#watcher's clutch AU

[indigo-flightly-falls]

Watcher's Clutch AU - basic info

Soooooo... this is a mcyt X httyd crossover AU! (it's the 3rd of my mcytXhttyd AUs lol, more on those later)

It's vaguely inspired by the fanfics The Orphan's Ballade and The Hermit's Refuge, which are fanfics for the dsmp and hermitcraft fandoms respectively and feature one character adopting all the others. So uh, yeah. The basic idea is from those, go check them out they're fun to read.

In this AU, it's mostly about the Watchers/Listeners (and a few others), as they get adopted by a stray Watcher who is the protector of children. It all starts when a kid winds up on her doorstep at night, covered in blood (some of it not his own), and begging to be killed. That night, the Watcher takes him in, and slowly starts to draw more kids into the mix.

Under the cut is the details about who are the stray children adopted, and what dragon hybrid they are! I won't go into backstory details because I actually want to write this soon. With in two months at least. Maybe. Don't hold me to it.

Grian - sentinel If you don't know what sentinel dragons are, you probably won't understand why this works so well. It's because sentinels in httyd exist to watch over a dragon graveyard. What better dragon for Grian? On top of that, this adds an interesting idea, because sentinels are blind. So hybrids would probably be born with vision problems or develop them during childhood. So the idea that Grian, even as a teenager, still has relatively good eyesight despite being a species that would've lost it at that point is rather interesting!

Etho - whispering death/sand wraith Weirdly fucked up mouth. That's my main reasoning. Try to put a whispering death mouth on a human. It would looked really fucked up. Idk I almost went with changewing but figured whispering death was a better choice for a hybrid. No I will not explain why he's a hybrid of two dragons <3

Exion (Evil Xisuma) - night fury This one will make zero sense unless you've read my helsmit headcanons post so I'll sum up why I chose this: I headcanon Ex and X to be two of the last voidwalkers, similar to night furies in httyd. Main reasoning tbh.

Helsknight - singetail Arson chameleon.

Skizz - triple stryke Skizz gets the cool scorpion dragon. Also because the only triple stryke we see in canon gives off 3rd Life!Skizz vibes. No I will not explain Sluther could be Skizz and nothing would change.

Chicken - thornridge This one will also not make sense unless you've read the helsmit heacanons post (also included in this category are Echo, 13, Adubs & Grain) But basically Chicken is one of the most peaceful helsmits, and I though he'd fit a thornridge!

Adubs - prickleboggle Funky dragon that casts healing fireballs. Idk I just wanted something vaguely plant themed for this guy.

Grain - dramillion Parrot dragon parrot dragon parrot dragon- Basically the dramillion can mimic any blast it sees, and I thought that it would be cool if hybrids could also mimic voices!

BigB - speed stinger Don't blink or he will zip past you can suddenly you can't move. I like the raptor dragons alright :) He could also be a dreadstrider, which is a hybrid between a speed stinger and a flightmare, but I like basic speed stinger for now!

Echoslab - egg biter Honestly it is simply the vibes

Martyn - slithersong Listen, this dragon lures it prey in by singing. And Martyn is widely regarded as a Listener in headcanons. It's perfect.

Jimmy - razorwhip A) Jimmy is a toy would work great with the dragon that looks like it's made of metal B) Jimmy can have poisonous tears and breath for fun :)

Scott - snow wraith I am channeling Empires season 1 for this. Es1!Scott is so snow wraith coded.

Bad - flightmare Idk he's Scar's counterpart and sibling. Don't know what else you need

Xornoth - deathgripper Xornoth is so deathgripper coded. I am correct about this btw. I'm thinking Exor is like Grimmel and basically drugged deathgripper hybrids to use for his own purposes, and Xornoth is one of the few who escaped!

13 - sword stealer Metal dragons that steals stuff and looks scary :)

Joel - small shadow Small shadows are the wolves of the dragon world alright. Also I think it'd be cool of Joel just goes missing for days at a time and nobody's really worried because he can fight when he needs to, and the entire time he's building a small shadow pack!

Ren - scuttleclaw Again, vibes. Scuttleclaw's have dog vibes and it is Rendog.

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

Anyways, those are the main children, with others appearing in cameos or backgrounds. Pearl, Joe, and Keralis have all been excluded from this group despite being Watchers (in my headcanons at least), due to possibly having different roles in this AU.

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

@kamishirosss here's the tag! Sorry this took so long, I got busy-

[ghouljams]

Missing (part 2) Tags: Ghost x f!reader/f!oc, 1870s cowboy au, kidnapping, guns, violence, damsel not exactly in distress Summary: Ghost finds the men that took his wife, and is reminded exactly why he fell for her in the first place. Part 1

The gag is overkill.

Although you suppose after hours of your swearing and threats, the multiple people you've bitten, and all the spitting in your captor's faces, it's reasonable. They've had to change your bindings at least three times, your hands bound in front, then moved to being bound behind your back, now your legs roped together as well. Fuckers can barely tie a decent knot, it's their fault you keep getting loose. The fact that they've confidently left you without a blindfold is a wonder. You can't imagine what they have to be so sure of themselves over.

You rub your wrists against one of the rocks poking you in the back, working the rope over the rough surface. It's not the sharpest thing around, but then again neither is the asshole "watching" you. He learned to keep his hands to himself after the second time you headbutted him. Even dogs know what "no" means.

You narrow your eyes at him, glare as he levels his pistol on you and makes a faux firing noise. When you get your hands on him...

A commotion further up in the cave draws your attention. Gunshots and shouting are never a good sign. You turn your head to listen, eyeing the opening to your little prison area. You watcher looks confident, or at least looks like he's trying to be confident. Moron. You work your ropes a little faster and feel the knot come loose. A last tug and you have to hold back a sigh feeling the rope untangle and fall to the ground.

You make a noise to try and get your watch's attention, he glances at you before fixing his eyes back on the entrance. You let out an exasperated breath and try again, louder, and really glare at him to make your point. "Shut up," He tells you. You give your best impression of fear and scream behind your gag. You don't particularly care if whoever's outside hears you, but it makes your watch crouch in front of you and wave his gun for you to see. "If you don't shut up, I'll give you somethin' to scream about," He threatens, just long enough for you to smash your head into his nose.

When he reels back to clutch his nose you make a grab for his pistol. It's enough of a surprise to keep his grip loose, and you're quick to clock him with the butt of the gun as soon as it's in your hands. You hit his temple square on and the man crumbles to the side. Asshole. You tug your gag down around your neck and debate shooting the guy as you untie the knots holding your ankles together. You suppose you have more important problems, you concede grabbing the rifle leaned next to his chair.

You check that it's loaded and holster the pistol in your skirt as best you can. "You just stay there, I'm gonna go find a ride." You tell the, you think he's unconscious, man on the ground. He doesn't object.

The commotion at the mouth of the cave seems to have drawn most of the outlaws hiding out in it, but that doesn't stop you from running into the few cowards that are still in the back. You dispatch them quickly, your rifle raised as you move through the cave's tunnel. It's too bad cowards are slow shots, smart of them to carry extra ammunition though. You swipe one of their hats, since they so rudely tossed yours.

You reload as you move, eyes darting between your hands and your way out. It's not a big cave, but you're happy to know the way out. Not a big crew either you decide, shooting the first man to see you as you find yourself in the open air of the main cavern. You're happy to see a familiar silhouette in the midst of the chaos near the mouth of the cave. The setting sun gives your husband a nice unearthly glow to him. You smash your rifle into the gut of the man that tries to come up behind you, and shoot another just to clear your path. You're not particularly in the mood for being grabbed again.

"What took you so long?" You yell, watching Ghost shoot a man twice between the eyes.

"Was picking up your wedding gift," He yells back, voice rough from a lack of sleep. At least he still has the energy to make jokes and shoot straight. He stalks over to you, flipping his pistol to bash the butt into the temple of the first man to try and stop him.

"Hell of a honeymoon," You grumble, shaking your head. Ghost stops in front of you his eyes fixed on your growing smile. "Hey there pretty boy," You grin, he snorts.

"Darlin'," He greets you with a quick tip of his head, "got a horse waitin' if you're ready."

"Any of these fools have a bounty on 'em?" You ask, glancing around your husband to eye the corpses littering the cave.

"Couple," He tells you, holding your chin to turn your head, inspecting you for injuries, "You look good."

You hum, "Better than the guys who were watching me." Ghost's eyes crinkle behind his mask, brown and warmly affectionate. Your heart clenches in your chest, he looks so proud of you.

"Good." He tugs his mask up and you catch the quirk of his smile, the tug of the scars around his mouth, just before he kisses you.

[raplinesmoon]

원샷! (One-shot!) - MYG x F!Reader

pairing: Doctor!Yoongi x Doctor!Reader genre(s): crack, fluff, brief smut au(s): medical AU, idiots-to-lovers (not quite yet) word count: 3.1k warnings: cynical Yoongi, hospital talk, artificial insemination and pregnancy, sperm for insemnation switched without readers’ knowledge/consent, Yoongi has no filter, 20,000 different ways to say sperm, unhinged behaviour from OC and Yoongi, probably HIPAA non-compliance, intoxication, marijuana use, an almost-kiss, did I mention they're idiots (affectionate), mentions divorce (OC's parents), bi-panic from Yoongi, implied masturbation (m) rating: 18+

summary: Yoongi's friendship with you is the one bright spot in his life. So when you tell him you're ready to have a baby, he thinks this will finally be his shot to take your friendship to the next level. Cue a few shots of soju, and one insemination party, and Yoongi suddenly has a huge problem on his hands.

a/n: Old rom-coms (aka pre-2012) are the best. I was rewatching The Switch the other day and felt a burst of inspo to write this cute little au! This will probably be a oneshot (get it?) for now, but never say never! I hope you enjoy!

In his somewhat short career of practicing medicine, Yoongi had become an expert people-watcher, you could say. For instance, he’d been privy to the same morning commute as hundreds of other strangers in the city for the past five or so years. In fact, he was so used to seeing their faces that they didn’t seem like strangers at all. There was the old man who rode in the same car he did, always clutching what seemed to be a bouquet of flowers or a baked good. Maybe it was for his wife. Or his mistress. 

Yoongi puckers his lips sourly at the unsavory thought, shuddering at how cynical he’d become. Instead, he turns his attention to the girl sitting in the corner. She had to be in middle school, he thought. Only middle school could put that despondent look on the face of someone so young. Maybe she’d been jilted by a crush. Or more likely, she’d gotten a B on her math test and was about to walk into a lecture from her parents the moment she came home from school today. Yoongi knew the feeling all too well.

You see, it was Yoongi's job to be in the business of people. Being a doctor meant that he dealt with people all day long. They flitted in and out of his life like the flies that buzzed past his ears every time he entered the subway. And he always surprised himself with how much he could learn about them in a single meeting, or before they even walked into the room. 

Which is why nothing could have prepared him for what awaited him when he walked into the hospital cafeteria that morning. Sweat streamed down his back in rivulets from the summer heat, drenching his scrubs. And yet, he still insisted on grabbing a piping cup of black coffee from the drinks counter.

“It keeps me awake for longer,” he grumbled when the man at the checkout counter shot him a quizzical look.

His eyes scan the crowded array of chairs and tables outside the café, looking for the one person who could perk up the start to another grueling work day, even more than his cup of coffee was capable of. 

You wave to him enthusiastically from the crowd, bouncing up and down like a child waiting for a lollipop. It was probably from all the kids you hung around with all day. Peds was no joke, and Yoongi admired your ability to keep a bright, starry-eyed attitude when his own stomach turned at the thought of sick children.

“Please don’t tell me you saw another man with flowers who might be cheating on his wife,” you raise an eyebrow at the scowl on his face as he approaches the table. “Either that or today’s the day you finally regret not getting an iced coffee.”

Running a hand through his hair, he sighs, annoyed yet also mildly amused by your teasing.

“I told you, it–”

“It keeps you awake for longer, I know, I know,” you beam at him.

“It’s actually neither of those things,” he groans. “Today it was the old lady in the elevator who asked me what year of high school I was in.”

“That’s what you get for having a stupidly perfect face,” you quip, waving your fork at him. “You know Seungkwan from Derm would freak if he knew you only washed your face with bar soap?!”

Although you chuckle at your own joke, Yoongi can’t help the way his heart twists at your words, resisting the heat that rises to his cheeks when you compliment his face. But before he can think about it too long, he falters, noticing that your attention is buried deep within your pile of scrambled eggs, and you’re unable to look him in the eyes.

“You know, Seungkwan from Derm would also tell you that frowning causes premature wrinkles, ___,” Yoongi responds, and you lift your head up, eyebrows furrowed in worry. His hand twitches, and he fights the urge to reach out and squeeze your hand to reassure you everything will be alright.

You finally reach into your bag, pulling out a piece of paper.

“Look at these labs,” you push the paper towards him. “What do they say to you?”

Yoongi stares intently at the paper, trying to piece together this patient’s story, despite you failing to provide any helpful demographic information.

“Iron count, a full blood panel, HcG, any infectious diseases, genetic markers—” Yoongi pauses when he realizes. “You’ve got a pregnant kid on your hands?”

The paper is snatched from his hands before he can finish, your face redder than a tomato.

“No silly, it’s not a kid. I-it’s me. Those are my levels. Do you think they look okay?”

Yoongi can’t prevent his jaw from dropping wide open. He’s sure he must look like an idiot, staring blankly while you blink your eyes, waiting for him to respond.

“You’re having a baby?” he chokes out. The sick, twisty feeling in his stomach has returned, only this time it's a thousand times worse.

“Not yet. But I’m trying,” you admit sheepishly, avoiding eye contact.

“So what, you want me to have sex with you?” Yoongi blurts out before he can stop himself, and he immediately sees you freeze. Sometimes he really hated that he had no filter when it came to his thoughts. That, combined with the fact that he’d had a crush on you since you nearly knocked him over with your Heelies during his first week of work, and Yoongi had found himself in a sticky situation more often than not.

“No!” you immediately blurt out, growing more flustered when Yoongi frowns. “Not that, I mean–, that’s totally beside the point, completely irrelevant to my clinical question, I, I– I’m using a sperm donor okay!”

For the second time in a matter of minutes, you’ve rendered Yoongi completely speechless.

“Is this about Kihyun?” he finally asks. “Or Doyoung? You know, I know you haven’t had the best track record with relationships in the past, but jumping into having a baby with a random guy is definitely not the solution!”

“It’s not about them!” you sputter, unable to stop your voice from rising. “It’s about me, okay! My choice to be an independent woman, raising a child, who doesn’t need a man to help her at all! I get paid well, I have all the resources I could dream of, a strong support system. My life is in session!”

Yoongi has to bite back at chuckle at you quoting one of the various hospital brochures that decorated every reception desk and spare table. 

“So are you gonna help me find some jizz, or not?!” you finish, only to look around and realize nearly a dozen pairs of eyes are on you. Perhaps you’d said that last part a little too loudly.

“I-, I gotta go,” you whisper, slinging your bag over your shoulder and running as fast as you can out of the cafeteria, leaving a wistful Yoongi to ponder over the fact that you hadn’t even bothered to finish your breakfast.

You might have thought that breakfast was the end of your baby-making discussion, but judging by the way Yoongi cornered you immediately during the mid-afternoon patient lull, it seemed he hadn't.

“So you’re looking for, uh, semen,” he says, mortified when the charge nurse on your floor whips her head around to glare at him. He pulls you into an alcove by the windows, immediately realizing what a wrong move that was when he can smell the strawberry shampoo you’d used this morning, or count each one of your long eyelashes.

“What’s wrong with mine?” he asks innocently, before realizing he’d messed up yet again. The uncomfortable look on your face tells him as much.

“Listen, Yoongi, I’m sure you have great sperm, killer sperm even. Not in a murder-y way, you know, but like in a Darwinian kinda way. But we’re best friends, wouldn’t that be weird?”

“We don’t have to have sex, you know. I could just nut in a cup and hand it to you. I mean we’ve literally cleaned vomit off each other, how weird could this be?”

A strangled giggle erupts from your throat, and you’re bouncing on the balls of your feet. Yoongi knows you well enough to know your untapped anxiety is preventing you from saying what you really want.

“Okay, spit it out ___.”

“Well, no offense, Yoongi, but you’re kind of neurotic. And not to mention a little pessimistic, maybe even nihilistic…”

“Damn, ___. You could have just said you didn’t want my swimmers. No need to hit a man where it hurts.”

You smile, fondly recalling the time you two played for the hospital basketball team, only for Yoongi to suspend you when your pass had gone awry and smacked him straight in the balls.

“Oh please, you recovered just fine. And we still won the championship that year against the nurses.”

The smile Yoongi forces out of him is no match for the way his heart is breaking underneath. But he looks at you, eyes sparkling and so excited about the prospect of having a baby, and immediately sets his own feelings aside. He could do this. He was your best friend, and as your best friend, your happiness was his number one priority. 

“Okay, I’ll help.”

“Thank you thank you thank you!” you crush him in a too-tight hug, his arms wrapping around you stiffly, before melting into it. Normally he would have pushed anyone else off by now, but you’d always been his exception to every rule he’d ever set for himself.

“So, what do you think about Hoseok from Finance?”

Yoongi freezes at the mention of the happy-go-lucky man with the heart-shaped smile and how he could immediately charm the pants off of anyone within his vicinity.

“Absolutely not,” he grumbles, walking away.

“Oh come on, why not? He has great fashion sense, can pull off any hair color, the nurses say he can dance well… Yoongi, YOONGI!”

After a tumultuous few months, which involved a rather precarious incident in which Yoongi had nearly gotten fired when he locked Taehyung, a cardiology fellow, in the bathroom after he’d gotten a bit too handsy with you at a party, Yoongi opens his apartment door one Saturday morning to find a comically large pink envelope on the outside.

The dozens of sperm-shaped balloons that fall out of the card have him jolting in surprise, and he looks up to find his across-the-hall neighbours, a mom and her daughter, staring at him dumbfoundedly, before swiftly slamming their door shut in his face.

I’m Getting Pregnant… And You’re Invited, the garish pink letters on the invitation read, and Yoongi wants to tell the stupid card to go shove all the balloons up its ass when he realizes in horror that you’d finally decided on someone. Without him.

Standing in the hallway with the huge mess around him, Yoongi wonders how despite changing people’s lives every day, he’d always managed to fall behind when it came to his own.

. . .

The obnoxious EDM bumping in your apartment is enough to make Yoongi’s ears bleed. Tugging at his hoodie, his eyes scan the crowd of people, recognizing more than a few people from the hospital. Frowning, he tries to run each one of them through his mind, wondering if you’d gone with Hoseok from Finance after all.

“Dr. Min!” Yoongi nearly chokes on his drink when Jimin from HR comes up to him, landing him a good-natured slap on the back. “You made it!”

“What the hell are you doing here, Jimin?” Yoongi deadpans. “Shouldn’t you be reporting this shit? I thought all this was supposed to be protected under HIPAA!”

“We’re all HIPAA-compliant here, Yoongi, except you,” Jimin chortles, before smirking at him. “Don’t think I don’t know that you’re the only one in your department who hasn’t submitted their training modules yet.”

“I-, I’ve been busy! You know, actually taking care of patients and stuff.” Yoongi knows Jimin is joking, but somehow still feels the need to defend himself. 

“I’m sensing some negative energy from you, Yoongi,” Jimin drawls, and Yoongi is sure he has to be drunk, waving what looks like a turkey baster in his face. “This is ___’s moment! We should all be happy for her!”

“Oh I’m sooo happy,” Yoongi grumbles, disappearing into the crowd to look for you.

“Dr. Min!” another voice calls out to him. “Wanna take a hit?”

Yoongi turns to see Jungkook, one of the medical students rotating in his unit, offering him a lit joint.

“Put that damn thing away, Jeon!” Yoongi scolds him, before backtracking. “On second thought, gimme that.”

All Jungkook can do is blink in surprise when Yoongi takes a drag of the joint, immediately feeling his irate energy subside just a tiny bit. Still, he was antsy. Where were you?

Yoongi takes another few hits, downs a few shots of soju and he’s overcome with the munchies. Reaching for the hummus and pita chips, he groans when the dip plops down, staining his pristine white hoodie. 

“Here, let me help you with that,” another disembodied voice calls out to him. Yoongi looks up at the sound, and is immediately taken aback.

Yoongi’s sure he’d never seen this dude at the hospital before. He was like, freakishly pretty. Tall, with dark hair and broad shoulders, and pink lips. He blinks, trying not to panic at the attractive man swiping the stain off his shirt.

“Yoongi!” you appear out of nowhere, wrapping him in another crushing hug. “I see you’ve met Seokjin.”

“I’m the donor,” the man called Seokjin reaches a hand out for him to shake, offering a blinding smile.

Fuck. Of course this stupidly attractive man was your sperm donor. Of course you’d want to have his baby. He was literally perfect. You probably had a crush on him. Hell, Yoongi kind of had a crush on him. 

“I’m gonna grab another drink,” you drunkenly lean on Yoongi for support. “You two have fun talking though!”

“___’s great,” Seokjin grins. “Super nice. Pretty hot too.”

“Why are you doing this?” Yoongi interjects bluntly. “I mean no offense, a guy like you, you could probably have anyone.”

“Ahh yeah,” Seokjin ruffles his hair, and Yoongi grits his teeth at how he still manages to look perfect doing that. “Money’s tight these days. A PhD in astrophysics at Harvard doesn’t exactly come cheap.”

Before Yoongi can make another smart comment, Seokjin is whisked away by Jimin and Hoseok from finance, the men slapping him on the back, hollering that it’s time to do the deed. He sees you disappear into your own room nervously, and can’t help himself from following you.

“Everything okay, ___?”

“NO!” you’re nearly bouncing off the walls. And there’s no kids to entertain in sight. “I’m freaking out!”

Yoongi’s next to you in seconds, taking you in his arms and letting your head lean against his shoulder. He’d discovered how much it calmed you down after one drunken night out where you’d basically recalled your childhood trauma from your parents’ divorce.

“Do you think I’m crazy, Yoongi? I want this so bad, but maybe this is the wrong way to go about it.”

“I think you want a family, ___. There’s nothing wrong with that. And I’ll be here every step of the way. Uncle Yoongi to the rescue.”

You giggle at his words, a dazed look in his eyes.

“You do act like a total dad.”

There’s a brief pause, silence falling in between you two. Your eyes peer into Yoongi’s and for a moment, he could swear you lean in, the shiny pink gloss on your lips sparkling in the dim light—-

Only to be interrupted by Jungkook bursting into the room, grabbing your hand and telling you its finally time.

One shot, Yoongi had promised himself. Only now he’s ten shots of soju deep and hiding in the fucking bathroom while the party rages on outside. The colors on the wall blend into each other, and Yoongi’s head throbs trying to figure out what he’s looking at. He smiles to himself when he sees its your meticulous pregnancy planning chart, filled with labs and calendars and lists of medications.

Lifting himself up off the floor, he stumbles, bracing himself against the toilet. He was about to hurl. In his stupor he hears something clatter, off to the side.

“Is someone in there?” the nervous voice of Kim Namjoon, one of the hospital’s talented surgeons, calls out from the other end. “I have to pee!”

Namjoon’s voice breaks Yoongi out of his daze, and he looks at the object lying on the floor.

Cum. A whole bucket’s worth of it, it looked like. The creamy white substance now lies swirling in your toilet bowl, and he feels his heart drop to his ass when he realizes it’s Seokjin’s. Oh fuck! It was Seokjin’s sample. Aka the sample you were supposed to shoot up in mere moments, to have the baby you’d been dreaming of for so long.

Yoongi tugs at his hair, wanting to scream at himself for ruining your plans, all because of his own stupidity. You’d be so mad at him. You’d probably yell at him in front of the entire hospital, hands on your hips, and your face would go all red.

He’s horrified when his dick twitches to life at the image of you cursing him out. How was it his fault that you were so hot and he was idiotically attracted to you?

A lightbulb goes off in his head, and Yoongi looks down again, caught in a face-off with Min. Jr. This was a very big problem with a very simple solution.

The pounding in his head continues as Yoongi drops his pants, getting right to work.

. . .

Thankfully, Yoongi doesn’t remember much about the night of your party. He thinks it’s a blessing, at least until you pounce on him in the hospital cafeteria a couple of weeks later.

Something about you is different, he thinks. You’d always been pretty but now you’re stunning, practically glowing from the inside out. He wonders if it has anything to do with stupidly handsome Seokjin when you tap him on the shoulder.

“It worked!” you blurt out, grinning from ear to ear. “I’m pregnant!”

Suddenly, it all comes back to Yoongi. His jealousy over Seokjin, the two of you nearly kissing in your room, the cup spilling into the toilet, the way Yoongi came with your name on his lips.

Shit.

A/N pt. 2: Thanks for reading! As always, any feedback or comments are much appreciated, but I appreciate you all anyway. Lots of love, Isi 💜

[solargeist]

Hello!

I'm the anon who asked if I could write a fanfic inspired by your found family horror Evo au (that ask actually wasn't meant to be anonymous lol, doesn't really matter but you know) and I would like to say that I have written some ✨angst✨ and wanted to show you since you inspired it.

(Little clarification, this is with a different watcher from my au who still plays a very motherly role like Her from yours, but isn't meant to be the same person at all. Their name's Asteroid, their pretty much my oc, I love then very much.) (I also took the nickname Sunset for Grian from your au since it felt perfect and it gave me the opportunity to call Pearl Moonrise and give them matching sibling names, she doesn't appear in this scene but that's her cannon nickname in my au.)

Anyway, actual writing! Hope you like it.

“Sunset?”

Dang it. Grian thought. He'd been hoping to get out of here before they'd found him. This was going to be much more difficult now.

Asteroid looked Grian up and down, each of their many eyes had an expression of confusion as they saw all the bags he'd packed. The Watcher finally looked up at Grian's face, they opened their mouth for a second to speak, but no words came out.

“I'm leaving.” Grian answered their question before they could ask it.

“Why-” Asteroid's voice choked and Grian looked away so he didn't have to see their tears. He pretended not to cry some of his own.

“Where are you going?”

“I'm going to find a new server to live on.” Grian already knew the server he was running to, but he didn't want the Watchers following him if he could help it.

“How,” Asteroid looked to the side as if they knew the answer. “How long will you be gone?”

Grian silently turned away from the Watcher, spreading his wings for take off. “I'm leaving.” He repeated.

“…Ok.” They said quietly. Grian stopped and turned back to them. Honestly, he'd expected to be forced to stay.

“Come back if… if you can.” And then Asteroid turned around, as if not wanting to have to see Grian's face either.

Grian clutched his cloak and gritted his teeth. Part of him wanted to go back and stay in the void he'd lived in for a good portion of his life. The other part of him couldn't stand to be treated like a dumb child who had to be told everything twice because he just couldn't understand any longer.

“I won't.” And then Grian finally took off and began flying out of the void.

Just gonna cry about my own writing real quick. Thank you some much for inspiring this au, before I was just doing the "Watcher's are completely evil" thing but this take on them is honestly so much better in my opinion.

Your awesome, have a good day! (Or night in my time zone but we can ignore my noexistent sleeping schedule.)

"I won't." hes so bold !! grian ! be nice to your watcher parents !

thank u ! glad to inspire !! hope u continue to have fun with ur au too !! yippie !!

[sluttyten]

UNHOLY - Chapter Thirteen

full masterlist || UNHOLY chapter index

genre: supernatural au

characters: fem reader, yuta, ten, winwin, mark, others mentioned

length: 7,692 words

summary: down in the dungeons of the watchers, you seek answers 

<-previous || next–>

From a dark cell halfway down the block, you hear your name. The voice echoes from the damp walls and floor, distorting strangely, but even in the dark, even in death probably, you would know it. 

The first time you ever heard Yuta’s voice, materializing out of the dark in the cemetery on that All Hallow’s Eve night, coming into existence in sparks and smoke and the scent of sulfur, there had been an immediate reaction. Despite the terror and confusion of that situation, you had found some solace in the sound of his voice, like even though Ten had summoned him there, Yuta had actually come to protect you. 

Standing here in the dank dungeon of the Watchers, you find that comfort in hearing his voice again. 

Your feet land in a puddle, splashing cold slimy water over your ankles. Not even that can dampen your mood, the sudden flare of happiness building in your chest, your heart thumping like a pulsating star. 

“Yuta?” You whisper, barely believing your ears. 

Renjun still sits back by the bench at the stairs, unmoving as you creep forward a few steps, unable to tell which of the cells ahead of you the voice came from. 

There it is again. Your name, confused and questioning, but hopeful. 

It’s him. That’s Yuta’s voice, for sure.

“Yuta!” You cry, unable to help the tears that burst into your eyes, unable to mask the elation in your voice as you run by the empty cells of the row, finally reaching the one his voice came from. You throw yourself against the bars of Yuta’s cell. At last. 

He’s immediately there too. Yuta. He presses against the bars as much as he can, hands reaching out to hold your face. Each of you is starving for the touch of the other. The bars dig against your cheeks, the metal grating against his wrists as he tries to pull you closer. You wish you could squeeze yourself between the bars to touch him, to feel him wrap around you in a hug, to be able to kiss Yuta, to just be with him. 

It’s a half-success. 

You clutch at each other, hands on cheeks and in hair, lips brushing. That is almost enough; you want all of him, but if you have to settle for just this, settle for being separated by these bars, then you can live with that for right now. 

“Yuta,” you murmur, repeating, “Yuta.” 

Your name falls like a prayer from his lips as well. He holds onto you like you’re a dream, scared that you’re going to slip through his fingers. He tips his forehead against the bar between you, his hands stroking at your cheeks as he sighs, “You’re here. Why are you here?” 

“I’m here with Mark and WinWin. We wanted to see why you were here.” You cover his hands on your face with your hands. “We want to get you two out of here.”

“They were supposed to keep you safe.” A voice growls from the dark cell beside Yuta’s.

Your heart drops and soars, squeezing and expanding. You swear it stops beating for a moment before it is suddenly racing. 

Ten. 

He’s right there, appearing from the darkness at the back of his cell beside Yuta’s. He wraps his hands around the bars, peering out at you. Startlingly, he doesn’t look at all pleased to see you.

 “Why the fuck would they bring you here?” Ten asks, his face drawn tight and pale. Shadows rest beneath his eyes. “I told you to stay safe, and instead you come and hang out in the very teeth of the lion? Not even just its den, but right here, in the thick of it all. What were they fucking thinking, bringing you here?”

You break away from Yuta, moving over to the next cell. 

Ten is sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall between his cell and Yuta’s, his knees drawn up to his chest, one hand twisted around the bars of his cell. He’s staring down at the floor, at your feet when you come to stand just in front of him, but when he lifts his gaze to your face, you see a light begin to glow from inside him. 

“I’ve missed you, my darling,” Ten says, his voice breaking around his favorite sweet name for you. He clears his throat before continuing, “But I really don’t want to see you here.” 

“They didn’t bring me here. I came willingly, intentionally.” You’re already curling yourself around the bars, reaching in for him, clutching one of his hands in yours. He feels startlingly cold for how warm you usually know him to be. “Ten, I would’ve come here even if WinWin and Mark hadn’t brought me along. Do you think I wouldn’t follow wherever you all go? I followed you and Yuta to Hell when I barely even knew you. Don’t you think I’d come here now that I actually know you? Now when I’m in love with you both?”

Ten smiles, pulling himself in closer to you. “That’s romantic, but you really shouldn’t be here.”

“Why?” You touch your forehead to the bars of his cell, and he does the same on his side. So close. “The Watchers welcomed us to stay for your trial, and of course I’m going to stay. We’ve been here for a few days already, and I’ve been trying to figure out a way to either get down here to see you, to break you out of here, or to understand what it is exactly that you’re on trial for, but they’re being annoyingly avoidant on what the two of you have done to deserve imprisonment and a trial. And given that it’s tomorrow that you two will be going before the High Watcher, I know I’m cutting it close.” 

Ten tips his head against the bar just-so, and he manages to get in a kiss. A soft peck followed by, “Don’t worry about it.”

You want to melt into him again, to sink into a proper kiss with him, but Ten’s words and the prison bars make it difficult. You pull back, moving far enough that you can see both of them separated by the solid stone wall between their cells. You lean against the wall opposite their cells, looking at both Yuta and Ten watching you. You feel the heat of your annoyance mingling with your excitement to have found them whole and alive, and the unlit torches on the wall flare to life, casting a warm orange glow over Yuta and Ten. They both stare at you. The flickering of the flames casts strange shadows over their faces.

“What did you do? Why won’t anyone tell me that?” You sit down on the floor, finding a fortunately dry spot to settle in and fold your legs in front of you. “Did they bring you here because you attacked a Watcher? Is that it?”

Yuta glances towards Ten’s cell. “We didn’t attack anyone when they arrested us. Is that what they told you? We came mostly peacefully. I mean, fuck, we argued, but we didn’t get violent. Who told you we attacked one of them?”

You shake your head. “I don’t mean when you were brought here.” You look back and forth between your demon lovers, and you’re familiar enough with their features that you can tell that they have no clue what you’re talking about. Do they really not know? “Before the arrest, a few months ago.”

Ten curses. “False charges? They’re trying to make us sound horrible with trumped up false charges?” He snarls, and for a moment his eyes flicker pitch black, swallowing the firelight of the torches like two black holes. Yuta just rolls his eyes and leans his shoulder against the bars of his cell, waiting for Ten to calm down.

You hold your breath. Should you tell them?

Yuta looks at you, studying you for a long moment, and you study him in return. He doesn’t look nearly as irritated by the idea of these false charges as Ten does. He looks impatient, waiting for Ten to stop cursing and pacing angrily in the cell next door. He looks tired and full of want, like he wants to turn those cell bars into smoke, to step through them, to be able to properly embrace you. You know that there was a time that Yuta could have used brute strength, if not his demon powers, to turn those bars to shreds, and the fact that he hasn’t means that he and Ten must not have any of their powers.

“You’re talking about him. Right?” Yuta says once Ten finally falls silent.

Ten’s steady pacing falters.

“Him?” You ask. “Him, who?”

Now Yuta’s the one with a curled lip, his words nearly a snarl when he says, “Don’t make me say his name, my love. That filthy ex-lover of yours.” He spits on the floor between his feet. “The one who pretended to be human, who pretended to be an exorcist. The one who, it turns out, is a God-damned Watcher.” 

Ten’s body presses against the bars again as he tries to achieve an angle to be able to see Yuta’s face. “What?” His voice pitches a little higher. “That douchebag is one of these dicks? Why didn’t you tell me?” He reaches out, bending his arm at an awkward angle, trying to reach over to Yuta’s cell as if to grab him to demand answers. “How long have you known?” Ten’s arm falls limp, still hanging out between the bars he clings to with his other hand. 

You’re curious as well. How long has Yuta known that Hansol was more than he first appeared?

“That day when we brought you back, he felt strange. When we fought with him, there was something more than human about the way that he defended himself, but I didn’t think too much of it,” Yuta says, and his eyebrows draw together into a frown, recalling the memory. “I figured it was just a byproduct of him being an exorcist. Of course, now we know that he was just posing as an exorcist. But he’s the one that came down to below Hell City, the one to make the arrest.” 

That had been Hansol that day. You remember thinking that the back of his head had struck you as familiar in the moment before Ten was dragging you away. But you’d never made the connection. Why would you? Hansol had always seemed just a normal guy up until the moment the door in the Church had opened to reveal him with the pastor, but even then you’d still believed him to be human, something you’d wholly believed up until earlier, when his hood fell back. 

Ten shakes his head and slumps down into a crouch beside the bars. “Damn, he had his hood back up by the time I got there after sending you away.” He stares at the floor and shakes his head. “If I’d known who he was, you can bet I’d have fought him then and there. We should’ve ended him the day we met him.”

“Then you’d definitely be down here for that. I’m sure killing a Watcher is no easy feat, and it’s definitely one that they would consider punishable.” You lift your hands to your face, digging the heels of your palms against your eyes. “It’s too late now, regardless. He’s up there, and when I came down here, WinWin and Mark were fighting with him, making a good distraction. So, what exactly did you two do that landed you here, in the dungeon of the Watchers? The one that brought us inside the House said that you both broke some accord? But he wouldn’t go into any more detail than that. No one will tell us anything more than that.” You glance over towards the mouth of the tunnel, and you see Renjun hovering there, all silvery and quietly, trying not to draw attention to himself. You look back to Yuta, and you ask, “What accord? What did you do?”

Neither Yuta nor Ten says anything. They neither one look directly at you, either. 

“Please,” you beg, “Just tell me. We want to get you out of here, and if we can’t break you out, then the next best thing is going to be to help defend you in what is surely going to be a farcical trial.” Yuta at least looks up now, staring at your face like he’s trying to memorize it. Ten keeps watching the play of shadows by his feet. “I need to know what the two demons I love did that ended them up in a supernatural prison in Purgatory.”

The dungeon falls silent while you await an answer. You hear water dripping somewhere from the stones. Renjun sits silently back where you left him beside the stairs, but a glance in his direction reveals that he is still sitting there, silvery and quiet. You wait, silent and unmoving, your mind whirring as you look back and forth between Yuta and Ten, waiting for one of them to tell you what must be such a terrible thing for them to have done if they’re so reluctant to tell you.

After several long moments of silence, Yuta sighs. A heavy sound that crackles with exhaustion. 

“We took you. That’s what we did.” 

The quiet air buzzes after his admission. They took you? Just because two demons brought you back to Hell City, they were here in Watcher prison? 

“That doesn’t make sense. Why is that such a crime?” You ask.  

“We weren’t supposed to take you,” Yuta admits. “That was the accord. A peace accord between demons and Watchers. The demons leave you to a human life of ignorance. The Watchers leave you alone as well.” 

But what makes you so special that they would make a specific rule for that? Yeah, there’s the whole thing with you being part-human with demon powers, but that can’t be unusual enough to call for a special accord being put in place. 

Yuta answers the question without you having to ask it aloud.           

“Such beings as you are aren’t meant to exist, not in their ideology. It creates too much risk, too much of a crossover between the supernatural world and the ignorant world that humans live in. They wanted to eliminate such a risky concern, put you to death before your existence could become a problem, but instead demons and Watchers signed a peace. You were safe being raised in your faith, in your little Church, unaware of this whole world. Things got a little more complicated after your parents died.”

“Complicated how?” Your voice shrinks, half-swallowed by the dark shadows of the dungeon. The flickering light of the flames above you seem smaller, dimmer as you listen calmly. 

Yuta stares at you, his eyes warm brown, watchful and focused. “Everything grew tangled,” he explains. “The specifics of the accord were a little hazy.”

Okay, and?

Ten lifts his head suddenly, and his face is pale, eyes dark and blazing as he confesses, “Everything was complicated, and to make it worse, we lied.” 

Your body goes cold, a shiver slithering along your stiffening spine. They lied? 

Yuta hisses something under his breath, doing his best to glare sideways at Ten, but the bars and the wall between them entirely prevent that. He turns back to you. “After your parents died, there was a risk that you might dig into the mystery of their deaths, and you could discover the meaning of the sigils, that there were demons involved. Maybe you would fall down a pathway that would lead you to discovering who you really were. That you had powers. Everyone was watching for you then, we told you that. Demons were looking for you, the Watchers were too.” 

“We shouldn’t have lied to you,” Ten interjects, talking over Yuta. 

Your belly goes tight. The ‘to you’ part of Ten’s statement has your body locking up. When he’d first said that they lied, you thought he meant in general. Not that the two of them lied to you. What did they lie about?

Apparently no longer satisfied with sitting silent and letting Yuta tell his version of this story, Ten continues speaking. “Your parents, they were hiding you and keeping you safe, like we told you. That much was the truth. But all those symbols that were found in your house weren’t all done by your parents. The sigils were from both demons and the Watchers, acts of protection against the other. But some had been secretly sewn into your clothes, invisibly painted on the bottoms of your shoes. Your mother was thorough so that you wouldn’t be taken from her.”

Yuta leans his head against the bars, closing his eyes. “Why don’t you just tell her everything, Ten?”

“I will,” Ten shoots back. “I wanted to be honest from the start. You’re the one that fed her fictitious stories on that very first day. And look where we are now because of it! She never would’ve come with us if we’d just told her the whole truth that day! All of this could have been prevented!” 

“Of course she wouldn’t have come with us!” Yuta snaps. “She would’ve thought we were even crazier than she already did if we’d told her the truth!” 

Ten hisses through his teeth. “But then why haven’t you told her anything since then? I wanted to, but you insisted on skipping around, skirting the truth with more lies.” 

They begin bickering back and forth, forgetting that you’re there at all as they snipe at each other. 

Meanwhile, you tune them out to instead mull over what else they’ve been saying. They’ve both lied to you. Apparently from the very start, they’ve been lying. Did they lie about what happened to your parents? About their involvements in your parents' deaths? Or have they lied about something else? You wish everyone would stop talking around the subject, and just get straight to an answer. 

“Hey!” Suddenly, Renjun is standing there in front of the bars. “Stop fighting and just answer her questions! We don’t have long down here before our time is up and the Watchers notice she’s missing, so start talking or we’re just going to leave now.”

If either Yuta or Ten is shocked by the sudden appearance of Renjun, they don’t question it. Instead Yuta slumps against the cell’s bars. Ten clears his throat, looking at you once again. 

“Like I was saying, we lied. There’s a lot we lied about, honestly. I was going to tell you the truth, but Yuta decided to make up a story. He came up with the lie about the demon deal, and I couldn’t contradict him, so I went along with it. You know how lies can be, darling. They snowball, and this one did so rapidly. I tried to tell you the truth, telling you that you were one of us, but Yuta didn’t even want to tell you that you were half-demon. He just wanted to let you believe that you were just the human byproduct of a demon deal to conceive, but that part isn’t even true. All of that was a lie.”

You feel like the ground is rocking beneath you, suddenly unsteady under your feet. You tip your head back against the wall, staring up at the dark stone ceiling of the dungeon. Beside you, Renjun’s back hits the wall, and he slides down to sit on the floor as well. The side of his hand touches yours, and that’s the only thing keeping you feeling even a little bit grounded in reality while the rest of your mind slips far back into the past, to the graveyard on that All Hallows’ Eve night when you first met Ten and Yuta. 

It’s amazing how quickly your memory of that night has blurred. You can remember the rain, remember the horror and terror and panic of two random men approaching you in the dark cemetery and turning your world entirely on its head. But so much of what was said blurs in your memory, though you vaguely recall what now seem to be lies. You replay what you can remember of that night from start to finish. 

Yuta’s voice in the here and now is what pulls you away from your memories. “We didn’t lie about everything. I promise.” And he must mean it because he uses your name, the sound so sincere from his lips. “We were the demons assigned to your case, told to find you and protect you. After your parents died, everyone went looking for you. The protection of your mother had broken, and then when you moved out from beneath that roof, you lost even more protection, and after years, the last of the protections woven into your clothes and on your shoes faded away. That’s when we found you, and we knew that the Watchers were looking for you too.” 

“Hold on,” you cut in, lifting a hand to make Yuta pause in his story. “I’m still stuck on what Ten was saying. The bit about you wanting me to believe that I was a full human born from a demon deal to conceive, and how all of that was a lie. What does that mean?”

Yuta’s eyes burn for a moment. “We weren’t ever supposed to tell you this. It was part of the deal, the accord your mother signed.”

“Well, you broke the accord when you brought me to Hell City, didn’t you?” You fold your arms across your chest. “So what’s really holding you back from telling me more? From telling me the whole truth?”

You’re running out of time and you know it. You can feel the seconds passing with each drip of water in one of the dark corners of this dungeon. And beside you, Renjun keeps alert, glancing upwards every few seconds. 

“I want the whole, entire truth. I’m tired of lies.” A hit of anger simmers in your chest. You love both of the demons imprisoned before you, but the idea that they’ve been lying to you this entire time? You would be crazy to ignore that as a huge issue, but right now you need the whole truth. It’s your life, don’t you deserve to know it?

“Ten, you tell her,” Yuta says, and he leans back, sinking half into shadow. “I don’t think she wants to hear anymore from me.”

That’s not true. You want to hear no more lies, just the solid truth. 

Ten begins, “What I meant when I said that is that all of it is a lie. The demon deal, the conception story, that bit about the Changeling which he just said to get you to stop freaking out, and of course, you being even an ounce human.” A jolt passes through you as you process Ten’s words, but he continues. “Your mother was one of us, a demon. Your father, not the one who raised you, but your true father, was a Watcher.”

Beside you Renjun twitches when you glance at him. The way he’s completely avoiding looking back at you tells you that he knew about this, or at least suspected it. If what Ten is saying is actually true this time, you’re not so different from Renjun. Half-Watcher, half-Other. 

“What you are, darling, it’s never happened before,” Ten says, “Watchers and demons don’t exactly mix well, and your mother and the Watcher who got her pregnant didn’t necessarily mix too well. The sex worked for them, obviously, but everyone in the demon world knows that as soon as your mother realized she was pregnant, she stopped showing up when he summoned her to meet. She wanted nothing more to do with him.”

Ten says all of this plainly, straightforwardly with a level voice that makes you want to believe that this is fact. But still doubt resides in your mind. They’ve lied to you once, why not lie again? And besides, how could your mother be a demon? She raised you in the faith! She took you to Church every weekend and every feast day. She blessed you, she took the Eucharist and dipped her fingers in holy water. You know from the firsthand experience that that isn’t something even a partial demon can do. She’d even taken you on a trip to a monastery, where she’d sat at your side while a monk had blessed and prayed over you. She hadn’t even looked remotely uncomfortable.

But you don’t say anything, and Ten just continues with the story. Your story.

“No one in Hell has ever seen a demon carry the baby of a high and holy Watcher. Of the rare unholy unions between demons and Watchers, never has one produced anything until you. So no one knew what would happen to your mother,” Ten says. “But apparently having the seed of a Watcher, blessed and holy, inside her began to change her. She couldn’t stand being in Hell anymore, Heaven was nowhere within her reach, and she feared hiding away in Purgatory because of what the Watchers might do to her if they discovered her. She landed on Earth on two feet, building a life around her instantly. She met a man, settled down with him, had you.

“It wasn’t much later when the Watchers caught on, but by that point there were already demons watching over you. Both the demons and the Watchers wished to have you under their control. There was clashing, fighting, war almost broke out over your cradle. But your mother met with the High Watcher and with Our Queen of the Night, and together they came up with a peace accord. Your mother signed it. Our Queen of the Night, the ruler of demons, signed it as well. And the High Watcher, as the spokesman for the Watchers, signed it. All three spoke for their separate parties: for you, for the demons, for the Watchers. We told you the truth about this next part. Your mother and her human lover, they were free to raise you in ignorance of who and what you were. You would be safe and protected from our world, that no one could touch you while you were under her protection, while the peace accord remained in place. 

“But your mother didn’t consider the loophole, about what would happen to you after her death, because she didn’t consider that possibility. Demons are immortal unless something particularly fatal occurs, and nothing like that should have ever happened to her. Except that she had a miracle baby, half-demon and half-Watcher, and everyone wanted to get their hands on you.”

Yuta reappears then from the shadows of his cell, his cheek leaning against the bars, his gaze stuck imploringly on yours when he says, “It wasn’t a demon deal that claimed your parents' lives. That was the first and most stupid lie I could think of when I realized Ten was going to tell you the truth. I don’t truly know if it was someone rogue, if it was an assassin dispatched by the High Watcher or one deployed by our Queen of the Night, but someone came for your parents, hoping to hurry along that little loophole in the accord. Without your mother’s protection, you belonged to whoever got you first, and everyone was curious about the kind of powers you would have. Because between your mother, who was quite a powerful demon, and your father being a high-level Watcher, you would have to be extremely powerful.”

“High-level Watchers are basically gods,” Renjun says quietly at your side. “I told you about their endless pursuit for knowledge, and for them knowledge is equal to power. They have their own territories, their own Houses, and they only report to the High Watcher on special occasions. They have powers on tier with the God of the Abrahamic religions, to create, to destroy, to be all-seeing and just about be all-knowing. If your father is one of them, then you being half-demon as well basically means you could possess unheard of powers.”

If that’s true then why didn’t you discover your powers until you came to Hell City? Shouldn’t they have been bursting out of you at random, uncontrollable since you were never taught how to handle them? And then why had it been so difficult for you to even summon a meager flame when Ten and Yuta had tried so hard with you? Why did you often feel so small, so human, so powerless if you were in fact a damned divine being, both holy and unholy?

“Your mother’s protections were more thorough than anyone understood,” Yuta says softly. “She twisted the Watcher’s protections with her own demon powers. She imbibed and strengthened the demon sigils with her blood. She was extremely powerful in her own right, and she cast protections over you herself, secret ones that suppressed your powers. But, in time, everything faded. And when we found you, Ten and I, we knew you’d be better here, with us.”

Ten picks up the story, looking right at you as he says, “The Watchers feared the kind of power you might hold. Half-demon, half-Watcher. A goddess with unknown powers. So when your mother signed the accord, putting it in bloody writing that she would bury and suppress your powers, restrict all of your knowledge of the world that you were born to be a part of, that was it. Official. As long as you remained powerless, kept in the dark about demons and Watchers, werewolves and monsters, living essentially as a human, then you would be untouchable. But we ruined that the first moment I stepped into your life. Yuta and I corrupted the peace accord as soon as we told you what we were, as soon as we invited you to come to Hell City with us, but it was the only way, and we knew it. It was only a matter of time before someone else would find you. Like I said, we were assigned your case by our Queen, so we would protect you, no matter what happened.” Ten sighs, and he stretches his hand out from inside his cell, reaching towards you as he says, “And in protecting you, darling, we found we liked you. A lot.”

Angry and confused, shaken by all of this flipping of your world on its head, you still can’t deny yourself the touch of Ten’s hand. You scoot forward away from the wall, and you clutch Ten’s hand in yours. You lean in to him, letting him bring your joined hands up so he can brush his fingers against your cheek. While you lean into Ten’s touch, Yuta begins speaking again, his voice a little rough and tired, yet still, he speaks. 

“Once we brought you to Hell City, our Queen of the Night demanded reports on your well-being, on your progress of discovering your powers. When I let you go back to Earth, we were punished for the error in judgment, and it was a massive error. People knew about you. Being in Hell City had stripped away the last of your mother’s protections, awakening your powers and bringing forth the demonhood she’d hidden deep inside you. Watchers were watching you again, though they hadn’t been able to see you since you were a baby. Rogue demons who hungered for the power our Queen refused them were hunting for you. Even humans, those who have knowledge of the layers to this reality, the ones who search for knowledge and power and have no limit to what they will do, they too were searching for you. 

“Clearly, letting you go back was a huge mistake. You were being hunted, and now we know that one of those hunters found you.” Hansol. “He found you so quickly, and I guess he was just meant to keep a close watch on you, probably to see what you knew or didn’t know. But with the safety of your mother’s protections stripped away, I doubt he was the only one coming close to you.” And then, begrudgingly, Yuta admits, “Though I suppose we have a little to be grateful to him for. His presence likely acted as protection too. No one would harm you with a Watcher at your side.

“But they were definitely out there, the number of people who knew about the miracle you are, who were searching for you, kept increasing. When we brought you back, it was worse. Our Queen kept sending us away on missions to dispatch those looking for you or who would do you harm in other ways. We knew the Watchers were looking for you again as well. They knew you were with demons, though at the time we weren’t sure how they knew that, but luckily they didn’t have our identities, and they weren’t certain we had you in Hell City.”

“We didn’t know what they would do to you if they found you.” Ten’s voice is soft, ripe with emotion as he continues to hold his hand to your cheek, his eyes on yours through the bars. “That is why, that night when we left you, I sent you away and told you to protect yourself, to let in no one but WinWin or Mark. Because I knew they were the only ones we could trust you to, even though they were in the dark about the risk of it all. They believed what we’d told you, nothing more. They thought you were only half-human, and they knew little to none about Watchers and rogues who would tear you apart for a taste of your powers. We could trust them because they both love you as much as we do.”

That, at least, is a relief in all of this. At least WinWin and Mark haven’t been lying to you too. You’re not sure you could take it. 

You understand, partially, why Yuta and Ten had lied to you. At the time when you first came to Hell City with them, you wouldn’t have believed any of this. You wouldn’t have even understood half of it. Hell, you had struggled to wrap your mind around being half-demon for the longest time, refusing to even attempt to reach for powers until after your return to Hell City, after the nightmare that was being chained up by the pastor. Forget how crazy all of this about Watchers and the true revelation of your parentage sounds now. If they’d mentioned any of this in the cemetery, you would have walked away and written them down in your history as weirdos trying to pull a prank on you.  

But all of this, they’ve done it to protect you. If they’d told you the truth that night, even if you hadn’t gone with them, if you’d believed them to be crazy, a part of you still would have wondered if there was truth in what they said.  You would have let your curiosity get the best of you. Just the mention of things pertaining to werewolves had gotten you to the library in Hell City for research, and if you’d attempted researching the Watchers or hybrid supernatural creatures when you were in the ignorant human world, that surely would have sent up some red flags somewhere in the system, and the Watchers and demons and all the bad would have been on you. 

But, you still wish they would have been more honest. That Yuta and Ten wouldn’t have dug so deep into the lie that they were being almost buried in it now, sitting here in these dungeon cells. And the fact remains that they’d gone through all of this to keep you mostly from the Watchers, and now here you stand, in the heart of the House of the Watchers, unharmed. But they broke the rules, violating the accord by taking you, so of course, the Watchers are seeking retribution.

“We have to go soon,” Renjun whispers from his spot against the wall. “I have a feeling that our time is almost up.” 

You sigh, reluctant to leave. You love them, both of these demons even though they lied to you. Ten’s palm feels warmer as you nuzzle your cheek against it, cradling your hand against the back of his. 

“Do you forgive me?” Yuta asks, and you open your eyes to see him watching, dark sadness glimmering in his eyes. “I shouldn’t have lied, but we couldn’t tell you the whole truth. I’m sorry, my love. I thought we were keeping you safer if you didn’t know. I just wanted to get you to come with us so we could keep you safe. I didn’t expect we’d fall in love with you, or that telling you the truth would be like this.”

“I always imagined we’d tell you the truth over a nice candlelit dinner,” Ten says lightly, “Or maybe in bed when we’ve worn you out to the point that you’re too exhausted to be angry with us for lying. But there’s kinda candles.” He nods at the flickering lights you’d lit on the wall along the dungeon passage. “So this is almost the same, right? A nice, cozy dungeon date? With little to no hope of us getting out of here?”

The reminder of that makes your heart sink to new depths. You reach for Yuta’s hand where it dangles out of his cell. He strokes his thumb over your knuckles, and Ten just cups your cheek in his hand. You need them to make it out of here. You don’t know what happens to them if they make it to the trial and are found guilty for this absolute bullshit crime. Just because they were the first ones to get to you? That’s basically what they’re being charged with, but if the Watchers had found you first, then it’s not very likely that they would stand accused of breaking the accord. 

“Wait. Hold on. Rewind this back a bit.” You sit up straight, looking back and forth between your boyfriends, holding Yuta’s hand on one side and Ten’s hand on the other. “So this whole thing—you being imprisoned by the Watchers and pending a criminal trial—is because I agreed to leave my seemingly human life on earth to come to Hell City with you two?”

Ten nods first, but it is Yuta that speaks up, saying, “Well, yeah. We broke the peace accord.”

But they didn’t. Not really. 

If you consider everything that they’ve said, and if it’s the full truth this time, which you feel like it must be, then they haven’t really done anything wrong at all. 

“But my parents… my mother died. According to what you’ve told me, the peace between the demons and the Watchers was to end after her death, essentially, because I wasn’t under her protection any longer. Like you said, everyone including demons and Watchers were looking for me after they died, but there were still some lingering protections which is why it took you two so long to find me. Right?”

Yuta agrees, his head cocked slightly to the side. 

“But even if you consider the accord still in effect because I was ignorant of this world, how can they really prove that you are the ones that told me about all of this, effectively breaking the last little bit of the rules? How do the Watchers know that I didn’t discover a little of it by myself? Like you said, until the last of the protections wore off after I returned from Hell City, the Watchers hadn’t been able to see me since I was a kid. How do they know I didn’t learn about any of this in the meantime, before I ever met you?”

What are they going to do? Make you swear an oath at this trial? You don’t see the purpose in it, there’s nothing truly holding you to not perjuring yourself. What is there for you to fear about lying under oath here? 

Yuta and Ten both stare at you, and you can feel Renjun’s gaze on the back of your head as well. You squeeze your boyfriends’ hands. “How do they know that I wasn’t aware of my powers before I met you?”

“You can’t lie,” Ten says, his voice scraping against his throat. “You didn’t have access to your power before we teased it out of you. Darling, they know. They’re Watchers. They saw everything after Yuta returned you from Hell City thanks to that dick Hansol. They know about everything with that pastor.”

Renjun’s feet scuff against the floor as he stands, suddenly alert. “We have to go.”

You hold tighter to Ten and Yuta’s hands. “I need a little longer.”

“We don’t have time. The House just shifted again. I can hear them up there. There are a lot of Watchers moving around, they’re searching. We’re already over time. Say your goodbyes. You have one minute.”

Renjun takes off for the stairs at the other end of the level, fading into the shadows. 

You don’t want to leave. You want to implant yourself in the stone right here, to sit with Yuta and Ten until the universe crumbles around you. If you let go now, you’re not sure when or if you’ll ever get to touch them again. 

“You’re crying.” Yuta’s hand pulls away from yours, and his fingertips touch your cheek, wiping away a tear. “Don’t cry for us. We’ll be okay. Like you were just saying, pretty girl, they don’t really have the solid evidence to convict us. We can still get out of this.”

Hot tears drown the sight of the dungeon, the cells, and your two demons. Each of them wipe at your tears, trying to speak lightheartedly and teasing to draw a smile out of you before you have to go. But you can’t smile. You’re sinking into fear and sadness, into the overwhelmingly dark thoughts that this is the last time you’ll get to see them before they sit before the High Watcher. 

“We love you,” Yuta says. “We’ll be fine. You’ll be fine.”

You’re not sure how he can truly promise that, but he does. When he twists his fingers in your hair and draws you forward, your lips meet his in a brief kiss through the bars of the cell. It’s over too soon, but then you’re moving over to Ten, and it’s deeply uncomfortable to hug someone when there are broad iron bars in between you, and even more awkward to turn that hug into a kiss, but you manage. 

“Stop crying,” Ten teases as he pulls back. “Even if they do find us guilty, at least you’ve still got WinWin and Mark.”

That doesn’t make you feel any better, actually. You push at him through the bars, and Ten laughs, a bright sound that echoes around the dungeon. He holds onto your hand, reeling you back together. Ten rests his forehead against the bar you lean your head against. 

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.” 

You sniffle, and Ten taps his fingertips beneath your chin. “I’m serious about WinWin and Mark. They both love you too. Let them take care of you while we can’t.” His serious expression cracks, taking on a teasing grin and a lilt in his voice when he says, “We’ve been gone from you for long enough that I’m sure you’re horny, and I know you’ve been sad and worried so you won’t have let WinWin do anything more than maybe kiss you.” Yo I hate that he’s completely right; he knows you too well. “And Mark, well, he’s probably still too scared of us and of hurting you to make a move, but maybe you should make the first move.”

“Ten, seriously?” Yuta says from next door. “We’re going to trial to determine life or death, and you’re worried she might be horny?”

Ten shrugs, his smile not quite reaching his eyes when he says, “We’ve all got our priorities, and her feeling good has always been at the top of my list.”

From the dungeon floor above you, you hear Renjun call your name. 

“That’s my time.” You press forward, managing one last fleeting kiss on Ten’s lips. “I love you,” and teasingly you add on, “Maybe I’ll take your advice.” 

Ten snickers as you move away to reach into Yuta’s cell. You tug him as close to the bars as you can, kissing Yuta one more time. 

“I forgive you for lying about all of that. I know you only did it for me.” You sigh the words against his lips. “Thank you, Yuta. For everything, as always. I love you.”

He smiles as you back away, and as you turn to climb the steps of the passage, Yuta calls out after you, saying, “You’re too sad, my love. Maybe you should take Ten’s advice!”

You can’t believe they’re both advising you to go get fucked by their two best friends while they’re still imprisoned. Not that you haven’t thought about it a few times over recent days. But at least the thought is making you laugh and smile instead of just shedding useless tears over the situation. 

You walk away, your heart breaking as you begin to climb. 

Renjun is already ahead of you, waiting partway up the narrow curve of stairs that lead up toward the rest of the House. He stands frozen on the steps, his head cocked in a way that must mean that he’s listening. He holds his hand up as you approach. “Something is wrong.”

The smile that had managed to rise on your lips while thinking about the half-joking parting advice of your boyfriends now fades away. 

Slowly, Renjun turns to face you, and in the flickering candlelight of the tunnel’s lamps, you see his face has fallen pale, his expression tight when he says, “I smell blood.”

<-previous || next–>

a/n: sorry to leave you all on another sudden ending like that, but it just make you more excited for next week’s update, doesn’t it? 

I hope this chapter finally brought some clarity to some questions that you may have had, but I also hope it’s left you with a few more.

Also, if any part of that story doesn’t make sense please let me know because I might need to edit it for clarity lol 

I’m sure it’s no surprise at all when I say thank you so much for reading, and please show this update a little love with likes, reblogs, and comments. Thank you!

[storyofmychoices]

Torn

[Mal Volari x Daenarya Blades 1 + Beyond] [Mal’s Orphanage]

[Mal Volari x Daenarya Blades 2 AU]

Pairings: Mal Volari x Daenarya (F!OC)

Book: Blades of Light and Shadow Blades 2 (Chapter 4-5ish)

Word Count: ~500

Rating/Warnings: Teen? / Emotional Hurt (no comfort)

Tagging: @choicesoctober (favorite OC); @choicesficwriterscreations

A/N: Just a reminder, I HC that the 2 realms move at inconsistent times. It was 1 year for the gang, 1 week for Daenarya. Daenarya is pregnant with Mal's baby, Iliana, (from before she was taken), but she doesn't know it yet.

Synopsis: Daenarya is back and trying to process what happened.

In the hazy recesses of her mind, fragmented memories swirled—a distant recollection of a time she couldn't fully grasp.

The more she reached, the further the memories floated away, slipping through her fingers. Those memories only existed in fleeting whispers in her ear and flashes behind closed eyes. In those moments, she was transported back to the Shadow Realm. The nightmarish place that stole something from her, something more valuable and precious than treasure—time. 

It may have been a week for her, but she lost a year with her friends and her found family. 

A year of memories gone before they occurred. 

A year that should have been filled with celebration became one of guilt and regret. She knew none of her friends had it easy, especially not Mal, they suffered and were all changed because of what happened, but still, what happened happened to her, not them. 

She was taken.

She was experimented on.

She was held prisoner.

She had her blood spilled.

She had the scars of where their needles were.

She heard their whispered conversations. 

She was the one the realm was depending on to save them.

She was the one that the Watcher pulled between worlds in her sleep.

She was the one that was still hunted, day and night.

She was the one that Valex would do anything to capture again.

Not them.

Not a single one of them.

If anything happened to them, it would be because of her, because she failed to protect them and not the other way around.

She was alone.

She inhaled slowly, counting her measured breaths. Her eyes opened slowly, her gaze shifting around at her sleeping companions.

Despite it all, she was not alone. Even when she felt alone, they were there. They followed her without a second thought, without question, willing to risk their lives to save the realm and follow her.

Her, who just a year ago was a nobody from Riverbend, who no one would have noticed if she had disappeared. At least she had them, this ragtag group of misfits. 

Her lip flickered up in the corners, but it failed to reach her eyes.

Still, it wasn't easy. 

Not for her. 

Not for them.

They were together.

But were they?

Would it be enough when it counted?

Daenarya lay in the darkness, her mind a battlefield of memories and shadows. She tried to piece together the fragmented moments from her time in the Shadow Realm, but it was like grasping at smoke. Quick flashes of pain and the feeling of being trapped haunted her. Her captives had made it seem as though she was asleep the whole time, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she was more aware than anyone knew.

She tried to shake the thoughts away.

Something was different. 

Something had changed within her.

Was it just her dormant realm walker powers awakening? Was it something else they had done?

She tossed beneath her blanket, trying to find sleep, but her mind raced with unanswered questions, each feeling more and more impossible to solve. Her body warmed until she had to get up. She moved swiftly behind a nearby tree, her head spinning as she clutched it for support. A wave of nausea overtook her as she vomited in the darkness, the bitter taste of bile lingering in her mouth.

Something was wrong. 

There was only one who could help her, who could fill in the gaps.

The one who hunted her now.

Valex.

She was torn—caught between the need for answers and the fear of what those answers might reveal. 

This is NOT at all what I intended this to become. It was supposed to be flickering memories over a few nights of different moments from when she was in the Shadow Realm, but it became this. I know it's all over the place, but I feel that is authentic to where Daenarya is at mentally, especially with her hormones raging.

[pastriibunz]

A Girl, A Ghost, and A General

A SOTBAW AU in which three residents of the Black and White escape from the clutches of the Lords, and try to navigate life in the tiny town of Hatchetfield. [based on what my lovely mutual @raspberrysmoon is doing with Kai in the SOTBAW au!]

EPISODE LIST:

Uncle Mac - The little Lady in Black finally gets a new playmate after years of waiting.

My Best Friend Is Dead - Another playmate enters the scene, one that Kai strongly attaches to.

Lessons In Being Human - McNamara and Max, with their combined years of experience, try to teach Kai how to be human (a concept that, apparently, Kai doesn’t believe in).

My Papas And Me - After a LOT of convincing, Kai finally gets McNamara and Max to meet her five beloved Papas.

Papa Blinky’s Playroom - Kai, with some negging from Max and convincing from McNamara, sneaks into the room of Papa Blinky’s that she isn’t allowed in.

Humanization - Kai spirals into a depression, feeling more distant from her papas than ever. McNamara and Max offer some assistance.

Escapism - Kai decides that the gap between her and her papas is finally big enough for her to jump down. She isn’t going alone.

Welcome To Hatchetfield - The escapees make it out, heading into a tiny town called Hatchetfield. Kai finds it overwhelming.

A Thousand Eyes That Can’t See -  Blinky calls Kai home. That’s his job. He never expected to fail it.

The Singular Voice; An Eternal Silence - Pokey is never quiet. Yet, he can’t seem to make a sound.

Time Heals No Wounds; Space’s Void Comforts None - Toys aren’t fun when your favorite playmate isn’t there to play with you.

Rabid Hunger, Firey Rage - Wiggly isn’t the only lord who wants his wrath. With Kai gone, Nibbly’s teeth are bared.

A Monarchy, Fallen - He knew it was a terrible idea. He knew he should’ve killed her when he had the chance. Now, she’s killing him. Slowly, but surely.

A Crabby Barista And The Guy (Who Doesn’t Like Musicals) - Kai meets a duo in Hatchetfield, one that she connects to in an instant.

Bunker Brains - Revalations you can only come to when you’ve got a girl who’s been raised by five eldritch beings, a hardass general that said girl’s decided is her uncle, a dead vengeful ghost that’s her best friend, a man that’s so painfully average it’s almost shocking (who’s also been roped into being a father figure), and a crabby barista/mama bear all in one room.

The Gal Who Didn’t Like Musicals - Papa Pokey isn’t gonna hurt anyone else. Not on her watch.

Hexed - Families help eachother out. Even when they aren’t sure who you are anymore.

White Without Black - Our story isn’t over yet. Not by a long shot.

Home For The Holidays - Christmastime starts to roll around, and through the overstimulating confusion that comes with it for Kai, she starts to wish she was home.

BLACK FRIDAY - PART ONE: Uncle Tom And Toyzone - Emma decides to take her wacky found family to her brother in law’s for thanksgiving. After he decides to push babysitting duties onto Emma, she decides that he has to take Kai to the mall with him.

BLACK FRIDAY - PART TWO: The Banana And The Songbird - Hannah learns that her imaginary friend isn’t so imaginary. Kai learns that she isn’t so alone in her uniqueness.

BLACK FRIDAY - PART THREE: Papa And Baby - Kai was always a Papa’s Girl. But, seeing her favorite one now, she knows things have changed.

Nuke Me Not - It’s a race against the clock for General John McNamara to keep the town of Hatchetfield from getting nuked.

Family Bonding Time - Kai’s Uncle Bill decides to take his favorite niece to the very best (and only) amusement park in all of Hatchetfield: Watcher World! Kai, however, is not having any fun.

Camping In The Witchwood - Paul and Emma send Kai to Camp Idontwannabang to make some new friends. It was the cheapest option, okay?

The Bastard And The Baby - Tinky’s favorite toy reveals some information about his missing baby.

Resurrected, Somehow - The peace that settles over the family is soon disrupted by Max being revived. Kai and the boy are psyched, Paul and Emma, however, not so much.

The Nighthawks’ Nest - Paul and Emma decide it’s best to enroll Kai in Hatchetfield High. With some pushing, she convinces Max to (re)enroll too.

Max’s Redemption Arc - Max is happy to reclaim his throne as Hatchetfield High’s Literal Monster. But when Kai starts to mimic his attitude, Max realizes his behavior needs to change. Also, a prank at The Waylon and the movie Mean Girls is involved.

Me And My Papas - After some mayhem happens, Kai is forced to reunite with those who raised her.

A Sacrifice Through Tongues & Teeth - Kai knows what she has to do. She only wishes she had the proper time to say goodbye.

Square One - The Girl, The Ghost, and The General are back to square one. Only now, they’re painfully aware of the reality.

[wixelt]

(hermit tales au)

After she got those fateful words out, Pearl collapsed.

The previous part, for context.

---

Hermit Tales AU #003 - Pearl's Blight

"...Grian's gone."

The words spark dawning horror in the Hermits. They seem so innocent, yet with Pearl so dishevelled and shaken... So broken...

Something has happened. Something awful, the gut instincts of the older Hermits who have seen and been through more tell them. Something they don't yet know or understand.

Doc's still organic hand clutches at his cybernetic one in discomfort. He knows the Gods would not be responsible for this, and yet he gets that same feeling of cosmic uncertainty he felt just before fighting Dinnerbone. But its stronger now - not simply a casual bout - and feels awful in the pit of his stomach.

Similar expressions of worry cross the features of Etho, Beef, Joe... All old enough now to have been around the block a few times. To know bad tidings when they see them.

But they all know they can't be feeling it as deeply as Pearl, on such a level its ravaged her. Between the remnants of her Watcher power and her bond with her brother, she's the only one who can give them an immediate insight into this situation.

That isn't to be, though.

The moment the words of defeat cross her lips, its like a light goes out in Pearl, her head falling limp. She drops from exhaustion so suddenly that Gem and Impulse have to fight to keep a grip on her, lest a head injury be added to her woes. Carefully, they lower her to the ground...

...and for the first time - still as she is - the other Hermits are able to notice how pale she is. How she's shivering like its the deepest ice of winter.

This is not simply exhaustion.

Multiple Hermits are on her in moments. Stress, False, Scar... Any Hermit with skills in some form of medicine sets about checking on her, making sure their friend is stable.

Scar finds the blight first.

There's a clear red mark - bruised from impact and blistered like an acid burn - on her side, and from it sickening green lines - pulsing and gruesome - spread through her skin like a weed taking root. These veins - somehow winding and fractal at the same time - still spread as the Hermits watch in horror, the skin around these new intrusions turning as red and hurt as the impact.

And on looking at it, a voice in the back of Scar's soul suddenly screams wrong.

Scar has never heard the Vex show fear or disgust so deep before. So total they recoil anytime he presses for information.

Not even the Watchers could do something like this, cruel as they are.

In panic at Scar's sudden alarmed expression, the Hermits subject Pearl's incapacitated form to every trick they know to slow this infection down.

Gem moves her into a bed in close range of two full-power beacons, one spouting Regen I and the other Resistance II.

Countless Hermits take shifts dousing her unconscious body - unable to drink or eat - with splash and lingering potions of Slowness IV, Slowness+, Healing II, Regen II and Regen+ around the clock to shore up gaps in the beacon effects.

False and Scar spend several sleepless nights researching how to create a Potion of Luck to add to the cocktail - up to and including somehow using Joe Hills' natural good vibes as a catalyst - but come up blank.

Doc and Tango move a wrangled Elder Guardian into a neighboring chamber to afflict Pearl's form with Mining Fatigue, while Tango also helps Mumbo research somehow leeching the healing factor the Ender Dragon gets from end crystals to use for Pearl instead.

Ren and Cub quietly leave the Hermits' world and star system, seeking out the allies they've made through gatherings such as MCC. Surely somebody can help, or at least knows something about this.

Quietly and uncomfortably, Impulse presses a Totem of Undying into Pearl's unmoving hand, and keeps countless more on standby in the room.

Because the veins don't fade with respawn. Xisuma manually resetting Pearl's lifesigns was the first thing they tried, the blight only growing faster when she was restored, still out cold.

At this point, they need every edge they can get.

And even after all this - all these desperate measures - the blight progresses unabated. This affliction goes deeper than just her physical body.

Its slowed for sure, no longer visibly spreading across Pearl's skin, but it hasn't stopped or retreated or faded and after their initial measures and three days of ongoing treatment, the infection covers one side of her abdomen like a rat's nest of crisscrossing green thorns and patchy redness.

No Hermit dares touch it directly, lest the situation be made a million times worse.

Because they've been by Grian's base, now. They've seen the door-like thing that took him and scarred Pearl.

They fear it, though only Scar feels that fear anywhere near as primally as the siblings did, the power that recoils merely borrowed in his case.

They dare not get as close as the unfortunate did, and can learn little as a result.

All they can do now is wait for Pearl to wake up.

And pray that she does.

---

The Hermit Tales AU is built from replies to short prompts, making story & set pieces from your one-sentence asks & seeing if a plot evolves.

If you have anything to throw in, feel free. :D

[minecraft-bee-go-buzzzz]

why consume and/or actually make content when you can just make sillly aus in your head mmmm?

(this gets REALLY long-)

anyway life series au idea with the winners not dying!

Not that they dont try. Grain still jumps off Monopoly Mountain believing that it’d end the game. Scott still suddenly falls to the ground clutching his chest. Pearl still gets blown away thanks to the explosion. Martyn still runs out of time.

But they dont die.

Grian falling backwards, landing on his wings, knocking himself out. hours later waking up with broken wings in so much pain and theres... a bit of blood. Not knowing what to do now he’s somehow lived he stays in whats left of the base. And one day, the border falls. Theres nothing left here for him, so he leaves.

Scott wakes up somewhere he does not recongise. He remembers passing out, ya know, outside. after killing people. And he thought he died- Now he’s in some house, a building style he doesn’t recognise. Somewhere that actually looks like they tried when building. And then a man he swore he recongised came upstairs, in some odd clothes, offering food and water and a place to stay.

Pearl met a brutal should be end. I mean yeah she died because Scott did, felt the pain scott did. but she also was right next to the explosion, and it hit her. felt his and her own pain, died from him both because he died and exploded her. So it was fair to say the last thing ever expected was to wake up to see him worrying over her half destroyed body.

Oh Martyn. Killing his ally and hunting Impulse down. The clock still ticks. Just so, so much louder. There’s no one else around, nothing going on. all that he hears is the wind in his ears and the ticking in his head. He doesn’t really leave where he killed them. Just waits. They aren’t getting some dramatic send off. They can wait around as long as they like ‘till he drops once his hard earned time is spent. Though once it’s gone, once he runs out of time... why doesnt he die? And why can he hear familiar voices in the distance?

Now im unsure how i want the winners living but still being in the games to work. I have 2 ideas but I this current one I vibe with more-

Current idea: the watchers created these doubles to play in the winner’s place, to keep around the same amount of players and to keep some fun dynamics. Once you win the double will continue to play in your place for the rest of the games.

The winners continue to live outside the games and once enough of them build a small community. they only remember the game they won, and are all very conflicted on how they feel about each other.

everyone else who didn’t win is doomed to play over and over again trapped in the watcher’s game never remembering the one before.

Also, the winners stay ‘red’. how much the red affects them depends on the person.

(idea i have atm is, funny enough, the order the games happen. Grian is the least affected, then scott, then pearl and Martyn the most)

How all the winners find each other?

So taking the Grian is a watcher idea and fucking sprinting with it-

Grian after spending a few days alone in the desert, the watchers have moved on. they are somewhere else feasting, no longer there to bother grian (he wasn’t doing anything anymore. just moping. so boring-) but also no longer there to hold him back.

so after those days he kinda comes back to his watcher powers, or well some of them. And why keep himself locked up in a border when he can just get rid of it and run away from his problems (dead friends, destroyed home-)

And the first time he comes across another game is an accident. He finds the border and having not set it up himself (he doesn’t know if he could. never had a reason to try) And stays around the area, sets up a tent and waits for the border to fall.

Once it does. he searches. The watchers dont know, they’ve left. nothing to stay for, time for a feast. But grian looks, finds ruins that remind him of home and it hurts. But he finds someone. someone that, yeah. yeah he knows him. Scott. but it’s not Scott. Not the Scott he knew atleast.

That Scott was sooner caught dead than missing his ring.

But, it’s still a survivor. A winner. And if the blood stained ground is to go by, he went down swinging.

but he’s not dead. he’s alive. he’s unconscious, but breathing.

And Grian’s already lost everyone. this is the first person he’s seen in months. call him selfish, but he doesn’t want to be alone again. so he decides to help this new Scott. Also, maybe he could learn what happened. Get a bit of an understanding on what these sick games really are.

He carries Scott to his home he’s built. Took a while, such long distances still sucked without flight, but the wait for him to wake up was even worse. The chance he wouldn’t? horrible. so Grian ignored it-

But Scott did wake up, and paniced he was to see Grian alive and well, even if his choice of outfit was off. The idea of some form of revenge for Scott being the one to win instead of him was the first thing to cross his mind. like, it’s still Grian. and Grian’s still red.

But he just asks questions, and provides food, and gives answers when Scott asks things himself. Neither seem to be a threat to each other, as there is no benefit in killing the only other person who seems to understand any of this mess. Plus, gaining the knowledge there were two Grian’s, and this one was not the one he personally knew, well, he had no reason to trust him but also none to not.

So Scott stays around. Builds his own house near by Grian’s after the first few weeks. And whenever one explores they make sure to keep an eye out for a border, and ready to alert the other should they find one.

And give it some time, find another they shall.

Double life had ended a bit ago at that point. Scott found the border when he over heard familiar voices near by it. He waited around for Grain to show up and by the time he did the game was over, and with ease he took the border down (yet again no other watchers there to stop him, to busy eating to care)

I doesnt take long to find Pearl but both are quite upset at the sight. Clearly not as somewhat peaceful they had been given. half her face blown to bits and an arm that looks like it wont work the way it use too even with serious help.

While Scott checks her over and Grain looks are their cords to figure how far they are from their little set up, she wakes up instantly panicked. Panicked but also in to much pain to acutally fight back.

And, like, Pearl had been torturing her soulmate for weeks by that point. She’d recognise him. And while the man looking at her certaintly LOOKED like Scott, it was NOT her Scott. It was not the soulmate that left her behind.

Her soulmate wouldn’t look so worried over her state considering he caused it.

Pearl doesn’t take the whole winners live on thing as well as the first too did. not that they took it well, but they kinda just accepted it mostly silently and got on with it. Pearl yells, she cries. That it was all for nothing.

That they could’ve seriously just lived and got along.

Did no one have to die?

Doesn’t help she’s in absolute agony. where her body is actually hurt is completely messed up, but the rest in pain from feeling like she blew up.

They stay around the double life set up untill they deem pearl stable enough both mentally and phyiscally to go back to what they’ve made home.

She’s fairly open about what happened in her game. atleast compered to Grian and Scott, which had both hardly talked about their personal teams or teams that involved the other from their games.

She told them about how she went with Martyn to the nether which was why Scott and Cleo left them to go be soulmates together instead, how she had tilly, and then Martyn killed her. How all the other players thought she was mad.

All she wanted was her dog and a friend.

She bonds pretty well with both Scott and Grian, Scott talking about his pearl and how they were allies, and that clearly this fake scott was a coward, and Grian makes a few jokes about pizza and what they went through for that llama.

Once she’s better they head back to their little safe place. Fairly early on Pearl decides to build another tower, a smaller tower, but she still has her tower. She even gets some new dogs! She was scared to at first. But this wasn’t a death game anymore, Scott and Grian gained nothing from killing her animals. it was safe to have them.

Now, after three times, chances are it’s happening again. They dont exactly look forward to it, but when pearl gives the heads up her dogs found another border and sends her cords over the other two are there within a day or two.

This time it takes a while for the game to end. They dont see much, dont get the notices on their communicators, dont really have a clue whats going on until Grian manages to get rid of the border. Execpt this time the Watchers left alot quicker, almost instantly.

Seems they were already bored.

The three spread out hoping to find the Winner quicker this way, each person having one of pearl’s dogs go with them for safety.

And when Scott found Martyn sat there with blood on his hands, staring at them in utter disbelief he wasn’t expecting to be attacked on sight by the man once noticed.

Something about “you ran out of time, how are you back we ran out of time we shouldn’t be here-”

Seems there was yet again a fun gimmick for the new game.

As Scott’s trying to tell Martyn to chill and keep him from killing Pearl’s dog, the other two both appear having met up running towards the yelling. Now, these people are mostly decked out in enchanted diamond gear, and they have dogs! Martyn’s not stupid. He wont win. he puts his sword away and hands in the air for surrender.

Now, if they thought Pearl took the winner’s living thing bad, boy did Martyn just snap.

Because every single other person in his game had died. They didn’t technically run out of time. two fell to their deaths, the others were murdered. So, for all Martyn knew, he just betrayed his closest ally for a win that ment nothing.

Because for all he knew, they could’ve all lived.

Martyn wasnt too willing to just go with these strangers. yeah, they may look like the people he knew. They might technically be the original versions of them- but what have they done to earn his trust! Show up and threaten him- well he did attack scott first bUT! His dead teammate he just killed showed up again when he should’ve been perma dead! it was a fair reaction.

So they had to spend a little time convincing him, no problem. And once the mention of watchers came up and the borders, grian’s ‘ability’ to take them down, suddenly the fourth winner was all for hanging around with them. (also very much hinting to grian he knew a watcher’s eyes when he saw them- even if scott and pearl didn’t seemed to know for sure yet)

Martyn does still come back with them and set up his own little hut next to a pond he decorated (tropical fish, pufferfish, coral and kelp). it’s further away than the others are but their all okay with that. His red tendencies can still get a little out of hand sometimes, best to keep a little distance when that happens.

This au either continues sad as shit with these lot slowly talking about things that happened and coming to terms about how they didn’t know what would happen at the end, maybe they could’ve all happly lived but thats not what happened and maybe they cant forget everything and everyone but its about time to move on.

OR

silly fun times where the winners all fuck around and have fun. ignore the trauma, enjoy life. have the friends you were never aloud to keep before. Build the amazing house you always wanted, having all the dogs you could ever need. Your alive! Live a little! Enjoy it! until the next border’s found

Or maybe a mix of both-

[beatrixblog]

Cookie Bond Ideas

Yes my headcanon/au is present in this. Its more of a headcanon than an au because it hasnt been confirmed yet that cacao isnt cursed

``A Snowy Picnic``

Dark Cacao

Cherry Blossom Cookie

Kumiho

Cotton

Cocoa

Caramel Arrow

The night was cold, yet, alas, this did not halt Caramel Arrow Cookie’s advance one bit. She was patrolling the snow, every step making her body feel heavier. She couldn’t become tired, not when there was so much to do.

“Who knew being on duty for 5 hours straight could be so exhausting..No..No time to complain.“

She stopped for a breath, instead catching the gaze of four cookies in the distance. Caramel Arrow Cookie raised an eyebrow in suspicion, walking towards the figures.

Yes, it was indeed Cocoa Cookie, Kumiho Cookie, Cherry Blossom Cookie and Cotton Cookie enjoying a nice picnic.

“What are you doing out here..!? Its the middle of a blizzard..!”

Cherry Blossom Cookie smiled.

“Yes, and beautiful weather for a picnic! Luckily Cotton Cookie’s lantern makes sure we don’t get lost! Would you like to join us, deary?“

Caramel Arrow Cookie sighed. “Apologies, I cannot. I am supposed to be on duty right now.“

Kumiho Cookie smiled.

“I understand you’re at work but its good to take a break every once and a while, my dear.“

Once again, something about Kumiho Cookie’s eyes made it impossible to say no.

“…Alright, Just this once.“

She sat down next to Cotton cookie. Next thing you knew they were laughing and telling stories and eating sandwiches and drinking Cocoa.

Caramel Arrow Cookie’s eyes lit up with awe.

“Wait, you survived the Frost Witch?“

Cotton Cookie smiled, nodding.

…Yet this wonderful time they were having..it was not fated to last. was interrupted by the sudden heavy clanging of metal, and the sound of heavy, thundering footsteps. You felt the overwhelming presence..and the faint purple glow in the distance…emanating from the soul jam itself.

Oh no, it was His Majesty Dark Cacao Cookie! Caramel Arrow Cookie stood up quickly.

“I have to go.“

Kumiho Cookie frowned.

“Why now? We were having such a fun time, dear.“

“No, his majesty will be furious if he finds out I was here.“

Cotton Cookie stood up.

“Well surely we can reason with him?“

Before Caramel Arrow Cookie could dash off, His Majesty was already standing right there, infront of her. The clutch on his blade was tight, and he practically towered over them all. He gazed down at them, his cold purple eyes making them quiver. He was not amused in the slightest..almost angry if you will.

“Your Majesty, I can explain!“

“Out with it, quickly.”

His deep voice shook even Cotton Cookie right down to the very core.

Dark Cacao Cookie let out a disgruntled sigh. He couldn’t bring himself to ruin such a picnic…such fervour must have been present within all of them to host a picnic in such conditions. He looked into Kumiho’s eyes for a split second, His Majesty almost breaking a sweat and his always cold and bitter expression almost faltering.

Kumiho smirked. Even a cookie as great as him could still be charmed by her eyes.

“I will let this slide just this once. It is the holidays, after all.“

Caramel Arrow Cookie gasped in relief.

“Oh! thank your majesty!“

Cherry Blossom could barely contain her excitement. . “A first watcher and an ancient hero himself? This is the greatest picnic ever!“

“Apologies, however I am most busy. I must return to my duties. Safe travels, cookies.“

And with a swift flick of his cape Dark Cacao was gone, already walking back towards the citadel. Such a king of fervour and resolution…Cocoa Cookie stood in awe.

“I’ve heard about the tales of his greatness but I never thought i’d see it in person..!“

Caramel Arrow Cookie smiled.

“I am so grateful to have a king as great as him. And i shall follow his command and head back. Thank you for the wonderful time, i hope our paths cross once more.“

And just like that, Caramel Arrow Cookie had too, Disappeared into the snow.

Yet something felt off. Sure Kumiho Cookie could sense his presence approaching, but there were three presences in one. One was him..the other his soul jam..ofcourse..but what could be the third.. the third felt awfully dark and ghostly..it also felt awfully vengeful and rage filled..and its presence still lingered, as if it was watching them. Yet Cocoa Cookie, Kumiho Cookie, Cotton Cookie and Cherry Blossom Cookie were oblivious to such a presence, and they just continued their picnic in peace.

[ruiniel]

Whither you go

Fandom: The Silmarillion

Characters: Aegnor, Andreth

Relationship: Aegnor/Andreth

Rating: T

Count: 1.2k

Additional tags: Spirits, Halls of Mandos, Oneshot, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Implied Relationships, Drama, Past Relationship, Canonical Character Death, Cosmic horror elements if you squint, Ghost story of a kind, Personal interpretation of Mandos inspired by canon, There is no fluff here

Also on AO3

Summary:

'Whither you go may you find light. Await us there, my brother - and me.'

- from Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth, J.R.R. Tolkien

Months and months ago, tried a short ghost story about souls meeting again in a time out of time. Featuring the saddest OTP. The AU is on me (apologies).

The nightwinds are kind. They lift her above foreign lands, over sleepy forests and serpentine rivers, above hopes and dreams and old woes. The stars gleam, too bright, ancient watchers dripping light in the maw of the world, and higher still, she rises; wandering gusts lap softly at her bareness. Frostbitten and faraway the kindled ones once seemed, now so close she brushes past them, past remnants of divine luster and the touch of hallowed fingers that sewed them to barren skies.

A part of her wonders if this is a dream, but no fancy of the mind ever brought such freedom, nor such peace; like a floundering bird on swift, restless wings, she crosses paths unknown with no end in sight. There is no weariness or hunger, only depths of loneliness as the past weakens its grasp, peeling away in chipped layers that fastly shrivel like paper to flame. She could clutch at them, tuck them close and so she tries, only to find all desires void of meaning, all wishes laid to rest.

Should I be afraid?

Like a falling star, the thought dies, for the very concept of fear is unraveling and falling from her like leaves with the seasons.

Other memories emerge, flowering, wilting in rapid succession: some cherished, some best forgotten. A pull stronger than her will leads her forward, and unhoused she drifts as drowning in the thrashing waves of a cosmic river. Her frail, wayward light is cupped by great, gentle hands, like a grain of sand carried across the outer oceans.

Alone.

She stands beneath the looming arches of vast, endless chambers.

Heavy, leaden silence presses its solemn fists into stark grandeur. Fine silver dust shimmers on smooth black floors, disturbed by her wavering steps. The tall columns of jet soar into hidden heights, draped with grey vapors that float like gossamer, fluttering with no wind to stir them. Andreth sees etchings that sway and curl across their limpid surface, ever moving, ever changing. She looks closer, but for all her past knowledge, cannot place meaning to the script.

What is this place?

Stillness; no answer but the faint echo of her own voice, roiling like flickering motes inside her head. She walks on, stalked by a sudden, pressing weight of bereavement, and despair is on her heels.

Who... am I?

She knew this; she knew. She has to remember, can never forget, fighting the torpor that pools around her like a dark rippling lake, urging rest and forgetfulness.

I was a child of the earth.

I lived, I learned.

I loved.

She looks at her hands; grey and translucent. She ought to feel awe or terror, but now there is nothing.

I lost.

“Where am I?” her words arrow blindly, swallowed by quietude, trapped in the strangest of dreams. “Someone…?” Andreth sinks to her knees, curling like a shell, her forehead pressed to icy floors. “Anyone... please…”

“Saelind?”

It comes as a faraway keening, but she hears it. The word sears, stoking the flame of remembrance. Slowly she rises and stares at the figure a distance away, tall and golden amid shadows.

Saelind.

Aye, I was known by that name once. She must remember.

Andreth gains her feet and draws near, eyes widening as his features become clearer, sharper, familiar.

“You…”

The dead of winter. Snow is in her hair, melting on her burning cheek, her lashes. A firm grip rights her balance; an apology served with smiles like curved blades.

Bleeding sunsets fringe the memory detailing a cold evening, a freezing night. Her blood is hot and the stars are cold, and her face sways in the mirrorblack. Her veins sing beneath her youthful skin, craving coarse, sword-wielding fingers.

“Aegnor!” she cries, unable to believe it. She dares not speak, fearing he will disappear, that he will leave again, but he merely stands before her like a stab of regret. “How… but you left!” Andreth stumbles in her flight to reach him. “North away, long ago, to the swords, and the siege…”

He gives no answer; lowers his head.

His deep voice she remembers, soothing and warm like the hearth she curled up to on bitter nights, dwelling on what might have been. Andreth would throw her arms around him, weep and weep until the mountains crumbled, until the seas dried and the world was turned. She takes another step and another. She cares not how or why, but he is here now, with her.

Her hand reaches for his face, finding empty air. Frowning, she tries again and his eyes, once as kind as they were eager, are dark with grief, his lips a seal of misery as he says, “We cannot mingle here.”

“What is your meaning?” Andreth asks, frantic, yet trying to reach for him in vain, her hands delving through him. “Where is here?”

The Elf raises an arm, gesturing to a long corridor leading to a chilling, unworldly light. It dazes her, thrumming around them like a heartbeat, beckoning, calling. She knows.

“The Halls of Awaiting,” Andreth murmurs. “But that means I am…” she looks to her hands again, struck by the diaphanous glow of her bodiless form. “You are…” Gone. Ousted from the physical realm, come to the final circle.

She does not want to leave; does not want this gift.

Aegnor glances at a tapestry streaked with crimson, depicting lands drowning in dragon fire. “The war has ended for me.”

“You fell...” she sighs, looking up at him. Once, she would rest her forehead on the cold plate armor of his chest; his hands would twine in her hair. “So… so soon...” the truth bites with savage teeth. For all the time allotted to him on Arda, he’d gone before her. “Are you… are you alone here?”

The wraith shakes his head. “There are others.”

She does not see them. There is no one else but they, and now, at last, she is afraid. Andreth stares at his form, swaying like the lorn branches of trees caught in the storm. He is made of crumbling visions, golden and distorted, and fading. “But...” she tries, “...how?”

The spirit watches her, features breaking in dismay, and meanings flit across his face. Pain, longing, regret; acceptance. “I was allowed to see you, before...” his brows furrow, and he looks away, as though gathering courage long overdue; too late.

Andreth shivers. She remembers. Now, in this plane of thought where they are no more than whispers and sighs and broken light, she finally understands his choice without bitterness.

“Saelind, please, listen. I will—”

He struggles to speak, his hollow eyes plead meaning, but fragments of thought flutter between them like grey moths and she no longer understands him. The fleeting words rush through her like fireflies, and he flickers like a spent candle. The halls are deathly cold, but terrible and bright, blinding her vision of him. Desperate, Andreth shuns the rising command from beyond, tucking away every trait, every detail, all the memories. She faces the imperious light, “Let me linger a moment longer, no more!”

The Elf is mere gleaming outlines, his features bled away like inked parchment in the rain. Hardly Andreth fights the finger-like threads coiling as burning whips around her, and she herself is dwindling, fracturing to splintered colors. Her hands reach for him, craving his words, needing to know. Luminous waves spin like a maelstrom as the call swells unbearably loud, and her cries are lost.

Silence falls, heavy-handed. The halls are dimmed. The lone fëa lingers amid the tapestries of fate, wordless and formless, fading to a dull, mournful grey as the soft dust of Mandos falls upon him.

[bluiex]

Breezeblocks by alt-J

Grian hates the watchers They torture him and made him into a monster , his mind is fuzzy and messy. He doesn't want to be one of them but he is. He can not hide what he is, the watchers know it.

He is a wild creature, something to be caged and locked up with his prey and others like him. He is someone’s show and tell, a puppet with strings attached. A dog left chained to a metal post. Someone’s entertainment, their eyes laugh down at him drinking his pain like ambrosia to a Greek god.

But he is the favorite. He always brings the best pain to the feast of death.

Scar is his vaccine, the thing that keeps him from going into a full watcher, Scar helps Grian contain his urges to hurt. Grian would say is sanity but that was a kind way of saying he was using Scar. He is a drug to Grian and needs him at all times.

To the point where he ends up engulfed in his watcher powers due to Scar. He doesn't mean to but he can't help it. Scar is his and no one else’s. He will hold him down if he has to if it means Scar will stay his.

He will take Scar whole even if he hurts him.

Grian needs his ‘love’. He needs Scar's every muscle, his every bruise, and cough. He will keep Scar in his clutches at any cost. He will beg to the end of the earth if he has to. But he will hold him down by the neck and take his every breath if it means he can feel normal.

Scar is his. His to use. His to play with. His cure. His everything. His lover. His friend. His enemy. His moon. His unlit candle, left on top of a shelf. His hate. His guilt. His beginning and end. His nothing. Scar means nothing to him only his toy.

Grian doesn’t know how to love, he was only taught to watch and use. He will eat Scar whole. Grian knows it.

But, oh, dose he love him so…

Bright purple eyes will always watch and he won’t play his part. He thinks he’s doing the right thing by not playing the part but he was is wrong. He played right into their hands. Their pet took the bait. He will never leave their sight.

Grian doesn't believe he has let the watchers win, but he is a fool.

Eyes unspeaking but always watching with delight. Their pet brings the best hunt to the feast. Their eyes will crinkle with excitement. Their pet will always play the part.

-AAA anon, I came up with this in the beginning of April. I came up with an idea mid way rereading this, I might write it.

But I’m thinking up Cub from AU from my other ask. He end up being another problem.

NY FAVORITE THING EVERRRRR OH MY GODS

Possessive watcher Grian is just *rattles the bars of my cage* so fucking good dude

[all54321]

The End but Also The Beginning Part 1

[AO3]

Trauma Bonded AU, delving into Grian’s trauma this time.

Summary: Ever since the Watchers kidnapped Grian when he stepped through the end portal, he’s been afraid of stepping foot in it again. Even if it’s irrational, the fear still lingers.

If only he didn’t block those memories out when he went to the end with Scar. When he would be expected to use the portal instead of the methods he’s used in the past.

Day 31: PTSD

—————

Grian throws an ender pearl through the end gateway, taking him back to the main island, only stumbling a little. Scar joins him a moment later, stumbling a lot more.

As they walk towards the portal, fear shoots down Grian’s spine. He’d been so wrapped up in what Scar was talking about the he’d complete forgotten about going through the portal.

Scar trails off as Grian slows down, narrowing his eyes in concern, “Grian? Are you alright?”

He startles, and forces himself to nod, “Y-yeah, I’m fine.” He resumes walking to the portal, he can do this, it’s just a normal portal, nothing back can happen.

Grian’s foot touches the bedrock and instantly a memory flashes in his head.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Grian lets out a breath, exhausted from having to fight the ender dragon alone. No doubt from Watcher interference, just another test from them.

He shakes his head, it doesn’t matter now, the dragon is gone and he can return home. He walks up to the portal and steps into it, closing his eyes as the particles surround him.

When Grian blinks open his eyes, he doesn’t find himself in Evo at all, but a void very similar to the end’s void. He looks around in surprise, “H-hello?”

Two figures suddenly appear in front of him, wearing long purple cloaks and a mask covering the majority of their faces. The masks are plain white with a very familiar symbol on it. Huge wings spread out from their backs.

Grian swallows as he looks up at them, almost double his height. The Watchers. He doesn’t say anything as dread fills him up, there’s no way this is good.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Grian lets out a shuddering gasp, squeezing his eyes closed to block out the memories before they overwhelm him. He tries not to think about what happened following, the broken promises and the numerous punishments.

He flinches when he feels a hand on his shoulder and a murmured, “G?”

He stares at Scar with wides eyes and takes a haltering step backwards. Grian’s heart beats loudly in his ears as he stares at Scar’s concerned expression.

Before the other can say another word, Grian turns tail and takes flight, flying away from the main island. He continues fly away until he sees a group of smaller islands clustered together.

Grian trips and falls when he lands, breathing quickly. He quickly pulls out an ender chest and begins dumping his entire inventory into it. Once his inventory is cleared of everything important, he turns around and jumps off of the island.

It’s not the most preferred way, since it can get too much attention from the other hermits, but it’s the first thing he can think of in his panic. The plummet is quick and the void is quick to engulf him in its cold embrace.

Within seconds he jolts awake in his bed, trembling and breathing heavily. He curls up into a ball and wraps his wings around himself. Grian tries to push the memories away, but a floodgate has been opened and the memories bombard him in quick succession.

It’s been a while since he’s been hit this hard by those memories, he should have know that the relief from them wouldn’t last. Grian clutches his arms tightly as he shakes.

[aurabird]

Winner’s Lament

With the release of Limited Life I decided to revisit an old idea that I came up with in the middle of the night and finish it. Enjoy some Double Life AU angst!

Ao3 Link

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

Scott faced Pearl as she walked up from the shadows, her red cloak and eyes alongside the bloodstained axe and undershirt she wore would, in any other situation, be terrifying to him; but the game was over, they’d won, the others were all dead.

He didn’t get to say goodbye to Cleo, his chosen soulmate rather than the one he had been bound to, they’d gotten separated and somehow she had died, he knew she had the moment it happened.

Wolves gathered around Pearl’s legs as she stopped in the clearing, her gaze meeting his own.

“I didn’t think it would end this way.” He said nervously, a sick feeling forming in his chest, “I don’t know what happened to Cleo after you killed the other two.”

Pearl giggled, manic and gleeful, “Yeah, they turned on me and started killing my dogs so...”

“And you managed to turn it around?” he questioned.

“You know it!” Pearl replied with a laugh.

Scott sighed, “I didn’t think it would come down to the two of us. There was many ways I thought this was gonna go, I never thought the final two would be us, I never thought we would win.”

“I honestly didn’t have a lot of faith in us, but I had faith in myself and Tilly and Till’s now passed away so...”

Scott opened his mouth to reply to Pearl’s comment but all that came out was a cry as he recoiled in pain, a cacophony of malevolent voices echoing in his mind.

“Bring her to us, Starborne! That is an order!”

Scott grit his teeth as he clutched the sides of his head. He knew those voices, those damned voices that whispered and commanded him, trying to force him to do things he didn’t want to. No, he wasn’t like Grian, he wasn’t going to bend to the will of The Watchers, even if he technically was one himself now thanks to these stupid death games.

“No.” He thought back in defiance, “I’ve done everything you asked me to, I won’t submit another innocent person to servitude under your tyranny!”

Another spike of pain through his skull, this one sending him to his knees.

“Scott?! Scott what’s wrong!” Pearl’s voice broke through his stupor, the once-playfully malicious tone now gone, replaced by genuine concern as she grabbed his hands.

“Insolent child! She’s not innocent. She was once one of us, we want her back and you will bring her to us!”

“Why? So you can puppet her around like you do with Grian? Like you’ve done all of us in these experimental games of yours?!”

“Scott, you’re scaring me!”

He forced his eyes open at Pearl’s desperate cry “Th-The W-Watchers...” he began, “They want you back...and I’ve given them the perfect opportunity by winning this damn game with you.”

He then looked at the sky and forced himself to his feet, “Isn’t that right, you sick bastards?!” he snapped, “The soul bonds, they were rigged weren’t they?! Each one of them was planned wasn’t it!”

“How very perceptive of you, Starborne.” one of the Watchers said in his mind. As they spoke, Scott swore he could see the eyes of the otherworldly beings in the moon above him. “But you will do as we wish, there’s nothing you can do to stop us.”

That is when Scott felt agony wash over him, ancient power forcing his body move on its own. Against his will, he summoned the TNT from his inventory to his hands and began placing it around him mechanically.

Pearl’s eyes went wide in realization “Scott?! Scott no! What are you doing?! Stop!”

Scott didn’t heed her plea, his body no longer under his control as he ignited the fuse of the explosives at his feet. Tears beginning to stream down his face from now-magenta eyes, blood dripping down his back from the pair of violet wings that had ripped free once more.

Pearl started to run towards him, tripping over a hole in the ground and falling to her hands and knees in her panic. “Don’t leave me Scott! Please! You don’t have to do this!”

Scott’s gaze met hers, a somber expression on his face hidden behind a reassuring smile, “I’m sorry, Pearl. You don’t deserve this any more than I do but...Tilly death do us part. Goodbye.”

An explosion shook the world at the final word and after a brief moment of sheer agony from the TNT blast hitting her, Pearl opened her eyes to find herself in a void...with malevolent purple eyes all around her.

Pain flared throughout her entire body seconds later, as once more The Watchers brought her back under their control.

[casitafallz-a]

Decay AU | Lost somewhere called home P1

Dante sniffled as he clambered through the trees, gripping his potato person in his little hands, trying hard not to cry because Mami had always said crying in the middle of no where wouldn’t get him anywhere… and if he was in the middle of no where, he had to keep walking until he could find nice adults.

It was very hard.

He wanted to cry.

He wanted His mami’s protective metal arms around him telling him it was okay and that she could take him home.

Dante didn’t know where he was…but he knew he wasn’t at the Watcher Casita like he was supposed to be… he had been playing with a ghostly jaguar when he had been grabbed but something on his belt had reacted; he found himself in the woods and now… he was lost.

It was terrifying but his Mami had taught him to keep going. If no nice people, water…

“Bisnieto…”

Dante’s heart leapt in joy at his Bisbuelo’s voice echoed before his ghostly form shimmered into view, his face startled but Dante dove forwards and burst into tears; his arms wrapping around the cool form before his arms seemed to wrap around him, rubbing his back. His potato whining in annoyance and clambered up his arm and into his blue ruana pocket. Dante felt the ground leave his feet but didn’t care; letting his only family member here take him away; to somewhere where he needed to be. To safety.

“I…I don’t how where I was…I was playing then… and then I was here…and…I want Mami!” Dante cried. “I miss her so much…”

You’ll be okay,’ Bisabuelo Pedro promised, his voice soothing in his ears. ‘you’re close to a home…’

“Will…will Mami be there?”

‘No, but your Abuela and your Mami’s family will be there…’

Dante frowned, leaning back in his arms, wiping his face with his sleeve. “I…I though Abuela Pariah was at home?”

“No, your mami’s Mama, not Pariah.’ He smiled, fondly but sadly. ‘Abuela Decay.”

“Abuela Decay…” he mulled it over for a moment. Mami’s Mama. Dante was used to lost of people looking like his family, like Mami or his Tia Wanderer; the idea of one entire family like them but that was all his family…it felt so weird one was all his! Just like this Bisabuelo Pedro was all his!

‘Si, but only call her Abuela Julieta, or just Abuela…she may not like the Decay part since they’re…not understanding of such names.’

Dante glowing eyes taking in his face but nodded. “I’m sleepy….” Biabeulo’s hand ruffled his hair.

“You’re doing very well…but your strength in keeping me here is that. I need to put you down…”

“no!” He clutched tighter but Pedro was having none of that and Dante pouted up at him.

“You’ll be safe, Okay.” Bisabuelo reached forwards and picked his hand up, “just…let me be a shadow from people… you need your strength.”

Dante’s lip quivered but the glow in his eyes faded a little more before Bisabuelo’s form turned translucent, his fingers disappearing from his grip but Dante wasn’t alone...which was better than nothing but he took the man’s direction nonetheless…

 -

Dante didn’t know for how long he trudged through the trees. Mud and dirt covered his hands and clothes, he was sweaty and miserable and his head was so fuzzy with wanting to sleep but Bisabuelo’s whispered kept him going with promises of a nice warm bath and food. His potato person was back in his hands, whining every so often which made him feel bad that he hadn’t let it down but he didn’t want to lose this one! Not here.

Soon enough, he caught sight of a break in the trees before he found himself with a wave of energy and began to ran ahead, pushing through the last few trees until he reached the edge; where in front of him was the back of a grand house of colour and…it was Casita!

It was tiny; not like the Casita he grew up in but he had seen pictures of this size Casita lots of times. His Mami’s casita!

“Hola?!” he called, his mami’s prima must hear him!

He padded around though squinted through the day light up to the highest roofs, the shuttered waved as he walked around it’s edge, as if curious about him but he took as something good.

But the doors were closed when he got to the front, his face dropped before he reached forwards and patted the door loudly.

“Please let me in!” he begged, his lip juttered out into a pout as the door remained closed but the tiles clincked around him that didn’t make any sense… Why didn’t Casita let him in? He…he was family! They should let him in! he could have a nice bath and…and meet his family! They had to know he was coming…

Dante’s eyes prickled with tears before he sat down on the dirty pathway, staring up unhappily at the building.

“You….you are a really mean house.” He sniffled, wiping his nose onto his sleeve but that only spread the dirt across his face even more. He reached into his ruana, pulling out his potato person though gently rubbed its little head to comfort himself, letting it enjoy the relaxing motion.

-

Dante sat unhappily for a while but his head was feeling tired and whoozy and he was close to falling asleep when the door opened suddenly, startling him to sit up in surprise; hi potato running into his ruana quickly in fear

The woman dressed in orange jumped back in surprise.

He recognises her by the fact she looked just like Hallow… but this one looked much more emotional and probably didn’t have that dreadful accident to take away her emotions. This one was in an orange dress and her eyes were a wide-green. Above her head was a cloud which crackled.

“Hola…” He pushed himself unsteadily to his feet.

“Oh, are you okay, nino?” The not-hallow collected herself together, somewhat smiling though there was snow as she knelt. “Are you lost?”

Dante sucked in a heavy breath. “i….I was playing at my home and…and this man grabbed be and…and then I was in the woods and… and I’ve been walking forever and…and Mami said that if I get lost I needed to go to Casita…”

Not-Hallow’s eyes glanced around before she stuck a hand out. “Well, let’s get you inside… maybe we can find your mother once my daughter returns.”

Dante took her hand though happily walked over the threshold and into the kitchen.

“Are you hurt? What’s your name?”

Dante licked his lips, letting her lift in to sit onto the side by the sink. He held his hands out under the tap to clean his hands.

“My arms is sore and…and my feetsies..” Dante pushed up his sleeve though frowned as he saw the huge, hand-shaped bruise that wrapped his arm forearm; the man who had grabbed him was very strong. It did hurt and he didn’t like how it marked his skin…

“Mami’s going to be very upset.” Dante’s lip quivered. “can…can Abuela get rid of it please..”

“What?”

“Abuela Julieta….she she can heal me, right?”

He looked up as he felt a wind ruffle his hair, surprised at this reaction but he didn’t have to wonder for long before the sight of his Abuela and…Bisabuela and Dolores seemed to come into the kitchen.

“Pepa, who’s this?” Bisabuela asked.

Pepa looked confused though somewhat shrugged, “I..I don’t know.”

“You let a random kid in?”

“He’s been kidnapped.” Pepa opted to go for, “look at the bruises.”

Dante’s eyes followed as his Abuela seemed to notice before she padded over. “Can I see your arm?”

“Of course!” He held it out, though watched as she pushed his sleeve up further, gently tracing the markings with a soft frown.

“What’s your name?” Abuela asked kindly.

“Dante Madrigal, son of Isabela Madrigal.” He answered, like his Mami had told him to say if asked.

There was a moment’s pause as all eyes turned to him before a

“What?!”

[tegami-kagami]

So I've been stewing over 2 fic ideas set during the dance era but dont have the time to write so here they are.

(1) Dance of Fire and Ice *uncreative name but it suits the plot so what the heck imma roll with it*

Basically revolves around 2 additional players to the Dance,

Gael Targaryen, youngest child of King Jaehaerys and Queen Alyssane, nicknamed the Winter Child

And

Aegon, Son of Baelon, Younger brother to Viserys I and Daemon the Rogue Prince.

In Canon, Both die way before the dance, In this AU they survived by virtued of being isekai'd / self-inserted by souls from the modern era.

"Gael" is a fan of the books while "Aegon" is a casual watcher of the show.

They have an arrange marriage by order of King Jaehaerys.

Now the Ice aspect of the dance comes from Gael and Aegon eloping to the North and them growing a family there.

*Btw, Gael claims her mother's dragon, Silverwing and Aegon had a dragon hatch to him at the cradle who he ironically named, Grey Ghost. Also, During a visit in Dragonstone, the couple's first born claims Vermithor. Further children hatch their Cradle Eggs from a clutch Silverwing bore in the North who all turn out to be ice dragons.*

(2) No Taste for Duty

Summary:

Aegon II, crippled and alone after burning his half sister infront of his nephew decides to take his life but the gods had other plans for him. As he lamented after drinking the poison how everyone would still be alive if only his father had made him his heir from the beginning, the gods granted him just that as he re opens his eyes to a reality where he was born as Visery's heir. The catch however is that he is born a full decade earlier as the son of Aemma Arryn who miraculously survived illness in the cradle.

Despite having his wish granted, Aegon was far from happy as he grew bitter at how different Viserys and Aemma were together when compared to his memories of Viserys and Alicent. He could not bare to look at baby Rhaenyra either without a flood of guilt comes over him with the image of burning her via dragon fire. Thus, Aegon being Aegon, he again neglect his duties by running away on Sunfyre who by the grace of the gods somehow was hatch to him again.

He returns a decade later to a scene identical to one in his memories, the difference only is that now, he is an outsider.

Rhaenyra made heir in his absence.

Her three strong boys.

The Hightower's chaotic drama.

Viserys rotting on the Iron Throne

Aegon knows what will happen if let things continue but is he brave enough to face the family he had failed and betrayed not once but twice before already?