#hey look!! its my fic!! /lh

[aroace-poly-show]

going digging through old bookmarks missing old blorbos and um. reminded of my very fun mental state at the time goddamn bro

[voidwritesstuff]

A Heart beat away

CW: rot,decay,animal death and worms. A lot of angst and comfort.

Summary: In humanity's new home, Fury tries to reach out to her siblings from deep within her heart.

A/N: Does this count as strife september? hes got a few scenes and mentions here (no spoilers). @darkdemeter hey there Dem, youre in for one fluffy and brotherly love filled fic. (I got emotional re-reading this when I was doing my onceover, so you know its gonna hit hard/LH/HJ)

Fury had visited this realm exactly once. It was,perhaps, the one mission she didnt have to slay her way to get done what she needed to.

Now in hindsight,the realm is quite like earth,green pastures,bovine looking animals and a few lakes scattered. The Few difference laid in mostly the Flora of this place,And the fact that as far as she knew there were very few villages.

She sits now at the edge of one of the lakes where the few humans shes now in charge of lived their lives as best as they could. She looks down at her reflection on the water before her and realizes she...looks exhausted.

A sigh leaves the black rider,as she unclasps the amulet gifted by Death. She traces the carvings, feeling the divots and edges of the runes since her gauntlets are tossed to her side with her shoes and shin armor.

The coolness of the water feels nice against the skin of her feet and calves. Few were the moments of rest she got,there was always something she could do or help with back at the village but now she can just relax since humanity has kind of settled in their New home.

With this moment of respite, comes thought. Usually,thoughts have landed her in identity crisis as her journey on earth has so ungracefully shown her. But this one might just be the worst,because as her eyes linger on the amulet she notices her mind drifts to her siblings.

First,of course, is Strife.

When they were children,before all hell broke loose in Eden,they were quite the pair. He had her back at all times, he had returned home with a broken nose just to defend her honor. Strife has always been the sibling she was closest to,at least in recent memory. To younger fury he was...her knight in shining amor,just Like the old fairytales she was told growing up.

Strife...has always had a way to make his sister feel seen,hes never been afraid of putting her in line for her own good even if she complained about it. He has dragged her away from fights she was too small to take on,And always made sure she was okay.

So now she wonders,is he okay? Was he still fending off demons back on earth? Was he hurt?.

Once again he was saving her,that persona of the knight still gleaming through gruff witt and the blood thirsty ringing and roar of his pistols.

Her eyes close as she begins to feel them burn a little,her breath shakes as the crushing worry that has been lingering within her begins to show its face. Fury has never been one to cry,even before the nephilim massacre, but Now she finds herself in need of tears and sadness.

Was she burrowing worry from the future?Was she mourning? If so what exactly was she lamenting the loss of? Her brother or the brotherhood she shared with him?

Regret,thats what began to accompany her sadness. Why didnt she spend more time with him when she had the chance? Had she known he was Jones,would she have acted differently at all?

God,perhaps she has been a bigger asshole than she thought she was. Despite her antagonism towards everyone,specially Death, she now realizes that she just...misses her brothers.

It feels like a lifetime ago,when they were still family and this old world was so,so young. The memories of playing in the mud,of strife braiding her hair in intricate styles, the silliest jokes they would whisper eachother in the dead of night when neither could sleep, the way he would rock side to side when he hugged her...it feels like it didnt happen to her at all.

But it had happened,how could she forget?

How clouded was her judgement to forget the things she had lived?.All the good memories she has forgotten and all the love she denied to have for her brothers. Deep down she knows she felt unfit, ashamed,of relying so heavily on her siblings.

All her life she has been called the dumb one,irrational. No wonder she had the need to prove herself,to go above and beyond even if it hurt and burnt those around her.

Even if she had been told to ignore the stinging words. She wonders if any of her siblings saw something in her that she did not.

Strife sure as hell did.

"In other words,you have lived" he told her after her confession of how she has been all that the deadly sins stood for. Its really mind boggling how she reached this Age and only now has she lived.

--By creator,I can almost hear the 'I told you so' -- she murmured to the wind as if her siblings could hear,its tinted with shame of herself but also fondness. It wouldnt be the first time her brothers were horribly right, and the memories of those times warms up her chest.

Perhaps they could hear her,through the Bond of the vow they took when they became the horsemen. If so she wouldnt be surprised to find them snickering And trying so save face.

However,She has never used the properties of this Bond. She doesnt know how to reach out. Thats what she gets for dismissing Death's teaching- As talented as she was with magic she really had been a stubborn mule of a student.

Perhaps its desesperation that overpowers the paralysis of not knowing how to interact with this Bond.

Fury closed her eyes,holding the Nephilim's Respit tight and focusing on her breath. She slowly feels the world fall away,her heartbeat drumming in an endless blackness whilst also thundering in her ears.

Slow beats fill the void,she sees nothing but herself standing there unsure. But Still her brain is fresh with the memories of her second eldest brother,the laughter,the bickering, old and New she holds those memories to her heart and whispers...

--Hello?

Her voice echoes, grows in pitch and suddenly the empty ebony world seems so small. Her steps are soft and unsure as she walks forward, or what she thinks is forward.

No answer comes but she sees a Long Hall of Mud bricks stained with paint. She...recognized those scribbles, which makes her turn to her right to see a beaded curtain of red.

Widened eyes begin to show the realization within herself. She turns behind her to see a dining room,a rickety old sofa and a Burning fireplace. It smells of dry herbs and that Musk Death has always carried of dead leaves during misty mornings.

It all just pushes her to Keep walking,she sees then a beaded curtain of an odd,splochy Pink. She remembers now it was all hand made,and Pink pigment was hard to attain but Death had tried his damnest to give her that indulgence.

A few more steps and shes before yet another set of blinds,the one she has been looking for. Its maroon, the color easier to make with black,red and a bit of blue pigment.

She clears her throat,feeling like this whole house is bigger than she is.--...hello?-- she hugged the amulet to her chest,feeling safe with it in her grasp.

--Fury...?--Comes the voice of strife,suddenly the air smells of Gunsmoke,the scent hits and it takes her a second to recompose from whats essentially a horse's kick to the nose in smell form

Yet theres an odd ring in the tone,it started off gruff and sounding like it belonged to a grown nephilim,but then it thinned out and cracked like a teenager.

In that moment she realizes where she is. Its her old home back in...somewhere. But before her is strife's room,and if she wasnt mistaken it always looked like a tornado of messyness came over the small bedroom.

--Strife!--She called out,her voice too now childish. Uncoordinated steps make her rush past the courtains that click and clack together with each bead that flows around her face like hanging vines against a breeze.

The decor is lost on her,disorienting like overlapping memories. And the only thing that isnt a blurr is,of course,Strife.

He wears normal,rudimentary clothes. He smiles a fanged grin and says-- Hey,there you are you runt. -- but then her saddened expression registers And he asks-- why the long face?

No doubt in her mind, the female nephilim runs to him and hugs him. The amulet falls to the floor unbroken and her arms grasp him.

--Oh WOAH! Woah easy,easy...--his hands card through her hair, the motion soothing. Its been so long since she has felt the touch of her siblings. He rocks side to side to calm her--Was it those idiots again? Did they pick on you?

Fury knows this is a vivid memory,she tries to push past it by burying her head against her brother's crook of the neck. His words slowly quieten,lowering in pitch until its no longer within her hearing range.

Leaving one only sound,her heartbeat.

She must have lingered there for hours,it certainly felt like it. Was she doing this the right way? What else was she supposed to do? Did she miss a step?

Panic began to grow within her,ready to pull away to at least seek confort in the memory she had plunged herself into.

Her ears ring and suddenly her heartbeat bursts in a dry boom that leaves her deaf and only being able to feel her pulse though her shattered eardrums.

A rapid Fire thrumm that sits between her ears,a choir that only she hears amidst being deaf. Like frenzied violins that tell her to pull back,but shes unable to.

Soon she finds out why.

Within her chest another heartbeat joins,steady Like a low drum. Curiosity overshadowed Fear as she centered in that feeling.

Thats not her pulse.

Her eyes blink with surprise as things begins to click into place,followed by the smell of gunpoweer and smoke.

--Fury?--Came the voice of a very adult strife right behind her. She turns and sees his brother,armor chipped but still standing. His voice cuts through the deafening ringing,bringing her world to a steady foundation once more when she was just about ready to freak out.

Always coming to her rescue.

--Strife! Oh thank the creator!--She whipped around and hugged her brother-- why in the nine hells was it so hard to reach you?!

The gunslinger snorted,hugging back-- thats what you get for zoning out during lectures.

--Like you fared any better

He snickered--hm,fair-- His grip tightens and his voice lowers as he revels in the embrace--This thing wont last long. Lissen,im fine. Are you okay? Are the humans safe?--he sounds..not amused at this experience,perhaps he had fared better in hearing Death's teaching.

Fury nodded-- we're just fine. Im...fine..

--Y'dont sound fine.

She shrugged and melt into the hug,shoosing her brother when he tried to speak. Even if hes a little pressed about it, he understands the message shes trying to convey.

They linger as he rocks side to side within the hug. Just like he has always done when they were kids,it makes her snicker and melt into the arms and sturdy chest of her sibling.

And just like that,shes Back to her body and present time. Bone tired but with a smile on her face.

Tomorrow she would try again.

-♡-

It was a busy day,so Busy that Fury had come back exhausted and was just about ready to go to bed at 7 p.m. when she had finally been able to free herself of all the duties she had undertaken.

She all but collapses on the bed,sluggishly taking off her armor and being able to comfortably fit underneath the covers.

Her whole body feels as heavy as concrete,her muscles Burning and her eyes slowly begining to close on their own. She managed to snatch the Nephilim's Respite amulet before she fell in a hypnagogic state.

This moment was the only thing that had kept her going through today. Her hands move on her own as she noiselessly taps on the totem with the pads of her fingers,the world around her begins to fall alway and she unconciously plunges into the Abyss.

Once again she finds herself within the void,just like she did yesterday. At least now she knows how all of this works...kind of. Kind. Of.

Shes decided that shes reaching out to War tonight,was he still chained at the council's feet? Was he alright?. She knew the worry would eat her whole,and perhaps complicate this already convoluted work of magic. Had it not been for Strife yesterday,who would know what would happen to her.

A steady breath left this representation of her,devoid of armor and weaponry with only the amulet to serve as some sort of conduit and anchor.

Like she did last time,she began to walk whilst trying to remember any of her interactions with War. She expected a memory to manifest in this realm at some point, she had a few hours to spare anyway.

Worry doesnt get a grip on her,not even a few minutes into her walk. But she does grow tired as nothing has given her a signal on where to proceed.

That is,until she begins to hear childish but loud and fast approaching steps. She turns to find herself at the bank of a muddy stream,watching Strife and Death sparr on the land across the body of water.

She feels herself caked in mud and sees a simple wooden staff thrown hastily by her side. Pieces begin to click as she recognizes this memory.

By now she must be around her mid teens,she can feel her hair shorter than how she has it now. Her hands are barely scarred and her body does feel tired but theres still that youthfull unrest within her.

--Sister! Sister!--The voice of the young nephilim that was her brother makes her look behind her again.

There he stands, a hatchling nephilim of very undeveloped features. In human ages she guessed he must be around 10. After so much time, nephilim tended to lose count on how old they were.

--Hm,Yes Child?--Shes curious as to what the kid had behind his back. She tries to sneak a look but War is quick to shift his stance and prevent her from doing so.

Messy platinum hair strewn about his soft features with a rectangle shaped- Very underdeveloped fitting for the lack of years on his life span. His white eyes look up at her with something akin to expectancy.

--I...have a gift-- He said meekly.

--Ah,so is that what you have behind your back?

He nodded,his secret found out. He clears his throat and presents his sister with an unpolished gem of black,magenta and dark pinks swirling within it. Its rough in texture but she can tell theres a feline eye line in the dead center.

--The other kids were playing around in the caves-- he began, quickly adding-- And I.. I know im not supposed to play there, I know Death said its dangerous but I stayed only at the edge!--Theres an urgency to his voice,like he is telling the truth and is desperate for her to believe him--But then I saw this!--He inches the gem closer to her-- And...I knew I had to get it for you before the others saw! There were scary bats and rats but I braved through.

Fury chuckled endeared, her eyes softening and taking the gem-- we might be able to make a warrior out of you,little one. Bats and Rats are scary, and ridden with disease.

War shudered at the idea of falling ill-- Do you like it?

She inspected the dirty gem and sat on the edge of the bank,her brother following suit with an urgency to gain his sisters favor and approval.

--Well it is quite dirty,I cannot tell-- She was just messing with the kid,but she does clean off the rough stone when her words follow silence.

Now in all its Glory, the gift can be appreciated. She smiles and turns to the young nephilim-- Its beautiful, thank you.

War squeaks and hugs his sister who relents and melts into the gesture. Her face buried in his fine,platinum hair.

Her gaze drifts to the reflection in the stream,surprised to see the grown yet youthful face of war. She blinks with stupor and pulls back, she feels his brother grow exponentially and now she has to look up to meet his snowy gaze.

--What sorcery...--He began,but then fury just gave him a shrug.

--Did you also ignore Death's teachings?

The hulking red rider looked away like an embarassed child-- The works of magic are lost on me...

--Like humor?

--Are you sure youre not strife?--He bit Back with good nature. And was that a smirk on his face?--What are you...we doing here?--He turns to see the silhouettes of strife and death locked in a dance of well timed blows and parries. But theyre blurry figures of black against the evergreen forest around them.

--do you recognize this memory? -- She asked,feeling the heat of the sun on her skin even if this was all fake. She gets a nodd to her question,however-- I just...I...-- the words get stuck in her throat. She doesnt feel right talking to him after her mistreatment of him at the chamber of the Council.

War could recognize the tone and expression. She was his sister,of course he knew. And that smirk grows into a grin --could it be...you were worried about me?

Fury almost chokes on her own spit,not used to being read so easily. She coughs out a few crude choice of Words,and her sibling all but breaks into a fit of giggles.

--you flatter me,fury--he began,trying to play nice-- Youve changed...--His voice sounds warm,genuienly happy for her. Like a Real brother.

--Earth and humanity have taught me much-- the answer is short and simple,believing she has shown too Many of her softer parts-- ...are you alright?

He sighed,the inquiry clearly has a more convoluted reply to It. He doesnt know how she Will take it, and Kinder words do not find him-- I believe they mean to...send me to the Abyss.

Fury jumps from her spot beside him,she looks at her brother with wide eyes-- what?! No,no,no War... Ill go to find you i-

The youngest nephilim takes his sister's hand. His palm massive even if both belong to the same species-- Sister,I Will handle it.

--War this is the goddamn abyss!--she yelled,temperance thrown to the wind.-- Ill go find you--She insisted as her feet shifted to help her stand up.

--You must have other duties-- he insisted, his gauntlet hand- so massive and incredibly gentle- cups the back of her head-- You three have always disregarded me for being the youngest. But i implore you to listen to me,to trust me. I Will handle it.

She couldnt live with the idea of losing yet another life time companion. The grief would eat her whole.

Fury brought her brother for a hug,the instinct of an older sister knowing she cant protect her kin-Such a raw kind of pain and Despair- was tearing her appart. She almost cries if it wasnt for the way her brother cooed to calm her as he returned the embrace with careful mindfulness of his strength.

--Sister I do not know where this worry comes from,but...it is appreciated-- his tone is still urgent-- But after I return and I make those who wronged us pay,I Will find you.

War,always so sweet with his siblings. In the end thats all he ever wanted,to be loved by his kin.

--Be safe...-- she urged, still not able to restrain this Burning urgency that claws at her throat and chest. -- By creator,be safe.

His hug tightened and he nodded.--Is it too late to ask for forgiveness for almost decapitating you? -- thats his try at humor,and she plays along like she has always done with him.

--Never--She shook her head-- but that is behind us now....brother.-- she felt him smile against her shoulder,she couldnt see it but being able to sense it made it all the better.

--Im your brother now?--Smug little blight.

--...youve always have been. I was just too blind to see it-- her grip tightens and she can all but feel his stunned expression,yet he soon melts like a child in the embrace of family.

And before she knows it, shes back to her humble abode of dark wood and thatched roof. She rolled on her back,her hands still on the amulet.

--Miss fury?--Came the voice of one of the humans from the other side of the door of her home-- Its past sundown,are you alright?

--Just fine,Gabrielle. --Her voice is groggy and a little strained as she swallows the knot in her throat-- I Will be out in a moment.

--Alright,Please come by in the morning. Angie insists on having you over for breakfast.

Fury snickered-- tell the little runt ill be there. And I might just find her something interesting tonight. -- Angie reminded her of War so much,not only in appereance but her trouble seeking nature and that inherit sweetness to her. The little human might just get along with her brother.

--Very well-- the smile on Gabrielles face is audible,and the rider then proceeds to get ready. Her ears trained on the steps of the mortal growing quieter.

There was only one more sibling to check up on.

And already,she began to dread the encounter.

-♡-

Fury tried to stall the encounter for a few good days,the guilt and shame too much for her. After everything, after almost stealing his place...

How could she be so disrespectful?

The image of Lust's illusion makes her stomach churn, makes her sick. She knows now that she does not want her siblings to kneel...

Simply...she wanted to be respected,perhaps just wanted to be acknowledged. Just like War. And just as simply,she dreaded to meet her eldest brother's eyes and see reflected in them her hubris.

Death had Many faults,but he was a leader all in all. And now shes wise enough to admit that she needs guidance, because being humanity's protector was hard.

Humans...they were riddled with worries and the uncertainties of what was to come for their entire species. She knew the raw fear of survival,a part of that was why she accepted to become a horseman...aside from her loyalty to her family.

She knew that she could not handle such crisis,she felt like an arrow threaded by her own unsteady pulse. And with no-one else to turn to,shes forced to confront her fear not only for her but for humanity too.

After a bit of walking she found a spot with a bit of decayed vegetation. How bugs and maggots Fed from the dead Bark, an endless cycle of death and rebirth.

Fury sighed,sitting with her knees to her chest. She remembers when she was younger,they came across a dead carcass of a hunt Now spoiled.

She remembers being squeamish at the sight,but Death Gently nudged her forward and reached for the animal's skull.

--Its just part of life,Fury-- he commented with a voice soft,patient, almost coldly indifferent at the passing of the animal-- Hunt and hunter,life And death. Its a sacred balance, it died and we...

He uses his sword to sever the head of the animal,and kneels as he carefully begins to clean off the decayed fur. Theres a practiced ease to his movements,he cleans it off as best as he can and when hes done he presents the skull to his sister.

--Icky...-- She commented,kneeling to see the bovine skull with a mix of disgust and awe.

--Perhaps. Death Is a sight to behold-- the older nephilim Noted,understanding of the disgust but also amused-- But be keen,look-- as he talks,he points at the maggots and then Gently shooshes his sister as a flock of vultures feed on the carcass-- Its important to this world. Decay,rebirth,theyre woven together. And it can be...beautiful.

Fury tilted her head,eyes falling to the corpse. --I dont understand.

-- think of this...-- he began,scooping a Mass of worms. His sister recoils with a snarl-- They feed the vultures alongside this cow. We eat this Cow, just like it Ate of the Grass. Its Decay feeds the earth and the cycle begins anew. Just because you dont understand it, it doesnt mean its not important.

He lets go of the Mass of maggots who burrow underneath. He cleans his hands and grabs the skull,to then help his sister up.

--So..the Earth feeds itself, thats it?--The eldest nodded-- I dont see the Beauty in it.

Death snorted-- Beauty comes in Many ways,Child. Like this skull, I believe War Will like it.

--I dont like it

--And just because you do not,it doesnt mean War wont like it either. Perhaps youll find Beauty in this cycle from a different lense-- He offered his hand-- Come now.

And young fury took it as shes guided deeper into the forest for foraging. Trusting of her brother's words.

In time she did find Beauty in death,mainly for the association to her eldest brother. Seeing Decay and blight always made her feel that her brother was close, that she wasnt alone. that her once guiding light, was always showing her the way even if he wasnt physically there.

She centers in that, and that memory just now. She can already feel the crunching of leaves and her steps across the field. Its only noise and touch,still dark as only the void could be.

The more she walks,the more she expected to turn and see her brother holding a bovine skull tucked between his arm and ribs,but nothing ever did appear.

It wasnt time to freak out, why would she? It took her a long time to find strife perhaps death is much the same. He was the oldest after all and perhaps magic wouldnt behave the way it was supposed to- she knew Many things could mess with such powers.

But a solid hour went by and nothing appeared,and to worsen the fear she began to feel the Grass give way to hard cobblestone and everything she could hear was only whistling wind that choired like souls in sheer lament.

Death was...death, perhaps thats what caused the sudden change,surely she was growing closer to him by that logic- or so Fury told herself just so panic and frenzy didnt take hold of her.

--Playing hard to get?--She asked to the void,looking around into an emptyness so consuming, so endless that it swallowed her sight with no sense of depth-- You old bag of bones,do me the courtesy of meeting me half way.

Her voice carried no bite,her teasing smile unstably quivering and teethering the line between faux calmness and mania.

--Youre even hiding Dust from me,are you?--She kept going,trying to believe her own lie that she wasnt completely alone.-- Dust! Come here! I May just have seeds for you.

But not even the cawing of crows met her ears.

Its such a deafening silence,even her meek and fearful steps startle her every time she hears them,she didnt understand where the cobblestone path came from..an overlapping memory?

Whatever the answer it all ended un the same thing: Fury,terrible engine of rage and rider of the black horse,felt herself beaten by fear.

Was there a way to brute force this? That was her first instinct. Could she pull her brother by the ear and yank him down to meet her here in this realm?

Death more than anyone should be able to fully sense her reaching out.

--This isnt funny anymore,brother!-- She began,the nickname so foreign as she began to run towards what she believed to be forward. Her heels echo on a stone floor she cannot see and each frenzied step she takes terrifies her more and more.

Brother.

When was the last time shes genuinely called him that?

--Brother!-- she called out again,voice wavering-- Death where in Oblivion are you?!

She must have ran for hours,until her legs quiver and falls. Overcome by worry and grief she screams,ripping her throat and clawing at the black floor that has no depth and is nauseating to stare at.

Were those tears falling? Her face felt so warm,she felt so lost.

No guiding light.

No knight to come to her rescue.

Curled in a ball she sniffs loudly and cries,perhaps her tears pool on the ground or they dont. She can see anything, she can only hear her heaving sobs filled with mucus and gasping breath that grates her throat into fine sand.

Her brother would not be so cruel.

She knew him.

But she couldnt find him,not in this place.

--Where are you...?-- she asked,a voice barely audible. She has never felt so defenseless even with her armor on, just like a child lost in the forest.

And all the while the cobblestone floor texture taunted her,only then does she recognizes the choir,the whistling of the wind she had forgotten about in her fear.

She needed an anchor,something to calm her before she can try to pull away from this place. "Be keen" the rider told herself,as ever so slowly the whistling became singing and moaning of souls.

And then...blue light,it lights up her path. She looks up,made a mess of tangled hair and reddened face.

Large is the arch a few feet away her,she doesnt understand what is going on. She Begged for death to show,and only souls heeded her call.

One final glimmer of insight comes to her, souls answering the call of the reaper. She always found Death's description of his role as flamboyant theatrics,but by now she Will take whatever this place gives her.

Still,her walk is uneven and stumbling. Her breath burns her lungs with her throat scratched deeply by her despair,and yet one step and then another she approaches the arch.

Her trail marked by something that gives her some calm. Crow feathers,guiding her like a mournful path of breadcrumbs past whats behind the carved stone looming over her.

Blue light wraps around a circle platform,shes puzzled that the trail ends at the very end of whatever this was.

--Death...?--The name sparks a surge of pure energy that breathes overwhelming life into her and just as quickly takes it away, euphoric and disorienting. With it comes the flash of blue and she begins to see skull phantoms began to float in and out from the blue gossamer sheen.

She follows the path to the end,unsure of what else to do. She looks past the low wall and into the center of the light, she finds no answer and pulls back.

Theres a pulse in the air now that shes close to this source of power,she recognizes the slowness of it. Only one person she knows has a resting heart rate of 40.

Perhaps this is just a stupid prank, and she really doesnt like it.

In her disdain she pulls back,only to knock down something that clatters to the ground making a sound like bone on rock. It only puzzles the rider,and as she looks down at the object all breath is pulled from her.

That stupid,Freaky bone mask of her brother laid on the ground.

She picks it up with shaking hands and asks--Where...where are you.-- She asked,no answer given-- Where are you?!-- she screamed,her fear pulsing through the Bond across this realm. The place swells up at the sheer energy she displays-- Death! Come here right now!

Her voice like a fearful Bark,she Holds the mask to her chest fearing the worst. The whistling of souls still in her ears, coming and going in a cycle.

A cycle.

--Oh,no...-- fury's tone shakes with realization. Finally the place shes in makes sense.

This is a Well of Souls.

And by all indicators...her brother was dead.

What a horrible thing to understand. How could this happen doesnt matter now. Fury gives up her fight and collapses to the ground, slowly Losing her mind to her grief.

She expected to hit the ground roughly,but the impact never comes. She feels cold as strong arms hold her up,and though she cant see through her tears she hugs whatever is gripping her.

Theres no words,nothing to say other than-- Im sorry,im so sorry. Please dont be gone,please dont be gone.

--Im not gone,child-- the voice of death himself is devoid of any teasing bite or sardonic grit. He settles his sister on the floor and hugs her with a gentleness so unbecoming of him.

--...why didnt you answer-- she can barely talk from how hurt her throat is.

--Its hard to hear,among the dead.

--Why...why are you dead?! What happened...!

--To ressurect humanity...I had to make a sacrifice. -- he cooed,gently stroking her hair.

--Nothing Is worth more than your life...

The old reaper sighed,hugging his dear kin tight-- I hoped for humanity's rebirth to be the freedom of War.

She scoffed bitterly and began to tell him about what she spoke with War,what happened to humanity and how theres only few survivors now. Death seemed to...deinflate at the news,but not all was lost.

Afraid,meek and feeling too weak to fight her pride she says--I dont want to lose any more people I care about--And just like a child,she asks-- Will I see you again?

Death nodded-- Surely. Life is a cycle. And i do believe our work is not done.

Fury sighed and cuddled closer-- Im sorry,im so sorry for everything Ive done to you...

He could never hold a grudge towards his siblings. He shakes his head and closes his eyes,his face pressed on the side of her skull.

--nobody knows your fury more than me,there is no ill Will I could hold to you. Youre still my sister.

--But ive been awful to you

Even in his untimely demise,Death had to fight the fear of vulnerability--my love for you three is unconditional.

Life hasnt been easy,and neither of the four have made the best of desicions. But still they prevailed,and so did their Bond.

The pale rider pulls away to wipe the tears of his sister,humming under his breath a gentle lullaby to sooth her. She slowly evens out her breath and when calm returns, her brother pulls back her hair with his spindly fingers and says.

--Youve grown much,sister.--Was that pride in his voice and face?

Only now she realizes,thats his actual face. Its been so long since shes seen it.

--I...couldnt fight it.-- she admitted --But...I did try.

A warm chuckle left the eldest-- I'd be worried if you didnt. -- he rests on his knees and goes to pull back a strand of wine red hair that got into his sister's mouth-- Its not easy being a leader. But surely youll find your way.

She snorted-- Since when are you so...soft?

The world makes him snarl-- Rid it of your mind. --He began,looking away at the ground-- looks like we have both grown. There Is much I must make up for.

Fury was in no mood to fight-- I dont know...anything. I dont know how to handle the human's fears and worries. I just...

--You dont understand? -- Its like hes recalling that same memory she did before all this. He sounds just a little smug,good to see not all of his nature got lost.

She sighed with disdain,knowing fully well what followed-- Suppose so.

Death pulls back his hands to rest them on his lap with his usual slouch akin to a shrimp-- worry is only natural,given their state. There is no rule book for leadership,I would just advice to follow your instinct. I believe youre finally of sound judgement

--Is that supposed to be a compliment?--Fury chided.

He smirked--You ask too much of me,sister.

The she horseman pulled her brother for a hug and decided to enjoy the company before the spell ended. He seem to catch on and hug back with no fight or complaint- He missed being a brother,so here he is.

--We'll bring you back-- She promised under her breath.

--We'll see eachother again-- His voice is so certain, it calms her and gives her a fixed point as she begins to lose the sensation of his touch and the world around her.

She now sees the sunset embracing this realm, she holds nothing but air but the smell of dead leaves and humidity cling to her. A final gift.

--At least you finally get some rest-- she commented towards the decayed tree,noting that within the trunk lays a single bird skull with feathers still clinging to it.

Fury grabs it and carefully cleans it on her way back to the human village. Her eyes are puffy from crying but she breathes in and out,she has had enough for today.

Eventually she reaches the human settlement and greets the mortals who dont comment on her tired appereance. Yet she does make a stop to hand the skull to little Angie,who acts a bit disgusted but intrigued.

--Why give me this?-- Asked the child.

--My brother taught me something, little one-- she kneeled to eye level-- The world is very scary for all of Us now. But your kin Will rise again. Just like after winter comes spring. -- she felt so silly saying it but nevertheless she does-- Its a cycle. Right now you feel scared and unsure,but you Will find your place here. All of you Will

Angie's face was a clear sign that the cogs in her head were turning-- I.. think I get it. Uhm thanks miss fury-- the child smiled brightly,warm as the Fire of the rider's youngest sibling-- Uhm..stay for dinner?

Fury's eyes met the gaze of Gabrielle who nodded reassuringly. She then returns to the girl and picks her up-- Very well. -- as they walk she begins to humm a tune,a single lullaby for herself.

The child she holds perks up-- You know it too?--The rider looked at her puzzled-- Jones sung it to me once,made me Real sleepy.

Priceless was the face the she-horseman made,taking just a split second to guess the circumstances that brought this kid to know such an old tune. She chuckles and shakes her head dismissively--Funny. My brother sung it to me,too.

Angie smiled-- Is he as sweet as Jones is?

Fury tapped on the amulet absentmindedly and looked past the window of the kitchen where a family was playing. She knew their story,an eldest brother in charge of taking care of his siblings with no guide other than his heart and witt. Much like Death when he was given the role of care taker.

With a chuckle she answered-- Even sweeter. He can be a bit of a handful sometimes-- she rolled her eyes as she recalled Death's and Strife's dramatic appereances-- Both of them actually, Sooo dramatic.

The child snickered--Jones told me I remind him of his youngest brother...William was his name?

Fury has to hold back a snort. 'William? Really?" She thought-- Hm,you remind me of my youngest brother too. In looks and demeanor. You little trouble maker-- she sets down the kid and ruffles her hair who giggles at the interaction And tries to stop the nephilim from messing with her fine locks.

The black rider knew her journey was far from done,and eventually she Will reunite with her siblings. But until then, she is not as alone as she thinks she is.

She has a family waiting for her here,and beyond all these realms. After all they were just a heartbeat away.

[basicallyjaywalker]

A Little Too Sweet

First fic is ready! And I'm on time if you just forget yesterday happened /lh

This one is for @crying-over-cartoons aka Grey, I hope you enjoy!

Prompts: Pomatter Pie from Waitress; release, dribble, cluster, single, view, swear, file, crack, despise, decoration; 37

AO3 Link

Fic under the cut!

Cole despised kitchen duty. He learned after years of trying to cook dinner—and failing miserably enough times—that he was not a chef. Somehow, though, he’d ended up here. He couldn’t exactly blame Master Wu for asking him to help out. Thirty-seven pies was a lot of pies. Zane couldn’t do it alone, and Kai, Jay, Nya, and Lloyd were busy setting up decorations and furniture. 

If Cole had to be paired with anyone for this job, he was glad it was Zane. First, he actually knew how to bake, something Cole wasn’t sure their other teammates could say. Second, he knew Zane wouldn’t judge him if he screwed up.

They stood in the middle of the kitchen. Cole leaned over the counter, holding a manila folder in his hand. Zane stood beside him, adjusting the tie on the back of his pink apron. 

“‘Mrs. Pomatter’s Famous Fair Pie,’” Cole read the title, written in curly black sharpie. It reminded him of the case files the police kept on known criminals in Ninjago City. “Wonder what makes it so famous?”

“It’s won the Ninjago City Fair’s pie contest four years in a row. It’s surprising Master Wu was able to get her to give the recipe to us.”

“It is for a good cause. Raising funds for the new children’s hospital and all…” Cole flipped it open and started reading the recipe. “Crust: first, put dry ingredients in a bowl. One-and-a-fourth cups of flour… two tablespoons of sugar…”

“Tablespoons?” Zane tilted his head. “That seems like a lot.”

Cole shrugged. “Hey, if it’s won the City Fair four years in a row, she's gotta know what she's doing.”

The ingredients were clustered together in front of them, along with bowls and utensils. Zane pulled out the sealed jar labeled “sugar” and a ring of metal measuring spoons. He measured out the tablespoons and Cole noticed the puzzled expression on his face.

“What’s up?”

“It’s just… While I trust you would not lie to me, this much sugar with the amount of flour could mean the crust will come out crunchy. Would you check the recipe one more time?”

“Crunchy?” That made sense, he supposed, like when you make tea and the sugar doesn't fully dissolve. He checked the recipe over again and grimaced. “Ah yeah, it’s teaspoons. My bad.”

“Don’t trouble yourself too much,” as Zane spoke, he poured the excess sugar back into its container. “It’s a common mistake. The two words are remarkably similar.”

And Cole wouldn’t have troubled himself, if it weren’t for the fact that those mistakes continued happening. He would read the recipe—misread it, to be precise—Zane would quickly catch on, ask him to double check, and Cole would realize he’d messed up. The measurements were wrong, or the ingredients, or he’d skipped a step. Once they had it down, though, it went smoother. Zane knew the ingredients, the portions, the steps. Cole just helped by passing over what was needed.

Then it came time to roll the crust out. The last time Cole rolled something out was when he tried making bread rolls that ended up more akin to rocks, so he was more than a little apprehensive. Zane must’ve sensed something as he was making the filling over on the stove, because he came over and noticed Cole standing over the mound of dough, holding a rolling pin, and definitely wearing a dumbfounded look on his face. 

“Would you like some help?” 

“Uh,” and if he wasn’t before, Cole was sure he was now. “Just a demo, if you don’t mind. Instructions aren’t being very helpful.”

“Of course!” Zane chirped. Cole handed him the pin and Zane set to work. He pinched a generous amount from the flour bag, sprinkling it on top of the counter, then rubbing it on his hands and the pin. “This is to ensure the dough does not stick. Here, would you assist me?” Zane held the rolling pin out to Cole again. He took the free end. Zane tugged him forward, standing behind him. He reached around Cole, placing his hands on the outside of Cole’s on both sides of the pin. “Now we roll.”

Cole tried to ignore the warmth spreading across his face as they guided the pin across the table, flattening the mound into a neat oval. “Wonderful!” Zane’s ever-chipper voice exclaimed before he took his hands away. Cole relaxed, releasing tension he hadn’t realized he was holding. Zane went back to making the filing, leaving Cole to ignore the fact that his heart rate had picked up somewhere along the way. 

By the time the crust was done, so was the filling. Zane put the first pie together while Cole rolled out the next batch. Once he finished, Zane started assembling the next pie. Cole let out a breath. Honestly, this was going better than he expected. Plus, Zane’s explanations were actually helping! They only had thirty-five more pies after they finished these two. Speaking of which….

He flicked the switch of the light and viewed the pie through the oven window, only to be faced with the horrifying sight of dark purple filling bubbling up and spilling out. He swore and pulled the pie out, placing it on the top of the oven. Filling dribbled down the side of the ceramic tin, the crust had cracked and split apart, even the decorative slits they placed in the top were lost among the molten filling erupting from beneath its barely browned surface. 

Zane examined the monstrous concoction. He tilted his head, his lips pulling into a slight diagonal line. He swiped a bit of the dripping filling from the side and tasted it. Cole glanced away. Shit. I’ve definitely ruined it.

“It appears we forgot to distribute the butter properly in our cover. Shame, the filling tastes rather good.”

Cole stared at him, dumbstruck. Then, he laughed. 

“What’s so funny?” Zane asked.

“Nothing, it’s just… you’re so calm about this. We haven’t baked a single pie, our crust is bust, and you’re able to just sit here and… shrug it off.”

“Of course, it isn’t a disaster. We’re ninjas, we’ve handled worse.” As he said this, a smile tugged at the corner of Zane’s mouth. “Besides, this time it was my fault. I should have given the butter more time to chill.”

Cole kept laughing. Zane just smiled. 

“Unfortunately,” he said, “I believe this means the pie I’m currently working on will suffer a similar fate. In addition, it will take us another two hours to make more crust. Not only that, but the sale begins in four.”

Master Wu hummed as he passed through the floor of his tea shop, examining each of the centerpieces on the tables, the lights, and the streamers floating down from the ceiling. He reached for one of the floating pie cutouts, pulled on it, then released it, satisfied with how it held. He turned to four of his students, all standing tall with bated breath.

“Well, guess we better start baking.” Cole grinned and held up the pin, cherishing the way Zane chuckled at him.

“I’m impressed. You all have done very well.” He smiled when he saw their tension release. “These decorations are wonderful! As is the lighting, but we are missing one thing.” He glanced around. “Where are Cole and Zane?”

“I think they’re still in the kitchen,” Kai offered. “I’ve been smelling pie all afternoon.”

“And none of it was burnt! Well, not after the first few hours, anyways,” added Jay. 

“Still, we need that pie for the sale, the doors will be opening in—” Before Wu could check, Zane and Cole came rushing in, covered in flour and dough and arms laden with pie. 

“Ta-da! Thirty-seven perfectly baked pies!”

“And right on time too!” Zane said, placing his neatly on the long table set up next to Steeper Wisdom’s register. 

Wu walked over, taking in the enticing smell of berries and buttery crust. “Perfect! I believe we’re in for a rousing success tonight. Thank you all for your help.”

“Don’t thank me, thank Zane. These pies would’ve been a bust without his help.” Cole nudged him. 

“I couldn’t have done it without you,” Zane told him. 

“You’re sweet, Zane.” Cole smiled. “Maybe a little too sweet.”

“Doors are opening! To your stations, everyone!” Misako called, getting behind the counter. She glanced at the two, giggling a little. “Cole, you may want to clean up before we begin. I’ll take your apron, Zane.”

Cole rushed to the back, hoping there was a spare uniform back there he could use. As he hurried to get ready before the crowds poured in, he couldn’t help thinking about the smile he swore he saw on Zane’s face.

[baby--b4t]

hihi !! it’s fishie for the first time in FOREVERR :3 I have a mini fic idea

super duper scary looking tiny who’s incredibly sweet x cg!lyney who looks incredibly sweet but would quite literally kill for his tiny if they asked him nicely/lh

-🐠

lyney cg>>>

but yes i LOVE the trope of scary sunshine x cutesy ACTUALLY scary >:D im not entirely caught up with lyney lore but ill try my best !! ヽ(•̀ω•́ )ゝ✧

(i didnt proof-read this ( ;ºwº) hopefully its all good !!)

You were always interested in darker clothing and more “scary” accessories. Most would avoid you, being too afraid to approach you. It sucked, to put it simply. Being avoided and sometimes even ignored because people were scared you were going to hurt them hurt you in its own way. As always, you would go and find Lyney to try and cheer yourself up.

Lyney was usually performing or entertaining random people he would come across. He was super social and honestly seemed like he loved talking with people. It made sense why you had found him surrounded by a few little kids, all begging to see a trick. However, most of the kids started to turn away after they saw you trying to approach Lyney. Lyney always hated how people just walked away from you.

“Hey there, y/n!” He would greet, knowing you were sweeter than you looked. He could tell there was something weighing on your mind. “Whats going on? It looks like theres quite a storm in your mind right now.”

You and Lyney walked somewhere a bit more private, scared that you might start crying. You told Lyney about how you tried to be brave and ask someone for instructions on how to find a small shop you had heard about but were immediately ignored. It wasnt common you found the bravery to talk to strangers like that, so Lyney was very proud of you for that, but his anger grew as he heard about how you were just ignored like that.

“And who was this exactly, little one? I dont mind taking care of them for you.” Lyney suddenly asked, his tone starting to sound passive aggressive. You tried to get Lyney to calm down, telling him you didnt care much anymore and it was in the past, but he wasnt buying it.

“Y/n, you look like youre about ready to cry. Are you sure you dont want me to just… Change their mind for you?” Lyney asked once more. You knew he wasnt going to just “change their mind’, he was going to do something a lot worse. “I just dont like seeing you so upset because nobody knows their manners anymore..” Lyney added on. He gently helped you dry your eyes, watching as you began calming down. You made it clear to him that you just wanted to be with him for a little bit.

“Ah, I see. Why dont we go take a small stroll, hm? I heard that there are some lovely flowers beginning to bloom this time of year so why dont we go find some ourselves?” Lyney suggested. He knew a change of scenery would do your regressing mind some good. Plus, you got to look at all of the pretty flowers that bloomed around Fontaine! There wasnt a better way to spend your afternoon with your caregiver.

[darkaviarymc]

Hey. Brain. I appreciate the writing motivation, but could you maybe channel that into... idk, the Blackjack AU? ABC? TOWWE? Redstone Room? No? Just Scar TCD angst? With a little sprinkling of Grian YHS angst? Okay. Damn you @stiffyck and that one anon, you know who you are, /lh.

Worthless (Another Tumblr exclusive fic)

Now with Part 2!

Grian could hear the shouting from all the way up in the air as he flew over Scar's base. Curious and concerned, he swooped down to find the source of the commotion. The source was, as Grian suspected, the unlit interior of a half-finished building where Scar was attempting to light torches while simultaneously fighting off a (quite frankly impressive) number of zombies.

"Get OUT of my BASE!" Scar screamed as he cut down mob after mob with his sword, dodging the ones he could, but still taking a fair few swipes to the face. By the dim torchlight, Grian could see Scar's face twisted into a snarl. There were beads of moisture on Scar's cheeks that could have been sweat or tears, maybe both, but Grian would worry about that later. He quickly set his spawn at a bed that had been haphazardly placed in a random spot outside before drawing his sword and a handful of torches and rushing into the fray to help his friend.

Scar didn't acknowledge Grian, and Grian wasn't sure Scar even noticed he was there. He was just as hyper-focused as Grian was used to seeing him while landscaping or building, but he'd never seen Scar fight with such ferocity. He knew Scar had a history with zombies, but Grian never pressed his friend for any details.

After a few minutes, the two of them had the area bright with torchlight and clear of hostile mobs.

"Hey, Scar," Grian said, slightly out of breath.

Instead if greeting him in return or getting startled like he usually did when Grian appeared out of nowhere, Scar spun around, sword still drawn and dripping with zombie blood, and charged. His expression was manic: lips curled and eyes wide.

"Wow, Scar, calm down mate, it's just me!"

Scar didn't respond. He lunged at Grian and brought his sword down hard.

Grian just narrowly dodged Scar’s blow. "What the... Scar! Stop! It's me, it's Grian!"

"Get out!" Scar growled and struck again, this time his sword cut Grian across the chest.

Grian shouted in pain and staggered back. He tripped on a torch and fell backwards with Scar still rushing him.

"Disgusting!" Scar said, raising his sword. He brought it down swiftly, and Grian rolled out of the way, but still took a slash to his arm. "Ugly, hideous, worthless monsters! I HATE YOU!"

Worthless...

Worthless...

"You're worthless, Grian. No one likes you."

An old voice that Grian thought he'd forgotten echoed in his memory and forced its way to the surface.

"Not now," Grian muttered under his breath. He looked up as Scar, his vision clouding with tears. "Scar, please-"

"DIE!"

One final blow and Grian saw red, then black, then... then the outside of the building. He gasped for breath and looked around frantically. He was standing next to the bed outside.

It was quite enough that he could hear his own rushing heartbeat. He took a few moments to catch his breath before going back inside to gather his gear and face Scar.

Scar was kneeling on the ground silent and still, his sword laying next to him, cradling Grian’s helmet in his arms.

"Scar," Grian said, his voice was small and he was afraid Scar hadn't heard him.

Scar grabbed his sword and jumped up. Grian flinched when Scar turned around, and Scar dropped the sword as soon as he saw Grian.

"Grian I... I'm so sorry! I... I though-"

"Do you really think I'm worthless?" Grian asked quietly, not daring to meet Scar’s eyes.

"WHAT? Grian, no! You... you're my best friend I... did I say that?"

Grian wordlessly collected his gear, never looking directly at Scar.

"Grian, please! I'm sorry. Can we talk? Will you let me explain?"

Grian put his armor and elytra back on, facing away from his friend.

"Good night, Scar." Grian ignored Scar's protests and the tears burning his own eyes and took off towards his own base.

[z-mizcellaneous-z]

For the fic ask game

❤

heyooo!

❤️ What is your favorite line that you’ve written in a fic?

since its actually criminal to ask me what my favorite anything is (/lh /hj), i'll give my favorite crack line, my favorite fluff line, and my favorite angst line.

CRACK

“Sooooooo. Food.” Everyone turns to stare incredulously at Kaminari. “Hey!” he shouts, frantically pointing his finger at everyone in the room. “HEY! Don’t look at me like that! Food is cool! It helps us, like—” Kaminari pauses, mouth opening and closing before opening again. “Live. And stuff.” From Your Hand In Mine (In Every Universe)

ANGST

Izuku was an angel who cared for everyone. Everyone loved him. He deserved the best. Someone kind, gentle, romantic, soft, caring, empathetic, patient. Someone who’s never hurt Izuku and never will hurt him.  Someone who isn’t Katsuki. From (Not-So) Silent Loving

FLUFF

An all-too-familiar swell of possessive pride fills his chest, making him feel impossibly full.  Yours. Yours, yours, yours yours yours. I’m yours and you’re mine, mine, mine—  My Katsuki. From Your Hand In Mine (In Every Universe)

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

FANFIC WRITER ASK GAME!

[grossrottie]

Hey it's me! I was just looking through the most recent food related reblogs and I just wanted to say you have awesome taste in food. It's been a while since Ive agreed with someones taste in food so much because lets be honest, pineapple on pizza and pizza subs are both amazing and no one can tell me otherwise, plus even the other food items I have similar feelings for. Dunno this was random but I just found it funny wanted to let you know you have good taste in not only ships but food too! Anyways hope you are doing well right now and also if you don't mind me asking, how is the Crow x Squirrel fic coming along? I'm just curious as to how your doing and there's anything you wanna share? If not then its fine but I know you like talking about requests so I thought I might be the one to ask about the request. But anyways hope your doing well and love the reblogs lately, due to them I know I realize I know nothing about rats and mice but yeah hope you like this message and hope to hear back when you can!

There’s nothing with random, and I appreciate this ask so much omggg!!! I’ve been thinking abt it for a bit and trying to think of a good answer!

First off, food twinnnssss!!! It’s so cool to learn that others have the same taste as me, we’re pals forever now! /lh pineapple on pizza and pizza subs are so good, YOU have awesome taste as well!!! (In food and ships, of course!)

I’m doing well, what about you? c:

The Squirrel/Crow fic has progressed slightly, but I haven’t gotten into the groove of writing it yet. So far I’ve whittled the ideas down to one I’m gonna go with, but I’m still getting caught on the details (who likes who first? is the feather-crow crush still canon? do they both know they like each other, or does one of them figure it out in the moment?)

One version of a vague outline idea:

Squirrelpaw has a crush on Crowpaw

Crow has a crush on Feathertail

Squirrel sneaks off one night in the tribe cat’s territory (during the six-cat journey) bc she’s pent up. (It’s a smut fic but imma try to be not too lewd when explaining)

Crow cant sleep and goes for a walk. He notices Squirrel’s voice and thinks, then starts to walk towards the noise, worried that she’s hurt. He thinks he hears his voice being called.

He stumbles across her and is surprised, but casually offers to assist her (windclan cats are a bit more relaxed than thunderclan when it comes to mating and relationships) “unless you want me to get brambleclaw?” he offers genuinely.

Squirrel is flustered and confused. “why would I want—“ she realizes that crow didn’t hear her saying his name moments before he came into view. (he did, he just assumed he misheard) “oh, right.”

Then my writing peters out and I’m not sure where to go. Perhaps he develops a crush on her as he ‘helps’ her? Perhaps he realizes that while he admires Feathertail, he loves the back-and-forth banter that squirrel and him have.

But I’m still not sure if it fits at all. I could make it two sided, or one sided, or mutual pining, or something else but I’m a bit stuck.

I’ve written a little bit of a bunch of different ideas, but I can’t lock onto one.

Sorry for the rambling!!! Long story short, too many options and not sure. The requester didn’t give much info aside from “crow/squirrel first time” so I’m really not sure where to go.

Do you have any thoughts abt it? :0 I’d love to hear!! /gen

[wulfums]

tell us about your bjh s/i / selfship!! i love the show... i've watched its entirety a few times now. what's he like? how'd he meet mr. pb? does he get along well with the other main characters, or not?

OMG so!

I have a lot for them - I started self shipping with Mr Peanutbutter when the first season aired, before the show got big. So I was the only BJHM self shipper back then so I was kinda well known for it (like people would send me fics in my asks...miss that)

My guy is named Deerdog! His real first name is Rex but he just gets called Deerdog. He's a purple tufted deer (The deer with the fangs!)

Here's an old image of them- it was submitted to me on anon back then and I never knew who did it. It looks So Canon that I wonder if a crew member did it(Once again, if anyone knows who Did draw it, lmk!)

Here's a more up to date pic of them together by worstie @sapiosexual-riddler (Worstie because I hate its username </3 /lh)

They met when Deerdog was a showrunner on a cartoon that Mr Peanutbutter was cast as a guest star for. Funny enough- BoJack originally had the voice role but Deerdog found him SO insufferable that he kicked him off the show. So he was expecting more stress recasting at the last minute- but Mr PB actually ended up making him laugh and to him, really did embody the character who was very sweet.

Deerdog made soooo many excuses to be around him- this was before Mr PB dated Diane(Deerdog is a lot older than he looks. He's cursed with babyface like me.)and PB happened to be single...so Deerdog shoot his shot and got a date. They really did hit it off well. The main issue was- Mr PB was very passive in standing up for Deerdog with other celebs. Deerdog had not had top surgery back then so he looked feminine. PB always got the pronouns right, but wouldn't always correct others who didn't- which wasn't alright At All and is why they ended up breaking up despite being good together otherwise. There was also issues with Deerdog's unmedicated/uncontrolled BPD. He did lash out and struggle with jealousy- a lot. They really both had their issues and it was best for them to split sadly.

So, flash forward to current day Hollywoo. What changes from the canon version is PB only dates Pickles for a short amount of time- she realizes a lot sooner she should *really* be with someone that 1. Wont cheat on her and 2. Is better (Joey Pogo My Beloved). In the show after they broke off, it's clear Mr PB is taking a break from dating. Well- dating women. I think he thinks back to the one man he dated...Deerdog. He thinks a lot about it for months and months- over the fact that he and Deerdog probably got on the best out of all his relationships. The fact that there wasn't the age power imbalance(Which...king this shouldnt have taken you SO long to figure out was an issue with your relationships but hey at least you finally did. Unlike SOME people. Staring at the fucked up horse.). They both had the same love language. Even after all this time, PB still thought about him pretty frequently. His other exes he was able to fall out of love with but IDK...Deerdog was different.

So he ended up finding Deerdog's art instagram and DMing him. Deerdog was honestly very surprised- he had been out of the TV/Movie game for a long time and was just doing indie projects now- he honestly thought PB had forgotten about him completely. He still had his aprehension- the main reason he hadn't really dated much since the breakup was due to society's transphobia which, sadly, had only gotten worse. But he agreed to meet up with PB.

When they met up for coffee at Starbarks, I think they started with small talk and then an awkward silence...and PB apologized for not sticking up for Deerdog- explaining that it wasn't OK. Deerdog was Very taken aback by this and maybe started tearing up a bit. The bar is on the floor but it was passed at the very least. Deerdog also explained he was very sorry for his behavior back then- he's since gotten therapy and mental health help, and if PB was open to it, he'd love to be friends again.

And well...they didn't stay friends long. Because they started dating again a few weeks into being Friends again. This time it goes much, much better. Their time apart had allowed them to grow as people.

Long Story Short, they DO get married- and everyone thinks it's going to end like the last ones since they had only been dating a year...but it didn't. It lasts- it's still going. They absolutely have issues sometimes but they're able to use coping skills and communication skills instead of letting themselves bottle it up and get mad about it.

Their ship name is Peanutbutterjelly btw

[angy-mouse]

My current like fantasy or escapism is just poly dream team + Karl relationship

And you already know my insecurities about being transmasc like I just wanna be cuddles and validated

this probably counts as a crack fic but i think its cute. maybe read when youre really tired that might make it better /lh

If you do not have your age in your bio this will be going up on @silly-mouse in an hour bc literally the worst thing is that Dream sleeps in his boxers

"Make room,"

You all let out a symphony of groans as Dream wrestled out of his jeans and climbed into the already crowded bed. He quickly gave up finding a free spot and simpy flopped on top of you, burying his face in your soft stomach and slinging his arms over Karl and Sapnap respectively. George responded by grabbing Florida Man's hand and stretching it to reach his thigh, giving a satisfied pat once he was arranged.

"Finally finish editing," Sapnap asked, muffled as he tried to suffocate in your hair. You didn't know why three of your four boyfriends were trying to suffocate themselves with you, but that probably wasn't a good sign. You had no idea what George was doing, there was a wall of Grade-A Texan beef between you that you didn't feel like telling to move.

"Nope, just fucking sick of it," Dream tossed back. "Ugh, hang on..." He dipped his head, securing the bottom of your shirt in his teeth and yanking it up until he could fit his head underneath, nuzzling his cheek against the warm skin. "I am home."

"You are a freak," you muttered, twitching your knee to nudge it into his ribs.

"Wow, babe. And all this time I thought we were best bros."

Karl chuckled against your neck- oh, good, he was still alive. "I'm pretty sure you're not allowed to call them babe and bro in the same breath."

"I'm totally in love with you, no homo."

"Fuck that," George slurred- that bastard really fell asleep. You had six feet of Florida crushing your legs and this man has the audacity to sleep. "I love you with a lot of homo."

"Damn, dude," you hummed, down to about half a brain cell, "that's kinda gay."

Sapnap broke into wheezing laughter, prying his face out of your hair. "I feel like I'm listening to ‘Inception’, what the fuck are you guys talking about?"

"We're talking about how it's almost seven and we haven't slept yet," Karl huffed, trying to tug you into a better cuddling position.

"Here," Dream groaned, pushing himself up and onto the floor. You took the chance to roll onto your side, letting Karl spoon you and tucking your nose into Sapnap's pec-cleavage.

Dream closed the blackout curtains and turned back around. "No it's not, now go the fuck to sleep- hey, what happened to my pillow?"

"He wants to feel his legs," you huffed.

Karl helped scooch you closer to Sapnap and pressed himself like a second layer of skin against you, smacking the mattress behind him. "Come on, big guy, get in here before George starts whining."

"I do not-"

"Yes you do," Sap grumbled around a yawn, wrapping a thick arm around your waist to keep you close- as if you had anywhere to go. "You're a big baby if you can't get comfy at bedtime."

Dream chuckled, stretching an arm across the sea of entertwined bodies that were gradually becoming more and more indescernable to brush his fingers against George's arm. "I'll keep you company in the spare room if it's too cramped for you," he offered, smiling when the brit simply grumbled about being plenty comfy and burrowed into Sapnap's back as you all settled in.

"... You're so handsome-"

"Fucking go to sleep, Sapnap!"

"Sugar looks good all sleepy in my arms, I won't apologize for that!"

"GO TO SLEEP!"

"Aww..."

[sageinacage]

Hi! Saw you were okay with requests so I wanted to send one in (feel free to ignore this if you don’t want to do it btw) but how about lee Tubbo and ler Ranboo, maybe something with a tickle game/monster thing? Maybe Ranboo’s feeling playful and letting out chirps and growls n stuff?

Attention, Please! summary: tubbo wants attention, and his platonic husband ranboo is his closest target (/lh). a/n: i forgot to add the the tickle game or tickle monster part its just Them AKJFHDSKJ also this is them being PLATONIC HUSBANDS!! i didnt add "platonic" before saying husband in the fic just bc i didn't like the format of how it looked AHFJKJDS also i hc ranboo calls tubbo cheesy nicknames to make him flustered so Yes warnings: swearing, happy platonic couple (/lh) w/c: 1.1k DSMP, Platonic

~

“Ranboo.”

“Hmm?”

“Ranboo!”

“Yes, Tubbo?” Ranboo smiled warmly, glancing up from the novel he was scanning through that he borrowed from Techno. “Pay attention to me!” Tubbo whined, making an exaggerated grumble as he laid on the couch next to his beloved.

Ranboo playfully hummed in amusement at his dramatic husband, moving his hand into Tubbo’s much smaller one as he kept his eyes on the pages of the book. “We just got home from a picnic where I paid much attention to you, sugar.” Ranboo offered a smirk, Tubbo whining again.

“But I want mooore!” The ram hybrid’s ear twitched, a giveaway sign that he was having fun. ‘Ah, so he was finding entertainment by messing with his poor, poor beloved?’ Ranboo thought, that soft smile he had never leaving his face. “This novel needs attention as well!” He sassed back, earning a gasp from Tubbo.

“You’re so mean!” Tubbo retaliated, clearly not minding how ‘mean’ Ranboo was as he just snuggled closer, wrapping around the enderboy’s free arm. Ranboo let out a sigh, smiling to himself before going back to reading the novel in his hand.

Peace drove over them for a good thirty seconds before Tubbo got attention-starved again, pulling his best puppy-dog eyed pout. “Ranboo…” He looked up at him, his tail starting to gently wag at his playful antics.

With a fond sigh, he looked at the boy once again. “Yes, plum?” Ranboo questioned, chuckling when he heard Tubbo’s tail move faster at the sweet nickname. Tubbo only let out a little noise, similar to a purr, and snuggled his head into Ranboo’s side as his arms wrapped around his torso.

“Aren’t you sweet?” Ranboo laughed softly as he finally put that book down, giving Tubbo what he wanted. He pulled him up from his underarms to properly hug him. The ram let out a few giggles of pure happiness, wrapping his arms around Ranboo’s neck and allowing himself to melt into the affection.

It was nice and quiet, except for the sound of Tubbo’s tail thumping against the blanket that was on Ranboo’s lap. “Awwww…” Ranboo cooed, making Tubbo growl out of instinct, as he tends to do that when feeling flustered. The enderboy chuckled, reaching in front of him to gently scratch his dull claws under Tubbo's chin.

He let out a small whine, digging his face further into Ranboo’s shoulder to hide any giggles that slip past his lips, but Ranboo's claws kept finding their way to get under his chin and around his jaw. “Don’t hide now, Tubbo! I’m giving you the attention you wanted, right?” Ranboo spoke in a lower tone, a smirk evident in his voice. “Sh- shuhut up!” Tubbo whined softly, holding onto him tighter as his little ram tail kept going.

“N’awww, but I know how much you love it, that’s why you’re pulling me closer!” Ranboo exclaimed, Tubbo shaking his head. “Nohohot truhuhu- Raha- *snort* RaHANBOHOO!” The boy arched his back as his claws gently wiggled into his ribcage, as he playfully hit Ranboo’s back in retaliation.

“That’s my name!” Ranboo teased, giggling mischievously before holding Tubbo by his underarms, laying him down on the couch. Tubbo immediately hid his face now that he couldn’t hide it in his husband’s shoulder, and shook his head in anticipation. “Still hiding from me, darlin’? Let’s change that, yeah? Would you like that?” Ranboo was a relentless teaser, but Tubbo would be lying if he said that he hated it. “C’mooon, don’t give me the silent treatment now!”

Tubbo squealed as he felt Ranboo’s soft tail sneak up his sweater and tease over his waist, as Ranboo crossed his arms, waiting for an answer. “Tahake it o- ohohout!” Tubbo whined squirming slighty as the feather-light touches were driving him up the wall.

“Hmmm… not until you answer my question.” Ranboo smirked as a few playful chirps escaped him, his long tail still brushing against his sensitive skin and tickling around his stomach, causing Tubbo’s giggles to raise an octave.

“It tihihickles!” Tubbo grumbled, still covering his face with his hands. “I know it does, sunshine. Are you gonna answer, though? Hmmm? C’mon, don’t be shy now!” Ranboo chuckled, trailing a single claw around the small patch of skin on Tubbo’s stomach that got exposed, due to his sweater riding up from his squirming.

“Just- juhust do ihit! Plehease?” Tubbo’s tail thumped against the couch, giving away how much he loved when Ranboo was a big bully. “Of course I will, silly!” Ranboo pulled his tail out and dragged his claws around Tubbo’s belly, before scooching his hands under Tubbo to flutter his fingers against where his back and sides meet.

“N- nohohahAT THEHERE!” The ram hybrid shrieked, kicking his legs into the couch behind Ranboo, shaking his head, a fond purr-like sound emitting from him. “Yes here! N’awww, does it tickle? Is it too ticklish here? Hmmm?” He teased, his claws dancing around the same spot. “SH- SHUHUT UHUP!” Tubbo squealed, the teasing causing butterflies to erupt in his stomach.

Ranboo decided to let up, pulling his hands out from under him, but only to begin wiggling his fingers over the sides of his belly, another killer spot. “HEEHEHEHE- NOHO YOU A- AHASS!” Tubbo arched his back, pushing his belly more into the tickles. “Hey, don’t be mean, plum!” Ranboo playfully shook his head, dipping down to start nuzzling over the center of his belly.

“YOHOU DESEHEHERVE IT!” Tubbo retaliated, shrieking as he felt nibbles line around the pudgy part of his belly. What didn’t help at all was that Ranboo had slight fangs, and that he was unintentionally purring into the nibbles as well which made them tickle even more. He felt Ranboo chuckle into his stomach as he tried to twist away, the feeling almost unbearable.

“Oh Tubbooo!~” Ranboo sang, playfully growling before he blew a raspberry right over Tubbo’s belly button. “R- RAHANBOO- PLEHEASE!” His laughing fit almost growing silent and his tail beginning to slow down from its rapid wagging, Ranboo could tell that the ram was beginning to reach his limit.

“You’re so adorable, Tubbo.” Ranboo smiled, his face filled with pure adoration of his husband. “Stooohohop!” He whined, covering his face once again as Ranboo rubbed his belly, attempting to help get rid of the after-tickles. “I’m helping!” The enderboy laughed, deciding that cuddles will be the best medicine for his after-tickles.

Tubbo still giggled softly at Ranboo’s purrs, snuggling into his hold.

“Sleep well, sweetpea.”

“Stop it with the nicknames, will you?”

“You love ‘em.”

“Shut up- wahait-!”

[talatomaz]

fear | paige dineen x fem!teen!reader

a/n: i’ve been rewatching Scorpion lately and couldn’t get this idea out of my head. this is based around 3x17. it’s a criminally underrated show and so original. also this is the first fic i’ve written in months so, sorry if it’s shit /lh

warnings: mentions of death/coma

word count: 3.1k

masterlist | navigation | request rules

reader is paige’s 18 year old daughter and sometimes helps out team scorpion but when she inadvertently inhales poisonous fumes, she soon finds herself on the brink of death, hallucinating her deepest darkest fear

i do not give you permission to repost or translate my fics on any platform - likes/reblogs are okay and are much appreciated

“Here.”

You said, placing a George Washington style hat on your younger brother’s head.

“Did you know that these are called tricorns and were referred to as-“

“Cocked hats? Yes, and they were worn not only by the aristocracy, but also as common civilian dress, and as part of military uniforms.”

You explained, interrupting Ralph as he stopped adjusting the hat and looked up at you with surprise.

“I was a history major, remember? You’re not the only one who knows things.” You joked, smiling when he did.

“So why am I wearing this tricorn?” Your genius brother asked.

“Well, you’ve got a history project due about Washington and what better way to understand his actions than by getting into his persona and pretending to be him?”

“You’ve been spending too much time around Toby.” Ralph smirked.

“Hey!”

You and your brother turned to face Happy and Toby who had just entered the garage.

“I’ll have you know that I’m a world-class behaviourist.”

“Shut it, doc.” Happy said, but there was no malice in her words.

“Where’s everyone?”

“Mum and Walter went out somewhere and Cabe’s with Allie at Sly’s desk because Sly’s asleep and drooling over himself.”

“Ew.” You said, replying to your brother.

As Happy and Toby left to find Cabe, you and Ralph continued discussing George Washington. You were both interrupted when you heard your mother’s voice.

“Morning!”

Yours and Ralph’s faces lit up when you saw she was holding a bag from Fro-Yo-Ma. Ever since Walter had got himself banned after a petty argument with the manager about a loyalty card which resulted in him having a black eye, you had all been unable to attend the establishment.

You smiled when an idea formed in your head and faced your brother once more,

“Hey, how about we sneak up to Mum whilst she’s distracted and grab our fro-yos?”

Ralph nodded in agreement and you both cautiously approached your mum who was busy telling the team that the frozen treats were for after lunch. As you both flanked your mother, you glanced over at Ralph and gave him a slight nod. Then you grabbed a tub each and began to sneak away as quietly as you came but your Mum looked at you both in confusion.

“Quick. Run, Ralph.”

Ignoring your mother’s laugh, you took a hold of Ralph’s free hand and ran back to the corner of garage you were studying in.

“I got to stop leaving them with you people.” Paige said.

Halfway through eating the frozen yogurt, you heard Cabe announce that Scorpion had a case.

Like your Mum, you weren’t a genius but you did help Scorpion anytime they were down a member, especially now since Toby had said he’d stay back to help Ralph with his project.

You were a little hurt that Ralph welcomed his help more-so than yours, despite you being the History expert, but nonetheless, you brushed it off and gathered your things to join the team’s trip to Greenland.

                ✧── ･ ｡ﾟ★: *.✦ .* :★. ───✧

Arriving at the Granse World Seed Vault, you tugged at the lapels of your winter coat, trying to keep some of the warmth in you which was a large feat considering you were stuck in a blizzard in the middle of nowhere.

The winds, that could only be described as gusting, blew through your hair, further obstructing your view as you entered the building.

Moving the hair from your face, you shivered and looked up to see that the vault was desolate.

“Well, now we know why nobody ever comes out here.” Sly stated.

You all watched as Walter failed to use the key card resulting in Happy jump starting the generator using the battery from the snowcat you travelled in.

Then you all split up to go and complete your tasks.

Your Mum and Walter remained at the entrance whilst Happy started to repair the generator, Cabe went to the breakroom, Sly went to the server room and you went to find the operations centre to locate the power conduit which you needed to switch off and on again.

The dark hallway you were in suddenly brightened meaning Happy had managed to fix one of the power sources. You let out a breath of relief; you didn’t exactly welcome the idea of wandering around a pitch black vault alone where no one had been for almost a year.

You then began to cough as the vents let out some sort of yellow dust. The smell was putrid, almost making you heave.

“God, that smell is awful. So much for this being an antiseptic facility.” You groaned.

“Well, this facility self-purifies its air, but the system's been down for days, so the seeds have decayed a bit, the vents are just stirring up seed dust.” Walter said through your comms.

“Speaking of stirring up, I can only imagine what kind of trouble is being stirred up in the garage. I worry about his maturity level.”

“Mum, don’t worry. Ralph’s the most mature person I know.”

“Oh honey, I know. I was talking about Toby.”

You snickered to yourself and then stopped when you realised you’d found the Ops Centre.

“Guys, I figured out what caused the surge.”

You listened as Sly’s voice crackled through your comms.

After he had finished explaining, you spoke, “So the whole place went dark because the programmers forgot to synchronize their watches?”

“Right! But if I can get the operating system's clock lined up with Finland's, then I'll have this fixed.”

Sylvester paused for a brief moment and when he spoke again, his voice came out in a panicked whisper.

“Is anyone else getting a weird vibe? Like...like we're not alone?”

“Hey, Sly. It’s okay. Just breathe.” You said calmly before telling him to follow your breathing pattern to regulate his own.

“Good job, y/n. Sly, everything’s going to be fine. Fix the server’s clock and we’ll be out of here soon.”

You smiled at your mother’s praise and went to find the panel switch.

You enjoyed working with your Mum, loving the fact that you got to spend more time with her since starting University. But sometimes, you found yourself feeling...lonely because most of your Mum’s attention was focused on Ralph and the rest of the team.

You understood Ralph, in the broadest of terms, that was. You loved him as much as your mum and you knew her looking after Scorpion was her job but it still hurt you because you didn’t have anything in common with the rest of them.

THUD

You jumped when the door behind you slammed shut.

“Mum? I’m locked in.” You shouted out worryingly.

“It’s okay, sweetie. Our blast doors are locked too.” Your Mum said, her voice calming you with every word.

“The vault prioritizes keeping seeds safe so it must go into lockdown when it's most vulnerable, i.e. a reboot. So the doors will open in 40 minutes when the reboot is done. Everything is fine.”

Walter explained before you winced at the shriek that came through on your comms.

“Sly, what the hell?” You yelled, rubbing your ear, as if trying to sooth the pain.

“They’re in here. They’re in here.” The genius repeated as your brows furrowed in confusion.

“Sly, what’s going on?”

“Sylvester, do you copy?”

“Sly!”

You all started to shout in concern, scared for Sly’s safety, before stilling when the latter’s screams fell quiet.

“I was right. I’m not alone. It’s chickens!”

How the hell had chickens got into the seed vault? You thought to yourself.

“Hey guys. I didn’t want Sly to hear us.” Toby said.

You figured your Mum must have called him and patched him through to your comms.

You all listened as Toby explained how Sly was suffering from a psychotic break but when he commented on some yellow dust, he realised that you had all breathed in seed fungus that affected the fear centre in your brain.

You started to get even more concerned when it became apparent that Happy and Cabe were hallucinating but you were shamefully relieved that the ergot spores hadn’t affected you. You weren’t sure you wanted to experience your darkest fear, especially when you were surrounded by your Mum and the team.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes, Mum. I’m not seeing or hearing anything.” You reassured her, hearing her sigh of relief.

“Okay, thank god. We’ll get you out soon enough, okay, sweetie?”

You blinked, turning around when you heard your mother’s voice behind you.

“Y/N?” Paige said through your comms.

But you just blinked again, because you could see your Mum in front of you and you couldn’t distinguish the look on her face.

“Mum, what’s wrong?” You said.

“What? Nothing’s wrong. Toby. Walt. What’s happening?” Paige said frantically.

“Y/N must have inhaled the ergot too and she’s now trapped in her false reality.” Toby explained.

“We got to get her out of there, Walter.”

Paige said, near tears, before falling silent as she watched you on the security camera. She saw you sit on a chair and converse with an imaginary Paige.

“Mum, what did I do? I’m sorry.” You said, tears forming in your eyes at your mother’s words.

“I told you, I don’t love you. Scorpion is my family. They’re geniuses and you’re not.”

“Mum, please.” Your voice broke, as you started to plead with her.

“I-I can’t watch this. I need to get her out of there. Y/N, listen to me. I am here!”

Paige ran up to the blast doors and started to bang on the reinforced steel. Her attempts, however, were futile, because she knew that the doors wouldn’t open until you, Cabe, Happy and Sly had completed your tasks.

“Paige, you have to keep it together.” Toby said.

“No, my daughter is living her worst fear and I can’t do anything to stop it.”

“I know. I want to help Happy too. But we can’t until we figure out what psychological baggage the fungus is unpacking.”

“And we might need to hurry because Sly is getting unsure of foot.”

Walter said as Paige returned to his side to see Sly having trouble keeping his balance.

“God, we need to get them out of there. The exposure seems extensive which means their blood vessels are being constricted, especially in the brain meaning-“

“Less blood flow. And less blood flow means less oxygen. And less oxygen means...coma.” Walter finished solemnly.

“We have to talk them lucid so they can finish their tasks. I’ll take Happy. Walt, you take Cabe. Ralph, you have your work cut out for you with Sly. And Paige-“

“I’ll help y/n. Y/N? Y/N, honey, if you can hear me, I need you to flip the switch on the panel next to you. Y/N?”

“Y/N!”

“I’m sorry, Mum. Please don’t yell. What did I do wrong?”

“I told you, you’re just not special so why should I waste my time with you?”

“Please, Mum. I’m sorry I’m not special enough. I’m sorry I’m not smart like everyone else. Please don’t send me away.”

Paige’s heart broke as she watched you cry on her screen.

“Y/N, I love you so much. You are special. I love you.” Paige cried, tears dropping down her face.

“Toby, it’s not working. I can’t get through to y/n!”

“Ralph and I may have come up with another idea. You need to go back to the point when these fears started and attack that seminal moment.”

“Okay, so she’s talking about not being smart enough. I can only guess that this started when I joined the team. Y/N? Baby, can you hear me?”

Paige’s voice softened as she spoke to you once more.

“Yes, Mum?” You replied, sniffling as your tears continued to fall down your face.

“Oh, honey. Just because you’re not a genius like the rest of these guys, doesn’t mean you’re not special.”

“But I’m not.”

“Y/N, yes, you are. You’ve been special since the moment you were born. Since the moment I first held you in my arms. You’re my baby, y/n. You are special in your own way.”

Your Mum grabbed your hand and held them to her heart.

“You feel that?”

“Y-Your heartbeat?” You asked, feeling the light repetitive beating under your palm.

“Yes. My heartbeat. More importantly, my heart. You are my heart, y/n. You have been for 18 years. I grew up with you. You made me into the person I am today. The person I am now. I love you so much.”

“Yes, you’re not as smart as Ralph or Walter or the rest of the team but neither am I. Y/N, you are bright, intelligent. You are twice the person I am. You care so much about everyone. Your heart is beautiful.”

Your mother gently dropped your hand in her lap and lifted her own to cradle your face.

“That’s what makes you special.” She moved to place a soft kiss on your forehead.

“Now, y/n. I’m already so proud of you but I need you to do one thing for me. I need you to turn the switch in front of you off and on again.”

Paige held her breath as she and Walter watched you slowly stand up on your shaky legs and walk over to the panel that had the power conduit switch attached to it.

“Done.” Your voice echoed on the security monitor.

“Good girl.”

“I’m kinda sleepy, Mum. I’m just going to take a quick nap.” Your voice quietened as you lay down on the floor.

“Uh, Toby. Y/N flipped the switch but she’s really sleepy and I can’t get her to wake up.”

“Oh god, Happy, Sly and Cabe are out too. They’re in comas. They need medical assistance stat or they will die.”

“Walter.” Paige whispered, unable to speak any louder due to fear of losing you.

“We can synthesize a treatment!”

Toby then explained the different seeds they needed to mix together to make the medicine whilst Ralph hacked the vault’s database to locate them.

Once Paige and Walter had manufactured oxygen tubes out of PVC pipes, they hastily made their way to the vault before stopping when they saw you unconscious on the ground.

Paige ran to your side, still holding her breath, and quickly checked for a pulse, relaxing slightly when she felt it, albeit it was weak, but it was still there. She ran her thumb against your cheek in a gentle caress and then followed Walter to the vault, passing the others, also unconscious, on their way.

Easily finding the required seeds, the duo made the medicine oil but when a chemical fire broke out, Walter stayed to put it out whilst Paige ran to give the oil to the rest of you.

She found Cabe first, then Happy and Sly. Once she had rendered them conscious, she ran off in pursuit of the Operations Centre where you were.

Carefully but quickly, she lifted your head to rest against her leg as she poured the oil beneath your tongue.

“Come on, sweetie. Wake up. Open your eyes. Please, God.” She murmured to herself.

You opened your eyes with some difficulty, wincing at the light above you.

“Mum? What happened?” You groaned, sitting up.

“Thank God, you’re okay. I thought I’d lost you.”

Ignoring your question, your Mum gathered you in her arms and hugged you tight against her.

“I love you so much, y/n.”

Hugging her back, you rested your head against the crook of her neck, “I love you too.”

“Guys, come on, we gotta go.”

You both looked up to see Happy standing at the door. With the help of your Mum, you stood up and she then grabbed your hand and you all ran back to the entrance.

                ✧── ･ ｡ﾟ★: *.✦ .* :★. ───✧

You had all safely arrived back home and managed to make it in time for Sly’s debate.

You sat in the chair next to Happy, slowly falling asleep, exhausted from the ordeals of the day.

Soon after you’d left the Vault and were on your way home, the grogginess of the poisonous fungus had fully left your system, allowing you to remember your hallucination. You’d barely said more than two words on the plane ride home, unsure of the right words to say to your Mum who had undoubtedly heard your fear.

“Hey, sweetie. Stay awake for a little while longer. We’re going home. Sly’s going to look after Ralph tonight.”

Your mother said, resting her hand on your shoulder to rouse you. You nodded in response and got up, following her to her car.

Similar to the plane, the car ride was silent. Not necessarily an awkward silence, but it was far from comfortable. You felt the constant glances your Mum gave you as she drove on the quiet roads. You noticed her lips part a few times too, as if she was about to say something but then stopped herself at the last moment.

Arriving home, your Mum unlocked the door and you made a beeline to your bedroom to get changed into your nightie. As you laid in your bed, you heard a soft knock on your door.

Inviting your Mum in, you saw she had changed too. She sat on your bed, the lamp providing some light in the room.

“Honey, can we talk?”

Not waiting for an answer, she got into the bed beside you and rested against the headboard.

“I want to talk about what happened earlier.”

There was no need for her to clarify what she meant.

“Do we have to?”

“Yes, y/n, we do. It broke my heart to see you cry today. And it hurt even more to hear that I was the reason why. I’ve never ever wanted to cause you any pain and the fact that I was a part of your deepest fear just-“

When her voice faltered, you looked up to see quiet tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Mum, I’m sorry.”

“Baby, you have nothing to apologise for. I’m sorry that you felt like you weren’t special. But I meant what I said back there. You are special in your own way. Yes, I love you and Ralph in different ways but you mean so much to me. I’m surrounded by geniuses all the time, and frankly, it gets tiring. So I’m glad I have you. You bring me back down to Earth. You’re my heart and soul, y/n.”

Not knowing the right words to say, you simply lay your head against your mother’s chest and hugged her close.

“I love you, Mum.”

“I love you too, baby. I always have and I always will.”

Soon enough, both of your tears stopped and you fell asleep in her arms, her hands gently stroking your hair as she cradled you against her.

You may not have been a genius but you were smart enough to realise that no matter what, your Mum would always love you.

[chihirolovebot]

hey venus, i hope you're doing okay and staying safe these days. remember to hydrate if you haven't already!

i am gonna enable you. ( /lh ) for the ship ask thing, how about chiouma? or if not, maybe for the characters, then...hajime? i quite like him but the fandom seems to be torn on him as a protagonist, and i was curious about your thoughts :0

( also. i'm finally starting a watch through of yttd. thankfully my neurodivergently terrible memory ensures that i'm going in spoiler-free! )

take care of yourself, my friend <3

-☀️ sunshine anon

SUNSHINE HELLO!! im so happy you're engaging with yttd omg you have to let me know what you think + who your faves are!!

okay lets do this!!

CHIOUMA:

When I started shipping them: hmn probably only like a month or two ago. i liked them as a brotp at first n then i was just let hey... what if they... held hands....... maybe even kissed?

My thoughts: scrunkly babies. they would bring out the best in each other i just know it. chihiro has the incredible power of literally nobody being able to hate him n i think kokichi would be one of the only people who wouldn't underestimate him and recognises how cool he is.

What makes me happy about them: EVERYTHING but mostly both of them getting love n validation as they should.

What makes me sad about them: that they've never met lmaooo

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: they have like zero fics :( BUT i feel like if they were to have more one of them would be infantilised or feminised and. icky. dont like that.

Things I look for in fanfic: i look for fanfic. thats it. the bar is in hell.

My wishlist: more content!! gimme gimme gimme!!

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: hm, i like chihiro with makoto, mondo or ishimondo, and i like kokichi with shuichi or kiibo!!

My happily ever after for them: shut up they get an apartment together and kokichi is still part of dice and chihiro works to cover up his shitty crimes and nobody rlly suspects kokichi because they think chihiro wouldn't stand for breaking the law, little do they know chihiro is a chaos enabler.

HAJIME:

How I feel about this character: MY BABY BOY. love him i would die for him. he makes me so insane and unwell i want to wrap him in a blanket and kiss his forehead i want to fistfight him in a tesco carpark.

Any/all the people I ship romantically with this character: nagito, chiaki, nagito/chiaki, gundham, kazuichi, kiibo, ibuki.

My favorite non-romantic relationship for this character: i like how concerned he was abt mikan and akane when they said questionable stuff - i think he was quite sweet with the girls in general really.

My unpopular opinion about this character: best protag by far.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: i wish izuru had been the sole mastermind of sdr2 without all the junko stuff because the idea of the human experimentation and how it ties into hajime's complex and trauma is far more horrifying than i think the writers even realised.

Favorite friendship for this character: him and ibuki r so fun. hajime and kaede best friends real canon. i also get stitches thinking abt how he'd get along with miu. i think he'd appreciate tenko's strenght lol.

My crossover ship: hajime and kiibo lol its kinda cute :')

[ruby-whistler]

Are you normal or do u sometimes go "IVE BEEN SCARED OF SLEEPING WITH THE LIGHTS ON(off? Idk its hard to decipher)"/lyrics -curious anon

me: oh boy, can't wait to try and make a tumblr blog! Before i do i should research it- *what in the hecking heck is an xkit*

djskdjsk i had no idea what an xkit was until yesterday and when i got it i got too confused and uninstalled it - dw curious anon i don’t use it either i just vibe and do whatever i guess. if you tag correctly and make good posts things should work out, can’t wait to see your acc around!

I got some sad-ist merch :DDD!!

yooo!! that’s so pog for you! it’s probably pretty comfy :D

me standing ominously in your askbox waiting to rec my fav fics:

fjsjdjsk i literally just finished passerine i still have 80 more (some of which are like 300k words long) on my to-read but uh if they have c!dream mischaracterized i’ll not be reading them anyways so it’s very hit-or-miss, will probably get through some of them quicker-

After many moons spent under the dsmp, seeing discourse and analysis alike, i have come to the conclusion i simply do not have the energy to care about any lore outside of c!tubbo and c!tommy's and will only defend them. And that is ok. It is ok to not watch or care about all dsmp or want to discourse about them or analyze. Idk man was thinking deep thoughts today

it’s ok to watch entertainment and enjoy it the way you want to! it’s great to want to enjoy or talk about your fav character!

the problems come up when you attack other people for their perspectives on the medium or spread misinformation about different characters based on only watching the perspective you like, but you know - if you’re not doing analysis, you really don’t need to look that deep into it.

it’s ok to just chill. your feelings about characters are valid! :D so yeah i agree with you! let people with different opinions exist if they’re also being respectful (e. g. tagging correctly).

Hey ik u worked with animgician's newest vid and i found a not-crit (i rlly think) little thought on it if u wanna see it

yoo feel free to send it in!!

No one: me: *shuffles around* wanna hear about my cool warden c!tommy au?

may i interest u in a little bit of my writing? If not that is ok i just wanna see if my writing is any good before working on a fic lol

Anyways if i am not in the askbox for a little it is because i am now writing a proper fic thing out. Wish me luck o7 -curious anon (i have three different lyrics i am going to be incorporating and a little analysis and just a smidgen of projection)

Ruby do u wanna read a little something i wrote? *does the little fingers thing* its really short just a headcanon with a little prose

i sure do! that sounds rlly cool - are you sure you don't wanna make a post about that on your own account though? i don't mind seeing it at all but i think the c!tommy tag would be able to appreciate that au better than my followers. you've gotta find the right target audience, y'know? /lh

though of course i'd love to see your writing, i'm sure it's great! looking forward to it :]

Ayo i remembered u talking about how punitive punishment doesn't work the other day so i want to discuss. What would u consider to be a fitting "punishment" for c!dream's canonic killing of mexican dream?/gen

i mean... we're not trying to - being against punitive justice is about the fact punishment is wrong, not just certain types of it. asking me what a "fitting punishment" would be is sort of very not getting the point.

hurting people further is not going to teach them anything and it’s not going to help anyone, why is it necessary?

so the answer is: none. he shouldn’t be punished, actually! he should learn on his own that what he did wasn’t right, and that’s about it. that’s the thing about transformative justice. him becoming a better person who Wouldn’t Do That again because it goes against who he is.

however, there’s also restorative justice, which is working to “make it up” to the victims. to which i propose; dream has the revival book and could literally bring him back once he is out of the prison. give him some powder maybe. md would probably be chill w/ that.

Yknow. In all my time in dsmpblr i can confidently say that the main differnece between c!dream apologist/enthusiants and c!wilbur/sam ones is that the c!wilbur/c!sam ones want their fav to have a breakdown and c!dream ones want theirs to get positive reinforcement /hj /lh

i’m pretty sure the sam and wil ones also want them to get better/get redeemed, at least deep down, but i get what you mean! you’re *glances at the 🟩⛏ gc where all we do 24/7 is write angst about c!dream being terribly hurt and then we cry about it* 100% correct. no angsters who like the pain here *nervously laughs* we all just want him to heal and be happy for the rest of his life with no heart-shattering breakdowns whatsoever! /s /lh

Hope ur having a great day m8 :]] -curious anon (also i have a new canon fact i wanna share. In quackity's alt lore stream yesterday he said (to the best of my memory) that "no law/juridsiction exists on the dream smp to prevent one from building anywhere" so i guess that clears up the big debate on wheather or not c!dream had a right to enforce rules (or basically the arguement that he owned the server by divine rule)

no i’m - i’m pretty sure that’s just how it works. dream still owns the smp, but he himself has said wayy back at the beginning “everyone can build and go wherever they want” and that was that. it was one of his rules on the smp, it was his main problem with l’manberg. being able to build anywhere were the rules that he “had the right” to enforce. and he did, not because he was a god, but because it was his smp, his home that he claimed for his friends. wouldn’t call it a big debate, it’s really that simple.

.AGONY. HURT EVEN. THIS IS HOW IT IS FOR CURIOUS ANON. I LAUGH, I CRY, I FIND AN ANIMATED GIF ON TWITTER THAT SQUEEZES MY C!TOMMY ENJOYER HEART INTO OBLIVION. (i am being dramatic btw for the funnies just so ya know) I AM NOT GOING TO FINANICALLY RECOVER FROM THIS. AAAAAAAAAAA UEEEEEEE

OK THAT FREAKING

O U C H-

also for the old phil ask. Hes a bad dad because of how he treated ghostbur. I will elaborate if u want

didn’t ghostbur just say “i’m not wilbur” and philza said “you’re not my son” and they went on with their day? weren’t they actually in agreement that he wasn’t the same as wil when he was alive? i don’t remember him really treating him badly tbh other than disowning him which seems fair to me, because ghostbur was a literal stranger to phil at that point?

wish you a nice day, curious anon! (i’ll be back on my essays and answering other asks now, so i might not reply right away :])

[littleoddwriter]

A Day in the Life... | TransMasc!Victor Zsasz x Roman Sionis | ZsaszMask

"hey!! could i have anything to do with transmasc (nonbinary) he/it/ zsasz? its a personal headcannon he uses he/it or maybe some sort of dog related neopronoun like dog/dogself or pup/pupself or something so understandable if not!!" anon

A/N: 1) I absolutely love that headcannon, amazing, show stopping, I actually fucking love it, thank you! Also, this is canon, now, thanks. /gen /lh 2) I actually tried to incorporate all those pronouns because, lbr, Victor is a disaster (doesn't mean everyone who uses multiple pronouns is a disaster, but also, it's not meant as insult, y'all are fucking amazing after all) and just absolutely would. So, I really hope that was okay and you like what came off it! I'm also quite unfamiliar with using and writing neopronouns, so it might be wrong sometimes, or make less sense, but,,, I tried my best. Thanks so much for this request, it's absolutely delightful!!

summary; Just a short Slice of Life kind of fic of ZsaszMask, where Zsasz uses the above mentioned neopronouns. So, Victor goes by he/him/his, it/its, dog/dogs/dogself, and pup/pups/pupself pronouns in this fic!

notes; Implied Murder; Scar Mention; Mention of Sex; Domestic Fluff kind of; Slice of Life; Neopronouns, so if any of y’all have a problem with that, you better fuck off, I don’t want you on my blog.

During breakfast, Zsasz told Roman about some gang that tried to expand on their territory and had converted some people Sionis owned to achieve it. Naturally, that upset its boss a lot, so to calm him down Victor got up and behind Roman's chair, laying pups hands on his shoulders and digging into the tense muscles there soothingly.

"They won't fucking get away with it. Isn't that so, Zsasz?" Roman rasped, his face still twisted with anger, but he wasn't about to explode, so that was alright.

"They won't, I'm already working on it," he replied.

"Good! Fuck, I want their stupid fucking heads on a platter and their faces pickled!"

"I can do that for you," Zsasz answered calmly, still massaging Roman's shoulders thoroughly.

A frustrated sigh tore itself from Roman, the anger bleeding out of him and his shoulders sagging. Victor promptly stopped kneading his progressively relaxing muscles slowly, easing up on them gradually before stopping completely.

"What else was there you needed to tell me? You weren't quite done, were you?"

"Well, Batman and his little birds have prevented our shipping from leaving the port. I'm already working on that, too. I promise, we'll get it back and then out there."

Roman grumbled something unintelligible that pup couldn't quite get, and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Always this fucking Batman. Fuck's sake! You've also got some good news for me, I'm sure. Right?" Roman looked up at its with a pleading look.

Victor bit dogs lips. "Sorry, Boss. Got nothing."

"Ah, fuck. Well, then we've got to make sure that today is successful nonetheless, 'kay?"

"Sure fucking thing, Boss!"

Roman grinned at his partner and grabbed the back of its neck, pulling dogs down to press a kiss to his lips.

"At least you've always got my back," Roman murmured against pups lips.

Victor grinned, kissing him once more in assurance.

Later that day, Zsasz did come back with some good news. It and some of Roman's men were able to retrieve a third of the shipping's load already. The rest would probably follow soon, too.

When pup told Sionis about this, he couldn't suppress his relief and kissed its in front of some of their staff carelessly. Victor smiled into the kiss fondly. None of the others dared to say a thing, of course. They knew they'd be dead the second a word left their stupid mouths.

"You're such a good little puppy for me, aren't you?" Roman whispered into dogs ear.

It shivered, nodding. Victor loved when Sionis acknowledged pups like that, praised him, called dogs a 'good little puppy'.

"Someone's earned dogself a treat, hm? What do you think?"

By now the other men were gone, and Victor couldn't suppress a shiver, even if it had wanted to. Fuck, Roman always knew exactly what to say to pups.

"Yeah, I think you're right, Boss," he rasped, its cock stirring already.

At night, Victor had acquired two new scars on its body and was also sexually sated on top of that. Dog was delighted to no end, Roman kept spoiling him even after so many years of being together.

Zsasz had to admit, that it had never thought to find an owner like Sionis. Someone who didn't question its choice in pronouns and identity, who just accepted it and went with all of that and indulged pups so much, so that he sometimes even felt sad about the pending freeing of dogs owner. Yet, so far it still had a lot of time with Roman that he would enjoy and use to its fullest potential. 

[spectrumscribe]

a solo act is good, too.

a Humanverse general TMNT universe fic, mostly using 2012 versions and borrowing from IDW here and there. i’ve always headcanoned 2012 Mikey as an aro/ace, so on the free day of the lgbtmntweek i decided to finally write a fic up for the hc. 

(not @ them bc of a slight NSFW situation involved. nothing graphic,  it barely lasts more than five sentences.)

“So Mikey, when’d you and Angel start dating?”

Mikey, age nine and a half, hits pause on his current model building project to give a blank stare to his friend across the table. Mondo keeps staring back, expectant.

“What??” Mikey asks.

“Everyone’s saying you’re girlfriend and boyfriend!” Mondo exclaims. He shoves aside his own Lego to lean forwards, whispering fervently, “You know girls have cooties, right?”

“Uh, yeah? Duh,” Mikey says, then remembers that his cousin Karai and friend April will beat him up for saying that, and diverts the subject. “But we’re not dating! Angel just likes Bionicle, that’s all. She’s fun, and we live really close.”

“Girls don’t like Bionicle,” Mondo says. “My sister hates it. She’s gotta be faking it so you guys can date.”

Mikey feels confused. He thought they were just friends who liked the same toys and TV show. And Angel never said so, so they aren’t dating. “But we’re not-!”

“You totally are!”

“Are not!”

“Are too!”

“Boys, settle down,” A passing TA says, and both boys quiet down.

There’s a moment of silence, and Mondo whispers, “Totally dating.”

And Mikey sticks out his tongue, not listening to another word his friend says all through free time. He’ll just ask Angel later, when they walk home from school together.

“My friends were saying the same thing, actually,” Angel says later, when they’re weaving through the streets back to their shared neighborhood.

Mikey scrunches his nose. “What? Why?”

Angel shrugs, reaching up and twisting one of her long dark strands around her finger. “They said we hang out a lot, so we gotta be dating.”

“That’s dumb. Donnie and April hang out a lot and they’re not dating.”

“I said that too, but everyone else thinks they’re dating anyways.”

Mikey groans. “So dumb.”

Angel shrugs again. “It’s not super dumb. I think dating sounds kinda fun.”

“Ew, no.”

“What, you wouldn’t date me?”

“You’re my friend.”

“So?”

“Friends don’t date, they do- friend stuff!”

“My big brother says that dating starts with friendship, though.”

Mikey thinks about that for a moment. “Really? People on TV just kiss a bunch, though.”

“Keno doesn’t kiss his girlfriend too much, they mostly just sit around and talk a lot,” Angel explains. “Or play music in his room, sometimes. So kinda what we do, but I guess big kid stuff instead.”

“So… are we dating, then?” Mikey asks tentatively.

Angel looks at him, contemplative as she examines Mikey’s baggy orange shirt, his cargo shorts, and wildly tangled brown hair. “Maybe? Do you wanna be dating?”

“Uh, we’d still do friend stuff, right?” Mikey doesn’t think kissing part sounds too bad. But only if it’s in little amounts.

“Well duh, we gotta finish Bionicle, right?”

“Oh totally.”

They keep walking for a minute, and Mikey remembers something that people who date are supposed to do. “I think we hold hands now.”

“Oh, right.”

Angel sticks out her hand, and Mikey takes it. They keep walking, go to his house where his brothers are already hanging around in, and they watch Bionicle season 2’s fifth episode together.

They end up kissing possibly three times over the course of the rest of the week, barely pecks on the lips, before Angel says they should probably break up.

“There’s no spark,” She says very seriously. “It’s not you, Mikey, it’s the spark.”

Mikey is hurt for about two seconds, and then shrugs. He’d only really been doing it because people said he’s supposed to. “Okay. You still wanna sleep over?”

It makes a lot more sense, around fourteen, why Angel hadn’t felt any spark for the brief relationship or Mikey. Mostly having to do with her dyeing her hair purple, getting a pink shaded button for her bag, and going steady with Alopex from her apartment building. Mikey isn’t really surprised- Karai had had the same kind of look Angel grew into at the exact same age, and his cousin had been dating girls since she figured out how to bleach her hair.

Mikey, by fourteen, has had exactly one relationship, three first kisses, and lacks motivation to seek out another situation to build those counts. He’s moved on from his Bioncle years- though he keeps some toys, for the sake of nostalgia- and dived headfirst into the Marvel comic’s universe.

The school library has an excellent selection, and at the beginning of his fourteenth year he meets a girl buried up to her ears in that section. Renet and Mikey hit it off immediately, swapping knowledge and recommendations and favorites and strong opinions about individual universes.

“Who’s your friend?” Leo asks after one evening, when Mikey had spent about an hour and a half debating heatedly on the phone. Guardians of the Galaxy verses the Avengers- who did more on the grand scale of things for the earth and its wellbeing? Mikey voted the Guardians, but Renet had fought back valiantly that ground troops frequently made more differences than long-range artillery support.

“Renet! She just moved here like, three weeks ago or something,” Mikey says, hanging up the phone. The debate would have to be continued at school, next lunchtime. He turns to his sixteen year old brother, grinning. “Can she come over for dinner sometime? You guys’ll love her, I swear.”

“Her?” Raph asks loudly from the living room. “Holy shit, did you finally get a girlfriend?”

Mikey frowns. “Uh. No? She’s just my comics buddy.”

“Who you’re inviting for dinner,” Leo says pointedly. “Who you just spent like, two whole hours talking to, instead of texting.”

“Hey Donnie, Mike’s finally got a crush on someone!” Raph hollers. Crashing follows and Donnie skids down the steps of their second story in all his fifteen year old lanky glory. He nearly wipes out on the pile of laundry by the steps.

“Did we get blackmail yet?” Donnie asks immediately, hardly taking the time to steady himself.

“Working on it,” Leo replies.

Mikey slaps his hands over his eyes, groaning. “Guyyys! Shut up! That’s not how this is! She’s just- really cool, okay? And knows about superhero shit!”

He hears his older brothers make disbelieving sounds, and Mikey ignores them all. Maybe he deserves a little teasing- he’d done so to all of them about their crushes- but it’s! Not! Like that!

And then the first school dance of the year rolls around, and Mikey is faced yet again by social pressure to be dating someone. He has limited options for a dance date: his cousin, who scares everyone and is probably too busy to come. His best friend, who has two dates already (Mikey doesn’t know how Mondo managed that or how he’s going to keep that a secret from both dates, but he promises his friend the funeral will be a nice one). His other best friend, but LH is twenty-something and would really scare everybody, even though he’s just a big softie who likes leather too much. None of those dates are acceptable, in hindsight.

Or there’s Renet.

Mikey wants to go to the dance, because dancing is great and he loves social events in general, so he agonizes a bit and finally asks Renet to go with him.

She turns bright pink when he does, and fumbles her hold on issue four of Wolverine and the X-men. “O-oh, Mikey. I didn’t know you, um, felt that way about me?”

Mikey rushes to abolish that idea. “No! I mean- I like you, but not like that! It’s just a stupid dance, okay? I just want to dress up nice and go dancing, I swear.”

Renet sighs in relief. “Okay, good. I’m not really supposed to date until I’m older anyways. I’m glad we don’t have to have such a totally uncomfortable convo.”

Mikey slumps in his chair, huffing. “You and me both. So will you?”

“Be your date?”

“Yeah.”

“Sure! I love dances, they’re totally bodacious,” Renet giggles, and Mikey grins in return. His friend’s outdated slang has to be one of his favorite things about her. He kind of wonders why isn’t crushing on her- Renet is curvy and cute and knows a ton about comics- but she’s just his friend.

Mikey puts that thought aside, and asks Renet what the hell a corsage is.

When the night rolls around, she shows up in a dress and hijab that’s color coordinated and he puts on actual dress pants for once. He wears his favorite flannel and a bowtie borrowed off Donnie- and grins and bears it as his father, brothers, and their friends all snap pictures of him and Renet.

“You two are so cute,” April comments, taking a picture as Mikey sticks his tongue out at her.

“I hate all of you,” He grouches, but smiles again so Renet’s parents will have good photos. At least he gets to have revenge, snatching up a camera and getting all the angles possible of Leo, Donnie, April, Casey, and Raph in their outfits. The five of them are going stag together- for reasons Mikey is Highly Suspicious of, regarding Donnie, Casey, April, and Leo in particular- and he’s only a little mad they didn’t tell him going stag was an option.

The dance itself goes great- good music, good mood, mediocre refreshments and minimal buzzkill from teachers supervising. Mikey sees and meets his family throughout the evening, throwing down on the dancefloor with Renet and their classmates. He sees Leo making his Nervous But Trying Not To Be face as he talks to a couple of his classmates, mostly towards one Asian guy with dyed white hair. Mikey also sees Raph drifting from the group with his friends and twin, towards the punch table and snacks, which leaves Donnie, Casey, and April shimmying in a circle and looking really awkward, and why can’t they just figure themselves out already, jeeze.

Mikey focuses mostly on twirling Renet around, and having fun with that. Mondo, who is soaked in punch from his dates dumping him and going off together, gives Mikey meaningful looks directed towards Renet.

Mikey ignores his friend and highly awkward family members, and just enjoys dancing with his comics buddy. Renet, at the end of the night, is flushed and grinning and Mikey really does wonder why he doesn’t feel the need to kiss her. She is awfully cute.

When the drop her off at home, all they say to each other is a reminder that comic swap is this Thursday and to remember to bring the ones they’d borrow from one another. And then Renet leaves, shutting the door and shutting Mikey inside a van with his stupid nosy family.

“So,” Leo says, and Mikey doesn’t have to look towards the driver seat to hear that grin.

“You two crazy kids kiss tonight?” Casey finishes, poking the back of Mikey’s head. Mikey swats the hand and tells them all to piss off. His family does not in fact piss off and pokes for juicy details for at least another few blocks.

There’s no ‘juicy details’ to tell, even after he and Renet meet up the rest of the week and keep meeting up. They swap comics and have debates and just hang out, still just friends and unchanged from the dance date. Mikey wonders on and off why he doesn’t have a crush on Renet- or anyone, really- but brushes it off in favor of the new Superior Ironman series coming out soon.

It stays that way, through years fifteen and sixteen- while Leo finally works up the courage to admit out loud he likes guys and ask Usagi out, Donnie and Casey and April keep making circles around each other and the elephant in the room, and Raph starts making eyes at a cadet in training he’s met at the gym. Even Renet starts going steady with a boy her family approves of, and she approves of even more so, and Mondo goes through about five more relationships, all ending in various states of chaotic mutuality.

Mikey watches his family and friends all be in love or at least interested in other people, and Mikey just keeps feeling more interested in his comics and skating.

“Maybe you’re gay, like me,” Angel suggests at one point, while they’re sitting at her kitchen table and cramming for a bio test.

“I dunno, maybe?” Mikey answers, and doesn’t feel against dating a guy, but feels about as enthused as he would dating a girl. Or anyone in between, honestly.

“You already tried girls, give some guys a shot. More for me.”

“You thinking of cheating on Alo?”

Angel flicks an eraser at Mikey. It lodges in his coils and he doesn’t even bother getting it out.

“Hell no, and if you say anything like that to her I’ll bust your kneecaps.”

“Noted.”

Mikey actually gives it a shot, dating guys. Dating in general. Keno introduces Mikey to a delivery boy his age at a local pizzeria, and Woody’s not bad to hang out with. He’s got curly hair to Mikey’s coily, freckles except in red, and skates most weekends. And he likes comics, albeit indie ones, and they find a bit of common ground by breaking in each other for new fields of reading.

It goes great, chaste kisses and holding hands and having coffee dates to skate parks- up until Woody asks to take it a step further. And Mikey doesn’t… want to.

“Is it your first time or something?” His boyfriend asks, and Mikey nods. “Then we’ll… wait, I guess. Until you’re comfortable.”

“Thanks,” Mikey says, and tries to not feel guilty for not being ready right now. He knows for a fact Mondo lost his virginity ages ago, described in detail that Mikey had to make his friend shut up about, that Angel lost hers a while ago, told in much less detail, and that most of their classmates have. He also knows that his brothers had at least tried things at this point, and Mikey hasn’t.

He feels a little left behind and frustrated about it.

He tells his buddy, Linnorm Hirutarum, named after a dragon because his parents had been awesome, all about it as LH tends to the vegetable patch behind his tiny house. Mikey flops all over the grass by it, grumbling and sighing, and snitching lettuce when he pretends LH isn’t looking.

“If you are not ready, then you are not ready,” LH says sensibly in his usual growling tone. Which is default for him and basically his version of a warm-fuzzy tone anyways.

“But I should be!” Mikey exclaims. “Everyone else was. Is. Augh.”

“Have you talked about this with Woody?”

“I… I don’t want him thinking it’s about him. Because it’s not! It’s just stupid whatever stuff for me and I need to get over it.”

LH’s shadow falls over him, and Mikey waits for his huge friend to gently lower himself onto the grass. LH’s wide scars move with him as he does, displayed by a sleeveless shirt only in the safety of the hedge protected backyard. His hand comes down on Mikey’s veritable afro, and pats Mikey’s head as he keeps talking.

“I know people who have made rash decisions about these sorts of things,” LH says seriously. “If you are not ready, then do not force yourself to. Respect your own boundaries.”

Mikey sighs, but agrees to respect himself. It’s easy to agree in that moment, with only LH’s non-judgemental presence near him, but it’s harder when he’s with Woody again and trying to explain himself without being rude.

He gives it a try, the whole sex thing. LH said to respect his boundaries, but Mikey thinks he can do it if he just figures out how it goes. Everyone else likes it, so shouldn’t he?

They talk about it, set up a date, and Mikey gets ready to experience the… experience.

It ends up being an unexciting, uncomfortable half hour of sloppy kisses and bumping parts. Mikey tries his best, but can’t figure out why anyone works so hard to experience this.

When it’s all over, Mikey hasn’t felt anything remotely close to pleasure, and actually feels a little over touched. Woody is a bit flushed, breathing fast by Mikey’s ear, but doesn’t seem super pleased either.

“…you didn’t enjoy it, did you?” He asks.

Mikey covers his eyes, and sighs. “No. Sorry.”

“Yeah, I thought you didn’t. Sorry, Mikey.”

“It’s not your fault,” Mikey says, taking his arms away and staring at the ceiling of Woody’s room. “I’m pretty sure this one’s all on me.”

They sit in stiff silence for a moment, before Woody asks if Mikey wants to stay for dinner. Mikey declines as gracefully as he can, and goes home instead. Slogging upstairs and heading into the shower to wash off.

He’s pretty sure he shouldn’t feel so much better, alone in his bedroom and freshly cleaned of the lingering smell of body fluids. His brothers find him there later, in a bathrobe and watching the original Twin Peaks on his laptop, and they ask him why he washed so early.

Mikey debates for a moment, and decides they’ll find out somehow anyways. “I had sex.” He’s unsurprised to hear Leo choke on his own spit, and Raph and Donnie make twin sounds of shock and disbelief. “Yup. Popped the cherry but good. You guys can stop teasing me about it, now.”

Does he sound a little bitter? Mikey thinks he does. From the way his brothers hover awkwardly in the doorway, they heard the bitterness, too.

“…you okay, Mikey?” Leo asks, genuinely concerned.

Mikey shrugs. “I’m fine. It just went awful, that’s all.”

Raph pats Leo on the shoulder, simultaneous with Donnie, as they both silently nominate the eldest to deal with the situation. Leo shoots them both an abandoned look, but steps into Mikey’s room to come sit on his bed. Mikey doesn’t pause his video, using it as a distraction from his prickling shame.

Leo watches him for a moment, before asking, “You used protection, right?” and Mikey groans, covering his face.

“It wasn’t that kind of sex, okay?”

“Oh. Um. Good?”

“Smooth,” Raph comments from the doorway, audibly swatted at by Donnie.

“Anyways,” Leo recovers. “You were both… you talked about it beforehand, right? You both wanted it?”

“Yeah,” Mikey says miserably into his sleeve.

“…you know first times are always bad, right, Mikey? It takes- um- practice-”

“It wasn’t because of that, Leo. You can stop.”

“Thank you,” Leo says gratefully. Donnie and Raph snicker from the doorway. “So… what was it because?”

“I can’t believe this is a conversation we’re having.”

“Shh!”

“If it’s somethin’ that kid did-”

“Raph we talked about that contingency already: only if Mikey says so-”

“It wasn’t Woody,” Mikey says, before death threats start getting thrown around. “It was me, okay? I made it suck.” He takes his arms off his face, shooting a look at all three of his siblings. “And before you say it- no it wasn’t just because it was my first time. It sucked ‘cause I suck and I couldn’t figure out how to enjoy sex, okay?”

A beat of silence, all three of his brothers staring at him, and then Leo breaks the lull.

“Mikey… you don’t ‘figure out’ how to enjoy sex. You just- enjoy it. It happens naturally.”

Mikey’s cheeks burn and he scowls. “Well apparently not with me.”

“Maybe you just haven’t met the right person yet?” Raph suggests. “I mean, you know me and how things go with that.”

Mikey shakes his head. “I kinda doubt it; I’ve tried to get crushes on like, ten different kids at school and nada. Zip.”

Donnie tilts his head, long hair following the movement. “Maybe when you’re older you’ll be more interested?”

Mikey sighs. “I don’t know. Maybe. I hope so. But it’s been like- never a thing, okay? I should’ve had feelings or whatever at some point, at least once, right?”

A collective “uhhhh” from his brothers and Mikey turns over into his pillow to suffocate himself. Leo pats his back comfortingly, saying Mikey should just give himself more time, keep an open mind to chances in the future- and Mikey makes a wordless complaining sound into his pillow for it.

He and Woody break it off a few weeks later. His friend tried, and Mikey recognizes that, but Woody needs a relationship that involves stuff Mikey just… can’t figure out how to give. He tries only two more times before they just call it quits. It’s not working, and trying to make it work is just frustrating for them both.

They keep being friends afterwards, and that’s actually better in the long run. It’s everything Mikey really wanted out of the relationship anyways, so he doesn’t feel like he’s lost anything.

He feels shitty for not being able to put out like he wanted to, though. And that drives him nuts for the rest of the year, until he’s seventeen and graduating finally, and gearing up to follow his siblings to local universities. Donnie graduated ages ago, but stayed local because of their family and he, April, and Casey’s really obvious secret relationship. Casey is in mechanics, and April in general sciences; Donnie is in both and more, because he’s insane. Leo is already a few years into his share of university courses, a hopeful nurse in the future, and Raph is neck deep in his art courses.

Mikey doesn’t know what he’s going to go for, and signs up for a random collection of electives to start with. Social sciences and psychology looks sort of fun, and so do dance courses. But those are months away, and before then is summer, family time, and June’s Pride Parade.

They’ve gone a couple times, when everyone has the day off from work or classes, and this year Mikey doesn’t have a shift at his outreach program scheduled on the parade’s date. So he, his family and friends, all end up watching the parade go by in a loosely connected group.

The standard drag queens, sponsor programs, and generally proud and loud folks roll by, music and cheer its usual levels of boisterousness. Mikey snags a couple plastic necklaces that are being given out, and just enjoys hanging out with his family. He waves to Angel and Alopex as they march by, part of the local lesbian representatives, watching the familiar pink and red flags flutter as they do, but pauses as the next group follows them.

It’s just a handful of people, walking with grey, white, purple, and black flags, mixed with ones very similar but instead of purple, they have green. There’s some polite clapping as they go past, and Mikey nudges Donnie beside him. “Hey, Donnie, what’re those flags for?”

“I… don’t actually know?” His phone is out within seconds, reflexes of a true technology addict. “Let’s see what our almighty lord and savior google has to say about it.” Mikey pushes close, reading as much as he can as Donnie flicks through the search faster than he can take it. “They’re- huh. They’re for ‘asexuality’ and... ‘aromantics’? I don’t even know what the second one is, and I’ve never heard about that first one being applied to anything other than asexual reproduction.”

“More explanation, please?” Mikey asks impatiently.

“It’s says- don’t push, I’m trying to scroll- it says it’s for individuals with little or no sexual drive, or little to no interest in romance. Actually that sounds contradictive, why are they listed together…”

Mikey’s eyebrows shoot up. “Really?”

“Well, that’s a gross oversimplification of everything here. There’s a spectrum for it, and apparently different categories? This is actually pretty interesting. I wonder why I’ve never read about it before.”

Mikey snags the phone from his brother, scrolling back to the top and rereading the first few paragraphs. He ignores Donnie’s grabby hands and keeps reading, feeling a twisty hopeful emotion build in his chest.

“Here,” He says, tossing the phone back at his brother. “hold my spot.” And he takes off at a jog to catch up with the parade members. They’re not too far ahead, and Mikey just has to avoid slipping on stray necklaces as he runs over to them.

“Hey- hey!” He shouts, catching up with the first person he can. The woman turns questioningly towards him, and Mikey blurts, “When did you- did you first know?”

She blinks at him, adjusting her hold on the big flag pole on her shoulder. “Excuse me?”

“That you’re asexual,” Mikey asks, heart tempo speeding up. “How’d you know?”

She stares at him a second longer, and then grins. “Around the time I had my first girlfriend, and I looked back at the times with my other partners and figured out I was always more interested in watching the movie than I was in making out.”

Mikey grins back. “Yo- same hat!”

“Oh yeah?”

“Totally! My ex always wanted to make out during Luke Cage and I was always like- dude no there’s good stuff happening. That’s. Wow.” Mikey feels a little breathless. “So that’s what it is? It’s not like- just a me thing?”

He barely hears the crowd around them, his focus tunneled around the conversation and the woman holding the flag. Mikey waits for a denial or an okay, a little scared while he’s so excited.

The woman smiles kindly. “No, that’s not just a you thing. We’re not a huge community, but there’s aces out there. Do you think you’re one of us?”

“I don’t know, I’m- I’m hoping so?” Mikey’s heart does a little twist. “I mean. My bro just pulled up the google explanation, and it sounds really, really. Um. Like me?”

The woman reaches up to the front of her jean jacket, and reaches into a pocket. When she pulls out her hand, she holds something out to Mikey.

“Look into it a little more, but if you think asexuality fits you- then welcome to the club, kid.”

Mikey takes the little button, grinning ear to ear. He thinks he’s shaking he’s so ecstatic. “Hey, would it be cool if I hugged you right now? I think you just solved like half my life problems.”

The woman laughs, and holds her arm out. It’s an awkward hug, because they’re both still walking and she’s carrying a flag, but Mikey appreciates it wholly.

When he comes back to his family, he’s got a new pin stuck to his shirt and an elated, hopeful feeling in his chest behind it.

“Hey guys, guess what?”

Turns out, not really feeling like dating people is fine all on its own.

So while Leo and Usagi go through the ups and downs of long-standing relationships, Donnie, Casey, and April all share their usual collective awkwardness and romantic overtures, Raph finally lands a date with the cadet Y’Gythgba he’s been following around for ages, and Karai and Shinigami disappear over the eastern horizon to share their seventh anniversary-

Mikey cracks a fresh pile of comics in his bedroom, turns up his music, and calls Renet on Skype to have a comparison hangout of their latest picks. He hangs out with Mondo and Woody around the skate park before that, and rolls by Angel’s place to say hi to his friend and her family on the way back. He pops in at LH’s place, trading half the casserole Angel’s mom gave to him for fresh veggies, chatting about his day so far and plans for a comic binge later. He sees his friends, does what he always does with them, and departs from them all one after another.

When he goes home, enjoying the summer heat all on his own and excited to video call his best girl who-is-his-friend and nothing more- he doesn’t feel even the slightest bit lonely as he walks. Like he always has.

[spoopercorp]

Supercorp Fic 3/4

Summary: Kara leaves for a mission and when she returns, she is not entirely herself - Kara Danvers and Kara Zor-El are gone. All that is left is Supergirl, last child of Krypton and now Rao’s successor.

Chapter Summary: A tragic event strikes Lena; the aftermath leaves scars that cut into her bones, and the dark thoughts that corrupt her mind finally surface - they are coaxed out by Supergirl, who knows Lena just as well as Kara does.

Based on this: “plastic-pipes.tumblr.com/post/161320253433/plastic-pipes-i-can-c-basically-its-kinda-i” by @plastic-pipes.

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"You know," Lena started, "On Earth, we actually named Krypton's red sun LHS-2520."

"I think I like Rao better," Kara smiled.

"Me too," she agreed, "LHS-2520 is too wordy."

"What did you call our moon?"

"A name just as riveting as LHS-2520," she hummed.

Kara chuckled, "We actually call it Nightwing."

"Krypton was polytheistic?" Lena asked, and she refrained from wincing at the 'was'.

Kara relaxed into her friend's couch, nodding, "Yeah. Rao has three children, all godlings, but Rao is the prime entity of Krypton."

Lena crossed her legs, intrigued, "Did your world not have clashes between the religious and scientific communities?"

Kara shook her head and laughed, "Uh, no. No, that conflict is exclusive to Earth actually, from what I've seen."

Lena chuckled, "Well, humans are pretty primitive."

The Kryptonian's eyes widened and she stammered, "Oh! I-I didn't mean it like that! I just - sorry."

"It's fine, Kara," she smirked, "It sounds like Krypton was an accepting and progressive place."

The blonde shook her head, "Not really, my planet was actually a little xenophobic, and there were some class issues too."

One of Lena's eyebrows arched, "Seriously?"

"Seriously," she repeated, "The military guild had some spat with the other factions."

"About?"

"Well, red hair was a sign of Rao's divine influence, and anyone born with it was automatically drafted into the military, so..."

Lena nodded, "Ah, I see."

"And my planet preferred to be isolated. We were strict on visitors, but often traveled ourselves. Me especially, with my dad."

"Special privileges?" Lena smirked.

"Pretty much."

"Why's that?"

Kara grinned, "I'm from a noble house, I could pretty much do anything I wanted since my family is a lineage that directly descends from Rao."

Lena did a double take, "So, you were royalty?"

"I guess?"

She gasped, "I didn't know I was speaking to a princess, Ms. Danvers."

Kara's expression soured, her nose scrunching at the term, "Well, no, some citizens weren't too happy with my family not having red hair."

Lena chuckled, "I could see you leading a planet, I bet you would've had your fleets travel far and wide for the perfect intergalactic meal."

"Hey!" Kara pouted, "We weren't a monarchy, we were more of a democracy!"

"Regardless, my statement still holds true, and you didn't even deny it."

The blond folded her arms and grumbled.

"So what's the story?"

Kara lifted her head up, "Story?"

"About Rao? The children? Surely there has to be something, religion always has a certain mythos to tell," Lena urged.

"Well, according to the oldest story," Kara began, "Rao was supposedly the first being to be born from the void, then out of loneliness, it created the universe and then the jewel planet Krypton. Three godlings were created from its essence and they are Flamebird, Nightwing, and Vohc the Builder."

"Builder?" Lena inquired.

"Vohc is tasked with decorating Krypton, hence, jewel," Kara explained, "And Flamebird is tasked with destroying those creations in the hopes that Vohc would create something more beautiful - a cycle of destruction and renewal. Nightwing is the vigilante, but can only come out at night and he grew lonely, so Vohc created a bridge between light and dark."

"And let me guess," Lena hummed, "Flamebird and Nightwing fell madly and incestuously in love with each other."

Kara laughed, "Yeah, and Vohc was inspired by the love so much that he created what he considered his greatest achievement, the heart."

Lena tilted her head, her lips pulling up, "Of course, how romantic."

Kara's smile faltered slightly, "But Flamebird had to destroy it, no matter how much Vohc begged her not to. So, he got revenge and allied himself with Cythonna, goddess of ice and darkness and Rao's counterpart, and separated her and Nightwing. By banishing him, he created the Phantom Zone. Vohc disowned his entire family with his treachery and renamed himself into Vohc the Breaker; he became a heretic and the first sinner."

Lena's eyebrows furrowed and then her lips curled in an attempt to lighten the situation, "I can relate to that family drama."

Kara chuckled at that, but it sounded uneasy, her crinkle appearing in concern for her friend. She reached out and placed her hand on Lena's, squeezing reassuringly.

She felt her stiffen and pull away.

Kara's expression fell slightly.

Right. She's still upset.

The Supergirl reveal was only a week ago, and Lena's trust was still tender and mending.

"Um," the Luthor stood up and turned away, towards her desk, "I have a meeting soon, we can catch up again some other time."

She frowned, but nodded, "Yeah. Yeah, of course. I'll just - I'll text you."

Lena shook her head, banishing the memories from her mind; she knew it was futile though, Kara eventually came back, always.

And those three words that were uttered from Supergirl's lips did not help her endeavors either.

"But you do."

Instead, it made her confused, angry, sad, so capricious with her moods that she could not decipher them until it shifted to another.

Her thoughts were just as erratic, jumping from memory to memory, both good and bad.

And it was always about Kara.

Lena and Supergirl ceased their nightly meetings, ever since the peculiar...confession of some sort.

The former told herself that it was due to her busy schedule and the slight rise in crime from Cadmus straddlers, not because of the righteous speech she practically screamed at Supergirl.

Lena knew she was in the wrong because who was she, a Luthor, to know what justice really was? She was no hero, certainly did not feel like one even after she thwarted her mother's plans to eradicate all aliens inhabiting Earth.

Supergirl - Kara - was more experienced in that field, but Lena's bottled, unkempt anger exploded.

National City's hero, Earth's champion, was certainly still righteous.

Just in such a cruel way.

Saving people was no longer a passion, a belief in love and second chances.

It was a duty, a job that Supergirl was permanently bound by, and the chains seemed to become more cumbersome every time she entertained herself with the news channel.

This time, Lena watched from the line of people acquiring their food from the restaurant nearest to her company. She saw the anchor disclose the most recent heroic action taken by Supergirl; a neighborhood with a reputation for a predominantly alien populace was being threatened by some leftover Cadmus-supporting thugs with otherworldly weaponry.

Lena sighed, glanced at her watch and saw it was a little past nine in the evening, and she just wanted to get her takeout so she could go back to her office to work on her projects until she passed out on her desk from exhaustion again, much to the dismay of her secretary.

Then Lena finally noticed the whispers around her, no doubt gossiping about the Luthor in front of their very wary eyes; they sounded apprehensive and judgemental.

Not that it really bothered her, she had grown accustomed to them, but it was only a matter of time before someone became hostile and confronted her.

Lena dug her hand into her purse and left it there, her hand clutching tightly onto her taser, and she silently thanked herself for deciding to wear her blazer and trousers today because she certainly would not have been able to defend herself as well in a pencil skirt.

Though the heels were probably going to be a hindrance.

She shook her head and groaned softly, the commotion in the kitchen was beginning to irritate her ears with the clicking and whirring sounds that raised higher in pitch.

She focused her gaze back onto the television, noted that Supergirl was tidying up the alien neighborhood with the firemen.

"Dude," the cashier shouted, tapping the side of his head, "Can you check the goddamn kitchen? The noise is..." he waved his hand.

His coworker rolled her eyes before swinging the door to the back open, "Hey, guys, can you tone it down a li-"

Lena did not even register the sound of the blast, the vibrations immediately felt like they were ripping her eardrums apart, and suddenly there was blinding pain behind her skull and her back as she was thrown against the opposite wall from the concussive force. She was on the ground in a breathless heap, disoriented, with the fiery remains of the building surrounding her; there was debris, splintered wood, toppled chairs and tables, and several dead bodies.

The building did not seem to want to hold out its support too much longer either.

Lena grunted, felt liquid running from her left ear and swiftly determined that it could not take the amount of decibels the bomb created. She quickly stood up, but her left leg faltered and she fell to the ground painfully.

"God! Fuck!"

She was on all fours, a hand pressing against her thigh to see that a shard of glass was embedded into her skin. She did not pay attention to how serious it was because she was so busy worrying about the stability of her predicament, but judging from the way the lukewarm wetness pulsed around her hand, it was not a shallow wound.

Lena released a bitter chuckle when she finally glanced down to see a small puddle form, and she could not help the sarcastic comment that she muttered to herself, "Great," she looked up in agitation, blinking away the blood dripping from her temple, "It's 'cause I'm a Luthor, isn't it?"

She rolled to the side as a pillar crashed to the ground where she had been.

"Yeah," she scoffed, ignoring the way her head throbbed at the movement, "I thought as much."

Lena pushed herself up with wobbly hands and limped away, an arm draping over her mouth as her lungs succumbed into a fit of coughing - she could already feel the ashes tainting her insides, and that her hair was losing structure from its perfect bun.

Lena could only imagine how unprofessional she looked, covered in soot from the cinders - there were probably streaks of mascara around her eyes.

She made her way through the maze, helping others up along the journey.

She encountered a child and her father, lifting a wooden bar from a woman in panic.

Lena maneuvered her way through and offered her help, and they managed to remove the object successfully.

The woman was escorted out by her husband with their child aside hurriedly.

Lena blinked and the edges of her vision dimmed, she could feel her consciousness fade more and more from the blood loss dripping through her fingers, from the concussion she had, from the short breaths she was making due to the embers.

So Lena moved behind the family, towards the exit, but a series of pleas for help had her following them deeper into the source of the detonation with their fearful cadence.

Several employees were trapped behind a door blocked with some rubble, though she could not quite tell since her vision was doubling, tripling. She felt her adrenaline surge up slightly again, despite the aching cuts and bruises that begged her to leave, and she tossed her blazer aside due to the sweltering heat. She leaned against a charred pillar to catch her breath before moving forward.

A hideous groan of metal halted her in her tracks.

Then the ceiling crumbled and Lena fell flat onto her stomach.

"Agh!"

She felt a stabbing pain through her right side and let out a scream of agony that died into an embarrassing wheeze as her lungs constricted. Her body cried with its trembling throes and she eventually submitted, cheek resting on the cold floor, wet with her blood. She felt the slab press down just below her shoulder blades and down to her legs; her arms were free to roam, but she could not bring herself to seek a way out.

Lena was pinned, hacking out red phlegm - she was going die from the flames, from blood loss, or from suffocation via punctured lung; her broken ribs protested every sip of breath she took and she knew it was only a matter of time before her lung fully collapsed.

She clawed her hands into the ground and pulled, but immediately stopped when a fresh wave of trauma hit her body and she released another shriek, hot tears spilling over.

Crawling out was an impossible option, so she gave up, she knew she was defeated.

Lena groaned and inhaled another raspy breath, her line of vision was red - her blood was pooling out so far that her stretched out arm and hand were bathing in it.

Her eyes fluttered and she saw, blurrily, that the trapped employees continued to wail for help.

The fire was drawing nearer, she could feel its blazing heat travel closer to her sweat-soaked skin. She silently prayed that she would not die from being seared alive.

Then Lena's foggy senses alerted her to another sound of screeching metal, but what followed was a familiar red cape in the corner of her vision and the employees cheering.

She was still conscious enough to know who it was.

Then the weight flattening her body was lifted and thrown to the side like nothing.

She thought it was the next best feeling after showing up one of her board members.

The building crumbled more and she knew there was not enough time to help everyone, and Supergirl knew that too, better than she did.

Lena coughed, sputtered out blood, "Save them..."

Her hand covered in red pointed across the room with violent shakes.

It was the most logical choice. The employees seemed uninjured and there were more of them, though less than she recalled. Lena was wounded, possibly in a fatal manner, and she was simply one person.

It appealed to Supergirl's utilitarian attitude.

"Save them," she breathed hoarsely again, and they were ragged. Her arm weakly faltered back to the bloody pool with a tiny splash, and she knew the Kryptonian could hear her voice - it was a demand, an order that she knew the hero would easily follow through, and she was not much afraid of death either, so she was prepared to be left behind.

Lena had nothing to go back to; her family despised her, people undermined her abilities, her board members did not take her seriously, and many, both alien and human, hated her guts and wanted her dead.

She had no family, no friends.

And Lena could not really think of anything that she wanted to stay alive for, but judging by how hard the employees were fighting against the barricade that blocked them from escape, they seemed to have many things in the living world that they were fighting to get back to.

She was a little jealous of them.

But Lena was not left behind. Instead, she was shocked when she felt the hesitation, then completely short circuited when Supergirl carefully scooped up her fragile body and left.

Lena panicked, felt her heart racing in the strong arms wrapped around her, but she was too weak and her voice came in another choked whisper, "No. No, please. Save them. Supergirl."

The last thing she remembered was the figure of her savior easing her onto a gurney and darting back into the incandescent fire.

Supergirl was brighter than the flames.

Concussion.

Bruises.

Cuts.

Scrapes.

Injured left eardrum, partial, but temporary, loss of hearing.

Glass shard in her left thigh, torn quadriceps from the laceration.

Four broken ribs, collapsed right lung - pneumothorax - from being impaled by metal rebar. Her breaths were a little shorter, and the fact that she spent around four to five minutes in the fumes did not help.

Seven months to heal.

Lena was going to force herself to recover in two - if she could walk and do work without too much pain, then that was enough by her standards; she was going to spend as much money as it took so she could get back on her feet as quickly as possible.

She was discharged after a little less than a month, with strict recommendations to attend physical therapy, sleep more, and shorten work hours - like those last two were ever going to happen, rest did not come easy for a person like her.

The week Lena was let out of the hospital was relatively peaceful, though the incident did leave her shaken, as with all her other near-death experiences. But she hoped the tremors would subside, like they always did after time passed.

Lena learned that the former Cadmus operatives behind the alien neighborhood attack was also targeting the restaurant, or more accurately, her; it was a distraction to try and ensure that Supergirl would not be able to save the Luthor heiress.

They failed their mission.

But nineteen people died in the explosion and Lena swallowed down something that tasted like guilt and resentment, for some peculiar reason.

Maybe it was the awful aftertaste of the ashy soot on the tip of her tongue, maybe still in her lungs.

But she did not dwell on it.

When Lena was going over her quarterly revenue report she found herself relieved that she did not injure her arms, that the sharp pain she occasionally experienced with every breath was enough along with her wobbly limp.

Lena still managed to walk quite normally though, and she refused to take any analgesics - alcohol worked just fine, but her doctors did not need to know that.

She only consumed enough to the point the pain ebbed into a pleasant hum and she was mindlessly writing out paperwork.

Then Supergirl arrived.

It had been a little over a month since the bombing and almost two since their last real conversation.

And here she was again, floating on the other side of L-Corp's balcony with her holy attire.

Lena stood and strode over from her desk, a little tipsy, but she made sure she did not look like she was limping, and she was not, at least not to human eyes.

"Supergirl," she greeted with half a smile, "To what or whom do I owe the utmost pleasure?"

She realized too late that her voice was a little scratchy, less melodic than she preferred, and she inwardly cringed at it.

The heroine did not speak, so Lena did in her place.

"I wanted to thank you for saving me. Again," she chuckled, found herself actually a bit amused, "What's this, like, the fourteenth time you've swooped in? How am I to show my gratitude?"

"You must be more careful, Ms. Luthor."

Lena mentally backpedaled at the way Supergirl addressed her, and she felt her heart drop to her stomach.

She forced a smile, "Right. Um," a pause, "How are you?"

The question was earnest, truly, but she expected either surprise or nothing.

It was the former.

Supergirl seemed startled with the question, but her reply was practiced and even, "I am well. And you?"

Lena shrugged, avoided giving a really honest answer with her signature vague replies, and she knew that the Kryptonian must have caught onto her speech patterns by now if not before.

"The usual. A little tired."

"You are tense."

"I'm fine," but Lena's body betrayed her by stiffening more at Supergirl's statement.

"You do not seem so."

And she was right, because Lena felt emotionally and physically drained from everything that had transpired. From Kara's transcendence up to now, and her coping mechanisms did not do much besides distract her, besides perpetually postpone her worries.

So Lena gave up, knew there really was not much she could do to counter Supergirl, and she asked what had been on her mind since she woke up in the hospital after the incident that almost left her crippled.

"Did you save them?"

The question was rushed through, to the point the words sort of slurred together, and it might also have been from the bit of alcohol she consumed beforehand.

Supergirl hovered next to her now, both their arms were resting against the railing, but this time they were not looking out to the stars, but at each other.

And Lena did not think there was much of a difference, only that Supergirl was much brighter, only that she would much rather stare at Supergirl.

At Kara.

"Did you save them?" she repeated after no answer, softer.

"Not all of them."

The voice had a twinge of pain in it, and regret.

"Nineteen perished," Supergirl informed, "Thirteen on impact. You helped seven escape. I aided three."

Lena's throat clogged up, "And the...the employees, behind the door. Did you..."

She trailed off, her jaw clenched.

"I scanned the building when I landed next to you. They were the only survivors left. Six of them."

"And?"

"Four died."

Lena's breath snagged and she gulped, "Hypothetically, if you left me behind, would you have been able to save all six?"

Supergirl remained silent, but that was an answer enough, and they both knew it.

Lena felt the volatile animosity inside of her flare, and it hit her with such a force that she stepped back, away from the supposed goddess.

"Why did you save me?" she asked, it was quiet, but then her voice grew harsher in amplitude and tone, "They needed help! They needed you! I'm alive 'cause four people died!"

Silence.

"I should've died! You should've..." she shook her head, took another step back, "Why?"

Silence.

Lena fumed, she roared, "Answer me!"

"You deserve to be saved."

The answer came instantly, in quiet haste.

Lena was rendered speechless once again, and she was just astounded at how tongue-tied she was.

"You do not believe my words," the goddess stated factually.

No, Lena did not, and she knew Supergirl would have done the same for Alex, for Eliza, for J'onn, for everyone else Kara held dear.

But for her?

"That's not a good enough reason!" Lena shouted, her throat strangled, and she stalked up to the Kryptonian and shoved her chest, and Supergirl let herself tilt back before resuming her rigid posture.

"Tell me what the fuck went through your head when you decided that saving me over six fucking people was a good idea!"

Supergirl was silent again.

"Tell me," Lena said. It was no longer a shout, but a small, pleading cry.

"I do not know," Supergirl rushed out, and her eyes were widened a fraction as if she was shocked, "I wish I could say it was the more logical choice, but it was not. I am sorry. I do not know..."

It was then that Lena realized this feeling of animosity was directed at herself.

And Supergirl could see it too.

"Do you regret being saved?" she asked.

There was silence.

"Do you regret being alive?"

More silence, the only sound was the stutter of Lena's heartbeat as tears flooded over her eyes.

"Get out," she whispered, "Please. Just leave. I need time. I need..."

She choked on her unspoken words, placed a hand tentatively over the golden emblem of hope inscribed into the Kryptonian's chest.

She pushed with a gentle force, but Supergirl understood.

And she flew off.

Neither of them were sure if it was a goodbye.

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