#or how he COULD technically choose to see her memories at any time when he drinks her blood

[most-datable-datable-bracket]

ROUND 4 MATCH 7

Chrom propaganda:

“Chrobin (Chrom x player character) is so many tropes in one oml. You have friends-to-lovers (Chrom and Robin are canonically best friends according to Nintendo), enemies-to-lovers (Robin is heir to the Grimleal cult, the enemy of the Halidom of Ylisse which Chrom is the prince, and later king, of), there's amnesia, time travel, official next-gen AUs, changed dialogue to lore important events in the game if you marry Chrom, and Nintendo keeps teasing us with the ship. Cheery prince who knows when to be serious, very strategically smart but very bad at communicating, a guy that can comfort you when you're down, make a fool of himself when you're not around, and he's just generally a very sweet guy. Also please consider the fact that you get to watch a cutscene of him dying in the prologue and despite the horrors he's just so supportive of the protagonist. Chrom doesn't care about where you came from or who you're related to, he cares for YOU. He gets KILLED by the protag and he reassures them that they did nothing wrong and pleads with them to get out, to a safe place. I lost my soul to Chrom, I physically can't play this game without romancing him.”

“He eats oranges with the peel still on, he's an absolute himbo. Also the writers accidentally made his daughter canonically trans so he definitely supports trans rights. And technically you can only marry him if you play as female Robin but their dynamic is still just as romantic if you play as male Robin (they literally call each other their other half and m!Robin and Chrom have a valentine's day duo unit in the gatcha, and in the anthology manga m!Robin asks Chrom to make polygamy legal so he can also marry Chrom's wife and they can be a family) so most people play the game with the gay mod so they can still marry him as a guy. He's incredibly stupid ("yeah, let's set all our ships on fire then walk through a volcano, you're so smart, Robin" "I know you've had prophetic visions about killing me and our daughter came from the future to warn us it would happen but I'm sure THIS TIME it won't because of the power of our bonds") but also really sweet. In the summer DLC they're fighting on a beach and when he sees Robin get excited over a weird creature they found he immediately forgets about the battle and starts trying to make a bunch of crafts (and failing) and cooking food (and failing again) and writing "Chrom and Robin were here" in the sand so that Robin could have some nice beach memories. I'm obsessed with this man”

Asra propaganda:

“He GIVES AWAY HALF HIS HEART TO REVIVE YOU okay but like. He's the MCs roommate and they were together for a few years before the MC caught a plague and died and he obsesses over a way to bring them back before succeeding by making a deal with a god to trade half his heart for MC and betraying the emperor. And then when MC comes back but without any of their memories, he takes care of them and teaches them how to live all over again and he never asks for anything in return. On all the routes where you don't choose him he's really supportive and helps you out despite your history and overall he's just really nice and supportive of the MC and is their rock no matter what route you go down. Also he has a pet snake named Faust and I love her she's so <33 

Idk I just appreciate him so much”

"He gave you half his HEART!! He would literally go to hell and back for you!! He wants to take you on adventures all around the world—doesn’t matter where, as long as he’s by your side!! AND he’s nonbinary!!!"

[delyth88]

Another moment I love in X-Men: First Class is when Charles and Raven have to convince the CIA that mutants exist.

Charles has been giving a very technical and important presentation and the whole time he’s aware that the person he needs to convince is just thinking about lunch. So when he finishes speaking and is ridiculed by these men, he take great delight in skewering them with what he sees in their minds.

You can see he’s enjoying taking them down a peg or two, completely confident he can make them believe - and I love the little pause while he checks what pie is being served in the cafeteria.

Before then explaining his mutation in a rather long suffering manner. It sounds like he still doesn’t expect them to believe him.

I love how he laughs at their reaction to this, he’s absolutely confident they will believe him in the end, so he can afford to humour them.

Before becoming deadly serious and digging through Stryker’s mind.

And there he comes upon information that’s more important and secret than I think he expected.

I wonder if this is him seeing the plans for missile deployment and being alarmed about it, and just verbalising it.  Or was it calculated to shock them?  If so, what reaction did he expect? Cries of ‘spy!’ and being arrested seem quite a likely response in the 60s.  So what was his plan here? Was he going to wipe all their memories and just walk out if they didn’t come onboard?  Could he do that in such a way that he left no trace or paper trail?

Raven is watching all of this and doesn’t seem to be surprised when Charles first reveals the secret of the missiles, trusting he knows what he’s doing. But then everyone starts shouting and you can see how alarmed she is.  She’s spent her whole life in hiding worried what might happen if someone found out about her secret, and now, when they don’t even know about her yet, they want to lock her up.

You can see her think for a moment, then look across at Charles to check, and then she makes a decision to reveal what she can do.

Had they discussed what to do before this?  That if they didn’t believe Charles she would shift her form to prove mutants exist. Or had they just never considered the spy angle, and she’s just making it up on the fly? What was on Charles’ face at this moment? Surprise? Was he worried things were getting out of hand? Or still quietly confident?

She makes her choice, and stands up, transforming into Stryker. (I screen capped the image below at an awkward point – but if I have to see it then so do you.)

This of course brings everyone to a screeching halt. Everyone is silent and Raven shifts to her natural form.

I love the sigh of exasperation and the tone of irritation in Charles’ rejoinder.

Such a fun scene!

It does make me wonder at the sort of person Charles is that he has the confidence to go in to the CIA and show them that he can read minds and Raven can look like anyone she chooses.  In an era of spies and fear it seems like they were trusting a lot to chance. I think even the nuclear option, as it were, of erasing the memory of every person who had ever had contact with Charles feels like a risky choice.  And I wonder did he have such confidence because of his abilities, or because he also believed that it was the truth and he clearly didn’t mean them any harm so it would inevitably work out.  

19 days of X-Men 3/?

[fulgurbugs]

OT 1 & 2 headcanons? Doesn't have to be about the main parties, whatever goes.

ok ok here we go, gonna use yours as the OT2 HC ask bestie

gonna throw up here an OT2 spoilers warning cuz of endgame stuff

First some throné ones because i have throné on the brain.

first off i think after her story is over she never wears a necklace like basically ever again. she does love dressing up, feeling cute, but no matter how well a necklace would go with her outfit she won’t add one. it’s just part of her newfound freedom that she can choose never to have anything around her neck like that ever again. all other jewelry tho… she’s got a lot of options to pick from for earrings, bracelets, and rings etc (that she’s most certainly not paid for)

also, i feel like Hikari and Throné, after everything with vide coming to the conclusion that they are actually distantly related to each other, have some kind of exchange where it’s like. “ok wait so im your like great great how many greats aunt or something” uhhh like a couple times removed or whatever. and at first its like weird to think about but they both have such like. idk. throne found out that her family was actually huge and extensive, and all of them were killing each other. her biological father is a monster. she was born to be a monster herself. her relationship with the concept of “family” is extremely strange; the man she considered closest to her actual father was a horribly abusive person but despite all that she was the closest thing he had, and he was her half-brother. Hikari’s family has a curse upon it directly related to being descended from D’arquest, and it’s been nothing but pain for him as well, causing him to lose control of himself, constantly worried he’ll hurt the people he cares about. his brother was a monster in a whole different way, and his dad, while appointing him rightful successor, spent most of his life as a warmonger as well. His mother is dead. his brother and father are dead. he’s lost ritsu, who at one point was like a brother to him. his own relationship with the idea of his family is not… good, in any case. i think they come to find some sort of solace in each other in that, after realizing they’re actually related. they’ve already come to travel with each other and trust each other… i like to think they decide they should just hand wave all the technicalities of how distantly they’re related and how weird the family tree would look and just go with a catch all “we’re cousins” or something.

Castti, while getting her memories back about what happened immediately prior to the events of the game, still struggles with remembering most of her life. it’s not something she really fully recovers from. she never remembers the faces of her parents, or if she had any siblings, her childhood, things like that. sometimes when she gets a flash of something, a glimmer of a skill she had no idea she was well-practiced in, or a remembered fact she can’t recall where she read it, she still finds herself troubled. she basically has to re-invent herself. still, she gets by with a quiet determination to always do right, with the knowledge that she at the very least, knows who she is now, in the present.

ok sillay ones….

Post game partitio starts picking up the guitar. i like to think once he gets good enough he records a song with agnea for the gramophone :P. also, temenos used to play the piano, but he’s out of practice (that one cleric in flamechurch is much better and actually wants to play it much more). he could pick it up again tho with a little practice

oh also ochette is a chronic unpeeled fruit mucher. she’ll just straight up bite into an orange and be like. “i see why some people don’t like the crust but i don’t mind it.” castti and osvald tails gets trolled face

[tiny-maus-boots]

Darkest of Nights pt 20

A/N: i have to thank @chloes-yellow-cup and @kimmania for always encouraging me and reminding me that my words aren't dumb. I love you awesome nerds.

Aubrey

She had almost forgotten what it felt like to have intimate desires but now that her body recalled the joys of ecstasy she thirsted for more than mere blood. All her years and experiences had not prepared her for the heights of passion they ascended to nor the depths of devotion she certainly did not feel worthy of yet basked in nonetheless. Even now, hours after Beca had finally drifted off to sleep on Chloe’s chest, she could not seem to stop herself from covering the smaller woman's back with butterfly light kisses.

Fingers threaded through her hair and she glanced up to find Chloe watching her with an expression so filled with warring emotions that Aubrey had no hope of guessing what she was thinking.

“I'm sorry.”

The blonde raised a brow and frowned slightly. Aubrey repositioned herself so that she could meet Chloe’s unflinching gaze. Beca mumbled sleepily and burrowed into the redhead’s chest even as she pulled Aubrey’s arm around her waist. 

The momentary distraction made them both smile at the woman happily tucked between them. Whatever concerns the necromancer previously held about them it was very clear that was no longer an issue. After a beat of silence Chloe spoke softly.

“I didn't know it would be this way. I didn't understand, even seeing you go through it I just couldn't understand…"

“Chloe…”

“I resented you for choosing him even though it was my own fault you couldn't choose me. And even after he was gone, when the world had changed, you chose the memory of a ghost over me.”

Aubrey didn't know what to say to any of that but Chloe didn't seem to need her to say anything. The ragged edge of grief flowed through their new connection and Beca whimpered softly.

“I couldn't possibly have understood how it would feel to lose all…this. I see that now. And I am so deeply sorry Aubrey. All this time I thought you were…I didn't understand and I am sorry. I'm so very sorry I left you alone.”

Aubrey raised her hand to trace a pale finger along the perfectly curved line of Chloe's brow. How did they begin to bridge the chasm of hurt between them? Even now with this newness, this one perfect thing they shared, she knew they would need to overcome much to trust again. 

“Were I to count each time you were at my side as a drop of water we would be drowned in a sea of your love and loyalty. You shouldered my burdens as your own, fought my wars, celebrated my victories and stared down the madness of my demon. You stayed when I gave you no reason or hope. You never left me.”

“But…”

Aubrey cupped Chloe’s cheek and brushed a thumb gently over her jaw. Even in the chaos of Harun's death, even in the depth of her pain and insanity and destroying all in her path, Chloe had been there. 

“Should I live another thousand years I would spend it on bent knee to be at your side. I will never forsake you Chloe.” 

Beca sniffled between them and they both looked down to find her watching them with tear filled eyes.

“Damn, vampire wedding vows are for serious.”

Chloe’s light laugh brought a smile to her lips and she snuggled back down content in the knowledge that there was nothing they could not overcome together. Aubrey nuzzled Beca's shoulder, comforted by the strong steady heartbeat and warm body in her arms.

“Technically there aren't vows exactly. We mostly just drain a virgin together and then the wedding party rampages through a village until sunrise.”

“Tsk, Aubrey, don't scare her. We don't do that anymore. Honest. We don't.”

“I dunno Bree, me thinks our lady protest too damn much.”

“Chloe always did love a good party.”

“I can't believe I'm joking about eating people on someone's wedding day with vampires.”

“As if you didn't just spend an inordinate amount of time between Chloe's legs doing just that.”

Beca nearly purred with satisfaction. “Yeah I did.”

Aubrey chuckled into Beca's back as the pain in their connection was washed away by a love that was deepening with every gentle caress and soft kiss and teasing joke. They couldn't go back and unbreak themselves, no more than they could go back and rescue Beca’s family and give her a life worth living, but they could move forward and forge something much stronger. 

Beca kissed along Chloe’s collarbone and lust swelled through their bond. She would never tire of that feeling. It was different from what she had shared with Harun. It had been no less consuming with him than it was now but somehow with Chloe and Beca the bond resonated with more intensity than she had ever felt. 

Aubrey grazed her hand over the swell of Beca’s hip intent on rekindling their passions when a knock sounded far too loudly to be anything but trouble. Chloe growled deeply in frustration.

“I'm so going to let Aubrey murder whoever is at our door.”

Something about what Chloe said made Beca inhale sharply but she didn't comment. Aubrey opened her mouth to question it but another knock, much more demanding than the last cut her off. Yes she definitely would murder whoever was at the door. The blonde rose with a growl and stomped to the other room.

“Wait!”

Aubrey froze in place for a moment. She knew Beca hadn't meant to push her power through the command intentionally, it had just been the lingering effects of exploring their bond so intimately. But nevertheless she stood, immobile for a moment longer than she was comfortable with before she was able to break the control.

“Oh shit I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do that! I just…robe?”

Chloe laughed and snagged a robe from the back of the chair by the bed and flung it to Aubrey. She looked at in confusion then glanced back at the two women in bed.

“Robe?”

“You're naked my love. While I have no complaints about what's all on display, I don't think Beca is ready for you to display it for everyone else to see.”

Oh. She blinked once, still processing what that meant. Was Beca uncomfortable with nudity? Perhaps not, with the way she was being openly leered at by the brunette. Mortals had such strange conventions about modesty. Aubrey slid the covering over her shoulders and belted it as another knock sounded. 

“Better?”

Beca flushed a deep red and nodded. “Yeah but now I kinda want you to hurry so I can peel that robe right off you.”

“Cheeky.” Aubrey smiled and tightened her belt with a small approving sound. “I like it.”

She was just able to make out Chloe’s laugh as she closed the door between the bedroom and living space. Aubrey squared her shoulders and strode to the entrance and flung it open to glare at whoever dared knock. She had barely pulled the door open when Einar's barrel chest pushed through.

“Einar…”

“Forgive me my Queen but my daughter is not answering her phone.”

“We were busy.”

“My Queen, we are about to be at war. What could you pos…”

Aubrey raised a brow and his fanged mouth snapped shut with a too loud click in the suddenly over quiet living room. The realization of what had been keeping them distracted and occupied filled his face with a slow dawning horror that was most amusing to behold. And she was just petty enough to dig the blade in further.

“Was there a reason for interrupting our lovemaking?”

The large vampire gave himself a slight shake to try and dispel the nightmare knowledge in his mind that his daughter was alone and naked in bed with a necromancer and a half demon.

“L-lovema... No…yes…what?”

A soft throat clearing behind them made them both turn to see Beca standing in the doorway to the bedroom fully dressed. She looked nearly as uncomfortable as Einar did at the situation and Aubrey couldn't help the grin that slid across her face.

“Not to ruin a sweet overshare moment that in no way shakes my confidence whatsoever, but maybe this is kinda important?”

The blonde vampire rumbled a soft growl but nodded a curt agreement and gestured to a chair while she sprawled out on the chaise. Einar let his eyes drift everywhere but to them as if he couldn't stand to see them without the nightmare scene starting again.

“So big guy, what's up?”

Beca settled herself on the edge of the chaise with Aubrey, her back pressed lightly against the vampire’s legs. Just that small touch eased the irritation she felt rising at Einar's presence. He blinked once more and regained his composure with a grateful nod to Beca.

“Apologies for the erm. Intrusion. It appears we have company arriving and I thought it best to be prepared in advance.”

The door clicked open and Chloe glided into the room, freshly dressed and mildly flustered herself. Neither father nor daughter managed to look the other in the eye.

“It can't be the Guard. Not this soon anyway.”

He grunted his agreement at that and made a vague sheepish gesture. His shoulders hunched and big hands rubbed at his face. Aubrey thought he was acting the role of a child but kept it to herself. Perhaps it was not just mortals that had conservative thoughts on modesty.

“No, not the Guard. Something…else. Whoever they are, they are gathering with speed. I expect them to arrive by morning.”

“Well that's not fucking ominous or anything.” Beca stood and paced the room as she pondered the possibilities. “So what are we talking about here? Minotaurs? Demons? Aliens? Gotta be honest. If it's aliens I think I have to tap out. Because I'm not entirely sure what probing is all about but I'm absolutely certain I won't enjoy it.”

Aubrey unfolded herself from the chaise and gestured regally to the door. She didn't have to speak the command for him to understand he was dismissed. She would rather they discuss this without others there to offer unwanted insight. He started to leave but Beca stopped him with a hand on his arm. To his credit he only flinched a little in surprise. 

“Wait. Uh please. Would it be possible to maybe meet up with the vampires here? I know I'm not the most popular person here but I am here. And um I'm not going anywhere so maybe I should apologize. For earlier.”

Einar looked at her curiously then glanced to Chloe. The redhead inclined her head and he blinked. 

“I will make it so, little Necromancer.” He gave her a small bow and backed away to leave. Einar stopped and looked over a broad shoulder at Beca, still unsure what to make of her but perhaps willing to give her a chance to be more than the boogeyman. “We will gather in the grand hall, whenever you are ready.”

They stood in silence alone for a moment after he had gone before the brunette rocked on her heels.

“I think he likes me.”

[completeoveranalysis]

[4]

Oh! Here we go, new information! Sakura had a cloned soul as well!

So, INTERESTINGLY, I guess that means those feathers ARE genuinely hers, and not the other Sakura’s. 

That changes it a bit! I had assumed that the feathers were still from OG Sakura, and that clone Sakura was empty but constructing her own soul via the feathers. So it looks like I was completely off there, but I’m very interested by this! It means that when Sakura leaves behind a feather she does have COMPLETE authority over what happens to them - they ARE hers. Even if the memories technically happened to a different version of her, they ARE made of her soul. And does that mean that the OG Sakura will still have ALL of her memories, since hers were never scattered? 

Does the OG Sakura not only remember everything but also remember Syaoran too? Since she was not the one that Yuuko was making a deal with at the start of everything?

How fascinating! I didn’t think any of that would happen.

That is unhinged but makes complete sense! He kept the original in preservation just in case anything went wrong, so he could still use her and/or try make even more clones later I suppose. 

And OH all these angles Clamp are giving us in these pages. The close up look as Fai pauses over Kurogane’s question. The anguish in the next panel with the looming and distorted shadow as he has to explain that their Sakura was designed to be a disposable item, as if they hadn’t all just watched her soul die right in front of them. The two Sakuras mirroring each other between Fai’s anguished face and Yuuko’s mysterious expression. Absolutely gorgeous all the way down.

But ALSO the absolute anguish hanging over Fai as he explains this way of thinking to Kurogane, knowing that it’s the same way of thinking that has been at the core of his ENTIRE life so far. He TOO had a mirror image in his twin, and something DID happen to him, and he ALSO wanted to exchange one for the other, but in the reverse way. Evil Wolverine’s goals are selfish, but Fai’s were the opposite - he wanted to trade his own life to bring back the original Fai, and Evil Wolverine was already fluent enough in this idea that he had NO problem working this into his plan to manipulate him from the beginning. 

How much it must sting for Fai to know that his heaviest trauma was actually the same blueprint that Evil Wolverine was using for Sakura the whole time, just without her knowledge. 

No WONDER Fai connected with her so easily and so quickly. 

NO WONDER Fai saw this poor fractured clone and couldn’t help but see his own past dancing around him every step of the way.  

And NO WONDER Fai chose this Sakura over his past - that this expendable Sakura, designed to exchange for the better one in the same way that he saw himself, was PIVOTAL to him choosing to break his promise, and that helping her was more important than giving in to self destruction. Because how could he trade HIMSELF away if it meant the same thing would happen to her? 

He HAD to stick around, to save Sakura from succumbing to the same fate he had been trying to sign up for his entire life. 

[waterfallofspace]

Cute As A Kitten.

The one in which T/amaki has kitten sneezes because of a kitten, but the sweetheart just can’t seem to leave it behind. Feat. worried/caretaker M/irio, and GUEST STARRING E/rasermic at the end!! (gotta love a touch of them in, well, anything I can!) Also M/iriTami is not confirmed, but can definitely be implied if you choose to read it that way~ 

MAIN CHARACTERS ARE 18+! This is when T/amaki and M/irio are Pro-Heroes, working out of the same agency. (A/izawa still calls them ‘kid’, but that’s just his thing, all his former UA students are ‘kid’ to him, they are not actual children). Since this is my first time posting/writing aged up stuff, if anyone wants to ask me about why I feel it’s okay, feel free to message me, I’d be happy to explain how I see it~~ For now, I’ll just leave it at: I will never write underage characters as underage, or characters who are SPECIFICALLY meant to act/look like little kids when they aren’t ‘technically’. But aged up is something I am okay writing. ANYWAYS! That out of the way, hope anyone who bothers to read this enjoys, I just adore T/amaki (and there’s not enough content of my guy) so I am givin’ him a story!! First time attempting them, so might be a bit rough still~ Thank you so much to anyone who reads!! (and EXTRA THANKS to anyone who reblogs/comments/tags, I read them all and they make my DAY every single time~~) ((References to anxiety disorder/social anxiety (including thinking patterns/spiraling), mild violence, wheezing, and injury, incase anyone doesn’t like any of those!))  Characters: T/amaki, M/irio, a dash of A/izawa and M/ic, & the most adorable kitten (aside from T/amaki~) Word Count: 4.2k

~~~~~~~ “Suneater, over here! Don’t let him get away!” Tamaki spins on his heel, Mirio’s voice echoing from behind him, down an alley he had just found his way out of. Seeing the villain running towards him, Tamaki let his tentacles climb out, one grabbing him by the leg. “Not so fast, I won’t be taken down that easily by an octopus man!” A wince escapes between Tamaki’s gritted teeth, only half from the shooting pain as the villain in his grasp shoots a knife from his hand, right into the tentacle, and through to Tamaki’s arm. “Lemillion…” It’s strangled, at best, but still a yell, and more than enough for Mirio to act on, rising up from the ground and knocking the villain back into Tamaki’s waiting grasp. Clapping him on the arm, and pausing to chuckle as the action nearly knocks him over, Mirio offers a bright smile. “Nice teamwork, and hey! You even managed to call out for help! I could hear you all the way from the alley, that’s a real improvement since last time!” Tamaki pulls his hood a little further down, handcuffing the villain and handing him over to the other pro’s that had arrived on the scene. They offer thanks, and Mirio responds in kind, signature smile painted over his features once more. Tamaki can’t help but stare, still captivated after all these years by the light that seems to shine from his eyes. “Psst, Suneater, give ‘em a smile!” “I don’t think they want that…” Despite the hesitance, Tamaki can’t help but notice a group of bystanders staring, one of them a girl that can’t be much older then Eri was when he first met her. The memories flash through his brain of Mirio giving her a smile, and the way her face lit up in the afterglow. ‘I’m no Lemillion… but maybe… maybe I can give her a little bit of brightness too… I should probably try, if nothing else…’  The smile doesn’t reach his eyes, and his hands are shaking more than he’d care to admit, but all of that melts away when the little girl squeals, bouncing on her tiptoes, and waving frantically. Tamaki waves back, letting his hood slip a little further back as the sun from her eyes starts to fill him with warmth. ‘Is this… what Mirio feels all the time…? No… it wouldn’t be… he’s so much brighter then I could ever hope for. This is nothing, she’s just excited to see a hero, it doesn’t matter that it’s me…’  “Tama- I mean Suneater, look at that!? You’re a natural!” Mirio’s voice pulls him out of his spiral, eliciting a blush as Tamaki realizes he’s still waving, followed by a low whine at the pain still throbbing in his arm. “I should probably get this stitched up… c- can we go home…?” “Right, sure thing! We’ll head back to the agency first though to finish up the paperwork for this case. Unless… are you gonna make it through that?” Tamaki lets a muted smile pass over his features at the concern evident in Mirio’s voice. “I’m okay, it’s not deep. I just… want to get out of here… and uh… m- maybe take a back route…? I uh… I just-” “It’s okay. You don’t have to explain it to me. You did really well today, we can end on a high note! I mean hey, you waved to that little girl, and did you see the way her face lit up? You really did shine today~!” “T- thanks… Ijustwannagohome…”  The laughter is sweet and loud, full of unabashed sunshine. Full of Mirio. Full of something Tamaki could never quite get himself to feel. Wandering into the back alleys to avoid the crowd, the heroes start to find their way back to the agency. They walk for almost 30 minutes, until Tamaki suddenly stops, Mirio nearly crashing into him. “Woah, sorry, wasn’t watchi- what’s with that look? Is something wrong?” Tamaki holds a hand up to silence Mirio, every hair on his neck standing on end. ‘There was a noise… maybe the villain had a partner… what if they’re coming back to attack us for catching their friend… I did okay with the first one, but I’m injured, I’m gonna be even more usel-’ “Tamaki, look!” Mirio’s face is lit once more, pointing towards a trashcan to their left. Tamaki turns to investigate, a warm pit starting to form in his gut as he sees what’s waiting for them. A kitten, half buried in the can, shivering from the cold. It lets out another pathetic meeww~ before Mirio rushes over and scoops it up. “Aw, is this what you heard? Look at her- oh, him, scuse me! He’s such a cute little thing, you wanna hold him?” Tamaki lets the kitten be passed into his arms, shuddering slightly at the sudden weight of responsibility that seems to have found its home on his shoulders. And yet… looking down at the kitten, purring softly, seeming to have not a care in the world now that he’s snuggled up in Tamaki’s arms… a soft feeling replaces the heaviness. Something warm. “Can we keep him..?” It’s timid and soft, full of bashful beauty. Full of Tamaki. Full of something Mirio could never quite seem to get enough of. He would do anything to hear that tone for the rest of his life, and I mean, how could he possibly say no to him when he’s talking like that?! “Aw~ of course we can!” “Hahh-!” “Hm?” “N- nothing. Sorry. Just thought… oh wait… hehh- holdon- I haahhhh…. hEH! hh’kITSHH’ieww-! hAHH… ihhh… hihh- ihH! hEH’ISH’iew-! Ohgod- hehhh… hiH! sshh’oo-! tishh’oo-! keshh’iew-!” “Bless you!” “Th- huhhh… thanks…” “One more, right? You still have that sneezy look on your face!” Tamaki blushes, nose still twitching madly, the kitten in his arms completely unaffected by the tiny sneezes the being holding him is letting out. “Y- yeah.. Sohhhehh-! Sorry… I can still feel it but… b- buhhhhh! But I don’t think it’s coming out…”  “Oh, that’s the worst! I hate it when that happens. It’s just tickling, and itching, and building up… you feel every inch of your nose trembling, but nothing comes of it! Just like a feather’s swirling around, even your lungs itch with the need to sn-” “hiH! hH’ishh’oo-! shh’oo-kshh’oo-hAH! Hehh… EHH-! tish’hiew-! mmpffshh’iew-! hH! Hehh… hAH-... guhhh… I haahhh… hiHhh- have to- heH…. hUH! mMtishh’shiew-!” “Oh- bless you again! And again and again! Sorry, was that my fault? Didn’t mean to make it worse.” “It’s okay… it feels better now anyways… s- sorry about that…” “You don’t gotta apologize for sneezing. It’s a perfectly natural bodily function, and not exactly something you get to control! Pluuuus~ they’re so adorable!”  If Tamaki was blushing before, he’s at least tripled the shade by now. ‘Natural or not, that was embarrassing… a pro hero should have more control over their own body… not to mention how long they take to come…. I’m just sucking up all this attention that I don’t deserve… and don’t want…’ “Hey.” Mirio’s gaze is soft, but there’s a fierceness just under the surface. Something deep, primal, and protective.  “Don’t beat yourself up, okay? I see your mind spiralling, I promise, it’s okay. It’s just me here, you know I don’t mind.” “Th- thanks… I’m so-” “Don’t apologize, okay? You don’t need to, not with me.” With a gentle touch, Mirio pushes the hood back from Tamaki’s face, his purple hair messily pouring out. A bit brushes against his nose, prompting Tamaki to gasp, and lean into his shoulder. “Ishh’oo! Hehh… hIH’kishh’iew-! Hihh- haah…. Ehhh… heH! Keshh’oo-! Hehh- hH-! Shhh’oo-! mmPFshh’iew-” The way Tamaki trembles through the tiny sneezes wakes the kitten, who lets out a weak meww~, purrs, and proceeds to let out a sneeze with a softness that matches Tamaki’s. “Aww Tamiii~ You and the kitten have the same sneeze! That’s so cuuuute~!” Tamaki’s response is to let out a low groan and pull his hood back over his face, picturing the floor caving in beneath him and letting the ground swallow him whole. “Okay, okay, I’ll stop teasing you. For real though, are you okay? You’re sneezing quite a bit, catching a cold?” “No, I feel fine. Just a bit… itchy…” “Hayfever starting to kick in already? It’s only January, usually cedar pollen doesn’t start till February. Maybe it’s coming early this year?” “Maybe…” There’s a hint of a lie in his tone, but Mirio doesn’t seem to pick up on it. Tamaki lets him ramble on as they start to continue the walk home. He’s going on about hayfever, something to do with global warming, season changes… and Tamaki wants to listen, but with the way the kitten’s purring is sending shivers right into his heart, the buzzing in his nose that still hasn’t backed off, and the pain throbbing in his arm, he’s just too overwhelmed. ‘I should be paying attention. Three sensations shouldn’t be taking up all my mental energy… Mirio wouldn’t let this affect him this much… I really am useless… Why can’t I just deal with it like he can-’  “You’re doing it again, aren’t you?” “D- doing what..?” Mirio pauses, studying Tamaki’s eyes for any sign of panic. They both know he’ll find plenty of anxiety, and maybe a bit too much sadness for either of their liking, but the panic is what he wants to make sure to avoid. Satisfied with no traces, Mirio decides it’s alright to keep going. “You’re in your own little spiral again. May I?” He reaches for Tamaki’s hood, pausing just shy of contact, letting Tamaki decide if he can handle it. Tamaki gives a small nod, careful to tip his head back so his hair falls to the side instead of right on his face, not eager for a repeat performance. “That’s better, there’s your beautiful eyes. I miss them when they’re hidden~!” “Hihhh- hH’ishh’oo-! kshh’iew-! tishh’oo-! Hahh… hehhh-!uhhh…. Guhh… hUH! mmpftishh’oo-keshh’iew-!” “Bless you. Hey, have you heard that Chargebolt transferred to Dynamite and Deku’s agency? Yeah, apparently his boyfriend already works there, and they finally convinced him to join too! Apparently he was working at one with a few other friends from UA, and-” Tamaki can’t help but breathe a sigh of relief as Mirio continues on, feeling much more relaxed with someone else as the topic of conversation. Mirio was always good at that. Putting him at ease by providing a constant stream of talking, leaving spaces for him to interject if he has any opinions, or even just give little hums of approval so they both stay grounded in the conversation.  However, the relief is short lived, as the next breath he takes starts the tickling back up with a vengeance. ‘I should really tell Mirio what’s going on… but….’ He glances back down at the kitten sleeping in his arms, gently kneading the fabric of his costume, a peacefulness to it that just feels cruel to take away. ‘He’ll make me leave it behind…’  “Tamaki? Are you listening?” “Hm..? S- sorry, I was uh…” “Hey, don’t sweat it. I was just asking if you wanted to stop by Deku’s agency and show him the kitten! I don’t think Bakugou would particularly want to see him, bit of a grump that one! But Midoriya would probably fawn over him, I imagine Denki would too-” “hEhh… hIH’nXgt’shoo-!” “Bless you! But if you’re not feeling up to it, that’s okay too! Maybe tomorrow? We’re taking the kitten home after all- hey wait, just had a thought, why don’t we host a small get together so people can meet the kitten! We could invi-” “Hah… hUH- hhhih! guhhh… hhEH! nngXT’shoo-! nGT-!huhhh” “-bless you again. Let ‘em out, don’t stifle, just us here. What was I saying? Oh, right! Invite Denki, and he would probably bring Shinsou, that guy seems to love cats! And Midoriya of course, who would probably drag Bakugou along with him, and maybe ev- oh, another one?” “heHh-! Yes, s- sorry… I just… Hahhh…. Haahhh… Igottasneeze-! ihhh-hIH! hH’ishh’iew-! heH’utshh’oo-! Hehh… hAH- guhhh… S- sorry ithhhih! It’s so dramatic… hahh-! It just tiihhhh- tickles! heH!uhhh… hahhh… huH! tishhh-kshhh-hEH’ishh’oo-!” Mirio playfully slaps Tamaki’s arm, immediately apologizing when a hiss escapes Tamaki’s teeth, “Right, hurt arm, sorry!” before deciding instead for a light rub on the back, pressing his other hand against Tamaki’s forehead, and letting out a slight sigh when he doesn’t feel a fever. “Bless you. You know I don’t mind the sneezing… but… I have to admit Tami, I’m a bit worried. You don’t feel warm, so I believe you that it’s not sickness but… even with the seasons coming earlier, pollen count was pretty low this morning, definitely not high enough to be causing this much of a reaction.” “Y- yeah…not pollen…” “Tamaki Amajiki! Do you- do you know what’s causing this..?!” Tamaki blushes deeply at the use of his full name, guilty eyes darting down to the kitten, then back up to Mirio. “Are you allergic to cats?!” “M- maybe… yeah… I am… I’m sorry Miri, I just… I wanted to keep it… he looked so sleepy, and warm… and I didn’t want to have to leave him here…” Mirio brings a hand to his chest, giving a small gasp, which halts Tamaki in his tracks, turning with wide eyes to meet Mirio’s playful gaze. “You think I’d make you leave the kitten out here all alone?! What kind of villain do you think I am? Wow Tams, I can’t believe you think I’d be so heartless!” A pale tint settles over Tamaki’s face, the weight back on his shoulders nearly driving him into the ground. His thoughts start to race faster than he can keep up with. ‘I didn’t mean it like that… I did think that though… what kind of friend am I? To think he’d do something so cruel, of course he wouldn’t make me leave it… he probably hates me now… he thinks I think he’s an awful person…. I can’t believe I said tha-’  “Tamaki.” Strong hands break through the barrier of panic that had settled around him, gently brushing the hair from his face. “I’m not angry with you, okay? Take a deep breath, I promise I was kidding. I’m sorry, I should have seen that you were too overstimulated to be able to separate that out from my normal tone. It’s my fault, not yours, okay? Let the blame rest on me, don’t try to shoulder a burden you didn’t earn.” Kind eyes meet Tamaki’s watery ones as he manages to lift his gaze off the ground. Mirio pulls him close, letting Tamaki rest his head on his shoulder, taking a beat to just collect himself. ‘He’s not mad. I didn’t screw up.’ and then ‘I need to sneeze-’  “heHH! M- Mirio… I… I neehhhdd… hehhh… hAHhh-! hH’nGT’shoo-! nXT-!uhhh…. Hihhh.. I can’t.. I can’t stiihhh stifle… Igottasnee- ksHH’oo-! Hehh- ahhh… hhUH! hHMmppshh’oo-! tishhh’oo! Mmtishh’iew-!”  Mirio just pulls Tamaki’s head into his shoulder, letting his twitching nose bury itself in his costume as he lets out the itchy, albeit tiny, sneezes. “Bless you. It’s alright, I don’t mind. Better me than your allergen-infested hands. Tamaki blushes again, ‘At this point I’m blushing more than I’m not, does that make blushing my default state, and not blushing is actually blushing now? That… that makes no sense… stop being an idiot Tama-’ “Focus on me, okay? Don’t let yourself get lost in your own head. I’m right here, I’ve got you.” Once again, Mirio breaks him out of the spiral, instead bringing his focus back to the shining eyes beaming down on him with kindness he’s not sure he’s worthy of. “T- thank you… sorry…” “It’s okay. However, now we gotta figure out what to do about this kitten. As much as I adore seeing you show your feline side with those kitten sneezes, I have a feeling this is only gonna get worse, am I right..?” “It… it probably will… s-heH… hhhahh…. hUH! mMtishh’oo! mmpshhh’iew-! Hehh… hAH’tishh’oo-! Sorry… it usually starts off slow, but sometihhhmes if I don’t… remove the allergen… it can get worse…” “Yeah, that’s what I figured. Bless you by the way! Your allergies were never what one would call subtle~. I remember the first time I saw you out in springtime unmedicated… Jeez, I was seriously concerned you might faint! Kitten as they might be, your sneezes seem to take an awful long time to build up, I keep worrying you’re gonna run out of breath before the release even comes!” “hEH! Hahhh… guhhh… Y- yeah, it’s always been like that. It’s… kinda mortifying at times… it just takes… taahhhkes…. S- sorry imgonna- huhhh- heH! mMMtishh’uue-! keshh’oo! tishh-ishh-shhh’oo-! Excuse me… takes so long to build sometimes.”  “Bless you! Hey, at least it’s not like mine! Scared poor Hado nearly to death last week with one of my sonic blasts, it just came outta nowhere! Usually I get at least some warning so I can try to muffle them. I’d trade- bless you- trade anything for your little teeny tiny ones! They’re just so adorable! Though I’ll admit, having such a long build- bless you!- buildup must get annoying at times.”  “Hihhh… nnehhh… nnMPshh’iew-! heH! G- gonna… I… hahhh.. I gotta… gottaahhhh… huhhh… hHH! Keshh’oo-! heH’ISHH’iew-! Sorry- wait… nohhhh… huhhh… not- not done… hiH’TISHH’iew-! mMPFshh’oo-! nNGT-!uhhh… heHh… tishh’oo-! Sorry… bless me…” “Hey, that’s my job!” “S- sorry..!” Mirio’s laughter floods the dark alley with light as they step out into the street, looking up and getting their bearings. “Alright! Hero agency is just over there, but I actually have a different destination in mind. Think you can handle a quick stop? I’ve thought of the perfect place to bring our little friend.” “Y- yeah… can I ask where..?” “Don’t worry, it’s someone who will help.”  ~~~~~~~ This is how Tamaki finds himself standing outside Aizawa’s apartment, at 10pm, kitten in his arms, Mirio by his side, as Aizawa stands at the door in his pajamas. “Heya sir!” “Mirio, I’ve told you, we’re adults now, you can use my name.” “Right- sorry sir- I mean Aizawa! Still getting used to it, sorry ‘bout that! But, hopefully this will earn forgiveness, we’ve brought you a gift!” “hIHH… guhhh… hehh- hAH! nngXXT-!uhhh…. heH’enngt-!huhhh….” “Bless you, Tamaki.” “T- thanks… sorry… the uh… the gift is the kihhhh… s- sorry I… Igottasnee… hehh-! hhh’nngT’shoo-! nGT-!uhhh…. Hihh… hAHH-! kNNGT-!shuhhh….” “Bless yo-” “Hey, quit that, stifling them like that is just gonna make the tickle worse! Plus, it’s gonna give you a headache. Aizawa doesn’t mind, do you sir?” Aizawa lightly chuckles at the deep blush spreading across Tamaki’s face, but it’s quickly quieted by concern at the slight wheeze to his breath as he ducks into his shoulder. “Hihh…. I have… I gotta… huhhh- I have to… HAHhhh…. Guhh…. Hahhh! mMPFshhh’oo-! heH’etshhh’oo-! Hishh’oo-! Kishh’uhh-! Hehh… hahh… huETCH’iew-! mMPFSHH’iew-! hH’asSHH’uhh-!” Mirio is wearing the same concerned frown as Aizawa at the harshness of the outbursts. “They’re starting to sound rough, are you okay?” “Y- yeah… sorry… that was gross… but my uh… my hands are… kinda full… and… I di- didn’t think touching… my nose with them would be… a g- good idea…” A light seems to go off in Aizawa’s eyes, eliciting a raised eyebrow and a slight smirk. “Tamaki, are you allergic to the kitten?” The blush darkens, but Tamaki offers a nod, eyes glued to the floor once more. “Oh my god kid, give me the cat before you pass out. Hey Mic-!” Tamaki hands over the kitten, wincing at the way his arms slightly tremble when the warmth leaves them. There’s a faint sound of footsteps before Mic shows up, wearing matching pajamas, eliciting “awws” from Mirio, and a deeper blush from Tamaki. “Yeah Sho? Oh- we have company, hello there! What are you guys doing here so la- woah Tamaki, you look awful!” “Th… thanks…?” “Sorry, sorry, didn’t mean to get all harsh just then. I feel a little lost here, Sho, catch me up?” Aizawa fills Mic in on the situation, gesturing to Tamaki and whispering something neither of them can quite catch, before Mic rushes off back into the apartment. “Alright kid, just wait here for a second, I’ve sent Mic to grab something for you.” “S- sir…” “Aizawa. Same as I said to Mirio, we’re adults, you’re on the same footing as me, you can use my name.” “S- sorry… Uh… Aizawa… is… would it… I was just wondering… hehh- holdon… haah!... so- sorry… hiHH! hETShh’yuu-! hASH’oo-! heH’huETchh’uee-!”  Mirio lets his smile slip for a minute at the wheezing notes in Tamaki’s lungs as he struggles to catch his breath, his hand rubbing supportively on Tamaki’s back, trying to help him get his footing back as he stumbles with the effort of each sneeze. Aizawa is watching, the frown deepening as he calls back to Mic to hurry up, and places his hand on Tamaki’s shoulder. “Take your time, kid. Just breathe, okay?” “S- sorry… I’m okay… but uh… I was just… wondering if… maybe… I could come visit him sometime…? I just… he’s so…. Warm….” There’s something unsaid, something deeper than Tamaki cares to admit, something about the peaceful way the kitten slept in his arms. As if it felt completely safe. It wasn’t scared of him at all, it didn’t want something from him, it didn’t think he’d drop it. It had this unconditional faith in him… ‘Reminds me of someone…’  “On two conditions. One, you take medication beforehand. Because quite frankly, right now I’m worried you might keel over at any moment. You look about ready to faint, and that whistling in your lungs has me about ready to drive you to the hospital.” “S- sorry… I promise… I will… once I take meds… It’ll calm doowwnn… hehh! hETSH’oo-! hH’ASHH’iew-! Keshh’oo-! Sorry… excuse me…” Aizawa softens his gaze, not missing the way Mirio’s grip tightens protectively on Tamaki’s arms as the sneezes seem to wrack his weakened body. “Bless you, kid. Condition number two, you have to give him his name.” Tamaki’s eyes widen, and his gaze snaps to meet Aizawa’s, eliciting a laugh from the older man. “Hey, you’re the one who found him after all, it should be you who gets to name him. Don’t you think so, Mirio?” “Yeah, absolutely! Do you have any names picked out already Tamaki?” “Uh… a- actually I kinda do… I was thinking… maybe… Nikkō..?” A small smile flashes across Tamaki’s face, and Mirio is beaming down at him. Aizawa can’t help but let his own smile take over, the scene before him just too precious not to adore. “Nikkō it is then. Naming a tabby ‘sunlight’, pretty fitting actually. Any particular reason for the name?” Before Tamaki has to explain any further, Mic returns to the door, a water bottle and blister pack of meds in one hand, a travel pack of tissues in the other. ‘I don’t know how much longer I can take this… I’m being a burden on all of them… I just want to go home…’ Tamaki feels himself slipping back into the spiral, and frantically looks up to meet Mirio’s eyes. He’s not disappointed with the light shining back at him, full of concern and care. Using it to ground himself, Tamaki turns his attention back onto what Mic’s saying.  “Grabbed what you wanted, Sho! And added the tissues myself because, well-” “hIIHH-! Uhhh… hahh.. heHH! isHH’oo-! kETSHH’iew-! mmMPShh’oo-! Hehh… hAH! mmTISH’iew-! hH’nGT-!uhhh… hihh! nXT-!huhhh…. hIHH!guhhhh… ihhh… hahh! nGT-mNXXT-DGXXT-!shoo….” “-looks like you could use them. Triple blessings times three, little listener!” “Zashi, dear, what did we say about using that nickname on people in the real world?” “We- we said not to… Aw but Sho~, come on, it’s so fun to use!” Tamaki and Mirio exchange a glance as Aizawa slaps Mic lightly on the back of the head, both men laughing as he does so. Tamaki makes no effort to reach for the offerings, instead swiveling around to aim for his shoulder again as his breath catches once more, so Mirio accepts them, offering thanks, before starting to herd Tamaki away. Relief floods Tamaki’s mind immediately. Much as he trusts Aizawa and Mic, having a full allergy attack in front of this many people is more than he can handle for long. “It’s okay Tami. It’s just us now, you can let them go.” “hEH! MMTSHH’oo-! hH’ishh’yuu-! hah’tSHH’iew-! So… so itchy… haH! hH’etshhh’uue-! hEH’huTCH’shoo-! ishh-tishhh-kshhh’oo-! mMMPFSHH’iew-!” “Bless you. Swallow these, okay?” Mirio offers, handing over the pills and water, before pulling out a handful of tissues and passing those over too. “You can blow, it’s okay, it’s just us. I promise no one else can hear you.” “O- okay… thank you…” “No problem, Tamaki! That’s what I’m here for!” ‘Maybe I’m not the sun… but I am still the luckiest person in the world… the sun chose me..!’ He lets himself think, a smile forming over his face, before he turns away and lets himself blow, the smile returning as he feels Mirio’s hand gently rubbing his back. “Thanks Miri~...” “You wanna go home now?” He looks up at Mirio, eyes wide, which prompts Mirio to burst out laughing, the brightness flooding Tamaki’s senses, filling him with that same warmth that he thought had left with the kitten. He doesn’t answer, just gives a small nod, and Mirio takes him by the hand, leading him down the hall.  We don’t have to go anywhere, I’m already home. Home is wherever you are. 

[flowers-in-bloom13]

Another pjo fanfic I made and posted on AO3. This one is still being continued. Here are all the 3 parts of it!!! Btw it is Valgrace. And hurt/comfort<3

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Chapter 1. lonely hearts club

''--and then I said 'he's literally just a guy. hit him with your car' but it turns out she doesn't have a car so--'' Piper said, retelling an old story from the wilderness school. ''huh?'' Jason said. ''sorry I didn't catch that..'' Piper looked at him with a concerned expression, her eyebrows furrowed. ''you okay, Jase?'' she said. ''you've been zoning out a lot recently..'' ''yeah...yeah I'm fine'' Jason said trying to reassure Piper with a smile. ''if you say so..'' Piper tried to erase the concern from her face.

~~~~~Later that evening~~~~~

Jason was laying in his bed , starting at the celling contemplating his feelings...his feelings for Piper. ''do I really love her?'' he thought.

''oh no...why......why am I questining this? of course I love her!'' but did he really?

his heart felt lonely.

Chapter 2. Jason's google search history: Am I gay, Am I gay quiz, how to know if you're gay.

Notes:

SOMTHING IMPORTANT: in this fanfic Leo made phones and tech and things that don't attract monsters. why? because plot. ALSO: this goes for the whole fanfic but I'm really sorry if/when any of the characters seem ooc.

also a note to all my friends: if I ever get isekai'd you better be coming with me.

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Jason was understandably confused about the situation. ''I don't know what to do anymore...'' he thought. ''I should- I do like Piper...right..?''

why was he so confused. It's his feelings he should know how he feels, it's what he thinks. if only it where that simple...

Jason sits up and takes out his phone and goes to google. ''am I gay'' he types.

he's far too scared to press search, so he deletes it. he lays back down. staring up at the celling again.

contemplating his feelings. ever since the bitch Hera erased his memory he's not known which of his feelings are real and which are not.

does he love Piper? he's been wondering that for awhile now. he keeps ''zoning out'' because of it. Jason decides to google it anyway. ''how to know if you're gay'' he types but he's too scared to actually look at anything that comes up.

he types ''Am I gay quiz'' he clicks on the first result, its a buzzfeed quiz. he takes the quiz. he gets his result. ''Traditional labels are meaningless!'' he reads the description. ''"Gay," "Straight," "Male," "Female"... There's a lot more to the world than those blunt terms encompass! You get to define yourself, and you're free to celebrate your sexuality — or lack of — however you choose! Hurrah!'' Jason reads it, his heart beating, ''oh.'' is all that escapes his mouth. he hears a thump -the Stolls summoning a demon again, probaly- and gets scared and closes the tab and deletes his search history.

'Maybe I should go see Leo in bunker 9'' Jason says aloud.

~~~~~At bunker 9~~~~~

'Hey, Leo...I hope you don't mind me barging in here..'' Jason says closing the door to bunker 9. ''oh hey, Jase!'' Leo says with a grin on his face while he works on fixing the argo 2.

''sooo.....'' Jason doesn't know what exactly to say. he can't just come in here and say ''oh hey, man, I'm not sure if I like my girlfriend anymore, oh also I might like men.'' well...technically he can...

''soo...erm....I need to talk to you about something'' Jason says hesitantly

''oooo got a secret?'' Leo teases. ''you could say that..'' Jason replies.

Leo realizes that this probably isn't the time for teasing. Jason and Leo sit down on the floor next to each other.

''I...I'm not sure if I liker Piper anymore...'' Jason explained. ''In fact...I'm not sure if I ever liked her at all..'' ''hm...well that's a....problem...'' Leo replies. Jason looks down toward the floor. ''yeah...it is...''

''This might sound crazy but.. maybe you should tell her?'' Leo explains. Jason looks back up at Leo. ''but...I.. she'll be sad or mad..'' he says. ''She'll be happier if you do tell her'' Leo says. ''you think so?'' Jason asks hesitantly. ''I never think, Jase'' Leo replies.

~~~The next day~~~

Piper is enjoying the picnic her and Jason are having in the strawberry field. Jason...not so much...he's dreading telling Piper that he may not love her. ''It's such a beautiful(Selina beauguard much?) day, the clouds, the blue sky, the birds chirping, Clarisse threatening to kill Percy..'' Piper exclaims. ''yeah...it is...'' Jason replies ''you okay, Jase?'' Piper asks. Jason takes a shaky breath and looks down. ''the truth is, I'm not fully sure if I....If I like you'' ''Romantically I mean! I do know that I like you but only...as a friend, maybe? I'm still not sure yet...'' Jason explains ''oh...that's...erm....'' Piper says ''I'm glad you're figuring yourself out, Jase'' ''you're not mad?'' Jason looks surprised, maybe even a little shocked, ''you're not mad?'' Jason asks in surprise. ''No. I'm not'' Piper said. Jason starts to tear up. ''I love you, Pipes, I'm not sure if it's romantic or not but I love you'' Jason says. Piper pulls him into a hug. ''I love you too, Jase, I'm glad you're starting to figure out who you are after...Hera'' Piper smiles lovingly at Jason.

Chapter 3.

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Jason was laying in his bed, wonding, how Piper was so kind and supportive of Jason maybe not loving her romantically - until he heard a knock at the door of cabin one.

Jason got up and opened the door. It's the Stoll brothers. ''Hey, Jasie!'' said Connor...or Travis. it was impossible to tell. ''erm...'' Jason exclaimed ''what are you doing here? and so late as well, It's what 10:30?''

The Stoll's looked at each other and laughed, then looked back at Jason.

''well we're having a...'event' over at the Hermes cabin!'' said one of the Stoll's. ''and we're here to invite you! trust me, there's alcohol!'' said the other butting in.

*so that's why they where laughing...* Jason thought, *wait...Alcohol...*

''uhm...I think I'll have to skip this one..''

''but...!'' the one on the left said, ''You can't skip itttt!'' the other one sarted to speak, '' yeah! you can't! come on Jasiee. stop being such a party-pooper!''

Jason sighed, ''fine. I'll come to your party...'' ''Great!!'' exclaimed one of the Stoll brothers.

Jason wasn't enjoying the party all that much so many...drunk people.. It remined him of his mother. she was always drunk

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I'm obviously not the best at writing...also for the "am I gay" quiz result,

I took an actual "am I gay" quiz and answered how I think Jason would and copy/pasted the result... Also I'm sorry it's so rushed- I just really want to get to a certain part. Also my username on AO3 iz "W_itch_With_A_B" if you want to find me on there. Also I wrote the fic in the early rif the morning...it's currently 00:23 rn actually!

[soap-lady]

Happy...whatever

Okay, I'm back on my nonsense so here's a super long (11k) story in my Hellraiser domestic fluff series.

CW: Cyber stalking, physical stalking, thoughts of violence, kidnapping, profanity, threats of torture, threats in general, and Trevor Gooden.

@tenebrare was a huge help and I couldn't have gotten this done without them.

@angelqueen13art @idreamtofmanderleyagain Hope you enjoy this.

Kirsty’s Abhorrent Admirers

When Kirsty announced her plans to return to college, Tiffany and Elliot had been one hundred percent happy and supportive. Kirsty had a quick and clever mind and it was wasteful for her to languish indoors when there was a world of opportunities for her.

Her tuition was paid for by a trust fund created by her parents after she was born, so there would be no financial burden and after some documents prepared by legitimate medical professionals, Kirsty’s time away could be explained as a Gap Year.

Kirsty was pursuing a career in business, very useful for handling her own finances as well as clients looking for stable investments. It was all very wordy and technical and Elliot renewed his efforts to learn more about the modern world. The Cenobites kept up with technological advances but contemporary business practices, much like social norms, were somewhat unexplored as they were deemed unimportant for their work.

Tiffany was proud and pleased. She was happy that Kirsty was learning new things and moving on from the Channard Institute, just like she was. They joked about being “study buddies” and that Tiffany should visit the campus and see if she’d like to attend Kirsty’s university as well someday.

Elliot tried not to let his personal feelings brought on by old doubts affect Kirsty’s enthusiasm. True, not many women went to university in his day but he could see that attitude was foolish and outdated. There were times he truly loathed regaining his memory; he’d always thought of himself as progressive; he’d even supported women’s suffrage. But his old beliefs were now so old-fashioned. He knew neither young woman needed him as a protector and provider, but he still longed to take care of them as they took care of him. He missed the days when it was just the three of them and he didn’t have to share either girl with the outside world.

You think like an old man, Spencer. Kirsty would laugh if she knew what you were thinking and Tiffany would be ashamed.

So he did what he thought was best; suppress any misgivings he had and actively encourage and assist her in every way he could. He was learning more about computers and was accumulating as much knowledge as he could hold. They were both progressing well in their self-defense lessons and would soon be ready for weapons.He could also listen to her talk about her professors, tell her how proud they were of her, and give her the emotional support she needed.

Everything was wonderful for the first few weeks. Then problems arose when Tiffany and Elliot noticed Kirsty was garnering loads of…admirers.

Men, for the most part. Lots of them.

At first they were just morbidly curious about the young woman who survived not only a massacre committed by family members but a massacre committed by an insane psychiatrist trusted to treat her survivor’s guilt and trauma. Most of them had buggered off when she refused to answer their questions . There was also the icy glare given to them by Tiffany and Elliot when they’d dropped by the School of Business to take Kirsty to lunch.

Had Kirsty been interested, she had a wide variety to choose from. There was a junior professor, a teaching assistant, an assistant at the university library, and scores of her fellow students.

The junior professor tried to impress her with philosophy. The TA wrote her poetry. The lad from the library always volunteered to help with research materials. They and Kirsty’s fellow students were mostly harmless. Some were almost eligible and had many traits in their favor, such as intelligence or a good position. He didn’t consider any of them worthy but had to concede it was her decision.

Fortunately, Kirsty didn’t seem too interested. She didn’t think dating a professor was a good idea, even if he wasn’t one of hers. Getting involved with a teaching assistant could invite accusations of cheating or getting the answer sheet early. The library assistant was nice and funny but a girl named Megan in her Economics class had eyes on him and Kirsty refused to pursue him, citing, “Sisters over Misters.” Tiffany explained to Elliot that it was against the Girl Code of Ethics to pursue a man you knew a friend, or at least a friendly acquaintance, liked.

Then, there was Trevor.

Elliot had taken an instant dislike to him. The man wasn’t unattractive and had blue eyes that seemed to draw female attention. His smile was practiced and his teeth were so perfect Elliot wanted to ram them down the other man’s throat in the hope they would be shat out.

Ahem

That was an unkind thought and though he had many opinions on the matter, only Kirsty was allowed to decide who could court her, even if he were a smug little sod who kept trying to find excuses to touch Kirsty. One time he rubbed his thumb across hers while handing her something. Another time he touched her hair by claiming a leaf had flown into her curls. He would also try to sit beside Kirsty, but Kirsty thwarted him by having her “girl squad”, other female students she was starting to become friends with, occupy any seat near her. Tiffany and Elliot filled this role whenever they visited or went out with Kirsty’s peer group.

If Trevor noticed Kirsty’s less than enthusiastic response to his pursuit, it didn’t stop him from trying to ask her out or suggesting she join a “group chat” to discuss assignments. Any time his eyes met Elliot’s he would grin smugly as if he’d already won Kirsty over. Elliot had also heard himself referred to as “Kirsty’s Dad” or how glad he was that “older people were so interested in education.”

He knew he was twelve years older than Kirsty, hardly an insurmountable age difference, and she’d been an adult when they met. She seemed fond of him now that she’d forgiven him for trying to kill her or condemn her to eternal torture. There was something to be said for experience and he was a man who had been educated at the finest military academy in Britain, so he was closer to being Kirsty Cotton’s equal than some uncouth sod who leered at her with all the subtlety of a baboon.

Sigh.

He would keep his opinions about Trevor to himself until and unless Kirsty asked him directly.

Elliot refused to lower himself by replying to Trevor’s barbs. He would trust Kirsty to make her own decisions and protect herself when he couldn’t be with her. He handed Kirsty her lunch and asked for her input about supper. He was always rewarded with a kiss on the cheek and a “see you at home, Dear” before he and Tiffany left via public transportation. He did his best not to look smug that Kirsty would rather kiss him and not Trevor. Some of Kirsty’s peers referred to him as Kirsty’s house husband and Tiffany was laughing so hard she could barely explain.

“It’s um…a reversal of gender roles, you know?” she managed at last while looking over her homework. “Kirsty goes out, earns the money and you stay home and take care of the house.” Before he could protest she added. “There’s not much social stigma for stay at home dads or husbands any more, not that a guy who used to wear a skirt cares much about social norms.” She winked at him. “Besides, everyone can tell she likes you a lot more than Trevor. Trevor is a douche canoe who gives off creeper vibes. You’re family.”

It never failed to warm him when Tiffany or Kirsty called him family. He missed feeling as if he belonged somewhere or to someone. He’d worked along his Order for decades. He was glad to have regained his independence but he was sorry that they hadn’t survived along with him. They had been good soldiers and he missed their loyalty and company.

Elliot did his best to take Tiffany’s words to heart but the fact Trevor could be around Kirsty for hours on end, away from her family, where he had a chance to charm her or wear her down until she agreed to “give him a chance” and date him made Elliot uneasy.

He doubted that Trevor had good intentions towards Kirsty. Perhaps he saw her as a conquest and would discard her once he’d had sex with her. Maybe he wanted her because he couldn’t have her and enjoyed the challenge. Then again, and to Elliot’s mind this was the most likely motive: money. Kirsty didn’t flaunt her wealth or act haughty but the university she attended was not inexpensive and many of her classmates worked for their tuition or had a collection of scholarships, grants, and loans.

Kirsty did not. Elliot once heard Trevor whisper that Kirsty “must be a trust fund baby” and bristled on her behalf, reminding himself that stomping people to death was illegal. Kirsty was leagues above the women of his class in his youth; she would never be content with a life of leisure, a pretty doll on a man’s arm. She wanted to create her own destiny and decide her future for herself. It was admirable and made him respect her even more.

Their days as a small but ideal family might have continued in a state of equilibrium for years on end. Kirsty showed no preference for any of the men who pursued her, even if one of her friends referred to the young woman’s admirers as a “reverse harem.”

Then the texts started.

Most of them were innocuous. Compliments, snippets of poetry, even a few photos of Kirsty sitting in class or laughing with her new friends. Clearly this was someone who knew her from university.

It bothered him more that he wanted to admit that some unknown git was upsetting Kirsty and following her. It enraged him that someone thought that Kirsty, his Kirsty, belonged to them, as if her thoughts and feelings didn’t matter. He found himself reaching for tools that no longer hung at his waist. No matter. The army taught him how to kill and there were other techniques he had perfected as a Cenobite.

Elliot and Tiffany had just arrived to escort Kirsty to their usual “Friday Night Family Dinner” at a revolving series of restaurants when Kirsty’s text alert went off.

She pulled out her phone, groaned, and then rolled her eyes. “Not this shit again,” she sounded annoyed.

“Is it the return of Captain Douchebag?” Tiffany asked.

The number the person used always came up as “Unknown” so Tiffany had started calling him “Captain Douchebag”, a name no doubt thought up by Callie, who had started referring to her ex-beau by that moniker. It was oddly appropriate for the person bothering Kirsty.

“Yep.” Kirsty read the message aloud.

Were all stars to disappear or die, I should learn to look at an empty sky And feel its total dark sublime, Though this might take me a little time

Kirsty snorted. “Auden. At least the douche is avoiding the worst of cliche love poems, like Shakespear’s sonnets or ‘How Do I Love Thee?’ So he’s at least slightly original.”

“What makes you so sure it’s a guy?” one of Kirsty’s male classmates asked. Elliot was surprised that it wasn’t Trevor. The younger man seemed determined to insert himself in every conversation as much as he seemed to want to insert himself…no that was vulgar.

“I can’t see a girl thinking poetry would work on me. He’s clearly trying to be aloof and mysterious but he’s coming off as a stalker.”

The group laughed and Trevor of all people tried to be the concerned voice of reason.

“No offense, Kirsty, but aren’t you taking this guy…or girl…or nonbinary a little lightly?” Trevor frowned. “They could be dangerous. I mean…” he shrugged, “they could follow you home and stake out your house…follow you to class…attack you”

Kirsty didn’t scoff or acknowledge his concern. “He’s hiding behind a screen and using an unknown number. I keep blocking him but he texts me again from a new number. Probably a coward.” She ran her thumbs over her phone then grinned in satisfaction. “There! Blocked again! That should give us time to eat in peace.” She stood up, then grabbed Tiffany’s then Elliot’s hands and pulled them to their feet. She smiled at the group but did address Trevor. “I’m never alone. I have people watching my back.”

“I for one, would feel a great swell of pity for anyone who tried to harm Kirsty,” Elliot’s cool blue eyes swept over Kirsty’s peers and a few of them shivered. “But not for very long.”

The three of them walked arm in arm as they decided on a Greek restaurant for dinner.

*****

“You know, next semester I might see how many classes I can take online,” Kirsty was saying as she poured Elliot a glass of ouzo.

Elliot gave her a nod of thanks and took a cautious sip before setting down his glass. “Why is that?” I thought you were doing well, making friends…”

The server placed down a plate of stuffed grape leaves and gave them all a professional smile. His eyes might have lingered on Kirsty but she didn’t seem to notice. Tiffany dived in and grabbed four before anyone else.

Kirsty nodded. “Yeah. I’ve met some pretty cool people. There’s all sorts of campus activities…even support groups for trauma survivors.”

Elliot cleared his throat, then tried the ouzo again. The black licorice flavor was a bit cloying and the subject made him uncomfortable.

Tiffany caught his eye, looking sympathetic. “That’s a good thing. You know…for your dad, or Channard.”

Kirsty frowned as she put some dolomedes on a small plate and passed them to Elliot. “Well, I’d have to talk about the circumstances surrounding Dad’s death and we technically are still under a gag order pending the lawsuit with Channard’s estate. I couldn’t say much without getting into legal trouble or ending up in another asylum.” She laughed and there was a tinge of bitterness in it.

“Tiffany was telling me about a phone app that matches you with a therapist and you can remain anonymous,” Elliot suggested.

Kirsty smiled at him and continued. “Good idea. Thanks, El.” Returned to her previous subject. “Don’t get me wrong. There’s some great people in my classes.” She sighed. “But they’re all…” she gestured with her hands. “…normies, y’know?” She looked from Elliot to Tiffany. They looked back at her. Tiffany nodded in understanding while the term confused Elliot but he was still attentive.

Kirsty explained. “Their lives are so normal and mundane. They don’t know what it’s like to lose a family. They have their own struggles with money but no huge tragedies. I can’t really relate to them. All they want to do is…” she frowned as she tried to think of how to phrase her thoughts. “Go out and drink and party all weekend. Go to class on Monday hungover, swear they’ll never do it again. Then they do it again the next Friday. They laugh at me for studying and tell me “you only live once!”

There was a part of Elliot that was jumping up and down. He knew he was being selfish but he didn’t want to share Kirsty or Tiffany with the outside world. He knew it was an unhealthy attitude; that most humans were social creatures and needed the company of other people. That didn’t stop him from wanting to wrap his girls in cotton and protect them from the outside world.

“Then there’s all the attention, especially male,” Kirsty rolled her eyes and looked at Tiffany, who also rolled hers.

Elliot had the feeling he was about to step on treacherous ground. He wanted to protect her but he also knew he had no right to forbid her from anything. “You’re an attractive young woman so of course people are going to notice you.” He tried to be tactful. “Still, the young men around you seem a bit…intrusive.”

“And touchy-feely,” Tiffany added.

Elliot shook his head in disapproval. “They find any excuse to approach you, touch you. Intrude on your time. I know it isn’t my place but…” he placed his hands on the table. “Why do modern men find it so difficult to believe you’re not flattered by their attention?”

“Because they weren’t taught manners,” Tiffany spoke up before Kirsty could but the older woman nodded. “They don’t take no as ‘I’m not interested’. They take no as ‘Try again later,’ “ She grinned at Elliot. “Maybe you could do a TED talk for modern guys or something.”

“Or something,” Elliot agreed. He turned back to Kirsty. “It’s your decision of course,” he longed to make the decision for her, “and you know Tiffany and I will support you either way.”

Kirsty beamed at him and he pretended not to notice that her eyes were tearing up a bit. “Thanks, El,” she leaned forward and took his and Tiffany’s hands in hers. “It means a lot to me that after dealing with classes and weirdos over text that I can come home to you guys.” She squeezed their hands. “You understand me.”

Tiffany nodded, also getting emotional. “Same.”

Elliot raised their hands to his lips and kissed their knuckles. “You are two of the most amazing people I have met in decades,” he told them. He looked at both of them and smiled. “I’m honored you consider me family.”

None of them spoke for a few minutes as they basked in comfortable silence with people who understood them. Elliot was hesitant to say more and hoped his eyes did all the talking for him. He was grateful to have their trust and hoped, in a way, he also had their love. He knew he loved them but it was a nebulous sort of love. Tiffany was the daughter he never had but he hesitated to define his feelings for Kirsty. He wasn’t sure how she felt about him. Could she separate the nightmare creature he had been from the man he was now? He told himself to be patient, to let her come to him.

Then she would smile or laugh at him and tease him and he felt his resolve weaken. He also found it difficult to separate the worthy opponent from the young woman before him. She’d been his adversary. Now she was his family. It was still jarring for him.

Kirsty shook off whatever emotion she was feeling and looked at the menu. “Okay, okay, enough of me being sappy. This isn’t the Hallmark Channel. Who wants to try the souvlaki with me?”

*****

Elliot’s phone buzzed in his pocket as he perused the used book store near the mall. It was a tiny little place in a shopping plaza next door to a cafe. The store was old but clean and he had a delightful conversation with the clerk about the debt modern science fiction writers owed to Mary Shelley, H.G. Wells and Jules Verne. He excused himself, paid for his items, and exited the store to answer the call.

“Hallo, this is Spencer. Is this Tiffany or Kirsty?”

None of the people he dallied with had his number. He didn’t give it out. If they wanted to see him during the week they usually rapped on the door while the girls were away and made an appointment. He wondered if Kirsty was ill or if Tiffany had forgotten her lunch again.

“Hello, Darling.”

He paused. He recognized the voice as Kirsty but she sounded strange. Her tone was too bright and filled with syrupy affection. Plus, she referred to him as “darling”. Kirsty never addressed him with any endearments. She usually called him Elliot, Elli, Spencer, or if she was annoyed or trying to tease him, Captain Spencer.

The fine hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Kirsty was either in danger or in a situation where she felt uneasy. “Are you being followed? Can anyone hear you?”

“How did you know? I swear you have to be psychic!”

He assumed she was answering yes to both of her questions. “Where are you? Are you safe?”

“I just got out of class and had to call you. I was going to head home but I’d much rather meet you somewhere.”

Someone was following her and she didn’t want to lead them home. They were close enough to hear her conversation so she was speaking to him in code.

Anyone who didn’t know her well would miss the slight tremor in her voice, the way it was pitched higher than normal.

Kirsty Cotton, the young woman who’d escaped his Order twice, was afraid.

Elliot’s concern for her melted into anger. His skin felt hot and his blood roared in his ears. He wanted to slice this person’s stomach open and strangle them with their own intestines. He wanted to crack their skull open and feed them their own brain. He wanted-

Kirsty’s voice cut through the haze of anger surrounding him. “I really need to see you. Where should I meet you?”

He looked around. “I’m near the shopping mall. It’s rather crowded today so it’ll be easy to give someone the slip. Don’t take any side streets. You could get lost in a cul-de-sac. Take the most public roads you can. I’ll meet you near the soft pretzel place you like. Park on the third level of the parking garage. It’s the most well-lit. If nothing else we can take the bus home and pick up your car later. Just don’t leave anything inside and we’ll let security know why it’s there. Be safe, Kirsty.”

“I will, Darling. See you soon.”

*****

Kirsty met him fifteen minutes later. She must have sped all the way there but it was hardly the time to lecture her about traffic laws. She surprised him by wrapping her arms around him as if he’d disappear if she let go. Elliot stiffened at first then allowed himself to relax and hold her. He rubbed her back in what he hoped was a comforting manner.

Eventually he reluctantly released her and stepped back. She stopped hugging him but still held his hand. Her eyes were huge, pupils dilated, and tinged with red. He imagined she either cried on the way over or it was a very near miss.

“Is he or she still following you?” he asked and then inwardly cringed. That was hardly a diplomatic thing to ask but he felt it was important to know.

She looked unsure. “I don’t know. I kept making weird turns to make it harder for him to follow me but he might have put a tracker on my car.”

Him. So it was a man, one of the idiots from class or a professor who thought they were entitled to her time and attention. Disgusting. In his day women might have had to worry about being accosted by a stranger on the Tube but any man of honor knew to take his defeat and withdraw once being rejected. Really, these modern men continued to disappoint him.

“We’ll thoroughly search your car once we’re safely home.” Really, this was a world that sent people to orbit the earth and cure diseases yet used this wonderful technology to more efficiently stalk a woman who was clearly uninterested.

Kirsty continued to look at him. Her hand trembled, her lips wobbled and he dearly wanted to put her in his pocket and keep her safe. That, or bash the idiot’s brains in. But that response might get him arrested. And probably banned from the mall. He looked around.

“I believe near the west end of the mall is a store that recently went out of business. If I recall correctly there was a bench in front of the store where we could sit and talk.”

She nodded in agreement, then frowned. “Isn’t that a little isolated?”

He shook his head. “Usually, yes, but it’s also near the security office. We should be all right.”

*****

They made their way to the abandoned store, Kirsty holding his hand the whole way. It bothered him that this brave, confident girl was reduced to clinging to him due to fear. He imagined it had reminded her of running from her disgusting uncle, or perhaps his Cenobite persona. He selfishly hoped it was the former.

After they had sat down he turned to her and asked, “Would you like to tell me what happened? You can take your time of course.”

The words were barely out of his mouth when she wrapped herself around him and began to weep, shoulders shaking as she sobbed.

His neck felt wet and he assumed she must be crying. It shamed him to admit it but he enjoyed the feeling of her arms around him. He rubbed her back and let her cry, occasionally murmuring, “it’s all right. Let it all out. I’ve got you.”

After five minutes she let go of him and he was finally able to reach into a pocket and pull out a handkerchief. She thanked him and wiped her face. He kept an arm gently draped across her shoulders and she leaned against him.

His conscience pricked him and he wondered if he were somehow taking advantage of the situation. “Would you like to talk about it? Or if you prefer, we can go home and you can speak to Tiffany if you’d be more comfortable talking to a fellow lady…”

Kirsty shook her head and managed the tiniest of smiles. “It’s okay. I trust you.”

He felt warmed by her belief in him once again. “Whenever you’re ready.”

She took several deep breaths to calm herself and then began. “Well, I started this yoga class before lunch. You know, with Parvati and Ilsa? Well, I was taking a shower and I thought I heard a man’s voice.”

He ignored the shower and focused on her voice. Elliot swallowed his anger and asked, “a custodian, perhaps?”

She frowned and leaned away slightly. “I thought so too at first but the custodian for the women’s locker room during the day is a woman. A man only cleans it when the college closes down at night.”

Elliot nodded to show he was still listening and she continued.

“I dressed as fast as I could and walked near the exit with my keys sticking up between my fingers. I figured if someone tried to attack me I could jab them with my keys.”

He dipped his head in approval. “A sensible precaution. Well done.”

“Well, then I heard women’s voices. They were probably wondering what the guy was doing there and he left. They saw me and,” Kirsty took another deep breath, “and said the guy was probably a pervert and it was dangerous to be alone, so they walked me to the cafeteria and we had lunch.”

“Very clever, all of you,” he approved.

She just shrugged. “Class was fine and I’d almost forgotten about the guy until I was leaving class. The business building is pretty old and near the back of campus. There’s this covered sideway which has hedges on both sides. It’s pretty, but-”

“Isolated,” he finished.

Elliot knew she could protect herself. She was clever and brave and a fierce fighter. She was learning hand to hand combat with ease but had her weaknesses like everyone else. He was beginning to wonder if she needed a bodyguard; the thought that she was followed, even to the women’s changing room worried him. He wondered if she would allow him to accompany her to class. If not him perhaps they should consider hiring a professional. Better safe than dead.

Kirsty rubbed the back of her neck and gave him a rueful smile. “Yeah. You know how the hairs on your neck stand up when you’re scared or think you’re in danger?” He nodded and she nodded back. “So that happened. I could hear and feel someone following me. I didn’t want to risk looking back to see them.” She gestured with her hands. “I didn’t want to walk faster and let them know I knew they were there so I pulled out my phone and called you. I figured you could come meet me or I could meet you and if they tried anything there would be a phone record.”

She was so very very clever. He couldn’t help but admire that about her, even if it had been frustrating for him when he was the Pontifex Inferi.

He spoke softly and gently to her, afraid he might spook her. “Forgive me for saying this but…this incident…it must have felt like…”

Kirsty pulled him close and put her head on his shoulder. Her eyes were dark and haunted. “Yeah, I know. It felt just like when Frank was wearing Daddy’s skin and hunting me through the house. I thought I was gonna die, just like back then.”

Even though it hadn’t been his intention, he was glad the arrival of himself and his Order had spared her something vile. “I’m sorry, Kirsty.”

It wasn’t his fault Frank was such an unrepentant bastard but he was still furious at the man for attempting to subject Kirsty to his perverse lust. He too was a lustful creature, in life and in service to Leviathan but the thought of coercion disgusted him. Now another man was making Kirsty feel unsafe and he burned with the desire to inflict any and all tortures he could imagine upon the filthy creature.

Kirsty gave him another side hug and looked up at him. “Crying makes me thirsty.” She managed a smile and they both pretended it was real. “How about a latte at Nova Novak's?”

*****

They ended up having not just lattes but elderberry scones as well. They chatted about nothing about consequence and he even succeeded in making her laugh. She was beginning to relax when she stiffened and sat up straight, looking off into the distance.

“Don’t look at him directly,” Kirsty warned him, “but I think I just saw Trevor.”

“Does he work here?”

Kirsty shrugged. “Nah. Trevor thinks he’s too bougie to work at a mere mall. His friend Brent works at a phone kiosk.”

Elliot mentally ran through all the information she had given him about Trevor. Pompous ass, entitled git, yes…opinionated prat with unknown designs on Kirsty.

Wait.

“Didn’t you say someone kept texting you from different burner phones?” he asked her. He tried to both look at and not look at Trevor.

Kirsty stopped trying to observe Trevor with her makeup mirror and stared at Elliot, wide-eyed. “Having a friend who works for a phone carrier would make it easy to get a new phone. He could just trade in an old phone for a new one.”

It was both clever and disgusting. If he paid cash for each phone it would make them hard to trace and his accomplice could help him dispose of old phones by recycling them. Many carriers had a program where people could donate old phones. Even if a phone could be traced, it could not be traced back to Trevor.

“Interesting,” he mused aloud, “and if we hadn’t just coincidentally been here today, we might not have known for weeks or months.”

There was a clatter as Kirsty rose to feet so fast she made her chair wobble. Elliot could see her intent; she was about to go to the phone kiosk and confront Trevor publicly, perhaps even attack him. He could not let that happen.

“Kirsty, don’t!” he firmly grabbed her hand and shook his head at her once he saw he had her attention. He softened his voice. “Don’t. Please don’t. Not here.”

“Why-” her first impulse was to dash off and take control of the situation and force Trevor to confess. Then she realized people were watching and she sat back down, eyes narrowed. She was tempted to tell him to fuck off but stopped herself. Elliot might have some good advice for her so she decided to hear him out. She lowered her voice and asked through gritted teeth. “Why the hell not?”

Kirsty was brave, clever and resourceful. She was good at improvising on the spot but she was also impulsive and that got her into trouble. He wished he still had his chains and a convenient place to hide bodies. Trevor would be strung up for all to see and Elliot would have made a necklace out of his ears for Tiffany and his hide would be boots for Kirsty. Now that he was human and only had human means of punishment he would have to work within the law. To do otherwise could risk his family.

He also lowered his voice. “Because as enjoyable as it would be to confront him or attack him, this is neither the time nor the place. You have scores of witnesses and you can almost be assured there would be video evidence online. Plus, someone would call security and you could be arrested. That would not be good for your academic career.”

Elliot gave in to the urge to grab her hand. “I can understand your desire for revenge. I would feel the same way if someone was stalking me for whatever reason.” He wasn’t quite pleading with her. “But we must be cleverer than Trevor. Document everything. Someone with his arrogance would cock it up sooner or later and expose himself publicly.”

Kirsty bit her lip to keep from laughing. “Expose himself, huh?”

He realized what he’d said and flushed. “Not remotely what I meant.” He offered her his hand and helped her to her feet. “We’ll need a plan and we’ll make one together. That way we can figure out how to make Trevor incriminate himself.”

*****

The next two weeks were relatively peaceful. Aside from a few “Who the hell were you talking to?”! texts Kirsty’s “mysterious stalker” more or less left her alone. Between Elliot, Tiffany, a temporary bodyguard named Beatrix, and Kirsty’s female classmates, she was never alone. She was starting to relax and enjoy her education again. By contrast, Trevor looked increasingly frustrated every time Elliot caught a glimpse of him. He supposed Trevor’s grand plan was failing spectacularly. Amateur. Elliot had cut his teeth on books by Tacticus and Sun Tzu. Some plebeian with a mid tier education didn’t stand a chance.

Kirsty’s college friends thought she was being harassed by an abusive ex and thus did everything in their power to keep her safe. They also kept a close eye on anyone trying to interact with Kirsty and it helped Elliot’s cause to have a dozen other eyes helping with surveillance.

Tiffany had come with Elliot to accompany Kirsty home. Kirsty’s friend Ilsa had spotted the girl and smiled at her, sliding across the bench to make room for Tiffany and Elliot. “Hey, sis!” She addressed Tiffany. She looked Elliot over and winked. “Hey, zaddy.”

“Er…hello, Ilsa,” he smiled at her. Ilsa blushed.

Trevor looked annoyed, as he always did when any of the women in their circle showed him any positive attention. “Please. Like he knows what it means.”

Tiffany answered before Kirsty or Elliot could. “Yes he does. I’ve been tutoring him in Gen Z.” She gave him a side hug. “He’s such a fast learner.”

Elliot patted her shoulder. “Thank you for educating an old man such as myself, poppet.” He smiled and she smiled back. “I quite literally learn something new every day.”

Trevor once again interrupted a conversation that didn’t need his input. “Is one of those things how to be a pedophile?”

Kirsty and Tiffany glared at Trevor. Most of the people at the table stopped talking and glared at Trevor. He found himself greatly outnumbered and instead of apologizing and politely withdrawing he continued to speak.

“Oh, come on!” he went on. He gestured at Kirsty. “She’s barely old enough to drink!” He then pointed at Tiffany, who stared at him in shock. “And she’s only fourteen! And he lives with both of them!”

“And what’s your point?” Everyone looked at Parvati, who rarely spoke up. She looked a little self-conscious but continued. “He’s Tiffany’s family. Kirsty told us all he’s her only living family. I doubt they share a room.”

“We don’t even share a bathroom!” Kirsty was quick to defend Elliot, who had decided the wisest thing to do was keep his mouth shut and let the women in his life talk. He felt a great sense of pride and gratitude that he didn’t have to ask the ladies in his life to defend him, they did it on their own.

“Everyone has their own bathroom. And their own room.” She looked Trevor over and didn’t even try to hide her contempt for him. She decided to publicly embarrass him, just as he was trying to do to Elliot. “Really, what’s your problem with Elliot? Why are you starting shit when he’s never done anything to you?” She scoffed. “What, are you jealous you’re not living with a fourteen year old?”

Even the other guys in the group were snickering at Trevor and he realized he wasn’t going to win over public opinion. So he decided to go on the attack.

“Unlike your roomie, Kirsty, I don’t have a taste for jailbait,” he sneered at Elliot. Goddammit, Spencer was such a cock blocker! He thwarted every attempt he made to ask Kirsty out and poisoned her mind against Trevor. Now the asshole was poisoning all his friends against him.

“So keep your creepy uncle pedo vibes to yourself, Spencer, and-”

No one knew what else he was going to say. Before he could continue (swore everyone who saw it happen) he was down on the ground with the wind knocked out of him.

Tiffany stood over him. No one remembered seeing her stand up, much less punch Trevor in the stomach. It was a very good shot and Elliot and Kirsty were secretly impressed. Shocked, but impressed.

The young blonde brandished a fist. “Come at my family again. See what happens to you.”

Before he could stand up she turned and walked towards Kirsty’s car without stopping to see if the rest of her family was following her. They scrambled to their feet and fell in step behind Tiffany. Kirsty might have accidentally on purpose stepped on Trevor’s leg. Elliot definitely gave the other man a triumphant smirk as he passed his prone form.

“That was quite a punch, Tiffany,” Elliot said as they walked to the car. “But next time, don’t tuck your thumb into your fist. You could break it.”

*****

Two days later Trevor was nowhere to be found. He’d skipped all his classes and hadn’t answered any texts. Even his best friend Brent had sent a message to the group chat asking if anyone had heard from him. No one remembered adding him but they all promised to let him know if anyone had heard from Trevor.

Elliot was blissfully unaware that Trevor was missing and would not have cared if he’d known. He’d had a “morning visit” with a neighbor, who was kind enough to drive him to the library to check out some books about automobile restoration. He then had lunch with and then “afternoon delight” with another neighbor and went home feeling quite satisfied.

He began to worry when Kirsty texted him that she’d be late and couldn’t pick up Tiffany so he would have to make sure she took the bus home.

He’d texted Tiffany to let her know and hadn’t received a reply. That surprised him. She was always on her phone and after the incident with her first date she kept it charged and they’d increased her cellular plan. They’d also installed an app that would let them, with Tiffany’s permission, track her if they hadn’t heard from her after a certain amount of time.

Had a teacher confiscated it? Tiffany had been careful not to text in class but accidents happened. It could have been damaged but if that had happened she would have texted from Callie’s phone to let them know. She had before.

This wasn’t like Tiffany and he was growing worried. Kirsty might not be his direct responsibility but Tiffany was and he decided he was going to find her.

He pulled out his own phone and activated the tracking software. It showed Tiffany’s phone was stationary, if slightly off of school grounds.

Well, he wasn’t going to sit around and worry. He was going to take action…by taking the bus down to Tiffany’s school.

*****

Tiffany had told him about a shack just off the school campus. The school had once used it as a garden shed for agriculture classes but after the school had been renovated it was discovered that the building was technically not on school grounds but on public property. The renamed “squatters shack” sat just off of the school campus and was used by the occasional homeless person but also by students and (rumored) by teachers to either get high or get laid. It was forty foot by forty foot (twelve meters by twelve meters) and quite roomy.

Her phone signal was coming from there. The front entrance faced the street but there was also a back entrance with a ramp for when the shack contained large sacks of fertilizer that needed to be removed via wheelbarrow.

Elliot listened at the door and heard two voices. One was high-pitched, the other lower and gruff. He looked around for something he could use as a weapon and found an old rake. The metal bits were rusted but the handle was made of solid wood and barely rotted. It would have to do.

The building looked old and the door was closed but he doubted it had a deadbolt. One good kick should do it.

He braced himself and kicked the door open, sending dust and splinters everywhere. His voice briefly regained the strident military cadence it once had. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

Elliot brandished the rake then stopped, blinking in shock.

This was not at all what he was expecting.

Instead of coming to rescue his teenaged ward he’d stumbled across a tall bulky man trying to hoist a familiar twit with a pulley. Under the man was a large metal tub half filled with water. Clearly some sort of water torture was the order of the day, the victim was perhaps half a meter above the water.

Trevor Gooden, looking slightly worse for wear, was tied up with and suspended by hooks from chains. Unfortunately they only pierced his clothing and not his skin. The man’s formerly expensive shirt was in tatters but the denim of his jeans was strong enough to bear the weight of the chains; otherwise Trevor would have fallen into the tub and drowned.

He brandished the rake handle at the stranger. “Let him go,” he demanded. He sighed inwardly as he prepared to save the life of someone he couldn’t stand.

The stranger looked at him. They wore what looked like a gas mask over their face, a little more modern than the ones he was used to. They wore all black, even down to their gloves and thick black wellies. The figure shook its head. “No. This worm has offended and attempted to dishonor the Sunset Queen and must be punished. He has invaded her privacy. He has harassed her. He has attempted to keep tabs on her by attaching a tracker to her vehicle.” The person’s voice sounded male, its tones reverberating throughout the small room. Trevor begged for mercy and Elliot felt confused.

“Sunset…do you mean Kirsty?” Elliot asked. The person nodded. He took a deep breath and tamped down his anger. This disgusting creature thought he had a right to Kirsty! But no, he wouldn’t stand by and let the sod die, even if he deserved it. He did not want the police poking around the house or in their lives. Again. Kirsty and Tiffany did not need their names in print or on television again, even though that Summerskill person was rather nice. “Thank you. We’ll find the tracker and remove it but you don’t have to become a murderer to protect her.” Tempting as it was in this case.

“Look, Spencer, I know we’re not friends but even you can let this freak kill me!” Trevor shouted.

Yes, Elliot could, but he wouldn’t. Not when the consequences could affect his girls.

Elliot tried to be persuasive and calm. “Kirsty would not want anyone to die, even a disgusting piece of human garbage like Trevor Gooden-”

“Hey, fuck you, Spencer.” Trevor spat out.

“Get in line, Gooden,” Elliot countered and then ignored the man in chains to address the captor. “Please. Consider how this would affect her.” Kirsty would be furious if anyone died in an ill-conceived attempt to protect her. “Let him go.”

The figure seemed to consider Elliot’s words and then nodded.“Whatever you say,” and started to release the chains.

Trevor screamed like a toddler when his face touched the water and Elliot shouted, “Not like that! Don’t drown him. Just release him. Please.”

The person shrugged again, then nudged the water tub out of the way with their foot before quickly letting the chains go. Trevor hit the ground in an undignified heap and the chains loosened enough for him to release himself. He tore the hooks out of his remaining clothes and threw them at Elliot and the figure in black. They missed of course and if the situation wasn’t so dire Elliot would have laughed.

Trevor scrambled unsteadily to his feet and reached for Elliot’s rake. “Give me that. I’m gonna ram it up this dickhead’s ass.”

Elliot held it out of his grasp and kept his tone commanding. “I think you should leave now, Trevor, while I can hold him off.” He pointed at the other man’s clothing. “You look like you lost a fight and he’s twice your size. Run while you can.”

Trevor looked like he wanted to argue but even though he was free he was still outmatched. Probably a coward as well. Gooden was the type of man who preferred to hide in the shadows to stalk women because he was powerless and cowardly. He was hardly the type to win against a larger opponent. Finally he fled, giving the chunky person a wide berth.

Once he was gone Elliot heaved a sigh and approached the person. Once they were close he reached out and booped them on the nose. “This was not the plan, poppet.”

*****

After Tiffany had returned everything she’d borrowed and they’d righted the potting shed, the two of them went to a small independent diner that served very good burgers and chips. They also had a rotating menu of original milkshake flavors and so Elliot decided to indulge in a chocolate cayenne shake while Tiffany had a white chocolate blackberry one. After the server had left their order and his number under Elliot’s glass, the two were left to talk.

Elliot brought the glass from his lips and drank from it. He never drank from a straw, too wasteful. Plus he didn’t want to look like an idiot when the liquid was too thick for the straw.

Tiffany had no problem looking like a fish on dry land and he tried not to smile at her. What she had attempted was dangerous for everyone involved.

He set down his glass and looked at Tiffany. “I had thought that we had a plan to deal with the Trevor problem.” He was trying to sound stern and angry but the faces she was making trying to suck her milkshake through a straw were funny. “We were going to act out our plan thoughtfully and only if he targeted her again.”

She nodded and looked a bit ashamed as she pushed her glass away. “What happened?” he demanded.

Tiffany sat straighter and looked him in the eye, not ashamed or regretful. Determined. “I swear I was gonna follow the plan.”

He must have looked skeptical because she hastily added, “I was! But…he went after me, Elli!”

Elliot froze and looked her over again. Her skin was pale, eyes opened wide and eyebrows raised. Her hands shook marginally and her pupils were dilated. She was afraid.

“Explain it to me,” his voice became gentle and he nearly reached out to comfort her but stopped when she flinched.

Tiffany nodded. “I wasn’t expecting him to come looking for me, but like I said, he put a tracker on Kirsty’s car.”

He frowned. “I thought your school had a security system, guards, and a closed-circuit camera system. I mean,” he shrugged, “it was highly touted in the pamphlet.”

She just shrugged. “My school is expensive but they spend money like it’s cheap. Most of the cameras are fakes just for show. Only one guard patrols the school and the other guys are sleeping or pretending to watch the cameras.”

“We’re being overcharged,” he muttered.

Tiffany continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “But everyone knows about the old potting shed and weak spots in the fence. So anyone could get on school grounds if they had any brains at all.” She took a deep breath. “And Trevor’s smart but lazy.” Maybe he found the weak spots in the fence by accident. Maybe he knew where to look.”

Elliot was beginning to wonder if Trevor had been stalking Tiffany as well, hoping the young girl was Kirsty’s weakness. He clearly needed to step up her self-defense training if people like Trevor were being so blatant. He didn’t think it was the time and clearly his poppet needed to talk.

“Anyway,” she continued, “I was on my way to the drama room because Mrs. Singer wanted me to help organize and pack up some old costumes. I heard Trevor’s voice and figured he thought he could get to Kirsty through me.”

Elliot once again felt anger and outrage sweep over him. Kirsty was a grown woman and he knew she could easily handle Trevor. Tiffany on the other hand was underaged and was ostensibly his responsibility, legally or morally. The fact Trevor had targeted his dau-his ward made him wish he’d broken the lad’s neck and damn the consequences. That tosser must be angry that Tiffany defended him and made him look like the fool he was in front of others.

“Um, Elli?”

Tiffany’s voice interrupted his murderous thoughts and he blinked, focusing on her. “Yes, poppet?”

She was pointing at his face and looked afraid. Afraid of him. “Your…eyes.”

She slid a makeup mirror across the table to him, letting go of it before his fingers could touch it. He opened it and looked at his reflection. He tried not to gasp out loud. His normally blue eyes had turned as black as they had been when he was a Cenobite.

Elliot closed his eyes and took several deep breaths to calm himself. After a few minutes he looked in the mirror again. Blue. Good.

He slid the mirror back towards Tiffany, who was also taking deep breaths to calm herself. “I…I didn’t know you could do that,” she stammered.

“Neither did I.” He thought for a moment and then said, “It must be an after effect of my…former occupation.” He looked across the table at her and said, “I’m sorry I scared you,” he apologized.

Tiffany shook her head. “I trust you.” She didn’t sound very convincing and said again, “I trust you, Elli. It was just a little bit of a shock, you know? Especially after today.”

He nodded and she continued her story. “Anyway, I heard him calling out for me. So I hid. When he was looking for me in the wardrobe trunks I doubled back around and hit him with a dressmaker’s dummy and knocked him out. Then I put him on a cart and wheeled him out to the potting shed. I figured no one would hear us out there.”

Elliot nodded in approval. He was very impressed with her improvisation. “Clever girl. Well done.”

She blushed under his praise and went on. “There were these bits of costumes from when they did a play about the Grim Reaper where the guy playing the Grim Reaper used a voice changer. There were also these construction stilts? To make the guy taller. They wanted the Grim Reaper to look seven feet tall and the guy was only five seven…”

He blinked in confusion and Tiffany could see she was losing her one person audience. “Anyway, I put on some padding and the costume pieces, grabbed a mask and the voice changer and decided I’d scare him into confessing to harassing Kirsty.” She waved her hands in a helpless gesture and sighed.

“But…” he prompted but she didn’t speak. “What happened, Tiffany?”

She spread her hands and gently slapped the table. “I don’t know! I mean, I found that tub but the pump outside wasn’t working right so I couldn’t fill it all the way. Plus,” she seemed exasperated. “He was heavier than I thought he’d be and even though I found some hooked chains and a pulley it was still really hard to pull him!” Tiffany sighed and looked at him. “I was debating whether or not I should just tie up the chains and leave him there to free himself when you showed up.”

Elliot raised his eyebrows and felt impressed despite himself. “It wasn’t a bad plan, just…went a bit mushy towards the end.” He gave her a disapproving frown. “You weren’t supposed to engage him, not alone. You should have barricaded yourself in a closet and texted me or Kirsty. We would have found you and you wouldn’t have endangered or incriminated yourself.”

Really, this could have ruined everything. Tiffany was very lucky no one saw her, even if Trevor would have gotten arrested for trespassing. They would have all been implicated; Tiffany would have been taken away, Kirsty’s past in a mental hospital would have been used against him and who knows what would have become of him. Studied, perhaps.

Still, he understood. She was afraid and panicked. He might have done the same thing at her age but it could have still gone horribly wrong. Trevor could have caught her or unmasked her and then blackmailed her into letting him get close to Kirsty. She could have died.

Tiffany could have died.

He shook his head to clear it. That was not something he wanted to contemplate and besides there was still something unsaid between him and Tiffany.

“I doubt anything would have developed between our Kirsty and Trevor,” he said after taking another sip of his milkshake. “Clearly he wasn’t her type. He was a cad who thought stalking and harassing a woman would make her turn to him for protection.”

“That’s incel behavior,” Tiffany said after taking a huge gulp of her milkshake. “Dude was not just sus, but entitled.”

“Er…yes,” Elliot understood most of that sentence. Then he said what he’d been reluctant to say, something he knew they had both been thinking. “But the next man might succeed.”

Tiffany’s face fell and he felt his heart drop into his stomach just saying the words aloud.

“Kirsty’s great,” Tiffany mumbled. “She’s pretty and smart and kind. Other guys besides Trevor have noticed and a few of them might not be creepers.”

They were silent, just sipping their beverages. Kirsty was the most “normal” in their little family. She could find proper love, build a real family or have a career she deserved. They could be left behind. Well, he would be. No sane husband would let a grown man like Elliot live under the same roof as his wife; he would be regarded as strange or competition. There was a slight chance he and Kirsty and whoever she married might be able to form a polyamorous relationship but he doubted it. Who wouldn’t want someone as wonderful as Kirsty all to themselves?

Tiffany would probably fare better. She was a sweet, clever girl and Kirsty saw her as a little sister. Elliot could easily imagine Kirsty telling anyone who wanted to marry her “love me, love my sister”. Tiffany would have a home until university at least.

Elliot and Tiffany looked at each other and shared a moment of understanding. A man from the past and a youngster from modern times shared a common fear; Kirsty leaving them behind. The family would become broken.

He impulsively grabbed Tiffany’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Kirsty would never abandon you. She loves you.”

That made her smile. “She loves you too.”

Neither of them said what they were thinking. For now.

*****

Two days later Tiffany and Elliot decided to enact their plan B. Well, it was originally Kirsty’s plan but they didn’t want her involved for now. She had a term paper due.

The first part of the plan called for Tiffany to nick Kirsty’s phone and send a message to the class group chat. She claimed she knew who the harasser was and decided to meet the person at a certain spot on campus at a certain time. She would show her evidence and give them a choice between having charges filed or leaving her alone and remaining anonymous.

Tiffany and Elliot waited on the outer edge of an unused fountain near the art building with beverages and snacks to keep them occupied as they watched for their quarry to arrive.

He did not disappoint. His predictability would be amusing in any other situation but he’d harassed their Kirsty and threatened Tiffany. Under the circumstances, they were being shockingly nice.

“Look, Kirsty, let me explain-” his whiny attempt to save himself was cut off and he glared at them. “Oh, it’s just you assholes.”

Tiffany fiddled when her phone then set it down to cover her ears. “Language!” she admonished Trevor with mock outrage. “There’s a child present!”

Elliot looked Trevor over. He was trying to be commanding and in control of the situation. Captain Spencer had survived four years of the bloodiest war fought in the past century and a half and had spent one hundred years as the high priest of Hell. Gooden’s attempts to dominate were laughable.

“Hello, Trevor,” he said after looking the other man up and down with an amused smirk on his face. “You seem none the worse for wear.” He crossed his legs and then put his hands on his knee. “You’re welcome by the way, for the rescue.”

Trevor just sneered. “A rescue I wouldn’t have needed if you hadn’t had your accomplice hit me over the head and chain me up.” He shook his head. “Where the hell did you find that guy anyway? Is he Kirsty’s ‘darling’ ?”

Elliot shrugged. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’d be much more interested-” he cut Trevor off before he could say anything. “-in what you were doing at a high school. Tiffany’s high school, to be exact,” he said with a nod at Tiffany.

“You were lucky Elliot didn’t report you and just let you go. I mean,” she shrugged, ���you were trespassing on school grounds. He could have had you arrested, you know. Perverts these days.” She shook her head in mock disgust.

Trevor scoffed. “He was there too,” he jabbed a finger at Elliot. “So what does that make him?”

“Tiffany’s cousin and her guardian,” Elliot told him in a voice that could freeze boiling water. “I am both her emergency contact and an authorized pick-up person. You however are not.” He nodded at Tiffany. “She called me and asked her to pick her up because she thought someone was following her.”

Trevor opened his mouth a few times but nothing came out. He stared at the two of them who stared back. Their cold blue eyes and expressionless faces made them look very much alike at the moment and erased Trevor’s doubts. These two were definitely related. And united in their dislike of him.

He was afraid but couldn’t back down. “I’m wasting my time. You two clearly don’t know shit.”

He was about to leave, confident he had the last word when Tiffany spoke up. “Kirsty saw you.”

Trevor whipped back around. “What?!”

“She saw you at the mall buying a new phone from that friend of yours. Brent, right? According to the lady who works the pretzel stand, you’re there every few days buying a new phone.” Tiffany raised a shoulder in a half-shrug. “She thinks you’re a dumbass who keeps losing your phone. Kinda suspicious.”

Trevor stopped and looked them both over. It was clear he was wondering how much either of them knew.

Elliot didn’t want to talk to this sod any more than he had to so he delivered the coup de gras. “We removed the tracker you put on Kirsty’s vehicle, Trevor.” He tsked as Trevor’s eyes widened. “Rather careless of you to leave fingerprints all over it.”

“That wasn’t me! Brent installed the damn thing! I thought he was gonna be careful-” he broke off as he saw the triumphant grins. He glared, knowing he was caught. Then he noticed Tiffany was playing with her phone again. “Are you recording me, you little bitch?!” She put her phone down her blouse and Elliot stood in front of her to keep Trevor away from her. Trevor backed away when he saw the deadly look on Elliot’s face but kept grinning.

“That’s illegal,” Trevor thought he had leverage. “You’re not supposed to record someone without their knowledge unless you’re a cop and have a warrant.”

“No it isn’t.”

Both men turned at the sound of the new voice. Tiffany peeked out from behind Elliot to look at the new person and smiled in relief.

Kirsty approached them. Her hair was a glorious halo of curls with the afternoon sun setting them alight behind her. The trench coat she wore over a patterned vest and tailored pants flared out behind her like a cape. Elliot was sure he wasn’t the only person staring at her.

Even Trevor swallowed several times before trying to speak.” “Kirsty-” he barely croaked out her name.

Kirsty smiled back but it wasn’t friendly. It was of a mountain lion who knew she had her prey trapped. “It’s not illegal to record someone without their consent in a public place if they are visible and audible, especially if they don't have reasonable expectations of privacy. I looked it up. It would only be illegal if we were somewhere private. Besides,” she held up her own phone. “Tiffany wasn’t recording you. She had her phone on speaker the whole time. “I, on the other hand, was recording you.”

Of course Trevor was so arrogant he thought he could somehow talk his way out of the situation. “Look, I’m sure you’re just confused about what you saw. I’m sure you just mistook me for someone else and it’s all just a huge misunderstanding.”

Kirsty rolled her eyes and ignored him, addressing Elliot and Tiffany instead. “And look at that! He’s even gaslighting me too. He actually thinks I’m dumb enough not to believe my own eyes. Or the tracker I took off my car. Good job incriminating yourself, Gooden.” She smirked at him. “And implicating your best bud? Way to throw him under the bus. I bet he’d tell the cops it was all your idea; both the tracker and the burner phones. All to cut a deal.”

Trevor sputtered. His strategy had failed. The woman he was after was not only not interested but could put his ass in a sling and send him to jail. That shithead she lived with and their baby bitch too, they’d planned all this together. He’d fallen into their trap.

“Here’s what’s going to happen, Trevor.” Kirsty refused to let him talk. “You’re going to withdraw or transfer, I don’t care which, to another school out of state. You can tell everyone you had a family emergency or some shit, I don’t care. In exchange,” She talked over him. “Tiffany doesn’t tell her school about you trespassing and stalking her like a pervert. I don’t report the tracker and the harassing phone calls. And my dearest friend,” she smiled at Elliot and he nearly melted. “Won’t gut you alive and throw you in a vat of acid.”

“I never thought of acid,” Elliot smirked at the look of terror on Trevor’s face. Oh, how he missed his tools. Not that he needed them at the moment. Kirsty was a magnificent sword and shield.

Trevor made a last ditch effort to hurt them. “Oh yeah? Well, what if I went to Immigration about your dear friend here?” He was almost snarling. “I bet his visa’s about to run out. It’d be a shame if poor little Tiffany’s only family was deported.”

Tiffany nearly launched herself at him. “You bastard!” Elliot barely held her back. “Language, pet.”

Kirsty seemed unconcerned. “Eh, I could just marry him. Then he can get a green card and work on his citizenship.”

Trevor shook his head in disbelief. “A fake marriage? Really? This guy matters to you so much? He’s not even your real family.”

“He would be if we got married,” Kirsty reminded him. “And who said anything about a fake marriage?” She winked at Elliot, who couldn’t help but stare back as she pushed past Trevor to wrap one of her arms around Elliot’s waist and declare, “If I had a husband as charming and sweet as Elliot, I’d fuck him every day of the week and twice on Sundays.”

Tiffany started to cough in surprise. Elliot stared at Kirsty like a gormless idiot. “Er…thank you, my dear. I think.”

Kirsty laughed. “Hey, you might be a little older than me but that just means you know what you want and you’re ready to settle down. Nothing wrong with that.” Her hand slipped down and she pinched him lightly on the arse, making him yelp. “And there’s a lot to be said for experience.” She looked at Trevor with contempt. “Most guys my age couldn’t find the clitoris with a GPS.”

Tiffany fell off the edge of the fountain. They all turned to her as Elliot helped her to her feet. “I’m okay!” she let them know.

“Think about it, or prepare to have your life ruined, Trevor.” Kirsty’s tone was final. She looked at Tiffany and Elliot. “Time to go, fam.”

As they walked towards Kirsty’s car Elliot couldn’t help but say what he was thinking.

“Only twice on Sundays?”

Tiffany stumbled.

[watermelons-dont-grow-on-trees]

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this is mostly angst, not much whump happening, but it's a crucial lead up to a very whumpy chapter, also I think this is the first chapter I've posted, where Benny appears, so give the boxie a warm welcome

TW: captivity, multiple whumpers, multiple whumpees, dubcon mention, BBU mention, slight dehumanization ('it' as a pronoun appears once), angst

There was no way she could actually follow the conversation around her. Not with his arm around her shoulder, not with his fingers gently running up and down her arm.

The guys had friends over. Colleagues technically, subordinates to put it bluntly. The company has been taking off, rapidly expanding and taking up space in the industry. The friends indebted to them at best, after taking up Luke's offer to work for him, taking high ranking positions obviously. They were assets at worst, being this close to the fire meant they were the first ones to burn at their whims.

This is what Benny and Alyssa were kept for, in this new arrangement. Entertainment and menial housework as well, sure, but their importance as sentient punching bags seemed to become of top priority.

The new job and lifestyle came with it's new challenges neither of them faced before, so they were quick to air their frustration out on the pets.

Aly was still dazed from the night before. Luke's surprisingly gentle touches burnt into her memory like some sort of twisted brand. The river of "good girl"-s and "that's it"-s were constantly swirling about in her head, letting her feel a new wave of hope and pride. Two emotions she hadn't had the chance to feel in a long time. And so she held her chin a bit higher, her back straighter, fixing her posture, and she followed Luke around like a puppy, when he asked her to accompany them for the afternoon. She actually didn't think twice before replying, forgetting saying "no" was never an option she could choose in the first place.

The guests were seated in the freshly furnished second floor living room. Aly heard them gush about the house, admiring the architecture and thanking the guys profusely for inviting them over. Another bout of pride flooded her mind, it was her home as well.

The guests paid barely any mind to her, at first actively avoiding even looking at her. As the evening progressed, Benny kept refilling the glasses. Elegant and well-practiced motions, never letting a single drop spill down to the table. He kept silent, gazed averted from his betters, he only occasionally glanced over at his master for approval, which Cole was delighted to give. It was rare that Benny wasn't making a show of himself. This time he was well dressed, hair combed back elegantly, almost matching his master's, his usual look of dreamy adoration was replaced by strict focus. If Aly didn't know better, she would have thought he was committed to the role, putting in the effort to look this smooth and captivating to watch as he worked. She always felt that he didn't have a choice, or a mind of his own. The well trained box boy acted like an enchanted puppet, following his master's orders, letting the years of training kicking in, his muscle memory taking over his body, elegantly following Cole's commands. And today he was silent, completing his only task, to wait on the guests, only catching Aly's knowing stare. They rarely talked, still, they shared a semblance of solidarity.

That night however, Aly was sitting on the couch, and Luke casually threw his arm around her. The questions about her started around two drinks in.

"How long have you had it?" one of the men nodded towards her "Is she a boxie, I can't see a barcode" a woman joined in, stretching her neck to look at her hands she kept folded in her lap.

Luke answered all questions, smiling and laughing about, he seemed to barely acknowledg her presence. Aly felt immense shame creeping up her face, she was sure her cheeks were red as tomatoes.

She couldn't pay attention to the rest of the conversation, even if she wanted to. His hand resting around her, his touch burning her skin as he kept carressing her arm.

The casualty of it, the way they talked over her as if she was another piece of expensive furniture mixed into a catastrophic concoction with the "good girl"-s and "that's it"-s.

She felt some tears stinging her eyes, before they could fall she decided to bolt.

She jumped up from the sofa and ran to her room. She heard the startled gasps of the guests and Cole's not so subtle "What the fuck?". Before shutting the door she also made out a mortified "I'll check on her". She sat down on the ground finally letting her tears fall freely.

There was a soft knock on the wood behind her, before she was hit in the back by Luke trying to enter.

"What did I tell you about trying to lock your door?" he asked, not forcing it open just yet. She just sniffled, unable to answer. She knew she wasn't supposed to be sitting against the door. He was free to come and go as he pleased, of course she knew that. But Aly needed a few moments of peace.

"I'll go inside no matter what" he warned before pushing the door in, and succeeding this time. Aly was sitting just beside the entryway, curled up by the wall.

"What's the matter with you?" Luke crouched down and he pulled her hand away from her face to look at her.

"I'm sorry" she blurted out instinctively between two sobs "I'm sorry, Sir"

"You were so good all day, why would you ruin it like this?" he asked with worry poisoned with condescension in his voice.

"I-I don-don't know, I'm so so-so-sorry, I'm so confused" she admitted.

"Confused?" Luke asked with genuine surprise. He sat down next to her "About what?"

"Y-you were so, so gentle and, and k-kind" Aly tried really hard to fix the sentence together "And today the guests... you... I thought- it felt like you..." she couldn't finish as another bout of sobs wrecked her body.

"You're thinking way too much for your own good" he petted her hair, still not understanding what went wrong.

"Do you... uhm, do you like me?" the question came out weak, barely audible. It sounded childish and she cursed herself for that.

"Of course I do, darling, I love you" he chuckled, taken aback "How could you ask me that?"

"The way you spoke about me, is that what you really think?

"I love you like one does a darling pet, don't you forget that" "Doesn't matter if we're in bed, or having guests over, I don't want you to be confused, so I'll remind you of that, and we'll fix you up tomorrow alright?" her heart sank. She knew what he meant by that, but she didn't protest, as she knew she will pay for it the following day. She could only pray that the guests weren't going to complain as to not earn her some extra sessions with Luke.

"It's okay, Claire" he breathed as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"What?" she looked up puzzled. And Luke blushed with embarrassment.

"Let's go back to the others" he got up quickly, yanking Aly by the arm with him "You won't make a bigger scene right? I don't feel like making a show of dragging you back on a leash" his voice was cold, empty of all warmth that usually radiates from him. She nodded and followed him, wiping away wet tracks of tears before walking back outside.

She let a few harsh comments fly by, before tuning the conversation out again. Luke was visibly uneasy, posessively putting a hand on Coles thigh, and deliberately pulling away from Aly.

It didn't take long for his stress to alleviate, as Cole reached over to hold his free hand. He relaxed again, slumping back into the couch joining the conversation like nothing had happened.

After the guests left, and he lay in bed staring at the ceiling he couldn't help but go back to that moment. Cole was draped over him, fast asleep, and Luke kept stroking his back.

He hadn't thought about Claire in a long time. Never really forgetting her, but keeping her memory on the periphery of his consciousness.

He hated to admit how much Alyssa reminded him of her. They had that same exact conversation, a long time ago, he almost forgot about it.

The way they both sat on the floor, crying. A beautiful view when he smoothed the blonde locks of hair behind their ears. They asked him if he loved them and he answered truthfully. He felt he had a chance now to make up for the past as best as he could.

[purplesurveys]

1858

Do you know anyone who has divorced and remarried the same person? What do you/would you think of someone who does that? I don't think so. In theory I wouldn't care, but tbh I don't encounter divorce all that much. It's not legal here so I can't say I understand the complexities of it all that much.

Do you say goodnight to anybody before you go to bed? If so, does it feel weird if you go to bed without saying it to them? No one, unless we count the dogs. Yes, I need to say goodnight to them otherwise I'd feel bad. I also have this whole routine with them where I pinch their cheeks and tell them how handsome they've been today, before I head up myself to turn in haha.

Do you have a favourite role of Johnny Depp's? If you don't like him, what is your favourite role of an actor you like? I do not have a favorite Johnny Depp movie. But to answer the other question, I loved Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting. Okay, him and Robin Williams because he was also terrific as the therapist.

Why did you/your parents choose to live where you do now? Would you move right now if you were able to? Why/why not? If so, where would you like to go? It's a quiet village, and it remains conveniently close to my grandma – meaning while we have a place of our own, it still allows us to reach her quickly for any emergencies. We also wanted to get out because of all the alcohol problems going on the duplex; and because, simply put, living as 12 people in a home designed for 5 was just too suffocating.

I can't move out now if we're talking about my dream location (BGC) because it's too expensive and I want to save up quite a bit more if I want to be able to afford that lifestyle. If any other place than BGC though I think I could already start managing.

If someone broke into your house and robbed you, what could they take that would piss you off or upset you the most? To what lengths would you go to get it back? Has something like this already happened to you before? The dogs, including Kimi's urn. Also my phone tbh, since all my memories are there.

The phone will probably be easy enough to give up, but I won't stop fighting for the dogs, I imagine.

Was there something you were afraid of as a child that just seems silly to you now? Alcohol. I thought it was poison based from how horribly my elders managed their drinks. When I tried it out for the first time and learned to enjoy it, that's when I discovered that it really just depends on the person.

Do you like coffee? I love coffee, which is proving to be torture for me right now because I went through a recent health scare that requires me to skip coffee :(

When did you last make up a baby’s bottle? Never.

Do you eat your dinner at a dining table, coffee table or just off your lap? Either at the dining table or living room couch. Much infrequently, my room.

Did you go to high school with your current best friend? Yes. I even went to college with her, albeit for different degrees.

Do you take part in paying the bills for your household? Technically, no, because my parents refuse my help; but I send them a cut from my pay every two weeks nonetheless.

How many cars can fit in your driveway? Around 3.

Have you ever slapped someone in the face? Yes.

Last person you took a nap with? I guess the overnight with my workmates last month counts as a nap? We had an event with a 2 AM calltime so we went ahead and booked a hotel nearby, but we didn't start turning in til 12 AM.

Does seeing your mother cry automatically make you feel sad as well? Sure.

Have you ever given up on someone, but then went back to them later? Kind of, yeah.

Is your last ex currently in a relationship? I neither know nor care. I haven't for a while now.

Do you think the last person you kissed has feelings for you? No, they don't.

Have you ever been punched in the face? Nope.

Are you the type of person who seeks out revenge? The most I do is visualize it in my head for that brief feeling of satisfaction, but I have never acted any form of revenge out.

Have you ever been asked out by someone you didn’t want to be with? Yes.

Who is the last person to call you gorgeous? I can't remember.

Do you think a lot before you fall asleep? Nah, I just go through IG reels for some funny memes lmao. I never want to be back in that phase where thinking keeps me up at night.

Would you rather have your parents catch you having sex or smoking weed? Sex, I guess. They'd have a much more violent reaction with anything related to drugs.

Do you like it when people call you babe? No.

Would you ever get your nipples pierced? Never.

Does it bother you to get shots in the mouth? Does it hurt? Well so far, no. I've gotten shots in the teeth twice for wisdom tooth extractions, and they both felt like nothing. I guess it's a matter of the dentist and if they'd be heavy-handed or not.

Ever ride in a limo? When did you last do so? Never been in a limo.

Do you have a lot of self-discipline? I'd say for the most part I have it in check, but I'm awful in a few contexts lol like how I always get food delivery even WHEN I DO NOT HAVE MONEY

Have you ever been to another country’s capital city? I have been to two – Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. I'm not counting Singapore, lol.

What’s something that has upset you lately? Hearing of instances of pet neglect/abuse.

What’s something you don’t think people take seriously enough? Education. I could very well go on and on about this. It's very frustrating.

Have you ever dated someone who had a child from a previous relationship? Nope.

What’s your favorite kind of soup? I love a good creamy mushroom soup, or miso soup.

Have you ever been 4-wheeling? Once with my family, on our trip to Ilocos over a decade ago.

Will you be attending any weddings in the near future? Probably :)

Do you have any important anniversaries you celebrate? [trigger warning: suicide] It's important to me, but April 7 is the day I discovered BTS; I've also associated it as the day I was pretty much saved from killing myself, because I already had had plans to do so that month.

What will be the next concert you attend? Not a concert but I am thinking about going to Kim Soo Hyun's fanmeet next month.

Have you ever seen a horseshoe crab? They’re scary, right?! Yeah, I see what you mean.

When was the last time you had a hangover? May last year.

Do you own many pairs of shorts? I wouldn't call it many. It's like, 5 pairs.

Who was the last person you texted? Hans.

When was the last time you felt like letting it all out and having a cry? I cried every day, January to February of this year. I thought it was never going to end. I'm very happy I managed to get myself out of that rut.

When was the last time someone made you feel like an idiot? Ooh that was like last week when I was asking a question sincerely and my mom answered me like I was the dumbest. I haaaaaaated it and wasn't able to hold back either – I remember asking her to please don't talk to me like I'm stupid.

Would you allow your children to date prior to 16? Sure.

What was the last restaurant you made a reservation at? Circles.

Would you rather read a book, or listen to the audiobook? Read.

What is your favorite book? I haven't found it yet.

What is something you're insecure about? Mmm, maybe the bumps on my forehead. They're not a lot, but it still bothers me because it used to be clear.

What do you consider your biggest accomplishment? Moving on from my breakup allowed me to heal and soar in a way I've never done before. Hans and Angela always remark on it.

Who knows you the best? I don't know. I want to say Andi.

Will anyone be visiting your house any time soon? I don't think so.

Scroll through your camera roll quickly without looking, then stop it with your finger. What's the first picture your eye lands on? Jungkook.

Have you ever been chased by a dog? Only in a playful context.

What's your favourite kind of soda? Ooh, I don't like soda.

Do you have a drink with you right now? What is it? Just water.

What was the last app you opened on your phone? Photos, because you asked me to check my camera roll.

Is your voice high, low, or somewhere in the middle? It's ever so slightly on the low side.

Are you wearing any rings right now? Nope.

How many beds are in your home?F Four.

What is the last thing you ate? Paella.

Who is your favorite person to spend time with? Angela and Hans.

Are you considered a "clingy girlfriend"? When I was in a relationship, I used to be.

Are you good at multitasking? Yes, especially at work.

When's the last time you went to a nightclub? Around three weeks ago, but it was for work because it was an event that was held in a nightclub.

[can-of-pringles]

For your OCs that don't have pets, what pets would they want to adopt (in theory even if they can't in practice). For your OCs that do have pets, what are they and why did they choose to adopt that particular animal?

OCs that don't have pets:

Fox: She chooses not to have a pet due to her job and constantly having to be away from home. As well as how dangerous her job is. It wouldn't be fair to the animal. But if she could have a pet, she'd have a dog. Probably a big dog, like a lab.

Arline Lanes: It's more like she doesn't have a pet yet. Honestly, it's only a matter of time lol. She loves animals and isn't picky on what type. She does have to have Viktor's permission though. She'd probably end up with a dog or cat type of creature. (It's Arcane so it isn't really rooted in reality obviously) although I can actually imagine them having a Great Pyrenees type of dog when they live more out in the country.

Carina Shepherd: Doesn't have pets due to related trauma from the lab. But she'd probably have a cat.

Arith: Not sure if it counts but Arith did have a horse named Frost. He currently doesn't have a pet because of the emotional toll it would take on him. Ironically he seems like a cat guy.

Iriel: Again, she does have her horse, Rose, for a long time, but I just don't know if that counts. She doesn't have any other animals but she does often foster cats and dogs.

Kaia: Aziraphale and Crowley don't seem like the pet type so she didn't grow up having pets. She probably would have a cat though.

Odel: Doesn't have any pets. Probably would get one after marrying Kaia. I could see her liking Guinea Pigs.

Eliška Hasek: I feel like it would be odd for her to have a pet... if she had one though it would probably be something like a fish?

Lee Quinn: Her adoptive mother didn't let her have any pets growing up, although now since she's in the dreaming there's not much stopping her from having a dream pet. Honestly, she'd probably come up with some sort of cute dog-shark hybrid thing.

OCs that do have pets:

Dannie Karim: Okay this is a bit of a cheat since service dogs aren't technically pets. But obviously, when Missy is off duty she gets to act like a regular dog. Missy is a red poodle and a Diabetic Alert dog.

Willow Tree: Willow does have all those horses, though I don't know if it counts. Either way, they also have a little terrier type of dog. As for why? Idk I feel like it's a stable for equestrian barns to have dogs around lol.

Silas Petersson: He has a Swedish Elkhound named Blizzard. He kind of always grew up with dogs and so once he had moved out and stuff he was missing that. He ended up adopting Blizzard at a shelter I think...

Marigold Rosales: I've talked before about how she looked after a stray cat as a kid for a bit and how that turned out. But anyway I feel like she's in a grey area because even though Mr. Quackers is Rosie's pet duck, he's treated more like a family pet.

Rosie Rosales-Maximoff: Speaking of... Rosie had to get a pet duck, it was destiny /j she gets Mr. Quackers for her 13th birthday I think.

Allison Dahir: She has a Guinea Pig named Piglet. If my memory is right she used to have a budgie growing up. After that, she wanted to try another type of pet, one still small though. That's how she ended up getting a Guinea Pig.

[shih-coulda-had-it]

my hero academia s6e8 (or episode 121, depends on how you count) thoughts on the gran torino scene, and how it’s different from ch 281

(tl;dr: The official manga translation offered more nuance than the anime subtitles I saw on my streaming site of choice, and if Nana really did say, “I never had any children. Not ever, Sorahiko. I am childless,” then I hope the Inko Shimura theorists have a very good day.)

//

what’s fascinating about the anime adaptation is that it finally gives context as to WHO is really speaking, and whether it’s out loud or an internal voice. so, for starters, when reading 281 i didn’t think that Gran Torino’s analysis (’Todoroki’s packing less fire now...’) extended to the next, ‘This one’s also seen better days! He’s pushing past his limits to keep fighting!’

og interpretation was that it was Shigaraki’s narration re:Torino (see me, completely glossing over the ‘also’, d’oh); this is technically a back-to-back fight for Torino, after the hospital raid. and, of course, Gran Torino is the oldest hero present. so he’s seen ‘better days.’

(honestly? a similar layered interpretation of the text/visual happened earlier, when Izuku was talking about how their first priority is to protect ‘the teacher who’s watched over us this whole time’, and OBVIOUSLY he means Aizawa, but with Gran Torino in frame, you could read it as applying to him too! [and the fact that it didn’t... Izuku you unfilial disciple hahaha])

//

subtitle translations vs caleb’s translations: who’s right? idk!

[caleb’s: “What a face... Shimura!”

subs: “How did he turn into this thing, Shimura?”]

i have Tea with this difference. when you first read the official manga translation, the words are superimposed over a frame of Shigaraki’s manic glee (which, uh, clap clap screencap redrawers, every Shigaraki frame is a base for a Nana shot). if you read this manga with Severe Projection, you can interpret this as Gran Torino seeing his sworn friend’s expression on his sworn enemy’s, thus why the flashback kicks in.

(i’m just saying, i think a strong memory for Gran Torino is him getting pinned by Nana and staring up at her triumphant grin, hair falling out of its half up-do.)

now the anime subtitles... ohhhh. okay. it’s strong evidence for Gran Torino’s no-mercy attitude towards Shigaraki. he’s seeing Shigaraki as a thing, not a person. but it’s very heavy handed!!

if Gran Torino was going to have the flashback, I would rather it be jolted free because Shigaraki reminded Torino of Nana on one of her worst days, not because he’s scrabbling to connect cause-and-effects.

//

ach, the scene. the SCENE. WITH THE AUDIO ADDED. it unfortunately did not receive any additional animation shots, but i’m satisfied with the render. now, the script. the script i am bothered by.

[caleb’s --

Nana: I tinkered with the family records [Koseki] to keep him off the trail. Because if he were to ever learn of Kotarou... he’d be sure to exploit our connection. And so, I have no son. I never did. Sorahiko, I have no son...

subs --

Nana: The ID has been altered, no one can trace it. If he learned about Kotarou’s existence, he’d use it for his bidding. I never had any children. Not ever, Sorahiko. I am childless.]

the manga translation is pretty straightforward, and others have commented on the difficulty Nana must have faced in illegally tampering with those records, so I’m just going to comment on the subtitles.

ahem. WHAT. does it really translate like this?? this is food for the Inko Shimura theorists!! plural, children? PLURAL, CHILDREN? i feel like this takes away from the significance of it being KOTAROU who was fostered! and then when Nana says “I never had any children”, that’s the moment they choose for Gran Torino’s head to turn!! what the fuck!!

i think Bones also missed an opportunity for Nana’s VA’s voice to break when saying “I have no son” or “I am childless”. it’s evident in the manga speech bubble that Nana is STRUGGLING to maintain her composure by this point, and THAT is what gets Gran Torino’s attention, what makes him attempt to offer comfort to his friend. >:,(

//

last difference before Gran Torino gets absolutely bodied in HD,

[caleb’s --

Sorahiko: Shimura... the decision we made... was it...

subs --

Sorahiko: Shimura, our decision back then...]

i don’t have any beef here, since ‘the decision we made’ and ‘our decision’ are essentially the same thing, but in the manga translation, Gran Torino is more or less teetering on the point of remorse (and landing firmly on, ‘ah man, we gotta make the kill shot now’). the anime... I think you can hear it? It’s very choked out.

[promiseofthepremise]

one line, any fic

tagged by: @seek--rest who is apparently trying to single handedly remind me I like the things I've written how dare you truly

tagging: if you see this you have been tagged by me go forth and appreciate your own writing <3

rules: pick any 10 of your fics, scroll somewhere to the mid point, pick a line, and share it! Then tag 10 people.

choosing based on vibes alone good for me and if some of these are technically more than one line leave me alone shhh:

time & spaces.

Michelle remembers the day he had sat on the floor in the hall and installed a new lock in her door by hand, chain and all to make her feel as secure in her privacy as he could. She remembers that day, and she finds that not even a lock would make her feel secure here, that more than anything she wants to leave.

wake just in time (to say their goodbyes)

Breathing hard, a cloud of heat against frigid air proving the time of year in the space right before his mask, he stands at the edge of a building and looks out at the city, listens to the celebrations happening around him, an echoing diameter of joy that hits him with a ringing numbness.

caught in the middle

Color and shape and the fading of both into something visceral and terrifying.

this is a gift (it comes with a price)

Huge city and any number of places for them to spend their evenings and still, somehow, they end up sitting atop the same rooftop, watching those more human than them go about their short, massive lives down below.

icarus is an old friend

In a passing moment Peter’s eyes drift down to Ned’s lips-- a dream without context except for a feeling-- and in that same passing moment, Ned is breathing out,“oh, fuck it,”and taking Peter’s face in his hands as he kisses him hard on the mouth.

adagio in double time

Love like standing beside each other at the barre; love like a Barbie Nutcracker DVD and a tray of second-favorite cookies; love like good news and bad news and all of it over coffee and tea; love like knowing the way to his aunt’s house and the way through his kitchen.

Love. God,love,like a thing she might just burst with.

a haunted house (with a picket fence)

At some point, Michelle stole the camera out of his hands, replaced it with the baby, and pushed them both to stand beside the Spider-Man cut-out. The party at large jeered at him as he pulled faces at them. Max got an absolute kick out of it and that picture would unironically become his phone background for many months to come.

Rarely Pure and Never Simple

When he led Michelle upstairs with an arm around her shoulders and sat her down at the kitchen table, he was immediately bombarded by the fearful, buzzing energy of Peter meeting his eye from across the room, a question of what happened dangling in between them.

Tony mouthed a simple we’re okay and got to work on making lunch.

Available Light

If he could take a photograph of something, if he could develop the film with his own two hands and watch the image appear in the darkroom, he felt secure in his grasp on what was going on around him. He could have faith in his memories when he could hold the negative in his hands and he could know that he was seeing the same things as everyone else when he showed prints to MJ and May and Tony and they gushed and griped over how he’d captured them. 

but, at least

A piece was still missing, and a structurally important one at that, but sometimes laughing is just as cathartic as crying. Sometimes, it’s the only way for sadness to leave the body. 

[thesoulprophecies]

My Favourite Book Characters.

As a socially awkward introvert, I often prefer book characters to real people. There’s just something about being able to relate to people in fiction that is so much more interesting than the real world, although, any good story should be able to transport the reader out of the real world. I particularly love characters that are honest, sincere and quirky, and I can’t get enough of strong and smart female characters, and emotionally in-tune male characters, they are great role models for young people today. Imperfections bring characters to life, perfect characters are nice, but they sometimes lack the humanity of characters who have some flaws. Here are a few characters who have stood out to me over the last decade…

R – Warm Bodies

‘None of us are particularly attractive, but death has been kinder to me than some. I’m still in the early stages of decay. Just the grey skin, the unpleasant smell, the dark circles under my eyes. I could almost pass for a living man in need of a vacation. Before I became a zombie I must have been a businessman, a banker or broker or some young temp learning the ropes, because I’m wearing fairly nice clothes. Black slacks, grey shirt, red tie.’ R, Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion.  

R is a zombie who has thoughts and even, sort of, feelings. He is the first character that made me ask myself: ‘what if zombies weren’t just mindless killing machines like we see in films all the time, what if they actually did have thoughts? What would a zombie even think?’ It’s an intriguing question and puts a new spin on the zombie stereotype.

The zombies’ need for brains is clever as when they eat a living person’s brain, they see the memories that person had, and they experience a glimpse of life. It’s almost as though the zombies crave brains because they crave being alive again. R first ‘sees’ Julie through eating her boyfriend’s brains and for once feels something more than just a desire to eat living flesh, he chooses to protect Julie. I loved how R’s character viewed the world around him and questioned his existence, despite being technically dead. His awkward friendship grows slowly with Julie, and as he gradually becomes more human and starts to fall in love with her, he feels guilty for being responsible for her boyfriend’s death. The complex nature of R and Julie’s relationship, and the burdens of being alive and being dead, along with the desire to live life breathes realism into these characters.

R is a character people can relate to, he’s done a lot of ‘wrong’ things whilst being a zombie, he’s literally been to the lowest point you can go, dead, and he’s trying to rise above it and find reasons to live life again. It’s also nice to see a male character getting in touch with their emotions.

James Carstairs – A Clockwork Angel

‘He wore a light loose-fitting set of trousers and a collarless shirt, with a black silk dressing gown tied loosely over them. She had been right. He was young, probably the same age as Will, and the impression of youth was heightened by his slightness.’… ‘No wonder that in the moonlight his pale skin seemed to shine like Will’s witchlight. His hair was pale silver as well, as were his angular eyes.’ JEM, A Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare.

Jem is a musically talented, kind and intelligent character. He is quiet and reserved but brave and doesn’t like people worrying about him or his illness. He has a quiet confidence and strength; unlike his friend Will who is loud and brash.

Jem is the definition of ‘life not being fair’. He is fighting an illness that has no cure and he also falls in love with the same woman as his best friend. I think for a lot of people there are times when life isn’t fair, so having a character embody this feeling immediately makes him relatable. He’s also another male character who seems to be in-tune with people’s feelings and his own emotions.

Ophelia – A Winter’s Promise

‘The nose kept coming. Soon after, a pair of glasses emerged, then the arch of an eyebrow, a forehead, a mouth, a chin, cheeks, eyes, hair, a neck, and ears. Suspended there, above the shoulders, in the center of the mirror, the face looked to the right, then to the left. Next, a bit further down, a bended knee poked through, and in tow came a body that pulled itself right out of the mirrored wardrobe, as if from a bathtub. Once clear of the mirror, the figure amounted to nothing more than a worn-out old coat, a pair of gray-tinted glasses, and a long three-colored scarf. And under these thick layers, there was Ophelia.’ Ophelia, A Winter’s Promise by Christelle Dabos.

Ophelia is a petite, intelligent character who prefers museums and books to people. She lives on an Ark called Anima and has the ability to ‘see’ the history of objects that she touches in the form of visions. Ophelia is practical, fearless and shows virtually no interest in romance. This is in complete contrast to how a lot of female characters are portrayed in other works of fiction. To quote Shakespeare ‘Though she be but little, she is fierce’ accurately describes Ophelia.

Arya – A Game Of Thrones

‘Sansa had gotten their mother’s fine high cheekbones and thick auburn hair of the Tullys. Arya took after their lord father. Her hair was a lusterless brown, and her face was long and solemn. Jeyne used to call her Arya Horseface and neigh whenever she came near.’ Arya, A Game Of Thrones by George R. R. Martin.

Arya feels like a misfit compared to the other girls and her sister. She’s not good at needlework or musically talented. She prefers the pursuits her brothers are allowed to enjoy; riding horses, archery and swordplay. After devastation hits her family, Arya is forced to flee and turns away from the life of a gentle lady and becomes stronger and skilled with weapons. Brienne of Tarth, the only female knight in A Game Of Thrones is similar to Arya, both being women who choose to pursue stereotypically male pursuits. It’s the feminist statement that women can do commonly male associated things just as well as any man, and it’s great to see characters like Arya.

Frodo – The Lord Of The Rings

”A stout little fellow with red cheeks,’ said Mr. Butterbur solemnly…. ‘[Taller] than some and fairer than most, and he has a cleft in his chin: perky chap with a bright eye. Begging your pardon, but he said it, not me.’ – Gandalf describing Frodo and leaving a letter with Barliman Butterbur, The Lord Of The Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.

Frodo is a loyal and brave character who takes on the burden of The One Ring when nearly everyone else is afraid to touch it. He is compassionate and is not afraid to go to Mordor alone in order to protect his friends, although Sam does not let him go off by himself. Frodo is almost a perfect character; he is recognised as being uniquely different by other characters in the story, namely though his ability to carry the ring for so long. Though Frodo is full of doubt, every obstacle he faces he doubts himself but with help from his friends and some determination he manages to get through. Frodo is a weak character, lacking strength and the power of typical heroes, but his will is strong.

Hermione Granger – Harry Potter

‘She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair and rather large front teeth.’ – Hermione Granger, Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone by J. K. Rowling.

Hermione is strong, brave and book smart. Her intelligence often saves her, Harry and Ron as they go through the years at Hogwarts. It’s great to see a female character portrayed as strong and intelligent and not immediately obsessed with boys and relationships.

[organchordsandlightning]

for the ask game... 9??

from the fanfic writer ask game

9. What’s your favorite line(s) or scene(s) that you have written?

it's funny, I was trying to think of what constituted 'favorites' and I thought of two different categories.

There's technical aspects I'm fond of: I try to include a lot of humor in my writing, and what I like best in the whole wide blue world is to make something funny while being a little bit sad. (from Catacomb Killer, Disco Elysium: here, Harry is in a half-dream, half-memory with his ex-fiance, Dora, while chasing down a potential child serial killer. A big point of this scene is that Dream!Dora does not want to be forgotten, only because Real Life Harry does not want to forget her. Ultimately, he chooses in this scene to leave his dream ex-fiance and rejoin his new partner, with the understanding that he won't ever forget Dora, not really.)

YOU – “Well, knowing me… I’ll drop by your metaphorical grave and bring flowers, from time to time. I’m not perfect.” DORA INGERLUND – “That’s fine. Sweet of you, even. Do you know what a memory’s favorite flowers are?” LOGIC [Hard: Failure] – You do not. DORA INGERLUND – She grins. “Forget-me-nots.”

(from i'm afraid to come home in the dark, MASH, WIP: post-suicide attempt, Captain Hawkeye Pierce is kept in a psychiatric institution [with all the fantastic, forward thinking care you can expect from the 1950s state hospitals]. Hawkeye Pierce is a surgeon and a terrible patient, with a penchant for cracking wise when he really shouldn't and insisting that he is absolutely fine.

this passage I'm particularly fond of because (a) it highlights Hawkeye's repetition when he gets stressed and the tape player in his mind starts to bunch up ['you know'], (b) Hawkeye gets to use a medical term *and* get a dig at the Army, and (c) in what other scenario do I get to make a medical-foot-tapping-pulse-rate pun?

“Do you gotta count how many times I tap my foot?” Hawkeye asked quizzically. The doc had been quiet for the better part of five minutes. This conversation was going long, as visits went. “Because you know, I gotta keep track of that sort of thing. For pulse, you know. You count for fifteen seconds and multiply by four to get their heart rate. It’s a beautiful marvel of efficiency. I wonder who invented it. Probably the Army.” If there was anything he really hated about this place, it was that it made him feel crazy. What doctor didn’t talk when they were spoken to? This man, with his stuffy hair and glasses, was barely looking up from his paperwork. “Am I looking low, doc? High? A little tappy-cardia on this fine evening? You know,” he said, tilting back in his chair.

secondly, looking back on things, I'm always really fond of scenes that are just particularly vivid in my head. Whether it's something I've planned the whole scene around or just popped up as I was writing, I'm always able to exactly remember how I intend the scene to look/feel.

(from third time's the charm, Malevolent, WIP: Arthur and Parker are in hospital, Arthur is on his very first detective case. For Undisclosed Plot Reasons, Parker has told Arthur to go home, misguidedly thinking that things have gotten too intense for him and he doesn't want to put Arthur in any more danger. Arthur disagrees.)

Parker’s lips twisted again. He reached up to press a few strands of his hair back into place. Almost immediately, they fell forward across his forehead. His eyes studied Arthur, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that Parker could see straight through his body to his stuttering heart. “Something happened to you, Mr. Lester,” Parker said. To his stuttering heart, indeed.  Parker gave a turn on his heel, continued his walk down the hallway. His words echoed. “Something bad.”

[asexyattorney]

So I just finished the final episode of Stone Ocean and nothing could have prepared me for this. Not only did I experience too many emotions, I think it was all of them. All at once. At accelerated time. Until the universe broke.

Okay but dramatics aside I really really really loved this finale. Especially how it dealt with the overall theme of memories being what essentially determines someone's life. We first got this with FF's finale words when they said that even if foo fighters came back, it wouldn't be them, because they were the memories they made after meeting Jolyne. Then Weather Report was basically the opposite of that. He was technically alive but didn't have his memories, which Pucci said was worse than dying. Then, before he actually died, he regained his memories which made him truly come alive again, and in the end, it was his memory (his stand) that defeated Pucci.

And that really drives home the emotional equivalent of running into a brick wall at 30x the normal speed that was the ending of Stone Ocean. Yes, everyone (except FF!) came back, but it wasn't really them. They had different names, I guess to drive the point home, but most importantly, they didn't have any of their memories. So by FFs earlier argument, they really did all die, in all the ways that count. And so did FF since Jolyne now doesn't remember them either.

I also really appreciated Jotaro's arc in this. I never expected to like him as a character, but I really loved how he was ultimately defeated -again- by choosing to save Jolyne, this time not just at the cost of his own life but the entire universe.

That all being said I have one major criticism, and that is Jolyne. I hated how basically since her dad showed up, she didn't really do much anymore. Letting him and Anasui take command. Just overall being pretty passive. And even at the end when she helps Emporio escape and fights Pucci directly, we don't even actually see any of that?

In my perfect version of the ending, it would have been her instead who is the lone survivor of Made in Heaven. When she gets to Puccis universe, she still sees her alternate self with her dad. She doesn't have her stand anymore because the Joestars don't exist and neither should she. Pucci goes for the final kill, and just like in the original, she gets Weather Report instead and defeats him.

I get that having the 11 year old child experience all of this hits a lot harder, but considering that Jolyne is the protagonist, I really feel it should have been her at the end. (Plus also that would have saved me from having to experience the whole Anasui × Jolyne is cannon now thing).

Still, the ending was incredible, and when distant dreamer started playing only to then fade into roundabout I was crying so hard and it was such an emotional punch. Truly the end of an era.