#fic: in the woods somewhere

[cursed-herbalist]

DAY 3 OF HPPE23 | SILY + accident Hosted by @gaygryffindorgal —

When Brandy catches Silas sneaking out one night, he follows him into a dark, gloomy forest where the full moon casts ominous shadows and the air hums with bone-chilling growls … the realization of why Silas had been acting so weird comes a little too late.

➔ This was supposed to be a one-shot but, as so many times before, I couldn’t find the time to finish it. So while I'm working on it have this little teaser 🐺💙

@potionboy3

[scribble-dee-doo]

i started a doc titled "warmups" and proved myself a liar immediately. have some....medieval fantasy au with knight eddie fleeing from false accusations?

Wallace talks a big game about sportsmanship as long as it keeps rats out of his keep – he could at least have made a proper show of hunting Ed, with the horns and the hounds. He feels strongly that he should get at least as much warning as the deer, but Gareth rolls him out of bed in the tired watches of the night, too late for the moon. 

“They’re starting to lock the gates,” Gareth hisses. Jeffrey throws his travel pack onto the bed and snatches Ed’s blanket while Gareth makes sure Ed stays upright, Theo a dark shape keeping watch in the door. Ed cooperates with Gareth shoving a tunic over his head, but he can’t help snickering.

“Rat in a trap,” he says to himself. This isn’t a hunt, it’s an extermination. Jeff gives him an anguished look over the oilcloth packages he’s fitting into the corners of Ed’s second saddlebag, probably food.

Gareth pushes him back onto the bed and hands him a boot, jamming the other one on himself. Ed gets himself together and starts lacing dutifully. Then it’s jerkin and coat and sword belt, a quiver packed tight with a rag to keep it from rattling and a short cloak. He’s sweating already, but he needs as many layers as he can get.

Jeff throws the saddlebags around his shoulder, tosses the pack to Gareth, and they’re off.

The castle is rendered cavelike in the dark, heavy with threat. Few lamps are still lit, even if the castle never really sleeps, but it’s too late for the last of the squires and servants finishing their work and too early for the cooks. This is the time of night watchmen and assassins and falsely accused knights trying to save their own skins.

Theo guides them down, past a figure too bulky and jingly to be a night watchman, through a back passage Ed thinks Theo once used to smuggle them back in after a night of drinking as squires. It’s close and dank without even the few low-burning lamps they’ve left behind, and ends in a barred door that opens silently but with great effort. Gareth trips in the dark and Ed nearly follows after, feet tangling in an overgrowth of weeds before he’s grabbed and steadied. Jeff leads the way now, into the woods.

There are more lights on the parapets than there should be, and more shadows flickering between them than belong. 

It’s a long slog to the road in tense silence. Wallace and his lackeys won’t be content with Ed disappearing. The ill luck and bewitchments have been enough to stir up cries for a scapegoat and Carver hardly needed a push to choose the body for them to burn. Carver will lead a proper hunt. Ed strains his ears for the hounds.

Jeff stops. Ed fights the urge to drop to the ground and hide because it’s dark as shit anyway and he needs to be ready to run. After a tense moment of silence, Jeff makes his little owl noise.

Instead of a nice, peaceful owl noise in return, a lamp lights and scares Ed halfway to death. Gareth grunts, equally startled, but they all straighten out of their spooked group crouch to follow Jeff. There’s a horse on the road, jingling with tack, but the rapid bob of the lamp coming to meet them is too low for a rider. Jeff seems confident, but Ed lingers, squinting, in the trees as the lamp approaches. 

“She almost killed me! Twice!” hisses a familiar voice.

Shit and damn it all to hell, it’s Dustin, tugging Scytha behind him on a long lead. Her ears are pinned and her steps restless because she’s a pissy asshole who should not be trusted near children, but she’s tacked up for travel. Ed steps out of the woods and Theo has to lunge to catch Scytha’s lead when Dustin drops it in favor of rushing Ed for a hug. Ed ignores Scytha spooking and prancing right out from under Jeff’s attempts to fasten the saddle bags in favor of giving Dustin a thorough squeeze.

“Hey, kid,” he says.

“We’re gonna clear your name,” Dustin promises into Ed’s shoulder.

Ed can’t say anything to that, so he just gives Dustin another squeeze and then jostles him back and forth. It gets a laugh, weaker than it would have been before the shit started but stronger than it has been since it really started going downhill. Ed releases him just enough to clap his hands on Dustin’s shoulders, knocking their foreheads together and trying to meet his eyes in the weak lamplight.

“Keep yourself safe, Dustin Henderson,” he orders. Dustin’s chin goes up in a familiar expression of stubbornness, but Ed shakes him again. “I mean it. Promise me you’re not going to throw everything away because these bastards are trying to bury people.”

Dustin grabs him back, two tight handfuls of his cloak.

“I won’t,” he says. “Lucas and Max and everyone are going to help, and Steve’s already trying to keep Carver controlled. Just get out of here, okay? Stay safe, we’ll handle it.”

Eddie has doubts about little lord Harrington risking his rickety position for a nameless upstart who had to earn his knighthood, but as far as Ed knows he’s always protected his squires. Good enough. He gives Dustin a final friendly slap on the shoulders and pushes back with a wink.

“They’ll never catch me,” he says. The lamp is on the ground somewhere while the others struggle to finish loading Scytha without losing fingers, toes, or the horse herself, casting suitably dramatic shadows. He throws his arms out like a troubadour on a stage, pointing to Dustin like he’s picking him out of an audience as he walks backwards and does his best not to fall on his ass.

“And so Sir Edward slipped away into shadow,” he says in his best story voice, if quiet, “silent as an owl on the wing, quick as the stream down the mountain, and henceforth Sir Edward the Banished leads them on a merry chase.”

He spins on his heel with a flourish, taking the rein Gareth holds out to him. For a proper exit he should mount and ride into the night without another word, but he clasps Gareth by the wrist and looks to his three best friends in all the world.

“Take care of him,” he says, though he knows they will even before they nod.. “And take care of yourselves.”

Theo knocks into his shoulder, then throws an arm around his neck. Jeff makes a wide loop around the threat of Scytha’s teeth to do the same on his other side, and Gareth pulls him in to bump foreheads like he had with Dustin.

“We’ll figure something out,” Gareth says.

Ed can’t help but smile. All his friends are such optimistic idiots and he loves them for it.

“Just keep your heads down,” he says. They grumble and release him, Jeff ruffling his hair and Theo pinching his ear.

“Never,” Theo says, and pushes him towards Scytha.

Avoiding the swing of her head and then the way she dances sideways distracts him enough to give them the last word, which is fair. He gets her to stand still just long enough to get his foot in a stirrup and then he’s fighting her for the bit as he finds his seat.

Dustin holds the lamp high. Ed looks down at his friends, riding out Scytha’s impatient steps just to see them for the last time.

“Safe travels,” Jeff says, just loud enough to hear. The others echo him like he’s off to see his sweetheart instead of fleeing like a dog.

Then Dustin says “We’ll kick all their asses and call you back when the feast is ready,” grinning and cocksure. Gareth cuffs him over the head but they’re all snickering, tension broken.

It’s enough for Ed to laugh and leave them. He points Scytha the right way down the road and raises an arm in farewell.

“I’ll take my wine in a golden chalice!” he shouts, and gives Scytha her head. The night is cold and dark and he’s ushered into his flight by the laughter of his friends.

[eupheme]

I am soooo fucking happy you wrote the epilogue to In the Woods Somewhere. I have to admit I was slightly devastated when they left her in the last chapter, even though it was open ended. The epilogue was perfect.

“I’ll stay” - my heart swoons. I loved it.

This was such a beautifully quiet intense emotional fic. One of my fav Joel fics. Thank you for writing it ❤️

reading this made me want to lie down on the floor (in the best way) - thank you so much for sending this!!! And maybe feelings a teensy bit overwhelmed to hear that it’s one of your faves. That means so much, it’s really become a fic close to my heart.

And so pleased to hear about the epilogue! I hadn’t originally planned on one (though glad I tried it!), so I am feeling so happy and relieved that it feels, well - conclusive. Thank you, this made my day, my week, my month. 💖💖 so appreciated.

[blushweddinggowns]

Nancy had to give it to him. In around a few months time, Steve had her wrapped around his finger just as much as every other girl in school, maybe even more so. She hadn’t even meant for it to happen! She had tried to keep things in a strict tutor/student zone but then Steve had to be all…him. He had looked so devastated when he realized they had classes together, and the way he tried to make up for it was too cute for words. 

She just…never thought he would be the way he was. Before they’d met she just knew him as basically Eddie Munson’s personal bodyguard, who just happened to be too hot and good at sports to completely fall out of popularity. He was notorious for being a master at making people cry, and was surprisingly quick-witted for someone who had never gotten above a C- in English. He was a heartbreaker with a killer smile and a horrible attitude. So how did all of that end in Steve Harrington being the sweetest guy she’d ever met?

The massive crush she had on him was completely out of her control. It was his fault for being all nice and funny and handsome and…God. She sounded like the girls she and Barb used to make fun of. They used to call it the Harrington disease. Nancy just hadn't realized how contagious it really was. 

Though she stood by the fact that whatever was going on between her and Steve was different. She had heard a lot of rumors about what it was like dating Steve Harrington, and most of them involved him being all handsome and charming until he got what he wanted, then he’d dump you first thing. The others were a little weirder, stories about him being completly standoffish and maybe even a little germaphobic? There were some girls that swore that he never even kissed them during their short time together and they would have to fight for something as insiginfigant as a hug. Nancy wasn’t quite sure who to believe, no one did. Steve was kind of mysterious like that, another reason why so many girls were obsessed with him.

But with Nancy, it didn’t feel like he was using her for something else. It didn’t even feel like Steve was purposefully romancing her. They had gone from a study session once a week to actually being friends. They ate lunch together nearly everyday, she was invited over to movie nights with him and Eddie, which was great for when Barb was stuck at band practice. He even started taking her to school in the morning sometimes. And she always got to pick the music, no matter how much Eddie jokingly whined about it.

How could she not like him? Hell, she even liked how good he was to his friends, especially Eddie. The two of them were nearly inseparable and it never mattered to Steve that Eddie was…well, pretty far below him in the world of high school cliques. And it’s not that Nancy thought Steve could do better. Eddie was great! They were good for each other, especially after he told her more of how they first met as kids. It made a lot more sense on why Steve was so protective over him, and why he got so pissed when people acted like they couldn’t understand what Steve saw in him. 

It was the same way some people looked at her and Barb. And Nancy hated that. Like being twenty pounds overweight was some kind of crime. But Steve never looked at Barb with disgust. He knew what it was like to see people for who they were; he understood the value in that. And he was always so nice to her. Steve wasn’t the first guy who had wandered into Nancy's life, but he was the first one who didn’t try to box her best friend out at every oppruntunity. 

She loved that about him. She kind of loved everything about him. The past two months had been the most fun of her young life. Because Steve was fun and so much better than she had ever imagined. 

And while technically, they weren’t officially dating it still felt like something was going to happen, and happen soon. Maybe then they would get some more alone time without Eddie around. And she liked Eddie! She really did. He was hilarious, impossible to embarrass and weird as all hell, but it worked. He was a sweet guy when you got right down to it, even if he was a little on the scary side. She just…liked Steve more. A lot more. 

Everything with him just felt so…good. Like they were just falling for each other naturally. They just needed a small push to get them past the friend zone.

“Earth to Nancy? Hello?”

The sound of Barb’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She had a brow raised at her, hand on her hip as she waited for an answer to a question that Nancy had definitly not been paying attention to.

But Barb saw right through her. She always saw right through her, “You weren’t even listening were you?”

“Sorry, sorry, I was just-”

“Thinking about Steve. Yeah, I know.”

Nancy leaned against the locker with a pout, “Come on! I think he might like me. Like, like me like me.”

Barb sighed, just the slightest bit annoyed. Though in her defense Nancy had probably said that same sentence ten times in the past 4 hours, “Nancy he’s a player. And yeah he’s nice and I’ll give it you that he’s not nearly as annoying as we thought he’d be, but can’t you get with someone who isn't so…out there?”

Nancy rolled her eyes, “Yeah because so many guys are just dying to get with me. And what do you mean out there? He’s totally normal.”

“Are you actually trying to tell me that Steve Harrington is normal? The dude who has dated the entire cheerleading squad? The guy who laced Alex’s weed with acid last year for looking at Eddie wrong? That guy?”

Nancy rolled her eyes, “Oh come on! Rumors like that are almost never true. And they were never able to prove the Alex thing! And everyone knows the Carvers will say anything for attention.”

“I just don’t want you getting hurt.”

“I won’t! Come on, you know me. I would never get involved with someone who's actually dangerous. Do you really think he’d hurt me?”

Barb groaned, “You know what I mean! Not physically but yeah. Emotionally I think he can cause some damage. I’m not even saying he’d do it on purpose! But-”

“But nothing,” Nancy interrupted, “Look as sweet as it is that you’re worried about me I’ll be fine. And Steve’s a good guy. You know he’s a good guy. I mean god, you guys have hung out without me before! Doesn’t that show that he’s not just trying to use me?”

“That was one time! And it was literally just a ride home after band practice!”

“And was he or was he not the perfect gentleman?” 

Barb sighed, “Okay, fine. In the vacuum of what we’ve seen he’s fantastic. I’ll give you that. But we don’t live in a vacum! And I just think there are some…things that you purposely don’t want to see.”

Ok, now she was just grasping at straws, “Well maybe I’ll have a chance to see them this weekend. Did I tell you that he invited us to a party at his house Friday? I think he’s finally going to ask me out.”

Barb narrowed her eyes at her, “Invited us or invited you and you made him include me?”

“I mean us. He said your name thank you very much. Plus, Eddie’s going to be there too. You know I would never third wheel you like that.”

Barb narrowed her eyes at her, “Oh but you’d take me as your Eddie buffer? Are you serious?”

“What? He’s nice!” Nancy exclaimed as she started dragging Barb towards their next period. They were going to be late at this rate, but she needed to know that she was going to come. Half because…yes she needed an Eddie buffer but mostly because she just wanted her there. And on the off chance that Barb was right and this was all a terrible idea, having her there would certainly soften the blow. And she knew Eddie would make it his personal mission for her to have fun, so it was a win-win in Nancy’s book. 

“I’m not saying he’s not! But he’s kind of…intense isn’t he? Especially when it comes to Steve. They both are. It’s always Steve and Eddie. Eddie and Steve. Don’t you think…that’s kind of weird?”

Nancy rolled her eyes, aware of exactly where Barb was going with that one. Tommy Hagan had been making it his personal mission to convince the whole school that those two were gay for each other, like a little creep. No one really believed him anymore, not after Steve’s dating rap sheet started, but it still came up every now and then. 

“Well we’re always Nancy and Barb and Barb and Nancy. Is that weird?”

Barb opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again, a tell-tale sign that Nancy got her, “I-okay. You win that one.”

“So you’ll go?” Nancy asked, as they sat down at their desks, barely beating the bell.

Barb smiled at her, reaching out to ruffle her hair a bit, laughing when Nancy batted her hand away, “Yes, I’ll go. But if you ditch me to make-out with Steve I’m going to be so pissed.”

Nancy grinned, “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

When Friday rolled around Nancy was beyond excited. It was the first time she had ever snuck out of her house and so far, it had turned out to be very worth it. She was having the time of her life, and so was Barb thank god. The alcohol had certainly helped even if it turned out that beer tasted horrible. She was actually glad that Steve had taken the firm stance to limit them at two each.

“I don’t want your first brush with alcohol to end with you puking in the pool like mine did,” He had said with a laugh when Barb asked about it, “You ladies are better than that!”

Eddie had immediately taken that as permission to call Steve a grandpa, but Nancy thought it was sweet. And it took a little bit of the pressure off. This wasn’t exactly a party in the traditional movie sense, but it was the first time Nancy had been with boys her age completely unsupervised. Plus it was better than the movie version anyway, way more calm and comfortable. They spent nearly two hours playing truth or dare in their backyard, all of it culminating in Nancy pushing both boys into the pool, then Barb pushing her.

She was the only one who managed to stay dry and then proceeded to be the judge of all of their subsequent swimming races. She was always sure that Nancy was the winner, no matter how far behind she’d been. They all had to get out eventually and Nancy was not above rubbing how much fun they were having in Barb’s face when the boys left to get towels. 

She shook out some of her wet hair right over her, giggling when Barb yelped at the cold feeling, “I told you it would be fun.”

Barb tilted her head back to look up at her with a grin, “Yeah, yeah. You win this round Wheeler.”

“And I might just win a boyfriend tonight too. But now I’m freezing. You want to come inside with me?”

Barb shook her head, “In a little bit. Feels nice out here.”

She was perched on the end of the diving board, feet dipping into the water. She looked happy, happy and relaxed and Nancy couldn’t help but preen at that a little. Who would have thought that getting her best friend out of her shell would actually pay off? 

She walked back into the house calling out, “Steve? Where’d you go?”

She smiled when he suddenly popped his head around the corner, towel in hand with Eddie in tow. He handed it over to her before looking her up and down, “God you look like you’re five minutes away from freezing to death. I probably have something you can wear? So you can stay warm while your clothes dry. It might swallow you whole but it’s something.”

“Uh, sure!” Nancy said, way too loudly. But the idea of wearing Steve’s clothes was making her feel some type of way. And his smile wasn’t helping things either. He pointed her up the stairs, taking a second before following behind. She watched as he started to dig through his drawers, noticing for the first time just how easy it was to make out the muscles of his translucent shirt.

God, this guy was going to give her a heart attack. 

He kept his back turned while she changed, which was a plus for her. Because the last thing she needed was him seeing her sniff his shirt like a creep. But it smelled just like him. And her wearing his clothes had to mean something right?  

“Okay, I’m done,” She shakily said, nerves back in full force, “Do…you want to head back downstairs?”

Say no, say no, say no.

“Actually…would you mind if we just talked for a second?”

Nancy nodded, not trusting herself to speak as she watched Steve sit on his bed, patting the spot next to him. She almost tripped in her haste to get over there, but lucky for her Steve missed it. He was too busy staring at the ground. He looked…nervous. He actually looked nervous because of Nancy.

He took a deep breath before starting, still refusing to look at her, “Nancy I…well. Okay. You know, I’ve never met a girl like you before, right? You just…seem really open-minded. And smart, but like in a real way. If that makes any sense. I like that about you.”

He was going to do it, Steve Harrington was going to ask her to be his girlfriend, officially.

“And I think I really want you in my life, but…I don’t want to lead you on.”

Huh?

Nancy furrowed her brow, confused and more than a little bit worried on where this conversation was going, “Lead me on?”

Steve nodded, “Have you ever um…heard those rumors? About Eddie and I?”

“Which rumors?”

Steve sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, and for the first time Nancy realized he was actually shaking, “About us, uh, doing stuff? Like…being gay?”

Was that what this was about? Was he afraid she thought he was gay? 

“Steve, no one believes that. You have nothing to worry about-”

“They’re true.”

Nancy could feel her heart stop in her chest. She was surprised she managed to say anything, let alone something that was coherent, “W-what?”

He still wasn’t looking at her, “It’s true. We’re gay. For um, eachother. And have been for years. Well that’s not even right. We’re like…in love. Like really, really in love. And it’s not a phase, it’s not an experiment. I just love him and he loves me.”

Nancy stared at him, mouth hanging open while a million and one thoughts raced through her head. But she couldn’t focus on any of them because he was still talking. 

“And I know that’s probably like really out there because of all of the other crap people say but I’m not some kind of Casanova. I haven’t even had sex with a girl before. All of those dates never got past first base, if that. But we needed a way to not be obvious so that’s how that happened.”

Nancy had never felt dumber in her entire life. 

“And I really like you Nancy, and I felt like you deserved to know because I want us to be friends. Like real friends and…you’re the first person I’ve ever actually told this too, because it just feels like I can trust you and…yeah. So um, yeah. That’s about it.”

He finally turned to look at her and the hopeful look on his face was too much for her to handle. She was on her feet before she even know what she was doing. But one thing was for sure, she needed to get out of here before she started fucking crying. 

“Are you okay?”

Nancy ignored the question, half because she was very close to being choked up and half because she could barely hear anything through the blood rushing through her ears. 

“It’s getting late!” She said instead as she backed her way to the door, “And I should probably go find Barb a-and I won’t tell anyone so sure! We’re good!”

“But wait, you’re clothes-”

Nancy was already out the door before he could finish his sentence. She raced downstairs, stopping when she was suddenly face to face with Eddie. Steve’s Eddie. Because they were together and she was delusional apparently. 

He narrowed her eyes at her, “Uh, are you okay?”

“I-It’s fine! I’m fine!” She reassured as she hurriedly put on her shoes. Somewhere in the back of her head she was aware that Barb was probably still out back, but she couldn’t risk going out there to get her. One more look at Steve and she’d start breaking down, and she was not going to die of embarassment on top of everything tonight, thank you very much. 

She went for the door, pausing to look back at Eddie. He looked…hurt. Which was not helping how messed up she felt inside, but it did get her mouth moving, “And I um, won’t tell anyone so you don’t have to worry. I um, yeah. Bye.”

“Wait, I can give you a ride-”

But Nancy was already on the other side of the door before he could finish. Was walking home in the middle of the night in November a good idea? No, but was she still going to do it? God, yes. 

She barely made it a block away before she was crying. But at least she was alone. She didn’t do crying infront of other people. Not even Barb. Barb who she freaking just left to deal with the awkward aftermath in her place. God, she was going to be so pissed at her. 

And then she’d have to explain the whole stupid thing to her. Except she couldn’t. Because that wasn’t the kind of thing you could tell other people was it? 

She wrapped her arms around herself as she walked, sniffling. She was happy that Steve had at least chosen a sweatshirt for her, otherwise she might actually be at risk for hypothermia here. God, she was still wearing his stupid clothes. She can’t believe she thought that meant something. None of what happened between them ever meant anything. 

The guy she was on the verge of being in love with was freaking gay. Gay and taken. Every time the three of them had been together she had been the unknowing third wheel, completely deluding herself. And Barb had warned her. She had fucking said not to get her hopes up and here she was, being a moron and leaving her to clean up the mess.

God, she was awful. She was too depressed to go through the effort of sneaking through her window. She just went through the front door instead, beyond grateful that her parents slept like the dead. The first thing she did was change, because the thought of smelling like Steve all night made her sick. She crawled into bed, praying beyond hope that she’d wake up the next day and this would all be a really bad dream.

~

Part 1 Part 1.5 Snippets from an unfished chapter of this fic

Part 3

This whole saga will have one more part that does not end sadly! Except for Barb dying but blame the duffers for that one.

@a-little-unsteddie @ghost--enthusiast @jestyzesty

@dustcommander @attic-cat-blog @dinosareawesome2137

@obsessivlyme @missarte-beltane

[allmyey3s]

In the Woods Somewhere

Chapter 7: Heat

He stops halfway up the incline. The glowing dots seem placed a little higher than usual. Perhaps it's the weird angle he's looking at him from.

Phantom already wants to take a step further, but then the creature tilts their head, causing an outline of their antlers come into view. They're most definitely a whole lot taller than what he's used to, which should be alarming considering Mountain is a giant on a regular Tuesday.

But he's not thinking with his head anymore. He can feel his cunt soak as soon as soon as he catches the smallest whiff of his mate's misty forest smell. He shakes his head and finishes his ascent to the giant silhouette of his beloved mate in a few quick strides.

The green eyes follow him all the way. He stands in front of the beast and looks up at them. "Mountain, I need your help," he states simply, as if that would be enough to bring clarity into this situation.

The green lights peer back down at Phantom.

If he noticed they are darker than usual, he would have known.

And if he actually paid any mind to the abrupt change in height, he would have known.

And if he noticed the beast smells of misty forest and ash, he would have known.

-----------

Tags: dubcon, plant sex, general mindfuckery, jealousy and possessiveness. Cryptid boys back at it again :)

Summary: Phantom pops his heat unexpectedly and goes to find Mountain in the woods in the middle of the night to help him out, but wait, that's not his monstrous mate...

Read under the cut or on ao3

He should have known as soon as his clit started tingling.

Phantom was watching a movie in the common room with Cumulus, Aurora, Rain and Dew when his cunt started growing wet, little by little. Instead of doing anything about, it or even paying it any mind, he just shifted a little and discreetly rubbed a finger over the seam of his sweatpants twice.

He absent-mindedly processed the events of this morning, how he woke up weirdly horny and just pulled up his shirt, rested his hands above his head with crossed wrists and imagined Rain or Swiss or anyone really tying him up and pulling him apart with their skilled lips. In his groggy state, he didn't think much of it. He must have had a wet dream, that's all.

Oh how stupid he was.

Right before he was about to go shower, Phantom checked his period calendar app. It's a running joke between the band ghoul packs, to try and track their heats with human-made period calendars. And well, he did not expect a week from today to be lit in a rainbow color.

Well fuck.

He showered, quickly contemplated sticking his fingers inside himself but eventually decided against it, wished his packmates goodnight and then shut his door. He even double locked it, in case his smell got too bad through the night.

This felt wrong. He never hid from his packmates when in heat, not even when their cycles followed suit. But he knew heading over to one of them for help would just fuel his little problem, and the traditional way of solving it with a gangbang didn't sound too appealing at the moment.

Instead, he craved a very specific person. Or rather, monster. His body sang for Mountain, for his clawed hands around his throat, his snarls and dirty words that never failed to get him wet, and especially for his monstrous cock.

He needs it buried inside him yesterday.

So here he is, rushing through the dark woods as quickly as he can while also trying his hardest to remain silent. He snuck out of the window, which felt like something straight out of a movie.

Is going out into the woods at night a horrible idea? Absolutely. Does he need to get his mind fucked out of his skull? Absolutely.

This leaves him with no choice but to try to find his way to the cottage where he knows the big beast resides.

His breaths fog up as dried leaves crunch under his feet. The little clouds of mist follow eachother tightly as he takes quick shallow breaths while making his way through the dark forest. It's even more eerie this way. Every shadow seems like it's moving. It fills him with a crippling feeling of unease.

The only reason he's capable of remaining somewhat calm is the bite mark on his neck. He soothes himself with the idea that whatever lurks in here can smell Mountain's scent saturated on his skin as well as in his very body, and would most likely leave him alone. It's undetectable to humans, somehow to ghouls alike, but he knows, or at least hopes, that other creatures of these woods know better than to engage with Mountain's mate.

He pulls his jacket tighter around himself. His teeth are chattering. It's so damn cold. It's nearing Yule time now, so he should be glad that at least the ground isn't covered in snow, but it barely makes a difference. He's been to Mountain's place quite a few times now, he can find his way there.

Maybe in broad daylight.

Because frankly, he is lost as shit right now. He can't see two feet in front of him, and even though he's been following the trail he usually travels on, the forest looks like an alien planet.

"Mountain!" Phantom calls out, his voice echoing off the bare trees and spreading through the cold night. He knows it's stupid, but he's also aware of the fact that Forest Dwellers tend to be nocturnal, so there might be a slim chance of his mate hearing him. The most efficient way, of course, would be whistling, but while Phantom is a bit reckless, he doesn't have a death wish.

He calls out for his mate again, but just like before is met with only silence. He stops and stands still to listen for any sound, any at all. But it's like the endless darkness of this moonless night swallows every sound. He feel so very alone, as if he were standing in a large, empty void. The dread pooling in his gut becomes just a little overwhelming, and he almost turns to head back, but that's when he sees a pair of green floating orbs in the darkness. He quickly recognizes them as Mountain's eyes, which tend to glow in the dark. He doesn't know why, but in his opinion it's cool, so he doesn't ever question.

"Mounty!" he happily squeals as he runs up the small hill towards the glowing eyes. "Oh, Mounty, you don't know how I-"

He stops halfway up the incline. The glowing dots seem placed a little higher than usual. Perhaps it's the weird angle he's looking at him from.

Phantom already wants to take a step further, but then the creature tilts their head, causing an outline of their antlers come into view. They're most definitely a whole lot taller than what he's used to, which should be alarming considering Mountain is a giant on a regular Tuesday.

But he's not thinking with his head anymore. He can feel his cunt soak as soon as soon as he catches the smallest whiff of his mate's misty forest smell. He shakes his head and finishes his ascent to the giant silhouette of his beloved mate in a few quick strides.

The green eyes follow him all the way. He stands in front of the beast and looks up at them. "Mountain, I need your help," he states simply, as if that would be enough to bring clarity into this situation.

The green lights peer back down at Phantom.

If he noticed they are darker than usual, he would have known.

And if he actually paid any mind to the abrupt change in height, he would have known.

And if he noticed the beast smells of misty forest and ash, he would have known.

The green orbs fall low, as if the creature lowered their head. He feels a faint breeze on his neck, accompanied by quiet sniffing. They move lower, to his chest, down to his stomach, then eventually pause on his groin's level. They give two sharp sniffs before shooting forward.

Phantom feels two huge, clawed hands wrap around his thighs and grip firmly, while the monster shoves their face right between his thighs. He lets out a little squeak and tries to shuffle away, but a growl stops him in his tracks.

"Uhm- Mounty--" he starts, reaching down to gently touch the shiny tips of the antlers he can see reflecting the minimal light.

"I am not Mountain," a deep, smooth voice cuts him off. They sound so much deeper, so distorted, so much more monster-like. He knows right then and there they are not lying.

He sees those dark green specks of light lock on his own eyes. "But you are Mountain's claim."

Before Phantom can ask anything, the creature lunges at him and pins him to the ground. A sharp gasp cuts through the air, followed by a thump and a grunt. Before he could even regain the air that was knocked out of his lungs, thick vines wrap all around his body.

"W-What--" is all he can stutter as he squirms in the plant's grasp while his clothes are yanked off him. It all happens so quickly, before he knows it the cold winter air assaults him and causes goosebumps to form all over his body, stiffens his nipples and clit.

"Woah- hey!" he yells as he feels large hands wrap around his bare thighs again. "What are you doing? Who even are you?" he demands. Fear is creeping into his voice, and he knows damn well that he won't be able to remain calm for much longer.

Those dark green orbs focus on him again. A deep chuckle reverberates through the freezing air. "I'm just helping you with your heat, little one."

Not even a moment later the beast buries their face in Phantom's cunt. He gasps when he feels two long fingers push into him and curl right onto that sweet spot he needs them on. The intrusion is accompanied with cold lips latching onto his stiff dick and sucking on it harshly while also cat-licking it over and over again.

A punched-out moan is ripped out of his throat as the sensations combine. He squirms wildly in his organic bondage, but gets absolutely nowhere. "Wa- Wait! Stop!" he yells. He squeezes his eyes shut and whimpers as the fingers inside him start curling repeatedly and petting over his sweet spot. "Stop! No!"

He doesn't know this person, this beast. He wants Mountain, but his body is so lost in all the hormones and instincts that it doesn't even care who is behind that sinful feeling, only that it's finally getting what it needs. His own body, betraying him.

Phantom's struggles and denial seems to only fuel the monster as they suck harder on his clit and starts thrusting their fingers in and out while curling them every time they pass over his g-spot.

High-pitched whines are all Phantom can come up with as all the sensations intensify. It's only been a minute, yet the coil in his gut is wound so tightly he thinks he might explode. "Stop- Stop! I'm gonna cum, stop!" he yells hopelessly as he thrashes around in the vines, but is effectively held in place.

Those lips on his clit thin and curl into what must be a smirk as they continue their ministrations. He can't last much longer, he's already growing so wet. But if he holds out just a little more--

Phantom screams as the beast presses their other hand into the lowest part of his stomach, effectively pulling his orgasm out of him. It's such an intense sensation, the scream he made in reaction was so underwhelming. His whole body seizes up as his eyes clench shut. He squeezes tightly around the monster's fingers, liquid gushing out of him, yet they seem relentless.

A panicked whimper leaves his mouth as they keep sucking harshly on his clit even after he just came obscenely hard. "S-Stop, stop! Please stop!" he pleads again. He prays to the Dark Lord the monster would have mercy and just let him go. He'll find Aether and have him break his heat, anything to get away from this. It feels so good, he's floating somewhere in the orbit, but it's so much all at once. Too much pleasure, too good, too soon. His brain is completely disconnected from his body, but his nerves are in fire, especially in his crotch.

They finally pull away for a second. All he can see are their green eyes. "Have you ever thought about having kits?" the beast asks in a quiet, almost calculated tone.

Phantom's eyes widen, but before he can even answer that no, he's scared of pregnancy, the creature cups each of his pecs and squeezes lightly. For just a second, he can see a faint green glow, but it's gone rather quickly. He should be thankful for that, because if he saw his tits regrowing, he would have fucking passed out. That, however, is not the worst part. A second later he can feel something warm trickling down his chest, and when the monster leans over him to lick the mystery liquid off his tit, he know exactly what it is.

It makes his stomach churn, and he hates how wetter it makes him at the same time. He's absolutely disgusted by this, but so damn turned on as well. "Oh fuck..." is all he can manage, his voice breaking just a little on the curse.

He shuts his eyes as tight as he can, and tries moving once more. He can't as much as twitch, his bindings tight, but he doesn't care, he has to get away. If Phantom ever thought Mountain didn't quite understand human ghoul morals and general manners, this creature seemed Neanderthal in comparison.

A high-pitched cry is wrenched from him as the beast wraps its lips around one of his nipples and latches on, then sucks the pearly white liquid out of him. He thrashes around, but doesn't move even an inch.

It's pitch black around him. He can't see anything, so the yelp that comes out of him as the monster pushes two fingers inside of him again is louder than it normally would be. They push in deep, concerningly so, and all Phantom can do is groan pathetically as they invade the most private and hidden spots of his body.

"Why are your fingers so damn long?" he bites through gritted teeth. His eyes screw shut from the pressure building inside of him, and not only the pleasurable one this time. All he gets in response is a dark chuckle. Before he can come up with more questions, the fingers inside him start moving again, thrusting in and out.

It feels so odd, they're suddenly so much thicker than they were earlier, but then one second they thin out to the point it's barely filling him up. Then right back again, stretching him out until it burns.

It takes a moment for Phantom to realize that they are, in fact, not thrusting but rather... undulating, almost. Thickening and thinning out over and over again, causing it to elongaten and then shorten, poking and prodding into the most secret nooks and crevices inside him.

He only realizes it's not the monster's fingers at all when he feels something almost bumpy and writhing brush against his inner thigh. It's one of the vines.

Phantom gasps sharply. "S-Seven hells!" he yells out as his body spasms. The vine inside him thickened out so abruptly that it caused his stomach to balloon up. He can't see it, but he can feel a bulge in the taught skin of his lower belly.

It feels so wrong, he feels disgusted with both himself and the creature. They changed his body to their liking, only to use it to fuck with his head. He feels sick, yet his body is begging for more, more. Slick is practically dripping out of his cunt, and there must be a pool gathering below him with the steady little droplets that he feels occasionally catching on his rim.

He's so desperate, it's not enough. He wants to shy away, but he's so aroused it hurts at this point. His first orgasm didn't quench his thirst at all, if anything it threw him deeper into the throes of his heat.

He's already losing his mind. His brain is leaking out of his ears, joining the puddle of breast milk, slick and drool gathering below his suspended, squirming form. Little noises keep spilling from his lips, mixed with constant "no"s and "please"s.

As if the beast wants nothing more than to rip all of Phantom's pride away, to humiliate him that much further, another vine is suddenly shoved into him, this time in his ass. It's lubed up, thank fuck it's lubed, because he doesn't think he could handle going at it dry. Where they got the lube, he doesn't question, but he has a strange feeling it's a mixture of his own fluids. That makes his stomach flip harder, suddenly feeling as if it's doing somersaults beneath his skin. But there's nothing he can do, except thrash around and whimper.

Suddenly, there's a rustle somewhere in the darkness. Phantom doesn't even register it at first, he only realizes something is wrong when the vines inside him stop and the warm wetness around his nipple leaves. His eyes open, his body still as a dead thing. Only when the familiar scent of damp woods and cinnamon hits his nose, does he dare move.

"Mountain!" he yells in such a hopeful tone, eyes widening in hope. But a second later a rough clawed hand is clasped over his mouth. He struggles, mumbles incoherent threats and even goes as far as to bite at the fingers pressing against his lips, but they don't budge. If anything, they tighten.

"Phantom? What are you doing he-" Mountain's voice cuts through the tense silence. Before he can finish, the other beast interrupts them.

"He was in my territory. He reeks of heat. I'm giving him what he needs. You on the other hand," they state in that same calm, calculated tone. Their green eyes flash for just a second on that last part. "Have no business here."

Silence.

Why isn't Mountain saying anything? Why isn't he rushing down here to save Phantom? Can't he see how horribly ruined he's getting? He went apeshit when he saw Swiss pouncing onto him with the intention of burying himself inside him. Swiss, who was, for the lack of a better phrase, a mere ghoul in that situation. Now, this? One of his own kind toying with him in such a degrading way? Why is he just standing there?

"Phantom is my mate. Don't act like you haven't seen the mark on his neck," Mountain finally speaks again. He sounds... scared. He sounds scared and angry, seething even, but thay rage is somewhat pushed down and poorly concealed.

"This?" the other asks in an almost bored tone, pressing a pad of a finger onto the slightly glowing bite mark on the ghoul's neck. A surge of strange, yet familiar pleasure shoots down Phantom's spine, a faint golden glow spreading down the invisible veins in pulsating patterns.

A barely audible growl rumbles from the shadows, but is quickly stifled out. "Earth," Mountain hisses. "Let him go. He may be in your territory, but he's still mine."

The monster, Earth, lets out an amused, almost mocking laugh. "Oh, sweet little Mountain," he starts, and suddenly the hand around Phantom's mouth leaves. "I'm just helping a poor creature in heat. You know that's what I do. Quite personally now, don't you?"

Phantom tries to lightly wiggle in his binds, but even with Earth engaged in the conversation, he doesn't seem distracted, so he's kept in place.

Another growl rasps from the darkness, this time accompanied with some rustling. "Shut it. Give him to me. His heat is my issue and mine only," speaks the normally calm beast, who sounds so on edge right now, moments away from exploding.

There's more rustling, coming closer and louder, as if Mountain finally gathered the courage to step forward and actually do something about this incredibly embarrassing and humiliating situation.

The ghoul is being moved then, tugged back and released from the vines, but immediately pressed into a hard, cold chest. "Stay," the big beast warns. "You know what happens to trespassers, Mountain. I wouldn't want our past to be so easily forgotten."

This time, Mountain lets a full snarl slip. "I don't care what you think we had, it all came down to you and your filthy desires. Give me my mate, or I'm going to break your antlers off your head and snap your fucking neck," he threathens, untamed and dangerous, all that previously bottled up anger now spilling into his words like venom through a dying animal.

Silence, again.

Then, a strangled sound comes from Mountain, along with branches snapping and scurrying through the leaf litter, as if he was stumbling around clumsily. "Get out of my head!" he yells, and he sounds so awfully strained that is pains Phantom's heart.

A moment later, he stills, but huffing and panting can still be heard, as well as snarling. Pissed snarling.

"You know you don't think that. You don't have to pretend just to seem big and strong in front of him," Earth speaks once more. He sounds oddly amused, a little smug even, as if he found what he was looking for when he so rudely rummaged through Mountain's mind. He runs a cold finger over Phantom's jaw, tipping his head slightly upwards with a claw. "After all, I'm sure he would understand what it is that we shared." Dark green light casts over the ghoul's face as the beast looks down at him for just a second. The glowing dots crinkle at the edges, as if he was smiling. All Phantom can do is bare his teeth at him.

Earth turns back to face where Mountain supposedly is. "You're jealous," he states. It's not a question, he knows.

Another moment of silence.

"Of course I am, someone else is fucking my mate while he's in heat and then decides to rub it in my face," the beast eventually spits. He sounds more pissed than Phantom's ever seen him. Sure, he's seen him a little aggressive and possessive, but this? He seems like he's going go rip Earth to shreds.

"Have you thought about asking to join?"

The question is worded in such a simple, every-day fashion. As if the monster in front of him is no danger at all.

Phantom is confused, as well as a bit scared. What the ever loving fuck is going on right now?

Once more, silence falls upon the forest. The tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife. It's odd, since the ghoul half-heartedly expected his mate to immediately decline and call nonsense.

But they are hesitating. He somewhat understands why this is as well, after all, what are their options aside from that? The other beast made it very clear he wouldn't just give him up.

After what felt like just a bit too long, Earth moved again, pulling Phantom away from his chest and setting him on the ground. The cold, damp leaves stick to his back as he squirms immediately upon contact, but he can't really get anywhere before the monster's claws dip the skin on his stomach, threatening to pierce the skin. "Stay," he rasps above him.

The monster's dark glowing eyes momentarily flash down to his face, before looking at Mountain once more.

"If you can't make your decision, then I'll continue on as we were. I'll drop him off at your doorstep after I'm done."

"Wait-!"

Before Mountain could even fully form a protest, a loud wail rips from Phantom's throat as Earth suddenly shoves his cock inside the ghoul's warm cunt. The intrusion is so unexpected his whole body seizes up. It almost hurts, the slick having slightly dried while the two beasts were arguing. In this moment, he's just a little thankful for the vines that were violating him a few minutes ago. While it felt absolutely humiliating, it at least prepped him for the giant cock that was splitting him open right now.

Mountain's big, inhumanly (and rightfully) so. Phantom's cervix was heavily bruised after their last little session, but this? He feels like he's about to burst. He can feel it in his teeth, squishing the air out of his lungs, rearranging his guts. His hands fly down his body, trying to somehow push the beast away, but ultimately fails. In the process his palm brushed over his stomach just enough to feel the concerningly large bulge, moving up and down in time with Earth's thrusts. It hurts, it hurts so much, and he knows damn well that if he wasn't in heat right now, he wouldn't be able to handle it.

"Fine!" Mountain's yell finally cuts through the night and stops the big beast for just a little. "Fine. I'll join in."

They're clearly less than delighted to utter those words, but it's their only chance to be somewhat close to their mate in this situation.

Phantom can practically hear the smirk that spreads across the other creature's face, even if he cannot see. The beast shuffles around a little, crunching footsteps come closer to him, and sooner rather than later, the little ghoul finds himself sandwiched between the two large Forest Dwellers.

As soon as he's settled, Mountain wraps his arms around Phantom tightly. "Mine," he growls in clear agitation and aggression as he buries his face in the ghoul's neck. He feels sharp teeth brushing against the sensitive skin, and just a second later, those dangerous razor points tear into his skin. A reedy whine sounds from him.

Mountain bit into the marked side of his neck. He's never done that before, since the day this mark was given to Phantom. And it feels fucking phenomenal.

The ghoul's eyes roll so far back into his skull that his already minimal vision blacks out. White hot pleasure shoots through his veins, making his muscles weak and bones shiver. He clenches around Earth's dick hard as a second orgams shakes him to his very core.

He can vaguely hear the older beast's booming laugh, but it's distant, somewhere far away. All he truly registers is Mountain burying themself in his ass, Earth picking up his harsh thrusts once more, and he's gone. He briefly feels his mate bumping into a slightly raised spot inside him that feels so much more sensitive than anything else. Dew and Swiss once talked about testosterone apparently having the ability to make you grow a prostate. But he doesn't really remember that, it's nothing more than a distant echo in his mind.

Mountain would much rather be the one claiming Phantom's cunt, but considering how adamant Earth is being about having earned his prize, rutting into their mate's ass is all he can do for now.

It doesn't take them long to notice the new addition to the ghoul's chest. Clinging hands soon began to wander, and the possessive growl they let out at the discovery makes Phantom wetter than he would admit.

But Phantom's floating somewhere near the orbit. He's so far gone at this point he's not even making noises anymore. He doesn't know how many times he's cum, or if he's been cumming all this time. All he knows is endless rapture, blinding pleasure burning him from the inside out.

After hours or minutes, he's not sure, Earth finally pulls out. Pearly liquid spills onto his stomach, staining his skin but not his insides. As much as the monster wants to agitate Mountain, he knows that spilling inside their mate, let alone knotting him, would surely not end well.

The last thing Phantom feels is Mountain yanking themself out of his ass and harshly burying his cock inside his cunt. They barely get a few thrusts in before they too are done, gushing rope after rope of hot seed deep into his womb, their own knot locking them together. Earth is once more latched on his chest, he's sure Mountain is there as well for a second. But before he can feel embarrassed or humiliated again, his sight fades to black. It's too much, too soon, more than his small body can handle in the cold of a winter night.

But luckily Mountain is there, and they're going to make sure Phantom makes a full recovery.

----

Phantom stirs as warm sunlight falls on his eyelids. Blinking his eyes open with a yawn, he slowly looks around.

Mountain's cabin. If the sight of those familiar stained glass windows, decorated with dried orange slices threaded on strings isn't enough, the comforting smell of cinnamon and pine resin saturating the atmosphere reassures him of his whereabouts.

He slowly sits up. Every muscle in his body aches. He's so sore everywhere, especially where he was suspended by Earth's vines the previous night. But of course, it's worst in his crotch and chest. He looks down, relieved to see he's in one of Mountain's large, knitted sweaters. The collar is hanging off one of his shoulders, but he couldn't be more grateful for the warmth it provided. He reaches up under the hem of it to rub at his chest. It's flat again, mostly at least, but he has a strange feeling that if he rubs a little too hard a few leftover droplets might ooze out of him.

The quint raises his head to look at the open bedroom door. "Mountain?" he calls out, only loud enough to be heard. A few seconds later his giant mate comes shuffling through the doorway.

His hair's a bit messy, his eyes a bit more closed than normal. Groggy. He looks as if he woke up not so long ago. A soft smile tugs at his lips. "Hi Bug," he greets, leaning on the doorframe. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore," Phantom mumbles in response. "Surprisingly not dirty though." Last night he was covered in sweat and dirt and all kinds of bodily fluids. This morning though, there was no trace of any of them.

A quiet chuckle rumbles from the beast's chest. "Good. Ran you a bath when we got home last night. You were so tired you just slept through it." They walk over to the bed and sit down next to the ghoul, the mattress dipping under their weight.

Phantom groans and lets himself lean on the big monster. "I don't even know what happened last night," he complains. He's obviously being just a bit dramatic, Mountain knows. But he's had a long and eventful evening. After all, getting your heat broken by not one, but two forest cryptids can be tiring.

Mountain wraps an arm around his mate's shoulder and rubs his arm comfortingly. "I'll explain everything, I promise, my dear. But first, let's get some food inside you, yeah?" A gentle kiss is placed on the crown of the ghoul's head.

Phantom nods. "Food sounds nice. I'm fucking starving."

Another chuckle rumbles from Mountain, and soon Phantom finds himself in the wooden kitchen, seated in his mate's lap with a plate of deliciously smelling french toast in front of him, because this big beast is nothing if not loving, sweet and cheesy.

[helaenadream]

and my mood playlist for echoes through time as well

[haveyoureadthisfanfic]

Summary: AU where Milton Grimm discovered Red and Badwolf's affair and went to great lengths to silence it. Years later, Daring Charming finds a girl in the woods. Or, Daring Charming accidentally becomes the next Red Riding Hood.

Author: @howlingmoonrise

Note from submitter: Love love loveeeeee<3 this fic is what made me like daring/cerise. The way it takes one relatively small divergence and branches out from there… insane. So good. Also very poetic at times. THE THING WITH HIS CROWN AND THE CLOAK??? THE WAY HE FUFILLS THE TALE WITHOUT EVEN REALIZING IT??? HER TAKING THE OTHER SIDE OF HER DESTINY??? HER GENERALLY BEING SICK AS HELL??? THE OPEN ENDING????? I think about this fic so goddamn much. I love ever after high fics that run wild with destiny like this.

[yalocalfanficaddict]

*vibrating to the point of combusting over the need to write something and title it with a Hozier song/lyric*

Ayo, new music obsession just dropped! Here's a random prompt list of Hozier stuff because my mind is rotting! Anything with Pt 1 and Pt 2 beside it, is just complimentary titles for potential series titles.

Take me to church:

Giggle At A Funeral

Born Sick

Like A Dog At The Shrine

Offer Me Your Deathless Death

Take Me To Church (A lil obvious with this one, but just imagine the Corpse Bride AU's)

My Lover's The Sunlight (Pt 1)

She Demands A Sacrifice (Pt 2)

This is Hungry Work

No Masters Or Kings (Pt 1)

When The Ritual Begins (Pt 2)

THERE IS NO SWEETER INNOCENCE THAN OUR GENTLE SIN (THE ANGST FOR THIS ONE *folds*)

Let Me Give You My Life

Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene:

Toying Somewhere Between Love And Abuse (Please just hit me with the back of a metal chair) (and by metal chair I mean angst)

The Wretched And Joyful

Shaking The Wings Of Their Terrible Youth (Arch-angels? Anybody?)

Freshly Disowned...Frozen Devotion

Sweetened Breath And Tongue So Mean (Removed pronouns for inclusivity)

Feeling More Human

I Lay My Heart Down (Pt 1)

It's Bloody It's Raw, But I Swear It's Sweet (Pt 2)

Wonder If Better Now Having Survived (Pt 1)

I'm Alive (Pt 2)

Jackie and Wilson:

From Behind The Red In My Eyes (Literally any character with red eyes will rule this title)

No Better Version Of Me

Most Familiar of Swine (Enemies to Lovers WHERE YOU AT??)

Wretched And Divine (I don't watch Good Omens, but think of the potential!!!!)

Laughing Away Through My Feeble Disguise

Found Me Just In Time

My Mid-Youth Crisis All Said And Done (Pt 1)

Never Felt So Young (Pt 2)

Call Me "Baby"

Hands Through My Hair

Soothe Me Daily

Raise 'Em On Rhythm And Blues

It'd Be Great To Find A Place We Could Escape Sometime

Dead And Buried In The Yard Outside

Watch The World Go By (Pt 1)

Watch It Burn And Rust (Pt 2)

It Wasn't For Us (Pt 3????)

Cut Clean From The Dream (Childhood Friends To Strangers???)

Let My Mind Reset

Looking Up From A Cigarette

Someone New:

Don't Take This The Wrong Way

You Knew Who I Was (Pt 1)

Every Step I Ran To You (Pt 2)

Electing Strange Perfections

Just A Little Ol' Little Bit

Everyday With Someone New (Here me out...Soulmate AU)

(There's An) Art To Life's Distractions (Pt 1)

The Art Of Scraping Through (Pt 2)

Some Like To Imagine

I Guess Any Thrill Will Do (Grumpy x Sunshine adventure!)

My Heart's Already Sinned

How Pure, How Sweet A Love

'Cause God Knows I Fall In Love (Denial for their feelings >>>)

The Stranger The Better

To Be Alone:

Never Feel Too Good In Crowds (Angst? Trauma Recovery?)

Crude And Proud Creatures Baying

All I've Ever Done Is Hide

When You Kill The Lights And Kiss My Eyes (FORBIDDEN LOVERS!!!!!)

I Feel Like A Person For A Moment Of My Life (Pt 1)

But You Don't Know What Hell You Put Me Through (Pt 2)

Kiss The Skin That Crawls From You

Oh, To Be Alone With You (Pt 1)

Questions I Can't Ask (Pt 2)

At Last, The Worst Is Over (BANANA FISH IF THEY HAD A HAPPY ENDING) (I'M SOBBING)

Not A Trace Of Me Would Argue (Whipped characters be like)

We Should Run Away

From Eden:

Something So Tragic About You (Please combine the next few lines as Pt 1s, 2s, 3s, etc. as you see fit!)

Something So Magic About You

Something Lonesome About You

Something Wholesome About You

Get Closer To Me

No Time For Me

You're Familiar Like My Mirror Years Ago

Idealism Sits In Prison

Chivalry Fell On It's Sword

Innocence Died Screaming

Something So Wretched About This (Hozier's favourite word unlocked lol)

Where To Begin?

What A Sin

To Hang From A Tree

In a Week (Ft. Karen Cowley):

I Have Never Known Peace

Like These Insects That Feast On Me

Our Heartbeats Becoming Slow

(We Lay Here) For Years Or For Hours (HANAHAKI WRITERS PLEASE HEAR ME OUT)

Two Corpses We Were (Pt1)

Two Corpses I Saw (Pt 2)

I'd Be Home With You (Could be used as a Hurt/Comfort or a Hurt/No Comfort)

The Slumber That Creeps To Me

I Have Never Known Color (Soulmate AU!!)

Flesh Calmly Going Cold

Your Hand In My Hand

So Still And Discreet

When The Weather Gets Hot

After The Foxes Have Known Our Taste (Pt 1)

After The Raven Has Had It's Say (Pt 2)

Sedated:

Just A Little Rush

To Feel Dizzy, To Derail The Mind

My Heart's In Atrophy

Nursing On A Poison That Never Stung (Pt 1)

Our Teeth And Lungs Are Lined From The Scum Of It (Pt 2)

We Are Deaf (Pt 1)

We Are Numb (Pt 2)

Something Isn't Right (Trapped in an Alternate Universe, anyone?)

Little Words

Slaves To Any Semblance Of Touch (Touched Starved Character's are gonna have a field day with this one lol)

We Should Quit But We Love It So Much (Never meant to be romances >>>)

Come And Save Me From It? (THE QUESTION MARK IS WHAT MAKES ME GO FERAL AHSBWBEDKSI)

Drag Me Away From It

Work Song:

Workin' On Empty

I Just Think About My Baby

I Could Barely Eat

Nothing Sweeter Than My Baby

Once From The Cherry Tree

Give Me Toothaches Just From Kissin' Me

When My Time Comes Around (Pt 1)

Lay Me Gently In The Cold Dark Earth (Pt 2) (THE ANGSSTTTTT)

Three Days On Drunken Sin (We aaaall know the smut writers will have a field day with this one, haha!)

An Empty Crib

No Grave Can Hold My Body Down

What My Hands And My Body Done

If The Lord Don't Forgive Me

Heaven And Hell Were Words To Me

Like Real People Do:

Why Were You Digging? (Pt 1)

What Did You Bury (Pt 2)

Those Hands Pulled Me From The Earth

(I Will Not Ask You) Where You Came From

Kiss Like Real People Do (AHKUDHUSdHBE JUST IMAGINE THE POTENTIAL-)

Eyes Always Seeking

In Some Sad Way, I Already Know

It Will Come Back:

You Know Better, Babe

Talk To It Like That (My mind went STRAIGHT to the gutter when I read it out of context)

Don't Give It A Hand, Offer A Soul

Leave It To The Land

Don't Let It In With No Intentions To Keep It

It Will Come Back

Smile At Me Like That

Hold Me

I'm Something Else When I See You (Myyy heaaart!!! Grumpy x Sunshine title for sure!!)

You Don't Understand, You Should Never Know

How Easy You Are To Need

It Can't Be Unlearned

The Warmth Of Your Doorways

Oh, Please, Give Me Mercy No More (WHUMP POTENTIAL!!!)

A Kindness You Can't Afford

Howling Outside Your Door

Foreigner's God:

Moved In Shameless Wonder

The Perfect Creature Rarely Seen

When The Land Was Godless And Free

Into The Empty Parts Of Me

My Heart Is Heavy

Always A Well Dressed Fraud

Never For Me

The Purest Expression Of Grief (HEAR ME OUT!! HEAR ME OUT!!)

Tender Charm

The Broken Love I Made To Them (Changed pronouns for inclusivity!)

Foreign To Me

Cherry Wine:

Eyes And Words Are So Icy

Like Rum On A Fire

Hot And Fast And Angry (Mad smut mad smut mad smut mad smut mad-)

I Walk My Days On A Wire

Oh Mama, Don't Fuss Over Me

The Blood Is Rare And Sweet As Cherry Wine (*glances at the Twilight fandom nervously*)

The Sheets Of Some Other

But I Want It, It's A Crime

Not Around Most Of The Time

I'm Their's And They're Mine (Inclusivity!!)

Fight And Fury Is Fiery

Loves Like Sleep To The Freezing

Sweet And Right And Merciful

It's Worth It (Pt 1)

It's Divine (Pt 2)

In The Woods Somewhere:

My Head Was Warm, My Skin Was Soaked

When I Awoke, The Moon Still Hung

The Darkness Hummed

I Prayed My Mind Be Good To Me

Into The Trees With Empty Hands

His Bone Exposed, His Hind Was Lame, I Raise A Stone To End His Pain (A lil long, but I think it sounds nice✨)

What Caused The Wound?

To Save A Life I Didn't Have

Forgot All Prayers Of Joining You

My Dearest Love, I'm Not Done Yet

Something In The Woods Somewhere

Run:

Rare Is This Love, Keep It Covered (FORBIDDEN LOVERS!!! I'LL DIE ON THIS HILL OF THIS BEING THE BEST TROPE)

Run To Me, Lover

Until You Feel Your Lungs Bleeding (HANAHAKI?? HANAHAKI!!)

To Be Twisted By Something (A knife? A rope? Possibilities are endless!)

A Shame Without A Sin

Rushing To The Shore To Meet

[sage-nebula]

Notes: I've been replaying Night in the Woods and I'm unable to get this little crossover idea out of my head. Set after Sonic Frontiers and after the main storyline of Night in the Woods, and slight AU where Tails is 11 or 12 instead of 8, so he can be closer in age to Lori, who is canonically 14 (I want him to have a friend closer to his own age). The idea here is that Tails has happened upon the tiny town of Possum Springs in his travels, and for some reason or another decides to crash there for a while, both literally and figuratively. For those who haven't played Night in the Woods, all you have to know is that Lori is a 14yo mouse who loves horror movies and lives out by the train tracks, on Chestnut Street.

- - -

It was weird, how peaceful and comforting just lying in the dirt could be. Tails stretched his legs out, letting his heels thump against the metal rail of the train tracks, and a similar thump from behind him told him Lori had done the same on the other side. They stretched out between the two sets of tracks, facing opposite directions, their heads next to each other. The sky above was grey and thick with clouds. Every now and again, a drop of rain fell and splattered against Tails’ forehead. For some reason, he didn’t mind much.

“I like going to sleep out here sometimes,” Lori said. Tails tilted his head to look at her, but she was staring up at the sky above. He tilted his head back to do the same. “The excitement of the trains rushing by makes it easier to sleep. I just pretend like I’m homeless, and go to sleep.”

“I was homeless once,” Tails said.

“Really?”

“Yeah, for a few years when I was little. My brother and I just . . . wandered around.” And fought badniks and Eggman’s mechas and— “It took a few years for us to get my first workshop.”

“And then you lived in a workshop?”

“It has a house area too, with a bed and a kitchen and stuff. But I really wanted a place to be able to store my tools and work on my inventions, and we needed a hangar to keep the Tornado out of the rain so she wouldn’t rust.”

“I thought your plane was called the Cyclone?”

“Mine is. Sonic’s is the Tornado. She’s back home, unless he took her out recently.”

“Oh, gotcha.”

The ground rumbled, the vibrations cruising up Tails’ spine and through his ribs, and he pulled his feet off the tracks. Moments later a train rushed down them, and from the gust of wind that kicked up behind him, he knew one was passing by on the other side of his head, too. It took a few minutes, but when the train passed, both Tails and Lori stretched their legs out again, letting their feet clatter against the train tracks.

“Was it hard?” Lori asked after a moment.

“Was what hard?”

“Being homeless. I’ve always wondered what it was like. You know, when I’m laying out here sleeping.”

“Not really? I was really little, so I didn’t do too much. Sonic took care of everything; I just followed him.” Because even back then, he was a follower. He just tagged along, not a thought or care in the world about the burden he was imposing on Sonic by doing so. Sonic had never complained—at least, not to Tails directly. But then, he wouldn’t, would he? Even though he had only been eleven himself. Even though they’d had to hustle pool to get enough money for food, something Tails had thought had been fun at the time, although it must’ve been stressful for Sonic, far more than just caring for himself had been. Tails laid his arms across the coiling guilt in his stomach, and closed his eyes as a raindrop splattered against his forehead. “Maybe I shouldn’t have.”

“Why did you?”

Tails shrugged, as best he could while still lying on the ground. “It was just . . . better than where I was, I guess. And I wanted things to be better. I wanted to be better.” And he still did, and still wasn’t.

“It was better being homeless?”

“Yeah.”

“What about your parents?”

“I don’t have any.”

“Oh.” A beat of silence, then, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be prying. I won’t do it again. I’m sorry, I’m—”

“Hey, it’s okay.” Tails pushed himself up on his elbows to look over at her, but Lori was very determinedly not looking at him, staring up at the sky as she took in shallow breaths. “I don’t mind, it’s fine. They disappeared a long time ago. I don’t even remember what they looked like. It’s okay. Okay?”

“Mm.” Lori gulped down a few more breaths of anxious air, still not looking at him, her whiskers twitching as her fingers toyed with the zipper on her jacket. Tails laid back down, figuring it was probably better to let Lori calm down on her own, rather than try to force her to.

It never helped when people tried to badger him out of panic attacks, after all.

The ground rumbled beneath them again, and as one they pulled their feet back from the tracks. The wind that gusted over them was nice; it ruffled through Tails’ fur not unlike the wind that teased it when Sonic sprinted past, although thinking of that made a bittersweet pang take root in his chest. He pushed it away.

When the trains passed, and they had their feet on the tracks again, Lori spoke again. “My mom’s gone, too.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. My dad’s still here, though. When he hasn’t been drinking.”

Tails frowned. “That’s . . . not great.”

“No. But it means I can go wherever I want, at least. That’s kinda cool.”

“I guess.” Tails scuffed the heel of his shoe against the rail of the train tracks. “Is there anywhere you want to go? Away from Possum Springs, I mean. I could take you in the Cyclone.”

“I’ve got school tomorrow.”

“We could be back by tomorrow.”

Lori hummed. “I’ll think about it.”

“Okay.”

Comfortable silence fell again. Tails could hear birds twittering in the trees nearby, and the distant woosh of cars driving down the street.

“What about you?” Lori asked. “Where do you want to go after this? Back home?”

“No,” Tails said, even as he had to swallow against the yearning he felt to fall asleep to the sound of the Mystic Ruins waterfall, or the comforting smell of metal and oil from his workshop. “Not yet.”

“When, do you think?”

“I don’t know.” When I’m better.

“Hm. Well.” Lori shifted, and when Tails looked over he saw that she was looking at him from the corner of her eye. “I think it’s cool if you want to hang out here for a while. It’s nice to have someone to talk to when Mae’s busy.”

“Yeah.” Tails smiled a little, despite himself. “You’re fun to hang out with.”

Lori grinned, and pulled her feet back off the tracks. Tails did the same, and they watched the trains rush by on either side of them.

[theflyingfeeling]

fic talk in the tags 💝

[zazter-den]

It's finally starting to feel like halloween season here

...meaning it's only a matter of days before the influx of Kiri monsterfucker posts from me begins ≽^•⩊•^≼

[miharuhebinata]

a canon divergent au is currently brewing in my mind where instead of finding jackie dead, shauna & the others wake up to find jackie gone. her blanket & everything, all the proof that she was in fact there just last night, all of it remains. but jackie herself is gone.

[eupheme]

Jess when I tell you I GASPED when I saw this on your In the Woods Somewhere masterlist

I haven’t gotten around to reblogging part 4 with all my thoughts yet but I read it yesterday and literally cried and was devastated and a mess in the best way for HOURS after like it was such a beautiful ending and series as a whole and I’ve been daydreaming about it still! And now you’re gifting us an epilogue….I am over the moon about it this is the best news! 💕

Thank you for all you do! Hope your weekend is going well so far!

amalia my heart is so !!!! at this! It’s rare for me but I actually had the current ending written pretty early in the drafting phase, and was like ‘yep yep this is how it ends’! And it would have been fine as-is, but I got a couple sweet ao3 comments asking if I’d consider a sequel or epilogue and I’m a sucker for a happy ending so I really wanted to give that a shot 💖 and it’s been fun working on it this week!

Thank you so much - hearing that it made you feel this way makes me feel like I really accomplished something and got the feelings that I was hoping and wishing for in there. It means so much. 💕

[cledubs]

“nerdy prudes must die” enjoying mutuals and followers. Have any of you guys watched smosh baf legacy betrayal. simon bootles and grace chasity are the same

[thebirdthattoldu]

In the Woods Somewhere (Hozier) Thranto sickfic (academy era) where Thrawn has a fever dream that he's back in exile but this time no one finds him and he's all alone except for Eli's disembodied voice sometimes but then even that leaves and then everything else starts dying and then he wakes up.

[brionysea]

the byers-hopper family have snuck into my fic