#you know hes fucking done when he brings out the rat attack threats

[cairavende]

Worm Arc 15 thoughts without interludes (interludes need their own post):

EVERYTHING IS FIIIIIIIINE

My daughters boss didn't actually try to assassinate her, her just planned to do it and then did it in one reality but kept the reality where he didn't! So it's ok! I'm fine. Not worried at all that Coil knows Skitter was planning on double crossing him and that he found a way to screw with Tattletales powers.

It's fiiiine (eye twitches)

I want to say I'm glad she got her full team on board, but given that there is a chance someone on her team ratted on her it might not be good.

Skitter goes a little bit far at the end with Triumph. Just a tiny itty bitty bit far. Child you almost KILLED HIM! And then you let him sit there dying when the threat isn't that he'll die now, but that you will come back if needed (mayor ain't going to say what you want him to say if you kill his son, the point is if he doesn't say it you'll come back)! I'm worried about you.

Brian I understand why you like my daughter and she seems to like you and I'm glad having someone you feel safe with is helping you process your very valid trauma (important note, you could have done the same with your sister, she was trying to help you but you wouldn't open up to her, you should open up to her). But please don't get in the way of her relationships with her girlfriends. Just understand in terms of long term stuff Chatterbug and Wolfspider 100% trump . . . Darkbug? Fuck what are you guys called?

(I've been informed Shadeswarm, Nightcrawler, Night Biter, Creepy Crawlies, or Carapace. I think Creepy Crawlies might be my preference among that.)

MOAR DOLL LESBIAN CONTENT!!!!!

Parian is one of my absolute favorite characters! Flechette is pretty cool as well. Being a hero hurts her. Stabbing my daughter also didn't build good marks with me, but I understand why she did it. Cause GAAAAAAAAAAAY. I have a hard time being too mad at a lesbian stabbing someone to protect her girlfriend.

I'm glad Parian isn't joining Coil full hog at least, she's too pure to be a villain (or a "hero"). I kinda wish she could just move to New York and be a fashion designer and live her best life, but I do enjoy the idea of getting to see her more.

And to be honest, I don't think anyone on Earth Bet is really going to be living their best life in the long run. Sorry guys.

The fucking shutdown the team gives to the Nazis is AMAZING! Like ya no Hookwolf or Purity this time, that obviously would have made it harder. But still, comparing the previous fight to this just really shows how much the team has increased in power. They didn't even bring Grue.

Skitter and Tattletale being able to work together to find all the people in a few block radius and figure out which groups are Nazis, all while just standing in the middle of the street, is so fucking cool. I fucking love watching them work.

I don't love the girlfriends fighting with the whole "Skitter wasn't told about the plan to have Regent yoink a Nazi". But they seemed to make up pretty quickly.

Skitter fucking running multiple bug clones, with cameras and microphones, all across her territory, and using them to talk to people and check in on things, WHILE getting surgery on her shoulder??! FUCKING HELL. Like ok yes, please love yourself child and let yourself take it easy sometimes. But also holy shit that is so god damn amazing. I am 100% convinced (I mean, I have been since like Arc 4 TBH) that she uses her bugs to basically offload her pain. Or offloads her mind to her bugs so she can ignore the pain in her body. Same idea. Like even if it's never confirmed it is true to me. And the multitasking! Give Taylor a Thinker classification!!

Just fucking attacking the mayor's family to intimidate him into telling people in Washington to not condemn Brockton Bay huh? I mean sure it kinda worked at the end (assuming he does what he said he would) but it really seems like a terrible plan. Like, the people in Washington are gonna hear about the attack and wonder about everything the mayor says. But fine, that's the plan.

Skitter making the bug clones complex enough that Trickster and Genesis don't even notice she's a clone at first is super cool! Also it does drive home that she is always just covered with so many bugs and using swarm speech so much that when a version of her shows up that is completely covered in bugs and speaks fully with swarm speech it doesn't throw anyone off.

Coil had to know that Triumph was the mayor's kid. The fact that he's the one who pushed to have them attack during family dinner.

I'm really proud of Skitter for figuring it out though! I pegged him as a cape pretty much right away and was able to figure out it was Triumph not long after, but she was in the heat of the moment. Also she got the girlfriend pegged as a either Prism or Ursa while I was still uncertain if she was a cape.

Holy shit that fight was so fucking cinematic! Perfectly built for Triumph to look cool by exploding bug clones with his shouts. And with Prism splitting and combining constantly. Just fuck. I'd love to see an animation of that fight. It was super cool.

And again, Skitter got dark there. And sadly I'm worried she's gonna get darker.

#Worm #Worm Web Serial #Parahumans #Cairavende reads Worm #Taylor Hebert #Chatterbug #Smugbug #Creepy Crawlies #Oh and they did a class presentation on how far they had gotten with their territories #And Skitter just swept the room. If Coil grades on a curve Skitter wrecked it. #Tattletale did pretty good too. Even with the curve she'd be fine. #Grue and Imp did ok. Imp did most of the work but Grue had some valid sick days. #Sundancer and Genesis did fine. #Ballistic lost major points for not knowing the names of the capes in his territory. #Trickster is literally just waiting for his team to come do the work for him. Horrible. #Regent is not doing well given he has Shatterbird. #Bitch gets a good grade on a technicality. Fucking “Nobody.” Project is going to have more strict requirements next time Coil assigns it. #Oh shit wait I don't have a name for Parian/Flechette! #Dollette? Bow and Sew? Needlework? #Hmm I think I like Needlework the most of those three. Dollette isn't bad though. #Needlework

[elftwink]

no thoughts only taakitz superhero/villain coffeeshop au. taako’s power is shapeshifting but he has a cool gun from lup. kravitz’s power is Big Fuckin Scythe With Unspecified Abilities. also there was no time to get into it but fantasy starbucks isn’t a real starbucks it’s a borderline illegal unaffiliated bootleg starbucks that taako and lup own. like dumb starbucks was.

By all rights, it should have been a fairly routine night for the Reaper. Go out, stop some crimes, arrive just in time to prevent whatever scheme the Mongoose had cooked up this week, exchange some one liners, make some threats that essentially amounted to ‘same time next week?’, the works. A regular Tuesday as a superhero in Neverwinter.

But Kravitz is tired, and more than a little distracted, so he’s not doing so hot on the one liners, and the Mongoose’s attacks are a little closer than they would normally be. He doesn’t even have a good excuse, it’s not like he’s injured, or that he has anything pressing to think of.

It was just— this morning his barista (who he may or may not have been harbouring a small crush on) had mentioned offhand that he thought the Reaper was ‘probably hot under the stupid all-black getup’, and Kravitz didn’t really know what the protocol was for someone complimenting your alter-ego was.

“I think if you were gonna go for the strong silent type, you had to start doing it months ago. Now it’s just acting like an asshole. Are you mad at me?” the Mongoose cuts into his thoughts, firing off another few missiles from his stupid umbrella gun (Umbrastaff, he called it, although it was a gun and not a staff so Kravitz had no idea why he insisted on calling it that).

“We are literally fighting as we speak,” says Kravitz, playing up the cockney accent, spinning his scythe to deflect the missiles off the blade, sending them ricocheting around the room. He’d said something like ‘how can you tell’ to Taako— the barista (well, they’d been on a first name basis for a few weeks, so, Taako), and he’d said ‘I can just tell’ which was not at all helpful in getting Kravitz through the conversation without saying or doing something to give himself away.

He’d almost given Taako his number, but how was he going to justify that? Hey, it’s me under the all black getup. Do you want to go out sometime? As if.

“You can have fights without being fuckin’ rude,” says the Mongoose, firing off another few rounds, which Kravitz deflects again, advancing on him.

“You’re right, sorry. I’m a bit scattered. Not exactly my A game.” As if to prove his point, the Mongoose easily dodges his next couple swings with the scythe, not even bothering to leave his range.

“Clearly. I mean, normally you’re at least close enough that I can feel the breeze from your sword.”

“It’s not a sword, and you know that.” Kravitz brings down the scythe in the space where the Mongoose was only seconds before, having already backflipped out of the way and landed a few metres back. Show off. Not that Kravitz had room to complain about that. The Mongoose spins to face him again, at least this time seemingly aware of what a close call that was. He’s tense, and his hair, which Kravitz supposes has thus far been hidden underneath his costume, has come somewhat unravelled, black braid falling to the middle of his back.

It seems... familiar?

He doesn’t have time for that right now. Kravitz draws back the scythe, feeling the hum of energy under his fingers, swinging again, and—

“Wait! Time out!” the Mongoose puts up a hand and Kravitz, for who knows what reason, stops his scythe mid-swing. The familiarity sticks, so it’s not just a trick of the light. It takes him a second to place, but the hairstyle... it looks a lot like a certain barista he’d been spending all night thinking about.

He shakes his head, trying to clear it. It’s because he has Taako on the brain, is all. Besides, he has other things to worry about besides seeing his crush in his enemy. Namely the fight currently happening with said enemy. “What? You can’t call a time out.”

“I just did,” says the Mongoose, fishing through his pockets and pulling out several bobby pins, sticking them in his mouth so he can use both hands to fix his hair. Kravitz blinks, still trying to shake off the sense of deja vu, but it won’t quit nagging him. “It’s a whole safety issue to leave long hair down.”

“It’s still in a braid,” retorts Kravitz.

“Somebody never took Foodsafe.” the Mongoose gives him a lopsided grin that Kravitz fucking knows he’s seen before, and suddenly it’s more than just passing familiarity, and how could he possibly have not noticed before, and— the Mongoose finishes putting up his hair, raising an eyebrow at Kravitz and his private crisis. “Alright. Ready—”

“You work at Fantasy Starbucks,” blurts Kravitz, without even thinking about it. The Mongoose stops dead in his tracks, and Kravitz can see his eyes widen even behind the mask. He splutters for a moment, and then seems to find his footing, already ready with a snarky remark.

“Yeah, well— your accent is fake.”

Shit. He’d forgotten. At the only time so far that having it would have been useful too. Still, he pushes it out of his mind; the Mongoose hadn’t denied it. And, well, he’s already solidly derailed this fight, so he might as well get some real confirmation out of it.

“...Taako? It is you, isn’t it?”

“Just who the fuck are y—” The Mongoose— Taako— levels the Umbrastaff at him, and then stops again. “...Kravitz?”

Well. Shit. Again. Kravitz doesn’t bother to affirm that; his silence is more than enough confirmation. One of them has to say or do something, but the seconds stretch on.

“You’re telling me I said all that shit to your face this morning?” says Taako.

“That’s what you’re worried about right now?”

“Uh, yeah—” Taako is backing up now, and they’ve fought enough times that Kravitz knows when the Mongoose is looking for an escape route; Kravitz’s feet still feel glued to the floor, even when Taako reaches the window, fingers already turning to talons around the Umbrastaff. Taako breaks the glass (because of course he does, even though the windows aren’t even fucking locked), breaking eye contact with Kravitz in order to swing his legs through the window before his form changes too much. “Look, this is like, a lot right now, and I— I’m getting the fuck out of here,” he says, and then drops. Whatever had been keeping Kravitz in place, slack jawed, ends as soon as Taako leaves his sight, and he’s moving before he has time to think about it.

“Wait—!” Kravitz runs for the window, but by the time he gets there, the bird clutching the Umbrastaff is nearly out of sight.

Well. That could have gone better.

***

Kravitz doesn’t go for his coffee the next day. Or the next day, either, although the day after that he’s sick of making his own coffee. And frankly, he misses chatting with Taako. Even if the guy was trying to kill him like once a week. He couldn’t just avoid this forever.

Still, the fact that Taako is working cash when he comes in makes him want to turn tail and run back home. He conjures up the memory of yesterday’s shitty coffee and pushes onward. The shop is mostly empty still, so there’s no line.

“The usual?” says Taako, like nothing abnormal has happened.

“Please,” says Kravitz, and then, before he can chicken out entirely, adds, “Uhm, do you have a few minutes?”

“My shift isn’t over until—”

“I’ll cover you,” comes Lup’s voice from the back room; she pokes her head out and gives Taako a look that is clearly significant, but that Kravitz can’t quite puzzle out. “Take five minutes after you’re done making his coffee.”

Taako scowls at her, and she smiles brightly before heading to the back again.

“Okay. I guess I have five minutes. Talk to you after I make your coffee.”

Kravitz nods, and goes to hover around the pickup counter, pretending to be interested in things on his phone. Taako makes his coffee in a ceramic mug, which at least means he doesn’t want Kravitz to get the fuck out as soon as possible, so that’s... something.

Taako slides the finished coffee across the counter, circling around to join Kravitz on the customer side as Kravitz grabs the mug.

“Lup!” he hollers, and then starts walking towards one of the corner booths without checking to see if his sister is headed to cash or if Kravitz is following. Kravitz does, though, sliding himself into the seat opposite Taako, hands wrapped tightly around the mug.

Taako speaks first. “To be honest, I kinda thought you would rat me out.”

“That would be shitty of me, to just sic authorities on your place of work without so much as a warning.”

“So is this the warning?”

“No,” says Kravitz, taking a sip of his coffee, “I... can’t really make coffee without burning it. And this is the only place for miles with tolerable muffins.”

Taako cracks a grin, like Kravitz knew he would. “Flattery will get you nowhere.” His smile falls, and he crosses his arms and leans back. “So. Reaper. Why didn’t you rat me out?”

Why indeed. Kravitz takes another sip of his coffee and thinks for a second, not even sure himself what his explanation will be once he starts talking.

“It didn’t seem... fair. You’re less of a villain and more of a pain in my ass—” Kravitz ignores Taako’s indignant noise and keeps talking, “—and while we always have cause to fight when on the clock, you’re not doing anything that I feel needs to leave the bounds of those... work hours, I guess.”

Taako is trying to pick him apart with his gaze; it’s something he’s been subjected to several times, although normally in costume, and in retrospect it’s difficult to imagine how he spent so long not noticing the Mongoose in Taako.

Whatever Taako is looking for, he must find it, because he relaxes a bit, and shoots him a lazy grin. “Plus, Mongoose related insurance just got rolling and it would be fuckin’ rude to take me out of commission before anyone got to use theirs.”

Kravitz laughs. “Sure.” He’s silent for a second, before adding, “You aren’t planning on revealing my secret identity, are you? Awfully rude of you to double cross me like that.”

“Wha— You didn’t even give me a chance to respond! Maybe I wasn’t!”

“Were you?”

“I was,” admits Taako, not even pretending to look sheepish. Kravitz raises his eyebrows, and Taako shrugs. “Oh, like you didn’t think about revealing my secret identity? And could you imagine the hype if I unmasked the Reaper? I was tempted.” He sighs. “But I figured then you’d have no reason to keep my identity a secret. No way am I risking a backfire like that.”

It sounds callous, but Kravitz has been talking to Taako almost daily for months; at this point, he can pretty reliably pick up on when Taako isn’t being entirely truthful about something.

“Hmm. Then I suppose it’d be in my best interest not to tell you that I wouldn’t reveal your identity even if you revealed mine?”

Taako narrows his eyes. “Why not?”

Kravitz makes a face. “It’s just in poor taste. I just think we all go through all the trouble to hide who we are and use these powers for good— or whatever it is you do— that it’s always going to be such a low blow to reveal who we are. There might be times where it’s necessary, but petty revenge is not one of them.”

Taako’s expression hasn’t changed; if anything, he’s narrowed his eyes more. “God, you are like— fuckin’ irritatingly nice. Fine. I wasn’t going to reveal your identity. That would be fuckin’ annoying to deal with. Plus I’m having fun.”

“Fun?”

“Oh don’t— don’t fucking lie to me. I know you’re having fun out there too. With your stupid accent and one liners and shit.”

“Alright, alright,” says Kravitz, rolling his eyes. “But I’m not supposed to be having fun, so keep it quiet.”

“See, that’s why I market myself as a villain. No dumb rules.” He puts an elbow on the table and leans on his hand. “Why do you have a fake accent anyway?”

Heat rises to Kravitz’s face, and he’s hoping he looks less embarrassed than he feels. “It’s my— I do it so people don’t recognize my voice.”

Taako laughs. “Well, it doesn’t really do that if you immediately stop using it when you realize you might know someone.”

“I was caught off guard!” defends Kravitz. “It’s not every day you find out your nemesis is your barista.”

“Nemesis, huh?” Taako grins. “Didn’t realize it was that serious to you. You know I have other heroes to fight.”

Kravitz rolls his eyes again. “I don’t see how you have the time, considering how often you’re causing trouble for me.”

Taako laughs, and it’s so contagious and the whole conversation is so surreal Kravitz can’t help but laugh too, before they both lapse into a comfortable, if drawn out, silence.

“So, uh,” says Taako eventually, “what now?”

“Well,” says Kravitz, “I want to keep coming in for coffee in the mornings. And I assume the Mongoose will continue with... whatever chaos it is you currently have planned.”

“It’s not chaos,” insists Taako, “I have plans. But yeah. And I assume the Reaper is gonna show up and throw a wrench in those plans?”

“Yes, probably. So we’ll just be enemies by night...” Kravitz trails off, not entirely sure how to refer to their by day relationship. Friends? Potential love interests? Acquaintances? There’s a few seconds of awkward silence before Kravitz gives up entirely.

Taako pulls and pen and a napkin out of his pocket, jotting something down and pushing it towards Kravitz.

“Here’s, uh, here’s my number. If you give me a heads up five minutes before you get here, we can have your coffee ready by the time you walk in. If you’re nice to me out there.”

“I don’t take bribes,” says Kravitz, grabbing the napkin and pulling out his phone to type in the number.

“That wasn’t a bribe, it was a threat. You don’t even wanna know what I’ll do to your coffee if you fuck me up.”

Kravitz doesn’t bother to point out that neither of them have ever caused any extreme bodily harm to one another and instead says, “So you’re asking me to go easy on you? I thought you were having fun.” He sends Taako a ‘hey it’s kravitz’ text before he has time to second guess himself.

“Could you stop poking holes in my threats? You’re harshing my fuckin’ vibe, Krav.” He sounds irritated, but Kravitz can see the smile tugging at his lips as he texts Kravitz a couple of skull emojis. “I should get back to work before my sister kicks my ass,” he says, standing back up. “I’ll see you tonight, nemesis.” Then he turns on his heels and heads back to the counter, saying something to Lup as he walks by. Kravitz watches him disappear into the back room.

Tonight.

Kravitz had better make sure he had hung his cloak up to dry.

#this is like. 2k words of unpolished nonsense that desperately needs an edit BUT i had a lot of fun with it #i dont know how the powers work or where they are or why they're fighting or who theyre affiliated with ok just roll w/ #*roll w/me on this one. just go with it #taako's name was selected by virtue of being the only thing on his wiki page that sounded even remotely like a good supervillain name #taakitz #taz balance #mine

[twst-campos13]

headcanons for Rook, Malleus, Silver, and Vil when their m!s/o jumps on their back biting their head screaming nonsense like a mad man. the first year gang coming running and one explains wheezing “mistake in potions, physical capabilities inhanced, out of control, immune to magic, help”

the rest of the day is spent with literally all the twst boys chasing after their insane boyfriend. tears were shed, dignity lost, pride scratched.

by the time he’s caught it’s nearly midnight and none of them know what’s real anymore since he kept screaming very philosophical things.

i await your answer with anticipation~

*weakly grips you,,,* 

it is...finished....i will leave most of my commentary in the notes...also please read the warning tags carefully! 

Warnings: language, mild physical violence, implicit dementia (Vil’s part!), poison, blood, depiction/description of death, goofy’s trial dialogue (Vil’s part), mild gun threat (Vil’s part) << no actual guns were present but was mentioned Tags: male!reader, angst, crackfic

This wasn't supposed to happen. This wasn't supposed to happen.

Ace started it. Deuce aided. Epel volunteered. Jack said it was a bad idea and Sebek warned them. Yet in the end—in the end—they contributed. They helped. And when the smoke cleared from the explosion that shattered the laboratory's windows, beakers, and test tubes, spilling chemicals on the ground—on you—it was too late for Crewel to protect you. For your friends to protect you.

Grim called your name. Once. Twice. Thrice in a yowl of panic as Deuce held him back and carried him away when he tried to get closer to your unmoving body; it's laying in a puddle of liquid. Black? Brown? Gray? He doesn't know the colors—how doesn't know what's happening—he doesn't know and he doesn't care because he just wants you to be safe.

Ace couldn't speak. Deuce couldn't move. Epel started shaking but hid behind a mask of control. Jack's ears and tail were erratic and Sebek broke the silence with a firm command of retreating. Let the professor handle this. Let the adult handle it.

Then you moved.

They watched you rose from the ground like a corpse from the grave.

And hell breaks loose.

➸ Why did you bite his head and messed his hair up

➸ He got no time for games, fool

➸ KIDDING

➸ Granted you did jump at Vil when his Flying Class was done. It startled him and shocked everybody. His face flared because he thought your surprise hugs had gotten too far. It took Mr. Ashton and a few of his classmates to get you off him. He's pretty sure you managed to tear off a few hairs from his scalp—and skin apparently because he felt blood drip down his lashes. 

➸ Okay, that's not normal behavior for you-

➸ You were more than disheveled; your lab coat was torn and singed, blood was seeping from your clothes, and you had a dazed look. Vil fixed himself immediately, of course, but it's natural for him to get worried about you. You looked awful. Vil was sure the chemicals splattered on your skin and uniform was what was making you disoriented. What are these fools doing still holding onto you? You should be taken to the infirmary this instance! 

➸ Vil wasn't prepared for what you did next. The moment Mr. Ashton held your shoulders to lead you to the infirmary, you knocked him out with an elbow strike. What the fuck.

➸ Okay, obviously, you're defensive. Vil took out his pen and—along with a few other students and the professor??—tried to restrain you. Vil was careful not to cast any harmful spells on you but for some reason, the professor and the other seniors seem to go off on casting advanced spells that could quite literally kill you! Du spinnst wohl are they insane?

➸ It took a lot from Vil to not be hysterical. Panicking will not do him any good but having to witness you get blasted by magic and only shake it off while maddeningly laughing is frustrating. He couldn't bear the sight of seeing you get hurt and argued loudly with one of the seniors to go easy on you. The fact that you were spouting nonsense doesn't help your situation at all, especially when you declared this, "ah-hyuck! I'll fucking shoot 'em again."

➸ "Love, will you please cooperate!" was what Vil wished to say, but seeing you in this state brought a jab of pain in his heart. The familiarity of this situation—the confusion, the frustration, the worry, the pain—adds up to the pressure and desperation of just saving you from whatever the fuck this is. 

➸ Vil doesn't even want to look at himself in the mirror. He fears that he'll end up breaking the mirror from what he'll see, but he's pretty sure, with the fight and the chase you're giving everyone, that his makeup is running and his hair is a mess. Amidst nausea and chaos, Vil came up with a solution to restrain you. So, gathering what is left of his dignity and pride, and his love for you, Vil wiped the sweat and smudged makeup off his face and ran back to Pomefiore.

➸ Don't ask why he has a ready-made collection of poisons. Just don't. It's for emergencies—such as this. 

➸ Rook found him hunched over his table with the vials of poison. He calmed Vil down and assured him that you'll be alright. The only fear that Vil has is losing another person he cares about—that includes you. Rook kissed his hand and told him he will bring the poison to you. Rook knows how much you mean to Vil, and because of his devotion to his roi de poison, he will do whatever he can to ensure your safety for Vil's sanity.

➸ Rook advised Vil not to come with him, but he wants to. Vil wants to be able to hold you in his arms and be the first to make sure that you're okay. 

➸ When the deed has been done, Vil rushed to your side. He expected your body to be as cold as a corpse but still, it shocked him. He ignored the whisper of doubt and tended to the wound Rook made to put you to sleep. You've been taken to the infirmary along with everyone else that you caused inconvenience. Vil didn't come for the anxiety settled with the fatigue in his body.

➸ When Vil came back to the Pomefiore common room, sluggish and tired, he found Rook holding Epel's shoulder. The little potato couldn't look at him in the eye and frankly, Vil just wanted to spend some time in his quarters. However, Epel's confessed, and a little bit of energy came back to Vil so he can process what the little potato said to him.

➸ He what.

➸ His hand sprung up instinctively and Epel flinched. But Vil knew this wouldn't undo what happened. He knew it isn't worth it. Vil doesn't have the strength to be angry or blame Epel. It was a mistake, after all. A very stupid mistake. Epel looked pitiful crying for forgiveness so Vil asked Rook to send him back to his room.

➸ It's proven enough just how Vil cares about you.

Vil sat down in front of his vanity table. He could not bear to look at himself in the mirror. All he could do is stare blankly at nothing. Your words made no sense and Vil feared the worst when you wake up. If you wake up.

"Great Sevens..." he muttered and wiped the tears that fell from his face. He knew what he had to do next. He just had to be prepared for it.

➸  Imagine Rook saying "oh mon Dieu" with the most neutral face and surprised eyes as if the explosion was just a mild inconvenience. 

➸  POV: you're Trey Clover 

➸  He and Trey were just cleaning around in the greenhouse when the explosion occurred. Rook knows that you have a special assignment with your friends. You didn't tell him what it is but he doesn't need you to. (He overheard Epel and Ace chill he respects you enough as his boyfriend to not pry into your private life via stalking)

- ➸ He wasted no time dashing to the potions lab. Being a hunter makes you very quickly as well as expecting the unexpected. However, he didn't expect the First Year Gang to be thrown out of the door and you emerge from the smoke as if you were some sort of ravaging beast. 

➸  If you weren't obviously covered in soot and blood, Rook would have fainted from the beauty and badassery you're currently conveying. 

➸  Now is not the time to be in awe—you jumped wall to wall with a speed faster than a cheetah's and Rook was able to deflect your attack by sidestepping. However, a few students got injured in the process. Rook saw your intention despite Monsieur Heart warning the students to not get in the way, lest they hurt themselves. You had no intention to harm—only run. 

➸  Rook has two options: follow you empty-handed or grab his bow and risk losing you

➸  He's confident in his skills in finding you, so he chose to gather information first. By that, well, pulling Epel to the side to calm him down then ask him what happened. Rook managed to understand the situation despite Epel shaking like a leaf. He doesn't feel angry. Such emotion would only intensify his instincts and he might do something that will put you and everyone else in harm more. So instead he thanked Epel, gave his head a pat, and quickly dashed to his locker for his bow and arrows. 

➸  Your boyfriend is a madman before you, for he immediately knows where you were after getting his bow. Rook attained higher heights for a better view and from the roof, he saw your figure dashing towards the forest. Ah, so your instincts led you to where you wish to be. Alright, this isn't Rook's first hunt. 

➸  When everyone else had trouble tracking you down, Rook doesn't. He reminded himself that you're not in the right mind. His monsieur filou is akin to a startled, confused, and defensive wild animal at the moment. Like a little rat, he supposed. Your movements aren't that hard to decipher for a hunter like him plus he can hear your kitchen philosophy from a mile away. 

➸  He has to apologize to Vil for taking a few vials of ready-made poison. But this is a matter of life and death. You are in danger from yourself, and as your knight, Rook will save you. Quiet as he can, he laced the tip of his arrow with the poison and aimed it at you. Rook closed his eyes and reminded himself that he is doing this to save you; not to harm you. 

➸  He notched his arrow—and you caught it with your bare. Fucking. Hand. SINGLE HAND!!

➸  Rook, internally: holy shit that was hot 

➸  Well his covers have been blown and you waved the arrow around screaming something about "I trusted you little guy!" before throwing the arrow with such accuracy while saying "go and take your little mice friend family rat with you!"

➸  Mon Dieu, he does not appreciate being called a rat!

➸  The chase continued and you quite gave everyone a workout. As much as Rook appreciated the stimulating experience you gave him, he much rather wants you subdued and safe, not running around with so many people after you. Luckily, Vil came in and gave him a new vial that is much more potent than the one he stole. He is amazed by the preparedness of his roi de poison but he is much concerned at the potency of the poison. 

➸  Vil strictly stared at him and nodded at the new direction you ran to. "With his state like that, you need to take the risks." Rook took his advice. Vil is always sharp as a dagger after all.

➸  Which means he had to use a dagger than an arrow to subdue you. Yes, Rook took the risk of having the poison close to him and closer to you in a 1 v 1 scuffle. Ah, this took him back to when he wrestled his first bear. Except the bear is his boyfriend and you're still quite human...and he's going to drive the blade of his dagger in a non-critical part of your body.

➸  Finally, the drama ended, and the curtains closed when your body fell into his arms. Your blood trickles into a small stream from where he drove the blade in. Rook knelt to the ground and cradled your body in his arms. Sweat dripped everywhere on his skin but he doesn't care about that. He cares about you. 

➸  Rook reminded himself that you can be cured of your sleep-like death and prioritized the wound that he engraved on your skin. He kissed the place where he stabbed you and solemnly apologized for defacing your body. Worry not, he will have you stitched in the infirmary, and you will awaken with his kiss...atleast he hoped you will. 

➸  Epel was waiting there when Rook brought you in. The poor boy had been crying and he apologized to Rook for the mistake he had done. Rook felt no anger and instead felt sympathy. He too had done his fair share of mistakes, and Epel should not burden himself with those. Instead, he told him, take this as a learning experience as to not do it again.

➸  Rook saved Epel from Vil's harsh scolding. Now, the only one that needs saving, is you.

Even in a sleep-like death, you are still beautiful. Your pale skin is a worrying sight to many but Rook managed to calm himself by admiring it instead. Your body is like marble with blue veins spreading in varied directions.

Rook knew he cannot distract himself by admiring you like a statue of art. You are an art, not a statue. Only histories remain as statues—and you will not become history. He knew what he had to do.

"Oh, mon filou," he whispered against your cold lips, "forgive me."

➸ Just a reminder: Malleus cares for you deeply :))

➸ He was just minding his own business when you suddenly attacked him from behind. Malleus thought you were just being your usual self and lifted his head so you'd let go of his horns. But you didn't and instead, you pulled on it harder that it startled him. He knows how strong you are—meaning something is wrong-

➸ You had quite the vice grip on his horns even when he used his tail to try and pry you off and even shake you off. He didn't want to use his entire strength to throw you but the moment his skin broke under your nails, his instincts came in first, and he threw you across the hallway. 

➸ Malleus was horrified. He didn't mean to throw you much less even hurt you. The panic got to him faster than the pain on his head as he rushed to where you flew. Was it possible to feel overwhelming fear? When Malleus' saw the outline of your figure cut clean on the window, he felt something more than fear. If he had lost you and it was his fault, then his promises for you are broken. 

➸ Then he spots your hand reach through the hole in the window. And you pulled yourself up and through the hole before dropping to the floor like a ragdoll. You were covered in bruises and cuts. Malleus feared that you have a concussion as well for you were muttering loudly about the stars melting and the Moores burning.

➸ Well, Malleus could worry about that later. You were injured and disoriented. The amount of blood coming out of you is increasing and his priority is getting you to safety. 

➸ However, just before he can scoop you in his arms, his knights came to his side. Silver looked like he'd been roused from his sleep as Sebek is disheveled. He made a firm declaration of protecting the Young Master, and that would have been normal for Sebek...if he was standing proud and tall as he said it. Malleus could easily smell the anxiety and lingering guilt from the young fae. 

➸ Things got even more concerning as Professor Crewel, Crowley, a few senior students, and Sebek's friends joined in. Malleus looked back at you and saw your cornered state. He doesn't understand what's happening yet but one thing is for sure—you're equally terrified as he is. Everyone was on guard, the Headmaster and the Professor spoke to you as if you were a wild animal—which you were—but all Malleus could think of is grabbing you and flying you away to safety.

➸ Which he did do despite public opinions

➸ By public opinions, the shouts of protests that soon fell quiet when he grabbed you and disappeared...also the "protest" falling from you which Malleus couldn't really understand. It was philosophy and poetry and a prophecy that he can comprehend little; for all Malleus cares about is you.

➸ "My dear, please, what had happened to you?" The desperation was painfully obvious in his tone as he restrained you with advanced magic. Yet as he tried to call you out of your subconscious he realized that magic is futile. Whatever state you are in you are able to break free from his magic. Malleus stayed on the defense as you attacked him, yet he recognized your attempts of attacking as desperation for help. If you crying and wailing out "save me" and "free me" isn't enough to give it away.

➸ No matter how many cuts you give him, no matter how much he will bleed, Malleus refused to fight you. 

➸ He just wants you to be okay :((

➸  Malleus knew what he had to do but he doesn't know if he had the strength to do it. Your face streaked with tears and pain pushed his heart to do it anyway. So, Malleus shoved you away with a quick pulse of magic, just enough time for him to summon his staff. He blocked your mouth from biting his neck with his arm, and even if it hurts, seeing your eyes begging to be saved hurts more. 

➸ When Lilia and the others found him, he was cradling your body in his arms. His staff laid on the ground and his tears dripped down your face like a fickle rain. Lilia didn't need an answer to know what he had done. 

➸ Malleus pulled your unconscious body close to him, hoping—desperate—to feel your warmth. But he couldn't. He couldn't hear your pulse, your heartbeat, and he couldn't feel your warmth. All he could feel is cold and numbness. But atleast you are at rest. You are saved. You're okay. You're okay, you're okay, you're okay.

➸ But he knows deep down that you're not. Because if you are okay, he wouldn't be noiselessly crying and clinging to your body as if you just died. You're alive but you're also dead. Knowing the cure for this dilemma tore his heart to pieces because deep down Malleus is still afraid. He feels like he lost you even though the truth isn't far from it. 

➸ Your words echoed in his mind before he hit you with his Unique Magic. You started hissing and wailing and finally, you raised your arms in the air and shouted, "this curse will last till the end of time—no power on earth can change it!" 

➸ Can you blame him for putting you in a sleep-like death, a sleep which you will never awaken unless by True Love's Kiss? He panicked :((

➸ Malleus kept your body close to him even when he stood up and looked at Sebek bowing deeply on the ground. He was shaking but his tone was loud enough for Malleus to have an understanding of the matter and of Sebek's apology. 

➸ Hearing that he was an accomplice of what happened to you gave him mixed emotions. 

➸ Sebek vowed his loyalty to Malleus, and when you came into his life, Sebek vowed to protect you as well. And he failed. That is very clear. The poor boy must be getting gnawed inside out with guilt. Well, Sebek did say that he will accept whatever punishment that is will befall him. He should stay true to his words because Malleus is furious. 

➸ Malleus vowed to protect you and raise Hellfire to whoever will cause you harm. He wanted to curse him, burn him on where he stands, and make him pay for what he had done unto you. He could do all of these for he can.

➸ But Malleus won't. He won't do those things to Sebek. He held himself back, swallowed the anger, remained in control of himself in front of the pitiful boy. Sebek is your friend. Sebek is his family. In the end, despite his loyalty, despite his duty, Sebek is still a kid. And Malleus knows that. He won't let this burden the young boy despite him taking full responsibility for the situation.

➸ But Malleus doesn't have the words to say what he wants to say. Instead, he told Sebek to rise from his feet and wordlessly left to bring you to the infirmary. 

➸ In the end, what matters most is you.

Your words remain in his mind to echo along with the voices of his fears. Malleus wished to feel the warmth of your hand again, for when he grasped it by your bedside he could feel nothing.

True Love's Kiss can wake you. True Love's Kiss. But do such a thing exist in Twisted Wonderland? Of course, it does, Malleus, of course, it does. However, seeing your pale lips are more of a dreadful reminder than a hopeful invitation.

The fear settled in his stomach along with his insecurities. Malleus cannot lose you. He can live without you, but he does not want to.

➸ Homeboy was just sleeping under the tree,,, he didn't hear the explosion go off or even heard you running at him at full speed

➸ By that, well, running at inhumane speed and pouncing right on him like a rabid animal.

➸ He woke right up when he felt the pain immediately. It was like getting hit with a spine of a book—it jostled him enough to wake him, at least, and the adrenaline rushing through him was enough to knock you off. Silver didn't have time to get what the fuck was happening but thank the Sevens he was trained enough to be quick-footed. 

➸ He had time to grab his baton but he didn't have time to block your pounce. And damn you hit like a truck! Silver had to use his baton to block your face even if your entire weight was pressing down at him. There was something definitely wrong with you—and it's not just the look in your eyes-

➸ "What's gotten into you?!" the sudden shout made you calm down—thankfully—and Silver thought you're fine again. You looked at him blankly and the anxiety nipped at his skin. "Are you talking to me?" ????? Who else is he talking to??? 

➸ When he talked to you, like, yes dear I'm talking to you, your face contorted into something akin to bashfulness—the tipsy kind of bashfulness. The next thing you said confused and worried him more: "Mrs. Robinsons...you're seducing me."

➸ ???? Who the fuck is Mrs. Robinsons???

➸ Well, Silver doesn't have time to think what kind of enchantment table language you're daying because you're suddenly thrown away from him by a burst of magic—advanced magic that he only saw Malleus cast once because of the sheer force it can create. By that, meaning, one single hit of that magic can KILL A REGULAR HUMAN BEING.

➸ It was Professor Crewel who fired the blast and even he looked astounded at what he'd done. Silver didn't waste any time rushing to where you were blasted off. He was expecting you...dead, remains, fuck...what he wasn't expecting was seeing you still standing. Barely alive with your skin blooded and peeling and regenerating—but alive, nonetheless. 

➸ He locked eyes with you again and the cold feeling settled at the pit of his stomach looking at you. "Hey. Don't look at me like I'm fucking Frankenstein." You opened your arms at him and gave a solemn nod. "Give your father a hug." 

➸ Silver, softly: what the fuck

➸ When Professor Crewel withdrew his wand again you literally hissed like a raccoon. And it looked like he wasn't alone for Sebek pulled Silver away from your range. Ace, Deuce, and Grim were here too. Silver took a deep breath and looked at Sebek wordlessly demanding what the fuck is happening. 

➸ Sebek, as quick as he could, explained the situation to Silver. The quick run-down of things swum around in Silver's head as your nonsensical remarks made him dizzier. Guess that explains your strength and immunity to magic. 

➸ Silver: who did this to him?? Sebek, sweating: it's a funny story, really

➸ Silver stared at Sebek. He didn't have time to process what the fuck Sebek just confessed to because you screamed again. Sebek and he whipped around to see you viciously tearing apart roots and magical bonds set off by the professor along with the senior students that rushed to the scene. "ALRIGHT," you screamed, yeeting Ace, "I'm TIRED of these EFFIN snakes on this MOTHERFUCKIN' TRAIN!" Then you took off running the other direction toward the forest, and the chorus of frustration reminded Silver of the gravity of the situation.

➸ The absurd weight on his entire body made Silver wish this was just a nightmare.

➸ But it would be a nightmare to lose you. 

➸ Even when the night was starting to stretch, and the others were sent by the staff to the infirmary, Silver went to the forest with a heavy heart and his baton in hand. Sebek followed him—for what, a sense of responsibility?—and stopped him before he runs into a tree or worse. Silver snapped at him, the anger finally reaching its surface, and he glared at the young man. Silver isn't the type to fight with his fist nor his words, but this is about you. You who were struck by a mix of potions and magic and currently missing because someone's big head got you in trouble.

➸ Silver knows that Sebek knows how much you mean to him. He's also well aware of Sebek's particular dislike for humans. That remark made Sebek slightly stumble. A flash of hurt and angry was in his eyes but he never tried to hit Silver, despite almost losing control over himself. 

➸ "Fighting would not bring him back, Silver. Arguing will not either," Sebek told him. "I know my apologies will be useless in this situation and that is why I will do everything that I can to fix this." 

➸ Silver is on the verge of fucking tears but it won't compare to Sebek who remains a straight face while his nose turns bright red from holding back tears. Fortunately, before things get worse, Lilia and Malleus came from the trees. In Malleus' arms was you, quiet, and sedated. Silver would have jumped at Malleus and whisked you away but he's suddenly overcome with fatigue that Lilia had to place his arms around him. 

➸ Apparently, the two found you by the river doing whatever then Malleus struck you with his Unique Magic. At that mention, Silver felt cold. He didn't realize how tired he felt, from running around to worrying about you. Despite the heaviness on his shoulders and eyelids, he kept his eyes on you. You looked peaceful but hurt. And Silver wished he can keep you close to him to make you less hurt.

➸ He's glad that you're okay now but he feels dreadful about what's to come next. That dread never left, though, even when the slumber takes him.

"Poor things," Lilia sighed, stroking Silver's locks as Sebek carried the boy on his back. Malleus still has your unconscious body in your arms. His expression is unreadable.

Sebek felt the guilt suffocating him but he remained calm despite the lodge in his throat. "M—Master Lilia—Young master—It...this is..." Sebek stammered, failing to grasp the appropriate words for a sincere pardon. Yet Silver's weight is just as heavy as his sins. Lilia, however, stroked his head. "Save your strength, little one. The best you can do for now is take Silver to the infirmary," the elder fae instructed.

Sebek only nodded and obediently abided.

#camposnotes #twisted wonderland #twst #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #HOH BOY THIS IS LONG #long post #rook hunt #vil schoenheit #malleus draconia #silver #twst silver #silver x reader #rook hunt x reader #vil schoenheit x reader #malleus draconia x reader #tw death #tw physical violence #tw gun threat #tw gun violence #tw language #the first year gang #first year gang #twst first year gang #ace trappola #jack howl #sebek zigvolt #epel felmeir #deuce spades #twst grim

[tomurasprincess]

Corruption Zone (Dabi x Reader)

Summary: You and your little group of surviving heroes are trying to make the best out of survival in a decaying city, torn apart by Shigaraki and his League of Villains. You’ve weathered many storms and many hero hunting villains, but as it turns out, the worst is still to come.

Pairing: Dabi x Reader Rating: E+ Warnings: Apocalypse AU. Dubcon, coercion, blackmail, mind break, major character deaths (I mean, hello apocalypse AU), yandere. Word Count: 8k+ Note: My entry for the BNHarem Discord collab! The theme this time around was apocalypse AU, and I had a lot of fun world building. I feel like I pushed myself out of my comfort zone with this one, so I hope you all enjoy it! The full masterlist can be found here, so make sure you check out the fics from all of the talented writers!

You sigh heavily as you glance around an old abandoned warehouse where you and your party are hiding out like rats in filth. You've been working on making the place habitable for you and your group, cleaning out some of the trash, unpacking what little supplies you have, and shoring up the place's defenses. It's not particularly hard work, but it's time-consuming and has left you exhausted.

But when you hear one of the doors open, all your exhaustion leaves you as you turn quickly on your heel to see who the intruder is. You breathe a sigh of relief when you see Shouto enter, fresh off a supply run. Your relief quickly turns to concern as you see that he's bleeding, and you rush over to check on him.

The fact that both Shouto and Katsuki were injured on a supply run is terrifying to you. They are your two most skilled fighters, and the ones doing the heavy lifting when it comes to protection. You merely help out as you can, acting as leader and support of your little band of fugitives. 

"What happened," you ask as you begin to check out the wounds. You realize you graze a particularly sensitive spot as Shouto hisses out a curse under his breath.

"There were no supplies or food at our usual spots. Bakugou decided to go deeper into villain territory to try to find something."

"And you just decided to go along with it," your voice comes out sharper than you mean, your concern for both of them showing through your anger. "We've discussed this, villain territory is too dangerous to just waltz right into."

"You know how he gets," Shouto gives a deep sigh. "And he hates the fact the group is so hungry."

"I know it's been a while since we've had real food, but it's not going to do us any good if you get yourselves killed. "Unfortunately, this is a massive understatement. The fact of the matter is your group is starving, and if something were to happen to Shouto or Katsuki, your group was done for.

"You try telling him that. He thinks we should be taking the offensive against the villains instead of hiding, anyway." Shouto sounds worn down, exasperated by his fellow pro-hero's attitude.

You know how right Shouto is. Bakugou believes that your group will be wiped out, one person at a time, if you continue on your current course. If you don't stop trying to simply survive.

Secretly, in the deepest darkest part of your heart, you agree. You have been losing members of your party slowly but steadily, and every loss seems to ripple through the group like an open wound. Worse than the starvation, worse than the hiding, was the heartbreak of all the friends and family your group has lost. 

You hear the door slam open, and then closed as the explosive male himself storms into the room. He's also injured, but looks far better than Shouto does. "You're damned right, Icy-Hot. I'm sick of this hiding shit, we're not getting anywhere with it. We need to take the fight to them." 

"And how are we supposed to do that, Bakugou? We don't know enough about what happened that day to keep blindly running into villain territory. For all we know, Shigaraki could still be alive."

You know Bakugou has been railing against stealth, against the hiding ever since hero society broke down. But Shouto has a point, as much as it terrifies you to admit it. The notorious League of Villains leader is MIA as far as you're all concerned, and you have no idea if he still lives or was killed in the spread of decay that happened on that horrible day several months ago.

"Tch, he could also be dead," Bakugou scoffs. "With all communications gone, the only way to find out for sure is to go into the Corruption Zone."

The Corruption Zone was the epicenter of it all, the place where this whole thing was believed to have started. The only reliable information anyone could get was that a catastrophic event spread across the city center like a creeping rot. There was no telling how many innocent people were caught in the crossfire, no reliable death toll. 

"Yeah? You know that we have no information to go by. We'd be rushing in blindly." Shouto snapped back. You place your hand on your forehead, feeling a headache coming on with the argument you know is about to happen.

"We have reports from heroes coming out of that area," Bakugou pointed out. 

"The reports are unreliable and conflicting. Until we know more, we should be cautious." 

"The fuck is the use in being cautious? If we don't have good information, then we should get it on our own!" Bakugou storms towards Todoroki, and you begin to make a move to step in between them. But you're saved from having to break up a fight when Bakugou abruptly turns and storms to the door leading outside the building.

"I'm doing a perimeter search. There might be villains around."Todoroki glances at you before falling into step with him as he moves to follow. Despite their differences, the two work well together, and you have been with them for several months now. You had met up with them as you were fleeing the destruction on the west side of the city, being one of the few heroes to make it out. Some might call you lucky for surviving and meeting up with them. You call yourself cursed. 

You make a move to go with them before Bakugou gives you a death glare over his shoulder. "I sure as hell don't need you to come with me, so stay here," the words coming out in a growl. His words sound gruff, but they come from a place of fear. Fear that something will happen to you and the rest of the group. "Icy-Hot, let's go." 

"We'll be right back, I promise," Shouto reassures you with a small smile after he sees your look of worry, and you nod your head at both of them. You trust both of these men with your lives. If they say they're coming back, then they will be.

While they're busy outside, you're about to do your own quick search of the warehouse when you hear a voice rise up from behind you. "Well well well, what do we have here, fellas?" You turn around to see three men blocking your exit. They were all dressed in black, with black combat boots and so many weapons strapped to their bodies that you could barely count them all. "Such a pretty little whore, running around all by herself." He glances at the other two men before smirking. "You a hero, little thing? You don't look like one."

Ah, low-level villains, obviously. Annoying, but not truly a threat to you. Your quirk isn't exactly the best for combat, being a supportive and not an offensive quirk, but you have a group backing you up and you're no pushover. You simply need to stall for a bit of time before the rest meet up with you.

"Would be a shame to leave her on the streets like this, don't you agree," the shorter of the men chuckles. "I don't think this one looks cut out to be a hero, do you?" The third simply nods his head at the question directed at him, his expression barely changing. He appears to be the follower of the group, content to simply await his next command.

Encounters like these aren't so uncommon. Some villains have moved on, content to rule their little territories in whatever way they liked. But others still have a grudge against heroes, choosing to continue to satiate their bloodlust by hunting them down and making examples of them. 

These were obviously the second type, and that usually meant they had more rage than common sense. The type to hunt down heroes were never usually the brightest of the bunch, and were equally as prone to dying by the hands of other villains than they were of actually killing anyone. They have no ideology, nothing keeping them going but their pure rage. 

What seems to be the leader of this ragtag group makes his first move, lunging out at you with surprising quickness for a man as large as he is. But you're quicker, and you launch yourself easily out of the way and use his momentum to throw him off balance and down to the ground. The shorter one lets out a disgruntled noise before making a go at you himself. This one is quite a bit faster, and you're not able to dodge in time before he's on you. You do a sharp twist before bringing your heavy steel-toed boots down towards his ankle. You connect and hear a cracking noise as he begins to howl and attempts to limp away from you.

You glance over at the remaining one, confident that he won't make a move on you after his partners humiliated themselves so badly. And you're proven to be right as he gives you a quick, respectful nod before turning and fleeing. He barely makes it two steps before ice covers his feet and crawls slowly up his legs. You grin as you see Todoroki, but your grin falls as you see his look of cold fury at anybody daring to attack you.You're pulled away from Todoroki by the sound of cursing and explosions as a loud, angry male comes flying down from a nearby ceiling. You can't help but roll your eyes at his sense of overdramatics before you notice the leader of the group out of the corner of your eye. You're going to be too late to dodge, you think with quiet fear, as you see him running towards you with a knife in hand. But Bakugou has already noticed, activating a burst of explosion from his hands to launch himself at the villain and throwing his arm out to block.

You see the skin on his arm split as blood gushes from the wound, but it doesn't even phase him as he throws a hard punch to the leader's head. There is a sickening crack as he connects, and the villain falls to the group unconscious. 

You give the man an unimpressed stare. "Do you always have to be so damned loud, Bakugou?""Tch, fine then, don't thank me for saving your ass." He scoffs at you with no real venom in his voice. "And next time, I won't."

"You shouldn't have done that, you know," you give a long-suffering sigh as you grab what little medical supplies remain. You take out the gauze, disinfecting the wound before starting to wrap it up in bandages. "I had that covered just fine without you." 

He gives you a snarl before pulling his arm roughly away from you. He's anything but dumb, and he knows how much of a lie your comment is. He knows how much of a skill gap you have between the two of you, even without taking his arrogance into consideration. "Yeah? Should I have let you die?"

"No, that's not what I -"

"Because that's what would have happened," he glares at you. "You're support, not offense. You need people to shield you, and he was closing in. Bastard had you, and we both know it. And I can't - we can't afford to lose any more people."

"I know that you feel responsible, that you weren't strong enough, but none of the losses were your fault -"

"Tch, whatever, I have shit to do," he scoffs as he quickly stands up to walk away. To avoid the conversation that he didn't want to hear. "I wish that he wouldn't blame himself so much." You glance over at Shouto, standing there with a stoic look on his face. "He has done everything in his power to protect this little family of ours, same as you. Beaten himself up over every loss we've had."

"You know how he is. Thinks if he were better, stronger, than we wouldn't have lost anybody at all." 

Tears sting your eyes at the thought of everything and everyone that you've lost up until this point, all the friends you've watched die. But you are still carrying on, still surviving. Your group has united together, your places and your roles all sorted and running smoothly. 

But things have changed recently, a strange atmosphere seeming to fill the air. Nothing that could be described precisely, but something the entire group felt. As if the world was holding its breath, waiting for some event that would yet again change the course of this world. Something was coming, something big. And you have no idea what it was or what to expect. 

But you are all still heroes even in these circumstances, and you have long ago learned to trust your instincts. So you began to move more frequently, find better hiding places. You don't stay in any one place for long, because staying still means villains being able to hunt you down. Staying still meant death.

You're pulled from your thoughts by the sound of someone rustling through their bag. As you glance up, you see one of your group pulling out a rope to tie up the villains. She notices you looking and smiles. "I don't think these two will be any sort of threat anymore." You mentally curse yourself for getting distracted enough to forget you still had villains in the area, even if they are unconscious. 

You glance at Shouto, the more level headed of your group, and he gives a quick nod. "I agree, I think they are too much of a coward to come after us again." You give a nod as you quickly move to help the woman tie them up, trusting his expertise on these things. 

You all know that this could either be a cruel or a merciful action. If other villains, even a few other heroes find these men, they could be killed outright. But if they can escape, then they earn their freedom, provided they don't come back after your group to take revenge. Villain or not, you feel the weight of this, having to make these decisions to protect your group.

Shouto sees the look on your face, and knowing your thoughts, walks over to put a hand gently on your shoulder. "It's getting dark soon, and we need to bunker down. We all know how dangerous it gets when it's dark." He gives you a meaningful look, but doesn't point out the painful truth. Doesn't mention the night a month ago when your group lost several members due to being caught after dark. That incident is what led to a group decision never to let that happen again. It was simply not worth the risk, even with your group at full power. And lately, none of you can claim full power. 

"Everything is clear, right?" You ask both men. At their nod, you move to leave the area. 

"Where the fuck are you going?" Bakugou snarls at you as he makes his way to stop you.

"There are a few people still outside," you explain as patiently as you can. "I'm just going to grab them really quickly. It will be fine." You wait to see if Shouto will agree, being the more relaxed of the two. He's not any less protective than Bakugou, but he is usually the more reasonable of the two.

He gives a quick nod at you. "Just make it quick. We'll go the other direction and grab the rest. I'm not sure what's taking them so long."

You turn on your heel quickly as you make your way out of the building, hurrying before either one of them can change their mind. You know they're concerned about you, but you've taken on the role as leader within your group. It's your responsibility just as much as theirs to keep everyone safe.

But as you make your way to the area where everyone was gathered earlier, you hear nothing. No chatting and laughing as they keep themselves entertained like they were earlier. Pure ice seeps through your veins as you run the rest of the distance. But you stop cold at what you see there.��

Blood. Blood on the ground, blood on the chairs, blood splattered everywhere. There are no bodies anywhere that you see, only the blood. "No no no," you whisper to yourself in horror. "Please, this can't be happening. Please don't let us lose anyone else."

But before you can decide what to do, you hear the sounds of battle and the crackling of distant fire. Shouto and Bakugou, you think with alarm, they must have gotten into some danger back at the warehouse. But as you run in that direction, you see something alarming.

The crackling you heard are flames, bright, dazzling blue flames. The scent of smoke is heavy in the air, fog covering everything as you stop to stare at the devastation. The warehouse that was to be your hideout has gone up like kindling, fully engulfed by the strange blue flames. A distant memory hits you, something you read during a news article about a villain with a flame quirk that was described similarly. But those thoughts all fly from your head as you see something that makes you stop in your tracks.

A still smoldering dead body was lying on its side away from you. Please please please, you send up a silent prayer, please don't be any of my group. But your hopes are dashed as you run over. The outfit looks familiar, jeans and a pink shirt with sneakers and a backpack lying behind her. You know this woman, have known her since the beginning. She was kind, gentle, and like you, she was not a front line fighter. For her to be dead, the enemies had to have cut a swathe through your defenses. Had to have gotten through Bakugou and Shouto.

You stand up quickly as you scan the area looking for enemies. As much as you'd like to cover her up, mourn her, you know that this is not the time for that. You have to protect the rest of the group from meeting the same fate. After their safety is secured, you can either count your losses and grieve, or you will no longer be around to care.

You creep slowly into the warehouse, trying not to jump at every shadow you see. You see no villains, but you do see more bodies—all from your group, all smoldering with that same blue flame. The smoke begins to fill the room, causing your eyes to burn and a coughing fit to start. 

Before you can try to leave to get some fresh air, you hear dark laughter from behind you, and a wave of heat rush towards you. You throw your body to the side as you roll to prevent any injury from slamming into the concrete ground. As you whirl around to face your attacker, you are shocked by what you see.

It's a tall, lanky man dressed in black leather pants, a white shirt stretched tight against his chest and a black leather jacket over the shirt. Most distinctive, however, were the noticeable burn scars covering most of the exposed skin you see. His face, arms, and hands are all littered with them, with staples buried in the skin as if to hold it in place. You unintentionally meet his eyes, and you see they are the same shocking blue of his flames, staring directly into you as if trying to analyze and exploit every weakness you have. And his cocky smirk says he has the confidence to do just that. 

This isn't one of those aimless villains you've encountered before. No, this is a hero hunter with a purpose. With an ideal. One that genuinely believes in the deaths of all heroes, who will stop at nothing to end his target. You instantly know that this one would fight to the death for his ideals, and in this tragic landscape of a former city, that was exactly what had to happen to make him stop. You are hopelessly outmatched. He knows it too, by the way he carries himself so casually, by the way he looks at you like you are nothing but an obstacle in his way.

"I don't know what you want, but you need to leave." You back slowly away with your hands up as you try to convince him you're not a threat. "The rest of my group will be here any minute now." It's a bluff, a large one at that. You don't know how many of your group are left alive or where Katsuki and Shouto are. But it's the only option you have. There is no way you can fight a villain of this caliber on your own, not with your pure support quirk.

"Aww, princess, you're a terrible liar." He tsks at you as he begins to saunter towards you. You back away a few more steps as you make your way to a back exit. You remember where it is even without having to look, having memorized the warehouse hours before you even decided to stay here.

The villain's smirk widens when he sees your body tense, and flames rise to his palm as he lifts his arm. This is it, you're dead, he's far too close for you to dodge the flames that are about to come for you.

But instead, he sends the fire towards something behind you and your blood freezes in your veins as you hear a blood-curdling scream behind you. You whirl around and see another member of your party on fire, but before you can run to him a wall of fire surrounds you, trapping you in with the villain. 

You turn to stare at him in horror, unable to comprehend what is happening. Unable to understand that you just watched someone else you care for die a brutal death.

"Speechless, sweetheart? I know I have that effect on people." 

There is no way out, flames surrounding you on all sides except for where the villain is standing. As you study him one more time, you realize you've heard of someone matching his description before. You sort through all the information you have of known hero hunters, trying to match his flashy appearance with a name. But when your shocked brain supplies it, you almost wish you didn't know.

"I know who you are," you try to sound confident, but your voice lacks power and comes out timid. "You're the League of Villains member, Dabi. The one who attacked the training camp at UA. Known for arsons and murders across the city even before this began." 

This man is one of the League's most elite members, and happily took to the task of hunting down remaining heroes after the catastrophe began. He is well out of your skill range, and even with Katsuki and Shouto, this would be a difficult battle. With you alone, you stand no chance.

"Oh? So nice to be recognized," he grins at you. "I keep killing the stupid ones who don't know me. A little disheartening, I must admit." 

"Where is the rest of my group? Are they - "You can't bring yourself to finish your sentence, to ask the burning question of how many of your friends are still alive.

"Hmm, and what would you say if I told you they're not all dead?" He cocks his head to the side as he stares at you.

"I'd say you're probably lying, or they'll all be dead soon." "

Wrong on the first count, right on the second. Unless…" he drags out the last word, watching your expression as it turns to cautious hope. 

"Unless what?" The words stumble out too quickly, making you seem too eager, and his expression sharpens with amusement to see it.

"Unless you do a little favor for me, doll." A sense of dread crawls up your spine at the thought of doing a favor for the villain standing in front of you, but you feel like you have no other option but to hear him out. At worst, it's something you won't do and you'll die here and there with the rest of your group. At best, it's something you can tolerate and you all live to see another day.

“What's the favor? I'm not saying I'll do it, but I'll hear you out."

"Don't really have much of a choice there, do you?" He rolls his eyes as he waves his hands around to indicate the fire spreading across everything. 

"Just get the fuck on with it," you hiss at him, not wanting to play this little game with him anymore. "Tell me what you want."

His smirk turns dark as he gives you a long, lingering glance up your body. "What I want is you, doll."

Your eyes widen at his words, and you try to think of something, anything else that he could possibly mean by such a statement. But you know deep down exactly what this man wants from you. "I - I don't, I mean…"

"You're acting like a blushing virgin, doll." But he looks surprised when you do blush, eyes shifting away to look at anything but the man standing before you.

He throws his head back and lets out a deep laugh. "You really are a virgin. Fuck, I lucked out finding you, didn't I?"

You want to back away, run, and get out of this situation, but the fire behind you prevents you. So you're forced to simply watch as he begins to approach you, coming to stand far too close for your comfort. He reaches out a burnt hand to cup your chin as he forces you to look up into his eyes. They are even more of a brilliant blue this close, and you can't stop yourself from staring into them.

"What will you do if I say no," your fear preventing you from raising your voice above a whisper. "Then your group dies, simple as that." A casual statement, as if it means nothing for him to wipe out an entire group of innocent people. You begin to tremble at what you know you're about to do. You don't want this, not at all. But you want your group to die even less. What is a little indignity if it secures their safety?

You give a quick nod, not wanting to say the words that mean you agree to this.

His hand goes to your neck as he squeezes, putting enough pressure into the movement that your breath is forced out of you. "Use your words, doll."

Not surprising that he'll be cruel about this, making you utter the words that agree to this proposition despite the fact that you have no real choice in the matter. "I agree."

His grip tightens on your neck again, even harder this time as he doesn't immediately let go. He waits until you reach a hand out to grab his arm, trying to pull it off you before he finally lets go. 

You take a quick gulp of air before talking. "Fine, I'm yours, is that what you want to hear?" You snap the words out at him, fear making you bolder than you should be.

Your question is answered as his hand comes to tangle into your hair, lips crashing into yours as he pulls you roughly into him. He forces his tongue into your mouth as he dominates the kiss, teeth nibbling at your lip as he massages your tongue with his own. It's a sloppy, heated kiss that has drool dripping down your chin when he pulls away, lips already looking red and swollen from his biting.

"God, I am going to enjoy ruining you, doll," he growls into your ear. 

He wraps an arm around your waist and pulls you closer into his body, hand going under your shirt to rub up your back. His hand is almost hot enough to burn, and you try to wiggle away only for him to clamp down harder. He drags you over to a clean area of ground as he shoves you down onto the hard cement, settling in between your thighs.

"You - you want to do this here?" You manage to choke out in shock.

He grinds himself against your core as he laughs. "And why not? Good a place as any." He runs his hands along your sides as he pushes your shirt up, leaning down to kiss the skin around your stomach.

"But - the fire, and what if any of my group comes in -"

His hand glows blue for a split second as he grabs your shirt, burning it off of you and throwing it to the side. "Then I guess they get to see you fucked like the whore you are." He pulls you up enough to place heated kisses along the column of your neck, sucking dark marks into the skin as he continues to grind against your core. 

You pant a bit, feeling like you're burning up yourself as sweat rolls down your body from the heat of the fire and the heat of him. He traces a finger along your bra, a plain white number that you found when you were desperate for new clothes. "Nice bra," he snickers as he unhooks it with one hand, throwing it aside just as casually before taking a breast into his hand. "I should find you something prettier than that." 

He kneads the soft flesh of your breast and tweaks the nipple with his other hand, taking it into his mouth. He sucks just the side of too hard, and you squirm at the slight stab of pain as he grazes it deliberately with his teeth.

"Would you just get on with it already," you snapped, wanting this experience to be over with as quickly as possible so you can move on.

"You agreed, doll," he smirks, "and that means I'm going to take my time with you."

He reaches down to unzip your pants, tugging on them as he looks at you. "Unless you want me to burn these off of you, I'd suggest taking them off."

You quickly raise your hips and wiggle them down a bit, not wanting him to use his fire so close to your skin. It's a bit hard to pull them off, the heat of the room causing you to sweat. Eventually, Dabi gets impatient at your progress and rips them off with one quick movement.

He spreads your legs quickly with one hand as he runs a finger up your clothed sex. You quickly look away from what he's doing, only to feel his palm on your legs get hotter. You snap your eyes back at him as he stares at you with a menacing look.

"Don't you dare look away, doll," he growls, "I want you to watch as I eat this pretty pussy." 

His vulgar words cause a jolt of arousal within you, and you timidly look into his eyes as he pulls your panties to the side. He rubs two fingers up your folds, causing you to let out a small gasp.

"Mmm, doll, you're already so fucking wet for me." Dabi groans as he licks his fingers. "You DO want this, you little hero slut."

"N-n-no, I don't, I really -" But the rest of your sentence is cut off as he dives down in between your legs, licking along your folds as his nose prods against your clit. 

"Oh shit, please stop," you moan as you throw your head backward, trying to ignore how good it feels. But the feeling only gets more intense as he spreads you apart enough to take your throbbing clit into his mouth. You let out a surprised shout, the pleasure of it taking you by surprise as you feel yourself getting wet.

Dabi doesn't mind as he licks up your juices before lashing his tongue against your pearl, slipping a finger into your tight heat at the same time.

"Oh fuck doll, god you're so tight." He works his finger inside of you as he tries to loosen you up, sucking at your clit the entire time and making you feel dizzy with pleasure. You can't stop your panting, hips bucking almost against your will as you try to seek the feeling you sense building up inside you.

"I bet you've never had someone do this to you, huh?" He slips another finger inside of you, this one going in easily because of how wet you're becoming. You whine at the feeling of his fingers scissoring inside you, opening you up so that he can slip a third finger inside. This time, the feeling stings as he forces his finger past the tight ring of muscles at your entrance. You can't stop yourself from clamping down on his fingers, trying to push them out.

He pumps three fingers inside of you as he takes your clit back into his mouth, curling his fingers inside of you until he finds that sensitive spot that has you writhing against him. He slams into that spot over and over again as you feel waves of pleasure building. You don't want to cum, you really don't. Not for this man who is forcing you into this. But you don't seem to have a choice in the matter.

"Fuck, I know you're close doll," he lifts up just enough to whisper, the vibration of his words only causing more pleasure against your throbbing clit. "Don't fight it, just cum for me." His fingers increase their pace even more, pounding his fingers inside of you against that spot that has you seeing stars. "I want you to cum all over my tongue."

Your legs are shaking from trying to hold off against the pleasure, but as he grazes his teeth lightly across your throbbing clit, you squeal as you finally reach your end. Your walls flutter around him as you feel liquid gush out of your cunt. Dabi happily laps it all up like a starved man as he lengthens your orgasm, refusing to stop his fingers from moving inside of you. 

When he pulls away, you feel ashamed to see that his mouth is coated with your juices. "Taste yourself, doll, don't you taste delicious?" He chuckles as you try to get away, simply forcing his tongue into your mouth. 

He lifts up to undress himself, pulling his jacket and shirt off and revealing a scarred but toned chest. His pants are next to go as he unzips and pulls them off quickly, revealing his lack of underwear when his cock is pulled free from his pants. He is an average length, but girthy with a bead of precum already leaking from the tip. Even more concerning for you are the metal studs that run down his length and a Prince Albert piercing at the head of his cock.

You shiver in fear at the thought of those piercings rubbing against your insides, but it also sends a bolt of arousal straight to your pussy. You quickly glance away, not wanting to look any longer. But Dabi doesn't appreciate you looking away from him. He reaches out to grab your chin, digging his fingers in as he turns your face to his. "You like what you see doll," he whispers, reaching down to pump his cock a few times with a closed fist. "Because this is about to be inside that wet cunt of yours."

You blush furiously at the vulgarity of his words, but you don't dare to look away from him. "You can stop here," you plead in a quiet voice, "you don't have to continue." 

"Mmmm, but I want to continue." He grabs your legs as he drags you closer to him, pulling a gasp from your throat as your back is scraped across the cement. He settles himself firmly in between your legs as you feel something prodding at your entrance. "You have no idea how much I want this, doll. Ruining a little hero like you is a chance I can't pass up." He drags his length down your folds as he gathers up your juices to lubricate himself, and the feeling of one of his piercings rubbing against your sensitive clit has you letting out a small moan.

"See, doll?" He grins darkly as he spreads you open with one hand and begins to push in slowly. "Don't try to deny it, you want this. Ahh fuck," he hisses at the feeling of his cockhead breaching your entrance, "god, you're so damned tight."

You let out a whine as you feel him slide in, little by little, into your throbbing cunt. It hurts a bit more than you expected, and you throw your hands up to his chest to try and slow him down. But he simply laughs as he makes a small but hard movement to thrust himself even further into you. You let out a little whimper, head lolling to the side as you try to ignore the pain.

He finally bottoms out inside you before stilling for a second, his legs shaking with the need to be moving inside of you already. You're surprised that he paused at all to let you get used to his size. But your gratefulness vanishes quickly as you feel him grab your hips, shifting into a position that allows him to enter you even deeper. You squirm in pain as you feel him press right against your cervix.

"Am I too rough, little hero?" He mocks as he begins to thrust into you, tearing a small scream from you at the pace that is too quick to be entirely comfortable. "I want this tight little cunt of yours to be sore for days once I'm done with you." His hand runs up and down your body as he fucks you, feeling so hot that you feel like you're on fire. Your skin is drenched with sweat at the heat of his body and the fire still blazing around you. Even the cock pounding away at your throbbing cunt feels too hot. But the piercings dragging against your inner walls are cold, and the contrast in temperature has you moaning unintentionally, feeling pleasure despite yourself.

"That's a good little hero, moan for me." He reaches down to tweak your aching clit between his fingers as he pulls you up just enough to plant open mouthed kisses down your neck and chest. "I want you to cum around my cock, doll, think you can do that for me?" 

"N-n-no," you choke back another moan, "I'm not gonna cum for you, you bastard." But you feel the telltale tightening of your lower abdomen, feel the throbbing of your clit like a heartbeat at the need for orgasm. 

"Is that so?" His smirk turns vicious. "Guess I'll just have to try harder then, won't I?" You scream as his hand between your bodies gets hotter, two fingers rubbing tight circles around your clit. He begins to change the angle that he's thrusting, watching your reaction closely as he seeks that sensitive spot inside you. He chuckles darkly when he finds it, pulling a loud squeal from your throat as he begins to aim for it mercilessly.

The slap of skin against skin becomes louder, balls smacking against your ass as his fingers rub against your clit even faster. Your cunt clenches down around his cock, and you let out a choked sob as his piercings grind even harder against your inner walls, catching on that sensitive patch inside you. 

"Please, fuck," you plead with the villain, not knowing if you're begging him to stop or never to stop. "Please, I need -"

"I know what you need, doll," he hisses out a curse as your pussy contracts around his cock again, lewd wet noises filling the room. "You need to cum, don't you, babygirl?"

When you don't respond, his fingers lashing against your clit suddenly come to a complete stop. "Tell me, is that what you want," he snarls into your ear before trailing lower to sink teeth into your neck.

“God, please yes, I need to cum" you sob out, wrapping your arms around the villain pounding you into submission as you trail your nails down his back. "Dabi, please -'

His fingers instantly go back to your clit, grinding hard against the sensitive bead as he continues to suck bruises into your neck. "Then cum for me, doll, cum all over this cock."

As if on command, you're thrown over the edge, screaming out your orgasm as your cunt flutters around his cock. He doesn't slow down, continuing to move his hips as he fucks you through your orgasm. Tears are running down your face from the overstimulation, chest heaving as you try to catch your breath. 

"Too much," you gasp out as you try to catch your breath, "it's too much."

"Aww, doll, would you be that cruel," he tries to taunt you before cutting his sentence off with a choked curse. Fuck, your cunt is squeezing me so hard, fucking shit."

He no longer cares about your pleasure, wrapping your legs around his waist, thrusts going erratic as he seeks his end. You're so oversensitive that you feel another orgasm building up directly after your last one, and you wail as you feel liquid splash out of you and onto Dabi's chest.

"Fuck yes, good girl," he grunts, "squirt all over my cock as I fill you up."Your eyes widen in shock and alarm as you furiously shake your head. "No, shit Dabi please not inside, I'm not - "

But it's too late, the look on Dabi's face turning into an evil smirk as he locks his hips in place. He lets out a deep groan as you feel thick ropes of cum coat your inner walls, almost burning you with how hot it is. It seems to take forever until he stops cumming inside of you, and tears run down your face as what just happened comes crashing over you.

He pulls out of you with a sigh, sitting up as he looks down at you. "You make such a pretty sight, all fucked out and dripping my cum like a little slut."

You shiver at his words, looking away so he doesn't see how his words send a thrill through your still tired body. You sit up slowly, wincing as you feel how sore you are between your legs. "That's it then, I'm free to go and my group is safe, right?"

He doesn't answer immediately, choosing to dress as slowly as possible with a look on his face that says he's considering the question. "Hmm, I don't recall saying you're free to go."

Your veins turn to ice as you stare at him in confusion, desperately hoping you're misunderstanding. But a deep, dark part of you tells you this is no joke, no misunderstanding. Tells you that you were stupid to trust a villain. "But that was the deal, that my group would be safe and we'd all be free to go."

"Ehh, I changed my mind." You're rendered speechless at the casual tone to his voice, as if he were telling you what the weather was.

"You - what the fuck do you mean, you changed your mind?" Your rage is blinding, leaving your vision to turn red and fury to boil the blood in your veins. You leap up, ignoring all the aches and pains of your body as you rush at Dabi. "Do you mean you're going to kill them?"

He seems unphased by your outburst, merely choosing to laugh at you. "I mean, dear old Shouto is probably already dead."

Your hand flies up to your mouth to stop the scream bubbling up in your throat. "You're lying," your voice comes out barely above a whisper. You shake your head repeatedly, backing up away from Dabi as if to ward off his next words.

"Go see for yourself then." He barely finishes pointing towards one of the exits to the warehouse before you're off, door slamming behind you as you hope and pray that he's lying, that it isn't true. 

But it is now fully dark outside, and you're unable to see where you're going. You're in too much of a blind panic to care though, continuing in the direction you think you may find something and not caring about the dangers. You come to an abrupt halt as one foot slips out from under you, causing you to land roughly on your butt. 

Your hand lands in something sticky, and you raise it to your face as you try to determine what it is. It's so dark in this area with the power cut off that you can't make out anything besides a mysterious substance. But then a blue flame catches a nearby trash pile on fire, and the blazing light from the flames illuminates the area.

As you slowly look at your hand again, you don't want to acknowledge what's there. Your brain tries to stop you from processing the truth, but it happens anyway. With sharp clarity, you recognize that your hands are covered with blood. That's when the smell comes in, the entire area reeking of iron and smoke. 

But the thing that catches your mind the most, that makes you want to scream and never stop screaming, is the body that you see at your feet. Shouto Todoroki, the man you saw just hours earlier, full of life and willing to risk everything to protect you and your group. The man who now lays lifeless at your feet, sightless eyes staring into the sky at nothing. His complexion already looks ashen, and you reach out gingerly to touch him only to realize that he's still warm. This must have been recent, you think.

"Wondering how long he's been dead, doll?" You were so absorbed in staring at Shouto that you didn't even hear Dabi approach. 

You slowly nod your head, not able to trust your voice.

"Oh, he was hanging on to life when I found you earlier, doll," Dabi's smile widens into a truly devastating smirk."No no no no no, that can't be the case, it's not true, you're lying, you have to be -" You can't stop the words from tumbling one after the over. You want this all to be a horrific nightmare, but you know this is reality. And you know deep down that Dabi isn't lying this time.

You glance down at the body - no, Shouto, not the body, never the body - and you notice there is wetness on his face. You wonder when it started raining, until you see another droplet hit Shouto's face. You reach your hand numbly up to your face to realize that you're crying, not even realizing when you started. 

You feel nausea churning up in your stomach, and you barely stop yourself from throwing up. Hot shame courses through your veins at the thought that while he was dying, hoping for help, you were in there - 

Dabi appears in your field of vision as he kneels beside you to peer at your face. "Ohh, that look on your face. Guess you realized the truth, huh? That you were getting off around my cock while my poor, sad little brother was out here dying."

"Brother?!" You're surprised you're able to say anything at all, but the word spills out before you can even stop it."Yeah, brother," he scoffs with disdain. "I was the black sheep of the Todoroki family, the one that got discarded. Always said I'd get my revenge, but I never thought it would be so satisfying."

You know some of the missing persons cases, having researched some of them yourself while you were a student. So you're able to supply the true name of the man in front of you with relative ease. "Touya, you're Touya Todoroki, aren't you?"

"I'm not that man anymore." The villain looks surprised at you knowing that name, although you can't tell if he's impressed or angry. "Just call me Dabi, dollface."

"If all you wanted was revenge, then why your brother? He suffered too," you fail to choke back a sob. The pain of knowing that someone went through so much only to end up like this pushes you into more despair than you thought possible.

Dabi simply shrugs his shoulders. "I already killed dear old dad when this began. It wasn't enough."

This is news to you. Although you never personally cared for Endeavor, the fact of the matter is that he was the number two, and then the number one hero. His loss would be a massive blow to whatever surviving hero community was left. "What about the others then? The other heroes, what happened to them?"

"Your little group really was ignorant, weren't you? Don't you know the truth? You have to suspect it, at least."

You lose your patience and snap at him. "How the fuck would I know what happened to the hero community? I wasn't there!"

"Well then, I'll let you in on a little secret, doll." He leans in towards you as if whispering a juicy secret. "There IS no hero community left. That damned hand freak won."

Pure chaos swirls through your brain. All along, your little group hoped to one day reclaim the city. Reclaim hero society, build it back up to be even better. But maybe it still wasn't all for nothing, perhaps if a hero had taken Shigaraki out, things could still be okay. 

You stare closely at his face as you ask the next question. "And Shigaraki?" 

"If you're asking how he's doing, then I can tell you he's doing just fine. Alive and well in his little den of filth within the city." He cracks up, laughing at the look on your face. 

Everything was hopeless. Everything and everyone you loved, dead and gone. The villains won, Shigarkai was alive, and Shouto was lying dead at your feet. Bakugou was probably dead as well, and you can't muster up the courage to ask the truth. 

You cover your ears with your hands as you rock back and forth, trying to ward off all of the information coming at you. But Dabi takes your hands into his as he pulls you into his lap. "Shh, shhh," he tucks a strand of hair behind your ear. "You still have me, now don't you doll?"

You whimper as you curl your face into his chest, trembling with unshed tears that no longer want to come. "Yes, I do." As sick and fucked up as it is, it's not a lie. He truly is all you have left.

"And you want to stay with me, don't you?" He whispers his poisonous words directly into your ear, all the while rubbing comforting circles along your back as he holds you like a child.

"I do want to stay with you, Dabi." Another horrifying truth. 

"Such a good girl." He kisses along your face and forehead, cooing at you in such a mocking way that it makes you feel sick to your stomach. "My good little girl, aren't you?"

You give an empty nod at his words. This is fine, you think. You'll be fine. It's better than wandering the wastelands alone, better to have someone to talk to. No matter what he wants you to do, no matter what you end up becoming at his side. It's still better than being alone. And as one last tear falls down your face, you cuddle up into his arms, close your eyes and pretend you believe it.

~~~~

Tags: @trafalgar-temptress​, @thewheezingwyvern, @animewh0re, @dee-madwriter, @lildreamer93, @tamakisprincess, @yaoyorozuwrites, @redbeanteax, @kittygonyan, @bat-eclecticwolfbouquet-love, @daedaep69, @heyybrittannia, @groovydreamertrash, @hisoknen, @chou-maitresse, @shoutogepi, @k-atsukidayo, @gallickingun, @togasknifes, @kingtamakimurder, @1-800-callmekatsuki

#dabi x reader #dabi smut #bnha x reader #bnha smut #mha x reader #mha smut #yandere bnha #yandere dabi #tw: dubcon #tw: coercion #tw: yandere #bnharem collab

[teenage-mutant-ninja-freak]

For the mob! Turtles, how would the boys react if thier S/O caught them cheating on them? What would they do to get them back? P. S I love your work❤❤

oof a sore subject here

Mob! Leo

The least likely to cheat by far

but that doesn’t mean he won’t

you found out because he told you

he sat you down and admitted what he had done, ready to receive any punishment you saw fit

but still willing to fight for the relationship

you ask him why and he tells you “I don’t have a good answer. Opportunity? they threw themselves at me and I- I was weak. I gave in to all their compliments and flirty looks. I couldn’t help myself. But I’ll be better, by god I’ll be better if this ever happens again”

it’s not the answer you wanted, but it’s honest

he gets down on his knees and he’s a proud man so this is a lot for him

he rests his head on your knees and tells you that if you’ll have him, he’ll make it up to you

you say yes

he takes days off of work, barely giving his brothers a reason other than “this is more important to me”

adorns you in every beautiful outfit your heart desires, buys you flowers and wines and everything you want

he dotes on you to no end

eventually you forgive him, but it still stings every time a new person gives him *that* look and he smiles at the flattery of it

Mob! Raph

it’s not hard to figure out what happened

he’s drunk as he often is when he gets home

smells like another person and his flies are undone

it’s also written all over his face, how he can;t make eye contact with you or look at you at all, really

you get so angry with him

yelling, throwing things, accusations and more

eventually he caves and admits to it, telling you every detail to upset you because he’s hurt that he hurt you

all he knows is how to attack

that is until the net morning

he brings you breakfast in bed, your favourite, with a little flower that he picked from the garden for you

he strokes your cheek to wake you up

tells you how stunning you are, even in your sleepy half awake state

you want to talk about last night but he cuts you off

“a fresh start, how about that?”

you agree

he doesn’t so much make it up to you as just makes you forget about it

but ignorance is bliss sometimes

Mob! Mikey

Mikey would pretty much never cheat, but lets just say that he has

he would tell you, for sure

come running to you, tears streaming his face and barely able to get the words out

he knows how badly he’s fucked up and he can’t forgive himself for it

he throws himself at your mercy

your heart almost breaks for him, he hates himself more than you could ever hate him

but he more than makes it up to you

that trip you’ve always wanted to take but he never had time for? he makes time

long bubble baths with him

apologising every day

buys you everything you want including that new furry friend you were never allowed before

he’s attentive and there for you and ready to serve and please you

within a week you forget his transgression because he’s just so perfect to you

you don’t want to give up what yo uhave for one mistake

Mob! Donnie

Oh he won’t tell you, there’s no way he’s admitting a single fault that he has

but you saw him, kissing someone else and you knew it had been going on for a while

so you confront him

but he makes it sound so reasonable

“it was just business. I sleep with them, they don;t rat us out. it’s nothing personal, I didn’t think you needed to know”

then he turns on you

“do you want me to go to jail?”

you say there must be other ways to keep them silent other than sleeping with them, a threat or some dirt you have on them

he treats you like you’re a sulking child at first but quickly realises that you’re not going to let this go this easily

he goes quiet for a moment.

“I thought you wouldn’t care. That you didn’t love me enough to give a damn if I was cheating”

this is always his way, emotional manipulation, but something in him seems sincere so you believe that he;s telling the truth

after that, he’s easier on you

more forgiving of your mistakes and trespasses 

he holds you a little longer and smells your hair as if you’re the only one he’s ever loved

tells you how much you mean to him before he leaves you for work each day

he touches your body like you’re made of the rarest jewels he’s ever seen

it’s small, but it means a lot that you can see that he’s trying

most of all, he breaks off the affair on speakerphone in front of you

tells them that it was a meaningless fling and they meant nothing to him which hurts them but you feel sort of righteous is hearing it

when he kisses you that night before bed, he whispers how he could never love anything more than you, and he means it

#the mob! boys #the mob boys #mob! donnie #mob donnie #mob! mikey #mob mikey #mob! raph #mob raph #mob! leo #mob leo #cheating #caught cheating

[teacupfulofstarshine]

fly high!!

summary: logan has carried the nickname of "ice king" with him since middle school. he has never successfully meshed with a team before. his opponents think him incapable of growth.

his opponents are wrong, and their mistakes carry a heavy price.

(OR: a haikyuu!! au; one game featuring logan the genius setter and his team)

a/n: rewatched haikyuu!! got inspired. here's 3.5k! HUGE huge thank you to josie ( @flamingfawkes ) for beta reading! title comes from haikyuu!! s2 opening 2

CW: trash-talking, insults, minor injury/blood mention, references to past mistakes, making assumptions based on past actions, swearing, nonspecific v-mit mention

wordcount: ~3.5k

read it on ao3!!!

“Hey, isn’t that the crazy setter from that middle school tournament last year?”

“Yeah, they called him the Ice King!”

“Whoa, what a cool nickname!”

“Not so cool if you’re on the court with him. I hear his teammates kicked him out of his last game because he’s incapable of being a team player.”

“No wonder he ended up at that garbage school - I bet none of the good schools would take him!”

“How stupid does that team have to -”

“Hey!” Remus barks loudly, jerking his chin up and leering at the suddenly-terrified players. “You got somethin’ to say about my teammate, you absolute rat bastard -”

“Remus!” Thomas grabs the libero by his collar and picks him up like a drowned cat. “I apologize for my teammate. He gets a bit . . . overzealous at times. Remus, apologize.”

“Go to hell!” Remus says cheerfully, twisting around to try and lick Thomas’s arm. Thomas drops him in disgust, but Remus lands like a cat and rolls to his feet, bouncing away with a cackle.

“What was that all about?” Roman asks. Remus takes his bag back and slings it over his shoulder, looking up at his twin. “I thought we talked about causing trouble at tournaments - they’re going to kick you out, and we don’t have a backup libero anymore.”

“People were being assholes about Logan. You think I can just let that slide?” Remus bares his teeth, and Roman levels a glare at the opposing players.

“Oh, well in that case,” he mutters, pushing up his sleeves. Before either of them can respond, Logan reaches out and grips their shoulders.

“Please do not get into fights on my account.”

“Well, it’s not like you’re not going to get in them on your own account, are you?” Remus says. “You can pretend you don’t have feelings all you want, Logan, I know the shit they say bothers you.” Logan flinches, just barely, and Remus reaches up to pat at his shoulder. “You’re not alone anymore, Logan. You don’t have to fight these battles on your own. We’re not going to let them shit-talk you and get away with it.”

“I might not be as willing to fistfight people for your honor as my deviant brother over here, but I know for a fact that the whole team shares his sentiments. You’re not the person you were in that middle school tournament.” Roman places his hand over Logan’s, and Logan offers him a small smile.

“Are we fighting people?” Janus asks. “Remus, darling, you know we’re not supposed to do that in uniform. What if you get blood on it? I know you didn’t pack a spare, and I won’t have time to launder it before our game. Besides, you know better than to make threats where there are witnesses with recording equipment present.”

Remus slips out of Logan’s grip and bounces off towards the court, chattering idly to Janus and waving his hands around. Thomas turns back to them, setting a hand on Logan’s shoulder.

“You okay?"

“I am adequate.”

“Not what he asked you,” Roman says, shoulder-checking Logan as they keep walking.

“I know what people say about me. I am aware of the toll my past behaviors took on my working relationships with my team. I am . . . working to be better than I was, but I am not sure I have made much progress.”

“You’re already loads better than you were,” Roman says. “You’ve got a great eye for tosses, and you’re learning to talk to the rest of us. We’re getting there. We are.”

Logan blinks, looking back and forth. “Where’s Virgil?”

“Probably in the bathroom, trying not to throw up.” Logan looks alarmed, which is to say that his eyes widen slightly. “Don’t worry, he usually doesn’t. He just has nerves that get the better of him, so he takes some alone time in the bathroom to calm himself down.”

Virgil rejoins them at the doors of the gymnasium, looking pale and faintly green. “You okay?” Thomas asks. Virgil nods, winding a stray lock of hair around his finger. “It’s gonna be alright. You’ve been working on that pinch serve for how long now?”

“Months, but it could still go wrong, it -”

“It won’t. You’re called a pinch server for a reason, Virgil. We bring you in when we’re in a pinch.”

“Which puts even more pressure on me to not mess up!”

“You will be fine,” Logan says. He turns around, peering at Virgil through his sports glasses. “I have faith in you. You are more than your serves - you are also an excellent blocker with swift reflexes. You are a multi-purpose tool, and I will utilize you to the best of my ability.”

Virgil stares at him, mouth slightly open, and Logan blinks, leaning back, eyebrows creasing. “Was - that an insensitive remark? I meant no disrespect.”

Virgil blinks at him, once, and then laughs, gently socking Logan in the arm. “Maybe other people would have found it insensitive, but I found it comforting. Thanks, Lo.” Logan crinkles his eyes and curves the corner of his mouth up, gently bonking his forehead against Virgil’s shoulder.

*~*~*~*~*

“I’m sorry!” Roman sprints across the court and pulls Janus to his feet. “I hit you in the face, are you alright?”

“I’ll never recover,” Janus says, rubbing his face. “Am I bleeding?”

“Not that I can see.”

“Still have all my teeth?”

“Yep.”

“Then I’ll be fine.”

“You really gotta get better at receives, Jan!” Remus laughs.

“And why would I do that when I have my darling libero looking out for me?” Remus grins, pleased, and Janus ruffles his hair fondly.

“Can you please not be gross with my brother right the fuck in front of me?”

Janus raises a single eyebrow at him before leaning down and very deliberately sliding his tongue into Remus’s mouth. “What the fuck, I officially retract my apology for hitting you in the face, I’m done, I’m leaving, goodbye -”

“That’s an . . . unusual warmup strategy,” the opposing captain tells Thomas.

“They’re unusual players,” Thomas says.

*~*~*~*~*

“Thomas, nice serve!”

Thomas spins the ball between his hands, takes a deep breath, tosses it in the air, slams it forward. “Damn it - straight to their libero!”

“It’s a quick from the left! Janus, that’s you -”

“On it!”

“Nice one-touch - pick it up!”

“Remus -”

“Got it!”

Logan turns, runs, leaps up into position, scans over the team. Where are the blockers - where are the spikers - what’s the position - who can he use - what can he do -

“Logan, to the ace!”

“Number two, number two!”

Roman jumps on the left, Janus on the right, and coming from the back row - the pipe, he can do it, where is Thomas, he’s running from the back, he’s in the air, twist lift and set -

Thomas slams it straight past the opposing blockers and hits cleanly. The referee blows her whistle, and the score changes. One point in their favor.

“Logan, I wanted a toss!” Roman complains. Logan squints at him - is he really upset? No, his eyes are crinkled like when he laughs at Remus’s stupid jokes, and he shows Logan a thumbs-up.

“You can have the next one,” Logan says.

“Telegraphing your next move so loudly? I guess the Ice King has lost his touch,” Number Eight calls. Remus begins snarling from the back row, but Logan turns a cool stare at his opponent.

“I have more than one weapon in my arsenal.”

Number Eight scoffs, but Logan just turns away. “Thomas,” he says. Thomas looks at him, and Logan lifts his hands, signing quickly. Setter-back-row. Aim-receive-9. Thomas nods, taking the volleyball again.

Remy touches Emile’s shoulder gently. When he turns to look, Remy nods at Logan and Thomas. “What is he saying?”

Emile turns more fully towards him. “Their setter is in the back row. He’s not allowed to move to the front row until after the serve, so there’s a moment of confusion where he has to run in front of someone. If you aim a serve correctly, there’s a delay, which can mess up even the strongest receiver.”

Sure enough, the setter darts in front of Number Nine, and the receive goes flying out of bounds.

“He really is something else, isn’t he?” Remy asks.

“Logan? Yeah, he’s got great analytical skills, and they’re fast to boot. His problem is communication, but this team . . . it’s not gonna let him get away with being silent for long.”

Thomas serves again, and they receive it more cleanly. The set goes up, the spike goes down, and Remus dives to catch it. “Nice receive!” Logan moves into position, his hands go up, Roman gets into position and jumps, the blockers move in front of him, and Logan shifts at the last second and dumps the ball right in front of the net.

Number Eight glares at him again. Logan stares back impassively. “Was that supposed to impress me, Ice King?"

“Was that supposed to intimidate me . . .” Is Logan supposed to insult him back? How would Remus insult him? He will never understand the art of trash talking someone. “For someone playing a team sport, you seem to be incredibly self-centered right now.”

Number Eight scoffs at him and turns away; Logan just blinks.

“Was he trying to insult me?” he asks Roman.

“Probably,” Roman says.

“Oh. Was I supposed to insult him back?”

Roman grins at him, sharp and bloodthirsty. “Let your tosses insult that pesky motherfucker. Don’t be afraid to rely on me to help you, hmm?”

Logan nods. “As you wish.”

Remus has to dive for the next receive, and it comes off-kilter. “Sorry!”

Nothing to apologize for, Logan thinks. You got the ball in the air. That’s all I need. 

Roman slams the ball past two blockers without even trying.

*~*~*~*~*

They take the first set narrowly, 25-20. Their opponents attack with a vengeance in the second set, and it isn’t long before the player-swap whistle blows and Virgil steps up to serve.

Logan hands him the ball; their fingers overlap. Virgil looks at him, and Logan looks back, crinkling his eyes. “You can do this,” he says, voice low. “They underestimate you the way they underestimate me. I can see it in their eyes. Show them why that is a mistake.”

Virgil blinks at him, taking the ball. “You got it, Lo.”

“What’s he gonna do?” Number Eight laughs. Logan returns to his front line position next to Janus.

“You know, you really run your mouth quite a bit for someone who has yet to show me anything truly impressive,” Janus drawls. Number Eight looks like he wants to flip him off, but before he can, Virgil serves.

“It’s out!”

Number Eight smirks, chin up, but Logan doesn’t look at him. He keeps watching the ball as it travels, travels, wavers, wobbles, and drops to the court, just within the line.

The opposing team turns to stare in shock as the whistle blows.

“Nice serve!” Remus and Roman yell, sprinting over to slap their hands against Virgil’s in victory.

“I knew all that practice was gonna pay off!”

“You’re amazing!”

“Guys, it’s just one point,” Virgil says, rubbing the back of his neck. His face has a pleased flush.

“It’s one more point than we had!” Remus says. “One point is the beginning - it’s all we need! Now go out and get us one more!”

Virgil serves, again and again, and racks up three more points before the opposing team figures out what to do with his jump float serve.

*~*~*~*~*

Not all blocks are equal, Janus thinks. The goal is not always to shut the ball down. Sometimes, a wall is not possible. 

Janus is not a tall middle blocker; he isn’t nearly as short as Remus is, but he’s only average height. He cannot shut down the opposing spikers the way that someone else might. He hears what people say when they see him take position.

How can he possibly be a middle blocker with that height?

Aim for the middle, he’s too short to make any difference!

Even if he jumps, he can’t stop you!

They are all fools.

Janus does not need to stop a ball to block effectively.

He jumps, and Number Six smirks at him, aiming right for him. Janus can see Remus moving behind him from the corner of his eye, and he smirks right back at Number Six.

I don’t have to stop your spike to shut you down. 

He shifts his fingers, and the ball bounces off of them. “A soft block?!” Number Six shouts. Janus hears the ball make contact with Remus’s forearms, and he’s running when he lands. By the time Logan’s hands are in the air, Janus is all the way at the other side of the net, and he swings his hand as though he’s going to slam the ball down. Number Six jumps in front of him, snarling, and Janus shifts to the tips of his fingers again and feints.

The ball drops to the court just behind Number Six, the referee’s whistle blows, and Janus lands. “Was the toss alright?” Logan asks, jogging over. “Do you need me to make any adjustments for you?” Janus notices the way his eyes widen, as though he’s afraid he’ll get yelled at, and he smiles. It’s genuine; despite the popular misconception, he is capable of those.

“It was wonderful,” he says. “Nice toss, Logan.”

Logan smiles up at him. “Nice feint!”

“Damn it!” Number Six shouts. Janus turns to him and smiles with all his teeth, no mirth behind it.

You underestimate me at your own peril.

*~*~*~*~*

Their opponents call a time-out, and Logan grabs his water bottle. Remus slaps him on the back before he has a chance to take a sip. “Logan!”

Logan turns, startled, and Remus grins up at him. “You’re on the back row when we go in, right?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t run forward.”

“What?”

“Don’t move forward to set. Focus on getting the cleanest possible receive you can, okay? Just get it into the air.”

“If I receive, I cannot set,” Logan says. “I do not understand.”

Remus drops his grin, showing Logan his ‘I’m-being-serious’ hand sign. “I know you’re a genius setter, but trust me, Logan. My brother and I have a trick or two up our sleeves. It’ll be okay.”

Logan blinks at him. “I am unsure of this plan.” Remus just keeps watching him. “However . . . I trust you. I trust my team. If you say that you can handle it, then you can.” Remus grins at him, holding up his hands for a high ten. Logan tucks his bottle between his legs and high-tens him back.

Before they step back onto the court, Remus grabs Roman’s wrist. “Wh -”

“I told Logan to focus on receiving this next spike.” Roman turns to look at him.

“What the hell - why would you do that?”

“He’s all the way in the back row! And it must be tiring, setting all those balls one after another. Don’t you think it’s Wonder Twin time?” Roman’s expression changes from angry to joyous in an instant.

“You know what? You’re absolutely right.”

The serve comes in, and Logan shifts into a receiving stance. Remus and Roman make eye contact across the court, and Roman’s eyes flick to the left. Remus nods. Logan receives the ball cleanly. “Nice receive!”

“Their setter received it!” Number Two yells. “They’re limited!”

Not on my watch, motherfucker, Remus grins. He sprints forward, touches down right in front of the attack line, jumps, twists, and lifts his hands. Roman heads for the left, all three blockers surge up to meet him, and then he pivots and sprints to the center. Remus tosses, Roman jumps, and the ball slams down onto the opponent’s court.

Remus, who isn’t used to being in the air, lands on his ass, but he rolls to his feet quickly. “Take that, you son of a -”

“Remus!” Thomas snaps. Roman sprints back and gives him a high ten, grinning, and Logan looks at him.

“You can set?”

“I’m better at receiving, and I’m not really tall enough to play any position other than libero. But that doesn’t mean you’ve seen my whole bag of tricks! I can set in a pinch, as long as I jump from behind that attack line, but I really only practice setting for Roman, so I don’t do it for anyone else.”

Logan blinks, and then his face breaks out into a wide, unrestrained grin, one hand flapping rapidly at his side. “You’re so cool!” he bursts. “That’s amazing, that’s so so cool!”

Remus grins, flushing under the praise. “I know! I am amazing, aren’t I? Marvel at my power!”

“Don’t compliment him like you mean it, Logan, he’s gonna get a big head!” Roman scolds. Remus sticks his tongue out, and Logan laughs.

*~*~*~*~*

Logan lifts his hands to the back of his head, like he’s covering it against the serve. He shifts his fingers to signal: synchronized attack.

The serve goes up, clean receive, which means the most likely course is -

“Center attack!” Logan shouts. Number Three scoffs as his center straight comes down right against Remus’s waiting hands.

“It’s all yours, Logan!”

All four of them move in unison - Virgil, Janus, Roman, Thomas, all running forward in unison. Logan shifts, watches the confusion of the blockers, lifts his hands. The toss that will work the best, the toss that can score a point, the spiker who will carry the momentum of this match is -

“Watch out, it’s number 13!”

Virgil slams a cut shot across three blockers and scores without breaking a sweat. “Unlucky,” he smirks, fistbumping Janus.

*~*~*~*~*

The second set comes to a deuce, and they call a time out. “We need to gain a two-point lead to take this match, but don’t get so caught up in the idea of the next point that you miss the one in front of you. Keep your focus in the moment, not the future. Understand?”

“Yes!”

Logan tosses the ball into the air, jumps, and serves. As the other team receives, he grabs Roman’s shirt. “Roman, instead of a wall, try an umbrella!”

“What?”

Roman’s eyes widen in recognition as they jump to block the spike, deflecting it towards the back. “Remus!” Thomas shouts.

“I got it - it’s up!”

“Roman!” Logan shouts, turning to set.

“Thanks for the heads-up, Ice King!” Number Eight laughs. All three blockers converge on Roman, who jumps and bounces the ball off the block.

“What?!”

“A rebound?!”

“Remus, pick it up!” Roman shouts.

“I got it!”

“Come on, let’s go!”

Roman and Janus jump at the net, but Logan is already setting for the pipe. Thomas jumps from the back, slams the ball past the block, and scores.

“Nice kill!”

“You couldn’t use lingo that’s a little more clear next time?” Roman complains

“Why would I need to? You understood what I meant, didn’t you?”

Roman ruffles his hair, and Logan swats at his arm. “Hey, that hurts, don’t do that!” Roman just laughs and keeps going.

*~*~*~*~*

The rally has been going for almost two minutes now, the ball constantly in the air, and the exhaustion is setting in. They have the lead by one point, and they only need one more to take the match. “Come on, come on!”

“They’re gonna use the ace! Cover Number Three!”

Roman jumps, Logan’s hands go up, the blockers move to cover Roman, and Logan dumps the ball. Number Ten dives for it, but it drops to the ground right in front of him.

They take their second set, and the match, 26-24.

*~*~*~*~*

Patton tucks his manager notebook into his bag and starts handing out water bottles. “You were all amazing! Logan, I think that’s the most you’ve communicated in a match, and it really showed!”

Logan takes the water bottle, nodding. “It took me a while to learn how to communicate most effectively with my teammates. I was trying to carry the entire weight of the team on my shoulders as the setter. But I . . . am not the only one on my team thinking. I can give options, and trust that they will utilize those options effectively.”

“That’s right!” Remus crows, slapping his back. “We have brains too, Logan!”

“The rest of us, maybe. You? Debatable,” Virgil says. Remus immediately tackles him to the court.

“Are you trying to injure me?” Virgil shrieks. Roman rolls his eyes and sighs.

“I do not know how you put up with him on a regular basis, I truly do not,” Logan sighs.

“It’s a miracle I haven’t suffocated him in his sleep, it really is.”

*~*~*~*~*

The bus ride home is quiet. “I’m sorry,” Logan says.

Virgil passes him an earbud. “What do you mean?”

“I did not toss to you nearly as much as I have in previous and practice games when you were on the court.”

“No need to apologize for that, man. I wasn’t in as much as normal, and you utilized the rest of the team to the best of your ability. And we won, didn’t we? I’m not offended, I’m not gonna break up with you over it.”

Logan smiles, and Virgil tilts his head to press a gentle kiss to his cheek. “Take your post-tournament nap, Popsicle. We gotta build up our strength for tomorrow.”

Logan puts the earbud in, leans his head against Virgil’s shoulder; Virgil leans against him in turn, and they’re asleep before the bus crests the next hill.

#starshinewrites #sanders sides #logan sanders #virgil sanders #roman sanders #remus sanders #janus sanders #thomas sanders #platonic TDRLAP #platonic creativitwins #background analogical #background dukeceit

[teenwolffanclub-me]

Season 2, Episode 3: Ice Pick

Pairing: Stiles x Psychic!Reader

Notes: okay we finally have some ✨relationship development✨ and I hope you’re as excited as I am :-)

Tag list: @that-winged-rat @trustfundparker @rainbow-unicorn69 @good-vibes-and-glitter​ @x-give-em-hell-kid-x​ @prevostsasha​  @bobo-bush

                                                       ————————

“I’m telling you, it was like a-a big...lizard or something.”

I blinked slowly, trying to comprehend the words she was saying through the buzzing of the cafeteria. Allison’s eyes widened, as if only then realizing how crazy that sounded. She quickly diverted her attention to Scott, who sat beside her, and bumped her shoulder into his.

He cleared his throat, glancing around the table and squirming nervously in his chair. “Yeah, it was weird. I didn’t get a good look at it...”

“Well, what did you see?” Stiles huffed, shifting forward in his seat to lean over the table as if that would help him hear better.

The two of them had spent almost the entire lunch period trying to explain something they encountered in Isaac’s house the other night. They honestly weren’t making much sense, but they both seemed utterly freaked out, which wasn’t helping to calm my nerves.

“I-I don’t know.” Scott shook his head with a troubled furrow of his brows. “It was fast. Really fast. It walked on the ceiling, and it was...hissing at us.”

“So there’s yet another supernatural monster in Beacon Hills. Awesome.” I slouched back into my seat, a feeling of defeat washing over me. We’d barely just come out of our troubles with Peter and Kate. The last thing we needed was a new threat to deal with already. 

“I’m not sure it’s bad, though. It just ran away when I got upstairs.” Scott tried to reason, his overactive conscience striking again. He always tried to see the good in everyone. Even a lizard monster, apparently.

“Yeah right.” Allison scoffed, picking at the food she had yet to start eating. “Who knows what it would’ve done to me if you hadn’t stepped in.”

“Okay. First, we need to start by...” Stiles voice slowly trailed off as his attention locked onto something across the cafeteria.

His jaw went slack, his eyes widening in wonder. A frown pulled at my lips as I let my gaze sweep toward whatever had him so transfixed. Scott and Allison turned around in their seats to see for themselves as the entire room went silent.

There was a girl, only vaguely familiar, strutting confidently into the room. I quirked an eyebrow curiously as everyone craned their necks to watch her slow entrance. My eyes shifted to Scott, an amused chuckle bubbling in my chest as I saw that he had the same awestruck expression on his face. 

“Is that Erica?” Allison’s voice rose in surprise as she spun back around to face me, her eyes wide. 

“Didn’t she have a seizure in the middle of your gym class yesterday?” I recognized the name from this week’s rumor mill. With a closer look, I could tell that it was, in fact, Erica. Scott whipped around to glare at me and my brows rose in question. “What? It’s not like she can hear me.”

“I’m not too sure about that...” He muttered, his gaze sweeping back toward her as she grabbed an apple off a random guy’s tray and took a bite. 

She’d had a complete transformation overnight. The grey, sickly quality to her skin was gone, replaced by a healthy glow. Her dark circles had vanished and she walked with a self-assurance I’d never seen in her before. She usually did her best to remain unseen, ducking through the halls with her head down. Now, she was parading with an almost arrogant smirk on her face. 

“She’s with Derek now, isn’t she? Like Isaac?” Allison’s lips pulled into a frown as she easily put the pieces together. It was the only explanation for her extraordinary overnight changes. He must’ve turned her. 

Scott glanced at the tray of food in front of him, swallowing thickly as he avoided her prying gaze. I glanced toward Stiles, who just looked back at me with a sheepish shrug. 

“You can’t get caught in the middle of this.” Allison continued, her voice a quiet plea. “Don’t you feel what’s happening? My grandfather coming here? Derek turning Erica and Isaac? It-it’s like battle lines are being drawn.”

I chewed on my bottom lip as my eyes flickered between them. She was one hundred percent right, and it was terrifying. It was almost impossible to predict what her family was up to, since they don’t tell her anything and my visions are completely worthless. The one glaringly obvious thing, though, was that something big was coming. 

“I know.” Scott sighed, finally catching her gaze with a worried expression of his own. 

“There’s always crossfire...” Her eyes glistened as she looked up at him, silently pleading with him to take a step back. 

His jaw ticked a few times, his brows pinching as he looked down to the table again. “What am I supposed to do? I can’t just stand by. I can’t pretend to be normal.”

My lips pulled into a frown, unsure why he felt the need to interfere with every supernatural problem in Beacon Hills. For some reason, he felt personally responsible for making sure that nothing catastrophic happens around here. There were so many other people better equipped for the job. The Argents, who’ve trained for centuries to hunt anything that “hunts them” and Derek, who’s been a werewolf since birth, to name a few. 

“I don’t want you to be normal.” Allison huffed, seemingly offended that he’d assume that’s what she meant. 

She stood abruptly, taking her still full tray with her. She made it a single step before turning back with a sigh. Her eyes met Scott’s, wide and shining with so many intense emotions. It was clear that she was scared, and nervous, and even a little angry. She left just a few parting words before spinning on her heel and stalking away from us. 

“I want you to be alive.”

                                                        ———————

I let out a tired sigh, adjusting the strap of my bag on my shoulder as I walked down the hall. It was just after the dismissal bell, and I still needed to grab my chemistry book from my locker.

I’d nearly made it all the way outside, where Stiles was waiting to drive everyone to an ice skating rink—which he apparently got the keys to by paying off our classmate, Boyd, who works there—before realizing I’d forgotten it. The date had been Scott’s idea, because, and I quote, we all spend way too much time on supernatural bullshit and haven’t done anything fun in forever.

The halls were mostly empty, since the rational portion of my classmates always book it out of here the second the bell rings. All was normal until I passed by one of the janitors closets and the door sprang open unexpectedly. I staggered back in alarm, my entire body stiffening as a hand jutted out and clasped around my bicep. 

I was swiftly hauled inside, the door slamming the second I passed through the threshold. My breath caught in my throat as I jerked my arm free and scrambled away from whoever had grabbed me. I winced as my back rammed into a wooden shelf, my chest tightening with anxiety as I glanced around the dimly lit room quickly. 

A moment later, I sighed out a long breath of relief as my eyes focused on my attacker standing a few feet away. “Fuck, Stiles. What the hell are you doing?” I gasped out, putting a hand on my chest as I tried to catch my breath.

His lips twitched into a sheepish smile, one of his eyes squinting shut as he scratched at the side of his head. “Sorry. I wasn’t trying to scare you.”

“What were you trying to do?” Of all the ways he could’ve gotten my attention, that was the most unnecessary. I crossed my arms as my heartrate slowly dropped back to normal. 

His gave me a small smile as he took a couple slow steps forward, coming to a stop once there were only a few inches left between us. One of his hands came up to push a stray clump of hair behind my ear, his honey eyes dancing around my face quickly. 

“I haven’t had a minute alone with my girlfriend in days.” He murmured lowly, his head dipping down as the hand that was now tangled in my hair guided me toward him. 

Despite being the one to initiate the kiss, he was still hesitant as we inched closer together. Our noses brushed in a feather light touch, his fingers twitching against the back of my head as if he wanted to do more but was afraid to. I leaned up to brush my lips against his just once before pulling back. 

“Well you’ve got me...so now what?” I couldn’t help but grin, my voice a low whisper as I teased him. 

It’d honestly been eating at me all week, so it was reassuring that our time apart had bothered him too. Everyone was so focused on figuring out what the hell Allison and Scott ran into at Isaac’s, that he and I hadn’t had any time to ourselves.

It was way too easy to get sucked into the supernatural world and all of it’s problems. That’s why we were all going ice skating tonight. To try our hand at being normal teenagers for once.

Stiles’ eyes darkened to that warm chocolate color I’d only ever gotten a glimpse of in these more intimate situations. His free hand slid around my waist, his palm resting against the small of my back as he pulled me into his chest. His lips brushed against mine gently and I returned the kiss immediately, leaning up into him and fisting the collar of his flannel to bring him closer. 

He quietly groaned against me when I let my tongue trail across his bottom lip. He let me in right away and our tongues explores each other’s mouths for several long seconds. My hands moved to the sides of his head, a chill rolling through me at prickle of his buzzed hair against my palms. He suddenly turned us around and took a few steps forward, slamming my back into a nearby wall. 

A surprised grunt fell past my lips, and he instantly pulled away. His eyes flickered over my face quickly, wide with alarm. “I’m sorry. Are you okay? I didn’t mean to do it that hard.”

I couldn’t help but giggle at his overreaction and let my arms wind around his neck to keep him close. “It’s okay. I kind of...liked it.”

My skin erupted with heat at my own confession. I’d always secretly enjoyed the small moments he let himself go like this. I didn’t want him to be cautious and gentle all the time. He still acted like he was afraid to break me when we were intimate, and it wasn’t helping me feel any more normal. His eyebrows rose fractionally, giving away the surprise he was trying to contain.

A slow smile pulled at his lips just before he slanted them over mine again. I arched up into him, sighing as a calming tingle washed over my skin. The feeling only intensified as our kiss became more heated, both of us moaning and gripping at each other almost frantically. It was only when my temples suddenly throbbed painfully that I realized something was wrong. 

My brows furrowed as an image flashed in my mind, too quickly to comprehend. I pulled away from Stiles with a gasp, rubbing at my forehead as the pain only increased. 

“What is it? What’s wrong?” His voice rose with worry as he clasped a hand on each of my shoulders to steady me. 

I forced my eyes to stay open, hoping the vision would pass. Instead, I was overcome with the overwhelming urge to get out of the small room. Maybe if I put some distance between us, it would go away. I quickly whipped around and shoved the door open, stumbling out into the now empty hallway. I heard Stiles’ shoes on the tiled floor as he followed me out, and waved a hand in his direction dismissively. 

“I’m fine.” I wheezed out, suddenly finding it hard to breathe. “It’s just...”

I made the mistake of blinking slowly, instantly succumbing to the vision once my eyes were closed again. I was still standing in the hallway, just as before, but Stiles was nowhere to be found. Come to think of it, I wasn’t even in the same hallway. I let my eyes trail over the space as I turned all the way around, finally realizing that I was by the main office. 

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sight of a man standing in front of the trophy case just down the small flight of stairs behind me. My eyes trailed down his frame slowly, a strange familiarity tugging at the back of my mind as I took in his weathered leather jacket and dirty, bare feet. My heart started racing as a feeling of complete and utter dread washed over me. 

I blinked a few times to clear my vision, jumping again when the man was no longer there. Now, standing in the same exact position, was Lydia. She was unmistakable even from the back, with her strawberry blonde hair, bright blue dress, and high heels that were definitely not school appropriate. When I moved to take a step toward her, I felt myself being pulled back into the present with a jerk.

My eyes popped open and I sat up with a start, one of my hands instantly moving to my chest as I tried to catch my breath. 

“Y/N! Oh my god. What the hell was that?” Stiles’ wide eyes bored into mine from above as he clutched my biceps and shook me gently. 

I sputtered silently for a few seconds as I got my barings, not knowing what to say. My head moved from side to side slowly as I took in my surroundings. I was back in the hallway near my locker, sitting on the floor with Stiles crouched down in front of me. 

“I have to—” I swallowed thickly, my heart still beating erratically. “I have to go find Lydia.”

Stiles huffed in annoyance, giving me a incredulous glower. “Are you kidding me right now? You can’t just pass out in the middle of the hallway and then—what are you doing?”

His wide eyes tracked my movements as I shoved myself up to my feet. Despite looking like he wanted to strangle me for mot staying put, Stiles helped steady me with the hands still wrapped around my arms. 

“Going to find Lydia.” I drawled slowly, seeing as I’d just said that, and brushed his hands away. 

My knees wobbled slightly as I made my way toward the office. I pushed through the nausea brewing in the pit of my stomach that only seemed to grow with each step. Something felt very wrong. I couldn’t place it, I just knew I needed to find Lydia as quickly as possible. 

“Y/N, just slow down for a second.” Stiles’ voice grew hard as he gripped my elbow and forced me to a stop. I sighed, a spark of annoyance igniting in my chest at the delay, and turned to face him. “Whatever the hell just happened back there was totally not okay. I mean you can’t just pass out one second and then run away from me the next and expect—”

“I think I have a good excuse.” I bit out, sounding more harsh than necessary. He pursed his lips, his shoulders stiffening, and I rolled my eyes. “Just trust me?”

After a few long moments of hesitation, he nodded slowly. With that, I turned on my heel and continued on my way, Stiles trailing behind. Less than a minute later, I staggered to a halt at the top of the staircase outside the main office.

My eyes instantly landed on Lydia, standing in the same position I’d seen her in moments ago. A strong sense of deja vu washed over me at the sight. My breathing slowed as I took a tentative step down, nervous that this was all a dream that I’d be waking up harshly from again. 

“Lydia?” My voice was a hesitant whisper as I approached her slowly. I didn’t want to startle her, but she stood impossibly still in front of the trophy case, not even flinching at the sound of her name. 

I came to a stop beside her, my eyes flickering over her profile quickly. After a few seconds of standing there and getting no response, I followed her wide-eyed stare through the glass. My breath hitched as I caught sight of the words that were engraved into one of the trophies closest to us. 

My heart plummeted into my stomach as realization washed over my like a thirty foot tidal wave. There wasn’t much to it. Just two words with captain beneath it. 

It was kind of funny, in a terrible way, that two simple words could make such intense dread fill me to my core. It was a name I’d be more than happy to never see again, but couldn’t seem to escape. 

Peter Hale.

Lydia suddenly breathed out a shaky sigh from beside me, and I let my eyes sweep back to hers. They were wide and bloodshot, filled to the brim with tears as she gave me this terrified, almost vacant look. All I could do was stare back at her, this whole weird situation only confirming my worst fear. 

Peter’s bite had done something to her. She’d been acting different ever since turning up at the edge of the preserve, she was just way too good at hiding it. I was probably the only one that noticed the subtle changes in her, but I knew there had to be something going on beneath the surface. 

Now, we just needed to figure out what.

                                                        ————————

“God, could it be any colder in here?” Lydia muttered, shivering dramatically as she rubbed her hands up and down her arms. 

We’d barely made it two steps into the ice skating rink, and she was already complaining. I guess her little episode at the school hadn’t effected her all that much, and we hadn’t spoken a word of it since. Stiles and I shared a quick glance before he dropped his bookbag from his shoulder and unzipped it to pull out a random long-sleeved shirt. 

“Here.” He offered it to her and she curled her lip as if it were the most disgusting thing she’d ever seen. 

“I’m wearing blue. Orange and blue...not a good combination.” With a dramatic huff, she quickly strutted off toward the bleachers.

Stiles gaped at her back, his jaw falling slack at her words. “But it’s the colors of the Mets...”

Scott clapped a hand on his back reassuringly as he and Allison passed us by, giggling about who knows what. I rolled my eyes as Stiles huffed in offense and shoved the shirt back into his bag. We joined everyone on the stands a moment later, quickly sliding our skates on. 

About thirty minutes later, I stood against the edge of the rink, my hands propped against the wall to keep my balance. All I could do was watch in awe as Lydia skated circles around every last one of us. I was seriously wracking my brain for anything that this girl couldn’t do. She seemed to be great at everything she tried. 

She twirled around too many times to count and came out of it smiling proudly, even raising her eyebrows at me expectantly when she saw that I was staring. She skated away and my attention shifted to Allison as she practically dragged Scott across the ice, moving backward so she could keep him steady by holding his hands. 

I couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight. He’d talked a big game on the way here, saying he’d have no problem ice skating even though he’d never tried it before. The whole werewolf thing was starting to go to his head, apparently. Suddenly, a warm hand closed around mine as Stiles approached me from the side. 

“Come on.” He urged, gently pulling me away from the wall. 

My knees instantly locked up as I lost my grip on the only thing keeping me upright. It’s where I’d spent most of my time since getting onto the ice. I’d only skated a few times before, and I was absolute shit at it each time. Stiles though, in all his spazzy glory, was surprisingly well balanced. 

I let him guide me along, yelping in surprise when he unexpectedly wrapped an arm around my waist and hauled me against him. My hands gripped his shoulders so I wouldn’t go tumbling onto the hard ice as he grinned down at me before planting a quick kiss on my lips. 

A relaxed smile overtook my face as I gazed up at him, completely at ease in his arms. Despite being slightly terrified of getting hurt, this was actually a super fun date. It was nice to let go for a little while and enjoy doing something utterly normal with my friends. There were no monsters, no alphas, and no psycho family members here. Just a bunch of teenagers sneaking into an ice skating rink after hours. 

After Scott flailed to the ice for what must’ve been the thirtieth time, he and Allison disappeared into a photo booth around the other side of the rink. I let Stiles pull me around in big circles, still wanting to be close to the wall just in case he bailed on me. I couldn’t help but grin as his brows furrowed in concentration and his tongue swept across his lips when he gave me pointers. 

He’d been critiquing my form, telling me to bend my knees, keep my feet straight, and so many more random things that were going in one ear and out the other. I wasn’t interested in being perfect, I just wanted to not fall on my ass. After making it all the way around for the first time successfully, I jumped into his arms, proud of myself. 

“Whoa...” He chuckled, nearly falling backward as I wrapped my arms around his neck. 

I closed the distance between us quickly, capturing his lips in a gentle kiss. He instantly tilted his head to deepen the kiss, swiping his tongue along my bottom lip slowly. I eagerly let him in as his arms tightened around me, momentarily forgetting where we were until I heard the unmistakable swoosh of someone falling on the ice. 

I pulled away from Stiles and peered over his shoulder, wincing as I saw Lydia down in a low crouch. I was honestly surprised that she fell at all, considering how well she’d been doing the whole night, but didn’t think much more of it. I moved back to Stiles, who waggled his eyebrows at me with a dopy grin. I couldn’t help but giggle, wrapping my arms around his neck again to pull him back in. 

Just before my eyes fluttered closed, something strange caught my eye. I jerked back, fumbling a little as I moved Stiles to the side so that I could see Lydia fully. There, poking out of the ice just a few inches in front of her, was a single stalk of wolfsbane. It was unmistakable even from this distance, the deep purple leaves contrasting against the stark whiteness of the ice. 

“Oh my God. Are you seeing this?” I breathed, my heart skipping a beat anxiously. 

“Yeah,” Stiles nodded from beside me, one of his arms still around my waist to hold me steady. “She’s definitely not okay.”

My brows furrowed as I watched her lift a hand to brush against the plant gently. Her head cocked to the side as she inspected it closely, her eyes wide with disbelief. 

“No, not that.” I huffed in annoyance, pointing toward the wolfsbane. “That wasn’t there before, right?” 

Stiles instantly stiffened against me. I let my gaze sweep to him slowly, slightly afraid to see his reaction to my words, but his face was unreadable. His eyes were swirling with worry as they peered down into mine. He swallowed thickly and cleared his through before speaking. 

“Y/N, there’s nothing there now...” His voice was delicate, as if he were afraid that speaking any louder would make me dissolve into a complete nervous breakdown. 

My head whipped in her direction once again, my pulse jumping at the sight of her frantically wiping her hand against the ice. Her eyes widened as she peered down into it, her face dropping in terror.

Without warning, she suddenly let out a long, bloodcurdling scream. I winced at the shrill noise, my palms jerking up to cover my ears. When she didn’t stop after a few seconds, I knew I had to do something. 

I broke away from Stiles, who was staring at her as if she’d grown a second head, and shakily made my way toward her. I let myself slide down onto the ice when I was close enough, and wrapped my arms around her shoulders. She thrashed against me, her hands pressed firmly into the ice as she continued screaming. It almost seemed uncontrollable, like she physically couldn’t stop. 

My head jerked upward as I heard quick footsteps approaching. Scott and Allison stood at the edge of the rink, watching the scene unfold, their faces a mix of horror and curiosity. Lydia finally stopped screeching and sagged back against me, her ragged breathing reduced to harsh sobs as tears streamed freely down her face. 

My eyes widened in alarm at the sight. I’d never seen her express such intense emotion before. She always kept that mask of perfection firmly in place, never letting it slip for a second. She hadn’t even been this outwardly upset after wandering around the woods for a week. 

As if that weren’t bad enough, a realization slowly dawned on me as my eyes flickered around the ice. Just as Stiles said, there was nothing there. No wolfsbane. Not even a stray leaf. I sat back on the cool surface, letting out a heavy sigh. The nagging sense of dread that’d been slowly drifting toward the forefront of my mind was ever-present now. 

And I had a feeling it was only going to get worse from here. 

                                                        ———————

I glared down at the textbook in front of me, rubbing at my temples as I tried desperately to focus. I’d been attempting to study for hours now, and it just wasn’t working. Believe it or not, it hadn’t taken long for me and the guys to get further wrapped up in the current supernatural bullshit.

One of our classmates, Boyd, has been missing for several days. It just so happens that Isaac and Erica are equally as M.I.A., and it didn’t take a genius to figure out what happened. Derek was still turning people, and he had a clear pattern. He was picking through the outcasts first, choosing loners who wouldn’t raise much suspicion if they just suddenly stopped coming to school.

What he didn’t count on was coach Finstock alerting the team of Boyd’s absence. After school, Stiles went to his house to check on him, while Scott was on a mission to find Derek. That left me here, all alone in my bedroom struggling to study.

I’d been trying to get ahold of Stiles for the last hour, but he hadn’t answered any of my texts. I didn’t want to be that clingy girlfriend, but I was honestly starting to get pretty worried. If Boyd was caught up in this mess, there could easily be hunters on his trail already. There’s no telling what Derek is up to, either, and that made me incredibly nervous.

Just then, something thumped against my window. I jumped at the unexpected noise, my eyes instantly darting toward it. My shoulders relaxed a moment later as I saw a familiar face, and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. I popped to my feet and walked across my bedroom before sliding the window open.

Scott tumbled to the hardwood floors, rubbing at his forehead with a grimace. “Why is your window closed?”

“It’s forty degrees outside.” I huffed, shoving the glass pane back down as a gust of freezing wind blew inside. “What, am I just supposed to keep it open incase you decide to crawl in?”

He rolled his eyes at me, brushing his clothes off as he quickly scrambled to his feet. I crossed my arms over my chest, quirking a curious brow in his direction.

“Stiles isn’t answering me so I need your help.”

I was about to make a snide comment about being his backup plan, when his words finally sunk all the way in. If neither of us could get ahold of him, something was probably wrong.

“When’s the last time you heard from him?” I pressed, my stomach twisting with worry.

“At school, but we’re gonna have to figure that out later.” He rushed the words out quickly, clearly anxious. “I know where Boyd is.”

“Is that really what’s important right now?” I gaped at him, honestly surprised that he would choose to pursue the Boyd issue when his best friend might be in trouble.

“He’s fine, okay? I need to stop Derek before this gets out of control.” His voice hardened as he grew impatient with my stalling, but I didn’t give a single fuck. I didn’t want to be wrapped up in this supernatural shit anyway.

“You don’t have to do anything, Scott.” I threw my hands up in exasperation. “No one’s expecting you to fix all of Beacon Hills’ problems.”

“Are you gonna help me or not?” He pressed, moving toward my bedroom door expectantly.

I let out a long sigh, not even having to consider my answer. Of course I would help him, because he’s way too strong-willed to see that one of these days he’s going to get himself seriously hurt. I gestured for him to open the door and he gave me a triumphant smile before stepping into the hallway.

About twenty minutes later, we made our way into the ice skating rink cautiously. I guess it made sense that he’d be here if he ran away. Scott wouldn’t tell me how he knew to come here, because he didn’t understand it all that well himself. He said he just knew and that it was a werewolf thing.

It didn’t take long to find him, since he was driving around the ice on a huge zamboni. It was kind of hard to see in the dimly lit rink, but it was definitely Boyd on there.

“Boyd!” Scott called, his voice echoing through the large space.

He didn’t even move an inch, just continuing to stare ahead and ignore us. Scott stepped onto the ice easily and made his way toward him. I followed suit a lot slower, my knees wobbling as I tried to stay upright. My arms flailed at my sides as I slid slowly in their direction.

“I just wanna talk. Hey, come on Boyd, please. Did Derek tell you everything? And I don’t just mean going out of control on the full moons. I mean everything.” Scott tried again, this time earning a visible sigh from our classmate.

He turned his head slowly in our direction, his face completely devoid of any recognizable emotion. “He told me about the hunters.”

“And that’s not enough for you?” I snapped, nearly falling flat on my ass as I shakily came to a stop beside Scott.

“Whatever you want, there’s other ways to get it.” He added, looking up at Boyd earnestly.

I admired the way that he cared for everyone, even if he didn’t know them well. I’d only seen him talk to Boyd a handful of times all year and yet, here he was, going out of his way just to try and change his mind. It was a bit misguided at times, but still admirable.

“I just want to not eat lunch alone every day.” Boyd’s voice dropped sadly, his frustration at being a loner clear. My heart went out to him, it’s hard to make friends in high school, but that doesn’t mean you take a crazy persons offer to turn you into a werewolf.

“If you’re looking for friends, you can do a lot better than Derek.” Scott scoffed, rolling his eyes at the idea of anyone being friends with him.

“That really hurts, Scott.” Both of our heads whipped toward the entrance of the rink at the sound of a deep voice. My eyes flickered over Derek, Isaac, and Erica as they all stood in a line several feet away. It was honestly impressive that the three of them managed to get all the way here undetected. “I mean, if you’re going to review me, at least take a consensus. Erica, hows life been since we met?”

She hummed lowly, a smirk pulling at the corner of her lips as she twirled a strand of long blonde hair around her pointer finger. “In a word...transformative.”

I almost snorted at the accuracy of that word, but my amusement was quickly cut short as she barred her sharpened teeth and growled our way. My eyes widened, shocked at the level of control she already had. It took weeks for Scott to learn how to shift only certain parts of his body, so Derek must be focusing heavily on training them.

That wasn’t a good thing.

“Isaac?” His head cocked to the side arrogantly as he addressed the other beta behind him.

“Well. I’m a little bummed about being a fugitive, but other than that, I’m great.” He tilted his head back nonchalantly, his tone dripping with boredom.

“Wait, hold on.” Scott clenched his jaw and grabbed one of my hands before pulling me behind him. My legs wobbled as I slid across the ice and I gripped his arm for stability. “This isn’t exactly a fair fight.”

“Then go home, Scott.” Derek drawled before jerking his head toward Isaac and Erica.

They both instantly shifted, snarling and growling like wild animals. My heart jumped in my chest and I moved further behind Scott instinctively. I honestly forgot how terrifying newly turned werewolves can be. They had this unhinged energy, like they’d rip a thousand people apart without even batting an eye.

Scott suddenly dropped my hand and gripped my hip instead. I barely had time to glance at him in question before he was forcefully shoving me away from him. I instantly lost my footing at the unexpected move and flailed down onto the ice. Every muscle in my body stiffened as I continued sliding for several feet, only stopping once I slammed against the outer wall of the rink.

All the air rushed from my lungs in a huff at the harsh impact. I blinked a few times to clear my head and shoved my hair out of my eyes just in time to see Scott smash a fist into the ice. My jaw dropped as it easily shattered beneath his fingers. I knew he was strong, but damn was that impressive. It had to be at least a foot thick.

When his head jerked upward a moment later, he was completely shifted into his werewolf form. “I meant fair for them.” His voice was thick and guttural as he forced the words out through a tightly clenched jaw.

He roared loudly, the whole building rattling from the sheer volume of it, as Isaac and Erica came barreling toward him. He easily picked Isaac up by the lapels of his leather jacket and threw him clear across the rink like a ragdoll. I couldn’t help but wince as he hit the plexiglass barrier harshly, but it didn’t faze him in the slightest as he popped right back to his feet.

Erica came at Scott’s back, but he whirled around before she could land a hit, slamming her into the now parked Zamboni that Boyd was still sitting on. Isaac growled before sprinting forward, managing to shove him up against the large vehicle.

He was only caught off guard for a split second, but that was enough time for Isaac to throw him over his shoulder, sending him a few feet in the air. Erica pounced on him the second he hit the ice, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly.

He easily shook her off by slamming her back into the Zamboni, landing a bone-crushing punch to Isaac’s stomach. He lurched forward with a grunt and Scott smashed his elbow down onto his back, making him fall to the ice in a crumpled heap.

I staggered to my feet as both Erica and Isaac laid there for several seconds, motionless. It looked like Scott was quickly losing control of his anger, and I didn’t want him to do something he might regret. Fighting them off was one thing, but situations like this could go south in the blink of an eye if he didn’t reel himself in soon. 

I only made it one shaky step before a hand clasped around my bicep, stopping me in my tracks. My head jerked to the side to see Derek’s disapproving face only inches away. I pulled against him aimlessly, knowing that I wouldn’t be moving an inch as long as he didn’t want me going anywhere. 

“Let go.” I hissed, my eyes narrowing into a harsh glare. 

He quirked a brow, seemingly amused that I’d try and stand up to him. “Yeah, can’t do that.”

At the sound of a pained groan I twisted back toward the fight, just in time to see Scott kick Isaac in the face as he struggled to get to his feet. My eyes widened as he whipped around and threw Erica down onto the ice harshly. 

I tugged at my arm again, needing to stop him before things got even uglier. When Derek’s grip only tightened, I faced him and shoved back against his chest harshly. “He’s going to kill them!”

His eyes swept across the rink before slowing making their way back to me. He lifted one shoulder in a noncommittal shrug and I gaped at him, shocked at his lack of compassion. He didn’t even give a shit that the two people he turned into werewolves were getting their asses handed to them.

“God, is being a huge asshole part of becoming an alpha?” I snapped, finally managing to pull myself free. I staggered back a few steps, not expecting him to actually let me go, nearly falling down in the process. “What are you even trying to do?”

He made no move to respond, his lips twitching up into a slow smirk as his gaze flickered over my shoulder. I slid myself around to see that Scott was standing over Erica and Isaac’s unconscious bodies, his chest heaving with ragged breaths. 

“Don’t you get it?” His voice echoed off the walls as it rose angrily. “He’s not doing this for you. He’s just adding to his own power, okay? It’s all about him. He makes you feel like he’s given you this gift, when all he’s done is turn you into a bunch of guard dogs!”

He suddenly slammed a hand down onto Isaac’s back and slid him across the ice toward us. He stopped right at Derek’s feet, just before Scott did the same Erica. He rose to his full height slowly, narrowing his eyes into a hard glare. 

“It’s true. It is about power.” Derek stalked forward slowly, jerking his hand down to his side to reveal his sharpened claws. 

His head snapped in all directions as he transformed, his eyes flashing bright red as he stopped only a foot away from Scott and snarled. Without warning, he headbutted him harshly, sending him stumbling back a step. He took the opportunity to slash his claws against Scott’s stomach and I gasped, instantly covering my mouth to stifle the sound. 

My heart lurched in my chest, panic surging through me as Derek landed blow after incapacitating blow. Scott was too weakened by the fight with Isaac and Erica to do anything about it, which I now could see was what Derek wanted the whole time.

A painful realization washed over me just then, as Scott fell to his knees. All I could do was watch as one of my best friends was beaten to a pulp right in front of me. I was utterly useless. Not only did I not have any heightened senses or reflexes, but I wouldn’t even know how to use a weapon if I had one. 

Within seconds Scott was laying flat on the ice, clutching at Derek’s leg as it crushed his airway. He coughed and sputtered as Derek finally moved off of him a second later, not even gracing him with any parting words before walking away as if nothing had happened. I instantly started sprinting as best I could, falling onto my knees at Scott’s side a moment later. 

My eyes widened as I took in his battered state. Blood was spilling from the sides of his mouth, and the gashes in his stomach were clearly visible through the tears in his shirt. I didn’t know how fast his healing was supposed to work, but it didn’t look like it was getting better at all.

I saw movement in my peripheral and turned to see Boyd walking toward us cautiously. 

“Don’t.” Scott coughed out another few drops of blood and tried to sit up, only stopping once I put a firm hand on his chest. He wasn’t in any kind of shape to be moving at all. “You don’t want to be like them.”

“You’re right.” Boyd nodded, slowly lifting his shirt to reveal an almost completely healed bite mark above his hip. My stomach twisted anxiously at the sight. We were too late and this dumb fighting was all for nothing. “I wanna be like you.”

With that, he turned to join the others as they made their way toward the exit. My head jerked back to Scott as he let out a series of pained grunts. His eyes caught mine, shining with worry, as his head fell back against the ice. I could only assume we were both thinking the same thing. 

We were so beyond screwed. 

Episode 2

#teen wolf imagine #stiles stilinski #stiles x reader #dylan obrien #dylan obrien imagine #stiles x y/n #stiles x oc #stiles #teen wolf #teen wolf series #scott mccall #scott and stiles #allison argent #lydia martin #jackson whittemore #teen wolf fanfiction #teen wolf fic #teen wolf rewrite #teen wolf season two #dylan obrien x reader #stiles stilinski smut #dylan obrien smut

[neoyi]

I don’t think I’ll ever get to humorously commentate on KH2 piece-by-piece as I tried to do for the first two games (and god knows if I’ll wrap up Re:chain of Memories with the writing method I was doing, but I digress.) I like talking about this endearingly dumb series and replaying this game is a nice opportunity to revisit how I feel now versus how I felt back when I was a fresh-out-of-high-school Neo playing this game for the first time back in 2005.

So I’m going to surmise my current play session (this collects my thoughts up to the Hercules world) with easily containable bullet points.

*I kind of want to make a separate post about the infamous prologue and discuss how people felt Back in the Days (an understatement, let me tell ya), and ultimately what I feel it does for the game and whether I personally liked it, so I'm going to leave that in the back burner for the time.

I will say Twilight Town sounds like a nice, quiet place to live. I love the concept of a city that's always perpetually sunset. It's a beautiful place and like Traverse Town, sports an amazingly cozy soundtrack.

*I'm sure there's some bullshit reason why, but I don't get why Sora's one year absence meant some of the people he's met just....forgot him. Like why? What purpose does this serve? This especially affected Kairi, but it’s ultimately negligible because she regains her memories of him during the beginning portions of the game.

Was this Namine's doing? Was it to protect Sora from the bad guys or something? Why hasn't Riku forgotten him? Was Namine just selective on who she erased Sora's existence from? Did Kairi forget just because she’s connected to Namine? Or Sora? What purpose does this narrative serve? What was the point?

*Speaking of, I forgot, did they ever explain why Riku disguised himself as Ansem? I don’t remember if they ever explained it when I played through this game, but also I haven’t touched KHII in six thousand years, so I don’t remember a lot of the more convoluted parts of the plot.

*It is comical to see Setzer of Final Fantasy VI fame turn from a risky, gambling sky pirate who doesn’t give a rat’s ass about the empire, only cares for the freedom of the skies, and enduring survival’s guilt over a tragic loss of someone dear to him into a...

Whiffle Bat Champion.

*My sheer excitement and obsession when they first announced Vivi as one of the FF cameo was astronomical. I remember keeping a DeviantArt journal detailing any news and screencaps of the little guy pre-release. Still my favorite character from the whole franchise.

Even if he suffers the same fate as Donald and has a zipper on his mage hat for absolutely no reason other than this game existing during Nomura’s Belt-and-Zippers phase.

*Someone’s going to get sued one day because these damn kids keeps sitting atop the clock tower that has yet to be grafted with bars to prevent their inevitable deaths when one of them slips and falls.

*I swear I could play a six degrees of Kingdom Hearts with all the voice actors in this game. Or at least a "Whozit" and "Whatzit" they've done in other media (like Yuffie who is voiced by Mae "Katara" Whitman here. Pre-Avatar, even.)

Also I’m sorry, Will Friedle, you’re a fine voice actor, but you’re...Terry McGinnis. Batman told me he “totally owned all you lamers.”

*I love the Nobody enemy designs. The sheer creepiness and uncanny valley of them all lends credit to their existence as, well, non-existences. The Dusk enemy design alone is inspired with its unsettling belts wrapped around its fingers, or terrifyingly sharp teeth subtly hidden inside of its mouth. I can imagine the creature unzipping its mouth to reveal a set of flesh-eating teeth and the fear is real.

I love the way it flies and circles around its victim, almost like it’s trying to wrap itself around you, but I’m especially fond of that one attack where it essentially kicks you as while it sashays over to you upside down.

The Samurai Dusk also has my favorite reaction command. It’s just unspeakably badass.

*I never liked Squall in FF8 back then (don't know how I'd feel now if I ever replay FF8) and he was just okay in the first Kingdom Hearts, but I remember I really endeared myself to his reappearance in KHII. Squall in this game is what happens when he grew up, found good friends and family, and got some therapy for his issues. He’s stoic, but always a team player, and supportive of Sora and the people around him. KHII Squall is what FF8 Squall has the potential to be once he reaches adulthood and it’s nice to see that here.

*I really love the little changes the developers inputted for Sora, Kairi, and Riku's models to accommodate for their physical growth. Riku's is the most obvious (boy clearly ate his vegetables), but I like that you can tell Sora grew not just through story observations (Yen Sid points out how he outgrew his old garbs) but by comparing his height in relation to Goofy. Sora was shorter than him in the first game, but has since outgrown him in KH2.

Along with his better skill set during combat, this is a really nice way to visually shown how far Sora has come and how much time has passed.

This also goes in the opposite direction with Namine whom I think had to redo her mod when they remastered Chain of Memories for 3D. I notice she looks younger in that game than in KHII which would make sense at the time since it takes place a full year ago.

...Well, maybe. Can Nobodies age???

*Damn it, game, don’t give me a pouch containing 5,000 munny and treat it as an in-game key item that I can’t use even though munny is literally the currency I use to buy things.

*The retooling and emphasis on battle mechanics means the platforming element of the first really suffers and that’s a damn shame. I wasn’t particularly in love with exploring the Disney Worlds in the first KH, but I appreciate the effort put into so Sora could not easily get from Point A to Point B.

Even finding treasure chests is comical and if not for sake of posterity for anyone going for 100%, I wonder why Jiminy bothers to keep track of how many you find. There were literally like three out in plain view the minute I entered the Mulan world.

*Speaking of level designs, yeesh, the layout is not optimal for the skateboarding minigame.

*Trying to design a gummi ship in this game requires a masters degree in gummiology and metaphysical engineering, as well as the ability to tap into the 4th dimensional. The 45,000 page instructional manual they give you, the odd grid map used to piece together your ship (fair, the latter was also in the first game), and finicky button controller layout means it took me a while to fully grasp what I was suppose to do and I’m still not sure I got a full handle of it just yet.

*I don’t understand why Sora had to use a physical object as a conduit in each world to open up a metaphysical gate to the next world. He never had to use an in-between to close it. What’s the exception outside of unnecessary symbolic tie-in to the individual worlds he’s in?

*Props to the developers for recreating the ballroom. It’s actually kind of majestic to look at the beautiful ceiling and chandelier design from Sora’s perspective.

*There are a couple of random gameplay elements I forgot completely existed and seemingly there for arbitrary purposes. I just find it unusual that Mulan’s world forces you to collect literal manifestation of morale. It’s like the developers decided they wanted to reuse the Struggle minigames’ balls into a repurposed Morale Ball because well shit, someone programmed these things they’re damn well going to put it to good use.

I guess if Sora and pals don’t literally collect morale, all the soldiers will be, I don’t know, sad and die in battle or something.

*I’m aware Disney villains using the Heartless as their personal army is the norm, but it’s tonally weird when it’s Shan-Yu of all characters doing it. The infamous Charge-In-The-Snowy-Mountain scene doesn’t quite have the leg up in terms of threat when his army consist of adorable Heartless bumblebees.

*You know what pointless shit I am obsessed with? The stupid puzzle pieces scattered throughout the game. This is the first time I’m playing the Final Mix game and I’m just seething at the lack of abilities I currently do not have that prevents me from reaching certain pieces.

*Auron was instantaneously my favorite character when I first played FFX twenty years ago, and his return in KH2 sent me in fangirlish squeals. How could I not? Look at this handsome bastard. He’s calm, collected, badass with a cool sword, has rugged good looks (he doesn’t have it here, but he rocks some killer shades), and a good dad. That’s prime DILF quality right there. Of course I can’t get enough of him.

Square Enix knows we can’t get enough of him; dude be all “fuck off hades” and gives the god the middle fingers and fucks off elsewhere. Auron is King Shit.

*Oh man, do I still have my old Sora figurine? I think I got him in Katsucon way back in 2009.

*So who’s done a drinking game every time the game introduces Sora, Donald, and Goofy individually to every character they meet?

*Hey, so I noticed Square Enix is finally moving their asses and bringing the Ultimania books to the US. I doubt they’re going to bring the older KH Ultimanias overseas (my kingdom for an officially translated FFIX one), but ya know. I kinda think that yeah, I might want the KHIII Ultimania.

...Just saying.

*GET UP ON THE HYDRA’S BACK! GET UP ON THE HYDRA’S BACK! GET UP ON THE HYDRA’S BACK! GET UP ON THE HYDRA’S BACK!

GET UP ON THE HYDRA’S BACK!

#kingdom hearts #neoyi talks #kingdom hearts II

[thefanficmonster]

Darkest Of Nights

Connor Walsh & Michaela Pratt (How to Get Away With Murder)

Warnings: Sexual Assault, Vomiting, Swearing, Spoilers for Season 1 of How To Get Away With Murder

Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Platonic Relationship

Summary: On the night of Sam’s murder, it’s safe to say everyone is traumatized, looking for comfort and solace. However, one of them gets the complete opposite: Michaela is only offered more pain and trauma, bringing her to the brink of insanity.

Requested by 🐢 Anon, but also meant as a birthday present for an Anon who recently reached out to me. Happy birthday dear Anon! Hope you have the best one yet! Here’s the fic you requested - I hope it lives up to your expectations! It’s been such an honor to be the person to write you a birthday present and I can only hope I’ve done my job well! Love, Vy ❤

She’s still in utter shock and disbelief. She’s shaking like a leaf as she navigates the roads back to her apartment. It pains her that she’ll have to pass by the Keating house again tonight, knowing what happened there just hours ago. She squeezes the jacket tighter around herself, glad to not see any familiar - or rather any faces at all. The bonfire has gathered every college student, graduate and fan of the sport around itself, giving the streets an emptiness Michaela hasn’t seen before.

Michaela Pratt has always liked planning out her life, having her future laid out in front of her always at her disposal for changing and modifying. She’s always seen herself a successful, envied lawyer in the future, someone other lawyers fear and all wrong-doers want. Because who doesn’t want freedom? She’d pride herself on being the one to bring them that freedom. She’d pride herself on owning a title like Annalise’s - a bitch, a beast and a boss in the courtroom.

However, just like she had everything laid out in front of her eyes, she’s watching it all fall apart. Fall into that very bonfire her and her classmates went to take pictures at to own their alibis. To save themselves from possible suspicion. To paint the picture that they aren’t murderers.

That realization will never soften its blow to her chest and stomach. Every time she repeats the word ‘murderer’ in her mind, her heart skips a bit and her stomach turns, threatening to make her release everything in it onto the pavement she’s walking on. She feels disgusting and dirty, not only because of the ash and mud she has all over herself following the venture into the woods where they dismembered Sam’s body, but because she took part in it. She may have stood aside, crippled by shock, disbelief and disgust, but she’s now a part of it nonetheless.

With her heart and mind racing faster than she’s able to comprehend, she finds herself unable to turn that corner and get onto the street which the Keating house is on. She feels that if she sees that place she might just faint right there on the street and if that doesn’t raise a few questions, nothing will. Instinctively, she continues ahead, heading down the street that will inevitably lead her to where the mob of drunk or half-drunk people are surrounding a huge fire, celebrating something Michaela is less than disinterested in. She feels it’d make for an extra alibi in case the pictures they posted aren’t enough proof of their faux innocence. 

Michaela squints her eyes at the brightness of the fire nearby, sensing both a cough and a sickening feeling climbing up her throat. There are reporter trucks everywhere, ones she sees as the perfect hiding barriers to prevent her from being seen by anyone in case that sickening feeling morphs into an urge to throw up. She quickens her pace, eager to find herself in the safe space between two of the reporter trucks and attempt to calm her heart that’s threatening to beat out of her chest. She’s still visible to anyone walking along the street, but as it was established earlier, the street’s vacant and it seems it’ll remain that way for a little longer so she feels almost invisible and tiny in comparison to the two truck that serve the purpose of her protectors in this very moment.

Placing a hand on the wall of the truck, she doubles over, preparing for the inevitable when she hears a whistle from somewhere close by. Or, more specifically, directly behind her.

“What a view baby!“ A drunken slur of a male voice follows that whistle, causing her to straighten up and turn on her heel as fast as possible. “Is that how women ask to get some nowadays?”

Her stomach’s now in knots and she can’t find her voice to say anything. She’s frozen with fear of the man’s silhouette that’s now approaching her. His features aren’t visible in the dark so even if she did know him - which she’s sure she doesn’t - she wouldn’t be able to recognize him. Not that it matters, recognizing him or not, this man’s intentions are more than clear and more than threatening.

“Silence means yes in my book, babe. So...why don’t we have some fun?“ Before she can even register his proximity, he’s grabbed her wrists and pushed her against one of the trucks. The disgusting fucker holds her wrists at either side of her head, firmly holding them there, ridding her of any chance of escape.

The events she’s had to go through have already weakened her enough but even with that put to the side she’s no match for this guy - he’s a lot stronger and bigger in size. He’s basically towering over her like a predator looming over its prey, toying with it before going in for the kill. And when he does, when she feels his lips on her neck, that’s the final straw.

The need to relieve her insides finally takes over and she starts gagging, causing the son of a bitch to pull away and let go of her. And then she throws up, all over him, earning her the perfect distraction that will buy her enough time to get the fuck out of there. Despite the shaking of her legs and her still-turning stomach, Michaela takes off running, feeling sweat drops forming and running down her forehead. She can hear the cursing of that gross fucker behind her, but luckily she doesn’t take notice of another pair of running footsteps, suggesting she isn’t being followed. Even with this knowledge, she doesn’t stop running. Her brain understands she’s somewhat safe but her heart is racing, her heartbeat echoing in her ears warning her that there’s danger all around. So, she keeps running until she’s less then two blocks away from her apartment complex. 

Her adrenaline levels refuse to lower but her legs have basically turned into jelly and she can’t find it in her to even keep walking, let alone running.  She collapses, a mess of tears, sobbing and fear on the sidewalk. It’s too much. All too much and all too soon and all out of nowhere. She feels violated, vulnerable, unsafe. She feels both fragile and like she’s already been broken into shards. She feels alone and worst part is, she feels like she deserves it. She sees what happened between those two truck as a punishment for having participated in a murder and the gruesome disposal of a dead body.

Michaela Pratt always knew karma would catch up to her, she just never expected it’d be this cruel. 

She got taught the hard way that in the darkest of nights, the most evil of demons attack.

                                                                *  *  *

Connor Walsh is known to be laid back and nonchalant to the point of irritative. However, right now, he’s anything but.

He’s anxious, he’s nervous, he’s still under shock and in mild panic mode. He’s restless, pacing the living room of the Keating home while running his hands through his hair, desperately trying to ignore and push away the memories of the events that took place in this very room less than twenty four hours ago. 

“Where the hell is she?!!“ He takes a portion of his anger out on the wooden coffee table with a punch that will for sure bruise his knuckles. His eyes skim over the two other accomplices who have never looked so out of it: dead, bloodshot eyes carrying a thousand yard stare, neither of them reacting to his rage nor sharing it with him. “How the fuck are you so calm?! How can you just sit there and-!“

“Cause there’s nothing we can do!“ Wes suddenly snaps, “You heard Annalise - she called in, saying she wouldn’t be able to make it. So what, you want us to exhibit even more suspicious behavior by thrashing and yelling all over the place?“

“No, no, no. She had said she couldn’t make it because she had something to take care of. That ‘something’ could be reporting us, how do you not understand that?!“ Connor lashes out again, his fists only tightening this time, not finding a victim to take their hits.

“Michaela wouldn’t do that, she’s not stupid. It’ll immediately tie her to it too. She’ll go to jail like the rest of us.“ Laurel says, much calmer than the two men in the room though it probably has to do with the lack of energy due to the lack of sleep.

“You never know what’s going on in the brain of that selfish woman!“ He mutters, suddenly getting up and grabbing his phone. He storms out into the hallway, already dialing Michaela’s number.

With the device pressed tightly against his ear, the dial tone piercing his head like a screech straight from hell, he runs a frustrated hand over his pale as a sheet face, squeezing his eyes shut. The call eventually goes to voicemail, but that doesn’t stop Connor Walsh. He keeps trying, each attempt falling through, each call getting sent to voicemail after about five rings. Each time his anger boiling hotter.

“The hell do you want?! Can’t you catch a hint?!“ His seventh attempt is proven successful when a familiar female voices answers from the other line.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Princess. Am I bothering you? My most sincere apologies! I just wanted to know if you feel like ratting us out to the police, but if I’m calling at an inconvenient time, please forgive me.“ He sneers, his sanity restraints breaking one by one under the pressure of frustration, fear and the anxiety attack that’s been building in his chest all day today.

“Listen here, Walsh.“ Michaela hisses threateningly, though Conner doesn’t fail to pick up on the fact that there’s something off about her voice. He doesn’t dwell on that, too over-occupied with his worries of future jail time to care. “I’m not in the mood for your selfishness or for dealing with any of what happened last night so save your shit-talking for a more decent time. And as for the ratting part, I ain’t that kind of scum, though karma will catch up to each and every one of you. Just like...“ her voice suddenly cracks, the words sounding more like a sob than a threat, “Just like it caught up to me last night.“ That sentence is spoken through a cry, which is the last thing Connor was expecting to hear from the woman he deemed so high and mighty and so full of herself she can’t see the world around her nor how she’s affecting it with her selfish decisions.

That last sentence of hers is what the call ends on and what anchors itself in his head. Connor’s left standing in the hallway with a sickening feeling in his stomach that wasn’t there before and a little voice telling him that something is very wrong with Michaela. Her words were all her trademark, expected and explainable phrases but her tone, and that final statement were odd and far too out of place for him to just brush off. That last line she spoke felt like the most sincere and vulnerable thing she’s ever said to him. To anyone, really. There was no show, no tough act in those words. It was nothing but the confession of a broken girl who’s never felt like her life isn’t her own until now.

With that alarm ringing throughout his head and no good explanation, instead of turning and heading into the living room like he originally intended to, Connor storms out the front door of the home with fast and determined steps, heading for the destination he never thought he’d go to.

                                                              *  *  *

Having ordered food twenty minutes prior, Michaela doesn’t find the doorbell sounding throughout her apartment to be weird or unwelcome despite the fact it made her jump and shudder in her seat. With the comfort of the tiny pepper spray bottle in the back pocket of her jeans, she makes her way to the front door, resting one hand on the handle before pushing up on her toes to check through the peephole that the person she’s expecting is indeed the one who’s on the other side.

Her stomach drops and frustration rises through the roof when the peephole reveals the familiar, somewhat distressed face of Connor Walsh.

“GO AWAY!“ She yells turning and placing her back against the door, now not at all willing to open it.

“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on with you!“ She hears his voice coming from beyond the door, sounding strangely honest and deeply concerned.

“Why do you care anyway?! I already told you I won’t rat you out, you’ve got nothing to worry about!“ The lack of hostility in her voice seems to encourage Connor to speak a bit more freely.

“Come on, Shooting Star. Students who kill and dispose of bodies together share problems together.“ He says sarcastically but with true gentility behind his words.

That hint of honesty and a bit of harmless humor is what makes her slowly inch her hand toward the doorknob once again. After briefly hesitating, she pulls the door open, not at all bothered by the fact her rival is seeing her the most unpresentable she ever remembers being: hair a mess, homey clothes she can’t even recall the age of, no make-up, eye bags - the whole pack.

“Don’t like a Princess or a Shooting Star, do I?“ She attempts the same amount of humor he used but coming from her it sounds rather dead and flat, not that it’s not to be expected after everything she went through.

“You look like someone who has seen and been through some shit.“ He says truthfully, still standing in the hallway, unwilling to go inside until she gives him the green light for fear she might suddenly snap at him. “And I’m not only talking about what happened with Sam.“

Michaela’s eyes gloss over with tears immediately, mentally cursing herself for being so obvious. In order to avoid eye-contact, she steps aside to allow him inside.

“Thank you.“ He mutters as he makes his way past her and down the hall, arrogantly comfortable in the new surroundings.

By the time Michaela has started regretting her decision of letting him in, she realizes it’s already too late so she shuts and relocks the door before following after him in the living room where she finds him already situated in the armchair like it’s his 100th time visiting. Hell, like he owns the place.

She takes the seat on the couch closest to him, not bothering to offer him any hospitality in the form of drinks and snacks. Such offer feels ridiculous under these circumstances.  Speaking of ridiculous, the circumstances themselves are ridiculous - her biggest rival, and now one of her partners in crime is chilling in her living room with a smug look on his face.

“Karma’s gonna catch up to me, huh?“ He suddenly speaks up, reminding her yet again of how bad of an idea inviting him in was. “Yours caught up to you, you say. Though to me it seems like it beat and battered you too.“

Michaela’s never been a crier. In fact, she’s guilty of silently judging people she’s witnessed crying, thinking of them as weak and spineless. But here she is, fighting back tears at the memories she’d much rather forget.

“It did, but it had the opposite effect. I’m glad we ridded this world of a piece of scum like him. One less man who feels entitled to everything. Who feel free to take anything he wants anytime.“ Her throat feels dry as her eyes fill with tears despite her best attempts at holding them back, “Take a girl’s virginity, take her dignity, her safety, her life, take everything away from her. And all that when she’s most vulnerable and scared and helpless and...“

Her words come to an abrupt halt when she finds Connor has repositioned himself and is now sitting next to her on the couch, has turned to face her and has placed a reluctant hand on her shoulder, “Michaela, what happened to you?”

That’s when she breaks down for the fifth time today. Since that breakdown on the sidewalk on her way home, she’s found it infinitely harder to hold her tears back, keep her emotions at bay. So, instead of easting her energy holding back, she’s been wasting it sobbing into the comforter she had wrapped around herself like a safety cocoon until Connor rang the doorbell.

Instinctively more than intentionally, Connor wraps his arm around her shoulders as she tries to get a few words out in-between sobs, “This guy....h-he t-tried to....” she can’t even finish the sentence without the entire scene playing out in front of her eyes, causing her stomach to tighten and her sobs to grow louder. “But, I-I got away in time. But Connor, what if I d-didn’t? Oh God, what would’ve happened to me if I didn’t?”

“It’s ok, you’re ok now. You’re safe.“ He murmurs, pulling her closer until her head’s resting on his shoulder, “You’re ok. And don’t you ever think of it as karma, you hear me? You didn’t deserve that. No one deserves that. That was in no way your fault or your punishment. That guy’s gonna meet his punishment if I ever lay my eyes on him though, that’s for sure.“

“I-I didn’t see his face, i-it was too dark.“ She manages to say through the subsided sobbing that has now reduced to crying with the occasional sniffle. “I just heard his voice.” Despite having calmed down, she surprisingly doesn’t feel the need to pull away from Connor, create some distance between them. She doesn’t even dwell on how out of character this is for the both of them, nor does she dwell on the slightly off-putting thought that she’s actually glad to have him by her side. To have someone comforting and reassuring her that what happened is not a result of her own bad actions. That thought haunted her all night, preventing her from even thinking about falling asleep.

“Well, if you ever recognize his voice anywhere, you know you have three experienced killers and dismemberers you can contact to, you know, do the job.“ He says comfortingly, his tone light but still serious.

She can’t help but scoff, “One kill and you’re suddenly hitmen?”

Connor chuckles, “When someone messes with one of our own, we sure as hell are.”

That sentence feels like a bandage on one of Michaela’s many invisible wounds. That one of our own line fills that hole her loneliness drilled into her last night on that sidewalk when she felt so lost and alone and broken. When she felt she had no one to turn to and no one to seek comfort in. 

Among the many things she saw, heard and learned, the most valuable lesson these past twenty four hours have taught Michaela is that after the darkest of nights still comes morning. A bright morning, a new beginning and a helping hand with it. A helping hand, a safe embrace and comforting words. Bonus lesson is that one can never guess where, or rather from who those three elements will be given. These two are a crystal clear example: never did Michaela think she’d find a helping hand, safe embrace and comforting words coming from Connor Walsh. But here they are.

It may be odd and it may be temporary, but she’s not complaining, he doesn’t appear to be doing so either.

#how to get away with murder #htgawm #htgawm season 1 #htgawam #michaela pratt #connor & michaela #connor walsh #laurel castillo #wes gibbins #asher millstone #annalise keating #sam keating #frank delfino #bonnie winterbottom #rebecca sutter #fic #fanfic #fanfiction #fandom #fan #platonic #platonic relationships #rivals to friends #enemies to friends #requests open #request

[zuffer-weird-girl]

I got a problem...I just watched the bnha episode that had Kai in it and now I love pretty crow man even more...So I was wondering, how would Overhaul react to a really understand and all around nice s/o who is super shy, but secretly is a badass. It might be kinda funny cause she could just walk up to enemies and they never think anything of her until they try to attack kai or something and she is quickly able to disarm them.

I just have a little tiny heartattack evertime he appears (also mimic's voice, dear god, I couldn't stop laughing when he said "PUNK")

Overhaul/ Chisaki Kai x reader

It was just a simple walk on the city, a simple, calm walk with you on the streets of the city of Tokyo... He was becoming so stressed with the experiments and all of his work on the yakusa that he was at the point of what you called "exaustation".

"So there's a group of rats that wants- Overhaul?" Hari stopped on his rambling just to see his boss staring numbingly at the front door. He called but no response.

"Overhaul?" He tried once again waving his hand at the front of the young leader's face just to all of the sudden his head falls straight to the table.

Nemoto and Kurono stares for a while with wide eyes before Hari made his way out of the office while saying "don't let anyone enter, I will bring (Y/N)..."

Let's just say that he was just a bit tired, just a bit...

On that day you and him talked for a while about his health and while Kai was extremely careful with any sickness and germs he was terrible when it came to mental health or when he reached his limit but wouldn't admit it... After minutes of coaxing the stubborn golden eyed man, you finally had him convinced to take one entire day off of work; you had to talk with Pops before and he only said "please make him, he is going to kill himself with exhaustion, that boy never stops..." he does this because he is gratefull to you Pops :(

So there you were, walking besides each other on a quiet street with only the city lights to illuminate the dark night. He took just one moment to look at your features and your reply was just a silly shyly smile making one grow on his lips as well under his black surgeon mask. It's almost impossible for him not to take at least two minutes of a day to just admire your figure.

You were so reserved and shy; it took longer than he expected to develop a relationship with you but no way in hell he was gonna to say that he regret it. You were perfect, the incarnation of the only good things on this word, why do you think he called you angel all the time?

He is not going to hide his pride as well when almost everyone of the base and all the eight precepts are enchanted by you... Your gentleness and care were at first allarming to them but as the time goes by, you had become like a sacred object to them. Overhaul made very clear to every one in the base that if anything wrong happened to you, the person whose was responsible was going to view something way worse than hell itself.

Mimic strangled a guy when he asked for your number one time and Chisaki was very grateful...

Well but what was suppose to be a loveable walk to relieve his nerves turned to one annoying encounter with a man, recognizing Overhaul's features and daringly aiming a gun at his head.

"You bastard! You killed all of my comrades you fucking sociopath!" Yelled the man trembling as he stared with fear yet with rage at the both of you.

Chisaki annoyingly took a big breath and securely pushed you behind him never lowering his guard but also not alarmed neither.

"Angel stay back, this will not take too long." He whispered not even once breaking eye contact with the man.

"I WILL KILL YOU MONSTER! MAYBE THEM YOU WON'T HAVE ANYMORE YOUR FUCKUNG PRIDE STICKED TO YOUR FUCKING-"

"Are you seriously going to yell at this hour of the night? Don't act so foolish, the more sound you make you will atract the heroes here, and as far as I know you aren't a saint and they probablygoung to arrest you, so I would think carefully..." he monotonous spoke.

The guy flinched at hearing his voice and when he notice Chisaki carefully starting to take his right glove off the man nervously aimed at your head trembling more than ever and sayed:

"O-one more move from you and your little toy is dead! I know she's quirkless! One wrong move from you and you can say bye bye to her right here and now!" He almost cried while saying this to Overhaul's face, and he couldn't miss it the way Kai's eyes darkened at his threat.

How. Dare. This piece of trash. Involves you in this?

That man iss going to wish to never had born after he is done with him.

"Go ahead."

"W-what?!" The guy flinched

Chisaki finally broke contact with the guy to stare at you.

"What the hell you're doing?" He whisper-yelled at you, suddenly gripping you with his arm to prevent you got any closer.

Didn't you notice this guy was aiming a fucking gun that could explode your brain?!

"You heard me, go ahead." You pointed at your head mockingly "What? Scared of what might happen to you after?"

The guy yelled an "I warned you" before he merciless pushed the gate.

"(Y/N)! DOWN!" Overhaul yelled.

.

.

.

Wait what?

Where was the gun shot? Where was the bullet?

Chisaki started to looking for any injuries in your body, but got nothing.

He stared at you with wide wondering eyes which you only replied with a giggle holding in front of him some bullets.

"It was quite simple actually! He got distracted following us so I took the chance to sneak around, remember when I said I only wanted to check out something?" You shown with more enfasis all of the gun's ammo.

If it wasn't for the mask you could see the proud smile that it was forming at the face of your boyfriend.

Before he could reply something, both of you flinched when the guy yelled grabbing a knife out of nowhere and came rushing in the direction of Chisaki.

You buffed mumbling something close to "it's like an cockroach, you can't get away with it that easy" and simply punched the guy straight on the jaw with a following kick on the stomach causing him to fall on his back on the dirty ground. He tried to grab the knife that scaped his hand but you were quicker and stepped hard, merciless, on his hand. You pulled his hair to expose his neck while with your another hand you aproach dangerously the knife to his skin.

Chisaki crossed his arms over his chest admiring the scene with a smirk all the time; taking steps closer to a point where he is inches away from both the man and you.

"Done already?" You asked pulling closer the knife to his neck.

"My, aren't you a sneaky dangerously little angel yourself darling?" Chisaki mused ignoring the guy's presence.

You choose to ignore the coming blush to prevent the stranger to get away.

"N-no wonder why you are with this f-freak..!"

Now the strong kick he felt on his face was from Overhaul, making the guy actually hit, with force the wall of the alley. Oh dear, now that wall had a little of blood printed on it.

Chisaki helped you get up as he talked with someone over the phone; looks like this guy is in a hell of a ride.

"Angel, wait for me out of this alley. It will not take too long." He spoke while carresing your cheek with his gloved thumb.

You nodded, he took very quickly his mask to give you a peck before putting right back where it was.

"Mind me giving me this?" He pointed to the bullets that you stole from earlier.

You gave straight away and as you make your way out of there you could hear a faint "click" and the voices of Chrono and Rappa before you completely got out.

After a half or a entire hour you saw your boyfriend calling over to you, he was clean and just with his hair a bit messy but besides that no one could tell what had happened on the inside of that alley.

Honestly? Neither you wants to know... Chisaki Kai can be very cold and cruel when he wants and whenever he wants.

"I didn't know you had that on you angel." He mused impressed aproaching close to your ear to whisper "such a deviant... where did you, shy little angel, learned such brute movements?"

You blushed at his closeness and avert you eyes quickly to anywhere besides his eyes, that were practically glued on you.

"W-well..! J-just some combat lessons I am taking... Can't be the partner of the yakuza's boss if I have all the time Chrono to check over me because he was demanded..."

"Hm. I se- Wait. How did you know about that part?"

"Kai I'm shy. Not stupid."

He stares at you for a while before smirking to himself and pulling you for a quick hug. He chuckled when you yelped at the sudden contact.

"Maybe we should enjoy my breaks inside the base instead?"

"Probably?" You smiled holding him just as tight as he was.

Both of you parted and for a second you thought that was over until Kai spoke in authority voice.

"I'm delighted to see that your actions on there were for me not to get harmed but that doesn't mean Chrono will stop guarding you."

"W-wha-?! Why?!"

"You literally said to that scumbag to shoot you straight on the face." He spoke on a manner of tone voice.

"B-b-but..! He was out of bullets! I-I took them!"

"Yes, I already said I'm impressed but that doesn't change the things here angel."

You exhaled in defeat murmuring:

"I bet Hari hates me at this point..."

You don't notice Kai picking his phone again and dialing Kurono's contact.

"Chrono have you been making (Y/N) uncomfortable by any chance?" You yelped hearing that.

"What?" Spoke the voice in surprise.

"You heard me. What did you do?" Chisaki replied in a dangerous tone now.

"H-HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING I SWEAR!" you gripped Kai's sleeves to prevent that he talked more with his friend about your thoughts.

#overhaul x reader #chisaki kai x reader #overhaul scenario #fanfic overhaul #chisaki kai scenario #bnha characters x reader #bnha characters #bnha villains x reader #overhaul #chisaki kai #kurono hari #Chrono #mimic #rappa #nemoto #im too lazy to put all of their names in here srry #request #bnha requests #my writing #zuffer writing

[godkingsanointed]

Paper-thin Gods

@border-spam continues to make me too emotional over ratboy so have some *drama*

[[MORE]]

There'd been a murderous silence the whole way back to the cathedral. A rendezvous gone bad had left Troy seething. The agents had been expecting Tyreen for their briefing,and had made their...disappointment plain. After a slog of a mission they had obviously had second thoughts about this whole "religion" thing,and decided that Troy was an easy target for their frustration. Two against two (though they never counted the God-King as a threat),and the opportunity to sell off holy raiments with a little luck. Jak-knife had sensed hostility immediately,but Troy continued still talking shit them and throwing verbal weight around for a job not done to his standards. One had snapped with no warning and he hadn't been ready for it,this wasn't how people reached in his pre-performed scripts.

There's a flinch response to violence. Unless it happens regularly,unless fight or flight is trained through repetition,those first stunned moments are inevitable. For Troy it was a thing untrained. The bandit had rushed him so quick that Troy didn't know what had happened until the traitor hit the ground. Jak-knife had stepped in front with a shiv,allowing him to skewer himself and throwing him aside as they turn to face the other one. He was stuttering,begging,pleading. But not to him. *that's not how it's supposed to be* was all the thinking he could manage as his bodyguard silenced the coward for good. *they where supposed to fear ME not this...little nobody,this...,this isn't fair*. Troy hadnt said another since but Jak-knife knew what was coming,and braced for it. Tonight would be...rough.

He went from silence to barking orders immediately when they got back,any acolyte would do. He wanted to see them jump,freeze,scramble to please him. He wanted them to squirm as he just had,like maybe petty shows of power would overwrite what had just happened. Like if he shouted loud enough he could remind himself and his guard who he was supposed to be. Jak-knife trailed behind him a few steps,sending quick echo messages to Tyreen and Seifa about his mood. An outburst was sure to come so better to take the brunt and move on. The petty display continued until the all but deserted hallways to the God-kings chambers. He spun on his heels,looming as best he could,jaw muscles tightening with the threat of distending.

"Take.It.off." He nodded aggressively to the mask the bandit was never seen without. "I want to see exactly what kind of fucking *runt* skag you are under there." Jak-knife only crossed their arms,looking up at him with their head tilted to the side. The lack of reaction at all was more humiliating then the violence,and only served to fuel his attacks. "You heard me you son of a bitch! I didn't need you back there! Your just a fucking pet who thinks their a guard dog,so do as your commanded! I'm your God,so *take off the mask*!". What followed was silence as Troys chest heaved in outrage,fully in their guards face now. They hadn't reacted much more and he was trying to calculate how far he was willing to push this,in all honestly he was itching to throw them as far as the metal arm would allow.

"...your not my god,your my brother. So take off the bracer." They nodded towards the cover for his shoulder scars,the cover for his greatest insecurity,a deadly blasphemy to even mention. The reaction was instant and explosive,a metal hand snatching them up at the ribs an bringing them in close to squeeze the life from them. Fuck it,they thought,already pushed it this far. The second Jak-knife was close enough they grabbed him by his hair,forcefully mashing their foreheads together so they could look him in the eye. If this was it then they wanted him to live with *exactly* what he'd done. "Now you understand what your asking of me,you rat fucking bastard" they hissed as metal fingers punctured skin. "Crush all you want, but I'd rather die then live by the bullshit rules of your ego". This was echoed by a large crack,more then two ribs if memory of a similar injury served.

They gritted teeth and kept focus on his eyes. No blacking out,no making this easy for him. Though they cursed themselves as,even with him half crushing them,their chest still ached to see his tears. It seemed they bled out all his rage and they where dropped like a ragdoll all at once. Troy stood frozen in panic over them like a child who just broke something they shouldn't have as Jak-knife gasped for air. The adrenalin had started wearing off and it was getting darker and harder to hear as troy made a frantic call to...someone. They couldn't make out what he was saying anymore but he stopped to repeat *something* many times before they heard approaching footsteps. He locked himself away in this room as soon as whoever it was arrived,unable to answer what they assumed where questions on what had happened. Wherever had come to help was trying very hard to keep them conscious,but they couldn't help but close their eyes. They heard a brother calling...one that had died died them,once upon a time. "Give me strength" they pleaded with the spectre "I have to die in his place,not by his hand." They didn't get to test if this strength was granted however,because seconds later it all went black.

#Jak-knife #troy calypso #dont worry they live i wanted to ne dramatic lol

[fallout4holmes]

Nuka-World 6

We had a visitor the next morning. Mags Black left her two cronies at the base of the artificial mountain as she took the lift up herself. I don't know what she said to Gage to get him to stay put on the ground, but he wasn't happy about it.

Holmes had just finished his morning cigarette and a minimal breakfast. He stood as she stepped off the lift, "Ah. Ms. Black."

The raider boss raised an eyebrow, "Miz? It's like you're trying to stand out. You're the Overboss now, Mister Holmes, you get to be on a first name basis with everyone."

Holmes lit another cigarette and said with exaggerated politeness, "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

Mags smirked, "You can blame it on giving the Disciples The Galactic Zone. I don't know what you're planning, but I want my people to come out on top at the end."

"At the moment, avoiding the animosity of an amusement park full of raiders is my primary concern."

"Bullshit," she said pleasantly. "You're the General of the Minutemen, the frozen vault-dweller that destroyed the Institute. I heard about your almost-war with the Brotherhood too, how you kicked them out of the Commonwealth after destroying their toys." She gestured to me, “Most of the raiders in Nuka-World are from west of here, where the Institute never had a presence. They think your friend is just a nifty robot bodyguard. Creepy, but nothing more. Those of us from the Commonwealth though?” She smiled, sinister, “We know exactly what he is. William and I know better than most. You never did find that janitor that went missing, did you Nick? What was her name, Amelia?”

“Annette,” I corrected, tried not to rise to the bait. “Not usually a fan of kicking folks out beyond the Wall, but in the case of you and your brother I’m glad Diamond City did.”

“Funnily enough, so are we. This suits us much better.” She said it smoothly, nothing but charm, but you don’t last long in my line of work if you can’t tell a bluff when you see one. She turned her attention back to Holmes, “Either your rumored nobility is all an act to get you into a place of power, or you’re going to throw a wrench into the fragile gears of this place. If it turns out to be the first one, you may want to consider showing my people a bit of favor before ugly rumors of synths and interfering Minutemen start circulating the park. If it’s the second one, well. Just know that every Operator in this park is watching.”

Holmes glowered, “I don’t respond well to threats.”

“As long as you respond,” Mags said, and took the lift back down.

As soon as she was down, Gage came up. "Mags pissed?"

"A touch upset," Holmes offered me a cigarette, which I took. "I was a little surprised she remembered you, Valentine."

"Guess it's hard to forget a face like this," I said dryly.

"What the hell are you two goin' on about?" Gage sighed.

"Nothing important," Holmes said, "just the Operators being unhappy with me. They can have the next park, it doesn't matter."

"Giving 'em the next park might look like you were intimidated," Gage said.

"What is the next park?" Holmes asked.

"Figured we'd hit Dry Rock Gulch."

"Hm, the American 'Old West' theme. A fake gold mining operation should suit the Operators, don't you think, Valentine?"

I chuckled, "I think the implication is gonna go over their heads, but we might as well check it out and get it over with."

Holmes agreed and we headed off. We made it to the park’s gate when I heard something moving through the earth, sort of like the sound a mole rat makes just before it leaps out and bites you. Only these weren’t mole rats.

A handful of big red worms with mouths that took up the whole head attacked, surprising the hell out of me and Holmes and earning an annoyed growl from Gage. They weren’t much of a fight, but, “Well that was unpleasant,” I said.

“You never seen bloodworms before?” Gage asked, skeptical.

I shook my head, “We don't get these things back east.”

“Better get used to ‘em, they’re a fucking menace around here.”

Hopefully we wouldn’t be staying long enough for me to get used to them, but I kept that to myself. I glanced around as we entered the park, the Old West frontier outpost aesthetic turned kitsch.

“How’s it go,” Gage sarcastically drawled, “This town ain’t big enough for you and me… ah, never mind.”

Holmes chuckled. “Let’s ask the local law enforcement for information,” he pointed to a protectron wearing a sheriff’s hat.

“Hope y'all are having a good day here at Nuka-World. Ready to saddle up and ride into the old wild west?” the protectron said.

“Great,” Gage grumbled, “More dumb robots.”

The protectron was unperturbed, “I'm the sheriff of these parts, and I need your help getting rid of those no good outlaws holed up in Mad Mulligan's Mine!”

“This is why I hate robots,” Gage huffed. “They don’t even know the world ended, this playtime shit is annoying.”

The protectron’s park personality programming stopped, “Processing: Hostile visitor. Ignore and continue explanation for the sake of the other guests.”

I laughed.

The sheriff continued his job, “The door to Mad Mulligan's Mine is locked up. I got a spare key in a safe by the theater, but wouldn't you know, I plum forgot what the combination to the safe was! You'll need to talk to my three amigos: Doc Phosphate, One-Eyed Ike, and the Giddyup Kid. Prove to them you're tough enough to take on the outlaws, and they'll give you their part of the combination. Good luck, little doggie! And don't forget your complimentary deputy uniform, courtesy of Nuka-Cola!”

The sheriff handed Holmes a costume, who promptly handed it to Gage, who scowled before realizing, “You got a weird ass sense of humor, boss,” and tossed it away. As we walked he asked, “We really gotta do all that, talk to three other robots just to get a key?”

“I suppose we could simply hang a banner and be done with the place,” Holmes said.

Gage shook his head, “Not with the bloodworms. Gotta torch the nest first, otherwise whoever moves in is gonna be pissed to hell you gave ‘em an infested base.”

Holmes made casual eye contact with me. He’d been hoping for a raider-bloodworm showdown.

“I mean,” Gage was still talking, “why do we need this fucking key in the first place? Can’t we just blast the door open?”

“I try not to do anything rash if I can avoid it,” Holmes said, “and surely you don’t think we’ll be bested by a few challenges designed for children?”

“I’m starting to second-guess making you Overboss,” Gage grumbled.

“Perhaps you should have considered that possibility before enthroning a stranger you know precious little about, against his will,” Holmes steely replied.

“I can deal with an ass of a boss,” Gage played it cool, “as long as he gets done what needs to get done.”

We did the tasks for the park protectrons, fighting bloodworms, overgrown crickets, and giant ants along the way. Once we had the key, we headed for Mad Mulligan's Mine… a roller-coaster.

Gage had kept pretty quiet til then, "People actually stood in line and waited for this crap?" He scoffed, "Bunch of suckers."

"Roller-coasters were a popular attraction,” I commented flatly, “though I can’t say I ever saw the appeal.”

Holmes gestured for quiet as we headed into the ride. The lobby held a souvenir shop and the entrance to the tunnels that would lead folks to the boarding area, decorated to look like you’re walking through a mine out of a Saturday morning western. Back then it probably lacked the dead bodies, of course. Holmes and I had heard rumors of traders who hid from Colter’s raiders in Dry Rock Gulch. We found ‘em. Bloodworms saw to it they didn’t have long to enjoy their freedom.

The boarding area was a massive pit littered with brahmin corpses, bulging with bloodworm larvae. In the middle of the pit was the massive queen herself.

“I believe we’ve found the nest,” Holmes said.

“No shit, boss,” Gage scoffed.

“Valentine and I will take care of the queen, you exterminate everything hiding in those brahmin.”

Gage nodded, “Sounds like a plan.”

I might be getting too old for fighting overgrown monsters in caves… but every time I think that, I know it’s not really true. Or it is, and I’m too stubborn to admit it. Anyway, we got the job done but the queen did a number on my leg. At least we know that Nuka-Town’s got a competent mechanic. I could walk, which is saying something, just going to have a limp until whatever got whacked out of place could get realigned. Gage was going to make a remark, but wisely shut up when Holmes glared at him.

We let the Sheriff know the job was done, got paid, which was a nice surprise, and Holmes climbed up to the top of the theater to hoist a flag with a black heart in a bullseye, bleeding gold.

“Gave in to the Operators after all, huh?” Gage said once Holmes was back on the ground. He didn’t sound accusatory, which was kind of weird, just like he was making conversation. Which was also kind of weird.

“If I have to secure Mags Black’s silence with a token gesture,” Holmes said, “then so be it.”

Gage shrugged, “Just let ‘em know you’re the Overboss, not some do-good General.”

“Gage, you conned me into this mess for the purpose of bringing the gangs together, yes? How does strutting around threatening violence serve that purpose?”

“Because we’re raiders?? That’s the language these idiots speak. You gotta treat ‘em right, but make sure they know you can end them at any time.”

Holmes made a considering sound and headed out of the park, “I often thought that if raiders could ever organize, they would be a force to be reckoned with. It seems I was right.”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you!” Gage exclaimed, relieved as if Holmes had finally come around. He didn’t know that every time the topic came up, it was followed with a list of possible ways the Minutemen would eliminate that threat.

Unfortunately, none of the hypothetical scenarios ever involved the General and his partner effectively being held hostage, with no way to call for help.

#fallout4holmes #fallout 4 #nuka world #nick valentine #sherlock holmes #fan fiction #catching up on past posts

[thedyingmoon]

💚 See Me Now 💚

***

XVIII. Outrage

***

Levi kicked the door open to Erwin's office, and it was fortunately not destroyed thanks to his pathetic and worsening condition. He barged in and found Erwin and Hange there, both looking gloomy. They were also both silent.

"It's (L/N)!" Levi said, showing the note to them which was handed to him by Nifa. "She went out to find the antidote! We must go there, too - "

The Captain suddenly stopped talking as he noticed the look of complete apathy in their faces. It's as if they already know what happened to (F/N), and they don't even care whether she gets back or not.

"Please, stay calm, Levi." said Hange in an uncharacteristic monotone.

"You're telling me to stay calm?" Levi said, wanting so much to shake the scientist violently. "How about you, two? Why are you so calm?"

Erwin turned to look at him, showing him his bloodshot eyes. This pretty much unnerved Levi, since it was the first time he saw him looking like that.

"We must put our trust in her." he simply said to Levi. "She'll heal you, of that I'am certain."

"She'll heal me?! What if those men kill her? We don't even know where she went!"

"We do." Hange said.

Levi looked at Hange, strode towards her, then grabbed her by the collar. "You knew, and you're not doing anything?!"

Hange suddenly looked at him with such cold eyes. She grabbed Levi's collar and pushed him forcefully away. He landed on the floor right in front of her, his back complaining with the sudden pain.

"You sound very much like you care for her, Levi." she said to him. "When, in fact, you don't."

Levi's eyes grew wide upon realizing that they're still not aware of what he did to (F/N) last night. "No! I - "

"You shouldn't be acting like that. Go back to your office and forget everything that happened. Carry on, as usual."

"What the fuck?! You expect me to go back there without doing anything? That girl would be killed because of me!"

Levi stared at the two and he immediately felt that he was only looking at a pair of statues and not his friends. 

How could they be so cold? They like (F/N), right?

"Levi, that girl died many times before." Hange said and looked at him with her apathetic face. "If you're saying she'll get killed because of you, you're wrong. She already died many times, because of you."

Levi couldn't deny the fact that he was really awful to the girl because of very selfish reasons. He loved Petra to the point of blindness that he failed to see other people who cared for him. He loved Petra too much that he failed to see (F/N)'s efforts to care for him in his time of need. Despite him pushing her away.

He looked down, ashamed of what he was asking Erwin and Hange to do for (F/N). He had no right, whatsoever, to ask them to save her because, he, himself, had no care in the world whether (F/N)'s safe or not.

But, now, he really wanted to save her, and not just because he was guilty of what he did to her. She deserved to be saved. He knew it the moment he found out the whole truth of her miserable life, how she worked hard to be in the Legion to serve him while being bullied and trampled many times by the people around her because of the woman he once loved, but now loathed, and how she still remained loyal to him despite everything he did to her.

Heck, (F/N) had every right to condemn him, herself, to hell. She's innocent.

And now, he's not sure whether she's still alive or not.

Because of him.

"Don't bother yourself with her, Levi." Erwin said and sighed, feeling as if the whole world was on his shoulders. "Remain what you are right now. There's nothing you can do to save her. We need you more than her. So, please, Levi. Do as I say."

What the hell did you just say?! And I thought you had a thing for her!

"Shame on you." Levi said, glaring with much hate at them. He walked away, unable to bear the sight of his two most trusted friends who couldn't do anything to save one girl. "Shame on myself, as well,..."

He closed the door behind him, feeling outraged with the two.

If you won't help me, I'll do it, myself. Even if it kills me.

He went to the direction of the underground cellars, thinking of the only thing he could do to possibly locate her. If they won't tell him anything, he'll find it out for himself.

His footsteps echoed through the dungeons, and with every step he took to get closer to the one person he wanted to see, he was getting more and more nauseous. It was as if something evil was trying to possess his mind and at the same time robbing him of what's left of his vitality. The place also smelled like dead rats. He really wanted to get this over and done with.

When he finally arrived there, he fought the urge to throw up.

Right there, chained and beaten, was the old woman who injected him with the anti - Ackerman serum. And he found out that she was not really a woman, after all, but a really obnoxious man in tattered disguise.

Levi grasped the metal bars that separated him from the man and spoke to him.

"I know you're awake, bastard." Levi said, making the man look up at him.

What he saw fairly disgusted him. The man was filled with boils and when he saw him, he smiled, showing him his incomplete set of yellow teeth. It made the hairs on Levi's nape stand.

"Well, look at you." the man said in his raspy voice. "The mighty man, himself. It seems that only yesterday that you're acting all high and mighty with a large crowd of admirers just behind you. Ha! Now, I bet you can't even lift up a whore,..."

"Shut the fuck up!" Levi said. "It's me you want. Tell me where your boss is, or else I'll come in there and break all your bones!"

The man just laughed at Levi's threat. "You're telling me to shut up and now you want me to talk? Oh, lordie lord,..."

"Tell me!"

The man looked at Levi straight in the eye, his face not showing any hint of fear, at all.

"I'm not scared of you, Ackerman! All you Ackermans do is flaunt your abilities and shit. You have no right for the crown! You're just drooling mongrels who blindly serve Fritz for a single piece of bone, you lot! You don't deserve to live. The royal family don't need the likes of you!"

"What the fuck are you saying? We have no connection to the crown!"

"You do, Ackerman. And that's why we dedicate our lives to cleansing this world of you! You're unnatural, a disgrace,... you're the work of the devil!"

"I don't care what you think of us! And I don't even care what I really am anymore. You want to kill me? Now's your chance. Tell me where your hideout is. I'll go there alone and without hesitation."

The man appraised him for a moment, weighing his words so as not to make a wrong decision. "The mighty and arrogant Ackerman, willing to sacrifice himself for the glory of the Master. What will I say to him?"

Master? Like a cult leader or something?

"Make up your mind, you piece of shit, I haven't got all day."

"Very well. If you could find your way to the Trost's abandoned theatre, you should find yourself there. Bring men with you, I don't care. They will attack you, one by one, until none of you is left alive."

The abandoned theatre, huh?

Levi was about to leave when the prisoner noticed (F/N)'s bloody note in his hand.

"That beautiful young lady, she really is a beautiful young lady." the man said then grunted. Levi turned to look back at him and saw the man's eyes filled with lust. "You know that while you're wasting your time here, that precious girl is being tortured? Ah, no, wait, the Master is not like that. On the other hand, please, do stay a bit longer. I'm sure the Master is still having lots of fun with her, if you know what I mean,..." the man laughed hysterically and coughed at the same time, his perverted thoughts getting the better of him as he started rubbing his manhood against the cold, stone floor.

Levi's eyes widened in fear and disgust. He ran away as fast as he could, ignoring his boiling anger towards the perverted son of a bitch and his deep urge to mutilate him.

I'm coming, (F/N). Wait for me,...

******

~ @levi4mikasa , @yepps , @shewolfofficial , @unhappysap , @super-peace-fangirl , @fangurl-ontgeside , @emilyackerman78 . 💚

~ dear @shortbty14 , I almost forgot! Ihh! I'm sorry,...

~ and you, too, dear @clovemcpandas . Gosh, what's wrong with me,...

***

💚💚💚

***

#attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #levi ackerman #captain levi #see me now #levi x reader #levi x you #snk erwin #snk hange #chapter 18 #outrage

[friendlylocalwhumper]

“I think you need to see for yourself what happens to warlocks.” The cop unlocks Lux’s wrists from the interrogation table and cuffs them back together in front of him, pulling him along with fingers wrapped around his bicep. Lux’s jaw is clamped shut with his determination not to show an undue flash of fear, falling in step and keeping quiet.

He’s led out into the main area, walked past desks where cops type on their computers and write reports and answer calls. The cop guides him through a door, down a stairwell, down a hall, and they’re under the station, now, heading toward two metal doors. They swing open, and the smell of antiseptic and formaldehyde makes Lux cringe.

“Coroner’s office,” The cop informs, tugging on Lux’s arm until they’re standing next to an autopsy table. There’s a body on it, hidden by a white sheet. “Pull that off, let’s see what’s under there.”

He’s anxious, growing nauseous with the smell, but Lux tries not to hesitate too long before he reaches with cuffed hands to take hold of the edge of the cover and lift it carefully, folding it over onto the person’s waist.

It’s someone young like him. A guy, maybe twenty-five, so pale he’s nearly blue, straw-colored hair limp against his forehead. His eyes are closed, his lips forming a slight frown like he’s just a little put off by his untimely death.

A hand presses to Lux’s back and shoves him forward; Lux yelps as his arms are pinned against the edge of the table, his palms trying to push against the metal so that he doesn’t collide with the corpse. One of the cop’s hands goes to the dead guy’s face and pulls his eyelids open, the other slipping up from Lux’s back to grab onto his curls and shove his head down, mere inches away from those drying, cloudy, empty eyes.

The warlock is making a string of terrified sounds, breathless ones as he pushes against the table and only succeeds in pressing his back into the cop’s chest.

“Died of two bullets to center mass,” The man explains by Lux’s ear. Blue eyes flick to the side and Lux can just barely see the two small holes past the cuts across the cadaver’s torso. “Bullets from my gun. Best to shoot a warlock in the heart. He came after me, that damn magic in his hands. This is what happens to your kind - you ever see what it’s like in a morgue, warlocks taking up all the tables, all the drawers? Like rats picked up off the street and dumped in a room to get dissected and stored. You know why we do that, ‘stead of leaving them in the gutter?”

“N-n-no,” Lux grunts, arms trembling. “W-why?”

“Because we’re the good guys. We don’t want dead bodies along roads to churches, to schools, to communities. You know why we budget the cost to keep coroners here all day and night, all year? Why we crack open those bodies after they’re already dead and out of the public eye? Because we’re making sure our reports match up. We need to make sure there are two bullets in this boy instead of twenty, make sure he had magic at some point. We’re kept in line, we’re moral. There’s a system, rules, order. You bastards don’t respect that, but I want you to remember it. Just because the system works best for me doesn’t mean I’m gonna abuse it for fun. If one of us hurts you, it’s because that’s what’s best for society, it’s what keeps families safe. When we turn you loose, let you live, warlock, don’t run and whine to your friends about what we did to you, because all you’ve ever gotten was justice.”

Arms burning from the exertion of pushing back, Lux makes a startled sound when they give out and he falls forward, forehead meeting the corpse’s with a dull thud. Those eyes aren’t being held open anymore; with a sticky sound, they fell half-closed, and Lux can see into them, he can smell the stench of halted decaying.

“This is gonna be you. Lying in some morgue, cold and stiff, nameless. Happens to all warlocks, unless you die with your kind and get buried by one of them illegally. Chances are, though, this’ll be you. Unless - well, you know.”

Breathing through his mouth isn’t making it any better, isn’t taking away the smell, because now Lux can taste it. “Wh-, know what? Unless what?”

“Unless you stop using your magic. This kid died trying to hurt cops with his, and he got shot for it. If he’d kept to himself, let his freak powers die and just lived a normal life, he’d be breathing right now. Just don’t use your damn magic. Goddammit, I don’t want to kill kids, take a fucking hint and change, will you?”

This dead warlock couldn’t have attacked for no reason. Maybe he was protecting a friend. Maybe he was goaded into it. Maybe he’s been hurt before by cops, like Lux, and he wanted to stand up for himself for once, even if it meant he’d end up here.

“I d-, don’t think we’re the ones who need to change,” The warlock answers, bracing himself for violence.

The cop groans in frustration and yanks Lux back, the grip returning to his upper arm. “Typical. All rhetoric with you magic types. Normal thugs, criminals, they make excuses, but you mutant fuckers have some kind of pride. Gets you killed every time. Listen, I already killed one of you today, I did my part, not trying to write another report for your death. Let’s go.”

As he’s led back out of the coroner’s office, Lux looks back, rubbing at his face and trying to forget the smell as he takes one last look at the dead warlock so he can remember what the guy looks like. It just feels important, to remember.

“I, I can le-earn,” Lux stammers, once they’re back out in the hallway. “I need to learn, how to m-make sure I don’t die like that. Don’t wanna die, and - and I don’t want to hurt a cop, even if I don’t think they’re good people. You don’t want to kill us, not as much as you do… can we, can we m-maybe, talk about it? I didn’t know you check reports, do autopsies… I’m i-ignorant, you are too, we can talk, we can both learn.”

The cop stops dragging him along and gives Lux an odd look. “You want to learn how we operate?” His expression darkens, and in a flash, Lux is pinned to the wall, a forearm across his throat. “What, so you can go tell your warlock friends how to evade us?”

“No - no! I just - you’re wrong, about us, wrong to kill us, but - you can’t be evil, can’t be all bad, you - you stop murders, go to houses and stop h-, husbands hitting wives, you find lost kids - that’s good stuff, and you have a system, and I w-wanna learn about it. I wanna know why you do it how you do.”

It takes a good minute, but the arm is lowered, and Lux is pulled along again.

“Fine. We’ll sit in the Lieutenant’s office, she’s out on vacation. Talking with a warlock, pff,” The cop huffs, half frustrated with himself and half incredulous. “You try anything, I’ll bring you back down here and shove you in a locker with one of the frozen corpses, you got it?”

“Y-yes, got it, I understand,” Lux answers with a shudder, following along once more.

“Alright. Let’s start off with one thing. You’re not righteous. Warlocks are civilian-killing fucks who don’t deserve as many rights as they’ve got, so don’t come into this thinking you’re going to change my mind about anything.”

Lux leans back, sets his cuffed wrists in his lap, and frowns. “Oh.”

“Oh, what?”

“Well, I’d rather go back in my cell, then.”

The cop grows flustered, crossing his arms where he sits a few feet away. “That’s it? You’re giving up?”

Careful not to overstep his bounds, Lux answers slowly. “I, um… well, I think for two people to have a conversation, there has to be respect. You just shoved my face into a corpse, but I’m being polite anyway. I don’t know what I’ve personally done to deserve - what did you call it? - rhetoric.”

The man stares at Lux like he has two heads, but he has to either return him to his cell or rethink, so he sits back with a sigh. “Show a warlock respect. Hmph.”

“Trust me, I feel the same way about showing a cop respect,” Lux replies, although he reconsiders his tone when the officer’s shoulders square off. Okay, Lux really does have to show more respect here, remember his position.

“So. You wanted to know about our system. How do you think we operate?”

“Well, you - I mean… I guess I think that cops ride around, spot someone they think could be a warlock, and put pressure on them. Hurt them, a lot of the time. Kill them sometimes. And they just go about their day after that.”

The cop barks out a single laugh, shaking his head. “Go about our day. If we so much as spot a warlock using magic, we have to call it in. If we end up shooting a warlock, we have to turn in our gun, come to the station, write a report, wait for the autopsy and witnesses and our partner to do their report. Sometimes, IAB - Internal Affairs - has us sit down for an interview where we get recorded, repeat the report out loud but try not to sound rehearsed… used to stress me out, first couple of years.”

Lux tilts his head in confusion. “I didn’t know that. IAB - what do they do if a cop’s story doesn’t hold up?”

“Fuck, they take your badge, investigate further, hold your pay. Usually we don’t get fired, but it’s a career killer, having IAB keep an eye on you after suspicion is raised. Lose the respect of other officers, and that could get you killed on the job, just that hesitation.”

“Killed on the job… is that something you guys worry about? I mean, is it a real threat?”

The officer leans forward. “Hell, why do you think we hate warlocks so much? Number one cause of death for a law enforcement officer. Stories I’ve heard, blood boiling and guts exploding and mind control… I’m not too proud a man to say that if I have to step out of my car to face a warlock, I’m halfway to shittin’ my pants.”

“Oh - oh, it’s, it’s scary?”

“Facing death itself? Yeah. My wife left me ‘cause of the heartbreak it gave her, hearing my buddies tell her stories about days I nearly died. That’s no life to give a woman.”

Lux watches the man lose himself, a little, in his recollection of being left. “I’m sorry.”

With a lopsided shrug, the cop moves on. “Anyway. Yeah, it’s dangerous. Before the war with warlocks, precincts had a wall with framed pictures of officers who lost their lives in the line of duty. All respectable, their portraits with the American flag in the background. Now, we’ve got walls covered in little bronze plaques with just their rank and last name. Too many dead to put up pictures.”

The warlock doesn’t have a way to respond to that.

“So. What’s it all look like from your side of things? Shit, don’t think I’ve ever sat down with a warlock to ask that.”

“Mmh, it’s… scary for us, too. I think… you’re scared of us, and you turn it into hate to get by, to feel like you can face it. We do that too. I don’t r-really hate cops, ‘m just scared of them. Of you.”

“You’re not scared of me,” The cop dismisses with a wave of his hand. “Not scared to be here, you’re just trying to make me feel bad for you, let down my guard.”

“I’m scared,” Lux insists, the chain links between his cuffs clinking when he shifts his arms. “I’m so scared, I - I know I might die, every time I’m caught, and every day I’m not even seen, I know it’ll happen. Normal people on the street, they hate me, want me dead, but only when they feel like it… you, though, police, it’s your job to kill me. I know that, I know it, I never stop thinking it. There’s people out there waiting for me to mess up so they can kill me.”

“That’d sound like something I could sympathize with… if it wasn’t your fault for being hated like that. Just stop using your magic.”

The warlock shakes his head, trying not to get frustrated. It’s silent for a moment as he gathers his thoughts, sorts through them. “...I know if I use magic in public, it’ll get me killed. And I don’t want to die. Don’t wanna get hurt, don’t wanna be hated… never thought I’d live to fifteen, but here I am, and - I didn’t finish high school. I don’t own a house, or a car, I - I’d pay taxes if I could get a job and learn how to do them. You’re scared of warlocks, but - this isn’t our world. We’re just trying to survive. You see how we live as hiding and breaking the law, I see it as… living off scraps.”

“Living off scraps.” It’s quiet again, and Lux fidgets nervously as the cop thinks. “Afraid of us. Hmm.”

“Y-yeah,” Lux responds uncertainly. Waits. Speaks up again. “Do you really think we’re - evil, and disgusting, and we should die? Or… are you just scared of us? Do you just feel like we’re an unknown threat?”

“...I think you should stop using magic, be like us.”

“Okay, but, but other than that - like, do you think I should die? Not if I use magic again, not if I hurt a cop, just, how I am right now, sitting here?”

The cop looks Lux up and down, tenses defensively. “...No. I’d need a reason to kill you.”

“Okay,” Lux answers and then falls silent with a sense of finality.

“Okay? What, that’s all? You’re not going to argue more?”

“Argue? No, I, I just wondered how you think. I’m not gonna change anything by talking more. You’re probably gonna let me go, and another cop will pick me up some other time, and I’m gonna get hurt, and then one day I’ll get killed. I’m not saying that to be dramatic, it��s just what’ll happen. I’ll be down in that morgue, and it’ll be over. Probably pretty soon. I’m old, you know, for a warlock. Twenty years of not dying. Glad I heard a cop’s side of things before I go. I’m, uh, I’m gonna try to never give one of you a reason to think I’ll hurt you. I don’t like making people feel scared.”

“Well, if you don’t present yourself as a threat, you won’t die like that.”

“Right.” Lux’s tone clearly conveys his disinterest, his disbelief in that reasoning. Like the simplest fact in the world is that he’s going to be killed for no reason other than for being alive.

The man before him seems unsettled by the reaction, by the conclusion to their conversation, but he only takes ten seconds more to think about it before he stands back up.

This time, he waits for Lux to stand up on his own instead of pulling him up by his arm.

“What’s your name, officer?” Lux asks as he’s guided out of the Lieutenant’s office.

“...Chambers. Detective Chambers.”

“I’m Lux,” The warlock responds. “Thanks for letting me listen, Detective Chambers.”

“...Yeah,” The detective grunts, bringing Lux back to the holding cell he’s been kept in for the past few hours. He seems uncomfortable now that Lux has established himself as a person instead of just a part of the magic menace. “Wasn’t a waste of time, I guess.”

#mine #whump #afraid #threats #drabble #cops #lux #death tw #police brutality tw

[symphonic--chaos]

Empires of Brick and Blood Chapter 2 - Vēnor Rating: PG-13 This chapter is set to the song: Kill of the Night - Gin Wigmore

Also posted on AO3

Alexander Lightwood- Alec, as most called him to his preference, was what some could possibly call… Neurotic. If you asked him, it was an understatement, what with the amount of stress he’d accrued seeing the state of Brooklyn once the Largo’s had lost their last clawed grip on it. Chaos caused in city’s across the country due to Repo men that hadn’t been reigned in and let their power get to their heads, by greed within the Largo family that had only grown as the line went on. At the same time, he would correct you because, while falling into this seeming leadership position his parents placed on him had been unexpected and daunting, his stumble had turned into stride. Now, if he was truly labeled by those who knew him best, they would find authoritative fit Alexander Lightwood the best. The great grandson of the Largo heiress Amber Sweet, who started the line of destruction after passing the business to her one-night stands bastard child from the man known as Graverobber, had followed on in his family’s footsteps. Keeping the business going, though with what Alec found through articles and paperwork from the labs, the man was surprisingly trying to turn things around. Maybe even had a better head on his shoulders than the rest of them, which no doubt had to come from the side of whomever married into the Largo family. 

Though he married, they never bore a child into the line, as their only pregnancy ended with a miscarriage. With a wheeze and a groan at a ripe age of 97, the eldest and last remaining member of the tyrant family had croaked their last order to whomever became their predecessor:  Find him. He is your key. What they had failed to mention was who ‘him’ was, why he needed to be found and, Alec didn’t know, maybe a hint to where he was. It seemed his sister, Isabelle, was more interested in the nightlife around the city more than actually helping him go through mountains of neglected paperwork or to find him, and his mother was busy recruiting guards and tossing money at previously corrupted repo men to get them to join their forces. Robert… Was somewhere, as always, causing mayhem and anxiety in anyone near him. It had been his money that elbowed them into the large secondary headquarters of the Largo’s, currently in the heart of New York, whereas the original having been in California. The youngest of the Lightwoods, Max, was away at some elite boarding school, always out of the way of his parents and their work-induced, steamrolling habits. Once their parents had taken over the colossal task of taking on the Largo estate, his father’s words were simple as he headed out the door: ‘The bills are stacking high and unpaid organ repossession is, and now will always be, the key. I’ll be back once I’m done.’ ~ “Split up. Two men together at all times, you all know Bane fights back.” Alec gave a pointed look at a nearby guard sporting a black eye and busted lip to accentuate his words. Pointing to the alleys he wanted covered on a map of areas they’d swept and had yet to, they were all soon on their way to their respectively given locations. Handing the map to the driver that would wait in the car, Alec ran his hands along his belt, nodding to himself as he confirmed he had all of his gear, his boots crunching on a broken bottle on the sidewalk as he headed for his own alley. “No, I go alone. It’s personal at this point.” The two guards that went to follow Alec looked shocked by the command, hesitant, but they soon split to go down the adjacent alley, quietly conversing with each other that they weren’t sure what made him feel so invincible. Truth be told, nothing made him feel invincible. What fueled him to believe he could go alone after this little rat that continuously slipped between their fingers was nothing but pure rage and a will to win. It had been five months since he’d proclaimed his hunting party on the drug dealer, five months of trying to get anonymous tips on where he was, five months of dropping everything to rush to a location where guards swore up and down that they had him only to have some random junkie that looked nothing like him. Five. Fucking. Months of seeing that smug face, that little wave of polished fingers as he paused on a buildings fire escape ladder, fifty feet above Alec, mid-rush to get away from him. There had been times, of course, when he’d had him. Truly had him in his grip, an arm or his jacket between his fingers, knuckles white from his hold. Once time he’d even been in a fist fight with him, the one time Alec had learned just how much of a fighter Bane was, as though he’d been trained to fight this way. It made sense considering he was a street urchin, all that lived on these streets at the threat of being robbed or jumped, or even at risk of a repossession, they had all found ways that worked best for them to protect themselves. While most used weapons, Bane was certainly no exception here, though his weapons were certainly his fists and smart. Security was crucial, what with the amount of Zydrate and money he likely carried on himself to appease the 'children’ of the alleys, poisoning them, yet aiding the Lightwood’s in slowing them down fast enough to repossess what was theirs according to the books. That likely wasn’t part of his plans, but finders keepers as Robert said. A long sigh was released when he was finally alone, his steps pausing at the beginning of the alleyway, his neck rolling slowly from side to side as he tried to mentally prepare himself. He was sure that after so long, tonight would be just as rage inducing as every night had been, though parts of him hoped for another one of those fights since it would at least be more entertaining than staring at junkies and dirty alleyways full of empty Zydrate vials and trash. “Get a quote on a cleaner for these alleys and the sidewalks.” Alec sent the voice memo from his phone to Izzy as he walked, kicking a vial out of his way and making a face as a large rat ran by in the distance. All hopes of it being a cat were shot after the plague had gone through, one that strangely enough only affected cats with something akin to rabies, and could only be passed to humans the same way. While it made simple strays slowly turn vicious, striking out and even chasing down people that so much as looked at them wrong, it did something wholly different to the people that were attacked. Rabid was something vaguely simple of a term. It made them almost…superhuman. Some people gained strength that no one should have possessed, able to rip people limb to limb or tear doors off cars to get to those inside. There had been cases of people who gained a chameleon like affect, their skin could change to blend into their surroundings- something Alec had seen first hand when driving through a city during the height of it. Other people had, what they could only refer to as 'magic’. It was the closest thing possible, it was like the people could harness the air and the energy around them and use it to cause sheer chaos, inciting break-ins, deaths. All they had learned was that nothing good came from this plague, and it was treated as such. All cats found outdoors were killed. Everyone that owned a cat was immediately to register and bring it to a nearby clinic for it to be inspected for the disease, then given a shot that would prevent (or they hoped would) the disease from affecting them. If you were rich, you were lucky to keep your cat. Most of the lower class families weren’t as lucky, as most of their cats were outdoor permitted. It wasn’t unlikely to see them trotting alongside their owners in the alleys, or lounging in sunspots on the cars. The humans that carried the disease were easy to spot, their eyes, ironically, all became colored with a slit pupil just like the cats that had infected them. Many of them drooled or struck out when approached too closely. Many had been captured and attempts to give them an antidote failed, so, just like their feline counterparts, they were put down as well. To see a mass culling of people had been traumatizing to many of the kids their age, putting fear into them of being next on that list. It had been ten years since the incident and there hadn’t been any cases in the past seven, something Alec was grateful for as he’d grown rather fond of his and his sisters cats, twin Maine Coon’s that Robert had threatened to toss out to the vets to be euthanized far too many times. In reality, they just hated the man and hissed at him every time he passed due to the vile energy he put off, and the kids had learned to do whatever he ordered out of fear of his words. This had stuck even as they’d grown older, even at 26 and 24, to a point where they generally just avoided all eye contact with him and kept their eyes on the floor as they agreed to their duties. A shuffle to Alec’s left had his attention turning from the giant rat, grown from years of a lack of upper food chain predators, to the billow of a trench coat disappearing behind the connected alley. Heavy boots stopped abruptly as his ears strained to listen for a voice or any hint of someone running, but the girls and guys that frequently passed through or sold themselves in the alley were too loud and drowning out everything he actually wanted to hear. His steps were quick to turn down the short connector between the two, the rancid smell of the dumpster filling the small area sided by two tall buildings and nearly making him gag. A look to his left confirmed what he’d seen, the long overcoat swaying behind the figure that hummed and walked nonchalantly away from him, a half eaten apple in hand. “BANE!” With that shout, the other figure paused mid-step, the apple slipping in his fingers despite the attempt to catch it, the thud of the fruit on the ground minimal against the echo of Alec’s yell. “My apple!” Came the whine as the long-haired dealer looked down at it sadly, then turned to look at Alec. “You owe me an apple.” Alec was speechless. He… owed him an apple? A fucking apple? “I owe you shit, now get over here and come with me peacefully so you can finally go to trial and we can clean the streets of trash like you.” “First, Mr. Lightwood, that apple cost me thirteen credits, not that a rich asshole like you would get how much that is. Second, I’ll come with you,” His eyes traveled up and down Alec’s body as his wicked smile proved their words meant two completely different things, “but I do nothing peacefully. And finally, I’m not trash. If anything I like to consider myself like a fine, vintage shop.” Alec merely stared, knowing his eyes were wide in disbelief that Bane was seriously… flirting with him? While he was warning of an arrest? His lips parted as he began to form the words his mind was stewing together, but they soon shut as he inhaled deeply through his nose instead. Gods, that dumpster, bad decision. Alec stepped forward to get away from the mid-alley entrance before he vomited all over the ground in front of him and, with every step forward, Bane took one back with brief, forlorn looks given to his apple, as if giving it a silent goodbye. “I… You’re dead. I’m just going to kill you and no one’s going to know.” Alec’s threat seemed nonchalant, that disbelief still lingering in his tone. Much to Alec’s dismay, it brought a bright smile to Bane’s face as his cuff-gloved hand rose, his fingers adorned with rings and nails painted as black as his jacket. Those fingers curled in towards his palm one by one, then out, and back in, beckoning him tauntingly. “Come on, Mr. Lightwood. I love a challenge. You’re my favorite so far. Who else is blessed enough to have a hot guy so infatuated with them?” “You son of a–” Alec dashed towards Bane as a delighted laughter rang through out the alley, the dealers feet carrying him along the dirt and asphalt. It was a chase that would end fruitless after just five short minutes, lost into an alleyway with an open door and a hand reaching out and motioning for Bane to hurry and run in. Alec panted as he stopped suddenly at the now locked door, his fist slamming on the cool metal as if the three little piggies would let in the wolf. Backing up, he gathered his energy and rushed the door with a frustrated yell, throwing his shoulder into it and successfully getting it to open, slamming against the wall of the hall within. “Apartments, corner of East 63rd and 1st.” Alec’s watch beeped after he passed along his whereabouts to the guards patrolling the nearby alleys. The black cylinder at his waist was removed from its clip, the button extending the weapon into its full length, the tip sparking briefly with electricity. A cattle prod, only adjusted to be more human tolerant. His favorite weapon he owned outside of his bow, much better for close range attacks, though he was considering taking to the roof’s from now on and using the bow to hunt Bane down. This fight had ceased to be a potential win now that Bane was hidden away, since knowing his ways through months of studying, Bane was either on the roof, or in one of the hundreds of apartments and going out through a window. “Keep an eye out all around the building out there, he won’t be able to get far. Call in the backup, have them check every apartment. Feel free to bring a couple of the Repo guys, see if they match anyone they’re missing on their lists. Check with Raphael, first, though. He’ll let you know who he’ll spare of the group.” Alec paced the hallway for a moment or two, listening for any sign of Bane’s voice even though he knew the other would be remaining silent and waiting him out. That, more than anything else, frustrated Alec to no end. He sniffled and ran a hand through his hair as he tried to calm himself down, but another moment passed and soon his fist met the drywall of the hallway as a frustrated “FUCK!” rang through it. The door swung open as he pulled the knob and flung it aside, walking outside and shoving past the guards there. “I’ll be back at the office. Let me know if you find anything. Permission for no mercy.” Moments like these he knew he sounded like Robert, but time after time Izzy tried to assure him it was only because they were their own worst critics. That it was something ingrained in them by their father. But, if so, why was she always so carefree and sweet? Alec found himself like his father more than he liked, and he hoped that he didn’t pay for it some day.

#malec #repo! the genetic opera AU #repo!malec #alec lightwood #magnus bane #izzy lightwood #empires of brick and blood #my fics

[cherrymoonvol6]

some avengers endgame Thoughts cause i saw the movie yesterday and can't stop thinking about it

of course..... spoilers ahead

nebula and tony playing!!!! i just love how nebula's personality comes through without it being ooc

also... nebula carefully sitting tony up. she Cares so much :(

steve immediately going to tony :( like im a stucky kind of gal but holy shit i love them

which was completely erased in the next scene where tony drags steve up and down and after that passes out, which is a confrontation Mood

i wonder how they made tony look so skinny and sick. if it was cgi then i applaud them cause it looked so good

the way they killed thanos so fucking quickly here... i don't know how to feel lmao. like cutting the gauntlet arm and then slicing his neck... that's what we were all screaming at them during infinity war. it's good to see them learn from their mistakes, i guess ?

(can't remember the order in which things happen from now so forgive me if i make a mistake)

i told my sister "that's one of the russos!!!!!" so it took me ten seconds to realize that the russo was the gay character everyone was talking about (i thought it would be fury for no other reason than it being shocking and fury having very little to do with the plot, but)

and steve being supportive of that :( man out of time said gay rights!

carol's new hair!! holy shit!!!!!

rocket insinuating carol has been experimenting with more hairstyles... i would like to see it

don't think i missed that carol x rhodey nod. i support it.

don't wanna say it now... for now ill just state: i love what they're doing with natasha in the movie. she truly feels like a friend to steve. like that small gesture of her sliding the plate towards steve is just so domestic and beautiful! it really makes her feel so human and complex at the end. i was so worried about her being wasted but i loved her throughout the film

it was a fucking rat who got scott out. i have to laugh.

also is that the guy from that old "gayyyyy" meme????

cassie is all grown up!!!!!! i can't even imagine how hard it had been for her

also what happened to her mom? and the stepdad??? are they fine????? i hope so

i was hoping we would get more tony as a dad in this movie and it delivered!! tony is so fucking good with kids. the bond between him and morgan was so well portrayed

also the place they live in is so cozy and that's what he deserves

when steve stepped down the car in that black outfit with the leather jacket on i gasped... he's fucking gorgeous

i kept wanting him and tony to kiss lmao tf is wrong with me

OKAY my hawkeye rights. i missed him so much

the stylish subtitles on the middle of the screen felt like too much. this isn't a tumblr gifset honey, just write them down!

thinking about the whole clintasha conversation really foreshadows the whole thing. natasha cares so deeply about clint and really puts his needs before hers. it's so beautiful to see

honestly... my clintasha rights!

i think the hulk/bruce scene was kinda endearing but then the ant man banter dragged on for toooo long

the dab i YELLED. these poor kids have to stand this man on 2023 pulling out 2016 trends to appear Hip and Cool

fat thor...... i hate how it was handled. hate it so fucking much.

new asgard! that's so cute. i hope that's on norway

miek and korg are alive!!!!

the thought of thor insulting a possibly 14 year old on fortnight is too much for me. it sounds like bad fanon talk. i still laughed (bc noobmaster69??? that's fucking hilarious)

tonys reaction to i love you 3000 is so beautiful. like the way he looks taken aback and so happy. i love irondad

steve in a white shirt and jeans!!!! i gasped again. he's delivering, the fucking model

i know they were like, barely being decent to each other again, but i still wanted my stony hug:(

when they're discussing their infinity stones memories and natasha and tony are laying down together on a table???? adorable. amazing.

also why tf didn't nebula said the soul stone required a sacrifice??? i thought that's what she got from gamora dying in volmir

as soon as natasha and clint arrived to volmir i began chanting "nonononononononono"

fuckkdjdksndk fucking nebula. cue to more nononono chanting

rhodey knocking out quill with a single hit is the funniest scene in the movie

clintasha calling on bullshit on the sacrifice thing was also quite funny

the forehead touch :((( im so weak! so sad!

clintasha literally fighting each other to be each other's sacrifice!!!! kill me now!!!!

jeez now i can finally say it: scarjo shined so fucking much on this movie!!!! her delivery was amazing, i really felt a connection between her and the avengers, it really showed her growth during the five year time jump. she fucking killed it. she did her best and she's the best black widow we could've ever gotten.

clint mourning her :((((( probably the third time i cried during the movie

thor's panic attack being used for cheap laughs was the most uncomfortable moment for me... or any scene where people only saw thor as Fat and Lazy (basically, two thirds of the movie)

the freya + thor reunion was so sweet though!

okay. okay. hear me out. tony was on a very serious mission to regain an infinity stone. and the first thing he does is check out steve's ass. and aknowledge how glorious it is. i couldn't believe what i was watching!!!!!! like that actually fucking happened. consider me a fully formed stony bitch.

and scott joining in to say it was "america's ass" ???? poetic cinema

so it's canon that everyone checks out steve's ass and appreciates it as a national treasure. that's all i never thought id needed.

steve saying "hail hydra" i YELLED. it was a nice nod to the whole "cap is a nazi" mess

and steve fighting himself... hot

using his bucky trauma to shock himself is :/// but also :((((

i loved that for one moment i knew everyone on the theatre was staring at steve's ass

and steve being appreciative of his own butt!!!! ok that's all i have to say about steve's ass

i loved the reminder that thor was still kinda goofy back in avengers 1, for everyone who says taika completely changed his character. and the little tony + thor moment was adorable

"howard..... potts" i can understand tony being a mess but how did howard not suspect of anything??? elevator lady took one look of steve's face and all of her alarms started ringing

peggy carter... ive missed my wife so much

did peggy marry souza. i hope she did. steve tf are you doing staring at a married woman (jk)

clint kicking the stones away as soon as bruce is done with the snap is the biggest mood

also... the hell was scott looking at that made him think it had worked? just... more birds outside? i was really curious

the irony of the only avenger without superpowers being left with the stones

"i know you" *hands out stones* how can you not love clint, he's so pure

nebula killing his 2014 self is a power move. that would be me if i met my 2014 self

thor with a braided beard!!!!! beautiful

thanos is like, a real threat and i love that

okay. i kinda saw it coming. i saw thor leave mjolnir behind and i thought "oh????". and then the shock of thanos being able to wield stormbreaker. and then fucking mjolnir moving!!!!! i was the only person in the theatre who yelled

but seriously!!!! steve wielding AND fighting with mjolnir!!!!! couldn't stop thinking about it all day!!!!!!!!! STEVE IS WORTHY!!!!!!!

parallels to thor going for the chest. it never works babies!

and just.... this was steve's moment. steve i-can-do-this-all-day rogers really fighting with every ounce of his body and soul against the most powerful being on earth. justice for him getting knocked after touching thanos for one second in iw!

and steve getting up again! all dirty and wounded!! trembling with exhaustuation and resolution!!! with his broken shield on his arm!!!! just him facing the biggest army of the universe!!!!! so powerful

sorry to destroy this epic moment, but like, okay. people had been reintegrated to life like, twenty minutes before. and i understand that they were all confused and out of place. but sam really needed ALL that time to just... try to communicate with steve????? ok

the "avengers..." *brings mjolnir with one hand while bracing his shield with the other* "assemble" moment was... oh my God. chills all over my body.

that One Moment where steve has stormbreaker on his hand... so fucking hot

the tony and peter reunion holy shit. the hug was everything i needed! like please just hug tony stark for ages

and tony and pepper fighting together!!! that's a power couple right there

i felt it when quill looked at gamora and just... stopped. im so sad his moment was played for laughs when it was obviously such an important moment for his character

thanos was so fucking scared of wanda that he put his own troops at risk to stop her for a little while. strongest avenger right there!

and carol coming back!!!! i was like

i felt so relieved at that point. i was like "yeah thanos is fucking over what's next"

no need to talk about all the women coming together to defend peter :')

thanos getting the gauntlet again... the nonono chanting came back

fucking CAROL trying to stop him. looking at him with such a determined face, like "you can't stop me from stopping you". it was so powerful he had to snatch one stone to stop her

and strange giving him the one finger to tony.... i knew what was coming holy shit. i knew it. they knew it.

tony really proved himself there. it was his best scene on the entire mcu, don't argue with me!!!!!! the way he stood there and took all the power of the stones, unmasked, unaffected, powerful and almighty

"i am... iron man" cue to ugly sobbing

tony knew there was no other way. pepper did, too... she knew exactly what she had to tell him. she was right. tony spent all of these years moved by selfishness first, then fear, then guilt. an endless battle since thanos was on his head. but the war was over. what mattered was that he saved everyone, and he sacrificed himself for everyone. a complete 180° from last movie's ending.... wow

gotta said... peter there felt a little bit out of place for me. i think it would've been more powerful if he didn't say anything, though peter is a teenager, i can get it

his arc with steve felt unfinished, too. i would've liked to see steve's reaction as well, since tony had told him he wanted everyone back and also for his family so survive. but whatever

im not against tony killing thanos instead of gamora and nebula but i would've liked if we saw them react to his death, at least:/ like a little parallel between nebula's reaction at the beginning and the end of endgame

the One stucky interaction here was pulled from cap1 and iw. i feel betrayed

bucky Knew what steve was going to do. i wonder if steve told him before or bucky just sensed it

you can't convince me steve would go back and carelessly dance with peggy knowing his friend is being used like a weapon by hydra and bound to kill tonys parents. nah nah. it all felt wrong

my steggy rights!!!

love that the russos foreshadowed cap!bucky on tws just to give the shield to sam at the end

anyways what the fuck bucky was all steve had but he lived the happiest life without it and left him alone on the 21st century? okay fuck y'all

#long post #avengers endgame #endgame spoilers #avengers spoilers #avengers endgame spoilers #a4 spoilers #mine #marvel #this is.... so long and idk how to add a read more on mobile #but enjoy my thoughts i guess