#Please say my child doesn’t have rabies

[jerzwriter]

Upon Arrival

OK, I really have issues. This was another <100 ask, and I clocked in at 1600 words. I think I need to change that to 1000 if I ever do it again! lol Anyway, this is based on this ask from my friend @icecoffee90! I hope you enjoy it, Z... Tobias/Jackie/Airport... it was a little challenging. 😉

Book: Open Heart Pairing: Tobias Carrick x F!MC (Casey Carrick) Featuring: Jackie Varma Rating: Teen Words: 1,600 Summary: Casey's stuck at work a little late, so she asks Tobias for a favor. Her usually unflappable husband seems a little... flapped... and we're about to find out why. A/N: Participating in @choicesnovchallenge | Go for a ride day. It may not have been a planned or desired ride, but it was a ride nevertheless. lol

Tobias bopped into the Diagnostic Team’s office with his usual effervescence, and why not? His shift was almost over, and it had been a banner day. Not only did he solve a case that had left the nation’s top doctors baffled for months, but he saved a young child’s life in the process. If that weren’t enough, his favorite patient, Mr. Ortega, went home after two months at Edenbrook, but not before his husband hand-delivered a dozen of his incomparable empanadas as a thank-you. Now, he was about to go home to the most precious little angel ever created with the most beautiful woman in the world on his arm. Sure, he knew the last part was strictly his opinion, but he also knew he was right. He had every reason to be happy.

He lit up when he saw his wife seated behind her desk, but one look at the expression on her face and he quickly dimmed. 

“What do you need?” He asked before she could say a word.

“What?” Casey answered defensively, “Who said I needed anything?”

“That look on your face did. Do you need me to take care of a difficult patient?”

“When have I ever asked you to pick up a difficult patient?”

“Never,” he agreed. “Is it Ramsey? You had rounds with him.” Thinking he got it right, he snapped his fingers. “He’s constipated again, isn’t he? And taking it out on you? I’ll go spike his coffee with Fiberlax...”

“No,” Casey laughed. “Ethan’s fine. Please don’t go medicating him illegally. But...”

“But?”

“But he needs me to stay on a little later tonight. Amanda Chou is coming out of surgery in an hour, and we agreed we should assess her as soon as she’s done.”

“That makes sense. Don’t sweat it. I’m more than capable of caring for Samantha until you get home. We’ll both be eagerly waiting for you.”

“Yeah, about that,” she winced.

“What? You don’t think I can take care of Sammy?”

“No! I know you can do that! But did you forget? It’s Wednesday... I was supposed to pick Jackie up at Logan tonight.”

“Oh, right!”

“So, I was wondering... would you be able to get her for me?”

“Casey....” he groaned.

“I already cleared it with your Mom, and she’s happy to stay with Sam until I’m home....”

“Would she happily pick Varma up at Logan for me instead?”

“Tobias, you know she doesn’t drive at night. Besides, she barely knows Jackie.”

“I hardly know her either. But it’s no fault of my own. She hates me.”  

“She does not hate you! She’s just... Jackie.”

“No. She hates me.”

“Well, then this is the perfect opportunity for you to get a little one-on-one time with her to work whatever it is out. Come on, baby, do it for me?” She looked at him with the saddest puppy-dog eyes, batting her lashes adorably.  

“That’s not fair! You know I can’t deny you. Especially when you give me those eyes.”  

“I know, that’s why I do it. Come on, T,” she pleaded as she sat on his lap. “I promise you, she doesn’t bite.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” he scoffed. “I’ll do it, but if I end up needing rabies shots, I’m gonna be pissed.”

~~~~

The sun had almost set, but its light was still bright as Tobias waited in his car for Jackie. He adjusted the sunvisor to shield his eyes, then looked at the clock. Fifteen minutes had passed since she told him she was five minutes away. He double-checked the gate to ensure he was in the right spot when he saw her walking his way with two large suitcases in tow. He jumped out of the car with a grin.

“Hey, let me give you a hand with those!”

“Thanks,” Jackie half smiled. “But I managed to get them from my apartment in Los Angeles to Boston. I think I can manage throwing them in the trunk.”

“Suit yourself,” he replied, raising his hands in surrender. “Just trying to be nice.”

He considered attempting small talk as Jackie settled into the passenger’s seat and strapped herself in. But he decided to let her take the lead instead.

Years before, when he came into Casey’s life, every one of her friends was skeptical. After the chemical attack, each warned that he’d meet his fate in unique and painful ways if he dared to hurt her. But if memory served, Jackie’s method of ridding the world of him was the most frightening of all. Most of her friends had come around. After all, they were a disgustingly happy married couple with a little girl of their own. He was obviously in this for the long haul. Casey was safe. He now considered her friends, their friends... except for Jackie, and for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why.

They sat in awkward silence for several more minutes when Jackie caved.

“So... how’d you get stuck coming to get me.”

“Casey’s working late,” he answered, palming the wheel to turn onto the highway. “So, I’m being a nice husband and stepping in.”

He was doing his best. But the neutral expression he had plastered on his face began to crumble when a loud snort escaped Jackie’s nose. Maybe Casey was right; perhaps he should use this time to finally clear the air.

“What?” He asked, annoyed. “What did I say that was so funny?”

“Nothing. But it still blows my mind a little that words like ‘nice husband’ are used to refer to you.”

“OK... but they fit now, right?”

“I guess,” she shrugged. “Casey’s nauseatingly happy, so you must be doing something right.”

Just like that, the smile was back on his lips. “That’s good to know.”

But silence descended upon the car again, and Tobias had to ask. “Jackie... do you have a problem with me? I know you thought I was an asshole in the past, but that’s a distant past now. Why the hell don’t you like me?”  

Jackie’s eyes lit up, her lips pursing to prevent a telltale grin. She could have some serious fun with this, and her mind spun with fantastical stories that would have Tobias sweating the whole way home. But something happened. She wasn’t sure if it was the borderline fear she saw in the 6’1” man’s eyes or her own worry over the reprimand she’d get from Casey later, but she relented.

“What? Does everyone in the world have to succumb to the charms of Dr. Tobias Carrick?”

“I didn’t say you had to love me, Jackie; it’s just....”

“Why the hell do you think I don’t like you?” She interrupted. “I acknowledge your existence. I talk to you on occasion. I eviscerate you on social media. I was at your wedding, for God’s sake.”

“Yeah, but those could be categorized as obligations because you’re a friend of Casey’s... well, save the social media part.”

“Ah, you don’t know me very well, Carrick. If I didn’t like you, I wouldn’t do any of those things. If I truly didn’t like you, you wouldn’t be married to my friend. I would have locked Casey in a closet before your wedding out of moral obligation. But no... I was there.”

“So, you weren’t there solely for the free food and open bar?”

“Well, those were my top two reasons. But I was a freaking bridesmaid. I wouldn’t put myself through that torture if I didn’t like you.”

“So you do like me.”

 “You don’t suck... and you make Casey happy, which is all that matters to me. But you really thought I hated you?”

“Well... you always looked at me with disgust...”

Jackie waved her hand, “No, that’s just my face.”

“Ninety percent of the time, if you’re speaking to me, it’s pure sarcasm... and you never call me by my name. It’s always Rico Suave.”

“The name is fitting! Not for nothing, but your mother should have changed it legally before you started school! You’re far more Rico Suave than Tobias.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s meant to be an insult,” he smiled.

“Only a baby one. You really thought I didn’t like you? Have you not seen me with Bryce?”

“I have. I assumed you didn’t like him either.”

“Theoretically, I hate everyone, so I understand the confusion. But Bryce is one of my best friends. Tell him that, and I’ll make sure there is no way you can ever procreate with your wife again.”

Tobias shook his head with a laugh. “So, the first time you admit that you like me, you also threaten violence. Does this mean we’re best friends, too?”  

“Don’t push your luck, Rico.”

Tobias pulled the car into the carport of his townhome, and he and Jackie looked up to see Casey at the window with Sammy on her hip. She held the infant’s hand as they excitedly waved together. Tobias watched Jackie break into a rare, genuine smile as she waved back.   

“I’m so telling your wife,” she said as they exited the car.

“Telling my wife what?”

“That you’re a wuss. I may have to consider a new nickname for you if you were actually afraid of me.”

“I was never afraid of you! I didn’t want one of Casey’s best friends to hate me. But now I know I have the Varma seal of approval, so all’s well.”

“Hey, slow your roll. If you want an official Varma seal of approval, there will be a fee involved, money bags. Either that, or you could hook me up with your brother. Either will do.”

“Sorry, I think my brother has his eye on Raf.”

“That bastard!”

“As to the fee... how about I treat to dinner tonight?”

Jackie nodded thoughtfully. “Dinner tonight, and I get to tell everyone you feared me.”

Tobias sighed wearily. “I wasn’t afraid of... you know what, if you want to tell a limited audience that I was afraid of you, go for it.”

“Good,” Jackie grinned as Casey opened the door, “Now I know what I’m telling Sammy for a bedtime story!”

I hope it was decent, @icecoffee90... I'm not sure. lol Thanks for the ask, dear!

@choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

Tagging others separately.

[randybutternubber]

Heyyyyyyy do you have any funny head canons on the children :-9 if they squabble and stuff in your opinion. Give me the sillies !!!!! (I do too but I wanna hear urs)

YOU HAVE OPENED THE GATES OF HELL PREPARE FOR MY BORDERLINE SEVEN PAGE ESSAY ON THESE RANDOM FUCKING CHILDREN

I decided to do the ones that get less attention in general, especially since I have the most thoughts on them

HCs under cut because I may have gone overboard with the length

Ghost kid

Best friends with a batmin ball that had a very poorly drawn face on it from the age of six to eight.

Sebbo (spoon girl) buried the batmin ball using a spoon as a shovel after it got neutered by the barber (he thought it was a bug and shat his pants)

Not a native of the nowhere and was taken to the nowhere on Halloween, hence the ghost costume

Lost their arm pretty quickly after being taken to the Nowhere. he’s quite a friendly child and is very compassionate towards animals, but unfortunately, this has its downsides as not all animals in the Nowhere want help.

Friends with Sebbo

Has been squatting in houses since day 1 of living in the Nowhere and has no plans to stop

Would go CRAZY for squishmallows

Doesn’t have well formed empathy/sympathy for humans but is super compassionate towards animals

Zero concept of gender and doesn’t care what you call them, he just want to pet your dog

Nonverbal but has very expressive body language

Spoon girl

Her name is sebbo (based off of game files)

She sneezes like a middle aged divorced golf dad and due to her nose bleed these sneezes are NOT victimless

LEGENDARY rage tantrums

Literally only wants to watch gen 1 my little pony, Formula One, or a very specific documentary about some random Swedish sheep wool factory

Swedish

If you compare her to pippy longstockings you will end up needing to go to urgent care for a rabies shot

Calls ghost kid Ande (sounds like Andeh) which means spirit in Swedish. (His file name is actually spöke for anyone wondering, which also means ghost/spirit in Swedish. The only reason I’m not giving him the Sebbo naming treatment is that spöke absolutely does not sound like it’s spelled (sounds like Spurkeh) and Ande actually sounds like a name. I’m a quarter swedish and have a very Swedish family on my white side so I got the most incomprehensible Swedish lessons in the car ever, so please don’t roast me in the reblogs if I got this wrong, I remember like five words and this is one of them, same thing with Korean😭

Living embodiment of “ANDE WE’RE 10 NOW, WE SAY CRAP, NOT POOP”

Broke one of her legs at some point in the Nowhere and ended up in the hospital (HC based off of concept art where she was in a wheelchair and using crutches)

Has severe trauma revolving around doctors and medical stuff

Has never seen another ginger in her entire life but will fight to be the alpha

Warrior cats kid

Expert at digging and climbing out of holes, THE CHILDREN YEARN FOR THE MINES!!!

Rusty

Has a cleft lip

This isn’t a HC but something that not a lot of people realize; he has a lisp

Only reason I’m not drawing him as ginger because of his name is because I also designed Noone as ginger and he lost in a 1v1 to a rabid cabbage patch kid. He’s been through enough

He’s around 14

Very lithe

Despite being a trapeze and tightrope performer, he is TERRIFIED of heights, making his experience at the circus even worse

The dummy has been malding over Rusty for a ridiculously long period of timeand bro had no fucking idea and nobody even knows the reason why 💀

Also a warrior cats kid but kept in on the downlow. Yes he did name himself Rusty after firestar but if you tell anyone he will cry

Noone

A nice kid but will deadass ask some of the most insensitive questions and has NO idea. Also verbally cooked a middle aged man and spent like a whole episode sassing him so she can definitely be mean if she wants to

Also has really severe medical trauma along with trauma from being paraded around on TV because she was the first person to be cured of whatever the shit water sickness is

Her real name was Ruth, but once she started forgetting her parents (they basically ditched her anyways 😭) she started just using Noone as her real name

Master of inappropriately prolonged periods of intense eye contact

Really dislikes/is afraid of dolls/dummies because of what happened to Rusty/in JuJubee’s toyshop

Very untrusting of people post Nowhere abduction because of how Otto treated her and because of the ferryman. Plus basically every kid she met in TSON was met with a terrible fate (Goo kid is probably alive but she doesn’t know that)

Autism (all these children got some sort of neurodivergence though, I mean just look at them)

WORST BACKSEAT DRIVER EVER (ASKED TO LEAVE THE ROWBOAT)

Has a few scars on her face from her right before she had a seizure when getting clockwork oranged. She tried to take the mri suction thingies off her head but she ended up scratching up her face in her panic

[bigratsdeservebigpats]

Calling Tall TWST Characters Short

I’m doing 188cm+ (6′2 and up) characters cause I love pushing my short-person insecurity on others

cw: This is just stupid person words

Floyd (191 cm)

“Hello my little scrunkle baby. My tiny scrimble schonchie squeaksirs. Widdle skringle scrumblo scumbie.” (say this five times fast)

He totally finds it hilarious, but also doesn’t understand half of what you are saying.  

Probably would be a bit annoyed but combats it by lifting you up higher than him (also easy access for squishies and squeezies)

If you keep up with it, he’s gonna make sure he’s babied about it. Everyone finds him scary besides, like, Jade, so he’s gonna milk the attention for all it’s worth.

Embraces it at one point and always bends down so he can get more attention. You can take offense or don't, but he doesn’t mean any harm.

Jade (190 cm)

“You need to eat a lot, you’re a growing boy.”

I seriously often forget that this man is only 17 and not ??? cause honest to god I’ve never met a teenager who acts like That

Is amused, and teasing. Not exactly “if I’m short you are minuscule” but like, He’s gonna make you repeat it multiple times. Then he’s also gonna milk that shit.

Climb up on a chair to pat him on the head. He’ll make you work for it, but he does like it. 

Uses it as an excuse to ask for help, he is so small and tiny, please won’t you lend a hand? It’s so weird if you don’t know the context and best to forget what you just heard if you value your life.

Jack (192 cm)

“Is my little baby having a good day?”

Takes offense #1

Is kinda butthurt about it but like bro why

Asks Epel if he’s short and almost needed a rabies shot

Won’t retort but will kinda show off his height like ‘You Need That Thing On That shelf? I Gotchu’ like bby boo you aren’t actually short you should know this

Malleus (202 cm gah damn)

“Don’t worry, you’ll grow tall in no time”

Is startled, but definitely amused cause he’s towering above everything in sight, but compared to his dragon form, he is shorter?

Treats you like a child, he’s the one doing the patronizing headpats, just kinda nodding along like a parent would to their lil brainless child

If you keep it up he might use a lil magic to lift you to his height, just to see what it would be like. He likes it.

Won’t put you down until he actually has to go, but is that a bad thing? 

Sebek (188 cm bruh what I really didn’t expect that)

“Shorty, chill.”

Takes offense #2 but he’s offended by everything that isn’t his stan

hOLY SHIT HE’S SO LOUD HE YELLS SO LOUD OMG SHUT UP BRO

Definitely retorts and threatens to smush you under his shoe cause you are tiny and small and nonexistent and you’ll die in like seven years and like he is tall big (half) fae alpha 

He will Not Leave You Alone Until You Rescind That Statement

[livythewriter]

Quarantine AU PT II (Elsbeth Tascioni x Fem!Reader)

Word count: 2012

Warnings: Reader gets blood drawn and tests ran on her, small bit of angst, mentions of blood obviously, mentions of deadly diseases, mentions of death.

Summary: Reader can't stop thinking about Elsbeth, but the doctors find something peculiar about her, and reader meets a little girl in the next cell over who keeps her company.

In the days that followed, I tried to stop thinking about Elsbeth, but she was literally the only thing on my mind sometimes. Whether I liked it or not, this woman had burrowed her way into my heart, and all I could think about was whether she was okay.

In fact, even now I was sitting on my bed, staring off into space, and thinking about nothing but Elsbeth. But my thoughts were soon interrupted as I heard my cell door open, and I looked up to see a doctor.

“Please come with me.” He simply said, and I complied, too tired and deflated to question why they needed me now.

He took me to a room that looked like a small lab, with a large chair in the middle that had many gadgets around it. I sat in the chair as instructed, and waited for them to tell me what was up.

“We brought you here because you had some pretty severe exposure to the virus, but have still shown no signs of being sick. We think there might be something in your blood preventing you from getting sick, and so we just want to run some tests on you to see if your blood could be used to make an antidote for the virus.” The doctor explained.

“Alright, sounds good. Is Elsbeth okay?” I asked.

“I’m sorry, but we can’t disclose the status of our patients to non family members. I can say that she is still alive, though, if that makes you feel any better.”

“I guess.”

They ran some tests on me, and then drew my blood, and sent me back to my cell where I waited, waited to see if my blood could be used as a cure, or at least a treatment, or at least an immunization.

There wasn’t really much to do in my cell besides reading and crocheting, which now left a bitter taste in my mouth, the thought of doing either making me think of Elsbeth and how badly I missed her. So I just sat there, staring at the wall deep in thought.

“Hello?” A sudden small voice shook me out of my thoughts.

“Hello?” My own voice, weak from lack of use, croaked back.

“You can hear me…?” The voice sounded young, like a child.

“Yeah. These walls are pretty thin.” I said.

“What’s your name?”

“It’s ___. What about you?”

“I’m Abby.”

“Are your parents in there with you?” I asked.

“No, they’re one of the doctors who work here.”

“Oh, alright. How old are you?” I tried to sound as friendly as possible, but I was pretty awkward around children.

“I’m 9. How long have you been here?” Abby asked me.

“About ten days, I haven’t really been keeping count.”

“Do you think I’m gonna be here that long?” Abby sounded a little scared.

“I don’t think so, I’ve only been here this long because they think there’s something in my blood that could be used as an antidote for the virus.”

“Do you think I have the virus?” She asked..

“Well, what brought you here?”

“I was at my grandma’s house, and she had the virus. It’s not like she coughed on me or anything, my parents said it was just a per-cussion.” She had difficulty pronouncing that last word.

“Precaution?”

“Yeah, that. What does that mean?”

“Well, a precaution is when something is done just in case something bad happens. It doesn’t mean the bad thing will happen, but the precaution is just in case it could.” I explained.

“Does that mean I might not have the virus?”

“Yeah, there’s a chance you don’t.”

“I really hope I don’t have it. There’s a 20% death rate, right?”

“Yeah, but that’s not too high.” I assured her, “There are diseases with 100% fatality rate, like rabies.”

“Oh, my uncle got bitten by a dog with rabies. He had to get a shot. I don’t like shots, so I avoid dogs in case they have rabies. I don’t think cats can have rabies cause they don’t go outside. At least, not the indoor cats.”

“Well, pet dogs usually don’t have rabies, but it’s definitely wise to be cautious of any wild animal, even if they don’t have rabies, because of how unpredictable they are.”

“I have a pet snake, her name’s Jasper cause she’s red like the stone.” Abby said.

“Oh, that’s so cute! What kind of snake is she?” I asked.

“A corn snake. Does this place have any games?”

“Well, it has books and crochet kits, but I don’t know if it has any games. You would have to ask your parents.”

“Oh, okay. What’s crow-shay?” She asked.

“It’s a craft where you make things with yarn. I have some crochet supplies in here.” I explained.

“Can I have them?”

“You can ask your parents to bring you some, and maybe I can teach you how to crochet.” I said.

“Okay, that sounds good. Mom! Can you come here please?” Abby called out for her mom, and a doctor came over.

“Yes, sweetie?”

“Can I have crochet supplies? ___ said she was gonna teach me how to crochet.”

“Oh okay, let me just go and grab some.” The doctor left and came back with crochet supplies. I taught Abby how to crochet, and for once it didn’t bring back the sadness of missing Elsbeth.

In the days that followed, me and Abby would talk, and I would be brought back to the lab to run some tests, to see if I had the key to an antidote.

It did eventually get easier to keep my mind off of what would happen to Elsbeth, as I had Abby to keep me company. She was a pretty funny kid, and wicked smart. Sometimes we would play a version of battleship where we drew a grid on paper, drew ships on that grid, and would place attacks on each others’ boards, hoping to hit one of our battleships.

Abby would be a little down sometimes, worried she had the virus, but I always assured her that she likely didn’t have it, and even if she did, a cure was being looked for, so she would likely be okay.

One day, I was busy playing battleship with Abby.

“Hit to B4!” Abby exclaimed, slamming down a checkers piece on the board.

“Dang, you got my ship!” I crossed out my largest ship.

“How many ships do you have left?” She asked.

“I can’t say. But it is… less than 5…” I sighed exaggeratedly.

“I bet it’s like one! I’m gonna beat you, haha!” She laughed mockingly.

“Not if I have any say! Hit to E2!” I put the checkers piece in E2 on the board.

“Nope, didn’t get my ship!”

“Ship? That implies you only have one left…”

“No I don’t! You’re just projecting cause you only have one ship left!”

“Mhmmm, sure.” My cell door opened and a doctor walked in. 

“I have good news.” Said the doctor.

“Oh?” I asked.

“Your blood was successfully used to make an antidote and vaccine for the disease. We just need to draw a little more blood from you so we can successfully make copies of the antibodies in your blood.”

“That’s amazing! Abby did you hear that? They found a cure!”

“O.M.G.!” Abby jumped around excitedly in her cell, and I went with the doctor to have more blood drawn.

“Alright, now that we’ve found a cure, you can go home, and we’ll start giving everyone in the facility this new cure. You have no idea how much your blood is going to help us all.” The doctor explained.

“Thank you so much, have a nice day!” I grabbed my stuff, said goodbye to Abby on the way out, and went home.

My dog was waiting for me at home, along with the sitter I had hired, and my dog immediately jumped on me with kisses and joy.

“Hey there, cutie. Did you miss me?” I gave my dog a kiss on the head. Her name was Sweetie, and she really was cute.

After showering my dog with kisses, I went upstairs and greeted my pet fish. I had two goldfish in a tank, named Jessie and James.

I hadn’t had time to think about Elsbeth with my friend at the facility, but now she popped into my mind again, and I hoped she was okay.

I decided to watch my favorite show for a bit, hoping she would text me sometime in the next couple of days.

About a week after I came home, while I was making dinner, my phone suddenly buzzed with a text. My hands flew towards my phone, harshly grabbing it as I looked at the screen. A text from an unknown number was displayed on my lockscreen

‘Hi there! I’m still alive! I was the first one they gave the cure to!’ -8:42pm.

I immediately texted back, ‘Elsbeth???’ -8:43pm.

‘Yes! I heard they used your blood to make a cure! I am so glad you were immune. I was worried sick the whole time that you would get sick. Oh dear, I have a story to tell you.’ -8:45pm.

‘Oh???’ -8:46pm.

‘It got so bad, I thought I was gonna die! But then just when it was at its worst, I was given the cure, and the more I was given it, the better I felt!’ -8:47pm.

‘Wanna come over?’ -8:48pm.

‘Sure! Just let me know where you are.’ -8:50pm.

I told her my address, and she came over, where we hung out, and I made a second serving of dinner just for her.

“Do you have any allergies?” I asked.

“I don’t believe so, no… Especially not in what you’re making.” Elsbeth said.

“Alright good.” I finished making dinner, and we sat down at the table.

I noticed Elsbeth’s odd, but formal outfit. “You got all dressed up for me, I see.”

“Oh, I had to. I couldn’t show up underdressed for a date with my new favorite person!”

I blushed a bit hearing that, and gave her a bashful smile, “Well now I feel underdressed in my T-shirt and sweats…”

“Ah, you still look gorgeous!” Elsbeth waved her hand dismissively.

“You know exactly how to flatter a girl, Elsbeth.” I giggled.

“Or maybe I just want to flatter you.” Elsbeth leaned in, smiling as she lowered her voice to say that. My cheeks flushed even redder, and I averted my gaze, still smiling.

“By the way, this food is so delicious! I’m loving it! You are an amazing cook.” She took a bite out of the meal.

“Oh, it’s nothing really. I learned to cook from a young age.” A thought popped into my head and I sighed, “You know, I really was worried about you. Only thing stopping me from spiraling into thoughts about your condition was a little girl in the cell next to me who kept me company.”

“Oh no, I am so sorry.” Elsbeth reached across the table and put her hand atop mine.

“It’s fine, it’s not your fault. I was just scared that you would die…”

“Well, I’m not dead. And I won’t be dying anytime soon.” Elsbeth said in a reassuring, quiet voice, a smile on her face. I smiled back.

“I’m glad you’re okay. And I’m sorry I worried you too.” I said.

“I’m just glad you’re also okay.”

“Yeah.”

We spent the rest of the night chatting and laughing, and eventually Elsbeth had to go home.

“It was nice spending time with you, I enjoyed myself a lot.” Elsbeth said when we were right next to the front door.

“Yeah, me too. I hope you have a safe drive home.” I said.

“I’ll see you again sometime.” Elsbeth suddenly leaned in, planting a kiss on my cheek. My cheeks flushed bright red, and my mouth hung open like a fish. She waved at me, and then exited my house, leaving me to think about that moment.

[feralaot]

GIVE ME. FRIENDSHIP/RELATIONSHIP DYNAMIC HCS

for example AruAni gives off “I hate everybody but I hate you less” energy

literally any duo/trio/group you want just plz. I love them and I have my own ideas but wanna see yours ✌️💋

ohoho here we go.... this is gonna be a long one

AOT pairings + their dynamics

no warnings

eren / mikasa (romantic): the crime fighting duo

they can and they will mess up anyone and everyone who fucks with them. the kind of duo that seems to bond the most when they’re being violent and they want to make you scream “JUST CONFESS YOUR LOVE FOR EACH OTHER, FOOLS” and the slowburn is far too painful on the soul

eren / armin (platonic): the bad guy and the virtuous ray of sunshine

armin is the sweetest creature to grace this world and eren is literally the opposite but somehow they’re compatible. eren acts emotionally unavailable but good god armin brings out even the most buried emotion in him through his blinding rays of obnoxious joy and caring. obviously this didn’t last forever

eren / levi (platonic): the obnoxious child and the tired parent

somebody please give levi a break. it’s difficult being a single mother of six especially when you’re a middle aged man and one of your children is a war criminal.

sasha / connie (open to interpretation): the dumb & dumber mutual enablers

where one goes, the other goes. what trouble one gets into, the other gets into. they enable each other’s chaos and general misdeeds and will sit next to each other in a jail cell awaiting levi to bail them out while giggling and saying “wasn’t that fun?”

sasha / reiner (platonic): the eccentric girl and her emotional support himbo

one is a ball of chaos with a soft spot and the other is (relatively) normal but is also a chaos enabler. they feed off of each other's energy and are just about the closest thing you can get to the human equivalents of a bull and a matador but they also rely on each other for emotional support

armin / annie (romantic): pure looking (but hella shady) and scary looking (but actually a softie)

they are definitely not what either of them appear to be. the gentle little ball of sunshine is actually a scheming bastard and the one that looks like she’ll beat you up just for looking at her the wrong way is actually very soft at heart. and they are in love of course

jean / armin (platonic): the delinquent and the keener

jean used to skip, get bad grades, and get in trouble a lot but eventually worked on becoming a lot better because of armin’s enthusiasm and borderline annoying encouragement. on the other hand armin loosened up a lot and became less strict thanks to jean’s easy going attitude and they help each other improve themselves :’)

jean / connie (platonic): the dumbass and “oh god I guess they’re MY dumbass”

connie is like a dog without a leash and jean is the wrangler that desperately tries to keep him at least relatively tame. although sometimes it’s hard to keep somebody in check while also not wanting to give into their shenanigans and enable them

connie / reiner (platonic): the idiot and the idiot in progress

one has been an idiot since birth and it shows. meanwhile the other is losing more brain cells the more time they spend together. they feed off of each other’s energy and channel it into chaos and misdeeds

historia / ymir (romantic): the loner and the popular chick

historia is one of the few people who actually notices ymir, who doesn’t get the hype about her at first but warms up to her over time. they seem like polar opposites to anyone on the outside so it might be hard to tell that they’re very compatible with each other and lowkey enable each other

hange / levi (open to interpretation): the hooligan and the voice of reason

hange is the big bad conniving bastard and levi is the poor sod that has been dragged into their mess and was hit with a sudden and painful realization that he’s in deep trouble in every possible sense of the word. they are of equal strength except one has rabies

erwin / levi (open to interpretation): the kind giant and the bundle of repressed rage

one will make impulsive decisions on a dime and the other is the only one that can keep him grounded, at least most of the time. one is easy going the other is seething with buried anger and they balance each other out. however both would throw hands if anyone got between them

levi / zeke (open to interpretation): enemies to acquaintances to friends to ???

nobody knows what they truly think about each other and they probably don’t either. they’ll be fighting tooth and nail one moment then probably go out to get lunch an hour later. it’s a bit rocky, but they’ll figure it out eventually

reiner / bertholdt (romantic): two bros chillin in a hot tub 5 feet apart because they won’t confess their undying love for each other

literally everyone can sense the mutual pining from a mile away but they’re both so dense and oblivious for the longest time until they get things sorted and confess. one has too much pride to risk losing and the other is scared to ruin their relationship. this pairing will test both your patience and your sanity

reiner / eren (platonic): rivals to dumbass bros

most of the time they can’t stand each other and will argue with no end in sight but other times they’ll be slumped against each other or one will be sprawled out across the other and they’re having deep conversations and watching tv. it’s really a hit or miss situation

reiner / ymir (platonic): the gay solidarity

the mlm and wlw solidarity is real and it shows. they’re both jerks who only really have each other in terms of close friendships but by all means it’s an unbreakable bond

reiner / armin (platonic): honorarily deemed “one of the boys”

they have some kind of solidarity but neither of them really knows what it is, they just get along really well for some reason. thus reiner has deemed armin officially one of the boys and is included in activities w the boys e.g. movie night. they have a lot of inside jokes

reiner / zeke / bertholdt (platonic): the pining couple and the third wheel

reiner and bertholdt won’t admit it to his face because it would boost his ego tenfold but they’re lowkey kinda scared of zeke. but zeke is just a himbo that kind of hangs around and judges them and can tell they’re in love and is just waiting for the day they admit it

bertholdt / armin (platonic): the pessimist and the optimist

they’re both very pure sweet besties except one is a cynic and the other focuses on all the joy in the world. fill in the blanks.

pieck / porco (open to interpretation): the cinnabun and the hothead

one is too sweet and wholesome to be alive and the other is perpetually angry but is still cute. the contrast shows but they’re still sweethearts that are obviously meant to balance each other out

porco / reiner (platonic): the bastard and the accidental bastard magnet

they started as enemies and slowly evolved into something vaguely reminiscent of... friends? yeah, friends. reiner doesn’t know how he keeps attracting assholes like this but for some godforsaken reason he puts up with it.

[hbogirls]

riverdale mamma mia! episode... 

betty decides that it’s time to break up with archie-- she has the serial killer gene, and he is light and love and truth and compassion. she doesn’t want to keep hurting him (it’s important to note that she never actually hurt him beyond just putting on her little spirit halloween wig and thinking that she could). archie sings SOS. they have passionate, sad breakup sex in true cw fashion. archie has to run off to put out a fire after this, and betty goes to the whyte whyrm alone to do karaoke (gimme gimme gimme) and drink her sorrows away. jughead is there, thinking that he is going to do the same (his sorrows still being that he used to have rabies and no one told him), but when he sees betty, he realizes that he can’t give up his sobriety. betty knows it’s a mistake, but she sleeps with jughead after he sings take a chance on me. 

the next week at riverdale high is a blur. betty is still teaching kids how to fix cars despite having graduated from fbi school. she sings money money money while using wrenches, engines, etc, much like when donna says that nothing in her hotel works. this one is a stretch and works more based on visual parallels to the mamma mia! film, but we allow it. gay kevin walks in and says he really needs to talk about something. he says he’s not sure if he’s really gay kevin... maybe he’s bi kevin. he sings i have a dream, which ends with betty kissing him. it cuts to them waking up in bed together, and gay kevin immediately says “yep, i’m gay kevin.” i recognize that this could read as not respecting his sexuality blah blah blah but please consider that every donna sheridan needs a harry bright. 

so now betty has slept with three men in a matter of just a few days. some time passes, and betty is absolutely convinced that she is with child. she has no idea if the father is archie, jughead, or kevin. she’s terrified that if it’s jughead’s, she’ll have to name it forsythe pendleton jones iv. she sings slipping through my fingers as an homage to her fbi career, and we see a montage of her doing interrogations and entering buildings sneakily in her special jacket. she seems verklempt, so veronica, toni, and cheryl sing dancing queen to cheer her up. 

the episode ends with the pregnancy test being negative because even in mamma mia! world, betty is not equipped to be a mother. the whole cast sings thank you for the music at the whyte whyrm as an homage to music itself. the end. 

[immortalcoelacanth]

Between the Walls, Chapter 2: Salutations and Explanations (Dream SMP fic)

... Although, I should probably tag this as more of a Sleepy Bois Inc thing given the content... Anyways, onto chapter 2!

Word count: 5356

Summary: At it was at this moment that Tommy knew, he fucked up. 

“Let me tell you one thing, you pig bitch-”

There was a tiny child in his walls.

“And I bet your mum ain’t all that-”

A tiny child who was yelling at him, insulting him.

“So, you better listen up! Motherfucker-”

Techno was almost impressed.

He wondered if the kid was aware of how absolutely not intimidating he sounded at the moment. His voice cracked and broke occasionally as he cursed, he was visibly trembling in what Techno assumed to be fear, and he looked like he was moments away from crying with those wide eyes and that terrified look on his face.

The kid reminded him of a cornered animal, terrified and lashing out to try and protect itself. He was doing the same thing, trying to scare the hybrid off with harsh words and false bravado.

Techno quietly thought about how young he must be. It was a good thing Phil was nowhere nearby since nothing would have saved both him and the kid from the ensuing lecture and interrogation period. Questions about where the kid was from, who he was, what he was doing here…

Questions he should probably be asking before the kid broke down crying. He had a feeling it would happen eventually when all that adrenaline wore off and the reality of the situation fully sunk in, so the currently shrinking window of opportunity was the best chance he had for finding out what he needed to know.

“And do you know what the fuck a breath mint is?”

… But first he had to shut this kid up.

“You got anything to say? Huh? Or are you just gonna-HEY!”

The tirade was cut off when, without warning, Techno reached out and pinched the back of his shirt, using that to lift him up in the air and out of the shelter that had been provided by the wall.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!” The kid squawked as he struggled and squirmed in an attempt to escape Techno’s grip. The hybrid rolled his eyes as he continued looking the tiny being over, occasionally turning him so he could inspect the rest of him. The only thing of note he found was the belt the kid wore that had various tools hooked onto it.

Nothing that really posed a threat to him, but it was still good to take note of it.

“Trying to find the off button.”

“The-OFF BUTTON?! EXCUSE YOU, YOU BITCH-”

“Damn, doesn’t seem to be one.” He noted in that same, monotone voice. Of course, this ended up enraging the kid further, his shouts and curses growing louder.

His wild, frantic eyes growing wider.

Well, now was as good as time as any to start asking some questions before he ended up pushing the kid too far. He swore he could hear that tiny heart pounding away in the kid’s chest, and the hybrid realized it was entirely possible for the tiny being to pass out on him, or worse, have a heart attack from the stress.

Double time on that interrogation, then.

Techno changed his grip, wrapping his fingers around the kid and getting bit in the process-

This child was absolutely feral. He’d probably need a rabies shot by the end of the day.

Eventually, and with some careful maneuvering to make sure didn’t drop the struggling figure, Techno was able to place him down on the top of the small shelf located near the entrance of his house. It was right in front of a window, too, and he saw the way the kid’s eyes flickered between him and the possible escape route.

Nope.

Not a chance.

The hand placed between the kid and his freedom earned him a scowl and being flipped off once again, though he was quickly getting used to this brash and foolish behavior. In a way, it reminded Techno how he had acted when he was much younger. How cocky and overconfident he had been before the world brutally showed him where his place was.

Now, his confidence was backed by years worth of training. By the lives he had ended and the blood he had spilt.

It made him smile at the memories, oddly enough. Naturally, the kid immediately took his smiling to be about something far more sinister, and he started shouting once more.

“What the fuck do you got planned, huh? Got some creepy shit planned? You… you gonna need a bone saw or some crap like that for me-”

“Oh please, all I’d need is a decent nutcracker.” Techno scoffed, completely oblivious to the look of horror that passed over the kid’s face before it was quickly replaced by that false bravado.

“Can’t believe you’d threaten me like that-”

“Not what I was talking about!” The hybrid quickly interrupted, visibly shuddering and in turn making the kid let out a loud laugh.

Just how in the hell was something that small so loud anyways? Weren’t there rules about that sort of thing, mass being proportionate to how loud something could be. There was a reason why he had hated hanging out with kids when he was younger.

… Except for Wilbur, he had always been the exception.

Not wanting to take an agonizing trip down memory lane back to when his family had been whole and alive, Techno decided it was time to start asking the questions he wanted answers to, beginning with the most important one of course.

“And why are you in my house, anyways?”

“Your house?” The kid scoffed and crossed his arms. “It’s mine! I called dibs!”

“Heh?” Techno found himself at a genuine loss here as he tried to comprehend the logic behind that statement. “You can’t claim-I built this place.”

“Doesn’t mean you called dibs, bruv, and you did a shit job of buildin’ it, too. It could use more decorations that aren’t you! And music!”

The hybrid let out a frustrated groan while dragging a hand over his face. Why had one of the most annoying, obnoxious, and loud people he had ever met decide that his base was the perfect place to invade. Why had this kid picked him instead of somewhere else, like L’Manberg.

… Actually, that was another good question to ask-

“So, when are you gonna clean up this pigsty?” The kid asked, completely derailing Techno’s train of thought.

“I fear for your brain cells if all you can come up with are pig jokes and saying fuck over and over again.”

“... Fuck you-”

“And my concerns are proven to be valid.”

“My brain works perfectly fine! It’s just yours isn’t big enough to get it!” He snapped back.

“Suuuuure, pipsqueak, whatever you say.” Techno sarcastically drawled. It seemed as though either the aloof expression on his face or the nickname he had granted the boy only enraged him further, as he watched the kid start stomping the ground as he continued shouting.

He was witnessing a literal tantrum.

“I’m not a pipsqueak! You’re the one who's freakishly tall!”

“Like I couldn’t tell with you calling me big man every five seconds, and I’ll just keep calling you that since you seem to like it so much.”

“Then just call me Tommy! It’s not that hard!” The now named Tommy exclaimed, and it was only when a smile appeared on Techno’s face that he realized he might have messed up.

“Uh… I mean-”

“So, that’s your name.” Techno interrupted, grin growing as he leaned forward and rested his chin on a closed fist. He was enjoying messing with this kid. It was almost as fun as terrorizing Quackity. “Got any other important info you wanna share? Credit card number?”

“No! No, no way!” Tommy let out a nervous giggle and took a step back. “C’mon, man, let’s see some manners! I told you my name, so you should tell me yours-”

“Technoblade.”

“... What?”

“Or Techno for short.” The hybrid continued, not caring about the stunned and confused look on the kid’s face. He was used to people looking at him weird, especially when they heard his name. “No pig-pun name here.”

“... You were so close to having a cool name.” Tommy bluntly said. “You’ve got half a cool name. Now Blade, that’s intimidating! Big man Blade-”

“Never call me that.”

“Alright TechnoBitch-”

“Your insults are getting worse by the second, I fear you’re undergoing cellular brain death.”

“Are you making up fancy words to sound all smart now? Cellular?” Tommy scowled. “What’s next? You gonna start talking about other made up stuff, like leprechauns, or dolphins?”

“... Dolphins are real-”

“That’s just what the dolphin believers want you to think! The… the dolphevers!”

Techno threw his head and started laughing, the noise surprisingly loud. It made Tommy jump as he winced at the volume. Discomfort ran through him, and he started to slowly realize how dangerous the situation he was in might be.

He had always been warned to stay away from humans, and while this guy didn’t look all that human, he was sure the same warning applied. He could be trapped, hurt, tormented…

Why, why had he decided to stick around instead of just running off, or trying to barter for his freedom? He had always lived his life on the edge, flirting with danger instead of women. The thrills and excitement of interacting with a human could have driven him to do this.

Or perhaps it was that quiet voice within him that begged him to interact with Techno, to reach out and be social and finally interact with someone after all the days he spent alone.

A voice that kept insisting that things would be alright, that he would be okay.

A voice that could result in his demise if he listened to it.

He would never see Tubbo again...

His mind made up, Tommy slowly backed away from the hybrid, one hand raised while the other behind his back towards the belt that Techno had noticed earlier. “Well, this has been fun and all but I’ve got to head out and you’ve got some cleaning to do, roomie.”  

Techno’s eyes narrowed as his bout of laughter finished, aware that he had something planned that would probably cause some problems, but before he could act on his suspicions, Tommy made his move.

And chucked a fist full of sand in the pigman’s face.

Immediately, Techno let out a shout and recoiled, lifting his hands up to his eyes in an attempt to scrub the gritty substance out of them. Tommy took his chance and pulled out his grappling hook, attached it to the side of the shelf, and quickly slid down the rope. In his haste, as well as the movements caused by the hybrid’s thrashing, the grappling hook came loose, and he dropped the rest of the way to the floor.

Tommy landed, cringing as agony raced up his legs, and did his best to ignore it as he shot off towards the space under the shelf, knowing he would be hidden from sight and have a better chance at escaping.

He had to escape since he doubted his captor would be that nice to him again.

Meanwhile, Techno was currently battling every urge he felt to lash out and kill the kid. His mind and soul screamed for blood, for death and revenge for the humiliation and pain he had been put through. It took all of his willpower to stop himself from grabbing his trident and slamming it into the floor in an attempt to find, and kill, Tommy.

The main source of his restraint came from a voice that sounded a bit too much like Phil’s calmly whispering that there were other ways to do things, that he did not have to resort to violence.

This was then converted to make him pay, but not with death. Death is a release, not a punishment.  

His eyes burned.

He let out a pained hiss and blindly reached towards the nearby brewing station, managing to get the bottle of water he had placed in it for potion brewing. He uncorked the top, looked up to the ceiling, cracked his eyes open, and quickly flushed them out to get rid of the sand.

All in all, only a couple seconds had passed since the sand had been thrown and Tommy had escaped. He could not have gotten far, but the more time the hybrid wasted sitting here, the further the kid would get.

Techno tossed the bottle to the side and quickly crouched down, still aching eyes scanning the wall as he tried to figure out where Tommy had gone. He spotted a flash of blond ducking behind part of the wooden shelf, and he quickly moved the wooden panel that covered the bottom part of the shelf. It was like a box of sorts and that could be used as storage space, but he had never put anything there and just left it closed.

So, naturally he had not at all been expecting to lift the panel up and find a tiny hole in the wooden floor, the perfect size for Tommy to fit through. His mind ground to a halt as he processed what he was seeing.

THERE WAS A HOLE UNDER THE SHELF?!

WHEN HAD THIS HAPPENED?!

Okay, okay, now was not the time to get caught up on. The kid was under the floorboards, possibly heading towards the basement. He rushed over to the ladder, slid down it, and jumped onto the stone flooring. He looked up at the ceiling, not seeing any obvious sign as to where the kid must have gone and decided that using another one of his senses might pay off.

Techno shut his eyes, ears twitching, and listened carefully. Listened for that one, signature noise that would tell him where Tommy was.

The sound of someone running over wood.

There!

On instinct, he swung the axe towards the sound, the blade chopping into the ceiling and exposing the hidden passage that had been carved into, and the boy who had been sprinting through it.

Now, this was where things took a bit of an interesting turn.

You see, despite the fact that Tommy had spent his life in a borrower settlement, he was quite experienced in building structures and had frequently challenged Tubbo to speed bridging contests. The adults always hated whenever he did that, claiming that the flimsy structures would alert humans to their hidden home, but Tommy had always ignored them and kept building.

… Until they resorted to hitting him. Then he stopped, but the skills he had developed over the years stayed with him, so the second he started falling he also started building. He had managed to place a couple blocks down as he fell and grabbed onto the little outcropping he had made. He was vaguely aware of Techno moving below him but was far more focused on trying to pull himself back up into the remains of his tunnel.

Can’t fall, gotta stay up! Have to run!

Unfortunately, his hand slipped off the planks, splinters sinking into his skin as he started to fall. Falling, and-

Landing on the top of Techno’s head. Surrounded by the crown the hybrid always wore and with no escape in sight, he decided to cling to the strangely soft, pink hair below him. It smelled… weirdly nice. There was a hint of a herbal scent he could not place, but it didn’t smell super flowery or anything like that.

“You’re pretty fruity, aren’t you big man?” Tommy impulsively asked, and he felt Techno freeze below him as the hybrid realized what the sudden, impossibly light weight belonged to. Seeing an opportunity to get another jab in, he immediately went for it with little regard to how precarious the situation was. “Lookin’ all… all flamboyant with your fancy dye!”

“I doubt you know what that word means, and it’s not dye.” Techno dryly retorted, tilting his head upwards so he could try and glare at the kid.

Seeing that nothing bad had happened, the hybrid had not tried to crush him, nor had he been grabbed and flung towards the nearest wall, Tommy decided to take a risk and started speaking once more.

“.... Hehe, guess things are fine then, big man-” He nervously laughed before he was cut off by Techno picking him up once again. The kid immediately started thrashing, squirming, and cursing as he tried to break free.

The hybrid rolled his eyes at the unnecessary dramatics and made his way over to the collections of chests on the other side of the room. A quick search resulted in him easily finding the item he was looking for.

A bottle.

He caught a glimpse of Tommy glancing between him and the bottle, his face shifting between pure rage and fear, but before he could object to what Techno was planning on doing, the cork in the bottle was removed and Tommy found himself being trapped inside.

“LEMME OUT YOU PRICK!” He shouted as he slammed his fists into the glass wall, wincing as his hands started aching.

Techno just chuckled and put the cork back in, preventing the kid from escaping and making it much harder to hear his shouting. A blessing in disguise, really. “Think of this as karma for the sand from earlier.”

Seeing no way to get out, Tommy flipped the hybrid off and slowly slid down the side of the bottle until he was resting on the ground. His arms crossed, knees were tucked to his chest, and he looked down so his face was hidden from sight. At least his silent moping made it easier for Techno to think.

What to do next…

He had the kid who had been borrowing through his house like some oversized termite, and he knew the kid’s name. There was still so much information he was missing that he wanted to know. What the kid was, if there were any more of him nearby-

An infestation was the last thing he needed.

… Perhaps the librarian back in the village would know something about this tiny kid. He knew that the somewhat eccentric villager had a large collection of books about all sorts of topics, so there was a chance he might have some kind of information he could dig up.

It was worth a shot.

He mentally debated on whether it would be worth it to bring Tommy with him, and ultimately decided he would in case he needed to show him off to the librarian, or one of the other villagers who might know about him. Without bothering to warn the kid, he quickly scooped the bottle up and fastened it to his belt.

He faintly heard the sounds of someone shouting and cursing, and decided to ignore it as he left the house. Techno hummed to himself as he made his way over to the nearby village, not bothering to waste any ender pearls since he still lacked a consistent source of them. No villagers were able to trade them, so his only option was relentlessly hunting down Endermen until a pearl was dropped.

Annoying, but necessary for now.

Speaking of annoying, he spared a glance down at the bottle on his hip that contained the furious Tommy, taking note of how the kid was smacking the glass walls and trying to find a way out. The red hue that had taken over his face also made it clear that he was still screaming.

He let out an exasperated sigh and picked the bottle up off his belt, lifting it up so it would be easier to talk to the kid. Now that he was up close, the hybrid could easily see the look of frustration on the kid’s face, as well as how red his eyes were.

It looked like Tommy had been crying.

“Calm down. I’m not gonna kill you.” Techno grumbled. “And stop screaming before you lose your voice.”

“You’re a bitch!” Tommy spat, not at all paying attention to what he was saying. “Fuckin’ dragging me out to who knows where, planning on doing who knows what-”

“I’m not going to sell you.” The hybrid interrupted, lifting a brow as he watched pure shock cross Tommy’s face. “... You really thought I was gonna sell you-”

“Well yeah!” Tommy sputtered as he flailed his arms. “The fuck else would you be doing?!”

“Interrogating people.”

“The fuck-”

Those were the only words Tommy was able to get out as the bottle was clipped back onto Techno’s belt. He shifted his arms a bit so his cape hid more of his body, and in turn the bottle, from sight. When that was finished, he strode into the village.

Children ran to and fro, some pausing to wave at him or whisper among themselves. He ignored them, as he always did, and continued on towards his destination. He also steered clear of any of the villagers he normally traded with, not wanting to get caught up in some unwanted conversation. He kept walking, picking up the pace whenever he heard someone get a bit too close to him until he reached the library.

It was far from your traditional library, much more of a home with a massive collection of books available for people to read. Techno didn’t bother to knock on the door, opting to instead open it and walk inside. A somewhat large, sparsely decorated room with simple shelves greeted him.

A moment later, the sound of rustling in one of the small side rooms filled the air and the familiar face of the local librarian popped out of it. He resembled your typical villager, though the spark of curiosity made his eyes glint and shine. He was obviously curious as to why Techno had shown up, but before he could ask the hybrid spoke.

“So, what do you know about tiny people?”

“I’m afraid you’ll need to be a bit more specific than that.” The librarian cheerfully replied, not at all phased by the seemingly random question. “Are there any particular features you can describe? Do you have an example?”

Immediately, Techno’s hand moved to his side, ready to grab the bottle and use Tommy as his example. However, just as he was about to snag the bottle-

He froze.

Dread coiled in his heart, an uncomfortable sensation that he had not felt for many years. He grit his teeth as he struggled to sort out exactly what he was feeling, what his instincts were trying to tell him.

Tommy’s wide eyes, tears still lingering in the corners-

Was… was this guilt?

There was no way he was feeling guilt! It couldn’t be. He had felt no guilt when threatening the kid earlier, didn’t really care all that much about him. So, why did the thought of showing him to someone feel…

Wrong.

He was unable to come up with an answer, feeling frustrated with himself. It was a stupid emotion, a weakness, but at the same time his instincts, those same feelings, had gotten him out of dangerous situations in the past. He’d be an idiot if he didn’t keep listening.

So, he dropped his hand and opted to explain instead. “Short, couple inches tall. Uses tools like grappling hooks to get around. Lives-”

“In houses?” The librarian finished, that sparkle in his eyes growing brighter. Looking a bit thrown off, Techno nodded.

“Yeah. How’d you know?”

“You have perfectly described a borrower!”

“... A borrower?”

“Yes! Humanoid beings who are only a few inches tall! Generally, they tend to live in already inhabited homes, or with other borrowers in hidden settlements! They’re signs of good fortune.” The librarian explained as he scanned the shelves, looking for a specific book. “It is said that there is a powerful connection between borrowers and humans, their companionship offers a kind of peace and feeling of completion that we cannot hope to feel on our own-”

“I’m assuming that doesn’t apply to hybrids as well.” Techno interrupted, brow raised in a combination of curiosity and disbelief.

Borrowers… so that’s what Tommy was. And the kid had chosen to live with him? Why? And what had he been doing in a frozen wasteland before that? Was there one of those settlements nearby, or was there some other factor that had driven the borrower into staying with him.

So many questions, and so few answers.

To his surprise, the librarian quickly shook his head. “Your assumption is incorrect, Blood God. On the contrary, borrowers and hybrids have been known to share settlements in the past, working together and helping one another out-aha!”

A book was pulled out of the shelves, cover worn and title nearly illegible. After the book was given a quick once over, it was presented to Techno. He immediately took it, held it up in the dim lighting, and read the title aloud.

“A Historical Investigation into Borrower Society…?”

“Indeed! That should be a good starting point for your research on borrowers, and I can search for other texts if you wish to read them.”

“... That would be helpful, thanks.” Techno nodded while adding the book to his bag. He then pulled a couple emeralds out of it and looked at the librarian. “How much do I owe you?”

“Nothing at all! It warms my heart to see someone else taking an interest in borrowers,” The librarian exclaimed while clapping his hands. “And for my library to be blessed with the presence of one.”

Ah, Tommy.

He must have either spotted the bottle the borrower was in, or one of the other villagers must have and then passed the information along to him. Either way, the hybrid felt…

Annoyed.

His eyes narrowed and he unconsciously shifted so the side of his body the Tommy was on was further away from the librarian. He also flared his cape out, so the borrower was completely hidden from sight.

He was unaware of how Tommy had pressed himself against the side of the bottle upon realizing he had been seen. Unaware of how the borrower had tried to take shelter in his presence despite the rough start to their meeting.

Unaware of the wide, confused eyes that stared up at him, trying to comprehend that his captor was protecting him.

The librarian, seeing the change in Techno’s mood, quickly backed up and lifted up his hands. “Fret not, Blood God, I would do no harm to your charge.”

… Charge?

Before he could question what the librarian meant, the robbed man quickly ducked into some side room and started rummaging around in it.

“The next time you visit, I shall have something to give you! I promise!”

Had… had he just been given the signal to leave? Techno stood around awkwardly for a couple more moments as he waited to see whether the librarian would make another appearance. When he did not, the hybrid decided it was time to go.

Social interactions had always been a critical weakness of his. For how intimidating and threatening he could be, that mask would dissolve in an instant if he started floundering while talking to someone.

Wilbur had always teased him about it…

The walk back to his house was, thankfully, silent and allowed him the perfect opportunity to think about what he had learned in the village. Tommy was a borrower, a tiny being that lived in houses and stole for a living. He had no real magic or other noteworthy skills, aside from the advantages brought to him by size. He could be sneaky.

However, he still had to think about what to do with the borrower. Let him stay, or kick him out.

Soon enough, the hybrid found himself making his way up the stairs to the front of his house, letting out a relieved sigh once the door shut behind him. His shoulders loosened, the tension he had been carrying since he first entered the village fading in an instant.

He hated talking to people, so much.

Techno glanced at the nearby table and then looked down at the bottle on his hip. He promptly lifted it up, met Tommy’s eyes, and spoke.

“If I let you out and you don’t behave, I’m gonna fill the bottle with water and stick you back in it. Got it?”

Tommy shuddered and quickly nodded.

Stupid, he was so stupid for getting himself into this situation, and now he had no idea what Techno was going to do with him! Of course, he could always try to escape again, but he doubted he would get far, and if he got caught…

Nope. He was just going to sit, wait, and try to be as quiet as possible.

Upon seeing that Tommy was listening and actually keeping his mouth shut, Techno uncorked the bottle and tilted it towards the table so the borrower could easily slide out. Once he was settled on the table, the hybrid walked over to the other side of the room and started thinking.

Thinking about what his options were and what he should do.

Was it worth it to keep Tommy around? To have to deal with an annoying presence constantly in the place he had created as his retirement home. Would the aggravation be worth it? What would he get out of it, anyways?

They’re signs of good fortune.

Borrowers and hybrids have been known to share settlements in the past, working together and helping one another.

…That librarian had a point.

It would be useful to him to keep Tommy around, or kill him, even if the kid didn’t give him any good luck. He definitely couldn’t let the borrower leave, lest someone from L’Manberg snag him and get him to spill everything he knew about Techno, and if he kept the borrower around there was always the potential to use him in the future.

To have a tiny spy on his side could be quite the valuable tactical advantage, especially for when L’Manberg came after him.

He doubted Quackity would stay down for long.

So, with a plan properly in mind, he directed his attention back towards the borrower who was, thankfully, still sitting on the table. It looked like the kid had been zoning out until he heard the sounds of Techno’s approaching footsteps. He got back to his feet and glared at the man staring down at him.

Was… was he trying to be intimidating?

Techno let out an amused snort, ignoring the resulting remark about him really being a pig, and started explaining his deal.

“Alright, tiny-”

“TOMMY!”

“ Tiny.” Techno insisted, and to his surprise Tommy actually shut up.

It was probably due to the fact that he wasn’t really in any kind of position to argue or make demands. His life was on the line and he knew. All he could was hope the human would show him some mercy and not chuck him out into the freezing cold.

Whatever it was, it worked in Techno’s favour.

“So, here’s the plan. I’ll let you stay here, give you food and shelter, but you have to give me something in exchange.”

The deal was simple, with the benefits to Tommy being obvious. Something that he hoped would distract the kid and prevent him from questioning what Techno got out of their agreement.

Or what he would get, that is.

“What the fuck do you mean, big man?! Give you something in exchange?! I don’t have anything to exchange!”

“Well, since you said you don’t have anything to exchange,” The hybrid began, taking another step forward so he was closer to the table, already witnessing the real purpose behind his plan coming to fruition.

Tommy paled and took a step back as Techno loomed above him, shadow engulfing his tiny frame as that scheming smile crossed his face. Okay, it was clearly an awful decision to agree to his idea. Abort, abort-

“You’ll just have to work for it, then.”

                                         xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Techno's character arc for this fic is literally him going from exploiting one orphan to two XD

[stuckinazkaban]

I like this girl - like a lot a lot. But she’s older and out of my league. And I don’t know if she’s just being friendly or motherly (because I’ve opened up to her about my toxic parents) or if she might like me back…? We work together so I’ve known her about 4 months and I see her once every 2 weeks or so. Or else some weeks I’d see her a quite a lot of times. Just depends on our work shifts. But anyway… She used to make me hot chocolate every time we were working together within some point of the day - I think she came to the (right) conclusion that I like hot chocolate wayyyy more than coffee (we work in a coffee shop). But I think she only made me it to get me to warm up to her, and now that I’m warmed up to her she doesn’t make me them anymore. Instead we talk more like friends - but at the same time she still treats me like a child. BUT PLEASE SOMEONE TELL ME IF ANY OF THESE THINGS SOUND LIKE SHE LIKES ME?!!!!!!!Some of the things she’s done before:

•one time I was steaming the milk and I asked her a question about it. So she came over and put her hands over mine to helped but then it was like she realised what she was doing, went quite and stepped away.

•another time I dropped a cup and it smashed all over the floor. The other workers were laughing and so was I, she was too, but I was also trying to hide the fact that I was almost shaking. I started picking pieces up but she took them off me. I picked up the brush but she also took that off me and brushed it up herself - but like she didn’t want me to have to do it. I dunno.

•every single time I’m in a shift with her, she always touches me some way or another. Rubbing my back, rubbing my arm. Im pretty sure she put her hands on my waist one time but I can’t remember if that was her or this guy we work with. (Our work is really small and there’s no room to move so it is normal to touch each other). As well, every time we’re talking, we are standing so close. She doesn’t move, I don’t move. The other day I remember we were standing along a wall and she even moved closer.

•one time I gave her a demonstration (I hate myself for it now but at the time I was just being socially awkward) of how this guy was acting in a bar with me. And I was really uncomfortable. I showed her how he was leaning on me and as she was leaning with her (so so hot) arms backwards against this sideboard, I meant on her like he did. I basically lay on top of her. And she didn’t even move. She didn’t flinch. I got off her and she laughed like it was normal and funny what I did. But I was so embarrassed.

•one time she asked me if I had eaten, and I lied and said yeah. But she stood there and looked into my soul and said “you’re lying to me. Are you lying to me?” So later on (maybe a week or so later) I told her I have an eating disorder and she said she thought so because she never saw me eat. After this she always took that into consideration and that’s the main reason why I like her so much. She takes what I tell her and she doesn’t rabies it or forget it. She takes it and holds it in that tiny little pocket of information she has of me in her head. One time she wanted to give me this drink but we were in front of people as she was talking about it. She said “look now, look” and quietly pointed to the amount of calories. And then I said okay and she gave me a sip of hers.

•she told me she was bi and then I told her I was too and she said “yea I know”. I’m from a very conservative Christian family so when someone says to you “you look gay” it’s a huge relief. Honestly. She said “you’re just screaming gay. This, this, this.” She was pointing at everything; my black bracelet, my purple socks with check Vans, my nail polish. She said “the first day you came in you were wearing… orange socks and purple crocs and I just thought: ‘this girl is trying to tell me something’. But I didn’t tell anyone like.” I was smiling so much. And btw that “first day” was literally my first day as in an introduction where I was shown the kitchen and then after 5 minutes I left. THATS NOT EVEN A FIRST DAY!!!

•I told her I didn’t know if I was bi or lesbian and she started talking about kissing girls - I am younger and not as experienced so she must’ve thought I’d never done anything with a girl before, but I told her I kissed a girl a couple months ago and she was like “what?!” And stood up from where she was leaning. She said that she felt like she was having a heart attack, and I just said I gave this girl a little peck and it was my first kiss so…

•one time on a long hard busy busy busy Saturday, she was tired and cross and this guy who works with us was really confusing me with what he was saying. She shouted at him - like shouted shouted and then left.

•oh my gosh. And one time when we were on our work night, she bought me a drink. She bought me a drink. SHE BOUGHT ME A FREAKING DRINK. and I offered to pay her and everything but she said no. And she went up to the bar and ordered it and when the girl came down to give me it, I realised that knew her and said hello. She asked if the drink was for me and I just looked at her (the girl I like) and she was like “no it’s for me”. She looked honestly quite cross about it too to be honest. When the girl said goodbye and set the drink down, she gave it to me and asked me “do you know her?” I said yeah. She said “I didnt want her to ID you” (because I’m underage lol) And then I enjoyed my drink. Earlier in the night tho, the guy who was sitting beside her asked her if she liked “that” waitress (the girl I knew) and she said “no she’s not my type.” They don’t know I was eavesdropping. ;). SO WHAT IS HER TYPE?!!! I hope it’s me. She’s my type anyway. Cross. Scary. Blue hair. Nose piercings. And she is just an amazing, gorgeous person. I didn’t think people like that existed were I live.

•this happened last week, and I still haven’t got over it. I had trouble with a costumer at a table and she came over to me and helped sort it out - that was fine. We laughed about how rude she was and all. Then I went back to the till, and she went to tell our manager about what happened, but while at the till these two women began to be so rude to me and they were just horrible after I offered to bring their food down. I was so upset I had to just leave the till, go into the kitchen and began crying. I even hiccuped I was crying so much. My manager was so nice and asking me what happened while hugging me and all. I don’t know what the girl I like’s reaction was because my eyes were just streaming, but she quickly left the kitchen as I sat down with a drink of water. After a moment came back into the kitchen again and said “don’t worry, they’re dead.” And I was so confused I asked her what she meant. “I killed them, they’re dead.” Was all she said, until our manager came back in and she told him she’s going to get into trouble for shouting at that table of the rude women. He asked what she said and she said “she (me) is just a 17 year old girl and you have just made her so upset.” Along with some other words that she didn’t quite tell me. Our manager just rolled his eyes and laughed before he went to talk to the table. Then it was only me and her. She told me that I’m the nicest person she knows, that I have so much going on and I should t let people like that get to me. I literally could t breathe at this point. When our manager came back in she leant backwards on the dishwasher (I swear it was so hot) and said “I was so angry I needed a breathe before I went back out here. I swear I need a drink.” Like as in she was angry because they were mean to me!!! As she said this, she was rubbing my back, and my arm (motherly? I dunno) and I just took that as my chance to wrap my arm around her and then I HUGGED HER. I didn’t know if she wanted that much physical touch but she touches me all the time. She hugged me back, her arms around my waist really tightly. She smelled like cigarettes. She said to me “you need to fight your bisexual side.” Now this is about a month after I told her I’m bi and we hadn’t talked about it since, SO with her bringing it up means she thinks about it!!! Or I’d that me just looking into it?? But anyway… my manager said I could go home (I only had a couple minutes of my shift left anyway) and he asked if I could take the rubbish out on this trolley as I left. The girl I like told him she was coming with me. She took the trolley full of rubbish with one hand and wrapped an arm around me with the other. and then we talked the whole way down to the bins. She asked me if I had pets, asked about my dad, told me I’m an amazing person. I’m so so in love.

[husbandograveyard]

Hey hey hey!! I saw your post! So its a small game time! Its so cute that you are asking us. Thanks

Disclaimer: its a game so dont take it to heart. I am talking generally for all. Not with Self ship in mind. If anyone has a problem. Im sorry. We all have different opinions.

Which character is one you'd not be afraid to take home to your parents?

Even though I love Sanji so much, I'd definitely think Sabo would be the best person to take to home. You see he knows. He definitely knows what he is doing. He is intelligent, responsible and the impression he gives is alwas the best.

The next option would be Ace. He is just way too adorable. He is damn freaking polite and has good manners. He is a reliable person and always thinks of his loved ones. He can fall asleep but its because of his narcolepsy(is that the right word?)

The next one. ROBIN CHWAN!!!! Oh my angel. She would be perfect. She would know what is happening and what to say. What to do. Everything. Like.. one glance on robin and okay.

The next. Please hang on a little while. Idk why i do this much typing. Killer. Omg. Killer would be a bit suspicious on first glance but trust me. He would be so amazing in this. The Kidd pirates are so lucky to have him. He is very clever, he thinks of so many possibilities. He gives the feeling of trust. And once we like him, there is no going back. Maybe he would have problems meeting S/O parents because of his insecurities. But he is absolutely perfect.

Which one are you hiding away forever?

(From parents i guess)

If you are talking about hiding from parents. I adore this man but.

..Law. Yes Law. Dont get me wrong but some parents would be so scared of this man with his tattoos which literally say death. His glare would be so frightening to them. (Pure kirarin mentioned about his tattoos and i absolutely agree with that) (He can be made understood slowly though, that he is a nice guy and his glare... is just his actual face)

The next one is Kidd. I know he is amazing and all but, listen to me. At first glance many parents would be intimidated and scared of his grumpy, cold and strong exterior. I absolutely love Kidd but... parents would be worried. (But can make sure slowly he can be made understood of his real soft and kind side)

Best character to be a parent with (be it adoptive, a fur baby or kids of your own?)...

Best parent... maybe Sanji. Please let him in this place. Trust me. This guy... he would be so doting and caring. He'd teach them good stuff at the same time he would try to be the best dad. Make them healthy food and take care of them ao much.

Next.... Corasan. He is already shown how amazing he was to Law. He is kind, clumsy but still really adores his kid and would be with them. The parent affection would be given to the child (which is the most important thing a child should get)

What do you think about all these Author san. Do you have anyone else in mind?

Hi!! Thanks for your insanely detailed answers! A lot to unpack here, so let’s get to it ;D 

I would 100000% also take Robin to my parents (if they ever know/accept that I am not allo and straight lmao)  10/10 proper queen, she’s well-mannered, knows how to keep up a conversation, owns more than 3 intact brain cells...  Sabo and Ace...depends on the time of day? They can be super chaotic and feral, but I do agree that they both *know* how to be polite so... definitely an option. They also got that ‘ideal son-in-law’ innocent face. 

Killer... a bit more difficult. While I do see your arguments. The man is a mass murderer and not nearly as soft or innocent as the fandom makes him out to be. He’s more in the im keeping him away category for me personally. 

100% agree not to take Kid. Don’t take kid anywhere. It’s like taking your dog with rabies to a petstore. 10/10 terrible idea. He wouldnt even be able to pretend he’s polite. 

Law is somewhere in the middle. Okay his looks are not the ideal boyfriend material when it comes to parents, but he’s somewhat of a doctor, he’s smart, and he knows how to behave himself and keep lowkey. 

Sanji 100% dad material, will spoil his children rotten, the imagery is very cute. Although he will probably be super insecure about it? 

Cora...depends on the situation. Sure he was the best dad (tm) to Law, but he also kind of threw him out of the window to protect him. As long as the rest of the flamingled fam doesn’t join in, I can see it. 

[apolunatic]

danganronpa headcanons: makoto naegi and kyoko kirigiri edition

makoto naegi:

- bit of a strange one, but he has a weak bladder. after all, he did wet his bed until fifth grade. he often, somehow, forgets that he shouldn’t be drinking too much when they’re going on road trips because “naegi do i need to stop the car again?”

- dog person. he always wants to have a dog and if he doesn’t own one himself, he’s stealing his friends dogs or just barging into their houses at ungodly times of the night to pet them and then leave (peko often joins him on these adventures because “fluffy things!! fuyuhiko, look, it’s letting me pet it!”)

- he hates it when it’s hot outside. summer? hell no “kiri, can you turn on the a/c?” everyone has learned that going to his house in the summer means they’ll need to wear sweaters and sweatpants. they don’t know how he survives.

- big softie for animals. cannot handle roadkill. he can and will cry at the sight of roadkill and will even risk getting rabies to see if he can save it.

- a huge third wheeler for komaru and toko. can and will go on dates with them so make sure that komaru doesn’t get involved with that “frisky shit” because “you’re my little sister and i just want what’s best for you!”

- loves to fingerpaint, just like a four year old. “brushes are for, as enoshima would call it, chumps, kiri, which means you’re a chump.”

- doesn’t have a big sweet tooth; he finds that eating too much sugar gives him a toothache, so he has never really been fond of the sweet stuff.

- fast food critic. can and will go to fast food restaurants, order the biggest order he can handle, and make both kyoko and byakuya listen to him recommend dishes to them. however, he’s too sweet to say what he doesn’t like about the dishes, which means he wouldn’t be a great critic (if he actually was one).

- in a non-despair world, he’d probably be a police officer; in the beginning, he wasn’t planning to be one, but after he met kyoko at hope’s peak, he got interested in the criminal justice major and decided to major in it himself. he also helps kyoko with cases and helps togami with his family business to make sure that he doesn’t overwork himself.

kyoko kirigiri:

- she has a huuuuge sweet tooth. she doesn’t know how makoto doesn’t have one. she will even eat so much that she gets a sugar high, which can be good or bad.

- workaholic. can and will stay up until four in the morning and miss plans she has scheduled the next day due to oversleeping. she’s practically nocturnal and “kyoko, please go to sleep, you’re gonna miss hina and ogami’s party tomorrow!”

- cat person. she always owns at least two cats and even has a room in her house dedicated to them. the first time she got a cat was when she was eight and convinced her grandfather to get her one. since then, she’s always had a cat and will fondly remember michiyo, her first cat, forever.

- she’s the definition of sarcastic bastard to the point where people don’t even know if she’s being serious or sarcastic. the only time she’s exclusively serious is when she’s working on a case.

- loves 1940s/1950s film noirs and will watch at least one a week, even if she doesn’t have the time to. she can and will drag her friends into her house just to watch these with her every saturday.

- secretly loves relaxing in t-shirts/sweaters (depends on the season) and sweatpants, but the only people who ever really see her in these types of clothing are makoto, byakuya and hina. even when she’s wearing them, she refuses to admit that she dresses casually.

- she acts like she despises children, but she secretly loves them. she loves to babysit for her friends and does a hell of a good job at it. when she gets a child abuse case, she will not sleep until it’s solved, even if it takes a week to do so. makoto and everybody else knows it is literally impossible to make her sleep when she gets one of these cases.

- loves horror movies. whenever she learns that a new horror movie is coming out, she will buy tickets for opening night as soon as possible. however, she hates jumpscares. she says that “they’re just cheap tactics to scare people because the directors aren’t skilled enough to make scenes scary without them.” she also loves stephen king novels/films!

- bilingual. she knows japanese (her first language), english, french, russian, german and spanish. originally, she began to learn them since it would be useful to her as a detective, but she started learning more and more just because it was fun. she’s currently learning italian.

[sparkexplosive]

Fallen Angel [BNHA FIC] CHAPTER FOUR

All Chapters Masterpost

Previously, Chapter THREE

Kaida Shadou is in the U.A principal office laying on her back on the couch. She was wearing the boy’s uniform since she refuses to use a skirt which she finds extremely short. The uniform she was told to wear is slightly different from their usual uniform. Behind her gray jacket have the bold black words in the yellow box saying, “Approach with Caution!”. It was mandatory for her to wear because of her past. 

“Miss Shadou, I have a few questions to ask you in order to ensure everyone safely here. Please understand that its -”

She stood up straight and sat appropriately to have her leg over her kneel with her arms crossed against her chest. Her dark blue beanie with two ears striking like a cat. 

“Its protocol to make ensure you don’t have angry parents coming to you complaining about having a murder suspect being among their children.” She nonchalantly having mischievous glint in her eyes shimmer against the office lights.

“You are afraid of me. You must take me for a fool. I know you have few teachers right outside of the office door just in case I try to act violently.” Narrowing her red ruby eyes dangerously at the principal.

She isn’t surprised for the principal to have his doubts based on her track record. Her track record isn’t the cleanest or good. It's a surprise for her to be even accepted in a prestigious school due to her reputation. 

However, it could be because of her father's reputation impact on the hero society and drama. He was one of those heroes who would continue to live through future generations to come. Her father was a strong believer of no quirk was created purposely for solely reason such in terms of being evil or good.

 Kaida understands she has used her quirk illegally multiple times in public property. She has made her classmates be terrified of her with threats for their lives. It's not her fault for her classmates to mock her to only cause her inner demons to be angered with. She usually has a strong grip on having her inner demons locked up, but there are times that they slip through the cracks. 

“I didn’t mean to assume that I have no trust in you. I have my colleagues worried about me talking to you by myself. You can understand due to the reputation that the media has made about you.” Nezu explains. 

Kaida stares to the ground to think for a moment with the dangerous glint in her eyes. 

The media always prefers to have the juiciest content to be published rather if it's true or false. In her situation, she was found with her dead parent’s bodies and blood covering her. Everyone assumes it was her due to the consequence she was found in. With the numerous angered adults to heroes pissed on the fact she hasn’t gotten her sentence due to the murder charges of mainly her parent’s deaths. Doubly it is overdue the case hasn’t been closed, still going on investigation and no one has been charged with the crime.

A memory of her parents passed through her mind. 

A young girl with short hair tearfully looking at her parents who give her a soft glance held behind their ruby red eyes and her father reach out a hand-tufting her hair affectionately. 

“Sweetie, please remember no one is born to be evil. ” The light brown-haired woman smiling down at her. 

Her father with light blue hair picks her up from the ground to sit on his lap and clears off her tears. “No quirk is made for good or bad. It's the user who makes that decision. If they wish to use their quirk to protect or to cause harm to the people who surround them.” He speaks with a soft smile. 

“It depends on you on how you wish to use your quirk, sweetheart. Don't let others choose for you.” Her father smiles at her knowing she is being picked on due to her dark quirk. 

“It's human nature to judge things they don’t understand. They will show fear, and anger towards you. Instead of throwing a punch on the brat’s face, you give them your biggest smile and tell them ‘Leave your judgment at the door.’ “

She scratches her head through her beanie hat and lets out a sigh before standing up from the couch and walking towards the door. 

“Ms. Shadou, where are you going?” Nezu stood from his chair to watch her open the door to reveal a few pro-heroes. 

With the biggest smile on her face which came out fake, “If you are worried about me hurting your precious principal. You may join us if you wish. However, do you leave your judgment at the door.”

She twirls around to have the smile drop back into her normal scowl on her face and lose the dangerous glint in her eyes. She takes a seat in front of the desk having teachers joining on the couch she used to occupy. 

Midnight, Eraserhead, All Might, and Mic take a seat away from the so-called demon child. They stare at the child with interest and warily about her actions. They were caught off-guard to her bitterness. Nezu was speechless due to her bluntness to invite the heroes inside. Kaida was slouching against the single chair, plainly ignoring the stares of the adults in the room. The principal claps his hands together and clearly his throat before continuing. 

“Have you had any contract with the commission's quirk patrol officers?” Nezu straightened up the papers on his desk.

“Yeah. I don’t really have a choice.” She states and fidgets with her necklace bell between her fingers. 

“May I ask what your sentence was with the quirk commission due to the incident with your parents and numerous civilians?” Nezu carefully asks, making the teen to tense up. 

“It's still ongoing due to my present crimes of using my quirk illegally in public. They are being  added to my case.” She glances over to the teachers to catch their tense posture to see the familiar large black cat with its darkness creeping out of its own shadow sitting on the couch behind their necks. The cat with crazed eyes walking by each hero.  

The heroes in the room could feel the air getting heavier causing them to be on edge waiting for the teenager to act violent but instead, she seems bored out of her mind. 

‘We don’t like them!’ Kaida ignores the voices in the shadows. 

The monsters who hide in the dark do not take a liking to those who are scared of Kaida. She hasn’t yet done anything to gain fear from them which brings them to be angered by their actions. The shadows could feel people’s emotions around her, more pointedly the ones that have negative feelings towards the young girl. 

The black cat with big crazed pink eyes poking into All Might’s hair while pushing against Mic glasses. The cat giggles seeing their scared facial expressions and acting accordingly to be mischievous. 

Mic kept pushing his glasses up into the bridge of his nose as All might fractionally hand passing through the shadow cat who keeps touching the strings of his hair and dropping them. Midnight and Nezu shared a look with each other, seeming to see how two blonds are getting bothered by something that isn’t available to the human eye. 

“Do you have any intention of hurting anyone in the hero course? Especially to the staff who were involved in the crime scene at that particular incident years ago. The profound one called the biggest massacre in the century which includes your parents.” Aizawa bluntly asks, causing the room tension to shift. The black cat with big crazed moved along the couch to the chair separating him from the rest of the heroes. The size continued to grow to reveal Aizawa doesn’t have negative thoughts about her. 

Kaida stares at him clearly remembering he was always the first one to get called on when she loses control with her quirk ever since the incident. 

“Not intently. I do not wish to harm anyone without any necessary reason. Mr. Aizawa. I know I do not have the best impression of myself. I am willing to push it behind our past behind us to show you I am not a ravenous monster everyone makes me seem to be.” She calmly says, however inside she was nervous about the reaction Eraserhead from seeing how the black cat grew 4 times from its usually small size. 

Recounting the numerous times, she has tried to eat him like a rabid dog with rabies attacking anything with a heartbeat. She would be restricted by his scarf which she tried to chew through. All of their most recurrences were through her quirk taking over her completely but could only cancel the physical form of her quirk. She is a mutation that he couldn’t always cancel completely but was enough to get restrained. She does understand why he would have a grudge against her. 

“I don’t agree that you should even be allowed on the school grounds. Considering how many times you have put citizens to classmates in danger by your impulsive actions.” Aizawa retorts, making the teen tilt her head towards the ground in surrender admitting it is true to some extent. 

“Ai-” Nezu tries to step in instead, gets brushed off.

“Why should we let her attend our school? When clearly her actions speak for herself using her quirk impulsively in public and not giving care who gets hurt? How do we know she will keep her blood-sucking teeth to herself? She can injure one of our students.” Mic steps in defending his best friend’s facts. 

She knows he isn’t acting out of anger but concern for the students in the academy. 

“I know my records are classified only open for principal and certain rank of heroes. You don’t know the full story of why I would use my quirk in public property. All of you are being biased on what the public and circle of heroes are saying. I was the hidden love child of my parents who were a profoundly well-respected hero to well-known blood-sucking villain since I was born to the day everything exploded in front of my parents' eyes.” She calmly states as the tension gets heavy to even breathe. 

‘Kill him.’

“Everyone has bad blood with my mother who is always working alongside One for All. The big bad blood-sucking villain, Servant Vampire who followed every order to the exact for him. She already paid for her wrongdoings with trading information and turning a new leaf. She can’t bring back the dead but she can bring closure to those families. But in the end, she paid her ultimate price with her death.” Kaida clearly gets irritated at the same time trying to ignore her demons in her mind speaking.  

‘He wants you dead!’

“I can’t change the fucking past but I can change how to move forward. Don’t pin things on me when it was out of my control! Don't act when you know me when you don’t!” She exclaims getting out of the chair harshly being shrieked against the tile floor. 

‘Show him what he should be fearing of!’

“You can either lead me to the right path of controlling my quirk or lead me down the dark path such as my mother! It’s on your fucking bloody hands! I am taking a fucking walk.” She yells out of anger. She yanks the door open to only slam it behind her. 

Kaida could feel her heart beating rapidly against her chest and could see the black cat growing in size. Her head throbs against her skull which concludes she needs to calm down before she could lose control. The demons inside her head want out. She wanders down hallways before making a stop at the end of a hall to side down to the ground bringing her knees against her chest. She takes deep breaths and out while counting down. 

Meanwhile, Midoriya Izuku was coming back from the nursing office to check on his finger from earlier. He was deep thought of trying to remember where he had seen or heard of the name that was on the visible board when they were showing the results of their test. He was surprised to not see his name in the last place but someone else. 

21- Shadou Kaida

But from his classmates, there was an outroar of disagreement to questioning why this individual was even in their class. It wasn’t a good thing that they are in their class and have a bad record. He is wrecking his brain where he has heard it before. He turns the corner to lead him to his classroom to find a  student having their head against their knees with a dark beanie. It seems to be like they are taking deep breaths. 

Something has caught his eyes that were the words snitched into the gray jacket they are wearing. “Approach with caution.” 

The light blue hair wearing label to warn students to approach with caution. He recalls an incident of putting numerous people in the hospital with fatal injuries. All of their victims are afraid to even recall to retell their experience. They were traumatized but no one could get the details of what happened through those incidents to make their victim act so afraid. Everything points to them being a dangerous individual. They were also the same person who placed multiple heroes to the hospital. He only has seen pictures of this supposed individual look like. 

Kaida could feel someone was staring at her and muttering away a storm. She lifts her head to find a green-haired boy in deep thought. She stands up from her position to snap her fingers in front of him causing the young teenager to be startled. 

“Do you like staring at people or something?” She looks at him in a bored manner.  She is curious why he was muttering away but that’s none of her concern. 

Midoriya stutters with wide eyes. “N-No.” 

She shrugs and looks to the hall to see she is completely lost. “Where’s the principal office?”

He quickly directed her where it would with a nervous stutter. 

“Thank you.” She thanks him to only hand him a piece of candy as an exchange for helping her out. 

Midoriya Izuku was taken back how she behaved, starting to doubt. He looks at the lollipop. This couldn’t be the same kid. 

The famous child who put multiple people into the hospital including All might six years ago.

[jincherie]

intermission • iii | moonchild

• ☽ — pairing: bts x reader • ☽ — genre: crack, fluff, angst, college/uni au • ☽ — words: 4.6k • ☽ — rating: sfw • ☽ — warnings: rabid old ladies and tree-climbing shenanigans • ☽ — notes: another intermission! this is my last part for now, miss zee will be writing the next two and then we will see my return!!!! but until then, please indulge us n show miss zee some love!! she works hard for it :’< also because with zee’s next chapter... we see a bit of a twist arise!

— posted; 09.06.2019

When the love letter you wrote and submitted as an assignment is leaked to the entirety of your university, it becomes a race against time to dispel rumours and convince the seven suspected muses of the poem that they aren’t the subject before anyone realises that you are the author. Easy, right? Well… maybe not as easy as you think.

— • masterlist | prev | intermission iii | next • —

— some time in first year —

 The afternoon air is cool and the sun is a soft, comforting warmth against the exposed parts of Kim Namjoon’s skin, chasing away the slight bite of the cold that lingers in the breeze due the transitional season as he walks home. He’s just finished fulfilling his third ‘help wanted’ poster duty of the day, collecting the sheets, both handwritten and printed alike, from shopping mall billboards like Pokémon. He has a thick wad of them folded up and wedged in his back pocket (he’d forgotten his trusty messenger bag this morning that, despite being two snapped threads away from falling apart completely, has always managed to see him through the day) and a comparatively much smaller wad in his other back pocket, of the odd jobs his managed to complete through the week.

His rationale for being such an upstanding citizen and going out of his way to help anyone and everyone he can? Two things—experience, and references. He knows it’s a harsh world, and to succeed you have to prepare yourself as much as possible for everything to come. So when the time comes that he steps into the adult, working world after graduating… he doesn’t doubt he’s going to be one of the best prepared people they’ve ever seen.

Plus, sometimes the little old ladies and distraught pet owners he helped gave him a few dollars as a tip. Unnecessary and not something he asks for, but Namjoon isn’t one to turn away a gift when it could do wonders for his loose change jar. It satisfies him to see the little glass thing with a cork lid get fuller and fuller each weak. He blames the deep, primal part of his monkey brain that likes seeing a big collection of shiny objects like coins. It sparks joy, one could say.

The odd job he’s just completed was a little dryer than the rest, if he’s being honest. It was much simpler than the ad for it had made out— just helping some fellow uni student as clueless as him fix their broken toilet roll. All he had to do was find the screw that came out and the student gave him, like, a whole box of frozen chicken patties in return. Which… isn’t so bad but also, Namjoon considers himself an intellectual and while he may be bought by food he still longs for a mental challenge. So despite how usually he gets in about three a day, on a good day, but even thought this is his third one he’s still… hungry for more. He’s also hungry in the literal sense; the last job made him miss lunch and now his stomach is performing an acapella version of ‘feed me, feed me, you bastard’. A classic hit, one he is especially familiar with. He’ll have to rifle through the papers in his back pocket and suss out whether any of the posters seem the type to provide food for the help.

He’s still toying with the idea when he happens across an unexpected scenario that seems to have been dropped into his path by the fates themselves. Along one side of the footpath are suburban homes and their small front yards and cute little mailboxes, and to the other is the occasional tree and then the plain asphalt of the road. About a yard in front of him, just far enough that he can’t really see even with his glasses on, there seems to be a bit of a commotion occurring near one of the larger trees lining the street.

Excitement probably shouldn’t be his first reaction, but it is, and Namjoon hurries his long-legged gait so that he can reach the spectacle sooner. He doesn’t know what he looked like but walking like this, he feels a bit like those spiders with the tiny bodies and disproportionately long, spindly legs. And here he is, going to help out like the friendly neighbourhood spiderman. He slapped his thigh, eyes wide. He might be an iron man enthusiast at heart, but damn that’s a good line for his resume.

The closer Namjoon gets to the commotion he’d spotted from afar, the more he realises he might have hit jackpot. The source of the loud yelling and frantic movements seems to be a woman, a little on the elderly side, with her wild salt and pepper curls defying gravity in some places and clumping in others—it takes Namjoon a moment to realise that she’s actually attempted to tie her hair back and that’s why it looks a little bit deformed from the distance. As he draws closer, he notes that she looks a little unhinged. His reaction to such a thing should be caution, and he should feel wary, but all he can think is hell yes this woman clearly needs help and he is going to help her, damn it.

“Pudding, come down! Please! I’m sorry for calling you fat, Pudding! I didn’t mean it!”

As soon as he’s within earshot, he hears the woman sobbing hysterically as she claws at the thick trunk of the tree. She’s too small to reach the lowest hanging branch, and has taken to draping herself pitifully against the leaning trunk as she scrabbles against the bark with her nails. The woman wails, pitifully, voice piercing the air like a siren, or a banshee, “Pudding!”

Confused as he may be, he’s sure that as soon as he asks the lady what happened, he’ll be as clued in as possible. Namjoon clears his throat and composes himself, before stepping forward and speaking loud enough that the woman can hear him over her own loud weeping.

“Excuse me, ma’am, is everything alright? Do you require assistance of any kind?”

The lady spins around, a crazy glint in her eye, and belatedly, Namjoon begins to feel a little wary in addition to the wave of concern that seems to have caught up to him from where he left it in the dust.

“My pudding,” the woman wails, lurching and attaching herself to Namjoon like he is the tree she’d just been attempting to scale. Her nails dig into his arms, and the male is suddenly thankful for the long sleeves of his shirt and jacket protecting them from being punctured by her claws. “My pudding is stuck in the tree.”

A few beats of silence sound in Namjoon’s head, before finally a thought spawns into being. This woman…. Did she fling her dessert into the tree? God, it’s worse than he thought. He never expected to walk upon such a tragedy.

“I’m so sorry to hear that, ma’am,” Namjoon says, sincerely sympathetic. Being prone to trips and falls as he is, he has been victim many a times to accidentally flinging food all over the place. His heart goes out to her, his hands coming to pat her forearms with only a little hesitance (distantly, a part of him wonders if the crazed look in her eye is due to rabies, and the whiteness of what he assumes is snot all over her face and mouth makes him a little nervous). “Would you like help? I can get the pudding down from the tree, and then you can go on ea—”

“Oh, would you, dear?” the woman’s grip tightens like a vice as she cuts him off, wide, glassy eyes gleaming with hope. Is she starting to froth at the mouth a bit? Namjoon chooses to ignore that observation. “Please, please get him down. He’s the fat bastard on the second highest branch, and he -hic- must be so scared.”

Namjoon resists the instinct to make a face just barely— is she referring to her pudding as a he, and did she just call her pudding a fat bastard?— and instead follows the old woman’s shaking hand as it point to the top of the tree. Realisation slaps him in the face.

There, sitting right on the thickest part of the second highest branch near the trunk and somehow still managing to bow it, is both the fattest and the ugliest but most oddly endearing cat Namjoon has ever seen. At least, he thinks it’s a cat. It’s a cat until proven otherwise, he decides.

“Oh,” Namjoon says, staring at the cat. The cat stares back, and Namjoon gulps at the sudden goblin energy it seems to be radiating. “Pudding.”

The woman, still babbling incoherently while Namjoon creates a half-assed sort of mental plan for how to proceed and reach the top of the tree, starts shaking him slightly in her distress. Being a music major doesn’t prepare him for shit like this, he laments. This lady better have some food on the table for the trauma she’s currently inflicting.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get pudding.” He gingerly brushes her grip off him, surprised she let go with such little convincing, and makes his way to the trunk of the tree. The cat stares him down the entire time, lidded yellow eyes peering into the depths of his being and pulling out his innermost fears. Namjoon feels like this cat is the kind of thing you peer under your bed as a child and see balled up in the corner, hissing, with big fangs and ominous man-eating energy. This cat looks like the second Namjoon is within reach he’s going to claw his face off or eat his ears. A shiver rolls down his spine, but he pushes on. He’s going to climb this tree, make this cat his bitch, and bring it back down for the crazy old lady who has started breathing extra heavy the closer he gets to the tree. Distantly, one of his braincells knocks around and whispers that this feels like when Hansel and Gretel got tricked by a witch and her candy house— except in this situation the candy house is Namjoon’s incredible need for good references and experience. Annoyed at the errant brain cell, he flicks it away mentally and tries to think of a way up the tree when he reaches the base.

Well, he supposes he’s just gonna have to go up branch by branch and see which ones he can reach with his long noodle legs. He has to bring his foot up past his ear to clamber onto the first branch, and amongst the pain of essentially doing the splits he feels oddly proud of himself. Kim Namjoon; outstanding citizen, academic, genius music major, now gymnast. It has a nice ring to it. Perhaps he should consider broadening his horizons and extending his athleticism.

Scaling the tree is actually much easier than he anticipated. None of the branches are too far or too high to reach, and he’s satisfied with the effortlessness this job has taken so far. This will look fantastic on his record— he can’t forget to get a written statement from the rabies lady.

Before he knows it, he’s come face to face with the cat. Up close, it radiates even more demonic goblin energy, and Namjoon feels his knees quake slightly in response. It doesn’t meow, doesn’t even growl, merely bares its teeth in greeting, and the male gulps. Alright, time to make this cat his bitch for a moment and save that old lady’s day.

“Hey puss,” Namjoon greets, a little rusty on his cat conversation etiquette. “Come here puss, here, tch tch.”

The cat, fearing neither god nor man, merely sits and looks at Namjoon as he makes kissy noises in an attempt to lure it. ‘You think you can control me?’ It feels as though the cat says to him, with its apathetic, golden-eyed stare, ‘I belong to no one, fool. I will perish before I move at your will.’

Alright, seems like he’s just gonna have to scoop him up and go. Hopefully his nature is a docile as the name Pudding implies and his intimidating outside is just a farce.

Namjoon leans against the trunk of the tree as he reaches for the cat and takes it into his arms successfully— it’s too fat to put up much of a fight, and for that the male is thankful, even if it now feels like he’s holding a boulder in his arms and they’re going to fall off if he doesn’t deposit it soon. What does that lady feed this cat?! Cement?!

Having secured the old lady’s bag, Namjoon directs his gaze downwards and goes to embark on the next step in the plan to climb the tree for the cat and then climb down with the cat— as expected, it’s time for the latter. Wait, speaking of—

A ladder? God he wishes he had one of those right now, because he’s just realised that he has no idea how to get down. The cat’s belly gives an almighty rumble and, expectedly, it throws Namjoon a little off balance. The old lady is calling out hoarsely several many feet below them, and Namjoon feels a little overwhelmed as he considers possibilities and analyses paths down.

Gulping, he makes a calculated decision— unfortunately, he was never that great at maths.

x x

An afternoon stroll through the streets surrounding your dorm is just what you need, some fresh air to sooth your tired, university student soul and refresh your mind.

At least, that’s what you decided like ten minutes ago. Currently, you’re not sharing the same sentiments as past-you so much. This is mostly due to the abundance of unhinged elderly and zombified youth that seem to have had the same idea as you and that are now milling about unchecked. You accidentally stepped off the footpath before and stepped maybe ten centimetres onto someone’s lawn. That someone happened to be a short, stout middle-aged couple that had matching outdated hairdos, and they were not happy about you ‘messing up their lawn’. Before embarking on this walk, you could have proudly said you’d never been chased down the street by some screaming woman with a broom before. Now though, you’re no longer a virgin to that particular experience. You’re not going home as the same woman you were when you left.

The street that you’ve just turned onto, on your journey back to your dorms, is remarkably less chaotic than the rest and you feel yourself letting out a breath of relief. Finally, you thought you were going to combust from the stress alone. As relieved as you are though, you don’t let down your guard; you’ve been burnt before, thank you very much.

Not even three houses down the street, your reservations are proven right. There is an elderly woman, who appears afflicted with a sickness of some sort if the fluids all over her face are anything to go by, who is sobbing and moping at the base of a tree in what you hope is her front yard. Confronted with the strange situation, a part of you instinctively wants to help her— the other part tells you to turn tail and go down another street because this could be one of those traps where they trick you with a crying child or old lady and then mug you, taking all your money and any candy still surviving in your pockets.

Ultimately, the more empathetic side of you wins out and you hesitantly begin to walk closer to the woman clawing at the tree and screaming about desserts.

“Uh, excuse me ma’am, are you o—”

You don’t even get to finish before there is a sudden series of snaps and cracks from the tree above you and a mass comes hurtling down from the foliage. You scream, the sheer blood-curdling nature making your throat ache, and just about shit yourself as you launch away. Where you stood, a shape smacks into the ground with a hearty thunk that shakes the earth a little beneath your feet. You were right, you’re about to get mugged!

“AHH FUCK WHAT THE FUCK FUCK OFF I KNOW KATANA!”

The mass on the ground groans and you blink, watching with absolute dumbfoundedness as it shifts and suddenly the fattest cat you’ve ever seen is parting from it and running towards the woman in hysterics by the base of the tree. For such an absolute unit, it moves fast, and barely a moment passes before the massive load of a cat is wrapped firmly in the old lady’s arms.

“Pudding,” she weeps into his coat, the cat pinning you and the lump at your feet with an ominous, dead-eyed stare over her shoulder. “Oh my sweet, fat bastard— don’t you ever do that again, okay? Oh my sweet baby—”

She turns, mumbling into the fur of her cat as she begins to depart from the tree and make her way back to the house that you presume to be hers. For a moment you forget about the lump at your feet, until you hear it let out a pathetic whimper.

“My reference and commendation…”

You let out another scream, for some reason not at all expecting it to speak words. When you look down, however, you instantly feel guilty.

The thing that fell from the tree was a man and he landed right on his ass.

“Oh wait holy shit are you okay?!” Now that you’re over your fear of being mugged, you run over to the man and pop a concerned squat next to his curled up form. “What the hell were you doing up there? Did you steal that crazy lady’s cat?!”

The male at your feet groaned, bereft. “No, I was helping her get the cat down. Holy shit, my buns…”

You turn your gaze to his heinie, realising that with how hard he hit the ground he very likely has broken something. God, now that you think about it, he could have broken his tailbone. You have a friend that did that in highschool— it wasn’t fun, and it wasn’t pretty. And the thought that this poor man who fell from the tree and scared the absolute shit out of you might have done the same… oh, you felt for him. He attempted to roll and let out a pathetic groan. Oh yeah, he definitely broke it.

“Wait, don’t move! I think you broke your tailbone when you fell! Don’t move too much.” You hurry to halt him, and all he can muster in response is another sad groan.

“God, I- I can’t see…” he dropped his head against the earth, eyes shut. “The light… it’s growing closer.”

“H-hang on!” You panic, hands flying into the air. “We need to get you help! We need to get you to a hospital! Please don’t go into the light!”

The male groans again, and you flounder— you have to get him to the ER! It’s more serious than you thought. Panicked, you scramble for a way to get him up and mobile. Finally, an idea occurs to you, and you survey the man’s lanky form to try and assess how well it’s going to work out. A grimace finds its way to your face.

You’re going to be so sore later.

x     x

For forty minutes, you carried the long-limbed male on your back like nothing but a pack mule. Twenty minutes of that you spent walking, feeling like that Atlas bitch carrying the heaviest thing imaginable on your back and shoulders; and the other twenty was spent taking (read: waiting for) public transport. By the time you arrived to the hospital and got the man on your back checked in (you learned his name is actually Kim Namjoon and he’s a student, much like you), you felt as though at any second you were going to pass out. You still feel like that, actually, as you sit in the chair along the wall across from the male’s bed, which has the curtains drawn as the doctor inspects him, and attempt to recover. You’re sweaty, and gross, and desperately want a coffee. You even considered slipping some of the paper from the mysterious wad in his back pocket before you realised it isn’t money. You didn’t get to see what was on the papers, since you lost interest as soon as you realised it wasn’t cash.

You don’t get to lament too much about it before the curtains are being hauled back, a brightly smiling man greeting you; the doctor appears just as exuberant and overjoyed as when he first walked in.

“Well, good news and bad news!” he chirps, tucking his clipboard under his arm. His nametag reads Dr. Lee Minhyuk, and you can’t help but think that your new friend Sera would probably be frothing at the mouth at the mere sight of him. You catch sight of Namjoon adjusting himself on the bed behind the doctor, cheeks red.

You send the doctor a probing look, knowing he is waiting for a response. He beams, delighted at your acknowledgement.

“Good news first!” the Dr. Lee clicks his heels together before shifting his stance, gesturing his arm widely to Namjoon. “His tailbone is not broken! Thanks to the uneven distribution of his ass cheeks— ahem, sorry, his buttocks— all of the force of impact was absorbed by the, uh, dominant butt cheek, if you will. His tailbone is fine!”

Namjoon chokes behind him at the words that come out, and a part of you is mortified for him but the rest of you finds that too funny to even begin unpacking everything else yet. One of his ass cheeks really pulled a hard carry and did the lord’s work and absorbed all the impact. The power… A sigh of relief escapes you at the doctor’s words, though, and you go to speak up your relief when the doctor cuts you off.

“Whoops, actually I take that back! That’s the bad news— his tailbone isn’t broken, but it is bruised.” Dr Lee clicks his tongue, taking out his clipboard to scribble something short down. He then turns to Namjoon. “I kind of have to go— since you came in through the ER but this isn’t an actual emergency— but I’ll send a nurse in with directions for you on how to manage this, and after that you’ll be free to go. I recommend not climbing any more trees for a while! Also I hope you don’t sleep on your back, that might be a bit difficult like this.”

With that, he clicks his heels once more before saluting you both, and then he’s striding out of the room, off to tend to actual emergencies, you presume. You’d gotten an earful earlier for bringing him to the ER when it wasn’t a life-or-death emergency, but you stand by your decision.

There are a few long moments of silence in the time after the doctor leaves, and you decide to break it by standing and moving to the table beside his bed, where you’d left your phone like a fool. Avoiding his face (he’s still blushing so it’s a courtesy, but also because while sitting and waiting for the doctor you’d realised he really is quite good looking and your mind is having trouble associating that with the man who fell out of the tree earlier), you reach for the phone amongst the water cups and chocolate wrappers, from when he’d emptied his front pockets. He’s a nervous drinker and a hoarder, it seems.

“Wait,” His hand shoots out, long fingers wrapping around your wrist before you can grab your phone. Your heart jumps, perhaps in fright. You look to him with wide eyes. “I’m gonna need you to sign a non-disclosure about what you just heard.”

“I…” you give him a pained look. “Please, tell me you carry them with you at all times. Please. If you don’t tell me, I really might die.”

Namjoon lets out a great, big sigh, releasing your wrist somewhat petulantly. “I don’t… please hold your tongue until I can print some more.”

More? You’re having a field day with the implication that he has had instances where he’s needed to hand out non-disclosure agreements before, but he seems a little sombre. So instead of mocking him, as per your first instinct, you decide to try and make conversation. You know the nurse is coming soon, but you would feel bad leaving him alone until then. You feel like, having carried him on your back for miles and miles, almost an hour, you’ve really gotten closer and crossed the bridge from strangers to acquaintances.

“So…” you begin, tapping your fingers against your thighs. You search for another nearby chair before grabbing it and pulling it over, flopping down. “What do you study? Where?”

You feel like a new language learner asking questions using only the limited vocab you have, but Namjoon is unphased and answers as though you’d asked him something much more natural.

“CCU,” he says, fingers picking at the threads on his blanket, before he looks up to glance at you. “I’m a music major.”

Surprise filters through you at that, a noise of wonderment escaping before you can really stop it. “Oh! Hey, me too! I think you’re in one of the years above me, though, because I haven’t seen you in any of my classes before.”

Namjoon, who had been somewhat withdrawn and had put up a wall of sorts between you since entering the hospital and regaining control of himself (and a donut cushion to sit on), seems to do an absolute one-eighty at your words. “Oh, your major is music as well? Where are you specialising?”

You tell him with an eager smile, and he responds with one of his own. Just like that, the two of you fall into a conversation that comes much easier than anticipated, talking about your majors and music inside and outside of school. The nurse takes forever and you spend a good amount of time there, just talking to this upperclassmen who happened to fall out of a tree while you were walking past. Eventually, he confides in you about a rough draft of his, something he has really high hopes for. It’s a song called Moonchild, and it’s barely half done but he drums and beat boxes the rough rhythm out for you and you feel your cheeks heat in awe as you listen. That’s amazing, you can’t help but think, and it’s all him. You don’t think you’ve ever liked the demo of a song as much as you like that one.

The afternoon passes with the nurse eventually visiting, and all too soon you’re waiting with the long-legged noodle man at the drop-off and pick-up zone, watching with a note of sadness as a car pulls up and some mint-haired twink that looks vaguely familiar sticks his head out and calls for Namjoon. Namjoon thanks you for your help and bids you farewell, and then he’s climbing into the car with an abrupt wail of pain— he forgot to put his donut down first— before the doors shut and the car is pulling away, disappearing into the dusk and leaving you by your lonesome. You stand a few minutes, before letting out a huff and turning to leave yourself.

The whole way home, and throughout the rest of the week, you can’t help but think about the beautiful tune of moonchild and how it rings serenely through your mind when your thoughts quieten just enough. You hope you get to hear it again, someday; you hope you get to hear it when it’s finally completed and Namjoon’s name is on the credits.

— • masterlist | prev | intermission iii | next • —

{let us know what u think!! who are u rooting for?? who do u think is the muse?? hit us up!! & thank u for reading, btw!}

[amirosebooks]

Dean’s Old Yeller Principle

“He made me so mad at first that I wanted to kill him. Then, later, when I had to kill him, it was like having to shoot some of my own folks. That’s how much I’d come to think of the big yeller dog.”

— Fred Gipson, Old Yeller, Chapter 1 (Published in 1942)

When I was twelve or thirteen my English teacher passed out copies of Old Yeller as assigned reading. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the book, the quote above from the opening chapter tells you most everything you need to know for the context of this meta post. And for those of us who are still emotionally scarred from the damned book, I’m sorry for dredging up those memories.

Now, before I go any further, a disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah, this meta and interpretation of canon is my own. I’m not trying to “preach” to anyone about why Dean “is allowed” to be an asshole while he’s grieving or going through some shit. Or any other argument that consistently gets thrown back in the face of meta posts like this whenever Dean is being an emotional dick. You’re entitled to your interpretations, feelings and reactions, as am I. I’m merely offering this meta to 1) get it out of my mind 2) point and wave about the nods to this classic book that’s traumatized generations of American children 3) cheer Dean on for turning yet another teaching from the “older, wiser generation” John came from on its head.

Groovy? Okay, now we can move on.

I’m gonna throw the rest of this under the cut for length and to keep people who are sensitive to pets / animals dying in really sad ways from having their days ruined by talking more about the book unless they’re good with having that happen.

Now, as I said in my disclaimer bit, Old Yeller is largely considered classic literature here in the states. My memories of it are a weird mix of vague on the details and strong on the emotions it evoked. From what I remember, the main character was a young teenager when his family brought home Yeller. For whatever reason, our main character hated this dog. I don’t remember the details and they’re honestly not important to this meta. The hate he felt toward the dog is important. So is the fact that the hate slowly turned into love and devotion to the dog. Which made it even more gutting when, on a hunting trip (if I remember correctly) Yeller was bitten by a rabid animal and contracted rabies.

At the end of the novel, the Coates family are once again attacked by a wild animal, a wolf, and saved by Yeller’s bravery. Yeller is bit during the attack and becomes infected with rabies. Travis knows that despite his connection to Yeller and Yeller’s protection of his family, the dog must be killed before it becomes fully rabid and does any harm to him and his family. As the man of the house while his father is gone, Travis takes it upon himself to put Yeller out of his misery with his hunting rifle. Travis is heartbroken by what he has done, but knows that it was the right thing to do for his family. (From here.)

Sound familiar? Good. That’s what I thought too when we got the shot above in the graveyard in 14x20.

[Obviously, rabies, once there are symptoms like Yeller had, is incurrable, so putting him down was literally the only option. And we are talking here about Supernatural, which operates on soap opera rules so anything goes, but let’s just roll with the similarities for the sake of argument.]

I remember telling my husband while we were watching it “Dude, they’re really going to Old Yeller Jack, omg.” (I even made fanart of the moment.)

And then, something incredible happened.

Dean threw out the script yet again and set off season 15 with the dull thud of a gun being tossed into the grass.

Now, I hear you. “That’s great, Ami. Why should we care?”

Lemme tell you a thing, friend.

In order to tell you thing thing, I want to take a trip way back to season 4. Back when the brothers were still nose deep into John Winchester’s gospel of Monster = Evil = Kill The Thing.

(Screencaps are all from Home of the Nutty.)

4x21 - When the Levee Breaks

Sam: Stop bossing me around, Dean. Look. My whole life, you take the wheel, you call the shots, and I trust you because you are my brother. Now I’m asking you, for once, trust me.

Dean: No. You don’t know what you’re doing, Sam.

Sam: Yes, I do.

Dean: Then that’s worse.

Sam: Why? Look, I’m telling you-

Dean: Because it’s not something that you’re doing, it’s what you are! It means- Dean cuts himself off.

Sam: What? No. Say it. (Sam has tears in his eyes.)

Dean: It means you’re a monster. (Transcript from here.)

I remember the first time I watched the show and I got to this episode. That fucking line was such a gut punching moment. And it was such an effective and emotional moment that Ruby was able to extend it later to further manipulate Sam.

Now, the screencap I grabbed for this moment is of Dean in tears (well, that single man tear he’s known for) after labelling Sam a monster for a reason. I want to remind all of us of just how much it killed Dean to have to use that label for Sam. To have to try to rationalize that the boy he raised, his brother, the guy who has been there forever and has always been Dean’s charge to take care of is now the thing that Dean is going to have to put down because he falls under the label of monster.

You know what, let’s go back a little farther, to the first episode of season 2. To this moment:

Remember this look? The one we later learned was thanks to John telling Dean that Dean was going to need to put Sam down? That Sam was going to become a monster? Yeah, ouch.

I added the year Old Yeller was published (1942) to the quote at the top of this meta to help give some context about the time it was written and the world it was released into. I’d also like to make note that in 1957 (or about a year before Henry Winchester jumped forward in time to meet the brothers in season 8 and give them keys to the bunker and had to choose to abandon John when John was still a fairly young boy) Disney released a movie version of the book. It’s absolutely, if the movie exists in the SPN world, the kind of thing young John would have watched and taken some kind of black and white moral guidance from.

It’s the kind of book/movie that John would have probably (note, this is where we start diving into my own headcanons for a moment) made sure the boys were aware of when he started thinking about bringing them on hunts to keep them from freezing because the “person” on the other end of their shotgun is someone’s mom. I could see it being the kind of thing he’d use as a way to show them both that, yes, shit is hard but you have to do the right thing and sometimes that means killing the thing you love. At least, I could picture him thinking that way. (Also, this still makes me wonder about exactly how early John started suspecting there was something different about Sam, but that’s a whoooole other post.)

Moving on and forward to season 6.

6x20 - The Man Who Would Be King

Castiel: The angel-proofing Bobby put up on the house – he got a few things wrong.

Dean: Well, it’s too bad we got to angel-proof in the first place, isn’t it? Why are you here?

Castiel: I want you to understand.

Dean: Oh, believe me, I get it. Blah, blah, Raphael, right?

Castiel: I’m doing this for you, Dean. I’m doing this because of you.

Dean: Because of me. Yeah. You got to be kidding me.

Castiel: You’re the one who taught me that freedom and free will –

Dean: You’re a freakin’ child, you know that? Just because you can do what you want doesn’t mean that you get to do whatever you want!

Castiel: I know what I’m doing, Dean.

Dean: I’m not gonna logic you, okay? I’m saying don’t… Just ‘cause. I’m asking you not to. That’s it.

Castiel: I don’t understand.

Dean: Look, next to Sam, you and Bobby are the closest things I have to family – that you are like a brother to me. So, if I’m asking you not to do something… You got to trust me, man.

Castiel: Or what?

Dean: Or I’ll have to do what I have to do to stop you.

Castiel: You can’t, Dean. You’re just a man. I’m an angel.

Dean: I don’t know. I’ve taken some pretty big fish. (Transcript from here.)

This was after two seasons of Cas fighting by their side. Two seasons of Cas giving heaven the middle finger on behalf of the Winchesters. It was enough time for Dean’s first reaction in a time of confusion on a hunt was to call Cas for help. And it was enough time for Dean to go from assuming Cas was a demon summoned with “bad mojo” to drag him out of hell on behalf of Sam to genuinely starting to care about Cas.

Dean did threaten to take Cas out here if he persisted down the path he was on, but you can tell by the rest of the conversation and just how hard it was to convince Dean that Cas was lying to them that Dean was hoping talking would work and he wouldn’t be forced to put Cas down.

Unfortunately…

6x22 - The Man Who Knew Too Much

Castiel: You doubted me, fought against me, but I was right all along.

Dean: Okay, Cas, you were. We’re sorry. Now let’s just defuse you, okay?

Castiel: What do you mean?

Dean: You’re full of nuke. It’s not safe. So, before the eclipse ends, let’s get them souls back to where they belong.

Castiel: Oh no, they belong with me.

Dean: No, Cas, it’s it-it’s scrambling your brain.

Castiel: No, I’m not finished yet. Raphael had many followers, and I must punish them all severely.

Dean: Listen to me. Listen, I know there’s a lot of bad water under the bridge, but we were family once. I’d have died for you. I almost did a few times. So if that means anything to you… Please. I’ve lost Lisa, I’ve lost Ben, and now I’ve lost Sam. Don’t make me lose you too. You don’t need this kind of juice anymore, Cas. Get rid of it before it kills us all.

Castiel: You’re just saying that because I won. Because you’re afraid. (Behind him, Sam picks up the angel killing sword.) You’re not my family, Dean. I have no family. (Sam stabs Castiel in the back with the angel killing sword. Sam groans. Nothing happens. Castiel pulls the sword out. There’s no blood on it. He puts it down.) I’m glad you made it, Sam. But the angel blade won’t work, because I’m not an angel anymore. I’m your new God. A better one. So you will bow down and profess your love unto me, your Lord. Or I shall destroy you. (Transcript from here.)

Again, Dean tried to argue with the overpowered angel, he tried bargaining, pleading, and appealing to Cas’s fondness for them, but it didn’t work. Sam was the one who was forced to try stabbing Cas and it… also didn’t work.

7x01 - Meet the New Boss

Sam: Dean, look, I know you think that Cas is gone –

Dean: It’s 'cause he is.

Sam: He’s not! He’s in there somewhere, Dean. I know it.

Dean: No, you don’t.

Sam: No, I don’t. But, look, I was pretty far gone sometimes myself, and never gave up on me.

Dean: Yeah, and it turns out that you’re about the Same open book as you’ve always been. Hallucinations? Really? I got to find out from Death?

Sam: What was I supposed to do?

Dean: How about not lie? How about tell me that you’ve got crazy crap climbing those walls?

Sam: Why? You can’t help. You got a lot of pretty severe crap swinging your way lately, and – and I thought –what? I thought why burst the one good bubble you had left? It’s under control.

Dean: What? What, exactly, is under control?

Sam: I know what’s real and what’s not.

Dean: Sam –

Sam: Dean, look, we can debate this once we deal with Cas.

Dean: Yeah, you know how I’m gonna deal? I’m gonna stuff my piehole, I’m gonna drink, and I’m gonna watch some Asian cartoon p**n and act like the world’s about to explode because it is. Hey. You got to be kidding me. “Massacre at the campaign office of an incumbent Senator by a trench-coated man.” There’s security footage. Well, I think reaching Cas is, uh… out of the cards. (Transcript from here. And hopefully my slight censoring the last paragraph keeps tumblr from blacklisting this post into the aether…)

Here’s a sad thought for you, how often do you think–while Cas was terrorizing the country as Godstiel and, later, after he walked into the lake and exploded into Leviathan goo–Dean thought about how he should have listened to Bobby and Sam and taken Cas out before he had the chance to swallow the Leviathans and become super powered? Probably a lot, I’d guess.

This moment, as much as I, personally, hate seasons 6 and 7, went pretty damn far to reinforce this Old Yeller principle in Dean’s moral code.

He had to sit back and watch, literally, while someone he cared about went out of their goddamn mind with power while killing and terrorizing people. He had to do that knowing that there was a moment when he could have done something to prevent it. He could have killed Cas when he had him locked up in the ring of holy fire and they were having one of their many breakup moments.

Dean felt like he could have stopped all of this, but he’d been weak and tried talking it out first instead. And you can’t convince me that he didn’t check the news and every drop of blood Godstiel brought about to the blood on his own hands because of that choice to give Cas a chance to see reason.

10x09 - The Things We Left Behind

CASTIEL: How are you, Dean?

DEAN: Fine. [Cas gives him a look.] I’m great!

CASTIEL: No, you’re not.

DEAN: Yeah, well, I lost the black eyes, so that’s a plus. But I still have this. [Dean reaches over and gently slaps the Mark on his arm.]

CASTIEL: Is the Mark of Cain still affecting you?

[Dean flashes back to his dream from earlier, of the blood covering him, the dead bodies lying around him.]

CASTIEL: Dean?

[Dean blinks hard, coming back to the present.]

DEAN: Cas, I need you to promise me something.

CASTIEL: Of course.

DEAN: If I do go dark side, you got to take me out.

CASTIEL: What do you mean?

DEAN: Knife me. Smite me. Throw me into the freakin’ sun, whatever. And don’t let Sam get in the way, because he’ll try. I can’t go down that road again, man. I can’t be that thing again.

(Transcript from here.)

I may hate seasons 6 and 7, but holy damn do I love season 10. I know it’s not a favorite among many people in the fandom, but it’s one of mine.

This moment, this burger date of sadness and pain, is a big favorite for me. Dean sees the writing on the wall. He’s been a Knight of Hell now. He’s been as darkside as he can get. He’s, likely, being reminded daily of his time in Hell in the last ten years of his stay there where he was torturing souls. And he’s begging Cas to keep him from returning to that place. He’s begging Cas to adopt the Old Yeller principle because he sees it as the only option left if the mark consumed him again. And that kills me.

Let’s take another jump forward to season 13, where Dabb & Co really started putting Dean’s Old Yeller principle into text in a heavy, purposeful way.

13x02 - The Rising Son

SAM Dean, wait a second. (Sighs) The kid came through for us today. Jack saved us.

DEAN No. No, whatever that was, that was a reflex. It was a sneeze. Maybe next time he sneezes, he kills us. Good night.

[DEAN hears a clacking sound coming from a distance. He follows the noise to JACK’s room.] JACK Ah!

[DEAN finds JACK trying to stab himself with a blade. The wounds immediately heal.]

DEAN Okay. What the hell?  (he gets in the room) Give me that. You—Don’t be an idiot. Look, A, this is not gonna do anything to you, okay? And B, you… What the hell?

JACK Exactly. What the hell am I? I can’t control… whatever this is. I will hurt someone.

DEAN You know, my brother thinks you can be saved.

JACK You don’t believe that.

DEAN No, I don’t.

JACK So… if you’re right?

DEAN If I’m right… and it comes to killing you… I’ll be the one to do it.

[DEAN leaves.]

(Transcript from here.)

Can I just bask in the glory of the grieving widow!Dean arc from the beginning of 13 for a moment? I’d also like to take a moment to 🙌 Jack for being a wonderful Team Free Will mirror (and mimic) from the word go.

Ahhh…

Okay, moving on.

I loved this bit in 13x02 so much. Partially because it’s such a heavy handed foreshadow to 14x20, but also because it shows so clearly how good Jack is at reading the emotions in the room. He’s, like, three days old at that point, but he’s already having an existential crisis about whether or not he’s evil. He already understands (yes, thanks to jackass grieving widow!Dean…) the whole Monster = Evil = Kill The Thing.

He also shows that he understands the Old Yeller principle. And, for better or worse, he and Dean reach an unspoken agreement here about it. (Again, this is my reading. Your mileage may vary.)

13x04 - The Big Empty

JACK I’m afraid.

MIA/KELLY Why? Why are you afraid?

JACK Sam thinks you were right, that—that I’m good. He wants me to believe it, and I wanna believe it, too. It’s just, I… I’ve hurt people. I didn’t mean to. It was an accident. And I know I should feel bad, and I say I feel bad, but most of the time, I mostly… I don’t feel anything. And that’s why I think maybe… Maybe I’m a monster.

MIA/KELLY Jack. It doesn’t matter what you are. It matters what you do. And even monsters can do good in this world.

JACK You really believe that?

MIA/KELLY I have to. I have to.

[MIA hugs JACK again.]

(Trancript from here.)

Killing me would be kinder than subjecting me to these feelings so soon after being introduced to this fucking character. Omg. Poor Jack.

Now, yes, a huuuuge part of Jack’s opinion of monsters and the whole “What do we do with monsters children? That’s RIGHT, we kill them.” thing is because Dean is an asshole when he’s emotional and grieving and deep into survival mode.

But, that doesn’t change the fact that Jack is still worried about the fact that he doesn’t feel things the way that everyone else seems to. That he has powers no one, including him, can understand. And that he’s killed people without meaning to. He’s afraid of himself just like Dean was afraid of what he was capable of if the mark took him over again.

13x23 - Let The Good Times Roll

(Sam continues down the hallway while Dean turns to another hallway and approaches his bedroom door. He stops as if to listen to something and then continues down the hall, away from his bedroom door. He enters Jack’s room, where Jack is sleeping and talking in his sleep)

JACK Stop! No!

DEAN Jack? (Dean touches Jack’s shoulder to wake him) Hey. (Jack jumps up, anxious and disoriented. Dean holds out his hand towards Jack to calm him) Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Easy. You’re just having a bad dream.

JACK (breathing heavily) Sorry.

DEAN It’s okay. You don’t have to apologize. I have 'em, too. All the time.

JACK You do?

DEAN Sure.

JACK You, um… What do you see?

DEAN Well, depends. Mostly…mostly people I couldn’t save.

JACK Me, too. Over there in the other world, I said I’d protect those people. But…I saw so many of them die. And…I tried to save them. I…I tried, but… I’m sorry. I wasn’t strong enough.

DEAN Jack… (Dean sits on the edge of Jack’s bed) it’s not about being strong. I mean… Look, I don’t know what you saw over there, and I don’t know what you went through. I know it was bad. But I also know that you came out the other side because you are strong. But even when we’re strong, man, things are gonna happen. We’re gonna make mistakes. Nobody’s perfect. Right? But we can get better. Every day, we can get better. So whatever you’re dealing with, you know, whatever…whatever comes at us, we’ll figure out a way to deal with it, together. You’re family, kid, and we look after our own.

(Transcript from here.)

It’s not about being strong. IT’S NOT ABOUT BEING STRONG.

This is where we veer away from Old Yeller a tiny bit because, again, in the book Yeller had rabies which they could do nothing about.

The moments I’ve highlighted in this post all come back to one motivation. The overpowered person/angel/asshole in question was trying to gain enough strength through supernatural (lol) means in order to have the power to destroy a (perceived) bigger threat than whatever the cost was to get that power.

Sam’s demon blood drinking was supposed to give him the power to destroy Lucifer and get revenge for Mary and John and their lost childhood. It went badly and earned Sam the label of monster and falling, at least temporarily, into the territory of the Old Yeller principle.

Cas started lying to the brothers and working with Crowley so they could gain the power to stop heaven from starting yet another apaocalypse. Cas wanted to keep the Winchesters (Dean) safe from being destroyed in a holy war after being forced to fight his brother to the death. Again, this did not go well and lead to Cas succumbing to the Leviathans’s power and dying front of Dean after losing the Winchester’s trust.

Dean took on the Mark of Cain to defeat Abaddon, the evil that made John grow up without a father. It left him torn between going on a, essentially, soulless killing spree or becoming a Knight of Hell… again.

Hell, even the way Jack came into the world was fraught with Sam lying to Dean about working with the BMoL to have the power and strength to defeat Lucifer/the nephilim. Not to mention the months of lying Cas did after he decided that Jack’s power and strength was the only way they could destroy Lucifer once and for all. Again, this ended with Cas dying in front of Dean and the BMoL trying to exterminate everyone including the American hunters.

That’s the lesson Dean is trying to instill (hypocritically, let’s be honest) to Jack here. Strength and power come at a terrible cost and if you can solve a problem without resorting to that level of fuckery that things will be better.

And, also, that if things do go bad, that Jack is family and “we look after our own.” To Dean, this is where the Old Yeller principle kicks in. It is, in a rather fucked up but well earned way, the best option he knows for making sure another one of his loved ones doesn’t fall under that monster label. That none of them end up with more blood on their hands or bringing about the end of the world, again, because of their soap opera problems.

13x23 - Let The Good Times Roll

JACK I’m sorry.

(Jack walks towards the exit and Castiel goes to follow him)

CASTIEL Jack!

(Dean grabs Castiel’s arm)

DEAN No, hey, just – just let him go.

(Jack is walking through the woods, banging a closed fist into his hand and punching his shoulder)

JACK You keep hurting people! You keep… (Jack flashes back to all the people he has hurt with his powers – Nate, Sam, Dean, the female police officer) hurting… (flash to the male sheriff) (yelling) Why do you keep hurting people?!

(Transcript from here.)

This lesson, the lesson of power and strength not being the best answer because of the cost it comes with is not an easy one to learn. Especially when you were born as a superpowered, emotional Winchester by adoption. Life is scary when that’s the hand you’ve been dealt and using the power you have is an appealing balm to combat that fear.

13x23 - Let The Good Times Roll

JACK (moving towards Lucifer, eyes glowing and hand outstretched)Tell me the truth!

(Lucifer’s eyes start to glow, his head tilts to the side and he starts speaking)

LUCIFER She saw me when I was scouting out the bunker. She saw me and she screamed, and then…so I crushed her skull with my bare hands. And it was warm and wet, and I liked it.

(Lucifer’s eyes return to normal and he looks confused)

JACK You’re not my father. You’re a monster.

LUCIFER (yelling) Come on, man! (Lucifer bellows so forcibly that Sam and Dean cover their ears, his eyes glowing red) Okay. I tried with you. I really tried with you.

JACK Everything you told me was a lie.

LUCIFER Because I told you what you wanted to hear, man. So what?! I killed the girl! Big deal! She’s a – she’s a human! She doesn’t matter!

JACK So am I!

LUCIFER Yeah? And that’s your problem. (pointing at Jack) You’re too much like your mother.

(Transcript from here.)

To me, this moment reads as Jack embracing that black and white Winchester thinking. He has yet (even now that’s he’s currently dead in season 15) to grasp the concept of people being morally gray. He sees himself as either embracing the monster side of himself from his bio dad or rejecting that side of himself to embrace Kelly’s human side. The side that can’t hurt people on accident. The side that makes him more like the Winchesters. Because he doesn’t want to fall under than monster label. He doesn’t want to fall under that Old Yeller principle. He doesn’t want to hurt so many people that he will have to die because neither he or anyone else can control him.

Yes, this moment is FAR more complicated than just that, but it’s definitely part of it.

14x10 - Nihilism

DEAN Sam said that one of your reapers really came through with the assist. I’m thinking that was probably you.

BILLIE Don’t tell anyone.

DEAN You broke the rules.

BILLIE I took a calculated risk. I warned you about the dangers of jumping from world to world. But you ignored me, didn’t you?

DEAN Rescuing Mom and Jack, helping out those other folks – I’d say it was worth it.

BILLIE And just look at you now. Do you remember visiting my reading room? The shelves and shelves of notebooks describing the ways you might die?

DEAN Yeah. Upbeat classics.

BILLIE Well, it’s the funniest thing, but they’ve all been rewritten. They all end the same way now – with the archangel Michael escaping your mind and using you as his vessel to burn down this world.

DEAN All of them?

BILLIE All of them. Except one.

(Billie hands Dean a book. He opens it and then looks at her, stunned)

DEAN What am I supposed to do with this?

BILLIE That’s up to you.

(Dean looks at the book again and when he looks up, Billie is gone. He looks back at the book and then looks around, a mixture of fear and confusion on his face)

(Transcript from here.)

Remember what I said about Dean being well aware of the price that has to be paid in exchange for the power and strength to defeat supposedly unbeatable enemies?

Yeah… Dean “knows” that the time has come for him to call his own bluff. The one from all the way back in 10x09 (not that he was bluffing then, but he didn’t have to take action on it then) when he asked Cas to take him out. “Knife me. Smite me. Throw me into the freakin’ sun, whatever.”

We didn’t know that was what this moment was until the next episode. But this is the moment when the Old Yeller principle went into effect again. And you can see how much it hurts Dean, how resigned and heartbroken he is over it.

14x11 - Damaged Goods

DEAN It’s a Ma’lak box. [DEAN closes the door to the box. He and SAM are standing over it.] Secured and warded. Once inside… nothing gets out, not even an archangel. Especially an archangel.

SAM Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’ve – I’ve read about these, but – but no one’s ever – they’re impossible to build.

DEAN Yeah, well, not so much.

SAM That’s your plan? You want to be buried alive?

DEAN Buried’s not safe enough. Plan is, pay a little hush money, charter a boat to take me out to the Pacific. Splash.

SAM You and Michael, trapped together – for eternity?

DEAN Yeah.

SAM You do realize how insane this is, right?

DEAN It’s the only sane play I’ve got. Michael gets out, that’s it for this world. And he will get out.

SAM Well, how do you know that for sure?

DEAN Because I do. Because I can feel him in my head. That door is giving. I can feel it giving.

SAM But there has to be another way.

DEAN There’s not, okay? There – Sam you’ve tried. Cas has tried. Jack… And I love you for trying. But none of it’s gonna work.

SAM We don’t know that.

DEAN Yeah, we do.

SAM What?

DEAN Billie.

SAM Billie?

DEAN She paid me a little visit. She said that there’s only one way this ends right. And this is it. This, right here, this box. So, she gave up the special recipe, and all I had to do was the work. It’s fate.

SAM Since when do we believe in fate?

DEAN Now, Sam. Since now.

(Transcript from here.)

Here is the moment. The one where Dean was at his absolute lowest. When he hit that point where resignation about his fate met having to act on his principles. 

14x12 - Prophet and Loss

DEAN Well, I will call this a win. Kinda nice. Going out on a high. SAM “Going out” being the operative phrase. DEAN Sorry. SAM “Sorry.” How sorry are you? Sorry that you fight to keep Donatello alive, but when it comes to you, you just throw in the towel? Or are you sorry that, after all these years, our entire lives, a-after I’ve looked up to you, after I’ve learned from you, I-I-I’ve copied you, I followed you to Hell and back… are you sorry that all of that it – it – it means nothing now? DEAN Who’s saying that? SAM You are, when you tell me I have to kill you. When you’re telling me that I have to just throw away everything we stand for, throw away faith, throw away family. We’re the guys who saved the world. We don’t just check out of it! [SAM pushes DEAN.] DEAN Sam, I have tried everything. Everything! I got one card left to play and I have to play it. SAM You have one card today! But we’ll find another tomorrow. But if you quit on us today, there will be no tomorrow! You tell me, uh, you don’t know what else to do. I don’t either, Dean. Not yet. But what you’re doing now, i-it’s – it’s wrong! It’s quitting! I mean, l-look what just happened. Donatello never quit fighting. So we could help him because he never gave up. [SAM moves closer to DEAN.] I believe in us, Dean. [DEAN doesn’t say anything. SAM gets angry and punches DEAN in the face.] I believe in us. [SAM tries to punch DEAN again, but he stops him.] DEAN Hey, hey, hey, hey! [SAM hugs DEAN.] SAM Why don’t you believe in us, too? DEAN Okay, Sam. Let’s go home. SAM What? [SAM pulls away from the hug.] DEAN Let’s go home. Maybe Billie’s wrong. Maybe. But I do believe in us.

(Transcript from here.)

And just like Dean predicted in 10x09, Sam was able to talk him out of sacrificing himself. How was he able to do that? By reminding Dean that they were the fucking Winchesters. They fucked with the cosmic balance constantly and always, always found another way. A way to avoid the Old Yeller principle. A way to live and fight again.

Which, they totally did, but the price of not throwing Dean into the ocean for an eternity of alone time with alt!Michael banging away in his head was their adopted child.

14x20 - Moriah

JACK: You’re not gonna lock me up again, are you?

DEAN: No.

(Dean raises the gun, aims at Jack and exhales deeply. Jack kneels down and bows his head. Dean, looking puzzled, lowers the gun and walks closer towards Jack. When he’s right in front of Jack, he aims the gun directly at his head. At this moment Sam comes speeding into the cemetery, car tires screeching. He gets out of the car and starts running towards Dean and Jack)

SAM: Dean? Dean!

JACK: (to Dean) I understand.

(Sam is still running, yelling for Dean. The music is getting more suspenseful as Dean holds his aim steady at Jack)

SAM: Dean, don’t! Dean? Dean!

JACK: I know what I’ve done.

SAM: No, no, no, no, no, no, no, Dean! Hey, hey, hey! Dean!

DEAN: Stay back, Sam!

SAM: (Panting)

JACK: And you were right all along. (Chuck comes up alongside Sam) I am a monster.

SAM: (to Chuck) Do something. … You’re enjoying this.

CHUCK: Shh.

(Dramatic music plays)

(Dean cocks the gun. He looks Jack in the eye for several seconds and then slowly lowers the gun. At this point, Castiel also comes running towards the area)

(Dean uncocks the gun and tosses it to the side)

(Transcript from here.)

I have yet to rewatch this episode, but from what I remember I don’t think it had completely sunk in to Dean in that moment of choice that Chuck was there revealing that he was invested in the outcome of this showdown between Dean and Jack. In that moment, that split second of choice between following through with what he’d believed for so long for following through with an extension of the order John gave him about Sam back in the hospital back in 2x01, Dean made a choice for himself. And that choice was to believe that they’d find another way. He decided that when it came right down to it, he couldn’t kill his child for making the same bargain for power and strength that he himself had made multiple times over the last 14 seasons.

He was also directly confronted with a similar situation to that from the end of season 6 and beginning of 7 with Cas and the Leviathans, in that when it really came down to it, he wasn’t capable of murdering someone he considered family.

And then Chuck had to go and erase any chance they had in following up on that. He killed Jack so that they didn’t have a chance to find a way to help Jack balance the power he’d absorbed from destroying Michael or living without his soul.

So yeah, from where we sit now with only one episode of season 15 under our belts waiting with baited breath to see where the rest of this end of the road season takes us, it makes sense that Dean, of all people, would be in the middle of an emotional fucking collapse. And that he would be a huge, whiny, pissbaby douchebag about it because that’s the Dean Winchester way.

Does that make his behavior okay? No, of course not. But does that turn any of the rest of them into saints? Nope, of course not. And I, personally, wouldn’t have it any other way. I like that they’re flawed and fucked up and keep getting back up and going back to each other and keep trying. That’s why we’ve had 15 goddamn seasons of this. Because it’s what they do.

[collapsingintojupiter]

Sunshine and Storm Clouds

Okay, so!

If you remember my last three little Analogical fics with baby Patton (if not check here, here, and here), I've decided to try and make a little series with these characters depending on how much you guys like it. So y'all can enjoy some more baby Pat, yeah?

Your favorite drama queen may also make an appearance.

***

Characters: Logan, Virgil, Baby Patton, Roman, and Remy.

Relationships: Analogical

Warnings: There is exactly one swear. Let me know if I need to add anything else.

Type: This one's got a bit of comedy, and that's pretty much it.

***

"So we'll probably be back around 7:30, depending on the traffic."

"No problem, sir. I'll take good care of Patton while you two are away." Roman smiled up at Mr. Sanders, who raised an eyebrow and nodded before turning to his husband. 

"You ready to go, Virgil?" He asked. The other man gave Roman a suspicious look, eyeing his red-and-white tank top, before his gaze shifted to the little blue-clad child in his arms and his eyes softened.

"I...I guess so," he answered in a voice that was quiet and gruff. "Let's go."

"We'll be waiting here for you when you get back." Roman gave Mr. Sanders what he thought was a charming smile, but the man in the blue tie only gave him a curt nod in return. 

"Feel free to get something to eat from the fridge or pantry if you want; thank you for being available on such short notice. I'll see you at 7:30." With that he turned, his husband casting Roman one more look before he followed Mr. Sanders out to the car which was parked in the driveway outside. Roman watched them drive away, then set the squirming one-year old down.

"Well Patton," he said, more to himself than to the little boy. "Looks like it's just you and me now."

---

"I don't like him."

"Virgil, you were in the house with Roman for all of five minutes." Logan kept his voice even, though he couldn't hide the slight tone of exasperation that crept into his voice.

"He's in the house alone with Patton."

"That's the idea, Virgil. He's a babysitter, that’s what they do."

"He looks like he'd start trouble. I don't trust him." Virgil crossed his arms and leaned back in the passenger seat, scowling at the road. "I just don't want anything to happen to Patton, Logan. If anything--"

"--Nothing is going to happen to Patton." Logan stopped his husband before he could continue, his voice firm but gentle. "Roman's just a kid Virgil. Cut him some slack; I know he'll do fine."

"How do you know?" Virgil challenged. 

"He lives in our neighborhood; observation over time has shown that Roman is not only putting all of his time at home into trying to earn money at odd jobs, he's also proven himself to be honest, kind, and respectful. If he were to do something to Patton, that could hurt his reputation and prevent him from being hired and therefore earn money in the future. Is that enough of a reason for you?"

Virgil didn't answer him, and he let out a loud sigh.

"Virgil, do you trust me?”

“We’re married, Logan.” Virgil gave him a funny look--his cue to continue.

“Do you really think that I would leave our son at home with somebody who is untrustworthy?" The teacher glanced over and saw Virgil's expression change when he said that; he looked almost apologetic now. Virgil sighed.

"Alright alright," he said eventually. "I-I’m sorry, Logan; I shouldn't be worrying so much." 

"That's quite alright, Virgil. I understand how much you want to keep Patton safe.” Logan took a deep breath. “Just...remember that I do too. I wouldn’t want to see him hurt any more than you would."

Had they had more time to talk in the car Virgil probably would have said more, but for now their time was up. Logan pulled onto an all-too familiar street and turned into the gravel driveway of a small white house. The two got out and exchanged glances, then started towards the house side-by-side. A tall man was standing on the front porch waiting for them, shades down and Starbucks in hand.

"Guuuuurl it's been forever since I've seen you two!" 

"We saw you two days ago." Logan raised an eyebrow.

"Exactly!" Remy hurried over to them, hugging first the ever-awkward teacher before he pulled Virgil into an embrace.

"Don't look at my coffee like that. There's more down the street if you want your own."

"You mean walk?" Virgil sounded dismayed.

"Honey, what do you think those legs of yours are for?"

"Working the gas pedal." Remy looked surprised, but then he broke into a grin.

"You know what, I'll make you coffee just for that. Cream or sugar?"

"Just give it to me black." Remy shrugged.

"C'mon inside then, Thomas will be here in another 10 minutes and then we can load the truck."

Remy's house was full of cardboard boxes, stacked high against the walls and labeled meticulously in his loopy handwriting--utensils, plates, books, coffee mugs, and more. Virgil glanced at them as he walked by, shaking his head. It had been a couple months now since their friend had told them that he was moving, and it was weird to see Remy's house looking so...empty. The new place was nicer though, they'd heard, and closer to where Virgil and Logan lived. 

"Looks like you've been having fun," Virgil remarked.

"Ugh, its been so much work." Remy sighed dramatically, sashaying into the kitchen with the other two following closely behind. "I keep messing my nails up moving these stupid boxes around."

"Tragic." Virgil smirked, spotting a third coffee mugs box as he entered the kitchen. How many of those things did Remy have?

"See? He understands me." Remy grinned at Logan and got to work with the coffee, while the blue-tied teacher settled down on one of the dining room chairs and looked around the near-empty space that surrounded him. His friend's home had changed so much in just a few short weeks; it was a lot to take in all at once. Maybe he and Virgil could--

"GET OFF THE COUNTER YOU HEATHEN!" Remy's shriek ripped through the dining room like a firecracker and Logan nearly fell out of his chair in surprise, his ears ringing. A low hiss answered, presumably from the "heathen" in question.

"Logan, get your rabid husband off my counter!"

"To the best of my knowledge, Virgil doesn't have rabies," Logan called back, hiding a smile despite the fact that his ears were still ringing. He heard the sink turn on, then a high-pitched shriek and a string of curses from Virgil. 

"DON'T YOU HISS AT ME YOU LITTLE TROLL!" Logan looked up to see Remy standing fiercely by the sink, wielding the kitchen hose as Virgil scrambled over to the opposite corner of the room in order to be as far away from him as possible. Logan looked at him, shook his head, and sighed. His husband was now dripping wet, eyeing Remy with a death glare while he used his sleeves to wipe the water out of his eyes.

"You think I'll let you get away with that in my house!? No ma'am, no ma'am!" Remy shook the water hose at Virgil before setting it down, and despite how angry he sounded there was laughter in his eyes. "Don't mess with me, bitch. I'll always win." He sounded almost smug. Virgil bared his teeth at him.

"Where's my coffee?" He snapped. He also looked angry, but Logan could tell by his voice that he was having fun as well.

"You're so lucky I need your help today," Remy growled. "Wipe down the counter you sat on first."

Virgil eyed him mutinously, eventually seeming to decide that he preferred coffee to revenge on Remy (or walking, he hated exercising any more than he absolutely had to). He grabbed the sponge and quickly wiped the surface down, allowing Remy to see one of his rare smiles as the coffee was pressed into his hands shortly after. He smiled a lot more nowadays, actually, especially with little Patton around the house to care for.

Speaking of which...

"So," Remy said, sitting down next to Logan and sipping at his coffee. "How's my favorite nephew?"

"He's doing well," Logan answered, glancing over at Virgil as he joined them.

"We need to get together again, I miss seeing his sweet little face. You two have such a cute kid." Virgil raised an eyebrow.

"You jealous of us?" He asked with a smirk.

"Me, jealous?" Remy laughed and shook his head. "Oh please. I visit children, I don't own them. You just wait until I'm Pat's favorite aunt."

"Ha."

The doorbell rang before the three could say anymore. It was Thomas, there with the truck and trailer they were using to move Remy's stuff over to his new house.

The four worked all afternoon loading boxes into the trailer, and by the time Logan and Virgil finished and got back to their car they were exhausted. Virgil got behind the wheel and Logan took the passenger side, and the ride home went by in beautiful silence. It was nice to be quiet and just enjoy one another's company after Remy's constant chatter the whole afternoon, though by the time they got back Virgil was worrying about Patton again. He didn't say anything to Logan, though, not wanting to pull up that issue again. Everything is fine, everything is fine, everything is fine…

He was still repeating that to himself as he pulled the car into the driveway and stepped out, walking as calmly as he could manage to the front door. Slowly he opened it.

A scream erupted from the other room, and Virgil's eyes instantly shot wide.

"Patton!" He shrieked, charging towards where the cry had come from. He stumbled into the living room just in time to see Roman flop dramatically onto the carpeted floor, one hand on his chest.

"I've been defeated!" He shouted. Patton stood over his stricken form, laughing and squealing and clapping his hands. "You've gotten me at last, you foul--" Roman's eyes suddenly widened when he saw Virgil standing in the doorway, and he quickly scrambled to his feet. 

"Oh my gosh, um is--is everything okay, Virgil sir--ah, Mr. Sanders?" He stumbled over his words and his face turned bright red. "I'm sorry if I scared you--Patton just really liked my acting and--" 

"There is no need to apologize, Roman." Logan entered the room, giving Virgil an I-told-you-so look and reaching down to pick up Patton as the child raced over to him. "You have done well. Thank you."

"Ah yeah…" Virgil trailed off awkwardly. "You startled me is all, I promise that I'm not angry with you Roman." And he wasn't, actually--how could he be? He'd seen how much Patton loved the odd little performance, even if for a brief second, and even now the child was smiling at Roman from where his husband held him in his arms. Logan looked between Virgil and Roman, one eyebrow raised.

"Roman, why don't you stay for dinner with us?" He asked. His gaze shifted over to Virgil, who hesitated before nodding. 

“You like burgers, kid?”

Roman looked shocked. “You guys want me to have dinner with you?” he asked, pointing to himself as if to make sure there wasn't secretly another Roman in the room that they were talking to.

“Why not? You look like you could use something to eat before we send you off. Are you hungry?”

Roman beamed at them. “Oh, yes sir! Thank you sir!”

***

Next Chapter

Taglist:

@antisocial-silvermermaid @just-perhaps

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[yourdeepestfathoms]

Rabies

how’s Mags gonna live this one down

TW: Destructive stimming, vomiting

———————

        Aragon found the poor girl collapsed in one of the theater bathrooms, halfway huddled under the sink with blood oozing from a reopened bite mark in her wrist. The pure look of terror in Maggie’s eyes broke the queen’s heart and that natural motherly instinct inside of her flared, urging her to help this terrified child.

She wished she just would have gotten Bessie.

When she got close, Maggie flinching away and making a warning noise of sorts should have been enough for her to not push into her comfort zone, but Aragon’s maternal side wouldn’t let her leave. She reached out to try and get the girl to stop hurting herself, and Maggie lashed out.

In one jerky, but swift moment, Maggie is biting Aragon.

To be honest, the scene could almost be humorous if it wasn’t for the strength Maggie was clamping down with. She had the side of Aragon’s hand with the thumb in her mouth and looked as feral as a wild dog as she grinds her teeth in deeper. Aragon hissed in pain and grabbed hold of her wrist, like it would block the sensation from traveling to the rest of her body.

   “What the fuck?!” She cried on instinct to the absurd action.

That only made it worse.

Any thought about releasing Aragon was now gone. All Maggie was seeing was someone who hated her, who wanted to hurt her.

She had to harm them before they harmed her.

Aragon considered pulling Maggie’s hair, but knew it wouldn’t help at all. It would also make Bessie angry, and that wasn’t something the first queen wanted to deal with right now. So, she had no other choice but to stay calm.

   “Maggie,” She called out, “Maggie, let go. You’re hurting me.”

Maggie doesn’t respond. She isn’t even looking at Aragon, rather the floor with eyes too wide and too glazed over. It was like she was in a trance.

It was like she had rabies.

Aragon took a deep breath, trying to ignore the pain that kept flaring through her hand. She released the grip on her wrist and inched closer, as the current position they were both in was a little awkward because of the distance. Maggie allows it and they’re soon facing each other, with Maggie having her knees to her chest and Aragon not really caring about where her legs went because her hand was in a kid’s mouth and that’s the only thing that mattered right now.

   “Maggie,” Aragon tried again, “Maggie, please let go. That hurts. That really hurts, Maggie.”

Nothing.

Pulling Maggie’s hair is back on the table, but as Aragon looks into Maggie’s eyes, she realizes the poor thing is just terrified. She was so caught up in being bitten that she hadn’t even realized how badly the girl was shaking or that she was making little whimpering noises every few seconds.

   “Maggie,” Aragon said, but this time her tone is much more tender and warm. It makes Maggie finally look up a little, “Can you hear me, love?”

Maggie nods a little.

   “Good. That’s good.” Aragon said, “Alright...do you think you can let go? Please?”

Maggie doesn’t respond. Her eyes flick down again. Aragon follows her gaze and realizes she’s looking at her own hand, which is bloody and bruised. The queen’s heart aches for the girl.

   “Oh, love...”

She felt hot tears drip down onto her hand. Maggie screws her eyes shut, a gargled whine worming out from her throat. Just looking at her like this makes Aragon feels bad for being angry at her.

   “Alright, Maggie,” Aragon said, “I just want to help you. Can I do that? Is that okay?”

Maggie hesitated and then nodded.

Aragon thinks for a moment and then extends her other hand. Maggie flinches away a little, but then pressed her head into Aragon’s palm like she was a cat seeking affection. Gently, Aragon threads her fingers through the girl’s hair, hoping the action would bring her enough comfort to calm down.

It seemed to be working. The grip on Aragon’s hand was starting to loosen little by little until the queen was able to pull herself free.

Such a jerky, sudden movement was very stupid.

Maggie bit down hard and Aragon couldn’t stop herself from crying out in pain. The fingers tangled in the girl’s hair tugged, only making it worse because that made Maggie even more frightened.

Aragon’s skin finally breaks open and blood starts to drizzle free. She watches as thin red trails drool down her flesh, and yet Maggie is still latched on like a leach. There’s visible nausea in her eyes, but she isn’t letting go.

   “Maggie-” Aragon grunted, her voice pitching a little when teeth grind deeper into open flesh. “Maggie, please. You need to let go of me.”

Maggie doesn’t hear her. Or maybe she ignores her. Either way, she doesn’t listen.

Aragon was sure her thumb was going to come off if she didn’t do something quickly. She started going over ideas in her mind and they all came down to one thing.

Hurt the girl.

It would work, but Aragon refused to bring harm to this poor child who was only scared. If it were Parr biting her, she would have never thought about something like that.

Looks like she had no other choice, then.

   “You’ve got me down on my knees

Please tell me what you think I’ve done wrong.”

Maggie’s eyes snapped up. She was now staring at Aragon expectantly.

   “Been humble, been loyal, I’ve tried

To swallow my pride all along.”

All at once, the eagerness to be sung to drains from Maggie. There’s deep shame and guilt in her eyes from the lyrics that hit way close too home with the current situation they’re both in.

   “If you can just explain

A single thing I’ve done to cause you pain, I’ll go.”

Maggie whimpers as tears start to flow from her eyes at a quicker pace. Her shoulders shake with the intensity of her sobs. She finally becomes aware of the blood flowing down her throat.

   “...No?” Aragon whispers.

Maggie’s mouth snaps open only because she had to run to one of the stalls to vomit.

Aragon immediately pulls her hand back to her, cradling it against her chest. She grabs some paper towels to wipe away the blood (which there is an alarming amount of). Then, she looks to the stall Maggie disappeared into and frowned. The sound of the girl’s sobbing and wailing practically rattled the entire bathroom.

Slowly, Aragon stands up. She washes her hand off first and winces at how deep the marks in her flesh were, but decided to ignore them for now. She had a guitarist to tend to.

Maggie was huddled over the toilet, coughing violently. Aragon peeked in just in time to watch as she shoved her fingers down her throat and she immediately leapt into action.

   “Woah, hey!”

Aragon grabbed both wrists, causing the girl to spasm like she was being electrocuted. She whined sharply, struggling but ultimately way too weak to break free from the queen. She hunches down, almost cowering beneath Aragon.

   “Shh, shh,” Aragon whispered, “Deep breaths, love. It’s alright.”

Maggie grits her teeth and jerked backwards. Her spine hit the toilet with a painful-sounding thud and Aragon has to tighten her grip to keep the kid from harming herself further.

   “Stop!” Maggie shrieked, “Stop!!”

   “I’m trying to help you!” Aragon snapped, accidentally raising her voice. “So just calm d-”

   “Let go!” Maggie cried, even louder, “Let go, please, let go!” She wildly whips her head around in every direction, kicking out her legs, but missing each time.

Aragon has no idea what she’s freaking out about until she looks down and sees the red oozing out from under her hand. She splays open her fingers a little and sees multiple bruises and bite marks she had been squeezing in what could have only felt like an iron grip to Maggie. Guilt pangs her heart.

   “Oh, honey...” She murmured, but mainly because the sight broke her heart. She couldn’t believe she had never noticed this before.

Maggie rips her hands away, scrambling backwards against the wall. She takes a few heaving breaths, but it doesn’t stop her oncoming panic attack. Her wide eyes dart everywhere until they land on Aragon’s hand. The bruise could already be seen, despite the queen’s darker skin tone.

   “Love, I’m okay,” Aragon said quickly, “You need to get washed up, th-”

She’s cut off by Maggie leaping to her feet. The girl apologizes rapidly, even cursing herself a few times, before fleeing. Aragon yells after her, but she could only watch the girl sprint out like a frightened deer.

Aragon wasn’t quite sure where Maggie went after she ran out, but she liked to think Bessie and her family comforted her. However, she did know that Maggie didn’t forget what happened between them.

It’s been two weeks and Maggie is still refusing to make eye contact. She flees by any means possible every time Aragon gets near and pretends to not hear or just ignores anything the Spanish queen says to her.

Aragon’s bruise is starting to heal, but more are just appearing on Maggie.

[teffyjeffy]

(Most of) JoJo’s Bizzare Adventure: Stardust Crusaders but almost everybody are kids having fun at recess.

Want a random JoJo post out of nowhere? No? Okay well here you go anyway!

A lot of the time when I was watching JJBA I felt like I was watching a very dramatic retelling of what was actually two kids playfighting.

“My guy punches super fast!” “Oh yeah? Well my guy can stop Time!” “Oh yeah?! Well, mine can too! I just discovered it!” “WELL MINE CAN DROP A ROADROLLER ON YOU” “THATS CHEATING”

Anyway, the idea started to snowball, so please enjoy my masterpost of (most of) JJBA Part 3 where the Stardust Crusaders are a group of 9 year old rascals who met up one day during recess. This is just for fun ^_^ also these are all copied and pasted from discord so the structure is a little jumbled. Enjoy!

Oh, and Spoilers are ahead.

“I can punch super fast!”

“Well I can use cameras and TVs as crystal balls, but I need to break them!”

“Mine can shoot flames, ooo ooo and-and I can control them at will!”

“Mine has a sword that can stab anything”

“MINE HAS AN ATTACK THAT IS UNBLOCKABLE AND ITS AREA EFFECT IS THE WHOLE PLAYGROUND-“

“No Kakyoin that’s not how we play. Youre not allowed to have an invincible attack”

Kakyoin’s introduction:

“I have an invincible attack”

“That’s not how it works Kakyoin but you’re cool, so you can keep playing with us”

The insect stand “Tower of Gray” was when the group was bothered by a fly on the school bus and they got a little too rowdy in their attempts to kill it, which pissed off the elderly bus driver. Thus the kids agreed that he was responsible for bringing the fly onto the bus in the first place. They got detention.

Jean Polnareff’s introduction:

“I have a sword that can pierce through anything!”

“Okay Jean, you can play with us, but you have to promise to stop pushing Avdol into the wood chips, he doesn’t like it.”

The stowaway girl is actually a 5 year old girl who wants to play with them and they hate it at first but they eventually warm up to her. The monkey with a ship stand was actually a retelling of the groups trip to the town’s public swimming pool. The boat was just an inflatable tube and the monkey was a chipmunk. And the original boat that blew up? That was the group’s original inflatable tube that got popped because the 5 year old wouldn’t stop gnawing at it

Later, the kids SOMEHOW convinced their parents to let them stay in the same hotel while the parents all hate business trips to go to. They “promised” not to pillow fight, then everyone except for Jean went to go get snacks while Jean went to explore the new room.  Unbeknownst to them, the previous guests of the room accidentally left their daughter’s doll behind. Jean HATES dolls. He accidentally stumbled upon Child’s Play when he was surfing channels way too late at night without his parents knowing. Fear turns into aggression and someone from the hotel staff goes to check on him. He finds Jean and realizes it’s the same kid who shot him with a water gun earlier. Jean is kicked out and the parents have to pick their kids up. Jotaro and everyone else weren’t happy. 

Rubber Soul is actually just that one bratty kid who thinks it’s sooooooooo funny to mimic other people while also making fun of the person they’re mimicking. It makes them feel “powerful.” Jotaro encounters Rubber Soul when the latter is mocking Kakyoin one day, while Jotaro is playing with the 5 year old; he then chases Rubber Soul all around the playground, and when he finally gets him, he busts his teeth in. They were only baby teeth though, they grew right back, which saved Jotaro from a brutal punishment. He was still forced to go without dessert for a month. He didn’t complain though because his mother was dealing with the flu at the time. He would give all his desserts to Kakyoin, which his how Jotaro discovered Kakyoin’s creepy habit of juggling maraschino cherries in his mouth.

J. Geil was somebody who used to play games with Jean’s sister. When she found out he sucked at party cake and teased him for having “Two left hands”, J pushes her into the mud and never plays with her again. Jean has held a grudge ever since.

Hol Horse is Geil’s “New friend” which pisses off Jean. Hol Horse, being a member of the wrong crowd, beats up Avdol and J. Geil just goes along with it. Jean is all “Avdol why are you even here, you had nothing to do with this!” And Kakyoin’s like “Should we call 911?” And Jean responds “Not yet, I need to beat up these guys first!” And Kakyoin calls 911 anyway.

The Mirror stand is just J. Geil going “Made you look” and punching your shoulder.

And Hol Horse’s stand is just a nerf gun. The reason it hurts is because he likes to get right up in your face before firing it. It’s ineffective if you’re too far away from him, because the dart bullet loses momentum and hits the ground harmlessly.

Jean eventually gets back at J. Geil by chasing him into the middle of a group of kids, then pointing up at nothing, shouting “Made you look,” and poking J. Geil in the eyes, which causes him to cry like a baby. And later, Jean is like “Oh yeah, I totally stabbed him with my sword!” when Jotaro asks him what happened.

Then Hol horse runs away because he realized J. Geil was a total loser.

The Empress stand was just Joseph’s retelling of his parents taking him to the doctor’s office so they could deal with a wart on his arm. He hated how boring the actual process was, so he pretended that he bested the wart in a game of wits and tore it asunder. Jotaro was grossed out. 

(Btw in this AU Joseph is only a grade older than Jotaro, instead of being his grandpappy)

Wheel of Fortune is just the result of a very nasty game of tag with a brat who wouldn’t leave the group alone.

Enya is the crazy cat lady at the end of the street whose house the kids were forced to pass one day when they missed the school bus.

Steely Dan is the snobby “Cool Kid” of the playground, and a sore loser when the kids don’t play the way he wants them to. So Jotaro gives him a black eye.

The Sun is a kid who likes to fry ants with a magnifying glass. But Joseph likes bugs, and seeing this made him cry. So Jotaro, Kakyoin and Avdol plot to destroy the magnifying glass, which they thought was really funny. But at that point, the magnifying glass had to be returned to the science lab, so the kid was spared. 

Or, in another interpretation:

“Hey guys, I wanna play! My guy’s power is that he’s literally the sun!!! ” 

Joseph: “Wow, that’s pretty powerful-“ 

J,K,&A: “YOUR POWER IS STUPID, GET LOST”

Death Thirteen was the result of the kids being forced to deal with a baby who was throwing a tantrum while they all waited to get on the giant slide at the County Fair. Kakyoin was especially pissed. 

I have nothing for the Judgement stand.

I don’t have anything for High Priestess either.

And Iggy is still a dog, but I’m getting rid of his tendency to fart because I just HATE IT

N’Doul isn’t blind, he wears glasses and can’t see shit without them. And he has a water pistol. And he hoards the playground’s sandbox.

Oingo and Boingo are a 6 year old and his 1 year old brother and they’re just the cutest little demon spawns.

Anubis is a dog that snatched Jean’s toy sword in its mouth, and the sword’s power to transfer souls was just Jean fearing that the dog had rabies. Jotaro rolled his eyes but convinced Joseph to help him buy a new toy sword to shut Jean up.

Mariah... I dunno man, I didn’t really care for her arc and it definitely doesn’t fit the “kids playground” scenario I’m going for.

ALESSI IS WRITTEN OUT COMPLETELY. HE IS NOT ALLOWED ON THE PLAYGROUND.

The D’Arby brothers are known for being the cheaters of the playground. So Jotaro scares the eldest brother in a game of Go Fish, and it messes D’Arby up so much that it triggers his Asthma and he he has an Asthma attack. 

Pet Shop went down as the day when Iggy had a fight with a seagull and got pecked the ever loving SHIT out of. Jotaro tells the story at every Christmas party.

The younger D’Arby battle happened on a day when he and Jotaro were playing video games together. They accused each other of cheating, which resulted in Jotaro insulting him for liking dolls before pummeling him and consequently getting kicked out of the house. Joseph gave him a high five though, so it was worth it.

Vanilla Ice was the toddler who didn’t bother to move out of the way if you got in his path while he was driving his toy mini jeep. But if you asked Jean or Avdol, they’ll tell you that the toddler deliberately puts people in his path to run them over. And the occasional dog.

And finally, DIO.

DIO was a kid who got transferred to Jotaro’s school after being expelled because the principal of DIO’s previous school couldn’t get him to leave two of the students alone, by the names of Johnathan and Erina. He was pen pals with Johnathan, but that was the only connection DIO bothered to maintain.

Jotaro thought DIO didn’t even deserve the title of “School Bully.” He thought DIO was just a weird freaking kid. Despite that, most of the kids were scared of him, Jotaro’s friends included.

DIO loved to utilize the classic “Time Out!” whenever he played with the kids, and if they didn’t abide to the time out, they got a knuckle sandwich.

Jotaro was the first kid in a long time to just say “Nope.”

That’s when he learned that DIO was a kid who liked to screech like a banshee when things didn’t go his way. As well as throw a whole bunch of pencils (seemingly from out of nowhere) at any person that he upset with.

The road roller in this AU is the closest thing to a lethal heavy weapon that you can get on the playground: a frickin BIKE. 

And DIO is like “TIME OUT SO I CAN SLAM THIS BIKE ON YOU” And Jotaro goes “Nope, your time out is cancelled because you’re a freak and also you tried to bite Joseph which was just gross, anyway-“ and he punched DIO in the leg, pushed him to the ground, and kicked woodchips in his face.

They both got expelled.

A few years later, on his way to middle school, Jotaro bumps into a kid named Josuke...

<============ TO BE CONTINUED

BONUS JJBA BATTLE TENDENCY

The Pillar Men are a reflection of the infamous day when three highschool bullies showed up to the playground. One of them beat a kid named Ceasar in a Rock Paper Scissors match; in responce, Joseph (who at the time was only 4) went apeshit. He kicked the first highschooler off of the carousel at the County Fair. Then he located the second highschooler, tied up his shoelaces, then lit them with a match. Finally, during the school’s annual science fair, he tracked down the third highschooler, who had just finished rigging a student’s baking soda volcano to blow up in his face. Joseph threw a bunch of rocks that he found outside at the highschooler, and then proceeded to lock him up in the school’s astral observatory. The first two highschoolers fled town after that, but rumor has it that the third one is still stuck in the abandoned observatory.