#and laughing so hard w them that my ribs hurt and i cant breathe

[marvinswriting]

just a liability 

prompt: actually wait I WANT to read scary [its a suprise] go ahead lol- bear (bc it's her idea)

Today was awful.

Most days were.

But today sucked substantially more.

Its the first day back at school since my art show. The praise and congratulations from my teachers should feel nice. 

But its all a bitter reminder of the painting I threw at my newest ex-best friend.

My mom was not too happy when I came home with a first-place ribbon and no canvas but that's not the point.

I sighed, stepping onto the tiny platform. Damian wouldn't be done with theater for another twenty minutes but I can't sit in the stuffy tiny halls anymore. 

The hallways were practically empty, as usual for after school hours.

Notice how I said practically.

"So what are we doing this weekend, Cady?" Gretchen asked as they walked down the hall.

Its a question shes directed to Regina so many times. I almost felt sick looking over, looking at the girl who used to be my friend.

Now cold, hard, plastic. 

You made me like this-

I did. Didn't I. 

I was hurt by middle school actions. I just wanted to see Regina's downfall. And I guess I did. 

But at the cost of my friend.

"I'm not sure yet," Cady said thoughtfully. "It's only Monday."

"But if we want to throw another party we should spread the word now."

"Another party?" Cady stops short in shock. Right in front of the tiny pick up zone. 

I turn to my sketchbook, hoping they won't notice me. 

"But we just threw one last week." The concern in her voice sounded just like the old Cady. The nice Cady. My friend, Cady.

"Last week was so- well, last week!" Gretchen says. "I dunno guys." Cady says slowly.

I concentrate on the delicate lines in my sketchbook. Nice, light, thin. Happy lines if you will. 

Ignore the pain of losing your friend. The only girl you've trusted since eight grade. Ignore the pain of your identity being weaponized. Nice, light, thin, happy lines.

"Janis?"

Fuck.

I look up to see Cady glancing at me. "You've been ignoring my calls."

The cold edge in her voice was exactly why. She's shiny, hard, and plastic. 

"Cady, you can't be seen near the space dyke." Gretchen quickly reminds her.

"Gretchen," Cady snaps. "I can be seen with whoever I want. Regina is gone, I make the rules."

That wasn't what you were saying when you didn't invite Damian and I to your party.

It wasn't even the fact that she didn't invite us to her party. It was the fact that she threw a party. That she could have been honest and say she'd rather throw a banger then go to my art show, but she lied. She said she was in Maddison. She sure as hell wasn't.

"But that's space dy-"

"I know who it is, Gretchen." Cady snapped. I jumped back in surprise at the vicious tone of her voice. She sounded like a clone of Regina.

I almost felt sorry for Gretchen. No matter what happened, no matter who was 'in charge' she always seemed to get the short end of the stick. 

Cady reaches out, lifting me up without asking.

"Hey!" My sketchbook and pencil fall down onto the platform as I'm lifted in the air.

Cady turns me over in her hand like she's never seen me before. 

"Put me down!"

"Why'd you ignore my calls, Janis?"

"Cady-"

Her hand closes around me, holding me in a fist. It's not tight, unlike others who have picked me up without asking in the past. But a fist is a fucking fist.

"Cady please, this isn't like you."

"Plastic?" Cady's voice has an unfamiliar edge. "But- I thought you wanted me to be plastic? To help get rid of Regina. Isn't this what you wanted, Janis?"

No! I didn't want anything like this. At all.

"I actually wanted to thank you. For showing me how to be plastic. Because now I've met people I actually want to hang out with."

I tried to convince myself that she didn't mean it. It was all a show for Karen and Gretchen. Cady was just trying to prove herself to be plastic. There was no way she meant all these things. There was no way she-

Her fist tightened. 

"You didn't think I liked hanging out with you, right?"

Yes. I did.

"You're so needy. I need this, take me there, everything just needs to be about Janis, huh?"

My arms were pinned at my sides. There was nothing I could do. 

“Poor Damian has to deal with you and your bullshit."

I freeze. Yeah, insulting my sexuality was a low blow. But it wasn't the lowest blow. Cady knew that. She knew what the lowest possible insult was. And she fucking used it.

"The poor guy," A sick smile forms on Cady's face when she sees how I've reacted. Gretchen and Karen laugh from behind her, prompting Cady to continue. "Even if you weren't a tiny. You still have all those issues. Right, girls?"

She sounds just like Regina. Just bigger and with more potential to physically harm me.

Fuck.

"So many issues." Gretchen says, repeating what Cady said back to her, like a parrot. Karen just nods.

“I don’t know why I ever hung out with you.” Cady admits, releasing me from a fist and letting me fall into her hands. 

"W- what?" I never stutter, but I guess I'm doing it now.

"Mhmm," Cady said, holding my arm between her two fingers, tugging at it. "You were always so weak and fragile. I didn't want the responsibility of that. You tinies can be such a liability."

"Cady. Stop, that hurts." I try tugging my arm back, only for Cady to just pinch harder.

“I could care less about how you feel, Janis.”

I'm starting to feel like this may not just be a show to prove herself to the other plastics.

I mean, what's there to prove.

Cady already rules the school.

Cady already won.

"Put me down. Please."

"And why should I?" Cady asked. Everything about her, her tone, her posture, her outfit- it reeked of plastic. I swallow, trying to push down the anxiety in my stomach.

My belief that Cady wouldn't hurt me was quickly crumbling.

"Yknow." Cady's thumb pushed me backward, pinning me down. "I'm surprised it didn't come to this sooner, Jains."

Her thumb pushed down hard, right on my chest, hurting my ribs. It probably wasn't much effort on Cady's end but it hurt like a bitch for me. My mind thinks back to all the times Damian did the same thing, more cautiously. 

For him, it was a way to make sure I didn't fall off his hand or do anything reckless.

For Cady, it felt like a murder technique. 

Was it that easy for Damian to just kill me this whole time? Was I so much more fragile then I realized?

I mean, Cady sure seemed to be doing it effortlessly now.

I tried to push her thumb away but it was fruitless. I could barely push off Damian's when he did it- and he pushed down a lot softer.

"I can't bre- Cady. Wait- please."

"What?" Cady grinned, lifting her thumb. "Too much for poor little Janis?"

"Space Dyke cant handle it." Gretchen smirked.

"No, she can't." Cady agreed.

The familiar sparkle in her eye was gone. The naive smile she had her first day at Northshore was gone. Her braids that ran through her hair was gone. Her socks with sandals- as horrific a fashion choice they may be- were gone. 

All that was left was cold, hard, shiny, plastic. 

Cady was gone.

"Hey, where's your friend?" Gretchen asked. "The gay one."

She sure as hell knows Damian's name. That was just a cruel dig.

"Oh yeah?" Cady's eyes lit up. Not in the way they used to. Now they shown in a dark taunting way. "If Damian cares about you so much, where is he now?"

Theater. He's at theater. He cares. He just doesn't know what's happening.

My mind screamed these answers but I couldn't bring myself to verbalize them. Cady's fingers curled dauntingly over me and she grinned a little wider every time I shook. 

“Damian doesn’t want you around," Cady continued. "I can tell. Everyone can tell.”

"Everyone," Gretchen said. 

“Stop wasting his time. Stop wasting everyone’s time.” Cady dropped me back onto the pickup zone. “Damian’s gonna get sick of you eventually. Where's poor space dyke gonna go then?"

I froze. Cady never called me space dyke. Through the years I've grown numb to the insult. After eighth grade, it became unoriginal and repetitive. But when Cady said it?

Cady leaned over the tiny pick up zone, getting uncomfortably close. "Awww, did that hurt your feelings?"

I step backward but can't bring myself to respond.

Cady laughs, bringing her pointer finger up to knock me down. "Get over it."

She smiles to Gretchen and Karen, who beam back at her like this was just another normal occurrence before the trio walks away, already picking up their original topic of weekend plans. 

For a long while, I just stay sitting on the tile floor where I was knocked over. My heart was racing and my breath was heavy, something I didn't notice before. Now that I was in no immediate danger I noticed these things. Like the bruises probably forming on my torso from Cady's thumb. 

All her words caught up to me.

Did Damian really find her annoying? Was it that easy to tell? I guess I did have a habit of blocking certain things out- like Cady slowly becoming cold hard plastic until it was too late. I mean, I'd be annoyed taking care of a tiny me as well.  

Even if you weren't a tiny. You still have all those issues.

I get up and walk into the tiny halls. No. It wasn't true. Right?

Damian had to care, at least a little bit.

Stop wasting his time. Stop wasting everyone’s time.

I pull myself into the bathroom, not even bothering to enter a stall. It's after school. Who cares. 

There are tears on my face when I look in the mirror. When did I start crying?

I hastily wipe them away, ignoring how my mascara smudges. 

Why did I let her words get to me?

I didn't let Regina get to me this much?

She said the same things Regina said.

Maybe its because I trusted Cady. She was a friend.

Was.

But plastic is plastic. I should have known better. 

My phone buzzes as I jump away from the mirror in surprise. It's a text from Damian.

"Hey, Jan. Where are you, I'm at the pick-up zone." I read allowed, despite nobody else being here.

My stomach twists at the thought of seeing Damian. Of making him go out of his way to get me home.

I really did need everyone to do everything for me. 

The realization feels like a punch in the gut.

I quickly texted back, saying I left school early, feeling sick, sorry for not telling him. 

Yeah, I felt bad for lying. I'll just take the tiny bus home. Damian shouldn't have to go out of his was to worry about me. He doesn't deserve that.

I slump down against the wall, drawing my knees close. If I'm taking the tiny bus I'm not leaving for another half hour. There's no rush.

Damian texts me telling me to get better. I know he didn't buy it. I was fine earlier. But maybe he did think I actually went home. 

I felt bad for lying, but I'd feel worse being a liability. 

Because that's all I was. 

Space Dyke. The annoyance. The liability. The girl with issues. The one who wastes everyone's time.

I'm crying again. I can feel the wet tears sliding down my face, no doubt taking more mascara with them. 

I don't bother to wipe them away.

whoops, lol- bear 2020 I WOULD LIKE TO DEFEND MYSELF AND SAY YALL ARE QUICK TO CALL CADY SOFT AND INNOCENT LIKE ACT TWO CADY HERON DOESN'T EXIST? anyway really sorry mainly to soy and alex lmao @realmisspolarbear @smallsoysauce @musicallygt

[boomjob]

Lup and Taako notice one day that Barry will eat legit anything, so they decide to test it with the spiciest dish they’ve ever made.

Barry takes a bite and instead of registering the spicy taste, he only notices that holy shit does his mouth hurt, is he allergic to… what is this? Spicy??

The twins realize that Barry just has… no sense of smell, meaning he cant taste anything. He never told them because he was afraid they would be disappointed. He eats anything they give him to make sure they’re happy, even if he doesn’t really know what it is

partially inspired by @whyisbarrybannedfromthekitchen  and Barry’s horrible, horrible food choices.

Full story under cut!

“Taako, you ever notice how Barry will just eat, like, anything we give him?”

Taako is busy with his newly polished manicure Magnus gave him not ten minutes ago. Staring at his cuticles, he responds, “isn’t the whole uh, the whole goal of cooking to like, to have them eat everything? Cuz its good?” Lime green is a good color for him, he thinks.

“Dude Barry is different though. He’s like a trash compactor with the decency to take it’s time and thank the chef. He’s never turned anything of mine down, I think he’ll eat anything, really.”

“I’ve heard your bedroom at night, that man will eat anything.”

They both high five, Taako doing so carefully as not to smudge the fresh polish. Not really like they had a UV light on this tin can.

“But seriously, it makes me wonder-”

“-If he has a limit?” Taako grabs the second half of her sentence. “Lup I may be dense, but I can read your face like an open book cuz we got the same mug dawg. You’ve got an experiment churning in that noggin so spill.”

Lup spends the next ten minutes describing all the meals she’s made within the last week for Barry. One included chocolate pudding with cilantro and garlic in it, to which he ate and complimented its smoothness. Second was a light salad with maple syrup dressing, which was slightly difficult but he didn’t complain. The next was a pasta dish where she substituted marinara for hot ketchup, which he adored the consistency of. And lastly,

“No… No he DIDN’T…!” Taakos eyebrows are raised and he sits back a little, hand to his chest and mouth agape.

“Yep, he ate oreos with toothpaste instead of creme in the middle.”

“That sick bastard…!”

“Taako he didn’t even flinch! I was terrified of the man I love as he proceed to eat my three trick cookies from the sleeve I gave him, then continue to the others without a reaction! So that got me thinking. Is it like a switch? Has he just never learned whats right and wrong on the food spectrum? Is there an end to this?“

“You wanna figure out how much he can take?”

“But what could be worse than what I gave him? The ketchup and pasta one was the most heinous creation I’ve ever concocted.”

“What, uh. What about reactions to, to food that are like the extreme of the spectrum?”

“What, like give him something super sour? He eats lemons instead of an orange with his cereal.”

Taako gags but continues, “nah nah sour is hard to work with. What if we… turned up the heat a little bit, eh?” THAT gets her attention.

That night the twins cook the spiciest meal of their lives. Every chili pepper under the sun go into this curry they’ve made, skipping over caution labels of bottles and suggestions. When they’ve finished, they can’t even look at it without their eyes watering.

Lup calls for Barry in the lab that dinner is ready. She knows he’s been busy so he usually eats while working, but he always makes sure to try a few bites before leaving to show Lup how much he appreciated everything she does.

“Hi Lu, hey Taako, this looks lovely! You’ve both been kinda quiet and Taako doesn’t usually help with one person meals, is something up?”

“Nah honey bunches just some good family bonding. I know you’re busy, but make sure you eat it while it’s hot.”

Taako snickers, vaguely whispering about how it’ll take a lot more than a few minutes to have it not be hot. Lup gives him a swift elbow jab to the ribs and he stifles his laugh into a cough.

“Sure, thanks babe.” He smiles warmly at her and gives her a long kiss to the cheek, and for a moment doubt flashes in her mind. As he pulls away though, the fork is already to his mouth.

Taako leans across the counter to watch and Lup almost tells him to stop, but her curiosity overwhelms her as Barry makes no reaction to the spice.

“As always Lup you never fail to make a delicious- hey why does my mouth… my mouth, hurts?” He looks at them, talking with his tongue hanging out and gasping for air, “guys my mouth kinda huwts, it might be an allergic reaction? Is my epi pen anywhere close by?? Or something cold at least, it feels like I’ve been burned!”

“Barry have you never had spicy food before?” Taako asks wide eyed and unblinking, making no motion to help him. Lup has already rounded the counter towards the fridge for some water.

“W-what no, I l-love spicy food, haha that’s like my favorite stuff! Not sure what this is though, is this made of pop rocks?” His tongue still hangs out of his mouth now as he’s sweating.

“Barry, you’re EATING spicy food.”

There’s a pause as Barry looks down at his plate. Lup has stopped pouring him some water now as both twins look at him with concerned eyes.

“Babe,” Lup starts, “do you have a sense of taste?”

“I…I, yes? Technically, yes. Yeah, I’ve got a sense of taste, how else could I… love your cooking?” He’s breathing is a bit heavier now, “I…I wouldn’t be able to compliment or love it otherwise… see? Like this…” Barry goes to lift his fork again and Lup stops him, holding his hand down and looking into his eyes.

“You could have told me, babe why didn’t you say anything?” There’s no hurt in her eyes, only concern for the human.

Barry sighs and puts the fork down. Taking the glass of water he hands her, he finally says “because I CAN taste things, I just don’t have a sense of smell. This curry is the first thing I’ve actually tasted in a long time, but it was kinda overridden by… pain? I think it was just pain, not really a flavor… But Lup I loved it, really I-“

“Barry.” He shuts up. “You not being able to taste my cooking isn’t anything I care about. I cook because you look happy when you eat it. I just want you to be happy and that’s it, babe.”

Barry looks like he’s going to say something when he’s overwhelmed by the spiciness again and takes a sip of water, prompting them both to laugh again.

“So no WONDER he kept eating all that weird shit! He didn’t know it was weird!” The happy couple is reminded they’re not alone when Taako interjects, “oh thank god, now I don’t have to disown you for eating salad with maple syrup!”

“Wait, I ate what?” He looks up at Lup through the corners of his eyes.

“Uh.”

[lizzyfish225]

Transformers tickle fic.

This is the first tickle fic i have written in a long time, but this has been floating around in y head for a while and i had to wright it down. i know i have one friend who is on tumblr that i know. so if she sees this and puts two and two together that i like tickling. REALY like it. then so be it, i wouldnt need to tell you in person. if you read this, you know who you are, please dont spread this around. there iis a bit of a lead up until the actual tickiling part, so bear with me.

right into it.

Optimus Prime and Megatron had just gotten out of a hostage situation along with their higher ups (TFP season one team prime, soundwave, starscream, and knockout.) the two of them had been foeced to fight together to escape from their past as it was told to everyone bearing wittness. the rivals had been brothers since they were younglings, megatron being ten and optimus being nine. they grew up in orphanages on cybertron. it wasnt until they reached headmisstress Dockra`s home that they stopped moving around. this is the place they met. this woman would beat, rape, and scream at all of the younglings under her care. it wasnt until megatron was able to convince the athoraties of what happened when he turned 18 that they were freed and their headmisstress locked away. they had a big brother-little brother relationship from then on unti the war. and while in captivity, being forced to go through their past, they became brothers once again. they eventualy escaped with everyonr and the autobots were staying on the nemisi to recover. the humans had been informed. the war was still tecnicaly happening, but it was in a sort of dip. megatron as -however- heavily concidering ending it. he had only just gotten his little brother back, and he did not intend to loose him again. but should he realy END the war?

Megatron considered this as he uncontiously walked through the corridor where the autobots resided temporarily. there were ligts above each door to indicate if the lights were still on in each soundproofed room. the one above optimus` door was green. he was still awake. curious, megatron pressed the button for the intercom on the prime`s door.

`Optimus? are you still awake?` megatron asked curiously through theintercom.

`Yes. what do you need?` optimus replied through the com after a moment.

`Nothing, just checking. the light above your door was green. may i come in, Brother?` megatron asked, not catching himself useing the term they had accidentily readopted for eachother. the door slid open after a moment before optimus spoke

`Ofcorce, Brother.` he didnt catch it either. The prime stepped aside to alow the jus slightly taller mech to step inside before closing the door to the private quarters.

`Why are you still up?` megatron asked in his usesual tone. though it lacked the normal malace it useualy held.

`i could ask you the same thing, megatron.` optimus replied. he had avoided that one.

`it`s my ship. im simply out to think. but you never answered my question.` megatron smirked. he still knew all of his tricks from when optimus was orion.

`couldnt sleep. not sure why. no issue though. i was just about to do some reading before you stoped by.` optimus replied before he spun around to face the bookshelf filled withdatapads. egatron snorted.`oh please, you know exactlywhy you cant sleep. dont lie to me Pri-` megatron pushed, reaching to poke optimus in the sholder, only to hit the back of his side istead as he moved forward. megatron was cut off by a short and uncharictaristic squeak from the prime as he spun around holing his side. his optics were wide as he looked at megatron, but they fell to a look of confusion as he realized what he just did. he furrowed his eyebrows together and looked at his siide. juring this, megatron stared with a look of suprize and confusion. in his curiosity, megatron reached forward and poked the prime in the abdomen again, earning a similar noise as before, and the same instand reaction to pull away. it took a moment for it to click, but it did. the both of them assumed this s something that would have been lost when orion because optimus. they were wrong. megatron couldnt helpit and grinned teasingly at the prime for the first time since before the war.

`oh optimus~ dont tell me you never out grew little orion`s weakness...` megatron smirked. the look in his optics was predatory. but not as you would expect from the warlord. it was brotherly. optimus hadnt seen that look in milenia, so he assumed he imagined it and tried to cover up what they both knew.

`i-i have know idea what you mean...` optimus STUTTERED. that was quite amusing for megatron.

`mmhmm... so you dont know what THIS is?` megatron smirked, jabbing the prime in the side to tease him.

`hey!` optimus yelped, turning away to avoid the contact. megatron let out a short laugh and the reaction.`huh. i wonder what that could have been.` megatron gave a few more jabbs with similar reactions. `hold still, prime. i need to make sure you arent hurt or something!` megatron stated as though he was oblivious as to what he was doing. he didnt know why he was doing this, but he was enjoying teasing his long time enemy like his little brother again.

`Megatron! Stop! i am just fine!` the prime spoke quickly between two jabs.

`then why do you keep moving?` megatro teased, speeding up his one finger pokes. this got a couple unavoidable chuckles out of the prime.

`Enohough! Stop pokeing mehe!` the younger chuckled, trying to doge the others fingers and ended up gettng backed into a wall. welp. he was screwed.

`was that a laugh?` megatron smirked.

`noho!`

`oh isee~ i know whats happening. youre still ticklish, arent you prime?` megatron teased, enjoying how the prime`s face heated up.

`I am nohot!`

`nono. the laughing, the squirming, the twitching... defineately ticklish.` megatron stated matter fo factly as he continued poking the prime until he saw the prime flinch particularly hard as he poked one place in particular -right under where the prime`s ribs would be if he were human. megatron desided to linger there. sudden, qick pokes brought a yelp and a short barck of laughter from the prime before he was finaly able to grab megatron`s wrist and push his servo away to arms length with one hand. this would have ended right then had megatron not decided to throw all dignnity out the window and act like a sparkling one more time, diving for prime`s exposed ribs and attacking. tis caused the prime to dyep and shoot his arm down, releaseing megatron`s wrist and attempting to wswatt away the offending appendage. optimus mannaged to get past megatron, only to be pulled to the warmonger`s laughing chest and tickled on his sides with megatron wrapping his arms around the prime. optimus SQUEALED.

`NO! hey! what are you doiIIING! MEGATRON! NOHOHOHO! Stohohop thahahat!` optimus laughed as he gave in, no longer able to hold back his laughter as he tried to get away in his laughter weakened state.

`There we go! what did i tell you, prime? ticklish. now, what was it that always had you on the groud again?` megatron laughed. his smile was wide and genuine. though optimus was smiling wider.

`Megatrohohon! stohohohop! ihi am nohohot a younglihihing anymohohohohohore! gehehehehet ohohohoff!` optimus laughed, trying to swat and push away the elder`s hands.

`right. it was your hips!` megatron smirked egnoreigng the other`s words.

`wait no! megatron doNT! NO! GAHAHAHAHAHAHA! DAHAHAHANMIHIHIHIHIT! STOHOHOHOHOHOP!` Optmus cackled as megatron shifted and started squeazeing the prime`s hips quicky. the prime`s knees grew week and he started sinking down th the floor until he was leaning up againsed his brother`s chest nd trying to squirm away. megatron began to laugh along with optimus. he was so glad these rooms were sound proof.

optimus eventualy managed to roll away, only to get a few short breaths before megatron was leaning over him with his servoes under his arm joints. optimus` shriek was absolutely worth it.

`NO! GAHAHAHAHA! NOHOHOHOHOHOHO! MEGATROHOHON! GEHEHEHEHET OHOHOHOFF!! STAHAHAHAHAHAP!` optimus screached as he tried desperately to escape megatrons scrating andscribbleing fingers. he was layng on his back withhis legs kicking, his arms pined to his sides, and his head thrown back as he laughed and tried to squirm away from the hands that had started digging. the laughing and squirming earned him ashort escpe oonce again, rolling over and scrabbleing away, only to be dragged back and to have hands start scrableing allover his ribs, sides, and back from behind. this turned him into a squealing, shreaking and squirming mess on the floor of his temporary chambers abord the nemisis. megatron eventualy mannaged to pull a cackleingprime into his lap with his back to his chest, attacking his sides and abackwardsone wy evil hug to restrain him. once again laughing histaricaly, optimus fought the hands with all his shakeing hands could give. when he saw an opening, megatron went in for the kill. one hand digging in the pries underarm, and the other squeasing his hip, megatron made the prrime squeal, shriek, and squeak all at the same time. the prime was squirming and clawing away with increased vigor. when they were children, megatron would oftin do this to little orion, alway manageing to have him on the floor for the next half of an earth hour. this combination proved to be just as effective now, as optimus stoped paying much atttention to what he was saying. `MEGSY NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO! COHOHOHOHOME OHOHOHON! CHEHEHEHEATEHEHEHER! STAHAHAHAHAHAP! PLEHEHEHEHEHEASE!` that made megatron pause. MEGSY?

`did... did you just...` megatron whispered. optimus was confused.

`w-what?` he panted.

`did you just call me `Megsy`?` megatron asked with a soft smile the prime couldnt see.

`i... uh... think i did... oops...` optimus admitted sheepishly. megatron froze still for a moment, deciding what to do. optimus hadnt called him that sincethey were children. and megatron had forbidden him from calling him that infront of anyone once he was a gladiator. the waronger couldnt help the soft smile that spread on his face. he realy did have his brother back.

`n-now now. dont be sheepish about it!` megatron teased, stuttering as he got over the shock.

`ahem. can get up now...` optimus asked, shifting uncomfortably. megatron smirked.

`not until you whipe that sheepish look off your fce andtell e why you couldnt sleep.` megatron chuckled, pokeing the prime in the sides a few more times. already sensitive from the privious time, otimus jumped and started emitting deep giggles instantly, squirming away as best he could while trapped in the older`s grasp.

`NO! megatron! come ohon! let gohoho!` optimus grinned. megatron smiled at that. he was in bg brother mode again after so llong. it felt good, and melted away some of that ice in his spark. megatron went at it again, bringing the prime totears with another laughing fit before releaseing him and alowing him to roll away and cover his abdomen. megatron shifter on the floor to lean againsed the wall as he atched the prime calm down.

`now, are you going to tell me why you couldnt sleepor m i going to have to keep going?` megatron asked with a kind smile. a smile that hadnt adorned his face since before the war. optimus gulped and shifted to sit on he oposite wall to megatron to face himwith tired eyes. optimus looked at megatron for a moment, taking in that brtherly smile before gathering his thoughts.

`i was onlythinking about how difficult it is going to be to go backto fighting again. esspetialy ater tonight... but that shouldnt matter much to you. i will take my autobots off the ship as soon as they are healed enough to recover back at base and -as humans say- get outof your hair.` optimus stated, looking down and speaking with his useua shieding and leadership tone adorning his face,as though what had just happened never occered. megatron stared at hi enemy. his... brother... for a few moments beforemaking his decision.

`Prime. i will not loose my little brother again.`

`what?`

`after so long of war, and seeing you without those guards. acting like yourself again... i lack the streangth to return to battle. againsed you at least.`

`are you saying what i think youre saying...?`

`lets end this, prime. what do you say, fix things and berothers again?` megatron gulped, standing and holding a hand out to hs little brother. prime looked at him, before his optics lit up. taking the hand with asmile, he allowedhimself to be liftedup to hs feet again.

`nagotiations start assoon as everyone is healed up, brother.` optimus smiled. they were both beaming as megatron left the room a fewmuinets later. they both called after eachother to rest least the other would either have revenge or add more to the tickley pile.

both brothers lept like sparkings that night with a sile on their face.

[luvsavos]

Another part of my Diablo fanfic

The Heavens were in... disrepair. The Diamond Gates reeked of corrupt angel, and black and white blood mingled and splattered the walls and pillars.

It disturbed Malthael.

Ruffling his misty wings, he carried himself into the air, without hesitation this time. Even his wingbeats echoed ominously, and a sense of paranoia and fear began to grip him, tightening around him. But he would not let it win. He couldn't afford to.

Soon he landed on the platforms of the High Heavens, in front of the Halls of Valour. There was more blood here, too, and the corpses of dismembered angels and corrupt angels littered about like toys in a mortal child's playroom. It was clear that Auriel and Imperius had been here, too—Solarion had clearly caused this fallen pillar as well as this gash in the wall, Malthael silently reflected, and Al'Maiesh was easily the cause of this corrupt that was torn in half. Dread gripped Malthael but he pushed on. He needed to. And so he did, striding into the Halls. Quickly he took to his wings to avoid the masses of slain angels in this place. Most of the blood now was angel and not corrupt angel, and it seemed the corrupts had torn their victims and killed them in creative ways. One angel was torn limb from limb, while another had its ribs ripped from its chest. Another seemed to have its entire spine ripped from its body, and its spine could be seen around three feet away from it, impaling another angel through its chest. The entire scene disturbed even him.

It appeared the corrupt had forced both Auriel and Imperius farther and farther back; the normally brilliant white and gold walls and ground were now a palette of blueish white and blackish blue blood, though what worried Malthael the most was the gold-tinted blood that was signature to Imperius, and the pinkish blood that was easily told to be Auriel's. There was lots of it, and many of the bodies felled had their blood on them. The crystal casings where the demon trophies were displayed were almost all shattered, some seemed to have been from attempts to flee, and others having been slammed into. Swerving, Malthael momentarily flattened himself horizontally to avoid an angel who'd been brutally gutted and hung from the ceiling by its own intestines. More of these appeared as he flew, and he vouched to simply fly horizontally. The were strung about like pathetic puppets, and by the time he finally reached Imperius' quarters the entire ceiling was filled with them. Landing gingerly, Malthael looked to his left and saw that one of the corrupts had wrote a message in a mix of angel blood, corrupt blood, and even Auriel and Imperius' own blood: You cant stay in there forever!!! Just letting us kill you now would be so much less painful :)

Malthael cringed at this, but a fear of sorts that had apready been there began to gnaw at him slowly. Were the corrupts really that confident? And somehow... Malthael felt as if they would be able to kill his brother, and Auriel. If they could cause them to lose this much blood...

Well, Malthael didn't want to think of what they'd do to them if they killed them.

Taking a breath, Malthael crossed the threshold. He looked up when he saw movement, but was not greeted by what he wanted to be.

“Hello Malthael,” a corrupt angel snickered, its back to him. He was facing Imperius and Auriel, who were unmoving. Imperius' ribs looked to be almost all snapped, and his arm was bent in an awkward manner, as was his neck. Blood was everywhere.

Then, there was Auriel. One wing looked to be halfway torn off, and blood continuously seeped from a deep wound in the side of her chest. A cut was on her throat, too, and that leaked blood as well. Worse of all her injuries was her left arm—it was completly ripped off from the middle of the upper part down, and the rest of it lay a few feet away, her sword still in it.

Neither seemed to be breathing. They were simply still in all regards.

“We have been waiting for you,” the corrupt continued with a cawing laugh. “Call me Deserus, or the last thing you'll see before you end up like these two here.”

—

His whole world seemed to slow down to a halt, then crash and burn. His brother was dead. His sister-by-law was dead.

Because he hadn't stayed.

He ran through their last conversation between just the two of them—just he and Imperius.

An argument.

Tears stung his eyes at this, but he pushed them back despite the burning feeling of regret that tore at his stomach, and though his body begged him to break down and cry then and there, he showed all emotion into a cage and locked them there. All but anger. Anger and hate for this corrupt angel.

”I think I shan't be addressing you as either,” Malthael said in an icy calm voice, that was in all honestly only so slow and quiet because he was forcing it to not break, nor shake in the slightest. He would not show this corrupt that what he'd done had affected him at all. He would act strong. He always had to act strong.

“Oh?” Deserus snorted. “Prove it to me, then. I killed your brother and his partner. What makes you think I can't kill you?”

“I am impervious to-”

“Ah, yes, of that? I've an amulet, you see, that, ah, allows me to be very in sync with death.”

Mathael cursed mentally, and his lilac eyes strayed to his fallen friend and his fallen brother. Slowly, but noticably, their wings were fading. To allow them to fade fully would take a while, but knowing that they really were gone, and not simply unconsious seemed to break Malthael. Something seemed to snap, and at that moment none of his sanity was clear, and his right mind was clouded out with immense anger.

With a loud snarl, Malthael launched himself at Deserus, who was knocked to the floor, being caught off guard. Malthael, being much larger than him was able to pin him down long enough to slash across his face twice, fangs beared, lilac eyes gleaming with a lack of sanity, and immense hate. Despite bleeding heavily from his face, Deserus smirked and bucked the Archangel off of him, who skidded to a halt on the other side of the room, momentarily on all fours, wings draped across the ground. He then lifted himself up and charged at Deserus again, slamming his forearm into the other's neck and ramming him into a wall.

“YOU–WILL–PAY–FOR–WHAT–YOU'VE–DONE,” Malthael snarled in between angered exhales and inhales. Deserus made to slam his arm into Malthael's face, but Malthael simply bit his arm, sinking his fangs that were long and sharp in an almost unholy manner deep into his arm. Deserus let out a scream, and yanked his arm back. But the damaged was done, and Malthael distastefully spat the large chunk of flesh and muscle from his mouth onto the ground. Deserus sharply kcked Malthael in the stomach, which loosened his grip slightly—as the wind had been knocked from him momentarily, and that was enough for Deserus to wiggle free of his grip and rise into the air with blackened wings.

Cursing, Malthael did the same, and though his shotels gently clanked against his side, he readied his hands—as he was too enraged to remember he had weapons and thus instead was going to use his clawed gauntlets to tear at the other. An unwise decision, as Deserus had a sword, but Malthael could care less about if he was hurt. All he cared about was that his brother and Auriel were avenged.

Sharply, he flew at Deserus, swinging to the side as he swung his sword and came up again behind him, ramming him into the wall as hard as he could. Again, by some miracle, Deserus knocked Malthael from himself and turned, charging at him. Due to the speed of this attack, Malthael only barely dodged, the sword only grazing his chest and arm. For a split second, clarity returned to Malthael, and he remembered his shotels. In a single, fluid movement, he had them in hand and was now batting at Deserus with them, each strike stronger than the last, each strike aimed to kill. Both beings got quite a few hits in, and just when Deserus was aimed for a killing blow, Malthael executed a kick to his ribs that Imperius would have been proud of. A loud crunch could be heard and Deserus' wings faltered, propelling him back a few paces before he fell to the ground. Still in the air, Malthael smirked.

“COME GET ME,” he snarled as he dive-bombed the other, swinging his shotels in a wide cutting motion. This sliced half of Deserus' right wing clear off, thus further crippling him. The wing met the ground and melted into a black tar. After dive-bombing a few more times, Malthael landed, and proceeded more melee combat with the other. Forcing him to drop his guard with a wide arching sweep of one shotel, Malthael flicked his other wrist and the shotel cut through Deserus' sword-bearing hand, and promptly Malthael kicked it away and placed both weapons at the other's neck. For a heartbeat he was silent, before he ran the weapons through his neck with no words.

The corpse fell stiffly, and the head rolled lifelessly to the side. Slowly, Malthael withdrew himself and placed his shotels back on his belt. Then, he approached his brother and Auriel. Tears welled up in his eyes as he looked upon them, and he kneeled.

“I'm... sorry,” he said, a few tears fighting their way from his eyes and dripping onto the bodies. A silent sob wracked his slender form as he continued. “For... a-all the fights we ha-had... All the w-words exchanged... I-I just wish I'd be-been here for you, I-Imperius...” By now, his voice was cracking, and tears were falling freely from his lilac eyes. His silvery blood that was just lightly tinted with lilac plipped to the floor, mingling with his brother's blood, making him feel even worse. He had failed. All he ever wanted in life was to see his brother happy and safe.

And yet now he was kneeling by his corpse.

“I-I'm so-sorry I f-failed you... If-if I hadn't le-left then p-perhaps yo-you'd still b-be alive... a-and I, in-in yo-your pl-place...”

He couldn't stop the tears from falling. He wouldn't if he could. He, Malthael, the Archangel of Death, was more broken than he'd ever been; more than he ever would be.

At a loss for words now, he simply sobbed. Sobbed more than he ever had. And then he laid his body atop his brother's, and hugged him. The first, and final hug he'd ever be able to give his brother. All the bitter words, the fights, the arguments...

He'd give anything to go back and change it all. Make it better. Even his own life. Even his own damn soul.

He just wanted him back.

Turning his face slightly, he looked over at Auriel. Based on her expression, she'd gone down fighting. Defending her dying lover, perhaps, as he told her—no, begged her—to run, to save herself, as she protested, tears stinging her eyes as the pain slowly overcame her. “I won't leave you, Imperius,” Malthael could hear her saying, “not even if I die.”

And there she'd perished, how she always said she wanted to: she said she'd wanted to die protecting a loved one.

“Au-Auriel, I... I'm sorry. I-...” Malthael trailed off, not knowing what to say. Still hugging his brother's body, he gingerly took hold of Auriel's wrist and moved her hand to be sitting in Imperius' much larger hand.

This brought a bittersweet smile and more tears to Malthael as he sniffled a little, but laughed softly despite himself.

“Just like how they'd want it,” he mumbled, squeezing his eyes shut in an attempt to stop the tears from flowing.

But alas, this did not work. They simply kept coming. By now Malthael was going from calm and composed to panicky.

“I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry.”

He simply kept repeating these three words as if they could hear him.

After quite a few hours, Malthael finally was able to stand, tbough his legs wobbled and barely held him, and his wings refused to work properly. The pain in his stomach had reached perhaps as painful as it could when he had remembered that there were plenty resurection spells that he could learn.

He then remembered that it took a skilled master, having been practicing for decades to revive something such as an Archangel.

And by then they would have been too long gone. And thus, Malthael did what he had the heart to—he cleaned the room and their bodies up, had used some healing power that he'd been practicing to fuse Auriel's arm back on, and had set them up to look as if they were simply sleeping next to one another, in each other's arms.

It was heartbreaking for him to leave, and he found that more tears, silent now, were falling, as he slowly closed up the entrance to Imperius' abode. No one would have need to enter it any longer, after all.

He knew he had to find Urzael, and he knew that he'd have to tell him what happened.

What he didn't know is that his eyes and even wings had dulled significantly in color.