#i don't remember the chapter number uh. but that's even more of a reason to read the fic yourself

[arts-and-drafts]

Come Morning Light (Part 12)

Part One / Part Two / Part Three / Part Four / Part Five / Part Six / Part Seven / Part Eight / Part Nine / Part Ten / Part Eleven

(THE CHAPTER I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR. Seriously, I've had this in my head since CML's conception. It's all lead up to this. Not to hype it too much, but I will also say a very specific scene in this part was inspired by my beloved mutual @cedarwhisp and their incredible Hermit!Tommy fic Shells In The Foam. I implore you to read it, it's the best 50+ chapters of fanfic I have literally ever read. Anyway, enough stalling!! Let's go!!!)

CWs: Death, manipulation, violence, mentions of abuse

-

Tommy's stomach jerked as Xisuma's imposing form vanished in front of his eyes, and he tripped backwards into Joe.

He didn't get a moment to even breathe before enchanted words flashed over his vision.

RUN.

The sky split open with a clap of green lightning, tearing the quiet night apart. Tommy saw Xisuma and Dream's silhouettes illuminated in the sky in that split second, grappled together and glowing with administrator magic.

Vaguely, Tommy saw Joe in the corner of his vision, and he subconsciously reached out to grasp the sleeve of his guardian's shirt for some menial comfort.

"We need to help him," Tommy mumbled, his eyes glued to the figures in the sky. He felt Joe put his hand over his, and against Joe's steady weight he realized he was trembling.

"This is not a fight we can interfere with anymore, Tommy." Joe replied faintly.

Tommy couldn't look away. No rain fell from the sky, but crackles of green lightning struck every time the two admins collided. From this distance, Tommy could see Xisuma pulling up his administrator screen every time they parted, but Dream always struck quick enough to cut off any command Xisuma tried to summon.

Xisuma was clumsy in the sky, Tommy realized, as he watched the admin give up on his screen and instead launched himself forward, his sword in hand. Dream easily shot out of the way, and Xisuma's armor saved him from what would otherwise be a deadly blow to the back of the head.

Xisuma jerked to face Dream, straight-up throwing a punch at the god, but Dream deflected the blow with his arm and used his other to slice upward with his axe. Xisuma only barely moved out of the way in time.

Tommy's stomach twisted as he recognized the stark red of a barrier block in Xisuma's hand. Dream ducked through an invisible gap in the barrier before Xisuma could complete the box, and rushed at Xisuma so quickly that Tommy could barely follow his form against the lightening sky.

Xisuma flew to meet him with his blade ready, but he was out of his element, and Dream was of war.

Dream dodged impossibly quick, and slammed down on Xisuma hard enough to send the taller admin to the ground in a blur. The sound of an explosion reached Tommy's ears as the impact made a crater in Joe's land, and Tommy's past curled around his throat and turned him dizzy.

Withers descended from the sky, flanked by TNT raining death from above, falling from the massive obsidian grid that blotted out the sun. The air was choked with dust and ash, and Tommy's vision was blurry. His ears rang painfully from the explosions, and everything seemed off kilter. Tommy looked around at the carnage, feeling like he was detached from his body.

Everything was gone.

His eyes were pulled to a cave that had been exposed from the TNT. There sat Wilbur, on his knees a few blocks away from the tattered body of Philza. Tears ran down Wilbur's face, and he shoved his diamond sword into his father's hands.

No.

Tommy tried to move. He really did. But his limbs were locked with terror, and he could only watch as Philza Minecraft took up Wilbur's sword.

"NO!"

Tommy jolted back to the present, already running. His breath burned in his lungs, grief searing his insides just as fiercely as flames.

"XISUMA!"

The sound of armored footsteps echoed behind him, and Tommy didn't need to look to see every hermit left standing rushing behind him to fight. Their battle cries blurred with the goofy "humina" war cry from Tommy's memories, something he instigated, when they didn't know this would be the last time they followed Wilbur ever again.

An invisible hand squeezed Tommy's heart, and he used the pressure to draw his sword.

Arrows flew overhead, shot from the ghosts in Tommy's mind and hermits alike. Many missed, but a few got lucky, and Tommy nearly sang when he heard Dream make a noise of pain. He fell from the sky, but landed in a MLG water, and the green energy that surrounded him disappeared all at once.

Tommy began to swing his sword, but Dream turned to him, and he froze. That smiling face burned into his retinas and sealed him in place for a few seconds he couldn't spare.

Dream lunged, and Tommy was forcibly knocked out of the way right before his chest was sliced open. A cry of pain sounded, and Tommy turned to see Bdubs locked in blades with Dream, a red stain already growing on his side.

"Get out!" Bdubs gritted, pushing forward and sending Dream stumbling a few blocks. "Tommy, run!!"

But his legs were jelly. The clash of metal on metal reverberated through his very being, and he could only watch as Dream swiftly sliced forward in the fraction of a second that Bdubs turned to look at Tommy.

[BdoubleO100 was slain by Dream using Nightmare]

No.

He had to move. He had to.

But Dream looked at him, and suddenly he was exiled again, throwing his tools and armor in the pit.

"TOMMY!"

The thundering of thousands of feet sounded through the chaos, and Dream only had time to turn his head before he was swarmed by the largest wolf pack Tommy had ever seen.

Tommy gasped and scrambled to his feet to avoid the herd, but the snarling wolves only had eyes for Dream, who was desperately trying to fend them off. A harsh whistle pierced the air, and Tommy turned to the noise.

Joe, in all his leather-armored glory, was running alongside more of his wolves, his sword in hand.

Joe reached out as he got closer, his wolves flanking him either side. Tommy found himself reaching back.

And then Dream moved lightning quick, and Joe choked out a strangled noise.

Tommy's very bones turned to ice.

Dream was kneeling on the grass, holding Joe by the hair, his axe poised over the poet's throat.

The battle stopped all at once. Even Joe's wolves were silent.

"Come with me," Dream said, evenly, dangerously, and Tommy knew his eyes were only on him. "Or I'll kill him."

-

This was not the first time Joe's life had been threatened.

It was, however, the most serious.

He felt Dream's fingers curl, pulling tighter on Joe's hair, and the poet swallowed a noise of pain.

"You know I mean it, Tommy." Dream uttered, terribly still, like a cave spider waiting to strike.

Tommy looked like he had just been shot.

The hermits knew that death did not have the hold on them that Tommy was used to. It was one of the few things they could always rely on to be the same, despite every change of season. Death was only temporary, and it was frustrating at worst.

Tommy still didn't think like that, Joe knew, even after a year with the hermits. The poet saw the terror in his ward's eyes and wondered who he really saw in Dream's hold.

"Tom-" Joe tried, but Dream yanked on his hair and raised his axe blade closer, making him hiss in pain. Joe forced his eyes open and stared at Dream's mask with deliberate calm.

He was not afraid. But Tommy was, and Dream knew that. He was using a child's fear to get what he wanted.

Joe never wanted to harm another player so badly in his life.

"Tick tock, Tommy." Dream said, his voice smooth. "We don't have-"

And then an enchanted projectile struck him so fast that Joe barely knew what it was, the impact whipping Dream to the side with a yell.

Joe was unceremoniously thrown out of Dream's hold, and he cried out as Dream's axe sliced his lip, his mouth instantly tasting blood. He felt strong hands grab his arms and forcefully pull him away, and for a moment his senses were overwhelmed with the strong perfume of wilting flowers, and the barely-there stench of rot.

Joe put a hand on Cleo's bicep in thanks, unable to turn away from the scene in front of him, because Tommy was standing tall with an arrow notched, the sun finally rising behind him, encasing him in a halo of blinding light.

His face was twisted with the coldest rage Joe had ever seen, his eyes only on Dream. Joe realized with a start that Tommy's first arrow had broken a piece clean off of Dream's mask, and one poison-green eye was glaring malice for the world to see.

"BACK THE FUCK UP." Tommy spat, trembling with fury instead of fear, and with the sun's light behind him, Joe saw an angel of vengeance.

Dream's single-eyed gaze hardened, and he rose to his feet, the axe that had taken so many hermits' lives ringing with metallic enchantment against the grass.

"You shouldn't have done that." Dream growled, all the smugness in his tone gone. The hairs on Joe's arms stood on end. Even if his mind wasn't afraid, his body was not so easily calmed. Every fiber of his being screamed 'DANGER' at this new side of Dream.

But Tommy did not even blink.

"Oh yeah?" The boy said, a shaky but sharp grin growing on his face. "What are you gonna do about it?"

"I'll fucking kill you, Tommy." Dream hissed, taking a step forward, and every remaining hermit moved at once to stand in his way. They were stopped by Tommy flicking a quick look their way.

Oh, Joe realized all at once. This is the trap.

"I'll take your last life and you'll be fucking dead, Tommy, and then I'll kill your ghost!" Dream raised his axe, and Tommy flinched, even after all this time. It pooled rage as hot as lava in Joe's gut, but he did not move. He had to trust Tommy.

Tommy took a shaky breath, and remained steady. Atta boy, Joe thought, unable to resist the surge of pride he felt. This boy was nothing like the cowering mess he found a year ago.

"Go on, then." Tommy challenged, raising his bow only slightly. "Just like before, ey? Ten paces?"

And Dream hesitated. It was only for a fraction of a second, but Joe saw it, and so did Tommy.

"Yeah, that's fuckin' right." Tommy said, triumph in his tone. "I'm too important, aren't I?"

"I heard you, earlier. You could've killed me in that fuckin' maze, but you didn't." And this time Tommy took the step forward, his arrow locked on target. "You're not gonna kill me, Dream. You don't have the fuckin' guts."

That seemed to strike a nerve. Dream suddenly stood at his full height, his mask glinting in the dawn light. "Maybe not," he said, slowly, carefully, "but everyone you love on the SMP is still at my mercy, Tommy."

"Not anymore." Xisuma croaked, and everyone turned to the admin, kneeling and bruised at the lip of the crater his body caused, his administrator screen illuminating his cold glare.

Joe looked back just in time to see Dream's eye widen, and he moved--

And he was gone.

And the world stopped, just for a moment. Like a tripwire pulled taut. Lag wasn't new to Hermitcraft, but something felt different.

Joe had turned to Tommy before the world froze, and there was a light in his eyes as he saw Dream disappear that didn't get to his face yet.

And then the tripwire snapped.

[TommyInnit fell out of the world]

[anzulvr]

୨୧ On Purpose Karma x (fem) Reader I| Chapter: 05 ୨୧

Prev || 05 Un? Fortunate || Next

⎯ "Just because you're a part of the student council doesn't mean you're allowed to get all cozy with Asano."  [Name] was sort of familiar with the student, a member of the fan club dedicated to the chairman's son, Asano Gakushu. 'It's way too early for this.' 

They'd never talked, but that didn't mean she hadn't had this same conversation with other people. It was as if his fan club had a precedent of hating [Name] before admitting members.

"I really don't know what you're talking about, but I can assure you there's nothing going on between-" The girl kept walking, harshly brushing her shoulder on [Name] in the process. She could barely get a word in.

It really wasn't like that. There was no reason for anyone to believe so, sure, she wasn't exactly out in the open about it but she was in a relationship. She isn't the type to mess with other guys behind Karma's back. She guessed it was the result of being the only girl on the council. They overanalyzed her every little step.

"If you want to be in the same class so badly just start failing until they throw you down with me."  Those were Karma's words from a few days ago, and [Name] was starting to consider them.

She couldn't decide if it was worth it or not. She was on top of her academics and as annoying as they were, spending so much time around the council meant the members grew on her.

'I need  something to drink...'

Out where the vending machines were she saw a familiar face, his blue hair tied up in pigtails. It had been so long since [Name] talked to Nagisa. As she was about to say hi, she noticed the green-haired girl who had been with him at the café. Her name was Kayano if she remembered correctly.

She didn't want to be rude and interrupt, that was the excuse she was going with. In full honesty, she was curious as to what Nagisa was doing with a girl, listening in for a bit wouldn't hurt.

"Explosives, guns, knives. I'm starting to doubt it's even possible to kill him." They were hovered over a notebook as if they were trying to solve a thousand-piece puzzle.

Some kind of game? That's what [Name] was wondering.

"but your notes are great, it's cool you're so observant Nagisa... what were we here for again?"

"Karma's strawberry milk."

"Yeah... He's a bit addicted don't you think?"

"Not as bad as your pudding thing... uh, hold on."

With instincts like Nagisas, he picked up on an uncounted-for presence. He shot Kayano a look, instructing her to quiet down with his eyes.

"[Name?]"

"Hey Nagisa! Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop but you were busy."

"It's okay, How have you been?" He smiled warmly, internally he was praying you didn't hear anything strange.

"I'm good! I've missed you a lot, we haven't talked in forever!"

"We should hang out one of these days! Oh, I should introduce you, Kayano this is [Name], [Name] Kayano." He gestures between the both girls.

"Nice to meet you." Kayano shakes her hand.

"Why are there two types of strawberry milk here? Kayano, do you remember which one he gets?" asks Nagisa.

"No, just take a guess."

[Name] types on the vending machine's number pad. "He likes both but prefers this one, They taste the same to me though." She shrugs and almost hands the milk box to Nagisa, but she pulls back out of his reach at the last second.

"Can I go with you? I'll drop you off at your class!"

Nagisa smiles "That would be fun but you have your own class to get to."

"It's fine! I usually worried about skipping but only for a little won't hurt."

Nagisa is hesitant when he says "You'll face harsher consequences since you're in council." He didn't want her to feel rejected but if they walked together there was a pretty good chance she'd catch sight of Korosensei.

"The opposite actually, I get away with way more by being in council. It works out! Let's go I wanna see Karma."

Kayano yanks the milk from [Names] grasp. It's very abrupt and leaves an uncomfortable feeling in everyone. [Name] feels embarrassed, she's internally hoping they can't see it on her face. The feel becomes uncomfortable for a second, Kayano looks down not meeting [Names] eyes.

In an attempt to fix things [Name] apologizes, "Sorry, I get the hint, see you Nagisa." She smiles trying not to let things get more uncomfortable for anyone. They probably want to be alone.

"It's not like that! We'd like you to come but we'd get in a lot of trouble if anyone saw you with us, over the weekend we should meet up."

"Alright, we can do that." They wave goodbye to each other.

⊹₊ ⋆ Time skip ୨୧ ⊹₊ ⋆

"If you want to be in the same class so badly just start failing until they throw you down with me."

[Name] and Karma were lying on his bedroom's wooden floor, staring up at the ceiling as they talked about whatever topic bubbled up on their minds.

"Hey Karma, do you really think I should drop down to E class?"

He looks at her curiously "What's got you thinking of that?"

"I was thinking of what you said the other day, maybe that is the only way we can be together."

"You don't have to sacrifice your grades for a few more hours with me, clinger."

"I wasn't gonna, it would take too long to get me to fail everything! Remind me why they decided to put you in that class again?"

"I broke a guy's arm." He says with not a second thought.

[Name] sighs "I can't do that..."

"I could do it for you, and you can take allll the credit. I got ways to make 'em play along!" If it were anyone else talking about this with so much excitement [Name] would question their mental state, but it's Karma.

"That's not what I meant... but thanks for having my back!"

Karma is not sure about this, He knows [Names] fears and she's got lots of them. Spiders, thunder, heights, and much more, He questions if her heart could handle seeing a three-meter-tall octopus who might be the reason the world ends. Ultimately Karma decides to indulge in it, it would be nice having her around, on top of that she'd get along with his friends and definitely like the teachers more.

He thinks back to all the other stuff he pulled, none of which worked out but trying again wouldn't hurt, at least not him.

"You can try pulling pranks but it wasn't that effective for me."

"Help me think of something?"

"I wouldn't let you do it without me."

For now there was nothing to worry about. No one to distract them from one another, just the two of them.

note: sorry for still taking so long on request :,( I’m trying to balance the post of request and On Purpose, Ive also been reallll busy. Does anyone actuallyyyyy read this fic?? the updates are kinda just setting everything up rn, more Karma soon!

[entertext]

HGSN 19-3

Chapter (Japanese)

(Please hit the green thumbs up at the end of the chapter to show support)

Rough translation by me

==

P1

Yoshiki: It's here. Another monster. Don't look at it. Don't look.

Yoshiki: (don't look don't look don't look don't look don't look don't look don't look don't look don't look don't look)

Yoshiki: ('Hikaru'...!!)

Student: Huh? Wait, isn't this bad!?

(sfx: slam, thud, whack)

Student: What's that?

Student: Huh!?

Hikaru: Yoshiki

P2

Hikaru: That's a human.

Student: Huh...!? No way...

Student: *shrieks*!!

P3

Student: That intruder from before...I heard he slit his own throat with a hidden knife

(blackboard: Self-study)

Student: They said Yoshinaga-sensei also got cut and sent to the hospital...

(sfx: crowd chatter)

Student: They're gonna end class and send everyone home now, aren't they?

Yoshiki: Asako

Asako: That intruder...

Asako: ...had something get inside him.

P4

Yoshiki: Get inside?

(sfx: chatter)

Asako: Yeah, something scary was, like this, inside... "Possession"?

Asako: It's not like I can see anything, but somehow I can tell that it's a person that something got inside.

Asako: Lately there's been more and more of them... Hikaru, are you okay?

(sfx: chatter)

Hikaru: Me?

Asako: You super-duper absolutely have something inside you...

P5

Hikaru: Huh? Haha, Ha! I'm totally fine~!

Hikaru: Guess I'm ghost resistant! Wonder why!

Asako: Oh, okay...

Asako:  Hey...what'll we do if something happens to any of us?

Asako: It's finally come all the way to school...

Asako: Even though I can't do anything about it...

Yoshiki: Asako...

P6

Yoshiki: What should we do....?

Hikaru: *whisper* Asako's also noticed that the impurities have been steadily increasing

Hikaru: Doing something about it is one of the reasons we're researching right now, remember?

Hikaru: If it comes to it, I'll...

(sfx: sharp pain)

Hikaru: ....

Yoshiki: What is it?

Hikaru: Nothing, my elbow is just...

P7

Hikaru: ...bruised.

Hikaru: I banged it against a desk when someone pushed me earlier

(sfx: slam)

Asako: Oh! Are you okay? I'll get you something to put on it.

Hikaru: Oh, uh... thanks.

Hikaru: (Pain...? Even though up until now, I barely felt any...)

P8

-- (at Diner "Amerika")

(sfx: door chime)

(sfx: plates clatter)

(sfx: crowd noise)

(Diner: ...And then, like...)

(Diner: I'd like to order number 8, please!)

(Waitstaff: Welcome!)

Hikaru: You're really studying even at a time like this?

Yoshiki: I'm thinking about what we should say to Grandpa Takeda...at the same time.

(sfx: kick)

Hikaru: ...Hey...You still have my "fragment", right?

P9

(sfx: crowd noise)

(sfx: plate clatter)

(Waitstaff: Here you go!)

Yoshiki: I have it

Yoshiki: I'm keeping it on me at all times

(sfx: crowd noise)

Hikaru: Definitely don't lose it.

(sfx: plate clatter)

(sfx: door chime)

Hikaru: If it broke, I probably wouldn't be okay either

Yoshiki: Huh!? It's that important!?

Hikaru: Obviously...It's proof of my resolve. Though if you put it back into my body, it might go back to normal...

P10

(sfx: plates clatter)

Hikaru: But well, there isn't anything like a way to destroy that anywhere at all

Yoshiki: (I'll put it somewhere it'll be harder to lose...)

Yoshiki: *sigh*

Yoshiki: ...

==

Next chapter: 2023/07/25

Twitter Extra (link):

Nude man scary...

[drowningindango]

you might have made a post about it before but im dumb and dont know how to look ykyk- UHH- do you have any madaobi fic recs? your honor i looooove themm

especially darkfic, anything focusing on madaras manipulation and psychological torture of obito or just the more messed up side of it. i love when theyre complicated and messy and madara is madara and obito has that little cute bit of stockholm syndrome that makes his adult self so adorable

Well, anon, I can definitely try :) and, no, I haven't made a rec post before as far as I remember

I know you said darkfic, but since you didn’t specify whether you’re comfortable with nsfw (sex) or triggering topics, I’ll add some warnings for the individual fics anyway. 🤔 (Please also check the tags of the fic before reading)

I’m also tailoring this list to your interests mostly.

(So if anyone else wants to ask for madaobi recs that go into a different direction, like wholesome fluff, horror, any other genre, hit me up xD my personal taste goes more into the direction of them being like yin and yang, push and pull, give and take, where the power dynamic can be flipped in the blink of an eye)

oh, uh, and if you click on the fic titles it'll link you directly to the fic

Rec list:

Between Black (narzissus)

Nsfw, sexual content, canon compliant. Can definitely recommend this one for you. :)

find your way by moonlight (blackkat)

A fic that really got a nicely written messed up dynamic between them. Multiple warnings here: Obligatory nsfw and dub con/non con warning. madaobi is not the main ship of the fic and is not the endgame!!! And as far as I remember, it gets cut off very early in the story. The reason I still recommend the story is because it got exactly that complicated stockholm syndrome and manipulation going on that you want, and the story dives right into that with the first chapter. (And it’s deliciously good). …I admit that I’ve literally only read the madaobi parts xD

Sealed off (Glove)

A short fic by my good friend Glove (who has written a lot of madaobi fics and I can warmly rec them all, but I picked a few that fit your taste specifically). 💕 Sfw, gore. Features the seal on Obito's heart.

Eye to eye (Glove)

No sexual content, but non con intimacy. Very manipulative. Another short fic.

Promise of spring (Glove)

Warning: mentions of mpreg and forced pregnancy. No sexual content. Definitely contains psychological torture for Obito xD

Longing (Nalyra)

This one has other ships besides MadaObi (mind the tags), if you dislike that, skip this one. but 👀 it sure got aaaaall the manipulation, messy relationships etc. aspects for madaobi. And it does it well. Warnings: nsfw. It's smut. Lots of it. xD

Your Warmth Burns Me (DualDreamer)

Idk, I'll be so bold to throw in my own fic here, even though I don't know if it falls even remotely under your parameters. It's definitely not a darkfic. But it's dealing with complicated feelings Obito has and it's veeeeery short. Sfw.

Enquiring_angel

This is my secret tip where I don't give a hoot about the parameters. xD Read any fic that's by enquiring_angel!!!!!!!! Just scroll through the madaobi tag on ao3 and if you see that name, click on it. She has such an amazing grip on the characters, I love her writing so much.

Secret tip: use online translator to read fic

Madaobi has a lot fans in the Chinese community on ao3. Can’t read Mandarin? Use a translator! Often the result will be a bit clunky but I found that once you get used to it, your brain can bridge the gap (like names that get messed up by the translator, or any grammar/sentence structure issues). There are some real gems out there. <3

Finally:

Otherwise, I can only recommend looking on ao3 by yourself. If you filter out any languages you can’t read (and maybe add some tags you prefer), the number of madaobi fics is small enough and not too overwhelming to navigate. (There are probably some fics I missed because I didn’t read them/they’re not up my alley, but might be to your liking?)

I hope this list helps out for a start. ^^

[huffle-dork]

Glitch into the Hufflverse Chapter 16: Swapboys Bad End

Read Swapboys | Read Crystal’s AUs | Read One Villain falls Another One Rises

Read SITCV | Read SATCV | GITHV Masterpost

On the other side of the ring they’re in another destroyed part of town. This time it seems more like apartment buildings and a mix of businesses. Henny moves right along, Sahne following at his side.

Schneep walks along slowly, sweeping wide space with his cane in front of him, trying to sense anyone nearby.

Bro sees Alt and goes to walk beside him. “…you okay?”

Alt stays quiet, gripping his arms. “A…l-little better… I guess.”

“Hey let’s… try to look on the bright side! The doorway… if we can get it to work then… maybe it’ll take us back to JJ’s world so we can get another TRVLR! Or… maybe it’ll take us to Jackie’s world like the first time and we can find Anti… it’s gonna be okay, lil bro….”

JJ overhears Bro and Alt's conversation. He nods in agreement. I'm sure that anything will help. It's definitely going to be okay.

Jackie looks around at the buildings. "Wow... really... did a number on things, huh?" he mutters to himself.

“Yes… every day something new is destroyed…” Henny says quietly to Jackie. “I am glad I was able to get many people out before it got worse. Luckily it seems the Glitch is more interested in trying to find a way out of this universe than in making puppets like Magnificent. That could be the reason for his… insanity. We know Magnificent sustained himself by stealing magic or life from others… I do not think Glitch does the same.”

Alt nods a bit to JJ and listens quietly to Henny. His eyes dart around though- jumping at every glitchy sound and too dark shadow. 

"Really? Then I suppose this could be worse?" Schneep wonders.

"Doesn't mean it's not bad," Jackie mutters, tightening his grip on his staff. "Why is it that all of these powerful black magic guys eventually start looking for the multiverse?"

"Mine did not," Schneep says. "Our Anti was focused on us."

"Yeah, well, maybe if you gave him enough time he'd have turned his sights there."

“…selfishly I like to believe it is because… Alt is still somewhere in there… and he remembers what it was like to be under Magnificent’s power. And he does not want to inflict that on others… but it is… complicated. He still has his victims…“ Henny quietly explains.

Well... there's nothing to prove it's NOT that, JJ says. Even if he hurts others...

"Victims, huh?" Jackie mutters. "Um... I don't think... We might need, uh, information on what to watch out for. What do you think Al—the Glitch would do if he found us? Obviously he'd try to fucking... kidnap Bro or something, but what about the rest of us?"

"... I do not know..." Henny admits, " We managed to get Jackie and Jewel out of harm's way once... once Chase was..." He swallows shakily. "So I... I do not know how he will react to... people who share their faces."

Alt shudders at this, holding his arms. Bro tries to keep a positive vibe though, "M-Maybe that means he'll leave us alone?"

Jackie frowns. "...maybe." But he doesn't believe it. That other Alt already tried to glitch out the ground beneath him and Schneep.

"We should prepare for the worst just in case," Schneep says.

JJ shakes his head. I don't know if I could fight any version of Alt, though...

"Well, we'll see, won't we?" Jackie says. "You might surprise yourself."

JJ looks troubled. That's quite grim.

"S...sorry," Jackie mumbles. "I guess I'm not an optimistic person."

A glitchy laugh echoes around them before a voice giggles in Jackie's ear, "Well~ Isn't that perfect? Cuz optimism is dead here. I could use someone like you, Jackie~!"

Henny freezes and whips around, "No! Jackie!"

Glitch Alt laughs madly and tries to whip out green strings to capture Jackie. Jackie whirls around, swinging his staff, but he's not fast enough. The strings wrap around his torso, forcibly pinning his arms to his sides. "Fuck!"

Meanwhile- several big cat bodies slink out and try to tackle the others. Schneep and JJ start running for Jackie, focused on him—and therefore not noticing the cats. JJ yelps as one pins him to the ground, and Schneep cries out as the same happens to him. "Motherfucker!" He tries to leap out of its grip, and JJ struggles to push the cat who tackled him away with magic. Alt dodges the cat going after him in a quick glitch then hurries over to try to help JJ. Bro almost yells but thinks better of it and tries to stagger back. 

Glitch laughs and glitches up onto a building and lets Jackie dangle off the edge. The copy kicks his feet almost like a child excited by an insect he captured, that same mad gleeful expression on his face. And looking at his boots up this close…  those look very familiar. The same kind Bro wears- just dirty and faded by time. But before Jackie can dwell on that further- Glitch brings up the strings so he can look the trapped vigilante in the face. "Come on Jackie! We're f̷̪̓r̴͍̽i̴̪͆ḛ̶͒n̴̤̈́d̶͔͗s̷̖͌~ aren't we? No need to be scared of me~" He giggles.

Jackie yelps and kicks his legs wildly, trying to find purchase that doesn't exist. "Have you lost your fucking mind?!" he shouts. "You tell me not to be scared of you while you dangle me fucking a hundred feet off the ground?!"

"Well I know you can handle it-" Glitch says matter-of-factly, tilting his head with a grin. "And you know-a bit of danger means you'll probably listen to me more... you can tell me where Chase is, right?" 

"No, I can't actually," Jackie says through gritted teeth. "I haven't seen him in a while. We knew we had to hide him from you."

“Hmm I’m not sure I believe you,” Glitch hums in amusement. He rocks Jackie back and forth with a giggle. “But if that’s what you wanna tell me maybe I’ll just use you to help me look instead!” His eyes start to swirl as he laughs, “Cmon Jackie… don’t you wanna help your old pal, A̸͚̓ļ̴̈́ţ̸͝?” 

JJ quickly grabs onto Alt as he gets close, still trying to struggle against the cat, but the cat just growls and pushes him further into the ground. Schneep yelps as the claws of the cat dig into his shoulder, breaking his concentration. "Where did he go?! Where did he take Jackie?!" He can't sense his soul nearby! Gritting his teeth, he pulls out his scissors and slashes at the cat.

Schneep manages to slash the cat off as it roars in pain and lets him go. Alt yells and tries to shoot lightning magic to get the cat off JJ. Bro looks conflicted up towards where Glitch has Jackie.

"Do not even think about it Chase!" Henny warns.

"But he needs help!" Bro tries to argue.

"Yes- but Glitch wants you!" Henny yells and then whips around and freezes two of the cats in time, holding out his hand.

Schneep leaps out of the way of the cat as soon as he's free. JJ scrambles away and staggers to his feet. "Seriously, where is Jackie?!" Schneep asks.

JJ looks up. On top of a building!

"Which one?! Point me in that direction."

JJ runs over to him and physically turns him towards the building in question, moving his head so he'd be looking at Glitch and Jackie if he could see.

"A bit forceful, but thank you!" Schneep says. "Let's go! Alt, grab Henrik!" Schneep latches onto JJ and leaps out of sight, heading towards the roof.

Alt startles and then nods and grabs Henny. He looks back towards Bro and narrows his eyes, “Stay here! We’ll be back.” Bro tries to open his mouth to protest but then Alt glitches away with Henny.

Schneep and JJ appear on top of the roof, on the opposite side where Glitch is dangling Jackie. JJ shudders, holding back the nausea of Schneep's teleportation, and looks at the two of them. He gasps and starts rushing forward, but Schneep grabs him and whispers, "Be subtle. He might drop Jackie."

Right. JJ nods and the two of them go forward as quickly and quietly as possible. They just need to get within range of JJ's long-range spells!

Alt appears with Henny next to the others. Henny pulls out his watch, watching the two of them cautiously. Alt feels himself wanting to glitch angrily but tries to hold back.

Jackie glances down at the air beneath his feet and tries to hide his fear. Then he looks up at Glitch—only to see his eyes swirling. He quickly tries to look away. "You're not my 'old pal.' Some version of you might be, but we have no history."

Glitch frowns and tilts his head at Jackie. “Damn… don’t have loyalty to anyone huh? No wonder you lost your Schneep.” 

Jackie stiffens, going a bit pale. "Y-you—you don't know anything! I-it's not—I tried to go back for him, they tried to get him out, they have a tight hold on his—on his fucking mind! W-we—we'll need to—you shut the fuck up! H-how do you even know about that?!"

"Cuz I was there," Glitch says matter-of-factly, grinning sinisterly, "I was the same Alt that went on adventures with all of you~! I know a lot more than you think, Jackie Parker..." He tilts his head to try to catch his attention again, eyes glowing and swirling even more, "Which is why you should be able to trust me~!" 

As they walk forward, Schneep hits the end of his cane against a metal vent of some kind, making a small ding! sound. He winces. Alt glitches a bit in surprise and Glitch's gaze flickers for just a second to notice the others. He twitches his head and a glitchy shield appears in front of Glitch and Jackie- cutting the others off. Alt tries to glitch through it and gets blown back, skidding across the roof with a cry of pain.

JJ rushes forward, throwing magic at the shield, trying to break it down. Schneep also leaps the rest of the way forward and slashes his scissors across the shield to cut them. Schneep’s scissors manage to break through, making a rip in the shield.

Jackie's stomach sinks as he stares at Glitch in horror. Then he quickly looks down again as his eyes start to swirl. "No, you're not him," he says quietly. "Maybe you were him once, but it's clear that something happened to change you. I don't even recognize you. You're not my friend anymore."

Glitch’s face falls and then flares with anger. “F̶̣̓i̵̳͛n̸̠̉e̵̥͌,” he snarls and opens up his hand- letting Jackie fall.

“NO!” Alt cries out.

Jackie screams as he falls, wind rushing past him.

"Jackie!" Schneep shouts.

JJ throws his hand out, blue magic shooting out. It forms into the shape of a big hand and grabs Jackie before he can get too far. JJ's arm trembles with the effort of the spell—he put as much power as possible in this to be sure that he got him, maybe too much. But it works, as he manages to pull him back onto the roof. Jackie breathes heavily, visibly shaking.

Bro screams at seeing Jackie fall, ready to get up and fly towards him. He quiets once he sees JJ manage to save him… but if Glitch is throwing his friends off buildings- he can’t just sit here! He flies up, trying to stay away but being close by. Sahne, who was left on the ground, barks after him in distress. 

Schneep hurries over. He feels the strings that Glitch wrapped Jackie up in and starts cutting through them.

Glitch glitches to his feet and growls in anger. “Hey! Let me play with my toys how I please!”

“Fuck that!” Alt snarls, glitching so he’s in between Glitch, Jackie and Schneep.

Glitch stands taller and narrows his eyes, “hmm… okay. I guess I can play with all of you too.” He glances at JJ then glitches to try to grab him. JJ gasps and barely manages to dodge, Glitch's hands an inch from him.

"We are not your fucking toys!" Schneep snarls, and throws his scissors past Alt and towards Glitch as Jackie shakes off the rest of the strings. JJ conjures a shield around Schneep and Jackie, leaving himself, Alt, and Henny exposed.

Glitch yells as he’s struck and then growls and glitches to try to grab Schneep but gets stopped by the shield. He glitches back, giggling unstably. “That’s some pretty strong magic there J…. Let me have a taste-!” he lashes out to grab JJ again.

Henny tries to whip out his hand to stop him but Glitch dodges it easily.

JJ yelps as Glitch grabs him and squirms against his grip. Glitch laughs and digs claws into JJ’s arm, trying to drain some of his magic… just like Magnificent.

"Jamie!" Schneep gasps, and leaps out from the bubble shield, pulling out another pair of scissors and going to stab Glitch.

He easily dodged Schneep’s scissors and laughs wildly. “Gonna have to try harder than that Schneep!”

Alt hesitates and then tries to see if he can glitch over and grab JJ.

JJ gasps in horror. He recognizes the feeling of his magic being pulled away from him and squirms in discomfort. As his magic is drained, the shield around Jackie flickers and dies. Jackie gets to his feet shakily. He dropped his staff earlier but he has to do something! He jumps at the Glitch, planning to tackle him.

Glitch easily skirts his way out of Alt’s path- but ends up being barreled into by Jackie, getting tackled away from JJ. JJ staggers backwards, away from the Glitch, staring in shock. Schneep rushes to his side and helps support him as he sways tiredly. 

Glitch laughs wildly though, grabbing onto Jackie’s face and spiraling his eyes to try to capture his gaze again. “Hehehe! I wanna see you fight, Jackie! I wanna see alll the damage you won’t let yourself do! Show me!”

Jackie is expecting Glitch to fight back, not try more hypnotism. He tries to jerk back from his grip, but he looks into Glitch's eyes at just the wrong time. He stops, slumping, as the spirals draw him in. "You... want... to see that?"

"Jackie, no!" Schneep gasps. "Don't listen to him!" JJ tries to grab Jackie with magic again but his power flickers and fails.

“Yes! Yes!” Glitch giggles, grinning sharply. “Show me how brutal you can beee~! Then all of you can help me find Chase! It’ll be so fun!”

Bro eeps slightly and goes to hide at the edge of the building- trying to stay close in case they need help.

“No!” Alt calls, pushing himself up, “Jackie! Wake up!”

Henny yells out in anger and tries to grab Glitch in his magic but Glitch twitches his head and Henny’s magic gets sent back at him and sends him skidding back, trapped in his own magic.

Glitch lets go and helps Jackie up. “Go on Jackie~ give us a good show!”

Jackie gets to his feet, staring at the others with spirals in his eyes. He bends over and grabs the scissors that Schneep had thrown and missed, then rushes forward, bringing the scissors down towards Schneep. He cries out as his own scissors pierce his shoulder and leaps back. Jackie keeps hold of the weapon and whirls on JJ instead. JJ's eyes widen and he runs, not wanting to face Jackie. But Jackie chases after him.

"You bastard!" Schneep hisses, whirling on Glitch. He leaps forward, grabbing him.

Glitch laughs wildly and lets Schneep grab him. He studies him then frowns. “Aw you’re no fun- I can’t hypnotize you… fine-“ He grabs onto Schneep’s arm and lets sparks crackle across his jacket sleeve but not letting it shock him yet. “Will you tell me where Chase is?”

Schneep feels the electricity crawling across his arm. His eyes widen but he grits his teeth and glares. "You cannot torture me into giving you information! I've lived through enough pain already!" Then he tries to wrest his arms free.

“Wrong answer, Henrik.” Glitch cackles as he shocks Schneep heavily. 

Alt panics slightly at seeing Jackie get caught. He glitches over to try to tackle him away from JJ. Jackie yelps as Alt tackles him. He immediately twists around to stab him in the back with the scissors. Alt grabs Jackie’s hand to stop him and bares his teeth, “Jackie! C’mon! Cut it out!” He tries his best to keep Jackie down.

Jackie snarls, glaring at Alt with those spiral eyes. He does everything he can to fight against Alt, kicking and writhing and trying to headbutt him. Jackie manages to head butt Alt hard enough that he sees stars, crying out as he lets go of Jackie. He doesn't hesitate. As soon as he's free he tries to stab Alt again.

Schneep cries out, collapsing to the ground as pain wracks his body. JJ's head snaps towards him and he throws a ball of icy magic at Glitch.

Glitch manages to dodge JJ’s magic with a giggle then glitches over to try to grab JJ too, eyes spiraling again. “You need an upgrade on your magic, J~! Let me help you!” JJ shuts his eyes immediately. He pulls an arm free and presses a hand to Glitch's chest, trying to freeze him in place. Glitch grabs his hand and snarls, “Nice try-“ He tries to shock him too. 

JJ's eyes widen and he screams hoarsely. The sound snaps Schneep out of the trance he was in after being shocked himself. He leaps over and attacks Glitch from behind with yet another pair of scissors. Glitch senses Schneep coming behind him and throws JJ at Schneep with a wild laugh. “Too slow!” 

Schneep stumbles and he and JJ fall to the ground as JJ gets thrown into him. JJ scrambles up first and aims another magic blast at Glitch. Glitch grins and does the same trick he did with Henny, forcing JJ’s spell to backfire and blast into himself. JJ cries out, skidding back against the roof. He pounds against the bubble that's now formed around him, trying to break free. But while Glitch is distracted, Schneep leaps forward and tries to slash at him.

Glitch glitches away and giggles, “You guys are really bad at this! It’s almost fun to watch! But we don’t have to dooo this, you know! Just let me know where Chase is!” 

"Fuck off!" Schneep snaps. "Nothing about you tells me he will be safe with you!" He attacks again.

Bro notices that Henny is still struggling to get out of his magic and carefully tries to fly over, seeing if he can help. 

Alt tries to dodge Jackie but gets stabbed in the shoulder. He yells out then tries to blast Jackie back with his magic. Jackie gets pushed back but leaps forward immediately, making to stab again. Alt gasps and grabs Jackie’s wrist again, trying to keep him from stabbing him before trying to punch him in the face. Jackie's head snaps back, and for a moment the spirals in his eyes flicker as he gasps in pain. Then they return in full force and he tries to punch Alt right back in turn. Alt’s eyes widen a bit- then narrow in determination. He dodges the punch then tries to grab Jackie’s arm to shock him.

Jackie cries out, his body shuddering as the electricity jolts through his body. The spirals in his eyes disappear. "H-holy shit, Alt!" he gasps out. "I—" He shakes his head. "Th-the magic—h-hypnosis—it's trying to come back—"

Alt looks apologetic but he grabs Jackie’s shoulders and shakes him, “Fight it, Jackie! I know you can!”

"I... I-I..." Jackie's eyelids flutter. The magic in his head is trying to sink in again, telling him to listen to the Glitch, to do as he said--And then, suddenly, there's a SNAP in his mind. He cries out and suddenly, the magic is completely gone. "Wha—what the—?" He presses a hand to his head. "What was that?" He takes a deep breath and gets to his feet. "I-I'm good. I'm good! We—we have to help Schneep!"

Alt seems to relax at getting Jackie back and he nods. “JJ too… then maybe we can get out of here-!”

Glitch gets slashed and he bares his teeth at him but tries to laugh, “c’mon Schneep~! He’s my brother! You’re not gonna keep me from my own family are you~?” He tries to slash claws at Schneep.

Bro shudders at this and then gets up on the roof to try to see if he can untie Henny. …how do you untie magic??

Henny stiffens and looks back with a sinking stomach. “C-Chase? What are you doing??” He whispers. “You were not supposed to come up here!”

“You need help! I can’t just sit around!” Bro hisses.

“I am fine! You will not be!!”

JJ notices the strange distortion in the air by Henny. His eyes widen. Get out of here! he signs.

Bro hesitates- then scrambles to try to pull Henny free.

“Chase!” Henny hisses quietly, “You must go now!”

Schneep leaps out of the way. "He is not your brother!" He snarls. "He is our Alt's brother! Just because you are similar does not mean that you are entitled to his life!"

"Schneep!" Jackie shouts. "My staff!"

Hearing this, Schneep reaches out and grabs Jackie's staff, tossing it back in Jackie's direction. Jackie grabs it, extending it to its full length, and lunges forward. Schneep does too, both of them attacking Glitch at the same time.

Glitch growls and starts to spark dangerously with purple lightning. Alt notices this and tries to warn the others- but then Glitch sends out a shockwave of electricity, sending all 3 of them off their feet and skidding back. 

JJ's eyes widen at the lightning and Chase's refusal to leave. He takes a deep breath. What did that Marvin in the last world say? Remember who you're fighting for? He's fighting for not just the ability to get home and see all his friends, but also to protect the friends he's made here—-his friends who are now in danger. His eyes start to glow, the blue entirely consuming it. He slams his hands against the bubble—

And it shatters like glass.

JJ lunges for Glitch, closing the distance remarkably quickly, and grabs him. Magic swirls around him, trailing, a blizzard, extending from his back—in a way that almost resembles wings. The magic around him swirls around Glitch as well, the temperature noticeably lowering as he tries, again, to freeze him.

Alt gapes at seeing JJ break from his magic and then form- wings?? Just like his own lightning bird form! He laughs breathlessly then calls out, “Yeahh JJ!! Kick his ass!!”

Glitch jolts back- not expecting this and is completely caught off guard. His whole body gets encased in ice except for his head and Glitch tries his best to struggle and pull himself out, “W-what the fuck?! Since when could you do something like that?!” He snarls.

JJ backs away, looking down at himself, surprised. This feels familiar... but he can't remember ever doing anything like this before. He looks around at the others. We're getting out of here! he says. He dashes over to Jackie, Schneep, and Alt, making contact with all of them. There's a puff of blue smoke and all of them reappear near Henny—and the invisible Bro. Another puff of smoke surrounds them all, and they are gone—

Reappearing back on the street, right by Sahne who was left behind.

Sahne barks in surprise and Henny finally manages to break out of his own magic. He looks at JJ with awe, “Jamie… that was incredible!”

“Yeah!! Way to go man!!” Bro exclaims happily. Henny takes a second to find where Bro is then hits him. “Ow!! Hen!?”

“That was incredibly stupid Chase! You are so lucky you were not caught!” Henny scolds.

Alt nervously watches the building they left Glitch on. “We should hurry- who knows how long that will hold… how much farther, Hen?”

“Yes… not too much farther. Come-“ Henny says and starts to hurry back down the street.

I'm not sure how I did that... JJ says slowly, and the magic around his splutters out. He falls to his knees, and Jackie and Schneep rush to his side. He waves them off and stands up again. Not sure I can do that again, though. At least not easily.

"That's fine," Jackie says. "Do you need any help?"

JJ shakes his head. He starts to stumble, and Schneep reaches out to help him. JJ insists.

"Yes, but you may not be able to run," Schneep says. "So let us help you."

JJ hesitates, then nods. He leans on Jackie and the three of them rush after Henny.

Alt slows down to look at JJ with worry,  “You okay dude? …it’s crazy huh? Suddenly using power like that-“ 

Henny notices JJ’s struggle and slows down too, but keeps an eye out for anything coming their way.

JJ nods. I'm fine. It's strange, but that felt... familiar somehow. But I know I've never done anything like that.

"Maybe you have, but you forgot?" Schneep asks. "Is that possible?"

For a moment, JJ just frowns thoughtfully. Maybe... I'm not sure, though. I'll have to do some research once I get home.

Alt nods, “Yeah… I get that. I hardly remember the first time I did something like that. Chase said it was kinda freaky though.”

“Yeah! You damn near gave all of us a heart attack!” Bro grumbles.

JJ chuckles, but then pauses thoughtfully. After... after me and my friends escaped IRIS, I was very exhausted. Most of the escape is a blur to me. Perhaps... then...?

"You think you did something like that back then?" Jackie asks.

Maybe...

“Damn right.. you mentioned that… that makes sense though. I think that kinda power can be brought up through… desperation more often than not? I’m still learning how mine works too..” Alt says.

I was thinking a lot about saving the rest of you, JJ says.

"Daww," Jackie grins.

JJ laughs slightly. And getting home to see my friends again, of course.

"Hmm... you know, in my world, my Jamie was able to gain magic," Schneep says. "What did you say he might be, Jamie?"

A warlock, JJ says. That is indeed someone who gains magic through desperation. Though they also need to be exposed to a lot of magic beforehand.

"So perhaps desperation plays a part in many types of magic."

Alt smiles warmly. “Yeah… I think my J would say… it deals with just how much power the mind and body have that we don’t even know about… even if he doesn’t get magic I think that principle is there.”

“Very true! We often don’t know what we’re really capable of until we’re pushed to a certain point.” Bro adds.

Jackie nods slowly. "Though... I'm not sure how much I like the idea that desperation is a sort of power."

It's not the desperation itself, I think, JJ says. It is the desperation FOR something, wanting to do something so much that you break through your limits.

“Kinda Like… determination! In Undertale!” Bro grins.

Alt laughs, “It does kinda feel like that, huh?”

Schneep hums the game over theme, Determination, a bit.

Jackie laughs. "You a fan of that game? In my world, it came out on your birthday."

"Oh yes, it did in my world, too." Schneep grins. "Jack insisted that I play it for that reason, even though I am not a game player usually."

“It’s such a good game!! Shame it got meme’d to death- me and the lads all love it!” Bro laughs.

"Ah, lots of good games get meme'd to death," Jackie says. "Doesn't make them less good."

Alt chuckles, “It has a good message… I guess its mechanics can be applied to magic! Who knew?”

"Who knew?" Schneep repeats. "I suppose it shows how great stories hit at the heart of life."

How deep of you, JJ says, smiling.

Alt and Bro laugh. “So true!” Bro grins.

Henny slows completely in front of them. Sahne’s fur bristles as they stand in front of a large building with the name of Hope Water hospital barely visible through the destroyed concrete and rubble. “We’re here.”

Jackie stops walking. "Wow... this place really has gone to shit, hasn't it?" he mutters. "Destroyed hospital. Real apocalyptic."

Hope Water Hospital... JJ repeats. There's a SCLERA thing here?

“Yes… SCLERA had a habit of using hospitals as fronts for their underground operations. Real sneaky shady way of getting subjects for their experiments…” Henny says darkly.

Alt shudders, looking at the familiar logo.

“Come,” Henny says as he starts to make his way through the rubble, searching for a way down.

"That would explain everything that happened in the first world," Schneep mutters.

"They disgust me," Jackie says darkly. "If the IRIS in my world is anything like this, no wonder my Anti hates them so much." He sighs. "Anyway. We're gonna have to sift through this rubble, Schneep."

"Oh joy," Schneep says drily.

Can you just glitch down there? JJ asks.

"I can try—but I don't want to risk it if there is this much rubble."

"Old-fashioned way, then," Jackie says, and the three of them start looking through the destroyed area.

Alt looks around, “…this is the same SCLERA we’ve been to… I… I think I can glitch us down to the right room.” He suppresses another shudder. “I remember it very clearly.”

Bro laughs, his invisible form a bit higher than the others as he hovers. “Good idea then Alt- I was starting to feel bad for everyone!”

Alt rolls his eyes.

Henny looks back and then smiles, “Ah yes I almost forgot Alt… I am so used to uh… dealing without your glitching. We link up, yes?”

Alt nods.

"Right, yeah." Jackie backs away and grabs onto Schneep and JJ. Then JJ walks over and holds out a hand for Alt to take.

Alt grabs JJ’s hand and Bro floats down and grabs Henny and Sahne. Henny laughs, “it is very strange to be grabbed by something you cannot see.”

“Oh right- sorry!” Bro chuckles.

Alt glitches them all down.

[halfagone]

Hi Halfa! What's 3 DC fics you'd think would be interesting to include DP characters/tropes into?

And what's 3 DP fics do you think'd be interesting to include DC characters/tropes into?

(This isn't a ploy to fish fic recs, psshhhhhhh, noooooooooo)

Hello Anon! :D Don't take this the wrong way but I am giddy with excitement right now because I've been talking about this with friends and I am just squealing now that I get to ramble about it.

Now just to clarify, I'll probably use tropes more so than specific fics, because for one, I don't want to step on any author's toes. And two, I like those fics as they are and do not want to dirty them with my grubby hands. However! I can still give fic recs so you can get an idea of the kind of AU I'm talking about here. lol Not that you're fishing for them ofc, no not at all

(Added a Read More because apparently I have a lot of fic recs. :D Total: 17 (if I mathed right, that is))

DC Fics, Now With a Splash of ectoplasm DP

Stray Tim AU

He's technically also known as Catlad, but like- I prefer Stray (as if that isn't obvious by my Stray!Danny AU XD), but that's neither here nor there. In this AU, if the name didn't explain enough, he apprentices underneath Selina as her apprentice. Depending on the author's choice, it's either as a young child or after he leaves the Batfamily for one reason or another.

An example of this AU: timcat by drakefeathers. This fic actually got recommended to me earlier today (you know who you are) and it is so cute. He is so baby and I love him.

2. Reverse Robins AU

Now this is an AU I've talked about frequently, but for good reason. There are so many ways you can write this idea- Hell, can you imagine a Demon Twins AU with Reverse Robins- Hold on a sec, let me add a WIP to my spreadsheet...

Okay, back. Anyways, where was I? Oh right, REVERSE ROBINS! In this AU, Damian is actually the oldest Batkid, and Dick is the youngest. Depending on the AU, Dick can even be an ex-Talon, so just keep that in mind~ Almost unanimously, Tim is the Batkid that died instead of Jason, and becomes the Red Hood (sometimes he was Joker Junior in this AU as well which is... uh. If you look into those fics, make sure you read the tags religiously.)

An example for this AU: and oh, my heart (how can i face you now?) by weareallstardustfallen. And this fic is *chef's kiss* It's in Damian's POV, it's a gloriously long one-shot. I cannot recommend this enough.

3. Jason Todd Goes Home

There are multiple interpretations you can do with this AU. Sometimes he doesn't become Red Hood, sometimes he doesn't get dipped in the Lazarus Pit, it all really depends on what you want to do with it. I've technically written a fic with this idea, where Danny actually finds Jason and helps him claw out of his grave, subsequently returning him home. That fic is what was lost, found again. Five chapters, completed.

There are fics where Tim actually finds Jason first! Here's one called best laid plans by Valkirin. Highly recommend. Tim finds Jason first but then the League of Assassins find them too. >:3

On a different, yet similar note, we have a fic where Talia is actually a decent person and brings Jason back??? After dunking him in a Pit??? You love to see it. This one is Verdant by Cerusee.

DP Fics Now With DC Packing

Field Trip to the Ghost Zone

There are a decent number of these fics out there if you know where to find them. I feel like this one is self-explanatory, but basically- Danny's class takes either a planned or impromptu trip to the Ghost Zone. Very rarely does his secret identity survive the fallout. Now imagine if we put Damian's class on the school bus.

Some Gothamite kid, probably: "I don't remember The Magic School Bus going like this."

Marsalias' (in)famous Mortified is definitely one of them up there. They actually wrote a second field trip fic not long after completing Mortified, which is called School Bus in the Ghost Zone. So if you're in the process of reading Mortified, or maybe you can't commit to a long-form fic right now, this one might be for you.

Deathcomes4u also has two field trip fics you can read. One of them was for this year's Phic Phight called The Gloves Are Off. He-larious fic, cannot get enough of it. Also includes some very fun DP headcanons! The second is called The Trip. You're gonna want to read the tags before you explore this one, but what's up so far a very thrilling read.

There is also Stranded With My Class, but this one is on FF.net so you might want to turn on ALL your adblockers before you venture into that site.

2. Death Day :3

I've written a chapter about this in lex luthor's ascent but it's part of a larger plot so I hope no one feels pressured to read it. But in general this fic idea can be very heavy, BE CAREFUL if you explore it. You can have DC characters react to Danny's death day, you can give Jason or Damian or Cass- or pretty much any resurrected DC character you like- a death day. Spread the whump and angst, that's how we show our love.

Here is an example, also from Deathcomes4u: Anniversary. I really enjoy how this author writes the background characters as well. It's got a splash of humor and the Everlasting Trio makes me all soft. :')

Death Day Evolution by gamma_radio has some great worldbuilding and lore added to the concept. I love how they tied Danny gets new powers in this fic, and you gotta love the Cryptid Danny Fenton energy. XD

3. Partial Identity Reveals

Now this one is more self-indulgent for me, but I'm allowed to do that. XD I would've put simply Cryptid Danny, but it encompasses a little more than that in most cases, which is why I kept this title for it instead.

These are fics where Danny is revealed or shown to be Off™ somewhat, but in most cases they don't know the full extent of his secret identity. Most of the time it's just his powers or that he's not fully human, what have you. I love a good bombastic identity reveal, you know, but something about the subtler ones are more inspirational, if you will. lol

I think this is the type of AU that would suit a Batman detective story much more, and allows the DC characters more time and interaction into this new world- if you will- rather than throwing them straight in it. Does that make sense? I hope that makes sense.

Shots Fired by RedGhost1010 is an exceptional fic (I believe this author is also the person who writes Stranded with My Class, mentioned earlier, just uses a different pen name on Ao3). However, please read the tags for it before you do. This fic can be triggering for some people. They also write what is probably my favorite Bad Parent Jack and Maddie fic, which is called Humans and Ghosts. Another one you probably should read the tags for. But please check out their other fics; I enjoy so many of them, but unfortunately not all of them fit this fic rec description. :\

Finally we have It's Like Time Stops by anthrop. I cannot tell you how many times I reread this fic way back when. It's a very tasty Outsider POV fic that gives a view into how things changed after the Accident, and it's a good study into how his classmates would have perceived it.

Whooo... that's a lot of fic recs. I hope you got some new things to read out of it at least! Have some fun, but make sure to take care of yourself and avoid the fics that just aren't for you. No one will blame you for it. <3

[kay-wren]

I'll Come Running - R.C. - Chapter 2

The ride to JJ's house was the longest anyone could remember; and a ride filled with strong words from JJ.

"She left here for a reason."

"She knew what she was doing when she left."

"I can't do this to her."

"I'll never forgive myself for this."

"She'll never forgive me for this."

"What if she gets hurt?"

"Are we even sure this is going to work?"

Sarah finally answered that last question.

"JJ, he's my brother, I know this will work." Sarah said with no hesitance in her voice. Everyone else silently agreed.

Once they finally arrived at JJ's house, JJ went straight to his bedroom where he rummaged through his old desk that he never used. The chair had so much dust on it everyone could tell he never sat in it once. Maybe that's why he put that coveted piece of paper in that desk, he knew nobody would ever think to look there for something of any value to him.

Pens, notebooks, rolling paper, finally, there it is. A small piece of torn-off notebook paper with 10 digits on it... and a heart. As JJ looked at the paper he remembered the moment it was given to him, and what her last words were to him.

"Call me anytime, and I'll come running." She said as her and JJ both had tears in their eyes.

JJ began to fight back tears once more, knowing that once he called, there was no going back. She was involved now, no matter how much he didn't want her to be. He tried chocking back his tears at the thought but he simply couldn't.

"I can't do this man!" JJ proclaimed as he walked away angrily from his desk and went so sit on his bed with not even any sheets on them. Who knows when was the last time he slept there. With his dad out of the picture and headed for Yucatan he spent most-- no, all-- of his time with the Pogues crashing wherever he pleased. He put his head in his hands, lifting his hat off of his head just enough to squeeze the life out of it as he let out a few more tears.

The house was quiet, nobody quite sure if this was the right decision anymore. Finally Kie walked up and sat by JJ, putting her hand on his back to rub small circles.

"JJ," she said quietly as if to empathize with him. "... you don't have to do this, but if you want a better life for yourself, you know the only way to do that is to get this gold, what is rightfully ours."

That was enough to snap JJ out of it just enough to call the number that he never even saved in his phone. He planned on never using it. After sitting there with the number in his dial for what seemed like hours, he finally hit the call button. He physically winced as he put the phone up to his ear, trying to shake it off. 

JJ came up with a sudden thought, "What if she doesn't even answer-"

"Hello?"

JJ heard her voice, the voice he hadn't heard in four years. Her voice alone brought him to tears again. He didn't know what to say. The phone number worked, he couldn't believe it. There she was.

"... Hello?" she said again a little more inquisitively.

"H-hey, Jessie, it's me." JJ stated though he was clearly shocked and sniffling.

"JJ? W-what are you-? Why-? Are you okay?" was all she could mutter out. She sounded like she was holding back waterworks herself.

"Uh..." JJ said with shaky breaths as he looked wide eyed at the pogues. "Not really."

"What do you need? Do you need money?" She said softly as if she also couldn't believe who was on the other side of the line.

"No, uh, uh, I need you to come home." JJ exclaimed with a little more assurance in his voice.

"What? JJ, no, I can't come home, you know I-"

"I need you to come home, Jessie. I'm in big trouble." JJ quickly retorted. He winced after that last sentence. Here he was trying to pull at her heart strings to get her to come home. The selfishness he felt in that moment was almost unbearable.

"I- I, what do you need exactly?" she asked.

"I need you to come home." That's all JJ could think to say. He wasn't going to lie to her, but he also wasn't going to tell her the truth. He knew the whole truth would not get her to come home. "Can you please, just, get on the next flight from wherever you're at and come see me? I need you." JJ said shakily.

There was a long pause, he knew he had her thinking. After minutes of silence she finally replied.

"Fine." she sighed. "I'll be there in 24 hours." She hung up the phone. Was she angry? Was she sad? Was she nervous? JJ couldn't tell, and yet he smiled just a little at the thought of Jessie coming home.

[quinloki]

A Light Touch

Fem Reader x Eustass Kid

CW: language, assault, violence, sexual themes and situations, implications of non-con, loss of limbs, blood. 18+ Only.

Chapter 1 - Table of Consent -

Chapter 2: Handy Guy

Kid and Killer didn't come back until late afternoon the next day. They'd left their numbers with the nurse, and she got them into your phone for you. She filled you in on a bit more information as well since you were more aware the next day.

The man who had rear-ended you had been released from the hospital that morning, but he was in Marine custody currently. There'd probably be someone by tomorrow to talk to you about what happened regarding the accident, and she left some materials with you about your options for prosthetics.

Kid or Killer had made sure your bag had ended up with you in your room, and you were grateful for that. Not only did it have your phone and ID, but your insurance information was in there as well. When you gave it to the Nurse she smiled.

"Your costs have already been taken care of, Miss (Y/N), but I can run everything through your insurance still, if you like."

"Uh, yes please." You were trying to think how the cost of a hospital stay had been preemptively handled, but you didn't quite have the brain cells to sort it out. You were still on some pain meds and even then there was a good bit of soreness to be dealt with.

There was no way that the drunk who had hit you had been forced to pay for your hospital stay, or anything else so soon after the accident. You didn't have any family, in the Grandline Metro or outside of it. Your work certainly wasn't going to pay for anything they didn't have to, and you didn't have anything like a sugar daddy.

The only logical conclusion was that Kid had decided to pick up the tab, and something about that irritated you. You didn't know him well enough for him to be giving you charity like this. Even if he did feel guilty for you losing your hand – which was painfully obvious – this was too much. It was like he thought you weren't capable of swinging a hospital bill just because you'd been driving a beater.

By the time Kid and Killer arrived you had become irritated and snapped at them as soon as they walked in.

"What the hell, Red?" You growl, the smile on Kid's face melting away. "I know you feel responsible for me losing my hand, but that's no reason to pay my hospital bills! I'm not broke just cause my car was a hunk of junk!"

"Eh? Don't go assigning guilt to people like that!" He threw a wrapped box against the far wall, though for a second you were sure he was going to pelt it at you. "Damn bitch." He grumbles, turning on his heel and storming out of the room.

Killer stays behind, watching Kid leave before turning back to you. He put his hands up in front of him like he was surrendering.

"I come in peace?" He offers.

"Tch. Fine. Come in if you want." You grumble, sinking back into your bed. Being angry had already worn you out and you'd barely raised your voice.

Killer walks in, setting down a small bouquet of flowers by your bed before walking around to the other side and picking up the box Kid had thrown.

"We didn't pay your tab, (y/n)." Killer says after a moment.

"Then who did? Certainly not the drunk." You grouch.

"No idea." Killer shrugs, stepping back around to the side of your bed that's by the door. "Kid did try to pay. I can't say if he does, or doesn't feel responsible for your hand. He just had the means, and I think he felt sympathetic toward you."

"I don't need-." Your words caught in your throat, and you groan. Kid had a big prosthetic arm. It was really hard to miss, and you'd seen at least two versions of it – a gnarly kind of metal one you remember from the accident, and a more subdued, almost normal looking one he'd been wearing while visiting you. Of course, he'd have some sympathy for you, losing your hand, given he was down a whole arm. "Aw, fuck, I am a dick."

"Eh. You've been through some shit the last couple days." Killer offers. "Kid just needs to cool off, and he'll be back."

"Are you everyone's voice of reason, or just his?" You question.

His shoulders shake a bit. "You seem to be doing better today at least, you've got more energy."

"Yeah." You breathe in deep and let it out. "I miss my hand, but if some money-fairy has descended and handled my hospital bill then that frees up some options."

"You could commission Kid." Killer offers. "He's made all the prosthetics he has now."

You smile. "I... don't know that I should. I think trying to pay him for something like that would just end in a fight."

"I wouldn't take yer money anyway, Mouse." Kid grumbles from the doorway.

"Ah, hey, look, I'm sorry about... uh, earlier."

"S'fine." He mutters, coming into the room.

"I still don't know what to think about you two." You admit as Kid sits down in the corner chair.

"Whaddya mean?" He still sounds a little testy, but you couldn't blame him. You'd read him the riot act earlier and it was unfounded.

"I appreciate you guys visiting, and, honestly, I can swallow my pride and appreciate you wantin' to help financially too. But," you chuckle a bit and smile sardonically. "This can't be how I make friends for the first time since school."

"You really ain't got any friends, Mouse?"

"Ah, I mean, I have some coworkers I get along with, but aside from that, not really. Most of my hobbies are indoors, and I don't dislike people, but well..." You clear your throat. "Most of my school friends moved out of the Metro, and there's a couple I keep in touch with, but they're miles away. I don't know, once my mom passed away a couple years ago, I've just kind of... worked." You shrug, and then look back to Eustass. "I have to know though, why do you keep calling me mouse?"

Kid turns his hand as he talks. "Your key chain." He sips whatever drink he'd gotten when he went to cool off. "You should put less charms on your key ring, Mouse. The extra weight can wear out the starter."

Admittedly, you had a lot of little knickknacks on your key ring. You'd find cute small charms while walking the malls, or from little gacha machines, and the ones you liked ended up on your key ring. Between the options he had to pick from, maybe Mouse wasn't such a bad nickname. The idea of someone like Eustass Kid calling you "kitten" or "maid" or "dog" just kind of soured in your mind.

"What if I really don't like that nickname?" You questioned.

Kid shrugs. "I'm not trying to be your friend, Mouse, so -."

Killer clears his throat, and Kid grumbles, taking another drink.

"If it really bothered you, I could... try."

"Eh. I imagine there's worse things to be called by walking volcano with a metal arm."

Kid tried to glare, but with his face turning pink it really diminished his intent. Killer nearly choked on his own drink, and was silently shaking in his chair, trying desperately to stifle his laugh.

"You're a real brat, (Y/N)." Kid grumbled and you laughed as much as you could muster between your injuries.

"Somehow I feel like you're the type to get along with a brat better than, say, a princess." You point out.

Kid opened his mouth to say something, seemed to think better of it, and then finished off the rest of his drink. He got up and picked up the box he'd tossed across the room, that Killer had set by your bed. He turned it over in his hands, knocking crinkles off the wrapping.

"Do you know when they're releasing you?" He asks.

"Tomorrow, if nothing opens up. I heal pretty fast, not like Devil Fruit fast, but nothing's infected and they can't do anything about a prosthetic until it's completely healed anyway."

"Decided what you're going to get?"

There were several kinds of available prosthetics for people. There were mechanical-movement versions, which mimicked neural movements fairly well, but the control was all in learning how to manipulate the mechanisms. Most didn't have fine movement capabilities, and all of them required re-learning how to move whatever they replaced. Another type was single-join or stationary prosthetics, commonly for legs or people who were only wearing one to make other folks more comfortable. With only one or no moving parts, they were more for show than practical use.

The kind becoming more common over the last couple decades, were neurologically connected prosthetics. It was a painful primary procedure, and it required both money and capacity to upkeep, but they moved and worked like actual limbs. All the way down to producing sensations of touch and pressure.

You shrug. "Part of me wants a fully integrated hand. But I don't know if that's necessarily because I need one, or if I just want one. I mean, I've had two hands for my whole life. I'd like to have two hands for the rest of it."

"That sounds like a strong enough reason to go for it." Kid states, setting the rumpled box back where Killer had put it. "You don't have a car right now, Mouse, you need a ride tomorrow?"

"I could get a taxi, but uh, I guess if you're offering, I can accept." You thought about it for a second, remembering the fact that it was nearly the bumper of Kid's truck that slammed into you. You were not nearly as tall as the two men in your room, and you had logistical concerns. "Can I even get into that monster truck of yours?"

Kid grunts as Killer stood up and they headed out with a simple, "get some rest." And you were on your own again.

Admittedly, you were really tired, and as you dozed off you wondered if either of those muscle-heads had noticed. They seemed like really nice guys, especially for a couple of dudes who look like they'd fight god with hammer, a rusty screw driver, and nary a fuck to give between them.

The next day, just as the nurse had anticipated, you were visited by the Marines. A young officer with dark eyes and bubblegum pink hair asked you questions about the accident. He had a partner with him, but the taller blonde didn't seem to be interested in even being there.

You explained the turn of events as best as you could remember.

"Did you want to press charges?" The marine, who said his name was Coby, questions you.

"If he's willing to pay restitution, then I have no reason to do so." You admit. "I've already lost a few days of work, and will be out for another couple weeks at least, plus the cost of replacing my hand. But if he doesn't want to even try to pay for damages, then yes."

"That's acceptable, Miss (Y/N). Did you want to press charges against the secondary collision? Technically, you'd be at fault for it, but with the-."

"No, not at all." You interrupt. "The guys that were in the truck have been apologetic and have been visiting me regularly. They haven't blamed me for any damages to their truck, and it's not their fault that, uh, did you say his name was Mr. Vander?"

Coby nods. "Vander Decken the ninth." He reads from his notes.

"Yeah, it's not their fault that drunk bastard shoved me into the intersection." You say with an obvious irritated edge to your voice.

You catch a faint smile across the young marine's face, but he quickly composes himself to a more professional expression. "Very well, Miss (Y/N), that's all we need today. As things progress we'll be in touch. You're due to be released today, correct?"

"Yeah, later this afternoon."

"Alright. I'll reach out to you at your home in a couple days as a follow-up."

"Thank you officer Coby, I appreciate that."

Now all that was left to do was wait for Kid and Killer and go through the discharge process.

Next Chapter

[walker-extended-universe]

Things Don't Have To Be Good To Be Good, Chapter 3

Chapter 1, Chapter 2

Relationship(s): Cordell Walker/Emily Walker, Ruby/Cordell Walker, August Walker & Emily Walker & Stella Walker, Ruby & August Walker & Stella Walker, Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester, Ruby & Sam Winchester

Tags/Warnings: Demons, Demonic Possession, Secrets, Secret Identity, Ruby Lives, Psychic Abilities, Antichrist August, Antichrist Stella, Blood, Hurt/Comfort

Summary: Ruby has tried to settle back into normal life after her first look at the demonic in years. But fate had other plans…..

Written for @augustofwhump Day 23: Possession, Fate

Taglist: @theladywyn, @ihavepointysticks, @klaatu51, @itsjessiegirl1, @neptunium134

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

This was supposed to be a fun night. Larry and Kelly had come over for dinner and games. The kids had gone up to their rooms about an hour ago once the baby stories started coming out and the adults were secretly relieved. Wine was flowing and the food was good and the games were better.

So why did Ruby feel like something horrible was about to happen?

The last time she got a feeling like this, deep in her gut, gnawing its way up into her mouth so she could scream, was when the Leviathans walked the Earth. But she hadn’t heard any rumors or felt any rumblings for years. Not even a whisper on the ley lines.

So why was she getting that feeling now? And why so suddenly? Normally it’s weeks of build up, tension, and natural disasters. This was just a normal day in the middle of the most boring month of her long life.

And why hadn’t Kelly looked her in the eye all evening? The last time they’d talked, they’d been finalizing plans for Larry’s surprise birthday party. She’d actually been trying to get her friend alone for a bit so they could go over the guest list one more time but it seemed like Kelly was avoiding her.

Emily tried to shove it down, to ignore the bad feelings and just focus on having a good time. But she knew better, especially when a threat was in her home.

“Kelly, could you help me with something in the kitchen?”

“Sure.”

She tried to get a read on her friend as they walked. “So, is everything still going okay with the party plans? I wanted to go over the guest list again to make sure I have the right numbers for the catering.”

“Hm? Oh, yeah I guess. I, uh, don’t remember the list right now so maybe we can talk tomorrow?”

“Sure….” Emily grabbed a pitcher from the very back of the fridge. It was a special pitcher that she rarely found reason to use, filled to the brim with holy water. She hoped she was wrong about this, but she had to be sure. “Help me with this? We need an excuse to be in here.”

“Oh sure.” Kelly got the glasses out of the cabinet and Ruby poured the water. On the third glass, she “accidentally” poured the water over Kelly’s hand.

Just as she feared, it started burning and blistering.

Kelly screamed and her eyes flashed to black. “Can’t believe it took you that long to act,” she sneered. “After what happened with your little princess, I figured you’d be more aggressive.”

Ruby growled. “Some of us have a sense of decorum. What the hell are you here for?”

“Emily! Kelly!” Cordell came running to the entrance of the kitchen. “We heard screaming. Is everything-”

Kelly turned to him and flung out her hand, knocking him into the wall behind him, dislodging some frames and knocking him unconscious. Emily ran over to check on him and saw Larry lying in a similar position a few feet away.

“What the Hell do you want?!”

Kelly- or rather, the demon inside her- cackled. “Isn’t it obvious? You made a couple of crotch goblins with a human. Don’t tell me you don’t know what that means.”

Emily clenched her fists. “They don’t have any powers,” she lied. At least, they hadn’t been activated yet. And if Ruby had her way, they never would be.

“Don’t kid yourself; even you aren’t that stupid. I could feel their potential the minute I set foot in this house.”

“Why did you even come here?” she deflected. She hadn’t even used her own powers recently. No magic, no demonic activity, nothing. And she knew the kids hadn’t used their powers. So how did this bastard know to come here.

“Oh, you know how it is. Someone starts a demonic summoning, they don’t finish it, someone comes upstairs to look and…” The demon smirked. “Well, I recognized your handiwork on those humans. A mother’s love truly does trump everything, even common sense.”

“Stay away from my children,” she growled.

“Make me.”

“Oh, I will.”

Emily lunged for the holy water pitcher but Kelly knocked her back with a flick of her wrist. Ruby growled and swiped at her legs, knocking the demon to the ground with just enough time to crawl over her. “Get the Hell out of my house,” she sneered. “And don’t you dare come back.”

Kelly’s mouth twisted into an evil grin. “And what’s to stop me?” she mocked. “You can’t exactly ward this place against demons. And you know I won’t be the only one knocking down your door.”

Ruby knew she was right. Heaven and Hell would both be vying for her children- which is why they would never learn of them. “Not if I kill you before you can run your whore mouth.”

The demon giggled. “What? You’re just going to kill your friend? I knew you were a bitch but I didn’t think you’d sink that low.” She smirked. “She’s screaming for help, you know. She’s begging you not to kill her.”

Emily didn’t doubt that Kelly was suffering. Which was why her grip loosened. She didn’t want to hurt her friend, even if it might save her family. She couldn’t do that to Kelly, to Larry, to Cordell. 

Which gave that demon the upper hand. She flipped them over and pulled a special knife out of her back pocket. “You always were a weak little bitch,” she growled. “That’s why you shacked up with Winchester, isn’t it? That’s why you ran away when things got hard. And that’s why you’re wasting all your potential in hiding.”

Ruby kicked and fought back. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she growled. She was the best of everyone in Hell. “Lilith didn’t trust any of the rest of you with the Apocalypse. I’m the one that rose Lucifer from the cage. I was the best of all of you sons of bitches! The most loyal!”

“Where was that loyalty after all our leaders abandoned us?” Kelly hissed. “If you were so great, why didn’t you come back to take the crown? Or even try to take out the Winchesters when you had the chance?”

Because none of you would believe me. Because I had to hide. Because I found a haven for myself and I didn’t want to leave. Because I fell in lo-

No. She couldn’t say that. Demons didn't love. She just found safety. That’s all. “That’s none of your business.”

“Mom?”

Emily’s heart dropped. Turning her head, she saw both of her children in the doorway.

Kelly smirked and weakened her grip on Ruby. “There you two are–”

Emily kicked up and knocked Kelly aside. “Stella, call 911! Auggie, go hide! I-”

Kelly force choked her, lifting her toward the ceiling. “Now, now, Ruby. There’s no need for that.”

“Aunt Kelly? What-”

She laughed. “Oh, you have no idea what’s going on, do you?”

“Let her go,” August said, voice wavering. “I don’t know why you’re doing this but-”

“Oh, aren’t you a sweetheart?” Kelly cooed. “It’s pathetic, really.”

Stella’s fists clenched. “I don’t know what you’re talking about but you need to stop. Let her go. Now.”

Kelly’s hands dropped to her side involuntarily and Ruby fell to the floor.

She would be relieved if that wasn’t so terrifying. “Stella, honey, take your brother and-”

“No! You need to leave, now!” August demanded, pointing at the demon.

Kelly started seizing and Emily watched in horror as the demon was forced to smoke out.

The demon was gone, Kelly was alive, her family was saved, but the damage was done.

“Why did you do that?” she whispered. “I told you to run.”

“We were just-”

“You have no idea what you just did,” Emily snapped. “Go to your rooms. I’ve got to handle this.”

“But-”

“Go!” she ordered. She pulled out her phone as they went up the stairs and called 911 to report a home invasion. She could only pray no one else remembered tonight. This was the last thing she wanted to explain to Cordell.

Once the police were on their way, Ruby hung up and made another call. She was going to need help with this one.

—--------

Sam answered his phone on the third ring. “Who is this?”

“Sam, it’s me. Emily. Ruby. I-I know I have no right to call you but something happened and- I need- I don’t know….”

Sam sat up. “Ruby? What happened? What do you need?”

“I- Another demon found out about me and came to my house. They- They wanted my children. I- We fought and the kids found out and-” her voice dropped to a whisper “They used their powers. They did a psychic exorcism with no warning or training. I- They’re exposed now. And I don’t know what to do. I can’t even tell my husband about this and- Something bad is going to happen, I just know it.”

Sam’s stomach dropped. That wasn’t good. “Okay, okay. Take a deep breath. I don’t know what you want me to do here. I can’t exactly stop Heaven or Hell from coming after them.”

“No, I know that. But they need some kind of protection. Protection I can’t give them on my own. I don’t even know how to defend against Heaven and I can’t exactly ward the house against demons!”

“Alright. I can try to help, but there’s still not much I can do. Unless you want me to move them into some supernatural witness protection program or something.” He was pretty sure Dean would have an issue holding them in the bunker but the Men of Letters had a lot of other safehouses Sam could probably employ.

She sighed. “No, I know that. I just- I didn’t know who else to call. Just- Please?”

Sam should say no. After everything Ruby did to him, he didn’t owe her anything.

But Ruby wasn’t just a demon anymore. She was a mother, a woman who deserved a chance at redemption, someone who just wanted to protect her family. How could he say no to that? 

Besides, the kids deserved a chance at life.

“....Okay. I can be there tomorrow.”

“Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you so much. I-I don’t know how I’d ever repay you.”

“Don’t worry about that. Just take care of your family; I’ll call you when I get into town.”

“Okay. Thank you.” She had to hang up to talk to the police after that. Sam started packing a bag, moving into the library to find some helpful lore books. There might be something on how to shield an antichrist. Maybe.

Worst case scenario, he could teach them how to run off like Jesse had.

“Where are you going?” Dean asked.

Sam jumped. There was no way he could tell Dean was he was doing. He knew what his brother’s “solution” to this little issue would be.“Uh, on a hunt. Got a call from a hunter, said it was something demonic so I figured the books could help.”

Dean nodded. “Sounds fun. I’ll pack some gear and-”

“You don’t need to come,” Sam said quickly. “There’s already a team out there, they just wanted an expert opinion. And I know you’ve got some Grillmaster to catch up on so….”

Dean quirked an eyebrow. “Are you sure? It never hurts to have extra hands with demons around.”

“No, I know that. But too many cooks in the kitchen could lead to confusion,” Sam argued weakly. “I’ll be fine on my own, but I’ll let you know if we need backup, alright?”

“Sure. Let me know how everything goes.”

Sam let out a breath as Dean left him alone in the library. He hated lying to his brother, but he didn’t have a choice. He had to do this alone.

Maybe trusting Ruby again was a mistake, but he wouldn’t be himself if he didn’t try to help.

—------------

Sam left the next morning in one of the spare trucks in the garage. Unbeknownst to him, Dean had attached a tracker to the underside of the bed.

He knew his little brother was lying to him. And given Sam’s history with giving up the truth after he’d committed to the lie, Dean decided this was the best way to handle it.

After about half an hour had passed, Dean got into the impala with his tracker and followed Sam’s trail.

It was what any good brother would do.

[oksana-moods]

Queens of Promise - Part 5

Summary: The plot thickens.

 A/N: Hey you all! I don't even know what to say here rs It feels like a decade has passed and certainly feels odd to come back after such a long time. I don't know if there are people still interested in this story, but after a request of a dear friend of mine, I decided to post what's already written and work on the last chapter (the only one I haven't fully written yet, only on script).

I'd like to explain that my writing time got reduced by a lot of reasons, but mainly, 2022 was a bittersweet year that I'll definitely remember for the rest of my life.

Without further ado, let's get back to the story, shall we? Everything until chapter 10 is written and almost ready to be posted, I'll just look for typos or other mistakes and you shall have it really soon. For real this time. Chapter 11 however, the final chapter, is still on progress but I promise I will give you the end of this story.

Please, let me know your thoughts.

-Previous parts here

Trigger Warnings: Violence, language, mentions of blood and war. If there is any other that should be mentioned, let me know.

Into your eyes, hopeless and taken

Triskelion Castle

“Absolutely not.” Queen Calanthe manifests her disapproval to your latest idea. “I’m not letting you play spy and into Sokovia’s territory, no less. It’s not time for games. We are at war.”

For the thousandth time, you sighed. You tried countless ideas of how to learn the Maximoff’s plans with the Kree and none of them seemed to please your mother.

“Well, what do you suggest? We need to find out what they are up to, messing with the Kree.” You spat the word Kree as if venom tainted your tongue. “You can’t expect me to sit on this. I’m going to discover this one way or another, even if requires me to interrogate Princess Maximoff myself.”

“I suppose you discarded that idea few months ago.” She seethed, referring to when you had the princess within reach, but you chose to let her go and you hated how she was right. You hated even more not knowing why you allowed her to run away, in first place.

Loki cleared his throat trying to clear the air in the room and intervened with an option. “Perhaps we could send a small unit to the harbor?” He folded his hands behind his back and started to explain his idea. “We know for sure that winter is closing down on us, therefore there’s only one harbor in Starksland that any commotion could happen.”

“Hogan’s harbor.” You spoke, grasping what he was proposing. Loki, in turn, flashes you an appreciative smile, he always admired your intelligence and how receptive you were with those who you trust.

“Precisely. If Kree were to arrive with troops or anything else, that would be the place.” He lifted his hand and started to enumerate the facts that supported his theory. “Hogan is a small town, there’s not many prying eyes. They could count with the snow to slow down Stark’s troops. No resistance whatsoever, not until they are far inland and with the large number of trade routes, they could very well disappear until they’re fanning on our necks.”

You looked at him with a smile on your own. You always prayed to the Gods for your mother to live for more than hundred years, but the idea of your ascension as Queen seemed a little bit less scary because you knew he’ll be by your side, sharing his wise.

You turned to him and grabbed his head forcibly and gave two kisses on his cheeks. “Uh brother, you’re brilliant. I knew we kept you around for something more than just your pretty face.” You finish with a smile, which grew wider after his reply.

“Thank you. I have a pretty face indeed.” He straightened his robes from imaginary crinkles, suddenly uncomfortable with your praise.

You turned to your mother, head spinning with ideas, and started to share them. The meeting went for hours without end, but this time plans were discussed instead of rejecting ideas and later that day, you had convinced the queen that your unit should be the one set off for this quest.

After the assembly, you stayed behind in her meeting room. Her eyes were set on your form, while you pretended to busy yourself admiring an old painting celebrating the bravery of your family on some ancient battle. The painting showed some gran-gran-mother regally mounting a white horse, wielding a sword in the middle of a battle. You wondered how many lives were lost for that ancestor to gain this work of art.

“Do you think her mother doubted her worth?” You spoke quietly, after a moment contemplating the moment eternized on the wall. From the corner of your eye, you could see your mother’s head turn to you harshly.

“Oh my love, I never doubted you.” She took few steps and you turned to look at her fully now. The crease between her brows were deep and there was worry in her eyes.

“Yet, you weaken your troops on the battlefield by keeping my company away. You don’t trust me anymore.” Your voice was flat, as if analyzing an event and not delivering how bad it bothered you.

She took the remaining steps between you and grabbed your hands in hers, giving light squeezes. “I’m a mother and you’re my daughter, my only daughter. After your abduction by the Kree, I went berserk and didn’t stop until I had you in my arms again.”

Her eyes were hard, but they showed so much love that you felt your feet slightly out of balance. “Oh, when I saw your fragile, beaten form laying on your bed that night I vowed that I wouldn’t put you in harm’s way again.”

She paused just for a few seconds to make sure you were following. “And this war has so many blind spots, so many white blanks that scares me, my love. I can’t lose you.” She squeezed your hand harder this time. “And Taharr can’t lose you.”

You looked at the emotion seeping from her eyes, and it was once in a lifetime to see the queen Calanthe so vulnerable, so human. “One of the first lessons you taught me was to serve my kingdom. No matter what.” She laughed dryly, of course you’d use her words and ‘lessons’ against her. “And I am good, mother. I need you to see that.”

She cupped your face with her hands and caressed your cheeks with her thumbs. “You are the best, my love, you are my daughter and I taught you myself. If anything, I made sure the greatest warriors in this world prepared you to be the best knight in Noveria, even better than myself. But, in the end of the day, I’m still a mother worried about my cub.” She smiled lightly and you smiled as well.

As a queen, she knew better. From early age, she made you learn how to fight with all weapons and even without one. The same time spent with physical training was dedicated to study the numbers, letters, history, geography, politics, religions, beliefs and even agriculture. After all, knowledge is never too much and information could be a weapon itself, if harnessed properly.

You nodded but still counterattacked. “But I know that your permission had more to do with the fact that I’ll be away from the front than to my investigation skills. It stings.” She was about to speak but you stopped her. “You can’t protect me forever, mother. We are at war and in Taharr there’s always war.”

This time she nodded and took few steps away from you. “I know and you’re right, but I’m old and one day you’ll step up as the Queen of Taharr and I have to make sure that you’ll live long enough.” Her words sink heavily in your stomach, the veracity of her statement hit you like a rock.

Your mother fought her battles, had her share of wars and now she was looking to the future, worried about the type of person would assume her crown when the time comes. “Do you think I’m reckless? Do I embarrass you?” Your voice was low, exposed and she hated to see you second guessing yourself. She always loved your spirit, even though they brought a fair amount of headache.

“Never.” Her voice was firm, and she spoke the truth of her heart. “I’m nothing but proud of who you are. You’re strong, intelligent and you’re never afraid of fighting for your people. You’re a true lioness.” Her soft smile turned into a small smirk. “As for reckless, I can’t judge your youth’s spirit. I remember giving my father few grey hairs due my own adventures.”

You snorted at her choice of words, and you wondered if you’d ever learn how to speak like this. You wondered if you’d ever be half of the woman she was and a quarter of the queen she was. There were many things you wondered, and you feared you wouldn’t be that good. “Do you think I’ll be a good queen?” Again, your voice was small, foreign-like small, showing her your inner doubts.

You knew you could handle a fight; you knew you had learnt troop maneuvers enough to overpower an enemy during a war, but could you run your kingdom with the perfect balance between ruthlessness and kindness as your mother? Could you guide your people during the darkest times when it comes?

“I know you’ll be the greatest queen to ever grace these lands, even more marvelous than Queen Maria Hill.” Pointing at the Great Queen on the painting in front of you, she spoke with a certainty that pushed away the worries hammering your head and heart, at least for now.

You shook your head amused and locked eyes with her. “Will I be as good as you?” Her smile was bright, thanking you wordlessly for your praise, then she replied. “Oh love, you’ll be better than me, for you have a heart of gold. And when the day come, I’ll be a delighted queen and a proud mother.” She finished with a glint in her eyes, and you nodded you head, smiling lightly.

She patted the seat by her side on the balcony, welcoming you to enjoy a cup of tea admiring the beautiful fall tinting the trees and fields on the outskirts of Triskelion of orange, dark red and light brown as the maple leaves adorned the grounds.

--

You were still thinking about the conversation you had had with your mother when a nudge on your ribs brought you back to reality and you looked to its source only to find Lady Rambeau nodding towards a specific door at the back of a decaying pub near the docks.

You narrowed your eyes and saw a young woman stepping inside of it and you smiled, for you knew who she was. And something told you that, after weeks lurking around Hogan Village, today was your lucky day.

You waited on your spot for a while longer and a soldier reported that there was no sign of Scarlet Knight or Black Widow, something foreign stirred in your stomach when they said Princess Wanda was nowhere to be seen, it was almost as if you were disappointed.

But why? You shook your head and chewed your own lip, weighting your options and thinking about what your next step should be.

This time, it was your turn to nudge Maria’s side and beckon her to follow you. You signaled for everybody else stay on their posts and wait for new instructions, then you strolled to the pub’s entrance.

Once inside, you immediately asked for a beer, to blend in with other costumers and locals. You leaned on the counter and tried to find sokovian soldiers. “I’m counting two on the right corner and another by the window, the one with white hat.” Your words were low, to make sure only Maria would hear them.

She nodded and turned her body, leaning on the counter, pretending to be bored with her beer stein. “You missed the guy by the side door.” She took a sip of the liquid and used all her mighty to not spat the content on the floor, pursing her lips. “This beer is worse than piss.”

You snorted. “You know, the mere notion that you can make such comparison scares me.” Lady Rambeau sniffled her laughs as to not get unwanted attention. “Come, is time for us to have a chat.” Silently, she followed you to the table were the person you were after was.

“Oh. Squire Kate Bishop, fancy seeing you here.” Your spoke loud enough for the girl in front of you hear you properly, but not loud enough to attract unnecessary attention. You were disguised as trader and so was your partner, but your face was not particularly unknown.

Despite being low, your voice still made her jump, startled, then she turned back to look at you.

“It’s Knight Kate Bishop, actually.” She raised her chin, proudly and you almost felt bad for her. Unbeknownst to her, she gave you more information with that single sentence than she could’ve imagined.

She was proud of her title and so was of her mission, for sure. Therefore, the mission was bound to be important. Therefore, Scarlet Knight should be close and had interest in whatever was going on. Therefore, it’d be a matter of time for you to learn what it was.

You smiled at her. “That’s quite the title, kid. I’m sure you can handle it, though.” You spoke then you let your eyes stray to the stash of papers on her hands.

“I’m sorry, what name did you introduce yourself with?” She tried. You were lucky indeed.

“I didn’t.” Smiling you retreated from the bar and went to the camping on the outskirts of the city, where you shared your knowledge with your companions. The stash of papers in Bishop’s hands were ship manifests, they meant supplies were about to arrive and you knew just when, for you read the ships names.

Forel Star and Valar Zirtys, both braavosi ships and that made no sense in this crescent pile of strange allies sought for Sokovia. First Kree, now Braavos. Unless…

Something popped in your head.

It was known to a lot of people in other continents, but only a few in Noveria knew and, fortunately, you were one of them. One of the papers had the Ragman’s Harbor stamp on it, which means the ship’s last stop was a harbor that’s open to all foreign ships, unlike Purple Harbor, which tends exclusively local braavosi ships.

Obviously, said ships could have made a quick stop in Braavos coming from another place and after loading the new cargo, set off to Hogan’s Harbor. However, there was this nagging feeling that this was a diversion. Maybe, the Kree used the braavosi harbor to laundry the load as to avoid suspicious. Very meticulous.

The question is, what Sokovia had offered in return?

You could be wrong, but the more you thought about it, the more all the details seemed to click into place. Your instincts never failed you.

You were sure they weren’t start just now.

------

Somewhere between Sokovia and Taharr borders

The road to the Krogani Lakes seemed endless, especially with so many turns, road depressions and lakes to go around that took one moon for Wanda’s troops to move from the outskirts of Hogan’s Village to the battlefront.

Even though the interminable trip was a nuisance in itself, the princess felt her restlessness growing with each day. The wagons transporting their goods could turn their luck on the front. There wasn’t just food, which she knew they desperately needed, or new armors and weapons, but especially medical supplies. Nowadays, those were rarer than gold.

The Scarlet Knight was so engrossed on her thoughts that she didn’t hear Natasha’s horse arriving by her side. So, when her friend spoke, she startled Wanda. “One more hill and we’ll get to Sokovia’s camp before dusk.”

“By the gods, how can you still be silent with a horse?” Wanda put a hand on her heart as though this action could calm her down.

“It’s literally impossible to be silent with a horse, Wanda.” Romanoff shot her a smirk. “You were so absorbed by your thoughts that you missed my approach.” She laughed lightly, trying to lift the mood, sour since their encounter with the Kree emissary.

“Urg. This trip is interminable, and though we’re no longer in Taharr’s territory, it feels like we’re been watched still.” The princess shared what bothered her with her protector, there were so many reasons why she’s restless that she does not know where to start.

“I feel it too. Especially when we went around the Gauntlet Valley by the south, but I believe that I’m still creeped about that power stone we delivered to the Witch Harkness.” The Black Widow spoke, eyes never straying from the road and their vicinity, always looking for a threat.

“I’m still creeped about the whole meeting, Nat. That woman didn’t look like she had her mind on the right place, even less were her intentions.” Wanda felt cold creeping up her bones the second she entered the inn the witch provided as meeting point and every now and then she still felt chills on her cells. “Fortunately, it’s behind us now.” She muttered.

“Unless it comes back to bite us in the ass later.” Natasha smirked a sentence dripping sarcasm, and deep down she prayed that it was just a sarcastic remark indeed and not an omen.

By the time Wanda arrived at their camp, the tents for her and her unit were already up, and everything was prepared for her arrival. The redhead was dreaming with a hot bath and a very deserved rest, but the second her boots touched the campsite, she was taken to the Commander’s tent.

“What happened?” Wanda inquired the second she stepped into the tent. There were important Lords and Knights gathered around a table, but she couldn’t see the man to whom the tent belonged to, only his shield broken on the ground.

“Lord Rogers was captured by the enemy, your highness.” Sir Rumlow fed her with the latest news and the reason why the camp was a pandemonium. Another battle lost to Taharr and now their mightiest warrior, their Commander, was captured. This was a blow to the troops’ morale.

Fuck. The princess muttered to herself. It felt as if fate was against them, only when she brings new supplies, this tragedy happens. “Who’s leading now?” She asked but offered her opinion already. “Lady Romanoff can step in.”

“I’m the next in succession line, your highness.” Sir Barnes started, after clearing his throat. “And I’m afraid King Pietro and Lord Vision would approve, as I’m already familiar with Steve’s tactics.” He spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, but not enough for Wanda to think he’s being rude.

“By all means.” She raised her hands in surrender. As for Vision’s wishes she could care less, but Wanda wouldn’t undermine her brother’s commands on the battlefield, besides the Winter Soldier was a formidable soldier and she knew her army would be in good, capable hands. “Now what?” She asked, sitting by the table, sighing tiredly.

“Now we negotiate and until then, we wait.” Natasha replied and every head on the room nodded in agreement.

Wanda always saw herself as a patient woman, but to wait for any ransom request or even a meeting to draw a negotiation was murderously painful. She had spent the days checking the wounded and their treatment as well as the troops meals, she did everything to kept herself busy to try and forget that one of her mentors was in the lion’s den, possibly dead and there was nothing that she could do.

Dread filled her bones as she walked inside the tent built on the once battlefield, so they could stand a conversation and exchange their requirements somewhat sheltered from the cold rain. Wanda’s eyes roamed the room, taking in every single person present, envisaging who could be a threat in case things went south.

Her eyes stopped and never left the smiling person on the other side of the table, neatly separating the place in two.

Right in the center of Lords, Ladies and Knights, there was you in rich red robes with a few lines adorned in golden, and a lion with an imposing roar was embroidered in your chest. You were breathtaking and Wanda took a few seconds more than usual to breathe again, immediately plastering an annoyed look on her face.

“Ah, Princess Wanda, you’re a sight for sore eyes.” You shot her your most dashing smile and Wanda’s annoyed face turned into a scowl. The gal of you to speak with her like that.

“Can’t say the same, I’m afraid.” She replied, crossing her arms and taking a seat on the table in front of her. “Shall we begin?”

“Of course, Your Highness.” There was a glint in your eyes, but it didn’t feel like you were mocking her title, quite the contrary. For some reason, you seemed truly pleased with her presence and that baffled her.

You cleared your throat and started to speak as if this was a simple matter and not a ransom negotiation. “Your Highness, Ladies and Gentlemen, the last few battles bespeak for themselves, I’m afraid this war is dragging itself for far too long.” You look around to see all eyes on you. “I think a truce is in order. Especially now that the winter is here.” You let your lips turn into a smirk and finished. “No pun intended.”  

With a sudden movement, Sir Barnes unsheathed a hidden knife and stuck it heavily on the table in front of you, dangerously close to your hand. “Why don’t you stop with your funny remarks and get this over with?” He spat the word funny as if it were covered in venom.

While Carol, Maria and Sam each let out their own indignant forms of exasperation, you didn’t even flinch. You remained still, looking at the man known as Winter Soldier dead in the eye. “I could have your head in a spike for that little stunt, Sir. Or maybe I should ask for your other hand?” You tsked, feigning disappointment.

To his credit he didn’t waver at the mention of him losing his remaining arm, you only heard stories of how this had happened. It wasn’t a sore spot, you suppose. Taking a tired breath, you resumed your little speech. “I imagine Lord Wilson was very clear when he said no weapons allowed, yet here we are.”

“The note said we’d negotiate Steve’s release, yet here we are.” He mocked you and for a second you thought that picking him by his neck and breaking his nose on the table would be a nice way to show him that he was not allowed to speak with you like that. One glance at Wanda showed you that she had an unreadable expression gracing her face.

With a start, you decided that an act of violence would be unwise if they were trying to negotiate a ceasefire. As much as you wanted to put him in his place to make sure he’d never forget to be respectful to you, you relented.

“Why do you speak as if you were in charge of anything?” You decided to keep violence as your second resort, then. After all, you still need to get a truce before your men freeze with the winter that is about to ravage that region.

He was visibly frustrated by your comment, and you immediately knew this was his weakness. He didn’t want to be demoralized, specially not in front of everyone in the room, probably because his position was too fragile at the moment. “I’m the Commander of Sokovia’s Army, I represent-” You never let him finish.

“No, Sir. The Commander is currently in my custody, you’re barely a nuisance to me. I’m here to negotiate with Princess Wanda.” You flashed him a dangerous smile, however, he wanted to have the last word.

“Lord Vision and King Pietro, they both agreed that I-.” Again, you cut him midsentence, too annoyed to keep listening to his voice, you were losing a precious time now.

“I don’t care about King Pietro or Lord Vision, they’re hundreds of miles away while our feet freeze in this hellhole, so let me be clear, if I wasn’t already. I will only talk to Princess Wanda, no one else.” You fixed him with a glare colder than the rain outside the tent and this time he spoke nothing, grumpily leaning in his chair, defeated.

You turned to look at Wanda, who looked like she was ready to deny every single one of the requests coming out of your lips. “Princess Maximoff, I’d say we stop this madness, once and for all, but I’m pretty sure you still want to revenge a crime that we did not commit.” You began, keeping eye contact with Wanda hoping she’d see that you meant every single word coming out of your lips.

The Maximoff, on the other hand, started to open her mouth to protest but you raised your hand, signalling that you still have things left unsaid, in return, she simply closed her mouth and waited. “I’m sure you know better than anyone that winter by the lakes is cruel and will decimate our soldiers, no matter the color of their clothes.”

You paused your speech just long enough for you to see that the princess had her eyes glued on you. Her beautiful green eyes. “So, I propose a truce. You take your army home and I’ll retreat mine. We can try a peaceful, new negotiation when spring arrives. If we fail, then you can march south once more.”

There were murmurs and grumbles of disapproval by her side, but you already expected resistance. Illogically, a lot of people seemed determined to prolong this war even more. Something churned in your stomach when all Wanda had to do was to raise her hand for her companions to cease their complains. Were you proud of Wanda’s leadership? Why?

Why would her little demonstration of power affect you to this point?

Your thoughts were sliced by the princess’ heavy accent, and you had to bite back a smile that was already painting itself on your lips. “Why would I let you go back to your warmer south if my troops can endure the winter longer than yours?”

“Because not only I’m willing to set Lord Rogers free, but also, I might pretend that I don’t know where your new supplies came from.” You could see Wanda’s face morphing because of your words and their meaning.

You were willing to overlook her Kingdom’s deals with the Kree and this was a big offer. Huge even. Sokovia could be the most hated people, just like Hydrarr was, and the price paid as an outcast was painfully high in Noveria.  

“Why?” Even under the feeble light provided by the candles, you could see genuine curiosity in her eyes.

“My people need to rest, and we need a truce, Princess. Even if it’s a cold peace until we can settle a more permanent agreement later.” You could still see drops of hesitation in her eyes, that’s why you quickly provided her with an insight.

“If we keep doing this, Taharr will no longer possess an army but the same will happen to you. How long do you think Hydrarr would wait to abuse your borders? Or how long do you think Asgard would take to claim as theirs the share of Bifrost Forest that currently belongs to you?”

You could feel the other sokovians staring daggers at you, but your attention never quavered from Wanda. For a moment, you almost smiled thinking that your mother and your brother would’ve loved to witness your tactics. Information and knowledge are a powerful weapon indeed if one knows how to wield it.

Apparently, all those hours locked up in your chambers learning about boring geopolitics paid off. The basics of being a king or a queen is how to keep your borders, hence why one needs an army and the thin lines on Sokovia’s east were a weakness that you would not hesitate in remind her of.

“You have your deal, Lioness.” Her voice brought you back to present again.

There was a muttering around the tent, but your eyes were solely on hers when you spoke, smiling widely. “We should celebrate with a good southern wine, princess.”

“Don’t push your luck, Princess.” You could’ve sworn that you saw the ghost of a smile flashing on her lips while she got up to her feet to leave the tent, but you probably had imagined it.

taglist: @californianwhiterabbit

part 6

[bonesandthebees]

Lastly, the cane, which once again shows how much Phil loves his son. (And how much Techno loves his nephew. You know, the family dynamic is something we have not see a lot of yet, and I am living for it.)

[Of course his father came by at least twice a day.] look at him being a good father! Now tell your son you love him! Too emotionally aware?

[Ponk confirmed that he had put Tommy on bed rest despite his many (and loud) protests.] see he probably wants to see Wilbur too, is probably angry at everyone around him for lying. And we have yet to hear Wilbur nightmares, but I’m sure Tommy is having them.

[“I asked him to add the roses though,” Phil added, “thought it would be a nice touch.”] see these roses are a religious thing, and it has something to do with death and I feel like it also has to do with protection. Question though: are the roses on the walking stick part or on the blade part? Because that changes implications.

[Phil and Techno shared a look.] hey it’s look number 5, I could have added this to my starting segment somebody play the music and switch to the title card

I love Phil trying to stop Techno from selling him out and Techno not having it. He will tell your son how much effort you put into this gift. He will also show your son his new cool blade.

I wonder whose idea that was. Was it added too or in the original design? The idea is that Wilbur can protect himself with it, but he’s not a great fighter (will they get him more lessons?). I think it’s more for the idea of safety. Both for Wilbur and for them. He will always have the cane, thus always have a weapon, so the next time something happens, he will be able to defend himself.

And I don’t remember if this particular Wilbur is a pacifist, but the dagger might make him uncomfortable, he will still use it to protect Tommy (not even to protect himself, baby brother has been acquired and the instincts are strong. He will protect the kid who is the only reason he’s still alive).

Lastly, [Sometimes when answering Phil’s questions, Wilbur felt horrible dread at the idea of getting them wrong. This was not one of those times. He already knew where this conversation was leading.] I cannot just ignore this? The implications! It’s that fear of messing up again! But it was there at the start of the chapter and now it’s gone. Will it stay that way? Is this positive improvement? We’ll see…

-🌲

phil no your son doesn't really comprehend that acts of service is your love language phil you need to tell him with your words phil noooo he can't hear us he's wearing airpods-

I'll say tommy and wilbur are definitely both having nightmares. it's to be expected after something like this.

the blade itself is hidden inside the cane and in order to slide in smoothly it has a very simple design, so no, there aren't any roses on the blade part. it's only on the cane part. although it's less of a symbolic meaning and more just because of what I view as how a cane designed like that would practically work. symbolically speaking the cane and the blade are two parts of the same object, so the roses are technically on both if that makes sense

ok maybe I have phil and techno share looks too much but those two are just really good at reading each other without saying anything

phil is ridiculous he literally overpaid so much to steal that cane from whoever commissioned it. while I want to say that phil and techno wanted to add the blade into the cane, I also don't know how that would be possible 'realistically speaking' given the narrow time frame. like I don't think whoever carved that cane could've added a blade inside of it in the span of 2 days, but at the same time if we ignore logic and reasoning I do prefer the idea of it having been techno's idea. so yeah just uh. ignore realism with that one bit.

but yeah it's definitely more for safety than anything else. it's a way of showing wilbur that he won't be put in a situation like l'mannes again. and if anything ever happens, phil and techno want to make sure he can keep himself safe. they never want him to be helpless again.

I actually can't remember 100% if I've mentioned rose!wilbur being a pacifist or not in the past and I'm too tired to try and skim through the whole fic to check, so forgive me if I'm contradicting my past self here but I don't think he is? if I go back and find out I did make him a pacifist then oops but I don't view him as one. he just sucks at fighting, but he was raised by phil who has, like, zero moral issue with murder. he knows that they don't live in a forgiving world and that sometimes you have to get your hands dirty.

hmm guess you'll have to wait and see if this is an improvement in their dynamic or not...

tysm for all the wonderful analysis as always spruce. I always have so much fun going through these. I'm very very excited for you to eventually read the next chapter :)

[hazelplaysgames]

uuuuh since the SD card port went and just stopped, i really haven't felt like uploading clips. so. bleck. i think i can already chalk it up as a mixed year for me.

that said, i feel like i should make at least something now that the queue is unquestionably emptying, so. how about them phone games? i'll just make it one big one under a Keep Reading because, fair warning, they're all gacha games. on that front alone, i can't advocate for anyone getting in all willy nilly. keep in mind, i haven't spent anything on any of them. i got "luck" in my usual username for a reason.

let me start with the only one i've played since... ah, last august, actually, Blue Archive! it's going well, i just hit level 87, the level cap for the time being, a couple days ago.

i'm still having fun with that one, so. nine months of fun with that one, story that kicked me like a mule, definitely more out of my time with it than i thought i was gonna get. we're in the middle of new stories now, and to fill in the event void, we're getting this mini-event featuring a girl named Aoi, who basically just shows up for that event. been a while. as you might guess by me bringing her up unprompted: a minor character who doesn't show up often? she stole my heart. it's honestly kinda impressive. something about her voice, mainly.

also, good news from the JP servers: they're putting the twin catgirl gamers in maid outfits! well, i mean, that event is a repeat, those two already were, but we'll be able to take them home this time!

additionally, a few months back, they started this system that grants a 10 pull ticket that's good for a month.

it has been working out for me. didn't get any bunny girls for the collab after Cunifest, so i missed out on comedy, but i at least got the two collab girls in a pity pull's worth. the actual bunny event is coming up just after my birthday in June, and. well, i won't argue with bunnies for my birthday. probably post about that tuesday/thursday if it's REALLY good, or split it 100 pulls per those days?

nah, at most it's 20 screenshots, lets not drag that out. it can be done in 1 post.

next, i got into Nikke far more recently- a couple months is accurate- and like. i get a lot of sniper rifle users in that one. Frima was the first, Red Hood(who is widely considered by the userbase as one of if not THE strongest unit. i can believe it), Alice(who is still considered damn good with Red here. the loaned version makes me believe it), Trony, D: Killer Wife(i actually pulled D and her alt costume at the same time), Harran, Maxwell- why am i a sniper rifle magnet? is it 'cause i like to play Heavy? am i just an easy mark?

you know i just realized neither of those pages show the girls names. be amazed i got Kasumi and Hiyori in the BA ones, please please. at the very least, the numbers on the bottom left can tell you those were actually the first pulls of those two banners.

anyways. since it was after i got through the final chapter in BA, i kinda figured it'd have a good story as well, and, yeah, absolutely better than i first thought. but the story is gated behind levelling, and while this was a point against BA too, it's far more prominent here. like, i got through all of BA's plot once i hit the 60s back in like, January or so, the grind to get into the story is practically constant with Nikke. also, the main story is 30 chapters in, and they're now calling it the prologue. i don't really want to witness that unchecked growth.

that all said, the main reason i got into either in the first place was because of the music: lotta good stuff in these two. no one set style, no one set tone, sum of it all is great. it is hard to suggest a place to start.

uh, as for the only gun gacha game i dropped right now, Arknights. just never meshed even after a few months, and if i remember right, the story has a similar issue as Nikke in being levelling locked. that all said, Nikke is probably the one i'll drop once phone space gets scarce. i enjoy it, but for the fact it's still the largest of the lot, eh... sadly, the best choice.

oh, and speaking of bunny girls, looks like that's also gonna be the next event for Nikke. hilarious. Alice is finally gettin' a proper alt!

in any case, i don't wanna go ditchin' the two rhythm games! i'll talk about the two side by side, kinda, if you wanna call it that. the first of which, Bang Dream! Girls Band Party!, commonly just called Bandori, and the second, D4DJ Groovy Mix. they both got a good selection of songs, though i do have to admit that if Bandori didn't have Butterfly, the song from Digimon, i probably would not have got into it these two as much as i did. here's two pages for that one:

they recently made a push for 500 songs in it, so i'm only missing about 80. i feel quite proud for clearing all those Hard songs, i was barely kicking past medium when i first started in December. unfortunately for me, this kinda also stems the flow of free stars, i think i'll get at best, one or two more pity pulls within the year. for birthday banners. those are like, 1/3 of normal banners. it's a harsh star economy here. anyways, D4DJ:

it throws a lot more currency types around, and the story... it might be timing about the whole xross wars arc, but what it is now ain't hitting what i'm looking for. ain't saying bad, just that i was kinda expecting more mundane. the gems in this one are also fairly consistent, so unless i want a lot ASAP, i feel like i can get a good, healthy enough amount within the rest of the year, even if the pulls are pricier than Bandori. might be going a little harder than i need to for some birthday banners.

if i could give shorthand preferences, i'd say: i give D4DJ props for the gameplay and modes that can be played, as well as overall difficulty curve and even accessibility, while Bandori i'll give the characters and story. while i like Rika(the redhead in the bunny suit up there) and Rinku of D4, i can fill out several lines of characters i like from Bandori, so. most of them, actually.

above the rest, easily, Kokoro, the blond one up there, she's just so happy like a ray of sunshine, i adore her. whenever a Hello, Happy World! song demo starts playing, it's usually her on vocals, and like a moth to a flame, i wanna play it.

i feel like both have great song selections, but what they each encompass is a bit different: Bandori only has originals and cover songs, all lyrics, all the way, and i think most of them are good. meanwhile, D4DJ, while obviously having ori's and covers, also has some original songs from other artists, instrumentals, and game music straight from either the source or a remixer like Camellia, who made a few songs in Mad Rat Dead, and i really appreciate having those as well.

ok, i am underplaying Camellia's full efforts there, fella does a lot of good remixes and originals. i mean, a lot a lot. you can't go two rhythm games without seeing his name, and for good reason: he's that good.

also, i know both series have youtube channels with animated seasons to them, but i haven't given either a watch yet. i learned those channels existed like a week ago, never considered the possibility before.

also.

love these birthday banners! D4DJ even gives you a few free pulls once a day while the banner is up to celebrate, which i find nice.

i guess i did also try Love Live 2, but, by download size, that was actually bigger than Nikke, and it relied entirely on its original songs. it felt hard to get into, aaaand... it is shutting down in a couple days now. still, got Snow Halation in, Rin was cute, Nico Nico Ni, Nozomi Tojo, David Schwimmer, guest starring the "SKULLS" parasite unit. to explain the joke, Triple-Q's Friends Halation. i like most Snow Halation mashes.

all right, anything else i want to mention here and now... nah. i think that's good, i feel talked out.

[lancerious]

now I ask YOU questions! >:3

40, 46, 29, 23, and 31

YUS more questions >:D

Q: Favorite memory

A: Um. Uh. Ok I have a lot of "favorite" memories which nullifies the meaning of the word lol, BUT considering how a huge part of my online presence is me obsessing over Lancer, I'll mention a memory that relates to him :>

The memory is...simply my first playthrough of Deltarune Chapter 1! I knew a decent amnt of the game at that point, including the general plot lol, but I wanted to see what the game was truly like. I know I played it in either my junior or senior year of highschool, can't remember which one it was. I also believe it was on a school break, whether it was summer break or a smaller one

ANYWAY, I played the game in the dead of night, everyone else at home was asleep. I had to play quietly as to not wake up anyone lol, and...oh my GOD, I fell in LOVE with the game even MORE after that, its characters included! Actually PLAYING Chapter 1 made me love nearly ALL characters SO MUCH more, ESPECIALLY Lancer. I kid you not, I remember laughing at every single line Lancer had, he was just so therapeutic for me. I have such a vivid recollection of my first playthrough, and there's TONS more I would say but then this post would be a goddamn novel & I'm still only on the first question lol

But yeah, I still adore this memory, and I always come back to Deltarune Chapter 1 if I ever feel down, because man, it works WONDERS <3

Q: What my last text message says

A: It's a link to a page for tickets to watch Coraline in theaters this August. If links don't count, my last text message is...literally just "Ok", that is actually it lol

Q: Favorite film(s)

A: YESYESYES I was hoping for this one!! I have two fav films, one animation & one live-action

My fav animated film is...Coraline, who would've guessed! I do prefer the book but the film is GORGEOUS, and it's in stopmotion which I also love! Coraline as a whole is such a wonderful story & has a very important lesson in it too, hidden behind all the pure insanity the movie has. It's just so great <3

My fav live-action film is Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children! It's based on the books of the same name, and while I DO have the books, I haven't gotten around to reading them just yet. Therefore, I don't know how accurate the film is, but I LOVE IT. I LOVE IT SO MUCH. The movie NEEDS more attention it is hands-DOWN my favorite fantasy movie! It's not perfect, nothing truly is, but I absolutely ADORE it ^-^

Q: Fear(s)

A: I have a fair amnt of these! I'll list a bunch here

Any sudden sounds, ESPECIALLY if they're loud. A couple notable examples are the fear of balloons popping, alongside fireworks! I LOVE both of them, ESPECIALLY fireworks they are SO beautiful, but I'm always worried of the inevitable loud sound that will follow. For balloons I'm much more wary bcs I don't know WHEN the balloon will pop, whereas for fireworks it's mostly a concern of how LOUD each firework will be

Broken glass! The reasoning for this fear is that I cut the big toe on my left foot when I was a young kid from a broken glass shard from a shattered lightbulb. Ever since then I've been SUPER nervous around SHATTERED glass. I'm fine if the glass is intact, but once it's shattered I stay FAR away from it

Being forgotten is a big worry of mine. I think a decent amnt of people can relate to this. I've had past experiences where this occurred, so I'm extra sensitive to this, even if I don't show my worry outwardly

This somewhat goes with number 3: being rejected. I do NOT mean this in a romantic way, this is purely platonic. I have had SO many instances where I was rejected in some way & I don't have a lot of tolerance for it anymore

Overloading is another one. This primarily focuses on me bombarding people with the things I'm interested in, which has resulted in a few people rejecting me, see fear #4. This causes me to intentionally hold back EVERYWHERE, even in places where going on positive rants is encouraged

Finally, to end this list on another relatively "goofy" fear, there's bees, wasps, hornets, anything that stings! People have different reasons for being afraid of these insects, but mine is simply the fact that I have NEVER been stung, not once. I don't know if I'm allergic or not; I'm mostly afraid of the pain it could cause me as I have a VERY low pain tolerance. I literally panic every time a stinging insect comes into my field of view

Q: 3 random facts

All right, time to bring out the randomness in me >:D

When I was VERY young, probably toddler age at most, my head got whacked by a tree/branch, it was definitely some part of a tree at least lol. I got a tiny bump on my head as a result, it's still present to this day :P

I DESPISE melted cheese. It's obscene. Get it out of my sight. IhateitIhateitIhateitIhateitIhateit

My favorite candy bar is Kit-Kat! Funny enough, that's actually my nickname to some people bcs of how much I love them

Bonus fact bcs I felt like it, I've written stuff, Ik some people know this already lol but still. I have abt 10 rotating ideas constantly in my mind that I've never put to paper but I hope to do so someday <3

TY FOR THE ASK <3

[tozettastone]

I know I've been posting about other stuff today, but I've actually been working on the SPN Sabriel fic: 'Be Not Afraid, Behold'.

here's a little bit from the start of the next chapter:

-----

Sam woke with a jolt.

"You okay?" Dean asked, only halfway paying attention to the road that rose endlessly on ahead of them. Its sinuous shape snaked behind them, too, a long stretch of black asphalt that drifted off into the horizon, swallowed by a greenish mass of forest in the distance. There wasn't a lot on either side, and the only other vehicles were freight.

"Um," said Sam, squinting. The impala was a familiar rumble around him. He sat up. "Yeah... Weird dream?"

He rarely dreamed when he slept beside Gabriel, but now that he was back on the road with his brother, he was making up for lost time.

"Sounded like a nightmare." Dean was suddenly really attentive to that empty road, avoiding even the potential for eye contact with Sam.

It was fading now. What had been so clear and reasonable in the landscape of his dreaming mind was now confused and impossible to grasp. The tatters that remained of it were only an uneasy memory...

"Might've been." He fumbled for his phone beneath his seat belt, realised he didn't actually have Jess's number since she'd got a new phone, and then messaged Gabriel instead.

Hey, is Jess still on campus? She doing okay?

A response came three minutes later: Can't believe the first time you message me in a week is about a girl you dated last year. smh. She's fine btw. [Attachment: IMG_1101104].

The photo was a candid snap from one of the libraries at Stanford. Jess looked like she'd been surprised, looking up from her book only to be captured in digital media. She was as pretty as ever, but all Sam felt looking at the picture was—well, it was nice of Gabriel to go out of his way to check on her.

Gabriel? Wasn't really a library kind of guy. It was kind of odd that he had even been close by enough to take the photo—a lucky coincidence, he guessed.

Thank you, Sam sent, and then shoved his phone away.

"Sooo..." Dean drummed his fingertips on the steering wheel. "That a girl?"

"Uh." Sam rubbed his nose. "A friend. Weird dream was about her? I guess. I don't even remember it really. I was just... checking in."

A long pause. "Does 'uh, friend' have a name?"

"Jess? She's really a friend though. We went out one time and I broke it off." And hadn't his recent experience with the Woman in White, Constance, really made him feel good about that choice to sit down with Jess and talk about it? One date didn't have to mean a commitment, of course, but now in hindsight he was pretty glad to have left no expectations behind him.

"Huh," repeated Dean. "What, was she ugly?"

"Was she—? No, Dean." He sighed deeply. "Jess isn't ugly. We... Just didn't fit."

This was a highly editorialised version of events, and he could almost physically hear Gabriel interrupting in the back of his own mind: Is that what they're calling it? Do you remember what did fit? It was my—

Sam hauled his train of thought back onto its rails. Fortunately, his mental image of Gabriel was a lot more manageable than the real one.

He already missed him. It ached like an absent limb. The last time he'd felt like this was years ago, leaving Dean behind on his way to California.

Gabriel typically drifted in and out of Sam's life every second day or so with what now felt like surprising ease. For Sam, few relationships had ever been easy. He'd moved around too much growing up for that. For more than a decade it had just been Dean, Dad and Bobby. Those bonds were important—even when he didn't really want them to be—but they sure weren't easy.

...At some point, Sam was going to have to talk to Dean about Gabriel. He thought this thought intellectually, but even as he did, a less cerebral part of his brain—one which dealt with feelings like anger and fear and disgust—wondered if it was true. Maybe he could just ...avoid talking to Dean about anything Gabriel related, ever.

It wasn't that Dean was homophobic. Not... really homophobic, anyway. But they weren't the kind of touchy-feely people who talked about their feelings. And god only knew Sam didn't want to finally find their Dad after dropping that particular bomb on Dean. He could already see that playing out.

He licked his teeth. This was pretty clearly not the time to talk to Dean about any of the, um, gay stuff.

Can't even say it in your head, huh? sneered a little voice inside him. This one didn't sound much like Gabriel. Sam's meanest and most self destructive impulses never did. The, um, gay stuff, he mocked.

He set his jaw and tilted his head until his neck popped, with the sound of synovial fluid stretching, releasing gases between joints. Pop-pop, soft and satisfying, like a release valve for the tension in his spine.

Dean pulled a face at the noise and turned the radio up.

Silently, Sam turned towards his window, watching the road stream endlessly by. He didn't check his phone.

[stobinesque]

phryctoria | chapter 6: four by one (delta)

Sometimes your gay awakening is just having someone to show you it’s possible. Steve realizes there's a whole gay world out there, waiting for them.

Now Complete!

[1][2][3][4][5] | [Read on AO3]

"Robbie, honey, is that you?" Mrs. Buckley calls out as the front door swings shut behind them.

"Yeah, mom!" Robin shouts back as she toes off her shoes.

"Is Steve with you?" Robin claims her mother has some sort of sixth sense for Steve's presence in the house. Steve thinks it’s just a safe bet to assume he’s there, seeing as that's the case more often than not.

"I am!" Steve affirms, as Robin grabs his hand to drag him up to her room. The staircase has a direct line of sight to the living room, where Robin's parents are curled together on their squashy couch, watching something Steve can't make out on the tiny television set.

"There are leftovers in the fridge." Mr. Buckley says as they pass by.

"Thank you, sir." Robin tugs at Steve’s wrist impatiently. "Uh…we’ll grab some later," he says, tripping up the stairs after Robin.

"Ugh, you're such a suck-up!" she declares as she flops back onto her bed.

"I have to stay on their good side! They’re both half-convinced I'm one step away from stealing your virginity."

"Eugh, please don't say that." Robin pulls open her bag and starts dumping the contents onto her mattress. "Besides, they wouldn't have any room to talk. I was conceived in the back of my dad’s Volkswagen."

Steve hops up onto the bed, stretching his legs out in front of him. He picks up his pamphlet from the books and 'zines strewn across Robin's bed, and rolls it up to point at her. "Now, how—and why, exactly—do you know that?"

"Remember what I said about my parents and boundaries?"

“Okay, sure, that tracks.” Steve flips open the booklet with a little flourish. “So, wanna learn about how to fuck without dying?”

Robin arches a brow at him. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

“No? What would I—?”

Steve flinches as something hits his chest and he looks down to see the reading glasses he’d bought earlier. “Really?”

“Yes, really! Put them on!”

Steve rolls his eyes, but puts them on. “Happy?”

“I am,” she sniffs with haughty self-satisfaction.

Steve pulls a face and mouths a mocking “I am!” as he picks the pamphlet back up and flicks it open. He skims his way down the table of contents—there’s a foreword, a preface, and an introduction for some reason—and his eyebrows start creeping up his forehead as he goes. Sucking, Fucking, Sadism & Masochism (S&M), Fist Fucking…mixed in with things Steve doesn’t even recognize (what the hell do “water sports” have to  do with sex?)

It's all a little daunting—like he should have started with a basic field guide to Sex With Men before jumping into figuring out how to do it safely.

But he’s here now, so he takes a deep breath, flips to the next page, and begins.

Barely three paragraphs in and he's right back to feeling in over his head. Is he supposed to have opinions on the causes of AIDS? He can count the number of times he’s heard or read about it in a context that wasn’t riddled with disgust and condemnation. All he really knows is that a diagnosis is as good as a death sentence.

He shakes his head, frustrated. "Hey, do you have a highlighter or something?"

Robin doesn’t say anything, but when Steve looks up to ask her again, something smacks him on the head—Robin having chosen to answer by way of lobbing a highlighter directly at his face. He's grudgingly impressed by her aim.

"Stop throwing things at me!"

Robin ignores him. "Careful, Stevie, you might turn into a nerd if you're not careful."

"...shut up." He uncaps the marker with a bitchy flourish to highlight the sentence “Sex doesn't make you sick—diseases do. Gay sex doesn't make you sick—gay men who are sick do.” It settles something in him that's been strung tight since Monday. Even if some part of him knew that he wasn't sick just by existing, he couldn't shake the memory of kids asking anyone they thought might be gay if they knew what it stood for, before shouting “Got AIDS Yet?” down the hall after them.

Steve grimaces at the memory, and carries on reading until he’s reached the end of the introduction, highlighting a sentence at the end there

Our challenge is to figure out how we can have gay, life-affirming sex, satisfy our emotional needs, and stay alive!

He's never really thought of sex as anything more than a kind of fraught balancing act between performance and pleasure—let alone “life-affirming.”

Except...that is kind of what it was between him and Nancy right? It's why they'd drifted back together after everything. They'd both only had each other—well, Nancy had Jonathan, too, kind of. But Steve had lost his two closest friends, and even if he hadn't, it’s not like he could have shared anything that'd happened to him without putting them in harm’s way.

(There had been a few times early on when Steve had considered reaching out to Tommy or Carol. But even without the worry that he might revert back to a version of himself that he was all too eager to leave in the rearview, he also didn't know what the point of trying to maintain a relationship with them was, when his entire understanding of the world had turned on its head.)

So Nancy and Steve had become NancyandSteve—not so much in deed as in perception. After Barb, after…everything…they'd both been hesitant to have sex again for a while. Steve didn't want to push Nancy into doing anything that would make her uncomfortable (and if Steve benefited from not having to perform quite so much, all the better). And Nancy always seemed like it was something she felt guilty for even wanting.

And then one night Steve had just kind of snapped and asked her outright “Do you want to have sex?”

It was like a dam bursting. As if all Nancy had needed was for someone to ask her what she actually wanted, instead of thinking herself in circles around what she should want.

"Penny for your thoughts, Fen?"

Steve doesn’t look up from where his eyes have lost on the words swimming in front of him. "Just…thinking about Nancy."

"Oh?" Robin’s voice is cautiously curious.

"Yeah, just like. I don't know. We didn't have sex all that often when we were together, but when we did, it was like…" Steve trails off, struggling to find the words.

"Like what?”

"Like…I don't know. Like us?” He says, finally looking up at Robin and gesturing between the two of them. “Like when we sleep together?”

Robin doesn't wrinkle her nose like he expects her to. Instead she tilts her head and gives him a considering look. "Like…comforting?"

Steve snaps his fingers and points at her. "Yeah! And it was fun, too, I guess. But it was mostly just…it was the one time where I felt like I could actually give her what she needed, you know?”

Robin shakes her head with a little frown. "I don't. That sounds…really sad, actually."

Steve huffs and drags a hand through his hair. "I'm not explaining this right."

"No, I think you are!" Robin reaches out to take one of his hands into hers. "Look, you don't really talk about Nancy, and I'm not asking you to do it now anymore than you already have or want to. But, the silence kind of speaks for itself, you know? I don't know what happened with the two of you, but I…I don't know, I'd see you together, sometimes, after Barb, and you both always seemed so sad. But you never really seemed like you were sad together, you know? You didn't even look like you were causing each other's sadness, you just…you looked like you were on these parallel tracks of grief. So…so maybe, when you were having sex it was like the one time where you both actually were on the same track? And that's…"

"Fucked up, because I'm gay, and her best friend died while she was losing her virginity? To me? A gay man?"

"Well, I wasn't gonna put it like that."

"Sure."

Silence falls between them, and Steve stares at the Ripley poster hanging on Robin’s wall. Thinking about Nancy has left him unsettled in a way he wouldn’t have expected it to. Not that realizing he’s gay should suddenly erase all of the heartbreak he’d felt at the end of things. But he thought he’d moved on. Come to terms with everything. But now, recontextualizing their relationship, and realizing how much it had really just been a means of survival than anything else for both of them…it leaves him feeling a little sick.

Robin cuts into his thoughts. "Okay, enough wallowing about shitty exes—"

"Nancy wasn't—”

"Shhhh,” Robin says, waving a hand in his face to get him to stop talking. “Let me be dramatically overprotective of you about this."

"Fine,” he says, even though something about it doesn’t sit right with him.

"Back to my point: stop wallowing, and get back to reading about how you can have hot gay sex safely, so I can live vicariously through you!"

Some of the tension bleeds out of him. "Okay, first of all, I don't think you want to be having the same kind of hot gay sex as me, and second of all, you’re coming with me! You can find a hot girl to bang!"

"I thought we’d already established that I don't want to have sex for the first time with a stranger!"

"Oh.” Steve falls back. Even having just talked about it earlier that evening he’d kind of…forgotten that other people might prefer to know the person they lose their virginity to. He hadn’t really had a choice. “Right."

"I think I'd be okay with kissing a girl that I don't know yet. But, like, how do you even tell if someone's interested in you?” She tangles her fingers in her hair and starts tugging at the roots. “And how do you flirt?"

"Okay, okay, one thing at a time.” Steve reaches forward to pull her hands from her hair, holding them to his chest. “You don't have to rush anything, you know—”

"Steve! It's not rushing things if I've…if I've known this about myself for years and I'm still just a clueless virgin!"

"Okay, well, I don't think me not being a virgin means I have any more of a clue about things than you do. It's just…” Steve gestures in the space between them. "It's just bodies! And, like, hearts and guts and brains, or whatever—but that's still just bodies! And if we're going to a gay club you'll have to exert a lot less effort into trying to figure out if someone likes you. You can just ask!”

"'You can just ask' he says.” Robin scoffs. “Have you ever 'just asked' a girl if she likes you?"

"Well, no, but that's because they're supposed to act like they don't."

"What?" Robin yanks her hands out of Steve’s grip with a violent jerk backwards.

"Yeah! Girls are supposed to act like they're all bashful or whatever about a guy liking them. So you have to come at it sideways, give them a little opening to sneak through." He holds his hands a couple inches apart and makes a little snaking motion in demonstration.

Robin gapes at him. "Straight people are fucking weird."

"Yeah, it's exhausting." There was something of a thrill to a successful seduction, though. It was a game Steve had been good at playing, once upon a time. It had just lost its appeal somewhere along the way. Maybe in a new context he'd find a way to make it fun again. "But there aren't any guys in the equation for you, so you don't have to do any of that."

"Okay, yeah, but what if everyone does still act like that, but because there's no men to do the asking everyone is just like! Awkwardly hovering around each other!”

"I literally just told you to do the asking."

"Yeah, well, what if your advice is bad! I've seen you try to flirt, Steve!"

"Yeah, you've seen me try to flirt with girls who I am not attracted to,” he argues back, gesticulating wildly. He slumps back and bites his lip, considering. "Okay, how about this,” he starts, leaning forward again. “I bet you that if you ask, you can get a girl to kiss you."

Robin narrows her eyes, "What's the winner get?”

Steve thinks for a second. "Full control of the stereo on the ride back."

"Deal." Robin spits into her palm and extends it to him. "Shake on it, Harrington."

Steve grimaces, but spits into his own palm, before grasping her hand in his. "Deal"

Steve returns to reading, but a few minutes later tosses it aside again with a frustrated huff, pressing the tips of his fingers into his eyes, as though that will chase away the budding headache.

“…you good over there?”

Steve drops his hands and blinks rapidly. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

Robin snorts. “Liar. What’s up? Why do you look like you just got your head shoved in a toilet?”

“Nothing, I just—it’s dumb.”

“Yeah, and?”

“And—I don’t want to bore you with stupid questions.”

“I’m pretty sure the no-stupid-questions rule is still in effect.”

“Yeah, but this isn’t a gay question or whatever—I just don’t know how to fucking read.”

Robin frowns, leaning forward to look at him more closely. “Okaaaaay, but clearly you do—you’ve been highlighting up a storm over there.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I understand anything!” Steve snaps his mouth shut and looks away. “Shit, sorry, I didn’t mean to yell at you.”

Robin plays with her hands, expression nervous. “Why does it matter if you don’t understand it?”

“What’s the point in reading any of this if I don’t know what it means?”

“No, no, I get that, I just mean—why are you acting like not understanding something will matter to me?”

Steve shrugs. “I mean, it has before.”

Robin stares at him, mouth agape. “What are you—are you talking about what I said about Click’s class?”

Steve doesn’t say anything.

“Okay, well, if it is, then you are an idiot, if you think literally any of 15-year-old me’s thoughts about you still apply now.” Robin shakes her head sadly. “Steve, you could ask me what color the fucking sky is—and I’d probably lie first, just to fuck with you a bit—but I definitely wouldn’t judge you for asking. I literally don’t care whether you’re a genius, or-or if you don’t know what two plus two is! The stupid little thoughts of a jealous teenager are entirely irrelevant to what we have here,” she says, gesturing between the two of them.

Steve is quiet, assessing her for even a bare hint of insincerity. There’s none to be found. Maybe he can hazard a chance at trusting someone again. As though he hasn’t been doing that this whole time. He sighs and hands the pamphlet over. “It’s not even that I don’t know what it’s saying, I just…every time I get to the end of the page it’s like everything I’ve just read falls out of my head.”

“Okay, well, maybe between the two of us we can get it to stick.” Robin holds her hand out and makes a grabby motion until Steve drops the highlighter into it. She skims through the whole section, humming occasionally as she underscores something.

A couple minutes later she looks back at him with a smile. “Okay, well, first off: this was also kind of dense for me. There’s, like, a lot of information here and it’s all presented very argumentatively and kind of assumes the person reading it knows more about the debatable causes of AIDS than I think either of us do. But basically it’s arguing that instead of AIDS being caused by one virus, it’s instead caused by a build-up of CMV, which is a totally different virus.”

Steve nods along. He does follow that. The foreword, preface, and introduction had all alluded to it, but once the authors got further into the details they’d started to lose him.

“Second of all, I don’t know if it really matters. I mean, obviously it matters that, like, scientists and doctors and whoever know the exact cause. But from what I can tell, it seems like regardless of the exact cause, we still have a reasonably good understanding of how it spreads—namely, sperm and blood. So I think as long as you understand everything else in here about how to prevent spreading or catching things, you’re probably good not to understand all of the science behind it.”

Steve nods and takes the pamphlet back from her. “Okay,” he says. “Uh, thanks.”

Robin nods. “Anytime, Steph.”

Steve blushes and smiles at her.

Reading the rest of the pamphlet gets much easier from there. He skims over the sections specifically covering CMV, figuring that he can return to them later if needed, but that they probably aren’t strictly relevant to him just yet.

About halfway through reading, he realizes that despite the heavy subject matter, he’s actually kind of enjoying reading it, in a way that’s unfamiliar to him. He’s always enjoyed having sex, but he’d never considered that he might also like learning about it. It’s a similar sort of satisfaction that he found in learning first aid for his lifeguard certification. But most of that was a hands-on kind of learning. Steve can’t remember a time he’s been anything other than frustrated while reading.

The writers talk about sex with an unrelenting frankness that is completely foreign to him. And they don’t limit themselves to the mere mechanics of the act. They dive into ethics and philosophy, and by the time Steve has made it to the last section, he finds himself highlighting whole paragraphs.

Gay men are socialized as men first; our gay socialization comes later. From the day we are born we are trained as men to compete with other men. The challenge facing gay men in America is to figure out how to love someone you’ve been trained to “destroy”

It knocks Steve off his feet. Like someone has held a mirror up to his life.

He remembers the adrenaline flooding him when he pinned Jonathan to the ground in that alley—and again, when Jonathan took him by the wrist and pulled him to safety hours later.

He remembers the jealousy and fear of losing to a boy he felt the need to prove himself better than.

But what if there had been love there all along? Buried deep beneath the pain and self-loathing.

The goal of gay male liberation must be to find ways in which love becomes possible despite continuing and often overwhelming pressure to compete and adopt adversary relationships with other men.

Steve traces over the lines of those sentences like they’re precious. Robin is the only other gay person he knows, and she knows only fractionally more about this world than he does.

And it is a world. There’s a whole history here. Beyond the scientific analysis of disease and recommendations for safer sex, that is what he’s found here. A community. A lineage. There’s a culture there lying in wait of discovery for the both of them. There are men who have walked the same gauntlet that Steve is just beginning to—and who have emerged on the other side. And maybe they’re all in peril together. But at least it is together.

If you love the person you are fucking with—even for one night—you will not want to make them sick.

Steve doesn’t know what he and Robin will find when they go to Indy. The world is larger and more complex than anything he’s going to find in a 40-page pamphlet.

But who knows, maybe he will find love there.

Maybe affection is our best protection.

Bonus! Chapter 7: Erratum & Appendices

Annotations to the text “How to Have Sex in an Epidemic” by Michael Callen and Richard Berkowitz, intro by Dr. Joseph Sonnabend - Spring 1985

[A/N: full text can be accessed here]

ANNOTATION, pg 9, following the section “WHAT CAUSES AIDS?”

While the multifactorial theory behind AIDS was already unpopular in the medical community at the time of this pamphlet’s initial publication, a greater preponderance of medical and community health experts now agree that the recently discovered virus HTLV III is the virus responsible for the development of AIDS. However, there is still much we do not know about the virus’ transmission. That said: the guidelines for safer sex outlined by Callen and Berkowitz, and supported by Dr. Sonnabend, are still likely to greatly mitigate the risk of transmitting or acquiring the HTLV III virus and, subsequently, AIDS.

While most professionals agree that CMV is not the cause of AIDS, CMV remains a disease that MSM should be careful to minimize their risk of transmitting. The risks and effects of CMV as highlighted by the authors in this pamphlet—excepting its connection to AIDS—remain sound; as do their recommendations for mitigating transmission.

For individuals interested in getting tested for the HTLV III virus, an Alternate Test Site has recently opened opened at the Indiana University Medical Center. This testing site, unlike others in the area, guarantees anonymity and privacy for those who wish to get tested. A positive test for HTLV III does not mean you have AIDS, an AIDS related condition, nor does it mean you will develop AIDS in the future.

For further information about the HTLV III test, call the Indianapolis Gay & Lesbian Switchboard at (317) 543-6200. They have a 24 hour answering service, and make calls back between 7 and 11PM.

ANNOTATION, pg 24, following “KISSING”

While HTLV III has been detected in saliva, there have been no reported cases of AIDS transmitted via kissing, or shared foods or utensils. Community health experts are in near unanimous agreement that kissing bears no risk of transmission of HTLV III/AIDS.

ANNOTATION, p. 20, following “FUCKING”

Studies are inconclusive as to the effectiveness of natural condoms for VD prevention. But as the authors state, natural condoms have a lower risk of breakage to their latex counterparts.

ANNOTATION, p. 21, within the section “GETTING FUCKED”

The importance of lubrication during anal sex cannot be overstated. Lubrication decreases the chances of condoms breaking, and of microtears of the rectal lining.

ANNOTATION, p. 22, following “GETTING FUCKED”

Always be sure to carefully follow the instructions of use for any prophylactic. Condom wrappers should always be opened carefully, with ones hands.

Appendix: STEVE (and Robin's) GUIDE TO SAFELY FUCKING

CLEAR HEAD TO GET HEAD! If you’re planning to fuck, you can’t be drunk!

TALK IT OUT! Always be sure to talk to your partner about limits and safety before getting it on

KEEP IT CLEAN! It’s important to wash up before and after sex to limit the spread of bacteria and germs

WRAP IT UP! If you’re going to fuck someone, or have someone suck you off, make sure you’re wearing a condom

Always open condom wrappers CAREFULLY with your HANDS—ripping wrappers open with your teeth stops being sexy the moment the condom tears

If you’re not going to wear a condom, make sure you don’t come anywhere inside your partner (especially their ass!!!)

KISSING: ✔️✔️✔️

GET CREATIVE There are lots of things to do that pose no risk at all!

GET HANDY: mutual masturbation is a completely safe way for two (or more) to get it on. Throw in some dirty talk to add a little extra HEAT!

IT’S ABOUT LOVE, even if only for a night

***

Authors Note: please keep in mind that everything in this chapter reflects what was known of HIV/AIDS c. 1985! Please do not take safe sex advice from a fanfic!

[sleepydross]

Chapter One, Route_A: Clerks, Too A Chapter of the 'SEER' or 'Spontaneous Edifice Emergence / Reification' Storyline. "Chapter One, Route_B" coming when I can. CW: Damage to fingers, mutilation, body horror, disturbing imagery, fleshpunk concepts, blood and injury, surreal terror / horror, harsh language etc.

Song Title: Everything Burns Eventually (I think)

Description: A person whose voice sounds vaguely masculine sings about how fire (Passion?) is churning and burning (Lyrics specifically mention 'churning and burning,' like, as part of the chorus. It's… weird.) and tearing across the land, and consuming everyone that it touched. It sounded like a raging orgy, or something. It started to be a little… more blunt than most modern songs about sex and horny shit, uh, in the last verse, from what I remember. I just remember… I remember it struck me as odd. No one else seemed to notice, but it was… strange.

I remember the lyrics said, they said, "And the fire's burnin' and churnin', burnin' and churnin' and all the fat little kids sizzle like they're on a griddle."

I almost said "What the fuck?" when my brain processed it, and then… The song was over. After that it was, I don't know, some pop shit. I'd heard it before, it played like, once a night when I was on shift, you know? It was normal.

I thought maybe, maybe it was just stress, you know? I thought I imagined it. Maybe I did.

The doors slid open, and another customer walked in. Jackie looked up, and said, cheerfully, "hello!"

Mostly, the cheer wasn't fake. J liked xis job, liked working the night shift… liked that every single hour that passed was another hour of pay to make xis life better. Fake cheer was only a necessity because of the exhaustion. Xe hadn't slept very well, during the day before - nightmares had assailed, and eventually won ground, in Jackie's mind. They'd been real bastards, too, pervasive and cruel.

They were snakey, awful fucking things and xe'd woken up screaming loud enough to piss off xis roomate.

"Great deals!" the customer replied, cheerfully. She was a nice looking older lady, hair dyed a bright purple - scrubs indicated she was a nurse, and the fact that it was two in the morning indicated she was a seasoned nurse working some graves. Whether she was coming or going, Jackie had no idea, but the response felt… off kilter, strange.

"Yes ma'am, UltiMart's got pretty solid bargains!" xe replied, bemused more than anything else. A terminal case of desperation to work nights meant xe had only very rarely showed up to the store during the day, and even then, it was only to pick up partial shifts or cover for coworkers who were sick - it wasn't anything long term. Terminal overnighters were an odd kind of kin, like that recognized like, and they'd share their little jokes about the lack of daylight.

While the old lady did her shipping, J did what J did, checked the list of all the shit xe needed to get done, and then moved down it until xe found a task that was suitable for a time when there was a customer in the store and got to it. Each of the coffee makers was an absurd Austrian thing that looked like what aerospace engineers worked on when not making space ships - they even had touch screens, which had thoroughly confused a number of customers who, for whatever reason, lacked the basic decency to just read the very simple on-screen instructions.

They made a damn fine cup of coffee, at least.

While the old lady did her browsing, J did what needed to be done with the coffee machines. First, xe had to pull out the tray all the coffee grounds were dumped into by the individual bean grinders, and brush them out - and then wipe them down with the bottle of food safe sanitizer hanging from xis belt.

A song started playing, an unfamiliar one - which was, in and of itself, something of an event. The store's radio had been standardized for the three years xe had worked at the fucking place, with new songs being added only very rarely. It was covers, always covers of popular songs from years past, because (presumably) licensing fees were less.

This song, however, was wildly unfamiliar. Right then, it was december the fourth, and the ugly American phenomenon of Christmas music had already begun, with essentially every song being some softly shitty, saccharine song about how Christmas was good and lovely (it wasn't) and how snowing it was definitely going to be (or how not snowing it would be but how it was in fact still Christmas in Vegas). All of it was thankfully constantly rubbing its ass across the floor of a room labelled 'easy listening' like a dog in heat, and thusly, was incredibly easy to tune out.

This was not easy listening, and was not dragging its ass. It started up right away with a strange, slightly overdriven scream of a note on what could've been a guitar, or what could've been a violin having its various indelible rights violated. J looked up, confusedly, staring at the nearest ceiling mounted speakerplate. The first words of the song were definitely in English, but they were unintelligible, howled with such ferocity that J couldn't make anything out.

Unnerved, xe let the cleaning routine finish on the coffee machine and wiped down the grill people set their cups on, cleaning up loose droplets wondering how people could make so much off a mess with a damned device that was largely automatic, and-

The music was loud, louder than it should have been, loud enough to be downright unpleasant. Whatever the verse was supposed to be about, J heard the word 'fuck,' and then 'death is our business, and business is good' and wondered with a kind of dim anxiety what xis boss was doing with the damned radio. Usually, she didn't fuck with it in the middle of the night, neither the volume nor the station, preferring to change it during morning shift change if she changed it at all.

Baffled, xe threw the soiled towel into the trash can behind the counter, passing through the swinging, saloon style waist-high doors to get to the register - the old lady was meandering her way back towards the front of the store, and three years of instinct told xim that she was done and ready to check out.

As she approached, the singer was howling the words 'hunt, fight, kill, spill' over and over as the guitar player went absolutely fucking bananas. It sounded like a challenge song made by a sadistic modder for some guitar-legend type video game - not meant to be musical, really, but instead meant to be as hard and inhuman as possible.

"Sorry about the radio!" J half-shouted, in the most customer service voice that xe could manage. "We have no control over it in the store, its controlled remotely!"

"What radio, sweetie?" the old lady asked. This simple question was not one that would normally frighten anyone, but when she asked it, with that fake sweetness that all the music tasted of, a trickle of icewater ran through xis spinal fluid.

"The, uh, really loud song that's playing, right now!" xe told her, confusedly, as she set… something, on the counter.

"Sweetheart, I'm old, not deaf, you don't have to shout," she said, still sweetly, but with a freezing, hard edge.

"S-Sorry," J said, trying to shut out the music that felt like it kept getting louder, and now had words in it like 'fuck, consume, eat, devour' mixed in with the other ones in some kind of charnel, wylde hunt of a crescendo. "Let me, just uh, ring you out."

So, J did what J always did when unnerved - focused on process. Grab the items, get them in place on the counter, find the barcode, scan them…

But the old woman had set, on the counter, a huge wet hank of something that looked an awful lot like intestines, loosely wrapped in some kind of slick plastic that was labelled with the store's branding, but was definitely not something xe had ever sold before. This had happened once or twice, though usually not with something so viscerally disgusting, but strange products made their way to shelves in rural areas - they had, after all, a whole goddamn minifridge by the door full of live bait and weird bottles of deer attractant or whatever.

This was marked as 'Sausage casing, natural, unprocessed' which was pretty much exactly what it looked like was inside - intestines, unprocessed, raw guts. Sure, that was fucked, and sure it made J want to go leap out a fucking window into a hot shower that would presumably be waiting out the window as a matter of course, but… It was hunting season. Rural freaks… bought all kinds of weird shit.

"I can't wait to get home and tuck into that," the old lady said, as J scanned it. J looked up at her immediately, with a kind of sluggish trepidation rising up alongside the ice-water level in xis insides. "Hard to get good, fresh intestine these days, oh boy, but you all… Well, like you said! Ultimart has some great deals!"

"Y-Yeah, absolutely," J replied, at that point, shaking. It hadn't been like this in a long time, the anxiety, the terrible feeling that something was getting worse and worse every moment, and whatever the fuck it was, it was wholly inconceivable and impossible for a human mind to understand. Early on, working the graves, that had happened a few times and required medication to quell - but it had been at least half a year since such a thing was a necessity.

The last item that J scanned was a knife, which xe was incredibly sure that they didn't sell - but it rang up in the POS system just fine, despite being a bowie styled weapon with blade length J was almost entirely sure was illegal. After several long moments of staring at the weapon, and then at the screen, xe said, "I need just a moment, okay, ma'am?"

"Oh come on now, I really would like to get home to sleep," she said, barely audible over the blood-horny shrieking of the 'music.' "What's the problem anyway?"

"I'm fairly sure this knife is of illegal blade length," J replied, evenly. "I'm going to call my manager real fast, just to make sure you're not exposed to liability, and neither are we, okay?"

For a long moment, the old lady stared at xim, paper white skin, eyes like puddles of mud with spots of green algae floating on the surface, pupils lightless pits that seemed overlarge, and then she said, "check me out, boy, or I'll use the knife on you."

"W… Excuse me?" J asked, softly, having never once been threatened by a fucking grandmother whose hair was still tinged cyan with blue-rinse. She looked like an octogenarian but had just-

"Sell me my fucking knife and my guts, boy, and let me go home. They're on SALE!" she all but barked, voice deeper than it ought to have been. For a long, ice cold moment, a temporal crystal of a ten-second cluster, J just fucking stood there, struck silent and immobile.

"I'm… I'll be right back," J said, stalking off away from the register before the old lady could be any more of a freak. Some reasoning had to be done, and xe wasn't going to do any of it standing right there with nightmare grandma. Once behind the enormous display stand wherein all of the scratch off tickets were located, xe took a long breath and pulled out xis phone.

No service. That had happened a few times before, always at crucial and stressful moments for it to happen, but it meant xe was on xis own and had to made a damn decision. Decisions had never been J's strong suit, nor had making them, nor had making good ones - but in this case, there were a few scraps of logic to cling to.

Tattered though those scraps were, the items had been entered into the POS, and were up on screen. They had prices matching the tagged prices, and that meant at least, at LEAST a manager and an assistant manager… nothing got in the system without their approval.

If anything legal-related happened, it'd happen to them. Employees below management weren't to be held responsible for such things, especially if they didn't do anything out of the ordinary but check out a registered item. After another moment of exhaustion and fear, and decision making, J headed back to the register and faced down nightmare granny with the music she couldn't hear blaring in a new, brutal, howling hellscape of sound. Satan himself and all his choruses roared and bleated.

"Okay. I had to do a quick check with the management. Everything is fine. My apologies for the inconvenience," J said.

"You fucking freaks get worse and worse every year, I swear," the grandma said, digging in her purse and tugging out a series of bills. J had been threatened, had been nearly beaten, had been yelled and screamed at, people had tried to scam xim, but no one had ever been quite as scary as this old lady and her widening pupils. Whatever she was on, and she WAS on something, it had dilated them at that point to a level that the irises could scarcely be seen.

"Sure," J said, because 'freak' was hardly the worst xe had been called by customers. Xe took the bills, checked their values, and then quickly and quietly typed the amount in the POS. The drawer snapped open, the automatic change vault dispensed the coins, and then J handed her the bills. "Have a nice day, ma'am."

"Great deals!" the old lady crowed, and then she gathered her guts and her long knife and her chocolate bar and can of coffee, and fucking dipped. That was it, she just left, walkd out the doors into a soothing darkness that absorbed her readily as if she was made of it and simply evaporated back into it past the glass.

Finally free of whatever the fuck that was, J started to emerge from behind the counters, only to realize that xis hands were wet. Soaking, dripping, and xe raised them to stare at them, finding them wet and slick and-

"What the riddling goddamn fuck?" xe asked, as the smell, the familiar smell of iron and pennies touched xis nose and that special kind of instinct-triggering vital red pattered weakly onto the floor. Already trembling with the shock and the anxiety, the worker-alone stalked into the back room and grabbed one of the GOOD cleaning paper towels to dry the red away. It was a hazmat issue, for starters, and that meant procedures had to be followed and-

"Where did it come from?" xe demanded, heading to the sink with its three huge, wide bays - and then past it, to the hand sink, where xe could wash without violating biohazard protocols. Once all the iron stink was gone and with it all that vital red, J stalked back out behind the counter, taking careful note of the pattern of blood droplets on the floor, so that he could fill out a biohaz report and clean it all properly.

At the register, J saw the blood running out from underneath the drawer, and decided this was a great time to wake up from what was most assuredly a nightmare. The howling chorus of murder and violence carried on its carrion chorus until at last, xe hit the button to open xis drawer and-

Silence. It cut out, a shocking and startling abuse of sudden peace. Inside of the drawer, the bills were soaked in blood, floating in the liquid as if it had been full up before the money was even placed inside, and none of that made sense…

Confounded, confused, xe reached in and tried to take one of the bills out - and then jerked xis hand back as the drawer snapped viciously shut, so fast that the reaction was more instinct than anything else. Strangulation of a scream was something J had experience with, and xe choked the rising scream in xis throat, and choked the bile of horror down with a guttural swallow.

Xis pinkie finger was gone, cloven off cleanly between the two middle knuckles, at an angle. Blood squirted, red and so vital, and J walked with numbness and purposeful intent. Each footstep was a labor of necessity, a cold wrought iron act that could only be forged out by someone who had experienced pain, horror and sudden and unexpected wounding before.

In the back, xe grabbed another of the good cleaning paper towels and wrapped it around the digit, taking great effort to fold the flap of skin over the stump for the moment. Whatever had happened, the bone had slowed down the cut, and perhaps that was the only reason there was so much of the digit left. With duct tape from the emergency toolbox, xe secured the makeshift dressing.

A lot of things were happening in xis head at once, most of them related to trying to get xis fucking finger sewn back on. It wasn't a terrible loss, a pinkie that was barely used for anything, and the pain, the pain was so immense but so much less than xis mind would have thought had xe been made aware of the cut before it came.

It ached. It hurt. It was-

"Need the bit," J muttered, feverishly, half-drunk with adrenaline and half-sick with horror. These new steps, back out to the register, were accompanied by the forceful requisition of a pair of heavy metal tongs that were normally used for pulling hot wings off the cook plates. Shaking still, J used the POS to open the drawer, and stared into it, seeing what was wrong, what xe had missed.

The bills that strange woman had given over, they weren't the source of the blood - xe wasn't even sure it was really blood. Somehow, all the fleshy horror of the inside of the drawer was almost not a surprise. The various slots for all of the bills had been replaced with chambers full of blood, oozing from little holes near the top and soaking all of the coins and paper, drowning them in thickened red. The fingertip, the digit, was hissing and smoking, that smoke the acrid horror of digestion. The inside lip of the drawer was lined with a thick, wide row of misshapen but unmistakably human front teeth - misshapen, but razor sharp.

Pain. Beneath the layers of tissue, thick plates of bone formed the basic skeleton of the drawer, though the outside remained mottle gray metal. Wrong, it was all wrong. It was a horror. Disgusted, enraged, J wedged the tongs in and watched it snap shut. This animal was nothing but that, an animal, operating on instinct - and it kept trying to close, grinding aggressively against the shaft of the tongs… and then gave up. This gave J only a moment to snap the remains of the digit from the single dollar slot.

This time, when it snapped shut, it was done. Xe set the digit on the counter, having fully given the screaming fuck up on hazmat protocols, and was distressed to find that there wasn't enough flesh to sew back on. It was just grotesque, awful bone and some tendon gumming it all together.

Frantic with afterthought, J checked xis hands and… they had burns, mild ones, on the palms. It wasn't blood, it was some digestive fluid that smelled and felt a lot like blood, but was just a bit thicker and-

J opened the drawer again. It was still there.

"Fuck," xe said, because if xe was just crazy, it'd be a lot less fucking scary.

It was that moment that xis phone started beeping, and the wounded worker fumbled the device out and squeeze-pressed the side button to reveal…

Six thirty AM. It was morning, and not just morning, but half an hour past the end of xis shift. Xis relief, an assistant manager, hadn't shown up, and was half an hour late - and this was when xe would have to call xis boss, if xe had ANY FUCKING SIGNAL.

Xe did not have, in fact, any signal, fucking or otherwise.

Panting with the extreme exhaustion of an adrenaline crash and the staggering pain of a severed digit, an executive decision was called for - and this one was easy, in the extreme, to make. Without even pausing to think, to wait, to hesitate, J walked to the manager's desk behind the front counter and opened the non-manager drawer on it, retrieving the emergency key for the doors. With that in hand, xe stumblefucked to the rear door and fully closed it, tricking it to latch with a little wiggle of the 'if you press this, the fire department will come' bar that forced them to leave that particular portal open, if only just, propped that way.

That done, xe walked to the front doors and reached up to the sensor controls, disabling the sensor so it wouldn't open for anyone. A final step had to be followed, and xe followed out, because at that moment, clinging to procedure was basically all that was keeping xim fucking sane. With a certain amount of disdain, xe slapped on the 'Closed due to emergency circumstances, please wait for a manager, or otherwise find another location to serve you' sign on the front door.

Xe then stepped out into the cold of morning, locked the doors, and turned to the parking lot intending to head right next store to the apartments where xis manager lived. If the phones were down, xe would pound on the fucking door and wake the poor woman up.

Except, facing the parking lot, that preternatural darkness still enveloped everything but the pumps and the area beneath the bright canopy lights. Something was wrong with that darkness, something that J couldn't quite figure until xe walked halfway across the lot and saw something that made that cold ice-water-in-the-cerebrospinal-fluid feeling come on back.

Bricks. Through that thick, syrupy darkness, xe saw bricks at the edge of the parking lot, at the very edge of the store's lot. Baffled, nauseous, xe made xis way to that edge and pressed xis wounded hand to the brickwork and just… breathed, slowly, carefully. Walking down the wall revealed just another wall, at the edge of the lot farthest from the doors - and then, xe walked down that door to a pool of light that had been hard to even notice through the black.

They slid open smoothly. J stepped into the entrance of Ultimart, and turned around as the doors shut, staring across the parking lot at pumps that had been mutated and warped, blended together and superimposed with pumps that had been mirrored. Light shone out of doors to the right, to the left, and to the locked doors with the posted sign directly across the lot.

"Welcome to Ultimart! We have great deals and fantastic meals!" a voice called. J turned, slowly, looking at a cashier that stood behind the counter. Frightened, sick with anger, xe walked up to the swinging doors and stared over them.

The Cashier was not standing there. Instead, thick rivulets of bone ran down from a bare and exposed pelvis, tubes connected to various internal organs emerging from blistered, scarred up, cauterized flesh - the tubes themselves were thick, glistening white connective tissue, wet. The bone formed pillars all the way to the floor, lumpy and uneven like melted stick candles.

There, at the floor, that bone grew in sickly, plantlike tendrils straight into the gaps between the tiles. Those cartilaginous tubes ran down through holes below the register.

"Working hard, or hardly working?" the cashier asked, like a fucking freak, like a disgusting nightmare. Neither of this things eyes were the same color, and both of them failed to focus equally, pupils seemingly set at entirely different levels of dilation. "Great deals!"

"Fall over and fucking die," J said, quite evenly, before walking back through those same goddamned doors and past the overlaid, mutated pumps. Xe unlocked the doors from the outside, and then re-locked them from the inside, and walked behind the counter. There, J sat down against the cigarette wall, and just… stared at the register. Blood was still dripping from the counter, and the bone and tissue still smoked faintly.

Finally, after a few minutes, xe said, softly…

"Fuck."