#maybe ill just daydream instead

[lexcorecreations]

been workin on raging she-demon shimmer redesign for idk how long and i haven’t gotten to a design i like quite yet… any tips or suggestions ?

[flyingspicerack]

Okaaaay daydreaming time then sleeby nienie eveyone!!

[mysecretboringlife]

im back in my longing for summer era

[anshiiiiin]

Hi!! You're an incredible artist! I hope you won't think it's rude, but I was wondering what draws you to guro? I like whump and horror, but guro is often too much for me, and I'm curious about your point of view!

If it's too personal, you don't have to answer!

thank you so much for your kind words! i don't think your message is rude, thank you for asking in such a nice way. sorry for a long text, hope its not too TMI

i was drawn to the themes of suffering and torture for as long as i remember. as a kid i was spending a lot of time in the orthodox church and i was absolutely fascinated by the stories of christian martyrs, and would daydream endlessly about their violent deaths, imagining myself in their place. I told my parents several times that i dream of being a martyr and how sad i am that its not those times anymore. my parents were happy to hear it, and thought it showed how devoted to christ i am. i was drawing people tortured and in prisons, and below i would write "suffer for christ" or "this is what happens to non-believers". when i did pretend play, i suggested my mom to play "kitty" with me, where i play as a kitty, and she beats me up. Violence and forms of suffering were always on my mind as i was growing, and i am still fascinated and drawn to it.

as to why i was drawn to this from the start, i am not sure. maybe it's because i was beaten and degraded/abused a lot and mixed love for my parent with the pain it was giving me. maybe it's how my mental illness manifested itself when i was young, or maybe that's just how my brain is wired

right now i am well medicated and lead a very calm non-self-destructive life. i am happy that i can express my violent ideas in art instead of seeking death irl :>

[mychlapci]

Hi again! All the megaratch tonight had me thinking about early/mid war megalock where they rope in ratchet:

Ratchet getting snatched up by Megatron's forces and he's sure it's gonna be him getting tortured for potential weaknesses in the autobot high command. He wasn't at ALL expecting Megatron to instead have captured him because none of the deception medics he even vaguely trusts are capable of caring for an expecting carrier.

Bc it turns out autobot intelligence hadn't managed to catch on that the favoured assassin, Deadlock, was more than just Megatron's killer of choice - he's carrying Megatron's sparklings.

And Ratchet knows he should probably refuse because the last thing the world needs is Megatron having heirs... but, fuck, he remembers Deadlock when he was in the Deadend and having him on the operating table to save his life. Doesn't help Deadlock admits that he specifically asked for Ratchet.

Which leads to this awkward period of Megatron hovering over every inspection and checkup, whilst Ratchet tries to subtly tell Deadlock he can do BETTER and it's not too late, and Deadlock not having a straight answer on what his relationship with Megatron even is.

But Ratchet starts to pick up the little things that changes his view. What he interpreted as Megatron being territorial and only caring about the sparklings, Ratchet soon realises he's actually pretty careful and concerned about Deadlock (possibly there's some lingering complications in his frame from his time in Deadend). And Deadlock cares in turn, he's just kinda feral and guarded now and on edge with his impending creatorhood during wartime.

Ratchet slowly warming up to Megatron because damn, he didn't expect the warlord to be a good sire, and something happens where Megatron is called away for a long while and someone has gotta keep Deadlock topped up on transfluid. Ratchet gets outright told before Megatron leaves he won't mind and Deadlock is more than happy. Cue Ratchet realising a pregnancy kink that he's kind of embarrassed took him THIS long to realise (or maybe it's just because it looks so good on Deadlock)

And then of course Megatron probably comes back wounded so Ratchet just HAS to tend to him too and they get close that way too. And probably have an ill-advised threesome with Megatron still wounded and Deadlock heavily carrying.

By the time Ratchet is "rescued" he's carrying too, of course, and his lips are sealed about the little sparkling Deadlock has hidden away

oh god YES. Ratchet captured by Megatron to tend to a carrying Deadlock is literally perfect. i need to read that fanfic. i am going to dedicate at least three to four days of daydreaming to this.

Ratchet constantly dropping subtle hints to Deadlock that he can do better, that he can change, that he doesn’t need to be bearing this maniac’s offspring. Obviously he’s gravely misunderstanding their situation which culminates with Deadlock almost clawing his eye out, assuming he’s being told to get rid of the sparkling. I think that this protectiveness, and also Megatron catching Deadlock’s hand before he could strike Ratchet, really puts things a little more into perspective. 

Ratchet slowly starting to notice how Megatron minds his strength when interacting with Deadlock, how when he thinks no one is looking, he'll put a hand on the growing baby bump and just keep it there. Him getting angry when Deadlock has complications is seen less as Megatron being a crazy maniac and more as a sire scared for the safety of his carrier and offspring. Ratchet slowly warming up to them both during his “capture” and ending up with some complicated feelings, which is not made better by Megatron sitting him down and telling him that he wants Ratchet to take care of Deadlock while he’s gone…

And if we imagine that transfluid carries coding through to the gestation tank, that means that this is, indeed, a big thing to ask of Ratchet. This will make him the sire of Deadlock’s sparkling as well. It probably shouldn’t get his engine revving, but he can’t help it. He probably tries to keep it clinical and respectful, but he and Deadlock just end up getting too close to each other for their own good, and what was supposed to be a simple transfluid delievry turns into real passion...

god. The three of them having an awkward, but very intense threesome once Megatron comes back… Megatron is still grunting in pain because of his injury and Deadlock is too pregnant to really move as fluidly as he would like to, so now Ratchet has to take care of them both. Maybe as they all sink into each other, Megatron takes Ratchet’s hand and puts it on Deadlock’s pregnant belly, helping him rub circles across it while Deadlock just looks at them both with glassy, overwhelmed optics, rocking faster on Ratchet's spike. Just thinkin’ about Ratchet sandwiched between two killing machines and not feeling afraid….. hghhhhh... Deadlock having the sparkling that very same night, waking up in the tangle of warm limbs and quickly shaking both Megatron and Ratchet awake… 

also, yes to Ratchet coming back to the autobots also carrying Megatron’s sparkling, and refusing to tell anyone what happened to him, insisting he has no insider information whatsoever. Everyone now pities him since, well, he's returned from decepticon capture carrying a sparkling, and that’s… not good. Or, they assume it isn’t. Ratchet obviously can’t tell them he ended up carrying after a very passionate threesome with two decepticons that he might or not actually be in love with now, not without being accused of treason. Now i wonder who’s going to keep Ratchet topped up on transfluid, since neither Megatron nor Deadlock are around…

[leavingsunsets]

hi, I saw you were taking requests and so, how about senku, gen, hyoga and ryusui (dr. stone) with a reader who's usually on her own world, gets distracted easily and is really helpful and nice to everyone, one day they're talking and suddenly the conversation moves to how the human brain works and reader starts talking about chemical components and processes of the brain (turns out she's into neuroscience), how would the boys would react to it?

it can be platonic or romantic, it doesn't have to be all of them, you could make it separate reactions or all of them reacting as a group, however you like best ^^

omg thank you for requesting! ill admit, i really cant imagine Hyoga of all people participating in casual group discussions, so ill just do them separately instead !

"𝖶𝖾𝗅𝗅, 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍'𝗌 𝗂𝗇𝗍𝖾𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀."

(𝚏!𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛)

𝙎𝙚𝙣𝙠𝙪 𝙄𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙢𝙞

Pleasantly surprised. Who knew someone as usually airheaded as you was actually quite well versed in a field of science? You've peaked his interest.

Would enthuse with you about it. Maybe even be willing to pipe in now and then with his own knowledge.

Likes to listen to you ramble while he works. Not just because you absentmindedly work faster while talking (you usually can't even do a long task without your attention getting grabbed elsewhere).

Actually even learns from you a little.

Finds it a little funny considering how you're always off, either out assisting or daydreaming. You're all whimsy and chill until the moment someone mentions anything about nerves or the brain.

Likes the fact that you're similar to him in a way that you both are willing to part your knowledge to others. Whenever someone asks, or doesn't understand, you happily break it down for them. This gives you a raise in his eyes.

At least now, he knows where to go if at some point the power of neuroscience is needed.

𝙂𝙚𝙣 𝘼𝙨𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙞

Surprised, and sweating. He just mentioned that Kaseki has some really good hand-eye coordination. Suddenly, you were talking about how signals travel through spine.

It's an interesting fact. Like a nice trivia. Little miss daydreamer has hidden stock knowledge about the nervous system enough to make her a definite neurologist in this primitive era. Luckily, there was no need to test that statement. And hopefully never any.

He does learn bits and facts from you. Although that's only sometimes because most of the time he's just wondering what the hell is a Broca's area.

But, as it's so rare to see this passionate side of you, he humors it.

Kind of observes you, you know. Nods along while you ramble, even taking advantage of it. Just hands you whatever work he was doing and you take it, too immersed in explaining to him how impulses travel through synapse.

"Is that so? That's pretty complex." he makes a thoughtful expression, putting the golden wire he was twisting into your hands. This spurs you to expound on the topic, not noticing how he's not even doing anything anymore aside from clasping his hands together and sitting back.

𝙃𝙮𝙤𝙜𝙖 𝘼𝙠𝙖𝙩𝙨𝙪𝙠𝙞

"..."

Just stands there silently. He's a good listener, yes, but when it comes to topics he doesn't know ass about, expect no feedback.

Most likely if you catch him at his free time, nothing on his mind, maybe he might? But it would be moreso comments about you.

"You're surprisingly knowledgeable about this."

Hyoga is a man all about efficiency. Quick trips, and doesn't really sit down a lot. So, he didn't really notice you that much at first.

This is one way to at least catch his attention though. Though you are now dubbed 'brain girl' in his mind.

𝙍𝙮𝙪𝙨𝙪𝙞 𝙉𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙞

Would be the most willing out of all the boys in this list to actually sit down and discuss it with you.

He has time, plus, he sees how passionate you are about it. Why not?! Let him hear whatever you've got in that noggin!

Scene of both you round a table. You're chatting away while he leans back and sips on his mug. That kind of vibe.

Encourages this, as he doesn't see you this enthusiastic very often.

It doesn't mean he doesn't like your usual personality, but it's just that you seem brighter every time you talk about anything related to that topic!

Overall, he finds your love for neuroscience an interesting trait. He used to assume you as the kind airhead aboard, but now he knows a little more than that.

Aside from that, he also genuinely goes "Hmm." and strokes his chin, like whenever you tell him a fun trivia. Like, wow, he did not know that. Very interesting.

└─────────────────── ⋆☆⋆ ───────────────────┘

[vickyvicarious]

Today's entry does not match Lucy ill in London as of her last two diary entries, leaving two distinct options.

Stoker messed up the timeline (Doylist)

Lucy is lying to Mina (Watsonian)

There's no way to have both work at once, not really. I suppose you could try, but it would take a lot more effort to have both be true at once and I'm not really sure how it would work (either you take a halfway approach to shuffling some dates but not all, or you say Lucy isn't outright lying but is exaggerating, I guess?). Nor is this post super interested in that. Instead, I want to take a moment to look at what each interpretation would mean for Lucy.

Doylist

This interpretation is supported by such details as: lots of other timeline weirdness happening in the latter half of September, and the letter being postmarked from Whitby. It would presumably be harder to lie about where you're sending a letter from, after all.

What it would mean for Lucy is that she recovered for a while. She was able to experience true happiness for at least a little bit. And it shows up that she is someone who doesn't linger on her stresses once they are no longer actively bothering her; instead she throws herself fully into her joy with Arthur here. I like this in the context of chronically-ill!Lucy. She might be used to being uncertain about how long feeling well will last, or indeed when it will happen at all, and when she does feel good she tries to seize the day and make the most of it. Also, it seems like her recovery, if this letter is totally honest, is fairly complete/happens fairly quickly. This would mean, too, that her diary entries in London show a much more rapid fall, as opposed to her slowly getting a bit better than feeling worse again. It would have been such an abrupt, scary shock when it happened.

Lucy and Arthur get to spend a lot of time together. They get to be really happy and fall more and more in love, they get to look forward to their future together as they enjoy their present. I love them getting to experience such happiness, I love that the promised fun summer at Whitby gets to come true even if just for a short time. Lucy is full of life and love before she returns to London. And then suddenly, all the illness and fear and loneliness is back with a vengeance that she wasn't prepared for.

Watsonian

If we assume the dates are correct, but that Lucy is lying about the contents of the letter, there's a lot less rearranging to do (there would be a bit of a cascading effect of having to adjust when the Harkers got married/how long the mail took to arrive, etc.). The letter being sent from Whitby is harder to explain, though.

What this means for Lucy is that she has finally taken the next step from pretending she's fine to actively lying about lots of details. It gives a very bleak impression of her in London, scared and alone but choosing not to confide in even Mina after her mother rejected her attempt at seeking comfort. I imagine the reasoning to be an extension of what was going on in Whitby: Mina currently has to care for a very ill Jonathan, and Lucy doesn't want her to feel worried about her as well, or guilty for having her health take a dive after Mina left her side. Continuing the theme of self-isolation driven by love... She also is trying to answer the wishes Mina so sincerely expressed for her in her letter. Mina was looking forward to Lucy's happiness so much that Lucy doesn't want to tell her none of it is coming true at all.

Lucy never gets to be really happy during this time. She has a very brief respite in Whitby when Dracula left before feeling awful again almost as soon as she arrives in London. Maybe Arthur was never able to join her there, and she's only seen him in London. All the activities and joking around listed here, instead of being what really happened, become in this interpretation Lucy's daydreams. Her wishes. This is the kind of life she wants to have, and she's imagining it and pretending she really has it to Mina here. But it's all the more tragic because even as she writes this, she's incredibly weak and in pain.

.

In the past I've leaned more towards the latter, but honestly, both are very compelling in different ways. Especially after writing it out like this, I now feel torn on which I prefer.

[flyingcakeee]

A little thing I'm working on, unsure if I should continue it or not.

If Logan’s father was not a prince, Logan’s life would have been far more “normal”. Logan rarely got to do anything other omegas did. Logan was forced to wear heavy, exotic-materialed, large dresses, not the simple ones he longed to wear since he was first in the town with his father. Omegas were taught basic skills by their mothers; how to be a proper omega, how to cook, how to be a gentle soul, how to crochet or knit or sew, how to be a supporting figure for other omegas. Logan was not taught any of that,he only had his father. Because of this, Logan was stuck being taught by tutors throughout his entire life; he being taught how to be a proper German princess, how to write and read, how to properly eat, how to dance, how to play the violin, and piano, and cello, and harp, how to do any royal duties if it was asked of him to do. And with all of his tutors being betas, Logan never learned proper body education until two years after his first heat, never learning how to nest until he inquired about it when his father was busy talking in the village. Logan longed to have been normal, having always been of interest by the entire kingdom. Logan just wishes he wasn’t Princess Logan, son of Prince Nico.

Logan never asked to be born an omega, never asked to be a political pawn, never asked for anything really. If anything, Logan was taught how to always accept gifts with a smile, to always be smiling. Logan always had to be thankful and smiling.

Snapping out of his daydream with a sigh, he set his pen back down in the dish, placing the lid back on the ink, and pushed his paper to the edge of the desk, standing up and making his way to his the kitchen to see if there maybe was a snack he could take before supper. While passing his father’s study on the way to the kitchen, he overheard his father’s conversation with stopped him, causing him to eavesdrop.

“I’m afraid I don’t truly know what to do with him, Jenson,” his father groaned. “His poor soul doesn’t know anything about life, still! His mother died before he was 2 and left me raising him alone! He cannot marry at 18, it’s not sensible. Logan is far too young for an Alpha who is currently 25. He’ll hurt him, I know it!”

“Sire,” Jenson, the alpha who always accompanied his dad, began, “you’ve never met this prince. You should not overthink, you should instead inquire with His Majesty if you can maybe arrange a meeting with the prince.”

“Oh, Jenson, I wish it were that easy! I cannot have my dove meet the prince so early, he hasn’t even reached his 16th birthday. And what if he were to play a facade, take my trust and break it once he has his hands on my dove? I cannot allow it! I was foolish to allow the court to pressure me into giving up my only child, I do not wish to be foolish again.”

“You could have Princess Logan sit in the estate until you believe that he is ready, as you are too. Say she has a serious illness and cannot be married to the prince just yet. If we confine her to the estate, nobody shall know that it is not the truth.”

“What would I do without you, Jenson? Can you fetch me my best ink and paper, I shall write to my father and address him on my plans.”

“Yes, sire.”

Logan quickly hurried away from the door, not wishing to be caught on his eavesdropping. He was definitely not taught how to be as sneaky as he was, rather it being an acquired skill he developed himself. Logan always knew his father cared about him, trying as hard as he could to raise the poor boy all alone.

Anyways, soon to be Loscar Royal Au? Idk, I'm tired 🥰

[lovemaiyo-main]

2 . while i’m still standing at the exit | r. itoshi

adressed. my part of "the exit" collab with @itoshyui. warnings. angst no comfort, mentions of terminal illness at the end.

rin itoshi wasn't perfect. he knew at least that much. he knew that he would always be second to his brother. he would always be sae itoshi's brother, never rin itoshi. never the rin itoshi that had feelings or had dreams, never the rin who liked to birdwatch and have picnics, never the rinnie who only held one person so, so close to his heart.

maybe when he was younger he would've been mad. he would've been mad to have been remembered as the football prodigy's younger brother, not the football prodigy himself. but now he had you. something that finally, finally his brother didn't have. and when it came to that, he was proud to be known as your lover.

because you had promised him forever. you had promised him the heavens and the skies beneath. of all the things in the world, you preferred the simple earthly pleasures of just lying beside him, admiring him, listening to him talk, talking to him. and maybe that was why. was it because he took, he took and took but never gave? that couldn't be the case, he dedicated every walking living breathing moment to you.

were you tired? were you tired of him?

why did you go back on your word? what happened to the hushed late night talks of happily married life and gardens and children and dogs and cats and bakeries and cafes? he knew something was wrong from the way you looked at him. the spark in your eyes had faded, replaced by a long forgone look that he couldn't understand. why? you had been so happy together, once upon a time, your love a bright flame and him a moth, drawn to you. but now, it seemed as though that flame had been extinguished, leaving behind only the smoldering ashes of what your love for him used to be.

and rin itoshi couldn't lose the one thing he ever even had. so he tried. he tried to reach out, to pull you back. you were just like a daydream, just out of reach. he rememered the way you would smile at him. so genuinely sweet, like you were happy to see him. HIM, not rin itoshi, but rinnie. you still smile, but it's a sad, tired smile, disappearing always, forever fading away and receding farther and farther.

oh no, please don't smile at him like that. it kills him, it kills him every single time. do you not want to be near him? your touch, once filled with all the longing in the world, was now distant and cool, as if you was already halfway gone, as if the only thing he had ever come to love, the only thing in his life that had ever come to stay, was already gone and there was nothing he could do about it.

days passed, nights became colder and longer, and still rin itoshi couldn't understand what had gone wrong. was it something he had said? something he had done? had he not been enough for you, somehow? he didn't know how to let you go, how to walk away from the only love he had ever known.

but it seemed like you didn't care. was he just a passing moment in your life? maybe one day, when you had your own children, as you sit on a couch and read them a story, you would remember of your first love and how on a couch just as similar as this one, once many years ago, you had watched countless movies and shared countless kisses, and one day when you picked up a cake for your child in a bakery, you would remember, how under the covers, you and rin itoshi had shared dreams with eachother, and he had promised, one day, when you got married he would build you a little bakery in the corner of a nameless town and you would start anew, away from all the expectations of football and your schoolwork and everything else. and when you buy a house for the first time, he hopes you'll remember sketching a little cottage with a garden with him, describing and planning your dream house instead of doing your homework.

but it didn't seem like you cared, so that's why he didn't tell you how, one day at practice, he had collapsed randomly. he didn't tell you how, when he sat in that chair across from his doctor, her expression solemn, rin itoshi felt nothing.

maybe it was his fault. to fill your head up with these dreams of having a little family and moving to an unnamed town in the middle of nowhere, he started to believe it himself. he started to believe he could have nice things and the ghosts of his brother and his past wouldn't loom around him.

but alas, time is the most unforgiving of fires, and everything, every luxury, every sorrow he and you shared will come to pass.

and maybe, just maybe, by letting him go yourself, you were doing him and yourself a big favour.

[painsandconfusion]

Nightmares and Daydreams

Whumping the Whumpers - Part Thirty-three

(tw: broken glass, objects under skin, scratching at skin, blood, nightmares, my good prefect lovely whumpers being soft as toasted marshmallows, stupid fluff, oh and playful / teasing murder threat)

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Ethan clawed at his arm as shards of glass snaked their way under his skin. He screamed, tearing at the flesh with his fingernails, but the glass grew and grew, spreading like fire under his skin. Shattering into a thousand tiny fragments that grew again. They split and sliced his flesh, untouchable. Bulges of agony shot under his fingertips, just below the surface. They danced over his body. His chest. His back. His legs.

Inescapable.

Ethan screamed again, clutching at the skin. The pieces shredded his fingertips, painting him in blood. He tried to clutch at the fragments when they cut him, but the oily black slicked them, and they danced away again, the skin sealing up behind them. It cut up and down, skinning him alive and re-knitting over and over

Shards crunched against his windpipe as he screamed. There was so much blood. So so so much blood.

.

Ethan woke up screaming, clawing at his neck.

It was dark. So dark. He could still feel the glass under his skin but his fingertips found no bulges.

No blood. No-

The light flicked on. Warm light flooded the room.

Ethan’s eyes snapped up. He surveyed the room, gasping, until his eyes landed on Nate. He was leaning against the doorframe, clutching a notebook. He locked eyes with Ethan.

Ethan stared. An unfamiliar expression rested on Nate's usually-smiling face. He searched his eyes.

What was that? Pity?

No… Ethan knew that look. David had worn it often. Just a quiet, empty pain. Sorrow in its purest form.

But why was Nate... Ethan cleared his throat and struggled to compose himself. He had sweat through his t-shirt and Nate had definitely heard him screaming.

Fuck, Nate hadn’t heard him scream since…well since the day he ran almost seven years ago. Could he even salvage this?

Nate spoke softly, pulling his attention away from scrambling thoughts.

“...Was it me?” His voice was almost a whisper. He looked so tired.

Ethan blinked up at him. Those eyes were…hauntingly sad. Did he really care? Ethan looked away. He rubbed down his arms, trying to press away the lingering sensation of tearing shards. “No.”

Nate pursed his lips and nodded once.

Ethan glanced at the clock. 2:42.

“Um…sorry I…I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

Nate shrugged. “You didn’t. I’ve been awake.”

The clock clicked to 2:43.

“Are you usually up this late?”

Nate took a few meandering steps into the room, contemplating. “Yes and no. More often than I’d like to be.”

Ethan glanced at the notebook in his hands. “Insomnia or nightmares?”

Nate gave a small smile. “Both. But tonight it’s just insomnia.”

….Nate has nightmares..? Ethan almost laughed at that. Almost. “What do you have nightmares about?”

Nate gave a halfhearted smirk. “Well aren’t you the nosey one.”

“Oh come on, you asked me about mine.”

“Only to see if I was in it. That’s different.”

Ethan’s brows furrowed. Scared tingled across his torso. “Why do you even care?”

Nate pursed his lips. That inky sorrow crept back in his eyes. 

“Maybe I’m just tired of hurting you.”

Aaaaaaaaand Ethan stared. Blank and computing and empty.

Nate quickly looked away, clearing his throat, then flicking his eyes to the ceiling. He grimaced. “Sorry, that was…weird.” He took a few steps back. “I’ll - uh - beat you senseless tomorrow to make up for it, how’s that sound?”

Ethan gave a small smile. “That’s assuming I don’t kill you in your sleep first.”

Nate crossed his arms. “Oh come on, those are new sheets, don’t get blood all over them.”

Ethan shrugged, trying not to grin. “Alright I’ll smother you with a pillow instead.”

“Much better, thanks.”

“You’re very welcome.”

They lapsed back into the ill-fitting silence. Still ness echoed on the walls, leaching into the carpet and sucked away by the thick fabric of curtains and matching quilt. Ethan picked at his nails. Nate fidgeted with the spine of his notebook.

“Sooo…what’s in the book?”

Nate glanced down at it, then tucked it to the side. “You really are nosy today, good grief.”

“It’s night.”

Nate gave him a dramatic sigh. “Okay fine, you’re nosy tonight.”

“Sooooo, what is it?”

Nate raised an eyebrow.

Ethan scoffed. “Oh come on, tell me and I won’t kill you tonight, how’s that sound?”

Nate offered a small smile. “Well when you put it that way, what choice do I have?”

He fidgeted with the book, slowly moving it back to center, grasped tightly between both hands. “It’s…a sketchbook. I like to draw when I can’t sleep.”

Ethan glanced at it. “Can I see?”

Nate laughed, stepping back. “Oh no, you’ve gotten more than enough out of me for one night. You’re done.”

“Oh, so it’s private?”

“Yup. Not for you.” Nate grinned, turning to go. Ethan thought he'd turn back - for a moment thought he might sit on the bed and talk awhile - but Nate just walked away.

He paused at the door. “Try to get some sleep.”

Ethan nodded. “You too.”

“I’d say goodnight, but…maybe 'good luck' is more fitting?”

Ethan snorted softly in amusement. “Good luck to you too.”

Nate switched off the light and closed the door softly.

Ethan stared at the ceiling in the dark, surrounded by nothingness. But..for once, the nothingness was a welcome buffer against the world. He watched the moonlit shadows play over the wall, thinking about graphite and ink instead of glass and blood.

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(tags: @prisonerwhump @whumpawink @mabledonut @heathenwhump @paleassprince @deleted-not-deleted @wormwriting @distinctlywhumpthing @whump-cafe @jo-doe-seeking-inspo @azayta  @batfacedliar-yetagain @there-will-always-be-blood @siren-of-agony @whumpworld @bandages-andobsessions @deltaxxk @whumpasaurus101 @pickywhumpreader @whumpberry-cookie @morning-star-whump @nailevislev @throwawaywhumper @the-mourning-star @d-cs @pigeonwhumps @suspicious-whumping-egg @snakebites-and-ink @whumpedydump @orphans-parent @whumplr-reader)

As always, lmk if you want to be added to the tag list!

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[dearestones]

Driving Under the Infl-Yuu-Ence (Jade Leech and Yuu)

Warnings: N/A. 

@lottieinlimbo Request: hi Devin!! Hope you’re having a good day today!! For request, I’m thinkin prompt 72 from the list “Make me believe it” with Jade Leech, maybe somethin platonic? Lookin forward to what you cook up, I know it’ll be amazing!! :D

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.

.

It's not often that Jade finds himself surprised, much less taken aback and rendered speechless. For a moment, he has to take a step back (not literally, even though instincts demand that he create distance between himself and a somewhat dangerous situation) and reassess. It's another few seconds of contemplation before he curls his fingers underneath his chin before regarding Yuu with a curious, but wary gaze.

"Pardon me, Yuu, I don't believe that I heard you correctly. You wanted to... What exactly?" While eloquence was often the weapon that his dear business associate Azul would use, Jade is just as skilled. However, in this situation that made the phantom limbs of his tails and fins quiver in apprehension, he faltered in his manner of speech. 

Although his face remained impassive, he cringed inwardly. To speak so carelessly! And what's worse, with vulnerability!

Thank goodness neither his brother nor his business associate were here to witness such... a weak performance from him. Blackmail was worth its weight in madol and blackmail concerning Jade nearly tripled that.

Yuu, to their credit, didn't seem to notice. If they did, they wisely chose not to comment. Instead, they nodded in the direction of their car, an older model that ran on a mixture of electricity and magic. While Yuu had no magic of their own, they were roommates with a few mages who were more than eager to power up the vehicle with their reserves so long as they could use the car from time to time.

It had been years since Jade and Yuu had graduated from Night Raven College, but it seemed that the acquaintanceship that had blossomed during their time in the institution had gradually blossomed into a tentative friendship. This relationship, however, while in full bloom, did not last long once he had graduated. The rift was not because of ill will or malcontent, but rather, it was because it was life getting in the way of connection. While Yuu was busy with their internship, Jade returned to the sea. Over the course of a couple months, the both of them barely spoke to each other, if at all. 

Upon his return to his birthplace, Jade had taken over his father’s business alongside his brother. Although he had long since resigned himself to committing to his family's operations under the sea while his brother expanded on land, he still visited the surface from time to time. It was rare, but each time he breached the surface, it always felt like an occasion worth celebrating. 

So, with Jade walking upon land very rarely, it was quite a shock to his heart to find Yuu once again. 

Was it a stroke of luck?

Destiny?

Azul would have laughed at that notion, but Jade was a bit more easy to sway.

What else could it have been other than some otherworldly force? Unless it was a coincidence: the universe’s attempt at a joke. Whatever the case, Jade stopped in his tracks when he saw the former Ramshackle Prefect again after he had left Floyd behind at a club, the sounds of synth beats and drunken laughter reverberating in the air.

As always, they were small and slight—but Jade supposed that anyone would have looked small and slight compared to him. What he found most shocking however, was that they looked rather well. Back in Night Raven College, it was no surprise due to their background that they were always wearing clothing that was ill fitting and were usually stressed with heavy bags under their eyes. They also seemed to move as if their mind was miles away… What was that phrase again? Head in the clouds? Daydreaming, some would say. Homesick, maybe.

Tonight, however, they were dressed in casual clothing. While not designer, they were not ragged or threadbare. They were also bereft of the logo for NRC. In fact, Jade didn't have to wonder if Yuu had bought the garments themself. The clothing suited them well and made them shine despite the darkness of night.

Normally, Jade would have left them to their own devices. After all, it had been almost... He wanted to say five years since they last spoke but it may have been longer considering that they were never too close in the first place. Really, the Ramshackle Prefect spoke more with Floyd and Azul and that was usually because of the former’s propensity for seeking out entertainment and the latter’s attempts to get Mostro Lounge full staffed. 

It would have been easy to just leave. Walk away. 

However, while not as big a partier as Floyd, Jade had a few drinks in his system and was feeling the effects of hastily prepared liquor still warming his system. 

Land dwellers were so interesting, if a bit masochistic at times.

Jade had to take transformation potions just so that he could properly blend in with the rest of the surface population. Land dwellers intentionally poisoned their bodies with drinks that were more fire than liquid. At least when merfolk decided to poison themselves, they didn’t try to disguise it with ornate glasses and delicate garnishes. 

So, with steps that were reminiscent of his gait during his first few months in Night Raven College, Jade ambled towards the former Ramshackle Prefect to… Well, he wasn’t sure what he was going to do, only that he knew that where the Prefect went, entertainment was sure to follow. Years may have passed, but he had a feeling that even if they were to never see each other again come morning, he would still have a fun night at the very least. 

And so, Jade walked up to them as they leaned against the side of their car, their phone in hand and a questioning look in their eyes. His eyes weren’t as keen as most land dwellers, but he could practically taste the apprehension in the air, of the fear that he often associated with those who couldn’t pay back his family’s benevolence. However, the scent of fear was dialed back significantly, when he was close enough to see the whites of the former Prefect’s eyes. Alongside recognition, there was confusion, but also a hint of relief. 

Imagine that, he couldn’t help but chuckle softly to himself. It wasn’t often that others would regard him with relief upon recognizing him, but the Prefect had always been a curious oddity.

“Good evening, Prefect,” he greeted cordially. To his utter delight, he realized that while he may not be as mindful of his physical capabilities, his speech was still fluent and coherent. As long as he remained standing and didn’t act out of the ordinary, his companion would be none the wiser. “It’s been… How long? Five years?”

The small human looked up at him with a slight smile on their face. “Just Yuu,” they reminded him. “It’s been years since I graduated and it’s not like I need reminders of that place.”  

Odd, was that bitterness? How fascinating. While most would agree that their experiences at their alma maters may not lead to a positive remembrance, Jade thought they would have been more fond of the institution. Yes, there were Overblots, but they were rather comfortable with making friends from all the dorms with special mention to Heartslabyul. Had Jade misjudged? Or had the years finally made the Pref—apologies, Yuu—cynical?

Or, more appropriately, jaded? 

“Something funny, Jade?” 

Oh my, how inconsiderate of him. He must have drank a milliliter too much if he was already making mistakes this early in the conversation. 

As if taken back to his years at Night Raven College, Jade bent slightly at the waist, the angle just a bit more pronounced. Throughout his bow, he watched as Yuu regarded him with amusement. 

It had been years, but it was somewhat surreal to see Yuu appear so confident and self-assured. No longer were they the sort of person who kowtowed to those stronger than them and appeared too tired to question the whims of others. Even now, Jade was somewhat surprised that they still chose to help their fellow first year friends get rid of the anemones even though they would benefit very little from the negotiation while also risking losing their housing. 

Had Yuu learned from this experience? 

Or was it from the combination of harrowing experiences that Night Raven College had seen fit to throw at them despite their having no magic?

It made Jade want to explore further. To push them to know who they really were underneath their newly bought clothes and fresh skin. 

But that would be an adventure for tomorrow’s Jade should he still harbor the same curiosity that consumed tonight’s Jade entire being. 

Tonight, this Jade merely wanted to pass the time. 

“Apologies, tonight has been… an experience that I have not had the opportunity to pursue too often under the sea.” He smiled, his mouth gaping just a hair bigger than he normally afforded to acquaintances. Pride filled him when he saw that the former Prefect neither shied away or stared at him in disgust. Really, he must be losing his touch or perhaps Yuu was too adjusted to be scared of him anymore. 

Should he change that?

Yuu canted their head to their right, their brows furrowing in concern and nose scrunching a little before they gasped in shock—or was it delight?—and regarded him with a new light. 

“Are you drunk?”

Without missing a beat, Jade answered, “Are you suggesting that I cannot laugh at an inside joke without being accused of being intoxicated?” 

He pressed a hand over his heart and inclined his head in mock melancholy. To add a dash of drama, he sniffed faintly and looked askance as if he could not bear to look his companion in the eye. This sort of performance would have rewarded him with a punch to the shoulder if it were Floyd or an annoyed scoff from Azul. From Yuu, he merely saw them look at him with an expression so deadpan, he feared that their face would freeze that way. 

“Truly, we reunite after years of separation and that’s how you treat me? Never before have I felt so wounded!”

He sniffled and mimed wiping away an artful trail of tears down his cheek. 

Was it a performance that would have awarded him the same laud as one VIl Schoenheit? Obviously not, but he would like to think that he was a good contender for a starring role in community theatre. 

Yuu rolled their eyes, but laughed all the same. 

As if on cue, Jade relaxed from his stance, his shoulders no longer as straight or rigid as he normally would have made them on land. In water, he was free to lounge and allow his body to twist and writhe whatever way he wanted to. Most merfolk were lax when it came to posturing and stances; deference was either owed to royalty or to the biological, inherent pecking order that everyone, prey and predator included, knew. On land, though, Jade had been taught that appearances were everything. Floyd had discarded that notion (unless clothing and accessories were involved), often playing up his more extraverted mannerisms to achieve the same effect as Jade, but Jade had decided to play along with land dweller customs. 

It was tiresome, but it gave him something to do. 

After all, if one were to be used to routine, it became all the more entertaining when Jade decided to switch it up. 

He was slouching now—was it due to the alcohol? he would have to do some more research on the matter later—but he was careful not to appear too out of character. It would be funny to see Yuu second guess themself and question if the eel mer they were talking to was actually Floyd, but Jade wasn’t interested in that. 

Yet. 

He could play that card later if he got bored. 

“Geeze,” Yuu breathed out as they leaned against their car door. “You never change, do you? Last I heard, you were building up your family’s business, right?”

Jade grinned. Wider now. Perhaps more ominous underneath the low lighting. “Correct. My father left my brother and I equal shares, but the both of us can be greedy so we decided to expand.” 

“That’s great to hear! I’m still in school at the moment.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I’m not good at much, but apparently Beast Taming is sort of my calling?” They shrugged as if the utter idea was still ludicrous after years of tending to their overly ambitious cat beast. “Grim’s not here, but he and I are partners and are planning on hosting classes at some of the lower level magical colleges in Pyroxene. It’s not a popular subject considering that most mages don’t have familiars anymore, but we’re hoping to revive the art.”

“So you’re planning on becoming a professor then?”

Their responding smile was shy, but there was a hint of pride there. Maybe even a little bit of embarrassment for confessing something so vulnerable in their mannerisms. “Hahaha, yeah. It’s a good thing Ace and Deuce aren’t here. They’d probably give me flack for personally shoving a stick up my ass.”

Jade chuckled despite himself. “Come now, most of our professors weren’t that bad.”

“Oh, really?” They raised an eyebrow as if in challenge. “Remember that time Crewel made his entire batch of third years scrub out the cauldrons because someone contaminated the supply of beetroot with their personal experiments?”

Ah! Jade had pleasantly vague memories of that debacle… “I shudder to think of the day I would ever forget that incident.” A dramatic pause. “It was actually my potionology project for my thesis that contaminated the rest of those semester’s assignments.”

Yuu’s eyes widened. “Holy shit. How are you still alive?”

Jade shrugged before placing a finger against his lips. “Unlike some of our much rowdier contemporaries, I never got caught. It was an unfortunate event that everyone was punished, but… Collateral damage is something that I’ve come to expect, especially in my line of work.”

He may not have been watching Yuu directly when he murmured that last part, but he knew that their wide eyes were filled with apprehension at what he implied. How entrancing. How much did they know about his family’s business? And how much would they be willing to find out?

And then—

Laughter. Pure, childlike, unadulterated laughter. 

“Pffttt, hahahaha!” The small human was practically doubled over in laughter, their entire body leaning against the body of their car as if they would fall without its support. Knowing how fragile some humans were, Jade wasn’t too surprised at the sight. What caused him to do a double take was the teasing glint in their eyes and the utter joy that they regarded him with. 

It wasn’t every day that someone would look up to him like that.

It was a pity that his mental faculties were compromised. He would have liked to remember this moment for some time. To dissect. Or to ponder whenever he would think about the intricacies and mysteries upon the surface. 

“And may I ask what strikes you as funny?”

Yuu didn’t answer. Instead, they waved him off as they chuckled, but eventually straightened from their doubled over posture. 

“I just… When I saw you skulking out of the shadows, I thought I was about to get jumped! And now? This?” They waved their hands about in an aimless, purpless direction. As if actions alone could properly convey their confusion at the situation. “Talk about tonal whiplash, Jade. You’re a horror movie waiting to happen, but instead, I get something straight out of a… out of a…” The former Prefect frowned to themself before adding in a hushed, but near mortified tone of voice, “Like a comedy? Maybe?”

Jade stifled a laugh, his posture rounding itself out as he tried to keep himself from bowling over in mirth. “I’ve never considered myself a stand up comic, but who knows? Maybe I might pursue that endeavor in the future if my current career path does not pan out.”

The both of them shared a laugh for a few more moments, but eventually, the Prefect straightened up from leaning against their car. A quick glance at their phone must have alerted them to something if their little gasp of shock was anything to go by.

Even though Jade was still smiling placidly, he couldn't help but feel his brows furrow in disappointment. He was slowly sobering and it seemed now that he was in better charge of his mental faculties, he was finally getting the entertainment he so desperately craved. Parties were fun and all—especially if all Jade had to do to get information was to smile prettily and say the right words—but they were tiring and the company usually devolved in likability as the night wore on.

"Leaving already?"

Yuu shrugged before sending him a considering glance. "How about you? Got somewhere you need to be?"

"Not necessarily, but I wouldn't mind heading back to my quarters sooner rather than later."

Jade laughed at Yuu’s confused look at his strange choice of words. 

"My hotel room," he amended. "I don't have permanent residence on land so when I come up for business matters, I tend to stay in other establishments."

"Why not stay with Floyd?"

Jade hummed. "He can be territorial at times and I also have my own needs. Besides, money is no object for either of us."

Yuu scoffed at that admission, their eyes glancing at Jade's clothing. As always, well dressed even if it was for something that didn't require high end fashion. "You don't say."

"I don't. I simply wear what I'm worth."

Eventually, Jade gave Yuu the address to a hotel on the outskirts of the city. The hotel itself was actually high end and was considered more of a resort rather than a simple hotel. Located near the white sandy beaches upon which it was located, the guests would be able to enjoy the view of the seaside and the horizon meeting each other in a holy matrimony of beauty and natural phenomena.

Surprisingly, the recommendation came from Floyd, but Jade supposed that he shouldn't be too surprised. Despite Floyd's love of chaos, his tastes upon land bordered on extravagance.

The multitude of closets he had just for his accessories and shoes...

Yuu, to their credit, didn't bat an eye at Jade's address for the hotel. Instead, they nodded and loaded up the address onto their phone's GPS and began backing out of their parking space and out onto the main road.

As Yuu began a steady pace towards their destination, Jade fiddled with his seatbelt, feeling mildly restrained—almost as if he were suffocating. After all of these years, there were still many aspects of land dwelling culture that he had not become accustomed to yet. Clothing had been a challenge, especially in his first few months masquerading as a human, but transportation? Seatbelts were a nuisance—how did land dwellers deal with being smashed against the seats like this?

Furthermore, Jade didn't feel particularly safe; rather, it felt as if the surface liked to discover ways to give themselves a harder time to live their lives and/or seek death faster.

The enclosed space in the car was fine—Jade lived and grew up in enclosed spaces when learning how to ambush prey—but the windshield and the windows didn't provide the cover that he preferred. At the very least, the car that Yuu was driving had tinted windows, but instinct had Jade being hypervigilant, always expecting danger.

"Feel free to change the music station." Yuu offered as they used their turn signal, the sound of which provided a steady, mechanical drumbeat against the backdrop of a crooning voice. "I don't have a preference."

It took a second for Jade's eyes to adjust to the darkness in the car, but he eventually found the knob that would change stations. At this time of night and this far out of the main city, most stations were either late night talk shows with a few channels playing pop songs that Jade wasn't too fond of or the occasional radio silence. After going through a multitude of channels, Jade finally gave up and tuned into a station that played songs from decades past.

"Didn't take you for a disco kind of guy."

"I'm not." Jade returned to running his fingers up and down against the fabric of the seatbelt. For something that restrained him, the strange texture of it was oddly soothing against his finger pads. "It seems that my tastes will not be catered to tonight. A shame, but land dweller music has never ranked high on what I prefer to listen to."

Or maybe it was because Jade hadn't exposed himself to land dweller music all that often. Even when he had been a full time student at Night Raven College, he preferred to study or hike in silence as opposed to grabbing a pair of headphones and checking out the latest trends in pop or what have you. It was Floyd who loved the synthesized instruments in pop music, the erratic thrum of rock and metal, and how innovative the surface dwelling folk could be when cobbling together a passable tune. 

That was part of the reason why Jade could not stand to stay at the club any longer than he had to. The alcohol eased his frustrations somewhat, but he could attest that for the majority of merfolk, their preferences and standards for what passed as music and musical was leagues above what the surface dwellers could ever hope to replicate.

"Hmm? What sort of music do you listen to then?"

Jade cast a glance at his companion, waited until they gave him a questioning glance, before answering with, "Whalesong."

It was a good thing that the road they were on was mostly bereft of other travelers because for a few crucial instants, Yuu nearly lost control of their driving. Their shock was gratifying and it soothed the primal instinct in Jade that wanted to rip himself out of his self-imposed bindings, but both their lives could be in danger had the road been bustling with traffic.

"W-whalesong!? Like whales go into recording studios and like? Make music?"

Jade didn't even try disguising his laugh this time. 

Was this the same Prefect who went to Night Raven College around the same time as him? Yes, he remembered that there was a spark in them, a fire that Jade had yearned to see stamped out from time to time, but he never got around to committing to those thoughts, especially when the winter holidays had come immediately after the end of term exams. And then the Overblots. The arrival of summer. And so on and so on.

Had he known that they were this interesting... 

Ah, he supposed that maybe he should convince Yuu to stay in touch with him. Perhaps he was still suffering the lingering effects of the alcohol and was thus was feeling more impulsive than usual, but this interaction was interesting.

Yuu's questions were interesting.

Yuu's reactions were interesting.

Yuu was interesting.

"Whalesong," Jade repeated again. He turned to face the road again, watching how the path began to grow slightly narrower to accommodate the forested landscape. "Did you know that sound travels faster and clearer in water? You would have to have the same skeletal structure of merfolk to fully appreciate their tunes, but it's like a lullaby that haunts the ocean for miles. It reverberates through your body, reminding you that no matter how large or dangerous you are, there will always be something above you in the theoretical food chain. You may not realize it, but whales can be quite dangerous." 

He fell silent, eyes falling close.

There was no danger here—not unless Yuu lost control of their car.

"Not that I would know what it’s like to be put into my place on land, of course. Here, I rank quite high if I may say so."

"And humble too."

At that point, Yuu was turning into the hotel's private property. Up ahead, there was a guardhouse with one of its security personnel already waving them forward. At the security guard's insistence, Yuu surrendered their license with the guarantee that they would receive it once they left the premises. After confirming that Jade was a guest at the hotel, they were allowed to pass and go straight onto the grounds.

The hotel grounds were expansive, and again, Jade had to stifle a laugh when he heard Yuu mutter to themself about "rich people and their tastes". As Yuu drove through the veritable obstacle course that made up the grounds before the actual main building, Jade made idle commentary on the scenery they passed.

There were the tennis and basketball courts, a swimming pool for those who didn't want to brave the ocean (and for good reason, Jade was from there and the locals weren't always the nicest), and a few other facilities the rich and famous would like to make use of. Eventually, they made their way to the parking lot, which was insisted upon by Jade. Before going to his room, he would like to take a walk to further clear his head and maybe, if he was feeling particularly adventurous, he might venture into the frigid depths of the ocean before sleeping.

He said as much to Yuu who parked the car at the furthest point from the main hotel building.

"You mean you weren't already feeling adventurous? I thought that you were at some elite club or something. Most people would be too tired to even think about swimming at this hour."

Smiling toothily at his companion, Jade admitted, "It was a rather dull affair. For someone like me, I much prefer something more... challenging." The liquor helped and didn't help at the same time.

"Whatever you say, Jade."

As Yuu pressed a button on their side to unlock the doors, they paused for a moment, as if a thought had come to them. Observant as he was, Jade knew that something was on their mind and was patient to stay a moment longer, his long fingers resting on the car door handle.

"Hmm... but is walking or swimming alone at night considered challenging?" There was mischief in their tone, an inside joke that only they were privy to at the moment. It piqued Jade's curiosity, but only slightly. "Why not... push past your boundaries?"

"What an idea," Jade murmured. "What are you proposing?"

Yuu tapped their fingers upon the steering wheel. "You know, I've never seen you drive a car before."

And just like that, Jade wrenched the door wide open and leaped out of the car as if he had caught on fire. It was only because he had years of practice as a courteous land dweller that he managed to remember to bid the small human goodbye.

"Apologies, I do believe that my bed is calling me at this hour. Goodnight and farewell, dear Yuu. I'll take my lea—"

"Nuh-uh." Yuu may not have been as fast as Jade, but they could certainly manipulate their limbs quicker than what he remembered. It seems that being pushed to their limits under Coach Vargas' tutelage did them some good in the long run. "I brought you to this place out of the goodness of my heart, which merits a reward."

Ah. They certainly have changed over the years, haven't they?

"A good deed that must be repaid isn't done out of the goodness of one's heart, Yuu."

"That's rich coming from you. If I recall, wasn’t that your modus operandi during our years at Night Raven?"

Jade smiled a thin sort of smile.

Would he be able to stomach running away from a human as small as Yuu? Or shall he suffer this farce for much longer?

"Perhaps."

"Hmmm.... So maybe it's not because you've suddenly turned over a new leaf, but I think it might be because you're afraid."

"Afraid?" Jade couldn't help but scoff, all sense of composure leaving him before he had to manually instruct himself to calm down. “I wouldn’t go as far as to say that… But I am… Rather alarmed.”

It took Jade a second too long to realize that it was a mistake to admit to his fear. 

“Are you saying that the stoic and calm Jade Leech is too unnerved—rattled, mayhap?—to even dare getting behind the wheel and—gasp!—actually learn how to drive?” Yuu swooned against their car, a pitiful invalid. 

Jade crossed his arms, making sure to force his body to sway gently so as to appear drunker than he felt. “Might I remind you that I’m not sober? It’s against the law to imbibe before driving.”

Yuu shot him a disbelieving glance. 

“...I see. The great and illustrious Jade Leech has fallen victim to Rosehearts Syndrome. A disease that has its roots in the pursuit of perfection, appeasing to a higher order that will never listen to you, immediate and absolute obedience to the rules and—”

“I am nothing like Riddle.”

“Oh, really?” Their eyes sparkled once more underneath the streetlight. “Prove it. Make me believe that Jade Leech still spits in the name of conventionality because he got too bored to pay his dues to polity.”

And Jade knew what tactic that Yuu was using at that very moment. It was the oldest trick in Jade’s book. This baiting was meant for day old fry who had not yet tried to chase after a worm on a hook. Yet… 

And yet… 

If they were caught, Jade could easily buy his way out of a jail cell and if he were feeling particularly generous, he’d even bail out this little shrimp who dared mouth at him like this. As if Jade hadn’t penned the rule book concerning mental subterfuge and psychological warfare and manipulation. 

Jade held out a hand. “The keys, if you will.”

Yuu grinned, an impish affair that only irritated Jade slightly. "The keys are already in the ignition, silly eel!"

This was going to be more troublesome than he thought it would be, wasn't it?

And it certainly was. For the next half hour or so, Jade had to learn how to navigate the many parts of the car. From the way he had to adjust the seat and the rearview mirror, how to place his hands upon the steering wheel, and realize that, yes, the stick in the middle of the driver and the passenger seats did indeed serve a purpose. For the most part, Yuu was actually a good teacher, if a bit mischievous at times. Despite his reservations, it seemed that Yuu had caught onto his concern and allowed him to test out the car's various capabilities without letting the car move from its parked space.

Slowly, Jade acquainted himself with the accelerator and how the machine rumbled underneath his feet, how he need only apply the slightest amount of pressure before the car answered in kind.

Eventually, though—

"I think you're ready."

"To go to sleep?"

And that's when Yuu released the handbrake and put the car into drive.

To say that the next half hour was a disaster was an... anticlimactic understatement.

Jade hit the accelerator and drove the car at the breakneck speed of... ten kilometers per hour. It was slow going, but eventually, Jade began to crawl his way to a much faster pace.

"Great, you're learning!" Jade dared not look away from the road lest he accidentally cause an accident that could blow up the entire resort. "Now that you can drive in a relatively straight line... let's start turning corners!"

Another obstacle that Jade would have loved to let Yuu handle, but it was rather unfortunate that he was stuck behind the wheel and beholden to the driving laws.

Again, it was rather anticlimactic, but with the way Jade felt his hands tremble every so often and that he had to consciously remind himself that he had to breathe, it was almost as if the world was collapsing upon him. As someone who was born and raised in the sea, it was a rather terrifying thought.

Still, though, jerky movements gradually transitioned into something more fluid and slightly resembling that of a seasoned driver's actions. Furthermore, he no longer had to rely so much on Yuu's encouragement and murmurs of adjustment that he rearrange his hands or to relax his posture. In fact, he began to feel like he was learning to walk all over again when he was in land boot camp. 

Before he knew it, he made a full circle around the parking lot while also obeying all the signs and markers on the road.

It was utterly slow and Jade wasn't very smooth when making the appropriate left turns, but he did manage to press down on the turn signals when necessary and he even stopped for a passing pedestrian! Success, although somewhat trivial to all other accomplishments that Jade had under his belt, still made him beam with pride. (Muted pride, though, he couldn't quite admit that he was happy that Yuu had convinced him to step outside of his boundaries).

When Jade slowly approached to a stop in front of the hotel doors (finally), Yuu gestured for him to put the car in park. "Feeling tired? I think you've improved enough that I'll let you go. For now."

He smiled.

Then the words and full extent of the meaning finally dawned on him. 

"For now?"

Yuu nodded, a gleeful smile on their face. "Well, how else can I refill my fuel gauge? With the amount of magic you've got pouring in, the tank refilled within minutes!"

Jade checked the dashboard.

Damn.

"What was that one term you land dwellers use when you dupe someone? Pull the wool over someone's eyes? Getting hustled?" Jade shook his head in faux disappointment. "And here I thought that you were a person of high standing."

"Hello, pot. Meet kettle. The both of you are black."

Jade wasn't sure what that saying meant, but he laughed nonetheless and resolved that he would have to look up what pots and kettles had to do with colors. 

“Good night, Yuu. Perhaps we can talk at a later date.

Yuu seemed unsure at first, which only made Jade concerned, but before he could assure them that he didn’t expect them to follow through, they nodded. 

“Sure thing, Jade.” A beat. “Maybe I’ll teach you how to drive donuts!”

Do... Donuts?

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If you want to donate a Ko-Fi, feel free https://ko-fi.com/devintrinidad.

TWISTED WONDERLAND MASTERLIST

[axewchao]

Decided to turn a couple of my OCs into Zelda races!

Why? Because I know for a fact that I can't just draw Dal n' Rev all day. One day I'll branch out, and that means I need more practice with everything else Hyrule has to offer =w=

'Specially the Zoras. Those damn fish... head... tail... things =_="

I'll be sticking their mini-bios under a readmore :3

Makani

A Gerudo journeying across Hyrule. Blessed with fire magic, she left Gerudo Town to learn how to properly control said power, mainly via fighting as many monsters as she can. She hopes to one day return to the desert and challenge the legendary Molduking. Has an affinity for baking, and has considered establishing her own bakery somewhere pleasant and pretty.

While Makani has a number of goals on her mind, one she struggles with revolves around her eventually finding a voe. She doesn't want to just... have a kid for the sake of adding to the next generation, then waltz off to continue pursuing her own desires like her mother did. She wants to find a husband and start a loving family, but still has dreams, and only has so much time to do either. Subconsciously, she feels like she's being rushed to pick one thing and stick with it forever, which stresses her out.

Dusty

A Goron traveling with Makani. He considers Makani his sworn sister because of the matching heart-shaped marks (okay Dusty's is a rock) on their necks. Like his name implies, he's known for leaving large trails of dust clouds whenever he rolls around. He uses this to his advantage when fighting monsters; blocking their vision with dust, then striking from behind. He can also use the spikes on his back to scale up various walls.

Dusty is particularly fond of crashing into things. Monsters, large rocks, ore deposits, you name it, he'll crash it. Like most other Gorons, he doesn't like the taste of gems, but still collects them to make easy rupees. After hearing about the powers each gem can hold, he's kept one of each type for himself, as he's now debating over whether he should just attach them to his weapons and call it a day or keep more and have them converted into jewelry later. That "diamond circlet" thing sounds pretty badass, after all...

Tuno

A young Zora that was found washed up on the shores of Hateno Beach by Symin some time prior to the events of BotW. Rather than let the child swim back out to the unknowns of the sea, Tuno was instead brought to the Domain, where he was taken in by Laflat. Much like Link, Tuno never says a word, but can communicate with other Zoras by wiggling his fins.

Tuno has abilities similar to that of a puffer fish, in that he can puff up his tail and raise a set of spines to stab/scare any would-be assailants or threats. However, unlike puffer fish, he isn't poisonous in any way. He rarely puffs up, both because he's difficult to scare, and because it looks embarrassingly silly. The one thing that does scare him, however, is Octoroks. It's possible that some kind of Octorok had terrified Tuno in the past, maybe even drove him away from the sea entirely.

Tuna

A Hylian boy who lives at the Woodland Stable. He's Tuno's best friend, and the two are as close as siblings. Tuna often wonders if it's possible for a person to turn into a Zora, and likes to daydream about what his "Zora form" would look like. Prefers playing with the horses rather than actually tending to them, and is often begging his parents to let him start his riding lessons.

For reasons unknown, Tuna is prone to falling ill on the night of a blood moon, often left bedridden by sunset. He's become a sort of alarm at the stable because of this, where if anyone is wondering when a blood moon will rise, they just check on him. If he's feeling dizzy, that means one's coming. He'll recover the following morning without fail, but this doesn't stop his parents and fish bro from worrying about him.

[nijigay]

hiiii :3 I noticed ur one (of a few) ppl who ships boniji on tumblr, and I wanna know if you know any accounts/artists who ships them so I could follow them to satiate my boniji fixation >.< Also, some bocchi x nijika questions I wanna personally ask: what songs do you recommend that reminds you of them? Also, what are some boniji fanfics you recommend/like? I probably already read most of their fics but I wanna know what others like. Lastly, ur personal boniji headcanons if you don't mind sharing... 👉👈

I only ask blogs rarely cuz I'm shy so no need to answer immediately...

I'm just brainrotting over boniji so much! im so normal about them (◔‿◔)

AWAWAWA i love boniji like so much like too much like its become my main personality trait!

but youre right!!! it feels like boniji fans are mostly japan natives and there dont seem to be many english speaking boniji fans! ohhh i wish there was more of a following! imagine a boniji zine in the west! i would pay money to get involved with that

im kind of embarrassed about shoving my ships in ppls faces all the time and this might get long and its just me like rambling about my OTP so like .. gona put it under a read more lol. seriously this post is like almost 2k words long thats longer than my average fanfic chapter

i hate to be a shill but im going to be a shill for my fic recommendations:

ive been working on a lowkey corny boniji hanahaki fic on AO3 and some other oneshots, so maybe you would be willing to check my own stuff out?? (if u want .-. im really amateur with this stuff despite being an art student lol) its been on hiatus for like half a year but im just adhd af and keep restarting. im still working on it frequently tho and im secretly hoping to start updating on a consistent basis soon. but i also liked fics like "Midnight and Daydreams" and "Bubblegum Detergent" and "A Sellout Night" and "Just Enough to be Enough" and "A Kiss is Not A Cure". MANNN i remember that last one fucked me up bad when it was posted. it was only the second ever dedicated boniji fic and like I LOVE angst but with how small the sample size of fics was at the time it was like AUFHAUIJKADGF. all those fics are super super good though! i also love the third one, i love the trans bocchi HC personally

umm as far songs songs tho, i guess the ones i associate with boniji most are:

"veil" by keina suda, i remember drafting some animatic for an angsty AU of Hitori living on post-Kessoku

"STEP&CLAP" by yoshino aoyama (aka yoppi aka bocchis VA <3), i think yoppi making the song speaks for itself but its a rly cute song and i love thinking of Hitori and Nijika like tap dancing to it?? check out the rest of yoppi's debut album too!! her voice is so pretty and i was so happy finding out that there are 11 songs with her voice, instead of the 1 from the anime

idk why but i also think of them a lot when listening to PMMM's ost by yuki kaijuri, like "desiderium" and "not yet" and "mada dame yo"? these r kinda a stretch though but idk!!

i also like compiling music that reminds me of them into spotify playlists, if youd like some inspiration for your own! this one and also this angstier one

i have a lot of boniji headcanons but i feel like its hard for me to like list them all in one spot because they usually come to me with context during relevant conversations?? but ill list whatever i can think of!:

this ones not necessarily boniji but i was thinking about it like an hour ago, but i really like the idea of Seika being a huge boniji supporter. like in the source material she already finds Bocchi really cute, so I get the impression she would really like to be an older sister figure for Bocchi (and probably gets jealous of Kikuri for holding that spot in Bocchi's life lol), and so Nijika being a potential love interest for Bocchi would make Seika double down hard on supporting boniji. she'd probably be the one who brings Bocchi up to Nijika more than Nijika would bring her up to Seika?? i also like to imagine that for Seika she has a similar complex to Yoyoko. but instead of "Bocchi is stealing my spot as Hiroi's younger sister figure," it would be "Kikuri is stealing my spot as Bocchi's older sister figure" LOL . if that makes any sense at all

this ones actually taken from a japanese twitter user, but they moved on from boniji after the anime ended. but they had some headcanons that REALLY stuck with me. my favorite was the idea that Bocchi and Nijika both have inferiority complexes with one another. iirc their (translated) words were along the lines of "Bocchi thinks of Nijika as a pure, comforting light in her life, one that could be muddied if Bocchi got involved with her. On the other hand, Nijika thinks of Bocchi as a reliable hero who outshines an ordinary girl like her." i just REALLY like it. it also reminds me of this conversation that Yoppi and Suzushiro had on the BTR podcast, about Bocchi and Nijika's first meeting! like nijika literally brought light into Bocchi's life awdsfsgdhgfjh

actually that same user above also made a tweet that is the reason why i associate Keina Suda's "veil" with boniji! they made a tweet about an AU idea, where, in the event that Nijika would ever pass away, Seika would give Bocchi her ribbon, which Hitori would wear from that point onwards as she continues to play music to honor Nijika's memory. they also suggested that in the opposite event of Hitori passing away, Nijika would possibly do something very rash out of despair but thats dark hahaha!!!!

i kinda think this goes without saying and i think its actually a fairly common HC for BTR characters in general, but I can definitely see Bocchi being trans

I like to imagine that shortly after Volume 2, Bocchi and Nijika would probably have another conversation

eventually, i'm sure if Bocchi and Nijika pursued a relationship that they'd eventually move in together (or like into the same room? if Kessoku Band had a sharehouse?), and since both Bocchi and Nijika tend to be minimalistic with their room decor, their shared room would again become filled with a ton of Ryo's clothes and items and instruments, like how Nijika's room at Seika's apartment is

i think they'd both end up being really touchy with each other, especially when nervous? Bocchi kind of already does this when she's in new places (eg bringing Kita to Shimokitazawa, or going to FOLT for the first time and being dragged by Nijika), but I think it would grow to them finding comfort with each other?

idk if this is necessarily a HC but i really like how Bocchi and Nijika emotionally support each other, even in source. Nijika is shown to have a really good read on Bocchi (to the point of Bocchi worrying that Nijika is actually a psychic), knowing Bocchi's common thought processes, and picking up from Bocchi's mother during her first visit to Kanazawa that karaage chicken can bring Bocchi out of her anxiety attacks, and seems to be the only character who actually comments on Bocchi's growth as an individual and actively tries to facilitate it; but she also doesn't lovebomb Bocchi with praise, striking what seems to be a good balance for pushing Bocchi but also being a reliable confidant for her too.

one of my favorite details from the anime that i really feel doesnt get talked about as often as it should is when Nijika finally notices that Bocchi is guitarhero! she definitely wasn't the first to notice (Seika noticed first, but it seemed like Seika only knew about guitarhero via Nijika. When she notices that Bocchi's playing sounds familiar, her thought process immediately goes towards wondering why Nijika isn't noticing, and then she just tells them to get back to work) but she was the first one that Bocchi admits it too. but my favorite part is how Bocchi says that she wanted to change and grow as a person before telling them the truth, and she says that she especially wanted to grow before Nijika in particular found out! its just really cute, i love how Bocchi was worried about disappointing Nijika. and i like how, after some growth, Bocchi's dream turns from "becoming popular" to "making Kessoku Band the best band it can be" which is like almost basically the same as Nijika's dream! and so it's really nice when Bocchi doubles down on that goal by not remotely entertaining the idea of leaving Kessoku Band, even when goaded by promises of popularity.

last headcanon! because i ran out of thoughts and just came up with this on the spot. but i also like the idea that as the years go on, Bocchi and Nijika in particular may kind of become more similar in personality. i mean, they'd definitely still be distinctly them, but i like to think that Bocchi would eventually start picking up more optimistic habits and stop grimacing all the time, while Nijika would eventually become a little more lax and not reflexively try to dismiss her own negative feelings via looking at the silver lining. i thought of that when Nijika kinda dismisses her family dynamics with her mother's passing and her father's neglect after Kessoku's first real performance, as well as Nijika seeming to admit after inhaling Bocchi Dust(?) during her and Kita's Kanazawa visit that some of her optimism is performative

ok another one Nijika seems to have her art skills commented on sometimes so i like to imagine she has doodles of Bocchi in her sketchbook (alongside everyone else but mostly Bocchi). like think of like Miles Morales drawing a ton of Gwen Stacy like that kinda deal but with Nijika drawing Bocchi. and like Bocchi finds the sketchbook and Nijika freaks out and Bocchi actually doesnt look bc she doesnt want to do something wrong. but then Ryo or Kita take it and look instead and then show Bocchi and Bocchi melts into a flustered puddle

wowwow this got long! sorry! i really mean it when im like OBSESSED with these two like i think ive thought about them on a daily basis ever since the episode aired where Nijika bought Bocchi a cola. isnt that cute, too!? she picked up on Bocchi's favorite soda so quickly! and her buying a box of energy drinks for Bocchi despite not understanding why at all! girlfriend behavior

i really really want to make more boniji content, i'd like to be more active in posting my fics and drabbles and drawings, someday soon. right now most of my boniji content is just illegible sketches in my sketchbook lol

also thank u so much for like sending this ask im like BEGGING internally all the time to be given the chance to talk about them! i dont think theyre like a rarepair or anything, especially with them seeming to be like the second most popular BTR ship in japan, but i do think that not many people talk to them in the english side of the fandom! theyre super super cute and have really good chemistry.

this entire post is probably like a total carwreck i hope its even readable

ill also use this post as an excuse to post my own HCs for a Kessoku Band's relations chart. it's a bonus for reading this far. i'm sorry for draining 22 HP from you with this brain dump

[kristillianlibraryarchive]

Its kind of sad how ill probably never fully know what's going on in my brain. I will always be just some flavor of mentally ill, with my brain being alphabet soup.

like. Emory, Ketrill, and Jester feel Different than my other paras.

With Emory, it's by nature of design. He's supposed to know more than my other paras, have a "mysterious" factor to him, his whole thing is that he Knows.

And Ketrill's technically never appeared in my daydreams. I don't think. More like a para "represents" him. Less like an actor and more like a fancast, if that makes sense. It does to me so whatever. Actually, to elaborate: instead of "[actor] is cast as [character]", with Ketrill & my paras its more like "[actor] would probably do a good job at playing [character] if given the chance".

Jester ... gosh. He was also different, from the start. He was made to be my opposite, a "self insert" inspired by a movie I had just seen. I made a post a while ago about the vocaloid song "Magic Mirror" being how I viewed our relationship, which is still true.

But tbh now that I think about it, it's true in another way, too: the two vocaloids featured/singing are Len & Rin, a pair of twins. and I've always kinda imagined myself as a twin? for felt like I should be one? idk. they feature heavily in my daydreams, and I feel a deep sense of longing that's so different than the usual "longing for your paras to be real" thing that most Daydreamers go through at one point or another. instead of "ugh wow i wish they were real" it's "you need to be real why arent you real i am empty without you".

sorry. tangent. I've been going through a lot of self-doubt lately and overanalyzing my Thoughts & Feelings about all of this. I still don't know everything but I feel like I can confidently say that those 3 are more than just paras. I'm tired so I'm not gonna comb through terminology, but I think they're somewhere within veritbond, soulbond, and parative. maybe parabond? maybe all three idk.

uhm. this was supposed to be a #vent about my shitty brain idk why i did all that lmao bye ✌️

[y2khaos]

meant to post the other day but. i finally got back on adhd meds the other day and holy fuck my executive function is already improving a lot. i dont sit there for an hour thinking abt how i should refill my drink, instead it only takes me a maximum of 5 minutes. if this medication isn't supposed to take full effect until like 6 weeks in then i think my mental illnesses will be cured by that point LMAO. like is this how non-adhd ppl feel on a daily basis?? absolutely revolutionary

i was rlly anxious abt starting strattera bcus of some of the side effects i found while researching after my psych first recommended it to me (notably upset stomach, and i am very severely emetophobic) but i haven't noticed a single side effect so far aside from the rare slight headache.

god i love being on a non-stimulant finally. my most recent time on adderall was hell - had to cut the tablets into quarters in order for my appetite to not be destroyed, felt like i could feel my veins, i was shaky as fuck. weird bcus i was perfectly fine when i took it in high school...maybe those years of a traumatic living situation in between affected how my body processes things

ANYWAY all this to say ive been feeling the best ive felt mentally in years rn and im hoping to make more art and original posts instead of just daydreaming abt doing so!! 💚💙

[puella-peanut]

If Alpha Twig got Omega Danny pregnant in high school, do you think they would have stayed together? How would their families react?

Well well...depending on how much I want to be nice or mean to Danny-boy and Terry, the scenarios could vary. Since I have a similar ask for this scenario but that Anon wanted fluff, this one will be on the angsty side (sorry, Danny-boy). Heads up for underage Daniel, Omega-sexism, me making Danny suffer, and super bastard boyfriend psycho Terry (as well as his shitty father). 

.

.

.

—By early February, as soon as his Ma leaves, Daniel spends nearly every morning before school resting his cheek against the cool porcelain toilet in the bathroom he shares with his Ma in their shabby apartment. He turned 15 in December, still looks like 12—he’s just a kid, a pup, a freshman, and now he’s...

Daniel can’t even finish the thought. ('Cause he promised Ma, Madonna bless her, he’d be good here in Omega-friendly California, stay outta trouble. That’s why she allowed him to go to one of these progressive Integrated Schools instead of a mediocre Omega Government-Funded Institution.) And he’d been so happy, so excited—and now he’s in the worst trouble of his life. Daniel’s eyes fill. What on earth is he gonna tell his Ma? What on earth is he gonna tell...

...Terry?

(The ridiculously handsome, popular Alpha who’d graciously invited Daniel to his Christmas party at the fancy loft in upscale LA, a week before Christmas break, and Daniel had innocently gone along, totally flattered that his crush since the very first day of school in August had asked...him! Poor, plain, and little almost-15-year-old Daniel LaRusso! And Terry had been tall and dashing and seductive—giving Daniel all of his undivided attention, and then his first taste of champagne, and a bit later his first kiss. And then real late that very evening his first...well, everything.) 

Daniel had lost a lot that night, more than he knew at the moment, and had woken up alone, and sore, and frightened—and with an aching head in a guest bedroom instead of Terry’s apartment-sized bedroom. A Beta maid had offered him breakfast, but he’d turned the lavish tray down, mortified, and left immediately once he found his clothes neatly folded and freshened up on the vanity’s chair. He hadn’t seen Terry. (He'd...wanted to.)

Ma had been more worried than angry, and had fussed over him when he’d returned with a feeble lie. Luckily he was wearing a turtleneck sweater, so she didn’t see the bruises and bite marks on his neck and shoulder, and the matching hand-shaped bruises on his wrists. And she didn't have a clue about the mouth-shaped-marks on his chest, his inner thighs. Thank the Alpha up above. Anyways, he’d moped over Christmas not feeling himself, and daydreaming about Terry, wishing he would call, and not thinking too much on why he didn’t. 

But after a holiday that was anything but merry, Terry didn’t even spare him a passing glance when school started again on the 3rd. That first day back without a single word or look of acknowledgement from the Alpha had crushed Daniel, deeply, and he’d cried a little in the bathroom after he’d thrown up all his lunch. So he ended up being not only heartbroken, but ill for the new year. Go figure. 

I think in this one, Anon, Terry is a Senior. He’s wealthy, spoiled, and a playboy—he has time to fuck around with many a pretty Omega, but no time to stick around for one. Terry’s going places, you see, he’s a brainy and bookish scholar despite the lecherous side; he has been accepted to several of the Ivy League Alpha-Only universities of Yale, Columbia, Harvard; maybe even to schools abroad like Oxford—he can’t be having a fucking pup now. 

(Why Alpha above, he could’ve shaken the boy as he’d stuttered and stumbled through telling Terry about his...condition in a classroom in a lonely part of the school. Wanted to, badly, when the kid had started crying these great hulking sobs that shook his body, looking so small and delicate and fragile—and giving off such terrified pheromones that it made Terry’s stomach roll with...with he didn’t even know what. He didn’t even respond to the boy’s pitiful pleading, just left him there all crumpled and blotchy on the floor in the too-big red sweater Terry had ripped off him that night in December...only now with endless tears running down his face. But Terry could smell it on him, easy, like Alphas could of the Omegas they’d knotted up. He was reeking of it. Those pregnancy pheromones, his and the kid’s mixed together, tangled up in a knot...)

...He gets his father, the Alpha Silver-senior, to hush this nonsense all up, threaten the kid and his mother if they retaliate (not that Betas, and especially Omegas, had much of a percentage, if any, of winning a lawsuit against an Alpha). And Silver sr. does, because his only child (a strapping boy, an Alpha! How proud is he!) is set to take over the legendary Silver business, and needs to keep the connections, name, and social hierarchy a fancy university will maintain for him—not the shame a penniless, pregnant Omega and bastard puppy will bring. Why, what a pity they outlawed the Breeding Farms a century ago—he’d have that Omega slut banished there instead. He wishes Terrance had been more discreet, true—but then there’s that ridiculous Alpha bragging pride that his son knocked up an untouched 14 year old Omega at, what, only 18? A proper Alpha already! He signs the papers with a flourish, plans out the monthly fee—measured in accordance, of course, if the child comes out an Alpha (wonderful, but doubtful), a Beta (boring), or an Omega (vermin). He chides Terrance with a good laugh over their favorite Irish whiskey and imported Cuban cigars, and doesn’t give the matter a second thought. Margaret will oversee the little monthly problem. Now, back to securing that fantastic deal with that German company...

(Anyway, Anon, Terry did think that Danny-boy had been quite the little darling, probably the prettiest Omega Terry ever saw—but that means nothing, really, since the kid was only good for an (admittedly excellent) fuck, and it had been great fun taking his first time. Oh, he’d seen the way the boy’s big eyes had looked shyly his way after that night when they passed each other in the school corridors between classes they never shared—and he’d paid no heed outside of scoffing once he’d passed. What, did the kid think Terry would date him or something, that they’d be official? That Terry’d give him his varsity jacket, like how Johnny had given his to his Omega girl, Betsy? Did the boy really think Terry would love him? Omegas these days. Ridiculous.)

Father transfers the boy to another school, Omega only, and not that dreadful like most of those were—really, the boy should thank him on bended knee!—so he can have the pup like he wants (why not just terminate the blasted thing?), and complete his education. It’s more than many an Omega usually gets, since the discomfort of unshared Heats, the high-percentage fail rate of suppressants, and the sheer yearning of wanting an Alpha to fuck and mate them make many drop-out young. And they’re pressured anyway, to find an Alpha, and get married off as soon as possible, even as young as 13 if they start their Heats early—something which the Government always turned a blind eye to, even here in progressive California. After all, Omegas don’t need to have brains, just spread their dainty legs and pump out pups. Easy peasy. 

So, Terry feels good about the...situation. Mostly. There’s a niggling sensation there, something that feels like it’s pressing on a bruise that Terry doesn’t even know he has. No matter, it’ll pass. He’ll ring up his Alpha pals, Johnny, Ponytail, and Mikey—it’ll make for an amusing yarn to share over dinner and bourbon (and maybe a couple Omega whores if he can bribe Milos to get them for Pony and Mike, since John got boring once he started mooning over Betsy). 

Terry only just wishes he could get the kid out of his memory, damn it. Why, the way he’d caught Terry’s eye since the school year had started, tiny little fluffy-haired brunette—like he’d been tailored just for Terry’s personal tastes. The sweet, addictive scent of him when Terry had bumped into him between classes, once, twice, thrice on purpose—before casually asking him to his party. And when he’d shown up, all in over his head and cutely thanking Terry for the invite—Terry had been ridiculously charmed, deciding then and there that the kid was his that night. (Who cared that he was 14-looking-12? Society didn’t give a flying fuck about Omega-rights and nor did Terry, though both pretended they did.) Anyway, he knew he’d decided rightly when, later on, his mouth had watered like never before to stake his claim on that mating gland when the kid had curled up in his lap away from prying eyes, tipsy and adorable. Or how gorgeous those brown eyes were, especially when they’d looked shyly up at him with such tender affection that Terry had carried him off then and there to his bedroom. The flushed cheeks, the plump mouth moving naively against his own. It was nearly too much. And those sweet, if surprised, sobs of pleasure when he’d...

Shit, he needs another fucking drink. 

So what happens next, Anon?

Daniel has the pup, of course—an Omega he names Samantha. And he loves her from the moment she’s placed screaming in his exhausted arms. Adores her instantly, perhaps even more than usual, because she has her father’s wavy dark hair, and his bright blue eyes...

...Daniel manages to get through school until 18, finding it tremendously difficult to balance studying, and a part time job, and a puppy, but he pushes through it, sometimes on three hours of sleep a night, determined. And maybe a little bit angry (and a lot hurt). The meagre monthly stipend he receives from Terry’s father for having an Omega puppy covers some of Sam’s expenses, and that’s a blessing regardless, because she’ll have it until she has her Omega coming of age at 16, when the dole will stop. It’s not that bad, he supposes wistfully sometimes when Sam’s asleep, and his homework is completed, and it’s just him and his lonesome thoughts. 

(Not that bad even if it does sting that Terry’s never bothered to contact them, or that he hasn’t seen the Alpha since he was pulled out of that school early March. Just to have one more look at him, that’s all he wanted. For old times sake...)

As for Ma, well she's eternally disappointed in him, of course, even though Daniel tries his very best. But she left New Jersey to give him a better life, a better chance across the country where Omegas were allowed to flourish—and what did he do to repay her just a few months later? Oh, she loves Sammy very much and helps take care of her, but something breaks down in their relationship, and Daniel simply doesn’t have the tools to fix it. So when, at 18, Daniel and little Sam relocate to the Bronx for a charity-organized paid training position for single-parent Omegas it’s with a strange, if bittersweet, relief on both sides of the parting. 

But he’s grateful to be trained as a mechanic, a position Omegas aren’t usually taught, nor hired to be in. But Daniel’s a fighter, he fought for equal-opportunity job rights, fought for his little Sam, for himself. He won’t let his past hurt him. He’s gonna move on. Maybe the progressive, Omega-friendly New York City is where he’s meant to be. 

And for a while he’s right, Anon, because now, at 20, he’s respected at his job, and makes a decent living. He’s even landed a good-looking 30 year old blond fighter pilot in the Alpha Armed Forces (the AAF) named Johnny. They’re living together, and Johnny popped the question a little while ago. Daniel’s now got a nice little ring on his finger, and Johnny’s even tried to Claim him, but for some reason it didn’t take...

Whatever. Johnny doesn’t care that the Claim didn’t hold, or that Daniel has had a pup with another Alpha. Sammy likes him, he’s got a steady job, he makes Daniel laugh nearly as much as they bicker, and okay, okay—it’s so very nice to be petted, and cuddled, and wanted, and have his natural Omega urges satisfied. Oh, Daniel likes Johnny very much. (Maybe one day he’ll even love him.)

So, overall, things are going well!

...Until it doesn’t, Anon, because one day, Daniel finds himself adding the finishing touches to a gorgeous vintage black convertible with red leather insides that some fool rear-ended. A classic make like this would cost a pretty penny; whatever Alpha owns this (and of course it’s an Alpha)—is filthy, disgustingly rich. 

He should have known then, should have realized before the owner showed up, before the long stride of expensive dress shoes was heard echoing off the concrete floors. Before that familiar scent of bourbon and cigar smoke hit his nose.

But Daniel doesn’t, so when Terry Silver—wealthier, taller, and more dashing than ever—shows up, Daniel finds himself backing up against the car he just polished, so many emotions tangled up in his stomach it’ll take years to pull them apart, if ever. 

Terry’s polite, charming, sophisticated. But the years have sharpened him like a knife, making his smile at once captivating and deadly. He tells Daniel in a friendly manner how he’s very recently become the head of his family’s company, now that his father’s finally passed. That he’s the one who sent Daniel the latest monthly stipend for Sam seeing that Margaret was dismissed immediately after the funeral. That he’s known the exact whereabouts of Daniel and Samantha for two weeks now, since the day his father died. 

Terry tells him, still grinning even while Daniel’s hands start shaking—of the fact that his convertible landing in Daniel’s bodyshop was not a stroke of luck, but rather a set-up. A plan not only for Terry’s personal amusement, but also to soothe his rage—to observe Danny at work, see how an Omega got by at a (haha!) paying job. A job which he, sweet Danny-boy, should never have been fucking trained for in the first place, which he should never have been working at. Or working, whatsoever. 

That Terry knows—and here his blue eyes grow so cold when he glances in utter disgust at the simple engagement ring that they look like ice—about Johnny. About their wedding plans. About the failed Claiming. 

And lastly, lastly because this is all not enough of shock for one day, for one life—

—the reason, Terry says as lightly as if he were mentioning the weather, the Claiming failed from that subpar fool of an Alpha is because you’ve already been Claimed, sweetheart. Since that night when you were 14. For several years now, you’ve been mine. And, Danny-boy, darling—you didn’t even suspect a thing. 

Daniel can’t breathe, can’t think. Can’t do anything except put up his hands defensively as Terry steps in close, crowding Daniel against the convertible, the knots of his spine shoved hard enough against the polished metal to be sore for days. 

Terry’s shadow towers over Daniel, and his hands hold his wrists so tightly that he wraps them in bruises just as he did all those years ago. Daniel whimpers in pain, in fear, in terrified confusion at how quickly his life has turned upside down again—and Terry’s smile broadens as he grinds Daniel’s wrist bones painfully.

All these years, Terry whispers in his ear, I couldn't get you out of my fucking mind. It was like having a fever that never got better. I had to make it better; I had to get better, Danny-boy. My father, curse him, wouldn't have it. He thought it was nonsense, that it would run its course, and when it didn't, he took great care to keep any and all information about you and my pup away from me. Margaret helped. And I waited, waited until he dropped dead by either my hand or fate, and everything he owned and signed and kept hidden—became mine. Though you, Terry says kissing the top of his head tenderly, have always been. 

He takes Daniel in his arms, rests his head against his chest, against his heartbeat. Chuckles when he feels the tremors going through Daniel's body. 

Terry gives Daniel an ultimatum: Daniel and Sam can go back with him to LA on his private plane, latest by tomorrow night—or he takes Sam with him in the next hour, and Daniel will never see her again, he’ll make sure of it. What's Daniel going to do, anyways? A working-class Omega who got knocked up at 14, attempt to go up against an Alpha, a Silver? Oh, sweetheart. How you make me laugh! 

And it's bullshit, total bullshit in every way because of course there's only one solution. There's no way Daniel would ever leave his little girl, and Terry knows this. He's always known this. It's the ace up his sleeve. 

So he wipes the tear that falls down Daniel’s cheek almost gently, letting his thumb linger on Daniel’s wobbling bottom lip. There’s a hunger in his eyes, a possessive desire. A cold-blooded triumph. 

“Well, Danny-boy?” he says fondly.