#and then moved to ff.net from there

[svartalfhild]

Anybody else get any formal requests for collaboration from a supposed concept artist on their old FF.net account recently?

I just got one from someone named Gloria Jenkins, and a quick google tells me that there is a Gloria Jenkins who's been a storyboard artist for many children's cartoons starting in the 90's, and there's a Gloria Jenkins with an Artstation account, who may or may not be the same person, but the art in that account is much more consistent with the "concept artist and fan of high fantasy literature" the person from this message claims to be. (I also can't imagine a veteran children's cartoon artist wanting to collab with me, considering the kinds of stuff I write, unless they have a more diverse portfolio that it would seem lol.)

Anyway, I've been on the internet far too long to not be suspicious of something like this. This Gloria person is messaging from an empty account made a couple of days ago, and there's a few possible innocent explanations for that, but the scam possibility is also high.

[pokedex-holder-pink]

.

[owlf45]

when it comes to the unfinished fics that haven't been updated in 3 years and had an authors note that said the next chapter was ready and would be out in a week and the author has no other social media that i can find (not naming names but i have like 3 fav fics like this), yes, I'd take the mediocre continuation half bc i wanna know the author is safe and half bc i have reread the entirety of the fic several times and i need to see where it goes as long as it makes sense.

oh i get that. it's always scary when there's no way to check in with the author too.

since my DC binge, i went back to ff.net just to scope around and see if i could find my old favs. luckily i managed to find some of them crossposted to AO3 and follow the authors' new works there, but it was hard going back in time and seeing so many authors i adored who were just... gone. one of my favorite authors, someone who honestly contributed a lot to my writing style regarding mystery and slow-burn thriller, had passed away.

obviously we never met and im not even sure i left comments on their stuff (i was pretty shy about it) but i raved about their stuff for weeks. i still remember it being the highlights of my month years ago. parasocial relationships yes yes yes, but seriously. the joy i get from getting emails after years, or seeing someone move their account and getting to see them interact again... it's not unnoticed!

(also yes, rereading the whole fic after an update is soooooo mecore i love it when i do that and then get re-obsessed all over again. its amazing.)

[snogfairy]

I am extremely late to this particular party but I just read TwoFish and am metaphorically lying on the ground shaken to my core, this is one of the best things I've read this year or decade or maybe ever, this is book omens at its finest which makes sense bc it's like 20 years old apparently??? sending love out to this author wherever they are

[eidetictelekinetic]

So I have this... collection of original characters that I recycle in fics, and occasionally I am forcibly reminded of their former incarnations, which is just funny

Alex Shepard's been a necromancer who knows Alice Quinn's parents long enough that I forgot she used to be a Department of Extraterrestrial and Supernatural Investigation agent and their liaison with the SGC

She's still Jenny Shepard's baby sister though bc I do love my quiet crossovers 😹

[fairiequeen]

This! I feel like fanfic has always been such a radically creative space, and ai is very much the antithesis of that. Because the radically creative is the fun part, the imagining and discourse and giving life to the things swirling in your head. Anyways.

You could make an argument that AI-generated fanfiction isn’t fanfiction at all—the words aren’t penned by a fan, but rather by a series of statistical probabilities drawn from a giant database.

Fanfiction is that FUN PART, from start to finish. We get to spend as long as we want thinking about our favorite characters, but we also get to put all that down on the page, with no real rules or restrictions—no length or genre limitations, no publishing-industry pressures, no reader to satisfy but ourselves.

— @elizabethminkel wrote a great piece for @ellipsus-writes blog that I enjoyed, which you can find here.

[zepskies]

Here are some of my favorites! (A revamp of my old rec list.) They will span Tumblr, Ao3, and FF.net, as I did a lot of my early reading/writing on other platforms.

Keep in mind, I probably like several fics from each of these authors, but I'm featuring one or two that I very much enjoyed.

SUPERNATURAL FIC RECS

[OS] = One-Shot || [S] = Series || [HC] = Headcanon

Dean Winchester x Reader or OFC:

Stories are Dean x Reader unless noted OFC.

✦ Alisha Ashton

Clear the Area - [S | Excellent 4-part series!] This is the story of you and Dean, and how he manages to slip past your defenses. Written so that you can put yourself in the OC's shoes. Sorta set end S8. Slightly AU in the fact that Dean, Sam, Castiel, Kevin, and YOU all live in the MOL Bunker. Everyone is healthy. Cas is still an adorably clueless angel with zero tact.

✦ @luci-in-trenchcoats

Feral [S] (Alpha!Dean x Omega!Reader) Feral is an Alpha’s most dangerous state. Pure raw instinct. A killing machine with no thought. Only an Alpha under extreme duress can submit to their feral side and they rarely can come back out of it. It takes highly specialized rehabilitation to even have a chance at working. When a feral Alpha comes into the reader’s low level rehab facility one night, she knows he’s a dead man walking. But he doesn’t deserve to die and a split second decision to help him escape before that can happen will put them both on the run. He’s no ordinary Alpha though. He’s Dean Winchester. The boy who went missing all those years ago. The boy that made everyone realize no one was safe from the Alpha black market. The man that could destroy them both with one wrong move…

Headcanon: How They Meet Their Plus Size Girlfriend [HC] (Dean Winchester, Beau Arlen, Soldier Boy, and Russell Shaw included)

✦ @deanbrainrotwritings

Wild Flower [OS] Dean gets hit by a spell when fighting a witch and assumes it was harmless or ineffective. He was wrong, but at least he wasn’t dead. He’s a woman now. 

✦ @waynes-multiverse

Creature of the Night [OS] When her car breaks down on a dark lonely road, she is lucky a handsome stranger takes her in. Grateful, she is willing to do anything to repay his kindness.

Headcanon: Valentine's Day [HC] (Dean Winchester // Soldier Boy // Beau Arlen // Russell Shaw – Edition) How would your favorite men surprise you for Valentine's Day?

Headcanon: Gettin’ Down and Dirty with Dean [HC] Smutty headcanons with Dean...

✦ @rizlowwritessortof

Take a Shot [OS] Let’s face it, his henley looks good on both of you…

Late Night Show [OS] You’re spending a little down time at Bobby’s when HE shows up with his brother. You try to ignore those old feelings for him, but when you accidentally walk in on him pleasuring himself, all bets are off. 

Lost in You [OS] A casual flirtation leads to a violent encounter, and Dean’s reaction is a little more than you expected.

That’s How It Should Be [OS] (Sheriff!Dean x Reader) Sheriff Dean Winchester/Reader have to escape, quick - but Dean won’t let being on horseback stand in the way of showing a lady a good time…

✦ @dean-winchester-is-a-warrior

The First Time Series [S] Even though he's a lot older than she is, and more experienced in every possible sense, Y/N finds herself incredibly attracted to Dean Winchester. Amazingly, one day she starts to think that maybe the attraction isn't all one-sided.

The Dangers of Hope [S | Endverse!Dean] When Y/N shows up at Camp Chitaqua with her little girl in tow, her bloodshot eyes leave no doubt that she's infected. Or is she? Everything Dean has come to know for certain over the last five hellish years, is about to be challenged.

It's All For You [OS] After a hunt gone wrong, all Y/N wants is to make Dean feel better. Will he let her?

Things Learned and Unlearned [S] Y/N has spent her life trying to outrun her mother's reputation. When she meets the rich and successful playboy, Dean Winchester, how quickly can he get her to stop running?

✦ Lindsey D. Perez

Say I'm Beautiful [OS] You're feeling a little self conscious about your weight so Dean decides to show you how sexy you are. Dean x Reader Warning: negative body image, swearing Rated M for smut so go forth with caution.

✦ @ejlovespie

It Ain't About Pity [OS] (Dean x Plus-Size!Reader) Dean Winchester has eyes for the reader. She has no idea. When he finally figures out why she’s been dieting, he isn’t pleased. 

✦ kittenofdoomage

More to Love [OS] (Alpha!Dean x Plus-Size Omega!Reader) Reader is a hunter, and an Omega, an unusual combination. She’s always been mocked for her size, so she keeps to herself but a case Garth persuades her to take ends up with a confrontation she never saw coming.

Never Spoken, Always Said [OS] He doesn’t say the words much but he shows her every day.

Taste [S] (Alpha!Dean x Omega!Reader) The reader is pregnant with Dean's baby. Spanning the first year or so, we join them as they discover new things about each other.

✦ @impala-dreamer

A Simple Kinda Man [OS] Dean’s a pretty simple man. He likes the things he likes and you can rarely get him to change his mind about it. 

Like Heaven [OS] (Dean x Curvy!Reader) Y/N’s request might throw him off for a second, but he’s never going to deny her, not when it feels so good in her arms…

Take a Break [OS] Laundry can be annoying and overwhelming, so it's important to take breaks now and then...

✦ @justagirlinafandomworld

Remind Me [OS] (Alpha!Dean x Omega!Reader) There was no escaping what happened to you. There wasn’t a magical number of days in which you would simply get over it either. It happened and you had to live with it. But your alpha would never leave you to work through it alone.

Delicate [OS] Dean made you feel things no one else ever had. But is it a good idea to see this through?

The Fallout (Alpha!Dean x Beta!Reader) [S] When Sam meets his true Omega, you fear your time with the Winchesters is fated to end. Before they can hurt you, you decide to distance yourself. But Dean isn’t willing to let you get away so easy.

✦ @spnbabe67

Girls, Girls, Girls [OS - Part of a Series] (Dean x OFC) While on a witch hunt Dean gets hit with a spell. Later at the hotel, Dean feels the effects of the spell and Tori has to help him through it.

✦ @chevroletdean

NSFT Alphabet [Dean Winchester] [HC]

Masturbation [Dean Winchester] [HC]

✦ @thatonewriter15

Unspoken [OS] How many reasons are there to love Dean Winchester...?

✦ @iprobablyshipit91

Twenty Minutes or Less [OS] Dean raises an eyebrow at you, cocky smile firmly in place. "I bet I could get you there in twenty minutes or less.”

Magical Blooms [OS] After all, there was a flurry of customers walk through the doors to Magical Blooms each and every day, and quite a number of these were regulars. Just because one of those regulars was an undeniably gorgeous man that flirted shamelessly...

✦ @jawritter

Feral (Alpha!Dean x Omega!Reader) [S] True mates don't exist, at least that's what everyone tells you. It's nothing but a childish, fairytale notion to believe that such a person exists. Someone that is made just for you, your person. Who knew they were so wrong…

✦ @marvelfanfn2187a113

Here For You (Dean x Little Sister!Reader) [OS] You help Dean through a couple different kinds of pain.

✦ @deanwinchesterswitch

The Girlfriend Who Remade Christmas [S] Dean’s holiday spirit is nowhere to be found. Fed up with his Grinch-like behavior, Nicole is determined to open his heart again to the wonders of the world around them and help him find joy in the Christmas season.

✦ @spnexploration

Collared [S] Sam and Dean save a woman from where she has been held as a slave by a witch. But things turn dark whenever they try to take her magic collar off, leaving them with a slave to look after and a curse to break.

✦ @kaleldobrev

Old Man [OS - Part of a Series] Dean never had a problem with the age gap between you two; not until now any way.

✦ @deanwritings

Friends with Benefits [S] After walking in on Y/N following a fun encounter, Dean and Y/N decide it would be beneficial and much easier to use each other for their needs. But can they keep it just about sex?

✦ @waywardxwords

Safe [OS] You had hoped to get in and out when you heard what town the next hunt was in. Unfortunately, you can’t outrun your past. You, also, can’t outrun those old feelings--panic, anxiety and fear. You had hoped you’d never have to share this part of your life with Dean, but things don’t always work out the way we had hoped.

Witches [OS] While hunting a witch, you accidentally stumble upon her collection of sex pollen. 

✦ @acreativelydifferentlove

Carry On [S] (Alpha!Dean x Omega!Reader) You’re an Omega in a small rural town. When your father’s gambling and drinking leaves him with a debt he can’t afford to pay, he offers you to a group of Alphas. Dean Winchester is an Alpha desperately trying to escape his past and pain. Can you save each other?

You're Home [S] (Alpha!Dean x Omega!Reader) After years away at college, you have finally returned to your home town. In order to settle back into the community, you have to seek permission from the Head Alpha. What happens when you see his son for the first time since presenting as an Omega?

✦ @deanwanddamons

Helping Hand [OS] Dean is tired after a hunt, so asks Sammy to drive Baby. You and Dean cuddle up in the back seat.

✦ @mind-empty-just-fictional-people

Love Language [OS] You’ve never said it, neither has he…is that weird?

✦ @pink-sparkly-witch

The Widow [S] Sam and Y/N are happily married, but everything changes after a fatal car accident leaves her a widow. The Winchester motto: “Family Don’t End with Blood,” takes on a whole new meaning for Y/N as she navigates her new normal with the help of her brother-in-law, Dean. But what no one can tell her is what happens when she falls in love again.  

✦ shirleypositive72

While They Dance On A Pin (Jane Series 5) [OS - Part of a Series] (Dean x OFC) Sam, Dean, and Jane have been on the road almost constantly since Dean's return from Hell. They're finding Seals, finding danger, finding out each other's secrets. But it's what they find when they open the door to one more motel room that sends Dean back into his darkest moments. An OC's experience of episode 4x16, On the Head of a Pin.

✦ BeccabooO1O

She's My Cherry Pie [OS] Dean was drunk. So terribly drunk. And it was hilarious. Just some karaoke!Dean (aka the best Dean of them all).

✦ @pamwritessometimes

Roots in My Dreamland [OS] Dean encounters a mysterious forest spirit who’s an enigma.

✦ @supernotnatural2005

Sexual Encounters with Dean Winchester - Edging [OS] Exploring new kinks with Dean. How far can you push him before he breaks?

Happy Accidents [OS] (Dean x Plus-Size!Reader) You haven't seen the Winchester's in over a year, but the case you're working has you scratching your head, and who better to call than some old friends. However, insecurities arise as well as the reprise of a long time crush. Little do you know, it's reciprocated.

Lebanon [OS] A wish gone wrong right brings back a familiar face. However, you all soon discover it's not as simple as it seems when what you’ve all accomplished, and your family, hangs in the balance.

Burning for You [OS] You're pregnant and it's awoken something feral, something instinctual in Dean.

✦ @ambiguous-avery

When He Slides In [OS] And says “Fuck, I missed you.” After a hookup with the (in)famous Dean Winchester, you figured that would be the end of it. Too bad you could never seem to get him out of your mind. People always told you that you got attached too easily. And they were right. You were just another notch in his belt. He couldn’t possibly remember you...

✦ @bettystonewell

To You I Belong [S] (Alpha!Dean x Omega!Reader) Dean isn’t looking for a mate. Not only does he think he doesn’t deserve one, but the last place he expects to meet his soulmate is while on a case. Fate ain’t real. He still has free will, and saving you from monsters is just another part of the job.

Another Notch on His Belt [OS] Every little part of him is holding onto every little piece of her, and any other woman he’s been lucky enough to escape his life with. Even if it’s only for the night - or - Dean replaces intimacy with sex.

✦ @lamentationsofalonelypotato

It's Not a Big Deal [S] (Dean x Reader x Soldier Boy/Ben love triangle) Dean's in for a rude awakening when he finds out exactly what you did when you got stranded in another universe.

✦ @thoughtslikeaminefield

Deep [OS] Dean shows her more about pleasure than ‘deep’.

✦ @cheynovak

Four Men, One Birthday [OS] A birthday gift to me from lovely Cheyenne. 💜 Four birthday themed stories with Dean, Beau Arlen, Soldier Boy (Ben), and Russell Shaw.

Dean Winchester x Lisa Braeden:

✦ adventuresinposting

Damages [S] Ben is in a car accident causing a fractured skull. Consequentially he remembers Dean. Ben tries to find Dean, who is now a retired hunter after losing Sam in a final battle. This is the story of Dean finding something and someone to replace the hole in his life left by Sam.

✦ FaithDaria

One Step at a Time [OS] The Winchester way of life changes, and Dean adjusts accordingly.

✦ bloodmagik

A Dad By Any Other Name [OS] Ben is sick and Dean stays home with him while Lisa is at work. Lisa learns something about Dean's relationship with Ben.

Sam Winchester x Reader or OFC:

Stories are Sam x Reader unless noted OFC.

✦ Avrilando

While You Were Sleeping - [S] (Sam x OFC) A seriously injured unconscious man is in the hospital Rachel volunteers. With no idea who he is and if anyone is looking for him, Rachel decides to keep him company while he's sleeping. With The Eyes of a Loving Man [S] (Sequel to While You Were Sleeping) Continuing through Sam and Rachel's relationship with all the highs and lows of dating a hunter. Mostly a collection of oneshots and some connecting stories.

✦ Lindsey D. Perez

It's Your Birthday [OS] The Winchester's find out it's your birthday and insist on celebrating with lots of alcohol. Sam introduces you to body shots and things get heated. 

If You Give a Moose a Muffin [OS] ...he'll want kisses to go with it.

✦ ALoversDream

All of Me [OS] (Sam x Plus-Sized!Reader) Request where the reader (even thought she's usually pretty confident) is slightly insecure about her looks, and because she's plus-size. It ends in fluffy weight smut.

✦ BeccabooO1O

Could Have Told You That One, Winchester [OS] Imagine sitting one Sam's lap while you two are researching. She was reading one of the books about mythology for the Winchester's current case when she heard a frustrated groan from across the table. Sam Winchester had his laptop in front of him and various books of lore scattered around it.

✦ @princessmisery666

Samnesia [S] (Sam x OFC) Brooke is a calming distraction from the chaotic mess of Sam’s life. When a hunt keeps them separated for over a month, Sam returns to find she no longer remembers him. The need to find out what happened while he was gone sends Sam on a case that will change the course of his life. What he discovers along the way will change the way he looks at love.

✦ @ohsc

Delicate [OS] Sam being intimate with an inexperienced reader.

**I will keep adding to this list as I read and explore! Please reblog the fics you read and let these amazing authors know what you thought of their work. 💜

I have several more stories favorited on my FF.net account. (Beware if you try to read any of the stories I wrote there though. Some of those are old as hell and not to my current standard. 🤣)

Dean Winchester AU Fic Rec List

Original SPN Fic Rec List

Supernatural Masterlist

Main Masterlist

[starmocha]

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Sometimes I write fics (and share wips). Or analysis. Or I'm just rambling into the void. I write for a lot of fandoms, but only post Love and Deepspace here I'm just lazy. So...yeah. :D

03.02.25 EDIT: I had too many links and I broke my masterlist :') so all of the guys' individual stories were moved to their own individual posts. This will still serve as a main navigation portal as well as continue to list random miscellaneous writings. <333

LINKS: AO3 ⋆ ★ FF.Net ⋆ ★ FF.Net ⋆ ★ Dokuga

OTHER LINKS: Series Index ⋆ ★ Breeding Kink & Family Fics Masterlist ⋆ ★ Tag List

new → old

last updated: march 31, 2025

FANFICTIONS

ZAYNE ★⋆. ࿐࿔

moved → — Part 1

RAFAYEL ★⋆. ࿐࿔

moved → — Part 1

XAVIER ★⋆. ࿐࿔

moved → — Part 1

SYLUS ★⋆. ࿐࿔

moved → — Part 1

CALEB ★⋆. ࿐࿔

moved → — Part 1

OT5 ★⋆. ࿐࿔

but grandma i love him! (and him and him and him and him)

MISCELLANEOUS

Scenarios, headcanons, sometimes ask box ficlets, yapping, brainrotting, deteriorating...

OTHERS ★⋆. ࿐࿔

LADS men + pent up MC returning home from a mission — 《 MDNI 》 LADS men + Grieving the deaths of wife and child LADS men + Reader with a risky pregnancy i'm a srs writer (who is srsly horny af for caleb, zayne, and sylus) — 《 MDNI 》 reminder that i am a zayne, caleb, and sylus girlie — 《 MDNI 》 Open Secret (Zayne/Caleb) — 《 MDNI 》 Me and my hand fetish against the world (pre-Caleb; OT4) — 《 MDNI 》 LADS men's children's names (pre-Caleb; OT4) ⭐️🍎 Dormmates AU (Caleb/Xavier) LADS men being bros Acts of Love (pre-Caleb; OT4)

ANALYSIS ★⋆. ࿐࿔

Hypothesizing Sylus' dragon myth, part 1 Hypothesizing Sylus' dragon myth, part 2 Hypothesizing Sylus' myth, part 1 Hypothesizing Sylus' myth, part 2 Just me geeking out about the Greek myths referenced in the game

NON-WRITING POSTS ★⋆. ࿐࿔

Zayne post I look at to make myself sad The reason I write a lot of Sylus breeding fics Cat Zayne Post Zayne post I look at when I'm sad Sylus post I look at when I'm sad Caleb post I look at when I'm sad

All Love and Deepspace fanfics are posted only on Tumblr (@starmocha) and AO3 (loveppears (108am)). They will always be cross-posted to one another. Stories are prohibited from being posted elsewhere and I do not allow translations of my works under any circumstances. Reblogs are ok and encouraged! ♡

Thanks for reading! ☆

[bumblebeehug]

Big Spoon, Little Spoon

Summary: No one in the guild would normally clock Lucy as the affectionate one, but Natsu has since long known the truth. Notes: (At the end bc I'm going on a LONG grateful rant and you can't stop me) Ao3 - FF.net

***

With Natsu Dragneel, physical contact was inevitable. The fire wizard craved other people’s presence like a magnet - when he fought his fists spoke for this craving, and when he didn’t fight he had two people who could satisfy his needs. The first one was Happy of course. They hung around 24/7, either by Natsu carrying him around in his arms, or by Happy sitting on his head or his shoulders. Then Lucy entered the picture - the weird, kind of spoiled girl who sought adventure despite being new to the big wizarding world. When Natsu met her he didn’t know if they would click - she was a complete chatterbox, and a clueless one at that, since she talked for almost an hour about how great the Fairy Tail guild was - and she wasn’t even aware that she was having lunch with one of their wizards! Well, at least he knew she cared for his guild, so when he accidentally met her on that party boat a few hours later, he knew there was no need to doubt his decision of inviting her to join Fairy Tail. She would fit in just fine with her weirdness.

Natsu found that he enjoyed being around her a lot more than the other people in the guild. He despised hanging out with Gray, Erza gave him chills and Elfman was all brawn, no brain, which was fine except he couldn’t joke around with him. He could honestly go on - Loke was annoying and smelled weird, Cana had more alcohol than blood in her body, Levy was boring with her books and righteous ways, and besides, she had Jet and Droy around her all the time, and those guys were wimps. He loved them all more than anything, but he couldn’t hang out with them the way he did with Happy, and had done with Lisanna back in the day. Lucy became a breath of fresh air compared to everyone else. She was inexperienced and odd, but she joked around with him in a way that he really had missed. That, and her reactions to his pranks were actually hilarious.

It wouldn’t be a big surprise if Lucy had decided to leave Natsu after joining Fairy Tail, to hang out with other people. After all, even Natsu knew he could be a handful to deal with. But in the end she stayed with him. He learned fascinating things about her - how her spirits worked, that she never broke promises (convenient for his first job actually, but an admiring trait to have even without considering his own benefits), that she was smarter than her looks let on and that she had a happy spirit. What he hadn’t expected to learn was how much she loved physical contact. Natsu knew he expressed love through meaningful touches, but Lucy had never been the one to initiate any of it – at least not if she was facing him.

The first time she had done it, he almost jumped in surprise. They hadn’t known each other for more than a couple of months, but Natsu had managed to find an unparalleled satisfaction under Lucy’s covers. He had slipped into her bed, not for the first time, and definitely not for the last, when she hugged him from behind. Her breathing hadn’t changed: she hadn’t woken up. Still, she must have noticed Natsu’s familiar heat, because she approached him like she’d been expecting him. Natsu didn’t know how to act. It was like his muscles had been switched out with concrete: he had tensed up and wouldn’t move a single millimetre, like the slightest movement would scare her away.

It was only when he realised he’d been holding his breath that he allowed himself to move. A shaky puff out, and then a shakier breath in. But despite Lucy’s arms feeling his movement from being wrapped around him, she didn’t budge. If anything she’d nuzzled closer, pressing her cheek against his neck, wrapping her legs around his as she molded herself to his stale figure.

He hadn’t slept very well that night. He considered it weird after all, that the girl who spent so much time denying all signs of enjoyment connected to physical affection, would be the one to initiate a cuddling session like that. He supposed that was around the same time he really leaned into her nickname: “Weirdo”. It was oddly accurate, it turned out.

Time didn’t fix this conundrum: in fact, it made it worse. Or, intense, was a better descriptor. Natsu still refused to cease his night time activities in her bed though. It almost became a game, a silent, unconscious sparring match, where they fought over the right to be the big spoon. Natsu usually won at dawn, but as soon as the sun started to rise and Natsu flickered awake for a split second, he found himself held by the blonde. Fondly she’d cuddle closer as Natsu stirred, seemingly not aware at all of her actions.

However, every morning he’d wake up a little bit colder. Lucy would be awake already, humming to herself in the shower or cooking breakfast, or she’d sleep in with her back turned. Natsu suspected she knew how the two of them slept at night – there was no other explanation as to why he never woke up in her embrace.

What he didn’t know was how right he was. Lucy was insanely aware of her bad sleeping habits, more than once drenching herself with cold water in the shower to get rid of her blushing. She could do many embarrassing things, but something like this? It felt vulnerable to show that side of her. It alluded to her not-so-pleasant past, which wasn’t something she was quite comfortable showing yet. After all, Natsu didn’t even know her last name yet: none of the guildmates did, her past was something she’d left behind.

As time went on, truths revealed themselves, and secrets spilled, Lucy realised that she didn’t need to feel ashamed of this need for physical contact. Natsu had never seemed to mind after all, repeatedly showing up, night after night, to roll around in the sheets with her. She would never allow herself to show this side to anyone other than him or Happy: not even Erza could know this secret, and she was her best friend. No, what happened at night was between her and her boys. Natsu had never slipped up about their activities either, so she let it stay uncovered as long as it needed to. Lucy clinging on to Natsu like a lifeline, as dreams shook her around, just didn’t need to be brought up in a day to day situation.

Natsu didn’t know Lucy’s view on their sleeping habits. He only knew that time was in his favour when it came to this thing: the longer they’d known each other, and with more frequent sleepovers, Lucy seemed to gain courage in her awake affection as well as her unconscious one. Now she didn’t avoid him when Natsu brought his arm around her, nor did she shy away from coming up from behind with a back-hug-sneak-attack. She’d even stand beside him at the bar, mindlessly take his hand and start fidgeting with its rough crevices, removing dirt from under his fingernails and even going as far as rubbing in hand cream, like it was her own hand.

He liked this side of her. It felt like she allowed herself to claim him as hers, as much as he enjoyed claiming her as his. Every time she approached him, he felt validated: like their friendship was just as important to her as it was to him. Naturally he’d feel like that anyways, he knew how much she appreciated him, but it was somehow different when it came to physical contact. Maybe that’s the way he understood affection best: getting his feelings reciprocated was truly unparalleled.

__________

Tonight Natsu’s feet once again took him to her apartment. Happy was flying a bit in front of him, practically asleep – they hadn’t planned to take so long, but before they knew it the sun had set, and Lucy was probably done waiting for them. Their initial plan was to meet up after dinner: normally they’d eat it together, but Lucy had been coerced by Erza to have a “practice dinner” before a special day that she wouldn’t give them any details on. It wasn’t like details were needed though: Erza being sneaky only ever meant one thing – even Natsu knew that much.

So it was fair to say he was tired when he reached the pink brick building. Gazing up to the second floor, he envied Happy who could just fly up with ease. Still, sleeping with Lucy had never been a question of if he should, but when. He carefully stretched his neck, slapping his cheeks twice, before climbing up. The route was etched into his brain like second nature: he knew exactly which brick to grab or step on, and he knew which ones to avoid if it had been raining. Luckily, Lucy’s window was always left cracked open, making it possible for him to slide up the bottom panel and worm himself in.

The landing that had once been clumsy, waking Lucy up by landing straight onto her, was now a lot smoother. Not only did practice make Natsu more agile, but Lucy had also made it a habit to sleep closer to the window, making Natsu land beside her instead of on her. Happy had already curled up to a ball by Lucy’s feet. He’d eventually make his way up to sleep closer to his friends’ heads, but from years of experience he knew that it would take a while for them to settle down.

As Natsu quickly undressed by the edge of her bed, leaving his day clothes haphazardly on the floor, Lucy stirred under the duvet. Natsu longed to join her in her nest of pillows and soft, clean blankets, but first he reluctantly made his way to the bathroom.

He winced at the loud clicks the bathroom door made when he closed it, not sure if it was his worry of waking Lucy or his own hearing that was most bothered. Either way he hurried to do his business. After flushing and washing his hands in much too cold water, he took a quick second to look in the mirror.

Looking back was a pretty grown up man, looking like he’d forgotten to shave one day too many. Underneath the stubble were scars – some prominent, ones that he’d gotten long before Wendy joined Fairy Tail, and others less obvious, only faint shadows remaining. Not even her magic could make the skin look completely like new again, but he was thankful that it helped as much as it did. Some of these scars were less pleasant memories, like the one on his cheek that he associated with Zeref.

His shoulders had gotten quite big over the years. When he’d first met Lucy, he considered himself scrawny. With time and with experience they’d grown stronger, and he found himself thinking that he resembled Gildarts more and more. He shivered. He really needed to shave in the morning, or he’d end up looking exactly like that old fart. With his shoulders slumped over the sink he ruffled around his hair with some water, rubbing away the tensions of the day from the scalp. It was about time he cut that hair again. A mental note to ask Lucy to bring out Cancer was put in the back of his head.

Quickly he grabbed his toothbrush from the shared toothbrush cup and generously smeared on toothpaste. He was about to brush with his normal force, but stopped himself as he heard Lucy’s voice echo in his brain.

“You’re gonna give yourself receding gums if you keep that up!”

He let out a sigh before lightening his grip. She really nagged him about the smallest things. It was either how he brushed his teeth, or how he procrastinated doing the dishes, or she’d complain over a rag or two missing the laundry basket when he and Happy tried to get them in from across the living room.

But he didn’t dislike those complaints. In fact, he was actually a bit fond of them. It was yet another reminder that Lucy considered Natsu and Happy family members in her home: she worried and complained, but she never threw them out anymore. She had been the one to give Natsu a permanent toothbrush in her bathroom, and she’d been the one who hung up three hand towels instead of one, all under their respective names. She was the one who cooked most of their food, and she gladly made some space in her wardrobe to fit in some clothes for Natsu, so he wouldn’t have to wear the same dirty outfit each day.

Reflecting on it made him smile, resulting in spilling out some toothpaste and drool on his chest. He grabbed the towel that hung under his nameplate and dried himself. Yeah, she was probably wise to assign separate hand towels to the three of them: he had to give her credit for that.

Finally finished in the bathroom he hurried over back to where Lucy was laying, curled up, lightly snoring. Had anyone else been making that sound he’d probably want to punch their heads in, but when Lucy did it? Natsu melted in the delightful ambiance.

As soon as he crawled in under the covers, Lucy seemed to stir awake. Mission unsuccessful, but at least he got a chance to talk to her.

“You’re late,” she mumbled, voice raspy from just waking up.

“We lost track of time. Sorry.” Natsu whispered, shamelessly placing his head on her pillow.

“It’s okay… Erza held me back too.” She rubbed her eyes from sleepy crust before taking a good look at Natsu. “Your hair’s getting long.”

She brought her hand to his head, combing it from his temples and back. Natsu shivered at the sensation of nails running against his scalp.

“Yeah, I was thinking of having Cancer cut it in the morning.”

“You should try growing it out again. You look good with longer hair.”

He almost blushed as a smirk entered his lips. She could be uncharacteristically bold at night.

“Look good, huh?”

She lightly flicked his forehead before returning to combing through his hair.

“Don’t get cocky.”

Natsu felt a snicker bubble up his throat.

“Wait, I’m sorry, I’m seriously considering it here,” he defended himself. Lucy softened her grip on his hair.

“Good.” Her teasing expression had once again turned soft.

For a couple of minutes they let the silence settle. Natsu grabbed Lucy into his embrace by pulling her in by her waist, allowing Lucy to continue playing with his hair. He felt like he was living in bliss, breathing her air, feeling her light fingertips tuck hair behind his ear with a softness that resembled sunbeams kissing his skin a warm early spring. What the two of them had during the night, in between chaotic missions and stressful adventures, was something completely otherworldly.

“Hey, Natsu.”

Her soft whisper breathed life in the tranquil atmosphere.

“Yeah?”

His eyes fluttered open, meeting hers. She seemed to be thinking fondly about something, her pupils big and eyelids molding as her mouth formed a relaxed smile. Just seeing her made the corners of Natsu’s mouth pull upwards.

“Can you turn around?”

Suddenly her voice had gone from pleasantly sweet to sickly sweet, as Natsu realised what she was asking of him. He felt his expression go from calm to troubled.

“No…” he tried, whining a little to see if she could possibly be the small spoon tonight.

“Please…” Her big doe eyes sparkled at him. This wasn’t fair. How dare she use those gorgeous brown eyes against him. He tried to hold his ground, holding her firmer by the waist so she wouldn’t flip him over when he least expected. It wouldn’t be the first time, after all.

“I…” He quickly shut his eyes and turned his face away. “No, not today.”

“Come on…” She squirmed a little in his grip, trying to come up with something to coerce him. “What if…” her face grew rapidly red. “Well… how about we make a deal.”

Natsu perked up again, curious about what she was offering.

“Okay… What’s in it for me?” He had turned back to face Lucy, but this time she’d been the one to avoid looking at him. Even in the dark he could see that she was blushing.

“I’ll… Give you a kiss,” she finally said, carefully looking back at Natsu to see if she could read his reaction. It was… smaller than she’d expected.

Truth was, Natsu wasn’t sure if he’d heard her right. Had she really said kiss? Even he was aware of the implications of that: She was asking for permission for them to become something more.

“A kiss? On the lips?” He asked, trying to clarify. It would be terribly embarrassing if he’d misinterpreted her.

“W-well we don’t have to if you don’t want to! I’ll come up with something els-”

“Ten.” Natsu interrupted her.

“Ten?”

“Ten kisses. In exchange for being the little spoon,” he explained, making an ugly face while describing what he was offering. Lucy frowned.

“It can’t be the equivalent of ten kisses,” she tried to argue, but Natsu stood firm in his offer.

“I think it’s reasonable. I can start by giving you the first, but you gotta give the rest.” By now he felt sort of determined, like he had to get those kisses no matter what. She couldn’t exactly go back on her word: she was the one that had offered the kiss in the first place.

“W-wait, Natsu!” She squealed a little as he grabbed her face in both of his hands, squishing her cheeks together until she looked like a fish.

“Ya’ ready?”

Before he could lean in she shook out of his grip.

“Stop! Fine! I’ll do it! Just, give me a moment to brace myself…” Lucy demanded, now changing her position from lying down beside him to sitting up, legs in a criss cross. Natsu mimicked her position to make things easier for her. Though, truth be told: he was getting a little impatient. As soon as she had offered a kiss to compromise his usual sleeping position, he’d started craving those lips against his. They always looked so soft, so supple, like they’d break if they were sucked too hard.

When Lucy finally composed herself, she looked at him with fierce determination in her eyes. She scooted a little closer, making their knees touch. It still didn’t feel like they were close enough. A distance that was so easily closed normally, now felt like miles. First she grabbed his arms, firmly. Not quite satisfied with the feeling of that, she tried placing them on his shoulders.

Problem was: no matter where she placed her hands, it didn’t feel like Natsu was getting any closer. He was always an arm length away. This frustrated her.

“Could you…” she tried to find the right words, “help me? A little?”

“Yeah, of course, sure, what do you… want me to do?”

Yet again there was a shift in atmosphere. Flailing arms and nervous chuckles made him realise that this was happening. He was going to kiss Lucy. Or more accurately: she was going to kiss him. Part of him wanted to just screw any rules about technicality, grab her and kiss her until twilight. Another part of him knew that nothing would compare to what Lucy was setting him up for right now. He really, really wanted to find out what she had in store: what kind of kisses she’d give, if she preferred leaning to the left or to the right to avoid their noses crashing, and how it would feel to be kissed, instead of the kisser.

“Would you just…” Lucy was still caught up in how they were going to sit and do this. “Maybe we should stand-”

“No.”

“Yeah no. If you lean forward a bit? Maybe?”

Natsu toppled his torso forward, closing in the space a bit. It didn’t seem like Lucy was satisfied though, even if their noses were close enough to touch.

“No, my back hurts like this.” She changed her sitting position a couple of times, moving around so much that Happy was starting to stir awake. Natsu had enough.

“Shh,” he whispered, nodding slightly towards the sleeping exceed. His expression was probably hard to read – he didn’t quite understand his emotions himself, but it was a confusing mixture of impatience, eagerness, and something deeper that had been tinting the entire evening. Could it be what people called love?

He pulled roughly on her arm until she sat in a straddle over his groin. She better not sit down here, he managed to realise, which luckily for him, she didn’t. Instead she blushed from the crown of her head, all the way down to her shoulders. It seemed like reality was starting to hit her too. Except this time, she didn’t back down. Her back wasn’t hurting, she wouldn’t have to do any weird maneuvers to get both her lips to meet his.

She straightened herself up, trying to ignore the burning feeling of Natsu’s hands against the dip of her waist, and combed back his hair from right above his ears and back to his neck, mirroring what she’d done earlier this night. As her hands met at the crook of his neck, she carefully braided her fingers together, leaving her thumbs right behind his ears. Getting a good look at him, he’d really grown up to become handsome. The boy she’d met in Hargeon such a long time ago was only a fraction of the man in front of her. His jaw was more chiseled, his eyes had matured, they reflected a certain light of wiseness that they hadn’t before. His chapped lips had gotten framed with slight smile lines – she liked to think she was the cause of their early appearance: he always seemed to smile around her after all. His chin had grown a stubbly, dark pink beard, and she almost wanted to giggle at the thought of him growing it out one day. A pink beard: could you imagine?

But the truth was: she was so in love. She still felt like the night was surreal, the dimmed light from the moon being the only lightsource in the room. Just a couple of hours ago they had been joking around like today was any other day, no clue that she’d be sitting here, straddling him, on her merry way to kiss him. And not just once.

Finally she pressed her lips against his. It was a soft, dry, fluttery peck that only left both of them wanting more.

“One,” she whispered as she pulled them apart for a split second. She only briefly met Natsu’s dark eyes as he looked up at her from under his eyelashes. He was quick to pull them together again, this time harder, with an urgency that he couldn’t quite explain. Her lips were so soft, even softer than they’d looked, and as they took half a second to breathe, he found himself wanting to taste them. So he did.

Lucy had just opened her mouth to jokingly say “two” when her teeth clacked against Natsu’s. Was that his tongue? The new sensation gave her goosebumps, in a very… good… way. Natsu slowly dragged his tongue against Lucy’s bottom lip, taking in everything that she tasted. It was warm, no, hot, and the taste itself was neither sweet, sour or salty, but rather a weird mix of everything and also… Nothing? The most he could identify was the faint taste of the toothpaste they used.

When Natsu’s tongue suddenly felt Lucy’s against it, it felt like he’d been shot by lightning, the shock creeping along his spine, raising every hair on his head. It was… amazing. A little messy, drool finding its way down both of their chins, but it was hot, sweaty and completely delightful. He felt himself grabbing her pillowy hips, pulling them closer to his own groin, before realising what he was doing and stopped himself in his tracks. Things didn’t need to go this fast: today he wanted to revel in the fact that he was kissing the most beautiful woman in the whole world.

Instead he gently lowered Lucy down on her pillow, making it so he could be on top. As a hair got stuck in their mouths, he gently pulled apart, a string of drool embarrassingly acting as proof that they’d just been connected. Her golden hair almost silvery in the faint moonlight, he realised she looked angelic. Her light eyelashes carefully fluttered as she opened her eyes, a small giggle escaping her mouth. It sounded like heaven.

“I’m counting that as number two and three.”

“What? Why!?”

He squinted at her. Was she trying to cheat him? To be honest, with her sweet expression, flushed cheeks and glittering doe eyes, he was about to let her.

“It was longer. And with tongue. And your beard scratched my chin.”

Natsu groaned.

“I knew I should have shaved…” he muttered under his breath before diving in for round four. Once again it started perfectly innocently, Lucy’s hands cupping Natsu’s cheeks as their, now warmed up lips molded against each other again. This time Natsu was quicker to ask for VIP-entrance though, running his tongue over her mouth once again in hopes that he’d get the chance to spar with it. When she played a little bit too hard to please, he repositioned himself over her, one leg between hers, letting his body weigh down slightly where their cores met. Seemingly it was a good move, because with a gasp he was allowed entrance.

Lucy thought that he played a little dirty, in more than one way. Did he even know the effects he had on her? That every time he touched her, she came undone? She teasingly sucked on his upper lip to punish him a little, not knowing it only edged him on. With his hands running across her torso, drawing little circles where her skin had gotten exposed, he deepened the kiss even further, their tongues now sparring like there was a prize to win. Lucy kept up with it for five whole minutes before she suddenly pushed them apart, swallowing hard.

“That’s four, five, six,” she panted, her hands keeping some distance between the two of them. His chiseled chest felt nice… No, focus.

“What?! No way, what did I do this time?”

“You drooled in my mouth!” Lucy had to whisper-shout it, as she remembered that they certainly weren’t alone in this bed.

“Ew! Did not!” There was no way he’d done something disgusting like that: kissing was a drool-involved activity! There was no need for her to get her panties in a twist.

“Yeah, you did? Wanna switch places and see how it feels?”

“You’re on!”

Swiftly they swapped their positions, Lucy being the one on top this time. She carefully positioned herself right above his groin, not to wake any monsters she couldn’t tame, and leaned forward, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Your turn,” she taunted, leaning into her seductive side before finally giving him a slight peck on his already open mouth. “Oh, and that’s seven.”

“Cheater,” Natsu muttered before cupping her face and leading her on to their eighth kiss. This time he understood why Lucy had counted as she had: not only was the actual kissing more intense from below (and also containing more saliva, he admitted), but the general power play made it feel unfair. All he could do from his position was grab her hips, butt, waist and upper-middle back to hold her closer, or play with her hair and touch her neck, like she’d done to him before.

Lucy, however, had all the cards on her table, tracing his bare torso, feeling the curves and crooks of his abs, sometimes using her nails to her advantage, sending goosebumps throughout his entire body. He’d reward her with a gentle squeeze wherever his hands were, or he’d deepen the kiss, gently biting her lip or feel the back of her teeth with his tongue.

Rather than learning how taxing it was to be the drool-bucket, it seemed like Natsu was only enjoying this experience. She wanted to teach him a little lesson, so she pulled the two of them apart again, this time to quickly reposition her mouth on his neck, right below his scar. And then she kissed him, and licked him, and she sucked and bit, Natsu’s panting by her ear only encouraging her.

Then she slowly rose up, a sly grin on her face.

“The hickey counts as number ten.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake…” Natsu breathed, too impressed to actually complain.

“Now!” Lucy’s eyes sparkled in excitement as she left her straddle. “A deal is a deal: get into position.”

Natsu sighed deeply before complying, rolling over to the side so his broad back was facing Lucy.

“I don’t get how you enjoy this,” he said, feeling Lucy hug herself into her place, body tightly pressed against his, her face landing in the crook of his neck. The place he knew from experience was the best smelling place on Lucy’s entire body – oh, how he wanted to switch places with her.

“Same reason you do, silly.” She wrapped her arms around him, locking them together by tightly hugging his stomach. Instead of complaining, he accepted his role as the little spoon, grabbing her hands and bringing them up to his face. Ten, small kisses, he gave her, one on each finger.

“I think I can stand it if i get paid in kisses again,” he joked, not realising that Lucy would push herself up one last time, land a wet kiss on the corner of his mouth, before laying down again.

“One on the house.”

__________

Happy felt his tail twitch in annoyance as he finally heard them settle down. Next time he’d tell them to wait until he’d fallen asleep at least.

__________ __________ __________

Oh wow, this year has flown by! I’ve started lots of WIPs and somehow only now had the energy to finish them (during exam season and all… Typical). There’s still a small surprise upcoming, so you haven’t yet seen the last of me this year lol.

I hope you’ll allow me to get a bit sentimental here in the notes…

This fic has been on the back burner since… 2023 I think… It’s inspired by Mitski and her song First Love/Late Spring, and back then I still didn’t know I’d get to see her perform live in Edinburgh. My trip there was my first solo flight, and soon after I went to Greece with just my friend. Then I started uni again! Pedagogy, which has been so much more fun than journalism was for me (it sucked out my creativity, hence why I didn’t post much earlier this year). In general this year’s been more good than bad, save perhaps when my beloved Mala passed in March, and when we thought my other baby, Findus, had an autoimmune disease. Findus turned out to be fine, that cuddly-bug will probably not leave in a very long time.

Oh but I’m getting off track. This fic is fic nr10 posted this year, and while looking over my history I’m realising that they’ve all been posted within 6 months… They’ve also been a lot more mixed genre-wise: I started with And Then They Were Two, an angsty fic written in memory of Mala. It was my first time portraying death: I didn’t know then it was just the start. Then I posted a fic where I tried making Natsu and Lucy fight (that was a tough one…), though at least it ended happily, lol. I also finished Nalu Week from 2023! Hike in Heels is one of my favourite fics up to date, I’m really happy with that one, and though I’m slightly less fond of Some of their own, I still enjoyed the fluff.

I also wrote my second more suggestive fic: I really hope my growth from Massage Misunderstanding to A Way Into Your Heart shows (though they’re not exactly comparable: one is a crack-fic after all). Unrequited Love was my first truly angsty fic. It was written with no solution in mind, during a time when I was experiencing my own unrequited love. It was very nice being able to use fic-writing as a creative outlet: and I also hope it somehow portrays how much of my own soul is poured into what I write. This is truly my passion.

Lastly I managed to pad my goriest, by far saddest, fic with a couple of fluffy ones: A homage to autumn (Home) and a gift to one of the greatest people I’ve met this year, Roxy.

I’m so insanely thankful to all of you who motivate me to continue to write! I seriously couldn’t have done this without all of you, I’m forever grateful. Writing is the one passion I’ve held on to since I could hold a pen: I’ll always treasure Ao3, ff.net and tumblr for being sites I’ve been able to rely on when it comes to meeting wonderful people, posting and reading fics.

So, for one of the last times in 2024: Thank you for reading my fic<3 See you all lots in 2025!

[chuchiotaku]

[ANNOUNCEMENT] There and Back Again Book 2

(You didn't really think I'd leave you guys hanging now, did you?)

Ron Weasley returns to Hogwarts for his second year with danger hot in his heels. Our favorite nineteen-turned-twelve year old time traveler will need more than his knowledge of the previous life to survive. Because, as Ron is about to find out, the consequences of messing with time won't always result in his favor, and that one ripple is enough to change the tides in ways he could not even anticipate.

But the real question is, whose body is doomed to lie in the Chamber forever this time? And can Ron find a way to save them and the year before it is too late?

An Archive of Our Own exclusive release.

May 2025

Other Notes:

So it turns out I'm still alive. Yay!

In case you were wondering why it took this long, it's because planning for this took longer than I thought, and harder too. Since the feedback for Year 1 was generally positive and you lot seemed to have really liked how it went, the pressure was on to at least sustain that quality of work moving forward.

AO3 Exclusive Release?

Starting book 2, all of TBA's future chapters will be posted exclusively on AO3. While I do have fond memories and much respect for FF.net for being one of the earliest and most accessible fanfiction archives out there, the amount of spam/bot reviewers and messages, the clunky, outdated user interface and the difficulty of maintaining two versions of all my fanfics has made me decide to continue updating my works in one site only.

That said, I will still be posting at least one more chapter in FF.net before moving on, also as a way for me to announce TBA's continuation at AO3 for my FF.net readers.

So how is Book 2 now?

Based on my draft outline, we're looking at 20 chapters minimum, and while some events from JK's original Chamber of Secrets work will come up in this fanfic (I expect most of you will want Ron and co. to face the big bad snake at some point), there are a few surprises here and there in store for you. As for who has opened the Chamber and who will be the Basilisk's victims this time around, our guess is as good as Ron's.

I hope to release the first chapter roll and the preview of the first chapter by April 2025 before the official release, barring any unforeseen circumstances. Life, you know I'm looking at you.

Thank you again for your support for There and Back Again book 1, and hoping for your continued patronage for book 2!

Also,

Happy Birthday, Ron!

PS: I am so behind answering DMs, Asks and all other things. To all who have sent me messages, I'm sorry for the delays in responding but I have received them and I will get back to you soon. I just have to remember that Tumblr has an inbox for messages and asks. Four years on this bloody thing and I still can't remember that. 😅

[minniethemoocherda]

A Spoonful of Sugar

A/N: My first Sonic fic! I feel like I've unlocked an Internet Achievement lol. Anyway I am loving all the fics of Stone adopting Shadow after the events of Sonic 3 so I had to write my own! Hope you guys enjoy it! Xxxxxxx

Ao3

FF.net

"… with whipped cream, marshmallows, sprinkles, two shots of vanilla, three of cinnamon and a chocolate chip cookie melted on top please!"

Stone fought back a grimace at the blue hedgehog's latte order, if one could even still call it a latte after everything Sonic wanted to ruin it with. Stone wasn't entirely convinced this wasn't some sort of twisted revenge for the admittedly many times he had tried to kill him.

However they had been able to come to a truce in the past months, with them agreeing not to try to kill each other after Stone re-opened The Mean Bean. This left Stone with no choice but to settle on the hypothesis that the hedgehog was just insane.

After handing over his pocket money, Sonic sped over to his brothers' table by the window and this time Stone was unable to hold back his grimace as the speedster once again burned streaks into his oak floor.

Biting back a curse, Stone shoved the change into the register before handing over a copy of the order to his barista.

Shadow took the piece of paper with a determined nod. He then went straight to work on the machine, each dial and instrument moved with perfect precision as he focused his entire energy in to his new mission.

Stone didn't even try to hold back his smile. Shadow had come a long way since Stone had first found him unconscious in that creator, bruised and broken to almost beyond recognition. And so had Stone. Honestly after everything that had happened, he'd been ready to end it all. But saving Shadow had given him a purpose. And he'd been able to provide one for the hedgehog in return.

They still had a long way to go. Shadow was still simultaneously convinced that Stone was going to kick him out of the spare room or keep him locked up there for another fifty years. But every night they would watch a new episode of La Ultima Passion together and Shadow had finally agreed to see the private tutor Stone had hired to get his schooling up to speed alongside his employment at The Mean Bean. Plus Stone couldn't deny that the hedgehog looked adorable in the custom child sized apron Stone had ordered for him. Even if he did have a habit of eating the speciality coffee beans straight out of the tin.

As Stone took advantage of the break in customers to clean the counter, he caught Sonic trying to catch Shadow's eye but the barista must've seen the other hedgehog's attempts in the reflection of the metal coffee machine and had decided purposefully ignoring him.

Eventually Sonic gave up, going back to talking a mile a minute to his brothers.

Nobody in the coffee shop batted an eye at the sight if three alien children. The people of Green Hills were long used to the sight. Hell, Stone had once been their sworn enemy and even he didn't find it odd for the trio to visit The Mean Bean during their own tutoring breaks, (in fact it had been Mrs Wachoski who had put Stone in touch with company behind the boys' own tutors).

Stone saw Sonic snort as Knuckles swore revenge on his frappe for giving him a brain freeze, the blue hedgehog nearly choking on the muffin he must've nabbed with his super speed without Stone noticing.

The sun beamed through the wooden frame of the window and for a moment, Sonic was bathed in a golden glow like he had the day he had absorbed the power of the Master Emerald to stop the Doc-

Stone tried to stop that train of thought. But it was too late. Suddenly all Stone could think about was the Doctor and that day and how from the wreckage he had healed the Doctor back to health and that even now he couldn't stop the hope and guilt that the Doctor was still alive out there waiting for help even though it had been months and all the evidence proved that the Doctor was really dead this time and-

"FUCK!"

Stone startled at the sudden curse.

He spun around to see Shadow snap his hand back from where it had been held under the steamer. Strangely, there was no cup in Shadow's hand, the bio-degradable Styrofoam still on the counter. For a second, Stone wondered what could have caused Shadow to forget it, but that question was quickly pushed to the back of his mind as he focused on the more pressing matter.

It was mid-morning so most people in Green Hills were already at work with the few children there at the school in the next town over. Besides the three aliens the only other costumers were Crazy Carl and a group of retired old ladies playing poker in the corner. Stone placed a small sign on the register that they'd be back soon before guiding Shadow through to the kitchen.

"Can I see you hand?" In their short time together, Stone had learnt early on to present any medical concerns as a question instead of a demand.

Shadow took of his glove and held it out without complaint, still conditioned to listen to doctors lest he face the punishments.

There was a burn on the edge of his palm, the red and black fur slightly singed and the usually tan skin underneath was staring to blister pink.

"We're going to need to hold it under the cold tap for a while to cool your skin down. Then I can wipe it with some antiseptic to make sure it doesn't get infected." Stone said, making sure to explain the reason behind the treatment.

Shadow nodded, his nose and eyes scrunched as he braced for the impact of the cold water of the sink.

It was nothing compared to the injuries that Stone had helped to heal him from as well as whatever hell he'd been through in those labs.

Still he flinched as the cold continued pouring onto his hand.

"We can take a break if you want?" Stone offered.

Shadow's eyes widened, as though ever after all this time, he still couldn't believe that Stone was giving him a choice. Before his eyes soon narrowed into familiar slits.

"No." Shadow stated, that steel determination present in his voice that Stone knew meant it would be impossible to change his mind. As much as Stone didn't want Shadow to force himself through more pain, he was proud that the hedgehog was standing up for his own medical desires.

After a few more minutes, Stone turned the water off, then as gentle as he could, stroked an antiseptic wipe over the burn. Thankfully it wasn't very deep. It would probably hurt for the next hour but should fully heal within a few days.

"Does it hurt anywhere else?" Stone asked.

"Not anymore. But before my cheeks were warm, my pulse quickened and I felt as though some of your Earthling butterfly creatures had infested my stomach."

Oh, Stone thought, coming to a quick diagnosis. He was all too familiar with that set of symptoms, having suffered from them the entire time he had known the Doctor.

He missed them.

Now whenever he thought of the late Ivo Robotnik, he felt an empty sense of sickness.

Still for Shadow's sake, he swallowed his feelings and put on a smile.

"I think I know how to fix that. Spending time with another anthropomorphic hedgehog should alleviate them. And since you're going to take the rest of the day off to heal your hand, why don't you go do that now?"

Shadow wasn't stupid. Judging by the glare he was currently aiming at the former agent, he knew that Stone was hiding something. However he must've come to the conclusion that he wasn't straight up lying, which he wasn't, as eventually Shadow nodded.

"Great! I'll make Sonic's order then you can take it to him as an excuse to talk to him."

"Fine." Shadow hmphed, following Stone back behind the counter.

Stone remade the abomination of a latte before handing it over to Shadow.

Stone watched as he marched straight over to the window, handing the cup of to the fellow hedgehog as though he were issuing an arrest warrant. Sonic didn't seem to mind Shadow's stony disposition, already babbling on as he thanked Shadow for how amazing the latte was even though he hadn't even taken a sip yet and Shadow hadn't even been the one to make it himself. It would go unnoticed by most, but Stone was easily apply to recognise how the corner of Shadow's lips twitched into a smirk at Sonic's antics.

The scene reminded Stone of when he'd first met the Doctor. Wasting his engineering degree working in a brand named cafe when the most striking man he'd ever seen walked in to order the most striking order he'd ever made to then hire Stone on the spot after he'd taken one sip.

For the first time since everything had gone to shit, instead of feeling sick, the thought of The Doctor made Stone smile.

One that grew even larger as he over heard Shadow call Sonic an idiot for attempting to down the entirety of his drink in one gulp.

And over dinner, Shadow later told him that he was full of shit as spending more time with Sonic only made his symptoms worse.

[justleaveacommentfest]

SO I am a fandom Old. I remember the days of message boards, FF.net and actual websites and of course, LiveJournal.

The thing I have missed the most about fandom since the move from LJ and rise of AO3 has been the community! I miss my LJ FRIENDS, who I got to know… THROUGH COMMENTS!!!

My point is that this tumblr reminded me that I should take the time and effort to leave comments if I like a fic, so I have been! AND YOU KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING?!!! Some authors are REPLYING to my comments! I’ve even found some authors here on tumblr and sent them asks or messages here! I AM FINDING FRIENDS AND COMMUNITY AGAIN! It’s a beautiful feeling!!

So thank you Skelly! ❤️

OMG YESSS!!! THAT IS OUR WHOLE THEME HERE!!!

COMMENTS BUILD COMMUNITY!!!

[gilbirda]

I'm just a simple guard, man

Part 6 of my Danny is an Arkham Security Guard AU (og tumblr post)

[Read on AO3] [Read on FF.net]

<< Prequel - Clown around and find out | First Part

There was silence and tension as they watched Batman go through the motions, tying up the unmoving but awake Joker and moving him to somewhere closer to the entrance. Joker was surprisingly responsive and lucid, just mellowed and obedient. Somehow it made it better — if he was a vegetable Jason knew Batman wouldn’t let that go until Danny undid what he had done.

Danny.

The Ghost King.

Jason didn’t know exactly what that meant. Heck, until today he didn’t know that ghosts were kind of a thing. Mythical creatures, he could buy. Apparitions, imprints of conscience that were unavenged — that he could buy too. But a Ghost King implied an organized society with status and a legal organization. A power structure.

“Oh yeah, forgot to mention that.”

He turned towards the doctor well aware his face showed every emotion.

“The fuck?”

“Did that really happen?” Duke was trying to keep calm, but his eyes were wide open and his hands slightly trembling.

“Yeah?” She lifted an eyebrow.

“But—”

“How the heck—”

“ — how did he do that —”

“ — did he set him on fire!”

“ — and is he even human?”

“Children,” Alfred stood from his seat, positioning himself between the brothers and their guest. “Let her breathe.”

“It’s okay, Mr. — uh…” She blushed as she realized she never asked for his name.

“Alfred,” the butler smiled, “Alfred Pennyworth.”

“Mr. Pennyworth,” she nodded politely. “I’m fine. I am aware that after that… theatrical spectacle, explanations are needed.”

“Indeed.” Batman cut in the conversation. “Proper explanations are in order. After I deliver the Joker to Arkham.”

“You can’t be serious!” Did the old man go crazy? Back to that place?

Jazz frowned, seemingly sharing his thoughts. She leaned closer to the microphone and spoke in a controlled voice. “Where are you delivering him? In the hospital.”

Bruce took way too long to answer, so Tim did it for him. “Through the front door?”

Jazz didn’t find it funny. “Wait for me.”

“What?”

“I said, wait for me.” Jazz reached for her discarded jacket, eyeing the door to the elevator back to the manor. “Joker is my patient and I need to be there.”

“What for?”

She turned to look at Jason. “He doesn’t deserve to be left at the mercy of some of the people in the Asylum. They could—”

“He can rot for all I care.”

The vigilante walked up to her, getting in her way and using his height and build to scare her into submission. Jazz held his gaze, defiant, muscles tense and ready to throw down if needed.

“You don’t know that place like I do.”

Jason huffed. “Whatever the inmates want to do to him, he deserves it.”

“I wasn’t talking about the inmates.” Her teal eyes steeled with fury. “Arkham has a history of staff abusing their authority.”

Duke glanced at Alfred, unsure what to make of that statement. He quietly stood up, getting ready to intervene in case Jason decided to get violent; but Alfred held him back with a gloved hand on his shoulder.

“Again, he deserves it.”

Tired of craning her neck to look up at him, Jazz stepped back. “He deserves the judgment of the people he’d hurt in the past — something my brother and I can promise you will happen.” Given what they saw in the camera feeds, nobody doubted the siblings could ensure it. “But I’m not going to tolerate that my patient spends his last years alive being unnecessarily abused.”

“I told you—”

“What do you think,” she interrupted Jason, her gaze cold and her body tense, “will happen if someone dies full of rage? If in their last moments they wish they could enact vengeance on those that harmed them?” She narrowed her eyes, knowing her words were hitting something in him. “What do you think will happen to the Joker’s soul if he’s abused and tortured at Arkham, and probably killed, after he crosses the Veil?”

“I—”

“A huge pain in the ass, it’s what will happen.”

The tense silence could be cut with a knife. Duke couldn’t understand how Jazz not only managed to stare down the six foot something tank that Jason was, but she also commanded the attention and respect. He was a newcomer to the place and he had done more than enough crazy stuff during his time in a gang; but he still struggled with openly challenging Jason and Cass. And Tim, but that was when the vigilante fell into his weird mumbling-in-the-dark episodes.

“I’m taking you there.”

He grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the garage section of the cave. Jazz yanked her arm free and stopped to cross her arms.

“I can walk on my own.”

Jason bristled, opened his mouth to continue their fight, but apparently that was when Alfred had enough.

“If you want to get there in time,” his voice was neutral, controlled, and his face wore his signature arched eyebrow, “I'd recommend leaving right now.”

His tone was final.

Jazz and Jason looked at each other, frozen under the certified Alfred glare. They nodded and walked quickly towards where Jason’s signature red bike was parked.

***

Arkham Asylum was a mess when the duo arrived — police cars flooded the entrance, and the Batmobile stood out like a sore thumb in the midst of all the red and blue lights flashing around.

Jazz cursed under her breath. She would have preferred to not turn the situation into a circus.

They managed to walk through the sea of cops and civilians looking in the compound from the metal gates. Funny enough, the few guards blocking the way didn’t move to stop them once both glared at them at the same time.

Jazz made a beeline at the Director chatting animatedly with Batman. Black Bat was standing a bit back with Red Robin, probably discussing what just happened with Danny, but the Arkham doctor didn’t care about them.

“I demand I see my patient.” Jazz didn’t beat around the bush.

The Director blinked and slowly looked away from Batman, as if he couldn’t believe someone had the audacity to interrupt this moment. “Miss Fenton—”

“Doctor.” She corrected him.

The man cleared his throat, throwing a nervous glance at the silent Dark Knight.

“Doctor Fenton,” the word was spit like it was a curse, “your shift doesn’t start until eight.”

“But the Joker is my patient and I know he’s in there.” She gestured at the looming Asylum with her hand. “After such a traumatic event I need to see him.”

Someone coughed a laugh behind the Director. At least the man had the decency of hiding a smile.

“The Joker is not going anywhere, Miss— Doctor.” He added when she glared at him. “You can schedule a session tomorrow. That is, if your patient is up for conversation.” With that, the man deemed their conversation over and turned back to Batman. “Once again, thank you so much, Batman. I’m not going to ask how you did it this time, but we will certainly appreciate the results.”

Jason was as happy as everyone else that Joker wouldn’t be a problem anymore, but the way this bastard was treating Jasmine was outright criminal. He squared up for a fight and tried to step forward, but a cold hand on his forearm stopped him. Jazz moved her eyebrows up and her eyes went over his body before she looked back towards the police. Several new vehicles joined the party — all the Gotham news channels were here to record the event.

And he wasn’t wearing his suit. Right.

He nodded and remained where he was, but made a gesture towards where the Director was waxing poetry about how good Batman was for their city and how much the city owed him.

Do you want me to beat him up for you? He wanted to ask.

Jazz chuckled, hiding her smile behind her hand. She shook her head and patted his arm a few times.

“Thanks,” she whispered, “but not today.”

He didn’t know how serious she was. This was the same person who pulled a gun at Red Hood and five seconds later forced him into a therapy session. The same lunatic that was excited about having the whole bat flock in her apartment so she could question them.

For the first time since the alarm sounded about Joker’s escape, Jason let himself relax a little bit. Jazz was crazy enough to take on Arkham’s finest and leave victorious.

“Director Kallwick,” her voice was pure steel, “I’m afraid it’s imperative I see my patient after such a traumatic—”

“I think there’s something you are not understanding, Miss Fenton.”

“And what is it?” She crossed her arms.

The Director raised an eyebrow, now fully facing her. It didn’t escape Jason how the man squared his shoulders to look bigger and overpower Jazz. He had seen that behavior way too many times, in many different situations — and he didn’t like it when men like the Director used it against people that couldn't fight back, specially women.

He glanced at Bruce, trying to gauge how much the old man would flip if he intervened anyway. He trusted Jazz, but he really didn’t like the Director right now.

“I’m positive that after today’s… development,” he smiled, “things at Arkham will definitely change. For the best, of course.” He raised an eyebrow. “Starting with streamlining our staff and making sure we count on experienced doctors to treat the patients that really need it.”

Was he implying…?

Jazz hummed, regarding the man with as much contempt as she allowed herself to show. “I know you don’t like me, Mr. Kallwick. You never did. I know you hired me because you needed cannon fodder to sacrifice and keep the Joker entertained.” She smiled. “I’m young, but I’m not stupid. And I know men like you — weak, scared, and cowardly.”

“Hey there young—”

“I know you’d rather let your staff die than develop better and healthier outlets for patient’s destructive tendencies.” She lifted a hand and walked closer, poking the man’s chest. “I know that you look the other way when guards and doctors mentally and physically abuse inmates because you actually think they deserve it.” She poked him again.

“I don’t—” He went to grab her hand.

She moved away from him so quickly and so smoothly that it looked like a dance step.

She smiled. It wasn’t nice. “And I know all about what you’ve been doing with the funds and donations.”

Even in the middle of the noise from the crowd at the gates, you could hear the man loudly swallow.

“I know about the embezzling and the bribes and the interesting filing mistakes and convenient registration mishaps, Mr. Kallwick.” Her eyes slowly turned greener. It was subtle, but you could see that her usual teal color suddenly looked greener than blue. A trick of the lights, you could think, but the bats knew better. “I know you don’t care how or why the Joker is unresponsive, but I do; and if you want me to stay in my lane I highly recommend you stay in yours.”

The man processed her words, the thoughts clear in his eyes. He was probably thinking how she could have found out, or who told her, or how was he going to silence her better.

Jason saw the switch to the later thought as clear as day.

Bruce saw it too.

Before the man said or did anything else, the tall and quiet shadow of Batman placed himself behind Jazz, one hand on her shoulder as an obvious sign of his support. The other two bats placed themselves on the sides of the Arkham doctor, arms crossed, looking down at the man who was realizing too late the mistake he made.

***

“Are you still mad?”

“Hm.”

“You sound like the old man.”

Jazz glared at him, violently stabbing her ice cream cup and breaking her plastic spoon.

“You may need to deal with those anger issues. Have you thought about going to therapy?” He said with a bright smile.

She stood up, not caring about attracting attention. Who was going to pay attention to them, Jason didn’t know. It was way early in the morning — or late at night, it depends on how you see it — and Jazz had demanded they go to the closest ice cream place that was open.

Luckily he knew a place, because of course only in Gotham someone would be crazy enough to have an ice cream shop open at this hour.

“Some vigilantes, and some rogues, really like ice cream. It is an untapped market.” The man running the place said when asked, shrugging like it was obvious.

Jazz sat back down, now with a new spoon, and continued eating her sweet monstrosity of layered chocolate and dulce de leche.

“If you are this mad I highly recommend you take it with Bruce. I’m sure he will be very understanding and accept your feedback.”

She kicked him in the shins, rolling her eyes at his sarcasm.

“Whatever you say, mister Daddy Issues.”

It was his turn to kick her, but she was expecting the movement and moved away before he made contact. She smirked, taking another bite of her ice cream with a smug smile on her face.

God, he hated older siblings and their knowing smiles.

He prepared to kick her again..

“Don’t even try,” a new voice said, the person taking the empty chair on their little table. “Jazz is like a ninja when she really wants to.”

Jason wanted to differ and explain he had trained with literal ninjas, but the speed at which she whipped a gun on him not that long ago came to his mind. Was it a liminal thing? Or a Jasmine thing? Maybe a Fenton thing?

“Hey.”

“Hey back at you.” Danny sighed, taking Jazz’s ice cream cup and biting directly from the top layer. “That bad, huh?”

Jason bit his simple chocolate cone, watching the siblings talk.

“She’s mad because B scary dog privileged his way into making the Arkham Director submit and it undermined Jazz’s authority. She did a neat speech and everything.” He shook his head. “All wasted.”

She huffed and stole her ice cream back. “I didn’t need his support.”

“I know you don’t.” Danny glanced at Jason. “But it’s better if you have Batman’s backup, yes?”

Jazz ignored him.

Jason took the chance to look at Danny, trying to find anything that was different about the young man. He still had the scene back with Joker burned in his mind.

King of the Ghosts.

He would have never guessed, given the scrawny and sleep deprived raccoon of a man sitting next to him. He was still wearing the same shirt and under the fluorescent lights of the ice cream shop, it was easier to see the scars on his arms and hands — and the ones peeking from under his collar.

“Spit it out.”

“Huh?”

Danny rolled his eyes. “You have questions. Ask.”

“I don’t—” He tried to deny it, but thought better about it. Jason bit his ice cream and cleared his throat. “I want to ask about —”

“Of course you want to ask about what happened.”

A soft thump! came from under the table, and given Danny’s glare at Jazz then she probably kicked him for the sass.

“What do you want to know?”

“Why are you being so forthcoming?”

“I’m feeling charitable today.” Another kick from under the table. “Ok, ok! No need for violence.” He sighed. “Jazz’s right. This is not my territory. If we want to stay, we have to play nice with you guys.”

The way he said it, and the way he made a face when he said it, told Jason that Danny was really struggling with trusting the bats with the information. Trust issues he could understand — one wasn’t in their line of work without being betrayed or hurt enough to warrant these issues.

No. It was something deeper.

“Why?”

“Why what?”

There were many questions burning in his mind and he didn’t know how long they had. “Why… Gotham? Why Arkham? Why a guard?”

“You just wasted your time man. You already know the answer for that.” He pointed at his sister, who nodded in agreement. “I followed her.”

“And I came here because I was interested in the rogues.” She added, licking her spoon clean.

Jason shook his head. “I meant — why is the King of the Ghosts… just… here?” He lowered his voice, glancing at the ice cream man. The man was half asleep on the counter and clearly not listening. “Don’t you have better things to do?”

Danny responded with a dry laugh. “I have no interest in being the king of anything.”

“But?”

He looked away, suddenly very uncomfortable.

Jason glanced at Jazz, but she was glaring at the table.

“What happened?” He poked the siblings, trying to be soft. It was obviously a touchy subject, and whatever happened was painful enough that they’ve been avoiding any mention of their past before Gotham like the plague.

“It was… It happened a few years ago. I defeated the previous Ghost King, but nothing happened for a while. I thought… I thought things had calmed down since ghosts stopped attacking my town so often. And then, after I graduated highschool, the Observants started harassing me about taking the throne.”

“Did they hurt you?” Jason didn’t know what these “Observants” were, but he could guess from context.

Danny shook his head, stealing Jazz’s ice cream again. “They were fucking annoying, but they couldn’t touch me. As the Prince, I was technically their superior and untouchable.” He bit the cold treat and chewed. Somehow Jason wasn’t surprised Danny never got a brain freeze. “It was a few more years of avoiding them and trying to keep peace in town, as well as trying to get to know the Infinite Realms.” He chuckled again. “I even considered, for a moment, that being King wasn’t even that bad.

“It was a pretty normal day when it happened. I went to the mall with my friends. Sam, she — She had a fight with her parents and went there to cool down and cheer her up. The ghosts came first,” he pushed the ice cream back to his sister, and avoided Jason’s eyes, “but nothing was out of the ordinary. We fought. I defeated them. More and more kept coming, faster than I — than we could contain them.”

“I was away at college, but I later learned that it was a massive all out attack on just Danny.” Jazz placed a hand on Danny’s. “It was a coup attempt.”

“I didn’t know. I didn’t know that so many people were against me being King, and all that time they were planning the attack, and if I just paid a little more attention… If I wasn’t so—”

Another kick under the table. Danny cleared his throat and tried again.

“The GIW came as well. Things went from bad to worse, and by the end of the day it was an all out war between us, the ghosts doing a coup and the GIW. With our parents at the head of the attack.”

Jason frowned. “But you guys knew they worked with the GIW.”

Jazz gave him a warning look. “We knew they collaborated and consulted for them. We knew about the patent weapons.”

“But we didn’t know that they’d lead an attack on me.”

Danny did a brief pause to breathe, and stole more ice cream from his sister. She just pushed the cup towards him, apparently done with the treat.

Jason followed where the siblings were going. “They knew you’d be at the mall. That… That Phantom would be at the mall.” Danny looked up, his tired eyes confirming his thoughts. “They knew.”

It wasn’t a question.

Jazz nodded anyway. “We don’t know how long they did, but the truth is they knew about Danny. And went for him anyway.”

Minutes ticked by. Jason and Danny made quick work of their ice creams, lost in thought. Jazz checked her phone, frowned, and typed a few messages before putting it away.

“People died.”

Jason blinked at the non sequitur. Danny swallowed the last of the ice cream and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

“Neighbors, friends, people I knew. That day. They were fine and then they were dead.”

Guilt. It was clear as day.

“Is not your—”

“Don’t.” He cut him off. “Please.”

Jason nodded and decided to move on. “So you won the fight?”

“Barely. The ghosts were either captured by the GIW or retreated when they became outnumbered. Tucker and Sam managed to mess up with the idiots in white’s machines and weapons long enough for us to retreat. But we knew that wasn’t the end of it.

“We packed what we could and I hid at Sam’s, with the excuse that I would help her while she recovered — she broke her arm at the fight. We were a hundred percent sure if… if Jack and Maddie actually knew I was Phantom or not, but just in case.”

“I stayed. They didn’t target me so we were positive they didn’t know about me being liminal, so I stayed home.”

The vigilante frowned at Jazz. “What for?”

“Someone had to monitor them to see what they knew exactly. I also hid away any weapon they could potentially use against Danny.” She shrugged. “Not that it actually helped, because neither came back home in the weeks after the incident.”

“They were at the GIW base.” Danny crossed his arms and leaned back on his seat. The young man looked tired. “Because of course there was work to do with the captured ghosts.”

Jason hummed. “So they’ve been working on experimentation since then?”

Jazz shook her head. “We were telling the truth when we said they weren’t involved in that, at least not by the time we left Amity Park. Back then they were more involved in investigation on ghost containment and weapons research.”

He nodded, and turned back to Danny. “And the coup?”

The young man cursed under his breath. “Dealt with them.”

Jason waited for him to elaborate, but he didn’t. He cleared his throat and tried again. “What—”

“Listen, man.” He slapped the table and stood up. “That doesn’t matter. They don’t matter. I dealt with it. I accepted the damn crown and then told everybody to fuck off. And they have done that so far.” He breathed in, breathed out. “I’m nobody’s king, I’m just a simple guard now, okay? Nothing more, nothing less.”

With that, Danny walked away and left Jazz and Jason simmer in the tense silence. He looked at her, trying to gauge if he had said the wrong thing, but Jazz appeared apologetic.

“Before you ask — I don’t know either. Nobody does. He just… after we took down the GIW base, he took the captured ghosts back to the Realms. He came back two days later, hurt and barely coherent, and never spoke of what happened there. To anybody.” Not even me, the hurt statement was implied. “He was… changed. He didn’t say what happened but from what we could piece together it was bad, very bad.”

A myriad of possibilities crossed Jason’s mind. How bad is “very bad”? How much did Danny stir things up at the Realms that he had remained unbothered ever since? He tried to map the scars that he saw, and grimaced at the idea of two straight days of fighting after doing a raid to the GIW base.

Danny was done. With being a hero. With fighting. With trying to do the right thing.

What was even the “right thing” here? Going back to being the King of a dimension that doesn’t want him and he doesn’t want in return? Give it up, and risk someone worse taking control of so much power? Destroying the GIW? Going after their own parents?

He thought about the Joker. He asked Jazz when she was back from checking on the clown, and she willingly shared some details about his state. Jason never felt sorry for the fucker, but gained a new appreciation for Danny and his abilities.

The power to take someone’s soul and seal it inside their bodies — what else could he do? What other otherworldly and potentially devastating powers did he have at his disposal?

What else was he choosing not to face? What else was he running away from?

He stood up and followed Danny outside, finding him standing in the cold morning rain of Gotham. It wasn’t pouring, but it was easy to get soaking wet if you underestimated it.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I wasn’t going to ask.”

Both ignored the door when Jazz quietly followed them out of the ice cream shop.

“Good.” The younger man looked up at the gray sky, maybe looking for the sun. Water droplets fell down his face, and he welcomed them with a relieved, albeit tiny, smile. “Because I don’t have anything else to say.”

Jason rolled his eyes. What a drama queen.

He glanced at Jazz, who was shaking her head. “Whatever you say, edgelord.”

She pulled Danny to her chest for a hug, which he only protested with a tiny grumble. Jason chuckled before he was pulled in too by a surprisingly strong grip.

“If I have to suffer sisterly hugs then so do you.”

Jazz giggled but welcomed the addition to her arms, not caring that she could barely hold both of them and her arms fell short. She squeezed them harder towards her chest, humming in delight.

Great, she was a hugger. Jason really didn’t need another Grayson in his life.

<< Prequel - Clown around and find out | First Part

BACK TO THE ARCHIVE

BACK TO DANNY PHANTOM ARCHIVE

Just a normal link in case you liked this and want to support me :)

[delilaha]

Midnight Snakes

------------------------------------------------

Ponyboy wakes up in the middle of the night starving, and when he goes into the kitchen for a snack, he finds an unwelcome guest.

—————————————————————

Hi everyone! This is my first post on Tumblr. You can find more of my works on ao3, wattpad, and ff.net where I’ve posted a lot of other things (usernames are in the description). Unfortunately, if anyone here recognizes me from ao3, i’m currently on a 30 day suspension because of a requests page (which i literally took down in july) that wasn’t allowed to be up because it wasn’t an actual story. So i decided to start posting here as well! Everything i post will be put up on ao3 eventually, though <3

Also a little later on in the story there will be descriptions of a snake being killed so if you don't like reading that type of stuff (or just snakes in general) you probably shouldn't read this lol

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When Ponyboy woke up in the middle of the night in his pitch black bedroom, the first thing he processed was the ravaging hunger in his stomach. And it wasn't the type of hunger you'd feel when you're just simply hungry after a long, few hours of not eating. It was that sharp, stabbing pain in your abdomen that makes it feel like something is about to explode if you don't get your hands on something edible in three seconds.

So Pony clambered out of bed, being careful not to wake Sodapop in the process, who was snoring away. He put his hands out in front of him, trying to avoid anything that he could bump into on the way to the door because his eyes hadn't adjusted yet and the room around him was still completely dark. He felt his way to the door and opened it slowly, slipping through the doorway because he knew if he opened it too much it would let out a loud creak and wake up the whole house. He shut it tightly when he got to the other side, satisfied when he didn't notice Soda's snores wavering.

Ponyboy then walked down the hallway, rather fast for someone who just climbed out of bed a minute ago. He cringed when he stepped on a creaky floorboard, squeezing his eyes shut and saying a quick silent prayer that it wasn't too loud. But Soda could sleep through a tornado if he was allowed, and it's not like Darry would crucify him if he caught Pony up looking for a snack. But they all know how grumpy he gets when somebody wakes him up when he doesn't need to be awake. It's almost funny really, and Soda and Pony love to tease him in the morning for it. But not so much in the moment.

He continued moving when he didn't hear anyone stir, sharply turning around the corner and into the kitchen, ready to feast on the first thing he could get his hands on.

Then, through the dim light of the kitchen, his eyes landed on the toaster. And suddenly, the thing Pony was really craving was toast. Something short to make and not necessarily loud either. Perfect!

Ponyboy walked over to the counter and pulled out two pieces of white bread from the little bag, placing them haphazardly on the countertop. He went to grab the toaster with two hands, to bring it out more from where it was pushed more towards the wall, when suddenly, his fingers grazed something that seemed to be coiled behind it. For a split second, he thought it was just the plug and was about to pull it out farther, until from the corner of his eye he saw the actual plug laying to the side of it through the darkness of the room, nearly falling off the edge of the counter.

This set off a million different alarms in his still sleepy mind, and he ripped his hands back immediately. Pony didn't feel anything move, but he swore he felt the scaley, thin tail of... something. He didn't even want to think about the possibilities of snakes right now. So instead, took two apprehensive steps to the side closer to the wall, and reached a little bit behind him to flick the light switch on.

He blinked rapidly to let his eyes adjust as light flooded the room, and caught sight of the toaster. It looked so innocent just sitting there on the counter, but he could've sworn there was something hiding behind it. After all, this wouldn't be the first time they've found scaly creatures in the house, especially around this time of year. But even then, it was usually just a common house gecko that sprints away at the speed of light if you even went near it. Ponyboy silently pleaded that it was just his imagination just playing tricks on him as he inched back towards the toaster, planning to snatch it away to reveal whatever's behind it.

When Pony stopped he was still relatively far from the counter, his arms elongated just enough to grasp the front sides of the toaster. He took a deep breath, and held onto it tighter, a little more at ease when he didn't see anything shoot out from behind it.

But that pinch of calm washed down the drain in an instant when he pulled away the toaster to reveal a dark brown colored snake, coiled in on itself. And huge, at that, despite the fact it was curled into a ball. Ponyboy just stood there and stared at it for a second as it lay unmoving, and he wondered, hoped even, if it could be dead. But all of the sudden, the toaster plug smacked the ground as it fell off the counter completely, causing the snake's head to shoot up from where it was buried in itself, and Pony flinched so hard he practically jumped.

'It's awfully ugly,' he thought as it stared at him for a second that felt like hours, its black, beady eyes, unblinking and unmoving. But obviously it woke up and chose violence because it quickly opened its mouth to bare its fangs and hiss, showing off the white of its mouth. Oh, God. A Cottonmouth.

Ponyboy dropped the toaster with a loud bang and let out a short, shrill yell when the snake's head snapped forward a few times, chomping it's jaw down as if it were imagining to be biting down on Pony's flesh.

In seconds, stumbling could be heard from one of the bedrooms, probably Darry's. His bedroom door slammed open and his heavy footsteps came running down the hallway. He practically skidded into the kitchen, hair tousled from sleep and muscles tense expecting to find an intruder. But instead, he found his baby brother shaking in his boots with the toaster at his feet, staring at something Darry couldn't see from where he was positioned.

"My God, Pony, what happened? It's three in the morning, what are you doing-" Darry began to lecture him, but cut himself short when he saw the limbless spawn of satan on the counter.

"Holy shit," Darry muttered under his breath, grabbing Pony's shoulder and taking him back a few steps.

"I was up looking for a snack and I found it behind the toaster... I'm sorry I woke you up," Ponyboy told him, voice shaking slightly and eyes blown wide, still fixed on the snake.

"Just.. okay, just stay put." Darry said, raking his hand through his hair. Pony nodded and started to chew on his fingernails, watching as Darry tried to inch past the snake to cupboards under the sink where the pots and pans were held. But the snake striked again, narrowly missing his forearm after it silently slithered to the edge of the countertop when he went to reach for the knob to open it.

This caused Darry to screech and fall back onto the ground, something that would've been funny if they weren't facing a deadly predator. The noise scared Pony out of his skin and caused him to scream too, possibly louder than the first time, as Darry scrambled to his feet, nearly tripping over the stupid toaster that was still on the ground. He grabbed Pony by the shoulder and dragged both of them back a few feet, watching as the snake slithered around the countertop.

Just as soon as they were back a safer distance, the familiar sound of a bedroom door slammed open and footsteps ran down the hall.

"What's going on?" Soda exclaimed, darting into the kitchen pretty quickly for someone who probably woke up literally ten seconds ago.

"There's a damn snake that nearly bit my arm off," Darry said, pointing to the snake on the countertop, the other hand splayed out in front of Ponyboy to keep him away from it. Darry looked away for one second to meet Soda's face, when suddenly, Pony let out a gasp.

"Look!" He said, pointing at the snake, which was starting to make its way off the countertop, half of its body dangling off the side. Darry whipped his head back to see the snake staring right at them, a murderous look in its small, black eyes, and its pink tongue sticking out every few seconds.

Darry was about to give up, he figured he could just hole him and his brothers up in his room for the night and call some guy to find it and kill it in the morning, until Soda shouted "I got it!" from behind them.

He was just hardly able to get him and Pony out of the way before all of a sudden, a random, white dinner plate was flung through the air and hit the snake head on. Glass shattered everywhere and the snake flopped to the ground instantly. They stood around in silence for a second, watching to see if the snake would make another move, but luckily it never did.

"Well, you're welcome," Soda spoke, posing with his hands on his hips like he just saved a baby from a burning building.

"Jeez, Soda, don't you think that was a little violent?" Pony asked, crouching down where the remains of the glass plate and snake lay, Darry following in suit.

"What? It was a quick death. Plus, he was threatening us." Sodapop said matter-of-factly, shrugging his shoulders.

"You still hungry?" Darry asked, flicking away a piece of snake carcass that was on the floor and smirked at Ponyboy, who grimaced and shook his head immediately.

No, he was definitely not hungry at all anymore.

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[thgfanfictionlibrary]

M Rated Fics Masterlist (85)

Part 1 - Part 79 / Part 80 / Part 81 / Part 82 / Part 83 / Part 84 / 

Created: August 24th, 2024

Last Checked:------

Pieces-peetasbunmyoven (ff.net) Summary: Growing back together is hard enough. Katniss knows he feels it too. She knows he wants more than the gentle touches and innocent looks. What she doesn't know is why he pulls away. She doesn't realize Peeta has lost more than she could ever know. In the ashes of Twelve how can she help him? How will they ever come together? Sleep in Heavenly Peace-peetasbunmyoven (ff.net) Summary: Holiday Modern AU Peeta has just moved into a new home to start over when he is visited by the ghost of a young girl. Who is she? Seperate they are broken. But together they begin to heal. When Peeta finds out the truth will they finally have a chance at hope? Or will everything fall apart? Stay With Me-junkpuppet225 (ao3) Summary: The night before the 75th Hunger Games Katniss wakes up screaming and Peeta runs to check on her. She asks him to stay with her and realizes she loves him even if she can’t say the words. Katniss/Peeta One-Shot Stories from the Silent District-lollercakes (ao3) Summary: A series of drabbles from the perspective of District 13 citizens. The Scariest Thought -RedHeadedFlame (ff.net) Summary: Katniss hates new social situations. Attending a Game of Thrones and curry night with a bunch of people she barely knows terrifies her. That is until see meets someone who makes her night a whole lot more interesting. The Storm-lollercakes (ao3) Summary: Peeta was returned to District 12 too soon. How does he handle a relapse of his hijacking? The Watcher-lollercakes (ao3) Summary: Peeta is rescued seemingly without harm from the Capitol, but sometimes the deepest wounds are the ones you can't see and the memories you don't have anymore. where i love you-brimay (ao3) Summary: Peeta takes the poker from me and uses it to lift a small piece of coal. Underneath it, a lone ember glows among the ashes. He turns to look at me, and I see—for the first time in an eternity—the ghost of a gentle smile on his face. Something flutters in my chest. “Let’s get this going, shall we?” he says. My heart, I realize. My heart is in those ashes, too. (Or: Katniss and Peeta grow back together after the war) Wool-oh_wellau (ao3) Summary: Set in those first tentative steps towards each other, in between the healing and the growing back together. I want to tell him that I appreciate that he’s still here, that he’s hasn’t abandoned me, even though sometimes I don’t make for the best company. I want to tell him that he is more than just a friend, that he leaves me at a loss for words and my stomach doing flipbacks. And that I like how it feels. That if I could freeze a moment and live in it forever, it would be us cuddling under a soft orange blanket, basking in front of the fireplace in our home, the sun setting outside. You, Me and Space-everlarkism (ao3) Summary: Peeta and Katniss board The Mockingjay in hopes for a fresh start. They’re put into hibernation pods and expected to wake up in the last few months of their journey… But something happens and Peeta’s pod malfunctions, making him the only passenger awake. As of now, at least. An Everlark ‘Passengers’ AU.