poltrona-audiovizuada

[chocolatecatcupcakecheese]

starting my new year's day with amaretto, pipe organ death synth metal, and bg3 fanfiction shade

[kurosstuff]

Lute x fallen angel! Reader: Fallen

Short fic- tell me what you think! Hope you all enjoy it-!

Summary" lute SHOULD hate you. But. How can she?

HEAVY SPOILERS MENTIONED LIKE AKL OVER(in this like one?) IDK PLEASE. ALL HAZBIN FICS I WRITE ARENT SPOILER FREE UNLESS I STATE THAT IT IS. YOUVE BEEN WARNED

Warning(s): blood/fights, love at first sight, maybe ooc lute? Idk yoy tell me I never wrote her, heartbreak, also from my knowledge? Wing movements(from birds please correct me on the info if I do it wrong I do not own birds) in denial, Adam and his vulgur language

Ngl I love lute-

Lute a cruel sadistic woman. Odd place for a woman in heaven. But given her status as the leader of the executioners. The one who leads the battles against those vile sinners. Who trains the angels picked to fight herself. The woman second in command to Adam himself.

It's a fitting role.

Never in a million years(and she HAS been around for that long. Or so she lost track of such a useless thing) would she? A ruthless exterminator encounter this thing other fully pure angels speak of.

Love

Why would she? Lute is a fighter. A warrior. The one who Adam HIMSELF entrusts his life too. Why would she fall for anyone? She doesn't even know if she CAN feel such a thing.

But as always- Life(or afterlife?) Is full of surprises. She was well aware of a new angel coming in. Recently passed in some horrific accident she doesn't care for the details just knows- need to pick them apart see if their ruthless enough to fight. But the second she went into the room her eyes widden- an odd feeling in her chest as If her heart- her cold heart was heating up.

"Hello~ are you uh Lute?" You asked shyly- which given the situation even the most outgoing would be just as shy. She blinked, glad for the mask to hide the flushed expression - the confusion on it.

Clearing her throat, she nods slowly, ensuring you saw "I am. Welcome to Heaven, " she greeted uncharacteristically polite- gentle. If you were to be mistaken, she ignored the odd look Adam gave her, looking at the name tag, even your name is pretty- she blinked.

What?

She did NOT just think that. She did NOT Find you pretty. Gorgeous. She does NOT notice how your eyes sparkle how friendly your smile is as you both talked. She most certainly doesn't notice how your wings are the single most gorgeous pair she's ever seen. How white it is- signaling how pure you are. How the gold etched into it- putting to shame her grey and black wings- smiling soft behind her mask. How how she wishes to touch the- she stops she will NOT think that

-

It became as clear as day to her and anyone else. Lute? Is inlove. And not just anyone. The new angel- the kind soul who? Adam states follows her around like a lost puppy or in Adam's kind words "Hey look. It's lutes bitch!" Oh how she wishes to punch him everytime- hit that smug look off. But she won't. Not yet.

A common tradition in heaven- like the birds in the human realm(maybe a odd similarity she presumed. She doesn't care for the human realm after all) finding a mate, a lover with the most gorgeous wings. It was no surprise you gained such attention

Much to her displeasure.

Grumbling watching as how you yet again were surrounded by angels around you- and ad always rejecting them before that smile she oh so adored. Yet would never state aloud was sent her way- making her scowl darkly(but on the inside? She was warm) quickly making your way to her she noticed how you fidgeted. How red you were "out with it. What is it?" She grumbled out no matter how warm and soft she was on the inside? Her words on the outside could never match. No matter how she wished it

White cleared her vision making her back up scrunching her nose before finally realizing what it was- a feather. Not just any old feather. Your feather "i.. i want you to have it.. I know the meaning bur when I was preening my wings u couldn't help it.. I want you to have my feather" they whispered watching as she gently took the feather.

Silently accepting them courting her with a soft smile. Maybe she can make it a necklace?

-

As great as it was up there. There were rules. Easy to forget. Easy to break. But rules nonetheless. Once Adam instructed her to strip a betrayers wings, Lute sighed. Grumbling loudly going to the room. Ignoring the odd almost somber pitiful look Adam gave her. Hiding the feather in her shirt tucked safe near her heart, she hummed, stepping inside fixing her helmet before freezing

"No-"

Her heart dropped paling more then she was already at the bloodied sight

"NO WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?!"

She roared storming to your bloodied frame she couldn't help but break her never-ending composure for the first time, kneeling to your side "do you HAVE ANY FUCKING IDEA WHAT THIS MEANS?" She snarled ripping her mask off showing her teary face. Knowing her counter was now a sinner. Her angel was a traitor. A million emotions went through her head glaring down at you with every emotion but the one she should feel.

It wasn't hate.

She ignored her feelings, swallowing it down she ignored the reasoning of what you did. Of what you SAID. putting her mask on, she steeled herself. She was an executioner. A peacemaker. She takes care of the issue. So she pushed you down with her foot grabbing your once gorgeous wings now bloodied gold- in her one hand grabbing her spear she sliced. Ignoring how she was covered in your blood. The deafening screams of pain. Of agony. How you begged for her. She took a sigh taking her mask off giving you the chance to se her one last time. Without the mask. How she stared cold at you.

Before the ground opened up, "lute. Before I go- please I lo-" she cut you off, kicking you in. Closing her eyes as the ground closed. For the first time ever. She fell to her knees, holding the now broken wings sobbing out for a sinner. How was she not a sinner to for showing the regret. Showing the selfishness in this?

~~

It wasn't long before she saw you again. Traveling down with Adam to meet with Charlie and her girlfriend- to Lute it was a vile relationship. Not because of the sex- no- because of the liar Vaggie is. How that bitch betrayed her kind and then fell for the ruler of hells daughter. She could almost laugh.

Blinking, ignoring the yelling match of Adam and Charlie. Looking out the window, she froze mouth wide open- even though the demons back was turned. No wings but a tail and horns. She knew that laugh. She knew that smell. No matter how different you looked. Eyes soft watching you turn. Even as a demon. You truly are a beautiful creature. She softened her gaze behind her mask before looking away in disgust. Not with you.

But herself.

Lute a angel? Finds a demon attractive. Sure it's you but. Your a demon. A angel and demon together is vile. Disgusting in all sense of the worse.

But even now. She can't help but still long for you. Long for the almost relationship. Frowning, she looked back at Adam, who watched her with a frown. She knew they'd have a talk. Sighing, she followed after him with a deep sigh

She truly wished this outcome was different. How she longs to see you once more. Touching the feather on her chest she sighs

The only way she would be with you. Is if she was fallen as well. What a cruel irony.

[kitkatscabinet]

WAYS TO SAY I LOVE YOU

Pairings: Peter B. Parker x reader, Miguel O’Hara x reader

Summary: the different ways the boys show their love for you

Peter

Brags about you to anyone and everyone. Talks about your achievements and shows off pictures when you aren’t there in person

You never need to ask for a hug. Peter always knows when your upset and is happy to be your own personal weighted blanket. Wrapping his bulk around you and whispering stupid jokes in your ear

Makes you dance with him. Pulls you up to slow dance through the apartment. He’s not very good and there isn’t always music, in which case he’ll serenade you himself. Something he’s even worse at, but it’s worth it to see the way your eye crinkle in joy

Has your back 100% of the time, is always down to shit talk coworkers and strangers that piss you off

Peppers your face in kisses, pulling you to him if you try and escape and tumbling over together in a pile of limbs and laughter

Will do all your favourite activities/watch your favourite shows without much question

Is willing to share the bed with millions of squishmallows/pillows/blankets. Even if it leaves little room for him.

Is your personal hype man. You could kill someone and Peter would think they deserved it, because you’re always right. You have never felt more loved than with Peter as he takes every opportunity to praise you.

Miguel

Brings you trinkets/gifts that remind him of you from every universe he visits

Reading together, cuddled up with different books or with your head on his lap as he reads aloud

Miguel is a very busy man and to an outsider it may look like you put more effort into the relationship but you can tell he loves you by the things he lets you get away with

He’ll endure ridiculous pet names like Pookie Bear if it makes you happy, even if he’ll grumble about it in public.

Will also play along when you put your whole weight on him to try and stop him leaving in the morning

Takes more breaks, actually starts to develop a nearly healthy work/life balance when he realises how upset you get at him for overworking

Non sexual showers where he’ll wash your hair even if he’s exhausted, letting you gently rinse his bruises and scrapes in return. Will also dry/brush your hair afterwards if possible

Regularly texts/calls/FaceTimes throughout the day to check up on you. Will always let you know without fail if something comes up and he can’t be there. Gets Lyla to check up on you a lot too

If you don’t speak Spanish already then he helps you learn (no he didn’t almost cry when you surprised him with it the first time)

He listens. Miguel could listen to you explain the process of paint drying and still find it interesting. He lets you rant for hours about your day or latest hyperfixation. It might not always seem like he’s engaged but he always remembers everything.

Shoulder/neck kisses !!!!

[ellilyre]

I finished ToA not long ago and I wanted to write down some thoughts/scenes that stick with me

(in chronological (ish) order, watch out for spoilers)

Theres an italian girl at camp ! It means Nico gets to practice and speak italian ! (which probably haven't happened in about 70 years)

Will introducing Nico as "my boyfriend". I already knew they would be canon, but reading that line felt weird /pos

Apollo sees Solangelo and think of himself and Hyacinth

That night when Kayla and Austin disappeared and Apollo left to look for them, it probably was the first night Will ever spent alone in his cabin

Apollo's insane body dysmorphia. He's a god, he can always take the physical form he is the most comfortable and confident in... Until now. He is stuck in a body that isn't his, he feels ashamed, when he sees certain traits in others he find them charming or pretty, but when it's on him then it's disgusting. He complain that everything is this body's fault (ex. he wouldn't have been touched by the Eurynomos if it wasn't for his chub.)(I could go on for hours)

Lityerses ! I love that guy. Idk why i love him that much. He is my best guy.

Apollo's reaction to Commodus' name. His flashback of him. So painful he was physically sick.

Apollo talking Helios out of killing them, because he just want to be free, not to hurt them.

APOLLO ATTEMPT TO KHS TO STOP THEM ?? IM A SUCKER FOR SOME GOOD PAINFUL SELF SACRIFICE.

Jason. I'm not talking about Jason. I can't speak about Jason.

Frank and Apollo ! They are so fond of each other !!!

Apollo heard all of Frank's prayers when he was unclaimed and wished he could've adopted him.

And Frank respecting Apollo as a god although he is *vaguely gesture at Apollo/Lester*

Reyna saying aloud that she doesn't want nor needs romance. It's so rare to see aromantic representation and Rick did it so well.

Literally Apollo singing his way out of situations.

FRANK'S SELF SACRIFICE!!! (He already had one of my favorite character development before that)

APOLLO KILLING COMMODUS ??? why do never talk about that it's one of the best deaths I've ever seen that was BADASS AND FULL OF EMOTIONS.

Apollo slowly dying out of poison and the Dodona Arrow doing everything it can to keep him conscious.

I hope Dakota didn't get killed off just to give Lavinia the role of Centurion. I love my boy Dakota, and his death felt kind of meaningless, except for her rank up :/ also i feel like it doesn't suit Lavinia. Some ppl are strong and good and trustable but just not made to order others. (ill prop make a full post about that)

Dionysos confirmed to be an annoying little brother!

Nico. How does Rick manage to always give him more issues. Leave the kid alone.

When Will glows, Apollo is genuinely impressed and tells him how proud he is.

Nico destroying Nero's door with his giant zombie bull. That was cool.

When Apollo gets stabbed in Nero's tower and think it's the end, he prays "Zeus, Artemis, Leto, anyone"

And in general the few parts he talks about Leto, he's such a momma's boy and I love it.

When Apollo left for Delphi... I was fully expecting Meg to go with him. I was so worried that he went alone while already feeling that weakened from the previous events.

DODONA ARROW. FOREVER IN MY HEART.

Artemis is here when Apollo wakes up. She's by his side, she's the first person to tell him he succeeded, she hold him while he sobs...

The first thing he does is to greet his horses :) and then to see his friends.

When he gets back to the Dodona bush ! To tell them all how brave and heroic the Arrow have been !

I could spend hours talking about the character developments of Apollo, Meg and the Dodona Arrow (i love the arrow so much you have no idea) but its for another day

There's many things I didn't talk about, but the post is already long enough. I love those 5 books, and Apollo is an amazing narrator.

I love the Arrow of Dodona with all my heart.

[mayihavethisdancedear]

Heyyy i wanted to ask if you could do a Pantalone x Male reader, where the reader is a king??? I really adore your work and i would really love it if you would write this <3

Your Highness

♡ Male! King! Reader x Pantalone ♡

◇ No warnings ◇

♧ 1.3k words ♧

You are a king in one of the cities across teyvat ruling your people with ease and being a rich kingdom. Which catches the eye of a certain harbinger that wants to negotiate. But what if Pantalone ends up getting more than expected and the king ends up with a new loyal subject?

"My king you have a letter from the fatui." You look back from the window in your throne room and look at the messenger. "For what reason?" You state, hoping it's something appealing and not anything that may damage the kingdom. The messenger coughs before he reads aloud "The fatui wish to present the Regrator, to meet about your growing and rich kingdom. They wish to improve their supplies under the Tsaritsa and improve your prosperous kingdom. He will come this weekend via carriage-"

You look back in shock as you interrupt "Wait when was this signed?" "This Monday, it's currently Saturday," You grab the message and look back over it. He was right so, that means he's supposed to arrive today and you're not prepared at all. "Go get the staff they need to make sure they know the regrator is arriving and make sure the palace doesn't look like a mess," You sigh as the messenger leaves. You've never met them or but you have seen them at gatherings. You take a second to prepare yourself for the visit and what to say. But before you can do that a guard comes in.

"King (y/n), you have a visitor, the Regrator." You immediately fix your posture and smoothen down your clothes and tell them to let him in. When the doors opened you were greeted with a tall, slim build, man with beautiful black hair and face wearing only the most expensive items, as well as his charming glasses. You take a moment to admire him as he approaches your throne but are quickly taken back when his smooth voice speaks. "Hello, Your Highness, I am Pantalone also known as the Regrator." He bows and looks down "I've noticed you in particular as you seem to be quite successful. Prehaps you would be interested to discuss that subject?" His eyes gleam in the light as he looks up at you and stands back up, You look at his eyes and say "Well, I would like to discuss something that would benefit the both of us... Maybe you could join me for dinner tonight, you could of course stay the night in of my spare bedrooms? My treat of course."

You don't know much about him but he is one of the most wealthy man in the land and its better to be on his good side. But you also wouldn't mind knowing more about him and looking at his charming features longer. He then approaches you and kisses your hand "That would be so kind... my, king." He smiles and his hand lingers on your hand a little longer. You feel your face heat up by this action. As you grab the hand he kissed and say "Well, I'll eacort you, as your host." You stand up and go in front of him, he follows behind you and puts his hand on your arm, feeling the silk of his gloves that could send shivers down your back and says "That would be oh so kind, king (y/n). If I'm allowed to be on a first name bias with you." You two start walking down one of the halls as the you two walk side by side , "That's fine, Pantalone. I see you would like to discuss the my kingdom?"

He looks over to your eyes and then back in front of him, "Well, your kingdom of your happens to store quite the farmland and what I've heard a newfound supply of all kinds of mined goods." You look back, surprised you haven't told anyone about the vast amount of discoveries you've found with a new mine you set up within your territory. You resume your calmness and day "I see, and what shall I get in response to my supply?" He stops and grabs both of your hands "A new loyal, and very powerful subordinate." His deep and slim eyes look into yours and you scoff and say "The most wealthy and predominant man in Teyvat, as a loyal subject? You must want something else."

"You've caught me there, (y/n). How about I have you." Your eyes go wide as your heart starts pounding, "Me? Don't tell me I've upset the fatui, somehow I-" He leans closer softly but firmly holding the back of your head and grabs your lower waist "That's not how I meant it, we've meet at social gatherings before and I think, we have a connection. Prehaps even an, interest in one another." He whispers into your ear as your mouth goes agape. He pulls away slowly and then puts the other hand on your waist "I think you should make your decision by dinner. Let's make sure your decision dosent end the fall of your kingdom." He smirks and walks inside the spare bedroom you both conveniently stopped in front of.

You awaited the dinner meeting you made with Pantalone, as you've been waiting early for him already sitting down in the dinning room. He walks in showing off normal outfit without the coat which shows off his incredible body. As he sits down and says "Well, good evening your Highness." He gives a little bow and sits down "Pantalone, I expect you've settled in well. Would you care for a drink?" He nods and says "Yes, your staff is quite efficient and get me your finest wine." The sever nod and walks out of the room as he then peers over to you, his tone turns serious and almost threatening as he puts his hand on the table and leans in closer to you "I've given you some time now to think over your decision. Let's decide, hmm?"

[Make your decision]

> Accept ♡

"I think we have a connection. We have a great possibility to go great together." He smiles and clasps his hand together while saying "I knew you felt the same, now let's get to eating and getting to know each other a little better." The server comes back as you two eat and he drinks his wine you both laughing and enjoying time with one another. You two end up leaving to the same room and he spends a couple of extra days at your palace. Each day makes your kingdom even more powerful as turns out Pantalone is a very strong leader and good with your citizens. The next following weeks follow as he eventually had to leave and you two write letters every day to one another, while you await his next visit. Taking up Pantalone's offer has probably been the best thing you've done.

> Decline ×

"I don't think so, Pantalone we've just officially met. I also believe you have something else you want." He deeply frowns and sighs shaking his head slowly with his eyes closed. "Be that way, but don't be surprised when anything happens and the fatui aren't here to help." He then stands up grabs the wine that the server just walked in with and as he goes out the door. "Pantalone I-" He stops but doesn't look back as he sips his wine as says "I believe our business is done here. Thank you for your time, your Highness." He puts the empty wine back on the server's tray while you sit here in silence as you eat your meal for two. The next following weeks your kingdom has been financially falling apart little by little. One day your supplies in the mines, have been robbed, and your crops are dying, and the next your alliances with other kingdoms start ending. Leaving you and your kingdom in shambles, maybe taking up Pantalone's offer had been the best idea.

A/N: This was my first request and was fun to write even though I've been so busy so, it came out later than anticipated. I do hope you like it and it wasn't shorter than you expected. When it comes to one-shots I like to keep it short and to the point anyways I hope you all liked it and feel free to request and hope you all have a lovely day! :)

Masterlist

[vashhanamichi]

Lesser Evil - Omegaverse Remix

So @metalomagnetic wrote Lesser Evil, which I love and already wrote a fic of, and said that it could have been an omegaverse story. I'm an omegaverse fan so of course I agree and after the last chapter I had to write my own take on it even if it's rushed and bad (I usually write 300~500 words a day but I wrote 2000 in two days because the last chapter made me a bit insane. Anyway). This is also for @kazuza-art whose art makes feral for Dumbledore. Nonsensical, unbeta'd omegaverse feat. Omega Albus, Alpha Gellert and Alpha Tom under the cut:

It’s sudden: Tom bends, burying his face between Albus’ shoulder and neck, holding him by the waist with the familiar, possessive motion Albus has come to associate with the Alpha’s need for sex. His expression is sharp and his eyes are dark when he raises them. Half child, half untamed thing of unspekable hungers. Unreadable for now – Albus doesn’t like him like this. Blank, out of his reach, as he was during those first days of torture.

“You are an omega.” Tom says. He tilts his head a little. Dumbledore’s hand immediately covers the space, the gland against which Tom’s nose was burrowing just now. He thought he was done with the troublesome particularities of this body. Age, starvation and torture should have rid him of this one thing. But it’s there – fainter to him than it is to Tom, the honey of his own scent. He speaks aloud before he can’t stop himself, surprised, too:

“Gellert didn’t tell you.”

Tom’s expression hardens and so do his hands – around Albus’ wrist, around his waist.

“You didn’t tell me.”

“I thought it wouldn’t be relevant. My heats had been sparse even before our meeting. I always used suppressors and the ordeal my body went through during our first months together made them unnecessary. I thought I’d come out almost a beta.”

“Almost a beta.” Tom mocks. “That’s not why you didn’t tell me.”

Albus licks his lips. Rarely he attempts to omit. He thought, perhaps, Tom would allow him this one grace. But he’s a greedy, cruel boy and Albus shouldn’t have expected differently.

“It’s not a favoured aspect of my life, Tom.”

How could it be? He always hid it, as many other omegas do, because he knew what it meant. There would be pressure for him to use his womb rather than his brain in service of the magical community. His secondary gender is rare and coveted because the wizarding elites are perpetually desirous of magical babies. He made a life for himself as an unremarkable standard man – a beta, as some still say. The only one alive who knows the truth is Gellert.

Well. Tom now, too.

It unsettles something in him to know that, for all he’s done, Gellert didn’t betray this one secret. Not even to his precious Schatz.

He kisses Tom’s forehead, his murmuring soft, maternal, pacifying:

“It doesn’t matter. I’m old. It will go away.”

-//-

It doesn’t.

The weeks pile on and so does Albus’ scent. How could Tom have missed this? He follows the curve of Albus’ hips, of his belly while he sleeps, it’s such a subtle thing, there’s so little in him that’s mellow, he’s wiry and bony, it’s so hard to imagine this as a body meant for harboring life – but what would Tom know? He, whose sexual experience before Albus amounted to bending over for another Alpha?

But he feels. The coil at a lower and ancient core within.

“Can you get pregnant?” He asks Albus one day. Sees, enjoys it perhaps, Albus wincing at the question. Serves him right for not telling him. Nothing of Albus should be barred from him. No secrets. No thoughts.

“It’s very unlikely,” the Omega answers softly. “I’m over sixty, Tom. Even for powerful wizards, that’s not young.”

Is he relieved? He doesn’t like the idea of sharing Albus with some runny brat, even if the brat looks like him. If Albus was to be tender with anyone else – god forbid, if he was to love anyone more than he loves Tom. He thinks he’d take the bairn and crash his head against a wall. Perhaps. He pictures it and it does scares him, which is good, isn’t it? He’s not all teeth. When he thinks of killing a baby, one he sired, there’s something in him that recoils. Wouldn’t Albus be proud? But still, Albus is his. He’d crawl inside his womb himself if he could. Odd thinking, but his head hasn’t been right for years now. And Albus’ scent is making him madder.

There’s too, in him, what rejoices at the thought. Get him pregnant. Change him. Watch him swell in a way Gellert never managed to do. He’s stirred and he can’t keep his hands off Albus and when they part there’s blood on the Omega’s lips and between his thighs.

Three weeks pass. It’s undeniable now, no matter how much Albus appeals to his age. He will go into heat and soon. And though it’s Albus who suffers it, moaning, whimpering, running a fever that rises as the night approaches, Tom feels the rawness of it in his own bones. Like an ache behind his teeth. His cock stays half hard throughout the day and his knot is a painful weight at its base. He never felt like this before.

Two days earlier he asked:

“Did he fuck you while you were in heat?”

Albus looked away. It was all the answer he needed. When the Omega asked him to bring suppressants Tom pretended not to hear. Gellert doesn’t get to taste something from which Tom doesn’t partake as well.

Albus cries, begs. Tom missed his tears and his pain. Is he a child wearing his Father’s clothes? When he covers Albus’ body with his own and licks the slick on his thigh, he’s half mad with rut himself. He doesn’t carry any unwanted name and he knows nothing of the world but his own right to claim that which lays open for him. His power so vast it’s a thrill in itself. Please, Albus calls, finally humbled, finally unmade, inside, inside, please! He mounts Albus and pulls his hair until he screams in pain and that scream he swallows with a bloody kiss. All of his body used to punish Albus and to mark him, too. He feels hale. This is what Gellert robbed him off, this is a testament of his might – he pulls Albus’ hips up and drives into him, again and again, as the Omega cries and begs him to go slower, to be gentler, even as he spills his barren seed across his belly. His cock doesn’t bother Tom as much now that he knows how nonthreatening it is. Tom’s mind only clears a little as the knot forms and Albus’ hole milks him, wanton, greedy. Bite marks all over Albus’ chest and shoulders and neck. Tom licks the blood and begins again.

It goes on for three days. He fucks Albus two dozen times in that period, stopping only to drink water, to eat something that isn’t Albus blood. Albus faints a few times but that doesn’t deter him. He grows warmer still, having him so prone.

When it ends he bathes Albus, cleans the blood from his body, washes away the sweat, the slick, the semen. Untangles and brushes his hair. The Omega hums, his head against Tom’s chest, submissive, half-awake.

-//-

A frown between those red eyebrows. It’s the fourth day, Albus’ blues eyes unclouded, Tom’s rut gone. He wants to tell Albus to cease whatever guilt is brewing – they’ll do this again. He can’t have Albus taking suppressants anymore. This is something he’s learned that belongs to him, untainted by Gellert. He knows, truly knows, what is like to be an Alpha now. It feels like an armour and a new name.

“I’m sorry,” Albus says again. Like after Tom first fucked him.

“Don’t be.” Tom presses the pad of his finger against the frown, eases it away. “I liked it. You did too.”

Albus closes his eyes. The tears there, once more. Now Tom is the one frowning.

“Say it.”

Albus bites his lip.

“I liked it.” He whispers.

--//--

How it shifts, unused, this axis in him. It doesn’t take the retching that morning, or the following one; forty years he’s spent trying to be mind alone but flesh takes its toll. He’s attuned to it now, and knows.

A fitting punishment for being weak, for desiring Tom, for allowing himself to be desired back. I liked it. In the mirror after the washes his mouth he sees, for the first time in ages, that beauty Tom alluded to: his skin is healthier, rosy even, his hair shinier. He remembers his mother looking prettier than ever when she carried Ariana. Perverted old man, he thinks, whore.

He doesn’t tell Tom, though his window of opportunity to do so is closing fast. Wonders (hopes?) his body, aged, thin, battered, will make the choice for him. But the days pass and it continues to germinate – it, because he can’t bring himself to call it anything else. Not yet.

--//--

After saying his piece, Gellert examines him. Snow has started to fall and it melts, tiny drops of it, on Albus’ hair. Albus wants, for a moment, to find the same relief Gellert did in confessing, in accusing, in sharing the grief of the years. They always understood each other perfectly, though coming from different mother tongues, as if they made their own, that summer. And it evolved to become a sharp, bitter dialect. Still, one that is familiar, one they speak fluently. They’re two old lions of the same pride, they have seen the same killing, they tasted the same meat. They were once cubs together, as it were.

Gellert’s eyes widen and he laughs.

“Oh, Albus. I’d pity you if I had it in me to pity.”

“I’ll take your scorn instead, old friend. Pity won’t do much good for either of us.”

“Not scorn. Bewilderment. Amusement. And curiosity too. How will you talk your way out of that one, I wonder.” he pauses, and his expression is almost clean of resentment. “How far along?”

“Nine weeks, give or take.”

“And yet you came expecting to duel me. Did you hope the strain of fighting would solve that growing problem of yours?”

“I considered it, to be honest. But no, I don’t think I would’ve let you make that decision for me, in the end. I was never one to shy away from my responsibilities.”

“When we were young, you used to drink that horrid potion every morning after I left your bed. Do you remember? I was glad for it, back then. I was sixteen, of course I didn’t want to be saddled with a child, being a child myself.” he looks away, his voice a tad softer now. “But over the years I did wonder. What would have happened if you hadn’t taken it so religiously. If you had forgotten, one day.”

Now they’re both imagining it. Useless experiment.

“Gellert I--” Albus approaches him. Kisses him, on the cheek. “You never told Tom. You never told anyone. Thank you for keeping my secret. And I’m sorry.”

The Alpha smiles and for a moment Albus thinks he’ll say he’s sorry too. But he only touches Albus’ cheek, gazes at his belly.

“You’re fucked, old friend. That viper in your bed won’t share, even with his own blood. You know that, don’t you? The way adolescent lions sometimes kill their own baby brothers.” he takes his hand away. His words have no bite left. “Pregnancy suits you, Albus. You look beautiful. I’m sure the child will be beautiful, too.”

--//--

Tom wakes up, still weak from the Horcrux. Albus dozes next to him but opens his eyes slowly, feeling the shift in the bed. They rearrange their bodies until Tom can lay his head against Albus’ navel. Tense flesh underneath. Fecund silence. Tom tries to discern movement under Albus’ skin. Some proof of life besides the change in his scent. But it’s still too early. If he pulls it out it will be a handful of blood, not even formed. He’d be doing it a favour too, sparing it from this world. But Albus would be sad. And if he was a baby he’d like to be born to be reared by Albus. To meet him and inherit his power.

He doesn’t know what he feels. With the Horcrux he’s rooted in life like he wasn’t before, where life could be taken from him like a stolen trinket. Is this a form of rooting, too? The poor man’s immortality. Any man can fuck a bitch and leave a trace of himself for posterity.

He closes his eyes. Albus gently caresses his hair. Maybe if the brat has Albus’ red hair he won’t hate it too much. Maybe if Albus is right and there’s in him that with which to make a father. He doubts it, but compared to the ones he knew he might not be so bad. Maybe.

Albus’ body makes him warm at last. All he knows is the hand caressing his hair, lulling him back to sleep.

[metalnecklace]

There Was Heaven In Your Eyes

Pairing: Javier Peña x Reader (plus size)

Word Count: 3358

Warnings: Canon Typical Violence, Threats of Non-Con, Threats of Violence

Notes: Here’s the first official chapter! Thank you for all the feedback so far. Javi isn’t in the next two chapters as much, but we’ll get there. Also in case anyone missed the tags, the reader is plus sized. She is mentioned as having curves, and later on there is discussion about her weight and clothing issues and whatnot. Other than that the only description of her is that she is female presenting.

Masterlist

Chapter 1

Two Years Earlier

“Fuck,” I groaned, pressing my fingers to my temples.

I had been searching for teaching jobs everywhere, and I meant everywhere. My hands were shaking as I struggled to sort through the piles of ads on my kitchen table, while I tried not to let the mix of sweat and fear bother me while it stuck my hair to the nape of my neck. At that point I didn’t care where I worked as long as I could get out of Canada. Fast.

The idea of starting over scared the shit out of me, but it had to be done. I had worked so hard to climb the financial ladder in order to get to the top of my position, which was huge for a woman in my field, and I had married a wonderful man. My future was laid out for me and wrapped with a shiny bow. Until…

I shook my head and resumed searching, as there was no point strolling down memory lane thinking about what could have been. I had to think about what was going to be.

Finally my eyes landed on an ad.

‘Wanted: Teachers with any experience, preferably English speaking.’

“Any experience?” I thought aloud as my eyes further down the page.

It was short, but sweet. Due to political tensions there was a lack of teachers in Colombia, so they had begun looking elsewhere. The one that specified English speaking ones happened to be in a place called Bogotà. I hadn’t really heard of that place before, but I kept my eye on the news enough to know what they meant by political tensions in Colombia. Everybody knew what they meant.

I didn’t have much time to weigh the pros and cons, and instead rushed to my room to pack my life into the only two suitcases I owned before I could rush off to the airport. I couldn’t seem to fully breathe until I was seated and the airplane finally took off toward my new life. It was a long flight, but I welcomed the newfound safe space where I could finally close my eyes and rest for the first time in what felt like forever.

With my newspaper in hand and my luggage tucked away in a seedy motel, I marched up to the front doors of where I hoped would be my safe haven. Turns out the school wanted to know even less about me than I had been comfortable telling them. They just wanted someone who could keep their head down, remain non judgemental toward the students and their parents, and could do their best when teaching a new language while trying to learn theirs.

It sounded too good to be true, but I couldn’t afford to turn back. I sealed my fate that morning and went about the rest of the day finding a cheap apartment that was within walking distance to my new job.

Within a few months I had started feeling more and more comfortable with my new role as an English teacher in a school that needed discretion and hope more than I did. Many of the parents were involved in situations that I didn’t even want to begin to think about, but their children got to escape and be with their friends while in my care. The only childcare experience I had previous was babysitting my younger sister's children. She was my only family after our parents had died in our teens, but unfortunately life had gotten too busy and outside forces prevented me from seeing her much. It had been at least three years since the last time we had spoken.

My heart ached when I would recognize my nieces faces in the joy and sorrow of my students, but I poured what love I could offer into them and helped them as much as I could.

One of the children in my class had a father who only showed up every once in a while, but the rumours that had spread throughout the faculty were terrifying. He seemed non-threatening, just a little too comfortable talking to the teachers, including myself, at a very close range. Personal space clearly wasn’t his thing, but apparently working for the cartel was. There were whispers that he was one of the higher ups, but I tried to keep my head down and focus on just getting by.

Until one day when he came to pick up his son. He was acting particularly flighty, his eyes shifting every which way. I usually got the chance to tell him how his son had been doing in school, even though I wasn’t sure he fully understood English, but that day he barely said hello. Almost as soon as his car sped off another vehicle pulled up just outside the front doors of the school.

From my classroom windows I could see two men getting out and making their way inside. One was a tall blonde, who looked like he came straight from the states, considering he stuck out like a sore thumb. The other was also tall, though didn’t look it next to his partner, but he definitely fit in more with the locals with his dark brown mop and matching mustache nestled above his plush lips. As they walked through the doors it was hard not to let my eyes linger down the second man’s loose button up that was tucked deliciously into jeans that fit him like a goddamn glove. I definitely didn’t miss the flash of a gun that was held snugly into the back of his pants.

I shook my head the second the door closed behind them, and made my way back to the front of my classroom. I felt ridiculous practically drooling over another man especially after everything that happened, but I just couldn’t help it. Just as I had my thoughts gathered there was a knock at the door. I turned my head and standing in the doorway was the second man I was trying to forget.

“Perdón por la interrupción, Señorita.” (Sorry for the interruption). The mustache was even more impressive up close, as were his lips, and his deep chocolate eyes that I felt could see right through me.

“Lo siento, no hablo español,” I muttered. (I’m sorry, I don’t speak Spanish). I was used to the phrase by now, even though I had picked up some of the language by now I certainly wasn’t anywhere near fluent. But even with this practiced sentence I felt as though my tongue was too thick to wrap around the letters, especially after watching the way his lips formed around each word. My knees felt weak, and not just because of the badge he held in his hand.

“Of course, my apologies,” he said, his voice smooth like hard liquor, with a hint of smoke and gravel, I was almost waiting for the bite. He held up his badge so I could see he was official. “Agent Javier Peña, DEA.”

I felt a weight I didn’t know I was carrying melt off of my shoulders. Drug Enforcement, which meant he wasn’t here for me. At least not in the way I was worried about.

“I’m wondering if you could confirm whether a certain student is in your classroom,” he spoke so gently I felt comforted, but I wasn’t going to give in.

I shook my head. “I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t give that information away.”

He smiled and leaned against the doorway, bringing his head down closer to me. At the nearly intimate movement I could feel a heat creeping up my chest that I knew would blossom into a blush. He knew what he was doing.

“Please, Miss, call me Javi.” I was almost expecting a wink to punctuate his sentence.

“Well, Agent,” I bit back, “I cannot give any information about these students to anybody who isn’t their caregivers.”

I didn’t want to be on this guy's bad side, but I also wanted to keep both the children safe and my job. They weren’t just pawns in the ugly game their parents and government were playing. It was rare that my students had a voice speaking up for them, an advocate for them. When I signed up for the job I was signing up to be just that.

He nodded and dragged his eyes down my body before snapping back up. His jaw was working with frustration over my refusal to back down, but he finally stood back up to his full height.

“Alright then,” he spoke firmly, but still gentle enough that I knew he was more frustrated than angry. “Have a good day.”

He turned to walk away but not before pausing and reaching into his pocket. In between his fingers was a thick card, which he then held out to me. I took the card with his full name stamped along the top, and what I assumed was his number printed along the middle. Even though I had grabbed onto the card he still held it firmly in his fingers, causing me to look up and once again be lost in his dark eyes.

“If you need anything, ever, please do not hesitate to call.”

I bit my lip and nodded. I didn’t miss the way his eyes left mine for a split second to glance at my lips before returning. He nodded back and left. I finally took a deep breath, feeling the stretch of my lungs inflating fully for the first time since I laid eyes on the man.

I returned to my desk and sat down to finish up marking while the remaining students continued their steady chatter while they awaited their parents. The card felt heavy in my hands, but I knew it wasn’t because of the actual weight of the paper. I reached over to the garbage can but hesitated, wondering if it really was the smartest idea to throw away what might be my one lifeline. Almost as if I could sense his eyes on me I looked out the window and saw him watching my classroom before climbing into the passenger seat of his vehicle. With that last glance of Agent Javier Peña I decided better and took out my wallet. I folded his card up as small as I could and tucked it away. I hoped I would never have to call that number, but something told me I couldn’t get rid of it yet.

That evening as I was leaving work I realized I didn’t have a lot of groceries at home. Unfortunately that meant I had to stop at the market, even though it was later than I had wanted. I took too long marking and ended up doing some more stuff around the classroom than I usually get the time to do, but that meant I got carried away. By the time I left there was only one other car in the parking lot other than mine. Everyone else had gone home, I assumed the other car belonged to one of the cleaning staff.

The market was pretty empty, only a few other shoppers moved around with glazed over eyes clearly exhausted from their workday. I absentmindedly threw ingredients into my cart that were easy to prepare quickly that night. I was too exhausted to even think about putting effort into a full meal, grateful that at least the weekend was in a few days.

All of a sudden a cart bumped against mine. I went to apologize even though it wasn’t my fault, but the words died in my throat when I saw who the person was.

“Hola.” The father of one of my students, Luis, the one in the cartel, stood barricading my cart against the shelves in the aisle. His smile was slimy, almost oozing against his face. I didn’t trust him one bit.

“Hi, sorry, I didn’t see you there,” I said, flustered. I tried to move back to get away but he stepped forward with me. The hair on the back of my neck stood up.

“Where do you think you’re going?” His smile grew bigger, taunting.

I shook my head and stepped away from my cart. He stepped to the side of his and pulled back his shirt enough to reveal a gun nestled into the front of his jeans. My hands started to tremble and I found I couldn’t focus on anything but the hint of metal in front of me. He nodded his head toward the exit, and I found myself following him without a second thought, leaving my cart abandoned in the aisle.

He led me out to a car in the parking lot that I recognized immediately as the one that had been at the school when I left. I mentally kicked myself for not recognizing it before, but it was too common of a car to have pinpointed exactly who the owner was, especially since I hadn’t seen anyone inside of it.

I was shoved into the backseat before I had time to think about what was going to happen to me. Luis slid into the driver's seat and took off, tires squealing against the road and into the night. I sat up and tried to get my wits about me, but the sound of a gun cocking drew my attention back to the driver.

“Keep your head down and your mouth shut, mi amor,” he spoke harshly, the nickname making my stomach turn. “Eres toda mía.” (You’re all mine)

I did as I was told, but considered whether getting shot would really be the worst thing, especially compared to whatever he had in store for me. Before I could come to a final decision the car lurched onto a dirt road, away from any street lights or other cars. We were truly going to be alone.

Tears sprang to my eyes but I refused to let him see me cry. It was obvious I was helpless and doomed to whatever fate he had in store for me, but I wouldn’t let him see any amount of weakness. I would become a fortress if I could not fight.

The car finally came to a stop and Luis jumped out, running to get to my door. He threw it open and wrenched my arm out, pulling the rest of me to the ground. My skin stung where it made contact with the rough surface, but he had pulled me to my feet before I could think about it any further.

Before us laid a house that was not modest in the slightest. I had to wonder who it belonged to, considering he would probably wear nicer clothes if he could afford a mansion.

“Vamos mi amor,” he snarled, still tugging me along by my wrist, his grip bruising.

My heart was beating in my ears and I couldn’t feel my legs as they carried me closer and closer to the large wooden doors ahead of us. When we got there Luis pushed the doors open with a bang, startling the men behind them. They turned to us, raising their guns before sighing and lowering them once more.

“Oh, Luis, hija de puta,” one of the men said. (Son of a bitch/whore).

Another stepped over and looked at me. I struggled to keep my head held high under his examination and Luis' powerful grip.

“El Patrón no le gustarà está,” he snarled. (The Boss won’t like this.) “¿Dónde encontraste éste?” (Where did you find this one?)

Luis gripped my arm even tighter, in a punishing amount of strength.

“¿Por qué?¿Estás celoso?” He sneered and pulled me off to the side, toward an open door leading into a dark room. (Why? Are you jealous?)

In the middle of the room was a small bed that clearly had only been used for what I was assuming he wanted to do with me. He threw me onto it, the mattress so thin I could feel the springs under my body, and then he slammed the door. I could no longer hear anybody on the other side.

“Finally, it’s just you and me,” he nearly slurred. His accent was thick as he punched out each word. He climbed onto the bed and over me, pinning my wrists above my head. My nose wrinkled automatically as his pungent smell of body odour and bad breath invaded my senses. “Do you know how bad I’ve wanted this? To touch these curves?”

I was surprised by how strong he was as he held my wrists in one hand and stroked his other hand over my waist. I twisted my body, trying to get away but his hold was like iron.

“You don’t get to get away, I’ve worked hard for this,” he growled and slapped my cheek causing my head to turn sharply toward the thin pillow it rested on. I gasped in shock, my body suddenly going pliant. “Stay still, puta!”

The next thing I heard was the drag of his zipper as a tear slid down my cheek, and then the door busted open causing us both to jump. A gunshot rang through my ears before I felt a thick, warm liquid drip onto my face. My eyes had squeezed shut and refused to open while my whole body shook in fear.

I felt lighter once the body that had been pinning me down had dropped to the side, then onto the floor with a wet smack. I couldn’t stop shaking even then, still not opening my eyes. My breaths were ragged, ripping through my throat and getting caught in choked sobs that I couldn’t hold back any longer.

A hand landed gentle and warm on my cheek.

“Abre los ojos. Open your eyes.” The voice that spoke was unfamiliar, and surprisingly gentle. I obeyed and immediately felt a new flood of fear. I recognized the man, the monster, that knelt beside me stroking my cheek.

Pablo Escobar.

I remember seeing pictures of him in the paper and on my television before moving to Bogotà, and then seeing his face on almost everything else after. Then, he was right in front of my face.

I scrambled to the edge of the bed, trying to put distance between us, ignoring the dead body that was still lying on the floor.

“No hay que tener miedo,” his voice was rough, and rumbled through the room.

“He says there’s no need to be afraid,” another voice, higher and not as threatening, came from the corner of the room. One of the men who had been standing by the front door was still holding his gun, keeping his eyes on Pablo.

Pablo smiled at me, but I didn’t believe him. There were many reasons to be afraid, one of them was still warm and lying on the floor.

“Siento que este idiota te haya traído aquí,” he said looking in the direction of Luis.

“He’s sorry this idiot brought you here,” his translator said.

“¿Que hago contigo?” He looked at me once more, almost waiting for my reply to his question. (What do I do with you?)

I furrowed my brows and looked to the man in the corner.

“He’s unsure about what to do. Luis didn’t follow protocol. One of our lookouts could see that you were in the backseat without a blindfold, meaning you know where this place is.” He took a step toward me, his gun still held tightly. “You’re a liability.”

I shook my head frantically. “N-no I promise I won’t tell anybody, I didn’t really see much. I was too scared and it’s nighttime and I’m new here.” I could feel myself growing more and more hysterical.

Pablo reached down to the floor and lifted up my purse. It must have fallen when I was pushed onto the bed but I hadn’t even noticed. He handed it over to me.

“I heard you’re a good teacher,” he said, hesitating over a few words.

I nodded.

“Tal vez hay un uso para usted después de todo,” he smiled.

(Perhaps there’s a use for you after all.)

[youracebuddy]

This is my first fanfiction that I’m proud of enough to publish, and I hope you enjoy it! A quick disclaimer: I don’t know much about Outertale, so please excuse me if it isn’t very accurate.

I also posted this on AO3, if you are interested! :3

Sans x Reader- Outertale

-Drifting through space-

It was a rather normal, bland day in the grand universe. The stars had to be documented and explored, the spaceship needed to be refueled, and you needed to go stop off at Grillby’s to get some lunch. It was just as lively as ever there- with the patrons huddled together in their little cliques, talking about their newest discoveries and adventures- with all of the regulars in their respective spots. And as usual, he was there. It was a bit silly to admit, but over time, you had grown fond of Sans. You developed a love for his god-awful space jokes and puns, which always seemed to cheer you up after a long day. You fell in love with how his eyelights seemed to glimmer at the mere thought of the universe, and how he absolutely loved to tell you everything about his job. It seemed you couldn’t go a day without him telling you about a brand new star, planet, or constellation. Last but certainly not least, you loved him. Sure, he liked to joke around and push your buttons sometimes. But below the surface was a kind, hopeful, and intelligent skeleton- that would do anything for the people that he loved.

Your body seemed to move on its own, quickly maneuvering through the lunch rush and delivering you right to him. With not a second to spare, you sat down… only to be met with the familiar sound of a whoopee cushion. Sans’ head instantly perked up at the sound, a playful smile lazily spread across his skull. “ah, the good old whoopee cushion on the seat trick. sorry about that buddy, that was for paps. but, he must be busy fighting aliens or somethin’ now.” He mused, grinning more at the thought. It wasn’t too hard to picture papyrus as a space cop, as he did always want to help others. “although, knowing how he is, he’s probably just giving them a slap on the wrist and some spaghetti. he can’t stay mad at anyone for too long.” Your thoughts were practically read aloud as he spoke, making you shoot him a bewildered look. He simply shrugged, and allowed you to speak up. “Are you sure that he never stays angry at anyone for too long? What about that time where you wouldn’t clean your socks out of your spaceship for a whole month?” You inquired, reaching out and gently poking his nasal cavity. He simply batted away your hand, another chuckle escaping his perma-smile as he did so. “anyways, what’s up with you today? you look like someone told you that you need to actually work for once.” And there it was again: his attention to detail. It came in handy when repairing a rocket ship or computer together, but really put you in a downside in just about any other situation. You stumbled over your words for a moment, before spitting out what was on your mind. “Ihavetogotoandjumptoaplanetbutidontwanttodealwiththat-“ You were quickly cut off by sans, a confused glimmer in his eyelights. “whoah, hold on there, pal. i can’t tell what you’re sayin’ when you talk that fast. care to slow down a bit?” He spoke, laughing in a lighthearted manner at your shenanigans. You took a deep breath to calm your nerves, and slowed down to properly explain yourself. “You see… Undyne told me that my job today is to explore a nearby planet, and to make sure that the ecosystem is doing alright. But, it’s close enough where it would be a waste of rocket fuel to go there by rocket. So, I’ll have to just jump there and wait for gravity to do its thing.” “and?” He inquired, giving you a knowing look. “if it was that easy, wouldn’t you have already done it?” You sighed at his words, silently cursing yet again that he was so inquisitive. After a moment of hesitation, you spoke up again. “Well… you see… I’m afraid of floating out in space.” After you finished talking, you waited with bated breath for him to laugh. It was such a ridiculous fear to have when you worked in space, and were constantly exposed to it. But, he didn’t make a sound. Instead, a gloved hand placed on your own pulled you out of your self-deprecating thoughts.

You instantly looked over, wondering if you had hallucinated the sensation. But, to your surprise, he had his hands gently cupped around your own, with his expression almost… sympathetic? “pal. it’s alright. everyone is scared of something, and it’s nothing to be ashamed about.” Your brain came to a halt at his words, almost immediately putting an end to your negative thoughts. You opened your mouth to try and speak, but all that came out was a mumbled ‘thank you…’. You slowly wrapped your hands around his in return, finding comfort in the familiar warmth of his gloves. He tightened his grip on your hands, as if worried that you would pull away. “hey�� i’m scared of some things too. i’m terrified of putting away my socks- it chills me to the bone.” “SANS!” You yelped, letting out a few snorts at just how bad the puns were. “Of course you would say that…” You murmured, unable to keep a hint of affection from slipping through your tone. He seemed to notice this, as his expression softened along with your own. “alright. i know i never do this, but I’m going to be serious for a moment, alright?” You were going to make a snarky remark at his words, but his serious expression stopped you in your tracks. He slowly pulled your hands towards his chest, placing them over his soul. “look. i know that it’s scary, hell, i was scared of it at some point,” He chuckled at the memory, his smile widening further. “papy had to throw me into space at one point. it wasn’t pretty, to say the least. ever hear me scream into the abyss of space? a-anyways, back on topic.” He muttered, clearing his non-existent throat. “look. it’s not a perfect idea, but how about i come with you? it’s certainly a lot better than being thrown into space, though. well, i could always do that if you wished-“ “NO, I’m good!” You spoke up, chuckling sheepishly. You carefully slipped one of your hands out of his comforting grip, and brought it up to his cheek. It was cool to the touch, and surprisingly… squishy? You couldn’t help but to feel it for a moment, lost in curiosity and completely forgetting about why you held his cheek in the first place. It must have been why he was able to be so expressive, despite having no skin or muscle in the first place. But, you were quickly pulled out of your thoughts when a soft blue blush started to spread across his cheekbones. You could feel your own cheeks burning in embarrassment, and you decided to speak up and hopefully stop anything from escalating further. “T-Thank you. It means a lot to me to know that I’m not alone, especially in the cold, empty void of space.” You muttered, voice shaking sightly in embarrassment. You quickly removed your hand from his cheek, not finding the strength to look him in the eyes. “I’ll owe you so much ketchup for this…” You mumbled, feeling your heart ease at the sound of sans’ light, gentle laugh. “hey, i was planning on doing it for free. but being paid is pretty good too, especially if ketchup is on the table.” He mused, seemingly excited by the idea. He slowly stood up beside you, waiting for you to lead the way. Surprisingly, he offered you his hand to lead him. “i know i’m not exactly the gentlemanly type, but how about i hold your hand on the way there? don’t want you to get cold feet, after all.” He teased, his smile quickly turning smug. You were quick to accept his offer, which only made him all the more pleased. But, he held his tongue, and decided against flustering you further. After a quick walk out of Grillby’s and a few confused glances from the diners, you were whisked back out into the familiar emptiness of space. But, what you walked into was nothing like you had ever seen before. In the short amount of time you had been inside of the diner, countless shooting stars decided to make their appearance and dance across the cosmos.

They shot through the black abyss, leaving shimmering trails of stardust in their wake. The previously inky abyss that laid before them was now packed to the brim with color, with patches of bold turquoise, gentle lavender, and noble gold scattered as far as the eye could see. They pranced and twirled across the cosmos in a slow, ethereal dance, lulling the universe into a state of bliss. You tried to say something- ANYTHING- but you were stripped of your words. When you managed to tear your eyes away from the spectacle above, they latched back onto the familiar figure of Sans. His skull was tilted up to the spectacle above, illuminated by the countless shades of stardust. After what seemed to feel like an eternity, he turned back to you, his smile wider than you had ever seen it before. His eyelights shimmered with an almost childlike sense of wonder, glowing almost as bright as the stars above. Without a second thought, he leaped into the symphony of color above, and pulled you up along with him. Your body was flung into shock at the sudden loss of gravity, and by a primal instinct, you clung to the closest thing that you could. In this case, that ‘thing’ was Sans. After your thoughts of panic cleared your brain, you were quick to notice that you were holding onto something that was… soft? With one quick glance up, you realized that you had practically engulfed sans in your arms when you were sent into a panic. You hurriedly pried yourself off of his form, and held onto him by the shoulders. But before you could apologize for your actions, his expression snapped you out of your thoughts. His eyelights had completely vanished from his eyesockets, and his cheekbones were once more dusted with a deep shade of cobalt blue. Concerned, you yet again moved one of your hands up to his cheek, and cupped the side of his soft, cool face. He brought his gloved hand back up to his face, and gingerly placed his phalanges atop of your own. His eyelights slowly came back into focus, and settled back down on your own eyes.

He spoke, his voice barely above a whisper, as he knew that his voice would shake if he spoke any louder. “you sure do know how to make a skeleton flustered, don’t ya…? well, i can’t exactly say that I don’t mind it.” He mumbled, letting out a soft, embarrassed chuckle. “but hey- if it helps you with your fear, feel free to hold me all you like. it’s a lot better than screaming my ears off.” “You don’t even have ears.” You mumbled through a small pout, but were quick to accept his offer for the millionth time. You gently wrapped your arms back around him, and glanced up to look at your surroundings once more. You were slowly drifting off into space, with grillby’s already a long ways away. You were instantly filled with panic at the sight, but your heart eased once more when a gloved hand slowly placed itself under your chin, and gingerly pulled your face back to meet the soft eyelights that you had yearned to gaze into since you first had the honor of looking upon them. His voice was soft, as if he was genuinely trying to comfort you, and not pull your leg. “hey. just keep your eyes on me, and you can look back out to the stars when you feel like it.” He murmured, gloved hand keeping your head in place. You nodded, refusing to look anywhere but his comforting, soft pupils. Your body eased once more, leaving you wondering if you would melt into his embrace and drip across the cosmos. For once in your time in space, you felt safe. Protected. As you kept your eyes trained on his own, your heart slowly soaked with the familiar, fuzzy feeling that you had when he crossed your mind. It always made you feel like you were back in school all those years back, fantasizing about silly little scenarios- which were a lot like what was currently going on- and reading cheesy romance novels. Just as usual, you couldn’t seem to get enough of him. But, your heart yearned for more. It, no, YOU wanted to bring him all of the joy in the world, no matter how long it would take. Without a second thought, you leaned towards him with half-lidded eyes, and placed your lips against his teeth. In this single moment, you finally gathered up the courage to do the one thing that you wanted to do since you first had the honor of laying your eyes upon Sans. Sure, he may not be the most perfect man… but he is to you, and that’s all that matters. When the reality of what you just did managed to pierce its way into the blissful fog of your love-struck mind, you quickly broke the ‘kiss’, overcome with embarrassment. Despite your guilty, flustered state, you managed to croak out an apology, not daring to look him in the eye. “O-oh my god, I’m so sorry. I-I just got lost in the moment, and-“ When the same teeth that you kissed gently pressed against your lips in return, your mind came to a crashing halt. Your eyes fluttered closed along with his own, sheer euphoria flooding through your veins. Despite the fact that he didn’t have lips to kiss in the first place, it was still more warm and comforting than you ever could have imagined. It lasted for what felt like an eternity, but was still too short when it stopped. Sans was the one to break the ‘kiss’, a goofy, lovestruck smile painted across his face. “i don’t even have lips to kiss with, you goofball.” He whispered, causing the two of you to burst into a chorus of giggles.

-

Needlessly to say, Undyne wasn’t the happiest to learn that you were out canoodling -in a chaste manner- with your new boyfriend instead of checking up on the planet like you were supposed to. She still teases you about it to this day, whenever she spots the two of you sticking to each other like glue.

If you made it this far, I just wanted to say THANK YOU! I’ve wanted to share my work for a while now, and even if this makes one person happy, it would make writing this whole thing worthwhile! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to, well, comment!

[mercwiththem0uth]

Agh, hi, i love your drabbles! i've read every single one so i know you've already covered it a bit, but i would love to read something about caring for an emotionally distraught Ross, on account of all the being called worthless scum who'll never amount to anything everyday. What do you think? 💜

hi!! thank you for your kind words about my work and for your request - i would love to do this for you! i wasn't entirely sure how you'd like this to be written, so i've gone for ross x gender neutral reader. i hope this is okay! let me know what you think and i hope you enjoy :)

p.s, i do have other inboxes/requests which i will reply to as soon as possible! i'm not ignoring anyone! <3

---

Ross Gaines - "Worthless Scum"

Summary: [Ross x GNreader] Ross gradually becomes worn down by Pauline's relentless bullying, and seeks comfort in the arms of his favourite person.

The look on his face as he entered through the front door to our shared apartment almost ripped my heart in two. His eyes, once bright and full of wisdom, now dull and sad. His mouth, soft lips normally smirking or twitching with intense interest, now down-turned in a melancholy frown. His face, usually so clean and smooth to the touch, now tainted with smears of dried blood, and roughened due to weeks of tiring work and pain.

This had seemed to get progressively worse over the past week or so. When he was first assigned the job of investigating a restart officer at the local job centre, neither of us imagined what horrors he would return home with every night. It started with simple, belittling comments and rude remarks from the woman he called 'Pauline', but with each passing day he'd start showing up with random bruises and telling me heinous stories of being beaten and physically attacked.

Of course I was horrified, I had begged him to report her, or at least refuse to continue working until she was fired. But Ross was stubborn, he always had been. Especially when it came to his job.

It was only a few evenings ago that he had come glumly walking into the apartment, his expression laced with unusual sadness. I was stood cooking for the two of us and expected him to give me a usual 'hello' kiss, but instead he glanced at me with a weak smile and walked straight to the shower, sighing heavily as he went. When he reappeared to eat dinner, I had tried asking him if he was okay, but he just nodded his head and changed the subject. Our evening meal was usually one of the favourite parts of our day, getting to finally spend time together and catch eachother up about our day. But this particular evening, it was quiet. He usually doused in my home-cooked meals, but he barely ate anything this night, pushing it around with his cutlery. As we cleaned up, I tried again to see what was wrong, but he dismissed me and said he just needed an early night, before taking himself to bed.

It was very strange behaviour for Ross. And this carried on up until today. I gasped aloud at the sight of him, immediately rushing towards him and placing my hands on his arms. "My god, Ross! Please... tell me what's going on" I could barely whisper as my eyes examined him, riddled with anxiety and dread as I couldn't wait any longer to find out what had been bothering my significant other.

I watched as he opened his mouth to speak, but stopped as no words came out, only a broken squeak. Hot tears immediately filled his eyes as he shook his head, falling limp as I pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. We stayed still for a while, allowing him to cry into my neck as my hands rubbed soothingly against his back and across his hair. I had never really seen Ross cry before. He had always been very selfless with his feelings and didn't communicate them much with me - apart from the things he deemed important. He was a very headstrong man, extremely patient too, so seeing him so distraught almost made me break down along with him.

When the sobbing had quietened, I held him at an arms length and gently wiped the stray tears away, trying to read his face for answers. "Talk to me, baby." We didn't use pet names very often, but this felt necessary. He sighed and lowered his head, looking at the floor for a moment. "Let's sit down" I said gently, leading him to the sofa and perching next to him. He took a shaky breath as I held one of his hands in mine.

"It's Pauline..."

He went on about how awful the past week had been. He didn't think that she could get any worse than she already had been, but he was wrong. The beatings, the insults...

"It must be true," he wailed, fresh tears falling as he continued to talk, "I'm obviously not good enough. I'll never amount to anything." I couldn't believe the words I was hearing. I was baffled, to put it simply. I shuffled closer to him, wrapping my arm around his back.

"Ross... You are the smartest man I've ever met. You don't seriously believe any of that?"

I felt his shoulders raise and fall again with a dismissive shrug. "Being an internal investigator isn't much, is it?" His voice was angry, but he spoke so gently, almost as if he was questioning the very words out of his own mouth and was asking if I agreed or not.

"That's not true. I know you don't even believe that." I squeezed his shoulders as I spoke. "It's a really interesting job, you're so good at it. And you love it, which is all that matters anyway."

He shook his head with a whisper. "Not anymore." My heart broke hearing him admit that. Ross has always been a workaholic, he has stated to me many times that before our relationship, all he knew was working, work, and even more work. And now he's falling out of love with his job? Pauline should be grateful that I don't know what she looks like, otherwise she'd be getting a hard slap.

"Oh, Ross" I sighed, pulling him into me for another hug, tears still pouring from his eyes, wetting my shirt. "No matter what you do from here, whatever you decide is best for you, I will always be so proud of you. I love you so much." I felt his head raise as he tilted to look up at me, eyes glistening. I stroked against his hair and pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose where they had slipped, "You have always done me so proud. And you should be proud of yourself too. For everything. Don't you dare listen to whatever Pauline has said, you're a very successful man with the biggest heart, and I'm so lucky to love you."

I reached to grab a tissue from the coffee table and dabbed it under his eyes.

"I'm so lucky to be loved by you" he choked out in a whisper.

I smiled before laying down onto the sofa and extending my arms up towards him, welcoming him in for a cuddle. He curled into me, his head on my chest, letting me pepper small kisses all over his forehead. Some time had passed, and I was sure he had fallen asleep. My own eyes were getting heavy, and it was only until he mumbled my name that I realised he was still awake.

"Hmm?" I hummed, tilting my head down to look at him.

"Thank you." He murmured, reaching for my hand to press a small kiss to my knuckle.

When I didn't say anything, he turned his head to make eye contact with me. "What?"

I stayed quiet for a moment, allowing myself to think. "Please don't feel like you have to hide anything from me ever again. I'll always want to help you." I spoke sweetly but firmly, making sure he knew I was being serious.

With a small nod of his head, I smiled at him and leaned down towards him for a kiss. He puckered his lips and closed his eyes in anticipation, but opened them again when nothing happened. His brows furrowed in confusion as he stared at me inches away from his face, "What's wrong?"

"You've still got blood all over your nose" I chuckled, grabbing him by the hand and leading him towards the bathroom to clean him up.

[goldeneyedgirl]

12 kisses: february: french, infidelity-verse.

Something a little different for Valentine's Day this year. Beautlilies got to pick which 'verse this fic was set in, and she chose my most cursed one - infidelity-verse. Maybe this counts for an anti-VDay fic?

Either way, I hope you enjoy it!

twelve kisses. february: infidelity-verse [ french ] a deep, passionate kiss with the use of tongue

It’s impulsive and stupid and he’s going to regret it. 

But he kisses her. 

He kisses her in a way that he hasn’t for a long time (he can admit that). He’s digging deep in his memory and the last time they kissed like this had to have been before they found the Cullens; the hal cyon days of their relationship. The kiss is deep and desperate like she’s the thing sustaining him, his hands cradling her head. 

And she kisses him back. Not with the same desperation, but she does kiss him back. She does lean into him. 

And its hope, pure and simple. Hope that there’s still enough of them left to salvage something. Hope for himself that it’s all going to be alright, that he’s learnt and he’ll never be that person that drives her away bit by excruciating bit again. 

(He’s learning - learnt - that he turned her into something she wasn’t. He treated her like an extension of himself, when she was always a person of her own. He taught her shame and anxiety and self-loathing and resentment. He taught her loneliness and inferiority. He thinks of the thin, faint lines of scarring on the tops of her thighs, from her scratching into her own skin in moments of worry and tension. They are shallow and thin, something he could feel more than he could see. She was never meant to be this. She was supposed to be lightness and joy and peace.)

He kisses her like it’s the last time and the first time and all the times he should have kissed her like he loved her. Loves her, because he does. She was just a convenient avatar for his self-loathing; he hated himself, so he hated and scorned the one person who saw any value in him. 

And then he pulls back, resting his forehead against hers. He wants to promise her anything - he won’t go back to the Cullens, to America. He’ll stay here, with her. They can be housemates, they don’t need to be anything. He can be her bodyguard, in case anyone comes sniffing around. She’s a foreign, solitary vampire; a prime target even if she wasn’t so slight. 

But he says nothing. He waits for her words, for her benediction or condemnation like a man at the gallows. 

“Hmm,” she says softly, sweetly, a smile playing at her lips. “Maria not answering your calls, huh?”

It’s like a blow, a cut right down and through the meat of him. It hurts, and the kind of wound that makes him defensive. He wants to demand why she has to say these things, why she can’t just… let something happen, let them heal, without lashing out at him?

And then he’s ashamed of himself because she’s only speaking the truth that’s she’s never dared say aloud before, when she was his hostage. Alice deserves to be angry, has the right to be furious. She could have slapped him for touching her. She didn’t have to invite him here, to her sanctuary, to talk. But she did. That’s important. 

“No,” he seas, and his mouth feels dry. “I… this is about you. I love you, I always have. I just treated you like shit. You know this, I don’t need to say it. I… there will never be a time when I don’t want another chance. I know I don’t deserve one, but…”

Alice sits back and studies him. “Do you want a reconciliation or do you just want my forgiveness, Jasper?” She finally asks. “Those are two very, very different things. And neither of them are start with a kiss like that.”

He doesn’t know what to say to that. Except…

“I love you. I always have. And I want us to have that future you saw all those years ago. I want us to be happy for real. Not just… treading water.”

Alice sighs, but she doesn’t move away. She looks tired and she’s… she’s changed since she left. She looks older; the gentle trust and innocence has bled out of her face. 

“There’s no formula or schedule to fix this, Jas,” she says softly, looking at her shoes. “Just time and space and communication. And even then, I can’t promise you anything. 

“I don’t need a promise. I just need to know if you’re willing to give me one more chance.”

One more chance. How many times has he asked for that? He doesn’t know. 

But he can hope. 

[everythingnerdyxoxo]

The Virus - Chapter Six- Chapter Six – 29th January 2020 (X7237) - Fairy Tail Fanfiction

Have also seen that my fanfiction was nominated for the Guild Awards in best drama! I would like to thank anyone who voted for this fanfiction for that! It's given me a real boost for my fanfiction writing! :D <3

Lucy, Happy and Natsu walked side by side down the streets of Clover Town, noticing the lack of tourists. ‘Now remember Natsu, we need to ask the pedestrians here nicely if they know anything about Onibus Town.’ She gave the pink haired man a cautious look as he started sniffing the ground around her.

‘What are you doing?’ Lucy couldn’t help but notice all the attention at the man by her feet as he sniffed at the ground like a dog.

‘I can smell something, something odd in the air. It’s stronger towards those mountains.’ He pointed towards the mountain pass which divided Onibus Town to Clover Town.

‘What does it smell like? Like magic? Do you think you could trace it to the source of the virus?!’ Lucy looked towards the mountain pass, an ominous feeling overcoming her.

‘I don’t know. I can’t tell if it’s a person, magic, or something else, it’s something I haven’t smelt before. Let’s check it out!’ Before Lucy could even speak Natsu had already grabbed her by the hand, running towards through the city houses and out towards the mountains in front, pulling a complaining Lucy behind him.

Juvia and Gray stood outside the mansion of the mayor of Clover Town.

‘Geez, if I knew he lived in such a fancy house, maybe we should have taken up his offer of staying here.’ Gray crossed his arms as he stared up at the home in front of him, gaining, an amused smile from the bluenette in front of him.

Juvia rang the bell, awaiting the response as she twirled the fabric of her sleeves in nervousness. She and Gray spent a lot of time alone together these days, but it still made her nervous. Just being close to the ice mage made her heart race so fast she could hear it beating in her ears.

The door opened, a young woman, presuming to be the staff of the house allowed them inside and directed them to a room to await the mayor.

‘The room was full of books, with a seating arrangement in the middle. Juvia and Gray sat alongside one another on the sofa as they waited. ‘Lucy and Levy would love it here.’ Juvia smiled at the ice mage beside her as she took in the room around her.

‘Yeah, they sure would. Never saw much point in books me. I’d rather be out doing stuff than sat in reading.’ Gray had raised his arms up behind his head, not noticing the lack of top he now did not wear.

Juvia chuckled to herself as she reached down for the top and folded it to put on the armrest beside her. ‘I don’t mind reading, I prefer romance novels myself, sometimes the occasional adventure book.’

‘That doesn’t surprise me, that’s where you get most of your ideas from, I guess?’ he gave a genuine smile to the woman beside him, gaining a reddening blush from her in response.

Before she had much chance to respond the mayor and his wife entered the room with a document in hand.

‘Hello fairy tail mages, a pleasure to see you both once again.’ He gave them a genuine smile, but concern laced his features.

‘Sorry for turning up unannounced, we were just hoping you may know something more about this situation since we last spoke.’ Gray sat with his elbows on his knees, unbothered by the wife’s response to his half-naked form.

The mayor sighed in response, placing the document on the table in front of them. Juvia picked it up reading it aloud to Gray and herself.

‘Due to unforeseen circumstances, we have stopped all travel through the country of Fiore. We continue to investigate the growing virus located in Onibus Town and to protect the majority we must isolate the minority. We are aware of those who may be travelling for jobs and give them 24 hours to return to their place of living. All mainland transportation with cease X7237. We apologise for the disruption to usual services.’

‘This is from the magic council?’ Juvia stared at Gray in disbelief who looked angrily back.

‘What do they mean protect the majority by isolating the minority! Our friends are stuck in Onibus Town! Only 24 hours? That’s not enough time for everyone to drop everything and return! What about their jobs?!’ Gray had stood staring expectantly at the mayor in front of him.

‘We are just as outraged as yourself. We still know so little about this virus, I am set to release this information via lacrima in the next 15 minutes. The people will panic, the train stations will become overwhelmed by this added information.’ The mayor looked pained as his wife took his hand in support.

Juvia stood herself, putting a hand on Gray’s shoulder, hoping to calm him. ‘Gray-Sama, there is nothing the mayor can do about this. We need to contact the others and speak to the guild. If the train station will be closed tomorrow, we may have to travel back tonight.’

Gray looked at her with understanding, nodding apologetically at the couple in front of him. ‘Thank you for showing us this. If we find out anything else, we will let you know.’

The mayor nodded in agreement with the ice mage as he walked towards the exit aside Juvia. ‘I shouldn’t have lost my temper with the man.’

‘Gray-sama, I’m sure the mayor understands, everyone is under a lot of pressure. He seemed very understanding.’ She gave him one of her brilliant smiles as she handed him back his top.

‘You’re right. We should meet up with the others and let them know, though they may hear the lacrima bulletin themselves before them.’

Erza, Carla, and Wendy headed towards the train station, seeing the groups of people huddling around each of the ticket booths, so much confusion between them all.

‘Everyone is panicking. Do you think we should try and help?’ Wendy looked up at Erza expectantly who was assessing the situation. Before she had chance to respond the station speakers clicked into action and a voice spoke with an announcement from the mayor of Clover Town.

‘Citizens of Clover Town. I understand this is a distressing time for everyone but please, everyone please try not to panic. I have been contacted by the Magic Council who are investigating the current situation. Please be rest assured all travel is to continue as normal today and to cease from tomorrow onwards until we know further information. Anyone who is visiting please be rest assured all accommodation will be paid for by Clover Town authorities until we know more about the situation. As I say, please do not panic, I shall notify you all with more information once we have it.’

There was a large click as the announcement stopped and a silence that lasted several minutes before once again the huddles of people surrounding the ticket booths became overcome once more.

‘Erza?’ Wendy looked up at her expectantly once more as she continued to take in the information.

‘Erza! Wendy!’ Gray called out to them as both he and Juvia ran up behind them. ‘Did you hear the announcement? What’s the plan?’

Wendy, Gray, Carla, and Juvia all looked expectantly at Erza who still stared at the ticket booths in front of her with concentration.

‘First of all, we will help these people, direct everyone into lines and aid the station staff. Then we will locate Lucy and Natsu if they have uncovered anything. I’m guessing from the announcement the two of you were unable to get anything from the Mayor?’ They responded with a sideways nod.

‘The Mayor knows nothing more than we do; we saw the letter that the Magic Council sent to them.’ Juvia locked eyes with Erza, seeing the concern in her face before heading towards the booths with the others and directing the pedestrians into single file lines. There was some resistance but with Erza’s dominance they got their way.

Lucy and Natsu lay on their stomachs as they gazed over the hill ledge. In front of them they could see the lights from Onibus Town. They had already managed to evade a section of guards who had erected a barrier between the towns and now they could see ahead of them a mounting military presence.

‘At least we know the council are doing something.’ Lucy gazed worryingly at Natsu, whose face was full of concentration.

‘Happy will be back soon. We’ll head in once he gives us an update. Hopefully he can find Lisanna and Laki.’

Natsu had wanted to jump straight in, rushing through the military presence and burning his way through until finding them, but luckily Lucy’s influence had paid off, convincing him to allow Happy to scout ahead. Her anger at losing so many jewels at their last mission playing heavily into their conversation.

‘Lisanna! Laki!’

Happy flew at great speed, looking down at the almost ghost town beneath him. The town was empty, all houses shut up and markets and shops closed. There was a sense of unease as he flew through the empty streets.

He called out their names repeatedly, noticing the cautious gazes of the people in their windows before noticing a young white-haired woman ahead of him, waving fervently from her window.  

‘Happy!’ Lisanna cried as she noticed him with a smile, but once he got close enough her smile changed to one of concern. ‘Don’t come too close! We don’t know if we are contagious yet!’

‘Contagious? Are you guys alright? Natsu and Lucy are just over the hill! I can bring them to help you!’ Happy floated across from Lisanna in the open window.

‘We’re fine Happy, all we’ve been told is to stay indoors to avoid contamination. It seems to be some kind of cold like illness, but it causes magic depletion. They delivered some leaflets through the door of our B+B. I don’t have any symptoms, Laki has a cough but nothing serious so don’t worry about us! You guys need to get back to Magnolia! Tell Mira that were okay! We don’t want to risk anything spreading.’ Lisanna smiled positively at Happy, tension leaving him as they spoke.

‘But you’ll be stuck here, aren’t they letting you come home?’ Happy wanted to embrace Lisanna, floating stationary, heading her demand.

‘I don’t know Happy, there was talk of transport for us, and other people who have been working jobs here, but there are too many cases here now, you can’t risk catching this Happy, you and the others have to go back, we’ll be fine, the longer you’re here, the more likely Natsu is to do something stupid and catch this as well!’ Lisanna looked seriously at Happy, who nodded in agreement.

‘Do you know anything else about this disease? Is it magic? Where has it come from?’ Happy looked around, the sounds of guards patrolling nearby getting his attention.

‘We don’t know, but maybe Lucy could see if there is anything about magical diseases with Horologium? He may be able to help? Maybe this has happened before, there could be a cure? People are sick, but I don’t think its too serious, not yet anyway. Were fine Happy, so please, leave before you catch something.’ Lisanna smiled again, looking around the streets below for the voices that were coming closer.

‘Okay… I’ll be back with more information when we find out! Keep safe Lisanna.’ Happy and Lisanna, smiled at one another, it felt wrong to leave her, but he flew back towards Natsu and Lucy, avoiding the sight of the patrols below.

 Makarov stood in the great hall of Grand Magic Council. The room was empty, not a guard in sight as he waited for Mest to arrive.

He had gotten through security with difficulty, the place was on near lockdown with the hushed discussions of the virus circulating through Onibus Town.

‘Master Makarov. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.’ Mest walked in, his council robes draped over his shoulders.

‘Mest. I’m hoping you asked me here to give me an update on the current situation.’ Makarov spoke seriously to the man. He could tell he was anxious, the sweat beading on his brow.

‘I do. It’s not good news.’

[gnosticinitiation]

"The modern human being has become grossly rude.  The perfume of friendship and the fragrance of sincerity have, for the most part, disappeared.

The teeming masses complain of being overtaxed; everyone has problems; someone owes us or we owe them; we are sued and have nothing with which to pay; worries ravage our brains; nobody lives in peace.…

Bureaucrats sustain themselves psychologically upon their smugly curved paunches and fat cigars, while cunningly playing political mind games with absolutely no concern for people’s suffering.

Nowadays, no one is happy, least of all those of the middle class who find themselves with their backs to the wall facing the sword.

Rich and poor, believers and nonbelievers, merchants and beggars, shoemakers and tinsmiths only live because they must.  They drown their torments with wine and even become drug addicts to escape themselves.

People have become malicious, suspicious, distrustful, astute and perverse; no one believes in anyone anymore. Every day they invent new conditions, certificates, all kinds of restrictions, documents, credentials, etc., none of which serves a real purpose anymore.  The astute mock all this nonsense: they do not pay; they evade the law even though they risk being hauled off to jail.

No job provides happiness.  The sense of true love has been lost, and people are married today, divorced tomorrow.

Lamentably, family unity has been lost. There is no longer an innate sense of modesty. Lesbianism and homosexuality have become as common as drinking a glass of water.

The purpose of this book is certainly to find out more about all this, to try to understand the causes of such moral breakdown, to investigate, to seek.

I am speaking in an everyday, practical language in hopes of finding out what is hidden behind this horrible masquerade of existence.

I am thinking aloud, and let the swindlers of the intellect say whatever they please.

Theories have already become humdrum. They are even sold and resold in the marketplace... then what?

Theories serve only to worry us and embitter our lives.

Goethe rightly said, “Every theory is grey and only the tree of the golden fruits of life is green.”

The wretched people are already weary of many theories.  Nowadays they talk a great deal about being practical. We need to be practical and really come to know the causes of our sufferings." -Master Samael Aun Weor from his book The Great Rebellion

[winterhawkhood]

Winterhawkhood-tober-eve

Tomorrow is the big day to start the big month!

To set the mood and hopefully help inspire, we wanted to share links to the 28 current AO3 tagged Jason/Clint/Bucky works!

Check them out, kudos/comment/bookmark, boost, and get ready for - hopefully - dozens more!

(make my love) like a circle by @flowerparrish, rated T:

"You're not a barista because you're gay," Bucky says, speaking just a moment before his hand drops down onto Clint's shoulder and squeezes once. He nudges Clint away from where he's apparently been mumbling aloud to the espresso machine, beginning to deftly prepare a cappuccino with one hand quicker than Clint could have with two.

He's beauty, he's grace, and Clint wants to kiss his face.

The podfic! also by the amazing @flowerparrish

another the podfic! by @yuurei

Get Into Your Slide by @bittercape, rated E:

“Jay,” Bucky says. He can hear the steely undertone in his own voice. So can Clint, judging by the way his shoulders tense. Jason looks up, eyes dark and mouth slack and wet. “Make him beg.”

Jason grins, wide and feral.

“My pleasure,” he says.

oddly good to hurt by @flowerparrish, rated T:

He’d kind of assumed they’d ignore his non-responsiveness until he was better, but apparently not. It took Jason a long, head-achy moment to focus on the words in Clint’s last text, but he seemed downright worried.

Now Jason felt shitty, but at least he felt a different kind of shitty? Yay for variety.

[podfic of] oddly good to hurt podfic by @kbirbpods

getting you off is my new favourite hobby by @veryrach, rated E:

A series of drabbles for Kinktober.

the mortifying ordeal of being known by @flowerparrish,rated T:

Bucky makes another confused noise. 

There's no point in keeping silent now, so Clint explains, “Nat made me shorts that say ‘call me buir’ika’ on them for Christmas last year and I wore them in front of Jason once."

“I’m just doing what they say,” Jason points out. Like an asshole.

“Why?” Clint groans.

“Because you’re cute when you blush,” Bucky tells him immediately. “And Jason likes to make you squirm.”

The podfic! by @kittonafoxgirl @vexbatch @kbirbpods @flowerparrish

another the podfic! by @yuurei

I Know You by @claraxbarton, rated E:

“I really thought the Hulk dildo would be more impressive.”

Some days, Bucky really, really wondered what the fuck he was doing with his life.

the beauty of discovery by @flowerparrish, rated E:

Clint hasn't had sex in a while, because it's weird and uncomfortable and he's got a complicated enough relationship with his body that he doesn't need to go pressing buttons marked Do Not Touch for no good reason. Plus, when living with Nat, she'd just go to the gym if he needed alone time, and now he lives alone.

Except.

He also, now, has the complication of two really attractive boyfriends and a habit of panicking whenever things get a little too steamy.

of people wrapped up tight in things that will kill them by @bittercape, rated M:

Tragically, this is not the first time Clint wakes up on a concrete floor to the exciting view of metal bars. At this point in his life he’s not even sure why he expects anything else. On the bright side, he’s not trussed up like a turkey or even cuffed, and he’s still wearing clothes. His own clothes, even. That’s two whole bright sides, which frankly is unprecedented.

It'll Only Last by @claraxbarton, rated E:

Fun fact: Gotham had the highest concentration of whatthefuckery in the entire world. Or it would, if anyone bothered to record those kind of metrics.

Someone should.

Then again, Gotham so obviously won the title that maybe it wasn’t necessary. Still, there were some other places Clint had been that should definitely come with a warning label. Someone should definitely write a guidebook.

It was in the middle of a firefight between assholes who worked for the Black Mask, assholes who worked for The Penguin, and an asshole going by Red Hood that Clint allowed himself the very brief daydream of him and Bucky fucking off and traveling the world and writing a guide book about whatthefuckery.

And then someone shot him.

The One Where Clint Goes to Preschool by @noxnthea, @there-must-be-a-lock, rated G:

"I keep petitioning for hazard pay, but — please don’t grab, Cassie! Let’s use our polite asking words.”

“You don’t get hazard pay?” Clint asks.

She gives him a look that clearly says, Don’t ask stupid questions, but what comes out of her mouth is, “Nobody teaches pre-k to get rich, and nobody lives in Gotham for the peace and quiet. Simon, buddy! Walking inside, not galloping, okay? Anyway, it’s a nationwide problem, really, but full-time daycare options in this city are — no thank you, Quincy! Excuse me for a second.”

She bolts over to the other side of the room, where two kids are locked in a screaming tussle over a toy.

In a shocking twist of events, Simon trips and eats it in spectacular fashion a couple feet away from Clint. He props himself up on chubby arms, looking down at the traitorous ground and then up at Clint like he’s expecting commiseration.

“Let me guess, didn’t see that one coming?” Clint says.

Maroon Kind of Mood by @claraxbarton, rated E:

Clint Barton, bloody-nosed, black-eyed, hair mussed and shirt - just gone - grinned at him from his slump against the doorframe.

“Hey,” Clint drawled, stretching out the last syllable in a way that quite literally spelled trouble.

Jason rolled his eyes.

“No.”

The One Where They Connect A Couple of Dots by @noxnthea, @there-must-be-a-lock, rated T:

“Did you swallow a Gender Studies 101 textbook?” Steph asks.

“No, but my boyfriend has been super into dismembering the patriarchy lately.”

“You mean dismantling?”

“Yeah, that. Totally.”

Odd Man Out by @claraxbarton, rated E:

“Batman’s dead,” Bucky said before the engine had even fully cut out.

Clint blinked, wondered if that last explosion had been close enough that maybe he was suffering a concussion and hallucinations. Again. 

“Huh?” he said, just to be safe.

Bucky scowled, not his listen up scowl but his shit, are you concussed? scowl. So that was probably a point in the favor of Bucky being real.

“Batman’s dead,” Bucky repeated.

Okay. So. Real. And that was… some real shit.

“Fuck.”

The One With All The Dick Jokes by @noxnthea, @there-must-be-a-lock, rated T:

Jason groans and drops his forehead to the table, thunking it on the wood a couple times for good measure.

“What’s wrong?” Clint asks.

“He’s just so… Dick,” Jason mumbles.

Parade by @claraxbarton rated M:

When Natasha had asked Clint to house-sit for her while she was out of the country for six weeks, she had given him a very specific and very concise list of rules to follow:

Feed Liho at 6am and 6pm.  Feed the fish at 6am and 6pm. Feed yourself at least two meals a day. Coffee is not a meal. Change the litter machine every four days. Pick up the mail every day. Delivers at 3:37 except Saturday at 11:18. Do NOT talk to 2B/ Alice Lucello. Do NOT carry her groceries. Do NOT go into her apartment. Do NOT call the super to fix anything. Fix it yourself or call me. Do NOT let him into the apartment. Do NOT use the stove. Do NOT fuck 4C.

The One With The Kittens by @noxnthea, @there-must-be-a-lock, rated T:

“Be nice, it’s not every day someone gets tranqed for the first time,” says another voice, low and steady, the speaker still out of sight.

“You never forget your first,” says Red Hood.

Ronin chuckles, flipping Drew’s fake ID between his fingers. “Is that like a coming-of-age ritual around here?”

“What’s wrong with a good old-fashioned bar mitzvah?” grumbles the third voice, its owner appearing in the doorway — and it’s then that Drew knows he’s really, truly fucked, because that flickering light is now glinting off a metal arm.

Salt in the Wound by @claraxbarton rated M:

“Well, well, well, you come here often?”

Despite himself, despite the goofy line and even goofier delivery, Bucky can’t help the grin spreading on his face when he hears the familiar drawl and looks up into a very familiar face.

Bucky’s been nursing a drink at the open bar for the last twenty minutes, avoiding as much small talk as he can at the Stark Charity Gala, and he’s been pretty successful up until now. Something about his ‘murder face’ keeping the ‘civilians’ away.

But Clint Barton, shit eating grin broad and stupid and handsome on his face, and Jason Todd, fuck-off smirk deadly and handsome on his face, clearly don’t care about his murder face. And they aren’t civilians.

Clint pulls Bucky into a hug and holds him close and tight like they’ve just come through a war and not just another season of professional baseball.

He lets Bucky go with a squeeze to his neck and a brush of lips against his cheek that probably no one else but them and Jason catch.

The One With The Overheard in Gotham Blog by @noxnthea, @there-must-be-a-lock rated T:

Man 1: Babe, you’re so cute I just wanna smush your face sometimes. Man 2: Babe, I am the scourge of the underworld, can you not?

Third Wheel by @kangofu-cb rated E:

“Listen,” the guy says, and his voice is low and kinda rough, and he’s got an accent Bucky can’t quite place. “I’m not tryin’ to overstep, but I overheard kind of a lot and like. I know you’re, uh… trying to work through some shit, man, and I get it. I, uh, had kinda a fanatical upbringing myself. But I’m not sure this guy is the one to work it out with, you know?”

Bucky… is going to kill Clint. Suddenly all of Clint’s odd comments and strangely demure behavior and even his clothes start to make a kind of insane sense. He’s play-acting at more than just a first date. Clint’s pretending to be someone else entirely, and Bucky’s not sure if it’s a joke or a bad attempt at seduction, but either way a heads-up before the evening started would have prevented a hell of a lot of confusion and maybe prevented Bucky from nearly murdering his husband in a bar in Hell’s Kitchen on a Wednesday night.

The One With the Pottery Barn Couch by @noxnthea, @there-must-be-a-lock rated T:

"Just kidding," Jason says. “I have a dog, a boyfriend who wears an apron when he bakes, and a couch from Pottery Barn. Domestic as fuck.”

That gets a solid laugh before Dick continues, “I know that your, um… profession complicates things —”

“What could you possibly mean?” Jason asks innocently, wiping blood off a knife.

“ — but everybody deserves to find love.”

Throw My Body In The River by @claraxbarton rated T:

The thing was, Jason was twenty three and had spent his teenage years as a vigilante and then some more of his teenage years dead and then brainwashed and then hell-bent on revenge. Middle school had been hell and he’d never even had the chance to go to high school for more than a month before his life very abruptly ended.

He knew, from being around Dick and Roy, and now Clint and Bucky, that being twenty three and still a virgin wasn’t exactly normal, even - perhaps especially - considering his circumstances. But, well. Jason was twenty three and a virgin and it sure as hell didn’t seem like that was going to change anytime soon.

You Can't Be On Edge Forever by @vexbatch rated G:

Prompt: your scrungliest meow-meow gets a nice thing for once

Bucky and Clint try to surprise Jason with a nice time. It doesn't go exactly as intended.

you know i live to fill you up by @mightymightygnomepriest rated E:

5 Christmases Jason got laid, and then another one he also got laid. And then another other one he got laid, too.

[tinytinybumblebee]

yay ok sorry if this is long!!

• i think he is the stimmiest ever! partially because he can’t verbalize any of his feelings and partially because it’s just his personality, but he has all kind of physical stims. before he left the briar, he did a lot of happy clapping but that activates his magic—when he was all alone this was fine, the more friends the better right? but now that he’s out in the wider world he’s trying his best to redirect himself to a different stim, he likes hand flapping the best right now :)

• that’s a double edged sword though because he can’t vocalize good emotions, but he also can’t vocalize bad ones. and the nomad tries so hard to be so sunshiney and friendly to the world and it seems like most of the time all he gets is hostility in response, so as positive as he tries to stay, eventually things just boil over and it’s so hard to be the happy guy he wants to be, so when he’s in a bad mood well, that fuse is very long but when it burns to its end the result is EXPLOSIVE. he can have some of the world’s worst tantrums and they’re usually completely silent. he tends to stay self contained and doesn’t destroy anything or hit people, he just flails and kicks and swings around wildly having a very typical temper tantrum you’d see from a little one in a store or something and usually if he’s been pushed to that point there’s no getting him out of it and he usually just has to tire himself out. then he’ll be weepy and clingy for the rest of the day :(

• padded regressor ofc. yknow what all those layers are for in his outfit? hiding his dips so he can still try and do big boy things when he needs to!

• I think he’s a one and done person with a cg. As in he has one very special person and that’s it. I think he didn’t start really regressing often until post melinda (the loneliness really took its toll on him) so he really doesn’t have anyone as of now but one day he’ll find his special person and that will be his main cg… he’s ok with babysitting but he wants that one person there to be his anchor and rock, someone safe he can see as mommy/daddy/bubba he can run back to whenever he needs them. I realistically don’t think it would be skout tho… she reminds him too much of melinda and it was his job to protect and look after her, so having skout as his permanent caregiver feels wrong somehow even if she doesn’t mind helping

• he’s really good at standing his ground against bounty hunters but i think he starts to involuntarily regress when he feels truly backed into a corner or when he sees one of his little object friends get hurt

• blankie!! he has a blankie!! it’s actually not a blankie at all but the scrap remains of a poncho from one of melinda’s disguises (which drew him to it even if he didn’t remember why) but whatever it’s blankie now and he’s very insecure about it in the way that it’s always in his hand (his biggest tell for being tiny) and people can look but don’t touch. no matter how much he trusts someone he gets paranoid they’re gonna take it away from him

• hat is always on, scarf is on frequently no matter what he’s wearing. if he’s wearing baby clothes he’ll still have those on because they feel like part of who he is and they make him feel safe :) also like his dips the scarf hides his paci if he ever needs to be a big boy when he isn’t in that space mentally, and the best part of being mute is that he can have his paci through all his travels because he doesn’t talk so no one will notice it impeding his speech or anything >:) hehe baby time all the time

• his favorite activities include tummy time and back time (with those baby toys, idk the name for them but they’re like an arch/bar over a soft cushion with dangling toys to bat at while baby lies on their back), building with blocks, being read aloud to (he loves hearing his cg’s voice after so many years of no one to speak to him), coloring and finger painting, naptime (but he likes to pretend to pout and sulk when he’s told it’s naptime because lots of real babies fuss over naps, but he cracks immediately when you call him out), playing with noisemaker toys like rattles and when he regresses to closer to a toddler age he likes playing dress-up and having tea parties!

• soooo many stuffies and just a little clap brings them right to life! he’ll collect a dozen stuffies and then he’ll collect a dozen more

• usually very sweet and well behaved unless he’s having one of his rare really bad days, because again I think he’s either an extremely sweet good baby or a fussy upset nightmare and there is no in between aside from when he gets weepy sometimes

• if he does get in trouble he’s not good with punishments, usually he needs to be held and gently explained to why what he did wasn’t good, because I completely agree that he always wants his carer in his line of sight and so being put in time out and not allowed to go to them or be snuggled gets him stressed and he immediately starts thinking they hate him and won’t come back for him (he’s been in time out for one minute)

• loves being helped with little things especially getting dressed. all his nomad gear is so hard to put on when you’re such a tiny guy :(

• he regresses between ages 0-3 I think and he much more commonly lands on the very young end of his spectrum

that’s all i have right now i’m sorry this is so long!! he has one of my favorite character design tropes with the hidden face and bright eyes and one of my favorite tropes in personality of the infamous one who actually is as sweet as pie so to me he is peak baby material in every way

WAAAAAAAAAAAAA oh my goodness you have blessed me with your OUTSTANDING IDEAS OA A A A A A A A I've been reading these over and over since I saw it last night AAAAAAAAAAA🥺🥺💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

Crying over Nomad just seeing too much of Melinda in Skout to really see Skout as anything past a playmate/buddy ;o; They probs tried once but Nomad just got too emotional when he saw Skout wiggling her finger at one of the rock friends (it reminded him of Melinda's magic and he instantly tried to protect Skout in case "anyone saw her do magic" ) maybe when they reach the Iron Border Nomad (and Skout!) meet someone more in a position to be a carer hehe

and waaaaaa at him just being such a tiiiiny guy! He tries to best to put on his clothes but buttons are soooo confusing and buckles are just too hard for such a little scarecrow! He was alone for quite a few years so he was a bit shy at first when asking for help but, he's gotten really good at the "I'm just going to look at my unbuckled boots until someone catches on and helps me" xD

Waaaaaa jsut YES to all of these oh my goodness- and I hear you on his design! It is peak baby (the moment I see a masked or hidden face my monkey brain is like "Oooh just a little baby right there") Tank you so so much for sharing these wonderful ideas!!!!!!!!!!!

[sassykattery]

Love's Web, Part 1

Hi there! Welcome to Part 1 of my new series, "Love's Web." This story features a crossover of characters from Obey Me! and Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse. If you have not seen ATSV, I recommend it, but if you choose not to, looking up the plot online might help guide you into what's going on.

Synopsis: Altaira is a woman who thought that her life couldn't get much weirder, considering she lived with and consulted with demons on the regular. But one day, she learns her life can become a lot more complicated when you learn about the multiverse.

CW: Altaira is afab, uses she/her pronouns. Profanity.

Characters: Altaira (afab oc!), Diavolo, Lucifer, Mammon, Satan, Barbatos, all brothers implied, Simeon, Solomon, Miguel O'Hara

Themes: Romance. Jealousy. Multiverse.

Minors and ageless blogs DNI

18+ only

Enjoy~

Masterlist

"Now, for this year's Student Council budget, we need to assign someone to keep track of the checkbook," Lucifer stated, reading the document in his hand aloud.

"Right, so let's get it over with and tell Altaira she's the only one impartial that can do it," Satan quipped.

"Have you all considered maybe I don't want to do this every year? Don't I at some point become partial just like everyone else?" Altaira grumbled from her seat.

Diavolo smirked behind his hand at her, and her moody reply, finding it to be adorable.

"Altaira has a point," Diavolo agreed. There was a series of eye rolls from some of the brothers at such a response. It was no secret the prince carried a fondness for her, a fondness treading on infatuation. "Surely she would like to have other positions within the council–"

Suddenly, in the middle of the council room floor, there was a tear in the middle of the air, and a bright burst of blue, followed by oranges and reds flashes in a hexagonal shape, radiated from the tear. Through this portal, a figure dropped from it, rolling onto the floor with a loud grunt. The dark blue suited and masked figure came to their knees, looking around at the surveyors. They then rose to their feet and looked down at what seemed to be a watch while mumbling things in another language, which Altaira figured out to be Spanish.

"Hey, Lucifer? What the fuck is that?" Mammon blurted out.

"I'd say not what, but who is that?" Satan replied.

The suited person smacked their hand against their watch-looking device and finally looked up at everyone again. Altaira recognized the print of the suit, having a red spider across the front of it. She also noticed how tall and muscular this person was, nearly a close representation of how the crowned prince looked, which was no small feat.

"Our apologies, but you seem to have stumbled into our realm. May we ask who you are?" Diavolo asked.

"What realm is this?" The figure asked with an airy, masculine voice in a lower tenor pitch.

"This is the Devildom, home of demons," Lucifer replied.

The figure looked down at his watch again and sighed, only to start taking note of the room he was in.

"It seems I ended up here by mistake, and my device is no longer working," the man stated. He looked around and settled on the smaller blonde sitting in her chair, looking him over. With a hand on his waist, he pointed at her with the other. "You're going to help me."

Immediately, there were frowns from the demons in the room. Unfortunately for this newcomer, none of them took kindly to messing with their human. Altaira's brows shot up.

"Me? Why?" She asked a little indignantly.

"You're the only human here, which puts you leagues ahead of the rest of this group in terms of capability," he answered with a bored but spiteful tone.

"Excuse me?" Satan asked angrily.

Diavolo cleared his throat to stop anyone else from speaking. He stood to his feet and looked down at the man from his chair up higher in the Student Council Room.

"While we would like to help you return to where you're from, I would advise against speaking ill of your new hosts," Diavolo warned with a slight smile on his face, indicative of his small agitation. Everyone else sat back, willing to let the prince handle this. They all knew when it came to Altaira, to never get in the prince's way, and even less so, to make an attempt to take her from him.

"How'd he know Altaira is human?" Mammon asked in a whisper, leaning toward Levi. Levi shrugged.

"This technology is sensitive, and I need a human to handle it," the man reiterated, the eyes of his mask narrowing.

"May we have your name?" Barbatos finally repeated the question after watching the event unfold.

"Miguel O'Hara. It should be clear at this point, but I'm from another dimension," the man answered.

"So uh, what's with the suit?" Levi asked, intrigued by the design.

"That's classified," Miguel replied.

"You're a spider-man, aren't you?" Altaira asked.

Miguel muttered under his breath but reluctantly affirmed, walking towards her. "Yes. I figured you'd know something about it," he answered. Diavolo frowned again at the way Miguel studied her, so he left his spot to meet the newcomer on the floor.

"Then I suppose you'll need somewhere to stay and to work on your... device," the prince stated.

"I'll be staying with my assistant," Miguel demanded, more or less.

There was a unison answer of seven voices that said, "No!" Miguel raised a brow.

"What they mean is, the House of Lamentation, where they all live, is full. We have room in another dormitory for you to stay in while you're here. It's not too far," Diavolo clarified.

"Fine. I'll need somewhere to work," Miguel replied with annoyance.

"I think it would be wise to do it here at RAD so that you may make use of our laboratory and supplies, and Altaira can help you," Barbatos suggested.

"Then it's settled. Welcome to the Devildom, Miguel O'Hara," Diavolo said formally, extending his hand. Miguel glared at him for a moment and returned the gesture, with both of them noticing how strong the other's grip was.

"Miguel," Altaira murmured.

The newcomer instantly turned in the direction of that soft call of his name. He found her standing at his flank, peering up at him. His head dipped down to look her over again, noting she was just eye-level with his sternum, and his senses told him she was in her mid-twenties and strongly smelled of vanilla and berries.

"Your name was Altaira?" He asked warily.

"Yes. If you'll follow me, let me show you where you can work," she replied. She turned and started walking toward the door, and when Miguel took one last look at the demons behind them, he received nothing but aggravated glares from almost all of them. Diavolo and Barbatos kept their civil expressions, but there was no doubt with the way the prince watched the human woman leave that he wasn't pleased.

---

"This is our lab. I'm the director of lab management, so I'll make sure you aren't disturbed. I'll move the labs around your schedule and ensure your project isn't tampered with," the woman explained as she opened the door to the RAD lab.

Miguel looked around, taking note of what was available.

"This all looks rather... primitive," he observed quietly, approaching some of the instruments.

"Ah, well, this is the home of demons. They rely on magic and less so on technology. To which, I must add, I don't know how much help I'll be to you. I'm going to take a guess you're not just from another universe, but also another time period. Any advancements you've made in technology in your time are unknown to me," she replied.

"You'll be of help. I noticed you had a cellular device on your table, so I assume you know something," he answered, grabbing a few tools as he walked around to an open bench next to a fume hood. "And if you're able to figure that much out, I can't say I've lost all hope just yet."

"You're a ray of sunshine," she mumbled from his right flank. Miguel turned his head slightly toward her.

"Just leave me be for until I get a diagnostic going on this," he somewhat snapped at her.

She was silent, and with a sharp turn of her heel, she turned and left the universal interloper be as she walked toward another door with her name on it beneath "Lab Director" and slammed it shut.

---

Knock knock.

"Yes?" Altaira called back out, writing and looking up at her computer.

The door opened, and Miguel stood in the doorway.

"I'd like to retire for the night," he stated. Her eyes darted to the clock on the computer screen before her, and she realized it was well after midnight. In her fit of aggravation, she had worked for nearly eight hours straight without a break, looking at her phone or the time.

"Ah, right, sorry. You could've come and got me," she apologized.

"No, I just finished my own work," he replied coldly. His tone changed slightly to be more considerate. "But I won't stop you if you're not done."

"That's alright," she said as she stood, gathering up her documents and putting them away while she turned off her computer. "I'm sure the brothers will be cross that I never came home."

Miguel was silent as he watched her move about her office, gathering her personal effects and finally standing before him.

"Follow me."

---

"So that was RAD we were just at, the academy for demons to learn higher education," Altaira explained as the pair rode in her car. "We are heading to Purgatory Hall, which is where Diavolo said you'll be staying. Your roommates are Solomon, Simeon, and Luke. Solomon is a human sorcerer–"

"Like the biblical Solomon?" He interrupted.

She chuckled, a sound that piqued his senses again. "The very one. Simeon and Luke are angels, yes, the biblical kind, just not as scary. I live with the Morningstar family in the House of Lamentation. And, yes, the biblical ones like Lucifer, Mammon, and so on."

Miguel sat quietly with the information.

"The typical response would be to ask how I, a nonmagical human, ended up in this place," she added with a bit of a humorous lilt to her voice.

"Well?" He asked in that same cold, bored voice he had.

"I was kidnapped," she confessed, sounding very serious but still thoughtful.

"Excuse me?" He sounded genuinely shocked, and in her peripheral, she could see him flinch and whip his head around at her.

She laughed, a sound that tickled his senses again. "I know, I'm pretty comfortable and collected for someone who was kidnapped. Yes, it's true, but I did make the decision myself to stay. I was brought here to be a human exchange student for Diavolo's program here at RAD, but none of them really realized the ramifications of just stealing a human from her world. Diavolo convinced me to stay."

"Ay dios mío, that's insane Altaira," Miguel replied, sounding exasperated. "You were kidnapped, and you speak of it like you're on vacation with your friends. Demons eat souls, human souls, and you do realize–"

She brought the car to a stop at a stop light and looked him over. When he saw the softened look on her face, he stopped.

"I know, Miguel. But there's more to me than you realize, and trust me, I'm well in fine with living here. I've lived here comfortably for the last three years," she replied. She took off again from the intersection, turning down a darkened street toward the dorm.

"What do you mean? How can you be comfortable with demons?" He asked, insisting on an answer.

"Because..." she trailed off. She considered what she was about to say. "Those seven brothers follow my command contractually, and the prince and his butler follow it faithfully." She waited for him to say anything more and then continued. "Those seven are bound to me through individual pacts with each of them. I'm highly trusted by them and the nobility here because I'm someone who can be trusted. I take care of them and do good by the realm as best I can."

Miguel was silent, watching the road ahead of them as a tall building loomed at the end of the street. As they found a spot in front of the building for the car, she put it in park.

"What I'm getting at is, I'd like to help you. But you have to let me help you," she stated, looking at him with a genuine sense of caring before exiting the car. He stepped out and looked up at the towering dorm, dark and ominous like every other structure in the area he'd seen so far.

"Welcome to Purgatory Hall," she announced with a hand waving vaguely in the air as she walked to the front doors. They walked inside together and she led him up the stairs.

"It's me," Altaira immediately announced herself to anyone who was still awake.

"Altaira, this is a surprise," Simeon called back out to her.

"Can everyone meet us in the living room? We need to talk," she asked, putting away her keys and shuffling around the hulking man following her.

"Us?" Solomon asked from somewhere else.

After a couple seconds, two of the dormmates came out of their rooms.

"Hey– oh," Solomon craned his neck up at the new guest.

"Who do you have here?" Simeon asked, giving the newcomer a look-over.

"This is Miguel. He accidently ended up here when traveling through the multiverse, and he's staying with you all until he can get back home," she explained nonchalantly, taking a seat on the sofa and beckoning Miguel to sit next to her.

"Here?" Solomon inquired.

"Diavolo's orders," she answered his unasked question.

"Well, welcome, Miguel. We're happy to have you," Simeon said with a smile. "We have a spare room that you'll take. I'm Simeon. This is Solomon. Luke is young, so he's asleep already."

Miguel simply nodded and looked around again.

"So, um, can I ask–"

"He's not a demon, Solomon. He's from earth, and he's a superhero," Altaira interrupted the sorcerer, knowing what he was about to ask as he kept looking at the ranges of Miguel's suit. The eyes of his suit narrowed at the sorcerer, and when Solomon got too close, he leaned away.

"I see. Can you take this off?" Solomon asked, reaching out to the mask.

"Leave him alone, Solomon. He's not your new toy," Altaira barked. Solomon merely smiled and stepped back.

"Of course."

"Give us a couple minutes to make sure his room is ready," Simeon said, dragging Solomon by the shoulder away from the pair.

Altaira turned to Miguel. "I do apologize you'll be here with people you don't know. I promise I'll see you tomorrow. They'll escort you to RAD and I'll meet you there. Try to sleep and I'll see you tomorrow."

He didn't say much, so she got up and left him there. She left hoping that he would consider her words from earlier and take it to heart.

---

When Altaira arrived back at the House, she quietly padded down to her room, only to hear someone clear his throat as she walked by. She looked toward the sound and saw two shining rubies in the darkness.

"If it's about the time, you have no room to talk," she mumbled as she opened her bedroom door.

Lucifer followed her in and shut the door. "Were you with him?"

"In a way. I let him into the lab and went to my office to work on lab schedules. He was actually the one to tell me he wanted to rest," she answered, kicking off her boots.

"And?"

"I'm not sure how far he got on his work, but he's not terribly keen on telling me much, so I wouldn't know either way," she replied. "But I took him to Purgatory and got him settled there."

Lucifer pulled her into a hug, causing them to both instantly relax.

"I know you don't trust him, but you have to trust me," she murmured. "I can take care of myself."

"I know. But you're my family and I'll always worry for you."

She hummed in understanding and squeezed the demon tighter.

"And you wreak of him," Lucifer added.

Altaira laughed aloud. "Yes, I'll go take a shower."

Altaira broke the embrace first and walked over to the dresser to fish out her night clothes.

"Diavolo wasn't happy," Lucifer mentioned suddenly.

She barely turned her head at the name.

"Oh?"

"He seemed a bit out of sorts when you left, and after the meeting, he was uncharacteristically unenthused," Lucifer added, trying to gauge her reaction.

"I see," is all she replied. "And what position did you all decide for me?"

"Well..."

"Dammit, again?!" She snapped. Lucifer chuckled at her dismay. When she was done in the dresser, she looked back at Lucifer. "Alright, I'm home. I'm about to shower and go to bed. That means you can sleep," she said, changing the subject.

He chuckled again.

"Yes ma'am."

---

The next morning, as Altaira skipped breakfast to gather up some information and books from the royal library and the House's personal library on interdimensional theory to bring with her to RAD. Once she was prepared, she left the House without a word to her roommates and drove herself to class.

Just as she pulled into her parking spot, Diavolo was rolling in next to her in his black sports car. Excitedly, he exited his car quickly to find her in the back of hers.

"Oh, Altaira, let me help," he immediately intervened as she pulled out five very thick books and took them from her hands. "My my, quantum theory and interdimensional travel? Well, I can take a guess as to why you needed these, but there's no sense in you hurting yourself."

She smiled gratefully up at the prince, making his heart flutter as her gaze met his. "Thank you, Diavolo. I appreciate the help."

"Of course. Your office?" He asked.

"Yeah," she replied with a smile, walking with him into RAD.

"I heard you left pretty late last night. Everything go okay?" He asked her quietly as they walked the empty halls. They were likely the only ones there just yet.

"Oh, yeah. I ended up getting so caught up in lab scheduling, Miguel actually came and told me he wanted to go rest," she admitted, rounding a corner.

"That's not like you," Diavolo observed, side-eyeing his companion, shifting the books in his grip.

"I know, but I got it done," she replied quietly, her eyes lowering with guilt.

"I suggest leaving early today so you can rest," the prince murmured when they reached her office door. She unlocked it, and he set her books down on her desk.

"Does that mean I have the headmaster's permission to do so?" She asked teasingly, touching his shoulder as she passed behind him.

"It does, so don't waste it," Diavolo replied with a wide smile but trying to sound serious. They both giggled and sighed. She sat in her office chair, and Diavolo sat in one of her visitor chairs.

"I know you don't like him, but if I help, this will all go smoother," she blurted out softly, staring at her computer. She noticed how he shifted in his chair in her peripheral.

"I can't help but agree," he murmured with a sigh. He crossed his arms and looked out the window in her office. "Tell me if he causes you any issues though. I won't tolerate him hurting you. He's not an ordinary human."

"Ah, you picked up on that. Yeah, spidermen or women usually have some powers, and that's how they end up as superheroes," Altaira replied. She minimized her screen, and her eyes stayed glued to the desktop wallpaper. It was a photo of her and the brothers, royals, and angels all together for a party. She was sitting on Diavolo's lap, and though they were off-center in the photo, on the desktop, it was cropped to show them in the center.

"I shouldn't keep you, I suppose. You already have that focused look about you," Diavolo observed.

She looked up at him and clicked back to a page to cover the screen.

"Ah, sorry, I was actually thinking about something else. Anyway, why don't we get some coffee? It's still early yet," she tried to shuffle away her thoughts.

"That sounds lovely," Diavolo said with a smile, standing when she did. They both got up and walked out of her office. Diavolo followed her closely, sensing something was off about her, but choosing to ignore it in favor of staying in the moment.

Nearing the cafeteria, Altaira heard a commotion and her name being said. She, and consequently Diavolo, circumvented the cafeteria and headed toward the front doors.

"Now, I do apologize, but I'm sure Solomon didn't–"

"Are you fucking serious?! He was trying to kill me!" Miguel barked at Simeon.

"Hey, hey! Shhh, stop, what happened?" Altaira dashed outside to see Miguel looming over Simeon. When he heard and saw Altaira running up to him to stand between him and Simeon, he glared down at her.

"You didn't tell me!" Miguel snapped at her, causing her to flinch slightly.

---

Thanks for reading! <3

Post made by sassykattery. Do not repost. Reblogs and comments appreciated.

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Tags: @delphi-dreamin @bite-sized-devil @itsmeninerz

[infernalwitxhcraft]

New Year Spell #3 - Self-Love Mirror Spell

We begin the third spell in this series by focusing on self-love. This involves glamour magic and you will be able to add more glamours in if you wish. Focus on yourself this year. Prioritize self-care, especially when times get dark. You may repeat this ritual however many times you wish throughout the year.

What you'll need:

• Mirror (any kind will do)

• Self-love oil (or any oil having to do with love)

• Red wine, a cocktail, a mocktail, or juice of some sort for non-alcoholic options

• Ground cinnamon or cinnamon sugar, depending on what will taste best with your drink

• A relaxed environment where you will not be interrupted

1) Set up a peaceful, relaxing environment around the mirror. I recommend a relaxing playlist in the background, your seven-day candle next to you, scented candles, pretty shiny things (such as crystals), and objects soft to the touch. Tantalize your five senses. Have something for each one in front of the mirror.

2) Anoint the mirror with the oil. You may wish to draw a self-love sigil on it, this is my preferred method. Another suggestion is to draw these sigils on your body with the oil before starting.

3) As you sit or stand in front of the mirror, I want you to list the things you love about yourself physically first. "I love my thick black hair" or "I love my long legs" or "I love my enchanting eyes" are some examples. Name aloud at least five things.

4) Next, I want you to list at least five personality traits you love about yourself in the same manner as above.

5) If you want to cast any beauty glamours, this would be the ideal time to do so. I recommend glamours relating to confidence, radiance, and recognizing or amplifying your beauty, especially for the things listed.

6) Grab your drink. As you sprinkle your cinnamon or cinnamon sugar in there, recite an incantation. Hold your hands over the top of the glass once the cinnamon is in and radiate the energy of the incantation out of the palms of your hands. I have one below that I recommend adjusting to your needs:

"As I sip from this glass,

I am falling in love with who I am and the strong person I have become.

I admire my mind and body,

The (list some personality traits) that inspires me to dance with life itself.

With each sip,

This love grows.

Each taste brings me closer to acceptance and confidence,

To sexual and sensual empowerment,

To finding the beauty in every part of me that I had not seen before.

My skin glows like the moon,

My hair shines like the stars,

My eyes enchant anyone who looks into them,

My luscious lips speak my truth fearlessly,

My body is strong and beautiful,

I am in love with every part of it and this radiates into my energetic field.

With the last sip,

So mote it be and this spell shall be free."

7) With each sip, feel it empowering you and filling you with love and compassion towards yourself. See yourself transform in the mirror in the areas you are self-conscious about. Begin to see your skin taking on a luminous glow and your hair shining. See your eyes become enchanting and your face soften with taking in the beauty of you. Visualize and feel each of these things, even if you don't fully believe it yet. Repeat every Friday as needed (which is Venus' day). Monday is another option, which is the Moon's day.

Watch your confidence begin to grow. I'll have more posts on glamour magic in the near-future if you are looking to learn more about it. The information & masterpost for this spell series is here if you are looking for it!