#prompt: “I don't do shorts”

[thisapplepielife]

Written for @corrodedcoffinfest.

Howdy, Sailor

CCF Spring Break Prompt: "I don't do shorts." | Word Count: 1000 | Rating: T | POV: Eddie | Pairing: Steddie | CW: None | Tags: AU, Eddie Needs Shorts, Eddie Doesn't Wear Shorts, But The Salesclerk Is Awfully Handsome, Meet Cute

Eddie hates shopping. He'd rather be anywhere else, doing anything else. Root canal? Sure.

"Just try these on!" Gareth says, lobbing a lump of fabric at him, hitting him square in the chest, and they are the wildest printed swim trunks he's ever seen.

"I don't do shorts," Eddie says, letting them fall to the ground, "especially not ones that loud."

He didn't realize a salesclerk was right there, until he reaches down to pick up the dropped merchandise off Eddie's boots, automatically folding them perfectly.

"Maybe you should," he says, and Eddie isn't following.

"Maybe I should what?" 

"Wear shorts," he says, and grins at Eddie. 

Eddie sort of feels like he's being made fun of, or maybe flirted with, he can't tell which. And it puts him off-kilter.

"Sorry, it was rude I dropped them," Eddie says. Because that much he does know. He was being rude.

"I have to clean up the dressing rooms, a pair on the floor out here is nothing," he says, and Eddie looks at his name tag. Steve.

"Dingus, I need help!" a girl calls out from behind the register, and Eddie watches as Steve smiles at him once more, before heading up her way.

"If you're done flirting," Gareth says, holding up a black pair of trunks that are longer than nearly everything else, a question in his eyes.

"Fine," Eddie says, snagging them from his hand.

He'll buy anything to get this over with. He wasn't on board for this outing, anyway. And he definitely hadn't signed up for shorts.

But he carries them to the register, where Steve picks them up, and looks them over.

"I don't think you're an extra large," Steve says, looking at the tag.

The girl looks him up and down, "He's not. Not unless you want to end up like the Coppertone Girl," Robin, her name tag reads, quips towards Eddie.

Goddamn it, Gareth.

"I thought these were my size?" Eddie accuses Gareth, and Gareth just shrugs. 

"C'mon, I'll help you find the right size," Steve says, and Eddie follows him, even if that feels embarrassing. 

"Are you planning a vacation?" Steve asks, making small talk.

"I'm kinda on one now? My friends want to go to the dive-in. At the beach," Eddie says. "They're showing Jaws. I'm going against my will."

"You don't like Jaws? That sounds fun," Steve asks.

"Like, no. It's fine. I'm just not a beach guy."

"What beach is doing dive-ins? I haven't heard about that," Steve questions.

"Oh, it's not here," Eddie says, "it's at Washington Park Beach. We're just here on spring break."

"You came to the beach and didn't bring trunks?"

"Don't judge me," Eddie teases, and Steve grins. 

Eddie looks back at the abysmal options, as Steve pulls another pair from the rack. The same black ones, "Medium or large?"

Eddie doesn't know, and shrugs. Doesn't really care. He'll never wear them again.

"Well, let's have you try them on."

Eddie wishes he'd just picked one, he doesn't want to try on clothes, but he still follows Steve.

In the dressing room, he sheds his boots and jeans, and pulls up the medium pair. They fit in the waist fine, but they're obscene in the crotch, and he laughs.

"Let me see," Steve says from the other side of the curtain. 

Eddie pulls it open, and Steve laughs, muttering, "Oh my, you're gonna need some bigger shorts."

It makes Eddie laugh, and before he pulls the curtain back closed, Steve slides two fingers into his waistband. Fingers touching his skin. Eddie stutters, stilling. He realizes he's seeing how they fit, but Eddie's sure his cheeks have reddened because of it.

"Yeah, the large should fit you better," he declares, and he's right. Looser everywhere, and that's absolutely preferred. 

He slides open the curtain, and Steve looks him up and down, then nods his approval. He doesn't take the measurement again, but Eddie wouldn't have been opposed to it, if he had. Eddie doesn't even know why his opinion means anything to him. This guy is a stranger, but he seems like the authority, even if Eddie knows he's likely just a minimum wage dude, pretending to know about the clothes.

"Much better," Steve says, and Eddie pulls the curtain closed again.

Jeff, Goodie and Gareth are all in the water, floating on tubes as the movie plays on the big screen, casting shadows all over the place in the dark.

Eddie's sitting on the edge of the rented boat, feet in the water.

He feels someone, or something, saddle right up next to him, rocking the boat, and he hopes to fucking hell it's not a shark. Are there sharks in Lake Michigan? He thinks not. So, he turns to mouth off, and finds Steve grinning at him. 

"Permission to come aboard?"

Eddie grins, and offers him a hand, pulling him up next to him. That's when he sees the bright, very short pair of trunks that he's sure came from the store he works in.

"Howdy, sailor," Steve says.

"Hi," Eddie says, suddenly shy, and pulls his hair over his mouth. Steve's here. Steve.

"The shorts look good. I kind of thought I'd turn up and you'd be in your jeans," Steve teases. 

"I thought about it, definitely," Eddie says, and he can't believe Steve came here. Like, he sounded interested, but Eddie figured that was just his job. Make the customer seem like whatever they're buying clothes for is the most interesting thing in the universe.

"I'm glad you didn't," Steve says, and taps him on the thigh. "Hope you don't mind that we came."

Eddie looks around, and sees Robin a few feet away, floating near a pretty blonde girl. 

"Not at all. Hope you're not scared of sharks."

Steve smiles, a grin that looks like he knows far more than Eddie knows, and he nudges Eddie's thigh with his own leg, "I don't know. A little biting has never scared me."

If you want to write your own, or see more entries, check out @corrodedcoffinfest to read takes on Spring Break prompts, or to offer up your own!

Notes: Header image is from Dawson's Creek. That's where the dive-in Jaws showing idea came from.

[r3ynah]

Yoo, same

Kon stood nervously beside the shut front door of his family home (which was currently empty due to every single family member of his were busy), he fiddled with his fingers, his senses seemingly becoming more and more sensitive as time went on, glancing up at the grandfather clock Mr. Bruce Wayne gifted to them every so often.

This was the day, the day Kon will tell his first ever long time 'normal' best friend his secret, finally after so many years he could really free himself from the guilt of lying and hiding his identity to Dani, he imagines the hilarious shocked face Dani will make when Kon tells her his Super boy, and how excited she will be not even sparing him a minute to answer her dozens of questions, Kon chuckled to himself as the idea swam in his mind.

But his chuckles, were stopped as a thought floated up in his head 'What if it'll be the other way? what if she'll never talk to me ever again?' Kon silently thought as he tapped his foot overwhelmed by the thought of his best friend not seeing him as a regular human being anymore and just a clone freak, he didn't want that the black hair blue-eyed girl despite her features was not part of the Wayne family, which shocked Kon upon their first meeting due to the fact Dani also lived in Gotham.

But Kon found out soon enough that Dani lived with her older siblings, a cool older sister named Jazz, Jazz had red hair, but her smile was the same as Dani's, and an odd older brother who Kon thought at first was her Twin brother, it didn't help that their names was also very similar Dani having an i, while her older brother Danny had a Y, they were cool people, Kon would like to hang out with them more often, but that'll will only happen if Dani still sees Kon as Kon after this discussion.

But is it all worth it? to just reveal it his life, his identity? after all Dani was the only time Kon ever felt normal, he wanted to be happy, he wanted to be understood, he wanted to be normal, he wanted to be selfish, he wanted Dani.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door which startles him greatly, he knows who's at the opposite of door, after all only one person can ever go sneak up on him a surprise him to death, 'Dani' was the only thing he can think about as he turned the doorknob to open the front door.

And "Dani" was the only thing he breathed out as he faced the girl that stood Infront of him, Dani always liked to put on comfy and edgy clothes that makes people mistake her for a boy if it weren't for her long hair, which Kon realized Dani never cared if she was called the opposite gender she finds it as a compliment, her regular long side bangs that usually resides on the right side of her face was put up with a hair clip, her face was in full view, and even the gods can't fathom on how pretty she was.

She smiled at him with her oddly crooked sharp teeth, and Kon knew he was in danger right there and then, but for the reasons you don't think it is.

"Heya Konnie, what made you call me in like the middle of the semester?" Dani asked as she tilted her head, "Just want to talk with you." Kon stated as he moved to the side to give her room to head in, after letting Dani walked in Kon closed the door behind her.

"Come follow me, let's go to the balcony" Kon said as he grabbed Dani's wrist to drag her where she complied easily and just let Kon do his thing, Kon breathed out the trust Dani had in him, made him want to just breakdown right there in the middle of the living room floor, because he knows that after this there will be a chance Dani won't want to be there to spend the life they had imagined in the past together in the near future.

But he kept himself strong after all there was still the other positive half.

They had reached the balcony in less than 3 minutes, Kon sat silently on one of the sofas placed, Dani following and sitting on the left side, Dani put her head on top of Kon's shoulder, and Kon let's her, Dani took Kon's hands and played with them putting his ring on different fingers, Kon let's her, she tangles her hands with Kon's, and Kon let's her.

"Dani..." Kon let out, Dani hummed in response

"I need to confess to you about something." Kon mumbled, this time Dani looked up at him.

"What is it?" Dani asked, Kon looked down at her, meeting her eyes was hard, did it ever get this suffocating when talking to her in the past?

definitely not. there was no time, place, or event Kon ever felt uncomfortable with her next to him. Kon slowly got onto his knees Infront of Dani making her confused.

"Konnie? why are you kneeling" Dani giggled as she found the scene Infront of her utterly funny but stopped when she saw how serious Kon looked and how his hands that were still holding onto Dani's was trembling. "Kon, are you okay?"

"Danielle, I have been hiding something from you for a very long time, and I can't handle keeping it for much longer" Kon's voice trembled, there was no turning back the consequences can come later, he needs to let this guilty burden out of his chest. he looks up at Dani with her eyebrows furrowed and blue eyes that glinted in worry.

she looks ethereal and only heaven knows on how Kon yearns for his best friend.

"I'm Super boy" Kon uttered out his voice cracking but only slightly.

He yearns to tell her the truth.

"I have been Super boy even before we met"

He yearns for her approval

"Not only that, but I'm also a clone of the one and only Superman"

He yearns for her acceptance

"I'm sorry for lying and hiding my identity from you."

He yearns for her forgiveness

"Dani, I love you so much it hurts." he went quiet his body full of anxiety his knees became weak as he observed any signs of emotion in the black-haired girl's face.

He yearns for her.

And he has a feeling she know it too.

Is this it? everything they worked hard for this friendship disappearing just like that, on this day, here in the balcony? please no, his heart couldn't possibly take that, she wants her beside him, he'll take any route of destiny as long as she stays, even if she turns to despise his very being, he'll take it with no hesitation.

As long as she's with me, everything's worth it.

He didn't even realize he was crying until he felt a pair of hands caressing his face wiping his tears in the process, Dani made him look at her, she smiled at him softly then she opened her mouth and uttered "It's okay I forgive you, thank you for telling me." Dani held him close and let Kon's head rest on her chest. "I promise you, I'm not going anywhere, after all any place I'll go will be painstakingly boring without you beside me."

Finally letting go of the mixed emotions that had built inside of him, Kon cried, he cried until his throat became sore and his eyes became red from the tears, and Dani stayed until the very end just like she promised.

PLUS SCENE

Kon laid on the sofa tired and lazily staring at the ceiling, a random cartoon show played from the TV, one of his hands was holding onto to Dani's Hand, as the girl looked focused on the show, Kon let his eyes close for a second succumbing to the peace, until Dani opened her mouth.

"You said earlier that you were a clone, right?" Dani asked her eyes remained on the TV

Kon hummed "yeah why?"

"Yoo, same" Dani laughed, her reply made the exhaustion from Kon's body leave immediately, he sat straight up and his mouth open as he looked at Dani in surprise.

"Excuse me, WHAT??" Kon stated in disbelief, Dani bent over clutching her stomach as she laughed at his reaction.

[emioliravioli]

Somebody might've already requested this, but Zombot Blaze.

don't tell anyone i told you this, but blaze and marine were actually in the metal virus saga (i'm coping)

[necrotic-nephilim]

as an apology for being gone for a month, have a uquiz i spent a week making! pls feel free to reblog with which character you got, i worked way too hard on this silly little thing. there are eight different characters you can get that are varying levels of unknown, with comic recommendations for each character <3

[hulloitsdani]

DAY 11: Resplendent!!!

Thank GOD for that new Reginn alt leaning deeper into that steam punk aesthetic. I saw those googles and immediately knew what I had to do.

I had a very chill time with this one. Felt very in my comfort zone, so once the basic sketch was done I allowed myself to just go off without too much thought. The premise of this alt being less front line fighter and more a mechanic for Niðavellir's machines. I think it could be fun if Kiran picks up on that kind of stuff really quickly due to the inherent similarities it has with their own world's machinery.

[novella-november]

For the record, I've gotten another ask that is complaining that I am encouraging people to branch out and experiment with original fiction vs fanfiction for the short story events -- that is to say, the events that consist of four, 5k short stories in a month, NOT me telling people they have to write 30k original words in November. If you read it that way, please go back and re-read the original posts.

It has part of this blog from day 1 that fanfiction is not only included and embraced in this challenge alongside technical and non-fiction writing, and if you take me encouraging people to also give original fiction *a try* on one of the mini challenges as a personal attack of some kind, I'm not sure what to say.... except I'm not going to have my inbox filled with this.

Re-read my biggest, top post, where I literally included Fanfiction and technical, non-fiction writing as fully fledged options on the literal announcement post of this blog.

I do not hate fanfiction, I do not look down on fanfiction, and I read and write plenty of it myself.

Suggesting that people might consider writing a short original story for one of the 5k a week challenges is not me attacking fanfiction or fanfiction writers, because I literally am one.

I am not going to be engaging in any further asks that act like I am browbeating or guilting people into not writing fanfiction or that I am "looking down on fanfiction writers".

I've responded privately to probably a dozen different blogs who asked about fanfiction since this blog began and forgot those dozen responses weren't visible to the rest of Tumblr, so it looked like the only times I had mentioned it at all were when I got asked twice in 24 hours about it.

Its been on the announcement post of this blog since day one that fanfiction is allowed along with any other form of writing.

If you are mad at me for encouraging people to give original writing a try for a writing contest alongside fanfiction then idk man 🤷

[kittyscabin]

shows up to give you the coffinchain challenge

Please be more careful when you cross the road You’re a perfect arrangement of rickety bones

Stray cats.

Peter had always likened the apprentices to a group of stray cats, in his mind.

At first it was out of distaste. They were a nuisance; a band of drifters slinking around the alleyways, catching their quarries unaware. The quick, sharp jab of a hypodermic needle might as well have been the efficient killing bite that a cat might deliver to the throat of its prey. They worked in the shadows, occupying all of those lonely abandoned buildings and reworking them for a new, twisted purpose. 

Then, begrudgingly, he’d found himself wrapped up in Mark Hoffman. Chasing him, hunting him, hellbent on bringing him to justice, then on killing him, then on understanding him, then…

Well, Peter didn’t know what he was doing now. 

All he knew was that sitting in his apartment, in varying states of composure, were three of Jigsaw’s disciples. 

Dr. Gordon sat on his couch, eyes trained down as his hands worked on bandaging a fresh wound on the arm of his younger accomplice. Stanheight sat quietly and allowed for the medical attention with little fight. Hoffman himself sat on the floor, back leaned against the couch close to the other two. 

Peter remained standing, trying not to buckle at the absurdity of his situation. In true stray-animal nature, he had made the mistake of allowing Hoffman into his home once, twice, thrice, and now he’d come back with friends. 

‘Don’t feed the strays’, indeed. 

Accept that he did know the other two, at this point. The polite Dr. Gordon was well-spoken and direct; Peter had found him infuriating in the beginning. He was a hard man to interrogate and an even harder man to intimidate, as level and unflinching as he was. Unlike Peter, he never seemed to let his anger get the best of him, and he seemed to know that. Dr. Gordon was a man who always seemed very aware of how much more control he had in the conversation. It was enviable. 

Then there was Adam Faulkner-Stanheight. Mouthful of a name. It was strange enough for Peter to wrap his head around the fact that the kid was alive, let alone working with Jigsaw. He was angry- had more rage in his scrawny little body than what felt possible. Stupid and impulsive, Peter had found him annoying. Just a petulant adolescent who had gotten himself into bigger trouble than he yet realized. 

They’ve come a long way since then. Both apprentices had grown on him, maybe because they reminded him of himself in their amalgamate qualities. The cold, callous bluntness of the doctor. The white-hot temper of the kid. The way he had never seen the former so gentle nor the latter so complacent until now, as they patched themselves together on his bloodied furniture. 

Peter had been reluctant to welcome them all inside. It was bad enough to shelter one serial killer, but now three? It reminded him that everything he’s been doing as of late is against what he once stood for. Fuck, it would solve a hell of a lot of his own problems if he didn't care. If he’d let them all rot, make them regret thinking that Peter would risk his own hide just because he's been friendly with them. Dr. Gordon and Stanheight had seemed to understand this too. Their expressions had been apprehensive, looking ready to flee like the animals they were. Peter wonders how long ago he would have given chase. 

Hoffman had spoken, then. 

“I didn’t-” His voice was shot and exhausted. “I didn’t know where else to go, Strahm.” 

And just like that, Peter took them in. Those words were all it took. Hoffman limped inside on a bad leg and described some sort of police-raid, premature. John Kramer and Amanda Young hadn’t even been there, so it had just been the trio, and they were forced to flee. Unable to go far on foot in their current state, Hoffman had brought his injured companions here. To Peter. 

Why did that make something strange stir within him? 

The three of them were soaked to the bone from the rain. Peter watched Hoffman sluggishly attempt to remain alert, but every so often his head would lull and come to rest against the soft thigh of Dr. Gordon. If the doctor noticed it, he didn't say a word as he continued to diligently work. He looked tired. Stanheight was putting on the best brave face he could manage, but Peter’s keen eyes caught his shoulders trembling, only eased when Gordon’s hand came to rest on one and rubbed gently. They all looked so tired. 

Unable to watch any longer, Peter finally broke the silence. 

“So why are you still doing this?” It took everything in him to not fidget idly as he spoke, brows furrowed at the three men. 

All eyes were on him quite suddenly, sharp as they regarded him. Three clever pairs of observant eyes that all screamed out ‘I know more than I’m letting on' to Peter. He held their gazes, muscled arms crossed over his chest. 

“You know what I’m talking about.” He scoffed, lip curling. “What’s the point of doing the old man's dirty work when he just lets things like this happen to you?” 

Silence.

Hoffman broke first. He laughed, eyes closing as he rested more fully against the couch. It was good-natured but ultimately dismissive. 

Dr. Gordon frowned at Peter, one brow quirked as if he had asked them something incredibly naive. Like he expected Peter to know already. 

Stanheight didn't react. Not outwardly, anyways. He only stared, something new and strange glittering in his eyes that Peter couldn't place.

“What,” Peter grit his teeth, an edge to his voice. Less of a question and more of a prompt. 

“Nothing, nothing. Apologies, Mr. Strahm.” Gordon sighed, turning his attention back to his handiwork. He appeared to nearly be done with the worst of Stanheight’s injuries now. “It’s just… not that simple.”

“Not exactly the kinda job you can put your two weeks in for.” Hoffman corroborated, a smirk tugging at his full lips. 

Peter felt his face burn hot, and he huffed in frustration. “You fucking- Don’t play dumb. Don’t act like it’s a stupid question. I’ll throw you back out onto the fucking curb.” He jabbed a finger at Hoffman in particular, who for his part did indeed shut his mouth. “You listening? Good. What I’m saying is that John Kramer is one demented old man. What is actually stopping you?” 

This time, the quiet was punctuated by Hoffman and Gordon exchanging an uncomfortable glance. After a moment, Hoffman shrugged and ran one hand through his damp, messy hair. “I’m sure you’re familiar with the concept of, uh, checks ‘n balances.” 

Peter raised an eyebrow skeptically. Hoffman continued. 

“Information is power, etcetera. Kramer keeps basically everything on a need-to-know basis. Including, I dunno, who you’re workin’ with half the time. Hell,” He rolled his eyes, and lazily raised a hand behind his head to pat Gordon’s arm. The doctor made an annoyed noise in response, shifting away from him. “He only told me about these lovebirds when he needed help lookin’ after ‘em.” 

“I’m still mad about missing out on a trip to Mexico.” Stanheight quipped. His voice was softer than normal, but Peter supposed it was a good sign that he was speaking at all. He wasn’t used to the younger man being so quiet. 

Gordon straightened up a moment later, gently patting down the new bandages and brushing some of the hair from Stanheight’s face. “There you go.” He sighed. The warmth in his tone was so palpable that Peter had the distinct feeling it wasn’t meant for his ears. Despite being in his own apartment, he somehow felt he was intruding. “Get comfortable, alright?” 

Peter watched as Stanheight pulled himself to his feet, stopping short just a little ways away from him with an awkward shuffle. Gordon patted his thigh and spoke his next words like they took all of his energy to say. 

“Your turn.” He didn’t even bother to look at Hoffman. The detective grinned anyways, wasting no time in clamoring up into Gordon’s personal space and slinging his leg across the man’s lap. Gordon shook his head disdainfully, but carefully began rolling back Hoffman’s torn pant leg anyways. 

Peter guessed he wasn’t the only one that Hoffman lived to irritate.

“Christ, Mark.” Gordon sucked in a sharp breath, and Peter’s shoulders stiffened as he took a step forward to look. His stomach sank despite himself; from where he was standing Hoffman’s calf looked like a bloody mess. Peter’s a man who’s seen more gore in his line of work than anyone should hope to see in their lifetime, and yet here he is, staring in alarm. It was unlike him, and woefully he could only attribute his own uneasiness to the owner of the calf. 

As if he could read his mind, Hoffman looked up towards Peter. “Hey, it’s just-” He winced, hissing in pain as Gordon began to clean the wound. “It’s no big deal- no bullet inside. Just grazed me.” 

“You were shot?” Peter balked.

“Grazed,” Hoffman corrected. 

Peter pinched the bridge of his nose in a quick-rising frustration. Hoffman was impossible. 

“Don’t be an idiot.” Gordon’s voice was little more than a growl as he spoke through gritted teeth. “You took an unnecessary risk. Do you think I enjoy patching you back together? Honestly, if I didn't know any better I’d assume you were trying to get your sorry self killed.” 

Dr. Gordon’s tone left the detective bristling. “Don’t tell me how to do my job.” He scoffed. “Hell, I don’t bother you when you’re workin’ in the sickbay. Why don't you just- fuck!” 

Hoffman yelped at the unceremonious splash of disinfectant. Gordon gave him the sort of well-practiced fake smile that only a doctor could.

“My bad,” he murmured, unapologetic. 

Peter decided he’d seen enough. He turned on his heel and walked into the kitchen, telling himself that he was just stepping aside to get ice in case the doctor needed some. He knew it wasn't the truth, though; he scolded himself quietly as he leaned against the wall and ran a hand through his graying hair. 

The truth was that he couldn't keep standing there, staring at Hoffman’s leg injury. 

It’s ironic, because it feels like not too long ago that Peter would have done anything to put a bullet in Hoffman. Now the thought makes him feel… queasy. And a bit confused. 

Peter found himself comparing the apprentices to strays again.

He couldn’t get the image of roadkill splattered on the side of the highway out of his head. 

From what he knew of John Kramer and his cult, the apprentices were expendable parts. It doesn't even sound like they can trust each other half the time. One wrong move or fatal mistake would be all it took. Peter wasn't even sure how long it would take him to know something had happened. 

His thoughts were interrupted by footsteps so quiet that he knew exactly who they belonged to before turning around. Stanheight stood at the entryway of his bare-bones kitchen, watching him. He’s probably spent the least amount of time alone with him. 

“What is it?” Peter’s frown deepened.

The kid didn't answer immediately, instead coming to lean against the wall beside him. He was quiet for a moment, and then shrugged. 

“Wanted to check on you, I guess.” He answered simply. 

“Check on me? In what way do I need checking on?” Raising a brow, Peter gestured towards the living room. “Look at you three, for fuck’s sake.” 

Stanheight held his hands up defensively. “Hey, hey, I just- I get it, alright?”

Peter didn't know what that meant. He stared down at the shorter man, scowl ever-present, silently prodding him to elaborate. Stanheight’s expression was… almost sympathetic, but his eyes had that same strange look from before: the one that Peter couldn't place. 

The kid was easy to underestimate, Peter knew it from his file and from his current involvement. He wasn't about to make that mistake with him. 

“Sucks, doesn't it?” Stanheight finally said. He was muttering now, glancing once over his shoulder to ensure they were still alone. “One thing to know what they're doing and another to see them come back with blood and bits of their skin hanging off.”

Peter felt his stomach turn. “No,” he lied. “If Hoffman’s gonna be reckless and get himself killed then so be it.” 

“No matter what you or anyone else thinks, I’m not stupid.” Stanheight laughed dryly. “You don't gotta lie to me, okay? I’m on team Peter here.” 

“Are we forgetting that you’re one of ‘them’ too?” Peter steeled his gaze, unamused. 

Stanheight grimaced. “I mean- kind of. Not really.”

“‘Not really?’ What’s that mean?” 

“I- like- like I’m with them but I’m not one of them. Old Johnny-boy has never and will never give a shit about me. Not exactly in the running to be his heir or whatever the others think will happen.” Stanheight huffed, rolling his eyes as he explained. “Pretty sure he wouldn't even notice if I went missing if it weren't for the pictures ‘n schedules I go and get for him.”

Peter is quiet for a moment. 

“Why stick around?” He asked softly, already knowing the answer. 

The kid just snorted in lieu of answering, and the two fell into silence once more for a couple of seconds. 

“Glad that Mark has you.” Stanheight suddenly murmured, thoughtful. 

“He does not ‘have me’.” 

“Maybe you can knock some sense into him.” 

Peter scoffed, looking elsewhere. “You’re frustrating, you know that?”

“I’ve been told.” Stanheight laughed, “I’m not kidding, though. It always freaks me out how Mark gets when he’s like…” 

Raising a brow, Peter waited for him to sort out his thoughts. 

“Like, when he gets hurt, right? He just- just runs off. Or he’ll go and get hammered on the other side of town and when we find him he’s a mess.” 

At that, Peter’s shoulders went rigid. He was aware of Mark’s habits, his unhealthy coping mechanism. He hadn't thought about who else might know, how deeply it might run. He hadn't thought about how often Mark must be alone. 

When he looked back at Stanheight, he realized the kid was staring at him intently. There was concern in his expression, but also something fierce. 

“John’s really messed him up. Worse than he was before all of this.” His voice was low, almost cautious. “All of them. Lawrence, Mark, Mandy, none of them deserve this. You know that, right?”

Peter’s mouth felt dry. “I…” 

Straightening up again, Stanheight stepped closer to Peter. Before he could see it coming, a smaller hand took his own and held it, inspecting it. “I think Mark needs you.” He said, “maybe all of us do. So you gotta take care of yourself too.” 

Something confused seemed to bloom in his chest then, an uncertain warmth that he could feel rise up to his face. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again when he couldn't decide on anything to say. 

“Just think about it, ‘kay?” Stanheight let go of his hand again and started to leave the kitchen, pausing for just a moment to look back at him. “Oh, one more thing.” 

“What is it?” Peter’s voice was hoarse. 

Stanheight gave him a grin that didn't meet his eyes. “Welcome to the family.” 

Then he was gone, Peter’s protest to that statement dying on his lips, and Peter was left to think on everything he said. 

Hoffman needing him. Hoffman hiding himself away in dark corners to nurse his wounds. Improperly set bones and too much bandage. 

Stray cats.

Peter’s family used to have cats. His sister’s cat had been an old, white, raggedy thing that she named Alfredo. When Alfredo passed away, he had hidden under the bed and refused to come out. Peter thinks he remembers reading somewhere that pets do that on purpose, so their humans don't have to see them die, but it's been years and his animal knowledge is limited. 

Peter wondered how hard it is to socialize a stray cat. To reintroduce it to domesticity. 

He stepped out of the kitchen, lingering at the entryway, and watched the apprentices from where he stood. Gordon seemed to have finished with Hoffman’s leg, speaking to him in a quieter tone than before. To his surprise, Hoffman looked like he was listening. Stanheight was on the couch with them now, leaning his head onto Gordon’s shoulder. 

Peter found that he wished he could freeze this moment with the three of them in it. The bubble of safety that was his living room felt far away from everything Jigsaw. Maybe they were always meant to be here, on soft furniture, and not crouching amongst rusted pipes and jagged metal. 

Tamed. Domesticated. 

He sighed through his nose and walked around the couch, three sets of clever eyes on him again as he caught their attention. Now that he was there, he could see that Dr. Gordon had just begun to wrap up Hoffman’s leg and he silently motioned to ask for the gauze, kneeling down between them.

Understanding the gesture, Gordon handed it over, smiling at Peter warmly enough to raise his body temperature by a degree. 

“Strahm-” Hoffman started, bewildered, but Peter simply began wrapping his leg neatly. 

“Shut up.” He grunted. “Let me help you, stupid.”

[victorluvsalice]

AU Thursday: Not-As-Vague-As-I-Anticipated Thoughts On A Valicer Ghostbusters AU Part Two!

Aaand we're back! :D So, we left off with the gang dealing with Edna Strickland being a jerk and trying to get them shut down while they're trying to bust ghosts and figure out what the hell is going on with the paranormal activity in the town -- here's where we go from there:

-->After meeting with the mayor and getting semi-officially sanctioned, the group retrieves the device that Jennifer found at the concert venue, and determines that it's the exact same kind as the one they found in the subway. Meaning Bumby was almost certainly the one who planted it and summoned that bat-ghost-thing to terrorize everyone. Alice complains that she wishes she could have caught the bastard in the act, then wonders "why the hell is he even doing this?" Doc says he can't be sure why Bumby specifically might want to do this, but tells her that, in his book, he'd advanced a theory that summoning ghosts to raise the psychokinetic energy (PKE) level of an area might allow one to open portals to other times, or even other dimensions (that sort of thing, particularly time travel, is another one of his interests -- whole reason he bought the DeLorean, its stainless steel construction makes it ideal as a potential time machine). Alice's first thought after hearing that is "okay, I can see him wanting to find a portal back to the past to make sure I don't survive the fire so he never gets caught" --

But Clara's first thought is "fuck, what if he joined the same Destroyer cult that built my apartment building? Or a group worshiping some other terribly-destructive god, and he's trying to open up a passage for them?" Everyone agrees that either possibility would be bad --

-->So, in between more busts (with Doc getting concerned that Edna might actually have a point about their storage methods, as the current containment unit is getting preeeetty full), the gang hit the books to study time travel and eldritch gods! They quickly come to the conclusion that, if Bumby's trying to create a time portal, he's not going about it in the most efficient way (Doc is only TOO happy to go on about his own ideas about a "flux capacitor" that would help store and release the energy needed to create a stable temporary wormhole to the past or future) -- but if he's trying to summon a god, well...there are worse ways to get one's attention. Cue them researching and making notes on as many of them as they can find, including Gozer (responsible for at least one gnarly ancient disaster that wiped out two civilizations; Clara's fridge monster Zuul is one of two "terror dogs" that is sent ahead whenever it's summoned to help open the way by possessing two unfortunate people and forcing them to be intimate -- everyone agrees that is very gross), Cthulhu (yes, that one -- everyone is a little disturbed that Lovecraft was apparently describing a real creature sleeping in the ocean, but fortunately it seems he won't be waking up any time soon due to the very specific astrological phenomena necessary to start the rituals) --

And Mar-Mal. An apparent god of pure happiness that, when summoned by a cult back in the 60s, did indeed make all of the participants in the ritual happy...so happy that none of them actually ate or drank on their own anymore. As you might imagine, the entire cult quickly died of starvation and dehydration. Alice is like "Well, this is why you don't trust extradimensional beings calling themselves gods, especially one of happiness" --

But oddly, Smiler rises to Mar-Mal's defense, pointing out that "well, they weren't human -- maybe they simply didn't realize that 'hunger' and 'thirst' were necessary to keep humans alive. I can't see a god of HAPPINESS deliberately killing their followers, can you?" Alice allows the point but retorts that all those people still died and they don't want a repeat, which Smiler does firmly agree with. And so the studies continue...

-->And then. One evening, Clara is sitting alone in her apartment, watching some TV and just generally relaxing after a long day -- when suddenly she hears weird noises coming from her fridge. Turning, she sees the door undulating, bulges appearing all over it...as if something is trying to claw its way through. Oh shit, she thinks --

And yanks the trap that she took from work out from under her chair, because she was expecting some bullshit sooner or later, and she wanted to be prepared! Her chair does attack her a minute later, spinning around as arms explode out to restrain her, but she manages to throw the trap down in front of her --

And when Zuul flings open the fridge and tries to drag her into it, slams on the foot pedal. Zuul is promptly sucked into the trap, howling and screaming all the while. The arms disappear, and Clara takes a moment to collect her wits and make sure the terror dog is secured before calling Doc to let him know what just happened --

And learning that he just caught the other terror dog, one Vinz Clortho. Who made the mistake of trying to attack him at Ghostbusters headquarters (Doc was having a late night tinkering with some tech). Yeah, uh, Vinz lasted about three seconds against him. XD She and Doc dump the terror dogs into the containment unit, and the next day, the group has a little celebration over stopping the return of Gozer, as all their research has indicated that the Destructor can't come into their reality if its terror dogs don't open the way.

-->And THEN. A few days later, some of the gang -- let's say Doc, Marty, Alice, and Clara -- bust a particularly nasty ghost at one of the local hotels, and find another one of the devices Bumby's been putting around the city in the room where it spawned. They show it to the owner of the hotel, and explain who they think is the culprit --

And the owner goes, "Wait, Angus Bumby? Tall, kind of bony fellow with a thick brown beard? Glasses? Permanently kind of condescending? That's our janitor."

Alice promptly laughs her head off because she knows that oh boy, being a janitor must rankle someone who once commanded respect as a psychiatrist and philanthropist, and leads the charge down to his little basement office to confront him. Bumby attempts to play innocent and throw Alice's mental state into question, but the other Ghostbusters make it very clear that they know its him and that they believe Alice over his lies. Alice informs him that she's looking forward to dragging him back to the authorities so he can finally face justice --

Only for Bumby to go "I don't think so" and promptly electrocute himself. Everyone is rather "holy shit WTF" about that, as you might imagine. O.O The police are called, and while his death is ruled a suicide, it does prompt another meeting with Mayor Wilson, who isn't exactly pleased that somebody died during one of their busts. Neither is Edna, who happily accuses them of murdering Bumby and making it look like a suicide -- Marty has to be restrained from attacking her, while Alice is like "trust me, if I'd murdered him, you'd know I'd murdered him." Things don't really improve from there, and the four leave the meeting in poor spirits, worried that Edna will get her way and the mayor will shut them down...

-->And then, when they get back to the station and report to the others what happened, Victoria essentially goes, "Does anyone else think it's slightly suspicious that the man who was so obsessed with summoning nasty ghosts all over the place killed himself?" Everyone agrees that that is suspicious, and Doc and Smiler head down to the local police station to see if they can get their hands on any of Bumby's personal effects. Turns out, among the items in his office was a copy of Doc's book! Smiler is able to sway one of the officers into handing it over (claiming the Ghostbusters would be better qualified to investigate any supernatural phenomena Bumby was studying), and take it back to headquarters for everyone to study --

And discover a bunch of scribbled notes from Bumby, revealing that his plan was to plant the devices on various ley lines around the city, summon ghosts to increase the PKE in Hill Valley and center it on -- what else -- Clara's apartment building (taking advantage of the fact that it was already supposed to be an antenna for the stuff), then use that energy to try and turn himself into a godlike being. And that killing himself was always a part of said plan -- shedding his mortal body so he could absorb the PKE better. However, studying the map that Bumby drew and his notes, Doc is able to determine that he wasn't able to hit every ley line -- they found out about him midway through his attempt, and forced him to put the "kill myself" part of his plan into effect early. Alice is certain that Bumby's going to try and come back as a ghost to finish what he started, though, and she, Doc, Marty, Victor, and Smiler decide to head out and investigate all the spots on the map Bumby didn't already check off, just to see if there's been any suspicious activity at any of them. Clara, Jennifer, Victor, and Emily agree to hold down the fort, and the other five pile into Doc's van and do their tour. They are deeply relieved to find no ghostly Bumbys or ionizing devices at any of them --

-->But. While they're out, Edna Strickland appears with a bunch of cops, declaring that she's determined the group are massive frauds, she's not going to let the mayor be taken in by them anymore, and that she is shutting the Ghostbusters down. Clara, Jennifer, Victoria, and Emily of course loudly object and try to stop her, but she had the police restrain them and then goes down and shuts off the containment unit, declaring this "nonsensical farce" over --

And cue a MASSIVE blast of PKE exploding out of the roof of the building as all of the ghosts the gang have caught are released at once. Followed by a ghost Bumby (having just snuck into the building, hoping to possess one of the Busters to continue his work) materializing, thanking a dumbfounded Edna, and then rushing off to Clara's apartment building, as of course that's where all the energy is being attracted to. The other Busters arrive just in time to see the light show and furiously throw Edna and the police out, then the entire team suits up in preparation for going to fight the threat --

-->Aaand cue Slimer stealing the DeLorean and nearly running a few of them over. And when Marty goes to blast the car to stop him, Doc is like "NO NO NO THERE'S A FUSION ENGINE ON THE BACK OF IT!!!" Turns out he and Clara had a breakthrough on one of his old designs, and yeah, managed to stick a fusion engine (partially built out of an old coffee grinder, of all things) on the back of the DeLorean to power some of its ghostbusting tech. As you might imagine, the others are all like "as if we didn't have ENOUGH to worry about!!" However, there's not much they can do about it, and Doc says there shouldn't be a nuclear explosion unless Slimer really wrecks the damn thing (he made DAMN SURE his shielding was good), so they decide to focus on the "Bumby trying to become a ghost god" threat first and head toward Clara's apartment building --

-->Which involves going through the town square. Which, thanks to the intense amount of PKE in the area, now keeps flickering between various versions of itself (naturally, the versions from 1885, 1955, 1985, and 2015) -- and is CHOCK FULL of various ghosts and other supernatural entities from those periods. All of which seem very interested in taking out the Ghostbusters. The gang does their best to fight off as many as they can with their proton packs and traps, but there's just too many of the damn things, and for a minute it looks like they'll be overwhelmed --

And then Alice, after getting her proton wand knocked out of her hands, somehow manifests a ghostly version of her Vorpal Blade and manages to slash the ghost in front of her. Turns out that, thanks to some latent psychic powers in her bloodline, she can use the high levels of PKE in the area to turn her hallucinations semi-real -- real enough to hurt the monsters, anyway! Cue her summoning up her arsenal and going to town on the creatures threatening her and her friends. The ability turns out to be a bit of a double-edged sword, as she also starts manifesting some of the enemies she usually fights in Wonderland (notably some Ruin monsters), but THOSE prove to be vulnerable to the Ghostbusters' tech, due to how they were created, and working together, the gang manages to fight their way through the town square and to Clara's apartment building!

-->Where they find not one, but two problems -- at the base of the building is a weird vortex, apparently opened up by the sudden influx of PKE into the local ley lines, that's just spewing yet more extradimensional entities into the area and keeping the PKE levels high; and at the top seems to be some sort of supernatural storm, which they guess is Bumby gathering energy to ascend himself to godhood. It's quickly agreed to divide the party, with Clara, Jennifer, Emily, and Victoria staying at the bottom to find a way to deal with the vortex, and Doc, Marty, Victor, Alice, and Smiler climbing to the roof to deal with Bumby. Goodbyes are exchanged, with Doc making sure Clara has a walkie-talkie so they can keep in contact, and the two groups set about their tasks.

-->After a long climb, Team Rooftop find their way to said roof, where they find Bumby, much larger than before and looking disturbingly like his Dollmaker persona from Wonderland (Alice is not pleased). The team manage to restrain him with their proton pack beams, but he proves to be a little too large and powerful to go into the standard trap. Bumby breaks free and taunts them about trying to take on a god as they try to recapture him --

And then a glowing portal opens up behind him, two familiar terror dogs appear and each grab a limb, and a massive burst of lightning shoots through the portal and absolutely shreds him. Moments later, GOZER walks through the portal, having used the influx of PKE into the antenna to bypass their usual requirements to enter this realm. The horrified group try to hit the god with their beams, but Gozer simply shrugs them off and shoots lightning at them too, sending them flying to the very edge of the roof --

-->Where something catches them. Alice theorizes that Gozer doesn't want to give up its playthings too soon, but Victor notes that Gozer actually seems a little puzzled by this turn of events --

And then Smiler announces that they want to try talking to Gozer, and all questions of how they survived are dropped in favor of trying to talk them out of it. Smiler's insistent, though, and -- after telling Victor and Alice that, no matter how this goes, they want them to know they love them -- they get up and approach Gozer, politely asking it to vacate their world and head back to its home point of origin or the nearest alternate dimension. Gozer laughs and asks mockingly, "Are you a god?" And Smiler responds, with a big grin --

"Yup!" Everyone's like "WTF?!" with Marty in particular being "Smiler, you don't make those claims without being able to back them up--"

-->And then the clouds above them start turning yellow and black and twisting into spirals. And a steady "ha ha ha, HA HA HA" fills the air around them. And Smiler's form begins to fuzz out around the edges a little bit, revealing, among other things, strange twisting tentacles emerging from them...and wrapping around the others, keeping them away from the edge of the roof.

Yup, in a possibly-shocking twist, it turns out Smiler is INDEED a fucking god, and they are kind of pissed that Gozer just tried to kill the people they love. Cue the pair fighting while the shocked Ghostbusters try to figure out what the HELL is going on (and keep the terror dogs off Smiler because, well, they want them to win)...

-->And then cut to Team Vortex, blissfully oblivious to this and desperately trying to figure out how to close the PKE portal! After taking some readings, Clara is able to determine that, if they could drop something sufficiently explosive into the portal and detonate it, they could force it to reverse its flow and start sucking IN all the ghosts and monsters and PKE around the shop, which would at least start fixing the problem. There's a brief discussion on whether or not they should sacrifice their proton packs to the cause --

And then Slimer drives by in the stolen DeLorean and they're like "...yeah, the fusion engine mounted on the back of that thing would totally work, wouldn't it?" Cue them chasing down the DeLorean; Emily using Ecto-1's gunner seat to get close enough to Slimer to trap him and force him out of the driver's seat; then Emily climbing into the DeLorean herself from said gunner's seat and gunning it toward the portal. She manages to throw herself clear at the last second as the DeLorean plunges in, and a shot from Clara's proton pack explodes the Mr. Fusion she and Doc worked up --

-->And success! The vortex does indeed switch from "blow" to "suck," dragging in all the ghosts and monsters that it was previously spewing out. The girls take a moment to celebrate as Emily gets back to her feet --

And then one of the monsters grabs her and drags her into the vortex as a final "fuck you" to the ladies. A horrified Victoria immediately grabs the nearest rope, ties it around herself, throws the other end to Clara and Jennifer, and dives into the portal to rescue her. She does manage to successfully wrestle Emily away from the creature, and Clara and Jennifer do manage to successfully to haul them both out, but the trip ends up having some -- interesting side effects. Specifically, poor Emily's skin and hair turn bright blue for some reason (Victoria's hair also changes color, but for her it's luckily just a lightening of her brown hair into a more gray shade). Emily isn't exactly pleased, but has to admit it's better than being dead or trapped with all those ghosts.

-->Back on the rooftop, the fight between Smiler and Gozer continues -- but while it was previously fairly evenly matched, the vortex below suddenly going from spewing out monsters and PKE to sucking them in ends up weakening Gozer, and Smiler gains the upper hand. Smiler starts forcing it back toward its portal, declaring that there is no way Gozer can destroy the world now --

But then, for some reason, Gozer beams and declares "THE FORM HAS BEEN CHOSEN" before disappearing. Baffled, Team Rooftop is like "what form? Chosen by who?" for a minute before the ground starts shaking --

-->And then, up the street, the giant form of the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man appears. Turns out Smiler had a joking thought about Gozer being reduced to using an advertising mascot like Stay-Puft at its current power levels while trying to get it to leave, and Gozer was like "fuck, I'll take it." The girls on the ground also see this and are like "what the FUCK" -- Doc explains the situation to Clara via walkie-talkie and asks what she did to the vortex to stop it empowering Gozer. She explains how they sacrificed the car, and everyone starts wondering if there's anything they could do that's similar to stop Gozer --

-->And then Victor suggests crossing the streams. Marty is like "uh, hey, remember when Doc told us that was a VERY BAD idea," but Victor explains his thought: basically, if they fire into the portal Gozer opened up, and THEN cross them, the whole "every molecule freezing, then exploding" thing Doc warned them about should happen to GOZER'S dimension, not theirs. Doc thinks it's a likely possibility, and Smiler backs him up, causing everyone to admit that Smiler would probably know, given THEY'RE A GOD TOO. Doc suggests to Clara that she and Team Vortex do the same thing with the vortex to try and shut it for good, and the two teams cross the streams into their respective portals --

-->Aaand it works! Both portal and vortex close, and Gozer-as-StayPuft violently explodes into a massive rain of marshmallow. (Doc: [contacting Clara over the walkie-talkie] Are you okay?! Clara: Well, I feel like a s'more...) Team Rooftop make their way down to reunite with Team Vortex and make sure everyone is all right, and everyone agrees that they really just want to go home, get the marshmallow off, and maybe then just lie in bed for a few days --

-->But then the same police officers who showed up to take them to the Mayor the first time at the concert show up again to do the same thing. Though they hastily assure everyone -- including the gathering citizenry, who do not look like they're about to take any bullshit -- that they are not ARRESTING the heroes of the city, the Mayor just wants to see them.The group agrees to go, and after working their way through the cheering crowed, get in the provided cars and head to Town Hall --

Where Mayor Wilson greets them kindly, thanks them for saving the city ("even with all the collateral damage -- hope you all like paperwork!"), and apologizes for Edna's role in this disaster, assuring them that she has been fired for it. (Marty: "About goddamn time!") Wilson then says that he has plans to give them a Proper Official License, and a bigger, better facility -- Doc says they like the firehouse as their "main office," but he would enjoy having a bigger, more secure building dedicated to containment. Mayor Wilson is more than happy to fund that! They chat a bit about logistics, and then Wilson sends them all back to the firehouse to rest, clean up, and get ready to re-bust all the ghosts that got released.

-->And then, once they're back at the firehouse, and everyone is no longer covered in marshmallow and in a somewhat-better state of mind than they were earlier, Marty turns to Smiler and is like, "Um. So. The eldritch god thing? Wanna explain that?" Smiler says yes, they can --

Only for Alice to cut in with "you're Mar-Mal, aren't you?" Turns out she'd guessed after seeing Smiler in action and remembering how they defended the god's actions during that summoning they read about earlier. Smiler confirms they are, and reiterates that they NEVER meant to hurt those people, much less kill them. The problem was just as they said -- Smiler had no human form back then, and thus no idea how humans worked. They only saw that hunger and thirst seemed to be stopping those in the cult from being fully happy, so they removed the feelings. They were utterly HORRIFIED when their followers died as a result, and decided they had to try and figure out what it was to be human before they bestowed any more blessings. So they took on their Smiler form...

And ended up really loving being human. So much so that the fight with Gozer was the first time they'd gone back to any of their eldritch ways in quite a while. They apologize for not saying anything earlier, pointing out that they were pretty sure they weren't going to be believed (everyone goes "yes, that's fair"), then offer to leave if they make the others uncomfortable...

-->And the other Busters are all like "we'd prefer you not to go THAT far." Because, well, while this is a huge revelation for everyone to adjust to, the fact of the matter is they all still consider Smiler a friend. And it doesn't hurt that Smiler actively saved Doc, Marty, Victor, and Alice's lives on the rooftop, and fought very hard indeed to help save the world. Smiler is relieved, as they didn't really want to go, and says they'd be happy to help Doc with his studies, which he appreciates, and answer any questions they have. (First questions consist of Doc asking "so why didn't the PKE meters pick up on your nature?" Smiler: "Well, you did calibrate them when I was in the room, so..." and Marty asking "Hey, why did you get spooked by the ghost in the library if you're a freaking eldritch god?" Smiler: "I may be a god, but that doesn't mean I can't get startled!")

-->Later, in private, Smiler also asks Victor and Alice if they're interested in continuing their relationship, making sure to reiterate they're not going force them into anything. Victor says it's going to take some getting used to, but he does want to stay with Smiler, and Alice says that, as long as she has a promise from Smiler that they won't mess with their minds or bodies, she's willing to give it a try. Smiler swears they won't do anything that the pair don't want them to do, and the trio resume their relationship with just a few bumps as the humans get used to being partnered with an eldritch being. (Which does have some benefits, including Smiler now being able to use their powers a bit to improve any Sexy Fun Times they have...)

-->And so the Ghostbusters become an Officially Licensed City Service! Going around, busting loads of ghosts, and studying them to find the best ways to contain them and hopefully help them move on. Helped by the fact that Smiler can now be more open about being an eldritch being, of course. Probably the hypothetical "epilogue" chapter would be set a little ways in the future, with Doc and Clara married and balancing their Buster duties with taking care of a young Jules; Marty and Jennifer also married and having transitioned to part-time busting so Marty can continue getting his band off the ground and Jennifer can do some stuff with her art; Victoria and Emily planning their wedding in between helping train new Ghostbusters (since it's now a viable career path in Hill Valley); and Smiler, Alice, and Victor still as full-time Busters, living together now and still very much in love. With Smiler sometimes freaking out the new hires by using their tentacles to grab stuff. :P

And there we have it! I have NO idea if I'll ever write this thing in full, as complicated AU is complicated, but at least the idea is out there in the wild. Which means the verse is available for Not-Incorrect Quotes scenes and prompt fic if I am so inclined. :p Hope you all enjoyed reading that! I think I did a pretty good job welding the two movies together, personally. :)

[change-is-perceivable]

Final reminder!

You have one last day to upload any last minute entries!

The collection will stay open until 10pm (CDT) September 5th, 2024

So in other words it will close in about 28 hours!

Remember the minimum word count is only 100 words and you are free to nab any of the 17 prompts you feel like.

With that

I'll be back again to announce when the collection closes and then I'll will be back again on the 6th with the final masterpost!

Be nice to each other! Leave Kudo's! Leave Comments! Share the Percy Love, have fun, and thank you so much at everyone who's participated.

[poetry-protest-pornography]

First two prompts in my inbox get some bespoke porn to read at your Thanksgiving gathering.

To make the puritans mad or whatever.

[arihi]

Abuse >:) I won't even toggle anon

(CW: Abusive dynamics and abuse (per the prompt) - skip if that's not your thing!)

“Again.”

I flinched instinctively, my stomach dropping when I heard laughter instead of the tell-tale snap of a riding crop and the associated pain. I felt nothing but deadened, faded welts, the chill of the floor against my knees, and a queasiness in the pit of my stomach.

“Oh darling,” Trina cooed. “What’s the matter?”

“N-Nothing,” I stammered lamely. I pulled my wrists against the restraints, the chains clacking against the pipes and the sounds echoing throughout the basement.

“Why it almost seemed…” She ran her fingers gently down the raised welts across my chest. “…like you didn’t like me.”

“That’s not true!” I blurted out. “I love you, Trina, I do, I just-” I hated disappointing her. “…Can we maybe move out of the basement at least? It’s cold and I like your bed better,” I pleaded in a desperate attempt to have boundaries. And yet, that wasn’t what I really wanted. My skin burned, my muscles ached at the position I had been holding for what felt like hours, and I was ready to stop. I never even wanted to start it, at least not tonight.

But starting here could be the first step.

“Baby, you know I can’t do that.” Trina looked concerned. “Last time, well…you know you’re a screamer, right?” She played at shyness, though I knew she had delighted in my screams at the time. “Last time we were playing, the neighbors heard, and that was a whole thing…and you’ve only just barely made up for it.” Her eyes looked like they were shimmering with tears.

The queasiness again. I looked back down. “…I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” She pet my hair soothingly. “That’s why we’re down here.”

“I—” I swallowed a lump in my throat. Asserting boundaries. No is a complete sentence. My comfort is a priority. “I don’t want to…'play' anymore. Can we be done? A-at least tonight?” Hesitation had crept through into my voice in the last sentence, but that was the most I had said as a challenge to her in what felt like ages, and a part of me was proud.

“You what?” Trina frowned.

I grimaced from the wave of nausea that slammed into my battered body. Alarm bells went off in my brain, as if I’d made a horrible mistake, as if I’d just committed such a grievous wrong that the very core of my being shuddered in disgust.

“I just mean, I mean we’ve been doing this for a while, and aren’t you tired? We could both take a break!” I desperately recanted, anything to get rid of that feeling.

She stood there, frowning at me, my physical discomfort growing exponentially, my body attempting to curl inwards in agony, if only my arms hadn’t been tied to the pipes.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” I started mumbling, tears wetting my cheeks. “I won’t do it again.” Shame and humiliation and a rush of chemical pleasure flooded my veins, my body sinking into a sigh of relief, the pleasurable throbbing of my body. Fuck.

“That’s a good girl.” Her face broke out into a wide smile. “I’m so glad you understand. You know, I hate being mad at you. And it’s not right for a relationship to just be one-sided. Fighting is healthy for relationships. I want you to be able to challenge me on things, and then when you’re done and we both come to a solution, I want it to feel good for you. Do you understand?”

“Yes, yes,” I whimpered, my toes curled and fists balled up trying to bear the pleasure that threatened to overwhelm me.

“Aw baby, it’s okay!” Her sickly-sweet voice dug its claws into me, comforted the inner turmoil in my mind. “Just relax, okay? I know you’re so good at doing that for me. Doesn’t it feel better to just, drop it? To relax?”

“Yeeesss…” It came from the back of my throat in one long sigh, like I was relieving my stress and losing a part of myself with every deep breath. It came from the back of my throat like all the other times I’d said yes to her, like all the times I agreed, all the times I relented…

“What’s this?” She swatted at my crotch with the crop lightly, the fabric of my underwear sticking to my skin. “Are you getting turned on by this?” She spat out with a sneer.

…Like all the times I came.

My ears burned. “I—”

“Sweetie, sweetie.” Trina’s voice softened again. “It’s okay, to like the things that you like. No one can judge you here, okay?” She hugged me gently as I leaned my tired body against her legs.

“But, out there…those neighbors,” she whispered, saddened. “Who knows what they’d tell people if they knew what you did? What you were into? What got you so fucking wet?” She ripped the thin, flimsy fabric from me, the coolness of the air on my slick skin a stark contrast to how feverish my head felt. “It’d be bad, right?” I nodded against her absentmindedly.

“Then we can’t tell anyone, right?” She knelt and met me at eye-level, face to face. “We can never tell anyone about your deepest desires? Your shames?”

“No…” I sighed, a part of my soul fading away with my breath.

“It’s better not to tell anyone about what goes on in this household really, people can be so nosy.” She rolled her eyes with a grin.

“Yes…” My body felt heavier than it’d ever been, my eyes threatening to close.

“Good.” For a brief second her eyes softened, a genuine, small smile on her face. Those were the fleeting moments I lived for. I knew she was a good person who just played at being harsh. Because I was asking for it. Because I deserved it. Because she loved me. Right?

Her eyes lit up in rapturous glee. “Well, without further ado.” She jammed the discarded panties into my mouth, her fingers uncomfortably prying my jaw open as I choked on the fabric being stuffed into the back of my throat.

“Remember, no screaming.”

---

(a short story for sleepingirl, a wicked pervert)

[ibelieveinahappilyeverafter]

Okay okay okay, but, because my brain never shuts up and stops with the story ideas

[lookingupatthesamemoon]

F/Obruary Day 2 - Plushies

pairing: Summer + Ricky LaFleur

summary: Ricky introduces Summer to the small, plush version of him being mass-produced for the public.

word count: 519

note: inspired by these little guys. of course.

divider by @/thecutestgrotto :3

“What the hell is that?” Summer asked, stifling a laugh as she pointed at her boyfriend’s kitchen counter. It was a question she was often asking when she found herself in his trailer instead of her own, surrounded by the mounds of clutter that were somehow always everywhere throughout the place. This was something different, though. There, right next to the microwave, sat what appeared to be a plush version of… Him? Signature shirt, signature chains, a cigarette hanging from his lips… It was all there.

“It’s me,” Ricky replied, turning around to face her. “Doesn’t he look just like me?”

“I guess he does,” Summer said, still struggling not to laugh about it, especially looking at him and his plush counterpart right next to each other. “But… Why? Where’d he come from?”

“I dunno, some stupid deal Julian made or somethin’... Or maybe it was Bubbles, I can’t remember. But, I dunno, they wanted to get those little guys made to promote fuckin’... Actually, I don’t even know what the fuck they’re promotin’. I mean, it’s not like those camera fucks are followin’ us around all the time anymore.”

“So, basically, Julian just wanted to make more money off you guys?”

“Basinkly, yes.”

Summer rolled her eyes. Julian was a good friend, sure, to both her and Ricky, but she would be lying if she said he didn’t have a habit of pissing her off. He meant well, and she knew that, but sometimes it really did feel like he was taking advantage of his closest friends for the sake of making a quick buck.

She took a few steps forward, picking the plush up in her hands. She gave it a good squeeze, looking into its eyes. She couldn’t tell if she liked them or not. “He is cute… Not as cute as the real you, but cute.”

“Yeah?” Ricky asked, sauntering closer to Summer, watching as she eyed the toy in her hands. “You should see the ones they made of Julian and Bubbles, they’re fuckin’ adornable.”

Summer raised an eyebrow as she looked up to meet Ricky’s eyes, shaking her head slightly. She really admired the love he had for his friends, especially considering just how many times they’d jerked each other around over the years. What the three of them had was special, there was no denying that. 

“Well, come on, give ‘im a hug and tell ‘im you love ‘im or somethin’,” Ricky suggested, playfully nudging Summer’s arm. “C’mon, it’ll be just like huggin’ me.”

Summer giggled, bringing the plush up her chest, pressing it between her breasts.

“My turn next,” Ricky joked.

Summer laughed, smacking him with the plush. “Perv!”

“Guilty as charged,” Ricky chuckled. “So, cute and cuddly?”

“Well, not as good of a cuddle as you but… You know, this little guy might be nice to have when you’re away from home with the guys,” Summer mused. “Do I get to keep him or what?”

“I mean, I kinda wanted to keep ‘im, but, I mean, sure, you can have ‘im.”

“Rick, we live together. We can both keep him.”

[moe-broey]

Why did I start like three other projects when I was already working on a big project when I just got hit with the autism exhaustion beam (requires. At least One Full Day just dead in bed, and then some more Taking It Easy time after)

[drowning-in-cacophony]

running on empty

Written for @flashfictionfridayofficial Prompt 282: out of love

[Summary: a man is forced to wonder if the love's run out]

He clears his throat, sinking back into the chair. The headrest is beaten back, not quite fitting to his skull. Just out of step; seems like something symbolic, considering how the engine’s stalled out. In the chair beside his, she doesn’t say anything. Of course.

The engine is still under his feet. The gauge on zero.

“We can’t go on any further,” he says eventually. Of course. It’s always him that starts first, pulls the first bullet. She doesn’t look at him. Eyes staring out into the blackness of space, like that’s so much more preferable than a glimpse at his visage. Conversely, it’s her face he keeps flicking back too. The shape of her jaw, the aching familiarity of something that feels lightyears away. The curve of her lashes, of her mouth. The warmth he hasn’t seen in her eyes for a while, the warmth he keeps trying to seek out regardless. Things can hide in the shadows of rocks. Just because those stones have shattered the windows doesn’t mean the whole house is condemned.

“We’ve no power left,” he says, him again, the words brittle on his tongue. It doesn’t have to be condemned; that’s a damn lie, surely, even if he can’t admit it, because the ship’s fucking stopped. The fuel’s run out. Their fuel. It was meant to be some new efficient way to travel, beating off the lovestruck thumps of their hearts, and they’ve stopped in the middle of a distant galaxy and surely that means-

But even regular engines have their stutters. Change the oil, tweak a wire, and it’s all back up and running.

“We need to do something about it,” he says, again, his sound the only thing to echo about the cockpit. She lets out a breath, almost silent for the stillness of the thing, her eyelids pulling down. A blink that lasts seconds more than it should; he traces the way the skin looks under the white-blue of the window’s rimmed lights. Washed out, luminous all at once. It’d made her teeth brighter than a moon when she’d laughed under them. He can’t quite remember the last time she’s thrown her head back like that.

“I’ll hit the SOS,” she says. Finally. Neutral, flat, everything he doesn’t want. His eyes squeeze shut, none of her careful flutters, a tight throttle.

“It’ll take two weeks minimum for a response.”

“So I should hit it as soon as possible, unless you want to starve out here.”

But aren’t they already starving? He opens his eyes, finds a dark corner down by his knee to stare at. The thumping of his heart inside his battered chest, and it’s going too fast. Sickeningly, a throbbing in his cheekbones. It’s the jagged edges her words are shaped with, enough to sting when he drinks them down regardless.

“We could try to…” The words fade before he can even finish. Saying them complete, that’s exposing his heart to something more than a little raw. Saying them complete means she can answer. Out of the corner of his eye he sees her movement, gives himself motion sickness for how fast he jerks up to catch her eyes. Jewels sparkling more awe-inspiring than anything out there in the great mysteries of space; he’s never been able to buy her any jewellery to compare. Some ships run off crystals. He’d said there was no need for pointless hunks of rocks when they had her, the smile on his mouth real and easy. When was the last time moving his mouth felt anyway but tiring?

Her eyes, on his. They’re a little pitying.

“I’ll hit the button,” softly, she says. It might be worse that way. The simplicity in it. The fact she doesn’t argue against his disappearance act. He swallows, hard enough to choke.

She looks away. Unable to even give him more than a few seconds in the beauty of her gaze. He keeps staring at the side of her face anyway, all that elegance wrapped up in a cold certainty. It doesn’t matter what he says. He’s never going to breach her. The ship’s the proof, the frozen and dead engine. Their miracle ship, newfangled engine’s fuel. Floating in the water. The wires to reboot it are right there and-

Her fingers press for SOS. It’ll save the ship, their lives, when the rescue comes trundling in.

Everything else, though. That might be too far gone to save.