#but god knows if a family member—no matter who they were—let anything happen to my sister you’d see me on the news

[crocodilenjoyer]

you know. i’m thinking about the horrifically awfulmessycomplicated relationship between ace and garp and i can’t put it into words but there’s so much resentment and anger and fear and disappointment there but there’s also love, no matter how poorly it came across. no matter how little it changed in the end. garp is there the moment ace is born and he’s there the moment he dies, and both times, he stands by. but he’s there. i don’t know if that’s better or worse.

[doberbutts]

Me: it's important to teach boy children consent and autonomy, here is a direct example of this in my autistic nephew and how his social behavior improved because I directly showed him how much the consent and autonomy of his probably-also-autistic little sister matters when she was afraid to hug me because I was a big scary man she didn't know

Person who heard the word "boy" and turned off their brain:

Once again I will say this is basic, basic, basic feminism that people act like is the absolute worst thing in the world because God forbid we try to fix the problem of male violence statistics by starting with teaching children how to be better than we were raised. This is an established feminist talking point because you will not improve anything unless you teach both the girls AND the boys that consent matters.

Yes, absolutely, by showing two scared little children that a strange man wasn't going to touch them without their permission, I was directly teaching my nephew that he can grow up to be a rapist and serial killer. You caught me red-handed in my dastardly plan to ensure that every little boy grows up this way.

Anyway I deliberately used the phrasing "don't teach [my niece] that she has to let strange men touch her" because both of my sisters, myself, both of our parents, and several members of our extended family have had incidents where we felt forced to let strange men touch us and have lasting trauma from that. And I probably got it the easiest because at least I was listened to when I realized what was happening and went to a different adult for help. The man in question having just been arrested for assaulting someone else a few weeks prior to this conversation with my sister where she was forcing her daughter to hug me, which my sister knew about because she's the one who told me he was arrested. That's why she understood my point and stopped dragging her daughter over to me.

[qqueenofhades]

Is it foolish of me to sympathize with how marginalized people on the far-left are incredibly frustrated that the Democratic establishment isn't as scared of/desperate to please them as the Republican establishment are toward the MAGA fringe? I guess from their perspective, voting feels like begging - most of the people who hear you won't even glance at you, let alone drop you a coin. But you still have to do it, or else you (or worse, your family) are *guaranteed* to starve.

Okay, a few thoughts here. Note: for you and the other people who have recently sent politics asks, I have been very deliberately NOT talking about it for the last few months. I had to break it yesterday because of the Orange Menace finally getting fucking convicted, but I do want to go back to not doing that (at least for the next few weeks/months/until whatever else stupid happens). So while I will answer this, I am generally not going to answer others and my apologies for that, but yeah. It's just so much and I have GOT to keep myself sane until November somehow. (Or God forbid, afterward, but you know.)

First off, most members of the American far left aren't actually marginalized people, or at least not marginalized enough that their personal well-being seems in any way likely to be affected by their loud and ceaseless campaign to tell other people not to vote. Actual marginalized people who have lived in America for any length of time are *well* aware of how the government and the state can be weaponized against them; witness how black community organizers will voice well-deserved criticisms of the Democratic establishment or other aspects of American party politics that are frustrating for everyone, but they will still always tell people to vote. Black people are also extremely aware that earning the right to vote was an incredibly long, difficult, and bloody battle that they were never given it for free, and the white power establishment fought them having it at every turn. They are thus far more aware than your average white online leftist that voting matters, because they had to work so hard to get it (and still to defend it as various red states launch openly racist assaults on voting rights, especially aimed at disenfranchising people of color). Witness how Bernie also got literally zero traction with African American voters, despite being the darling of the (white) online left.

Hispanic people are also (rightfully) frustrated at how both American parties can use Latino immigrants as a political football, but they're still backing Biden by 30-point margins. We hear a lot of chatter about Trump supposedly gaining ground with voters of color -- maybe he has, though I doubt it, but that's still incremental gains from the massive holes he was in before, and where he generally remains. Arab Americans are (rightfully) angry with Biden over Gaza, but even in the much-hyped Michigan primary, he got roughly the same amount of "uncommitted" voters as Obama did as an uncontested incumbent in 2012, and most of them have said they'll grit their teeth and vote for him in the general election anyway. Yes, a few of them have decided not to, but they are not the size of the Black and Latino populations in America insofar as electoral power, and many of them have grudgingly decided that as bad as Biden might be on this particular issue (though far less so than the social media groupthink would paint him) the alternative (i.e. Trump openly promising to deport everybody who's not white and crack down on pro-Palestinian protests and anything else) is much, much worse.

And yet, white leftists seem utterly incapable of making these same calculations. Frankly, I'm not sure they actually care about Gaza, let alone anything else they say, because if so, they wouldn't be slavering at the mouth to let Trump back in there to "teach a lesson" to Biden, Democrats, and everyone else who was not Smart And Clever Enough to sanctimoniously sit on their hands and let the fascists take over. I know this because they spent all their time lying about Biden and distorting his record and insisting people not vote even before October of last year, and then it only got ten thousand times worse. I'm not saying that all leftist or leftist-identified people are white, but they are disproportionately predominant in leftist spaces and in pushing the idea that there's "no difference" between the parties and somehow Trump and Biden are morally equivalent or will have the same amount of impact on what will happen after one of them is elected. That is, yes, because they are white and they have the privilege of assuming that a weaponized fascist government will not go after them for that reason (even though Trump and his surrogates are now claiming that "everyone" who opposes Trump has to be "dealt with.") As such, when you say that marginalized far-left people are frustrated with the Democrats, I'm... not entirely sure that's true. Marginalized people AND the far left are both frustrated with the Democrats, but one of those groups has generally still decided not to voluntarily disenfranchise themselves, and the other is pumping out Vladimir Putin-wet-dream anti-voting propaganda at every chance they get.

There is also the fact that America is not a left-wing country in any sense of the word, and that while it's easy for the MAGA Republicans to go ever further far-right and promise to be even more outrageously cruel and stupid and fascist than ever before, but that's not an actual policy or a plan. It is also a strategy of diminishing returns; witness the fact that for all the cruelty and stupidity Republicans have pumped into the public arena since 2016, they haven't actually been that good at winning elections, and most of their major successes have come from Trump winning in 2016 and thus being able to stack SCOTUS and the district and circuit courts with hand-picked right-wing nut jobs, who are functioning exactly as they were designed to do. (Which Hillary Clinton warned about, along with everyone else, and yet she was taken out by the exact same dirtbag leftist disinformation moral purity machine that is working overtime to handicap Biden for the exact same reasons.) Mainstream Democrats warned about this before the 2016 election and were scorned and laughed off. Indeed, the entire Online Left continues to resolutely deny that the extremist SCOTUS is responsible for anything (It's Biden's Fault) and thus are likewise identical to Trumpies. And since they also want Trump to get back in there and teach a lesson to the Democrats, they're just as anti-democratic, dangerous, stupid, and deliberately short-sighted as actual MAGATs, and can by no means be considered allies to the singular movement of keeping fascists out of power. That is our only present goal.

If Democrats bent over to everything the far left asks for (which is often a combination of tankie gobbledygook, various vague ideas about Communism utopia where capitalism magically vanishes with no consequences, half-baked revolution cosplays, and other stuff that is functionally equivalent to the wildest lunacies of MAGA) they would never win an election again, and that would be exactly what the fascists want. Witness how they struggled when they were branded "defunders of the police" and "socialists" and other effective responses to the mildest milquetoast efforts for reform or accountability. And the political climate right now is just far too dangerous to throw everything to the wind and prance out some pipe-dream perfect-utopia plan. I'm sure you've heard about Project 2025 and how the far-right Heritage Foundation is planning to systematically implement fascism at all levels of the country, the instant they have a compliant Republican president and congress. I would take all these people crying about Biden even a fraction more seriously if they weren't openly jonesing for something that is so unbelievably, incredibly worse.

For example: I currently have major beefs with literally the entire foreign policy of the Biden administration right now. I think they're being too hard on Ukraine (forbidding them to strike targets on Russian soil with American weapons, which would end the war faster) and, despite some promising signs and open displeasure, still far too easy on Israel. They looked foolish after insisting that Rafah was a red line and then essentially making up an excuse that what's going on now is not a "major operation." Secretary of State Blinken floating the idea of helping Congress censure or neuter the International Criminal Court arrest warrants issued for Netanyahu and co. was also one of the fucking stupidest things I've heard from a serious (i.e. non-Trumpist) American diplomat in a long time. So we respect the ICC when it issues warrants for tyrants we don't like (Putin), but when it issues one for tyrants we still do, apparently (Netanyahu), then bingo, it's back to the bad old habit of ignoring international law like we're special and it doesn't apply to us, and allows all the other bad actors around the world to do the same by pointing at America and correctly pointing out that we ignore it when it doesn't suit our purposes. I think this is wrong and I don't agree. So? What am I going to do?

Well, you see. I'm going to vote for Biden and I am going to give him money and I am going to remind everyone I know that they have no moral option but to do the same. I do this because I am aware that despite my disagreements, Biden is acting from a cautious anti-interventionist standpoint and does not want to throw American military might around recklessly or dangerously like good ol' George Dubya or Trump or even Obama and the drones. He is listening to sober mainstream advisors who have (however incorrect and useless) ideas about "avoiding escalation" and trying to bring conflict to a managed end. He is doing this with a realistic appraisal of the power of the office of American presidency and he's not going to capriciously end democracy and become a full-blown fascist dictator on day one, as Trump has openly and repeatedly promised to do. Yes, if there was a viable option apart from Biden, maybe I would think about voting for them, but there is not, and literally everyone who does not actively vote for him is helping Trump. I do not care about any other contrived and disingenuous online squealing. I know that Biden does not want the war in Gaza to go on for no reason and for maximum carnage; Netanyahu and Trump both do. That is just to name one thing.

So: yes. I absolutely understand being frustrated with the Democrats and wishing they would push harder and etc. But I am also aware that they can be pushed, that they are the only option right now, and the people who huff and puff and whine and groan about how it's such a moral imposition to vote for them are literally doing the fascists' work for them, and that is not acceptable. If they want a better system or a better world that isn't just useless internet fantasies about magical end-of-days Raptures fixing everything, also a la the crazy fundamentalists, they will have to get off their ass, do the work, and create that change. I will be happy to vote for that candidate when or if they arrive. In the meantime, I will continue to do my damndest to ensure that we even have a chance to get there. So yeah.

[aajjks]

Silent Cries (m)

synopsis. Not everything could go his way and he had to learn this the hard way

Disclaimer: this is pretty dark. Read at your own risk. Please keep in mind that this is purely fictional and I don’t think that Jungkook or any Bts member would ever act like this! Read with caution.

warning: ünhëälthy thèmès, fèrtïlïty ïssǔès, prègnâncy, öbsëss��ön, mèntïöns ôf âbörtïön, dïvörcè, sèxüǎl thêmês, cryïng, yn rèálly wánts á báby, dêprèssïön, dárk thêmês.

note. Let’s welcome this new JK to my Multiverse. I hope you will ask him fun questions as well, and I hope you will love him even though he’s a little ☠️ ENJOY! 

Header credit: @callingholly ❤️

***NOT EDITED***

You were told that you were not capable of having children, but… jungkook accepted that part of you. you know why.. it is because he loves you, and he never wanted children.

The day is gloomy, more than usual. You stand on the bathroom floor, your gaze is blurry. unshed tears in your eyes as you stare at the pregnancy test. The stick trembles in your hands. It is all over now.

You close your eyes in order to erase the image out your eyes. The image of two straight lines on the stick. You are supposed to feel really happy.

But why Fate is never really on your side?

Does God really hate you that much? All of your life, there was nothing but suffering, your parents never cared about you.

You and your husband, Jungkook- you love him, you really do but he’s just sometimes too much to bear. you’ve been having some problems in your marriage and you almost were considering divorce but now?

now, you are carrying another innocent life inside of you. That could be ruined because of you. Because of Jeon Jungkook, who ruins everything.

The thing is that he doesn’t want a child. He freaks out over the idea of having a child.

You sob at how pathetic you are. How could you let this happen? You are pregnant, with his child. You want to die. But now, you can’t do that.

If there’s anything you and him are not compatible with? It’s your family plan. You’ve always wanted children. Unlike your husband.

And no matter what his reaction is going to be, you can’t help but grab your belly, wiping your tears that fall.

You are going to have this baby. You can’t kill it- your husband will suggest it, you know him so well.

Because you are not a killer. You can’t kill the little life inside of you. That you so desperately wanted all your life. You’ve prayed for this moment.

And even though you have made your decision,

Panic rises in your chest as you come out of the bathroom and look at Jungkook’s and yous wedding photos that litter the creamy beige walls. Thankfully, he’s not home right now so you will have some time to relax and plan how to tell him.

But- it’s almost time.

He could be home any minute now! The ticking of the clock almost warns you. Time is going.

You throw the stick in the dumpster. He’s going to find it anyways. you have no idea why you feel so nervous… You feel like you are being suffocated. And you can’t be saved.

As your hand rests on your yet to be swollen stomach, something switches in you. You have to be strong now. You need to survive for your child. You have to make him understand. This child will be a blessing for the both of you. You are going to become strong.

You are going to change everything just for the sake of your child. Because this little bean is now the reason for your existence. Maybe this could fix your marriage-because you really don’t want to leave your husband-you’re not sure about what you want..

You quickly wipe the tears as a small smile paints your lips. Your grandma raised you to be strong and you can just give into Jungkooks stupid demand. You are going to be like your grandma, who raised you, took care of you. Became your mum, that you never had.

This baby is just as jungkook as yours too, and it is going to become your strength. This baby is a gift from God, your saving grace.

Your husband was really happy on the particular day, when you had been told about your fertility issues, he made it really clear that he never wanted children, he always wanted it, to be him and you.

Your thoughts are cut off short when the doorbell rings. And the main door unlocking. talk of the devil? And He shall appear.

You inhale a deep breath.

Time to do this.

“I’m pregnant, Jungkook.” The words come out of your mouth so easily. Jungkook who is cuddling, your body, a habit he has. Looks up at you.

He is currently laid in your lap, and he starts to laugh at you.

You want to roll your eyes, but this reaction is not really that surprising from him and you just have to be calm and collected right now.

“I-I’m so sorry? But you’re pregnant?” He stops laughing, as he wipes his tears. he looks so bad you with his brown eyes and you can tell he’s waiting for you to say that you’re kidding but you’re not.

You just smile at him in pity. Your nod of confirmation was all it took for Jungkook to start panicking.

“W-What are you saying!? Y-You can’t be! You can’t be pregnant!!” He gets up from your shared bed as he runs his hand frantically through his hair. His dark damp, long locks hiding his eyes.

What the fuck is he talking about? His words hit a nerve in you. He knows damn well how you got pregnant.

“What the fuck Jungkook! How can you ask me how I’m pregnant?! It’s because of you! You did this!” You scream at the panicking man.

“because I thought you weren’t supposed to get pregnant?!” He’s right about that but it’s not like you planned on this to happen. You also thought that you couldn’t have children.

So what was the point in using protection birth control, like he always said to you. You just both have to deal with the consequences of your actions.

“B-But yn! I don’t want a child.” There we go.

“There is not supposed to be someone else between us! Not a-a baby!” Jungkook cries desperately as he grabs you by the shoulders and shakes you as if you’ll understand his point. You get up from the bed.

If it’s an argument he wants, you’ll give him that.

You cannot believe that he’s crying right now.

You glare at the doe eyed man who is looking at you as if you have grown two heads. “Jungkook! You disgust me.” You spit at him. You can’t believe him, he is such a selfish person. Jungkook flinches at the coldness of your tone as his grip loosens on your shoulders.

His voice comes out rough and broken but he keeps on apologising to you. “Y-Yn P-Please! Y-You don’t mean that r-right? You can’t! Y-You love me! Just me! And no one else! We need to get rid of this baby!” He rambles on like a madman and as your brain register his words his last sentence hits you and your eyes widen in disbelief.

Why are you even surprised? Even though you knew he was going to say that? it just hurts a little bit more hearing it coming from his own mouth without any hesitation.

“W-What?! A-Are you hearing yourself Jungkook? You-You’re suggesting that I-I kill my unborn child?” Tears well up in your eyes, and they immediately start to fall down your cheeks at Jungkook’s suggestion. You avert your gaze away from Jungkook’s crazed eyes.

“You’re a sick bastard! Fucking monster!” You sob at him. Your curses don’t seem to affect him, it is like he has gone numb, the irony. He stands still.

“No. one. can. come. between. us.” Jungkook’s silent whispers could be heard by you. You massaged your temples, now there was only one option left.

“If this baby dies then I’ll die with it. And if you don’t want this baby..” you take in a breath. He always gets your blood pressure so high.

“If you don’t want this baby that means you don’t want me either, so I will just divorce you because I have been thinking about it. you are becoming too much for me to deal with it’s time you fucking grow Up!”

“I will have this baby because this is the only ray of hope in my life. Now, it’s your choice, Jungkook.” Your words come out of your mouth carefully. You wait for his response. 

But all you get is silence.

When he doesn’t respond you decid to leave the room, but a loud sob holds you back. Did you mention that your husband is actually pathetic and good for nothing?

Yes, he’s rich but, so what? Yes, he handsome in the first man you loved but now you’re beginning to regret it.

His rough screams for you please you, oddly his suffering pleases you to the core.

It was about time he suffered.

“B-Be careful Y/N!” Jungkook instructs you while you laid down on the bed, your hands coming to caress your 6 months pregnant belly. His eyes are fixated on your movements, never left your belly as he smiled softly.

“Y/N just one month is left until our baby is here!” Soft giggles left his mouth as he laid beside you and caresses your stomach. “You look so beautiful like this! You’re pregnant with my child. You’ll be the mother of my child. We’re going to be parents! Now, everyone would know that you’re mine! This baby will make us inseparable, y-you won’t be able to leave me now!” Another chuckle vibrates from his chest.

You’re not sure what has happened to him these past few months but you’re glad that there’s improvement.

Maybe it was your threat to divorce and that got his head straight.

But meanwhile…

He could look at you forever and not get bored. You look so ethereal with your belly swollen because of him. He made you like this. The thought of that really pleases him.

Now you couldn’t ever think of leaving him! This child has bounded you to Jungkook forever.

Your tired voice brings him back to reality, “Jungkook he’s going to be so beautiful and cute! I love the little shoes that your parents bought for him oh! And his little clothes?? And the baby bathtub? His nursery is by far my most favourite! My lovely son! I can’t wait to meet you! Mommy loves you so much!” You talked to the baby. An exciting smile gracing your features.

Yeah, it’s a little boy. And his parents are so excited for their first grandchild.

Everyone is excited about him, even his friends are excited to become uncles.

He doesn’t understand what is the breed about having a little child, because all they do is cry and fuss. And poop.

Jungkook scoffs at you cooing at the child who wasn’t even born yet. You used to coo at him like this. Jungkook was supposed to be your baby! Jealousy slowly starts to creep up again.

He needs to stay calm. But how can when his brain is just refusing to give him any peace.

A thousand scenarios run through his mind. What if you don’t love him anymore? Or what if you will give the baby more attention than Jungkook? Or worse, what if the baby will completely take his place in your heart? And worst of all, what if you completely forget about him?

“Kook! Jungkook! Your phones buzzing! It’s Eunwoo!” You shake his shoulders to get his attention, your husband has a tendency to zone out.

You couldn’t help but wonder about what he’s thinking about so focused?

“Jungkook!” your tone got louder this time. Jungkook finally blinked as he smile at you.

“O-Oh I’m so sorry Y/N! Please pass me my phone, princess?” You decide to let go the urge of asking what was he thinking so deeply about and pass him the phone.

Jungkook kisses your lips quickly as he excuses himself out. You nod, and he smiles brightly while picking up the phone. You then focus on the book.

It makes sure that he’s away from you. The large house has a lot of benefits to it, whenever he wants to complain? he can just come in one of the rooms and scream.

As soon as he leaves the room a cry left him. “Eunwoo! I-I need your help! I-I don’t want this baby! He will steal Y/N away from me! N-No that can’t happen! Help me please! Y-Y/N is already slipping away from my grip! Help me get rid of this baby! Please!” Jungkook rambles on like a maniac through the phone while on the other line, Eunwoo sighs heavily.

“calm down first.” He spoke timidly. Jungkook took a deep breath. He’s right, Jungkook needs to get a grip on himself first.

“Now listen, we talked about this.” Eunwoo’s tone changed. “W-What!?” The long haired male rolls his eyes, because he knows he’s about to get lectured But a lecture is not what he needs. Jungkook needs a solution to his problem.

“I don’t think you should do something so immoral like that…” Jungkook got confused. What is he talking about?

“W-We can’t kill him! Y-Y/N wouldn’t want that! N-No!” Jungkook clearified. Jungkook couldn’t displease you.

“What are you implying?” Eunwoo took in a deep breath.. “having a child with her is a good thing, kook. That’s what I’ve been trying to make you understand… she will be with you forever.”

Of course you will be with him forever because it’s not like he will let you divorce him but why does everyone keep saying that a child will make your relationship only stronger?

You don’t even touch him.. anymore. Maybe it’s the sexual frustration catching up to him. Maybe everyone is right.

Jungkook’s eyes widen at eunwoo’s voice. He’s not exactly wrong though. Jungkook take some moment to think about this all over again.

He did read on the Internet that sex will help induce labor-and if he will tell you that you will definitely give in to him. He cannot believe that he’s thinking about that right now, but he can’t help it.

There’s still three months left in your delivery. He can wait for three months, right? Or maybe he could just seduce you into bed tonight.

Why are you not horny. Women tend to get really hormonal with your hormonal issues. Don’t have anything to do with your sex drive.

He will fix that.

A dirty smile is now on Jungkook’s face. He holds the phone tighter as he speaks the final words to eunwoo.

“Thanks man! For always helping me! I owe you.” He smiles and sighes.

You have always given him what he wanted, jungkook he always managed to get his way with you, so maybe this time it should be you in his place.

“No problem man! It’s just like how you helped me get my girl… Seeing you like this with yn makes me remember when I was at your place... but I am glad that you have understood because she deserves to be happy..”

Jungkook chuckles loudly. “Of course! What are brothers for?” Jungkook’s eyes darken, because he knows that as much as eunwoo would like to think that he’s different from jungkook, he’s not.

He’s also right about the fact that you deserve to be happy. That’s why he’s been so hopeful supportive during your pregnancy.

“Let’s see when the baby comes..”and after saying goodbye to his friend? Jungkook walks back to your shared bedroom.

There you are, hand on your belly and your eyes scrunched together at the book you’re reading. He smiles at the sight.

No one could ever come between you and him. Not even his own blood. He belonged to you and you belonged to him. And the baby can never come between you and Jungkook.

You will have to decide the baby’s fate.

It all depends on you now.

[t0yac1d]

My Juliet, my special girl (C. Diaz x Fem!Reader)

I hope that she looks at me and thinks, "Shit, he is so pretty"

Warnings: gang violence, death, after Olivia's Quince, blood, contemplating suicide

Word Count: 889

It was the morning after Olivia's Quince. The morning after a beautiful party. The morning after Latrelle shot Ruby and killed Olivia.

"It's all my fault."

"I shouldn't have shown mercy to Latrelle."

"I shouldn't have gone after him in the first place."

Cesar blamed and hated himself deeply.

He hated what happened to Ruby and Olivia because in his eyes, that should’ve been him.

In his eyes, that should’ve been him who got shot.

In his eyes, that should’ve been him who got killed. 

I need to cry, but I can't get anything out of my eyes,

Cesar sat on the edge of his bed, eyes filled with frustrated tears that threatened to spill but they wouldn’t fall. No matter how upset he was, they wouldn’t pour.

Or my head. 

And oh my god, the night. That night kept repeating in his brain. 

The sound of the gunshot.

The sound of Ruby screaming his name before getting shot. 

The sounds of Geny and Ruben screaming as their son lay on the ground, bleeding out. 

Every little detail played continuously in his brain. It was like a record player stuck in a loop.

Did I die? I need to run,

Days went by without Cesar coming out of the house. He felt like an empty body, just moving on its own throughout the day.  

but I can't get out of bed for anyone.

He was scared. 

Not of Latrelle or any gang member after him. 

But of his friends and Ruby’s family. 

What if they all hated him? He wouldn’t blame them, but this was the last thing he expected that would break the group up. 

He couldn’t get out of bed to see anyone.

 Not for you,

Not even for the girl he wanted to live for. 

When he did get the courage to go outside, he went to school first. He wanted to see if everyone still wanted to be his friend. Because if not, then he’d just apologize and go away. Leave their lives for good and keep them out of harm’s way. 

When Cesar got to school, no one greeted him. It was like he didn’t exist. 

He hated how no one talked to him, but he couldn’t blame them. He took their friend away.

Cesar skipped a couple classes that day. He just sat in an empty and dark classroom, silently sobbing and crying. 

My sour boy is a pain, 

His chest hurt with each sob he let out, 

I wanna shoot him in the brain,

He doesn’t deserve to live. It should’ve been him instead of Olivia.

He feels like if he died, everything would be better for his friends. 

 but I'd miss him in the morning. 

But a part of him says that this isn’t the way to think. That what happened has already happened and there’s not much to do about it but move on and make amends.

It really hurts when I need to so bad, but I can't see her..

He missed you, 

My Juliet, 

He missed you so dearly.

My special girl.

The only girl that can really, truly help him through a time like this.

But I need to understand when I can power through,

Because he knows you’ll get him through this, and help guide him to the right choice here. 

Cesar pulled his phone out with shaky hands and sent a text to you, he was sure there were a few words that were misspelled, but you’ll understand what he meant. Hopefully. 

He sat in that classroom, patiently waiting for you to come to him. But this time alone helped him think to himself, about himself. 

Sometimes I act like I know, but I'm really just a kid.

He’s just a kid. He doesn’t know what he’s doing. All he’s really doing is causing problems.

With two corks in his eyes, and a bully in his head.

And hurting those around him because of his actions.

I wanna make a colour that no one else has seen before 

He wants to get out and do something with his life. He doesn’t want to be stuck in the gang for the rest of his life. 

I wanna be so much more

He wants to show everyone that he can make something of himself. That he’s not “Little Spooky”. That he’s Cesar Diaz. 

You walked into the classroom and saw Cesar sitting on the floor. You walked over to him and sat with him. You didn’t say anything to him, you just sat there and looked at him with a slight frown. 

You didn’t like this. He looked so exhausted. 

He had dark eye bags under his eyes, and even then they were red and puffy from the crying. He had tear marks on his face and his clothes were disheveled. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, resting his head on your shoulder, as you rubbed his back and lightly scratched his head while you held him.

“It’s ok Cesar.” 

He leaned back and looked at you with teary eyes, wondering what was running in your head as you saw him like this. 

I hope that she looks at me and thinks, "Shit, he is so pretty”

The one thing that was running through his mind at this moment was how you thought of him.

Something I can't believe..

[xviiper-rents-houses]

The Boyfriends:

Some self indulgence— again. School's getting a lil' trickier so I decided to write something to help out with my anxiety. Lemme know if you guys like it! There are two characters of mine here, just wrote them up. If you guys want to submit fanart or ask in character questions about them, feel free to! (P.S. I would love fanart! It's always so cool to see what people think of your writing and then play around with the description and make something outta it)!

Reader is referred to as you/your pronouns, as well as they/them.

TW: Yandere behavior; stalking, possessiveness, obsessiveness, killing, animal killing/abuse, degradation, threatening, killing family members. Murder is said blatantly but, not described in detail.

Short drabble:

Here in the big city, you had found yourself a comfortable place to live. It had all the necessary amenities; bed, bathroom, kitchen (that also served as your dining room) and since you had an extra room, you decided to let that become your office. You managed to strike a good bargain for your home, being able to pay the bills by yourself and without straining yourself over many jobs. Here in the big city, you were comfortable.

You weren't alone in your place. You had neighbors. You lived in an apartment complex at a busy intersection, so many people came and went. Moved in, moved out. More and more neighbors moved into the apartment complex you chose to live in because of the good costs and many moved out because of the quality of neighbors. Some of them were elderly and other middle aged. And a new pack of young neighbors disrupted and caused a major move. Besides that, all, for the most part, were kind, welcoming, even bringing you baked goods, as well as inviting you over to just learn about who you were.

You told them what you felt mattered and were comfortable with talking about. It would seem you left a good impression, since you were invited out a lot more. Your life was comfortable. Until you had new neighbors. Not just any new neighbors. A youthful couple that had moved in next door had caused quite a ruckus in the stark hours of the night. You didn't want to imply their actions but, it was getting to a point where you struggled to sleep. They were too loud. You felt very aggravated and just...wanted it to stop.

And so, the next morning, you knocked on their door. The day you knocked was the day you didn't have work, giving you time to take care of personal matters such as self expenses and maybe bills and perhaps, something that was fun. The door opened after a five minute wait, two heads poking out and what looked to be paint on their face. You narrowed your eyes to get a closer look.

No, it actually looked like blood. Oh God. Were your new neighbors actually serial killers? Had they moved in and decided to start their own horror film? Come to think of it, Meemaw Stacie, an elderly woman who baked you oatmeal raisin cookies every Saturday, had been missing for the past two weeks. She mentioned that she was going to go on vacation. But, that was only for three days. You felt your stomach knot and heart drop all the way down your chest and it must have shown on your face because that door slammed shut.

You stared at it for a good long while, thinking. Just what happened? Were you that scared? What about that thought of Meemaw Stacie? You didn't want to believe or assume but, now you were noticing a fowl smell coming from just under that door. You were about to turn around, leave and rush to your apartment. To trust your gut. To run and call the police, shout out for help or anything— then the door opened, again. You yelped when your hand was snagged out of nowhere, pulling you back.

I don't want to die! I don't want to go next! Please, just let me go! You weren't sure what you said exactly but it all meant the same thing: freedom. And just when you were about to sound the alarm, a hand softly sealed your lips and you got a better look at the new couple. There were no more red stains, there wasn't an odor anymore and everything seemed fine. Aside from...the shorter one, who appeared to be a thin male, having smeared ash on his face.

"It's not what you think!"

Sure looked like it. Now, who said that? It wasn't the shorter man. No, it was the taller man, who was by appearance's definition; a jock. The little man was ducked low, keeping your mouth shut with his hand and the taller man was holding your hand, keeping you in place. This was an uncomfortable situation, you could not stop breathing so quickly.

"Please, we were just preparing some beef tender."

You barely relaxed, easing up just a little bit when your mouth was free. The little man had shrunk his hand away but, his wide, crystal blue eyes didn't break their gaze. The taller man did not let go, he kept his grip. Why would you have blood all over your face if you're just cooking meat? Why did it smell so bad? You frowned, managing to tear yourself free from the strong man's grip and jump away for just some space. Something wasn't adding up; that couple's story just didn't make sense. It looked like they washed their faces and changed in a hurry.

"You don't believe us, do you?"

The little man walked out, his boyfriend trying to step in but, quickly, he was ushered aside. You looked down at the little kan. His pants were white. You were expecting them to be covered in blood. All you saw was a small man with icy blue eyes, white pants and a comfortable sweater. That sweater was a periwinkle pink, words embroidered, "Cute AF." Interesting choice of style, you thought. But that did not make you feel anymore comfortable around these peculiar neighbors. Their actions were obtuse.

"Damien, couldn't you have waited," the tall man who had a vice-like grip on your hand, asked, chiding his lover. Damien was the man in the periwinkle pink sweater. "You're being rude. For God's sake, you slammed your hand over their mouth!"

"I don't see anything we can't fix here. They (you) just have a problem with us, right? Were we being too loud?" Damien brushed off all the allegations, treating them as if it were only child's play. His voice was sickly sweet, too sweet. Damien's face looked...fake. Not genuine. You couldn't quite place it.

Slowly, though, you nodded. Yes, they were being too loud. You nodded, again. Yes, you wanted them to be quieter. They stared at you, oddly. Like they were communicating something through a secret language of movement. Damien, the only name you knew him by as of right now, tilted his head left and right, studying you like a painting. His boyfriend rested his chin in his hand, temple creasing as he thought over these silent and nonverbal meanings. The air suddenly felt colder. You didn't want to be here anymore.

You backed away, slowly. Your eyes didn't leave them, unsure of what could happen. You knew they were covering up something nasty. The taller moved forward, his frazzled and contemplating attitude replaced with a joyful and open behavior. His arms opened wide and he grinned a bright beautiful smile that anyone would fall for. That anyone would feel oh so comforted by. But not you. You didn't like the way it curled into a Devil's smirk just at the edges. He radiated bad energy.

"Why don't you come back for dinner in two hours? We'd love to have you over, " he said as he took your hands and held them to his chest. Damien squeezed in, planting his hands on your wrists and gripping tightly. You got to study them even more. Damien, he had those same icy blue eyes but freckles over tanned skin that stretched tightly across his face. He looked emaciated. And his boyfriend. He had blonde hair, sunglasses and overall, a muscular build. He looked like if a golden retriever became a man. "I'm Chris by the way, this is Damien, my boyfriend."

As charming as they were trying to come off, they could not erase the events that just happened. You quickly broke off the contact, just wanting to be out of that horrible situation. You didn't catch their looks as you ran down the hall and into your apartment dorm, locking it and deciding to take the fire escape down. Chris and Damien gave each other a shared look. Both smiled in a strange way. You were going to face trouble.

Blurb/headcanons:

Chris and Damien are a couple that recently moved into your same apartment complex. They bounced from their small town to a big city to take on more victims to satisfy their dry feelings of emptiness. Killing seemed to be the only way that brightened up those dull feelings but, with the amount of murders they were committing in that small town, it didn't feel exhilarating anymore— it started to feel like a routine. Plus, they were catching heat. Something had to be done and moving seemed to be the correct way to go about it.

Chris and Damien are madly in love with each other— they make sure to let everyone know that hat, especially when they're on the hunt. Very much yandere x yandere. The boyfriends work well together, killing as many people as they can, with no discernable pattern. The new city gave them new prey to play around with— starting in the lower levels, to mid suburbs and to tackling classic highschool clicks to get a rile out of the police force. But, even that got boring.

That is, until they meet you. That hallway encounter gave them a whole new purpose. Chris and Damien were going to provide for a new friend. A best friend, actually. In their own twisted way. You are the one person that they'll invite over almost daily so they can chat your ears off. You fit the description of the third wheel they wanted, someone that they could help by chasing away any romantic involvement. Chris and Damien decided that right there and then in that hallway, you were going to be a part of their little family. No one was going to get close to their best friend. Not ever.

Chris and Damien protect you and your interests, (well, for what they deem is good in your life). They are stupidly sneaky and manipulative in the way that they stay in your life. Chris is definitely the muscle in the couple, (aka— jelly jar opener) and Damien, the thinker. If you are going to rat them out, complain to your tenant or call the cops, the Lovers are going to track your existing family down and threaten them. Don't play around. Let's say you have a pet; Chris doesn't care how much it hurts you, he will kill it if you complain about himself and his boyfriend.

Damien even celebrates Chris's animal abuse, paying for the remains of that critter to be taxidermied and set on display in THEIR apartment. If YOU want to go see YOUR pet, you will have to knock on The Lovers' door. And if you go over and knock on that door, asking about your pet, they'll let you in and taunt you. "Oh your sweet cat's dead! Don't worry, we put some of the blood in this bottle. They don't call ketchup cat's blood for nothing!" Depending on your reaction, they will laugh at you if you express genuine hurt/sadness. It's just an animal. You've got your friends to comfort you now.

On another note, Chris and Damien are so cynical about their way of keeping you. They lay in bed, plotting out their next kills, (mind you, they have work the next morning as well!) and how to make the perfect targets that'll keep you shut up and compliant. Pets are easy to kill, people as well. Why don't they target an entire friend group that you had in highschool? Damien is howling in laughter and Chris is sneering at the sheer absurdity they'd go through to make a clear point. Those losers weren't actually your friends. You have Chris and Damien, the only friends that you will EVER need.

Chris and Damien aren't kind to you. They are very cruel. Meemaw Stacie had an unfortunate end, not because of you, (well, actually yes because the boyfriends just liked how you looked) but, because she would be their official first kill in this complex. And many more to come. The tenant died after you spoke with him, Chris and Damien made sure to make it a point that they were the ones who did it. But when the heat came on them by the media, their practiced theatrics threw the blame outside the complex and got Chris and Damien off Scott-free.

Less and less people come to live in your complex, the world putting shade on the place and claiming it to be haunted. Now, it was an attraction to gain money. You would wait for the next crew or group of people to come in, ask for help and pray that they would listen. And that Chris and Damien weren't around to keep you from fleeing.

Thank you guys so much for reading! I really hope you guys liked it. I don't see much for platonic yanderes so I figured, “Hey! Why don't I add some more content?” As always, have a good day, drink water, eat food and rest. And the most important thing: write/read fanfiction <3!

(p.s. I didn't know what the <3 meant at first! I thought it was a little alien with its eye closed and doing a cat smile 😭 I thought: :3 = <3 I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS A HEART)!?

[msfcatlover]

Duke in the Reverse!Robins AU be like…

”Eldest daughter syndrome? What eldest daughter syndrome? Nah, just because I’m the oldest does not mean I have eldest daughter syndrome. Sure, I’ve had to mediate between Damian & Bruce, or Steph & Bruce, or help certain Titans find a middle ground, but that’s just being a good leader. And yeah, I’m protective of the younger kids, but that’s just what any responsible adult in my position would do.”

*finds out one of the members of his team has such bad civilian trauma they need to straight-up quit hero work*

“Oh shit… I fucked this up. I was too focused on my own problems, how the fuck did I miss this? Okay, okay. I was already burning out trying to juggle being Gotham’s only daytime hero and single-handedly leading the Titans. I need to pick one. And find some way to make it up to Grant. Jesus fuck, how did I miss this…”

*Tim becomes Cass’s apprentice. Steph & Cass start arguing more often. Steph has her biggest fight with Bruce yet. Steph goes missing.*

*Steph dies*

“After that fight with Bruce, no one backed her up. She didn’t know anyone was supporting her. She died thinking none of us were on her side. If any one of us had actively taken her side, instead of getting distracted with our own messes, maybe this wouldn't have happened. Oh, but am I really expecting Damian or Bruce to be intelligent about feelings? Am I really expecting tact from Cass? I know them too well; it should’ve been me, shouldn’t it? I can’t believe I managed to fuck up worse than I did with Grant…”

*Luna gets taken away*

“Look at what you’ve done, Bruce! Look what you’ve fucking done! You’re tearing this family apart! We all promised to look out for her if anything happened to Steph, and you’re just going to force every single one of us to break those promises?! You’re going to rip away the last piece of Steph we had?!? Look at Dami & Cass! Look at them! You did this!”

*finds out Damian’s training for Tim to be Shadow uses all the LoA techniques he refused to use for Steph, making it borderline-through-outright abusive, almost certainly to try to drive Tim off by making him too miserable to continue*

“I. I can’t fucking believe this. I can’t… I can’t believe it took me so long to realize. Damian, nobody is happy about this, but fuck you. I thought you were trying to be better, you absolute fucking asshole! And I… I don’t even have the excuse of not knowing half of the involved parties this time, or being away, or too busy, I was just looking away because I didn’t want to think about Tim taking Steph’s mantle. I should’ve fucking stopped this the first time Tim came back from Bludhaven. God fucking dammit, how do I keep failing the kids in my care in the same fucking way, over & over again?!”

*was all the way at the other end of the room & looking in the wrong direction to have enough forewarning to actually save Tim from being shot*

“I… I… I… I’m literally the only person who could’ve fucking stopped this. I have all the training, all the abilities, but I went to refill my punch glass, and now Timmy might never walk again. I mean, absolutely blame the asshole who pulled the trigger, but Tim & I were in the same fucking room. Who would even put a hit out on Tim Wayne? There’s no way Tim doesn’t know who’s behind this, but he won’t tell me because he doesn’t trust me, because of course he doesn’t! Look at my track record! When it matters most, I let down the people I love. My parents, Grant, Steph, Tim…”

*Jason becomes Shadow.*

*The Tower fight happens.*

*Jason gets kidnapped by the Joker.*

*Bruce “dies,” and Jason runs away to have the Red Robin arc.*

*Dick only begrudgingly puts up with Duke because Duke’s rather overbearing expressions of protectiveness support are not meshing well with Dick’s “stuck on anger til I personally catch my parents’ murderer” issue*

“…If anyone needs me, I’ll be screaming in the closet.”

[davyjonesblogger]

Stupid Games and Stupid Prizes

A Davy Jones drabble

Requested by: @kyuoki

Note: I apologize for the very long wait, I took a break from writing for a while due to family stuff. But here you go! Hope you like it!

Prompt: #34) “Oh my god! Get off me!”

~~~

Being the only woman onboard the Flying Dutchman was not easy, not at all.

In fact, it has becoming more of a challenge for you more and more everyday. Not only were you the only woman onboard, you were also the only living being. The Dutchman, or rather Davy Jones, had encountered you by chance, you seeing that you were stranded in the middle of the ocean and when he offered you a place onboard, you couldn’t deny it and ultimately agreed.

To say that the crew didn’t take a liking to you would be an understatement. The only one who treated you with decent respect was Bootstrap Bill, the best way to describe it would be they noticed Davy having a soft spot for you and spares you from the harsh punishments and the cruelty within him. The crew onboard looked at you as the enemy for this, they were almost envious of you and had made it their mission to make your life miserable in any way. Everyone but Bootstrap picked on you by coming up from behind, covering your eyes with their hands and would say, “Guess who?”

You were at your task, paying no mind to anyone but yourself.

You were so focused on getting your task done, which was sweeping the deck of the ship, you didn’t hear Davy’s stump as he walked up behind you. It was when Davy cleared his throat you quickly lashed out at him, mistaking him as another crew member wanting to play the stupid games again.

“Oh my god! Get off me!” you scream, turning to face whoever it was before any physical contact could be made.

Seeing it was Davy Jones, your heart leapt in your throat out of fear, fully believing you had just earned yourself a punishment.

“I’m so sorry, captain!” you quickly apologize, though he doesn’t say anything at first.

“Who did you think I was?”

You debated on lying to him, but you know just as well as everyone else that you cannot lie to Davy Jones.

After a moment of thinking of what to say, you let the confession of being disrespected by the crew roll off your tongue. Once you’ve finished telling Davy everything, he was clearly not pleased, and it takes him a moment to say anything back. Hearing what’s been going on this whole time, that you’ve been disrespected infuriated him, and he was going to do something about it.

“You have nothing to apologize for, (Y/n). It’s them who should be sorry. Matter of fact, I think that’s what I’ll go do now.”

You panicked.

You didn’t want any more trouble than what you already had with them.

“Davy, please don’t do this.”

But Davy was already a step ahead of you, now you may have believed he’s ignored your pleas and was about to go do something mad.

However, that’s not what happens when he faces the crew. You couldn’t quite catch on to every word Davy was saying to them, due to the storm that was coming in. But you picked on the last bit and it was enough to help you understand that he in fact did hear you, and understanding the meaning of what’s being said.

“If I hear any more about this going around, then there will be problems. Consider this to be your only warning.” Davy threatens, before turning back to you.

You couldn’t help but smile, as a sigh of relief leaving your lips.

~~~

[spiegelgestalt]

Nail a [_] to the cross, he's walking round like Teezo

So one of the things I see rarely talked about is the way Kendrick Lamar frames his involvement in the beef with Drake not as something good or admirable but as him doing something evil that reveals him to be a hypocrite. And which could lead to his own destruction And i find that fascinating.

Let me explain

Let's start with "Like that": He frames his starting the rap beef as him choosing violence (i.E wickedness) which if you take the story line of DAMN. into consideration will lead to his death (maybe just the death of K. the good person). But he's willing to sacrifice his peace (6:16 in LA) because he'd "rather be dead than let a canadian [_]" disrespect PAC by buying his ring (Euphoria). This sentiment of sacrificing your own integrity for the things that are important for you also plays a role in the music video. K. goes to the court house and later to prison for his crimes. He does exactly what he said he would do in XXX. if someone threatned his family or the things that are important to him. ("I chip a [_] than throw the blower in his lap, walk myself to the court bitch i did that") - he has symbolically killed Drake and is now being judged by the court of public opinion.

There's also some other stuff: his confession to god in 6:16 in LA; one of the meanings of the title Euphoria. It describes the happiness one can find inside a battle and in violence. A dangerous drug which will seperate you from all your loved ones. (K. uses that word in M.a.a.d City to describe the romanticization of street violence - he also uses the word in "King's dead". A warrior who seeks Euphoria -> seeks the thrill and happiness of the battle. I have a lot of thoughts about "King's dead" which imo describes how K. would be if he turned out to be the evil King Killmonger). "Meet the grahams" is a horror-song and a lot of people came out of it comparing K. to a serial killer -> and that was supposed to happen. (SN: Seeing the reactions online i sometimes want to take people by the hand and say: relax he didn't really talk to the family members, it was a literary device, they don't have to listen to it, he didn't even say anything specific about them -> if you break it down in terms what was said about the family members it's far closer to "let it rain on you like Virigina Williams" than to the shit Drake did in family matters) But back to my point. After meet the grahams we were supposed to feel a bit sick and a bit sorry for Drake. The track was so vicious that it made people forget what Drake had said in the first place. And i'm pretty sure it was meant to be that way.

And last but not least: in not like that K. describes himself as the boogeyman but more importantly he puts Drake in the position of Jesus. He is the one who gets nailed to the cross, who get thrown to the wolves so that public may ridicule and humiliate him. K. fully knowing that this is against his religion, that he's becoming an enemy of god, does it anyway. That's why he has to hide the bible (which is of course another hint towards DAMN (put the bible down and go an eye for an eye for this shit). He can't help his wicked nature. He knows the answer is love but he can't stop himself from hating. And you know. I find that framing really cool. It makes me like him more.

[sawyer-is-not-my-name]

Requested: Jason Grace x Prince of Asgard Reader

requested by @writerofthewinds

I changed it up a little towards the end, but I hope you enjoy it!

“Wait- So you’re the prince of Asgard?” you nodded at your boyfriend Jason. You could tell he still had a bunch of questions, “look who I am, doesn’t change anything between us.” You gently grabbed his hand, offering him a soft smile. “Of course I’ll have to take you to Asgard someday soon.” His face paled as he looked at his Boyfriend, the idea of having to meet your godly family, a place a greek demigod like himself, definitely doesn’t belong. “It’ll be fine Jase.” He’s not to sure about that.

The day finally came, you both were in Asgard a few minutes away from him meeting your grandfather Odin. He had already met your mother a time or two before but he was still nervous.

These were people that not only held you with high regard, but you had the same respect and care for them. Despite his nerves, he still could help but be in awe of Asgard as a whole. It was gorgeous. The whole city had a glow to it, it reminded him of Mount Olympus, but almost bigger. He wondered if any of the Greek gods had been here before let alone another greek demigod.

You gently grabbed his hand, giving it a soft squeeze before leading him to your grandfather. The god of death and war sitting right before Jason immensely intimidated him. “y/n who is this boy, you bring before me.” You looked towards your mother who was beside him who urged you to go on. “Grandfather, this is Jason, my boyfriend.”

Your grandfather looked upon Jason for a few minutes before deciding on what to say. “He is aware of what will happen if he hurts you, correct?” Jason looked towards you warily, at what the one eyed god had just said about him. you flashed him a quick smile before turning back to speak. “Yes he is, and Jason won’t hurt me. I’d be more worried about what his father would do to me.”

Odin gave you a look, “who’s his father?” Despite the wise god Already having a pretty good idea of who Jasons father was he wanted his grandchild, The Prince of Asgard, to be the one to confirm it. “Zeus, the Greek god of the sky.” Your grandfather dryly laughed.

“If he tried I’d send an army for him, well anyways I suppose this wouldn’t be of any trouble anyways, we have an agreement of sorts as it is.” You pondered about what the agreement could have been but decided things were going well enough that you didn’t want to know. “It was only a matter of time before one of our children or grandchildren mingled, suppose it was now or never.”

Jason was more confused than he was before, his dad had an agreement with the Norse god Odin. He didn’t have much time to ponder it before you were pulling him to meet other family members of his, who weren’t as interested in meeting him as you were of introducing him.

[inconspicious-random-thoughts]

Am I the only one who thinks, based on the sneak peak of S2, that Baxter and Pentious were rivals? The way he refers to Pen as a “pompous” snake just gives off that bitter rivalry vibe and hates it when Charlie compares the 2.

Hello, my pal.

Ohhhh my god. I wrote this whole response two nights ago and it got deleted. So I basically:

Then I went to bed. Then was busy the following days.

Lets see what I remember what I rambled, shall we?

Baxter definitely gave the impression he knew Sir Pentious, or at least know of him.

If I didn't know the snake demon personally and was 'competing' in the in a similar category of general science, I would probably think Sir Pentious is pompous just based of the name.

I have a few ideas when it comes to the two and Baxter in general.

I think Baxter does know Pentious at some degree of a personal level and hates the snake. What he hates more is being compared or mistaken for him.

Despite that, I think there would be similarly between the two. Which, again, Baxter hates.

Unlike Pentious, who a cinnamon roll basically. All warm and soft. I think Baxter will be a lot tougher to find the gooey center. He going to be very standoffish and down right cold and heartless. At least, at first.

I don't think it happen. But I think it be a great call back from episode 2 if they address Pentious and Baxter 'rivery' similar to Alastor and Pentious. Pentious has no idea who Baxter is, despite the many run in and battles.

Pentious obvious dreamt to be an overlord. Having minions, (I don't think he made deals with souls) doing turf wars and fighting Alastor to gain the Vee approveral (to join in their team?) I view Pentious as a little leaguer trying to get in the big leagues with Alastor and the Vees. So, maybe Baxter is just pee-wee. But I don't really see Baxter having an interest being an overlord. However, I can picture him trying to control the masses with his inventious. More, evil scientist villain rather then dethroning and taking the crown villain, without being the antagonist of the story.

I had another farfetch idea that Pentious is in fact the older brother of Baxter, who always overshadowed Baxter achievements with his own. There's no rules set in stone that family members take similar demon forms.

But more realistic then the brothers idea, is that Baxter may been a rival or even very young apprentice to Sir Pentious during their living years. Pentious didn't pay much attention to Baxter despite Baxter making incredible discoveries. Pentious always dismissing him absentmindedly in favor on whatever he was working on. Pentious being the experienced, successful and esteemed over Baxter. Which Baxter restents and became bitter over.

Or, its simply another rivalry like Radio vs TV.

Because Pentious and Baxter view and work in different fields. Baxter even pointed out to Charlie that he not an inventor, but a scientist. He clearly wanted to point out the two fields are different.

Pentious did call himself an inventor. So he clearly more engineer field that just specialized in weaponry.

Baxter, I am assuming he more into discovery. He seems like he needs to know the unknown and have it make sense. No matter how immoral and dangerous the task would bring to others. Hes the scientist that he going to create a black hole and risked everyone and everything around him to do it. He's very much, he could do it and not think about if he should it.

The funny thing about Baxter calling Pentious pompous, I'm fairly certain, Baxter the one that goes around acting pomous. He more than likely have a very huge ego for being a genius, which he believes make him better then anyone else in the room. That whatever project he working on is a great deal more important and valuable than anything else anyone doing but no one understands because they are too dumb. I can be wrong but that's what vibe I am feeling.

If the two did know each other in life, I can see Baxter being bitter over their fields. I have no idea what Pentious life is like in life. I assumed he was treated at a crackpot. BUT if Baxter is part of his back story, I think Pentious was successful. He made money selling inventious and called a genius. (Pentious gave me the impression he was well off) Maybe that's why Pentious fells. He invented things that just didn't make humanity better for profit.

Baxter on the other hand, probably was making outstanding discoveries that's well ahead of his time but was overlooked or treated like he crazy. Baxter wasn't doing his research for money, he was doing it for discovery. So he probably viewed Pentious success (which isn't increasing knowledge or the field of science) as some type of sell out. Because, as much as I love Pentious and I know he can improvise but it seems like he the type that recycle an idea and market it differently. Because his weapons, its just one ray gun to a different type of ray gun.

The other thought I had, is I think Vox might own Baxter and sent him to the hotel that's very similar to Pentious (minus owning the soul part) Baxter is just a lot better not getting caught. I don't think he be setting up cameras but just gathering intel.

Baxter just seems like a soul that Vox would love to own. He can use Baxter skill, and knowledge to help innovate his products. Vox has done his part trying to keep up date with technology but he mostly salesman and coding. He not a scientist. So I think having a mad scientist in his back pocket is a huge advantage for his company. Baxter one part, doesn't mind as he being paid to be a mad scientist but is frustrated its not on things he want to work on. He became a sell out spitting out unoriginal prototypes at Vox request.

I think that's most of my rambling from the other night before I accidently deleted it. I really know absolutely nothing but its fun coming up with ideas!

[gamecrash716]

Discount (Pt 1)

Ships:

Kade Burns/Myles

Cody Burns/Priscilla Pynch

Kade walked into the kitchen, chuckling to himself about the sweet deal he got at the local diner. Little did he know it would come back to bite him.

Cody was daydreaming while eating cereal, Dani was attempting to make herself breakfast, Graham was making toast, and Charlie was sipping coffee while reading the newspaper.

"Mornin family," Kade said. "You're a bit late today," Graham said. Kade scoffed, "I needed some extra beauty sleep." Dani rolled his eyes at Kade's comment, and Charlie chuckled at it and continued reading. Then he read something that made him almost spit out his coffee. It took everyone by surprise by the action and got Cody out of his daydream.

"Uh, dad, is everything okay?" Cody asked. Charlie cleared his throat, "Just the news, son," "A rumor that's been going around the town for a few weeks ago." Dani raised an eyebrow, "What rumor?" If it was so bad that Charlie almost spat out his coffee, Dani wants in on the gossip. "Let me see," Dani said, and Charlie handed over the newspaper. "What does it say?" Graham asked.

"Ex-Theif Turned Rich Girl's Babysitter Is Possibly Dating the Oldest Burns!"

The four family members turn to look at Kade. His face was almost red as a fire hydrant. Charlie and Graham were in disbelief, Dani could see it happening, and Cody was mad and glared at Kade. "So it's okay for you to tease me for crushing on Priscilla, but you're outright dating her babysitter." Cody sneered. He knew his brother could be a bit of a hypocrite at times, but these are the few times where it genuinely made him mad. "You definitely don't wanna see the pictures then," Dani said.

"PICTURES?!"

Dani put the newspaper on the table and opened it, showing the "dates" of Myles and Kade. Everyone looked at Kade for a response. "I need to make a call real quick." Kade said as he dashed to his room and closed the door. He frantically dialed Myles' number, hoping it would answer.

M-Myles

K-Kade

P-Priscilla

(I absolutely suck at writing phone call dialog, so it'll be like this until then)

M: Yeah? K: Have you read the newspaper? M: No, why? None of us even really read that stuff. Only Madeline does. K: Remember how we would go to the diner and fake being a couple for their discounts. M: Dear god. What is on the paper? K: There's been a rumor going around that we actually are and my family knows. M: Let me guess, Cody's been giving you the stink eye ever since K: I didn't know people would think we're dating! And with Cody, it's not that bad. M: Dude, you bullied your younger brother for crushing on Priscilla, the daughter of a criminal. And he thinks you're dating me, an actual criminal. M: Of course he's going to be mad at you. P: He has a crush on me? M: Uhh P: Does he? K: Who are you talking to? M: *whisper* Priscilla heard me, Kade. She knows about the crush K: Why does that matter? M: *whisper* She likes him back! K: OH! Uh, gotta go train!

Myles looked at the hung up phone in annoyance. 'That explains why people kept looking at me weirdly,' He thought and turned to look back at Priscilla. She was giving puppy dog eyes. Now, most of the time, this wouldn't work on him. However, the feelings are mutual. He couldn't lie about and break Priscilla's heart. Myles sighed, wanting to to avoid the question. Luckily, his twin opened the door. "Hey there's a carnival going on tonight," Evans said, "Do you want to go there Priscilla?" "Myles, can you call Kade and tell Cody I'm going?" Priscilla asked. Myles sighed, "Yeah, I will." 'Just need to make sure that idiot didn't do anything stupid,' He thought.

-Back at the Fire House-

Cody was continuing to give Kade glares. Kade, obviously, ignored it. The bots wanted to know why, mainly Heatwave. Blades went to ask Dani, she always knows. "Hey Dani, what's with Cody?" Blades asked. "And what did Kade do?" Heatwave asked, giving Kade a harsh side eye and ready to spray him with water. Dani whispered to Blades and he was shocked and audibly gasped. "What is it?" Boulder asked. "You're dating Myles?!" Blades shouted. "N-No, the press just makes it seem like it," Kade tried to explain. "Kade, why would you associate with a criminal that we have arrested multiple times?" Chase asked. "Would you believe me I told you?" Kade asked. Everyone gained interest.

"Look, a few weeks ago, there was a couples discount at the local diner," "I didn't have enough money for the normal amount and Myles was near by so I asked him for us to pose as a couple so I could get the discount." "He agreed, so we ordered and sat away from everyone else." "We did this multiple times when the had the discount was in place and I guess people though we were dating because how close we tend to get at times..." "We got really close some nights..."

After hearing Kade's explanation, everyone had various reactions to this. "So people think you two are dating because you wanted a discount?" Graham asked. "Yup, and it worked." Kade said proudly, "I guess we got too convincing." "Why am I not surprised," Dani said, "I should've expected that you'd be the type to do it."

"So why is Cody so upset about it?" Boulder asked. "You mind if I tell them?" Dani asked. "No," Cody responded. "Alright, Cody likes Priscilla and he's upset about it." Dani said. "Wait, you do?" Blades asked. Cody nodded. "Myles did chew me out about it over the phone considering Priscilla likes you b-" Kade covered his mouth before he could finish the sentence but it was already to late. "She likes me?" Cody asked. Kade sighed, "Yeah, he did tell me because Priscilla over heard everything and he may have told her about your crush." There was a tinge of pink growing on Cody's face.

Part 2 will be coming soon

[lavenderbang]

The Legend of 3racha

Fantasy au! 3racha x reader

Genre(s): Fantasy au! (y’all are wanders who do various quests :)), Fluff, comfort, comedy (maybe???), adventurer/wander/bounty-hunter 3racha!

Warning(s): monsters, fighting (slight blood/injury), swearing, alcohol consumption, but that’s pretty much it though

W.C: 13.7k

Summary: You and your trio of misfits are known for taking a variety of quests and odd-jobs that require your skill set. What happens when you are requested for specifically to take down a monster near the dark woods?

A/N: I had this vision of 3racha as a party (in the dnd sense of the word) and I haven’t got it out of my brain since! This has taken quite a long time to come to fruition, but it's here now! Enjoy, and as usual, ignore any typos, my brain is dumb :)

2nd A/N: Okay so I had the idea to set this in the same universe as my Felix fantasy au (which you can find here) halfway through writing this. Its NOT necessary to read to understand this fic, but there will be references if you want to check it out! Now back to 3racha being a party :3

They own my heart I’m soft...

You entered the tavern, kicking the mud off your riding boots and lowering the hood of your cape. It was gloomy outside today, cloudy and muggy with a drizzling of rain, but it was nothing you four couldn’t handle.

Four meaning the members of your little party, 3racha (Just go with it pls)

It was lead by Bang Chan, a strong, mysterious fellow who looked about as deadly as they come. He grew up alone in the northern mountains, learning everything there is to know about tracking and hunting. He could track anything, animal or beast. Despite his reclusive upbringing and outward appearance, Chan is a calm, and gentle soul; He manages everything (democratically of course), such as group funds, what jobs you’d be taking, where you’d move next, what the plan of attack was, etc. The three of you placed a lot of trust in Chan, which he received by never leading your group astray.

Then there was Seo Changbin, the proudest meathead around. Despite his shorter stature, he was easily the strongest on your team. He used to be a royal guard for the kingdom of Levanter when he fell in love with the royal apothecary. This was forbidden by the king, so Changbin was striped of his position and exiled from the kingdom. He has been on the road ever since, not having a definite place to call home. He is kind-hearted and loyal above all else, and wont hesitate to protect the rest of the group no matter what it takes. He also has a bit of a temper, but that makes it all the more fun for your team to tease him.

Han Jisung was the third, a foreign prince with a connection to medicinal magic. Jisung was lined up to be duke of the southwestern plains; he even was presented with a suitor, the princess to the southeastern sea kingdom Reve. However, not liking his destiny, he ran away, only to find his place with the group. He has an exceptional way of using charms and spells to heal. But don’t let the idea of a healer fool you; He is incredibly cheeky and playful, almost like a child. While his hyper personality has gotten you into trouble before, it also lifts the spirits of the rest of the group, which is always Jisung’s goal.

And that left you, (Y/N) (L/N). You used to be an apprentice to a great warlock; he taught you a fair bit of magic before you realized his only concern was himself. Eventually, when money ran short, he tried to sell you off to a brothel, but you managed to escape and find your place among the already established and well-known group of three. You were a powerful warlock now too, using every challenge to grow and cultivate your powers and reading up on spells when you could. You tried your best to help the boys as much as possible, as they became like a family to you and you cared for them very much.

“Thank god we are finally here.” Jisung shivered, blowing into his hands after entering the tavern, “It’s freezing.” The four of you looked around at the hustle and bustle of the tavern; joyous music, lots of chatter and laughter and the smell of warm food wafting into your nose.

“Go sit down over there, I’ll talk to the bar-hand.” Chan hummed, pointing to a table in the corner. You nodded, following where Chan had pointed and sat at the table.

“I wonder what she wants?” Changbin huffed out, digging the tip of his claymore into the wooden flooring. You had been summoned by letter by the duchess of central valley, told to go to the tavern on the northern border of the city of Miroh to receive further instruction. And who were you to ignore a request from a duchess? 

She was directly under the command of King and Queen Yang, the rulers of every city on the western half of the map. The central valley was a large dominion gifted to her by the king and queen; a summoning from her was not to be taken lightly...

“Not sure, but doubt it’s good.” Jisung speculated, folding his arms on the table and leaning his chin onto them, “I mean, why be so vague if it’s good?”

“Maybe it’s secret and she couldn’t write it over letter.” You suggested, trying to bring the energy of the boys up. Jisung mumbled anxiously and Changbin just scoffed, leaning back in his chair. You looked out the window and bit your lip nervously; it wasn’t like you were criminals, but (at least your’s and Jisung’s case) you were runaways... Maybe that had finally caught up to you? It stressed you out thinking of it, so you shook the thought from your head, laying your staff across your lap.

Soon Chan approached you and sat down in the chair beside you, folding his arms over his broad chest and leaning back on the back of the chair. His face was unreadable, mouth pulled into a line and eyes glancing around the tavern.

“So?” You asked, blinking nervously at Chan.

“We are to wait a bit longer, as the duchess hasn’t arrived yet.” Chan said flatly, earning a groan from the other two boys. A woman approached the table to take your orders; you knew her as the wife of the tavern owner Felix.

“We’ll have a round of ale for the table.” Chan said politely and nodded his head as she left. You and the other two boy perked up to this.

“I thought you said we couldn’t afford any extra expenses until our next job?” Jisung asked, tilting his head like a puppy who just heard its name.

“We can’t, but you guys look glum and could use a little something to cheer you up.” Chan explained with a soft smile. Changbin cracks a grin for what seems like the first time since arriving, and Jisung sits up, cheering at the idea of consuming something besides stale bread and water (which was all you could carry at the moment). You nudged Chan’s arm to get his attention and when you had it, you mouthed a silent ‘thank you’, which sweetened his smile to the point where his eyes turned into little crescents.

He ruffled your hair, before he said “So, what do you think the duchess wants?”

“Not sure.” Changbin sighs. Your drinks arrive and you swear nothing felt better than the warmth of alcohol dribbling down your throat. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Changbin continues, “Worse case scenario, she’s going to try and arrest us, but we’ll just have to fight our way out then.”

“Oh yeah? what if she brings thirty guards with her?” Chan quipped, amusement painted on his features.

“I’ll take them all on,” Changbin boasted, cracking his knuckles, “I would never let some silly duchess take you guys away.” Your heart melted at the notion, but it was soon interrupted by someone behind you clearing their throat.

“Silly, am I?” The duchess said, eyebrow raised. The four of you turned to see her standing there, accompanied by two guards who you thought could probably pick you up and throw you. Changbin’s face went red from embarrassment and Jisung stifled a laugh, coughing to cover it as Changbin kicked him under the table.

“Apologies, Good Lady of the Central Valley.” You quickly apologized, veering at Changbin, “My associate here seems to have had too much ale, as he’s become a bit foolish.” The duchess hummed, unimpressed.

“Excuse me, My Lady.” Chan said, bowing his head, “Why have you summoned us here?”

“We must talk in private,” She responded, before turning and calling over her shoulder, “Come this way.” You looked at Jisung (who looked just a unsure as you) and then Changbin, who mumbled out a ‘sorry’ from the previous incident. You rolled you eyes and looked to Chan, who simple shrugged and stood. You followed the duchess to the back room behind the bar. It was a small room, lined with barrels and crates of spare utensils and glasses.

“Close the door.” She instructed, to which you followed with a polite bow of your head. The four of you stood, staring at her intently before she cleared her throat again and straightened out her posture.

“I’ve never been fond of your folk.” She spat, grimacing like you were a plague, “Wanders do nothing beside bring mess to the places they visit.” Changbin opened his mouth to argue, but you grabbed his shoulder to stop him. You turned you attention back to the duchess, but placed your hand in his, squeezing it to hopefully calm the boy.

“They are brash and rude,” She said with a glare to Changbin. It made your blood boil, but you relaxed for the sake of a smooth interaction. She then glanced at the rest of your party, her face still sour, “Living in lawless lands before coming to my domain and thriving off the wealth of my people.”

“My Lady, I’m sure you have not summoned us here just to speak ill of our lifestyle.” Chan said, voice tight. You noticed the vein in his neck protruding and you realized he was just as angry as Changbin.

“You are correct.” She confirmed before sighing, pinching the bridge of her nose, “You see, my distaste aside, I have a job for you.” You blinked a couple times, not expecting her to offer you and the boys a quest.

“There have been reports of a large beast in the Dark Woods to the east that has been attacking my people. We have already lost a few commoners to this creature, and it keeps venturing more west. It is estimated that within a week, it would get as far as this city here.” The duchess explained, brushing her hair out of her face. Changbin’s hand tensed in yours, so you instinctively rubbed circles into it with your thumb.

“You want us to kill it, right?” Jisung interjected, to which the duchess nodded.

“Why not send your guards out to deal with it?” Chan asked, his tone slightly annoyed, which made you smirk. It was nice to see Chan subtly disrespecting the duchess.

“We already have.” She said, making your blood run cold, “They have never returned.”

“So you’re gonna send us cause we are disposable right?” Changbin grumbled, causing the duchess to roll her eyes at Changbin’s blatant disrespect.

“Because you’re useful.” She snapped back, “As much as I dislike your lifestyle, I am whiling to admit that you are more knowledgeable in the subject of monsters than my guards. As well as knowing the wild better too. “

“I would not ask you if I was not desperate, but alas, I care for my people.” The duchess finalized, sincerity in her tone, “Will you help by taking down the beast in the Dark Woods?”

The three of you look to Chan, who was deep in thought, staring at the floor. He tapped his foot lightly before looking back up at the duchess.

“We do not work for free, My Lady.” Chan said simply, crossing his arms over his chest, “What do you offer us in return?”

“I will pay you handsomely of course,” She answered, unwavering, “200 gold pieces for each of you to slay the beast and bring me it’s head.” Your eyes widened. That was quite a good price, as you’ve done much harder tasks for less, but Chan hummed nonchalantly.

“You’ll pay us half before we leave and half when we return.” Chan negotiated, tilting his head up to feel out the duchess’s desperation.

“I’ll pay a quarter now, and the rest when you bring me that monster’s head.” She said firmly, eyes sharp and scowl deep.

“A quarter now, the rest later, but you’ll fund our stay for the night at the inn upstairs.” Chan bartered, flashing her a grin, “We did travel all the way here, did we not, My Lady?” The duchess rolled her eyes but agreed nonetheless.

“You will leave first thing in the morning, and I expect your return before the sun sets two weeks from now.” She explained, She exited the tavern, the two, large guards at her side once again. The evening was still chilly and cloudy, so you were glad you could sleep inside tonight; the duchess frowned at Changbin, who still had his hand in yours, “I also expect you to address me with respect the next time I see you.”

 Changbin bit back his anger, wanting nothing more than to rip her head off, but simple settled for narrowing his eyes at her and grumbling. In all honesty, you wouldn’t mind ripping her head off either; but you refrained, keeping a blank expression.

“Of course, My Lady.” Chan said politely, waving her off as she got into her carriage. It sped off down the muddy street, and once it disappeared from sight, Changbin finally let out a growl, kicking at the dirt.

“How dare she treat us like trash and then expect us to help her.” Changbin shouted, finally letting himself go after behaving in front of the duchess, “Did you see the way she looked at me like I was nothing but the pavement beneath her foot?! I just- AGH!”

“Its okay Binnie,” Jisung tried to sooth the elder boy, but letting his own aggression out, “I think she pissed all of us off with that sweet opening number about how we are scum.” Chan just let out a scoff and shook his head, before taking a deep breath.

“Lets just go to the inn and rest for tomorrow.” He suggested, patting Changbin on the back reassuringly, “at least she provided us somewhere to rest.” You still held onto Changbin’s hand, it felt almost natural at this point, but it was warm and tense; so you simply gave it one more squeeze and it seemed to relax him a bit.

You were given a room upstairs that was pretty nice. There was a fireplace along the wall and an exotic rug in front of it. Above the fireplace hung a world map. There was a chair in the corner and a matching stool, but the main thing about the room was the two double beds that looked to have wool and quilted blankets on it, making them look more comfortable than anything you’ve seen in a long time. Each was accompanied by a nightstand that held extra candles and holders for more light.

“I wanna sleep with (Y/N)!” Jisung shouted out quickly, flopping down on the closest bed with a wide smile.

“No! I want to!” Changbin argued, jumping onto the closest bed too and trying to push him off. The two of them bickered and fought back and forth for a moment, causing you to giggle at their antics.

“I’m going to go and bring up something to eat from the tavern,” Chan called out over the ruckus, before nodding towards the other boys with a smirk, “Watch them and make sure they don’t break anything, okay?” You chucked and nodded closing the door as Chan left, approaching the other bed and sitting on it. You began to take off your boots when you feel the bed dip on either side of you.

“(Y/N), please tell Changbin you’re sleeping with me tonight!” Jisung huffed, only for Changbin to shove his shoulder. Jisung frowned, but held onto your arm, “I wanna cuddle.”

“No way! (Y/N), tell Jisung you’re gonna sleep with me!” Changbin pouts, holding onto your other arm. You laugh at the two of them, shaking your head.

“Both of you, figure it out yourselves.” You sighed endearingly, “Either of you would make a nice furnace for me to sleep warm, so I don’t care.”

“I suggest we arm wrestle.” Changbin says matter-of-factly, much to Jisung’s disapproval.

“No, that’s not fair! You’d obviously win! We need to pick something fair...” Jisung pouted, holding onto your hand, “(Y/N), pick a number between 1 and 10!” 

Just then, there was a knock on the door, before it opened to reveal Chan standing with a tray; it had four plates of meat, potatoes and veggies on it which he brought for the four of you to eat. But the boys barely even spared him a glance.

“Yeah that’s fair, pick a number between 1 and 10.” Changbin agreed, “we’ll guess and whoever is closest gets share a bed with you.”

___________________________________________________

“Seven is the worst number. Nobody ever picks seven...” Jisung huffs, cheeks puffy with sleep and he pushed the blanket down to crawl under it.

“I know! It’s not fair...” Changbin groaned, sitting beside Jisung taking off his jacket to sleep, “Besides, Chan didn’t even care about where he slept! He shouldn’t have been allowed to guess.”

Chan simply snickered at the boys, who had been pouting and whining for almost thirty minutes about Chan winning the silly game.

“Fair is fair, he guessed the number I was thinking of.” You explained for the hundredth time, to which the other two boys let out a groan in agreement.

“Seven is stupid.” Jisung mumbled again, eyes closed and sleepiness evident in his voice, which made you smile. Changbin laid beside him, to which Jisung immediately turned and wrapped his arms around the older male. 

“Goodnight boys.” You called, to which Changbin and Jisung grunted, snuggling up together to get some warmth. It wasn’t long before you could hear the heavy breathing of them sleeping comfortably. You opened the blankets to crawl under the covers when you hear Chan putting his boots on.

“Where are you going?” You asked, staring at him from across the room. He was only illuminated by the fireplace; if you didn’t know any better, you’d find the man standing there almost scary.

“Going down to see if I can get some local information on the beast we are fighting.” He said simply, smiling softly at you, “I won’t be long, so get some rest.”

“Do you want me to come?” You asked starting to get out of bed only for Chan to stop you.

“No, it’s alright. I’ll be back, okay?” He said gently, and with that he left, closing the door behind him. You laid back down, closing your eyes and listening to the crackling of the fireplace and small snores from Jisung. But you couldn’t help but think of Chan and if he was safe; bad thoughts of him getting in trouble and you being asleep wandered through your head.

Sighing, you got up and opened one of the windows for some fresh air. You could hear the faint chattering of the tavern downstairs, which was good; you still went and cracked the door open just a bit to hear better. If Chan got into trouble, you wanted to know about it. Next, you lit the candle that was on the nightstand and grabbed your book of spells from your knapsack and brought it back to bed where you read it.

If you were to be awake, it was best to be productive, right?

You flipped through the pages, only yawning and rubbing your eyes occasionally. Most of the spells in the book you had mastered, as you’ve read this volume maybe a dozen times now. It was hard to practice a lot of them though, as they required a lot of open space and a subject to use them on.

A few hours go by until the door opens quietly and your eyes snap up to see Chan standing in the doorway. The fireplace was all but embers at this hour, so you could barely make out his figure as he closed the door gently behind him as not to make noise.

“Hey Chan.” You mumbled, yawning. You felt at ease now that he was back and safe.

“Hey, why are you still awake?” he asked with a voice barely above a whisper, taking his boots and cloak off and coming over to the bed. By the light of your candle, you could see him much better now, eyes tired and a smile that showed off his dimples present on his face.

“Couldn’t sleep with you out by yourself, so I’m reading.” You said simply. Chan sat beside you and you scooted closer to him, placing your head on his shoulder.

“What are you reading?” He asked, although he already knew the answer. He leaned his head onto yours, squishing his cheek against it; he would often do this when you sat next to each other. Just his way to show affection you supposed.

“My spell book.” You hummed, glancing down at the pages. Chan wrapped and arm around your shoulder and pulled you even closer him, his big frame bringing comfort to you as you relaxed into him.

“You should rest now, you look sleepy.” He said, pulling the book from your lap only for you to grab onto it tightly.

“Let me finish this section first.” You said, to which Chan let go of the book, allowing you to pull it back into your lap, “It’s only a few pages. It wont take long.”

“I’ll stay up with you until you finish.” He said, and when you started to protest he shushed you, “It wont take long, right? So I’ll be sleeping in no time.” He chuckled deep in his chest and you smiled, enjoying being close to Chan. 

You went to reading, looking down at the ink-work on the pages. However, within minutes, Chan could hear your small snores and he smiled to himself at how cute you were. He slowly pulled the book from your grasp, reaching over to set it on the nightstand before blowing out the candle. He gently removed you from his shoulder to lay you down onto his chest, to which you naturally wrapped your arms around him. 

Chan felt his heart beat faster and his face grew warm, as he held you close to him. Secretly, he was really happy about winning your silly game, because it was comfortable and nice to have you in his arms while you rested.

“Night (Y/N).” He hummed contently, placing a kiss on your forehead and letting himself fall asleep too.

___________________________________________________

You woke up to a gentle shake of your shoulder, with the sun peeking right over the horizon and flooding into the room you were staying in.

“Come on (Y/N).” Jisung whispered, hand still on your shoulder, “We gotta get going now.” You groaned, pulling the soft blanket above your head. It had felt like you just fell asleep but it was already time to leave?

“(Y/N), the boys are already downstairs waiting for us,” Jisung reasoned; He tried to pull you up by grasping onto your shoulders, only for him to flop down and crush you with his weight when you refused to sit up.

“Just a bit longer, please.” You whined, taking your hands out from under the covers to hold onto Jisung tightly, not allowing him to stand up. He sighed, squeezing you gently as he relished in having you in his arms this morning because he couldn’t last night.

“As much as I appreciate this hug right now, we have to leave if we are gonna get to the Dark Woods and back on time.” He chuckled, patting your back and leaning you up, taking you with him.

You grumbled and let him go, wiping the sleep from your eyes.

“Besides, Changbin already packed up all your stuff for you this morning and put it by the door, so you just gotta get your shoes on.” Jisung explained, fixing your hair endearingly and nodding towards the door.

“Awful nice of him.” You mumbled sleepily, before getting out of bed and stretching your arms. You got your boots on and put on your knapsack, before finally grabbing your staff and opening the door. Jisung cooed at you for getting up, saying things like ‘good job’ and ‘I know you’re tired’ and you smiled at his thoughtfulness.

“Finally, sleeping beauty is awake!” Changbin teased when you came down the stairs. You rolled your eyes at him, used to his antics. Chan handed you an apple, saying breakfast was on the road today.

“Lets get going.” You agreed, biting into the apple, “lead the way, Tracker Man.” Chan smiled at the nickname, but nonetheless started the trek east. It was silent for the most part, aside from Jisung humming a tune and the crunch of your apple.

It wasn’t long until you finally got to the edge of the city when you finally made some conversation.

“So, do you guys know what kind of monster we are dealing with or..?” You asked, kicking at pebbles on the dirt road as you walked. 

“Well, from what I learned last night at the tavern,” Chan began, talking over his shoulder at you, “Rumor has it the beast is something big. I heard stories of it eating whole horses.”

“We already knew that, silly.” Jisung said matter-of-factly, earning a glare from the eldest, “The duchess said it was big.”

“Yeah but I didn’t think that big!” You complained, feeling a bit nervous about the nature of your opponent, “What else Chan?”

“I heard a story that one of the farmers warded it off with a torch, so maybe it’s afraid of fire?” Chan said, but you could hear the pout in his voice, “But I can’t know for sure how effective that is without knowing what kind of monster we are dealing with.”

“I don’t care what it is, I’ll kick it’s ass all the same.” Changbin said proudly, smirking while lacing his fingers together to stretch his arms out in front of him.

“That’s because you do the same thing for everything we fight: swing your claymore around and hope you don’t take one of our heads off.” Jisung teased, earning a scowl from Changbin, but it quickly changed into a tiny grin when you giggled along with the jokes.

“I do not!” Changbin half-whined half-giggled, nudging Jisung with his elbow, “I’ll have you all know, I’m very calculated and tactical when in battle.”

“Oh yeah? You ‘calculated’ hitting the tree and one of the big heavy branches falling on my foot while we were fighting a pack of goblins in the forests on the edge of NCity?” Chan asked in a playful tone, eyebrows raised as Changbin tried to defend himself.

“How was I supposed to know the branch would fall if I hit the tree! If anything, you should have just moved before it fell.” Changbin shouted, crossing his arms and lips pulled into a pout, “Besides, Jisung healed you up well and you were fine within an hour.”

“Not to mention, last I checked, you were the one to call for Changbin’s help that day anyways.” You said with a cheeky smile, before wrapping your arm around Changbin’s shoulders, “He was just trying to help, so don’t be so picky about it.”

“You wont be saying that when its your foot getting crushed by a stray swing of Changbin’s claymore.” Chan reasoned, huffing out a sigh, but smile gracing his face nonetheless.

_________________

After a rather uneventful week of travelling on foot, you finally reached the little village of Alsea the evening of your seventh day; it was a river-fishing village that bordered the Dark Woods. Chan thought it would be best to stay for the evening, get more information from locals about the monster, as well as be fully rested and regain the most strength for a battle.

“Alright, it’s best if we split up.” Chan suggested as you entered a crowded pub. The air smelled of mud and rainwater, as it was a hot spot for many of the local fisherman to visit after work.

“Me and Bin will go talk to some of the tougher looking fellows over there,” Chan explained, pointing to a corner where there seemed to be an arm wrestling competition going on, “You two should go ask the barkeep and see what they know. We’ll meet up in an hour or so and go to bed, alright?”

“Sounds good, c’mon (Y/N)!” Jisung said with a nod, pulling you in the direction of the bar. You waved over your shoulder at Chan and Changbin, before following Jisung through the crowded pub to make it to the bar. You hopped up on one of the stools, Jisung settling down beside you.

“Excuse me, Sir.” Jisung called to the bar-hand over the chatter and music of the loud pub. He was young, and handsome if you do say so yourself. He looked up at the two of you, putting down the rag he had been cleaning the bar with, “We’ll have an ale for me and a glass of wine for my partner here please.”

“Right away, Boss.” The bar-hand said with a nod, preparing the drinks before serving you both. He grinned at you, looking you up and down and making your face heat up a bit from the attention.

“Here you are.” He almost purred, sliding the glass towards you and handing Jisung the mug of ale he ordered, “Enjoy.”

Jisung frowned, grabbing his drink and taking a swig of it before scooting closer to you.

“This place is pretty busy,” You said sweetly, “Is every night like this?”

“Usually, but it’s much more busy when the snow comes around,” The bar-hand replied, “I guess folks are wanting to find a way to stay warm, and the atmosphere and alcohol help.” You hummed, taking a sip of your drink. The bar-hand eyed you closely, biting his lip bottom lip as you swallowed the drink. It made Jisung feel sick they way he was watching you.

“What brings a pretty individual like yourself into these parts? Alsea isn’t really a tourist spot.” The bar-hand asked, brushing his hair away from his face. Before you could answer, Jisung slung his arm around your waist and pulled you into him, causing you to let out a little squeak in surprise.

“We are actually on our honeymoon, isn’t that right, darling?” He replied in a passive aggressive tone, frowning at the man behind the bar before plastering a fake smile on his face.

You resisted the urge to chuckle at Jisung’s behavior, but nonetheless leaned closer to him and nodded. Playing pretend doesn’t hurt anyone, besides, its a fun idea for you to tease Jisung....

“Yes dearest, and what a lovely honeymoon it’s been! I thought we were going to get lost on the way here though, with all the detours you decided to take us on.” You laughed, trying to keep your voice even. You playfully hit Jisung’s leg, making him chuckle and look at you teasingly. Game on.

“I only took detours because I wanted to get here as fast as possible for my love. ” Jisung confessed(?) while dragging his hand along your waist, earning a sarcastic pout from you before he turned back to to the bar-hand, who looked a bit annoyed now, “And it was lucky I did because this is the only town before hitting the woods. We would have missed meeting this fine gentleman if not for my detours.”

“Well how sweet of you, dearest.” You sighed, downing your drink and placing a kiss on Jisung’s cheek. It quickly burned red and Jisung prayed he kept his expression at least a little bit under control. You smirked and turned to the bar-hand and smiled politely while you pushed your empty glass towards him, “We are headed out east through the Dark Woods. I heard it’s lovely this time of year.”

The bar-hand cleared his throat, regaining a bit of his composure before giving a fake smile at the two of you.

“Under normal circumstances, it is.” He confirmed, grabbing you glass and putting on the counter behind him, “But I wouldn’t recommend going there now. There is rumor of a monster that lurks there.”

“Oh really? What kind of monster?” Jisung asked boldly leaning on the bar and drinking from his glass. A bit of a direct question to ask the bar-hand, but at least it was useful.

“Nobody really knows.” The bar-hand replied, face serious and voice in a hushed tone and he leans closer to the two of you, “from what I’ve heard, it came down from the northern mountains, and its bigger than anything we’ve ever seen come from the woods.”

“do you know anyone who has actually seen it?” You probed, chewing nervously at your bottom lip as the bar-hand shook his head.

“Nobody who has gotten a good look at it has lived to tell about it.” The bar-hand replied solemnly, before sighing and brushing his hair away from his face once again.

The seriousness of this monster made your anxiety shoot through the roof. It was obvious by now this would be no easy feat to kill the beast, but the more you heard about it, the more it sounded impossible.

The atmosphere felt cold and you felt a sudden warm hand on yours. Turning to Jisung, you felt him squeeze your hand comfortingly as he smiled at the bar-hand.

“Well, maybe it’s best we don’t go through there for our honeymoon, Love.” Jisung teased, finally looking back at you with a gentle grin. He wrapped his arm around you once more, and you could feel your anxiety melt away, just for this moment.

“Well, I agree. The two of you should pick another route. Sorry you traveled here for your plans to be ruined, but better safe than sorry!” The bar-hand hummed. Jisung took some gold pieces out of his pocket to pay for your drinks, thanking the bar-hand.

The two of you hopped down off the stools, but Jisung didn’t let go of you. He held your waist firm and lead you towards the center of the tavern where it was cleared out to dance. A man was playing the fiddle and while a woman sang some folk song.

“Care to dance, Love?” Jisung asked, teasing smile on his face as he turned you to face him. You nodded and slipped you hand into his empty one and reached up to grasp at his shoulder. You began to sway around to the music, carefully avoiding others who also decided to come out and dance.

“You know, you played a very convincing jealous newlywed.” You chuckled, pulling Jisung closer to you so you could whisper in his ear, “I almost thought you were jealous for real.”

The two of you continued to dance, spinning and stepping around the space smoothly. Jisung let out a sarcastic laugh, rolling his eyes at you before leaning in to whisper to you.

“I was jealous.” He argued flatly, tightening his grip on you once again, “That stupid bar-hand was practically drooling on the counter looking at you. I didn’t like it.”

“Oh, you didn’t?” You scoffed playfully, shaking your head at him. He let his annoyance play just slightly on his face, causing you to smile, “I couldn’t tell.”

The song ended, and Jisung pulled away slightly. He still held onto your hand as he gazed at you with a slight grin on his face. He placed a quick kiss to you hand, thanking you for the dance. You let out a squeal of surprise at the action as you swatted at him with your other hand. You both laughed at each other, walking away from the dance floor as another song started.

“Let’s go find the other two knuckleheads.” You suggested, holding onto Jisung’s hand as you weaved through the crowd looking for your companions.

You approached the table at the back with a crowd formed around it, shouts and cheers heard just barely over all the other commotion of the pub. You pushed your way through to see what all the excitement was about; you couldn’t say you were surprised at what you found...

Sitting in one of the chairs was Changbin, who was locked in an intense arm wrestling match with one of the biggest fisherman you’ve ever seen. You let out a laugh when you see Changbin yawn before he effortlessly slams the fisherman’s hand down on the table. The crowd of men cheers as Changbin celebrated his victory.

“Why am I not surprised..” Jisung sighed, as you just patted his cheek soothingly and shoved your way to the table.

“Who’s next?” Changbin boasts, making a ‘come here’ motion with his hand, “Who dares challenge me?” When he caught sight of you, His expression lit up and he swatted at Chan, who stood behind his chair monitoring the whole ordeal. By the looks of it, he also seemed to be making bets on Changbin, as he was handed a small pouch by one of the fishermen. When Chan saw you, his expression mirrored Changbin’s as he smiled and waved you over.

Another man sat down across from Changbin, his arms the size of one of your legs; it was a mystery on how he even got into the building as he looked to be bigger than the doorway.

You and Jisung slinked your way over to where Chan stood, greeting him before looking at Changbin.

“Who invited Goliath?” Jisung asked in a hushed tone, swallowing as he gazed at the big man across from Changbin. 

Chan folded his arms across his chest and hummed. “I saw him earlier when we entered. I thought it was only a matter of time before he came to challenge Bin.”

Changbin sat unwavering, grasping hands with the beast of a man. He glanced up at you, to which you gave him a firm, but encouraging look. That seemed enough to give Changbin confidence, as he looked back at the man with determination.

“You guys seem to have been working hard at finding information out.” You mumbled sarcastically to Chan. The other fisherman were chattering, placing their bets as the two strong men prepared for their battle.

“We got a bit.” Chan protested, taking his eyes off of Changbin to look at the two of you, “But I’m starting to think this fisherman is our beast...”

You and Jisung chuckled at Chan’s joke, looking back to your friend to support him and cheer him on in this seemingly impossible feat. Changbin was the strongest person you knew! Surely this big scary man was no match for him!

______________________________

“I can’t believe it was over in three seconds!” Changbin whined as he flopped down on the bed, “my pride is more hurt than my arm!”

“So you don’t want me to massage your shoulder then?” Jisung asked teasingly, only for Changbin to grunt out a ‘no, please’. Jisung snickered, sitting down beside the dishearten man and began to gently rub his shoulder; an aura of blue coming up from his hands, causing Changbin to groan out in delight.

With the winnings from the bets on Changbin, Chan purchased a stay in the inn down the street. It wasn’t as nice as the tavern in Miroh, but it was much nicer than sleeping outside. Besides, you were going into the woods tomorrow to fight whatever this thing was, so it was best to get a good rest.

“Okay, so we know it’s big, it’s furry so probably mammalian, it’s prone to fire, and it’s supposedly from the north.” Chan hummed, tapping his chin lightly as he looked through one of his journals that he kept for monster information.

“Could it be a Worg?” You asked, looking up from a different journal of Chan’s to see him shake his head no.

“Worgs are usually bound to the plains, never up north or the forest.” He replied, flipping through the pages as he sat down on the other bed, frown on his face.

“Maybe it’s not from the north?” Jisung offered, turning to look at the two of you as he gently smoothed his hands offer Changbin’s shoulder, “I mean, it’s just rumored to be from the north.”

“I guess...” You hummed, closing the journal to hand it back to Chan as you yawned, “Whatever it is, we at least have a general idea of what it could look like and how we should attack it.”

“Yeah, we should rest up instead of worrying about whatever this mystery creature is.” Changbin suggested, voice muffled by the pillows. Jisung stood up, allowing Changbin to rise, “Besides, as long as we all have each other’s back, we can take on anything.”

“Like that fisherman you lost to?” Chan teased, causing Changbin to grunt, throwing a pillow at his companion. Jisung let out a laugh, earning a second pillow being thrown at his head.

“If I had all of your guys’ strength too, I could have won!” Changbin huffed, catching the pillow as Chan tossed it back to him and laying it under his head.

“I think that’s why we work so good together. We all have different strengths and we can depend of each other.” You said sincerely, going over to pick up the pillow at Jisung’s feet and bring it over to where Changbin laid.

“How endearing!” Jisung cooed before frowning, “I think I’m going to puke.” You chuckled, taking your jacket off and setting it on the chair beside the edge of the bed, pulling out the covers.

“Hang on, how come Bin get’s to sleep next to you!?” Jisung whined, coming over to your side and holding onto your hand.

“Because I slept next to Chan in the last inn and we got to play newlyweds earlier.” You replied with a grin; Jisung resembled a puppy in this moment, lip stuck out in a pout., “It’s Changbin’s turn.”

“And you had the audacity to shame us on how much information we were gathering...” Chan tutted, looking to Changbin as if to say ‘can you believe them?’. Jisung paid them no mind as he held onto your hand with both of his, almost pleading.

“Yeah, we’re newlyweds! Shouldn’t we sleep together?” Jisung bargained, “Besides, I hate sleeping with Chan! He drools and snores so loud!” Chan let out an offended protest as Changbin simple pushed Jisung away from the bed.

“(Y/N) said it’s my turn.” Changbin said matter-of-factly, causing Jisung to frown as Changbin slipped under the covers too. He laid on his back with a smug grin; an open invitation for you to lay on his broad chest.

“Next time.” You promised apologetically, blowing out the candle on you bedside table as Jisung sighed in defeat. He trudged over to Chan’s bed with a disappointed ‘fine’ falling from his lips

“Next time, I’ll just get us a room with one king sized bed and we can all sleep together if it’s going to be this big of a problem!” Chan scolded like a parent, opening up the covers for Jisung to crawl under.

“I’d rather eat one of Changbin’s sweaty socks than be trapped between all three of you.” You grimaced, causing the boys to chuckle. 

“Goodnight.” Chan called out, blowing out the candle and sliding down in the bed. Jisung latched onto him a bit too quickly for someone who “hated sleeping with Chan” in your opinion, but the two of them seemed to relax, as their forms sunk into the mattress.

You laid down, ready to sleep close to Changbin so he would keep you heated; he seemed like he still wanted to be playful, as he flipped over so his back was facing you, tugging all the blankets with him.

You lightly smacked his back before shifting so that you were flush against him. You tugged some of the blankets back over to you before you buried your face against his shoulder blades and draped an arm over his stomach to keep him close.

Changbin laced his hand over yours, keeping it in place as he relaxed into the bed, letting out a gentle sigh. He whispered out a ‘goodnight’ to you; you hummed in response, nuzzling into him. You then allowed yourself to fall asleep under the gentle thrumming of his heartbeat. 

_______________________________

Branches crackled under your boots as you trudged along; The canopies of the trees stretched far above your head, forming almost a roof that blocked sunlight due to haw thick the overgrowth was. but despite the lack of sunlight, much of the forest floor was overrun with many different species of flora.

“Ow! Son of a bitch...” Jisung mumbled, hitting the bramble he was standing in with his sword and instinctively bringing one of his hands up and shaking it. He picked out the thorn that seemingly was stuck into his finger and grumbled.

“Hey Chan, isn’t there another path that isn’t so.... poke-y?” Changbin asked, looking down at the bushes that came up to your waist.

Chan was leading you through the Dark Woods, following a seemingly invisible trail to your beast. The eldest turned back from his place at the front of the line, frowning at you all.

“Yeah, I’d assume so.” He answered simply before waving his long sword towards the bushels in front of him, “But based on these markings, this is the way the beast went. So I’m following that.”

“I can’t see anything?” Jisung huffed, his hand covered in a slight blue aura for only a moment before he shook it again to loosing his joints. 

“That’s because you’re not a tracker,” Chan replied, rolling his eyes, cutting more of a path in front of him and continuing on, “Now quit complaining and lets go.”

“Let me go right behind Chan,” You suggested, squeezing past Jisung; you whispered a simple spell into the top of your staff, causing it to start to smoke. You grabbed it three quarters of the way down, tipping the top into the bushes to burn the edges, creating a more clear path.

“That should be better.” You hummed in delight, sweeping your staff from side to side as you walked, careful not to linger in one place too long lest to light the whole forest on fire. The two boys behind you let out grunts in agreement and you continued the trek deeper into the woods.

It was calm for a while, with the four of you just listening to the stillness of the air and the sounds of you and Chan making a path before you finally decided to speak.

“Chan, if you’re following a track made by the beast, you must have some idea of what it is, right?” You asked, careful not to burn the ankles of the man in front of you as he stopped abruptly. 

He was quiet, looking out into the woods; you followed suit, dissolving your magic and silently coming closer to him, placing a timid hand on his shoulder as not to scare him. He didn’t move, eyes squinting to see farther into the distance.

Suddenly Chan crouched, whispering out a frantic “Get down!” at the three of you; you quickly comply, crouching low beneath the underbrush as your heart rate increased rapidly. Jisung and Changbin shuffle their way over to the two of you, close enough to hear their breathing as you all waited for Chan to explain anything that was going on.

That’s when you heard it; A distant thumping. It sounded like footsteps coming closer and closer to your party.

“Chan....” Jisung whimpered slightly, gripping the hilt of his sword, “What is that sound?”

The ground shook with each step the beast took; you tried to peak through the foliage to see what it was, but it was nowhere to be found. The footsteps seemed to be getting very close now, the crunching of branches loud as you could hear the beast. 

Chan looked pale, holding a shaky finger up to his lips to tell you all to be quiet. He slowly removed the black bow he carried to notch an arrow in it. Changbin prepared his claymore, gripping it tightly with both hands, his expression stone cold.

And then, the footsteps stopped.

The air was silent, the only sound you could hear was the rushing of blood in your ears and the breath of your party members. The once calming stillness of the woods had now bred a tense atmosphere, causing a sense of unease to wash over you all as the silence continued.

You shifted you weight with uncertainty, looking up and around to try and get even a glimpse in the right direction before your eyes fell on Chan, who was gazing at the three of you with a look of concern.

And then it happened in a flash

The bramble around you peeling back, a loud roar that causing a great ringing in your ears and Jisung flying up towards the sky helplessly in the grasp of this great beast, screaming and flailing around in distress.

It’s fur was snow white as it stood on two powerful legs; it was easily 10 feet tall, gnarled teeth and small eyes pulled into an aggressive expression as it roared out again, brown spit flying from its mouth. You gazed in horror as his grey meaty hand held Jisung by the ankle.

A Yeti.

Jisung!” You cried out, quick to stand and try to conjure a spell with your staff; But just as quickly as you reacted, the Yeti was faster, swatting you into a nearby tree with the back of it’s other flat hand, sending you tumbling down through the sharp branches while knocking the wind out of you and sending your staff flying.

Chan shot his arrow, landing it directly into the knuckle of the beast’s middle finger; it reacted by letting Jisung go, dropping him into the thick bushes below with a crunch. The yeti let out an anguished cry, balling its fist to crush Chan, but he leapt out of the way and helped Jisung stand.

Changbin quickly dove between it’s legs, slashing at it’s knees with his claymore. The beast turned and swatted at Changbin; it missed it’s mark, slamming it’s hand into a tree and sending one of the large branches down on the ground.

It grasped it’s newfound weapon and swung it around at the ground, nearly taking Chan’s head off if he would have held it just a bit higher.

“Chan, what is this thing?!” Changbin barked, ducking his head as the yeti swung his tree club at him, “and how to we beat it!!?”

“Yeti!” Chan shouted, notching another arrow and shooting it at the monster’s face; it was unfortunately blocked by the tree branch it weld, but not without the yeti bellowing at Chan and attempting to crush him with its foot. The oldest jumped out of the way, pushing Jisung down with him.

The beast threw its branch away, slamming it into another tree as it let out another booming roar and leaned forward, placing it’s knuckles on the ground in front of it.

You coughed, a groan of pain escaping your lips as you sat up and clutched your back; the pain was indescribable as it took the brunt of the impact, not to mention your skin was also cover in cuts from the sharp branches you fell through. Your vision was a blurry still from the initial impact, but once it cleared up a bit, you were able to see Changbin slicing once more at the yeti, getting a good cut in at its hip area. This small victory was short lived, as the beast reacted on instinct and swatted at him, sending him flying a few feet into the nearby bramble.

Chan was able to use this time to climb up into one of the trees and get a good angle on the yeti with his bow. He got one good hit in on the yeti’s shoulder before it caught sight of him and grabbed at his legs, pulling him from the tree and shaking his body until he dropped his weapon.

Jisung went to help Changbin, clutching his sword tightly as he ducked into the overgrowth and helping Changbin up; he seemed to recover fast, moving to stand at Jisung's side.

“This isn’t working!” Jisung cried out as he slashed at the yeti, trying to get it to drop Chan. The beast tried to kick at Jisung, but the healer dodged to the side in the last second before scrambling back to his feet.

“Fire!” Chan yelled, beating the yeti’s fingers with his fists as the beast flailed him about, much too distracted with trying to get Jisung, “yetis hate fire!”

You blinked rapidly, processing what Chan was shouting about.

Fire...

Fire!

You could make fire! all you needed was-

“My staff,” You mumbled, looking around frantically for the object. You pushed aside some bushes, crawling around on the ground searching for the one thing you needed to help your party.

You finally found it, laying ten feet away on some gnarled tree roots. It looked to be damaged; a big crack running along the length of it. But it would work for now.

You used it to stand tall, trying to ground yourself despite your state; you willed all the power you could into it, conjuring up a bright ball of white hot fire with one of the most advanced spells you knew. You weren’t sure how strong it would be, as you’d only performed this spell once and that was in your best condition and a fully functioning staff...

The ball grew, sending waves of heat outwards before you launched it into the yeti’s back, setting its white fur ablaze. It howled in pain, dropping Chan ungracefully and starting to slap its back to put the fire out.

Unfortunately for you, the raw power of that spell send burning embers down the crack in your staff, effectively breaking the tool for good as it slightly crumbled in your hand.

What now?

Shit! It was risky for any warlock to try and do a spell without a magic tool to direct their power.

But you had no other option as of now and you needed to help the boys.

“Fuck you!” You spat angrily as threw your broken staff to the side and picked up a branch that had fallen from one of the trees; using a different, less complicated spell, you shakily conjured a weak flame and lit the tip of the branch on fire. You then lunged forward with all your strength, using the branch like an inferno-covered spear to stab at the beast.

You continue to push it back, burning it’s grey skin until you reach Chan, allowing his to recover a bit and grab for his bow that he dropped earlier. He placed a gentle hand on the small of your back before moving to the side of you.

The other two boys had seemingly made fire, Changbin wielding a burning branch covered in foliage with Jisung behind him readying his weapon.

The beast roared swatting at both you and Changbin with it’s hands, however still trying to maintain a distance between it and the fire you held. It looked to be backing away from you as you closed in on it.

Chan slung his bow around his shoulder and unsheathed a longsword before shouting “I have an idea! I need (Y/N) and Changbin to focus the fire down to the undergrowth and make a perimeter. We can’t let it get away!”

You and Changbin exchanged a knowing look, nodding at Chan before you sprang into action. You dipped you flame covered branch down into the bushes and ran around to make a big circle. As you did this, Chan kept the yeti’s attention by swinging at it with his sword, Jisung coming to help the ranger by diving between its legs to appear next to Chan.

You finally met up with Changbin about 5 feet behind the beast, giving it very little room to maneuver without stepping in the fire.

“You look like shit.” Changbin exclaimed, seeing the state you were in with scratches and sweat covering your body.

“Thanks?!” You replied simply, tossing the broken branch into the already blazing inferno creating a perimeter.

Changbin unsheathed his claymore before calling out, “What now Chan?”

“Now we all close in and attack it with everything we have!” The eldest shouted, already starting to move in and stab at the yeti with his sword. Changbin let out a yell before rushing the beast, using both his hands to swing his large weapon at it’s waist. Jisung let out a shout too, using his sword to attack near the beast's legs.

You reached for the only weapon you carried, a dagger that sat on your hip.

But before you were able to charge, you felt a wave of pain wash over you from the center of you back; it spread like electricity all across your body, making you feel weak in the knees.

Your vision grew spotted, with the sounds and sights of your friends going in and out of focus.

Ah shit...

that stupid monster really did a number on you...

And with that high level spell on a broken staff, your body was spent.

Falling to the ground you try and stabilize yourself with your hands;

But it was no use as you slumped forward and pass out.

------

When you finally came to, the sky was dark and the only sound that filled your ears was the crackling of campfire and the soft humming of a folk-song.

You felt a strong pair of arms wrapped tenderly around your frame as you laid in the comfortable lap of one of your dearest companions.

"You should be resting." Changbin whispered, delicately brushing a stray hair from your face, "Although I'm thankful to see you have some life in you."

"What happened?" You mumbled, turning your head to look around. you seemed to be at a makeshift camp, with Jisung laying on a soft bedroll sleeping as still as humanly possible. In contrast, Chan was sat up against a tree, arms crossed and eyes shut, but seemingly asleep as well.

Your boys were safe, that's good.

You drew your attention back up to Changbin, who just stroked your upper arm comfortingly. His face has a few cuts on it and his shirt seemed to be torn, with quite a few massive bruises covering his arms.

"We beat the beast, everything is okay. You fainted, but Jisung healed you up good." Changbin relayed in a hushed tone, gazing at you softly. You frown, weakly reaching your hand up to touch one of the scratches on his face.

"He didn't heal you?" You asked, voice trembling. Your arm felt heavy as Changbin grabbed your hand, placing a kiss on it and returning it to your side.

"Couldn't." Changbin replied simply, keeping a warm hold on your hand, "You were so badly injured he used up all his energy to heal you."

Changbin's voice shook slightly as he looked away. You could see the wetness of his eyes reflecting the light of the fire as he tried not to let out a tear.

"Hey, I'm okay." You whispered, squeezing his hand.

"I was scared we were going to lose you." Changbin admits, biting his bottom lip to keep it from quivering. You could hear the fear in his tone, which broke your heart. Using all the strength you could muster, you sit up, wincing ever so slightly at the ache in your back. You scoot closer to Changbin before you engulf him in a hug, holding onto him as if he would shatter.

"I know, but I'm alright now." You affirmed, reaching to gently stroke his hair as the usual barbarian let out a quiet sob into your shoulder. He carefully wrapped his arms around you and pulled you to sit in his lap. Changbin wanted to hold you as close as possible, worried you would be gone of he let you go.

You couldn't help but feel at ease in his grasp, melting into his touch as you tried to soothe him with hushes and adoring touches on his hair and back.

You both sat like this for a while, not a sound passing between the two of you besides Changbin's shaky breaths. When he finally did let you go, you placed a quick kiss on his cheek, right where a cut laid. Wordlessly, you kissed another, and then the other.

"There, all better." You joked with a cheesy grin. Changbin chuckled at you, before you cringed from another sudden wave of pain.

"You should rest." Changbin hummed, shifting so he sat up more straight, "I have to keep watch for a bit longer, but I want you to sleep right here with me, okay?"

He helped you lay back down in his lap before he reached for his blanket that was rolled up by his pack. He covered you lovingly with it, keeping his arms around you to make sure you were warm.

"We have a long trip ahead of us tomorrow, so sleep well." Changbin wished. You hummed in response, closing your eyes and grasping onto the hem of the blanket.

"Sorry I wasn't much help fighting today. I'll be better tomorrow." You apologized, letting yourself relax in the safe embrace Changbin provided.

"Nonsense," Changbin reassured you, voice barely above a whisper, "You were brilliant today."

"Thanks Bin. Goodnight."

"Goodnight (Y/N)"

---------

"I can't believe you guy's were cuddling again." Jisung let out a huff, blue healing magic from his hands rubbing the bruises out of Changbin's skin.

"You were out cold too! You wouldn't have even known if (Y/N) slept beside you." Changbin argued, shaking his head at the healer and offering up his left arm for treatment.

"Even if he was awake, there was no way you were gonna let them go." Chan teased, turning to whisper to you, "He wouldn't leave your side from the moment you passed out. Not even while Jisung healed you."

"Knowing Changbin, I'm not surprised." You giggled, packing up your things relatively slowly; Your whole body still ached, but you were sure you'd be alright after a long rest, "I think its endearing how much of a big softie he is."

"Doesn't matter, it was my turn." Jisung grumbles under his breath. a pout played on his face as he finished up healing Changbin. The latter stood, saying a small thanks before he started to pack up his belongings.

Soon the four of you were all but ready to go. The fire was getting stomped out by Jisung, while Changbin made sure the monstrous yeti head was secured in a burlap sack.

You weren't entirely sure if the duchess meant it genuinely when she said she wanted its head, but better safe than sorry in your opinion. maybe she wanted to mount it as a trophy of the victory for her people? And if not, it would be entertaining to see her face when you brought it to her.

Changbin began the trek ahead, hoisting his things over his broad shoulders and making a move to go ahead and lead. You tried to tie the end of your bag to secure it, but you couldn't stop the trembling in your fingers enough to complete the fine motor skill. it frustrated you that you weren't back to your peak performance yet.

Jisung's healing can only do so much, especially when it came to magical damage; sure, your body was sore, but there was an underlying weakness that came from casting a spell without your staff. In the heat of the moment you didn't feel the toll due to adrenaline and being in survival mode.

A stick with no magical properties was better than casting a spell with nothing, but you would still pay the price for using such a common item with no embedded magic; weakness, fatigue, muscle spasms, and a whole plethora of other possible side effects was inevitable. Luckily it would fade as time went on, but it didn't make you feel any less of a burden now.

"Let me help you with that." Chan suggested warmly, crouching down and tying your bag closed quickly. You thanked him, moving to sling the bag over your shoulder as you stood. But before you could grab it, Chan lifted it and tossed it to Jisung, who gracefully caught it and slung it over his shoulder.

"Ready to go?" The healer hummed, smiling at you.

"I can carry my own bag." You huffed in annoyance; you began to walk over to Jisung to take it back when Chan grabbed your arm, stopping you in place.

"Nah, there is no way you're lugging that all the way back." Chan insisted, before nodding to Jisung with a grin, "Besides, Jisung strong. what's an extra couple pounds?"

"This feels like nothing to me!" Jisung piped up, adjusting it with ease on his shoulder.

"Fine." You replied, knowing it was better to pick your battles when it came to Chan when he made a decision.

"Great." The eldest responded, before turning around and patting his shoulder, "Now hop on so we can get going."

Oh... this was a battle to pick!

"What? No! I can walk just fine." You argued, patting Chan's shoulders. When he turned back around, a frown played on his face as he crossed his arms over his chest in classic Chan fashion.

"Really? Because you could barely even stand up on your own." Chan reasoned, tone firm before his eyes softened ever so slightly, "I'm sure you could walk the entire journey if we had all the time in the world. You're strong."

"But we don't." He finalized, turning around and crouching down, speaking over his shoulder, "We have to get a move on and we don't have time for you to lag behind so I'm going to carry you."

You groaned; mostly because you knew Chan was right, as per usual... You would slow the party down and you didn't have time for it if you were going to meet the duchess on time. The least you could do at this point is not hold everyone up.

"What's taking you so long? Quit smelling the flowers, we have places to be!" Changbin barked back at you three. You turned to Jisung, who shrugged and went on ahead.

You rolled your eyes and sighed, giving in and climbing onto to Chan's broad back. The man hummed, seemingly pleased by your dismay.

"If you get tired, tell me and I'll make sure I can keep up." You said, almost as a whisper because of how close you were to Chan's ear. He could feel your breath tickle his cheek ever so slight as you rested you head on his shoulder. You felt frail in his grasp, as he made note to try and be and gentle as possible while moving around.

"I won't get tired, don't worry." Chan reassured you, shifting your weight in his strong arms before beginning the long trek back to Miroh. His large hands provided sturdy support to your legs as as he walked, trying to catch up with the other two boys.

You would never admit it, but you were secretly a bit grateful for Chan, as you weren't sure if you truly were strong enough to make the journey without his help. And being secure in his hold, feeling the warmth of his body close the entire trip would definitely a plus, bringing you a sense of ease you couldn't describe.

--------

"I can't believe she's making us wait. I'm tired of hauling this smelly monster head around." Changbin complained, leaning back on his chair.

"You're lucky they let us bring that thing into the tavern." Jisung scoffed, kicking the Yeti's head lightly, "It reeks!"

"That's because it's rotting." Chan said matter-of-factly, shaking his head, "Did you guys expect it to smell like roses?"

"No, of course not!" Changbin said, annoyance ever present in his tone as you grimaced at the head, "I just didn't think it would be this bad!"

The boys continued to bicker back and forth about the head as you sat quietly, picking apart a scone that Felix had baked today. You had begun to regain a bit of strength along the journey, not feeling as sickly as you once were. You were almost certain that a good night's sleep in the inn upstairs would bring you right back to normal.

But you had to wait until the duchess arrived for you to collect your payment before you could do that. But of course she was late, as she didn't seem to care about your time; it was probably negligible in her eyes.

You ate the scone, washing it down with a entire mug of fresh fruit juice before she finally did arrive with two guards in tow. Long after the sun had set, like she agreed, but she showed up nonetheless. And when she did, you swatted at your companions to quit arguing on whether or not rotting head smelt worse is worse than Changbin's armpits.

Chan stood from his spot and bow to the duchess as she approached, "Good evening, My Lady."

"What is that awful smell!" She wrenched, scrunching her nose up and covering it with her wrist.

"The Beast's head, just as you requested, My Lady!" Jisung beamed, standing to bow as well before he presented the duchess with the grotesque thing. You watched as Changbin tried his hardest to keep himself from smiling at her expression.

"Well, I did say I wanted it's head didn't I..." The duchess huffed out, expression sour. with the wave of her hand, one of her guards takes a hold of it and takes it away, finally allowing you to breath fresh air again.

Right, well," The duchess hummed, clasping her hands together, "Might I say well done. My people are safe thanks to you, which is all that matters to me."

"We are also glad such a creature can't terrorize helpless folk, My Lady." Chan agreed, standing up straight with a graceful smale across his face.

"Yeah, super glad." Changbin grunted out, eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly, "anyways, I think it's time you paid us?"

The duchess scowled at Changbin who only smiled tantalizingly at her. "We did what you asked, My Lady." The title sounded patronizing coming out of the his mouth, but it was more so when accompanied by a haphazard nod that you could barely argue as a bow.

"It seems you still have yet to learn manners on all your travels." The duchess sighed, snapping her fingers quickly. The remaining guard pulls a bag out and places it on the table, "Thank you for your service to my kingdom."

With that, the duchess turned and walked away, practically stomping as she exited the tavern.

"Please doing business, My Lady!" Chan shouted after her before taking his seat again. Jisung followed suit, scraping his chair as he opened the bag, dumping the contents onto the table. He tucked the bag away after making sure all the pieces lied safely on the table in a pile.

"Splitting it up? Usually we pool everything together" Changbin asked, as Chan began to count the gold pieces.

The eldest nodded, jutting his head in your direction, "(Y/N) asked if we would this time." You nodded.

It was true, you had asked Chan if the earnings from this job could be split. It was pretty unusual for your group to split up earnings, as you were practically inseparable so you wouldn't make frivolous purchases outside a group setting. But this time, you felt you had a good reason for it.

"It's the most fair in my opinion." You explained, adjusting your bag in your lap, "I need a new staff and you should know that magical items cost a pretty penny. This way, it'll be a purchase that doesn't take away from your guys' funds, since you wouldn't use it anyways."

"That's very kind of you." Jisung said softly, touched at your thoughtfulness. He reached his hand over and held yours, squeezing it as a sort of thank you for your consideration. The moment didn't last long as Chan let out wry laugh.

"That crook, doesn't she have enough?" He scoffed under his breath before shaking his head and looking up at you all, "She scammed us."

"What?" You asked, looking down at the gold pieces; sure enough the piles were quite a bit smaller than expected.

"She only gave us half of what was promised," Chan stated sharply, half in disbelief and half in agitation, "and that's including what was given to use before we left."

"Last time we ever trust a high class cheat ever again!" Changbin growled, slaming his fist on the table. You could practically see the smoke billowing off him as he stood up furiously.

"It's alright, we still have enough to make ends meet." You reasoned, placing a delicate hand on Changbin's arm to calm him down. It does the trick, as he sits back down and folds his arms angrily.

"Yeah, but what about your staff? There is no way your portion will be enough for it..." Jisung said, shoulders slumping as he gazed at you apologetically.

"No, not even close." You sighed, standing and taking your share anyways, "but I'll just have to make do until I have enough. At least we have enough to put warm food in our bellies and a roof over our heads for a bit."

You tried hard to not sound so defeated; you weren't exactly sure how you would be able to practice magic without a magic embedded object to wield, but there was nothing you could do as of now. And truthfully, you had waited long enough for such a disappointment, you felt exhaustion catch up and felt more like something to deal with tomorrow.

Plastering a wistful smile on your face as you stretched your arms over your head. you placed your share in your bag before slinging it over your shoulder haphazardly.

"Where are you off to?" Chan asked, standing too.

"Bed." You said with a tired yawn, jutting your thumb in the direction of the staircase where the inn suites resided, "I'm still recovering, so I think a long rest in a comfy bed is exactly what I need."

"We'll come!" Changbin exclaimed, standing too; you shush him, and shake your head, quickly disagreeing.

"No, you guys should stay out and celebrate! don't pack it in on my behalf." You urged, smile finding its way onto your face as you looked at the three boys. You couldn't help but think about how much you adored them and how special your little family was. Sure, you got swindled, but at least everyone was alright. That's all that mattered to you.

"We defeated a huge beast and lived to tell about it! And we did get paid! Maybe not as much as we had hoped, but enough to have a few drinks and be merry." You encouraged, lips curling into catlike grin.

"(Y/N) right. There is no need to sulk on what we don't have when what we do have is wonderful company and good atmosphere." Chan agreed, cheerful expression slowly growing as he gazed back at you. He stood, grabbing a few gold pieces from his share and pointed to the bar, "First round is on me fellas!"

"Sure, why not!" Changbin agreed, collecting his share and placing it in his wallet.

"Enjoy the night. Be sure to come to bed when you're ready!" You cheered. Chan grinned, pulling you into a hug and placing a chaste kiss on your cheek before he whispered 'goodnight'. The ranger quickly slipped into the crowd, going to barkeep to get refreshments for his companions.

Changbin waved you over and placed a kiss on your other cheek, playfully telling you to dream of him. You agreed, barely able to contain the chuckles that bubbled up in your chest at Changbin's nature.

"Cheer up Jisung!" You laughed, poking the healer with your finger when he stayed slumped in his seat. A pout played on his face as you ruffled his hair, gazing up at you silently from his spot.

"The boys will keep you company, and if that fails, try the scone. perked me right up." You suggested, lightheartedness in your tone as you wave goodbye to the boys.

You scamper up the stairs, entering your usual room at the inn. You close the door behind you with a sigh, making quick work of lighting the fireplace and a few candles so you could see what you were doing as you prepared for bed. You took your boots off, followed by your jacket. You set them off to the side with your bag, trying to keep your things organized.

Just as you crawled into one of the beds, there was a soft knocking at the door. You hummed affirmatively, feeling too tired to get up and check for who it could be. Besides, it was most likely the tavern owners or one of the boys.

The latter was correct as Jisung opened the door, slipping inside before closing it behind him. He stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, much to your amusement.

"I thought I told you not to come to bed on my behalf!" You chuckled, sitting up and letting the covers pool around your waist.

"I didn't!" Jisung exclaimed defensively. He brushed his hair from his forehead as he shifted his weight from foot to foot, repeating his statement much softer now, "I didn't..."

"Then why are you here instead of celebrating, hm?"

"Because!" Jisung looked at the floor bashfully, biting his bottom lip before squeaking out, "it's my turn..."

You're only confused for a minute until you remember what he means. Snickering to yourself you open up the covers, fluffing up the pillow and pat the place beside you.

"Come on then," You invited, causing Jisung to grin joyously as he frantically starts taking off his shoes and jacket. In no time at all, all his outerwear is discarded and he practically leaps into the space beside you.

"Blow out the candle, would you?" You asked in a hushed tone, to which Jisung obliged, leaning away from you for only a moment to do what you asked. He snuggled up to you on his side so that you were facing one another before he wrapped one of his arms around your torso.

"Comfy?" You whispered, to which Jisung replied simply with a 'mmhmm'. "I've been waiting two weeks to not have to sleep beside Sweaty Changbin or Drooling Chan." He sighed dreamily, showing off his gums with a bright smile. You cant help but find him cute as you chuckle at his antics, clutching his shirt as you tuck your hands in the little space between the two of you.

"Hey (Y/N)," Jisung murmered after a few moments. You could feel his breath on your face as he spoke, tickling your flushed cheeks.

"Yeah?" You mumbled, eyes shut as you relaxed into the comfy bed.

"I'm sorry about your staff."

"It's alright. I'll get a new one eventually."

"About that... Me and the boys decided tomorrow we'd go down to the shopping district and pool our earnings together to buy one for you."

Your eyes fluttered open to be face to face with Jisung. His eyes held a sense of fondness in them that touched your heart, "Why would you guys do that? That's not fair to the three of you at all." You asked simply.

"Because we love you." Jisung said, as if he had said it a million times before.

"You do?" You feel your heart race as a well of emotions begins to fill in your chest at the notion.

"Of course we do. Why wouldn't we?"

"I don't know."

"Don't you love us too?"

"Of course I do." You replied delicately.

Because it was true. How could you not love them?

Chan was the leader, kind and thoughtful without fail. He would always try and take care of you, putting your needs over his in any given situation. He always made sure you were comfortable, doing everything in his power to help achieve your happiness and safety. He grew up alone in the mountains, but would brave the elements ten times over if it meant he could do it with you.

Changbin acted tough and strong, but truthfully was the most doting and affectionate of all. He used his strength to protect you from any harm, but when you were, he was adamant about never leaving your side until you are better. He's fight for you no questions asked; He already had his love taken once when he was exiled, he would rather die than have it taken again.

Jisung, a once foreign prince who understood you more than anyone. He was bright and playful, like a dream in a world where you have to fight day in and day out. He would heal you not only with his cheerful nature, but also his natural ability; even to his own detriment sometimes. In his mind, his body could be broken and energy spent up, as long as he was able to see your smile again it was worth it a million times over.

They were your home. Your team.

Of course you loved them.

"I love you all more than you could ever know." You spoke breathlessly, hoping to somehow convey all the feelings stirring up inside you at this moment.

"Good, then it's settled." Jisung said gently. You could tell he was beaming from the way his pitch sounded before he placed a toothy kiss on your forehead, "Now rest up. Big day tomorrow."

"Goodnight Ji." You whispered, not being able to help the corners of your mouth quirking up.

Life as an adventurer was hard; braving the likes of monsters, the elements, and scamming duchesses. But as you laid in Jisung's warm embrace, thinking about all the things you loved about your boys, you knew everything would be just fine, as long as you had each other.

____________________________

A/N: Ending is kind of dodgy/corny cause I'm always awkward when it comes to writing endings, but I finally finished this piece !!! When I tell you it's been in the drafts for l i t e r a l y e a r s... But its done now so hooray! I hope you enjoyed it &lt;3

Also if you're reading this and liked Felix And Your Tavern (the fic I mentioned at the beginning)... I do have a part 2 in my drafts as well, but it has references to this story in it and I wanted to publish this first. So stay tuned for that, as it's not quite ready yet!

[sorcharavenlock]

12. The Three Musketeers.

Nea and I are only two of the members of the Loki Defence Force, our internet group dedicated to Loki. We made another friend there, Kitty.

This is Kitty. She is one of the sweetest and kindest people I have ever met, and wickedly funny to boot. And she has far more common sense than myself and Nea combined.

It is about time we fill her in, so I call a club meeting.

I greet Kitty with a kiss on her cheek, it's been a while since we last met!

I've told Loki to stay out of sight for now. It's better if Nea and I explain everything first.

"Wait! You performed a seance without having any idea what you are doing? And you thought that was a good idea?"

"it was Marianna's idea, "Nea says quickly. "And her crystal ball! I was just there really."

I glare at her, I distinctly remember it being Nea's idea.

"It doesn't matter whose idea it was," Kitty interrupts quickly before Nea and I start arguing. "Please tell me nothing happened?"

"yeah, about that..." Nea shrugs apologetically.

("It was Marianna's idea, I'm sure of it!" thinks Nea)

I quickly explain to Kitty we managed to summon the god of Mischief's ghost.

"You mean you summoned Loki himself?" Kitty asks. "I can't believe that worked!"

I grimace. "Yes, and now we are kind of stuck with him. And he's convinced we can find a way to bring him back to life!"

"Mayhap it is better if I explain myself," Loki interrupts as he sits down. "Hello, Kitty."

Kitty nearly jumps out of her skin as Loki materialises.

"With Niflheim in chaos and Valhalla closed to me, I have nowhere to move onto. Perhaps this means I still have an opportunity to come back instead. As a matter of fact, I am certain it is possible, if not extremely difficult.

But if it were easy everyone would do it!"

"Our biggest problem is that we don't even know where to start," I explain. "The tomes in my house contain a lot of useful magic knowledge, but nothing about returning a ghost back to life."

"Have you thought about contacting Thor?" Kitty asks. "He is your brother after all. And he must be missing you terribly. You are the only family he has left."

"Adopted! And, absolutely not!" Loki snaps. "Whatever was between us, it soured a long time ago. His last words to me were, and I quote: 'You really are the worst brother!' No, our paths diverged a long time ago, Thor made that quite clear."

"According to the internet Thor left with the Guardians of the Galaxy anyway," Nea says as she looks it up on her phone.

"How about Doctor Strange then? He is a powerful Sorcerer!"

"Are you mad? That two-bit, second-rate, good-for-nothing, full-of-himself, arrogant..." We wait patiently for Loki to finish his stream of insults.

"So not Doctor Strange then," I say dryly.

"It is not like we have any way of contacting them even if we wanted to anyway," Kitty reminds us.

We are all at a loss.

"There is one person who might be able to help..." Kitty muses suddenly. "If he is real that is. It could just be a legend."

"Well, anything is better than this! Surely it is worth trying!" Loki exclaims.

"My parents used to take us camping to this place in the woods, called Granite Falls. It was rumoured that a hermit lived there who knows more than anyone alive or dead. If you find him, he will answer one question, but one only."

"Brilliant! Let us go camping!" Loki declares. "I love camping!"

I eye him incredulously.

"You love going camping?"

"But of course I do! We used to go on hunting expeditions all the time, Thor, Father, myself and the other nobles! It was glorious!"

"And how many servants did you bring?" Nea asks, just as suspicious as I am. Loki's face falls. He hadn't thought of that.

After a moment, he brightens up again.

"Well, there is only one of me and three of you! Surely that will be enough to suffice!"

I shake my head at him. he has to stop treating us Midgardians as his servants!

"Well, I for one can't wait! I've never gone camping before," Nea grins as she stands up to leave. "it will be fun!"

Kitty and I look at each other and shrug. It looks like we'll be going camping this weekend!

[secretsappyabode]

Fuck it it’s MY house I GET to make silly little fics about my fave turtle family. The POV will be in second person, but this is specifically about my insert rather than a generic x reader fic yknow?

I’m gonna try make a head canon/ fic for each member of the family, so everyone will get their own post basically. First up is Mikey.

In the past 5 years of…let’s call it “travelling”, you never expected to find friends, let alone a family

And yet here you are, getting roped into… whatever it is these turtles get roped into

Still, you have to admit, it’s nice not being on your own. Finally having company for once. It takes time to adjust, but eventually you go from bringing your dish to your room and eating alone, to actually joining them at the dinner table! And talking to them! Go you!!

Lord, since when did a group of teenagers intimidate you? You’re in your 20s for god sake

Your travels had made you more reserved, more serious, and survival mode hasn’t turned off yet. You’re not the silly, joyful, positive person you once were a few years ago, as much as you wish you could go back to what you used to be.

And now you’re living in the same quarters as a group of turtles who are anything but serious. They’re fun, goofy, and have this sincerity with each other that makes you feel the pit in your stomach grow because you yearn for that connection. You ache for even a moment of simple validity of your friendship with them.

But can you have it? Do you even belong with them? Can you even call yourself a friend? An acquaintance even? You feel a bit out of place…

But they don’t seem to think so. To them, you fit in just right.

Mikey

The first to warm up to you. He’s not sure himself, but he was somehow getting some good vibes from you.

Your initial reservation didn’t bother him, you find. Apparently the purple clad turtle is quite similar in disposition. He would ask you as many questions as possible, to which you listen quietly and answer casually.

You liked his youthful personality. So enthusiastic and earnest, it made you a little jealous. But he never clashed with your mellow energy, in fact he complimented yours. (You wish you had some of that energy. You miss being positive)

You don’t know how he did it, but he somehow figured out your drawing hobby. Damn it, this was supposed to be a private thing. “You’re an artist and you didn’t tell me??? WE COULD HAVE BEEN ARTS AND CRAFTS BUDDIES THIS WHOLE TIME??”

You sheepishly reveal your sketches and he excitedly shows his designs. This turns into art trades which turns into art sessions where you talk about your processes together. He teaches you some really good shading tips. You teach him about expressions and form. You feel good about your art for once.

If the teens have one thing in common, they love your hugs. Mikey is the first to know what they feel like.

It happened to you suddenly, where he was thanking you for some odd favour you did for him and he wrapped you up in a tight hug. You were caught off guard, but eventually wrapped your arms across his shell. But as soon as you did that he quickly retracted from you.

“Shoot! Sorry, I should have asked first. Usually I’m really good with this but I just got so carried away and-.”

You tell him not to worry about it. It’s been so long since you received a hug, or any sort of positive touch for that matter. You just weren’t used to it, is all.

“Oh! Okay! In that case, wanna try again?” You’re prepared this time and bring your arms around him again. He leans his head on your chest and you feel him snuggle in a bit. This…is nice. You try to ignore the long years you endured without any sort of positive affirmation or care or sign of love or anything like that. You ignore the fact that you haven’t felt a hug this warm and close in a long time. You’re gonna ignore the wetness in your eyes now.

Mikey uses the “youngest sibling” puppy dog eyes on you and always tries to pull the “baby of the family” move. This is to no avail. No matter how hard he tries, you just don’t give in. This makes it harder when the other turtles want you to do something for them (and totally not against the rules)

“How is this possible?? Mikey is our secret weapon he ALWAYS works.” “How do my undefeatable little brother moves not work on you??” he wails. “Jokes on you, brother. For you see, I am the youngest sister in MY family, so therefore I am immune to your tricks!”

“SHOCKED GASP” “Dangit!” “Aw come on!” “GAHH! So powerful……”

Eventually you meet the infamous Dr Feelings the more you show yourself. He’s convinced that you need to “come out of your shell” and “stop isolating yourself” and “allow the help people offer in your life”

That last statement, you tell him that he needs to follow that as well. That he doesn’t have to be the “family therapist” all the time and he’s still young and why is he taking on such emotional problems bro he is 15 who let a 15 year old tackle everyone’s mental health?? You tell him that it’s ok if it all gets to be too much sometimes.

He gets quiet at that. Silently absorbing your words in his mind. It feels a little eerie if you’re completely honest. Seeing him sit there fiddling with his “therapist” glasses and averting eye contact, it’s like someone stripped away his personality and pasted on somebody else’s.

All you can do is stare intently at him, hoping he gets your message. You’ve been where he is now, and you know how rough it can get. You’d hate to see him fall down that same rabbit hole, and you’d be damned if you would let that happen to him. After everything that’s happened to you, to him, to this family. He has to know what you’re saying. He has to listen.

Mikey takes off his glasses and you notice a shimmer in his eyes. “You know what? I think….Dr Feelings really needed to hear that.”

After that night, he comes to you whenever he feels his “tazz isn’t very razzy” so to speak. Something about you and what you said just makes him feel more comfortable to admit those not-so-good thoughts around you. “Maybe it’s my inherent wisdom” you joke. “You can only say that if you’re like “old” old. Like OLD old old. Dad old” (you hear splinter shout from the other room)

“Hey come on I’ve got more wisdom in me than the average dad.” “Oh yeah? Impart some sagely wisdom, your wisely wisdomness” “You stink” “THATS NOT WISDOM”

Expect a lot of hugs from him. Everyone in this family is pretty affectionate, but he makes up 90% of it

You used to go on errands by yourself, but now…maybe some company wouldn’t hurt

He’s the first one you invite, making it his and your Thing ™️. Errand time is bonding time. It’s sacred.

And then the other turtles found out and now it’s practically a family outing

During the early days when you joined them on missions, he would show off a little bit (maybe not as much as Leo did, but you could tell his tricks were getting more showy)

He just wants you to be proud of him

He’d call for you to watch him as he swung his weapon at their enemies, showing no remorse as he kicked their asses

Only to turn around like “Hey did you see me?? Was I cool or what??”

All you can do is stare gobsmacked as you give a thumbs up.

Mikey was the first for everything in your friendships with the Hamato clan. Your first friend, the first to confide into, the first you indulged in your hobbies with, the first you personally invited to hang out with-

He was your littlest brother.

And you would do anything for him. For all of them.

[waterfall-ambience]

i will not put noli me tangere and el filibusterismo in perpetua, i will not put noli me tangere and el filibusterismo in perpetua, i will not put noli me tangere and el filibusterismo in perpetua, i will not-

rambling under the cut because i need to figure out something to finish this scene:

the reason why i bring it up at all is because i want to show what a mundane conversation between damien and avery is like when there's not really much else happening in their lives.

much of their conversations in arc 1 were mundane yes but it was like 'getting to know each other (and also letting damien heal a bit after going through the horrors)'. also i will probably need another pass at arc 1 act 2 because i think things are a little messy thematically and i start juggling quite a lot.

-> anyways i wanted that mundane friendship conversation to be about a piece of media. i think literary analysis is something the two of them would talk about (because that's exactly the type of nerds they are, and you've gotta write what you know, yknow?)

there is a precedent for including real books and pieces of media in perpetua. i did it early in arc 1 with mary shelley's frankenstein, to establish perpetua as an educated community, suggest at minerva's sense of humour, and introduce ideas like the rage towards one's creator (with a parent-child / mad science twist).

> haunted hollow (the owl house, but i can't just name drop that one because it's too recent) was mostly used to establish the kind of nerd that avery is, give damien an in-universe blorbo in the form of a zuko/hunter-alike.

>> i might go back to this in arc 3 when the gods chew damien out for not living up to their expectations and compare him to his own blorbo.

> ponyo (which has no in-universe name as of now) was also used to bring in the general theme of "it doesn't matter what you are, i still love you" to the context of damien and avery's friendship. i just needed it to work for a scene and i think it does?

so i absolutely can use real books. the question is whether i should use noli me tangere / el filibusterismo specifically:

el noli came to mind because i'm pretty into it at the moment, and it's thematically rich enough for damien to passionately talk at length about just how hard it goes.

> i'm trying to do this to show that he hasn't just been thinking about haunted hollow for the past 8 months or so, lmao. not that its unrealistic for that to happen, i just think he wouldn't. he's more the type to have a broad knowledge of a lot of different things and then excitedly draw connections between them, rather than fixate on one thing for a long time if that makes sense.

> on a meta level i want to show infodumping and passion in a positive light (avery finds it cute, etc.) because some of my family members don't really appreciate it. i feel like a freak sometimes, i really do.

BUT ANYWAY. the implications of the books

both noli me tangere and el filibusterismo are very much rooted in their socio-historical context, that being the philippines during the late spanish colonial era, and the way it portrays society and the systems in power is unfortunately evergreen. sometimes it feels like hardly anything has changed 137 years later.

in relation to perpetua, the books show a world that the characters have never experienced, whether that be past or present. damien has filipino heritage but the disconnect is apparent (so ironically it loops back around into being a pinoy diaspora experience?). its something to consider when the gods judge him for not being 'good enough representation'.

i dont know how this is going to play out because captain luna is broadly similar to ibarra, in that they're idealistic, upper class illustrado filipinos who studied abroad and had childhood sweethearts named maria-[something], neither of whom they got with in the end. with bonus queer aspects of their stories because tbh it reads like there was Something between ibarra and elias. but anyway. i dont think luna would've read noli and i dont know how he'd feel about the parallels between him and ibarra. probably not very good!

maria-isabel was named after maria clara YES, but i read noli and fili recently so everything surrounding the luna/ibarra parallels are a coincidence.

> damien will likely pick up on these parallels and that opens up an entire can of worms!! worms that i don't know what to do with! but also its an interesting book and i want more people to read it because it fucks severely.

if you have any suggestions for works that damien can be interested in (thematic relevance to greater story ideal) i would love to hear them