#can't stop won't stop finding bugs

[themothcriminal]

rusty tussock moth caterpillar / meromyza femorata / scorpion fly / keelback slug / dead-nettle leaf beetle

[ddejavvu]

Helloo!! Sooo I have a picture of mgg as my lock screen but his face isn’t in the picture and I was wonderinggg if you could write about the girls at the bau seeing your background of your phone and it’s some guy but they don’t know it’s spencer and they ask all these questions about this mysterious secret boyfriend you have and asking to meet him and r is just like maybeeee idk knowing that they have in fact met him and maybe spencer is near by and hearing all this and is just all shy and flustered. If you do write this THANK YOUUU you’re writing it phenomenal, one of a kind, it’s so good!!! <333

"Woah, hubba hubba," JJ's eyes bug out at your phone screen, and Emily, forever on JJ's wavelength, snatches it out of your hands before you can properly dim the screen.

"Who is that?" Emily asks everyone's burning question, and one of Penelope's hands squeezes yours, with nails, to emphasize her urgency.

Your lock screen is a picture of Spencer's bare chest clad only in a blazer, the front open in a lewd V that showcases the dark pink kiss marks you'd spread across the smattering of wiry curls he's grown. It's not something you'd meant to flash your coworkers with, and Spencer chokes on his water while Derek hoots and hollers at it.

"There are some things that should be kept private," Rossi drawls, eyes wide and haunted as he stands, "I'm going to get Aaron and myself another refill, just in case any worse pictures get shown around the table."

Hotch laughs at the older man, amusement lining his features handsomely as the group continues to tease you.

"So, when are you bringing this guy around? Not that we'd recognize him anyways, unless he showed up shirtless with lipstick all over him."

"Derek, you-" You barely stop yourself from saying, 'you have met him', instead swerving into an easy insult, "You're the last person I want to introduce him to. You'll never let us live this down."

"None of us will." Prentiss promises, her grin wolfish, "You'll be lucky if Garcia doesn't manage to track him down using nipple-recognition software."

Your technical analyst cackles into her drink, and Spencer makes a hasty getaway.

"I need the bathroom," He paws with burning cheeks at Derek's leg, ushering the man out of his way so that he can speed-walk to the bathroom. You watch him go, hearing Hotch let out a rare laugh at his urgency.

"Poor Spence," JJ croons, "Did you see how red his face was?"

"That kid's almost thirty and I bet he can't even say the word 'sex' without blushing." Derek scoffs.

"He can't. I've seen it." Garcia confirms, "It's pathetic."

"Pathetic," You snort, but what your team hears as agreement, you mean as contradiction. Spencer was nothing close to pathetic that night- sweet and tender, yes, but pathetic, no. He'd cupped your face while you'd spread a smattering of sticky kisses across his chest, and he'd stared into your eyes when you'd taken the picture, a smile on his face even though he'd known his grin wouldn't be in frame.

"Well get all of it out now," Hotch advises, a teasing tone in his voice, "Spencer won't come back if we're still talking about it."

"I'm happy for you." Dave states, setting his and Aaron's drinks down, "But so help me, Y/N, if I ever see your boyfriend's naked torso again, I'll kill myself."

You refrain from telling Rossi he had just seen your boyfriend's bare torso, last week when Spencer had needed to be stripped of his cold, wet clothes, and thrust into a heated blanket for warmth. No one had batted an eye at his brief nudity, and neither had you, because you'd memorized every inch of his skin. You didn't need to ogle him; you could recall his body from memory.

"I'll keep that in mind." You nod at Rossi sagely, "Just don't go through the rest of my camera roll." You see Spencer exit the bathroom, peering cautiously at your table to see if he can predict the conversation before returning, "Or you'll find a lot worse than his chest."

[rene-darling]

WHEN- you store things inside your boobies

...very obviously fem reader lmao, you store things in the middle of your chest...

...lyney...xiao...itto...wanderer...

Lyney

You're showing lyney a card trick that learned.

But no matter how much he tries to figure out where you hid the card he just can't get it.

He never usually does this but he's just too curious!!

So he's been asking- no, begging for you to tell him how you did it and where you hid the card!

After much pleading and you repeating "a magician never reveals her secrets" you finally spill.

You tell him to watch carefully and he nods.

His eyes widen and his mouth drops open as he burns red.

You reach down your shirt and pull out a card from in between your boobes

"I- you uh..ah.." he's stuttering, not sure what would be an appropriate response to this.

You just laugh "see, this is why I said you can't do this trick, your tits are too small darlin"

"h-hey- making you blush is my job! Not the other way around!"

he's used to making snarky remarks or dirty jokes he can't believe he fell for this!

Xiao

Xiao recently gifted you some adeptus beads

They were meant to ward away evil spirits and demons and keep you safe when he's not around

However, he's noticed that he can't seem to find you wearing them around your neck, so he decided to ask you about it

"y/n where are you keeping the beads I gave you? I didn't give them to you just for you to leave them somewhere to collect dust."

He huffed offended you wouldn't keep the charm on you.

You already insisted on not calling his name when in trouble so you should at least keep the beads on you!

You just looked at him amused telling him you had them on you but he insisted you showed them to him, so you did.

Pulling down the neckline of your shirt you reached your hand in to grab said beaded necklace.

His mouth dropped once you showed it to him and his face bloomed "i- y-you..you have no respect for the adepti!" he vanished after yelling that likely to hide his blushing face, and his boner

Itto

Recently you've hid one of ittos little purple bugs right before his little match with some kid

He's frantically searching for said bug, insisting that he has to take that one or he won't win! Not that he will either way

"y/nnnnn! Are you sure you haven't seen my little bugger! I really need it!" he's whining like a little baby!

Feeling bad for him you finally relent telling him you might have an idea of where his beetle could be

"REALLYYYY!!! You're the best babe-" you tell him to watch carefully as you pull your shirt down and from in-between your valleys crawled out the purple beetle you had hidden

His mouth dropped his eyes looked like they would pop out of their sockets (imagine gojo when he looked at megumi)

"not fair y/n! Why does the beetle get to stay there and not me!" he's thinking about it being unfair,

Then the next second he wants to see if the beetle would fit in between his tits,

Of course, they do. I mean have you seen his tits? He's very proud of that fact

Wanderer

Nahida recently sent the both of you on an expedition together

He acts like he's not happy but deep down he's happy to be traveling alone with his beloved

Recently you both stopped at a shop to buy something but he had forgotten his mora back at camp.

He looked towards you waiting for you to pay, he narrowed his eyes suspiciously at you when you looked at him amused and asked "you sure"

"just pay." well, he insisted, so why would you deny?

As soon as you reached down your shirt his mind short-circuited

You pulled out a mora pouch and handed some mora to the shop keeper like it was nothing and then again stuffed the pouch down your tits.

Grabbing the things you started walking away as wanderer stood there just blushing violently

Looking back you yelled "are you coming or not darling?" he snapped out of it following after you

"did you really have to do that in fucking public?" he huffed in embarrassment, walking back home with a boner is annoying

[caitlinsnicket]

bob reynolds relationship headcanons

warnings: none, the filthy stuff is going to be in the other set of headcanons. maybe some angst

a/n: aaa i cant see him anywhere because my body immediatly reacts. its so stupid

masterlist | 🍉 | ko-fi | part. 2 | part. 3 | part. 4

he doesn't mean to be a creep, and he hopes you don't think he is one, but he can't help but gravitate toward you at all times. he waits anxiously for you in the mornings before the two of you get together, and when you walk into the kitchen for breakfast, he lights up and sticks to your side. the only time he leaves you alone is when you go to the bathroom or go to sleep.

after the two of you become an item, it's difficult to get out of bed since he's a cuddle bug and loves your warmth. he helps you with your chores and activities, joins you in your hobbies, and suggests new things to do together. he knows you also need your alone time, as does he, but being with you feels so nice!

holding hands with him is probably one of the nicest parts of your day. they get clammy sometimes, and he might squeeze too tight, but they're warm and softer than one might think, and because of how happy he looks, it's worth it. the best part is when you feel him brush his thumb over your knuckles, which means he's at ease, and your heart stammers in your chest.

and every now and then, when it's quiet and it's just the two of you and he hasn't let go just yet, you bring your intertwined hands to your mouth and kiss his skin, ignoring bob's breath hitching beside you. you only stop once you've covered every inch of skin you can cover, and when you look at him again, his eyes are glazed and his breath is ragged.

he has a tendency not to look into people's eyes when they're talking to him, which is fine and no one is really bothered by it, but you try to get him more used to it. that's why, whenever the two of you are having a conversation and he's not looking directly at you, you gently pull his face up with your fingers, trying not to linger so the moment doesn't turn awkward (you can still hear him swallowing).

it becomes something like a routine, like saying hello to him in the morning: you push his hair a bit out of his face and brush your hand lightly, just to see him better. he's always elated and starts to purposefully avoid your gaze so you'll hold him more. with time, he learns to just ask for it, closing his eyes and almost purring from your soft touch.

there was one time when he almost stumbled to the ground after you finished touching him. you kept your laugh to yourself but couldn't help a smirk.

he's trying to get used to touch, and hugs between the two of you become a common occurrence. he's still a little rusty, feeling that his limbs are too sharp and long, not soft enough for anything. but you still pull him close, even when he squeezes too tight to the point of pain, or when it gets too hot but he's not ready to let go. you don't mind though, because he always smells like clothes softener and that pear shampoo you bought him.

sometimes you'll be working on something, reading a book, or just scrolling through your phone, and he'll rest his forehead on your shoulder or your arm—really anywhere he can reach. he won't linger for long (again, he doesn't want to bother you), just enough to ground himself and feel your warmth. sometimes you'll hold him to you a second longer, your hand threading softly through his hair.

once the whole asking for permission to touch you every five seconds is resolved, he seeks you out more often for it. he still hesitates a lot and sometimes will give up on whole conversations because he feels like he fumbled it, but with enough reassurance, not only does he get more comfortable with being affectionate, but he also starts to feel better with everything else. touch soothes him.

and like a laser pointer to a cat, if he's starting to spiral or finds that he can't focus, touching him anywhere his skin is exposed makes his brain shut down for a second, and then he starts to come back to himself. it works for everyone, but he only blushes if it was you who had to calm him.

when the two of you start sleeping in the same bed, you try to get up before him (it's not that hard. he either falls asleep right away and can only be woken up by shaking, or can't sleep at all). you take that moment of quiet, where he can't get too much into his head, to trace his features with your fingers. your touch feather-light, following the line of his nose and eyebrows, down to his cheeks and lips. by the time you get there, he's stirring awake and unconsciously kisses the pads of your fingers while mumbling good morning. sleepy bob is your favorite bob.

after the first few times you touch his hair, it becomes your favorite thing to do, not just because of his reactions (from mewls and whimpers to full-body shivers and giggles), but also because it was unbelievably soft and curly, and you just started doing it out of nowhere for your own enjoyment. you do it if he's crying, which either makes him cry even harder or stop after a while. and when he's calm and content, it puts a blush on his face, but he manages to keep looking into your eyes.

he starts kissing your cheek one day, testing the waters. of course, he was extremely awkward and managed to bump heads with you the first few times, but once you saw him coming, you put your face out in his direction so there are no more accidents. imagine his face when you start kissing him back, before leaving for a mission or thanking him for bringing you a cup of water. it's the highlight of his day.

when the two of you go to sleep in your room, he likes to hold your hand and face you, or for you to spoon him. it keeps him grounded, in the moment, and also because he just likes to be held (especially by you). in the morning, when the two of you start to stir awake, he rolls in your direction until his head is tucked in your neck and his arms are circling your waist. if he could stay like this forever, he would.

the getting-to-bed routine also includes kissing his shoulders before he lies down, and he loves it so much. sometimes he stands perfectly still while you brush your teeth, waiting for you to get into bed and kiss his shoulder before he finally rests. he does the same to you in the mornings, pulling you back to him to kiss your shoulder blade and wish you a good morning. he's a sucker for casual affection.

his hair was already soft when you met him, but after you started taking care of it (washing it thoroughly at least once a week, massaging it gently), it felt like silk. he sometimes asks you to wash it but apologizes profusely for inconveniencing you. the whole process is relaxing for both of you, and the gift of touching his hair makes it all worth it for both of you.

[adonisbeloveds]

The Main Twisteds being jealous that you're trying to farm for Bassie.

Based off my lovely lovely experience of trying to get Bassie only to get EVERY SINGLE MAIN TWISTED AT LEAST 3 TIMES IN 3 DAYS. Anyway, yes I am alive hello hello, and apologise if any of the twisteds personalitys are not like the canon ones because I suck at writing in character! Reader is GN and doesn't use any pronouns, and Vee, Shelly and pebble are all meant to be seen as platonic. Also you can view them as yanderes or just really possessive.

ASTRO

"Please be- .....you're not Bassie." "Starlight..."

.Stay's as close to you as he can, he already know's who you are looking for -- and so do the rest of the mains. It's not like they hold any personal problems with Bassie, it's merely because they knew you first is all. .Remeber his old blanket? He makes sure that it's always wrapped around you, so when you leave and possible see Bassie -- at least she will know who you are close with. .With the way his hat moves I like to think it's either because A) he can control it or B) it has a mind of it's own -- either way it always ends up wrapping around you when you do the machine's, not that he minds though. you do astro please remove it the Ichor is staining your clothes for the 40th time. "Cuddles? Like we use to?" "Astro you always stain my shirts black with the amount of Ichor-" "......" "Sigh, Fine..." .Four arms equal 4 times the comfort of cuddles, and wrapped in his old blanket? It could almost make you forget about your whole Bassie situation. sadly it didn't but hopefully soon you will finally give up and sleep with him like you use to. .What happens when both him and Bassie are on the same floor? Well you barely see Bassie, it seems like he made it his life mission to keep you two apart whenever he could. .You also swear you hear him grumble everytime you pick up research labled as Bassie's, but at this point you can't distinguish between grumbles and weird purring noises he makes. "You are awfully clingly this time around" "mmm...." "That wasn't an invitation-" "......" "...You know I can't stay mad at you, you cuddlebug" "Mhm.."

VEE

"Vee...Vee this is the 7th time, the 7th time you have shown up." "We can make it 8th" .My darling Vee, the one who never frigging left me -- appeared so many times I got her to 100% in 2 days and she wasn't even on the board once. .She's already standing there when the elevator opens, already waiting for you -- and before you can even get a word in her tail is wrapping around you and she's walking off. "Come on Vee, put me down" "mmmm, nope" .She's talking your ear off about everything and anything, as long as your attention is on her she's over the moon -- though she rarely shows it. .She likes to tease you, with her being insanely taller than you, she uses it to her advantage -- but if she genuinely makes you upset about it she's quick to stop, even throughout all the fun she would never want you to be upset over something she did. .If you compliment her in any way her screen will bug out for a moment before she thanks you -- her voice a bit staticky. Of course you have complimented her before, and so have others, it's just she hasn't had much compliments in this form yet is all. .Somehow she always knows where you are -- what floor you're on, where you are in a blackout, even if she can't make it to the elevator before it arrives, she eventually finds you and picks you up. .You have a small suspicion it's because of her ability but at the same time she's been near you so much you've started to think she's just learn't your habbits. "Do you think I could play games on your screen" "I wouldn't let you test it" "You so would though" "....You might get a virus." "Aw man" .Unlike the others, Vee doesn't really care for Bassie -- in the sense that she won't try to take you to the other side of the map to be away from her. .What she will do though is stay very close to you -- sure you can go to Bassie for whatever reason but make sure to keep your main attention on her, she isn't as possessive as the others. .That's the biggest lie ever, you just don't need to know that or the fact she purposefully kept Bassie off the floors for so long. .If you do spend to much time focusing on Bassie you would hear a sound that's almost like a computer overheating, when you check on Vee she simply raises an eyebrow at your question before saying it's a silly idea, even though both of you can feel heat radiating off her. "Come on, she isn't that bad!" "I know my show star, but that doesn't matter"

SHELLY

"rrrrrr....." "No way, and what happened next?" .Unlike the others Shelly at least tries to help you with the machine, as she tells you -- or at least tries to tell you -- about everything and anything. .In blackouts she makes sure to stay close so you don't bump into anything -- even though she isn't as tall as the other main's, and is usually hunched over, she will try to stand as tall as she can while observing the area. .She love's it when you talk, whether you are talking about something, simply humming or just saying random words. Shelly love's the sound of your voice, and if you don't speak? She just love's being around you, it always makes her tail wag no matter what you do! "How does your tail wag if its just your spine?" "rrrrhhhh?" "Yeah I figured" .She really doesn't like sharing your attention, and it's only worse when you are actively looking for someone else. Don't get it wrong! Deep down she knows it isn't Bassie's fault, but her more protective mindset always seems to win her over. .She use to only growl or roar whenever someone went a little to close to you, but lately she's seem to pick up the habbit of biting people when she gets really mad, causing you to drop everything you are doing and running over to her. .You can't possible decide if she's doing it on purpose for your attention or doing it from protectiveness -- at this point you are more than convinced its at least a bit of both. "I- Shelly- Shelly no- no doN'T BITE HER SHELLY-" "Rrrrr."

SPROUT

"ahusfjhasfhassa" "Sprout I love you dearly but please put me down, the tendrils are cold and wet and-" "hasfsafhhas" "....that didn't mean hold me-" .You thought the others were clingy? Well get ready for mr overprotective here -- he doesn't want you leaving his line of sight, no matter what. .Hmm? You want to collect baskets for the...easter toons? Oh, well it's okay, he can...sort of help with that -- I mean you are only trying to make new friends is all. just don't talk about them to much, he's trying to hold back his possessiveness towards you but he doesn't know how much longer he can take .He can't necessarily voice his complaints but he can sure as hell try, from grumbles to simply picking you up and holding you as close as he could -- he could try to keep you away from the baskets and other twisteds but you seem so adamant about them. .No worries though, he can simply use his tendrils to carefully pick you up and hold you above -- making sure you can't get whatever it is you wanted. You don't like how they feel? No worry! He doesn't mind holding you the whole time. "Sprout, you're like...breathing down my neck right now-" "hsdfiajeidfng" "I just want the baskets..." "Hisdjmfkd!" "I thank you for wanting to bake for me, but I think the ichor would contaminate it-" .God forbid Bassie is on the same floor as you two, there's no way you are even touching the ground with how possessive he becomes -- scarf wrapped around and everything! .What do you mean you need to see Bassie? Don't you know how dangerous it is? and what if he loses sight of you? what if you get hurt, what if- no, the simple answer is no. .But please don't get mad at him! He can't help it! He just wants to protect you is all, it's simply out of his control what happens! "....." "....dfgrf?" "Hmph...." "iodkfjgddf?" "....ugh I can't do this silent treatment anymore, just behave okay?" "sjdngd!"

PEBBLE

"Pebble no- bad dog." "Don't whine at me that's called guilt tripping" .Have you ever wanted a guard dog before? Well now you have a very large and very vicious guard dog, yay! .He's such a happy boy, tail's wagging, he's almost trotting from happiness but that all goes down hill when he notices you paying more attention to the easter twisteds than him. .This causes very loud whining -- the only warning you get before you're jumped by him, causing the both of you to fall down and for him to stay on top of you. not to hard he would never want to hurt his favorite caretaker! .Now you have to play fetch with him! and give him treats galore! Just make sure there's no one around -- he WILL trample over them just to get to you even if you tell him to stop. "I'm such a good pet owner aren't I? Much better than Dandy who can't keep his DOG ON A LEASH" "Pebble with how fast you wag your tail you are going to knock someone out with it, or worse because it's a rock" .You already know Bassie's on the same floor, you can hear his growling and barking from a mile away -- be sure to get to him quickly or else he might just attack the poor basket. .When you get there it's almost like he was never angry -- kew word almost, if it wasn't for the fact he picked you up by the back of your shirt and bringing you somewhere far away from her. .When the two of you are far enough he puts you down before laying his head in your lap and very politely asking for pats for protecting you like a good boy! "Peb-Pebble do not growl and Bassie she didn't do anything wrong-" "PEBBLE PUT ME DOWN YOUR TEETH WILL RIP MY SHIRT"

DANDY

"....okay so I can explain-" "You purposefully wanted this, not that I'm complaining my flower!" .If you were anyone else you would of had a heart attack when you heard Dandy's music coming towards you at max speed -- but you aren't anyone else, and you already know how much favoritism leaks out of that flower. .Whenever you finish a machine -- you are always faced with a smiling rainbow face, his sharp teeth would probably scare others to death but you've seen it so many times it's become normal. .Such a patient gentleman he is, waiting for your signal before pouncing onto of you -- still being mindful of the tapes sticking out of him, making sure none of them accidentally scrape you. "You are such a cat" "Nope! I wouldn't say 'cat'..." "Dandy, you are literally kneading into me." .As long as you give him full permission he will knead on every spot on your body, of course he's careful of his claws -- he would never hurt you. .At most floors you wouldn't even know Bassie was there if it wasn't for her flowers on the ground. Instead of the others avoiding her it seems like she's avoiding you -- well, not YOU persay, rather the toon that follows you. .Say you finally get to see her, you immediately sense the tension in the air before watching Bassie run away as fast as she could on her four, yet small 'legs'. .Turning your attention to Dandy you witness the most deadliest side eye you have ever seen. If this is how he acts when she's not even close to you guys, you think it's best off that you don't get close to her. .You would want the Ichor to be the only physical bad thing that's happened in her life. "omg stop giving the poor girl the side eye" "Hmm? I'm not." "'I'm not a cat' my ass, your eyes literally just dilated when you looked at me."

[no1blacksapphirefan]

For the self aware au- Have you ever written something about the sort of 'discovery' stage of the cookies being self aware? Like, if the cookies did accidentally 'break character' but instead of reader freaking out and deleting the game they become fascinated by it and start trying to get them to do it again? Curious and trying to figure out if it was a bug or glitch or some hacker, but not really bothered by it?

If you haven't written something like this and chose to use this as a prompt I'd love if you'd involve Capsaicin or Burning Spice if you feel like it! love the spicey boys,,,

I like your words weather boy. I hope I understood your request

Capsaicin (May be OOC) Oopsie!! He didn't mean too, he just got really excited seeing you. Perhaps you were wearing a new outfit, how could he not compliment you about the colour? Prune Juice had quickly jabbed him in the chest because of his slip up. And seeing you take notice...oh no, this isn't good right?...

But you didn't seem to be scared, your eyes sparkle with curiosity, he couldn't tell what you were doing at first, but when he realised you wanted to see him talk to you directly again? Oh he's more than happy too, he's quick to compliment you again, perhaps it's your eyes this time, your smile. He gets so giddy when he sees you not mind at all. And cookies said you'd be freaked out.

Burning Spice The words just left him, he didn't think about when he said it. He just didn't expect you to cry out in joy when he did the finishing blow on the other team in Arena...I mean, sure he was the only one with a bit of HP left, but god did that praise boost his ego, he couldn't help but thank you directly...with your name.

Look, look. He can't always just sit around and listen to you speak without talking to you, especially when you seem to talk to him casually as if you already knew...you won't delete the game right? Witches is he happy to see you become a giggling mess as you try and get him to speak again...hey stop poking him, he'll talk to you but-- you're still poking him??

Black Sapphire Like Shadow Milk, he doesn't think too much about his words and if they break the "4th wall" because to you, it was probably just in character, besides. One of his lines already did that anyways. What he didn't expect was, for you to actually believe it...like it wasn't just some code.

Is this a bad thing? He feels like this is a bad thing, maybe he shouldn't have talked his mind as often as he did in the kingdom and-- OH! You like it?? Heh, well if you enjoy it so much, he'll continue as he has done before. He'll just...ignore the stares Pure Vanilla is giving him. Hey! You like it, even if you seem to think it's real...he'll just argue that you found out through one of his already made voicelines.

Shadow Milk He's so happy when you notice, he always wanted you too y'know. He hated not being able to talk to you and besides, once he comes out of your device, he doesn't want to freak you out!! It's better if you knew, that's what he told other cookies but he always got shunned as the others worried it would freak you out too much.

He can't wait to rub it into other cookies faces. See!! You didn't care, you love it! Now he can talk your ear off, c'mon. Join him for dinner. Bring your food and he'll bring his. You might not be able to share a table but hey, you're eating together. He's quick to "confirm" your suspicion.

Pure Vanilla He didn't mean to let it slip! You were coming back with food to continue playing, and he couldn't help but call out in alarm to you, wanting to see if you were okay. Your pain (if you had any) disappeared and you just looked in amazement at him. Uh oh...

Unlike the others who were quick to just accept the fact you knew. Didn't even try to hide it or cover it up with a lie like, it was merely a bug. He's quick to try and continue the charade. It's not that he doesn't want to speak with you more personally, but he wonders if you'll still play when you do find out they all know. Even if it seems like you love it so. He might give in to speak again to you if he sees you desperately wanting to hear him again, he wants to see you happy

[mcflymemes]

PROMPTS FOR CHECK INS *  assorted dialogue for checking with someone to see if they're okay, find out what's going on, etc etc., adjust as necessary

do you have everything you need for your trip?

how have you been since i last saw you?

pretty sure you never told me what happened.

while you're doing that, why don't you fill me in?

you're the only person that cares to ask how i am.

when's the last time you slept?

i won't tell a soul if you tell me what happened.

i just want to make sure you're okay.

i haven't spoken to you in quite some time.

could you give me a rundown of what happened?

i'd like to know what's going on.

what am i walking into?

it's not as bad as it looks.

you can trust me with the truth.

let me take a look at your injury.

you haven't slept in days. i can tell.

thank you for checking on me.

are you feeling better than you were the last time i saw you?

i'm just checking on you.

not trying to bug you. just wanted to know what's going on.

at least fill me in before you go.

walk me through what we're dealing with.

i hear you've got a plan?

do you need anything?

you can tell me anything.

i'll live.

let me grab you something to drink.

thank you for asking how i am.

when's the last time you ate?

that wound doesn't look too good.

would you relax for a second? i'm just checking on you.

that was a lie. try again and tell me the truth this time.

you're forgetting how well i know you.

you can't lie to me. i know all your tells.

stop bullshitting me and tell me what's really going on.

what are you hiding from me?

keep talking. i want to hear everything.

to tell you the truth, i'm struggling a bit here.

i think i deserve some honesty here.

i just want to check on you.

i'll come by in an hour and see how you're doing.

while i'm gone, [name] will be by to check on you.

can you let me care about you for two seconds?

you're terrible at keeping secrets from me.

you seem upset. what happened?

how long have you been dealing with this?

thanks for stopping by.

this sounds a lot worse than i expected.

you've been dealing with this alone, haven't you?

i've told you everything i know.

let me cook for you at least.

you look half-starved.

are you cold? why are you shaking?

there's more to the story that you're not saying.

why do you keep evading my questions?

that's not all there is, right?

so that's what they've been hiding.

thank you for being honest with me.

[tinum]

Longing from the Office - Harumasa x Reader

Summary: Section 6 play wingman for a struggling harumasa Warnings: So much sighing and sitting in chairs, probable abuse of as, maybe ooc, errors Word Count: 2.1k Notes: I'm trying to improve my writing guys so sorry if its bad but also not sorry. Drop a request or don't.. its fine...

Harumasa's longing for you manifested in many ways. Some of which were more embarrassing than he liked to admit. You hardly seemed to notice though, even if he was practically attached to your hip like a puppy.

"I'm going on my lunch now, Tsukishiro." You call out, pushing your chair out and putting on the coat hanging off the back. Despite not even scratching the surface of your work, your eyes are already stained, and you feel the throb of a headache coming on. A break is definitely in order.

"Alright—" She was swiftly cut off by a voice chiming in.

"Yeah, we'll be going on break now, Tsukishiro!" Her eyebrows raise at the man, who was, just moments ago, sleeping.

"Oh? I hope you realize your nap has been cutting into your break time." Her face was serious, but on the inside, she almost wanted to laugh at how obvious he was being. It's something she noticed for a while now, how he glances at you from time to time when you are doing paperwork, completely unaware. The way he perks up when he hears your name in conversation.

"I was just resting my eyes." 

"So you admit you were taking a break?" 

He scratches the back of his neck. "Aha… no?"

She sighs, pinching the space between her brows, "If you're going to take a break now, all of your paperwork better be turned in by the end of the day."

"Whoa, really? Thanks, Tsukishiro! You won't regret this!"

She totally would, but she would regret it more if she didn't allow him to go. Watching him make a fool of himself while you were blind was torture. She'd rather lose a few hours of sleep completing his paperwork than watch another moment.

"Ah, Asaba, we're going on break at the same time? What a funny coincidence."

She physically facepalms, causing both your heads to snap her way. "Ahem… my apologies, there was a… bug. Don't mind me."

"Yeah, pretty crazy. I mean, what are the chances, right?" 

"It's almost like it was fate…" His heart practically skips a beat when you look at him and let out a giggle. "Well, just a silly thought! I'll be going now. Have fun on your break!"

He could only get out the start of his sentence before you promptly turned away, rushing towards the exit. Once you are gone, he lets out the loudest whine of his life. His upbeat posture deflates as he stares at the exit, jaw open. He only closes it when he hears the click of heels walking towards him.

"That was rather painful to watch." Yanagi places an awkward hand on his shoulder as some sort of means to comfort him.

"If you cringed by just watching it, imagine how I feel. I mean, seriously! How much more obvious do I have to get?"

Normally, Yanagi would not concern herself with her colleagues' personal lives, but the sight of his obvious pining and your obliviousness was giving her early wrinkles. "I find myself wondering the same thing." 

Harumasa groans, running his hand down his face in frustration. He turns to Yanagi, places both of his hands on her shoulders, and shakes her lightly. "You see it too? C'mon, you gotta help me!"

She squints her eyes, looking at him, and Harumasa shakes her more, letting out a crybaby 'Pleaseee.' She had already planned on helping him. Otherwise, she would not have walked up to him, but she can't lie; it was sort of fun seeing him fumble so much. Perhaps you were rubbing off on her.

"First of all, stop shaking me." He drops his hand faster than she's ever seen him move when overtime is on the line. "I'll help you—"

"Thank you, Tsukishiro! Seriously, you're the-"

"I wasn't finished," she clears her throat. "I'll help you, but you have to promise me a full week of your undivided attention. In other words, no slacking and no naps."

He deflates, letting out another loud groan. "I should have known it wouldn't be that easy…" His chair rolls backward as he slumps down, throwing his arm over his eyes. "It's hopeless… I'm going to die all alone."

She rolls her eyes. "Fine, you're lucky I'm feeling generous I'll cut it to three workdays."

He immediately brightens up, his posture straight, and he bats his eyelashes at Yanagi. "Really? You'd do that for little old me?"

"No. I'm doing it for Soukaku. She also wonders when you would finally confess."

"Oh… well, what's the plan?"

She immediately zeroes in. Harumasa follows suit, with a serious look on their face. Yanagi slams a piece of paper on his desk.

"Here's what I was thinking."

-----

When you return from lunch, you are greeted with an unusually focused Harumasa and no Yanagi in sight. You sigh as you walk towards your desk; the piles of papers seem never-ending. Unfortunately, the only way out is through.

A few minutes into the first page, you hear Harumasa let out a loud sigh. "This is sooo hard." He whines. You look up at him to see him already staring at you. "You gotta help me with this! I just can't seem to remember!"

"What do you need help with?"

"I cannot, for the life of me, remember what… time! Our last hollow investigation began.."

"It began at-"

"No! I mean, can you write it for me?" he coughs out. "I suddenly feel really sick." 

"I suppose if you are not feeling well… bring it here."

He scoots out of his chair, walking slowly with an exaggerated stagger. "Ah, I feel really dizzy. Can I rest on your shoulder?" He doesn't wait for an answer, rolling the chair from the empty desk next to you.

Your eyes widen. "Dizzy? Should I call in the doctor?" He places his hand on top of yours, stopping you from picking up your phone.

"No, no, I'll be fine." His head hesitantly creeps down, teetering on whether he should commit or not. Ultimately, he does. "I just need a moment."

"Oh…" A quick blush rose to your face as you grabbed the paper, which was… blank.

"Asaba, you—" 

You turn to look at him, expecting to be met with the view of his hair. Instead, you are greeted by his face, which is inches apart from yours.

"Yes?"

"You must be super sick! You gave me the wrong paper!" You fuss, pressing a hand to his forehead. "I'll inform Tsukishiro!"

"No, there's no need," he sighed. "I'm feeling better now." He gets up, walking back to his desk, head hanging low.

"Asaba…" you call out, tone a bit more serious. He turns around to face you, a hopeful look in his eyes. "You forgot your paper." 

"Right."

-----

"That didn't work?" Yanagi asked, her eyes wide.

"No! They just wanted to call you!"

"Hm… Well, they seemed worried; that's a start."

"I guess.." He slumps.

"Perhaps you should take a more direct approach. How about asking them on a date?"

"I practically did yesterday! Sharing a break with someone is a sacred thing, y'know!"

Suddenly, a cheerful voice chimes in, a bit muffled from a full mouth. "Why don't you give them candy!"

He looked at the Soukaku and then at Yanagi, who was deep in thought, muttering under her breath.  "Yes, that could work." Yanagi finally says, pushing up her glasses. "Why don't you give them a gift?"

"That's perfect! You guys are so smart; what would I do without you?" 

-----

The following day, you are greeted with a bundle of violets on your desk. It was certainly a strange gift. There was no note, just the flowers wrapped in heart-shaped plastic. You look around the room, noticing it was empty.

Maybe a fan left these? It wouldn't be surprising, considering they sometimes stand outside the building waiting to catch a glimpse of Section 6, but if it was from a fan, how could you know if it was for you? They definitely would not know which desk belongs to whom unless they were in the building. 

You shiver, throwing the flowers in a nearby bin. Then you grab your phone and call Yanagi. Not today, stalker.

What you didn't know is that Harumasa was watching in the nearby printer room. A card in his hands.

-----

"And then they threw them away! Right in front of me!"

"Hm, that is troubling…"

"I'm beginning to think they just don't like me."

"Cheer up, Harumasa!" Soukaku smiles, hugging him. Yanagi stood in front of the desk, her eyebrows furrowed.

"I don't know what to do anymore." He exhales, standing up.

"Have you tried telling them directly?" Everyone snaps their heads to the source of the voice and is met with a pair of dark ears.

Harumasa's head drops back down, defeated. Walking to the door in an exaggerated slowness.. "Nah, I think this is it. I can take a hint."

-----

"Asaba likes you." You sputter on the water you had been drinking, causing your shirt to get wet.

"Miyabi!" You nervously laugh, drying your shirt with napkins from a nearby table. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"Asaba likes you."

"Oh! Well, I like him too." Walking back towards your desk, you smile. . "Speaking of which, where is he? I haven't seen him or the others at all today." 

"No. Asaba likes you as more than a friend." She stops right in front of your chair, and you have to look up at her for the first time.

"Me too! He's pretty much my best friend!" Turning away from her, you gather a few papers left on your desk. "Miyabi, I have to go run these to another department. If the others come back, let them know that's why."

Miyabi watches as you walk by, letting out a sigh of her own. She know knows why Yanagi and Harumasa had been sighing at you these past three days. This was more difficult than she expected. Usually, a simple approach does the trick; less is more, after all.

"Well, that's it. I'm officially done." The other three members walk out from around the corner, a crushing look on their faces. He falls back on his chair and Miyabi is surprised it hasn't collapsed by how many times he has done that. "I'm sorry, Tsukishiro, but I'm gonna have to break our deal to sleep my sorrows away."

Soukaku speaks in a tearful tone. "Harumasa…" 

"It's okay, Soukaku.. Sometimes things just don't work out how we want them to."

She grips his hand and jumps up with determination. "No! You can't—" She pauses, tears welling in her eyes.

"Miyabi, have you seen the other pa-" You stopped in your tracks. Everyone was surrounding Harumasa's desk, sullen looks on their faces. 

"You can't give up your crush on—" She manages to get your name out before a hand on her mouth silences her.

All four of the members stare at you with shocked expressions. No one dares to speak up or move, too worried they might scare you off.

You stumble over your own tongue, a deep blush rising to your face. "Asaba has a crush on me?" and before Harumasa has the chance to ruin things for himself, the three other members speak up.

"Yes!" Their tone was almost annoyed. After all these attempts this is what it took? They aren't one to smoke but they'd be lying if they said they didn't need a cigarette right about now.

"Harumasa, is this true?"

He lets out a deep breath, "It is." Alright, here it comes; he's going to be rejected and—

"I like you too!" 

"WHAT?" You had to be kidding him. This whole time, he was trying to get your attention with gifts and outrageous gestures, and all it took was for you to overhear a conversation? He's pretty sure you just triggered a heart attack. Maybe he should retire, yeah.. that's what he'll do

"I like you too, Harumasa. I have for a while now."

"No way! You turned down all my advances!"

"You didn't make any advances?"

"Yes, I did!"

"No?"

"Yes? Remember that time I asked to go on break after you did?"

"I thought that was just a coincidence."

"What about the flowers?"

"You didn't leave me any flowers."

"I left violets on your desk, and you just threw them away!"

"I thought they were from one of those creepy fans."

"Miyabi literally told you how I felt!"

"How was I supposed to know she meant it romantically?"

Harumasa resisted the urge to tackle you. You were seriously spiking his blood pressure with your absurd reasoning. How could someone be so incredibly smart and dumb at the same time? He's not sure the gods could even answer that.

"You're so lucky you're you. I'd be running for the hills if it was anyone else."

"Does that mean you guys are dating now?" Soukaku asks, not a single thought behind her eyes.

You look at Harumasa, and for the first time, he knows what he must do. "Let's try this again. I have liked you forever, and now I know you do, so… can we date? Pretty please?" He asks that question with such enthusiasm that you're sure if he had a tail it would be wagging

"Of course, silly! All you had to do was ask!" Something clicks in Harumasa once he hears you say that.

Oh. You sly dog. You knew this whole time, didn't you?

[dark-konohagakure2]

Sephiroth obsessed with clouds little sister gets jealous and noncons her, maybe she's a virgin still too

tw: noncon, age difference, size difference, revenge sex, dacryphilia, kidnapping, virginity loss, obsession, degradation

All characters depicted are 18+

Sephiroth despises Cloud, but that doesn't stop him from having a twisted obsession with the young man, ever since he burned down Nibelheim and seemingly killed the boy's family, but when Sephiroth finds out that Cloud has a younger sister who survived the Nibelheim incident, Sephiroth knows that he's just found his newest obsession.

Sephiroth is the ultimate SOLIDER and a force of nature in his own right, so he can easily find the weak civilian girl who is living all on her own, without any big strong elder brother to protect her from whatever monsters might be out there looking for her.

His sudden appearance at her door is quite the shock to the girl, there isn't a single person in the entire world who doesn't know who Sephiroth is, so the fact he's now at her door greatly confuses and scares her, but before she can even ask why he's there, Sephiroth is already roughly grabbing the poor girl.

Sephiroth is an incredibly strong and tall man, towering over almost every human he encounters, so it's as easy as crushing an ant underboot for him to hold her down and tear off her clothes, and he'll let his intentions and reasons for what he's doing be known to her very quickly.

"Dying in that fire would have been a merciful fate for you, little insect. Now look at you, completely at my mercy, how sad..."

Sephiroth doesn't have a lot of experience with more human things such as sex and closeness despite his slew of admirers, he knows what sex is, but to him it's just a way to degrade and assert dominance over people, and that is exactly what Sephiroth is going to do to her.

The SOLIDER isn't the slightest bit gentle when he fucks her, why would he be? She's a bug while he's practically a god among men, humans like her only exist for his ends, and right now his end is getting off and hurting Cloud via his sister, a goal he won't lose sight of even when he's balls deep in the struggling girl and feeling his skin against her own.

Sephiroth isn't completely immune to arousal however, he is a man after all, and he can't deny the way his cock throbs and leaks inside of her at the sensation of her virginity giving way to his fat cock, or the way his hips speed up slightly when he catches sight of tears streaming down her pretty little face, he makes sure to commit all those lovely sights to memory.

He wants to degrade the young woman as much as possible simply for the crime of existing as his enemy's beloved sister, so he's going to keep her as his cumdump for quite some time, forcing her to fulfil the purpose that he believes all humans serve; being useful to him and his ends.

"You're pathetic, just like that dear brother of yours. But fortunately for the both of us, you're never going to see that useless boy ever again, you belong to me now."

Sephiroth finds himself rather entertained by his newest toy, especially due to her resemblance to his arch nemesis, but his amusement with her doesn't save her from his wrath, because Sephiroth will discard of her the moment she isn't fun to play with anymore.

[karikarasuno]

part eight | part nine | part 10

you shouldn't be freaking out. except you are.

"what do you mean you don't remember if you told him you loved him?" nami asks, voice full of accusation. her and robin came over after you texted them frantically during your lunch hour asking if they could stop by to help you pick out something to wear tonight. you definitely remember making plans to meet law and his brother for drinks, but the 'i love you' memory is a bit fuzzier. it could very well have been a trick of the moon. but you can't be positive since he never said it back. at least you didn't think so.

"i was sleeping!" you complain, throwing another shirt you contemplated wearing onto your bed hopelessly. nothing looks right anymore. maybe you need to refresh your wardrobe.

"if you were sleeping, you couldn't have told him you loved him," robin replies simply. as if that answers all of your questions.

"well, i was falling asleep. more asleep than awake, but still." you make some incomprehensible motion with your hands in the hopes that you won't have to continue explaining yourself.

"so i'm gonna safely assume you can't remember if he said it back," nami says, snatching one of the shirts you threw on the bed earlier and holding it up to your body. "you're wearing this one."

you flop backwards onto your bed, your head falling into robin's lap. her hand comes up to reassuringly pat your crown as you openly sulk on her thighs.

"we'll take that as a no," robin says, looking down at you with pitiful humor in her eyes.

"i could kick myself," you whine, hands coming up to cover your face. "i mean who tells a man you love him after he declines phone sex!"

"you didn't get off before confessing you were in love?!" now nami sounds appalled and when you peek at her through the gap in your fingers she's staring down at you bug-eyed and disturbed. "have you lost your mind?"

all you can do is nod meekly. because yes, you have lost your mind. and you are sure it's somewhere between your house and law's. along with your heart because that isn't in your chest last time you checked.

"jeez," nami lifts your legs before sitting down next to you and placing your calves in her lap. "what are we gonna do about this?"

"now you see my dilemma," you sigh.

"here's a crazy idea," robin starts, dragging her hand over your hair, "you could always say it again, awake this time, and see if he says it back."

"you're right," you say, voice devoid of emotion.

"that is crazy," nami finishes.

****

jeans, boots, and a top that is arguably a little too low on your chest to be appropriate for meeting your boyfriend's brother (again) is what the three of you decided on before you left the house half an hour ago. a small gift bag dangles from your fingertips as you shuffle by the door oddly nervous. law and cora are already inside. he texted you twenty minutes ago to let you know.

you definitely are overthinking. everything between you and law has felt so natural and easy. there is an understanding between you that you've never had with anyone else. falling in love with him is quite possibly the easiest thing you've ever done in your whole life. so the idea of him potentially not returning that love is a knife to the gut. a knife that twists and twists until your intestines are spilling out of your abdomen. yes, it's genuinely that gruesome of a thought.

you swallow your anxiety, though, for the sake of cora. it is his birthday, after all. the bell above the door rings as you walk inside. since it's a friday night, the bar is busy. clusters of people are spread out among tables, lined up at the counter for drinks, and hanging out around the games you'd typically find at a bar. which is where your eyes land on law. he's standing by a pool table leaning against a stick as cora lines up for a shot.

he misses. miserably.

"and i thought i was bad," you say as you approach them.

"that was a fluke!" cora exclaims, throwing his hands in the air. "and it's not polite to heckle the birthday boy."

"speaking of which," you hold up the bag towards him and it sways gently between your index finger and thumb.

"oh, you really didn't have to get him anything," law says before cora can even accept the gift. you meet his eyes over your shoulder and he winks. clearly, he's trying to get a rise out of cora. and it works.

"just because you don't like gifts doesn't mean no one deserves them," cora complains while glaring at his brother.

"i just so happen to love gifts, so thank you," he adds, turning to you with a slight bow and plucking the gift from your hand. up close cora is much taller than you remembered him to be. his shoulders have a slight hunch to them and you assume it's from all of the leaning over he has to do considering how much time he spends around children.

"i hope you like it," you say, "and happy birthday."

he carefully pulls out the tissue paper from the bag and places it on the edge of the pool table. for whatever reason, you're nervous. it's a gift that you bought last minute and really didn't put much thought into. but for some reason, in this exact moment, there are nerves fluttering around your stomach. if he hates the gift, you really hope cora's a good actor.

“oh wow,” he says, his eyes widening as he takes the gift out of the bag, “where did you even find this?”

it’s a glasses chain made up of knitted hearts. you saw it at a boutique when you were at the mall yesterday. and then you remembered how cora is a librarian, so you thought it was fitting.

“there’s a boutique in the strip mall where they sell all kinds of handmade stuff.” you try to shrug it off as a coincidence because really it was. you hadn’t searched for them. they just kinda appeared.

“these are incredible,” he says, awe dripping from each word. you start to blush. well, now you know he loves them and that somehow makes you even more nervous. you look over at law to find a response but he’s just staring at you. he’s still leaning against his pool stick but he’s much closer to you now. his eyes are soft and he wears a small smile. unlike any you’ve ever caught on him before. oh, you really do love him.

"how do i look?" cora asks after he's fitted the chain over his glasses. they fit him perfectly, actually. like they were handmade exactly for him.

"they look great," law responds.

"ok, i don't know if i believe you since you didn't even look at me."

while your eyes had shifted over to cora when he asked his question, you weren't aware that law's hadn't. they remained on you. god, is it hot in here?

"you look amazing, cora. they really suit you," you answer him. it's a touch shy. but mostly because you can feel law's eyes. you can feel where his thoughts are heading. and you can nearly feel his sheets fisted in your hands when you recall that thing he does with his fingers.

"play for me while i grab you a drink." law hands you the stick and you take it gingerly between your fingers.

"you should know i'm not very good," you say, pointing the stick at him in warning.

"there's only two solids left on the table and a shit ton of stripes," he says, leaning down to speak directly into your ear. "you could miss a dozen times and i still think i could kick cora's ass."

"again," cora says, hand sassily clutching his hip, "it's my birthday."

you laugh through your nose at their bickering. law winks before he turns away and heads to the counter to order something for you. you watch him go, your gaze very obviously lingering, and a small part of you forgot cora was even behind you.

"you two are hopeless," you hear him mutter. when you face him you except to see a look of disgust. one that is usually present on nami's face when she says things like that. except cora looks content. he looks endeared in a way.

"i guess it's my turn," you attempt shifting the conversation. your emotions are running marathons in your chest and you need to tamper them down. you bend over and lean your upper half onto the table. you try your best to line up the cue ball with the red solid that's sitting near one of the pockets. you, fortunately, have a very clear shot. so you take it. you, unfortunately, have terrible aim as well.

cora chuckles when you miss. "twins," he teases.

"hey, i'm still warming up," you argue. "i'll be much better after my drink."

"ah, some good ol' fashioned liquid courage," he nods, remembering his near empty glass of beer perched on the high top beside you and downing the rest.

after law arrives with your drink much of the evening is spent talking and laughing around the pool table. cora and law couldn't be more different, but together he brings out a side of law you don't see often. law really is quite silly. they argue over everything. law enjoys goading cora that way. cora looks to you for support. sometimes you offer it and sometimes you play devil's advocate. all of it is just so fun.

you were worried for nothing.

"i'll grab us one last round," you offer, hopping off the stool you're sitting on as you watch the guys throw darts. for you that game is a safety hazard and you've had two drinks too many to be any good anyway.

"i'll just do a seltzer if you don't mind," cora calls out as he holds the dart up between his fingers and closes one eye to 'better his aim.'

"that's fine. and you?" you stand next to law, wrapping your arms around one of his and resting your chin on his bicep.

"a beer, please," he answers, bending over to press a quick kiss to your forehead. you take a step back and you smile, giddy and happy and ridiculously, all the way to the bar. the bartender is busy with a few other patrons so you lean against it, careful to avoid the mysterious sticky patch by your elbow, and you wait.

"well look who we have here." the voice that sidles up behind you sends a bucket of ice cold water straight over your head and down your spine. you contemplate ignoring him. but that would be impossible. he's stubborn like that.

"hi, kid," you say dismayed. "how are you?"

this is the last thing you ever thought would happen. you aren't delusional enough to believe that you'd never run into kid again, but now? it's the worst possible time. and you were in such a good mood too.

"clearly not as good as you've been." you don't miss the condescending edge to his words. his smile says one thing but you know kid. you know this bothers him.

"oh? things didn't work out between you and that girl?" there's a venom there that you yourself aren't expecting. you're over him. that much is a fact. but his presence still irritates you. the stupid, cheating idiot.

“huh, cute,” he says snidely. he downs the rest of his beer, a bit of the liquid dribbles out of the corner of his mouth from how harshly he chugged it. another sign you've clearly gotten under his skin. but you don't relish in it the way you though you would. mostly because you don't care. and honestly you want this interaction to just be over so you can get back to law. who is currently arguing with cora over the placement of a dart when you glance their way over your shoulder. you smile a little at the sight. momentarily forgetting the fact that your ex is standing beside you burning a hole into the side of your face with his glare.

"i would've never thought you'd rebound with the lame ass neighbor," he huffs, his tone dripping with disdain. a disdain that has hot anger flaring in your chest.

"do not talk about him like that," you snap, voice hushed but very obviously offended.

"oh!" kid's head rears back, a sick sort of grin twists his features. "you have feelings for that fucking idiot."

"kid, i'm serious, shut up." your heart starts to speed up in your chest. your vision is beginning to cloud over with anger. an anger you haven't felt since that day you kicked him out. really how did you date him for so long? he's insufferable. "what, or better who i'm doing is none of your business."

"this whole thing is just so funny, y'know that?" he steps closer to you and you try hard not to recoil in his presence. you always hated when he used his size against you.

"i don't see how," you reply, propping a hand on your hip and raising your chin. you refuse to back down because kid will steamroll over anyone if you let him. "like i said, my life is none of your concern anymore."

"so what? you think he's gonna be loyal to you? you think he's gonna put up with your ass? he's not gonna stick around, but i know you're fucking crazy enough to think so."

your hand starts to shake at your side. you're trying desperately not to cause a scene. it's not fair to you or law, or even cora. it's his fucking birthday for christ's sake.

"what's your point?" you try to force space between the two of you but it's difficult considering how packed the bar is. he smiles, but really it's just a sad excuse to cover up a sneer. "have you always been this much of a dickhead?"

"you used to love me," he chuckles darkly, eating up the minimal space between you until your chests nearly touch.

"yeah used to. not anymore." keeping your voice even is becoming a challenge. it's starting to do that annoying shaking thing when your anger flares and tears prick at your eyes. you absolutely despise crying when you're angry. kid used to use it against you all the time.

you're so damn sensitive. you think tears are gonna work on me? come on, sweetheart, grow up.

memories sting at your mind. they claw at wounds that aren't quite healed over yet. wounds that bleed insecurity.

"don't say that," he patronizes. "admit it, a part of you misses me. don't you remember all the fun we used to have?"

"i'm not doing this with you." you shake your head, preparing to walk away. "i have people to get back to."

but you didn't make it two steps before kid is grabbing your wrist to stop you. you didn't want to turn around, but his grip is too strong for you to yank your arm away. and you didn't want to draw attention either.

"he's never gonna love you," kid says with enough conviction that you almost believe him. as if he knows what you said to law the other night and the fact that he may have never said it back.

"you-"

"do we have a problem here?" you almost don't recognize law's voice. it's hollow in a way you're unfamiliar with. the warmth is gone. the teasing note it always tends to carry when you're around him has disappeared. it's so cold a shiver practically runs down your spine.

kid drops your wrist and holds his hand up in surrender. he smirks at you before looking at law over your shoulder.

"nah, man," he replies, shaking his head with a dark chuckle. "we were just catching up."

he steps around you and claps you on the shoulder. "it was nice seeing you."

you don't respond. you can't because your throat is too tight.

kid squeezes between you and law. they size each other up because men are annoying. but nothing happens. kid simply leaves. stealing your pleasant mood and taking it with him.

"are you okay?" law asks tightly, but he's not looking at you. his eyes are stuck on kid's retreating figure.

"yeah," you say, clearing your throat. "sorry i haven't had a chance to order your drinks yet."

"it's fine," he says, finally looking your way. but there's something distant about his gaze that makes your chest ache. "we were about to call it a night, anyway."

****

law doesn't get angry anymore. at least not like he used to. it's a foreign feeling now. the one that swirls in his gut and pounds at his chest. it's almost nauseating. so much so as he drives your car back home, he can only sit and simmer in silence. not even the radio is on. he can tell you're off. he notices the way you curl against the window, your body facing away from him as your eyes track the familiar scenery back home.

it's unsettling to him seeing you so upset, especially after having such a fun evening before your ex showed up. the real source of his anger. he hated the way kid touched you. as if he had any right to do so after what he did. he was so comfortable doing it as well. it was disrespectful. and that's one thing law has a difficult time tolerating. disrespect.

the two of you sit in your car for a few seconds after he turns it off. both hesitant to move first.

"i had fun tonight," he says, cutting through the silence as softly as he can. careful not to nick you and cause further damage. your head falls back against the headrest as you turn your face to look at him. you smile, but it doesn't reach your eyes.

"yeah," you nod, your fingers wringing in your lap, " i did too."

law is struggling because he wants to comfort you. but he really doesn't know what to say. you like to talk. usually telling him anything and everything without him having to ask. now the problem is, he doesn't know how or what to ask.

he wants to know what kid said to you, but that seems abrasive. he wants to know why you're so shaken up, but that seems intrusive. he just doesn't know and it's killing him. that and the fact that he wants to punch kid in the face.

"you coming in?" you ask, hand on the door handle, preparing to open it. all he can do is nod before grabbing his baggage from the backseat and following you.

even chopper, usually upbeat and frantic, seems forlorn as you two enter your home. you don't even bother to turn on the lights, instead wandering around and placing your things down guided only by the light of a candle warmer you left on in your living room. law just silently watches you go about your usual routine, helplessly wondering what he should do. until he decides to suck it up and ask. he corners you in the bathroom.

"hey," he says softly, leaning against the doorframe. you glance up at him but continue taking off your rings. "are you sure you're okay?"

"um," you pause, reaching for the back of your earring. "yeah i just-"

you sigh, shoulders sagging as your chin drops to your chest. "i just forget how much of an ass kid can be sometimes."

"what did he say?" the question that has been poised on his tongue since he interrupted your interaction at the bar slips right off of it.

"you don't have to worry about it," you dismiss, taking out your other earring and putting it on your jewelry tray. you don't want to talk about it. too bad.

"well," he starts, stepping behind you to place his hands on your shoulders. hopefully with reassurance. "you're upset, so i'm worried."

"it's not a big deal," you shrug him off. and his heart breaks at the gesture. he doesn't like it. not when he's so used to you being openly affectionate with him.

"hey," he says firmly as you start walking away. his hands reach for your hips and he spins you to face him. you don't look up at him which irritates him. he's not used to this so now he has to fix it. there must be a way he can make you feel better.

"can you please tell me what's going on?" he pleads, cradling your cheek and urging you to meet his eyes. you hesitate to, but you soften into his palm. inhaling deeply as you nose at his hand. the anxiety ebbs in his gut.

"i'm sorry," you exhale and it seems like your whole body drains of whatever energy you had left. "it's just, he's just-"

he sees how badly you want to stomp your foot as you wave your arm agitatedly. this he's used to. his mood starts to ease up. he's remembering how to breathe again.

"i shouldn't listen to him, i know," you whine, "but he knows how to get under my skin and it fucking sucks."

your eyes start to fill with tears. your bottom lip wobbles. "and that stupid son of a bitch basically said i'm crazy and unlovable. can you believe that?"

law knows he shouldn't. in fact he tries so so so hard not to. but when you look up at him with the biggest, wettest eyes and the most dumbfounded expression on your face he cannot help but laugh. it's just a chuckle. it kind of just drops from his lips.

"it's not funny, law!" you whack him in the bicep, just one tear falling from your eye, but he catches it with his thumb before it can get too far.

"it's not," he says, shaking his head amused. even though he really shouldn't be.

"then why are you laughing?" you try to squirm away from him but he's reluctant to let you go. "what's worse is he's not even wrong. especially after i tell you i love you and like an idiot i fell asleep and don't even know if you said it back!"

you throw your hands up, defeated. but he feels fine. because he knows how to fix this. this he can work with. this he has a solution to.

"i didn't say it back that night," he says it simply. and your face falls completely. "but not because i don't love you. or because you're unloveable; which is ridiculous, by the way."

you roll your eyes, causing another fat tear to fall down your cheek.

"but because i needed to see your face when i said it to you for the first time. when you told me you loved me i thought i made it up, but when i saw you tonight after being away all week i realized it didn't matter."

you settle in his arms as he speaks to you. law finally, fully, calms down when notices you returning to him. "it didn't matter because i love you."

he holds your face in his hands as he wipes tears from your cheeks with his thumbs. for whatever reason, law is enamored by you. his love for you struck him suddenly like a bolt of lightning, but its growth was also a slow burning fire.

law loves you.

"really?" your eyes are hopeful and sweet and sappy as you look up at him. he chuckles again, not quite believing how absurd you are sometimes. but either way, he nods. because yes, really.

"how much?" your hands grasp his wrists as you rise on your toes to come face to face with him. your frown tilts upwards into a smile. a honeyed one that he has to force himself not to kiss straight off of your face.

"and how do you suggest i show that to you?" he asks, leaning over until your noses brush.

"oh, i have a few ideas."

part eleven

[ddejavvu]

these photos of joaquin give off such strong best friend's brother/brother's best friend vibes and i'm chewing on him so hard rn..

he's just always around whenever you're hanging out with your bsf, even if you're just lounging around at home he's working out in the garage, getting all sweaty in the humidity and coming back in for a drink of water. he gives you a sweet, genuine smile even though you're sure if he smirked looking like that it'd knock down any woman within a ten mile radius. he leans against the counter and listens to you guys chat, he'll interject with clever jokes that catch you off guard and leave you belly-laughing, getting you eager every time he jumps in. he gives you rides to work when you can't get there yourself, and if he's taking you home he'll offer to stop for some fast food. you guys get into the habit of late-night dinners together, ravaging burgers and fries in the dim overhead lighting of his car before he takes you home. it all culminates in a bar one warm summer night, you and a bunch of friends had gone out to have some fun and he just looks so perfect under the bar's dim, hazy lighting that you lean in and kiss him square on the lips. he's surprised at first, but he leans into it like he was born to, and soon he's wrapping those toned arms around you, keeping you snug against him while you two slip each other tongue all night.

or maybe he's your brother's friend, and you can't even set foot into your house without hearing their raucous laughter ring through the house. whenever you stomp over to yell at them, your brother just laughs and tries to bug you more, but joaquin apologizes and tells you he'll try to keep your brother under control. god forbid you walk into the room they're in because your brother's trying to irritate you to entertain joaquin but joaquin's just watching as you bustle around the kitchen, trying not to stare too obviously at the junction of your thighs and your ass in those shorts that you're only comfortable wearing around the house. you'll have to get together in secret, because your brother wouldn't like it if you dated one of his friends. you steal kisses in the driveway when joaquin leaves, and you sneak around without your phone so that your family can't track your location and see you at joaquin's address. if your brother drops by when you're there you're stuffed in the closet, under the bed, or shooed out the window. it's an exhilarating romance, adrenaline races through you anytime you have to make a quick getaway and it adds to the passion of your relationship. eventually, your brother gets wind that you're seeing someone. he and joaquin are parked at the table, tearing into whatever food they can find, and your brother elbows joaquin, 'we're gonna find him and talk to him. we won't kill him yet, but he's gonna know not to mess with you after we're done with him.' joaquin agrees with your brother, but his eyes are locked on you, his solemn nod is as tense as it is meaningful. You have to quickly excuse yourself back upstairs because of the way he stares into your eyes while vowing to rough up whoever might be getting at you.

[bet-on-me-13]

Desperate Villain Danny AU

(this is a 17 yr old danny)

It started out slowly.

First, a few of Danny's less active Rouges stopped showing up at all. He didn't really notice, and just assumed that they had finally had their Fill of their Obsession for a while and would simmer down for a bit.

Then, some more of his Rouges stopped showing up. No big deal, but he is getting a little concerned for them. They had definitely not had their fill of their Obsessions yet, why did they stop?

Then, the worst started happen. All of his actual Ghost Friends start to disappear. Ember, Kitty, Johnny, even Amorpho, they all start to not show up at all in the Living World.

He goes looking for them in Realms, but he can't find any of them whatsoever. He tries asking around, but everybody else noticed the disappearances much earlier than him and began to hide away from whatever was taking all of the strong Ghosts. He can't find anybody, and the ones he does find won't tell him anything (or don't know themselves)

It takes weeks of searching, but eventually he gets his answer.

The GIW show up in Amity again after a period of absolutely no activity. They have stepped up their operations HARD. Advanced Ghost Hunting Equipment, Much more Competent Agents, and most worrying of all, they seem to know that Phantom is friends with Sam, Tucker, and Danny Fenton.

The GIW comes to his house for a Meeting with his parents, where he overhears them offering his parents a position in their Organization as Head Scientists. While there they also manage to plant Bugs in Danny's room somehow. Although he finds them quickly enough and destroys them.

And then, one night during dinner while his parents are ranting about the GIWs Labs, they mention something that cinches it for Danny.

"And today we even got to Dissect one of the Spooks! It was that Mind Controlly one, you know the one with the blue firey hair stuff that sang a bunch! We're going back tomorrow to continue our Study, this time we'll see how long it'll pretend to experience pain before it decides to give up on tricking us!"

That night, Danny packed up all his things, destroyed the Ghost Portal alongside everything else in his parents Lab, and left his house.

He tracked down the GIW Base, saved Ember from her Cell, and decimated the surrounding Area. No survivors, none of the research is preserved, and he left the Site Director alive to question him.

Turns out, the GIW had managed to Reverse Engineer the Ghost Portal from that brief period of time where they had taken control of Fenton Works. They had been using their own Portal to kidnap any Ghost they could get their hands on. Using the research from those subjects, they perfected their Ghost Hunting Tech and started going after the bigger fish.

"But good luck finding it, Ecto Scum! The Portals location was hidden to everybody, even me!" He said.

"Where are the others!" Danny cried. He was losing control of his appearance by this point. After seeing what they had done to Ember, he was too angry to maintain his Humanoid Form successfully. Even now, with most of his control, he could hear the Static in the air around him, and see the Glitching of his hands as they clenched this Monsters clothes.

"Scattered!" He said with a crazed laugh, "We knew we couldn't contain all of them, so we send them to all of our sites across the Country! You'll never find them!"

Without another word, Danny plowed his arm through the man's chest.

He turned around, picking up Embers weakened Body, before beginning his long flight to Wisconsin. Vlad still owed him a few Favors after all, and honestly his mentorship offers seemed VERY Tempting right now.

(Why reject him if you don't care about keeping your dad alive anymore?)

...

The JLA had recently received a distress signal from somewhere in the middle of some random Forest in Illinois, but when they got to the location, all they found was a crater filled with the ruins of some kind of Military Base, and so so many Bodies.

They had managed to figure out that this was a Government Site owned by an organization called the GIW. A Paranormal Investigation Wing of the Government focused on the study and capture of Supernatural Beings called Ecto-Entities, otherwise referred to as Ghosts.

As it turns out, an Ecto-Entity that had been terrorizing the local town for a few years now had made a drastic change in normal behavior and had attacked the GIW Base that had been posted there.

They would have destroyed it years ago, but this one was unnaturally powerful. It had eluded their capture and terrorized the Town for years, but they had too much pride to contact the JLA and admit that they needed help. And honestly until now, they didn't really need it. The Entity had been entirely confined to the singular town, and had not strayed from that behavioral Pattern in the 3 years since it's inital sighting. They had made the difficult choice to leave it there, sacrificing one town in exchange for the rest of the country.

But now they did need their help. This Entity, this Phantom, was one of the most powerful beings that had ever recorded, maybe even The Most Powerful. The fact that it had left the Secluded town it usually frequented meant that it was loose to wreak havoc across the rest of the world.

The JLA Needed to Find this thing, and Fast.

[rene-darling]

Soooo ahem- what if traveller calls Xiao's name while our babygirl is busy moaning in the best part??

GETTING- Interrupted while doing the nasty.

OMG YES!! Love your brain darling, this but with other genshin men as well.

...kazuha...tighnari...itto...Xiao...

Kazuha

You're his first priority doesn't matter if he's the one fully naked.

He's probably more red than before but he'll cover you up first

Glares at whoever walks in but it's more of an embarrassed glare.

After that person leaves he'll just sigh and probably won't be in the mood anymore.

But if you coax him a bit he'll be raring to go soon enough.

It's an embarrassing memory which he wishes he could forget

The next day when he sees that person who walked in he's very chill and acts calm and collected like nothing happened.

Tighnari

Shocked and pissed.

With work it's already hard to find time for each other and now when you finally get the chance someone interrupts

Immediately covers himself with his tail

It's like an instinct, he'll cover you too

He sends the person off with a nasty glare and then refuses to resume your previous activities,

He's ashamed beyond belief and gives you an earful for not locking the door.

Cannot face the person who caught you both for a while..

Itto

Doesn't realise.

Bro keeps going until you have to physically stop him

Once he finally sees that someone has intruded on your private time he just stares..for a moment, before letting out the most shrill scream ever known to man.

You can't believe such a scream can be from a bug muscular man such as itto

He chases intruder out the room..forgetting the part where he's naked.

You have to run after him before he runs into his gang and embarrasses himself further

Xiao

Pretty back arching and hands tightly gripping at the sheets, xiaos trying desperately to last longer. But, you're just not giving him the chance to hold back any longer.

He moans your name like a mantra as if it is the only word he knows. He could feel that he was close, arching his back he looked back leaning into you muttering your name.

He was close, he could feel it..it felt so good. Sweat dripped off of him and he could feel himself becoming closer, and closer, and- "adeptus xiao~ we need your help-"

Immediately the traveler's hands shoot up to cover piamons eyes. It takes Xiao a second to realize that he's no longer in bed with you...

His eyes widen. He stiffens as he's overcome by pure shame and embarrassment, horrified he tries to jumble a sentence together but fails, too stunned to speak.

He immediately teleports back falling onto the floor of your room. "xiao..there you are..where the hell did you go?" your question doesn't get an answer by the panicked adeptus who looks like he saw a ghost.

You have to calm him down, and there is no chance in hell you can continue what you guys were doing beforehand.

After said incident, he refrains from having intimacy for a good while, too traumatized by the prospect of the past repeating itself.

He's also too embarrassed to face the traveller in the coming weeks, running away whenever they get even a little close.

Safe to say you've lost love-making privileges all because of the traveler..damn...you won't get to see that xiaoussy for a while🙏

[13tinysocks]

My Dead Girlfriend

Days pass. Patience grows thin. Deathbed talk begins. You pull the last straw and are taken somewhere new.

[Invincible Varients X Reader]

[Part one]  [Ao3]  [11] [13] [Chapter Index]

12 * Two Inches? [9.2k]

"Nice, nice!

Are you a virgin?

Nice, nice!

What color are your panties?"

Nice Nice - Dazey and the Scouts

        "We need to tell everybody." He couldn't look away from that massive white thing. Hard-shelled with soft, crabby flesh underneath. His mouth watered just looking at its twitching mandibles.

        From behind him, "No."

        Baldie turned, brows pressed together. "Why not?"

        Phantom watched him, feet away, keeping eyes and ears out for approaching company. No one was coming.

        "(Y/n) likes you." He says instead of answering directly. "If you ask her to come with you alone, she will." 

        Baldie's mouth fell open. Now he was starting to get it. "But... You just said all that stuff about not splitting up."

        "Because I had to." Phantom said, modulator softly echoing off the cave walls, "To keep the peace until we could talk. This is the safest way to do it."

        "We can't just keep this from every-"

        "You saw what those two did to her." Phantom cut him off, surprising even himself, "How easily they took her from you. I had to get her out of that situation. We only survived because they decided they were done playing. Do you really want her to be around people like that?" His throat itched. Vocal cords thin and raw after ten seconds of jabbering. 

        "Then we tell everyone but them." Baldie reasoned, though the voice in the back of his mind agreed. To take the hoard that was you and run.

        "If we're all together, they'll find us. It has to be just us." Phantom finishes, cards splayed across the table, hoping Baldie would fold.

        Baldie's mouth opened, closed, opened, closed. He knew he should do the right thing. Refuse. Tell everybody. Band together, kill Lensless and Scars with everybody else. Establish peace. Live with and eat bugs forever. Find friendship and understanding in the only person who could really understand what he went through- the other versions of himself.

        But he just couldn't. 

        He'd waited four years in hell only to find your bones. Watched you be civil to the others, Viltrumite loyalists and enforcers and leaders. It made him sick, the idea of you with them. Any of them but him. Phantom must feel that way too. 

        He was no fool. Alternate motives were guaranteed in a situation as suspicious as this. "How long have you known about this place?" Was double-speak for, 'Did you find this before or after we ate a guy?'

        "Not long." Phantom lies, "Three days." 

        Baldie nods shallow before spinning, neck cracking like a whip. "You're only telling me this now because, what? You think I'm stupid? You think I'm easy to kill?" 

        Phantom backed up, hands raised defensively. "No." He says, shaking his head, voice small, hunched over, feigning doe-ishness. 

        "What's stopping you from killing me when I bring her here?" Baldie's prowling closer now, fists clenching, "What's stopping you from just taking her yourself? Why are you telling me this?" Veins pop out on his scarred neck, pulse throbbing in his clenched fists. He's still angry about you letting Lensless and Scars go. He doesn't want, he needs to hit something hard as he can.

        "Because you can make her happy." Phantom says, "And I can't." That makes Baldie pause. "I wish she liked me the way she likes you, but I know it won't happen. I'm okay with that. I just want her safe." It's a lie but a well-told one.

        Baldie relaxes but not fully. "If you ever fucking try to touch her, I will kill you." He only says it because you're not here to hear him say it, because he couldn't say it to the ones that hurt you. Then and now. He had dreaded coming home from prison and you being scared of him, his appearance and the scars that festered underneath. But the you now wasn't scared, you were starting to cherish him. He was afraid now, of fucking it up a second time. 

        "Understood," Phantom said because this is exactly what he wanted.

        "I-" Baldie took a breath, squared his shoulders, "I also need some time to figure this out. This," the bug queen, the cathedral, the never ending cache of food, "is a lot." But most of all, he needed to figure out how to tell you.

        ***

        Your phone was gone. Off the rock you'd left it on to play music and die on. You'd asked around unhurriedly. Not like it'd be any help but the comfort of something not from this shithole was alluring. Something to hold and know you had existed before this and would hopefully exist after. But nobody knows where it went. Though Lensless (when you saw him next) claimed he took it and tried to get you to force him to tell the truth. You didn't even try.

        Gray was dodgy, not about the phone, but about you. He couldn't seem to hold conversation with you for more than two seconds at a time before flying off somewhere with something better to do. He'd always been that way, but he'd been shorter with his words and was staring at you a whole lot more. Despite this, he wasn't a suspect. You doubted he'd want anything to do with your phone, even if it was working.

        You were rotting and they all saw it. You couldn't explore long. The torches you'd been making out of soaked, then slightly dried wood and cloth never last longer than a half hour. You couldn't go to the surface, ceiling too high to even consider scaling out of. Not like any of them would let you anyway, not with Scars and Lensless roaming the wastes during the day. Hiding out somewhere hidden so those who wanted them dead couldn't even kill them in the daylight. Or maybe they were hiding, waiting to pick them off one by one. No one knew what they were planning. 

        Scars and Lensless always came at night because they'd yet to find another source of food. The peace was paper thin. They ate and didn't attack or kidnap you. Your horde of bodyguards let them stay in the shade for a few hours. We don't hurt you and we get to eat. Not exactly an even exchange.

        Personal agendas were always thick in the air now. It was only a matter of days until the food was gone. They could go without awhile, but as soon as you began to starve, there'd be another death and another. Everyone was planning to be the last one standing, to die in the desert with you. The truce wouldn't last much longer but for tonight, nobody mentioned it.

        Gray marked day twenty on the wall. He kept count for the sake of rationing. Meager scraps of what hadn't rotted remained. Only you would eat tonight, the small hard pieces of Emperor jerky that always got caught in your teeth a reminder. 

        Hopelessness isn't in the air, it's already sunken in, become a part of each of you. People were starting to think about dying or finding a way to make this all work long term. But without food? It would not. 

        The deathbed talk started lightly, a reprieve from their thoughts and the empty expanse around them. 

        "I could really go for mom's chicken parm." Maskless says, watching you nibble on small pieces of Emperor meat.

        Tracksuit's mask fluttered when he laughed, "Your mom cooked?"

        "Yours didn't?"

        So began talk of Debbie Grayson. Another universal constant, but she was dynamic through the multiverse. Tracksuit talked about a distant figure he never liked much. Maskless implied kind acceptance, the love some of them yearned for. She stood up to Nolan and died for it. Mohawk laughed in his face. Bragged about how he came to your world partly to kill her himself again. 

        "Did you?" Omni asked, sounding suspiciously interested. Like he'd had a similar idea.

        "Nah." Mohawk kicked at the ground. "Wasn't home. Any of you dicks find 'er?"

        Nobody had. 

        Lensless claimed a weak, once loving mother who stepped aside when the Viltrum Empire came to Earth. Struck by grief at the death of her husband at her child's hand. They lived together through the change Viltrum brought to Earth. What was left of it after the slaughter Lensless brought down. She was a ghost. Wasting away as the world was rebuilt into a utopia. The last time he saw her, she was hanging in her closet. He said this lightly, with the same smile he always wore.

        Scars grinned at the story, told them that Debbie Grayson's body would never be found in his world. Left it at that. No one wanted to know.

        Gray was confused by all of this. The death. The alien versions of his, "Mother raised me on Viltrum." Turned heads. "She likes it there."

        Baldie stirred, agitated by the idea. Mom was good, she was just. She was taken from Earth just like he was. Brought to Viltrum, not in a cell, but still imprisoned. Dad gave him updates in between beat-downs on his cell floor. She had stopped talking, stopped eating, had to be put on life support to stay alive. Nolan refused to pull the plug. He kept his wife unwillingly alive as a self-inflicted vegetable. Baldie wished he could've escaped another way. Seen mom one last time, taken her off that horrid life support and let her rest in peace.

        But he kept his mouth shut. He felt if he opened his mouth at all, the cave secret would come spilling out. He hadn't figured out how to tell you. Where to tell you. When. How you'd react.

        Phantom hadn't spoken at all since he'd talked with Baldie those days ago. Something about Mom and Viltrum made him spark, contempt thick in his voice. "As breeding stock?"

        Gray turned to him, "That's not what I said."

        "Dad said that's all humans were good for," Phantom said.

        ***

        "Is she with child?" The Viltrumite doctor asked as they all stepped into the sterile room. White on white on white. Technically, only Mark needed to be in attendance for his physical. There had been plenty of appointments since he was the first human-Viltrumite hybrid and the Empire desperately wanted to know how he was developing. But his parents came, they always came because they cared. Humanity's customs had rubbed a dent into Nolan's character. The other Viltrumites didn't approve but he still conquered planets, if not more effectively than before- excited to return to his family.

        "No." Debbie said firm. "We've already told you, we're not-"

        "You brought the human woman to breed did you not?" The doctor looked square at Nolan. Debbie was beneath him. 

        "I feel it's better to focus on Mark until he develops his powers." Nolan said as Mark climbed onto the table for a full body scan. He was seven, small for a Viltrumite boy his age but Debbie was sure he'd hit a growth spurt soon. 

        The doctor watched numbers flash on a screen. Mark's vitals, muscle and bone density. Hardly different from a full blooded Viltrumite. "He will soon, Nolan. It would be prudent to begin procreation immediately."

        "I said no." Debbie snapped. 

        The Viltrumite doesn't turn to address her. "You should consider your mission on Earth a great success, Nolan. We were unsure of human-Viltrumite compatibility before, but by the time he's developed his powers- he'll be strong as a full-blood. The Empire thanks you for this knowledge."

        "Uh, yeah sure." Nolan internally wilted at his wife's hard stare. "But you don't need me to have more children do you? There's so many Viltrumites and humans to do that for me."

        The doctor's hands balled to fists. "You know?"

        It's a secret Mark isn't privy to. Debbie isn't privy to. Nolan knows. There are only fifty full-blooded Viltrumites left in the galaxy. Their bloodline thinning in other mixed races. The Empire is weak, desperate. Mark the greatest success yet. 

        "Yes," Nolan said.

        "Then you know what you must do."

        ***

        "There are other humans to do it for him." He says, the parallel is like a hammer to head. The population of Viltrum had thinned further since then, but there were still others to carry the mission. He could just... No. No, he couldn't defect like that, it wasn't like mother. The Empire wouldn't even allow you to be considered if you couldn't procreate. Even if he wanted to, he was stuck in the desert. No way of returning to his Empire. Still, he looks to you and finds a cringe he feels the need to reset. "The parents of our hybrid children are not forced into what they do. It is bad for the child's physical health if some human practices are not done during pregnancy and early development." Only in hybrids. Viltrumite babies weren't so needy. Remembering himself, a tiny, keening and a desperate thing, made him embarrassed to not be full blooded. 

        Your expression only worsens. You did not like that. He is confused, what he said was very humane. He left out the part that humans were selected by health and fertility, that many did not meet their qualifications. Some did not wish to serve the empire, so they would be killed until another was found. Rinse, repeat. After awhile, all participants are willing.

        "Wait." Tracksuit's accent cut the tension. "You were on Viltrum from day one, yeah?"

        "I was born there." Gray said, proud. It was like a badge among the lesser versions of him. 

        Tracksuit's fingers snapped. "That makes so much sense!" Gray doesn't ask, so Tracksuit continues, "You know, why you're taller than the rest of us!"

        Looks were shared. "He's not-" Then. "Wait- Hey! Stop hovering for a second!"

        Gray, who perpetually seemed to hover above the ground except for when he slept, did as requested. Gasps rang through the cave. Marks stood beside him. Hands going from the top of their heads to the middle of Gray's chin. All of them were the same height, except for Gray. Two, maybe three inches taller than the rest.

        There was outrage from some. Gray did not care. Height did not matter on Viltrum, through he suspected his difference was due to a different level of gravity throughout his lifetime. Odd, yes, but he can only focus on you and your faraway expression. What were you thinking about? Were you not impressed with his height? Didn't Earth women like taller mates?

        He is so focused on you he nearly doesn't catch Phantom's quiet words.

        "She'd rather die than live on Viltrum." The whole time he'd been simmering, building up the strength in his throat.

        Gray looked to him. Saw past his modulator and mask, and knew he was a hurt, aching, little boy on the inside. One he could've been, had he not been raised to be strong on Viltrum. Gray pities him, but feels no compassion. A bleeding heart was just that, a bleeding heart. Weak, soon to die.

        "Your mother is dead, yes?" He says more than asks. It's a guess, an educated one. The human-raised among his ilk were too transparent with their feelings. 

        Phantom jerks as if struck, voice a growl like what he says will hurt him. "Dad killed her." 

        Weakness. "If she resisted, then it had to be done. She was not strong enough for The Empire or your father. My mother was, and she still serves The Empire." He says as if his mother didn't only have one child. As if he didn't cherish growing up surrounded by his parents love and attention. She had not done everything she should have for The Empire and he still loved her, his father loved her. He too was weak, but unlike Phantom, would not show it.

        Phantom bristled under the mask. Tense. Ready to strike. But he looks at you. Remembers what's at stake. Forces himself to relax.

        Mohawk's cackle hurts his ears, "Maaaaan! You can't be sayin' that shit to this dude!" His thumb jerked toward Phantom, "Dude looks like a school shooter!"

        Phantom took the abuse on the chin. He'd take all he needed to because soon enough, he'd show them all.

        ***

        Scars and Lensless touched down, made their gross, sexual commentary. Toed the line. Maskless built the fire, Gray marked day twenty-two. 

        You eat beside Tracksuit. Friendship an undercurrent you keep hidden at these fireside. The others would be weird, territorial. Scars and Lensless might fucking kill him. You hoped they didn't hear you pour your heart out to him about Mark. Knowing your luck? They probably had.

        Another night of tension. Conversational scraps. No one had found anything in the caves or the desert. Until.

        "Alright, I'm bored." Mohawk shot a pointed finger your way. "I gotta know, how was he in bed?"

        You almost drop your jerky. "Excuse me?"

        "You heard me. How was fuckin' Daddy's little clone?" 

        You'd been avoiding the topic for days. Avoiding Omni for days. He had his own cot now, had for days, but he pushed it right up next to yours. Sleeping next to one another, ignoring his chatter, trying to get him to sleep on his cot and not roll onto yours in the night. All you cared about was if he would kill you or not. Since he wasn't trying, you didn't need to talk to him. Still, he tried. Over and over to catch you out alone and you continued to dodge. Using your powers to get someone else to be around. He was smart and knew the others shouldn't know. Liked keeping a secret between you both, until he didn't. 

        "I told you twelve times already, we didn't have sex." Your lies sting him. The first time you denied it, he didn't mind. It was survival. But now? You sounded grossed out by the idea of him inside you. As if your body hadn't been begging for more. As if he hasn't tasted you on his fingers. 

        "Sure you didn't." Mohawk snickers. "Yelling at him for that long?"

        "Dude," Tracksuit swallows a wad of meat, "I'd tell you if she was fuckin' some guy. It's like, bro code man."

        Mohawk snorted, "I'm just sayin', if we were alone for that long? You would not be yelling at me." His brows do a stupid jig on his forehead. You want to throw your jerky at him but you needed it. You'd used your reserves for the day on shutting Scars and Lensless up for an extended period. They seemed to come to the fireside just for your control. Work it out until your nose bled or you passed out, then leave into the night.

        "If we were alone that long, I'd kill you." You say.

        He bit his pierced lip in a grin. "I'd like to see you try."

        "Say that stupid shit again and I will."

        Omni had had enough. The secret was doing no good for your relationship. He said loud and clear for the whole desert to hear, "Is it so bad that I made love to my wife?"

        Your jerky finally drops out your hand as you stood. "You-"

        Mohawk slapped his knee. "Knew it! I knew it!"

        "We didn't!" You glare at him, trying to stop him with your eyes. 

        Omni levels you with a too-serious glare. "We did and it was beautiful."

        "No!" You hands go to your head. You do not have the energy to deal with this.

        Mohawk clutched his chest, laughing so hard he may vomit. "Him! Him first?! Ain't no way!"

        Your control on Lensless and Scars snapped. Lensless shot up, arm raised, "Me next! Me! Pick me!" While Scars watched you with a small, knowing smile. He'd already known. Guessed or heard somehow. You could never tell with this freak.

        "Oh God." Tracksuit ran a hand under his mask. 

        "Wait." Mohawk stopped. "What about bro code? Were you in that pussy too!?"

        "No." Omni said at the same time as you.

        The unity made Mohawk stop laughing. Taking stock of the situation, the way you stood in front of him, trying to mask your anger in a way you wouldn't if he was lying. If he was lying you'd make him jump into the fire, but you just looked anxious now, barely contained. 

        "You actually fucked her." It's not a question. Omni didn't joke. "I should cut your dick off." Mohawk wanted to say little but considering they were the same person? Definitely not little.

        "You will not." Omni says, smile cocky enough to make them all bristle, "But I didn't need it."

        Mohawk's hands go to the shaved sides of his head. "Fucking-!" He'd done plenty of that in his day, especially since your death to fill the void. If anyone knew about meaningless sex it was him but you fucked him, another version of him, and not him him. It was a total betrayal, a slap in the face, a Coalition of Planets data pad under the mattress. 

        Nothing seemed more healing to him then being buried in your pussy. Negging you was flirting for him. He was just trying to get in your pants, then your heart. He'd thought the teasing would bring you closer together. He'd had a plan but now all he wanted to do was kick Omni's ass for existing. 

        He stood. Omni stayed seated. "Do you really plan to attack me, Little Man?" Mohawk doesn't see but feels his eyes flick up and down. It was obvious who the scrawniest was out of all of them, Mohawk himself. Nothing to sneeze at in terms of physique but compared to Omni's brick wall body? He stood no fucking chance.

        But he knew his physique didn't matter, that he was more durable, better than all of them combined. And he wouldn't take such a insult in front of you. 

        "Yea-"

        "Take a breather." You say. Mohawk shoots hard into the night. You hold control long as you can. 

        "I appreciate the assist, my love but l-"

        You hold up a hand shutting him up. "I'm not your love or your wife. That was the whole fucking point of what we did." You turn to the rest, the official news hitting them all at once. "And if any of you assholes have a problem, I'll send you out until you can act like adults. Jesus Christ." 

         Gray felt strangely disappointed. You couldn't help the repopulation effort but you'd still had sex just to have sex. Why? He never understood why his parents did what they did. Never got to lay his version of you down himself. Baldie tells himself you're only human. Needed to let off steam, but he angsts anyway. Lensless and Scars look to each other. Seeming to physically brew up punishing ideas. Maskless didn't care. Tracksuit hoped Mohawk wouldn't come back and murder him over an assumption.

        Phantom sat content. Upset, yes, but content knowing this information would push Baldie further to his side. All evidence of Omni's mark on you could be erased anyway- once Baldie was out of the picture. If everything went his way no one else would touch you ever again.

        ***       

        You sat on the ground in total quiet. Alone for the first time in forever in the central cave. You couldn't remember who was on babysitting duty or where they'd gone. You continued knitting garbage together on your bare arms. Everyone had a cot now, but you wanted a blanket that wasn't Omni's cape after that shit he pulled last night. You'd slept against a carved bench by the fire while he tried to call you to bed. You ignored him until the only sounds you could hear were the fire and your teeth chattering.

        You were exhausted and your whole body ached, and every time you fucked up the technique, you swore. It'd been getting harder to keep your emotions in check. You were always partly starving, bored, afraid for your life. You were fraying at the edges and didn't know how much more you could take. 

        "Hi."

        You nearly jumped out of your skin. Falling forward, scraping your elbows on the cave floor, garbage fabric falling to useless shreds on the ground. You twisted, ready to bark out a kill order.

        Phantom stood. Hand poised like he was going to touch your shoulder but thought better of it. 

        "What?" You gathered your limbs under yourself, trying to look more composed. 

        He notices you're slow to do so. You were not as afraid of him as the others. Unsure, reasonably so, but not enraged by his closeness. This was a good sign. 

        He reached into his belt. You'd never seen him turn out his pockets, had no idea what was inside. Mind racing that he was going to pull out a weapon, superhero murder gas or something of the like. Instead, he holds a small flat disc. No larger than the center of his palm.

        "For you." He held his hand out, palm open, waiting for you to take it.

        You ogle the thing with a frown. "It's not going to cuff around my wrists right?" You remembered the thing he'd thrown at you in Sydney. What you guessed it was but it was never confirmed to be. Remember what Scars had brought with him to subdue you. You suppress a shiver.

        "No." He says, smile soft in his voice. "I used this when I knew I didn't have the time to follow a suspect." His thumb pressed on the disc's center and out popped a suction cup. Another press and it was smooth once more. "I did a lot more work for the GDA than the others."

        He assumes anyway. Those lazy, immoral rats didn't care about the planet most of them grew up on. Not like Phantom did. He did everything he could to protect it. He still remembers what Dad said to him that horrible day. A sneer as he said  "his hobby was cute," right after leveling their family home, after killing you. Just remembering spiked his heart rate. 

        He forced himself to breathe. Be level, calm. He held his arm out a little further but didn't dare touch you. Careful not to set you off, the poor, scared little mouse that you were.

        "Or," he started, nervous under your attention, "to keep covert operatives safe." He flipped the disc on its side, slid a hidden track down to reveal a slim red button. "Press this and I'll be alerted. I'll come right away." He slid the hidden compartment shut and waited.

        He wanted to keep an eye on you. Keep you in the palm of his creepy hand. He wanted to...

        You were always in the same place. Always under threat of Scars and Lensless suddenly swooping down and snatching you up. This wasn't about stalking, it was about protecting. After all, he had saved your life from them, and your own stupid mistake. 

        You took the thing, slow, like you were scared if you moved too quick his predator instinct would spring and he'd grab your arm. But he holds himself perfectly still. Feeling the euphoric thrill that is your fingers grazing over his palm through kevlar. When your touch leaves, the sensation lingers.

        You turn the thing over and over in your palm. Testing the weight and muttering, "Where was this a few days ago?" Before sliding into the pocket of your soldier pants. Its weight is near imperceptible but you feel it tugging at your hip. A real, solid comfort. A promise.

        You realize you're being an asshole.

        "Thank you." You say. Hoping he doesn't take it and his promise of protection back. Machine Head was always so quick to take privileges like that away. You worried but a lightning speed pick-pocketing doesn't occur. You relax. "For this and the other day. Those guys are uhm..." You look up through the porthole as if they'd be there waiting. They aren't. You don't want to jinx it. "It's good to have someone like you on my side."

        He nods. All talked out for the day. Chest ablaze with the praise. 

        "It's good to have someone like you on my side."

        He picked up your trash and re-knit it before you could think about doing it.

        "It's good to have someone like you on my side."

        He brought Gray's cache of trash to weave closer. Sat by your side and passed you pieces as you went along. Quietly enjoying your company.

        "It's good to have someone like you on my side."

        ***

         Dinner tonight was a broth of Emperor's bones to be sipped out of cups of dry clay Gray baked in the sun. He only made bowls for those two because if he didn't, they'd have an excuse to drink from yours. It was not that he cared for your comfort, why should he if you couldn't help him complete his mission but... There was no mission in this wasteland. He tells himself he's trying to keep the peace, to do the most rational thing in a hopeless situation. You were needed for morale, the others and not his of course.

        You tilted the bowl to your lips and let the poor excuse for hot soup slide down your throat. Scars watched your throat bob. Wanting nothing more than to drink the liquid out of your mouth after a long day of desert dwelling with Seven. He settles for drinking his own share.

        Scars is watched himself. Nobody trusts him not to try and take you to the sky again. Maybe even take you away for good. He hadn't made his move yet, but it was expected soon. For tonight, he did the same thing he had for the last week.

        "Stop avoiding the question, Dregs." Piss you off on purpose, asking personal questions and making assumptions about your previous life. You didn't understand why he did it. You always shut him up and he was too pussy to attack even with Lensless in a room full of your personal bodyguards. Sometimes you thought he was getting off on bothering you, on not letting you have any sense of peace. But he barely fought back, letting you shut him up and bite back.       

        "Be quiet." And he was. Thank God.

        Your nose hadn't started to bleed yet. Your powers should be weaker from eating less and less these last few days but you were on a roll tonight. 

        "Why are you getting so defensive?" Lensless baited. "We've been plenty vulnerable with you about our lives. Why can't you do the same thing for us? Just tell us who came up with the name!"

        "Leave."

        The cave whooshes with a rush of air. The kindling scattered to the floor. Regathered by Omni before they can burn themselves out. You nod thanks. The cave was insulated from desert night chills but it was no camping trip, you needed the fire. 

        You feel your control on Scars start to slip. "Stay quiet." You close your eyes. Feeling power loosen on Lensless, even at a miles distance. By now, his mind is free but his body is not. You focus. Try to keep them both evenly controlled. You'd never had a workout quite like this. Regular human beings were so easy to control you were unused to challenge. Hadn't even had any resistance from non-psychics until that day on the roof. You wouldn't say it but the exercise was welcome but you almost started looking forward to making fools of them over the nightly bonfires- showing them all you had something they couldn't control. You.

        While you were focused, Mohawk hits you where it hurts. "By all means, leave those dickheads in the dark but why not tell the rest of us? We're buddies by now, yeah babe?" He knows your hold would break if you added another Mark to the roster. You can shut those assholes up, but not him.

        "None of your business." You grit out through ground teeth. Feeling Lensless's mind wriggle in your hold. You clamp the mental prongs down.

        He really shouldn't agitate you but you'd been avoiding him for days now. He just needed you to look at him again after that moment of union in the caves. "I think it is," Omni says. 

        Mohawks brows shoot up in surprise but he takes the advantage, willing to work with anyone if it meant getting under your skin. "See, babe? Everyone wants to know, even this shithead."

        You scowl at Omni, concentration waning. Scars mentally slashing at your power with steely claws. 

        "Shut up." 

        "Think of it like a campfire story, ya'know. You can even change the names around if ya want." You don't budge. Mohawk pouts, "Come oooonnn, I showed you mine, you show me yours isn't that how the sayin' goes?"

        "I said," your eyes snap open, control gone from the others, "shut up."

        It's Mohawk's turn to go quiet. Lensless returned to the fire in a snap that again, scatters the wood. The fire is restacked before you notice a change in light. 

        "Idiot." You tsk at a finally shut up Mohawk. 

        "Did I miss anything?" Lensless asked.

        "Just our dear Dregs getting defensive over the tiniest of questions." Scars said.

        "I'm not defensive." You say, defensively. 

        "Then tell us." Mohawk goaded. Your hold already gone with your concentration.

        "Yeah, I wanna know why you're so hot and evil and stuff." Lensless said.

        You scowled. None of them were stopping this line of questioning. Why the hell was Mohawk working with Scars, who he tried to kill last week, to get information out of you? Why the hell weren't Phantom or Gray stopping this?

        On the flip side, Phantom wanted to know. He knew you'd be upset if he asked. But the cool-headed image of him in your head wouldn't crack if he stayed quiet. When you stopped being angry you'd think it was survival move to stay quiet. Not speak against the majority.

        Gray shouldn't let the tensions rise, he knew, but you were so vexing. All he needed to do was let the others crack your brain open for him.

        Baldie tried to stop it, weakly. "She doesn't want to talk." Said as a mutter because he craved knowing all of you, but knew if he said nothing, you'd be pissed.

        "Stop white-knighting, dude, she's not gonna fuck you." Mohawk said and that shut him up. Fighting all of them was a stupid idea. But leaving in a huff, leaving you alone, was a stupider idea. The best thing he could do was sit by your side as silent moral support. Back your play.

        "I'm not fucking any of you." You say.

        Mohawk scoffed. "You fucked Wonder Boy over there."

        You lean forward, elbows to knees, "Yeah, and not you." That made his smirk crumple.

        He forced it to bounce back. "Not yet."        

        "Mmm, no." You say, a lilt in your voice, "Thing is, I just don't think you're all that attractive." It's a lie but one you try to sell. Happy to bruise an ego. "I never thought the Mark in my timeline was either. With him," you jerk your head toward Omni, "I just needed stress relief and we were in the dark, so who really cares?"

        Mohawk's lips purse like he'd sucked a lemon. "Funny you say that." He shifted, pulling something out of his back pocket. 

        Your phone. Caligula's belly flashing on the lock screen, fully charged.

        "Give me that." You don't want to waste what power you have left, not yet. "How is that even working?"

        "No shot." His shit-eating grin returns, "You could'a been explorin' the caves all this time, playing your stupid music-" Your eyes shift around, wondering who told. "We got crazy tech in these suits, babe. I had Art put a phone charger in mine cuz I kept missing your calls while I was workin' and you'd get pissed!" He slid the phone into a seam on his bicep, surly enough the charging sound dinged. He pulled it out. "-But you didn't think to ask cuz you're such a prissy bitch."

        "You want to call me that again?" It's a dare. 

        One he doesn't take because he has the upper hand. "So I started goin' through ya phone." He flips it to himself and unlocks it with a swipe of the thumb. "Can't believe your passcode's the same." He laughs, tapping at the screen. 

        "Oh no, you beat my Tetris Lite high score." You say, because there's nothing incriminating on your phone. Aside from vague text chats with Machine Head and Isotope. "What's your point?"

        "I'm so glad you asked." A few more taps and he where he wanted to be. An old photo album automatically downloaded to your phone from the cloud. You never looked at it, never cared to. Images carried over from your old phone before Machine Head issued you a new one, decked out with all sorts of encryption tech for secure messaging and calls. You didn't need pictures of your old work schedule or study notes from high school. But you never found the time or energy to delete them.

         He flipped the phone over, stretched out his arm and panned the image around the circle. Letting everybody take in the truth. You, five years ago, kissing Mark's cheek, him grinning stupid at the screen. Your third or fourth date, the best so far. It had been your lock screen for months. 

        "Still think I'm unattractive?" Mohawk smirked.

        Caught red handed. Your words catch in your throat. All of them processing what you had been to Mark. Even in the vaguest terms. Their hopeful puppy dog eyes. The memory of being happy and younger. 

        Mohawk started swiping through the pictures. One after another, in the short moments after the first. A cheek kiss to a lip kiss, the both of you blushing and smiling. "Doesn't this bring back memories, babe?"

        Phantom feels his heart melt. He'd taken those same photos with you. Lensless had too, though with a lot more tongue. Baldie had too, but he'd been too shy to go in for a kiss on the lips. Omni was never one for selfies, thought they were a waste of time. But that didn't stop him from collecting photos, asking friends or strangers to snap some when you were out. He remembers you making fun of him for how serious he always took it. Mohawk had plenty pictures of you on his phone that he hadn't brought along. Mostly of your eyes looking up at him pleadingly, lips stretched over his cock, tears messy on red cheeks. He was deeply disappointed not to find anything similar on your phone. Scars didn't know you young, but liked where this was going. The look on your face, the rage, the humiliation- oh so sweet. 

        Gray did not have any photos of you. Photos for fun weren't a thing on Viltrum. Tracksuit had plenty of nudes on his phone, mostly of himself. Now, he was glad he hadn't brought his phone. A little glad he was witnessing true reality TV trash in real time but still, he felt bad for you but- come on, drama like this doesn't come around every day. Maskless watched on less enthused. Here we go, more het-slop drama. Fantastic. 

        "Give me that," you warn low, "give me that right now." You're saving your power now. Strategizing how to hurt him best in one big burst. 

        "Or what? You'll tell me to shut up?" He swipes through another photo. Mark's back to the camera, your head over his shoulder, locked in a hug. "Man," he whistles through his teeth, "you've got a lot of these. Wanna know the best part?" He asks the others, not you. "These are years old and she still has 'em-"

        "I meant to delete them!" You can't help the outburst. 

        "And I went through 'em all, we stop showing up right around..." He stopped at your last photo of Mark. "Here. 'Bout five years ago," according to the photo app metadata. Mark sat across from the camera at a fancy dinner table. He was late to his own reservation, leaving you embarrassed and feeling like an inconsiderate dickhead. But when he came with roses in hand and you forgave him right away. You'd never been on a date like that again because not long after- you were through. 

        "Shit," Lensless took the phone, Mohawk let him have it, "We rock a suit, huh?"

        Scars leaned over his shoulder. Frankly disgusted by how sweet his own face could look. "Rocked her right after this picture was taken I wager."

        "No!" You should kill them all. Like, actually. You couldn't do them all at once though, you were deciding who to hurt.

        "Why haven't you taken any pictures with him in that long, huh?" Mohawk went on. "Trouble in paradise, babe? You know, you'd never have any with me." Bullshit. 

        Omni took the phone out of Lensless's hand. Swiped through the photos himself. You looked so sweet, so happy, and alive. Nothing like you did now, with your dead-tired eyes and permanent scowl. He knew what happened to you in vague terms, the jail sentence and the subsequent assassin position. He jumped to the conclusion that this dimensions version of him was a stupid fuck up who didn't put a ring on it, and couldn't protect you from the world. He'd given up on you like a fool. But it was lucky for him, he supposed. He knew for sure now, despite your denials of his love, you could and would love him back. One day.

        "We were friends." You lie back, "He was just affectionate-"

        "Friends?" Mohawk cackles, "Yeah, cuz I tongue-fuck all my homies. Really, babe? I thought you'd come up with something better than that. What? Are you embarrassed?" Clearly, you were. "Cuz you kept alllll these pictures after he broke up with you?" It's a guess but dead on. 

        The quiet rage is confirmation enough. 

        There is a collective internal glow of pride in everyone. You were in love with him at some point. Some part of you kept the evidence. You could love him back, the collective thought. Save for Tracksuit and Maskless, who were both thinking this was a little much. Who both felt bad for you. Who both knew they'd rip Mohawk's skin off if they were in your shoes, but make no move to do so.

        Mohawk didn't know when to stop, slinking forward to get in your face. "Aww, baby... Are you still in love with him? That's so stupid and sad."

        "Punch yourself in the balls. Hard as you can."

        You feel a rush of air and he's on the floor, writhing, clutching his family jewels, tears pricking the edges of his eyes before you can process your nose starting to bleed. You wobble on your feet, avoiding Baldie's balancing touch. You turn to Omni with Gray hovering behind him. Feeling things he couldn't truly explain.

        You say, "Crush it." Before you consider that you'd need the flashlight.

        Glass and metal splinter to the ground. Omni opened his hand, impressed you controlled him like that, but he doesn't think it'll happen again. Blood is coming out your nose in thick drops now. You wipe them away with the back of your hand. Head starting to throb as you walk slow, purposeful back to Mohawk. Still groaning. 

        You kneel. Everyone falling away but the two of you. Him in sweet, glorious pain, and you high off his agony. "You wanna know who gave me that name so bad?" His face is to the ground, trying to hide how much it hurts like the tough guy he is. You grab his hair in your fist, pulling his head up easily because despite everything, he'd always melt in to your touch. "You did." 

        They want answers so bad- they'll get 'em. 

        "My boss Machine Head, that robo-dick I murdered- he took it and ran with it because it upset me. You said I was the dregs of society- something stupid like that- and left me to rot. He thought it was so funny Dregs, his de facto murder-torture guy, isn't that nice? I was his favorite, you know? Machine Head always had these fucked up requests and I'd do it because I didn't care. I knew he wouldn't check, not because he trusted me, but because he knew I had nothing else. One guy, I made him skin himself alive with a potato peeler. Got pretty far before his body shut down. Another, I made him choose who to shoot first, his wife or his mistress- they both died, yeah, but man, him turning on his wife like that? Crazy." You didn't mean to ramble but you were. You were just so pent-up and angry, that a reminder of your Mark, the life you could've had, had you unwinding yard by yard. It was easy letting their flawed logic win for once, and it felt damn good. They had hurt you. 

        "I could've been something. When I met Cecil, he wanted me to work for him. Mark could've made that happen, but he let me fuck around New York murdering people for some drug-running robot dickhead." Mohawk's eyes began to clear of pain. Were rapt on you and your anger and how transparently awful you were. "I loved him so much, and now-" He's looking at you like he loves you and you hate it; say the nastiest thing you can think of, "If I ever get back, I'm killing his family, starting with that dumb bitch Eve. So no, you stupid motherfucker, I'm never going to love you and I'm never letting you fuck me." 

        You stand, emboldened by the silence. "Any more questions?" You only look at Mohawk. Curled, clutching his balls, but slowly, purposefully smiling at you.        

        "I think that about covers it." He says, voice weedy. 

        "Can you do me next?" Lensless asked.

        You were sapped of power. Couldn't if you wanted to. You also shouldn't, he'd cum but still, he'd hurt and you wanted them all to hurt. You say nothing, gather up a premade torch. Held it out to Tracksuit to light with friction- much quicker than the fire that didn't much like damp-ish cloth. He does, no questions asked. He'd also want to take a hike after all that. 

        You picked a cave and started. Not before saying, "Fuck you all."

        Then you were off. You don't let yourself stop and cry until you were triple sure you were out of hearing range. Even then, you go further, further, until your torch burnt down to the quick and singed your hand. You drop it, clasping the skin, crumbling to the ground as the first angry tears sprang forth. 

        You hated them. You wanted them to die but you needed them to survive. Why couldn't they just be normal? Couldn't they understand you were a different person? And now they knew your dirty secret. Sure to hold it over your neck like a guillotine.  

        You'd scream but they'd hear. Come running. Come mocking. So you sob as quietly as you can into your hands. 

        "I'm sorry he did that to you." He says. 

        You jump. Grab the smoldering remains of the torch off the ground and throw it at the voice, despite how it burns your hand. "Go away!"

        The torch bounced off Baldie's chest, fell to the ground, all light dead on impact. 

        "I know you're upset but..." He knows Phantom is near. Lurking. Can hear his mostly disguised breathing. He'd left after you when the bickering fizzled and Lensless and Scars left out of boredom. Phantom followed because he knew- Baldie had made up his mind.

        "Upset? I'm not upset!" You forcefully rub at your cheeks. "This is nothing."

        He frowns, though you can't see it. "I have something to show you."

        "I don't care." You say. "I don't want to see anything that isn't Mark's dead body. Okay? Just-" You take a wobbly breath, "Fuck off. I can't do this anymore."

        The admission almost pulls a sob out of you, and you have to fight to hold it in.

        "I know," it's soft, "I know, that's why I need to show you. You don't have to see any of them."

        You're fighting to hold in sobs, barely processing what he says, "Please. Just go." 

        "(Y/n) I-"

        "Die." You splutter without power, "Just drop dead or go away. I'm done." Soon as the words come out your hands go to your head. You almost did it again. You didn't want him to die, not really. 

        The sobs come harder. You're hysterical. Soon to crack and scream and then he wouldn't be alone with you anymore.

        He scoops you up in his arms. Apologizing, keeping his grip gentle as possible as he flew deeper into the caves. Back to the hidden entrance he'd visited and re-visited since Phantom told him of its existence. You beat your fists against his chest, his neck, his face, but he couldn't be angry at you. He was angry at them for making you feel so low.

        He doesn't speak as he moves the rock, floating inside, and sealing the tomb behind you both. He sees Phantom's silhouette as the rock slid flush to the wall. An agreement passed quietly between them.

        You heard movement, unable to place the exact sound. Like Styrofoam peanuts squeaking past one another. But there was no way there'd be Styrofoam peanuts here. You blink, looking around but seeing nothing in the absolute dark. The air felt different here, wetter, smelling of sod and sulfur. 

        "One sec." He said, floating down to the ground with the least amount of creepy-crawlies. In the times he'd come back, he started the beginnings of a camp. Stole away supplies from Gray's material cache to make your own cots. Picked a spot a few feet up from the bug rivers where you could watch but be in no danger if you decided to hop down and explore.

        He clacked two rocks together. Sparks rained as the fire pit he'd built lit. He blew, added more kindling from the pile he'd prepared, nurtured the fire in a matter of milliseconds. The light illuminated the cavern around you, but your eyes could barely process what you were seeing. 

        You were beside her, yards away. Sat in a high chair at her bug court. The massive white thing that was some mutated sand-mite-termite-whatever-the-fuck queen. She did not notice or care about the fire. Did not mind your sudden presence. Her mandibles twitched as her children flitted in and out of her mouth. 

        "What the fuck?"

        Your brain doesn't even think of food. Water. Too stuck on the giant bug. But you know what it means, these are the first living creatures you'd seen since arriving over three weeks ago. 

        "We can stay here." He says soft behind you, sure to give plenty of space for you to process. "We have everything we need." You don't reply, jaw dropped open, taking in the sight. The bugs skittering in and out of their dens set into the walls. "You don't have to go back and deal with them ever again."

        It's like a dream come true. Too good to be true.

        You don't feel yourself speak. "They'll come looking."

        "They haven't found this place yet and if we stay quiet, they won't. But I'll be honest, I didn't find this place myself. Someone else did."

        You turn, eyes wide, "Who?" God, don't say Scars. Don't say Lensless.

        "He wants to tell you himself." He knew it'd matter to you who it was, but Phantom asked him not to tell. He was cagey about why. "But he's helping us. I think tomorrow he'll stage your disappearance and join us. It's nobody bad, I promise." 

        "I-" You look back to the bugs, undulating below. None of them cared you existed. Minding their own buggy business, not begging you for sex or love or attention. If Baldie brought you here they were likely not venomous. They didn't attack or swarm or even run away. "We'll really be safe here?"

        "I'll make sure of it." He said.

        Something in you breaks. Resolve or dignity.

        Because you lunge at Baldie, tears returning. Stuff your face to his chest, arms going tight around his forearms and middle. The hopelessness that'd become a part of your everyday slowing leaching out in his hold. 

        "Thank you, thank you, thank you," it's muffled against his chest. His arms wriggle easily out of your hold and drape over your back. He pulls you closer, inhaling your scent, feeling your skin, and is at peace.

        "It's alright, I've got you."

[bluewolfangel01]

How the brothers make sure you're safe in the Devildom: Older Bros edition

Lucifer

Papa Luci mode activated

He has to know where you are or where you're going if you want to go out

It doesn't matter to him that you have 7 of the most powerful demons under your command or that you're training under humanity's most power sorcerer

You are required to have someone with you when traveling anywhere in the Devildom

If he doesn't know where you are, for some reason, he while be doing everything he can just to figure out your location

Of course he isn't going to panic just yet mind you, he'll first ask his brothers if they know where you are

Ex. he makes Levi track your phone or asks Mammon to locate you via crow familiar

If none of them know, then he's going to ask the dateables and side characters

And if they don't know?

He (and the everybody else of course) are going to tear the Devildom apart to make sure that you're okay

And if you are not? May Father have mercy on whoever dared to lay a finger on you cause Lucifer won't

If he starts getting on your nerves about always having to know a general area of where you are, don't hold it against him to much

He just doesn't want you to get hurt, cause if you were you'd have a very said and pissed off Luci on your hands

Mammon

Two words: Crow familiar

Around when you made a pact with him, he gave you a crow familiar

He claimed that it was to make sure he didn't have to deal with Lucifer's punishment if you ever died or even got hurt

Don't let him fool you, that man just wants to make sure you're safe cause he cares about you so much

He has so many crows he sadly can't keep track of ALL their names, so he let's you name yours

The crow will of course love you to bits and do things for you because of his connection to Mammon and cause you treat them so nice

Pls have some seeds on you, the crow will adore you even more if you do

Whenever your out the crow will follow and watch you from a distance or maybe even close by depending on how big the crowds are

If you're ever in trouble and can't handle it (or even if you can) the crow network is put into use to alert Mammon

The second he is told he drops whatever it is that he's doing and he's rushing to get to you no matter what

He'd take out the threat so fast, you blink and it's gone and in its place is Mammon

He's smiling at you and saying how he just so happened to be in the neighborhood

Whatever the threat was seems to have disappeared and Mammon leads you away saying how he wants to show you something he wants to buy nearby

But if you listen closely, you can hear a series of loud caws coming around the area you were just at

Simp

Levithan

Although he doesn't go out of his room much, that doesn't mean that he can't protect you from the outside

Like previously mentioned, there's a tracker on your phone (all the brothers have the same on theirs, don't feel bad)

The only reason he checks it is either because Lucifer asked him or it's been a bit since he's seen or talked to you and wants to know that you're okay

The other way he protects you is checking online and keeping a lookout for any potential threats or nefarious plans against you

He won't intervene unless said people seem to be very serious or actually putting their plan into motion

If such a plan is in motion, he warns the rest of his brothers

No matter what arises if he either ends up stopping or warning the others about there's always the same result

Anything they want online, somehow they can't find it anywhere

They want to simply look about the internet? They best be prepared for all the pop up adds and bugs imaginable

Levi is making sure they never even think about hurting you ever again

This turned out longer then I originally thought it would be.... I promise to write about the other brothers!

[bobur-the-berry-guy]

So uh these are for my friends mostly but also WHY IS THERE SO LITTLE PHANTOM BUSTERS CONTENT💔

Anyway

Mogari relationship hcs!

‧₊˚ ⋅* ‧₊✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧⋆.˚✮•🌶️•✮˚.⋆✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧‧₊˚ ⋅* ‧₊

So uh my condolences

Listen he's sweet but babe do you have enough patience? I hope so

He is so not playing about you

Just tell him if something or someone's bithering you and you won't have anything to bother you anymore

Spirits especially

He's protective but not possesive

He wants to have you safe and sound even if that means putting real work into it

Anyway

Even pre-relationship he's so painfully obvious

It's not like he's really trying to hide his fat crush but still damn

You might catch onto it even before he does

Give him anything to match with you and it becomes a part of his body I'm not even kidding

He will always have that on him be it bracelet, phone charm or whatever

He's finding the any excuse in the book to hang out with you and touch you

Will ask about help if it gets him the attention he wants

Be it something with school or general things he has yet to experience, he will ask you for help on it

Doesn't mean he relies on that strategy too much, it's actually the opposite

He's gonna pretend he's so cool and he knows exactly what's up and next thing you know he answered Leonaredo DiCarpio instead of Da Vinchi on a test

(would you believe me if i told u ts actually happened at my school these mfs make me less faithful in natural selection bc these are whole young adults bro)

And if he's going somewhere new he's definitely taking you with him even if you've been there before

Other than generally just wanting you to be there when it's his first time going wherever, he also wants to learn if you like that place and exactly what you like about it

I feel like he's big on affection

Do whatever you want with him, you won't hear a peep about it

Matter of fact he prefers you to be affectionate

He wants you all over him period

It makes him feel warm and wanted ok

And as for him

Not only has he been raised away from people and the modern societal norms but also he's just dense as to why can't he do that

He loves you so much, what do you mean he can't do that??

Sure, if you tell him to give you more space he will

He will probably sulk about it tho

Other than that, you'll have him constantly around you

Hugs, kisses, you name it

Will have an around around you whenever possible, be it around your shoulders or waist, he just wants to hold you close

He will be happy with you holding onto his arm too tho

Lowk has a sleeper build so i don't think you would rlly complain about it

He wants to kiss you constantly

It doesn't even have to be on the lips, he just wants to kiss you

You're too cute for existence in his eyes

You'll have to exprerience being attacked with kisses at least once a day soldier

He's a cuddle bug and I'm absolutely sure of it

You cannot escape the cuddling

He doesn't care about position or place, he just wants to cuddle

You're sitting there just scrolling trough your phone and he's gonna plot his head on your shiulder to watch whatever you're watching

Might even ask you about it if he doesn't know it

"Yo, what's that? It looks cool"

He's probably nuzzling his face into you a lot

Whatever spot he can get his nose into - cheek, neck, shoulder,, anything

He's like an oversized clingy cat

Has the appetite of one too

The biggest bigback istg

I don't think there's anything he doesn't eat??

Will certainly eat anything off your plate that you don't like

Will take a bite of what you like too

Always shares his food also

He's willing to try anything, maybe twice or thrice just to see if he really doesn't like the food or maybe it just wasn't cooked well

Also insistent on you feeding him a bite or two (or the whole damn thing)

Sure, he can put it in his mouth himself, but what's the fun in that?

Beware! He may bite your fingers every now and then

He doesn't go overboard with biting you when you feed tho, he doesn't want you to stop feeding him completely

Also he will just bite you in general

As in cuteness agression biting

Sometimes just showering you with kisses isn't enough he needs to bite you too

But at least he doesn't bite you too hard?

I mean, look at his teeth

Bro looks like he could punch holes trough a drywall with these bloodsucker ahh teeth, he's a bit dense but he knows to be mindful with going overboard

Could leave a mark but would never actually draw blood or hurt you (unless you ask for it you freak)

Along with the biting he's definitely licking your face

I KNOW IT SOUNDS WEIRD AF but what is he if not a lil weird

He'll just randomly lean in, lick your cheek and run away

He's always doing the weirdest shit anyway

Sometimes he knows just how absurd something is, but if it's gonna get a laugh out of you he's doing it

Will ask you to film him trying to do something and fuck up in every way possible even if he doesn't mean to

Imagine he wants you to film him tryna climb a tree and when he finally gets to a stronger branch he gets the bright idea to pretend to be a monkey and the branch just fucking snaps under his feet

He will fall face or ass first too

You can make a whole folder out of his ugly pics and him just doing fuckassery

He's very much a "my gf is mad at me i hope i die💔" type of bf

Also texting him and social media with him is definitely an experience

He's a sponge for stupidity

If he finds a meme funny enough you have a new nickname

You're now his princess with a disorder or his pookiebutt

He's def reposting some stuff like "damn i want her" or "hey(with the intention of {insert smth incredibly sappy here})" and thinks he's so slick

He's so begging you to hop on roblox and you see he's playing some brainrot like escape hormy gojo or some shit

On calls he's screaming his head off at the horror games

You've seen these dumbasses on tiktok w the deep ass voices that scream like dog squeaky toys? Yea, that's Mogari

He's either yapping away or as quiet as a chruch mouse, no inbetween

Like he's mostly chatty and he's expressive and making sounds and generally just being noisy

And then there's some times he's just, quiet

Maybe he's a bit tired or sleepy or there really isn't any reason, he's just feeling it

And he's just gonna stare at you

Doesn't matter if you're talking to him, watching something, doing an activity or whatever else you could be doing, he's just staring

You can really see just how much he loves you by the look on his face right at these moments

Just squish him dude

๑Requests are open btw(⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)⁠✧⁠*⁠。