#it’s just new and technology just scares the fuck outta me

[emeraldbabygirl]

I saw a few comments on one of e’last’s relay tiktoks where people thought Romin was an a.i and cause they couldn’t believe he was real and at first I thought it was funny ya’know I was half laughing half crying cause why would you even ask that but now it’s unsettling. The fact the we’re at the point that sometimes we as humans can’t tell when a person is a real human or an a.i that is realistic. It scares the hell outta me. It’s like that stupid a.i movie that I want to burn the vhs tape to cause I fucking hate it so much.

There’s even been a few video games I’ve seen people online play where the characters look human but it’s just like advanced cgi. It’s creepy to me. I want to be able to tell the difference between a human and and robot ya’know? Like I feel like with all these new advances in technology people should be making flying cars like we all hoped for in the 50’s not like robots that look human and act and talk human it’s creepy. Not to be dramatic but there’s all kinds of books and media where robots out smart humans and take over. I don’t want some creepy a.i to clone me, kill me and pretend to be me. When I look at someone I want to be able to confidently say “that’s a living breathing real human” not “oh shit wtf it that a human or not?” I don’t want to question if something is real of fake.

And recently in kpop and like other things like that Instagram person like a.is are idk if people actually want this stuff or if they think it would be cool to see it blow up but I hate it. I was completely against the whole idea of Aespa being real members and a.i member, and like tbh to me Aespa is just four members. I mean the a.i version’s of themselves that don’t even look like them have appeared like once or twice? But like superkind I legit though all the members were real and it took me like their entire debut mv to realize that one member is an a.i and that creeps me out that they made an a.i look so real that I assumed it was. There’s also Apoki that’s literally an a.i rabbit thing and now there’s this mave group where no one is real and just the other day I saw a video formatted to look like someone reacting to the pandora mv BUT IT WAS A FUCKING A.I so what are companies making a.I’d to specifically react to other a.is or making a.i trainees it’s fucking creepy and I hate it. But some people are eating that shit up they actually like it which is fine but good luck fighting for your life when your a.i boyfriend tries to murder you. Even with that Megan movie it’s a robot child that’s supposed to have human features but it’s like a killing machine fucking hell not a.i 2.0 I just don’t understand why people want to make people that aren’t people. It quite literally gives me the heebie jeebies.

And it seems like some people are so used to idols not being human that they are starting to question other idols. Like is the kpop industry going to shift towards more a.i idols? Are we going to irl that episode of Arthur? They even had that Apoki rabbit do a relay and go on it’s live with two rabbit dancers? Like what the actual honest genuine fuck?

ALSO I KNOW ABOUT GORILLAZ OK BEFORE ANYONE SAYS ANYTHING but they’re like clearly not a.is and neither is Hatsune Miku and like even tho both have had like weird hologram concerts how are these idols, like superkind and Aespa and mave supposed to have like concerts and fansigns if they made the a.is “attend” like pretty sure Aespa and superkind are just running around and doing stuff without the a.is. Like what are they going to do if someone..ugh idek how are companies going to have groups or whatever with all or including a.is and what about like Aespa and superkind how do they feel about it. Bro if I was going to debut and the fuckig company said “here’s your fellow member” and a fucking a.i hologram popped up I’d high tail it outta there no thank you. Like superkind they literally have just a place holder. I don’t understand why this is becoming a thing unless they just want the industry to eventually become all robots so it’s like no contact which I guess it good in some ways as a.i’s don’t have feelings and can’t get hurt or stalked by whack fans but I was hoping that I would be dead before I saw any of this shit happening.

Like I cannot explain how creepy and unsettling it is to see and hear about things from the past coming true like robots and like the entirety of The Simpson’s predictioning crazy shit that comes true later on or like Orsen Wells some of the stuff in those books that are coming true because then that’s not just someone with a wild imagination that’s someone that is so whack that they predict the future no matter how fucked up but call it fiction. Does anybody else find any of this just straight up unsettling? Like I’d rather see a ghost in my room then a fucking a.i that looks like a human. I’m so creeped out just thinking about this shit ugh and I can’t stop thinking about how it’s getting harder to tell what’s real and what’s fake whether it’s a robot or a photoshopped picture because technology is advancing and it makes me want to shrivel up like a raisin and die.

[binary-not-found]

I see why the anon think this may be an episode filler (is not) or the story was kinda sudden (maybe)

Things like that happens often on TVShow, cast often have other projects or they get sick/injured or pregnant or whatnot, and the writers have to find a way to incorporate a storyline that will adapt to their needs and justify the absence of an actor/actress.

Said that, even if NCIS writers aren’t perfect and consistent all the time, I kind of like how they are progressing Kacy storyline and relationships.

When I broke up with my ex I moved to another continent lol, by myself, no job, no friends, no house, nothing…It is something that I wanted to do by myself for myself (I was in a pretty toxic relationship where I gave up a lot of things in my life to please my gf and I realized only very late what was happening to me)

So I get why Lucy did what she did, when you are in a fragile emotional state, and the world is crumbling and the love of your life broke your heart,sometimes the things that can help you or make you stronger is to do something that scares the shit outta you so you can focus all the energy the pain into something new, scary, I did it, it’s frustrating and tiring but it’s fucking awesome, so I’m happy Lucy decided to do it anyway.

Also Kate was super super supportive even if you can tell she was sad, but great partners support you no matter what.

On another note I’m kinda curious to see this new dynamic with Kate and the others, so far we saw her as someone casually collaborating and interacting with them often because of Lucy, so to see the future interactions with the team without Lucy, I think is gonna give Kate some more layers to her character and a new challenge for her.

Also 4 months is nothing, especially with today technology, as I mentioned I live in another continent from my family/friends and I haven’t been back since the beginning of the pandemic, 4 months is nothing….

Im happy to see the growth Kate and Lucy can do during challenging circumstances, I love to see their relationships but they are more than that, hopefully the writers use this situation to show us more, we know Kate is Work and Lucy and I want to see Kate the friend, I think she has a weird humor and I’d love for the gang to see the more funny silly side of her, also not gonna lie, give me all Jane and Kate lol

Lucy needed this, even if things are Going well with Kate, I think in a way she never really had time to reconnect with herself after this waterfall of feelings, like she said; are they, aren’t they, maybe, than yes, no than really yes, and boom moved in together, sometimes even if things are going apparently well, it’s good to stop, breath, think, listen to yourself and find yourself away from everyone else. I don’t think she really had time to stop during these emotional roller coaster she had in the last year, she never really had a chance to analyze and understand what was going on in her brain and heart, so this may be super good for Lucy.

Also, who doesn’t love a good old reunion between lovers?

I’m in for it and I’m excited on what is gonna happen next.

oh god, anon, you are a breath of fresh air!

A lot of times as fans of the relationship we feel like any episode that doesn't focus on them being a couple is filler, but this one definitely wasn't, I agree that it was sudden, but at the same time that's what makes it feel more real.

I don't know what to tell you just that I agree with you, it's not something that is "out of character" for Lucy or Kate, it's something that maybe was needed now, and they were definitely going to be forced to be apart for work reasons at some point, and personally I liked that they adapted Lucy's absence in this way, because it's giving them the opportunity to prove that they can against everything when it's still early in the relationship, this will make them grow more as people, professionally and within the relationship.

And about Kate with the team, I've been begging for 29 episodes to let Kai and Kate be friends! I need that typical rom-com best friend chaotic dynamic!

I don't know what else to tell you, just that I love your opinion and I appreciate you sharing it ✨

[grampas-attic]

what this blog is basically all about ig

I Really have no idea how to start this off so let me paint the picture for you; It 1990-something and smart phones dont exist, you come back from school exhausted, fina-fucking-lly, its the weekend. You throw ur bag down and greet your grandparents, since you stay with them when its school session cuz they live closer to the city, and make your way to the attic. You pop in your 'MTV Unplugged in new york - NIRVANA' cassette tape into your walkman, and chill out next to your stack off books, easel with an unfinished painting you started ages ago but could never bring yourself to finish it, too scared to ruin it, used mugs of hot cocoa and coffee you and your brother forgot to take out, and a pile of empty Arizona Green Tea and redbull. You sit by the inner ledge of the window where theres a pillow supporting your back, looking outside. You see your brother just got back, "what a slow walker man", you laugh to yourself. A few later you hear the door slam open and see eric, your brother, waaayy outta breath. "took you long enough" you say, "ya ya i know i know i was late but i got the blockbuster now so lets just watch it" he says. You shrug, as he wheels in the tv with "Dead Poets Society" already beginning to play. " Ahh shit, its already playing!!" eric said disheveled. "Wheres the hot cocoa? WHERES THE HOT COCOA?!", "HEY HEY ERIC CHILL! - i got it, here take yours", you say as you give him his hot chocolate and quiet down to hear the movie. It was practically tradition now, to watch it every fall together in your guys' "loft" that you fight a lot in, but also have a lot of fun in. Later on, when the movie was over, you practice bass while eric practices his drums. And when the sun finally set around 9, you decide to go on a walk alone and have a smoke while wondering "why is the sunset only beautiful during the weekend?".

I don't know if that brought comfort to really anyone and it was a quick type so excuse any mistakes but damn man theres something so authentic in that that makes life feel real in a way. As Trent from Daria once said "Its the warmth of the vinyl", haha but honestly. I dont know how to explain it but your mind doesnt seem to be on pause and mute the whole time mindlessly scrolling and killing your precious time and supressing your thoughts and emotions- which were all guilt of, and one way argue that what i wrote above is also the same thing, a form of escapism; but in actuality, theres this authenticity and warmth to it i wanna blog about. I wanna blog about my experience getting better at bass, cuz yes i do play ;) but i wanna get better. As well as just blogging some cool things i find. As I kinda already hinted at Dead Poet Society is one of my favorite movies ever, I enjoy sunsets but only when im mentally relived enough to realize wtf is going on around me (i really wanna put a dead emoji here but my emoji page just froze on me idk what happened man), I fucking love nirvana and honestly just music of all kind, but i tend to lean more on anything that came out kinda like maybe 70-90, mostly 90s, cuz if feels real and warm in a way, not mass produced or remakes like most things today. Not saying that they didnt have that problem back then they definitely did, just not so much so that the standard is unoriginality and the same fucking bullshit that you just get sooooo tired from. Not saying i dont like certain things from our gen or that i wish i was born then, NO (imagine a dead emoji), our technological advancements rn are so fucking cool man, but its reached a point of life becoming mundane, depressing, and robotic for most; so I dont really know man, maybe it would be cool to have lived in the past, bu we still have our perks ;)

Loads of my favorite movies are also from the 70-90 period but mostly the late 80- early90ish? u know? Like Gia, running on empty, stand by me, my own private idaho, foxfire, girl interrupted, and ik ive said this so many times but DPS! MAN! DEAD POET SOCIETY!! Its a killer movie. & Ive carried out my love for dc and old scooby doo movies like the witchs ghost and alien invasion and mystery inc too even tho its a series, and you know all things spook in a way, yet comforting and remind me of my childhood, til now even tho that could be seen as childish ig but hey... who cares man :)) (im using keyboard faces cuz my emoji bar is still fucking frozen haha)

Anyways if any of that interests you, or you feel any way like this lets follow each and just share cool movies, bands, song, and shit like that and maybe bring a bit of authenticity back into this world while doing that.

Thanks a lot ur really dope if uve read this far and if ur not into what i said then hey man thats cool you dont have to do any of this just dont be rude to anyone on here

hopefully this can kinda be a comfortable place for cool things to be shared by cool people weither by the comments or where ever!

Thanks a ton for reading this far! And ignore all the run ons, spelling, and grammer mistakes man i really couldnt be bothered haha that makes me sound horrible but nah i hope u get what i mean.

Ur so cool and have killer style if your reading this;) ,

Jamie

[haadeswrites]

Elysium

god this fic took forever i’m so sorry!! but hey, first fic on the new blog! <33 also y’all should really thank @iwaasfairy who listened to me complain about this fic for a solid month, she’s the reason it got finished

Cult leader Oikawa Tooru x female reader

tw: indoctrination, extremely dubious consent, blood, yandere themes, religious themes, minor character death, implied abuse & drug use, mild smut, nsfw

The island itself is breathtaking

Pristine beaches with gleaming white sand, vast swathes of lush, green rainforest and waterfalls that cascade into shimmering pools of crystal clear water. Untouched, undisturbed; a paradise. At least, that’s how Ryuji had described it. 

Paradise, but only in the sense that a gingerbread cottage in the middle of the woods is paradise to a lost and hungry child. 

He hadn’t been wrong. Bare feet sink into soft, white sand as you climb from the boat - the warmth just toeing the line between pleasant and burning. Gentle waves ebb and flow behind you, and there’s a light breeze that kisses your skin, the taste of seasalt carrying in the wind. Home, it seems to sing.

A laugh sounds somewhere in the distance, yet the only other figure on the beach is a man walking steadily towards you. He smiles when he sees you’ve noticed him; friendly, non-threatening. It’s a far cry from the swarming welcoming committee you’d been dreading, and you wonder if that’s somehow intentional as well. 

As the boat pushes back out to sea he comes to a stop before you, “I’m Makki,” he says, pushing the fringe of his hair back and giving you a not-so-subtle once over. Whatever he sees must meet approval, because his grin only widens, “Welcome to the Commune.”

Ryuji wasn’t wrong; the island is a beautiful, deadly thing.

—

You’d never heard of the Commune before the phone call. 

And maybe that shouldn’t be so surprising. You’ll be the first to admit you’re hardly an expert, but from what you do know, groups like the Commune – cults – don’t spring up out of thin air and start broadcasting their mistreatment and systematic abuse. 

They’re not the kind of people that have sweet old ladies clutching their pearls and mothers shepherding their children away – at least, not in the beginning. Not entirely. They’re not out to recruit extremists to further their cause, they choose to prey on the vulnerable, the lost and the disillusioned. Those easily manipulated. You suspect that’s why when you google the Commune, all you find is a website for what essentially looks like a long term luxury wellness retreat.

‘The Commune is about healing and harmony, about returning to nature, supporting one another to forge a brighter, more holistic future together… a self-sufficient community living apart from technology and other evils of modern society.’ 

You fight the urge to roll your eyes as you scroll through. There’s a whisper of philosophical teachings woven throughout, a page dedicated to their founder, Oikawa Tooru – smiling handsomely in every single picture, because what would a burgeoning cult be without a charismatic leader – but there’s not enough.

So here you are, on an island hundreds of miles away from home living amongst strangers; because Ryuji wouldn’t have sounded so terrified if this was just some alternate, free-loving bunch of hippies.

And even with all that he’d told you, everything you thought you’d be prepared for, the Commune is like nothing you could’ve imagined. 

Makki introduces you to Asuka, a woman only a few years older than yourself, dark haired and stunningly beautiful, and winks as he tells her to take you under her wing. She smiles brightly, eyes twinkling, and pulls you into a heartfelt hug – as if you’ve known each other your whole lives.

“We’re so glad you’re here!” she beams.

You’d like to hate her. 

It feels like you're supposed to, sometimes; when she gets that dreamy look in her eyes and starts talking about Oikawa and the Commune and how lucky everyone here on the island is. Yet there’s something about her – the genuine warmth she emanates maybe, or the kindness in her eyes – that makes it difficult for you not to like her.

“You should come to the gathering tomorrow,” she hums idly one afternoon, maybe a week or so after your arrival. The two of you are sitting on the edge of the pier, legs dangling down into the water, tangled fishing nets to be repaired strewn between you.

“I always go,” you reply.

She laughs, fixing you with a knowing look, “And sit right at the very back, all but running off the moment we finish?” 

And your traitorous heart skips a beat. 

“It’s okay to take things slowly,” she says. “We understand that being a part of the Commune is a big change from the life you knew, and that not everybody is able to see what we see and embrace those changes.” 

Asuka sets down the knot she’s working through and reaches for your hand, a gentle smile on her face, “But you shouldn’t be afraid. You’re meant to be here, I can feel it. You just need to stop fighting against it; surrender yourself to us, to the island, and everything’ll make sense, I promise.”

It’s dangerous territory. One wrong word could set off alarm bells, yet you can’t help pressing just a little.

“Do you ever miss it, then? Life outside the Commune?” 

Your family. Friends. The life you left behind before you came here to be brainwashed like all of the others.

“Why would I?” she answers without missing a beat, and it’s hard to ignore the bitter flicker of disappointment you feel at her answer. “The island provides for us, we don’t have to spend our days selling off tiny pieces of ourselves just to make ends meet. It’s paradise here, and we have Oikawa to thank for that. Why would I ever want to go back?”

Silence falls between you as you struggle to think of something to say to salvage the situation. Yet Asuka isn’t even looking at you, instead staring out at the water with a strangely pensive expression. 

“Did you know I was married once?” The words seemingly out of the blue, you can only shake your head. For a moment, she doesn’t reply, watching as the waves rise and crash offshore. And then;

“I was young, eighteen or so, fresh out of high school and he was a small town cop.” Her eyes flicker to yours, and your heart clenches at the sadness and pain echoing there. “I thought he was a good man, once upon a time.”

A chord strikes deep, your chest tightening involuntarily at her words. It’s not the same, of course it’s not the same, and yet… 

No. You stop the errant thought in its tracks. Groups like the Commune prey on the vulnerable, you know this. People like Ryuji, like Asuka, like–

Her fingers squeeze around yours, pulling you back to the present. “Come to the gathering tomorrow. Listen to Oikawa, it’ll help.”

—

She doesn’t give you a choice in the matter – dragging you by the hand to sit right at the front of the gathered crowd that very night.

Oikawa’s handsomer up close; tall and dark haired with pretty eyes and long, sweeping lashes that frame delicate cheekbones, it’s not hard for you to see how a man like him has amassed such an impassioned following. 

Once he starts actually speaking, however, you realise that his good looks and charming smile are just the tip of the iceberg. Oikawa’s utterly captivating as he preaches about the cycle of life and death and the paradise that awaits his faithful. Passionate and engaging, he speaks like he truly believes every word of the lies he’s spreading. 

And Asuka, her friends, the others gathered, they eat up every word like it’s gospel truth, resounding cheers and thunderous applause deafening around you. In the midst of the rapturous din, Oikawa’s eyes flit to yours.

Slowly, he smiles – a dazzling grin that makes your stomach flip – and everything; Asuka, the noise, the others swarming around you, it all fades away.

For one electrifying heartbeat, you’re frozen in place. Just you and Oikawa, trapped in the pull of each other’s gaze.

—

You can’t forget the reason you came.

But it’s… difficult, in a way you struggle to understand. You only have one purpose for being here, one goal; find Ryuji and bring him home. 

And yet, some days it’s like there’s a fog in your mind, and you have to focus to remember why you’re here at all. You catch yourself laughing with Asuka and her friends, the days passing by in a blur of endless, easy distractions. 

It barely feels like work when you’re sitting under the shade of the trees, eating the fruits you’ve picked by hand – ripe and sweet, unlike anything you’ve ever tasted – diving off waterfalls into the crystalline water and meandering down the shore collecting seashells. Even when you are working, mending clothes or cooking with the others, it fills you with a sense of contentment you can’t quite explain. 

Like you’re a part of something bigger. Like you’re doing something that matters.

Ryuji becomes a distant thought. A whisper in the back of your head, a niggling in your gut, easily brushed aside and ignored until there’s a moment of quiet. In the dead of night, the balmy summer night’s breeze kissing your bare skin, you lie awake, lost in memories of the last time you’d seen him. 

Fists angrily pounding at your door, the yelling that gave way to sobs and the hoarse, desperate pleas that followed. Ryuji’s face; pupils blown wide and eyes rimmed in red, darting restlessly around as he held you too tight and begged–

Rolling over in bed, you gaze out your window at the star flecked sky, the shadows of the forest that lie at your doorstep, and wonder what it is that scares you more; that you’ve lost track of the days you’ve been here, and saving Ryuji is starting to feel like an afterthought, or that you could so easily forget all of it, find a place here in the Commune and be happy.

‘The island, it–it fucks with your head.’

Ryuji’d told you that, and you’d brushed it off as paranoia. You need to find him. Find him and get the hell outta dodge.

You can deal with the fallout later.

—

Kiyoshi. 

He’d mentioned the name a few times amidst his rambling – a friend of his on the island. You’re annoyed with yourself for not thinking of it sooner, however much like Ryuji himself, trying to focus and remember the name is like wading through thick mud.

Once you do, though, finding him amongst the hundred and fifty or so inhabitants is the easy part. 

There’s no strict division between genders within the Commune, however Kyoshi, despite his somewhat lean stature, is among the builders of the island and his path doesn’t often cross with yours. 

From Asuka you find out that he’s been a part of the Commune for years now, before even she joined, and that he mostly sticks to himself, though you’ve seen him chatting quietly to a few of the other men, a perpetually angry looking blonde in particular.

It’s the last part that piques her interest, “Why’re you so curious, anyway?” she asks, her face lighting up as a sudden thought occurs. “Do you want me to introduce you two? To be honest, I didn’t think he’d be your type, if you’re interested, though…”

Cheeks aflame, you’re quick to shut her down. “No, no, nothing like that. I’ve just… seen him around and we’ve never really spoken, I guess.”

A lame excuse, though mercifully she lets the subject drop without too much prodding.

Therein, of course, lies the problem. Walking up to Kyoshi and casually trying to drop Ryuji into the conversation without raising red flags is risky, but what other options do you have? You’ve already spent too much time on this island.

Although, maybe Asuka has the right idea. 

While you hadn’t been lying when you said you weren’t interested in Kyoshi in that way, nobody else knew that. Who would really look twice at the shy newbie striking up a conversation with the quiet, easygoing man? He wasn’t unattractive per se, and from the brief interactions you’d seen of him, he seemed kind enough.

You have enough patience (barely) to wait for dusk the following night. There’s a celebration, something about the full moon and a blessing on the island and the Commune– you hadn’t really been paying attention when Oikawa had spoken about it. Still, it’s too good an opportunity to pass up. With the fire pits crackling, and the dancing and music and the sweet honey wine flowing freely, nobody will be paying too much attention to what you’ll be doing. Hopefully, the alcohol will also serve to lower Kiyoshi’s guard, and perhaps if you’re really, really lucky, loosen his tongue as well. 

Of course, you’re not banking on him telling you exactly where Ryu is or what happened to him– and that’s assuming he actually knows – but at this point you’ll take anything over the nothing you currently have. A tiny slip up, that’s all you’re asking for. 

As the sun descends beyond the horizon, you play your role well, laughing and chatting amongst friends, sipping carefully at the cup of wine in your hand as you wait for an opening. And perhaps it’s your nerves working against you, but you find that it’s not just Kiyoshi your attention is drawn to. 

Up on the shore, away from the rabble, Oikawa lounges back with a cup of the same honeyed wine you’re pretending to drink. For the most part he seems deep in conversation with Iwaizumi, his right hand, but every once in a while he glances up, letting his gaze roam over the crowd of his followers.

Every inch a king and his general.

And it would seem benevolent, if not for the strange smile he wears – the one that widens when his eyes catch yours.

Swallowing tightly, you force yourself not to dwell on it, to ignore the odd sensation curling in your gut and the way your skin prickles under his attention. Now is not the time to lose focus.

Pushing all thoughts of Oikawa aside, you subtly scan the beach once more, only to find that Kiyoshi’s moved, sitting now on a piece of old driftwood near the bonfire. Alone for the first time tonight. 

Your legs are moving before the thought even fully registers. 

“Do you mind if I sit?” you ask, gesturing to the empty space on the log beside him. 

Kiyoshi smiles, the laugh lines at corners of his eyes crinkling pleasantly, and shakes his head, “Not at all.”

“Thanks.”

Taking another sip of your wine, you will your shoulders to relax, your racing pulse to slow. This has to seem natural, and so you force yourself to hold your tongue, let your head loll back and breathe deep, soaking it all in. You can hear the others in the distance, the music and the dancing, the happy laughter and shouts that beckon – you want to go join them. Even your blood seems to hum, a call of something other pulsing through your veins.

But you pay it no mind. There are more important things to worry about tonight. 

Indeed, steel blue eyes have been appraising you curiously for a while now. “This is your first Lunar blessing, isn’t it?” Kiyoshi asks after a moment.

You nod, humming in agreement. Less than a month; you’ve been here less than a month. Is that a good thing?

“Are you enjoying yourself?”

A harmless enough question, and again you nod your head. “Yeah, it’s…” you pause, searching for words that won’t sound hollow. “It’s paradise. I feel like I need to pinch myself just to make sure it’s real.”

He smiles gently. “But?” he probes.

Grimly, you wonder whether Kiyoshi’s usually this perceptive, or if you’re just a really terrible actor. In a way, you suppose it really doesn’t make a difference; you’ve come too far to turn back now – at least not without raising suspicion. 

So you lie with a truth, and pray that it works.

“I had a friend I was supposed to meet here,” you confess quietly, gazing not at him but the crackling flames of the bonfire, the burning embers carried off into the night. “He was the one who said I should come, but now I’m here and he’s not and every time I catch myself enjoying this–”

“You feel guilty,” he surmises, cutting you off. “Because he’s not here to enjoy it with you.”

Wordlessly, you nod – and maybe it isn’t so much of an act when your eyes begin to glisten, your smile wavering. 

Kiyoshi’s silent for a moment, and you take another sip of the honey wine to hide your nerves. “You shouldn’t, you know,” he says eventually. “Feel guilty, I mean. You belong here, with the Commune. You’re happy here. Paradise… isn’t for everybody.”

He doesn’t say it to be cruel, more like he’s simply stating a fact, and somehow that makes it all the more unnerving. And it’s nothing you haven’t listened to Oikawa preach about time and time again. The Commune is for the devoted, the faithful – the lucky few – and you’ve never thought too hard about what he’d meant by that.

The Commune’s small, maybe a hundred and fifty or so people on the island. There’d been no initiation, no test of faith or trial period you’d had to pass when you arrived – at least, none that you’d been aware of. You simply stepped off the boat and they’d welcomed you with open arms. 

An uneasy sensation settles into your gut, goosebumps prickling at your skin despite the heat of the midsummer night. 

That… doesn’t make sense. It can’t. Absolute control’s too important in groups like this, they couldn’t just let anyone–

Kiyoshi speaks again, his calm voice pulling you from your thoughts. “What was his name?” 

You blink at him slowly – stupidly. “Sorry?”

“Your friend,” he clarifies. “What was his name?”

“Oh, um- Ryuji.”

Kiyoshi’s brow furrows in thought for a moment, but he merely shakes his head, “Doesn’t ring a bell, but like I said, not everyone who arrives stays with us for long.”

He looks you right in the eye as he says it.

You don’t understand the cold, foreboding that seeps through your veins, because he’s lying. He has to be. 

Ryuji was here. They were friends, Ryu’d told you that–

Why did you think this stupid plan would work anyway? That he’d tell you anything, much less the truth when this whole fucked up island is full of liars and those too indoctrinated to know the difference?

“You alright?” he asks when abruptly, you shoot to your feet beside him.

And it takes every ounce of willpower you have left to force an easy smile to your lips, raising your cup just a fraction, “Yeah, just gonna go get a refill. Thanks for the talk, Kiyoshi.”

Whether he notices that your wine’s barely touched or not, you don’t care – not as you turn on your heel without another word and head back up the beach. 

Your head is pounding, your body trembling – you don’t hear the call of your name until a hand reaches out and grasps at your wrist, spinning you around.

Asuka greets you with a wide grin, Makki and a tall, broad shouldered man you think is called Mattsun standing either side of her – the former’s arm slung casually over her shoulder. “There you are! I’ve been looking for you,” she says. “Come on, we’re gonna go swimming, it’s so pretty out there!”

You glance out towards the ocean. Moonlight bathes the inky blue water, light shimmering off the rippling tide; some of the others are already out there, splashing amongst the waves. 

“Clothing optional, of course,” Makki laughs, and Asuka tugs on your wrist once more. 

“C’mon, it’ll be fun!”

But you shake your head, slowly pulling your hand from her grip, “I’m not feeling great, I think I’m gonna head back.”

Asuka frowns, concern marring her pretty features. “Are you okay? Do you need us to call Mizo–”

“No,” you say, cutting her off. Healer Mizoguchi is the last person you need to see right now. “I just– I just need to go lie down for a bit. You guys go have fun – enjoy the blessing, I’ll be fine.”

Makki and Asuka share a fleeting look, but it’s Mattsun who interjects before either one of them can speak, “I’ll walk you back, then.”

Your stomach churns. It doesn’t sound like a suggestion.

And the smart thing to do would be to accept his help; the walk from the beach to your villa isn’t far, and while you’re not as familiar with Mattsun as you are with Makki or Asuka, it’s not like he’s going to hurt you or anything, but–

“Really– you don’t need to, it’s fine,” you smile weakly, shuffling back as he reaches to offer you his arm. “Go swim, I’ll see you guys in the morning.”

Mattsun shrugs easily enough, falling back into line with the other two – yet there’s something in the way he grins and holds your gaze for a beat longer. A glimmer of amusement, as if there’s some joke you're not a part of. “I’ll hold you to it, sweetheart.”

The heat that floods your cheeks clashes uncomfortably with the cloying heaviness in your stomach, but somehow you manage to stutter out one last goodbye before turning back to scamper off in the direction of your room.

–But not to lie down.

There’s not a cloud in the sky, and the full moon’s bright. No need for a torch, not unless you decide to venture into the heart of the forest.

You’ve been a fool. Kiyoshi, Asuka, Makki, Mattsun; you can’t trust any of them to help you, even unwittingly. Ryuji’s here on the island – somewhere – and every second that slips away, every second that you allow yourself to forget puts him in further danger.

And so you cling to your discomfort, ground yourself in it. The prickling sensation at the back of your neck, the tightness in your chest as you slip past your villa, keeping low and quiet – they’re a reminder that there is something insidious here on the island, that you have to get out.

You and Ryuji.

He’s here. Away from the others, kept under lock and key as punishment, or maybe being forced to undergo whatever kind of glorified brainwashing they’ve got going on, but here. You need to be smart about this, because while you don’t intend to stop until you find him, tonight will be your best shot – while everyone’s distracted down on the beach. 

For the first time in a long time, it feels like you have a clear head. 

Creeping through the underbrush, you steer clear of the well trod pathways that lead towards habitation. You’ve been there, and to the docks, and the river. 

If they’re still keeping him here (and they are, you refuse to entertain the possibility that it could be otherwise) then it’s not somewhere out in the open. A bird cries out in the distance shattering the calm of the night, and you flinch – but it only serves as another reminder that your time tonight is limited; you cannot afford to delay. You wrack your brain, trying to dredge up memories of the last few weeks, surely you must have seen something–

“Lost?”

The single word, spoken in a deep, gruff voice has your blood running cold.

Slowly, you turn. 

Iwa stands behind you in the thicket, his face utterly impassive. Briefly, you contemplate whether it’s worth trying to bluff your way out of this, but Iwa’s eyes narrow, flashing in the dim light and you think better of it.

A sigh escapes you, your shoulders deflating. “Where is he– Ryuji?” you ask; a whisper rather than a demand.

Iwa’s expression gives nothing away. Did he know, or have you handed him the smoking gun of a crime that’d fallen through the cracks? Does it even matter anymore? You’re just–

You’re tired. 

Exhausted. In the space of a few moments all of that shining determination and resolve; it fled, leaving a gaping hole in its wake. This has to end, you can’t keep fighting against them forever. You can’t keep drowning in this guilt, feeling torn every second that you spend here on this stupid island. You just want to find Ryuji and go home.

… Right?

A tense beat passes as Iwa appraises you, and then; “Come with me.”

The hand he places on your shoulder doesn’t give you much choice. His grip isn’t what you’d describe as gentle, yet he’s careful enough to make sure you don’t trip or stumble as he marches you north. 

In the thick of the forest away from the beach, it’s eerily quiet. Every twig that snaps underfoot, every ragged breath you draw; it feels too loud. Out of place amongst the stillness of the midsummer night. 

And isn’t it ironic, that for the first time since you set foot in this paradise, you feel like you’re trespassing?

A bead of sweat trickles down from your temple and your mind unwittingly drifts back to Mattsun and Makki. Are they still swimming with Asuka? Probably, you reason. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly how long it’s been since you left them on the beach, but surely no more than an hour.

And strangely, like water drawn from the depths of a well, an image comes to mind; the four of you standing in the waves, you perched atop Mattsun’s shoulders, screaming and giggling in delight as Asuka tries to knock you down again, two sets of eyes watching from the shore… 

You should have stayed on the beach.

“Can I ask you something?” 

“You can ask,” he replies drily – humouring you, you suppose.

Your lips quirk upwards for the briefest of moments. “What happens on the Lunar blessing? Asuka, the others– no one told me what it was.” 

Iwaizumi doesn’t answer you immediately, but you feel his fingers reflexively tighten on your shoulder. Likely it wasn’t the question he was expecting; surely there were others that you could have asked – but you don’t really want the answers to those.

If you’re being led like a lamb to proverbial slaughter, what good would it do you to know it? 

And yet as the seconds pass and no answer seems forthcoming from your captor, you resign yourself to the fact that your curiosity will remain unsated. You don’t even know what prompted you to ask in the first place; knowing Oikawa it’s probably some grand, meaningless spectacle. Pretty, hollow words spoken only to–

A heavy sigh draws you from your thoughts, and you falter in your step, almost tripping over your own feet in the process. Iwa’s quick to right you, urging you forward with a less than gentle nudge. “Walk straight,” he grunts, yet it lacks any true heat. Anticipation flutters through your veins, and he mutters a soft curse behind you. “Fine. It… it’s an exchange.” 

An exchange? What the hell was that supposed to mean? Your eyebrows draw together, mouth opening to press the matter, but Iwa beats you to the punch.

“You’ll find out for yourself soon enough, now shut up.”

You have no response to that, so you do.

—

The two of you walk in silence for what feels like hours. Eventually, the terrain becomes steeper, the worn path you’re treading twisting and winding, and you realise you must be close to the mountains at the heart of the island. 

As your breath comes in heavy pants, your legs beginning to ache, you can’t help but be lost in the beauty of it all.

The flora’s different here, unlike any you’ve seen before. Flowers bursting from the bark of towering trees, blooms of vibrant hues; reds and purples and soft, baby pinks. Even the vines at your feet curl amongst pretty white buds that gleam invitingly under the moonlight. Your jaw falls open as you gaze around in wonderment. 

You forget why you’re walking, where it is that you’re heading. Iwa’s grip relaxes as a quiet gasp escapes you, and he doesn’t stop you when you stray from the path to take a closer look. You can’t resist reaching out to touch the silken petals, leaning in to smell their perfume. Soft and light and sweet, your eyes flutter shut, a smile creeping across your visage. 

It reminds you of home. Not your actual home – the rundown, tiny shoebox apartment you gave up before you came here – but something deeper.

Home, like the long summer days spent playing in your parents’ backyard. Home, like afternoons curled up by the window, watching the rain come down in sheets outside. 

Home, like the comfort of arms wrapped around you; two hearts beating in sync.

“C’mon,” Iwa interrupts after a minute or so, his voice a touch less gruff. “We’re almost there.”

Dazed, you find yourself nodding, allowing him to guide you back to the path. This time, he doesn’t grab you by the shoulder, seemingly content enough to walk by your side. 

True to his word, it’s only another few minutes before you see it; a wooden villa, four times the size of your own and far, far grander, set amongst a clearing of trees on the mountainside. Confused, your eyes flicker from the villa to Iwa and back again. Gossamer curtains billow lightly in the breeze, a warm, inviting glow spilling from the open windows. Surely this cannot be where he meant to lead you… and yet he merely stands at your side, arms folded across his broad chest, watching you expectantly. 

“You gonna make me carry you up there?” he asks, not unkindly.

Swallowing tightly, you shake your head. 

Another glance, and you catch a shadow lingering by the window. Your heart skips a beat, apprehension curling in your gut as you begin to walk, every step feels less steady than the last. You’re almost glad when Iwa takes you by the arm; if only so that you have something to focus on other than the growing tightness in your chest. The villa, with its pretty flowers and airy, elegant grandeur is far from the isolated cell you’d been afraid of, yet the uncertainty of what you’re walking into eats at you all the same.

Is this where they’ve been keeping Ryu, or has he brought you here for another reason?

Nothing, however, can prepare you for what you find inside. Warm light emanates from lanterns that bathe the room, and your eyes widen as you stare around you.

Strange, gold carvings inlaid with mother of pearl decorate the thick, woodens support beams, a pot of incense burns on a table overflowing with fresh fruit. There’s a jug of the same honeyed wine you’d drank earlier in the night and two cups set on an ornate stand nearby – just within arms reach of one of the chaise lounges.

Iwa affords you little time to gape, drawing you further in. Silken tapestries hang from the walls – you’re pulled along too quickly to truly take note, but the brief glimpses you get hint at a story; a divine being cast from his home, lost and wandering.

It tugs at something buried within you, and uncomfortable, you tear your eyes away.

The two of you reach a closed door at the end of the hall, and Iwa pulls you to a stop, knocking once.

“Come,” a familiar voice calls.

You stiffen, though perhaps you should have foreseen this outcome. Who else would Iwa bring you to but to him? Distantly, you register his grip relaxing, the sound of the door sweeping open and his voice at your ear.

“Go on.”

And it’s funny, you think, how two halves of yourself can be so at odds with each other. Because while your stomach twists itself into knots, goosebumps prickling at your skin, your legs stumble forward of their own accord.

Two steps forward, and your breath catches in your throat.

It’s a bedroom, that much you can deduce from the decor, but that’s not what captures your attention. Nor is it Oikawa, leaning against the bureau with a genial smile – at least not at first. 

No. In place of a back wall, there’s open space, not so much as a panel of glass obstructing the view before you. And what a view it is; from this height you can see the sprawling forest below, the coastline dotted with bonfires and the moonlit ocean shimmering beyond. Where the floorboards end, there are steps, you realise as you unwittingly inch closer, leading to a cascading spring – likely fed from the waterfall you can hear rushing nearby.

How easy it would be to brush aside your worries, you think, to shed your clothes, slip into the cool, calm water and lose yourself entirely. Even amongst all you’ve seen and experienced on the island so far, this is incomparable. 

“Stunning, isn’t it?” Oikawa murmurs, coming up behind you.

His voice startles you, yet when you turn, you find him not gazing out at the scenery but rather at you, that same strange, knowing smile curling at his lips.

“Some days, I admit, it’s hard to tear myself away,” he continues, unbothered by your stunned silence. “But even I can’t neglect my duties for too long.”

You swallow, tongue darting out to wet your lips. Confusion twists through you at the conversational tone, surely he hasn’t brought you here just to chat about the impressive views, yet there’s no hint of disapproval on his face, no indication that he’s anything less than pleased with you.

It’s unnerving to say the least, but you’ll play along with his game if that’s what Oikawa wants.

“Beautiful,” you say, though the words feel woefully inadequate even as you speak them.

He hums in agreement, something akin to pride flickers in his eyes at your assessment, “A labour of love, I suppose. But… everything you see here, everything I’ve built, it comes with a price. You understand that, don’t you?”

“I-I’m sorry?” you stutter.

“Paradise,” he elaborates, his smile widening. “There’s no give without take. Those people down there,” he nods down at the beach, the tiny, ant-like figures still milling about, “the lost, the beaten, the abused – I gave them what they so desperately sought; a sanctuary. A life without struggle, without suffering.” He pauses for a moment, reaching forward to take your hand. You almost flinch, almost skitter across the room to put as much distance between you as you can, but you don’t–

His palm is warm as it envelops yours, a pleasant heat that seems to spread through your veins, easing your tense muscles. There’s nothing to fear from him, you’re safe with Oikawa.

“Aren’t you happy here?”

Yes.

“What about the price?” you ask instead, though it takes more concentration than it should to force the words out. 

Oikawa’s thumb sweeps along the back of your hand. “I never said it was your price to pay,” he soothes. 

There’s something wrong with that sentence, but another sharp knock at the door draws your attention before you can think too hard about it. You turn out of instinct, barely aware of the way his hand tightens fractionally around your own.  

A single finger at your jaw coaxes your attention back to him. “If you built a paradise, wouldn’t you give whatever necessary to ensure it flourished?”

Oikawa stares at you expectantly, deep brown eyes searching your face as he waits for an answer. Agreement would be the logical choice – the one he seems to want from you – but even as your lips part, the only sound that escapes is a breathless, confused noise. 

When you were a kid, maybe six or seven, your parents took you to the beach one day and you waded too far out into the water. The waves were bigger than you expected; all it took was one mistimed jump and you were dragged under.

It wasn’t for long, probably only seconds, and ultimately you were fine – but you remember those few seconds so vividly. The feeling of helplessly tumbling through the water, fighting to break the surface but not knowing which way was up. Your lungs crying out for oxygen, the disorientation and dizziness, the panic.

It feels like that now – like the floor’s dropped out from beneath you and you’re just hurtling through empty air, desperately trying to slow yourself down with nothing to grab onto.

None of this makes any sense. Your emotions are shot to pieces, too many parts of yourself being pulled in different directions and you’re not sure which ones you can trust anymore. How can you be? Oikawa’s still holding your hand, smiling at you, and you just want everything to stop for a second so you can right yourself and breathe–

The door opens.

Iwaizumi appears in your field of vision, dragging a bound, hooded figure behind him. And because this is all some big, cosmic joke, you get your wish. Both of them, actually. 

Time slows. 

Even with a burlap sack pulled over his head, you recognise the man Iwa shoves to the floor and sneers at. 

Hundreds of miles, weeks of uselessly traipsing around this fucking island, and finally– 

Finally, you’ve found Ryu.

There should be relief. Fear, considering his current state, yes, but Ryuji’s here and he’s alive and as the hood is ripped off his head Oikawa squeezes your hand and the only thing you feel is… anger.

Not a heated flash that surges through your blood. It’s slow and seething, insipid. You look at him, locked in place as empty, pleading eyes meet yours and all you can think is that all of this – everything – is his fault.

“Asuka told you why she came to me, didn’t she?” Oikawa asks.

Your brow furrows, why–why is he asking you that now, how did he even–

He slips closer behind you, letting your hand go in favour of your shoulder, his spare dragging lightly along the bare skin of your arm. “She was lost, in so much pain. The physical wounds, they heal after a while,” his voice is right in your ear, a low murmur that sends a shiver rippling down your spine.

It isn’t an unpleasant feeling.

“But the scars inside, well… sometimes those fester.”

Gagged and bound, kneeling at your feet, Ryu doesn’t even try to make a sound. 

He’s thinner than you remember. Face gaunt and bruised; there’s a half healed, mottled yellow one painted across the left side of his jaw, one eye purple and swollen. You glance at Iwa, standing stoically behind him, muscular arms folded across his chest. His work, you wonder, or others as well? You notice the tear tracks running down his face, catching the light of the lanterns, but it’s as if you’re seeing it all through a thick pane of glass. None of it reaches you, there’s nothing but that simmering, ugly feeling in your gut.

Oikawa hums, “I told you that Paradise wasn’t for everyone. It’s a haven, yes, but there are those who simply… don’t belong.”

His body’s so warm, pressed up against yours. Fingertips graze along your side, and this time you don’t bother biting back that tiny, breathless moan. Iwa briefly smirks at it, but there’s no embarrassment. Why should there be? Your eyes flit back to Ryu, bowed on the wooden floor.

Another memory resurfaces; A sharp crack and a ringing in your ears, Ryuji, eyes bloodshot and glazed, falling to his knees, clutching frantically at the leg of your pants as endless apologies spill from his lips. 

It wasn’t him. It was never him. 

“He hurt you,” Oikawa purrs. “He kept hurting you, I saw it.”

The words wash over you like waves breaking on the shore, but you find yourself nodding anyway. It was the truth, wasn’t it? A thousand tiny hurts, piled up on one another until you finally broke.

And you’d still come when he’d called.

Listened to him when he’d begged you not to hang up the phone.

“Iwa.” 

The brunet moves towards a grand chest of drawers pushed up against the western wall. An ornate dagger sits atop, strange and beautiful; the blade isn’t steel or any metal you’ve seen before, but some kind of black stone, the handle intricately carved ivory. You hadn’t even noticed it before, Oikawa’s room filled to the brim with odd trinkets and treasures, but now that you have, it’s hard to tear your eyes away.

Iwa takes it and carries it over towards the two of you, holding it with the utmost care. 

“Obsidian,” Oikawa informs you as he accepts the blade from his friend, bringing it in front of you both to show it off. “Pretty, isn’t it?” And while you can’t see his face, you can hear the smile in his tone.

He isn’t wrong though. 

Ever so carefully you reach out, the soft pads of your fingertips running along the obsidian surface, surprisingly cool to the touch. The razor sharp edges – wavy and asymmetrical, leading to a tapered point – you’re careful to avoid, almost positive you’d draw blood with the slightest touch. 

“Take it,” he urges, his breath ghosting over the shell of your ear. 

Obediently, you turn your hand over, your fingers wrapping around the hilt when he presses it against your palm. And as long fingers curl around yours, you idly wonder how old the dagger is – there’s not so much as a scratch on it, yet there’s something about the weapon in your hand that feels ancient. It thrums under your combined touch.

Oikawa jerks his chin at Iwa, and with a short nod and one last, lingering glance cast your way, the latter exits once again. 

Leaving you and Oikawa alone with Ryuji.

“It’s almost time,” he remarks – though time for what, you’re not entirely sure. His lips press against your hair, his arm dropping from your shoulder to your waist, drawing you flush against him. “I know why you came to me, the lies that led you here.”

Both of you turn your attention back to Ryuji at that, the bound man now shaking with the force of his muffled sobs, snot dripping from his nose. That bitter resentment rears its ugly head again, soothed only by Oikawa’s pacifying hum, his thumb now rubbing slow circles at your side. “Shh, I’m not angry – none of that matters now. You’ve found a home here, no? You want to stay on the island with me.”

You swallow, nodding your head rapidly. The thought of having to leave now, of being forced out after everything you’ve seen and felt and experienced here, you– you can’t fathom it. You don’t want to. 

Ryuji’d wrought so much damage, but even before he’d swept through your life… had you ever been happy? Were you ever truly accepted – or loved, for that matter?

You can’t go back to that life. You won’t; he’ll have to drag you kicking and screaming from the shore. The Commune is your home, this is where you belong. Here, with Oikawa.

“Good girl,” he croons, another kiss pressed to the crown of your head. You beam at the praise and Ryuji crumples a little further. “Death begets life, you understand now, don’t you?”

You glance at the obsidian dagger in your hand and then at Ryu, beaten and bruised, bowed in forced supplication before you, and nod.

His fingers tighten around yours, “Then do it.”

Leaning forward, you reach for Ryu, fingers lightly trailing down his ruined cheek, curling at his chin to coax his head upwards. He squeezes his eyes shut, pain and regret etched over every inch of his face, but he doesn’t fight you. 

Baring his throat to your dagger, Ryuji’s pleas take the shape of your name.

Muffled, thanks to the gag, but unmistakable. And for one single moment, you falter. 

This… this is wrong; for all his faults, and god knows there were plenty, Ryu didn’t des–

A wave of calm washes over you, allaying your fears, your doubts. Your breath leaves you in a heavy gust, taking with it the tension in your shoulders, and Oikawa’s voice, smooth and honeyed, reaches your ears once more, “Nothing comes without a price, doesn’t he deserve to be the one to pay it?”

With your hand still tucked inside of his, your arm moves with a will of its own; slashing with inhuman grace.

The dagger cuts deep, Ryuji’s eyes snapping open in shock as a spray of warm blood hits you both. He chokes – a horrid, wet, gurgling sound – wide, pleading eyes frantically shifting between you and Oikawa. Every beat of his failing heart sends fresh blood spurting from the gaping wound. It drenches his front, splatters across your dress, your face, crimson pooling at the wooden floorboards at his knees. His mouth falls open and shut, trying and failing to form coherent sounds and you just stand there and watch, the dagger hanging limply at your side.

It doesn’t take long; seconds at the most. 

Ryuji’s slumps to the floor, his body finally growing still as the light fades from his eyes. There’s a beat of absolute silence, and then–

Oikawa shudders behind you, a strangled, drawn out moan leaving his lips. You try to turn, but his arms lock around you, every muscle tensing, his back arching. The dagger in your hand grows hot, burning the soft skin of your palm, but with his fingers still tightly entwined with yours you can only whimper and endure it.

With a hoarse, guttural roar, a pulse of pure energy surges through the room like a shockwave. Every cell in your body lights up, electrified, buzzing; a dizzying euphoria unlike any you’ve felt before coursing through your blood. 

Across the island, voices cry out in delight, a symphony of life. The trees tremble and shake, invigorated and renewed, fresh buds bursting from the forest floor, blooming under the light of the full moon.

The harvests flourish, even the river swells in response to the call.

Death begets life, just as he promised.

And with every inch of your body alight and singing with pleasure, you can barely think much less protest (and why would you want to?) as Oikawa roughly yanks you around, hungry lips crashing against your own as his fingers pull and tear at your bloodstained dress. He wastes no time with foreplay, and you suspect only begrudgingly takes a moment to hoist you up against him and carry you to his bed.

There’s nothing gentle about the way he hauls your hips to his, sheathing his cock inside of your warm, tight cunt with one savage thrust, but you don’t care.

Not as you cling to him, fingernails raking along his shoulders as he presses your thighs further apart so he can fuck you deeper. It’s hard and rough and brutal, yet you moan for him all the same, his name a prayer swallowed up by feverish, claiming kisses.

Tonight, bathed in blood and the soft glow of moonlight, you offer your god everything.

—

“Look, look!” 

A small hand tugs at your skirt, and you glance down to find a little girl with pretty, dark curls holding up a crown of woven flowers.

“Do you like it?” she asks. 

Carefully, you take it from her, bringing it closer to examine. She watches you intently as you study it, lifting it this way and that to appraise her work, humming thoughtfully for good measure. “I think it’s beautiful work,” you tell her after a long enough pause, and you can’t help but smile at the way she lights up, preening under your praise. “Why don’t you go show your mama? I’m sure she’ll be very impressed.”

The girl nods rapidly, thanking you before skipping off in the direction of her parents. The sun’s hanging low in the sky, the fires already being readied for the night ahead. You’re not unaware of the watchful gaze that carefully monitors your every move, and the moves of anyone who ventures too close by. Soon enough, you’ll return home to the heart of the island – anticipation fluttering in your belly at the thought of what awaits you – but for now, you let your feet sink further into the sand, closing your eyes as you bask in the lingering warmth of the setting sun.

At least until the sound of your name being called draws you back to the present. Yet it’s not Iwaizumi approaching, but rather Makki, two strangers trailing along behind him. 

“Thought I’d find you here,” he grins, throwing a casual arm over your shoulders. “This is Kaneo,” he gestures to the man, “and his wife Manaka. They arrived this morning, I’ve been showing ‘em round.”

You turn to the couple, smiling sweetly as you extend a hand, “Welcome to the Commune.”

[spike-and-faye]

Hello, I require your infinite wisdom please!! :O So I just finished cowboy bebop and I am so confused like who the fuck was Julia. WHAT was Faye's past. I literally never process tv shows and the bebop was not immune to my stupidity LMAO like... I guess the ending just really confused me, from what I gathered Spike and Vicious were friends? But then they weren't? And Julia dated Vicious but also Spike? And he? Went after Vicious even after Julia had died? I am Confusion. Please help. Thank u...

Oh BABEY I am so glad you asked! :) Be prepared for a long answer and I apologize in advance for how incoherent it will probably be.

ALSO Please note: this show is fucking complicated. I have watched it all the way through several times a year, every single year, for over a decade now, and I am *STILL* finding new shit every time I watch it. It's packed with symbols, motifs, allusions and underlying themes that are just so rich. It is so extraordinarily well-written that it could give a lot of classic literature a run for its money. I'm literally working on an in depth literary/film analysis my husband lovingly calls my Manifesto on the series right now. SO PLEASE don't beat yourself up about not catching everything on the first go round.

HEY BTW for anyone who hasn't finished the show, please know there will be MANY spoilers ahead!

Anyways ~

1.     Spike / Julia / Vicious:

The information we get on Spike's past, including Vicious and Julia, is pretty limited considering how big of an impact they have on the story. We get our first glimpse in Session 1: Asteroid Blues, then again in Session 5: Ballad of Fallen Angels, Sessions 12 + 13: Jupiter Jazz, and Sessions 25 + 26: Real Folk Blues. I recommend reviewing these episodes for you Julia and Vicious fix.

What we know:

Spike and Vicious were both members of an organized crime syndicate called the Red Dragons, which is roughly analogous to the Yakuza or the Mafia. Their positions in the organization are not clear, but there are some images alluding to them being hitmen, and they likely rose up in the ranks as they were close acquaintances of Mao Yenrai, a Capo of the Red Dragon.

Spike and Vicious were close comrades. Spike taught Vicious everything he knew about fighting, and the two had a deep trust in each other. Which Spike fucked up ….

^^Vicious looks hot asf here

Julia was Vicious' lover/girlfriend. One night in 2068 (three years prior to the time we watch in the Bebop) Spike is injured, presumably from a syndicate-related fight and he passes out in front of her door. She takes him in and nurses him back to health and he SIMPS HARD for her. We’re all but told he's in LOVE love with her. They start an affair, and Spike tells her he's ready to abandon the whole life - the syndicate, Vicious, Mao, all of it - and they could run away together.

WELL Vicious finds out about this whole affair, and is DOUBLY betrayed because his literal best friend and girlfriend have been having an affair, and tbh I think he was just as jealous of Spike's attentions as he was of Julia's. (Whether or not it’s a sexual thing for Spike … well … I have my own headcanons about that). SO when he finds out they're going to run away together, he gives Julia an ultimatum: you can either kill him, or I'll just kill you both. Spike had written her a letter about meeting him in the graveyard to start their new life together, which she tears up to hide his location from Vicious. (This is the falling ripped up pieces of paper we see in Spike's flash back in Session 5).

^^ r/gifsyoucanhear

**NOTE: There are those who disagree with this view, (looking at you Cowboy Bebop wiki) instead suggesting Vicious and Spike were buds in the past, but then hated each other once they were both considered as potential successors to Mao. That's why Vicious wanted him dead, and he was enlisting Julia (who he didn't necessarily have a romantic connection to) to help kill Spike since he knew Spike loved her. Personally, I think there is plenty of evidence that Vicious also wanted Julia, and in fact was already with her, when Spike started seeing her. If you want me to cite my sources please send an me an ask about it :)

Spike gets the idea, whether by her just not showing up or word around the syndicate being like YO Vicious wants you dead. Despite Vicious' ultimatum to Julia, he was gunna kill Spike either way. SO he sets up an ambush, and SadBoy™ Spike walks intentionally into their trap. Somehow, he doesn't die, though the entire syndicate thinks he did. (Note Annie's reaction to seeing him alive in Session 5). It’s also implied that this is where he lost his eye.

HIS EYE - possibly the most important symbol in the show so I do have to mention it. In episode 26, he explicitly explains to Faye that one of his eyes only sees the past. (PS this isn't dissimilar to Jet's arm… we can get into that another time). Basically, he's constantly living halfway in the past and halfway in the present, and describes the past like a dream he can never wake up from. Because dysfunctional or not - the syndicate WAS his family. (Again - see his relationship with Annie, Mao, and Vicious (prior to Spike's betrayal)). It's his reminder that Julia didn't run away with him, and that he'd left behind that life for her. (He didn’t know she was being threatened until the final episode). Basically Spike is hyper-fixated on what he had and what could've been.

Not long after this, Spike starts bounty hunting because like? What else is he going to do. He doesn't care if he lives or dies but if he has to be alive, he may as well be able to eat. He joins up with Jet Black on the Bebop.

TL; DR: Spike stole Vicious' lover, Julia, so Vicious made Julia choose between her killing Spike or Vicious killing them both. She instead went into hiding and Spike thought he'd been stood up. He fake died and got the hell outta dodge.

2.     What was Faye's past?

Ok let me start by saying Faye is my wife and my life. HOWEVER I hated her the first time I watched this show circa age 13 because I thought she was annoying/vain/shallow (also because #internalizedmisogyny lol am I right fam). Good news! She is all those things! But she's also very lonely and scared and an amnesiac and secretly a sweetie and she realizes she loves the crew of the Bebop like family.

SO my wife's backstory:

she was born in the 1990s (#only90skidsremember). There's some debate over her race/nationality, but due to the images of her hanging out in Merlion Park in Singapore, my bet is that she's Singaporean. She comes from a wealthy family with a big house, and we see some utterly *adorable* film of her as a child/young adolescent in Session 18: Speak Like a Child. I cry everytime </3

^^ Holla for the representation

In 2014, circa age 20, she and her parents were going into space when the shuttle they were on had some kind of malfunction/accident and it killed an unknown number of people, including her parents. At the time, the technology didn’t exist to be able to save her, so she was put into a cryogenic sleep state. Meanwhile, the Lunar Gate accident occurs, breaking up the moon and causing rock showers on Earth's surface. Most people died, moved to Mars, or settled underground.

She wakes up from her cryogenic sleep in 2068. (Also the year Spike leaves the syndicate.) She's 'woken' by the corrupt Dr. Bacchus who plans on charging her for the years and years of medical debt she's accrued. (See Session 15: My Funny Valentine.) Luckily a lawyer takes interest in her case (Whitney Haggus Matsumoto) and tries to help get rid of her debt. The two fall in love, but turns out Whitney is a Scumbag. He's actually Dr. Bacchus's nephew, and faked his death, writing Faye as the sole inheritor to his will. This means she'll take on all his debts. So baby girl has LOTS of debt at this point.

In the intervening years prior to her joining the Bebop, she gambles, cheats, gains a lot of street smarts, and adopts a very seductive character to get her way. She joins the crew on the Bebop in Session 3: Honky Tonk Women.

TL;DR: Faye is Austin powers

YIKES this is so long I am so sorry. Bitches are obsessed with this show. (I am bitches)

3.     The Ending

Okay I'm going to present this in the way, in my scholarly opinion, would be correct, though there are SO many interpretations other than simply 'Spike died :/".

To understand the plot of the last couple episodes we actually have to go back to Session 5: Mao is instructed* to sign a treaty with a rival syndicate called the White Tigers. (*He's instructed by The Van (Council of identical creepy old men) who are the actual head of the dragon. I think we only see them in Session 26.) Well - Vicious is a Bastard Man and he and his fellow mutineers blow up the White Tiger guys' ship and slit Mao's throat. Before he dies, Mao is like "Gotdamnit if Spike was still here this shit wouldn't have happened." Later in the Cathedral battle, Vicious explains to Spike he killed Mao because Mao 'lost his fangs'. He planned on killing Spike for good her, IMO, so there'd be no rival to take over as Capo for the Dragons.

^^These guys are The Van btw

THEN in Session 25, the Van basically catches Vicious and is like “you killed Mao and now you have to go to Time Out.” The Van also decides to just kill everyone associated with Vicious, just 2 B safe. That's why there's a big ass shootout at the Loser Bar where Jet and Spike are chilling, drinking, (missing Faye and Ed and Ein lol) and Shin (younger brother to Lin, who's helping Vicious overthrow the Dragon) explains all this to Spike. OH and PS JULIA IS ALIVE AND HERE IS HER LOCATION :). (**Notice Spike's reaction at this point is different than his reaction in Jupiter Jazz when he hears there's a Julia on Calisto. Much less excited… hmm…).

SO THEN you know we get some flashbacks of the past as previously explained *and* Julia just happens to run into Faye. She recognizes that Faye is one of Spike's friends from the Bebop (she was keeping tabs on him it seems) and picks her up. Faye doesn't know who Julia is but is like damn bitch I'm a little gay for you. (I mean … that may just be my bi ass projecting, but Faye is REALLY struck with her. Look at how she describes her to Jet, I mean come on.)

 Faye's like, 'we should team up' and Julia says 'no thanks but also tell Spike to meet me at *the place*'. Meanwhile back on the Bebop Spike and Jet are talking and Spike goes on about some dream woman who was his other half. (We assume he means Julia … I have my reasons to doubt this … I have a lot of angry DMs about my opinion here lol but I just do not give a fuck (: I can expand on this in another post or you can refer to the title of my fucking blog haha) Personally, I think Watanabe personally left this specific scene open ended, the same way he does with the ending and various other things.

more like SIMP Spiegel

ANYWAY Faye comes back to the Bebop to tell Spike about Julia, and Jet gets intel from a former cop buddy that there's some shit going down with the Dragons. (Again, the Van is hunting down everyone ever associated with Vicious, including your pal Spike). Bebop is attacked, Faye tells Spike what's up with Julia, and he heads out.

 PAN TO VICIOUS chained up - about to be executed - but what's that!? It's a bird!? It's a pla- no it's just a bird. (With one glowing red eye … hm … reminds me of Spike, also the drug Red Eye. Pls let me know if you have any thoughts on this). Just a bird with a BOMB! Explosion (RIP bird c. 2065 - too soon), Vicious kills the elders, his buddies show up and are ready to go fuck shit up.

this show could not be more of an aesthetic

MMMPhhh okay RAINY CEMETERY. Spike and Julia. She draws a gun, explains why she didn't meet him that day, and then hugs him. Now Spike is not *great* at showing his emotions but he literally just stands there. Maybe it's a stoic expression of how sad he is that he never knew she still cared, when it seemed like she dumped him. Maybe he's finally getting some closure on his past. Maybe the past doesn't mean the same thing it used to. (I'll elaborate later on this).

They go to Annie's to get stocked up on stuff, she lets them know she denied knowing Spike was still alive and hey also the Van was assassinated by Vicious and his guys so. Watch out for that. Then her shop is surrounded by Vicious' guys and she dies :(. Spike and Julia escape to the roof, but she's shot and dies in Spike's arms, and says 'it's all just a dream' :(. (Refer to: Spike living in a dream of the past).

Anyway Jet SAID he wasn't gunna go after Spike but. Jet's parental instincts kick in (oh yeah he was shot in the leg earlier btw) and he goes to Sitting Bull to see if he knows where Spike is. He basically says yeah Spike's about to die somewhere. (I want to do a further analysis on all the Sitting Bull scenes.) Well conveniently Spike returns to the Bebop, eats, tells his story about a tiger-striped cat. (At one point Jet asks if he's going there for her, and Spike is like well she's dead now so whatever). THEN we get to the scene where Faye is like HEY YOU CAN'T GO OFF AND DIE ASSHOLE and he's like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I 've been living in the past so I might as well see if I'm living now. (**This will play heavily into my interpretation of the ending). Faye is pissed, shoots the ceiling and he goes off to the syndicate headquarters to fuck shit up.

He basically John Wicks his way through the building, Shin dies, he and Vicious have the big boss battle and whatnot. He kills Vicious and stumbles back out down the stairs and says "Bang!" and collapses. We pan to the sky and see a star fade away.

Well that explains the plot … now here's what I think happened!!! ALSO may I mention, anon - you picked up on something I feel like a lot of people miss out on. Why *did* Spike go back to kill Vicious if Julia was already dead??

Basically, once it became clear that anyone associated with Vicious was being killed, Spike knew they'd hunt him down, and they weren't beneath Kill-Billing their way to him, (i.e. systematically destroying this companions to get to him). And for all his apparent indifference - he really loves his new found family. Jet is literally like an older brother to him. Ed is a little sister. Ein is well … a very good boy. And Faye? Well the relationship is complicated, and I'm not going to get into the 69,420 reasons I ship them here, but I think it is beyond argument that he really does care for her, even if that just in a filial way. He didn't want the syndicates to kill them for their association to him, or in order to get to him. So he did what he had to do to protect them. *AND NO* I am not saying that he didn't love Julia. But it was clear that his desire was no longer to run away with her. I think he genuinely loved and cared about her, but at some point between Jupiter Jazz Pt 2 and now, he accepted that their time together was over. Now he had a new raison d'etre, which is the Bebop.

I think at this point Spike has 'woken up' to reality (as he implied to Faye in their final conversation in episode 26: "Look at these eyes. One of them is a fake, because I lost it in an accident. Since then, I have been seeing the past in one eye, and the present in the other. I had believed that what I saw was not all of reality...I thought I was watching a dream that I would never awaken from. Before I knew it, the dream was all over." (This is from the sub btw I'm too lazy to look up the dub transcript.) He wasn't going there to die, he's going to find out if he's really alive. This line is fucking cool and everything - but it's implications are multitude. I won't go into them all here but basically : what makes him alive now is that he's free from his past. He's alive because he has this new family and protecting them is all he really wants now. Spike was protecting Jet, Faye, Ed, (and Ein) by going and facing the entire syndicate, knowing that their lives would all be in danger.

SO - did Spike die? Well again - Watanabe has purposely and artfully left this open ended. Well, if we're following the symbolism from Sitting Bull, then yeah, the man is as dead as disco, and wouldn't that be a fitting ending? BUT at the same time, Spike always refers to having 'died' before (meaning when he was ambushed by the syndicate, and they all thought he died, and he pretty much did). Don't forget that in  movie (takes places roughly between episodes 22 + 23, and yes, was made AFTER the series but whatever) he like .. DIES dies. He goes to the afterlife and everything. He wakes up to find he's chilling with Sitting Bull, who's like nah it wasn't your time to die yet. So the fact Sitting Bull confirms Spike will die in the final episode, means yeah, Spike is pretty much dead.

BUT -- okay now hear me out -- could this death in the final episode be a death to his previous life? The person he was in the syndicate? Now that he's extinguished the Red Dragons for good, is it not possible that its merely *that* life which has ended? That's the optimist in me saying that, but if it keeps me from staying up all night crying, I guess it'll have to do. Watanabe definitely wants to leave it up to the viewer, so whatever you think, I feel like there's validity to it.

WELL any anon, sorry for the fucking lecture - and believe me, I could've said MUCH, MUCH more - but I enjoyed this question. I always love talking about this show so please all you fuckers feel free to message me or send an ask about anything any time. I am really slow at replying because #life'sAbitch.

Love you all.

SY,SCB <3

[vennilavee]

to build a home - ch 1

beyond the drapes

attack on titan masterlist

ch 2 - a girl in a bar

Pairing: levi x reader (attack on titan)

Summary: a modern au where you and levi both work for the Survey Corps, a non-profit organization with a mission to help the youth of the Underground District.

Warnings: cursing, suggestive themes

Word Count: 3787

A/N: im so excited to explore levi’s character in this setting!! this story will be a series of moments in no sequential order. in this modern au, the walls still exist, as does the underground district. the only thing modern about it is the technology and culture lolol ENJOY

*** This day is bound to be a long one- it’s only 10 AM and you’ve already been in back to back meetings with several of donors for the foundation. You’ve been in meetings for the last three and a half hours, your toasted bagel now cold and your second cup of coffee now empty. You sigh and roll your shoulders back, pinching the bridge of your nose in annoyance.

These rich types would be the death of you. But Erwin had specifically asked you to handle the rich donors. As if Hange or Levi would be able to sit through even one of these ass-kissing phone calls. You can hear sugary sweetness dripping off of your tongue with practiced patience and you hardly recognize it. It’s an out of body experience. As words are rolling off your tongue, you wonder how Levi would fare with this responsibility.

He’d complain the whole time and then tell the person on the other end of the video call to fuck off and get their heads out of their asses. The thought makes you scoff and you clear your throat to cover the sound.

Erwin knew your strengths and weaknesses as individuals and a team, and you were grateful for such an insightful boss and friend.

Once you seal the third donation of the morning, you take your headset off and rub your temples. You’re glad you’re free until noon, giving you some time to catch up on emails and catch up with your colleagues and friends. The drapes in your office were drawn back, illuminating your office in a faint sunny glow. Today, the sun was hiding behind the clouds so it wasn’t terribly bright.

And yes, you had drapes in your office. They were a midnight blue with threads of gold embroidered throughout. Everyone else had normal blinds, but you had seen these drapes while window shopping years ago for this new office and you knew it belonged. Something about the blue and gold made you feel royal and regal. As if this was yours and yours only.

That didn’t mean that Levi didn’t tell you how stupid your drapes were and how stupid you were at least once daily- “You think this is a stupid castle or something? You hear yourself?”

To which you would prompt reply, “if this was a castle, you’d be the damn gargoyle in front. The one that scares everyone away.”

And then he’d just ‘tch’ at you and roll his eyes.

What an ass.

You’re growing restless, so you lock your computer and get up to stretch your muscles for a few minutes. Sitting for hours at a time does a number on you in ways that you’d never expect- your shoulders sometimes hurt, your lower back, even your ass.

Maybe you need a better seat and desk setup, you muse. Walking down the hallway with your cold bagel in your left hand, you rotate your right shoulder and wince. You pass several of the new hires, Eren and Jean who seem to be bickering amongst themselves but straighten up and say ‘good morning’ to you as you pass them. You give them a smile and a wave, continuing on your way.

You stop by Hange’s office, where her door is wide open and papers are strewn all over the place. She’s viciously typing on her computer as she pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose in between each word. Her hair is in disarray and you sigh when you knock on her door.

“Hange,” You call, “Did you stay up all night again?”

“Huh? No way,” Hange gasps, looking at the time, “I just got caught up with things! You know- I’m this close to finishing this grant proposal! Look how much money we’re gonna get outta them! They won’t know what hit ‘em-”

“Hange,” You say firmly, “I’m calling you a cab to go home. Go to sleep. I don’t trust you to drive home, considering you’ve been up all night.”

“What?! I can drive-”

“Hange!” You interrupt her, “I’m serious! Come back tomorrow. Take it easy.”

She slumps in her chair in defeat and removes her glasses, rubbing her eyes in fatigue. “Oh alright. I guess I’m a little tired.”

“See you tomorrow, Hange,” You salute and point to your phone, “Cab’s on it’s way.”

With that, you make your way further down the hallway and come to a stop in front of Levi’s office. You knock and immediately open the door without allowing a moment of rest in between.

“What’s the point of knocking if you’re just going to barge in?” Levi asks, eyes still on his computer screen.

“It’s much more dramatic, and we both know you would’ve left me waiting. Because you’re an ass,” You reply good-naturedly, sliding into the seat in front of his desk and propping your legs up on his desk. Your shoes are in his face and he pinches the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

“To what do I owe this most shitty pleasure?” Levi says, eyes narrowed at your bagel, “You here to ruin my office? Last time you were here I had to spend an hour cleaning it-”

You bite your tongue at the response you want to provide to that.

“No reason. Just have been on calls all morning. Was bored,” You shrug and wince at the slight shoulder movement.

Levi quirks an eyebrow at you but says nothing. He continues typing away, seemingly ignoring you as you munch on your half of the bagel. Once you’re finished with it, he throws a banana at you wordlessly. You fail to hide your smile.

“You’ll get hungry in about an hour with that shitty bagel. And then I’ll have to hear about it,” Levi says tonelessly, eyes trained on you. You roll your eyes at him and peel your banana.

“So you gave me this banana to shut me up?”

“Yes, it’s in my own best interest.”

A comfortable silence falls between the both of you. You eye the snow globe that you had gotten him for Christmas and his birthday on his shelf. It looks as if you had purchased it for him yesterday, when in reality it was over five years old. His office is as clean as ever, just like him.

“That’s a nice shirt,” You murmur, eyes raking over him shamelessly,  “Who’s the lucky person who bought it for you?”

And honestly, he wants to do something about the smug smirk on your face. But instead he just stares at you, face as impassive as ever. His hair falls into his eyes with a practiced poise. You see the corners of his lips turn up, nearly daring to give you something resembling a smile.

“What makes you think I didn’t buy it myself?”

“Come on, Levi. You and I both know your sense of style is… questionable most times.”

“My sense of style? You really want to talk about your shitty drapes?” Levi asks, but you sense no malice in his voice.

“My drapes? Wouldn’t you like to know if the curtains match the drapes-”

“I can’t think of anything worse to know.”

You gasp in indignation, hand to your heart. “Don’t be such an ass!”

“Then don’t be such a brat!”

“Ugh,” You groan, standing up from your seat and making sure there are no crumbs falling off of you, “I have actual work to do, Ackerman. Quit wasting my time.”

“Door’s right there, sweetheart,” Levi says nonchalantly, looking back down at his planner and not sparing you a second glance.

“See you soon, handsome,” You call, turning back to wave at him and he gifts you with an upturn of his lips.

***

The Survey Corps was a nonprofit organization run by Erwin Smith and the mission of the organization was to find and provide educational resources and mentoring to the youths in the city. Specifically, the mission was to show kids who grew up in the shadows that they could have a life outside of the shadows and in the light with the help of the Survey Corps.

That’s not to say that the Survey Corps had all of the answers and all of the funds to fix the poverty in the walls. But your team tried their hardest to help the kids. Because the kids were the future.

As an organization, you had done some pretty amazing things and had some pretty amazing connections. The Survey Corps had been successful in launching many partnerships and setting up afterschool programs for the kids to find their interests. It was the kind of work that made you feel fulfilled and driven.

Not to mention, that you worked with some of the best people. Despite everyone’s differences, everyone had a clear shared passion for helping the kids of the city.

You truly loved your job, and everyone around you did as well. Ever since Erwin had promoted you to Director of Impact all those years ago and had seen your capabilities, you had really been able to thrive.

Bringing those new kids on board was your idea for the most part- Levi had complained the whole time, asking why they needed a separate youth outreach group when Erwin’s original team wasn’t even that old.

You had kindly told him that you weren’t teenagers anymore and hadn’t been in two decades. He had glared at you but nodded in agreement.

The rest of your afternoon was relatively free, you were just finishing up a few project ideas for outreach and catching up with some of the new kids.

You should probably stop calling them kids, you think dryly. They’re all in their early twenties, fresh faced and eager. Besides Mikasa- she’s almost as neutral as Levi is, with similar eyes, and you can’t help but wonder if they’re distantly related.

You rotate your shoulder again and massage it lightly with a wince. Damn, your right shoulder has been aching over the last week. Maybe you needed a real massage. Or a new chair.

You send all of your emails out quickly with your shoulder beginning to throb in pain as minutes go by.

Death by the office.

You tell Jean and Connie to meet you in the break-out room for your quick catch-up, unable to take sitting at your desk for much longer. You bring a notebook and a pen with you to the break-out room and wait for them to arrive.

They sit across from you with their stainless steel water bottles in front of them. They’re chatting animatedly, telling you about their ideas and their plans of all the good they can bring to the kids within the walls. Their shared enthusiasm makes you smile.

You start taking notes on their ideas, already thinking of ways to bring them to life. You groan softly as your hand cramps up from the pain in your right shoulder and neck shooting down your arm.

Jean calls your name and you look up.

“Are you okay?” He asks, “You look like you’re in pain.”

“Obviously she’s in pain!” Connie exclaims indignantly, “Sorry about him. He likes to state the obvious.”

“I’ll be alright. My shoulder is just- acting up today…” You trail off and rotate it, “Anyway, I like your ideas. Keep it up, I love the enthusiasm. And don’t try to out maneuver each other either.”

You look pointedly at Jean who gives you a look of innocence.

“We’re a team,” You murmur.

“Captain still calls us interns,” Connie blurts out and you can’t help but let out a laugh. That they still call Levi their Captain, because he’s so rigid with them and that he still calls them interns.

“I’ll talk to Captain grump,” You reassure them, “He calls you interns out of affection.”

“Affection? From Captain Levi? Pff,” Jean scoffs, crossing his arms.

“You’d be surprised, Jean.”

***

Levi catches your soft whistle of pain as you slide the straps of your backpack over your shoulders. He wordlessly stands behind you and pushes the straps of your arm and carries your backpack for you instead. He gives you his phone and keys to hold on to and you give him a smile in return.

He walks you to the car in silence, opening the door for you and waiting for you to get in. Levi catches your grimace and soft exhale once more as you shift in the seat.

“You told Hange to go home?” Levi asks, breaking the silence.

“Yeah,” You nod, “She was here all night again. I don’t know how it gets past Erwin, but I told her to come back after she’s rested.”

Levi nods, eyes trained on the road in front of him. One hand on the steering wheel and one on his thigh. After a moment of staring off into the setting sun, you feel Levi’s hand slide into yours and his thumb rub against yours. His gaze hasn’t shifted, but you can see the light in the corner of his eyes.

He has let his hair and his scruff grow out a little longer than he usually likes- is he distracted? You can’t recall the last time his hair has been this long, but you like it. You make a mental note to ask him about it once you get home.

But as always, Levi can feel your eyes on him.

“Why are you staring?” He asks bluntly.

“Just lookin’ at your ugly mug,” You say nonchalantly, not missing the way his lips quirk up.

“You’ve been with this ugly mug for the last six years,” Levi says dryly, “And what does that say about you?”

“That I have good taste,” You beam at him and he rolls his eyes fondly.

“You’re a brat.”

“You’re an ass.”

You squeeze his hand and watch the planes of his face imperceptibly relax. He wonders how long your shoulder has been bothering you like this. You had mentioned a few times over the last week that it was an odd sort of ache, but today, it seemed like you were in a lot of pain. He’ll ask you about it when you get home.

Home. The space he’s shared with you for the last three and a half years. Levi thinks about that often. He thinks about being a rough, underground kid with nothing but dirt and danger to his name. He wonders if that kid would’ve ever dreamed of living a life like this. He often thinks about Erwin finding him so young and pledging to help him and help kids like him.

Levi often thinks about you. You, who had offered him nothing but laughs and coffee when he had nothing to give. You, who offered your shoulder when he didn’t have the strength to ask. You, who found a crack in his armor of steel and buried yourself next to him despite his roughness.

You.

Even now, he still wonders from time to time if you are aware of the extent of his adoration for you. But when you look at him in that soft way of yours, in that way that’s only reserved for him, he thinks you do.

***

Levi hears your pained gasp from the kitchen and then a call of his name. He sees you standing in your underwear, clutching your right shoulder with creased eyebrows.

“Levi,” You murmur, “Will you help me out of this shirt?”

Levi hums and brushes his knuckles over your neck gently.

“Lift your arms up for a second. This would be easier if this shirt was a button up rather than this shitty material,” He mutters, “This might hurt for a sec.”

He hears your sharp inhale and exhale as he pulls your top off. Levi pulls out one of his own shirts that has now become your sleep shirt and a pair of his shorts for you. He’s quick and precise in his movements, unclasping your bra easily and tugging his shirt over your head. He even helps you into his shorts and you press a kiss to his cheek in gratitude.

Levi rubs your shoulder gingerly, eyes cast over you in concern.

“Go sit on the couch,” Levi murmurs, “I think we still have some of that medicinal paste my mom gave us. The one that’s supposed to help with pains like this. Your shoulder is tight.”

“That’s not the only thing that’s tight,” You wink at him and he shakes his head, patting your hair.

You’re tempted to follow Levi to the kitchen but refrain when he shoots you a look. Instead, you settle on the couch, stretching your legs out.

“Took you long enough,” You grumble, scooting up on the couch for him to lay behind you.

“It took me two minutes. Did you lose your sense of time as well?” Levi murmurs, pulling you into his chest.

You hum, already feeling yourself relax and take his hand in yours. Levi pulls the right side of your shirt down a little to examine your shoulder. He presses a finger to your upper neck and you hiss once his fingers press a little lower. He continues his examination, trying to figure out exactly where you’re in pain.

“Gonna give you a massage,” Levi says, “Might hurt at first. It’ll feel nice after. You can hold my hand if it does.”

“Thanks for your permission, honey,” You roll your eyes but clasp his free hand in yours once more.

His fingers are steady, gentle but firm against your skin. Levi whispers words to you, words of his day, words of what he thinks of the new interns. You correct him for the millionth time, reminding him that they’re not interns anymore. They’re employees now, part of the team. He scoffs but it pulls a laugh from you.

And then you gasp sharply when Levi’s hand prods at a knot. You squeeze his hand reflexively but after a few soothing touches, the pain washes away and the knot dissolves. Levi continues to rub your muscles and you lean further into his chest, your eyes closed in bliss.

He maneuvers you so as to not disturb you too much and spreads the topical analgesic on your shoulder, leaving your skin exposed. So that the medicine doesn’t spread on your shirt.

“Good?” Levi asks, rubbing your other shoulder. You nod, peering up at him and pecking his lips in gratitude. You try to deepen the kiss, try to rake your fingers through his hair the way he likes, but he turns his cheek.

“You’re gonna waste the medicine. It’ll stick to your shirt rather than your shoulder.”

“Seriously?” You groan.

“Blame your shitty shoulder,” Levi says and you glare at him.

“Take my shirt off then.”

“It’ll stick to your shirt when I take it off. Don’t be stupid.”

“Wow, you really thought this through,” You grumble, settling back into his chest and hoping the medicine absorbs quickly. He gives you a rare smile and kisses your forehead, his hand snaking under your shirt to rub your belly, his fingertips at your ribcage. The way he knows you like.

It had taken a long time for Levi to touch you like this. But you didn’t mind though. You were patient, and he was worth it. He was an immensely private person and while he was never ashamed of you- the thought had never even struck his mind- he preferred to keep his business within the walls of your home. Even at work, Erwin often teased both of you that he could hardly tell that you were in a long term relationship with the way you two bickered with each other and the general lack of PDA. But Hange, bless her, would scold Erwin for being so dense-

How can you not tell? They argue like a married couple!

It had taken a long time for Levi to touch you like this. He can remember when the mere act of looking at you had proven to be too much sometimes. And somehow, you always knew when he needed space. When it got to be too much. It had even taken you a long time to touch him like this. He was unlike anyone you had ever met in every way. You’re certain from the way you fit within the spaces of his arms that this is where you were meant to be.

Something gentle settles in your cheeks, in the way you blink at him, in the way you’re stroking his undercut. He very nearly purrs at the touch but still-

“What are you thinking about?”

“You,” You reply, not missing his ‘tch’ in response, “Your hair’s getting long…”

You run your fingers through his dark, silky strands and leave a trail of burning embers in your wake. You cup his cheek and he leans into your touch, head tilting into your hand slightly. His grown out stubble prickles your hand and you push yourself closer to him.

“Something on your mind?” You murmur, “You never go this long without a haircut. Or a shave.”

“Testing something out,” Levi says vaguely and you hum.

“Whatever you say, honey,” You reply, pressing a kiss to his neck.

“Don’t worry about it. You’ll hurt yourself if you think too much.”

“Noted. Thanks for looking out for me, Levi,” You say dryly, poking his chest.

“Someone has to,” Levi mutters, “Think you need a new chair at work. You’ve always had a shitty chair. Or maybe you need a standing desk. I’ll build you one.”

You’re barely listening, eyes beginning to flutter closed and you hum in agreement. Levi is just so warm, it’s no surprise that you’re asleep in just a few minutes. Your breaths are steady against his arm as you shift a little to turn on your side. You must be tired. Levi grabs the book he’s currently reading from the coffee table, drapes a blanket over you and rubs your back as you fall into a deeper sleep.

As he reads, he can’t really focus on the words on the page. He’s busy thinking about you, and how easily you grew to trust him and to love him. Despite how long it took for him to even realize that what he felt towards you was trust and love. Levi thinks back to the kid from the Underground. That kid is still him, and he remembers the faint desire to have a semblance of this life. To feel the sun against his face, the wind in his hair. To be unabashedly himself.

And somehow, not even the freeing feeling of the sun on his face and the wind in his hair can compare to your velvet touch on his skin.

[clownistyping]

I was wondering if you were able to do a request for the turtles having a SO that’s generally sweet and caring but when it comes to someone trying to hurt the boy’s feelings (like the cop scene in 2016 movie) they just go ultra BITCH mode putting someone in their place/one where the SO/reader scares the boys by surprise evasive maneuvers/drifting in the truck while their teaching them to drive but get ambushed, getting them to safety(little do they know they know how)? 0 w 0 or a merge of both?

I've got a lot of Hellboy so I'm just gonna do TMNT to not ruin hellboy for me.

Okay so like in the comics there's a part of new York that mutants live in, I can't remember how but let's just say that the boys visit that place a lot and hey even mutants are assholes. 

LEO

It was one of those rare nights, when you and Leo could just be. You and Leo. 

Walking down the dark streets of the mutant town, it was safe with Leo knowing he could literally throw a giant container. 

"So the new episode, my theory is that Jupiter Jim just turns into a toddler and the crew has to take care of this very serious baby." You laughed, it was rare to see Leo not be so serious. To be himself, and talk about his interests. 

"And like you know the other aliens, are trying to kidnap baby Jim because hey weak point-" 

"Alright put em up!" A voice yelled and suddenly a knife was pointed at your face. 

"Or the small one gets it!" The small man sneered and Leo looked at you, and you raised a brow. How dare this small man, interrupt your boyfriends very passionate conversation. The fucking audacity of a bitch. 

"What are you stupid?" You growled, slapping the man's hand away. 

"I'm not joking here, I'll stab you and the freak!" The man sneered, lunging towards you, you quickly grabbed his hand. Making him drop the knife you pushed his fingers back. 

"Freak? Freak!?" You yelled, hearing the man's fingers crack. 

"That fucking freak is the love of my life, who you just threatened. So I'll give you five seconds to get the fuck outta here!" You successfully broke three of his fingers and the man let out a silent screech. Nodding in pain, he snatched his knife and ran across the street. 

Glaring at the man as he left you looked back at your boyfriend as if nothing happened. 

"Honestly baby Jim could probably like, beat up all of the aliens." You laughed, grabbing Leo's hand you led the very confused turtle away. 

DONNIE

"Are you sure you wanna drive the tank?" Donnie asked as he held blueprints, leading you to the tank. You nodded with a smile, 

"Of course, I've got my license and common sense. So I'm sure I can." Donnie pursed his lips, unsure. 

Entering the tank, Donnie put the blueprints in their rightful spots and jumped a little when the tank growled awake. 

"Ready?" You asked, buckling in your seat belt. Donnie did the same with a tight grip, nervous to let you drive seeing as you can barely reach the brake. 

It was dark, the almost abandoned part of downtown was empty save for the strays and nightlife. 

The drive was silent but comforting as Donnie looked over the GPS. 

"Just take a left and our destination should be on the left." Donnie said, he needed a couple new adjustment parts to his tracking monitors and knows a mutant who'd sell them to him cheap. 

But his glasses quickly became crooked when the back of the tank was rammed into. 

"What the hell?!" You yelled, checking the rear view you were shocked to see a giant armored truck behind you. 

Donnie quickly took his bõ out, the wood still intact but advanced with new technology and a pipe at the end. 

"Stay here." Donnie mumbled, leaving a quick kiss to your forehead he left through the roof. 

"Come on out, Freak!" Two human men came out,  cladded in foot gear you scowled at them through the mirror. Just who the hell do they think they are?!

Donnie stood on the roof, studying the men's aggressive stances he readied for a fight. Until to fall on his face when the tank suddenly reared forward. 

"(Y-Y/N)?! He panicked as the tank did a quick U-turn straight for the truck. 

"I'LL SHOW YOU A FREAK!" He heard you yell at the men as you sped the tank straight for the truck. The tanks armor was almost indestructible, but right now Donnie didn't feel the same. 

Quickly he scurried back into the tank through the roof, 

"What are you doing!?" He yelled in confusion as he saw your face of rage. 

Then he was lunged straight on the window, shocked to see that you drove right over the men's truck. Completely crushing it, but not the men inside who quickly escaped. 

They ran off into the shadows, cursing at you both and you could only laugh. 

"Are you okay?" You asked after calming down, helping Donnie steady himself. 

"Me? (Y/N), you drove like a manic! What was that?" 

You blushed as he grabbed your face gently, 

"I don't know i just..i wanted to help." You smiled nervously and Donnie could only shake his head with a laugh. 

"Well thank you." He pulled you in for a quick kiss. 

RAPH

You hummed as you studied the aisles of fruit and veggies, the mutant town was having their open market out for the spring. So many fresh veggies were ripe for the picking. 

"Thinking of veggie pizza tonight?" You asked and Raph hummed with disgust, 

"Meat lovers or nothing babe, you know it." You chuckled with a nod, still buying some for later. 

"Is that- Jesus I thought i was bad." You heard a voice nearby cackle, and turned to examine it. 

Seeing a young couple, one a bird mutant and the other a squirrel. Raising a brow you continued to eavesdrop as Raph looked over the fruits for shakes. 

"I mean, like- ugh I just couldn't deal with that texture. Rough skin, and the shell. Blegh." Your brows furrowed, 

"And the turtle's with a human, kinda rare. Like they're trying so hard, right?" The other laughed, and your knuckles went pale. 

Staring the couple down, you stomped their way. 

"You better watch who you're talking about because that turtle you think is so disgusting, has probably saved your life without you even knowing. So fucking watch it, Furry." You seethed and turned, not even acknowledging their reactions. 

Before you made it to Raphael you took a calming breath, refusing to let it take anymore control over you. 

"What was that about?" Raphael questioned, biting into an apple, he rose a brow after seeing the small scenario. 

"Just taking care of you." You grabbed his free hand, 

"Let's go home." You pulled him away from the crowd with a smile. 

MIKEY

"SIXTEEN! EIGHTEEN! COME ON, MIKEY, TWO MORE. TWENTY!" You cheered as Mikey stuffed the twentieth pizza slice in his mouth, drool was dripping out but you still cheered. 

"Guess Mutants really are all just a bunch of pigs." A snide comment passed through your ears and you stopped mid cheer. 

The restaurant you were both in was currently a mutant friendly restaurant, but still visited by humans. 

You studied the room and your eyes glared as you saw the smirking male, staring right at Mikey. 

"What?" The male said, now looking at you. 

"Oh nothing, just guess human men are jealous of what mutants can do with their mouths." You smirked, and Mikey choked on the pizza. The human male stiffened, muttering insults he slammed his napkin down and left the establishment. 

"You okay babe?" You asked, and Mikey managed to swallow the pizza, he nodded.

"I didn't expect that out of you, babe." He laughed and pulled you close with a kiss. You smiled as he tasted of pizza. 

[vegalocity]

What would happen if Syntax actually did get cured of the venom? Would he still want to hang around Huntsman and Goliath or would he Think 'huh. Maybe having the people who KIDNAPPED ME around me and my family Probably isn't the best idea.' - Pixel Anon

Uhhhhhhhhhhh yeah I think the answer is Not Good Things Will Happen. I think the answer is ‘Y’all are down an integral clan member hope you didn’t have any plans that hinged on technology or science in general right now.’

Honestly I think you don’t even need to throw Minyi and Xiuying into that equation to make that the answer. Even if you assume Syntax was essentially just alone in the world before spiderfication if he got the spider limbs pulled off and the venom drained from his system, no matter WHAT his Backstory is i think he’d just book it, he’d be OUTTA THERE he is GONE. He’s running before the purple has fully faded from his skin.

And when you THROW IN the ladies, then… well even more so. He’s got Minyi in one arm, a duffel bag in the other and loading into the gd car headed for Xiuying’s cabin to lay low for awhile.

(this gets long so it's under the cut)

Like, most people like to assume that there was a sort of… adjustment period when he had just been spiderfied, usually the flavor of ‘someone (usually Huntsman) reminding him of how he is at his base a human, not a spider, not one of them, and the second he stops being useful is the second he’s only good for how he’ll taste’ and even if he wasn’t afraid of whoever it was in the moment, confident in his ability to manuver extra limbs that aren’t there anymore and speed that wasn’t there either, all the physical additions that being a Spider Demon had are suddenly gone and that threat about being the next meal for the clan suddenly feels a lot more real. Even IF the others had actually grown attached to him and Minyi and even Xiuying, the fact of the matter is if these people decided to kill them all he wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.

Something I could see having kind of a ‘disney channel cartoon’ resolution in this setup is a thing idk if i’ve mentioned before involving Minyi or not. Bc Minyi, as i know i have mentioned, fucking HATES Spider Queen, and at first for awhile there she was very vocal about it, she hated that her dad was working for her, she hated that he wanted her approval, and most of all she hated that whenever she’d say any of that to him, he’d just sort of… not listen.

Even when even Minyi knows what she’s talking about is silly or irrational, she never really feels like Daddy isn’t listening. Even when she’s wrong and he has to explain to her what it was that was wrong, she still felt like he was listening to her as she talked. But not this. Never this. Minyi’s an observant child, her plotline hinges on it, so she knows when Adults tune her out, she knows when she’s being condescended to. And when Daddy tells her that of course he wants to stay Loyal to Spider Queen and she’s Really Cool Actually she can tell he wasn’t listening to a word she’d actually said. Because he never mentions forgiving her for stealing him, or that he knows it might look like she pushes him around but he knows he’s always in control of the situation, or anything that would actually ANSWER her questions or settle her worries. She just… might as well have stomped her foot and yelled like she was half her age.

And now that his head is clear he can look back on that and be… embarrassed? guilty? His daughter was warning him that whole time out of honest fear and concern that she only barely had the vocabulary and emotional complexity to understand And he brushed her off as if it was nothing. And to rub some salt into it now that his head is clear and the unrelenting force of the Spider demanding subserviance to the Queen is gone it’s obvious that his fucking six year old was right about his ‘boss’ being bad news. So of course he figures he owes Minyi an apology, but Minyi’s just happy that he’s listening to her again so it’s all okay in the end.

And if this is the Cyberhunt timeline then can I get an F in the chat for Huntsman? Bc he ain’t even getting a breakup scene, i don’t think he’d even get a letter outside of the ‘I’m leaving the clan and leaving the city with my family. Don’t try to find us’ that goes out to all of the clan (maybe even still implying that Syntax DOES still have that Spider amplification in him so it’s not just a flimsy ‘stay away’ from an equally flimsy human)

I could see Syntax as being pretty mad at himself for letting the relationship happen at all in that context. Like yeah, his brain was all scrambled up and he can’t ACTUALLY be held accountable for decisions made with the fact that he wasn’t really in his right mind for the whole thing, but it still happened. But now it’s over, and- and it was just some echo of venom that hadn’t quite metabolized yet that left a bitter taste in his mouth to acknowledge that those people weren’t really friends, that he wasn’t really-... His brain is still re-adjusting, he’ll be fine in time.

Minyi I don't think would quite get certain parts about this, in her mind, the big boss is always the bad guy and the other people around are just as scared of the big boss as the person they’re bullying. So to her only Spider Queen was the bad guy. So when Daddy turned back to normal and said that they weren’t safe from the bad guys anymore and needed to go stay at Auntie Xiuying’s cabin for awhile she’d thought that Uncle Huntsman and Uncle Goliath hadn’t come along simply because Uncle Goliath didn’t fit in the car. That they’d catch up with them soon. Because surely, they’d ALL be running away from the REAL bad guy together.

So, she figures they must have gotten lost and had to head back home. Thats not good, surely that means she needs to help them find their way here like how she helped Daddy find his way home. Auntie and Daddy were both too scared of Spider Queen finding them to contact her uncles, but Minyi knew how to evade that!

She knows Uncle Huntsman likes to hang out at their apartment because he loves Daddy (she’ll keep that to herself for now, grownups don’t believe in happily ever afters) so if she mails a letter to the apartment he might find it when he eventually comes over.

She knows Uncle Huntsman doesn’t like puzzles, but he’s good with them when its something important. So she makes a cipher and writes the letter in it, copies down the decoder, and chops it up into distinct shapes, seals it all up in a letter closes the envelope with a sticker on it, and slips it into the mailbox.

Eventually Huntsman does find the letter, written in childish scrawl, the puzzle to decode the letter, and the knowledge that theres only one child on this entire damn continent that would be this obnoxiously enigmatic about sending a fucking letter.

But whatever, he wasn’t gonna do anything except sit in the apartment surrounded by things left behind and feel sorry for himself--er, that is, scavenge for anything that could be used by the Queen and take advantage of the internal heating. So he may as well do something. So he puts together the decoder, she’d just sliced it into fourths. Then translated the letter.

“Hi Uncle Huntsman! If you’re reading this that means you unlocked my letter! Yay! I knew you could! So I know you and Uncle Goliath want to leave the bad lady’s clan too and I know you’re only not here because you guys got lost.” and she just… gave them the coordinates for the place her family was hiding away. (not REALLY hiding, it wouldn’t have taken much to track down the cabin’s whereabouts through Xiuying, but the secluded nature of the cabin may as well have been)

I guess… the way the story ends depends on how you want it to end. Because Huntsman has three options, but really only two. Does he accept defeat and burn the letter, or does he do something with the information he now has? Either way he’d be betraying the queen, but he doesn’t have it in him to turn in the coordinates of their lost clan member and his family. Not this time.

There’s this youtuber i like called Breadsword, he does movie analysis, and in his video about Millenium Actress he says something along the lines of ‘My favorite moment in a romance is somewhere in the last ten minutes, after we’ve followed our characters through the buildup, payoff, and premature destruction of what they had, as they go their separate ways and come to the conclusion that it wasn’t meant to last, one rejects it and takes flight in pursuit of the other... our dreams and our love are the only things truly worth running in the name of.

[inkribbon796]

In their Place Ch. 2

Chapter 2: As Blue as Can Be

Summary: Damien isn’t acting normally and that concerns everyone.

Chapters: 1, 2, 3

“Marc?”

Silver was groggily coming back to consciousness.

“Marc?”

Silver woke up, head pounding, and his ears ringing as he reached that he was still on his back with a thin view to the skylight overhead.

It took him a few groggy minutes to realize who had said his name, it was Dark!

Immediately Silver shot away, floating a bit off the ground, Dark looked surprised. He also looked completely like Damien.

Silver looked to see his mask ripped to pieces right next to where he had been laying.

“How do you know my name?” Silver demanded.

“How are you doing that?” Dark asked in surprise, his voice sounding normal, as if he really was Damien.

“No, answer the question,” Silver demanded, flying a little closer.

Dark took a couple steps back, looking at the hero as if he was crazy. “Marc, we’ve been friends for years. Of course I know your name.”

“We’re not friends!” Silver shouted. “You’re an asshole. You sold us out.”

“Don’t yell at me!” Dark shouted back. “You and Celine having issues does not mean you can take it out on me.”

“The hell are you even talking about?” Mark spat. “Who do you think I am?”

Dark looked at him, “Marcus Iplier, you’re my brother-in-law.”

Mark felt a little bit of relief, he didn’t actually know his name, he’d just gotten lucky. “Okay, okay,” he interrupted. “I think you’re confused. I’m not who you think I am. I’m tapped out for today. I’ll go home, you go home; and we forget this ever happened.”

For a brief moment Dark looked worried before he gave such an amused smile before he gave such a startlingly honest chuckle that it actually made Mark think he was dreaming. A chuckle that turned into a full on laugh.

Never, not even once while Dark was pretending to be mayor, did Dark laugh. Damien, even before he’d been revealed as Dark’s primary host, tended to act like a tightly coiled spring. So he gave half-smiles, and wry chuckles.

But that laugh was something else. It was almost a light cackle. But there was just something so genuine about it that Mark became aware that he wasn’t looking at Dark.

This was Damien.

He wasn’t looking at Dark.

“Okay, okay,” Damien seemed to calm down, a smile still on his face. “You got me, you got me. For a second there you had me worried. I’ll bite, I’ll play along. Why are you floating?”

“I’m, uh, a superhero,” Mark told him, trying to figure out what to do with Damien when he wasn’t Dark.

“A what?” Damien reflexively smiled. Mark was shocked by how genuine that smile was.

“A superhero, you know?” Mark answered. “Like from the comics? I’m kinda like Superman, I can fly and lift stuff.”

Damien waved his hand dismissively, rolling his eyes. His smile became a little sadder. “If it’s just Legionnaire business you can tell me that and just move on. I’m not bitter anymore.”

“I don’t work for them,” Mark tried to insist.

The mayor sighed, looking away from him and up to the ceiling. “How’s Celine? I haven’t seen her since she . . .” Damien looked at Marc uneasily. “Since the baby, you know.”

Mark wanted to shake Damien and demand that he make at least some kind of sense. But after a long pause he decided, “Look, I’m not who you think I am. I’m not whichever Mark you’re thinking of. I don’t know Celine personally, she’s tried to put her axe through my chest a couple times but I don’t really know her.”

“Don’t know her?” Damien repeated in confusion. “You’ve been married for five years, you should know her by now. I get that grief can change a person but I’d be there to help if I could.”

“Grief?” Mark asked.

“The baby,” Damien tried to remind. “Last I heard she was excited about the baby.”

“I’m not the one with kids,” Mark continued. “You are.”

Suddenly Damien was furious, “That isn’t funny Marc. You’re an asshole but you’ve never been cruel. Stop it.”

“It’s true, I don’t have kids, I’m not married, we’re not friends,” Mark told him. “Did you shoot up before you let Dark take you for a fucking spin today?”

“This joke isn’t funny anymore,” Damien warned, and that anger was starting to look a touch familiar.

“I’m not your brother-in-law,” Mark repeated.

“That’s it, I’m getting a light,” Damien started patting himself down. “Where are they?”

Then he reached into his coat and took out his carton of cigarettes and quickly pulled one out and started looking for a lighter, getting increasingly frustrated the longer he couldn’t find it. “Where is it?

Finally Damien groaned loudly and looked back at Mark. “Marc, can I borrow a light?”

“I’m not the Mark you think I am, and I don’t smoke so I don’t have anything to help you with that,” Mark told him.

Damien let out an angry groan and walked over to the other side of the space and sat down on the ground. He started massaging his temples and Mark heard his communicator crackle to life.

“Hey Silv,” Jackie’s voice crackled out. “Everythin’[1] alright?”

“No,” Mark commented. “I’m here with Mr. Mayor, I think we beat Dark out of him. I can’t see Dark or Celine anywhere.”

“What do yah mean yeh beat Dark off ‘a him?”[2] Jackie demanded.

“Don’t move, I’ll be right there,” Marvin said.

Damien was staring at him, “You’ve gotten better at magic.”

“I’m shit at magic,” Silver reminded pointedly.

The mayor let out an amused scoff, “You live with Celine, compared to her, everyone’s shit at magic.”

He’d just tried to tell a joke. But by his face he clearly expected Mark to find it at least a bit funny. Which absolutely floored Mark.

Mark would have commented, but when Damien moved his hands from his temples and just earlier his neck had been pristine. But now there were black bruises on Damien’s neck, the mayor was absentmindedly rubbing at them which is when Mark realized, grimly, that they were in the shape of handprints.

“What happened to your neck?” Mark asked.

“Is there something on it?” Damien stood up, massaging it. “It feels kinda[3] sore.”

“Kinda,” Mark took a couple steps forward and watched the bruises fade. “Does it hurt?”

Damien cleared his throat and tugged at his collar. “No, but it feels strange. Mayhaps I’m just coming down with something.”

“Yeah, may—” Mark agreed.

He was cut off when a blast of magic slammed into Damien and knocked him to the ground, Marvin flying in, “Don’t move, fooker[4]!”

“I finally had him calm!” Mark shouted, watching Jackie and Patton run over as well.

“Yeh[5] don’t trust demons,” Marvin reminded, charging up another blast as Damien braced his arms over his face.

Patton stood in front of Damien, staring at Marvin.

“Get outta[6] the way, Cap!” Marvin shouted.

“No!” Patton seemed to widen his stance a bit to stabilize himself for a fight. “Stop it.”

“Give me one good reason,” Marvin ordered.

“He’s afraid,” Patton said, his tone even and calm. Then he looked back at Damien who was bleeding from the nose and was trying to stop it. “You scared him.”

“He’s Dark, he deserves ta be scared ‘a me,”[7] Marvin commented.

Patton was already kneeling down next to Damien who flinched when Patton got closer. The emotional Side pulled a handkerchief out and knelt down a little to hand it out to Damien. “Here you go, kiddo.”

Damien watched him for a bit before taking a bit. “Thank you, I seem to have misplaced mine.”

When he tilted his head up to stem the bleeding Patton began coaxing him to point his head back down. An action that got the empathetic Side funny looks from the mayor but the man did so.

“See?” Patton gestured to Damien. “He’s not hurting anyone.”

“It’s a trap, an’ yeh know it,”[8] Marvin insisted. “We can’t trust that lyin’ demonic fooker as far as Anxiety can throw him.”[9]

“I am not a demon!” Damien shouted, clearly insulted.

“We’re not supposed to hurt people,” Patton reminded. “The hunters do that. The demons do that, but not us.”

“No hold up,” Damien continued as he glared at Marvin. “I might not be the most perfect person in the world, but I am not a demon.”

“Yeh’ve been lettin’ one walk around in yer skin,”[10] Marvin accused.

“Even if that was true the Legionnaires would kill me before I even got out the front door,” Damien fired back.

“You have been, and you’ve been the worst,” Mark chimed in.

“Don’t make this worse, Marc,” Damien ordered.

“It’s true,” Mark told him.

“Prove it!” Damien dared.

“Okay, fine,” Mark pulled out his phone and unlocked it, starting to scroll through his camera roll.

Damien was just staring at the phone, a look that got even more confused when Mark showed him a video of Damien, Mark’s voice from somewhere in the device.

“Have anything to say, asshat?” Mark asked.

“Get that thing out of my face, you want a news story, get a press badge,” Damien heard himself demand, a shrill ringing in the background.

“Nah, this is for me, just a friendly conversation between friends,” Mark reassured.

“What is this?” Damien asked in awe, tapping the screen. “Is it making that noise itself? Did you get it from the Legionnaires?”

“It’s my phone?” Mark reminded. “I know you’ve got a couple bricks but you have to have seen one before. Illinois has one.”

“A phone?” Damien asked, absolutely confused. “That’s not a phone, it’s too small. I didn’t know magic could alter technology like that.”

Mark just stared at him, pieces clicking together. “Damien what year do you think it is?”

“Uhh,” Damien paused. “1928?”

“What?” Marvin stared at Damien in surprised. “Stop fookin’[11] with us.”

“Have you even been conscious while Dark was controlling you?” Mark wondered out loud.

“Who’s Dark?” Damien asked.

The heroes all stared at Damien in horror.

“Oh fook,[12] he’s serious,” Jackie realized.

“You’ve been under the control of a demon that has been ruling this town for years,” Mark approached slowly, scared of startling the mayor. “We’ve been fighting him and we only just learned about you a couple years ago. We had no idea you weren’t willingly working with him.”

“I would never work with a demon,” Damien argued desperately.

“He must have done something to you,” Mark explained.

“Is he still here?” Damien asked. “Get him out.”

“Is that permission?” Marvin asked, excited.

“Yes, hell yes,” Damien told him.

Marvin summoned up a chair and pulled a piece of chalk out of his sleeve. “Great, then we can find Celine an’ Dark will be magically cut off at the ankles.”[13]

“Where’s Celine?” Damien asked, the worry thick in his voice as he stepped into the circle Marvin was drawing, runes and magical symbols leading to the chair.

“We were kinda hoping you’d tell us,” Silver admitted. “She tends to disappear and we can never find her.”

“I’ll do whatever I can to help find her,” Damien promised.

When Marvin was done with the circle he placed his hands on the circle and started chanting.

Almost immediately Damien felt like his body was trying to explode from the pain, his whole body locked up and he started screaming in agony. Something in him felt like it was slamming against a brick wall and unable to escape. It only got more painful. He could taste blood in his mouth and he reflexively coughed it up.

Before he could black out from the pain, Patton rushed forward.

“Stop! Stop!” Patton called out, disrupting the spell as he broke the circle.

“Patton, I almost had him,” Marvin spat.

“He was bleeding,” Patton reminded. “You were hurting him.”

Marvin turned and kicked a piece of rubble. “Why didn’t it work? He’s not fightin’ us.”[14]

“Something that painful should have worked because I don’t want to do it again,” Damien groaned weakly, clutching his chest as Patton knelt beside him.

The heroes just standing or sitting where they were to think of what to do with Damien next.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Accessibility Translations

1. Everything

2. What do you mean you beat Dark off ofhim?

3. kind of

4. fucker

5. you

6. out of

7. He’s Dark, he deserves to be scared of me

8. It’s a trap, and you know it

9. We can’t trust that lying demonic fucker as far as Anxiety can throw him.

10. You’ve been letting one walk around in your skin

11. fucking

12. fuck

13. Great, then we can find Celine and Dark will be magically cut off at the ankles.

14. Why didn’t it work? He’s not fighting us.

[theokotrain]

Vestige - Interlude: The Party

Wattpad Version

As the night fills the sky

All my fears are dissipating

'Cause I feel reassured

That I might make it through

And if all my luck should burn

Then I guess it burned for you

---

April 13th, 2012

I was sitting on my bed, back against the bed frame with my knees raised in front of me, holding up my laptop. I had been spending the last few hours writing an essay for my English class, specifically answering the topic question my teacher had given everybody: "How do our past experiences influence our decisions?". The question was simple enough, it's a pretty universally recognized idea that stuff that happens to us has an effect on our decision making. I mean, that's what it means to grow, right? You gain more knowledge as you live through life and form new memories, and that helps you make more informed decisions in the future.

I've never really been too good at writing anything analytical, especially non-fiction. Essays and research papers that required informed arguments that helped to prove your point? Those were an entirely unknown game to me, one which I had never managed to breeze through. Of course, we were supposed to use some of the books we've read this year as evidence for our arguments, so that at least made it a bit easier, even if most of the books were ones from nearly five decades ago and definitely out of touch at this point. The sound of my laptop's keys clicking as I typed away were the only sounds I could pick up in the room. I had my earphones in for a bit, but those always hurt my ears after a while, so I had taken them out.

Looking at the time in the corner of my laptop screen, it was 4:43 PM. I started writing as soon as I got home from class, so I've only been going for about an hour. Unfortunately, this essay is a non-insignificant amount of my course grade, so I needed to finish this as soon as possible.

God, it's a Friday! I could be out doing something actually fun with Shae and the other guys. Isn't that the whole point of high school? That's what it always seemed like in movies, at least, but I guess I've been a victim of false advertising.

After a bit more time passes, the sound of my phone ringing from my desk brings me out of my writing trance. I sigh, setting my laptop next to me on the bed, not wanting to get out of bed, but eventually forcing myself into maneuvering over to the desk, I grab the phone and flip it open, looking to see the Caller ID.

Shaela.

I instantly accept the call, it's almost second nature at this point. She calls me at least once a day so she can tell me about whatever person is pissing her off that day, or whatever drama she's heard from her other friends. I was never really one for gossip, or whatever, but I did appreciate talking to her.

I put the phone up to my ear, "What's up?" I say, a tinge of fatigue in my voice.

"Hey! Just warning you that I'm like five minutes from your place and you don't have a say in the matter." She replied bluntly. I can hear the sound of cars driving by on the other side of the phone, so she's obviously outside, confirming her words.

I take a deep breath before speaking, "...Why?" I said with exasperated sarcasm.

"Because! I have something to tell you, and if I say it over the phone then I seriously doubt it'll work out in the way I'm hoping it does."

"That clears up nothing, actually, and now I regret picking up."

"Even if you didn't answer, that doesn't stop your parents from letting their son's lovely goody-two-shoes of a friend stop by for a visit!" She exclaimed, a mischievous tone subtly layered in her voice.

She's not wrong.

"Wow, you make this sound like you're sneaking into a high-security building or something." I say, utterly confused at her motives. "Obviously you can come over, but I'm not exactly filled with confidence at whatever you're planning."

"Like I said, I can't tell you yet, but it's gonna be awesome!" She said. There was an unusual perkiness to her that made itself pretty clear over the phone.

Before I can say anything, I'm met with the dial tone, signalling that she had hung up. The only thing I can do at this point is wait for her to get here, I guess. She always lets herself in when she comes over, so I don't make the effort to meet her downstairs. A sudden ping sound fills the quiet room, seeming to come from my laptop. I get back into bed, looking to see where the notification came from.

It's a message from Tyler.

He's definitely the newest member of our little group, if even that. I'm the only person in the group that he's actually friends with so far, despite my efforts to bring him along on any plans we all make. I only met the Grey Wolf back in February, at the beginning of the second semester, in the school's photography class. Nobody I knew signed up for it, and due to our prestigious high school's advanced budget for technology, we were forced to be paired up for shared computer use in the Photography Room. I suppose Tyler was also fortunate enough to not know anybody in the class, as we ended up being paired together by the teacher. He was definitely someone I could only describe as uninterested, as the first week or two I spent with him in that class consisted of him either giving me one word answers or answering in the most blunt, bored tone he could manage. Though, it seemed that it took a bit of persistence on my part to push him to be more open, and since then he's grown to be a pretty great friend.

Tyler: u goin to that party tonight ive been hearin about?

Party? I wasn't made aware of anything like that, at least... not yet. Something in the back of my brain was telling me that Shae had ulterior motives about coming to my place so suddenly, but I'm still hoping that I'm wrong. I hate parties.

Jake: party? havent heard anything, are u going?

Tyler: thinkin about it

think its gonna be over at chris's place, guess his parents r gone for the weekend or somethin

Jake: chrisssss? ughh that guy is such an asshole

Tyler: yeah u dont havee to go, but itd prob be more fun to have someone u actually know there

The way he worded that was directed at me, but I could tell he didn't want to go on his own.

Jake: i guess ill think about it

Tyler: sickk, call me if u make up ur mind

Before I can type my farewells over IM, Shaela energetically bursts through the door.

"Jesus! You scared the shit outta me, don't you knock?" I said, mildly exasperated.

"Oh come on, I literally called you a few minutes ago, you had plenty of time to not make a situation where it'd be a bad idea for me to barge in," She replies, laughing, before setting her bag on the ground and dramatically falling into my bed. "Today was garbage."

"What happened?"

"Ugh, Claire decided to just not show up, I guess, on the day we're supposed to present that stupid History project? And, obviously, she didn't give me her part of the project or anything, so I had tell Mr Thomas about the situation, which was fucking embarrassing." She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "Luckily, he said he wouldn't reduce my grade for handing it in late, since I actually had my part finished. God, what a bitch- I must've called her like thirty times before class to get her to email me her part, and every time it went straight to voicemail - and she told me last night that she'd have it ready for today!"

"Have you gotten a hold of her yet?" I asked, closing my laptop and setting it beside me.

Shae turns her head to me, shaking her head, "Nope, she's been ghosting me all day."

"Sounds like typical Claire."

"Yeah, I shouldn't have partnered with her, but apparently I can't say no to anyone, so..." I chuckle lightly in response. "Anyways! I didn't just come here to complain to you!" She says, sitting up on the bed, now facing towards me.

"Right... So what was so important that you just had to tell me in person?" I say, sarcastically.

"Like I said, if I asked you over the phone you would've definitely said no, and my ability to pressure you into doing things isn't as effective unless it's in person!" She responded.

I subtly rolled my eyes, but it's clear she noticed from the stare-down she gave me, "Okay, so what is it?"

"Soooooo..." She says, trying to find the rest of the words, "There's a party."

Wow.

"Wh- did everybody know about that party except for me?!?" I exclaimed.

Shaela's face quickly turns to an expression of shock, "Who told you?"

"Tyler did, like, not even five minutes ago." I say, bluntly.

"What? How does he know Chris?"

"Friend-of-a-friend, I'm guessing?"

"Hmm..." She hummed, thinking about something, "So, did you tell him you were going?"

"I specifically said I'd think about it, nothing definite." I made it clear in my tone that I wasn't particularly interested.

"Oh, come on, dude! It'll be fun!"

I didn't really have an interest in going, but I know it'd make Shae happy, plus it'd be nice to hang out with Tyler again even if we've only known each other for a couple months.

"...Fine. But, if Chris or any of his buddies start shit, I'm leaving."

"Awesome!"

"Lemme just call Tyler and let him know," I said as I grabbed my phone and flipped it open, finding Tyler in my contact list and dialling.

"You gonna bring him with-" The phone rings a few times before he picks up and I extend my hand out towards Shae in a shushing motion. She rolls her eyes, smirking.

"Hey? So are ya gonna go?" He said eagerly.

"Well, Shae showed up at my door literally right after you messaged me, asking the same thing!" I exclaimed in a fake-preppy voice. "So, I guess I have no choice since she'll probably just drag me there if I say no," I joked. She nods her head toward me in response.

"Oh, is she going too?" He inquired.

"Yeah, I guess so! Your place is kinda on the way to Chris', so we could probably meet you at your place and go from there."

"Yeah! Sounds good!" He quickly responded.

I laughed, "Okay, we'll call you when we get there?"

"Sure thing!"

We exchanged our farewells, and hung up. The party wasn't for at least another hour or two, so Shae and I had some time to burn, of which I was entirely out of ideas. I figured I could at least spend this time actually being productive, so I grabbed my laptop and continued on writing my English essay as Shae resumed her previous conversation topic of stuff at school that was pissing her off. It was pretty entertaining, to be fair. She was telling me about how Chris had gotten in a fight with this other kid in our grade yesterday after class, which I wasn't lucky enough to witness, but it was obviously all anyone would talk about for basically the entire day today so word spread around fast. The part I hadn't heard about was that both Chris and the other guy, Nathan, got suspended for a week because of it. Chris was generally an asshole to everybody, including myself, so I didn't feel too bad about that. Although, I didn't know Nathan all that well. Other than having a few classes together, I don't think I've ever held an actual conversation with the guy. I think it was safe to assume that Chris was the one who started it, and Shae seemed to agree with me, even though she hadn't seen the fight either.

"But, apparently Nathan's gonna show up tonight!" She exclaimed coyly.

"...Remind me again why you want me to go to this specific party?"

"You'll have a great time! It's not like we'll be involved in the drama anyway so think of it more as entertainment!"

"I think you and I have different definitions of the word 'entertainment'," I joked.

"I'm sure you can go run off somewhere with Tyler if you're not having fun," She said, her tone reminding me of my mom.

"Oh yeah? What about you?"

"I can't just leave Alex at a party with Chris, those two start shit between each other so much and I'd rather not deal with the aftermath of that today."

"I'm guessing it's safe to assume that Elliot's going too, then?"

"He's not big on parties, but he'll usually go if everyone else is, unlike somebody," She says, gesturing towards me.

"Good one," I reply, unmoving as I keep typing away at my assignment.

"Well, we should probably leave soon since we're stopping at Tyler's place on the way.

I saved the document I had been working on, closing my laptop. "Sounds good to me!"

---

"I can't believe you actually agreed to go." Tyler joked as we walked towards the road from his house.

"Yeah, me either." I replied. I definitely didn't put in any effort in dressing up for the party, opting for a snug space-themed graphic tee, along with black jeans and a white zip-up hoodie. Shae and Tyler both stand on opposite sides of me as we walk down the sidewalk.

"Luckily I learned the subtle techniques in convincing you to do things against your better judgement, so now you get to have fun for once!" Shae exclaimed.

"It's not my fault that going to a party is literally the last thing on earth I'd do for fun in any normal situation." I retorted, putting my hands in the pockets of my jacket.

"Oh yeah? And what do you consider a 'normal situation'?" Shae asks.

"Any situation where you guys aren't the ones trying to get me to go! I'm only doing this for you two, y'know." I said, looking over at both of them.

"What about Elliot and Alex?" Tyler chimed in.

"They aren't the ones asking me to go to this party." I sarcastically remarked, trying to keep the conversation light-hearted. "Speaking of the party- this is Chris we're talking about, there's gonna be beer, right?"

"Uh, duh?" Shae replied.

"Yeah, that's a definite no for me, I'm already enough of a disappointment to my parents,"

"No one's making you drink, Jake. At least you'd be safe if some old hag called the cops about the noise." Shae said.

"I think at that point we're guilty by association, so we'd just make a run for it if that happens," Tyler joked.

"Dude, the chance of me outrunning a police officer successfully is about as likely as me not wanting to punch Chris tonight."

"And the chance of you winning that fight is just as low!" Shae retorted, Tyler laughing in response.

"I specifically said 'want' because of that very reason!"

"Wow, I'd pay money to see you fight that guy." Tyler said, nudging his elbow into my side.

It isn't a secret that I'm not exactly athletic. I mean, I'm definitely not weak, but fighting basically any animal of a similar size to mine was not a situation that favoured my victory.

"That sounds more like just getting the shit kicked outta me for your entertainment." I remarked, lightly punching Tyler's shoulder in return.

"Absolutely worth every penny!" Shae exclaimed. Luckily, the place wasn't any more than ten minutes away from Tyler's place, so I didn't have to endure listening to these two talk about me getting beat up for much longer.

We finally make it to Chris' house, and I'm suddenly filled with an impending sense of regret. Obviously, my parents would never in a million years agree to me going to a party like this. As far as they know, I'm just spending the evening hanging out with Shae at Tyler's house. So yeah, this entire night had a lot of potential for disaster.

Shae can clearly see my hesitation, because she grabs my hand, leading me up the walkway, Tyler following closely behind.

"I wonder if Elliot and Alex beat us here?" She says, knocking on the front door.

"I doubt they had anything to do earlier, hell they probably came straight here after school, knowing Alex." I said, laughing.

Our conversation is cut short by the opening door, revealing the familiar black cat.

"Oh, look, the Stephenson kid brought his girlfriend!" Chris exclaimed mockingly, looking back into the house, before peering around my shoulder, "And... Tyler?" He said, inquisitively.

I lean over, blocking Tyler from his line of sight, "Yeah, hey, not dating by the way!" I said. I've known Shae since I first moved to Vestige, around the time I turned five years old, so it wasn't uncommon for rumours to go around that we were dating. I've always thought of her more as a sister, if anything.

"I asked them to come!" Tyler said. That was only partly true, but according to Tyler, they've been 'somewhat-friends' for quite a while now, so saying that would at least mean less mild-harassment from Chris for tonight.

"Oh, uh, okay... come on in! But you're on the hook for any shit they pull, Tyler!" He said, opening the door wider.

---

The party had been going on for a few hours at this point. I could recognize most of the animals here from school, but not enough to actually hold a conversation with any of them, so most of my time here had just been spent with Shae and Tyler. The place hasn't been incredibly crowded luckily, but there were easily about forty others in this part of the house alone. I'm assuming only high school grades were invited, but there were a considerable number of students to meet that requirement. The issue at hand for me, other than how crowded this place is, is that both Shae and Tyler ditched me to go... somewhere? I think Shae saw some of her friends and went somewhere with them, but Tyler was pretty secretive about where he was going, only telling me that he'd be back in a bit. So I've been standing here in this random corner of the house with a drink in hand, trying to make myself look busy and not awkward, which is exactly why I didn't want to go to this party in the first place!

"Jake!" A voice shouted from a ways away.

I turn my head in confusion, revealing Alex, walking towards me from across the room.

"Oh, Alex! Hey! What's up dude!" I finish the last bit of my soda, waving at him. Because this was Chris' party, there was obviously beer too, but I didn't feel like coming home drunk and my parents finding out.

"I didn't think you'd wanna come to something like this! Feeling the regret yet?"

"I like parties! It's the times like these when I'm standing in a corner by myself with nothing to do that I hate, which seems to happen every time I go to a party!" I exclaimed, pausing for a moment. "Okay, maybe I do hate parties- I've had to explain this so many times today I'm about ready to jump into Lake Ambuscade."

' "Wow, sounds like somebody needs to socialize instead of stewing in a corner for the rest of the night!"

"Socialize? Really? I know just about everybody here and just about none of them are worth talking-"

"Hang with me and Elliot, then? Justin set up some racing games in the other room, we were gonna join, but we could use a fourth... You in?" He said, his tone obviously trying to sound coercing.

"God, please, anything to get me out of this corner for the next three hours." I said, Alex returning my words with a laugh.

"Well, come on then! We'll have to hurry if we want to get one of the good controllers!" He exclaimed, motioning to follow him.

As we move through the various cliques, I recognize a few faces here and there, though not enough to actually want to talk to them. There's been music playing since we got here, and I have yet to recognize a single song, they all seem to be some form of drone-y bass-heavy music that I can't say I've heard in any normal situations. I'm doing my best to follow Alex, although he keeps weaving between the other animals faster than I can keep up, resulting in me having to shove past everyone near me in an effort to speed myself up. Luckily, it seems that no one notices me anyway.

When we arrive in the other room, it seems to just be another living room, but decorated with a galore of punk band posters, shelves holding more DVD cases than I would ever care to count, and even a mini-fridge. Maybe Chris is the type to have a 'man cave' or something? Just hearing that phrase almost makes me want to vomit, but there aren't any more accurate words that come to mind. The room isn't massive or anything, but the TV resting upon the wall across the room seems to challenge that idea, looking almost eighty inches in size. Luckily no randoms from the party were in here, sitting about ten feet away from the TV is Elliot, leaning back in a purple bean bag chair that seems almost three times bigger than him, and Justin, the cougar I'd only known slightly through Alex, laying down sideways on the couch directly in front of the gigantic screen.

"Whatttt! You took the bean bag chair? Lameee..." Alex whined.

"You're the one who wanted to go get Jake, you snooze you lose!" Elliot retorted, looking oddly proud of himself.

"Damn, wish I had a room like this at my house..." I mumbled, looking around the room.

"Are we gonna play or what?" Justin said, cutting through the momentary silence.

"Duh!" Alex claimed.

Justin sits up, taking the spot on the couch closest to Elliot. I opt for the leftmost seat, and Alex sits in-between the both of us. Elliot grabs the other three controllers and tosses them over at us, one by one. Luckily, there weren't any garbage third-party controllers, so at least none of us would have to deal with that. I will admit, it did feel kinda weird going to someone's party just to play games away from everybody, but I would be lying if I said I didn't prefer that, even though I rarely play games, if ever.

After Justin turns the console on, he goes through the menus, launching the game. I can't say I recognize the title, but it seems to be a pretty standard racing game. He goes into the custom mode, opting for a four-player split-screen match, choosing 'R1' as the category of cars to race in. As everyone chooses their cars, I scroll through the list, not really knowing what to pick. I've never been good with car stuff, so I pick an 'Aston Martin Lola' just based on the number-rating system the game ranks the cars with.

"You guys ready?" Justin asks.

"Oh yeah, get ready to eat my dust you guys!" Elliot exclaims, challengingly.

"Oddly prideful words for someone about to lose!" Alex replies, laughing.

The countdown begins, as the cameras slowly show the view of each car as it moves to the rear. When it starts, I somehow manage the fuckup of spinning my tires out, leaving me a few seconds behind the others as the car swerves back and forth. I curse under my breath as I try to regain control of the car, and swiftly pick up speed. The track seems like nothing I haven't seen before, a typical professional track, with rows and rows of audience seating to the side. Unfortunately, I'm now in last place. The next few moments of the track are a few quick corners, allowing me the chance to catch up, at least a little.

Unexpectedly, the track turns off of the main road, going into a forested area. The road is considerably more narrow at this point, so it takes a conscious effort to not drive into the trees by the asphalt. It looks like the road stretches on forever, as I still can't make out any upcoming turns. I guess the car I chose for the race had a better top speed than Justin's, as I'm quickly catching up to him, moving into third place. I'm gripping my controller to an uncomfortable degree, but I can't seem to relax the tension as I try to make my way into second place. I don't think I can pick up any more speed in this car, so me moving up is reliant on the road staying straight for just a bit longer. After what feels like a lifetime, the front of my car finally starts making it past Elliot's, then the midsection, and finally, I'm in second. The sound of all four car engines is drowning out any remnants of the video game music, and I feel the sudden urge to curse out whoever turned the TV volume up this high. My eyes are focused entirely on Alex's car as I make my final push into first place. If I were actually driving this fast in the real world, I'd be scared out of my fucking mind. Out of nowhere, Alex, and the others, begins to slow down considerably.

Oh fuck.

It's at that point I notice that there is a sharp right turn rapidly approaching. I've been pushing the top-speed of this car since the beginning of this stretch of road, and now I'm going too quickly to stop in time. What's the button to use the handbrake, again? I figure that the only way for me to not fuck up this race for myself is to try to drift around the corner. Considering I've never played this game before, it's going to prove to be a challenge. But, it's either that, or just ending up in dead-last again.

I hold down the A button, and pull the joystick as far to the right as possible. Suddenly, all I can hear from the game is the loud skidding sounds of my tires against the asphalt. To my surprise, I cut the corner a bit early, now going over the grass. I try to do a bit of directional-corrections and start heading back onto the track. Going over the grass definitely slowed me down a fair bit, but it definitely was a significantly better outcome over just crashing into the wall. And, to my surprise, the corner of my screen reads... first?!?

"How the fuck...?" Alex questions, seemingly in disbelief.

"I wish I could tell you." I replied, eyes wide at whatever the fuck just happened.

The distance I managed to gain on Alex isn't by a whole lot, but there's only about a quarter of the track left before we reach the finish line, so I have a chance at winning this. The track hurriedly changes from the forest as it reenters the main track. The long, straight roads seem to end as the road becomes a slow series of sharp turns, never giving me the opportunity to get back up to speed. It seems like the high top speed was my only advantage, because at every corner we take, I turn my camera around, revealing the other cars inching closer and closer to me.

I can see the finish line on the mini-map, just a few more turns away. I know that I'm not gonna be able to distance myself from Alex and the others at this point, so my only feasible strategy is to keep moving, cutting the corners as fast as I can, and getting to the finish line before they can pass me. Unfortunately, Alex's car seems to be getting too close for comfort now, meaning I might have to take some risks to ensure I can stay in first. As we approach the final turn, leading into the finish line, I realise I'm gonna have to try to drift this corner. I can feel my pointer finger practically cracking the plastic on the controller from the amount of pressure I'm putting on the right trigger. In a final plea to win, I push down on the A button, pulling the handbrake. The car starts to smoothly skid around the corner. Luckily, there are barriers on the sides of the road this time, preventing me from sliding onto the grass. To my surprise, the drift seems to work better than expected. That is, until, like the fucking idiot I am, make a slight overcorrection towards the left barriers as I exit the drift. I managed to avoid driving directly into the wall, but it did slow me down a bit.

Alex is immediately behind me, and I put all of my strength into accelerating towards the finish line. I'd be fucked if I broke the controller, cause I can't really afford the fifty dollars to buy a new one, but winning this race is more important to me at the moment. The finish line is only about five-hundred metres away, and Alex is slowly beginning to pass. All I can do at this point is push the gas as much as I can, and pray that I can cross the finish line before he can get back into first place. The finish line gets closer and closer, and it seems like it's gonna be too close for me to accurately tell the winner. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest from how stressful this fucking game has been, and now, we're about to find out whose efforts paid off. As each car makes its way over the finish line, each of our dedicated sections of the screen turns to slow motion. When it's finally over, the text fades in on each screen, revealing our place...

...

...

...Second?!?

"FUCK!" I shouted, realising I had been holding my breath since the final stretch of the race.

"HA! Dude, you suck!" Alex exclaimed, playfully shoving me.

"I think that was the most effort I've put into anything in my life." I said, setting my controller on the coffee table in front of me.

"Wow, that's dramatic," Justin remarked.

"Yeah, that's the usual for Jake," Elliot replied, laughing.

"You probably woulda won if you picked a better car, dude. That track was way too close-quarters so you should've gone with a car with better acceleration." Alex said.

"Wha- do you own this game?" I questioned, looking accusatory.

"...Yeah? It came out a few months ago, pretty popular right now." He replied.

"Ugh, this is what I get for playing with a bunch of gamers." I exclaimed, applying a disgusted tone to the last word.

"Not my fault you only play like one game a month!" Alex joked.

"Even then, I was like this close to beating you anyway!" I said, gesturing a minuscule distance between my thumb and pointer finger.

A voice interrupts our argument, coming from right outside the room, "Uh huh...

...

Really? That's bullshit! Come on...

...

Dude, give me a couple of days, I'll make it right!

...

Yeah, I swear."

It seems that we all stopped talking to listen in at the same time. "That sounds like Tyler... who's he arguing with?" Elliot asked. I can't make out the voice of whoever he's talking to, it just sounds like mumbling.

They seem to pause for a moment, and the sound of a single set of footsteps can be heard.

"Fuck..." Tyler says to himself, still out of view.

"...I should probably see what's up, you guys can keep playing without me." I say, getting up from my spot on the couch.

"Yeah, you do that! Less competition for me," Alex exclaims, laughing to himself.

"Hey, I can still beat your ass at this game, I know exactly which car to pick this time!" Elliot argued.

"Yeah, right! Guess we'll find out!"

I leave as the three start up another game, kind of glad I don't have to have another near-heart attack from playing again. When I get back into the dimly-lit hallway, Tyler is nowhere to be seen.

I look around, heading into the main room of the house to see if I can spot him. It's pretty difficult to see anything, because of how dim it is here, plus the sheer amount of animals crowding up the place. Despite that, I manage to spot the Grey Wolf a ways away, hurrying quickly into the bathroom.

As I shove my way through a few groups of teens, I almost fall over a few times, gaining confused stares from a few in the room. I lightly knock on the bathroom door, waiting for a response, "Hey, you okay Tyler?" After a few moments, I'm returned with no answer, "...Tyler-" Before I can finish my sentence, Tyler swiftly pulls open the bathroom door, pulling me in and shutting the door behind me, before sitting down on the side of the bathtub. As I'm about to say something, I hear the sound of him sniffling.

...Is he crying?

He's looking towards the floor, so I can't confirm it visually, but the sound definitely gives it away.

"Whoa, what's wrong? Did something happen?" I asked worriedly, not yet choosing to bring up the argument we overheard.

There's a few seconds of silence as he tries to bring himself together, not very successfully. "I- I... I don't- I don't think I can-"

"It's fine, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to," I tried to reassure him. He raises his head for a moment to look at me, trying to find words to say, instead opting to go back to crying, head in his hands. I've never been good with situations like this, so I sit down next to him, putting my hand on his upper back, softly patting.

"I'm sorry- I'm a fucking idiot. I shouldn't have asked you to come."

"Hey! I've been having fun! Don't worry about me, it seems like you're the one who shouldn't have come." I joke, in some effort to lighten the mood.

Shit, was that inconsiderate of me to say?

To my surprise, he manages to let out a light laugh, "Yeah, I'm starting to realise that."

"...Do you wanna leave, then? They know I didn't want to go here in the first place, so you could just say you're being nice and walking me home." I didn't know if he would actually take up that offer, but I know some guys have a weird thing about not wanting to seem 'uncool' and leaving a party early was definitely considered that.

He thinks for a moment, still sniffling pretty noticeably. "...okay, just- give me a minute, I don't want to go out there looking like this." He mumbles, looking towards the door.

"Yeah, that's fine." I said, continuing to rub around his neck area.

This definitely wasn't how I expected the night to go. But it was a sort of 'two-birds-with-one-stone' kind of situation. I get to help out Tyler, which is usually the other way around, I get to leave early, and hopefully Shae stops bugging me about going to parties, at least for a while.

Now that I think about it, that analogy is pretty messed up.

A few silent minutes go by as I sit next to the still-crying Tyler, waiting for him to recollect himself. Even though he hasn't actually said anything here, in the two months I've known him, this is probably the most vulnerable I've ever seen him. When I first met him, it was pretty accurate to describe him as the kind of guy who acts like he never feels emotion. Hell, even I refuse to be open about my feelings, but most of my friends see through that nowadays. Even now, I don't really understand why I do that. I guess it's just easier to not talk about shit like that? Is that why Tyler does it?

"I think I'm good now," He said, shaking his hands as he stood up.

"Okay, let's get out of this dumpster fire." I sarcastically remarked. Tyler shot me a confused look in return. "Whatever, let's just go."

I open the bathroom door, grabbing his arm as I lead him out into the main room. Almost immediately the voice of a certain black cat perks up behind us.

"Oh? And what did you two get up to in there?" Chris remarked, laughing, "I didn't know you guys were THAT kind of friends!"

God damnit. This stupid fucking feline.

"Yeah, it's too loud out here for me, I needed a break, he came with." I explained, Tyler standing closely behind me with a confused look on his face. Just roll with it, dude, I think to myself, knowing I probably shouldn't say that out loud.

"You know, I would believe that, but normal guys actually just go outside when they need a break." He replied.

"Well, hey! That's where we're going right now, so it all checks out!" I say in the bitchiest voice I can muster.

"Heh, sure thing, Jake." He said, sounding weirdly satisfied with himself. I didn't want to spend any more time in this fucking house than I needed to, especially while talking to Chris, so I continue on, pulling Tyler by the hand towards the exit. After a few moments, we make it to the front door. I promptly open it and we both head outside.

We're immediately greeted by the light of the moon and the starry sky as we head down the walkway toward the street. One of the few benefits of living in such a backwater town was the absence of any significant light pollution. I've been to Portland a few times for school field trips and such, and seeing the sheer difference in visible stars was absolutely staggering. I could only imagine what it would be like to go stargazing in the middle of nowhere.

"At least it's a nice night out." I said.

"Yeah..." Tyler replied, his mind clearly in a completely different place.

"I should probably tell Shae where we went, so she doesn't freak out trying to find us back there." I joked, pulling out my cell phone. Texting on my flip phone was an arduous task, but I didn't want to call her, so I had not much of a choice.

I send the text, and close my phone, returning it to my pocket. As we walk down the road, we stew in the silence, the only auditory sounds coming from the party still close by, and the local crickets chirping.

I won't lie, as much as I usually appreciate quiet, this is the loudest silence I've ever been stuck in. It goes on for more than five minutes. I could tell he wanted to say something, and I was eager to find out whatever was going on that started this in the first place. But, like the coward I am, I try to lighten the mood.

"Hopefully that satisfied your quota of me going to parties with you for a while, cause I do not plan on having the energy for something like that again for at least a few months." I said, awkwardly laughing. He doesn't respond, at least for a while, as he raises his hand, scratching the back of his neck nervously. "...Uhh, are you sure you don't wanna talk about it? I mean-"

"Can I tell you something?" He interrupted, his voice still cracking like it was in the bathroom.

"...Sure?" I replied, slightly confused.

"It's just that- I don't really know- like what-"

"-to say? Just think for a minute. No rush." That's what my dad always says whenever my mind spirals. I used to be really anxious, although I've been getting better at controlling my thoughts in the past few years.

When I went to text Shae a few minutes ago, my phone's clock read 9:48 PM. I'm supposed to be home at ten and we're still at least twenty minutes away, not even including the detour we'll take to get to Tyler's place. Which brings me to the realisation that, when we get to his house, I'm gonna have to walk the rest of the way home by myself, in the dark. If I get murdered by some serial killer this late at night I'm gonna fucking haunt Shae from the afterlife-

"I think I'm gay," He quickly says, his voice holding a noticeable increase in energy compared to what I've been used to tonight.

Well... can't say that's exactly what I was expecting. Was I expecting anything in particular? I honestly don't know anymore. His words took me by surprise, my brain is kind of scrambled right now. I look over at him - he's looking back at me, probably trying to gauge my reaction. I did my best to conceal any facial reaction, but it's pretty clear that my lack of a response is starting to become noticeable.

"...You... think?"

"Well, like- I don't know. I guess I've just been thinking for a while, and it makes sense... all things considered." He replied anxiously.

"That- That's great! Does anyone else know?"

"I only really realised a few weeks ago, so... no. But compared to anyone else, I probably trust you the most to not like- tell anyone?" He said, looking over at me again.

"Well, I appreciate the completely undeserved confidence you have in me," I joked, realising too late that now probably isn't the time for that, "Yeah, I promise I won't tell anyone."

"Thank you," He replies, a genuine smile strewn across his face.

A few minutes go by as we walk down the road, absorbing the positive energy we created. Having only known Tyler for a little over two months, it definitely surprised me knowing that he trusted me more than anyone else to keep a secret like that... I mean, despite the short amount of time since I met him, I'm as close to him as I've been to Shaela for the past eight years. Maybe even closer? I barely even tell Shae about my actual problems, at least the non-surface level stuff. So yeah, I guess it makes sense that he would trust me with something so important, I know I would absolutely trust him if it were me in that situation.

"...So, do you think you're gonna tell your dad?"

He didn't say anything for a moment as he stared down at the ground beneath him, "I'll probably have to tell him soon, if he has to find out from some asshole that isn't me it'd make it ten times more difficult than if I just said it myself."

I agreed, and we let the conversation cut itself off as we finally approached Tyler's house. I followed him up the walkway and stood on the patio, making sure he actually got inside. He tries the doorknob eagerly, to no avail. Realising that it was locked, he reaches into his pocket for his key - again, to no avail.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me," Tyler mumbled under his breath, clearly done with tonight. All of the lights were off in the house, signalling that his dad was not awake.

"Maybe you'll wake him up if you knock? Then he can let you in."

"Nonono, he thinks I'm staying at your place! If he finds out I went to a party I'm in deep shit," He whispered.

Of course. If I had to lie to my parents, why would I expect anything different from anyone else?

"Okay, uhh... maybe we can make that lie... not a lie?" I said, sounding weirder than I'd like.

Tyler looked at me, confused for a moment, eyes widening as he realised what I meant, "I can't let you do that, I've already forced you through too much shit tonight."

"Oh, come on, of course you can sleep at my place for the night! My parents think I'm at your house right now, so I can just tell them that we both went over there early in the morning. They love you anyway, so it won't be a problem!"

He didn't move at all, still looking reluctant, "Are you sure it won't be... weird? I don't want to put you in an awkward situation cause of w- what I told you."

"Dude, that couch in my room has a hide-a-bed if you don't want to share mine. Either way, we're friends, aren't we? I trust you."

After a few moments of silence, he speaks up, "...I guess so-"

"Great, then it's settled!" I said, putting my arm around his shoulder as I led him back down the walkway.

---

Once we make it to my place, walk up the creaky wooden steps of my patio as I fish the house key out of my pocket. Tyler's standing closely behind me, looking awkward as ever, clearly not knowing what to do with his hands as he switches between putting them in his pockets and clasping them together.

I turn the key on the lock and try the door, noticing that It's completely pitch black inside the house. My parents usually go to bed at 10 PM, and it was well past that at this point. I lock the door behind us as I reach for my pocket, grabbing my phone and flipping it open to use as a barely-useful flashlight. I take Tyler's wrist as I lead him through the furniture of my living room and up the stairs. The only sounds in the house come from the soft ticking of a clock in the kitchen, the sound of which has always freaked me out whenever I'd come downstairs at three in the morning. Despite my best efforts to be as quiet as possible, the old wooden boards of the stairs prove my effort to be futile as they creak with every step. I can only hope that both of my parents have fallen asleep by now, or else they'd definitely have heard us. As I take Tyler down the hallway, walls strung with various family photos and art fit for a motel, I hear no sounds coming from the master bedroom, relaxing some of my tension.

Once we make it to my room, I breathe a sigh of relief as I turn on the overhead light, hoping my mom doesn't find out and try to lecture me in the morning, "Okay, hide-a-bed or mine, your choice!"

"Hide-a-bed." He replies.

"Sure thing, lemme show you how to set it up," I say as I remove each couch cushion one by one. The couch is sitting directly under my massive bedroom window, illuminated by the glow of the moon. Under the cushions is a black folded-up contraption, bearing a metal handle. I grab the handle and start pulling the bed out from the couch. As the first section of the bed comes out, Tyler stands next to me and helps unfold the second section, and finally the third.

I move over to open the closet door, "I have some spare pillows and blankets in here."

"So, why do you have a spare bed... thingy... in your room anyway?" He asked.

"My cousins' family came to visit from the other side of the country a few years back, so my parents made the cousins stay in my room and gave me our old couch that used to be in the living room. They were here for like two weeks, it was fucking awful," I remarked, pulling a comforter out of the closet and unfolding it out on the mattress.

"That sounds miserable," Tyler sympathized.

"It was, but hey, now I got a sick as fuck couch in my room! And it works as a great place for certain friends to sleep when they wanna spend the night," I said sarcastically, looking over at Tyler as I grabbed the pillows from the closet, tossing them to one end of the bed.

He turned his head, baffled, "Was that a dig on me?" He questioned.

"Depends on how you took it I suppose," I replied, smiling cunningly.

"You're the one who offered, dude- are you sure you didn't drink at the party? You've at least doubled your usual level of sarcasm." He retorted.

"Nope, unless somebody spiked my soda!" I joked, but the realisation slowly set in, "Oh shit- maybe someone spiked my soda?!?"

"Don't freak out, I seriously doubt someone would spike your drink,"

"God, I hope so, if my parents found out I went to that party, that'd be one thing, but if I got drunk? I doubt I'd see the outside world for months," I sighed.

"Even if you were drunk, it's not like you would still be drunk in the morning for them to find out, anyway."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," I said, letting out a yawn shortly thereafter. "Fuck, I didn't realise how tired I am." Looking at my alarm clock, it was 10:37 PM. That wasn't terribly late, I've definitely stayed up later when there was an assignment due the next day that I forgot about, but even before I met up with Alex and Elliot, that party was just wearing me down. "At least I can sleep in 'till like noon tomorrow. You sure you don't need anything before I pass out from exhaustion?"

"No, I'm okay, I think. And, thank you... Jake." He replied, smiling at me.

"No problem, dude!" I quietly exclaimed as I turned off the bedroom lights and hopped into bed. I can practically feel my muscles dissolve as I lean into the mattress, pulling the heavy blankets over me as I close my eyes.

I can't help but feel something itching in the back of my brain. I never did find out why Tyler was even crying back at the party. Was it related to what he told me after? He sounded pretty upset when he was talking to whoever it was in the hallway, too, so maybe that was why? We've already talked about so much shit tonight, though, and I definitely did not have the energy to have another huge conversation about something like that. It could definitely wait until tomorrow.

Soon, I feel my consciousness drift away, the only sound I can make out being the slow breathing of Tyler, across the room.

---

As I wake up, I'm blinded by the bright sun shining in through my windows, directly into my eyes. I glance over at my alarm clock, feeling incredibly groggy and sore, noticing that it's 11:13 AM. Usually, the latest I'd sleep in on weekends was only around ten, but I guess it took a lot of my energy yesterday to try to tune the party out. At least it's over.

I slowly sit up, yawning as I lean back against the bed frame. I glanced around the room, noticing that the hide-a-bed had been folded back into the couch, Tyler nowhere to be seen. I reach over to my bedside table to check my phone, finding an unread text from him, sent a few hours ago.

Tyler: hey

woke up early, figured youd want 2 sleep in.

will call u later, might have somthin big i wanna share, will see

A pair of oddly cryptic messages. Guess that confirms he isn't here anymore.

At least it was a Saturday, meaning that I had full permission to be a slob. I get out of bed, deciding to skip my usual shower until after breakfast. Other than the snacks that were out at the party, I ate practically nothing last night. I could almost feel my stomach turning itself inside out, so I hurried out of my room and downstairs to the kitchen to have some breakfast.

The first thing I notice when I get downstairs is my mom, sitting on the couch with a book. I head straight to the kitchen, trying not to make myself stand out.

"Jake! Finally woken up, I see." She remarked, still looking at her book.

"Hey, mom!" There's a moment of silence as I grab a bowl out of the cupboard, as well as a box of cereal, and begin to pour.

She speaks up, "Your friend, Tyler, seemed to be in a hurry to leave this morning, anything I should know about?"

"...Not that I know of? Like what?" I questioned as I poured some milk from the fridge, grabbed a spoon, and sat at the kitchen counter.

"Well, it's not like we didn't notice that you weren't home by ten like your father asked you to be, so obviously you must have a good excuse for why you didn't at least call to let us know you'd be late?" She replied. I could tell when she started talking all responsible-parent-like, it meant that she was gonna lecture me about something.

I sighed, thinking of the right thing to say. "...Well, Tyler was going through some things... so I was trying to help him with that, I guess. Time just kinda flew by and I wasn't able to get home 'till later."

"So he spent the night here? Weren't you at his house?" She asked as I ate a spoonful of cereal.

"Yeah... we went out for a bit and once I noticed how late it was I offered to let him spend the night at our house since it was closer," I said. Almost entirely a lie, but definitely preferable to the truth.

"Jake..." She said, setting her book down on the coffee table in front of the couch, walking over to me, and resting a hand on my shoulder. "You're sixteen now, obviously we don't expect you to tell us everything you're up to nowadays. But we worry about you! I worry about you. Just for future reference, please let us know if you're gonna be home late or anything like that."

"Okay, I'll keep that in mind," I said, looking up at her.

"Great! Now, I have to go meet a friend for lunch, please try not to burn the house down while I'm out!" She said as she grabbed her purse and keys off of the counter, hurring out the door.

"No promises, love you!" I said as she closed the door behind her.

Well, I guess that went... better than expected? I doubt she believed that story I made up, but I guess as long as I don't break curfew without telling them, I should be fine.

Having the house to myself wasn't totally uncommon. Considering my dad was gone during the day five days a week, and my mom would head out to go meet friends or run errands pretty often, I got some much needed alone time often enough to not go mad.

As I finish my bowl of cereal, I realise that I probably should go shower as soon as possible, considering the night I had. I put my bowl and spoon in the dishwasher and head back upstairs. I grab a towel from my room and head into the bathroom, grabbing my various fur care products out of the cabinet for after the shower. As I turn the shower on, I hear the sound of my ringtone going off in the pocket of my pants on the floor. I sigh annoyedly, walking over and trying to figure out which pocket my phone was in. When I flip open the phone, the Caller ID reads out Tyler's name.

"Tyler! What's up?" I ask eagerly, hoping to find out what the news he cryptically texted about was.

"Jake- fuck, I messed up, I shouldn't have- what am I gonna do?" He said anxiously, sounding almost out of breath.

"Hey! Slow down, what's wrong?" I questioned.

"I'm such a fucking idiot! Why did I think this would be a good idea? Jake, I'm so sorry-"

"Tyler! Calm. Down. Just take a few deep breaths," I said. After a few moments, I can hear his breathing steadying on the other side of the call. "Okay, good. Now, what's wrong?"

There's a short pause as he tries to find the right words to say. It sounds like he's been crying. What even the fuck has been the past twenty-four hours?

"Can- do you think I could crash at y- your place for a few more nights? I don't know what to do."

[aidenoes]

Im kinda bored so this is a little story time about a toxic best friend i had for many many years

Tw : s*lf-h*rm, s*icid*l thought, forced coming-out

To make the story easier let's call her Fish.

So... it started in primary school, i had moved out into a new city when i was in 3rd grade. That's when i first met her and we never really talked much. Then came 5th grade when we actually became friends.

And middle school happened and that's when everything went downhill real fast. In 6th grade i was still friend with her and i tried to get along with her other friend who was a bitch at that time, and i was too, so we never got along (even tho she is now my best friend bc we realised how much Fish was toxic lmao). So i had made new friends and she had too but we still made up over time and the other girl wasn't hanging out with us anymore.

Moving on to 7th, there was a new girl that came at the school at the beginning of the school year (who is also my bestfriend, props to her for staying with me all these years) and Fish immediately started talking to her. Eventually we have a group of 5 friends :me, her, our boyfriends and the new girl. The thing is that there was a trend of s*lf-h*rming yourself just to pretend to be depressed and sad, and Fish was one of the people who followed that trend. Me, being an absolute idiot, had no idea of the gravity. Well, i mean, i knew it was bad but my bestfriend was doing it so it's fine right ? No, it was not and i almost gave in to but i was afraid to harm myself so i never did. And that example is just to show how much i copied her, i destroyed my relationship bc i wanted to be like her and my ex-boyfriend was so good to me. Her relationship was like an light switch, you never knew when they were back together or not. We also had a skype group and messenger group of just three people: me, her and the new girl. Me and the new girl would badly roleplay and she would tell me, and only me, that i was cringy and leave the group chat like that. And i had no right to tell her i didn't like something about her, but she could though ? I let it slip anyway. I thought i was really happy, then came the worst year of my school life.

8th grade. At this point, Fish and her boyfriend had broken since he apparently abused her (im not sure since she is prone to lying) but i was still in good terms with him. Well we were not the best of friends but i wouldn't punch him (now i would bc he became such a fucking dick). But Fish started to become distant, as if she didn't want me around anymore but i ignored it thinking it was all in my head. One day, our teacher assigned us new places in class and i was next to her ex-boyfriend. We of course talked in class and laughed together. But out of nowhere, she started doing the sign where you slit your throat with your finger, y'know ? I thought she was doing it for kidding and i was just really confused, it was break after that class anyway so i can ask her wtf that was. She came to me and thought i was plotting against her with her ex-boyfriend and just told me to go fuck myself basically. I waited for my now ex-boyfriend and my friend to come-out of their class and explained to them what happened while containing my tears. They tried to go to her and try to understand wtf went wrong and funfact: nothing went wrong and she was just being a bitch and i later learned she just wanted to move on and discard everything from the past year, including me. But i didn't know that, i thought i broke everything, i thought i broke our group friend, i felt guilty and i felt, alone. My boyfriend that got out of school just before me went to my mom that was there to come pick me up, that i wasnt really well and he went away when i got out. My mom did ask me what was wrong and i told her that i'll explain when we're home. At home i explained everything and broke down in my moms arm, i dont know if i cried out of anger or sadness, but seeing me cry was enough for my mom to hate her with all her guts. I've felt so lonely after that. I had no one to eat lunch with, i had no one to be in group in class with and i had no idea of how to occupy my brain when i had no one to talk to, i read in the morning waiting for the friends i had left, i would draw whenever i had to wait alone and i would eat fast to get out the fastest possible. I also lost everything i was since at that time i was like a sponge of personality and just squeeze out whatever the personality people wanted out of me. I had lost everything and i didn't want to be here anymore, i just wanted to die honestly. And i think i wouldve if i didnt think there was my family and my friends. However, it does not end here ! Bc my dumb ass made so many more mistakes ! Bc one day in our technology class i had to work with her for an assignment and we gradually made up until we became friend again, but i was still wary of her and my s*icidal thoughts were still very present. So i was still very toxic and pushing the people that were there for me away. My boyfriend broke up with me. I didnt know what to do, but looking back this was such a good decision for him and for me. I am so thankful for him to have broke up with me, but at that moment i was a bit hurt but at the same time i saw it coming so i had so time to grief about it. A month later my mom decided to bring me to Mauritius (where she is from) bc she thought i had a hard time no having her around for the first time which is kinda true but not all the truth. I had no wifi and no way of contacting anyone. That was so refreshing ! That's when i started to understand that i had the right to think for myself first and not be a fucking carpet for everyone to walk on. I was not out of the shit but i started to understand how to get out.

9th grade, was my savior. This was the best year of my life with nothing to worry about except an exam at the end. You remember the girl in 6th grade that was a bitch ? Yeah we became close friends during that year bc i realised she was a bitch bc she was badly influenced on in 6th and 5th grade. And the new girl remember her ? That's also the year when we got close, the year where we became best friends, when i learned to be and love myself and the year when i started to stand up for myself. I have some bad daddy issues and i have almost always shared my problems with Fish but i started sharing less toward the end of 8th grade. One day i was complaining that i had to be basically the messenger bird of my parents and she looked at me annoyed and tell me 'why don't you go to the police ?'. Like we didnt ??? Like she thinks that my dad was harassing my mom and we didnt ?? That's basically saying 'don't be' to someone who is sad. And i explained that to her and she was like 'don't complain to me if you're going to flip off like that when im giving you a solution', excuse me bitch... what ? I was hella mad. She came fake apologising like a few weeks later. And one day she came out to me as pansexual, great for her, and i was also questionning my gender and thought i was genderfluid so i came out to her. She was like 'oh ok' and i sent her some memes about genderfluidity and she was like 'stop this is annoying'. So i shut my trap. I also learned that during a school i didnt went she faked some anxiety and was being a bitch bc her friend wouldnt come to a shop with her even so another one was ok with going with her. I eventually started to understand that she was bad for my mental health, so i just started ghosting her bc i just didnt want to talk with her anymore and i didnt know how to confront her. She came up and grabbed and pulled me by my backpack that was full of shit just to ask me why i didnt answer to one of her text. I was so scared i just told her i wasnt feeling well and just told her i needed time. The year went by it was great and i didnt want to be in cold with Fish but i also didnt want to be her friend, i wanted to just be classmates, however when she was told this she understood : 'they want to be friend again'. So she clung with us next year.

10th grade, was last year and was full of drama. And we only had 6 months of school. 10th grade is the first year of highschool and the only year where we don't have an exam. I also had a forced new friend that we're going to call Taz so we don't get mixed up. She was also very clingy and it felt like having a leech stuck to me. And Fish was being very, let's say embarrassing and making us feel uncomfortable. She would make ton of sexual joke and we told her it was making us uncomfortable but she would apologise just to do it again the week later so we just gave up. She also outed me in class, thankfully the class was really noisy and only my bestfriend heard it but this fucking bitch just asked outta nowhere 'so you're still on this whole thing about being genderfluid or what ?' And she wasnt talking low, she was talking loud and clear. I felt so embarras and i hoped that no one else heard it. I answered as very quietly 'no.. i think im genderqueer now' and she just said ok. That's also around when i discovered im bi so i was so glad that i didnt tell her about that. And a few months later there was some shit going around about bullying and Fish was one of the targets. And let's say that our english teacher held up a trial so i opened up my big ass mouth to talk and defend Fish. And guess what, Taz just blurted out that i and my best friend were bullying her. Excuse me ? I defended her ass and when i talked to her about it she told me 'no you didnt, you just yelled at me once in physics'. So bc i yelled at her bc she wouldnt listen to me when we had to work i bullied her ? What a thank ! And when i tried to talk it out with Taz, she fucking ignored me and left. I was enraged. I was crying out of fucking rage and still aced a test in english. At the end i explained everything to my crush while i was walking home with her bc she lived next to my moms restaurant. When i stepped into the restaurant, there was my moms friend, which im kinda close to, and my mom who asked me how was my day i cried out of anger. They comforted me and supported me. At school, one day the assistant director called me and my best friend in his office. And told us that in highschool there are no bullying only misunderstandings (i dont really agree with that but anyway) and asked us our side of the story. We explained that we didnt get along with her anymore and made it very clear that we were uncomfortable with her but she wouldnt take a hint. And we left the office just like that. The assistant director probably told Fish our side and she never went to talk with us bc of covid.

Now, im in 11th grade, we do not talk anymore and this feel so much better. Now i'll just drop some bonus drama

She accused me of drowning her when it was her ex-boyfriend that did and made her scared of water, while i was there to support her when she was dealing with her phobia.

And her mom thought that i was a bad influence for her sweet sweet daughter when she was the one to incite me to c*t myself like paper, wow ok.

This is just a personal share and just maybe a way for others to recognise the toxic behaviors of fake friends.

[angelic-holland]

Princess Party // pp x stark!reader

Word Count: 9.8k

Summary: Your dad is throwing a party and you want to invite the cute boy with the red and blue suit. 

A/N: just adorably awkward teenage crushes, set between Captain America Civil War and Spiderman: Homecoming; reader is Tony’s daughter; bold is text messages

Your dad was throwing a party, for what? You honestly had no idea. All you knew was that it was a costume party, and that he invited some of the Avengers to the compound, which prompted you to beg him to invite Peter. Very few people in the world knew of Spider-Man’s real identity, but when Tony was creating the specs for his suit, he had you help him. He didn’t need your help, he was a fucking genius after all but he wanted you to ‘learn the trade’ because ‘you never know bubs, the world might need a new iron man’. You would roll your eyes because your dad, Tony Stark, was practically invincible, nothing would happen to him.

When you helped make Spider-Man’s suit you saw that it was labeled “Peter Parker” in Tony’s system and you felt excited, because you knew someone, a kid, someone your age that was out saving the world with your dad. It didn’t make you jealous, because you never were the type of person to want to save the world, at least not in the same way that your dad did. 

But you wanted to get to know the boy who went and fought Captain America, the boy with powers similar to that of a spider. When your dad was going on and on about how smart Peter was, how he made his own webbing, your heart couldn’t help but beat a little faster, wondering what the boy looked like.

“Dad, can you invite Peter?”

“Hmm?” He asks, eyebrow raised as he continues his work, half listening while you sit at another table in his lab, working on your calculus homework.

“Peter Parker? Spiderman? To the party?”

Now why’d you want me to do that? You don’t even know who he is.”

For someone as smart as your dad, he could be a little oblivious, which right now was a hindrance to your plans.

“I know, but it would be nice to have another kid here, you know? I rarely get to hang out with kids my own age.”

“You’re way too smart to hang out with kids your own ag- wait a minute.”

“Yeah?” You ask, perking up and looking away from your homework to meet your dad’s wide eyes.

“Peter’s smart enough, not as smart as you, but he’d be able to hold a conversation with you. Jarvis? Go ahead and send an invite to Peter Parker.”

“Thank you!” You squeal, trying not to be too excited. 

You spent the rest of the week trying to figure out a costume, you all but gave up when you were out shopping with Pepper, eyes falling on a Belle costume in a Target.

“This?” She asks, hands running over the cheap material.

“The parties tomorrow and I’ve got nothing chosen,” you sigh, looking through the sizes.

“Are you trying to impress Peter?” She asks, eyes knowing, the woman you considered your mom, who was every bit of a mom to you in every sense of the word, knew everything about you. She knew that you secretly wanted to go to school with kids your age and hang out with kids your age. She knew you wanted to have normal conversations that didn’t revolve around technology and science. She also knew Tony, and that he showed how much he loved you through letting you into his lab, letting you help design stuff.

“He just, sounds like a cool guy, and I mean, even if I’m not attracted to him in that sense, maybe he could be a friend?” Your voice wavers with worry, scared Pepper would try to steer you clear of the idea.

“I understand that, just tread lightly, you know what Tony would say, you’re 15.”

“I know, I know.”

***

You’re in your room, hands shaking nervously as you finish curling your hair. Your makeup was done, dress on, ready for the first guests to show up. What you weren’t looking forward to was all the guests you’d have to mingle with and talk to.

Knock knock knock.

“Hey kid, can I come in?” You hear Tony ask and you sit up in your chair.

“Come in!”

He sits down on your bed, hand patting the spot next to him.

You sit next to him, your yellow dress taking up most of the space.

“Pepper told me about Peter and-,”

“Dad!” You whine, tossing your hands up in the air.

“Just, take it easy, don’t be too weird, I mean I’m sure he’s a weird kid too, but don’t try to use him as a science experiment or anything.”

“What?”

“Don’t put him on a table in a lab and run experiments on his blood.”

“I wouldn’t-,”

“You were definitely considering it. Come on, you’re my kid, of course you’ve thought about it.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” you laugh.

Sir, the first guest has arrived.

“Jarvis, please tell me who decided it was okay to be an entire hour early.”

Peter Parker sir.

“Go on kid, I’ve gotta get into costume,” Tony says, lightly nudging your shoulder.

“Me? Does he even know who I am?!” You shriek, standing up and looking into your mirror.  

“I’ve said I’ve got a daughter-,”

“That doesn’t-, dad.”

“Go on, and if he’s wearing a Star Wars costume make sure to make fun of him enough for the both of us.”

You laugh and make your way out of your room through the large complex you called your home to the front door.

You couldn’t help but start laughing as you saw the boy, standing outside, in none other than a Star Wars costume. He was cute though, brown hair a mess on his head, brown eyes that widened as you got closer.

“Hi,” you say as you unlock and open the door. 

“Hi, are you, you’re Belle,” Peter squeaks out as he follows you down the hallway.

“Well I go by Y/N but you can call me Belle if you want,” and you’re glad that you’re not facing him because your face is definitely bright red right now.

“Wait, you’re, you’re Mr. Stark’s daughter?” His voice is a little higher pitched and he talks so fast you don’t think you’ll catch everything.

“Uh yes, the one and only,” you laugh, stopping in the kitchen and turning to him.

“I thought, I mean I just thought you’d be, like 5 or something, I mean you’re Ms. Potts daughter?”

“Biologically, nope, but she’s my mom, yeah.”

“Oh, cool, cool, cool,-,”

His eyes are moving all over the place, head tilted slightly as he looks at everything, everything but you. 

“It’s uh, just a kitchen,” you cut of his cools, because if you don’t you think he’ll drone on and on.

“Sorry, yeah, it is,” he says, looking back at you.

“You’re super early you know.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, if that’s, if that isn’t okay, I was just scared of being late, actually, so I sort of left really early and now I guess that was a little dumb, since it’s a party but-,”

“Peter, hey, it’s fine, I was joking,” you laugh, you were probably just as nervous as he was, but you did a better job at hiding it between quick jokes, ones that he didn’t seem to be picking up on.

“Oh, yeah, joking, haha,” he laughs weakly, fingers tapping along his leg.

“You know, on the invite it said no cheesy pop culture costumes, I think yours is a little out of dress code.”

His eyes widen and he looks down at the brown robe and white shirt and pants he’s wearing, stammering before you throw him a line. 

“I’m kidding, again. Sorry if that wasn’t obvious.”

“Oh I mean it was, I just am a little nervous is all.”

“Why would you be nervous?” You ask sitting on a chair next to the granite countertops.

“I fought in Germany with your dad, with Mr. Stark and uh I guess I’m just waiting for the next bad thing to happen, so I can help. I mean I’m not wishing for a bad thing to happen, obviously. So when I got the letter in the mail from Mr. Stark I thought it was a little old fashioned, sure but I thought it would be for some sort of covert mission. I just, sorry you probably don’t wanna hear it from me.”

“It’s okay, I mean, it’s not like you’ve got anyone else to talk to, so let’s hear it.”

“Ok,” Peter sighs, sitting next to you at the counter, his elbows resting on the counter, head resting in his hands.

“So you obviously don’t want something bad to happen, which is good, that means you’re a good kid.”

“Yeah I mean I know that but I guess, I guess that I just feel on edge, all the time, you know? I can't really have fun because I’m scared I won’t be ready when the next big bad comes around.”

“You know, take one outta my dad’s book, you should enjoy the here and now, you know? Be content in what’s happening now and the next time a big villain comes along, that’s your focus point. It’s easier said than done, I know he struggled a lot when he first started doing all this superhero stuff.”

“Whatcha talking about?” Your dad scared the shit out of both of you, sneaking up from behind in one of his Marks.

“Is that really your costume dad? Pretty lame,” you roll your eyes, of course he wouldn’t actually dress up for his own costume party.

“Not as lame as Parker’s,” Tony says back and Peter sulks.

“He knows I’m kidding right? Pete, gotta learn how to take a joke if you’re going to be spending time here.”

‘What, I mean, why would I-,”

“No reason, one foot!” Tony shouts as he leaves, leaving both you and Peter a little confused.

“What was that all about?” Peter asks and you shrug.

“Tony’s a little weird.”

“Why do you call your dad by his first name?”

“The apple doesn’t fall from the tree,” you say, standing up.

“What’re you doing?”

“Guests will be here soon, I’ll needa mingle,” you sigh, picking at one of the pieces of your dress that was already fraying.

“You don’t sound too excited about that.”

“Well, it’s just one night, then back to radio silence.”

“Huh? Where do you go to school?”

“Here.”

“You don’t go to like a real school? Awesome!”

“No, not really awesome,” you sigh as you lead Peter to the huge open space that is normally meant for training but was now full of decorations and had tables full of food and drinks as people started wandering in.

“Why’s that?”

“I’ll, we can talk later okay? I should-,” you’re cut off by one of Tony’s friends, another billionaire in the tech industry and his wife greet you.

“Y/N! Looking as beautiful as ever, you’re getting so old, I remember when you were running around as a toddler,” the woman laughs and you force a smile and play along, you can’t for the life of you remember their names.

Out of the corner of your eye you see Peter and he looks a little disappointed but walks away, leaving you to mingle.

After what seems like hours of talking to different people, eyes constantly searching for the mess of brown hair wearing a brown robe you found him, walking around like a lost puppy.

“Peter, hey, Peter!” You shout over the music that was currently blasting.

“Y/N, bedtime, curfew’s soon,” Tony says, still in his Iron Man suit, definitely a little tipsy, he points to his wrist like he would a watch.

“You’re seriously going to give me a curfew when you’re throwing a party?”

“Midnight, that’s lax, and hey,” He says, stopping you before you can run off again, “you’re not Cinderella, no missing it.”

You roll your eyes at his lame joke but nod, running off to find Peter, who was standing by one of the tables in the corner of the room.

“Hey, long time no see,” he says, voice raised slightly so you could hear him over the music.

“That was the most exhausting few hours of my life, come on, let’s dance.”

“I’m not very-,” Peter starts as you drag him into the middle of the room in between groups of people dancing. You can’t help but notice that his palm is cold and clammy in your own.

“I’m not that good of a dancer either, it’s okay,” Your hands rest lightly on his shoulders.

“Oh yeah, okay, we can, you know, just sway,” he says, hands nervously moving to sit on your waist.

You feel a nervous excitement bubble up inside of you at the idea and you know you’re probably blushing.

“Swaying is good,” you nod. 

So you and Pete sway to the music, an awkward distance apart from each other, mildly hindered by your dress, the rest of the space between you was just purely being weird teenagers, you’ve never been friends with a boy, let alone danced with one, and you had no idea what Peter’s story was, but you wanted to know more about the mystery boy who was bitten by a radioactive spider.

“You look really pretty,” he says over the music, it’s hard to hear still so you tilt your head.

Half of you was wondering if he said what you thought he said, half of you wanted to hear him say it again.

“I said, I uh, I- I really like your costume.”

“Oh,” you sigh, a little disappointed. 

“It’s really pretty.”

“Thanks.”

You continue to sway, feeling waves of embarrassment rush over you.

“One foot!” You hear Tony shout from across the dance floor, a path cleared between you and Peter and Tony’s line of sight. You sigh loudly, resting your head against Peter’s shoulder as you move.

“That’s what one foot means,” Peter nods in realization. 

��I’ve got an idea, come here,” you say, stopping mid-sway as you pull him to one of the tables. Your eyes roam the expensive bottles of alcohol, you’ve never had it before and you look over at Peter, who’s face is pale and he shakes his head.

“I like soda better anyways,” you agree, fingers intertwining with his as you walk down the hallway to the kitchen, seeing fewer and fewer people until you were met with a nice silence, the sound barriers you helped design blocking the music from the party.  

You grabbed a can of ginger ale from the fridge, “for you?”

“Ginger ale is fine.”

“Good this is the only soda we have,” you laugh.

“So what are we doing?”

“Getting out of this place, I don’t think I can smile and pretend to know anyone else.”

“That’s fair,” He says, following behind you as you climbed the stairs, “sneakers?” He catches a glimpse of your shoes beneath your dress.

“Wouldn’t be caught dead in heels, besides these are way more comfortable anyways.”

“Yeah, I don’t think I would enjoy wearing heels either?” Peter says and his face pales when you stop in front of your room.

“I’m just gonna, I’m changing outta this horribly uncomfortable thing then I’m going to show you someplace nice, away from the hustle and bustle,” you manage to get out, blushing as you look away from Peter.

He nods and gulps, awkwardly standing outside your door when you close it.

You take a quick picture in the mirror, wanting to remember the evening one way or another.

“Breath, get it together,” you try to hype yourself up as you pull the hair pins out of your hair, grabbing makeup wipes and getting rid of the makeup that painted your face. 

You slipped out of your dress and tossed on a T-shirt and sweatpants, you really didn’t care what you looked like right now, and you doubted Peter cared either. 

You took one last look in the mirror, taking a deep breath before opening your door. 

Peter was pacing back and forth in front of the door, talking to himself.

He stops in his tracks when he sees you, pointing at your shirt. You look down, it’s just a funny graphic tee “find x, I found it’, “what?”

“I’ve got that shirt,” he says and you laugh.

“I love these things,” you say as you walk down the hallway, Peter falling in step next to you.

“So where are we going?” He asks as you take him down the stairs and to a different exit.

“There’s some trees, at the property line, absolutely beautiful, we can hang out there.”

“Oh cool.”

“Until curfew.”

“Curfew?” Peter raises his eyebrows, he probably figured, just as you had, that a curfew on a night like tonight was a little ridiculous. 

“Tony’s a little paranoid,” you sigh as you slip out the back door, your fingers threading comfortably with Peter’s as you walked across the grass to the treeline.

You walked in a sort of awkward, sort of comfortable silence as both of you have so much you want to say, but don’t even know where to begin. You get to the trees and you’re about to sit down at the bottom of one when he stops you, hand letting go of yours and pointing to the tree. 

You’re taken by surprise when webs shoot out from his web shooter, apparently underneath his costume this entire time. He shoots them from one tree to the next, creating what looks like a hammock.

“Wanna join me?” He asks, hand slipping back into yours. 

“Up there? You sure it’s safe?”

“Designed the webs myself, so yeah, they’re pretty safe,” he says with a smirk and you’re surprised there’s more to the nervous, jittery boy next to you.

“Alright, can’t argue with that,” you laugh. 

“Give it a second to dry a little,” he comments and you nod, enjoying the darkness of the night sky while out of the corner of your eye you see him staring at you. It’s not a creepy stare, but an innocent, bright-eyed, I want to know every mystery about you stare. 

The next thing you know he hoists you into the webbed hammock, hands holding your waist as your legs meet the weird substance and you tumble into it, laying down and stretching your arms above your head.

Peter jumps up and lands next to you, side up against your own. His arm goes to rest below your head but he ends up elbowing you, “oh god, I’m so sorry I did that, are you okay?” 

You sit up with a laugh, “it’s fine, I’m good.”

“Okay, maybe we can try this again?” He says and you nod, letting his arm rest behind you, laying down again. His hand rests against your shoulder and his head is next to yours.

“So, how do you like your new suit?” You ask, “it’s one hell of an upgrade from your onesie.”

“It’s not a onesie! Your dad called it that too, it’s not a onesie.”

“Sure, keep telling yourself that.”

“I think the suits really nice. I uh, at night I patrol around Queens, make sure everyone’s behaving, no crime going on, that sort of stuff.”

“How do you like the reconnaissance drone?” You ask excitedly, the part of the suit that you added, thought it was a nice touch.

“The what?” He asks, voice raises on confusion.

“Oh, maybe, maybe my dad didn’t show you everything the suit can do yet.”

“What do you mean everything it can do?”

“I probably shouldn’t, Tony would want to show you himself.”

“There’s added tech to the suit?”

“Please don’t tell him I said anything, I don’t think you’re supposed to know until he thinks you’re ready or something.”

“I am ready though.”

“I know I’m sure you think you are but-,”

“You don’t even know me.”

“I- I didn’t mean it like that.”

“What do you mean it like then?” He says, body tense against yours and you want to smack yourself.

“I just, I’ve only ever heard about you from Tony, and he just, says you’re too young. I don’t think he doubts your abilities, nothing like that, you’re clearly very smart, strong, all that. I just think that he’s scared of seeing something bad happen to you.”

“But he brought me to fight captain America! Clearly he thinks I’m ready!”

“No, I don’t, it’s not that. He, he probably sees someone his daughter’s age, and freaks out a little, I mean, look where I am.”

“What do you mean?”

“I just mean, I used to go to school, until he became Iron Man. I mean he’s always had money and people were always upset with him for one reason or another. But after he became Iron Man, he got threats, horrible threats, not just towards him but towards me as well. He was pretty paranoid the first time someone said they were going to kidnap me from school, I was nine. So since then I’ve been home schooled, by Tony, by Pepper, Jarvis, Happy sometimes. Which sort of is nice, since I’m pretty ahead in school, I can graduate this year, and I will. Just don’t know how college is going to work yet. Still working on that. But Tony’s protective of the people he loves, and he might’ve just met you but he wants to take care of you, he cares about you at least a little bit, even if it’s in his own self interest.”

“Does he, are you allowed off the compound?”

“Yes of course! Of course I am! But I just can’t go to school and any friends that I happen to make have to go through his security checks before I can give them my phone number or they can come over.”

 “Have I gone through that, the rigorous security?”

“Why? Wanna be my friend?” You tease, sort of hoping he’d say yes.

“Yeah,” He says breathlessly.

Your turn your so your cheek rests against his shoulder, “I think I’d like that.”

“Y/N STARK, Y/N STARK,” a loud electronic voice starts to go off, a red light beeping on your phone.

“Fuck,” you mutter sitting up.

“What’s wrong?” He asks as you attempt to slip down from the hammock.

“It’s definitely past curfew, so my phone is flipping out at me and oh shit,” you’re tumbling out of the hammock, a short scream, stopped by Peter’s webs grabbing your hand and slowly helping you down to the ground as he slips down too.

“Sorry about that,” he says, ripping the webbing off your wrist.

“No, thanks for helping me down,” you laugh, “you should come by the lab sometime, show me what you use in your webbing.”

“Y/N STARK, Y/N STARK.”

“Alright! Alright I’m coming!” You shout up at the sky.

“Should I, I should probably go,” Peter says as you both start walking back to the compound.

“Oh, I, yeah, it was nice to meet you?” You say, voice rising, the question wasn’t for him, it was more for you, because you were hoping this wasn’t just the only time you’d meet and hang out with him. And you’d probably have to be the one to take the step to invite him over. 

“I mean, if your dad, if Mr. Stark is okay with it, do you, uh want my phone number or something? So the next time we hang out we can make sure we both aren’t wearing the same graphic tee?”

You laugh, head tilted up and eyes crinkling and Peter swore you looked more beautiful here, in the pale moonlight, fresh face and just enjoying your evening than you did in the costume with your hair and makeup done, mingling and doing things you clearly didn’t enjoy.

You giggle at the statement, a funny but smooth way to get your phone number.

“Yeah, here, put your number in my phone,” you toss your phone to him and he catches it with ease, you guessed his reflexes were enhanced from the spiderbite.

He quickly types in his phone number and sends a text to himself so he has your number, he wasn’t going to let you slip through his fingers, as you get to the back entrance of the compound, the party still in full swing at the other side. You stood at the door, watching as he shifted from one foot to the other.

“It was nice to meet you,” you gulp, sticking your hand out to say goodbye, “ow.”

You hand collides with his stomach as he apparently moved in for a hug to challenge your handshake.

“Oh shit, sorry,” he says, stepping back with those wide eyes and hands held up to the side.

“You got a bulletproof vest under there or something?” You laugh, thinking part of his costume is what hit your hand.

“No, uh, nothing, just, j-just me,” he stutters out and your eyes match his in widening at the implication of his words.

Of course he’s ripped he’s Spiderman, you remind yourself.  

“Well, uh, goodnight,” you nod and quickly leave him to lessen any further embarrassment on both of your parts.

You run up the stairs to your room, slamming it shut as you see several voice memos from Tony on your phone. 

“Oh darling daughter of mine,” his voice is a little slurred, “fifteen minutes past curfew.”

“Okay not sure where you and Parker have disappeared to but you need to be back in your room in 10 minutes.”

“Without Parker, he needs to go home”

You sigh, sitting on the edge of your bed and sending Tony a quick message, letting him know you were back in the safety of your room and Peter was on his way home.

You see the text Peter sent himself from your phone, a simple “hi” and you shake away the smile on your face. 

You open up your photo from earlier, you looked pretty, cheeks a little flushed from dancing and being with a boy you thought was pretty. Remembering the night made your heart flutter lightly in your chest as you crawled up to the top of the bed, laying your head on the pillow as you open your Instagram.

It was private, the only people who followed it were Pepper, Tony, and a few friends you made when Tony let you help run and organize his expo for teenagers. You tapped the button to post a new photo, adding a filter before your fingers hovered over the keyboard on your phone. You laid in bed thinking of a caption for a while, a semi decent one would do.

Y/N_Stark: nobody came to my princess party :/

You posted it and saw the small notification symbol on the side of your profile to show someone requested to follow you.

Peterbparkerr requested to follow you

You click on his profile, the profile picture a goofy close up picture of his face, a wide smile, eyes crinkled and you couldn’t help but smile.

You scrolled through some of his pictures, mostly completed Star Wars lego sets. You came across a picture of him with a sign in the doorway of his apartment.

The sign said “1st day of sophomore year” and his eyebrows were furrowed, finger pointing down at the sign as who you assumed was his Aunt May smiling proudly behind him with her thumbs up. 

There was a picture about a year before that with the same sign, this time he had a big teethy grin as he held the sign, this time saying “1st day of freshman year” and you wondered if it was a tradition he’s been doing. You sort of wondered what it would be like to sign up for classes at a high school or college, make friends that way, go to the same school as Peter. You were getting way ahead of yourself however, for now, you could just accept his follow request.

You opened up your text messages again and open the messages to Peter.

You: you know, finding me on instagram right after we meet for the first time is kind of stalkerish

You: to clarify that was a joke

Peter: haha I get it

You: oh thank god for that

Peter: i saw your instagram photo and i

You: ???

Peter: sorry that sent before i could finish, i think you looked really pretty tonight, i just wanted to tell you that

You: thank you, you know your star wars costume wasn’t as bad as tony or i made it seem

Peter: oh thanks

As you contemplated sending a message asking him if he wanted to see the lab, partially afraid of a rejection, but also afraid of what you would do if he said yes another message from Peter came in.

Peter: was hoping I might be able to get into your lab at some point

You: just gonna use me for my dads cool tech?

Peter: maybe

Peter: to clarify that was a joke

You: oh shush 

Peter: I also want to see you again

You: cool

Peter: cool?

You: aka I want to see again too

Peter: :) I’m glad

Peter: goodnight princess 

Peter: I’m sorry if that was weird

You: it’s kinda weird but I dig it

***

Taglist: @tom-hollands-blog @spider-babes @unicornsyy @practicallylivesonline @tom-hollands-wife @quinjetboi @rageyoudamnednerd @sunnydays0803 @jackiehollanderr @khhbby @fancyxholland @thomasthetankson @lousimusician @amyalpha @musiclover1263 @peterbxrnes @relise-thefury @thewinterslut @starsholland @fandomdarlings @peteunderoos @saysomethingspiderman @therealcap @yamyam515 @dylanrauhl @mobbinholland @desir-ae @cvrecem @pumpkinsinnerpie @i-guess-n0t

[scrollsofeternity]

Our World, Our Story | Hanari | Chapter 6 Trial | RE: Hisato

[♪♪♪]

“Uncle, Uncle, tell me the story again!”

“Haha, all right, little missy. You really like mythology books, you little booger. Ah but let’s see… it’s the story about the phoenix right? This book?”

“Mmm!” The young girl with wild black hair nods and begins to curl up next to the older man with kind yet tired eyes. The sound stories and villainous rain filled the tiny room -the crackling of the fire surrounded the two with warmth, like a phoenix singing a lullaby, and the man lovingly stroked the girl’s hair as she listened to the comfortingly familiar story. 

A phoenix, symbolizing death and rebirth, the cycle of persistence and immortality, a fire that grows stronger even after being put out. In a way, it could also symbolize the desire to never give up - or, a promise to meet again. Because death is not the end - it is the start of a new life.

Stay strong. Keep the faith. At duty's end, we will meet again. We will. We will.

“Ehehe, the phoenix is like destiny! Mmm.. but I think that’s kinda lame ‘cause… I think bein’ able to write your own story is fuckin’ cooler!”

“Little Miss, LANGUAGE.”

“Oops! Ehehe!”

Death. Life. Immortality. People’s lives. People’s memories. People’s stories. The idea of these things being cut short...

Her gaze travels around the room, seeing promises being made, proclamations being yelled, love being affirmed, some showing just how much they care and well… how some have their own feelings about all of this. Watching, watching, watching - it gives the strange feeling of being an outsider watching a story unfold.

The page turns.

“I’m Hanari Hokusai, a fuckin’ heiress of a multi-million yen conglomerate with more money than I could ever need. I’m a brat whose almost been expelled for beatin’ the shit outta anyone who stood in my way. I’m a fuckin’ moron whose stubborn an’ doesn’t give up an’ I’m sure as hell not gonna listen just because of some fuckin’ family is gonna try to stop me. No matter how much money it costs, no matter how long it’ll take for me to study fuckin’ medicine or technology, no matter whatever the fuck I have to, we will find a way. Isn’t that what you were trying to teach us? Compassion or whatever the fuck?”

Hanari can’t make choices for other people. But, she wants people to have the choice. 

“The future ain’t somethin’ set in stone. This isn’t your story alone or Azsua’s -- it’s ours. It’s our future. Our story. 

I'm not givin’ up, not now, and not until we get everyone, an’ I mean everyone the fuck outta this simulation hell. Who knows what the fuck tomorrow will bring? Maybe they’ll be some fuckin’ miracle in technology or maybe there won’t. Shit might look grim but who cares? I won’t let anythin’ be decided for me or anyone else, dipshit. And I always keep my promises.”

Her hands find their way to her necklace and she holds the ring tightly in her hands. 

“Hisato-kun. Wrappin’ your hands with bandages.. I won’t forget that nor do I regret it. If I only smacked some sense into your stupid fuckin’ head then. 

You called me your Sensei.. Haha. I never took it seriously, ya know? Just a fun joke or whatever between friends. But, I still.. Feel sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t beat any sense into your brain. But.. it’s a teacher’s job to guide the student when they’re wrong. You’ve fucked up.”

A phoenix has never bowed its head to anyone else, tyrant king or what. The flames and shields did not scare a bird who was born from fire.

“Whatever I have to be - an heiress, a hero, a doctor, or fuckin’ whatever - I’m Hanari fuckin’ Hokusai an’ I… it’s not just “I” anymore. And wait, also future Dr.”

But… the phoenix did make friends.

“The story ain’t over yet. I haven’t even fuckin’ punched your teeth out yet!”

Stay strong. Keep the faith. At duty's end, we will meet again. We will. We will.

[blightarts]

PROLOGUE

Next Chapter: Coming Soon

Disclaimer: All Endless Summer and Choices rights belong to Pixelberry. Also, jokes here are not meant to offend anyone. 

MC x LI Pairings: Quinn x M!MC, Jake x F!MC

Word Count: 4799

Tags: @princessstellaris​, @mechaspirit​, @xo-endlessmayhem-xo​, @skyila​, @choicesyouplayandmore​, @i-miss-trr​, @mysteli​, @brightpinkpeppercorn​, @aquamarvel​, @marmolady​, @sceptilemasterr​, @endlessly-searching-for-you​, @ohmyeightpastlives​, @choiceslife​

Blue eyes open to a new day. A young man in his early 20′s wakes up on his bed, with ruffled black hair and drool near his lips. One thing keeps repeating in his mind as he blankly stares at the ceiling.

“Everything in its own time.”

The man sighs and sits up straight.

Casey: That’s the only thing I believe in… for about a week. But as of now, there is little progress in restoring my friends’ memories and helping them back up to who they used to be during our adventures in that isla—

Suddenly, there was a loud bang on his door which scared him. The door opens and in comes a young blonde woman, also in her early 20′s and with blue eyes. It’s Casey’s older twin sister, Emily Summers.

Emily: Hey, Casey! Breakfast is ready! We got a big day today!

She grabs the collar of his shirt and drags him out of bed, towards the dining room.

Casey: Forget what I said. My overly-ecstatic sister is always dragging me, literally and figuratively, back to optimism. But who can blame her? She wants to be with everyone again, especially Jake.

Emily: Stop talking like Deadpool.

Casey: What? The writer likes jokes that break the 4th Wall.

(Note: You guys will read a bunch of jokes that break the 4th Wall. 😆)

The young woman rolls her eyes and chuckles as she puts her little brother on his chair, next to their roommate, Zahra Namazi, who chuckles at their antics.

Zahra: You two should audition for a sitcom, cuz your everyday shenanigans is making even me laugh.

Casey: Thanks for the compliment? I guess?

Emily just sips her coffee and stares blankly, internally giggling. Casey notices the red tint in his sister’s eyes, realizing that she cried herself to sleep, thinking about Jake, then he sighs. Soon, after the three finish breakfast, the twins go to prepare for the first day of the Hartfeld Science and Technology Week. As they get dressed, they head for the door, but not before turning to Zahra.

Emily: Zahra, you not coming?

Zahra: Why would I go to a stupid event with stupid people attending?

Emily looks at her, unamused. She turns to Casey for help who gives his sister an “I got this” look.

Casey: You know… there could be some tech in there you could hack into and use it to mess with those stupid people.

Zahra looks at Casey with a raised eyebrow.

Zahra: You present a very compelling argument, Summers. Alright, I’ll go, but I will be sitting at a discreet location so people won’t easily know it was me messing their stuff.

Casey: Great!

Emily gives Casey a double thumbs up before the three leave their dorm. They arrive at the central campus, where the event is being held. The twins see some of their friends at different places, all except one. Emily sighs as Casey pats her shoulder.

Casey: Don’t worry. Wherever he is right now, he and Mike are alright.

Emily nods and gives her brother a weak smile.

Emily: You’re right…

She shakes her head and turns to a nearby smoothie stand.

Emily: Gimme a sec.

Emily runs to the stand to order a smoothie, trying to hide her obvious pain. Casey sighs at this and just stands there, waiting for his sister to come back while looking for their best friend, Diego Soto. Soon after, Emily returns and spots Diego already with Casey.  She grins.

Emily: Heyyo, Diego!

Diego: Heyyo, Emily….yo…

Casey: Close enough.

The three share laughs before being interrupted by a tapping sound from the stage’s microphone. The school dean is onstage, ready to give the opening speech for the event.

Dean: Greetings, students. Welcome to the first day of the Hartfeld Science and Technology Week.

As the dean is greeting the students and giving his speech, the twins start to feel a slight pain in their heads. Diego notices this and whispers to them.

Diego: You guys okay?

Casey: Yeah, it’s just… we haven’t felt this kind of headache since…

Diego: Since…?

Emily: …La Huerta…

Diego: “La Hoopla”?

The pain continues to hurt the twins as they look around, searching for the source. It wasn’t a success but they do spot their friends. Casey’s beloved, Quinn Kelly, is by the fountain, having a heated conversation on the phone, possibly with one of her parents. Estela Montoya is backstage, talking to someone the twins cannot see from their point of view. Sean Gayle is with Michelle Nguyen, arguing about something, while Craig Hsiao is in between them, trying to stop the fight. Raj Bhandarkar is at his food stand, selling snacks to fellow students. Zahra is on a bench, trying to hack into some of the tech present in the event. Grace Hall is at the back of the audience, twiddling her fingers and paranoid ever since her arrest. And Aleister Rourke is also at the back of the audience, arms crossed and annoyed at everything around him.

Casey: Everyone… is… here…

Emily: Almost…

The twins then feel their hearts suddenly sink, as if they’re sensing something ominous coming. Even with this pain, they can still hear the dean’s last lines for his speech.

Dean: And now, may I introduce to you, our sponsor for this event, our great Emperor. His Eminence, Mister Everett Rourke!

Most of the audience clap with joy. Some just clap normally or don’t clap at all. And very few glare at the man, including Casey, Emily and Aleister.

Emily: Great, as if we couldn’t get any more headaches…

Casey: Sshh…He’s looking right at us…

Everett spots the twins and gives them an evil smirk before starting his opening speech for the event.

Everett: Hello, students of Hartfeld University. You know? Knowledge is power, but only a few can wield this power, and even more so, only very few could utilize this power to its highest potential. With this power, you could become Gods… like who I am right now…

During the speech, Everett is being broadcasted by a news crew, showing the footage live around the world. Somewhere in Costa Rica, two familiar grown men, laying on their hammocks and sharing bottles of beer, watch the broadcast.

Jake: This news is boring. Change it.

Mike: Nah, too lazy too.

Jake: Jackass.

Mike: Nitwit.

As Everett continues his speech, the pain the twins are experiencing gets more intense as they start to hear a screeching sound. Emily drops her smoothie because of this as it spills all over the ground. Diego, confused with what to do, tries to ask for help but before he could do so, a loud bang is heard from afar. A sonic wave travels from the source of the bang and reaches the Hartfeld central campus, knocking down everyone and interrupting Everett’s speech. Quinn drops her phone on the fountain. Sean falls on Michelle. Estela falls along with the person she was talking to, revealed to be her mother, Olivia Montoya. Raj’s food stand falls apart and his snacks drop to the ground. Zahra drops her laptop and it gets broken. The rest of the gang falls over normally.

Michelle: Get off!

Sean: Wha… What was that?!

Craig: Well, whatever it is, it sure knows how to literally drop the bass.

Estela: Mom! You okay?

Quinn: My phone!

Raj: My snacks!

Zahra: My laptop!

Random Student: My leg!

The news-broadcasting camera falls on the ground. Jake and Mike notices this while watching their TV.

Mike: Woah. What do you think is going on out there?

Jake: I don’t know. But I’m having an unusual sensation right now… it’s like… this is all familiar to me…

Mike soon notices Jake glowing.

Mike: Jake!

Jake: Wha—

Jake takes notices of his situation and sees Mike glowing as well.

Jake: What the fuck is happening?!

Mike: This ain’t like any hangover I’ve experienced befo—

The two are then transported to the Hartfeld central campus, next to Casey, Emily and Diego, who immediately notices them.

Emily: J… Jake?!

Diego: Woah! Those are the wanted fugitives, Jake McKenzie and Mike Darwin!

Casey: What are they doing here…?

Jake quickly sees the American flag near the campus, realizing that he and Mike are in USA, a place they shouldn't be in.

Jake: Fuck, we shouldn't be here.

Mike: How did we even get here in the first place?

Jake: I dunno, kid. But we gotta get outta here fast.

Mike: We're not Sonic the Hedgehog!

Jake quickly keeps Mike quiet and they try to sneak away from the public. No one seems to notice this as Diego is more occupied looking after Casey and Emily while everyone else tries to get back up on their feet. But suddenly, a large crack in the sky appears, catching everyone’s attention.

Sean: Great, now what’s that?!

Aleister: That’s…

Aleister sort of realizes what is going on and goes onstage to confront his father. But before he could do so, the crack becomes larger and a large spirit entity comes out of it. It is Vaanu, or at least, what remains of it. Its presence releases a second sonic wave, which blasted Aleister away from Everett. Vaanu reaches and grabs Rourke in anger.

Vaanu: Everett Rourke! Do you not care for the consequences that come with your unforgivable sin?! You are not a god. You have tampered with the decision that decides the fate of this world. And now this world is falling apart because of you.

The masses panic and run away, pushing each other and only caring for their own safety. Casey stands up, despite his pain. He runs around, looking for Quinn.

Diego: Casey! Where are you going?!

Emily: He’s going for her…

Diego: “Her”?

Emily: Quinn Kelly…

Emily stands up and asks Diego for help.

Emily: Diego…

Diego: Yes?

Emily: I want you… to help me… reach him…

Emily points to Jake, also running away with Mike from danger, which shocks Diego.

Diego: You want me to help you get close to a wanted man?!

Emily: He’s… an innocent… and kind… man…

Diego looks into Emily’s eyes, as if she’s telepathically saying “Please” to him, and eventually, nods.

Diego: Alright, I trust you in this.

Diego helps Emily up and guides her to Jake and Mike. Meanwhile, Sean, along with Craig, tries to calm the panicking masses.

Sean: Everyone, please. Stay calm. Don’t push each other. In a single file line, please!

Craig: Listen to the man! Come on.

Michelle takes a more aggressive approach as she smacks people with her purse.

Michelle: Hey! The guys said no pushing, you idiots! In a single file line, now!

Some people nod and follow her orders, scared of her more than Vaanu’s presence.

Sean: Uhh… thanks?

Michelle: This doesn’t make us even. Now get your ass to safety while helping everyone.

Sean nods and continues helping people while Craig follows him. Michelle went a different direction to help other people. Meanwhile, Raj runs away, holding his snacks in his arms, but clumsily dropping some of them.

Raj: This is totally not the mushrooms I had this morning! This is all too real, dude!!

Grace runs along with him, scared for her life.

Grace: I don’t wanna die… I don’t wanna die… I don’t wanna die…

On the other hand, Zahra, all alone and away from the majority of the people, runs to away from Vaanu and everyone.

Zahra: These punks can take care of themselves. I don’t give one single fu—

Suddenly, she spots a disabled student, struggling to get up with her crutches. Zahra groans in anger and runs towards the student.

Zahra: Damn you, whoever’s deciding my destiny!

She gives the disabled student a piggyback ride as she runs away from the danger.

Zahra: I blame you for not being near those goody-two-shoes football players, so they could help you instead.

Student: Umm… thanks?

Back near the stage, Aleister gets up after being blown back by Vaanu. He spots his father being grabbed by the entity and grits his teeth. He turns to see Estela and Olivia being helped by I.R.I.S. and Lila.

Aleister: Sister, everyone!

The four women spot Aleister.

Estela: Aleister? What are you doing here?

Aleister: Confronting our father about what he did.

Olivia: What he did?

Aleister: He must have done something. Knowing him and his ego, it must be meddling with time, space or reality itself.

Lila: Nonsense! His Eminence would never do that!

I.R.I.S. places a hand on her son’s shoulder.

I.R.I.S.: Aleister, come on. Let us get to safety.

Aleister nods and points to the running crowd.

Aleister: Let’s go with them.

The women nod and follow Aleister to the crowd. Meanwhile, Casey eventually finds Quinn. She is struggling to run away with lots of people running faster around her. Her breathing is slow and she is getting slower. Suddenly, a random student accidentally bumps into her and she falls to the ground.

Casey: Quinn!

Casey tries to help her but his headache gets worse, causing him to scream in pain and fall over, next to her. Even with this severe pain, he crawls towards his beloved, muttering her name. Quinn looks up, spotting Casey reaching to help her. She recognizes him during their first encounter after Casey and Emily wakes to Rourke’s world.

Quinn: You… I remember you…

Casey caresses Quinn’s cheeks with tears in his eyes. He gives her a hopeful smile.

Casey: Quinn, it’s okay. It’s gonna be okay. I’m here…

Quinn smiles back before falling unconscious. Casey holds Quinn’s hand before also falling unconscious. On the other hand, Emily and Diego reach Jake and Mike.

Emily: Wait!

Jake and Mike turn to Emily. Jake makes heavy eye contact with her, slowly familiarizing her. He stops in his tracks. Mike stops as well, right in front of him.

Mike: Jake, what’s wrong?

Jake: This lady… I feel like I’ve seen her before.

Emily collapses from Diego’s arms. 

Diego: Em!

Emily: I’m fine… Get to safety…

Diego: Not without you!

Jake and Mike rush to Emily’s aid.

Jake: Here, let me carry her for you.

Mike: Get to safety, buddy.

Diego pushes Jake and Mike away.

Diego: Why would I listen to criminals like you?!

There was a long silence between the three.

Diego: I don’t know why Emily has a fixation on you, but I’m not giving her to dangerous men like you!

Mike: Listen, we don’t have ti—

Jake stops Mike and steps forward.

Jake: Listen. We maybe criminals in the eyes of the public, but right now, your friend is in need and I don’t think you can carry her on your own and away from that thing. So, let me help, Short Stuff.

Diego glares at Jake’s eyes and exhales deeply.

Diego: Fine. But I’m only letting you save her. I’m not letting you near my best friend again after this.

Mike: That’s fine by us.

Jake carries Emily in his arms and runs away, with Diego and Mike right behind him. Emily, struggling not to fall unconscious, reaches to caress Jake’s cheek and smiles.

Emily: Nice to see you again… Top Gun…

Emily falls unconscious while Jake feels both relief and confusion after hearing what Emily said. As everyone runs further from Vaanu, it opens its other hand and shows Rourke what it has. Everett’s eyes widen to see the Crystal Heart of Vaanu on its palm.

Everett: It can’t be!

Vaanu: This time, you will not get in the way of this world’s destiny. 

Vaanu crushes the Crystal Heart and shatters it into three shards. It then opens three portals to three different timelines, before hurling each shard to each timeline. Rourke protests.

Everett: What did you do?!

Vaanu: I have sent my Heart’s shards into different timelines in order to keep this world intact long enough for the Catalysts to restore it into the way it’s supposed to be.

Everett: You insolent...!

Rourke grits his teeth in anger and activates something on his watch. Soon, the Omega Mech appears. Vaanu, prepared for the machine’s arrival, drops Rourke on the ground and grabs the robot, crushing it. This surprises Rourke, who starts to back away in fear. But before he could run away, Vaanu hurls the Omega Mech behind him and fires a celestial beam to it, causing an explosion. Broken shrapnel pierces Rourke’s back, heavily but not fatally wounding him. The explosion then blows him towards a pole and his body collides with it, knocking him unconscious. Vaanu looks onto the running crowd, spotting Casey, Emily and the rest of the Catalysts.

Vaanu: Everything else falls into your hands now… Catalysts…

Vaanu raises its arm and snaps its fingers. It then fades away as the crack in the sky and the portals disappear. The panicked masses notice this and have stopped running.

College Professor: Is… is it gone…?

Dean: I think it is…

Student: We… we’re safe now, right…?

Aleister’s group, noticing the disappearance of Vaanu, run back to look for Rourke and they eventually spot him on the ground, wounded and unconscious.

Olivia: Everett!

Lila: Your Eminence!

Aleister: Father!

Estela: No!

I.R.I.S.: Scanning vitals.

The group crouch around him.

Olivia: I.R.I.S., status!

I.R.I.S.: Vitals are stable but he’s still bleeding. We need to give him quick medical attention.

Lila: Alright, let me carry him to the—

Estela: Mom…?

The group turns to Estela, who is glowing and slowly fading away.

Estela: I don’t feel so good…

Olivia: What the... No, no, no…!

Olivia holds Estela close, as the latter clutches her mother, not wanting to let go.

Estela: I don’t wanna go, Mom… I don’t wanna go…

Olivia turns to the group for help.

Olivia: What is happening to my daughter?!

I.R.I.S.: It is as if she is being transported a different place… or a different time…

Lila: Like… she is being sent to either the past or the future.

Aleister: That is the case...

Olivia: Then help her!

I.R.I.S.: I am truly sorry, Olivia… but there’s nothing we can do here…

Olivia turns to Estela with tears in their eyes.

Olivia: It’s going to be alright, Dear. Look at me.

Estela nods, speechless as she completely fades away. Meanwhile, the people look to the sky, questioning if whatever just showed up is truly gone.

Sean: Where did it go…? What did it want…?

Craig: Uhh… Sean…?

Sean turns to Craig, who fades away like Estela. Sean is left speechless and sees himself fading away as well. His face shows both confusion and fear before he is completely gone.

Michelle: Sean! No!

Michelle tries to reach for the fading Sean but she fades away as well. Raj and Grace watch in horror but then soon realize that they are fading away too.

Grace: No, no, no—

Raj: This has to be some sort of tri—

The two are then silenced by their disappearances. Meanwhile, Zahra sees her hand fading then her entire self. She sighs and shakes her head in annoyance.

Zahra: Motherfu—

On the other hand, Casey and Quinn remain unconscious to each other. No words. Just Quinn fading away, leaving Casey alone. Meanwhile, Emily is laid on the bench with Diego comforting her. Jake and Mike discuss what just happened.

Mike: What do you think is going on here?

Jake: I don’t really know but I don’t wanna stick around to find out. We gotta find a way back to Costa Rica someho—

Diego: Woah!

Jake and Mike turn to Diego who starts to fade away. 

Diego: This is crazy! Like Infinity War cra—

Jake goes to help Diego but the latter disappears completely.

Jake: He's... gone...

Mike: Jake…?

Jake turns to Mike, who is looking at his own fading hand. They look at each other before Mike fades away entirely. Jake, in silence, also notices himself fading away. He turns to Emily, still unconscious, and crouches near her.

Jake: I don’t know who you are yet… but I promise… I will find you…

Jake smiles and pats Emily’s forehead gently before disappearing. After Mike and most of the Catalysts disappeared, a portal opens above Casey and Emily’s unconscious bodies and Vaanu’s hands carefully scoop them up and pull them in the other side of the portal. The people in the central campus of Hartfeld are left bewildered and traumatized by what they have just witnessed.

“Everything in its own time.” 

Two pairs of blue eyes open upon hearing these words. Casey and Emily wake up, no longer in pain. They look around and see nothing but a white void.

Casey: Whe… where are we?

Emily: I don’t know. I don’t even remember how we got here.

Casey: Last thing I remembered is seeing Quinn.

Emily: Mine was Jake.

The twins stand up and walk a few meters in the white void until it starts to take form into a familiar purplish dimension, with prismatic crystals laying around and a purple moon in the sky.

Casey: Looks like the dimension where we met Vaanu.

Emily: And before we made the choice of fucking up everyone’s lives.

The twins sigh, realizing their mistake of siding with Rourke and thinking that they might make their friends’ lives better.

Vaanu: That is not entirely true.

Vaanu appears in front of Casey and Emily.

Vaanu: You did choose to side with Rourke, but that is not the whole story.

Emily: What do you mean?

Vaanu: That truth is not mine to tell.

Casey: Well, what is the kind of truth that Em and I should know right now?

Vaanu taps the twins’ foreheads and shows them a vision of what it did to Rourke and the Crystal Heart.

Vaanu: Rourke did something that goes against what we all agreed upon. He messed with things that he should not have control over. And thus, with my remaining strength, I had to punish him and scatter my Crystal Heart into different timelines in order to keep this world from self-destruction. However, time is limited. I am tasking the two of you and your friends to collect the shards and make it whole again.

Casey: After that, we’re going to decide again, like last time?

Emily: Well, this time, we’re gonna choose the one where everyone is happy, except Rourke.

Vaanu: That is not entirely the case.

Emily: Huh?

Vaanu: When you chose to side with Rourke and had the Omega Mech utilized my power, stored within the Crystal Heart and you two, the both of you became completely human.

Casey: Like, Emily and I are no longer a part of you?

Vaanu nods in agreement. Casey and Emily look at each other for a moment, realizing that if they did manage to repair the Heart of Vaanu and restore things to how they are supposed to be, they can stay and be with the people they care about the most.

Vaanu: I suppose you two already know what I am implying.

Casey: Yeah. The three shards of your Crystal Heart each have a third of your full power.

Emily: And if we managed to put them back together, then you can be whole again, the world is saved and the two of us can stay here, with our friends and family.

Vaanu: Exactly. An ending befitting everyone’s needs.

Emily glares and points upwards.

Emily: Calling you out, Pixelberry!

Casey chuckles at what Emily is doing.

(Jk, love you, PB. Keep doing great on your books. 😆)

Vaanu then opens three portals, each leading to a timeline where it sent its Crystal Heart shards.

Vaanu: Behind these gateways are the timelines where I sent the shards. I have also separated your friends and sent them here to help you two in your quest.

Casey: Alright, simple enough.

Vaanu: However, once you enter either one of these gateways, you will be sent to a time one month after I have already sent the shard and your friends.

Emily: So, our friends get there on Day 1 and the two of us get there after a month?

Vaanu: The two of you are quite adaptable compared to your friends. Besides, it will be easier for you to find them once they have gotten familiar with the world they are currently living.

Casey: Makes sense.

Emily: Can you at least tell us which of our friends are in which timeline?

Vaanu: That is for me to know and for you two to find out on your own.

Emily: ….Cool!

Emily puffs her cheeks and cross her arms. Casey pats her back and gives her a motivational smile. Vaanu then guides the twins to each of the portals, giving them a background on the timelines they lead to.

Vaanu: This gateway leads to the Arcane Era; a time where technology is rare and magic is everywhere. Humans are able to use magic and wield spellbooks to better utilize this magic. The world is also split between the Natural Realm and Spirit Realm.

Casey: Sounds like something from an isekai-genre (Other world) anime.

The three then approach the second portal.

Vaanu: This gateway leads to the Dragonic Era; a time where dragons, wyverns and large beasts roam the land, along with humans. They were once allies, however an unforgivable sin done by the humans sparked a war between them. That was their history. In the present, the descendants of the humans are studying these creatures and uncovering their past while the creatures are behaving like animals in your world.

Emily: Sounds like something out of a video game.

The three then approach the final portal.

Vaanu: This gateway leads to the Dystopia Era; a time where I did not confront Rourke and sent away my Crystal Heart shards to the different timelines. In this timeline, an old enemy takes over and kills Rourke. This enemy then terrorizes the land and is planning to expand his control to the entire world. But a rebellion is standing in this enemy’s way.

Casey: Sounds like something from the Terminator film series.

Vaanu then gives each of the twins a special bracelet that contains the Hadean Zodiac signs of their friends.

Vaanu: This will help you find your friends. When one of the signs glows temporarily, it means they are nearby. The signs will permanently glow once your friends have their memories restored.

Emily: Thank you.

Emily smiles and admires her bracelet. Casey does the same.

Vaanu: Have you two decided on where to go first?

The twins nod.

Casey: I’m going to the Arcane Era.

Emily: I’m going to the Dragonic Era.

Vaanu nods back.

Vaanu: Excellent. Now once you two have reunited with your friends and reclaimed the two Crystal Heart shards in their respective Eras, you can tap your bracelets and you will be sent back here. You and your friends must go to the Dystopia Era together and reclaim the final shard before Rourke wakes from his slumber. He won’t be in a coma for too long, and his allies are making sure that you will not accomplish your goal.

Casey: Understood.

Emily: We won’t lose this time.

Vaanu then extends each of its hands towards the twins and gives them each an outfit, matching the Era they have chosen.

Vaanu: Now, it is time for you two to be equipped with the proper attire.

Casey receives a pair of matching silver and crimson gauntlets and boots, an Eastern waistcoat, arm-gloves to go with his gauntlets and a sleeveless crimson shirt with a cape-like bottom. Casey also gets his hair tied to a rising ponytail and his bangs dyed crimson. The young man grins at his new look.

Casey: Dang! I look smokin’!

Meanwhile, Emily receives a set of leather armor, including a black long-sleeve leather jacket, a brown leather vest, a pair of brown leather bracers, a pair of leather greaves, and black short leather trousers. She also receives a pair of goggles and a slingshot-like attachment to her left bracer. She delights on her new outfit.

Emily: Sweet! I look like a hunter!

Vaanu nods and slowly starts to fade away.

Vaanu: You two are ready. And now it is time for me leave the rest to you.

The twins notice Vaanu disappearing.

Emily: Vaanu!

Casey: Wait. We still have no idea what to do.

Vaanu points up, to the stars in the sky.

Vaanu: Worry not, Casey and Emily. The stars will guide you.

Soon after, Vaanu is completely gone, leaving the twins to their task. The two look at each other with determination in their faces.

Casey: Last one to get back here with our friends and the shard owes the winner a meal.

Emily: Oh, you are so on!

Casey and Emily bump their fists then go in for a handshake.

Emily: Take care out there.

Casey: You too.

They then face their respective portals with determined grins before letting go of each other’s hands and running towards their goal.

--- END OF PROLOGUE ---

[dragonindigo245]

Project [Redacted]

Heyo!!! This is a WIP story I'm doing with the amazing @pawton-meowity! Hope you enjoy! The odd numbered chapters will be posted on their Tumblr while the even ones will be on mine. Feel free to request to be added to the tag list for updates! Thanks! 💚🖤💚

Tw: Tramatic flashbacks

————

Chapter 4: P.O.V of Virgil

“I have just the thing for you.” I felt the inside of my hoodie pocket with a smile creeping across my face. Logan raised an eyebrow as I pulled out what they would probably assume to be a bracelet.

“I have a few extra of these. They hide your powers from detectors at the cost of nullifying them. As long as they don’t know your face then they won’t know it’s you they’re after. Course you’ll probably have to wear long sleeves to hide them because the uh.. ‘burn brothers’ know what they are. You’re alright Princey but Logan and Patton need to wear a hoodie or something.” When I explained this, Patton sucked in a large breath of air and fiddled with his hands.

“Ah well… that’s a problem… you see I’m in nursing school so we kinda… ya know… need our sleeves up sometimes.”

Well shit. This is going to be harder than I thought. I pondered for a few moments debating over to risk it and have him wear the nullifier unless he was doing hands on stuff or to have him go without until I can build him one to go somewhere else than his wrist. Course life isn’t just simple enough to let us get away with this. Of fucking course it isn’t.

“Language Virge!! My my, your mind is like the plague!” Remus said amused.

Gee thanks Remus. Totally needed that.

“You’re welcome! Seriously though! Nasty boy... I love it!” I rolled my eyes at this and decided to go with the first option.

“Alright Pat, just take off the nullifier when you need to do something like that. Otherwise it needs to stay on. That goes for you too, Logan. Do NOT take it off unless you need to hide it. If you take it off then you can and will be spotted. You’ll be surprised how they can find you.”

Patton and Logan both nodded in agreement. Thankfully they were easier to work with than Princey. I stood up and walked across the room to the dresser I had full of gadgets. Agh I can never remember which drawer they’re in. Nope that one's teleporters… weaponry… there we go. I pulled an extra nullifier out and closed the drawer. Patton received the one I had in my hoodie pocket while Logan got the one from the dresser.

“Keep alert. The nullifier can only do so much. There are other ways of finding you they can exploit. Do not use technology to talk about your powers unless you’re in need of help. Do not talk to anyone you do not trust about your powers. And above all do not use your powers outside of the forest or your rooms. They have eyes everywhere.” Patton nodded slowly and slightly spooked.

“What… what do we do if we get found out? I don’t want another… Logan incident. I’m sure none of us want to get… s-shot at.” This poor kid really shouldn’t be in this mess of all people. He looked ready to crumble.

“If you’re found out we’ll drop whatever we are doing and come to your location but… if you are found out then you’re either going to get captured or you’re going to have to hide for the rest of your life.” Patton winced and pulled his legs to his chest. Logan, on the other hand, seemed deep in thought but otherwise unphased. He was evidently hard to scare.

The room sat in an uncomfortable silence (minus Remus humming) for a little while. I was frankly shocked more over Roman keeping his mouth shut for so long. Well that can be used to lighten the mood at least.

“No witty comment from Disney Wince? Finally coming to grips with the reality of our situation?” I moved over to my original spot on the couch and watched Roman try to form a sentence.

“I… Can I ask… no scratch that. I-” Remus cut in, highly energetic but clearly a bit frazzled.

“Oooo! You wanna know what would happen if any of you three got captured? Well first they-” Thankfully Dee shut Remus down real quick by holding a finger up to Remus’s mouth. Thank god, I don’t want to think about that.

“Virgil Nimbus… age 21… how the hell did this kid get in here?”

“He snuck in to free some of our subjects. He almost got subjects D3D31T and R3M7 out. Luckily we got one of our men to shoot him before he did any real damage. He should be waking up soon.”

“Good. We needed more participants.”

“Ah there he is! Hello Virgil. We have a lot to discuss. For starters… how did you get in here? Don’t bother trying to fight, our truth serum is very good at its job.”

“I… I disguised myself as one of the soldiers.”

“Mhm… well we can’t have that happening anymore. Prepare the machines!!! Don’t worry Virgil. After some time you’ll learn to accept this. Some results even showed patients growing numb to it if they’re lucky.”

Can’t think. Stupid drug thing. What’s happening?

“Attach ‘em to him and be sure it’s not so high he blacks out immediately. There’s a point to this and we mustn’t let it go to waste.”

Strapped. Can’t move.

“Don’t bother to fight it Virgil. You’ll be mostly immobile for the whole session.”

Weird things. Attaching to me.

“We’re ready to begin.”

“Good, on my mark. Three… two… one… begin.”

“Agh sorry. I know I shouldn’t ask that out of nowhere… I mean… was it bad? I don’t want my friends to get hurt or have an unfortunate demise.” Roman attempted to correct himself, the words bringing me back to the present as I stifled a gasp. Remus shoved Deceit’s hand away and waved him off.

“Ehhhh they won’t kill ya unless you threaten their lives! Don’t exclude yourself though! They would gladly take you in if they knew you were working with supes! Look at Virgey here!” Remus placed a hand on my arm which made me flinch probably more than he was expecting. He immediately removed his arm and shot me an apologetic look before perking back up like normal. His apologies weren’t exactly the best but at least he cared… as best as he could anyways.

My mind tuned the conversation out to jumbled noises. I just couldn’t deal with anything so… extra right now. I inserted random song lyrics into my head to get my mind off of this. Thankfully I had a few songs memorized and shuffled through those to drown out my other intrusive thoughts.

Hey edgelord, sorry to intrude on your thoughts (not really) but they’re talking about how they’ve missed a class and are working their way towards the whole “we gotta go” sentence.

Crap.

“I’m probably in a decent amount of trouble myself. We should consider leaving… wherever we are to head back. Thank you for your hospitality, you three. I would like to inquire how we make our way back.” Logan pushed. I stretched and turned to the nerd. “We’re on campus. We actually go to your college ourselves. It isn’t hard to figure out where exactly we are.”

Princey stood up dramatically and bowed. “Well then we bid you good tidings weirdos. We shall grant you our phone numbers and depart!” I rolled my eyes and smirked.

“Wow. I thought you couldn’t get more extra but boy was I wrong. You surprise me by being an annoying, spoiled kid.”

Roman made a noise that could only be described as an offended drama queen half gasp, half screech. Honestly I don’t even know how his vocal cords allow him to do that. “EXCUSE me? Annoying?!? Kid?!? How dare you! I am neither of those! Just because you have your fancy gadgets and knowledge on the comic book villains doesn’t mean you can undermine my glory, Cruella De Vile!”

“Notice how he didn’t say he wasn’t spoiled…” Logan mumbled under his breath.

“Did you insult me, Specs or are you siding with the honorable Roman?”

“Guys! Stop fighting! Come on!” Patton intervened. “Let’s just be friends and get prepared to leave! We already missed choir practice and I need to get ready for my final class! You all do too!”

Roman sighed and said something inaudible, most likely an apology. “Let’s just hand over our numbers and get outta here. I don’t think I can be in the same room as Captain Shook and still have enough edgy nicknames left.” I rolled my eyes and grabbed my phone out of my pocket.

“Yeah yeah, you just wanna leave because I can knock you and your ego down a few notches.” I pulled up my phone number, ignoring Princey and his new offended noises. I handed him my phone and he whipped his out while glaring at me. Yeah that’s about what I expected. He finally handed my phone back and shoved his in a pocket.

“I added Patton and Logan in already. You can text me their numbers later.” Roman hiked a thumb in Dee and Remus’s direction on his usage of the word ‘their,’ before turning back to his friends, “Come on you two. Thanks for backing me up LOGAN.” Logan didn’t indulge Roman by saying anything and instead helped Patton off the couch.

“Thank you so much everyone! It was nice to meet you all! I just wish we could have met under better conditions!” Patton said cheerfully. Everyone said their goodbyes and left the three of us like I preferred. Nobody but the ones I could trust.

“Greetings Virgil! How are we today?”

“...”

“Ah. That is a beautiful silence. Maybe today will be the day you can get your special abilities! Wouldn’t that be exciting?”

“...”

“Well not exciting for you I suppose but you’ve learned that by now. Do you have anything to say before we begin?”

“...”

“I didn’t think so. Proceed as normal.”

Hey. Virgil. Snap out of it buddo.

“Wait… please… I’ll do whatever you want.”

“Excellent. Cancel that last order. A willing subject is a loyal subject. Isn’t that right Virgil?”

Virge! Hey! Damn it, get out of your head.

“...”

“Now then. The real fun begins. Get him strapped down and prepare for trial number one.”

VIRGIL!

I jolted out of my thoughts to find myself on the floor with Dee crouching down to me. Didn’t know how I ended up here but I didn’t particularly want to know.

“Thank you Remus.” Dee said to where I assume Remus was. Dee moved to sit next to me and wrap an arm around my shoulder. I wasn’t not grateful for that but something made me flinch away. Dee recoiled his arm immediately with an apology.

We sat quietly before Dee turned to me with a serious expression. “Virgil. You should talk to us about this. You haven’t told us anything that we can use to help you. We know they’re-”

“It’s fine.”

“You’re on the floor.”

I shrugged and pulled my knees up to my chest. “It’s still fine. I can handle it.”

Dee glared but didn’t push farther. Instead he pushed the subject to a different one. “You know… with an extra three that does mean…”

“No. No way. We are not doing that.”

“I’m just saying it’s an option.”

“We’re not going to put them in danger like that. You saw what they would do to them. They’re scared enough as is.”

“And if we don’t take the chance you know they’ll get caught. They all do.”

“They won’t stand a chance fighting them either. They aren’t experienced in fighting obviously.”

“Virgil… Is this really even about them or are you just afraid?”

“I’m NOT afraid. I’m over that.”

“Just think about it.”

Dee stood up and took a worried glance at me again before leaving the room. I was alone again with nobody but my thoughts.

“Hey… You’re the one who tried to free us that one night.”

“...”

“I have a plan to release everyone in here. It won’t be simple but we can do it. Are you in?”

“...”

“Look… I know they are… intimidating but we can get out of here. My names-”

[mtvswatches]

Wynonna Earp 1x08 Two-Faced Jack

Spoilers disclaimer (please read before sending messages or writing comments.)

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Stray thoughts

1) WTF happened here…

What does Dock mean by “Devil’s hell, plus an angel incarnate?” Why is he looking at the horse when he refers to the angel?

2) WHAT.THE.FUCK

You suffered severe damage to your spinal cord, causing paralysis from the waist down.

It’s clear to me that she’s being held hostage, there clearly was no car accident. But this whole hospital scenario? I don’t know if she’s dreaming or if she’s hallucinating or if someone is inducing her hallucinations or dream-reality or whatever. I mean, she can’t be paralyzed…

3) Doc and Dolls will be forced to work together to rescue her, that should be fun.

4) Wynonna is smart, though. She realized something was off immediately, but even before this “doctor” mentioned the “radical new procedure” he’s been implementing on his patients, she made him take the bait by asking him what University he’d gone to. Plus, she did this:

Which hopefully means she’ll be able to walk soon?

5) Why is Bethany there?! I thought she had been ripped apart!

6) Okay, so this Jack of Knives revenant is a psycho serial killer from Wyatt’s and Doc’s time. Cool. Cool cool cool. And he’s the last of the Seven. That should be a treat.

7) Oh shit, Nicole had to be resuscitated. But this begs the question, why did this Jack-ass took Bethany and not Nicole? I get why he took Wynonna, but what does he need Nicole for? What kind of sick Human-Centipede experiment is he trying to pull off?

8) Ugh Bethany! I get what she means, she’s not brave, she’s just a regular girl, but… Wynonna just told her this guy is a serial killer, so what does Bethany think is going to happen if she stays in her bed and keeps quiet? Look, I’m not a brave person either, but I’ll be skedaddling for sure if my two options were to stay with Dr. Serial Killer or run away.

9) See, Bethany? This is what happens when you’re not a risk-taker…

10) This is scary as fuck, I wasn’t expecting this shit.

11) Wynonna is going to pull one a la Beatrix Kiddo, right?

12) I think I’m shipping this…

My heart turned to mush when she said that. I believe they are a thing, I think I’ve seen some gifs of them on my dash, and if that’s the case, I’m grateful this is not queer-baiting.

13) So the Jack-ass has a type of victim, which again begs the question, what do Bethany and Wynonna have in common that made them his target?

14) Yep, Wynonna is Beatrix-ing the hell outta there.

15) Why do these two give me so many platonic feels?

I truly enjoy their interactions in a different way from his interaction with Wynonna, you know? I see him and Wynonna and I’m like WHY DON’T YOU BANG ALREADY. And then I see him and Waverly, and I’m like AWW THIS IS SO WHOLESOME, HE’S LIKE HER BIG BROTHER! 

16) I don’t know why I loved the shade they gave the Fight Club…

DOC: There are two rules to this, Mr. Dolls.

DOLLS: Let me guess. First rule of fight club, never talk about fight club, right?

DOC: Nobody talks about it, how're fellas gonna know where it is?

17) Dolls literally said what I was about to write…

18) Oh shit…

How did she manage to hold in the pain?!

19) I don’t know, but maybe is what a psycho would say?

 Maybe?

20) Dolls and Doc are gonna fight each other and I’m here for it.

21)

This is going to be delightful to watch.

22) I guess he’s found his motivation…

23) So he wasn’t talking about himself in the third person after all…

This is Jack-ass!

24) Even though I feel this is a case of the kettle calling the pot black…

...I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it.

25) Yep, he totally deserved that.

Like, telling Doc that Wynonna going missing is his fault? And that Wyatt left him to die? How dare he?

26) He’s so excited he’s won, I love him.

27) There’s no way he’s killed Dolls, though. I’m not buying that. He probably seems dead because of the drugs he’s taking, right? Or he might have been trained to pretend to be dead.

28)

Seriously, though, that was super creepy.

29) I died. Doc trying to figure out how modern technology works is simply the best and a nice reminder that he’s not from this time.

Also, Dolls is alive and kicking, but he hasn’t explained how yet.

30) This reminded me of Cordelia’s “What’s your childhood trauma?”

Also, having a serial killer compare themselves to you is everyone’s dream right?

31) What is this Jack-ass deal though? He likes taking women’s organs out and showing them to the girls, okay. But why? What is he looking for?

32) Okay, yep, Dolls had been trained on how to make himself look dead, but I don’t think he’d be able to pull it off in the situation he was in? In the middle of a fight, when his pulse was probably racing and he was super stressed because Doc had called him out? I don’t think so.

33) Okay, Dolls’ division is starting to look eerily similar to The Initiative…

DOC: If your bosses have no compunction about turning a person into a pin cushion, how are they better than the demons?

DOLLS: Your body is a treasure trove for science. Think about what the military could do with soldiers who didn't get sick, didn't age? It was a decision made for the good of the many.

DOC: I get to choose who I share my treasure trove with, not the goddamn government.

34) Wait, what?

JACK-ASS: I know you're not gonna believe this, but I really liked your father. He wasn't like the other Earp heirs. He wasn't ambitious like Edwin, or courageous like Josiah, but he had something that they didn't have. Wits. When Ward started his little ride, he realized that in order to survive, he was gonna have to make certain alliances.

WYNONNA: With who? Black Badge?

JACK-ASS: Don't be daft. He made a pact with the big man himself. Bobo Del Rey.

WYNONNA: No. My daddy would never make a deal with a demon. Never.

JACK-ASS: They were very close friends

So Wynonna’s father had made a deal with Bobo? Does this mean that the reason the Seven went after him was that he’d broken the pact somehow? I mean, not only did he make a deal with Bobo but he was FRIENDS with him?

I also find it interesting how what made Ward different from the other heirs is probably one of Wynonna’s most important traits – her wits.

35) Bless you, Doc, for saving Wynonna in the nick of time. 

36) Oh, sweet Jebus, these two falling into each other…

Why don’t you kiss already?!

37)

WYNONNA: Don’t kill each other.

DOC AND DOLLS:

38) “It was you… or her.” Doc is trying to teach Dolls about principles, but let’s be real, he probably would’ve made the same choice if he’d been in Dolls’ shoes, so…

39) Can this dude predict the future? Is this where this show is heading…?

JACK-ASS: Oh, I wish I could stay! Watch what's coming next. A reunion. An escape. So much blood.

Who will be reunited? Who will escape? WHO WILL DIE?! I’m scared, but I’m also excited to see if this turns out to be foreshadowing...

40) The Buffy feels are real, y’all!

41) “What now?” is a great question. The Seven are dealt with, so, is Wynonna going after Bobo? The Stone Witch? There are 5 more episodes left, so I’m sure shit is about to get real…

42) Okay, I’m back to liking Dolls since he told his boss Doc is only a con artist and is more concerned about finding out who in his organization is working for Bobo.

43) Yet another great episode. I’m always surprised at how long my recaps are for this show, but there’s so much going on all the time and everything seems relevant somehow? I really can’t wait to see how this season ends…

44)  Hope you enjoyed my recap, and, as usual, if you’ve got this far, thank you for reading! If you enjoy my recaps and my blog, please consider supporting it on ko-fi.Thanks!