#bro took EVERYTHING wrong i did and made me sound like an abuser

[writer-ishh]

My Dungeon Meshi Modern AU Thoughts Instead of Writing My Economics Research Paper lmao

Ughhhh,,,, okay have been thinking about them all day and if one person manages to make it through the void and hear me out and talk about them with me then I’ll be happy lol.

WARNING: this is stupidly long, like I spent an absurd time writing every single little detail down. With that being said here we go:

cw//mentions and minor graphic descriptions of death, bullying, discrimination, injury, abuse, trauma, mental health issues, and abandonment

• Laios

- currently 26 and living with his sister Falin

- studying zoology part-time at the local college

- mostly does night classes since he works 1-2 jobs during the day to help pay for his and Falin’s tuition and apartment

- he and Fallin took their dog Muimui when they moved out, they also feed the local stray cats

- lived on a farm with his sister and parents when he was a kid, and is where his love of animals comes from

- however did not have the best of childhoods, as he was a frequent target for bullying due to having undiagnosed autism, and his father was very much a “nothing is wrong with you, toughen up the world isn’t going to coddle you” kind of person

- this was further cemented when he cried going hunting with his dad for the first time and refused to eat any of the deer or rabbit they had caught

- his mom had her own mental health problems that she was never diagnosed for, so often she fell into the same mindset as her husband when it came to Laios’ and Fallin’s behaviour, only she was more erratic due to her fear of one or both of her kids becoming like her

- never forgave his father after he sent Fallin off to a private middle/high school far away from their home, little did he know it was because the severe bullying Fallin was receiving was too much for her, and he wanted to send her away before she got hurt or worse

- nearly tried to run away at 16, however was caught by the police almost immediately and returned home

- completed his high school diploma and took off with Muimui without even saying goodbye to his parents, Fallin nearly joined him in the city but since she was still under guardianship of her parents, she couldn’t leave until she became an adult

- once graduated, she reunited with Laios in his apartment where they now live

- works nearly full-time at Senshi’s restaurant and works part-time as a janitor at their local zoo (he wants to be close to the animals lol)

- very busy but he makes it work, Marcille and Kabru have no idea how he does it without any meds or caffeine

- either has a worn out picture of him and Falin with their old dogs, or has a hand-made drawing of his theoretical strongest monster in his pocket that he looks at whenever he needs inspiration

- both him and Falin live wayyy out of the city center since rent is fucking abysmal downtown

- insists on taking the bus or walking everywhere since taxis and buying a bike costs too much, even if the commute is like 2 hours with 3 transfers

- despite this, he still has a drivers license

- the kind of guy you would expect to be eating leafy green tofu bowls from your local hipster vegan bistro, but is actually the kind of guy who eats the dubious $4 ground beef chubs and off-brand deli ham from walmart

- socks and slides with free college club t-shirts and cargo pants from the gap that come with like 50 pockets so he can carry all his stuff (the stuff mostly being dog treats and loose bird feed) bro has no drip aside from one outfit put together by Marcille

- uses the same highlighter blue and yellow adidas backpack he’s had since middle school, carries literally everything in there

- doesn’t listen to music, but if he does it’s rain/nature sounds with the $2 headphones you get from the dollarstore

- not much of a gym freak and usually just goes casually, prefers sports to working out (will have a protein shake but does not invest in creatine or other pre-workout supplements)

- either uses the same recyclable water bottle with the label torn off from a pack of 50 he got 3 years ago, or just uses one of his protein shake bottles I can’t decide

- hangs out with Marcille and Falin the most often (since Marcille constantly makes excuses to study with Falin at their apartment), sometimes gets smoothies or juice with Kabru if they run into each other

- hangs out with Senshi and Chilchuck less often, their time spent together is usually limited to having a beer after closing the restaurant or meeting together with everyone else to have dinner every couple months

- goal is to become a wildlife biologist when he graduates

- more to add if I think of it

• Fallin

- currently 23 and lives with Laios

- in her second year of studying veterinary medicine at their city’s main university

- grew up with Laios and her parents on their farm, also developed a deep love and appreciation for animals early on, but while Laios was more interested in the study of their behaviour, she was more interested in healing them

- also has undiagnosed autism like her brother, only when it came to her behaviours, she stood out a lot more and was subsequently bullied heavily for stimming, having major sensitivities to light and sound, self-isolating, talking to inanimate objects or “ghosts”, having a special interest in things like bugs or plants, and having a very specific schedule that adults had to help her with

- never really understood why adults or other children treated her differently, as she thought it was normal for everyone, however was still affected by having no friends aside from her brother during her younger years

- the bullying got so bad that kids began physically tormenting her, and since she never told Laios (who was in middle school and couldn’t always be with her), there was essentially no one to defend her

- very sadly culminates in an incident where she was intentionally locked in a graveyard overnight, and although she didn’t sustain any injuries she was fairly traumatized by the event, it was the final straw for her father to send her away to a private school at 12 years old to finish her education

- moved to a different city the next year where she stayed in dormitories, had her own room due to enrolling late

- also initially had a hard time making friends, and often cried since she couldn’t be with Laios, however no one bullied her for her autism and most often ignored her or gossiped

- had Marcille as a “buddy” to help her get acclimated to school life, however their relationship was quite awkward initially as Marcille thought she was unnerving and frankly a little stupid, however was completely shocked at Fallin’s nearly perfect grades

- school policy at that time stipulated that students had to return to the main hall for dinner at a certain time, however when Fallin doesn’t show up, Marcille has to look for her

- she finds Fallin at her secret hangout spot, similar to her dungeon in the anime, a corner with a group of trees and thick bushes that opened up into a grassy nook and a little pond, there they talk about what she does there and why she skips

- also similar to the anime, a fox (rather than a slime) catches them by surprise, but as Marcille tries to get it to run away by throwing rocks at it, Fallin stops her and explains it never comes closer than the tree line, she then points out that hurting while it’s already injured (has a slight limp) will cause it to die, allowing for the prey animals like squirrels and rabbits to eat away at most of the fauna surrounding the school, basically emphasizing the importance of all animals in an ecosystem and how it’s wrong to try and shift the ecosystem solely for our comfort or benefit (cheesy I know but it’s for the plot)

- she then offers Marcille the raspberries that grow on some of the bushes, and soon after Marcille asks if she would like to be friends

- they remain as friends in school only for another year, as Marcille graduates early and leaves Fallin behind much to her heartbreak, however does promise that she’ll visit and reunite with her soon

- by the time she graduates, she moves in with Laios and begins attending the same university as Marcille, there their friendship is reaffirmed, and they both start to develop feelings for one another

- full-time student but does work a few shifts at one of her university’s coffee shops whenever she can (tends to feel guilty about Laios helping her out with tuition on top of taking care of everything at home)

- in the honours program, and although she gets good grades her commitment is often questioned due to her habit of skipping

- reason for skipping is because she often does volunteer work at a nearby veterinary clinic

- unlike Laios, Fallin likes to bike to and from her classes

- it’s her main source of exercise, though she also does go to the gym if she has time, girl is absolutely built and is much stronger than she appears

- lives off of daily sweet treats and fried bologna sandwiches or tomato soup made by Laios

- frequently raids the raspberry bush growing outside hers and Laios’ apartment building, as well as the crabapple tree that technically belongs to the house next door but has its branches growing over the fence separating them

- also does not rely on excessive caffeine, but she does enjoy tea and coffee unlike Laios

- has a fjällräven backpack that Marcille gifted her for her birthday, mostly full of her textbooks but she does use it to carry rocks or sticks she finds interesting

- water bottle is a very dented bright pink hydro flask (also gifted to her by Marcille)

- has the jean shorts, tucked in t-shirt, and long cardigan look on lockdown, also wears hiking boots or converse, rarely is she seen in flipflops

- no make-up either, Marcille had to practically beg her to at least start using a clear lipgloss

- isn’t picky about music and usually just listens to whatever Marcille or Laios plays, sometimes she indulges in some lofi hiphop beats if she’s studying

- obviously best friends with Marcille but does not know she has a crush on Marcille, and thinks that her intense feelings of love and happiness are just normal girl friendship feelings (oh you poor thing)

- only vaguely knows of Senshi through the leftover food Laios sometimes brings home after his shifts, with Chilchuck she is more familiar since she sometimes visits him with Marcille on the weekends

- favourite thing is when her, Laios, Marcille, Izutsumi, Chilchuck, and Senshi all gather to get dinner together

- when it comes to her parents, she still maintains contact unlike Laios, though her messages tend to be generalized or cordial (not necessarily her intention it’s just she isn’t sure what to talk about in regards to her life beyond school)

- goal is to become a travelling wildlife vet

- more to add when I think of it

• Marcille

- is currently 26 and lives by herself (due to it being a modern au I’m imagining all races have the same lifespan of around 70-80 years)

- had probably the most normal upbringing and early adulthood out of all of the characters, both of her parents were very loving and attentive, always encouraging her and supporting her keen intellect through her hobbies

- however, they weren’t always around due to being very busy as government lawyers and often working late, she has very distinct memories of winning math and science awards as a child, looking out towards the crowd only to see her parents weren’t there

- was generally quite lonely during her childhood since she had no siblings or cousins to play with, a similar situation at school where most kids considered her stuck up or bossy when in reality she was just smart and was blunt about telling people when they were wrong about something

- is very close with Chilchuck, having known him and his family since she was little, although them all getting together was fairly rare, some of her fondest memories have been when they’d go on family trips together and she would get to play with Chilchuck’s daughters

- lost touch with him from ages 9-15 but reunited with him at 16 while he crashed at their place after his work injury and during his divorce, became very close with him during this time and developed a deep familial fondness for him despite all his teasing

- at 19 years old, she suffered a great deal of mental anguish as Chilchuck began to lose contact with her, Fallin was considering moving to a different city for university, and her father died due to a very sudden and unexpected stroke, she felt as though everyone in her life was slipping through her grasp and as a result, developed severe depression that would last until she completed her masters

- luckily, she had a good support system during that time and she was able to make it through the worst of it, however she still does struggle with motivation over simple tasks such as doing her hair or brushing her teeth

- her mood and outlook is much better though, having mostly returned to the same bubbly and dramatic personality that she once had

- is best friends with Fallin, and met her while at private school, mostly explained above, but her initial reaction of Fallin was quite negative before switching around after she realized that her way of thinking isn’t always the right one, even if the facts are right, her perspective and way of interpreting them isn’t always going to be sound

- this new perspective is what caused Marcille to become so enamoured with Fallin, eventually becoming a stupid crush that sticks with her to this day

- has her own studio apartment downtown, brand new building and everything (both parents are government lawyers so you can imagine the kind of money she has lmao)

- has a fawn floppy-eared bunny named Ambrosia

- despite her wealth, she doesn’t look down on her friends whatsoever, if anything she buys them expensive gifts as an act of kindness rather than an act of arrogance or condescension

- in the middle of attaining her phd in microbiology while doing independent research specializing in the study of telomere function

- attends the same university as Fallin

- graduated from high school at 16 and was done with her undergraduate by 19 and her masters by 21, a lot of people tend to think she’s full of herself but she often disregards them as people who don’t try hard enough

- born to carry her baby blue apple ecosystem in a cute tote bag, forced to haul her 7 biology textbooks in an ugly ass dark purple swissgear backpack she picked out when she was 12

- she has an unhealthy addiction to coffee and diet coke, literally cannot function without at least one per day

- cannot cook to save her life, lives exclusively off of pre-made grocery store meals or the sandwiches her university’s grab-n-go store sells, the kitchen aid mixer in her kitchen is practically a decoration at this point

- is actually the kind of person to be eating the leafy green tofu bowl from the local hipster vegan bistro

- has her own car and license, but lives close enough to her university to walk, Laios cannot fathom why she pays insurance every month for it but hardly uses or let anyone else use it

- I personally think she likes to rollerblade too

- jogging is her main form of exercise, but will also do yoga or calisthenics occasionally, probably the type of person to fall for a juice cleanse scam until Laios or Chilchuck scolds her for not eating enough

- I feel like she would be an intense swiftie (sorry :3) other than that, she likes the typical pop radio stuff that is played constantly

- at least she’s not a Stanley cup girl, she will use her scuffed gallon water bottle with the printed times of day until she dies

- very fashionable and loves to wear makeup, like wide leg pants or pleated skirts with penny loafers and cutesy blouses, a firm believer that any Korean makeup brand is far superior than anything Sephora could offer

- practically attached to the hip with Fallin, girl will find any excuse to study with her (the most pathetic sapphic ever someone put her out of her misery)

- otherwise, she’s buddy-buddy with Laios and Kabru but that’s about the extent of it, she’s known Chilchuck since she was little so he’s like an uncle to her

- she is quite friendly with Senshi and enjoys his cooking but hasn’t known him for a long time like the others, Izutsumi she treats like a little sister/niece and is always buying her things

- more to add when I think of it

• Chilchuck (you can tell he’s my fav because he has one of longest backstories lmao)

- currently 49 and living with Senshi and Izutsumi

- owns a two bedroom bungalow outside of downtown but still within the city, saved up for it after his divorce

- used to live in the suburbs with his ex-wife and daughters, but before that it was a shitty apartment close to where Laios lives now

- teen father, had Mayjack when he and his wife were 17 and had to graduate early so they could move out, they had Fullertom soon after and then Puckpatty by the time they were both 20, they got married at 22

- since neither could afford university at the time, Chilchuck went straight into a locksmithing trades program so he could have a decent income, his father had instilled a deep sense of responsibility and honour towards being a provider so he threw himself into his work which caused his and his wife’s initial frustration with one another

- when he was done apprenticing and when the kids were old enough to go to school, his wife went to university to begin studying teaching so she could become a professor, despite having to be home more often, Chilchuck still remained somewhat emotionally detached from his family

- by the time his daughters entered middle school, they had bought a house in the suburbs and his wife became qualified to teach

- feeling pressured by the mortgage, debt, and having to save for his daughter’s college, he began drinking more and taking a lot more hours at work, if he wasn’t working he was at the bar with his coworkers, he often didn’t come home until it was very late

- the final straw for his wife was when he showed up to work severely hungover and exhausted, then proceeded to nearly die in a home renovation project (passed out standing up and fell of a 20ft scaffolding, broke his hip and pelvis pretty badly as well as his humerus and quite a few of his ribs, also had a life-threatening brain bleed due to a skull fracture)

- at that point, all three of his daughters were already in university or trade school so his wife moved out and sold their house while Chilchuck was recovering in the hospital, she moved into a townhouse closer to the city’s main university where she still lives now with Fullertom

- having basically nothing in his savings, he crashed at Marcille’s parent’s place until he could save up a bit and get an apartment or townhouse (he and Marcille’s dad were friends in high school), essentially lived on their couch for about two years

- during this time, he became known as “Uncle Chil” by 16 year old Marcille and he developed a close uncle/niece relationship with her

- teased her as much as any uncle would, but also took her out shopping every couple of months, could never afford the stuff she wanted but he always got her lunch

- eventually, he saved up enough for the down payment of the two bedroom bungalow he lives in now and moved in, initially lost touch with Marcille but started being there for her more after her dad died, even began getting in touch with his daughters again at Marcille’s suggestion

- from then on, he took his work life more easily and tried to make time for himself in between shifts so that he didn’t feel he needs to drink himself stupid every time he came home, tried to pick up multiple hobbies and eventually settled on pottery making and brewing his own alcohol (that he sells…. mostly lol)

- meets Senshi at 42 when he is called in to install the locks and security system of the new restaurant Senshi is building, initially they had not been super friendly with each other, as Chilchuck found it infuriating how Senshi kept on wanting changes to be made to his security system, and how he was basically a walking construction accident waiting to happen

- once everything was finished however, Senshi offered Chilchuck a free dinner at his place as an apology for being stubborn, and unable to say no to free food (and alcohol) Chilchuck agrees

- they become friends after the dinner, however proceed to dance around each other for another 4 years until Marcille threatens to tell Senshi about Chilchuck’s feelings if he doesn’t confess himself

- Chilchuck does eventually confess (during a very charged “guy’s trip” to a resort in Mexico) and they start dating, after the trip, Senshi and Izutsumi move into Chilchuck’s place where they still currently live

- thanks to living with Senshi, Chilchuck adopts a more healthy lifestyle where he stops smoking, eats more, and drinks less, in return, he helps Senshi manage Izutsumi during her teen years as well as help out around his restaurant when he has time

- is generally living comfortably now, with a nice salary and more free time to commit to his hobbies, despite this he still deeply cares about his work and is a union man at heart who is always willing to rally behind his coworkers and organize when something happens

- mostly listens to 80s dad rock and some 90s grunge, is very proud of his CD collection

- dresses similar to Laios, however ditches the college club t-shirt and cargo shorts for polos shirts and chino shorts or dress shirts and casual slacks, also wears tacky boomer sandals for his feet or his construction boots

- drives a land rover defender that he bought in high school, cares for it deeply but isn’t a car guy by any means, he does the bare minimum maintenance to keep it safe and functional

- carries his minimal stuff in a sling bag and lunch cooler, but he also has a survival backpack in the back of his land rover for emergencies

- is a Stanley cup owner, has two, one from the 70s that his dad gave to him, and another white modern one from Marcille, his older one is covered in princess stickers from when his daughters were young

- pretentious black coffee drinker, makes fun of Izutsumi all the time for the amount of simple syrup and cream she puts into her iced coffee

- is okay at cooking, but is definitely more of a grill master, never ask him to deep fry anything though

- is also surprisingly handy thanks to the skills his dad passed onto him, speaking of his family, he isn’t very close to his mother and siblings since they all moved back to their home continent after Chilchuck graduated, he still sometimes travels alone on special holidays or on the anniversary of his father’s death but only if he can afford it

- is now a supervisor of his own crew, initially he wanted to own his own locksmith company, but he also wants to retire soon so he needs to save up as much as he can

- has two main friend groups, one he refers to as “the freaks” which includes Laios, Marcille, Fallin, Kabru, Izutsumi, and Senshi, and the other he refers to as “work” which includes Namari, Mickbell, Kuro, and Dandan

- is closest to Senshi and Marcille, seeing them as his family, however is a bit more distant with Izutsumi since he doesn’t want to automatically take on a “step-dad” role in her life, the reasoning mainly stems from his respect of her and her decisions on who she gets to let in her life, but is also because he wants to avoid things becoming awkward between them

- is, if not begrudgingly, friendly with Laios and Fallin, deep down he cares about them more than he lets on, is mostly cordial with Kabru

- is surprisingly close to Namari, however they keep their relationship strictly within their workplace and the bar they sometimes hit up afterwards

- is closer to his ex-wife and daughters now, having dinner once a month at his ex-wife’s house, they still haven’t really reconciled but they’ve allowed each other to move on

- more to add when I think of it

• Senshi (also super long please forgive me)

- is currently 52 and living with Chilchuck and his adopted daughter Izutsumi

- lives in Chilchuck’s house, but used to own a condo near the restaurant he used to work for

- when he was a child, he lived on an entirely separate continent in the remote far north, the village he grew up in was known for its mining industry, most of the community including his parents were miners, however an accident killed his father and cancer killed his mother when he was a baby, so his father’s friend Gillin took Senshi in when he was 2

- due to the mining culture surrounding the village, it was expected that Senshi also become a miner when he grew up, this coupled with the hyper-masculine ideas of honouring his late father and carrying on the bloodline, made Senshi not really put in much effort into school since he believed it had no use for him, a decision that would later hinder his career and degree options greatly

- once graduated from high school, Gillin immediately had Senshi take his safety courses and get his certification so he could get a job as soon as possible, with some references from Gillin himself, Senshi was able to land a beginner’s position within the company Gillin was in

- worked 7 years mining coal until the mine ran dry and he had to look for work elsewhere, jumped positions between 3-4 companies over another 8 years mining iron and copper until he landed a 2 year contract at a remote but booming silver mine

- was put into a 6 man team composed of himself, Gillin, Brigan, Invar, Totan, and Noor, where they would descend into a highly unregulated and dangerous mountain mine and extract the massive veins of silver, they all were paid well, but the conditions were next to abysmal

- 1 year and 9 months into the contract, a rockslide on the south side of the mountain caused a cheap tunnel support to collapse over the only exit leading out of the stope they were mining in, effectively trapping them indefinitely

- luckily they had a ventilation shaft, but none of them could fit inside and escape or yell for attention since they were trapped over 200ft deep and 500ft in the mountain, so their only option was to ration their food and wait for help to arrive

- they do try to escape in other ways, such as mining through the collapsed support, however this only leads to injury among the group, and as much as Senshi wanted to help, he was under strict instruction by Gillin not to over-exert himself, even though he wasn’t a kid anymore, he still had the most strength and wits among them all, this also results in him receiving the most food much to Brigan’s rage

- in an attempt to be useful, Senshi started drawing up the maps of the mine to see if there was a tunnel close by they could mine into

- as more time passes and they realized no one would be coming to help them, their escape attempts become much more desperate, one attempt to blow up the collapsed tunnel entrance with their remaining explosives leads to the death of Totan, another attempt to start mining over the collapsed tunnel entrance leads to the death of Noor, one last attempt to remove the panelling lining the ventilation shaft so they could be able to fit through leads to the death of Invar, leaving only Brigan, Gillin, and Senshi left

- after six weeks of being trapped under ground, Brigan mentally snaps and tries to cannibalize Senshi so they could eat his flesh, this leads to a physical altercation between Gillin and Brigan which ends in an unstable overhang of rock to collapse and crush Brigan and for Gillin to succumb to his wounds and exhaustion

- alone and starving, Senshi realizes he is now skinny enough to fit through the ventilation shafts and crawl his way out, he uses a combination of ropes and support spikes to help aid him, but soon quickly realizes he mostly has to navigate in the dark

- for two more weeks, Senshi follows the map he memorized and the feeling of airflow to make his way out, only surviving off of his remaining water, in the end he managed to crawl out of a shaft just outside the mining camp

- relived and also deeply saddened, Senshi remains near the shaft until some workers doing a perimeter check find him in the morning, he is promptly taken into the hospital to treat his injuries

- after explaining the situation to the police and his boss, his boss offers him a $30,000 payout to keep quiet and say nothing, the officers say it is possible to take his boss and the company to court, however it would likely put him into massive debt trying to find a good lawyer, in the end Senshi takes the money and leaves the camp for his village

- what’s left to him by Gillin is another $50,000 in savings and property assets, the rest is given to his remaining family, the first thing Senshi buys with the money is his adamantine pot and mythril knife, using both to make a soup Gillin would often feed him, and leaving five bowls of it outside of the collapsed silver mine before moving out of his village for good at aged 35

- he moves to the continent and city where all the other characters are currently living, buying his condo and deciding to enter into 4 year culinary school program

- during these 4 years, Senshi comes to realize that cooking is his true passion, finding it immensely rewarding and fulfilling, and even though he didn’t make many friends due to his unorthodox taste and recipes, it was still the most happy he’s ever been

- about 1 year after graduating and getting a job as the main line cook for a high end restaurant, Senshi meets and adopts 5 year old Izutsumi

- he initially sees her wandering around the green belt outside and behind the restaurant, kicking rocks and occasionally running and hiding in trees, he was always worried she was homeless, however would always see she was gone by the time he was done his shifts

- around five months of this, Izutsumi notices and begins to approach Senshi, as if she had wanted food, Senshi would usually offer some of his packed lunches or leftovers and she would always accept and sit next to him while they ate

- Izutsumi usually never spoke but was always ravenous, Senshi often worried that she was being abused, but whenever he would ask she would always say no, and since she was a healthy weight and never had any bruises or welts, Senshi reluctantly believed her, after that though he began packing more food

- eventually, a woman (Maizuru) approaches Senshi after one of his shifts and bluntly asked if he would like to take care of Izutsumi from then on, baffled he asked who she was and why she knew he was feeding Izutsumi, and she explained that she is her caretaker

- she also explained that since Izutsumi seemed to trust and respect Senshi the most, that he would be the best person to give her a chance at a normal life and raise her into an adjusted adult, due to the fact that she has no regard or interest or respect in her or the rest of her foster family, she then conceded that her question was rather sudden, but still implored Senshi to take her into his care or otherwise she would be forced into an orphanage

- thinking of Gillin, and with the wound of his crew’s death still in his mind Senshi, perhaps impulsively, agrees to take Izutsumi in, much to Maizuru’s delight and thankfulness

- the next day, she returns with Izutsumi and her things and tells Senshi that she will handle most of the legal paperwork aside from the few forms that he will have to sign

- from that point onward, he took care of Izutsumi and made sure she got through school, although she wasn’t completely responsive and obedient, he was still very patient and understanding with her, except for the first few times she would keep on running away from school to join him for his lunch breaks

- they have a very trusting relationship with one another, and Senshi is the only one Izutsumi will open up to, Senshi often encouraged her talent of athleticism by signing her up for various sports, he was and still is very attentive towards her needs and is always feeding her the things she likes (and dislikes)

- Senshi works at the restaurant for another 9 years, simultaneously saving up for his own restaurant and saving for Izutsumi’s college, at age 45 he meets Chilchuck during the construction of his restaurant and they form a close friendship

- subsequently, he is introduced to Marcille, Fallin, Laios, and even Kabru, but still mostly interacts with Chilchuck and Itsuzumi

- however he is quite close with Laios since he works as a server at his restaurant and is very enthusiastic about his cooking technique, flavour pallet, and types of dishes he serves

- at age 49, he officially opens his restaurant and starts dating Chilchuck, the three of them all move in together and become a household unit

- is now very happy with where he is at in life, works and manages his restaurant while still making time for Izutsumi and her hobbies, is very close with Chilchuck and becomes the first person he opens up to about his past and what he went through, generally the grossest and most sappiest old couple you will ever meet

- made a Senshi-sized hole deep into the fabric of Chilchuck’s home, converting his backyard into a full vegetable and flower garden that he maintains, is super proud about it and often leaves the prettiest flowers on Chilchuck’s side of the bed or in a vase on Izutsumi’s bedside table

- head-chef and owner of his restaurant, his favourite part is being able to cook what he wants for a very specific audience (people like Laios)

- his food is not super high-end but also not like a family diner either, a healthy mix of both, like kid friendly while still being classy and opulent enough to take someone out on a date there

- drives his beloved suzuki carry to and from work every day, does a good job maintaining it on his own despite it being boring according to him

- I honestly don’t really know what Senshi would listen to, I feel like the most in character for him would be folk music from his home country or bossa nova i can’t really decide

- coffee with lots of sugar but no cream or milk, prefers drinking black tea with milk and honey if he has a choice

- bag is a basic backpack with minimal items like wallet, keys, lipbalm, mints, etc… always has a change of clothes in case his gets dirty at work, also has extra hair and beard nets, some stuff for Izutsumi is in there too

- water bottle is also a vintage stanley cup, but his is wayyy more dented than Chilchuck’s and older (from like the 50s) refuses to buy anything else until it is unusable, has had the same piece of duct tape sealing a leak near the bottom for the past 20 years

- also can’t decide if he’s a t-shirt or Hawaiian shirt kind of guy, probably a healthy mix of both, also mostly wears shorts or a kilt-like garment native to his home country, lives exclusively in sandals you will never find him in close-toed shoes unless he’s working

- funny story deriving from this fact, the first impression Chilchuck ever had of Senshi (aside from “damn he’s kinda hot”) was “oh my god how the fuck is this guy not dead” due to the fact that Senshi showed up to the construction sight with flip flops, no safety helmet, and no safety vest on whatsoever

- more to add when I think of it

• Izutsumi (still a cat-girl in this universe)

- currently 17 and living with Senshi and Chilchuck

- used to live with the Nakamoto’s as a foster child, however hated living there due to the unfamiliarity and attempts at sweeping her past trauma under the rug and refusing to treat her for it

- life before the Nakamoto’s is fuzzy, it’s implied by her councillor and confirmed by Maizuru later on that she was raised by her mother until she died or abandoned her at 3 years old, was then placed into the care of another foster home who physically and verbally abused her, keeping her chained up in the basement most of the day and hardly feeding her, if not forgetting about her all together

- she was taken in by the Nakamoto’s at aged 4, and had a very hard time managing her due to her stunted social skills, anger issues, and delayed language development manifesting itself in avoidance behaviours such as running away and lashing out violently

- had frequent nightmares during this time, resulting in her becoming very clingy during the night

- would often run away to the green belt close to her house, the same green belt that was connected to Senshi’s restaurant

- initially only approached him because of the smell of food, her prior abuse and malnutrition resulted in an early form of binge eating, so she often sought any sight, smell, or taste food as a way of safety and comfort

- unlike all her previous caretakers, she found Senshi to not be malicious or uncaring towards her, especially after he started sharing and bringing food for her, her ease around him didn’t go unnoticed by Maizuru who then offered Senshi the deal to take care of her

- initially hated living in Senshi’s condo since the small space reminded her of the basement she was kept in, but soon found it to be much more comfortable if she could smell the food Senshi would make

- Received counselling for her trauma and slowly began to get better, however she would still frequently act out or skip school as a coping mechanism, however, Senshi helped her regulate her energy and emotions through signing her up for various sports, she did volleyball, hockey, wrestling, swimming, etc… until she settled on gymnastics and Muay Thai

- has somewhat of a complex towards love and attachment, in that she doesn’t fully believe an individual cares for her or loves her so will often do whatever she likes both because she doesn’t think it affects the other person that much and because it will prevent people from wanting to get close to her and have a meaningful relationship, a complex that stems from her past abuse

- is now in a much better headspace than she was in, as she has two caretakers who are patient and understanding with her, but are also willing to discipline her and prepare her for the outside world, she also has a good external support system and even a friend at school whom she often hangs out with

- she is currently in her junior year of high school, with decent grades, but only because Senshi and Chilchuck want her to do well so she has more options for university

- her best subjects are science, phsy ed., english, has a hard time with social studies and math

- her one friend her age is Tade as they both are frequently sent to the after-school homework program to help improve their grades, Izutsumi is usually good at shouldering off her homework to her in exchange for ice cream or food, but she’s usually caught and forced to do double the work

- Tade is also a foster kid of the Nakamoto’s, in fact she was the one Izutsumi would usually go to sleep with if she had a nightmare, so they never hang out at her house and either stay at Izutsumi’s house or hang out at the local park/mall

- is very talented athletically, and has won multiple awards at gymnastics and Muay Thai competitions

- still a ravenous eater, but with a crazy fast metabolism so she gains almost no weight, still picky with vegetables and mushrooms but will still eat them as long as their hidden in her food well enough

- coffee flavoured milk drinker, if there’s even a hint of bitterness in her coffee she’s throwing it out

- is into most old alternative or indie rock, appreciates Chilchuck’s taste in music immensely, she’s been learning how to play the bass recently

- has been learning basic recipes from Senshi and can manage a few dishes on her own, is much better at baking overall, never leave her alone with the blowtorch or barbecue though

- aside from sports, she enjoys playing video games and sleeping, she likes mostly storytelling or competitive console games like Skyrim, God of War, and Call of Duty

- bag is a simple black backpack that has all of her papers and textbooks haphazardly shoved in with no regard for neatness or organization, on a good day a pencil will be in there too

- water bottle is non-existent, she uses drinks from the school water fountain as an excuse to get out of class and wander around for a bit

- is old enough to drive and has her license, but doesn’t have her own car yet and still has to catch the bus, if she does drive it’s Senshi’s suzuki, Chilchuck let her drive his land rover once and she backed into a pole

- lives in crop tops and shorts, is actually quite fashionable but doesn’t have the energy or motivation to pull anything off, either wears converse, slides, crocs, or doc martens as footwear, most would describe her style as grunge-ish

- makeup is hit or miss, sometimes she can muster some concealer and eyeliner, but for the most part she just washes her face and nothing else, she is big into jewelry though and likes to wear lots of accessories

- has been allowed to pierce her ears quite extensively, as well as her nose, however both Senshi and Chilchuck have drawn the line at any other face piercings until she’s an adult, much to her dismay

- outside of Senshi, Chilchuck, and Tade, she is probably the most friendly with Marcille and Fallin as they frequently visit and interact with her, Marcille especially loves to spoil Izutsumi with treats and gifts since she never had a little cousin growing up

- Izutsumi likes Fallin for her quietness and ability to keep out of her business, however saw first hand how weird she can be when she held up a massive rhinoceros beetle without even flinching, also when she kept on excusing herself to their backyard to go snack on their strawberry plants

- Laios and Kabru she knows of, also finds Laios to be very weird but is less friendly about it than she is with Fallin, his lack of understanding of social cues also confuses her

- more to add when I think of it

AND THATS IT!!! This was stupidly long, I hope I didn’t bore you to death lol. I’ll probably do another one of these so I can include Chilchuck’s daughters, Kabru, Namari, etc… maybe with some additions to the main cast, but yeah that’s about the extend of it, hope you enjoyed :3

[sonicslushie]

The Angels That Answer Pt. 2~P.P.

A/N: Sorry this took so long but finally a part two to when the devil's calling so if you haven't read that go read!!! My highschool math teacher always talked about 21 days to form a habit and that shit stuck with me bro. Also, cheesy ass title ik, but idk it sounded good at the time. gif is giving peter's reaction to the end part

as promised here’s the playlist that i write to

Pairing: Peter Parker x Stark!Reader 

Summary: Sobriety comes with its challenges. But it also creates new beginnings, thanks to Peter and your dad. 

TW: mentions of alcohol abuse, bad language, past trauma, mention of death, angst, probably some writing errors lol 

Word Count: 4k

Twenty One days. 

It takes 21 days to form a habit, and 90 days to make a permanent lifestyle change. You happened to be on day 34, a little over a month since you took that fateful tumble off of your balcony and into the arms of Peter Parker. Thirty-four days of being sober, training and making healthy lifestyle choices, focusing on your work with Peter. At first it was the hardest thing you had ever done. The withdrawal symptoms were no fucking joke, you were really shaking and nauseous all the time, more irritable than normal. Then all of the sudden you started feeling good, like, really good.You had been going to therapy and that helped a lot, and the day you went to your therapist and told her you were feeling good, she asked why. The only answer you could give was your new friendship with Peter. 

Your friendship with Peter Parker was like nothing you ever had before. Sure you had friends, but nobody really got you. Peter did, and he listened, and he told you about himself and you got him. It was all new, this feeling that wasn’t loneliness. He filled a hole in your life that you didn’t know needed filled. He had quickly become your best friend, having to spend all of your time together. He was funny, he paid attention to you more than anyone else in your life and you loved that. But not only that, he knew when you needed space and would give it to you with no hesitation. When he knew you were thinking about finding a way to get to a bottle, he would stay with you and distract you, he would go on rambles about whatever was on his mind that day, and most of all he made you feel like everything was going to be okay. 

And right now it was. 

You spent your days working on accessories for the Avengers, brilliant ideas flowed from you, Tony and Peter would help you bring those ideas to life. You felt like you were actually making a difference, it felt like you had some sort of purpose. It was a nice feeling that kept all those bad thoughts away, kept the need for alcohol and partying at bay. You were doing good and everyone in your life had noticed the changes in you. 

Everyone except the media. 

Sure the articles had calmed down, there was only something written about you every once in a while. The last one was a rumor that you were dead, you had woken up to texts from the friends you used to go out with asking if you were okay, calls from a few acquaintances. You had to make a public statement on Twitter telling everyone that you were fine and doing good, leading to another article saying that you had gone to rehab or some bullshit. It angered you, but a bit of sparring in the gym did the trick to get a bit of that boiling rage out of you. 

That was the thing though, no matter how much you trained, focused your energy on something good, the whole world was still going to see you as this stupid girl who got herself into all kinds of trouble. You realized you had done it to yourself, but god, people change.

You had done some thinking in your time of sobriety, why you had done it all. Of course it was to fill that piece of yourself that was missing since your mother died. But you had realized you had also done it for the attention it gave you. Don’t get me wrong, Tony Stark gave you all the attention in the world, he tried to give you everything. He knew it hit you the hardest when your mother died, but it took something away from him too. He needed his time to mourn, but it had taken time. All that time you spent by yourself, wondering why that had to happen to you, wondering why your father wasn’t there to take away all that pain, it took a piece of you and set it on fire. Your life had been full of hellfire since then, you wanted so badly to tell your father how him disappearing into his work when you needed him made you feel. But every time you tried (due to your therapist telling you that you needed to talk to him about it, clear the air), you lost every single word that came to mind. Because looking at him, seeing how happy he was now that you were doing okay, you couldn’t take that away. The world thought that you were cruel, but you weren’t that cruel. 

So you stayed silent. 

And now it was day 35, things were still looking good. You woke up, went to the gym with Sam, worked in the lab with Peter on some new tech for Bucky, went to therapy and talked about how you were doing, you even attended family movie night. Peter stayed for movie night, you all had decided on Encanto, everyone loved it. It even made you cry, relating to Mirabel in a way that hit a little too close to home, you cuddled close to Peter as you cried. Then, Peter left, most of the Avengers went to bed, until it was only you and Tony. 

There was a bit of silence at first after saying goodnight to Steve, but there was something on Tony’s mind. He felt like now was the perfect time to ask about it after watching Encanto. I mean they all made up in the end and it brought everyone closer. You know what they always say, life imitates art. 

“Hey kid, I’ve been meaning to ask you something for a bit now,” Tony starts, he’s usually got a way with words to make any situation not awkward, but that superpower seems to be failing him now. 

You look up at him, still reeling from that movie and how good it was, “Shoot.” 

“Why don’t you call me dad anymore? I don’t think I’ve heard you call me dad since…” He didn’t want to say it, since your mom died. But it was true. 

You knew what he was going to say, he didn’t have to finish the sentence. The question caught you completely off guard, you had almost gotten up and walked away right there. But this was the perfect opening for that conversation your therapist had been telling you you had to have. And you did have to have it, it just scared you. You knew Tony didn’t mean to hurt you, but he did. And if you were really being honest here, you never really got over it. 

A beat of silence to collect yourself, you breathe just as Peter taught you to overcome anxiety, and you spoke, “I honestly never thought you noticed, but I’m going to be honest, this is going to be a hard conversation to have. You ready?” 

Surprised by the preface, Tony nods for you to go ahead. 

“After mom died, you disappeared. I was 8 and I just needed my dad. I had Happy and I love him, but it wasn’t the same. You left me alone when I needed you, some guidance, and honestly- a fucking hug. It didn’t feel like I had a dad anymore and I was angry. I’m still angry, but I’ve learned how to bear it better.” You say, finally feeling like this could be the final step in getting better. 

“I- I know. I failed you and I’ve realized that in the past few years. But you have to understand that when she died, it did something to me too, Junior. I thought that if you saw me at my lowest, it wouldn’t help you.” He explains, and you had known that in your head, but in your heart you still just wanted him to know that it didn’t make it any better. The damage was already done. 

“Listen, I know. Grief is a funny thing, huh?” You said, trying to give some light to the situation. Tony didn’t say anything to that, seemingly in his own head. “I just want you to know, I might still be upset about it, but it doesn’t make me love you any less.” 

“It’s been awhile since I’ve heard that too,” he chuckles, moving to sit next to you. He opens up his arms for a hug, it takes you a second to register what he’s trying to do, but then it hits you. You basically slam your body into his, relishing in the warmth of your father. It might have been a little late, but late is better than never. 

“And just so you know, I love you too, kid. More than anything,” he whispers into your hair, he missed this. Holding his little girl, protecting her. It had been years since he’s even been within arms length of you. Maybe everything was actually changing for the better. 

You two stayed like that for awhile, you ended up falling asleep in Tony’s arms like you had done so many times before when you were a little girl. He carried you to bed, tucked you in with your Spiderman Squishmallow (a gift from Peter, you made fun of him for a whole week after but you loved it), and before he left your room, he smiled at the thought of having his little girl back. 

The next few days were pretty much the same, growing in the right direction. You even had spent some more one on one time with Tony, growing even closer after your little conversation. Even your therapist was proud of you! Everything was going amazing. 

This weekend your father and Peter planned a surprise one month of sobriety party for you, inviting your closest friends and family so it wouldn’t be so overwhelming. A party was a fineline for you, you had explained to Peter once, you didn’t know if something big would throw you off this new found good behavior. You didn’t really want to find out. So they planned it to be more of a get together, just celebrating you and everything you accomplished in the past month and few days. Nothing big, just a bit of an appreciation thing, ya know? 

The day had come and you had no idea what was going on. Peter was acting suspicious the entire day, but you just thought it was because he was there on a weekend when he was supposed to spend that time with May. He had done it before then go a very angry call from May about 3 hours into the day, he immediately went home after that. But no call from May came, and you were clueless to anything that was going on around you. 

Until Peter had given you a little present and told you to open it after he left, and to do whatever the little card said. It wasn’t something new, Peter was always giving you little gifts. You could say it was his love language, anytime he saw something that reminded him of you, he would give it to you. And every time there was a note, you had kept all of them in a little shoe box under your bed where your alcohol used to live. Every note made a piece of your heart grow, and made your feelings for Peter a little less platonic. 

Once Peter left, you immediately opened the gift, excited to see what the note had to say this time. You open the heart shaped piece of paper first, it read: 

Saw this and knew it would look out of this world on you. Red really is your color. Be ready at 8. Wear the dress<3

You held the note to your heart in a schoolgirl manner, not even caring how silly it must have looked to FRIDAY. You put the note down and pull the dress out of the bag, it was a sparkly red bodycon dress. A bit on the shorter side, but it was beautiful. You also wondered where Peter could have gone to find this dress- and how he afforded it. He left the price tag on it and it was $150, there was no way he had that kind of spending money just laying around. The other day he had asked to borrow 5 bucks for an icecream while you two were walking around New York. That’s what rang some bells in your head. 

He was planning something for you. And your father was probably involved if he was spending that kind of money on you. 

It was kind of them, so you decided to go along with it. You just hoped that there wasn’t going to be a bunch of people there. 

You got ready, seeing as it was already 7 and you had to take your everything shower. 

Hair washed, everything shaved, and your nicest perfume on, you were ready. It felt weird getting ready to go out again, so weird that you couldn’t even put on music in fear of getting into that party mindset again. You had done your hair and makeup in complete silence, almost growing tired and wanting to take a nap afterwards. But you didn’t, and you felt good. It had been a while since you got all done up to go out somewhere. Almost every day this past month and few days you had been in workout clothes with no makeup, it was nice to feel pretty again. 

And that dress that Peter got you was your color. The red made you feel confident, and thinking about how Peter thinking about you in this dress made something in your stomach tingle. It excited you that he was going to see you in it. 

The note wasn’t specific about where to meet him at 8, so you decided to go out into the living room to show off your new getup to anyone that was around. Upon entering, you found Peter and Tony standing there, Peter with balloons and your father with flowers, both looking very damper. 

“Now what could all this possibly be for?” You say, taking in everything. You hugged your dad, smelling the flowers and saying thank you. Then you did a little spin for Peter in the dress, his face going almost as red as it, as he smiled at you. 

“You’ve achieved one month of sobriety, we wanted to celebrate you. And I knew that dress was going to look amazing on you,” he said sweetly, Tony eyeballed him but didn’t say anything about how short the dress was. (A dad is gonna be a dad, and Tony could have smacked the fuck out of that boy.) 

“Well that’s sweet of you two, I love it.” You say, staying close to Peter as your father says, “We made reservations at Atomix, we would have done it on the actual day of your one month, but it was tough to get. Even for me, and I’m the Tony Stark. The Iron Man, if you will.” 

You and Peter both laugh at the way your dad motions to himself, you loved this. The easy going nature of your father, and now having Peter at your side. It was perfect, everything you had going. It made sobriety easier knowing you had all the support in the world, even if it was these two goons at the center of it all. 

The three of you left, you and Peter taking a separate car from your father. You loved him, but you wanted to hang out with your comfort person for a bit before the “celebration”. You knew Peter wouldn’t do anything you weren’t comfortable with, but you were still nervous to go out. And you knew there would be alcohol at the joint, but if Peter was there with you, you would be okay. 

The way there was filled with all of your favorite music, a playlist curated by Peter Parker himself. He wouldn’t admit it to you, or anyone, but he loved Taylor Swift almost as much as you did. He knew every word and sang right along with you, both of you singing at the top of your lungs, you laughing as Peter tried to hit the high notes. 

You all arrived, and you found all of the Avengers already there, and a few of your friends from the lab. Nothing you couldn’t handle. 

You said your hellos and did your rounds, then sat down to enjoy your night with everyone, Peter on your left and your father on your right. 

Everything was going pretty great, you had a little appetizer and even indulged in a Coca Cola- you had only allowed yourself to drink water and orange juice the past month. The main course came out and you were astonished at all the food, and you pigged out. It was great, all of your favorite people were there, your tummy was full, and you hadn’t even been thinking about the people around you drinking. Of course none of the people at your table drank alcohol out of respect for you, but you truly believed if they had, you wouldn’t have cared. You were having a wonderful sober time. Something you never thought you would be able to do. 

But here you were, doing it. You were proud of yourself. Of course you had a great support system, but you gave yourself credit. You did this. You chose to get better and you did. Twenty-one days to form a habit, ninety to form a permanent lifestyle change. You were a little over a third of the way through, and if you kept feeling like this, you would never have another drink in your life. 

Dessert came out and just when you thought you couldn’t eat anymore, they brought out your favorite cake. It was probably the best thing you had in forever. The moistness of it enveloped your tongue and the pure bliss it brought you was better than any high you had before. Yup. This was heaven. It had to be. 

Dinner was finished and the guests started leaving, you and Peter left a little before your father so you guys would drive around New York and rock out. Only, when you stepped out of the restaurant, there was a horde of paparazzi, they were lined up down the street. They were already talking to some of the Avengers before you and Peter had gotten outside, Steve was trying to get them to leave, Sam was enjoying answering the questions and taking pictures, Bucky looked as if he were going to stab someone. 

You looked around in surprise, though you knew you shouldn’t have been surprised. I mean you get all of the Avengers in one spot, the word was bound to get out to the media. God, they were just giving the papers something to write about. 

The flashing caused your anxiety to peak, your eyes went fuzzy as people took notice of you and started shouting your name. They said anything to grab your attention and get you over to them, but Peter was pulling you behind him and trying to just get you to the car. It was a good night, he wasn’t going to let them ruin it. 

“Y/n, Y/n, over here! Is this your newest boy toy?” 

“Y/n do you plan on going out tonight? You’re looking good, girl!” 

“Any plans on knocking another bodyguard on their ass?” 

“Little Stark is dating her father’s intern! Man what a good story this is going to be, do you have anything to say?” 

“Y/n, is there a relapse in the making tonight?” 

That last one was what made you turn on your heel, the rage you had tried so hard to get rid of boiling right back to the top. You give them an inch, they take a mile. And you were about to give them a whole fucking marathon. 

Peter tried to pull you away, but you were cemented to the ground in front of all the cameras and reporters. You were going to give them what they wanted. 

“You all want to know how my life has been since I’ve been gone? Well here it is: I’ve been sober for 42 days. I decided to get sober after I had a little accident that brought me to this guy right here, Peter Parker. Well I was told to get sober by my dad, who has supported me all the way through it, right alongside Peter. And every single one of my family, who you’ve been harassing since they left the building. I’ve been working, I’ve been going to the gym, and getting my shit together. I haven’t even thought about touching another drop. For a long time I never thought I’d be able to live without going out and partying, but here I am, and I honestly have to say it was the best decision of my life. You all thought I was some crazy, cruel piece of shit. And I was. But I did it all for the attention and to feel alive. You gave it to me. But you know what, I did some thinking; some of the questions led me to more questions, but I did get some answers. Now? I’m owning my power, I’m taking back my life, and… Well, I’m falling in love. The day I met Peter, he saved my life both physically and metaphorically. I thought maybe I should just walk away from it all, but he showed me that maybe I should stay. So yeah, I think I’m gonna stay around for a while like this. That’s all I have to say, goodnight losers.” 

Then you grab Peter’s hand and lead him to the car. 

In the car, it hit you, what you had said. You said that you were falling in love with Peter. And you had that feeling for a while, but you never really realized. Everything that Peter was and did, it was good. He was good. And he made you feel something you hadn’t felt in a long time; alive. He made you want to get better and want to do things that bettered the world. He made you laugh, he made you happy, he made you want more from life. 

So yeah, you were falling for Peter Parker. You just didn’t mean for him to find out like this- hell you didn’t mean for yourself to find out like this. 

“Listen what I said-” 

“Did you mean it?” He asked, not turning the car on yet. He looked at you in the darkness, his gaze setting your body on fire. 

“I did. But I didn’t mean for you to find out like that, it was rude and not a moment to be shared with them.” You said them as if you were spitting out poison. You truly hated paparazzi. So fucking nosy. 

“Y/n you don’t-” 

“I get it if you're mad at me, I would be too.” 

“I’m no-” 

“It was stupid of me to give them what they wanted, I should have just kept my mouth shut.” 

“You’re not listening-” 

“And god those motherfuckers-” 

Peter could not get a word in, not with your rambling induced by your anxiety, so he decided to show you how he was feeling. He grabbed you by your chin, and pressed a soft kiss to your lips to get you to shut the fuck up. He kissed you once, with such soft unspoken words. Then he started speckling your face with kisses, your cheeks, lips, nose, eyes, forehead. He kissed every part of your face, with enough goofiness that it got you to calm down and even giggle. 

“Sooooo, you’re not mad at me?” You asked as he pulled away, getting his point across. 

“If you had let me talk, you would know that I’m in love with you. Everything I’ve done was to show you how much you mean to me, and knowing you feel the same way… That’s the best feeling ever. I’m in love with you, Y/n Stark. And I’m never going to stop as long as this heart doesn’t stop beating.” He places your hand on his heart, holding it there with such tenderness. 

“It’s yours,” he whispers, you press one last kiss to his lips. 

“I’ll cherish it forever.”

[brwnicons]

bro, i miss you so much🥹 but on your last posts, i decide to send a request and my apologise if i did the wrong way of sending request !!!11!!1! 🫶🏼

😡💔🫂📖 with Stede Bonnet !!11!! anyways have great day/night, sweetie (´ω`) you can do other request or ignore this!!

-🦈

☆ You sent it perfectly, thank you! I'm so sorry for stopping writing so suddenly. I abused too much of my hyperfocus states I grew so tired I couldn't write anything. However this time I'll be taking things easy and healthy! Btw I love sharks!! 🦈💛 ☆

😡💔🫂📖 + Stede Bonnet

1k followers event: Send me 3/4 emojis and a character and I'll try to write something <3

-> Resume: Stede and Reader have a fight and Lucius steps in to solve everything before either of you dumbasses throw yourselves off to the sea because it seems like you two can't be apart for more than 5 minutes. 1.8k words (~7 min)

-> Tags: GN!Reader, First Mate Reader, Stede Bonnet x reader, Blackbeard didn't arrive at the Revenge here, Angst?? It doesn't feel like it, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Lucius should be paid for his therapy service. Talk it through my ass, Mr Bonnet.

-> Warnings: None

Please tell me if you see any mistake!

The atmosphere is uncomfortable and the tension surrounding the galley could be cut with a knife. Nobody talked and everyone would slightly flinch at the sound of cluttering.

The fight you had previously had with captain Stede was heard in every bit of the ship and it had been so strange to see you both shouting at each other that everyone else were left petrified. And now? You were eating with the crew for the first time in months, with a frown on your face and handling the cutlery roughly, as if instead of stabbing some steak you were stabbing Stede.

Lunch went abnormally peacefully and without any argument and when everyone was finished you headed to were Roach was cleaning up the dishes and remains.

—Let me help you— You offered Roach as you took a plate and a sponge and started scrubbing. Roach only shrugged in response and stepped aside to give you more space.

As you were both working in silence, you were able to notice his ocasional side glances on your head and his sometimes hesitating breaths, as if he were deciding whether your situation actually was or was not none of his business. After a couple of minutes he sighed and decided to ask.

— Uh... you OK? That seemed like a pretty much intense argument. We expected you two to take out your swords and all.— He tried to brush it off with a bit of humor and a indifferent pitch but you caught that he wanted something. Maybe it was comforting you (something kind of odd knowing Roach's personality) or he was trying to get fuel for the crew's gossip. Your current mood didn't let you think of his intentions as friendly and so you glared at him and left the dishes in complete silence, leaving through the door right after.

What you didn't know was that a certain scribe had been intently watching the scene.

————

As the day progressed the deck's atmosphere began losing its previous tension and recovered its usually cheerfulness. You grabbed a broom and decided to busy yourself with some sweeping.

— Now, spit it. What the hell happened with you both before?—

You rose your head to meet Lucius' eyes next to you. He was sitting on the deck's stairs with his hands supporting his head.

— It's none of your business, Lucius— you turned to leave when you heard him stand up.

—None of- None of my business?! Dear, you've been nothing like yourself since that fight. You both never even fight!— he approached you and put his hands on your shoulders to make you look at him.

—Remeber when you helped me when Pete and I fought? About all the corny things you told me?— You looked down at the memory of asking Lucius to recall every time he and Pete cuddled or how happy he made him —Let me help you this time—.

You accepted your fate and sat down with him in the stairs, where you hugged him tightly.

— I was just worried about the raids... Last time he got hurt and I was so scared and— You could already feel the tears building up and you hid your face in your hands. You could feel Lucius' hand on your back, doing soothing circles —I don't want to lose him, Luce! He gets so carried away he forgets about taking care of himself!—

— And... That's why you told him you would left and resign as his First Mate if he didn't stop raiding without thinking? —

—Yeah...— You sniffed and wiped off your tears with the back of your hand when you felt a thin object being put on your knee. You accepted the handkerchief with a sad smile and wiped your eyes properly.

Seeing your current state, Lucius abruptly stood up and offered you his hand.

— I'll go talk with him — He had a stern look that said that his opinion couldn't be changed because the decision had been already made.

You sighed in defeat and, accepting his hand, you stood up and shook off your clothes.

— Alright... But don't be too harsh, please—

Lucius smiled at your words and gave you a few pats in the back

— Definetly you're not the same y/n that was trying to stab a piece of meat during lunch — You looked at him tiredly, he hadn't answer your question. — Alright, I promise. I won't be too harsh with him. —

You smiled and he gave you one final hug before walking towards the Captain's cabin.

————

Lucius didn't even bother to knock and bursted open the door to the cabin. Any pirate captain would response to that disrespectful behaviour with the amputation of a finger at least. Instead, captain Bonnet seemed so busy weeping and sobbing in his bed, in a nest made of blankets and cushions, that he didn't hear neither Lucius bursting the door open nor his next approach.

When he was right next to his captain blanket-cocoon and Stede was still unaware of his presence, he cleaned his throat to call for his attention.

— Uh... Captain? I need to talk to you —

Stede gave a visible and violent full body flinch at Lucius' words. He turned his head to the boy next to his bed and quickly tried to act as if he wasn't crying just a second ago, his face still all piffy and red.

— Good lords, Lucius, you startled me! —

He took off the blankets and stood up with a quick jump. — Well, what do you need? I hope it's important, boy! I'm quite busy at this moment —.

Lucius huffed and approached the sofa. He sat on one edge and patted the spot next to him. — I'm here to talk about your fight with your partner. Now, move your ass here because I'm going to set some things clear —. Lucius' tone didn't admit rejection and after hearing a loud gulp from Stede, he had his captain sitting next to him, fidgeting with the edges of his robe.

— What do you mean you want to talk about y/n...? Have you talked to them? — Stede was no longer able to hide his nervousness. Yeah, he had gotten angry because his dear y/n had threatened with leaving if he didn't take care. But, still, he loved them and thinking about them being sad because of the fight made his heart break. He hadn't wanted to get so angry.

— Yes, I've been talking to them — Lucius took a deep breath and interrupted his thoughts. — I can't believe it! — He pointed at his chest — You're the one that always presses the whole "talk it trough" on us but then, you transform into a sad dog after a misunderstanding with your partner! It's ridiculous! —

— Well, I'm aware that I certainly haven't behaved‐ —

— No! — Lucius grabbed one cushion that was laying around on the couch and shoved it into his captain's face — Look! I've got the cushion so it's my turn to talk. Now, listen to me. You have fought with someone who was worrying about your health and well-being, because you're the only one able to lead a raid after having been stabbed in your damn stomach! They take care of you, they worry about you and you get mad at them because of an obvious lie?! —

Stede felt silent. He knew he had made a mistake the moment he saw you running under the ship after that fight. He had felt horribly after and as the coward he was, the only thing he did was sleep. And drink. Both to forget that he hurt you.

Lucius dropped the pillow on Stede's knees and crossed his arms.

— You may speak now –.

— Lucius... — Stede hugged the pillow tightly. His glassy eyes didn't allow him to see Lucius clearly — I'm so sorry we fought- I don't want them to leave! I mean- not because of my mistakes. — Lucius gave a hum of approval as he inquired him to keep going. Stede sighed.

— I love them so much, Lucius. When the possibility of them leaving crossed my mind I got so scared I could only shout at them... I certainly wasn't acting rationally... I let myself get carried by the heat of the moment —

— Keep going — Stede sighed again and decided to maintain his eyes in a loose thread of the pillow instead of holding Lucius hard gaze.

— Neither shouldn't I have been so reckless. We don't need the raids at this moment in time and I understand y/n is as worried as my well-being as I am about theirs. I should have had their feelings into account. —

Lucius grinned in success and clapped excitedly.

— That's good! Yes, sir! Now, how do you feel —

— Miserable —.

— Well, lucky you! I'm sure a certain someone has been happy to hear all this lament of yours — Lucius gave Stede a light punch in his shoulder that Stede answered with a instant "ow". He turned towards the cabin door and waved.

— I know you're there, y/n. You can come out now! —

You peeked out from behind the door and the moment Stede saw you he stood up a headed towards you.

— Oh, dear... — He dropped the cushion at the sight of your glassy eyes, not caring if he was already crying, and took hold of both of your hands.

— I am so sorry, y/n. I mean it. I am so sorry I hurt you. Please, I can't bear being apart from you knowing it was me who hurt you. Please, forgive me. I- —. You cut his spiraling of guilt with a tight embrace.

— Of course I forgive you, you silly —. You pulled apart to take his face in your hands — I shouldn't have said that I would leave. You know I wouldn't, I love you —

— Oh, dear. I love you too —. He hugged you again and you could smell the vanilla scent of his hair.

— Well, then. I'll let you two lovebirds to it. No need to thank me I see! — You heard Lucius' fake offended tone but before either of you could thank him, he dissapeared behind the door.

— He's quite a mediator... —. You giggled at Stede's thoughtful expression and hugged him again.

————

That night you picked out the book for the night reading. You fell asleep quickly, leaned on Stede's side. A soft blanket covered you both and although tiredness didn't allow you to distinguish his words, you could feel the deep rumbling of his chest while he talked.

And next morning, you woke up next to him in the captain's cabin. He had his head on your chest and his arms encircled you. He snored softly as the golden light from the morning sun made his hair glow.

How could you leave?

[riddledem0n]

Oh eddie munson and Stu macher he did you so dirty I'm so sorry (break up vent in tags beware)

[youbloodymadgenius]

Ivarello (Modern!Ivar x reader) Chapter 1

Moodboard by @quantumlocked310

Ivarello’s masterpost here

A/N: This is my entry for @deans-ch-ch-cherrypie 500 Followers Fairy Tale Challenge. It's a retelling of Cinderella. Congrats again, darling 💖

A huge thank you to @mrsalwayswrite, who's a great beta reader and an even greater cheerleader 😂

A massive thank you to @quantumlocked310, @vikingstrash and @serasvictoria. Thank you for agreeing to collaborate and for sharing your talent with me. Your moodboards are beyond amazing 🤩

In this story, Sigurd is alive. Ragnar and Aslaug are dead, but Lagertha didn't kill her. I took a lot of liberties with the show, I hope you won't mind.

Unlike the tale, there will be no magic involved. Not everything will be realistic, however. It's a fayritale, after all!

Let me know if you want to be tagged 😊

Summary: Orphaned five years ago, Ivar and his brothers have been living with Lagertha ever since. Now 16 years old, he wants to attend Harald's traditional Midsummer party, but obstacles stand in his way.

Warnings: description of car crash; orphaned kids; Sigurd being Sigurd; OOC characters.

Words: 1806

Additional note: I'm afraid I'll disappoint some of you. No more newspapers... The articles defined the setting of the story. From now on, it'll be a regular fic.

Hope you enjoy it nevertheless 🙂

🛡⚔️🛡

June 2021

Ivar yawns, rubbing his eyes, when he suddenly hears the front door open. The next moment, Ubbe shouts, "Hey baby bro, we're home!"

Slightly confused, Ivar looks at the time on his computer. Stunned, he blinks repeatedly, shakes his head and checks the time again, now looking at his watch. "Guess I lost track of time," he mumbles as he realizes it's really 5:30 pm. He clears his throat. "I'm coming!"

Yawning once more, he wheels to the kitchen. Hvitserk waves at him with one hand as Ubbe greets him with a grin and Sigurd... Well, Sigurd ignores him, as usual.

"Hello boys!" Lagertha smiles as she also enters the kitchen. "Did you go to the beach this afternoon?" It's a rethorical question, since sand can be seen on the tanned skin of his brothers, shirtless and wearing only swimming shorts.

When she looks down at him, her smile becomes softer. "Ivar, you seem tired. Did you work all day long?"

He nods, glad that for once she called him by his first name and not by one of those stupid nicknames that she likes but that make his skin crawl.

"Yep," he shrugs without smiling back, "I made good progress. The new version of your website is almost done. It could probably be online by the end of the week."

His stepmom flashes him a beaming smile. "Great, thanks!"

The conversation then moves on to the subject that everyone in Kattegat has been talking about for the last few days: the midsummer party thrown by their neighbor Harald Hårfager. Every June, it is Kattegat's not-to-be-missed event, to which every resident hopes to be invited.

Lagertha is invited every year, yet rarely attends; his brothers wouldn't miss it, not in a million years; Ivar never went.

He listens with half an ear as his brothers prattle on about the upcoming party, while taking a seat at the large, wooden kitchen table on which Lagertha has just put cakes and drinks.

"What are you going to wear?"

"Do you think Marit will attend this year?"

"Hopefully the music will be better than last year."

"Can't be as bad! What was the name of that reggae band?"

For a fleeting moment, Ivar entertains the thought of attending as well. Not that he's dying to, but… Sometimes, he feels a little bit like Cinderella in this house.

Don't get him wrong, it's not that bad.

First, his stepmom is not–

Wait, wait, wait, is Lagertha technically his stepmom? He's not sure. After all, she wasn't when his parents were alive, she was just his father's first wife. Anyway, she may be his guardian now, but he sees her as his stepmom and he honestly doesn’t give a shit if it's a little weird.

Where was he? Oh yes, Cinderella.

So obviously, Lagertha is not a wicked, haughty and abusive stepmom like this Lady Tremaine of the fairytale.

Actually, even if it pisses him off to admit it, she's pretty nice, patient and composed. Does he love her? Let's not exaggerate – he doesn't. She may love him though, which is a little bit uncanny, if he's being honest. He was the favorite son of her nemesis. Shouldn't she hate him? He would, if the situation was reversed.

The truth is, when he was younger, he tried, he really tried to hate her, blaming her for everything and anything. When too much pain prevented him from sleeping, he let his imagination run wild. There, bound to his bed of suffering, he could see Lagertha cutting the brakes on his mother's car, causing her crash, causing her death.

Of course, even then, he knew deep down that Lagertha had not killed his mother; that the story he told himself was just the product of his endless nights of insomnia. But what can he say? He needed this. Because blaming Lagertha rather than admitting that his beloved mother was at fault – by being distracted, or by falling asleep, he'll never know – was easier for the heartbroken boy he was.

Anyway... So yes, Lagertha is definitely not an evil stepmother like Cinderella's.

Also, he doesn't sleep on a sorry garret, on a wretched straw bed either.

Actually, he has a very large room on the main floor, with a king-size memory foam bed, a walk-in – well, a wheel-in for his case – closet and his own, huge bathroom, fully equipped for his special needs.

Sure, the bathroom and the dressing room were already there when his parents were alive; however, the memory foam mattress had been Lagertha's idea.

Anyway... So yes, he can't exactly complain about his sleeping conditions, unlike Cinderella.

And obviously, he's not forced into servitude.

Actually, one might think so, but no, he's not. Sure, sometimes he works for his stepmom, like today. But so do his brothers. When she had taken them in, she was a powerful businesswoman, working twelve to fourteen hours a day. Once she had become their guardian, she had rearranged her working time and learned to delegate; but even so, she had often run out of time. Therefore, it had seemed normal to them – yes, even to him – to help her out, each of them according to their skills and abilities.

So, while Hvitserk almost always does the grocery shopping, while Sigurd vacuums and does the laundry, while Ubbe mows the lawn and trim the bushes, he, Ivar, runs her company's website and sometimes even does the accounting. And since he loves computers and numbers, it's not exactly a problem.

Anyway... So yes, he's not a slave in this house. Unlike Cinderella.

So, yes, to sum it up, he can't really complain and he's by far not Cinderella. And he knows it.

But... Yes, there's a but...

Sometimes, he feels trapped, as poor Cinderella must have felt.

Sometimes he feels like a spectator of a life he doesn't belong to.

Sure, he doesn't have to be homeschooled – but gods, he's glad he is. The reasons for him to be continuously bullied by classmates are endless. The simplest ones being: he is a cripple, an orphan, the son of a dead mob boss, the smartest one in the whole damn school, let alone his class. Take your pick. It's no fun, no fun at all. Being home alone is preferable to that alternative.

Therefore, barely leaving the house except for medical appointments, he has no friends. He doesn't do sports either – obviously – and yeah, he lives a lonely life, filled with video games and Netflix series. And he's okay with that. Well, most of the time.

Sure, his brothers, or at least Ubbe and Hvitserk, always try to include him as much as possible. But the truth is that because of his legs, there are many, many things he just can't do.

And the other truth, the less pleasant one, is that he partially did that to himself. He cut himself off from a world that hurt him, yet he still misses this world sometimes. At times, he blames himself. Because his life, honestly, is hardly what you would call a life, is it? Not when you're sixteen.

That's why sometimes, like now, he feels this longing, almost a need, to live. To really, truly, fully live. And that's why, for a brief moment, lulled by the light chitchat of his brothers, he considers attending Harald's midsummer party.

But he knows better. This life is not for him, never has been, never will be.

And so, shaking his head, he chases the thought away and, placing his hands on his push rims, he's about to leave the kitchen while the incessant babbling of his brothers goes on.

"I can't wait."

"Don't tell me! As every year, the most beautiful girls of Kattegat will be there."

"Remember that burger food truck? Best burgers ever!"

"I've heard Y/N would be attending this year."

"There'll be booze and girls! Sounds like Valh–"

Wait. His mind goes blank.

Fuck.

What? Did he hear right?

As he replays his brother's words in his head, it's like there's an earthquake happening inside of him.

Fuck.

He stops breathing. Blinks, then clamps his eyes shut.

Fuck.

When he finally manages to draw air into his lungs, he swallows loudly before asking in a weird, high-pitched voice, his heart pounding in his chest, "What– What did you say, brother?"

Hvitserk turns his head toward him and shrugs. "I just said there'll be boo–"

"No, not you!" Ivar snaps at his brother, pointing his pointer finger at Ubbe. "You, what did you fucking say?" Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Lagertha frowning – 'no curse words in this house, boys'– and even if he barely contains an eye roll, he still mouths a quick 'sorry' at her before rewording his question, impatience coursing through him. "What did you say, dear brother? Who did you say would attend?"

Stunned, Ubbe looks at him with wide eyes. "Y/N? I said Y/N would come. That's what I heard anyway. She's Harald's niece. She was here once, right? Remember her, baby bro, huh?"

But Ivar is no longer listening, the blood draining from his face. Y/N... Y/N... Fuck. Finally. Fucking finally. After so long... He may see you again. Wow.

I'll go! I'll fucking go!

He barely contains the words, suddenly acutely aware of the deafening silence in the room, his brothers shamelessly staring at him.

With her brows furrowed and her lips turned downward in a slight frown, Lagertha takes two steps forwards before crouching down in front of him. "Are you all right, sweetie? You're a little pale."

He barely hears when Sigurd giggles, "A little pale? He's greener than an alien!"

Lagertha shoots Sigurd a dirty look and then gently cups Ivar's cheek. "Do you know her, Ivar? Do you know Y/N?"

Overwhelmed, self-conscious, freaked out, caught off-guard, he doesn't know how to respond. Should he tell the truth? Should he lie? His brothers will mock him, for sure. What is the point of telling the truth? What good would it do? On the other hand, he could really use some advice. Yeah. Sure. Advice from Sigurd. Just the thought of it is enough to make him sick. Fuck, what is he going to do?

Rushed words are out of his mouth before he can even gather his thoughts. "No. No. I don't. I mean, yes, I think I do but–" He's being pathetic and he hates it. So after a sharp intake of breath, he shakes his head and eventually replies in a flat, calm voice, the white lie rolling off his tongue. "I know her, but I thought Ubbe was talking about someone else. Sorry."

With these words, he hastily leaves the room, his eyes riveted on his knees, his heart still drumming in his chest.

Y/N. Fuck.

🛡⚔️🛡

Ivar's taglist: @waiting4inspiration @honestsycrets @lisinfleur @saldelys @gearhead66 @inforapound @readsalot73 @milkkygirls @xbellaxcarolinax @shannygoatgruff @zuxiezendler @hecohansen31 @lonewolf471 @fuckindiva @tgrrose @didiintheblog @peachyboneless @pieces-by-me @funmadnessandbadassvikings @ethereallysimple @destynelseclipsa @cocovikings23 @xceafh @mrsalwayswrite @deans-ch-ch-cherrypie @pomegranates-and-blood @jadelynlace @grimeundglow @quantumlocked310 @alexhandersen-marcoilsoe-fandom

Ivarello's taglist: @not-another-viking-fanfic-blog @hashimily @prepare4trouble @supernaturalvikingwhore @funmadnessandbadassvikings

[mydekuacademia]

Hey HAPPY BIRTHDAY!🎉🎉 I see you wanted requests! Anyway a fluff request where todoroki’s sister (if you want to make it Gn it can just be his sibling) is mutual pinning over bakugou, but he keeps denying it cause he’s rivals with shouto and it’d be fretenizing with the enemy if he gets with them. Fluffy end them getting together🤗💗

Heck yeah! I went with a female reader since i usually do gn. Reader and shouto are in the same class, but i didnt specify if theyre twins or just very close in age. Up to you :)

Warning: mentions of abuse, Shouto being a bit of a butt, cussing cuz bakugou lol

Admitting Defeat

"No."

You glared at your brother, arms crossed over your chest. "Shouto, I-"

"No."

You sighed and shook your head. Stubbornness may run in the family, but that didn't mean you tolerated it.

"Listen, Shou. I won't deny I'm attracted to him, but he doesn't feel the same. You have nothing to worry about. I can't be with someone who isn't attracted to me. So chill," you bit out.

Your brother closed his eyes and sighed. "He obviously is attracted to you as well, (y/n). And I refuse to let my sister date someone like Bakugou."

"Who says you get any say in who I date? You don't run my life!" This was getting ridiculous. You loved your brother to death, but he was overreacting to a non-existent situation.

Shouto gripped your shoulders. "You only like him because you find comfort in the familiarity of his harsh words," he said sharply. "Our father made you think that was love. It isn't. You can do so much better than him, (y/n)."

At the mention of your father, your eyes burned and fogged over with tears. "That's not true, Shouto," you whimpered. "He's not Endeavor. You know that." With a sniffle, you shrugged your brother's hands off of you and took a step back. Guilt marred his expression, but the damage was done. You turned and ran towards the dorms.

---Meanwhile in the common room---

Oh, he was going to lose his shit. They just kept talking to him about stupid shit and wouldn't shut up. He swore to any god out there that if the name Todoroki (Y/n) left any of their mouths one more time, he would blow up the entire building.

"Listen bro, I'm just saying that you two would make a great couple!" Kirishima said with a toothy grin. "Besides, it's clear you like her."

"Tch. How could I possibly like the sister of that icy-hot bastard? She's probably just like him."

Kaminari frowned. "Dude, you know she has her own personality, right? She isn't her brother."

Bakugou scowled deeply at the blonde. "Dumbass, of course I know that."

"Then ask her out! She clearly likes you too!"

Why couldn't these idiots have left him alone to do his homework in peace?

He couldn't deny how pretty he thought she was. And the way she used her quirk was elegant and dangerous at the same time, much like the subzero ice it produced. And she was always able to ground him through his anger unlike anyone else. And he loves hearing her talk. And-

"No."

And she was the sister of his rival. Conceding to his attraction to her would be like admitting defeat, and Bakugou never admits defeat. Not even for (y/n).

Kirishima and Kaminari groaned and threw their heads back in exasperation. Right as Kaminari openes his mouth to complain, the door to the building swung open, and in stormed a very distraught, red-eyed (y/n).

Resilience be damned, Bakugou jumped up and rushed to your side, placing a warm hand on your upper arm. "What happened?"

You could only shake your head and squeeze your eyes shut, lest any stray tears escape. Before Bakugou could think about how he'd literally just said he wanted nothing to do with you, he tugged you into a hug. One arm wrapped around your waist, and his other hand rested on the back of your head, pressing your face into his shoulder. Your fingers curled into his shirt on his back, and you hung on tightly.

"What happened?" he asked again, speaking lowly right next to your ear.

You sniffled. "He- he brought up our father, and..." You couldn't continue. It wasn't so much that bad memories were getting to you, rather that you were livid at the implication that your friend and crush could possibly as bad as him. You were angry on Bakugou's behalf, and at your brother's lack of trust in your judgement.

Of course, Bakugou knew some of your family's tumultuous history due to overhearing Shouto's conversation with Midoriya, so he understood that your father was a touchy subject. He grumbled at hearing that someone dared mention your father to you and hugged you tighter. Feeling uncharacteristically kind, he hugged you tighter and ran a hand through your hair. Oh, he was going to kill whoever did this to you. He just had to find out who it was first.

As it turned out, he didn't have to look far. Right at that moment, the door slammed open yet again, revealing a frantic-looking Shouto.

"(Y/n)!"

You curled further into Bakugou at the sound of your brother's voice. Ah, so that bastard was the culprit. Bakugou rotated so you were slightly behind him and glared over his shoulder at your brother.

Shouto's eyes widened considerably, and he backed down. You were clearly in good hands. Maybe he was wrong about the blonde...

Bakugou backed out of the hug and tugged you by the hand to his dorm, where he sat you down at his desk and gave you one of the water bottles he had stashed in his mini fridge. When you calmed down, Bakugou sat on his bed and crossed his arms.

"Tell me what happened."

Yoir face burned, but you knew you owed it to him to tell him how you ended up in this situation. You gulped and looked at your lap before explaining everything. You couldn't bear to look at him, afraid he'd be mad and kick you out of his room.

"Tch. Dumbass icy-hot bastard. I'm nothing like that piece of shit," he grumbled. You nodded in response.

"I know."

"Date me and we'll prove to him that you have good judgement."

Your head shot up, cheeks flaming. "You- what?" you squeaked.

"You heard me." He seemed unshaken, staring you in the eyes. "I like you, and you obviously like me. And this way, we can be happy together and make a fool out of your brother."

You giggled shyly. "I don't know about making a fool out of Shouto, but...okay."

"Good. Now get over here," he demanded, lifting his arm out to his side. You slid off his chair and into his side, cuddling into him.

After a pleasant evening and a difficult conversation with your brother, you couldn't be happier.

[mimirexx]

Dear giftee, i hope you find your easter gift and i hope you’ll like it! ✨

And a big thanks to @levihanweek for hosting this event!

You can read this fic either on AO3 or under the cut!

Sunsets At The Pond

It was only thanks to Isabel and Farlan that Levi decided to let Hanji get closer to them. It was the right decision because she became a very important person to him- even if she keeps getting on his nerves all. the. damned. time.

“I saw it, you know? The decisive moment!”

“The decisive moment?” Levi questioned in his calm tone, drawing his knife behind his back without anyone noticing and preparing himself for a massacre he was about to commit. “What are you talking about?”

“What I’m talking about?” The brunette in front of him repeated, her glasses catching the light for a moment. She was crouching a bit, her hands on her knees to look at Levi who was sitting on the ground.

If she did that while he was standing, he would behead that woman without second thought.

“It’s obvious that I’m talking about the moment when you brought down that titan!” Her shrill voice echoed in Levi’s ears, making him rethink his plans to murder that woman. For now.

Good she didn’t notice the real plan he and his friends had. That saved her life. Again, only for now.

“That was really amazing!” She exclaimed, holding up a fist as her lips curled into a joyful grin. “I was overwhelmed with excitement!”

Levi stared for a couple moments in silence, definitely not having expected that kind of reaction coming from anyone in the Survey Corps. They all despised them since they saw Levi and his friends as thieves and thugs- which itself wasn’t even that wrong.

“...Ah.” He sounded quietly and hid the knife again.

Levi lived in the underground ever since he started thinking, stealing has always been a condition of survival. How else would he get food on the table? It wasn’t like work in the underground really paid off, everyone there was corrupt and dirty.

Isabel and Farlan, his two only friends, were the first and only people he really trusted and cared for. They took care of and looked out for each other. The very reason Levi agreed to joining the Survey Corps was because they got captured and it would have costed his friends’ lives if he didn’t.

They’ve remained for themselves that far, didn’t exactly try to get close to anyone. That weird brunette with the glasses was strange and Levi didn’t like her. She could become a threat since she didn’t seem to be stupid and would get behind his intention to kill Erwin sooner or later. Maybe he needed to murder her before Erwin.

“I’m Hanji Zoe. You’re Levi, right?”

Levi blinked, then sighed with slight irritation. Were they getting friendly now? How annoying.

“Mhm.” He just sounded in response, not very interested to keep the conversation up.

He watched as this Hanji lady plopped down between Farlan and Isabel and began chatting with them. Isabel was a pure-hearted being, she warmed up to Hanji the fastest. Hanji even handed her a little pouch with sweets and that was enough to win over Isabel.

On second glance, even Farlan didn’t seem too repulsed by the person that was Hanji Zoe either. Only Levi had to fight with himself quite a lot.

~~~

It was two days later when Hanji suddenly barged into their room during the early evening with what she deemed an awesome idea: visiting a nearby pond to watch the sunset.

“No.” Levi denied without hesitation, “you’re just trying to get us in trouble.”

“I’m not, I promise!” Hanji defended quickly.

“Aw, c’mon, Big Bro!” Isabel began pleading as well. “I think that sounds really fun! And I’ve never been to a pond before!”

“I’m not in the base past curfew on a regular basis and never got caught this far. Nobody will see us, I promise.” Hanji added.

“No,” Levi repeated simply.

The young redhead didn’t like that answer in any way. She pouted, her eyes growing double their size, and folded her hands in front of herself to plead. “Please? I bet it’d be so fun. We finally got out of that stinky hole, I wanna explore the surface now. See the nature and animals and everything else!”

Levi glared but it was no use. He could never stay stern with Isabel when she looked at him like that. Damn her and her sad puppy eyes. He hated how she was abusing his soft spot for something so ridiculous.

After a long moment, he exhaled deeply. “Fine. But,” he added quickly and narrowed his eyes at Hanji in particular, “if we get in trouble because of you, I will not hesitate to slice your neck.”

“I have no doubt about that.” The brunette in question just smiled at Levi’s threat. That was a first. People usually got intimidated, that weirdo looked joyful as ever. Humans were strange.

And that was how Levi agreed on sneaking out to the pond with Isabel, Farlan and Hanji. They spent the whole night there while Hanji spewed things about nature like a waterfall and Isabel was listening with the most interest ever.

They all watched the sunset in the evening. Isabel was awestruck and so exhilarated. Levi could swear he never saw her happier in his life. Farlan was quite impressed too, his grin gave it away. Even Levi’s expression softened at the sight and he enjoyed their little trip as well.

By the end, it wasn’t even that bad. It was a nice change, Levi had to admit. On the bright side, it brought a smile on Isabel’s face so it definitely was worth it. He’d never forget about that smile.

~~~

After Isabel and Farlan died on a mission not too long after, Levi distanced himself from everyone. They were his family so it was really hard for him to accept their deaths. He needed space.

It turned out Hanji Zoe was a good influence for helping him process it. She stayed by his side even after several times of Levi shouting “leave me alone!” at her and made sure he wasn’t feeling too lonely while still giving him the space he needed. He never would’ve believed it, but she really was a big help.

One week after their deaths, Hanji convinced Levi to go to the pond again.

They snuck out before nighttime and sat in the grass in front of the pond, staring at the water quietly. There was no wind so the water was calm, just like the rest of their surroundings. The soft sounds of crickets and frogs in the distance filled the silence, having a good impact on the awkwardness. It wasn’t dead silent, at least.

“They were good people,” Hanji eventually spoke, doing something in the grass Levi wasn’t interested in to check. “I’ve lost important people too, I know how you feel. I’m really sorry.”

Levi usually would’ve snapped, would’ve told Hanji that she had no idea how he felt or what he was going through. But somehow, her words held so much sincerity that he couldn’t but believe what she said. She got to know Isabel and Farlan for a few days too and Levi was grateful they were remembered by a second person.

He stared up at the sky quietly and wondered where his two best friends were now and how they were doing. If they were watching him from above, he hoped they weren’t teasing him.

‘See? Told you Hanji was a good person!’ Isabel would probably say. ‘I think she could be one of us!’

Farlan would probably say something along the lines of ‘Don’t end up alone, Levi. Make friends and become stronger.’

He would become stronger so he never had to lose anyone again. He would become the strongest to protect these dear to him- which at the moment only was Hanji. He felt like they were starting to form some kind of friendship.

“And done.” Hanji spoke up after a while, pulling Levi out of his thoughts and making him look over. He tilted his head at Hanji in confusion, seeing she was hiding something.

“What’s done?” He asked with furrowed brows.

The brunette smiled and moved over a little to show what she was working on the whole time they’ve been sitting there.

Levi blinked down at what looked like two flower-boats. Hanji took waterlilies and arranged them on a big green leaf each with smaller flowers and decorations she made of their surroundings all around. One of the flowers was a deep red, the other a bright yellow which faded into a soft white. In the middle of each flower, Hanji placed a little candle.

“I thought that since we couldn’t give them an appropriate burial, we can at least say goodbye properly.” She murmured and looked up into Levi’s eyes.

He stared at the flowers in silence, taking a few moments to let it sink in. His heart was beating a little faster and he could feel a lump forming in his throat, could feel the tears pricking in his eyes.

He never would’ve expected anyone to do something for his fallen friends, so it caught him off guard for sure.

“You don’t like it..? I’m sorry, that wasn’t very sensible of me…”

“No,” Levi stopped her from putting away the flowers by taking a gentle hold of her wrist, careful to not mess up anything she built. “I… That’s… I would like to.. I want to... say goodbye.”

He was never very good with words but Hanji didn’t seem to mind. She just gave a small nod and carefully placed one of the flowers into Levi’s open palm. “I thought we could put them into the water and light the candle,” she suggested.

Levi nodded and looked down at the flower, treating it with the utmost care as they approached the pond and knelt down right in front of the water. It was starting to get darker now. With a gentle motion, Levi lowered the flower into the water while he made sure that nothing fell off. The flowers on the leaf swam on top of the water even after he took his hands away. Hanji was quite skilled when it came to building things.

Hanji did the same and then handed Levi a match. “Do you want to say something?”

“Yeah…” He muttered and stared down at the flowers. However, Levi remained silent. His heart was speaking and he did not want to say it out loud.

He was thinking back to the times where Isabel made him agree to dumb things, where she tried to hook him up with some random girl and how she always wanted to share her food with him. How she caused trouble for them so many times.

Back to the time he met Farlan, how he started trusting him as the first person years after his uncle left him, how Farlan always lectured him for being too rough and how Farlan always stood on his side and supported him, no matter what it was about.

Farlan and Isabel were the best friends he ever had, his family, and Levi would never forget about them. Without them, he’d be just another brat in the underground. He’d be a no one.

After a few minutes passed in which Levi remembered his friends, he gave a little nod to let Hanji know he was ready.

They both lit the candles inside the flowers and pulled their hands away to let them float further into the pond. The flower-boats entangled between a few leaves and other flowers on the pond before coming to a stop in the middle, the candles flicking and offering a little light in the growing darkness.

Levi watched their every move and soon felt an arm being wrapped around him. Without giving it too much thought, he let it happen and leaned into the embrace while his eyes stayed on the two flowers in the distance.

“...Thank you.” He mumbled and closed his eyes, a few small tears rolling down his cheek.

Hanji rubbed his arm and rested her head on top of his. “They were my friends too, you don’t need to thank me.”

Silence fell over them after that and neither of them made a move to pull away. Levi didn’t feel too uncomfortable with the touching either since he felt like he needed some comfort at the moment. Hanji didn’t seem to judge him and made none of the snarky comments she usually loved doing.

In her arms, he felt safe and comforted, and that was everything he needed at the moment to let out what was going on inside of him. To process everything. Hanji’s comment made him rethink many things and perhaps… perhaps Hanji wasn’t just anyone anymore.

They ended up sitting in the grass for a while and watched the sky turn orange and pink and purple before slowly fading into a very dark blue. A few smaller clouds could be seen faintly.

It was still weird to him how the sun went down and came up and turned the sky into such colors. It didn’t make sense, especially the pink colors. Yellow, orange, he understood. But pink? It was so weird.

A pink weird sunset. Nothing he expected the sky to look like before leaving the underground.

It was still beautiful in its own way, however. Just something he needed Hanji to explain to him some day.

Before the sun was fully up in the next morning, Levi straightened his back and stifled a small yawn. He looked up to see that Hanji had fallen asleep. Her body was supported by a tree from behind and a few leaves were entangled in her messy hair. Levi reached up to take care of it, pulling out each leaf and dropping it into the grass.

Somehow, he saw Hanji so much different now. She wasn’t just some science freak who didn’t shower often enough and was a constant pain in the ass- she was a very compassionate person with a big, big heart. A friend.

...His friend.

~~~

Going to the pond to watch the sunset became a habit. The two of them went there often, either to think of Isabel and Farlan or just to spend some time away from the base. They already went there so many times Levi lost count.

It was a nice place. Levi liked having it for themselves.

“When do you have the- Holy fuck. Get that thing away from me!” Levi’s eyes shot wide open as he attempted to create distance between him and Hanji, and especially what she was holding.

“C’mon, he just wanna be friends!” She laughed, holding up the frog in her hands and moving it dangerously close to Levi.

Levi “tch”ed angrily and took a step away whenever Hanji came closer. His eyes stayed on the frog, his frown deep. “I swear if that thing’s gonna touch me I will shove my foot up your ass so far you’ll be shitting from your mouth for a month!” He threatened in a very serious, deep voice.

But Hanji only laughed and began chasing Levi around the pond, not intimidated in the slightest. “Don’t be mean, Shorty! It’s rude not to say hello!”

“Fuck you!” He spat.

It only took a few steps for Levi to be unfortunate enough to slip on the moist ground. Since the sun already began to set and Hanji had the audacity to chase him with such a disgusting thing in her hands, he couldn’t pay enough attention to the ground. He shielded his fall with his arms, getting mud all over his sleeves and pants. When he looked down to see the mess that was created because of Hanji, his frown deepened.

“Tch! Look what you did!” He snapped, about to stand up and show Hanji a piece of his mind.

But Levi froze suddenly, his eyes slowly starting to widen.

“Oi…”

Hanji stared. Then began cackling and holding her stomach as her hysterical laughter filled the air. “O-Oh my God!”

“Get it off!” Levi growled. He shivered in discomfort when the frog, who dared to hop onto his head, croaked and moved its hands and feet to have more stability in Levi’s hair.

“Oh, God! I wish there was a way to capture this moment!” Hanji laughed, not making a move to help Levi.

The frog croaked again and Levi was frozen in place, his expression dark. The utter disgust he was feeling from having a slimy, dirty, muddy frog on his head was making him stiff. He couldn’t move in fear the frog might touch other places. The discomfort he was in was unbearable.

He shot Hanji a glare who was still laughing. The whole situation amused her a lot, much to Levi’s dismay.

But wouldn’t it have been for her laugh making his heart skip a beat, he long would’ve tossed her into the pond.

“Oi, Hanji, I’m serious.” He muttered and clenched his fists in the grass. “Get it off.”

Once Hanji calmed down a little, she reached up to wipe away a tear. “Oh, dear,” she still chuckled, a little breathlessly, and carefully scooped the frog back into her hands.

Levi exhaled deeply, feeling better now that the animal was gone but feeling disgusting nevertheless. He didn’t even dare to touch his hair.

“Sorry, but you looked too adorable with a frog on your head.” She hummed in feigned innocence. “I think Mr. Froggy has a crush on you~!” She sang.

“Tch.” The raven finally stood up and frowned deeply. “We’re going back. I need to shower.” He stated simply.

“Aw, man. Already?” She pouted.

“Yes. I’m not staying like this longer than necessary. And you will regret this.” He glared, then turned on his heels and began walking away from the pond.

If there was one thing Levi Ackerman hated, it was dirt. Any kind of dirt. Cleanliness was very important to him ever since he was a child, his mother taught him so. Though, he didn’t fully understand why he was spending time with the dirtiest and most unhygienic person in the whole military. How ironic.

“Wait for me!” Hanji exclaimed and gently set the frog down so she could catch up with Levi and walk by his side. “You gotta admit, the frog was pretty cute.”

That thing? Cute? There had to be something seriously wrong with Hanji. “It’s filthy. I don’t even want to know how many germs are on me now. Tch.”

“You’re gonna wash it off and that’s it, there’s no need to make it such a big deal.” She sighed softly, almost longingly. “I wish I could have a frog for myself. As a pet, I mean. But I don’t have a proper terrarium. Or a lizard! Lizards are cool as heck. You can cut off their tails and it grows back! Just like with the titan’s limbs! Did you know-!”

Levi stopped listening once the word ‘titan’ fell, knowing it resulted in an endless rant that he couldn’t escape. He just gave a little hum or grunt every now and then to give the impression he was listening when he really wasn’t. All that didn’t interest him that much. He already heard it at least ten times.

A short walk later, the two arrived back at the headquarters where Levi headed towards his room.

“Alright, see you tom- Huh?”

Levi grabbed her wrist firmly. “You’re gonna take a shower too.”

“Wha-? But Levi, I can just wash my hands and I’ll be fine!” She protested.

“You’re taking a shower,” he repeated more seriously and dragged her into his room.

“That’s not fair! I’ve got plenty other things to do!” She complained, trying to yank her hand back but Levi’s grip was too tight.

Levi rolled his eyes and entered the bathroom with Hanji in tow. “Just imagine we’re still at the water hole, it’s the same.”

Hanji puffed her cheeks and muttered, “it’s not.”

Seeing that she wasn’t fighting back anymore, Levi saw his victory and began unbuttoning his shirt.

“Wait, we’re taking a shower together..?” She questioned confusedly.

“Yes. I don’t trust you to take a proper shower by yourself.” He tossed his jacket and shirt into the hamper. “You’re not the first woman I see naked so just get over with it.”

“Hah! You’re smart but you’re also a pervert.” Hanji chuckled but did as told and began undressing as well.

“Whatever.”

When Levi was fully undressed, he stepped into the shower and turned on the water.

“At least let the water be hot, I know you prefer cold showers.” She dropped her clothes on the floor and took off her glasses, placing them onto the sink. Afterwards, she carefully got into the shower as well and reached out to test the water temperature.

Satisfied with it, Hanji moved her body under the stream of water and closed her eyes, humming in contentment.

“So you do like taking showers.” Levi observed as he began lathering his hair with a lot of soap.

It made Hanji chuckle. “Well, the water is nice. I just don’t like the process of getting into the shower and scrubbing your body and drying and getting dressed again. That’s the annoying part. I usually don’t have time for that.”

“I see.” Levi scrubbed his head furiously and thoroughly, wanting to get all of the frog germs out of his hair. He rinsed out the soap afterwards and repeated the process before he reached up to start washing Hanji’s hair.

Maybe Hanji just needed someone to take over washing her. If Levi had to do it, he would. After all, he was spending most of his time with her anyway. Might as well make sure she took a shower regularly.

Surprisingly enough, his fingers moved very gently on her head and massaged her scalp. He had to pull Hanji’s head down a bit to reach her better but the brunette complied and didn’t try to move away.

She closed her eyes and held onto Levi’s shoulders for support. “This feels good. You’re really good at this.”

Levi said nothing and soon let her move her head under the stream of water to rinse out the soap. He also took care of working the conditioner into Hanji’s messy, knotted hair and let her wash her body herself afterwards, keeping an eye on her to ensure she really washed herself.

When they were both sparkly clean, Levi stepped out of the shower and grabbed two towels, handing one to Hanji before he began drying himself.

Since Levi didn’t let her wear the clothes she wore earlier because they were full of ‘frog germs‘, he gave her some pants that were a little too big for him and a loose t-shirt. The clothes were a little too small for Hanji but neither minded too much. There was no way he would let her wear dirty clothes after he just cleaned her.

“Hey, do you mind if I sleep over?” Hanji asked while getting dressed and grinned. “We could have a sleepover!”

Levi stared, then sighed and rubbed his hair dry. After a while, he spoke up. “You have your own room for a reason, Four Eyes.”

“You never let me sleep over. I even took a shower just for you and you still won’t let me, that’s not what I’d call fair.” She huffed.

He rolled his eyes. “The world’s unfair, better get used to it.” He stated simply.

“Doesn’t mean we have to surrender to that unfairness. C’mon, I wanna sleep over today.” She asked again, putting on her glasses so she could give Levi a big pout.

In a way, Levi was reminded of the many times Isabel asked him for something and pouted just like that when she didn’t get it. And in a way, Hanji hit that very same soft spot in his heart with her childish little pout.

But he still couldn’t just give in so easily. “Go sleep in your own room.”

“That’s mean. I guess I’ll just go and sleep in the stables then, you don’t seem to care much either way.” She turned and took a few steps away from Levi, starting to head over to the door.

Levi remained silent, folding his arms over his chest and eyeing her. He raised a brow quietly.

Hanji slowed down, glancing back at Levi from the corner of her eye. “I said, I’ll just go and sleep in the stables then!” She repeated, a little louder.

But Levi showed no reaction.

“The stables where it’s cold and I will get sick because my hair is still damp!” She emphasized, taking another slow step.

“And where I will be alone the whole night with not even a blanket!” Half a step.

She gasped dramatically. “Where I will sleep for days because not even my friend cares about me!”

Levi’s eye twitched. What did he deserve this for? He cursed under his breath and sighed loudly and deeply. “For fuck’s sake- Fine. I’ll allow it this once. Stop that miserable acting.” He growled.

“Yay!” Hanji smiled and quickly hurried back to Levi.

Soon, Levi and Hanji were laying down on his bed. Levi didn’t face her because he found it too awkward to sleep face-to-face with someone else in the bed and instead faced his back to Hanji.

Just as he closed his eyes to sleep, he could feel an arm around him and soon felt Hanji’s body pressed against his own from behind. He glanced down at the arm first before turning his head at an angle to be able to face her.

“What’re you doing?” He questioned blankly.

Hanji smiled and gave him a squeeze. “Cuddling you. You’re so warm. And you have the perfect size for cuddles. I like that.” She hummed.

Levi stared for a few moments before just turning his head around again and closing his eyes. He reached down to rest his own hand on top of Hanji’s and had to hold back a little smile.

It was a good feeling to be held like that by someone who was important to him. He felt comfortable and warm, didn’t feel lonely in that bed for the first time. Hanji might be a pain in the ass for the most part but Levi genuinely cherished and appreciated her. So he ignored that comment about his height this time for the sake of keeping the good atmosphere.

“Just sleep, you big weirdo,” he mumbled.

Hanji chuckled and nuzzled the back of Levi’s neck. “Night, Levi.”

Yeah, Levi liked that too.

~~~

“Oh, Levi. Good I’m catching you,” Erwin spoke in the hallway, looking over a few papers he was holding. “I need you to-“

“Not now.” Levi cut him off quickly. He had one hand inside his jacket, the other one was pulling it closed and hiding what Levi had.

The blond looked up at that and raised a thick eyebrow in suspicion. “‘Not now’?” He repeated, “Do you have any plans?”

“No.” Levi replied flatly and narrowed his eyes.

Erwin’s gaze fell on Levi’s jacket and the hands trying to hide something. “What do you have there, Levi?” He asked, partly curious and partly confused.

The raven frowned. “None of your business,” he spat, “now move.”

Erwin chuckled heartily. “You’re always so full of surprises.”

“Whatev- tch!” Levi flinched a little and glared down at his jacket. His brows furrowed deeply.

“...Are you sure you’re not trying to hide something?” The blond grinned amusedly.

Levi shot him a glare and stomped past him. “Shut it. Go take care of your own things, Eyebrows.” He muttered as he began walking down the hall.

He let out a small hiss or curses every now and then, making some cadets turn and give him weird looks, but Levi ignored them and kept walking. What he was about to do was important, no matter how weirded out he was by himself.

Only when he reached Hanji’s lab, he stopped and exhaled deeply. He took a short look under his jacket to make sure everything was still fine before opening the door and walking inside. “Oi, Shit Glasses.” He called out.

The woman in question peeked up from under her desk and shot the other a bright grin. “Oh! Hi, Shorty!” She chirped happily.

Levi tilted his head a little. “The hell are you doing under your desk?”

“Hm? Oh! Funny story!” She chuckled and stood up. “I accidentally dropped my box with spiders while rearranging a few things in their terrarium. I already caught Daisy but Nine, Noodles and Sun are still somewhere around here.”

Levi blinked and looked around himself. “Who the fuck drops their spiders? I told you not to collect any shitty insects, tch…”

“You were the one who bought me the terrarium. So actually, this is your fault. Also,” Hanji adjusted her glasses, “spiders aren’t insects. They are Arachnids! Calling them insects is like saying birds are fish or-“

“Enough. Just catch them and be more careful, I don’t need one of your creepy spiders to crawl into my room.”

The brunette hummed and scratched the back of her neck. “I’m gonna catch them again but they’re really naughty today, they don’t wanna be caught. Especially Noodles.”

“Whatever.” Levi glanced down at the hand that was still hidden behind his jacket. It was now or never- and Levi honestly wanted to get over with it quick. “Talking about disgusting insects,” he trailed off.

Hanji faced him and looked confused. Until she saw that Levi was hiding something from her and curiosity took over her whole features. “Hey, whatcha got there?” She exclaimed, taking a few quick steps closer in hopes to see.

Levi stared up at the taller woman, into these big brown eyes which made him weak on the spot. Over the years, Hanji got a special spot in his heart and he couldn’t deny it anymore. He would kill for that woman, quite literally.

“Is it something for me?” She beamed.

“No, for your spiders.” Levi commented, rolling his eyes.

That made Hanji laugh. “Then show me already! I wanna see!” She bounced on the spot like a child, impatient and curious.

The raven sighed before pulling his hand out of his jacket and showing what he was holding for Hanji to see. He never expected that day to come but life was full of surprises.

In his hand, Levi held a small animal. It was a little bigger than the size of his palm with four legs and two round, black eyes. Apart from the stomach, its body was a yellow color with several brown dots all over the head, back, arms and tail.

The animal blinked up at Hanji who let out a big gasp and squealed. “Oh my God!” She exclaimed, “Is it really for me?!”

“No, I caught it for Erwin.” Levi commented and stared somewhere into the room. “Yes, dumbass, it’s for you. That fucker bit me ten times already so just take it…”

Hanji’s grin was huge as she carefully took the animal from Levi’s hands and petted its head. “Look how beautiful! You’re my new favorite pet!” She giggled.

Levi folded his arms over his chest now that his hands were empty and eyed Hanji and her new friend.

“How come you’d catch a living and crawling animal for me? No way you’d do it voluntarily.” She chuckled and let the animal crawl up her arm and to her shoulder.

Levi shrugged. “You once said you wanted a lizard.” He stated nonchalantly.

“Hm? Did I? I don’t remember.” Hanji tapped her chin in thought.

Actually, that was already more than two years ago. But Levi found it would be kind of embarrassing to admit he had been thinking of catching a lizard for Hanji for years. So he brushed it off with a simpler explanation.

“You did the other day so I looked for one, no big deal.”

Hanji’s grin turned into a soft smile. She stepped closer to Levi and pulled him into a hug. “Thank you. That’s the best gift someone ever made me.”

Levi exhaled, partly in relief, and reached up to place a hand against Hanji’s back in return. “Happy birthday, you big weirdo.” He muttered, giving her a pat.

Hanji tightened her grip for a moment before pulling away to face Levi. The animal got comfortable on Hanji’s shoulder and made no move to get away from there.

“You’re the best, so you deserve something too.” She placed her hands on Levi’s shoulders. “Close your eyes, I’ll get it for you.”

Levi narrowed his eyes in distrust before sighing. “Any tricks and you’ll regret it.” He warned, then gave in and closed his eyes as he stood still.

Nothing happened for a few long moments and Levi furrowed his brows. Her hands were still on his shoulders. What if Hanji did something stupid again? He couldn’t risk it.

“Oi, if you-“

He couldn’t even finish his sentence and already felt a pair of soft lips being pressed against his own. It took him a moment to process what was happening but once he did, he pressed against Hanji to return the kiss, feeling his heart flutter in his chest.

The kiss lasted for a good minute until Hanji had to pull away because the animal on her shoulder almost dropped to the floor. She managed to keep it where it was and gave Levi a silly grin.

The raven rolled his eyes but it was in a rather playful way, judging by the faint smile on his lips. Hanji was someone special, she meant the world to him.

“Oh, by the way!” She exclaimed suddenly and took the little animal into her hands to get a better look. “You didn’t catch a lizard, it’s a gecko! A leopard gecko, and quite a beauty on top of that! Different from lizards, geckos have-“

Levi faded out Hanji’s babbling and instead admired her face beam in joy and excitement. He brought a smile to Hanji’s lips and that was all he aimed for.

He felt happy.

“Noodles!” Hanji suddenly exclaimed, pulling Levi out of his thoughts. Once he remembered that was one of the names Hanji gave to her spiders and he saw that her gaze was on his shoulder, he widened his eyes and glanced down.

“Oi, fucking take it away right now!” He snapped.

[rads-gossip]

Could you write about how the brothers would react to MC being turned into a little kid, maybe by a Solomon potion? But the MC was abused by their parents at that time, you don’t have to do that if that’s uncomfy for you though!

Btw I love your stories! They really brighten my day and make me super happy! Thank you for being so awesome!

A/n: Thank you so much for requesting this, you really made my day! And thanks a lot for the feedback it means so much to me, honestly.

Anyway, I hope you like what I came up with! :)

Imagine: MC being turned into a child

Asmo

He couldn't have known it. He couldn't have known how similar the bottle of his newest beauty product and one of Solomon's potions looked.

It was spa day for you and Asmo and he applied the liquid onto your face, at least he thought was the liquid he meant to use.

Asmo told you to wait for a bit and leave it on until he returned, and so you did.

Though when he returned, a very strange sieht greeted him. A small human sat on his bed with way too big clothes on. Needless to say Asmo already swooned as soon as he saw you and instantly went in to hug you real close and tight.

However, you flinched away from him as soon as he came close. Asmo felt a sting deep down, how could you be afraid of him, of his beauty?  He felt that something was wrong and crouched down with his arms laid on the edge of the bed.

Slowly you leaned back into his direction once you felt it was safe. Asmo reached a hand to your arm and began stroking it soothingly. He plucked one of the many flowers and held it infront of your face, his smile widening as you gave a shy smile. He kept talking to you about each and everything that came to mind while he brushed your hair until you fell asleep.

Beel

The potion Solomon had concocted smelled amazing, even though he didn't knew what it was. He had left it on the kitchen counter after Lucifer called him into his office. Just a few minutes later you came into the kitchen, being on cooking duty and thirsty, you grabbed the bottle and took a good sip.

When Beel returned, he was left puzzled. Infront of him stood a human child with MC's clothing pooling around them on the floor. You simply looked up at him with big, round eyes. He instantly went into big bro mode and made to ruffle your hair until you winced heartwrenchingly, ducked and flinched away from his touch. Beel stopped his movements completely and stood perfectly still while you still had their eyes closed.

He had to kneel onto the floor to be even remotely close to being eye-level with you. "Hey there, little one. I am not going to hurt you, you are safe here."

Upon hearing him speak, you opened your eyes and looked at him. Beel put on his best puppy face which didn't falter one bit when he looked into your teary eyes and opened his arms to you.

You were convinced he meant no harm and almost threw yourself into the hug. Beel was careful while embracing you and felt tears drenching his shirt. His heart almost broke then and there and he rubbed your back to calm you down.

Later, he took you into his room and shared some sweets with you.

Belphie

You two were in bed cuddling and having a movie night when you felt thirsty and felt around to grab your drink. However, unbeknownst to you, the bottle you grabbed wasn't the one you aimed for.

Belphie woke up from the place he had fallen asleep when, previously leaning on you, he suddenly hit the mattress after losing you as his pillow. It was enough to startle him and actually get up to see what was going on.

That was when he found you cowered in a corner of the bed, pillows protecting you from each side.

You were much smaller than he remembered, and then it hit him, sleep almost completely gone.

He rushed to your side and found the bottle, now emptying it's contents onto his beloved  pillows and mattress. An involutary growl followed by a hiss left him as he looked at you, a tad bit overwhelmed at the situation.

Wanting to check on you, Belphegor walked to you but after hearing the sounds that had come from him you were terrified and as he came closer, you draped everything around and above you in fear.

He went and grabbed each layer to toss it to the side, until he was able to get a good look at you. That was until a scream of fear left you, fearing for the worst, tears began to stream down your face.

Belphegor stooped in his tracks and raised his hands in a motion to show he meant no harm. Slowly he reached down and grabbed a blanket from the ground, crawled onto the bed inching closer to you while holding the blanket out. You looked at him for a while until you finally got closer to him and he wrapped the both of you in his blanket, rocking back and forth slightly. Whoever made you this afraid of being harmed, they would pay.

Levi

You two have been gaming all day, and it was your turn to go to the kitchen and get food and drinks.

As you went back to his room, you took a sip of a bottle. Then Levi heard bottles crash and a bowl hit the ground. He went up to his door and opened it, schicken at what he saw there.

You stood there, half the size you were before you left, food and your drink sticking to your now too big clothing.

Levi gasped and rushed over to you, way too fast for your liking. You covered your face with your hands and whimpered in fear. He was left dumbfounded, someone being afraid of him?

He was incredibly nervous and didn't know what to do, it might be best to call Lucifer. But first he had to get you to calm down and maybe give you something clean to wear. He crouched down while holding his hands up and talked to you, ranting about anything that came to mind. You felt he meant no harm and took his hand to let him lead you back to his room. There you played some games and watched TV while he secretly told Lucifer all about what happened.

Lucifer

He left you in his office for a second to get the wine bottle he forgot in the kitchen. You saw a bottle in his shelf and went ahead and poured yourself a glass, thinking it to be wine.

When he returned, a child sat on his desk with a glass in hand. It took him only a second to realise what was going on and that you had taken Solomon's potion he had kept out of his brothers reach.

He rushed over to you and ripped the glass out of your hand and put the bottle away from you. Then he turned around and his anger was blown away as he saw tears streaming down your face, a heartwrenching sight really.

Slowly he went over to you and you instantly put an arm infront of your face to shield yourself from a possible hit, but there came none.

Lucifer wondered what you had been through to elicit this reaction, it hurt him to say the least. He knelt down so as to not tower above you and slowly put a hand on your arm, giving you a genuine smile and apologizing for being too harsh but explaining why he did it and that he was worried about your well- being. Then he called Solomon to order him to his office for a lecture and the antidote.

Mammon

The both of you were in his room, Mammon so desperately wanted a partner to practice his pokerface with. You two jumped slightly upon hearing Lucifer calling Mammon to his office because of a new stack of bills that arrived.

As you were left alone in his room,you opened one of the bottles he had standing on his shelf and poured yourself a glass.

After an hour Mammon returned and almost screamed when he saw a small you sitting  on his couch. The cards were a mess as you had played with them to your hearts content, the chips laid everywhere on the floor.

Mammon hurried to you and made a fuss about how he was screamed at by Lucifer and now had to clean up the mess you made and also has to get you back to normal somehow.

He rants about that for a long while until he hears you sniffle and sees you crying. Immediately he feels bad and wants to comfort you but as he leaned closer to you, you flinched away.

He was a bit hurt but assured you he meant no harm in any way. To show you that, he made some grimaces and laughed back at you when they made you smile at long last. He tried to forget that he surely is in for another lecture as soon as Lucifer knows what happened.

Satan

You were sitting in the library with Satan sipping wine and reading together. At some point Satan got up to get a new book because he had finished the one he was reading.

You took another bottle and poured yourself a glass and took a sip, that is when Satan returned and called out to you to not drink that, but it was too late. Infront of his eyes you turned into your child self.

Satan was furious with himself that he wasn't there to prevent you from drinking it and taht he'd so recklessly left it laying around. He rushed to you and went to take the glass from you but you flinched away, shutting your eyes tightly.

In that moment all his anger vanished and he was full of concern and regret. Had he scared you with his wrath that you expected him to hurt you?

He reassured you in hushed whispers that he meant no harm and apologized for being so harsh. He asked if it was okay to touch you and then slowly pulled you into his lap, then he grabbed a book that was easy enough to understand and read out to you until the potion finally wore off.

[tttinytrash]

 Another of Shy’s lovely prompts! This time we have big Swap Papyrus as our merskele, and a highly unfortunate reader. Not much other preamble on this one, so let’s jump into it!

How had everything gone so wrong so fast?

The storm had come seemingly out of nowhere, and your tiny boat was being buffeted around like it was nothing. The icy sting of the wind-whipped rain juxtaposed terribly with the aching fire beneath your skin as you overworked muscles desperately tried to wrangle the lines to get you the heck out of this mess. 

You lost your footing on the soaked deck and tumbled harshly, catching yourself on the rope around the perimeter of your boat just barely. You clung for dear life as a huge swell dangerously tilted your entire hull, threatening capsizing you and your only hope of getting out alive. It was in this moment you saw a faint orange glow beneath the waves, but you had absolutely no time to consider what it could be as you scrambled back to your position to try and regain control of the boat before you hit the rocky outcropping nearby.

You got your ropes again and fought like mad, but it quickly became futile as an enormous wave struck you along the starboard side and tossed you off the boat, into the rocks. Thankfully, you missed the worst of them but felt a sharp pain in your left leg. You fought back the pain and came back to air to see your boat had been mercilessly dashed into the rocks shortly after you, and had begun to sink. 

You desperately paddled, kept aloft by your life jacket, but your safety gear was no match for whatever had apparently wrapped around your good leg and dragged you towards Davy Jones. You fumbled where you felt the pulling, realizing a rope from the boat was tangled around your leg. Thankfully your knife was still folded on your belt and you used it to saw off the rope. Without its pull you were rushing towards the surface again, but it seemed so far off you weren’t sure you’d make it from this depth. Is this how you left this world?

As your body was pulled upwards by your own paddling and the buoyancy of your vest, blackness creeped on the edge of your vision. ...and orange?

-----

Papyrus had felt the distress from a strong soul from deep below the waves. From his vantage point and because of his size the stormy currents were a novelty, but clearly for whoever had been caught above it was life or death. 

...maybe he’d just go check on them, push their boat out of the worst of it and back towards shore. Yeah, that’s all. No biggie. 

He came near the surface and saw it was lone human on a small boat. Jeez, how had they even lasted this long on their own? He was impressed, but looking for an opening in which he could help without being spotted. Humans spelled trouble for his kind, and despite the 0 EXP he saw in his Check he couldn’t not be wary. The last thing his bro or the rest of the school needed was hunters.

Unfortunately his caution meant the storm beat him to the punch, and smashed the ship. Oh Delta, was the human dead?

No! He could still feel the bright flare of determination somewhere... below him?

They were being dragged down by the wreckage, and as he darted towards them to free their leg he saw them do it themself. Oh gosh, they had a knife. The weapon made him hesitate again, which meant he felt their determination start to peter out. Their grip went slack as the knife fell away, consciousness slipping due to lack of air.

Curse him and his soft Soul!

He sped over, cupped his hands around them, and propelled them both towards air as fast as his fins could go. Delta let him not be too late...

The hoarse hacking when he made it to air was more of a relief than he’d expected, but after mostly clearing their lungs the fatigue won out and they collapsed into his hands They seemed barely aware and were just making drunken sounds, but their eyes did intermittently open.

During his observation, the waves of the storm actually managed to surprise him and dunk his skull underwater, but he managed to keep the human in the air thankfully. 

There was nothing else for it, he had to take them in and get them both out of this mess.

He took a brief moment to spit out seawater so the human would have air, then slipped them into his mouth without much ado. Tossing his skull back brought them to the opening of his throat, and they weakly threw their arms out as if to steady themself. The sluggish movement hopefully meant they weren’t fully aware still, as he didn’t have any time for reassurances (he narrowly avoided being dunked again and the storm was getting even worse) and didn’t need a fighting human inside. One strong swallow brought them swiftly toward his core, at which point he left the surface. 

One hand was absently brought to rest on his middle, where he felt the human slide in and go mostly still. He still felt the bright power of their soul, so they were alive, but they may have finally succumbed to exhaustion and passed out. That was fine by him, that left him time to figure out what the heck his next move would be.

-----

Wakefulness was slow to come back to you, and you spent a blissful moment in hazy awareness. 

Sadly for you, memory snapped back into place in the next moment which made you to jolt upright. The rapid movement was more than your abused body wanted to handle, and it very clearly told you as much. Well apparently you had to take a breather, so you took stock of your condition. Your headache throbbed in time with your pulse, your muscles ached from overuse, and your throat and eyes hurt from saltwater, but you were alive. You looked to your legs, which were the areas that hurt worst. The left was a rainbow of bruises and may or not be able to be stood on, but you were both surprised and relived the underlying bone wasn’t utterly shattered from your unfriendly meeting with the rocks. Meanwhile the right had an ugly forming bruise and plenty of abrasion from the rope that had wrapped around you and dragged you down.

Oh, right. Now you recalled being dragged downwards after the destruction of your boat. So... what happened to you? You remembered rushing back towards the surface, but not reaching it.

Where were you?

You looked around and saw you were in a spacious cavern. The sand along the edge was widest where you sat, oddly bundled atop what was likely someone’s sail at one point. Maybe even yours. The center of the cavern, and indeed the majority of the “floor” so to speak was water. So this must have been an air pocket. How far underwater were you? How long would this air last? Then again, the cavern was huge for a single human so food and water would be the first priorities. But it was still concerning to have limited air supply. 

Any planning ended when movement from the water caught your attention. A giant freaking skull of all things rose from the depths, followed by the rest of a skeletal torso adorned with an orange tail. Oh, god, the orange glow had been this thing?! What did it want?!

You were frozen in place, much to your chagrin and the monster before you focused its gaze on you. Oddly, it smiled when it spoke “oh good, you made it.”

“W-where am I? Who are you? What do you want from me?!”

He actually managed to quirk an eyebrow at you without having eyebrows. “in a cave, papyrus, and nothing.”

“...What?” Everything just felt too fast right now, but your panic did start to fade the longer the monster before you did a grand total of nothing towards you.

He laughed a little, surprising you enough to shake off a good chunk of panic and actually process that he’d been answering your questions.

“S-sorry. I’m a little scrambled right now.”

“got that part, yeah.” he teased.

You couldn’t help the laugh in response before replying “It was, Papyrus, right? I’m Y/N.”

“good to meetcha, kiddo. so, how much do you remember after your boat crashed?

“Not much. I was underwater last I recall, how did I get here?”

“didn’t miss a ton then. i fished you out, but with the storm it was best to bunker down for awhile. it’s still pretty nasty up there. i can take you back to shore when the storm lets up. for now, how’re your legs?”

“Not the best, but I’ll live.”

“lemme heal you up then.” he said, bringing his hand up towards you and approaching.

“Woah! Wait!” You scrambled to move away, only managing to tangle yourself in the sail and bring a wave of white hot pain to your left leg.

“right, big scary monster. got it.” He backed off, hands up in surrender. 

You felt bad about it now, but couldn’t help that his sheer size made him intimidating. Even if he’d apparently been the reason you weren’t dead...

“let’s try from a distance then, show that i can help?” He formed a bone from nothing, glowing bright green and as big as your hand. Surprisingly, he shot the bone towards you, where it struck the bruising on the better leg and appeared to melt into the skin on contact.

You flinched, expecting pain from the impact, but found it just felt warm and tingly instead. Upon inspection, the soreness was diminished and the bruising was nearly gone. You looked up to Papyrus, mouth agape in wonder.

“heh, maaaagic~” he wiggled his fingers, clearly amused by your reaction. “can i help now?”

You hesitantly nodded, presenting your pretty busted leg. You two were stuck here for now, may as well give him a little leeway. 

You didn’t scramble away at his approach this time, but couldn’t help but tense up anyways. He gingerly brought his hands forward, laying the very tips of his long, thin fingers atop the damaged limb far more gently than it seemed should be possible for such large hands. Even the feather light touch made you flinch momentarily before his phalanges started to glow the same green as the launched bone had been. Warmth seeped into your leg, and it felt like a warm blanket on a cold rainy day. The energy being transferred somehow carried a sense of benevolence, which made you feel safe.

“we’re lucky it’s your tibia that got the worst of it. bones are my specialty, for obvious reasons.” He said, smiling a little at the final comment.

You chuckled at his observation, “I can see why. And, uh, thank you for everything, I don’t think I actually said that yet.”

“eh, don’t mention it.”

For how odd this whole encounter was, it wasn’t so bad at all.

-----

Well, as comfortable as the human had gotten with him (not feeling the fear radiating off them after awhile was such a gratifying feeling) he still wasn’t looking forward to getting them out of here. He kinda knew this was gonna be rough, but with the storm outside finally quelled he needed to get this little human back home. 

He had left the cave to assess the storm, but his thoughts were completely focused on how to make the next steps easier. So distracted, he almost swam past the entrance to the cave entirely. Luckily he snapped out of it and was able to redirect to enter the cave. The human perked up as soon as his skull crested the water, and he didn’t fight the smile in reply.

“ready to go back topside, squishy?” he asked.

“The storm is gone?” The human asked hopefully.

“yep, won’t be any trouble.”

“Ok so how do we do this? Are you just going to cup me in your hands, or...?”

“ah, about that. we’re pretty deep down, i don’t think you’d make it back to air just holding your breath.”

“Oh, well how did i get here then?”

“same way you’ll gave to get back, i just played submarine. i’ll just take you in, and you get to relax while i take us back towards the nearest port.”

“...I don’t follow.” 

They were confused and hesitant, but not outright scared yet. That was good. The hope was that being casual and forward about it would play off the trust he’d already built, “it’s totally safe, but the short version is i’d swallow you and let you out later.”

There was the inevitable flare of fear, but it wasn’t as strong as it could have been. “Safely? You’re sure?”

“yep. you’ve already done it, but i’m not surprised you don’t remember given your state when i found you.”

They were silent, but a plethora of emotions swirled around them. He could easily feel their distress without even trying.

Better try reassurance and appealing to logic, then. “kiddo, if i’d wanted to hurt you, wouldn’t i have already done it?” he kept his voice soft, non-accusatory, and gave them space to think. 

His words seemed to have cut through their clouded emotions and they nodded after a moment. “Yeah... you would have. Ok. If that’s how I get home, let’s do it. Can you just... make it quick? To uh... get me inside, that is.”

“you want me to just do it for ya?” he asked, somewhat surprised.

“Yeah, get it over with. I don’t want to think about that part too much if I’m being honest.”

“alright, can’t say i blame you.” He gently scooped the human into his hands, and his Soul sunk a little at how much they’d curled in on themself. “you can close your eyes if you want, i’ll tell you when it’s done.”

They took his advice, and he saw them cycle a steadying breath. Well, they’d said make it quick so...

He pinched the back of their shirt, hung them over his open mouth, and lowered them in. He was able to release them and the slight drop brought their legs into his throat. The extra space meant their head was fully behind his teeth, so he closed his mouth around their warm body. He felt their hands flutter blindly around the area as if they were fighting the urge to stop their descent. He decided to keep going, even if it felt a little wrong when they were so clearly anxious, to comply with their request for speed.

One swallow brought their hips down, and he felt his throat dip into the small of their back. Another gulp and he felt their ribcage stretch the ectoflesh around them, and a third brought their form fully inside his. He brought his hand up to trace their downward journey, until he lost them past his clavicles. He felt them spill into his belly a few seconds later, limbs flailing outwards as they startled in the suddenly more open space.

He didn’t think they really needed him to tell them, but went ahead and said it anyways “ok kiddo, that’s the whole trip. i’ll give you a sec to get your bearings before we head off.” While they settled, he leaned his spine along the sandy embankment in the cave and bought his hands to fold over his belly in concern for his worried passenger.

They did start to move around, movements shaky and uncertain. He didn’t comment, letting them figure things out as they pleased. Their tactile approach did feel pretty nice, actually, but he didn’t outwardly react for fear of discouraging them. Whatever observations their pawing at the walls and floor were helping them make was lessening the fear exponentially.

After a while he hesitantly asked “you doing ok in there?”

Their tiny voice sounded a little odd coming from so very close, “Y-yeah. I’m good. ...I’m good...”

“good. told you it was safe. how do you feel?”

“Confused? Overwhelmed? ...I’ve got a dumb question though.”

He laughed, which seemed to have knocked them over since he felt an impact inside. “whoops, sorry kiddo. but if you’ve got questions you can ask.”

“...What does this feel like for you?”

That surprised him, and he fumbled for something to say beyond “good.” They took up space, which was helpful considering it’d been awhile since his last meal. Definitely wouldn’t bring that up though, for fear of scaring them. 

“Papyrus?”

Shoot, had he been silent for that long? “sorry, surprised me there. uh, i guess this feels protective? kinda feels good, like a hug?”

“But you can feel me in here?”

“of course. you’re right here,” he lightly pressed in where he could feel their weight, and heard the squeak of surprise in response.

The squeak devolved into laughter, and they hesitantly pushed back at his invading hand. 

He chuckled and relented on the pressure, “alright, that one wasn’t even dumb. any more questions?”

“I guess that was the big one. Think I’m set to go.”

“cool, hold tight then.” He pushed off the sand, ducked out of the cave, and headed towards human civilization.

The human slid around due to the drastic shifts in gravity, but resettled relatively quickly.

After a bit, Papyrus offered “i can let you see where we’re going if you like.”

“You can do that?” they sounded excited at the prospect.

He turned his magic from opaque to transparent in reply, earning a happy gasp from the human as they quickly readjusted to take the best advantage of the view. He went quiet again, happy to let them enjoy the views of the ocean most human weren’t afforded. 

This really wasn’t how he’d planned for his day to go, but he couldn’t really say this experience left him disappointed. 

With any luck, maybe he’d get to see this little sailor out on the sea again.

[eveningstar1516]

Rise of the Demon King ~ Chapter 10

Rise of the Demon King Fic: Multi Chapter Paring: MC x Everyone (Mostly Lucifer) Type: Angst with a Happy Ending Total Word Count: 26,758 TW: Major Character Death, Reader gets stabbed with a sword through their chest so..., Abusive Parents, Past Child Abuse, Demon Hunters, Loss of Control Summary: You’ve done it. You’ve finally done it. You’ve managed to anger the demon king. Now you hold your head high as he hands down your sentence. AO3 Portal: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27065362 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A/N: I gotta Discord server guys! It's primarily Obey Me but other fandoms are welcome as well. It's kinda baby and dead so me and the other members are looking to revive it and we'd love for you to come join us. A roleplay area is included :) https://discord.gg/F3YEmDZCPS Please remember to read and accept the rules once you join for access to all the channels. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Previously: Satan spent the rest of the night by his brother's side, cleaning his room and slowly, step by step, bringing back how his brother usually looked like. A glowing masterpiece, worthy of both envy and praise. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CHAPTER 10 - A Strong Bond (1616 words)

I was sitting at Lucifer's desk in his old room. After spending 3 sleepless nights in a row, Simeon helped me move into Luci’s old room which thankfully had some really good blinds to block out the celestial sun. The paperwork seemed as endless as it had in the Devildom only this time, it was the archangels' work. While they did their share and dealt with their department’s issues, the majority of the work still fell on my shoulders. I’m starting to understand why Lucifer felt this way towards paperwork. I put the pen down as I finished up the last of this week’s paperwork. Looking at the time, I realized I’ve been working for the past 9 hours straight. Getting up, I stretched my back and felt my joints popping. I filed the rest of the work and got dressed in something more comfortable. A simple dark blue turtleneck and white jeans. I made my way to the kitchen, having missed dinner, I wanted to get something to nibble on before bed. Upon entering, I found Raphael at the table with a cup of celestial berry tea. Noticing me, he looked up and waved me over.

“What are you still doing up Raph?” “I could ask the same. Here, we have some leftovers.” Raphael got up and got a plate from the fridge placing it in the microwave before getting another mug to pour more tea in. “Thank you” I took the mug with both hands and slowly sipped it. Relishing the warmth flowing down my throat. Taking the plate out of the microwave, Raphael set it in front of me before ruffling my hair and sitting back down. Laughing I retaliated back.

“H-hey! I’m not a child”

“You are compared to us. An overworked tired child that despite being in over their head, is doing an amazing job at keeping us running.”

“Thank you. It is hard though. I have no idea how Lu did it, still does it.”

“Yeah, Sammy would work himself to exhaustion. You actually remind me of him. Your determination to get the work done flawlessly and your dedication. Are you sure you’re not supposed to be an angel?”

“Heh, thanks Raph, but you and I both know I’m only doing this to go back.”

“Do you have to though? You’ve been here for a full millenia now. Don’t you want to stay?”

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s lovely up here and you guys are the absolute best, but I don’t belong here. My heart is in the Devildom with the brothers.”

“Why though? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not criticizing, but why would you rather stay in the Devildom than here?”

“I guess the Devildom just grew on me. The Devildom, and the bro’s. I like the way Belphie looks when he’s sleeping peacefully, his head on my lap. I admire the way Beel protects his twin and his brothers, sacrificing everything to make them happy. I envy the way Asmo can change a tense atmosphere into an up beat one effectively dissolving any tension. I find myself thinking about Satan and the late reading nights we’d have and the discussions about cats and our books. I wish I had as much passion as Levi does with his games and shows. Confidently ranting on about them without caring what others think. I’m amazed by Mammon’s love for his family. Everything he sacrifices to make them happy. He even puts himself in the line of fire and would redirect the attention to himself by doing something stupid to distract them from their suffering. I love Lucifer. I love how much he cares for his family. All he sacrifices, all he endures, all the pain he hides from them to keep them happy. To keep us all happy... I miss them.” Tears started pooling as I reminisced about the brothers. Raphael leaned over and pulled me into a shoulder hug.

“I know you do. If it’s any consolation, I’m sure they miss you too. It sounds like you created a strong bond with them. I’m sure you’ll get to see them soon.”

“I hope so. Thanks Raph.”

“Anytime Y/N. I think you should get some rest. Don’t forget we have a-”

“Y/N, Raphael.” Michael walked into the kitchen. He had a look that closely resembled contentment and relief.

“Michael, how can we help you?”

“You should be in bed Raphael. Father wants to see Y/N. Now.” Raphael and I exchanged a look. I finished off my tea and hugged Raphael goodnight before heading to my room to change into something more appropriate for my meeting with God. 5 minutes later and we were on our way to the palace. In the Devildom After they lost Y/N The day they lost Y/N was the hardest day in their life. After they got back to the house, they both went straight to their room, not talking with anyone. Behind the relative safety of a locked door, Belphie crawled into bed and tried to escape reality. Beel sat on his bed and closed his eyes. He didn’t try to sleep, he didn’t go to the kitchen, he didn’t move. He just sat there, the pain numbing him. They stayed like this for a while before Belphie started tossing and turning, his slumber becoming a restless nightmare. Beel got up and changed into something more comfortable. He moved Belphie over and got under the covers, pulling his twin into his chest. Belphie felt himself being pulled into his older brother's embrace and leaned into it, grief evident on both their faces as they both fell into a dreamless sleep.

The days following weren’t much better. Beel wouldn’t eat as much, practically starving himself and he was rarely found. When any of the brothers would go looking for him, they’d either find him in his room or the gym. Belphie wouldn’t wake up at all anymore. He’d go weeks sleeping, if you could call nightmare filled nights sleeping. He wasn’t any better awake either. When he did wake to attend school or fulfill an order from the king, you could practically see the waves of pure wrath and resentment surrounding him, only dispersing when Beel was close by. There were days where neither of them would leave their room, both just staring into space, little words exchanged. Although they didn’t need to. Their shared bond conveyed more than words could express. The pain amplified by this bond. When Belphie was awake, the twins would practically be inseparable. Neither going anywhere without the other.

This went on for a few months. One day after being rudely awakened from a nap, Belphie found himself wandering the house for a quiet place to sleep. Normally, he’d just head up to the attic, however today, he found his feet leading him down to the catacombs, towards Lilith’s, now Y/N’s casket. He doesn’t know what brought him here, but as soon as he saw it, his eyes started watering. He doesn’t know if it’s because of the memories he has assorted with the casket or if it was because Beel was sitting next to it, leaning his back against the side, crying. Sensing Belphie’s presence, Beel opened his eyes and turned his head towards his twin. He cracked a small, tired smile as Belphie moved to sit next to him. This was the first time Belphegor had seen Beelzebub cry since Y/N’s execution. Sitting next to his brother, he leaned into the larger demon letting his own tears flow. Their hands gravitated toward each other as they took hold. For the first time since the trial, they sat together in silence; tears flowing down their cheeks. Eventually, they fell asleep like this, holding each other's hands. It was Levi that found them. The 3rd born having come down to place the gift he got for Y/N from the convention on the casket. He spotted the twins sleeping with tear stained cheeks and left. He came back down a few minutes later with a blanket and a few snacks for when they awoke. Not wanting to disturb them, he set down the Ruri-chan kit and carefully draped the blanket over them. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was envious of the twins connection and devotion to be there for each other. Then he remembered about their connection. He knows the twins can feel what the other is feeling. He realized that they were probably taking this the hardest, their shared connection amplifying the pain. His envy for them left, replaced by something resembling pity. He left them in the catacombs and retreated to his room. The twins awoke at the same time. They took notice of the blanket draped over them and the fruit tray placed next to them. They exchanged a smile as Beel leaned over to grab the tray, offering the fruit to Belphie first. Belphegor grabbed an apple slice and held it towards Beel. Beel opened his mouth accepting the slice and repeated the action with a clementine. They continued like this, feeding each other until the tray was empty. They stayed down in the catacombs for a little while longer, their bond conveying the vows they made to each other. They’d never leave each other's side. Always be there for their other half.

After that day, Beel would take responsibility for waking the youngest whenever he slept for too long and Belphie took responsibility for making sure Beel ate whenever he was awake. From that day forward, you’d never find one twin without the other close by. Their relationship strengthened, one relying on the other. Always being there when needed.

[ptolomeia]

Story Time: Restitution

Teen and up

Brotherly/Platonic DRLAMP AU, Clones, psychic powers, Believed Major Character Death, Protective brothers, Suicidal Thoughts, Grief, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Second Chances, Rescues, Brief appearances of first person narration, but we promise they don't last, Everyone Needs A Hug, And surprisingly most of them actually get one

Summary: Story Time: Once upon a time, there was a boy named Thomas who developed psychic powers. Let me tell you, it did not go the way I dreamt it would.

* * *

When Janus learns what the men who made them had done to their progenitor, he knows he needs to get his brothers out. As soon as he can, he defects and starts the work needed to take down the men who made them, and keep his brothers safe.

* * *

After Deceit kills Janus, Virgil is left helpless to watch as Deceit takes his older brothers away from him one by one, until all he has left is the ghost of Not Janus and the possibility of a new brother to hold onto.

AO3

Story Time: Once upon a time, there was a boy named Thomas who developed psychic powers. Let me tell you, it did not go the way I dreamt it would.

* * *

Janus was the first of them to fall to Deceit. He’d been the oldest and smartest and best of them all, and Deceit had killed him.

Virgil knew that made sense. Janus was the most powerful and smartest of them all. Deceit had to know that any plan he made with Janus still around to fight him would have failed, so Deceit had killed him. Ambushed Virgil’s oldest brother on one of his missions, killed him, and started trying destroying everything the organization that made Virgil and his brothers had ever worked on. Deceit was brilliant. Deceit was terrifying. All of their training had been turned towards making Virgil and his remaining brothers powerful enough to destroy him. Apparently they’d done well enough, because the orders had come down last night. Remus would be going after Deceit in two more days.

Virgil bit his lip and tried to keep his worry from even Patton, useless as it was to try to hide what you were feeling from an empath. It wasn’t that he didn’t think Remus could do it—Remus was incredible! Brutal, creative, literally invulnerable, he’d take out Deceit no sweat and be home within the week.

But… Janus had been Janus. And Janus was never going to come home.

Virgil just didn’t want to lose another brother.

* * *

It had taken Remus days to get this deep into Deceit’s lair, but he’d finally managed it. Infiltration was his speciality after all. Well, that and mayhem. It was amazing what you could do when you didn’t have to worry about silly things like “bodily integrity” and “extreme temperatures”. But until he had Deceit right where he wanted him, he could be patient. And then, once Deceit was left in itty-bitty pieces, the Men who’d Made Them would be so distracted by cleaning up the rest of his organization that Remus would be able to grab his brothers and get out. Janus wasn’t there to protect them anymore, and someone had to. Roman would be safe. And so would Virgil.

He just had to kill this bastard and the brothers he had left would be free.

Remus heard steps coming down the hallway he was hiding over and shifted slightly, ready to drop down and destroy. Show time.

He would have sworn the movement was completely silent, but the figure stopped just outside pouncing range. Remus kept his breath as silent as possible, rage burning in his chest. Just a few more steps, and Janus’s ghost would be able to rest easy. All he had to do was wait.

“I know you’re there,” said a familiar voice, and everything inside Remus’s head came to a crashing halt. He was dead. “I can hear you. I don’t know how you made it this far, but you might as well—“

The angle was wrong, and his coordination off, but he still launched himself at the hooded figure not quite below him.

Shadow arms reached out and caught him, throwing him against the wall and pinning him there, and Remus was left staring into familiar brown and yellow eyes. Eyes that were full of things Remus couldn’t name.

“They send you to kill me?” Janus asked, letting go of Remus and vanishing his shadow hands. Remus’s legs refused to take his weight and he kept on sliding right down the wall. Janus was alive. “I wish I could say I thought they were above that,” Janus continued, “asking you to kill your own brother, but I can’t. Not after everything I’ve learned. Not after what they did to Thomas.”

“You’re alive,” Remus managed, not yet able to process anything else. “They told us Deceit killed you!”

“Right, because people who would send someone to kill their own brother—without even telling them—are the epitome of truthfulness,” Janus spat.

“Jan?” Remus asked, and for the first time in years, he let himself sound like the scared little brother no one could ever know he still felt like some times.

“They lied to you, Remus. To all of us. When I found out the truth about Thomas—“

“Who’s this Thomas guy you keep mentioning?” Remus asked. And why didn’t Remus know about him?

Janus looked down at him, thoughts flashing behind his eyes. Remus wished he’d let on what some of them were. “Our progenitor,” Janus finally said.

“Wait, what?” Remus asked. “You know about our progenitor? How? All they ever said was that he developed psychic powers and that’s why they cloned him after he died youn—“

Janus let out a dangerous hiss and Remus froze. Indestructible and immune to physical pain or not, he’d learned young it was really, really dumb to push Janus in a mood like this.

“That is what they said, isn’t it. ‘Died young.’ Well, at least that much wasn’t an outright lie, even with all the truths they hid with it.” Something solidified in Janus’s eyes—he’d made a decision.

“Come on,” he said, coming up to Remus and offering him a hand. “There are things you need to know.”

Without another word, Remus took his—living—brother’s hand and let himself be pulled up. There was no way he was going through with the original mission anymore, and once he had calmed down, Janus would be able to help him figure out what to do. It wasn’t his job alone to protect his brothers anymore. Janus would make sure Roman was never used to control Remus again. That Logan got to relax. That Patton never had to reach into someone’s heart and break them ever again. That Virgil… That Virgil was okay. All Remus had to do was hear Janus out and then they could get started on fixing things.

They walked through the twisting corridors of the base Janus had claimed. Remus’s mind made notes of small improvements that could be made to the already impressive security. He’d tell Janus when he’d calmed down again. Finally, they turned through a door into a small office. Nothing fancy—No pictures on the walls or rugs on the floor or anything. Just a small desk with a single screen on it, attached to a computer, and a chair at the desk. Janus sat down and started typing in commands.

“This room was one of the first ones I set up, when I left. My bedroom is the next door down and I come here when it feels like too much. When I need the reminder of why I left in the first place, and what’s truly at stake.” He got up from the computer. “They’re cued to run one after the other.”

Remus hesitated. His thoughts were too fast, his body needed to move, he didn’t want to—

“Do I really have to sit for this?” Remus asked.

“There’s a lot to take in,” Janus replied, looking over at him. Remus shifted slightly from foot to foot. This was obviously important but he could never focus when sitting sti—

Janus pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it to Remus. Remus couldn’t help his grin as he caught the fidget cube, hands immediately going to the clicking side. It might drive everyone else crazy, but he loved it. It was always the first side of his cubes to break.

“Aw shucks, bro. I missed you too,” Remus said, trying for a joke and an easy smile and for once having terrible aim.

“I’ve missed all of you,” Janus said, and he wasn’t even trying to hide how he felt, the confident bastard. “But after you see this, I think you’ll understand why I had to leave.”

Raising an eyebrow, Remus went and sat at the computer as his fingers danced across the cube, clicking and flicking and twirling. On the screen was a familiar face—the same one he saw in the mirror every day, or whenever he saw his brothers, though he didn’t know the subtle differences that distinguished this one. He knew for sure none of his brothers had ever looked that care free and besides, the kid on the screen looked older than most of them. Older than Logan, but younger than Roman or Remus himself. 16 was Remus’s best guess. He could turn and ask Janus—Janus definitely knew—or he could watch the videos and probably get the answers he wanted anyway. He reached up and pressed play.

On the screen, the kid started to move, smile becoming bigger and even more carefree, “What is UP everybody!”

Remus sat and watched. First were the videos of Thomas goofing around and having fun. And then the powers started showing up. Remus recognized them. The rest of their powers might be a lot more subtle, but he’d know Virgil and Janus’s shadow hands anywhere.

The next videos weren’t Thomas’s. They were security footage of familiar corridors and a cell and a kid who’d never been trained in his life trying to escape and failing miserably. Then came the experiments. Baseline stuff—Just tests to see how much you’d improved in certain categories. Lots of them, sure, but nothing Remus hadn’t been doing for as long as he could remember.

The next video didn’t have Thomas in it at all. It was a meeting of the men who ran the facility. The ones who’d ordered all of them made. Remus knew them from their pictures on the walls, but had never seen them in anything else. Not before now. The meeting did not start well. Disagreements. Arguments. Yelling. Finally, agreement. Conclusion.

Back to Thomas, with the experiments getting worse. More intense. Pushing Thomas to do more and more and more—again, it wasn’t anything Remus and his brothers hadn’t had to do, but Thomas wasn’t trained to take anyof this. Clips of Thomas crying in his cell. Thomas begging to be let out. To see his parents. To see his brothers. Thomas didn’t have any brothers in the facility. Remus felt Janus standing behind him, watching the videos with him. Janus who had died. Janus who was alive again. His fingers moved across the cube more and more frenetically. Harsher experiments—Worse than what they’d done to any of them except Remus, and Remus was indestructible—and then—

The explosion.

Thomas losing control or will or something—Remus couldn’t read his expression, the second it all went wrong, besides the fear. Maybe Patton could have, but Remus couldn’t. He just felt—He didn’t know that either.

The last video. A meeting. Blame, anger, (no guilt). A proposal. A ‘solution’. DNA recovered. They could start again, as many times as it took to get it right. They could tweak the sequence, adding and taking away as needed. They could build a team powerful enough to do whatever they wanted done. Experiments could be run to see if more power could be created, harnessed, controlled.

They would start with a single clone—increased senses, increased mental capabilities, some animal traits for senses humans didn’t have. He would teach them much about how to build the ones who came after him. The project was voted on. Approved. Code name: Janus.

The video ended on the smiles of the men. The cube cracked in Remus’s hand.

“You understand why I left now, don’t you,” Janus asked quietly behind him. “I’d long suspected there was something rotten there—the way they used Roman to control you, for a start—but once I knew the whole truth? Once I knew who the ‘Thomas’ I’d heard whispered about behind closed doors was and what happened to him… I had to stop them Remus. They tortured a kid to death—” Remus almost wanted to point out he wasn’t sure if Thomas was older than Janus by the time he’d… he couldn’t pick between ‘died’ and ‘was killed’ to describe it, but he didn’t. Even if he’d been years older than Remus by the end of the videos, he still understood thinking of someone that helpless and alone as a kid. “—and then they made more of us to torture until they could get it ‘right’.”

“I’ll help you stop them,” Remus said, turning to face Janus, the sharp edges of the broken cube digging painlessly into his palm.

“I didn’t ask you to.”

“Do you think you can stop me?” Remus said, surging to his feet and starting to pace. “After what I just watched? After what I know they’re willing to do? We can’t just keep leaving our brothers at their non-existent mercy Janus!”

“Because that was my plan entirely,” Janus snapped before coming over and grabbing Remus by the shoulders. “You have to understand, Remus. This is dangerous, even for you—“

“More dangerous than it is for you? You forgetting which one of us is invulnerable here?”

“They’ll use Roman,” Janus said, giving Remus a single shake. “You might be physically invulnerable but—They never had to hurt any of you to keep me in line, but they know you fold when they put Roman under pressure. If they think you’re dead, they wont’ have a reason to hurt him. You might be indestructible Remus, but are you willing to risk him?”

“So start a rumour you’ve developed mind control powers or something—They’d believe it! Dammit, Janus, you need me! I get you don’t have the resources to take them head on yet, but I can help you get them faster because we need to get them out!”

Suddenly, Remus had all of his big brother’s attention.

“What happened?” Janus demanded.

Remus pushed down all his panic and the memory of Thomas’s last expression.

“Janus. When you died—when you left… They started experiments on Virgil.”

[austarus]

Harry Wells x Reader Crisis of Infinite Wells (Part 4 of 5)

**A/N: The picture/edit/gif does not belong to me. It belongs to @moonymartell​ and @countlesswells​

** *Insert angel face emoji*

Word Count: 7267

Part 1    Part 2    Part 3    Part 5

‘Systems Online,’ a pop-up signal had indicated on the tablet you held with flashing red and white lettered lights. But the adrenaline in your veins would not subside. Taking in a breath of rushed air, you walked towards the monitors on jittery feet with the notion of checking on Nash. Looking back up at him, his eyes were shut, and his lithe body was reclined in the chair with machinery hooked up to him. You dread ball up in the pit of your stomach as silence hung in the air.

“Did it work?” Ralph questioned, glancing to everyone then back to you; confusion written on his face.

“Is there something that should have happened?” Barry followed up beside Ralph.

“Well if there was a big bang sound, followed by multiple spontaneous sparks flying everywhere and the room’s electricity short-circuiting along with small fires combusting from the machinery then we’d be in trouble.” You watched Nash’s neurological and physiological vitals rise and fall within homeostatic values on the monitors. Normal. Stable. “I- According to my theoretical calculations- yes, I’m getting science-y right now-,” you exhaled while you gestured with your hands as you spoke, “each psyche that had manifested itself into Nash’s being should have effectively split from his psyche and returned to their respective bodies in each dimension harboring a Harrison Wells doppelganger. Harry and the others hypothesized that their bodies must be unconscious, but alive in order for their psyches to remain intact within Nash’s mind.” The others looked unsure. You rubbed your exhausted eyes. “It’s just like how when you and Iris used the Mindscape Machine to enter into Nora’s mindscape when she went into Grace’s mind. Sherloque said you both would enter with your psyche’s and they had to be intact in Nora’s head in order to ensure you’d be able to return to your bodies unharmed. If the psyche is harmed and killed in any way, then the body essentially dies,” You took a step towards them away from the monitors with the tablet held close to you. “The reverse should be correct as well. If the psyche is absent from the body, the body must be preserved at stable levels in order for the psyche to return and realign itself in its proper body. That’s what we’re relying on. Hopefully they all made it back to their respective bodies.”

“In this case, it’s the multidimension of Wells,” Chester interjected, lowering his voice to a whisper. “So freaking cool.” Allegra rolled her eyes as she continued to cross her arms.

“Nash would have felt the absence of a Wells in his psyche if another doppelganger’s psyche had deteriorated due to its unconscious body not surviving. Wolfgang would be able to pinpoint who it is because he has a neurological roster of the Council of Wells that he had implemented into his own mind, therefore his own psyche.”

Iris spoke up after you finished, running a hand over her forearm as she resisted the urge to itch the patch of skin. Side effects from remaining in the Mirrorverse for too long. “So, they get back to their bodies. Then what? How are they going to get here?”

“Each Wells should be able to use their intelligence as well as tapping into their own resources on their Earth and use the dimensional coordinates they have to get relay their dimensional coordinates and the states of their Earth’s back to Earth-Prime,” You answered in a heartbeat with a snap of a finger. “Sherloque, Harry, and Wolfgang should be coming as soon as they wake up. They work fast and everything.”

“Ugh,” Cisco groaned in irritation, throwing his head back, “not Herr ‘off-you-go’ Wells.” The rest of us giggled at impending misery. “I swear if he makes one snide remark.”

“Wait, how do you know if we’ve got all the Wells and their dimensions? Is there some sort of algorithm the satellites are tracking?” Kamila added from beside Cisco. You watched his eyes melt a bit at the fact that she takes interest in understanding his areas of expertise like how he does to her photography and artistic nature.

You gave Cisco the honors of explaining that one. He turned to his lovely girlfriend. “My babies up in the heavens, god bless my mechanical genius, are calibrated with the finest technology to identify any molecular or subatomic shifts produced by any wave of dark matter or antimatter.” Kamila grinned at him as he continued. “But we won’t know for certain until Grumpy Cat, Tea Leaves, and Herr Prim-Posh Pants summon themselves through to correctly calibrate the DCP (Dimensional Communications Projector) to the actual dimensional values. You know, the Wells touch and all. God, but I swear if they break anything-”

“-They’re not,” you giggled as you cut off your annoyed friend, “I already told Harry that this area would be a ‘No Throw’ zone. The guys know better than to throw things that aren’t theirs too.”

“What about Nash?” Cecile pointed at the unconscious man.

Right, this part. “I will stay here to monitor any changes to his vitals until he wakes up. I already have a universal blood sample from our very own speedster in case Nash’s body were to start entering a state of flux. Barry’s cells should be able to repair any damage in Nash’s body if that were to happen. Just like he did to Ralph.”

“But Ralph’s body is pure elastic. It can bend and readjust itself to anything. Nash’s human.” You make a very excellent point, Cecile.

“Don’t worry, I’ve already run tests on myself and Cisco in order to ensure that the small blood transfusion would work on non-metas.” You fist-bumped your bro, who nodded approvingly. “Tiny increments should be able to do the trick.” Cecile nodded at you, giving you a motherly proud look before it contorted into a pointed one. You knew what she was going to say, but before she had a chance to say it the meta alarm went off.

“I guess that’s our cue to leave things to you,” Barry smiled at you, before nodding everyone to the direction of the door.

“Don’t die out there,” you teasingly yelled at their retreating figure.

“We’ll try not to.”

“And Barry, you need to do a prognosis physiological and biochemical report on your body from using the artificial Speed-force. Can’t have you losing your speed halfway through the day.”

“Yes, mother, I’ll be home before dinner to do homework,” Barry snickered, as he waved you off as he left with the others.

You rolled your eyes playfully at your antics with him and the others. Taking a seat in front of the monitors, you gave Nash another look. No matter how many times I can joke around with the others, I still feel the weight of their lives on my shoulder. You chewed on the inside of your cheek as your eyes flickered onto the screens. You need to wake up soon Nash. Running a hand through your hair as you set your head against your arm which leaned on the metal table. I need to know I didn’t kill you.

***

An hour had passed, and you felt your head was down to its last brain cell. You blinked slowly as you laid it against the cool metal. Nash was still unconscious, and you were starting to get worried. His vitals were still substantially at equilibrium. You shut your eyes for a moment. Allegra strode in with an annoyed look on her face as her eyes landed on Nash then to you.

“I don’t get why you care about him,” her rushed voice caused you to lift your head up. She continued while you quirked an eyebrow at her. “Why you’re wasting time watching over him. I mean after everything he’s done to me and the rest of us. Hell, he took your boyfriend away from you for some shit myth-busting. How is it that you still try to make yourself available to help someone like him?” It pisses me off and so does his existence!

“Allegra, Nash’s a human being too.”

“Ugh, whatever.” The young adult padded over to where some tech lied in attempts to obtain the thing that Cisco had described he needed.

“Ok, no. I can’t do this today.”

“Excuse me?” she narrowed her eyes at your change in tone. What’s got her panties all in a sudden twist?

“I’m am so tired of your bullshit attitude towards him,” You threw out, standing up from your chair with flared nostrils. “Your incessant whining when we don’t tell you every little detail about us, and how you treated the rest of us like dirt as if we haven’t been trying to stay by your side.”

“I haven’t-”

“Do you honestly not remember the way you treated Joe and Cecile? With rudeness and hostility and utter venom? When they had tried to get you to trust them to keep you safe from your cousin? How you were so pissy at Iris for not telling you about Team Flash? How you sneered and lashed out at Frost for trying to help you with your boy problems? We’re just going to sweep all that under the rug and call it a day?” You rhetorically asked with utter frustration. “And Nash, what is your problem with him? That he didn’t tell you that his adopted daughter who died right in front of him is your doppelganger? That’s your reason to emotional and mentally abuse him?! Boohoo, he didn’t tell me the truth. I’m a journalist I have to know the truth.”

“I don’t know wh-”

How can one person be so selfish? “Yes, you do. I’m a family practitioner, I know the signs of abuse even if it isn’t physical. 1) The silent treatment you give him whenever he tried to approach you to see if you were alright or if you needed help. 2) Not taking any responsibility for your toxic behavior towards him. 3) Pushing him to the point where he questions himself and his sanity because of how much you openly despise him. 4) Leading him to believe almost everything that goes wrong around you is his fault when it’s not. That’s gaslighting. 5) Using shame and his guilt to make him feel worse about himself regarding problems he already deeply regrets and works every day to make up for it. 6) Appearing indifferent when he’s clearly hurt/sad/upset. That’s called lack of empathy. And 7) ignoring him when he’s trying to express his feelings or trying to explain himself to you, but obviously because of all of the above you never gave him the fucking chance.” I get that her upbringing was rough but isn’t it hypocritical of you to pry at everyone’s hidden secrets when you have some of your own. We barely know anything about you other than the CCPD records and your meta abilities.

You had taken a few steps closer to her, seething and seeing red. Allegra struggled to retaliate, “I didn’t know-“

“No, you clearly didn’t because every time he tried to talk to you, you always shot him down harshly. Nash tried to give you time and space, always hoping that you would be ready and one day just listen to him. Do you not know how hard it is to wake up every morning to see the doppelganger of your dead child? Do you not understand how hard it is for him to relive the memory of her death over and over again? How much grief he’s carried in his heart and all of a sudden, by a stroke of chance his daughter’s doppelganger is part of Team Flash on this Earth?”

“…”

“You call yourself a journalist, but only when you don’t get what you want. You used that card so many times against Iris, especially when you snooped on her computer and found out about the crisis.” You took in a breath from your heated speech to calm down. Your headed started to pound even more Never in your life have you gotten this ballistic. You counted to 10 and regained control of your breathing and your tongue. Allegra was downright speechless, stunned in her spot at your ebullient words. “I’m not sorry for everything that I’ve said. You needed to hear it to wake up from that closed off and childish world you live in. Because whether you like it or not, he’s family too. And he’s here to stay, just like you. That’s the truth. You have trust issues, even when you’re with us. All of us. You doubt yourself and hesitate. That’s another truth. And you just use him as a punching bag to let out your frustration and pent-up annoyance on someone who only wants to protect you. Penance for not being able to protect his own daughter.”

“I didn’t ask for him to protect me. I’m not helpless.”

“We don’t ask for a lot of things in life to happen, but they do so anyway. Barry got struck by lightning. Frost and Caitlin watched their father die. We’ve lost so many precious souls. But life goes on. Is Iris helpless when Barry saves her? Is it true when vice versa happens? Frost distracts the baddie in time for Cisco to work his tech magic. Is he helpless? Is Ralph helpless when Sue took down those assassins even though she knew he was Elongated Man who is more than capable of handling a few bullets?”

“I- No?”

“Having another person around isn’t a sign of weakness, but strength. Surrounding yourself with people who love you, who you can call family isn’t an exhibition of helplessness. Allegra, you have a home now. A family that will always want the best for you whether you choose to trust us or not. And no matter what happens, Nash’s resolve is to ensure your safety even though he knows you are your own person. For his dead daughter’s sake. That’s how he believes he can redeem all that he’s done. Is that wrong?”

“But he manipulated me and then basically started the crisis.”

“Then I guess you don’t know the full story about that either,” you mocked her. Some reporter, huh. “First off, Nash told you about Team Flash before Team Flash told you about Team Flash. Why? I can only assume that he wanted you to know before you found out the hard way. Meaning if something where to happen to you unexpectedly like Blackhole targeting you because of your affiliation with Iris. He wanted you to already be aware of them and to know who to go to in case things got rough. Secondly, he gave you the push you needed to not fear your powers. To trust yourself. He foresaw that you’d need your powers and so would the others. So, where in all of that does Nash win and leave you for ruin like Eobard Thawne has done to the others? Was it wrong for Nash to indirectly help you in his own awkward bargain-y kind of way?”

Allegra ran a hand through her hair as you spoke, wanting desperately to prove you wrong that Nash was just using her. “It’s just… weird. I’m her doppelganger, I’m my own person. I’m not… her. I don’t even know her name.”

“Her name is Maya and if you asked Nash, he’d be more than willing to tell you about her, and you’d see for yourself that you and she are not the same.”

Allegra nodded at your words, looking as if she would contemplate it. You hoped anyway. The man didn’t need to be broken further. “How do you know all this?”

“It’s honestly pretty simple to push his buttons a bit before he spilled his pent-up feelings to me after we exorcised Eobard out of him. And I’m pretty sure Harry’s been giving him hell for Nash’s unsuccessful attempts with talking to you.

“Who’s he again?”

“An evil murderous speedster that has a thing for ruining Barry’s life and ensuring his existence in the timeline. Not the first time that’s happened, but the crisis allowed for us to do an exorcism was very… eye-opening.” You grinned mirthlessly to yourself causing her to smile a bit. You sighed and took a seat, gesturing for her to take it. Rubbing your eyes, you spoke up, “Nash isn’t the only one.”

“I don’t understand”

“4 years ago, Zoom was terrorizing Earth-1 and Earth-2. A speedster that could breach back and forth if all 52 breach-points weren’t sealed. It was terrifying to say the least. Barry, Cisco, Harry, and I breached over to Earth-2 with a 24-hour time limit in saving Jesse. She’s Harry’s daughter. His pride and joy, his one weakness but his true.”

“You sound like she’s yours too.”

In a way, she kinda would be if- “She’s a brilliant young soul who rivaled her father in intelligence and had a high-spirited personality. Later on, she was accidentally gifted with speedster abilities when Harry and the others tried to regain Barry’s speed. Abilities that Harry still dreads to this day because he’s an overprotective grouch. You’d like Jesse if you met her. Any who, I’m going off topic-” You laughed to yourself. “We had a strict time limit to find her before Zoom and his meta-minions expunged us off the multiverse. And Barry, he went undercover after kidnapping his nerdy doppelganger- “

“-so, Barry basically kidnapped himself- “

“-Yeah. A lot of weird shit goes on with us, but those are all stories for another time.” You waved the thought off before continuing. “So, he was undercover, and he met up with Joe and Iris’ doppelgangers on Earth-2’s Jitters. Barry couldn’t help himself when it came to protecting them when Earth-2 Killer Frost and her boyfriend crashed the little party in search for Barry and us. In the name of Zoom, they were sent out to kill of the breachers. Barry got involved when we were supposed to be incognito getting in and getting out. He sped E-2 Joe to the hospital and E-2 Iris away before she could shoot at E-2 Killer Frost. Even though, Harry told him that these doppelgangers were not his Iris and Joe, that he shouldn’t get involved with the people there. Barry saw the differences and, I kid you not, yelled at Harry that even if they were doppelgangers, they were still his Joe and Iris. He had a sense to protect them, just like Nash does for you.”

“That’s…”

 “It’s a lot, I know. We’ve all been through a lot in these past 6 years. Just… just think about it. Give Nash a chance to talk to you. To explain everything to you from his point of view. Because deep down, he knows you are your own person, but that you’re special just like Maya. Just as what Barry saw on Earth-2 with Joe and Iris’ doppelgangers. Lives worth risking for.”

You watched as Allegra took in a breath, really letting everything sink in before nodding at you. The gem that Nash had given her was still in her jacket pocket. It amplified her UV powers into mentally confusing the person in front of her. She fiddled with the tech in her hands. “I need to go give this to Cisco. He’s probably wondering if I drowned or not.” You nodded at her with an understanding smile as she retreated out the speed lab. Sighing harshly, you allowed the tension to leave your body as you reclined back in your seat. You shut your eyes. I hope I made the right decision to speak my mind to her.

“Didn’t think you thought that highly of me.” Your eyes fluttered open as you took a sharp intake of breath. Nash chuckled to himself at your dismay. His head felt incredibly murky as he blinked the dark spots away. He remained reclined as he rolled his head to the side, the feeling of his limbs returning to him as he urged his fingers to twitch and curl.

“Nash?! You were awake the entire time?!” Nash just smirked languidly at your embarrassed outburst, ignoring the slight throbbing sensation in his head. “Why didn’t you chime in?”

He watched you slowly sit up with worriment. Nash noted your continued exhaustion. “I was intrigued on what you had to say on my behalf.”

“Worried I’d tell her to UV your existence off the planet?”

“No, you wouldn’t do that.”

“And how do you know that? I can be pretty mean.”

And pretty bossy when you berate me for running into danger. But in either case, still pretty. “I understand. But then the question begs, why would you go to such great lengths to defend me?”

“I didn’t defend just you, Nash.”

“But almost the entirety of the conversation revolved around me and how I felt. My regrets and intentional self-punishment. You could have told her that you didn’t care and that she could continue to give me the cold shoulder… but you didn’t. Isn’t that right, little lady?” Nash coyly mocked you, causing you to roll your eyes at the Wells doppelganger. “Like you said, I’m a human being as well.”

“And a dumbass,” you muttered in a hushed voice to yourself as the taller man moved to stand up, he swayed not quite oriented yet. You were on your feet at once to steady him back into his seat. “Let’s do a couple of tests before you do any gallivanting across the city.” You checked over the monitors, noting that some vitals had dropped below normal which could be due to him waking up from the psyche-neural mental surgery.

“Do you want to take Barry’s blood?” You held up the syringe of speedster blood O-.

“Pass. I’m not a vampire.”

“I know you’re not a vampire, you idiot! This should speed up your body’s biochemical processes for you to retain homeostatic levels and for your mind to reorient itself to the psyche-neural splicing.” Nash stubbornly agreed to the blood administration. He rolled up his sleeve while you pulled out the necessary equipment to work your medical magic. You were just about finished when the geological myth-buster spoke up.

“Thank you… I owe you a favor.”

“Huh?”

“I said, thank you.”

“Sorry, just one more time. I don’t- I don’t think I… caught that correctly.”

“How does Harry even put up with you?”

“You can ask him yourself when he gets here,” you responded cheekily with a huge toothy grin on your face. You won’t lie and say that your heart didn’t jump that Harry would be coming soon. “Now what’s this about owing me a favor?”

Geez don’t smile like that at me. Nash pushed away those pesky thoughts. “I honestly really hoped you wouldn’t catch that, but,” He paused for a moment to collect his words as he sat up, now not taking for granted the silence within his own mind. “After you put the Psyche Segregator on me, I realized something. The favor you owed me, protecting Allegra, it’s… a favor without an expiration date.”

“So?”

“It wouldn’t be fair if I did not do the same.”

“I’m not following.”

“Gods! What I’m saying is, that I owe you a lifelong favor. But only one.”

He owes me a favor. A lifelong favor. A favor that’s lifelong. A favor that doesn’t expire. An expirationless favor. I get a lifelong favor. A dumbass owes me a favor. “…”

“What’s it going to be?”

“… I can’t think of anything right now.”

Nash only blinked at you. “Seriously, you can’t come up with something in that ditzy head of yours?”

“Hey, I take great offense to that!”

“Good, it’s the truth.”

You put away the medical equipment and disconnected the screens that held his vitals. While you were up, you gave him a water bottle and some food to help with the dizziness. Nash felt his strength return to him as the blood transfusion allowed his body to work faster in restoring itself. “You never told me; did it work? Are they…?” You trailed off pointing to your head as he stood up.

“No mo-”

Swouush, swooush

The crackling sounds of atoms and the fabric of this dimension cut you off. You turned around to see two breach-like holes open up in the middle of the speed lab, familiar and friendly faces exiting safely. They pocketed their newly synthesized dimensional extrapolators.

“Vhy don’t you take ein gut look, schatz?”

“Oui, we’d be more zhan ‘appy to answer zhat for Nash.”

You greeted them cheerily with a hand wave as they approached you and Nash. Wolfgang nodded at you before making a beeline to where the DCM remained. Sherloque tipped his hat to you before nodding at Nash.

“You guys made it safely.” :D

“Zhat we did, petit fluer. A few bumps on zhe way, but nozhing eizher of us could not ‘andle,” Sherloque piqued up,

“Then that means-,” You pulled out caramel vanilla flavored chap stick out of your pocket and applied it to your lips. Your heart waited in anticipation not even wanting to waste time to even fix your hair. Harry will be here soon. The boys just watched you carry on with a dumbstruck smile on your face as you stood in place and waited for a breach to open up. Wolfgang resumed working on recalibrating the DCM for the others.

“Did you just put on chap stick?” Nash asked with quirked eyebrows and an incredulous look.

“Well, yeah? When I see Harry, I’m going to wanna kiss him, duh.”

“You didn’t get enough from-”

“-Sherloque, don’t-”

“-when you were making out wizh ‘arry in Nash’s ‘ead?”

You shut your eyes and groaned, blood rushing up to your face as you covered it with your hands. “They did what?? Seriously, in my mindscape?” Nash’s flare-up caused Sherloque to snicker as he smirked at your bashfulness.

“Ja, zhey did zhat.” Wolfgang sighed, pulling up new schematics one the computer screen. He worked diligently with any piece of technology at his fingertips. “Alzhough, Sherloque vas zhe unfortunate one to valk in on zhem. Gott sei Dank bin ich es nicht.”

“Oui, zhey were getting very ‘ot and ‘eavy zhat it took Wolfgang and moi to interrupt zhem from what people on zhis Earth would say ‘rounding zhe bases like deux ‘ormonal teenagers.”

“Sherloque, stop! Please!”

Your cheeks were on fire and you know they could see the colored hues. Sherloque and Nash continued to tease you while you attempted to ignore their playful jabs. No Harry yet. It’s been… 15 minutes. Don’t panic. He’s ok. Probably held up or something at his Labs. He’s ok and he’s with Jesse. Just breathe. “I-I should probably run some small physiological diagnostics on you guys since you just crossed over and we don’t know if the dimensional travel will negatively impact you or not.”

“Great, she gets nervous and all of a sudden to distract herself, the little lady wants to run tests.” Nash facepalmed while Sherloque just gave you a look.

“Hey, I’m not nervous! How many times are you going to offend me today?”

“As many times as necessary.”

“Everyzhing zhat you’re doing right now are common gestures of being nervous. You keep playing wizh your fingers and biting on your bottom lip. You did zhat last year whenever we were discussing Cicada.” Sherloque added much to your chagrin.

You pouted with crossed arms. “I don’t do it often.”

“Yes, you do.” Both Nash and Sherloque responded simultaneously and you felt yourself shrink a bit under their combined blue gazes. Before you could say anything, Wolfgang let out low whistle. The three of you turned to him as he began to speak.

“Systems are all online und fully functional. Zhe ozhers should be sending us zheir dimensional coordinates und ve can commence vizh zhe cataloging soon.” The German man continued speaking as he finished typing up a few more algorithms on the computer. “I’ve already uploaded ein copy of zhe roster from my mind zhat vay ve could check zhe ozher Vells off Stück für Stück.

You nodded at Wolfgang’s words, but felt your stomach squeeze in your lower abdomen. “What about Harry?”

“Ve vill just have to vait until he shows up, schatz.” Wolfgang adjusted his glasses as he gave you a brief glance. You weren’t the only one to notice that since arriving on Earth-Prime that Wolfgang wouldn’t meet your eyes. “Do no vorry, Harry vill come.” Your shoulders sagged at the idea, an action Sherloque picked up on which prompted him to give his two cents.

Mh, une distraction semble être de mise. “(Y/N), Wolfgang ‘ere told me an interesting story about ‘is Earzh and a particular person ‘e ‘ad come across. Say, your doppelganger for instance.” The Frenchman took off his fedora to card his fingers through his dark locks whilst Wolfgang momentarily froze. Nash stretched fully before retreating out of the room, knowing he wouldn’t be needed and wouldn’t allow himself to be psychoanalyzed by the one and only Sherloque Wells. Sherloque smirked as Nash left and Wolfgang’s reaction. Il n’y a pas de mal à partager des histoires.

“Nein, halt- Ich-”

“-He told you or did you deduce it from him like you do to everyone else?” You questioned your friend slyly before turning your head back to the German Wells. “Wolfgang, you knew my doppelganger?”

“Ja, ve… ve used to be close in university.” His cheeks dusted pink as he fumbled about with the wiring of your Earth’s extrapolators. “She vas zhe one zhing zhat remained constant zhrough zhe years.”

“What happened to her? You’re talking as if-”

“She passed avay. Ja, she did. She vas terminally ill… Multiple Sclerozis.”

So that’s probably why he doesn’t like to look at me for too long. “I’m sorry. My brother- he died a few years ago from Multiple Sclerosis too. I guess the apple doesn’t fall too far from the family tree even across the multiverse, huh?”

“Ja.”

Ok (Y/N), way to make it super awkward. “I should- leave you to your sciencing. Sorry about that.”

Wolfgang just nodded his head in thanks before sending a glare to the detective while Sherloque advised the both of you to venture out to the breakroom for to make drinks. With a smug look on his face, obviously. Qu’est ce qui retarde ‘arry? The same thought echoed hauntingly in your mind as well. You allowed the French detective to pull you down the corridor for some coffee and tea, but your mind could not for the life of it let go of Harry.

***

You waited. Patiently, if I might add. It’s been 2 days since Wolfgang and Sherloque had popped over. Obviously you had gone home to shower and change before coming back with some snacks. The cataloging was running smoothly. Wells one by one projected themselves over via the DCM and recounted their dimensional coordinates as well as establishing the state of their Earth in this new dimension. But you grew uninterested in the different variations of your boyfriend. Each second ticked away at your heart. Like a fool you’d look up at the different sounds that would come from the center of the Speed Labs only to be met with disappointment. Sherloque eyed you as you waited around like a lost puppy for the Earth-2 man, even at points getting up and pacing. The detective saw the anxiety ooze from you at the fact that Harry hadn’t arrived yet, so he did his best to distract you from your worries and thoughts. But he was running out of stories of Earth-221, interesting cases, and discussion topics to tell.

Barry had sped in a couch for you and Sherloque to sit in as you waited for Harry to make an appearance. The detective calmly sipped at his new flavored tea, one that you had provided. Wild Raspberry Hibiscus. You blinked the sleep from your eyes, willing yourself to be alert. You had already consumed 4 cups of coffee with espresso yesterday, but those sleepless nights were slowly pushing against you. The two of you sat in silence with only the hums of working electricity and noises from the DCM.

“I zhink,” Wolfgang took a step back from the computer monitor, “I should retire for zhe nacht.” The German took off his glasses and rubbing his closed eyes. Es war eine mühsame Aufgabe, aber sie musste erledigt werden. “I’ve reprogrammed zhe system in order for it to catalog incoming Vells automatically.”

“I’ll keep my eye on it,” Sherloque piqued up, gesturing with his porcelain teacup to the DCM and subtly side glancing at you. Wolfgang only nodded at his doppelganger.

“Yeah, you should go rest. Sorry if it seemed like I was keeping you here,” you stood up and stretched, walking over to the German Wells.

“Nonsense, zhink of it as a favor to Harry,” Wolfgang waved off your statement. You offered your hand to the platinum-haired Wells which he shook gently before bidding your goodbyes to each other as he strode through the dimensional breach. Which reminds me. You scrunched your face and blinked a few times over then turned back to the seated detective.

��Sherloque, you don’t have to say here. You should go back home to Renee.”

“I- Comment puis-je lui dire? … Renee and I didn’t exactly work out. Encore.” You observed him as he set his teacup down, Sherloque chuckled sadly to himself. Je ne sais même pas pourquoi j’ai voulu recommencé ca va faire 8 fois.

“You deserve better. You really do, Sherloque. Love will find you.”

“Easy for you to say.”

“Hey, head up,” You found yourself sitting beside the now cynical man as you wrapped your arms around him in a comforting hug. “It could even literally run right into you one day when you least expect it. But it doesn’t mean you can run yourself ragged from sleep loss.” He sighed, shaking his head slightly and reciprocating the gesture of affection. You knew he had no problem with loving, it was the fact of having that love fully reciprocated without it becoming superficial.

“I cannot, I promised ‘arry I would not leave your side in zhe case zhat zhere would be some sort of delay on ‘is end.”

“He asked you to do that for me?”

“Oui”

“Do you think… something happened to him?”

“I wouldn’t worry. ‘e’s a capable and determined man, plus ‘e ‘as ‘is daughter wizh ‘im. Now come on, I believe zhe bozh of us deserve a change of scenery.”

“I’m feeling the need for Jitters coffee actually.”

You pulled said man off the couch and moved towards the direction of the door. Sherloque raised an eyebrow at you incredulously as he scrunched his nose in disgust at the prospect of coffee. “Coffee at zhis hour? Its 10 PM.”

“WHAT?”

“Well you’ve been on zhe Netflix entire time, peeping up every once and awhile to see if ‘arry come or not. I’m not surprised you lost track of time.”

“I guess I can drink some hot chocolate from the breakroom.”

“No need to get up,” Nash’s voice caused your head to snap up as he stepped into the Speed lab with a cup of hot chocolate in hand, “I figured you’ve had too much coffee in your clumsy existence within the past 12 hours.” In truth, Nash had made, dumped, and re-made hot chocolate 7 times in the past 2 hours because he had no idea on how you’d react when he’d make it. He had no idea why he impulsively decided to make one of your favorite drinks instead of letting you waste away at the prospect of coffee. The adventurer talked and scolded himself because you clearly don’t need him to help you out. You’re a capable, independent ditz after all with a war veteran of a boyfriend on the way. Although, Harry’s delay did ease the unsettling feeling in the pit of Nash’s stomach. Finally, the myth-buster had made a decision and added some peppermint extract to give it more flavor with some marshmallows. Fuck it, I’m going to do it anyway because… I secretly want to see her smile at me while it lasts. FuCk.

“I resent that statement, but I do thank you for the hot cocoa,” you hummed in contentment of the fresh brew. Nash saw the weight momentarily leave your shoulders and your body visibly relaxed. You saw him eye you oddly but chose to shake it off as you took another long sip. “Mm, I never got to ask, but have you met any vampires?”

“What?”

“Vampires. You said you weren’t one and I obviously know that, but I’m intrigued if you’ve encountered any on your travels through the multiverse. Cisco accidentally met one when he saved Breacher a year ago.”

“Do you always come up with bizarre questions to ask?” Nash poked your cheek as the three of you moved back to the couch. You batted his hand away. Sherloque baby blue eyes followed the banter between

“I don’t know if I should take it as a compliment or a criticism.”

“Take it as you will. I honestly don’t care.”

“Well?” You asked with furrowed eyebrows as you were seated in between Sherloque and Nash on the couch. You blinked a few times and shook your head a bit.

“Well, what?”

“Have you caused any trouble with any vampire?”

“Why is it that you think that I always cause trouble?” Nash countered your question with his own. He ignored the mockingly smug look on Sherloque’s face.

You shot Nash a look before retorting and Sherloque held in a laugh. “I’m not even going to answer that, Nash.” Nash stammered a bit before succumbing to that determined look on your face, the sparkles hidden in your eyes as they twinkled with curiosity.

“There was this one time-”

“-I knew it!-”

“-Would you let me finish before judging?” He lightly scolded you as you took another sip of your hot cocoa, your head started to throb against the hardness of your skull. “Anyway, before I was so rudely interrupted,” but you did not look in the least regretful, “this was before I met Maya. I had… overheard in a tavern on a dark Earth rumors of the Alexandrite Crown or better known in the dark legends as the Queen’s Crown. A crown thistled with alexandrite gems but infused with Thallium and Platinum. Poisonous according to the naturally occurring substances on that Earth.”

Nash continued painting the pictures to his adventure and his encounter with a Vampire Clan in a clash over the Alexandrite Crown and the mystical way of obtaining Chrysolite in order to cleanse it from the noxious spirit that’s locked away within. You hung onto each word as you pushed away the blurriness in your vision and the hazy state of your mind. With each second your head got heavier, feeling like lead and your eyes threatened to droop, but you needed this distraction from worrying about Harry’s wellbeing. Taking one deep breath, you shut your eyes as your body went out of commission. The geological adventurer breathed a sigh of relief, lowering his voice to a stop as your head gently lolled to the side, resting against Sherloque’s shoulder. Both men observed your breathing pattern relax to soft puffs of air.

“Sleeping powder, impressive and you even stalled until it took effect. Maybe zhere’s hope for you just yet,” Sherloque smugly spoke up as he readjusted you to rest your head onto his lap.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Nash narrowed his blue irises at the detective.

“Non, nozhing. What else did you bring?”

“Huh? What-I didn’t-”

“I’m a detective Nash, I notice zhe most miniscule of things. Bring over zhe pillow and blanket you ‘ave ‘idden in zhe vacant room beside zhe corridor.”

“How did you…?”

“Skill, mon ami. Skill. Just because I’m not in your ‘ead does not mean zhat I cannot see zhrough your pure intentions.”

Nash sighed in defeat as he pulled up the blanket and pillow. He first covered you with a fluffy blanket, ensuring that he would not meet Sherloque’s eyes. “She gets cold when she falls asleep.”

“And zhe pillow?”

Nash handed his doppelganger the pillow, who placed it on his lap before setting your head on it to sleep comfortably. “You already know so I’m not going to even say anything.”

The detective quirked a teasing, but knowing eyebrow at the explorer, “Be honest wizh yourself, what prompted you to essentially drug her?”

“Okay, with the way you’re saying it, you’re sounding as if I’m going to do vile things to her. And you know what? I’m not going to even pretend to not be offended by that.”

“Well in reality you technically did drug her, but zhat’s beside zhe point.”

“She hasn’t been sleeping well. You know it. I know it. Hell, everyone on Team Flash noticed, but no one had the will to reprimand her to take a day to rest.”

“You mean ‘zhe ‘eart’ to.”

“Whatever!-”

“-Shh!-”

“-The little lady needed to sleep. She can’t be running herself ragged while making sure everyone around her stays safe and healthy.”

“Zhat’s very noble of you, Nash. C’est ironique, non? Elle ne peut pas être tienne mais tu ne peux pas t’empêcher de désirer quelque chose que tu ne peux pas avoir.” Ta logique t’a réprimandé pour avoir préféré profiter d’un instant avec tes amis. Tu vas devoir apprendre à t’en contenter.

“What did you just say?”

“Nozhing!” Sherloque just gave the other man a mysterious smile as he took off his fedora and tossed it onto a spare and vacant table on the side. “You know it’s nozhing to be ashamed of, right? Caring about ‘er and ‘er safety, zhat’s what zhis team does to a person. It doesn’t make you weak. You should know zhat by now.”

“…”

“You just need to know not to tip over zhe line.” Sherloque knew his doppelganger didn’t like being deduced, didn’t like his actions thoroughly analyzed to told what and how he was feeling. But sometimes, he needed a little push in the right direction by the detective in order to fully face the intentions behind his actions. That was one of Nash’s flaws. The ability to push aside all the pain and emotions behind current actions in a little box and thrown out the window in order to press on with the adventures that he lived on. Sherloque had discretely gone through some of his recent memories and noticed it occur with not just you and Allegra, but with the members of Team Flash as well.

“I know what I’m doing,”

“Zhen I believe you have some… patching up to do wizh a certain teenager.”

“She’s not a teenager, she’s a young adult.”

“All in zhe same wizh ‘ow she was acting.”

Nash left with a slight huff as he had every intention of turning in for the night, mentally contemplating a few things. Rubbing his eyes, the explorer took one glance back from where he stood in the corridor. He dismissed the skilled detective’s words, but yours had echoed in his mind. The detective reclined back on the couch, his own mind wandering in the depths of his own nightmares and regrets. He took one look at you before shaking his head. Sherloque smirked as his ears perked up to familiar sounds causing the detective to tilt his head back.

“Eh bien il était temps”

German and French Translation:

Deux - Two

Mh, une distraction semble être de mise - Hm, a distraction seems to be necessary right now

Il n’y a pas de mal à partager des histoires – There’s no harm in sharing some stories.

Qu’est ce qui retarde Harry? - What is taking Harry so long?

Comment puis-je lui dire? – How do I say this?

Encore – Again

Je ne sais même pas pourquoi j’ai voulu recommencé ca va faire 8 fois – I don’t know why I tried an 8th time.

C’est ironique, non? Elle ne peut pas être tienne mais tu ne peux pas t’empêcher de désirer quelque chose que tu ne peux pas avoir – It is ironic, no? Even though she cannot be yours your heart can’t help but to secretly desire something dangerous

Ta logique t’a réprimandé pour avoir préféré profiter d’un instant avec tes amis. Tu vas devoir apprendre à t’en contenter. – Your logical mind scolded you to relish with your friendship instead. Something you will have to learn to become content with.

Eh bien il était temps - Well it’s about time.

Mon Ami – My friend

Stück für Stück – Bit by bit

Es war eine mühsame Aufgabe, aber sie musste erledigt warden - It was a tedious task, but it needed to be done

Gott sei Dank bin ich es nicht – Thank God I didn’t

Schatz – sweetheart

Petit Fleur – Little Flower

[brookecuzyes]

The Captain’s Kid—

E.1: New World Order

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier FanFic

Main Masterlist — TCK Masterlist

Summary: We think of the after-life as a peaceful place. A place where there are no worries. When a girl comes back from the dead, so to speak, she has to find a new place in society— which ends up with her becoming a superhero. She’s been trained for the worst, but nothing could’ve prepared her for the things she was going to endure.

Word Count: ≈2k

Warnings: John Walker 🤢, minor cursing

A/N: The bold letters are the German translations

———————————————————————-

One Month Earlier…

“Steve represented the best in all of us: courageous, righteous… hopeful. And he mastered posing stoically.” The crowd laughed. Sam was giving a speech in Washington. Alyxandria was standing in the crowd next to James Rhodes. They were both in uniform.

“The world has been forever changed,” he continued. “A few months ago, billions of people reappeared after five years away, sending the world into turmoil. We need new heroes. One suited for the times we’re in. Symbols are nothing without the women and men who give them meaning. And this thing…” he picked up the shield, “I don’t know if there’s ever been a greater symbol. But, it’s more about the man who propped it up, and he’s gone. So, today, we honor Steve’s legacy, but also we look to the future.”

Sam turned his head to look at the poster behind him, which was Steve Rogers in the Captain America uniform. He spoke again, “Thank you, Captain America, but this belongs to you.” The crowd clapped. Alyxandria knew what was coming, and she wasn’t ready. She looked over to Rhodes; he knew it, too. Sam gave the shield to some guy with white gloves on and he took it and carefully placed it into a glass case to put it on display, with the help of another woman. And then they closed it.

Well, shit, Sam, she thought to herself.

——

“Ok, ok. I crossed a name off of my list of amends yesterday. Don’t worry, I used all your three rules. Senator Atwood; she was a HYDRA pawn for years. Helped her get into office when I was the Winter Soldier. And after HYDRA disbanded, she continued to abuse the power I gave her.”

“So, rule number one, you can’t do anything illegal.”

“All I did was give some intel to the aide to convict her, and I wasn’t involved in anything else.”

“Rule number two?”

“What was rule number two?”

“Nobody gets hurt. It’s a big one.”

“Then why isn’t it rule number one? I didn’t hurt anybody… I promise.”

“And what about rule number three?”

No answer came from Bucky. He was lost in his thoughts.

“The whole point of making amends is to fulfill rule number three.”

“You know, you’re a cynic, doc. Of course, I completed rule number three: I am no longer the Winter Soldier. I am James Bucky Barnes, and you are part of my efforts to make amends.” He finished with a smile.

“So, you did it all right, but it didn’t help with the nightmares,” Christina Raynor, James’ therapist, said.

“We’ll, like I said, I didn’t have any.” Doctor Raynor had an unsure look on her face.

“Look,” she started. “One day, you’re gonna have to open up and understand that some people really do want to help you, and that they can be trusted.”

“I trust people,” James whispered.

“Yeah? Give me your phone.” James pulled out a burner phone and gave it to Raynor. She started going through it and said, “You don’t have 10 phone numbers on this thing. Oh, and you’ve been ignoring the texts from Sam and Alyxandria— no, no, you texted her once. You said you were busy. Look, you’ve gotta nurture friendships. I am the only person you have called all week. That is so sad,” she said with finality and closed the phone, making a loud noise, and threw it back to him. “You’re alone. You’re a hundred years old. You have no history, no family-“

“Are you lashing out at me, doc?” James interrupted. He knew she was right, he just didn’t want to admit it.

“You’ve stopped fighting, James. What do you want?” Raynor asked. James stopped and thought about it for a few seconds before responding with, “Peace.”

“That is utter bullshit,” Raynor argued.

“You’re a terrible shrink.”

“I was an excellent soldier, so I saw a lot of dead bodies, and I know how that can shut you down. And if you are alone, that is the quietest, most personal hell. And, James, it is very hard to escape. Look, I know that you have been through a lot, but you’ve got your mind back, and you are being pardoned. I mean, these are good things. You’re free.”

You’re free.

James knew it, but didn’t feel it. The metal arm will forever be with him— a reminder of his past. Yori’s son was killed by the Winter Soldier, but he didn’t know that it was what happened nor did he know that the Winter Soldier was really a brainwashed James. Nothing made him feel free. He couldn’t say either. Couldn’t let someone in like that. Unfortunately, Yori set him up with the bartender at Izzy’s. He never got her name, though. That date didn’t end well. He ended up leaving after she brought up Yori and his son. James went to York’s apartment to tell him but… he just couldn’t bring himself to do it.

——

Joaquin Torres was in Switzerland. He was trying to uncover who these so-called “Flag Smashers” were. As far as he knew, they liked the way the world was during the Blip.

He got to the location that all of the Flag Smashers were supposed to meet up at, since he had some sort of app they were using. Torres stood around before going up to a guy who was present and asked, “Do you know what we’re supposed to do?” A whistle was made and everyone stopped what they were doing. The people started moving one way, towards a guy who had a duffel bag full of these masks that he gave out to everyone, including Torres. Everyone put them on when they got a notification.

Run!

A window was smashed and everyone started screaming and running. Two duffel bags full of something were thrown, and then a guy jumped out of the window. He picked up the bags and started walking. The police showed up and were there to arrest him. The guy holding the bags held them up with his arms stretched out all the way and two people ran up to him and grabbed the duffel bags out of his hands. An officer ran up to Torres and said, “You are under arrest!” but Torres shook him off and knocked him to the ground saying, “He’s getting away!” He turned around and said to the officer, “Sorry, sorry.”

That one guy was still walking and stopped when he saw an ally being attacked by a police officer. So, he kicked the officer, sending him flying into a pole. That’s when Torres ran up to him.

“Hey, hey, hey!” He screamed. He pulled out his gun and held the guy at gunpoint. “I don’t know how jurisdiction works here, but I’mma have to place you under arrest.” However, before Torres could do anything, the guy grabbed his arm and twisted it, making Joaquin yell in pain. He grabbed the gun, lifted Joaquin up, and threw him on the ground, leaving him groaning. Joaquin looked up, and the last thing he saw was a foot to his face, knocking him out and leaving him on the concrete. The guy just walked away.

——

“Alyxandria Rogers?” She turned her head. There was a woman standing there, holding a clipboard. Alyxandria got up and walked over to her. The woman walked her to where she was supposed to go:

The Oval Office.

The president wanted to discuss something with her. What was, well, Alyxandria didn’t know. She hoped that it wasn’t anything too bad…

The woman opened the door saying, “Mr. President, Ms. Rogers is here.” He got up from his desk and walked over to Alyxandria. The woman shut the door after Alyx walked in all the way. She saluted him, him being the president and all.

“At ease, Lieutenant,” he said. She lowered her hand and put both of her hands behind her back instead. “Thank you for coming, I know it was on short notice. I have a question for you.”

“Is everything okay, sir?”

“Yes, yes. As you know, Sam Wilson has recently given up the shield. Like he said in his speech, we need new heroes.” Alyx was confused but continued to listen. “America needs someone who can be a reminder of what we are.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. President, but I’m confused. Where are you getting at,” she asked, taking a small step forward.

“We’re giving the shield to someone else.”

“Excuse me, sir?”

“I know how it sounds, especially to you, but we need this. What I’m asking of you, Alyxandria,— and you can think about this— is to be the one to hand the shield to our new guy. You are Steve Rogers’ daughter, you would be the only other person who I can think of that would be impeccable for this. But, it is up to you. What do you say?”

I shouldn’t do this. I shouldn’t… it’s wrong. It's wrong.

——

“So, this is the leader of the Flag Smashers, huh?” Sam asked Joaquin, who was on a video call. Sam was watching a video Torres sent about the Flag Smashers group.

“Yeah,” Joaquin replied. “Real nice guy.”

“I thought you were supposed to be monitoring them online.” Sam said.

“I was. I did. But, you know, sometimes you gotta get your hands dirty or a broken orbital.”

“You’re lucky that’s all you got. He’s strong.”

“He was. I mean, bro, they went dark as soon as it was all over. But that’s their M.O. We just gotta keep our eyes and ears to the ground till they pop up again.”

“Anything else happen outside the video?”

“Nah, man. My face was in the dirt before I knew what was happening. Why? What are you thinking?” Sam stayed silent for a few moments before he responded, “Nothin’.” Torres looked at him curiously through the phone, knowing what could possibly be going on inside his head.

“Wait. You don’t think he could be a-“ Torres started, but was interrupted.

“Look, I’ll circle back to you. Let’s keep this between me and you, okay?”

“Alright,” Torres replied.

“Oh my god, Sam. You better look at this,” Sarah— Sam’s sister, said frantically, running in the room to turn on the TV. Sam hung up with Torres and closed the tab that was open on the computer. He turned around to see what was going on… and he couldn’t believe it.

“Unrest, in the wake of recent events, has left us vulnerable,” a man on the TV said. “Every day American feel it. While we love heroes who put their lives on the line to defend Earth, we also need a hero to defend this country. We need a real person who embodies America’s greatest values.”

That would be my father, Alyxandria thought to herself. She was standing near the front of the podium. The shield was right next to her in a case. Her heart was beating like crazy. Something doesn’t feel right about this…

“We need someone,” the man continued, “to inspire us again. Someone who can be a symbol for all of us. So, on behalf of the Department of Defense and our Commander-in-Chief, it is with great honor that we announce here today that the United States of America has a new hero. Join me in welcoming your new Captain America!” Everyone in the audience started clapping and cheering. A man walked out from behind the doors. He was in the Captain America costume, running down the stairs. He waved to the crowd for a second, when the man who had been talking shook his hand and gestured for him to go over to Alyxandria. So, he walked over to Alyx and stood in front of her with a wide smile. She unzipped the case and slowly pulled out the shield. She carefully held the shield out to this new guy and he gracefully accepted it. She saluted the man, and he too. He then walked to the front of the podium and stood there, proud of himself.

Alyxandria knew how Sam and Bucky’s faces might look right now. She knew they were going to kill her. She knew they’d think her crazy.

In all honesty, Alyx thought that she herself was crazy.

What have I done? Giving up my father’s legacy? This isn’t my place. This is wrong.

Oh, if only she knew…

———————————————————————-5/22/21

[hearthwitchhome]

Story Time: Restitution Ch 1

Teen and up Brotherly/Platonic DRLAMP AU, Clones, psychic powers, Believed Major Character Death, Protective brothers, Suicidal Thoughts, Grief, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Second Chances, Rescues, Brief appearances of first person narration, but we promise they don't last, Everyone Needs A Hug, And surprisingly most of them actually get one Summary: Story Time: Once upon a time, there was a boy named Thomas who developed psychic powers. Let me tell you, it did not go the way I dreamt it would.

* * *

When Janus learns what the men who made them had done to their progenitor, he knows he needs to get his brothers out. As soon as he can, he defects and starts the work needed to take down the men who made them, and keep his brothers safe.

* * *

After Deceit kills Janus, Virgil is left helpless to watch as Deceit takes his older brothers away from him one by one, until all he has left is the ghost of Not Janus and the possibility of a new brother to hold onto. AO3

Story Time: Once upon a time, there was a boy named Thomas who developed psychic powers. Let me tell you, it did not go the way I dreamt it would.

* * *

Janus was the first of them to fall to Deceit. He’d been the oldest and smartest and best of them all, and Deceit had killed him.

Virgil knew that made sense. Janus was the most powerful and smartest of them all. Deceit had to know that any plan he made with Janus still around to fight him would have failed, so Deceit had killed him. Ambushed Virgil’s oldest brother on one of his missions, killed him, and started trying destroying everything the organization that made Virgil and his brothers had ever worked on. Deceit was brilliant. Deceit was terrifying. All of their training had been turned towards making Virgil and his remaining brothers powerful enough to destroy him. Apparently they’d done well enough, because the orders had come down last night. Remus would be going after Deceit in two more days.

Virgil bit his lip and tried to keep his worry from even Patton, useless as it was to try to hide what you were feeling from an empath. It wasn’t that he didn’t think Remus could do it—Remus was incredible! Brutal, creative, literally invulnerable, he’d take out Deceit no sweat and be home within the week.

But… Janus had been Janus. And Janus was never going to come home.

Virgil just didn’t want to lose another brother.

* * *

It had taken Remus days to get this deep into Deceit’s lair, but he’d finally managed it. Infiltration was his speciality after all. Well, that and mayhem. It was amazing what you could do when you didn’t have to worry about silly things like “bodily integrity” and “extreme temperatures”. But until he had Deceit right where he wanted him, he could be patient. And then, once Deceit was left in itty-bitty pieces, the Men who’d Made Them would be so distracted by cleaning up the rest of his organization that Remus would be able to grab his brothers and get out. Janus wasn’t there to protect them anymore, and someone had to. Roman would be safe. And so would Virgil.

He just had to kill this bastard and the brothers he had left would be free.

Remus heard steps coming down the hallway he was hiding over and shifted slightly, ready to drop down and destroy. Show time.

He would have sworn the movement was completely silent, but the figure stopped just outside pouncing range. Remus kept his breath as silent as possible, rage burning in his chest. Just a few more steps, and Janus’s ghost would be able to rest easy. All he had to do was wait.

“I know you’re there,” said a familiar voice, and everything inside Remus’s head came to a crashing halt. He was dead. “I can hear you. I don’t know how you made it this far, but you might as well—“

The angle was wrong, and his coordination off, but he still launched himself at the hooded figure not quite below him.

Shadow arms reached out and caught him, throwing him against the wall and pinning him there, and Remus was left staring into familiar brown and yellow eyes. Eyes that were full of things Remus couldn’t name.

“They send you to kill me?” Janus asked, letting go of Remus and vanishing his shadow hands. Remus’s legs refused to take his weight and he kept on sliding right down the wall. Janus was alive. “I wish I could say I thought they were above that,” Janus continued, “asking you to kill your own brother, but I can’t. Not after everything I’ve learned. Not after what they did to Thomas.”

“You’re alive,” Remus managed, not yet able to process anything else. “They told us Deceit killed you!”

“Right, because people who would send someone to kill their own brother—without even telling them—are the epitome of truthfulness,” Janus spat.

“Jan?” Remus asked, and for the first time in years, he let himself sound like the scared little brother no one could ever know he still felt like some times.

“They lied to you, Remus. To all of us. When I found out the truth about Thomas—“

“Who’s this Thomas guy you keep mentioning?” Remus asked. And why didn’t Remus know about him?

Janus looked down at him, thoughts flashing behind his eyes. Remus wished he’d let on what some of them were. “Our progenitor,” Janus finally said.

“Wait, what?” Remus asked. “You know about our progenitor? How? All they ever said was that he developed psychic powers and that’s why they cloned him after he died youn—“

Janus let out a dangerous hiss and Remus froze. Indestructible and immune to physical pain or not, he’d learned young it was really, really dumb to push Janus in a mood like this.

“That is what they said, isn’t it. ‘Died young.’ Well, at least that much wasn’t an outright lie, even with all the truths they hid with it.” Something solidified in Janus’s eyes—he’d made a decision.

“Come on,” he said, coming up to Remus and offering him a hand. “There are things you need to know.”

Without another word, Remus took his—living—brother’s hand and let himself be pulled up. There was no way he was going through with the original mission anymore, and once he had calmed down, Janus would be able to help him figure out what to do. It wasn’t his job alone to protect his brothers anymore. Janus would make sure Roman was never used to control Remus again. That Logan got to relax. That Patton never had to reach into someone’s heart and break them ever again. That Virgil… That Virgil was okay. All Remus had to do was hear Janus out and then they could get started on fixing things.

They walked through the twisting corridors of the base Janus had claimed. Remus’s mind made notes of small improvements that could be made to the already impressive security. He’d tell Janus when he’d calmed down again. Finally, they turned through a door into a small office. Nothing fancy—No pictures on the walls or rugs on the floor or anything. Just a small desk with a single screen on it, attached to a computer, and a chair at the desk. Janus sat down and started typing in commands.

“This room was one of the first ones I set up, when I left. My bedroom is the next door down and I come here when it feels like too much. When I need the reminder of why I left in the first place, and what’s truly at stake.” He got up from the computer. “They’re cued to run one after the other.”

Remus hesitated. His thoughts were too fast, his body needed to move, he didn’t want to—

“Do I really have to sit for this?” Remus asked.

“There’s a lot to take in,” Janus replied, looking over at him. Remus shifted slightly from foot to foot. This was obviously important but he could never focus when sitting sti—

Janus pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it to Remus. Remus couldn’t help his grin as he caught the fidget cube, hands immediately going to the clicking side. It might drive everyone else crazy, but he loved it. It was always the first side of his cubes to break.

“Aw shucks, bro. I missed you too,” Remus said, trying for a joke and an easy smile and for once having terrible aim.

“I’ve missed all of you,” Janus said, and he wasn’t even trying to hide how he felt, the confident bastard. “But after you see this, I think you’ll understand why I had to leave.”

Raising an eyebrow, Remus went and sat at the computer as his fingers danced across the cube, clicking and flicking and twirling. On the screen was a familiar face—the same one he saw in the mirror every day, or whenever he saw his brothers, though he didn’t know the subtle differences that distinguished this one. He knew for sure none of his brothers had ever looked that care free and besides, the kid on the screen looked older than most of them. Older than Logan, but younger than Roman or Remus himself. 16 was Remus’s best guess. He could turn and ask Janus—Janus definitely knew—or he could watch the videos and probably get the answers he wanted anyway. He reached up and pressed play.

On the screen, the kid started to move, smile becoming bigger and even more carefree, “What is UP everybody!”

Remus sat and watched. First were the videos of Thomas goofing around and having fun. And then the powers started showing up. Remus recognized them. The rest of their powers might be a lot more subtle, but he’d know Virgil and Janus’s shadow hands anywhere.

The next videos weren’t Thomas’s. They were security footage of familiar corridors and a cell and a kid who’d never been trained in his life trying to escape and failing miserably. Then came the experiments. Baseline stuff—Just tests to see how much you’d improved in certain categories. Lots of them, sure, but nothing Remus hadn’t been doing for as long as he could remember.

The next video didn’t have Thomas in it at all. It was a meeting of the men who ran the facility. The ones who’d ordered all of them made. Remus knew them from their pictures on the walls, but had never seen them in anything else. Not before now. The meeting did not start well. Disagreements. Arguments. Yelling. Finally, agreement. Conclusion.

Back to Thomas, with the experiments getting worse. More intense. Pushing Thomas to do more and more and more—again, it wasn’t anything Remus and his brothers hadn’t had to do, but Thomas wasn’t trained to take anyof this. Clips of Thomas crying in his cell. Thomas begging to be let out. To see his parents. To see his brothers. Thomas didn’t have any brothers in the facility. Remus felt Janus standing behind him, watching the videos with him. Janus who had died. Janus who was alive again. His fingers moved across the cube more and more frenetically. Harsher experiments—Worse than what they’d done to any of them except Remus, and Remus was indestructible—and then—

The explosion.

Thomas losing control or will or something—Remus couldn’t read his expression, the second it all went wrong, besides the fear. Maybe Patton could have, but Remus couldn’t. He just felt—He didn’t know that either.

The last video. A meeting. Blame, anger, (no guilt). A proposal. A ‘solution’. DNA recovered. They could start again, as many times as it took to get it right. They could tweak the sequence, adding and taking away as needed. They could build a team powerful enough to do whatever they wanted done. Experiments could be run to see if more power could be created, harnessed, controlled.

They would start with a single clone—increased senses, increased mental capabilities, some animal traits for senses humans didn’t have. He would teach them much about how to build the ones who came after him. The project was voted on. Approved. Code name: Janus.

The video ended on the smiles of the men. The cube cracked in Remus’s hand.

“You understand why I left now, don’t you,” Janus asked quietly behind him. “I’d long suspected there was something rotten there—the way they used Roman to control you, for a start—but once I knew the whole truth? Once I knew who the ‘Thomas’ I’d heard whispered about behind closed doors was and what happened to him… I had to stop them Remus. They tortured a kid to death—” Remus almost wanted to point out he wasn’t sure if Thomas was older than Janus by the time he’d… he couldn’t pick between ‘died’ and ‘was killed’ to describe it, but he didn’t. Even if he’d been years older than Remus by the end of the videos, he still understood thinking of someone that helpless and alone as a kid. “—and then they made more of us to torture until they could get it ‘right’.”

“I’ll help you stop them,” Remus said, turning to face Janus, the sharp edges of the broken cube digging painlessly into his palm.

“I didn’t ask you to.”

“Do you think you can stop me?” Remus said, surging to his feet and starting to pace. “After what I just watched? After what I know they’re willing to do? We can’t just keep leaving our brothers at their non-existent mercy Janus!”

“Because that was my plan entirely,” Janus snapped before coming over and grabbing Remus by the shoulders. “You have to understand, Remus. This is dangerous, even for you—“

“More dangerous than it is for you? You forgetting which one of us is invulnerable here?”

“They’ll use Roman,” Janus said, giving Remus a single shake. “You might be physically invulnerable but—They never had to hurt any of you to keep me in line, but they know you fold when they put Roman under pressure. If they think you’re dead, they wont’ have a reason to hurt him. You might be indestructible Remus, but are you willing to risk him?”

“So start a rumour you’ve developed mind control powers or something—They’d believe it! Dammit, Janus, you need me! I get you don’t have the resources to take them head on yet, but I can help you get them faster because we need to get them out!”

Suddenly, Remus had all of his big brother’s attention.

“What happened?” Janus demanded.

Remus pushed down all his panic and the memory of Thomas’s last expression.

“Janus. When you died—when you left… They started experiments on Virgil.”

[hydrangeasimagination]

Bentō

Pairing: Platonic! Big Bro Bakugo & Younger Sib! Reader

Summary: Katsuki is started to make an extra lunch, something of which his mother takes notice. She’s at first elated when she thinks that he’s finally found someone he likes. But later finds out that’s not the case at all as you appear before one night

Warnings: Angst. Mentions of Physical Abuse. 

A/N:  Based on all the familial Dad Might Family Unit asks. Still trying to fix writing, still feel bad about it. Just have this platonic stuff for now, I got some other parts too… I’ve been feeling all sorts of bad so I wrote this out. I hope this is okay? IDK, I’m dyin’ Scoobs - just trying to get back into the groove. I’m not the best at writing sensitive subject matters so, I think this is my kind of start into delving into it?? Feel free to give me feedback, I want to portray everything as accurately as I can.

Under the cut for space and because of the warnings

[Part 2]

The sight of a bento wrapped in a pastel furoshiki caught Mitsuki’s sight early Monday morning as she started to pack up for work. The pretty fabric was clearly new as she didn’t remember ever having one like it. With the clouds that decorated it, making the blue look like cotton candy. It was set beside her son’s usual red, the stark difference making her wonder where it had come from.

It was pretty, there was no question.

Just out of place on the dark marble of the kitchen counter, out of place tucked into the arms of her son.

She had a half a mind to go and interrogate Katsuki, having seen him make quite a bit of food for lunch the night before. But he grabbed his things and left before she could say anything, the delicately made bento wrapped in pastels came with him.

Mitsuki was curious, but saved it into the back of her head.

That was Monday.

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday followed the same pattern.

The same pretty furoshiki was used again and again, wrapping up the extra lunch he continued to make. The food items varied, changing and differing from his own and making it clear that he was adapting to cooking for someone else’s tastes.

Many of the options were meant to fill and satisfy, full of what seemed to be proteins and vitamins. The dedication he had to making the second lunch was admirable.

She was sure at this point he had some type of crush. That he’s met someone that’s finally caught his attention.

Especially when she noticed that the manner in how he packed up the food was way too uncharacteristic of him. Packing onigiri into shapes, frying sausages into octopi, even the vegetables were cut into flowers.

Her son was pining, Mitsuki was sure of it.

So when he came home on Friday night, she was dying to finally worm the secrets from him. Eyes trained on the door, she watched as the water on the stove boiled in the background. The droning of the TV show Masaru was watching distinctly heard over the sound of the lock clicking.

The door swung open and Mitsuki felt her voice stop in her throat when she took notice that he wasn’t alone.

Your fingers were curled into the edge of his blazer, remaining behind him as you hid your face from view. She watched with baited breath as his hand drifted back to grasp at your’s, holding it with such care she hadn’t ever seen him display towards anyone else.

He kicked the door shut and turned to you, still shielding your face from her line of sight and quietly said something to you. Something unheard over her own speeding heartbeat.

Wordlessly, you toed off your shoes and he led you into the living room.

His voice seemed uncaring but Mitsuki knew much better, his eyes betrayed him as he spoke, “Is it alright if… My friend stays the night?”

Mitsuki nearly choked.

He was asking if you could stay over, before he even introduced you to them.

On top of referring to you as a friend?

Masaru was equally shocked, if not concerned. You weren’t even looking at them, hiding behind him the way you were. Whether it be because you were scared or shy, they couldn’t tell.

“Is it alright with —”

Katsuki seemed to tense, baring his teeth.

Shoulders squared as he practically barked, cutting his father off completely, “Why the hell would I ask if it wasn’t?!”

The fierceness he displayed wasn’t at all surprising, as losing his temper quickly was something they were used to. But with one look at you, shaking like a leaf behind their hotheaded son; dread filled them both.

He noticed too, only holding your hand tighter and giving another scoff, “We’re goin’ to my room.”

Carmine clashed with a matching pair before he dragged you away, leaving two parents staring at your retreating forms before they disappeared up the stairs. Mitsuki met her husband’s gaze, who peered back at her with concern.

“There’s something wrong.” Masaru said quietly, as if he spoke too loud you both could hear him.

She slowly nodded in agreement, a pit forming in her stomach. Pushing her hair back, she worried her bottom lip between her teeth.

Mitsuki was doubly worried as Katsuki had only come down three times over the rest of the night. The first was to ask her where the extra blanket was, the second to bring plates of food up the stairs, and the last was to bring the dishes down to be washed.

Only a gruff thanks for the food was given through his trips up and down the stairs. He was uncharacteristically quiet, barely meeting their gazes throughout the duration of his time on the first floor.

At last, he came down once more, dressed for bed.

She stopped him before he had the chance to leave the kitchen, frowning deeply as she asked, “Alright, brat, what the hell is going on?”

Katsuki was silent, gripping at the glass of water he had gotten. He refused to meet her gaze for the longest time, his jaw tightening as he was clearly trying to find the words to say. To explain his behavior, to explain why that you were here.

Her heart squeezed at the unsure look on his face and her eyes softened, the tight frown loosening. “You know you can tell me anything, right?”

“Yeah.” He muttered, flickering his gaze to the glass with contemplation. “But… Right now, it s'not my place to say anything.”

Confusion was all she felt for that moment, tightly pursing her lips together at the sight of his rather grim expression.

Mitsuki didn’t know how to feel.

Many emotions flooded her at once.

Concern.

Guilt.

Fear.

What the hell was going on?

But only when she noticed that he seemed distracted by something behind her, did she turn her head.

Her chest felt tight, breath no longer being able to draw into her lungs. Her mouth dropping open at the sight of you, the first good look at you.

Oh, god.

You were pretty, there was no question about that.

Just out of place, the bruising that bloomed from your left eye made it clear why you hid.

Seeing your collarbones prominently over the collar of the shirt he allowed you to borrow, the realization struck her made her skin crawl.

A cold chill turning her blood to ice as she noticed the scars that wrapped around your arms like spider webs.

Katsuki breathed your name, voice full of something akin to anxiety.

“It’s okay Katsu.”

She nearly choked yet again at the affectionate pet name but found she couldn’t make a sound

Your eyes met her’s and she felt every inch of her body seize. They were glassy, tired, almost hollow as you peered at her. There was so much pain, complete exhaustion painted your face and twisting the innocence into something terrible.

Her stomach was drawn up in knots.

“You sure?”

Mitsuki didn’t even notice that Katsuki was already at your side until he spoke, his shoulders tensed.

Slowly nodding, you turned to her. Making the ache in her heart return at the deep pain in your soft eyes.

“My parents aren’t good people.” The melodic of your voice too sweet, too pure, for the words falling from your lips. “So he wanted me to be here instead of being…”

Trailing off and gripping at her son’s hand, you looked so tired.

As if you wanted to fall asleep and never get back up again.

A tightness welled in her throat, the sudden urge to cry came as you lifted your scarred fingers to touch the bruise. It marred you like a reminder, a reminder that not all children are blessed with good parents.

“Here.” Katsuki pressed the glass into your hands, touch so light as if he was scared he was going to break you.

Her aching chest could no longer take it, her lips trembling as she softly said, “Katsuki?”

He turned to look at her, moving in front of you. Making her heart warm yet hurt as it seemed like he was ready to protect you at any turn, even if it was against her. Even if he knew he didn’t need to, he felt the instinct to do just that.

“Bring your friend over whenever you want…”

Carmines met carmines as he held you, like you were something precious to him.

Which you were.

Just not in the way she thought.

A slight warmth filled her at the smile that pulled at your lips, eyes glimmering as you quietly thanked her. Speaking soft ‘good nights’, she watched your backs yet again as he led you up the stairs.

Katsuki was a good kid, despite his coarse front.

He found someone that he cared for.

He found someone he loved.

And you loved Katsuki too.

But…

There’s always different types of love.

Mitsuki was proud of her son and she was proud of you.

You were so strong.

[aclosetfan]

For the Salty asks: 1, 3, 5 and 6?

Thanks so much for playing along! Ima be real with you 2 out of the 4 questions you asked really opened up a can of worms for me, and I’m so sorry. I put the less stressful ones first, and the other two are under the cut! Anyway, these were super fun to answer, but plz don’t hate me for it!! 😂😂

for anyone wondering, here’s the ask list: Salty Asks List 

3. Have you ever unfollowed someone over a fandom opinion?

lmao yeah. It’s petty, but honestly, people’s personal morals really bleed through into their fandom opinions, and I’m not willing to put up with any unnecessary hate, especially in environments that are supposed to be fun. I’ve even blocked a few people. In the ppg fandom specifically, I’ve blocked a person who, I guess, thought it was necessary to try to gate-keep with racist/sexist/etc. terminology and ideologies, and I truly don’t have time for that 🤷‍♀️ (a lot of people probs know who I’m vaguing, but if you don’t, you’re lucky)

I can’t say I’ve ever unfollowed anyone for any innocent/not-in-conflict-with-my-morals fandom opinions. Usually, if I don’t agree with something, I just keep scrolling because lol whatever. Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion.

but ngl I have unfollowed people who just get annoying 😬😬 lol

6. Has fandom ever made you enjoy a pairing you previously hated?*

I went into this fandom without having too many preferences, so I didn’t have a pairing that I’ve previously hated!

I guess I could say that while I never really hated them, the color-mixing and color-clashing ships weren’t ever on my radar until I came across the fandom content. Now, I really like them! Particularly, Brick and Bubbles!

1. What OTPs in your fandom(s) do you just not get?*

Before anyone gets pissed off at me, before you get into my answer for this question, I’d like to really stress that you’ve got to go into it with absolutely zero fanon context. Like, erase all your headcanons from your mind. I’m dead serious. Because I literally DO NOT get why ANY rrbxppg ship would realistically work ever.

Okay, canonically, these six little funky science experiments were dead set on ending each other. The boys were absolutely horrible to the girls. And the girls literally KILL the boys. I know in fairytale romances, nothing stops love, but bruh, it’s hard to come back from murder 😂 And yeah, I know Clipsville showed the girls and the boys together as older teenagers, and they weren’t trying to kill each other, but that was an obvious gag. In the documentary, it was revealed that that particular “clip” was made because a bunch of people wanted the boys and girls to interact again, and CN gave into the demand. (also, lol I know it super embarrassing, but I did watch the documentary. I just really like Craig McCracken) I just don’t think that realistically a canon pairing between the two sets of triplets would ever be considered a healthy relationship. 

Also, ethically, I just—okay listen, I go back and forth with this allllll the time, but the ppgxrrb ships make me confront the “Would I sleep with my clone?” question way too often. Depending on my self-esteem, the answer changes each time. Like sometimes I’m like fuck yeah I would! Other times I’m like, ew, no, I’d have to consider my clone as a twin! I know counterparts aren’t technically clones, BUT the boys really do come across as identical to the girls in the show. The only difference really is their moral alignment (I’m nixing any gender argument). So, I’m like, omg, can I honestly pair these six together in any way??? Are they too close to each other genetically in some sense for this to be morally right??? Like if you ship Brick and Buttercup together, would that just essentially be shipping Brick and Butch/Blossom and Buttercup together in some messed up way??? Is Brick just Blossom, and Blossom just Brick?? Is it better just to ship color-matching instead of mixing???  

On top of all of that, wouldn’t the boys and girls be pseudo cousins since Mojo was the Professor’s lab monkey? Technically, in canon, Mojo ends up being both sets of triplets “creator,” so could the rrb and the ppg be considered siblings of some sort? Some of you are probably like, wow, calm down. Stop thinking about it. They’re science experiments. It’s not so deep. Which I get, but I can’t stop, so let me hit you with something ten times worse: should the girls (or the boys) actually be considered biological siblings? Does sugar, spice, and everything nice make you genetically related? Nothing put in the stirring pot was organic—just a bunch of chemicals. If you ship the boys and girls together this could be a good thing! BUT, but, could some sick fuck use this information to somehow justify shipping siblings (ppgxppg or rrbxrrb) together??? This is a literal nightmare to think about!!

All in all, I can’t think about these pairings too much without getting caught up in the logistics of their existence even if they’re fictional lmaoooo! If it wasn’t for the fandom, I wouldn’t ship them together at all. I just think it’s amazing that the ships took off like they did lol, because their literal (fictional) existence is just one giant mind fuck for me. Anyway, I ship them at the end of the day, but tbh I do it with a bit of a guilty conscience. Is it morally correct to ship clone-like counterparts? Or should counterparts be treated like twins? Does it even fucking matter at the end of the day, it’s just fiction? I don’t know the right answer. But I do know the pairings don’t make sense. 

Aside from the ppgxrrb, I don’t think there are many other BIG fandom wide pairings. Still, I just want to say that I don’t get why people ship Ace and Buttercup together. The pairing sounds off a few major alarms in my head for obvious reasons. There’s also a bunch of crack ships that involve crossovers with other cartoons. Generally, I don’t mind them, but it seems popular to ship Aku (from Samurai Jack) and Blossom together. And I’m real sorry to those devoted shippers, but again I do NOT get it. I see a lot of romantic fan art depicting romantic situations with Blossom still drawn as a child, and like I get Aku is an immortal demon, so “age is just a number,” but again, BIG ALARMS go off in my head.

5. Has fandom ever ruined a pairing for you?*

🙃 🙃 Kind of don’t want to answer this, but I will anyway because only a few people actually read my blog lolol, so lol, yep! And it’s the reds. Don’t shoot me lol. When I was in middle school, I got into this fandom, forgot about it, and then came back when I was hit by a round of nostalgia. I’m finishing up college now, and I can confidentially say that the fanon content for the reds hasn’t changed one bit. Or the demand for it.

I tended to find that a lot of red content follows many archetypes that I’m just not into. Their stories can get a real cringey, real fast. Blossom is always written like this “perfect, except she’s not (but she really is)” character. Like she’s the girl you WISH you could be, but she’s also going through a shit ton of stuff that no person IRL would be able to handle without having a mental breakdown. And sometimes, in some stories, Blossom does have a mental breakdown, but in a sexy way, so she’s still perfect. Generally, there’s still something problematic about Blossom that makes it easy for a reader to relate to her on some level, unlike the way people write Bubbles. And then there’s Brick, who’s broody, hyper-possessive or jealous, and hot figuratively and literally (gotta love the fire/ice trope). He’s the only boy—no! Wait!—the only person who could ever possibly outwit Blossom, and he is just so undeniably attracted to Blossom. They’re the smart power couple that should honestly just hook-up in Chapter One to save everybody time, but they don’t. Nah, they’ve got to survive at least two love triangles before they even consider admitting they’re attracted to each other.  

And don’t get me wrong, none of that’s bad, but there are a million fanfics that go through the same song and dance with these two. And it’s kind of easy to tell when someone’s hardcore projecting onto Blossom because the type of person they’re personally attracted to is the way they write Brick. And I’m not knocking anyone self-projecting onto characters, sometimes people got to do that to give themselves a fun mental break, but bro, I don’t want to read about it. For one, smart broody assholes aren’t my type. Maybe when I was in middle school, but not anymore. And two, it’s just not interesting to me, which is a real shame since the reds are a majority of the fanon content.

Maybe if I found more red stories where the plot isn’t character-driven but plot-driven, so I see the romance between these two characters in a context where it’s not the main focus of the story, it would solve my issue with the pairing. I haven’t found many fics like that, though.

I can’t really think of any reds fic where I’m like ey, this aint bad unless it has a “major character death” tag attached to it lmao (which are always plot driven stories). However, in all honesty, since I’ve stayed away from red content for a while now, I don’t know the current state of things. Maybe there’s been a load more development for these two, or people have broken away from the same plotlines, but I’m too busy to check. I do browse people’s fic rec lists from time to time, but it sort of feels like everyone just puts the same fics on their lists and moves on.

And before someone’s like, “well, you can say all this about the greens or the blues,” just know I’m fully aware. The greens make me cringe too because there’s a shit ton of possessive and abusive storylines filling their story tags. And what makes me super uncomfortable is how people make Buttercup hit Butch or call him derogatory names, oftentimes unprompted. I don’t know why people make Buttercup such an unlikeable and overly aggressive person. I also don’t get why they make Butch some perverted idiot, but to each their own, I guess? Still, I see these green-character patterns most often in red-focused stories, which is another reason why I avoid them. I’ve found a lot of green-focused content that strays from the abusive tropes I try to avoid. Considerably less than I’d like, but the greens are typically the b-plot pairing, so that’s to be expected. Personally, I’d really like to see more content with the greens finding some kind of inner peace, and recently, I’ve seen a few fics that have tried to tackle this concept.

And lol, if you’ve read some of my posts before, you already know that I think the blues are an underdeveloped fanon pairing. The fandom can’t ruin that pairing for me because it never does anything substantial with it.  

Anyway, at the end of the day, I’m just personally not into the way the reds are popularly written, but I get why people are and that’s good with me.