to church, bakes bread, and falls in love.

(Not necessarily in that order.)

notes: this fic is beautiful and perfectly explores a lost Helena. I also love the way Renee is written in this and the whole vibe of the story is just *chefs kiss*

cheap shampoo

by OfElvesAndAliens (1609, complete)

summary: The thing is, Helena is a rigidly focused kind of gal, iron rage forged into skilled precision. Dinah has also noticed it in the little things, like the way she frowns a bit when she's doing something as trivial as writing, her penmanship always neat and firm. That same tiny furrow of her brow is showing up again while she's methodically whisking some eggs in a bowl.

Dinah finds it cute. Fucking sue her.

notes: oh god but i love a bedsharing fic and this one? feeding and post-mission and just winding down together??? ohhhh my god

two extra random goodies just for fun:

Lamplighter

by the_years_between_us (116.915, wip, rated E)

show/ship: The Fall, Stella Gibson/Reed Smith

summary: Stella gets a call from Reed directly following the final episode of The Fall S3.

notes: this is one of only a handful of wips that I’m keeping up with and reading constantly. It’s written like goddamn poetry and I love an older ship with more baggage, because the emotions here run so much higher with their shared history and the tentative steps they’re trying to take. Also, given the source material, this is almost cathartic to read.  

Nothing to Lose*

by tielan (8013, complete, rated E)

fandom/ship: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Maria Hill/Steve Rogers

summary: “It’s one of the traditional rituals of manhood,” Natasha observes as they’re sparring. “Kill a man, fuck a woman.”

notes: listen. i know. okay? i know this seems like a crackship. but I love it SO MUCH and this author writes so well that I’ve been fully converted. ~something some of you have told me I do for you~ so go read this fic, and then read the others, and then fall in love and join me in this lonely ship. You won’t regret it.  

I’ll be writing while in isolation so if you have any Dinah/Helena or Stacie/Aubrey prompts, shoot ‘em my way!

and also hit me up for anything, as always. 

peace and love, and stay safe everybody!

#fic rec #shoutout to anybody I may have missed bc I wrote this in a hurry <3 #anonymous #anon #ask

[gwisingegooli]

i just love reality tv.

recently terrace house, the twitch therapy sessions by dr. k, and just all the constant twitter drama. it’s so insightful and i learn so much from people’s experiences & perspectives.

recently there’s been league of legends t_s_m drama. pretty spicy stuff, tsm president leena was heard in the background of doublelift’s stream how nobody wanted to pick up dardoch.

very terrible pr nightmare. a lot of people made statements, big yikes :/ leena was like “oops yea the volume was too high”

nonono. u gotta do what jane said pr teams recommend — which is to just shut up!!!! think really hard about how you want to frame it & come off. show an understanding of the situation & show how you are going to change.

it’s kind of a dumpster fire. it’s because though the ROOT of the problem has not been dealt with. it’s just a fact that it IS a controversal conflict of interest that DL & Leena are dating and he’s on TSM now.

just shows the immaturity? of the esports scene. nobody knows what to do because this is all new stuff. and i’m not surprised that it’s not very professional. unless outright established, the professional boundaries between work and friends is completely blurred.

also i can feel the conversation of sexism & e-girls coming to a head. i’m very tired with the current status quo of women (what’s new). it’s just that a new dimension of media opens up and it ends up being kind of a similar thing where women are just hot. now they’re also funny. and sometimes good at video games. but they’re all e-girls. because they’re hot. and now i’m going to dehumanize them depending on what kind of stigmas i hold against e-girls and women.

the ceo of h2k, rich (known to be an asshole) straight up commented on how leena was an e-girl and basically, a hoe

it is just eye-opening to realize how the esports scene and so many people — even big famous ceos, even pillars of the community — are responding to this issue.

poor leena i feel for her though. i’m sure she’s in a lot of trouble & feels terrible.

the real issue is that blurred line between friendship and professionalism. in the esports scene it’s okay and normal to flirt with your coworkers, talk about private team info with people who it’s “chill” with, etc. the culture is causing problems.

i think the only way to make everyone shut up is by kicking doublelift off. but there is no way that is happening. i think tsm will continue what they want to do, handling each pr nightmare at a time lolol.

also makes me realize though... it all reminds me of when i wrote for la voz and i was the professional face of the newspaper. and damn sometimes people took that shit real seriously! there was real politics, dramas, harsh criticism lobbed at us, at the student senate, at faculty whatever. we always had to be actively responding to this community that took what we said seriously. sometimes in the office we were unprofessional but that could get us in trouble.

at the same time with this context i wish people would just relax. like the h2k ceo guy is obviously crossing the fucking line and should settle down. he’s just being an asshole & getting attention&validation from other assholes.

that’s what it is when you’re a public figure. everybody has their own fucking opinion. but you have to moderate your fans and community. help them grow to be good people. but sometimes it’s out of your hands. (the league community is insanely toxic, since the beginning.)

i genuinely believe these public figures are trying to be good people, and do good things. mistakes are, a lot of the time, just out of ignorance. not knowing any better. like you shouldn’t just yell at a noob in a game imo. especially if you knew them or they were your friend, you wouldn’t treat them like that.

i guess it’s just empathy. people haven’t been on the receiving side of gossip, mean comments, straight up hate. they don’t realize that the people they’re lobbing comments at are just sitting at their computer screen, feelin pretty terrible about all this shit.

yeahhhh so make sure you have a good local support system. don’t be afraid to seek therapy & help get all the really complicated issues figured out.

in the pokimane video where she was receiving therapy, the dr said “humans have two rights. to suffering and to death.” that’s so true. and a lot of the times when we are privileged and have so much in our life, we feel awful for ever feeling bad. and we feel awful if we’re not doing anything. we feel like we need to live up to these moral expectations, especially if a lot of people are watching us. i havent finished that video yet tho. man, people got so many opinions. didn’t ask for the feedback bro ! keep it to yourself.

in the cherdleys “making friends at a rave” video he was literally looking for a single friend the whole tiem. cringe, he was judt running around being like “will u be my friend pls” and finally at the end of the night , finally, a homie stopped by and said of course. and embraced him and was there for him. cherdleys was like “will you be my friend til we die,” and the dude said “bro we are friends even past death” and that gmfu. i just started crying at the video LOL. people are so cold to each other. which is totally fine Lol you don’t have to go embrace every weird stranger.

but when people do make an effort to step out, make a connection, and be there for you, not expecting anything in return. i really love that. that’s everything to me. i wanna be there for people too. sometimes being on the internet makes me really cold, and definitely influences me to be more judgemental and hateful. i’ve realized this before though, so i try to stay warm & doing what i want. but to forget about shit like appearances and being cool and normal, and just being human together. that’s what i love.

[glasyasbutch]

playlist: craving & manic

link to playlist (on spotify)

1. Oh Girl You’re the Devil by MIKA

And I said follow me, whoever you want to be / Don’t care where you go as long you stay with me

MIKA kin song!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The individual persona verses fit Craving (”girl with a bag full of hearts and the devil’s eyes”) much better than Manic but the general VIBES are just ... magnifique. It’s a song about people sticking together because the world hates them. Also like, devil themes ... tieflings ..... you get it.

I also just rly like the closing lines being “She’s a bad, bad girl, a very bad girl, he’s a bad, bad boy, a very bad boy” cause yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! they are!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2. Deal With It by GIRLI

We walk in, you stare at us, we find it hilarious / We came here to tear it up, we’re here to tear it up / Lights on, we roll up, makeup and undercuts / Lap it up, we’re pretty sure you can’t deal with it

Bro they went so fucking hard in their time as criminals like. So Hard. Especially a fan of the lines “back of a police car, free ride to the next bar” bc they really didn’t take law enforcement seriously like. At All. and the opening line of the selected lyrics above because two super fucked up and hot tieflings Definitely were eye catchers anywhere they went and they took a sick kind of pride in knowing that everyone was put off by them.

This song was originally on Craving’s personal playlist, but I moved it here bc it was much more of a pairs vibe.

3. Trouble by Valerie Broussard

I’m that knife in your boot, girl I got ya / I’m your number two man in the fight / We are revolutionaries tonight 

The only reason either of them made it a day out of their hometown was because they had each other, and they are So much more dangerous as a pair. 

4. Outlaws by Delta Rae

Don’t you know that we’re outlaws, giving the finger to death itself / We got no one to hide from, we got no one to toast our health

So this is on here partly just because I like Delta Rae. It’s technically a love song but it’s not explicit enough to turn me off from excluding it, because its much more about not giving a shit because you have the only thing you care about anymore walking by your side, and as long as they’re with you, you feel invincible, which is DEFINITELY how manic and craving walk through the world.

5. Bulletproof Heart by My Chemical Romance

Hold onto your heart in darkness / Will it ever be the light to shine you out or will it fail and leave you stranded? / I’m not going to be the one left standing / You aren’t going to be the one left standing / We aren’t going to be the ones left standing / Gravity don’t mean too much to me / Is this our destiny? This world is after me, after you / Run away, like it was yesterday

I always wanted an MCR song on here bc siccy niccy likes mcr and I felt like they deserved one on a playlist involving their character, but until recently I didn’t really listen to the band and didn’t trust myself to pick the song of theirs with the best vibes. But don’t worry! I’m having my MCR phase now so the updated playlist has one!!!! 

Anyways bulletproof heart makes me go fucking bonkers and the lyrics speak for themselves why it belongs on this playlist. It doubles for pre-campaign “we are just shitheads and society hates us and its fun cause we hate it too” and “we are literally going to throw overthrow strahd and probably die but like fuck it what else can we do” vibes

6. Skyway Avenue by We The Kings

‘Cause if you jump, I will jump too / We will fall together from your building’s ledge / Never looking back at what we’ve done / We’ll say it was love

Nic sent me and morgan a text one day and was like “if craving dies in strahd i genuinely think manic is just gonna walk into the woods and let a dire wolf get him” and then i added this song :)

7. Hey Brother by Avicii

Hey brother, do you still believe in one another? / Hey sister, do you still believe in love, I wonder? / Oh, if the sky comes falling down / For you, there’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do

A part of me will always here this song and think of the Taaco twins, but hey, we can give it to other sibling pairs who have lived through near unimaginable strife and come out the other end bitterly clinging to each other for dear life. 

Fun fact! This song is also on Nissy & Leth’s playlist. I make so many siblings.

8. I’ll Keep You Safe by Sleeing at Last

Don’t be afraid / God knows these mistakes will be made / But I promise I’ll keep you safe / As you build up your collection of pearls you pulled from the deep / The most beautiful landscape I’ve ever scene

Unconditional love between people who so desperately need to be told that they deserve any kind of love at all. Also bonus for one of the verses being about clocks because :3 sirris :3

9. We’re Alive by Cavetown

Actually you know what? The way things are isn’t good enough / We’re alive and we’re here / Please listen ‘cause we’re scared / We’re alive and we’re here / We will scream til you hear

I like to think this is the song for the exact moment they woke up and coughed the ashes of their home out of their lungs and decided that they’d been left alive to make their existence a hell for everyone else who thought they didn’t deserve to have one.

10. Eating Like Kings by Shawn James

I’ve let the sun set 365 times with murder running deep in my heart / And if I didn’t directly pull the trigger, I sure as hell played my own part / You know that it’s a snake eat snake world, we slither and serpentine through / Cause we all took a bite and six thousand years later, this apples getting harder to chew 

Houghghgughhggh this song sexy ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, I think its a song for the regrets that are beginning to creep up in the very back of their minds (especially Manic, fuckin good-aligned morninglord paladin lookin ass). 

11. Hell, Yeah by Nothing but Thieves

In a town upon the outskirts, with a flaw it cannot hide / I made my peace with sorrow and kept it all inside / They call it “hell”, yeah, why don’t we go there? / It’s way down below there, it’s just like home

Hell imagery, hopelessness themes, we are vibing.

12. A Demon’s Fate by Within Temptation

Angels have faith, I don’t want to be a part of his sin, I don’t want to get lost in his world, I’m not playing this game / When the shadows remain in the light of day / On a wing of darkness he’ll retaliate / He’ll be falling from grace ‘til the end of all his days

A song for good people turned to hate over the death of everyone they loved, a song for a brother devoted to a god of good and his sister devoted to an archdevil. Listen to this song with the volume up as high as you can stand it.

13. Years of War by Porter Robinson

Oh, two hundred years of war / Fight til we are no more / A curse on the streets of gold / Just know mine is a hand to hold / Take back what the kingdom stole / A curse on the streets of gold  

unlucky 13 songs for an unlucky pair, the lyrics speak for themselves man. It’s about standing by someone as they rip back everything that was taken from them

Fun fact: i wrote a songfic to this about Caleb and Beau Critical Role

Fun fact 2: I love this song so much it makes me go literally insane

#playlists #craving

[octoberobserver]

I recently had a dream about a plot for a fic where reddie get a duck from mike on their wedding day and the note makes it seem like it’s meaningful to their relationship and they spend their whole honeymoon trying to figure out what the deep meaning of this duck is and it turns out stan and bev dared mike to do it to fuck w/ them and when i woke up i immediately was like SOMEONE HAS TO WRITE THIS and i immediately thought of you! (literally u don’t have to it’s just funny how i thought of you)

Hi Nonnie! This *probably* isn’t what you had in mind, but I hope you like it anyway ^_^ ♥️

Your Love Life’s DOA (read on ao3)

“...a chick.” 

“Pretty sure it’s a cock, dude.”

“It’s a chicken, asswipe. Cocks are roosters.” 

“Huh. And here I thought cocks were—”

“Don’t,” Eddie Kaspbrak held up his hands, cutting Richie Tozier off mid-terrible-joke. 

Richie just smirked, his eyes alight in a way that never failed to make Eddie’s stomach swoop.

“Cock, chicken, whatever it is,” he waved dismissively with the hand not cradling the miniature poultry, “it’s cute as fuck.”  

Eddie stared at Richie staring down at the (probable) baby chicken, warmth spreading across his chest. 

He only basked in the feeling for .2 seconds however as the irritation he had felt this morning when he opened the door to go grab their mail and nearly stomped on the little feather-ball, made a swift resurgence. 

“But why the fuck was it outside our door?”

“...”

“Richie.”

“...”

“Rich.” 

“...”

“Trashmouth!” 

Richie’s head snapped up from where he had been gazing down at the chick that looked comically small in his ridiculously large hand. 

Eddie’s treacherous stomach did an impressive (if annoying) front handspring. 

“I don’t know, Eds. Maybe it was meant for the butcher shop down the street. Or a petting zoo,” he tilted his head, looking pensive, “maybe it’s Erica Delaney getting her sweet revenge on me after I broke our egg-son in the first five minutes of class. Or it’s the chicken god’s gift to us to raise in his image, fucked if I know. All I do know is,” he shrugged, gently, with one shoulder as to not jostle the chirping baby bird, “we're definitely keeping it.” 

Eddie blinked.

“We can’t keep a chicken in the apartment, Richie.”

Richie’s eyebrows raised halfway up his expansive forehead.

“Why not? I own the building, and I say it’s all good for lil Chick-Fil-A to stay.”

“We’re not naming it after a homophobic chicken restaurant, dickwad.” 

A slow smile spread across Richie’s face that had Eddie’s pulse simultaneously racing and screeching to a halt. 

“...But we are keeping it?”

Fuck.

~*~

“Chicken Little?”

“No.”

“Chicken Run.”

“What?”

“Chick Flick.”

“Hell no.”

“Oh! Wait! I got it - Chicken Carbonara! Carbs for short.” 

“You’re an idiot.” 

“I agree,” Stanley Uris piped up as he meandered his way over to where Eddie and Richie (baby chick loudly making her presence known in his shirt pocket) were arguing at the sink, glass in hand, topping up Patty’s Merlot.

“You don’t have a horse in this race, Staniel,” Richie dismissed his input, gently running a finger over the chick’s fuzzy head, adopting a sickening sweet baby voice, “Isn’t that right, Carbs? Uncle Stan the Man wouldn’t know a good nickname if it kicked him in the face.” 

“Coming from the man called ‘Trashmouth.’” 

“Eds gave me that name, so blame him,” Richie quirked an eyebrow, elbowing the man in question. 

Eddie’s Chardonnay tipped dangerously close to the rim of the glass. 

Richie ignored his murderous glare. 

“Now all we need,” Richie beamed with pride as ‘Carbs’ gave another loud chirp from her cloth perch, “...is a duck.” 

Eddie winced, “You need to stop binge-watching Friends, Rich. Who are we, Joey and Chandler?” 

“Dibs on Chandler!”

Eddie rolled his eyes, gesturing up and down at Richie. 

“Well duh.” 

Richie merely smirked, tilting his head at him, “You’re definitely more of a Monica than a Joey, though.” 

“So in this scenario, you two are married?”

Both Eddie and Richie whirled around to blink at Stan who had attracted the attention of the rest of the Losers, each now awaiting some sort of response with rising interest. 

Eddie refused to give one. 

He also refused to look at Richie not give one. 

“Ooh we’re playing the Which Friends Character Are You game, huh?” Richie asked, stepping around Stan, eyes still focussed on the chick. 

Stan rolled his eyes, “There’s eight of us, it doesn’t work.” 

“Spoken like a true Ross.” 

Stan shook his head and sighed.

Like the Ross he was.

“Alright, I’m game,” Bev piped up, raising her glass from across the room, her eyes glinting at Richie. 

“Do your worst, Trashmouth.” 

Richie smirked, clearly tickled by the challenge. 

“Alright, Marsh,” he cleared his throat, beginning to pace the room like Columbo at the end of every episode, where he explained how he solved the whole damn case with nothing but a moved potted plant, “You’re Phoebe obviously, because you’re a fiery but lovable enigma who’s cooler than all of us combined.”

Bev chuckled, “Damn straight.”

“Haystack here,” Richie whirled around, cradling Carbs to his chest in one hand and pointing with the other, “is our Joey for his actor good-looks and lovable nature.” 

Ben sank down into the couch next to Bev, picking up her socked-feet and rubbing them, “I’ll take it.” 

Bev grinned, “I did always think Joey and Phoebe should’ve got together. Although Paul Rudd was great.”

“Which leads me to,” Richie turned to his left, smirking.

“Oh no,” Mike held up his hands, “count me out. Black people weren’t even a thing on Friends until like season 9 or whatever so—”

“Oh yeah, the diversity sucks ass Mikey, no one’s disputing that,” Richie agreed with a nod, “but hear me out. You’re Mike, Mike! A sexy, African-American Paul Rudd. Think about it...you may come in late in the game but you win everyone over instantly with your good looks, nerdy charm and wicked air-piano skills! Just like you did with the Losers Club!” 

Mike blinked, amused.

Stan tilted his head.

“I don’t think that’s exactly—”

“Same with Patty!” 

Richie cut Stan off, clearly on a roll, whirling around to point at his wife.

“It feels like she’s always been with us, right?” he asked the group at large, smile pleased when everyone nods in agreement, Bev winding an arm around her from where she was perched on the arm of the couch, causing Patty to flush and grin behind her wine glass at the compliment. 

“And you know who was always with the Friends? Always there, like an honorary 7th member? Or 8th in this case?” 

Eddie rolled his eyes, not quite believing he was going to participate in this.

“Gunther.” 

Richie winked, “Gold star for Kaspbrak.” 

“She does make a mean Cappuccino,” Stan mumbled almost absentmindedly as Patty gave her charming snort-laugh, letting her head rest against her husband’s shoulder as he stood next to the couch. 

“Which leaves…”

Richie slowly turned on the spot, like the dramatic bastard he was. 

“Congrats, Bill. You’re Rachel. Our Jen Aniston. People are gonna start copying your hairstyle soon.” 

Bill chuckled, “Yeah, don’t think ‘The Bill’ has quite the same ring to it, Rich.” 

Richie gave a dismissive wave. 

“It’ll catch on. Then you’ll become a mega movie star and forget the rest of us exist. Except for Eddie, of course.”

Bill frowned.

“Why just Eddie?”

Richie threw him an exasperated look.

“Because he’s Monica! Courteney Cox. Best friend of Jen to this day. Duh.” 

“So you two are married, then?” 

Eddie felt his throat tighten as Richie squared his shoulders at Stanley, gently putting Carbs in her bed before huffing out a laugh.

“Nah man, we’re still in the friends-who-help-friends-give-their-dates-orgasms-in-seven-steps, stage.” 

Stan rolled his eyes.

“Right.” 

Eddie watched as the two friends stared at one another, a weird tension draping over them.

And in true Phoebe-style, Bev broke it.

“Hey, who wants to hear my Smelly Cat rendition?” 

Richie’s analysis was flawed, of course. Bill didn’t know jack about fashion (that was Bev), Ben built stages not performed on them, Stan actually loved, cherished and respected his partner, Patty wasn’t desperately in unrequited love with Bill (that was Mike, though it was requited), Mike wasn’t married to Bev (that was Ben) and Bev…

Well.

Bev was spot on, actually. A riddle, wrapped in an enigma, shrouded in mystery, all while being simultaneously cool and lovable. 

And Eddie?

He was Monica Geller and proud of it, dammit.

A damn shame Courteney never got the Emmy-nom, in his opinion. 

As for Richie?

Richie wasn’t Chandler Bing. Chandler Bing was Richie Tozier.

“If only they had let Chandler be gay,” Richie sighed wistfully as Eddie closed the door, waving off the last of their guests, Bill and Mike as they hopped in an Uber headed for Casa Denbrough. 

“Why? So you could fuck Ben instead?” 

Eddie knew how his voice sounded as he slowly leaned back against the door, reaching out to pull Richie towards him by his collar, crashing their lips together in a bruising kiss that he had ached for all night. 

Richie gasped into his mouth, his hands roaming Eddie’s body like a hyperactive octopus, pressing him back against the door and rolling his bottom lip between his teeth.

Eddie groaned, breaking the kiss, staring up at his best-friend-turned-secret-boyfriend. 

“So, when do we tell them we hooked up at Ben and Bev’s wedding?” 

Richie chuckled, leaning down and pressing his lips against Eddie’s neck, right over the spot he knew drove him crazy, breathing hot against his skin. 

“Not until I ask Bill for his eyelash curler and Ben figures us out. Duh.”

~*~

They really should have been all fucked out after three weeks of eating, drinking, sleeping and sex-ing in Barbados, and yet, as soon as they got back to their apartment, they christened their old bed, their leaking shower and the living room floor because they just couldn’t get enough of each other.

Married.

They were fucking married.

Husbands. 

Legally bound.

Til death—

No, not even death could stop them. They proved that already.

“You’re heavy,” Eddie groaned, his chest vibrating under where Richie had his face squished against it. 

“It’s all the Barbadian food, dude. S’gone straight to my thighs.”

Eddie brushed his hand along said thigh, squeezing roughly.

“Hmm. I like your thighs.” 

“I like you.”

“You better. You’re kinda stuck with me now.”

Richie lifted his head off Eddie’s sweaty chest, smiling softly, interlocking their left hands, pressing their rings together. 

“Guess my love life isn’t D.O.A anymore, huh.” 

Eddie groaned, and not in the sexy way he had been five minutes before. 

“Those Friends references grew old in the nineties, dude. Stop.”  

Richie pecked at his lips, letting out a sound of disagreement. 

“I’ll have you know, Eds, I—”

The unmistakable sound of a knock echoed throughout the apartment. 

They blinked at one another.

“Who the fuck is that? No one knows we’re home yet.”

The post-Honeymoon-fuck had come (heh) above all - including texting the group chat that they had made it back safely onto California soil. 

Marriage had made them selfish like that.

Eddie shrugged, “I don’t know. Could be Rosa dropping off Carbs. I did tell her we’d be back today, and she might have like...sensed us. You know what she’s like.”

Rosa was their downstairs neighbour, a lovable, elderly woman who seemed to have had a sixth sense for everything Richie and Eddie-related even before they had become a couple, often calling them out for the pining bullshit before they got their act together, got tipsy at Benverly’s wedding and jumped each other. 

Or as Richie put it once - “She high-key ships us, man. Wants us to bone it out.” 

To this day, Eddie had no idea what that meant. 

Another knock came, this one louder.

“Alright, I’m coming,” Eddie called out, pushing a whining Richie off his chest before he could make the obvious joke and forcing himself to sit up, grimacing as the sheet stuck to his back. 

He’d have to be the one to answer. No way he was unleashing a half-naked Richie onto Mrs Hernandez. 

Eddie actually had the decency to pull on sweatpants and an old Trashmouth-tee before padding to the door.

He knew his husband did not.

Husband.

Eddie smiled to himself, his stomach doing its usual somersaults that he knew would never fully disappear. 

Richie Tozier, his lifelong best friend, was now his husband too. 

Crazy. 

“Sorry Rosa, we were—”

His incredibly made-up-on-the-spot excuse died on his lips as he opened the front door to reveal - nothing. 

Frowning, Eddie stared into the empty air, turning his head to glance down the very vacant hallway.

And then, he heard it.

Quack! 

“Oh, not again.” 

“Duck!” 

Richie said it like fuck.

Like he had been human-autocorrected.

“Yes, Richie, I see that,” Eddie sighed at his husband who had appeared over his shoulder, still shirtless, staring down at the baby duck sitting pretty in a box, much like Carbs had two years before.

“We’re not naming him Daffy,” Eddie grumbled, bending down to gently pick up the box, cradling the duckling against his chest and kicking the door shut.

Richie opened his mouth.

“Or Donald.” 

Richie closed his mouth. 

One quack called Donald was enough. 

“We’ll brainstorm,” Richie grinned, leaning down and capturing Eddie’s lips, before softly patting the new addition to their family on the head.

They’d find the note later. The one that read, 

To Chandler and Monica, 

You two were the last to find out.

Not Stan. 

Here’s a brother for Carbs.

We left her with you as a prank, for Richie’s Friends obsession, but you became the best dads ever instead. You’ll do it again. 

Just don’t get them stuck in the Foosball Table. 

~The Losers

#reddie #eddie kaspbrak #richie tozier #prompt #lovely anons #friends #i tried lol #my fanfiction #writing stuff

[neven-ebrez]

1/2 Hello, always thank you for the reasonable posts! I just wanted to ask though if you also think that Dean and Cas are 'both' at faults and they 'both' need to be better? Cause I personally don't see what Cas has done wrong. Dean and Sam both knew about Jack's states, Sam stated that to Dean himself. And I also see opinions about how Cas is going behind the brothers back by not telling them about the empty deal he made and I feel like I missed something

½ cause it’s cas’s choice and has nothing to do with the brothers. Could you share your thoughts?

—

Hi there! Fair warning but this is long. Because apparently I’m just frustrated and angry enough about the comprehension fail of some fans here and I love Cas enough to go on this rant. With Dean and Cas I’m not talking about doing wrong necessarily in the moral sense but more in the narrative (drama creating) sense. It’s about an interesting story, yeah? 

In that one previous post with Dean and Cas’ issues I was not talking specifically about 14B til now. I’m talking about the history of how they interact with one another going all the way back to Cas refusing to tell Dean about everything with Raphael in S6 (the show revisits the Leviathan mistake in 15x03 with Belphegor trying to take in Hell souls to transform into God so this isn’t something the show has forgotten either since Chuck is still mentioning Leviathan as recently as two episodes ago) and recently emphasized by Dean not explaining to Cas in S13 what Cas’ death did to him. These two keep secrets from one another, perpetually. The biggest of which are heart secrets. The moment where Dean was raking leaves (fuck my whole life), Cas was right there, he could have figured things out with Dean, but instead Cas turned and went the other way in an effort to give Dean peace.

Cas serves Dean, from the moment he rebelled Cas started treated Dean like his new God. As an angel he’s quite literally built to serve “God”, both as a warrior and guardian, so much of that is in his “programming”. And angels aren’t meant to focus that devotion on one human, to filter that devotion in a human way while staying on Earth. As Dean laments in S6, it breaks them (and Dean’s ultimately wrong here, but his mindset here is important, even as S12 sees it start to change). 12x10 touches on this extensively as well with Ishim when we see his obsession with Lily and how it destroyed both of their lives. It’s learning to love PROPERLY without children suffering for it but I’M GETTING THERE! We see this issue displayed predominantly in Jack, product of a human and angel, as we are meant to question whether such a union is possible and, in fact, best. All this is more Destiel-ish but I don’t think you can talk about this subject without Destiel at this point. So here we are: Cas’ “MISTAKES”.

Back in 6x20 we see the root of the relationship’s communication problem. We see it develop and stagnate as the show faces infinite renewal. And it all boils down to Cas wanting to stay with Dean (“Most of the time I’d rather be here” and all), but feeling like if he does then he’ll be bringing all of Heaven’s/God’s problems with him to Dean. He sees Dean’s fated involvement (past and present) as unfair and so he tries to bring Dean peace and to keep all that stuff away from him as much as possible. But back then Cas didn’t know Dean as well as he does now. Cas liked an idea of Dean. That’s why he got so angry in 5x18 and beat the shit out of him in that alleyway. Cas does know Dean now tho. Things are very different, but somewhat the same as far as devotion goes. It’s faith and it’s love. Cas has always acted with Dean’s best interests at heart rather than maybe a situation’s best interest. Even solving Heaven’s problems later in S9 just became, for Cas, simply a way to make up for his actions in S6 and to STILL get angels in a place where he could again try and stay with Dean. If Cas is alive he’ll always try to both stay with Dean and to make up for the situation he feels he caused trying to do this the first time in S6.

That’s what all this has been about. Cas finding a way to stay beside Dean, but not at the expense it caused in S6. Somewhere along the way in S8 in Purgatory the guilt over how he burned everything he’s ever known for this slowly began to eat away at him, make him depressed to the point where he’s instead just happy now to die making Dean happy. Cas decided to sentence himself to his own personal Hell when he let go of Dean’s hand at the purgatory portal. How could he be allowed to be happy with Dean when so many of his kind, so many others, had to die for it? And the solution eluded Cas until… Jack. Cas’ “mistakes” against others (the biggest being the slaughter of most of his kind by his own hand) are rooted in his frustrations over being unable to simply stay with Dean (helping Dean vs helping others). And now we speed up to Jack era and S14/S15. Cas now sees Jack as his new God. He’s sees Jack as the way to make him staying with Dean happen without the cost Cas has previously paid. Cas thinks Jack will lead the Winchesters and humanity to a better world. Jack is literally the solution to all Cas’ problems in Cas’ mind. He sees the path with Jack as a union of the two things that have systematically driven his depression: choosing Dean’s happiness/life or the happiness/lives of others. Because given the choice Cas will choose Dean’s happiness over the world but with Jack Cas feels he doesn’t have to choose anymore. So Cas no longer sees Dean as his God to serve. Dean no longer creates the “problem” as well as functions as the “solution”. That gets to be Jack. But Cas still wants to be with him, wants Dean happy. This is plain when Cas puts himself between Dean and Jack in 14x20.

I think there’s a lesson here, in how you are not suppose to treat your children as something for yourself. John didn’t learn that. Chuck hasn’t learned that. Neither have Dean and Cas. Just look at the parents of Billy in 15x04. You can’t use your kids like that. It’s a hard lesson. It’s one of S15’s ultimate lesson tho I believe. It’s how Chuck will let go of the Winchesters (his children), in time. So yes. This is Cas’ biggest mistake with Jack. It’s what he’s ultimately “done wrong”. I’m off topic tho. I know. You’ve asked me about Dean and Cas’ recent issues and how they need to communicate better essentially. I can’t not talk about one without talking about the history here tho.

The Dean stans mad at Cas over what he’s done in the name of Dean’s own happiness just don’t care about seeing any of this, none of their complicated history together, as 4x22 and Cas’ decision to rebel for Dean specifically literally led to all this, everything that follows. This is what Sam’s S15 visions reveal (the importance of Cas reveling, being with them both), though not yet clearly defined in so many words (likely eventually by Sam). It’s like Dean stans and Cas haters see Dean and Cas in competition for a narrative arc or Sam’s place or something. This is the problem when you can’t value what the show values: found family. Family don’t end in blood. Maybe it needs to be put on some more merchandise or something because FUCKING HELL.

*takes a calming breath*

Dean and Cas are essentially the same damn person. They were raised under the same crappy absent father and fight their respective “programming” in order to find who they both are underneath when given a choice. And who they both are is in conflict against what God has decided they should both be (though God’s focus is more on Dean rather than Cas, with God having written off all the angels awhile ago). And so S15 brings us exactly here, to the nature of how Dean and Cas function to one another, want one another in the other’s lives and how they both need to explain this to one another clearly without bringing in anyone else (Sam or Jack) into their words to one another. And moreso, how it’s not just Dean and Cas together that produces a new world, but how Sam is also essential to this. 5x04 showed us what happens if Sam doesn’t stay. Remove Sam, Dean or Cas from one another and it all (a happy ending) falls apart. Jack is different because of Cas’ mistake in how he views him as glue to Dean (which isn’t Cas’ whole view but irrelevant). Removing Jack, and pulling Sam into a place of understanding concerning Dean and Cas, the shows forces Dean and Cas to ask themselves what they want from one another without the both of them there. Not that they have to live in a world like that necessarily, obviously, but it’s asking them to consider what their little world together would be like. Cas doesn’t see how he can stay under the baggage of his mistakes without the future Jack promises. Like in S8, he leaves Dean. This is where they will be forced to “do better” and express this desire to stay with each other without dragging poor Jack (or Sam) into the mix, without dragging anything else into the mix.

Dean and Cas refusing to admit why they want to stay with each other has lead to so many conflicts with other things, namely Heaven with Cas and what Dean did in 9x01 with Sam. In Carver era this is how the show begins to craft itself, showing how these three lives are forever connected, producing great misery when communication completely fails. Dean does drastic things to Sam to keep him with him whenever Cas leaves him. It used to be Dean only needed Sam and did drastic things to keep Sam with him because of John’s conditioning. Carver era changed that, structurally. Now, in Cas, it’s framed so that Dean has found a kindred spirit, one which would theoretically allow him to let Sam go if only Cas stayed with him. Because that was the ending Carver era was seemingly going for, or at least seriously considered. The child must be let go. Instead of Sam now, it feels like it is Jack (because Sam’s “call to action” in S15 is being framed more as he is an essential part of Dean and Cas reconciling). Both Jack and Sam have been in the child role to both Dean and Cas respectively at different points. And SPN has churned out 9 more seasons of drama based on these dynamics, this goal (sacrificing Sam) and lack of clear communication since S6. Having ran through as much as they feasibly could before Jack, Jack was created, essentially, to sustain these problems until we reached the end with the ultimate lesson that open communication literally solves everything. And also… he creates a situation where Sam doesn’t need to be sacrificed (but still could).

Not discussing the show structurally, and instead in a more character based psychological way, concerning Jack specifically TFW all knew his power and how living with him was always a risk. They each claimed Jack and undertook the risk, because they all saw themselves in Jack in some way and so decided since they all turned out okay then so would Jack. Because choices matter, the desire to be better, to fight for better, matters. Jack came into their lives and they rolled with it. All of TFW made that “mistake” taking in Jack. It’s not just on Cas and Sam spells that out to Dean and the audience quite clearly. Comprehension fails such as hating Cas on other fan’s part is something I feel S15 is trying very hard to point out. S15 discusses the narrative’s literal elements. It forces comprehension in a way that puts these fans that hate whatever character out of TFW in the wrong. You like Dean and Cas but want Sam gone? You’re in the wrong according to the show. Same thing for fans that want Sam and Dean together and for Cas to stay dead. With S15 the show is telling you to GET FUCKED but like… politely and for now, only visually, lol.

As far as the Empty deal goes (are Dean stans seriously mad Cas hasn’t told Dean?), the show IMO couldn’t outline Cas’ depression even harder if it fucking tried. But apparently for them they need to try harder? I just can’t with this. What an insult to writers which have handled this particular storyline with the utmost care. OH BOY. Part of outlining the EXACT problem here is that part of the solution is with it so instead they’ve just gone as far as they can instead. 13x04 was as far as they could fucking go with TIPTOEING around (the tulips with) this thing between Dean and Cas that is keeping Cas miserable and wishing for death in service of some other happiness for Dean (as if it ACTUALLY exists without Cas, it doesn’t). Cas has made peace with never telling Dean he’s in love with him. Before he was given a choice Cas was happy to simply remove himself from the equation (14x08) and leave Jack to bring Dean happiness without him. Because AGAIN! Communication! Cas getting taken by the Empty isn’t going to cause anything horrible to happen to the world (on a global scale). He’s just gonna be gone. Are Dean stans really saying, essentially, “How dare Cas not try to stay as tool for Dean”?? Like… what??? I honestly stopped reading people with this level of reading comprehension fail a long time ago and just started ignoring them for the lost causes they are. Telling Dean about the Empty deal would force Dean to reveal himself one way or another. And as I’ve just said, in perpetuity this is the storyline conflict that has kept SPN going for many years now. It’s something Cas wants to avoid as long as possible because he’s so in love that he’ll keep himself miserable and in suspense because being miserable with Dean is still him physically with Dean. Once Dean knows they’d have to face the truth together, whatever that is. That’s the only thing not telling Dean about the deal prevents. Some people just see it as Cas keeping more secrets but it’s not like what secrets were like in S6. The only one Cas would be effecting (to HIM, in HIS MIND) is himself. And what he can do for Dean versus what Cas sees Jack being able to accomplish for Dean? Well to Cas that’s no contest. Because he’s long made peace with being Dean’s tool because he doesn’t think he could ever be someone Dean chooses to love and keep for no reason other than Dean wants him with him. Cas being able to stop seeing him and Jack as tools is essential to whatever comes next. It’s an explanation, a comprehension problem left to Dean then later, concerning how Cas sees Jack, to Cas.

#ask zerbe #anonymous #spn speculation #this is so much #and it’s just kinda everywhere #im so sorry #narrative structure #destiel for ts #the spiraling narrative of supernatural #miscommunication #zerbe discusses things #long post for ts #carver era #im too tired to reread this again so here you go #end of the road #wank for ts #i guess since im mentioning people who hate cas #spoiler alert but he’s basically dean trying to save his own sam #and his sam has been both dean and jack over the years #his most important person #dean didnt choose to have sam in his life #but cas chose to have dean in his #and that forever blows dean’s mind #you’re hating cas for the same reason you love dean and im forever scratching my head over that shit bruh

[yukiwrites]

A Retelling of Their Story

Thanks for the support as always, @breeachuu! This one was so fun to write, I hope you have as much fun reading it, too! ;D This is a Support Chain between Wolfram x Caspar, and you can read more about how they got acquainted in Wolfram’s series, right >here<!

Commission info HERE and HERE!

______________________________

C SUPPORT

Wolfram, crouching: ...

Caspar: Huh? Isn’t that the new kid? What’s he doing all hunched over like that? Heeey, are you alright? You’re shaking- WHOA, that’s a hell lotta cats! How did you manage to round up so many?!

Wolfram: *sobs*

Caspar, crouching: Uh, you alright there, buddy? These cats scratched you?

Wolfram: N-no, it’s just… I don’t have e-enough *sobs* enough hands to pet them all!

Caspar: *chokes* Yeah? There’re like a dozen cats here, of course you can’t pet all of them!

Wolfram: Yes…! They’re all so cute, don’t you agree? Look, that one has a spot right in the middle of its forehead… I want to pet it… And that other one?! His mew is so soft I just want to squeeze him until, until… And that one with the crooked tail? I can’t- it’s so cute-

Caspar: Alright, lemme give you a hand in all this petting, then! FOUR HANDS NOW, BABEY!

Wolfram: !! Oh, don’t yell like that, you’re gonna startle them-

Caspar: Ick, they all turned poofy-tailed on me, did I do somethin’? The dogs all wag their tails when I pet them...

Wolfram: *chuckles* You can’t yell at a cat, they’re really sensitive to loud noises. Here, why don’t you try this one that’s been sitting quietly on my lap? She’s a bit older than the others so she’s better for beginners to handle.

Caspar: Oh, wow, you’re right! She’s so soft and she’s just snuggling in my lap now! You know your stuff ‘round cats, huh? Oh, maybe ‘bout animals in general? You’re always taking care of that wyvern you showed up with.

Wolfram: Heehee, yeah, I love being with animals. My fath-uuhh, I think it makes me feel at home for some reason. Maybe I kept a lot of pets when I was young? It soothes me.

Caspar: Oh yeah, guess that must be it. 

Caspar: That’s it, then! Let’s keep pettin’ these boys ‘til you regain your memory! SOME of it has GOTTA come back after all that petting, yeah?!

Wolfram: *sweats* hahaha… I-I guess? Sure! I won’t say no to petting kittens!

Caspar: Great!

Caspar: But you just said this ol’ lady here isn’t a baby, right-

Wolfram: Look, all cats are kittens, okay? That’s a rule! Like all dogs are puppies!

B SUPPORT

Wolfram: Phew! There, now you’re all clean, Aquilo! Thanks for being so patient, boy!

Wyvern screeches

Wolfram: Hee-hee, no need to thank me! Now up you go, if you wanna go hunt for breakfast- wait, it’s this late already?! No wonder I’m starving! Then go on hunt your lunch, Aquilo! I’ll drop by the dining hall before I start seeing double from hunger!

Scene changes

Wolfram: Hm? What’s… that noise coming from the direction of the dining hall?

???: … -o, GO, GO!!

Wolfram: That sounds like a lot of people yelling… something? I don’t feel any danger, so I wonder what is it?

???: GO, GO!! WOOHOO!

Wolfram: …

Wolfram: … I’m so curious! I’ll go see it before getting something to eat!

Scene changes

Wolfram: Whoa! That’s a lot of people! Wh-what’s going on? They’re all making a circle like they’re watching something in the middle… Oh, wait, I can get on the tip of my toes and… *gasps* Caspar?! And, uh, Leonie? Hilda? Raphael…? What’s all- why is there a giant bucket of water...

Caspar: Vor- blughrt, vor vug’s *sputter* *cough* Dammit! I almost had it!

Hilda: Annnd we have a winner! Leonie retains her title as the champion, even though we didn’t have the crackers we were supposed to since Raphael ate them all!

???: WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOO!!!

Raphael: It was a waste of food, alright? But congrats everyone! It was fun!

Caspar: ONE MORE TIME!

Wolfram: W-what’s going on?! I managed to walk past the crowd, but now that I look closer, all of your shirts are wet...

Caspar: Oh, Wolf! Good timing! D’you wanna challenge Leonie with me? She’s the only one who can say ‘for fuck’s sake’ with a mouth full of water -- or crackers -- without spilling! She’s the BOSS!

Wolfram: *sputters* W-what’s this about?

Caspar: A game, man! C’mon, it’s gonna be fun! We were supposed to do this with crackers and it gets so nasty, it’s HILARIOUS! We’ve been doing this every three weeks or so and Leonie keeps defending her title as the champion!

Leonie: I’m actually glad we changed from crackers to water, though. It really DID feel like a waste of food.

Raphael: Yeah!

Wolfram: *chuckles* This sounds super fun, can I play, too? There was nothing like this where I grew up- um, I mean, I think there wasn’t!

Caspar: Great! Either way, it’s gonna be a new memory! C’mon, I’ll teach you-

Wolfram: Learning from the one who just lost? Shouldn’t I ask Leonie to teach me instead?

Caspar: *gasps* You gotta stay by me, man! Let’s defeat her together!!

Scene fades to black

Wolfram: Bor bu- *gulps* Oh, no! I swallowed the water again!

Caspar: NOO! Let’s go back to crackers!

Leonie & Raphael: No way!

Wolfram: Hahah! It’s okay, Caspar, sorry I lost on our rematch, anyway! Though I don’t think I had the best teacher...

Caspar: Hey! My technique is flawless, okay?! Leonie’s the one doing something out of this world! I’m gonna find out what and I’ll win next time!

Leonie: Sure, you’re free to try, Tiny. See ya then.

Leonie and the others leave

Wolfram: Phew, that sure was fun! Somehow I managed to forget how hungry I was, haha! Guess all that water in my stomach tricked me.

Caspar: We’ll win next time for sure, ya hear? C’mon, let’s go eat something and then keep training!

Wolfram: Uh, training how to curse with water in my mouth?! Can’t we just wing it when the time comes?

Caspar: No way! We’re getting better before Leonie has the time to train more!

Wolfram: … I’m sure she just wings it, too, though…?

Caspar: Huh? What’re you doing still standing there? C’mon or we’re not gonna find two seats next to each other!

Wolfram: Haha, alright, I’m coming!

A SUPPORT (POST SKIP)

Caspar: Ouch, they, that stings, Wolfram!

Wolfram: Honestly! Of course it stings, you hotheaded, you-! If I had stronger medicine around, I would be sure to use it instead of this salve just so it would sting more!

Caspar: Owowow, you’re squeezing the bandages! It’s like I’m being beat-up all over again, man, calm down!

Wolfram: I AM calm! But you? What were you thinking, jumping in front of the enemy in the middle of battle like that?! I almost had a heart attack seeing you take those blows that were meant for me.

Caspar: You weren’t on your wyvern, man! I wasn’t gonna let you be mauled to death by those punks. You’re so thin and usually use magic, so I know I’m a better punching bag than you -- and I can punch back, too! Did you see me there? Hah, left, right, UPPERCUT! I beat them even more than they beat me, so it ended up being fine, didn’t it?

Wolfram, pouting: That might be true, but don’t do that again, okay? I can take a punch. And I don’t want people to get hurt because of me...

Caspar: No way! Back at the Academy you were always shaking and blue-in-the-face whenever we went on a mission! That stuck on me, man. I don’t mind breaking a bone or three, so you don’t need to get all panicky like that everytime I get hurt, you know? Did you know that the more a bone breaks, the stronger it gets? So even when I get hurt, I’m just gonna get stronger in the end!

Caspar: So don’t worry and just let me-

Wolfram: NO!

Caspar: !!

Wolfram: I don’t want the people I care about to get hurt! And I AM strong enough to protect myself!

Caspar: I’m not calling you weak -- I’m just sayin’ I’m strong! I’m not as big as Raphael and my muscles don’t pop up the buttons of my shirt, but I ain’t going down that easily. There’s literally no need to be this worried for me.

Wolfram, lowering head: I… There was actually something I’ve always wanted to tell you, even during our student days. I was planning to tell you after today’s battle, but then you did this stupid thing and- and now I’m… *sobs*

Caspar: Whoa whoa whoa there, d-don’t cry, Wolf! I’m fine, see? Look at this! *flexes* uh-ouch, ouch- that might’ve popped a vein...

Wolfram: *chokes* You are an idiot. *sniffles* Let me see that.

Caspar: I keep forgetting you know healing magic. Thanks again!

Wolfram: … No, Caspar. Thank YOU for saving me. I’m still angry at you for jumping in like that, but I’m no less grateful for the gesture.

Caspar: No problem, Wolf. I’d do it again, though, so you better get used to the anger, hah!

Wolfram: *sighs* I wanted to say this in a better mood, but here goes nothing.

Caspar: Huh? That’s… Oh, that’s the locket you’ve kept since back then, right? You said it was probably important to you before you lost your memory.

Wolfram: That’s… About that, Caspar. I’m sorry.

Caspar: Weh? What’re you apologizin’ for?

Wolfram: I… well… I never… *sighs* I never lost my memory in the first place. That was an elaborate story me and my siblings came up with so I would be able to mingle better here, since I knew nothing of this place.

Caspar, surprised: ...

Wolfram: And, uh, this locket? It has my most precious possession -- a dragonstone. It allows me to transform and…

Screen flashes white.

Caspar: *blinks* Wh-what happened- !! You-!

Wolfram: … There might’ve been better ways to say, but I think showing it directly would be easier than explaining. Although this is a VERY roundabout way of saying it, what I’m trying to say -- apart from the truth, of course -- is that I can very well take care of myself and that you don’t need to jump into danger to save-

Caspar: YOU HAVE WINGS?! 

Wolfram: !!

Caspar: YOU HAVE WINGS, MAN! Turn around, lemme see ‘em! Whooooa, why didn’t you tell me this sooner?! We could’ve gone to SO MANY PLACES so fast! Sure, we flew on Aquilo sometimes, but this?! This is amazing!

Wolfram: … Um, uh-

Caspar: I don’t get why you’d keep quiet ‘bout something as cool and badass like that! You’re, like, a dragon?! Half a dragon? What. The. Fuck. 

Caspar: How far can you fly? Can I get on Aquilo while you fly beside us? Oh! Maybe carry me?! What the hell, man, this is amazing.

Wolfram: You’re, um, not mad?

Caspar: Mad? Mad?! Yeah, I’m mad! I’m MAD AMAZED! Now you gotta tell me so much stuff- no, wait, show them to me instead! C’mon, we’re going flying right now-

Wolfram: Now wait just a moment, mister! You’re not leaving this bed!

Caspar: To hell with the bed, Wolf! Throw some more healing magic on me, or don’t! We’re gonna go outside, stat!

Wolfram: C-Caspar, wait- Don’t run! You’re gonna open your wouuuunds!!

S SUPPORT

Caspar: Puaah! Nothing like a good beer at night to scream ‘peace’, ey, Wolf?

Wolfram: *fidgets* Haha, yeah… Peace… We’ve truly won this war, huh? Byleth’s gonna live her life with Dimitri and… My role here...

Caspar: Huh? You’re mumbling there, Wolf. You okay? I thought you’d be happier ‘bout ending the fighting and stuff! You never liked it, right?

Caspar: It was fun, though, wasn’t it? Hahh, I guess I gotta go looking for more fights to get into, huh? Maybe a knight? Hmmm, or mercenary? I don’t gotta go back to my territory, but I guess I should pay Dad a visit before disappearing, huh?

Wolfram: Disappearing...

Caspar: Oh, do you wanna come with? Since you’re not from here, it’s not like you have somewhere to go right away, right?

Wolfram: !! 

Wolfram: A-actually, I was going to ask you something like that, too...

Caspar: Muh? You want me to meet your dad, too?

Wolfram: T-that… well. Something l-like that, yes? And my Mother, too. And my siblings. And my friends.

Caspar: Haha! That’s a lotta people you wanna introduce to me! But sure, I’m game! We go visit my parents first for a bit and then we can go to your world- oh yeah, how are we gonna cross? You said you popped outta a portal like the one Byleth jumped out of after she changed her hair color, right? Are we gonna ask her to open another one? Or can you conjure one?

Wolfram: Um, we’re going to cross one, but it’s gonna come on its own- Wait a second. Wait just a freaking second. You’re really okay with coming with me to my world?! What if the portal never opens again? You’ll never see your family-

Caspar: Eh. About time I left to do my own stuff, yeah? I wasn’t actually planning on seeing them at all -- my Father’s fucking SCARY, Wolf -- but I just guessed I gotta, y’know? I helped win the war and all… They’re from the Empire, alright, but I think they’ll be just fine one way or another, so I’m good!

Caspar: Other than that, I’m more curious about the stuff you said ‘bout your world! Your WHOLE family’s like you, right? Dragons, man. Dragons!

Wolfram: C-Caspar, wait, you’re talking too fast. Calm down. I need a few moments.

Caspar: Yeah? What’s up?

Wolfram: Fwoooo, breathe in, hahhhh, breathe out. Fwwwoooooo… hahhhh… One more time.

Caspar: You okay, man? What’s this all about?

Wolfram: Caspar.

Caspar: Hm?

Wolfram: Cassspar.

Caspar: Spit it out, Wolf! Stop saying my name like that!

Wolfram: You REALLY don’t get the implications of accepting coming with me to my world, do you? At all?

Caspar: Implications? I’m gonna meet your family, like you’re gonna meet mine.

Wolfram: *sighs* You’re an idiot.

Caspar: I mean, you’re not gonna catch me saying I’m not, but what brought that on? Did I do something?

Wolfram: *fidgeting* How did you plan on introducing me to your family?

Caspar: My partner, of course!

Wolfram: *chokes* Partner-

Caspar: Aren’t we?! We’re unstoppable- wait, your hands on my face-mmpph!

Wolfram: ...

Caspar: mmph… That- that was a kiss. Did you- did you just kiss me.

Wolfram: … Yes, you idiot.

Caspar: *claps* AH! So it’s THAT kind of introducing to the family! I get it now! Hahaha!

Caspar, blushing: Oh, now I’m getting embarrassed, hah! Gods, I don’t think I know what to say now, especially after accepting everything without knowing what it all meant!

Wolfram: … Do you regret it?

Caspar: Hell no! C’mere you, and give me more of that! Mmmm!

Wolfram: Mmph! Y-you-

Caspar: Puahah! Turns out kissing you is WAY better than drinking the night away! Give me more!

Wolfram, blushing: A-anytime you want, of course, but- are you really okay with me? With… all of this?

Caspar: Hah! Do I look like I think too much? What matters is that we’re gonna be together, Wolf. And man, it took you to kiss me to realize how much I love being with you! Heck, I love YOU!

Wolfram: *sniffles* Oh, Caspar… I love you, too...

Caspar: Haha! Now bring those lips here...

Wolfram: So hasty...

#fodlansona #caspar #caspram #hehehe i wanted to put the ship name in the tags #my writings #yuki's commissions #support chains

[thatgoddamnflipphone]

Steve/Tony Fic Rec List Part 1 - MCU Canonverse

Over 70 fic below the cut -- some in the middle still need summaries I will add over time.

These are listed in approximately the order I read them, so mostly random.

(MCU Verse. Comics Verses. Semi-Canon AUs. Full AUs. Post-IW. Still to come: a crapload of under 10k fic! To see the whole list as a Google Doc, go to tinyurl.com/streclist)

LAST EDIT: 8/30/19 - NEW FIC MARKED WITH ~

Guys and Bots by Scaramouche (@no-gorms). Follows the movies with the difference that they kiss at the end of AoU. Series with a hopeful ending (hey it’s CW it can’t be ALL happy). 32k https://archiveofourown.org/series/727023

Gained in Translation by Scaramouche (@no-gorms) . Short getting together fic between TWS & AoU. 11k https://archiveofourown.org/works/14020488

The Last Love Song of Anthony E. Stark by Jibrailis. Tony is infected with an Asgardian disease that causes slow memory loss. They travel to Asgard for a cure while he slowly forgets who and where he is. ANGST. 42k https://archiveofourown.org/works/349478

The Act of Creation Will Be Your Salvation by @scifigrl47. This is the first in a looooong series, the whole thing is pretty great but if you’re not into kidfic you can just read this first one, it’s self contained and phenomenal. Follows Tony from when he first creates Dummy through Avengers and beyond, focusing on his relationship with his bots (and then of course Steve). You WILL cry about robots. 85k https://archiveofourown.org/works/401961/chapters/662516

Four (Or Five) Reasons for Kidnapping Tony Stark by @scifigrl47. Also part of a long series, you can read the first two also but this is where it really picks up and she really gets a feel for the characters. Kidnapping! (Fairly mild) Torture! Tony being brilliant! Pining! Presumed dead! It’s tagged pre-slash but there is smooching so it’s really not. 78k https://archiveofourown.org/works/391599/chapters/642784

Sixpence In His Shoe by @scifigrl47. (Yes this is the same author again, get used to it I am a completionist and read everything.) This is one of the BEST accidental marriage fics I’ve read, omg. This ship is complicated by the fact that they are FAMOUS, so fake or accidental marriages have far reaching consequences that are fascinating to explore. This hits all my sweet spots. 103k https://archiveofourown.org/works/11443803/chapters/25647162

Lessons on how to be Worthwhile by @pensversusswords A beautiful Tony character study, hurt/comfort. 19k https://archiveofourown.org/works/2306576/chapters/5075171

Truth Behind Masks by @scifigrl47 MCU/comics fusion where Tony takes Coulson up on the “bodyguard” alibi at the end of IM1. The team thinks Tony & Iron Man are sleeping together, while Steve, of course, is falling in love with “both” of them. I adore Sam in this, there’s a scene with him and Steve that makes me cry every time. 98k https://archiveofourown.org/works/1523327/chapters/3221816

Christmas Holiday by @scifigrl47 A proposal, wedding, honeymoon fic where literally everything goes wrong in hilarious ways. Cracky but amazing. 19k https://archiveofourown.org/works/5474990

My Lost City by elise_509 42k https://archiveofourown.org/works/1008115/chapters/1999662

In the Stillness of Remembering by elise_509 A fandom classic. Just read it. 70k https://archiveofourown.org/works/557155/chapters/993923

As Sharp As Any Thorn by RurouniHime (@thegertie) Holy shit this fic. The angst is THROUGH the ROOF I had to stop reading a few times but damn it’s good (and happy ending!). Basically someone hacks Tony’s suit while he’s in it, causing him to attack the team and almost-fatally injure Steve. Steve spends a good bit of the fic in a coma and they don’t know if he’ll make it, while the public calls for Iron Man’s head, and Tony can’t get the memory of beating Steve out of his head. Damn. So good. 47k https://archiveofourown.org/works/725234 

With Words Other Than These by RurouniHime (@thegertie) Post-mission adrenaline fueled comfort sex. Yes please. 14k https://archiveofourown.org/works/1012230

When Our Day Comes by @thepartyresponsible Ok this is super short but HILARIOUS so if you need something to read after some of the above angst … 6k https://archiveofourown.org/works/14764490

Evening Comfort by ann2who (@stark-spangled-lovers)  Steve & Tony run into each other at a gay bar, decide to roll with it and pretend they are strangers. 21k https://archiveofourown.org/works/4734002/chapters/10819700

A New Way For Us by ann2who  (@stark-spangled-lovers) TIME TRAVEL SHENANIGANS Strange sends Tony back in time to try and fix things before Thanos, prevent Civil War, etc.  24k https://archiveofourown.org/works/9825590/chapters/22062992

Serenity Oasis by @festiveferret Omggggggg. So they wake up at a couples resort with amnesia. Are they undercover? Did they get married for real? We Just Don’t Know, and neither do they! 20k https://archiveofourown.org/works/13147377/chapters/30070665

(what is hate) but jilted love by LemonGrenade Post-Civil War Fix-it, Tony is injured and recovering away from it all in a cabin. Enter the Snowed In In A Canadian Shack trope! 27k https://archiveofourown.org/works/15344694

Flower Child by @itsallavengers Tony overcoming toxic programming from Howard, learning to be soft, oh and Steve punches Howard when he shows up in the future so. That’s really all I needed to love this. 24k https://archiveofourown.org/works/15399303

Lost Together by @festiveferret A fun take on the soulmate mark trope - Steve & Tony end up in an alternate universe with soulmate marks, and have to both hide that they don’t have them and pretend to be a couple because Reasons. Tropey goodness! 68k https://archiveofourown.org/works/12282594/chapters/27918672

More Than the Average Good by @royal-chandler Tony is the one to find Steve after Bucky pulls him out of the river in TWS. He convinces Steve to come back to the Tower with him, where they grow closer but eventually the truth about Tony’s parents needs to come out. 16k https://archiveofourown.org/works/15219425

Guessing Game by @itsallavengers Sort of an ambiguous universe but it’s close enough to MCU. Tony wakes up not remembering the last 24 hours, with a hole in his leg, and Steve carrying him through underground tunnels to escape a Skrull invasion. But is it really Steve? 21k https://archiveofourown.org/works/12746256

Butterfly Dreams by Teyke This fic is a mind fuck with a happy ending. Steve is switching between two universes every time he falls asleep - in one, it’s post-CW and Tony is missing. In the other, Steve & Tony are on their honeymoon. Each feels real - which one is? 38k https://archiveofourown.org/works/8677540

Semaphore by DevilDoll "I’m trying to like you, Tony. You’re just making it very hard." 40k https://archiveofourown.org/works/314102/chapters/503103

All the Time in the World by missbecky (@missbeckywrites) Post-TWS, Steve’s team needs a place to land and end up at the Tower. When Steve & Tony quickly grow close, a stalker gets very irate. 38k https://archiveofourown.org/works/2646503

To the Victor by @thegraytigress OH BOY. Steve “dies” on a mission. Tony is certain he’s still alive - is he in denial? Everyone else thinks so. Hmm. BRING ON THE ANGST. 242k https://archiveofourown.org/works/8162986/chapters/18705922

The Trial Run by scaramouche (@no-gorms) 14k https://archiveofourown.org/works/15027899

Fix You by @thegraytigress 74k https://archiveofourown.org/works/5900494/chapters/13602163

Shiver by @thegraytigress 54k https://archiveofourown.org/works/10868364

Equivalence by @thegraytigress 28k https://archiveofourown.org/works/7312558

Falling Into You by @sabrecmc Fuck buddies until Steve loses his memory (yay Loki), Tony doesn’t tell Steve about their “arrangement.” Then feelings happen. 53k https://archiveofourown.org/works/3731302/chapters/8269387

I wanted to fix this (but couldn't stop from tearing it down) by @missbeckywrites 51k https://archiveofourown.org/works/529127

Better Angels/Lesser Demons by @sabrecmc A CW fix-it where Peggy leaves some home videos for Steve in her will. 34k https://archiveofourown.org/series/891720

Good For You by @orbingarrow “Steve doesn't understand why Tony dates people who abuse him. Tony doesn't understand why Steve cares.The rest is bad choices, good choices, rehab, milkshakes, paintball, YouTube videos, couples therapy and learning to put the past in the past. Or: How Tony finds his happy ending.” 42k https://archiveofourown.org/works/6093591

Into Words by @dirigibleplumbing 32k https://archiveofourown.org/works/14817710

I Am With You by @dirigibleplumbing Steve tries to adjust to life in the 21st century, with the help of his new team/family, and especially Tony. Great Steve character stuff. 25k https://archiveofourown.org/works/15166046

Never for the Dragon by @ladyshadowdrake (MCU/616 fusion) READ THE TAGS you will definitely cry. Like really seriously full on sobs. But it’s extremely worth it. 89k https://archiveofourown.org/works/7120420

Tensile Strength by sahiya 21k https://archiveofourown.org/works/15779712

all warm-blooded creatures by nanasekei (@elcorhamletlive) “From a very early age, Steve Rogers was aware that he was going to die of cold.” 13k https://archiveofourown.org/works/15196187

Hating Steve Rogers by nanasekei (@elcorhamletlive) I loooove fic where post-Avengers Tony goes from a lifetime of hate and resentment towards Captain America to falling in love with Steve Rogers. 16k https://archiveofourown.org/works/14813219

'Til Death Do Us Part by @itsallavengers Steve has to fake his death on a mission. SHIELD “forgets” to tell his husband. 15k https://archiveofourown.org/works/15905544

Home Is Where the Time Machine Is by @wordsplat There is NOT ENOUGH of this trope in this fandom! Steve & Tony’s daughter from the future shows up, tries not to spill the beans about them getting together. 23k https://archiveofourown.org/works/1030540

Stay With Me (home is where your mind is.) by sara_holmes (@captn-sara-holmes) 67k https://archiveofourown.org/works/1246060

Bond Has It Covered by sara_holmes 66k https://archiveofourown.org/works/1104870

Counterpart by sara_holmes 217k https://archiveofourown.org/works/1659452

when i run out of road, you bring me home by quidhitch 18k https://archiveofourown.org/works/16153091

Over Sea, Under Stars by vorkosigan 36k https://archiveofourown.org/works/8635870

Unintended by sheron 37k https://archiveofourown.org/works/13446870

i found a way to let you in, but i never really had a doubt by quidhitch 16k https://archiveofourown.org/series/1191442

In Your Warmth I Forget How Cold It Can Be by izazov 29k https://archiveofourown.org/works/13137222

In Dreams (Everything Makes Sense) by msermesth 42k https://archiveofourown.org/works/9924365

Die Hard (But Only If No Other Options Are Readily Available) by JenTheSweetie 24k https://archiveofourown.org/works/4702037

Things We Learned at the End of the World by JenTheSweetie 13k https://archiveofourown.org/works/14867777

An Infinite Number Of Monkeys At Typewriters (Or, Steve and Tony Finally Get It Right) by JenTheSweetie 19k https://archiveofourown.org/works/8310553

More Than Gravity by JenTheSweetie 21k https://archiveofourown.org/works/5502959

Of Things Lost in Time by erde Post-IW Steve gets caught in an AoU groundhog day ahhhhh! 16k https://archiveofourown.org/works/17217959

Love's Such an Old-Fashioned Word by scaramouche 11k https://archiveofourown.org/works/17344631

Never Eye To Eye by vorkosigan 26k https://archiveofourown.org/works/8776729

Of Books and Memories and Snow by vorkosigan 22K https://archiveofourown.org/works/10876335

Lost in Transcription by Veldeia Cool science-based canonverse soulmate AU - science has recently discovered genetic markers for soulmates. Uh oh. 25k. https://archiveofourown.org/works/13982646 

And The Void Would Be Calling. by jadedoll 17k https://archiveofourown.org/works/387387

Sticky Business by OftheLilies 19k https://archiveofourown.org/works/12976434

All These Half-Tones of the Soul by nostalgicatsea Angsty retelling of canon as a soulmate au. 23k https://archiveofourown.org/series/994596

Overhaul by Annie D (scaramouche) 19k https://archiveofourown.org/works/17846375

Northwest to Nowhere by Veldeia 17k https://archiveofourown.org/works/5456477

Untapped Opportunities by Serinah The classic “they meet on a cybersex site but don’t know who they are talking to” with lots of fluff, angst, and porn. BDSM. 62k https://archiveofourown.org/works/16106627

the things we invent when we are scared by nanasekei 18k https://archiveofourown.org/works/17946077

Resistance by thegraytigress The worldbuilding and OCs are amazing in this, but mind the tags - loooots of torture and hurt/comfort. 426k (no that’s not a typo lol) https://archiveofourown.org/works/7469145/chapters/16973895

Symmetry Breaking by scaramouche (@no-gorms) I probably have this down with EG fics too, but it mostly belongs up here. Takes place in the branched 2012 timeline where Loki took the Tesseract. I want a million fics in this universe! 10k https://archiveofourown.org/works/18627655

The Butterfly Effect by @itsallavengers Same as above, 2012 branched timeline. YES MORE PLEASE! 20k https://archiveofourown.org/works/18617755

To Have My Time Again... by @wilmakins A post-CW rewrite of Infinity War, including accidentally dragging Howard forward in time, and addressing Steve choosing between the past and the future in a much more in-character way than EG did <cough>. 166k https://archiveofourown.org/works/16654939

Name Recognition by OscarTheSlouch Steve wants to take Tony’s last name. Tony has a bunch of hangups about it. Featuring sad baby Tony flashbacks! 14k https://archiveofourown.org/works/11690337

Even the Light is an Illusion by Mizzy This is technically MCU, but was written very early so borrows a lot of characters and canon from 616. Tony has to fake his death for reasons, angst ensues. 102k https://archiveofourown.org/works/507292

Though Your Face Is Lovely by @chibisquirt Noir!Tony ends up in MCU!verse. Cue jumping into bed with Steve and MCU!Tony extreme jealousy! MCU SteveTony is endgame. 14k https://archiveofourown.org/works/10930653

He Knows More Than You Do by ChibiSquirt Pretty much 35k of cracky porn with feelings. A lot of medical kink stuff, pay attention to tags. 35k https://archiveofourown.org/works/11683599

If the Words Are True by @msermesth Someone leaks old love letters from Steve to another man to the press. Tony helps deal with the aftermath. 10k https://archiveofourown.org/works/11249832

For the Wheel's Still in Spin by Arukou A retelling of early canon, Steve’s months after getting thawed and the Battle of NY, and how the Avengers slowly became a team. 57k https://archiveofourown.org/works/2680208

Binary System by scaramouche 13k https://archiveofourown.org/works/19077304

In a Different Light by marinarusalka 20k https://archiveofourown.org/works/542966

Here's Looking At You by mariana_oconnor I love post-Avengers Tony learning to see Steve for who he really is, and not just the hero from history. 12k https://archiveofourown.org/works/19349692

Fireside ‘verse by @gotthesilver A very real and human look at a post-Endgame world where Steve & Tony can’t quit each other, but Tony still has a family. Love is complicated and messy. 29k https://archiveofourown.org/series/1429378

we must love one another and die by @theappleppielifestyle Tony realizes Steve was frozen when Lord of the Rings came out, leading to mutual bonding, book club, and lots of Frodo-related Steve feels. Don’t miss this one, it’s phenomenal. 14k https://archiveofourown.org/works/20168623

~Playing the part (remix) by nanasekei (@elcorhamletlive) A fake marriage post-CW fix-it? Sign me the fuck up! 10k https://archiveofourown.org/works/20330893

~All the Love You Hold and Hide by Mireille Fuck-or-Die trope with feeeeeelings! 17k https://archiveofourown.org/works/14402436

#stony fic #stevetony fic #stony #stony fic rec #stevetony #streclist #added a few more summaries and tags #I'M GETTING THERE

[i-heart-danchou]

Felidae

This is for @indigonightminds​, who requested: a sad but sweet fic featuring Erwin convincing Levi to dance, after his arm’s been chomped and Levi’s all worried.   "and Levi's all hisssss but then ok this feels so. Nice” XD

Erwin had loved cats for as long as he could remember.  He admired their independence, he liked how they were standoffish yet needy and cuddly at the same time, and he liked how clean and neat they kept themselves.  He’d never been able to keep one as a child, (his father was allergic), but he often made friends with strays and would share a bit of his lunch if he could.  As he’d aged and progressed through the SC, he’d still never really had the opportunity to take in a cat of his own.  He wasn’t home often enough to keep a plant alive, frankly, and allowing a sweet little cat to die of neglect felt a bit out of character.  Perhaps that was what had attracted him to Levi in the first place; he was sleek, quick, independent, irritable, didn’t much care to be touched, light on his feet, agile… Erwin found him exceptional, adorable, and delightfully prickly. As a child he’d always felt somewhat honored when a cat graced him with its presence, and with Levi he felt very much the same way.  Little by little, the ornery ex convict allowed Erwin to get close to him, and little by little they earned each other’s trust.  Levi at first seemed to resent little touches.  His hackles would go up, the hair on the back of his neck would raise, the whites of his eyes would be visible… Erwin could almost see him hissing whenever he allowed their hands to touch, or as he rested his palm on the small of Levi’s back.  In time Levi warmed up to the contact, and even pressed into Erwin’s firm hand.  

**

They grew closer, more intimate, although Levi would always try to keep a touch of emotional distance between them.  Erwin had known a cat like that once, who nuzzled him, ate out of his hand, and then scratched him to ribbons when she’d had enough.  

Levi was like that, in some ways.  He’d come prowling in the night, nip and scratch Erwin til they were both nude, fuck him like an alleycat, and then hiss and protest whenever Erwin tried to snuggle up to him after.  

“Erwin!”  He’d spit.  “Fuck off with this gay cuddly bullshit!  Let me go to!”  

And Erwin would laugh because he’d literally just finished a rather gay encounter indeed, and hook an arm around his waist.  “Please stay?  You’re so warm.”

And Levi would watch him with careful eyes, consider his options, and give in.  “Fine.  Only cause if your dumb ass freezes to death it’s gonna be hell to reorganize the expedition next week.”

**

Erwin never wondered if Levi cared, though.  There were little things he did, sweet little gestures that proved that his recalcitrance ran only skin deep.  He’d make Erwin tea (although only if he was making himself tea, obviously he wasn’t gonna go out of his way to make fucking Erwin tea), he helped keep Erwin’s office tidy (cause Erwin was a fucking slob and it was disgusting to work in an office with fucking dust everywhere), and he always made sure the Commander was getting enough to eat (cause if he starved to death some even bigger dumbass was gonna take over and then humanity was screwed).

Erwin caught Levi watching him while he slept sometimes, his expression careful and neutral but unguarded and trusting.  He doubted Levi ever let anyone else see that face.  Hell, he doubted Levi let anyone sleep in the same room as him.  

**

It was difficult for Levi after he injured his ankle.   He wasn’t used to being left behind on missions, he didn’t like to sit around doing nothing.  Erwin wondered if Levi only saw his own worth in his utility.  If he couldn’t move, if he couldn’t fight, perhaps Levi felt Erwin didn’t need him anymore.  

Erwin could see Levi pushing himself to be useful, even if he wasn’t able to join them on the charge to get Eren back from the jaws of peril once again.

“I’ll be back soon.”  Erwin promised, and Levi glared at him.

“Don’t do anything fucking stupid.”  He said with narrowed eyes, his arms crossed over his chest.  

Erwin smiled and nodded.  He wasn’t about to make any promises.  

**

Levi had been there the moment Erwin had woken up, actually, and his wide eyed expression of disbelief would be one that Erwin would always keep close to his heart.  Levi had grabbed his hand, kissed it, called him an idiot, pushed Erwin’s hair out of his eyes, and told him he looked like shit.  It was one of the sweetest things he could ever remember Levi doing.

In a rare moment of alone time, Erwin was browsing through the visitor records that the hospital had kept during his recovery.  It didn’t surprise him to see that Levi had visited him more than anyone else while he’d been unconscious, at least once a day, for at least an hour, and rarely when anyone else was in attendance.  He glanced at the blood soaked gauze at the end of his stump and sighed.  Well, it must have been a very difficult time for Levi.  Apparently it had been a bit touch and go, the doctors weren’t certain that Erwin was going to survive losing that much blood.

Levi came in without knocking and policed the relief off of his face.  “You’re supposed to be resting.”  He snapped, snatching the visitor record out of Erwin’s hand.  
“I don’t think either of us are very good at resting.”  Erwin pointed out.  “If I lay about too much longer my muscles are going to atrophy.”  He wasn’t connected to any drips now, the hospital primarily wanted to monitor him for signs of infection or complications of anemia.  “I want to stretch my legs.  Come with me?”  

Levi rolled his eyes.  “Must be nice, being so doped up on pain meds you think we’ve got time for a stroll.”  

Erwin ignored that.  He needed to get back on his feet, he needed to lead.  Of course they didn’t have time for frivolity but… step one was standing on his own two feet.  He sat up, and attempted very valiantly to get himself out of bed.  Still, he was weak, and he stumbled forward a bit as he tried to get up.

“Erwin for fuck’s sake!”  Levi was there in an instant, providing a shoulder to lean on.  “Shit, fine!  I’ll go with you for a walk!  Stop fucking pushing yourself!”

He leaned on Levi then, annoyed at the dizziness and pain that accompanied such a small amount of movement.  His whole balance was thrown off by his missing arm, and he realized then that his 3DMG days were probably behind him.  Levi said nothing, and kept his attention focused ahead of them as he walked them to a secluded balcony that presumably people used for smoking.  

The fresh air was lovely, and Erwin stared out into the distance.  His mind was storming away— the government was part of the problem, they’d never succeed unless the current regime was ousted and there was still the basement…

A beautiful voice carried in the wind, a young woman was singing from one of the hospital rooms.  Another patient, maybe?  A guest?  She was singing an old song in a lost tongue, and Erwin found himself enchanted by her melody.  

He shook himself out of his thoughts and turned to Levi, offering his hand.  ��Care to dance?”

Levi looked offended.  “Are you insane?  Why?”

Erwin shrugged, and the movement sent a bolt of pain down his spine which he was largely able to hide from his companion.  “Because..” He tried to catch his breath.  “Because we don’t often get moments like this.  Windows of peace between my miserable gambles.  Because her voice is so lovely.  Because I want to dance with you, Levi.”

Levi cringed and crossed his arms.  Erwin could almost see his back arching, a hiss at the back of his throat threatening to emerge if the Commander dared to touch him.  

“Please?”  

“I hate you so much.”  Levi hissed, snatching Erwin’s good arm with one hand and gingerly touching his side with the other.  His eyes darted to the stump of his arm, concern and something like love etched between his eyebrows.  

“That’s it.”  Erwin complimented, tucking in his face so he could nuzzle the top of Levi’s head.  “This is nice.”  He murmured, enjoying the warmth as they swayed together.  Erwin could feel the tension easing out of Levi’s form, his hair settling down, his twitchy reluctance settling down.  

“You’re a dork.”  Levi growled, nuzzling into Erwin’s chest.

“I love you too.”  He said back, kissing the top of Levi’s head.  

Erwin put the horrors of mutiny, coups, titans, and war out of his mind for a moment.  He was able to put aside the pain in his limb, the terror of coping with a new disability, the uncertain cruel future they both faced.  In this moment he allowed himself the luxury of enjoying himself, of feeling warm and secure with someone he adored.

Levi grumbled something then, but Erwin could just about convince himself it was a purr.  

#my stuff #levi ackerman #erwin smith #eruri #fic #eruri fic #dorkwin #purrwin #prompts

[luvknow]

intoxicating | bang chan

genre: detective!chan x undercover news reporter!reader feat. detective!minho | suspense ; ligh humor ; dialogue-heavy ; vampire au ; death warning ; suggestive (15+) summary: in a boring town like yours, where the biggest crimes are teenagers stealing from the general store, being a news reporter was not as exciting as you’d hoped it’d be. but in a matter of days, bodies start appearing in large numbers and the police force needs help big time. they call in bang chan, the best detective from the city just north of your town. the townspeople might be head-over-heels for him, but you’re not falling for it one bit, so you go undercover as a civilian administrator and get to work side-by-side with the dangerously handsome detective bang chan on the town’s biggest case in its history. wc: 9.5k

The old precinct in the middle of town was the same it had always been since your grandparents were children and you suspected that the utilities haven’t been updated since. The entire building was freezing and it was only September.

What brought you in today was this long-awaited interview you had for the opening civilian administration position. You were seated in front of the precinct’s Captain, Lieutenant, and the ever-so famous Detective Bang Chan. The interview started maybe fifteen minutes ago, but the Captain and Lieutenant eyed your resume for what had to have been the fifth time before they finally continued on.

Were all detectives really this stupid or something?

“So... tell us again why you left the News station...?” the Captain asked, raising a curious brow.

Chan, who was still quite new to the town, had a hard time understanding why the Captain was asking you the same question over and over - they weren’t like this with the previous interviewees. But it’s not like he had any idea that you were this town’s little local celebrity.

For the third time today, you replied, “I told you, reporting just doesn’t give me that spark anymore. There’s nothing to report in this town, anyways - we stopped mentioning the same pesky teenagers who steal from Woojin’s General Store when he finally installed an alarm system.”

“But why this job?”

“The position seemed interesting. I should be giving back to the community, right? The criminal law and justice minor in me must be jumpin’ out.”

“Oh, you minored in that?” Chan asked, speaking for the first time. “Where did you go?”

“I actually went to school in the city.”

“No way, me, too! Maybe we had a class together.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” the Captain interrupted. “I thought being a reporter was your dream job?”

“It still is,” you admitted truthfully. “But the dream job doesn’t always pay the bills, does it?”

“Definitely not.”

“Exactly. And I want to add on to my resume - I don’t have much to show other than my degree and the newspaper and it looks like I lack a lot of character...”

The Captain let out a big sigh as he scanned you and your short resume over a couple more agonizing times. This waiting game was actually making you nervous. What would you do if you didn’t get this position? Your plan would be soiled before it even started.

“All right, you got the job.”

“Really? Just like that?”

He shrugged. “Speaking truthfully, only two others people applied and both asked if drug tests would be performed regularly...”

“That’s not good.”

“No, it is not.”

“So when can I start?”

“Actually, can you start now?”

Perfect. “O-Oh, uh, yes! Now works just fine.”

“Excellent. Now, a few things before we start,” the Captain cleared his throat. “Any information given to you is confidential. You cannot and will not report any of these documents back to the newspaper, or there will be legal consequences on you and the paper. Is that clear?”

“Yes, sir,” you lied.

“Sounds good. You’ll be seated by Detective Lee and Detective Bang. Will you please show them to their desk while I sort out their duties?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Wait, did you say Detective Lee? As in Lee Minho?” you asked.

Detective Lee Minho, the most annoying boy you’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. Four years of him distracting you in class while trying to get you to party on your free time was what made your college years not only a living hell, but the most fun you’ve ever experienced with a boy. At gunpoint, you’d admit that he was the closest thing you’ve ever had to a best friend or even a boyfriend, but you’d never let him know that, even on your deathbed.

“I did. You know him, right? He’s the precinct’s best detective.”

“I know him all too well,” you sighed.

Reluctantly, you followed your suspect through the old precinct to your desks. You didn’t notice during your interview, but he was wearing business-formal clothing that seemed too proper for detectives. You weren’t sure what they would be wearing otherwise, but you didn’t expect to witness Chan’s butt in some nicely-pressed pants.

Despite your suspicions, Chan seemed to be normal so far - not like you spent a lot of time with him, though. But you and even Minho knew this town better than anyone and that meant you both knew people don’t just waltz into town to stay, detective or not. And even if it was for an investigation, most detectives from the city would commute, but not Chan. Rumor has it he moved into the vacant apartment just below you the day he was brought in for the job.

You remember seeing him for the first time in town as he was moving into his new place, thinking to yourself that this could not have been more perfect. Your number one suspect for all of these dead body counts in town was living right below you! Thankfully, he didn’t see you, and you didn’t want him to until you had your plan set in stone.

Sure, living in the same building would be very convenient to keep track of him, but it wasn’t enough. Who knew what he was doing while at the precinct, or on his breaks? You had to be riskier, smarter. Your journalism degree would finally be rewarding if you could crack this case and when you saw the ad on craigslist for this opening for the civilian administrator position, you jumped at the opportunity almost immediately. When your boss commended you on your ambitious attitude and approved the project, you ended up getting the interview, and now here you were, starting at square one.

That’s one box checked off of the list.

“Did you like the city when you went to school?” Chan asked, interrupting your thoughts.

“I did. I miss it a lot.”

“You do seem like a city person. If you liked it so much, why are you in this little town?”

You shrugged. “It’s because it’s my home town. I can’t seem to leave this place, even if I tried.”

“Mm, wish I could say the same.”

Before you could implore, you both arrived at your desks. All the desks were humble and quite close to each other - close enough that you could see the papers on Chan’s desk if you tried hard enough. You didn’t even get a chance to settle in your seat before the brunette boy across from you swiveled his chair around and tisked teasingly.

“Well, well, well,” Detective Lee Minho taunted as he leaned back on. A smirk grew on his lips when he saw your annoyed expression. “If it isn’t our town’s little celebrity and my favorite classmate! What did I do to deserve to be in your presence? Are you here to confess your undying love you’ve had for me since our first year?”

“Zip it, Minho,” you hissed.

“Aw, I missed you, too, baby.”

“You went to school in the city, too?” Chan asked, amused by your weird friendship.

“Yeah, I didn’t tell you?” Chan shook his head. “Well, yes, I did. This little Newsie and I took a lot of the same criminal law and justice classes together and we were study partners.”

“‘Partners’ more like I did all the homework and you just copied it.”

“You’re just salty that I did better on the exams than you did.”

“I’m still salty! I hate people like you.” Minho just shot you a wink as his response.

“Is this what third-wheeling feels like?” Chan joked.

“Nah, that’s just how me and _____ act around each other - I pine over them endlessly and they pretend not to like it.”

“Yeah, pretend...”

“Anyways, let’s all go out together to eat for dinner! We’ll celebrate your first day and this cool new friendship.”

“Eh, I don’t know -”

“I’ll go if you go,” Chan said. You were caught off guard by his sudden direct approach, and even Minho was a bit amused, but maybe this was a good idea. “I want to get to know you more.”

“Can’t say no now, _____,” Minho teased.

“It’s like college all over again. Fine, I’ll go with you guys.”

“Great! It’s a date,” Chan said.

“Weird way to word it, but ok! It’s a date,” Minho cheered. “When do you start training?”

“I’m not sure. I don’t even know who’s training me.”

“I am,” Chan said. “The Captain just emailed me everything. It’s pretty self-explanatory, actually - it’s a lot of filing and records management.”

“Records? Like of suspects and cases?”

“Mm, exactly. You’ll be helping me and Han organize our files while we work on this case they called me in for.”

“That case!?” you shrieked, trying not to sound too excited. They were literally giving you everything you needed to write for your report! And once you found out who was causing all of this, you’ll be the best reporter the country has ever seen. This undercover job was almost too easy... “Minho, you’re on it, too?”

“Yeah. The case was actually mine to begin with.” A frustrated Minho threw a file folder filled with pictures of the bodies, where they were found, footprints, and suspects onto your new desk. It wasn’t the first time you’ve seen such graphic photos, but you were just so excited to literally be working on this much-anticipated case hands-on that your eyes were wider than Minho’s mouth. “I cannot, for the fucking life of me, piece any of this shit together. It’s pissing me off! I was here 'til three in the morning last night.”

“What do you mean you can't piece it together? Isn't some of it at least decipherable?”

“Not at all. The autopsies the medical investigators are giving us indicate severe blood loss in the victims. They were all practically dried out, like human jerky, but there’s no indication of any wounds or cuts to any body part. No bullet wounds, or knife cuts, or a blunt object to a body part, like nothing at all. They’re basically saying the blood was either sucked out extremely slow with a small needle or that a fucking vampire did this. Like, what am I supposed to do with this information!? It’s useless!”

“And you think you can help?” you challenged Chan.

"I hope I can - I mean, I really want to. When my sergeant told me about the case, I immediately said yes, I have to work on it. There was no way I’d pass up this opportunity. Let’s hope graduating top of my class at the academy proves being useful.”

Chan leaned over your shoulder from above your sitting form, shifting through all the photos and notes as if it were his first time reading through. He leaned down close enough to your face that you could smell the cologne he was wearing. Sandalwood and patchouli - how typical of a suave detective. Being in close proximity with your subject should have made you feel unsettled, but instead you were surprisingly comfortable. It was like Chan gave off this vibe that was telling you to trust him, like he knew you felt a certain way about him being the new guy in town.

“I can’t look at it anymore,” Minho groaned. “It’s driving me insane.”

“You don’t have much of a choice. This is the only case we have for now,” Chan said.

“I know… Can we talk about it more at dinner, though? I’m starving ~”

The family restaurant across town was the only place worth going to because they were the only place who didn’t freeze everything that’s on the menu. The three of you sat in one of the booths, with Minho next to you and Chan sitting across. While you and Minho were looking over a shared menu, Chan couldn’t help but eye you both.

“So you two aren’t dating…?” he asked.

“Oh God, no,” you scoffed.

“Why do you always say it like that?” Minho pouted.

“You two look good together. You even fight like a couple.”

“_____ isn’t really into dating.”

“Really? Why?”

“Who has the time? I sure don’t.”

“Hm. Interesting,” Chan mused. After the waiter came and took your orders, Chan whipped out the large file for you to look at more closely. “Ready to hear about the case?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

“All right. Let’s start with the very first victim.” Chan handed you several pictures of what looked like a shriveled alien curled up on the ground, all wrinkly and skinny and actually looking like their blood was sucked out of them. A before-the-killing picture was placed right beside it for comparison. If you hadn’t known this was a before picture, you wouldn’t have guessed they were the same person. “Person number one, found just within town limits in the forest out west of here. Minho said they figured he was so deep in the forest because he was hunting, according to all the equipment he had.”

“They don’t even look similar… Look, they’re like an empty juicebox.” you muttered.

“Crazy, right?” It was amazing that even with all the gory pictures spread out, Minho still managed to eat like it was nothing. “A couple other bodies were found in the forest shortly after. We thought this person was luring people into the forest so they they didn’t have to be so cautious, but while we were on the lookout in the forest, a body was found like a mile away from the precinct.”

While you were shuffling through all the before pictures of the victims, you could see why Minho was having a hard time with the case. “There’s no relation to these people, huh?”

“Absolutely nothing. I guess this killer doesn’t discriminate.”

“That’s unsettling…”

“Don’t worry, baby, you got two strong and handsome detectives to protect you, right, Chan?”

“Of course. We wouldn’t let anyone hurt you.”

“I suddenly have zero fear,” you scoffed. “So there’s no puncture or cuts or anything? How is this even possible?”

“I told you, it’s either small needles or vampires.”

“Oh please, vampires? In our little town? What would they even be doing here?”

“Exactly, our town is little. We’re being wiped out as we speak!”

“You guys believe in that stuff? Witches and vampires?” Chan asked, raising a curious brow.

“_____ does. In college, I had to drag them out to halloween parties because they were afraid of all the walking spirits and vampires that would roam our campus.”

“Why vampires in particular?”

Unconsciously, you brought a hand to your neck. “I have a weird sensitivity thing with my neck. I don’t like having anything near or on it, even shirt collars.”

“Damn, even in bed?” Minho teased.

“Gross, don’t ask me that!”

While you and Minho were bickering, you both failed to catch Chan biting his bottom lip as he watched you play with your neck.

“Well, tonight was fun, guys!” Minho stretched his arms high into the night sky. “Do any of you need a ride home?”

“I’m ok, my apartment complex is right there,” you said.

“I’m actually in that direction, too. I’ll walk with you,” Chan offered.

Perfect.

“All right, I’ll see you two tomorrow bright ’n early. Goodnight, my love! And goodnight, Channie ~”

“He’s so stupid…” you chuckled while walking next to Chan. For those brief couple of hours, you almost forgot you were supposed to keep a watch on him. But he was so friendly and personable that it was so easy to let your guard down. You had to be more careful.

“He’s interesting… but he’s a good detective.”

“Yeah. Even if he copied my homework, he aced all the exams and was the top of our class.”

“I guess I’m lucky to be working with him, huh?”

“Please, if anything HE should be the lucky one. You’re Detective Bang Chan, afterall.”

“Ah, you flatter me ~” the most boyish smile you’ve ever seen grew on his lips, causing his dimples to appear. If there was any weakness you had for a boy, it was his boyish smile, and dimples were just icing on the cake.

Yeah, you really had to be careful around Chan.

“Cute…” you said mindlessly.

“What’s cute?”

“U-Uh…” Wow, were you an idiot or what? Well, there was no use hiding it now. “You’re, um, dimples are cute.”

Chan’s cute smile only widened. “You’re going to get me in trouble, _____.”

He left it at that and walked ahead, not allowing you to implore further. You’ve only spent one day with Chan and you noticed that he liked to keep to himself most of the times, which only heightened your curiosity. But if you didn’t play your cards right, he’d be onto your game and you have this gut feeling that he can turn the tables on you really quickly, with or without malicious intent.

“You live in this tower, too, right?” he asked while walking up to the door.

“How did you know?”

“I saw you when I was moving in.” Oh no, that’s not good. “I thought we were on the same floor, but I think I saw you keep going up. Ah, that sounds creepy, doesn’t it…?”

“Only a little.”

The elevator ride was silent and more terrifying than awkward. Throughout the whole day, you were feeling comfortable and fine, even in moments when you were alone with Chan, but now that it was night and the only noise was coming from the elevator, your felt your heartbeat quicken. The air felt dryer and thicker than it usually was. Something about being alone with your subject at night made you feel like there was no use trying to hide your intentions. It was like Chan already knew what you were up to and he was playing your game before you even started.

“Before you go, there’s something in your hair that’s been bothering me the whole night. Do you mind?” he asked, holding up a hand.

“Go ahead,” you blushed.

Gently, Chan removed a couple tufts of fluff and fixed and tucked the loose strands of hair behind your shoulder. The tips of his fingers brush your neck and your body immediately reacted by emerging goosebumps all over your skin, following the shivers that travelled throughout. When you meant your neck was sensitive, that was just an understatement. Hypersensitive was more like it, and if something were to just brush up against your skin on that part of your body, you’d always have to hold back from letting out a soft moan. When Chan saw you swallow nervously, his pride shot through the roof and the corners of his lip couldn’t help but smirk.

“This is your floor, right?” You could only nod in response. “Then this is goodnight. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“G-Goodnight!”

You tried not to look too affected by that intimate encounter, but even watching you from behind, Chan knew you were nervous. Or were you turned on? Or was it both? Either way, he knew having you wrapped around him finger might be easier and a lot more fun than he thought.

You needed a cold shower.

“Fuck it, I quit.”

While trying to sort through and find all the personal files of all ten victims, Minho throws an eleventh one on top of your pile. You looked at your friend with wide and terrified eyes. It was only yesterday the three of you were discussing ten victims over dinner. Now there was another to investigate and you’re positive that there would be more come tomorrow.

“What happened this time?” Chan asked.

“Found early this morning at the back of the restaurant we were at last night. It’s the head chef. The killer even shoved an apple in his mouth and tied him up all pretty.” Minho lets out a shaky sigh and ran a hand through his hair. “Tell me why this feels like we’re in an episode of Hannibal, but without the cannibalism part?”

“Was an autopsy performed?”

“Not yet, I think they’re doing it right now.”

“Let’s go,” you proposed.

“What?”

“I said let’s go to the autopsy. There has to be something that the M.I.s are missing. Maybe we can see it.”

“_____, these are trained professionals, there’s no way they’d miss anything.”

“Well, you have to go take a look anyways, don’t you? Might as well double check their work.”

“Fine, if you insist, we’ll go after lunch. For now, we should just get the chef’s file ready.”

“I’ll do it,” Chan said, getting up from his seat. “I’ll be right back.”

From the corner of your eye, you watched Chan leave the room. The only words exchanged between the two of you since that moment in the elevator were simple good mornings and you were still too embarrassed and shy to say anything more than that. Minho noticed your uneasiness and was already thinking up ways to tease you.

“So what’s the real reason you’re working here?” he whispered after getting closer to you. “One rumor has it is because you’re bored with the News. My instincts think it’s because of a certain Chan you want to Bang.”

“Ok one, I’m not bored with my job, and two, I literally just met him.”

“So?”

“If I tell you the real reason, you can’t tell anyone, ok?” Minho nodded eagerly. “There’s something not right. Nothing big like this happens in this town, and you know it! It’s almost… supernatural. And I need figure out what’s happening.”

“And you think Chan’s responsible?”

“I think he’s partially responsible. I don’t trust him, Minho.”

“You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that.”

“What?”

“I don’t trust him, either,” he whispered quieter. “There’s something off about him. He’s not even slightly affected by all of the bloodshed! At first I thought it was because the city detectives get wild cases all the time, but even the city doesn’t get shit like this.”

“Exactly! God, what do we do? You have to help me, I get a feeling he’s on to me already.”

“Dude, you just started!”

“I know I’m weak, that’s why I need your help!”

“We’ll talk later, he’s coming back.” On cue, Chan returned to his desk. “Hey, Chan, me and _____ were actually thinking of looking at the autopsy right now. Wanna come with?”

“Sure. Autopsies are my favorite.”

“Totally normal detective thing to say,” Minho muttered to no one as he led the way.

The medical investigation wing of the precinct was incredibly clean and terrifyingly sterilized and you felt like you shouldn’t have even set foot into the room, but if a slob like Minho could walk through, then you figured you’d be fine. The M.I.s had the chef out on the steel table like the main course to a fancy dinner as they continued to exam his body from head-to-toe.

“Did you find anything?” Chan asked one of them.

“Yeah, uh… Well, i-it’s better if I just show you.”

The spooked-out M.I. brought the three of you over to the head of the chef. His mouth had been covered up by a mask, probably because the rigor mortis had set his mouth permanently open due to the apple that was shoved in there. Without much care, they turned his head over and revealed his neck.

“There’s two punctures,” they pointed out. “Two perfectly small and circular punctures, like in those hollywood vampire movies.”

You couldn’t even stand to look at the two holes in his neck. Just the thought of that happening to you made you cover up your exposed neck with your hands and arms while the two boys got a closer look.

“What the fuck…” Minho muttered. “Do you believe in vampires now, Chan?”

“I don’t really have a choice here, do I? Are there any DNA prints on him?”

The medical investigator shook their head. “No. Not even a single finger print. Whoever or whatever did this to him must have been an animal, or something.”

“No animal in this town is capable of doing that,” you stuttered nervously. “That’s a vampire for sure.”

“Is he the only victim that has these markings?” Minho asked.

“No, he’s not.” The entire wall on the opposite side of the room was decked in drawers of steel that held the dead bodies of the victims of cases that were still under investigation. The wall and the room itself were huge, but the investigator must have pulled out half of the drawers full of the victims that were a part of the case. “Take a look at every single one of their necks - the same two dots, precisely and accurately in the same spot on every victim.”

“How could this have been overlooked until now!?”

“It wasn’t until one of the senior investigators found the holes. They’re so small and blend in with the wrinkles that it makes it really hard to see unless we spread the skin out.”

While Chan and Minho got a closer look at all of the victims, you decided to stay back and sit out on this part of the case. Dead bodies freaked you out, and holes on a dead body’s neck made it worse. You saw Chan looking back at you from time-to-time to check up on how you were doing and each time you made eye contact, he’d give you a little reassuring smile that everything would be ok soon.

After taking pictures and updating the files of each victim, the three of you left the wing to look further into this.

“Are you ok?” Chan asked, placing a gentle hand on your shoulder.

“Yeah, I’m fine, I’m just spooked...”

“Halloween is coming up. Maybe this person’s some sicko who’s just trying to be seasonal. Pumpkin spiced lattes aren’t how they used to taste, after all,” Minho scoffed.

“How is this even physically possible? Like what possible tools or tubes did this person use to suck out that much blood? There’s no way an ordinary person is capable of this.”

“And to be that medically precise each time?”

“Maybe he’s a doctor,” Chan suggested.

“Dude, how are you not freaking out about this!? Does the city get cases like this often?” Minho asked.

The handsome detective merely shrugged. “We get a lot of cosplayers who try to imitate vampires, but there not as clean as this person. Does that count?”

“I guess…”

Your entire day consisted of organizing all of the files and putting them into the precinct’s system. It was a lot of boring office work you weren’t used to at your old job, but at least your tasks weren’t too distracting that you were able to keep a close eye out on Chan. He didn’t seem to be doing anything out of the ordinary today - he and Minho were just trying to piece things that were even just slightly similar together - but no matter what, the combination of theories they thought up didn’t match with anything.

After an excruciating eight hours plus overtime, you finally finished logging in everything.

“Detective Bang, I finished,” you said, handing him the large file.

“Please call me Chan,” he chuckled. “Detective Bang sounds like a stripper name. Are you done for the day?”

“I think so.”

“Are you heading home?”

Now was a great time to try out those acting skills you acquired in that one two-credit gen-ed class. “Actually, I was going to wait for you, if that’s ok. I’m a little scared to go home by myself.”

A wide grin spread across his seemingly-innocent face. Why did he have to be so handsome? “I’ll be more than happy to take you home. I’ll be done in just a sec.”

“I’ll head out myself then. I’ll see you all tomorrow,” before he exited the precinct, Minho made a texting motion to you that said, ‘make sure you text me when you get home.’

“Ready to go?” Chan asked, already packed up.

“Yup.”

The walk home from work wasn’t too far, but it was far enough to creep you out once the sun began to set. Since the three of you put in overtime for this case, the sun had already set and the night was young. The old town street lights haven’t been updated or replaced since the town came to be and they didn’t really help light the way home.

“Jeez, no wonder you’re scared to go home. I’d be terrified, too.”

“I hope you don’t mind me accompanying you,” you said innocently.

“Of course not. I enjoy your company.”

The loud rattle of the trash cans beside you startled you to death and you huddled close to Chan as an instinct. When a black cat ran away from the trash can, Chan burst out a boisterous laugh.

“You’re cute,” he said once his laughing settled.

“That’s not funny! Who knows, that could have been the vampire, or something!”

“That’s the cutest vampire, if I’ve ever seen one.”

“What kind of childhood did you have to be so fearless like this?”

Chan shrugged again, which you figured was a habit of his. “I had a pretty normal one, although I play a lot of video games with jumpscares so that might be the reason why I’m not scared of many things.”

“The famous and fearless Detective Bang Chan, what did we ever do to deserve your service?” you bowed teasingly.

“Ah, not even. If anything, I’m the one that should be thankful. The city starts to get boring after a while.”

“Really? I can’t imagine that being so.”

“Yeah, you know how the city is, though - always loud, crowded, you never get any privacy except the bathroom. It’s nice to be in such a peaceful town where people mind their own business.”

What you mean is that you’re happy no one’s watching you carefully, you think to yourself. Except me.

As you entered your apartment building and the elevator, Chan failed to press the button to your floor. Before you could do it yourself, he began to speak.

“I wanted to ask if you wanted to come over and have a glass of wine? Or some coffee? I didn’t get a chance to know you better over dinner last night, and we are neighbors who will be working closely together, after all. I know it seems like an intimate setting, but I thought I would put the offer on the table, anyways.”

This was it - this was going to be your first big breakthrough with your suspicions. You can’t pass this opportunity up, no matter how dangerous it may seem.

“That sounds nice,” you said, giving him your sweetest smile. “I could use some wine after today.”

Chan returned your gesture innocently. “Excellent.”

For some reason, Chan’s apartment seemed much larger than yours, but maybe the feng shui of his furniture was responsible. His place was so intricately decorated with a lot of antiques and delicate pieces. It was like walking into an historical art gallery.

“I like to go antiquing,” he said, amused by how in awe you were about his place. “Sorry if my place reminds you of your grandparents’, or something.”

“No, not at all. It’s quite beautiful. I just wouldn’t have guessed that about you.” Because it’s totally normal for a grown man in his twenties to regularly go antique shopping.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me. You can sit at that table, I’ll bring everything over. I hope you don’t mind red wine - it’s all I have.”

“Red is perfect.”

As he fetched the wine, you quickly scanned his home and mentally noted all the details you could acquire. A lot of the antiques were black or red in combination with gold, adding a touch of haunting elegance to his beautiful abode. It was quite gothic, if you were to describe it. Those must be his favorite colors. On the opposite side of the room was what you assumed was the bathroom and the bedroom. Jackpot.

“I’m going to use the restroom,” you said.

“Go ahead, I’ll be here.”

Quickly, you headed straight for the bedroom door. If you were caught, you already had a lie made up in your head. His bedroom was just as exquisite and haunting as his living room. The furniture was decked in the same black, red, and gold, but didn’t hold quite as many trinkets.

“Are you lost?”

From behind, Chan whispered dangerously close to your ear. So close that you could even feel his breath tickle your neck. His airy chuckle reached your neck, too, as he was entertained by how quickly you stiffened your back. You’re too easy to tease.

“Y-Yeah, I’m sorry! I went through the wrong door and was, um, captivated by your room. It’s so beautiful.”

“Thank you. I chose each piece individually. I’m glad you appreciate it as much as I do.”

“Right. S-So this one’s the bathroom, right?” you stuttered, pointing to the other door.

“Yup. I’ll get back to the wine.”

In the bathroom, you had to take a breather from the smallest stimulation that reached your neck. Hypersensitivity was really no joke. Since you knew Chan couldn’t sneak up on you in the bathroom, you did what any other sane person would do in your situation - snoop through his medicine cabinet.

But there was nothing. Only a pill bottle half-filled with a strong dose of aspirin.

The bottle said each pill held 1000mg of the active ingredient. What would Chan need a blood thinner with such a high dosage for?

No matter. You’ll figure that out later.

When you exited the bathroom, Chan sat at the table patiently, flipping through his phone.

“I chose a finely-aged pinot noir from Napa Valley,” he said once you sat down.

“That sounds expensive. I would have been just fine with Barefoot wine.”

“I would never subject my guests to such a horrific brand.”

Oh, the wine was good. Like, really good. So good you already felt the effects of it. Your entire body became warm and tingly.

“Ah, you’re so pink already! How cute,” Chan gushed.

“Do you always call your co-workers/neighbors cute?” you accused.

“No, although none of them were as cute as you.”

“Detective Bang Chan, Mr. Charisma.”

“That’s what the ladies like to call me.”

“Oh, yeah? Is that what you tell people you’re on a date with?”

“I would, if I’d been on a date in the last couple of years,” he sighed.

“You’re telling me you haven’t been on a date in that long!?”

“This profession gets busy, ok! As an intellectual once said, ‘Who has the time? I sure don’t.’”

“How dare you quote me…”

“So you don’t date, huh?”

“Well, Minho made it seem like I hate dating, which is not true, I love it. It’s just no one seems to catch my eye these days, you know? The people in this town are so boring…”

“Again, you are definitely a city person. You should move out there. I’ll even help you find a place.”

“I know, but I love this town too much. And even if I wanted to leave, I can’t.”

“Why’s that?”

“I need to know what’s happening to this town. All the deaths, the terror the people are experiencing… I can’t just leave - I’d be leaving Minho behind, too.”

“You must really care about him,” Chan said almost too bitterly, though he figured you were tipsy enough to miss it.

“Yeah, I guess,” you joked. “Do you have a Minho in your life?”

Chan shook his head before downing the last of his glass. “Nah. I’m kind of a loner out in these parts.”

“Oh, that’s hot.” You were definitely drunk now. “Yikes, I wasn’t supposed to say that out loud.”

“That’s enough wine for you,” he teased, taking the glass away from you.

“So you haven’t dated in a while and me and Minho are your closest friends. What a fulfilling life you live. Have you ever been in love before at least?”

He shook his head again, though he doesn’t seem too bothered by your question. “No. How about you?”

“Nope.”

“Really!?”

“Yes. Why are you surprised?”

“I don’t know, you seem like the type of person who’d be easy to fall in love with.”

“Really? I thought the exact opposite. I’m a sensitive workaholic who likes being alone most of the time.”

“That’s exactly why I think it’d be easy, but I don’t know, maybe that’s just my type.”

“You have an odd type, Mr. Chan.”

“I’m an odd person.”

The night was spent sitting at the table with Chan while you two got to know each other better. You got so caught up with your conversations that you completely forgot it was your job to figure out what his relation could be with all of the victims. Rather you leading the conversation, it was the opposite, where Chan got to know YOU a little bit more, and that was the last thing you wanted.

“Ah, I should head to bed now,” you said, shakily standing up from your chair.

“Do you need help getting upstairs?”

“Nah ~ I’ll be just fine -”

Before you could take your first steps towards the door, you felt your legs give out and Chan was there to catch you. How did he get to the other side of the table so quickly?

“You can barely stand on your own. Come on, I’ll take you up stairs.”

You didn’t bothering fighting it as you led the way to your room. The entire journey was spent with one of his arms wrapped tightly around your waist as you stumbled over the littlest bumps in the carpet. Really, you were so adorable in Chan’s eyes.

“It was nice talking with you,” he said when you arrived at your door. “Why don’t I pick you up tomorrow so we can go to work together?”

“Y-Yeah yeah, sounds good, Mr. Detective,” you slurred.

Without permission, Chan began to fix your hair the same way he did last night, except this time he used both of his hands on each side of your face. You had never sobered up more quickly. He tucked your messy ends behind your ears and made sure more than just his finger tips grazed your neck. As a natural response, you tilted your head into one of his palms, like you liked being touched that way. You were practically inviting him in.

But no, it was too soon, though Chan had a hard time holding back his desires.

“Be careful, ok?” Chan warned, indicating he didn’t mean to just be careful on the way to your room. “I’d hate to have anything bad happen to you.”

You simply nodded, but it was too late for that. You were already in big trouble.

You’re not sure how much longer you can stay under cover.

Days melt into weeks and weeks turned into months as the investigation for this case didn’t seem like it was going to get solved anytime soon. Your team of three often stayed into the night and clocked in a lot of overtime hours just so you could move on as much as you could. But in this mile of a race, only centimeters had passed, but every bit of length counts. Within these last couple of months though, more bodies seemed to be piling in with the same wounds, which was the only relation these people had with each other.

Even when things with the investigation were moving slowly, you at least had some progress with Chan. The two of you walked to and from work every day and even on days when you were both off, you would hang out. But it was never over dinner or outside - it was always over red wine at one of your places, which was just fine with you. You loved wine and being as close to home as possible made everything easier, but also more dangerous. You just knew he was studying your place the same way you did the second night you met him.

Like any other mysterious and handsome man, he was just as suave and flirtatious and sometimes you had to stop yourself from falling for his charm, but he made it so hard for you to resist. There were too many times for you to count when he’d play with your hair or when his fingers went down the side of your neck or when you were so ready to jump his bones. Really, if you hadn’t been so suspicious of Chan, you’d dare to say he was your ideal type, but you had to draw the line somewhere, no matter how agonizing the sexual tension was.

As the days passed, you could feel yourself getting that much closer to solving this, and you weren’t about to ruin it over some stupid crush you had on him.

“I think we should assume vampire at this point,” Minho admitted defeatedly one afternoon.

“You can’t be serious,” Chan said.

“What other choice do we have? Actually, what other type of evidence do we have? Nothing!”

“I agree,” you chimed in, “We’ve tried everything. I tried to see if there was at least some type correlation between everyone in their files, but nothing.”

“So this is what it’s come down to? Vampire hunting?”

“... _____, what about their blood type? Any similarities?”

“Blood type?” None of you had thought of that one. Maybe Minho was onto something. When you pulled up all of their files and flipped through, you think for once that Minho wasn’t completely incompetent. “AB-, AB-, AB-... they’re all AB-, the rarest blood type.”

“Fuck yeah!” Minho cheered loudly. “We finally got a lead!”

“I didn’t know we had this many AB-s in our town.”

“They’re a vampire, I’m callin’ it.”

“Finally. Now that there’s a lead, I think we deserve a break,” Chan said, who was mostly quiet throughout the whole ordeal. “Dinner?”

“Nah, I’m good, I want to look into this more,” Minho said.

“I’ll go with you,” you said.

“Sounds good. Let me hit the bathroom first.”

You didn’t even want to look in Minho’s direction because you knew what he was going to lecture you about. At first, he thought your casual outings with your suspect were just ways for you to figure out what Chan’s deal was, but lately he’s been thinking they’re much more than just that.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he hissed. “I thought you didn’t like the guy!”

“I don’t!”

“Then why are you all buddy-buddy with him all of a sudden!?”

“Minho, it’s all part of the plan.”

“I don’t like it. I still don’t trust him. Did you see the way he reacted earlier with the blood lead? He just sat there! All stoic and mysterious! _____, what if he’s the vampire -”

“Ready to go?” Chan interrupted, causing Minho to almost fall off of your desk where he sat.

“Yup!” You gave Minho one last stern look before heading out.

This was all part of your plan, and Minho didn’t realize it just yet. Of course you suspected Chan to be the vampire, or at least an imitation of one. His porcelain skin, his gothic furniture, his natural attraction to your neck - very vampiric, if you said so yourself. No matter how silly the accusation was, you weren’t an idiot. If Minho and even some of the other townspeople were suspecting a vampire, then there had to be some truth to that, right? And who else would be a more perfect suspect than Detective Bang Chan? No one.

But if he was the one doing all of the bloodsucking, what were you to do…?

“What’s on your mind?” Chan asked, straying you from revising your plan.

“Just thinking about how we finally got a lead after all these months.”

“You don’t actually believe in this vampire stuff, do you?”

“I mean, if the evidence is there.”

“I don’t know, I still don’t buy it. I think we should look more into it. But we can discuss that with Minho later. For now, let’s get something to eat. I’m starving.”

Chan only heightened your suspicion of him being a vampire when he ended up taking his food to-go after claiming how hungry he was. His excuse was that he started not feel well, so you just left it at that and kept silent.

The second you got back, Minho jumped at you guys with an absurdly good idea.

“I think we should have a stakeout. Tonight.”

“What? Where would we even stay?” Chan asked. “_____ can’t even go with us, they’re a civilian.”

“So fucking what, Chan, we’re this much closer! _____ are you in or -”

“I’m in.”

“See!? So are you in or out?”

“... Fine, I’m in. But where would we stay?”

Minho points to the map that had all the pinpoints of where all the victims were found dead. A huge red circle was drawn around the majority of the pins.

“Seems like the vampire likes this area a lot. Woojin’s General Store is right in the middle of it. We’ll stay on the roof, I just got his approval.”

“I still don’t think this is a good idea. I don’t want to put _____ in danger.”

“I’d feel much better with them by my side than alone at home at the peak of this case.”

“Just by your side?” Chan accused, incredibly insulted.

“Can you both shut up? I’m going no matter what.”

Chan sighed, frustratedly running a hand through his cute and curly hair. “Fine. But you’re not leaving our sight at all.”

“We should probably get supplies at the General Store before we start.” You laughed at the way Minho rubbed his hands together excitedly like was an evil villain. “Are you guys ready to catch this son of a bitch!?”

“If we even see him,” you shrugged.

“If he even exists,” Chan said.

“You guys are just a load of fun, aren’t you?”

The entire time you three were at the General Store, it was like you and Chan were babysitting a child. Minho ran around the entire candy aisle excitedly throwing in bags of chips, sugary gummies, and bottles upon bottles of chilled coffee. Sometimes it was hard to believe Minho was a full-grown adult.

“I can’t believe we’re bringing a civilian out on a stakeout,” Chan muttered.

“I can take care of myself.”

“Oh, yeah? Just like how you can watch your wine intake?”

“Hey, your wine’s just not the Barefoot brand I’m used to.”

A light chuckle escaped a worrying Chan. “I’m sorry if I’m being controlling. I just wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if anything bad ever happened to you.”

“I didn’t take you for a sweetheart, Detective.”

“Only for you.”

“I’m starting to get the feeling that you like me, Bang Chan,” you teased, though you hoped there was some truth to it.

And there was. “I do,” he told you.

Good. You had him locked in, just how you wanted.

“Are you guys done flirting?” Minho whined. “C’mon, it’s 8pm already!”

The first hour of staking out was settling in and getting all the supplies ready. Minho even went above and beyond and got ten heads of garlic.

“Here, take some,” he said, handing you and Chan a couple of them.

“No, thank you,” Chan said. “I don’t want to smell gross.”

“That’s not suspicious at all.”

By 11pm, all the stores closed, the town was silent, and now began the real scary part of the stakeout. Every noise, every movement of shadow caught all of your attention and it was like all of you were cats on alert. Something about tonight’s air was more haunting than it had ever been.

“If I see another goddamn raccoon running around, I’m gonna shoot it,” Minho said, preparing his gun.

“Don’t do that,” Chan scolded.

By the time 2am came around, neither of you could keep your eyes open, even after all the cups of coffee. From time to time, your head would bob from side to side because you were so tired and Chan would scoot closer to you so you could use his shoulder as a pillow while you took short naps. Chan ignored the dirty looks Minho would give him and to heighten his annoyance, he even dared to rest his head on top of yours. He could smell your shampoo - tea tree and aloe. It suited you.

“I can’t sit around anymore,” Minho said, causing you to wake up. “I’m going to walk around.”

“You can’t be serious,” you shrieked. “I’ll go with you.”

“No, you stay here with Chan.”

“Minho, please don’t leave,” you begged.

Minho smiled to calm your worrying form before he plants a small kiss on top of your head. “I’ll be right back. I promise. Look, I even made a garlic necklace!”

“Here, take this walk-e talk-e.” Chan tossed the toy over.

And with a wave goodbye, he was off the roof and heading to town square. This all felt surreal, like you were in some post apocalyptic dystopian world and that Minho was in grave danger. You knew that probably wasn’t the case, but something didn’t feel right.

Chan’s hand found its way to the small of your back while you were watching Minho run away.

Two hours passed and soon the sun would rise and all of this would finally be over until the next time, but Minho still hadn’t returned. He’d update you guys once in a while, but those updates stopped at around 3:30 and you were starting to get nervous.

“I’m gonna go look for him,” you said while grabbing some gear.

“_____, stop.”

“Chan, I can’t just sit here while he and that stupid doctor vampire thing are out there! Minho’s book smart, not street or vampire smart, he’s gonna get killed out there!”

Chan does the thing he always does and holds your face between his strong hands that would slowly, torturously travel down your neck until they reached your shoulders and every time you felt so calm, like he was wiping away any stress you had. He bent down a bit so you’d look him in the eyes in your panic state.

“How about this: I’ll go out and find him. You stay here with the other walk-e talk-e.”

You shook your head. “Let me go with you.”

“No, you have to stay here, ok? I can’t let anything happen to you.”

Your heart, mind, and body said no, but your mouth said, “Ok.”

Chan pressed a loving kiss to your forehead, too, as if he was competing with the one Minho gave you. “I’ll be right back, my love,” he teased.

In minutes, he was gone, and now you were all alone on the roof. You checked the time almost every minute because waiting for an update was excruciatingly painful.

“Oh, shit. Hello? Guys?” Minho called on the other end.

Your shaking hands picked up the toy. “Hey, it’s me. Where are you!? Chan’s out looking for you.”

“I’m behind the precinct. I was trying to save battery, but this is an emergency. I think someone’s following me -”

The call got cut off.

“Hello? Minho?” you called. Panic was rising at an uncontrollable rate. “Minho, answer me!”

No one answered. Something must have gotten him.

You needed to find him.

Leaving all of the snacks and equipment on the roof, you got down from the building and sprinted all the way to the precinct hoping that Minho or Chan or anyone would be there. But when you approached the building, all of the lights were off. Maybe he was still behind the building. The usually-thinning air of the town was getting harder to breathe in in your panic state.

Behind the precinct was Minho’s body on the floor.

“Hey...” you barely choked out.

You ran to his side and held him in your arms but almost dropped him because there was no way this could be him. Even with skin as pale as the white columns with hollowed-out cheek bones and dry, cracking lips, there was no mistaking that this was Minho.

Just as you suspected, there were two holes on the side of his neck with trickles of blood still falling from the wound. You thought for sure he was dead, but as your tears fell onto his cheeks, you saw his eyes twitch in response.

“Minho, wake up,” you begged. “Wake up, wake up! You’re going to be ok, goddammit!! I-I’m going to take you to a hospital and soon you’ll be all better, and -”

“_-_____...”

Shakily, you leaned forward so you could hear him better.

“Run.”

Minho fell limp.

“Chan!” You sobbed to the sky. “Chan!!!”

A figured stepped out from the shadows behind the trees from where they watched the scene unfold exactly how it was written.

Assuming the figure was Chan, your sobs calling out to him got louder.

“Chan! We-We have to go get Mi-Minho to the hospital! Please, help me, I -”

You stopped yourself when you looked up at the towering thing above you. Chan’s amused expression hid in its own shadow and the only thing you could see was his bloody irises peaking through with a light of their own. And as if your greatest fear had come true, he bent down to your level and looked right at you.

“It’s a shame, really,” Chan began. “He would have had a fulfilling life if he just left you alone. If only he hadn’t loved you, too.”

It was clear that you wouldn’t - couldn’t - move, so Chan took it upon himself to help you. Chuckling menacingly, he untangled your latching arms from Minho’s decaying body and pulled you up from the floor and brought you close to his body. Even if you were able to run away, he’d still make sure that you wouldn’t be able to by holding your waist so desperately that his nails began to hurt.

“Mm, now I have you all to myself,” he sang, burying his face to the crook of your neck. You felt light kisses being pressed onto your hypersensitive skin, causing soft, weak moans to escape your lips.

You were losing all sense of self at this point. All of your sense were in overdrive and it was like you were high.

“You know, I came to this town thinking I’d just be passing through, drinking whatever AB- blood there was to offer in this shit town, and then return to the city. Do you know why I ended up staying?”

You didn’t answer.

“Because the second I saw you walking the streets on your way to the news station, I knew had to have you. I could smell your blood all the way from across the street... I needed it so, so badly. So I moved into the conveniently vacant space below you. The rest is history, isn’t it? Mm, you’re so beautiful, you know? And you taste as good as you smell...”

His lips crashed down on yours with urgency, unable to hold himself back any longer. He teased you by biting your lip and laughed into the kiss knowing you were terrified of him tasting your AB- blood.

With your face still cupped in his hands, he continued on. Even with terrifyingly red eyes, they were still capable of showing remorse, and for a second you almost fell for it. “You know I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to you, right?”

Of course you knew that - he told you practically every day.

“Say you know,” he demanded.

“I-I know,” you stuttered.

“I would never drink your blood, you know that, right? I can’t lose you...”

You could only nod.

“Come with me,” he begged. “We’ll leave this place and never come back. No one will find us. No one will think we did this and I’ll take really good care of you, I promise. Just come with me.”

“Chan, I -”

“I’ve lived for nearly a thousand years. A thousand. And I’ve never needed anyone more than you.”

He had to have been lying and you knew it, too, but as if you were caught in a spell, you began to believe his every word and contemplate about life afterwards if you rejected his offer. Either he’d drink you up and kill you or he’d stay true to his word and not lay a finger on you, but if you stayed, everyone in town would assume you were the vampire wiping out the whole town.

So did you even have a choice?

“Will you come with me?” he asked once more.

“Yes,” you said without hesitation.

His sharp teeth were shining as he grinned widely. He pressed a more tender, loving kiss on your lips and you felt like you could fly.

Bang Chan was unreal.

“I love you,” he whispered against your lips.

You said nothing.

#chan #bang chan #skz #stray kids #skz chan #stray kids chan #skz scenarios #skz imagines #stray kids imagines #stray kids scenarios #detective au #halloween au #vampire au #GODSJBDJSBDSJ FINALLY #hbd chan #minho was originally gonna be jisung #but idk i liked minho better LOL #the ending sucks im sorry #anyways ksndksnd tell me what u think pls #ive never done a halloween themed or vampire or detective au before!!!!!!!!