#at first i was like *gritted teeth* TRUST THE PROCESS but then i did the final highlights like oh this is dope actually

[handwrittenhello]

in honor of the wettest game i’ve ever played here’s corvo crawling off into a sewer tunnel to die alone or something

[too-much-tma-stuff]

I don't trust the world with you

I wrote this on my phone while I was at work so there's probably a ton of errors. It's not a particularly original piece, my take on deep cover Danny working for Red Hood and offering Jason the chance to take out his rage on Danny.

Viewer advisory: Mentions of sex but no descriptions, descriptions of violence.

----

Red Hood was furious, he was furious and there was fuck all he could do about it! He had been on a hunt when the piece of shit had decided he'd rather take his own life them give Jason the pleasure, leaving the pit madness swirling in his guts with no release. He wanted Blood, he wanted screams, he hated it and he had no other prospects. And no matter how much of a villain he was he wasn't going to take this out on anyone who didn't deserve it, including or especially the people who worked for him.

Best he could do right now was lock himself in his office and pace, snarling furiously and making aborted little motions with his hands as he held himself back from breaking anything.

"Wow boss, you're really pissed aren't you?" A familiar voice said conversationally. Before Red Hood processed he had drawn his gun and had it leveled at Fox, who did not flinch, grinning at him with his unusually sharp teeth.

Fox had worked for Red Hood for longer then just about anyone, Hood had picked him up half on a whim. With his green-blue eyes and his hair, black on top and white underneath it was like looking in a mirror, a younger version of himself. Fox was good, strong for his size and resourceful, with his filed teeth and odd demeanor he must have had a History but he never spoke about it.

"Fox! How did you get in here?! Get out," Jason demanded in a snarl.

Fox didn't move for a moment, then he stepped forward, his eyes calm and resolute and a small.smile still on his face. "It's okay. There's more to do and you're useless like this. You need to hit something? Hurt something, hit me." He said calmly and Hood balked.

"No! You've seen me-"

Fox had seen Hood at his worst, he knew how violent Hood could be, how could he offer-? But then Fox darted forward and grabbed q knife from Hoods belt. Hood tensed, ready to defend himself but then Fox turned towards Jason's desk, slammed his hand down on the wood and then stabbed the blade through his own hand.

Jason gave a startled yelp but Fox didn't make a sound, his teeth gritted as he pulled the knife out. He turned back towards Hood, holding out his bleeding hand only for it to heal in moment under Jason's shocked gaze. Fox smiled at him and offered the knife, handle first, back to Hood who took it on autopilot.

"No matter what you do to me I'll heal, and it won't be the worst pain I've been through. So, Boss," he said hopping up on the desk and sitting there staring at Jason daringly. "Hurt me."

It was a mad impulse that had Jason driving the knife down into Fox's leg. Fox arched and let out a pained little whine that soothed the beast in Jason even as he froze with shock and regret. He pulled out the knife, leaving Fox breathing heavily. When Hood tried to pull back Fox grabbed the collar of his jacket and yanked him back.

"I know you're not done, that's not enough for you. Keep going." He nearly snarled, his eyes more green then usual.

He wasn't wrong but Jason didn't want to hurt him, but being handed handled like that triggered Jason's fight reflex again. He cut Fox's arm making him yelp, but not let go. Jason pressed the knife into Fox's shoulder until he let go.

The smell of blood was filling his nose and his vision was tinged green around the edges. Fox collapsed back against the desk and Jason cut the young man's stomach with barely enough presence of mind to not go to deep. Each cut drew small sounds of pain from Fox but none loud enough to be heard from outside Jason’s office and all healed in moments leaving only a bit of blood on Fox's clothes and Jason's knife.

Finally the green retreated from Jason's vision and Fox was no longer just flesh capable of feeling and bleeding and became his loyal employee again. Sprawled on the desk, clothes and hair mussed, eyes half lidded and breathing heavily. He looked beautiful, and under different circumstances it would have been so... erotic, but now Jason just felt like a complete monster.

"Fox, I'm so sorry," Hood practically groaned, offering Fox his hand. Fox took it but didn't get up yet. "I'm so sorry, I should have,"

"No," Fox murmured giving Hood a small reassuring smile. "I told you to. You feel better don't you?"

Jason froze, because yes he did. "Is there anything I can do to... help?"

"Kiss it better," Fox said with a crooked little smile, he seemed almost high. Jason choked and Fox laughed. "No, just stay, hold me if you don't mind. I'll be fine in a minute."

Jason nodded and pulled Fox into his arms, holding him, hesitating for a moment before combing his fingers through Fox's hair. They were quiet as Fox's breath evened out again.

"I didn't know you were a meta," Jason murmured and Fox twitched, tensing for q moment and then relaxing again.

"I was trafficked when I was pretty young, I've kept it on the down low as much as I can since then. I don't want anyone to know, but I trust you Boss," Fox said giving him a little smile. Oh man that sweet trust made his heart flutter in a way he really Shouldn't be feeling for a man he's just basically tortured.

"I won't tell anyone, and I won't take advantage of it." Jason promised softly, Fox was a good worker and Jason wasn't going to lose him.

"Alright," Fox said, giving him another smile and pushing himself back. "But if this happens again and you need to hurt someone, call me okay? I make a good punching bag," he said with a bitter little curl to his lips.

"I'm... really not sure I want to do that," Jason said worriedly and Fox shrugged.

"Alright then I'll just break in here again next time. Now get back to work Boss," he joked as he walked over to the door and unlocked it to leave.

"Wait if it was still locked how did you get in here?!" Hood demanded suddenly.

"Byeee," Fox cackled as he dashed out the door leaving Jason confused, but not as upset as he would have been had it been anyone else who'd managed that. Fox could probably be trusted with keys at this point, even if he apparently didn't need them.

--------

Jason managed to control himself properly for another month but then things went wrong again. Not another misplaced hunt but a confrontation with Bruce about how Everyone deserves to live and other bullshit! It had him furious with no easy outlet and pacing in his office again. He has passed Fox on his way here, hesitated, then continued. He would Not ask.

He didn't need to, it was less then ten minutes before he turned again and Fox was there. He was sympathetic and worried, last time he'd been there for the last time, this time he didn't know why Red Hood was angry, though that didn't stop him from approaching, he kept his posture low, submissive but unafraid and for some reason Jason completely Hated it.

He grabbed Fox by the front of his shirt and slammed him against the wall forcing his breath out in a wheeze. Fox covered Hoods closed hands with his own, staring back at him with a serious expression.

"Stop this! You're worth more then being a punching bag, I don't care if you've been through worse it doesn't make it okay for me to hurt you," he snarled in Fox's face practically lifting him off the ground.

"That's sweet, Boss," Fox wheezed, unable to breath properly with Jason bearing down on him. "But you need this, and I'm not leaving till your calm. If you think you can calm down by talking about your feelings we can go with that," he said with a sharp and crooked smile. He knew Hood well enough to know that wasn't enough.

"You self sacrificing piece of shit," Jason nearly yelled, pulling Fox forward and slamming him against the wall again before punching Fox in the face. Fox let him, barely flinched away and didn't fight back as Jason hit him. Bruises bloomed and faded on Fox's skin almost instantly and the stupid man didn't even shield his face. His nose crunched and his head snapped back against the wall, he let out a slight gurgle, the blood on gloves and Jason recoiled in shock at his own actions.

He let go and Fox slid down the wall till he was sitting, he set his nose with a grimace and shook his head. He held up his hand and coughed up a bit of blood that must have flown down the back of his throat. "You done Boss?" He asked with another soft cough.

One lost flare of anger shot through Jason and he kicked Fox in the side making him yelp and fall back against the wall again. "Okay, now I'm done," Jason sighed, slumping back against the wall and sliding down to sit next to Fox who was looking at him a little warily now, even as he leaned closer. Jason sighed and lifted his arm, hating himself and loving it as Fox brightened and ducked under his arm, leaning against his chest.

"What upset you?" Fox asked softly.

Jason twitched he knew Fox meant well so, after a moment, he answered. "It's a long story, but the short version is family bullshit. Something really bad happened to me a few years ago, and my dad just... let it happen, didn't avenge me, nothing. He's still dragging his feet and acting like I'm a villain for wanting some justice," he sighed, moving like he was going to run a hand through his hair only to remember he was still wearing his helmet.

"I get that, it's part of the reason I never went back to my family after everything that had happened to me," Fox agreed softly.

"You know I go after traffickers all the time. If the people who hurt you are still out there..." he trailed off, the suggestion hanging in the air.

"Trust me," Fox said with a humorless laugh, "that's not something you can help me with."

"If you can trust me with it, I'd like to help you," Jason said, brushing Fox's bangs out of his face.

"I trust you with everything Hood, but I don't trust the world at all, not with me, or with you really. But... my real name is Danny, I left it behind a long time ago, but that's my name." Fox, no Danny, said softly. Proof of his trust.

"Thanks Danny, just between us huh?" Jason agreed, wishing he could trust Danny with his name in turn, but he wasn’t rest to.

"It feels good to be called that again," Danny murmured nuzzling into Jason's armored chest as if there was no where else he'd rather be.

---------

Danny just kept coming back, and Jason shouldn't have been shocked when the fifth time ended in them fucking. It was a much more pleasant way to work out Jason's anger and after that he was much more willing to call Danny for help. Even to meet Jason at one of his safe houses, this time wearing a domino mask instead of his full helmet.

When Danny arrived at the safe house he immediately kicked off his shoes and darted into Jason's arms, looking up at him with wide eyes. "We match," he said with a grin, tugging on the little lock of white hair in Jason's bangs. Jason laughed and nodded, tugging Danny towards the bedroom.

"Yep, it was one of the first things I noticed about you. It made me wonder if..." he trailed off.

"If," Danny prompted softly.

"Easier to talk about after, once I'm calm," Jason said, shoving Danny down on the bed. Thankfully Danny liked it rough, or it probably wouldn’t have worked.

A couple hours later they lay in bed together, Danny absently tracing a few of the scars on Jason’s chest. Danny still had his shirt on and Jason hadn't argued, if Jason was keeping his mask on Danny could keep his shirt on. "So, it made you wonder if...?" Danny prompted and Jason winced, he sort of hoped Danny would forget.

"It made me wonder if you died too," Jason said softly and nearly jumped at the way Danny flinched and then gave a nearly full body shudder. He sat up and stared down at Jason with wide eyes.

"I did," Danny said softly and Jason froze.

"What?" He croaked softly.

"I did, I died when I was 14. I was electrocuted," he pulled up one sleeve of his shirt to show the branching scar.

"I was 15, got murdered," Jason said, feeling a familiar burning pain, he wondered if Danny felt it to.

Danny shuddered and lay down against Jason's chest again. "I thought you might be like me too, I felt it when we first met, but the way you act and... some other stuff, I sort of talked myself out of it." Danny said and Jason nodded.

They were quiet for a long time, but there was tension in Danny's back that said he wasn't done. "It wasn't actually traffickers that hurt me," Danny said softly. "It was the government. A branch called the Ghost Investigation Ward, a exception was carved out of the meta protection act for people like me, like us. The government wanted to find out how I came back, how powerful I was, everything. They did a lot of awful shit.

"I destroyed that base when I escaped but I know there could have been more so I ran. Changed my name with every new town and never stayed anywhere more then a few months, until I met you." He looked up at Jason with such utter trust and adoration Jason's breath caught in his throat.

"You made me feel safe, and wanted. I always wanted to help people and you gave me a way I could and still be safe, and keep you safe in case you were like me. I don't have much of a life, still hiding like this, but I have more of one then I thought I would and Red Hood, you know I'd do anything for you right?"

"You've proved that many times over," Jason murmured caressing Danny's jaw. "And it's Jason, my name is Jason."

"Jason," Danny murmured reverently.

"So, how does dismantling a government organization as a first proper date," Jason asked and Danny laughed. It wasn’t bitter, or dry, it was a true, loud, joyful laugh and it was the most beautiful thing Jason has ever heard.

Part 2

Masterpost

[storm-angel989]

( i fixed it a bit)

Can i request  being Valentino's daughter that is 17 years old, He tries to introduce vox as his boyfriend to us for the first time

( hope that makes sense💓)

Valentino paced the hallway in the kitchen. His daughter would be home from practice at any moment, and truth be told, he wasn’t ready. If it was up to him, he would have kept this information private. But it wasn’t- and Vox’s ultimatum wasn’t a consequence he was willing to suffer. 

“Val, she already loves me. She literally calls me Uncle Vox,” Vox said from where he lounged on the couch. “Why are you so worked up?” 

Valentino gritted his teeth. It has been two years since his daughter had fallen beside him, two years since he found out her mother, his human lover, had ascended into heaven. Of course he had tracked her down- after all, a fifteen year old dropped to hell was a big deal. 

He had spent the better part of those two years trying to get to know her, trying to figure out the type of being she was. And by all accounts that he could figure out, she didn’t belong down here. She was smart, viciously snappy, and well- she looked more like an angel than a demon with her blue eyes and blonde hair. But she was Valentino’s daughter, and much to his dismay, having his blood course through her veins was apparently enough to make her fall. He couldn’t see a reason otherwise, and the few times he did try to talk about why she fell she simply shrugged her shoulders. 

She had been closed off at first, and it was a slow process to begin to build a relationship, to gain her trust. Honesty and consistency in every area of his life, with the exception of his relationship with Vox, had been the key to getting her to show any sort of emotion.

He tried to keep her life as parallel to life on Earth as he possibly could. Enrolled her in school, encouraged her to join the same sports teams she had played on when she was alive, and supported everything she did to the best that he could. Finally, with enough time, it seemed they had gotten to a place where she trusted him enough to tell him, to show him when she was upset, happy or most commonly- angry. To a point where he actually believed she felt comfortable and safe in their home. 

 What would she say when she found out that he and her Uncle Vox were more than just friends? Would that ruin the trust he had so painstakingly built up? 

He heard the elevator door click and the rage he was a master at controlling spilled out of his daughter.

“Fucking whores, all of them,” she yelled as her pink bag flew across the room and landed inches away from one of the floor to circling glass windows. “Fuck!”

“What’s got you all riled up?” Vox asked without looking up from his phone. 

“What’s the matter, bebita?” Valentino asked as she flung herself in his chair. 

“We are so fucked if we play as badly on Saturday as we did on at practice today, I swear to Christ if I get one more accidental kick…” she began with a snarl. 

Both Valentino and Vox waited patiently for her to unload. Listening, not trying to solve the issue, seemed to be the best way to support her when she was this upset. They had both come to learn that she held her emotions deep inside, and Vox theorized that events from her life on Earth triggered this coping mechanism, this anger.  They figured the best way to handle it was to give her a safe place to vent. 

Finally she sighed. “But I guess it’s whatever. What are we doing tonight? And are we going out to dinner? Cause I’m fucking starving.”

Valentino tried to hide a smile. Maybe, just maybe she was more like him than he would like to admit. “Watch your mouth, niñita,” he scolded gently. “But to answer your question, yes we are. I made reservations at your favorite place.”

That seemed to brighten her up. She picked up her bag from where it landed and went off to her room, presumably to shower and change. 

“She really is your daughter, Val. She acts just like you when you were that age,” Vox said as he stood up. He wrapped his arms around Valentino’s waist and kissed his neck. “Stop worrying. She’s tough, tougher than maybe even you.”

Valentino sighed. “Yeah. I guess so.” 

They turned their heads at the sound of a crash and a slew of curse words. 

“Maybe we should tell her in the limo?” Vox suggested. 

“That might be a good idea,” Valentino responded. “Should… should we go check on her?”

“Probably best to give her her space,” Vox replied as he rested his head on Valentino. “And let’s feed her first. Make sure she’s in a good place mentally. Let her calm down, she seems really upset.”

Several hours and one calm dinner later, reader was sprawled out in the limo, scrolling through her phone as they made their way back towards home. 

Valentino looked at Vox and Vox nodded. 

“Baby?” Valentino said gently. “We need to chat.” 

Reader looked up from her phone, “about what?”

“Your Uncle Vox and I…we’re dating.” The words rushed out of Valentino’s mouth. “And we wanted you to hear it from us first before anyone else.”

“Ohhkay…” reader responded. “Cool. Thanks for telling me.” 

To Valentino’s surprise, she picked her phone back up. 

“Wait, do you have any questions for me? For us?” he asked.

She paused and looked up from her. “Dad, I’ve known you two have liked each other since I got here. It's sort of about time you and Uncle Vox made it official…”

Her voice trailed off and an expression he hadn’t seen before washed over her face as she tried to process the information. Glimpses of fear, worry that she seemed to be trying to desperately contain.

“This changes nothing overall, princessa,” he reassured her. “We just wanted to make sure you heard it first from us.” 

He watched as she looked away and to his surprise, he saw tears creeping out of the corner of her eye, and something inside of her seemed to break. Gone was the anger from earlier. For the first time in the two years they had lived together, she began to cry.

“Bebita? What’s wr-”

Vox was next to her before he could move. As he watched him wrap her in his arms he felt his heart pang. Why was she so upset? He opened his mouth to ask, but Vox shook his head as she broke down into sobs against him. 

“Please don’t kick me out,” she gasped between breaths. “Please, Daddy. Vox, please. I can’t do it again, I can’t.”

“Kicking you out? No, honey. Never.” Vox said softly. 

“Why would you think that sweetheart?” Valentino asked as he moved to the other side. “Hey, hey deep breath. You’re okay.” He gently rubbed her back. “Talk to us. Come on babygirl, please. Tell us what’s wrong.”

She swallowed, her expression a blend of sadness and fear. Finally, Valentino heard her inhale. 

“You, you asked me a long time ago why I fell,” she began in a shaky voice. “I..I wasn’t completely honest when I said I didn’t know.”

Slowly, her story came out. Her mother, who remarried when reader turned thirteen, long after Valentino had descended into hell. A stepfather she loved while her mom dated, and changed for the worse when they got married. How she ran away at the age of fourteen, after he told her she couldn’t stay with them. The sins she committed simply to survive on the streets. The final year of her life before her arrival in Hell. 

Valentino felt sick to his stomach as he listened to the things she did, the pain in each and every word she spoke. When she grew quiet again, he reached for her and pulled him. 

“Never. That would never happen, not here with me. I promise.” He said softly. 

“I, I know. And I kn-know Uncle Vox wouldn’t…I’m not afraid I’m just…” she choked out. 

“Traumatized,” Vox said quietly. “Sometimes when we live through events so similar to our lives on Earth, they trigger that pain, that sadness and that fear. We can reassure you all you need, but you need to let these emotions, these memories out. You don’t need to suffer holding them inside.” He leaned over and kissed the top of your head. “And we will reassure you as much as you need. You’re ours, and you’re going nowhere.”

“If you ever vanished, we would find you. No matter what, your home here is your home. Nothing will ever change that,” Valentino added. “You’re a part of this family. Now and forever, no matter what happens.”

He felt the rise and fall of her chest against him as he held her, allowing her tears to flow freely and then settle. Finally, the limo rolled to a stop. 

“Why don’t we go upstairs and have a family movie night?” Vox suggested as he watched her expression carefully. “No pressure if you need time to yourself.”

They had both offered her that escape whenever she released a slew of emotions. To their surprise, for the first time since she was offered the out, she shook her head. 

“Then movie night it is,” Vox said cheerfully as he pushed open the limo, taking her hand as he stepped out of the limo. “Com’on kiddo, let's go. Dealer's choice.” 

One movie turned into two, and halfway through the third, reader fell asleep on the couch. Even with her being seventeen, it was effortless for Valentino to lift her up and carry her to her bedroom. As soon as she was safely tucked in, he turned out the lights and made his way to his own bedroom. 

“Do you think we did the right thing? Said the right things?” Valentino asked as he opened his arms for Vox to snuggle to him. 

“I think the fact that she spent the entire night with us more than answers that question. We might want to consider trying to find her someone to talk to though- a therapist maybe. I get the feeling the fits of rage we’re seeing are a mask of her true emotions- and she’s going to need guidance in processing her feelings, especially at seventeen years old." Vox suggested as he climbed into his arms.

“If she would entertain it, sure,” Valentino replied. “We can talk about it.” He closed his eyes. 

He felt the weight of Vox’s head on his chest as he tried to quiet his mind. He loved both his daughter and his boyfriend with everything he had. 

And he would do everything in his power to make sure they knew that.

[monstersandmaw]

Male werewolf x trans male reader (nsfw)

Disclaimer which I’m including in all my works after plagiarism and  theft has taken place: I do not give my consent for my works to be used,  copied, published, or posted anywhere. They are copyrighted and belong to me.

___

Commission #5 out of 5! That means I’ve written 21,271 words in total this week (according to Scrivener). Ooof! I’m gonna go sit down now... (this is my second go at posting this because the formatting was off the first time. Tumblr, pls stop and let me post the werewolf boyfriend story. This is literally the werewolf boyfriend website)

Anyway, thank you lovely commissioner for trusting me with your prompt, and for checking it over for me before I shared it here, since I’m not trans.

Contents: trans male reader, injury and mention of blood to our werewolf-spirit, a very expensive gift, oral sex (no specific words used for reader’s anatomy), non-penetrative sex, visible werewolf knot, fluffy ending

Wordcount: 4407

With a forager’s bag slung across your shoulder and a woven basket hooked over your arm, you swigged the last dregs of your morning tea down and darted towards the door. The bounty of a new autumn day beckoned, and the forest around your cottage would be bursting with fruit and mushrooms at this time of year.

You tugged open the door, the reluctant hinges groaning at you, took a single step outside, and froze. At first you thought that the enormous creature sprawled quite literally across the doorstep was a bear, but as you stared dumbstruck at the too-long limbs and the thick, grey-brown coat, and the shaggy, lupine tail, your heart stopped beating. This was something supernatural.

The thought of stepping silently back into the safety of your stone cottage, closing the door, and staying inside until it went away flashed across your mind, but almost before you could process what you were doing, you had dropped the basket at the threshold and stepped over the creature’s outstretched left arm to walk around to its side.

It was still breathing, though the sound had an unhealthy, wet whistle to it, like a punctured blacksmith’s bellows, and there was blood matting the thick fur on its left side where the short, stocky shaft of a crossbow bolt was cruelly embedded in its ribs.

“Oh,” you gasped, hand rising to your lips even as horror plunged right through you at the sight of it. Blood still seeped around the shaft, and something silver glinted beneath the fur. You looked anew at the creature and wondered if it was a werewolf. “If you are and that’s silver, it’ll be fatal if I don’t get it out,” you muttered, kneeling and bringing your fingertips carefully to the creature’s side. “No way I can move you though,” you added, glancing at the creature’s long, powerful, solid legs and at the breadth of its shoulders and the muscles on its arms, visible beneath the thick, coarse fur that covered its body.

At the sound of your voice, the creature’s left ear flicked and it rumbled a growl at you.

“Easy now,” you said through gritted teeth. “I’m trying to help you here.”

The growling did cease, but the way it petered out made you think that perhaps they’d just run out of breath.

“I can work with that,” you said to yourself. “I’m going to get my bag, and I’m going to get this nasty thing out of you, alright?”

You hurried back inside, removed the empty foraging bag from your shoulders and skidded to a halt beside the bookshelf. Among all the tomes on herbs and plants and mushrooms, there was a reference book about supernatural entities. You knew they existed — you'd lived in the woods too long to doubt that there was more than the mundane out there — but you’d never actually thought to encounter anything, let alone find the supernatural bleeding out in your own back yard.

Puffing the air from your lungs, you rallied your courage and opened the leather-bound book to the section on ‘lycanthropy’. Silver was indeed poisonous to them, but the book said it caused the skin and fur to smoke and burn, neither of which you’d seen in the creature outside. Perhaps it was only steel, but you thought the colour was wrong for that. You’d seen the blacksmith forging her blades of bright, greyish steel, and you glanced over at a silver penny pendant that hung in your window for luck. The tone of the pendant was different, brighter and whiter than the steel, and the same hue as the tip of the crossbow bolt.

“Not a werewolf then?” you frowned, but that didn’t change the fact that whatever it was, it was slowly bleeding out on your doorstep.

With the supplies you’d need hastily gathered, you went back outside to find that the creature had rolled a little more onto its good side, exposing the black shaft of the bolt, and a bit more of its face and chest.

Lupine rather than ursine in its features, it opened its black eyes and gazed dolorously up at you, half-heartedly baring huge canines on one side.

“Hey,” you scolded. “Here to help, remember. That looks like silver, but you don’t seem overly bothered by it…”

The creature scoffed a laugh at you.

“I mean, aside from the fact that it’s punched a hole in your ribs and you’re bleeding to death,” you said, and again, the creature huffed at you.

Then, just as you knelt down in the dirt beside it, the creature spoke. Its voice was low and rough, like an avalanche in the distance, and the words were clearly slurred with pain. “You’re right. Not… a werewolf.”

“Oh,” you breathed. “You can talk… If you’re not a werewolf, what are you?”

“I am… an aspect… of the forest itself,” the creature ground out around a mouthful of sharp teeth.

You blinked, half wishing you hadn’t asked. “Right. Well, I guess I’d better get this bolt out of you all the same, huh?”

“If you would be so kind,” the creature said with a dry note of humour to its gravelly voice that made you relax just a fraction.

You gave a quiet warning as you prepared to take the bolt out, and the wolf-like creature nodded in readiness. All in all, the procedure went as well as you could have hoped for, and there was a neat row of stitches pinching the slate grey skin together in no time at all.

“Thank you,” the wolfish entity said, laying its head back down on the path and breathing steadily for a few minutes before casting you a sidelong look. “I interrupted your morning,” they said wryly.

“Yeah, no shit,” you laughed, eyeing the formerly-clean swatch of linen you’d used to staunch the bleeding. “But that’s alright. The berries and hazelnuts will be there tomorrow.”

“And thanks to you, so will I.”

Something akin to pride kindled in your ribcage at that, and you smiled. “The forest has been good to me since I came here,” you shrugged. “About time I returned the favour. What should I call you, by the way?”

The creature blinked slowly, apparently surprised. “I have had a few names in my life, but not many of them have been kindly given by humans — Hunger, Strife, Sheep-Thief, and… worse.”

“Never too late to buck the trend,” you said with another twitch of your shoulder. For all the warnings those names implied, you felt no fear when you looked at the creature; only curiosity, and an odd sense of kinship you couldn’t define. “You hungry? I’ve got some smoked venison that I got from the butcher yesterday. We can think of a new name for you while you get your strength back.”

Your deliberate and relentless optimism seemed to rub off on the creature, because they heaved a huge sigh and smiled in a ‘do as you please’ kind of gesture, tail thumping ever so slightly against the path while you went to fetch some food.

“Here,” you said, returning to sit cross-legged beside them on the dirt outside your cottage. They had managed to heave their body out of that undignified sprawl, but they were still lying down on one side. You sliced off pieces of the smoked venison from the haunch on the wooden board and held them out one by one for the wolf-spirit to take with their clawed, paw-like hand. They didn't eat particularly elegantly, but there was something rather adorable about a creature the size of a grizzly bear taking strips of meat from your hand.

“You know,” you said, “I thought you were a dead bear when I opened the door. Gave me quite the surprise.”

They laughed at that, dark eyes glinting. “Wouldn't be the first time.”

“People have mistaken you for a dead bear before?”

Again, the wolf-like creature laughed, but the sound cut off into a brief but high whimper as the wound on their side flared with pain. “No,” they grunted. “Not a dead one, at least.”

“Maybe we should call you ‘Beorn’ this time.”

They tilted their head, big, triangular ears listening to the sound on your lips, and then they nodded. “My mother used to joke that her boy was born a bear instead of a wolf,” he said quietly after a moment. “The name is more fitting than you realised.”

“Beorn it is then,” you said, feeling just a little emotional. “How quickly do forest spirits heal, anyway? I’m pretty good with humans, but I’m in uncharted territory with your kind.”

“I’ll be well again in no time,” he said.

“Who shot you with that anyway?” you asked as you stared at the dart that lay abandoned in the grass beside you, its bloody, silver tip glinting like a lost fang. “Will they come looking for you?”

He shook his head and eyed the venison again. You sheared off another piece for him and he took it gratefully before answering. “I don’t think so. They were werewolf hunters by the look of them —”

“— explains the silver,” you interjected and he nodded.

“And why they shot at me. They say my kind are what sorcerers modelled their curse on when they created werewolves, thousands of years ago.”

“Huh,” you breathed.

When the venison was almost all gone, Beorn looked a little guilty. “Thank you for sharing your food with me,” he said. “I fear I’ve deprived you of something valuable.”

He had, but you weren’t about to tell him it’d cost you a small fortune, or that you’d planned to make the preserved meat last through most of the coming winter. “Eh, don’t worry about it. The forest will provide, right?”

Beorn fixed you with a steady look but said nothing. He heaved himself up, first onto all fours, and then, using the stone wall of your cottage, onto his hind legs. Standing like that, he must have been nearly seven feet tall, and as you looked up at him, you felt your mouth go a little bit dry. He was obviously still extraordinarily powerful despite his injury, and the way the claws on his hind paws dug into the earth and his chest filled as he inhaled did strange things to your equilibrium.

You swallowed, waiting nervously to see what would happen next, and he offered you a smile that was quite literally wolfish before looking over his shoulder towards the nearby trees.

“Wait,” you croaked. “You’re not leaving like that, are you?”

“No,” he said. “I was going to sit a while in the sun and recover my strength, if you will permit the trespass a little longer?”

“Stay as long as you like,” you smiled. “I live in your woods, don’t I?”

He just smiled at that. “Don’t wait around on my account,” he said after a moment. “The day is still fairly young, and I’ve held you up long enough.”

“If you’re sure you don’t mind?”

He moved to sit beneath your kitchen window, lounging with his long hind legs splayed, his left bent at the knee so he could hunch protectively over his injury while the other stretched out. He flexed his paws, dark claws glinting in the sunlight, and laid his head back against the stone wall just beneath the windowsill.

“You… want me to bring you anything?” you asked him, as though you were going to the village shop and thought he might want a bagel or a pint of milk.

He cracked his eyes open again and smiled. “I can always be won over by a blackberry or two. There are some out near the stream now, but be careful. The moss and algae has grown over the banks and made it slippery. I had to haul a young fawn out of there not long ago.”

The image of him grabbing a slender little deer by the belly and lifting it out of the gully was almost too much for you to take without making an undignified squeak, so you just grinned at him and nodded. “I’ll be careful.”

Three hours later, you came back to find him gone, and you tried not to let the sudden barb of disappointment sting too much. After all, he wasn’t some stray dog that had come limping into your yard for help. He was a forest spirit.

You eyed the spot where he’d been lying though, and set a large handful of blackberries down on the flattened grass, just in case.

In the morning, the berries were gone, but in their place was something of such value that you could hardly take in what you were seeing. It didn’t look like much, but you knew it was worth a king’s ransom. “No way,” you breathed, stepping over to the small, dark brown, lumpy, spherical object and crouching down. You swallowed.

A twig snapped behind you and you whipped around, losing your balance and sitting down hard on the damp ground. Beorn was standing on his hind legs at the edge of the path, and if he was injured anymore, you couldn’t see it.

“Beorn,” you breathed, and then looked back to where a specimen of the rarest and most expensive truffle in the whole world sat on your doorstep like it was just another autumn mushroom. “Do you know what this is?”

He tilted his head and smiled, baring his huge, thick canines. He leaned his elbow on the fence post of the paddock that you hoped one day would contain a goat and some geese. “Of course I know what it is. You humans are always hunting through the forest for them.”

“They’re… They’re more expensive than gold, Beorn!”

“You shared your food with me, and deprived yourself of your winter stores just so that I could eat and heal, and you never looked for anything in return. If I happen to know where to find a few of these, then that’s only fair in my eyes. Now you can sell it in town.”

“Where am I going to say I got it?” you asked, still sitting stunned on the ground. “They’ll think I’m hiding the secret!” In fact, if you sold it in the capital, you could probably get enough for it to buy a whole forest of your own. You’d be richer than half the aristocracy in the land. Dizziness swept over you and you started to laugh.

He approached you then, walking on his hind legs, talons just pricking into the earth and flexing slightly with each step. He halted in front of you and held out his enormous, paw-like hand. He had rough pads like a wolf, but his fingers and thumb were humanoid in shape, though they had curved, black claws. You slid your hand into his and let him haul you carefully to your feet again.

“You’re… healed?” you asked, eyeing the spot on his side where the crossbow bolt had been only the previous day.

Beorn nodded. His dark eyes glinted softly in the morning light, and somehow he didn't seem quite real anymore. It was as though he might vanish if you blinked or looked away too long, and you tightened your grip on his hand. He rumbled something that was somewhere between a sigh and a purr, and then laughed softly.

“I can’t believe you brought me a truffle,” you laughed. “You could have brought me a deer to feed me or something, but no. You bring me a truffle.”

“I can take it back if you like,” he said with an easy chuckle. “There are wild boar in the forest who would very much enjoy devouring that for breakfast…”

“No!” you yelped, playfully putting yourself between the stupendously expensive mushroom and the terrifying forest spirit who could probably just bite your entire head off with a single snap of his jaws. He laughed, the sound deep and rich as it rose from his belly and he tipped his head back, tail swishing from side to side.

“Oh, I like you,” he said when his mirth had faded. “I like you a lot. I’m glad we met, human.”

“I’m not glad you got hurt, but I’m glad we met too,” you said. “And not just because of the truffle. Gods, I could buy my own castle with that.”

He froze and then his ears swivelled back just a little. “Would you… leave?” he asked.

“No,” you said without a second thought. “I earned this place — this peace,” you said with a growl of your own to match the fierceness in the wolf you saw before you. “I wouldn’t change any of it for anything. You’re stuck with me, Beorn. Friend for life.”

His shoulders dropped a few inches and he sighed softly. The trees around the cottage swayed and sighed too, and the whole forest seemed to let go of a tense breath with it. “May I visit you from time to time?” he asked.

A grin spread across your face and you nodded. “As often as you like. After you disappeared yesterday, I kind of thought that was it,” you admitted. “I mean… You’re a forest spirit — I wasn’t sure how much you’d want to hang around with a boring old human.”

“I’d very much like to spend time with you,” he said, his voice dipping low and warm. “And you’re anything but boring.” Before he could go on though, one of his large, triangular ears flicked back and he tensed with a growl. “Someone’s coming up the path. I should not be seen with you.”

“Come back tonight?” you asked, even as he spun on the spot and darted for the trees on all fours, moving like a shadow. He was out of sight in a handful of heartbeats and you ducked inside to get something to put the stupidly expensive truffle in. No point in advertising that you had something that valuable just lying around, even if the inhabitants of the nearby village were the gentlest, kindest folk you could ever have hoped to meet.

After three nights spent talking with Beorn — the first sitting outside in the surprisingly balmy autumn air, and the second two inside your own house, with him stretched out on the hearthrug, soaking up the heat of the fire in luxurious bliss — you decided to take the truffle to the city. It would be a long journey to travel the King’s Road around the ancient, sacred forest, and Beorn instead offered to guide you through the heart of it to save you weeks of unnecessary tramping.

“You’re sure the forest won’t… object?” you asked as you packed your bag one morning and he sat on his haunches like a hound near the door. He always liked to keep one ear on the forest nearby if he could, as though expecting trouble or looking for an easy way out. He was, after all, a wild spirit. He seemed comfortable enough in your presence, but being inside the stone walls of your cottage for too long made him twitchy.

“With my blessing and friendship, you could travel freely through the whole forest alone, and nothing would dare harm you.”

“You’re kidding?”

“No,” he said, and the simple truth of it almost moved you to tears.

“Well… thanks,” you mumbled, blinking rapidly as you stuffed a spare shirt into your pack.

You moved together through territory you knew on that first day, but he led you to a secret, mossy glen that night. You were so tired, you almost fell asleep with your pack on, but he helped you make a camp and a little fire to boil water for tea, and when the night grew chilly, he curled up around you and let you rest with your back against his ribs and your cloak pulled up around your chin. You fell asleep there, and woke stiff and achy in the morning, but gloriously warm.

That became the pattern of your days in the forest with Beorn: you ate a breakfast of wild berries and nuts when your bread rations ran out, and he guided you through the most beautiful country you’d ever seen: thundering, white waterfalls plunging down into mossy crevasses that seemed to swallow the river whole; groves of autumn aspen that rained leaves down around you like a shower of little gold coins; bramble thickets so old and so dense that nothing grew beneath them and the thorns were as large as your hand and each blackberry was the size of an apple. Finally, on your last night before you reached the edge of the forest on the southern side, he took you to a grove where fireflies danced and spiralled with blue-green will-o-the-wisp fairies.

You crouched with him at the edge of the clearing, hardly daring to breathe as the lights winked and sparkled, coiling and twisting in and out of each other in an endlessly varied choreography. Beorn placed his palm at the small of your back to steady you, and you leaned further into his touch as the performance continued.

Eventually, on some intangible cue, the fireflies and fairies all rushed upwards towards the opening in the canopy above, speeding out like sparks from a campfire into the night, and leaving you and Beorn alone in the mossy glen.

“That was incredible,” you whispered when you finally got your breath back.

“I thought you would enjoy that,” he said. He surprised you by lowering his great wolf’s head and nuzzling his cheek against your shoulder. He rumbled a soft moan and closed his eyes.

You turned to look at him and brought your hand slowly to his cheek. “You’re so beautiful, Beorn,” you murmured. You hadn’t meant to speak your thoughts, and the moment you did, he froze. Before you could call the words back or formulate some lie to cover your embarrassment, Beorn sighed happily once more.

“I don’t think a human has ever called me ‘beautiful’ before,” he said with a shy laugh. His big, dark eyes stared intently at you in the dark, and you felt a prickle of arousal go through you. He inhaled and then nuzzled against you again.

“Beorn…” you gasped, your fingers tightening in his fur, tugging. “I… I want you…”

With another whining moan, he let his teeth rake over your throat, his tongue hot and wet against the cool night air on your skin, and you gasped, exposing your neck to him.

He growled at you and lowered you down onto your back, your cloak spread out beneath you amid the soft moss. “I want… I want to taste you,” he said in a deep, rough voice. His hands gripped your waist and you found your legs parting for him almost without a second thought. “Will you let me?”

“Gods, yes,” you grunted, and helped him undo the belt at your waist. He drew off your clothes delicately with his claws and your skin prickled into goosebumps.

He ran the rough pads of his paw-like hands up the inside of your thighs, his jaws loosely parted. He was panting slightly and you could see his white teeth glinting in the moonlight. He pressed his cold, wet nose against you and you jerked and bucked as he let his hot, rasping tongue lave over you; tasting you, savouring you.

His talon-tipped fingers tightened on your thighs, claws pricking, holding your legs open for him as he got to work. After a few strokes, his eyes rolled closed and he let out a deep, low-frequency growl that went right through you. He lavished attention on you until you were shaking and gasping, and he was unrelenting.

“Beorn, I’m going to come,” you gasped and his teeth just nudged against your skin for a moment, adding a perfect counterpoint to the rolling heat of his tongue and his breath. “You’re going to make me come.”

He hadn’t once stopped growling, and you weren’t sure he could speak until he grunted and removed his left hand from your thigh. You just about had enough strength to raise your head behind the pleasure buzzing through you, and you looked down the length of your body to see that he was working his own cock in his hand while still letting his tongue toy with you. Thick, red, and leaking all over his fingers, dripping freely onto the moss between his knees, his cock was hard and there was a knot forming at the base. He squeezed his hand around it but he leaned down over you again and you saw stars as his cold nose pressed against you with an insistent eagerness.

“Come for me,” he snarled through bared teeth. “Come for me.”

A few seconds later, your back arched and you came against the heat of his mouth. He spilled a heartbeat after you did, and you cracked an eye open to watch him throw his head back and howl.

Unabashed, he broadcast his pleasure to the forest, and you lay there and watched his cock pulse and spurt over his knuckles as he gripped the swollen knot hard. He made such a beautiful mess of himself, and he never took his other hand off your leg, keeping himself grounded through the roaring pleasure that tore through him in waves.

When he finally stopped coming, the howl faded from his throat, and he let his head drop down to regard you. He was breathing like he’d just raced across the forest, and his pupils were blown black and wide.

“You’re perfect,” he said. “Gods, but you’re perfect.”

You laughed quietly, fondly, and lay there dazed and sensitive and satisfied.

“Come back to me?” he asked in a whisper as he lay down beside you a while later and pulled you tight against his chest.

“What do you mean? I’m right here…”

You felt him shake his head a little. “When you’re done in the city. Will you come back to me?”

“Of course I will,” you promised, half-twisting in his embrace to look up at him. “Anyway, it’s all your fault that I’m going to the city with the world’s most expensive mushroom in my pocket!”

He laughed and held you tight, and when you parted at the edge of the forest the next day, he told you he would wait for you there until you returned.

__

Thanks for reading this story, and I hope you’ll consider reblogging it (as well as leaving a like) if you enjoyed it, since that will help others find it.

Take care, and I hope you have a lovely day/night wherever you are, and whenever you read this.

Masterlist | Ko-fi (tip jar) | Library/Story Archive Blog

[000marie198]

Beats till the song disappears

......

Classic era, Sonic 2's bad ending timeline but I made it better. Or worse. Leaving for you to decide. Enjoy :)

...........

He trudged through the dark zone, silent and windless akin to a closed, lifeless chamber.

The place was littered with systematically arranged crystal blocks that would've looked aesthetically pleasing if it were daytime. For now, they just made the place more eerie as he waited for Robotnik to show up.

After what felt like an eternity of worried pacing to the speedy hedgehog but in reality was barely a couple of minutes, two of the structures nearby split apart, revealing a camouflaged panel sliding in the ground.

Sonic stopped, facing the opening to see the Eggmobile rise from the underground, hovering a meter or so above the inclined floor leading into the depth.

The doctor looked composed, unworried, his spectacles glinting with a previously absent touch of confidence, of victory.

"Did you bring them?" He asked, addressing the frustrated hedgehog.

Sonic revealed four emeralds without a word, pulling them away as the other tried to grab for them.

"Tails?"

"Hand them over first."

Sonic was about to retaliate but paused at seeing the other hover a finger over the mobile's control panel, staring straight at him with the unspoken threat clear in his body language. He could kill the kit if Sonic wasn't careful.

His thoughts conflicting with one another and the concern for his little brother chiming in, he finally relented, holding out the gems for the mobile's claws to grab.

"Now tell me where he is."

"Careful, hedgehog, you don't get to make demands here. I believe we had an agreement that he'll be spared only if you brought all five Chaos Emeralds, hmm?"

Silence fell over the terrain, the hero shooting a venomous glare at Robotnik. It would be too much of a gamble to attack him when he had a link open to wherever he was keeping Tails. His lack of acknowledgement to the earlier question was answer enough. He hadn't been able to collect the required number of emeralds on time.

"I see," the scientist murmured.

Sonic gritted his teeth, high strung, on edge. He was aware he had failed but he needed to know...

"Just tell me if my brother is alright."

"He is," the other sighed in an exaggerated display of disappointment, "I would've gotten rid of him by now provided your ineptitude-"

"You know I can't locate them all this fast!" Sonic snarled, looking seconds away from jumping at his throat.

"But I am feeling rather... merciful today," the man continued on without even reacting to the interruption, his demeanor betraying he held all the cards. "I propose another deal, hedgehog. If you agree, I promise that no harm will come to Tails."

Sonic shouldn't trust him. Didn't trust him. But if it meant Tails would be safe...

He nodded, signalling to Robotnik that he was listening. Said scientist smirked under his mustache.

"Become part of my legion. Surrender yourself to me, and your little friend will go unharmed."

His legion. The hero had fought against him enough times, had seen enough horrors and rescued enough critters being used as test subjects to read between the lines, to know what Robotnik meant. The mere mention of that thing still makes him sick. Robotnik wasn't asking him to just give up his freedom. He was demanding for Sonic to give up his mind and body, his free will, in the worst way possible.

Sonic's life or Tails' safety?

It took him less than a second to choose.

"Well?" Robotnik's voice prompted, already knowing his nemesis' decision.

"If you hurt Tails-"

"Oh don't be so leery. I gave you my word. Your fox friend will not be harmed. Now, do we have a deal or do I signal my bots to neutralize that menace?"

Sonic squeezed his eyes shut, shaking with a plethora of emotions he couldn't bring himself to grasp and process as they came and went in waves. He gasped in a breath and stilled, before coiled tension leaked away from his body and he sighed. Surrendered.

"Deal."

"Excellent!" He could hear the victorious grin in Robotnik's voice but he didn't react, unable to bring himself to look up, gaze fixed on his red and white sneakers as he willingly sealed his fate. His iconic shoes held his focus, shoes that allowed him his freedom to run as fast as his heart desired. The same freedom which he was now volunterily giving up for his brother.

It felt like just yesterday when he had met the little guy, his shoes very smilar to Sonic's own, a matching color scheme. Something he had never paid attention to before but was now a glaring memory. He hadn't even told Tails how much he cared for him, how much proud he was, had he?

If he were to be given a chance to speak with Tails, he'd never remain silent again.

His feet moved without his consent, following the rotound man into the underground base until he blinked out of his thoughts and found himelf in a lab, facing a tall glass cylinder strung up in the center of the circular space.

It stood empty, it's front open, waiting to be occupied. Sonic stared on, unable to look away.

"Now don't be shy, step into the capsule. Chop chop!"

A hair's breath pause and he stepped forward, inside the glass confinement and upon the platform inside, fully resigning himself to what he had agreed on. His breath shuddered with anguish and dread as Robotnik moved around it to the front and pressed a switch.

The glass sealed behind him with a decisive click.

Adrenaline shot through his veins as the machine hummed to life, lights glowing awake below the platform he stood on and the welded hatch above him.

His heartbeat began to thunder in his ears, quills pricking up but he held still, letting the titanium clamps reaching for him seal around his ankles and wrists.

He saw Robotnik clicking away at a nearby screen and then he felt a subtle jerk, the machine's hum increasing in volume and intensity, the platform under him rising up.

With one final click at the keyboard, sleek contraptions that looked suspiciously like a sci-fi mixture of scanner and blaster surrounded him and pulsing rays shot out from their openings.

Sonic grunted as he felt the energy strike him, the clamps keeping him still.

2%

It started from below, at the legs. Of course it fucking did. Sonic wanted to scream, wanted to yell and kick and bang his fists against the glass, feeling cold numbness slowly spreading up his most powerful weapons, his legs, his speed, stripped from him painstakingly slowly as flesh turned to metal.

All he did was clench his fists and grit his teeth in anguish, his whole being screaming at him to move but he held still. He couldn't move, not if it placed his first friend, his best friend, at risk.

28%

The titanium bands securing his ankles and wrists seemed to tighten, restricting the little bit of movement he had as the rays slowly climbed up to his torso, inches below his heart.

He didn't let the tears show.

For Tails for Tails for Tails for Tails

His thoughts chanted like a mantra, placing all his being into not moving, letting himself be turned into a machine, until his ears swivelled at the swoosh of a panelled door sliding open, urging him to look up.

His breath caught in his throat, each cell freezing up in a mixture of shock, rage and despair.

No. No no no no no no no no NO!

"TAILS!" The anguished wail left his chest just as his heart stopped beating, an engine's hum replacing its frantic rhythm.

He payed it no mind. It didn't matter when it was ripped to shreds anyway the moment his blurry gaze met his brother's.

Glowing red optics stared back.

He tried to move, tried to break free but it made no difference, half his body frozen on the spot, under the control of the Chaos forsaken monster who did this.

65%

The bands on his wrists burned, something warm and damp flowed down his palms and dripped from his fingers. Sonic was numb to it, struggling and shaking in the glass confine, his own screams becoming muffled to his ears.

"You promised! YOU FUCKING PROMISED YOU WOULDN'T HURT HIM!"

A screen beeped, the vitals' charts on it going haywire as the progress bar reached 78%.

The mustached scientist just stood there grinning, unconcerned and victorious.

"And I kept my promise. He is unharmed, well and alive." The words seemed to echo in his head, reverberating as if imprinting on the walls of his mind, the machine's buzz and hum drowned out by them. "Just as you asked, rodent."

He couldn't take his pained eyes off of the small yellow robot and his captor noticed that, turning to address Tails with a deceptively encouraging smile.

"Isn't that right, Metal Tails?"

The little robot finally moved, startled beeps escaping it as it's mechanical gaze shifted away from hyperfocusing on Sonic and towards what it's systems told it to be it's creator.

The familiar innocence in that small gesture, even though seeing it on a roboticized mecha, broke something in Sonic.

He tried to call out to his brother but realized he couldn't speak. He couldn't feel his muzzle or mouth anymore. Oh...

The screen read 96%.

As the metal climbed up his quills and ears and the world began to fade into static, Sonic drowned out Eggman's smug grin and droning of the roboticizer's rays, putting all that was left of his mind and strenght into focusing on Tails.

He wanted his last memory to be of his brother, even if no longer flesh and blood but mere metal and wires, he was still Tails. His Tails. That much was clear from its demeanor alone, the innocence, the curiosity, the intelligence, it was all there. Sonic would be able to tell his kid apart from a thousand other Tailses if he had to.

The tears he'd been holding back finally slipped down, the last piece of his humanity used into conveying to Tails that he was sorry, that he loved him.

99%

His eyes closed, the metal covered up the last of the organic cells and Sonic finally went still.

............

Metal Tails gazed upon the powering down capsule, his processors showing the progress bar having reached 100%.

He couldn't take his focus off of the inactive hedgehog; organic, mechanical, irrelevant, Metal Tails was drawn to him even before the roboticization was completed.

Something suspiciously illogical was recorded in his archives during the process. He had sensed what organics refer to as emotions being conveyed to him earlier by the same being. It seemed to be a combination of concern, remorse and affection.

How could he do that without any working signal and communication link to Metal Tails?

The roboticized hedgehog suddenly beeped awake, internal fans whirring as his systems rapid-fire processed the new programming and commands. He jerked within the bonds and stilled again, hanging limp for a long beat.

Metal Sonic lifted his head up, optical processors switching on to reveal glowing red optics staring straight into Metal Tails' own.

It appeared the other robot was finally awake.

Metal Tails couldn't calculate why the organic hedgehog had seemed to know about him but he had felt drawn to the blue being just the same.

Perhaps it was a satisfactory calculation on his creator's part as Metal Tails' tended to get lonely and this arrangement made him most pleased.

Another robot companion made for the perfect promised gift.

.................

No characters were killed in the making of this story, just as I promised :]

[pastelraccoons]

Sulemio Week 2024 Day 7: Free Day (Werewolf Suletta)

(This is a continuation of one of my prompts from last year's Sulemio Week, which you can read here!)

"Suletta, are you sure about this?"

Miorine looked down at Suletta. Instead of the human she always knew, she had perched herself atop a werewolf's back.

She warily looked around just in case someone just happened to come by. She shrugged her shoulders to adjust the backpack she wore. The chilly, late-night autumn air bit at her cheeks. A low fog covered the forest floor, and the full moon cut through the canopy with pale white light.

A low rumble that Miorine could only assume was a laugh shook Suletta's shoulders.

"Of course, I'm sure! You did say you wanted to spend more time with me whenever I changed, right?"

"Well, yes," Miorine briefly paused to gather her thoughts. "But when you asked if I wanted to wander through the woods with you, I didn't exactly expect this."

Suletta let out another laugh.

"You'll like this, I promise. I have a plan."

Miorine sighed.

"Okay. I trust you."

"Then hold on tight to me, okay?"

Miorine nodded with a hum, forgetting that Suletta couldn't see her, then buried her hands deep into the coarse fur around Suletta's neck. She grasped at the red hair between her fingers when Suletta's body lowered to the ground.

She could feel Suletta's muscles tense beneath her, ready to spring forward at a moment's notice. Her hand-like paws dug deep into the earth. Then, without warning, she took off.

Miorine's heart lurched in her chest. She reflexively clenched her eyes shut since wasn't ready for the sudden start. She grit her teeth and then forced her eyes open against the wind.

Trees and foliage passed by them in a blur of greens, browns, and blacks. Despite the fear that settled in the pit of her stomach, she couldn't hide the awe at Suletta's sheer control as she bolted through the dense trees.

Suletta soon burst through the treeline. Her claws flung dirt around her when she made a hard turn towards a structure of large rocks.

Miorine's arms shot around Suletta's neck when she suddenly started to jump from stone to stone. She buried her face into her fur to calm her frantic heartbeat.

A scratching sound filled her ears before Suletta came to a halt. She sat down and shook her head to shake off the few leaves and twigs that had become stuck there.

“We're here, Miorine,” she said.

Miorine lifted her face from the fur. Her tight grip around Suletta’s neck loosened until she was able to slide off her back. After taking a moment to catch her breath, she finally took in their new surroundings.

A sparkling lake stretched out before them. The moon and stars reflected and wobbled on its surface. Miorine couldn't help but be in awe at the natural beauty of it.

As Miorine was distracted, Suletta sat back on her haunches and tilted her head back to let out a howl. Her tail swished behind her and knocked aside several small pebbles in the process. Miorine wasn't sure how she could tell, but it sounded strangely joyful to her.

“This place is beautiful, Suletta,” she finally said. Suletta's tail wagged faster.

“I found this place when I first transformed,” she said. Suletta finally stood to walk closer to the edge of the rocks. Even hunched over, she towered over Miorine. “I felt safe here. Something about it is just so calming.”

Miorine hummed.

“Can I ask why you wanted me to bring a blanket and some pillows, though?” She shrugged her shoulders to gesture towards the backpack. Suletta smiled. At least, that's what she thought that was.

“I want you to stay with me until the sunrise,” she told her. “I'll… kinda need a blanket in the morning.”

Miorine's face flushed red once she realized what she meant. She cleared her throat to quickly push that thought aside. Either way, she smiled in return.

“I'd love to stay with you tonight.”

Suletta's tail kicked up into high gear. She excitedly jumped forward to drag her tongue against Miorine's cheek. Her nose wrinkled from the extremely wet kiss, but she knew that was all Suletta could do at the moment.

“Easy, easy!” She laughed, then pressed a kiss of her own to her snout. “You're gonna knock me over.”

“Sorry. I'm just really glad you don't find… this scary.” Suletta made a vague gesture to herself. Miorine shook her head.

“I told you, you're not. You're the sweetest pup there is.” Miorine stood on her toes to ruffle the fur between her ears. She then placed her hands on her hips. “Since you want to watch the sunset, why don't we look at the stars in the meantime?”

“Yeah, I think I'd like that.” Suletta stretched her arms high above her head with a yawn. Her tongue curled from it and showed off her sharp canines. “But I could also go for a nap after all that running.”

“A nap it is then.” Miorine chuckled.

She slipped her backpack off her shoulders and plopped it onto the floor. She knelt down to rummage inside until she managed to free the large blanket.

As Miorine pulled out a small pillow, Suletta slowly laid down on her stomach and then curled up into a ball. Once she was settled, Miorine threw the blanket over her. She held onto the edge of it and twisted it slightly in her hands.

“Hey, do you mind if I nap against you?” Miorine asked. “You just look really warm.”

Suletta smiled up at her.

“Of course you can.”

Miorine returned the smile before crawling underneath the blanket. She slipped her way under Suletta’s arm, where she pulled her close to her body. Miorine hummed and buried her face into her chest. She had never felt safer and warmer than at that moment. A wave of grogginess finally washed over her when she yawned herself.

“Goodnight,” Suletta mumbled with another yawn. Her tail did one final round of sleepy wagging. “I love you.”

Miorine grabbed handfuls of fur to pull her body as close as she could against her. She could feel Suletta's heart beating against her face. She thought if she had a tail of her own, it'd be wagging as well.

“Night,” she mumbled into the fur and muscle. “I love you too.”

[monstrousparalysis]

With A Life Like This, Who Needs Hell?

Warning for vivisection, human experimentation, suicidal ideation, temporary character death, and mild exploration of the implications of Viv and Vex just kidnapping gang members.

Fandom: Just Roll With It: The Suckening

Characters: Emizel Tucker, Viv Weylin, Vex Weylin

Relationships: Emizel Tucker & Vex Weylin & Viv Weylin

Word count: 1,670

Summary:

Emizel Tucker, age 16, goes missing after a night out with friends. He is reported as such 3 days later, when his father, used to his delinquency, gets fed up with what he presumes to be the boy skipping work. This is more than many similar cases of missing adolescents and young adults in Los Angeles have gotten.

The only people who usually notice the disappearances are the friends, fellow members of one of two gangs, the Demons and the Fangs. Of course, anybody involved in gang activity is unlikely to trust the police for help.

Of course, no mortal police force could help with what happens to the missing youths. The Weylin Twins are well above any mortal law, as well as most vampiric ones.

And Emizel Tucker has had the grave misfortune of catching their eyes.

Written for day 13 of @sintember, "Why won't you stay dead?!"

(also posted on AO3 here!)

Emizel Tucker is pretty sure he died at 16 in an alleyway because some Fang got a lucky punch on him. Because the only reasonable explanation for everything that's happened since then is that he's in Hell.

Then again, if he is in Hell, then the fact that he's been “dying” at all seems like a weird amount of mercy, with how peaceful it is right up until he ends up back in this fucking lab. The Adam Sandler movies are annoying, but the ocean of blood is fine, if edgy.

These weird twins definitely aren't human though, that he's sure of. The shit they've been doing to him doesn't make sense.

Illustrating his point perfectly, the one he's gathered is named Viv wedges her hands under his ribcage and just bends it open.

His brain glitches when it tries to process that. It sort of hurts in the same way hitting your funny bone hurts. Probably because your bones aren't supposed to do that.

Whatever, he'd let plenty of Fangs before the motherfucker that landed him here get in a spare hit just for the thrill of the pain. He grits his teeth and breathes through it.

Fuck, he can see his lungs inflating as he does that. He might need to revisit the “being in Hell” thing.

The other one, Vex, starts prodding around his organs, like this is the first time he's seen them.

“You know, Emizel, even beyond the obvious, you are quite the unusual specimen,” he remarks cheerfully, like he's not fondling Emizel's intestines.

He really, really wanted to punch him right now. But that hadn't gone well the last four times he'd tried, so instead, he choked out “You're one to fucking talk” in response. Still, his hands clenched with the urge to break the bastard's nose.

The way they talked to him while they opened him up like he was some sort of particularly interesting toy made him feel…something. Nothing as strong as the feeling of Vex squeezing his guts, but it was still strange.

They were probably just the kind of weirdos who only talked to other people in this kind of situation. Still, it beat having his entire mouth sealed shut, so he tried to respond and keep them interested in what he had to say.

Vex definitely got a kick out of it, giggling at the sharp words like they were a compliment.

“Oh, I'm well aware that me and my sister are unusual, especially to your limited perspective, but you're the man of the hour!”

As he said that, Viv did something that sent a static-y feeling up his spine, his legs twitching.

He hated that they didn't tie him down. He felt like a prey animal, like something so weak and scared that restraining it was a waste of time.

“Lucky me,” he spat with all the sarcasm he could manage.

“I do agree with your assertion, brother," Viv said. “Most of our subjects tend to scream out for somebody when in this much pain, as an instinctual response. Usually, parents.”

She glanced up from Emizel's ribcage to meet his eyes. Her eyes, bright white surrounded by blood red, struck a very rare feeling of outright fear into him. “You haven't the whole time you've been here.”

The absurdity of calling out to Jeffrey to help him mixed the spike of fear into a delirious ridiculousness. He actually might've preferred this to Jeffrey making him earn his keep. At least these two had better taste in music. They even thought he was interesting!

“What, do you guys not catch orphans?” he teased. Maybe the pain was getting to his head. It felt familiar, like the rush he got after a good fight.

Viv broke off a rib from his chest with casual ease, and Emizel shuddered.

As she inspected the marrow, she responded, “Not at all. In fact, the demographics of your gang are proportionally skewed towards parental abandonment.”

With a smile, Vex chimed in, “It does make our jobs much easier if we don't have to worry about Mommy and Daddy trying to track any of you down!”

Oh yeah. They controlled both the Demons and the Fangs, and didn't care about what happened with them.

Emizel had recognized pieces of the gross monsters they made, early on. A hand that felt familiar. Eyes that he'd seen before.

He was always going to end up here. No escaping it. And he had nobody who would care enough to find him except for the friends who'd join him soon.

He's pretty sure he cried about that the first time they revealed it, but he was numb to it now. Maybe Vex pulling out his heart that one time fucked that up.

Regardless, he definitely wasn't numb to the pins and needles feeling of their hands on him. It was agony. It was ecstasy. It was something completely new that he couldn't understand, and it was starting to feel kinda nice.

At least he had one leg up on these freaks. Every time he died, a voice had been counting down from 9, and he hadn't shared that with them. With the way they were studying him, he'd run out of lives soon. He'd die for real, and he wouldn't miss this lab, wouldn't miss the auto shop, and wouldn't miss his lack of a future. He'd flip his life the bird and find some other shit to do.

It was at that moment that Viv paused in her work and asked Vex, “Have you found anything particularly aberrant about his anatomy, brother?”

Vex groaned. “No, it's all small things I've seen before. Have you?”

Viv shook her head. “Aside from past fractures that weren't set, he's perfectly average. He'd make a textbook cadaver if he'd simply stay dead.”

Oh great, he's normal. How comforting.

They both stayed silent, lost in thought. Slowly, a smile crept back onto Vex's face.

“Sister, are you thinking what I'm thinking?”

With a simple look at him, Viv raised an eyebrow.

“If my assumption of what you're thinking is correct, I'd say that it's a worthwhile idea, but we'll have to be logical about it.”

Ugh, twins. Now he had no fucking clue what they were on about.

Vex grabbed Viv by the shoulders, enthused and getting blood on her white lab coat.

“If it all went right, he could be our next masterpiece!”

Emizel started to panic. He'd seen the fucked up creatures Vex called their “artwork”, and he didn't want to be trapped in some kind of fucking human meatball forever.

“I must concur, his true immortality could yield fascinating results in a kindred form,” she said, looking at Emizel with some sort of consideration on her face.

“I'll grab one of the thralls at once!”

“Wait, we should put more consideration into this. I'm unsure that making him a Brujah would be wise, brother. We've already seen how violent his temperament is, wouldn't that be quite the handful?”

Yeah, Emizel officially had no fucking clue what they were on about, but he wanted no part of it. Please, please, just go back to ripping him apart until he'd finally stay a pile of meat on the floor—

Vex looked upset about that comment, though. “Just look at him, Viv! Making him anything other than Brujah would be an insult to our talent! We can't have subpar artwork on purpose!”

Viv's rationality seemed to waver when faced with the potential of this next experiment they could perform on Emizel, like they hadn't done enough already.

“Okay, I concede to your point, Vex. This should make his generation 10th, correct?”

Vex was already rushing out the door with vigor at Viv's approval, leaving with the comment of “We can always find a way to lower it later if we want him to be stronger!”

Viv rolled her eyes. “His impulsivity will find us our final deaths one day,” she muttered to herself.

With that comment out, she turned back to Emizel, like she'd just remembered he was here.

She grinned, and Emizel was fucking terrified. She wasn't the one that did that, and he still didn't know what the fuck they were going to do to him.

“He didn't even remember to close you up first,” she said almost sweetly. Emizel went to stutter out some response, but before he could, she grabbed the opened flaps of his skin and crossed them back over his torso. She pressed them back together so forcefully he wheezed, and they messily bonded back together like clay.

“He's going to complain about that later, but I'm sure he's going to fuss over your skin regardless.”

Her smile bared her teeth as she talked, and for the first time, Emizel noticed that they had fangs.

“I must confess, I'm excited to see how you come out of this, Emizel Tucker. Behave yourself, and you might become one of the most terrifying things we've ever made.”

The promise of that statement enticed him, even through his fear. He didn't want to be anything like the monsters he'd seen so far, but the idea of becoming something even scarier than that appealed to him.

She used a hand to hold his head back against the table, and he noticed how cold she was to the touch.

She leaned down, fangs bared, and bit into his neck.

He tensed for a moment, then suddenly relaxed.

He felt calm. Peaceful. If he focused on it, he could still feel a pleasant sting from the teeth piercing his skin.

He was getting lightheaded, like his blood was all somewhere else.

“Oh,” he said dumbly. “You're vampires.”

He felt Viv stifle a laugh at that, still drinking from him.

He was feeling the newly-familiar fade of dying now, but it sounded like his plan of dying forever wouldn't work out.

Maybe he could accept staying here for a while. If anything was made to stay in hell, it would be a Demon.

[darlink-xoxo]

THE PIRATE'S BETHROTHED!•*∙͌♡

in which, a pirate finds herself running away from the castle with her arranged husband

fortunately, her betrothed hates his father as much as he's in love with her..

GIF isnt mine

─ͥ─ͦ─ͮ─ͤ➼♥

ehe

mentions of a female reader doesn't matter tho. and strange switches of pov

Warnings: Fluff, Arranged Marriage, Endeavour Blackmailing Reader, No Planning Whatsoever, Puppy love 🫶.. and spelling mistakes

❥ · ﾟ₊ You sailed the seas with your cover up flag raised high in the winds. yes you were a pirate, yes this was your ship, and yes this was your crew. now you didn't steal a treasure or anything like that, it was more of a crew made just to protect the outskirts of land from pirates with really foul intentions. your cover up flag presented you as simple sailors gathering goods and sailing them across to neighboring kingdoms across the oceans for the trading process.

sure at first you and your crew were looked down upon, after all, having a lady on the ship was said to bring bad luck. you proved them all wrong of course, that sword on your hip wasn't just for style. although not everyone has truly accepted you all yet, that's okay, they'd need you in the end anyhow.

turning the wheel, earlier you had received a letter from the king in the south. he has an offer for you, and you didn't trust this one bit. yet you had to keep your connections with those of the southern kingdom, they were one of the wealthiest kingdoms after all.

your second in command was busy giving your crew different chores that needed to be completed. softly whistling a tune to yourself, you fixed your feathered tricorn hat as you gazed out into the open ocean. if you squinted enough, you might've been able to make out the smallest outline of land.

just what did this scoundrel king want..?

docking your ship, you left your crew in the hands of your second in command. you didn't want any of them involved with this, especially since you had no clue what this sudden call of your presence was about.

a guard was escorting you to the castle, they offered a ride yet you wanted to get used to walking on land again. being on the sea for so long left you a little disoriented on nonfloating grounds. you preoccupied yourself with taking in the change of scenery and smiling at those who waved at you. now at the gates of the castle, a knight opened the door for you. you walked in with caution, taking one last glance out the door before it closed.

the person in armor led you towards the king's chancery, and this is when your life took a turn for the worst.

King Enji sat proudly on his throne replica of a chair as he waited, once you entered the room he offered you the chair on the other side of him. signaling the guard to return to his post, the king watched with cold eyes as you shifted in your seat.

"do you have any idea why i requested your arrival?" he suddenly spoke.

you stared at him with your best poker face, "for some offer i recall, so what is this ever so important offer the king himself had to extend to me?"

the monarch's face darkened as his flames glowed brighter, "i want you to marry my youngest son."

silence took over the room, was he serious?? it took everything you had not to explode on this man, the absolute nerve.. your eyes must've given away your distaste, about to refuse with your ever so sour tongue, he spoke before you could.

"and before you refuse, i know you and your crew aren't truly simple sailors. the people are already skeptical about you being a lady sailor, much worse a captain. once word gets out you all are sailing as pirates, you might as well say farewell to your seawater life."

oh that's right, the true reason you and your crew covered up as sailors was that people still never accepted pirates as good. surely you'd be burned at the stake if word got out you were a pirate all along..

you gritted your teeth, "what're the consequences for both parties?" annoyance and aggravation was clear in your tone, and all this tyrant did was laugh.

"well since you asked so kindly. if you marry my son, you'll stay here with him and your crew will be free to sail as either a bunch of pirates or sailors. refuse and i'll inform everyone about your secret identities and you and your crew will be doomed the moment you step out of my castle. so captain, what'll it be?"

you felt your world crumble apart in front of you, you never wanted your crew involved with this.. why.. why you of all people?? you weren't even a noble for crying out loud!

what his highness didn't tell you, is that he selected you since you could take charge of your crew with ease and your fierce determination to start your crew on your own. plus the fact that you had been nearly all over the world, including well loved enough by those of the neighboring kingdoms. he loved the amount of connections you brought him.

your head hung low, you didn't even get to say goodbye to your beloved crew.. "alright, i'll marry him." you hope your crew handled themselves without you..

the king smiled as his flames grew brighter with a glint in his eye, "very good.."

and that was a year ago, you had no knowledge of the state of your crew. whether they expanded or not was unknown to you, i mean, how would you know when you're chained to your bedside? the cuffs around your wrists provided a long enough chain between them to be able to stretch and stuff, and that connecting chain was attached to a way longer one that bounded you to the inside of your room. shoto had informed his father that you wanted to walk around your room, so that's basically why you have your minimal available walking distance.

you often stared out through the windows of your balcony, searching for the slightest bit of the ocean. you hoped that one day, you'd see your familiar ship. even if you weren't the one steering.. you had been stripped of your old clothes, only left with gowns nowadays, slowly forgetting your life before all this.

sure prince shoto and y/n did eventually grow to appreciate each other's company, one more than the other, they both knew it was still only an arranged marriage and it would take some time to get used to. although the prince learned to like y/n, neither of them saw themselves as 'husband and wife' yet.

with shoto catching feelings, y/n tried her best not to let them feel anything for him in pitiful yearnings that the king would see it and choose someone else to be queen. due to y/n being distant, shoto took this as y/n hating him. leaving him to treat her to every luxury available that didn't overstep the king's rules.

one day though, shoto had brought her food and while she was eating she was reminded of her past adventures. maybe it was due to it being seafood, but it reminded her of that time her right hand man accidentally fell into the water while he was fishing.

she paused, and shoto instantly looked over in concern, "are you alright lady y/n?"

y/n took a moment before responding, only giving a nod of your head, suddenly having no willpower to lift your utensils to finish your meal. taking it upon himself, shoto gingerly picked up your utensils and hesitantly began feeding you. which was abnormal, to say the least, he's never done anything like this before.. you felt your heart beat loudly in your chest, and you sighed as you couldn't do anything about it.

and this other time, you were given a butter knife to assist you in eating your breakfast. feeling memories flood back into your mind, you proudly wore your captain hat once more. faking a sword fight in her room, y/n happily relived her past. unexpectedly shoto walked in, probably to check if she had finished eating. when y/n saw him, she didn't get embarrassed. instead, she raised her 'sword' and said, "dear prince! I hear by challenging you to a duel! and no fire or ice is allowed."

shoto softly smiled at how carefree y/n seemed to be, taking the sword from his satchel, he tossed it to y/n. she caught it of course, but stared at him in confusion when he left the room. moments after, he returned with a different sword in his grasp, boldly smirking at his betrothed, "I accept your challenge, my lady," he answered back with a glint in his eyes that matched hers.

the two cracked up as their harmless sword fight moved across the room, clashing swords with smiles on their faces as giggles and chuckles filled the room. this was a bonding moment that was expected of them to come naturally as if they were dating. yet they never had time to date, maybe if they had a moment like this before their marriage wouldn't feel as 'arranged' as it is.

jumping onto her bed to avoid shoto, it was similar to how she once jumped onto the upper deck back on her ship to avoid an ambush. king enji walked by the room, pausing due to the loud laughter he heard. peeking into the door, he flashed a sinister grin, "HAHAH SHOTO!! THIS IS PERFECT! Getting along with your wife i see?" than as smug as ever, he walks away.

y/n's cheerful mood is instantly ruined, hesitantly taking off her hat and placing the sword down with her head hung low in sadness. meanwhile, shoto was ready to murder his father, like how dare he ruin y/n's mood?? shoto slowly raised his sword in question, and y/n shook her head. watching as she stumbled over to her bed and flopped down, shoto's displeasure with his father only grew. y/n has lost her carefree attitude, she was closed off again and it seemed like more invisible walls were built. after that whole ordeal, shoto would find y/n sadly staring at her pirate hat and his sword he let her keep.

and one night, y/n laid awake in her bed. she couldn't sleep, both her past and the new addition kept her awake. the prince, she forced herself to hate him. yet how could she keep her facade up when he looks at her as if their marriage was never arranged in the first place?? he's treating her as if he's been in love with her since the very beginning.. y/n isn't much different either, she said she'd hate him, but isn't she the one happily allowing shoto to feed her? or the way she asks him to stay behind with her? or how she finds herself unconsciously tracing her fingers along his scare when he accidentally falls asleep beside her when he stays.

yes, she fell in love with him, but she desperately wished it was under different circumstances. a sudden knock on her door led her to stare into the darkness of who was there.

"lady y/n? are you awake?"

"i think so? i'm still seeing darkness"

shoto silently chuckled, walking over to her bedside with enough grace that it seemed he had her room layout memorized. he patted around her bed for a moment, before taking her hand in his grasp and holding it to his lips, and softly kissed her ring. suddenly the room burst up in flames, y/n sat up wide eyes "what do you think you're doing shoto?!?"

he only grinned at you as a loud blaring alarm rang throughout the castle, he gently grasped your chains and melted them to nothing but a molten puddle on the ground. you gaped at him, before the pounding on your closed door that shoto had most likely locked, started getting too loud for your liking.

"run away with me my lady, let us be free together," shoto practically pleaded with you as he grasped your hands in his.

you coughed, the air was filled with ash. the banging on your doors didn't get any quieter and that's probably the angry shouts of the guards you're hearing too.

you shut your eyes before a determined gleam flashed across your ires. you gripped shoto's hand, jumping out of bed before quickly putting on your hat to make sure it didn't burn in the slowly raging fire. also taking the sword your prince had gifted you, you held him close as the door broke down. jumping out of the side of the balcony, you stabbed the sword into the wall. you kept a firm hold on your prince as you and him descended to the ground. he held onto you just as tight, simply distracting himself with how attractive you looked at the moment.

landing on the ground, you both broke out into a run, laughing at the taste of freedom, "sorry about your blade your majesty," y/n giggled as the adrenaline had yet to run out. shoto simply chuckled along with her as he motioned to the sword on his hip, "no worries my lady, i have a spare."

off in the distance, y/n saw the familiar con flag of her original ship. taking shoto's hand with hers, y/n ran faster, "c'mon prince, run faster! we're going home!" she laughed as her sights landed on her old second in control.

shoto silently chocked on his breath, "pardon me? did you say home?" y/n nodded to him over her shoulder, sending him a cheeky wink as his ears turned pink. the sound of their fast approaching footsteps appeared to have alerted the crew, as now their attention was on the couple running towards them.

"CAPTAIN??? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WEARING?? never mind that, LOWER THE BRIDGE!" your dearest right hand man recognized you immediately, and you happily waved at him and your old crew.

he leaned over the ledge, "aye?? and who might that be with you captain?"

you paused, turning around to face shoto, and glancing down at your connected hands. you turned back to your loyal associate with a smile on your face, "my husband! prince shoto todoroki."

[rainfallnightmare]

Chapter 1:

The problem

(Experiment Sun, Moon and Eclipse x Caretaker Y/n)

Genre: Slight angst to Fluff

Warning: Shocks, injuries and Swearing

word counts: 1578

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

June 19th, 2087

CBR

You were doing your report for today's work. 

It was a long day so you didn't mind it at first. That was until you heard a loud roar like scream from down the hall. Worried about what was happening, You stop and quickly enter the room where the noise was coming from. It was a horrible sight as one of the scientists was shocking the subjects Sun, Moon and Eclipse. This wasn’t the first time that these experimental subjects been torture by the scientists cause the government allows it.

You knew that if you didn't stop the scientists. They would have ended up killing poor creatures. Dangerous as they are, You happen to intervene in the process causing the scientists to almost shock you. “Are you fucking insane, what were you thinking?!” One of the male scientists as there were four of them around. Three of the scientists were holding long stun sticks to keep the subjects away from them in case they tried to attack. The fourth scientist was just writing stuff down on their clipboard as he was the one that yelled at me.

“Insane or not, you're gonna end up killing them if you don’t stop” I said while gritting my teeth in anger since these scientists don’t seem to give a damn about these subjects. I’m just a regular office worker/caretaker. I was assigned to take care of the three being behind me so they can stay healthy and alive tho they don’t trust humans one bit.

Subject 220 Sunlight or Sun in what I call them is an astral like creature with a solid form that could change into its ghost like form. Sun mostly had two colors on them which were yellowish or gold and white. Is like 10 ft tall and a bit shy when not being threatened.

Subject 221 ShadowMoon or Moon is Sun twin astral. Moon is the opposite of the Sun and likes to be in its astral form but when they are in their solid form. Moon has three colors which are black, blue and white. Again like Sun, Moon is also 10 ft tall but is more aggressive and will attack someone who is threatening to them.

Subject 222 EclipseRise or just Eclipse is one of the deadliest beings out of the three. Unless Sun and Moon, Eclipse astral being that is just fully solid and extremely hot to touch like the actual sun. Eclipse is a foot taller than Sun and moon, has red, orange and yellow with a little of black on its markings for its color. Eclipse is aggressive and very much not shy at all and would kill a person on the spot if they were threatened.

All four of the scientists glared at you before they just left you alone with the subjects. Letting out a sigh and carefully turning to see the three being behind ya. You could see the three were exhausted, in pain and hurt. You want to help them but with their current situation that was caused by the scientist. You know the most you could do is let them rest and keep an eye on them.

The three astral beings know you're not a threat to them since you were the only one that actually cares about their well being. Seeing that you nearly got shocked, they did get worried for a bit since you could have been in their condition. “Why did you get in their way? You could have gotten hurt!” Moon said as Sun frowned and Eclipse looked annoyed but was relieved that you didn’t get hurt. 

“I did it cause, I care about you guys”

Moon POV:

“I did it cause, I care about you guys”

Hearing those words from this human. It’s not something the three of us get to hear a lot because of Y/n being the only human that was decent and kind. Y/n keeping their distance from us was respectable but there was a time we wished that they would be a bit more brave and come towards us a little more. Humans were confusing and curious things but for Y/n. They were curious but it was when they first started to work here as our caretaker.

Sun was the first to move towards our human as he picked Y/n up in his better condition arm and held them close. Y/n didn’t seem bothered by it since it wasn’t the first time Sun had done this to them. Y/n being gentle as they were. Lightly pat and stroke Sun cheek as it was one way to calm him down.

Y/n POV:

Sun being a sweetheart and gentle. I smiled and lightly pat and stroke his cheek which makes him purr softly. I always find it cute as Moon and Eclipse also get like this when I give them some kind of affection. While I gave the sun some light affection, I did examine to see how all did he and the others have that needs to be treated.

“I know you guys hate that I have to treat your wounds but it has to be done or you’ll get worse”  I said to them softly as Sun looked at me with scared eyes. “D-do you have too little comet?” Sun whined at the thought of it but I nodded my head. “I know you don’t like it sunny but I promise to give you guys affection and treats if you behave for me” I gently cup Sun cheeks as Moon and Eclipse come over and surround me between their bodies.

The three looked at each other when I pulled my hands back a bit. I hated seeing the three of them injured because the scientists and the government wanted their blood sample and such. Eclipse was the first to speak up which caused me to look at him.

“We’ll let you treat us, we won’t be able to do it ourselves because of how exhausted and sore we are”

Eclipse softly said as he took one of my hands in his and gently held it. Moon took my other hand and placed it against his cheek that was cold but nice. I was glad that they were gonna let me treat them since this was something rare they allow to happen. “Alright, I need to go get the supplies so mind letting me down?” Sun nodded as he set me down on the ground when both Moon and Eclipse let go of my hands. 

As I went to go to the first aid closet that was next door. I felt someone grab my arm as I turned to see it was one of the scientists. “What do you want?” I said bluntly and harshly because I nevered the person.

“Why do you care so much about these stupid and idiotic experiments? You're just a regular worker here?!” The scientist looked at me all annoyed and confused. “If i didn’t stop you guys from torturing the subjects, All of your sorry asses would have either killed” I said with a growl as I turned back to grab the large first aid kit. I wasn’t gonna let them do something stupid to get themselves killed because of their carelessness. When I was about to leave and head back over, the scientist again grabbed my arm and slammed me against the shelf behind me with all the other supplies.

“Don’t test my patients rookie, your will stay out of my way or I’ll make you”

I started to get pissed off by this person. Not only did they lay their hands on me, slam me against a supply shelf but also threatened me. I slammed my head against the person causing them to back off in agony. "I don't give a damn about what you want me to do, if you keep this up then I won't save your asses the next time" I hissed at the scientist as I felt the room and went back over to start trying the astral boys.

"I'm back guys"  I said while giving them a forced smile to hide my irritation. Moon turned to see me as he came over and picked me up in his arms. "You alright little comet? I sense some anger in ya" Moon spoke softly as he brought over to the others. I let out a sigh and leaned my head against Moon's cool chest.

"One of the scientists tried to overpower me by rank and threaten me when he slammed me against one of the supply shelves because he didn't like the idea that I was being caring to you guys" I said honestly since lying to the guys wasn't the smart idea.

I felt Moon boy tense as I heard him and the other two starting to growl. "The nerve that humans have" Sun said as he normally tries to stay calm. Eclipse kept quiet but knowing him, he would be trying to kill the scientist the next time he sees them.

I lightly knock on the first aid kit to get the three attention. "I'll be alright, right now I need to focus on treating you guys first" I looked at each one of them before carefully getting on Moon's hands. I held out my right hand to the guys while holding the first aid in my left.

"So who wants to go first?"

[unclassedguy]

Jjk 261 leaks ahead:

Alright I was going to post about this in the morning but I got distracted and needed time to process everything anyways.

I don't usually share my thoughts on the new chapters publicly but I will make an exception now 😔.

Yap incoming

ok, so there were a lot of theories floating around before 261 about if we would actually be getting a gojo comeback or not. Honestly, some people pointed out why gojo reviving might not be the best decision for the story, but I was placing bets on it anyways because I too was pretty bummed by his end and also because my naive self chose to believe it was the most likely choice for gege to make.

However I did try to keep my hopes reasonable, choosing to belive that it could just be a hallucination.

Truthfully, I didn't think it would be Kenjaku. I'd seen the theory that it could be them but I honestly doubted gege would do that. Yet in the depths of my copium filled soul I had always been holding onto the hope that kenjaku would somehow return to the story. When I tell you my secret little stash of cope was as potent as some gojo fans im telling the truth 😭.

I honestly hoped maybe it would be kenjaku, just maybe. This morning I sought out the leaks and you know what I saw? This:

I was DYING. For a second I thought gege had really done, I was in disbelief, I was in shock, I briefly wondered if this was a joke.

AND THEN I WAS SO HAPPY. I was like: Yes! Answers! Yuji-kenjaku interactions! An unexpected twist in the fight! Forget the logistics of how kenjaku ended up in Gojo's body, I was going to trust gege's cooking and enjoy the chapter before taking a step back and critiquing anything.

And then I read that it wasn't kenjaku. It was Yuta using kenjaku's ct.

I didn't want to belive it could be Yuta. Of all the outcome I thought it CANNOT be Yuta. Not possibly. BUT IT WAS. IT WAS YUTA.

I have felt emotional when consuming media before, and sometimes underwhelmed or critical when something didn't rub me the right way, but I'd never understood people who act so utterly devastated by an author's decisions.

I UNDERSTAND NOW.

I've been mourning all day man 😭. My gojo cope, my kenjaku cope, all of it down the drain just like that AND ALL AT ONCE. I genuinely am not sure what about this chapter gas prompted such emotion in me. Am I lobotomized after all? I choose to belive its the sheer shock of this chapters events.

Tbh, I read the rest of the chapter in a bit of a daze and I'd have to go back and look over it again to share any actual thoughts or analysis, but I will says some other things stood out at me about it.

first of all, I don't hate Yuta. He's not my favorite character but I don't hate him and I wish the best to you yuta fans, however yall are feeling. his line about how the others are so worried about becoming monsters, unknowing that they've forced that role onto gojo all this time hit pretty hard for me. And now Yuta is taking on the same role since gojo's gone. He's strong and is not just taking Gojo's body but in a way taking on his position as the 'monster' of the jujutsu world, even if only for the dubious amount of time he had left.

Also the way sukuna just, punches yuji aside 😭. Nahh. The disrespect. He rlly just sees yuta in gojo's body and tosses yuji away. Rlly hope my boy beats him up next chapter and it doesn't become a yuta-one-man-show.

Overall I'm dying, I'm crying, I'm gritting my teeth, I miss kenjaku, I miss gojo, rip yuta 😭

(Please gege give me my wife back. Even just a kenjaku flashback is enough. Gege pls.)

[riahlynn101]

Whumptober: Day Three - Alterative Prompt: "Betrayal."

I felt bad about how short day three's story was, so here's another one for the alterative prompt: "betrayal." I wrote this in under an hour, so it might be a little messy. I'll edit it either tonight or tomorrow.

Trigger warnings: implied/referenced kidnapping and murder.

Enjoy Abby and Fredbear (*cough Garrett cough*) being cute dorks.

Implied Schmelly (Vanessa x Mike).

--

Trust, for Mike, is like a double-edged sword. 

Trusting people means letting them in. It means letting them see him vulnerable. It means letting them in on how hard he’s struggling, and how close he is to his breaking point. 

But it also means having someone to rely on.

He hasn’t had that in a long time. 

His mom had been distant following Garrett’s disappearance, and his dad’s death a few months before Abby was born didn’t help matters. But Mike had been determined to set things right. Their family was a mess for years, and he hadn’t wanted his little sister to grow up feeling their misery. Slowly but surely, his mom came out of her shell. 

Mike saw her smile for the first time in years, staring down at Abby. 

They became closer, too. The distance created between them slowly started to go away. It wasn’t a fast process, but Mike finally had his mom back. After years of anguish and suffering alone in his guilt, he had someone to place his utmost trust in. 

And then….

…..she was gone.

Abby is someone he trusts, but she’s a child. And, as a general rule, Mike refuses to share anything too “grown-up” like with her. She’s a child and should be treated as such. He won’t allow her to grow-up so fast. 

And that’s not to say he has no friends. He has several….from school (which he graduated from years ago). Mike just hasn’t reached out to them, but he has them (he pushed down the stinging feeling of rejection when, after writing to them about his father’s passing, they never reached out to talk. He had needed them, but apparently they never needed him). 

And that’s why, when Vanessa came into his life, he was hesitant on letting her in. But she was persistent above all other things, and someone that seemed to have his best interest at heart. 

Abby even seemed to like her - if the picture on their fridge is anything to go on. (Abby is a lot like him, he’s found, in that, she enjoys drawing - a lot. After their mom’s death, she had stopped entirely. So, seeing her draw a picture like that, soothed something deep inside.)

So, it isn’t a surprise when Mike, too, started to like her. 

Vanessa understood him in ways no one else ever has. She shared very little about herself, but a lingering sadness seemed to follow her. She reminded him of himself. 

Mike found himself telling her all his secrets. He told her about Garrett. About his worries with Abby being taken away. About not being enough. 

And she listened to them all, a sympathetic grimace on her face. Her hand would find his, and give it a gentle pat.

He felt like she understood. 

Vanessa was his friend. 

He had trusted her. 

“Why?” He breathes out, voice shaky. She isn’t looking at him, her head bowed. “I trusted you!”

Vanessa looks up at him, eyes watery. “My brother,” she started, “I did it for my brother.”

Mike wants so badly to scream at, to ask why she hadn’t told him about Steve Raglan (or should he say, William Afton). 

He feels sick. 

So, so sick. 

“What?” He asks, because Mike doesn’t think he can say anything else without breaking down. 

Vanessa just shakes her head, backing up from the machine he’s currently locked into. The head of one of the animatronics hovers above his face. 

His heart breaks for the millionth time in his life. 

Mike doesn’t bother to call out to her as she hurries from the parts and services room. It won’t change anything, and they both know that. 

 He can’t find it within himself to fight. 

Mike grits his teeth, grimacing as the machine suddenly starts. 

He hopes Abby forgives him. Aunt Jane isn’t the kindest person in the world, but maybe she had been right all along. Maybe Abby would be better off with her. 

The mask is inches from his face. 

Mike shuts his eyes. There’s no point in watching. He wonders if this is what those poor kids had to go through. 

His heart breaks again, for the millionth-and-one time. 

The whirring of the machine quiets down. 

“Mike!” Abby shouts. 

He opens his eyes to see another-more unfamiliar-animatronic standing above him. For one terrible second, Mike thinks his sister is talking to him from the suit. He screams out her name. He can take the heartbreak and betrayal, but if he let his sister down….

“Abby?” 

The animatronic-a yellow bear-seems to furrow its eyebrows, equally as confused as him. 

“Down here,” she says. He turns his head, sighing in relief when he sees his little sister in one piece. 

“Thank god, you’re okay.”

“Fredbear kept me safe,” she tells him, a small smile on her face. “He says he knows you.”

Mike doesn’t know whether to correct that assumption, or play into it. The bear decides for him, reaching forward to help him out of the suit. Its movements are gentle, but Mike can’t help the slight wince whenever it gets too close.

Soon enough, he’s out of the machine, the bottom-half of the Freddy costume lays on the floor behind them. 

“Thanks,” he mutters, crossing his arms. 

Its one undamaged ear wiggles at his words. “You’re welcome,” it says. 

Mike looks at his sister. “Have you seen Vanessa by chance?”

Abby shakes her head. “No, why?” 

“She…” Mike trails off. There’s no reason for him to tell Abby about her not being who they thought she was. This is new territory for both of them, but he’s pretty sure this falls under “grown-up stuff.” He shrugs his shoulders. “I’m just worried about her.”

Abby’s face lights up. “Well, she isn’t here, so I’m sure she’s okay.”

When her back is turned, Fredbear sends him an almost sad look. Like it knows that he’s lying for Abby’s sake.

He ignores it. 

“Let’s…go home.” He’ll have to come back another night. The contract he signed lasts five nights (seven if needed by the owner). But both Abby and him need sleep. It had been a long night. 

He takes her hand, leading her out of the building. His car is still parked out front. It’s not until Fredbear opens the door to his passenger side that he realizes it has followed him out of the restaurant. 

“Not to be rude, but what are you doing?” He asks. 

Abby answers for it. “He’s coming home with us. He says he used to live with you.”

“I want to go home,” it says, but it’s voice wavers between the cartoonishly deep voice that he's come to associate with Freddy, and another, smaller one that reminds him of…

“Okay,” Mike murmurs, too exhausted to fight, “but buckle your seatbelt.”

Its ear wiggles, again, and he can see Abby smiling in the rearview mirror. 

He pulls the car into reverse.

Tomorrow is another day. 

[resolutepath]

[ META ] + Wriothesley's development in the Meropide [all she has witnessed of it anyway] (Sigewinne)

hc prompts. // @delusionaid

Sigewinne is so very proud of Wriothesley.

She has been with him since day one, been at The Fortress longer still, so she knows the effort that has gone into reshaping what was into what is, the calls he's had to make, the hardships he's had to suffer, the troubles that have crept up along the way. And through them all she has seen a determined individual grit his teeth and continue along this path that he has forged.

Personally I headcanon that before Wriothesley became the administrator of The Fortress and took up the mantle of Duke, Sigewinne stuck to the infirmary as feeling around Melusines (as we know from Neuvillette's story quest) was not always favourable. I very much feel like the beginning of coming to care for him and seeing him grow happened within the confines of the infirmary, offering him a safe space to heal and regroup before he had to go back out into the lion's den. There's a familial connection brewing there, though it is muted, one that she only extends as much as it is wanted, and reels in when it is unwelcome. In these muted moments she saw him change from a boy who had accepted his crime to the one who would eventually change Meropide forever and through the process he inspired a loyalty in her that she thought could only be reserved for Neuvillette.

Whch is why since him taking over she has stuck with him, as seen in her story:

"To be consigned to the Fortress is a punishment in and of itself, and even the most youthful and energetic of guards must take a day off after consecutive days of work. Yet Sigewinne has taken precious few of these throughout Wriothesley's entire tenure as administrator. The lights in the infirmary are always on, and it seems they'll never be put out... The motivation behind such enthusiasm may as well be an enigma to guard and inmate alike." - Taken from the game's social media platforms.

The reason for this limited time off is simple. She believes in what Wriothesley is trying to achieve when it comes to Meropide, she's seen the progress he's making and absolutely thinks that with his mind set to it, he will get there. She wants to be there when he does and is curious to see how he is going to change as he hits those goalposts.

Despite this pride in him and fascination with his development, Sigewinne is also wary of the roads he must take and all that he exposes himself to. She is quick to caution him if she sees the road he is turning to be one that bodes ill or poses risk, but she trusts him too. Not blindly, never blindly, but enough to know himself. And if it doesn't work she trusts that she knows how to put him back together; bruises, bloodied knuckles, heavy heart and all. There are times that she fears she may lose him to the violence and darkness that is in Meropide, beyond the changing system, and that is why the infirmary light must always stay on, to be a beacon in a dark, to remind the boy within the man that there will always be a safe space waiting for him to recoup if the lion's den gets too much.

Sometimes she laments that Wriothesley did not get to grow into the person he is in the surface world, but selfishly she is glad she got to witness it first hand. Because it only opened her eyes more to how fascinating humans can truly be.

[enchantingpeachrunaway]

The First MoonKnight

Summary: We're familiar with Khonshu's well-known Avatars, such as Marc Spector and Arthur Harrow, but have you ever wondered why there are so many? While other gods typically have just one Avatar from the beginning or none at all, what happened to Khonshu's first Moon Knight? Who was that enigmatic figure?"

Word count: 1.8K

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2

A/N: English is not my first language and I really hope y'all like this because it is my first fanfic :) Also, I know Khonshu has not showed up in any of the two recent two chapter but I promise the next one will

Marwa's P.O.V.

Chapter 3

My blood-saturated robes lay crumpled upon the cold stone floor as I was sitting on the wooden seat that was meant for the patients. Despite my efforts, my vision struggled to focus on anything as the lingering haze of dizziness returned to me once more. I looked at the shimmers that the dim light of the oil lamp that was sitting next to me made on the golden details of the ceremonial clothing and jewelry.

With gritted teeth, I stifled any involuntary sounds that threatened to escape my throat, sinking my teeth into the makeshift bit of wood that was given to me. Akil was kneeling on my left taking care of my wound. 

The moment I felt the sharp point of the needle pierce my skin as he started to sew my cut back together a deep groan left me before I could muster the strength to suppress it. My hands gripped the edge of the seat trying to endure the pain that I felt as I was being helped. I took deep breaths from my nose and let them out as slowly as I could in an attempt to calm down only to come out as gasps.

“Almost there.” Akil's voice was heard from my side as he pierced my skin for one last time. 

After he was done he took a slightly wet cloth and wiped the blood off my skin. I let out a sigh through my nose as I took out of my mouth the piece of wood feeling my jaw a bit sore from biting it so hard.

“I will ask you one more time, my dear. What happened?” Akil asked me again while he resumed his stance.

“A thief was threatening a mother and her child near the temple. I tried to help them and I got stabbed in the process. But I am fine now.” I explained to him as I stood up hissing slightly when I did that. My head was still feeling light so I wad having a hard time balancing myself. so I almost lost my balance

“I fear you may be underestimating the severity of your injuries, Marwa.” He helped me steady myself. “You should rest until the wound heals fully.” He suggested.

“We both know that will not happen, especially when the full moon is approaching,” I said softly as I leaned my weight off of him and onto the wall to maintain my balance. 

"Marwa," he exhaled heavily, the weight of concern evident in his voice. "you know I admire your selflessness, your willingness to prioritize others, but we must address the matter of your own well-being. You have already lost too much blood and you have to rest.” 

"I can't simply neglect my duties and the sacred rituals," I argued, a flicker of contempt growing inside me. "Ensuring the favor of the gods is essential for our protection and the harmony between the mortal and the divine realms. We're trusted with maintaining that balance, and we cannot afford to make mistakes."

“We will not neglect anything. I will take over and take care of everything that needs to be done.” He said.

"Akil, do you even hear yourself?" I questioned, my disbelief palpable as I fixed on the elder man in front of me with an unbelieving gaze. “You were the one saying that you will step back from your duties as a priest because your age and health will not allow you to continue. That's precisely why you've taken on the role of physician.”

“I am indeed listening to myself, but are you?” He shot back, his tone tinged with a blend of frustration and genuine concern. “Because refusing to rest when you have a stab wound on your side says otherwise.” Stepping closer, Akil placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, his expression a portrait of genuine concern. “I cannot stand by and let you hurt yourself further. You already acted stupid enough by jumping into a fight that is not yours knowing very well that you most likely will end up hurt.” 

“I know you want to protect me and make sure I am safe… but I can’t let you tire or hurt yourself for me and I can’t just not react when people need help.” My voice was significantly lower at that moment. “I have duties to take care of and now two more people to make sure are safe. I know what I am doing, Akil.”

“No. No, you do not know what you are doing. Because if you were you wouldn’t endanger yourself.” he interjected, his frustration palpable as he distanced himself from me, withdrawing his hand.

“But I have to protect the people. I- We are devoted to Khonshu, we have to help. It is our duty to prot-”

“Not by getting ourselves killed!” He snapped at me. “Our devotion should be demonstrated through prayer and rhetoric, not by needlessly placing ourselves in harm's way.”

"What?" I exhaled sharply, disbelief mingling with a rising tide of anger in my voice. "So, your solution is to sit back and not help our people at all? Is that what you're suggesting?"

"So should had just stood back and watch that innocent woman and child, a freaking child get hurt or even killed? How can you suggest somrthing like that?” I demanded, my words laced with indignation. "To betray the very trust that was placed upon us by those who look to us for guidance and protction?"

I could not believe he was even saying this. The mere thought of harming the people’s trust made a weird tingling sensation rise in me. And the worst part is that it is coming from Akil.

Akil had been more than a mentor; he had been a father figure, raising me as his daughter, and guiding me through life's trials with unwavering support. His presence had been a constant source of comfort, his wisdom shaping me into the priestess I had become, entrusted with upholding the sacred duties of our temple. And only the thought of him supporting such an idea is disturbing.

My eyebrows frowned at the man before me, the embodiment of paternal care in my life. 

How could he believe such things?

"We're not betraying anyone, Marwa. We're just keeping them content while ensuring our own safety," he explained, attempting to justify his flawed thinking.

"No, it's not that simple," I insisted. "People are entrusting their safety to us, Akil. We can't just brush that aside."

"It's dangerous. You could get seriously injured, or worse, killed. And all for strangers whose names you don't even know? People who would likely abandon you in a crisis?" he argued.

"I don't care if I get hurt or die. I don't care if I don't know them. And I don't care if they would abandon me. But I do care about keeping them safe, and I'll do whatever it takes to ensure that," I declared.

"I can't let you put yourself in harm's way, Marwa. You're not continuing your duties for at least two weeks, until you're fully healed," he insisted.

I took a deep breath in to calm myself. 

Why am I even arguing with him now? 

"I appreciate your concern, Akil, I truly do," I replied, my tone softened but resolute. "But as the priestess, it's my duty to prioritize the safety and well-being of our people above my own. I can't simply step back and ignore that responsibility."

Akil sighed, frustration evident in his expression. "Marwa, you're not invincible. You need to consider your own safety too. We can find another way to ensure the safety of our people without putting yourself in unnecessary danger."

"I understand your concern, but I've made up my mind," I said firmly. "I will continue to fulfill my duties as the priestess, even if it means taking risks. It's what ypu’ve been trained for, what I've dedicated my life to."

Akil shook his head, his expression a mix of resignation and worry. "Fine, either way you would do whatever you wanted. But, at least, promise me you'll be careful. Promise me you won't put yourself in any unnecessary danger."

"I promise to do everything in my power to keep myself safe while fulfilling my duties," I reassured him with a small smile, though I knew that my definition of "safe" was more likely different from his.

With a heavy heart, Akil nodded, knowing that he couldn't talk me out of my chosen path. 

I turned to pick up my blood-stained clothes from his floor and an uneasiness settled in me at the sight of my own blood. Once I turned to face him again he was holding a folded linen dress for me to put on since my current clothes were damaged.

“Thank you, Akil.” I thanked him as I accepted the dress. I put it on and as I was ready to leave I stopped myself turning back to hug him. “Thank you for everything… I will try to stay safe, I promise.” I muttered as I tightened my hug.

I felt wrong to argue with him. Especially when he is like a father to me, when he showed me the love that I would never had if not for him, when I am alive because of him.

“I know you will, my dear… I am just worried about you.” He hugged me back.

Moments passed and we finally broke the hug. I then proceed to leave his house and make my way back to the temple. After all, I had to clean up for the morning offerings and see what I would do with the thief.

As I walked away from Akil's presence, his words echoed in my mind. I knew that I must prioritize the welfare of our people above all else.

Yet, a nagging doubt lingered in the back of my mind. 

Was I being too reckless, too idealistic in my pursuit of safeguarding others? Could I truly justify risking my own well-being for strangers, for faces I might never know beyond the chaos of a moment's crisis?

As I approached the temple, a sense of purpose swept over me, driving away the lingering doubts. Stepping through its hallowed halls, I felt a renewed sense of determination within me. Whenever I was in there I knew that whatever challenges were laying ahead, I would meet them head-on.

In the end, it wasn't just a matter of duty—it was a matter of honor, a testament to the sacred bond between priestess and people, a bond that I would uphold at any cost.

Tag List: @alittlechaotics-blog

[kanerallels]

Hello, do you mind if I ask how you write fan fics? As someone who is currently testing it out I find the whole writing process cringy. While thinking about the work I want to write I’m completely happy, and cannot wait to put pin to paper, but once I’m there I can’t seem to do anything without dying a little bit inside. Is this normal?

I am honored that you came to me for this, Anon, and I shall do my best to answer it well!

(if anyone else has other advice to add, feel free-- I'm far from an expert, just offering what my experience is)

I definitely get where you're coming, honestly. My ideas NEVER seem as good on paper as they do in my head. But honestly, I think that's something almost everyone struggles with. I was just reading a book by an author (who's published four really good books, and written several songs!) who was saying he experienced the same thing

So it's not just you, I promise. As for how... honestly it took me a while. I was not the biggest fan at first (it took me reading some truly incredible fics to change my mind) and then I just started asking myself "what if this happened?" and then just... doing it

At some point, you just have to accept the fact that it's probably not gonna seem as good on paper as it is in your head, grit your teeth, and work through it. And here's the thing-- other people are not gonna find it as cringey as you find it. You're almost certainly your own worst critic, and I 101 percent get that it's hard. But the more you write, the more at ease with it you're gonna be. You just gotta get through the hard part first-- which you can! I believe in you!

(In my experience, it did help to have someone I trusted read it and tell me that it was good. So if you can find someone like that, definitely do!)

Long story short, stick with it, friend! If you have a story you want to tell, odds are very good that there's someone out there who wants to read it. Trust me-- I never expected people to be that interested in my stories, but I've found a surprising amount of readers! And I get it can feel hard and cringey and frustrating, but finishing a story is always worth it, in my mind

If you have any other questions, feel free to send me another ask! I hope this was at least somewhat helpful

[or0ch1maru]

*Akatsuki* part two

(Its the day of the mission.

Adult language,fighting, broken bones and injuries,talk of old scars, jealousy, talk of past troubles, arguing, 18+)

***

It’s nearing 4am, and everyone is up and getting ready for the mission and task at hand.

“Itachi, breakfast.” Announces y/n as she knocks and opens Itachi’s bed room door. Inside Itachi slides his cloak on, turning to look at her. His hand comes down, smacking the tray of food from her hands, hitting the ground with a loud clank. The cup with his morning juice shatters, sending bits of glass all over the place.

“What the fuck Itachi? If you didn’t want it you could of said no!” She snaps towards him, shocked by his action. The rest of the Akatsuki members all poke their heads out, wondering what’s going on. Itachi then walks towards y/n, forcing her from the room until she’s standing in the hall outside. He then slams the door in her face.

“Whoever is his partner today, good luck.” She says at all the curious faces as she walks back to her bedroom. Y/n gets partially dressed when someone knocks on the door.

“Go away!” She snaps at the person knocking on her door.

“Are you okay?” Asks Kisame as he slips inside.Y/n is still in the process of getting dressed; her shorts, high socks, shoes, bandages, and sports bra are all on, leaving her to put on her shirt and cloak. “Yes. I just don’t like when people take their shit out on me.” Says y/n as she grabs her shirt. Kisame eyes her curiously as she slides her arms through the sleeves of her shirt.

“Yea, that’s unfair. I don’t know what’s wrong with him.” Replies Kisame, shrugging his shoulders, not being phased by his team mates behavior. “Find me when you’re ready though, we’re leaving in ten.” He says before shutting the door. Leaving y/n to finish getting ready.

Ten minutes later, each member of the Akatsuki is outside, pairing with their partner(s). Kisame and y/n are the first to leave, having to travel just a bit farther than the rest to get to their destination. After hours of running, they slow down as they approach their goal.

“Dammit Pain.” Y/n exclaims under her breath when she recognizes the location of the mission. “What is it?” Asks Kisame, wondering why his new partner is irritated.

“Why’d he send me on this mission? He would know I wouldn’t be happy about this.” She continues, scanning over the area. “He’s making me go against an old friends trust..” she whispers. Gritting her teeth. Y/n exhales, calming her nerves and irritation. After a moment of silence, they proceed. Creeping through a rusted, and very old sewer tunnel. After turning in different directions and going down different pipes and lanes, they come to a halt behind an air vent, peering through the cracks to make sure the coast is clear. “I’ll grab the scroll and I’ll pass it to you. If we’re caught…one of us will need to get out of here.” She says, hitting the floor without a sound. She doesn’t need to see her partners face to know that he understood. Y/n rummages through the drawers and file cabinets that line the walls of the office until she finds the correct one. She reaches up, passing the scroll to her partner, she’s about to climb in when the office door opens.

“Y/n, what did I do to deserve a visit from my dear old friend?” The serpent hisses through a toothy smile.With her back to the wall, she shows Kisame the signal. Letting him know to leave without her and to continue with the rest of the mission. She’ll take care of the distractions. “I was in the area.” She finally replies after a moment, returning a smile. The man like serpent stretches an arm out, gesturing for her to join him at his side. Y/n’s tension disappears as she feels her friends arm wrap around her. Kisame watches from behind the grated wall as her partner disappears with Orochimaru.

“Well it was so nice to have you slide in for a visit y/n.” Speaks the man. “I’ll swing by again soon.” She says, patting the serpents hand. They let go of each other, Orochimaru allowing y/n to escort herself out since he was in the middle of lab work. He also knows she can find her way out alone. Without getting confused and ending up where she shouldn’t be. The corridors are still as cold as she remembers. The tile floor and walls are nothing but ice if you touch them. Orochimaru prefers the cool to anything else, as does Kabuto. His recent addition.

Y/n is about fifty feet from the door when someone collides into her side, forcing her into a small room off to the left. Before she gets a chance to process what’s going on and who her assailant is, the person is gone, leaving y/n battered, broken, bruised, and bleeding on the floor. The only thing she was able to make out of the assailant was that they were female. She had her face covered with a mask, the only features visible being her eyes. Her medium length red hair flowed out behind her as she sat on top of y/n, hitting her blow after blow. Y/n’s breaths are hitched, breathing through broken ribs. She waits at least ten minutes before crawling to the vent, slipping through the same way she snuck in, just through a different location.

Once outside, the sky is dark, storm clouds had rolled in, taking the usual blue sky whole. Despite having what she’s sure of, y/n forced herself to her feet. Starting off with a sprint, grinding her teeth through the pain of having a broken femur. She would heal herself, but even as strong as she always is, y/n is too weak to use her chakra. And even then, she doesn’t have enough to heal all her wounds. Y/n decided, even though it’s painful, to go back home. Have another Akatsuki member help her. Hours of traveling and running through the dark and pouring rain, y/n finally arrives. Knowing it’s now well into the night.

“God dammit Pain! Open the door!” Exclaims y/n as she pounds on the locked door. She exhaled when she hears the locks click on the other side but winces from the pain. “Y/n!” Pain exclaims, relieved. “What happened to you?” He asks before anything else. The rest of the members coming from their rooms, half asleep, or from the kitchen, enjoying a late night meal. She shoves herself in past him, limping towards her room, ignoring the many pairs of eyes that are watching her. “I’m going to bed. I’ll talk to you about it tomorrow Pain.” She replies calmly. Hoping he’ll drop it and leave it alone. “Y/n, at least tell me who did this. Whoever it was, they need to pay for this. You don’t just attack one of our members and get away with it. You’re family.” Continues Pain, causing y/n to get a little agitated. “Not now Pain. Let it go. Tomorrow alright?” She snaps towards him through gritted teeth. By now, she’s standing in the frame of her door, wanting to shut it. “Fine. First thing tomorrow then.” He says. “Whatever.” Y/n replies, closing the door loudly behind her.

***

“Everyone get back to their business.” Pain says as he walks the long hall back to his room. “Kisame.” He says before passing through the office. “Yes, Lord Pain.” Replies Kisame as he joins his leader by his side. Pain stays quiet until they’re in the office, with the door shut behind them. “Y/n seems quite comfortable with you. She’s been the most talkative with you as of late. Please check on her. I know she has injuries. She hid them well, but not well enough from me.” Says the red head. “Yes sir.” Replies Kisame, turning on his heal.

“Pain I said I’d talk to you tomorrow. I want to go to bed.” Speaks y/n from the other side. Kisame opens the door as he’s been doing the past few times he’s gone to speak with her. “It’s just me.” He says as he finds himself creeping into her room. Her back is towards him, one arm is straight ahead of her, clutching to the wall. He sees blood drip from two different spots as they hit the floor, tainting it red. “I’m here to help.” He says soothingly. Kisame’s eyes widen when she turns around, letting him see the actual damage. Blood seeps from under her bangs, indicating a head/facial wound. “Don’t worry about this one. Head wounds bleed like a bitch.” Y/n breathe’s out. “My leg is broken, as are my ribs.” She says as she winces. Luckily for y/n, among other many impressive powers and abilities, Kisame was medically trained. He can heal pretty much everything. All with chakra, other times all that’s needed are herbs and creams. As gently as he can, he pulls y/n’s cloak off, allowing her to adjust what’s left of her torn up shirt. He holds in a smile when he feels y/n relax a tiny bit under him. “May I remove this?” Asks Kisame, referring to the blood soaked bandages that are wrapped around her torso. “Yea.” She says quietly. “They got you deep huh? These normally hold up well.” Remarks the man, pulling the bandages off slowly. He’s trying what he can to not break down. More and more scars and old wounds from her past show themselves as he pulls off another layer of the wrap. By the time he’s gotten the wraps off, her torso is exposed. Some of her skin is bruised, but with no major injury behind it, the rest are all off white and purple tinged lines that cross cross over her stomach. “Uh. Where else did you say?” Kisame asks nervously, trying not to make it obvious that he was staring, not only at the wounds of her life but at the curvy, and slim toned figure half way undressed in front of him. “Thigh. Broken bone.” She mutters out through the pain that’s now resurfaced from the snap. Kisame keeps his eyes down and allows a small smile to form as he feels her soft skin below his rough and calloused hands. The way her body relaxes at his touch makes him feel an interesting way, a new way.

“Better?” He asks reluctantly as he pulls his hand away from her. “Much.” She replies. “I think I got stabbed here.” Comments y/n when she looks down at her arm, which is still bleeding, just not as heavily as before. Kisame repeats the healing as he fixes her bicep and the wound that’s hidden under her hair. “Alright. If you need anything in the night, you know where my room is.” Says Kisame. He reaches the door when she speaks again. “Kisame?” Says y/n in a soft and velvety tone. “Yes?” He asks, turning around to face his partner. They lock eyes in silence for a moment. “Thanks.” Says y/n sincerely, meaning it whole heartedly. “Anytime.” He replies.

[jellumellu]

CW// Abuse, vent poem, graphic descriptions of violence

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This is my first time writing poetry so it may be disorganized, I’ve finally gotten mostly over my abuse, and this was written over the course of a year and a half, edited and updated as I slowly Remembered bits of the abuse my brain blurred

Again, do not read if you are sensitive to the things listed above.

Sometimes I remember being lulled to sleep by your voice, I remember the few good moments that there were. I almost miss the way your corners of your eyes creased when you smiled, almost.

When laid onto the seemingly secure embrace of your love, I’d barely been able to catch at least half my breath, before you knocked me over. Pinning me down onto a bed of nails, you apologized with teary eyes. Fat tears dripped all over me and our wounds, they slicked the nails, sinking us further down.

Through gritted teeth I reassured you, making an attempt to get up, in the process I had to free myself from you. You cried and thrashed telling me “I know better! You have to trust me! Just stay still” and “I promise I will never make us fall all the way. So I did, you were older than me, and smarter, so why wouldn’t I?

So there we stayed, we still sunk regardless. You made yourself comfortable on top of me, praising me for keeping us up, those praises that seemed so genuine….you spoke with such sugary, and sweet words…still knowing that my being could not support us for long.

You did exactly what you said you wouldn’t

I waited patiently for the day you would get off of me, so we could walk away from the bed of nails. Day by day, you only pushed us down further. Venting out your frustrations and thrashing on my when I protested, speaking to me like a insolent child…but an adult at the same time…It was gradual, but obvious to everyone, everyone except me. They could all see the nails got thicker the lower we got. They warned me, so I tried to get up, but you took it as an insult.

“Please! If you don’t let go, we won’t be able to get up!” You went on about how I didn’t love you, and how I was leaving you all on your own. I couldn’t understand half of what you said, it hurt so bad.

I had to push you off of me.

I pushed you off of me, I got up. Feeling tendons and skin ripping and breaking. I cried fat tears that day, finally, I could cry. I could let the salt of my own tears could finally sterilize my wounds as I got up. It still hurt. It burned more than I could imagine.

My family cleaned my wounds, cradling me, disinfecting the holes in my chest with their care. They cried tears of relief as they began stitching up their child they’d created from their own flesh, blood, and love. I promised myself I would never let myself be caught by another snare like that again.

But my biggest mistake was let you come near again.

You slipped your forefinger into a wound next to my ribs, you yanked me back, interrupting me while I carefully sutured my sticky wounds. Giving little tugs “Can we still be friends? I will not force you to stay. You can leave whenever you want.”

But how was supposed to tell you I wanted to leave, although it was only a finger in my side, you still leaned back your entire weight. If I swatted your hand away

You would’ve landed right back on that bed of nails.

Time went on, my wounds healed a little, not completely, as I didn’t have time to tend to them. I had to tend to yours, they were leaking blood and pus, and when you held me close you would rub it all over my own wounds. You only pushed my saline solutions away, letting me watch as your wounds became more infected “Your saline does not work for me. It isn’t enough.” “You have to take of yourself first.” You said

So I did

I swatted your hand away

And I ran

I RAN

Away from you, away from those who said my wound were not real

You screamed and cried as soon as I did, attempting to hurt and cut up everyone who dared show me something that was even a little more than friendship.

Hell, even you began to say “They were the one that wounded ME, I’m the one who was pinned to the bed of nails…poor me”

Ignore the truth if you want, I can still hear you picking away at your infected scabs. Masking the scent with perfumes, menthol, and sugar.

I know you’re mad at me

But I don’t care

I’ve thrown away that floral top, those little purple shorts with the peach bleach stain, and those little bear socks that you loved so much.

Those awful cloth memories

The holes in my chest have since healed up, wind no longer blows through them. I am full again, with me