#it wasn't even supposed to have arms but having them gives a bonus to making friends

[laroserie]

— characters : my oc's - separate ! ( yandere!incubus - yandere!omega - yandere!high noble fae - yandere!piercer )

— content : x gender neutral reader - spending christmas with them, typical holiday fluff, the yandere-ness isn't really here ( expect for yan!omega )

— authors note : ... i haven't posted the introduction post for my yandere piercer but ! it's okay :) also ! this was supposed to be a lil bonus but writers block is kicking my ass so you get this

• yandere! incubus

Before you he wasn't exactly big on doing christmas at home - he used to go out in bars and picked people up to go have 'fun' in the bathroom of the said bars.

After you came into his life, and he kidnapped you, he obviously stopped doing that and finally saw the perspective that christmas was a holiday to spent with thoses that are dear to you. And well, you were more than dear to him.

He will set up and decorate the christmas tree with you - he prefer for it to be neat so he may fix up what you put up when you aren't in the room.

In term of christmas eve, unless you are a good cook - you both are eating a regular take out for it, but he will purchase a yule log though !

And for christmas in itself, he will buy you a gift - you most likely will know what it is in advance because he isn't exactly discrete when asking what 'you could eventually want but it's only hypothetical and totally not for christmas'.

On the 25th of december, he will wake you up very early, like 6am. He will act surprised and happy whatever you gift him. Will jump into your arms and kiss you. And you better act surprised and happy at this gift too if you don't want him to be all grumpy.

• yandere! omega

Asper most likely forces you two to spent christmas like a 'regular' couple - except for the all hanging out outside and looking at the decorations or going to a christmas market. It maybe a holiday season but he cannot afford any risks or you leaving him.

He will try his best though. He will decorate the entire house to be christmas themed - in the hope that he may win a few points with you, after all yes. He may be holding you captive but hey, at least he made the house cute, he deserves something for that right ?

He'll try to make you forget for a moment your current situation - he is delusional enough to think that him trying to give you a sense of normalcy ( which he do mostly for himself ) may make you like him more - or forgive him a bit for kidnapping you.

He's the type to cook an entire christmas dinner and force feed you it - he will buy oysters force them down your throat, he will cook scallops and cut them in smalls bits and make you eat them while you are tied up to a chair, with red ropes, obviously.

• yandere! high noble fae

Christmas is not really a thing for faes, they have somewhat similar holiday, mostly focused around gift giving and spending time with your family but it happen during the summer and is quite underwhelming compared to christmas.

Realistically they already knew about christmas but they couldn't bring it first, they could wait for you to bring it up. But they already have prepared a few things like a gift for you and a small tree, it's in one of their closet which they forbade you from cleaning since you started working as a servant.

Once you bring up christmas, they laugh at your face and tell you something along the line of 'Do you really think, I could celebrate a silly human holiday ? How do you take me for ?' but it will be quickly followed by a 'Well, if you beg well enough I may indulge you.". Even if you don't beg, they will be very much in on celebrating christmas.

With only the two of you of course ! They refuses to get anyone else involved - with the exceptions of their family cook which they will give the tasks of cooking.

They use this as an occasions to make a ginger bread house, they saw various things about it while reading human literature and they always wanted to try so they will act as if they only did it for you. ( The house ended up breaking after 30 seconds and the kitchen they borrowed was such a mess, cleaning up was awful and they regret their idea - they still check it out of their list of thing to do. )

• yandere! piercer

Thomas was never big on christmas and it doesn't change with you - if you really insist in it he will try his best to be enthusiastic about it but don't expect too much from him.

He won't even help you decorate or anything - at most he will get you a gift for christmas that he won't brother wrapping up and will accompany you at a christmas market solely for the food, and because he does find it cute and romantic to walk around with you in the snow.

[fyodior]

It's like 6am now but brain is Thonking Things and I gotta get them out before I forget them

The thought of the day is: getting pregnant with twins

I just know oda would be the happiest out of them all to find that out, like we were supposed to have only one child but now we're getting a bonus one too?? We get to take care of two more kids?? Best day of his life. As soon as you tell him you're gonna have twins I can see him looking at you with his usual neutral face like this 😐 while you can hear the cogs spinning in his brain for a moment as he processes what you said fdjsjdj then a moment later he comes to terms with the fact that the two of you have really been blessed and he hugs you close to himself and tells you how happy he is and how much he loves you with a bit of a wobbly voice bc he's just that happy🥺 the next day he's going to his usual restaurant to tell the owner and the orphans how they're going to have two new friends soon

Dazai would be kinda shocked bc we're gonna have two mini demons running around the house instead of just one??? Am I gonna have to share my belladonna's affections with both of them??? On the outside he's going to act like a clown as usual, telling everyone in the ada about the news and having kunikida nag him for hours everyday bc DON'T YOU DARE MAKE YOUR CHILDREN BECOME SUICIDE MANIACS LIKE YOU!! cjsjsjs But on the inside, having a child with you was already a big choice that required lots of trust for him, but after he hears the news and accepts them he goes to oda's grave and tells him as well, he tells him that he's finally settled down with you and is going to have a family and how happy he is to get to do this this you. "I hope you're proud of me, Odasaku."

Chuuya was already reluctant having just one child with you bc he's a mafia executive and he knows his profession/position could endanger you (not that he'd ever let someone hurt you ofc) but then the two of you agreed to try and have one child to see how the situation would change. He didn't expect that at all when you told him you were having twins, he just stared at you with a mix of joy and shock and he didn't even know what to say. He didn't want to upset you so first he might go to kouyou to talk about his concerns, and after she reassures him that everything will be alright he comes back home and swears to himself to do everything he can to help you throughout the pregnancy and after the children are born. Once he's holding both of them for the first time in his arms he might try to act all tough but then he slowly breaks down into tears and cries with you

Now for fyodor, everything he does is calculated, so having you get pregnant might also have been a calculated act on his part. He decided that this time would be the best for the two of you to have a child bc his plans wouldn't interfere with the pregnancy and viceversa so he bred you extra hard yk djsksks what wasn't calculated tho was you having twins. He knew it was a possibility ofc but he didn't expect that to actually happen. He is obviously happy and gives you lots of praise and patience throughout the pregnancy, making sure your health is at its peak at all times and spoiling you with whatever you might want on your bad days. He might find it endearing when you're so close to crying bc your belly is too big and you can't koala-hug him on his lap anymore jdjsjsdjs you know that some people put headphones on their belly to make the child listen to music? He does that too with you but in the extra fancy way that is playing the cello next to your bed. I'm trying so hard to keep this sfw but my brain keeps chanting pregnancy sex pregnancy sex djdjsjdj

- 💍

my brain is also chanting pregnancy sex at all times always and forever. also everything utc because this got long as per usual

and you're so fucking right abt all of them kfljslf;ksjkd oda would be ECSTATIC because. idk if he necessarily wants a big family but he wants more than one, though the thought of you suffering multiple times for multiple babies is so painful for him. so the fact that you're getting TWO babies for the pain of only one pregnancy makes him soooo happy like it's probably everything he could've asked for. and when you're freaking out bc you were already worried about keeping up with care for one baby and now there's gonna be two, he easily calms you down and assures you he's gonna be there every single step of the way bc you're a team. and even tho any mention of the orphans fills me with debilitating pain it melts my fucking heart thinking abt how over the moon they'd be esp because they rarely see oda that happy. he would ADORE your body too

like you said with dazai it definitely would take a LOT of trust and chewing on the idea for him to even be willing to try for a baby, and that's with expecting only one at a time lskfjskd and i can see him only wanting one in general. he'd so paint on a dazai-typical happy silly face for his coworkers but yeah it'd be a pretty major internal struggle for him at first. and all of the agency is a little bit scared bc they could barely picture dazai with one kid but now he's gonna have 2 LMAO but they know you well and trust that you'll raise them well. and you know that dazai's heart is so big and he's such a good guy that'd genuinely want the best for his babies and would work so hard to be a good father, probably thinking of odasaku and what he would do a lot. and the thought of him sitting at his grave to tell him is fr tearing me apart that fucking hurts lfdsjsdkl i can see him bringing a bottle of liquor and pouring two glasses, just talking like. "two! crazy, isn't it? i think you'd be a great uncle." and he'd definitely tell his kids allll about their uncle oda </3

ur right because chuuya would act so brave but would fucking flip out - but he knows you're anxious as hell about it so you wouldn't hear a second of it. i agree i think that kouyou would be the first person he went to, like the only realistically responsible adult he knows flkadsfljdks when mori finds out he'll be so excited and want to dote all over them and have them play with elise but chuuya would be like only under my supervision you fucking weirdo LMAO he's a very smart guy who's amazing at troubleshooting and dealing with any situation but i think he struggles with it more in his personal life, though he'd find his footing eventually. he'd realize that the most important thing by far is supporting and helping you the whole way, doing anything and everything he can because whatever stress he's feeling you're definitely feeling tenfold. when chuuya loves he loves hard, and that applies to both you and his kids

i think fyodor would definitely be mostly prepared for the scenario of twins, but still be taken aback because he didn't quite expect it to actually happen aldfja;kdfj he would def spoil you to death even to the point where ur like i love you but chill. i think he'd be excited though. im guessing he's never had a loving, supportive family who genuinely cares for each other (and shows it) so i think (with time, i wouldn't say he's necessarily like this now) he'd be very happy to not only show love to a whole family but to receive it too. to be looked up to and revered with unconditional love by 2 babies is something unfathomable to him. he's similar to chuuya in that when he loves, he loves HARD. and every single waking second would be spent protecting you, which would obviously increase to protecting his 2 babies. it would be hard for him, but the now 3 of you are his entire world and he's very protective/possessive - no one is allowed to step anywhere near those kids for a while alkfjlskdjfds "can we please homeschool them?" "no. they're going to real school fedya." similar to oda but probably more so, he would absolutely adore and revere your changing body, would be absolutely obsessed with your growing baby bump that is obvi bigger with two babies. he wants to touch it and be near it and play music for it all the time, sometimes he talks to your stomach more than he talks to you aldsfjadslkj i love him so much :(

[suitov]

Wrong on Multi Levels (Kamukoma Week '24)

"You attempted to brainwash him," repeated Izuru.

"And it went despairingly wrong."

"And it went wrong."

"I only wanted to show him the joys of despair!"

"I told you to leave him out of your schemes."

"Well, good friends share their toys!" said Junko Enoshima.

"You qualify as neither."

"And anyway it didn't work, so I don't see why you're bitching."

Izuru looked at his property. His property currently had two first-years cornered and was looming over them, trying to sell them 'reasonably-priced' starter kits.

"Interfere with him again and I shall make your life extremely unpleasant and despair-free," he told his omg✨bestie✨5✨eva. And Izuru Kamukura swished away.

---------

"The compensation plan is a little complicated and I'm gay, but I figured it out," Nagito was telling his classmates. "Each month you have two legs and the payout -- well, first I have to explain recruitment..."

"Wh-what's he on about?" whined Mikan. "I-I'm pretty sure he's d-delirious. He keeps talking about things that don't make sense -- more than usual,, I mean,,, like lines down and talentpreneurs--"

"Downline," corrected Izuru, making her shriek by appearing out of nowhere as usual. "Do not buy things from him and do not sign up for things."

"But he r-really wants me to,,, and he looks so sad if you say no,,,, and he said he's only ten sales away from ranking up his m-monthly bonus,,"

"He has an illness," Izuru said. "Recovery depends on his not being encouraged and not dragging others into the delusion."

("Holy shit, you guys!" said Leon, ignoring them on his way to talk to his friends. "I just got an amazing deal on some oils that'll make the chicks flock to me, guaranteed!"

"Guaranteed?" asked Kazuichi.

"And they disinfect your piercings, too!")

---------

"Quit?" repeated Nagito in shock. "But I'm already so successful! Half the school is signed up under my team and my personal sales volume is already at Premium Tiara Peach Passion level even before reinvesting my profits!"

"You are engaged in a business scam and dragging others into it," said Izuru. "Others who, lacking your luck, are 99.7% likely to lose money in this scheme."

"Well... maybe, if you trust the income disclosure documents," said Nagito with scorn. "But you know what I say. Never tell me the odds!"

"You have not said that, ever."

"If you'd just join, you could be my upline," said Nagito, whose eyes were big and practically rippling. "You could lock arms with me and my tribe of boss-Ultimates and change lives all over the world simply by sharing the incredible, organic, cruelty-free, vegan, hope-filled products you love. It would mean a lot to me. Please, hon?"

Izuru, faced with the full wattage of that smile, hesitated.

---------

"Well, you never said you wanted a way to undo it!" whined Ryota.

"You never said it'd go fucky-wucky and make him start a pyramid scheme!"

"It wasn't supposed to! You must've used it wrong!"

"Anyway, cure. Before I start cutting parts off you."

"I can't work in these conditions!" he bleated. "Mukuro's already tried to sell me a diffuser and it's not even morning bell!"

"Huh," said Junko. "Bitch didn't try to sell me a diffuser."

"That's not the point!"

"Just make an undo button for it already, hikikomori."

---------

"Further research," said Izuru, "has revealed that the proper treatment of this disease is to give Nagito Komaeda whatever he wants forever."

"U-um,," replied Mikan.

"And to tell him he is pretty. And cute, and good."

"I-I think it's,, getting worse,,," she told Ibuki.

"That stuff smells gross!" complained Akane.

"Just one drop of basil oil in your pasta will fill you with manly passion!" Nekomaru bellowed down at Teruteru.

"You can't ingest that stuff, cher!"

"You can! It's vegan and organic!"

"So is deadly nightshade..."

"They grow their own lavender!" Nekomaru roared at some fleeing freshmen.

---------

"I'll never live this down," Junko Enoshima moaned, kicking a broken stall off the school walkway.

"At least we stopped it," said Ryota. "And I can go outside again now that stinky stuff isn't giving me asthma attacks."

"I can't believe I saved this freaking school!"

"Um, well, I did all the--"

"And as for Izuru, that backstabbing hoe! Ditching me to play mommy's makeup store with some sickly luck slut!"

"That's not a nice thing to ca--"

"Can't rely on anyone for anything," snarled Junko, pausing to stomp a few discarded vials into an essential oil slick.

Ryota pulled on a face mask hurriedly. "Did anyone actually make any money, you think?"

"Well, I did."

"What? But you didn't even join in all the selling..."

"Bought a 50:50 share in Komaeda's outfit as soon as he started. That guy's luck is something else."

"Does that mean you're going to pay me for any of the work I've done?"

"No," said Junko.

[starpirateee]

Hey! Inspired by that previous request could I suggest Curt having a panic attack and Owen helping him through it? Bonus points if it's because he thinks his mom knows you-know-what.

Oooooo, of course you can! I am nothing if not a nervous gay wreck, and I will take some of that projection!

Rule number 1 was never talk to Curt Mega about past missions. Owen was familiar with the rule. It was the one thing he'd kept reminding himself of over and over. Not everything was in the bad books, but there were enough things that Curt could recall in surprisingly vivid detail that sent him into nervous spirals, and they didn't seem to have a pattern to them, so Owen had just learned to avoid the subject unless he was certain it was a good bet.

Presently, he could hear near enough everything outside of the door to his hotel room. Groups of people walking the corridors, going about their lives... The occasional housekeeping call from the staff... Even down to someone's frantic footsteps seemingly running down the hall, followed by an almost drastic intake of breath, and then a knock.

On his door.

Two short, three long.

Owen was at the door before the call could finish. That code belonged to one man, who was currently residing two floors up and had presumably run all that way.

"Curt?"

He stepped aside immediately, before his partner could even give an explanation, and Curt hesitated for a fraction of a second before he took himself up on the offer and brought himself inside. Owen scoped the corridor briefly to make sure that the problem wasn't that he was being pursued, and then turned towards Curt as he closed the door. "What's going on, Curt?"

It wasn't easy to ignore the wild, manic something that had gripped Curt's nervous system, forcing his eyes to go wide and his breath to run short. There was little in the way of explanation, but he could tell what was happening without needing it.

Owen offered Curt the chair, and chose to lean against the wall, folding his arms over his chest. "Is this okay?"

Long ago, the two of them had devised something of an elaborate code to get close to each other in the wake of a dangerous or public-facing circumstance. It was their way of signalling when there was a problem, and how urgently they needed to do something about it.

When Curt had admitted that he was prone to panicking, that had been added to the code as a means to decipher, simply because finding the right words wasn't always the easiest of tasks.

Curt shifted, trying to make himself more comfortable, and then nodded stiffly. Owen inclined his head and hummed, waiting on elaboration before he could try and figure anything out. Eventually, Curt took a breath, kneading one hand repeatedly over the fabric of his trousers. "There's... There's a problem," he muttered. "Hadta find you." His gaze was fixed on a point on the ground, and even from his slight distance, Owen could see him shaking.

"What kind of problem?" He wasn't exactly known for having the patience of a saint, but he could make a lot of exceptions for Curt, and extending his virtue to account for as much patience as he could physically muster was one of them.

"... Cold case."

As Curt drew a folder from his pocket, Owen's face fell. A cold case— not necessarily something pulled from an archive, but something that had been pulled directly from their past. Something that had come back to haunt him. Maybe something mentioned in the file, or a name involved with one of the cases they weren't supposed to talk about...

"How cold?" Owen asked cautiously, wandering over and taking a seat on the ground to look it over. Curt's hand dropped from his trousers and he reached out, half expectant. Owen absently took his awaiting hand in his own, and started running gentle circles into the back with his thumb.

"Five months."

Of course he knew. There was probably an approximation of something more specific in his head— perhaps down to the exact date— but Owen wasn't expecting to hear that in any capacity. With his free hand, he flipped open the file and read the first page. He was looking for something that rang as familiar to him, but he couldn't find anything worth noticing, or anything he recognised.

Curt was sincerely hoping that Owen was able to work it out, because he strictly wasn't allowed to say a lot on the matter. It was just about ready to haunt him, and he knew this mission wouldn't be easy if he had to deal with it on his own. His thoughts were currently incapable of presenting themselves in any way other than the scrambled mess that had occured as soon as he'd registered the weight of the debrief.

Again and again, Owen's eyes passed over the document, and his brow furrowed with each failed attempt to make something of it. Then, something made him stop in his tracks. There was a name listed in among the other words, plain as day now that he'd noticed it, and quite difficult to ignore. That was something not only familiar to Curt, but to him as well.

"Oh, God."

Curt watched Owen's expression change, grow the slight of recognition that was all too familiar to him. The fact that he was concerned about it too meant that he remembered. And that was about all the comfort he could've asked for in the moment.

"January...."

Curt just nodded in response to that, as Owen seemed to bring himself back to his senses for long enough to close the file. January. The last time Curt had gotten caught. It wasn't a pleasant experience for either of them, but least of all for Curt, who afterwards elected to not shave for six weeks, to hide the deep scar that ran down from his chin until it looked vaguely less horrific.

The constant, repeating feeling of Owen's thumb against his hand was bringing him back into some semblance of reality, but he knew that they were both aware of how bad a situation this was.

"I... See why I'm here now." Owen managed. This case was one assigned to both of them, and initially it hadn't made sense, but now— seeing that name and knowing the face of the bastard it belonged to— the pieces were starting to fit into place. And the picture didn't look good.

He looked up, his free hand moving up towards Curt's cheek until Curt leaned in and met him halfway. Their eyes met. The base of Owen's palm was resting up against the scar. It made it feel strangely tight, but for some reason, Curt found it better that way; it was better if he could try and attribute it to something else, anyway.

Owen seemed to notice his positioning and attempted to shift his hand a little, but Curt took his wrist in his free hand and shook its head. "... 'S fine."

"You sure?"

A nod. Owen sighed, relaxing his hand again. "Listen, Curt... You don't have to go in there alone, okay? You're not alone, and you never have been. I'll have your back, right?"

Another nod. He was quite sure that Owen could be trusted to have his back, especially when his head was this much of a mess. He never had been very good at the past... "I tr- I trust you."

Owen managed a slight smile. "Good. Then trust me that that bastard Michael Jenner won't be able to lay so much as a fucking finger on you while I'm around. Did you know this case was going to be like this?"

"No..."

"Frankly, you're doing more than you accounted for just by being here, then... Give yourself some credit, Curt, you've gotten this far..."

"What if I- I can't face him?"

"Then you don't have to. This mission is split for a reason, I'm more than obliged to pick up on your lead, should you be willing to do mine."

"Right... Right, yeah..." He gave Owen's wrist an awkwardly angled squeeze, just to really cement that this was happening right now, that he'd actually made it to his hotel room, and they were actually talking about this now. "Thanks, Owen." I love you. I don't deserve you.

"Don't mention it, Curt. It'd be my pleasure to knock some sense into that tosser." I love you too. Don't you dare forget it.

[givemea-dam-break]

could i request angst prompts 16, 27 and 37 (maybe a bonus 49) for lockwood x reader? i love your writing so much, you’re literally one of my favourite fic writers <3

a/n: awwww thank you i’m so glad you like my stuff!! and yesssss of course you all know how much i love writing angst!!! as per usual, this kind of thing needed to be set on a rainy day because what better angst than rainy angst is there?

warnings: angst ofc, mild language prompts: "What if I love you?", "Don't say we can still be friends. It never works like that." and "I made a mistake coming here." gn reader

It wasn't meant to go like this.

In the movies, the girl always gets the guy. The main characters always fall in love, even when things go wrong. Issues are always resolved. There's always a happy ending.

So where's yours?

You've done nothing but try. Try to be a good friend; try to be the best person you could be. Hell, you tried to be happy while the person you love most in the world seemed to take an interest in anyone but you. But it has amounted to nothing. Absolutely nothing.

As the rain seeps through your thin jacket and your jeans, you feel like a statue, entirely unmoving and frozen in place. How are you supposed to move with what you've just said to the boy you love, your closest friend, the person you would give anything not to lose?

What if I love you?

The words seem to hang in the air between you and Lockwood, a tangible thing you could reach out and hold and snap if you so wish. Not even the rain can wash them away.

Lockwood stands before you, wet hair plastered to his forehead, cheeks flushed from the November air. He's just as still as you, not even his eyes moving from your face. Those dark eyes you had just been staring longingly into. The ones you've found comfort in for years. The ones you know you'll never be able to face again.

Fuck.

You want to bash your head off the wall just a few feet away or melt into the puddles beneath your feet, never to be seen again. You want to scream and curse at yourself for being so stupid, for ruining something so good. Even though he wasn't yours, at least you had him. Now there's no chance of that.

"I'm sorry," you murmur. "I don't - I, um..."

What can you say? I'm sorry for admitting my love to you even though I am extremely aware you don't feel the same? No, you can't. He's completely capable of telling you that simply through the pained expression on his face.

"I made a mistake coming here," you say, glancing at the street of cafés you stand on currently. You had agreed to grab a coffee with Lockwood while you were case-free, but now you realise how much of a mistake that was. "I think I'm going to, uh..."

What? Head home? You live in the same house as him. You've nowhere to go, nowhere in the city, at least. God, you never realised how hard it would be to make an escape plan in a city like London. It's likely you can't afford a hotel room to hide in for the next million years, not with the wage you're being paid.

"You don't have to go," Lockwood says, and you notice the weird tone of his voice. He's confused and concerned, and you can tell he feels guilty though he's got no need to feel it. He's not obligated to return your feelings.

You wrap your arms around yourself, clinging to any warmth you can find. "We both know I do, Lockwood. I can't - I've ruined things between us. And I didn't - I didn't mean to say it, believe me, but now I just... Now that you know, I can't stay. Not at Portland Row, not here, not for a little while at least. It's too much."

"Just because we feel different," he says, "doesn't mean you can't stay, (name). We can still -"

"Don't say we can still be friends," you interrupt. "It never works like that."

He looks desperate for a moment, and he reaches out to touch your arm, the way he always does when he knows you're upset, but you move back a step, out of his reach. You're afraid that if he touches you, you'll implode.

"I know you don't feel the same," you say, looking anywhere but at him. "And that's okay. Honestly, it is. I just need space, is all."

You feel selfish for saying it, but it's true. Being around him now that he knows will be too hard. You want to believe that things can go back to how they were when you were both as close as close could be, but you're right. It never works out that way. You can't sit in his house, being paid by him for your work, watching him take interest in other people when you long for him to see you that way.

"I won't be gone forever," you say, but you both know it's a lie.

Unless there's some miracle, there's a very slim chance of you staying with Lockwood, Lucy, and George indefinitely. The thought of having to try and forget feelings so strong while living with him feels like you're tearing your own heart out. It's easier to just remove yourself from a situation like that.

"This all..." He rakes a hand through his hair, and the frown on his face makes your heart ache, yearning for that beautiful smile of his. "It's a bit drastic and rushed, don't you think? Can't you - can't you just stay?"

You shake your head. "I need time to work through everything."

"You haven't even thought this through! Twenty minutes ago, we were going to head home together, and you would stay."

"Lockwood -"

"You can't just leave. Not when - (name), I can't lose you."

Your heart shatters when he says that.

After knowing Lockwood for a few years, he's trusted you enough to tell you of his family's deaths, and his fear of losing more people. It's why he's always stayed a step removed from people until you. It kills you to think you'll cause him pain like that, making his fear come true. But, for your own sanity, you can't stay.

"I'm sorry. I just -"

His arms are around you before you can really comprehend it, holding you so, so close. You can hear his heartbeat, feel the warmth of his skin beneath the cold rain, and it's the worst form of torture you could ever conjure up.

"Please, stay."

You've never been able to deny him anything. Not a late-night stroll, not a secret extra biscuit behind George's back, not an under-researched case he just wants to get out of the way.

And, despite the agony in your chest, you still can't deny him. It's because you love him so much that you can't, so much that you'd willingly put yourself through the pain of his presence just so he could be happy. You can't leave him, no matter how hard it is to stay; no matter how painful the feeling in your chest is because you know how badly his losses have affected him. You can't be the one to inflict that sort of pain again.

So, as your heart tears itself apart and tries to stitch it back together, you say, "Yes." Because no will not leave your lips.

[the-teapot-hatter]

No bc imagine like MC using one of those gigantic lily pads instead of a small boat (bc boats are expensive) to fish and fucking Jack just sees this human fishing on a giant lily pad. Bonus points if they wear like put the flower on their head as like a hat or smth for “camouflage” LMAOO

Jack has seen a lot of strange things as a part of the Navy. For obvious reasons. Not only would they sometimes be pulled away to suit the position of regular guardsmen, but they would frequently go out with Sailers and deal with pirates.

But even with all of the strange things that Jack has seen, this is by far one of the strangest. To the point, all Jack could think was 'what the hell--'

Sitting on a giant lily bad, paddling out with some twig from a fallen branch, was the strange little human that he's been seeing around recently. Stranger yet, they were wearing the flower from the lily pad on top of their head, with a completely straight look on their face, unmoving.

'Do they think they're blending in or something!?' Jack didn't know what to think. Being left with complete disbelief, though this was far from the first time. Their first meeting, if it could even be called that, also left Jack completely speechless.

Then there was the fact that they were fishing, something they weren't supposed to be doing and was definitely illegal. Jack understands not being able to pay the expensive prices in the market for seafood, however a license is needed for a reason.

People who get licenses have to go through a handful of procedures and background checks, not only to make sure they are as safe as they possibly can be, but to make sure they don't have any affiliations with pirates.

Actually, it could be said that it was to avoid situations like this, because attempting to fish on a giant lily pad certainly wasn't the correct way to go about things.

Just as Jack was about to shout out for them, so they'd come back to shore and give him some other strange and out there excuse like all the other times before, they suddenly wildly jerked around and attempted to stab the water with their stick.

(Not entirely surprising either. One needed a license to buy proper fishing material, but this was ridiculous.)

Unsurprisingly, such an action caused them to tumble into the water. Jack sighed to himself, waiting for them to remerge at any given moment. Only, that's not what happened.

Instead, what he say was wildly flailing arms in the water, and a series of suspicious bubbles. They were drowning. This is why a license is needed. So it can be checked if you can actually swim.

Appalled, and a bit amused, by their stupidity, Jack jumped into the water in a hurry. He didn't appreciate them breaking the law (he had absolutely no right to judge), but he wasn't going to let them die because they were doing whatever it was that they were doing.

When Jack finally did manage to reach them, he was kicked, punched, whacked at (with both stick and fish). He was partially convinced they were trying to take him down with them.

"I'm trying to help you! Hold still!!" Jack snapped, only for them to turn on him with the most offended look, completely unwarranted since he was helping them, and shout--

"I'm a single parent with a child to feed and three guests to host. You won't take me alive!!" Before promptly whacking him with their fish, that they miraculously caught. Is this how Leona felt when he first met them?

"You? What? No, just hold still!" Jack argued, struggling to get a hold of them as they kept slipping away. To add insult to injury, when they finally seemed to be accepting his help, they used him as a stepping stool to get back to the giant lily pad.

Then began paddling away as quickly as possible.

Jack watched, amazed by the sheer absurdity of it all. He could easily catch up to them, but he had never actually been planning on arresting them. So, he watched on to make sure they didn't nearly drown again, where they watched him with a weary glare. Running off once they were on dry land.

Hours later, he was asked a question he hadn't been expecting.

"Howl, why do you have a flower on your head?" One of his other fellow Navy officers asked. He reached up, patting his head, surprised to feel something off.

He grabbed the offended material, pulling it down to reveal a flower. The very same flower the utter idiot had been wearing earlier today. How humiliating.

However, if not for the flower, he was sure he would think it was nothing more than one big fever dream.

[imtrashraccoon]

Well here we are... The grand finale. Fair warning, this took me most of the day to write and is just under 4,000 words. It is rougher than I prefer but I am ultimately happy with it.

@scrambledmeggys Thank you so much for the prompt list! I had an absolute blast coming up with creative ways to spin them.

First Day, Previous Day, & Bonus One.

Day 30: Souls

Unfortunately, you had to travel through the MTT resort in order to get through the Core and then to the castle. You didn't think it would be so bad, so long as Mettaton himself wasn't there... Except, of course, he was waiting for you in the lobby.

The robot was rolling back in forth in front of the pair of double doors that lead into the Core. He had one set of his arms crossed while the other pair hung limply by his sides, giving off the picture of dejectedness but also impatience. There was no way past him without having a conversation, although notably there didn't seem to be anyone else in the rest of the lobby, not even the receptionist.

Both Papyrus and Sans seemed slightly irritated to see the robot but they didn't voice their annoyance out loud. They also understood that the only way past was to actually talk to the robot.

Mettaton looked up when you approached and you mentally prepared yourself to have to deal with his dramatics. It didn't help that your first meeting had gone just about as poorly as was possible. But, he didn't say anything at first and actually seemed...upset?

"So you made it past the ambush afterall," he commented. His voice was slightly quieter than usual but it still had that harsh, robotic quality to it.

When Papyrus merely crossed his arms and grumbled under his breath, Mettaton sighed and ran a hand over his LCD screen. "I suppose I should first apologize for how our previous encounter ended. I understand I was out of line and my questions were rather inconsiderate. So, I am sorry, to both you and Papyrus."

You nodded slowly, "I accept your apology but a simple sorry doesn't make us friends. I am not against being friends by any means, but you'll have to forgive me for not immediately forgetting all of what you said."

"And you shouldn't. What I did was completely selfish and I can see now that it had farther reaching consquences than I had ever intended..."

"What The Hell?!" Papyrus growled and took a step forward in a threatening manner. "You Were The One Who Told The King?!"

Mettaton held up his hands and backed away slightly. "It wasn't my original intention... All I did was briefly feature you two on my gossip show. I really didn't mean for the King himself to notice, especially with how well you'd been staying hidden."

Papyrus clenched his fists so tightly, you could audibly hear his leather gloves squeak in protest. "You Did Enough... Do Not Think I Was Bluffing Either, You Walking Piece Of Scrap!"

Mettaton seemed to hang his head, even if it was basically impossible with how his body was so rectangle shaped, and let out a robotic sigh. "Again, I am sorry..." he muttered. "If you'll let me try, I will do anything to make amends."

Your ears picked up at the sound of that and you moved to stand next to Papyrus. Putting a gentle hand on his arm, you smiled up at him sweetly before turning to address the robot again.

"Anything? What exactly can you do to make up for everything at this point?" you asked calmly.

Mettaton seemed to perk up slightly and he rolled forward again. "If you are to have any luck with convincing the King to make peace with the humans, your chances will be more likely to succeed if public opinion of you is positive. Alphys has already agreed to help me with finding the needed footage, but I am asking for your permission to address the rest of Monsterkind on your behalf."

"That's...actually really helpful of you. I'd appreciate it if you would as we could use all the help we can get right now."

Before either Papyrus or Sans could protest, Mettaton snapped his fingers and seemingly out of nowhere, at least a dozen monsters appeared. They all carried various pieces of sound or recording equipment and you realized Mettaton must have been serious if he had had an entire film crew already waiting.

"Thank you, darling. I won't let you down again." Turning to the crew, Mettaton's voice returned to his usual volume. "We're up next folks! Get ready for a special announcement, we go live in one minute!"

While the film crew began bustling around setting everything up, you and the brothers took the opportunity to leave while everyone was distracted. As soon as you'd gone through the double doors, the chatter from the monsters faded and was replaced by a consistent low humming sound. The air felt almost charged with energy and you now knew that this was the Core - the source of all power in the Underground.

You weren't here for sight seeing though, as much as you would've liked to tour the facility and see how it worked. That would have to be for another day, provided everything went well with the King and breaking the barrier anyways.

To say you were nervous was an understatement. You had only heard evil things about the King so far. He had been the ruler of Monsterkind before even the Great War that had sealed them away down here. While he'd always ruled with an iron fist, he'd apparently only grown crueler after both the loss of his children and then his wife leaving him. In his rage, he'd declared war on Humanity and mandated that all humans who entered the Underground were to be killed and their souls captured. His original intention had been to break the barrier and wage war until every last human was dead.

But, you were also hopeful. It had been several decades since the last human soul was captured and it seemed that many Monsters had grown tired of the one-sided conflict. With a little luck, you might be able to make a good case for why the war should end. You had your friends behind you as well, which helped ease your nerves a little.

You'd finally reached the Last Corridor and you felt ready to face the King. A bit of a somber mood had settled over the group by this point and rather than continuing onwards, Sans paused for a moment at the end of the hallway.

"Is something wrong?" you asked quietly.

He shook his skull and turned to look at you properly. "nah, i was just thinkin' is all. things could've turned out a lot different, but i'm glad we took the time to get to know you and the kid." His permanent smile widened and you smiled at him in return.

Papyrus nodded soberly, "Agreed, I Regret Nothing, Save That I Wish We Could Have Met Under Different Circumstances."

You couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Maybe, although I'm glad it turned out this way. I've learned so much this last year and I don't regret a thing."

"Me neither. It was scary at first but I can't remember ever having this much fun! I love all of you," Frisk signed. They smiled warmly at everyone and you nuzzled their head affectionately.

"I couldn't put it any better." Turning to the brothers, you smiled and asked, "Shall we go?"

They nodded and Papyrus put his arm around your shoulders, pulling you closer to himself. You nearly lost your balance because you were still holding Frisk, but he held you steady. For a moment, he was silent and just gazed into your eyes like he was trying to remember this or maybe he was just debating whether he should kiss you or not.

You made the decision for him though and planted a quick kiss on his clavicle, even if you had to jump a little to do so. His zygomatic bones flushed a soft scarlet but he didn't seem embarrassed, just content. It was kind of reassuring to see actually, and you knew that no matter what happened next, you would make the right decision, together.

Just then, Undyne sprinted into the hallway and you were surprised to see that she was carrying Alphys under one arm. The fish lady jogged up to you before finally setting the poor scientist down.

"I told ya I'd catch up!" Undyne exclaimed. "Alphy wanted to come too, otherwise I would've met you at the resort, but, we're here now."

"I'm so glad you could make it!" You grinned and nearly went to hug her, but thought better of it as you were holding Frisk and didn't want to squish them.

Undyne cracked her neck and smacked her fist into her palm. "Alright, let's talk to this tyrant..." she growled.

< ~ - . - ~ >

When you all stepped into the throne room, King Asgore was sat on his throne and clearly had been waiting for your arrival. He certainly cut a very intimidating figure and at the same time looked exactly like what you'd pictured a Monster King to look like.

He had scruffy white fur, long black hair that cascaded over his neck, a matching well trimmed beard, and large pointy horns similar to bull's horns. His eyes were yellow but there was a ring of red around the black sclera. His overall appearance seemed similar to a goat, what with the long floppy ears and muzzle, although he did also have sharp fangs and claws. He wore a very intricate suit of gold plated armour with massive shoulder pauldrons and a long, flowing red cape. There was also a crown with numerous precious stones perched on his head.

He was quite evidently not happy to see you and his scowl deepened considerably. However, he didn't say anything at first and slowly rose to meet you.

"So, you've finally brought the human to me..."

His voice started low but carried a noticeable weight that demanded respect, almost like a distant rumble of thunder signalling an impending storm. You could see now for yourself why he was so feared and he'd only just started speaking.

He surveyed your group with a critical gaze, focusing on everyone individually before his eyes settled on you and Frisk. You refused to be intimidated and stared passively back, although you did hold Frisk a little closer. They leaned into you as well and wrapped their arms around your neck.

"What made you think I wouldn't notice your presence here?" he asked, although you were pretty sure the question was rhetorical and that he was basically mocking you. "Or that you could manipulate my own subjects into turning traitor?"

He finally took his eyes off of you and turned to address your friends again. "The leader of my army... My head scientist... You even managed to sink your disgusting talons into my executioner," he spat.

"Even now the public is being brainwashed by your pathetic lies... Freedom... True peace... Bah!" His sharp tone echoed throughout the vast room now. "Your kind lost the opportunity for peace the moment my own son turned to dust in my arms!" he thundered.

No one had said anything yet. Maybe it was because Asgore hadn't given them a chance to. Or maybe there simply was nothing to say. They had all become traitors, consequences be damned, because they all had come to care for you and Frisk.

Slow but steady footfalls sounded from behind and the King's scowl faltered for brief moment when he saw who it was.

"And that has become your downfall," a familiar voice hissed. "You became set in the past and refused to change. Violence won't bring you peace and it certainly won't bring our son back."

"Tori..." Asgore murmured and went to take a step forward, only to stop himself. He slowly turned to you again and leveled you with a look that could kill. "You even turned my own wife against me."

"No, you did this to yourself." Toriel moved to stand in between you and the King. While she was smaller than he was, she cut her own brand of intimidation and if you didn't know better, you'd say it was very effective.

You really should've realized she was the ex-queen once you learned she was missing, but with everything that had happened, you'd nearly forgotten meeting her. It made complete sense though and while you were definitely surprised to see her again, you were also incredibly grateful that she'd cared enough to help you.

She continued her statement, fully flexing her authority in this situation. "This is a coup, Asgore. We won't put up with your tyranny anymore. You can either continue to stand in our way or you can die like the pathetic coward that you are," she snarled.

You finally tore your eyes away from the King and looked over at your friends. He'd spoken like you were some sick mastermind who had planned all of this from the start. Truthfully, you hadn't meant to befriend several of the most important monsters in the Underground, it had just happened.

Seeing that your friends were willing to stand up against the most powerful monster in the entire Underground just for two humans, filled you with Determination.

You cleared your throat and took a small step forward to get Asgore's attention. "Your Highness, I must object to your previous statements about me. We never wanted to hurt any Monsters, in fact, they willingly chose to stand here today with us. Frisk and I want peace, for both humans and monsters. And to do that, we want to break the barrier so that your people can be free once again."

You sighed and glanced down at your feet before adding one more thing. "I am truly sorry about your son but he can't come back. You're allowed to grieve, but that doesn't mean you should make your people suffer the same as you. Please, let this cycle end..."

Papyrus put his hand on your shoulder and when you looked up at him, he smiled warmly down at you. There was clear pride in his scarlet eyelights and your soul swelled in response. You meant every word you'd said and even just the small act of doing so, well, it felt like everything had come full circle.

Asgore hung his head in silent defeat. After a tense moment, he let out a long sigh and turned away. "I can see when I'm outmatched..." he muttered. "Come, I will show you the barrier if that's what you really want."

You shared quiet glances with everyone before following the King through the castle. While everyone stayed close, Papyrus was especially so with you and his hand never left your shoulder. You really appreciated the tender gesture, even if you didn't say so out loud, but you had a feeling that there was no need. He definitely knew how you felt by now.

You hadn't known what to expect, but a white wall that seemed to stretch on forever, wasn't at all what you'd pictured the barrier to look like. It seemed to emit a low rumble that permeated your entire being or maybe that was just the sheer amount of magic coming off of it. This thing was clearly ancient and you couldn't help but feel a sense of morbid awe that humans had once been capable of something like this.

Seven glass cylinders rose out of an indent in the floor and your eyes widened at what they contained. Five multicolored small hearts floated passively in the tanks and for a moment, you almost forgot that these were human souls. They were so pretty and at times seemed to pulse with a strange energy. There was a light blue soul, an orange soul, a dark blue soul, a yellow soul, and a green soul in all, with the remaining two cylinders being empty.

Flowey popped out of the ground not far away from the souls and Frisk immediately scrambled to get down. You just about dropped them in their haste but thankfully didn't.

There was a shattering of glass and then the whole world went black.

< ~ - . - ~ >

Where am I?

Everywhere you could see was dark.

If you stared out into the darkness for too long, it only seemed to grow darker.

Yet darker.

Where is everyone?

You looked around for anything other than darkness and at first, you saw nothing. Rather, you heard something instead.

Someone was behind you and you could hear their breathing they were so close.

You whirled and came face to face with the last person you had expected.

It was the skeleton with the cracked face.

"You..."

His crooked smile widened slightly and he brought his hands up in front of his chest. "We meet again it seems..." he signed slowly.

"Yes... Where are we exactly?" you asked, glancing around again.

He waited until you looked back at him before answering. "This is the Void... How did you get here anyways?"

You shrugged, "I'm not sure actually. We were trying to break the barrier, but as soon as Flowey absorbed the human souls, everything went dark."

"Fascinating..." He scanned your body for a moment thoughtfully. "It seems your soul has been separated from your body... Not to worry, you are still very much alive..."

It was pretty awkward for a moment as you tried to process this and neither of you had anything to say.

"Wait..." You turned to the skeleton sharply which seemed to actually startle him. "Where's everyone else? Where's Frisk?"

He blinked before turning to look out into the Void. After concentrating for a few moments, he slowly signed, "They are safe... Your child is truely impressive... They are Determined to make sure everyone gets their happy ending..."

"That sounds like them..." You frowned slightly and added, "Wait, they're not..."

He turned sharply and cut you off. "Am I wrong? You certainly seem close...and they seem to regard you as their parent..." You didn't like the way he was smiling right now, as if he'd just discovered a juicy secret.

You were stunned and couldn't seem to respond. He seemed to take this as confirmation and chuckled, although it sounded incredibly rough like his voice had been damaged somehow.

"You humans are so interesting... You would rather live in denial than be honest with each other..."

You huffed and crossed your arms. "And who are you to judge?"

He still seemed rather amused if the twinkle in his vermillion eyelights was anything to go by. "My apologies... I forgot we hadn't been properly introduced..." Placing a hand on his chest, he bowed slightly. "I am Dr. W. D. Gaster, the first Royal Scientist... It is truely a pleasure to meet you sixth human..."

"Actually, you can just call me Rihanna, everyone else does," you corrected gently.

"Very well..." Gaster looked around at the Void for a moment. "I suspect we won't have much time to talk so I'd like to ask a favour of you..."

"What kind of favour?" you asked.

Gaster made eye contact with you again and signed, "Please, I am trapped in this place... If you could remember me and try to find someone who can help me get out of here... I would forever be in your debt..."

You nodded, "I will try my best."

Gaster was right and it happened without warning. One moment you were talking with him and the next, the Void began to splinter, similarly to what had happened in your nightmare. You had a feeling you were about to wake up and in desperation, you grabbed onto him.

He seemed surprised but didn't resist. "Frisk isn't the only one who wants everyone to have a happy ending!" you exclaimed. "Forgive me, but I have to try to help you too!"

The last thing you saw before everything went dark once again was a flash of multicolored light and then there was a deafening crack.

Very interesting...

< ~ - . - ~ >

You woke with a start.

The first thing you noticed was how weary you felt, like you'd been on your feet all day, and your head was pounding like you were about to get a migraine. The second thing you noticed was how bright everything was, although it was a warmer colour than the sheer white of the barrier.

Sunlight. That was sunlight!

Did that mean Flowey had succeeded?

You went to sit up but were stopped by Papyrus when he gently pressed against your chest with his hand. "Easy Precious, Everyone Is Safe," he whispered.

"Where's Frisk?" you asked hoarsely.

Papyrus pointed to Toriel, who was currently embracing a small child with similarly white fur, with Asgore standing nearby, both monsters noticeably had tears running down their cheeks. Frisk was standing close to the goat child, rubbing their back in a reassuring way.

You were still concerned but they seemed okay which you were glad to see. You could hold off on being a mama bear until later on...

Turning to Papyrus, you gave him a weak smile. "Are you okay?"

He chuckled and stroked your cheek affectionately. "I Have Felt Better But I Am Alright. There Is Nothing To Worry About," he assured you.

You held out your arms in a silent plea for a hug, which he granted without hesitation, pulling you into one of the fiercest hugs you'd had to date.

"I Was So Worried About You..." he murmured against your neck. "We Have A Lot To Talk About, Rihanna... And I Do Not Just Mean About What Comes Next."

"Did something happen?" you asked quietly.

He hesitated to answer at first. "Again, A Lot Of Things Happened, But Remember When I Asked If You Would Soul Bond With Me Before?"

You nodded against his collarbone, "I do..."

"During That Fight Earlier, I Am Pretty Sure Your Soul Tried To Initiate A Partial Bond With Mine..." Before you could freak out, he quickly added, "Do Not Worry, It Is A Good Sign That We Are More Compatible Than I Predicted. You Wanted To Protect Me And Your Soul Simply Acted."

"I'm sorry... This is a whole lot to take in right now. Can we come back to this, soon?"

"Of Course We Can," he hummed softly.

You sat there for several minutes longer, just holding each other and enjoying the closeness. Eventually though, the others began to group up again and you both decided to separate, for now anyways.

Sans approached you first but he hesitated and awkwardly rubbed the back of his skull. "so, uh, there's really no good way to put this..." he started to say. "but there's someone you should meet, paps." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder and when your gaze followed the direction he'd indicated, you were shocked by who you saw.

Gaster had made it afterall. He was currently holding a conversation with Alphys, who seemed rather excited by how animated she was, while Undyne stood nearby watching him closely.

Papyrus frowned and shook his head. "Who Is He And What Is He Doing Here?"he grumbled. You hissed quietly when his grip tightened around you, almost painfully so. He quickly realized though and loosened his hold, shooting you an apologetic smile.

"I don't know him very well yet, but he was in the Void and we talked a little. So I guess I brought him back here? I don't know what really happened..." You tried to explain but the more you talked, the more confused even you became.

"We Apparently Have Much More To Discuss Than I Thought..." Papyrus mused thoughtfully.

Heya, Coon here!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to read this and come along on this month long journey with me. I appreciate it so much, whether you just liked it and moved on or reblogged and left comments. I've never had this many people enjoy my writing before and your support definitely encouraged me to keep going, even when I got stuck.

As you may have already guessed, I am not nearly done with this challenge fic. I will be making a couple of follow up bonus chapters based on ideas and prompts I didn't have time to explore fully. While the plot is mostly wrapped up, expect more from me in the next little while. Probably won't be every day though...this was mentally exhausting and I'll be taking things easier for a bit.

At least until whether I know if Owl_bones made a prompt list for Nightmare in January or not lol

Feel free to shoot me an ask about anything and everything. As my sister can testify, I love to info dump about my fics!

See you soon lovelies! (⁠つ⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)⁠つ

[polyhexian]

Okay I might be on to something, get ready for some vague what-ifs I've been pondering all evening.

So we haven't really delved into the runaway au's political scene much, but several things have been brought up that make for ingredients in what could be a very interesting pie:

Belos has built Will up as a super important and integral part of his regime.

Will actually has good self-esteem and has independantly come to the conclusion that there's something fishy going on here.

With an adult Golden Guard at Belos's side, the government is probably even stricter.

Will and Lilith probably don't like each other.

Open rebellion is super risky and we don't know what Raine's up to.

So starting with Belos and Will - Belos's manipulation tactic with Will is to basically butter him up. Oh, my Golden Guard is SO loyal and competent and brave, whatever would I do without him? And he has been doing this since Will was picked, and for an added bonus he probably hasn't even been beating Will to a bloody pulp for any perceived failures (it probably rankles Belos to hold back on a potential punching bag like that, but he still doesn't know what set Jasper off so he's being careful with this one). So right off the bat, Will has a good foundation of self-esteem for his developmental journey.

Now, Will could have gone a different route and become co-dependant on Belos. Belos is the one with the real authority and could take Will's power away whenever he wants, and that could have led to Will being blindly and exceedingly loyal. But we know from Lament that Will is curious, and he likes to experience things, and he pursues the truth. And dictatorships are always chock full of logical fallacies.

So it's probably a bunch of little things that slowly set off Will's alarm bells. Things that just…don't add up. Why do we do this instead of that? Why is this inefficient policy a thing? Why do I get the feeling that the cruelty is the point?

Maybe the palismen are a part of it - Will may not care for palismen personally, but he watches Belos eat one and thinks, there has GOT to be a better treatment for this curse that doesn't rely on such a limited resource, but Belos just flat-out refuses to hear it. He might not beat Will for bringing it up, but the fact that he shoots the idea down immediately is just…why would you NOT want to research other options? That's just stupid.

The entire situation with Jasper is another inconsistency. So this guy was the last Golden Guard, he's armed and highly dangerous, he has government secrets and may be plotting a coup, and he stole the Grimwalker that was supposed to replace him. A Grimwalker who was…a baby. Belos might brush it off like "He likely wanted to buy more time before I could send someone after him" but as Will hunts them down it becomes clear that Jasper still has the kid. Every time he questions people in a town Jasper passed through, they're like, "oh, yeah, that father and son, they were sweet, the spitting image of each other except for the scars." There is no strategic reason to kidnap and keep a baby that no one is going to pay a ransom for, in fact that is the opposite of a sound tactical decision, and yet Jasper did exactly that. Why??

He probably brings it up to Belos and is given the ol' "who can truly understand how wild magic corrupts us" non-answer, and Will is getting REAL TIRED of hearing that spiel.

Now, part of Belos's buttering up of Will is giving him governmental authority, and that could make things interesting. Hunter was technically a Coven Head, but everyone in the castle saw him as a child and a brat and didn't respect him. Jasper had military authority but wasn't a Coven Head, and the Coven Heads seemed to think they were above him. But Belos isn't going to allow anyone to play those games with this Golden Guard - he can't afford to lose Will to political pettiness, he isn't going to tolerate anyone trying to instigate anything. Will is also an adult, so he has that advantage over Hunter, and without the uncle/nephew connection no one's going to accuse him of being a nepo baby, though it is weird that he just came out of nowhere. But most importantly, the Emperor clearly favors this Golden Guard, and it's a sort of situation where the Coven Heads realize it's better to gain the Emperor's attention by working with the Golden Guard, rather than see him as competition to remove. The Golden Guard is the ticket to the Emperor's approval--even if they don't LIKE him, they aren't gonna undermine him.

That doesn't make the government any better or the coven system more efficient, of course. If anything Will is surrounded by ass-kissers and people who tolerate him, lol. But he doesn't have to worry about people trying to stab him in the back, usually. There's some actual, real working relationships going on there. His colleagues talk to him and ask for his input and pass him information and trade favors with him.

And then there's the comparisons to Jasper - not from Belos, but from everyone else. Oh, you're SO much more competent than the LAST Golden Guard. He was good at his job, but he upset the Emperor SO often, he had SO many curse-induced fits because of him. You've NEVER upset the Emperor THAT much! And you actually help out with governmental things, the last one couldn't be bothered! Also don't take this the wrong way but it's almost a relief you don't speak, the last two guards' voices were SO annoying.

And Will is just. Gathering intel here. Like. Huh. This Jasper guy made Belos so angry he'd have curse-induced fits? All the time? Jasper apparently had limited governmental authority. This is WEIRD.

Heck, maybe Darius unintentionally says something that tips Will off. Until little Hunter shows up on his doorstep, Darius is the same sad, bitter, miserable man he was at this point in canon, minus a child to bully. Will may not ever show his face, but Darius still feels like Jasper is being replaced and he doesn't like the new Golden Guard. Maybe he likes him even less than he liked canon!Hunter--it took 13 years for Hunter to become the Golden Guard, but here Jasper disappears and Will is taking his place a year or two later? Ouch. Darius would NOT be happy with that.

Darius maybe says something like "You ought to know that your predecessor's magic was far more impressive than yours, but all his hard work was hardly ever appreciated. You'd best not take the Emperor's favor for granted." And Will is just like. Okay. Jasper was a super-powerful witch and Belos didn't care about him much, but he claims to care about me a LOT. What the HELL was going on there??

Moving on - I posit that Will is highly competent at his job. And I don't just mean that in a super-cool ass-kicking Golden Guard way. I mean he has leadership skills out the wazoo, both in the field and in the office. In the field he does his best to minimize casualties, his briefings give his scouts clear goals, plans, and backup plans, he doesn't throw scouts over a cliff just cuz he's frustrated. In the office his managerial skills are top-knotch. He understands the powers of administration and delegation. He prioritizes communication and constructive criticism and recognizes hard work. He's the manager that someone tells you they have and you're immediately jealous because that guy is an AWESOME manager.

Belos gave Will power and responsibilities and he uses them wisely. The Emperor's Coven has never been as efficient as it is under this man. (He is so frustrated by how long it took to MAKE it that efficient. The coven is supposed to be the Emperor's fist, but Belos doesn't seem interested in doing what it takes to make sure said fist hits as hard as possible. Why are they all so sleep-deprived? Why do they only get one day off?? It took YEARS for Will to convince Belos to give them quarterly days off. It's like the guy WANTS them overworked and miserable.)

The coven scouts LOVE Will. He has their back and they're happy to have his.

Will doesn't like how Belos treats his coven scouts.

And then we have Lilith.

Now, after everything I've suggested, we COULD say that maybe Lilith doesn't mind Will. Maybe she'd want to foster a good relationship with him to build up her own favor with the Emperor. But this is Lilith, she's kind of full of herself and has been a Coven Head for a few years by the time Will shows up and she knows how Belos treated Jasper. Maybe she expects this Golden Guard to be the same, and she's too used to the castle's games, and she says one too many snide things and ends up on Will's bad side before she realizes the rules have changed. I don't think they'd be antagonistic towards each other, but they certainly don't LIKE each other much. Or she doesn't like him, and he's just decided to deal with her as little as possible.

It probably drives her crazy that he's ACTUALLY good at his job. Like, the Emperor favors him, and it's FOR GOOD REASON. UGH.

They still have a working relationship though, because she can grit her teeth and deal and Will is a consummate professional. She's told him everything she knows about Jasper for the sake of the investigation. She doesn't teach him how to teleport, though.

But the whole situation with Jasper is starting to form cracks under her feet. Jasper was loyal. She knows Jasper was loyal. Belos beat him bloody and tore up his face and Jasper just took it. He did everything Belos ever said, and oh, it was amusing to watch when he got in trouble, but she can't deny that Jasper was insanely good at his job and followed Belos's orders to the letter and was incredibly loyal until he suddenly wasn't.

And the moment he stopped being loyal, Belos immediately called for the death of his most trusted servant. Over a decade of service and dark deeds done in the Emperor's name, and it bought him zero leniency.

Eda has never been loyal to the Emperor. Eda has never cared for the empire. Eda has been an active criminal for decades. She breaks the law on a daily basis and flaunts it. She is very publicly vocal about how much she hates the system. She has done absolutely nothing to earn the Emperor's mercy, and if someone as loyal as Jasper can't even be granted that mercy, then how can Lilith trust that Belos will--

She'd be in denial for a long while, of course, but the cognitive dissonance is THERE. Heck, maybe Will is even the one to make it fully click in her head. She's talking to him about some upcoming mission to capture Eda, humble-bragging about how great it'll be to have her sister by her side in the coven, they'll be an unstoppable force and a valued asset to the Emperor--

And Will, who's getting fed up with how fishy everything in this castle is, just looks at her like. Wait, the Emperor's super strong at healing curses? Why hasn't he been able to heal his own? That would be way more efficient than inhaling palisman. Or he just snorts like yeah, sure, and Jasper's gonna be so happy I held down the fort for him while he was away on sabbatical.

And Lilith has to excuse herself and go to her room and pace a hole into the carpet because fuck. FUCK. She doesn't want this to be a lie, she NEEDS this to be real, but she can't deny that there are discrepancies that just. Aren't adding up.

She might not become a rebel. But she might become a bit less zealous about taking Eda in. Oh, she still ACTS committed to doing so, but her actual attempts don't have the same bite. She starts digging into things she may have ignored before - feeling out what Belos's agenda is, researching forbidden history, what even IS the Day of Unity and why are all the Emperor's explanations such non-answers? And at first she maybe does it in a desperate attempt to convince herself that no, NO, Belos is perfect and right and I'm not wrong. But the more she looks the more she sees.

She doesn't know what to DO with it. Rebellion is probably still out of the question, she's not quite there yet. But she doesn't want to be alone with this, she's reeling and questioning everything and it's driving her crazy. She can't tell Eda, her sister would hoot and holler and say I told you so, and she doesn't need that.

So who's someone Lilith would know, and be predisposed to trust, and was kind of open about the fact that they were joining the coven system to try and improve it from the inside?

Raine Whispers.

YESSSS OKAY I LOVE BASICALLY ALL THIS

I think Lilith stays covenhead, it seems like it might be a "until you die" position. But will IS still in charge of a lot of military stuff. He never speaks, but he can still issue written orders, like, sending an illusory note telling people where to report or what shift to take.

Will is cool and efficient. He questions Belos a little more often than he would like. If Belos tells him to go burn some wild witches house down and then fight and capture them, well-- that's stupid. I'll just sleeping nettle them and take them in peacefully. He always gets the job done, but not necessarily how he's asked. I think he DOES pass a lot of reforms to make the emperor's coven more efficient, but he's so scary and off-putting because he never speaks and just sort of looms over anyone that tries to talk to him, people still avoid him. He's more well liked than jasper was, but he is scary. Unlike jasper, though, they do think he's a person. Unlike jasper; whom they had rumour about like he didn't bleed or couldn't be killed. He's just more... Elusive.

I think will is also a lot stricter than jasper. Just not sloppy.

GOD I LOVE LILITH AND RAINE TEAMING UP THO THATS SO FUCKING GOOD AHHHHHHH omg... Neither of them are ready to involve Eda but... Omg. Will asks why they don't just bring the owl lady in. we've never REALLY pursued her effectively. And Belos says some dismissive shit and to let Lilith worry about it. But will is like. That's dumb. I'll put together an outfit and just go get her right now. Uh oh!

[ae-azile]

A Familiar Road to the Unknown: Chapter 3 Preview

Big falls asleep in his arms. Chan supposes the drugs and after effects of the coma are making him more outwardly emotional.

Although, one shouldn't need that reason to cry for a departed friend. Getting emotional can be seen as a weakness though, at least here. It had been something Korn quietly and gently reminded him of when Chan got the phone call about Big waking up. He hadn't expected a call like that. He had been preparing himself for the worst because that was what he trained himself to do. Gun had already left, Kinn was no longer in the room, so he just had Korn, Tankhun, and Ken’s severed head as company when Pol called and told Chan that Big was awake and at least half lucid. And despite telling Pol that he wasn't crying, he was. He burst into tears before he knew what emotions were bubbling up, all while Korn sat there looking somewhat unimpressed.

To be fair, Korn hadn't been cruel after Chan got off the phone and asked to be excused, and he had waited to speak to him until Tankhun quietly left and said he would update Kinn and Porsche. But once Tankhun did leave, Korn gave him a calm, but stern reminder to keep his emotions in check. Chan was usually good at that. It was the first time he needed a reminder like that in over ten years. The last time he needed a similar reminder was after he rescued Tankhun and saw the state he was in. The torture and torment Tankhun had gone through was already physically clear, and the way he was petrified to let anyone touch him solidified it. Chan had stayed calm, kept any required physical contact gentle and comforting, and got him back to the compound infirmary. When he left his side and reported to Korn to give him the details, he had cracked. He was given the constructive criticism and he never needed it again.

Until a few days ago. Until Big woke up when his odds had been so slim. Until he realized he wasn't losing Big after all.

Not that Big was his to lose.

However, Chan had been under the assumption Big would settle down, let go, and go to sleep once Chan went back to the couch - or at least went to the chair in case Big needed someone close for a while. He had needed someone close and Chan expected that he might, but he didn't realize how close. Even after Big calms down, he silently and stubbornly clings to him, making it so Chan takes residence on the edge of Big’s infirmary bed. His right leg propped up against Big’s leg while his left foot stays planted on the floor. He doesn't think Big really realizes he is demanding that Chan stay in his bed. He also likely doesn't realize that Chan is not particularly comfortable.

But if Big wants this, Chan will stay. He doesn't remember the last time he was hugged. It's been a while. His grandfather was never much of a hugger. He loved Chan, but losing his only child as well as his wife so early made him distant.

It was also how Ma died that made him distant. That was hard for everyone. And Chan was always told he was a perfect blend of his mother and his mother’s killer. Even the little bit of extended family around had a hard time looking in this direction too long.

He probably got hugged by Tankhun and Kinn more than he got hugged by his family. Not so much Kim. Kim wasn't the affectionate type. The only time Kim had hugged him was when he saved Tankhun and brought him back home. As for Kinn, he did it frequently as a young child before the behavior naturally died out. As for Tankhun, he hugged Chan on his 35th birthday - three years ago in two weeks. It was never a day Chan advertised, but the family knew. They don't celebrate it and Chan has never asked them to. He gets a birthday bonus like everyone else does, and his is higher than what the other guards get. But celebrating it? No. Chan has been too high up in the ranks to have co-worker friends for close to a decade, so he supposes his last birthday celebration happened before his last and highest promotion.

It makes sense he hasn't had a hug for three years.

It's overwhelming, and yet somehow comforting. Those two emotions conflict with each other. It seems impossible for them to co-exist simultaneously.

Chan is pulled from his thoughts when Big shifts against his side. When Chan glances down, he sees Big looking up at him with wide eyes. It seems to take a moment for Big to register that Chan is staring back at him. But once he does, he quickly hides his face into Chan’s ribs and closes his eyes again, as if he's hiding from Chan. However, if he is, he isn't doing a good job of it. Chan can feel Big squeezing him a little more tightly and his fingers gripping the fabric of his shirt. If Chan were less rooted in reality, he would assume Big wants him here in this bed with him.

Maybe he does. Or maybe Big fells asleep upset and woke up just enough to know he can't be alone right now, not after learning about Ken.

So maybe it's a need, rather than a want. Or maybe Big is just confused.

Regardless, Chan lets it happen, and that's probably because he wants it to happen. Like his grandfather and Kim, he's never been a hugger either. But three years is a long time. Maybe Chan needs this too.

[hebuiltfive]

Irretrievable

Last night, I couldn't get this out of my head. So I wrote it. Thought I'd give Virgil a whirl this time and give Scooter a little break from emotional pain.

Bonus points to anyone who can guess which song inspired this one. It's not entirely subtle from the start.

Edit to add the AO3 link.

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

"You're losing me, Vee."

That gut-wrenching pain that only came when hearts shattered into a million pieces tore through Virgil's entire being. This wasn't supposed to be how the night ended, it wasn't supposed to be how their story ended. He hated how he couldn't control it, how he had allowed it all to simmer under the surface and break apart this way.

"I don't understand..."

"I know you don't."

"Come on, Harper, let's just talk about this!" He would beg, he would plead, because he couldn't let it go. He couldn't let him go. The ache, the loss, the pain would tear him apart bit by bit. Virgil could already feel himself breaking.

Harper stood firm, retreating a few steps when Virgil tried to close the distance, trying to make it right. "I can't."

"Please don't just walk away. Whatever it is, I can fix it. We can fix it. You've just got to talk to me."

"Talking is all I ever try to do!" Harper snapped. The salty stream of tears continued to run but it was clear he'd turned his own heartbreak into rage. Maybe it would make it easier for him to deal with. Maybe it was truly how he felt.

Either way, Virgil felt baffled by it. Never had he seen Harper so enraged, and to think that it was his fault... if his heart hadn't already been shattered, it would have in that second.

"I always tried to talk." Harper continued, seemingly not caring for how Virgil would take his words. Apparently he was done trying to tip-toe around the subject. "You never listened. You were always busy."

That wasn't... entirely true, surely? Virgil would have defended that he was a brilliant listener. He was certainly the best out of his family, and he had worn that honour with pride. For Harper to claim he hadn't been listening to them.

"Do you know when we last had an actual proper conversation, Vee?"

The question very quickly had him stumped. Virgil attempted to answer but had to close his mouth quickly to avoid looking like a fish out of water — something he very much felt in this given situation — because the answer evaded him.

"Two weeks ago." Harper put him out of his misery with a scoff. "You don't even remember!"

"Hey, I've had a lot on my plate!" He didn't snap — Virgil never snapped — but he was beginning to get irrate. Harper accusing him of things Virgil would very much disagree with? It was ludicrous and borderline over-dramatic.

"With International Rescue? Yeah, I know."

Virgil bit back a retort as he watched Harper roll his eyes. That single action seemed hurt him more than any of his other accusations had thus far.

"When we first started seeing each other, you said you were fine with International Rescue."

"That was before I saw the truth!"

Virgil blinked. "What the hell does that mean?"

Harper, as though he was stating the obvious and Virgil was too dumb to catch onto his meaning, sighed. "You promised it wouldn't get in the eay. You promised you'd have time for me, for us. You lied."

"I didn't lie!"

"You lied, Virgil! Or, at the very least, you didn't keep those promises."

Harper was back to the heartbreaking crying now, the rage passing over like a dark storm cloud that was now content it had flooded a region.

"I didn't... It's not... International Rescue is important, you know that. It's important to my family, to the world, to me."

"You pushed me down the list." Harper accused sharply.

"There's never been any list! You're acting as though I've been cheating on you!"

"I guess it kind of feels that way."

"For fuck's sake, Harper, it's my job!"

"Well, maybe I don't think you should do that job anymore!"

The truth leaked out in Harper's yell, his arms perching on his hips. Virgil saw the pain in his partner's eyes, saw the raw, honest hurt that had clearly been pushed below the surface more than once to avoid such a confrontation.

Noticing it helped to dull the betrayal Virgil felt in his soul, but only by a fraction.

Harper didn't relent. "You'd cancel on me, go out on those ridiculous, death-defying missions and I wouldn't know if you'd ever be coming home. You'd say we'd rearrange our dinner, but I never knew if you'd ever make it back."

He took a deep breath, continuing in a whisper that was broken up by uneven sobbing. "You're killing me, Virgil. You're killing me and the worst part is you don't see that."

Harper had been wrong earlier. Virgil wasn't losing him. Harper was already lost, because Virgil didn't know how to fix it.

He wasn't going to give up International Rescue. He loved the job almost as much as he loved to paint. It was his last connection with his late-father and was a pillar of his family.

Above all else, he saved lives and gave hope to people when every other resort failed.

No, he wouldn't give any of that up.

Virgil knew that Harper already understood that. The conversation would have taken a different turn had his boyfriend thought their relationship was at all salvagable.

"I love you." Virgil said, knowing it would be for the last time. He'd spoken those three words to Harper on so many occasions over the last twenty months. Never had they stung so badly.

He hadn't expected Harper to respond in kind, but the lack of hearing the words "I love you too, Vee" had Virgil's heart disintergrating.

There was no love left.

Harper had left that night with all his items stuffed into a suitcase and a dufflebag. They hadn't exchanged anymore words. Virgil watched as Harper exited the penthouse suite for the last time, not even looking back to offer him one last glimpse of those hazel eyes that would now haunt him for the rest of his life.

Alone again.

Without love again.

Virgil didn't sleep that night, too caught up in his mind. How had he not seen the signs? How had he not caught this before it had become too late? Was he truly so absorbed in his work to have so blindly stumbled down this path instead of his happily ever after?

He had seen the same story play out time and time again with Scott. Virgil had promised himself he wouldn't end up like his older brother. Then again, according to Harper, he wasn't the best with promises so why was he surprised he wasn't able to keep this one?

Virgil eyed his communicator. He was too emotionally exhausted to work out the time zones but if he called Tracy Island, one of his brothers was sure to pick up. He allowed the call to ring for what seemed like an age, and was about to hang up when John appeared as a floating image in front of him.

"Thought you were supposed to be grabbing steak at that new restaurant?" He asked by way of greeting.

"Harper... he left."

John's face fell. "Did he have a call-out?"

Virgil shook his head, hanging it lowly to hide the new stream of tears from view.

It didn't matter. John clocked on fairly quickly. "Virgil, I'm so sorry."

Comforting words were said, reassurances and love expressed, but Virgil still felt that gaping hole inside him. Harper had gone and he had taken what felt like Virgil's very soul with him.

"Do you ever question the point of what we do?" He eventually asked John once he was tired of hearing his brother's attempts of cheering him up.

"Not really. Our work is important."

"What's the point in saving the world if we have no-one to come home to?"

John didn't have an answer to that. He could have been a wise-ass and noted how they still had each other, but he didn't. Virgil appreciated that.

The question haunted him for weeks, just as the memory of Harper failed to leave him. Over and over again, he'd ask himself what the point was. Over and over again, he'd force himself to ignore the ache in his chest when he couldn't find an answer.

He felt like he was dying. In killing Harper's love, Virgil was certain he'd killed part of himself. The days grew longer and more wearisome, but he kept pushing.

One day, the pain would heal. One day, he'd find someone who understood the workload. One day, his heart would beat again for someone new.

He just had to keep holding out until that day came, no matter how long it took.

[blooming-violets]

Halloween fluff idea: Peter and wife taking his kids trick or treating! Bonus points if they visit Aunt May’s house to surprise her.

Peter, you, and the twins: Claire and Benjy.

It's the first Halloween that they're old enough to appreciate what Trick-or-Treating is. They're both so excited to dress up and go out.

Earlier that year, Peter showed them E.T for the first the time. You thought they were way too young to see that movie but he insisted that he saw it at their age so it was fine. Both kids cried and were terrified through the whole thing but, afterwards, screamed that they wanted to watch it again. It became their favorite movie.

Cue the costumes:

Peter put them together all by himself. It wasn't that hard but he really wanted them to nail the look. He's very proud of it and the kids love it.

On Halloween evening, Peter loads everyone into the car and drives over to May’s house. She doesn’t know that they’re coming, thinking that they’ll go Trick-or-Treating in their own neighborhood. 

“Hurry, go knock on the door,” Peter whispered to his two toddlers as he placed them in May’s driveway. “And, remember, what do you say when she answers?”

“Trick-or-Treat!” They both parroted back to him, their tiny voices syncing together into one. 

“Good job,” he smiled proudly at them. Peter slipped his arm around your waist and kissed the side of your head. “May is going to lose it. I used to make her watch E.T. with me all the time when I was little.” 

The twins both excitedly knocked on the front door, their tiny fists banging away, while you and Peter strode up the walkway. It took May only a minute to answer. She opened the door with a smile, wearing a witch hat, and cradled a large bowl of candy in her arms. Her eyes lit up when she saw her great niece and nephew standing in front of her with giant, matching smiles. 

“Auntie May!” Benjy jumped up and down in front of her, over the moon to see his favorite person in the world. 

“No,” Claire chastised him, already taking the lead in any situation. “You supposed to say Trick-o-Treat.” 

Benjy nodded, taking the orders from his sister, “Tw’ick-O-Tw’eat!” 

May laughed and bent down to see them, “Oh my, don’t you two look wonderful. Where have my Claire Bear and Benjy Boy gone? All I see are Elliot and Gertie.” 

The twins giggled and Claire held out her arms, “It really is us, Auntie May! We’re dressed up!” 

“What?” She pretended to rub her eyes and reexamine them, giving a quiet gasp. “You’re right! It is you.” 

Benjy held up his orange plastic pumpkin, “Daddy said if we said tw’ick-o-tw’eat then you give us candy. I thinks you forgetting something, Auntie.” 

Peter rolled his eyes at you with a smile. Leave it to Benjy to have nothing but candy on the mind. May held out the bowl and let them each pick two pieces to put in their buckets. 

“What do you say?” You reminded the kids.

“Thank you!” They both shouted at the same time. Benjy was already tearing into the piece of chocolate he was given. You were certain his face would be covered with it within the next hour.  

Peter untangled himself from your side and stepped around the kids to pull May into a hug, “How you doing? Enjoy the Halloween surprise?”

She gave his side a soft smack, “You told me you were taking the kids around your neighborhood, you liar.” 

He laughed, “Sorry. That was the plan but they insisted they needed to Trick-or-Treat at your house. They want you to come with us. Wait until you see Benji’s tricycle. I stuck a basket to the front and bought an E.T. to stick in. I know you. I know you’ll want to get a million pictures of them before the sun fully sets.”

May looked down the street, taking note of the few kids already starting their night, “But who will hand out candy?” 

“Leave it on the porch. It’ll be fine. If some asshole kid steals it all then, oh well, they steal it all.” 

“Asshole!” Claire piped up from under Peter’s legs. She was too smart for her own good. She knew whenever a bad word was said and she loved to repeat it, knowing it would get reaction from the adults. 

You shot your husband an unamused look, “Language, Peter.”

May shook her head in feigned disappointed at her nephew, trying to hide her smile, and turned her attention down to Claire, “You’re daddy is in big trouble.”

She nodded back with wide eyes, “He should get a time out on the time out chair.” 

You agreed, “You know what to do.” You pointed to the top step of the porch. “Time out, Peter.” 

He gave an exasperated sigh, putting on a show for the kids, as he slumped down on the top step. His head hung low as his bottom lip pouted out. 

Claire went and sat next to him, resting her head on his arm, “It’s okay, daddy. You just gotta say sorry to mommy for saying bad words. Then you can get up again.” 

Peter looked up at you with big, round eyes, milking this for all it was worth, “I’m sorry, mommy, for saying bad words.” 

You did your best to hide the snort of laughter that desperately wanted to come out. You took a deep breath and nodded, “Thank you. You can get up now.” 

“You did it, daddy!” Claire jumped up with him. 

Peter’s attention turned to Benjy who had gone unusually quiet. He was hunched up in the corner, surrounded by a growing pile of wrappers, and stuffing as much of May’s Halloween candy into his mouth as he could. 

“Benjamin Parker!” Peter gasped. “You little sneak!” 

Benjy looked up with chocolate smearing his lips, “I didn’t do it. It was a ghost.” 

“Tell that ghost he’s going to be the next one to get a time out if he doesn’t cut it out.” Peter clapped his hands, letting it slide. It was Halloween, after all. Candy was meant to be eaten. “Alright, children! Get your pumpkins, grab Auntie May, and let’s get Trick-Or-Treating.”

“Yay!” They shouted back. 

Claire grabbed her pumpkin bucket and jumped down the stairs. She grabbed hold of your hand and started to tug you down the walkway, excited to get going. 

Benjy pushed himself up off the ground and gently took May’s hand, giving her a big, chocolatey smile, “Come on, Auntie May. I’ll share my candy wiff you because you don’t have a bag. We can be Tw’ick-O-Tw’eat buddies.” 

“You know,” she whispered to him, gladly taking his hand. “You remind me so much of your daddy when he was little. I’d love to be your buddy tonight.” 

Peter hopped down the stairs to wrap his arm back around your waist and placed a kiss to your temple, “I think we’ve got some good kids. Let’s make a date tonight to steal some of their candy after they sleep and watch a scary movie.”  

[light-lanterne]

i just woke up so this might not make much sense, but i need to get it out of my brain,,,

a short offering, @byelerss, @catboy-cabin, @conanssummerchild, @dark-quill, @fenixashes, @fluffyfangirl, @foodiewithdahoodie, @holyvirgilscriptures, @hyperfixationcentralsvoid, @ivytheenbyfae, @rotisseries, @runninguplenorahills, @saffirez, @willow-lark, @yearninginblue.

historical au where town troublemaker mike and his aristocratic family have everything and live a great life until one night, when they all get (falsely) declared traitors to the kingdom and get imprisoned for their supposed crimes.

mike, however, wasn't home at the time the guards came and so, he manages to avoid imprisonment altogether. ever the reckless rebel, he then sneaks in to visit his family in prison and he can't free them, but he manages to talk to them long enough for nancy to give him a mission: go into her bedroom, find the secret room he's almost found a thousand times, then grab all the equipment in there and run.

so mike does that. he enters nancy's quarters and walks over to the bookshelf she always yelled at him for approaching, then uses a hidden lever and accesses a small secret room. there, he finds some ancestral artefacts and scrolls that had been passed in their family through generations,,, he finds armour and all kinds of dangerous weapons even mike doesn't know how to handle,,, most of all, however, he finds a lot of questions about what nancy's been doing for the past few years, every time she'd sneak out in the middle of the night under the guise of meeting up with a secret lover.

but mike doesn't have time to think about that. he grabs all the equipment and seeks refuge with his friend lucas —who'd managed to rescue holly earlier and who keeps him company until the morning comes—, and then, at dawn, he makes his way to the city's square, where he witnesses in horror as his family is executed on the spot, faces solemn as they take their punishment for they know the truth will come out at some point.

desolate, lost and, quite frankly, terrified, mike wanders back to lucas' place where, in a trance, he opens up an inconspicuous letter he hadn't even noticed last night. upon reading it, he springs into action for nancy's letter contains further instructions: he's to go to a small cottage on the outskirts of town and hand over the ancient scrolls to the scholar who lives there, for he is the only one who'll know what to do with them and, in doing that, is the only one who can help mike uncover the truth of nancy's mission (their family's mission) and the reasons behind their execution.

so mike goes. and the last 48 hours have been nothing but shocking and confusing discoveries for him, he has way too many questions in his mind, and he doesn't even know what he feels at this point.

however, nothing could've prepared him for the moment the cottage door opens and uncovers a dishevelled-looking young man with poofy hair and a streak of green paint across his cheek, innocent round eyes sparkling with excitement the second he spots the scrolls and the wheeler's coat of arms in mike's bracer.

because there are not many things mike knows about nancy or her secret life, but mike's pretty confident that he still knows something about his sister and that is that her taste in men was, for lack of a better term, quite crap.

and the man in front of mike, the one who's so joyously introducing himself as "will", is anything but.

- the end -

(for those who know video games, yes, this is inspired by assassin's creed >.< i just had a dream about mike as ezio and will as leonardo and had to write about it x.x

bonus story: all of this has already happened, hundreds of years ago, and it's being seen in present times by actual mike, who's been hooked up to a machine that allows him to revisit his ancestor's memories. by watching the love story between his ancestor and the painter, mike realises his feelings for his childhood best friend will ~)

[stratossphere]

cheater cheater pt. 3 | j.k

if johnny gets to go around doing whatever he wants, then so do you, whether he likes it or not. (pt 1) (pt 2)

warnings: angst galore, johnny is still an asshole, heavy drinking and smoking (both cigs and weed), a lot of suggestive content in general

word count: 8.7k (i got carried away, i’m sorry!!!)

a/n: so, i decided, considering bam is one of reader’s best friends, that ville valo would be a good jealousy inducer for this series (and he happens to be easy to write for me ;) enjoy the angst!

taglist: @asskickedbygirl @kristinee @lizey-thornberry @faceache111 @brandons-wife (lmk if you want to be added!)

— —

"C'mon. It'll take your mind off Fuckhead for a while, and we can actually start planning this next video while we're there." Bam, who was currently driving the both of you to work considering he was staying at your place while you filmed in LA for a while, had planned yet another trip to Finland for the weekend, and was now trying to convince you to come along because of how pissy you’d been over the past few weeks because of the whole situation with Johnny. You snorted.

"Yeah, good luck getting me off of work. If Knoxville finds out I'm asking off to go to Helsinki, he'll flip his shit." Johnny was still mostly hostile towards you, and it seemed like lately he was doing everything in his power to make your life hell.

"I'll back you up. It's not like they really give a shit what you're doing, anyways." Bam brushed it off like it was nothing. You shot him a look at his choice of words.

"Thanks. That's sweet." And super helpful, fuckface. Sighing, you shrugged. "Fine. But if he gets all weird, it's your fault."

—

"No." Johnny's response was the first one you heard. And you had been talking to Jeff and Spike, not him. You turned to shoot an irritated look in his direction where he was sitting in the corner of Jeff's office, and you could tell by the indignant look on his face that he was clearly going to budge himself right into the middle of all of this just like you’d predicted.

"I didn't ask you. I asked them." You snapped, turning back away from him and back towards Jeff, who looked like he wanted to kill the both of you. Bam was sitting in the chair opposite the desk saying nothing quite yet, and Spike just looked entertained.

"PJ. Just wait." Jeff held up a hand for Johnny to shut his stupid mouth, and you shot him a satisfied smirk as Jeff shut him down. "What are you doing there that you need five days off?

"We're setting up to make a music video. We’re directing, and it takes a few days." You explained, motioning between you and Bam as you spoke. He nodded in agreement.

"It might not even take five days. She works pretty quick." He added, essentially hyping up your work ethic in the process. See? Sometimes Bam could be useful. "Plus, I'm supposed to be getting way more footage for Viva La Bam than I have."

"Y/n, I thought you agreed to edit footage for the bonus discs this weekend." Spike pointed out, giving you a you better not expect me to do it look. You internally winced, because you’d completely forgotten about that, before perking back up once you got an idea.

"Just give me the drives and I'll do it on the plane." Solutions upon solutions. However, Jeff must've hated you, because he then spun his chair to look over at Johnny. Who still looked like he wanted to kill you, mind you.

"What do you think?" No no no. You and Bam both shared a look of exasperation as Jeff essentially called on Johnny, who looked like he had just been selected to speak at the House. He sat forward in his chair, eyes trained directly on you.

"I think it's a horrible idea. None of your footage is going to get edited, because as soon as they see that fucking alcoholic that lives there, they're gonna spend their entire week partying themselves to shit." He spilled, crossing his arms in indignant irritation. It was like he wasn't even trying to hide the real reason he didn't want you to go. If there was one thing Johnny hated in this world more than anything, it was the man Bam loved more than anything in this world:

Ville Valo.

Being best friends with Bam, you had also inadvertently become friends with Ville as a result, and it was pretty obvious that Ville had a thing for you. An ‘I can have anything I want, and I want Johnny Knoxville’s girlfriend’ type of thing. Even now that you were broken up, you knew that wasn’t going to change anything.

"It's a work trip, you asshole. I'm going there for work. Specifically." You turned in your seat to glare at him, and Bam did basically the same thing.

"Dude. Just admit that you don't want us to go because of Ville. It's fuckin' obvious." Bam muttered. Johnny opened his mouth to retort, probably with something that would instigate a fight, but Jeff cut him off.

"Guys. Stop fighting." He then turned around and erased both yours and Bam's names off of the schedule board. You silently cheered, only to have it cut short when he spoke again, this time in Johnny’s direction. "If you're that worried about them getting work done while they're gone, why don't you go with them?"

Hell fucking no. Jeff was crazy. He was actually insane. And you know who was more insane? Johnny Knoxville. Because his eyes lit up as soon as the words were out of Jeff's mouth. You rushed to speak before he could get the chance.

"No! You can't just invite him on our trip!" You protested frantically, shaking your head adamantly at the thought. It was like when parents told you to take your annoying, whiny younger sibling with you when you were clearly going to get drunk. "We're going there to work. If you're going to be worried about anyone spending their time getting plastered, it should be Knoxville."

"Hey. Did I ask for your opinion? No." Jeff jabbed a finger in your direction as Bam let out a deep, annoyed sigh. This was really starting to feel like a parental lecture. "Do you two think I'm stupid? I know exactly what goes on when you go to Finland. So, Knoxville goes, or you don't go. You know, because it's my time that I'm lending out here."

"This all better not be because of this bullshit with you two. Because if it is, no one's going anywhere, and everyone's working the weekend." Spike warned in addition, looking between you and Johnny in a way that dared either of you to protest. You glanced over at Johnny, who also by this point looked like a scolded kid, before blowing out a sigh.

"No. It's not." You caved. You were lying, but you really did want to go on this trip. Although you were losing half of your reasoning (which was getting away from your pissy bitch of an ex boyfriend to go see your friend), you still missed the band, and Finland was a fun place to be in general. Plus, you obviously didn't want to sit in your office for 14 hours a day for the near future editing footage.

"Good. I should hope not, considering you're both adults and this isn't the place for middle school lunch drama." If Spike ever decided to have kids someday, he was going to be a great dad. "You can all have the next five days off, then. But so help me god, if I get a call from any of you asking for an extension, it'll be canceled and you'll be scheduled at six the next morning."

"Thank you. I promise I'll get all that footage done by the time I get back." You tried not to sound too disappointed, because it really was generous of them to give three of you five days off, but now you really weren't looking forward to your trip. And you could tell by the pout in Bam's voice when he mirrored your thanks that he was thinking the same thing.

"Mm. Finland. Can't wait." Johnny clearly felt the opposite, because he had a wide grin on his face as got out of his chair while Spike erased his name off of the board, too. He was practically rubbing it in your faces, and you were imagining yourself kicking the shit out of him once you weren't in the presence of your bosses.

"Good. Now get out of here. All of you."

—

Oh yeah. This trip was going to fucking blow. Massively. Especially because Bam had insisted that you both stay at Ville's apartment (which was going to be torture anyway considering you and Bam were going to have to share a couch that didn't pull out) and Johnny had as a result thrown a fit about it and gotten a hotel room for himself instead.

So yeah. The gap was just building itself wider and wider, and you hadn't even actually seen Ville yet. And, based on previous interactions and many arguments with both Ville and Johnny about the other person, you knew that it was going to be tense. You and Bam had actually had a lengthy discussion about it when Johnny had passed out with his head lolling out into the aisle of the plane.

"If they start fighting over you while we're right there, I'm out. Seriously." Bam was saying, referencing the fact that usually when the two of them were around each other it became a battle of marking territory. Despite the fact that the territory, being you, was usually uninterested in the both of them in those moments. You nodded in agreement.

"We'll be out. I'm gonna want to shoot myself if I have to listen to any more of that." You complained, resting your face in your hand as letting out a deep sigh. "Knoxville can't come to the set, or else we're not going to get anything done."

"You know, this wouldn't be a problem if you just got a new boyfriend, and then they could bond over their hard-ons for you instead of fighting over them." Bam snickered at his own suggestion, and you shot him a dirty look. In actuality, it probably was a good idea to at least try to put yourself out there so that you weren’t so deeply caught in the shitstorm that was becoming your life, but everything was just too fucked up. You and Johnny were still…you didn’t know what you were doing…and you were about to go and create an entirely new set of problems for yourself.

"The day they start bonding over anything is the day that you can have every cent in my bank account, because it's never fucking happening." You scoffed, shaking your head tiredly. "Ville's going to be such an asshole about it. I can already fucking tell by the way he was on the phone."

It had taken a lot of convincing to get Ville to agree on still letting you visit now that Johnny had joined the party. The two of them hated each other (and had, for almost the entire time that you’d known Ville), and adding Ville to the mix of you and Johnny’s never ending bickering was not going to make it any better. And, to add onto that, you were almost completely sure that the reason Johnny had been so against you coming to Helsinki was because he was convinced that you planned on opening your legs right up for Ville as soon as you saw him.

"He's just gonna be a little pissed off. He'll be fine once we all start drinking." Bam brushed it off like he wasn't worried about it. Your promises to avoid getting plastered at all costs had obviously been lies, and despite Johnny putting himself out as the savior that was going to keep you from doing so, you knew that he had a weaker resolve than you and Bam did. Plus, you could work and get drunk at the same time. You’d done it before, and you’d definitely do it again. "You know, Ville's single right now, too."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Now you were really glad that Johnny was asleep, because he would've flipped out at what Bam was so clearly insinuating. You narrowed your eyes at him, and he just shrugged.

"Just saying. We wouldn't have to share the couch if you slept in Ville's bed." This motherfucker was crazy. Actually fucking crazy. You just stared at him for a second, because he had basically just suggested that you fuck some guy from a different country while your still-very-territorial ex was along.

"If anyone's gonna be sharing a bed with Ville, it's you, asshole." You grumbled, giving him a pointed look that warned him not to stray into that territory any further.

"Whatever. We'll probably end up too drunk to care, anyway." That's usually how it ended up when you and Bam had to share the couch (which hadn't happened in a really long time), and you had woken up with your face resting on top of Bam's feet and vice versa more times than you wanted to admit. "You know this is probably going to suck ass, right?"

"Yeah. Don't remind me." You were already preparing yourself for the worst. Fighting from all sides (Bam and Ville already had a habit of fighting once they'd been together for too long and Ville started to get annoyed, and adding Johnny to the mix was guaranteeing arguments between everybody), stress from trying to (potentially) film a music video in basically four days, and the horrendous hangovers that came with being anywhere near Ville Valo was basically all a recipe for a half-fun disaster. "If it gets bad, then you and I can just get our own hotel so that we don't have to deal with it."

"Deal."

—

Despite your worries regarding seeing Ville again after what felt like forever, you were actually kind of relieved to see his apartment building when the taxi let you both out. Johnny had been complaining incessantly before he'd been dropped off at his hotel to 'get situated', citing his reasons as it being 'too hot' and 'too late for him to even do anything' for his whining before you basically shoved him out in favor of heading directly to Ville's place.

So, despite the fact that you’d been in a pretty garbage mood for the past day or so, as Ville buzzed you both into the building, you felt a grin forming on your face, and you could see that Bam looked the same way as you trudged up the three flights of stairs to get to Ville's door.

The door was already open when you finally got to his floor, and you were met with the sight of Ville Valo himself standing in the doorway with a beer bottle in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Fitting, for the time of night it was. Bam, of course, rushed to get ahead of you and be first to greet Ville, which was basically just them shouting animatedly and almost bowling each other over in a hug before Ville handed his beer bottle over to Bam and stepped aside to let him in the house. His gaze then moved in your direction.

"Well, hello there. Where's your pet?" Great. It was already starting. You groaned as you let him pull you into a hug, shrouded in the all-too-familiar smell of his cologne, the cigarette he was smoking, and the booze on his breath.

"Can you please wait like, more than three seconds before you start with that?" You complained, smiling despite your groaning when he kissed your cheek and shut the door behind you when you stepped into the apartment. "He's at his hotel. I don't know if he'll even show up tonight."

"Sweet." He said it dramatically on purpose, and you and Bam both shared a 'Jesus fucking Christ' look because this was going to end up being...well...exactly how you’d guessed it was going to end up being. Ville then dropped down on the couch, looking at the both of you with a relaxed grin. "Mige's got a party going on tonight, if you're not too jet-lagged."

"It hasn't started yet?" Bam didn't look like he was exactly going for the idea, and honestly, you didn't know if you were going to, either. Of course, you wanted to see the band, and you knew that you would have a good time if you went, but you were way too jet-lagged to go to a party that wasn't going to end until the sun was coming up the next morning.

"Oh, no. It's started, all right. Thought I'd wait on your asses to let you in here before I went, though." Ville explained, motioning for Bam to finish off the beer that he had handed over upon arrival. You hid your smile behind your hand as you watched Bam's hesitant look. Now this was what you were used to. "C'mon. You can bring your cowboy and we can teach him a few party tricks."

Yeah, because that was going to end well.

"Speaking of the cowboy. Ville, look at me." You weren't going to put up with immature bickering and poking the entire time, because that was going to ruin your entire trip. Ville, who had an ‘I'm totally gonna fuck with him’ smirk on his face, looked at you then, and you jabbed a finger at him. "No fighting with Johnny. Seriously. No instigating, nothing. I'm begging you."

"Yeah, I'll second that. If you piss him off, him and Y/n are just going to start screaming at each other again, and then I'm gonna want to hang myself." Bam added, nodding towards you like he was being helpful as he spoke. You threw a hand in the air, because Ville absolutely did not need to know that you and Johnny were at each other's throats. That thought was confirmed by the fact that Ville's smirk only grew wider.

"What? I thought you two were hopelessly in love with each other." He gasped. You just deadpanned at him, taking a deep breath before sighing.

“We’re on a break.” You supplied, because clearly Bam had left that bit of information out. “Don’t start anything.”

"I'm not talking to that fucking prick anyway. Who gives a shit what's up his ass." There came the real emotions that you were so used to. Bam snickered at those words, and you just ran your hand over your face, because you knew that it was only going to get worse once they were in the same room.

"Alright. Let's go already so I don't have to listen to this bullshit." Bam huffed, moving back towards the door after he had kicked his bag out of the way. You had actually planned on taking at least a five minute breather before you went out getting smashed off of your asses, but of course that was not a thought in the mind of your present company. "Someone's gotta call Knoxville and tell him to meet us there if he wants to go."

"Not it!" You called immediately, putting your hands up in the air in surrender. Bam let out the most dramatic groan you had ever heard, collapsing down on the couch next to Ville like a toddler throwing a fit as he pulled his phone out of his back pocket.

"You're a fucking dick. You owe me a keg stand for that."

—

The party was in full swing by the time you arrived, and exponentially more so when Johnny did. You and Bam had already taken three hits each off of Mige's four-foot bong, and there was a half-spilled bottle of liquor in the back pocket of your jeans when Linde finally emerged back into the living room with Johnny close behind him.

"Liquor's in the kitchen!" You called from where you were sitting on the arm of the couch next to Mige and Bam with the bong in between your legs. He raised an eyebrow at the bong, then turned around in a half-circle.

"Where the fuck is the kitchen?" He yelled back, gesturing around the room in confusion. Bam sighed and got up then, reaching over Mige to hand you his cigarette before he crossed the room to meet Johnny and take him into the kitchen. Which was dangerous in itself, because Ville had just gone in the same direction to get himself another drink.

You were on the couch for about 20 seconds without Bam before he poked his head back out into the living room, waving you on frantically. You groaned, because that could only mean one thing, before getting up. My fucking god.

When you reached Bam after taking several chugs of your liquor, he let out a long sigh that told you exactly what he had called you over for.

"Well, they're both in the kitchen together." He announced, leading you around the corner as he took your liquor bottle out of your hand for himself. "If they start fighting, who do you think is going to win?"

"Don't speak it into existence." You groaned, squeezing past a large group of people that probably didn't even speak the same language as you as you pushed into the kitchen. There, you were met with a sight that practically made your head start hurting right then and there.

Ville and Johnny were standing on opposite sides of the kitchen counter from each other, and although you were far enough away to where you couldn't hear what they were saying, you could tell that they were arguing. And what made it even worse was the fact that where Johnny looked irritated, Ville just looked smug. Which didn't give you much hope for what they were discussing.

"You gonna go break that up, or...?" Bam must've thought you were crazy. To willingly throw yourself into the middle of that shitshow was like asking you if you would’ve liked to just go and put a gun in your mouth. You blew out a sigh.

"I mean, as long as they're just talking. I don't really care if they argue." You clearly jinxed yourself then, because just as soon as those words were out of your mouth, Ville reached out and slammed the bottom of his beer bottle over the top of Johnny's, which made Johnny's beer start gushing everywhere, and then clapped him hard on the shoulder before turning and walking right away. And directly towards you and Bam.

When he spotted you, his smirk got even wider, and you tried to avoid Johnny seeing you as he chucked his ruined beer into the trash for fear of making everything worse with your presence.

"That was a douchey fucking move." You said as soon as Ville was in earshot, glaring at him and smacking his shoulder as he just chuckled at his own actions. You didn't argue when Bam immediately dipped away from you, leaving just you and Ville standing next to each other out of view of the kitchen.

“I don’t fucking care. He said you weren’t single. I know you are.” He basically sang his words as he spoke them. You swallowed thickly, because Ville was a lot closer than what you were used to, and because you could see the look in his eyes. He was playing a game in his own head, and he was clearly winning. “He sure has a tight hold on you for not being your little boyfriend.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” You didn’t like how airy your voice came out. You knew this would be a prime opportunity to get Johnny back for all this bullshit with his girlfriend that he (still!) hadn’t broken up with, but Ville made you nervous. Really nervous.

“I’m just saying. You’re not his property. You’re free to fuck anyone you want.” His words were so pointed you could only stare at him, and you felt your heart jolt when his hand skated suggestively across your very lower back before he was disappearing back into the living room.

Suddenly, just as you were turning to glance back and see if you could get a look into the kitchen from where you were standing to make sure Johnny hadn’t seen any of that, you almost turned directly into that very man, who had seemingly just appeared out of nowhere with a scowl on his face that could've killed someone. There was a beer stain down the front of his shirt, and you failed to hide your satisfied look as you met his gaze.

"What.” You really didn’t want to talk to him, and you could tell by the furious look in his eyes that you weren’t going to like what he had to say. His gaze flitted over to where Ville had disappeared to, and his jaw clenched aggressively.

"I need to talk to you outside. Right fucking now." He jabbed a finger towards the balcony door that was in the corner of the living room, and you could just tell by the tense tone of his voice that you were about to get your ass reamed for Ville's actions both towards Johnny and towards you. Part of you wanted to just say no and escape from both Ville and Johnny so that you could actually enjoy your night, but you knew that wasn't plausible, so you just glared right back at him and sighed.

"Fine." You watched Johnny head straight for the door without even waiting to see if you were following. You shook your head but followed after him, heading out to the balcony and shutting the door behind you once you both reached it.

You were wishing that you’d at least popped a pill to make this night more bearable for yourself. Liquor just didn't seem to be doing the trick for the stress that both Johnny and Ville were pressing down onto your shoulders. Screw Jeff for being so biased in Johnny's direction.

"If you're going to yell at me for him being a douche, that's not my f—"

"Why the fuck did you come here? What the fuck is the point of still coming here when that fucking douche clearly wants you?" And there it was. You raised your eyebrows, because you hadn't expected him to be that forward about it, before scoffing.

"I'm sorry, you'll have to remind me how the hell that's any of your business." You snapped, narrowing your eyes at him as you pulled the last cigarette out of your pack. Of fucking course. This day just kept getting better and better. "I told you when you chose to budge yourself into this trip that I was coming here for work. I can't control what happens outside of that."

"Yeah, sure. Only for work." He motioned to the party still going full-throttle inside, and you could basically see the snark dripping from his voice. You chuckled in disbelief, lighting your cigarette and leaning against the balcony railing.

"Do you hear how pathetically fucking jealous you sound?" It was like he had no shame. He'd been very obviously spitting in your face with this whole girlfriend thing, and yet as soon as you were even vaguely around a guy who had actually shown some interest in you besides fucking you on the side and shouting at you about everything like a certain someone else, he cared about what you were doing all of a sudden.

"I'm not jealous." So he thought you were stupid. And blind, apparently. Even as he spoke, you could see jealousy tainting his features. It was like a dark cloud hung low over his head. You laughed again at that, and you could see fury forming its way onto his face.

"You are. Why the hell else would you have invited yourself on this trip? You hate Ville, and you know we stay with him when we're here." He had to be joking. There's no way he seriously thought you were going to believe him. Your voice was starting to raise with every word out of your mouth, but you couldn't help it. As time went on, you were just getting more and more sick of his fucking bullshit. "Listen. If you want to let him get to you, fucking fine. But don't bring me into it just because you think you have some sort of right to me."

"I'm bringin’ you into it because he’s a piece of shit, and you know exactly what he wants to do! He won't shut his goddamn mouth, and you can't even pretend to act like you care." Johnny's voice raised along with yours, and he jabbed a finger in your direction as he talked. You took a long drag of your cigarette before you responded.

"Why do I have to care? Neither of you are my problem. You're a grown adult, so you don't need someone to handle everything for you." You pointed out critically. Just because you knew Ville didn't mean that automatically made him your responsibility. "If he's hurting your feelings, then I don't know why you're still here in the first place. You might feel better with your face in Mandy’s fake ass tits."

"What do you want me to say? Fine! I fucking regret coming, okay? It's not fucking fun to sit here all night while he eye fucks you every time you're anywhere near each other knowing that you'll probably be spreading your legs for him by the end of the night."

You just stared at him for a second then, because you couldn't believe that those words had actually just come out of his mouth. On one hand, score, because he had just openly admitted his jealousy towards Ville, but on the other hand...what the fuck.

This, coming from the man that had literally begged to fuck you about ten minutes after his girlfriend had left whatever trashy hotel everyone was staying in multiple times before. What a fucking hypocrite.

"Do you think I have no self-respect?" You were jabbing your finger right back now, but by this point he fucking deserved it. He should've been lucky you weren't really screaming like you could've been. "And I can’t believe that you think you have any say! We are not together, and you have a goddamn girlfriend. Don’t whine your ass off just because I’m talking to a guy while I’m single."

"That shit doesn’t fucking matter." That was Johnny's well-thought-out response. And oh, he wasn't done. "And no. Honestly, I don't think you have any fucking self-respect. You've been loading yourself up with everything you can get your hands on tonight, and every time Ville talks to you I can see that stupid, desperate look on your face. You must think I'm an idiot if you think I'm going to believe that you're not begging for him to fuck you."

You recoiled at those words. Wow. He seriously believed that bullshit.

Well, if he was so convinced, might as well go and give him something to think about.

"You know what? Come and talk to me when you're not going to call me a whore, alright? Might as well fucking leave if you're going to be this upset about stupid shit." You sighed, flicking your cigarette off the balcony and then turning towards the door. You heard a sour scoff from behind you.

"Oh no. I'm staying. I'll be right fucking here when you end up with his dick down your throat in a couple hours." If only all of the people obsessed with Johnny's 'sweet southern charm' could see him now. You didn't look back, just held your middle finger up from behind you as you pulled the balcony door back open.

"Fuck you, Knoxville."

You were mad. Johnny's words had cut deep, and the fact that he'd decided to stay (which, despite his words, was clearly just so that he could basically make sure you weren't able to have any fun) made it all even worse.

So, when you moved back into the living room and past your friends, only to have Ville catch your eye and immediately start coming after you, you didn't brush him off like you usually would've had it not been under the current circumstances.

"No kiss and make up, then?" He put his hand on the wall next to your head once you stopped in a less-crowded corner of the apartment, leaning into it as he looked down on you with drunken amusement sparked in his eyes. You took a deep breath, shaking your head and trying to remind yourself that he didn't deserve your temper that Johnny had ignited. Well, he actually probably did a little bit considering he'd been the one instigating, but still. You didn't feel like arguing with him, too.

"What would be the opposite of that?” If only he knew what position he held between you and Johnny’s fight. You refrained from giving him any more insight than that.

"You can talk to me about it." He was smirking, still sounding like he was having way too much fun with this whole situation, and you laughed humorlessly and shook your head immediately.

"No. You already rubbed it in my face enough." You huffed, consciously aware of the fact that he was leaning in further and further by the second. He then leaned away, scoffing at that and sticking the cigarette that had been between his fingers back between his lips.

“Fine. We can talk about something else.” He supplied easily after he’d taken a long drag, smoke seeping out of his nostrils in thick tendrils as he eyed you intensely. “Can I ask you something?”

You didn’t know if you liked the sound of that, but you were past using any common sense, so you just nodded. His eyes moved past your face to the low-cut collar of your shirt.

“You know I want to fuck you, right?” His tone had dropped so low you almost didn’t hear him. Almost. You had kind of seen this coming, and he hadn’t exactly tried to hide it, but you still choked on the air in your lungs regardless. And, as you regained your composure, you promptly noticed Johnny at the balcony door, and he was staring right at the both of you.

You knew he was waiting. Waiting to have his guess confirmed, and probably waiting for a reason to flip his shit and add another reason to hate you to his seemingly growing list. So you made a decision.

“Yeah. I do.” You breathed, turning back to Ville and letting your eyes fall to his lips. If Johnny wanted to make assumptions and try and control something that he had nothing to do with, you might as well give him something to work with. You leaned up and closed the gap then, pressing your lips to Ville’s and immediately feeling his hand slide down to grip your ass. He knew Johnny was watching, too.

“There’s a guest bedroom.” Ville barely broke the kiss enough to speak, and you clearly saw him glance over at Johnny. “C’mon, darling. Give him something to look at.”

— —

The next morning, walking up to Johnny's hotel room after you were cleared by the front desk felt like walking into the fucking lion's den. You already felt shitty enough about your own decisions the previous night, but you knew he was about to make you feel ten times worse than what you could ever imagine.

Suddenly your idea to make sure he saw you leaving to clearly go fuck Ville didn't seem so great anymore.

As you knocked on his room door, you were starting to feel like you were going to throw up. You were already hungover as hell, and adding nerves on top of it whilst also running on an empty stomach was just making you feel worse and worse by the second.

And you weren’t feeling much better when the door ripped open to reveal Johnny with that same look that he'd had on his face while he'd been berating you the night before. In fact, you had to swallow hard to contain yourself at that moment.

"You didn't fucking call." That was the first thing he said to you. He hadn't moved like he was going to let you into the room yet, and you suddenly wondered if he was even going to at all. You chewed on the inside of your cheek.

"Figured you'd want me in person if you're gonna spit in my face some more." You knew he wouldn't let you leave if there was a chance that he would get the opportunity to call you every name under the sun, so you started it. You also started it because you knew you’d be able to finish it.

Just as you suspected, he stepped aside to let you in, and you could tell that he was clenching his jaw tightly as you walked past him and into his immaculate hotel room.

"So? Did he fuck you?" Also like you’d suspected, no soft openers with him. He shut the door a little bit harder than he needed to after saying that, and you took a deep breath before responding. You weren't going to apologize, and you also weren’t going to rationalize, but you didn't want to yell. Not yet, at least.

"Yep. Surprised you didn't hear it." Okay, so maybe that wording was on purpose just to infuriate him. And it clearly worked, because you saw a whole new level of anger flare in his eyes as soon as it was out of your mouth.

"You're a rare fuckin' breed, you know that? You spend forever complaining about Mandy, and then you go and just open your legs for him the second I leave you alone." He spat, jabbing a finger at you as he spoke. There was a good amount of distance between you, and you were thankful for it out of concern for what you would've done had that finger been jabbing in your face. "I bet you let him bust in you, too."

"Can you just say the word whore? Jesus. You don't have to keep coming up with all these elaborate ways to say it." You said flatly, crossing your arms and looking at him with all the disinterest that you had with pursuing this fight. "If you want to shame me for sleeping with someone who doesn't call me a whore, and for doing so while I'm single, then just say what you're really trying to say."

"Fine. You were being a fucking whore last night and I hope you realize how stupid you looked." Johnny snapped immediately, clearly losing any cool he still had left as he spat venom in your direction. "The only reason he fucked you was to rub it in my face."

"Oh, yeah. Because you know Ville so incredibly well." You could never understand what it was with men and just assuming that everything everyone did was about them. Ego at its finest. "Do you think I'm stupid enough to let myself be a fucking boasting piece?"

"Do you really want me to answer that? Because I think you know what I'm going to say." He scoffed, his eyes raking over you in a way that made your skin crawl a little bit. If you hadn't been so mad at him, and if you weren't so stubborn on this whole situation, you would've been hurt by the fact that he clearly had no qualms on basically calling you an object.

"How is it fair! How the fuck is it fair that you can have an entire fucking girlfriend, but I have to come over here and rationalize myself to you for sleeping with someone? I’m single, and you’re not.” Instead, you were at the end of your rope. It wasn’t fair. None of this was fair. The fact that he kept making you out to be the villain was starting to get to you, and you couldn’t help how hysterical you sounded.

"We’re basically broken up, for the last fucking time! And, also for the last fucking time, it’s none of your goddamn business.” Once again, he wanted to make it seem like you had no right into the personal life that he had forcibly pulled you into when that’s exactly what he was currently doing to you. “You fucking him just proves that you wanted to fuck him when we were still dating.”

“What did you think I was going to do when one of you was shouting at me and calling me stupid and the other one can actually talk to me without saying the meanest, most hurtful shit he can think of off the top of his head?" You were close to shouting now, but you were getting exasperated. You knew he thought if he pulled a big enough pity party that you would just keel over and apologize, but he clearly didn't know you well enough, because that was not fucking happening. "You're the oldest out of all three of us, and yet you're the only one who can't grow the fuck up."

"Really? I can't grow the fuck up? Coming from the girl who clearly just makes every bad decision that comes to her head just to spite everyone who fucking cares about her?" Oh, and the truth comes out. But you just laughed at that, because if he really cared, he wouldn't have talked to you the way he had been lately.

"You just think it's a bad decision because you can't get over the fact that you fucked this up and now somebody else gets to fuck me." You scoffed, sitting down on his bed and pulling that same bored look back onto your face. "If you're so goddamn angry at Ville, then why don't you talk to him? I don't want to listen to this over and over again just because you’re making up things to be insecure about."

"I'd rather kill myself than listen to that piece of shit talk more than a fuckin' sentence." Of course, jealousy would always win. Jealousy and bitterness, both of which Ville and Johnny clearly shared an equally chronic case of. "I bet you'll go back and fuck him after you're done here, won't you?"

"What—no, PJ. I fucked him last night because I was drunk and my feelings were hurt. Really fucking hurt." You sighed, taking a deep breath as you tried to talk some sense into Johnny. "I'm not going to lie and say that I didn't want you to see us, but that's not the reason for all of this shit. I just wanted to be around someone that wasn't going to make me feel like a piece of shit human being."

And that was the honest truth. You inhaled and then exhaled slowly before continuing.

"I don't want to lose you, alright? I don't. I know last night was my own mistake, but you have to realize that you've been making some fucking mistakes, too. I'm willing to take blame, but you can't just act like you haven't done anything." It wasn't apologizing, but you were definitely putting out an olive branch. "I just want you to talk to me instead of shouting in my face."

That seemed to set him in a different place. He finally started to move away from his defensive position near the door, and then he let out a heavy sigh as he stopped in front of you.

"Why'd you break up with me?" Ignorance was bliss, apparently. You just stared at him for a second, because that answer should've been pretty fucking obvious, then sighed when he said nothing.

"All we did was fight. About everything. You don't know how to communicate, and we're horrible at making an effort to even see each other." You had been on your last nerve with Johnny when you’d finally cut the last strand holding the two of you together. And he’d made it much worse with what had come after. “And you’ll excuse me if I’m having a hard time being anywhere near you after everything since then."

"I’m going to break up with her." He mumbled in response, sounding much like a broken record. For being several years older than you, Johnny sure had a tendency to act like a whiny little bitch. You shot him a look at that, because seriously? Once again, he was just spewing bullshit to save himself.

"I don’t even want to talk about her. Please. I'm asking you to actually talk through things with me instead of freaking the fuck out and blowing everything up into a huge pissing contest." It's like everything was just going in one ear and out the other with him.

"So you're asking me to beg you to take me back? Because I'm not doin' that." Like you’d said, in one ear and out the other. You groaned and dropped your face into your hands, starting to feel as if you’d exhausted all your energy. He was about as hard-headed as a person could get.

"No. Just please take a fucking deep breath and calm down. Enough to actually tell me what you're thinking instead of just spitting at everything I say." You said frustratedly, motioning to the other side of the bed that you were sitting on. "Can you at least sit down?"

He hesitated for a second before doing as you asked, sitting as far away from you on the bed as he could get as he continued to look at you with that same betrayed look on his face. You then turned completely in his direction so that he had to look at you.

"Listen. I am willing to…work…on this. But you need to make me some promises." You said slowly. Once again, not apologizing, but definitely an olive branch. “I will not go anywhere fucking near you until you break it off with Mandy. It’s not fair to her, and it’s not fair to me. And if you talk to me again like you have been, I will never speak a word to you besides work ever again.”

"I can call her when you leave." Finally, after what felt like forever of getting nothing out of him, Johnny finally gave you something solid to work with after a long beat of silence. You nodded.

"Okay. Second, I think we should agree to stop drinking around each other.” Liquor and narcotics had been at the forefront of almost all of your serious fights, and you knew that it did the both of you no good when you were plastered and angry. He didn’t seem as on-board with that one.

"Even beer?" Of course, he didn't see a problem with his actions. You just stared at him and nodded like you couldn't hear his ridiculing tone of voice. He looked away from you then, eyes trained hard on the wall as he inhaled deeply and then ran a hand heavily through his hair. "Okay. Fine." He agreed, seeming to decompress a little bit at the compromise between you. You nodded, taking a deep breath and trying to find your next step.

“Once you can do that, I’m willing to spend more time together with just the two of us. All we do is party or work when we're together, so let's do something else when we get back." You could only do so much bonding when you were wasted off your asses and throwing up everywhere. "But you have to give me time, PJ. You have been a fucking asshole lately.”

“Yeah, that goes for both of us.” Johnny was clearly still on the fence about compromising fully with you, and there was still a hint of animosity in his eyes as he looked at you. You just ignored him.

"I would like it if you stayed and actually had some fun with us, but you have to promise me that you're actually going to let me work. I came here for a reason, and I'm not going to ditch my job just because you don't like the person who employs me." You were really pushing yourself to make this work. Despite all of the shit you’d been throwing back and forth at each other, you really did still love Johnny, and you would’ve been lying if you had said this distance between the two of you hadn’t been hurting you immensely.

"I'm not staying." He said immediately. When you clenched your jaw, because once again, your talking to him clearly meant nothing, he sighed. "I mean...I just can't. It's not fair to you for me to be here, and all me bein' here is gonna do is cause more problems."

Okay. That was a step in the right direction.

"Are you sure? You really don't have to go. I'm fine with splitting my time." You didn't want him to leave just because of Ville. There had already been enough drama in the singular night that you’d all been in Helsinki so far. "There's lots of shit to do here."

"I'm willing to spend more time with you, and I wanna, but I'm not doin' it here." Clearly his jealousy ran as deep as the ground of Finland did. You had to give him credit for his devotion to hating Ville.

You took a second to swallow that information. You didn't know whether him leaving early made you feel better or worse about this whole situation, but you knew you wouldn't be able to change his mind. And you knew you wouldn't be able to work with him and Ville anywhere near each other, so you weren't going to try.

"I can come with you to the airport, if you want." You were starting to lean towards feeling worse about everything now that you knew he was leaving because of you. You could barely look at him, but you were forcing yourself to.

"It's fine. Just get your work done, and we can talk about this more when you come back to LA." He reassured you flatly, reaching out and taking your hand where you were still kind of staring at him. "I'm sorry I yelled at you, alright?"

"Yeah. Alright." You wasn't apologizing. You knew he was expecting it, and you saw the hint of displeasure on his face at the fact that you hadn't done so, but you didn't care. You hadn't done anything wrong, and you weren't completely done being mad at him, either. "I won't see you again until I’m back, then?"

He clearly swallowed his pride in that moment, because there was a moment of silence before he responded. "No."

"I'm going to be working for the rest of the time I'm here, so the best time to call me will be in the morning. So late night your time." You didn’t know if you had the emotional strength for phone calls with the man in front of you right now, but you knew you needed to offer if you had any hopes for repairing what had been broken between the two of you.

You got up then, pulling your hand from his and then feeling the urge to shake this entire conversation off of yourself. You wanted to be anywhere but inside of this hotel room, and despite the fact that your conversation had actually gone a lot better than what you were expecting, you still felt like shit. And he wasn't exactly making it better.

"...you're not going to fuck him again, are you?" One step forward, three steps back. Jesus fucking Christ. You continued where you were going back towards the door, trying to take a deep breath in order to prevent starting this whole fight over again.

"No. And if you ask again, I'll block your number." You weren't playing his games anymore. You were willing to try and repair everything that had gone deeply wrong between you and Johnny, but you had a breaking point, and you were way past it. "Just say goodbye and that you'll see me when you see me. Quit making it worse."

There was silence after that, and for a second you really thought that he was just going to let you go without a word. But then, just as you grabbed the door handle of his hotel door, he finally let out a breath.

"Thanks for coming over here. I know you didn't want to." That was the best he could come up with. It wasn't what it could've been, which was another horribly insulting name or jab, but it was literally nothing else more.

All you felt was unease as you left that hotel room. Nothing more. Nothing less.

[whitehairandblood]

Hi! Hope you're having a nice day/night, I loved your writing on vampire whumper and vampire hunter whumpee. I was wondering if you were planning on making a part 2? No pressure if you're not though

Hi! Thanks for the ask :)

I honestly wasn't planning on continuing this idea (it was meant to be a oneshot) but you know what? Sure, here you go, here's a part 2

Long Hair | pt 2

Whumpee stands on the balcony overlooking the garden.

It's a peaceful night. They take a deep breath, appreciating the cool night air that caresses their skin and brings with it the smell of oncoming rain. Their hands rest on the ornate railing, shivers running up their arms from the sheer cold of the metal.

Their hair coils around the back of their head in an intricate braid. A gentle breeze has their skin breaking out in goosebumps where it's no longer covered by their hair, causing them to draw their shoulder just a bit higher. Whumper spent a not insignificant amount of time perfecting their hair. It would be a shame for their hard work to go to waste.

Whumpee scowls where no one can see them. Even the thought makes them feel nauseous. They liked to think they'd gotten used to Whumper's antics by now, but the memory of their hands in their hair, so uncharacteristically gentle and careful- it still makes their stomach roll. Whumper has begun to treat them like some sort of decoration, some kind of- display piece. They've become even stricter about Whumpee's hair always being tied up, preferring to do it up themself on most days.

It makes Whumpee sick.

Their last line of defense- the last piece of their identity still belonging to them- had been taken away.

They close their eyes for only a brief moment, but that seems to be all the invitation Whumper needs to suddenly appear beside them. Whumpee doesn't startle. They don't want to give Whumper the satisfaction of it.

"You spend more and more time out here."

Whumpee contemplates simply not replying. They catch Whumper's eyes from the corner of their vision, watching them expectantly when the silense stretches on for a second too long. Whumpee sighs.

"... It's not like I have much else to do. The garden's at least pretty to look at."

Whumper hums.

"I suppose you're right," they say after a short pause, "pets need enrichment afterall. I'll need to find something to entertain you while I'm not around."

Whumpee feels their blood begin to boil, but they carefully shove it down. Not right now. Not when they've been having such a nice night.

"I'm not your pet, jackass. But I do enjoy reading, if I'm allowed to make suggestions."

Whumper chuckles, but there's no malice to it.

"Oh, sure you are."

They hold up their hand, counting on their fingers in a gesture so mundane, it looks out of place on them.

"You live with me in my house, you're dependent on me for survival and you provide me with both entertainment and companionship. Is that not the definition of a pet?"

Whumpee tries not to bristle. They force their words out between gritted teeth.

"You're a real shitty pet owner then. Is hurting me also part of the entertainment or is that just a bonus feature?"

Whumper laughs.

Whumpee almost does a double take at the sound, caught off guard. They've never heard Whumper laugh like that before. It's brief but loud, more like a bark than anything else, but it sounds awfully genuine.

"Oh, Hunter. You always find ways to surprise me."

Something warm blooms in Whumpee's chest against their will. That was suspiciously close to a compliment.

They chew on their words for a few moments before finally committing. If Whumper's in a good enough mood to almost compliment them, then maybe...

"You said... something about companionship?"

Whumper pauses, staring out onto the garden. When they turn, they do it slowly, glancing at Whumpee with a dangerous glint in their eyes.

"What?"

Whumpee fights the urge to recoil.

"You uh. You mentioned that I'm here to be a companion. Did you actually mean that, or...?"

Whumpee trails off as Whumper tilts their head, contemplating them. They don't look angry, which is good, but Whumpee doesn't know what to make of their current expression either.

Whumper turns to look away, hands folded on the metal banister as they gaze out at the garden. They don't say anything for a while, which gives Whumpee just enough time to start to regret their question. Silence is never a good sign.

The smell of ozone is stronger now. Dark clouds begin to gather in the distance.

"I believe I've made myself quite clear," Whumper finally says, turning to look at Whumpee with cold, hard eyes, "on what you are to me, Hunter."

Whumpee sighs.

Right. Of course.

They're startled when Whumper steps closer, officially breaking their unspoken truce for the night. They use their body to cage Whumpee against the banister, arms held on either side of them as they lean close. Whumpee stares at their shoes to avoid having to look them in the eyes.

Whumper leans down, chasing their line of sight. Their breath ghosts on Whumpee's skin. It's cold, just like the rest of them.

"What are you to me, Hunter?"

Whumpee's hands grip the banister until their knuckles turn white, struggling with their instincts to swing at their assailant. Fighting back has never done them any favours.

"Whumper, please."

A hand fists itself into Whumpee's hair, destroying the careful braiding that runs from their hairline down towards the back of their head. The hand tugs upwards, forcing Whumpee to meet Whumper's gaze, red eyes boring holes into their own. Whumpee can't help a painful groan.

"What are you to me, Hunter?"

Whumpee shuts their eyes tightly. One of their hands grabs onto Whumper's wrist, but they make no move to dislodge their grip.

"I'm... I'm a pet. Your pet."

Whumper's eyes search their face, still with that same, stoic expression. Whumpee forces themself to meet Whumper's eyes, silently pleading.

The hand in their hair finally lets go. Whumpee slumps forward, head held low. Their ears burn in the cold. Whumper seems satisfied with the answer though, and Whumpee watches as their shoes retreat from their field of vision, back towards the balcony door.

"Remind me to get you something to entertain yourself with. You said you liked books, right? How about a pack of playing cards, too?"

Whumpee takes a shuddering breath, glaring at Whumper. Strands of hair fall into their face, freed from their braids.

"I don't know how to play."

Whumper pauses on their way back inside, idling in the doorway. They turn back to look at Whumpee, fangs flashing as a slow grin creeps across their face.

"You will learn."

[morimakesfanart]

Sindria's Prophet #30

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [Intermission] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29]

[AO3] [wattpad]

~POV Mori~ Being neurodivergent can be very inconvenient, but because of it I'm able to find joy in things that neurotypicals might only give a glance to. Sure, I had things to worry about, but nothing else matters in the face of learning more about something I love. There were only a few detail shots in the anime and even less panels in the manga to define the items in the Treasury. ((And I didn't draw backgrounds for most of the art for this chapter either oops XD)) I was definitely going to enjoy being able to look at everything. I recognized that room with guards at its entrance before we got close enough for me to see into it. Once we were close enough for the view to match the framing in the anime I commented, "It's just like my 'visions.'"

King Sinbad gave me a confident smile, and led us inside the Treasury. There was something I had to see in person before anything else. I b-lined to the right side to start my search. When I found it I looked back at Sinbad. "Can I pick things up to get a better look?"

The King was standing a few paces back -just watching me with his arms crossed. "Go ahead."

I was allowed to look with my hands! I immediately picked up and put on the clawed gauntlets that Morgiana tries on while looking for something to be her metal vessel. They didn't have the best articulation and were heavy, but they weren't uncomfortable. I couldn't hold in my giggles as I examined them.

"You like things like that?" Sinbad's voice asked from behind me.

"Yes!" Ever since I was little I've wanted a suit of armor. I've never been able to decide what time period or country's style I wanted, and pricing replicas immediately removed it from a possibility.

Sinbad watched me for a moment before asking, "Do you want those?"

'Oh right! I'm supposed to be picking something out.' I took them off, and put them back where I found them. "Not really. They're just a part of a moment I found charming so I wanted to try them on once."

"I see."

As I made my way around the room I found the group of jewelry shown in both the manga and anime versions. These pieces were in the close up shots to help establish the location. The bracelet and ring with purple stones were obviously my favorite color, but it was different actually seeing the way light bounces through them. "They're prettier in person." I picked up the bracelet, and turned it in the light a few times. Maybe amethyst? I had seem amethyst that looked like this. That would make this a bit cheap considering Sinbad's level of opulence. Maybe tanzanite? I don't know much about identifying gem stones. I was pretty sure Topaz, sapphire, and diamond could make this color too.

I heard Sinbad's steps on the stone floor behind me, so I wasn't too surprised when his voice came from right next to me. "Are you considering that one?"

If it's really okay then, "Definitely." I slipped it onto my right wrist. "It's violet so I want it on me." It was a bit heavy, but I didn't think it would be a problem. I was left handed so it wouldn't get in the way of my writing as long as I wore it on my right arm.

Sinbad's chuckle set off an alarm in my head but I couldn't place why. He asked, "Is that so?"

"Yes...?"

He smiled and nodded like he was agreeing with something profound. "It looks good on you." Even though I understood the flow of our conversations, his compliment felt like it had little to do with me wearing the color purple.

"Thanks?" He was making a pass at me, but I couldn't tell what started it.

My response only seemed to amuse Sinbad more. He looked down at the ring in front of me that also had a violet stone. "You're welcome to choose another piece if you find anything else you like." Two pieces of jewelry was nice as a bonus for my work, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I was walking into a honey trap. I watched him for some type of explanation. Sinbad read my expression and added, "Consider this next one payment towards the Fate Scrolls you've been making."

As long as all of this was payment and not a bribe masquerading as a present, then it should be okay... right? I had been making the Fate scrolls for myself, so it didn't occur to me I might get paid for them. What would they even be worth? They contained things that already happened. If everyone talked about their past experiences with each other then there'd be nothing to gain from the scrolls. That level of transparency between people isn't really something viable, so it's definitely worth more than the materials and time it took to make it. I left that spot to look around more.

Sinbad questioned, "You don't want the ring?"

I looked back at it. "It's nice, but I'd like to see if there is anything else I'd like better."

He laughed.

I followed the waves since they seemed to want me to go to a specific spot. There were many rings of different shapes and designs with a just as wide variety of gem stones -same with necklaces and bracelets, of course. None of them stood out to me until the sight of a specific necklace made me freeze.

Sinbad watched me and when I didn't explain, he asked, "Does that necklace have some special significance?"

"Yes and no." I couldn't look away from the golden choker. It only existed as a scribble in some Magi concept art; there was no official final depiction; yet I recognized it instantly. "I'm surprised to see it because there's no reason for it to exist in this version of Fate."

"Oh?" His voice rose with genuine interest.

"It would have been a Djinn's metal vessel, but it's Capturer has a different metal vessel for it in this path." The sky light made the large ruby hanging off the front of the choker sparkle. It was perfect for a Queen.

I didn't look at Sinbad's reaction but I could tell that surprised him. "It was a metal vessel? Is there a reason that Dungeon Capturer won't need this as a replacement vessel in the future?"

That made me laugh. I looked up at him; I didn't want to miss his shock. "She's not a woman in this version of Fate, and he's not the type to wear something like this." Male Sinbad did look good in chokers, so it might not be the worse look, but he didn't seem the type to wear something like this unless it was a part of his Djinn Equip.

Sinbad's dumbfounded expression was cute, and easily my favorite. He blinked a few times before responding. "Wait- You're saying that a woman in one Fate is a man in this one?"

"Yup." I smiled and kept the fact that I was talking about him to myself.

The King crossed his arms and starred down at the necklace.

After a few moments of watching his expression I looked back at the choker. There really wasn't any reason for it to exist in this world since Sinbad was a man. I got the feeling that the writer of this fanfiction put this here for me to see -that it was here for my benefit. Why else would the waves lead me right to it? A greedy voice in the back of my mind whispered that it was here so it could be mine. '...Sin did say I could pick one more item.'

Sinbad asked a question I should have seen coming, "Which Dungeon Capturer is it?" I smiled up at him. His eyes held excitement with curiosity. It took a few moments for Sinbad to realize I wasn't going to answer. "You're not going to tell me?" His mild surprise made me want to tease him more.

It didn't matter if he knew the answer or not, so why not tease him? "Why do you want to know? Do you want to try to picture what he looked like as woman? Who knows, maybe she was your type." I laughed. "I know she's my type as both a woman and a man."

Sinbad stared down at me. He opened his mouth but then closed it as he continued thinking. He looked back at the necklace and hummed. I didn't know what questions he was forming or what conclusions he was coming to, but his growing concern made him start pouting. I couldn't help finding it cute. He brought a fist up to his face and coughed into it at whatever thoughts he was having. Without looking at me he asked, "Was I a woman in any of the Fates you've seen?"

"Yes!" I said it with probably too much enthusiasm. He flinched but didn't say anything, so I couldn't hold back, "You were a woman in the first version of this world. It was only in later versions of Fate that you were a man." Sinbad and Aladdin were originally planned to be women, but their cisgenders changed after picking their namesakes and probably by demand of the publisher.

The conqueror of seven Djinns finally looked back at me dumbstruck. "You're serious?"

"Yes." I answered again.

"I can't imagine it."

"You weren't much different than you are now." I picked up the choker to examine it while I talked. "You were still over confident, and lucky enough to get away with your antics." It was a little lighter than I expected considering it was gold with a large stone. "You were still a master of seven Djinns, and leader of the Seven Seas Alliance."

We both went silent as I continued examining the necklace. Chokers had a few common ways that they were handled way back when. Many were open in the back, overlapped itself, or had something tied; clasps, the way we think of them, weren't really a thing until around the industrial age. This one had cloth cables that ended with tassels like some traditional Indian jewelry I read about.

Sinbad's voice had a slightly playful warmth to it. "It would pair well with the earrings I gave you." I became aware of his gaze on my neck where my earring dangled.

Looking at the design closer I could see he was right. "They are both gold with rubies, and this motif is similar." The choker had a similar petal motif as the gold feathers in my earrings. This was definitely here for me. The waves raised as if to agree with me.

"Would you like to have it?" Sinbad's question went exactly where I was thinking -he had asked that no matter what I picked up though. He pushed, "You said yourself that its original owner won't need it."

I didn't have to think about my answer. "Yes. I want it."

He smiled. "Then it's yours."

"Thank you." I smiled down at the choker. True or not, Sinbad had written that I was his biggest simp and that would be most people's first impression of me, so what did it matter if I indulged in self marking? Ja'far had even said the rumors would solve themselves eventually so I didn't need to worry. And it's not like anyone other than myself would know the significance of this item.

I had a delicious thought that would make this even more of a self indulgent fanfiction. My face warmed as I faced Sinbad. "Would you tie it on for me, my King?" I offered the choker to him and the waves rose around us. Since he wore this in the concept art, it would be poetic if he was the one to put it on me now. Besides, Sinbad clearly enjoyed flirting with me; there was no way he would say 'no.'

Sinbad leaned towards me clearly amused with my request. "I'd be honored." His warm hand covered mine exactly where his waves said it would, and took the choker from me slowly. The rising waves made it feel like the world outside this room no longer existed. Instead of marking myself, I had gotten him to mark me directly. If he was anyone else, I'd feel like I was taking advantage of him. Instead I just felt like I was beating him at his own game. --- ~POV Sinbad~ There was no way Mori was going to be able to refrain from falling into Sinbad's hands for long. He had wondered what was holding her back all this time, and he finally had his answer: her their gender. Now that Sinbad had quelled their fears, there was nothing blocking their heart from him. His Beautiful Prophet was going to dedicate their life to him fully. Mori said that he couldn't seduce their loyalty but there was no way that was true when they looked at him like this.

"Thank you." Mori's smile made the waves swirl.

They looked slightly away and reached for the bow tied at the base of their collar. They pulled out the bow with a deliberate slowness that built anticipation. The view of the nape of their neck, and cleavage stood out extra thanks to the angle they were facing. Mori looked up at him with knowing eyes while flattening their collar out of the way. They closed their eyes with an amused hum and turned their back to him. That show of undoing their collar was absolutely on purpose! Mori had read his Fate so, of course, she would know how to get under his skin like no one else. Sinbad's heart started pounding.

The gold branch decoration stood out strongly against Mori's nearly black hair. It was secured into a bun at the base of their ponytail. He had thought they cut their hair at first, but no, this was a style where the hair was tied in a knot close to the skull to form a ponytail and secured with pins. Sinbad wouldn't have known if he hadn't undone this exact hairstyle on women he had taken to bed back in Reim. Mori's hair would still reach their hips if he had the opportunity to take those pins out later.

Sinbad brought the choker around in front of his Beautiful Prophet. Should he hold her from behind when he was done? He was in the perfect position to do so. Since Mori was riling him up on purpose, he'd at least return the favor. As Sinbad wrapped the choker around her neck, he let his knuckles lightly graze her exposed skin. Mori tensed momentarily under his touch, and he watched as goosebumps made a wave on her neck. The bottom of Mori's ponytail tickled his hands as he tied a bow. Sinbad had technically finished the job, but he didn't want to remove his hands from her skin yet. A part of him lamented not kissing her neck before tying the bow. It wasn't like him to hold back when it was just him and his conquest. If it wasn't for their height difference he would have went for it already. He had other ways to move things along. He wouldn't have been nicknamed 'the Womanizer of the Seven Seas' if he didn't.

"Don't." Mori's words made him pause. "I said I was only comfortable with flirting."

Sinbad let go of the choker, took a few steps back and crossed his arms. "Of course. Do you think I won't respect your boundaries?" How did she figure it out? What had he missed? Did he take too long? Move too quickly?

The Prophet turned back towards him with a frown. "You can't hide it; your waves gave you away." After noticing his pose, they crossed their arms as well.

"Ah." The Womanizer of Seven Seas was not used to being turned down before he even asked. Even so, she was obviously intentionally turning him on. She wouldn't be a tease on purpose, would she? "Do you really expect me to believe you don't want more from me with that display of yours?"

Mori's expression reminded him of Jafar's usual reaction until Sinbad's words sunk in. Her eyes went wide. "Oh my gosh! You can't handle a taste of your own medicine." They covered their mouth with one hand as they chuckled into it.

"Huh?"

"I told you the other night: I'm doing the same things you do to woman all the time," they broke into more laughter, "I know you'll never fall in love so I'm seducing your body instead of your heart!" Mori cupped their own face with both hands and closed their eyes. "To think, the Womanizer of the Seven Seas can't handle a widdle ol' tease like me."

That- "You were being a tease on purpose??"

Mori opened their eyes ecstatic that he was finally on the same page. "Yes! Just like you are!" How was he supposed to respond to that? "Only unlike you I already told you where I would draw the line -twice!"

This was the wake up call he needed. "You did." It hadn't even been an hour since Mori reaffirmed their boundaries. Sinbad pressed his fingers into his closed eyes. Something was definitely wrong with him. It wasn't like him to be this impatient.

Their voice calmed but didn't lose the amused tones. "If it's too much for you, just say so, and I won't tease you like that any more."

Sinbad removed his hand from his eyes. Mori held their hands behind their back as they looked up at him with a charming smile. He finally responded, "That won't be necessary." It wasn't like he didn't have options to relieve that tension. "Now that I better understand this game of yours, I'm looking forward to seeing how you'll try to seduce me next time." There was no way this wouldn't go beyond the game eventually.

She hummed before responding. "Understood." After a moment the Prophet added, "Actually, I'd like to clarify some rules to the game."

"Go on."

Mori nodded. "Neither of us can verbally lie about our intentions either directly or by obviously assumed intent." They put up one finger. "I won't say anything that comes across as willingness to sleep with you, and you won't imply you have genuine romantic feelings for me." They put up a 2nd finger. "This is a bit obvious, but both of us can call off the game or add rules whenever. If you ever realize there's something I do that makes you uncomfortable, don't hesitate to tell me."

Sinbad couldn't imagine Mori would do anything like that. "Of course." As long as his partner felt comfortable, she might become more daring with him. --- When King Sinbad had exited the scribe's building and saw Mori a ways off it had spurred a strange feeling in him. Now that Mori walked ahead of him again as they left the Treasury he was feeling it again. There was no way he was disappointed at the idea of parting ways for the day. There were things waiting for his approval.

The Prophet stopped and looked back at him. "Was there anything else you needed me for? I made sure to keep the rest of today clear, but that doesn't mean you aren't busy."

Exactly, he was a King with responsibilities to get back to. "That's true," he laughed.

"I see." Mori took a half step towards the courtyard. "In that case, good luck with the rest of your day, my King." He really liked the way she said that.

If only he could bottle that excited and content feeling Mori gave him. If it was an alcohol, it would easily become his favorite. "Actually, Mori," a little longer wouldn't hurt, "I was thinking it's about time I give you a tour of the Palace."

((OMGOSH so much happened while I was making this chapter. The biggest being: my computer crashed and wouldn't turn back on. My friend who built it figured out what happened and was able to save all of the data and get me a new drive for it. I wanted get this chapter out before the end of the year, and somehow I did it.

I really wanted to draw more of this chapter but 1. I ran out of time, and 2. Tumblr only allows for 10 images per post. I tried to narrow it down to the moments with the biggest impact. There were a few I thought were really funny and could be better than what I ended up choosing, but when I looked at how close those moments were to each other, I'd either make more longer comics or have breaks between them that the text might get lost in. I had really wanted to draw the moment when Sin asks about him being a woman in another reality, and the rest of Mori teasing him, but that was when I'm computer died. I only had time left to do the last & longest comic which I still had to cut shorter than I originally planned. ;-;

*edit- I thought tumblr only allowed 10 images, but apparently it's been raised. I found out because one of the images wasn't posting right and test splitting it into 2 and it worked...

Anyway, thanks for being with me this past year and reading my fanfiction. I really enjoy reading and rereading everyone's comments :3 Also, thank you to everyone who made fanart and fan edits :D You all have no idea how much of a boost it all is. When I'm feeling down I look at them to feel better. Thanks for being one of my favorite parts of 2022.

I wish you all a Happy New Year, Mori))

[gummybugg]

Incorrect Quotes Tag!🚫

I think I was tagged by @mysticstarlightduck here and @rickie-the-storyteller here oh so long ago!

Here's the link to the quote generator:

I’m using my Crater City characters for this one! You can find out a bit more about them here!

By the looks of it, some of these could plausibly be canon ehehehe

Warnings in the tags!

…

*talking on the phone* Blair: Remember how I said that Elijah and I were gonna have a calm night out for once? Rose: Yeah… Blair: Well, we’re in jail. Rose: hangs up

-ˋˏ🚗- - - - -

Blair: Guess what? Rose: What? Blair: No, you have to guess. Rose, thinking: I don’t know. Blair: Elijah is in the hospital. Rose: Why would you make me guess that?! Rose: What happened?!

(Coincidentally, Elijah really does get rushed to the hospital in the story😔).

-ˋˏ🚗- - - - -

Rose: So, Blair and Elijah. Rose: According to this, you two are being accused of: Armed Robbery, Vandalism, Drug Abuse, Grand Theft Auto… Blair: We had a bad day. Rose: And… MURDER?! Elijah: It was a pretty bad day…

(The only crime either of them haven't committed on this list is technically drug abuse, but even then that's sketch. Yes, I have a doc dedicated to their numerous crimes)

-ˋˏ🚗- - - - -

Blair: Do you care if I take the skin off this Furby? Blair: I want to make him a god. Once he is free of his sinful flesh, he can begin a path towards enlightenment. He will take care of us. Blair: I also want to softhack his circuits. Elijah: I literally could not care less but never say anything as frightening as that ever again.

(They stole the furby from Rose, an avid collector of antiques. Elijah ends up helping Blair hack his furby because they're both computer nerds and think it'd be funny to prank her)

-ˋˏ🚗- - - - -

Rose: Goddamn it, the printer broke while printing out Blair's birthday invitations. Elijah: Well, what are they supposed to say? Rose: "Blair's birthday" Elijah: So, what do they say instead? Rose: "Blair's bi" Elijah: Works out either way.

-ˋˏ🚗- - - - -

Rose, to Blair: If you see Elijah, give him this message *makes a neutral face*  Rose: He'll know what it means.  *later*  Blair: oh, and Rose said to give you a message.  Blair: *makes a neutral face*  Elijah: Oh no. The neutral face of displeasure. 

-ˋˏ🚗- - - - -

Frasier: I keep a picture of all of us in my wallet. Whenever I face difficulties, I take it out and stare at the picture.  Blair, Elijah, and Rose: Awwww-  Frasier: And I tell myself "If I can deal with these idiots, then I can deal with anything."  Blair, Elijah, and Rose: Oh. 

(Frasier got that father/older brother bond with his sister Rose + her friends :')

-ˋˏ🚗- - - - -

Rose: Pose as a team because SHIT JUST GOT REAL!

-ˋˏ🚗- - - - -

Darcy: I could kill you if I wanted. Blair: Yeah? So could any other human being. So could a dog. So could a dedicated duck. You aren't special.

(Ranked #1 on Top 10 Best Moments Before Tragic Anime Death)

-ˋˏ🚗- - - - -

Darcy: Go big or go home! Frasier: Please, for once in your life just go home. I'm begging you. Go. Home. Darcy: I'm going big!

(He did not go home. In fact, Darcy went on to lead one of the most notorious cities in Neo-civilization)

-ˋˏ🚗- - - - -

Darcy: How are we supposed to put a tracker the size of a penny on Blair without him noticing? Melony: Hey, Blair, I bet you 5 bucks that you can't swallow this penny. Blair: takes and swallows tracker Pay up, loser. Darcy: ...

-ˋˏ🚗- - - - -

Frasier: Darcy gave me a get better soon card. Melony: That's sweet! Frasier: I wasn't sick, he just thinks I can do better.

-ˋˏ🚗- - - - -

Darcy: Look, I know you think my judgement's clouded because I like Frasier a little bit. Melony, holding Darcy's notepad: You doodled your wedding invitation. Darcy: No, that's our joint tombstone. Melony: My mistake.

(Let's just say Darcy and Frasier have their hypothetical facebook status set to "complicated")

-ˋˏ🚗- - - - -

Bonus-ish Content: an AU where everyone gets along

Blair: We can bake these cookies at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or 4,000 degrees for 1 minute. Darcy: No, that's not how you make cookies. Elijah: FLOOR IT!! Blair: How about 4,000,000 degrees for 1 second?!? Darcy: yOU'RE GONNA BURN THE HOUSE DOWN- Blair: I'M GONNA HARNESS THE POWER OF THE FUCKING SUN TO MAKE COOKIES! Frasier: DO IT! Darcy: NO-

…

Tagging: @charlesjosephwrites @cwritesfiction @comicgoblinart @crowandmoonwriting @writeouswriter @acertainmoshke @abalonetea & anyone who wants to try this tag out. Very fun :')

...

🚗Want to rot your brain with each sporadic Crater City post? Join the taglist! Maybe I'll finish this wip someday, who knows! (ask to be added/removed): @writeouswriter @lyra-brie @digitalsatyr23