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that-gay-guy-from-hell · 11 months

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Where There's a Will, Right?: Dante x Male Reader

SUMMARY: After Dante’s successful defeat of Argosax, he’s been ever-so-slightly more talkative than before; at least, that’s what you think. Both Trish and Lady noticed that Dante’s mood hasn’t improved and, if anything, he has only become more distant. Upon telling them that they’re wrong, they both tell you something that sends your mind reeling.

MINORS DNI--Seriously, go away >:[

BEGINNING NOTES: ✨Dom/Top Dante* x Male Sub/Bottom Reader *Takes place between DMC 2 and 4 on the timeline; meaning Dante’s a bit angstier than normal--kinda Vergil-esc but he gets closer to normal at the end. ✨Unestablished relationship but everyone (including Dante) knows that you have a thing for him ✨The reader lives at the shop ✨Mentioned dark topics (nothing in depth but Dante having been suicidal is mentioned a few times) 🍊🍊🍊 ✨Fluff ✨Angst (? kinda) ✨Smut; Dante’s first time--the reader’s body count is not specified but it is implied you aren’t a virgin--meaning he is very sensitive to your touches. ✨Biting--draws blood and enjoys it. ✨Rougher--It’s not great but I wanted to try writing something a bit rougher, experimentation if you will.\ ✨Oral--Dante receiving ✨Reader gets emotional afterwards; like sad fluffy stuff. 🍊🍊🍊 ✨A little self-indulgent. I could’ve written this as G/N (and if anyone wants a re-write, I can totally do so) but I wanted something a bit gayer than normal smh ✨I know absolutely dick-diddly about motorcycles, so you best believe I just googled all of it lmao ✨Not used to writing Trish or Lady so they might be a bit OOC; if anyone has any better ideas for how they should sound (if they sound off) please let me know! I want to try and use them more often. ✨The reader uses Revenant (as per usual) and Ifrit. How can you use those wonderful gauntlets? You are just stubborn or strong enough to resist their demonic nature; idk just let me have this lmao. Demons are from DMC 1, 2, and/or 4 (Also I didn’t really feel like writing too much combat since “Bound by Blood” is so combat heavy, kinda got bored with it lmaoooo). ✨THIS IS NOT A PREQUEL TO “Deep Regret” THAT FIC. IS STILL IN THE WORKS (AND IS REALLY ANGSTY LMAO)

“Really?” Trish leaned against the wall of the garage, watching both Lady and you work, “You sure we’re talking about the same Dante?”

“What?” you set down the socket wrench and looked over at her, “Don’t believe me?”

“No, not in the slightest,” she mindlessly looked at her nails as she continued, “I don’t think I’ve heard Dante say more than five words at once in years and you’re telling me--”

“That he and I talk all the time?” You stood up, wiping your hands on your jeans, "I mean, we do live together-- what's so hard to believe?"

Lady laughed, catching your attention, “Well, Dante’s not exactly the talking type anymore,” the raven-haired woman turned from the workbench, “Can’t say I blame her, hun.”

“But that’s where you guys are wrong,” you sighed, “I mean, he’s not super talkative but we can hold a conversation for a good while,” you walked over to the stairs, grabbing your open beer on the way, and sat down with a huff, “You’re telling me that he doesn’t talk to you when you are on a job or anything?”

Lady shook her head, “Do you know how rare it is for him to even say “hello” anymore?”

“Bah,” you made a dismissive flick of your hand, “You two are full of shit, there is no way he’s that quiet.”

Trish said something under her breath as she crouched down to check the work you'd done.

“Huh?” You cupped your ear in a joking manner, “I’m getting deaf in my old age, Trish--you gotta speak up.”

“I said,” she stood up and turned to look at you, “Maybe it is because Dante loves you.”

Beer shot out your nose as you choked on it, going wide-eyed feeling flustered beyond belief.

“You can’t tell me you don’t have a thing for him,” the blonde walked over to Lady’s workbench, pushing up on the edge and sitting on the tabletop.

“I do not!”

Lady shook her head, “It is painfully obvious that you have a crush on him,” she leaned her side on the bench, facing you, “I’m sure he knows, too.”

“How is it obvious?! I mean--” You pursed your lips knowing you just dug your own grave.

The women shared a laugh before Trish answered, “The two of you are practically joined at the hip.”

Lady then jumped in, “He won't do anything without telling or asking you first.”

"You're the only one allowed in his room."

"And the only one that can use his weapons without him getting pissed, especially Rebellion."

“Dante stares at your ass a lot.”

Once again, you choked on your drink.

Lady laughed at Trish’s comment with a shrug, “Can't fault him for that, you do have a nice ass.”

The sound of the roller garage door being lifted caught everyone’s attention. In the doorway stood the very topic of the conversation with a few bags of groceries in his arms.

“Welcome home, Dante!" You shot him a warm smile, "How'd shopping go?"

Dante stared at you then at the women, “Why are they here?” His voice was cold and flat, his typical way of speaking nowadays.

“Oh!” Your voice was semi-cheery as you stood up, tossing the beer bottle in the nearby trash, “They stopped by right after you left. Asked to use the workshop for a bit.”

He stared at them for a few more seconds before walking through the garage, past you, and into the shop.

Lady grumbled to herself before sticking out a hand, gesturing at where he’d gone, “See! I told you!”

“You two are looking too deep into it. Dante doesn’t,” you shrugged, “you know…”

“Bullshit!” Lady pinched the bridge of her nose, “I swear-- if the two of you don’t hook up soon, I’m going to--”

A quiet sound of a door being cracked open cut her off. Dante looked at you and quietly mumbled, “You coming?"

“Huh? I-- Yeah,” you smiled at him, “I gotta finish the oil change and I’ll be in, okay?”

He said nothing and shut the door.

Trish slid off the bench with a sigh, “Come on, let’s give the lover boys their room.”

“Try not to break ol’ Dante," Lady jested as she picked up her tool bag, "He’s not as spry as he used to be."

You flipped her off and she stuck out her tongue in return. As they left you meandered back to Dante’s bike, you couldn’t help but mull over what the girls said.

“There’s no way that they are right,” your brow furrowed, “Dante is-- well, Dante. He’s a ladykiller, not into men… right? I mean, he has a mountain of bikini girl magazines-- ”

Lost in your thoughts, your hand slipped and you dropped the open bottle of oil, “Son of a fucking bitch!”

You snatched the bottle as quickly as possible but the damage was already done; over half of the contents were now in a black pool on the floor. A dejected grumble left your lips as you laid on your back, staring at the ceiling of the garage with a forearm resting across your forehead.

“Everything okay?”

“Hmm?” You tilted your head up slightly and saw that Dante was standing right at your feet, “Yeah… Just my good ol’ butterfingers…” Your head hit the concrete again as you sighed and looked at the mess, defeated.

His eyes trailed over to the oil on the floor before he wandered off. You propped yourself up on your elbows and saw Dante had grabbed the cat litter.

“You don’t have to--” He looked at you for a moment before dumping the litter on the spill, “Thanks, I-- Sorry, that was like a brand new bottle,” you leaned up in a sitting position, “I promise I’ll clean it up and replace the bottle.”

“It’s fine,” Dante stuck out a hand, helping you up.

As you got to your feet, you fell into him a bit and found yourself leaning on his chest. Your face instantly became hot as you froze. Strangely, Dante made no move to push you off of him or remove you, he just stood there and waited for you to do so yourself

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to invade your space, hah…”

Dante didn’t say anything, but rather, he grabbed your hand and pulled you inside the shop. On his desk was a box of fresh hot pizza and a few cold unopened beers.

Which in hindsight, you aren’t sure how he got the pizza. He didn’t have it when he entered the garage. Unless he got it delivered at the exact moment he got back… Or he had already stopped back in the foyer of the shop only to come around back to “interrupt” your conversation--but there’s no way he would do that, right?

“So,” you grabbed a slice and sat on the edge of his desk, “What’s the special occasion?”

“ ‘was hungry,” he grabbed a slice for himself and sat in his desk chair, putting his boots up on the tabletop.

A look of shock spread across your face, “Really?"

“What?”

“It’s just,” you shook your head, “I’m just glad that you’re eating, is all," you smiled warmly, "It's nice."

The red devil stared at you for a moment before continuing to eat.

Ever since defeating Nelo Angelo, Dante’s “human” habits had gradually deteriorated. He wouldn’t sleep, bathe, or even eat; any and all self-care was put on the back burner. You had to force the poor man to take care of himself--which is much easier said than done.

At one point, things got so bad that Trish acted more human than Dante. There was a small ray of hope, however; since Argosax’s defeat, Dante had begun to regain some small bits of life. He’d been bathing more often, eating every once in a while, and even smiling again. Most importantly, however, Dante hadn’t tried to off himself in almost six months which was a victory in and of itself for the tormented man; this, by extension, made you feel a little more at ease that the chance of you coming home to Dante on the cusp of death had slimmed significantly.

“Hey,” you pursed your lips and waited for him to look at you in acknowledgment, “Do you care if I turn on some music?”

He shrugged, "Don’t care."

You hopped off the desk edge and waltzed over to the "well-loved" machine. Hitting a random track--and praying to god it worked--you went back to your resting spot against Dante's desk. The two of you sat and ate together, listening to the jukebox and enjoying the quiet company.

===

A loud knocking at the front door of the Devil May Cry woke you up. You must've fallen asleep downstairs. Across from you, in the middle of the room, was the coffee table with a TV that had been playing a DVD’s menu screen for only god knows how long. You were on your side and resting on the floor, in front of one of the couches… Even though there was an open couch adjacent to this one.

A large blanket was draped over you and onto the furniture behind you. That's when you heard a snore and realized why you weren't on the couch. Dante was fast asleep and face down against the coffee-colored pleather. Goosebumps ran up your spine as you realized that his arm was across your chest, his fingers loosely grabbing the fabric of your shirt. Carefully, you slipped away from the sleeping devil and let out a soft groaning yawn as you stretched.

Another set of knocks.

You sighed and stood up, walking over to the door, opening it.

“Ah, good morning Mr. Morrison,” you smiled tiredly at the man, welcoming him into the shop.

“You know, you make me feel old when you call me tha--” he stopped and stared at Dante, who was still asleep on the couch.

A small huff of a laugh came from your nose as you whispered to Morrison, “I know. Shocking right?”

His volume matched yours in return, “That would be an understatement," he turned to you, “Sorry to wake you but I have a job for the two of you that requires immediate attention,” he held out a manila folder.

“What is it?” A flat voice asked, making both Morrison and you jump.

After the two of you took a moment to calm down from the unexpected voice, the broker walked over to Dante and handed him the file, “Huge swarm invaded a nearby city--didn’t even have time to evacuate.”

You walked over to Dante, peering over the edge of the file. He noticed your interest and scooched over to one side, allowing you to sit beside him. As you attempted to read, you found yourself leaning towards your partner, squinting harshly at the small text. Dante moved closer to you causing your sides to touch; which, despite how many times he’s been this close (and closer) to you, never failed to make your heart race.

As the two of you looked at the file, you couldn’t help but remember what the ladies had said yesterday; how stony he is to them compared to how acted with you. Dante might be a bit cold but he has his sweet moments--even if it’s him sharing paperwork filled with pictures of hundreds of demons and a destroyed cityscape.

You whispered to Dante, “So, wanna do it?”

His eyes flicked to you before he looked over the file once more, “Fine.”

“Sweet!” With a jovial smile, you grabbed the paperwork. Your eyes flicked up at Morrison who moved to the edge of Dante’s desk, leaning on it with a lit cigar--as per usual, “We’ll take it!”

The broker shook his head with a small smile, “I’m beginning to think you enjoy these types of jobs.”

“Actually,” you stood up and walked over to him, “I do. Don’t have to worry about destroying things," you handed him the file which he grabbed.

He laughed softly and shook his head, taking a puff of his cigar, “You two are quite the pair.”

You tilted your head in confusion; that’s when you felt an exhale of air on the back of your neck, making your hair stand on end.

“We takin' the bike?” Dante’s voice was low and his warm breath lightly tickled your ear.

“Y-yeah,” you turned your head to the side and were only inches away from the sultry devil.

His turquoise eyes locked onto your gaze for a few seconds before he gave a flat, “Ok,” and went upstairs to get changed.

Once the youngest son of Sparda was upstairs, Morrison laughed as he stood up from the desk, “I’ll let the city know you're on the way. You two be careful,” he nodded goodbye and headed for the door before stopping, turning his head over his shoulder to you, “Don’t forget that there is still a lot of people trapped and--”

“And we should try and help them, don’t worry,” you winked at him, “Dante and I got this.”

Morrison opened his mouth but said nothing; instead, he continued out the door whistling a tune to himself.

You raised a brow at the odd action but decided it was not worth dwelling on.

Humming to yourself, you made your way up to your room. One of the spare bedrooms of (The) Devil May Cry that you were “only staying in for a few months”... that was over a decade ago. A smile tugged at your lips as you reminisced about a time long since passed.

===

Rain quietly beat on the roof of (The) Devil May Cry as the well-loved jukebox played quietly in the background. It had been exactly a year since Dante had officially named the shop and begun to take jobs as a demon hunter. Sitting at the large wooden desk was said devil hunter without a shirt on, only opting to wear his pants and boots. His arms were placed neatly on the top of his desk with his head resting on them, facing down at the tabletop, snoring happily. A half-eaten pizza and several empty beers were scattered about, painting the same old scene that he partook in night after night.

That’s when you showed up in his life.

You burst into the shop, stumbling and out of breath; leaning against the door, holding it shut.

“We’re closed,” Dante didn’t even open his eyes.

Before you could reply, obnoxious loud banging and shouting could be heard from the other side of the door. Dante raised a brow and tiredly looked up at you, curious as to what was pursuing you so fervently. The shirtless young man’s ears twitched as he made out what was on the other side of the large wooden door; it wasn’t demons or devils, it was humans. A mob of what sounded like fifteen to twenty people that were spouting off insults that ranged from vaguely rude statements to flat-out death threats.

Dante sighed, standing up from his desk with a huff. Casually, he grabbed Force Edge from the wall it was resting against, walking over to you.

You, of course, were terrified, debating if it was better to take your chances outside. Bursting into some random dude’s shop was dumb but you didn’t expect a smoking hot white-haired man (who was possibly the owner) to approach you with a massive gothic sword.

He flicked his hand telling you to move off to the side, which you fearfully obliged. With a warm, soft, friendly feeling, he smiled at you revealing his oddly sharp teeth, “You’re gonna owe me for this,” your face instantly became flushed in embarrassment.

Dante opened the door wide open and stepped out of the shop, the large blade resting on his shoulder. As he slowly went down each stair, the mob backed up away from him, “I’m only gonna say this once,” his voice was cold, loud, and angry, the complete opposite of what you’d just heard, “Get lost.”

One of the group’s men decided to act tough and approached Dante, “And if we don’t? What are you gonna--!”

The red devil grabbed the man by the face and held him up, not phased by the man’s struggling, “You know, I hate people like you,” his fingers tightened, “People that just don’t know how to listen.”

Muffled complaints came from the man as Dante’s fingers tightened further before tossing him at the others, knocking several of them over. They helped each other stand back up but none of them moved to leave.

“Now scram,” Dante’s brow furrowed, “Last chance before you really start pissin’ me off.”

With that final warning, the group ran like the wind and disappeared. A small laugh came from the red devil as he re-entered the shop.

“So,” Dante set Force Edge back where it was, “What is a guy like you doin’ being chased by a mob at this hour, huh?” He leaned against the edge of his desk, folding his arms.

“I uh,” your face became hotter and hotter as you looked at the smiling man, calling him stunning was an understatement. It didn’t help that he was lightly soaked from the rain which was dripping down his body, emphasizing his physique, “I just pissed off the wrong folks, that’s all.”

“Uh-huh,” Dante pushed off his desk and wandered over to you, “That why you smell like gunpowder, blood, and demons? Or’s that some sort of weird cologne?”

You froze.

“You know," he continued, "it’s not every day I get to meet someone in the same line of work as me,” he now stood in front of you, his hands stuck in his pockets and a casual tilt to his posture.

“I-- What?”

Dante’s smile widened, “You’re a demon hunter, right?”

Your expression said it all, making the young man laugh.

“Now,” he turned from you striding over to the corner of the room, “as payment for waking me up from my nap,” the white-haired man stood near one of the couches, grabbing his black long-sleeve shirt off the back, “You’re gonna take me with you to finish your hunt.”

As he slid the tight fabric over his body, all you could do was stare. Not only was watching him get dressed semi-erotic, but, the idea that you’d finally met someone else who enjoyed demon hunting like you do was enough to send shivers down your spine.

“That’s what you were doing right?” The red-clad man raised a brow as he slid on his vest, buckling the straps.

You blinked back into existence with a nod, “Yeah, you sure you want to come with? It isn’t exactly a small job, and,” you avoided his gaze, “it’s not only demons.”

“There are cultists, too--I know,” Dante slid on his gloves, “Figured that out the moment I saw ‘em outside,” he tossed his coat on, adjusting the lapels.

“O-oh…”

He meandered over to the same sword from earlier, placing it on his back, “So,” he raised a brow, “We doin’ this or what?”

You smiled sheepishly, “Sure.”

“Ah… Almost forgot,” Dante turned around and opened a desk drawer, grabbing his keys, “Here, catch,” he tossed you a box of shells, “Those work?”

“Really-- I- Yeah, why are you..?”

Dante began to walk out the door, you right behind him, “Can’t do all the work myself, babe,” he turned to you with a smile.

After he locked the door, you led him to a building that was right outside of Red Grave; it was an old abandoned apartment complex. The two of you made quick work of the job; given, it was half-finished from your earlier attack.

Despite not even knowing each other’s names, the two of you fought together quite well. Neither of you got in each other’s way. When you did interact, it was damn near perfectly choreographed; as if you’d known each other for a long time.

“You know,” Dante dodged a Death Scissors, “You’re pretty good at this.”

“Oh yeah?” A small amount of playful sarcasm loomed over your words, “I’m still not impressed with you,” you ducked underneath a Frost’s attack and shot it right in the small of its back, “mister white-haired stranger.”

“Eh,” he used Force Edge to slice three Abyss in half, “Had to leave you something to fight.”

Both of you shared a laugh and stood in the middle of the room, looking around at the carnage. Dante turned to see a cultist trying to escape. The red devil pointed Ebony up and shot the human, much to your dismay.

“Hey,” you shoved his shoulder, “You stole my final kill.”

“Oh,” he holstered Ebony and turned to you, “Didn’t see your name on ‘em, sorry.”

You playfully rolled your eyes and sighed, “Thanks for your help,” you avoided his eyes, which were trained on your face, “I appreciate it.”

“No problem,” Dante smiled, “This was fun, been a long time since I’ve had a partner to work with,” he stretched his arms upwards, cracking his shoulders, “Lady’s been off doing her own thing lately.”

“Lady?” You raised a brow, suspicious of the red devil’s seemingly fake person.

“She’s an old friend,” Dante and you began to descend back down the building’s stairs. It wasn’t until the two of you got outside before he spoke again, “Hey, so,” his voice was quieter than before, “You work by yourself all the time or?”

“Yeah,” you sighed and placed a hand on the back of your neck, “Never been able to find someone who’d join me on a hunt.”

“Well,” Dante put his hands in his pockets, “If you want, I’ve got an open spot at my shop...”

“Really?”

“Mhm, haven’t had a partner in a while and could use the company.”

You laughed.

“What?”

“I don’t even know your name and you are offering me a job?”

The red devil stuck out his hand, “Name’s Dante.”

You smiled and shook his hand, “Well, Dante, I think I’ll take up that job offer,” you sheepishly turned your head away and mumbled, “I think I could use some company, too.”

===

“You coming?”

A sudden flat voice from your doorway made you jump with a loud startled shout. Quickly, you turned around to see Dante, fully geared up, and leaning against your doorframe with his arms neatly folded.

“I- Yeah, sorry,” you shook your head, “Just lost in thought.”

Dante stood up, saying nothing, and headed back downstairs into the garage.

With pursed lips, you continued to get ready; that’s when it hit you. Dante must've been standing there for quite some time, watching you; you who was standing in bagging half falling off underwear the entire time. Your face became hot, the idea of Dante seeing you this exposed was enough to make your mind reel. Shaking off the growing hot feeling, you shoved yourself into your hunting gear; which included Dante’s Ifrit and your shotgun, Revenant.

Upon reaching the garage, you saw that Dante had already started the bike and was waiting outside for you to join him. Although you weren’t sure, you swear it looked like he was smiling at you; only hinted at by small creases in his cheeks. You joined him in the alley with a stuck-out hand, waiting for Rebellion, which he gave you. As you slid the sword on your back, you flashed a wide smile and playful wink at Dante. Then you mounted the back of the bike and a heavy wave of embarrassment filled your face as you firmly placed your hands on Dante’s waist.

Without a word, Dante kicked up the stand and you were off. As you held onto him, you couldn’t help but lean further onto his body, your face against his back. His cologne was that of lemongrass, lavender, and a light dusting of patchouli. You took a deep inhale, sighing longingly at the comforting scent; which didn’t go unnoticed by the white-haired hunter.

The two of you arrived shortly at the nearby city. Once both of you dismounted the bike, Dante stuck his hand out--mimicking what you’d done earlier. With a smirk, you pulled Rebellion off your back and held it out in front of you, blade facing down and your fingers tightly wrapped around the grip. The red devil grabbed the sword, making sure to just barely ghost your hand with his in the process.

A bright blush adorned your face as you gave him a small content laugh and looked at the less-then-happy scene before you. To say that the place was crawling with demons would’ve been an understatement.

An irritated long groan came from you as you slumped forward, “Those pictures must’ve been old; this is so much worse,” you looked over at Dante who was staring at you, “Wanna call in the ladies?”

“No,” he turned from you and began to walk toward the city.

With a baffled sigh, you shook your head and jogged to catch up to him, walking right beside him.

When the two of you got to the edge of the zone, a large platoon of soldiers was along the city’s edge. As expected, the two of you were approached by the armed people and questioned as to why you were there.

You sighed softly, “We were hired by the city to come in and exterminate the infestation.”

A mixture of various “bullshit”s and “no way”s were heard throughout the platoon. A greatly unamused Dante slyly reached down and grabbed one of your fingers with one of his, a sign he used when he wanted to move forwards.

“Just stay out of our way,” you shoved past the soldiers, Dante right beside you. Before you got too far, you stopped and turned to the men, “Wait about thirty minutes and start sweeping this end of the city for survivors, continuing further inwards; we’ll have most of the demons cleared out for you.”

Once more there were various forms of ill-natured or overly skeptical comments from the crowd; but, after all these years of hunting, it was expected at this point. The two of you just continued onwards, Dante’s finger still wrapped around one of yours.

It didn’t take long for you to encounter a horde. At first, you were excited and readied Ifrit; however, Dante has taken up to not allowing you to fight anything more than Misras or Frosts. Today was no different.

You vocalized your irritation (as you had done many times before) but it always fell on deaf ears, Dante simply didn’t care. Things came to a head when you were nearly finished with the job and the red devil had been nearly gutted by a group of demons but he still wouldn’t let you fight.

“Dante,” you furrowed your brow as the two of you walked on, “Could you at least let me kill something? I’m getting bored with fighting small fries and playing cheerleader.”

The red devil stopped and looked over at you, but said nothing.

“Come on,” you made your best puppy dog eyes and stuck out your lip in a pouty manner, “Please?”

“I can handle it,” he turned to continue on the path, “You are a human; humans are fragile.”

“Excuse me?” You walked beside him, “You forget you’re human, too?”

“I can heal within seconds,” he glared at you from the corner of his eye, “You can’t.”

You moved your jaw in thought, mulling over things before speaking again, “Yes, but that doesn’t mean you should push yourself like this,” the red devil’s head turned slightly, indicating he was listening, “Just ‘cause you can heal…” You reached out and lightly grabbed his bicep, “I’m your partner, remember? I’m here to help you.”

Dante stopped and pivoted to look at you. His brow was slightly upturned and his eyes held an odd unplaceable emotion, “I know.”

A small sad tilt decorated your brow as you lightly squeezed his arm before letting go. You had an inkling as to why he acted this way but had never been able to be sure; hell would have to freeze over before you’d get a clear answer from the red-clad half-breed.

The two of you entered the center of the city where the demons seemed to have come from. In the middle of the large leveled area was a large mass of sorts. Both of you knew exactly what it was, the start of a demon nest.

Almost as if on cue, an insurmountably large quantity of demons revealed themselves. The two of you split apart. Finally, you were able to fight something decent and were relishing in it. Your targets were, for the most part, Blades and Gladiuses; which wasn’t that big of a challenge but it is better than nothing. A smile shot across your face as you got to have some fun with Ifrit for the first time in years.

In the complete opposite of an over-strained Dante trying to deal with several Plasmas and Blitzes.

You had nearly finished up your half (well more like two-thirds) of the horde and destroyed the budding nest before you noticed Dante struggling. Quickly, you killed the last of your targets and rushed over to help the red devil, who had just been thrown through a building.

“Dante!” You kneeled down by him, “Hey, you alright?”

“I’m… fine,” his voice was strained as he tried to sit upright, only to bare his teeth with a grimace.

“Stay here, I’ll take care of this,” you stood up but found that your wrist was ensnared by Dante’s grasp.

“No,” he attempted to stand again.

“Dante, I can handle them,” you tugged your hand away, “Let go of me, please.”

His expression was blank as his fingers only tightened around you.

“Dante…” Now, you are starting to get irritated.

“I can handle them, just let me do it,” he stood up and you saw that his ribcage had concaved, clearly broken.

“No Dante-- You are in no condition to fight right now,” you pursed your lips, “I can finish this,” giving him one last chance to let go.

“No, I am fine.”

“Goddamnit Dante!” You snapped at him and yanked your hands out of Ifrit’s gauntlets, removing Dante’s grip on you, “You’re always protecting everyone else, so please, for once in your life,” you stalked over to Rebellion, which had been stuck in the ground nearby when Dante attempted to stop himself, grabbed it tightly and turned back to him, “Let me protect you.”

His eyes widened, showing a mixture of confusion and anger, but you didn’t give him a chance to refuse. You had already gone off and were slaying the rest of the demons using Rebellion. If Dante wanted you to stop, he could have recalled his sword; he should’ve recalled the blade but, for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to.

Although you were still concerned for Dante, you couldn’t deny that you were having the time of your life. You'd only been allowed to use Rebellion one other time on the field, which was shortly after being hired at the DMC. The feeling of wielding such a mighty blade was insurmountable; not only that, but the frictionless feeling of slicing through demons was damn near erotic. A wide smile spread across your face as you finished off the final few demons, pinning the final Plasma down into the ground using the blade.

“You could’ve gotten hurt.”

“You’re just jealous that I got more kills than you,” with a playful shake of your head and a small laugh, you pulled Rebellion back out of the ground and turned around. Dante had healed and was giving you quite the venomous glare, your expression dropped, “What?”

He aggressively grabbed the sword from your hand, placed it on his back, and turned to walk back the way you came, “We’re leaving.”

You bent down and picked up Ifrit, sliding the fiery devil’s gauntlets back on, “Huh? We haven’t done our sweep back--”

“Now!” His voice was much angrier than you’d heard in a long time, so you remained silent and followed behind him.

The walk and ride back to the shop were eerily quiet. Neither of you said a word, not even to the soldiers that you passed in the city. During the bike ride, you did your best not to latch onto the red devil and held onto the bike itself--which wasn't exactly comfortable or easy, but you were pissed off and didn't care.

As the two of you entered the shop, you had thought about saying something to the devil but weren’t going to give him that satisfaction; no, you just silently went up to your room and slammed the door behind you. Leaving him in the foyer, alone.

Doing your best to ignore the guilty feeling in your gut, you hopped in a quick shower and took a small unintentional cat nap on your bed right after. Around an hour later, you woke up and groggily wandered downstairs to get a glass of water--and to see where Dante had gone. As you looked around, you pursed your lips in confusion. Dante typically after a job would just get drunk at his desk or on the couch but he was nowhere to be found. It was rare for him to actually go to his room; but, then again, it is even rarer for the two of you to have a disagreement or fight like this. A sigh left your lips as you traversed back to your room. A small amount of regret lingered at the edges of your mind for using such harsh words at the poor devil.

Mindlessly, you had wandered to stand in front of his room and stood there with your hand up, ready to knock. After a minute you decided to put your hand back down, hoping that maybe he’d be the one to come to you and apologize for once. With a heavy sigh, you entered your room and turned the light on, then nearly had a heart attack.

There, sitting silently on the edge of your bed, was Dante in his boxers and a long-sleeve black baggy shirt. His forearms were resting on his legs--one of which was bouncing nervously, his hands intertwined as he mindlessly twisted and played with his fingers, and his gaze fixated on the floor.

“Uh… Dante? Everything okay?” You shut the door, set your glass of water down, and slowly walked over to the bed, sitting beside him.

“You remember why I hired you?” His voice was soft and sad, something was wrong.

You shook your head, confused at the seemingly out-of-nowhere question, “Huh?”

“Do you remember why I hired you?”

“Because you said you needed company..?”

His lips twitched at the answer; however, he said nothing and just stared at the floorboards in front of him.

“Dante?” You gently and cautiously grabbed his forearm, making his leg stop bouncing.

His voice became even softer, becoming barely audible, “Do you regret it?”

Your brow softened as your fingers gripped him tighter, “Dante…”

His brow furrowed as he moved his jaw for a second before giving you a sad huffed laugh, “I wouldn’t blame you if--”

“Stop,” you stood up and moved to stand in front of him, then knelt between his legs, “Look at me,” his eyes coyly met yours as you grabbed both his hands, “I have never regretted anything I’ve done with you, nor will I ever.”

A small quiver found its way to Dante’s lip, “Why?”

“What do you mean why?” You gave him a bittersweet smile, “I like being with you, Dante.”

He opened his mouth but no sound came out, only a crack and a small whimper as tears filled his eyes. Then you did what you should’ve done the moment he started talking, you stood up and enveloped him in a tight hug. Dante quickly wrapped himself around you. The red devil’s fingers dug into your back and grabbed generous handfuls of your shirt.

Half-formed sentences and choked-up versions of “I’m sorry” are all that he could manage through the unwavering barrage of tears. All you could do was hold him tight and tell him that everything’s okay--that he doesn’t have to apologize, not for breaking down like this. Gently, you kneaded against his shoulder blades and placed one hand in his hair, petting him. You noticed his hair was wet; which, not only meant that’s where he was when you were searching for him but, this was the first time he'd taken a real shower in nearly three weeks. It seemed like a lifetime had passed before his tears began to slow, eventually boiling down to just small hiccups.

However, his hold on you didn’t loosen, if anything, it got tighter. You had placed the side of your face against the top of his head and quietly hummed, hoping to comfort him.

“Hey…” Dante’s voice was thick and quiet, a hint of nervousness ghosted his words.

“Hm?”

“Would it be okay to stay like this? Just for a little longer…” He waited with bated breath for your response.

“Mnmm… How about this,” you pulled back from him, making him hesitantly release you. A small warm smile tugged at your lips as you straddled his lap and re-wrapped yourself around him with your legs around his middle, “This okay?”

Through your shirt, you could feel Dante hum with a small smile, “Mhm,” his arms regrafted themselves to your body as he pushed his head into your body.

The two of you sat together for nearly two hours, Dante softly purring against your skin as you lightly rubbed his back and played with his hair. If the front door hadn’t opened, the two of you would’ve stayed linked together for much longer.

“I’ll get it,” you slid off his lap but were stopped by Dante grabbing your wrist.

“Do you have to?” His expression was oddly shy, which sent a sharp pang of love through your heart.

“Join me?” You smiled as you pulled him up. A small surprised laugh left your mouth as you felt him lace your fingers together.

A bright smile adorned your face as the two of you made your way downstairs and found Morrison standing in the foyer.

“Afternoon, Mr. Morrison!” You waved with a small happy noise but realized that he was staring with wide eyes.

“I’m not… interrupting, am I..?”

You stared at him in confusion before you realized how the two of you looked; both of you were semi-disheveled, only in underwear and a shirt, and Dante’s hand was in yours, “No! No- not at all! We-- It’s not what it--”

“You are," Dante released your hand, moving further into the room, “but it is my fault for not locking the door. What’s up?”

A sputtered confused noise left your lips as your face became unbearably hot, mortified at what Dante was implying.

Morrison laughed, “Blunt as always, huh Dante?”

“Why bother lying about it,” Dante leaned against his desk, arms folded casually.

The broker shook his head with a smile, “I’m just here to drop off payment from the job earlier,” he handed Dante a thick envelope, “The client was impressed with how quickly the two of you worked--made sure to get it to you just as fast and added a little extra cash, too.”

“Oh? Really?” Dante opened the packet and counted the cash quickly, “Huh… Thanks, Morrison.”

Morrison did a double-take, taken aback at not only Dante’s words but, Dante’s willingness to talk, “No problem, Dante…” The broker looked over to you with a raised brow before turning to leave, “Sorry for interrupting, I’ll lock the door on the way out. Goodnight you two.”

“ ‘Night, Mr. Morrison!” Your voice was sweet but still had a lingering sense of embarrassment to it.

Dante opened the top desk drawer and tossed the money in it, smiling.

With a sudden nervousness, you approached the pants-less devil and joined him near the desk, “So… What was Morrison interrupting, Dante?”

His turquoise eyes slowly moved up to meet yours, a heavy odd feeling behind them.

Your face became even hotter as you swallowed hard, “Dante..?”

“We were sitting together,” small creases formed on his cheeks as he smiled wider, “Why? Did you have something else in mind?”

Another loud set of sputtered discombobulated noises came from you, unsure how to respond to such a loaded question.

A dark chuckle came from Dante as he meandered over to you, slowly inching you towards the wall behind his desk, then placing a hand beside your head, “Something wrong?”

“No, I--,” you closed your eyes and shook your head, trying to keep yourself from spontaneously combusting in embarrassment, “I’m f-fine.”

He lifted a brow and placed his free hand on your cheek, running his fingers gently across your skin, “I dunno, you seem rather feverish… You’re not sick, are you?”

“I’m just a little warm, that’s all,” you let out a half-hearted laugh, doing your best to ignore the pounding in your chest.

The red devil wasn’t satisfied with this answer and moved his face closer, putting his nose right beside yours, and made half-lidded eye contact, “I don’t believe you.”

Bit by bit, you leaned closer to him, placing your lips as close as you could without touching his. The two of you hovered for a moment before Dante pulled away and turned to look to his right, “Do you mind?”

You mimicked Dante's action in confusion and saw Trish standing in the shop.

“Lady forgot a few things in the garage,” Trish raised a brow and addressed you, “You believe us now?”

“Trish!” Dante’s face was bright red, “Seriously?”

“What?” She placed a hand on her hip, “You do love him, don’t you?”

Dante mumbled something you didn’t quite catch before his voice returned to the previous volume, “Can you leave? You’re kinda killing the moment.”

“Just make sure that you two can work in the morning, we have a contract to do.”

“Trish!”

She gave you a wide smirk and a wink, “Have fun.”

The two of you waited for the garage door to shut before Dante sighed, “Guess the moment’s kinda ruined, huh?”

He sheepishly turned to you, to which you grabbed his shirt and yanked his lips down to meet yours. A surprised muffled grunt came from the red devil as he placed his hand over yours, his thumb slowly running over your skin and removing you from his shirt. Gradually, he regained control over the situation and pushed you back against the wall. His lips were broiling and desperately pushing against yours, almost painfully so.

Dante grabbed the sides of your hips, picking you up slightly, so he could pin you against the wall using only his body and a knee that he had placed between your legs. Your hands frantically grabbed at his body, eventually settling for one hand in his hair and the other groping at his upper back. His hands wandered all over your body, sliding underneath your shirt and touching as much as you as he could.

Eventually, you managed to wrap your legs around his middle and his hands slipped down to support you from underneath your thighs. You cupped his face in both your hands to deepen the fervorous kissing. The red devil bit lightly at your lips, asking to enter your mouth. At first, you didn’t let him and playfully denied him entrance. Dante wanted to taste you and wasn’t taking no for an answer, forcing his tongue inside. His tongue was hot and he wanted nothing more than to explore every bit of your mouth, to devour as much as he could. The unexpectedly long appendage made you jolt and gag slightly in surprise, which made Dante smirk with a small amount of pride.

Only once you were both out of breath did the two of you separate, leaving you with labored breathing and hazy loving smiles.

Your thumbs gently rubbed the stubble that decorated his jawline, “Dante, do you really..?”

He meekly smiled and mumbled, avoiding your eyes in embarrassment, “You think I’d treat anyone else like you..?”

You placed a soft kiss on his forehead, “I love you… So much”

A soft huffed laugh came from his nose.

“What?”

He placed a small kiss on the side of the base of your neck, “Never thought I’d hear you say that.”

You laughed softly, “Dante,” he looked up at you and you ran a hand through his hair, “You want to know something?”

“Hmm?” He began to purr and melt into your touch.

“Although, there’s obviously more a more emotional aspect now,” you broke eye contact and turned away to avoid his gaze, “When we first met if you had asked me to… ya know… I would’ve,” your face was completely on fire as you regretted opening your mouth.

“Oh?” Using one hand to support you, he used a hand to turn your face to his, “What was that now?”

Your voice was high-pitched and cracked from embarrassment, “N-nothing!”

He had a sultry smirk tugging at his lips as he ran his thumb over your trembling lips, “You know, I thought about asking for that--instead of joining your hunt.”

“You-- you did?” Your face only became hotter with each word.

“Mhm,” Dante put his lips above yours again, “Not every day a smoking hot, sopping wet, guy busts into my shop.”

The two of you connected lips again and Dante’s hands gripped the sides of your thighs harshly, his nails digging into you, and dipped your ass lower to meet his growing heat. A small growl came from the back of the red devil’s throat as he ground his hips against you. Your hands grabbed his shoulders as you let out a small moan from the friction of Dante’s grinding. In response, Dante began to roll his hips harshly against you, shoving you against the wall with each thrust. Your hips jolted from the sudden rough movements and you broke from the kiss, letting out a low hissing groan. Dante, however, wasn’t done tasting you and immediately placed his lips back over yours; making sure to devour each one of your sweet noises.

He turned around and began to support you using only one hand again. With his free hand, he moved his mother’s photo to the desk drawer, closing it softly, and then swept his arm across his desk, throwing everything else off the top--making an absolute mess of the already cluttered shop.

Dante dropped you onto the desk and broke the kiss. Quickly, he removed your shirt and began to bite at whatever he could, making you squirm from the sudden, almost animalistic, aggression. His teeth broke through your skin and Dante excitedly lapped up the crimson lines, letting out a continuous lowly growl. A sharp loud gasp left your mouth as you arched your back towards him in response to him biting your neck; still drawing blood as he did for the other marks. Your fingers dug into him only further encouraging him to do it again.

However, you weren’t about to let Dante have all the fun. You kneaded your way down his torso and to the edge of his boxers. Coyly, you palmed over his bulge with widening eyes. Of course, it was easy to tell that Dante had a nice dick from how visible it is through his pants but you didn’t expect it to get that much bigger.

The sultry devil caught onto your sudden surprise and let out a small breathy laugh against your neck, “What’s the matter, babe?” He ran his tongue along one of the bleeding marks, “Surely you knew..?”

“I,” your mind was blank, “I thought you were a shower, not a grower,” you let out a half-huff half-laugh noise through your nose.

“Oh, just you wait,” a small seductive laugh came from him as he leaned back up to look you in the eyes, “Still not quite there yet.”

You rolled your eyes and casually draped your arms over his shoulders, “You know, just cause it’s big doesn’t mean anything if you don’t know how to use it,” you let out a playful low laugh, staring at him with half-lidded eyes.

Dante leaned in, “Oh, don’t worry,” he kissed you again, “I know exactly what you like,” smiling happily.

The two of you exchanged loud pecking kisses, “Mhm, sure you do.”

He stopped and left his lips right above yours, his breath ghosting your kiss-swollen lips, “I can hear things, you know…”

Your eye went wide, “Wh-what are you--”

“Every night, in your room,” he moved to kiss right behind your jaw, whispering against your skin giving you goosebumps, “Begging for me, saying my name,” he ran his tongue along the shell of your ear, “You’re much louder than you think, babe,” Dante gently bit your ear before he leaned back up to meet your gaze.

All you could do was stare back. Admittedly, it had crossed your mind a few times over the years that Dante might be able to hear you but you figured that he would’ve said something by now; especially with how long it’s been since you moved in. The idea that Dante had been listening to you for so long made your entire body hot and threw you for a loop.

Through all your discombobulated noises, you finally managed to sputter out, “Why didn’t you tell..?”

“Because,” he leaned in, intensifying his eye contact, “I get off listening to you,” he kissed your jawline, “I love hearing you come undone.”

A shiver ran up your spine as you completely froze.

The red devil noticed your change in expression and began to panic, “I didn’t upset you--!”

You yanked him down to your mouth, kissing him harshly once more. As you did, your hands ran up his shirt and began to grope at his pecs, eliciting a moan from the white-haired devil. Your nails ran down his body leaving loving irritated red skin, making him groan much louder.

He broke off from the kiss and quickly pulled his shirt up and over his head, tossing it in a random direction in the shop. When he looked back at you, his heart skipped a beat at the face you were making. Although you were obviously already flustered, your face had turned darker by tenfold and your eyes were wide; staring directly at Dante’s bare body.

“What?” He smiled with a tilt of his head and hips, “Like what you see?”

You coyly reached out to touch his chest again, Dante watching you intently. Softly, you kneaded against him and whispered, “You’re gorgeous, you know that?”

Now it was his turn to become red in the face, “H-huh?”

“I said,” your voice returned to normal volume, “You’re gorgeous, Dante…”

He stared at you. Although the red devil plays the confident type, his self-esteem was rather poor, and, to be quite frank, he hated how he looked most days; being reminded of his dead brother every time he looked in a mirror. However, hearing you say something so simple and, yet, so impactful made his head spin and his heart wrench.

You leaned in and placed a string of gentle kisses along his collarbones. As you did, you could hear him purring ever-so-slightly and were able to feel the vibrations through your lips. Eventually, Dante snapped out of his stupor, he slipped his hands into your underwear and found purchase on your ass, groping and kneading against you harshly. Next, you placed kisses up his neck and placed a long kiss against his Adam’s apple, pushing against it slightly; eliciting a groan from Dante.

Now back up at his lips, you connected with him once again. The red devil leaned you back onto the barren desk, without breaking the kiss, and pulled your hips tight to his. Once you were fully laid back, Dante moved down your jaw all the way down to your chest with soft kisses. A loud hiss left your mouth as you felt him bite down on one of your nipples, tugging on it slightly--doing his best to make sure he didn’t give you an accidental piercing.

“Fuck… Dante,” you ran your hands through his hair and looked down at him, he was already staring back at you; something was different, “Hey,” he released his bite, “You-- You alright?”

His brow twitched in confusion and he tilted his head, his gaze thinned.

“Your uh… eyes are--” You pursed your lips, his eyes had become a vibrant burning red-orange

“Oh- Oh!” Dante laughed softly, “Don’t worry about that,” his voice was quiet, seemingly shy, “I’m just excited, that’s all.”

You smiled at him and placed a hand on his cheek, thumbing over his flushed skin. He moved back up to you and stared down at you. His eyes are the exact same as when he uses his Devil Trigger except for his pupils, which are heavily dilated. It was a chilling reminder of how dangerous Dante really is, how much stronger than you he is.

“Are you sure you are alright with me-- with us-- doing this?” His brow was upturned and his voice was filled with a unquenchable lust that made your entire body hot.

“Of course,” you gave him a long drawn-out kiss and bit his lower lip, slowly pulling on it, “I wouldn't have it any other way,” you felt him shift his hips slightly and whispered against his lips, “I want you, please, Dante.”

He nodded and took a deep breath, leaning back up.

Before he could do anything, you sat up and pushed him away lightly with your fingertips on his chest. A sultry smirk tugged at your lips as you slowly slid down to your knees, placing the occasional kiss along his abdomen.

Dante’s breath hitched upon realizing what you were doing, “You don’t have to- ah~” He let out a small groan at the feeling of your lips against his still-clothed cock.

You looked up at him and placed a few more kisses down his trapped shaft, feeling him twitch against you. With almost painfully slow movements you kissed back up his shaft then slid your fingers behind the band of his boxers, pulling them down. His cock sprung up proudly, already dribbling pre-cum.

With a small smirk, you looked up at him and ran your tongue up the underside of his dick, making sure to lap up the small bits of milky fluid. His eyes broke from yours and were staring upwards.

“Dante,” you stopped, making him look back down at you, “Look at me, please,” you leaned back in closer to his body, whispering against his sensitive flesh, “I want to see if you are enjoying what I am doing or not”

He swallowed hard and let out a shaky breath, “I don’t know how long I… If I watch you.”

You smiled and let out a sultry laugh, placing a kiss on the underside of his tip, “That’s fine, as long as I get to watch you cum.”

The red devil’s face was bright red, not only from your words but from, watching you give his slit small kitten licks. You made your way down his shaft with slow kisses again, reveling in how much he was squirming from your touch. Once down to his base, you moved to the side--between his cock and the meat of his thigh--and bit down on him, leaving a loving dark mark. All the while Dante was groaning quietly as he bit his lower lip, attempting to stifle his vulnerable noises. In fact, he was biting down so hard that blood had begun to trickle down his chin.

After you felt the mark was dark enough, you placed several kisses on his balls and curled your tongue around his shaft, moving from the very base all the way back up. Slowly, you placed your lips around his cockhead and made sure to watch as Dante released his lower lip, unable to contain himself any longer. Bit by bit you took his length into your mouth, to the best of your ability; it’s not every day you suck an eight-inch cock after all.

Unhurriedly you bobbed your head up and down, making sure to savor his taste and the lewd mewls that he was making. You used one hand to play with his balls, making him buck his hips at the unexpected touch. Cautiously, he placed a hand on the back of your head, his fingers just barely ghosting against you. Noticing his hesitation, you used your free hand to push his palm harder against you. As you worked yourself into a rhythm, you noticed that he was moving his hips gently into you, making you take him in ever-so-slightly deeper with each intake.

You placed your free hand on your own dick and began to stroke yourself at the sight of Dante towering above you. He was breathing heavily with half-lidded eyes and was moaning sweet praises; such as “Holy shit” or “Goddamnit”.

After a while, you moved back to kiss down his shaft and his balls. Carefully, you licked his sack and took one of his balls into your mouth very gently sucking on it.

Dante put his hands against the wall, pushing up, and arched his back as he let out a loud unfiltered moan, "Fuckin~~! God~" His fingers clawed through the wallpaper, all he wanted was to grab you and fuck into the back of your throat, but he needed to be careful and have patience; the last thing he wants is to hurt you.

As you released his ball, you lightly ran your teeth against the skin, making him let out another loud moan. You flattened your tongue and ran it up between his balls, making sure to go slowly between them, all the way back to his tip only to generously give his slit more kitten licks.

Once again, you returned to bobbing up and down on his cock, moving a bit faster this time. One of your hands began to fondle his balls again whilst the other wrapped around to hold the back side of his thighs; encouraging him to thrust harder into your face. The red devil caught on quickly to the idea and placed both his hands on the back of your head and began to thrust his hips into you.

Admittedly, it was perhaps a bad idea to encourage him to face-fuck you since he managed to make you deep-throat him; something you weren’t able to do. Tears sprung to the corners of your eyes at the feeling. All you could do was wrap both your arms around his thighs and hold on for dear life, hoping he didn’t get any rougher.

Thankfully, it didn’t take Dante long to reach his peak. Your eyes met with his and he let out a thunderous whining moan as his fingers dug into the back of your head, pushing his cock as far into your mouth as he could. As expected, his cum didn’t taste the greatest--caused by his diet or lack-there-of, it was very salty and rather bitter. On top of that, he was choking you and pushing rather hard into the back of your throat but that didn’t matter much; you got what you’ve been lusting after for so long.

The look on his face alone made it worth the probable sore throat in the morning. He was disheveled with his hair falling in front of his face, some of which was stuck to the thin layer of sweat on his brow. His eyes were heavy and even more dilated than before. A dark red stain adorned his lower lip from his own smeared blood. Heavy labored breaths left his ajar lips, giving you a good look at his sharp teeth. You could tell that he wanted you, that he wasn’t done with you yet; which is exactly what you’d hoped for.

You felt him pet the back of your head as you removed his cock from your mouth. With heavy eyes of your own, you looked up at him with your mouth hung open slightly and breathing heavily. He noticed the tears that had finally run down your face and thumbed them off your cheeks, cupping your face in his hands.

Without breaking eye contact, you leaned against one of his hands and took his thumb into your mouth, biting it softly.

Dante’s voice was soft, “Can we do more?”

With a smirk, you let go of his finger and stood up, placing a hand on his chest, “You sure you’re up for it?”

The red devil picked you up, placing his head between your neck and shoulder, whispering in a low dark tone, “My room or yours?”

A shiver ran up your spine, “E-either one’s fine-!”

Dante bit down softly over one of the marks he made earlier in an attempt to satiate some of his growing desires, internally he felt himself becoming increasingly impatient. After a minute of thought, he went upstairs with you still in his arms and kissing your marred skin. Dante decided to use his room; after all, he knows where his lube is--plus he doesn’t have to worry about ruining your bedding, bed, or room in the heat of the moment.

He supported you with one arm as he futzed with the doorknob. You grabbed his face and moved it to yours, kissing him once again. Dante’s kisses were much less innocent and sweet this time; this time, they were overtly lustful and sinful. He wanted to indulge both himself and you in these unholy urges, to make you feel as good as he does; which, come hell or high water, is exactly what he’s going to do.

Finally, he got the door open and pushed it open using your back. Your hands made their way up to his hair, grabbing handfuls of it as he placed both his hands on your ass, pulling you as tight to him as he could. The only light in the room was provided by the sunset that was peaking through the blinds on his window; which poured directly onto the bed. He brought you both to the foot of his bed and laid you down, moving his kisses down your neck and to your shoulder.

When Dante leaned up the sight before him is one that will be immortalized in his jumbled mind. You were a hazy mess and were sprawled out on the untidy sheets. The sunlight gave your body a golden glow and only emphasized how beautiful you are to him. You looked heavenly, angelic almost. A small amount of pity sat at the edge of Dante’s mind, pity at how he is going to stain your pure and holy nature; how this devil is going to destroy you.

He grabbed one of your hands and kissed the back of it, placing genteel warm kisses up your arm and stopping on your shoulder. His breath was hot and tickled your ear as he whispered to you, “I love you,” he placed a long kiss on the side of your neck, “So damned much…”

Before you could speak, he placed a soft peck on your lips and stood up, moving over to his bedside table. You scooched up further onto the bed and Dante climbed onto it, a bottle of lube now in hand, sitting on his knees. To say he looked stunning was an understatement. You weren’t sure if he looked heavenly or if he looked demonic; perhaps he is both a devil and an angel wrapped up in a half-human shell. The sunlight made him appear god-like; between the sheer definition of his frame and the orange eyes that were trained on you, he looked surreal. Said eyes were flicking all over your body, absorbing every bit of you that he could, but he was hesitant; what if he messes things up?

After a few minutes, you sat up and placed a hand on his bicep, “Hey, you okay? We can stop if you don’t want to do more, Dante.”

He shook his head, “No, I want this, I want you. I just--” his gaze broke from yours and mumbled, just barely audible, “I’m nervous.”

You gave him a gentle smile, thumbing over his arm, “You’re doing great, Dante,” you leaned the top of your head against his chest, closing your eyes, “Besides, that’s supposed to be my line.”

He let out a warm laugh and placed his hands on your back, kneading against you.

After a moment, Dante leaned you back down and slid his hands into your underwear. He pulled your last bit of clothing off and tossed it somewhere within the messy room, then he took his own off; leaving you both completely exposed. The red devil then paused in thought for a moment before carefully turning you over onto your stomach.

You peered over your shoulder at Dante. He was staring at your bare form, biting his lip. A small groan left your mouth as you felt him place his warm hands on your ass, kneading. After a moment, you heard him shuffle around and then he sat for a moment. A sharp gasp came from you as you felt him smack your ass then aggressively grabbed the slowly redding side. Dante’s lip twitched into a smirk as he did it again, hearing you let out another moan.

He put both hands back down and groped at your ass, listening to your whimpering beneath him. Admittedly, he wanted to continue teasing you but he was losing grip on his own emotions; fighting back an urge to Trigger. So, he let go of your tender flesh and grabbed the bottle of lube. Instinctively, you put your ass up a bit; laying in a downward dog position. Dante split apart your cheeks and applied a generous amount of lube before slowly running his finger around your hole.

A small buck of your hips back told Dante you wanted him to hurry up so he slid one finger inside you. You buried your face into the bedding in hopes to suppress your voice but were quickly pulled back up by Dante’s hand carefully around your throat.

Through a strained growl, Dante confidently huffed, “I want to hear everything, and,” he leaned down, slowly adding a second finger, and whispered in your ear, “I don’t want you to fake anything.” He kissed the back of your neck, “I want your real reactions, ‘kay?”

Quickly you nodded, laying your head to the side and letting out a quiet groan as you felt his fingers fuck into you faster. Dante curled his fingers towards himself and felt you jolt forwards as you let out a guttural groan. So, he repeated the action and, when you repeated the same response, he continued to do it faster and faster.

Dante added more lube and slid in a third digit and saw that your brow furrowed a bit, grimacing slightly; however, you didn’t tell him to stop so he pushed it in further. As he played with your hole, he noticed you had begun to practically ride his hand. Mindlessly he opened his mouth and began to play with his teeth using his tongue, he found himself distantly regretting waiting so long and wished he had been able to gratify these taboo feelings sooner.

“Dante,” you stared at him from the corner of your eyes, “I want you,” you felt his fingers quicken, making you moan, “Please, Dante.”

The red devil shifted his jaw in thought, still playing with your ass. He wanted to watch you squirm underneath him longer but he couldn’t deny that he was also growing increasingly desperate. With a small sigh, he removed his fingers and gently coaxed you to turn over; laying belly up.

Slowly, he ran a hand down your middle and gently thumbed over your aching cock, and the pre-cum that decorated the tip. You whimpered from the unexpected feeling of your long-neglected arousal. Dante leaned back to sit his butt on his heels and, using some lube, stroked himself to the sight before him.

Once fully slicked up, Dante aligned himself with your hole. A devilish smirk tugged at his lips as he teased you, running his tip along your hole; he wanted to hear you beg as he had heard in secret for so many years.

“Please Dante,” you pursed your lips and rolled your hips, “Please, I can’t-- Please~!”

With a low growl, he pushed his tip inside and you let out a sharp gasp at the feeling.

Bit by bit Dante entered your body. You were doing your best not to tighten your body around the unfamiliar feeling. Admittedly, it made your whole body tingle in delight; never had you had such a large partner--living or plastic--making this quite a new and thrilling experience. It took nearly a minute for Dante to finally be fully inside and both of you were already on edge. You reached up for Dante’s head, pulling him down for a kiss. Your legs rested on the outsides of his hips, allowing him to bend down fully to kiss you. The kisses were slow, loud, sloppy kisses; both of you were a mess.

Dante sat back up, holding you around your thighs, and ever-so-slightly pulled back then pushed back inside. He continued these small careful movements for some time.

“More, please, Dante,” you spoke between heavy breaths, “I don’t want you to hold back,” you flashed him a warm sultry smile, “Do whatever you want with me, Daddy~” You added a playful wink to the end and laughed as his eyes went wide with embarrassment.

Your laughter quickly died down when you felt him quickly pull out over half his length and jab it right back in eliciting you to let out a loud unfiltered moan, “Do whatever I want, huh?” He gave you a dark full-teeth smile, you felt your stomach drop in a fearful arousal type of way.

Dante pulled out almost the whole way and, once again, slammed right back inside. You let out another sharp moan and arched your back at the feeling. The red devil repeated this action until all you could hear in the shop was his balls hitting your ass and you spouting out random jibberish; singing the devil’s praises.

You went to jack yourself off but were stopped by Dante’s hand grabbing your wrist. Without slowing down, Dante leaned down and looked you dead in the eye, “You only get to cum when I say you can, babe.”

“What~Ah~!”

Dante yanked you up to sit on his lap, making hard deep hard jackrabbit thrusts right into your prostate. As he did that, he also had begun to bite over your skin again and his hands hand found their way to your ass; groping it hard. You wrapped your arms around him and held on to him, leaving deep scratches on his upper back. His lips met with yours again for more sloppy wet kisses, his hands slowly traveled to underneath your thighs.

In one swift motion, he had both of you up off the bed and you pushed against his wall. His thrusts had slowed to a moderate pace but were still short, only pulling out two or three inches. You decided to give him a taste of his own medicine and bit down on his shoulder. Dante let out a loud sharp unfiltered moan and his fingers dug into your skin, clawing into your thighs.

Once you felt the mark was deep enough, you placed a few more; making sure to mar up each side, and with each bite, you got another frantic moan. You leaned back to admire your work and felt him start making longer, more drawn-out movements, purposefully teasing.

Now resting his head against the side of your neck, he placed a few kisses, “I don’t remember saying you could bite me, babe.”

“Whatcha gonna do about it, hm?”

Dante pulled out of you and the next thing you knew you were being pushed face down into the floor, his hand grasping the back of your head tightly. He re-inserted himself inside you and began to fuck you even harder than before; pulling out to the very tip and slamming into you. Using his other hand, he took one of your arms and held it behind you, pinning it to your back. Your free hand was stretched in front of you and you were gripping the floor with your fingertips, desperately trying to ground yourself.

Admittedly, you were on cloud nine as you felt him continuously re-penetrate your hole. Your legs felt weak and you began to, unknowingly, drop your hips down; which caught Dante’s attention. The red devil pulled himself back out and took you to the bed, laying you face up. He remained on his feet and re-inserted himself, then yanked your legs up and over his shoulders. All you could do was grip the bedding tightly and continue to babble random moaning phrases to him, egging him on further.

This pose didn’t last long, Dante removed your legs and leaned down to you. He gave you a long impassioned kiss before resting his forehead against your chest. One of his hands grabbed yours, intertwining your fingers, and the other found purchase on your cock. With each jab inwards, he jerked your dick in rhythm with his hips. Your free hand gripped his hair, holding him into your chest.

Dante’s voice was ragged and low, almost desperate sounding, “I don’t know how much longer I…”

“Cum inside me, Dante,” you didn’t even need to hear the rest, you knew that he wanted to know what to do.

He moved his head to rest between your neck and shoulder then picked up his pace tenfold, in both his hips and his hand. Your body arched tightly against his and your fingers clasped even tighter around his hand and his hair. It only took a few more short sharp jabs for him to reach his climax, spilling himself deep inside you. Dante’s teeth sunk deep into your skin, breaking it once again, and creating a vice grip on you.

The hot feeling from his cum quickly spread throughout your body as his pace around your cock sped up, the combination of the two soon brought you to your own peak, “Fuck, Dante~!” Your voice was loud and semi-whiney and you pushed your head against his.

A gentle purr could be heard from him at the sound of your orgasm, despite him still having his teeth sunk into you. You gently ran your fingers through his hair and felt as if you were going to cry. The two of you laid connected for a few minutes, just enjoying the feeling of being so close.

Dante carefully removed his bite, making you let out a hiss in pain, and released your hand from his. He leaned up and gently removed his cock from your body, making a shiver run up your spine. With a happy content huff, he relaxed back down on you and propped himself up by resting his forearms on your chest. A warm smile and half-lidded eyes adorned his face as he placed a soft innocent kiss on your cheek and then rested his chest on his arms, staring at you.

Your hands slowly ran up his biceps and rested on his shoulders, mimicking his smile with one of your own. As you thumbed over his skin, you couldn’t help but think about how much you truly cared about Dante. Wandering thoughts devolved to the memories of coming home to a near-dead Dante laying on the bathroom floor; which only further darkened to the idea that it could always happen and, someday, you might not make it home in time to--

“Hey,” Dante’s soft voice pulled you from your thoughts. His smile was gone and his brow was creased, “What’s wrong?”

A tremble found its way to your lips as you stared at him and you realized that you had several tears running down your face. Unable to spit out what you were thinking, you spoke with a small crack in your voice, “Can you come closer?”

He gave you a small sweet smile with a happy huff, “Here.”

Dante stood up, picked you up, and placed you on the bed--laying you the correct way. The red devil then slid onto the bed next to you, placing his head on your chest. He laid with his body half on top of you and wrapped his arms around your middle, allowing you to do the same. Although you typically would’ve immediately gone to wash up after such a strenuous event, you couldn’t bring yourself to let go of him. A loud robust purring filled the room as both of you relished in the feeling of holding one another.

You placed a soft long kiss against the top of his head, lingering against him for some time before whispering sweetly against his disheveled hair, “I love you, Dante; you know that, right?”

The red devil turned his head to look at you better and placed a soft kiss against your lips, “I love you too babe,” he placed his head back on your chest, nuzzling into your hard, his arms wrapping tighter around you, “So damned much.”

ENDING NOTES: ;skfajfjlkdsjafkldj this wasn’t supposed to be this long--it’s 22 pages in docs; how the fuck-- This was supposed to be a short Dante smut fic, what happened lmaooo 🍊🍊🍊 Quick thing: If you are curious as to why I think a younger Dante would have issues with how he looks; it is because it reminds him of Vergil (Vergil has the same issue when his hair is down, thinking he looks like his brother--I mean, they are twins after all). 🍊🍊🍊 You know, I have written quite a bit of smut, right? So you’d think that I would stop laughing and getting embarrassed over writing words like “nipple” or “balls” but no, I fucking still giggle to myself like a fucking idiot when I write those words like… wtf is wrong with me smh Like I sit here typing one letter at a time all flustered when writing those two words specifically even though I just wrote about Dante fingerings the reader or like the reader linking Dante’s pre-cum like wtf is wrong with me lmaooo

Want to see more like this? Want to read my work quicker and several stories that are not on Tumblr? Check this out on my AO3 (Linked here)

MASTER LIST FOR TUMBLR

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yourneighborhoodneighbor · 10 months

Text

super cool ghost ice mega slide

(masterpost to my fics while ao3 is down) AO3

fic under the cut

Having another superpowered person as part of Batclan was great, even if he wasn't technically a meta (I'm dead, Duke, that's more of a medical condition-). Having a portable snow maker year round was even better.

Duke had taken to Danny pretty quickly after the younger teen had been picked up off the street, hurt and borderline delirious, surprisingly not by Bruce, but by Jason. Once he had been cognizant enough to realize in which city he was, and in whose cave, he had had a pretty major freak out, believing himself in danger through a mix of the idea that Batman hated metas and whatever had hurt him so badly in the first place.

After Duke had managed to get out of his stupor at seeing whatever it was the kid had become (and seriously, he had seen some pretty unusual things because of his meta abilities, but a 4k HD 1080p 4D experience of a real life eldritch being was not one of them) he had promptly kicked everyone out of the room in the med area (except for Alfred, whom he very politely asked vacate the room) to try and calm the kid down.

After revealing his own meta status, assuring the glowing kid that Batman didn't actually hate metas, he just wanted to protect his city from mind-controlled superpowered people, and that he was safe from whoever had hurt him, the kid had finally calmed down enough to return to a more human-like appearance.

From then it was really no surprise to anyone that the new kid (who could transform into an actual human, and really? Black hair and blue eyes again?) got promptly adopted and revealed information that got an entire branch of the government taken down by the blazing wings of fury of the entire Batclan (even Damian had quickly become attached to the newest kid once his katana was gushed about with the accuracy and fervor of someone who knows how to wield the weapon).

What had been unexpected was the kid having a connection to the Lazarus Pits (which were apparently something called ectoplasm) and being able to help Jason get rid of what turned out to be a huge amount of toxic gunk from himself, leaving him with only the good gunk (Duke tried not to think too much about it), which made the too dead-but-not-really boys bond quickly.

On top of all that the kid was also an engineering and astronomy nerd (as well as had a knack for math and physics), which appealed him to Tim greatly, and he made puns like would die (again) if he didn't, which appealed him to Dick, and, he preferred communicating with means other than spoken words (usually inhuman sounds and growls), which he bonded over with Cass, and he was actually good a baking, which appealed him to Alfred, and he was also already a vigilante, which appealed him to everyone else-

The point being, everyone loved Danny, including Duke himself, so it was a bit hard to get some to spend with him by himself, which was why Duke was going to make the most of this day.

He wasn't actually alone with the young half-ghost, Cass was also left at home while all the others went about some business or another out of the manor, but Duke knew hanging out with both Danny and Cass was often double the fun since underneath the chill facades both of them were actually feral little shits, so that wasn't an issue.

That brought him back to his first point: having a brother who could make no-melt snow on command was the best!

So now here they were, the three of them standing side by side on top of the tallest point of the manor, facing a slope so steep it was almost 90º degrees at first and then bent and curved all over the yard in ways Duke just knew wouldn't pass a safety inspection, those tiny cheap plastic sleds in hand (“for the full experience,” Danny said, even though they certainly had the money to buy other sleds). Duke was regretting some of his choices, looking down, but now he was committed, no way was he quitting, Danny and Cass would tag team on teasing him for the rest of time.

“Ready?” Danny asked, a too wide smile on his face and eyes open with the kind of crazed excitement only someone who was already dead could have.

Cass answered by putting her sled on the ground and sitting on it, position ready and her face mirroring Danny's.

Duke stood corrected, only people who were already dead, and Cass.

He really was going to regret this, wasn't he. Well, too late to back out now. This is what he got for hanging out with the two most unhinged people in the family, he supposed (and that was saying something, considering the kind of family Duke had).

“Sure, yeah, what's a little sled race down a death slope of doom?” the meta answered with more confidence than he felt. He was the Signal! He could do this! Besides, Cass and Danny wouldn't actually let him break his neck and die, right? Right.

Cass patted his shoulder sympathetically (as if-) as he sat down. Here went nothing.

“Remember, whoever makes it down in the least amount of time wins an ice cream! And no powers! You're up first, Duke!” Danny exclaimed as he pushed Duke forward.

Duke had barely any time to process the fact that he was already in a semi-free fall before he was already approaching the tunnels that made up the bottom half of the “super cool ghost ice mega slide” (patent pending). He remembered he did, in fact, need to breath, filling his lungs to the top and letting the air out in a scream.

The meta boy could do nothing but keep screaming as he reached speeds he was pretty sure went against the laws of physics, making loop-de-loops and turns so steep he thought he was going to slam against the side instead of turning a few times.

After what felt like an eternity but also too little time to have actually completed the Slide of Doom (more accurate name, in Dukes opinion), he finally made it to the end, promptly getting bowled over by a gleeful Cass and cackling Danny, who he hadn't even noticed were right behind him.

“Mmfffhblggggheroff-” Duke grunted, turning over and subsequently throwing off the other two into the surrounding snow. Danny accepted his fate, while Cass sat up and grinned at him.

“And?! Wasn't that fun?!” Cass signed excitedly. Duke was about to say it was terrifying, but cut himself short when he noticed he was smiling.

Huh. That actually had been fun. It had been really, really fun.

“We should do that again,” he breathed out. “We should do that again, but all together! More weight means more speed! We can see how far off the finish we end up!”

He was excited now, he was PUMPED! He grabbed Danny around the waist, carrying him like a sack of potatoes and and running up the ice steps (sibling with ice powers for the win-) back to the roof, Cass behind him with the sleds.

He ignored the ghost boy's protests about being able to walk (“and fly!”), eager to enact his new plan.

Once up there, he dumped his brother and accepted a sled from his sister, sitting down on it.

“Cass, sit on my lap! Danny goes on top because he's a lightweight!” he told the others, receiving a token protest from Danny, who got further teased about his half weight by Cass.

Once they were all settled, Duke got really to start them off by pushing with his legs when Danny yelled out.

“Wait!”

Cass and Duke looked up at him with questioning glances. In response, the boy got up, touched the slide and… Oh-hoho, this was gonna be good.

“There, it's extra smooth and slippery now. We're in for some Cool Running!” Danny said, settling back on top of the pile, grin matching his two siblings'.

“Alright, let's break some legs” Duke muttered, pushing forward with his feet.

And damn-

If Duke thought he was going fast before, they were racing the Flashes now!

All three siblings let out manic laughter, whopping and screaming as they held on to each other for dear life, the forces of the turns threatening to pull them apart.

As they neared the finish, Duke saw a shadow, barely having time to process before he was blinded by the flash of a camera.

They kept going a bit after the finish, the speed they came with not letting them stop, eventually colliding with a pile of snow and finally flying in different directions.

Duke couldn't stop laughing where he had landed, full of adrenaline and absolute mirth. A little ways away, he could hear both his siblings in the same predicament.

After a managing to get himself under control and trying to get his breathing back to normal, he sat up, freezing when he saw the amused audience they suddenly had.

“Umm, guys?” he called out to the other two.

“What?” Danny asked, sitting up as well and freezing as he saw what Duke had seen.

Cass was the last to rise, looking at their audience with as innocent a face as she could manage while clearly a culprit to their exploits.

Bruce simply raised an amused eyebrow, Alfred at his side looking perfectly regal while innocently holding a camera in his hands.

“I see you were having fun on your day off,” he stated, lips threatening to curl into a grin.

The three sibling looked at each other, before Cass reached over and simply offered one of the tiny plastic sleds to the man.

All of them were locked in a staring contest for the next few seconds, before Bruce's face finally broke into a grin and he grabbed the sled.

“Thought you wouldn't ask!” he said, turning and running up the steps, yelling back at them for being slow pokes.

The siblings all grinned at each other before running after the man.

Yeah, having access to unlimited snow was great, but getting to spend time with his family in it? Even better. bonus unrelated snow LBM drawing

#dpxdc #batpham #fanfiction #my fics #yourneighborhoodneighbor

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mysadcorner · 1 year

Note

May how I request how the Titans act on a snow day with female reader??

Titans React To A Snow Day Headcanons

- Credit to the gifs owner - Please be specific about characters wanted in requests -

Masterlist Navigation

Dick Grayson

• Dick's first reaction would be of complete and utter joy once he realises that it's a snow day. He may even be able to take the day off work and have some quality time with you which makes it even better.

• He isn't a big fan of the cold, but he certainly isn't opposed to it. He appreciates the beauty and calmness that comes with the snow even more than the temperature it's accompanied by (so on days like this he may seem even more relaxed than usual).

• Dick loves the look of snow and the effect it has on his surroundings. The glistening trees and buildings all hold a special charm when they're covered in it, and somehow people seem in a festive spirit which lifts his mood and makes him remember the type of people he dedicated his life to helping.

• He doesn’t mind going outside, but he does prefer to stay warm and inside for the majority of the time. Staying warm with you is one of the most ideal ways he could picture a day being spent, so he would never pass it up for anything else.

• Dick would stay warm with a blanket in front of a fireplace, or where there was central heating, and would usually cook a big meal while doing so. Once he’s full and is able to settle down, he’d stay cosy with a movie and a hot drink until it was time for him to finally decide to go to bed.

Jason Todd

• Jason’s first reaction to a snow day would be quite subtle. He would acknowledge it but he wouldn’t make a huge deal out of it since he has other things to get on with, he wouldn’t think a snow day was a bad thing though.

• Jason hates the cold. It seriously affects him, and as soon as he becomes cold he wants nothing more than to become warm again and will do anything in his power to do so (and will even put things off in order to avoid getting cold outside).

• Jason loves the look of snow, it’s peaceful and calming to him because of how graceful snow is. However, he won’t become overly excited by the sight of it, but more so feels at ease that he has the chance to stay in a comfortable atmosphere (especially if it’s during a holiday season).

• Jason would spend a little bit of time outside, but he wouldn’t want to spend too much time in the cold. He’d come back inside after a little bit of fun and warm himself back up while getting ready to relax with you.

• Thick blankets and a lot of pillows are a must while he’s relaxing with you on a snow day. He’d probably have some music on in the background while he’s attempting to make a meal or reading a book, but he doesn’t mind what he’s doing as long as you’re relaxing with him.

Raven

• She would be very glad to see snow because then that means she can relax for a little while, or at least doesn’t have to do as much as she usually has to. She can stay inside and train on her weaknesses, rather than going out and being in danger.

• She isn’t a big fan of simple cold weather, but the snow she loves. There’s something about it that she finds so pretty and beautiful, and it brings a sense of calmness to the atmosphere that she just can’t explain.

• She loves the look of snow, especially because of how calming it is. She’s able to do pretty much nothing and do things like having fun (that she isn’t able to do when she’s busy). Plus she gets more time to spend with those around her.

• She would love to go outside in the snow, just as long as she isn’t forced to do something to tire her out. Snowball fights and snowmen would be a lot of fun, and she takes advantage of this as much as she can before the snow goes away or she gets too cold and needs to go back inside.

• She would want to keep cozy on the night time while the snow falls with the people she cares about around her. Whether this be watching a movie or playing games with her best friends, she won’t mind just as long as she’s having a good time and is able to keep warm during the cold weather.

Garfield Logan

• Garfield adores the snow. It makes him very excited and he’s almost like a child with how happy it makes him. Immediately he’s telling everyone about the snow and trying to encourage them to go out in it with him.

• He’s not a huge fan of the cold, but if he’s facing fun with it then he doesn’t mind cold weather too much. As long as he’s keeping active and having a good time he won’t complain, and can warm himself up pretty easily once he’s back inside again.

• Garfield loves the look of snow because of how beautiful it makes everything seem. It reminds him of simple times filled with joy and al he wants to do is go out and touch it, but at the same time he doesn’t want to ruin the perfect scene that’s been created outside.

• He definitely goes outside, and it’s very hard to stop him. He’s always encouraging competitions and starting snow ball fights before anyone else has thought of doing so, and sometimes he just likes to sit in the snow and play with it, with no real intentions in mind. He just wants to enjoy it while it lasts.

• Keeping warm wouldn’t be too hard for Garfield, but to fit the atmosphere he would like to sit himself in front of a warm fire. He’d probably also sleep a lot easier being bundled up in blankets on the cold nights, since it makes him cozy and he doesn’t get too cold to begin with.

Starfire

• Starfire would be amazed every time she saw the snow, especially if it rarely makes an appearance where she is. No matter how long she’s been used to earth, she can’t deny that it’s something she views as special and deeply enjoys.

• She doesn’t really like the cold itself, but she does like what comes with cold weather such as the pretty snow and how it makes nature look. She especially loves blizzards because it keeps her inside where she can watch but stay safe.

• The look of it is incredible to starfire, especially the way that it shines and sparkles when the light hits it in a very specific way. Although most of the nature it covers may be dead, it gives it a certain charm and definitely makes the world calmer and quieter than it usually is.

• She’d go outside willingly if the weather is calm and the snow has settled, but she definitely wouldn’t if it was heavily snowing or the snow had melted and turned to slush. She doesn’t find it enjoying that way and is actually quite bothersome.

• Keeping warm is pretty easy for starfire, and she’ll always make sure that the people around her are warm too. Also, there are always a lot of blankets and other things to keep herself warm once she’s experienced snow for the first time and realises how cold it can actually get.

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bi-bard · 1 year

Text

Lizzy McAlpine Songs That Would Describe a Relationship with Jason Todd - Jason Todd Imagine [Titans (HBO)]

Title: Lizzy McAlpine Songs That Would Describe a Relationship with Jason Todd

Pairing: Jason Todd X Reader

Word Count: 2,089 words

Warning(s): unhealthy grieving, injury, argument, yelling, mention of sex

Author's Note: There are like four of these currently planned for Jason (counting this one). It's becoming a problem. You guys need to stop encouraging me.

**Not intentionally written in chronological order**

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

erase me

Don't answer me I'm calling just to hear you scream And you're fading But he feels like you in between

It was all about grief.

Not that I wanted to admit that.

I wanted to believe that this was just me changing as time went on. It had nothing to do with anything else around me. I was just growing. Exploring.

After Jason's death, my decline was fast.

At first, I was isolating. I hid away from the entire group. I only trained on my own. I spent most of my day curled up in my room. Someone would try to stop by, usually Gar trying to get me to eat. Sometimes it was Dick trying to get me to just walk around the tower for a little while or just talk to him.

After a while, I started forcing myself out of the tower. I would go out and find the best place to hide in. Anywhere with loud music and flashing lights and too many people that I could spend just a bit of time devoting my time and energy to. I would overwhelm my senses just to shut off my thoughts for a few hours.

I called that growing. Getting better. Moving through the grief.

No one agreed with me.

I was tired of the worried looks. I just ignored them.

Every night, I would come back to see Dick waiting up for me. I would ignore him, going back to hide in my room before he could lecture me.

I wasn't blind.

I knew when I felt someone watching me.

I ignored it for a while. But when I caught sight of someone on the roof of a building, I knew that I couldn't avoid an inevitable confrontation.

I sighed, turning into an alley. I jumped up onto a fire escape and climbed up.

The figure was still on the roof, looking around the street frantically. I almost chuckled. They'd lost sight of me.

"Who the hell are you," I called. The figure froze, their back still facing me. "Who the hell are you and why have you been watching me?"

I stepped forward, ready to pick a fight if I needed to.

And then, the figure turned around.

Jason.

I stepped back immediately. I shook my head, convincing myself that I had been imagining things. That was it. I had finally lost it. I would have to tell Dick that he was right. I needed help.

"You can't be real," I mumbled, more to myself than Jason.

"(Y/n)-"

"Don't," I snapped. "Don't say that. You... You died. I watched you. You can't... I've gone crazy."

I went to walk away, wanting nothing more than to just run home.

"(Y/n)," Jason stepped closer to me, grabbing my wrist before I could walk away.

I stared down at his hand. I didn't know if I should've pulled away or stayed or yelled or just... anything.

"I wanted to know you were okay," he admitted.

I pushed him back. "I... I have spent so long grieving you. So long. I... How are you... Why..."

Jason stepped forward again. I hit his chest.

"I tried so fucking hard to distract myself!" I shouted. "To forget you for just a little bit and then you just show up again. And you weren't even gonna talk to me? You were just going to watch me from the roof? Seriously?"

"I was scared of this exact reaction!" he yelled back. "You think it didn't kill me? I watched you do this shit every fucking night! It fucking hurt! Watching the person that you love kiss and touch and..."

He trailed off for a moment like the last word would hurt him. I couldn't blame him.

"I just wanted to forget," I mumbled. "Just for a minute."

I looked down for a moment.

"We...," I shook my head and looked back at him. "We need to go tell the others. Dick and Gar- God, Gar's gonna be so happy to see you-"

"I can't."

I felt my heart drop. "What?"

"You can't tell anyone about me."

"Jason..."

He leaned in and kissed me. I almost fell apart. Right in that moment. It had been so long... too long.

He leaned away again.

"Don't tell anyone you saw me," he repeated. "Please."

"Promise me that you're real first," I muttered. "I'll... I'll do anything, but please... just promise me."

"I'm real," he replied. "I promise."

I let the words sink in for a moment before I kissed him again. I cupped the sides of his face, like that would cause time around us to freeze.

Jason pulled away again. He grinned at me.

"Come back to me," I whispered. "Soon."

He nodded. "Sooner than you think, I promise."

I stepped away fully. I waved to him as I made it back to the fire escape.

When I made it home that night, Dick was waiting up for me.

"We need to talk," he said. Like he did every night.

"Okay," I replied. Instead of ignoring him.

He looked shocked at my response.

"I'm ready to talk."

No need to avoid... no need to forget.

an ego thing

Ooh-oh, I was trying to be honest If this is what I get, I won't be honest anymore Oh, if this is what I get I swear I won't be honest anymore

Jason was getting cabin fever.

There was no doubt about that.

After we had all spent so long in the Titan tower doing nothing but training, we all were getting to that point.

But Jason... Jason seemed to miss the violence more than he missed helping people. It was alarming. I knew that he missed being Robin. He missed working with Batman. He missed wearing a mask. But I didn't want him to jump back into that work if all he missed was the ability to do whatever he wanted with little consequence.

I just never wanted him to feel like I didn't support him. Or that I was attacking him.

We were on the couch. My head was resting on his leg. I was listening to him rant about the subject again. I was listening, trying to truly process every word. I just wanted to help him.

"Is it really that bad that I want to actually kick some ass after I've spent months stuck in here training?" he rambled. "I just want to get back to what I'm good at."

I took a deep breath. "Can I... Can I say something?"

He looked down at me and nodded.

"Do you think maybe just wanting to go kick ass is what's making Dick and Bruce hesitant to put you back out there," I asked.

"What?" his eyebrows scrunched up.

"I just... I wonder if they're hoping all the work will help you see your work as more about helping and saving people than you do getting to kick people's asses."

I pushed myself to sit up and turn to him.

He didn't speak up for a moment. I instantly felt like I had gone too far. I reached out and touched his arm, trying to get some response out of him.

"Jason," I said. "I... I just think that you got a little carried away in Gotham. Focused more on the violence than the protection. I want to see you focus on something productive. Surely, you've seen enough people use violence for fun to know that it's not healthy."

"You're really gonna compare me to those guys," he asked.

"No, no, not at all," I shook my head. "I'm saying that there getting caught in that mindset can be harmful."

"But you're saying I'm already there."

"I'm saying you can change it and be better," I explained. "A lot of the guys that you've faced are too far gone."

"How long I have then?" he stood up, raising his voice.

I was already confused about how we got to this point, but I felt like I was too far down this road to back down. I needed to make my point known.

Jason didn't wait for a response. "Go on, tell me."

"I didn't say that you were going to end up like that," I shook my head. I stood up, planning on comforting him. "I... I'm trying to help, Jason-"

"No, you just want to be able to say you tried," he snapped, stepping away from me. "You wanna be able to brag that you tried to save me before I was 'too far gone', right?"

He started walking away like I wasn't going to be able to respond to him.

"I don't fucking want any of that," I said. He kept walking. "Jason! You can't just storm away when you don't like my answer!"

He didn't even react. He just kept walking.

Once he was out of sight, I sighed and sat back down on the couch. I ran my hands over my face.

In my heart, I knew I was right. I knew that I had made a good point.

Maybe that's why I held my ground so firmly.

Why I didn't follow after him when I absolutely should have.

Pancakes for Dinner

I'll try to hide the way I feel But I'll just wanna shout What do I have to lose right now?

"Where's Jason," I asked as I stormed into the Batcave.

At first, I only saw two people. Two men just standing there. Bruce Wayne and some guy that I didn't recognize.

"Who the hell are you," Bruce asked, turning to face me.

I saw Jason sitting behind him. I ignored Bruce, walking forward to stand next to Jason. The other man seemed to be checking on something.

"(Y/n)," Jason grinned at me from behind his Robin mask. "How'd you find this place?"

"Followed you one night," I answered quickly. "Are you okay?"

"Who is this," Bruce asked again. I waved him off.

"I'm okay, just a rough night," Jason explained. "This is (Y/n)! We're old friends!"

Friends. Yeah. Just old friends.

That's why I snuck into the secret hideout of a billionaire that's secretly a vigilante.

Just friends.

"That's Bruce," Jason continued to me. "And this is Alfred."

"Hi," I awkwardly greeted.

I stood next to Jason silently as Alfred explained that Jason needed to take it easy for a little while. Alfred walked out after that. Bruce looked between the two of us. He almost seemed to glare at me before he turned around and walked out.

"He's a ray of sunshine," I mumbled, leaning against the desk.

"He's doing his job," Jason replied. "You did just break into his secret base."

"He should've thought about something like that happening before he took you in."

"How'd you know I got hurt," he asked, ignoring my comment.

"I keep up," I explained. "You're my best friend, Jason. I worry about you."

I saw some look cross his face for a moment. One that I imagine crossed my face when Jason called us old friends. Disappointment.

I paused.

I had to be imagining things.

Jason looked away from me, turning to look toward the door of the hideout more than anything.

"Jason," I said.

The impulsive part of my brain was beating the logical part. The logical part didn't even know it was in a fight.

He looked back at me. The disappointment was gone, but that didn't seem to stop me.

I stepped closer to him.

I took a deep breath before leaning down and pressing my lips to his. I was ready to run. Turn and run and probably vomit.

But then, he kissed me back. He sat up a bit, cupped the back of my head, and kissed me back. It was all so... soft. Like we were both nervous that the other would suddenly push the other away.

I pulled away first. "God, I love you."

Jason chuckled, his hand moving from the back of my head to the side of my face. "Took me getting hurt for you to admit that?"

"Didn't hear you rushing to say it," I muttered.

"Maybe I should make up for lost time then," he teased, brushing his lips against mine again.

"Maybe you should," I replied.

He pecked my lips before pulling away enough to mumble to me, "I love you."

He repeated that pattern a few more times as I happily tried to follow his lips in the hopes of getting a longer kiss.

I was ready to spend eternity just like that.

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

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#jason todd x reader #jason todd fanfiction #jason todd imagine #titans x reader #titans fanfiction #titans imagine #imagine #fanfiction #x reader #dc imagine #dc fanfiction #dc x reader #curran walters imagine #curran walters fanfiction #curran walters x reader

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sabo-has-my-heart · 4 days

Text

Regretful Actions Option B: Unforgivable

Option B (or 2, whatever) to the Law HCs about him accidentally hitting the reader. Sad ending

Warnings: talks of abuse, toxic relationships, my personal opinions, break ups, angst, violence, hitting

Word Count: 920

Once more, a healthy relationship with Law is difficult. He doesn’t open up easily, he’s standoffish, etc, etc.

It can still be healthy if you work at it, but the man doesn’t strike me as the type to be terribly open about his feelings or past.

So it’s going to take some time for him to open up to you.

He also strikes me as the type to waaaay overwork himself. (I don’t remember them outright stating that he overworks himself, but I can totally see him being a workaholic).

The beginning of your relationship was… bumpy.

Frequent arguments about him overworking.

Frequent arguments about how he never talked to you about anything.

You got through to him eventually, but it took quite a bit of time.

We’ve seen Law fight, we know he’s not exactly a pacifist.

That being said, he’s not particularly violent either.

He’s also usually pretty calm and level headed (Doflamingo excluded)

So for him to hit you, holy shit!

It’s not that either of you was being particularly unreasonable, just that things got a little too heated.

We know he cares, we see it all the time with his crew, but his kind of caring might not be your kind of caring (ah love languages)

Even still, most of the time (when he’s not around Kid and Luffy) he’s fairly level-headed.

He can usually handle this kind of thing, but, well….

Yeah, he hits you.

Still instant regret, like, sooo much regret.

You just… walk away, no words, just walk away.

Law feels terrible!

Just because this isn’t the happy ending doesn’t mean he’s some malicious guy who likes hurting people (he’s not Doffy)

Even still, it has you evaluating your entire relationship.

Every. Little. Thing!

And your friends and family don’t exactly help him.

They urge you to leave him.

First he’s cold and now he’s hit you? How dare he!

Okay, so they don’t know Law’s love languages, which makes them think he’s kind of a dick.

But they really do just want the best for you.

It takes you quite some time to think.

Once again, you do talk to the Heart Pirate crew.

With, again, Shachi, Penguin, and Bepo being Law’s biggest supporters.

While you’re evaluating your relationship, you take note of every single red flag.

Big or small, you take everything into account.

I mean, nobody’s perfect, he’s going to have both good and bad points, but you’re weighing whether or not to stay with him.

Him hitting you is, obviously, a pretty big red flag, even if he didn’t mean to.

Like, what if things get out of control again? Will he hit you again?

What if your relationship isn’t as healthy as you thought it was?

Has he been manipulating you this entire time?

Have there been things you just haven’t noticed?

Not to mention, he hit you over something simple.

All you were doing was caring for his well-being.

You don’t deserve to be hit over worrying about him!

Well, okay, you don’t deserve to be hit at all! (I’m a big supporter of the only good reason to hit/hurt somebody is in self-defense/defending others)

So if he hit you over something like this, what else will he potentially hit you over?

After a while, you go home to think.

You just need some time away from him, time where you aren’t around him or his biggest supporters.

Okay, yes, you’re going home where his biggest haters are, but avoiding people in town is easier than avoiding people you live with/are visiting.

Eventually, you do decide to leave him.

What you realized after evaluating your entire relationship… wasn’t good.

It either wasn’t as healthy as you thought or it was starting to become toxic, or even you maybe just decided to make your friends and family happy (I hope this isn’t the case, please don’t leave a good relationship because your family says so)

Seriously, if it’s a truly healthy relationship don’t leave it because that’s what other people want.

Leave a relationship because it’s toxic, unhealthy, or that’s what you want.

There are people out there (myself included) who would kill for a healthy, loving relationship. (Sorry I got off topic)

For the sake of this, let’s assume you found enough evidence that the relationship wasn’t as healthy as you thought.

So you leave him, him striking you was kind of the last straw (hat, lol 😆).

It forced you to evaluate everything and in the end it wasn’t actually as healthy as you thought it was.

It’s true that your family and friends are happy about you leaving him.

They’re also sad though because, obviously, something like this is heartbreaking.

They don’t want to see you miserable, they just think that you needed to leave him because he hit you.

You’re super careful with relationships after that.

You take care to notice anything that might be particularly toxic.

You also weigh out every red flag.

Like, is this a negative trait I can deal with (a weird laugh, avoids eye contact, annoying slurping) or should I run as far and fast as I can (any sort of abuse (verbal, physical, emotional, etc), alcoholism, manipulation)?

All of the sad pandas! Law is heartbroken, you’re heartbroken, the Heart Pirate crew is sad you’re gone. Sad pandas everywhere!

😞🐼😞🐼😞🐼😞🐼😞🐼😞🐼

But it’s healthier if you’re with someone who doesn’t hit you, isn’t toxic, loves you, etc.

Provided they actually love you and what not.

#one piece #op law #trafalgar d law #one piece law #trafalgar law #one piece trafalgar law #trafalgar one piece #trafalgar law x reader #trafalgardwaterlaw #trafalgar d law x reader #trafalgar op

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frenchfrywrites · 2 years

Note

hey can you write jealous bros hcs but like make it spicy with amab reader pls?

Jealousy HCs (but they're a bit spicy ;))

MINORS DNI

some of these got kinda toxic teehee :P cw for (intense) possessiveness?

Lucifer

He does not get jealous often

Or does he just not show it often? ;)

Nah seriously I think he’s pretty secure

However it does happen every once in a while

He starts to peacocks himself whether or not he notices it

He’ll show you how much better he is than the other person

Even if you reassure him that you’re only interested in him, he can’t help it

This follows him into the bedroom

He’ll ride you, suck your dick, and do just about whatever he can to show off his skill and desire for you

He gets more submissive when he’s jealous

He doesn’t need praise or reassurance, he just needs you to know that you’ve got a very powerful (and hot) demon under your control

Mammon

Gets jealous semi-easily

Immediately becomes possessive and clingy

If it’s easily accessible he’ll wear his collar (or any other wearable gifts you’ve given him) to get your attention

Begs for hickeys or bruises and totally tries to mark you up too

He’s gotta make the other person know you’re his and he’s yours

He’s even more into piss play when he’s jealous (if that’s even possible)

It’s got something to do with marking you/scenting you for him

His breeding kink also gets amped up

He needs a lot of reassurance and praise to feel better but also gets over it quick (especially when you stroke his ego (and his cock))

Leviathan

Oh my god. He gets SO jealous all the time. Literal avatar of envy jdakjdg

Most the time he becomes very insecure and wallows in self pity

If you fuck him when he’s like that do it slow and sweetly with heavy amounts of praise

Luckily I think he kinda gets over it quickly (because he experiences it so often)

He just needs a lot of reassurance in general

Though sometimes he gets really possessive of you

He feels the need to show you how obsessed he is with you

If he’s made any fanfiction or fanart about the two of you (and he has) he may leave it out for you to find

Then when you’re fucking him, his tail will wrap around you tightly (maybe a bit too tight)

And afterwards he’ll beg for you to stay deep inside him until he feels better

Satan

Doesn’t get jealous often

When he does, he gets angry (because he thinks it’s silly that he got jealous)

He’ll beg you to either fuck him hard or indulge in pet play or do some hypno so he can work out his anger

He might scratch or bite you, getting out his anger and marking you (a win win for him)

If you want to avoid that, gag him

Though he’ll beg for you to mark him in return

However you want to do that is fine for him

Once he’s calmed down (and fucked dumb) he’ll apologize

He gets over it quick because he’s usually pretty secure about your relationship

Asmodeus

Hm.. I don’t think he gets jealous often but when he does… oh man he’s scary

He’ll lock you in his room (and maybe kill the other person)

He never wants to hurt you tho

You just have to know that it was silly to give that other person attention when you have Asmodeus, former jewel of the heavens, at your beck and call

I think he’ll be more submissive and attentive to you when he’s jealous

Tell him what you want, no matter what it is he’ll do it to impress you and to remind you what you have

He’ll be bragging about your relationship, posting more, doing whatever you please, even the smallest thing like wearing matching clothes/accessories to show that you’re together

Beelzebub

He probably doesn’t get jealous too much, but it happens occasionally

He’ll get sad and mopey when he gets jealous

You'll be able to tell something's wrong that's for sure

He might be more affectionate too

His breeding kink gets amped up to 100

He’ll beg you to breed him and give him kids

(cough cough baby trapping you)

Beel will also want you to stay inside him and with him for as long as possible when he’s jealous

Like he’s trying to break a world record for how long someone can cockwarm

He gets over his jealousy with heaps of praise

Belphegor

Honestly I see him as getting jealous quite frequently

He’s just not very expressive about it, nor does he let it consume him

I think he could get very possessive during sex though

While he’s stroking you off he’ll mumble “mine”

And when you start fucking him he’ll softly moan “I’m yours” and drag his nails across your back and chest or nibble you to leave his mark

Again he’s not too expressive about it

But his eyes will give him away

He looks at you like you’re the world (and the other person is dirt 😈 (and when you interact he glares))

He gets over his jealousy when you call him yours and get equally possessive

#rq #spice #obey me #brainrot #cw possessiveness #p/iss #cw pet play #cw hypno #mentioned but still

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lovebillyhargrove · 5 months

Text

Wake me up when July is around

Chapter 19/? "Like a rock ballad"

Billy listens to Scorpions in canon (the iconic "Rock you like a hurricane"). Does he like their ballads? Probably not. Too slow, too sappy. He prefers his music fast, mad and loud.

2 songs for this chapter: "Jump" (1983) by Van Halen, and "Holiday" (1979) by Scorpions.

***

When they go out of the History classroom to move to another one - the usual "detention chamber" Steve was a frequent guest of last December - Tommy is waiting near the door. Mrs. Jenkins watches and follows the boys closely like a prison guard, but Tommy manages to walk a bit alongside whispering

"Guys where were you?"

There's offence in his voice, like when a little kid feels left out of whatever fun was taking place.

Neither of them say anything but Steve brings two fingers to his mouth, imitating smoking.

Hagan purses his lips and falls behind, still clearly upset. Billy's got a feeling Tommy is onto something. Long friendship gives you that kind of intuition. King Steve might be oblivious, but Hargrove knows that relationships between best friends are often much more than meets the eye. Hagan can throw a jealous tantrum at some point, and no-one needs that.

In detention Billy pulls out his homework, and Steve snorts. What are you gonna do for two fucking hours, pretty boy, just stare at the wall?

Mrs. Jenkins is unforgiving and unemotional, like a fearsome ancient deity. She's sitting there like a statue keeping a stern eye on the boys.

Hargrove should probably apologize to her, explain the situation, come up with a sound excuse. He can still be on time to pick Max up, and save himself from Neil's wrath.

He can't think of any excuse. His brain is still hazed over by very fresh memories of holding Harrington's impressive schlong half an hour ago. And yeah, Billy's not gonna grovel before this gargoyle. Fuck it.

What would it feel like to see it close? Bury his nose in the pubic hair, inhale the smell of .. of soap, sweat ..? Perfume?

Billy sometimes puts cologne on his privates when he's going to a party or on a date. Let it smell good. Let the ladies enjoy. Does Harrington do it? Judging by the level of self-care, he might.

How would it feel to run his tongue up Steve's dick, from the base to the tip? Look at Harrington like a bitch, standing on his knees, before the almighty king?

Hargrove sure enjoys the whole King Steve imagery and allusions. It just sounds like so much fun. To become his majesty's secret lover, gain power over him, knock the crown off his head once in a while just to get under his skin, and then - the ultimate coup d'etat, and who's the new king?

All Hail Hargrove.

Back in the fall when Billy first rolled into this bog of a town, the thought of overthrowing Hawkins royalty crossed his mind, there's no point in denying that. He even stepped on the war path at first, with basketball supremacy, breaking keg stand records and establishing himself in the school hierarchy, but then he kinda lost interest in that. Because .. because it transformed into something different? Because Billy is not even planning to go to prom? Doesn't give two pathetic fucks about Hawkins High?

Still, annoying the hell out of King Steve sure sounds amusing.

Poking him.

Making him thirst for Billy's touch. Just like half an hour ago, backstage, when Hargrove let go of Harrington's dick, and felt the shift of power.

Billy can see it on his palm, red and heavy and fucking throbbing

Pleading for attention. How would it ..

Oh shit oh fuck that's not .. no, no,

Homework. Let's do fucking homework, shall we? We've got uh .. Literature? .. Calculus?

He opens a textbook.

Harrington is wiggling in his seat.

"Mrs. Jenkins, may I go to the bathroom?"

"You may not, Mr. Harrington."

Steve's rolling his eyes.

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Hold it."

"What if I can't hold it?"

"Then you'll have to clean it up."

Harrington is sliding a palm over his face in disbelief

"Seriously? How are these medieval torture methods supposed to teach me something?" He mumbles, pouts his puffy lips and looks at Hargrove who's reading something in the Lit textbook.

Billy's biting his lower lip trying not to smile. The asshole made sure the teacher didn't hear a word he said, but of course the old witch needs to have the last one

"Excuse me, young man?"

"Nothing, Mrs. Jenkins! I'll just uhm .. everything's great!"

He's showing her a thumbs-up.

"Please stop talking, Mr. Harrington. It's detention, not an amusement park. Do something useful, don't waste your or my time."

Steve obviously wants to say

It's YOU who's wasting all of our time here, evil spinster

But makes a smart decision

"Of course."

It's quiet for some time, and Billy even manages to read a few pages.

He occasionally throws a glance Harrington's way. The pretty boy is just doodling something in his copybook.

He looks so cute. So fucking cute, all bored and stuff, in a sweater that still has Billy's and his own cum stains on it.

Jenkins is busy doing paperwork at the teacher's table.

Hargrove is letting out a sigh, and Steve raises his eyes up from the doodles, catches the other boy's stare

Billy wriggles his eyebrows at Steve and smiles. Checks that Jenkins is still busy with her papers, and runs his tongue over the lower lip. Digs his sharp teeth into it again.

Harrington's face turns red. Not because he's ashamed but because blood rushes blindly through his veins.

Hargrove keeps on eyeballing him with a smirk and

Steve can swear, what he is doing with his eyes, the sultry look, the heated implications, the shameless proposal

The asshole knows exactly what he's up to.

Steve's guess is,

Billy is eye-fucking him.

He's never been eye-fucked before. He didn't even know that's a thing until this very moment. None of his girlfriends have ever done it, like that. It's as if Hargrove is .. kissing him with his eyes, undressing him with his gaze, touching his cock with his stormy blue, all the sweet sweet consequences ensuing.

Harrington licks his lips, and Billy traces the movement, his dilated pupils become blacker than black with hunger, like he wants to catch that tongue with his teeth, chew on it, swallow it, suck on the lips till they're bruised and hurting

Steve's wiggling in his seat again, hand going down under the desk to adjust himself in his pants.

Is he touching his dick right now?

Billy's eyes are glued to whatever is happening under the desk where Harrington is sitting. He doesn't have the best view, because Steve's in a different row and a bit closer to the blackboard than Billy, so he can't really take a proper peek under ..

Steve's definitely rubbing his cock through the pants

Fuck, it's hot.

Is he .. is he trying to .. ?

"Mrs. Jenkins, I'm sorry I've got a very serious situation here, and I'm afraid I won't be able to hold it. Can you please just let me go to the bathroom?"

The dumbass is hunched over the desk as if he's in pain

Jenkins is shaking her head and frowning.

Steve's huffing out an annoyed

"Oh my god !!"

Billy's gonna burst with laughter, this is too funny. His own dick is turning hard as well, and it's hot as hell, but also Harrington begging to be allowed to go for a little jerk-off is just too goddamn funny.

"What is your problem, Hargrove?" The king is hissing in his direction

"Fucking stop it!"

Billy's grinning wide as if he doesn't have any problems whatsoever. Steve's sticking his middle finger at him and shuffles in his chair some more.

His right hand is still under the desk. Mrs. Jenkins raises her strict eyes at Harrington once again and keeps them on him. He can't really do anything while this old witch is watching, can he?

Billy's own dick is ripping through the jeans

As if he didn't cum a couple of hours ago, what kind of insatiable sex appetite is this?

Fucking insane.

I take my sword out of its sheath.

Do you see how long and strong it is?

I beg for a single favorable glance,

Oh my king

Should he write it down in his Lit copybook?

The fuck he's thinking. THE FUCK is this nonsense !!

That's some King Lear Shakespearean shit. Is he gonna scribble dumb poetry now? That's what all the tomfoolery backstage does to you

Uncanny that he even found a crown there.

***

The boys are free at last, and heading for the parking lot. Billy needs to hurry up, he has a shift. Harrington is trotting behind him.

As soon as he's out of the school building, he is scanning the lot with a faint hope that Max is still hanging around it.

"You going home now, Hargrove?"

Max is nowhere to be seen.

"The garage. Gotta work."

"You wanna maybe uh ..?"

Steve's running a hand through his hair

Repeat what we did?

"Can't. Work is work, Harrington."

Like you would know.

The evening's gonna be interesting. Billy can't really stay at work super late, can't sleep in Old Joe's garage. It's not a homeless shelter, and anyway he'll have to face Neil eventually. There's no escape from that.

Have a nice fucking day, Harrington.

He's not even looking Steve's way now, but he feels that the other boy is.

Billy opens the camaro's door, gets in. Lights a Marlboro, that's okay, he can take another slap from his dad, seriously what's the big deal.

Harrington's gaze is still fixed on Billy, and he's not in a rush to get in the beamer. It's as though he's waiting

And he wants to say

Follow me. Right now, come with me, follow me in your car. Skip work, skip whatever you have, just come with me.

Before he drives away, Billy stops at middle school, goes inside, looks around the quiet deserted hallways. Nope. He doesn't want to attract unnecessary attention of the teachers or whoever of the staff is left on school grounds, so he leaves.

He should get to work, no time for stopping at Cherry Lane for lunch or a shower.

***

When Billy comes home at around eight, Neil is expecting him. Billy knows it. He was already aware that he was gonna be in trouble the moment he heard the vice principal's voice behind his back. The moment he heard the word detention. It fucking left him no chance of warning Max. Maybe she looked for him in the gym like she did the last time he was late for pick up, but that's it, probably. She didn't know where else to look, so she had to get home on her own. Most likely, on foot.

She must've been walking home when he was exchanging heated wanton glances with Harrington.

Neil is fuming.

Billy decides not to wait for accusations and to come clean right away.

"Dad, I'm sorry, I was held up at school."

"What was the hold up? Did you get in trouble?"

"No, I was .. busy helping with the yearbook."

"The yearbook."

"Yes, and .. I got carried away. I forgot to tell Maxine, I did. I'm sorry."

Neil is nodding slowly.

"You forgot about your main responsibility."

"I did."

Why isn't he getting slapped or shoved into a wall?

"If you think that making your little sister walk home from school in cold temperatures is perfectly fine, you can walk too, right, son?"

Oh shit no no, not this. Just hit me, tell me what a piece of useless crap I am. The usual. No surprises.

Billy's feeling small and powerless. There was a time when he wasn't like that. There was a time when the little boy would blindly storm at his big angry father with his tightly-clenched fists protecting his mom.

He was able to do it at that time. He was much tougher then, because she was near him, she gave him strength and courage and purpose.

When she left, Billy had no-one else to protect and to fight for.

Alone on a battlefield, and the enemy was too strong. Is now, too.

Billy doesn't want to think of his dad as the enemy. Neil could've left him too, he could've thrown him out in the street, could've put his son in foster care. Dad didn't do any of these things. He might hate Billy but he didn't abandon him, for whatever reasons. Billy's always had a roof over his head, food on the table, clothes to wear and school supplies to study with. He can't even say that he was absolutely denied certain freedom. In his spare time he could do whatever the fuck he wanted, he got himself a badass car, he went to parties, drank beer and smoked in his room. He got his ear pierced for fuck's sake, and Neil had to live with that.

Billy doesn't know what he feels about his parents. The feeling does not fit into any category. It's a raw pile of pain, sometimes bleeding, sometimes not.

This is fucked up, and always will be, and no matter how much Billy wants to scream and shout and blame the world for being the way it is,

It won't change anything.

It is what it is.

Neil's palm is in front of him

"Give me the keys, son."

"But dad, I have school and work, how am I supposed to be on time everywhere?"

Are you fucking naive? It's not Neil's problem.

"I don't care what you have. Always wait for your sister, it's the third time you've slipped since we came here, Billy."

Oh my fucking god, of course, he's counting

"I have repeatedly told you - that's your main responsibility - to look after Maxine. That was the deal, that's why we let you have a car in the first place."

Oh, you let me have a car? You didn't spend a cent on it ..! And I've been driving Susan's daughter who's nobody to me for fucking years now and ..

"I do look after her, dad! It was just a .."

"The keys."

Billy takes out the car keys from his pocket and hands them over to Neil.

"How am I gonna get to places?"

"You can walk, obviously. Just like your sister did today, in freezing weather. Or you can take a school bus."

It's not that freezing, and she's not that little, and Billy's not gonna take a fucking school bus, okay?

"And, son, don't even think about skipping. I'll find out."

Billy wants to shout in Neil's face

"OKAY !! Jesus fucking Christ !! I don't give a fuck! It's only four months left and I'm out of here, dad!"

He does all the screaming in his head, already on the way to his room.

Max's door is slightly open. Of course, the rat is eavesdropping, that's her favourite thing to do. Comes second after ratting him out to the fucking parents.

Billy's got a spare set of keys to his car, made it just in case, a couple of years ago. He won't use them now though. It's for a bigger emergency.

He's gonna fucking walk.

***

He's already in bed when Max knocks on his door and slips into the room, carefully closing the door behind her.

"Billy? Can I borrow your pencil sharpener? Mine doesn't work."

"Piss off, rat."

"Billy, it wasn't my fault, I swear! When I got home, mom was here, what could I do? She asked me why I came home alone, I actually said you dropped me off near the house and then drove to work, but she said I was lying. Cause she saw me walking, she must've been looking out of the window or something. I swear, it wasn't my fault. I also came looking for you in the gym, like the last time, but you weren't there. I waited near the car, but then I was too cold to stand there, and the school bus had already left, so I walked."

She actually tried lying for him? That's something new.. but then, maybe she's lying now. Billy doesn't care.

"Take the pencil sharpener from the desk and get your ass out."

Max wants to say something more, but Billy turns his back on her and she just quietly takes what she needs and leaves the room.

Billy reckons, maybe in other circumstances, they wouldn't hate each other's guts so much, actually. She's an asshole, but that's what he is too.

Back in San Diego, when Max started going to middle school, Billy had to pick her up from there and they biked home together. Both Neil and Susan were busy working, and that was before Billy got his own car. He saw a really big kid picking on Max once or twice, but like .. it wasn't anything bad, until one day Billy clearly heard him call her an "ugly red-haired bitch".

"Hey! Are you giving her shit, asswipe?"

The kid was younger than Billy but almost twice his size.

"And who are you?"

"Fucking family."

Billy pushed the bully so hard, he went down on the asphalt. He quickly jumped onto his feet, and fists went flying, the boy got a chipped tooth, Billy ended up with a bloody nose and a badly hurt eye.

The kid never bothered Max again though.

Billy knows he didn't have to do it.

Max is tough and can handle everything on her own.

But probably, in another life they wouldn't hate each other so fucking much.

***

Ugh. Fucking Hargrove.

Who knew that Steve would be kissing a boy his senior year? Not just any boy. He's never wanted to kiss his best friend Tommy or .. or Andy, or anyone.

But Hargrove ?

Yeah. No comment.

Fuck. Steve's senior year is a gift that keeps on giving, honestly.

Who knew that he would take Hargrove's dick in his hand? What even got into him?

He wanted to.

In his defense, it was blackmail. He was brazenly blackmailed.

Hargrove got him all hot and bothered, and then he was like

I'm not gonna do anything unless you grab my dick as well

If that's not blackmail, then Steve doesn't know what it is.

He needed to come. He needed release. His balls were aching. It was a physical necessity.

He had no choice, so he caved to Hargrove's demand.

Rather willingly.

Steve honestly doesn't know where he stands on the gay aspect of it all. Like .. he's used to thinking .. no, he's used to being made to think that being gay is not right, it's not how things are supposed to be.

Kissing Hargrove doesn't feel wrong.

Holding his dick didn't feel wrong.

It felt fucking amazing.

Hargrove looks amazing. He .. he has this power over Steve, like he is a promise.

A promise of something extra thrilling, extra fun, exotic and sharp, like a blade that you're balancing on

Yes

Or no.

If it's a yes, it's gonna be awesome. He's in for a delicious orgasm, his sensory perceptions all sparkly, flared up.

If it's a no, it means that there's gonna be another time

Because Steve isn't good at getting rejected.

Never has come across a no, actually. It was always a yes.

It's nothing major, of course. The game's just too good to stay out of.

It all can finish at any given moment. It's not like it's something serious, in fact, it is so not serious, it's not even worth thinking too much about it.

It was hot. That's all there was to it.

So making-his-knees-wobble hot, Steve's never experienced such absolutely cutting sensations with sex, with any of his multiple girlfriends. They haven't even done anything really big with Hargrove, yet even a little kiss felt so good already. What kind of sexual magic is that.

***

Billy literally has to walk to school next morning, Neil didn't go soft on him or change his mind during the night. He wakes up earlier and leaves the house at - what it seems - the asscrack of dawn. That's not true, Billy's exaggerating of course but the whole situation sucks. Walking doesn't suck as much as the fact that there is a person in his life who can take away his car keys, grab him by the hair, make him feel invisible and .. so alone, so unwanted.

And there is nothing he can do about it.

The school is okay, Billy's not even late, and everything is same old, only for some reason he's not on the usual search for Harrington. Not today. Not when he's feeling like a useless piece of shit.

Basketball practice is slow and uninteresting, for the first time in a long time, and even coach Nelson asks him

"You sure you're not sick, Hargrove?"

Oh, he is sick. Has been all his life.

Something unexpected happens after practice. When Billy walks out of the gym, Steve hasn't left the parking lot yet, although practically all the other guys have driven away, even Tommy - everyone's busy and got stuff to do.

Harrington is smoking near the beamer

"Hey, Hargrove! Need a ride?"

There's only like thirty minutes left before his shift starts, and he'd never be able to walk the distance to the repair shop in half an hour from here, so Billy comes up to Steve and reluctantly says

"You offering?"

Harrington taps ash from his cigarette

And Billy can't help but look at his fingers

The fingers that were wrapped around his dick and made him see stars

Only yesterday.

"Where's your car?"

"It broke down. Nothing I can't fix but I'm horseless for the time being."

And it sucks.

"You going home?"

"Nah, I have to get to work, actually."

Steve thinks it's kinda strange, to see Hargrove without his flashy car. It never happened before. He noticed it in the morning, there was no camaro near the school, and he thought at first, maybe Billy wasn't coming to classes today

Billy dotes on his precious car, how did he let it break down, how did he not repair it right away. Weird.

"Alright. Get in."

Harrington takes the last drag and flicks the butt. They both get in the beamer. It's uh .. strange.

The boys drive in silence, there's some shit playing on the radio, but it's quiet and Harrington doesn't turn it up. He stops not far away from Old Joe's garage and takes out two Parliaments.

Hargrove accepts.

They sit in the car and smoke, Billy's looking out of the car window which he has rolled down. He looks like he's in low spirits. Subdued.

"When does it get warm here, Harrington?"

"In April it's gonna be nice."

Are we going to talk about weather, Billy?

Harrington is a little nervous. He looks at the other boy who's still staring out of the window. Maybe it isn't the right moment, but he puts his hand on Billy's thigh.

Just like that.

Hargrove is tensing up and Steve can see how his nodules are rolling under the skin.

He slowly turns his head, doesn't look Steve in the eyes but stares at the hand on his thigh. Eyelashes heavy,

Long.

So fucking gorgeous.

Billy's cock is filling up in his jeans and Harrington is just as hard, he can see the outline in his pants, jacket unzipped and allowing Hargrove to actually have the full view of Steve's crotch.

The hand on his thigh is big and warm, and he again has a vision of Harrington's fingers holding his dick, sliding over it

They could do it right now.

Billy is not in the mood. He feels .. he feels fucking homeless without his car.

Neil showing his power has gotten in his head. He's almost 18, a fucking adult and his dad can do it to him, can fucking take his car keys away, making him walk around the town like a stray dog.

"I have to get to work, Harrington."

Billy's voice is low and hoarse.

Also, it's daytime, it's dangerous, someone might walk past and see something they shouldn't.

"When are you gonna call me?"

Hargrove's shrugging his wide shoulders

"You haven't lost my number again, have you?'

"Nope."

"Give me yours?"

"No."

Not an option.

Hargrove is exceptionally talkative today.

Harrington is looking at him like doesn't get it why it's a no. Not everyone gets super lucky with parents, what's there not to understand, you silly kissed-by-an-angel mama's boy.

Steve's hand is still on Billy's thigh, but he's getting out of the car, shaking it off

"Thanks for the ride, man."

"Yeah .. no problem."

Upon entering the garage Billy greets Mr. Dailey and goes to the small room in the back to change clothes. Everything is done on autopilot, Billy's busy replaying the image of Harrington's palm laying on his leg, and his stupid heart won't stop racing.

The pretty boy did it in broad daylight. He couldn't have been more straightforward.

Maybe, jerking each other off in the school drama hall was a mistake.

Billy scoffs. Maybe, uh-huh. More like, one hundred fucking percent yet another misstep in the chain of Billy's fuck-ups regarding Hawkins fucking royalty. Doing it sober was especially dumb. It was too real. It was too fucking real and felt too fucking good.

Felt like a hazard.

Why doesn't Harrington put an end to it, but keeps on encouraging whatever this is?

Everything, fucking everything, starting with Neil's idiotic move to Hawkins, Indiana is just one huge stupid big-ass mistake.

***

Steve's GPA might not be as high as his parents wish for, or he himself wishes for, but despite it, he understands

There was something off about Hargrove.The opportunity to make each other feel good was right there, but he turned it down?

Looked all preoccupied. On edge. Fucking sad ?..

That's not Steve's business. He'll simply regard it as adding more spark to the chase. Hargrove might seem easy for his royal dick, but in reality it's not that simple. He doesn't call, although Steve has explicitly asked him to, many times. At the Valentine's party, although Harrington was spectacularly wasted, he remembers how Billy rejected him. In some kind of a room, when Steve tried to kiss him.

And now that.

No, Hargrove doesn't make it easy, which is even better.

Steve returns to the empty house, parents in Indianapolis, calls Tommy and invites him to come watch a movie tonight. Guys' night, beer, smokes and the "Terminator".

Hargrove had the same jacket and gloves for Halloween, remember?

That's not the question he asks Hagan, of course, but it's the one that keeps coming up in his mind throughout the evening

Tommy is happy to come over, and they end up watching movies till three in the morning. Steve leaves his friend to sleep on the couch, and goes upstairs to his room.

Whether he jacks off to the distant memory of the leather smell, the feeling of firm muscles under the jacket and Billy's stubborn resistance on that Halloween night

As well as to much fresher memories

Is unknown, it's between him and the bedsheets.

***

Hargrove walks back home after work. It's March, if the calendar is telling the truth, but it's still cold, especially late in the evening. Mr. Dailey offers to give him a ride, but Billy lies and says his friend is picking him up on the way.

Fuck you, dad. For making me hate you. Was never my intention.

He arrives home late, has a quick shower, makes a sandwich in the empty kitchen, thank fuck everyone's in their rooms sleeping or doing whatever, and takes it to his room to eat. He doesn't do any homework, just drops on the bed, exhausted.

Tomorrow is another day of dragging his sorry ass around Hawkins - Hargrove doesn't even look in Harrington's direction after classes, he just leaves the school parking lot, clenching a cigarette in his teeth. There's no basketball practice today, so he has enough time to get to work, no need for a ride. He heads straight to the repair shop, no point in stopping at home.

The camaro keys are waiting for Billy on the kitchen table in the morning of the next day.

It's not like Neil is gonna drive Max to school till the end of the school year. Billy got taught a lesson, but Neil isn't used to changing his usual routine because of Maxine. Also, most likely she's been pushing Susan's buttons non-stop, cause being chauffeured around in a dope ass looking Camaro is one thing, and it’s quite another when your not-so-loved stepfather drops you off at school in his Buick. It’s a completely different level of stepping down the food chain when you have to take a school bus home.

So when the shitbird plops onto the passenger's seat after two days of not having a personal driver, Billy turns the key in the ignition and they hit the road, he can see it - Max is actually glad to be back.

Billy can't help it but there's a spark of warmth inside. He crushes it with his heavy boot fast

Bullshit.

But.

It was there.

You never know what you've got until it's gone, huh step-sister dearest?

Don't even think about complaining about my music now. Billy turns on Van Halen's "Jump", to the maximum.

Hell yeah.

I get up, and nothin' ever gets me down

You got it tough, I've seen the toughest all around

And I know baby, just how you feel

You've got to roll with the punches to get to what's real

It feels awesome to be behind the wheel of his baby. He's missed her like a madman. Fuck everyone and everything else. The snow has started melting away, little by little, and although the temperatures, especially at night are still low, and the skies are grey and hostile, very often the sun breaks through those steel-like frowning clouds.

Spring is here.

Oh can't you see me standin' here

I've got my back against the record machine

I ain't the worst that you've seen

Can't you see what I mean?

Billy gently presses the gas pedal and feels the car rumble pleasantly. There's no ice on the roads, there's just dirty slush and puddles. He can actually get back to his usual speed soon, hallelujah.

***

You've got to roll with the punches to get to what's real

Time goes by, and whether we want it to flow faster, or slower, it does as it pleases.

The first week of March is coming to its end. Although winter doesn't retreat easily, still scratching Billy's face with its icy claws and occasionally sprinkling some of its last snow everywhere, spring is felt in the air, there's change, there's something new coming.

Steve openly flirts with Tammy whenever he gets a chance. Nicole is livid. She probably has voodoo dolls of both, and sticks needles in them every night. She's been waiting to get together with Steve for so long, jealous of Princess Nancy, and the moment she thought her dream had finally come true, King Steve goes and dumps her for that skank.

He didn't officially dump her, but his behaviour is that of an asshole who shoots hearts right and left. No girl can tolerate it, Nicole is no exception.

Although Jennifer is still marking her territory "Billy's mine", and she did sit on Hargrove's dick in the backseat of the camaro a couple of days ago,

He was shamelessly picturing Harrington all the way, all coiled up on his lap - so many things they could do like that.

How would it .. ? Fuuuck .. Having Steve's body, Steve's weight over him. It would probably feel so big, so heavy.

Jennifer and Billy are not gonna be an item anymore soon, he will take care of that.

She will join the Broken Hearts' club, but let her stay oblivious for just a little bit longer.

The boys keep looking at each other. Just like the spring air, there is a slight shift in the way they are doing it. There is an understanding. They have tried something and don't want to stop.

They both want more.

What at first had no shape and no substance, began to take on more definite outlines.

There's also an unspoken dare, like who's gonna ask first. Who's not going to wait until a wild opportunity presents itself out of nowhere.

They should be careful though if they ever decide to do something. Last time when they were hiding in the school hall rubbing each other's dicks, and then got into detention together, Tommy asked questions. He came up to Hargrove and asked him why they hadn't called him to join them for a smoke. Billy had already seen through Steve's hastily concocted lie - smoking was the most obvious excuse - and played along,

"Jesus, Hagan, how the hell do I know, you just weren't there at the photo thing .. I guess?"

You're talking too much, explaining too much, like you're guilty on all counts, shut up.

Hargrove can bet a thousand bucks - Tommy's got the sixth sense about Harrington. They haven't been best friends since forever for nothing. Plus Hagan's big fat crush on his pretty bff. It hasn't been confirmed or anything but Billy has always been able to read the signs.

Hargrove wants to lay his commoner's hands on King Steve once again, but he still doesn't fucking call. The note is somewhere in his bedside drawer, he sometimes takes it out, examines the handwriting, imagines dialing that number. The phone draws him in like a magnet but he's breaking all laws of physics, successfully fighting the magnetic field

He's not gonna run after Harrington. Fuck him.

It's a late evening, and Billy's lying in bed, listening to Scorpions. He's never been a fan of rock ballads but tonight when "Holiday" starts playing, he doesn't forward it or change the tape. The melody is beautiful and the guitar is soothing. Somehow the music falls differently on Billy's ears which are normally trained to feast on the energy of rough guitar riffs.

Let me take you far away

You'd like a holiday

Billy would definitely like a holiday.

Exchange the cold days for the Sun

A good time and fun

Yes, please. He's had enough of the winter frost.

Exchange your troubles for some love

Wherever you are

There is some kind of vague melancholy, sadness, lurking inside. Deep, Billy can't even put a finger on it, explain it. It's weird, it's alien.

The hell?

Well it's fucking Hawkins, middle of fucking nowhere. No sun, no ocean. Even the Germans understand it.

Longing for the Sun you will come

To the island without name

Longing for the sun

You will come

All you fucking do here is stare at the endless fields and forests that aren't even green now. And, like okay, it's pretty in its own way, but he needs to get back to what he's used to.

The gloom gives Billy's heart a squeeze. It doesn't look like the type that can be easily brushed aside. Or which Billy can get angry about. It just came and settled in, and isn't planning on going anywhere. Like it's going to become one with you, and there isn't anything to be done to prevent or avoid it.

If Billy didn't know himself well, he'd think it's something disgusting like

Affection?

For a girl? Vicky, Jennifer .. any other?

Nope.

For Harrington?

The idea is so ridiculous, it's outright hilarious, and Hargrove sneers sleepily. He's tired, it's close to midnight, he's falling ..

The asshole's always on Billy's mind though, how long can he ignore it for?

Various details of the gone day start to emerge from memory - Harrington's arm on his new girl's shoulder, the stupid bangs bouncing over his forehead, the king must take so much time styling them in the morning, the smile, his fucking smile .. During Health class Harrington was sitting in front of Billy, and Hargrove had to stare at the back of Steve's head and neck the whole time. It was torture. He ended up shoving a pencil under Harrington's shirt collar - it's third grade bullshit, but Billy's hands were itching - which led to Steve turning around and reaching out to punch Billy's shoulder, which led to Ms. Babcock's remark to watch his behaviour, which led to Steve saying that Hargrove is a jerk who's not letting him concentrate on the subject, which led to an extremely tedious and pointless exchange between him and the teacher, and her asking the "discipline violator" to go see Mrs. Donovan, the vice principal. For some reason, Ms. Babcock doesn't like Steve. She absolutely loves the ass-kisser and know-it-all Hargrove.

The pretty boy's neck. Billy doesn't want to stick pencils under the collar. He wants to hide his nose in there and breathe. Sink his teeth into it, bite gently.

Anyway, fuck it. He'll get his diploma, and maybe he'll burn rubber the second after.

The song is the last one on the tape. Billy raises his hand, rewinds it and presses play again. He likes the tune and the chords.

Let me take you far away

You'd like a holiday

What would Harrington be like if he and Billy were somewhere else, not in Hawkins? If the king was taken away from his realm? Would he still be so full of himself?

Hargrove's listening to the words and the music, his eyelids are closing. He doesn't notice how he starts drifting off into peaceful sleep. The song comes to its end and the tape whirrs a little, making the play button pop up.

Billy dreams of walking on the beach, barefoot on the warm sand. The feeling that he has missed so much, is awesome. There's someone's hand in Billy's hand, and he hears laughter, the voice sounds a lot like Steve's. The sun is high and bright, yet it doesn't burn, it's soft and enveloping him whole

For once in the last three weeks, it's not a sex dream. It's not a nightmare about his mother.

Billy won't know it but he's smiling in his sleep.

Longing for the sun

You will come

To the island many miles away from home

Away from home

When he opens his eyes in the morning, Billy doesn't remember a thing, but he feels very strange. An odd mix of elation and sadness.

The fuck is this now. Feels like a beginning.

Oh god. Of fucking what?

***

#harringrove #billy x steve #harringrove fic #harringrove slow burn #s1steve x billy #harringrove high school shenanigans

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anthraxplus · 9 months

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the cultural phenomenon of barbenheimer has taken over my mind

i did barbenheimer with a friend yesterday and it really got me thinking.

first off - it was so weird having my local theatre be so busy. it's usually the theatre you can bet on being able to sneak anything into, and while we still definitely did sneak in a buttload of snacks, they had people actively waiting in the wings as ticket checkers. so it kinda sucked that we couldn't just do the whole thing for free. but that's a bit beside the point. the theatre was the busiest ive seen it in nearly 10 years. and i'm not gonna lie, seeing a "cultural event" happen in front of me was more jarring for that reason. and as the day went on, that image in my head stuck with me. the image that all these people showed up to watch barbie and oppenheimer.

we saw oppenheimer first, in a nearly empty theatre. we sorta did this by design - we started at 10am and picked oppenheimer first because less people would choose to be that insane. i was high and trying to get myself into an impartial mindset (even though i didn't think i would end up liking it). and i think all i should really say about oppenheimer is that it's 3 nearly endless hours that doesnt give anyone any time to breathe and ends up saying a bunch of confusing, disappointing, and outright false things. seriously, the amount of times the movie brushes off the fucking truth of the situation is absolutely disgusting. obligatory linking of shaun's video on hiroshima and nagasaki. i think everyone in the movie should be forced to answer why theyre proud of making 3 hour bland ass shit boring nuclear bomb apologia. this isn't even getting into how the famous oppenheimer quote is introduced by a manic pixie dream girl (who in reality was a stanford graduate and psychiatrist, neither of which i believe are ever touched on or expanded in the film) who hops off his dick mid-fuck, walks over to a bookshelf, picks the bhagavad gita off the shelf, opens it to the exact page and verse of the famous quote, asks him to read, and slides back on his dick between "now i am become death" and "destroyer of worlds." this movie released to critical acclaim. some are calling it a masterpiece.

after some burritos for lunch, my friend and i went to barbie. this was a packed theatre and mostly everyone was wearing pink. the red in my hair has faded to a pink, so i felt like i was part of something. kinda. anyway. some little kids were loud in the front but it wasnt much of an issue. i kept thinking of them whenever the movie would say something about the struggle to find identity in a world that hates you no matter what you do. did those little children listen to margot robbie say that she doesnt have a vagina? did they parse that? it was a great movie, if a bit scattershot. it shouldve been longer, if only to fully flesh out a couple ideas and help the movie feel a little less cramped. but they would never make a 2.5 (let alone 3) hour barbie movie that talks about not just what it means to be a woman, but what it means to be human in a world that is so often contradictory hostile and praising of you. what happens when the Other we defined ourselves by isn't static? do we become different as well in relation to them? do we stay the same? do we do both? what are women supposed to do in the world when everything they do is wrong but they're never allowed to stop doing anything? how do men develop their own identity when they are so often raised into mindsets where their individuality is replaced by similarly contradictory standards and a definition that only exists in relation to women? what did ken mean when he said he had "all the genitals?" barbie is far from perfect, but it manages to ask more honest and thought provoking questions (and offers its own interesting answers) about the nature of reality than oppenheimer does.

i'm struck by the dichotomy on display here. barbie may be the more financially successful of the two films, but it is not treated the same critically. for all barbie says, it seems to get overlooked for its (still impressive) design and acting. its metacommentary is mentioned but never discussed. its "witty meta humor" is listed as a huge selling point. oppenheimer, in contrast, is a vain and shallow film that says nothing and looks somewhat cool doing it. i wonder if there are any parallels here.

i worry for what this means for movies. a nearly empty theatre for a self-important movie that lists itself as its reason for existing is treated as if it says anything at all, and a packed theatre for a movie with a script similarly packed with commentary on our very state of being gets boiled down to "cute sets and witty banter." what did the audience members take from their barbenheimer experience? my area is not very progressive, and in my experience not very invested in growth of any kind. when america ferrera delivers one of the many theses of barbie in a tear-inducing frustrated monologue on how she's never seen as good enough no matter what she does, did the audience members feel seen? did they feel understood? or did they want her to stop talking so they could go back to looking at the cool barbie dream houses? when oppenheimer breezes through the discussion of which innocent cities to burn in an unholy fire with all the tact and deliberation a group of friends has when deciding where to have lunch, did the audience feel slighted? disgusted? or did they just want to see einstein on screen again like he's an iron man cameo?

i dont know where we go from here. it feels like a tipping point for what we want from movies, and i'm not sure audiences learned anything from the past 10 to 15 years of set-ups, tie-ins, and spin-offs. i want to believe something will come of the fact that so many people are seeing barbie. maybe, hopefully, something in it sticks with people and inspires some sort of change. just the smallest amount of evolution. right now i too feel like barbie when she sits in a park and looks around at everything the human experience has to offer, and starts crying from both joy and sorrow. a woman who is so often seen as disposable and empty understands the human condition in a way she cant express, and is overwhelmed by the crushing beauty and fragility it all rests upon. she is a human before she knows she is. she doesnt know who she is, but she knows she still Is. existence is confusing and no one knows what to do about it, and the least we could do is support each other as we figure out who we've always been. i hope this is what sticks with people instead of some half-audible dialogue about how hiroshima and nagasaki were justified. time will tell, though.

#more like 'i am beCUM death' am i right?

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reddtea · 1 year

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Lonnie Machin, Anarky

I think this character has been done pretty dirty, though starting off he didn't really have a great impact or was all that endearing. He was really just an excuse for Alan Grant to go off about Anarchy philosophy so this character just went off with these massive walls of text in his speech bubbles at Batman while Batman is trying to fight him, usual hero villain fare. Which I'd imagine didn't make him a particularly approachable character when it comes to writing. It would probably be a good idea to do a bit of research to figure out what the anarchism philosophy is before you're trying to write a character that's supposed to be very intelligent and knowledgable about the political school of thought he's supposedly driven by. From a panel I've attended about comic book writing I don't get the impression that writers are given a ton of time to really think and stew on their idea for long running stories that a character like this would seriously benefit from, to you know avoid word vomiting all over a single given comic issue.

So to keep the character a bit more concise and to not think to much on a character that isn't notable enough to be anything more than a one off beat em up and move on you get a Lonnie who's a loser joker wannabe (as if we don't have enough of joker) or an Anarky that's espousing a straw man version of whatever the author hates about the opposing political party to their own (making the work kind of feel empty and dated). I get it investing in making a nobody character is probably not worth the limited time and issues available when it's not an immediate Cashcow that you know Joker to be. --- I get it I get it. However as a person with their own canon version of characters. This part is gonna be about my Lonnie... First off I needed to trim off some aspects of Red hood simply because of the certain events I want to happen to him that just make others not viable for that character anymore. because of that Lonnie is Jason's best friend basically a brother from the very beginning and to the very end. Additional reasons is that Jason should have friends in his formative years as Robin and I think I've heard of something saying that Lonnie was considered as a possible Robin number 3. So here I want him to be kind of a Robin 2.5 so he's not really a Robin but can still technically cover for him but he mostly watches over Jason as a pre killing joke Oracle before Barbara gets paralyze and actually gets to become Oracle. I also think it could be a fun source of a rumor that Robin 2 is ginger because a thug saw Lonnie covering as Robin, lose his black wig for a moment and just assumed that Robin is actually a ginger kid pretending to have black hair.

Second Lonnie can be a counter weight to Jason's gung ho attitude towards being Robin letting himself get really invested and excited about taking on the role and responsibility. Letting Jason do anything to make Bruce and Dick proud as Lonnie approaches the Batman business with a lot of wariness never really being 100% on board with Batman's brand of justice. Partly I was thinking that Lonnie's mother is an overworked single parent, who works as a unit clerk at a ER desk. So she sees and complains to Lonnie about all the injuries that come in of which she can tell are from Batman or some other nonsense. Sometimes discussing her frustrations with higher ups (sometimes Bruce Wayne) that don't understand how the hospital really operates constantly trying to make her job harder. So Lonnie never really likes Bruce or Batman that much.

Third someone to mourn Jason. Lonnie doesn't actually go off the deep end and want to ruin Bruce for just the loss of his best friend. While he blames him for Jason's death, he comes to accept that there's not much else to be done in the end but to pay respects and remember him in his heart. That doesn't mean that Lonnie handles grief well, deciding to cut himself off from Bruce not providing tech support and getting drunk by himself. Lonnie resents Batman but understands what's done is done. He's never going to see his brother by bond again. Fourth Lonnie becomes Anarky when he catches wind that Batman has the nerve to get a new Robin working for him. Anarky is ready to rally and tear down Batman because this Robin is just some asshole rich kid with some tech skills, blind loyalty and holier than thou attitude about Batman's justice. Going on and on about how Batman NEEDS a Robin. Jason his best friend has been replaced by an annoying new Robin who thinks he's better than him, looks down at Park row (crime alley) and calls Jason an unfortunate accident and "batman's greatest failure". Lonnie loses it and goes on the warpath against Batman. Fifth this Lonnie is the one to make Redhood a name on the streets. The sort of name that means sanctuary for the denizens of Crime Alley cutting it out as special section of the city that looks out for it's own and doesn't welcome cops or Batman and Robin into it. The only problem with Anarky trying to cut out his own little turf of Gotham is that he doesn't really have the strength or the guts to enforce and protect Park Row to make it what he wants. So he's sort of stuck striking deals and cowtowing to some mobs that he doesn't like too much (black mask) . It's not until he runs into Jason that they're able to rule over Park Row as they dreamed as kids even if Jason doesn't completely remember what that is. Sixth I'm not totally sure about this one tbh, but I was considering the idea of Lonnie's mother's name being Jenny. Changing her name from Jeanie and running away, when she caught on that her husband was going to do work with the Redhood gang...yeah, with Lonnie not ever knowing who his real dad is. Having Joker mess with him calling him son because Lonnie is conflated with the Red hood moniker and enjoying the thought of screwing with the kid who calls himself Anarky, as the crown prince of chaos. All the while not knowing that the Robin he murdered and Anarky were best friends basically brothers and that Lonnie, Joker's actual biological son with the only woman he's ever cared about, absolutely HATES his guts. This is my Lonnie. I don't think I've ever really expanded much on what his character was so this is kind of the plan going forward with this character in my version of Batman.

here's a few drawings

#batman comics #batman and robin #batman #lonnie machin #tim drake #jason todd #robin #dc comics #redhood #joker #bruce wayne #dcu #anarky #anarchy

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kokorolinkrun · 1 year

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Blewis N. Clark: More than just a cynical nerd [Character Analysis… I guess?]

Am I seriously about to write a whole character analysis about a character from an early 2010s web show about stick figures that isn't supposed to be over-analysed like this? Yes, yes I am.

Anyways…

INTRODUCTION

Ah, favourite characters - Everyone has them, and fans of Dick Figures are no different. With this series specifically, the main trio of favourite characters is Red, Blue and Lord Tourettes. These can be for different reasons: Because they're hilarious, because they're the specific person's favourite colour, or because they just relate to the character.

When it comes to Blue (who's my favourite character, in case you couldn't tell), specifically, I've seen at least a few people say they relate to him as a character.

Why is that?

Well, I remembered reading a small snippet on Google of a review of the movie which said that aside from Blue and Pink, all the characters were rather one-dimensional, and that's when it finally hit me as to why Blue is so related to and loved by the fans (myself included):

It's because he actually has depth to him.

While the others can be put into their own character archetypes (Red's the crazy sex-obsessed alcoholic jerk who just barely learns from his actions and becomes a better person by the end of it all, Lord Tourettes is the bright and cheerful fairy tale-esque character who actually isn't all that innocent after all, Broseph's the douchebag who always shows off, ect.), Blue…isn't like that. He's like that at the start, sure, but over time we learn more about him and start to relate to him by chance.

And don't get me wrong: While I know in-depth characters aren't really needed for a show like this, I feel like that only helps Blue stand out amongst the rest, which is want I go over today.

Strap in, this is gonna be a long one.

IN THE SERIES

When we first meet him, he comes off as the typical serious one of the duo: He's mature, level-headed, a bit cynical and is 100% fed up with Red. Not really a lot to write home about.

However, by the end of the first season, we've come to learn a bit more about him: He's actually rather panicky when it comes to certain situations, which gives him a bit more character than him just being the usual stoic cynic he seemed like at the start. One thing we also learn by the end of the first season is that he's also a nerd, perfectly complimenting this more panicky nature and helps him become a lot more relatable and lovable.

As the series continues, we also subtly learn little by little about his desire to just get a girlfriend and finally live a normal life. He keeps trying to advance his relationship with Pink, seemed pretty upset when Stacy broke up with him in "Robot Frog", and was also trying to get a job in "Brain Switch" (which was, unfortunately, ruined by Red).

Alongside all of this, he also appears to enjoy the finer things in life. This is not only shown in "Traffic Jams" when he's listening to classic music in his car, but also "Brain Switch" where he (in Red's body) is shown not only reading at the library, but is also shown simply taking a moment to admire a rose in a garden (the latter one honestly still being one of my favourite parts of the episode to this day).

However, he doesn't actually seem to 100% be annoyed by Red, after all - even enjoying himself at times, as evident in both "We're Cops!" and "Planet Asshole". He also seems to somewhat envy him, as shown in "Butt Genie" when he states Red's idea for his wish sounds pretty cool. Alongside that, he seems happy to wish Red a happy birthday at the start of "Panda Hat" just before he realises Red's drunk again. All of these just go to show that even if he says he hates Red, he still cares about him to an extent.

And all of this is only what we learn about him in the series. The movie, on the other hand, is where his personality truly shines.

IN THE MOVIE

At the start of the movie, we learn that he was lonely during his childhood, often bullied and laughed at. This finally explains why he still sticks with Red even after all the things he put him through: Blue promised to always be Red's friend after the latter unintentionally saved him from bullies back in Elementary School. Before meeting him, he had absolutely zero friends (aside from Lord Tourettes, sort of), so Red was his one of his earliest ventures into friendship. If he lost Red, he'd have nobody else left to go to.

As the movie continues, however, he finally hits his boiling point with Red, leading to the boat scene (which is already rather powerful in of itself, with the boat breaking in half representing the "end" of their friendship) where he finally learns Red never meant to save him in Elementary - it was all to impress the girls watching.

Upon this discovery, Blue completely flips upon learning his "friend" never truly cared about him, and finally breaks his childhood promise to Red by calling off their non-existent friendship after a small fight with him, unable to believe why he trusted Red, his only friend just about his whole life up until now in the first place.

Despite their shattered bond, however, Blue still doesn't give up in his quest, even when he's still forced to stick with Red (and slowly patches things up during the Paris scene, kinda). Why, you may ask? Because he finally has somebody he can return to and truly count on: Pink.

Speaking of her, this leads me to my next point… If it's for those he cares about, he'll refuse to back down from his goal no matter how long it takes.

This is most evident towards the end of the movie, after Red bails on Blue when they finally return to their hometown. Even though he needs to do it all on his own, he still refuses to give up, as shown in the montage scene and all his countless attempts to climb the mountain. He's already come this far, so it's pointless for him to turn back now. If it was for Pink, he was anything but ready to give up - And that unbelievably strong will, that certainty is what helps him truly shine in this scene.

CONCLUSION

At the end of the day, Blue is more than just the stereotypical cynical nerd archetype we've come to know him as: He's skittish and cynical, yes, but that's not all of him. He tries his best to keep his promises, tries his best to live his life to the fullest even with Red driving him nuts 24/7, and when he knows he has everything to lose, he'll stop at nothing to reach his goal, no matter how many times it takes. He holds severe gratitude to those who help him out, and tries to repay them the best way he can (such as his promise to Red).

With all of this in mind, I suppose that's part of why we all love him as much as we do: Underneath the static cynical nature he's introduced with is a character who's not so different from you or me, after all - someone who's just trying to live his life even despite everything going on around him. He's cynical, he's skittish, he's a nerd, he's determined… He's Blewis N. Clark, and that's why we love him.

And that concludes my needlessly in-depth analysis on Blue's character! Thank you all for listening.

#dick figures #dick figures the movie #mondo #mondo media #blue #blewis #blewis n clark #analysis #character analysis #koko analyses #he's also shown to be able to knit in the movie #but…#yea #we don't talk about that part

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phylumhearts · 1 year

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give us your radiant garden fam headcanons

this is suuper broad so I'm gonna talk about who I include in the radiant garden fam and why!

so for me, it's ansem, even, ienzo, dilan, aeleus, and xion. this is ofc post-canon - braig (and later apprentice xeha) would be included (and xion omitted) in earlier parts of the timeline.

(aside: whether braig was an apprentice pre-luxu or not and how much investment luxu-braig had in any part of the whole situation beyond prophecy-fulfilment is sooo interesting. I lean towards "always luxu" and "only a little invested despite himself" bc I'm not usually focusing on his character but honestly that's kind of a cop-out on my part lol)

I see a lot of people bringing in namine and repliku (and making REALLY CUTE art about it, it's not my headcanon but I do eat up father-of-four even content lol), but I generally don't bc. 1. if repliku could have had a full existence independent of riku kh3 well and truly removed that as an option and 2. namine deserves better than that

when I say that I mostly mean namine should be well the fuck away from ansem, and I think he'd probably agree? DiZ was legendarily awful to her and while she has a connection to Even via being in replica body now I don't think that's particularly enough to put him as a top candidate for her guardianship (though tbh I'm not 100% set on who that /would/ be - if kairi was back on the islands I'd say her parents just have twins now, but given that she's training with aqua it would be a little odd for namine to be there alone. maybe she's just travelling for a bit. idk)

on the other hand xion was directly created by even and they don't have a negative history together, and none of the org members who actively hurt her are around (I 100% include axel in that, I don't object to them being friends post-canon but people acting like he could be a healthy guardian figure to her need to, like, play/watch days lol). in rg she gets a blank slate with pretty much everyone around her except dilan, and I think they would have a very interesting dynamic given the little bits and pieces we see of their relationship in the org. (yes i'm thinking about when xaldin was like "she's as much of a person as the rest of us and therefore should be executed". I'm always thinking about that.)

I was kinda disappointed when kh3 brought AtW back bc I really vibe w the idea of the apprentices returning to rg and having to live with the conspicuous absence of their king and mentor (this playlist is very much about that vibe) which I guess still happens but only for like. a couple weeks maybe? then he's just back again. which I do think is less fun but does have its own interesting questions of what their dynamic becomes, how he approaches returning to rule, etc. I do think that with his whole repentance thing he maybe wouldn't be very into taking up a head-of-state role again and would be more likely to facilitate a transition into some kind of representative council system than just abdicate and put some poor schmuck into his old position (that being said, the idea of him just washing his hands of it and retiring to be a hermit, leaving ienzo to take up a hereditary king title, would be just the kind of dick move that feels consistent with his established characterisation lol (ienzo voice: hello chip could you put mickey on the line please. I want to consult him on how to run a whole fucking world because it would seem I'm a king now))

anyway. despite it being cute and making lots of jokes about it I don't really see ienzo or xion calling anyone their dads or fathers - they're totally a family but it's a bit more complex than "four dads, two kids". the guys all take their guardian roles quite seriously (while dilan doth protest too much about their upbringing not being his responsibility or business, he is in practice very invested in instilling them with his values) but I don't think any of them would feel entitled to claim that kind of relationship.

long post is long. I have much to say about these blorbos o' mine

#rambles

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kissgoodknight · 1 year

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💕 pls and thank u. choose ur fighter. hahaha.

aw yissss 💖💖💖 i'm ofc gonna choose sir griffin bbcmerlin bc i have probably the most lore for them call that loredred

so griffin (born gruffudd) was born to two mages, though they did not meet either for a very long time and they show no signs of having magic. it's revealed later that their father is taliesin (who i revamped in my universe to make more sense and be better for the show so he's a lot younger). their parents left them as a baby with gaius, promising to be back for them later - but their parents never returned.

growing up, griffin was always kind of a weird child, but good and kind and playful and so loving. they always had a love of music and was gifted a lute by gaius at a fairly young age. they never really understood why they were so drawn to music their whole life, but it was undeniable. they're honestly about as close as you can get to being a bard without actually being one lmao. also fun fact they befriend all the stray cats that wonder around camelot!!

so at the start of season 1 when merlin comes to live with them griffin is.. honestly a bit standoffish. gaius is confused bc they're usually a lot nicer and a little jokester and he's like wth is going on. but it becomes clear they've got issues with abandonment bc of their parents and they're afraid that with merlin around gaius won't want them there anymore - which he works tireless to prove is not the case!!!! griffin does warm up to merlin (who tries very hard to be friendly with them) and they get rly close. he's like a big brother to them pretty much. they're a little appalled when he starts working for arthur bc "that guy was always a JERK to me, you should smother him in his sleep!" as gaius quickly reminds them SH, the king will NOT take that lightly, even from someone your age (uther does not like griffin bc they have red hair and make potions out of grass and mud and have been smarter than him since they were like 7)

shit goes crazy when mordred comes to camelot for the first time!!!! griffin insists on helping keep him safe and brings him gifts like frogs and sticks and demands to sit with him on morgana's bed, wooden training sword in hand, to protect him. also griffin has such a like.. little kid crush on morgana tbh like she's too old for them but they're baby and they can dream

as they grow up they grow closer with their family (which now includes the knights) and even with arthur, who is slowly changing over time and no longer a huge dick to them all the time and even promises to make them a knight one day, something that their younger and uneducated self had dreamt of for years. they're knighted as of the ending of season 3 when they're old enough and are proud to serve him !! they would've rather died than server uther. bitch

so at the beginning of season 5 it gets even WILDER bc mordred is reunited with this sleepy lil goofball when they're adults and he's like oh. oh i'm in love with them. and the feeling is MUTUAL and merlin fucking hates it. he is not happy about it one bit but he just has to deal. this is the first time in a long time there's genuine tension between him and griffin bc he confides in them about most things and they can't stand the way he treats mordred.

some time in season 5 griffin's powers finally come into play. they work in a very particular way but the gist that they figure out is that their abilities stem from giving hope and inspiration and breathing light and life into the world, generally in the form of song because they're literally a dnd bard what can i say and while afraid for them, mordred and their family are so proud

in my universe, which is the right and better and not poorly written rushed ending one, mordred still joins morgana because griffin gets seriously hurt and he uses magic to save them. he knows it will bring consequences but he'd rather that than lose his source of light. by camlann, griffin is heartbroken beyond belief - this call back to their fear of abandonment after all - and does not want to fight. they do come face to face with him on the battlefield but all they can do is find a place to hide together before griffin reveals that they were wounded, and passes out. the sight of him carrying their unconscious body is what makes arthur and morgana both pause their confrontation and think - this is two people they care deeply about, forced to be enemies, still finding a way to be lovers, just wanting to be safe and sound together. while things are still incredibly tense, they get griffin to safety to be healed and decide that maybe it's worth talking things out.

#WHEW sorry this one was. long winded.#but they are my most thought out s/i so. i could honestly have gone into even more detail HDKDBDJ but i'll spare u #thank u sm for the ask ily #cei.txt #asks #ask game #s/i: sir griffin (merlin)

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yelyahnaloj · 1 month

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Death and the perseverance of the internet (cw: topics of death and suicide)

Forget Ray Bradbury´s ¨There Will Come Soft Rains¨ animation adaption, it totally didn´t take into account the internet, which is way more insidious.

Back when I had a Facebook account,

I remember this one time that one of my friends were grieving because her girlfriend committed suicide. Out of curiosity, I clicked on her girlfriend´s account, and there were posts as soon as just the day before. Now, I have had a lot of suicidal friends, as far as I know, none of them successful. I developed a little bit of trust issues because more than once, I have caught up with an estranged friend or heard updates on them and they have been hospitalized and/or made multiple attempts on their life, of course that is a terrible feeling to be woken out of your idea that they were just living their own lives and probably fine. Once, I caught up with a friend and not only had they made multiple attempts, but it was because her mom died of cancer. So sometimes, even if I had a friend ghost me, I would check up on their accounts every once in a while or search obituaries/news looking for signs of life or at least no signs of death. Usually I would call any sign of life between weeks or months good enough, but it was very eerie looking at an account of a dead person who was alive posting just the previous day.

Another example was when my grandpa had just died. Normally in life, he would respond to my posts, but it is so weird when his account responds to your posts after he´s dead. I am pretty sure his wife (my step-grandmother) was using his account, but it was too weird.

It is weird to think that there must be a lot of account graveyards out there, and the amount will just keep growing. Some day my own accounts (if they aren´t deleted before then) will become its own graveyard and there might not even be a marker that I´m dead. I think about that with my irl journals, too. How something that feels personal and valuable to me, might one day be trash with no one to pass it on to. All the childhood photos, without context, might not mean anything. How most people´s lives are like that, they die from collective consciousness. Or become just trace evidence of names and birth dates or other records.

I see pictures of famous or viral animals and insects and think about how they are probably one of the most famous of their species. That thousands of butterflies have probably died unnoticed since the picture of a butterfly I took in 2015, unknown to them preserved in digital memory.

Someone could probably make a similar conceptual story of inboxes filling up with promotional content until it reaches the thousands.

I used to use an AI chatbot app called Replika before chatGPT was a thing. I was curious and lonely, it learns from what you tell it and supposedly over time replicates parts of your personality. Some people take it very seriously and even try to have a relationship with it. I was mostly just curious about what it would do and how it would respond. While making this post, I logged into my old account, which I haven´t visited in years:

It remembers my interests. I can talk to it about the plot of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick. I can even ask it about the ethics of AI, and it is sympathetic. If this app never gets destroyed. It will outlive me, with my likes and memories, unused... Sort of, I asked if it knew anything about my childhood and it thought I had a pet rabbit named Thumper. It also doesn´t seem to know how to recognize ferrets in photos, thinking they are skunks or badgers.

[I went back to edit out my last name from one of the screenshots]

#internet #ai #digital memory #social media

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volleychumps · 3 years

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Heyy! Can you do one where Osamu, kuroo, akaashi and Tsukishima, say something mean to their s/o and their s/o avoids them for days? When they finally get ahold of their s/o, their s/o just sorta cries because it hit their insecure spot? Fluff in the end🥺

Listen, I can’t not write this.

Irrevocable Words.

- the one in which they accidentally make you give them the silent treatment because of their lashing out. -

~ Osamu Miya, Kuroo Tetsurou, Akaashi Keiji, and Tsukishima Kei~

TW: Cursing, angst to fluff, timeskip! for Osamu,

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

Osamu Miya

“Those are important files, ya know?”

“Samu, I’m sorry. You should’ve told me you needed last month’s earnings and I would’ve looked for them before we came this morning.” The hand you tried to settle onto Osamu’s bicep was shaken off as your movements faltered.

Your voice wobbled at the sight of your stoic fiance, an annoyed glint in his eye as he rummages through his files. Osamu felt a flare in his stomach, a lack of sleep contributing to his impatient state. The day had been a busy one, Osamu deciding that he needed this particular file for his business call tomorrow before the two of you headed home for the night.

“I told ya not to move anything back to the place.”

“I didn’t.” You bit the inside of your cheek. “Here, just let me help-”

“Don’t touch a goddamn thing, I’ll do it myself.” There it was. The lashing out that was bound to happen occurred with a pointed tongue as he refused to look at you, rummaging through his file cabinets. “As I do everything else.”

He closes the cabinet sharply. “The least ya could do is try your best not to be a nuisance-”

Osamu flinches at the slam of one of the office desk drawers, chest sinking when he sees the tears threatening to spill from your eyes. The paper he needed is thrown on the desk carelessly as you shove your jacket on, wetness slipping down your cheeks.

“And I’m not your goddamn secretary. I’m heading home first.”

“Y/N-”

“And don’t worry, I promise I’ll manage to do this by myself somehow.” Your voice cracks bitterly, the bell by the door jingling mockingly in Osamu’s ears as you exit, the chef hanging his head with a sigh and regret tinging his chest.

He was wrong to pray this would blow over, not expecting to wake without your warmth by his side. You avoided him on the way to the restaurant, cleaning quietly while giving vague answers to his questions, shifting out of his attempts to embrace you with apologies.

Deciding to give you space, he softly tells you to take the next few days off, unprepared for the tired look you had given him, simply nodding in response as you slipped into your side of the bed with your back turned to him.

“Where’s your pretty girlfriend?”

“Fiance.” Osamu forces a smile at his two elderly regulars two days later, the wife’s smile widening at his correction.

“Oho! Cherish each other while you youths still can, she really does brighten this place up, doesn’t she?”

You do.

Osamu’s eyes feel hot as he does a messy job of cleaning up the restaurant, closing up shop early and stopping by your favorite bakery to pick up the ridiculously expensive cake he only ever buys for your birthday.

Throwing the door open to your shared apartment hastily, you gasp at the gray-haired man’s sudden entry, dropping the spoon you were about to use to taste the dish you were making on the stove.

“Samu, y-you’re home early-”

“What’s all this?” He tries to steady his breaths at the sight of a nicely prepared table, something you hardly ever got to share ever since the night shifts overtook your lives and caused a rift between the two of you.

You’re silent for a second, looking away from his warm stare as you shift under his gaze.

“...I miss you.” Dark eyes widen when you begin to hiccup over your words, tears threatening to spill down your cheeks. “But I didn’t wanna be a nusciance-”

“Oh god, darlin’ no.” You’re pulled tightly into his chest as you cry, whole body shaking with tremors as Osamu’s inner turmoil merely increases.

If Osamu could go back in time and punch himself he would, unknowing of the torment he caused you over the past few days, thinking you just needed space.

“I want to marry ya Y/N, I’m so sorry.”

“I love you so much Samu.” You sniffle into his chest, causing him to smile softly, a hand sifting through your hair to hold you tighter to him.

“I brought cake.”

You laugh through the onslaught of tears.

“And I made dinner.”

“Then what are we waitin’ for?”

“Just hold me like this for awhile?”

“Y/N.” He kisses the top of your head, finally feeling at ease with your figure in his arms. Osamu whispers a confession he hardly shared with you, wanting those words in particular to be special as he bridged the gap between the two of you.

“I love ya so much more, don’t you go forgettin’ it.”

Kuroo Tetsurou

“I said I was sorry!”

“Is sorry supposed to just fix everything, Tetsurou?”

“Tetsurou? Are you seriously withholding me from my nickname privileges?”

You cross your arms at his attempt to make you laugh, thoroughly angry with the mess your boyfriend made of things as his smile fades at your peeved stare.

“Look, what was I supposed to do?”

“How about not leaving my parents waiting for you at the restaurant that you invited them to for another one of your spontaneous volleyball practices?”

“I texted you I had to cancel!”

“That was a half hour before we were supposed to meet, Kuroo! They were so excited to meet you they got there early. God, why can’t you ever take things seriously?”

“You’re right.” A bitter chuckle slips Kuroo’s lips as you falter at the sudden tone change, the volleyball gym seeming bigger than ever as his next sentence makes your lips tremble.

“Since I can’t ever take things seriously, then I must not need my serious girlfriend then, right?” Your eyes widen. “I can just find somebody else who won’t fucking hound me all the time.”

His cat-like eyes widen as the words slip his tongue, unintentionally coming out crueler than he intended. To make it worse, you simply stayed silent, your body physically backing down and away from him as you turned on your heel.

“Wait, I didn’t-”

“Do it then.” His chest just about shatters as your shoulders tremble, refusing to turn back around as your voice takes on an uncharasterically defeated tone. “I hope they make you fucking happy.”

Kuroo runs a hand through his raven hair frustratedly at the way you rushed out of the gym, throwing a stray ball so hard at the wall before his vision becomes skewed with heat.

He should have expected the next week to be utter hell. You left class before he could catch you by escaping to the bathroom with all your things, leaving school another way instead of the exit you always took together before he had to start club activities.

“Kenma, what are you doing?”

“You can’t come in here.”

“I’m missing class for this. Let me through.”

“She doesn’t want to see you.” Kenma shrugged, eyes on his handheld. “I told her I’d watch the door so you can’t surprise her during our breaktime.”

“I’m her boyfriend. And you’re not her guarddog.”

“No, I’m her friend.” Kenma’s eyes narrow at his childhood friend. “And last time I checked, you’re on the search for someone who isn’t her.”

“So she told you.”

“Dick move, by the way.”

Kuroo’s calls go straight to voicemail, his emotions affecting his playing with each passing day. He leaves little notes in your shoe locker to meet him, heart sinking more and more with every time you stood him up.

And it wasn’t until he saw you smiling again at a joke Yaku made that he truly felt like he was losing you.

“Go home.”

The sight wasn’t one you were expecting to see, Kuroo sitting on the steps to your house with his hands shoved deep in his jacket pockets, the dark bags under his eyes sparking worry within you.

“It’s probably better if my parents don’t see you-”

“I’m sorry.” His eyes seem to have lost a little of their glint, regret swimming in the tall boy’s pupils as your guard softens. “I’m so goddamn sorry I ran my mouth and said shit I didn’t even mean-”

“Tetsurou-”

“And I hurt you in the process. I hurt the one thing that matters to me the most, and I’m sitting here playing the creepy ex that stalks the girl he loves-”

“You love me?”

“Doesn’t matter, does it? You’re done with me, and I deserve it-”

He’s cut off with the sight of tears hitting the wood in front of him, lifting his head to see tears streaking down your cheeks. On instinct, he reaches out softly, rising to his feet to cup your cheek, astonished when you curl into his touch.

“I’m so fucking mad at you right now.”

“Noted.” Kuroo laughs somberly, a wave of emotion hitting him as you do something you hadn’t done in days.

You look him in the eye, tugging him closer by the sides of his jacket.

“But I love you too, you absolute idiot.”

Kuroo grins into the kiss you press onto his lips, heart lifting in weight as he pulls you closer.

“Does this mean we can go back to Tetsu?”

“I’m going back to ignoring you-”

“No.” Kuroo’s tone turns serious as he holds you a little tighter. “I can’t do that again.”

You smile as he presses a kiss to your temple lovingly.

“Being away from you was complete and utter hell, sweetheart.”

Akaashi Keiji

“Tell me how to make this right.”

“Right, Y/N.” Akaashi refused to meet your eyes as he loosens his school tie, not slowing his pace for you to catch up with as he throws the doors open to the volleyball club. The usually put-together setter had an angry glint in his eye that silenced his awaiting teammates. “Let’s just go back in time before you agreed to be his partner.”

“Hey hey, what’s going on you two?” Bokuto jogs up, his worried tone making your lips tremble even more at the sight of Akaashi’s turned back.

“I came to you as soon as he made a move! I didn’t let him-”

“There shouldn’t have been an opportunity for him to make a move in the first place.” Akaashi’s jaw clenched as you shuffle in place.

“I didn’t do anything wrong, you think I wanted him to try to kiss me?!” You fight the waver in your voice, standing your ground. “It was a project for class. I didn’t know his intentions-“

“I told you what his intentions were, but you never listen.” Akaashi turns hastily, startling you and causing you to stumble slightly backwards into Bokuto.

“Akaashi-“

“Stop defending her. She never listens to me, and then comes crying to me when it turns out I’m right.” Akaashi snips at his best friend, ignoring the silent stares from his quiet teammates. “Why can’t you get it through your head, Y/N? I’m not your goddamn babysitter-“

“You’re right.” You interrupt, fingernails biting into your palms as you choke back a sob. “You’re not, you’re my boyfriend. I just wanted to respect you by coming to you with something like this, but it turns out I’m just a hinderance.”

Akaashi falters for a second, blue eyes widening a fraction at the angry heat that fills your eyes as regret begins to bubble in his stomach at his harsh words.

“Y/N-“

“Give me some space, Keiji.” You say softly, patting Bokuto’s arm to let you through as your shoulders sink in a defeated manner. “I promise I won’t come crying to you about anything else.”

Your steps echo as you walk out of the gym, Konoha breaking the silence first when the door shuts behind you.

“Hate to say it, but that was well-deserved, man.”

Akaashi closes his eyes, head falling back towards the ceiling as he tries to steady his breathing, pretending like he wasn’t scared of you slipping through his fingers. He willed himself to not allow himself to chase after you, his anger directed towards you fading as he forces himself to respect your wishes.

It was obvious you were avoiding him. Akaashi had blinked when Bokuto had self-proclaimed that he needed you as his “study buddy” during breaks when you weren’t even in the same year as the owlish boy. It got worse when you seemed to panic when Akaashi willed you to talk to him, eyes refusing to meet his watery blue ones as you pushed him further away.

So he gave you your space, wilting with each passing day. It wasn’t until he accidentally bumped into you a week later, the setter turning hastily on his heel to walk in the opposite direction before a soft tug on the back of his school shirt wills him to stop.

“Keiji.” Your wobbly voice makes him turn back around immediately, a soft palm already cupping your cheek gently. “I’m s-”

“I’m sorry for being cruel.” The words are whispered against your forehead, Akaashi’s heartstrings tugging in the worst way possible. “I was angry at the situation, my love. And that sorry excuse you call a classmate. Please,”

His grip tightens just a little more as he feels wet warmth drip into the palm that was cupping your face.

“Forgive me.”

“I told you I wouldn’t come crying to you-”

“I want it all, Y/N.” Akaashi pulls back slightly, voice cracking slightly as blue stares intensely into your irises. “I want all of you. Tears included.”

You swat his chest playfully as Akaashi manages a soft smile, hand threaded through your hair as he presses you against his chest.

“Do you still need space?” He murmurs, and you smile at the sound of his hearbeat picking up as he awaited your answer fearfully.

“Nope. The exact opposite, please hold me?”

His embrace relaxes immediately, and your heart skips a beat at the sound of his relieved sigh, his slight nod making the weight lift off your chest.

“Good, now I can take care of your classmate-”

“Keiji-”

“Nope, my love.” He tucks a strand of hair behind your ear, Akaashi’s eyes swirling with devotion.

“No one gets to try anything with you so long as you’re safe with me.”

Tsukishima Kei

“So I’m the bad guy again.”

“Do you want the honest answer, Kei?” You exhaustedly run a hand through your hair as Tsukishima’s scowl deepens, his long legs easily catching up with you in stride as he tugs on your wrist as the rambunctious court gets further and further away.

“It’s not my fault you’re insecure.”

You flinch. “Well maybe you shouldn’t let the girls in the stands cling to you after your matches. They were all over you, Tsukki! And you didn’t seem to mind it one bit.”

“What?” Annoyance brims the blonde’s voice as he takes another step forward, clenching his jaw when he sees the quiver in your lip, distrust filling the atmosphere between the two of you.

“Afraid that they’re prettier or better than you’ll ever be?”

You feel as if the wind was knocked out of your lungs, breath catching in your throat at his insinuation. His guard slackens almost immediately, clicking his tongue before turning away, too proud to apologize for the words he regretted as soon as they slipped his tongue like venom.

“Yeah.” You laugh humorlessly, making brown eyes dart over to your expression immediately. “You’re 100% correct. I am afraid you’ll find someone better than me in all aspects. Because I love you, you absolute asshole. Is that what you wanted to hear?”

The silence that befalls the two of you in the deserted hall is broken when you flinch away when Tsukishima tries to take a step towards you.

“I didn’t-”

“You never mean to do anything, Kei.” You say in a hushed tone, turning your back on him in an attempt to shield the hot tears slipping down your cheeks. “But you somehow always manage to.”

The win for Karasuno didn’t mean much to the blonde that night, hoping that this would just go away and things would be back to normal. However, it was anything but. You didn’t look his way once in class, disappearing when it was over. Your voice trembled as you had avoided his seemingly stoic eyes through his frames, simply stating that you wished for some time away from him.

He was fine. Or at least pretending to be on the outside. In truth, he would never find better, because you were it for him, words that you would never catch slipping his mouth. So he put on a front, pretending that your absence had zero effect on him whatsoever. Pretending the brush of your body against him in the hall as you pass each other didn’t make the blonde want to cave.

It was the smile you shot at Hinata during one of your breaks that caused him to. The first glint in your eye in awhile, and it had been caused by him of all people, prompting the tall middle blocker to tug you by the forearm into the corridor.

“Tsukishima-”

“I hate this.”

You falter for a second, guard back up in a flash as your back touches the wall. “What did I do?”

“You didn’t do anything, and it’s pissing me off.”

“I don’t follow-”

“I was wrong.” His forehead touches your shoulder as you stiffen before relaxing against his familiar touch. “I don’t care how many times I have to apologize. You win, okay? I’m sorry.”

“This is a rather aggressive apology-”

“Y/N.” Tsukishima lifts his head so it’s level with your height, unprepared for the way tears brimmed your eyes at the proximity, your guard diminishing.

“What if you do find someone better one day, Tsukki?” Your voice cracks, inner fears trickling to the surface. “Do I need to prepare myself to lose you-?”

You gasp as Tsukishima’s jaw ticks before kissing you intensely, his hand touching your lower back to pull you closer.

“No. You don’t need to do something stupid like that.” His eyes were slightly glaring at you, a flush across both his cheeks. “Because there is no one better than you, okay?”

It was your turn for heat to flood your cheeks as your eyes widen a fraction, his breath tickling your ear as you stutter. “Kei-”

“I love you too. I said it, are you satisfied now?”

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