#mm playing again probably would help for oc reasons?

[jointedoll]

I did lose some things when my previous computer died but the main thing I remember is my pokemon reborn save file. the playtime was really high like maybe 300 hours? or more and that's only because I'd get stuck on certain battles for a long time among other things.

I did beat the main game and was on post game. which I wasn't really that committed to doing. well I was interested but...it might be easier to see someone else do it.

I'll probably play through it again at some point, I've done it enough times that it's familiar. I just sometimes miss that one save file...

[nightwngz]

LIPS RED ENOUGH TO KILL A BIRD !

tim drake x fem!oc

𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀. . . smut. porn with plot. age gap (the original character is older for 13 years, but Tim is legal age), fem dominance, enemies to lovers, sexual tension, the original character is a villain, probably this may have a part two. Teasing, oral sex, riding, dirty talk, fingering and hair pulling.

𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘆𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁. . . no copying of my work is allowed. Free translation is allowed as long as I am credited.

𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲. . . as I said in my other posts, English is not my first language. I have tried to make corrections with the translator, but as you all know, it is prone to making mistakes, so I apologize in advance for any mistakes or if anything sounds weird.

𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲… I had this idea a long time ago and I want to share it with you. On the other hand, I have a few pending requests, but I'm working on all of them, so don't worry. Enjoy, and I hope you like it. 🌷

She was probably the most attractive woman he had ever met.

Don't get him wrong, he could admire the beauty of a female villain without being completely attracted to her. But he swore he had never met anyone like Adeline, known to the Gotham Mafia as "The Queen of Hearts," so fierce and domineering that she could easily take your head off.

Batman had been in contact with her since Dick Grayson was Robin, and Tim had heard stories of her iconic fame throughout his training. She was even described as a woman who used her physical attractiveness as a method of hunting and getting what she wanted.

It was just a rumor. Until Tim Drake finally met her.

She was dangerous. Neither the Falcone family, nor Maroni, nor even Two-Face dared engage in illegal activity in the territories she protected. She ran every criminal organization in Gotham, and the rest were probably just her subjects. Because of this, she has always had an extreme rivalry with Batman, as they competed to be the most feared figures in the city.

And besides, Adeline was fascinated by the hunt, but Batman would never be her prey, but unfortunately the little bird would not have the same luck as the bat.

After a period of apparent inactivity by the Queen of Hearts, during which she was actually plotting in secret, the current Robin was forced to relinquish his mantle to Damian Wayne. Now an independent vigilante, he called himself Red Robin. It was at this moment that the Queen began to play her cards again and regain her influence as the most prominent figure in Gotham's criminal underworld.

These were reasons enough for Red Robin to be forced to investigate her.

It didn't take him long to realize that she was an incredibly smart woman. She managed every part of her plan to perfection. Thanks to old files, he was even able to learn that she built her own empire all by herself, without anyone lifting a finger to help her. She had easily earned her place in Gotham's underworld.

She and her clan were a cancer that Tim Drake had to eradicate from Gotham before it was too late.

Adeline returned to her penthouse that night, and Red Robin waited for her in the shadows of her living room. The apartment was so spacious that only an incredibly paranoid person would think someone was hiding there; she was probably one of those people.

She approached the long leather sofa, her red stiletto heels echoing on the floor with each step. The room was still dark and Tim stood at the far end, admiring her curvaceous, graceful silhouette as she sat down and lit a cigarette.

— Do you smoke? — She asked, aware of the vigilante's presence.

He did not answer.

— Mm... my doctor told me to stop. But it's the only way to calm my anxiety. Strange, isn't it? How many packs of cigars does a Mafia leader have to smoke to be completely calm?

Her voice was just like her: attractive, haughty, and most of all, sharp as a razor or even a playing card.

— You killed five men on the docks last week. I want to know why — He ordered, as if she was somehow obligated to give him answers.

However, she smiled with incredible superiority. Despite the distance, Tim could tell that her lips were painted with a deep red lipstick. She had an exaggerated obsession with the color red, but he couldn't blame her, considering how good it looked on her.

— You know very well, dear little bird, that everything in this world is governed by two things — She said, and started to walk towards the standing figure of Tim, who was standing on the mat in the room. —Love and money... and believe it or not, I am very selective about the things I lend, so you can already guess what happens when someone in this city owes me money for a long time. Bills are bills, Boy Wonder.

Tim was completely silent as soon as he heard the woman say his former nickname. How could she know that he was the former Robin?

— You're wrong about the nickname, Queen. I have no relationship with Robin, let alone Batman.

She approached without taking the smile off her face for a moment. She circled the man's figure, touching his hair with her gloved hand, teasing him.

— Don't try to fool me, Red Robin. I know everything there is to know in this city, which is everything. I know about you, how you were replaced. You were neither the first nor the last Robin Batman had, with the incredibly handsome Nightwing being the first and the red-hooded mercenary the second. If you lift a stone in this city, I know it. I have informants on so many sides, you probably won't know when you meet one. So don't try to play my game with me, I made it, and that's why I always win.

Tim felt like he was being devoured by Adeline's withering gaze every second. He felt cornered, contained, disappointed that he had underestimated her and believed that she didn't know everything about him, his past and his family.

— So... you probably know that I have been investigating you. I've been watching your every move for months.

She moved closer, so close that Tim could have sworn he felt her lipstick on his ear, and whispered:

— On the rooftops, in the windows of the buildings in front of this penthouse, everywhere I go, nothing escapes me, little bird. And although I've always loved the hunt, I must admit that this cat-and-mouse game you're playing is turning me on.

He wasn't quite sure how he had left her apartment that night without being attacked by her henchmen or her guards, but even though she was aware of it, Tim continued to watch her from a distance. He came to believe that the Queen of Hearts was so used to being followed that she didn't even flinch when she learned that she was a victim of it.

She went all over the city, from that fancy bar in Chinatown to certain abandoned businesses in the Warehouse District and finally to the same address as always: her apartment on the east side of the city.

From the moment Tim saw her through the large window, sitting on her couch, he knew Adelaine was waiting for him. With those black eyes, she seemed to be inviting Red Robin to pay her a visit. And under no circumstances could Timothy Drake refuse.

Adeline was not surprised to see the black silhouette in the room again. It would be a lie to say that she had inadvertently neglected the security of her apartment; deep down, she knew that Red Robin was trained to overcome even the tightest security systems. After all, he had been trained by Batman.

— You disabled the alarms. — He said, walking slowly toward her. — Were you expecting visitors?

A mischievous smile lit her lips. He noticed that she looked even more stunning than the last time, even though she was alone in a silk robe and classic red polish on her nails, enjoying a bottle of wine. Without a doubt, she was dazzling.

— Honestly, I was just waiting for you — She admitted, leaving Tim perplexed. — Did you enjoy spying on me from the rooftops today, as usual? This time it was even adorable; no man had ever shown that level of interest in me before.

Red Robin was distracted when he noticed a brown folder on the coffee table that appeared to be a collection of files. Confidently, he picked up the folder, eager to discover its contents.

— What is this? — He asked, lifting the folder so that the distinguished woman could examine it.

— Open it and you will know. No fear, little bird.

As he opened the folder, Tim froze. It contained a detailed file on himself: Timothy Drake Wayne. The document covered his childhood, the death of his parents, his legal adoption by Bruce Wayne, his career as Robin and additional details about his current alias. Unable to react, he simply studied the contents in silence.

Tim placed the documents back on the coffee table and watched her in surprise. He had profoundly underestimated Adeline, even going so far as to think he might be able to surpass her in intelligence and strategy.

— Believe me, I was also surprised to discover that the most influential family of millionaires in the city dressed up as vigilantes and fought crime. — She confessed, her classic red lipstick smile sending shivers down the young man's spine. — Though I must admit I wasn't surprised to discover that Bruce Wayne's third son was my stalker bird, I expected nothing less from a man as formidable as he.

Slowly, she approached him and motioned for him to sit down. Tim felt himself tense, aware that Adeline knew his secret identity. Now it was up to her to decide whether or not to reveal it to the world. He was sure that Adeline would not keep such a revealing secret without getting something in return.

— What do you want from me? — He asked. He was sure that even if she revealed his identity, he would not give in to blackmail or make deals with the mafia.

— Nothing from you. — She replied, approaching him and resting her hand on his knee — What Red Robin or Tim Drake may have is of no interest or use to me. To reveal your identity would expose you to my enemies, and I do not wish to do that. There is, however, something I can offer you.

He was on the verge of despair, convinced that he would have to reject any offer she made. But Adeline was breathtaking. He couldn't help but desire her and wonder what it would be like to feel her red lips and smooth, manicured skin. Her exquisite perfume almost intoxicated him. He knew he was behaving badly and would regret it later, but he thought he should not give in under any circumstances.

The next thing he knew, she was straddling him. Despite his attempts to pull away, Tim's body would not follow the commands of his brain. Instead, she placed her hands on his bare thighs and he closed his eyes, allowing her to devour his neck, leaving marks that would probably last for days.

Her robe had slipped down, revealing red lace underwear that immediately caught Tim's attention. Accustomed to her perfectly clothed body, she looked even more sensual than usual, half naked.

— I... — He hesitated, struggling to control himself. — I shouldn't.

Adeline pulled her lips away from Tim's neck and looked up at him with her classic mischievous smile, although this time her lipstick had smudged a little.

— You shouldn't, but you want to. And we both know you won't be able to resist.

Fuck, she was right. In her presence, Tim felt himself questioning his own intelligence. For a moment he decided to let her be right. After all, as she had told him, the queen of hearts always wins at her own game.

He sealed his lips with hers in a passionate kiss, accepting that he could not resist his urges. He kissed her with the intensity of one who surrenders at the last moment, and she reciprocated with the same fervor, allowing her tongue to meet his.

Tim soon realized that she was in control of the situation. Although they were both on the bed and he was naked, she remained clothed and dominated the scene by being on top of him.

— Fuck, what a good boy — She whispered, leaning down to kiss his chest and trace the contours of his torso with her lips. Tim shivered with excitement as he felt the brush of Adeline's lips on his defined abs, and then her tongue sliding along the curve of his waist. — But too impatient, I see.

Tim quickly grabbed a pillow to cover his face and muffle his moans. At that moment, Adeline descended until she was in front of his thighs and saw his towering erection, dripping with pre-cum.

A smile lit up her face. Gently, she began to caress him, instantly sensing the pleasure Tim was getting from her caresses and the woman's graceful movements. He moaned intensely against the fabric of the pillow and moved instinctively to pull her closer.

— Fuck, fuck... — He groaned, biting his lip.

Tim looked up and watched as Adeline stroked his hair, her eyes fixed on his body. Her hands moved gently down his cock, even going so far as to gently circle the head. From her perspective, the image was stunning; she had never been with a man in his twenties who looked so incredibly attractive. Despite his disheveled hair and the beads of sweat that accentuated his toned abs, he looked magnificent.

— Fuck, baby bird, you couldn't look hotter. — She told him, leaving short kisses on both sides of his inner thighs. — I want to devour you.

Immediately, Tim brought his hands up to Adeline's hair as she worked on his erection. Through her underwear, he could see the obvious wetness that showed her arousal. Meanwhile, she watched him enjoy her action and noticed the veins in his arms stand out as he held her hair.

Although she was an expert at it, she found it difficult to get something that big into her mouth without running the risk of gagging. Although the idea turned her on, she would not allow Tim to fuck her mouth. She was in charge, so things would be done her way.

— I'm going to cum. — He moaned loudly.

Since discovering her sexual attraction, she had found that she had a weakness for male moans. Tim's moans, however, were different; they were so hot that they completely captivated her.

— Hang in there like a big boy. — She said, pulling away for a moment to look at him — You'll have to fill me up later.

Tim was overcome with despair. He didn't know how long he could keep his cock in the woman's mouth before he climaxed and spurted down her throat.

He began to recall unpleasant moments in his life, hoping to distract himself and extend the time. After barely two minutes, however, he realized that he couldn't hold out much longer and that if she was going to fuck him, she should start now.

— Fuck me now, please. — He begged, almost crying. — I don't think I can resist much longer.

She paused for a moment and pulled away to remove the rest of her clothes. Then she approached him again and straddled him.

Tim watched her and was shocked to see her naked and realize how unbelievable it was that a woman like her was with him. Especially considering that although he was of age, she probably still thought of him as a young man.

— All right, baby bird. You've done surprisingly well. And for your good fortune, I usually reward those who behave.

Without thinking too much about it, she moved gracefully on his hips, allowing him to fill her completely. In a way, it was she who was enjoying herself, moving her hips to enjoy herself and at the same time to see him enjoying as well.

Tim struggled inside, aware that she was in control, but wanting to please her at the same time. He considered sliding his fingers to her pussy, and to his relief, Adeline moved to allow his touch.

As he had suspected, she was completely wet. Her clit responded immediately to his caresses, causing her to tremble with pleasure, which made her moan softly. Meanwhile, Tim caressed her throbbing clit with his fingers while Adeline's hips continued to move on him.

— Who assured you that keeping your identity secret would be free, little bird?

[celandeline]

Summer of Like // Farleigh Start x OC (22)

We go to the field. And even though it’s just us, rules are rules, so we still strip before we enter the grass. It was dry the first time we were here, with the boys at the beginning of the summer, but now it might as well be straw for the way that it scratches at me. I probably shouldn’t smoke here, for fear of it catching fire, but I do anyway. Lately, I can’t bring it upon myself to care. I’m tired of this place. I want to go home. 

I didn’t realize how much I was depending on Farleigh for fun until now, that he’s gone. 

Venetia sighs next to me. “I wish Farleigh hadn’t ratted to Felix. Oliver will barely look at me now.” She says. “It’s so utterly boring.”

“Mm.” I hum around my cigarette. 

“What are we to do?” She sighs, overdramatic. “We’ve lost our men - mine won’t look at me, and yours is a criminal.”

“He’s not a criminal.” I say. 

“What else would you call it?” Venetia asks.

I pause, and think for a minute. “I don’t know.”

She turns to lay on her side, looking at me. “Did you ever kiss him?” She asks. 

I debate it in my head - we’re friends, and friends tell each other these sorts of things. But it feels like betraying Farleigh to say that I did. Telling Venetia that we kissed feels like admitting that she’s right to be as angry as she pretends to be, and that it’s perfectly fine to toss your family members out on the street over something that wouldn’t even put a dent in your finances. Does she deserve to know?

“No.” I say.

“A shame.” She says. “I was really hoping you would - too late, I guess. We’ll never know which of us was the best kisser.”

I let a silence settle over us, and idly smoke my cigarette. It feels like I’m mourning, a little. I didn’t know him well enough to cry, but I knew him well enough to want to know him better, and to rue the fact that I won’t get the chance. 

“You won’t miss him?” I ask. 

Venetia fiddles with the brittle ends of her hair. “I mean, yeah, obvs. But he tried to steal from us when Dad’s paying for his entire education. That’s plain evil.”

“It just doesn’t seem like something he’d do.” I say, carefully testing the waters. “He doesn’t- didn’t, I guess now, seem stupid.”

“He’s not.” She says. “He’s always got good marks - the only reason he kept getting expelled was ‘cause he kept sucking the teachers off. Like, he’s not stupid, but he is dumb.”

I know what she means - reckless. I smile a little at the image of Farleigh going out of his way to sleep with his teachers. I’m sure he got off on that power dynamic. 

“You’re kind of right though.” Venetia continues. “It’s weird, that he would try and steal something so obviously. I guess he wasn’t as sneaky as he thought he was.”

The conversation dwindles into nothingness, and I exhale a cloud of smoke, watching it dissolve into the air. That’s all I’m going to get from her, I think. That’s all I’d get from any of them. I try to put it to rest in my mind, but the closure isn’t enough. It’s frustrating that I won’t get anything more, now that he’s gone. I can’t ask him what he was thinking, or what really happened. I hate to say ‘oh well’, but what else is there to do?

“Oliver’s party’s tomorrow.” Venetia says conversationally. “What were you thinking of wearing?”

“Whatever you give me.” I say, smiling at her. 

She grins. “I don’t know why I asked - I’ve got the cutest costumes for us. Obviously nothing too over the top, but I’ve got a dress that looks like it’s made of spiders web for me, and a dress that’s covered in peaseblossoms for you. Like the fairies in the play.”

“Cute.” I say. And it does sound cute - but my sour mood makes me all too aware of how she treats me as a doll, to dress up and play with and follow her around until she gets bored of me. Expendable, once she finds someone else to fawn over her. I can’t help it though, it’s an overwhelming sense to care for her, like a force of nature. 

“I know.” She scrunches up her nose in a smile. “Maybe I’ll try it on with him again tomorrow night.” She muses aloud. “Give him a birthday present he won’t forget.”

“Disgusting.” I say. 

She giggles, flopping onto her back. “I just want to know how big it is when he’s hard.” She says. “Like, it’s got to be huge if it’s that big while he’s soft. And it’s his birthday, of course. He deserves at least a handjob.”

“You didn’t give me a handjob for my birthday.” I say. 

“I barely knew you then, it was only October!” Venetia says. “And you don’t have a penis!”

I roll so that I’m propped up on my side, partially hovering over her like I had with Farleigh the night we kissed. “And if I did have a penis?”

“I’d have given you a handjob.” She says, grinning. “Probably more.”

I can’t help but smile, lowering myself so that I’m just a bit closer to her. “You’d be so in love with me if I was a man.”

She tips her head back so that our lips are parallel. “Probably.” She says softly. One of her hands comes up to wind around the back of my neck, and pulls me down so that our lips meet briefly. When I pull away, her smile is wide. “But you’re not.”

I flop down on my back next to her. “Farleigh’s a better kisser.”

She gasps, loud, and sits up, looking down at me. “You said you didn’t!”

“I lied.” I shrug in the grass. 

“Why’d you lie?” She demands. “We’re supposed to be best friends!”

I shrug again. “I don’t know. I’m just a little…” I trail off, the presence of the hole Farleigh left behind washing over me again. 

She tilts her head. “Yeah.” She says. “Me too.” 

It’s the most genuine thing I’ve heard her say in a while. 

< previous part | next part >

[general-kenobi357]

Someday Soon-Chapter 10

Pairing: JJ Maybank x Fem!OC

Summary: The Pogues work together to get John B off the island, a difficult task to complete when everything seems to be falling apart all around them.

Note: The last chapter of season 1, exciting but also sad. I probably won't be updating this series until after season 2 comes out so that I have it as a base but I do have a few oneshots I have been working on that I might post in the meantime. I hope you enjoyed my spin on the first season!

Word Count: 4.1k

🔅🔆🔅

I paced around the Wreck waiting for the others to wake up. JJ stood on the opposite side of the room clicking a lighter on and off. We hadn’t spoken to each other since last night and every time he caught my eye I would quickly look away.

I saw Pope starting to wake up before he made his way to where JJ stood watching police cars drive by.

“He's pinched for sure, man.” JJ said to Pope as I continued to pace while I listened to their conversation.

“No. They wouldn't still be patrolling if they caught him.” Pope reasoned.

“Let's hope.” JJ spoke defeatedly.

“You know, we were in that car. They're probably looking for us, too.” Kie spoke up, alerting us all that she had woken up.

“Well, if we're gonna be outlaws, we might as well help John B.” Pope addressed us all.

“So, find him before they do?” JJ asked while we watched Pope grab the keys to JJ’s bike and make his way towards where I had stopped near the door. “Pope?”

“I'm gonna get gas for the boat.” He explained before turning to me. “You coming?”

“Uh, yeah.” I answered unsure, I figured it was better than staying here with Kie and JJ.

“Hey, you be careful.” Kie told Pope. “Okay?”

“Meet us at the dock at three. Don't be late.” Pope reminded the pair we were leaving behind before we made our way outside.

“Okay, what is your problem?” Kie asked Pope, I didn’t even hear what had happened between the two and I was pretty sure I knew what his problem was.

“No problem, Officer. I'm just doing my job.” Pope answered as we got onto the bike.

“Look, I'm sorry that I hurt your feelings.” Kie tried to tell him as he started up the bike and revved up the engine.

“What was that?” He asked as if he had no control over the sounds of the bike.

“Look, I didn't mean to.” Kie tried again.

“Sorry, I can't hear you. What was that?” Pope kept taunting.

“Pope let’s go.” I told him, getting impatient with the game he was playing.

“Pope, I'm being serious…” Kie yelled as Pope lifted his feet off the ground as we started to drive away. “I'm trying to talk to you!”

I looked back as Pope drove off and locked eyes with JJ, his face was painted with concern and it looked like he wanted to say something but we were already too far away. I turned my head back around and gazed at the road over Pope’s shoulder. My grip tightened around his waist, in all the excitement of Kie and Pope’s argument, I hadn’t had time to rethink if I really wanted to get on the back of this death trap with a newly sober Pope driving.

“Are you good to drive?'' I called to him over the sound of the engine.

“Yeah I’m fine.” He reassured me, I supposed I would have to trust him as I didn’t really have any other options at the moment.

🔅🔆🔅

Once we arrived at Heyward’s we found a couple of empty gas canisters that we carried over to the gas pump out front. As we waited for the first one to fill up I tapped my foot on the ground, anxious to get back to the others. Even if we were fighting it was better to all stay together than to get split up.

“So.” I started unsure if I should continue or just keep my mouth shut. Pope was my only friend that was not on the run or not speaking to me at the moment. “You and Kie?”

“You and JJ?” Pope countered clearly not wanting to talk. I chuckled at his response to me.

“No, if yesterday proved anything it was that there is no me and JJ.” I explained.

“Yeah well that sounds about the same for me and Kie.” He finally said to me.

As much as the situation we were in sucked it was almost comforting to know that I wasn’t the only one feeling this way.

We were quiet again as he switched the tanks and I put the cap back onto the now full one.

“Look at you two.” I heard a deep voice say from behind me. Turning around I found Heyward standing a few feet away, arms crossed over his chest. “Like some damn street hoods out here stealing gas from me. Isabella, I thought your mama raised you better than that and my own blood, I don’t know which one disappoints me more.”

“We're not stealing.” Pope tried to explain, I shook my head at him knowing it would be better if we stopped talking.

“Stop lyin'. I saw it in your damn hand.”

“Our friend is in trouble, and we need to help him.” I tried to defend, figuring it was too late to not get into trouble.

“John B did not kill anybody.” Pope added.

“Says who?” Heyward challenged.

“Says me.”

“I'm supposed to believe you?” Heyward continued. “After you ran out on your interview? Shit, boy, get in the house.”

“No.” Pope said staring right at him. I didn’t like where this was going.

“Oh, you a man now? Huh?” Heyward continued to push. “You wanna have a go at it with me? Is that it?”

“I'm taking these cans. You’re not gettin' in my way.” Pope said going to grab the gas canisters.

“Oh, I'm gettin' in your way.” Heyward said, walking past me to stand right in front of Pope. “And one day, you might be able to whoop my ass, but it ain't today.”

“That right?” Pope asked, getting angrier with every word.

“Yeah.” Heyward concluded just as Pope threw a punch at him. I stumbled back shocked that he had actually done it.

“Pope stop!” I tried to yell but it came out as a whisper.

“Oh, yeah! It's gonna take a little more than that. Try again.” Heyward challenged again after recovering from the first blow. Come on. You wanna hit your daddy? Try again. Hm? You want to hit me?”

I put a hand on Pope’s shoulder and as he turned it was like he realized what he had just done.

“I don't have time for this. I gotta help my friend.” Pope said as he turned away from his father.

We both grabbed a gas canister and tied them to the sides of the bike. I could see the tears streaming down Pope’s face as we climbed onto the bike.

“Yeah, yeah, you just go ahead. Yeah, you take everything, son. And Isabella don’t think I’m not telling your mama about this!” I heard Heyward continue to yell at us as Pope started up the bike. “You're an ungrateful son of a bitch, Pope.”

“It’s okay Pope. It’s gonna be okay.” I tried to comfort him as we drove off and Heyward’s threats faded.

🔅🔆🔅

As we pulled up to the garage that held The Phantom we heard yelling and clattering from inside.

“What the hell?” I asked Pope who looked just as confused.

I noticed two dirt bikes parked near the door as I pointed to them Pope nodded to confirm he saw them too. We rushed towards the door and Pope grabbed some old pipes on the way.

“Be careful.” I said as he passed me one of the pipes.

As we ran inside I wasn’t sure what to look at. Kie was being screamed at by some blond whose face I couldn’t see and JJ was one the ground being punched by Barry, the guy who had tried to take the gold from us.

“Hey! Don't touch her!” I heard Pope scream as he began to bash the blond’s back.

I moved towards where Barry was and hit him with the pipe in my hand. It didn’t seem to do much damage but it was enough to distract him and give JJ time to punch him square in the jaw. After we got the gun out of his hand JJ essentially beat Barry to a pulp.

As Barry laid out on the ground groaning in pain we moved to where Kie stood watching as Pope began to strangle the blond who I now recognized as Rafe Cameron.

“Pope.” Kie called to him as we watched him continue to beat on Rafe. “Pope, that's good! Stop!”

“He's had enough, dude.” JJ added trying to get Pope to stop.

“Snap out of it, Pope!” I said as JJ tried to pull them apart.

“Okay, we gotta go.” Kie reminded us as Pope finally let go of Rafe.

JJ and Kie rushed away to finish hooking up the boat but I stayed standing next to Pope as he looked at me terrified.

“It’s okay Pope. You’re fine.” I tried to tell him but I felt just as shocked as he looked.

“Stay off the cut.” Pope threatened Rafe who laid at our feet half conscious.

“Pope. Iz. We gotta go.” Kie called as she got into the car.

“Let’s go.” I said to Pope, taking his arm and guiding him towards the car.

As we drove away I noticed Pope staring at his hands as if they didn’t belong to him. I took both of them so he would stop and as we got further from the garage I continued to try and reassure him that he was fine.

🔅🔆🔅

Once we had arrived at the boat launch we had all silently begun to silently load up the boat after getting it into the water. Kie and Pope were standing watch as I packed the last of the food into compartments and behind me JJ checked the engine over. Once I was done I turned leaning on one of the seats as JJ checked various switches.

“A 1983 Formula 402 SR1.” JJ marveled at the boat.

“Mm-hm. The first boat to make the run to Bermuda in under 16 hours.” I added, with the number of times he had told me about this boat, I would never forget the speech he made every time he saw it. “Forty years old! And still the fastest thing that Kildare's ever seen.”

“Huh, seems like you’ve heard about her before.” JJ mused as he stood up to face me.

“Yeah once or twice.” I teased him, the smile on my face grew as he moved closer to me. I thought he was leaning in closer to my face when Pope interrupted us.

“Dude, where is he?” Pope asked worriedly. JJ cleared his throat as he turned away from me to address Pope.

“Give him a second. He'll be here. He's coming. He'll be fine.” JJ reassured us all.

“Shit.” I muttered as I spotted the lights of a cop car approaching us.

“Hey, yeah. Get back on the boat.” Kie told Pope as she moved to start untying it from the dock.

“Wait.” JJ stopped us all as we turned to see someone getting out of the cop car.

“No way.” I mumbled with a smile as I recognized John B closing the door behind him.

“No effing way.” Pope added.

“I'm sorry. You've gotta be kidding me.” Kie continued laughing.

“Shoupe let me take it for a spin.” John B explained as he walked towards the boat.

“Okay. That's believable. I'll buy that for now.” Kie said, she hugged John B before he hopped onto the deck of the Phantom where JJ and I stood.

“It wasn't easy, bro, but I got the Phantom for you, and she runs like she was made yesterday.” JJ told John B, handing the keys over. “You ready to go?”

“Where's Sarah?” John B asked, noticing she was absent from the group.

“She's not with you?” Kie asked him.

“No, we got separated in the swamp.” John B explained his worry growing. “She said she'd meet me here.”

“No, we haven't seen her.” I told him.

“Okay, well, I'm not leaving without her.” John B concluded.

“John B, look at me.” JJ started to say. “I know you feel bad for leaving, but there's no time, man. You've got plenty of gas, plenty of food. Once you get around that point, it's a straight shot across the sound to Dismal Swamp, okay? Once you get there, lay low, all right? Hang out for a couple of weeks and then go overland, cross the border at Brownsville, you got that? Brownsville. You... Hey! You got that?”

“Yeah, yeah. Brownsville.” John B confirmed only half paying attention to what JJ was telling him.

“All right. Saddle her up, saltwater cowboy. Let's do this.” JJ said, hopping over the side of the boat onto the dock.

“Hey, John B.” I said, pulling him into a bone crushing hug. “I love you.”

“Yeah. I love you too.” He mumbled back to me. I felt like I was losing my brother as we pulled apart and I jumped down onto the dock. John B paused for a moment as he looked at us all. “Hey. I'm sorry for basically... throwing us off a cliff with this whole treasure hunt thing.”

“John B, we were bound to run off a cliff at some point, right?” JJ said, as we all laughed at his statement.

“Yeah.” He confirmed.

“At least we did it together, though.” I told him with a sad smile.

“Pogue style.” Pope said.

“Pogue style.” We all repeated.

“Get out of here! Please. Now.” Kie told John B, reminding us all we were running out of time.

“We'll see you in two months, down in Mexico.” Pope reassured John B as we started to untie ropes.

“Hey, wait... wait a second.” John B stopped us before we could push the boat out. “Tell Sarah I said goodbye, okay?”

We all nodded our head confirming that we would find her for him.

“Don't forget. Cross the border at Brownsville, okay?” JJ reminded one last time.

“Got it.” John B confirmed as he started the motor up.

We all stood huddled together as we watched him fade from view as he picked up speed. I knew we would see him again but it felt like we were saying goodbye forever.

🔅🔆🔅

John B was long gone, hopefully far enough away that everyone looking for him couldn’t find him but I still stood on the dock looking at the sun set. Further down the dock Kie and Pope stood together, I couldn't hear what they were saying as they were talking quietly but I saw them hug. I smiled slightly, happy that the pair had made up.

But then my eyebrows knitted together in confusion as I watched the pair kiss, how could Kie warn me not to do something then turn around and do the thing she warned me against. I felt frustrated with her, I knew better, I knew I shouldn’t take it so personally but I still couldn’t help but feel my annoyance towards her grow.

That was until I felt a pair of hands settled on my hips and as I turned my head I saw JJ resting his head on my shoulder. I smiled at the action as I leaned into him content to just stand and watch the sunset as my worries faded further away.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you the other night when I said we weren’t together.” JJ finally spoke after a minute. “I didn’t mean that I didn’t want us to be together just that we weren’t yet. After all, you haven’t even asked me out.”

I turned around to face him and saw a huge grin on his face, his hands which were still wrapped around my waist loosened slightly. There was a mischievous look in his eyes as I rested my hands on his shoulders.

“JJ Maybank.” I started to say dramatically. “Will you go out with me?”

“Hmm, I’m not sure.” He began pretending to think about it. “Where are you gonna take me?”

“I don’t know, I'm sure we can sort out the details later.” I smiled.

“Well I’d like to know now so that I can figure out if it's worth it. Plus I mean I’ll have to find the right outfit.” He began to ramble, I playfully rolled my eyes at him.

“How about you worry about your outfit later and right now you just kiss me?” I interrupted him with my bold statement.

He stopped talking after that and began to lean closer to me. As I was about to lean in as well I stopped and looked into his eyes.

“Hey, don’t run away this time.” I playfully threatened him.

“Never again Sweetheart.” He replied before closing the gap between us and capturing my lips in his.

We were cut off after a moment though due to the sound of police sirens which I could tell were growing closer as they sounded louder with every passing second.

“Hey, guys, I'm sorry to ruin the party, but, uh, we gotta go right now.” JJ called to the others as his arms dropped from around me. “Come on!”

But it was too late as the cars pulled up surrounding the four of us, we had no other option than to stay put and listen to them.

“Hands up! Hands up!” The cops all called as they began to climb out of their cars.

“Pope, hands.” Kie reminded him as we all lifted our hands in surrender.

“We're too late. He's gone. God damn it!” A bald man yelled out as he ran to the end of the dock.

“Bratcher, have your guys stand down. Let me talk to these kids.” Deputy Shoupe called out before approaching us. “All right, where the hell is he? Where the hell is he?”

We all stayed silent as he tried to figure out where John B had gone. We all knew vaguely where he was headed but in all honesty none of us could have pointed to his location on a map, we had no idea how far he had gotten.

“JJ? I see you're livin' up to your name.” Shoupe began to single us out. “Pope, how about you? This isn't a fucking game! You can do the right thing now! Where'd he go?”

None of us answered his questions and before long he gave up, ushering JJ and Pope into the back of one car and Kie and I into another. I didn’t want us to be split up but I knew we didn’t have a choice, we were probably all being taken to the same place.

🔅🔆🔅

We sat in silence for a few minutes as I looked out the window until I noticed that Kie had tears streaming down her cheeks as she quietly cried.

“Hey, hey.” I whispered to her not wanting to get into more trouble. I shuffled closer to her, holding out a hand which she took. “It’s gonna be okay, we’re all going to be fine.” I tried to reassure her but in all honesty I had no idea if it were true.

“I’m sorry.” She muttered to me as she leant her head on my shoulder. “I’ve been awful to you lately.”

“No it’s okay. I was being just as terrible.” I whispered back to her. “I’m sorry, I know you were just trying to keep the Pogues together.”

“Yeah a lot of good that did.” She said defeatedly.

“Yeah well those boys always know how to mess everything up.” I tried to joke. I saw the hint of a smile playing on her lips before I pulled her into a hug.

“I just want to be friends again.”

“Me too.” I sighed. “I mean come on we’re the two that never fight with each other.”

We pulled apart with sad smiles as the car parked. I was nice to know that we were all friends again even if everything else had fallen apart.

🔅🔆🔅

The door opened to reveal Shoupe on the other side ushering us out. Once I stepped onto the ground I spotted JJ and Pope standing a few feet away, we were all directed into a tent with a table in the center and rows of chairs on either side. I sat down between JJ and Kie and Pope was sitting on the other side of Kie.

“Sit down. Don't move. We got a lot to talk about.” Shoupe said to all of us before turning to a couple of armed guards. “Keep an eye on these kids.”

We all watched as Shoupe left the tent. A silence fell over us as we listened to everyone around us talking, hoping to hear that John B was okay and that he had gotten away safely.

My hands found both JJ’s and Kie’s hands and I held onto them for dear life. Right now it felt like we only had each other and I sure as hell wasn’t going to lose anyone else.

“It’s gonna be okay. He’ll be fine.” JJ muttered under his breath as his thumb rubbed circles on the back of my hand.

My knee began to bounce as we all anxiously waited for any news they would give us.

🔅🔆🔅

Sirens continued to wail as people shouted to each other. The storm was only getting worse and all we could do was hope that John B had outrun it or found somewhere safe to wait it out.

After what felt like forever Shoupe finally returned but by the look on his face he didn’t have anything good to say.

“Did you find them?” Pope asked hopefully as we all stood up.

“No.” Shoupe responded bluntly.

“So, they got away?” Kie asked

“We, uh... we lost them.” Shoupe replied vaguely. “I'm sorry.”

“You lost them?” I asked in disbelief. “What do you mean you lost them? Like, they're gone?”

“What are you talking about?” Pope added to my questions.

“They took an open boat into a tropical depression, Pope.” Shoupe tried to explain.

“So, they're dead?” Kie asked as tears began to cloud my vision.

“We don't know.” Shoupe tried to defend himself.

“You drove them straight through the storm, man!” JJ snapped. “Are you kidding me? Come here! I'm gonna kill you!”

“JJ, stop!” Kie tried to tell him.

“I'm gonna kill you, you bastard! You killed him!” JJ said before trying to take a swing at Shoupe. Another cop grabbed JJ before he could continue. I moved to his side trying to get him to calm down, from behind me I could hear Pope start to yell.

“He didn't kill anyone, and you know it!” Pope cried.

“We're still looking for him, all right?” Shoupe tried to explain.

“Pope. Pope, just stop.” Kie said to him. “Please, stop.”

Kie fell silent for a moment and I turned to see what had happened. I followed her gaze to the other end of the tent to see all our parents walking towards us and at the end of the line little Emmy stood next to my Mom in her bright red raincoat.

As soon as she spotted me she let go of my Mom’s hand and ran towards me. I leant down wrapping her in a giant hug. The tears that stung my eyes fell down my cheeks as I held her tightly.

After a minute I picked her up and turned around to look for where my Mom had gone. I spotted her behind me holding onto JJ as he sobbed into her shoulder, my heart broke even more when I realized that JJ’s dad hadn’t even bothered to show up. I walked a few steps forward to wrap my free arm around JJ. We all stood holding each other, after a moment Kie and Pope joined our group as we all huddled together.

We were all a little broken without John B but we knew we had each other and for now that was enough.

🔅🔆🔅

[butnobodycame627]

So I recently made a post where I shared some art of my new Adventure Time OC, Mushroom Wizard. I wanted to make a post where I talk more about them, or at least what I have figured out so far, so... here is that post haha.

So! Here is my new OC! Some of these details might change at some point but for now this is what I have figured out.

So as I already said, their name is Mushroom Wizard (often nicknamed Mush or MW).

I ship them with Fern because... why not?

And they use they/them pronouns.

So now I'll start talking about the stuff that I haven't talked about yet. First off: their powers! As a wizard, they have magic. Duh.

Still trying to figure out a lot of their powers and the limits of those powers, but here's some stuff I've got figured out:

Mushroom Monsters

(Sorry I'm bad at animation oof)

Mush carries a jar of mushrooms around with them. Using mushrooms, they can create monsters to help them in combat. They do not get into fights often, but on the rare occasion that there is one, this is their most useful ability.

The monsters are quite strong and they are also venomous. Additionally, even if you defeat many of them, Mush can always make more. Obviously, there is a limit on how many mushrooms Mush can bring with them, so if they run out of mushrooms to use, they'd lose the fight.

Again, still figuring some stuff out about these powers, but that's the main idea.

Healing

There are probably many forms of healing magic in the land of Ooo, but I like to imagine Mush's kalimba is magic. Using their kalimba, they can play a healing song.

They cannot revive the dead and they can only heal physical damage, but it's still a very useful power.

Not sure what the song would sound like yet.

Creating small illusions

This isn't something they've practiced a lot, but they can make some small illusions.

Speeding up growth of mushrooms

Not a very useful power but it's probably a thing that they can do =/

Next I wanna quickly talk about their job and where they live so... here's that.

Their job

So as I said, I think there are probably many forms of healing magic. I like to think that they have a shop in Wizard City where they sell items that can be used to heal people. Whether it be instruments (like their kalimba), potions, some kind of bracelet or crystal or something that speeds up the healing process... idk, stuff like that.

Not sure if they would sell anything else?? =/

Where they live

They live in a mushroom forest. Not an original idea but I don't care, mushroom forests are cool.

Not sure exactly what kind of house they have and idk whether or not they live with anyone else? I'm still figuring stuff out with this character if it wasn't obvious haha.

So next thing...

Personality, talents, etc.

Just gonna shove all this into one category.

Since they are a magic user, they have MMS (Magic, Madness and Sadness).

Madness isn't a huge problem where they work because everyone in Wizard City has MMS. They do realize that people outside of Wizard City are different and so they worry about people seeing them as insane or weird. This is the main reason that they don't really talk to a lot of people, they're really scared of being judged or making people uncomfortable.

When meeting new people, (specifically non-magic users,) they try to hide their emotions a lot of the time. When they get more comfortable around a person, they become incredibly emotional and their MMS gets more visible.

Mush can, as I said before, play the kalimba. The healing song isn't the only one they know, it's just the only song they play that is literally magical. They can play many other songs.

I like to think that since Fern can no longer play the flute, Mush might try to teach him to play the kalimba ^-^ (I've heard it's a pretty easy instrument to learn, so Fern probably wouldn't get frustrated with it =D)

Mush is also pretty good at art. They enjoy drawing. I don't have much to say about that.

Uh they can probably speak French. I often make characters that can speak English and French because... I can speak English and French. So idk there's that.

They get uncomfortable in large crowds of people. It makes them very anxious and upset.

I don't have much else to say I don't think? Still figuring stuff out. Like I keep saying. Oof.

Feel free to send asks about Mush, I'm having fun drawing them and coming up with ideas for their character.

[leatherbookmarking]

I need more on your Su Minshan wife and child oc for reasons! (I once had thoughts on a post canon lxc going a bit depressed mad and escaping to Moling Su to try and find out why jgy trusted sms so much more than him, when that broke, and I just have a lot of feelings about post canon Moling Su and need to hear yours)

SORRY @ragless for replying to this ask (checks) 70 years later! i was being myself which is a very time-consuming activity.

ANYWAY yeah post canon moling su is super interesting because they’ve got, what, nothing? aside from teleportation talismans, which. is a lot. but also everyone hates them now and their sect leader is dead! and also sort of left his disciples in the burial mounds as soon as things went a little bit pear-shaped, so like, thanks, zongzhu! i really wonder what those disciples did later, like, did they bring them along to yunmeng, were they like, ok, we’re out, bye!, something else? so yeah, this is my jam.

and lxc going there, trying to find answers? get to know those people? get to know who su minshan was and why jgy picked a traitor over er-ge? dear god i can FEEL how reading such a fic would feel like, oh, one hell of summer holidays!!! god. god. love that. if you have a post on that, i’d love to know more!!

WIFE AND CHILD OCS in which i am like mxtx here because they still don’t have names. i’ll have to name them at some point, but nothing’s coming to me. welp. anyway, i was thinking -- why not make them both salty underdogs who bond about that? or maybe not even that, maybe they’re met by a sheer accident! perhaps barely established sect leader su was passing by another small sect’s house, and they had an unmarried daughter, and they were like, okay, we can work with that? except the daughter is older than sms and actually divorced, but sms really isn’t looking for love, what he needs is a helping hand, any, even just one (1) literal hand, so like, yep, there we go.

also hm that got rather long so i am going to put a cut right there

and as much as i love a previously underappreciated and unloved character finally being someones #1, here i’m interested in a... subversion? not exactly, of that. there’s no big romance, they don’t even gradually fall in love after getting married, slowly discovering that the other one is a good, sensitive person! no, they’re primarily partners. the wife is here to get out of the parents’ house and finally have her own place, he is here to establish a sect and also have his own place. they’re both black sheeps of the society, more or less, either because her husband didn’t like her or because he was scared and wanted to live, and they’re shitty reason to look down on someone, so they end up bonding anyway. once they’re a bit more established, they even have a daughter and i already love her, because she has her father’s narrow lips and her mother’s narrow eyes, essentially becoming the most suspicious-looking child ever devised. and she’s a frog girl, because frogs are cool.

now, about their situation post canon -- did sms even think to leave a letter, saying his wife and child and disciples didn’t know about his Schemes, and thus shouldn’t be judged for what he’s done? or maybe he knew no one would care about that anyway -- you don’t need to punish or be violent towards someone to ruin them, just not paying attention is enough? who are his disciples and what do they think? there has to be a reason why they’re in moling su and not, say, somewhere else, even if that reason is ‘well, they’re locals, so’. do they abandon the sect and try to join one that’s... not even more powerful or richer, just ‘less looked down upon by everyone and their grandma’s dog’?

the daughter, who’s like 5-7, is simply missing her father. what about the wife? does she have a too-late realization that she was in love with her husband, actually? or maybe she wasn’t, but loved him in her own way, and she’s both furious at this asshole for leaving her alone with all this mess (he didn’t even survive! he didn’t even go to fucking dongying with lianfang-zun, they both died! what’s the fucking point! how can you fuck up that badly, minshan!!!) and sad because there used to be someone living with her, sharing her bed and dinner table, and now he’s gone?

and now, the teleportation talismans, the masking spell etc? and here i will allow myself a digression, because: people say he’s a bad cultivator, but like, he’s unremarkable next to hanguang-jun, and who isn’t! wwx says in the novel himself that his cultivation is high. he knows his sword forms and guqin tunes, and i will never be not in awe of the guqin trick in burial mounds went. do you even just fucking play Evil Music in front of Music Masters Clan -- LAN QIREN, BABEY!!! -- and they don’t notice a thing because they think you’re just Bad? poetic cinema. poetic cinema. also, about that: in the drama, he uses a mask instead of a masking spell, but i’m really into the concept of someone who’s been ignored, feels unnoticed and invisible next to hanguang-jun™, dabbling in cultivation methods that use exactly that. i think i’ve mentioned somewhere at some point eloped xiyao using talismans/spells/something that doesn’t cover your face or alter it in any physical way, but makes it so anyone who looks at you has absolutely no idea what you look like. the epitome of unremarkable and ‘uh, they looked... normal?’. i think that would be super neat for moling su to develop. WEAPONIZED ‘eh, nothing special’.

anyway: so moling su have all that, except is it a known fact, or do they know su minshan just happened to vanish at some point? because i think teleportation is a very neat trick that can both help and make someone’s life hell, and su-furen would probably have a problem, because: should she take care of stuff, educating the disciples and essentially serving as a sect leader/regent (even though she’s not the best, either at cultivation, talismans or general sect-leading, she was a wife and that’s a separate soup of duties to fill), or should she look for (yet another) husband, for her own security and safety of her disciples? what about her daughter, though? she knows what people are like, she can’t just trust them to treat her well.

ETC, ETC, I JUST. it’s so interesting!! i accidentally gave myself moling su sect feelings, lol. also, i have this cracky idea of su-furen committing Microaggressions to the chief cultivator his excellency hanguang-jun, ranging from raising her eyebrow by one mm after something he’s said to using teleportation to butt into his night hunts, deal with the thing and quietly go home, and like. who would it be. jiang cheng. jiang cheng being kinda torn between (BIG SECT LEADER SCOFF) and ‘fuck, okay, that was entertaining, do that again’.

i don’t know how comprehensible this post was, but!! thanks for the ask, i got to ramble lol;;

[happyhollow-mellowmarsh]

S.H.R.E.C.

“Hello and welcome to Sharing How Related Elements Contrast, or S.H.R.E.C., for short. My name is Eleanor Eglantine Ambrose II, the author of the… Controversial book Forbidden Temptations: I Can Eat This But You Can Not as well as one of the apprentice of the Grand Witch Treat. Today I’ll be joined by two of my fellow apprentices as we go over the way that different magical elements contrast, interact, and change based on their relationships with one another.”

A short pink haired girl with elven ears stands in what looks to be a kitchen, the type used for a professional cooking show. How she and her companions got the rights to film here is a mystery. Grey eyes flick to the two men accompanying her, and she gestures at them, clearly unaware the camera is going to pick this up. One of the men, the one with white highlights and scars all over him, simply stares back at her, clearly confused as to what the hell he’s supposed to do here.

Elle nudges the scarred man with her elbow, aggressive whispers, “Introduce yourself!” She knows this is getting picked up by the mic, right?

He hisses a bit at the nudge before slowly turning to the camera. He seems a little...shy. “I’m...RJ Mendoza. Another one of Treat’s apprentices. Mm.” Doesn’t seem like the talkative type, either.

The other man, on the other hand, is all smiles and appears to be more than comfortable in front of the camera.

“And my name is Maui Nguyen, also one of Treat’s apprentices. It’s so great to be with you all today!” He says with an enthusiastic wave at the camera. “Especially you Elle, thank you for lettin’ us join you,” he says, gesturing towards Eleanor. “I can’t wait to see what you got in store for us!”

“It is no problem Mr. Nguyen.” No thanks for RJ though. Elle moves off camera briefly to bring two… Interesting smoothies. Given they each have a tide pod floating on the top of them, they are clearly deadly.

“Today,” she continues. “We are going to be testing different ways to negate poison using magic. Poison is my primary specialty, and as a result I have studied a variety of ways to use it and negate its effects. Mr. Mendoza also has magic that can negate poison.” 

RJ nods, but there’s a short pause before he realizes that he should probably say something. “My primary element is Salt.” He then pulls out a salt shaker from his pockets. “This is just regular table salt, but I can use it with my magic to make poison stuff edible.”

Maui oos exaggeratedly as if this was his first time hearing their elements, picking up a tide pod from his “smoothie,” showing it off for the camera to see. “Edible you say? Even this?” He says, waving the tide pod in front of them, clearly trying to put on a good show for the audience.

Elle clapped her hands. “Oh yes! With my magic, and Mr. Mendoza’s I suppose, you could definitely consume a Tide Laundry Capsule! I have heard that this was a fascination for youths online for a considerable amount of time. I thought it would help us get wider appeal.” She remembers she’s still on camera, right?

After a brief pause, she turns back to the camera. “Ah, yes. Mr. Nguyen is not immune to poison, and as a result, he will be our test subject for this endeavour. You, of course, consent to this, correct? You need to say it for legal reasons.”

Maui, with a flashy smile, nods his head and gives them all a big thumbs up. “Absolutely! With you two magic masters, what can go wrong?!”

“Excellent! Mr. Mendoza, will you start us off?”

RJ nods and simply sprinkles a generous pinch of salt into one of the smoothies. “Should be good now.”

Maui claps his hands in performative amazement, before taking the cup and sloshing it around. “Still lookin’ pretty thick. Anyone have a guess at what this’ll taste like?” He asks the audience, before giving another cheeky smile. Someone is having fun. “Well, bottoms up!”

Without wincing at all, Maui begins to chug, taking huge heaping gulps, and in no time at all shows off his empty cup to the camera. It was only then did the man shudder slightly. “Eu-eugh, salty…”

“And, he suffers no ill effects- Oh, wait, I meant to show how deadly… Maui, can we edit this to go before the drinking?” Who does Elle think is editing this? Either way, she runs off screen and grabs a potted plant, pouring a bit of the remaining drink in. It immediately starts wilting.

“I customized the poison so it would be far more potent than the average one,” the girl explains, far too cheerful about something that could have killed her test subject if the magic failed. “Now, Mr. Nguyen, to test the second glass, I’ll be siphoning the poison out of you before it causes you any harm. Would you prefer I hold your hand, or do you want more contact. The more contact, the easier it is.”

“Uhhhh-” Maui stutters, momentarily disarmed before realizing he was still on camera. With cheeks steadily getting rosier by the second, he flashes another smile and sticks out his hand. “Sure, why the hell not?! … Bu-But just in case, how much skin contact do you need for -uh- ease? Do I gotta take off my shirt er somethin’?”

“No, I think that would get us demonetized… Just let me hold your arm. Like this.” The pink haired girl wrapped both her arms around Maui’s right arm, binding it in place for the time being. “I should easily be able to pull out any poison before it becomes a problem.”

Maui flushes quite a bit as Elle suddenly wraps herself around his arm, his on camera persona breaking for an instant. “U-Uhh- Yea, this is nice. Suure doesn’t feel like anythin’ is happenin’ right now though…”

“You need to consume the poison before I can really do anything.”

You can’t help but notice RJ sighing and shaking his head in the background.

“Ha-Hah, right…” Not wasting another second, Maui swipes up the second glass and chugs it all down once more, his face squinching slightly at the soapy taste. Elle squeezes his arm tightly, clearly focusing on filtering everything out. She made this really deadly and didn’t want to kill him.

Killing someone accidentally with a super poison again would be horrible.

“Are you doing alright?” Elle asked, after she finished dealing with the poison.

“Hmmm, other than feelin’ a little warm I think I’m doin’ jus’ fine. Maybe I shoulda drank even more-! Hey RJ, grab me another cup will ya?” He jokes, laughing. 

It seemed Maui might have said the wrong words here, because Elle absolutely preened at that. “I suppose that means you find my method of poison extraction to be superior to Mr Mendoza’s salt bath. Of course. Salt is impressive in some ways, but Poison is by far the superior element.”

RJ glares at Elle, disgust and annoyance evident in his face. “Yeah, sure, whatever. Rather hear it from Maui then from you putting words in his mouth.”

“He all but said it already!” the girl huffs. She unwraps herself from Maui’s arm dramatically while looking directly at RJ. “See, I’m not influencing him. I have no doubt as to his answer.”

Uh oh. Wrong words said indeed, this was NOT how Maui envisioned his joke to land. Now with both of his friends looking towards him for an answer to an impossible situation… there was only one thing left to do…

“Whoaa guys- guys,” Maui says raising his hands in hopes of pacifying the building tension, “This is… This is all jus’ fun ‘nd games, yenno? A-Actually- That reminds me!”

Without skipping another beat, Maui flees offstage, still blabbering as he does.

“I actually got you guys some gifts while I was travellin’ around that I’ve been meanin’ to give- OH FU-“

Suddenly, a crash. The camera topples onto the floor, the last thing the audience sees and hears is a big meaty brown man cursing and apologizing at the same time before the broadcast abruptly ends.

Happy Hollow: Mellow Marsh is a tumblr submission trials game with Discord ooc and a Discord thread server, and the sequel game to Happy Hollow. This game is 18+ with the exception of returning players. We will be accepting a cast of 16-18 people including mod ocs, and characters should be aged 16-24. The events of the previous game are not public knowledge to characters, so catching up on the last game is not necessary!

Apps close on April 12th, one week away! A three day extension is available upon dm request.

About || How to play || Application || FAQ || Hopefuls || Hopefuls chat

[diagnosed-by-doyle]

Shadow

Character: Galileo Galilei (OC), part 5

Warnings: N/A

Word Count: 1199

~~~~~

Anytime I had time to spare, I was at Galileo’s side. I always offered to help him. Since I saw him playing chess one day with Isaac one day, I started asking him to play with me. He was usually happy to take me up on my offer.

It was during one of these chess matches that he called me out on my new habit. He sat in the cushioned chair opposite me with his legs crossed and rested his jaw on his fist. “I’ve been curious about something for a while now.” I looked up from the board, my train of thought broken. He wasn’t usually the one to start up a conversation with me. He took my silence and attention as his cue to continue. “Why is it that you’ve been following me around like a lost puppy?”

“I haven’t--” I wanted to deny it, but I knew I couldn’t. How long had it been since he caught on? “Would you rather I didn’t?”

“I don’t dislike your company. I just find your behavior to be most curious. Women don’t usually stay near me purely for the joy of casual conversation. Yet you’ve exhibited none of the same behaviors as those women.”

I sat up and thought about what he said. Was he saying that women only stayed near him for… Well, I wasn’t exactly sure of what, but I did have an idea. It wasn’t a pleasant one. “If I’m interpreting that right, and I’m pretty sure I am. You’re saying that they want to be around you for more, er, intimate reasons?”

~~~~~

“That’s partially correct. Unlike Arthur, I’m not in the habit of sleeping with women I meet at the pub. They rather enjoy my teasing, though.”

I wasn’t exactly sure why, but his explanation gave me some relief. It’s not like it was my business what he did in his free time. “You really shouldn’t get their hopes up. You’ll give them the wrong idea.”

“I’m aware. That’s why I go with Arthur or Theo. Arthur scoops them up for himself, and Theo drives them away.” He chuckled, likely remembering the times when those events occurred. “You still haven’t answered my question.”

I shifted uncomfortably. It was true that Arthur wanted me to do this, but I didn’t want to tell him that. I did, however, have my own reasons for doing it. “Do you remember the day that I woke you up?” He nodded. “You got upset about something that afternoon. I won’t ask you what it was about since it seems to be a sensitive subject, but I do know that you were in pain. At first I thought that it would be best to give you some space, but someone told me that I should instead stay near you. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that they were right. I know how it feels to be alone with your thoughts, especially the bad ones. I hoped I could give you some relief from that loneliness, though I’m not sure if I accomplished it.”

He stared at me with the faintest hint of red tinting his cheeks. He suddenly pushed himself to his feet. “Come with me. I want to show you something.”

“What about the game?”

He smirked. “If we continue, then I would win in five turns. You’re easier to read than you think. Do yourself a favor and never play poker.” Galileo walked off, not waiting to see if I would follow. I rose and quickly followed after him.

The dark-haired man in front of me stopped in front of a familiar door. It was his room. He’d never invited me inside before, but I did come in to change his sheets and tend to his laundry. 

He walked in without hesitation then glanced around. “Where are you? Ah! Were you trying to camouflage yourself? Your stripes make you stand out, you know.” On his bed was a small, furry creature I’d never seen before. It’s dark stripes had indeed made it stand out from the grey blanket. Galileo picked the animal up and held it to his chest affectionately for a moment before turning to me.

“This is Callisto. Isn’t she lovely?” His eyes showed his complete adoration for the grey tabby kitten. 

It was so cute that he’d named her after one of the moons he discovered! “She’s really pretty. May I pet her?”

“Go ahead. She’s very gentle.” He stepped forward and held her out a bit, encouraging me.

I reached my hand out and combed my fingers through the fur on her back. “Wow, she’s so soft! How old is she?”

“I’m not sure, but she can’t be older than a few months. I found her in a side alley a couple weeks before you got here.”

“Meow!” The kitten climbed up Galileo’s coat and perched herself on his shoulder.

“Your favorite spot, huh? Forgive me for not letting you up immediately, your highness.” He chuckled and rubbed Callisto’s neck. She returned his affections by nuzzling the spot just below his ear. I’d never seen such a smile on his face. “I know, I love you too.”

Galileo returned his attention to me. “Callisto is the reason that I’m never really alone. She’s a very soothing companion.”

So she was an emotional support animal for him? I hadn’t realized that the concept existed during this time period. Then again, I wasn’t exactly an expert on the subject. It was possible that people had been putting the idea into practice for centuries. “I’m happy to hear that. How come I’ve never seen her before?”

He glanced up at the kitten. “She was probably playing with Lumière. They get into all sorts of mischief together.”

“Who’s Lumière? Is that another another resident’s pet?”

“Mm. Leonardo’s cat. It’s not surprising that you haven’t seen it. I’m sure it gets lost in Leonardo’s room. It amazes me that he hasn’t gotten lost in there.”

I giggled at his comment. Having been in Leonardo’s room before, I could confirm that it wasn’t the easiest to navigate through. “Galileo?”

“Yes?”

“I know that you’re close with Arthur and that you have Callisto to keep you company, but I want you to know something. You can count on me too. If you ever need someone to listen to you or someone to talk to or even just someone to be near, then I will be there for you.”

His eyes were wide with surprise. “You…” The astronomer cleared his throat and regain his composure. “If you’re sure you won’t regret it, then I will make the same offer to you.” His eyes shone with uncertainty, but I could tell that he was being sincere.

I smiled. “That’s very sweet of you, Galileo. Thank you.”

The faint blush from earlier returned to his cheeks. “It’s nothing you need to thank me for.”

“I want to show my appreciation. Don’t be stubborn,” I teased. From what he’d told me and what I’d experienced, I found it doubtful that he’d ever made such an offer before. I was glad that he seemed to be ready to put some trust in me.

~~~~~

Please let me know if you want to be (un)tagged. My OC list is different from my usual content list.

Tags: @ikemencrossedmyth @in-words-of-what-maybe @micah-drew @sadshaxkscoolmom @wolf-of-oshu

[voidendron]

One Little Kitten

One-Shot, 1′696 words Star Wars AU

(( I wanted to write when Marv was found by his clan; it’s from the leader’s POV instead of his since he was pretty little at the time. This was partially just to do some study on his species and to give his clan a little more life (hah) ))

Warnings: Minor Character Death (Corpses), Child Death Characters: Marvin the Magnificent, Ferr (OC), Other Background OCs POV: Ferr Magniif

Keeping her blaster close and body low, Ferr’s eyes scanned the settlement just beneath the ridge she was perched on.

There was nothing left. Just felled tents, destroyed crates, bodies. Bodies everywhere. Bodies of pirates, and bodies of the Cathar villagers. Men, women, and, god… She felt her stomach twist when she noticed even children laying down there, motionless.

She’d gotten in contact with the settlement to trade goods—some good blasters in return for ship parts that Clan Magniif needed. She’d never expected to arrive to…

“Sir?” One of her men—Mili—had the scope on his helmet down in front of his visor. He was shaking his head. “Only getting some small energy signatures—probably from droids or computers that managed to make it.”

No smoke. Nothing was smoldering.

Ferr activated her jetpack; the four accompanying her followed suit. Down, down to the settlement, weapons poised, heads on swivels. Her boots crunched in the dirt when she landed, and when she toed at one of the dead pirates, the body was stiff. Stiff, and cold, and its eyes already decaying, and no smoke from anywhere, nothing.

She shook her head. “Happened a few days ago.”

Simon snorted from her left. “I thought Cathar were warriors.”

“They are.” Mili was kneeling at another pirate’s side, prodding at the obvious claw marks in his face. “And they clearly fought. But they wanted weapons for a reason.”

“They were Bantha fodder just waitin’ to be slaughtered.” Sarla put her hands on her hips. Even with a helmet, Ferr could picture the sour expression on the older woman’s face as she scanned the settlement. “Warriors or not, these people didn’t have much a chance against armed pirates.”

“I’ve never liked pirates,” Mili growled as he pulled himself back to his feet, kicking one of the offending bodies for good measure.

Ferr couldn’t agree more. “That makes two of us.”

“Slippery bunch they are.”

“Cowards, the lot of ‘em.”

Glancing back at the youngest member of their party, Ferr frowned. “Sisto, you’re awfully quiet.”

“I keep getting weird readings.” They put their scope away, offering a shrug. “It’s probably just broken again. Sorry.”

“I’m surprised these people even agreed to trade with us.” Simon had wandered off and found a broken…something, that he was tossing from hand-to-hand carelessly. “You know, after what our people did to theirs?”

Ferr and Sarla glanced at each other. It was the older woman to speak first, “Kid, the Mandalorian Wars were long before any of our times. Generations ago. If we can help each other out, then why not?”

“Hey, just saying. Our ancestors did almost make their entire damn species go extinct.”

Mili just shoved past him to check under one of the fallen tents, while Sisto grumbled something mockingly under their breath. Ferr just felt a spark of irritation. “You complain an awful lot about our history,” she noted. “I’d be careful about that.”

He missed the chunk of metal in the next toss and it clattered off behind something. “That a threat?”

“I lead this clan. If I ever feel your loyalty wavers, I’ll gladly remove you from it.” The unspoken “one way or another” hung in the air between them.

Simon snorted, but said no more. They both knew which of the two would win in a fight, so now he’d tuck his tail and keep his head down for a while to avoid one. Ferr could only turn away and to start searching the rubble, but she could practically feel Sarla trying not to laugh in the man’s face.

Mili had already broken the other man’s jaw once before when he’d pressed just the right button. Ferr even had a bet going with her second on how long it would be before it happened again.

“’Ey, boss, what’re we even lookin’ for now?” Sarla picked up the remains of what looked like a glove, dropping it when she realized the hand was still inside. “Place is picked clean.”

“Whatever—” Movement made her stop short and poise her blaster instead. When she turned to Simon—had he thrown something?—he threw his free hand up and shook his head. His blaster was also readied, and Sisto had their scope down again, the blinking light on the side telling Ferr that they had it in its infrared setting.

“Maybe it’s not broken…” they mumbled. “Something’s here. Didn’t get a good look at it.”

“Scavenger?” Mili suggested. He had both hands gripped tightly around his electrostaff, purple electricity sparking at its ends.

“It was pretty small. Animal, maybe.”

“Womp rat?”

“Not everything is a womp rat, Sarla. …And aren’t they big?”

“They aren’t even on this planet, so what’s that matter?”

“Keep your guard up,” Ferr interrupted. “Look for anything useful we can take back.”

Ferr managed to find a well-stocked toolbox. She nodded approvingly, but dropped it when Sarla and…someone else, she didn’t recognize the voice, started shouting. Well, the new voice was really more shrieking.

“Aw, he’s just a little tyke!”

“Sarla!”

The older woman was holding the child by the back of his shirt while he kicked and clawed and hissed at her. His eyes were wide—Ferr could see the whites even from where she stood—and, while her Catharese was poor, she could tell his vocabulary was limited. Kid couldn’t be more than a few years old.

“Sarla!” she repeated, more forcefully that time. “You’re scaring him!”

“I’m not doin’ nothing! Kid’s just a spitfire!”

Holstering her blaster, Ferr pulled her helmet off as she approached, keeping her body low. The kid only looked at her wide eyes as he curled in on himself, feet dangling uselessly as Sarla held him off the ground.

She had to wrack her brain for the language she didn’t know well, and she knew it wouldn’t sound right—she couldn’t growl like the Cathar!—but the moment the words came out, the little guy relaxed a little.

“We won’t hurt you. You’re okay.” Ferr opened the pouch at her hip, pulling out a nonperishable food stick that she held out. “Are you hungry?”

He snatched it up greedily as soon as he was set back on the ground. When she offered a second, it was gone just as quickly as the first. They didn’t taste any good—poor guy must be starving.

“Sisto,” she murmured softly, not wanting to startle the kid, “I thought Cathar had siblings?”

“Littermates,” they agreed. “He likely has at least one other sibling his age.”

Ferr didn’t know the Catharese word for littermates, so she asked instead, “Brothers or sisters? Where are they?”

“Papa told us to hide.” His voice was squeaky, so she wasn’t surprised that the growl to accompany some of the words startled Simon. The kid had retracted his claws and started chewing on his fingers. “Mm… They didn’t listen.”

“Did the pirates take them?”

He shook his head and pointed at the body of a Cathar male—Ferr noticed that, like the child, he had a heart-shaped mark on his forehead. He was curled around two tiny bodies.

“The mean men made them sleep! They don’t wanna wake up so they’re sleepin’ with Papa.”

Poor kid didn’t understand… Maybe that was for the better.

Ferr held out a hand and he grabbed it curiously. “My name is Ferr. What’s yours?”

“Marvin.” He giggled, swinging her hand and picking at her glove. “You talk funny. And look funny.”

“Don’t think he’s seen a Human before,” she said to her companions—the boy only tilted his head when he couldn’t understand her switch to Mando’a. Then, in her sloppy Catharese, she answered, “That’s a very nice name, Marvin. I don’t know your language very well, but maybe you can teach me, and I’ll teach you mine?”

“Really?”

Glancing back at the bodies of the kid’s father and littermates, Ferr nodded. “Yeah. Your papa wants us to take you with us. We can train you, and teach you things, and those mean men will never hurt you. How does that sound?”

“What about them?”

“We’ll let them keep sleeping.” Ferr reached down for her helmet, slipping it back on while the kid tilted his head. She brought a hand up to ruffle his hair (mane? it was thicker than Human hair). “You’ll get a helmet like this.”

“I will!?” He was grinning.

Their armorer would really have to work to craft one to fit his bigger, pointier ears and flatter nose, but, “Of course you will! We’ll make sure you feel right at home.”

Their first foundling in some time—the last had been found a few years ago and had recently turned old enough to get her first helmet. Ferr stood, picking the kid up and holding him close—was he purring?

“He’s not Human,” Simon muttered.

“Our founders weren’t Human,” Sisto snipped back. “It’s unusual these days, sure, but not impossible. As long as he embraces and respects our culture, he can be as much a Mandalorian as the rest of us.”

“’Sides!” Sarla leaned in to inspect the kid—he’d tucked his face against Ferr’s neck. “Only different between him an’ us is he’s got fur and—” she held up her gloved hands as if they had claws, “—built-in weapons. What Human Mando ain’t gonna envy that?”

“As with any foundling, he’ll be treated as our own.” She rubbed her hand over his back and he started purring again, hugging his arms around her neck and playing with strands of hair that were loose from her helmet. “Mili, you’ve always wanted a kid, right? Why don’t you take him under your wing?”

While she couldn’t see his expression, she could certainly tell that the larger man had perked up at that.

When she activated her jetpack, his arms tightened, but she shushed him, held him securely. “It’s all right. I’ve got you.”

He was so young. Ferr wasn’t sure he’d even remember what had happened to his tiny village when he got older. That didn’t matter—he’d be treated just like any other member of Clan Magniif.

Marvin. Little Marvin Magniif.

That had a nice ring to it.

[oozmart]

Dance Till You Die

I wrote a oneshot fic for my OC Dahlia.  Hope yall enjoy it :)

Dahlia leaned over the order window of the food truck.  No customers, finally.  The dinner rush hit and now everyone was out enjoying the music, dancing, laughing, having fun.  

“You see that?” Drayton asked.

Dahlia didn’t even blink, she knew what he was about to say, “They’re all out there workin up a sweat and an appetite, they’ll be back for seconds in no time!”  She rolled her eyes.  Drayton was all work, no play.  He didn’t understand, he’d never had real fun before.  He was busy taking care of his brother’s, his family.  Dahlia respected him for being a devoted family man, but she never liked his bossy attitude.  

Dahlia was a rebellious teen, akin to that guy from Footloose.  That was one of her favorite movies.  Any movie that had dancing was her favorite movie.  She wanted to go out and dance with the crowd more than anything.  One night of fun.  All play, no work.  

“I know what you’re thinkin, lil missy…” Drayton accused, wagging a finger at her, “You’re gonna stay right here and help me prep for the after-dinner rush.”

“There’s no such thing as an after-dinner rush.”  Dahlia retorted, not moving from her spot.

Drayton groaned.  She was stubborn, that was one of her worst qualities, but she was the only one who could come help him with the food truck when it got busy at events like this.  These outdoor concerts are some of their most successful sale days.  This was for two reasons: For one, they sold a lot of sandwiches.  For two, a lot of people from out of town would come to see these bands play, which meant more prime meat for the Sawyer’s to catch.  

“Come on now,” Drayton began, “everyone’s workin today.  Bubba and Chop are out there waiting for meat, and you’re here helping me sell it.”  He couldn’t see her face, but he knew her eyes were rolling.  

Dahlia turned quickly, leaning back on the counter, “What if I just went out and danced a couple of songs?”

“NO!”

“AW, COME ON!!!  I never get to go have fun!!!”  She whined.  

Drayton stayed quiet, he wouldn’t hear anymore of this nonsense.

Dahlia creeped up behind him.  “One song?” She asked with a pouty face and a gentle tone.  He didn’t budge.  She had to appeal to his business side to win this battle.  “How about this,” she bargained, “I go out and dance with some people, and I tell them ALL ABOUT Drayton Sawyer’s AWARD WINNIN’ chili?  Hmm?”  

She grabbed his hand and pretended to dance with him.  He stood still and furrowed his brow.  This child was bizarre.  “This music is GRROVY!” She acted out the scenario, “Sure does make me hungry…” She squeezed his hand, “I got an idea!  Why don’t we go get some chili from that there truck?  Ya, that one!”  She sniffs the are, “MM, I can smell that choice meat from here!”  

Drayton was the one rolling his eyes now.  He had to admit, this wasn’t a horrible idea.  “Fine,” he caved, much to Dahlia’s delight, “you dance a couple songs and round up some customers.  If you don’t come back with a line of people you’re gonna be on dishwashin’ duty for a month for slackin off!”

Dahlia beamed, “THANK YOU!!!!”  Still holding his hand, she pulled her older-brother-figure in for a hug.  Drayton was not a touchy person.  He shoved her off and brushed off his suit.  He mumbled something under his breath, probably about the plight of small business owners, but Dahlia was already out the door and down the steps.  

She hopped outta the truck and ran out to the dance floor, a square of dirt surrounded by 4 beams suspending fairy lights and American flags.  She was wearing her old cowboy boots, high-waisted bell bottom jeans, and a crimson red blousy tank top.  She was so excited she thought she’d just explode.  The music was blasting from a small DJ on the North side of the dancing area, from its speakers played Elvis Presley’s classic, “Jailhouse Rock.”  Dahlia didn’t care that she didn’t know anyone out there, once the music hit her ears she lost herself to the sound.

Nearby on a hill, looking down at the festivities, Chop Top and Bubba sat in the back of he truck.  During big events like this, they’d keep an eye out for anyone leaving alone or drunk and if they looked like a good target they’d take’em out.  While exciting in theory it was a lot of waiting around.  They’d already been sitting around for over an hour and no good targets left the festivities.  People probably wouldn’t be leaving till well after midnight.  

“This blows,” Chop Top complained to his mostly silent brother, Bubba, “we should be home listenin to that radio lady and havin ourselves a well-earned break!”  Bubba nodded as his older brother yammered on about how bored he was, until something down below caught his attention.  He quickly shook his brother’s arm and pointed down to the dancing square.

Chop Top squinted, “What?  Someone finally leavin?”  Bubba shook his head and kept pointing to a specific person.  “WAIT A MINUTE?  IS THAT…..?”  Bubba nodded excitedly, as he got his point across.  “DAHLIA GETS TO HAVE FUN AND WE DON’T??!?!?!!”  Chop Top whined.  Bubba shrugged, he thought seeing his girl out there would cheer him up, but it only seemed to rile him up more.

Dahlia danced like her life depended on it.  Between songs, some people applauded her, she didn’t think anything of it.  She was in the zone.  

“Howdy,” a tall, burly man approached her, tipping his cowboy hat, “you’re a mighty fine dancer!”  His compliment made her smile.  She thanked him, and before she knew it, he was offering his hand and they were dancing together.

With his purple rounded glasses atop his head, Chop Top looked through a pair of army binoculars he kept in the truck, stunned at the sight of his own lover taking the hand of someone, a stranger!  “What game you playin…?” He muttered to himself.  He looked the cowboy up and down through the lenses.  He was probably about his height, but much heftier in the arms.  Strong.  Chop Top gave a small huff as he put down the binoculars.  Bubba picked them up and began to watch the dancers with curiosity.

An old fashioned square dance began, and Dahlia and the stranger partnered up.  He spun her around and picked her up by the hips above his head, she squealed with excitement when her feet left the ground.  When the dance ended, his hands lingered on her waist.  She suddenly remembered the promise she made to Drayton, “Oh!  You know what we should do right about now?”

“Oh, I know what we should do… Come on.” He took her hand and pulled her away into the darkness.  Bubba gasped, and urged his brother to look through them himself.  Chop Top didn’t budge, still upset about the sour night he’d been having.  

Bubba acted quick and hopped out of the bed of the truck and into the driver’s seat.  He didn’t drive often, but he knew how.  To Chop Top’s surprise, the vehicle started moving.  He rolled around in the bed before climbing through the back window to shout at his baby brother, “WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!?!?!!??!”   Bubba let him yell, he didn’t care right now.  He had to go save Dahlia.  She always looked out for him so he had to do the same for her.

They twisted and turned through dirt roads until they stopped to a grinding halt, down behind some trees near the festival.  Bubba frantically turned off the lights and hopped out of the car to get his chainsaw.  Chop Top was on his heels going off still, “YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU’RE DOIN DO YOU?!?!?!  THIS AIN’T THE WAY SHIT WORKS!!!!”

Bubba saw by the line of porto-potties, the stranger pulling Dahlia behind him.  Bubba quickly shushed Chop Top and pointed.  When CT turned his head his face flushed at the sight.  The stranger’s hands were on her waist, he was trying to whisper sweet nothings in her ear.

“Whats back here?”  Dahlia asked, cluelessly.  She got an unfortunate sniff of the air and reacted, “BLEH, it smells like shit.”  The man began to lean down to kiss her, but she leaned back and turned her cheek, causing his lips to land in the wrong place.  

He chuckled playfully, “Aw, come on, lil mama… The way you were dancin had to mean something.”  Chop Top’s blood boiled when he heard his nickname for her crawl out of someone else’s mouth.  That was his lil mama.  

Dahlia was offended on his behalf as well.  Someone else calling her by that pet name felt dirty. “It meant I like dancing.” She snapped, “If I wanted something I would have asked.”  She took his hands off her hips, but he held on to her hands.  “Please…” she tried to pull away, but he insistently held on.

“You sure?  Dancin gets tiring, don’t it?”  He was determined to get her to say yes.  In his experience, pressure usually wore women down.

Dahlia attempted to promote the business again, as a means to avoid any physical conflict, “Uhh, i’m hungry! Aren’t you?  We could talk about this over a bite of homemade, award-winning chili?  And Drayton Sawyer makes it the best!”  

The man scoffed at the idea.  “That Sawyer guy?  He’s a hack.  Nothin homemade about that shit.  I hear its all canned and processed.”  

Dahlia wasn’t Drayton’s biggest fan, but she respected him and loved him.  He was family, and they protected each other.  With that she was done with this fool.  She raised her knee to his crotch with a hearty thrust and he went down without a fight.  

Chop Top saw the man go down and took this opportunity to burst from the forest and swing his hammer at the fucker’s head.  “YEEHAW!” he shouted as he went ham.  The music was so loud, and the shadows of the porto-potties kept them hidden from any passerby’s sight.  Bubba didn’t dare rev up his chainsaw in though.  He still kept it on him as he ran to Dahlia’s aid.  

She was stupefied by their sudden arrival, “What are you boys doin down here?  Yall are supposed to be watchin for meat.”  She put her hands on her hips.  

“WE’RE SAVING YOU, BABES” Chop Top announced proudly with another swing of his hammer to the man.  His body spasmed as blood poured from the cracks in his skull.  This was normal for the Sawyer boys and Dahlia to see, it didn’t faze any of them.  Rather she rolled her eyes, “I saved myself just fine, thank you very much.  

“Its the 80’s for god’s sake I dont need a man to save me.”  She crossed her arms and shook her head.  She felt a weight on her head.  Looking up she saw Bubba leaning his head on her as gently as he could.  He was so much taller than her it was an awkward position.  Whenever they’d sit around at home he’d lean on her like this, so he thought it would be a comfort for both of them in this moment.  

Dahlia could never stay mad at baby Bubba.  He was like a little brother to her.  She put a hand on his cheek and patted, “I do appreciate you both comin though.  Now Drayton can’t be mad at me cause I helped catch some food.”

Bubba blushed under his leather face and proceeded to take care of business.  He bent down and picked up the legs of the now dead man, whoever he was, and dragged him back to the truck.  Chop Top stayed back with Dahlia, “Ooh, I bet he’s pissed right now!  Why’d  you ditch him?  Dangerous to play hooky on his watch.”  He slouched over slightly and scrunched up his face, “You idiots are always slackin off leavin me to slave over a hot stove!  I gotta do ALL the work ‘round here!!!” he imitated his older brother perfectly.  

Dahlia laughed, she always loved his silly impersonations.  He was good at them.  “Well I didn’t ditch him,” she explained, “he said I could go dance so long as I brought in some customers.”  She paused and shrugged, thinking about it, “Don’t know if I did that, but I guess did something.”  She suddenly realized she’d have to go back to the truck for that fake after-dinner rush thing Drayton kept going on about.  He was going to be upset for sure.  “I better get back before he makes me wash dishes for the rest of my life.”  

As she began to leave, Chop Top snatched her hand. “Uh, i- if you had to do dishes for a year…”. He felt a nervous itch on his scalp and pulled his wire hanger out of his vest and began scratching under his wig, “I- I- i’d help you every day.”  He pulled the hanger out, but before he could nibble at the skin bits he scraped, Dahlia picked at the end of it and stole them, eating them herself.  Chop Top was turned on, but kept it low-key by just giving her a toothy grin.  She winked at him with a cheeky smile.  She knew how she made him feel.  She squeezed his hand before letting go, and proceeded back to the food truck.

Chop’s hand slowly came down to his side as he watched her walk away.  He wanted her to come back.  He wanted to kiss her.  Sure, he could do it later when they got home, but he wanted to do it now out in the open while his heart was beating with excitement and adrenaline was pumping through his veins.  He wanted to grab her by the arms and kiss her with a fiery passion.  Alas, she was already far out of sight.

His thoughts were interrupted by the grunts of his brother from the truck.  He leaned his head back in frustration before joining him to hoist the heavy body up into the bed of the truck.  “Bubba what have I always told ya?!?!?  Dont lift by yourself you’re gonna throw out your back!!!”

Back at the truck, Dahlia paused in surprise.  A line of people!  She didn’t see that coming.  She quickened her pace and ran up the steps of the truck.  Drayton didn’t look away from his work at the grill, “THERE YOU ARE!  I think you got enough customers for the night, good job.”  

Dahlia blinked.  “Good job.”  It didn’t seem like much, but from Drayton that was a lot.  She felt a tinge of pride in her chest and a smile crept onto her face that she couldn’t hold back.  

“Well?  What are you standing there for?!?!  GET BACK TO WORK!!!”  

[breathless-darkness]

Mystic Messenger

Currently I muse these muses from this series:

Saeran Choi, Zen, Jumin Han, V, Echo Girl, Mika and Vanderwood

Below the cut I will give more details about this.

I will start with the three minor characters that I muse. With these being minor not much is known about them, thus I have taken a lot of creative rights with them. I think this is why I enjoy musing these type of characters a lot. There aren’t as many restricts on what is canon and what is not, due to the fact that they don’t have their own routes. Though with this being the case, most likely some of this things might be a tad more triggering than what is already present in the game. 

Echo Girl:

She is the type of character that everyone hates , but can’t help but like as well. She is a revenge seeking obsessive girl. I gave her a little bit of a sob story to explain why she is such a spoiled brat who has a bit of a ‘Malfoy syndrome’. She likes to get what she wants, she isn’t used to not getting such. She will do whatever possible, including getting her hands dirty, to get what she wants.

I welcome any and all interactions with those brave enough to play with her. She especially enjoys Zen interactions~ Yep I’m not sorry. 

Mika:

Mika , for those who aren’t as familiar with her, is someone only mentioned in Rika’s behind the story. She is normally a deceased character , having died before Mint Eye is founded. Some people see her as a delusion that Rika has (as a way to cope) and thus she ‘dies’ when Mint Eye is founded. Some sees her as actually being a variation of Rika and thus Rika killed her when she became the person she is.  I have her being Rika’s sister (her actual sister). 

Her story was fun to create, honestly. I use a little bit of Rika’s own story within it , as a way to truly try all the events of MM into things. 

Vanderwood:

Now here is the fun side character, that I truly took every single creative right there was with. I’m sure most people are aware of the translation error about Vanderwood’s gender. Not to mention how their real name is unknown and how Seven always calls them by female like names. Notice I use the pronoun they when I’m talking about my Vanderwood. They are a bundle of confusion and secrets. 

The true gender that I used for them is intersex. I did this for many different reasons. I was originally going to muse Vandie when I added most of my MM muses. However, at the time I was wondering about icons. Yes, I hardly use my icons--- but I did want to change that. So I gave up the search and Vandie didn’t make it. Revamping muses, I wanted to try again and thus went searching again. Found the perfect additional fc--- just they weren’t exactly male. I put her down and went on the search again. My mind ended up easily being made up, and thus my rendition of Vandie was created.

Will I get upset if they is not used. Nope. Call Vandie by whatever pronoun ya want. Hell, I’ll probably end up using ‘he’ a lot. I note it in Vandie’s bio of why I decided to do this. This vastly depends on the verse/ timeline that one decided to have their threads take place with me. 

~Saeran and Mental Disorders~

Now we get to another juicy one. Saeran. When he does have a rather filled out bio, I don’t go into details about the mental disorders that he suffers from. I haven’t honestly gotten to mess with Saeran as much as I wished to. I might enjoy writing the psychological type of characters. I studied in Psychology and my favourite was personality disorders. Thus why I enjoy using multiple personalities type muses or type backstories. 

Anyone who knows anything about Saeran, knows that the boy is rather fucked up in the head. He has been drugged, brain washed, and abused. His mental state isn’t exactly the happiest place on Earth. With Saeran ya have the personality known as Unknown, Ray and then of course Saeran himself. Each person who muses him, I’m sure has their own variation of how they go about this. 

Personality I haven’t played Ray’s route at all, nor have I gotten to have threads involving them. I will muse Ray however. I mostly focus on Unknown and Saeran. I also don’t mind ‘what ifs’. 

MM in general has multiple things having to do with mental disorders. I heavily use it within Saeran’s and Mika’s stories. 

Zen, Jumin and V: 

Zen was the first person I ended up taking up as a muse from MM. Though Saeran was the one that I was always told I would enjoy and people could most likely see me musing. Jumin and V just ended up jumping in on the ride. V is probably the least thought out, followed by Jumin. Zen has had a little more action of these three. 

With Jumin, I somehow got the thought of Christian Gray in my head--- especially with the one bad ending. Will I partake in such things, this answer will vary from person to person. I can’t give an overall answer. 

V needs more love, like all my MM muses. V might just take some time to fully flesh out , compared to say the others. 

Kelley:

Kelley is my one OC that’s main verse is in Bungou Stray Dogs, but she has a verse here in MM. I still need to write it up in full, but she works at the same agency as Seven. Her story will also vary depending on the person I’m plotting with. 

[tuanyiems]

The Space Between Your Fingers 13

Mark Tuan x OC Genre: Fluff, angst, slice of life Words: 2.1k [Masterlist] [Series Masterlist] - [RECAP] Ahnmi smiled brightly at his admission before heading back home to get ready. She thought he might’ve forced her to stay home but was relieved to know he wouldn’t. After spending late nights and early mornings with her classmates to prepare for the festival, she wanted to see their hard work come to life. It was the first time in a long time that Ahnmi was excited and looking forward to going to school and being with classmates. And despite her nervousness, she was ready to try her best and make memories with her classmates…with her friends. - Ch. 13: The Princess and the Frog Mark smiled as he waved Ahnmi off to her classroom. Although he could tell she was still having a hard time breathing, she looked so excited that he didn’t have the heart to keep her home. He made sure to tell Youngjae and Sungjae about her condition, though he was sure the boys wouldn’t push her too much. At any rate, he would be seeing her in a few hours anyways. They promised to spend their breaks together, which really meant going to support Yugyeom and his dance crew. However, he was sure he felt Ahnmi’s hand on his own this morning. Knowing Ahnmi, it was probably just a gesture of apology, but nevertheless, he was feeling good today. “Why are you smiling at a wall? Are you that happy about the festival?” Jackson asked, breaking him out of his thoughts. “Come on, let’s go set up!” Mark ushered, changing the subject as he pushed his excited friend forward.

- Ahnmi blushed as all eyes were on her. She had to admit, when she glanced at herself in the mirror she had a hard time believing it herself. She didn’t think such a simple gown and extra make up could change her look so much. She glanced at Youngjae for support, but the boy was as star struck as the rest of class 2B. “P-Pretty,” Taehyung stuttered out, finally breaking the silence of the class. Ahnmi blushed at the compliment, twiddling with her fingers shyly. “Thanks, Tae.” Youngjae watched as the rest of the guys began flooding Ahnmi with similar compliments in the hopes of her saying their name back. He always knew Ahnmi was pretty but today she really looked like a princess. If she had joined the beauty contest that the first years were holding, she would have won unanimously. A hand waved in front of him suddenly. “Earth to Youngjae,” Sungjae teased as he blocked Youngjae’s view of Ahnmi with his hand. “You’ll have more time to stare later. Can you help me grab the props from the storage?” “Ah…yeah,” Youngjae murmured, glancing at Ahnmi one last time before following the class president. Sungjae handed Youngjae a box of props from the storage room before bending down to grab the second box. He cleared his throat, glancing at Youngjae seriously. “I’m guessing you got the same message from Mark hyung?” Youngjae nodded his head, looking down. “Yeah. Of all days…” “I’m assigning you as Ahnmi’s bodyguard for today.” Youngjae chuckled. “Aren’t I, every day?” The class president looked at him seriously. “Jinyoung sunbae will kill me if anything happens to Ahnmi, and if I die, you’re getting dragged down with me!” “Don’t worry, I’ll watch her carefully.” “Please do. If you hear so much as a cough, force Ahnmi to take a break. It’s going to be a rough day for her.” “It’s okay, I have her inhaler on me. I’ll be ready.” “It’s not just her health though. You saw how our class reacted to her just now. Imagine that except all the boys in the school and their guests. You and I both know how bad the guys can get. Unlike her art event last time, we won’t have a dozen boys guarding her. It’s all on you.” Youngjae took in a deep breath. “Geez Sungjae, you couldn’t have given me this talk before? The festival is opening in less than an hour!” Sungjae laughed loudly, breaking away from his serious demeanor just seconds ago. “You’ve got this, Youngjae. You’re the only one Ahnmi can trust and lean on.” Youngjae shrugged his shoulders, blushing. “Well, if you put it that way, I guess it can’t be helped,” he muttered shyly. When the two boys entered the classroom again, Ahnmi was busy adjusting the beards and caps of the dwarves. She giggled as she adjusted Chanhyuk’s beard. “You look good with contacts,” she complimented, successfully turning the boy red in the face. “Okay!” Youngjae yelled loudly, disrupting the moment as he let his box of props fall down with a boom. Ahnmi smiled, turning her attention to the box of props and decorations. Although it hurt her back to move around so much, she was too excited to start decorating the classroom to stop and listen to her body. Youngjae watched quietly with worry and happiness as Ahnmi went around the room with a bright smile on her face. He walked up behind her, placing his hands on her shoulder as she was tiptoeing to place the decorations high up on the wall. He chuckled when her hand reached nowhere near her goal. “Let’s take it slow, buddy. There’s enough guys here to finish the job.” Ahnmi turned around to face him, showing him a cute pout. “I just want to help.” “You can help me by sitting down over here,” he said, pushing her down onto a nearby chair. “Let’s practice some of the games before people arrive.” - Mark smiled as he glanced into class 2B. On his way to get drinks for his classmates, he decided to take a detour to see how Ahnmi and Youngjae were doing. Jinyoung and Jaebum had been a bit worried about Ahnmi’s popularity, but it looked like 2B had everything under control. Although there were a lot of people lined up for their attraction, the line was orderly and moderately quiet. He stood by the side of the door, peeking in quietly so as not to grab anyone’s attention. “Mark sunbae!” a few of the first year girls yelled his way. He smiled at them before putting a finger to his lips, glancing back into the classroom to see if his name caught Ahnmi’s attention. But she was lost in her own world, playing rock paper scissors with two third year boys. “Are you here to become Ahnmi’s prince too?” one of the girls asked. He turned his attention back to the girls. “Ah, is that what they’re doing?” he chuckled in dismay. “I was just curious.” “Same! At this rate, 2B will definitely win most popular class.” “More like Ahnmi is winning most popular!” The girls giggled. “Well it can’t be helped. Sunbae is too cute, even I have a crush on her!” “Aye! But with that much popularity, she must get Antis too.” “Antis?” Mark interrupted the conversation. The younger girls nodded their head, eager to have a chat with their sunbae. “Mm! There’s a rumor spreading amongst the first years that Ahnmi is a woman hater.” Mark wanted to burst out laughing at the very idea. “A woman hater?” “Yeah, well, because she only hangs out with guys.” “Well, that’s because she’s the only female second year in the school,” Mark defended, his voice raising a little bit too sharply. “Ah, we didn’t mean to offend you, Mark sunbae,” “Yeah, we like Ahnmi sunbae too! It’s just a dumb rumor,” “Yeah, probably from a jealous first year or something!” Mark chuckled, his temper subsiding at the cute freshmen. “If you try to get to know her, you’ll find out Ahnmi’s no hater. She’s just a shy little puppy that loves people.” The girls giggled as they saw Mark glance back into the classroom, a small smile spreading across his face as he watched Ahnmi. “Have a fun festival, Sunbae. We’re gonna go try and become Ahnmi sunbae’s prince!” Mark laughed as he waved the girls goodbye. Stealing one more glance at the smiling Ahnmi, he left back to his own classroom, his heart feeling at ease. - Ahnmi sighed with content as she took a seat in the corner of the room as Youngjae offered her a bottle of water. She took it gratefully, chuckling as she watched a couple take their turn at playing prince and princess. “You were great,” Youngjae complimented. “How’s your breathing?” “I’m fine,” she smiled back, getting up just to show him how “fine” she was. “Well, you’ve earned your break. Go have fun with Mark,” Youngjae patted her head before reluctantly letting her go off. Ahnmi was practically skipping down the stairs with happiness. She couldn’t wait to change out of her dress and watch Yugyeom’s performance with Mark. She hadn’t watched one of Yugyeom’s dance routines since they were in middle school. Apparently he had improved a lot. Ahnmi rushed into the girl’s bathroom, which was surprisingly not packed, considering it was the only female restroom in the school. Hurrying into a stall, Ahnmi giggled at the signs plastered over the stall’s walls. “Come watch 1B’s Dancing King—Kim Yugyeom!” She chuckled as she took one of the flyers down. She would never let Yugyeom live this down. Tucking the paper away into her bag, she proceeded to strip off her costume. - Mark gave a final shout of excitement as his shift came to an end. Hurrying out of the classroom before his peers could even say goodbye, Mark headed down to the auditorium entrance where they had promised to meet. For some reason, though he was excited to cheer on Yugyeom, he was nervous. He wondered to himself what he and Ahnmi would do after Yugyeom’s performance. He heard Bambam’s class was making some pretty good crepes. Maybe they could visit Bambam. Mark glanced back at his phone. She sure was taking her time. - Ahnmi froze as the bathroom lights went off, leaving her in darkness. It sent chills down her spine that felt even colder with her torso bare. She wondered if the lights had automatically turned off because she was taking too long. Reaching down for her bag of clothes, Ahnmi suddenly felt nervous as giggles echoed outside her stall. Her bag of clothes was gone, along with her cellphone and medication. She suddenly felt dizzy as the laughter grew louder. It was happening again. “We told you to stay away or go die, didn’t we?” a sharp voice spoke up as other voices continued to laugh. Before Ahnmi could even utter a response, a cold bucket of water was poured onto her naked skin. For a moment, she just stood in shock. And then she returned to reality. She had fun playing princess, but this is what she really was, huh? Cold and humiliated, Ahnmi trembled as she tried to contain her hot tears that were brimming to the surface of her eyes. This was her fateful ending, wasn’t it? A frog would always be a frog, no matter how pretty you dressed it up. Today she had been too happy, too excited, too naïve. With a heavy sigh, Ahnmi finally shifting, moving her hand to the stall handle. Another sigh escaped her as she jangled the lock. “Of course it’s jammed,” she muttered, uselessly banging on the door. With a final kick, Ahnmi sat down on the tiled floor in defeat. The space underneath the stall was too small to fit through and the stall was too high to climb over. She just had to wait until someone came to use the bathroom. It couldn’t be that long considering how many people were attending the festival. But tears fell to her cheeks despite her calm reasoning. She didn’t mind being locked. She didn’t even mind being half naked and soaked in cold water. What really got to Ahnmi was the fact that she knew Mark was waiting for her and there was nothing she could do to reach him. Her phone was gone and even if she yelled there was no way her voice from the bathroom would reach the auditorium entrance. Already, her existence was disrupting the peace again. This was just the beginning wasn’t it? Of her burdening the people that she loved? But most of all, she was bothering the one person who was promising her the world. Soon, Mark was going to come looking for her. Since he was a nice person, he was going to forgo his plans to find her and then when he did…if he did…what would she tell him? How was she going to explain herself? And so, despite herself, Ahnmi began to sob.

Her whole body shook as she hiccupped out her cries. The harder she cried, the more it hurt her back and chest, as her lungs began constricting painfully. She couldn’t even tell if she was having an anxiety attack or an asthma attack. Everything was just hitting her all at once and she could barely breathe. And then everything went black. - Thanks for reading! This series updates ever Friday and Saturday 8PM EST.

[yarrowleef]

4,5,8,9, and 12?

4. What would your warrior name be?

Well...My blog, lmao

5. Which Warriors character do you most relate with?

Umm...Hm. 

I have to think about..that...

....I mean, I’ve connected with a couple fanon or rewritten versions of characters, but that doesn’t really count

....Man y’know I don’t know if there are any? I can’t think of any character that actually reminds me of myself or that I significantly connected to. I feel like there were a couple instances where I related to Alderheart for the #anxiety and fear of disappointing others, but it wasn’t that strong. I also remember when I used to play warriors as a kid with my friends (before I had actually read the books), I would often use Cinderpelt as my go to character to represent me...I have no idea why? She just resonated with me, but again...not for any canonical reason. That’s honestly the closest I can think of.

8. Which Clan would you belong to?

When I was back in my edgy(er) tween phase I naturally gravitated towards ShadowClan for the #aesthetic (its what I joined on the first and only rp site i’ve been a part of) and tbh I just never left... no matter how much the authors seem to hate them

9. Which leader do you believe was the best at their job, in any Clan?

UUHHH mm I mean...I haven’t read DotC so I can’t comment on any of them...I mean, it’s a really cliche’ answer, but I guess Firestar?? ThunderClan being the POV all the time, and also being the main protagonist clan made it so they were the only reasonable ones in 90% of situations who didn’t resort to unnecessary incendiary insults, blind accusations, or random battles driven by an insecure sense of “pride” at the drop of a hat. Is he the best written or most interesting leader? maybe not, but realistically, the cat who tries his best to resolve things peacefully, and only fight when necessary would be who I’d want leading me personally. 

12. Describe an OC

Oh shit, hang on let me pull out and dig through my enormous bin of OCs that I’ve been storing untouched in this cupboard for like a year

Ok lets see lets go wiiiiiith *squints at dusty google doc allegiance list*

Nightstream? here’s a super old drawing of her from I think my sophomore year

I’m pretty sure I have posted at least one drawing of her before, probably 2 years ago anyway she’s RiverClan cat and a useless lesbian who spent a lot of time showing off for a pretty she-cat named Cloudmist/Cloudedgaze (renamed when she started going blind very young) but it never worked very well. She’s one of the best swimmers in her clan, doesn’t even bother fishing by the banks, just dives right in to catch stuff with her face (She’s not very... patient) it actually works somehow. She had an affair with a loner who she didn’t actually like just because she wanted to have kits when she heard that Cloudedgaze was going to be in the nursery with kits of her own. Which yeah, may have been very irresponsible. Don’t create life just so you can have an excuse to talk to your crush more, kids. She had one kit, who she was a little unsure of what to do with at first, but Cloudedgaze helped her and she did the mom thing over all pretty well, despite improvising her way through most of it.

[thefinalexperiment]

The Final Experiment Chapter 21: Bug Boy

A/N: Hello there! I managed to whip this up somehow, and I’m really pretty proud of this part. My next goal is to get another part written for MM&M, but I should also spend some time on my random fandoms blog @ouat-in-spare-oom-of-rivendell because I have totally (accidentally) abandoned my LOTR series over there... Oops. Anyway, now that we’re finally getting into the plot 21 chapters later, here we go! I added the cover, and please excuse me trying a new formatting style.

Pairing: Peter Parker x OC

Word Count: 3,090

Previous parts: 1–2–3–4–5–6–7–8–9–10–11–12–13–14–15–16–17–18–19--20

@after-avenging-hours @casameanlock @nicolejones412 @dashingdetectivetimelady @putnamcountyspellingbee @theblackqueen-ofmyheart @sundayon-fire

Tags:

@mla02 @shamvictoria11 @fanficcrapforme @procrastinatingvirgo @arie-tfw

        “So, you gonna go back or what?”

        “I don’t know what you mean, Scott…” I muttered, my tone dangerous as I sat beside him.

        By the small inclination of his head and the ever-so-slight downward twitch of his mouth, I deduced that he rolled his eyes. Funny, how often he seemed to do that when I dodged a subject.

        “Kaitlynn, it’s been a year… They need to know you’re okay.”

        “Scott, I’m sure the Professor is very thorough in his progress reports. The know all they need to. Besides, I have stuff I can’t leave here…”

        “Nobody said you had to stay there. Come on, just a visit. It’s end of term, not like you’d be missing any school stuff when it’s summer. Besides… you know where we’ve been headed lately.”

        I sighed. I knew exactly what he meant… We had been trying to make a relationship work for almost as long as I had been here, but the truth about the nature of it was becoming harder and harder to deny.

        “Yeah… You’re one of the closest people to me, Scott.”

        “But not in that way,” he finished.

        I nodded. “Best friends then?”

        He chuckled and nodded. “Best friends.”

        “Besides,” I grinned, “I’ve seen the way Jean looks at you…”

        At first he seemed confused, but then his cheeks turned slightly pink and he rubbed the back of his neck, grumbling incoherently.

        “Mhm… That’s what I thought.”

        “You know, I know you changed the subject.”

        “Did not.”

        “Did too and you know it.”

        “Did not, slander and calumny!”

        “Kaitlynn, you can’t just quote Pirates of the Caribbean at me and think that I’m going to drop it.”

        I suddenly became very fixated on a particular blade of grass. “Scott… In three days, it’ll be a year since they saw me, a year since I went psycho and went on a murder spree.”

        He shrugged. “All the more reason to see them. They’re the closest thing to family you’ve got, don’t take that for granted.”

        A silence settled while I thought over his suggestion. Could I really face the Avengers after all this time? Sure, they hadn’t seen me in almost a year, but that wasn’t even close to getting a clean slate. Even so… I suppose I did owe them this, after all the trouble I’d caused.

        “Fine.” Grinning, Scott looked like he was about to say something, so I cut him off. “I hate you.”

        “You know you love me, Kaitlynn.”

        “Whatever.”

~Avengers Tower~

        “What made her change her mind? A year ago today, we handed her over to the Academy and now she’s coming back? It just doesn’t make sense, Nat…” Steve was pacing and thinking aloud, addressing Natasha, but not really speaking to her.

        Nat, who was reclining on the couch, simply shrugged. “I think we should just be glad she’s setting foot here again. She didn’t have to see us at all.” She pause for a moment, then, “Has anyone told Loki?”

        Steve shot her a look.

        “Look, Cap, I know nobody here is his biggest fan, but he was her friend. He deserves this reunion just as much as we do.”

        “He doesn’t deserve anything, except maybe solitary confinement.”

        Natasha just rolle her eyes and rose from her seat. “Whatever… Well, I’m gathering the team, and whether or not you approve, that includes Loki.”

~Kaitlynn~

        I shifted in my seat, nervously adjusting my gloves as the aircraft docked at the new base somewhere in upstate New York. They’d changed locations not long after I left, something about one of Tony's dad's old warehouses. A small, small part of me was excited to see everyone, but the rest of me was just an overwhelming feeling of I don’t want to be here. I felt sick to my stomach, wishing that time would slow down so I didn’t have to do this. Unfortunately for me, however, it was too late.

        I wandered into the new commons area, which was a bit of a living room and a kitchen combined. How ironic, I thought, to be reuniting in the same way that I’d first met them all. The new setting reflected my own new persona. Just like the first time, Wanda was the first to notice me. When the rest of them looked over, there were a lot of mixed emotions. I noticed that Barnes wasn’t there, but though I thought it was strange, I didn’t feel like questioning it.

        What I did question, however, was the young man I didn’t recognize. He was standing halfway behind Tony, nervously shifting his weight. He had dark hair and puppy-brown eyes… And he was kinda cute, which was not helping my nerves in any way at all.

        Trying to make the situation a little less tense, I attempted a joke. “Replacing me with this kid? Can he even fight?”

        I was met with an uncertain silence. It was obvious that they didn’t know whether or not to tread carefully around me any more. The new guy was the only one to react. His eyes went wide and he started stuttering adorably, trying to explain why he was here and that he was definitely-not-replacing-anybody.

        I laughed softly at his expression, and the others gaped at me in disbelief.

        “What?” I asked, shrugging. “It’s not like the symbiote sucked out my ability to laugh…”

        The atmosphere relaxed, and it was then that a familiar Asgardian strolled up to the group, fashionably late as per usual.

        “Kaitlynn…”

        I nodded in acknowledgement to Loki, allowing myself a small smile. It was easy to relax when he was around. He knew what it was like to be in my shoes.

        “So… new guy, what’s your name?” I paused, taking a moment to look him over. As the deductions formed a story, I smirked. “Ohhh, you’re that Bug Boy, the NYC vigilante…”

        His eyes went wide again, and he resumed the stuttering routine for a bit. Eventually, he coughed awkwardly and muttered, “Spider-M-- I-I’m Spider-Man…”

        “Mm…” I drawled,“I think Bug Boy suits you better.”

        Flustered, he tripped over what he wanted to say before coming to a conclusion. “Fine then… Ice Girl.”

        I blinked in surprise. I had expected that they’d have told him about me, but I’d thought that he’d be afraid of me or disgusted by me when they inevitably told him the worst. No, I realized, he’s just too innocent to feel the gravity of my actions. He was only around 18, about two years older than me.

        “You’re cute,” I remarked. When the others looked at me in confusion, I calmly covered my slip of the tongue without giving myself away. “You’re like a little puppy, tripping over its own feet… But you gotta get over the whole ‘friendliness and trust’ thing, it’s gonna get you killed.”

        He opened and closed his mouth a few times before apparently deciding he couldn’t respond to that. “I’m Peter... Peter Parker.”

        I clicked my tongue and tsked jokingly, ”You’re Bug Boy… Now you know who I am, obviously.”

        Peter grinned and retorted, “Yeah… you’re the Ice Girl.” His playful expression clearly said Two can play at this game.

        Tony, apparently having decided to finally break up the little not-quite-flirting session, cleared his throat. “Well, I think I speak for everyone when I say that it’s good to see you, Sherlock. At least, good to see you not on a murder kick. That sort of puts a damper on any reunion, ya know?”

        “You’re telling me…” I muttered, tugging at my gloves. Silence settled again.

        “Well this is delightful,” Loki finally spoke, “But I do believe I’ll excuse myself from this macabre mood.”

        “Not until you tell me why Barnes is avoiding me.”

        Loki stopped in his tracks. “You should ask him yourself…” And with that, he strolled away.

        “He’s… changed… since you left,” Steve admitted. “But not because of that. Fury showed up and confronted him about a file… Buck never told us what was in it, but that was when he started hiding himself away.”

        I rolled my eyes. “Probably some seventy-year-old murder that suddenly has modern consequences… I can go talk him out of this. After all, I know a thing or two about homicidal tendencies as a result of outside forces.”

        Steve shrugged. “I don’t see how it could hurt. He’s in his room, go out and to the left then take two rights, it’ll be the second door on the right.”

        Smirking, I headed that way, leaving them with one last joking comment. “You know, if you had said no, I would’ve just hacked SHIELD to figure out what that file was… That’s a little game I like to play with Director Coulson, ya know? See how many files I can read before he has Daisy upgrade their firewall…” With that little admission of my involvement with SHIELD during the past year, a cacophony of confused voices followed me down the hall.

        “Wait--”

        “Did she just--”

        “Director Coulson?!”

        As I neared Bucky’s room, I thought over what I’d said about hacking SHIELD. I was the best at what I did, even better than Agent Johnson, and I knew that that was the only reason Coulson didn’t just tag me with a fancy anti-tech bracelet. It really was a little game, a practice exercise for the two of us computer geniuses. I never did any harm, never leaked any files. There was only one that I had never been able to access, like Daisy had been tasked specifically with keeping me out of that one at all costs. But, of course, that only made me want to crack it even more.

        When I reached the door, I took  breath, then knocked.

        “Steve, I’m not coming to see her. Go away.” He yanked the door open to find me casually leaning against the frame.

        “Looks like you are, actually… So what’s up with you, Barnes? Something’s got you in a mood.”

        “Kaitlynn…” He regarded me differently he had than before, but that wasn’t a surprise; all of the Avengers did now.

        No, what I found strange was the difference between how he and the others acted around me. Everyone else seemed cautious, unsure because they didn’t know the new person I had become. With Bucky, however, it wasn’t just that. Whatever Fury had brought him made him… guilty. He was watching me carefully, as if he was looking for something.

        Shaking my head in confusion, I just decided to ask the obvious question. “What did Fury show you?”

        Bucky’s expression hardened. “Nothing. You should go now.”

        He tried to close the door, but I stopped him. “I don’t think so, James.” I mentally remarked how he flinched ever so slightly when I used that name. “What was in that file? B2WS8499, right? It’s a file that popped up about four months after I left. The one file I can’t ever crack…” Nothing in his countenance changed, but a muscle in his jaw clenched and confirmed my thoughts. “I knew it… What was it?”

        Finally, Bucky sighed and relented, “Someone that I hurt.”

        I shrugged, not seeing the problem. “Yeah… You hurt a lot of people. What’s so different about this one?”

        By the pained look he gave me, I realized that that probably wasn’t a great statement to make when trying to comfort an ex-brainwashed assassin.

        “This one… It was more recent than the others. And it’s sort of… come back to haunt me now. While you were gone, I remembered it on my own, but Fury… He found out about it, but he dug deeper and found something even I never knew.”

        “Well why haven’t you talked to anyone about it? Steve? Natasha? You and her are Russian-speaking buddies, right? Trade secrets in your secret language and braid each other’s hair?” He seemed a little tense about my bringing up Natasha, but I shrugged it off. “Whatever, but I still say you need to tell someone. Take it from me, keeping secrets is how you lose yourself. And the ones you care about…”

        Sighing, he looked up at me. “I’ll think about it. Thank you… Kait.”

        That made me pause. I had never had a nickname before, and I found that I didn’t dislike it. “Uhh… Yeah, no problem…” Awkwardly, I backed away and went to leave.

        “Mind if I join you?” I looked back at him. “I kinda owe it to the others after disappearing on ‘em.”

        I nodded, and Bucky stood to follow me back to the commons area. The others had spread out, no longer really gathered, but doing their own thing. Wanda was at the stove with Vision, trying to explain something over a simmering pot. Bruce stood by the coffee pot, waiting for the water to boil, and Tony was sitting half on the table, fiddling with a hologram from his watch. That Peter Parker kid was lingering in the background, awkwardly glancing around. Steve and Natasha, who were exchanging quiet words on the couch, looked up when we walked in. Their surprise at seeing Bucky was evident, but they didn’t do anything but nod in acknowledgement to his presence.

        I nudged him towards them, then went to snag a taste of whatever Wanda was making. It felt a lot like old times, with how she used to jokingly chase me out of the kitchen with her powers whenever I’d steal her ingredients. I noticed the barest hint of amusement tugging at the corner of her mouth as I darted away with my prize. As I moved towards the table to talk to Tony, I was intercepted by Peter.

        “Hey Bug Boy, what’s up?” I asked casually.

        “Ice Girl… I just wanted to say hi. Again. I mean, get to know you better, I mean. I… I said that twice, didn’t I?”

        Laughing softly, I nodded. “You did…”

        He shuffled a bit, looking at the ground. “So… How about it? Maybe like… Over ice cream or s-something? I know a great place downtown… Or is ice cream too on the nose? I didn’t mean to make a cold pun, I swear!”

        And as he rambled on, it was then that I realized… this little puppy had a crush. On me. I had no idea how to handle this. Scott and I had sort of gotten together by accident when we were both in a rough place, but this… Peter was older than me, true, but he just felt so young in comparison. He hadn’t been through the things I had; life was still enjoyable and not as dark for him.

        I took an uncertain breath, then responded with a heavy tone. “Look… I’m not a nice person, Peter… All I can do is hurt you. It’s just better for everyone if you don’t get too close.”

        He shook his head. “I don’t believe that. You might’ve had some bad stuff in your past, but I don’t think you’re as bad as you think you are.”

        I paused to consider his words but resolutely shook my head. “No. You’re the kinda kid who wants a hand-holding, perfect relationship with chaste kisses and sappy words, but I can’t be that person. I can’t even risk so much as a high five without my gloves on. You haven’t seen as much of the world’s kick-in-the-teeth habits as I have.”

        “My uncle died,” he retorted, his tone even and quiet. “Because of me.”

        I nodded slowly. “Ah, so that’s who it was... You must live with your aunt, then? Since your parents are dead?”

        I wasn’t trying to be rude, honest. After my mutation revealed itself, I discovered that when I made deductions, it was hard to avoid just blurting them out.

        Peter frowned, looking slightly hurt. I immediately felt guilty, which was new.

        “How about we just agree that we’ve both had some rough things happen to us?” Then, he gave me a small, sympathetic smile. “You might not know how to deal with it in a… non-hurtful way, but I still think I’d like to get to know you for you. And… maybe you should try to drop this whole ‘tough’ act, cause I don’t really buy it. I think you just wanna keep people out cause you’re scared.”

        “Looks like I’m not the only one who can deduce,” I joked in a soft tone. Then, I let myself smirk slightly, in the way that said I was impressed with his gall. “You win, Bug Boy. I guess that means I owe you one first date.”

        “First?” he asked, grinning.

        I smirked. “Don’t push your luck… We’ll see about a second after.”

        “After what?”

        “After the first, of course. Don’t they teach math at your fancy private school, Bug Boy?” I teased, smirking.

        “Clever deduction, Ice Girl… Bet you can’t say which school though,” he retorted.

        I tilted my head, pretending to think about it. “Hm… Midtown Science?”

        “Oh come on! There’s no way that’s possible… Lucky guess, has to be.”

        “Well, actually--” But just as I was about to launch into an explanation of how I had been able to rattle off the name, I felt someone watching us. I looked over to see Bucky sitting next to Nat and Steve… giving Peter what could only be described as a Murder Face. Trailing off, I watched the soldier curiously until he noticed the incredulous look I was giving him. He shifted awkwardly and looked down at the floor.

        Peter was likewise confused. “Uh… Should I be worried?”

        “Nah… At least, I don’t think so…”

        “You don’t sound very sure…” he muttered, seeming mildly terrified at the thought of having unknowingly slighted an ex-assassin.

        I shrugged. “Oh well, how about we go somewhere then?”

        He gave me a funny look, kind of amused at my nonchalant attitude, then shook his head and chuckled softly. “Okay… I guess if he’s gonna kill me, I might as well get to go out with a pretty girl first, right?”

        That one actually made me blush. Unable to find words for a reply, I just nodded. When he offered me his hand, I hesitated, but he just grinned like there wasn’t a care in the world. His smile was infectious, and after a second, I relented, making sure my gloves were on properly first.

        As we left, I noticed Bucky watching us, his eyes narrowed and dark. I didn’t understand his behaviour, but one thing I was certain of was that I definitely needed to know what was in file B2WS8499.

Next Part

[hobo4lyfe11]

[ KBTBB Co-Writing Fic ] Hate At First Sight ❤ At Last Glance Part 4

Fandom: Kissed By The Baddest Bidder Rated: Drama, mystery, thriller, romance KBTBB OC: Ryoko Inui / Kyoko Nakama ( @hotcocosharing ) Main Interest: Soryu Oh Summary: Ryosuke Inui feels conflicted about whether he should tell the truth to his admired Boss or, assist his possible long lost, older sister in her prospect to get back at Soryu and the Ice Dragons. A/N: Time to get to know Soryu, and how he interacts with others while fighting with his own internal thoughts. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Warnings: RIP Baba’s fedora Word Count: 1695 words

✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎✎

Soryu Oh’s POV

“Get a hold of yourself Inui!,” I reasoned, shaking him out of his hypnotic state,

“Her? Who’s her?”

“Was that her? No, it can’t be…”

Apparently, he was so out of it that neither Samejima, nor I, could break any sense into him; he even started talking and questioning himself. Paying absolutely no mind to either of us, Inui seemed to be fighting his own inner demons before quietening suddenly and, standing there in deep contemplation. Maybe he’s calmed down - enough to respond somewhat like a human being:

“Inui, did you recognise the person at all?” “…No.” “Did you at least see what they looked like?” “…No.”

Growing up in the world of dirty tricks and hypocrisy has strengthen my ability to read people and judge one’s character and I’ve known Inui for far too long to be fooled by such a poor attempt to deceive me but, he isn’t a bad person and, I trust him wholeheartedly so, I’ll let this go for now. I’m sure he’ll tell me when he’s ready because right now, he is in no state to be interrogated.

“Soryu, I’ve never seen him like this; as weird as he is, he would never repeatedly say ‘It’s not her’ to the dog…while she’s asleep,” voices Samejima, the feeling of worry very imminent and exposed.

Hmm, to talk to the dog while she’s asleep… he must feel quite shaken by the surprise encounter from last night. What can I do to help him settle? or is this an ‘Inui’ thing that can’t be fixed? Mm, this truly is quite a dilemma. The ticking of the clock, partnered with the swirling of thoughts in my head, is interrupted by the call I was unenthusiastically expecting this early in the morning.

“Hello?”

“Don’t ‘Hello?’ me, Soryu. We need to find the bastard who stole the data containing our highly confidential files immediately! If you don’t get to the penthouse in 5 minutes I WILL destroy that stupid fedora!” screeched, Eisuke’s electronic voice.

You could essentially feel his anger seething through the phone knowing this happened so shortly after the incident with the defective security program; that we reinforced. But, no human can get to the penthouse from here so, it looks like Baba and his fedora will suffer the wrath of King himself. Heh, I’m pretty sure Baba has an infinite supply of the exact same fedora hidden all over the penthouse anyway.

*Ding*

The bell that welcomed me to the 51st floor was followed by the choir of muffled cries of despair, hysterical laughter and a whiff of tobacco, informed me, that the deed has been done. I stand outside the double-doors of the penthouse lounge and offer my thoughts up to fedora #63 that was sacrificed this morning.

Baba throws his crying form at me the moment I step foot into the lounge, while Ota rolls on the floor laughing - with tears in his eyes.

“Why didn’t you come sooner Sor~ Boss scowled at me for 5 minutes and then started attacking my beloved hat!” he whines for a minute before pulling fedora #64 from a secret compartment under the couch, causing Ota to laugh harder, more smoke to fill the air and Eisuke rolling his eyes harder.

“Enough with the nonsense. Tell me you’ve found the guy and he’s been wiped off the face of the Earth, Soryu.”

“They escaped. Whoever this was, knew their way in and out of the security floor and had access to all of the entrances and exits.”

“But the only people with that much access are us, and staff with Class 1 clearance,” inputs the fedora-adorned Baba.

“Or, the person could just be seriously skilled. No alarms or signals were triggered so the dude must have overwritten the system before you got there.”

Silence ensues and I hate to admit it but, the lazy cop makes a good point. The incident with Inui has been eating away at my brain for the past 7 hours so I decided to throw the information into the midst of our discussion.

“We can’t rule out the possibility of the culprit being a woman,” you could practically hear 4 jaws drop, “ Inui said something about ‘it’s her’ after his confrontation with the suspect but has become completely delusional recently.”

This new intel seems to spark an idea within that blond head of Ota’s, “I know a woman who doesn’t have Class 1 clearance but, is good with security tech,” he continues with a smirk, “Our little Koro~”

“We don’t have enough evidence to start accusing people blindly,” I can’t believe I’m defending this woman, “Like I said, Inui wasn’t in any state to provide any hard evidence and, it’s not like she’s the only woman on the security team.”

As the cogs and wheels in Eisuke’s head pieces everything together in his mind, the devious grin that stretches across his face assures a fate that welcomes empathy from those around the victim.

“Soryu, go fetch our little toy and put her on a leash - we’ll prepare her for her visit with the doctor.”

Yep, I actually feel sorry for her,

“Alright…”

With Luke out of the country, her appointment was delayed and so in the mean time, she is to be under surveillance by either the Ice Dragons, or myself, at ALL times. Her long fingers fidget and twiddle as I accompany her to the Ice Dragon’s HQ, where she’ll be staying from now on. Last night she was supposed to be responsible for alerting me to any suspicious activity or tampering with the servers but, I received nothing from her. Was she distracted from her post or was she really a part of the heist itself?

“Come, you should get used to this place because you’ll be here a lot. I’m going to make you my assistant until we find out who did all of this so don’t disappoint me.”

Behind the spectacles that frame her alluring eyes, surprise is written all over her face as she opens her mouth to object but seeing as she had no choice, she quickly reconsiders her previous action. As useful as I thought she was, she caused an awful lot of trouble for me and, I will not drag everyone around me down due to my incompetence.

“I have to get stronger in order to overthrow that vile dictator.”

Dammit. I let my thoughts leak out again. It happens more frequently now, that my mind is over-filled with thoughts of the Auction, Bidders, the hotel, the Ice Dragons, the mafia, Ryuun, My Grandfather… and her. I honestly don’t think that she’s behind all of this catastrophe - she seems too innocent, too sweet; too graceful.

I’ll clear her of her bad name quickly, that way, the Bidders will stop suspecting her and then she can return to her dream job. Pathetic. I even dragged her into this whole mess, all because I wasn’t able to capture the intruder last night. Don’t worry, I’ll impress you with my skills as you did me, before.

“Inui, I’m going to give you a chance to redeem yourself; take this woman to her apartment and search every nook and cranny for the stolen data files and any questionable materials, if any there are any.”

“R-r-really? THANK YOU, BOSS, I won’t let you down!” Inui shouts over-enthusiastically, shifting his eyes between the woman and myself. She doesn’t seem to be making eye contact with him, probably because she feels uncomfortable around him. I don’t blame her though, Inui’s earnest personality can be overbearing, even for Samejima and I. Here’s to hoping he’s in top shape to do this mission alone.

It’s past 11 pm and I find myself checking the clock as it ticks away teasingly - each second feeling longer than the last. The anxious tapping of my fingers against the oak desk plays a rhythm that, won’t make their return any quicker but, temporarily eases my restlessness. Not knowing how I made my way to the entrance way, I’m the first to greet the returning pair as they both have a melancholic air about them.

“Anything to report Inui?”

“No.. Nothing.” Hesitation, sadness, and uneasiness are laced through the words that fall from his lips. Is it naive of me to assume that it’s probably part of the slump he found himself in recently? He seems so distant, it’s concerning me, I’ll ask Samejima tomorrow morning about how we could help him get over this oppressive obstacle.

At least that proves that she’s got nothing to hide, so that should ease the suspicion that surrounds her until Luke comes back to examine her.

“Time for bed.” I dismiss, grabbing onto Kyoko’s thin, pale wrist and dragging her off to her room. She throws me a look of doubt as I stand there waiting for her to fall asleep before leaving her and retiring for the day, myself.

“I’ll leave as soon as you’re out. Don’t worry, I have no intention of taking advantage of defenceless women, in fact; I despise such disgusting behaviour so go to sleep already.”

After a good 30 minutes of wearisome tossing and turning, and the occasional glance of awkwardness that she threw in my direction, she was lulled into the land of dreams as her even breathing settled and her feathery eyelashes flutter closed. Of course, she was so occupied with trying to ignore my presence, she forgot to take off her glasses so, I make my way to her side with light and careful steps, gently grasping each side of the frame and pulling it away from her enchanting face.

A bit of her soft hair cascades down, onto her cheek and my hand impulsively catches the strands and tuck them snugly behind her small ears. I’ve never really taken the time and effort to get to know a woman because I thought they were all lecherous creatures made up of lies and were defined by their ability to seduce a man for the sole purpose of materialistic gain. Maybe not. Maybe she’s different. Maybe she’s like ‘her’.

A soft smile plays on my lips and I turn around to leave,

“Good night.”

[sickfic-shiz]

A/N: kind of a sickfic to introduce my ocs?

“Shaoyi, coming?” Shaoyi nodded and entered the car, watching as Yuzhou entered. Yuzhou nodded to the driver, before looking out the window. Sighing, he leaned his forehead on the blissfully cool window. Exhaustion was prominent in his soft facial features. Actually, it should have been vacation for the pro players, but being the captain, he had some extra work, along with a fan meeting the club had organized. Alongside that, he’d managed to catch a flu somewhere. He felt a pair of arms gently pulling him into an embrace, while the back of a cold hand was placed on his forehead. “Mm, you have a fever, take a shower, then rest properly when you reach home. I’ll stay at your place tonight.” The hands moved to massage his shoulders, releasing the tension as his head lay on the other’s warm chest. “En, sorry to bother you, Shaoyi.” Shaoyi huffed. “What are you saying? You took care of me when I was sick.” Yuzhou laughed softly. Shaoyi was a terribly dramatic patient, but Yuzhou himself wasn’t the best caretaker either. “Mm, yes, ‘leave me to die alone’, was it?” “Ehhh! Don’t forget I’m the one who decides what to put in your food!” “Sure, sure.” “队长你敷衍我！” (Complaining about the perfunctory reply, in Chinese.) “I’m sick, where do you want be to find the energy?” Shaoyi halfheartedly glares at him for finding that excuse, although it’s true that he’s ill, it definitely wasn’t the reason. Yuzhou groans quietly, making Shaoyi drop the subject immediately to take care of him. Yuzhou just enjoys the care- he lives off physical contact, and Shaoyi knows exactly how to make him more comfortable- where his muscles get really stiff from sitting at a computer, and how to help. When they arrive, Yuzhou feels as if some energy had returned to his body, and his headache had eased slightly. “You’re free to go for now, I’ll call you if I need you.” The driver nods in acknowledgement. Yuzhou gets out, followed by Shaoyi. Mm, go in and take off your clothes, I’ll be there in a bit.“ Shaoyi opens the door, letting Yuzhou enter first. The house was fairly big, and looked welcoming. Yuzhou obeyed, entering the bathroom. In a few minutes, Shaoyi is there with two towels, and some comfortable clothes. Shaoyi fills the bathtub, then helps Yuzhou in. He starts with his hair, and then moves to the rest of his body, then rinses off the soap. Yuzhou feels a soft towel being wrapped around his shoulders, while a smaller one is used to dry his hair. He closed his eyes tiredly, letting Shaoyi’s hands soothe him. After a while, he feels a shirt being pulled over his head while the towel is removed. Yuzhou let out an involuntary shiver. “Are you cold?” “Mm.. a bit.” “Let’s get you to bed, then.” Shaoyi finishes dressing him, then helps him stand. Yuzhou let’s the other guide him towards the mattress, grateful to sink into his pillow-covered bed. He shifts, clinging onto one of the pillows with a soft moan. It elicits a small smile from him. Yuzhou is as much of a cuddler as ever. “Yuzhou, what do you think about soup for lunch?” “..not hungry..” “A little bit?” He uses a coaxing tone. Shaoyi knows that the other never likes to eat when he’s not feeling well, especially combined with his general lack of appetite when he’s on his medication, but he gets worried when the other doesn’t eat. “..okay.” His tone is oddly petulant when he continues. “Only a little bit.” Shaoyi laughs. “Alright, alright, just a little.” Yuzhou buries his face into the pillow cutely, making Shaoyi melt a little inside. Soon, he returns with a bowl of soup, some orange juice, a thermometer, and some pills. Yuzhou peeks out from the pillows at him. “You should eat too.” “I’ll eat later.” “You can eat now. Go get another bowl or something, we can eat together.” “Alright, but take your temperature first, okay?” He brushed away Yuzhou’s slightly damp fringe to touch his forehead. It feels warmer than before. “I want to know how high it is. If need be, we’re seeing a doctor.” Yuzhou nods in assent. Shaoyi leaves and returns with another bowl of soup and some rice. “Temperature?” “38.6.” “Hm, well we’ll see. You don’t want any rice?” He gets a shake of the head in return. “Okay, just soup then, its hot, so be careful.” He passes the bowl to the sick male, along with a spoon. He finished about three quarters of the soup, then put it down. Shaozhou prodded at the chicken left untouched in the bowl with the spoon and got a small piece out, lifting it towards his mouth. “Eat a bit?” He was silent for a moment, before opening his mouth and accepting the meat. Smiling, Shaozhou pats his head. “Alright, why don’t you take the pills and then get some rest?” He obediently took the pills, and some of the juice before lying down. After shifting restlessly for a bit, Yuzhou reached out to tug at Shaoyi’s shirt. Shaoyi had just finished eating, between looking up at Yuzhou worriedly every other minute. Feeling the tug at his shirt, he immediately looked towards Yuzhou. “Do you need anything?” “You.” “I need to wash the dishes, and..” he trailed off as another, stronger tug at his shirt came. “Okay, you win. Until you fall asleep, okay?” Yuzhou nodded sleepily as Shaoyi sat on the bed, letting him lay his head on the other’s lap. Yuzhou grabbed onto one of Shaoyi’s hands, while Shaoyi’s other hand started playing with Yuzhou’s long blue hair. Though he didn’t have much reaction to it other than shifting slightly, Shaoyi heard Yuzhou’s stomach give a sickly sounding gurgle. Sighing, he caressed the sick male’s face. It seemed that the fever would be the least of his problems. Seeing that he was asleep, Shaoyi gently untangled himself from the boy, tucking the blanket around his shoulders. Later, while hanging out the laundry, he was alerted by the sound of footsteps and a door closing. Putting down his things, he followed the faint sounds of retching towards the toilet. “Yuzhou, can I come in?” He got a groan in response, followed by more retching. Taking that as a yes, he pushed the door open. He was greeted by his convulsing back as he threw up. Shaoyi winced at the sick sounding splash as a bit of semi digested chicken and soup, along with whatever he had eaten the day before hit the water. He knelt down next to Yuzhou, placing a hand on his back, rubbing soothing circles, while using another hand to pull back his hair, which was, thankfully, clean, though hanging dreadfully close to the water. Yuzhou subconsciously leaned into the touch, uttering soft moans between heaves. Even after he had emptied his stomach, he continued to heave painfully, making his fragile frame shake. “Shh.. babe, you need to relax, there’s nothing left, you’re only hurting yourself.” Eventually, the heaving stopped, though his breathing was shaky and his shoulders shook with exertion, collapsing backwards on Shaoyi. “It hurts really bad..” Yuzhou was almost in tears. Shaoyi held the male in his arms, letting him collect himself. “You’ll be alright, you can get through this, okay? I’ll start with getting you to bed, then we’ll see about some liquids to get the taste from your mouth, and I’ll cuddle with you, does that work?” “..what if I need throw up again? It burns..” Shaoyi hugged the male to his chest, feeling his burning skin. “Mm, it’ll be okay, I’ll stay right beside you.” He paused. “But with that, I’ll need you to do a few things, but it might be uncomfortable for you.” “Hm..?” “I’ll need you to eat something- you haven’t been eating enough lately, I can tell, and you’ll have to try your best to take in liquids.” He raised a hand as Yuzhou started to protest. “There won’t be anything heavy, just a few crackers and maybe a bit more of that soup, and I’ll get you the frozen popsicles you had the last time when you were sick, since they seemed easier to hold down. At least try? You know I won’t try to hurt you, and you can stop trying if it gets really bad for you, but I’d want you to try it out.” Yuzhou’s voice was especially small when he replied. “Okay.” There was an involuntary shudder in his voice. “Tell me when you’re okay to stand, we’ll only go when you’re ready.” “I think.. I think I’m okay now.” “Okay let’s stand first, slowly.” He managed to stand steadily enough, though his legs trembled a bit. Shaoyi lowered him onto the bed in a sitting position, then passed him the glass of juice on the table. “Can you take this for me?” Shaoyi held up a pill he’d taken from a bottle in the drawer. “It’s for your stomach.” Yuzhou took the pill and swallowed it, grimacing as the liquid entered his stomach. He gagged a bit, but managed to keep it down. “Mm, you did great. Now you need to rest.” Yuzhou shifted some of the pillows off the bed, leaving only two pillows and the blanket. Shaoyi smiled, and climbed in with him. “Does your stomach hurt?” Shaoyi laid beside the younger boy, letting him curl his hands into his shirt. “Mm..” The reply sounded miserable. Yuzhou jerked when he felt a cold hand on his stomach, before calming down. “What are you doing?” “Just trust me, it helped when my siblings have a stomachache.” Gently, Shaoyi rubs slow circles on his stomach, and it seems to make Yuzhou more comfortable, as he lets out a soft sigh. The peace is broken when Yuzhou’s phone begins to ring. Shaoyi untangles himself to check who the caller is. “Who is it?” “It’s the manager.” Yuzhou sighs again, but this time, it’s full of exhaustion. “I’ll put him on speaker?” Yuzhou nods. “Hello, Yuzhou?” “Mm, do you need something?” Yuzhou’s tired sounding voice, along with the slight tremble it carried, didn’t manage escape the manager’s ears. “Are you alright? You sound a bit tired.” “I’m a bit sick, but it’s nothing serious. What did you want to tell me?” The manager’s voice sounded apologetic as he replied. “I know your vacation hasn’t been very free, and you probably need the rest, but we’ve recruited a new rookie for the team. I wanted you to come down to take a look, give him some pointers and welcome him. I’m really sorry, this will be the last time you’ll be bothered during the off season.” “Oh, alright. Tomorrow?” “Tomorrow would be best, any time is fine.” “Okay then, I’ll be there arou-” “Wait, Yuzhou.” “Shaoyi? What’s going on?” The manager sounded confused. “Can I talk to you?” Shaoyi’s tone was uncharacteristically serious. “Sure, go ahead.” “Can you postpone meeting the rookie? If not.. can I go instead?” “Postponing is fine but.. can I ask why?” “Captain is really sick, he even threw up earlier, so I think we should probably leave this to next week.” “Shaoyi what are you doing? I’ll be fine to go tomorrow..” Shaoyi stared at him for a long moment. “You are not fine.” Yuzhou stared back at him, before turning away. “Okay.” “Right, postponing is fine, will next week be okay?” “Yes, great, thanks!” Shaoyi injected his usual energy into his words, returning to the voice he usually used with other people. “Okay, I need to go now, tell Yuzhou to get well soon!” “Alright!” Shaoyi hung up, putting down the phone. “How could you try to go work when you’re like this?” Yuzhou shrugged noncommittally. Not having the heart to nag at him when he looked so miserable, Shaoyi just climbed back into bed next to him, while Yuzhou lay on his chest. He wrapped his arms around Yuzhou, noting how small the other seems lying in his arms. “Hey, I worry about you when you try to push yourself you know? If you’re sick, you should rest. No one should blame you, and if they try to, they’ll have to get through me.” He manages to get a small smile from Yuzhou. “Thanks.” “Mm, try to get some sleep, alright? You need your strength.” Yuzhou nodded slightly, obediently closing his eyes. Though he couldn’t move much, and he couldn’t even pick up something to do, Shaoyi would have laid there the entire day if it made Yuzhou feel better.