#platonic lava too

[rainofthetwilight]

I'm not sick, I swear.

Summary: Kai is coming down with a cole and didn't tell anyone. Unluckily for him, Cole had noticed.

Wordcount: 1.5k

guess who also has a cold and is writing this??? ME!! third fic ever, and a suprisingly fluffy one compared to my other two! enjoy these two idiots :)) (also, this can be taken as both platonic and romantic! idm!)

posted this on my ao3 here!

For what felt like the one-hundreth time that night, Kai sneezed into the tissue loudly.

 He groaned as he wiped the disgusting snot from his nose, and then folded the tissue. Face red, he threw it on the ground carelessly, not even aiming to the small bin besides the TV. So many other tissues were stacked ontop of the bin, most of them having fallen out from the lack of balance. Kai knew he should clean it up, but he was too tired to deal with that.  

He just hopes that he would find a good excuse for it the next morning.  

He sniffed, slouching on the living room couch and crossing his arms. The TV wasn't on, so he was practically staring at nothing, but he couldn't handle staying in his warm room and needed somewhere to cool off. And with it being midnight, where the air was cooler, he assumed it should help.  

He swore this shitty cold wasn't this bad last morning.  

He hated how he felt his nose itch constantly, he hated those random tears that would form out of nowhere, and he hated how sensitive his skin felt. It was one of the reasons why he was wearing one of his hoodies, paired with black leggings that didn't make him feel so uncomfortable. It itched a little, but he didn't care. Besides, he has kept his cold a secret, and had just brushed it off whenever someone noticed something weird about him. It helped somewhat, since he'd only itch whenever he has a sickness of some sort.  

Sniffing again, Kai coughed, the mucus that was currently going down his throat annoying him so much. The taste was horrible, and from that he felt like he couldn't even eat. Pairing it with the usual inability to breathe through his nose, it felt impossible. He didn't even know if his stomach was actually full.  

Kai attempted to make some tea for himself, knowing it would help with his sore throat. And honestly, it did a little, but it still didn't help enough.  

Only Zane's warm Honey Lemon tea could help. It always did wonders.

 But of course, he was hiding this forsaken cold.  

Feeling that familiar irritating itch attacking his nose again, his mind had practically screamed 'Oh no.' as he knew what was coming. Sitting up, he sneezed louder than the last time, and he instantly grabbed a tissue from the holder next to him. He blowed into the tissue, and quickly folded it in disgust as he threw it on the ground the same way he did with the previous.  

He hated this. He hated this so much.

 Groaning again, Kai wiped the drool from his mouth using his already wet sleeve, and moved from the middle of the couch to the edge, leaning on the couch's arm as he snuggled. His arms hugged his knees, keeping them close to his chest. He should probably be going back to his room, because there should be no way someone hasn't woken up from his sneezing. But he had brushed it off, knowing Cole's bear snoring probably deafened the loud sneezing.

 Huffing, he threw his head back, staring at the ceiling. He could've brought his phone with him as a distraction, but it had sadly powered off and was still charging. He attempted to breathe in and out through his nose slowly, but he just couldn't. He'd always exhale through his mouth.  

When will this nightmare end?  

Sighing once more, he sniffed and shut his heavy eyes, trying to keep his breathing steady. He released his hands from his knees and crossed his arms, his head heavily moving to rest against the couch's backrest. He stayed like that for a while, about to fall asleep-  

"Kai?"  

Jumping, Kai yelped at hearing the sudden voice, his eyes as wide as saucers as he almost fell from the couch. He held onto the top of the backrest with a strong grip, his wide eyes quickly darting from the ground to the figure at the door.

It was Cole.  

He had his hand on the already open door, wearing his black tank top and pants. He had looked at frightened brunette with confusion, who had seemed as tired as he was.

"Jeez, Cole, you gave me a heart attack!" Kai hissed, removing his hand from the backrest dramatically putting it on his chest.

 "What are you doing here?" The Earth master spoke again, this time with a less tired voice. Kai didn't answer. He crossed his arms, not making eye contact with Cole. Cole sighed in frustration.  

"That doesn't answer my question." He said, walking over to where Kai had been sitting at and sat down next to him. Cole noticed how he attempted to scootch away a little. He raised his eyebrow, his eyes scanning Kai. His nose was red, and his eyes looked teary and heavy. Cole knew what this was, and instantly brought his hand to Kai's forehead. For the love of the First master, he was burning. Alarmed, Kai jumped slightly at the sudden touch.

"What the-"  

"You're sick, aren't you?" Cole removed his hand from Kai's forehead, resting his arms on his knees. Kai's eyes had widened, starting to fidget with his hands.  

"I'm not."

"Kai, you're burning. You're literally a hothead."

"I swear I'm not. I'm just hotter than usual."  

"That doesn't make sense. You are sick."

  "I'm not."

  "You are."  

Defeated, Kai grunted, looking down in embarresment. Sighing, he wished he could've just stayed in his room instead.  

"Fine, I am." He mumbled, still refusing to make eye contact. Cole smirked, crossing his arms. He knew that there was something off about Kai the entire time, and it turned out he was right.  

"Did you atleast get any rest?"  

Kai stayed silent.  

Well, shit.  

"..No." He muttered quickly, still looking down and hugging himself.

Cole sighed for what felt like the millionth time, "We told you one too many times before, firecracker. You need to rest-'  

"I'm fine, Cole. I don't need rest. I swear." Kai argued, shaking his head in disagreement. Cole sighed, standing up, cracking his knuckles and still having his eyes on the brunette.  

"Then I guess I have to do this the hard way."

Kai looked at him with confusion, and before he could even speak, he was scooped up by the larger man and placed on his shoulder, Cole's arm wrapping around his back and walking out of the room. Kai shrieked in alarm, trying to squirm out of Cole's grip.  

"Hey! Put me down!" The Fire master yelled, placing his hands on Cole's shoulder as he grumbled, squirming constantly. Cole kept him balanced on his shoulder, chuckling at Kai's attempt to free himself from his grip. Blushing furiously, Kai's face was redder than any of his Gis. He covered his face in his hands, not caring about the small bits of snot that got on it, too embarresed.

He was so, so very glad no one was seeing this.

He had his hands covering his red face, groaning the entire walk to the bedroom. As they arrived to Kai's room, Cole opened the door and walked inside the messy room. He avoided one of the thrown shirts next to his bed, and then carefully placed the brunette down on the matress. He sat down infront of him, and saw how Kai was still blushing, his eyebrows furrowed. He had immediately looked away from the extreme embarresment. Cole snorted, trying to hold in his laugh.  

"You caused this." Cole said with a smirk, still not earning a reaction from Kai. "You always keep this as a secret."  

"But that doesn't mean you should carry me! I can still walk, yknow!" Kai waved his hands in a frustrated motion. Cole grinned, giggling.  

"Your fault. You didn't wanna rest."  

Kai looked down at the mattress, hugging his knees. He really should've just stayed in his room. He felt Cole scoot closer to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.  

"How about you lay down, hm?" He suggested, making Kai glance at him for a second. After a moment, he sighed in defeat. Laying down on his side, he bent his knees slightly. He wasn't suprised when Cole layed down on his back next to him, turning his head to face him. Cole pulled Kai closer, having a gentle arm around him as Kai rested his head on his chest.  

"This okay?" Cole asked with a smile, rubbing the smaller man's back. He felt Kai nod, seeming a bit more relaxed. Cole's smile grew wider.  

"Aren't you gonna get sick from this?" Kai said smugly, making Cole chuckle.  

"This isn't the first time, hothead. I'll be fine. Just relax."  

Kai had chuckled aswell and shrugged. His arm wrapped around Cole's waist, sniffing as his eyelids felt heavy. Cole noticed his unsteady breathing as he breathed through his mouth constantly.  

"Don't breathe through your mouth, idiot."  

"I know." Kai replied sarcastically, feeling Cole rub his back again. Soon enough, his eyes slowly fluttered shut. Cole moved his hand from Kai's back to his hair, gently stroking the smooth brown strands.  

He didn't mind staying in his room for the night, not at all, especially if it meant Kai would finally rest.  

And of course, he'd make sure to ask Zane to make his Honey Lemon tea the first thing in the morning. Because damn, this idiot needed it.

[clambuoyance]

i need to know ur top ninjago ships i am Begging u

hmmm tbh im not totally invested in the whole shipping scene w ninjago, beyond me just seeing a pair and being like “oh thats cute” and enjoying whatever the art/writing is 🤷🏻‍♀️ plus i just really enjoy the dynamics the gang all have w each other bc it feels like they all enjoy each other’s company

ronin and dareth slaps tho

but lloyd being shipped w any of the other ninja is a huge no no for me🤮👎

[rae-writes]

the floor is lava!

om boys x reader

*all of these are optional romantic/platonic, except for Luke (obviously)*

wc : 0.9k

a/n : a fun little surprise post <3 I might make this into a little mini series- 

bsd ver. |

It was unusually quiet in the Devildom, considering there was rarely a time without some type of disturbance…

And sure enough, just when it seemed like it could finally be a normal day— 

“THE FLOOR IS LAVA!”

House of Lamentation 

Lucifer lets out the biggest sigh possible, poking his head out of the study to deadpan at his scrambling brothers. Despite thinking this is the stupidest thing he’s ever heard of, he doesn’t so much as blink when you barrel past him to jump onto his desk (and even lets you rest your legs in his lap as he continues working, faintly smiling when you mention he has ‘lava resistance’ so it’s okay his feet are on the floor) 

Contrary to what many might think, it was not Mammon who shouted it— even so, he’s sprinting his way from the entrance hall (where he’d just arrived back home) all the way to the common room to dive onto the armchair you’re occupying. The second born is curled in your lap the entire time and might even fall asleep before the game is called off 

And poor, poor Levi, in the middle of gaming but not willing to lose to this ‘stupid normie game’, drops his switch and lunges at you; it was a 50/50 chance on if you could hold him up at the sudden weight or if you’d both fall and die, but he was gonna take it (and it meant he could be in your arms) 

Surprise, surprise, it was Satan who started this chaos. He’d already been comfy and situated on the library couch, happily letting you climb on top of him when you came running in. Watching everyone flail about and run around cursing was simply too good to pass up (and for the first time, it’s also Satan who’s recording everything) 

Asmo has a bone to pick with whoever shouted this nonsense— he was in the middle of doing his nails! He’ll spew complaints as he clamors onto the table, though he’s quick to shut up once you throw yourself down right beside him. He has been wanting to do your nails too lately 

Meanwhile, Beel was too busy chowing down in the kitchen to even hear his brother and remained oblivious until you came sliding around the corner and launching yourself in his arms. He grins at your breathless ‘hi’ and obliges when you suggest he hop up on the kitchen counter to avoid the lava 

Asleep on his bed, Belphie both didn’t hear and was safe either way, and would’ve remained that way until he was woken by your screaming. He groggily gets up to see Mammon trying to drag you down onto the floor with him. It was funny the way Belphie sleepily snatched you up and walked right back in his room, slamming the door for good measure— his bed is the safest place, in his opinion 

Demon King’s Castle

You bet it was Diavolo who shouted it- courtesy of Levi telling him the HoL incident- and was also the one seen sprinting through countless halls with you thrown over his shoulder, slipping around the corners (he’d taken his shoes off for fast sock travel) before he touched base in his office chair. He doesn’t think he’s had that much fun with a game in his life- and he gets you all to himself! 

Simply shaking his head at Lord Diavolo’s antics, Barbatos continues with making the tea and pastries, raising a brow when you bust through the kitchen door frantically. Instead of letting you climb on the counters, he lifts you up with his tail and brings you in close, casually asking your opinion on the frosting (best. taste test. ever.) 

Mephisto was dumbfounded at the sheer childlike attitude of his lord, watching him take off sprinting with an agape mouth. His attention is quickly divided when you slip into his lap, listening to you rant about how you were so not prepared for this in the slightest. He doesn’t shove you off, to your delight— in fact, he just pulls you tighter against him so you’re further away from the ‘lava’ (this was a once in a lifetime opportunity- he was not wasting it just because the game was dumb) 

Purgatory Hall

Despite being human himself, Solomon had never heard of the game and decided to just let you tug him up on his spell table. He blushes faintly at the close proximity, nodding absentmindedly as you explain the rules; he doesn’t care much for it, but if it allows him to be close to you, he’d play it everyday if you wanted 

Oh yeah, Luke screamed it— he thought it looked so fun when you showed him a video and had to do it with the others. He’s laughing and hollering on your back as you run past the other confused angels, cheering when you both scramble onto the dining table. He’s definitely doing this again (but maybe with the demons, who will certainly give a better reaction) 

Simeon had absolutely no idea what was going on— only that you and Luke were zooming through the house and climbing onto things that should not be climbed. Before he could scold either of you, you’d hopped right over the back of the couch and ended up sprawled over his lap. He can’t bring himself to say anything other than ‘hi’ and smile at your silliness

If Simeon didn’t know what was going on, Raphael sure as hell doesn’t— “the floor isn’t…lava..?” It’s hilarious. He’s so confused, even after Luke hurriedly explains the game. He stands in place the entire time, watching, until you jump at him- and luckily his reflexes have him catching you easily. He still doesn’t know how to feel even then but he won’t put you down until you ask (please ignore the flush of his cheeks)

[spiderthesenutz]

hi!! may i request first date headcanons (☀️) with pavitr, gwen, miles and hobie? (gn reader)

First DATE with the Spider Quartet!

CINEMA!

Or stay at home and watch movies-

Definitely would try the stretch and around your shoulder move

Is internally screaming the entire time

He’s very nervous so if you say stuff like

“This is so fun! We should do this again!”

He MELTS

He’s like

“Again? I’d love to! I mean as long as you want to”

Absolutely they type to brush his hand against yours tryna hype himself up in his head

He walks you back home or if you’re already at your place watching movies he asks to go for a walk and then walks you home

Stands at your door all nervous like

“I really had fun with you today Y/N”

“I really enjoyed it to miles, let’s do it again sometime yeah?”

If you lean in and kiss him he just stands there like: ( ・∇・)

Then you have two different processes:

Miles: omg they just kissed me- so does this mean another date or? I’m literally falling harder oh god-do they still like me? WAS THAT A PLATONIC KISS?

Y/n: LETS FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

PUNK CONCERTS!

But also movie nights at his place, cuddled up on the sofa

SELF CARE NIGHTS

dying each-others hair (more him dying yours and you begging to do his much to him amusement)

He definitely gave you a piercing at some point

Hanging out in his bedroom jamming out to his music

Having little dates where you meet up in a little remote area and just chill out without hearing the world around you

Wouldn’t take you swinging-BUT he does take you to the top of the Big Ben

Which you both spray paint and flee the scene

Y/n: oh! We can watch shark boy and lava girl and make out during the scary parts

Hobie:…

Y/n:…

Y/n: what?

Hobie:the scary parts of shark boy and lava girl?

CAFE DATES, MOVIE NIGHTS AND STUDY DATES

Late night movie nights/sleepovers

Cuddles whilst you have movie marathons

He just loves having his hands on you

Cuddling on the couch during movie dates

You playfully calling chai “chai tea” and watching him pout

“Oh come on you know I don’t mean it”

“No no kisses for an hour- you know what you did”

He’s really warm so you never need a blanket, just Pavitr

He’s 100% the type to just lie on top of you with his face in your chest whilst you play with his hair not paying attention to the movie

Y/n: Since we're in a relationship now, your clothes are my clothes too. Don't ask me why I have your shirt on, this is our shirt.

Pavitr: Fine, but when I come strutting in with your fuzzy socks I don't want to hear shit.

SKATEBOARD DATES

Or just going to the park with a ton of snacks

Late night walks/store runs

Self care nights after a stressful day

Spontaneous dates when something happened with her dad and she needs to cheer up

You put on her favourite movie

Gather her favorite snacks you keep stockpiled for moments like this

Cuddle up on the sofa at yours as you stroke her hair and comfort her

Sleeping on the couch together!

Gwen: Y/n, you love me, right?

Y/n: Normally I’d say yes without hesitation, but I feel like this is going somewhere I won’t like.

[gatitties]

Ok, I have this idea, the reader(preferably female) is apart of the white beard crew, but White-beard, thatch, Marco, and Ace are the only ones that know about her. She’s a shadow to the rest of the world. The marines and Government don’t even know about her. When Ace is sentenced to death, she makes an appearance because she doesn’t want her brother to end up dead. Not to mention, she’s Yonko level strong.

─Ace, Thatch & Marco x fem!reader (platonic)

─Summary: you refuse to let the only person who could see you die when no one else did

─Warnings: none

─ When you joined the crew everyone celebrated having a new companion to live adventures with, however in just a few days the majority seemed to ignore your existence.

─ Perhaps it hurt you a little that some of the pirates who were supposedly your family forgot your name, but over time you understood that here everyone had their groups and the group in general was so large that it was normal that not everyone knew each other.

─ Although it took you a little longer to adapt, it was thanks to Ace's bright and fiery personality that you didn't feel like a forgotten dog.

─ Ace being the only person you felt comfortable with, you found yourself behind him like a baby duck, which he found adorable, you reminded him of Luffy when he was a kid and followed him through the forest.

─ Of course, being with Ace meant being friends with Marco and Thatch, they didn't know you at first, but they ended up warming to you after a few weeks.

─ You didn't need anything more than those three idiots, the only three people who knew you, who wanted to know about you, who remembered your name, but above all the only ones who could contemplate your strength, they dared to compare you with their father, Whitebeard.

─ Regardless of whether you were a devil fruit user or not, you were someone extremely strong, but since your existence was barely noticeable, you preferred to keep a low profile regarding your abilities.

─ When Ace began to travel and not return so often your heart tightened full of anxiety, without Thatch after the accident with Blackbeard you began to get overwhelmed with Ace's well-being.

─ Which led you to spend many hours inside Marco's office, looking for some comfort, he would calm you down with some sweet words at the time, although it was inevitable not to show concern when the news that your friend had been captured and was going to be executed.

─ You weren't going to go through that, so even without being noticed you were piled up with all those who joined together to save a comrade, a brother.

─ In the middle of the fight you had no problem making way with violence and power, and it's not like anyone was paying too much attention to you since all the attention was on the one you deduced was Luffy, Ace's brother.

─ You smiled when you saw that both brothers fell outside the place of execution, although your face became gloomy when you saw how they continued to attack them, taking into account that they were generals of the marines, you should hurry up and advance to the front.

─ The feeling in the pit of your stomach made a lump in your throat as you saw how, being one step away from both boys, you saw in slow motion how admiral Akainu's lava-coated fist headed towards Ace's exposed chest.

─ You never thought you were holding back in some battles, but even you were surprised when you sent the admiral flying out of your brother's reach, both of them looking at you with their mouth slightly open, although Ace greeted you with a smile instantly.

─ The silence fell for a few seconds and for the first time you received looks from thousands of people, feeling completely self-conscious, you hurried to get rid of the chains that linked Ace's hands to your bare hands, the priority now was to get out of there in one piece.

─ Perhaps, after your feat, people would begin to look at you with different eyes, or simply, to notice more, after all, you were the savior of the son of the pirate king.

─ Oh if Thatch were here he would brag about his sister's strength like Ace and Marco did once they returned to the ship, where this time they celebrated as if everyone were going to become extinct the next morning.

[signedmio]

Hi! Could I request a one shot of Angel x gn reader? After Angel has a bad night with Val he comes back with makeup smeared on his face because of the tears and he feels all dirty and uncomfortable wearing his revealing clothes so his s/o takes care of him and draws a warm bath for him, takes his makeup off and brings him soft, warm and comfortable clothes then cuddles him and holds him until he feels safe enough to fall asleep <33 I love him sm

once again, both of these asks were incredibly similar, so i’m doing both at once!!

i tried to keep this as neutral between platonic and romantic as possible, but it definitely leans a bit more on the platonic side

either way, i hope it’s still enjoyable for all💕

Warnings: Mentions of Abuse, Mentions of Valentino, Swearing, Extremely short :’)

“Ticking Bomb”

Angel Dust x Reader

You sat in Angel’s hotel room playing with Fat Nuggets while waiting for him to get off of work, tonight was movie night! And honestly, you couldn’t be more excited, you and Angel had seen a preview for this new show, and you both were ready to binge the whole thing in one sitting.

Next thing you know, Angel bursts through the door, only to collapse against it, clutching himself closer, sobs echoing from his lips.

You knew exactly what happened, Valentino.

Immediately, you rush over to Angel, crouching down to his level. “Can I hold you?” You ask, your voice shaking, you feel awful that it does, cause this isn’t about you.

Angel’s head perks up, bold, black mascara - or eyeliner - you can’t tell, is dripping down his face, his wails bouncing off of the walls of the room, unable to control his voice enough to give you an answer, he was like a ticking bomb, waiting to explode.

“I need words.” You say softly, Angel wipes his face, before hiccuping a small, “Yes…”

You take him in your arms, cradling him, shushing his sobs as they slowly subside. “How about this? I’ll go start you up a bath, and then you can just let everything go, okay?”

Angel nodded, his body still shaking, “O-Okay…”

Quickly, you headed over to Angel’s bathroom that was attached to his hotel room, you scrambled through his pink bin of bath products before finding a nice bubbly, pink soap and a baby purple bath bomb.

You put both of them in, the water turned a nice lava pink, you lit a few candles, and turned off the lights, closing the door behind you, only leaving a crack open, “It’s ready for you, Ange, I’ll be waiting out here.” You said with a soft smile, as he entered the bathroom.

After about twenty minutes, Angel was done, you helped him take off any extra makeup that was left, as well as helping with additional skincare.

Now, you both lay in bed, Angel laying on top of you, for once his head was in your chest, and not the other way around.

You combed your hand through his hair, his snores falling off his lips, and eventually, yours did too…

[mangofanarts]

Does anyone remember when Baghera said that she was gonna organize a day for Bad where he could just relax and for it to be an actual vacation for him when he was during his "vacation" arc because she noticed how bad he was doing and wanted to help him out. Even if he couldn't admit to her that he was not doing well mentally to her, saying he was fine but she still told him that she would be there for him. And then, the day that she was gonna organize for Bad didn't happen because things got in the way. I don't remember what it was exactly. But, I think (again not 100 percent sure) it was because Baghera discovered at the time that she was a federation experiment and then disappeared afterwards. Then there was the whole furniture thief scandal and Bad got placed into jail for it. When Baghera came back, having her hair faded out of color, tear strains dried on her feathers, Bad told her that he missed her and she was glad about that, and then Bad questioned her about her appearance because he was worried. And it's just, they care about each other, oh they care about each other. Thinking about how she told him that she was a federation experiment but she was hesitant about it at first - she didn't want anyone to think that suddenly she was part of the federation's side or was gonna be a traitor to them or anything like that. She was still Baghera. Bad had asked her questions about her memories from being a federation experiment - whether she remembered being on the island, how she got off it, etc. Though, he didn't seem to treat her any differently for it. She asked him to keep it a secret and he did. He accidentally slipped up in front of Bagi once about Baghera leaving the island once before and then covered his mistake right up afterwards so that Baghera's secret was kept. Bagi believed his cover up. How Bad and Baghera had snowball fights before with their kids together. How Bad trusted Baghera to take care of Dapper when he was away and she trusts Bad to care for Pomme too. How Bad backed up Baghera's ideas during the election arc when she was struggling to say her points because two people were trying to combat against her ideas. When she heard about a law that singled out Bad - she was quick to defend him and how that the law made her mad. I don't remember when but there was a time where Baghera was gone and then when she came back into the QSMP, Bad had made her a diamond throne with Pomme and planted gifts, saying welcome back - without crediting himself for it. How Baghera was endeared by Bad being in his grim reaper outfit trying to scare her and mentioning how the grim reaper felt warm. How quickly Baghera dubbed Bad as part of her family and they had investigations about the federation together - constantly sharing ideas. He's so quick to tease her and try to prank her and she perfectly pulls the table right back at him - using his method of prank against him. How Bad didn't hesitate to go back to the nether to save Baghera when she was in lava and there was limited time left. In Purgatory, even when they were on different sides, when she begged him to not kill her and how she didn't have a secret base, he didn't kill her. But, he did think she was lying to him about the secret base later on. During purgatory, there was a moment that Bad asked Baghera where she was so that they could meet up and talk to each other before his time ran out. And they did, they did exactly that. They talked to each other without attacking or planning something against the other just as Bad's time ticked down until he was disconnected from the server. How she said she missed him and was glad that he was on Bolas when Soulfire got destroyed in the egg event. The co-parents, the platonic best friends. Oh, how I miss them.

[super-lovely-star]

Fun and nostalgic gifts and treats for Middle Regressors and Dreamers

This is a list of cute little things you can get for yourself or your middle friend! I will generally list them from cheapest to most spendy- but remember, just because something is cheap doesn’t mean it’s a bad gift. Don’t spend beyond your means! And also, you DO NOT need these things to “properly regress!”

Mood Jewelry ($) These were popular when I was a kid. You can get mood rings, necklaces, bracelets, and probably even earrings.

Age appropriate cosmetics ($) Like scented lip creams and gloss, or body glitter.

Glow in the dark stars ($) you can get these in the classic color, or bright colors!

Fidget toys ($) I especially like Tangle! These are good if you have anxiety or are just fidgety.

Small collectable toys ($) Like matchbox cars, littlest pet shop, blind box toys, etc!

Candy ($) Just make sure you don’t get too much, or you might get sick! I especially like sour patch kids, and yan yan.

Stickers ($) I like to get these at Daiso, but you can get them pretty much anywhere! Especially good of you/your friend keeps a journal or writes letters.

Cute plushie keychains ($) To clip onto your bag!

Art supplies ($-$$) If you/your friend likes to draw, you can get some colored pencils, markers, etc! Even a new sketchbook!

Stuff with a First initial on it ($-$$) like pillows, jewelry, little compacts, keychains, etc.

Kids craft kits ($-$$) they have plenty of these at craft stores! Jewelry making kits, paint a sculpture, you name it!

A cute character waterbottle ($-$$) choose depending on your/their favorite character/franchise! I have an usahana water bottle coming in the mail!

A lava/glitter lamp ($$) A cool way to add atmosphere to your/their room, and super relaxing to look at.

A caboodle ($$) To keep your/their accessories, makeup, art supplies, or small toys organized.

Plushies, duh! ($$) If you’re on a budget, you can get these at thrift stores! Just make sure to clean before cuddling.

Action figure or Fashion doll ($$) If you/they are less into plushies, these make equally good companions.

Video games ($$) for whatever console you/they use. I like nintendogs games best!

Tamagotchi ($$) or a similar virtual pet! I never had one, but they look fun!

A DVD of a favorite movie ($$) You can get these cheaper secondhand! Just make sure they still work.

A cute journal ($$) I like the ones they sell at Claire’s best. They look like cute animals!

Vintage Clothes ($$-$$$) If your shopping on ebay or depop, make sure you know the measurements. Especially if you’re going for actual tween brands like Limited Too or Mezzo Piano Junior, which run smaller than adult sizes.

An inflatable or beanbag chair ($$-$$$) Just make sure you/they have space for one!

MP3 or CD player ($$$) Especially good gift for a music lover!

Last but not least, a Razor scooter! ($$$) Did you know they make these in adult sizes? I have one named Jazz and I love it dearly.

Love you all, platonically ofc! 🎁💝

[twodogs-twocats]

Sleep Token as Roomates

For whatever reason, my Sleep Token fixation has chosen to lodge itself in my brain in the form of a New Girl-esque scenario…

Translation: You and all four band members are roommates. Annnd there is definitely romantic tension with every one of them.

And here is what that looks to me 🤘

Content Warning: very little justification for any of this. Just my 🌈imagination🌈

POV: fem reader

Vessel:

- the one everyone thinks is in charge.

- the most fun one to do chores with. he will get them done, but have a good time along the way. car karaoke on the way to get groceries, dance parties in the kitchen while cooking, playing the floor is lava while vacuuming. he will always try to make you smile even during the most boring of tasks

- workout gear everywhere. he’s got a pull up bar installed above his door, where he does shirtless pull-ups every morning. you only watch sometimes…

- honestly, probably always shirtless in general

- the best smelling of the bunch. lights incense and candles on the reg

- always doing little things to impress you. like as soon as you come home, he starts playing piano, or doing pushups. and then will pretend he didn’t know you were home when he catches you watching

- likes to come up behind you. if you are standing at the kitchen counter, he will reach around you to grab something, with his chest pressed up against you. he uses his size to his advantage, and he gets the sense you like how big he is

- paints your nails sometimes. and sometimes wants you to paint his. black polish only

- a very good cook. often cooks family dinners

- a bit unhinged, but I could see vessel borrowing your clothes and jewelry. like going to bed in your tshirt or stealing some of your rings for his shows

- honestly, I just picture roommate vessel as a generally soft goof

II

- the one who’s actually in charge

- very clean and organized. keeps everyone else in line (if you know the show new girl, to me, II is a quieter, scarier Schmidt lol)

- he’s the best listener. when you have had a rough day, he will listen to you vent for hours. or if you need help making a decision, he will help talk you through it. he gives 100% attention to everything you say

- he will surprise you with finishing little chores for you. you’ll come home to a freshly washed car, or your laundry already folded

- a plant guy. always brings home plants and takes very good care of them. runs your little family garden

- morning person. this man is up at the crack of dawn and has already accomplished about a dozen things before anyone else is even up

- enjoys learning about your hobbies. if you are a reader, he wants to know what you’re reading. if you’re trying to learn something new, he will help you practice

- toxic trait is that he would be the most jealous if you ever brought someone home. like very openly hostile

- light touches. like he tries so hard to keep it platonic, but you’ll feel his hand on your back when he walks around you, or his fingers will linger on yours just too long if he hands you something

III

- the messiest of the bunch. like he will help out with cleaning, but if anyone is leaving laundry or dirty dishes around, it’s this man (often causes little spats with II)

- loud and fun. he is always singing, dancing, playing music. when you get home he will greet you with a big hug. his goal in life is to make you laugh

- likes to braid your hair. and you help him with his space buns

- takes the longest in the bathroom for sure. He enjoys regular bubble baths, and often teases you that you are welcome to join him

- when III’s energy has come down a bit, he is a master at chilling. Im talking movie nights with popcorn and candy, building blanket forts with lots of pillows. (he will sometimes try to sneak an arm around your shoulder. Not unusual for you two to end up *platonically* cuddling on the couch)

- the best dancer. You always bring him when you go out dancing or to a concert.

- the most openly flirty. will always compliment your outfits and tell you how beautiful you look.

- he will also find any way possible to touch you, even when it’s completely unnecessary — hugs when you come home, putting his hand on your knees when he’s talking to you, and occasionally even kissing you on the cheek. he especially loves to see you blushing and flustered

- tinkers with his guitar into the late hours of the night. the sound often puts you to sleep

IV

- the most “bro”-y of the roomates

- like the only one of you who will ever put sports on tv (and you all complain and tell him to put on something else)

- the house barista. makes great coffee and is very particular about his process.

- you like to take naps with IV. You both will pile on the couch and fall asleep watching some stupid comedy. you often end up with your head in his lap and his hand resting on your waist.

- has a bit of a staring problem. he is the most obvious one about checking you out, and he does not seem to care if you notice. when you get dressed up, he will give you a full head to toe scan, and then proceed to stare at you like he wants to eat you (and he probably does, of course)

- enjoys going on walks with you. might not say much, but he always has a good time

- adds lots of artistic touches to the home. buying art or cool knickknacks to add around the house. this man has excellent taste

- the most protective of you. makes sure he knows where you are at and who you’re with. installed a lock on your bedroom door so you could have some privacy. (but he kept a key for himself, you know, just in case)

Etc.

- you definitely have a black house cat, and II is definitely the cat’s favorite

- your living room has been taken over by musical instruments. there is always, always music playing in the house

- all the boys are great at comforting you when you are sad. I could see any one of them holding you while you cry

- big family movie nights. all the boys love movies, so you will all regularly get together to watch something

[chapinii]

Q!Fit is used to loss. He's used to meeting people he knows won't be sticking around, used to putting on a brave face when they inevitably disappear or are killed beyond the point of respawn. It's collateral damage, part of the day job. Nothing new in the toxic landscape of 2B2T. There's no time to explore any kind of feelings towards anybody else, he's learnt over time that attachments are more often than not futile. Care about something, someone, and it may well be used against you.

His time on Quesadilla island has been different, however. This time he doesn't have that threat, he shouldn't have that threat. This was supposed to be just another mission, a vacation even. Gathering player data is an easy job. The players in question, however, he never imagined himself getting so close to.

Fit never saw himself as a father, in fact, he was lucky to have made it to the age he was now. He was so sure he'd die by the sword. A mercenary, stalking in the shadows of a lava-cast wasteland, both hunter and prey, wearing a bandana around his face to shield himself from the TNT dust which never seemed to settle around him. And now he ties that same bandana around the neck of a boy, his son, an egg so fragile and yet so much like himself. Though a lump still held in his throat when he looked for too long at the boy who played so innocently in the open air, he found solace in knowing that Ramon, unlike him, would grow up surrounded by trust. Against all expectation he'd found himself in a place where (however fucked up behind the scenes it may be) community is everything, and where within it, people are allowed to just Be. He could allow this distraction, his son wouldn't affect the mission too much. His guard was finally, slowly, being let down.

And then along came this strange, slightly unhinged and wonderful man, whose wide excited eyes looked at him with so much admiration and unwavering loyalty. He wasn't used to being seen as human. He hated how easy it felt to push down the guilt of being perceived as such. This vulnerability was new to him, but after keeping so much internalised over the years, he welcomed it. The notion of love was an alien concept back there, where the desires for chaos and destruction were almost carnal in nature. This feeling towards Pac was unlike any other he'd ever felt, a soft and tender mutual understanding of one another. He knew as much about Pac as Pac did about him, and they enjoyed keeping it that way. Even as they were forced to fight against each-other, Fit had taken pride in his roommate's skill and precision in combat, and, even as that competition amped up, he knew all too well the measures that must be taken to survive, and vowed to protect him all the same. Now they were back on the island he enjoyed being the one to stand back for once, he'd admire as Pac would run on ahead with all sorts of plans for the two of them, and bask in the fofoca he would return with for their morning crew.

Of course, the bated breath that still held in his throat was yet to disperse. He'd been the one to help break Pac and Mike out of prison. He sat with Mike and reassured him when Pac was kidnapped. Through Tazercraft he'd come to understand the concept of soulmates, someone you share a bond with throughout your life, platonic or not. He'd also come to know the true meaning of 'saudades', the deep feeling of longing and melancholy that comes with missing something or someone. He didn't want to admit it was something he'd felt all throughout his life. Living on the island had prepared him and Pac for those types of situations, and God knows 2B2T had whacked the mindset into him tenfold. But it didn't make this time hurt any less. Fit had finally set a date with Pac for Friday, albeit a somewhat rearranged one. They were so caught up in everything, in each-other. Things finally seemed to have been looking up for them, and then everything was ripped apart once more. Fit resented not having kept his guard up, for letting himself slip, and not being able to protect Pac before it was too late. He was gone.

That was why taking things slow was so important, he had told Ramon. You can't rush into these things, lest you lose everything for good.

Fit is used to loss. It's all part of the day job.

[the-modern-typewriter]

will you write something vampire themed for spooky season?

The coffin was luxurious, as far as coffins went. The protagonist had half-expected just a plain wood box, scratchy and full of splinters. They supposed, if they had to die, they could at least do so in style.

It didn't really make them feel better.

And it didn't make the coffin fit two people any better either.

"Stop squirming," the secret love of their life snapped. "You're just going to get us more stuck."

"I don't think it's possible to get more stuck." Their voice was only a little, reasonably, hysterical. "We're buried alive in a bloody coffin!"

The secret love of their life looked awful beneath them. Pallid, even in the crowded gloom of their shared grave. They felt clammy and cold beneath the protagonist's limbs.

The protagonist swallowed. They tried to stop squirming. There were no comfortable positions.

The love of their life hissed between their teeth with irritation, and if the protagonist could see properly, they were sure that a terrifying and wrathful and gorgeous glare would be pointed in their direction.

"I'm sorry," the protagonist said. For the squirming, sure, but mostly for everything else. For somehow getting them into this mess. For being the last idiot that the love of their short life would ever see. For not knowing how to save either of them.

"You should stop talking and conserve your air."

"You should stop talking and conserve your air," the protagonist mumbled. They closed their eyes. They tried not to panic. The panic closed in on them on every side, just like the too close suffocating padded walls, and the steady weight of six or so feet of packed soil crushing them on all sides.

"Someone's going to rescue us," the love of their life said. "Your friends - someone - will figure out where we are."

"Coffin. My first guess too."

"They'll get us out." The growl in their friend's voice was almost inhuman. Quite impressive.

The protagonist bit down hard on their lip, and the rather unhelpful response of 'before or after we die from the lack of oxygen? Because, you know, I read that people can survive five hours locked in a coffin. Tops. If they're not hyperventilating. But who's hyperventilating! I'm not hyperventilating! Are you?'

Their friend drew a sharp breath. Then they squirmed, hypocritically, before managing to place cool hands on either side of the protagonist's whirling brain.

"Easy," they murmured, abruptly far more gentle. "You're okay. You're going to be okay. I'm not - I won't let anything bad happen to you."

The protagonist felt tears prick the corners of their eyes. Absurd.

One of their friend’s thumbs grazed over their lip, wiping away the bead of blood there.

"Match your breathing to mine," their friend murmured, voice a little hoarse and trying-to-keep-it-together. "Concentrate on me."

The protagonist did their best. Their friend breathed very slowly, admirably calm really, given the circumstances.

"I won't hurt you," their friend said. "I love you. I won't."

"It's not you I'm worried about. Wait - you love me?"

It was impossible to see the love of their life's face, and really, a coffin was the worst place for a confession. Because the protagonist would very much have liked to have seen their face. At least if they were hanging over a lava pit, the protagonist would have been able to see their face, and make a judgment on if they meant that platonically or romantically.

God. They hated their brain.

Their friend didn't say anything and the silence was surely almost as agonising as dying. Almost. They brushed a tear away from the protagonist's cheek, feather-light.

"More than anything," their friend said. "Now shut. up. Please. And please, please, stop moving."

The protagonist shut up. Somehow. They rested their head against their friend's chest, letting the knowledge of that confession fill them with warmth, or try to.

At least they were dying in a coffin with someone they loved. Who loved them back. Someone's whose heart was so...

The protagonist stopped. It was a trick. A mistake. Something. But it felt, beneath their ear, like their friend's heart wasn't beating. Actually, when the protagonist really thought about it, now that their breathing was more or less steady, even in the squashed space they couldn't hear their friend's breathing at all. They couldn't feel it against their cheek and...

They didn't think the love of their life had always been so cold.

"Why." The protagonist resisted the urge to shift again. "Why do you think you're going to hurt me? Worst you're going to do is elbow me in the face?"

Their friend was silent a second time.

"Right?" The protagonist pressed.

"Someone will find us. They'll get us out. It's not a problem. It won't be a problem."

"What...what won't be a problem?" But the protagonist, with a dreadful twist in their stomach, knew. It should have been obvious, maybe, in the last twenty four hours.

The stomach bug. The dark glasses. The cringing from the sunlight.

"I won't hurt you." A mantra. Not a reassurance; a mantra, a plea. "I love you. I won't hurt you. You're going to be fine."

Five hours, suddenly, seemed like a lifetime.

The coffin was luxurious, as far as coffins went. Excellent quality. Top notch.

Nothing else, after all, would keep in a newly turned and starving vampire locked up.

"Shit," the protagonist whispered.

And that about summed up their current predicament.

[hannahmanderr]

Before we get into the chapter, a HUGE platonic smooch for @duchi-nesten who took the time to draw the Ancients from this story with bribery from me and @scarletsaphire I'm absolutely screaming over them still, they are just UGGHHH SO GOOD

From left to right is Zunje, Babel, Pele, and Kala!

Anyway, onto the chapter! It's an important one! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Everything begins. Everything ends. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jazz flinched as another wayward blast of ectoplasm exploded into the wall of the office building across the street, reducing it to little more than rubble. The battle was becoming more and more destructive as time bled on, and her nerves were really starting to get to her. She needed to get back out there and put a stop to it.

Unfortunately, there was the slight complication of her parents.

She’d tried to play dumb when Frostbite slipped up, but it had been pointless. Frostbite had been all too happy to explain that the Great One was, in fact, the ghost hero known as Danny Phantom.

Perhaps if it had just been her dad there, she would’ve been able to distract him, or figure out how to explain it away, but as luck would have it, her mom had pulled up shortly after the ghost king’s arrival.

It didn’t take them long to put two and two together. At least, that’s what she assumed.

Even more unfortunate was that her concussion had spontaneously decided to rear its ugly head, causing her to lean over and throw up in the middle of the road. Mom and Dad were far less than keen on letting her continue fighting after that. She’d protested of course, pointing out that the all-powerful ghost king was about to raze Amity Park to the ground, but they wouldn’t have any of it.

She had been forced to take shelter behind a large pile of rubble, along with her parents and Frostbite, as the battle intensified. Pariah Dark’s question about Danny had been met with a brutal attack from one of the four-armed Ancients, and the battle had progressed from there. At some point, the little lava-haired Ancient had taken over the direct combat with the ghost king, aided by the gnome and the four-armed ghost with a cloak of clouds. The last Ancient - Pandora, if Jazz remembered correctly - had engaged the black-armored knight. Sam and Tucker were still out there, somewhere, working to keep the thrall army at bay.

And that was just the fighting. Overhead, in the sky, the rip that had heralded Pariah Dark’s appearance still gaped over Amity Park. The air seemed to vibrate with its intensity; Jazz could feel it prickling at her skin, making her feel foreign in her own body. Like reality itself was beginning to fail.

In short, things were Bad-with-a-capital-B.

Jazz leaned over to peer around the rubble protecting them. “We should really be out there,” she muttered, even as her head throbbed worse.

“You’re not going anywhere, young lady,” Mom said. “Not while you’re injured.”

“I told you, I’m fine! I got it out of my system, I’m good to go.”

“I may not know many details about human biology,” Frostbite said, arching an eyebrow at Jazz, “but I have enough experience with the Great One to know that head injuries are serious in humans.”

Jazz didn’t miss how her parents winced hearing about “the Great One” and his injuries. 

They hadn’t said a word about Danny - Fenton or Phantom - since Frostbite’s slip-up. It only put her that much more on edge. Sooner or later, Danny would return, and if Mom and Dad were going to flip out and shoot him on sight, she wanted to at least have the chance to warn him.

As it was, she couldn’t tell what they were thinking. Her mother’s poker face was nothing short of perfect, and her father, though he often wore his heart on his sleeve, was strangely stoic about it all. If there was one thing Jazz hated, it was not knowing things, and not knowing their thoughts on Danny was killing her. 

She could only hope and pray. The fact that they weren't actively trying to gun down Frostbite was a good sign at least. 

But for the time being, she pushed those thoughts away. “Believe me, I know plenty about head injuries. I wouldn’t be wanting to go back out there if I thought it was serious enough.”

“I don't think the person with the concussion should be making that judgment ,” Mom said. “You won't be going anywhere until we know you're safe.” 

Jazz frowned. Was that a hint of hysteria in her voice?

Yeah, that couldn't be a good sign. 

Still, her words gave Jazz an opening. “Alright, fine! Whatever! It's not like the world is ending or anything, in case you haven't noticed. Why aren't you guys out there, at least?” Maybe if she could convince them to go back to the fight, she’d have a chance to catch Danny before they saw him. Maybe she’d have a chance to warn him.

Her parents didn't answer. They exchanged a glance that Jazz couldn't read, and Dad’s shoulders sagged. He opened his mouth. “We -” 

“What's going on here?” 

Jazz’s eyes snapped up to see Valerie hovering just behind her parents and Frostbite; Wes clung to Valerie with his eyes screwed tightly shut. Her parents turned at the sound of Valerie’s voice, and though Jazz couldn’t see her mom’s eyes behind the red-tinted goggles, she could only imagine the look on her face.

Her dad, however, beamed widely. “The Huntress!” he exclaimed, grabbing at Mom’s arm like an overexcited child.

To her credit, Valerie avoided wincing too strongly. “Yeah, that’s… me.”

“Did you find him?” Jazz asked. She didn’t bother to hide the anxiety in her voice.

Valerie frowned, but nodded. “Yeah, but he’s… well…”

“Can we maybe have this conversation on the ground?” Wes asked shakily. Valerie responded with a roll of her eyes, practically shoving him off her. He stumbled the short distance to the ground and collapsed spread-eagle on the street. “Thanks,” he muttered.

Dad’s nose crinkled in confusion. “Uh… is this the backup you were talking about, Jazzy-pants?”

Jazz ignored him. “What do you mean? Where is he?” she asked Valerie.

“It’s okay, I’m here!” a voice called out. A moment later, Danny - as Phantom - pulled up beside Valerie. “I’m here.” Jazz’s breath caught in her throat. She had known, of course, that Danny had gone to get the Crown of Fire, but for some reason, it hadn’t crossed her mind that he would have to wear it. Granted, the crown on his head now was most definitely not on fire, but she thought the frosted look complemented him much better than fire. The way it sat on his head, and the way the cloak he wore rippled in the breeze and caught the light…

He looked regal. Like he really was a king. 

It made her heart swell with pride. Her baby brother… he had come so far. She’d never doubted his leadership abilities, not really. His common sense could be… debatable at times, but her brother had a good heart. He was still young, of course, and the thought of him being a monarch had never occurred to her, but in that moment, Jazz couldn’t help but think that the role suited him.

She must have shown it on her face, because Danny caught her eye, and his hand flew up to the back of his neck. “It’s a long story…” he muttered sheepishly, his cheeks growing green. 

Jazz opened her mouth to respond, but Dad stood up abruptly, cutting her off. Mentally, she kicked herself. She’d gotten so distracted by his arrival, she’d forgotten about their parents.

Danny instantly paled. Whatever he saw in Dad’s face, it couldn’t have been good. Jazz tried to stand, to intercept him, but Frostbite gently held her down. “Easy,” he rumbled quietly. “Do not act prematurely.”

Of course, she wanted to protest that, but she quickly became distracted by her father’s slow approach towards Danny. Her mother wasn’t too far behind. 

Danny’s hand twisted into the cloak, and he averted his gaze. “Look,” he began shakily, “I… I get it if you hate me, and - and I… I’ll let you hunt me down or tear me apart or whatever you want, but please, you have to let me stop all this first, or there isn’t gonna be a world for you to tear me apart in. I just need to - mmph!”

Jazz squeaked and clapped her hands to her mouth as Dad lunged forward. She pushed Frostbite’s paw away to stumble to her feet. She had to get there first, had to stop him from hurting Danny - 

 - but her heart stuttered to a stop as Dad wrapped Danny in a tight embrace.

“Danny,” he said, his voice cracking. “We were so worried… You have no idea…”

A stunned Danny returned the hug as Mom pulled down her hood and glommed on to his other side. “You don’t… hate me?” he asked, his voice muffled by their dad’s burly form.

“Listen to me, Danny,” Mom said, peeling him out of Dad’s arms and holding him by the shoulders. She looked him firm in the eye. “No matter what you do, no matter what you are, we could never, ever hate you. Never, do you hear me?”

Jazz could see the tears glistening in the corners of Danny’s eyes even from where she sat. His lower lip quivered the slightest bit before he threw his arms around Mom’s shoulders. “I’m so sorry,” he said hoarsely. “I should’ve told you forever ago, but I just…”

“It’s okay, sweetie,” their mom said, rubbing circles into his back. “It’s okay. We’ll have time to… to figure it all out.”

“Yeah, assuming the world doesn’t end first,” Wes snarked from his position on the ground. Jazz shot him a heated glare. 

Valerie simply looked away and folded her arms across her chest. Jazz frowned. Something clearly wasn’t sitting right with her, but…

“Wait,” Dad said, furrowing his brow, “what’s this about the world ending?”

“It’s okay,” Jazz said. “The world isn’t going to end. Danny’s going to make sure of it.” Maybe she’d have felt more sure of her words if there hadn’t been a gaping hole in the sky threatening to rip reality apart, but someone had to look on the bright side.

Their parents glanced between the two of them. “What do you mean?” Mom asked slowly.

Before either of them could answer, another wayward ectoblast flew overhead, crashing into the roof of the building right above them. Huge chunks of rubble broke off of the building and began to plummet straight towards them.

Valerie reacted quickly, pulling Wes up by his shirt collar and grabbing Jazz to drag them to safety. Danny and Frostbite reacted just as quickly by throwing up ectoplasmic shields. The rubble slammed into them, then slid off the shields and away from the rest of the group.

Valerie whipped her head towards the battle. “I think I’m… gonna go help them,” she said. She flew off before Jazz could say anything, leaving nothing but a cloud of dust in her wake.

“I need to go help too,” Danny said thickly. He stared after Valerie. “It’s… that’s what I’m supposed to do. If I can beat him, everything will go back to normal… Mostly, anyway.” His hand twitched up towards his head.

Mom whipped her head in the direction of the battle. “Him?” she asked, nodding to where Pariah Dark and the lava-haired Ancient were still fiercely fighting each other. To Jazz’s horror, the Ancient seemed to be losing ground. 

“Precisely,” Frostbite said jovially. How he could manage such a tone in these circumstances was beyond Jazz. “Once the Great One is able to defeat Pariah Dark, he can assume the throne and put the Heart of the Infinite Realms at ease! It’s quite simple, really.”

“Assume the - wait!” Wes shot upright. “You’re telling me that dumb crown isn’t just some weird costume?”

Danny flushed green, and his hand flew up to the back of his neck. “I, ah… like I said, it’s a long story.” He glanced at Mom and Dad. “I’m really sorry, believe me, I wish I could’ve told you differently, and I definitely wish it wasn’t the case, but…”

Jazz watched as Mom’s gaze drifted up to the crown on Danny’s head, as if she were just now noticing it. “What throne?” she asked weakly.

“Um… it kind of maybe sort of might be… the throne of the entire Ghost Zone?” Danny replied with a sheepish grin.

Dad scratched his head. “When did this happen?”

Danny’s face grew sober again. “I don’t know. I only just found out a few hours ago myself.” His eyes flicked away from their parents, down at his feet.

A pang of sympathy struck Jazz’s heart. Sure, Danny looked the part of a king, and somehow, she had no trouble believing he was the king, despite her earlier confusion, but somehow it had escaped her that he had barely had enough time to process everything. That everything was happening so quickly. 

And their parents… it had to be equally difficult for them to process. They had only just learned their son’s true identity less than an hour ago, and now they were finding out he was essentially the heir to the throne of a world full of the same beings they had once sworn to annihilate. It would be a lot for anyone.

And so it nearly brought Jazz to tears when she saw Dad fight to plaster a smile onto his face. He placed a gentle hand on Danny’s shoulder. “Hey,” he said in a tone entirely too quiet for Jack Fenton, “it’s okay. Like your mother said, we’ll have time to figure it all out.”

Danny still didn’t look up. “Yeah,” he said, barely audible. “We’ll have time.”

His tone told Jazz he didn’t believe that in the slightest.

An ear-splitting roar shattered the moment. Everyone slapped their hands over their ears. Jazz only just managed to catch a glimpse of Danny gasping and hunching in on himself, clutching at his sternum.

A wave of hot air washed over Jazz. Trembling, she peered around the rubble, only to gasp in horror at the sight of the little girl Ancient bleeding lava all over the four-armed Ancient. She was still alive - as alive as a ghost could be anyway, but it was evident even from a hundred yards away that she was fully incapacitated. Pandora still fought with the knight, but everyone else - Sam, Tucker, Valerie, the other Ancients, even the thrall army - had practically frozen in place. 

The most terrifying sight of all was the evil ghost king, looming over the street, staring straight at her.

No, staring straight at Danny.

“Come and meet your fate, little Prince!” he called mockingly. His voice reverberated over the street, causing buildings to rumble ominously. “Or will you take the coward’s way out?”

For a moment, the only sound that could be heard was the humming of the rip in the sky. Jazz held her breath as Danny glanced at their parents, then gently pushed Dad’s hand off his shoulder and took to the air.

“It doesn’t have to be this way,” he called back. “Just… give me the Ring before things get worse.”

Pariah laughed, a menacing sound that sent chills down Jazz’s spine. “Why should I surrender what is rightfully mine?”

Danny's eyes flared. “That power’s not yours. It’s mine.”

Jazz blinked at the sudden shift in Danny’s tone. It was still his voice, yes, but there was something about it…

Pariah roared wordlessly again. “Never!” he snarled. “Kilaris is MINE!”

With a guttural yell, he launched himself at Danny. Jazz could’ve sworn she saw a bright white light flare from the crown on Danny’s head, just momentarily, but when she blinked, it was gone, and Danny too had charged forward. The two collided in a blinding explosion of red and green.

Mom and Dad moved to follow Danny, but Frostbite held a paw up. “No,” he said, his voice somber and heavy. “This is not a fight you can help him with. He must win this by his power alone.”

“Listen here,” Mom snapped. “I don’t care how you do it in your world, but I will not stand by and watch my son fight some impossible battle on his own! I - we are going to help him, whether you like it or not!”

“I understand.” Frostbite flinched and threw up a shield just in time to stop another huge chunk of building from crushing them all. “But though you may not be able to help him in combat, there are other ways you can help him.” He glanced at Jazz. “Keeping your daughter and his friend safe, for one.”

“Pfft. Me? Friends with Fenton? Fat chance,” Wes scoffed. 

“He will be able to fight with a sound mind if you help him protect yourselves and the other humans,” Frostbite continued, ignoring Wes. “And I must go and help my colleague.”

Mom turned, watching the battle with helpless eyes. “But… Danny -”

“ - will be just fine. But we must give him a fighting chance by helping elsewhere.”

“He’s right,” Dad said quietly, taking Mom’s hand. “We have to help get Jazz out of here. It’s getting too dangerous.”

“I told you, I’m fine! I can help too!”

Another explosion rang overhead. Jazz yelped and ducked as an enormous bolt of green energy flew over her head. It came close enough that she could feel its cold aura graze the top of her scalp. 

“Y-you know, on second thought, I think I’m with Yeti Man over here,” Wes muttered, cowering behind a fallen wall. Jazz had to resist the urge to roll her eyes.

Her attention, however, quickly turned back to Mom. Again, she found herself wishing she could read minds. She could see the gears turning in her mother’s head after all, but Mom’s stoic face didn’t give her true thoughts away. 

Jazz hated not knowing things.

Then Mom’s jaw tightened, and Jazz’s heart fell. She knew that look. “We’re getting you two to safety,” Mom said. Then, giving Frostbite a pointed look, she added, “And then we’re coming back to help Danny.”

Frostbite closed his eyes. “You will only distract him from what he needs to do. It is not wise.”

“That might be what you think,” Mom said as she bent down to help Wes stand, “but he's my son. I've let him struggle alone for too long.” Her voice cracked. “I have to start… making it up to him…”

“I assure you, the Great One does not bear any ill will towards you,” Frostbite said, frowning in sympathy. “This is not the time to begin ‘making amends’, though.”

Mom opened her mouth to retort again, but Dad laid a hand on her shoulder. “C'mon, Mads. We can figure it out later. Right now, we've gotta help these two.”

It was strange seeing her father being the rational, calm one, but Jazz chalked it up to the weirdness of the day. It was the only way she could keep it all straight in her head. 

Mom shot Frostbite one last hard glare before leading Wes towards the RV sitting down the road. Dad scooped Jazz up into his arms and began carrying her to the RV, much to her embarrassment. 

She opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off. “Don’t you worry, Jazzy-pants!” he said. His tone was bright as always, but Jazz could tell it was at least somewhat forced. “Soon as you’re safe, we’ll get right back out there and help Danny kick some evil ghost king butt!”

Jazz bit her lip. “What about what Frostbite said? About… interfering?”

Her dad hesitated before answering. “I’m sure he’s wrong. You can’t trust a ghost, after all!” His face froze as soon as the words left his mouth. “I mean, uh, not Danny of course! He’s different.”

She didn’t quite know how to respond to that. That… was a misconception they’d have to clear up sooner or later.

As she peered over Dad’s shoulder, back towards where Danny was fighting tooth and nail against Pariah, she hoped there would actually be a sooner or later.

“Be careful, little brother,” she whispered to herself. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The thread flickered.

Clockwork frowned as he allowed it to flow across his hands and in between his fingers. This certainly was the correct timeline, he knew that without a doubt, but its flickering concerned him greatly. It had been so strong when Vlad Plamius made the decision to allow Danny the Crown, but now…

He closed his eyes as he sifted through time. Before, the future had been as clear to him as any other. Now though, he could only see up to a certain point before it was obscured behind what felt like a thick wall of mist. There was still a future there, yes, but not one he could see.

It was, in a word, unusual.

“My dear Kilaris, what are you up to?” he murmured as he let the thread of the timeline slip from his fingers and back into the broader tangle of Time. Its flicker became swallowed up by the combined glow of the cluster of timelines, but Clockwork knew it was still present.

His eyes drifted to one of his time windows. The same image of Danny exiting the portal that he had watched just an hour or so ago played out again, this time in real time. A thin trail of frost followed in his wake as he flew to meet his family. The frost shimmered briefly in the ethereal light of the rip in the sky above, leaving a silky, glowing strand, almost like - 

- ah. Of course.

“Must you always be so overdramatic?” Clockwork said aloud, the semblance of a grin pulling at the corners of his mouth. 

He rested his hands on top of his staff. He knew what needed to happen now. 

It was only a matter of time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Fighting Pariah was nothing like it had been the first time around.

Before, Danny had been fighting in a clunky mech-suit. True, it had helped enhance his powers (until it tried to kill him), but it had made his movements equally clunky and stiff. He’d needed to adapt to the added weight and size quickly, but it still cost him when he took a few crucial hits.

This time he was not bound by any suit. He was free to move as he pleased, using the advantage of his smaller form to move with agility and speed that Pariah did not possess. He could dive in close for a punch or a kick, then turn on a dime and dart away. He wouldn’t have been able to do that in the Ecto-Skeleton. 

There was also the fact that he had the help of the Ancients. True, it looked like Pele had taken some nasty hits from Pariah and would be down for the count, but the others were still going strong especially with Zunje now, keeping the Fright Knight and the thrall army at bay. He didn’t like seeing Sam and Tucker down there in the fray, so close to his own battle with Pariah, but there wasn’t much he could do about it.

And then there was the Crown. It remained secure on his head, feeding him a power that buzzed through his veins and his core, making him feel like he’d just taken six shots of espresso mixed with pure ectoplasm. It was an exhilarating feeling, one that made him wish he’d actually used the Crown when he’d had the chance, during his first fight with Pariah.

(A wish he immediately scolded himself for.)

Danny gritted his teeth as he threw up another ectoplasmic shield, this one with a thick coating of ice thanks to the power of the Crown. It helped protect him from Pariah’s elemental attacks, which ran much hotter than his own.

Ectoplasmic fire exploded across the shield, and Danny could feel its heat as it curled around the edges towards him. He had to dig his heels into the air to brace himself against the sheer force of the hit. 

Pariah didn’t give him a chance to fire back. No sooner had Danny lowered his shield did he see Pariah lunging for him, fangs bared and a fiery, maniacal look in his lone eye. Danny yelped and darted to the side, just barely missing Pariah’s fist. 

Danny tried to respond with his own blast of ectoplasm, the Crown’s power coursing through him, but Pariah deflected it easily with his mace. The blast ricocheted off of it and into the street. Danny gasped as it flew right over Jazz’s head, just barely missing her by a foot.

That turned out to be a mistake. He should’ve known better than to let himself get distracted. It gave Pariah the opportunity to take another swing with his mace, catching Danny in the gut and sending him crashing into the ground. 

Danny gripped his stomach and swallowed down a cry. The mace’s sharp spikes were not just for decoration, it seemed; they’d dug mercilessly into his torso, leaving him with deep, ragged gashes. The fall into the street hadn’t been too kind on his ribs, either. He could already feel the Crown diverting some of its power to the injuries, trying to heal him as quickly as possible.

Pariah roared as he dove for Danny, fire exploding to life around his fist. Danny managed to roll out of the way, and Pariah’s fist slammed into the street, cracking it even more. In any other fight, Danny probably would’ve tried to make some snarky comment about how the potholes in Amity Park were already bad enough and they didn’t need more, but he was still struggling to get air back in his lungs. Not to mention he found it much harder to crack jokes in the middle of his more serious fights, mostly because he had to concentrate on not getting beaten to a pulp.

As Danny rolled, out of the corner of his eye, he saw his father scoop Jazz into his arms. Mom helped Wes up, and they ran towards the RV, which was still parked haphazardly down the road. Miraculously, it was still standing. 

He could almost breathe a sigh of relief. He still didn’t know if Sam and Tucker were safe or if they were still out there fighting the skeleton army, but knowing his family (and Wes) were safe offered him a little bit of reassurance.

Focus. Do not lose sight of the goal.

Right. The Ring. He still had to get that. Somehow.

It was going to be much easier said than done. Getting it off of Pariah’s hand seemed impossible, especially with the relentless drive of the king’s attacks. Danny barely had the chance to recover and launch his own attacks, let alone come up with a plan to swipe the Ring. 

He forced himself up and into the air. His cloak flared with cold energy as he allowed ice to gather in his hands. That was another advantage he had this time around - the help from his elemental core. His ice attacks were some of his strongest, and he silently thanked whatever unseen force had granted him an ice core as he loosed the energy all at once, freezing Pariah’s entire arm to the street.

You’re welcome, little Prince.

Danny almost stopped in midair. That remark definitely sent a flurry of questions flying through his head, but he had to keep his attention on Pariah. We’re not done with this, he still thought back.

Of course not. You still have much to learn.

He didn’t think the Heart meant it as a dig, but he still mentally stuck his tongue out. Even if he didn’t have time to ask questions, he could still be sassy. No one could take his sass away.

It was strange how much clearer the voice in his head seemed now that he had the Crown on. It had been clear before, but there was a new clarity to it, like when his eye doctor gave him a new prescription for his contacts. He supposed it made sense; now, he had that direct contact.

It still didn’t explain why the voice sounded like his own train of thought sometimes.

Even stranger was the feeling of the power offered to him by Kilaris. It was stronger than the power he’d had while wearing the Ecto-Skeleton, and that had probably been the time when he was the most powerful throughout the past two years. It helped that unlike the Ecto-Skeleton, the Crown did not drain him of his energy as he used it; instead, it continuously fueled him, pouring more and more power into his body, like it could never run out. It was thrilling, this feeling of endless energy. His core practically vibrated from it all.

At the same time though, fear nagged at him. This was how it felt with just the Crown on. How much worse would it be once he got the Ring too? The thought sent a chill down his spine, and he found himself subconsciously beginning to suppress his core. Suppress the ceaseless power flooding into him.

Why stop the power you are meant to have? 

Danny swallowed. 

That’s exactly what he was afraid of.

It all passed through his mind in the few seconds it took for Pariah to begin trying to melt the ice securing him to the ground. “Why you little -!” 

More ice pooled in Danny’s hands. “Sorry,” he said as he re-froze Pariah’s hand to the street. “You just looked like you needed to chill out.”

Pariah bellowed, and the ice cracked and shattered. “Impertinent child!” he sneered. “When I am in control once more -”

“Save it!” Danny fired off a round of concentrated bolts of ice in quick succession, forcing Pariah to retreat a little. “I already told you, the Heart’s not yours anymore! It hasn’t been for a long time!”

“And you dare presume it is yours?” Pariah said. He quickly gained back the ground he had lost by leaping at Danny again.

Of course, Danny easily flew out of the way. “I don’t ‘presume’ anything!” he shouted. “I already know!”

It probably wasn’t the smartest thing to say, and he really didn’t like the taste the words left in his mouth, but if he’d learned anything throughout his career as Danny Phantom, it was that his opponents got sloppy when he riled them up. Snarking at them just happened to be the easiest way to do so.

Is it truly “snark” if you speak the truth?

In spite of himself, Danny almost laughed. If you’re gonna be stuck with me, you better get used to the snark, whether it’s true or not. We come as a package deal.

He ducked out of the way of another punch. He didn’t recover quick enough; by the time he managed to turn around to face the king, an entire wall of red energy was surging at him. There wasn’t time to fly around it. It struck him with a force so strong, he was thrown back more than a hundred yards.

His ribs groaned in pain as he slammed into the concrete and skidded back a few more yards for good measure. Nausea churned in his stomach from the blow, and he had to resist the urge to lean over and throw up. All too soon, Pariah was on top of him again, swinging his mace.

Knowing there was no way he could move in time, Danny turned intangible and allowed himself to sink into the ground. He counted to three, just enough time to get his nausea under control, then called ectoplasm to his hands. With the Crown’s power, the energy’s green glow was so bright, it almost seemed white.

It wasn’t difficult to track Pariah’s hot ecto-signature underground. Danny lined himself up underneath him, then sprang from the ground. His blazing fists collided straight with Pariah’s jaw. It didn’t push Pariah back like he had hoped, but it distracted him long enough for Danny to fire his ectoplasm in one long, continuous blast. 

Pariah growled under Danny’s onslaught before finally bringing up a red shield. “You truly think this will be enough to stop me?”

Danny didn’t let up. “I’ll do whatever it takes to stop a monster like you from hurting the Realms again.”

“Really now?” Pariah twisted his shield into a blast of his own. It pushed against Danny’s, and he once again had to dig his heels into the air behind him to keep from being thrown back again. “Then why don’t you?”

Danny’s heart skipped a beat, and his attack faltered for the briefest of moments. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I think you do,” Pariah said, laughing. “I have seen you. I have seen your fears, your doubts…”

“You don’t know me at all!” Danny yelled. Frustration distracted him, and he unwillingly drew on the Crown’s power to fuel his blast. “Just ‘cause you got in my head once doesn’t mean anything!”

“Poor little Prince,” Pariah cooed mockingly, as if Danny hadn’t even spoken. “This is why you are weak. This is why you will fail to protect everything you stand for. You are nothing more than a scared child.”

Danny couldn’t stop the anger-fueled energy pouring into him and, subsequently, pouring out of his hands. The Crown was all too happy to supply it. It just responded to him too easily. It responded to his resentment of Pariah, his frustration at the tyrant king’s insinuation that he was a coward, his rage at the fact that Pariah refused to hand over what was rightfully Danny’s -

Danny screwed his eyes shut tightly. That last one, he knew it was the Crown’s influence, but he couldn’t stop it. It was all coming too hard, too fast, too strong, and it was thrilling. The power flooding through the Crown just felt so right, like maybe he really was meant to have it all along.

He wanted to throw up.

The power demanded a release. It thrummed against Danny’s skin, coursing through his core, making his green ectoblast grow brighter and brighter until it was nearly a blinding white. It would not remain bound for much longer.

And so with a guttural yell, he unleashed it.

He wasn’t entirely sure what happened - the rush of energy leaving him all at once had left him overwhelmed and disoriented - but when he opened his eyes, the whole block had a thin layer of ice covering it, sparkling in the ethereal light of the rip above. Large branches of the trees in front of the buildings had frozen and cracked off the trunks, shattering on the ground below. He could see at least one downed power line. 

Pariah had fallen to the ground, into a huge crater Danny swore hadn’t been there before. Crystals of frost coated his hair and his cape. He slowly sat up, rubbing his head, clearly just as disoriented as Danny.

Danny stared at his hands in horror. Did I really do that?

The Heart didn’t answer him. He couldn’t tell if that was good or bad. 

Probably bad. For him, anyway.

And in that moment, he swore to himself he’d never allow the Crown to give him that much power ever again. Never.

(No matter how right it had felt to control it.)

Pariah’s cough caught his attention. “You…” he muttered before stopping abruptly.

Danny’s breath caught in his throat as Pariah’s lone eye fell on the Crown sitting on his head. For just a brief moment, the world seemed to screech to a halt around them, and a silence filled the air, so thick it left a dusty taste in Danny’s mouth. Even the rip in the sky above seemed to pause in its yawning.

Then a fire sparked to life behind that one eye and a wave of heat crashed over Danny, nearly knocking him over. The roar Pariah let loose chilled Danny to the bone and left a whiny ringing in his ears. He didn’t even bother to try and stand his ground against a rage so strong; he simply turned and rocketed off in the other direction.

Just in the nick of time too, it seemed, as Pariah lunged after him. In an instant, a flurry - no, a storm of scarlet ectoblasts surrounded Danny. He twisted and ducked and dived and put all his flying skills to the test trying to dodge them all. It was difficult, since the blasts were all coming from behind him, but strangely enough, he felt as though he could sense them in the air as they flew at him, like he could just tell where they were without looking. 

“Is that you?” he asked as he narrowly avoided yet another attack.

On the contrary. It is you, little Prince.

“That makes zero se- agghh!” A blast clipped Danny’s side, sending a flare of white hot pain up his ribcage. The blast was strong enough to send him careening off course, and he couldn’t stop himself from colliding with a building and plummeting to the street below. His head hit hard enough to cause his vision to go black.

He groaned pitifully as he laid on the road. The pain shooting through his side felt as though it was trying to burn straight through him, even in spite of the cloak and Crown’s efforts to heal him. Something sticky and wet pooled underneath the hand gripping his side.

For a minute, he just laid there, fruitlessly trying to will the pain away. Unbidden memories of being in a very similar pain in a very similar fight began to well up. He forced them back down. Not right now.

A blood-curdling scream had his eyes flying back open.

Vision half-blurry from the fall to the ground, Danny pried his head up off the street and looked. In front of him was the elementary school, surrounded by a shimmering green ghost shield. Normally, he wouldn’t have cared, since it was after school hours and the building would normally be empty, but his eyes landed on a small crowd of civilians, hovering near the inner edge of the shield and watching the battle with fear in their eyes. The scream had come from a little girl no older than six, covering her mouth in horror and pointing at him.

No, pointing behind him.

With a grunt of pain and a tremendous effort, Danny took to the sky again, wobbling in midair. Pariah’s boots slammed into the street not a second later, right where he had been laying. 

This was bad. This was really getting bad. He was injured, and though the Crown and the cloak kept his energy levels high enough for the most part, he was devoting too much energy to the fight to focus any towards healing himself. Energy didn’t exactly help when it was his physical body that was damaged. 

And now there was the fact that he had a slew of people behind him, huddling underneath a ghost shield. True, it would protect them from Pariah, and it would protect them from stray blasts, but rubble could easily go flying in, or someone could step out of the protected radius. It was too dangerous to keep the battle this close to them.

(Not to mention he saw more than one cell phone out and recording, and that definitely set him on edge.)

He tried to dart away from the shield, but Pariah managed to snag his collar as he whizzed by. He gagged and his hands flew up to his throat. 

“A coward!” Pariah cackled. “That is who you are! Fleeing from the battle? Fleeing from those under your protection?” He threw Danny into yet another building. “And Kilaris dares deem you worthy?”

“So you admit it,” Danny coughed. His hand gripped his side again. “That the Heart wants me over you.” Not that he was crazy keen on that fact.

Pariah’s face morphed into a dark frown. “The Heart’s opinion is worthless!” he snapped. “It is I who controls Kilaris! Its will bends to me!”

In spite of the pain and every instinct telling him not to, Danny shot Pariah a cocky, albeit weak, grin. “Bet.”

He had to keep from laughing at the stunned look on Pariah’s face. It was clearly not the response he had been expecting to his declaration, and the fact that Danny had been able to catch him off guard that badly was priceless.

The humor didn’t last long, though. In the blink of an eye, Pariah was charging at him again. This time, Danny anticipated it enough to be able to phase back through the building. He emerged at the ground level, underneath Pariah, who was still looking for him. 

Danny moved to leap up once more, but his ribs screamed in protest. He hissed as he tried to keep from doubling over.

The cloak’s interior had to be sub-zero at this point, it was working overtime. Another layer of frost was beginning to glaze over it. The Crown too grew colder on his head, feeding pulse after pulse of energy into him.

You have been holding back, little Prince. The power has the capability to heal you and aid you in battle simultaneously, but you must let go of your fears if you are to use its true potential.

Danny didn’t answer. He was too distracted barely dodging Pariah’s mace and firing up a barrage of ice at him to do so. 

There was also the little fact that he didn’t want to answer. He didn’t want to… couldn’t acknowledge…

Yet he couldn’t deny just how badly his core wanted it. The memory of how that power had felt just those few minutes ago burned through his head, and his core jumped in earnest. 

He gritted his teeth and forced his core to quiet. It would be fine.

It had to be.

As soon as the ice left his hands, though, he collapsed in on himself once more, clutching his bleeding side. It was long enough of a distraction for Pariah to slam his feet into the street, causing enough of a quake to knock Danny off his feet and to the ground. 

Okay, so maybe it wouldn't be so fine. 

Pariah swung his mace down again, and Danny responded with a green shield. It was too hasty, not properly formed, and it shattered underneath the force. Danny yelped and tried to roll away, but the mace still clipped his back, tearing open the skin there. 

Yeah, definitely not so fine. 

The temptation to give in and let the Crown flood him once more was growing by the minute. Danny didn't know how long he could sustain himself with all these injuries, let alone how he could win the fight and take the Ring. His core ached to be filled by the Heart's power. He knew that if he let it happen, it would almost guarantee his victory.

But his eye caught the ghost shield behind him, where the crowd of civilians stood watching him with horror painted on their faces. He remembered just how badly he had destroyed the block over when he'd let the Crown's power overwhelm him, and his stomach flipped. No way could he put his people in that sort of danger. 

You can control it, little Prince. You are more than capable. 

Again, Danny didn't respond. The battle consumed too much of his focus. Gasping against the flare of hot pain, he took to the air once more to avoid yet another swing of Pariah’s mace. It missed him by a hair. He raised his hands once more to answer with an attack of his own, and - 

“Danny!”

It was instinct. He turned his head at the sound of his mother calling his name. 

It was the worst mistake he could’ve made.

He met his mom’s eyes for just a moment, but it was a moment enough for Pariah to make his move. Danny didn’t register the heat moving behind him until it was too late. He turned around just in time to see Pariah’s hand flying towards him.

Reflexively, he turned intangible in the nick of time. Pariah’s hand sailed harmlessly through his head and out the other side. His tangibility returned, and he reached out to return the attack.

It wasn’t until an emptiness unlike any other hit him like a brick wall that he realized it hadn’t been him Pariah had been gunning for. 

Danny immediately dropped to his knees and doubled over in pain as his core cried out. Just like at Vlad’s, his core felt like it had been ripped straight from his chest and drained of all its energy. Cold air surrounded him as his cloak flared to life, trying desperately to compensate for the lost energy. The only sound was his frantically pulsing heart in his ears, and he couldn’t catch his breath enough to shout.

It hurt. Ancients, it hurt.

And unlike at Vlad’s, the emptiness pressed on. 

Danny managed to look up as panic bubbled to the surface. His stomach only churned worse when he saw Pariah standing in front of him with a wild grin, holding the Crown that had been sitting on Danny’s head.

“You should’ve surrendered when you had the chance, little Prince,” he said.

Danny tried to respond, but couldn’t. It was too much. The void inside him felt like it was about to swallow him whole, just like the void above was threatening to swallow Amity Park. 

Please, he begged in a fit of desperation, help me!

The Heart didn’t respond.

“It cannot help you now, child,” Pariah Dark laughed, as if he had read Danny’s mind. “Not when it is finally back in the hands of its true master.”

And as Pariah laughed once more and raised the Crown to put it on his head, Danny lifted a feeble hand towards him, trying to call up his ice, his ectoplasm, his anything, anything that could stop him. He couldn’t feel his power, he couldn’t feel his core, he couldn’t feel his Heart - 

Pariah roared in pain. Danny’s head snapped up to see him drop a steaming Crown. It landed on the street with a loud clatter as Pariah held his also-steaming hand close to his chest.

“You!” he bellowed, glaring daggers at the Crown. “You will yield! That power is MINE!”

Danny ignored him. He had zeroed in on the Crown and begun to drag himself toward it. Somewhere in the back of his head, he realized he probably looked absolutely ridiculous right now, and it pained him to think about how badly he wanted - needed to get the Crown back, but he didn’t care.

He couldn’t tell if he was simply imagining it, but he could almost feel a little tendril of power, reaching out to him, trying to hook into his core, trying to pull him closer.

Pariah roared again, and Danny had to retreat back into the cooling comfort of his cloak as a wall of heat crashed into him. “No!” he snarled. “If you will not bow to me, then you will have no one!” With a shout that shook Danny to his bones, Pariah snatched the Ring from his finger and threw it down next to the Crown with such force that it formed a little crater.

Danny’s heart began to pound even faster. This was it. This was his chance. He just had to move - 

But he never made it. Pariah unleashed a terrible scream, and then hot, red energy poured from his hands.

Straight onto the Crown and the Ring.

If losing the Crown had hurt, Pariah’s attack on it was excruciating. Danny gripped his head and his core, unsure if he was the one screaming or if it was someone else or if he was just imagining it. 

“Stop!” he managed to gasp. “You - hurting…”

But Pariah paid him no mind. Instead, he yelled louder, and another barrage of energy slammed into the Crown and Ring. Danny reacted as though he had been the one to get hit, falling to his stomach and crying out soundlessly.

He could barely see the Crown and Ring through Pariah’s onslaught, but when he finally gathered the strength to lift his head and look, his entire being froze.

A crack appeared in the Crown.

And now he was sure he wasn’t imagining the scream of pain because it definitely had to be him with how his core cracked too, and there was definitely another voice screaming in harmony with his and Ancients, of course it would be screaming, with the way Pariah - 

“I am the power of the Realms!” Pariah roared, and another crack appeared in the Crown. 

Danny reached out one last time, but he knew it was fruitless. There was no way…

Danny cried out.

The Crown and Ring cried out.

Kilaris cried out.

And then

Kilaris

s h a

t t

e r e

d

[ilikesillythings]

Tom x reader

Edd x Reader

IM BEGGINNGGG🙏

"Sweeter than a milkshake" Tom x Reader x Edd

Tws; none Fluff Established relationsips Poly (TomEdd on top<3) (Im so sorry if you dont like ships, if you dont just pretend Edd and Tom are PLATONICALLY together- I would've written two different fics, but I wouldn't know who to @.)

It was days like this you were glad for your two boyfriends. A boring, but sunny day never stayed boring for long when you dated the two insane men known as Edd and Tom.

"Love!" Edd called to you from the kitchen, holding a flyer, "A new cafe opened up nearby, wanna go with me to check it out-- oh, and ask Tom if he wants to as well!!" he added the last part with a goofy grin. "Kay!" You returned, walking to your other boyfriends' room.

Your knucked rapped against the door, "Tomme?" Hearing something thud softly from inside of his room, and small footsteps, you took a step away from the door right before it opened slightly.

"Oh- {Y/N}!" Tom said, his once grumpy face shifting to an excited, goofy grin once his eyes (supposedly, it was hard to tell) settled onto you. He always seemed to brighten up upon seeing you, or Edd for that matter. "Edd wanted to know if you wanted to go to this new cafe with us?"

Immediately Tom nodded excitedly, "Hell yeah!" was his reply as he hooked his arm with you, shutting his door with his foot, walking briskly to the kitchen where Edd was stood, skim-reading the flyer. "You ready, smeg head?" Tom asked Edd, who in turn chuckled, nodding

The cafe wasn't too far away, and since it was nice out you enjoyed the walk. In fact, it was almost a bit too warm, the sun feeling hot against the back of your neck, but the prospect of this oddly made it worth it. "I wonder if they have Cola.." Edd mused to himself softly, causing you and Tom to chuckle.

Eventually, the three of you reached the cafe. It was clearly based off of the 1960s, so with renewed interest, you were the first to step in, followed by Edd, then Tom.

It was fairly empty inside in terms of people, decorations on the other hand were a different story. The walls were white, with black and white checkered floors, red seated booths with long cyan blue tables, a juke box, playing 'These Boots Were Made For Walking' softly, a static hum faintly following the melody, as the thing seemed as though it had seen better days. The walls were covered in photos, Coca Cola signs, photos of dramatically lit lava lamps, barbies, surfers, and tie-dyed shirts. Near the wall was a long counter, red surfaced bar stools in front of it.

Your eyes surveyed over everything, in awe. "Whoa.." you whispered, sitting down at one of the bar stools. Chuckling to themselves, Edd and Tom sat on either side of you, "This is certainly something, huh?" Tom asked with a raised eyebrow,

"Look.." Edd murmured with stars in his eyes, pointing at the large Cola sign. Tom rolled his eyes, mumbling under his breath, "It is cool in here," you eventually said, tilting your head to the side.

Once a waitor gave each of you a menu, Edd got a Cola, Tom black coffee, and you? A milkshake. But, no matter how sweet the {F/F (favourite fruit) } milkshake turned out to be, you knew for a fact that your boys were much, much sweeter.

[rizzyu]

Hello there! :D If u dont mind, can i req platonic friendship hcs for luxiem? where gn!reader looks up to them as an older brother figure? +bonus points if they also have a chaotic personality >:D Have a great day~

Big-brother Figure HC

Pairing: Vox, Mysta, Luca, Ike, Shu x gn! reader

Category: Fluff, heehee haha funni

Warning: C h a o s .  

Summary: Platonic relationship with the Luxiem members :D

A/N: Hi hi! That is such as cute idea! I can already imagine the chaos before even starting to write lol Anyways thank you for the request :D

Vox Akuma

He tries his very very very very very best not to bring in sussy conversations while you are around, since you're like his little-sibling figure

It's very fucking difficult for him to not straight up yell something like FORKIN- *** **** ***** ***, but he really R E A L L Y tries his best (c'mon you gotta give him some slack for trying this hard)

Even though you might already have learnt it from other Niji members (mr satan here might choke those specific members if he finds out)

But Vox also takes care of you very well

Like he'd go out of his way just to make sure you have the best meals every day

Overall, I think Vox would be a very caring but yet very protective big-brother figure

Mysta Rias

You'd be making fun of him A LOT (like real siblings lol) and also pick on him specifically

Like in every roast tier list, Mysta's in the "bullied" tier, and you're the living proof of that.

Say if you're playing Crab Game, you'd specifically throw a snowball at him out of nowhere, causing him (using his webcam mic that makes him sound like he's in the middle of a damn hurricane) to scream like he's stuck between the fabric of reality and the backrooms

Basically like this: "WHAAA WHA%#%@"#*@ WHO THE %##*@/× FUCK ^@!~# DID&פ^#*!/£₩※THAT /£&&$)#(@#:"

Meanwhile you: "MUHYAHYAHYAHAYYAHAYAGHAGSSBABBA L L L L L L"

And if Mysta is cooking, just like Vox his Mysta's cooking stream, you'd scold him for cooking in such uhhhhh c u r s e d ways

“Mysta, for the love of Riku Tazumi, by “pour oil into the pan”, doesn’t mean to fill the entire pan with oil.”

Overall, chaotic sibling-like relationship with Mysta :)

Luca Kaneshiro

The most chaotic duo in NijiEN

You two would both pull pranks and say random deez nuts, ligma jokes to other members

Whenever you two take part in collabs (especially large ones), I can imagine you both causing so much mischief that everyone would be screaming your names while chasing you two who are laughing your butts off (I love his laugh it’s so goofy)

He’d teach you his ways of pogging

Say if you’re playing Minecraft, you two would probably place lava traps in front of the doors of every house, before hiding nearby to see the other members scream when they fall into the trap

Basically he’s gonna troll with you all the time :)

Ike Eveland

Just like Vox, very caring but very protective

He really enjoys reading you the novels he wrote and making you caviar toast. Even if you dislike caviar, he (tries) to not be too disappointed in you lol

Ike also like to teach you how to write novels and how to speak some Swedish words

And usually when you did well when he’s teaching you things, he’d give you a headpat :3

Usually if some other members say something a bit sussy, broski would look d e a d into their eyes while having both hands covering both of your ears, before politely telling you to go somewhere else for the meantime. Then he'd threaten whoever did that in front of you.

I like it when he goes psychopath mode. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Shu Yamino

You’d definitely greet each other with “eyyyyyyyyyyyyy” everytime you meet lol

If you’re a smart person, you’d probably be talking about maths or something in the middle of a game.

“There are two boxes blocking that so if we double it we can cover the whole thing.”

 “Yea but there isn’t enough space to place 4 boxes there, maybe 3.46 boxes can work.”

“Seems like 3.48 would work better.”

“BUT IT’S JUST A 0.02 DIFFERENCE-” (made-up scenario lol)

The whole time chat would be spamming the nerd emoji 🤓🤓🤓

You, Shu and Petra would get along very well too, since Petra is like a sister figure to Shu

Happy penguin siblings :D

[lavful]

My messy thoughts on Dragons Rising s1 part 2! (spoilers!)

I loved Sora’s arc, it is a trans allegory and you cannot convince me otherwise. She’s an icon! What a beautiful true potential story. Screw the Imperium people for deadnaming her. I feel like Ninjago has always had a message of embracing your true self and this just emphasizes that

Arin is also such a sweetie of course. I love his relationship with Lloyd and Sora ofc. Surely next season focuses on finding his parents

The platonic affection in this series is TOP TIER. The hugs?? Everything. The mentorships?? Beautiful. Arin and Sora LOVE each other /p and I love that for them

Geo and Cole is making me have a whole crisis over Lava. That was NOT platonic behavior. Is it time to become a multi/polyshipper?

The fact that the Lost people can’t leave is TRAGIC the Ninja have to go back and address that

I am dying to know what’s going to happen with Cole, Jay, and P.I.X.A.L. There are tons of other characters that can return but I want to remember to spotlight the new characters

This all being said I appreciate the focus on the RGB siblings. I love them!

I’m honestly fine with Wu being a ghost/not returning. I feel like his arc has been done for a while and Lloyd is the sensei now. His wisdom still echoes through the ninja, it’s not like his presence is completely gone

Kai is top tier! Finally the hot, caring, wise, fun older brother we’ve always known he is

Zane hasn’t been his early season self in a while, he’s plays the role of the flat “voice of reason” too often and I don’t like it but I’m more focused on the positives of this season. I’m so glad he hasn’t stopped thinking of P.I.X.A.L. His scenes with Mr. Frohicky were endearing

Speaking of Mr. Frohicky, what an anxious icon lol. When he said he’s not prepared to drive in these circumstances, I felt that

[mamamittens]

Oh, Sweet Child of Mine (Pt. 14)

Platonic Yandere Whitebeard Crew (Ft. Others) & Reader Insert

Main|First|Previous

Warnings: Yandere behavior, uh... technically but not really vore (I apologize for any PTSD flashbacks that word gives you) but really just being in the mouth of a large creature, and of course, burn related injuries. If yandere content makes you uncomfortable, please do block the tag 'oh sweet child of mine' as well as any variation of 'one piece yandere' that you feel is necessary.

Ngl, I kinda thought I was funny implying that the reader died. Oh well.

Word Count: 1,865

Marco had, on occasion, wondered if the only reason he had never experienced an ulcer or heart attack was because of his fruit.

He did not, however, consider testing that theory by racing against a literal volcano to save his hotheaded brother.

He had seen you look at him, desperately trying to communicate a single word to him.

Run.

He’d already started to dive down to cut off whatever insane stunt you were about to pull when you reached your arm back and pressed it against Akainu’s jacket. The marine looking down at you in shock. If you said something else, he didn’t register it.

Decades as a pirate on the Grand Line, and even he struggled to mentally piece together the next thirty seconds.

He saw Ace. He was definitely reaching down to grab him while Akainu was distracted.

Then what seemed like the literal gates of hell was thrown open. Heat so strong he felt fire in his lungs as he was thrown through the air, Ace clutched in his talons by mere seconds. The world tumbling and spinning as he was spat out of a cloud of smoke so thick he thought he closed his eyes if it wasn’t for the burning in them. Wings thrashing to regain balance, healing several times over as he struggled to remain airborne under his own power.

Ace was spitting and coughing, clutching Marco’s legs as he gasped for air long after Marco managed to stabilize them.

Marco could only circle what was once a relatively normal island in horror.

Roughly around where they were just moments ago was a caldera, bubbling magma still erupting forth with plumes of toxic gas. The land flattened and carved away from the force, cracks spilling more lava outward. Boats were capsized at the docks and at sea where people ran once the fight started, the people screaming as the water rushed back to claim the space it had once occupied. With force.

The ocean rushed back over the island, spilling into the magma pit and burying it in water. Gas boiling up. After several moments, the water returned to it’s normal level at the ruined shoreline. The pit now a boiling lake. If Akainu had still been there… he was dead now.

Marco dropped several feet as the realization sank in.

You were probably dead too.

Marco looked around desperately across the water, trying to see you clinging to a boat or people. Anything. But there was nothing but chaotic waves and people sighing in relief that it was over. You were gone.

Marco let out a low, sad trill, leaning down to brush his beak in Ace’s hair, nipping his ear to console the young man before starting a much more sedate flight to the nearest inhabited island. Ace clutching his talons as he sobbed, his tears falling to the sea.

--*--

It was dark. Dark and humid. A low buzzing sound vibrating your beaten body as you breathed shallowly. Everything hurt. You could only lay on the weirdly soft, wet thing. Struggling to breath. The taste of sea salt and rancid fish permeating your skin.

There was a high keen, probably from yourself, and the floor seemed to lurch. The buzzing intensified as light spilled in. You clenched your eyes shut as the sound of the ocean overwhelmed you. Fresh air spilling in with the cry of seagulls.

After a long moment orientating yourself, you opened your eyes again.

You were in a mouth.

You were in a mouth!

Laying in a sad, wet pile on a tongue with front row seats to rows and rows of sharp teeth. At least, you assumed they were teeth. Your glasses were gone so it looked more like fingers. You scrambled to sit up but your body screamed out in agony, forcing you to lay there instead.

“W-W-What…?” You murmured.

“Maaaaooooo~! Maaaaoooo~! Mao!” The cry echoed around you, your overstimulated body protesting the cheery vibrations. Despite the pain, you grinned. Eyes watering as you sobbed in relief.

“M-Mao! B-Baby! You saved me!” You laughed, crying as the movement pulled on your injuries… well, everywhere. “You saved me… C-Can you take me to an island, baby? I-I need help. You—you did so good clever baby but I’m not o-out of the woods yet.” You panted, body protesting any attempt to get comfortable as Mao closed their mouth back. The buzzing vibrations rolling out as you felt them speed up.

You closed your eyes and tried to rest. Resolutely ignoring how you planned to get help. Walking… was probably out of the question.

Thankfully, Mao had planned for that.

Their mouth opened back up to panicked screams.

“H-Holy fuck! It’s going to eat us!” Light spilled in as Mao’s tongue moved out slowly.

“I-It’s tasting the air for our scent!”

“By the seas, what is it doing?!”

“I-I don’t want to die like this!”

“?!”

“Wait! What the fuck?! What the fuck?!”

“I-Is that a person?! On it’s tongue?! A warning?!” You shivered as a cool breeze swept over you.

“A-Ah… is it… getting them help?”

“Let me just… uh… nice sea king?” You hissed as hands slowly swept under you. “Easy there, you’re in rough shape if even a sea king won’t eat you.”

“M-Mao’s a precious baby!” You protested with a pained gasp as you were lifted up into steady arms. “I-Isn’t that right, clever baby?”

“Mmmmmaaaoooo~! Maaooo~!” You opened your eyes and saw only smears of pinks and blues. Giggling dizzily as you collapsed into the stranger’s arms.

“Bbbbbaaaabbbyyy~!”

“I think they’ve been fried.” Someone whispered.

You only chuckled, eyes sliding closed as you passed out.

You came to wrapped up like a mummy, burns and cuts treated with an IV in your arm for fluids. Yeah, after all that fire and lava, you were probably pretty dehydrated. Your clothes had to be tossed, replaced with a simple shirt and loose pants. Marine neckerchief reduced to little more than a rag, though the iron bracelet was still firmly in place—it had even given you some burns from being heated up. Your host was a lovely young couple who ran an inn. A local doctor checking in on you every day for the past week.

You were quite a ways from Banaro island now. Several islands over, in fact. Mao had dropped you into the arms of a fishing vessel that quickly left the devastated area due to the lack of fish and excess amount of toxic ash.

You still didn’t have any glasses, so you were fairly useless in helping out around the inn for the trouble while you healed up. Instead keeping the wife company at the front desk. Thankfully, the bandages had been dialed down compared to when you woke up. Now just wrapping up your arms, hands, and legs. You did have a sunburn though, considering what you escaped, you called it good.

You rubbed your eyes a little, laying your head on the desk as you rattled the little bit of chain left in the air. At the very least, you wanted to get rid of the damn thing. Bolt cutters or something. Laying on it bruised your wrist and it was starting to rust up your bandages from sheer damage.

“Oh! Hello! Are you here for a room?” You sighed, wondering when the news coo would finally deliver a paper to inform you if Marco and Ace survived.

A gentle hand steadied your arm and the sound of metal breaking broke the silence. You shot up in surprise as the bracelet clattered to the desk, ripped clean in half.

Shocked, you looked back, eyes squinting furiously as you tried to make sense of the shapes. Tan skin color smear with a dash of orange at the top. A tan redhead? The hand reached out to your face, ignoring how you flinched backwards.

As the calloused hand cupped your cheek, you sensed a devil fruit for the first time since Banaro.

Cinnamon and campfire. Laughter and smoky night skies.

“You’re alive…”

“You made it!” You both whispered at the same time. You laughed, tears falling as you blindly leapt forward to hug him. “Ace!” You cried, body protesting harshly to your relieved affections. You squeezed your eyes shut, letting the tears fall despite how it burned your eyes.

Strong arms carefully wrapped around your body, rubbing over the fabric and bandages like he couldn’t believe it. His body jerking as your shoulder grew wet.

Birdsong and incense. Fireworks at twilight.

Another hand brushed your cheeks, wiping away your tears and blue fire popped over your body weakly.

Laughing louder, you opened your eyes to find Marco in front of you, gently pressing his forehead against yours. Blue eyes red with tears as he chuckled.

“Found you.”

You reached out and tugged him closer, sniffling as he joined the tearful reunion.

“Y-Yeah. You did.”

Even weakened as you were, the close contact with Marco’s fruit eased your pained body. Fire flickering through your bandages every few seconds like a dying flame.

“We’re taking you home.” Ace promised into your shirt. “Everyone was worried sick. Thatch almost broke out of the med bay to go with us.”

Your breath hitched.

“…He’s alive?” You asked softly. Marco chuckled, kissing your temple.

“Yeah. He’s tough like that.” Marco shifted but didn’t let go of Ace nor yourself. “Have you been taking care of them?”

“U-Uh, yes! Well, Doctor Mills has been watching over them too, but they’ve been resting here for a week now.” Your hostess answered in shock.

“Thank you. We almost skipped this island to go straight back to Oyaji. But Ace convinced me to rest more. We’ve both been ran ragged for months. We’ll compensate you but… can we get a room to rest in? Just one. We can share a bed I just… we’ve had too many close calls recently.” Marco asked. You snorted a little.

More amused than anything else, you wondered how much of that request was to ensure you didn’t try to run off.

It was hard to get either of them to let go long enough to collapse in a large bed. Marco and Ace deliberately making sure you were in the middle as they carefully inspected your injuries. Marco pressing his flames into what seemed worse off. Already you felt leagues better than before. You yawned, rolling your eyes as Ace poked at the bruises on your wrist from the chain. You pulled him down and wrapped your arms around his chest, satisfied that you barely felt a twinge from the movement.

After a moment, Marco laid down too, bringing the blanket over your shoulder and tucking his chin over your head.

“We have a lot to talk about.” Marco whispered into your hair. You hummed sleepily.

“I know… hey, Marco?”

“Yeah?”

“… I’m glad my stupid gamble paid off.” There was a huff of air at the back of your head. “I’m glad you’re both okay. I thought Admiral Akainu was going to kill you.”

“You’re grounded for a year when we get back.” You couldn’t help but giggle a little.

“How lenient.”

“Don’t push it.”