#jack just refuses to say things normally when it comes to bunny

[spacenintendogs]

Perhaps the triad finding out jack is dating bunnymund?

they're supportive, don't worry

[transgenderknothead]

I know I've been gone for like ever, but I was working on something super cool, so without further adieu... I Want the Truth a creepy pasta fanfiction just under 2k words!

Truth is undefinable, yes it has a definition, not lying, but how do you determine what’s a lie and what isn’t? It’s difficult, especially when you get different answers from the same person. My mother always tells me I have no memory due to various different accidents. First she said car crash, then she said nearly drowned, then it was kidnapped, her current story is that I had been in a coma for most of my life due to a birth defect. When I ask why her story keeps changing she says she isn’t quite sure what is causing my memory loss, as all of those things happened. My friends and I were hanging out at the old children’s mental hospital, it had burned down about four years ago and ever since my friends and I would go and try to figure out why and how it had burned. So far we had found nothing, nothing that was in one piece anyway, we had found three shattered skull fragments and a lot of broken wood. We’d searched all over the building, except for one room, which we could never open. It was a metal door, that when we tried using axes, hatchets, and even random pieces of wood nearby, they fell apart before even reaching it. We have no idea what’s on the other side, but it feels important, and because my friends are stubborn, we will never stop trying to open it or get inside. “Again!” Toby, my boyfriend, yelled when the head of his metal axe fell off when it made contact with the door. “At least this time we hit it,” I rubbed his shoulder as he slumped, “and it looks like you even dented it.” “If his noodle arms dented it, imagine what I could’ve done,” his athletic twin brother, Evan, flexed. “I don’t know, why don’t ya punch it, see what happens,” Toby argued. “Would you two knock it off,” their 14 year old little sister Jessy rolled her eyes, “what did Mom and Dad say about you arguing all the time?” Toby rolled his eyes, a tiny smile appearing when we made eye contact. “We should head back,” I piped up a little. Back at the house Toby and I went into his room, separated from his twin by a curtain, the tall boy flopping onto his bed. “Are you okay?” I rubbed his back. “Something about that room just,” he rolled over, pulling me with him, “I don’t know, it makes no sense.” “What is it?” “It gives me a weird gut feeling,” he scratched my back lightly, “like something bad is behind it.” I had woken up in the middle of the night, bolting up in bed next to Toby. It was always the same nightmare. I’m sitting in a pitch black room, a fuzzy figure of a purple, pink, blue, and yellow jester with a hammer sitting in front of me. It seemed like it was trying to communicate with me, but I couldn’t hear, or even see, much of it. The next morning we all headed over to the mental hospital again. Toby, having hurt his hand playing guitar last night, was going to let me try opening the door with his brand new axe. So here we stood, axe held over my head, everyone else standing back. When I swung the door flew open and the axe hit the floor instead. “Um, to whichever deity is out there, please help,” Jessy whimpered. I walked in, it looked as though this room had the worst of it. An entire wall caved in, shattered glass everywhere, all of the furniture destroyed. The walls that were left standing had what was very obviously scratch marks from whatever child was in here. “Holy,” I whispered, spinning around to look at the room. I kept looking around until I saw the bed in the corner, it was rusted and broken to no end, but that isn’t what caught my attention. It was the seemingly untouched blue bunny stuffed animal holding a very broken, but unburned, Jack-in-the-Box. I reached for it instinctively, but Toby grabbed my wrist. “Don’t,” he whispered. “I just want to know,” I grabbed the toys, inspecting them, before dropping them and gasping. I slowly picked them back up, and cradled the bunny, who was now missing an eye. “What is it?” Evan stood in the doorway, very obviously too scared to enter the room fully. “My name,” I whispered, just loud enough

to hear, “it’s on both of these.” I twisted the toys to show the red stitched name on the bunny and the carved name on the box. “Oh god,” Jessy whispered. I clutched the toys to my chest and started running back. “WAIT!” Toby called. “I have to know, I need to know the truth about my memory, and the truth about these!” I yelled when he caught up to me, he let go and let me run. “Whoa, slow down kid, where’s the fire,” my mom jokes. “What’s this,” I held up the toys and her face went pale, “don’t even think about lying, I want the truth this time.” “They were a couple of toys your childhood friend’s gave you before they left,” she replied. “Okay, new question,” I stood up straighter, “why were they in the mental hospital?” She gasped and dropped her tea cup. She smiled, looking at me, and a tear rolled down her cheek. “Mom, why can’t I remember anything? Don’t give me a story like you do every time.” “You still believed in imaginary friends,” she cried, “you were twelve, that’s not normal for a 12 year old kid! I had to do something to make you realize they were fake!” “So putting me in a hospital and drugging me into forgetting was your grand solution?” I yelled. “You don’t understand,” she started. “You’re right, I don’t understand, but what I do understand is that I’m not the type of person to believe something I haven’t seen, or hasn’t been proved to me,” I crossed my arms, knowing what I had to do. “Don’t do anything stupid,” my boyfriend spoke when they finally caught up. “I have to know,” I spoke before turning around, taking the toys with me, and running into the woods. I ran for a long time, a couple of memories coming back to me. Playing with a tall stuffed clown, a tall red headed man with long hair and wearing a feathery jacket handing me the blue bunny, setting the fire in the hospital. Eventually, I ran up to a familiar metal gate that led to a run down carnival. I opened the gate and it creaked. My heart was pounding in my chest as I clutched the bunny tighter to my chest, the Jack-in-the-Box in my hoodie pocket. I heard a twig snap by the merry go round, causing me to run into the hall of mirrors. I fell against a wall trying to stop myself from crying. “Oh Gumdrop,” a singsong voice came from the entrance. I hid farther into the dark corner, “you don’t need to hide, we’re friends!” I watched the black and white clown look around the room, his hands on his hips. His eyes meet mine, he smiles wider and gets closer. “Jack!” A voice laughed from behind him, the jester from my dreams stepped forward. “It’s her!” Jack pointed, and the jester looked my way. “I’ve been tryna reach ya,” he pulled me out of the dark, “but ya never heard me!” “I’m sorry,” I whimpered, his grip wasn’t tight, but I could tell neither of them were human. “Don’t be sorry! It aint your fault!” The jester giggled, pulling me out of the hall of mirrors and into the big tent, where three more inhuman entities were talking and working. One was a shorter man with black hair, a sketch pad, blue jacket, and a white mask with a red smile sitting next to him. Next to him was a more average height man with dark grey skiing, all black clothes, golden eyes, and what looked like a puppet hanging from golden strands of light coming from his fingers. Across from him was a very tall white haired man dressed like a magician and holding a wand. “There you are,” the man with the sketch book said. “We’ve been waiting for you to come back,” the grey man next to him continued. “She doesn’t remember us,” the magician looked at me. “I’m sorry,” I murmured. “Don’t apologize!” The jester rolled his eyes, “we’ll just reintroduce you!” “I’m Laughing Jack!” Jack spoke, “you used to call me L.J. for short!” “This is Puppeteer, who you called Pup,” the man with the sketchbook pointed at the man with the puppet. “This is Helen,” Puppeteer smiled, pointing at the one with the sketchbook. “I’m Papa El De Grande,”

the magician spoke, “you always called me Mr. Magic.” “I’m Candy Pop!” the jester tickled my sides, “you called me Pop.” “Where’s Jason?” L.J. looked around. “His workshop, fixing Mr. Bun Bun,” Puppeteer said, “it’d be best if she went alone.” Puppeteer took me over to a red and white tent near the big one. He told me to just go in, and that he’s never been mad when I was around because he never wanted to scare me away. “Jason?” I poked my head in, and was greeted by a big stuffed purple worm covered in patches. “Glutton!” A voice yelled from farther into the tent, “get over here!” I followed as the worm snaked towards a redhead man with golden eyes, putting an eye on the rabbit that I had come here with. “Jason?” He looked up at the calling of his name, smiling gently when he saw it was me. “It’s been a long time, Dolly,” he handed me the bunny, standing up he towered over me, “come on, let’s go for a walk.” During the walk he answered all of my questions that my mother refused to answer. He caught me up on all of the missing details of the past. And eventually led me back to the front gate. “It’s nearly time for you to get home,” pat my head. “Remember to just wind up the jack in the box when you want to see me!” Jack waved. “I’ll visit ya in your dreams again tonight, maybe now you’ll be able to hear me!” Candy Pop laughed. “Come back tomorrow,” Helen waved from his seat on the stairs of the merry-go-round. “Oh my god,” a voice came from behind me, my mother had her hand over her mouth as she glanced over the people I had spent my childhood with. “I was right, Mom,” I whispered. “Jason?” She whispered the name of the man who was trying to get away. “Yes?” He turned around slowly to look at my mother. “Oh my god,” she whispered, “Jason Meyers.” I looked at my mother at the use of our last name. Jason lowered his head. “Mom?” “You have been spending time with the spirit of your father, and I took that away,” her hand went over her heart, “oh, I am so sorry dear.” “Wait, Mom I didn’t even know,” I stuttered. “I needed to protect you from the things you weren’t ready to know,” he ushered us out, “now come back tomorrow, it’s getting late.” “We have to take your boyfriend to meet them tomorrow,” my mother spoke, causing Jason to look up, his eyes suddenly glowing green and his hair slowly turning white. “Okay,” Jack clapped his hands, his smile gone, “I think it’s time for bed.”

[girlofthefandom]

Tales from the smp thoughts and random quotes I enjoy (essentially delayed live blogging) Part 1

I love all these npcs already

“Hurry up camera man!”

Yes! Gladiators! I remember seeing someone say that idea

Just some joes

Porkeous the 7th. Oh no I can see the fan girls now.

Yes! Punch em off!!

“Yeah same.”

“That’s good cause I don’t” “we build a new colosseum every time”

I can’t want to see the names of everyone’s characters. Especially Philz’

Stairs everyone’s worst enemy

Tubbo... sweet child

She disappeared!! Witch craft! Burn the witch!

Tubbo=Jacky (forced off streets)

Fundy=Laggius Maximus (I love this name so much with the spinning)

Please don’t kill both the boys in this fight. But also I’m cheating for Laggius.

Subbin Empire? Subbin to Technoblade!

Go Laggius! This is not going to go well... this is really not going to go well...

No I refuse to root for Jacky. I like Laggius the bit will be funnier later.

I want to know what happened to the last camera guy! Let us know!

Vertical feeling! Heaven forbid! Also look at them insulting TikTok

I love the background music. Feels magical.

A lovely jump

Surprises... well that’s ominous. And wait the first one!

Tower! Towers are always good.

We got our popcorn. Ready to watch this fight.

Laggius is... coming... maybe...

GG Jacky... he hasn’t won yet but gg.

Lava!!!! Hooray! Love us some good lava

Poor Laggius... he was burning too early

And Laggius is still lagging

Why isn’t Jacky burning?? He won???

Knocked unconscious in the lava. What is this a Pokémon game?

GG Jacky.

Nobody needs to know the way around here.

“Almost like a video game” just break that fourth wall right down

Keeps looking at sapnaps character and talking about strong. How sweet. We love some fiancé’s.

Please don’t throw Laggius to the wolves

Jack Manifold = Bartholomew

Phil having to translate. I love it.

Watson = Phil

Good pun. Very good pun.

Nobody likes Punz. Gosh everyone’s so mean

We love Watson. Let’s go Watson.

Bartholomew with the drugs and Watson.

Crazy drunk man with fire resistance

I agree with Watson why did we come to this cousin.

Sapnap in a hole

Also I love the drinking age being 3

Let’s go Watson!!!

Where are my Pom poms? I’ve got a Watson to cheer for.

Execute those architects.

And their first Borns.

Watson! Watson! Watson!

“Welcome to the land of the living Bartholomew.”

I love the slow fight.

Come on Watson shoot em!

Oh no. Oh no. Come on Watson. You’re so close!

Noooooooooo.

Why Bartholomew???? I can’t spell that! I’ve been relying on autocorrect this whole time.

Watson would be so much easier to spell.

Still must go down the stairs.

Speed running life. That’s what I do.

No one dies. Just take them to nurse joy.

Poor Punz being so bullied

Punz=Levi

Levi? Really? Oh well I like the name. He won’t like but I like the name.

Also why does Levi have such a full backstory.

Has weapon hands with a horrible southern accent. I love it.

“Hmmm”

Who is Ol’ Sap?

Sapnap = John

And no creativity apparently.

Laggius had the best name for a gladiator. All the others are too boring.

Why are we beating up BBH

Hannah=Genevieve

Genevieve! I can spell that thanks to old Barbie movies!!

Go Genevieve! Trained her life! I love this woman!

Mostly women upstairs. I love it our fandom is so biased.

“Are you sure about that?”

Darlin? Really that’s not the right word.

Go Genevieve! I probably shouldn’t cheer for her since everyone I’ve cheered for has lost.

But still GO GENEVIEVE!!

Our empire is millions in dept

Let’s step up the battle! Let’s gooooo

“Ayyyyy!!!”

Go Genevieve! Levi hush up with your gills.

Jump in! Splish Splash!

Wait why are we listening to Mario Kart music? Wait I recognize this song.

Go Genevieve!!

YES FINALLY! I PICKED THE WINNER!

Levi hush. You done lost messed up southern boi.

Go Genevieve! I can actually spell your name!

I straight forgot Porkeous the 7ths name for a second and had to check my notes.

Stairs. Woop de doo.

“Pick the most handsome” wow

Ol’ Sap = John as I remember. And he’s sticking with it. Bold man sticking with it.

Ranboo = Ran

Just Ran and it’s just the enderman part of the skin. Haha. Very funny.

BBH = Edward

He went from strange voice to normal(ish) voice

I don’t like Edwards speech pattern. At the very least. Yucky.

John v. Edward letsa go

Go John!

Wait we renaming? This is going to get confusing.

Handsome. Can you two quit flirting (not really keeping going)

Alrighty then Ugly v. Edward

Go Ugly! (Sentence I never expected to type)

The seat thing

And saying king Julien. Sigh.

Just BRB real quick.

Thinking about buying things. Oh he meant ad.

Alright Ad 1/3 let’s go.

No I can’t even open chat to watch them instead of the ad. Boooo.

2/3 let’s get this done!

3/3

Snickers just loading for forever

Alrighty we survived.

And a crown really? Just wants his normal skin back.

Let’s go Ugly!

Bo-at battle! Let’s go!

Please don’t shoot Ugly.

Go Ugly!

“King Are you ok!”

I still hate Edwards speech pattern so much

Please. Just pretend to have a fair fight.

The rabbits???? Cant rabbits swim?

Hooray rabbits! I don’t what purpose they serve but I love them.

Edward or Edwardo? Did I miss something?

Ok it seems both.

Shooting a rabbit? Disowner on you disowner on your cow.

Killing pets reference? The references are so good.

YES UGLY!!!! Thank heavens!

I’m 2/4 for choosing the winner.

I hope ugly keeps on winning

“Colosseum Remote Control”

3 in 1 battle how did they not plan correctly for an even number

Nerds hold cameras you heard it here folks

I don’t want to hear deeper for some of these stories. All I want to see is Genevieves further story. She seems deep.

“Massive pigs growling at us. No offense”

Watson trying to clean the table.

We bringing in the Harmonika.

Harmonika fits the moment.

Yes name him handsome! Haha

Grievous is how I’m spelling that stupid sounding name. But it’s better than John and ugly.

I can’t get over the name Ran.

BE GONE LEVI!

I love Watson having to take care of Bartholomew. Translating for him and waking him up.

Phil just can’t resist playing the dad.

No no stopping just fighting.

Also I love Watson saying break it up. I wish Watson had won.

Genevieve sounds like such a lovely lady and she deserves to win.

As much as I love Grevious I want Genevieve to win.

Sapnap=Grevious good gracious this is hard to follow.

Ran is cool. I’m going to kill over listening to them just saying Ran.

Complicated backstory. Found the main character.

Ran is cool.

Wait this place is going down??? Pardon me???

Three person fight is...

Grevious v. Ran v. Bartholomew

Genevieve v. Jacky

Puns! Let’s go! And of course Levi likes Puns.

Everyone is so mean.

GO GENEVIEVE!

And Watson just babysitting Bartholomew

I’m going to get good at spelling Bartholomew. Because I was horrible at it before.

Empire of women!

Cages=Lava

“Mmm what smells good”

Battle star!!

“Boing Boing Boing”

Water dome?

Water Dome in Lava?

Well he tried zombies/bunnies

Lava in the water sphere?

Only fight at top of fishbowl got it.

GO GENEVIEVE!

Come on girl you’ve got this!

No Genevieve babe please don’t lose.

“The boats going down.” “It’s yelling timber.” “Like that song that hasn’t been made yet.”

Hurry up and die. I love it.

NO GENEVIEVE!!!!!

Do do do do

That was a longer fight. But pretty good.

To the cellars! Not to the cellars!

No! The boat is gone!

That was close.

This feels like a funky Pokémon game.

Jacky is a finalist! Good for him. I’m not cheering for him but good for him.

TRIANGLE FORMATION

Who’s missing? Oh wait it’s Bartholomew

“Intense prison cosmetic surgery”

Rabbits! We love rabbits.

Oh no faceplant mode!

What is even happening?!?!

Thinking creatively.

Just don’t die. What a game.

Cant wait to watch the thinking creatively animatic.

In a boat to avoid floating.

Attack!

Go Ran!

Oh we’re lagging.

Disable the dive mode!

The zombies are a bit much. Oh everyone’s actually fighting.

Rats why weren’t there baby zombies when Watson was going. They even made a Phil reference.

No treaties.

Go Ran! Keep on running away.

I love Ran.

GO RAN! I love Grevious. But GO RAN

Faster Zombies. Zombies go zoom.

Oh Grevious won.

Wait why does Ran have grass and why do they see him again.

Placing more dirt to clean old dirt.

Poor Grevious.

I feel sorry for him now.

Stand on da dirt.

Put the rabbits in the cages!!!!

I cheer for Grevious.

And yes there are many a loser.

Everything is so spicy. As in lava is there.

You can’t kick your fiancé’s future descendent out of the gang.

A full inventory

Watson with the backup button!

Seriously all he can do is be a dad.

OH BOY LAGGIOUS IS BACK!

And he’s here for the picture.

And Watson is (still) bullying him!

Bartholomew is pure trouble.

Ooops. The root beer was on the brain.

Watson! Come get your drunk!

Oh wait he actually did! I love this so much.

Petition for more Phil in Tales.

Only Genevieve voting for Jacky

Some people refusing to vote.

I’m sorry who asked if Laggius is ok.

He is always (not) ok

He is fine. See.

I love Laggius’ character the most.

Go winners!

Reformed kinda. If that doesn’t sum up the whole of the smp.

All the grass in the cage.

And Laggius being his slow self.

Nothing v. General

I love how it went from King to Emperor to King

And there is Laggius.

I don’t know how anyone else is spelling Laggius but I like this way and refuse to edit it if it actually spelled different.

Oh we’re getting more ads.

1/3 let’s go

[miafic]

okay let’s talk about bunny!!!! (this gets kind of intense toward the end)

bunny is called bunny because he LOVES bunnies. on the playground in elementary school, he wanted the kids to call him bunny, so they did. the teachers caught on, and then the kids just kept calling him that all the time, and it stuck. some of them were mean about it at first, and new kids were always confused by it, but then it just became his name. 

lucas doesn’t want to call him bunny because he thinks it’s weird and a little dehumanizing but the kid gets MAD when lucas uses his real name. he crosses his arms and glares and says, “my name is bunny.” 

as soon as zakk witnesses that exchange, he understands that bunny is not as emotionally developed as he should be for a sixteen year old; he’s more like a nine year old. zakk, of course, is both saddened and fascinated by this, and he doesn’t tell lucas for a while because he wants time to make sure that his theory is right but also to see how bunny and lucas naturally interact with each other. 

bunny loves to play. he loves to run around outside and roll in the grass until his clothes turn green. sometimes he stays inside and stares out the window really quietly and still in hopes that a rabbit will appear. 

at home, bunny had three pet rabbits. he talks about them often - all three of the other kids know their names and colors and even a little about their personalities. bunny draws or paints them in art therapy whenever he’s allowed (one week he makes them out of play-doh), and he writes a song about one of them in music therapy one week when dom asks them to compose something about whatever they want. sometimes when they go to tag on the weekends, bunny decides that instead of playing properly, he’d prefer to hop around the outside and think about what his rabbits would do if they were there. 

bunny’s roommate is tj, who is also 16 but acts like it. he’s emotionally immature in a different way: he blames everyone else any time anything goes wrong and refuses to take responsibility for his mistakes. (he and lucas butt heads a little because of this). 

tj is a bit of a jerk initially about bunny’s rabbit obsession because he finds it so annoying, but one night after lights out when the rabbit talk starts, bunny mentions something about how whenever his parents would start hitting each other or yelling, bunny would lock himself in the room where all the rabbits were and they would wait together until it was safe to come out. 

in tj’s head, he’s like, ‘yeah fine cool ok whatever dude, we all had shitty parents. go to sleep so i can masturbate.’ but he doesn’t say it out loud, so bunny keeps talking. he explains how when his dad killed his mom, he didn’t know for hours and hours because he was inside with the rabbits. he could hear his dad crashing around for a long time, so he stayed in the rabbit room and he fell asleep there, and when he woke up, it was quiet. and it was just bunny and his rabbits and his dead mom. 

bunny talks about finding the body and calling 911 and having to go to court. tj is like wtf? WTF!!!

and when bunny finally stops talking and falls asleep, tj goes downstairs to talk to zakk and is like, did you know that bunny’s dad killed his mom?! and zakk is like, he told you that? and tj says yes, and zakk’s like :( 

and they talk for a while. zakk mentions how you never know what someone’s going through, and tj’s asking insensitive questions so zakk focuses on how sometimes people who have been through trauma act differently or strangely compared to “normal” people and how everyone should have more sympathy and empathy and try to understand even if they don’t know the circumstances surrounding someone’s behavior. 

what tj gets out of that is that even though everyone else he’s met at peace and purpose is weird because of their trauma, tj is perfectly normal and doesn’t ever act strangely. he announces these things to zakk and then goes back to bed. he stays awake for a long time, but he doesn’t feel like jacking off anymore. 

downstairs, zakk feels a little like he failed. 

[satonthelotuspier]

A Very Hallmark Untamed Christmas

So I spent my Sunday writing this gimmicky piece that makes no sense in either small town America or Ancient Cultivational China. It is full of hallmark style cliche with a WangXian twist. 

Updated so whole fic is included below, I am potato and didn’t realise tumblr didn’t have a limit on text posts

Plot bunnied by this post

Wei Wuxian kicked the tyre of his car in temper. If Nie Huaisang had been on hand it would have been his friend he’d quite like to have kicked, it being that man who’d convinced him he really had to make the trip home this year, with his recent breakup and the fact it had been a while since he’d seen any of his family he’d said it was the perfect time.

Never mind the fact it had been thirteen years since he’d been chased out of Cultivation, Wyoming, population: assholes.

He dragged the spare tyre out and tossed it in the road beside the jack and wrench he’d already dug out.

And to top it all off it was starting to snow.

“Perfect” Wei Wuxian growled, starting to change the tyre as quickly as possible, snow in Wyoming could be brutal.

He was halfway through the process when a police cruiser pulled over behind his car and the driver got out and walked over.

“Do you need some help?” the gentle voice was vaguely familiar to Wei Wuxian and he looked up from his task. They both recognised each other at the same time. To be honest, there wasn’t really much mistaking the face that looked more like it belonged on the catwalk than behind the long arm of the law. It’s distinctive features had only lost a little of the soft roundness of youth that he remembered, now it was all elegant angles and arching brows over soft light amber eyes.

“Wei Ying?” there was shock in Lan Zhan’s voice.

“Lan Zhan” he rose to his feet and almost reached out to shake hands before he remembered his were covered in grease. So much for his manicure. “So you’re sheriff now” he said as he saw the police badge pinned to the other’s shirt.

“Mn, are you back to visit your family?”

“Among other things” he confirmed, “How are yours?”

And oh my god, if he had to go through a month of this kind of awkward small talk with people he barely knew anymore he’d just die.

They talked a little more of inconsequential things while Lan Zhan helped him finish up the tyre change and if he felt a little guilty for letting Lan Zhan take the lead while he held back to check out Lan Zhan’s undeniably fine ass then so be it; he deserved the eyeful as reward for putting up with the small town small talk.

Once changed he was bundled into his car and sent off towards town before the snow got worse with Lan Zhan’s “I’ll see you around, Wei Ying” ringing in his ears.

And if he kept checking the rear-view mirror until he turned a bend in the road then it was just road safety and nothing else.

***

Jiang Cheng was his usual welcoming self when Wei Wuxian arrived at Lotus Pier. Although they hadn’t seen each other in four or five years they’d kept in close contact via electronic means.

“Glad you could drop by” Jiang Cheng snarked, but his hug was genuine and warm and honestly everything Wei Wuxian had missed.

He snarked some more about Wei Wuxian not treating the house like a hotel, but when Wei Wuxian went up to his old room it had been aired, completely scrubbed clean with fresh bedding and there was even a vase of fresh flowers. The latter had probably been Yanli’s touch even if the former weren’t.

After dinner that evening Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian sat in the p in front of a roaring fire, something else he admitted he’d missed in the big city full of central heating and aircon.

The decorated tree glinted and sparkled in the dancing firelight and the flashing tree lights.

They’d drunk several bottles of beer with dinner and while catching up afterwards and both their tongues were loosened as a result.

Jiang Cheng admitted how close Lotus Pier was to financial collapse, something he’d never discussed with Wei Wuxian until now.

In his guilt over having left Jiang Cheng alone to deal with it all he admitted the reason he’d had to leave thirteen years ago, that Mayor Jin Guangshan had threatened him that something might happen to Jiang Yanli, his own daughter-in-law if Wei Wuxian didn’t get out of his sight, all because Wei Wuxian’s mother had refused his disgusting advances once.

Jiang Cheng was incensed, “You mean I lost my brother because that old bastard just couldn’t keep his dick in his pants?” but in the end Jin Guangshan was dead and there was nothing his anger could do.

“I’m here now” Wei Wuxian soothed, rubbing his shoulder and he ranted.

“But you won’t be staying” Jiang Cheng said morosely, staring at the dregs of the beer left in his bottle.

“No, I won’t be staying. But New York isn’t the end of the world Jiang Cheng, it’s only a flight away”

That knowledge didn’t seem to make either of them feel better that night.

***

Wei Wuxian classed himself as a city boy now, thirteen years had left their indelible print on him and he normally adhered to a routine of late mornings and later nights except when he was coming up to a deadline and his time was tight, or he was writing something that particularly consumed him.

His first day back in Cultivation he was up at the crack of dawn however, riding the ranch to take stock of what had changed in the intervening years.

His early morning was a direct consequence of a sleepless night were he’d tossed and turned at both the discomfort of being back in Cultivation and the worry over what Jiang Cheng had told him about the ranch.

Luckily he’d put those hours to good use and he had a pretty solid idea of how Jiang Cheng could diversify and keep everything afloat, with some initial capital investment which he could provide himself.

He called his agent and friend from High School Wen Ning first thing after his walk and had a quick discussion about the finances should he need them.

Jiang Cheng wasn’t going to be hot on the idea, but he only needed to agree, not like it.

Being a city boy himself Wei Wuxian knew that if Jiang Cheng could set up a leisure venture in conjunction with the ranch it could be the difference between stability, maybe even profitability, and bankruptcy.

They’d pulled back the acreage they used for pasture over the years as they’d reduce their cattle herds, and some of that land had been reclaimed by the woods. If they could turn that into camping grounds, along with renovating the old cabins down by the lake shore it would be a good start towards building Lotus Pier as a tourist destination. They could take advantage of local hiking and biking tracks, as well as provide access to water sports on the lake and even horse riding. It would take advantage of the huge market of people who liked or wanted to use their vacation time to get away from the stresses and strains of city life and just relax out in nature.

It would take time to embed, and Jiang Cheng would need a manager for that side of the business, he wasn’t a people person so the further he was away from the customers the better, but it would eventually provide capital to build more cabins and extend the facilities with careful management.

And possibly then provide enough profit that the ranch part running at a loss didn’t even matter.

Now he just needed to sell the idea to his grumpy brother.

Jiang Cheng would be out on the ranch completing chores at this time of the morning and he didn’t want to be dragged into them on his first day back, so he showered and drove back into town. Luckily the snow yesterday had only ended in a light covering which had melted overnight.

***

Failing a Starbucks he called into the local diner for a coffee to combat his lack of sleep, and ran into the town LEO.

“Wei Ying” there was a trace of something that sounded almost pleased in Lan Zhan’s modulated voice.

“Lan Zhan, thanks for your help yesterday, I managed to get to Lotus Pier with no problems”

“Good” Lan Zhan looked like he had something on his mind and Wei Wuxian hoped he wasn’t disturbing him. He almost backed off in guilt until the other one asked quietly, “Wei Ying, have dinner with me?”

Wei Wuxian wouldn’t pretend the idea didn’t throw him a little, he hadn’t really ever thought that he and Lan Zhan had been close enough to warrant grabbing dinner together to catch up now he was back.

But he was at a loose end at the moment, and moping in the house night after night would only lead to him being morose over his breakup with Mian Mian, even six months later as it was.

“Uh, alright? I’m free tomorrow or later this week?” habit of his city life had him pulling his phone out to check his calendar, “Send me an event?”

Lan Zhan looked at him blankly.

“Okayyy. Guess I’ll just put that in manually then. Tomorrow?”

“Mn, I can come and pick you up at Lotus Pier?”

“No need I can borrow Jiang Cheng’s truck if the snow gets bad, message me where to meet you”

“I don’t have your number”

“Oh, haha of course not” he pulled a business card out of wallet and handed it over to Lan Zhan, “Message me, I’m going to see Shijie now” and like a whirlwind he collected his coffee and disappeared.

***

Lan Wangji looked down at the card in his hand, not entirely sure what had just happened. Actually no, he was pretty sure he’d asked Wei Ying out on a date, and he was just as sure Wei Ying had accepted his invitation, but it wasn’t as a date.

“That boy’s as thick as a post” Song Lan said from a nearby booth where he sat eating breakfast and drinking coffee, the fact he had his paramedics uniform on suggested he was either just going on or coming off duty. “Twenty bucks says he doesn’t even realise you asked him out”

It wasn’t a bet Lan Wangji was willing to take.

***

Jiang Yanli was an utter mess the moment she opened the door to him. She didn’t let him go for what felt like hours as she hugged and cried over him, alternating between cooing at how grown up and handsome he looked now and telling him off for not visiting before now.

“I promise I’ll visit more often” he soothed as he hugged back and tried not to cry himself. There was at least no danger to him returning more often now. And he’d admit he hadn’t realised how much he’d missed his family, how much he hadn’t allowed himself to admit it in the past because he’d been helpless to do anything about the reasons why.

As it was Saturday Jin Ling was home, the seven year old obviously knew who his Uncle Wuxian was but had only ever seen him through pictures and over video calls. He was curious but quite nervous of Wei Wuxian at first. But for some reason children always warmed up to him quickly and they were soon drawing Christmas themed pictures together at the counter while Yanli performed the Spanish Inquisition on him about everything from his latest book release to how he was doing post-Mian Mian to who he’d seen since he’d been back in town.

“I’m having drinks with Nie Huaisang tonight” he told her and scratched his chin as he remembered the other plans he’d made, “Oh yeah, and I’m going to dinner with Lan Zhan tomorrow. Weird right? I didn’t even think we were that close back then”

Yanli looked at him carefully, “Lan Wangji asked you out?” as if the thought surprised her greatly.

“I know right, I felt the same” Wei Wuxian shook his head in confused amusement. “Tell me what’s being going on in the Jin house, Shijie”

***

He was so surprisingly busy the next few weeks flew by as it drew closer and closer to Christmas, he spent time on the ranch helping out Jiang Cheng. When Jin Ling wasn’t at school he followed Wei Wuxian everywhere; and as they enjoyed a surge of mild weather they went horse riding and hiking. He even took him fishing down to the pier next to the old, rundown boathouse, that had given Lotus Pier it’s name, Jin Ling seemed to enjoy it greatly. He even showed Wei Wuxian his den in the woods.

Wei Wuxian sold his diversification idea to Jiang Cheng, explaining in great detail what he could envision doing well, what they’d need to do legally, what he could do personally in terms of capital investment, and presented the forecasts he’d had his accountant look into producing. Jiang Cheng was a hard sell, which was why Wei Wuxian had put a lot of information and projections together to basically present him with an offer he literally couldn’t refuse.

Jiang Yanli took every opportunity to fuss and cluck over him, try to feed him up, listen to all his worries and concerns and give the best sisterly advice. She often asked him how things were progressing with Lan Zhan, but he didn’t really understand why she was so interested in his relationship with the Sheriff.

He spent time with Nie Huaisang, being heckled and sassed and told everyone else’s gossip, whether he wanted to hear it or not.

Everywhere he went he ran into Officer Lan, looking dashing in his uniform. They went out to dinner and for drinks quite often, building the friendship Wei Wuxian was sure they hadn’t had in the past despite Lan Zhan seeking him out all the time. Unfortunately there was also a rising attraction Wei Wuxian was trying desperately to squash; not only was Lan Zhan devastatingly handsome he was kind and attentive too. It was heady stuff and he struggled not to let it go to his head.

And he joined everyone else in town watching Lan Zhan’s brother Xichen be followed around by half the available population of Cultivation, like adoring puppies. Particularly strong suits came from Nie Mingjue, Meng Yao, and Jiang Cheng. Not that it did them any good because Xichen noticed nothing.

“I’m sorry Lan Zhan, but your brother is such a himbo” he commented one day as they left the diner with coffee cups, watching Lan Xichen walk down the street with Meng Yao, who looked at him like he hung the moon, “Who could be so clueless as to not notice when someone is making that kind of play?”

For a second some odd look crossed Lan Zhan’s face and Wei Wuxian wasn’t sure if was disbelief or if he was about laugh or cry, it settled into it’s usual expressionlessness though, and Lan Zhan just shook his head helplessly, “Yes, who” was his only comment. Wei Wuxian thought he must really despair of his brother’s obliviousness.

He did wonder sometimes though why Lan Wangji didn’t have similar amounts of fans, he was just as good looking, had a great job, and was a genuinely kind man. But no-one seemed to pant after him like after Xichen. It was very odd, almost as if he was off the market.

What was even odder to Wei Wuxian was the more involved he got the less he suddenly minded being stuck in Small Town USA.

***

Unfortunately his attraction to Lan Zhan did continue to grow and he found it harder and harder to keep his interactions that of a friend only. Especially one evening as they had drinks at the Lakeside. It was a party atmosphere inside as Christmas was approaching fast, and the bar was trimmed up to the nines with wreaths, trees, garlands, lights and holly and mistletoe everywhere. Everyone was having a great time dancing to the holiday music.

Everyone was having so much fun and for some reason urging them on, which was probably why they ended up swaying together on the dance-floor and necking under the mistletoe some mischievous employee had hung up all over the ceiling above the entire length of the bar-room.

When the music stopped they didn’t discuss it but they ended up in Lan Zhan’s bedroom and continued where they’d left off at the Lakeside. Lan Zhan pulled back to stroke each side of his face gently, like he was holding something precious and of great value.

“Wei Ying-”

“Lan Zhan, if the next words out of your mouth aren’t “I’m going to kiss you” then just shut up and kiss me” he ordered and the other snorted and rubbed along Wei Wuxian’s lower lip with his thumb.

“Then Wei Ying, I’m going to kiss you, if you’re sure you want it”

“Kiss me”

***

Wei Wuxian woke up the next morning to blinding clarity. He was in love with Lan Zhan. How had that even happened? How could he even consider it? Being in love with Lan Zhan meant tying himself to Cultivation and he’d rather die. He slid carefully out from underneath Lan Zhan’s arm which was thrown across his waist and hurried into his clothes.

He made the mistake of glancing back at the sleeping sheriff then, refined features relaxed in sleep, dark hair start against the white pillows, and he wavered. Would it really be so bad?

He left as quietly and quickly as possible.

He kept it together until he got back to the Ranch House.

What made the panic worse was that a snowstorm was obviously approaching, the mild weather of the last few weeks had vanished. He needed to pack and get out of there before they were snowed in and he had no way out. The thought almost tipped him into a panic attack.

Jiang Yanli was there just settling Jin Ling in on the sofa as he’d come over feverish.

Once sure Jin Ling was comfortable she came through to the kitchen where Jiang Cheng tried to get him to slow his breathing and ground himself.

“What’s wrong?” she asked when he was more controlled.

“I need to go back to New York. I have to get out of here. I have to go” Spurred on he dashed upstairs.

Jiang Yanli and Jiang Cheng followed him up to his room, it was clearly obvious he was greatly distressed and wasn’t thinking clearly.

“I just-I need to go” Wei Wuxian dragged his case out from under the bed and began haphazardly throwing clothes into it.

“You fucked him” Jiang Cheng said in disbelief, “Oh my god, he finally got you after all these years of pining. And now you’re just running. The dude is going to be inconsolable”

“A-Cheng” Yanli admonished him sharply but Jiang Cheng was in fine form.

“Was he that bad a lay you’re having to leave town now rather than face him again?”

“Jiang Wanyin” Yanli again, bringing out the “you’re in trouble” name.

“A. He fucked me, B. It was good, C.-” he paused briefly, he didn’t really know what C was.

“So what’s wrong?” Yanli asked.

“I-” what was wrong was he’d woken up, realised he was in love with Lan Zhan and panicked because of what that meant for him. Being with Lan Zhan meant being in Cultivation, and the thought terrified him. This town had treated him like trash and spat him out once before and he didn’t know if he was strong enough to go through that again. He hugged the pair of jeans in his hands against his chest and sat down on the bed. “I realised I love him” he admitted quietly, and Yanli sat next to him and began stroking his back calmingly.

“And that scares you?” she asked gently. Wei Wuxian nodded and she made a soothing sound.

“Because it means you’d have to come back here permanently” Jiang Cheng said from where he leaned in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest.

Wei Wuxian flinched at the hurt he heard in his brother’s voice. He didn’t want to do that to him. But it was the truth and he nodded again.

Then, “Does Lan Zhan really like me?”

Jiang Yanli was the one to nod then, “He’s loved you for a very long time A-Xian”

Fuck. So he’d run out this morning without saying a word or leaving a message. After sleeping with the man who’d loved him forever. And just left him.

He knew perfectly well what kind of message that would send even if it was one he hadn’t intended to, so caught up in his own panic and feelings he hadn’t even spared a thought for Lan Zhan’s.

He really had messed up spectacularly. He got up then, throwing the jeans aside and making for the door. “I need to talk to Lan Zhan” he declared and the other two followed him again.

***

Downstairs the kitchen door was swinging open in the cold wind, blowing drifts of snow onto the tile floor.

The panic hit all three of them at the same time.

“A-Ling” Yanli cried out dashing into the parlour where he’d been curled up on the sofa asleep under a warm blanket.

Of course he wasn’t there.

Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian moved as one to grab coats and gloves which they bundled into on the way to the door.

“Call Zixuan, and stay here in case A-Ling comes back” Jiang Cheng told Yanli who was crying and moving to collect her own coat.

“That’s my son, I’m going with you”

“Yanli, we really need you to stay here and call us if he does come back, it’s snowing out there and he’ll get cold and might head back on his own. We need you here, we’ll find him” Jiang Cheng promised rubbing her shaking shoulders.

***

“You check the barn and milking sheds” he told Jiang Cheng as they leapt off the porch and into the snow, “I’ll go to the woods and check the den”

They split off and headed in their assigned directions.

He wondered why Jin Ling had felt the need to leave the house, especially when he was sick.

He threw up a quick prayer for Jin Ling’s safety to any god listening in and doubled his pace.

Wei Wuxian felt his heart sink when he got there to no sign of his nephew, he’d almost been sure he’d be here. Where else could he have headed for?

Wait, hadn’t Jin Ling really enjoyed their fishing trip? What if he’d headed down to the lake?

Wei Wuxian began running, too aware of how dangerous it could be and what would be the consequence in the freezing cold if Jin Ling did slip into the water.

He couldn’t see anything when he got to the pier, please god let Jin Ling have gone for shelter in the ramshackle old boathouse.

His prayers were answered, and he found Jin Ling huddled in the corner inside, half asleep and rambling with fever.

“Uncle Wuxian” he managed though as Wei Wuxian took his coat off and wrapped it around Jin Ling. He checked his phone but this far out he had no signal and he’d have to get a bit closer to the house before his phone started connecting with nearby towers.

Wei Wuxian picked him up and settled him against his chest comfortably.

“Come on A-Ling, lets get you back to your Mom, she’s worried sick about you. What were you thinking?” he asked but the boy didn’t seem to hear him.

He walked out of the boathouse and into the driving snow, trying not to think about the journey back. He didn’t have any choice, he could afford to wait the snowstorm out in the boathouse but Jin Ling couldn’t; he was quite poorly.

So he set his shoulders and walked. It was so cold. But he struggled on. What would he have done if something had happened to Jin Ling? He couldn’t bear to think about it. Couldn’t bear to think about not being able to see his curious, energetic little nephew every day.

Wait.

But he was going back to New York, he wouldn’t be able to spend all that time with Jin Ling anymore, wouldn't get to see him every day, that was how it was going to have to be.

But the more he thought about it the more he knew he wouldn’t survive. Not seeing Jiang Cheng’s grumpy face hiding his careful concern? Not receiving the unconditional love and support of Jiang Yanli? Not being the person who hung the moon to Jin Ling? Even not being the stupid fool who’d had Lan Zhan’s love forever without even realising, trying to bro-zone him while Lan Zhan tried his damnedest to pursue him?

The more he considered it the more the thought of leaving all of them behind became intolerable to him.

Not that Lan Zhan would want anything to do with him after his disappearing act this morning he realised and the thought actually made him hurt.

As if summoned by Wei Wuxian’s reflections the man himself appeared out of the snowstorm.

“Wei Ying” he said and held the other upright as he stumbled, his limbs starting to go numb.

Lan Zhan had emergency blankets, one of which he wrapped around Wei Wuxian, before wrapping the other around Jin Ling as extra protection from the cold. He took him from Wei Wuxian’s arms to carry him instead. Then he wrapped an arm around Wei Wuxian  and began guiding them back in the direction he’d come,  reporting in on his police radio that Jin Ling was safe and he was bringing them back now.

“I didn’t want Uncle Wuxian to leave” Jin Ling exclaimed suddenly.

“I’m not Jin Ling, I’m not” but no-one seemed to pay him any attention. “Lan Zhan” Wei Wuxian wanted to tell him he was sorry. That he hadn’t known what he’d done that morning would hurt him. That he really wanted to stay. That he loved him. But Lan Zhan didn’t let him speak.

“Save your energy Wei Ying, you did well” was all he said.

***

Once back at the ranch house he and Jin Ling were stripped, wrapped in dryer-warmed terry cloth robes, and piled under hundreds of blankets. A cup of hot chocolate was pressed into his hands and he was told to sip it as soon as he could stand the temperature while Wen Qing checked over Jin Ling who Yanli hadn’t let go yet.

Lan Zhan waited for the health verdict on both of them, but as soon as he was assured Jin Ling would be fine once his fever lowered and Wei Wuxian was none the worse for wear he moved towards the door to leave.

“Lan Zhan” Wei Wuxian called urgently; he didn’t want Lan Zhan to think whatever he thought for a minute longer.

When he realised everyone was looking at him he jumped up and stumbled across the room like some crazy blanket monster from a child’s book. He tried to ignore the more icier than usual look on Lan Zhan’s face as he pulled him out of the kitchen and up to his room with a “Please just give me a little more of your time”

He realised what a miscalculation it had been to fetch Lan Zhan here when he saw his case still open on the bed.

“Its not what it looks like Lan Zhan. Actually no it is what it looks like. It was, anyway. Please let me explain” he closed the case and pushed it back under the bed so he could sit down.

“I am so sorry I ran this morning. I realise with hindsight what that might have looked like to you”

“Like your night of experimentation was done with and you didn’t want to deal with the morning after?” Lan Zhan suggested coldly.

“Experimentation? That's not it. Lan Zhan, I’ve always identified as bisexual. I’ve just never been with a guy before because I was in a long term relationship. I’d only ever been with Mian Mian before we-before last night” it was even worse than he’d suspected. “Will you please at least listen to me explain?”

Lan Zhan didn’t say no, so he took that as permission.

“I need you to know I didn’t know how you felt about me before Yanli told me this morning. And I didn’t know how I felt about you until I woke up and realised I was in love with you. And I panicked and ran away because I couldn’t process it and I was scared. I know Meng Yao told you what his father did to get rid of me, and why, and even though he’s dead now it’s hard to think of Cultivation as anything but a hell pit. Loving you would mean staying here and I was terrified at the thought”

“Wei Ying, you love me?” there was a crack in that icy facade as Lan Zhan asked him to confirm his feelings again, trembling emotion in his voice.

Wei Wuxian pressed his lips together but nodded in certainty, “Mn” he stole Lan Zhan’s sound of agreement

“Then I wouldn't care where we lived if it was with you, we could move to New York, Shanghai, anywhere in the world you wanted” Lan Zhan sat on the bed next to him and folded Wei Wuxian’s unwieldy, blanket-monster form into his arms.

“I want to stay here” he said firmly. “I thought about it a lot while I was out in the snowstorm, and I need to be near my family, including you if you’ll forgive me Lan Zhan”

“Always” he agreed, then pressed a kiss against Wei Wuxian’s lips. A drop of cold water from Wei Wuxian’s hair dripped onto his nose then, and he rose to find a towel so he could rub it dry gently. The action was soporific and Wei Wuxian struggled to stay awake.

Lan Zhan asked him softly, “How do you feel?”

He roused himself enough to answer, “If you mean about last night, then my ass hurts. If you mean about this morning, my heart hurts, I made Jin Ling run away like that with my stupid panic”

“Its not your fault Wei Ying”

Wei Wuxian didn’t agree but he didn’t really feel like arguing the point right now.

“Keep doing that Lan Zhan” he murmured instead, urging the other to run the towel over his hair again.

***

Luckily Jin Ling made a full recovery in a few days, and Yanli didn’t blame We Wuxian for making him run away.

It was the night before Christmas Eve and a town tradition to hold a night market filled with crafts and food and mulled everything.

Wei Wuxian made his way over to Lan Zhan and curled into his side, passing him one of the hot chocolates he’d bought while the other man pulled him in tighter with an arm over his shoulder.

They watched the elementary school’s choir sing for a while in the glittering lights from the giant Christmas tree in the middle of the square.

“Lan Zhan” Wei Wuxian said eventually, and the other looked at him.

“Mn?”

“Don’t you think this is all a bit cliché? Like a cheesy Christmas movie? You know, where the sassy city-slicker hero goes back to Podunk USA for Christmas and falls in love with the quiet pretty girl from High School who always secretly had a crush on him but was too shy to ever say anything?” he rubbed his chin trying to smother his laughter. He yelped and tried to get away when Lan Zhan nipped at his side in retribution.

“OK, OK. I’m sorry I’m sorry” he surrendered, but he still couldn’t stop the giggles.

Eventually Lan Zhan just turned to him and pulled him close.

“Wei Ying” he said, “shut up” and closed his lips over Wei Wuxian’s in a slow, lingering kiss that left him with no breath to laugh any more.

[polarishq]

Meet ODELIA CANTOR. They are TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY SEVEN years old and hail from TEL AVIV, ISRAEL. Odelia embodies the star, TEIDE ONE, and the moon, DIONE. They use she/her pronouns. Their faceclaim is INBAR LAVI.

Teide One/Dione reminds me of bisexual culture, the cold never bothered me anyway, a winter’s ball, illusion necklines, Dutch braids, anxiety, insecurity, introversion to the extreme, horseback riding, accidentally killing the person you love most, the heat of the desert, matzoh ball soup, gloves.

BIOGRAPHY

[tw for contemplated suicide]

If I told you there was deadass an ice palace cloaked by magic in the middle of Israel, would you believe me? Good.

Born to a family of true normals as Odelia Cantor, her parents thought she was dead as soon as she was born. Her mother’s pregnancy was relatively uneventful, but from the time she entered the world, Odelia was freezing to the touch. One fingertip could brush against her skin and you could swear she was no more girl than ghost. As a child, Odelia could never wrap her head around the fact that this made her different. Even in the heat, she wore long garments and gloves and couldn’t feel a thing. Odelia had become physically and emotionally numb until the day her baby sister was born. From then on, Odelia had something to protect.

If something extraordinary and incredible happens once, it’s a miracle. If it happens twice, it’s awesome. Three times, it’s concerning. Four times, and it causes a girl to accidentally kill her sister. More on that later. She could summon the rains when they were needed for the crops to grow, and she was proclaimed a miracle daughter, blessed and true. Poems and songs were written about her, the young girl who was a gift and a prophet. It didn’t sit well with Odelia. It gave her a lot of pressure. She’d perform her rain dance and then the skies would open up. The first three times, she rains came down and the harvest was bountiful. The fourth time, she summoned snow instead.

That was when her village began to turn on her. The pressure became to be too much, and Odelia couldn’t live with herself knowing she had single-handedly destroyed their food for the year. Sarina seemed to be the answer, and the crops thrived under her care.

After the snow, Odelia became something of a shut in. Sarina, her younger sister, was as vibrant and beautiful as they could be. Odelia often felt jealous of her passion for life, when she had so long been convinced that she was a monster. They were having an argument over something useless, and Odelia quickly lost control of her temper and sent an ice blast Sarina’s way, injuring her. From then on, her parents realized she was a terror, a monster, and that was the end of it. They sent her away, and Odelia did what she could do: used her gifts very clumsily to build herself an igloo, kept it cloaked so that no mortal could stumble across it, and wasted away in her own solitude.

She lived there for several years before Sarina came to her, no more child than Odelia was. This time, when Odelia lost her temper, she sent a blast that stopped Sarina’s heart, and in her panic and chaos and rage, left her there in the desert. She set off a year of snowfall in their little town, and as far as she knows, completely decimated it. Odelia never thought of the implications. That because Sarina could visit her, that meant... but no, she couldn’t think of it. Couldn’t stomach it. She was convinced the world would be better off if she was dead, so Odelia began to starve herself out.

Ursa Minor found her in that ice palace, and told her that it was time for her to learn how to hone her craft and be at Polaris. Odelia refused, saying that she would not put anyone else’s life in danger. Instead, the Ursas helped her move to Alaska, where she knew she would be able to keep her powers a secret under the guise of the climate.

In Alaska, Odelia wasn’t... happy, but she wasn’t completely miserable, either. She kept to herself, she got a few cats, and she made the best of a bad situation. It’s only been recently that Odelia’s found her way to Polaris, after finally resigning to the fact that she won’t be able to understand her life until she understands how to control and harness her magic. It won’t bring back her family, but it will help her come to peace with who she is.

INCLINATION

Teide One is a brown dwarf, one of the coldest stars in the galaxy. It’s fitting that they would choose to bestow their powers on a witch with an affinity for ice magic. Dione, one of the ice moons, immediately chose the current Dione for her ice affinity and life experience.

CONNECTIONS

Jack Frost: Another water elemental with an affinity for ice magic, and the person that Odelia  is convinced is the only person who understands her and what she’s capable of. They met while at Polaris and Odelia considers herself to be closest to them, even closer than she is to her own sister. This connection could go a number of ways: they stay platonic as best friends, they become THE OTP, they have some kind of weird rivalry, they form a hockey team, you tell me.

Snow Bunny: For someone who’s into winter sports, Odelia is your dream. She can very easily make it snow to be the perfect ski powder, or freeze off parts of the lake for ice skating. This person originally befriended Odelia to play ice hockey with, but now they’re good friends on and off the slopes.

Just Let Me In: This connection... oof. Okay, so Odelia has a little sister, Sarina (her name can change as long as it’s Hebrew!). Odelia thinks she killed her sister with an ice blast, but what if she didn’t. It could be spun that her sister has an affinity for earth magic and specifically deals in the harvest.

Filling Daphne Nikolaidis’ Earth, Wind & Fire.

Penned by Leigh★

[setaripendragon]

That Strange Bennett Child

So it occurred to me (I wasn’t even watching Rise of the Guardians, it just happened out of nowhere) that in the Rise of the Guardians fandom, there’s a lot of stories where Jamie and/or some of his friends remember the Guardians even into adulthood. And don’t get me wrong, I love those stories. But it occurred to me that out of all the kids, Jamie isn’t actually the one most likely to remember. Yes, he had direct contact with a Guardian, but even if the Guardians avoid contact where possible, there have to have been other kids who talked to the Guardians over the years. Jamie’s just as likely as anyone else to brush off what he saw as a kid’s over-active imagination when he gets older. Sophie on the other hand, visited the Warren. I could be wrong here, but as far as I can remember, she was the only kid in the movie to actually visit one of the Guardian’s realms. She, in fact, spent all night there. Add to that the fact that Bunny’s race is named after (and very, very losely based on) a specific type of fae, and, well. There are myths about people that get kidnapped by the fae, and those people are usually a bit odd when they get back, if they get back at all. So! I wrote the fic! =D

Everyone forgot. Oh, it wasn’t that simple, Sophie knew. They didn’t forget what had happened, exactly, they just… convinced themselves it couldn’t possibly have been real. That they’d made it all up. ‘Boy, I sure had an active imagination when I was a kid’ and so on. It had terrified her, when she was younger, watching everyone around her brush off friends they’d risked their lives to save, once upon a time, because it was too difficult to keep believing in them.

The worst was when Jamie had stopped believing. It hadn’t happened all at once, he’d just… been interested in other things. Dismissive, a little, and Sophie had been annoyed about, but Jack had just laughed it off, saying he was a newly minted teenager, and teenagers were just like that. Sophie’d been nine, almost two years later, the first time Jamie didn’t even look up when Jack dropped in to check on them. Sophie had tried to tell him, grabbing his arm and yelling “Jack’s here!”

And Jamie had shaken her off and told her “Enough, Sophie. I don’t wanna play make-believe with you right now.” Then he’d gone back to his video game. Sophie had thrown the mother of all tantrums, and sulked for a week, refusing to speak to anyone except Jack. And even with him, she was petulant and miserable.

Eventually, Jack had called in reinforcements to try and cheer her up. “Hey there, little sheila. It’s okay. We knew this was going to happen, we’re not upset.” The Easter Bunny told her, and then it had come out. It didn’t matter how much proof kids thought they had, it didn’t matter how much time they spent with the Guardians. The Guardians belonged to childhood, and so growing up meant forgetting.

It had terrified her. Sophie had approached her thirteenth birthday with dread, unlike the excitement all her friends were showing. She spent a lot of time with Aster – his name was Aster, he was the closest thing she’d ever known to a father, and she was going to forget he even existed – trying to cram as much time with him as possible into every day.

She lost touch with her primary school friends after that. It wasn’t that she didn’t like them any more, but she couldn’t bear to watch them forget like Jamie and his friends had all forgotten. So she made new friends. Sort of. She never really let them close anymore, because she was starting to get odd looks for mentioning Santa or the Easter Bunny. And she refused – refused – to pretend she didn’t believe, not even for one moment. Because if she started pretending, how long would it be before she forgot it was only pretend?

She spent her thirteenth birthday in the Warren. Aster hadn’t wanted to let her visit, but Sophie had run away from the party her mom had planned – she felt a little guilty about that, but not guilty enough to go back – and wandered around the woods until she found the entrance to Pitch Black’s lair.

Because any proof was better than nothing.

Jack had caught up with her while she’d still been gawping up at the room full of giant wrought-iron bird cages, and brought her to the Warren. Aster had scolded her up one side and down the other, but Sophie didn’t care, and she wasn’t sorry. She glowered and scowled through the whole ordeal, and didn’t say a word until, exasperated, Aster had demanded to know what she would have done if Pitch had found her first.

Sophie had smirked, flicked her fringe out of her eyes with a toss of her head, and told him; “At least I would have known he was real.”

Aster and Jack had relented, with sympathy clear in their eyes, and let her stay until it was starting to get dark in Burgess. They’d also told her stories, so many stories, about themselves. Their lives, their histories, their truths, and Sophie had treasured each and every one as the gift it was. The gift of memory, no matter how long it might or might not last. They were giving her the only thing she really wanted; more ways to hold on to her friends.

She’d gone home in the evening with flowers woven into her hair, paint and grass-stains making a mess of her clothes, and a chill in her fingers from a snowball fight in the middle of July. Her mother had been in state, too worried to properly take in just how odd Sophie looked in that moment, how out of place every last thing about her was, but Jamie didn’t miss it, and neither did any of the other people Lizzy Bennett had drafted to help look for her daughter.

“Where the hell have you been?!” Lizzy demanded with frustrated worry poured into every word.

Sophie had smiled, feeling more settled than she had for months. “Underhill.” She answered. It was, technically, not a lie. She had, in fact, been under a hill.

“Away with the fairies?” Jamie asked, teasing, but he was trying to be friendly. Sophie could see that now where she hadn’t been able to, before. Trying to join in the only way he knew how. It wasn’t his fault that he couldn’t remember, after all, and he just didn’t know how much it hurt Sophie that he didn’t understand her joke.

So she didn’t snap at him, like she had been doing for months. Instead, all she said was; “Something like that.”

“Strange child.” Someone muttered.

Lizzy shot a glare at the speaker, but Sophie just grinned. Yes. Yes, she was.

Sophie Bennett didn’t forget. She didn’t know why not. Why, at fifteen, she could still see Jack as clear as day, when everyone else looked right through him. She never once took it for granted though. She never once stopped being grateful that she could still run to the Warren when the world got too much, could go to Aster for advice, and North for hugs, and Jack for a few hours of uncomplicated fun. She never stopped waving to Sandy when he passed by, or leaving little treats out for Baby Tooth and her sisters.

She got dancing lessons from Tooth, and she learnt to paint from Aster. Jack taught her to ice-skate, and North showed her magic. From Sandy, she got lessons on fighting. Fighting dirty, fighting outnumbered, fighting with a weapon, fighting with words.

She never quite stopped being ‘that strange Bennett child’.

It never quite stopped hurting, the knowledge that everyone else had forgotten, but it got better. It got better when Jamie decided to write his own stories. “All those adventures I came up with when I was a kid,” he’d explained, laughingly, “they were good stories, weren’t they? I should write them down.” Sophie helped, reminding him of little details he’d forgotten when he’d forgotten they weren’t real, and she told him other stories, her own stories, and let him write those, too.

It got better when Cupcake started working at the local stables, and Sophie realised there were unicorns in the paddock. Cupcake couldn’t see them, of course, she thought they were just normal horses, but Sophie knew. She could see their horns and the intelligence in their eyes. No one knew why she favoured those horses, or why she talked to them like they could understand every word she said, but by that point, everyone brushed it off as being just another oddity from ‘that strange Bennett child’. She learnt to ride on the back of a unicorn, under the instruction of both Cupcake and the unicorn himself.

It got better when Caleb went to art college, and came home at the holidays with folders full of the most beautiful, fantastical pictures. Dragons that reminded Sophie of some of Sandy’s dream-sand creatures, all golden scales and delicate frills. Vampires that looked hilariously like a certain bogeyman. Little elves playing with trinkets like magpies. Villages full of anthropomorphic rabbits in robes and glasses. Angels with jewel-bright wings and scimitars and fairies with rainbow skin and little beaks. When she mentioned it to the Guardians, they’d all laughed about it, amused and pleased in equal measure, and Tooth had winked at Sophie when no one else was looking.

So it got better, even if Sophie couldn’t quite let go of her anger at the unfairness of it. More on her brother’s behalf than for herself. Jamie had adored Jack, had looked up to him like the cool older brother he’d never had, and that he’d forgotten that was just not fair. And sometimes, when he came to visit her, Jack would look over at Jamie with the ghost of sorrow in his eyes, and it took all of Sophie’s efforts not to scream.

Sometimes, she didn’t bother trying to hold herself back. Not with Jack, or Jamie, or her mom, because she loved them and it wasn’t their fault that the world wasn’t fair. It wasn’t anyone else’s fault, either, but Sophie only had so much restraint. She swore at anyone who ever told her – or anyone else in her vicinity – to ‘grow up’. She shouted right back at teachers who shouted at her for not paying attention because one of the bookworms had more interesting things to say. She broke noses when the other kids mocked her for still believing in Santa Claus, and picked fights with strangers who walked through what they only thought was empty air.

She knew her mom worried about her, worried that she was ‘falling in with the wrong crowd’ because Sophie still vanished down to the lake every now and then to visit her friends. Lizzy didn’t believe Sophie when she told her she was ice-skating with ghosts, or painting with a shapeshifter, or dancing with fairies, and she demanded the ‘truth’ until Sophie had exploded. “You don’t want the truth, or you’d believe me when I told it to you! You just want me to tell a lie you can believe! Well, I won’t!” She’d shouted. There’d been more shouting, on both sides, and Sophie had gone right back to the Warren to cry all over Aster about it.

Of course, he wasn’t much help, because his advice was to lie about it. But at least his advice came with hugs, and hot chocolate, and an egg-shaped nest full of the softest blankets for Sophie to curl up and sleep in once she’d cried herself out. She got to eat honey-slathered toast for breakfast with fresh apple juice, and Aster walked her all the way home after breakfast, patient and steady no matter how much she dragged her feet.

Her mother cried when she saw her, hugged her and apologised and swore to listen better from then on. They talked a lot that morning, and Lizzy was as good as her promise. She didn’t understand, not really, and it was clear she didn’t actually believe Sophie. It was obvious that she was very, very worried, but Sophie pointed out she’d never been hurt when she wandered off, she always came home safe, even last night, and Lizzy had to admit it was true. Eventually, they realised that they weren’t going to to be able to change anything, but they could, at least, accept each other. They came to an unspoken compromise. Lizzy still asked where Sophie was going, and Sophie still told her the truth, and Lizzy still didn’t believe her, and that was okay.

That Christmas, Sophie got two presents from Santa. One actually was from Santa, and it was the – accurate – book on magical creatures that she’d asked him for. The other was a butterfly knife, and the note was very clearly in her mother’s handwriting, even if it had been signed with a different name. It was the best Christmas present Sophie had ever gotten, and she’d put the knife aside to go and hug her mother and whisper a thank you with tears in her eyes. Maybe it had been a misplaced attempt – Sophie didn’t need tricks to affirm her belief – but it meant so much that her mother had tried at all. That whether it was true or not, she remembered buying ‘santa’ presents for Sophie when she was little, and she was willing to do it again, even if she thought it was silly, if it would make Sophie feel more accepted in her own home.

She got a present from Santa for her birthday that year, too. She’d gone to visit the Warren, like she did every year on her birthday. Only in the evenings, now, the rest of the day was for family, but she still went, every year, to remind herself she could. And that time, they’d all given her gifts. They never had before, birthdays weren’t really so much of an important thing when you lived for centuries, possibly millennia, but this time was different.

“If you have not forgotten by now, you are not going to.” North had told her solemnly, one large hand resting on her shoulder. “All children are precious to us, but you are something different. Perhaps, one day, you will be a Guardian yourself.”

Sophie didn’t think so. At least, she didn’t feel like any sort of spirit or fae creature. She had a little magic, just enough to warm her coffee when it started to cool, or keep her schoolwork dry when it rained, but she didn’t think she’d ever be anything like North, or Jack.

Tooth gave her an earring made with one of her own feathers. North gave her a puzzle box that would only open for her. Sandy gave her pen with ink made from dreamsand that would never run out. Jack gave her a snowflake pendant made of ice that would never melt. And Aster gave her a pair of leather bracers just like his.

Something different, Sophie thought to herself as her mom and Jamie both eyed her new gifts with confusion and wariness. It was true, she thought, in more ways than one. The fact of the matter was that she didn’t quite fit right in this life, but it was equally true that she was too much a part of this world to ever truly be something else. She wasn’t like Jack, who had cut all ties to his mortal life when he drowned, and she wasn’t like North, who’d left his mortal constraints behind one step at a time as he’d embraced the legend he’d become.

Sophie still had her family. Her mother and brother, whom she loved and wouldn’t let go of for anything. And she had her friends, her Guardians, whom she loved, and wouldn’t let go of for anything. She was caught in between, and quite honestly? She was perfectly happy right where she was.

[allofthisnonsenseplease]

firesonic152 - 10/31/2017 superheroes??

SuspiciousPopsicle - 10/31/2017 Yus. -'u'- Who's got what sorts of powers? Do we wanna make Jack your standard super strength, super speed, flight, lego hair type? or something more tailored to his personality? also, if option A, should he have a secret power as well which he doesn't like using for some reason? and for Gabe, Reaper-esque powers? Or flip it to something that still reference that, but goes in a different direction?

firesonic152 - 10/31/2017 LEGO HAIR LMAO

SuspiciousPopsicle - 10/31/2017 or maybe even have him be more like Batman? Where he's got skills and gadgets, but isn't super human or enhanced? SUperman has fucking lego hair.

firesonic152 - 10/31/2017 ooo i like the batman-esque thing for gabe !!

SuspiciousPopsicle - 10/31/2017 you could pop it right off his head.

firesonic152 - 10/31/2017 LOL jack is just edgy captain america

SuspiciousPopsicle - 10/31/2017 oh, yeah, him too. like a lego man. i feel like it clicks into place too neat.

firesonic152 - 10/31/2017 XDDDDDD i want him to secretly be a mutant or something and yeah like you said earlier has some secret ability bc of it that he doesn't use

SuspiciousPopsicle - 10/31/2017 honest to god, my first thought as i'm sitting here considering what Jack's secret power ought to be was 'can give opponents instant boners' SO. setting that aside XD

firesonic152 - 10/31/2017 AHAHAHAHAHA

SuspiciousPopsicle - 10/31/2017 next thought was that he has some sort of mind control thing he can do--like, he can make an opponent so enamored of him that they'll follow any order he gives. but i kinda want his power to be integrated with the other things he can do

firesonic152 - 10/31/2017 ooooo i actually like the mind control thing... like he's really uncomfortable w leadership bc he doesn't like making people do things

SuspiciousPopsicle - 10/31/2017 yupyup

firesonic152 - 10/31/2017 which informs his whole loner schtick refuses to join any superhero organization

SuspiciousPopsicle - 10/31/2017 and he hates using it bc of ethical reasons, but he WILL if lives are at stake

firesonic152 - 10/31/2017 yeah QoQ but he always feels gross after

SuspiciousPopsicle - 10/31/2017 yup. and he tries so hard to avoid it so that he doesn't start to depend on it. plus, part of the reason he feels gross is bc it does give him sort of a power rush, and there is a slight temptation to use it to nudge events in his favor when he's just out, like, barhopping or whatever.

firesonic152 - 10/31/2017 yepppppp especially to get people in bed w him

SuspiciousPopsicle - 10/31/2017 exactly but that is All Sorts of Wrong and he knows it so he doesn't ever ever do it, and he hates himself for even thinking that it's a possibility. which, to be fair, it technically is. just a repugnant one. anyways, is this sort of a tiger & bunny thing where there's lots of heroes, and they have like, one special quirk, but sometimes someone with the proper tech can go be a hero too? and everybody just kinda thinks that Jack is one of the latter?

firesonic152 - 10/31/2017 yeah!! definitely and gabe actually is a batmany type

SuspiciousPopsicle - 10/31/2017 Angela developed the nanite swarm, and Gabe uses it for his hero stuff, and he's got, like, ninja/magician/illusionist tricks to make it seem like he's actually vanishing in a cloud of nanites & other junk. He's the opposite of Jack--a normal dude masquerading as a superpowered super hero

firesonic152 - 10/31/2017 gabe of course designs all the aesthetics himself LOL

SuspiciousPopsicle - 10/31/2017 ABSOLUTELY theater kid with a minor in special effects

firesonic152 - 10/31/2017 so gabe thinks jack is a lame version of him being a self made super

SuspiciousPopsicle - 10/31/2017 lol that's mean Gabe. He's trying. A for effort, Jack. are they rival heroes then? also, does Gabe work as a lone wolf to help disguise his lack of powers?

firesonic152 - 10/31/2017 yeah! so whenever they both end up at the same crime scene they get snippy w each other gabe's flashy dramatics grate on jack's nerves

SuspiciousPopsicle - 10/31/2017 XD jack firing off a round of something non-lethal into the disappating swarm of nanites after one of their fiercer arguments

firesonic152 - 10/31/2017 LOL gabe gets pissed bc it makes a rip in his cloak so is gabe like... mad rich and jack is more spiderman-y, way less resources but kinda smart enough to make it work

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 wealthy gabe. w a big mansion. lots of varied, classy, beautifully arranged places for the two of them to fuck. XD

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 >:3c they're both like. so angrily attracted to each other lol it's one of those gabe is determined to figure out jack's secret identity jack would rather not know anything about gabe. he doesn't want to get invested.

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 oh. =( jack's just there for the sex and violence? lol

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 yepp ooo we need to get into origin stories is gabe just... batman all the way dead parents when he was eight and shit except he likes guns

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 lol mmm... well, where does his money come from? inheritance? earned through his own efforts? lottery?

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 shady mafia parents?

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 XD that might be good, tho--using the mone they made in the illegal trade that eventually got them killed to combat crime paying the community back in his own way

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 yep !! what's jack's origin story something to do w mutant discrimination

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 he was spat out of a cornfield fully grown and hitchhiked to the big city

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 LMAOO or we could have him figure out his powers in some traumatic way as a child

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 what if his parents tried to send him to a camp to pray the abnormality away when his powers first presented and there was abuse and what not going on, so even after he went home, his relationship with his parents was strained. he didn't stay long, and they didn't look too hard for him when he ran away. He was fourteen or fifteen, and looked a little bit older than he was, but he was in over his head and had to use his power a few times just to get a meal or sometimes a job so that he wouldn't starve to death. he made his way slowly across the country, hitchhiking, mostly. anyone that wanted something more from him than he was comfortable giving as payment for the lift suddenly decided that what they really wanted was to pull over and let this wonderful boy out. Disgusted with himself, wondering if sucking cock wasn't actually a more honest way to get as far from where he'd been born as possible, Jack kept going out of sheer determination. Prolly did a few minor acts of heroism along the way, which gave him a taste for it.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 AW GEEZ QOQ THAT'S UPSETTING AOJCNAECJN i love it lmao he wants to save people to redeem himself!! he never quite recovered from the feeling of self-disgust he got from his parents

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 ta-dah lol

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 lmao jack can tell from all of gabe's fancy gadgets and shit that he's rich as hell and is like super resentful assumes gabe's had a mad easy life and is just doing this for the thrill of it gabe meanwhile can tell jack is pretty angry and reclusive and is curious they always have fun banter in which gabe is overdramatic and jack is overly snarky

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 oooh, a mystery. let's poke it! :D

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 yep! jack accidentally slips up in his snark one day and comments on gabe's sexy ass like "what tf kind of money did you spend on those stupid pants that they cling to your ass like they're painted on" or something and gabe is like lmao you been looking? ;3

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 omg jack

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 jack's been spending a lot of time examining gabe's crotch lately wondering about that D

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 jaaaaaaaaaaaack

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 he's very curious about all gabe's gadgets and their alternate uses

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 jack pls you're supposed to be fighting crime

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 jack gets himself into trouble and gabe saves his ass. gabe insists afterward that jack have some kind of homing beacon in case he ever gets in trouble

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 well, that's sweet of him. Gabe, you big softie. Saying that since Jack doesn't have any powers, it's only right Gabe look after him a bit. He doesn't understand the flash of bitterness on Jack's face, and mistakes it for envy.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 oh geez gabe you are pressing buttons you didn't even realize were there jack hates how much he wants to fuck gabe despite him being annoying as hell

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 lol they're both caught. XD stubborn fucks.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 gabe keeps wanting to like mother jack and jack hates it lmao does jack like have a job irl to make money he's gotta

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 yeah. i think he'd need one lol what if he ends up as Gabe's chauffer or something?

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 LOL YES he gets fired from his previous job of something classically superhero like working for a newspaper and he somehow stumbles into becoming gabe's driver it definitely helps that gabe is wildly attracted to him for some unknown reason

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 XD oh, hey--what if something bad goes down while he's out driving with Gabe one day, and Gabe is all about rushing in to help save the day and Jack, not realizing who his boss is and being afraid that he's going to get himself killed, uses his power to make Gabe drive to safety while he stays to deal w the bad guys

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 AHHH and gabe doesn't know who jack is either once he gets to safety he's like WHAT THE FUCK I JUST LEFT MY DRIVER IN DANGER he quickly gets into costume but by the time he gets there, jack is gone that soldier 76 guy is standing over all the bad guys who are completely beaten to hell

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 Gabe is as serious as Jack's ever seen him when he comes dashing up demanding to know what happened to...Jack. XD

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 LOL jack is like what the fuck why does reaper care about. real me.

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 oh shit! XD i forgot he was all reaper-y! X''''D fuck, dude, i think i need to turn in. i am Not With It tonight.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 awwwww

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 oh SHIT. yah. it's after 1. i DEFINITELY need to turn in.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 hugs

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 ^^;;;;;;;;;;;;; hugshugs will ttyl <3<3<3

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 sleep well!!!

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 you too.  =) night night

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 so reaper shows up to the crime thing but 76 has already taken care of it. reaper anxiously asks after the collateral damage and 76 gruffly assures him there were no innocent victims

reaper doesn't bother sticking around for banter, he's worried about his (handsome) driver. he rushes back home and changes back into gabriel and calls jack up

jack has to dash into a random alleyway and take off his mask to answer his cell phone XD

gabriel is all worried and asking if jack's hurt, says it's okay if he doesn't want to come into work tomorrow, apologizes for just driving off he's not sure what came over him

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 omg and Gabe feels soooooooooo bad about it, honestly, and every word of apology is another stab of guilt for Jack

!! Gabe taking just a little advantage of the situation to use it as an excuse to offer to treat Jack to lunch. Jack starts to decline (bc of course he feels he shouldn't benefit in any way from what he did) but Gabe insists

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 ahhhhhh gabe treats him and jack is once again a little annoyed at gabe's sheer wealth. internally grumbles about these damn rich people

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 KISS KISS FALL IN LOVE

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 LOL YEP ahh they start talking and it's a little too east to banter jack has to keep reminding himself that gabe is his employer

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 meanwhile, Gabe sees him forgetting that and isn't about to throw out any reminders XD

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 hahahaha god gabe wants to sleep w him so bad LOL gabe has a crush on jack and jack has a crush on reaper

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 XD this feels like that ladybug show

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 YEP gabe tries to apologize again for leaving jack in danger and jack snaps at him to stop with that ahh accidentally "ordering" gabe to stop doing that. and gabe does.

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 oooh. so, what if there's, like, a time limit to his powers? 24 hours or so? during which, the infatuation reamins high and people will still do what he says. that way, Jack can accidentally order him to stop (and get a LOVELY little reminder that he's still in charge of gabe) without him being unable to control that power he hates so much.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 AHH jack gets all freaked out and mumbles that he has to go

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 bc obvs, the "date" was only due to his powers

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 oh jaaack he hurries home and kicks a chair over

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 ;; Gabe gives it a couple days to let him have some space, and when things aren't unbearably awkward (somehow???) on the job and Jack doesn't quit, he asks him out to dinner. And Jack kinda shor circuits for a minute as he tries to remember if he mindfucked Gabe again and forgot about it.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 QoQ jack can't deny though. he has a thing for reaper and... gabe kinda reminds him of that....

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 lol jack. listen to that intuition of yours.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 XDD

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 Jack being a bit nervous when he shows up for this date, trying to get past it by making a joke & asking if this is just for fun, or if he ought to look for another job. Gabe actually looks distressed over the idea.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 AWWW gabe gets kinda flustered and says no, no he really... wants to get to know jack better jack bluntly asks if he's looking to sleep together

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 Gabe chokes on the sip he was taking.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 LOL THE ANSWER IS YES but instead he kinda splutters what?? jack shrugs and looks at him through his eyelashes

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 Gabe tries to be both cautious--bc Jack IS his employee--and suave, and fails at both.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 awwww just kinda blurts out that jack is unfairly attractive and he'd really like to... know him better jack smirks which is REALLY UNFAIR and says "in the biblical sense, i assume"

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 XD WHO IS IN CHARGE HERE??

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 XDDDD

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 Gabe feels his control of the situation slipping away. he had planned this, had meant to charm Jack and put him at ease and invite him home after dinner for drinks and maybe something more, but Jack went and threw off his game and now he can't seem to catch up.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 awwww w gabe ahhhh but then something superhero related happens

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 Jack internally cursing up a blue streak, Gabe seriously annoyed but also thankful in a way that he'll have a chance to try again on solid footing

lol what if one found out who the other was bc they got food poisoning which set in during the superheroing, and left them kinda fucked up the next day? what a lame way to expose your secret identity

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 XDDDDD i feel like i want gabe to be found out first bc he literally has a superhero lair.

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 lol Reaper doubling over and raising a hand to his face, being so freaked out by the thought that if he doesn't get away fast enough he's going ot puke in his mask. XD and 76 offers to help out of actual concern and is waved off as Reaper lets slip it was probably something he ate. Then the next day, Jack hears from Gabe that some food poisoning fucked him up.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 LMAO jack puts together... rich... food poisoning... similar banter... the whole aesthetic... HOLY SHIT when he comes in to work he starts snooping and finds the lair

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 he'd be pissed if he wasn't really turned on his hot (potential) boyfriend is his arrogant rival

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 >:3c he's pretty psyched that the guy he wants to bone turns out to be the guy who wants to bone him soo why does he keep his own identity secret at this point bc he gotta

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 lol question! does Jack fine enough on his snooping to realize that Gabe doesn't actually have any powers?

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 oooooo yeah like finds all the gadgets and stuff

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 lol what if the nanites are semi intelligent, and he activates the swarm and they recognize him and sort of go into a harmless standby mode...and suddenly he's being followed around by Reaperbeans.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 YESS they cling to his ankles and chirp adorably

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 he's not a registered user, so he can't give hem any commands, but they spend so long patched into Gabe that his interest in Jack imprinted on them XD

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 XDDDDD gabe realizes someone's broken into his lair and runs in w a pistol at the ready but finds jack surrounded by beans

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 Jack, with a cheeky wave: Hey, boss. Can I get a raise?

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 LOL

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 Jack now thinks he has a perfect excuse to get away from Gabe when stuff goes down--bc of course Gabe is gonna want Jack to go someplace safe--and Jack figures he can just drive a little ways away and put on his hero costume. That plan is thwarted the first time such a situation comes up. Gabe actually comes around to the driver's side door & when Jack rolls down the window, Gabe grabs him by the tie and pulls him in for a kiss, then winks and makes some crack about keep ing the meter running and they'll pick up when he gets back.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 AHHHHH AHHHHHHHHH jack kinda gapes as gabe goes off to fight evil fuck. how bad of an idea is it to fight bad guys with a boner.

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 XD

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 .... not that it would be the first time lbr

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 he's SO FRUSTRATED bc he can't think straight enough to plan a good excuse for what to say if Gabe makes it back to the car before him, so he's STUCK

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 skcjnseckjn he decides it's..... probably fine if 76 doesn't show up this One Time....... gabe can take care of himself for one fight right? omg jack looking around at the tinted windows, then shamefully sinking lower in his seat and thinking about that kiss as he palms at his groin

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 XD sorry out of context, that seems slightly not the right reaction

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 XDDD

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 but i'd been thinking along the same lines--Jack getting himself even more worked up, so that when gabe comes back, he can't even comfortably drive elsewhere until they deal with his situation

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 YAY they clamber into the backseat and jack is for once REALLY glad gabe is rich bc the windows are impossible to see through from the outside

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 Jack telling Gabe between breathless kisses 'don't you ever fucking leave me like that again' and Gabe is touched, 'cause awww, jack was concerned for his safety! <3 but really Jack just doesn't wanna miss out on the ass-kicking sort of action, either. XD

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 XDDDDDD he gives gabe a frequently interrupted lecture on making an exit like that and how it's NOT FAIR don't DO that JESUS and gabe is just kinda laughing and murmuring "well if it's gonna get this kinda reaction...." omg jack has to wear a driver's uniform right like a nice dark suit

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 PLEASE

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 ahhhhhh gabe gets it all messy and disheveled

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 with the cap

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 YES

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 and white gloves or is it black gloves? prolly black driving gloves.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 kajncsskjnc gabe gets him the absolute minimum undressed won't even let him take off the gloves jack is like YOU MADE ME WEAR THIS SHIT ON PURPOSE DIDN'T YOU. YOU LECHEROUS FUCK.

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 THE GLOVES STAY lol for some reason, i really like the aesthetic of built dudes in tight black tees and gloves.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 me tooooo so does gabe apparently

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 he's got good taste in certain things, at least

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 XDD

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 pfft. Gabe makes Jack a custom uniform for the job. Something like this, but with nothing until about the third button. XD It's just a frame for his tits.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 AHAHAHA YES jack is like ARE YOU KIDDING ME I CAN'T BE SEEN LIKE THIS and gabe is like you. you already put it on without me even asking

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 XD Jack's like, well, yeah, now follow me to that stupid cliche room you have with the fireplace and the bearskin rug

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 LOL gabe commenting casually one day that it's been awhile since he saw his rival 76

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 Jack freezes up briefly but obviously and hopes Gabe didn't notice.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 ahaha gabe thinks it's jealousy or something >:3c hip checks jack and teases him about it

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 ooh...what if Jack, like, starts jokingly trash-talking 76 to kind of sound out Gabe's opinion of him? maybe even suggests that he's hiding a super power?

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 oooooooo

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 Gabe's wondering where that idea came from, and Jack tries to shrug it off with something like 'well, you hear stuff' and he suggests that, if that was the case, it would have to be something pretty bad for him to hide it. He isn't prepared for Gabe to defend 76 and argue that even if he does have a superpower, maybe he just doesn't know how to utilize it for crime fighting.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 awwwwwww gabe's jokes that maybe it's something like the ability to make really yummy food or know how the plot of anything is going to end

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 XD Jack kinda basks in it and laughs along as Gabe makes up more and more ridiculous things bc he likes seeing Jack smile. Really, though, Jack is just enjoying these harmless hypotheticals. He's extra affectionate when they have sex later, kissing all along Gabe's jaw and neck, down his arms to his wrists where he turns Gabe's hand to kiss the inside of his wrist and the hollow of his palm. He goes slower than normal, enough that Gabe notices, and reaches out to cup Jack's face and ask him, with a hesitant smile and eyes that show he's trying not to think that something might be wrong, if Jack's okay. And Jack smiles for him, lips stretching wide and tight, eyes crinkling up and it's so strange how that expression almost makes him look like he's about to cry. But he just catches Gabe's hand and pulls it to his mouth for another soft kiss and murmurs into his palm that he's fine, everything is good.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 QOQ AHHHHHHH I'M EMOTIONAL

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 <3

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 gabe keeps asking jack to move in with him but jack can't have that bc when he goes home is the only time he has to be 76 also he wouldn't be able to bring all his hero stuff with him to gabe's house and still expect to keep it secret

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 he can see that it hurts Gabe a bit every time he refuses, but he isn't ready to explain. the best he can do is just claim that he needs his space (Gabe's counter to that is that Jack can have a whole floor to himself if he wants), or joke weakly that at least this should prove he isn't after Gabe's money.

one night, as they're curled up and Gabe is dozing off, arms around Jack and lips against the top of his head, Jack asks quietly: '...what would you do if I had a superpower?'

Gabe stirrs and hugs him a bit tighter. 'somethin' you need t tell me, Jackie?'

He's so close to saying it. In that moment, with Gabe's warm arms holding him close, he feels safe. But the old fear comes back, and the knowledge that he's been lying by omission, and suddenly, this place he's found for himself seems terrifyingly fragile. 'Just a hypothetical,' he lies, pressing his face against Gabe's chest.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 JAKXNASKJCNASC AHHHHHHH okay now what we need is reaper and 76 fighting a bad guy together and reaper is in danger and soldier has no choice but to use his power

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 He tries to make it as subtle as possible, substituting 'put down your weapon' or 'surrender' with taunts. something like 'looking for a challenge? come get me.' and then running off so that he can manage where Reaper won't see.

but it's still a REALLY strange thing for the bad guy to do, and gabe didn't miss the change in his demeanor.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 dcjkasncbk gabe goes after him but 76 snaps at him to stay back and gabe finds himself just... doing it

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 he would do anything for 76. and once 76 is gone, and Gabe has a moment for his head to clear a bit, he realizes that he felt that way once before...with Jack.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 KJSNCESCNJKAEKCHK

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 oh lord. what if, once Gabe knows about Jack's power, he starts to question how much of his feelings are real or if Jack's power caused him to feel that way.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 NOOOO first he sets out on investigating if jack is 76

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 if he looks into Jack's past, one of the last things he'll find before Jack appeared in the city is gonna be the camp.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 qoq

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 maybe Jack was among the last before it was shut down surrounded by scandal. there's a newspaper article where a parent of one of the kids who requested to remain anonymous claims that their child could control people's minds. they ask what they were supposed to do? how could anyone raise a child like that? Once Gabe's ready to confront Jack, he's also angry enough about being manipulated to lead with that. He tosses a copy of that article down in front of Jack with the anonymous quote highlighted, and just says: 'that's you, isn't it?'

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 OH GOD GABE THAT'S JUST GONNA TRIGGER JACK TO HELL AND BACK

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 okay. Jack TOOK CONTROL OF GABE'S MIND TWICE. Gabe isn't being particularly sensitive to Jack's feelings here, but I think he does have cause to be upset. XD

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 true XD but this will not be a fun time for jack's mental health he just kinda freezes and suddenly all the horrible memories from his childhood come rushing back

his face goes white and he nods distantly, staring at the picture of the camp in the newspaper

gabe doesn't know what to do at first. he'd expected jack to put up a fight. he'd thought he'd have to argue.

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 Jack shakily trying to speak in a voice that comes out as a whisper, insisting that he didn't use it, that he didn't use it unless he had no choice. He claps a hand over his mouth at one point, looking like he's about to be sick. Gabe is Concerned.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 barely containing his anger, gabe asks jack why he never told him. jack shakes his head and retreats in on himself

gabe tries a different tactic. "you're... soldier 76, right?"

jack just keeps mumbling that he never used it, not unless he had to, he didn't mean to...

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 and at this point, Gabe is getting a bit scared, bc he's never seen Jack like this before.

He kneels and looks up into Jack's face, but whatever Jack's seeing, it isn't there in the room with him. Gabe's anger is shredded away as he thinks guiltily about the glossed-over mentions of abuse in the article about the camp. He hadn't looked any further into that, and he's starting to think that he compounded that initial mistake.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 hhhhhhhh gabe moves to touch jack's face but jack slaps his hand away violently. he looks small and scared.

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 jeezus, what if they used to gag Jack so that he couldn't speak and use his power?

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 oh god DDD: what if his voice is all rough bc most of his childhood was spent silent

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 hey, that means we can knock a kink off his list for this one! :D

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 qoq yeah gabe keeps trying to get him to say something but jack's mouth can't seem to form words

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 first job is now to talk him down. after that will be time to rip him a new one. and possibly break up with him.

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 except as soon as jack snaps out of it, he beats gabe to it and shakily tells him he's leaving.

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 gabe, you've lost the upper hand once again. Gabe tells him oh no the fuck he isn't, he's going to stay there and explain himself and Gabe is gonna let him have it. Gabe actually physically gets between Jack and the door, and Jack is visibly shaking. Desperate, he tells Gabe that he can make him move, but Gabe calls his bluff. 'Do it, then. I'll call you to account for that, too.'

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 "you wanna break up, right?" jack says, trying to sound angry and intimidating but failing miserably. "then we're done. let me out. i'll never bother you again."

sure, that might end up being the end game for them, but gabe doesn't like how jack is rushing to get there

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 'I don't know yet if that's what I want. You fucked up, Jack. No getting around it. And don't think I'm not fucking pissed at you over it. But I'm still willing to hear your side before throwing you out.'

'I can save you the trouble.'

firesonic152 - 11/01/2017 qOq

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/01/2017 'If you're so dead set on leaving, then why am I still standing in your way?'

He watches Jack crumple, and has to keep a rein on his pity. Just because Jack isn't taking advantage right now doesn't mean he was right to in the past.

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 'Why, Jack?' He's a bit surprised that the question is the first thing that comes out, but Jack answers.

'He was going to kill you.'

'But once the immediate danger was past, you stopped me.'

He shrugs, looking like a man condemned. 'Once I'm using it, it's hard to focus the effects. It only lasts a day, and it begins to wear off when I'm not around.'

He isn't making excuses, and Gabe presses. 'What about the first time?'

'I didn't know you were Reaper. I didn't want you to get hurt.'

'Have there been any other times you've done it to me?'

'No. I swear.'

ughhh. i think i need to turn in.

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 QoQ I'M SO UPSET

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 it could prolly be worse. we can re-work this bit to make it worse tomorrow, if you want.

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 oh god. thanks XDDD this one is your fault btw

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 how tf is this MY fault???

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 you made it angsty lmao

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 i did no such thing. my thought for big plot point was to have one of the directors of the camp show up in town w more research and tech and a program promising to remove superpowers--sort of like a reverse SEP. and Jack recognizes the dude immediately and gets super aggressive and angry about him.

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 LOL well we can still do that

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 lol tomorrow. also, don't let me forget about Jack being tempted to use the serum or whatevs on himself

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 OH GOD hugs go to bed XD

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 hugs night night =u= <3

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 jack takes an offensive stance and says, "gabriel. i'm not going to order you. but i'm leaving and if that means i have to fight you, i will."

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! What if Jack, like, for serious leaves? Leaves Gabe's house, leaves the whole city. Goes on the move doing his 76 thing. Gabe had let him go thinking they could both take some time, then talk things out and figure out what it meant for them, but Jack just completely disappears on him.

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 omg QoQ he tries to visit Jack's house only to find someone else moved in there. Jack won't pick up the phone. He next hears about 76 being sighted across the country

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 Now the quandary is: use ridiculous wealth to chase down exboyfriend who can mind control him (but who Gabe really misses) or not?

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 Isn't that always the question XDD At first he's kinda pissed at Jack for just up and bolting but the more he lets it stew, the more he gets worried and lonely can Gabe get kidnapped or something and Jack comes back for him ??

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 lol one the local chapters of the gang 76 has been tormenting is all: 'hey, remember when Reaper & 76 used to hang around a lot? Let's grab Reaper & use him as bait.'

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 LOL ahh what if there's a group that like figured out 76's ability and wants to use it for themselves coughs// talon doomfist is v smart after all

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 lol

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 doomfist like straight up overpowers reaper and holds him hostage

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 jack's gonna be soooooooooo pissed

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 yeppp

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 he tried SO HARD

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 and doomfist like takes measures to make sure 76 can't use his power against them like special noise canceling ear plugs and pre-recorded messages and shit so yeah jack shows up kinda vaguely aware that this is 100% a trap but not really caring he puts up a fight and takes out all the grunts without too much trouble but doomfist is another story lmao and doomfist was kind enough to allow gabe to watch this entire thing. gabe is Dying.

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 of embarrasment for having been turned into the bait? did one of hte grunts hang a sign around his neck that read bait?

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 LMAO he's like beaten tf up and his pride is in shambles and now jack's fucking taking the bait like an idiot doomfist beats jack up and keeps taunting jack about how he's wasting his powers

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 .......... what if jack like after the blow up with gabe he can't get rid of his powers but someone could get rid of him

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 QOQ he just wants to make sure that gabe can get out and then...

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 so he just lets Doomfist do what he's doing and kick the crap out of him. lol what if one of the Reaperbeans followed him? And Jack figures it can get Gabe out while he creates a diversion (read: gets himself beaten to death)

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 qOq gabe hates seeing jack get the shit kicked out of him but he manages to escape with the help of the reap bean and figures now they can get out together but. jack doesn't follow.

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 in true dramatic fashion, is there a bomb somewhere, or are we skipping that cliche? XD

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 LOL like just as he gets out there's an explosion and he thinks jack is dead kind of cliche??

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 maybe even Jack brings the bomb and he's gonna take out Talon's leader (& himself, no biggie)

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 jkdnskcnxmvs HOW DOES JACK SURVIVE

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 the reaperbeans flock to his stupid ass. Gabe has to dig him out of the rubble and get him home.

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 skajdnakf jack is all fucked up and unconscious. gabe drags him home and jack is PISSED when he wakes up ((pissed at the fact that he did wake up mostly))

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 XD

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 gabe greets him with a "WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING." jack just glares at him and rolls over, unwilling to say anything to him

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 'It's what you thought, too, isn't it?' Jack grumbles. 'That a power like mine shouldn't exist? Couldn't agree more.' He curls tighter into a ball, unwelcoming of anger or concern.

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 gabe finally realizes that nobody could hate jack's power more than jack himself ? |D

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 AND KNOWING IS HALF THE BATTLE

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 it suddenly hits him that jack set the bomb he thought it was talon even though it didn't really make much sense

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 Gabe feels like someone just knocked the wind out of him. 'Jesus, Jack,' he breathes. He wants so badly to reach out, but this is they first time they've been together since Jack picked up and left town. He isn't sure what's allowed. Hesitantly, expecting Jack to lash out or bolt, he runs his fingers lightly down Jack's arm. When he gets no mor response than a shiver, he sets his palm against Jack's shoulder and strokes soothingly up and down.

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 qoq

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 knee jerk reaction was to finally have Jack break down into tears & Gabe climbs into bed behind him to hold him thorugh it. but. dunno if that really fits

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 i want him to accidentally tell gabe to back off with his Command Voice and then collapses even more in on himself

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 y u do this?

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 like as soon as he says it and gabe moves back, jack's like "NO no fuck no i didn't mean...."

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 if Jack can't control it, then it's going to be an on going problem, though. Like, what's gonna happen when they fuck? Gabe would do him a mischief if he couldn't keep from obeying Jack shouting out deeper-harder-faster

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 hhhhhhhhh now there's a thought * w *

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 oh my god

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 jack just losing it while gabe fucks him and all his pleading driving gabe insane, something thrilling about the fact that he'd obey anyway but he can't refuse asdjsjbvh

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 you are gonna do him a mischief Gabe goes so hard he snaps Jack's spine lol

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 jesussss i feel like half the problem though is that he just denies his powers altogether so he has no idea how to stop them either HE NEEDS TO FACE HIS FEARS AND ALL THAT

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 pls imagine gabe laughing so hard he can't breathe bc jack yells at his avatar in mario cart to go faster as if that will actually work

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 LMAO AHAHAH

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 anyways. Jack can't control his powers. Gabe has seen how much Jack hates his power, and he loves him and is going ot trust that Jack won't turn it against him on purpose, or continue using it once he has--but they DEFINITELY need to have a talk. ((haha remember the one we did where gabe was a useless demon and almost burned down his kitchen trying to make soup for jack and also he had no bowls to put the soup in?))

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 LMAO THAT ONE WAS FUN and yes they need to talk Okay so Jack and gabe need to talk about his powers and they're finally getting somewhere maybe and then the scientist guy shows up w ideas on how to get rid of someone's power

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 AND OFF JACK GOES!

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 He hates the concept but. In his case it really would make his life way easier. so he secretly makes an appointment with the guy

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 AND IT'S ONE OF THE ASSHOLES FROM THE CAMP

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 YEP oh god the guy like recognizes him too and is super polite and nice and being like "ah child I'm so glad we can finally help you" and shit and all those old feelings of wanting to be anyone but himself come bubbling up to the surface for Jack

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 ; ;

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 he keeps it together for the consultation but afterwards he starts thinking about his parents and falls apart a little

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 TT^TT goes out and gets drunk off his ass.

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 Hhhh Gabe gets a call from the bar to come pick him up

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 he keeps asking what set thi off, bc usually Jack can at least cut himself off and make it home (they live together now!!), but Jack refuses to say

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 HHHH Jack's primary defense mechanism in this one is to shut up. It's what he's used to.

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 you're killin me dude

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 qwq Gabe just wants Jack to talk to him about things. He doesn't know why Jack shuts down and won't say anything He understands Jack's whole self-loathing deal but this particular defense mechanism is such a break from how Jack usually is

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 so how does he get Jack to talk? Or does he hear about the supposed cure and seek out the guy offering it when he realizes that the name was one of the ones he came across while looking into Jack's past?

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 Maybe the guy calls the house to follow up on the consultation and gabe is like WTF

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 oooh. that one. so, are we playing this guy as honestly regretful of the way that camp was handled but still thinking powers are impure and best to be avoided/elliminated? or is he manipulative and a bit evil?

just curious about whether he would tell Gabe a little bit about what happened to Jack when he was younger.

Jack needs fukkin therapy, dude.

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 he does lmao I think this guy is evil/manipulative but genuinely believes he's doing right ya know

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/02/2017 lays it on thick with 'Jack's case was severely mishandled when he was younger, but from our talk earlier, it was obvious that he's in the right mindset. We're here to work with him now, not silence him.'

firesonic152 - 11/02/2017 GABE HAS SO MANY QUESTIONS Like "silence him?" What's with that specific wording...

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/03/2017 ugh that specific wording is proof that i'm no longer ay good with braining today. maybe he assumed that Gabe knew about what happened to Jack and he was trying to convince him that this is what Jack wants. i'mma go ahead and turn in night night <3<3<3

firesonic152 - 11/03/2017 Yeah exactly !! That wording tips Gabe off Ahhhhh good night <33

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/03/2017 :sparkling_heart:

firesonic152 - 11/03/2017 gggghh i was thinking again about jack like being forcibly silent as a kid and like. depending on how early it started he could have had so many developmental delays regarding speech skjfnesfkj

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/03/2017 something to check out when i've got a bit more time later today, sort of find a quick reference about how that might affect someone. in the maentime, him being so rude all the time (and preferring texts) might stem from odd speech patterns--if he's mean, people won't want to talk to him so much, and it just became a habit over the years.

firesonic152 - 11/03/2017 QoQ also just. general lack of good social skills ^^;; sometimes he just pronounces words wrong and tends to overreact to being corrected

SuspiciousPopsicle - 11/03/2017 well, yeah. XD like, it just started out as being defensive over his speech, and got worse with time as being rude got him what he wanted: less expectations that he talk to people. aww...poor isolated Jack. ;;

firesonic152 - 11/03/2017 q-q hhh this is the shit I'm studying I'm excited about this LOL Not this specific kind of case obviously but I am taking a class on language disorders and shit

[bunnimew]

Please Have Snow and Mistletoe Chapter 5

@anxiety-jack

Jack Frost/Pitch Black

Rated T for language

Word count at 6.6k and we’re still not done!

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 AO3 link Ko-fi Patreon

The pov switching is normal by now.

The room was in chaos.

Every spirit still roped into playing seemed to have come to an unspoken agreement to bullshit as long as possible to delay the start of the next game. There was one in particular who had asked North where the marshmallows were five times already and every time turned in the opposite direction to the one she was told.

A true hero.

Pitch had made his way to the edge of the room, prepared to loom and look uninviting for as long as it took. The silly rodent had already gathered their bag of marshmallows, and the way he was eyeing it, Pitch wasn’t sure they would make it to the game.

Jack and Bunny were already back to arguing with each other. Pitch would be pleased if he didn’t know how little that mattered. They could fight all day and night for weeks at a time and Jack would still, at the end of it all, choose the Guardians over him. Pitch had made his offer more than once. Jack was loyal to his cause. It was as endearing as it was frustrating.

They made it to shoving each other in the shoulder a grand total of three times before Jack gave it up and walked away. After North’s twelve descriptions of where the marshmallows were, Jack had no problem making his way over.

Pitch, however, had a big problem with it.

There was a rather large and… skillfully-put-together, Pitch begrudgingly admitted only in his head, bouquet of mistletoe directly in the path of Jack, and Tooth had just fluttered up beside him as escort to the marshmallows. Pitch did not want to sit through another sweet and silly bonding of Guardians via forced kisses.

Especially with Jack, but Pitch wasn’t looking at that bit too closely right now.

Right now, he just wanted to spare his eyes the chore of enduring chummy Guardians smiling all over each other while Pitch stood in the corner and sulked harder. So Pitch decided not to sulk, and get some revenge instead.

It barely took a thought to summon the puddle of shadows beneath Jack’s feet.

The startled yelp swallowed by the darkness was so satisfying.

Tooth’s glare, doubly so.

The sudden crash over by the marshmallow table was but a cherry on top.

Pitch’s elation lasted only as long as it took for the nudge against his hip to register. The King of Nightmares did a double-take because holy shit, when had the Sandman gotten that close? He hopped to the side as far as his long legs would allow, but...

No.

No.

The little golden ball of imminent doom was pointing up.

Pitch refused to look.

Thankfully, Jack hadn’t actually broken anything in his landing. Overturned a table, yes. Spilled an artistically arranged bowl of fruit, check. Launched every single bag of marshmallows into the air and laid there while every single one came back down to pelt him in the face and chest? Absolutely.

He didn’t know what he’d done to offend Pitch, until he thought about it a second and realized he’d done a lot in the past few months that might have offended Pitch. Okay, yeah, he deserved a little targeted table flipping. Still, Jack wondered why he started his payback now.

An undignified sound of strangled desperation made Jack look up from collecting apples off the floor. He winced, but couldn’t look away from the train wreck that was Sandy dragging Pitch back to the mistletoe by ropes of dreamsand. That could not have been how the Nightmare King meant for this prank to go.

“Okay! Back in line!” North commanded. Apparently he’d taken it upon himself to deliver the bag of marshmallows to the wayward hero of them all, thus rendering them out of time. Jack tossed his bag in the air and caught it, wondering how Bunny and he were gonna fuck this one up.

“Is snowball fight!”

Or not. Jack could definitely nail Bunny with marshmallows, not a problem.

“First throws marshmallow, second catches in mouth!”

Nevermind.

Still, it wasn’t an argument who would be throwing. Bunny could try, but in a snowball fight, no one had better accuracy than Jack. All Bunny would have to do, is catch.

With his mouth.

Surely it was big enough to handle that.

…

It was not big enough to handle that.

The problem wasn’t actually Bunny’s mouth, it was that Bunny’s mouth moved. Jack had excellent aim, but he couldn’t get Bunny to trust that for the life of him. Every perfectly thrown marshmallow was thwarted by Bunny trying to catch it. And Jack was so done.

“Hold. Still.”

“Just throw it!”

“Not until you promise to stay still!”

“We’re gonna lose!”

“Because of you.”

Pitch was, honestly, bored out of his mind. He felt like all he was doing was feeding the gopher in the most difficult way possible. The gopher, as it happened, didn’t seem to mind.

Except, of course, when he missed.

Pitch’s smirk was well settled after the second marshmallow nearly took out an eye. Unintentionally.

It was his only source of amusement. That is, until Jack started throwing marshmallows purposely off-point to make the rabbit dive for them. That.

That was funny.

With Pitch sabotaging his own team anyway, he didn’t see the harm in finding out whether Bunny would dive for just any marshmallow. With as natural an act as possible, the Nightmare King lopped a sweet confectionary away from his own partner toward Jack’s, instead.

And nailed him in the face.

Oops.

“Whaddya think you’re doin’?” the rabbit demanded, and Pitch could understand his ire, but really, if he’d caught it in his mouth, that would have been a point, wouldn’t it?

“Yeah,” Jack echoed, and his words were the same but his expression was not. Jack was obviously entertained. “What’re you doing, Pitch?”

And then he threw a marshmallow at him.

Pitch was so shocked he forgot to dodge.

He was not so shocked that he didn’t retaliate.

The groundhog was disappointed and Bunny was pissed, but there was no stopping them now. Pitch’s aim wasn’t as good as Jack’s, but the frost spirit’s ability to dodge paled next to Pitch. Jack could throw three at a time but that only meant he ran through his half-a-bag of marshmallows first and had to steal another spirit’s to keep going.

They must not have been the only bored spirits because it barely took a minute for the rest of the line to join them. Catching spirits raced to the marshmallow table to grab their own bags and, in one notable case, throw the entire unopened thing across the room to peg friend or foe alike.

It was definitely the minority trying to return to the official game and they went utterly ignored as rivalry upon rivalry exhausted itself in sugary war. Pitch tuned them out, unable to focus on anything but diving away from Jack’s strikes and launching his own. True to his word, the man was good at snowball fights and Pitch was definitely taking more hits than he’d like.

To the face.

Because, of course.

Pitch had one and only one trick up his sleeve. The next time he disappeared into a shadow to escape a not one, not two, but three marshmallow slap to the face, he reappeared in Jack’s shadow, just behind him.

He lifted everything left in his bag over Jack’s head and prepared to flip it over.

He never got the chance.

That spry little nymph of a Guardian must have figured out his plan because he spun around just in time to fucking tackle Pitch to the floor and what had he ever done to deserve that exactly?

They hit the floor hard, but Pitch still went with his plan, repositioning his bag and upending the whole thing over Jack. It was a bit like shooting himself in the foot since Jack was, in turn, over Pitch.

And then the asshole one-upped him by turning his bag over on Pitch’s face.

Fuck everything, would he ever win?

Scratch that. Pitch already knew the answer.

And then a whole goddamn bag hit him on the side from who knows where and the Nightmare King gave up on life right then and there.

But the worst part, the absolute worst part, was that his irritation didn’t even last. Not when Jack’s laugh was so obviously delighted and nowhere near mean.

That wasn’t fair.

All that was left to do was sulk harder.

“Oh my God, Pitch,” Jack could barely keep his chuckles under control, “That… That was… You know what?” Pitch didn’t. “Thank you. Thank you for that, because I think I was actually about to murder Bunny. For real, this time.”

Pitch could think of only one thing to say to that.

“Aw, rats.”

Which just made Jack dissolve into peals of laughter all over again. Pitch minded even less this time, which said something, which meant something, that he was almost ready to deal with.

But not yet.

“I didn’t do it for you, you know. I realize it’s hard for you to imagine, but my world does not, in fact, revolve around you.”

Jack shook his head, broad smile still in place, “No, I know, I know. But you needed to hear it from someone. This was the best thing to happen at this party so far, and you started it.”

“Yes, well, I’m not terribly good at following the rules.”

Jack shrugged one shameless shoulder, “Me neither.”

“Game over! Game over!” North shouted from the other side of the room, and if Pitch wasn’t mistaken, he sounded on the verge of panic, “Yetis, find winners. Everyone else, there is one last game!”

Pitch groaned and dropped his head to the floor, surprised when he heard and felt Jack do the same to his chest. Wasn’t that just a tad too familiar? Then again, it was Jack Frost.

“I guess our break is over,” he heard the Guardian mutter dejectedly.

“And the torture continues,” Pitch agreed.

They untangled themselves and stood up from the floor, brushing off wayward marshmallows as they found them. An impressive five had made a home in the bowl of Jack’s hood, and by the time they were presentable again, a yeti was right there with what was obviously a decorated tissue box attached to a ribbon belt.

“Next game is called,” they heard North announce, “Jingle in the trunk!”

Pitch immediately escaped into the floor and left Jack to deal with that on his own.

[obdurare-archive-blog]

you knew this was going to happen. ship meme. lizzie and hector. ♡¯\_(ツ)_/¯

General:

Rate the Ship -  Awful | Ew | No pics pls | I’m not comfortable | Alright | I like it! | Got Pics? | Let’s do it! | Why is this not getting more attention?! | The OTP to rule all other OTPs | They will end me.How long will they last? -  They’re compatible enough to be long term as long as a certain someone doesn’t fuck it up Hector.How quickly did/will they fall in love? -  Since this is the opposite from Hector’s end:  He just turned around and got smacked in the face with it one day.  Oh, there was a lead up but he soldiered on, sure it wasn’t what he thought it was until no, it really is the thing he thought it wasn’t.How was their first kiss? -  Impulsive, because he knew it was a thing that shouldn’t happen.  So awkward because of that.  But here they are.

Wedding:

Who proposed? - Hector.  After several not so subtle hints.  Probably just dropped it into casual conversation, too, like, “Hey, we’re out of coffee, and by the way, I was thinking, and if you’re serious about the whole getting married thing, let’s go ahead and do it.”  Not the most flowery romantic thing, really, but genuine.Who is the best man/men? - Jack, who is probably the most smug bastard on the fact of the planet.  With lots of, “Well, it was nice knowing you, mate”s and “Good luck on that boring domesticity”s.  Jack, it should be noted, has a black eye at the wedding.Who is the braid’s maid(s)? - Anamaria.Who did the most planning? -  Elizabeth.  Hector’s not gonna touch any of it, lbr here.  He knows better.  Because he knows she’s playing that this or that game on purpose and he’s not going to take the bait.  The entire thing is really for her, so if she wants eggshell over white or lace over embroidery, he’s not going to pick either one, because whatever he picks will be wrong.Who stressed the most? -  Honestly, on the one hand, Elizabeth.  On the other, Hector, because he definitely has a moment of no really, what the fuck are you doing considering their lifestyles, his age, etc.  He gets over it, though.How fancy was the ceremony? - Small.  Very small.  Think the most private wedding you’ve been to and make it smaller.  Only the most trusted people in their little circle and there aren’t very many of those at all.Back of a pickup truck | 2 | 3 | 4 | Normal Church Wedding | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Kate and William wish they were this big.Who was specifically not invited to the wedding? -  Just about everyone they know?  Because lbr they know some very Not Good People.  Again, super small wedding (and also less people to see Hector make an ass of himself, lbr here).  Hector is, at heart, a paranoid bastard and while, hey, he knows he lucked out in every department because pretty he’s never been, he’s also not exactly eager to make her a target, or himself a target against her.

Sex:

Who is on top? - Usually Hector but lbr.  Even if it’s Lizzie he’ll still try to be more dominate.  He gonna do as he do.Who is the one to instigate things? -  Even split now, Hector at the first.  Like, look, friendo, have you seen Elizabeth?  There’s nothing wrong with his eyesight or anything else, thanks.How healthy is their sex life? - Barely touch themselves let alone each other | 2 | 3 | 4 | Once a couple weeks, nothing overboard | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They are humping each other on the couch right nowHow kinky are they? - Straight missionary with the lights off | 2 | 3 | 4 | Might try some butt stuff and toys | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Don’t go into the sex dungeon without a horse’s headHow long do they normally last? -  Like we’re not talking marathons here, friend, because that’s completely unrealistic but he’s got a little staying power, jfc, give a man some credit.Do they make sure each person gets an equal amount of orgasms? - Like, look, okay, he tries.  But he’s an assassin, Jim, not a miracle worker.  I’d say it pretty much probably evens out.How rough are they in bed? - Softer than a butterfly on the back of a bunny | 2 | 3 | 4 | The bed’s shaking and squeaking every time | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Their dirty talk is so vulgar it’d make Dwayne Johnson blush. Also, the wall’s so weak it could collapse the next time they do it.How much cuddling/snuggling do they do? - No touching after sex | 2 | 3 | 4 | A little spooning at night, or on the couch, but not in public | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They snuggle and kiss more often than a teen couple on their fifth date to a pillow factory.Children:

How many children will they have naturally? -  On purpose?  None.  I feel like…A modern Hector at that point?  Probably snipped.How many children will they adopt? - 0.Who gets stuck with the most diapers? -  Hector.  Because any kids they have will 100% be an accident (because really, he doesn’t at all want any and so they’d also be Against All Odds).  But he would, hypothetically, and after an awkward stage, take to being a parent well (without his canon background in the way). Who is the stricter parent? -  Elizabeth.Who stops the kid(s) from doing dangerous stunts after school? - E L I Z A B E T HWho remembers to pack the lunch(es)? -  Definitely Elizabeth.Who is the more loved parent? -  I will debate this and say it’s an even split if anything. Especially when said hypothetical kid was little.Who is more likely to attend the PTA meetings?  Elizabeth.  Hector’s not allowed there anymore.  Marcy didn’t appreciate his blunt commentary.Who cried the most at graduation? - Elizabeth.  Hector doesn’t do that crying thing.Who is more likely to bail the child(ren) out of trouble with the law? -  Hector.  Because as scary as he is, Elizabeth’s scarier.Cooking:

Who does the most cooking? - Neither one of them, to be honest.  They’re just not really very good at it.  But if an Attempt Is Made, nine times out of ten it’s Elizabeth that makes it.Who is the most picky in their food choice? -  Hector only because he mostly refuses to change his dietary habits at all.  He’s such a baby about it he had to be plied with gummy multivitamins.Who does the grocery shopping? -  “””Grocery shopping.”””  Hector will only do it if forced or dragged along.How often do they bake desserts? -  Hector?  Not at all.  His idea of baking desserts is…Okay, so.  He’s so terrible at it?  Those pizzas you bake that come with the cookies, too?  He’ll just shove those back in the freezer, because he cannot bake at all.Are they more of a meat lover or a salad eater? -  Elizabeth can keep shoving rabbit food at him all she wants, he’s gonna do as he do.  He’ll do it in front of her to prove a point, because he’s not a cow and he doesn’t want to eat grass.Who is more likely to surprise the other(s) with an anniversary dinner? -  Hector.  Like, look, okay, he can be a real asshole, and he has trouble trusting and all of that happy shit.  But at the end of the day he’s a giant sap who just can’t help himself.Who is more likely to suggest going out? -  It’s true.  Hector is very lazy and will suggest this thing over attempting to cook.  Especially between the pair of them they can make things that are edible but not…Very…Good.Who is more likely to burn the house down accidentally while cooking? -  Elizabeth.  Hector is currently 547 days kitchen accident free.Chores:

Who cleans the room? - Probably Elizabeth (because lbr canon Hector’s not what you’d call neat or organized either).  Hector’s the type to drop wet towels in the bathroom floor when he’s done with them (he’s, sadly, also the type to just walk through naked after the fact and not really care - he’s at home, don’t look if you have a problem with it).Who is really against chores? -  Hector.Who cleans up after the pets? -  Hector, because that’s the one thing he won’t bitch too hard about.Who is more likely to sweep everything under the rug? -  Hector.  Can’t find the dust pan?  Fuck it, no one will know.Who stresses the most when guests are coming over? -  Neither?  Like, if anyone does actually come over it’s probably like Jack, and pfft.  Yeah, it’s just Jack.Who found a dollar between the couch cushions while cleaning? -  Elizabeth.  And it’s probably Hector’s dollar, too.  That change in the cushions she finds, too?  Yeah, probably all his.Misc:

Who takes the longer showers/baths? -   Elizabeth.  He has no idea what she’s really doing in there but when she finally emerges it’s like a flower shop threw up and there’s glitter everywhere.Who takes the dog out for a walk? -  Cats.  (Hector would totally want a dog, though.)How often do they decorate the room/house for the holidays? -  Hardly???  Ever???  Decorations are invitations to be bothered, in Hector’s opinion.  What are their goals for the relationship? -  His?  To not murder Elizabeth.  To not get caught murdering someone for Elizabeth.  And to not get murdered.  In that order.Who is most likely to sleep till noon? -  Both?  Probably?  Hector was once upon a time an early riser but then he met his lazy sod of a girl and now he sleeps in entirely too late thanks to her and simply the way The Job works.Who plays the most pranks? -  Hector.  More verbal ones than anything, but it’s how he’s going to get murdered by Elizabeth.

[victorineb]

Fic Recs Mega Post

More fic recs for you fabulous fannibals, this time round there’s rare pairs a-plenty, actual devil Will Graham, and a fabulous Pacific Rim crossover AU

The Marriage of Heaven and Hell: Volume 1 by @fragile-teacup (fragile-teacup (Mrs_Gene_Hunt)): So what are the chances that Will and Hannibal emerge from the Atlantic with all their issues resolved, finally a stable unit, murder husbands for life? Pretty much none, right? Certainly, in this beautifully-written post-TWotL fic, there is still a massive amount of that typical Hannigram miscommunication, obfuscation and downright stubbornness that keeps our boys from their happy ending. None of which is made better by Hannibal keeping Will sedated while he recovers from his injuries, or by sequestering them in the house of the one person guaranteed to drive Will out of his mind with jealousy… Centred on that dinner hinted at by the post-credits scene in TWotL, this winds the tension between Will and Hannibal (and Bedelia) to a fever pitch, in an absolute riot of bitchiness, resentment and pining. And then busts everything wide open when Will just can’t keep his emotions under wraps any longer…

Tomorrow, More Sun by @shiphitsthefan: Beardogs (Nigel/Lee) is a new pairing for me but it took precisely five paragraphs of this fantastic fic to make me fall in love. For those who aren’t aware, Lee is the Hugh from the infamous “I like bears” gif, and more specifically is an adorable ball of sass and joy who loves wine and is suffering from terminal cancer (but don’t worry, this is very much not an angsty story). Anyway, our tale begins when Lee is suffering from the worst post-chemo effects of his life and, desperate for relief, begs his dealer – a certain formerly very bad man from Bucharest – to drive out in the snow and provide him with a hit. Now, I mentioned the part where Lee likes bears, right? And there’s no-one more bearlike than Nigel – even “New Nigel,” who’s had to reform his ways (a little) as a result of the bullet in his brain landing him in a wheelchair – and Lee is, unsurprisingly, infatuated. There follows a charming and romantic tale of getting high, telling wicked jokes, and maybe, just maybe, falling in love (but definitely getting the best shag of either man’s life).

To Fuel Your Radiance by @fancybedelia (GoldenUsagi): Mischa Lecter should have died. Should have… and did, except that her brother made a deal with the devil. Hannibal’s soul in exchange for Mischa’s life. Some forty years later, the devil pays Hannibal a visit (disguised as a rather handsome, blue-eyed man named Will) in order to see what he’s done with his life. And, as is the Hannigram way, a mutual interest quickly turns to something much more twisted and obsessive. The brilliant thing about this AU is that, despite being a devilishly sexy (literally), self-assured, phenomenally powerful version of himself, Will is still Will. He’s not some malevolent, flamboyant devourer of souls, he’s still conflicted and weighed down by the nature of what he is. Which leaves Hannibal to take up the role of tempter (yes, even to the Devil himself), drawing Will into killing with him (which, admittedly, takes much less effort with this version!) and falling helplessly in love with the beast that emerges.

Ugly by @slashyrogue (nightliferogue): We as a fandom should be immensely grateful to count slashy as one of our number. She turns out a frankly staggering number of AUs and rare pair fics (in addition to her wonderful Hannigram works) and they are all, without exception, imaginative and beautifully written. Recently she’s been writing a lot of Basic Chickens and this, her most recent (at the time of writing) might be the best yet. When Elias finds a strange, black egg in amongst the chickens, his superstitious brothers order him to smash it, fearing it contains a demon. Elias (of course, this is Elias) refuses, and tends to the egg until it hatches, revealing a small, black, winged monster, which Elias decides to keep,  christening it “Ugly.” Which is all well and good until it turns out that Ugly also sometimes takes the form of a man (quickly renamed Adam) whose determined seduction of Elias has worrying, potentially dangerous side-effects. This is Basic Chickens with a brilliant supernatural twist and the story is sexy, sweet, constantly surprising and very, very much worth your time.

Stricken by @crossroadscastiel (peacefrog): So say, instead of landing on the rocks at the bottom of that cliff, Will and Hannibal instead land in a completely different universe, one where everything seems to be the same, except that they’re not dead from their horrifying injuries. Seems like a win, right? Oh, except there’s the little issue of Hannibal suddenly producing slick and the pair of them needing to shag like bunnies every five minutes or they’ll explode. Yep, the boys are not in Baltimore anymore, they’re in an omegaverse, Hannibal’s in heat, and if they can stop knotting each other’s brains out for long enough, they’re going to need to have a serious talk about feelings. Wanna bet how well that turns out? This is such a fun exploration of the omegaverse concept, with our intrepid murder husbands utterly baffled by what’s happening to them and how they can deal with it. It’s also sexy and sweet as hell – if you’re not into a/b/o, give this a shot, I’d be surprised if it doesn’t change your mind.

Ananta by @unicornmagic (canis_m): A what-if fic, with the what-if in question being ‘how might things have gone, had Hannibal not rubber-stamped Will back into the field but instead recommended he receive further treatment. Oh, and asked him on a date while he’s at it.’ Well, in this ‘verse, it means Will stays away from murder scenes while Hannibal takes his place, that Will starts therapy with a certain blonde ice-queen, and Will has to navigate the beginnings of a relationship with Hannibal while contemplating when he should reveal that he’s asexual. This is a beautifully-paced, patiently crafted exploration of the complex relationship between these two characters and the ways in which they fit together with each other unlike with anyone else. Will’s asexuality is written with grace and sensitivity, as the writer explores the other, less obvious intimacies that he and Hannibal share. If you need something lovely in your life, read this.

The Best of All Possible Worlds by @desperatelyseekingcannibals (TigerPrawn): Mortimer (from Hysteria) is one of my favourite Hugh roles, so I’m always delighted when the adorable, slightly bumbly doctor turns up in a fic. And this one is so much fun, pairing Mortimer with Galen from Rogue One (via some timey-wimey shenanigans that land Galen back in ye olde England) and developing a very sweet romance between the two, even as they try to figure out how to get Galen home. These are two of the most decent characters in the madancy back catalogue and they work really wonderfully together, Mortimer’s eager earnestness nicely grounded by Galen’s steadiness. Plus I was very pleasantly surprised by how much chemistry the characters have together – not to put to fine a point on it, but they’re wicked hot XD. The rare pairs phenomenon is truly the gift that keeps on giving and this is one of my favourite ships to come out of it, please do hop on board and prepare to be totally charmed.

A Way to Live by @sugarmaus (Sugarmouse): Hannibal Lecter is in the market for a new slave. He goes through them quickly, always on the lookout for some elusive something that even Hannibal doesn’t seem able to define. When he spots Will Graham in the dealer’s catalogue, he thinks there’s a chance he may have found it, and when he sees the man in the flesh he is almost certain of it. But Hannibal soon learns an important lesson: Never Underestimate Will Graham. And so begins a complex, high-stakes game of shifting identities and hidden desires between master and slave, with Hannibal’s rigid control slipping further and further as he loses himself to his fascination with getting inside Will’s mind. Essentially an AU in which Hannibal can buy and dispose of murder interns instead of influencing them via therapy this is a sharp and intense character study of our darling cannibal. Hannibal’s ennui and loneliness are front and centre here as he both strives to gain control over Will and hopes that he will not be able to. It’s fascinating, compelling, intelligent stuff, with more than a few surprises up its sleeves.

Fais Do-Do by @moku-youbi: Will is on the run. He has lost control and shot a man, and now he’s tasted blood for the first time and Jack Crawford is on his tail. Which is how he winds up staying at The Little Bear Inn, owned by Mischa Lecter and currently being run by her brother while she is unwell. Of course, this is an establishment run by the Lecters, so nothing is quite as it seems and it may not turn out to be the safe haven Will is looking for. Even if Hannibal is unexpectedly easy to talk to (and not too hard on the eyes, either). Then again, Will’s got some secrets of his own, and we all know what happens to people who underestimate Will Graham… This is a really fun trip through some classic horror tropes, stylishly fusing a Hitchcockian vibe with supernatural elements as Will’s paranoia grows in the face of the Lecters’ strange behaviour and the threat of Jack hunting him down. It’s atmospheric, sexy, and thrilling – old-fashioned horror at its very best.

An American Empath in London by @legohanniballecter (MaddyHughes): In this (very slight) Sherlock crossover AU, Jack loans out Will to Scotland Yard in order to aid them in investigating a series of horrific murders involving Tory politicians (seeing as their normal consulting detective recently jumped off a roof…). Except here, Will hasn’t met Hannibal Lecter, not until he sits next to him on the plane to London, that is, though it doesn’t take long for the pair to become intimately acquainted. Yeah, ain’t no slow burn around here, and Will finds himself in a strange city, attempting to deal with a case that frustrates him, a police force that doesn’t understand him, and an intense, overwhelming attraction to a man he barely knows. Not to mention that Hannibal’s up to his usual tricks: murder, manipulation, and winding Will Graham up to see how he goes. Two years in the making, this densely-plotted, highly intelligent case fic also features some seriously intense Hannigram, with its trademark mix of sexual tension, blood and mind games turned up to the nth degree. I highly recommend giving it a shot – once I started, I found it nigh-on impossible to put down!

And Do Abominable Things With Grace by @thedancingwalrus-blog (The_Dancing_Walrus): I love and adore Pacific Rim, let’s get that out of the way. That said, it’s not exactly the subtlest movie ever made and I always kind of wished they’d done more to explore the concept of drifting. Well, wish granted and with Hannigram into the bargain in this fascinating crossover AU. Set sometime in s2, after Will’s mistrial but before his release, things diverge sharply from canon when Beverly and the FBI arrest Hannibal for his crimes. And then leave canon in the fucking dust when the first Kaiju arrives and Will and Hannibal are kidnapped by the government to be used as guinea pigs in the development of drift technology. Of course, it turns out that fusing the consciousnesses of two people like Will and Hannibal – who are pretty much inextricably bonded from their first glance anyway – has some interesting, and not altogether pleasant, side-effects. This is a genuinely stunning piece of work, playing with POVs and levels of consciousness to portray the invasive intimacy of being forcibly mind-melded with another person and written with a lyrical, experimental style that is both effective and highly memorable. It also has one of the most interesting, insightful depictions of the relationship between Hannibal and Will I’ve had the fortune to read – by turns sad, hopeful and endearing, and never less than utterly beautiful.

Caging the Beast by Vulcanmi: How many have us have begged pleaded wondered how things might have gone if Will had called off his Mizumono dinner plans with Jack and Hannibal? In this AU the stupid idiot our intrepid empath does just that, and, having realised that he doesn’t want to live in a world where Hannibal is behind bars, sets about constructing one in which he can tame the beast and put it in a cage of his own. His decision sets everybody on an unfamiliar path but while some things change (no Florentine jaunt for Bedelia this time), others just can’t be avoided (Mason still needs to be someone’s bacon, and Will and Hannibal still dance around each other like a pair of nervous teenagers). Or put off forever, as Will’s growing awareness of the nature of his feelings for Hannibal shows. Many Mizumono fix-its focus on the murder fam running off together and trying to avoid capture. This takes the opposite approach, keeping everybody in Baltimore with the inherent dangers and tensions that involves, extending the game between Will, Hannibal and Jack, even as the former two inch their way towards true Murder Husband status. It’s a fascinating reframing of canon, retaining many elements from s3 but with Will and Hannibal acting as a team and a family. I lost count of the number of times I sighed “If only…” while I was reading this – if you still dream of what could have been that rainy night in Baltimore, this is definitely the fic for you.

Yet Another Hannigram S1 AU (series) by @coloredink: Fans of intense, complex, drawn-out conversations between Will and Hannibal (which is… all of us, right?) will be in heaven with this two-part series set sometime post-Tobias Budge in s1. Both instalments see the boys thrust into close living quarters and exploring the powerful but confusing nature of their relationship. In and built a little house that we could live in, Will takes Hannibal up on the offer of using his vacation house for a week, on one condition: Hannibal comes with him. There follow seven days in which two solitary men begin to realise they might not want to be solitary anymore, and tentatively negotiate how that might work. By contrast, there’s nothing tentative in follow-up a tower to broadcast all our dreams, in which Will and Hannibal have to pretend to live together as a couple in order to draw out a serial killer. The pretence soon gives way to something else, but when you’re the Chesapeake Ripper, deciding you want a boyfriend comes with extra complications… This series is a beautiful riff on some favourite tropes, the second instalment in particular playing on the “fake date” with brilliant results. It also lets us see a charmingly domestic version of Hannigram, investing time and care in building up the relationship without sacrificing the dark and twisted aspects of their story. And really, does it get any better than domestic fluff with a bit of murder on the side? Nah, didn’t think so…

As ever, if there are bad links, or I’ve misattributed anything, let me know and I’ll fix it lickety-split. Happy reading, lovely fannibals!

[battleofthebits]

Day 4 of @softkent ‘s fic-a-thon: Love Spells!

Eric’s always known he has magic; growing up in the South, he had to repress it just like his figure skating and sexuality. His moo-maw always warned him about the dangers of making things happen that he ain’t never meant, about accidentally poisoning somebody you hated or influencing the outcome of an important competition. It was much better, according to her, to never feel too openly or want too much, because you might change the world without knowing it.

Eric has, for the most part, followed her instructions. He’s been perfectly sweet and nice and bottled-up for the better part of his life, at this point, and he likes to think that keeping his magic under control has been old hat. Or rather, had been.

Something is wrong, now. Something on the SMH is off, and Bitty has a sinking feeling it’s his own fault. Because Eric is pretty sure that Jack Zimmermann likes him. Not the way he’s bros with Shitty or holds a pact of Canadian solidarity with Ransom, but… likes him, likes him. Jack keeps being nice, and friendly, and actually emoting, and sometimes Jack’s eyes go soft around Eric in a way that he’s never seen with anyone else. None of it is familiar. None of it is normal.

Eric must be doing something inadvertently, casting a love spell with nothing but his own misguided crush. And he might not know much about magic, but Eric’s pretty sure that that doesn’t fall under Shitty’s “uncoerced, enthusiastic consent” rules. 

He has to put a stop to this, whatever “this” is. Even if it means Jack goes back to the way he was when they first met, even if Jack never looks at him like he matters or gives him an encouraging fist bump or chirps him about his procrastination.

Eric tries everything he can think of, eliminating variables the way he learned in high-school chemistry. The obvious place to start is with the pies.“Made with love” isn’t just a phrase, sometimes. But refusing to give Jack pie for a week “on account of your diet” just gets Eric an approving nod the first time. Worse, when he keeps deliberately withholding pie, Jack starts smiling, as if the two of them have an inside joke now. It’s a quiet little grin that makes Eric’s knees a little wobbly.

So, obviously, the pie was a bust, and Eric is reinstating Jack’s baked-good privileges immediately.

The next thing to eliminate is spending time together. Eric ignores Jack as best he can when they study, talks to other people in Professor Atley’s class, and goes to as many alcohol-based events as possible. Jack’s eyes look a little droopier, but they don’t lose that softness when he’s looking at Eric. Worse, Eric’s fixating on Jack’s sad, soft, droopy eyes, and that can’t be good for either of them.  

Now, Eric didn’t want to screw with their on-ice chemistry, nor refuse help he actually needs, but the next logical step is to eliminate physical contact. And that, above all else, means no more checking practice. No early mornings waking up and hating Jack’s entire being for a few minutes. No getting slammed into the boards and trying to skate through his sudden panic, but then again, no watching the sunrise from inside Faber. No being with Jack, plain and simple.

And worst of all, he’ll have to straight-up tell Jack that he doesn’t want to do practice anymore.

“So, Jack,” Eric says, “I think I’ve improved a lot as a player, and since you’ve got so many responsibilities this year, I think it would be better for me not to waste your time with practice that you’re not getting anything out of. What do you think?”

Señor Bunny flops a little from where Eric had placed him as a trial audience.

Eric is so screwed.

He avoids the situation for a good week, finding ways to just plain not be around when Jack is at the Haus, and barely responding during skates. Eric’s pretty sure the other players have figured out something’s going on, but nobody’s said anything to his face about it yet.

Finally, the day before checking practice rolls around. Eric corners Jack in the kitchen while Lardo has class and the boys are out on a beer run.

“So,” he says, “I’ve been thinking, and it’d probably be better if we stopped doing checking practice. I mean,” he adds a little frantically, as Jack’s expression darkens, “you’ve got so much on your plate this semester, and I’ve improved as a player, I really have, I’m not even sure I need it anymore! So it’s probably best for both of us if we just… don’t go?”

“What’s going on, Bittle?” Jack says.

“What do you mean, what’s going on?”

Jack makes a vague gesture. “This thing you do. You smile and tell a nicer version of the truth, sometimes even lies, whenever you talk about yourself. I don’t know why, but you’re bullshitting right now, and I’d rather you not.”

“..I…” Eric doesn’t really have anything to say to that.

“If you’re gonna lie, I don’t want to hear it.”

Eric sighs. Might as well let it all out. “You know how I can just make pies sort of appear? And how I can do a perfect axel in hockey skates, and how I cleaned up the Haus so fast? I kind of have magic. And, well, there’s no good way to say this, but. I may, accidentally, have used it. A little. On you.”

“But I don’t feel any different,” Jack says, frowning. “I knew a guy in juniors who turned into a cat once, and he said he was all pins and needles the day before.”

“It has to be magic, though.” Eric tells him. “Things like this don’t just happen!”

“Things like what?”

“Like you going from hating my guts to respecting me as a linemate. Like you breaking your diet for my pie whenever I give you a piece. Like you, I don’t know, liking me?” Eric finishes, feeling distinctly awkward.

Jack’s frowning again. “You thought that I only like you because you did something with magic that you can’t even explain?”

“Not… not just liking me,” Eric replies. In case his intentions do matter, he’s praying that the floor will swallow him up before he finishes the statement. “Like-liking me.”

“Oh,” Jack says. “Huh.”

Eric waits a moment, in case the floor was listening. “Yeah,” he says, miserably, and turns to go. He gets all the way to his room and shuts himself in, preparing a playlist that’s really just the sad parts of The Pinkprint, before there’s a clatter on the stairs and a voice at the door.

“Bittle? Would you please let me in?”

And against his better judgment, Eric does, because he’d bet anything Jack is giving him the soft droopy eyes on the other side of the door. He’s so weak.

Jack crosses the room and comes right up to Eric, gazing at him with eyes that are not only droopy but determined. “I hadn’t thought about you that way before, but that doesn’t mean I can’t. It’s just that we’re teammates, and the captaincy gives me some authority over you. It could’ve gotten weird, you know?”

Bitty knows with every fiber of his being how weird things have gotten. He manages a nod.

“But now I’m not going to be here much longer, I know you much better, and I think… well. I might just like-like you. Not because of any magic you have, but because of you. And if you’re up for it, someday we might progress to full-on love-love.”

There’s a new smile on Jack’s face, earnest and warm, and it’s so dazzling that Eric almost doesn’t realize he’s just been chirped.