#I'm guessing he and the doctor used to share a brain cell

[nicolovespancakes]

How about relationship headcanons/ideas? How would they treat one another? What if one gets sick? What if a 3-sum idea comes up, how would they react? Would they have an open or closed relationship? That kind of stuff! (you can also throw in headcanons for both individually if you have the space, I'm curious ^^)

OH THIS IS SO FUN-

Let's do it.

Relationship HCs:

- How do they treat one another?

They're best friends, always have been. Nothing much changes on that dynamic. I think Kon likes to tease indefinitely, and Bart likes to act innocent when he knows he's not. They banter as friends, and play video games at 3 AM too. I also personally think Kon has a softer spot for Bart himself, whereas with others it's his cocky/slick and cool jock persona. Same for Bart, as Bart himself is *not very nice* in the Impulse comics.

- What happens if one gets sick?

Speaking to the fact that Kryptonians can't get human illnesses, allergies, and ailments, let's say Bart gets sick. He's down with strep throat. Kon goes balls to the walls, he speed googles how to cure strep throat whilst panicking because he does not know how to deal with human sickness, and Bart is just in bed like, "what." Kon would absolutely make every remedy possible, and he'd take him to the doctors like Bart's dying or something. Once Bart tells him that no, he's not dying, Kon calms down a little.

- Threesomes?

This goes into my personal individual HCs for them, but I don't think either of them would be shocked. In fact I think that personally, they wouldn't turn it down at most notions. Kon's got the hormones of a teenage boy, and Bart can keep up with it. They both have crushes outside of eachother that they'd be fine with fucking in one another's company as well.

- Open or closed relationship?

I guess this one can depend on what dynamic I'm finding with them. Because Kon is very loyal as a person, as is Bart. So if they were in agreement of monogamy, then that's it. I think they'd keep that promise. If they weren't? I damn well know Kon would be the kind to fuck around, but Bart would still be his main person. His main partner and lover. Same for Bart to Kon, he'd have relationships outside of theirs, but his and Kon's is his main priority. They both feel like the kinds of the people that can't be tied down, and that would reflect in their relationship and relation to sex and things.

- Three-Way pairs?

TimBartKon. They're all very close and kind to my heart. <3

- Who Tops?

I'd say Kon tops more often, but they switch on occasions. Sometimes Bart needs to let off some steam in, other ways. ;)

Random other Relationship HCs

- They gossip about other people with eachothwr and they are BITCHES about it because they're both brash as hell.

- The 90s slang in their convos is WILD.

- Their dancing together is half insane because they use their powers a lot of the time. And it's just limbs all over.

- They have NO shame about anything, ever. No filters for sex, none for obscene jokes, nothing. Not even in public.

- They start food fights with eachother and they are METICULOUS.

- They compare eachother to fictional characters all the time.

- They share the most cryptically funny taste in memes. Regularly Whip n Nae Nae at eachother around the room.

- Kon took Bart's V-card. :)

- Size Kink

- Bart calls Kon squishy all the time.

- They share one brain cell when doing stupid things

- Kon treats Bart as his fashion doll because otherwise Bart will dress like Adam Sandler

- They have Water Guns if ever in a shared living space, and constantly spray eachother with them

- Bart constantly wants uppies

Individual HCs:

Kon (NSFW ahead)

- Sexual Deviance is in his NATURE. Literally lost his virginity at the age of, what? 15? 16? Basically after he was born and got with Knockout. He is a boy in every aspect but sex when he was first introduced in his comics.

- To add to that, he is an open book of sex, but my HC reasons for that are depraved and disturbing (talk Lex Luthor and being, "inappropriate" to minors, dm for more info on THAT)

- I'd like to say he often has hook ups with, many different crowds. Like the road trip arc with the party animals and orgies/hookups of various sizes of people. He's into some freaky shit.

- Canonically has a thing for his cousins, so I insist upon it.

- Regularly also bangs aliens!

- Hates hot chocolate for no reason in particular.

- Has slept with most of his teammates and/or villians (if not them all)

- Likes mint chocolate chip

- Smells of vaguely fruity and floral cologne, but also luxurious and leathery all at once

- Never leaves without his sunglasses

- OBSESSED with playboy. Has bunny earrings and a full bunny suit in storage. Wears their merchandise constantly.

- Listens to the wackiest amalgamation of music of different genres

- Has his tounge pierced from years in hawaii.

- Frequently visited sex clubs in Hawaii (whilst still figuring his shit out)

- Chews gum almost constantly (usually pink, blows bubbles so much its annoying)

- Had sex with most members of the batfamily.

- Has a magic cross piercing. ;)

- The strongest member of the super family (fight me)

- Says he's a slut for everything (arrowhead water, KFC, sushi, Mac n Cheese, lobster tails, redbull, sun chips, etc.)

- Absolutely has a pair of crust pants but they're white

- Loves furbies

- Fidgets with anything in sight.

- Actually insanely smart (LEX LUTHOR GENES)

- Bedazzled himself once

- Has definitely eaten tide pods like gushers (won't kill him, right?)

- Likes restraints. ;)

- "Self pleasure is love, self pleasure is life"

- Sometimes Intersex (SOMETIMES I HC HIM AS INTERSEX (KRYPTONIAN BIOLOGY), SOMETIMES I HC HIM AS CIS)

- Is definitely a partial country boy after living with the Kents.

- Spends too much time on Rule 34

- Would throw a building at the right person with no hesitation

- Body claim is Ross Lynch

- Doesn't sleep much

- Has a Lexcorp branding on his lower back

- Hoards sex toys like the plagues are coming (he has so fucking many)

- Pansexual

- Etc. (I have more I just can't remember them rn-)

Bart

- Dies a little inside every time someone calls him crazy

- Has a high sex drive because Speedster Things

- Stamina is through the roof

- Talks so fast sometimes that the words are blurred together

- "tIMDIDYOUHEARMEILOVEPEACETEA-"

- Is not a very patient person

- Brat to the highest degree

- Drools in his sleep

- His music taste is the most cursed shit in humanity's history

- Has a hard time communicating because he grew up in VR

- Comes up with the FUNNIEST insults possible

- Demisexual

- Unsure of gender identity

- Vibrates when overstimulated (Often)

- Gives every person he knows a nickname

- Likes spicy food

- Regularly travels to Japan for convenient store snacks in specific

- Breaks out into musical theatre at random

- Also fucked most of his teammates

- More attracted to masc presenting then fem presenting

- Floofy ass hair for days

- Technology genius (everyone says he's not until they see it)

- Eats (licks) sea salt licks

- Has PICA

- Uploads cryptic photos to the group chat at 3 AM

- Bottoms more than he tops

- Socially inept

- FRECKLES EVERYWHERE

- A very good artist (fight. me.)

- Not a fan of history

- Once tried to get Tim to ride his red board connected to him by rope whilst he sped across central city

- Gets MAD when people don't say hi to Dox (thy dog named Dox)

- Once introduced Cassandra Cain to heelys and had to hear the batfam complain about it for months

- Comes quickly after becoming aroused (a teenager SPEEDSTER? CMON YALL)

- Says the weirdest philosophical theory at random with friends and then acts like nothing happened

- LOUD. BOYS A SCREAMER IN BED.

- Plays the ukulele

- ETC. (ITS 2 AM PLEASE)

[wordstro]

[2:24 PM] + hero/villain au + "are you happy?"

part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5 part 6 part 7 part 8 part 9

masterlist

a/n: 4k words, no one asked for this at all but I read over this fic and felt it needed something more definitive i guess? so here is a more conclusive ending to this fic!!

-

there is an irony to your new living arrangements, you think. yeosang, san and yourself sharing a three bedroom apartment.

you'd been arrested after wooyoung, handcuffs suppressing your powers wrapped around your wrists and a blindfold over your eyes, and after weeks sitting in a prison cell alone awaiting your fate, you'd been called into court. hongjoong sat in the witness stand, dressed in a suit, his hair a different color and an eyepatch over one eye.

you could not get used to how different he looked. how much older he was. the soft lines in his face were harder, and his eyes were ancient, as if he'd seen too much, and you did not dare ask anyone how much time had passed. you hadn't gotten the chance, anyway, since you'd been locked up the entire time.

hongjoong explained to the court that you'd been brainwashed. the serum. the research from the labs. the gaps in your memories. brain scans of how the serum affected you. the doctors had already told you how it affected your hippocampus and how they weren't sure how your short term memory would be affected. he hadn't looked at you the entire time he spoke. you hadn't had the chance to speak with him either.

the judge and jury ruled that you would be on house arrest for fifteen months, and you would need to do community service afterwards. you were banned from using your powers for two years.

you didn't think that was punishment enough, really, but you did not say anything. there would be enough outcry on the internet anyway, after the trial results were released.

that night, the government officials handling your case drove you up to an apartment building at the edge of town, and hongjoong did not look at you then either.

you'd had weeks to think about the aftermath of wooyoung surrendering. you'd let the armed officers cuff you, and only yunho stayed with you during it. you'd sat on the ground, with your hands behind your back, a flimsy piece of metal wrapped around your wrists, and hongjoong had appeared before you, a bloody scar running over his eye, and his chest heaving, and he crouched in front of you that day and held you tight. you were taken into government custody with his blood on your shirt, mixing with wooyoung's.

while in captivity and isolation, you knew you'd done too many despicable things, serum or no serum, to not be punished. even then, wooyoung was right.

that night, you stood in front of a red apartment door, and the government officials reminded you once more of the court's stipulations before they left you with hongjoong. you were given a bracelet on each wrist, so tight it made the skin around the bracelets tender, that rendered your powers completely useless. for the first time in your life, you did not have enhanced strength.

hongjoong looked at you then, for the first time in weeks, and you asked then, "how long has it been?"

"seven years," he said, his voice soft, his hard expression crumbling into something sad. his good eye flickered over your face.

"oh." you could not believe you were seven years older and you missed all those years. not only did wooyoung steal your autonomy, but he also stole years from you. you wanted to hate him for it, a part of you did. a part of you will never, though, and that's the worst part.

hongjoong held out his arms, and you'd blinked at him, and he said, "i'm sorry we couldn't figure out a way to get you out sooner. i told you you wouldn't have to do it alone again, but you did."

you shook your head, "that isn't your fault."

hongjoong let out a small laugh, shaking his head, his arms falling to his side.

you stepped into his limp embrace anyway. you hadn't had anyone hold you since yunho, and you needed it, despite everything.

he seemed surprised, but he quickly wrapped his arms around you, and he said, "i'm sorry."

you just shook your head, and hongjoong held you for a long moment before turning to the door.

when he opened the door to the apartment, yeosang and san were curled on the couch. they'd turned off the news as soon as they realized you'd walked in, but you'd still caught a glimpse of your face walking out of the courtroom.

"we thought it best you stay with some of us during your house arrest," hongjoong said.

yeosang had a burn across his face, a puckered scar that marred his pretty face, his dark hair pulled back from his face in a messy bun. he had scars on his arms, too, that ran all the way up. it wasn't there before. san's hair was short, and his eyes were harder as he looked at you. wary. they both looked so different from how you remembered them, especially when all you've seen of them these past few years were the memories in your head that kept you sane in the serum's liminal space.

you'd wondered briefly why san and yeosang had been chosen, but before you could ask, san explained, "you can't punch me easily and yeosang can...yeosang understands. you've also hurt us less than mingi or yunho or -"

he cut himself off, and his gaze flickered to hongjoong. you'd frowned. hongjoong sighed, but he just pat your back, and said, "i'm down two floors. you can't leave the building, but you can visit if you'd like."

then hongjoong left, disappearing into thin air.

the irony of it was not lost on either of you. three of the people who loved wooyoung most, learning to cope in a tiny three bedroom apartment together. it was not lost on you, when you'd be in the kitchen reaching for a wooden spoon or a plate or a pan or if you stretched your arms over your head while watching television, and san would flinch slightly at your movements. it was not lost on yeosang when he'd open his mouth to say something, raising his voice slightly, and you'd close your eyes, fear running up your spine. he swore he wouldn't use his powers on any of you again, but he made the same promise back then. that was the only thought that ran through your head at those times. it was not lost on either of them when you'd try to open a jar or lift something heavy, and you couldn't do it because of the damned bracelets, and you'd hide in your room for hours trying to ignore the way the thought of being so vulnerable reminded you of when wooyoung ordered yeosang to keep your hands in place, or the fact that all your life you were supposed to be strong and that guaranteed you at least a modicum of safety. if san and yeosang noticed your red eyes or the tear streaks the next morning while you maneuvered around each other in the small kitchen, neither said a thing. none of you ever mentioned the small moments of fear or sadness you'd noticed. you'd figured it was because things have changed between you all. at least between yourself and them.

it was worse when mingi or yunho would visit, and they'd flinch at your movements too. or hesitate to touch you. or treat you as if you were this fragile, weak thing they should handle with care.

it didn't help that you were stuck in the apartment building. there were only so many times you could go to the small apartment gym before you lost your mind. yeosang and san had a job, and you wanted to help with rebuilding as well, but you couldn't leave. the bracelets would electrocute you, hongjoong had said once, and you'd stared in horror as hongjoong shrugged and patted your shoulder gently. you couldn't even visit hongjoong because he was barely home in his apartment. the other patrons of the building avoided you completely, and you couldn't blame them for it.

you only knew a bit of what happened to jongho and seonghwa. they were in prison apparently, but their sentences were much shorter than wooyoung's due to a plea deal worked out when seonghwa had decided to spy for hongjoong, feeding information back to them and even helping yeosang and a few others escape. a light sentence for jongho was a part of seonghwa's plea deal.

you'd avoided the news as often as you could, and san and yeosang always changed the channel. it was strange, trying to figure out how to navigate living again alongside san and yeosang. the three of you didn't always get along. especially san and you, but that had always been your dynamic, even when you first joined the team. you would be an idiot to think everything would be normal between you three. the tiptoeing and awkward silences were enough of a testament to that. you noticed often that san's bed would be untouched, the mornings you woke up early to get some quiet time to yourself, and the door to yeosang's bedroom would be shut, soft music drifting out from beneath the door. perhaps before everything, you would have felt comfortable teasing them for it. now, you weren't sure where your dynamics stood, and what you could and could not tease them about. it made you sad.

the tension did not entirely dissipate for a while. not until one evening where you'd flipped through numerous channels, landing briefly on a news channel. your phone buzzed, san's name lighting up.

i'm bringing pizza home, by the way. with y/n's favorite toppings.

he'd been doing that more often lately, and you wondered often why. he never really asked what you wanted for dinner the times he brought anything home, but the past week he'd gone out of his way to bring home your favorites. even yeosang brought you desserts from various bakeries without you having to ask.

yeosang responded with a cute smiley emoji and a, can't wait! i'll be home in a bit too

you'd smiled at the previews, turning to change the channel, when you'd realized what the broadcast was about.

the eighth anniversary of the siege of seoul. the footage was devastating. you'd stared in horror as you saw wooyoung rise from the ashes, like a phoenix. as you saw yourself tearing through buildings. cctvs devolved into static. the footage was blurry. but it was you. you'd done that. and afterwards, there was a memorial. seven hundred and sixty two died civilians died that day.

"y/n."

you'd jumped at the voice, the remote falling from your hands. it clattered on the floor, and the sound of it made you jump again.

you craned your neck to look behind you in the direction of the voice, and san was placing the pizza on the kitchen bar counter as his gaze flickered between you and the television. yeosang was right behind him.

you'd blinked at them both.

your chest felt tight, and your vision blurred, but you said, "is this why you're being nice?"

san blinked rapidly, taken aback. he said, "what do you mean?"

"for the past week," your voice sounded tight, pitched, even to your own ears, "you've both been so much nicer. is this why? is it because...i did that?"

you didn't know why you were asking. you did do that. even if you didn't remember. even if you were brainwashed. you killed those people. you killed a lot of people.

"because i don't remember it," you gestured at the television still broadcasting the memorial, and your hands shook as you said, "i don't remember anything. and so...so if you're trying to make me feel better i don't think i deserve it."

"don't say that," yeosang said, tone soft, and brows furrowed.

"i killed people, and i don't remember it." your voice cracked then, and you couldn't help the way your eyes stung. you said, "what kind of horrible person can't remember that?"

"none of it was your fault," san's voice was firm, even as he approached you, as he crouched in front of you on the couch and turned off the television.

"then why does it feel like it is?" you blinked back the tears, "i don't know where i stand anymore with any of you. i don't even know what fucking year it is. but i know that that was me, and i did unimaginable things. to innocent people. to you and yun-yunho and mingi and joong, and i got off with a slap to the wrist. i told wo - i told him i hoped he'd die with the guilt, but i think i'm going to die with it first."

"i was the one that took you, y/n. i was the one who started all this," yeosang's voice rang through the apartment, a soft thing that filled you up, up, up. you looked to him, and the guilt in his expression made the tears spill down your cheek. "i've been distant because of it, but i didn't think you'd notice...or care. i just...i'm sorry, y/n."

he trailed off, and you shook your head as you said, "you didn't know how this would turn out."

"why do you do that?" san asked, even as he placed a hand on your cheek and wiped at your tears, "why do you forgive him so easily when you won't even forgive yourself?"

you'd blinked, frowning, "do you want me to be mad at yeosang?"

"i want you to stop crying," san wiped away all your tears before pressing his palms to your cheeks. "most importantly, i want you to stop tiptoeing around us."

"i'm not the only one. why do you flinch around me then?" your voice is louder as you frown at san.

"you've beat the shit out of us for years. i'm getting used to the peace. forgive me if a month hasn't fixed it." he'd rolled his eyes, "still doesn't mean i'm scared of you."

you let out a small laugh at the indignant tone, at the way san still held your face between his palms. his smile turned soft as he observed you.

you glanced sideways at yeosang, "i'm not scared of you either, yeo. i just...didn't know if you hated me."

"i don't hate you," yeosang said, gently. you held out a hand anyway, gesturing for him to take it. he relented after a moment, letting you squeeze his hand.

it was quiet for a long, long moment, before san murmured, "he really fucked us up, didn't he?"

san didn't have to say his name for you to know who he was talking about. san dropped his hands from your cheeks as he sat across from you on the couch. yeosang leaned over the back, leaning his chin against his hands. you dropped your hands to your lap. yeosang hummed, but his brows were furrowed, his expression troubled.

you observed the puckered burn scar on yeosang's face as you wiped your face of your tears.

you asked, "what's happened to him?"

you didn't want to ask, but you wanted to know. you would always want to know.

"death sentence, and solitary confinement in a maximum security containment center until then," san said, quietly. "we all agreed he should live with the guilt. he's technically on death row, but he'll probably die of old age before the state carries through with it."

you watched san's eyes glisten as he spoke.

"do you think he feels guilty at all?"

san only shrugged, fiddling with his fingers in his lap.

yeosang said, "i think he does. he always did."

"you think so?" you asked, reaching up to touch the scar on yeosang's face, the skin rough under your touch. you dropped your hand as you said, "even after this."

"he cried after," yeosang murmured, his eyes faraway. "isn't that fucked up? he cried, and he asked me if i wanted to leave that night."

yeosang laughed, but it sounded hollow.

he said, "you were there."

you'd nodded, but your heart lodged in your throat. you said, "i think i was always there."

"you were," san said quietly. "he never let you leave his side. he let yeosang leave, but he...he never let you leave."

you took that in. the few times you'd woken up, it was beside him. of course it was. of course he didn't. san reached over and thread his fingers through yeosang's limp hand, his thumb drawing circles along the back of yeosang's hand.

yeosang asked after a moment, "do you think we'll be okay?"

"we can try." you murmured. "we have to try."

san nodded and nodded, and yeosang brought the box of pizza and a bottle of wine to the table, changing the channel on the television without another word.

~.~.~.~.~

years later, too many years to count, you find yourself standing on the other side of the glass.

wooyoung sits in a chair in a white room, every wall made of glass. his hair is overgrown, and his tanned skin paler than usual without the sun. he has the same demeanor as he always does, an easy nonchalant façade that you don't think will ever go away.

your phone buzzes in your pocket, no doubt a text from yunho or mingi or hongjoong.

they said they'd be waiting outside. yunho, mingi, and hongjoong agreed to pick you up for dinner afterwards. yeosang, san, seonghwa, and jongho would meet you both there.

the first time you met seonghwa again, he'd crumbled to the ground, holding your hand in his cold hands, and he repeated apologies like he was praying. jongho cried. it took a while, as it did with everyone else, to rebuild what you had. even then, you didn't think it was entirely there. it was certainly different.

his voice is full of static.

"i didn't think you'd visit," wooyoung says, and his voice is rough from disuse.

hearing him talk, seeing him, it made your heart feel heavy. the anger you felt towards him, every time you couldn't remember something that you could have before he put the serum in you, every time you saw the scars over your heart, every time you were reminded of what you did for him, every time yunho or mingi or san or hongjoong flinched, every time you went to the doctors to check if the serum was fully out of your system and the trigger words no longer worked, returned tenfold as you looked at him. you thought you'd come to terms with it. you thought you were okay enough for this. maybe you were wrong.

you said, "i didn't want to."

"then why are you here?"

"i wanted to ask you something," you say, wooyoung's gaze flickering over you.

wooyoung smiles. it reminds you of Before. you shake that thought from your head.

you say, "do you regret it?"

wooyoung's eyes flickers between yours. his voice is a soft, crackly thing, "sometimes."

you stare at his admission.

wooyoung laughs, "i've had a lot of time to think. if there's one thing i've come to terms with, it's that i ruin everything i love."

"you do," you say, thinking of yourself, and san and yeosang and hongjoong and yunho and mingi, even jongho and seonghwa.

a beat of silence, before wooyoung says, "can i ask you something?"

the guard knocks on the door, signaling that your visit is almost over.

you nod.

he asks, "are you happy?"

wooyoung's eyes are soft, sad, and you find that the part of you that will always love him, despite everything, curls in on itself. however, the part of you that is always angry, that despises him for admitting his feelings for you only to take seven years from you while you forcing you to do the most despicable things, wants to scream at him. wants to hurt him. wishes the glass wasn't there so you could kill him the way you'd wanted to years ago. you will always resent him for his choices. he knows that. he nods as if he can hear your thoughts.

you say, "happier than i've ever been."

he nods, but his eyes are a glassy thing. the guilt in his expression is clear then, and you find it satisfying more than anything.

"and everyone else?"

you want to say, the happiest they've ever been.

but you choke. you can't say it. you can hurt him using yourself, but using your friends? you can't do it, despite everything.

they weren't the happiest they've ever been without wooyoung. you've seen them try to move on with the heavy burden of jung wooyoung on their shoulders. he would always remain a hole in their hearts, and in their groups, in their group chats and dinners and conversations. in fact, when you told hongjoong you wanted to visit, he hadn't argued, only looked as if he would cry - something you've never seen from him in all the years you've known him.

"why did you do it? was it really worth losing everything? was..." you frown, "was losing us worth it?"

wooyoung was always one to stand by his resolutions, but perhaps years alone has changed him more than any of you could have.

he murmurs, "i have to believe it was."

the guard knocks on the door, opening it. the creaking hinges echo in the room.

"goodbye, wooyoung," you say, knowing damn well you don't think you'll ever return.

wooyoung smiles as if he can tell.

"goodbye," he says.

[rabdom1]

( most definitely a sequel to this. )

Ox King was his second choice. He'd had lunch plans with him anyway, giving him an excuse to get away from Piccolo before he had to explain anything. But of course -- Uncle Raditz was there too. Not all uncommon, considering his mom was still a bit iffy about him hanging around their house whenever he was bored at being at his own since the whole fiasco upon him first arriving on Earth. Ox King seemed more welcoming, perhaps if only because he was Goku's brother, but no one was going to complain. It wasn't like Goku wasn't constantly visiting to scrounge for food whenever Chi Chi didn't feel like cooking, so a Sayain hanging around was nothing new at this point.

"Goten! Glad you could make it!" Ox King greeted heartily as Goten entered and promptly greeted him with a hug.

"Course! I wouldn't miss it!" Goten said merrily.

He was naturally enticed with the smell coming from the kitchen -- only being stopped by the fact Raditz was already puppy guarding the food that sat waiting on the stove. While sometimes an ass, Raditz at least had more manners than his father did and didn't outright take the food unless he was offered a plate, and would gladly wait for it much unlike his father. And hey, at least Goten finally understood where he got his sarcasm from, so that was a plus.

"Come here to beg for table scraps, too?" Raditz joked.

"Unlike you," Goten snorted, "I don't have to beg for my food."

"That's cause your mom actually knows how to cook!" Raditz huffed.

"Had to," Ox King chuckled as he grabbed a few plates from the cabinet, "with that Goku -- and you guys, too, I guess. Just glad to know it's a Sayain thing and just not a Goku thing."

Goten couldn't help but laugh alongside his uncle at that. He'd heard a few stories about the times before they knew where and why Goku had come to Earth, much less that he was a literal alien in human clothing. Bulma had even mentioned before they'd tried to get him to a doctor on numerous occasions to see if it wasn't some type of worm or parasite making him eat that much. But of course, his father hadn't been a very big fan of doctors and hospitals back then. It was just a genetic thing.

"Not that we're too picky anyway," Raditz said as they got their plates. "I remember one day shortly after Planet Vegeta was destroyed, Frieza didn't think to stock the ship with enough food for the whole crew and us three remaining Sayains. Me, Napa and Vegeta ended up eating it all in a day."

"Oh yeah, Sauza told me and Trunks about that!" Goten laughed. "I guess Cooler went for a visit that day and didn't believe it'd happened when Frieza told him, and made Sauza and Neiz and Doreen go check the stock room floor to ceiling to make sure there wasn't a mistake."

"Frieza was so pissed about Cooler not believing him," Raditz snorted, "and Cold was so pissed that he had to cover Frieza's ass cause his perfect little son didn't quite piece together that Sayains need a lot more food than anyone else and didn't stock up properly."

"Considering what I know about them," chortled Ox King as the two Sayains filled their plates, "I'm surprised Mr Smart Guy Frieza didn't think of that!"

"You'd be surprised how stupid smart people can be," Raditz laughed.

"You mean like dad?" asked Goten.

"I'm convinced you, your parents and your brother share two brain cells," laughed Raditz, "and your mom and brother are the only ones who get to use them." Goten laughed and --

"Hey!" Goten glared.

This made Raditz laugh harder. Ox King had to cover his mouth to keep himself from laughing, and quickly moved to busy himself with filling his plate.

Soon the three managed their way to the dining room table (albeit Goten going back to refinish plate before he even sat down) in order to enjoy their meals. Conversation was mild; his grandpa asking about every day stuff, how Gohan was fairing with the new baby and how he and Trunks we're doing in school. Raditz have the occasional input, question or joke but otherwise seemed so intent on his plate.

Yet Goten was doing his best to hide his shaking. Sure, his grandpa wouldn't actually care. He'd been alright with his daughter marrying Goku, so why wouldn't he be fine with his grandson being gay? It wasn't until there was a slight lull in the conversation when Goten found himself taking in a deep breath.

"You alright there?" asked Ox King curiously.

"Yeah, I just --" Goten sighed. "Could I -- I uhm --."

"Well, go on!" Raditz urged with a month full of food. "Quit your stuttering!"

"You would be too if you were trying to come out!" Goten huffed.

"As what? A circus preformer?"

"No, gay!"

There was a slight pause as both Raditz and Ox King started at him in mild shock.

"Oh, I, well," Ox King managed after a moment, before being cut off by Raditz.

"I knew it!" Raditz barked with laughter, causing Ox King and Goten to visibly jump.

"I -- excuse me?" Goten blinked.

"I knew you were gay!" Raditz laughed again. "Can't wait to tell Dodo he owes me twenty. Ha!"

"Excuse me?!" Goten said, now more forcefully. Raditz didn't seem to care as he lounged back in his chair.

"Dodoria and made a bet," he chuckled, "as to whether you were gay or bi. Looks like I was right."

"Your kidding," groaned Goten as he leaned back in his seat.

"I never kid about bets, kid," Raditz snickered. Goten rolled his eyes -- then squinted at his grandpa as the man started to chuckle.

"Well, it's good you felt safe enough to come out, son," Ox King said. "Tell me, do you have anyone in mind?"

Hesitantly, Goten shook his head. Raditz barked out another laugh.

"Liar!"

"Shut up," Goten whined as he continued to eat his food, "'fore I tell dad you were the one who ate all his drawer bacon."

"You wouldn't," Raditz dared, squinting. Goten raised his brow but continued eating. Raditz huffed and continued with his meal.

*So," Ox King started again, "have you told your parents yet?" Goten shook his head. "Oh, why's that?"

"Have you met mom?" Goten practically choked. "She'd probably loose her mind knowing I wouldn't give her any grandkids."

"How's that a problem?" Raditz asked. "This planet has -- what do you call it? -- adoption! That's right! It's not like Trunks couldn't just use his money to adopt a shit ton of kids, right? And he'd pay for your schooling, too! So it's a win win!"

"I know, I just --"

Goten straightened then, face turning a shade of red as it dawned on him what Raditz had been saying. Said Sayain was giving his nephew a shit eating grin at his reaction.

"So it is Trunks!" said Raditz as he pointed an accusatory finger at Goten, and getting a little food on the table in the process. "Haha! Of course! How romantic!"

"Shut up!" Goten whined as he tried to focus on his food again. Raditz merely snickered.

"Honestly, that'd be kind of ironic," chuckled Ox King, "if not beat some kind of social norm."

"How'd you mean?" Goten asked.

"Well, your Grandpa Bardock was a lower class Sayain back on Planet Vegeta, right?" Ox asked. Raditz nodded. "And Vegeta's dad is a king, right?" Both Goten and Raditz nodded. It was the first thing Vegeta announced to anyone, after all, being 'the Prince of all Sayains' and all. "Well," Ox King went on, "then it'd kind of be like your mom and dad. You know, the whole commoner marrying into royalty thing? Plus, I'd bet it'd make Vegeta and his dad rather mad at first cause, you know, Trunks wouldn't be marrying royalty. Not that that matters of course. Love is love, after all."

Goten nodded -- then squinted at Ox King.

"Don't tell me," he said slowly, "you think I'm going to get with Trunks, too?"

"Ok, I won't tell you, then," Ox King said matter of factly as he continued his meal.

Goten glared as Raditz nearly spit out his food in laughter. Oh, how he hated how right he wanted everyone to be.

[azumasoroshi]

Randst Magazine Episode 6

what the fuck does herlock have against natsume help

i havent heard this saying before but im gonna start using it whenever someone is being unnecessarily rude

YEAH LIKE BRO CHILL

he's just a littol guy please

oh god bungou stray dogs jumpscare

they're all praising mori for like. being cool and having bitches and i just have the sadistic creepy doctor mori in my head

ohhh wait that was from soseki??? i see

immediately thought to koe no katachi and the tsuki thing lmao i remember watching english dub and being like what the hell is going on

i got it on a second rewatch but back then i was like what is the significance of the moon what

it's very funny that here soseki admires/is jealous of mori for being outgoing and stuff while soseki was mori's sensei in bsd and clearly did not teach him how to get bitches

the amount of japanese herlock actually understands eludes me

i mean i guess it's a rather basic sentence but still

imagine he tries to be cool and be like "tsuki ga kirei desu ne" to barok and barok is like what does that mean

and he's like oh it means i'm a great detective and barok squints at him because even with the amount of japanese he's bleached from his brain he still can tell that is definitely not what it means

so he goes on a whole wild goose chase trying to figure out what it means and ryuunosuke finds him pouring over soseki's books and he's like well im not going anywhere near that

to stop herlock from being stupid you just have to say bad sholmes! three times and he will briefly use his brain cells before willingly turning them off again

this line made me laugh out loud ngl

the whole sao thing for shakespeare is actually really funny now in a modern context because. one of the historical literary geniuses shares his japanese name with fucking sword art online

i do wonder how exactly they got sao from shakespeare instead of like. sheikusupiiru or something like that

well sao is kanji right so i guess it's just easier than writing out all those katakana

does the "o" imply like. king or something. i dont know japanese

i do wonder if he has a similar kanji thing because his name is just written as シャーロック ホームズ in japanese so

dude i kept wondering why シ would make a "he" sound and then i remembered his name is fucking sherlock holmes and not herlock sholmes

i use herlock the most because it's more easily distinguishable compared to like bbc sherlock and stuff but also herlock just fits him more?? is that just me. he looks like a bastard so it's fitting that his name be bastardized too

i know the whole conan doyle estate thing and dgs's english release getting super delayed but i really love the name herlock sholmes over just calling him sherlock holmes so maybe it was worth it

someone on one of my fics was like "sherlock holmes is public domain now you can use his name in fanfiction it's fine" and i was like but i dont want to :)

[karolinadeaen]

I’ve been looking forward to seeing your face about that.

[pjstafford]

Do you smell that Mulder? A little X Files Fanfic.

The time is mid-April 2020. Neither Mulder nor Scully is working out of the home just now. They have a healthy daughter and an isolated existence in an unremarkable house. This was their life before COVID so, there is little change once COVID starts except...

Scully lies awake in the big bed she used to share with Mulder until about a month ago. She often lies awake in the big bed she used to share with Mulder and at those moments she is simultaneously angry with Mulder for being so stubborn and at herself for how easily persuadedsshe is by him. She relives the conversation in her mind at night alone.

"Mulder, there is no recommendation that married couples need to sleep in different rooms UNLESS one of them is showing symptoms of COVID or has a known exposure. "

"But we don't know, Scully, do we? We can be asymptomatic and still be contagious. We could give it to each other or to our daughter."

"But, Mulder, we share a house. We share a kitchen. We each spend time with our daughter. If one of us gets COVID..."

"Then who takes care of her if we both get sick so that she doesn't have it?" Mulder spoke with an intensity of emotion. "We must first think of her. "

'So, we don't see each other?"

"Of course, we see each other. We live together. But I'm thinking that kissing, having sex, and cuddling together in bed are the worst possible activities to keep from catching COVID."

"With STRANGERS" Scully's voice rises in frustration. "But we are already living together. We are a bubble the three of us. So we can kiss and hug and snuggle and cuddle"

"But we do go out for groceries and other essentials. We have mail and packages delivered. I'm not being paranoid or excessive, Scully. I'm just trying to think how to make sure at least one of us are ok to care for our daughter and actually we have weathered the platonic thing pretty well over our relationship. I can move in the guest room and we can avoid displays of affection or passion for one another for a couple of weeks, can't we? For her."

Scully thinks now, in her bed alone, that COVID is bringing out the best and worst of people. Mulder always did have a tendency to extreme overreactions. It didn't help that, because she was a doctor, he expected her to know things that no medical doctor knew yet. Just today they had a conversation.

"Scully," he calls out to her from the socially distanced dining room where he is reading online something about symptoms. "How can you tell the difference between a COVID headache and a headache?

"A COVID headache is strange. It gives you like a sluggish brain functioning."

"Like a hang-over?"

"Sort of, but it lasts longer and has different causes. A hangover is a lack of hydration and a drop in blood sugar."

"But how do you know if you have a hangover or a COVID headache?"

Scully has started to roll her eyes more again in the last month. "I guess you can begin with the question: did I drink too much last night."

"But this list of symptoms that you shouldn't go to work if you have- headache, body aches, fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, congestion, runny nose. No one is ever going to work again."

"Well, we don't have to worry about it," Scully says feeling fatigued and having mild body aches and the beginning of a headache.

"Scully, what would make you lose a sense of smell?

"There are several conditions but all are rare."

Hearing nothing but silence for a few minutes, Scully stops making lunch and looks out the kitchen at Mulder who, from his distance in the dining room, is looking at her expectantly with a smile on his face. He wants her to participate in their thing - their verbal sparring which kept them happy instead of sex for so many years- he wants her to tell him all the names of the diseases that would cause you not to smell, their causes, the origin of the disease - He is waiting for some scientific, medical jargon like it is seductive dirty talk. Well, fuck that. Motherhood makes you lose brain cells and why should she give him what he wants if he's withholding sex from her?

"Mulder, it is really unlikely you are going to have any of the diseases that keeps you from not being able to smell."

"That's it then," he says triumphantly.

It was her turn to look at him expectantly for more.

"We may have headaches, body aches, minor chills, nausea, and severe gas..."

"Wait, Mulder, do you have any of those things?"

"No, do you?"

Scully couldn't even get her mind around the question. "I think all mothers of young children are sleep deprived and lack hydration. It would be hard to know if my brain was foggier now because of COVID. There's kind of a perpetual fog in being a mother of young children."

"My point exactly, Scully, we don't know about anything but smell and taste, but if either of us loses one of those, we definitely have COVID. "

Scully stares at him with no expression for a moment and then returns to making lunch.

Just as she begins to fall asleep, she hears Mulder up and moving through the house. The clock reads 1:25. She rises, slips on her robe, and opens her bedroom door. Mulder is shirtless, in just pajama pants, his hair standing straight on his head. He stands in the middle of the living room with his head upright, his nostrils flaring as he smells the air. He picks up a shirt their daughter wore earlier in the day and hesitantly, tenderly brings it to his nose and sniffs. After a second he nods. Next, he sees one of his sneakers on the floor. He lifts it to his nose, inhales deeply and makes a face, shakes his head, puts the shoe down. "Well, I smelt that," he says to himself. He wanders into the kitchen. Scully follows him at a respectful distance. He opens the refrigerator, pulls out a jar of saurkraut, takes off the lid and puts his rather large protuberance into the jar, and inhales. He quickly removes his nose and the look on his face almost makes Scully laughs out loud. "OK, smelled THAT," he mutters to himself. He then opens up the cupboard and removes a sack of ground coffee. He opens it, puts his nose towards it, and inhales - Yes, he can smell the coffee too! Scully walks away before he sees her watching him.

The next day mid-afternoon Scully opens up a store bag package of banana muffins and carefully arranges them on a plate. She brings them into Mulder who is watching a discovery documentary on forgotten ruins. "They are cooled down now if you want one."

"What?" Mulder looks at her in confusion.

"The muffins. Didn't they smell wonderful while they were baking?"

"I didn't smell anything."

Scully sits the plate in front of him. "Oh, that's odd..." Then she starts up the stairs. As she looks back down Mulder is sniffing his sneakers.

Later that night, after the kid is sleeping. Mulder and Scully sit six feet apart passing a scrabble board back and forth. "Oh, my gosh, that's so embarrassing I'm sorry.: Scully makes a fanning motion with her hand.

"What Scully?"

"I just farted, Mulder, a really smelly one I'm sorry.:

He looks at her blankly.

Mulder professes after the game is over that he thinks he will go to bed early. He kind of has a headache.

While Mulder sleeps, Scully takes the bleach bottle and emptys it into another bottle which she puts high on a shelf. She fills the bleach bottle with water and returns it below the sink. She rubs order eater powder into Mulder's sneakers. The kraut she simply throws away. She moves a plant - one with little real fragrance and places it by the little table they had put outside the guest room so she could leave him notes or coffee in the morning. She writes a note that reads - the fragrance from this plant is supposed to relieve stress. Breathe it in deeply and lets the soothing power of its fragrance wash over you.

1:25 a.m. Scully awakens. Hearing Mulder, she goes to her door to watch a few minutes before she tells him it's all a joke. When she opens the door, he is standing with the plant in his hand, his head hanging down into the plant and when he looks up there is the saddest look on her face. Scully realizes that this isn't a joke or a laughing manner. She moves towards him. He turns around quickly.

"Scully" he says quietly.

She forgot their social distancing. She moves back. Mulder is smiling now. "I smelt you." He has a dream like look on his face.

"Do I smell so strong?"

"No," he says still smiling. "your shampoo, a faint bit of talcum powder, and a smell unique and sweet to you. I've missed that smell."

She smiles at him. "I miss you."

"isn't it amazing, Scully," he says in a soft voice "that with everything I can't smell, I can still smell you- thats the most important smell of all - if I can keep that, I will be ok."

Scully feels the weight of her misjudged practical joke. "Mulder, I was playing a joke. That flower has no fragrance, the bleach is water, I didn't bake muffins and I didn't fart "

Mulder looks confused. "You wanted to make me think I had COVID?"

"No, I wanted you to see how ridiculous it is that you are getting up in the middle of the night to sniff things."

"Well, when you say it like that it sounds ridiculous."

She laughs. "It is ridiculous and it is funny, but the fact that you are so scared of having COVID isn't and I shouldn't have played the joke."

Mulder shakes his head. "Do you think I'm afraid of dying? I'm not. I've already lived longer than I should have. We've both cheated death a few times. Now, though, there is a little girl and... I know we don't have traditional gender roles, but it's my job to protect her. That's my JOB. and I can't be the person who gives her a disease."

Scully's heart melts. "Mulder, we are doing everything we reasonably can to protect her and ourselves. We are good practitioners of current public health standards. But COVID isn't a monster or a villain you can fight off like you did with The X-Files. There is any number of viruses she might catch someday with dire consequences. As long as we continue to be vigilance in our practices we are being good parents." She walks closer and holds his hand.

"You smell so good," he says wistfully.

"Mulder, it's been six weeks and the pandemic isn't going away anytime soon."

"Not in another six weeks?"

"Probably not. We will get tired of staying home except for essentials. Our resolve at wearing masks when we are out of the house will lessen. We will have fears and be stressed. The mental health pressure will be hard at times. We will have to stay strong for her and for each other."

"And we can't do that from six feet apart."

Scully smiles a mysterious, knowledgeable smile. "Even before we were lovers we always seemed to stand as close as we could together. Remember?"

Mulder puts his arm around her with pressure nowhere else except the small of her back. Scully shuts her eyes. He hasn't touched her in six weeks and it reminds her so much of a distant past where the feel of that hand on her lower back would make her feel safe - as if she was immortal. She opens her eyes when she feels Mulder's lips on hers.

[nessamaurice]

Simple, Ch. 10 (Loki x F!Reader)

Masterlist

Summary: Tony and the Avengers are in desperate need of something like a “babysitter” to have an eye on Loki and teach him “how to human”. He decided to stay on Midgard over the dungeons of Asgard as punishment for his deeds in New York. That’s where you swoop in. A simple receptionist at the Avengers compound. You have to share an apartment in the compound with Loki and damn, he’s a really tough nut. With your open and kind character it seems that you are slowly cracking his shell. But suddenly things are getting twists that will change your life and your relationships there irreversibly.

Story rating: M

Chapter trigger warnings: flashback/PTSD

Words: 2615

10

As you slowly limped onto the Quinn Jet Loki wrapped his soft, green cape around you. Inside you almost fainted fell asleep the moment you sat down. You woke up every now and then; when Loki picked you up, as he laid you down on a bed in the medical wing of the compound. Eventually you woke up. You blinked into the dimmed light and looked around. Your gaze stopped as you saw a small tube leading into the thick, blue veins on your hand. Immediately the heart monitor next to announced your rising heart rate. In the other corner of the room were Tony sleeping on a couch and Loki on an armchair, long legs casually stretched out. The beeping woke them up but Bruce was already by your side to stop you from tearing out the tube and calmed you down. You started to panic and wanted to rip everything off your body, hoarsely screaming "No, no, no! Not again! No, please god, no!" Bruce came running over to you.

"Y/N, please calm down. Look at me. Okay? Look at me!" He stretched out his arms, palms towards you, as a sign of being unarmed and not willing to harm you. "Everything's okay. You are safe. You are back at the compound."

You managed to focus on him and your heart rate slowly calmed down again. You blinked a few times and some tears ran down your cheek. Bruce sat down next to your knees, moving really slowly to not startle you. He explained every action he planned to do so you'd know what was going to happen.

"Fine. I need to observe your physical state okay? In this infusion bag right here are just some analgetics, uh, sorry, pain relievers, and antibiotics, all picked and mixed by myself. There are no meds that would influence your mind in any way. I made a new access and didn't use the one they had forced into you. There was no second you being alone, whether it was me, Tony or Loki who stayed by your side, at least two of us. There are just these three electrodes that watch your heart rate. That's it. I haven't done anything else while you slept. I wanted to wait until you're awake. You've slept for almost two days now. That's great! Your body and your mind got some urgently needed rest after all that. Besides the obvious terrible things, can you tell me how you feel? Is there maybe some not visible, physical injury we need to pay attention to first?"

The way he spoke to you, how he moved, his peaceful face helped you to calm down. He really knew how to not-upset someone. You swallowed hard and had to retch a bit because your throat was just so dry like a desert. Bruce handed you a glass of water and after a few small sips (the water tasted so fresh and pure, it was a bracing pleasure for your body) you cleared your throat. You looked at him and at Tony and Loki who stood a few steps away from your bed.

"Thank you. Really, thank you. I knew you would find me, though I wasn't sure. I feared I... I'd stay there forever..." Tears filled your eyes again, your voice getting weak. Tony wasn't able to restrain himself any longer and rushed to your side. He took your hand and squeezed it gently.

"Of course we found you, honeybun. I will keep you safe, we will. I will not lose you again..." He turned a bit insecure. "So... you remember?" He asked with a slightly begging expression. He wished it so hard to be true.

You shared a small smile. "Yes. The only good thing that happened in there. It was hurtful and violent, but they brought back my whole memory. It completes itself from time to time, I get new... flashes. But I finally remember my childhood. Dad, Mom,..." you almost choked on your words, "You. I looked forward to every time you'd visit us. I wanted to stay with you after my parents were murdered, but I was intubated and couldn't speak, then I was put to coma and when I woke up...", you started sobbing and covered your mouth with your free hand, unintentionally tugging on your tube, "I had forgotten everything. I forgot you."

Tony shuffled a little closer and pulled you into a gentle hug while you cried into his shirt. After some time you looked up and saw Loki standing in the same spot as before, arms crossed, brows furrowed (one slightly higher than the other).

"Loki. I saw you. You were in my cell, wearing my headphones. How?" You wiped your nose on the back of your hand and someone handed you a tissue.

"I...", he started but didn't know how to continue, looking across the floor as if he would find the words laying there.

"Silver tongue turned to lead?" Tony couldn't help to joke.

"Shh, shut up Tones, give him time to think." You batted Tony's arm and regretted it the same second because the vascular access on your hand got pushed a bit deeper into your skin.

Seeing how you hushed Tony to let him sort out his words made him smile a little. He came a bit closer.

"There is something with you. An unknown power. Somehow we were able to create a mental connection that continued over the distance. I felt... I wasn't able to help because everything we could do was to use this technology to make your bracelet work again. I wanted to listen to the music you liked and... I thought of you. Then suddenly I saw you sleeping there."

Tony took the word and continued, "The information you gave him helped us to reduce the possibilities where you were to a few buildings. We split up and where already on the way to those few buildings when JARVIS finally could locate and destroy the virus keeping your tracker from working we could come down to one building. It was only active for a short time, I turned it down immediately again, I thought a suddenly green glowing gem would cause some unwanted curiosity. It wasn't long enough to locate you exactly, but the indicated area was enough to exclude the other possibilities we already had. Your strange connection with him saved us an enormous amount of time and you some trouble I guess."

You were left speechless. Then it hit you; you remembered what they discovered about you. You forgot that for a few “peaceful” minutes.

"Um, Loki, is this... normal? Do you build such connections easily?"

"Well, usually not. If the development of some kind of relationship is not supported by something like Seidr it takes a long amount of time. I was... surprised, to say the least. This is something I want to investigate, but not now. Not until you are feeling better and strong enough for such activities."

"I think I know why it worked." You started hesitantly. "I... They... I can..." You didn't know how to tell. You took a deep breath. "I can feel other's feelings when I touch them. And I can make them feel what I feel. With the palms of my hands."

Everyone looked at you with the same blank face.

"What is wrong with me? Why can I do this? It started after they electrified my brain, I couldn't do it before. They shaved me directly after they dragged me into their awful lab and stuck electrodes here", you pointed at the shaved areas on your head, "like they knew exactly what was going on and what they wanted to achieve. This bastard that called himself a doctor said his father watched me from the beginning and he already knew about this. How is this even possible??"

"Wait, what? They watched from the beginning, what does that mean?" Tony's look turned from soft to serious.

You told them a rough outlining of what you were told and what you could recall. That you were being watched because that doctor thought you would be useful, that he sent a Soldier to collect you, how he changed his mind... You were surprised you didn't had to cry while retelling parts of your story. You weren’t able to tell them everything. Not yet. At the end you took a moment to let it sink in and turned to Tony.

"Tones, it wasn't your fault. It wasn't because of you that we were attacked. I'm sure you felt guilty for what happened, that my Mom had to die because she was your sister. But that's not true; she had to die because... because I... was her daughter." You realized the truth of those words as you said them out loud. You pressed a hand on your mouth to dull the sobbing that followed. Tony pulled you into a tight hug but quickly loosened it a bit regarding the numerous cuts on your body.

"Stop saying that bullshit, Honeybun. She had to die because some sick psycho sent a brainwashed marionette to do so, there are no other reasons. Okay? Did you hear me?" He pushed you slightly backwards to make direct eye contact. "Do you copy?"

A broken smile decorated your face because you suddenly remembered how you played space ship and mission control and nearly every third sentence was 'Do you copy?' followed by a crackling sound, imitating radio communication.

"Copy." You whispered, wiping away the tears from your cheeks. You looked into the face of the man in front of you, the last bit of your family. A face that brought up so many beautiful childhood memories. You smiled at him and laid your hand on his cheek. You let the warmth from your chest flow over to him. "Uncle Tones, I am so, so happy to have you back." You watched him mirroring your smile, tears filling up his eyes. You felt how your happiness now mixed up with his relief that you were still alive and that his sister and her husband didn't had to die because he was not cautious enough. You looked at him softly and tilted your head to the side as you said "You look tired, old man. You should get into your basket real soon." You turned to Bruce "Bruce, I want to say thank you so, so much. I wouldn't be here and so well looked after without you. But you look dead ass tired, too. You should get some sleep as well. Maybe Loki can stay with me?"

"Of course, Y/N" Loki acknowledged. 

Hesitantly Tony and Bruce agreed to get to bed and left you alone with Loki. He hadn't moved, standing at the foot of your bed, arms crossed. You patted on the free space on your bed to invite him to take a seat. After a few seconds he followed and sat down next to you. He seemed a bit stiff, not knowing how to act, so you touched his hand. "Loki, I wanted to say thank you. For everything. I am very lucky that we met. I will always be in your debt."

With those words he turned his head to you, looked you so deeply in the eyes that it sent thousands of shivers down your spine and said, "You will never be in my debt, Y/N. It is the other way round. You are very perceptive and very kind, that is a precious combination. You easily notice how your opposite feels and if they don't feel good you want to change that immediately. I was so rude to you before you... disappeared and all you wanted to do was to ease my own burden. I am so sorry."

He couldn't look into your face any longer so he stared at his hands, one covered by yours (which was a lot smaller than his), brows furrowed. Waves of regret and shame flooded your heart and you felt his deep vulnerability. You realized he was capable of such heavy emotions that it was almost unbearable and you wondered how he could still stand up straight carrying around all this guilt, despair and loss. He still couldn't look into your eyes, being reminded of just another awful mistake he made. You had to stop that right now, so you concentrated on your own feelings. Your caring, your gratitude. You watched his features closely and your happiness increased exponentially as he lost the fight to hold back a smile. But all of a sudden he pulled away his hands, stood up and turned his back to you.

"I... I am sorry, what did I do wrong? I meant you no harm, ...I ..."

"Don't." Loki interrupted.

"...Sorry?"

"Don't apologize, it's not your fault. It's just that I... I am too wary. I don't trust others easily, especially if it seems to be simple. My alarm bells ring and I can't mute them."

"Oh. I kinda know that feeling. With me it is the other way round. I don't want to trust others so fast but I always end up doing just that. I think I don't even have alarm bells. It's okay. I just wanted to let you know how I feel about you and that you can relax around me."

"I know that. I know that you don't want anyone to feel worthless or miserable and if it is in your power, you try to change that by being kind and caring. You do that because you know exactly how that feels and you don't want anybody else to feel like this."

His open and direct words hit you like an arrow. You never thought about it but it was crystal clear just as he spoke. You tried to swallow down the tears, "How... how do you come to think so?"

"Because I am a perceptive person as well. But I used it mostly to my own advantage. I admire your kindness. I did not realize it that moment, but retrospectively I can see you always had a connection to your powers. It was when we had this fight and I disappeared. You touched my face and suddenly I felt those gentle emotions. It was like... you were digging out a part of me that I consider as weak but you... appreciated it. That was too much for me in that moment. This certain part is hidden for a reason, weakness is not something to be shown where I come from. All I learned is to be strong, glorious, victorious. Everywhere, all the time. But in this short moment, you showed me something different. That this part has a right to exist. And that you could be the person I can show it to. And then my trust issues kicked in. They still do..."

It took you a moment to process his pure honesty before you could gather some words, "Wow. You truly are perceptive. And you are right, I am the person you can show it to. I always try not to judge anybody. I understand that this will take its time, but I'd totally appreciate every try. You are someone very special and I want you to see that."

Loki smirked and simply said, "I will try my best to break my habits. I started to do so already." He walked over to the light switch next to door. "But now you should get some rest. Don't worry, I will be right here." He grabbed a cushioned chair from the corner and dragged it next to your bed. He made himself comfortable and put his heels up on the furthest corner of your bed. Softly he added, "You will never be alone again.", just before you drifted away.

Taglist: @it-jinxed-us, @humbledarkness, @lunawitch19,@redryderdesigns@rvgrsbrns

​

[gil-notskajla]

I know it's 2020 but I rewatched [prototype] gameplay because i remmembered that it was cool and angsty af but did not really remmember what happened in it except Alex turning evil in sequel for some reason and it seemed weird.

Soo im watching this shit for 3 hours because im professional time waster and i still don't get it. Viruses, i mean the viruses viruses, rewrite genetic code of attacked cells, they can't create hiveminds or any minds in fact, viruses aren't built to do such complicated tasks - virus is just some RNA (not even DNA) closed in protein and sent off to the world to cause maychem in animal, fungal, protista and floral kingdoms. In this situation - animal kingdom. Dr.Alex Mercer 1.0 steals the virus and smashes the container, gets infected and murdered by guys sent to catch him. Some fans speculate that that's the point where Alex Mercer has died including some in game characters and Zeus (Alex Mercer 2.0), unaware of not being Alex, took his place. But that's bullshit my dudes. Alex Mercer is still Alex Mercer but mutated and amnesiac (probably because he was braindead and memories are stored by continiuos bio-electrical reactions, neuro transmitters and ionic concentration on neuron membrane). Why Alex is Alex and not Zeus? Because conciousness is stored in organ, not genetic material (not to mention our cells mutate all the time, thats why we have moles and cancers). If conciousness was stored in genetic material, than twins would share conciousness, clones would share conciousness and those whoose genome would change would lose conciousness, not to mention that our cells get replaced several times durring our lives - the body you are in is not the body you were born in, yet, you are still you (of course neurons live really really long). We could argue that other infected were agressive and cannibalistic but that's not conciouss behaviour, these are instincts, there was no goal in their doing. Other infected were like: holy shit, prey animal, food! Of course some were controled by Greene but she was, like Mercer, an anomaly and her will was hers, not virus'. She just hated everyone and was evil as fuck. But back to Mercer, we could also argue that he died back there when his brain got destroyed by lack of oxygen - but than every new conciousness gets deleted every single time he gets shot in the head durring the game. My hipothesis is that there is one conciousness per one brain and is a series of biochemical processes on neurons in one specific body, uncopiable and irreplacable. By that hipothesis (which is very bold but way more specific than anything the game offers us, or better put, doesnt offer) Alex Mercer got infected, torn appart by bullets, his brain got damaged but did not die entirely because if it did he would have a way worse amnesia than just not knowing anything and he didnt get shot in the head

, virus already has infected him and probably kept his brain alive-enaugh soo that he would at least know english when he wakes up, virus managed to work on what alive cells were left (yes, when you die, your cells in several places in the body still live off of the reserves and substances in cytoplasm for a while) the virus, unlike most viruses, had ability to... (basing on my knowledge im trying to imagine how this would work) manages to reanicate dead cells and with, at this point, sheer willpower fix the damage caused by bullets and give Alex's heart a kick from the God themself to start working and that's when he wakes up durring the autopsy.

Giving that analysis, Alex Mercer is still Alex Mercer because he is technicaly same organism but modified, amnesiac because of brain damage caused by lack of oxygen between moment of getting mass-shot and fixed by the virus and i have no idea who gave him the doctor title if he really believed that guy that some Zeus replaced him. Like, Alex sweetie, viruses are fucking dead matter, ok? You are a mutant but not a new being. But he has amnesia soo I guess we can forgive.

Edit: Dunno where to put memory stealing aspect, here is good enaugh spot. I have no goddamned idea how this would work: maybe he doesnt damage the brain of the victim, somehow connects the brain to his own, transfers knowledge and than disposes it (however the hell this would work)? There was this one dude who killed himself soo Alex wouldn't consume him and get his knowledge, destroyed his harddrive basicaly soo he can't read it, and that's really cool of game creators to think about it. Respect. This also kinda prooves that Alex didn't actually die the first time he died, when he was still 'human'.

And the very end? He got caught in explosion but he must have created some form of safe box for his brain alone and got rebuilt from this and some other leftovers of him and a crow because it was already stated by doctors suicide that destroyed brain or something resembling a brain whatever he has at this point bust be preserved to keep memories. And he knows what happened at the end of the game. Period.

But than second part happens and holy shit i'm soo angry, you have no idea. I mean, ok, the story itself was fine but Mercer aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaicant why why why who allowed this plot disaster to happen!?!? In part one Alex did his absolute best to prevent the virus, to stop infection, to stop gentek and to bring peace. A beautiful, beautiful ending, a satisfying ending. Finnish the task and boom! He can live in peace, potential immortality before him, a world to see, a knowledge to gain, a life to live and no danger in sight or at least no real danger for him in particular. Perfect situation to start over. But what do they decide to do? Well we need to make sequel because first game sold. Soo we will ruin this whole character we have build instead of, i dont know, giving him new objective, expanding his character, and we will turn him into another evil guy dissapointed in life who lost faith in humanity and destroys his work from the previous game because we need something absolutelly devastating to happen soo new protagonist will have something to fight for AND also we will make those already a bit fucked up and evil bio engeneering corporations come back even more evil soo that making Mercer not only evil but genarally badly written character will have NO SENSE WHAT-SO-EVER and just, I'M JUST----!!!!!!!

[ellanainthetardis]

If you're still taking prompts could you pretty please do one when during the war the Capitol sent videos of Effie and the victors being tortured (maybe not of all of them since they wouldn't want to reveal their game) and Haymitch wakes up from his detox time to find all of them and basically looses his shit ? Or something along those lines ? I mean you're the artist here ! Btw I love you're fics you're my fave author sorry if you've already done something similar. I'm out of space bye xoxo

Might be a bitgraphic, if you don’t like that… ;)[X]

Dead Man

Haymitch couldn’t really tell if it wasThirteen that was cold or if the cold came from him.

The irony was that he was drenched in sweat.

He tried hard not to think about the rehabcell, about being left to curl up on the floor like a dog without a blanket. Itwas his own fault, they had said. They had had him strapped to a bed at firstbut he had broken out, he had… You are adanger for yourself and others… The doctor’s words floated back in hismind, unbidden, and he chased them away. Thirteen wasn’t much of a rehabcenter, that much was sure.

He had flatlined once, they had told him later.He had died. They hadn’t let him stay dead. A part of him wished theyhad.

Katniss would be a problem.

Her accepting to become the Mockingjay was thereason they had finally taken him out of what they called a hospital room – andthat he called a convenient out-of-sight cell – but it wouldn’t be so simple.They had had a quick talk at the end of the briefing but… No. Katniss wouldn’tforgive him so easily.

“What else did I miss?” he asked, making aneffort to focus on the present moment.

It was difficult.

His brain felt slow and sluggish, his mindtended to wander.

Plutarch had brought him to the compartmentthey were supposed to share so he could change – apparently, he was smelly andit was an inconvenience. He started to unbutton the grey shirt, his fingersless deft than he would have liked. It was a complicated task and if Effie hadbeen there…

“Nothing we weren’t expecting.” Plutarchanswered from the living area part ofthe compartment. He was tinkering with a tablet, checking reports or… something. Haymitch wasn’t privy to suchtechnology. He had been given a communicuff but that was the extent of hisprivileges. “You’re caught up on the main things.”

He wasn’t thrilled about having to share aroom, least of all with a Capitol. The only Capitol he wouldn’t have mindedsharing with…

He shook his head and finally managed to shedhis shirt.

His undershirt was easier to pass over hishead.

“You’re hiding something.” he accused, applyinga generous amount of deodorant. A shower would have been better but they didn’thave time for that – and five minutes of lukewarm water followed by an icystream didn’t seem appealing, he wanted an hour of hot water or, even better, ahot bath, preferably with a hot blond who would insist on using too muchflowery smelling products in it. Plutarch had been shifty ever since he hadtaken him out of his cell. Every time the conversation revolved around thecaptured victors and the missing escort, he deflected.“Tell me.”

There was a deep sigh and Plutarch appeared onthe sleeping area’s threshold, his arms folded across his chest, the tablet notquite safely dangling from his fingers.

Haymitch wasn’t entirely comfortable being thesubject of his scrutiny when he wasn’t wearing a shirt. The Head Gamemaker’seyes immediately went to the huge angry-looking scar on his right side.Everyone always did that when they saw him bare-chested for the first time. Thescar the axe had left was impressive enough to catch anyone’s attention.

But Plutarch was observant and Haymitch couldtell he took in the other smaller scars. He turned away under the pretext ofgrabbing a clean undershirt from the meager pile of clothes he had beenallotted but he regretted it at once because it exposed his back. The scarsthere were faint but characteristic enough that the Capitol would know theycame from a whip. Although he probably already knew. Haymitch didn’t believefor one second that the rebels hadn’t investigated him and being whipped forpoaching at fifteen must have been in his file.

“Look…” Plutarch hesitated. “We received sometransmissions from the Capitol early on. They were meant to unsettle us,nothing more. You don’t need to see them.”

“What kind of transmissions?” he frowned,slipping a new undershirt on. He felt better once he wasn’t so exposed to theHead Gamemaker’s gaze. How he was supposed to sleep at night with a Capitol manin the room he wasn’t sure. He trusted Plutarch to an extent but accepting tobe vulnerable next to a Gamemaker…

It was a problem for later though.

“Videos.” the man replied reluctantly. “Videosthat allowed us to ascertain three of the captives have been tortured forintel.”

He briefly closed his eyes before passing agrey shirt on. He knew about that. Even if he hadn’t guessed, it was one of thefirst things they had told him when they had taken him out of his rehab cell.

But…

“You have videos of them being tortured.” heclarified. His fingers were shaking too badly for him to hope succeeding indoing the buttons. He left it open and grabbed a black woolen sweater. The coldwouldn’t go away. It was wrapped around his bones. “Jo, Peeta and Annie.”

“Not Annie Cresta, no.” Plutarch denied, beforeclearing his throat. “Johanna Mason, Peeta Mellark and…”

The Gamemaker’s voice trailed off awkwardly.

Haymitch didn’t need him to finish.

“Effie.” he said flatly.

Plutarch made a face. “I am sorry, Haymitch.”

“You can be.” he spat. “It’s your fault.” TheCapitol didn’t even flinch and it annoyed Haymitch even more. There was noflash of guilt on his face, no regret, nothing.“You were supposed to get her out. I wanted her with me. You said…”

“I know.” Plutarch cut him off. “I stand bywhat I said then. Taking her with us on that hovercraft would have been farmore dangerous than having her safely and quietly extracted from the Capitol.There was no guarantee we wouldn’t be blown up out of the sky, Haymitch. It wassupposed to be safer for her than it was for us.”

“But we’rehere and she’s not.” he growled.

The Head Gamemaker looked down at the stretchof floor between them, finally betraying something.Damn those Capitols and their abilities to hide their feelings so well.

“I know you and Effie…” Plutarch started.

“You know fuckabout us.” he interrupted him before the man could say something that wouldfreak him out even more. “Don’t you fuckingdare…”

“I know you are friends, at the very least.” the Gamemaker countered. “And I knowyou lost quite a few of those in the last couple of weeks and I am sorry for that, I truly am. And, believeit or not, I am sorry Effie is now in that position. It was never supposed tohappen.”

“She doesn’t even know anything.” he retortedangrily. “She wasn’t…” He shook his head and outstretched his hand. “Give methat tablet. I want to see.”

Plutarch made a face. “I don’t think that’s agood idea. You don’t need…”

“Showme.” he snarled.

The Head Gamemaker clucked his tongue once inobvious displeasure but relented. He tapped on his tablet and then handed it tohim. “I’ll be in Command. Join us when you’re ready.”

He waited until the sliding door shut onPlutarch to press play.

The first video was Johanna’s.

His hands shook so badly that he was forced toplace the tablet down on the small table in the living area. He sat downheavily, elbows on the table, hands pressed hard against his mouth. For eachquestion they asked, the young woman answered with an insult. He flinched withevery blow.

Next was Peeta and that was worse. He couldn’twatch. Not without a bottle. He spent the whole video with his eyes closed,listening to hasty denials and screams that would follow him into hisnightmares.

Then he heard the video change and he felt sickto his stomach.

“Who are you?”

The question was weird enough that he openedhis eyes.

Effie’s arms were tied above her head, sheseemed to be dangling from the ceiling, her feet barely touching the ground.Whatever was going on had started a while ago, he could tell. The back of herprison suit was torn and the Peacekeeper circling her had a whip in his hand.

Haymitch tasted bile.

The video was in black and white but he couldtell her face was covered with bruises.

Her breathing was loud and heavy. It took someeffort on her part to speak.

“EffieTrinket.”

For a second there was only statics and thenthe crack of the whip echoed. She yelled when it tore at her skin.

“Who areyou?”

He clenched his jaw, his fists bundled so tightit hurt. He wanted to punch something – or rather someone.

She licked her lips and jutted her chin high.He wished she would lose the attitude. It was commendable but…

“Effie Trinket.” she answered again.

There was no pause before the whip lashed outthis time. He counted them. Counted every five times that leather struck herback and with each and every one of them he felt his heart grow colder, darker. Something in him was growling,the beast he kept on a leash, the dark part inside… The victor who had killedfor less.

“Who are you?” the Peacekeeper asked again. “Come on, pet… I don’t have all day. Say itand then you can go back to your friends. I’ll give you water even. Don’t youwant some? It’s been a while since you’ve had a drink, yeah? And Mason… Evenlonger. I bet she would like some water. All you have to do is say it. Who are you?”

The man made the whip crack in the air and,even though it didn’t strike her, Effie flinched and tried to curl up, toprotect herself. She lost her already tenuous footing and she ended up danglingfrom her arms with all her weight. She let out a pained sob.

“It’s easy. You say itand I give water to your friend.” the Peacekeeper insisted.

Haymitch didn’t understand what the man wasplaying at. She didn’t know anything so what kind of information did he wantout of her. He had asked her name and she had given it and now…

Effie mumbled something he didn’t catch.

Haymitch watched, feeling sicker and sicker, asthe man ran his fingers through her hair almost fondly before brutally yankingher head back. She was staring straight at the camera but it was as if shewasn’t seeing it, as if she wasn’t seeing much of anything.

The amount of pain she must have been in…

“Louder so he can hearyou.” thePeacekeeper ordered. “Who are you?”

“Abernathy’s bitch.” she muttered.

And Haymitch’s blood ran cold before startingto boil.

The man looked smug and pleased with himself ashe addressed the camera directly. This was different from the other videos,Haymitch understood, this wasn’t meant to unsettle Thirteen, this was meant to disturb him. This was Snow’s revenge.

“Hear that,Abernathy?” thePeacekeeper chuckled. “We’re trainingyour slut to answer to her real name…” He still had a grip on Effie’s hairand he shook her head a little. “You’vegot something to say to your boyfriend, pet? Last chance… Don’t know which oneof you will kick the bucket first but I don’t think you’ll see each otheragain.”

Effie, Haymitch could tell, was catching up towhat was happening.

He had been expecting everything but laughter though. It was a tad hystericaland almost too unhinged but it rang clear as day and it annoyed the Peacekeeperwho backslapped her. She spat some blood in a very unladylike fashion, stillchuckling.

“If he saw your face,you are a dead man.” shetold her guard.

It seemed the thought was hilarious to herbecause she kept laughing even as he used the whip again.

Haymitch couldn’t tell if she was that far gonethat the pain didn’t register or if they had broken her.

“You’re dead, bitch.” the Peacekeeper told her and thenthe video cut.

Haymitch felt dizzy and hollow.

He didn’t feel it coming but his stomachchurned and he barely had time to turn his head not to be sick all over thetable.  He couldn’t stop the shivers orthe trembling. He couldn’t get the sounds out of his head. Johanna’s insults,Peeta’s screams, Effie’s voice… The crack of the whip…

He punched the wall but the pain gave him norelief.

He couldn’t breathe.

He couldn’t think.

You are a dead man.

He was.Whoever that Peacekeeper was, Haymitch would find him and he would make himpay. He would make them all pay.

Nobody touched his family.

Nobody.