#he gets to mull over how many times he's gonna have to be killed going forward

[kitsoa]

hmmmm

I am sitting here. Forcing myself to draft the outline, having spent a good hour thinking through the details of Sora's little A-plot interlude that I was stuck on for 16 months.

I haven't allowed myself to think through Ivory in a while. But like rereading my stuff?? that helped. A ton. I have something unique in terms of execution here! I can do this!

[stellocchia]

As much as I love the concept of Blue joining Nightmare's gang and getting some healing with them (and I really do, I'm writing the longest fic I've ever written about it) a concept I've been mulling over is that of Stretch joining them in a more canon-adjacent setting.

Like, okay, hear me out, Stretch is the one Papyrus who in most versions of the Multiverse story gets left behind willingly by Blue. Like, sure, there is Underverse where the dude just dies, and that one comic about Blue getting kidnapped by Error, but most of the time not much thought is put into Blue joining the Star Sanses. He just did. And, with the Star Sanses being a mostly positive force, I doubt it was in any way against his will.

He most likely wanted to help out because, well, he's an Underswap Sans, and the Star Sanses offered him a great opportunity for that. Canonically, Blue was always rather social, even in his original universe, but he still wasn't as accomplished as he might have wished. So more so than fame, glory was his other biggest incentive.

Anyway, ramblings about Blue aside, Stretch was left there in his world. Now he's suddenly forced to deal with the resets alone. My guy was already an apathetic nihilist with not that many friends when it all started, going through all of this alone is only gonna worsen that.

I don't think he'd ever admit that he resents his brother for leaving. His brother could never do anything wrong in his eyes. He would try to make him regret it though. Not consciously, of course, and it would start small. Things like: purposefully messing up their story by just not showing up in front of the human, or by letting himself be killed first right after the drop, or even by having the fight going on for an impossibly long time by having his first attack be nothing.

But as none of that seems to work (Blue is not coming back, he's busy saving universes and fighting bad guys) he would get desperate.

I imagine this is where his joining the Bad Sanses would come in. Here's how the sequence of events would play out:

He becomes disillusioned > Starts working on the machine in the basement again to pass the time > Gains access to the Multiverse > Finds out about the group his brother is fighting after going on a few adventures > Joins the group

His joining the group is definitely to spite his brother, but he'd never admit that out loud. It is also a monumentally idiotic idea because every moral he's ever had is strictly against everything that Nightmare gets up to. Unfortunately, by this point, he's sufficiently apathetic to be just morally flexible enough for this to work. After all, he can promise himself that he will not hurt any monsters and will instead just focus on fighting the Star Sanses. The guilt from just letting it happen is still eating at him, but he reasons that he has no other choice (of course he does. But the other choice was to let himself rot back at home in a hopeless timeline and, while it would have been a noble sacrifice, it is not one he's willing to make).

Nightmare on his side, sees the benefit of having a Papyrus on board. He's gonna keep Horror and Dust in line and loyal far more effectively than threats would. After all, he may not look entirely like their brothers, but he's still similar enough to work for emotional blackmail purposes.

It's not gonna go over as well with Killer who definitely tries to kill him at first. A bunch of times. And almost succeeds every time. But Stretch is not there for him, so Nightmare pays it little mind. Stretch is there to keep Killer's attachments from leaving or betraying them, and he's gonna get over it eventually. Possibly. (Killer is not so sure he will because fuck Nightmare and his new toy. He will stop the murder attempts though because everything in his body and soul is against defying a very direct order from the Boss).

Stretch doesn't like any of his teammates at first. He, rather hypocritically, sees them as true monsters for what they've done in their home AUs and for what they keep doing under Nightmare.

Needless to say, the atmosphere at the castle is tense for months with none of these fuckers talking any more than strictly necessary. Even on the battlefield, as they're facing off against the Star Sanses, all the bad guys are suspiciously quiet. Stretch doesn't even have the energy or clarity of mind to answer his brother's questions and pleas to go with him and put an end to the senseless violence. (He also doesn't want to answer because he's still upset and doesn't trust him. Though he will not admit that to himself. He's still in denial about that being the reason he joined Nightmare's gang. My guy is getting through life with the sheer power of denial and emotional repression and it's going horribly for him).

The tension comes to a head eventually when Killer makes a snide remark too many about Stretch's hypocrisy and Stretch punches him square in the face. It's not the most conventional bonding method, but it works for those two. He is still a hypocrite in Killer's mind, but at least he's not a coward and that's good enough for him. Everyone at that castle is hypocritical af anyway, he's not gonna judge. Well, he will, but no more than he judges Horror and Dust for their own little quirks.

From there, Stretch starts to learn a bit more about his teammates. They let him into their little circle of trust, and he learns how to help them take care of themselves. They learn what he needs too (probably some antidepressants) and help him as best as they can. And he notices, for the first time, that Nightmare is very much not in their little bubble. He's one of the threats to it. And, well, there's not much he can do about it at this point, but he vows to help them as much as he can. And he vows not to abandon them like he was. And there is still denial there about how hurt he was by his brother's abandonment and what a Hell it is to live in the castle, but that promise to himself is the first reason he's found to keep going that he's willing to admit to. And that's good enough for now

[cokoweee]

OH wow! Two updates in 24 hours! Okay I really wanted to dig into this, because there were so many things on just the writing and dialogue and I LOVE it!

These two panels were fun, because there is something soft in Kendra’s face. Nostalgia, affection…also the wet beads of water coming off her hair, since she climbed out of the bath….but I’ll continue this rant later…

This is interesting….We have seen Donnie borderline catatonic so this could be Draxum’s latent parental instincts not wanting to push Donnie just yet. (Or worried that Kendra might be a trigger?)

Though funny that this was what pushed Casey to reach out….I included a snippet from Replica…but…lol both you and Kat having Casey very particular about her male family members helping her out, is understandable

Heh…that’s rich, considering you are gonna have your own lizard children Kendra…not that you know that, I guess… Still this feels like a “tempting fate” line/foreshadowing. Mostly, because Casey insisted that the father is human. (I think?) But likely a jab at how Kendra calls her “Beast” all the time.

Ohhh…what is this trinket?! <_<

This is the face of someone who is either gonna pretend to be a toy or a child if Kendra gets pulled over XD

Okay this brings me back to my thoughts after the first image…Kendra likely had been thinking about stuff since her initial talk while fixing Yuichi’s arm the first time. However the “event” and Raph’s chat with her possibly had her start really mulling over it. We know Kendra has been struggling with her identity in the way of not belonging. She accepted she was an outcast…and possibly still considers herself an outcast. However with everything she has been doing: the training, modifying the jetpack, upgrading Yuichi’s arm…it certainly is setting this precedence. If Kendra doesn’t fit in this group’s mold by default, she is gonna make some changes so she does.

The past Kendra would never adjust to accommodate others. She is unapologetically herself. So why is she going through the trouble to make little changes…why does she want to properly ask Donnie if she can stay with him? Because when you love someone, you accommodate them. And not in the way, that you should change yourself for someone. However if there are traits that are holding you back, and it benefits you both in the long run, sometimes little changes are necessary. Kendra is changing, because she wants this. She may not know how her dynamic will change, but she wants it to get better.

And…I forget how I planned to wrap this up, but…. It is an organic way to bring happily ever after that much closer, and in a way that doesn’t compromise Kendra’s identity. Again, your writing and dialogue are amazing, and the way you pair it with your drawings makes some great storytelling.

Oof writing is such a struggle but considering I do hours of acting out dialogue both irl and in my head certainly do help. NOW TO ANSWER SOME OF THESE LIL SNIPPETS U SEPERATED but under a cut cause this is a bit long lol

Draxum is a weird dude to write for me but for me he’s another that lost almost his whole fam. He doesn’t wanna risk losing the last one that’s there even if they aren’t how they once were.

CASEY NOT WANTING DRAXUM ALL UP IN HER 🍰 IS A REAL! ITS LIKE UR GRANDPA/DAD/UNCLE SAYING THEYLL DO IT FOR YOU

That lil TrInkEt will be helpful later :D (I think. Please I haven’t fully thought this plan through)

You point out that she never would accommodate for someone else and yuh you’re right. Bitch would make others accommodate to her. This tho

“Because when you love someone, you accommodate them”

Idk how to word this, it’s pretty difficult to conjure up in my head words for this. For her it’s. She can’t see those feelings. Define them. It’s a case of extra caring without knowing why and it’s irritating. Like a fly u can’t kill. Or a butterfly. Pretty and you don’t want it to leave but also don’t want that big bitch flying all up in your face

[everydayfrimmel]

June 18, 2024

"The L Word (Love and/or Leaking Roofs and/or Late-Night Cable Television" Words, roommates au part 8/?

Frieren is neither a morning nor a night person. He doesn't see her in the afternoons, but knowing what he does about her sleeping habits, Himmel can't imagine she's much of a daytime person, either. There doesn't seem to be a time, actually, that Frieren would not rather be asleep, and he usually tries to respect that, but this time, he just can't.

"I wanna show you something," he says, insistent even though she has a blanket pulled around her shoulders like a cape and a crabby look on her face. "I promise it's worth it."

"It's past my bedtime."

"Your bedtime that changes every time you don't want to do something? C'mon, Frieren."

She makes one of the many variations she's created on her typical sour expression. "Just because we live in the same house doesn't mean you're the boss of me."

"No, but I wouldn't be a very good friend if I didn't sometimes drag you out of the house anyway."

"We're not friends, we're associates."

"Now you're just being rude," he says cheerily, tugging the end of her blanket cape. "You'll feel bad for saying that when you see what I want to show you."

"Doubt that."

Still, yawning into her hand, she follows him. The end of her blanket drags on the ground behind her, even after they've gone outside, but if she cares that the dewy grass is making it damp, it's not enough to make her pick it up. Himmel almost walks behind her to carry it like a train, but she doesn't know where they're going, so he settles for a cursory "your blanket's dragging."

"Whatever," she replies.

"That's a nice way of telling you to pick it up."

"Too much work."

"You do realize I'm the one who washes those things, right?"

"Yeah, but it's fine."

"Frieren. I would really rather you picked up the end of the blanket."

Muttering incomprehensible but probably unsavory things to herself, she grabs a handful of the wet fabric and lifts it off the ground.

"See? You can cooperate when you have to."

"Don't like it."

"Part of growing up-"

"We're the same age, Himmel."

"Yeah, but I do the laundry and think about mature things like mortgages, and you plot world domination and make dirty laundry."

"What mortgages? You don't own this place."

"No, but when I get married, I'll want to know what-"

"Since when do you even have a girlfriend?"

Ice cold, that woman. If only she knew.

"I don’t, but I sure would like to," he replies, so chipper that even Frieren is bound to notice he's faking it. "Know anyone?"

Or do you wanna maybe get a clue?

"Get Tinder," she tells him. "You'd make a killing on there."

He coughs. "Sorry?"

"Every time I go into town to shop, the old ladies ask me about you," she says. "And then go on for way too long about how handsome they think you are."

"Well, I'm flattered, but they're not exactly in my age bracket."

"And how you must be holding out for someone if you're still single, because there's no way some girl wouldn't have snatched you up already if you weren't." She pauses. "That's a quote, not a paraphrase."

Even they're dropping hints now?

"That's nice, Frieren, but maybe-"

"So you would definitely get swiped on all the time if you made a Tinder. And then…girlfriend." She shrugs. "Marriage. Mortgage. Four sons who all look exactly like you."

"Fr-Frieren?"

"What? For some reason I can't see you having a daughter."

"Why are you thinking about me having children at all?"

"Dunno. You seem like the type."

Where do I even start?

"Well, uh, that's nice, but, you see, I'm…I like to be friends first." He laughs nervously, wonders when he got so awkward. "And I dunno. I don't just want anyone who thinks I'm hot."

"Well, obviously, compatibility is important."

"Whoever I end up with," he says, sighing, "I think she's gonna be a really special girl."

Frieren is quiet, and Himmel can't decide if he's more terrified or hopeful that she's mulling those words over with care and finally putting the right pieces into place. Terrified, most probably.

"Probably," she finally says, then, "so what is it you dragged me out of bed for, a hike in the middle of the night?"

"This is hardly a hike, and no." Frieren would call a short walk through a totally flat field of strawberries a hike. "We're going out to the pond."

"On Old Man Voll's property?"

"Yeah, he said I could come out whenever."

"Why?"

"Oh, he had me over for dinner a few nights ago and showed it to me, then said I could drop by if I wanted."

With your roommate, he'd said, eyes and voice knowing. You know, the pretty one you like so much? Which is what he intends to do.

They arrive on the outskirts of Voll's property after ten minutes, a little sweaty in the soupy night air after dressing for the air-conditioned indoors, pass undetected through a rusty gate that Voll hasn't bothered to maintain or lock in years. And--he'd known it would be, but his heart still squeezes--the still surface of the pond reflects the lights of thousands of fireflies.

"I thought you should see this," he tells her.

Frieren's chin is tilted up and she's dropped the end of her blanket again, but not out of spite this time. Her lips are slightly parted, her eyes wide, her hair already tangled after an hour-long appetizer to a full night's sleep on the couch. And she looks like she's almost forgotten to be angry with him.

"They actually do look like this, huh."

He chuckles. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know, I guess I always thought people were exaggerating when they talked about fireflies."

"No," he says. "I don't think they are."

He could kiss her if she'd let him. It amazes him how much he wishes she would.

[gaybananabread]

(Hi again) Srry- can u do a lee!Nezha and Ler!Mei I got them mixed up arry, have a good day :>

Mmmm I love this show! Nezha got so much screentime recently, I can finally get a good feel for his character! It's a bit short, writer's block has come for me. (-_-) Hope this isn't too OOC, Enjoy!

Lee: Nezha

Ler: Mei

Summary: Nezha is brooding, as per usual. When he makes one too many quips towards Mei, she takes things into her own hands to cheer him up.

Warnings: none! This is a tickle fic, so if you don't like that, scroll away!

Nezha, as per usual, was grumpy. His signature frown on his face, he stared out the window, mulling over the plan in his head. He knew Wukong was crazy, but this... They have a very real chance of dying. That, as much as he hates to admit it, scares him. He almost died in the last fight, and he had the Jade Emporer's army assisting him. Now all he has is this... rag-tag band of friendly newbie-heros and their crazy mentors.

Mei walks in on his brooding session, sighing when she sees him. This boy can never just relax, can he? She walks over, speaking loudly to get his attention.

"Hey princy, why're you brooding?" Nezha huffed when he heard her voice, closing his eyes. Goodbye, relative peace.

"Why must you always be so nosy?" She gasps dramatically, feinging offense. It was rather noisy, in his opinion. "...And loud?"

Mei crossed her arms, expecting the annoyed answer. "I don't know, maybe because I care that you're upset, and that nobody is just naturally that grumpy. I'll ask again, what's bugging you?"

His response is snarky and curt, keeping his eyes on the window. "You're 'bugging' me with your incessant yapping. I'm **fine**, dragon horse girl. I am Nezha, the third lotus prince. I need no help, especially not that of a nosy mortal."

She scoffs, sitting down beside him. "Listen, Nezha. I know too many people with issues to believe that you're fine. It's okay to have emotions, but it's not okay to bottle them up. You'll feel better if you talk about it."

Nezha rolls his eyes. The girl might have a point, but he's an immortal being. He has lived her lifespan many thousands of times over. How could she possibly help him?

"I'd feel better if you *stopped* talking about it. Actually, just stop talking all together."

"Oho, that is *it!*" Mei launched herself at the prince, being mindful of his wounds. Due to the surprise and injuries, she had him pinned in seconds.

He thrashed around, not able to move much due to the injuries. He also didn't want to hurt the girl, as much as he might vocalize it. Wukong would kill him. "What the- get off me, mortal!"

"Neh, I don't think I will. You're all crabby and broody, way more than normal. I think you need an attitude adjustment." She brought a hand to his torso, tapping her fingers on his belly. He huffed, trying not to flinch at the gentle touch.

Not this fuzzy nonsense. Wukong had shown him this crazy mortal ritual before. It was unfortunately very effective on him. He yanked at his arms, feeling a nagging pain in his side when he did so. So much for the mighty lotus prince...

Mei saw the pained expression and relaxed her hold, just enough for him to move but not escape. "I'm not gonna be mean, Nezha. You need to smile man, all this moping is getting sad. I'll go slow, okay?"

The prince scoffed, but didn't say no. He was honestly feeling pretty bad, it would be decent to laugh it off. He hoped the girl would take the hint. The feeling is mildly unpleasant, but he needs to forget about the mission for a moment.

She took his silence as a yes. With a chuckle, Mei gently skittered across his belly, carefully avoiding his injuries. Anyone with eyes could tell he needed a distraction. Lucky for him, she knew exactly how to help.

At first, Nazha bit his lip, refusing to make any noise. He agreed, but that doesn't mean he would make it easy for her. He has a reputation to protect, after all.

It doesn't phase her, she kinda expected him to be a challenge. More fun for her. Keeping her promise, Mei took things slow, moving her hand to lightly scribble at his uninjured ribs.

This broke him. Small, poorly repressed giggles slipped past his defenses. The lotus prince squirmed, knowing it wouldn't do him any good. He slowly let his guard down as more giggles bounced out of him. "Mhmehehe! Noho!"  His cheeks gained a pink tint as he "fought" the feeling.

Mei tried not to coo at the sight, keeping her teasing to a minimum. He's injured, best not to kill him. She smirked down at him, speeding up the tickling. "You're actually pretty cute when you aren't sassing me."

"Qu-quihihiet, mohortal!" Nezha started to squirm more, acting like he was against the tickles. Who he was pretending for is unknown. He doesn't mind the feeling exactly, and it was helping to keep his mind off the upcoming battle.

It was quite the sight. The ever-grumpy Nezha, squirming and giggling while pinned down by a mortal. Mei wished she had her phone on her.

As much as she was enjoying the giggling, Mei had yet to hear actual laughter. Inching her hand upwards, she slowly made her way to his armpit. Before she could get there, Nezha yelped and tried to twist away from her fingers. Bingo.

She had found his sweet spot. Right under his armpit, at the top of his ribcage. Nezha, who had been strangely unresponsive this whole time, started to babble out protests. Mei promised to he gentle, but a few seconds on the spot wouldn't kill him...

"Wahait- nononohOHOHOHO!" The prince kicked and squirmed, the sudden intense feeling more than he could ever prepare for. Loud, almost happy laughter poured from his mouth, nose scrunched up and eyes shut tight. Anyone who walked in on the scene would have melted at the sight. He looked... like he was enjoying himself, to a degree.

Mei allowed herself to coo this time, smiking down at him. "This is actually adorable. I should've done this way sooner, who knew you'd be so ticklish!" The word sent a flurry of butterflies loose in his stomach, bouncing around with the laughter and shocks to his nervous system.

Nezha's mind was practically goop. And, if he's being honest, he didn't mind it. It felt nice to just let himself go, to stop worrying about all little details of everything and just laugh. He trusted Mei, and could finally relax a bit.

This continued on for a few minutes. Mei scribbling along his ribs, drilling in on that dreaded spot every so often. Nezha just existing in the moment, enjoying the odd comfort the feeling brought. It was a nice way to unwind before the big fight.

Unbeknownst to them both, Wukong sat up in the rafters, taking plenty of pictures. He wouldn't be cruel, but a quick text to the right people would help the broody prince relax in the future. Maybe he'd even crack a smile every once in a while. Only one way to find out...

[stars-and-birds]

okay so i actually know very little about the x men but what roles are u thinking of for the party?

OKAY. you have awakened nerd esme. prepare urself. this will be long. sooooo long.

so for context the x men— created in 1963 by stan lee and jack kirby and fictionally brought together by professor x, a wheelchaired mutant with telepathic abilities, were/are mutants. mutants are a different species than humans and are as such treated terribly by them. they have “mutations” which give them powers and shit. they were basically created as parallels to real life bigotry and are hated by the general public (in the marvel verse everyone irl loves them. or i do. )

anyway, the original five were—

angel aka warren worthington III (yes that is his actual name) who had wings on his back. now they’re metal. it’s complicated but not important. he’s basically the token rich boy, blond hair, blue eyes, yeah. total knockout in canon too apparently. cyclops aka scott summers who had a red laser beam that continuously comes out of his eyes and as such he wears/wore a special visor made out of special ruby glass professor x found for him. quick fun fact he had so low self esteem and was so depressed professor x made him leader out of fear he would fucking kill himself. which is very dark. a bit stoic and pretty much an old man (he canonically watched seinfield). and he’s transmasc to ME. beast aka hank mccoy who is basically a genius and really strong and stuff. eventually he turns into a literal beast but i’m too sleep deprived to remember how that happened lolol marvel girl aka jean grey who was the token Girl™️ of the group and who possessed too many abilities to keep track of, and when she has them. she gets fucked up at some point in the chris claremont x men run (which is truly iconic) and becomes possessed by the phoenix force(specifically in issue #134, the issue will wanted in episode one) and becomes like evil and shit. the phoenix force is a cosmic evil being and she becomes *dark* phoenix and it’s a whole thing. also pour one fucking out for her imagine being surrounded by teenage boys and hormones most of whom have a crush on you and being able to read their minds. jean babe i’m so sorry for everything you’ve been through. and bobby drake aka iceman who has *gasp* ice powers. he’s a bit of the goofball of the group and can turn basically turn himself into ice which is explored more in more recent comics. he’s also been revealed as gay. one small step for mutants i suppose they’re all queer but nobody tell them.

wow that was long! sorry. anyway onto the actual au stuff. my original plan was to make each member of the part correspond to a o5 x men member, but since there are six i thought i’d add one more for max.

mike is cyclops! i think it fits in a special sort of way that i can’t really articulate since they have such different personalities. but just trust me.

el is jean, in the telepathic sense and being surrounded by boys most of the time sense. rip.

dustin is beast. tech savvy, smart, tested different bc of how he looks— it fits. so so well.

again the personalities may not fit on the surface but i think will is iceman. they’re both sort of softer than everyone else, and whole will is quieter it just makes sense to me haha.

uhh so i don’t actually think lucas would be warren… mayhaps i’m still considering… which means i wrote that whole description for basically nothing but i think it’s funny so i’m keeping it there. anyway i think lucas would be… idk. i’m still thinking it over but maybe gambit.

so for max @hellmo suggested rogue who would be great but i’m also still mulling it over. maybe kitty pryde! idk.

technically i think brenner would work as prof x but obviously that’s a no-go so it’s gonna be mr clarke which i like more as concept actually. again, different personalities but i think that’s okay, because the general roles fit. plus i jsut think that dynamic would be fun to explore more.

so sorry this was long and doesn’t really have much au it’s more me seeing x men and going brrr… haha. thanks for the ask tho!!! i enjoyed talking about them :]

[kishimotomasashi]

There’s an AU I have, Team Hebi-centric, in which Obito never tells Sasuke the truth about the Uchiha Clan massacre (because he died where he was supposed to: underneath the rock. The Kyuubi attack was an accident of poor sealing while Kushina was giving birth) that I’ve been mulling over for a while. I don’t think I’m gonna get it written any time soon so I might as well share the ideas I had in mind!

Setting?:

After he’s killed Itachi, Sasuke is first found by Team Hebi and not the retrieval squad 2, so they hide away in a site where they can’t be found

Sasuke after the fight is kind of... unresponsive, more than usual, for a few days. The others get it, and give him the space he needs, but also Suigetsu tells him he needs to figure out what he’s gonna do next soon so they know whether to hand him back to the Konoha group or to find another mission to do while they’re still a team

Sasuke isn’t particularly inclined to head back home. He doesn’t think he can just go back and pick up where he left off-- and he suspects Team 7 will insist that he can, but as far as he feels, there’s too much baggage associated with the place already. Sasuke’s lived his life in a way where he’s continuously going back to his grief as a motivator, but now that there’s no obsessive focus on revenge behind it, and just grief... he doesn’t really want to deal with that. Going back home means going back to the compound means going back to the graves, and he doesn’t think vestigial affection from a time where it briefly looked that he could ever think of anything else would be enough to prevent the pain of it.

So his choice is that he stays with his new team, and that their next mission will be helping Suigetsu collect his swords.

The... plot?:

The idea is to focus on each member of Hebi, and have them wonder about their place in the world now that they’re so removed from the Hidden Village system.

Suigetsu’s the only one who starts off having plans to actually re-enter that world, but his hopes are dashed because due to the Akatsuki’s actions, there’s an increased hostility towards rogue shinobi in every village. In this AU, since Hebi are never called to capture Killer Bee by Obito, Kisame ends up doing it, actually succeeding, and the Raikage directs his anger towards Kiri to get its shit together concerning their nukenin. This + Pain’s destruction of Konoha means pardons are off the table for any nukenin, and any shinobi, regardless of what they actually do, working outside of the Hidden Village system becomes automatically suspect. Naruto and co. try to argue Sasuke shouldn’t count since he killed Orochimaru and Itachi but ofc Danzo isn’t having it.

Since they’re all on the run anyways, Hebi stick together, and their lives are spent taking any mission they can from whoever’s willing to pay to sustain themselves. They all grow closer, as a result, they learn about each other, and find out they have things in common. Little by little they start to empathize with each other.

Juugo and Karin, starting out aimless, find traces of their own origins little by little during their travels. And so along with helping Suigetsu find his swords (that he’s still looking for despite his situation with Kiri because fuck them anyways, he trained his whole life for this, and he will cut Chojuro’s arms off to steal his if he has to), they’re also looking for every trace of Juugo’s clan they can find and they pay a visit to the Land of Eddies for Karin’s sake, too.

Also during their travels, they meet a lot of different people of different backgrounds: nukenin turned civilians, many civilians who don’t few the Hidden Villages and/or the 5 shinobi countries and their Daimyo positively, people from countries/villages destroyed by the shinobi wars, etc. They learn through the eyes of others how shinobi violence is perceived, how it ruined so many of their lives, their own complicity in it, and... it’s a lot to process. It’s more difficult for Suigetsu, Sasuke and Karin: Suigetsu and Sasuke because they were raised shinobi and within the Hidden Villages, Karin because she has an aversion to empathizing with people in general since she had to stop doing it entirely to survive working under Orochimaru. Juugo has a better time understanding and accepting that because he was shunned by most people to begin with, and doesn’t have any particular attachment to the Hidden Villages anyways. In the end they all register what they’ve learned though, and Sasuke and Juugo in particular are more inclined to help the people they meet in their travels all they can: rescuing people from human trafficking, simply helping people in villages/towns they briefly stay in about their day-to-day activities, teaching people what they can about chakra so their day-to-day activities are easier, etc. Local kids who only know how to murder and do violence unexpectedly become humanitarians. They still sometimes do murder and violence though, but like in the productive way, like murdering the people who were selling kids to Orochimaru.

I intend for Sasuke to eventually learn the truth about the Uchiha Clan Massacre evetnually but he learns it only after experiencing all of the above. He learns it through Danzo specifically, but I haven’t worked out exactly how that happens yet. Anyways that firmly keeps him out of Konoha and with the collaborative effort of him, Karin, Suigetsu and Juugo, Danzo dies.

That’s about all I have on this, for now. I’m not as sure on how this story will end as how it begins and develops.

[princesscolumbia]

Return to Recipient, Ch. 3 - Passing Notes

Now with ꊰꋬꋊꉔꌦ ꊰꄲꋊ꓄ꅐꄲꋪꀘ!

Summary:

After Ranma's latest secret comes out to one of her friends on accident, she's sure her social life is over.

Preview, as always, below the cut:

He's gonna make fun of me, he's gonna hate me, he'n Hiro're gonna tell the whole school and everyone's gonna laugh at me and Akane will hate me and Ukyo will try'n kill me fer takin' her chance to get in okay with her pops again an' Shampoo'll find out and renew the kiss of death and... She found herself desperately wishing she'd stayed in the classroom so she would have her schoolwork handy to work on to distract her mind from coming up with every possible worst case scenario.

She stomped her way out the doors, tears starting to prick her eyes as she made her way to the place she'd had lunch with the other two since they kinda latched onto her after she started at Furinken. She'd left the classroom with every intention to keep calm and just let what happened happen, but the more her mind mulled over what she was about to be facing, the more convinced she was going to lose the first of many relationships. She saw Hiroshi notice her approach and Daisuke turning to face her. She thought Dai might be saying something, but the blood rushing in her ears drowned out any sound. She came to a stomp with a frankly very petulant stomp, fully aware she was not behaving in a way that would be considered at all mature, and snarled, "All right, jerks, I'm here, so you can make fun of me in person." She glared at Hiroshi, "I bet Dai's been makin' you laugh at me behind my back for days now."

While Hiroshi had the look of someone who was lost in a jungle without a map and compass and discovered they'd stumbled into the den of a wounded tiger, Daisuke just sighed, stood, and put a hand on her shoulder. She tensed, ready for anything...

Daisuke's voice sounded like she was wearing earplugs, so loud was her heart in her ears, "Ranma, relax, I didn't tell him anything."

...anything but that, apparently. "Huh?!" All at once the tension in her body seemed to drop into the earth.

Dai grimaced, but not at her, "Man, did you not have, like, any friends before you got here? What kinda asshole would I be if I didn't keep my mouth shut when I knew somethin' private you didn't want spread around?"

Ranma felt like the ground was shifting underneath her, "...but...I mean...friends do that all the time. That's how it's always been."

Daisuke glanced back at Hiroshi, both with somewhat pained expressions on their faces. Dai turned back to her, "No...Ranma, that's awful! Friends can talk shit to each other, but they have each other's backs."

Hiro nodded, "Why do you think we made friends with you? You may be a himbo, but you're ride or die."

Daisuke rolled his eyes as he dropped his hand from her shoulder, "What the genius over there is trying to say is we don't mess around when it comes to our friends. Not sure if you noticed, but we don't go blabbin' to Nabiki when you tell us somethin'. 'course, if you think we would anyway, well, I guess you wouldn't tell us anything that important anyway. Point it, I didn't even tell Hiro, no matter how much he's been pestering me asking for a reason you're avoiding us. He wouldn't even've known I knew if you didn't spill the beans just now."

Face now hot from embarrassment, she flumped down to a sitting position. While not precisely as close as she normally would be, Ranma had quite coincidentally dropped pretty close to her usual spot in their triad. "Oh," she uttered in a quiet, almost defeated voice. She looked up at Hiroshi through lashes heavy with tears, "Sorry."

~~~

Read the whole thing at AO3

[dweetwise]

[Ace x David] Behind Closed Doors

For @frivolousace and their favorite rarepair <3 Rating: G Word count: 2.1k ao3 link

"Come on! Truth or dare?"

At what sounded like Nea's impatient voice, Ace looked up from his game of solitaire.

Some of the younger survivors had formed a circle around the fire. Their night's entertainment of choice appeared to be the simple—and campfire favorite—game of truth or dare.

"The last time we played you made me eat a slug," Meg said. "So definitely truth."

"Okay." Nea smirked. "What happened to that purple flashlight you stole from me? Because I know for a fact the killer didn't have Franklin's."

"Wait, she stole one from you too!?" Steve exclaimed.

"Well yours was a victim of an item-camping Bubba," Meg told Steve. Then she smiled sheepishly. "Nea's I went out running with and dropped in the swamp."

"You what!?" Nea screeched.

"It was an accident!"

The group chuckled at the girls' bickering while Laurie patted a fuming Nea on the shoulder.

Ace smiled at his friends having fun. It was times like these that were his favorite: with the day's trials over and done with and an air of easy camaraderie settling over the survivor camp.

It was a shame that Ace had been banned from the majority of games after numerous accusations of both cheating and extravagant lies. But at least he could enjoy laughing at the others' expense as truth or dare inevitably got out of hand.

Because it always did.

"C'mon, Red, your turn to ask," Quentin said.

"Hmmm…" Meg's eyes scanned the group. "David! Truth or dare?"

David, who hadn't even looked to want any part of the game, merely perked up with an amused smirk. "What the hell. Truth."

Meg's smile was full of mischief. "Fuck, marry, kill. Free choice, survivors and killers!"

"Really? That the best you got?" David grinned.

Ace huffed out a quiet chuckle. It was amazing how far David had come. Only a year ago, he would have refused to even participate in games like these—claiming they were too girly and childish, in not so polite terms—or at the very least thrown a fit after a question like that, punching a tree and oozing toxic masculinity.

"Plenty o' killers I'd wanna off, but I think we all know which one I'd pick given the choice," David huffed.

"Do they happen to have a white mask and go hmm, hmm hmm—" Kate started humming the Huntress' lullaby with eerie precision.

"Ugh, stop!" Feng smacked Kate's arm. "I went against that bitch twice today! If I hear one more second of that fucking song…"

Kate smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

"Okay, okay," Meg said. "Kill Huntress. So who'd you fuck?"

A dozen pairs of curious eyes were aimed at David and Ace couldn't help but roll his own under the brim of his cap. 

This was another new thing. After David had come out to them—and mellowed out in the process, since he no longer had to keep up the appearance of some ridiculous macho man—the survivors had become very interested in who David was interested in. Even though David clearly wasn't ready to tell them.

That didn't stop them from trying to dig for crumbs in the form of silly party games, apparently.

David just shrugged. "Maybe Triangle Head."

"What!?" Meg yelled while many others erupted into laughs.

"Pyramid Head is a monster! A killer!" Laurie hissed, clearly scandalized.

"Dat ass, though," Nea commented.

"He's a prick, but he's hot," David said. "Strong, too, if he can lug that sword around—"

"Ugh, spare me, please." Meg scrunched her nose. "So, for the last one…?"

"Hmm," David said. "I'd probably marry…"

He paused for dramatic effect, pretending to mull over the answer.

The atmosphere in the whole camp was now one of anticipation; everyone far from subtle in their nosiness of their friend's love life. Ace could even spot the normally polite Claudette eagerly leaning forward in her seat.

"Don't get your hopes up, he's just gonna give you a troll answer again," Quentin commented.

Ace smirked to himself. He had a pretty good idea of who David had his eye on, but then again, he hadn't exactly played fair to figure it out. 

Still, Quentin was right; there was no way David was admitting his interest in front of so many people—

"Ace," David said, and Ace's world screeched to a halt.

Thirty heads whipped around to look at Ace, and the gambler only hoped that nobody noticed how it took him a second to put on his patented smirk instead of the slack-jawed staring that David's simple confession had reduced him to.

Ace raised an eyebrow, cursing himself for not having his sunglasses on hand. "That so, King?"

"Uh." Yui grimaced and turned to David. "Are you sure about that?"

"Told you. Troll answer," Quentin said.

David merely grinned and offered a one-shoulder shrug.

"I can see a Vegas wedding," David said. "Ace'd make a nice trophy husband, yeah?"

"If you mean 'gamble away all your shared assets as soon as you signed the papers,' maybe," Zarina huffed.

Ace saw the twitch in David's hands; a reflex from years of resorting to fighting at the first sign of offense. But now, the ex-brawler just took a deliberate breath before splaying his fingers back to his sides.

…And people were still staring at Ace, watching him watching David.

Ace leered at David, giving him an exaggerated wink. "You had me at Vegas, handsome."

"Gross," Meg commented. She was clearly disappointed at not getting the gossip she wanted.

"Come on!" Feng yelled at the group, snapping her fingers obnoxiously. "We're playing a game, not a fucking daddy dating sim!"

And Ace had never been as glad for the girl's impatience as when David predictably picked Feng as his target and then dared her to do a handstand.

Fortunately, in the midst of laughter, Feng falling on her ass, and Nea showing off how to do a proper handstand, nobody noticed that Ace was still left reeling by David's confession.

—---

After the game, Ace found David at his usual spot in the woods—recognizable by the dozen trees that had been cracked and dented by angry fists during the years.

But now, David was only sitting at the root of one tree, leaning against the bark and looking out over the forest in thought.

"Knew I'd find you here," Ace said, making his presence known.

Immediately, the pensive expression on David's face was replaced by his bright grin. "Hey, luv."

The stupid little nickname didn't normally make Ace blush, but after today, he felt his ears heating up.

"Hey yourself," Ace said, going to sit down next to the man.

But David had other ideas, grabbing Ace by his hip and manhandling him into his lap instead.

"Oof," Ace protested the treatment and adjusted his hat. "Careful, pumpkin pie, these old bones aren't what they used to be."

David snorted and shot up an unamused look to where Ace was straddling him. "When we first met, you said you were thirty."

"And you laughed in my face and said in yer dreams, pops," Ace shot back.

David winced; it was far from the first time he'd been embarrassed by his past behavior.

"But I was just happy I got you to laugh, so win-win," Ace said.

He got a hesitant smile in return. David's hand, scarred and callused from a life as a fighter, cupped Ace's cheek oh so gently, before his fingers trailed up to—

Yoink Ace's hat from his head and throw it into the depths of the forest.

"Hey,'' Ace protested. "I liked that cap."

"And I wanna see your pretty face." David was smirking way too smugly. "Dunno why you insist on hiding it from me."

"God, you are such a sap." Ace grinned. "The others would never believe me, if I tried to tell them you just want to snuggle and tell me cheesy one-liners 24/7."

"That sounds like a them problem," David sassed.

And then he shut up Ace's would-be comeback with what Ace imagined was called a thorough snogging.

David kissed much like he fought: wholeheartedly and with his entire body. Chapped lips stole the breath from Ace's mouth while strong arms pulled him closer and caressed over his back. Even David's legs shifted under Ace, like every part of him yearned to be as close to Ace as humanly possible.

And Ace tried to give back as good as he got. He tilted his head to deepen the kiss, running clever hands over David's shoulders and up his neck, earning a bone-deep, satisfied moan for his efforts.

When they pulled apart, Ace was more than a little out of breath. And David was still smirking infuriatingly, like getting Ace hot under the collar had been some self-issued challenge and David had won.

But Ace rarely went down without a fight.

"So, Pyramid Head, huh?" Ace asked.

It was satisfying to see the cocky smirk fall as David groaned in protest and his head slumped to rest on Ace's shoulder.

"Not like I could pick you twice," David grumbled. "Dumb fuckin' rules. Had to come up with somethin'."

Ah; David King, fiercely loyal even during hypothetical, immature party games.

"You're getting pretty good at bullshitting." Ace grinned. "Wonder where you learned that from."

David chuckled and pulled Ace even closer into his arms.

"And… yer not mad?" David asked.

"About a couple tiny white lies to get our friends off your back? Do you know me?"

David huffed. "You know what I mean."

"Well, you might have gotten them to speculate whether you were really kidding about being into me, so maybe not the best move if you didn't want them to find out about us." Ace shrugged. "But it's all the same to me. If our friends finally figure out that we've been doing this for the last… what, two years?"

"A year and ten months," David immediately replied. "Well—earth years. Fuck knows how long it's been in here. Still haven't figured out the equations."

Sometimes Ace forgot just how goddamn smart David was. Ace wasn't shy to admit he'd judged a book by its well-defined, muscled cover. But after his little character reform, David had been helping out Adam—and the other people lightyears smarter than Ace—in figuring out the ins and outs of the realm.

"Right,'' Ace said. "In any case, it's still a little embarrassing for the others to not have figured it out. Well, I know I'm the master of subterfuge, but you? I mean, marriage?" Ace laughed. "Maybe it was just absurd enough that they knew you were kidding."

David didn't laugh with Ace at the shared joke. On the contrary, David was frowning.

"Uh," Ace said. "David?"

"I wasn't kidding," David said. "If I got the chance to, I'd marry ya in a heartbeat."

Ace froze. He'd probably have fallen off David's lap unless the ridiculously defined biceps weren't there to balance him.

"Ha-ha, very funny." Ace's grin was shaky. "You're getting a little too good at that bullshitting."

"'m serious," David said. "I'm in this for the long haul. I love you, and I wanna marry you someday. I'd do it now, if you asked me to."

Ace fidgeted and felt himself flush. He cursed the lack of hat to hide behind, because this was… Ace didn't do this, these earnest confessions and plans for the future—hell, he'd never even been able to say those three little words back to David. Yet here David was, already talking about tying the knot.

"But I know ya need time," David said, smiling much too happily considering Ace's emotional constipation. "Lucky for me, time's all we've got in here."

He leaned in, rough fingers rubbing gentle circles over the stubble on Ace's jawline, leaning in to murmur against Ace's ear.

"Take all the time you need, luv."

Ace almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. That was David King for you; stubborn, loudmouth, loyal to a fault…

And hopeless romantic, even when it came it washed-up gamblers with commitment issues.

Ace smirked. "Kiss me like that fifty more times and I'll see what I can do."

And David threw his head back and laughed, a deep bellow that had to echo all the way to the shared campfire, looking so damn happy that it made Ace's chest feel tight and butterflies dance in his gut.

And, then David's mouth was on Ace's again and his goddamn gentle hands were caressing Ace like he was something precious. Ace felt like he was falling, tumbling into something unknown and maybe not as scary as he'd always feared. 

One day, he'd be able to say it back. For now, Ace only smiled and melted into the kiss, settling in for a cozy night safe in David's arms.

[defeatsthem]

“📔” FOR MJSEFF I AINT EVER SENT SOMETHING SO FAST

TW for anyone that might read this, as this extremely dark au has already been discussed with @twotonesoffun. Read this with the utmost caution.

MAJOR TRIGGER WARNING: depression, suicidal thoughts and ideation

This takes place after Max's surgery and beyond. All he could do with his free time was mull over every stupid thing he'd ever done or said in his life.

Day 1:

Yesterday you left. I don't blame you for it one bit. You should've left. Matter of fact, you shouldn't have ever even shown up at the hospital at all. I keep staring at the bottle, the temptation to grab a fistful of pills and just end it right here is so tempting without you here. This house is so bare and I never realized how empty it was until your laughter wasn't here to fill it.

Day 13:

Thirteen days post-surgery. My knee still hurts like a fucking bitch. I won't lie, the worst part isn't getting out of bed by myself or having to resort to an in-house nurse in the meantime to take care of me now. It's humiliating. My fingertip keeps hovering over your name in my contacts, wanting to send a message but I don't dare to. Instead, I just open the video of me fucking that blonde woman to remind myself why I hate myself. Still, the temptation to take all those leftover painkillers lingers. I dunno why I haven't done it yet.

Day 42:

Physical therapy is getting easier, I guess. I can finally get off crutches in a few weeks but... whatever. It's been three weeks since the New Year holiday came and went and I can't believe it's been nearly a year since Seth and I hooked up at that rest top for the first time. I still remember how he felt... how I felt. It's forever engrained in my brain no matter how many times I wanna just forget about him because I'm ninety - nine percent certain he's forgotten about me already. I really need to stop directing this journal to him so maybe with this entry, it'll force me to.

Day 99:

Fuck, I miss you. I almost sent a message to you today, asking you how you were as if you'd even fucking respond. I at least finally flushed the rest of my meds down the toilet finally. They were burning a hole in my chest every single fucking night sitting on my nightstand. It was hard to discard the only thing you'd ever race to see me for. Fuck, I'm writing about him again when I said I wouldn't.

Day 273:

Nine fucking months. I was told I'd be out for an entire year but I'm a damn machine apparently. The past nine months have been an absolute mindfuck, but weirdly enough, it was necessary. I had to be on the brink of killing myself to see what I really wanted out of life. All I want is for him to be by my side again. Luckily, after getting some insider knowledge, I was able to find out where RAW is tomorrow night. I'm gonna go see him again. I can't be caught by security or talent otherwise I'll be kicked out immediately and probably arrested for breaking and entering into his bus but... at this point? I don't have much else to lose.

Day 274:

I'm burning this motherfucking journal right away tomorrow regardless of what happens in the next couple of hours. No one can know I even did this shit or sounded like such a whiny teenager bitch, okay? I can hear his music playing and I'm watching the show, sipping back an IPA from his fridge. The same kind that was in there the first time we met. He never changed, did he? He shouldn't. I can also smell that body wash he loves lingering throughout this entire thing. I don't dare make a sound since his driver is right outside, mingling with the crew. [THREE HOURS LATER.] I can hear his music playing again. He must've done the dark match after the show. At least it gave me some more time to get mentally prepared to see him again. I feel nauseous. Maybe I shouldn't have come...this was so fucking dumb of me. Shit. I hear his voice outside... here goes nothing.

[mekanikaltrifle]

🦇 99 bat attacks!

oh gods 99 of them oh no oh fuck

here, have a little bit of extra story for Butterfly County. If you can remember when that interaction took place, you win a point (you specifically. I don't expect folks not playing it to get it) --

The grass underfoot crunched with dry weakness as Leo strode in time with Juniper. 

“You really think this is gonna work out okay? June? You think this is gonna work out okay?”

Leo walked backwards to face her, hands thrown up in exasperation. Juniper for her part had so little change in posture that her subsequent “Calm down Leo, this is ridiculous,” barely had any impact. But he still walked on ahead all puffed up from frustration and impatient man-hubris anyway. 

“No! No, our numbers are dwindling, man!” He paused on the spot; June kept marching. 

“These are the first newbies we’ve seen in… how long now? What does this mean??” He flapped. “It’s not good! Like last time-- ugh. Look. It was the end of the world last time people started getting Called. ”

Juniper shrugged, as if that wasn’t all that important. 

“Well the world didn’t end. You’re overreacting, Leo,” she sighed back at him with a shake of her head. 

By now their walk had taken them further away from the base and closer to the tree line, where darkness encroached. 

“Am I? I mean. Yeah, it’s a big reaction, I know, but… Think about it. We’re the literal omens of the apocalypse, or we were last time!” By now Leo’s intense dark eyes were fixed on Juniper’s neutral expression. Finally she stopped and looked down at him with the slightest tilt to her head. Both hands stayed in her coat pockets. 

“...The Messengers told you that. I didn’t think you were in the business of believing them as gospel,” she doubted, and he threw his hands up in exasperation again. 

“I-- I don’t, but why else would people around the world have started getting mystic powers out of nowhere and told to just go out there and kill the monsters at all costs? Seems a bit like a last ditch effort to me, no?”

“...”

He raised an eyebrow impatiently as she mulled the thought over. 

“Whatever is the truth… we cannot tell the new ones this.”

A feeling of cool certainty graced Leo’s skin under his thin sports-wear. 

“Yeah, I uh. I don’t think they need to hear that anytime soon. Rookie life is a bitch even without knowing the fate of, well, everything rests on your shoulders. But hey, at least they’re not alone in it right? Not that I was but…” Leo rambled, but something about his last sentence made Juniper look up and away for a few seconds. 

“...Oh, you had Cody," she said as if there'd been a whole other sentence she wanted to say.

“Yeah. Yeah, I did. And a couple other guys but I uh… never saw em again after that. Hope they made it, yknow?”

He fidgeted on the spot by the tree line and looked from her to the woods and up to the sky; anywhere but staying still. 

“I hope so too. But we’re dying.”

Leo drew a big, heavy deep breath in and stopped fidgeting for a moment. 

“...Not enough of us left anymore, is there?”

Juniper fished her phone out of her pocket and brought up the contacts list to show Leo- almost all of the hunters’ names she’d had on call, the last time they’d talked was at least six months before, and many longer than that. His handsome face twisted up in discomfort, and the pair of them looked back towards the house they were using as a hideout. That too, had been the home of another Imbued once. 

“All we have is them,” Juniper murmured at length. 

And Leo, as resistant to silence as he was, tried to open his mouth to say something. Nothing could be said that was worth a damn, and so he let that long breath out. 

They stayed there for a few more minutes, in quiet.

[milkytheholy1]

Everything Ends: Part 5

_______________________________________________

With The Turtles

The air was tense, no one had said a thing while the Turtle Tank drove along the ruined tunnels of New York. Everyone was on edge, but more importantly, they were all hurting. Mikey and Donnie had just lost their older brother, Casey had lost the hope of saving the future and Leo?

He not only lost his brother and his chance to make a change, but he also lost you. 

"Ugh, I can't take it anymore, the silence is killing me!" Mikey cried out, more so out of frustration than any pent-up sadness and anger. Donnie nodded his head, flicking his eyes between the road and his younger brother, "For once I agree with 'anglo, we need to just- we need to talk about what's happening, what's going to happen."

"I already told you, I have a plan." Leo moaned out, his glare pointed at his own reflection in the large windows of the Turtle Tank. The lack of light in the underground allowed his figure to be extremely visible, and therefore, allowed him to criticise everything that he despised about himself.

The Turtle Tank swerved and stuttered as it made it through narrow archways, eventually though, Donnie was able to navigate the group towards Raph's location. Leo flicked his hand up in the air, in a very 'I-told-you-so' manner, "See? Smooth sailing. We'll have Raph in no time."

"I hope he's okay." Mikey mewled, "What are we gonna do when we find him once we get there?" he turned to the brainiest turtle of the bunch, but Donatello could only shrug. Donnie tried his best to turn his attention to Leo, but in the end, he decided to speak over his shoulder, "I have many questions regarding 'once we get there'."

"I said I've got a plan, you guys need to relax." the reluctant leader groaned, but his words didn't provide the hope his brothers were expecting. Throughout the journey Casey remained quiet, he couldn't help but feel guilty for all that transpired. Sure, he wasn't the catalyst, and the Kraang invasion was bound to happen. 

But...

Raph was never taken in his timeline, you and Leo never broke up in his timeline, Leo wasn't this...careless in his timeline. Everything was the same, and yet so very, very different. Casey noticed the ungrateful looks passed his way by the so-called Leader in blue, it hurt to see someone who meant so much to him treat him like the dirt he walked on. Maybe Master Leonardo was wrong, he was mistaken to send Casey and should have come back himself.

"Casey!" Leo shouted, grabbing the teen's attention. The boy jolted awake, scratching the back of his head out of awkwardness, "Yes, sorry?"

"I said, 'do you know how and where the Kraang keep their victims?'" Leo mumbled out, still not overly joyed by Future Boys presence. Casey shook his head, "No, the Kraang don't take prisoners."

That really boosted morale.

The air went still once more, maybe everyone was mulling over the upcoming dread. Casey kept offering glances to Leo, eventually, the red-eared slider caught on and snapped, "What?"

Casey jumped at the raised tone, wringing his hands together to calm his nerves. He looked towards the ground, fighting what he originally intended to say, but his mother raised no liar, "A-are you and (Y/N) going to be okay?"

At the mere mention of your name, Leo's whole body deflated. He slouched back into Raph's command chair, he looked ever so small against its large stature. A few tears threatened to fall but he held them back, be emotionless like Donnie he'd repeat to himself like a mantra. 

"I-I don't know," he eventually said, his voice sorrowful. He looked up to Casey with defeated eyes, "What were we like in the future?" God did Casey not want to relive seeing your death play in his mind, he also couldn't tell Leo that you died; maybe he lacked the courage to do so.

"I-" he paused, "You were like my parents, you raised me when my own mother passed. You taught me how to be a strong warrior and (Y/N) taught me how to love and be hopeful even when all was lost."

Leo smiled at that, you always had strong morals, always had a deep sense of hope and that everything would work out in the end. Maybe this was another test, another one of life's ways to see if you and Leo were truly meant to be. But if you were together in the future then surely everything must work out in the end. 

Then something daunting arose in the dark caverns of Leo's mind: Were. You were like my parents, not you're. Past tense. 

Leo slowly turned to Casey with wide eyes, "Y-you said were?"

"Huh?" Casey hummed, trying his hardest not to let such a secret slip. Leo shook his head and pointed an accusing finger at Casey, "You said were, we were like your parents. Casey, what happens to me and (Y/N) in the future?"

Casey started to sweat, it was at times like these that he wished he shaved his hair like his mother. Just as he opened his mouth the vehicle stopped and Donnie's voice cut the tension, "We're here!"

[crymeariveronceagain]

Keefe being raised by the Neverseen and Sophie being raised by the Black Swan

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

OKAY OKAY AAAAAAAAAAAAH IM GETTING SO MANY IDEAS FOR COOL SOULMATE AUS DANG DANG DANG OKAY UM??? SHORT ONE IG???

The first time he saw the Moonlark it was on the battlefield.

Of course he would. That's what his life was like.

She stood in her black cloak, he stood in his.

Their eyes scanned each other.

And for the first time, as soon as they locked eyes, the world shimmered into overwhelming color around them. There was more than white and gray and black. There was green, blue, brown, red, orange. Smoke billowed up into the blue sky and yellow flames dusted the ground.

Keefe gaped.

Turned back to the girl, the Moonlark, the person he'd been raised to destroy.

"Shit," she said. "It's you."

"How am I gonna explain this to my mom," he gasped, still in awe of color.

"You're not," the Moonlark said, taking a step towards him across the flaming ground. She held out her hand, open, and he wondered if hse wanted him to cut it off, or she wanted him to hold hers. "We've got two choices here, Lodestar. Listen close."

"To what?" He didn't know what to think of her. "Kill each other or kiss each other?"

She shot an annoyed look at him. "You can come with me, and we run off together. Or, we split up and never, ever, ever mention this again to anyone."

"How do I know you won't use it against us," Keefe said.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm part of a secret terrorist organization. I can keep a secret as well as you can. And you know that this would ruin the both of us."

Keefe had nothing to say to that. He knew exactly what his mother would think if this got out. So he stared at the Moonlark, his soulmate, the person he was destined to love forever, the person he'd been created to destroy, and he mulled it over.

"Well?" she said, simply. "I've got two minutes before I need to get back to my..." she trailed off, shaking her head. "I have two minutes before they need me to be somewhere. Make up your mind now or never, Lodestar."

And he only had one thought than made sense in his mind.

He'd never cared much for fire, anyway.

"Let's go."

The Moonlark smiled, and pulled off her cloak. "Leave your knife, Lodestar."

He dropped everything he had, except for his tunic, in the dirt next to everything she had. No knives, no cloaks, no tracking necklaces, nothing that could tie them to their organizations.

Just two genetically mutated teenagers.

He reached out, and took her hand.

She let a tiny grin traipse across her lips.

And they ran.

They didn't look back.

[helpistolethesecharacters]

Down By The Docks

Bucky Barnes x Male Reader

Word Count: 1810

This is inspired by another request, from an anon this time.

The idea is a '40's AU. I wasn't totally sure if that meant they wanted a story totally set in the 1940's or something that just didn't reference the war, or pretended the war wasn't on/our characters aren't involved in the war, so I just picked one.

Hope this is what you wanted anon!

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

Bucky Barnes was one of the best looking fellas Y/n had ever laid eyes on, of that he was sure. It was only his second day working down on the docks, but he was sure he could happily spend the rest of his life working this menial job if the view never changed.

He was always quick with a smile for a pretty dame or even, Y/n had noticed, a particularly handsome fella.

Y/n had thought for sure he had imagined seeing his 'impressing a pretty dame' smile aimed at the bloke who had delivered a sack of letters to the area they were working in.

He would have written it off as the heat getting to him if not for that very same smile being directed his way later that day while they were all sitting around eating their lunches.

None of the other's seemed to have picked up Bucky's brazen flirting with both genders, or maybe they just didn't care. That last one seemed pretty unlikely though.

Y/n just hiked up a brow at Bucky the second time he shot him that pretty smile. He had no idea what to do with that. It couldn't be helped that it was illegal to be that way, that was just the way of the world.

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

Y/n was sure that Bucky was trying to kill him.

He had shown up to work wearing his standard work wear. Just the worn whites and browns of clothes that had been washed too many times but that you couldn't afford to throw out yet.

It just wasn't fair that the day was particularly warm, so everyone had ended up stripped down to their pants. All those half naked male bodies glimmering with sweat, the noises they made unconsciously as they lifted boxes full of cargo and moved them to where they needed to go.

And right there, in the middle of it all, Bucky Barnes. Poor Y/n had ended up being sent home from being 'affected by the sun'. It wasn't his fault dammit, Bucky had been parading around looking good enough to eat. Y/n was ashamed to find himself literally walking into poles and walls in his preoccupation with the half naked Bucky.

----------

Y/n sighed in relief. Tonight was going to be blessedly free of one Bucky Barnes, perpetual thorn in his gay side.

He was going out to a bar. It was an open secret that this particular bar was a gay bar. The cops in that area were happy to turn a blind eye to it largely because several of them were known regulars there.

That didn't mean you could just go about talking about it, or anything that went on inside it while you weren't there.

It was still illegal after all.

Y/n leaned back into his booth and sighed happily. A nice drink, some eye candy that wouldn't beat the crap out of him just for giving them the eye, and a little dancing ought to make his worries just float away.

Y/n had been looking forward to this all week.

Damn Barnes to hell and back.

Y/n moved over to the bar to order himself something silly. He was feeling the need for some ridiculousness tonight.

He had just taken his first sip of his drink when he spotted him. There he was, standing by the bar just a little ways down from Y/n, seemingly ordering a drink.

Y/n tried valiantly to not spit his mouthful of booze all over the bar. He had paid good money for that drink and he would be damned if he wasted it.

It didn't work very well. Some of it ended up coming out of his nose, and as he hacked up the parts of it that went down the wrong pipe to choke him, the rest dribbled down his chin.

'Well, that was attractive,' Y/n thought drily.

"Oh gosh, are you alright? Here, let me help."

Y/n turned watering eyes on the man addressing him.

He was met with a short blond who looked like a stiff wind could knock him over if he wasn't careful.

He was holding out a handkerchief and looking unsure of himself.

Y/n went to reassure the stranger that he was fine, but some small remaining part of the drink that hadn't been attempting to kill him before chose that moment to do so. Instead of words, he could only hack and cough, trying to get the liquid out of his lungs.

Y/n felt a hand on his back moving in firm circles, trying to help. He looked back over at the man to find him at his side frowning as he rubbed at Y/n's back.

When Y/n could finally speak properly he took the handkerchief, which had once again been offered, to clean his face of tears and spit and snot.

'Who'd have thought that alcohol burned so badly going into a person's nose and lungs?' Y/n thought disgustedly.

When he had cleaned himself up properly and turned back to his savior he suddenly realised he had no idea how to make this situation any less awkward.

The other man apparently had no such reservations.

"I'm Steve by the way. That looked pretty painful. Are you okay now?"

He was so earnest, and it didn't look like he was laughing at Y/n at all, so he could only nod vaguely.

"Yeah, I was just surprised by something. I'm Y/n, just so you know."

Y/n paused, feeling every bit as awkward as he ever had.

"Um, after that bit of excitement, I think I'm gonna call it a night. Murderous drinks aside it was nice meeting you. Can I clean this and bring it back here some time for you Steve?"

Y/n held up the thoroughly soaked handkerchief, cringing internally.

"Oh, don't worry about it, but are you sure you don't want to stay for a little bit longer? I'm here with my friend, but he's never very good company when there's dancing and alcohol involved."

Y/n mulled it over for a second, before manners kicked in.

"Yeah, no worries. I could stay for a bit longer, if only to save you from a lonely evening."

Steve's smile was sweet, but Y/n also couldn't detect anything else behind it. It didn't seem like he was trying to hit on Y/n, just that he didn't want to spend the night alone while his 'friend' danced the night away.

Y/n followed behind Steve as he led him over to the booth that Y/n had originally been sitting in.

Y/n stopped still at the sight of who was sitting across from Steve. Bucky dang-it-all-to-heck Barnes.

At their approach, Bucky turned away from the two women sitting with him in the booth. His handsome face lit up when he registered who it was standing in front of him.

"Stevie, there you are. I was starting to think you ditched me earlier than ever, but look what you found. I should bring you here more often."

Steve just gave Bucky a blank look.

Y/n couldn't blame him. If his 'good friend' had taken him out for a night of fun, he wouldn't have appreciated him looking at other guys that way either. He wasn't exactly backward in letting people know he was interested from the sounds of it.

Y/n stood awkwardly by the booth, not really sure if he should still be there. He had followed Steve to keep him company, but if it were him in Steve's shoes right now, he'd want him to leave.

"Um, I think I should probably head off actually."

Steve turned back to Y/n looking confused.

"Oh, well if you're sure. You don't have to stay if you don't want to of course."

Y/n refused to acknowledge the fact that Bucky was honest to goodness pouting. Was there anything in this world that was fair?

"Well, at least let me walk you out."

There would be no arguing apparently, as Bucky was already out of his seat and herding Y/n to the door.

"It was nice meeting you!" Y/n barely managed to turn to yell to Steve as he was pulled away by the ever insistent Bucky.

Once they made it outside Bucky paused and turned to face Y/n.

"Hey."

Y/n turned to face him.

"Gotta say, I'm gettin' a bit confused here."

Y/n frowned but stayed silent.

"When we met at work I thought you were pretty cute, but you don't hit on people down by the docks if you wanna live to see the next sunrise, you know? But then you were always starin' an I thought, maybe you mighta been interested. Then that day you kept walkin' into things happened and I was pretty dang sure you were."

Y/n was blushing by now.

'Great so he did notice.'

"But then I see you here."

Bucky had moved closer and lowered his voice, speaking softer.

"An, no offense to Stevie, but he's not exactly every guys dream-boat. You know, I don't even think he knows this is a gay bar."

He broke off here to chuckle quietly. He was standing so close, he was practically pressing Y/n up against the wall of the bar.

"But then you're actin' all stand-offish. Like you can't even bare to look at me. So, what's a guy to think?"

Bucky seems to realise how this might be coming across and pulls away to give Y/n some room.

"Do I got a shot with you Y/n?"

Y/n had been floating somewhere dreamy with Bucky pressed up so close to him, but when he pulled away, reality came crashing down. How dare he ask questions like that when Steve was in there waiting for him to get back?

"You got some nerve Barnes. You can't just ask anyone out. Not when you got a fantastic guy like that waiting for you in there!"

"Fantastic guy? What-"

Y/n cut him off before he could sweet talk his way out of this.

"Steve! He's sweet, and kind and probably way too good for someone who flirts with everyone on the block!"

Bucky was laughing, which Y/n thought was way out of line.

"Wha, Y/n, Steve's just a friend. He don't even swing that way."

Y/n's face lit up with the brightest blush he had ever felt. He was sure he was going to actually self-combust before long.

"Oh."

"Yeah. So is that why you looked at me like that?"

He moved closer again, and when he spoke that damned silver tongue was back.

"I would never. When I'm with someone, they're the most important person in the world to me. Besides, how could I ever look my ma in the face again if I treated my partner like that?"

Y/n blushed fiercely.

"So whaddya say? Give me a shot?"

Y/n could only nod, face still a brilliant red.

[persephones-wren]

Could you write a Kaz Brekker request where the reader and Kaz are more than friends but not lovers and the reader is a Crow and therefore, can handle things for herself so she doesn't tell Kaz when a friend's ex is threatening her but Kaz ultimately finds out when the ex comes to the Crow Club and Kaz handles it since as much as he knows she capable, he is still protective of her and it leads to them finally becoming official?

Protective (Kaz Brekker x Reader)

I'm sorry about the ending, I couldn't find a great way to finish it- but maybe I'll fix that when I can think of something. Besides that, I hope you like it! :)

Warnings: depicted abuse, mentions of sedatives, misogynistic language (please let me know if there's any more)

Genre: not fluff

Word Count: 2705

You had a confusing relationship with Kaz.

It was an odd “more than friends, less than dating” relationship. It made sense, considering in the Barrel, women were more property than anything else. Besides, leverage was a thing everyone wanted on Kaz, even his closest allies. He wasn’t going to put himself in a position that made him anyone’s puppet. You didn’t exactly need him to declare you untouchable, anyway; you were usually more than okay with skirmishing with the Dime Lions and others that happened to be in your way.

You had never expected him to help you handle things that you could do alone.

It had been one of your wealthier friends, who helped get you out of the Menagerie. She had dated Zachariah Alix, a man with power and influence. She had usually dealt with his off-putting advances and abuse, but even you, who couldn’t see her often, could tell she wasn’t happy.

“Break up with him, then.” Your voice echoed in her private chambers as she sighed, multiple emotions running through her expression.

“Y/N, I just, I can’t. We’re already supposed to be married soon. Criminals in the Barrel are lucky in the way that you’re allowed to love who you please,” and damn your head for immediately thinking Kaz, “but merchers, well, it’s not that simple.”

“You callin’ me a criminal?”

“Yes,” she muttered, and you laughed, “but that’s not the point.”

“Are your parents forcing you to marry him?”

“Not exactly, but there’s going to be a lot more pressure if I break up with him.”

“Alright, well...from the list of merchers we’ve stolen from-'' she shot you a look, “sorry, sorry. It’s true though. I’m sure there’s someone on the list that’s for you.”

“I’ve got someone in mind already.”

“Well, that makes things easier, doesn’t it? Break up with him and get with the other guy. No parental pressure. Why do you need my advice, then? I get caught here and I’m as good as dead.”

“Okay, okay! It’s not parental pressure,” she lowered her voice, guilt painted across her face. “He’s going to stalk me if we break up. He might kill me. I don’t know what to do.”

“Alright,” you mulled it over. “That’s different. What can I do for you, then?”

“Can you be there when we break up? Moral support? And perhaps, well...if it wouldn’t trouble you, maybe do a little something to get him to leave me alone.”

“Like beat him up. It won’t trouble me,” you had answered. “Sure, I’ll do it.”

“Thank you,” she sighed in relief. “You’re the best, Y/N.”

“It’s nothing.”

…

“I don’t think we should continue on like this.”

There was a tension-filled silence, before Alix spoke again. “Why not, sweetheart?” He advanced towards her, and you had to prevent yourself from physically cringing. You were mostly moral support, and there to defend your friend if she got into deep shit, but, well...hopefully it wouldn’t come to revealing yourself.

“You- get off of me,” she pushed him away harshly. “You don’t get to talk me into forgiving you again. You are a child. You hit me and scream and throw tantrums. I want to be with someone who loves me, not someone who treats me like his mother. So that’s it. Get out of my house. We’re breaking up.”

There was another silence, before he spoke up again. “You little bitch,” he snarled, and grabbed at her dress, “you think you can just break up with me? No one’s ever going to be there for you. I’ll kill you and blame it on some Barrel thug. Check yourself, you’d be nobody without me.”

His hand closed in on her neck, and she looked to you, panicked. You put a finger to your lips before you snuck behind him, flicking off the safety and putting the pistol to his head.

He froze.

“Drop her.”

He did, and she slid down against the wall, tears streaming down her face. You had never intended to let it get that far, and it hurt your heart- but you had to deal with him first.

You knocked the gun into his head and used your elbow to knock him to the ground, putting a foot on his chest.

He looked up at you, terrified. What a coward.

“Too bad your daddy never taught you how to use guns,” you taunted, and grinned. “You leave her alone. She’s broken up with you. Get out of her house.”

“You’re Brekker’s whore, aren’t you?”

Your grin grows incredulous. You apply pressure to his chest steadily, and he wheezes, but he still continues.

“Yeah, look at you.You’re all upset, aren’t you, girl? Bet you’re sold out to half of the Barrel by him. Brekker likes his Kruge.” His eyes scan from underneath you. “Can’t say I’d blame him if he wanted to keep you as his personal pet, though.”

You scoff. “Careful what you say, I’m the one with a gun,” you remark, and you click a bullet into place for show, before taking your foot off. “Get out. If you touch her again, it’ll be more than me you’ll deal with.”

He scrambles upwards and disappears, and you hear the front door open and shut. You sigh.

“I’m sorry, I never intended for him to get that far. Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” your friend sighs, hands lightly touching the bruises on her neck. “I think I’ll be okay. Thank you. What about you? You’re not-”

“I’m not with Kaz.” You help her up, and she smothers out her dress. “If Alix ever bothers you again, let me know.”

“Of course. I doubt he will. Thank you again, Y/N.”

…

He never did bother her again, but you- you were a different story. Every day, now, Kaz would offer you a note with some vague taunt on it.

“I’ll kill you.”

“Brekker’s slut! Slept your way to the top!”

“Let’s fight without a gun next time. I’ll have you pinned underneath me.”

“I’ll sedate and have my way with you. You still know some things from the Menagerie, don’t you?”

You had brushed off most of the taunts and threats, but they might’ve been starting to impact you, just a bit. You had assumed that Kaz had never read the threats. Each time, he would hand you the note with no expression.

Today’s note was a bit different.

“Y/N. Another note came in for you today.” He set the note on the table.

“Huh? Oh, thanks.”

You picked it up and unfolded the note, shielding the back of the paper with one hand. Kaz was clever, one of the many things you liked about him. You were sure that he’d try and read the back of the note if he could.

“Let’s meet on your territory. Crow Club at eight, in the alleyway.”

“Got yourself a boy, Y/N? These notes have started coming in every day,” Jesper whistled next to you, eyes scanning over the note. You look up, and Kaz is gone, watching from more of a distance. They’ve got it completely wrong.

You glance back down, and fail to notice how Kaz’s fingers tighten on his cane. Your laugh is dry, and you shake your head. “Nothing of the sort.”

Jesper ignores your denial. “Well, whoever he is, he seems awfully persistent. He wants to meet at the Crow Club, in the alleyway? Kinda sweet he wants to meet on your land, but why won’t he come in? He afraid of us, or somethin’?”

“Something like that,” you affirm.

“Well, I wouldn’t want to meet in here, either,” Inej says.

“Especially not with him here,” Jesper adds.

Your eyes meet Kaz’s across the room, and you both stare for a moment before he turns and looks away.

“Maybe.” Your answers are ambiguous, and you’re sure both Inej and Jesper want to know more, but you need to prepare for tonight.

“Sorry, guys. Excuse me.”

…

You have three throwable knives strapped into your boots, a small handgun holstered in your coat, and a syringe full of clozapine tucked up your sleeve. You’re prepared to take Alix down easily. You don’t exactly intend to shoot him, if only to make sure that the Crows don’t have a bigger target on their back from getting involved with the wealthy, but- well, you can’t deny it’s good to be ready in dire circumstances.

It’s 7:58 by the time you’re heading out to the back of the alley. You’re hiding behind the wall, just about to step over, but there’s already voices conversing there.

Did he bring backup? You grimace. You hadn’t considered that he might not fight fairly.

“Did she send her boyfriend after me ‘cause she was too much of a pussy to show?”

“I’d be careful what you say about Y/N.”

That’s Alix, and Kaz.

You’re not sure what you’re supposed to feel. He never did these kinds of things for you, never declared you his, but- you could handle this yourself. You didn’t need his protection, and you didn’t need him going out to deal with things because of one creepy ex.

Or, your thoughts betray you, you’re worried for him, because this could be a trap.

He glances over at the wall, where he seems to know you’re standing. It’s a warning glance, one to be quiet and let him deal with it.

“Aw, Brekker, you sweet on her? And here I thought it was a one-sided thing. Too bad I’m gonna ruin that pretty face of yours.”

Alix comes swinging. Kaz doesn’t say anything in reply, and instead jabs his cane forward, right into his stomach. He stumbles backward, and Kaz is still poised, waiting.

“I thought you were going to be more of a challenge than this. Even a fool knows not to attack first.”

“I’m no fool, Brekker. Don’t make any more sudden moves, or you’ll be shot. Do you know how easy it is to hire hitmen?”

There’s a faint look of surprise in Kaz’s expression before it smooths back into calm. “Well, to be honest,” he smiles pleasantly, “I thought merchers were above such methods.”

He’s glancing at you again, before his eyes move over two guard towers.

He’s pointing out to you where they are. Shit, what do you do? You’re no Inej, who can scale the walls and take them down silently. You’re no Jesper, who can shoot them with precision. You’re not going to be able to take out both snipers quickly enough. If you kill Alix and Kaz doesn’t dive behind the wall in time, he’ll get shot.

You let out a silent sigh. If only you could get both Kaz and Alix behind the wall, then you can get rid of the problem at its source, and then fuck the hitmen. They’re not going to kill Kaz if they can’t get paid.

“The rich are never above any methods. The only thing the rich care about is eradicating the criminals that roam the streets. I thought I was gonna get Y/N, and I could take her back to Tante Heleen,” he grinned, “But you’ll be worth a lot more. Wonder who’ll lay claim to you first.”

Kaz doesn’t say anything, just puts his hands behind his back, as if he’s waiting to be cuffed. But he gives quick signals to you, right before Alix steps around to secure the bonds- a quick countdown. He’s expecting you to shoot.

“No plans up your sleeves this time, Dirtyhands?”

You suddenly fire at Alix’s shoulder, a scream tearing through his throat as the cuffs drop to the ground. Kaz dives towards the wall, grabbing his cane along the way and breathing hard next to you.

Somehow, your aim remains true, and when you peek over the corner, you see Alix desperately trying to grasp at his wound. A grim sort of satisfaction greets your expression.

“Should’ve shot him in the head,” Kaz looks on with you.

“I’m trying not to paint a bigger target on our backs,” you explain, before you remember you’re supposed to be mad at him. Damn him for taking the fall for you. Did he know it was going to be a trap?

“Why the hell would you confront him alone? I had it handled, Kaz.”

“Not now..” His stare is directed at the shadows. And before you can get another word out, both of you are headed to his office.

The brisk walk is silent, and the tension could be cut through with a knife. At last, you reach his office, and he shuts the door, and sits down at his desk. You stand in front of him.

“Care to explain why you decided to confront Alix by yourself?” “I read the notes. I knew it was a trap.”

This doesn’t make you feel any better. “So you read the notes, where he called me a whore, a slut, your personal toy, and you don’t decide to tell me? You let it continuously happen, and then when the note comes today, you decide to go and white-knight for me because protecting me is a better idea than consulting me, huh?” you scoff. “That’s bullshit. You know I can handle myself. There’s a reason you chose me to be a part of the Crows, is there not? Or is what Alix said true? Did I sell myself to get to the top? Become your bitch?”

“I knew you could handle yourself just fine,” Kaz says calmly. “I didn’t want you to get hurt, because you didn’t consider the fact it was a trap. You could’ve died.”

“I would’ve been fine alone. Just because you’re the one who accounts for everything doesn’t mean I don’t use my head.” You know you’re being unfair, he’s right about the fact that you thought the fight was legitimate, but you could’ve saved yourself all the same.

“I’m not saying you don’t use your head, I’m saying that the probability of you dying if you went alone were much higher. I wanted to help you, save your ass back there,” he refutes.

“I would’ve died. So what? Deaths happen all the time in the Barrel! I die, and what?”

He doesn’t say anything.

You give a sardonic laugh. “I’m just an investment to you. I do what you want, with no question or hesitation, because I put my faith in you. My death just means the loss of a good soldier. I’m replaceable, though. My opinions are invaluable, so you don’t talk to me before you do shit. I’m always going to be underneath you, just a pawn.”

“You’re assuming things.”

“Like what, then?”

“Have you considered the fact that I was there because I wanted to help you? Because you’re a part of my Crows, and I don’t take anyone threatening us too kindly?”

His admission has you pausing, but he continues. “You die, and what? Forget what I may feel. What about Inej and Jesper? What about Nina, Wylan? I don’t want you to be underneath me. I see you as an equal.”

“I-”

“That’s why I was there. Because I-” love you, he nearly says, but he stops himself. “I protect the people I love.”

“And I’m someone you love,” you state quietly.

“Yes.”

You’re not sure how much you must have pissed him off to make him an honest man, but you can’t help smiling a little. “Saints, Kaz, at least ask a girl to be yours before you tell her you love her.”

“Fine. Y/N, will you be my girlfriend?”

“Who the hell are you and what have you done with Kaz Brekker?” You grin.

“Stop dodging the question,” he bites out.

“Yeah, I will,” you sigh. “But don’t get yourself killed, and especially not over me, please.”

“Well, darling, I think it’s fair of me to ask the same thing for you- don’t be reckless. People die far too easily in the Barrel,” he responds.

There’s another small silence, before you speak up again.

“Kaz. Thank you.”

He’s slightly surprised at the genuine warmth in your eyes, quickly replacing the anger that was in them before. He shrugs a little.

“It’s what lovers do, right?”

“Yeah,” you answer. “Lovers.”

Lovers, indeed.

[blackbat05]

Night talks and Dim Sum

Shangqi x Reader

A/N: Hey y’all! This is my first time trying to write a one-shot/fic on tumblr. I have an existing wattpad account where I have some stories published! It’s mainly DC (young justice) combined with hunger games so if you are a fan, do check out @Runnerpottermore! Anyways, I have no idea why I suddenly decided to write a fic after so long - maybe because I wasn’t going through the best of days and also watched the movie recently? I just love the whole cast in general and Mr Simu Liu just killed his role - so yeah! Before I ramble on, I hope you enjoy my fic that I came up with!

Genre: Fluff, PG13, platonic friendship that can maybe turn into something more?

Warning: None? Just maybe broken Mandarin and sweaty people?

Extra Note: Please be kind to me!🥺

‘Bye.’

I take a deep breath, moving the cursor to close the window. Another day was done. Leaning back against the office chair, I stare up into the celling before closing my eyes, taking in the conversation a few hours ago.

‘It’s difficult to change what has already been so ingrained into our childhood. But what you can do is ask - what is the part of yourself that you want to keep?’

Rubbing my temples from the simple yet complex question, I decided that it was time to hit the road and get some fresh air. It was 6pm, Shangqi and Katy were probably still at the hotel.

As dreadful as running sounded to many people, this was one of the days where I could just zone out and mull over the day. The feeling of my shoes pounding into the pavement, body slowly being covered by a sheet of sweat… it felt good. Turning into the last corner of the run, a light tap on my shoulder jolted me out of my little world.

‘Woah is just me!’ My sudden stop had almost resulted me barreling right into Shangqi’s equally sweaty frame. He gives me his signature boyish grin only to earn a smack on his shoulder.

‘干嘛!’ (gànmá) [‘What are you doing!’]

‘吓死我了!’ (xià sǐ wǒ le!) [‘You scared me!’] I retorted back, removing my headphones. ‘What are you doing here, I thought you still had work?’

‘We did, but our shift ended early so I thought I’ll get in a quick run.’

‘10km is quick?’ I look at his phone that was calculating the distance, brows raised. ‘You’re a beast.’

‘Ha ha, very funny. Enough about me, what’s got you out today? I thought you were taking a break?’ We walked side by side, towards the direction of a renowned dim sum stall. ‘Yeah…’ I dragged my words for a while, hesitating to continue. ‘Just needed to think some things through.’ Shangqi nods. That’s the thing I liked about him. He never forced me to tell him things that I didn’t want to. He would wait quietly until I was ready.

‘I don’t know if I’m even going in the right direction. I thought I was doing things right - getting the grades, making sure I understood what was being taught at school… I was so sure that I could help people if I put my mind to it. But these feelings of not being able to do more… I don’t even know my future as a social worker anymore.’ I bit my lips, kicking a stray pebble.

‘Hold up!’ Shangqi steps in front of me, gripping the sides of my shoulders. ‘What did you say?’ He asks me in mock disbelief. ‘I said I’m not a good-‘

‘Nope! The conversation before this has been void! Because the (Y/N) I know is an amazing person and social worker who helps these kids to become the better version of themselves.’ He waves towards the many young Asian-American kids running around merrily in the playground as if to make his statement. A small smile formed on my lips watching Shangqi’s exaggerated movements to the disapproval of an elderly man with wispy white hair. He seemed to have noticed the looks he was getting as he dropped his hands to the sides in embarrassment.

‘Look, my point is that not many people can do what you do. Putting people before yourself, how many people would do that in this world?’

I throw him a skeptical glance. ‘You’re doing it. You’re a literal superhero that stopped a mythical creature from destroying our world. Not that it hasn’t happened.’ Shangqi snorts, ‘Sure. But hear me out. Who were the people that worked day and night to restore some order when the snap happened? Who made sure that these young kids weren’t afraid and reassured them that everything was going to be alright.’

He did have a point. Five years ago, the whole world was thrown into chaos. If I could forget something, it would be the chaos at the children and youth center on the exact day of the snap. Kids as young as four, crying uncontrollably for their missing parents. The older children who put on brave faces for their younger siblings but they too couldn’t make sense of the situation. The remaining social workers scrambling to attend to every need, every child. I was one of them. The sleepless nights, the constant worries - the social services were already overloaded, anymore pressure and the whole industry would collapse. I wanted to believe him but the doubts were becoming stronger by the minute.

Shangqi carefully stares at me as if analyzing my micro expression. ‘I know what I’m saying won’t change anything instantly. But what I do know is that we all have these moments of doubt, even me. I can’t offer you professional advice, but just like how Katy, my aunt and my mom were there for me when I needed them the most in Ta Lo, I’ll be here if you want to talk.’

‘You’re a good friend you know that right.’ My heart felt much lighter compared to the day.

‘Better than Katy?’

‘Don’t push it.’ I joked, eliciting laughter from both of us. Before we knew it, we arrived at the dim sum stall. As always, it was bustling with hungry customers. ‘Come on! Katy’s got a seat for us already, I’m starving!’ He opened the door for an young couple pushing a stroller.

‘Wait!’ Shangqi looks at me curiously. ‘I know we’re both sweaty but I think the situation calls for one.’ I gave a huge hug, ‘Thank you, that meant a lot to me.’

The sudden bear hug definitely threw the man off, but he to was glad for the heart to heart conversation. For more reasons than one.

‘Alright then! Who’s up for some char siew bao! I’m gonna inhale them - deserved it!’ I loudly declared my war against the dim sum, walking towards Katy who was enthusiastically waving at us.

Little did I know, there was a lot going on in Shangqi’s mind too.

A/N: Wew! That was long! If you’ve read it up till here, thank you for reading it! This idea really just popped out at the last minute so I’m not sure if it’s to y’all taste. Please do forgive me for my inaccurate translation - I am Chinese but like Katy my Mandarin is super rusty. Also whichever countries you come from, please give your social workers more recognition. They deserve it for a long time coming! Do give a comment or like if you wish! Just here to write and try and give simple joy to people who are such fans of Shangqi and the MCU in general.