#i unno close enough

[eggs-can-draw]

dooooooble while watchin v3

[toxicanonymity]

rat in a cage.

1.2k, m!ghostface x f!reader | slasher master

A/N: This is NOT the Every Inch ghostface/universe. This is a completely standalone one shot. SUMMARY: Ghostface is pursuing you. When you both get trapped in a lab on campus, you make a temporary truce. WARNINGS: I8+ Dubcon P in V, cockwarming, degradation, choking, creampie, lab rats in the building, huddling for warmth lmaoo, reader can sit on him and be partially lifted.

Before you realized you were both trapped in the building, you got into a scuffle and caused his knife to fall down a drain in the floor. He got on top of you, pinned you with his weight, and choked you, but it wasn't a choke to kill. His gloved hand was applying just enough pressure in just the right places to feel good. That's when it hit you that he didn't want to kill you. He could've snapped you like a twig from that position if he wanted.

You smiled, and he released your throat.

“Mm,” you sighed. “take off your mask if ya wanna kiss me that bad.”

Ghostface tilted his head and looked at you. The voice modulator kicked in. “what makes you think I want that filthy mouth on me?” He grabbed your jaw and squeezed your mouth open. He brought his other gloved hand to your lips and gagged you with two gloved fingers.

"I asked you a question," he prodded.

"I 'unno" you mumbled into his fingers and reached for his crotch, trying to wedge your hand between your torsos. His fingers slid out of your mouth and his hand flew to your wrist to stop you. He pinned your hands above your head, one of his gloves wet with your saliva.

“You don't wanna kill me,” you breathed.

You seemed to have him at a loss for words. He was a different guy without his knife -- still menacing, but not lethal.

“Not tonight." He got up and left you on the ground. He swiftly made for the exit, robe trailing behind him.

But the door was locked. Awkward.

—

Now you've been trapped long enough that he’s run out of clever, taunting things to say, so he just doesn't talk. The main sound is lab rats squeaking and trying to burrow for warmth in their enclosure. It's cold in this building. You don't have sleeves and your legs are bare, too.

Ghostface sits against the wall with his knees up. You're shivering in a corner by yourself, replaying your interactions with Ghostface in your mind. Has he ever really, truly hurt you? He's had chances to kill you. Why didn't he? Your teeth start chattering.

Eventually he sighs and says "Get over here." You look at him, pondering it. He opens his arms and adds, “This offer expires in thirty seconds.”

You scurry over to him, planning to sit between his knees but he straightens his legs out so they're together, and he lifts up his robe for you to get underneath. He's wearing joggers and a matching sweatshirt underneath. You're more scantily clad. "Why don't you just give me the robe," you ask.

"Don't press your luck," he answers.

You duck under his robe and straddle his thighs with your knees on the floor. "You're gonna wanna get closer than that, little rat."

You scoot forward and he lets the robe down on top of you. It's a little heavier and warmer than you imagined. When he's chasing after you, it moves like it weighs nothing.

It's pitch black under his robe. He wraps his arms around you and hugs you into him so your crotch meets his. You gasp when you feel the shape of his warm package against your crotch. "Feel somethin’ ya like?" He asks.

"You're warm," you answer, laying your cheek on his chest with your eyes closed under his robe. "Who are you?"

His laugh is as dark as it is quiet.

You tuck your arms under your chest and he keeps his arms wrapped around you. He smells good. A woodsy, minty scent. He caresses you as he holds you. God, he feels like. . .a man. A real man. His breaths get deeper, his chest rising under you. It happens gradually, but at some point there's no mistaking the bulge you're sitting on is hard, and it's for you. He brings his arms into the robe. His gloved hands pull your skirt up over your ass with a soft grunt not caught by the voice changer. Then he takes his gloves off.

His hands are huge and warm on your bare ass cheeks. He kneads them and his hips lift under you, the swell of his hard cock making you dizzy with need under the pitch black darkness of his robe. You sigh and he wedges a finger under your pointless little thong and snaps it. You reach back to un-wedge it from your ass cheeks and when you pull it out, he slips his finger between your ass and the garment. He slides his finger all the way down, under you, until he reaches your wet little hole. You're beginning to gush.

He sighs, then the voice changer says - "You're making a mess on me, princess."

He lifts you with a grunt, then pulls his joggers down under his cock. He sets you back down, angling you strategically so your front meets his smooth, thick shaft. It's throbbing and burning hot, right between your legs. You sigh. His hands return to your ass and he moves your body, grinding you against his hard cock a few times.

Then, to your horror, you help him take it further. You pull your thong to the side as he lifts you and notches himself at your entrance. You whimper as your cunt swallows his tip, then your body spreads itself apart for him as you sink down his thick shaft. Ghostface shudders and you gasp when your bodies are flush.

“Good,” he whispers in a deep, human voice. Your body accommodates him and you get even wetter. You begin to move, needing to fuck yourself on his cock, but he holds you down and makes you still. “Sit,” he commands at full volume ghostface voice. “Stay.” The hair on your neck stands up.

You sit still on his cock.

“Good,” he says, then adds, "Hmm." He pats your head where it rests on his shoulder.

You sit there in his lap, wrapped around the body of this man, in total darkness under his robe, absolutely full of his cock. You relax enough that you begin to get sleepy. You yawn.

You sit there for what feels like an eternity. You feel stretched out, even after you relax. Your walls occasionally twitch around him, and his cock throbs and moves inside you. You’re cozy under his robe, comfortable in his arms, and throbbing on his cock. The warmth of his robe and the feeling of his arms around you lull you to sleep.

Almost as soon as you drift off, he thrusts his hips up and jolts you awake with the punch of his cock. He braces one hand on the floor and has the other arm around you. He leans back so you're held against his chest and he's fucking up into you. He grunts and sighs and the modulator harshly spits, “yeah, you're a good little bitch.”

He keeps fucking you from the bottom, and you feel a heat bubbling in the pit of your belly as his big cock pistons into you. Then he holds you tight against him and fucks you slower, grinding your pubic bone against his, and it's rubbing your clit and making you spasm. "You like that?" He asks.

“Oh, baby,” he breathes, then his voice is changed again. “Gonna make me cum if you're not careful.”

His words make you clench down as you see stars. You moan into his sweatshirt, and the pleasure pulses from your clit as your whole body jerks and your cunt chokes his cock. You're not finished coming when Ghostface holds you down.

You try to get off him, but he holds you down harder and erupts, filling you with his hot seed. You can't deny how good it feels with him pulsing inside you as your own climax wanes. At least you're alive, you think. At least Plan B exists.

When you begin to get off his cock, he doesn't let you. He keeps you plugged, impaled on him, long enough that you both fall asleep.

----

thank you for reading. my main ghostface series, unrelated to this one shot, is Every Inch.

i have a michael blurb with a kinda similar premise here. idk why i'm into this scenario but i guess i am lol.

[tnypuppy]

toji fushiguro likes putting his fingers to work !

feat. toji fushiguro

synopsis: toji just wants to finger you.

cw: fem!reader, vaginal fingering, clit stimulation, g-spot stimulation, mentioning of cervix touching, orgasm (f receiving), oral sex (f receiving and m hinted), degrading, begging, toji calls you a doll and princess, cum eating, pre-cum, crying. MDNI + ageless blogs DNI!

word count: 1,154 words.

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toji loves to get you on your back and nestle between your plump thighs. he's on his stomach with a veiny forearm supporting the weight of his torso as he holds himself up on an elbow against the surface of your bed — spreading your puffy pussy lips while his other hand has a middle and ring finger stuffed up your eager pussy. he's obsessed with how your pink ring of muscle squeezes and clenches around his two thick digits, every squeeze causing slick to drool onto his fingers. you're sobbing out pretty gasps and whimpers whenever you feel his meaty thumb ghost over your swollen clit; threatening to press down and make your eyes roll to the back of your head.

"my doll gets so wet from my fingers, heh." he teases and your hips buck when your sensitive pussy feels his hot breath fan over it. you're so needy for an orgasm that any slight movement makes your body twitch for more.

"to- hah.. tojiiii-" you gasp and mewl, eyes half lidded and dazed as you look down to the brute who's inches from your steaming cunt. "touch m' clit.. please?" the way you beg him is infatuating, he loves making you desperate for more.

he clicks his tongue while roughly delving his two fingers deeper — a cry leaving your lips as you feel the tips of his two digits poking against your cervix. "i 'unno.." his response is gruff as he pulls his fingers back so they're an inch into your cunt. "m' fingers are pretty dirty from your sloppy cunt, is that really not enough?" he feels a sense of pride when you can't help but moan from his degrading words, almost making you feel embarrassed for wanting more.

right when you think the stimulation couldn't be any more overwhelming, you throw your head back when his fingers curl. he prods your spongy and gooey spot with his fingers and your cunt wildly spasms on his fingers in response, squeezing tighter around him. your hips move on their own and you're babbling as his fingers continue tapping into your honey pot. tap tap tap you pathetically hiccup a "baby, please." and your hips buck to press your cunt to his knuckles, hhnh.. his fingers are hooking deep into your sweet spot when you buck your hips.

the scarred corner of his lip quirks up into a smirk and your eyes are nearly rolling back as his thumb hovers over your clit again, "what is it, doll?" his deep voice is fuzzy to your ears. you continue to squeeze around his fingers, each squeeze only causing more slick to roll out and dirty his fingers up further.

" 'm wanna cum so bad, toji! please, please?" you're so ridiculously close to cumming that tears are welling up in your ears, you want it so bad! :( all you need is a little stimulation on your twitchy clit and you'll be dirtying up his fingers even more with your slick and sticky cum.

" 're you seriously cryin' from how bad y' wanna cum?" he chortles and he's leaning so close to your folds now, huffing hot puffs of air onto your saturated slit.

you nod in desperation, another plea begins to escape your lips but is interrupted by a cute and sobbing shriek leaving your lips as toji finally caves in — but you don't get his meaty thumb rubbing fast circles into your little sensitive bud. no — instead, you get his hot and slippery tongue massaging its taste buds into your clit.

"toji!" you're cutely choking out his name as the surprise makes your hips stutter. your small hands scramble to bury fingers into his black hair and pull.

more tears threaten to fall from the way toji's rolls your clit with his wet muscle. your clit feels so hot that you wonder if it's gonna melt and you're chanting toji's name as the tip of his tongue rubs tight circles against your bud, sweetly pushing you closer to your orgasm. the build-up feels so good that you want it to last forever, he's so talented at eating your pretty cunt and the way he fucks you with his thick fingers always has you reeling. his tongue rubs a few more circles into your clit, and with a perfectly timed prod against your g-spot — toji sends you flying over the edge and into the silky hot bliss of your orgasm. his cheeks are warm as he listens to you lose yourself, a mixture of dirty moans and gasps for air filling his ears. shit. his doll sounds so pretty and fucked out; and all she had was his thick tongue on her clit and his thicker fingers in her drooly cunt!

your trembling thighs attempt to snap shut but toji's in the way, your trembling thighs now being make-shift earmuffs for him. your hips wildly buck and grind to the point where you're practically riding his face — precious fingers continuing to yank at his hair. toji's tongue feels so good that each flick and rub is a hot burst of warmth that spreads from your pretty clit to your lower tummy — and the way his fingers continue to work into your gooey and squishy patch has your walls radiating a warmth that only toji can make happen.

toji falters when he attempts to suckle at your overstimulated button and hears a small and strained "oooh" from you. he's pulling his slick covered lips away from your slippery cunt and slowly pulling his fingers out — enjoying how your velvety walls still clench and squeeze him, pushing through the remnants of your orgasm. his two fingers are absolutely drenched when they're finally pulled from your hole — a naughty string of your cum is still clinging on. you whimper in embarrassment at the sight, but toji has no problem — he hurriedly dives in to catch it on his tongue before it snaps in two, wanting to relish in the taste of his gorgeous doll's cunt a lil' more. his lips wrap around his fingers and roughly suck off the slick. you always taste so good, but you taste especially better when your cum and arousal is mixed together and leaking out.

he's letting out a cocky chuckle as he hears you mumble a polite "thank you". he allows you to take your sweet time to recoup, taking the free time to move out from between your shaky legs. you collect your breath as you feel his weight shifting on the bed, he's making his way from the side of your legs to where your head lays. dazed eyes watch as he roughly yanks his sweats and boxers down to his mid thigh — his meaty cock bobbing before it hangs steadily right above your face, rigid head already threatening to plop a drop of pre-cum onto your parted lips.

"alright princess, i think it's time i get my fill."

[justlin22]

Doctor's Appointment

Dr. Zayne x Reader (Post Breakup)

_________________________

He broke up with you, and it cut deep. The Chief Surgeon of AKSO shattered your heart—the very heart he once swore to protect with every fibre of his being. How dare he pull the trigger and claim defeat in his own battlefield? He had no right to raise the white flag after only two years. But today, you had to face the man who was once the alpha in your eyes but had now fallen from grace. Today was your annual check-up with your primary physician, Dr. Zayne himself.

It was almost laughable that the one who saved your heart had also broken it, and now he was the one trying to piece it back together. You entered his office with your medical report in hand, wearing your usual hunter uniform and your pride—what little remained. Your eyes met his, a silent acknowledgment passing between you. You managed a faint smile before sitting in the hot seat by his desk. A swirl of emotions—sadness, anger, a sliver of something else—tightened in your chest. You didn’t know which would surface before his ever-cold demeanour.

As you passed his desk, he held his usual stoic expression. You nearly gagged at the sight of that mask, knowing all too well what lay beneath. He was surely thrilled to see you again, despite his façade. Meeting your gaze again must have cost him less pride than breaking it. "Asshole," you muttered in your head.

"Sit," he ordered, gesturing to the chair beside his desk.

The command struck a nerve. Your heart burned. Even now, he wielded authority over you like you were a child. You bit your tongue, determined not to lose your composure, and sat.

He picked up your medical report, flipping through the notes slowly, as if savouring each moment. It felt like an eternity beside him. You caught him stealing glances at you. By now, you were sure he had some inappropriate thoughts running through that handsome head of his. His legs shifted restlessly—left, right, up, down. You rolled your eyes.

He placed the stethoscope around his neck and rolled his chair closer, closing the distance to check your heart. “I need to listen,” he said, his tone steady. You unbutton your shirt, revealing the singlet underneath, your skin exposed for his assessment. The cold steel of the stethoscope grazed your skin, and your breath hitched. His grip on the stethoscope tightened slightly, betraying the struggle beneath his composed exterior. His head hovered near your chest, and he didn’t dare to look up. You glanced down at him and felt a wave of disgust at the sight you once loved. You could almost hear his heartbeat, quickening in his chest. Your presence alone was enough to make this man weak, lost in his own recollection of claiming your body. He lingered longer than necessary, listening to your heartbeat as if savouring a forbidden memory.

“Take a deep breath for me,” he ordered, his voice controlled, masking the turmoil within. His composure grated on your nerves. How dare he hide so well behind that calm exterior? You wanted nothing more than to tear down that facade, to force him to reveal his real emotions, raw and unguarded. 

A swirl of thoughts danced in your mind: Should you tease him, test his restraint? Remain passive, letting him lead this unsettling encounter? Or push back, confront him with aggression? You decided to bide your time, choosing submission—for now. Let him think he's in control. You would watch his every move, every flicker of emotion that slipped through his carefully maintained mask, ready to act when the moment was right.

You took a deep breath, your chest rising and falling under his gaze. His eyes remained fixed, but you caught the slight bob of his Adam's apple, betraying a crack in his stoic demeanour. Slowly, he moved the stethoscope across your chest, and the brush of his fingertips grazed your skin in between. His breath, warm and uneven, fanned across your exposed skin. It was a subtle but deliberate move, one that did not go unnoticed. A sly tactic indeed.

“Take another deep breath for me,” he commanded, his voice low and steady. His head hovered even closer to your chest, so near it felt as though he wanted to press his ear directly against your skin. You obliged, drawing in a deep breath, feeling the rise and fall of your chest. As you inhaled, his hand slid to your back, as if to steady your posture, a gesture that felt far too intimate.

You rolled your eyes, a wave of disgust washing over you at the sensation of his touch and the warmth of his hand. The very closeness that once made your heart race now left you cold, reminding you of the betrayal hidden beneath his stoic exterior.

Satisfied with what he heard, he leaned back and removed the stethoscope from his ears, placing it on the table with deliberate slowness. He picked up your medical report and began jotting down notes, his eyes flicking up to steal glances at you—as if he were checking for any reaction, searching for a crack in your composure. Each lingering look felt like a probing question, a silent dare, and it sent a cold shiver coursing down your spine, spreading to your feet. The room suddenly felt smaller, the air thick with unspoken words and the tension that hung between you both.

“Your arm, please,” he commanded, his voice steady yet with an underlying tension. You rolled up the sleeve of your shirt and extended your arm toward his desk. Before you could place it down, his hand captured your arm, holding it with a firm, possessive grip. His other hand moved slowly, fingertips brushing along the veins, lingering as if savouring the feel of your skin. His touch wasn’t hurried or clinical; it was deliberate, exploring more than necessary, sending a ripple of unease up your spine. It was as if he were trying to sense more than just your heartbeat—searching for a reaction, a sign of what you might be feeling beneath the surface.

You shot him a cold, unyielding stare—the classic resting bitch face—making it clear you were unamused by his touch. It was as if you had erased all memory of his warmth, every tender moment now buried under layers of indifference. You refused to give him what he seemed to crave—a reaction, a sign that his touch still had any effect on you. Instead, you held your ground, your expression hardened, denying him the satisfaction of knowing he could still stir something within you.

After the checkup, he jotted down notes on your medical report, but you could feel his eyes on you—stealing glances, more frequent and lingering than before. It was clear he was unsatisfied, frustrated even, by your lack of response to his lingering, intimate touches. His demeanour remained controlled, but there was a hint of irritation in his movements as he began to ask you a series of questions, more than he would normally ask.

“Did you get enough rest?” he asked, his tone almost demanding. You nodded, keeping your expression neutral, not even granting him the satisfaction of hearing your voice.

“Are you eating properly, following the recommended diet?” Another nod, your silence growing louder with each question.

“Are you getting regular exercise?” Yet another nod.

“Have you experienced any uneasiness with your heart?” he pressed, watching you closely. You shook your head, giving nothing away.

Each answer was brief, a nod or a shake of your head—never a word. You refused to give him what he seemed to want: a reaction, a sound, anything that might break the cold, impassable wall you'd put up. His questions seemed to dig for something deeper, but you kept your responses simple and detached, denying him even the chance to hear your voice.

He set his pen down, visibly unsatisfied with your responses, even though you had answered everything. His frustration was palpable, his eyes narrowing slightly as if recalculating his approach. Without a word, he reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a small flashlight, turning back to you with a determined look.

“I need to check your eyes,” he said, his voice steady but carrying an undercurrent of something more—a persistence that felt almost too personal.

He rolled his chair forward swiftly, closing the distance between you in an instant. His hand cupped your left cheek, his thumb gently brushing the skin beneath your eye with an unexpected tenderness. His touch lingered, and your eyes met his. His face was so close, you could feel the warmth of his breath against your lips. In his green eyes, you caught a swirl of conflicting emotions—sadness, longing, desire, and regret—a vulnerable mix you rarely saw from him.

For a moment, it felt like words failed him; his gaze bore into yours, searching desperately for any flicker of emotion, any sign that you felt something too. His hold was firm yet uncertain, as if he were balancing on the edge of a precipice, waiting for you to either push him over or pull him back. His need for a reaction was almost tangible, the air thick with tension as he tried to read what was hidden behind your guarded eyes.

Your lips hovered near his, close enough to feel the heat between you. Then, in a heartbeat, he closed the distance, capturing your lips in a passionate kiss. It was intense and raw, a kiss that poured out everything he couldn't say—his longing, his regret, his unspoken desire.

[orions-choker]

Animals (Werewolf! James Hetfield x Reader Fluff)

Werewolf! James Hetfield, Fluff, Domestic moments.

Word Count: 3,770

Reader works at a vet clinic, just when she's sure she has seen it all come through those doors she's met with the oddest looking wolf she's ever seen. (Cross posted to AO3)

This is a very quick and probably not fantastic Werewolf James fluff. I just had this silly idea in my head and wanted to write it down quickly so apologies this isn't the best thing I've ever written <3

Being a veterinarian in a rural town meant one saw a lot of odd things. Coming through those doors were sometimes wild deer, cows, hawks, owls, you name it. However Y/N had never treated a wolf before, let alone a wolf quite so big.

“How did you say you found this guy?” She asked, concern in her voice as she pet across the animals side gently, simultaneously soothing the creature and searching for any egregious wounds hidden in the thick fur. It was breathing shallowly, hardly conscious as it lay across her cold examining table.

The old farmer standing in the room with her shrugged, the smell of his chewing tobacco fragrant in the air as his teeth clacked together. “Laying in the ditch just down the road ere’” His twang was a little thicker than her own, though she understood him easily enough. “Seemed pretty beat up. unno’ I figured I should bring him in.”

She nodded slowly, leaning over to pry the beast's eyes open gently, she watched as the pupils slowly followed her movements, a good sign. Aside from that she noticed its eyes were strikingly blue, captivating in an odd way. “Thank’s Kenny, we’ll take care of him from here, get home it's getting late.” She dismissed him kindly. Y/N stood up, turning her back to the table to grab IV supplies.

Kenny, the farmer, grunted in acknowledgment, shutting the door to the examination room behind him. The heavy thud of his boots grew distant until she could no longer hear them. She turned around, holding the small needle attached to the drip bag in her hands. “C’mon boy, let's get you feeling better.” She smiled sweetly.

It was some hours later that Y/N had found the cause, luckily no serious wounds but a fractured leg and some slight malnutrition. Poor guy looked like he had been abandoned by his pack. With the bandage wrapped around the offending leg she pulled the wheeling bed outside. It took three members of staff to gently move the sedated wolf into one of their outside kennels for wild animals.

Y/N grunted as she clicked the gate close, pulling on the lock. “We’ll keep an eye on him for a bit, maybe get in touch with a rehabilitation center.” She huffed out to one of her techs. Dusting her hands off on her scrubs. “Odd looking wolf though don't you think?” She asked, looking over the hulking mass of dusty blonde fur.

“Yeah, maybe it's part albino?” Her vet tech supplied with a shrug, following after her into the building once more.

By the time she had finished cleaning up and completing the necessary paperwork it was near midnight. Y/N had long since sent the rest of the staff home, assuring them she could close up here by herself. She decided to do one last set of rounds, checking on all the current patients she had, her final stop being the wolf. To her surprise he was awake.

“Hey buddy, how are you feeling?” She asked sweetly, crouching down in front of the cage he was sitting in. The wolf eyed her curiously, unmoving from the spot it lay in, on top of a soft but old and worn blanket. “Still a little dazed huh? I’ll be back tomorrow okay?” She smiled with a tilt of her head. Its blue eyes followed her movements as she got back up to her feet, slowly turning and walking away.

Y/N couldn’t help but think of the creature all night, a mixture of curiosity and concern for its well being. Truly nothing could have prepared her for a wolf that big, despite the clear signs of undereating, she shuddered to think what it looked like when properly taken care of. She likened it to something like a fictional dire wolf.

In her dreams were those blue eyes watching her, and a boy, her age with wild blonde hair. Prophetic dreams weren’t her strong suit so by the time the sun crested the hills and woke her with its gently warm rays, she had forgotten about it.

The wolf was her first stop that day, a hunk of raw meat in her hands as she approached the enclosure. She noticed the way its large ears perked up, its nose high in the sky as it sniffed out the blood in the air. A good sign, it was still interested in eating.

“Hey boy.” She sang, stepping towards the metal bars. “How are you doing this morning, hungry?” She asked, holding the meat out between the bars with a pair of tongs. “Think you can try walking over here?” She hoped to gauge how bad the injured leg was.

It seemed annoyed? Giving her an almost comical side eye and pathetic snarl before slowly raising itself up. The steps it took towards her were slow, but unwavering, no wobbles or winces of pain. “That's a good boy.” She praised him gently. It prodded at the meat gently with its nose before opening its large jaws and snapping at the food.

The entire chunk was gone in a matter of seconds, the wolf devouring it like it hadn’t eaten in months. Y/N frowned. “You poor thing, there's more where that came from kay?” She watched with curious eyes as it licked at its lips, seemingly satisfied. Slowly it pressed its face to the bars, eyes wide and pitiful as it looked up at her.

Y/N was almost convinced, just for a moment, that this predator was nothing more than a big puppy. “Aww buddy, I can’t give you pets, you'll bite my hand off.” She shook her head at him. It whined at her slowly, as if it could understand the words she was saying. She frowned, looking down to the ground, spotting a stick laying by her feet.

Quickly she picked it up, reaching forward with it to scratch gently between the wolf's large ears. “That's the best I can do dude.” She chuckled, watching the way its tail thumped against the ground happily. “I’ll be back to check on you in a bit, keep yourself entertained.” She tossed the stick into the enclosure, the wolf's jaws snapping around it in an impressive catch. She stared in bewilderment before shaking her head and walking away.

“Do you think there's any chance in hell that this thing is some kind of wolf dog?” Y/N asked her team as she entered the building. “I might be going crazy but it seems domesticated.” She frowned, sitting down at her desk chair.

One of the fellow vets stared at her like she had grown a second head. “I've seen wolf dogs before, they’re smaller than a normal wolf, not bigger than them.” He said, placing a cup of coffee down in front of Y/N. “That thing is not domesticated I can promise you that, please dont get any funny ideas and try to cuddle the fucking thing.”

Y/N couldn’t help but chuckle at that, taking a sip of the warm drink as she leaned forward. “I have a couple more brain cells than that, but seriously it seemed like it wanted pets and to play fetch?” She frowned, placing her elbows on the desk before her. “I wonder if some crazy person tried domesticating a pup and left it in the wild when they realized it wasn’t going to work.”

“Hmm possible I guess, but I think you’re just reading too much into it.”

He was probably right. Y/N sighed and shook her head. The rest of her day was terribly uneventful, which she supposed was good, less hurt animals was always a good thing. Still she couldn't shake the feeling of boredom. She had no excuse for staying late tonight but she did anyway.

Bidding farewell to the last receptionist she closed the door, turning the deadbolt before making her way to the back door that led out to the yard. The other enclosures were empty save for the final one at the end. Flashlight in hand she approached once more with an offering to the beast.

“You awake boy?” She called out as she rounded the corner. As she laid eyes upon the contents of the cage her flashlight and tongs clattered to the ground. The beam of the light still illuminated the inside and like a spotlight drew the attention to the boy that sat there. Naked, a loose bandage falling from his leg. Messy blonde locks and piercing blue eyes. “What the fuck.” She mumbled.

There was a sheepish smile on his face as he sat there, staring up at Y/N. His legs were crossed, hands placed to hide his more intimate parts. “Sorry, I can explain.” His voice was raspy, gruff but a little boyish. The next startling thing aside from this man suddenly sitting before her, was the fact this man also had a large set of protruding wolf's ears atop his head, and a huge tail that thumped against the ground just as the beast here before had.

Y/N was truly at a loss for words, standing frozen before the scene unfolding. “What. The. Fuck.” She finally managed to force out, taking a hesitant step backwards. Her eyes scanned over the enclosure for any signs of the animal she had come out here to see in the first place. “Who are you? How did you get in there?” She sputtered out. “I’m James.” He helpfully informed her, his ears laid flat against his head as he heard the panic in his voice. “You put me in here.” He scratched awkwardly at the back of his neck. “Ahh man, how do you explain lycanthropy to someone.”

She blinked hard, was that supposed to be a joke? She scoffed “I know perfectly well about fucking werewolves.” her eyebrows furrowing. As much as she wanted to assume this was some horrible practical joke her staff was playing on her, she couldn’t deny the literal dog-like features he held. “Are you seriously telling me I was treating a werewolf and now I have a whole man locked up in the back of my vets office?”

The boy, James, that was his name. James' awkward smile returned. ‘Yeah I guess that's the gist of it.” A shiver ran over his bare body. “Hey you wouldn’t happen to have some clothes or something? It's kind of cold out here.”

Which is how she ended up with a half naked boy, wrapped up in a thick blanket in the passenger seat of her beat up 1980 Chevette. The hum of the radio being the only sound filling the tense car. “I think I have my dads old clothes in storage.” Y/N mumbled, eyes trained on the road ahead, hands stiff on the steering wheel.

James hummed awkwardly in acknowledgment. “Thank you again.” He drummed his fingers against the fabric of the blanket covering his thighs. She could see him staring at her from the corner of her eyes. His big blue puppy dog eyes seemingly admiring her like she was a hero.

Pulling into her garage Y/N shut the car off quickly. Waiting until the door shut behind them before opening the car door. She didn’t need any of her neighbors seeing her bring a strange naked dog boy back home. “You can come inside.” She mumbled awkwardly, pushing open the door that led into the main section of her home.

She didn’t need to tell him that, James had already been following her closely. Right on her heels. His blanket dragged behind him as he shuffled into the house.She frowned at him. “You know I think you could stand to have a shower too.” She could see the blanket moving wildly as his tail began wagging once more. “Over here,” She sighed.

Y/N gestured to the door leading to her bathroom. She shoved James inside gently, grabbing a towel from her linen closet. “Come out when you're done I should hopefully have some clothes for you.” She pushed the towel into his hands, ignoring the blush that rose to her cheeks as he smiled widely at her.

Quickly she backed out of the room as he began to drop the blanket covering him, pulling the door shut with a loud slam. Her chest heaved as she attempted to calm down her erratic breathing. While he had seemed like a well domesticated dog he certainly wasn’t a house trained human. Or maybe he was just like that.

The sound of the water heater humming to life and water pattering against the tile was her cue to find James some real clothes. She rummaged around in the back of her closet until she found something that looked approximately the right size. James was tall, big but lean just like the wolf had been, so she opted for some shorts over jeans and a plain loose fitting t-shirt. This would have to do for now.

Collecting the clothes in her arms she shuffled back into her living room, tossing them unceremoniously onto her couch. The sound of running water still echoed distantly down the hall so she took the moment to sit and contemplate.

She had treated a wolf, put the wolf outside, came back a day later to find a man there instead, and then brought the man home with her. The more she replayed the events in her mind the more it seemed completely unfathomable. She sat there, head hung low, hands tugging at her hair as she tried to rationalize it.

The house fell silent as the shower shut off. Her eyes drifted upwards at the sound of wet footsteps padded down the hall towards her. James rounded the corner, towel hung low around his waist, droplets of water running from his soaked hair down his lean chest and abdomen. Fuck, he was hot too wasn’t he. Y/N audibly groaned, tossing her head back against the couch.

“You okay?” He asked cautiously, walking forward to grab the pile of clothes from beside her. Y/N squeezed her eyes shut as James dropped the towel from his waist without a second thought. She waited until she no longer heard the ruffling of clothes before opening them again. The shorts were a little too short on him but otherwise everything fit just fine. “Y/N?”

“How do you know my name?” She asked curiously, she was positive she had not given him the courtesy of her name when they had their first introductions. She watched him as he moved to sit next to her on the couch, he grabbed the towel, using it to roughly dry his hair. Noticeably his ears and tail seemed to be gone now. “What's with the whole; wolf, half wolf half man, full man, thing you have going on?”

James smiled at her, yeah, yeah he was really cute. “It was on your nametag the other day.” He explained. He leaned back, body relaxing into the soft cushions on the couch. “Also that much is a little hard to explain, It’s just what my body does, you wouldn't try to explain the process of blood pumping in your veins to someone.”

Y/N rolled her eyes. “That's hardly a good analogy.” She complained. She liked hard concrete answers, not wishy-washy bullshit. “It doesn't matter they don't train you for this thing in vet school.” She pulled her legs up onto the couch, resting her head atop her knees as she looked towards him. “Explain what led you here, why were you injured on the side of the road, why haven't you been eating?”

There was a hesitation in his eyes, silence following for a long moment. Gulping hard the blond finally spoke. “I got kicked out by my dad a couple years ago while I was still a teenager, I was couch surfing for awhile but I figured I needed to start fresh.” He seemed tense as he spoke. “Easier to cross the country on four legs rather than two, accidentally encroached on some guy's territory and got my shit kicked in, it had been a few weeks since I ate properly after that.”

“Are you hungry then?” Y/N asked sympathetically, feeling it wasn't her place to pry into the details of that story. She stood up from the couch, moving to the kitchen. James followed her closely, she didn’t comment on it. “Want some cold leftover pizza?” She hummed, throwing the door to her fridge open and rummaging around.

James peaked down at her from over the open door, excitement in his eyes as he nodded enthusiastically. “Thank you.” He eagerly took the pizza box from her hands, ripping it open to shovel the remaining slices into his mouth. “God Y/N, you’re the best.”

She couldn’t help the blush that stained her skin. She wasn’t sure what came over her next as she spoke. “Need a place to crash for a couple days?” The offer was out before she could take it back. Though at the way his eyes brightened, looking towards her, she was glad she offered.

“Are you really cool with that?” He asked around a mouthful of pizza.

Y/N sighed, defeated. “What can I say, I like helping out injured animals.” She joked lightly. Her heart fluttered at the way James cracked a smile at her. “I hope you don’t shed.”

–

A few days turned into a few weeks, weeks to a month. Truthfully she wasn’t keeping track anymore. She hated to admit it but she was lonely. Coming home each day to someone so eager to see her was definitely improving her overall quality of life.

James waited around eagerly for her every day, lounging across her sofa, usually half clothed. His presence in her home came in the form of old skate shoes by the front door, a guitar hanging above her bed, his dirty jeans and shirts piled in the corner of the bathroom each day. It felt more lived in.

“James!” She called out. She could hear the distant chattering of the t.v in the living room, a clattering of dishes alerting her to his location. She shuffled into the kitchen, body slumped over in exhaustion.

He eyed her worriedly as she came into view, quickly placing his plate down against the counter and coming to place a hand on her shoulder. “Long day?” He asked gruffly. A frown situated itself on his face.

Y/N nodded, leaning her head against his chest. “That's an understatement.” She groaned. “I think I might be in need of some doggy cuddles.” She looked up at him with pleading eyes. This had become a routine for them now, she had not only gained a roommate, but also a big fluffy pet to ease her sorrows on the worst of days.

Beneath her she could feel James’s body stiffen lightly, the hand he had placed on her shoulder gripping tighter. Curiously she peered up at him, their eyes meeting and she could feel the anxiety pouring from him. “Can I just…give you regular cuddles today?” He asked slowly, like the question would burn him if he spit it out too fast.

That was a boundary that hadn’t been crossed before. Not to say she hadn’t thought of it, truly she didn’t really know what the difference would be. She was lying next to him no matter what. Still she could feel the amount of courage it took for him to ask. Her eyes twinkled and she nodded softly. “Yeah that works too.” She grabbed his large hand within her own, and pulled him behind her to the bedroom.

James had taken up residence on her couch but that didn’t mean he hadn’t become well acquainted with her room. It was one of his favorite places to nap, completely overwhelmed by her scent and enveloped in the warmth of her trinkets and decorations. Of course he was always invited onto the bed when he chose to present as his wolf.

Y/N rolled onto the bed, letting out a comforted sigh. James enthusiastically crawled beside her. Their bodies gravitated towards each other like magnets, Y/N settling into the comforting embrace of his strong arms. He was big enough to fully envelop her with his body. She felt safe and hidden from the world like this.

“Thank you.” She rolled over, her back to his chest as she nestled her head against his arm using it as a pillow. “We lost some patients today.” Her voice wavered as she recounted the events of the day to James. “I just wanted to come home and cry.”

Her body was pulled back, bringing her tighter against James’s strong chest. His nose pressed to the top of her head. “M’sorry.” He soothed her gently rubbing her arms. “You can cry if you want to.” He assured her.

Y/N shook her head gently, taking in a deep shaky breath before speaking. “No, I think I’m okay now.” She tilted her head back to catch a glimpse of his face. Her hand reaching up, fingers gently tracing over the scarring across his cheeks. She thought it was cute, but she knew he didn’t feel the same. “Funny just being around you seems to make me feel better.”

Leaning into her touch, He smiled down at her. “Aren't you glad you saved me.” He joked lightly. Though it was true, he wasn’t sure he would have had the will to go on much longer had he not been brought into Y/N’s clinic.

“Every day.” She returned the smile. Her words filled with a sincerity that James wasn’t used to. His hair stood on end as an unfamiliar feeling swirled in the pit of his stomach. Suddenly Y/N yawned, her body straightening out as she stretched her limbs. “I think it's nap time.” She mumbled. Dropping her head back down she closed her eyes. “I’ll make dinner later.”

James nodded, reaching down with a free hand to pull the blankets over them. “A nap seems good.” He grunted out, trying to still the excitement building inside him. It threatened to boil over at how pleasantly domestic it felt to lay next to her. His mind whirled with hundreds of things he desperately wanted to blurt out.

Her body went slack in his hold. The rhythmic movement of her chest as she breathed falling in sync with his own. He decided his eager professions of love could wait until after she woke up.

[wolfjackle-creates]

Bring Me Home Arc 2 Part 13

Happy Wednesday! This arc is over 20k already. How many of you didn't realize that? I've got a longer segment for you this week. There wasn't really a good place to end it and this brings us to the end of the scene. If you like banter, this segment is for you.

Story Summary: Tim and Danny are both neglected by parents who care more about their work than their families. They deal with this by spending too much time online and find each other playing MMORPGs. They keep up their friendship as Tim becomes Robin and Danny becomes Phantom and don't bother keeping secrets from each other.

First, Previous

Word Count: 2.2k

-----

Jeremy couldn’t help but add, “Be sure to mention us to your dad, Timothy. It’s been ages since we’ve last been able to meet at a gala!”

“Yes, sir,” said Tim. Not that he’d be following through. Assholes. Danny pushed him up a wide staircase that framed the entranceway to get to the second floor.

“Exactly like my parents,” he told Sam.

“I swear, if I didn’t have Gradma Ida, I’d go insane. My room’s this way.”

Sam’s room was so large that not only did she have a double bed and vanity, but also a couch and enough cushions that they were all able to spread out comfortably. Tim and Danny took beanbag chairs next to each other. His friends took the couch while Tucker took a space on the floor and promptly pulled out a laptop and two PDAs. Sam settled in a rocking chair.

Tim laid out the goodies they’d gotten from the corner store. “We brought snacks.”

Sam grabbed a bag of chips. “Thanks. So what’s on the agenda for the night?”

Cassie asked, “Is there anything we can do about the ghosts?”

Danny buried his face in his hands. “I don’t know. I can’t get a close enough read on them to see where any are. And there’s so many that even if I knock one out of a human, another would just take it’s place.”

“Any idea what they might be after?” asked Tim. “The ones last night were wearing uniforms like police officers. And we saw the news report from your school earlier. That one looked like a werewolf.”

“He was wearing a collar,” added Bart. “And his outfit also appeared to be a uniform of some sort, though not a police one.”

All of them stared at Bart.

“You don’t think he was there willingly,” said Sam.

Bart shrugged. “Didn’t look that way to me.”

Danny groaned and leaned over until he was resting his head on Tim’s shoulder. “What am I supposed to do with that? What do I do if he’s not here to attack the town?”

Tim wrapped his arm around Danny to hold him steady. “How much sleep were you able to get between last night and now?”

“Unno,” mumbled Danny. “Three, four hours?”

Cassie clicked her tongue at him. “How about you get some rest tonight and we can figure it out tomorrow. We’ll take the night in shifts and if there’s a large-scale attack again, we’ll wake you up.”

Tim sighed. “Much as I hate to admit it, Cassie’s right. You need to sleep.”

Danny snorted into his neck and Tim couldn’t help the way his cheeks heated at the feel of his breath. “Like you’re one to talk.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Tim rolled his eyes. “We all know I’m not a good role model. Do as Alfred says, not as I do.”

“Wayne family moto!” Conner teased. Tim gave him the finger.

“Just one thing to do first,” said Bart.

“Yeah,” added Tucker. “I need to fix up Conner’s phone.”

“Two things, then,” amended Bart.

“What’s the other thing?” asked Sam. “I feel like I’m out of the loop.”

Cassie leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. “The Fentons gave us a tour of the lab. We want to arrange a system to get Danny out of Amity if things go bad.”

Tim noted how both Tucker and Sam tensed and exchanged a look. Then Sam nodded. “We’re in. And since you are who you are, which, Danny, we will be talking about how you kept Justice League connections from us later, we’ll trust you to be able to do it.”

“Don’t be mad at him,” protested Tim. “I made him promise to keep my secrets. It wasn’t safe for him to discuss it.”

Tucker waved a hand in the air. “We understand. Doesn’t mean we’re not frustrated with him. Don’t worry about it, though. Your secret’s safe with us.”

Tim bit his lip. “Please. It’s vitally important for my family’s safety that nothing gets out.”

Conner snorted. “Plus Batman would murder you dead if he found out you let anything slip.”

Tim groaned. “Don’t remind me. I’ll have so much paperwork. And would probably be benched for forever.”

Bart laughed and flicked a chip at him. “We’d kidnap you and help you prepare a new hero identity!”

With Danny still leaning on him, Tim couldn’t even catch the projectile and it hit him on the forehead. “I’ll take you up on that if I ever do get benched permanently.”

Sam cleared her throat. “As amusing as this all is, what’s the plan with Danny?”

Danny groaned, but didn’t move. “I don’t need one, guys. It’s not as bad as you think.”

Bart snorted. “Dude, your parents showed us an iron maiden.”

Danny shook his head. “Dad’s the only one who’s been shut up in that. And that was for threatening me and Jazz with it.”

“Um… what?” asked Cassie. “Why does everything you say make me feel more concerned?”

Tucker spoke around a mouthful of jerky. “Because his parents are mad scientists.”

Sam nodded. “No one lives in the houses on either side of his. And the value of every building on the street has plummeted due to proximity.”

Cassie shook her head. “How the hell have they been allowed to do all that? And why haven’t their driver’s licenses been revoked? We saw how they drove that tank of theirs.”

Tucker snorted. “No cop or city official is brave enough to go up to Jack ‘I can run through brick walls’ Fenton and tell him he’s not allowed to do something.”

Sam laughed. “And even if they were, Maddie Fenton has a blackbelt and will hold a grudge.”

“Last night it also seemed like she knows her way around that arsenal she’s got,” said Tim.

“Yeah,” said Danny. “Mom’s the one you’ve got to watch out for when my parents go on the hunt.”

“Okay.” Tim was already thinking up ways to neutralize them. “Us four should be able to handle them. What about Jazz? Is she someone we’d have to worry about?”

Danny pushed himself up and made sure Tim could see him rolling his eyes. “Jazz would never do anything to hurt me.” It was clear Danny believed his statement completely. And, honestly? After all the stories Danny’d told him and meeting Jazz in person, Tim was inclined to believe him. Though Danny wasn’t done. “And my parents would stop if they had any idea I was Phantom.”

Neither Tim nor Danny was as certain about that statement. Glancing around, everyone else seemed to have the same doubts.

“Well,” said Tim. “You know me. And I’ve told you about B. ‘Backup plans’ is my middle name. I’ll feel more comfortable if we have one.”

“Fine.” Danny flopped over until he was laying across Tim’s lap. “But don’t expect me to help.”

Now it was Tim’s turn to roll his eyes, but his fingers were gentle as they brushed through Danny’s hair. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever. So, it’s Maddie we’ll have to outsmart. I doubt Jack’s strength is any match for Conner or Cassie.”

“I can get you access to the Fenton house,” said Tucker gesturing to his laptop. “Even if they activate the home defense system.”

Tim nodded. “Thanks. I’ll also get you communicators so you can reach me in case of an emergency.”

“Perfect,” said Sam. “We’ve each other’s cell numbers, too.”

“Yep,” said Tim. “But phones should only be used for civilian identities. If you need the help of heroes, please use the communicators. It’s best to keep things as separate as possible.”

Conner nudged Tim’s foot with his own. “Yep. Tim here won’t let us refer to him by name when he’s in costume. Even if we’re all alone in our own base behind two dozen layers of security.”

“Need I remind you who trained me?”

Cassie laughed. “He’s even worse. You should hear my aunt go on about him.”

Tucker was watching them with interest. “Who’s your aunt?”

Bart disappeared from his spot only to reappear next to Tucker to whisper in his ear.

Tucker’s eyes widened and he stared at Cassie in wonder. “That is so cool! Could you get me an autograph?”

Cassie laughed. “Why so surprised? You know who I am. Did you think I wouldn’t know her?”

Tucker blushed. “Yeah, well. Excuse me for being distracted by the ghost invasion we’re dealing with.”

Tim cleared his throat. “I think we’re getting off topic. Now, we have a way into the Fenton house. Tucker, could you get us all the way into the lab?”

“Easily. I’m fully in all their systems and they’ve no idea.”

“How will we know he’s in trouble?” asked Bart.

Tim bit his lip. “Danny and I already have a system in place where if we don’t hear from each other within seven days without prior warning, we reach out to someone. For me, it’s B’s butler. For him, it’s you Tucker.” He nudged Danny only to realize he had passed out his lap. Tim couldn’t help the fond smile he gave and shook his head. “Tomorrow I’ll propose decreasing that to three or four days.”

Conner nodded. “If none of us hear from one of you for more than four days, we’ll come. Probably me, Bart, or Cassie since we can travel faster.”

Tim grimaced, but nodded. Sometimes it really sucked being the only baseline human in the group.

Bart gave a thumbs up. “I can usually be somewhere in minutes if I’m not tied up doing something else!”

Sam looked them over critically. “You know he’s gonna insist that goes both ways. If you guys don’t check in, he’ll go to you if he can.”

Tucker began typing away on his laptop. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of this sooner. I’m setting up alerts on the Fenton lab. If they start recording any experiments on an actual ghost, I’ll get a notification. If there’s any indication it’s Phantom, I can have the alert forwarded to you.”

Tim nodded. “Good. Do that.” He looked at his team. “We’ve seen the Fenton’s weapons and some of their fighting skills by now. I don’t think we’ll have any issues subduing them if necessary.”

“Nah,” agreed Cassie. “We can handle them.”

Back to Sam and Tucker, Tim asked, “Do we know what their weapons can do to humans? What risks they pose?”

Sam grimaced. “The small blasters are fine. But some of the bigger weapons? Like the bazooka or the missiles? Those have caused damage to the roads and buildings beyond what the ghosts do.”

“Have there been any casualties?” asked Cassie.

Tucker shook his head. “No. Thank God. It’s all been property damage so far.”

Sam nudged him. “Not quite. You’re forgetting Wes’s brother. Jack broke his arm two weeks ago when he shot at the Box Ghost and knocked over the pile of bricks that was being used to rebuild Mr. Nguyen’s store.”

“Ugh, right. I think I was trying to block that debacle from my mind.”

Tim sighed and shook his head. “I knew it was bad, but Danny really downplayed it.”

Sam shrugged. “Yeah, well, this is life in Amity right now.”

“I suppose so.” Tim looked down at Danny who was frowning even in his sleep. “I think I’m gonna get him in a bed. Where will we be sleeping?”

“Probably a good idea,” agreed Sam. “Do you want to share a room?”

“Yeah, if you don’t mind. We haven’t had any one-on-one time yet. Which is a shame for our first in-person meeting!” Tim laughed and ignored the looks his friends were shooting him as well as the grins Sam and Tucker were exchanging. “Though with our lives, I should’ve expected something like this rather than a purely civilian meeting.”

Sam laughed. “Yeah, probably. This is about par for the course for us. Take the room across the hall. If you need the bathroom, if you exit my room, turn left and it’s two doors down on this side of the hall.”

Tim shifted so he could lift Danny up. Despite the shuffling, Danny didn’t open his eyes, though he did grumble indistinct protests.

“Just getting you in a bed,” said Tim.

Conner grabbed the bag that had their belongings in it and opened the doors for Tim. While Tim settled Danny in the bed, even having to remove shoes and socks, Conner separated their things so he would have everything he needed.

“Thanks, Kon.”

“Anytime, Tim. Get some rest yourself, okay?”

Tim huffed a laugh. “Sleep is for the weak.”

Conner shook his head. “You say that and yet at the end of basically every mission, you pass out for twelve hours and are useless for two days.”

Tim stuck out his tongue. “I do have homework to do. And I want to keep my eye on the local news channels. And I need to check in with Bruce again before he flips. Let me know when your phone is working?”

“Will do. See you tomorrow.”

“Night.”

-----

Next

So! They now have a working system for how to find out if Danny's in trouble and to get him out. Hopefully they won't have to use it! (I mean, we all know where this is going. I presume you've all read the original prompt and fill that started this mess.)

Also, thanks to a comment on the last post, I wanted to clarify the relationships in this fic. If you've gotten Core Four (Tim/Kon/Cassie/Bart) vibes from this... Yeah. You did. If you've gotten Everlasting Trio (Danny/Sam/Tucker) vibes from this... Yeah. You did. I'm going to write those groups as a sorta QPR. Eventually, we will have romantic Danny/Tim (hence I've been tagging this Dead Tired) on top of those QPRs, but that won't really happen for a while. First Danny will date Val and Tim will date Steph. Danny will have another relationship, too, that I'm keeping secret for now. None of those are likely to get any page time as I am planning a time skip after this arc. But they will be referenced by characters. The actual Danny/Tim won't happen until after the rescue scene from the original fill. (Which I'm sure you can imagine will be changed quite drastically now that all these characters know each other.)

I no longer do tag lists, but if you head to the Subscription Post, you can set up notifications for when this updates!

[bed-buggier]

I unno what offended me more about the TMNT 2012 episode The Creeping Doom: The return of the Creep, the generic smart guy becomes stupid plot, it steering further from the Karai plot that judging by where I am in the season won't be wrapped up for another, hmmm, 30 or so episodes, or the retconning of Donnie not knowing the right formula for retro mutagen, even if that could be chalked up to it being close enough to the correct formula.

[twilightmalachite]

Raison d’être - The Nameless Girl 8

Author: Akira

Characters: Kuro, Nazuna

Translator: Mika Enstars

"I wonder if that Itsuki will be alright… While I’m glad that they’re getting along so well, I worry he’s gotten a bit too attached to Kagehira lately."

[Read on my blog for the best viewing experience with Oi~ssu ♪]

Season: Winter

Location: Nazuna's University

The next day. Near the university Nito Nazuna attend’s tennis court…

Kuro: —Ah? What’re ya talkin’ about?

Nah, I haven’t seen Kagehira’s face around for some time now. I didn’t hear of anythin’ ‘cause I’m scared of—I mean, have no interest in vehicles, maybe his plane hasn’t arrived yet?

Yer fussin’ too much, Itsuki. Kagehira ain’t a kid anymore, y’know, it’s fine t’just leave him be.

Ah~… Gotcha, gocha. He’s been actin’ strange, so you’re worried and just keepin’ an eye on him. Alright.

Haha. No need to thank me, after all this time.

We’re close friends, aren’t we, “Icchan”?

Huh? Nah, I’m over at Nito’s university, watchin’ over his activities in the tennis club…

I ‘unno if ya know, or rather care ‘bout what goes on over in this country…

But right now, Nito, rather all of Ra*bits, are tied up with some Kira… whatever, some person with some sparkly soundin’ name.

That’s right. That’s exactly what made it so subtly inflammatory. The whole thing smells fishy to me.

So, that’s why I’m worried he might get involved with someone strange or get bullied, so I’m accompanyin’ him securely to keep him safe.

Huh? He’s already gotten involved with someone strange? What do ya mean—I’m just protectin’ Nito as any pal would.

Nazuna: And it’s just plain a bother…

My friends at college got really worried about me since you come off so intimidating and threatening, Kuro-chin~…

What am I supposed to do if a rumor gets spread around that I’m “dating a delinquent!” or something?

Kuro: Oh, Nito. Done with tennis already?

Nazuna: Yup. It’s not too serious a circle, we only really just show our faces at the arranged time.

University is generally more carefree, but you can’t afford to neglect socializing. Though truthfully, that doesn’t really apply to me—

Kuro: Haha, well it’s fine, right? Makin’ human connections like that may end up helpin’ ya sometime down the line.

They say the good you do for others is good you do yourself, right?

Nazuna: Right. Anyways, I spoke up to complain to you Kuro-chin, but you were on the phone, weren’t you? Sorry if I interrupted you.

Kuro: Ah, no worries. The call’s already ended. It was Itsuki askin’ me ‘bout Kagehira. He’s supposed to have arrived back in the country.

Nazuna: Is he his parent? Actually, why didn’t he just act him?

Kuro: His calls weren’t goin’ through to Kagehira. He was sayin’ he might’ve turned off his phone when he got on the plane and forgot to turn it back on.

Nazuna: Hmmm. He only just arrived back today, has it really been long enough for him to start to worry?

I wonder if that Itsuki will be alright… While I’m glad that they’re getting along so well, I worry he’s gotten a bit too attached to Kagehira lately.

It’s just a morbid hypothetical, but I feel he’d be ruined if Kagehira suddenly disappeared or something… He might not be able to recover from it, he might figure that life is already short, so he might as well disappear.

Kuro: Haha. That guy’s surprisin’ly thick-skinned when he has to be, though.

You’re worryin’ too much, Nito. I know to ya, Itsuki is a delicate and short-tempered artist…

But I’ve known him since he was a snot-nosed kid, and I think that image he’s recently been givin’ off is downright a lie.

Like who the hell are ya, some solitary artist?

Nazuna: Fufu, I guess it’s a given, but you know a lot about Itsuki that I don’t, Kuro-chin.

Kuro: The same goes for ya, though. I don’t know the Itsuki of Valkyrie at all.

It just ain’t possible for one person to fully understand another perfectly, no matter how close they are. I mean, there’s still so much ya dunno ‘bout yourself!

Nazuna: You’re totally right! You can’t just abandon your friends and family just because you don’t understand them, though.

Kuro: —Hey?! Oi, you, this ain’t a show! Do ya losers have a problem with my Nito!?

Nazuna: Sorry. Correction. Maybe not your family, but it’s alright to abandon your friends. Cause me any more trouble, and I’ll be cuttin’ you off, Kuro-chin~…♪

[ ☆ ]

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[itsuki-minamy]

"SIDE GOLD"

CHAPTER 3: OOTONO BENJI (PART 1)

* List of Chapters

Translation: Naru-kun Raws: Ridia

"Black market"... an illegal market. In Japan, it mainly refers to a temporary market where transactions were made at exorbitant prices compared to the official price immediately after the defeat of the war. They were crowded together in urban areas and mainly dealt with food and household items. With the revival of distribution and the abolition of price controls, the number gradually declined and, with a few exceptions, was absorbed into the permanent market system.

Ootono Benji slowly raised his head in the mist.

(Again "Musikui".) Note: worm-eaten

At first, he was relieved that it was not coming towards them and it crept in the opposite direction. After doing that, he narrowed his eyes at what it was aiming for.

Beyond the thick fog... where two forces collided.

They fought big and fiercely, dispersing their power.

It was crawling around.

(I have a bad feeling about this.)

Ootono took his time getting up. As he adjusted the position of the accordion he held, a murmur like a sigh filtered through the bandages.

"Wait, let's take a look... I just have a bad feeling..."

Ootono began to walk, with long, thin legs and small steps.

Someone noticed.

"Hey, Ben-san is coming out."

And he called to those around him.

From deep in the mist...

"Oh, my gosh, the pot was boiling."

"Let's all eat right now."

"It's the end of the fire. Hurry up."

"Even if you don't hurry, I'll catch up with Ben-san."

"This backpack will soon wear out."

"Come on."

"Yes."

A buzz and a crowd responded.

Ootono didn't look back and walked forward with long, slender legs and small steps.

Relying on something vague that only he could sense, he stepped into the mist.

"Kagirohigumi" and the "Fourth Legal Affairs Bureau" clashed in a desolate wasteland at night.

On one side, fierce faces that showed fighting spirit.

On the other hand, they tried to act cool in a lineup.

In the center, two men advanced as if in a duel. Combining oppression and amazement, no one could get in their way, no one could get close to them.

Before long, as they walked,

Unno Yutaka blew hot enough to burn the night air and asked.

"A former officer?"

He didn't even ask his name.

He didn't even ask him about his current position.

He didn't even ask him about the meaning of his power.

He didn't ask anything unnecessary.

Somei Nazumi understood his intentions, but responded calmly.

"Yes. Before the war, I worked in the general staff office."

"Is that so?"

The heat was changing color.

Red, always red, the color of anger.

"That's you, isn't that?"

As soon as he said that, Unno's entire body burst into flames.

Nazumi didn't stop walking and answered while he hid his gaze under the brim of his hat.

"Not exactly, but I am."

The absurd answer, it was not clear to be delivered to the other party.

The "Fourth Legal Affairs Bureau" had already completed an investigation into Unno's background.

In other words, Nazumi had taken over all of the opponent's circumstances. Although he himself never belonged to a department involved in kamikaze operations, it is an indisputable fact that he was a member of the General Staff. But concealment, excuses and silence are not his style.

That's why he responded with absurd words based on the facts.

Besides, he had no intention of giving in to guilt.

He had things to do, so he would never stop walking.

Even now, his footsteps were regular and sharp.

"You're the kind of person who can't speak until you get hit."

"......"

Unno did not understand the reasoning.

Or rather, his reasoning was paralyzed by his overflowing emotions.

He stayed behind, but found someone to hit with all he had.

The answer that brings the man back, the opportunity, the power that he had been seeking for so long...

"Ok, untie the sword at your waist."

It was just a request for the outbreak of war.

He had a low posture like a beast, sneaking up.

As the distance between them narrowed, Nazumi naturally placed his hand on his waist. When he took the saber out of its scabbard and picked it up, a crystalline blue glow engulfed his entire body. Among them,

"It's not like I'm trying to take it easy because I feel a sense of shame or guilt."

An extra word was added that surprised even the person himself.

Unno responded with a kind smile.

"Prey what you want... I'm a fist type."

He closed the remaining distance with one foot.

At the tip of that rush, a fist engulfed in red flames collided with the saber and exploded.

In the explosion that colored the night, Nazumi waved his saber and a blue glow spread, restoring calm to the area.

Unno was not in the blue landscape.

The moment he realized that, Nazumi swung his saber over his head.

In the air, Unno's leg, which was kicking as if he was jumping, collided with the saber again and exploded again. This time, without delay, the saber flashed, but Unno returned it.

At the moment when three explosions occurred in the middle, they faced each other.

A battle that exceeded expectations, with Unno smiling ecstatically.

An expressionless Nazumi hid his eyes under the brim of his hat, perhaps dodging the exploding flames.

The red power and the blue power collided, but they never mixed and burst.

As if regretting the distance that they had taken, they collided again.

Unno scattered red flames, turned them into cannonballs, and threw them at Nazumi.

Nazumi clothed himself in blue crystals, knocked down the cannonballs, and returned to tranquility.

The opposing forces strengthened each other, filled the space and finally saturated.

Red and blue lights spread out in the night, enveloping the "Kagirohigumi" and the "Fourth Legal Affairs Bureau" who were watching the battle.

And, the power saturated from him became a spark that split the night sky, revealing it in the blink of an eye.

A show of power with an overwhelming presence.

A manifestation of terror with the tip of his sword stuck in the ground.

Two giant swords, red and blue, with both sides.

In order to avoid a series of explosions, both the "Kagirohigumi" and the "Fourth Legal Affairs Office", who had descended to a corner of the plaza, were engulfed in the light of their respective "King". The surprise passed quickly, replaced by confusion at a sudden surge of energy.

Tamataro Okuma opened and closed his palms to fully enjoy the feeling of power.

"I see."

He took a big step forward and fired a flaming punch at a nearby blue suit.

Iyoda, who had his fist thrown...

"Uhieh?!"

As he raised a pathetic voice, he drew his sword in an instant and received the attack.

He was well below his "King", but it was enough to shake the air.

Both parties, who were thinking of their own changes, came to their senses.

"Idiot! What are you doing?!"

First, Hoizumi yelled and drew his sword.

Then Rokugo and Toneyama attacked.

"Hey!"

"Ha!"

As Okuma jumped back, Nizuka and Hentani came closer.

"Are you safe, Iyoda-san?!"

"I, well, you accepted it, just now."

Hakizawa, unable to draw his sword, helped Iyoda, who was on his buttocks, to his feet.

"Hey, get up~"

"I-Iyoda, unharmed..."

Adding Iyoda, who was muttering out of habit while rolling his eyes, the "Fourth Legal Affairs Bureau" formed a line.

On the other hand, the "Kagirohigumi" also gathered around Okuma and showed their overflowing power with their fists and weapons.

His step to join the battle of the "King" that was still going on.

"That's all!"

"Guys, stop!"

The scolding of the two people in front of them stopped them.

Somei Chika stalked out of the center of the formation.

"Now is not the time for such fights!"

Todokoro Suwako pushed through the bastards and stepped forward.

"That guy is really on a rampage, it's not a stage for little people to appear!"

The two women collided in the eyes for a few seconds.

Without even expecting that, a red stray bullet flew out.

Chika immediately hit the ground with the butt of her naginata and screamed.

"Below!"

Regardless of the faction, everyone in the place complied.

A blue barrier developed around the naginata and stopped the stray bullet's explosion.

A few seconds after the flames finally died down, Chika's knees relaxed.

Just one shot, just a few seconds, it was too strong.

Suwako stood up and said:

"Here!"

She purposely yelled so that even the blue clothes could hear her. While she was at it, she grabbed the wobbly Chika's hand and ran.

They all followed her and barely escaped the fierce battle.

"Oh, thank you."

Suwako didn't look at Chika as she thanked her. She cursed the man who made her do it and she just ran.

"That bastard will be terrible later!"

After a few seconds of tightrope walking, they slipped into a barely comfortable spot, behind a bench at the end of the lot. Suwako and Chika exchanged smiles after checking each other's clothes.

"You're doing it, right?"

"No, not yet."

Chika responded with sincere remorse and sat down on the ground. She put the naginata next to her, straightened her back, and saluted again.

"You're Suwako Todokoro from "Kagirohigumi", right? My name is Somei Chika."

"A pleasure."

On the contrary, Suwako carelessly stretched out her long legs and asked pretentiously.

"Are you the lover of the Somei who is fighting with us?"

Chika responded firmly.

"He is my husband."

"Uh, how nice."

"Hey."

Okuma inadvertently rushed towards Suwako, who collapsed without thinking.

Chika ignored him and kept talking.

"As for my work, I serve as an underboss to help him. We are the "Fourth Legal Affairs Bureau". It is an organization that cracks down on what you call Ichigeimono."

"Hmm, you cleaned the guys on the rooftop, so that's the suppression."

"What? Is that true?"

Okuma was surprised by Suwako's unexpected testimony and asked.

Chika nodded calmly and honestly without showing off.

"That is also my task. I came here with the intention of fighting you, so the current result is a matter of course."

"Hmm, well, it doesn't change that I was saved, and I'd like to thank you for protecting me at that time. Thank you."

At this point, Suwako didn't show off and thanked her honestly.

Such a personality made Chika feel good and she smiled slightly.

"I'll guess."

Okuma, who was deep in his thought, opened his mouth.

"Is it related to the movements of these guys that you guys came?"

His gaze went to Thomas Colt and "Ebisu no Kunizo" lying at his feet. Realizing that Unno was about to go insane, he brought the gang with him as he fled.

Okuma is quick to act and quick to think. From Colt and Chika's environment, he had a rough idea of the situation.

"These guys said that we should join the Occupation Army. The reason they seemed strangely impatient was because they were competing with you."

"It's going to be a political story, so I can't talk about it carelessly."

Chika's explanation lacked clarity for the first time.

"Honestly, I didn't think the conversation would go this far. I don't know if it was unexpected for Nazumi..."

Suwako didn't answer immediately, but looked over the bench. A glimpse of Unno's expression in the midst of the war, his expression clouded with danger overflowing with joy.

"It's been a long time since he felt like this. It's a dark laugh that seems to be possessed by something when you guys arrived at my house."

After saying that, little, weak...

"Finally, here with everyone..."

She expressed her emotions.

Okuma, who had the same thoughts, asked with a slightly heavy voice.

"Your husband is strong, right?"

"Yes. He won't break easily."

Chika affirmed that.

Beneath the two swords, the two "Kings" collided.

The wait and see was over, and they continued to increase their powers.

This attack was blocked, so let's hit it with a stronger blow.

If he also pushes this defense, then let's defend it even more firmly.

Switching between attack and defense, taking a surprise attack and hitting him head on, as he repeated this, Nazumi realized that his timing was out of step. He noticed it and was very offended.

"I see... I understand why even with the power of the "Blue King", I can't do well, I can't help but slip."

A pleasant voice laughed at the displeased voice.

"What are you talking about?!"

Nazumi explained as he repelled all the fist attacks with his saber.

"There's always the fluctuation that the devil suddenly appears and rages, so it can't be done perfectly."

"If you are going to speak, so that the other party can understand... Say it!"

With more force, he drove his fist.

Several barracks behind the locked fist were torn off in a shock wave accompanied by flames. The area where they were fighting and the adjacent market were already empty. When it became clear that they were going back and forth with the boss, who was also a formidable opponent, they were all gone. It was already customary, it was treated as a disaster, and those who had dispersed to other compartments were only preparing to extinguish the fire while holding their breath. Fortunately, Nazumi's power extinguished all the subsequent flames, so there was no concern about the fire.

As told, Nazumi uttered words that the other party could understand.

"Because there is a person like you..."

He struck with his saber.

"My calculations are going crazy!"

Unno was dragged and pushed back.

"Ha! I'll teach you words that can be said in one word!"

From there, he pushed back, hit it, and proceeded.

"You're in the way!"

Nazumi turned around and prepared for the next attack.

"So, take my word for it... I'd like to say it, but there's a real problem."

"Eh?"

He did not understand the position of the suspicious Unno. He stayed alert for a conversation.

"Finally, I have "this time". After all, we couldn't talk until we'd hit each other."

"You are a bastard who speaks in a tiresome way."

To keep the mood of the blue clothes (he didn't remember his name) in the fight, Unno continued with his words.

"I don't have ears to listen. I don't even want to ask questions."

"What was that?"

The two, who never clicked, crossed paths forever.

"I just took a deep breath... to gain even more power!"

As he said, the flames that engulfed Unno's body gained momentum.

It was misunderstood, Nazumi became more offensive.

"I have no intention of interfering with you. Rather, it is the opposite."

"If you turn into a corpse, I'll listen to you! After crushing me, speak by yourself!"

"You really are annoying."

Nazumi was even confused by Unno's unwavering fighting spirit.

This was his first battle with the "King". He didn't want to admit it. Still, he was optimistic at the start of the accident. Assuming that he was an opponent of the same rank as him, he guessed the skill and saw through the peculiarities of the movement in the crossover. As always, a shogi game that charts the winning streak.

However, this "Red King" completely destroyed his board and his calculations.

Nazumi's guess and insight weren't wrong. Nazumi was far superior in skill, and Unno never changed his movement pattern. His sophisticated martial arts skills which trained from Chika were forced to leave neglected gaps many times.

However, Unno never gave up. He even gained heat and strength with each powerful blow. Like a cauldron from hell leaking enough lava to crack. Nazumi began to push slowly.

Unno approached with a crazy smile, Nazumi recognized him as a serious threat.

"Not yet, not at all!"

"It's not something to carelessly say "so it will be"."

However, he did not believe that he would be defeated. As he fought, he continued to analyze opponents who exceeded his expectations. He was convinced that there was no way that as the "Blue King" he couldn't do it.

This man, Unno Yutaka.

"If it's you, the red that overflows from me will be dyed a single color with blood, flames, and the sun of this day!"

A kamikaze pilot who survived.

Emotional outbursts stemming from suicidal thoughts.

If he were to interpret the phenomenon before his eyes lightly, that would be the case.

(However, there is a sense of incongruity.)

It should be easy to deal with someone who's been dumped.

It's just that he was moving forward without thinking about self-destruction.

Unno was clearly different.

When he jumped, when he was attacked, when he burned with power, none of it had the lazy peace of a death seeker. On the contrary, he felt a strong desire to be inspired.

(Yes, his will is there.)

In the midst of his thoughts, Nazumi took a key.

(His acts aren't based solely on emotion... they are mediated by a strong will.)

At first glance, it appeared to be a runaway race left to the emotions, but deep down there was an unshakable core and strong will. Otherwise, it would be impossible to master the power of the "King" and compete with Nazumi.

Nazumi tried to figure it out.

(Isn't it the other way around? He Aroused intense emotions with a strong will…)

He cut off his thoughts in half.

"......?"

The first thing he noticed was his strength.

There was a hole in the ordered blue space.

"Eh?"

A bit later, Unno also noticed.

There was a distorted dent in the red power that was dispersing like a raging wave.

Both of them involuntarily directed their gazes towards the hole, the dent, at the disgusting sensation they felt for the first time.

Then they stopped.

That direction was none other than the embankment where the "Fourth Legal Affairs Bureau" and "Kagirohigumi" hid behind. It seemed as if it could be confused with the row of houses in the crude barracks, full of holes.

A tall body swaying in the alley, wrapped in a black robe, something like that.

[pennycat83]

Dave Miller x Reader

Rescuing a Wet Cat

(In the ever immortal words of the Candy Queen, "No requests, I only do originals!"

I'm working on the full thing on my website, I'll update this with the link once I got the second chapter down.

-P.C)

⋆｡ ﾟ ☁︎｡⋆｡ ☾ ﾟ ⋆｡ ﾟ ☁︎｡⋆｡ ☾ ﾟ ⋆｡ ﾟ ☁︎｡⋆｡ ☾⋆｡ ﾟ ☁︎｡⋆⋆｡ ﾟ ☁︎｡⋆｡ ☾ ﾟ｡

Rain lashed at the windows, the cheap florescent strips above twitching with the storm. Most of the abandoned garbage outside slamming against the windows to get in. "So...you got a ride?", "nah", "Godspeed my man". There was a slight snap in how hard their bosses number dial turned to them. "I'm sorry employee,Godspeed, to your boss?", "sub boss, I mean for fucks sake we're 'bout five minutes from joining Dorothy in Oz!".

He looked away, "uh-huh, bus then?", "probably...". They began mentally preparing as the bulbs above went out. "So who's doin' the night shift?", "I 'unno, sucks for them though". The two began making their way down the street, "see ya", "night". They hunkered under the meager shelter above.

'He wasn't in today'. They ignored it to the best of their abilities as they rummaged around in their bag for spare change, but it had been something they kept thinking about. Granted, the less annoyances and 'totally not hanging with me and my psycho dad-boss' missing kids was a blessing for a day, until it dragged into a week. Was he ok? It felt corny to go to his place and check, but after Henry's death the paranoia of his un-ending glare at them whenever they dared linger around the driveway eased down somewhat. 'Ghost's probably gonna fuckin' start tho'.

"Sorry love, the bank gave this place up to us after the owner's kid stop paying". Que? So...wait. They mimicked the same wall eyed processing stare they used to do to annoy Henry as they processed the information. The light from the doorway sliding shut, 'so...he's...homeless?'. They looked around slightly, the rain had let off enough so they weren't slip skating around the sidewalk, but it still irked their hand into clasping against their coat hood. "So then where...".

They skulked around the property slightly. Nothing outstanding aside from the old reeking odor of iron now being washed out by the storm.

They continued checking every corner of the street until they stopped by a convenience store, the dumpster... Sure enough, they hesitantly opened it to reveal a familiar long necked eggplant. What little items he had gotten from Henry were clutched to his chest as he struggled to cover himself with newspaper. "Jesus christ...", they muttered slightly as they opened the lid fully. Most of the rain had already began shifting him in his sleep but after a few shoves he sprung up weilding a photo he had been clutching.

"Yo", "the hell do ya want!", "I mean...". They stood there for a bit. "Oh this? nah it ain't nothing! Jus' ya know, tryna-", "you're sleeping as close as possible to Henry's so you feel like you're still in his place whilst also not gettin' caught by the bank, homeowners or police". "No I'm not...".

They sighed, offering a hand out. "C'mon", "No! I'm doin' great here", "you're sleeping under a literally paper thin copy of Foxy's Bikini ed Bottoms", "I jus' found it ya know?". They stood there. The rain continued mounting weight against Dave's meager form. Without adding another argument they began wandering to the store, "The hell ya goin'?!".

This was eventually answered with an agitated "WHAT!". The door of the store busted open to reveal the shop owner wielding a bat. "Oh shit ohshit-", he scrambled out, chin almost smacking the asphalt. Grabbing as much as possible whilst abandoning his temporary night girl. His form eventually disappeared into the rain leaving the owner to return to his store and Y/N to examine what was left.

It was a photo of him, one of the only ones they had ever seen with the two of them involved, double laminated and all. They grabbed some of the other items he had left, 'Jesus, he's got a ring of knives-', and followed suit. Fortunately, he had always sucked at running long distance so they tackled him quite easily. "GYAH! Seriously Sport!", "got yer pics", "the hell did ya do that for though, I had a good thing goin' with that place, no rent, free food, free girl", "ton of paper cuts though"."You'd be surprised". They grimaced at that notion slightly, "so ya wanna stay at mine then?", "...fine".

Despite relaxing on their sofa, after a slightly awkward audience on the bus and him getting even more drenched, he looked tense. "You want somethin'?", "nah I'm good". A slight gargle ratted him out, "a'ight fine!I ain't had nothin' since the funeral!". They stared at him with that familiar look of concern, "at least not a proper food". "So my supper then?", they raised a plastic container from the fridge as a sacrifice. "It good?", "eh, somethin' I'd like", "I don't wan' it".

After the mystery dish was plated up they stared it. "I definitely don't wan' it", "so...what cereal? don't gotta lot", "I'll just stick with the oxygen in this place". They looked around slightly. The place wasn't even that big to begin with, the bedroom was essentially the main room aside from the kitchen and bucket the landlord insisted was the 'toilet'. They'd tried to hide it with plants and random knickknacks but it just drove home how depressing the space was.

"Y'sure you don'-", "really I'm good, no way to tell I won't just be sick so...", "I mean it's nearly the weekend so ya can risk bein' a lil bit-". "I insist. "The wording took them aback slightly, "so just booze then?", "hell yeah!". "So...how come ya weren't in then?", "ya kiddin' workin' next to Spring Freddie?!". After an awkward change, they had flopped against Dave on the sofa. Legs slumped over the battered arms, "I didn't see ya there though", "I don't mean to offend but that guy PISSED me off! t's always fuggin'...vibes 'n shit with that guy". "Eh, just protective of the place", "it was one Goddamn firework!".

It had been way too long since they had heard Dave's morbid laugh. They flinched slightly but relaxed once he put an arm around their shoulder. "Godamnit I forgot how fuckin' funny ya were Sportsy!". "y'ain't mad?", "eh, I mean....". His upbeat facade faultered slightly as he thought about something.

"what up?", "...nothin' just thinking about how pissed he'd be right now", "what he hate me?", "eh, I mean he hated pretty much anyone who wasn't a help". He looked away, "nah, he just didn't like you that's all". He turned back, jabbing an elbow into Y/N's shoulder. "I'm more surprised I can see fun you!", "what I ain't fun sober?!", "nah the booze just makes ya get more vocal".

The sink drained as they stepped out the bathroom. Just as expected he was already lounging on the bed, "I feel like this'd be a better reason", "what?", "...nothin'". They nudged him over, draping the heated blanket over them. "Wanna swap?", "nah, 'll fall outta bed". He pressed up against their chest slightly, grinding his spine against their ribs, "...f'ne". They draped their arms around him, squeezing his chest as hard as they could. On command, their legs began tangling around his slightly. He instantly melted, the weight of his body dropping against them slightly. To complete he managed to move his neck, twisting it to them. "Not t'night...". He completely ignored the plea and planted his extensive neck against their chest.

"aww yeah...Sportsy pillow". He slurred his words slightly, the exhaust of the week finally taking it's toll. They sighed, petting his slightly squishy head.

They didn't really care if he smelt like shit and was, essentially, a stray. He was their's, and that's all that mattered.

[larkscribbles]

Afterwards

[Ao3] 950 words

Link could not sleep and Tatl knew he needed the rest, the relentless hour-after-hour pace of their quest had finally got to him. She tried to open up to him and he actually returned the favour, much to her surprise.

O==[]===========================>

The inn room was dark, the soft colours of the wallpaper muted. The preparations for the festival, the bustling town square, the sawing of wood and construction had been reduced to a muffled backdrop of sound. This was some form of reprieve. Goddesses know that’s what the boy needed. Battered and bruised, bones leaden with exhaustion. But, from the twitch of his eyes beneath his eyelids Tatl knew he was only feigning sleep. An attempt to fool himself, perhaps. Because despite everything he could still hear the slow methodical tick of the clock tower. Time ticking down. Despite the distance between them, he could feel the unrelenting fiery-eyed gaze of the mask and the moon.

Tatl descended as quietly as she could, inwardly cursing the fact she could not help but radiate light. She had some idea of what she should say - positive affirmations and encouraging Link to get some sleep. Burning the candle at both ends would just… get him killed. Hmm. Perhaps best not to say that part.

She had advanced close enough to nestle into his hat but stopped short when she noticed the tears glittering down his rounded cheeks, staining the pillow. Suddenly, his eyes were trained on her, big and blue, shining like pools of water. This was as child-like as Tatl had ever seen him, contrary to his usual persona. A look of exhaustion, defeat, being overwhelmed. The fairy halted in the air, jangling with alarm.

“I’m tired.” He croaked, voice small. Was this an admission or a dismissal?

Tatl had quickly come to suspect Link was not a regular boy, sword and horse aside. There was too much familiarity with this sort of situation. He had conquered dungeons and their trials with a clinical calm - something just short of a practiced ease. He went toe to toe with beasts and foul creatures alike, child-size sword and shield in hand. He had not offered anything in the way of an explanation. He seemed to flit from being a talkative kid who asked too-mature questions to a quiet, contemplative… for lack of a better word… thing.

“Not surprising. You should get some rest.” A pause. “The moon won’t suddenly start speeding up. You can sleep for days, if you want! Two to be exact.” Another pause. She had clearly misspoken. The humor was a little too dark, perhaps.

The boy replied with a noise between a grunt and a whine. “Can’t sleep. Not like that lullaby I learnt is going to work on me.” The brief shaky smile that graced his features disappeared in an instant, like a fleeting shadow of childhood innocence. There was the glint of the blue ocarina in one of his palms, even now. The smooth surface, a comfort.

“I can still hear it. I- there’s just too much going on.”

Who could blame him?

“Yeah. You just gotta… not think about it.” She tried, glancing to the curtains obscuring the window. “Hey uhm. I just want you to know I’m- I’m glad we found your horse. Skullkid would have never- I don’t-” She finished her sentence with a huff of frustration, then resumed jerkily. “I’m sorry about all… about how we met, ok? You- you can get that off your mind now, at least.”

A small muffled “mhm” filled the room. Link averted his gaze to the wall, golden eyelashes eclipsing his iris. “What’re you gonna do when this is over?”

Tatl bobbed uncertainly in the air. “Depends how this goes,” she mumbled in a small voice. “My brother, my friend. I don’t want to lose them.”

“You won’t.” His voice lowered, to scarcely a whisper.

“So, uh, what about you-?”

“I ‘unno. Leave, maybe? I came here looking for a friend who… left. I don’t know where she went. I don’t think she’s here.”

“Oh.”

“Her name’s Navi. A fairy. My friend. My fairy. Even though I wasn’t supposed to have one- or I was- but I’m not-” Link sat up with a grunt of frustration. His face was overshadowed but Tatl could make out how he quickly blinked his tears away. The boy took a moment to compose himself, dangling his feet off the edge of the bed. “It’s complicated.”

“Take your time.” Another poor choice of words. They both winced at the irony.

A steadying breath. His hands balled into fists on his lap, eyes trained on the floor.

“I’ve done this before. Time travel. Saving the world. Bigger jump, seven years, I was- was an adult for a bit-” he swallowed thickly, brow furrowing as his eyes danced with visions. “But it doesn’t matter now, because it all… reset and nobody remembers anything. I did my duty and now I have nothing. Nothing I did - nobody I met - everything I sacrificed - I don’t - I don’t have a home to go back to. Nobody to truly accept me. Epona is my only friend but obviously she’s not-.”

“Oh. Oh, Link- I-” She faltered, at a loss for words. This was worse than she could have imagined.

“Navi was there with me through it all - like you - she remembered. But then - she left and I don’t know where she went.” The heels of his palms found his eyes and his entire frame shook with the effort of trying not to make a sound. His voice hitched as he choked out the next part. “She left without saying anything.”

Tatl descended to his shoulder, to provide some reassuring weight.

“You’re going to leave too after this.” He breathed in a small, broken voice. “You have people to go to, you said it yourself.”

The fairy weighed her words for a moment. “I’ll tell you, before I go, I promise.”

[eggs-can-draw]

Hi this was originally gonna have art but maybe I'll rb this with it later I unno I do not have Time to draw it and still finish this before eep time anyways normal foreword HI I don't know where this came from I went into a fugue state and just kinda started typing on google docs. this is mostly shuichi and kokichi thoughts with an infodump disguised as exposition. uh. Warning for Oumasai but only if you wanna see it that way I unno they're complicated rn

Sea salt on his tongue. Blinding sun in his eyes. Sand under his feet that burned him like coals in a fire. Today was long but he wouldn't have spent it any differently. After everything they had been through, they deserved a summer to have fun and heal from everything that had happened.

His mind still felt fuzzy around the edges but after a few weeks, he had become a master at the basics of who he was.

His name was Shuichi, his name felt good and Right on his tongue. He knows who his friends are and who his family is, and with every passing day, he remembers who He is a little more.

That said, it still frustrated him to no end every time he saw something and could feel himself remembering but he wasn't remembering. His mind would call him back to something he didn't have access to. He wasn't alone in this, they could be talking about anything at all but one small thing and a blank look would slowly creep across his friend´s face. He swore if you looked close enough you could see the static in their eyes. Hear the buzz of memories failing to tune in correctly.

They learned to live around it but that didn't mean they accepted it. Dozens of family photos and mementos from their childhood had been brought with them on their summer rehab trip to help with reconnecting the dots.

When outside of their daily allotted “Memory Rehab Time” they spent most of their time goofing off. Usami had tasked them with using a friendship bracelet system to rebuild their connections with each other. For every friendship successfully reconnected, they would both receive a friendship bracelet, with Mister Nagito and Aunt Nanami helping them tie the bracelets together.

He enjoyed the routine. He would wake up, go for a walk around the island, and meet his friends at the Hotel Mirai restaurant for breakfast. They’d all spend some time working on recovery for an hour or two then were set loose on building bonds and making memories. Halfway through the day they would all meet up for lunch and chat about how their days were going.

Today’s lunch was slowly wrapping itself to a close, he had been talking to Kaede about some songs he wanted to learn on the piano (He knew how to play!) and she had been giving him advice when she was eventually pulled away by Miu who had ‘Important Hot Girl Shit’ to do with Kaede.

So here he was, cleaning up the sandwich he had been eating and wondering what to do next. He had been hanging out with Maki earlier, both talking about some memories that had resurfaced from their childhood, but the dark haired assassin was currently nowhere to be found. As he looked around, Shuichi eventually realized he was the last person left. This wasn't a problem really, he’d spent many an afternoon on his own and was going to spend this one working on a book he had found when who else but Shuichi’s self proclaimed “Life-Long Rival” came strolling into the room.

“Well well well, Mister Sherlock, all on his lonesome” Kokichi announced to no one, looking around as if the room were filled to the brim with people.

“Hey, Kokichi,” Shuichi replied, tossing his trash into the nearest can. “Why so late, I thought you loved lunch?” he added, turning to give the smaller boy his full attention.

“What can I say, I got a little caught up briefing my minions for our all out attack on the island, we strike in 5 days” he says, tossing a hand up nonchalantly.

“But since you’re ever so lonely, you know what that means!”

Shuichi gulps.

“You’re all mine Shumai”

And with his plans decided for him, Shuichi was quickly dragged out of the restaurant.

🌊🌊🌊

The sweet taste of ice cream, the loud noise of the Titty Typhoon, the cool ocean breeze on his now bare back, the calming lullaby of the ocean waves, the crunch of –

“LOOK ALIVE SUSHI-CHI!”

Violently ripped from his thoughts, Shuichi turned just too late to meet a water balloon directly to the face.

“What the- WHAT WAS THAT FOR???”

“You looked asleep!! I was helping!”

With a huff, Shuichi made his way over to the bench Kokichi was resting on. He WOULD retaliate but Kokichi just so happened to be wearing Shuichi’s jacket, leaving him safe (for now)

Once he sat down, a silence settled between them. Their day had been pretty hectic, with Kokichi taking him all over the islands to ‘Jog his memory’, but Shuichi was 99% sure he just wanted to goof off. All things considered, he’d gotten pretty fast after moving to a cane over crutches (not as fast as when he was in a wheelchair tho, he convinced Miu to add rocket boosters for the price of letting her ride too, and they never knew peace after that)

It was still kind of weird, all things considering. He didn’t realize just how much he knew about Kokichi until he was in the moment and suddenly talking about something dumb they did in the 4th grade. Kokichi always seemed a bit lighter whenever Shuichi correctly remembered what he was talking about, like a weight had been taken off his chest after an eternity of carrying it. Despite that, Shuichi couldn't help but feel like something was still bothering him.

“The sunset’s not bad,” Kokichi said, almost whispering. There was a fragility at the edge of his voice, threatening to crack and break everything.

“Definitely not the best sunset I’ve seen, but this will do for now, I suppose” Kokichi quickly added, a veil of confidence hastily thrown atop his voice.

“Uh, Kokichi-”

“I would prefer to spend this with my organization of evil, but you’ve made an ok minion for today”

“Kokichi.”

“The poison I put in your sandwich earlier definitely makes you an easy target thou-”

“KOKICHI.”

“UGH WHAT SHOE-ICKY?”

“Can we talk?”

“We were talking”

“You know what I mean”

“What is there to talk about”

“I just. I just wanted to apologize.”

“I- wait what?”

“I’m sorry for the way that I treated you. I understand that it was a ‘high stress situation’ and all, but I still hurt you and I just…”

“…”

“I don’t think I could live with myself if that was really one of the last things I ever said to you”

“…”

“…”

“…thanks, Shuichi. Really.”

Kokichi began to scoot away, but Shuichi shot up to stop him. They both stood there. Neither wanting to make the next move. The tension was almost stifling. Just as things reached their peak, Kokichi slowly moved forward and wrapped Shuichi in a hug.

🌊🌊🌊

Shuichi is a pretty honest guy. With that fact in mind, he definitely didn’t feel any tears on his back, and when they both sat back down on the bench, he remained perfectly composed the whole time.

And when he woke up later to find himself inside the small pillowfort him and their friends had built at the Hinata’s, he definitely did NOT wrap his arms around Kokichi.

[justsomestoicguy]

Unno Kai

Kai's childhood friend is acting weird.

Even weirder than usual.

Kai sits cross-legged on the edge of the playground, watching as Ran sprawls out on the ground, staring blankly at the sky. It's a hot summer day, the sun glaring down, but Ran doesn't seem to care. 

Kai licks his ice cream, letting the cold, sweet taste soothe the heat, and wonders what has gotten into his friend this time.

Ran has always been... different. Not in a bad way, necessarily, but in a way that makes him stand out. 

He's smart, way smarter than anyone else their age, and he has a quirk that's as strange as it is impressive. 

But today, as Ran lies there with his arms splayed out like he's trying to make a snow angel on the concrete, Kai can't help but think his friend is acting like a character out of one of those weird indie films his mom likes to watch.

Kai sighs, taking another bite of his ice cream. "You look like a dead fish, you know."

Ran doesn't even flinch. "Thanks," he murmurs, sounding utterly defeated. "Just what I needed to hear."

There it is again—that tone. Kai tilts his head, frowning. "What's with you today? You're acting... I don't know, like you've lost your puppy or something."

Ran finally moves, turning his head to look at Kai with a mix of frustration and confusion. "Kai, have you ever felt like... like you had this big purpose in life, and then suddenly, it's just... gone?"

Kai blinks, surprised by the seriousness in Ran's voice. "Uh, not really. But then again, I'm ten. Haven't had many life crises yet."

Ran lets out a bitter laugh. "Yeah, well, welcome to my midlife crisis at ten years old." He sighs heavily, closing his eyes. 

"I've been thinking... what's the point of it all, you know? Like, what's the point of aiming to be a hero when there's really nothing left to fight for?"

Kai raises an eyebrow, his interest piqued. "Nothing left to fight for? What are you talking about?"

Ran hesitates, chewing on his lip. "It's... complicated," he says, clearly trying to be vague. "Let's just say... things are different now. The world's different. Safer, maybe."

Kai takes another lick of his ice cream, pondering Ran's words. He knows his friend well enough to sense that Ran is holding something back, but he also knows better than to push. Ran will spill when he's ready. 

"You mean, 'cause of all the heroes around?" he guesses.

Ran shrugs, still staring at the sky. "I guess. There are so many heroes, and with the big bads mostly gone, it's like... what's left? What's the point of risking everything if there's no real danger anymore?"

Kai tilts his head, considering. "But there's always danger, Ran. Maybe not the end-of-the-world type, but there's still crime, corruption, people who need help. Just 'cause the biggest threats are gone doesn't mean everything's peachy."

Ran's eyes flicker to Kai's, a hint of interest in them. "Corruption, huh?" he mutters, almost to himself.

Kai notices the change and presses on, careful not to sound too eager. "Yeah. I mean, sure, there are a lot of heroes, but not all of them are good."

"Some are in it for the fame or the money, and there are always stories about heroes getting involved in shady stuff. Plus, there's the government and how they handle things. Not everything's as perfect as it seems."

Ran's eyes narrow, and he sits up, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Yeah... just because there's no big villain like before doesn't mean there aren't problems. Maybe... maybe there's something else worth fighting for. Something beyond just stopping villains."

Kai watches as Ran's face lights up with a mix of confusion and realization. It's like he can see the gears turning in Ran's head, the shift from emptiness to growing determination.

Ran suddenly stands up, brushing the dust off his clothes. "You're right," he says, more to himself than to Kai. "There are other dangers, like corruption, injustice... the system itself."

Kai nods, a strange sense of satisfaction washing over him. 

He's seen this look in Ran's eyes before—the look of someone who has just found a new challenge.

Ran clenches his fists, a grin forming on his lips. "Yeah, I think I know what I want to do now. Not just be a hero, but maybe change the way things are done. Make it better, fairer. Something like that."

Kai finishes his ice cream and tosses the stick into a nearby trash can, the corners of his mouth twitching upward. Ran is motivated again, and Kai's work here is done.

"So, still going to UA?" he remarked.

Ran chuckles, the weight of his previous mood lifting. "Guess I have to, huh?"

Kai nods, his smile widening. 

His friend's a weirdo, alright.

But now, at least, he's back to his usual weird.

—

Previous Chapter (Chapter 1)

Next Chapter

[theweredrifter]

On the run for several months now, his car long confiscated by police..

Gabriel had found himself on Manhattan streets. In his travels, movement had been by foot, hitchhiking, and free public transportation. The '74 Camaro he'd taken from his father was history, and the dark caramel skin tone implicated his lack of consistent shelter and being forced out into the elements. He's standing in line with a handful of other homeless people outside a busy shelter. Minding his own business, the line moved slowly as people were accepted when a taped piece of paper to the front glass door came into view. It couldn't be made out lest he step out of line and lose his place.

This slow continual pace had Gabriel's mind wandering, but his attention eventually returned when people began going back out. Brows furrow, what could this have meant? The line had begun to move faster as people were, as he soon discovered were being rejected. However, the paper on the door was finally close enough to perceive. Free housing from a christian community. Unconscious nose crinkling at the irony of his catholic upbringing, yet here he was in his current situation. Not giving it another thought, another person, then another, then in droves started to leave, the line was also scattering as he could hear a voice project over the incoming line;'We have reached capacity people, sorry! Yes, I'm aware- WE ARE FULL. PLEASE TURN AROUND-' The drifter got the message, though he approached anyway before things got chaotic;"I'm new, any other recommendations?"

The woman gestures to the paper taped to glass he'd seen earlier. 'Best I can do for you kid.' Confused by the statement, he looks back at the paper, and, having no other options, decided to walk himself to Madrona street, after snagging free wifi from the shelter for directions.

35 minutes later..

With two overfilled duffel bags slung over either shoulder, he sees a very prestigious, gated area. "This can't be right." Looking around unsure, he sees another like himself wondering the same thing. "You think we should push the button?" 'I unno you push it.' With a shrug, he pushes the button and waits for something to happen.

Over the speaker: 'Can i help you?'

"Uhh, yeah, we were told to come here for.." He looks to the other individual like he's not sure what to say without sounding stupid;"Uh.. free housing for the homeless? s' a flyer at the shelter we were at." There's no response, had he gone the wrong way? Some moments later, there's a buzz, and the gate opens. "Oh, shit sweet-" A few stragglers come up the road as well, making it a total of about 5 people. More were sure to come, but Gabriel was excited, and deeply curious how this free housing community thing was supposed to work. Walking up a nicely paved road, small painted sheds come into view on a large plot of land. Opinions are forming, but he is approached by someone nice and cleanly dressed with a clipboard.

'You'll need to fill this out, then just come bring it to me in my office.' The man points to the small building slightly adjacent to the small sheds. It felt a bit odd, but he agreed, and went to find somewhere to sit to fill his out. The paper asked for a lot of personal information, and seeing as how they'd need his driver's license, there was no way to lie about his last name either. Filling everything else out, he takes his paper into the office, and inquires why they needed his driver's. 'It's just a way to confirm your identity. We don't want to harbor any criminals, or drug addicts.' The discomfort rose into the throat, but it is swallowed to keep a level response as not to garner attention or look guilty.

Feeling backed into a corner, Gabriel swallowed his fear with a soft 'oh', and calmly jotted down the remainder of information and handed it over, hoping his out of country status would not be easily discovered. However, he realizes this is an exchange, for the paper he's handed a clear baggie with.. two sided swab and a urine cup? "What's this for?" 'A drug test.' "For housing?" 'Yes.' Baffled, brows furrow, but walks down a small hallway with his kit. Things were different in the states, and asking too many questions drew unwanted attention. He was sure the christian organizers or funding source had their reasons, and so he went into the back of the office where he'd been directed and did as instructed. However, Gabriel couldn't shake the feeling this was an invasion of privacy somehow..

After handing over his sample he stood outside the office building with his bags down by his feet to give his shoulders a break, and waited for everyone else, seeing as how he had nothing else to do.

[trixcuomo]

The Parents, Trapped

Trixany: So hey Sharpen, how's your adopted Highmountain tauren baby chosen one daughter that I like to call Destiny's Child?

Trixany: *blows bubble gum, files her nails*

Sharpen: Huh? I have a--

Sharpen: Waah! I forgot to pick her up from Little Scales Daycare!

Trixany: Dragon daycare? Why did you--

Trixany: Arggh!! I forgot that I left Nautistrasz there too, three months ago! But I did mine on purpose!

Sharpen: We have to go!

Trixany: Wait, can't Sunny just fly home on Nauti's back?

Sharpen: Kinda sorta? Is he big enough for that, yet? *turns up the scrying orb*

Trixany: ... I unno. Hey, this Total Drama Moon Guard Island show is crap! The outfits are good, I guess. But nobody is hooking up, and there's so much lag all the time.

Sharpen: Naw, that's just the ToA stream.

Trixany: Ah, well. Close enough.

[heart-of-the-blizzard]

It's good to see that Ahri raised him to be wary of strangers. The other dragon could learn something from that. He kept his hand until Ukiyo came close enough to place his tiny hand in Dahei's. How adorable.

Dahei gently shook Ukiyo's hand. Hello, nice to meet you.

"Do you want me to take you there? You can lead the way."

Despite being a rather burly man, Dahei's voice was soft and gentle to the dragonling. Clearly the voice of someone who has had some experience with children before.

"You're a good kid. I bet aunty takes good care of you and teaches you lots of lessons. Do you want to tell me some of those?"

He continued to stare at their hands, tail swishing back and forth with apprehension. Sure this man wasn't doing anything to him but his Auntee did tell him to be careful of other humans. Some were bad, some were good and they were all different.

"Auntee say people bad and good... I pick if what they do make them bad or good..."

He gently tugged the other, little claws digging into Dahei's palm in an attempt to keep his own grip on the other's much larger hand.

"Auntee say humans... uh... humans like pickle.. I 'unno what pickle mean but thats what Auntee say."