#would kill to see him do that freaky neck crack scene

[thegreatcrowdragon]

Uh I got bored and interest mixing is cool so uhh

The beasts but in mlp because yes

Ordered by how confident I am in it

Shadow Milk: Changeling (faeries are reformed changelings)

Burning Spice: Kirin

Eternal Sugar: Hippogryph

Silent Salt: I want to say dragon because of the knight theme

Mystic Flour: Probably just an alicorn idk (born like one how Flurry Heart was, they don’t gain their wings/horn)

[m-y-fandoms]

COMMISSION: Joker/Akira/Ren x Reader Part 2

Part 1

This is gonna be many more parts... I can already tell 

Word Count: 2.2k

SFW, SLOW BURN romance friends to lovers, gender neutral reader, anyone can enjoy it and place themselves as the reader!

- Admin Myah

You spent your entire free period up on that roof, hoping by some miracle that you weren’t crazy, that the group of second-year students that had seemingly vanished before your eyes were in fact pranking you, and upon seeing that you weren’t amused, would get tired of hiding and pop out, finishing the surprise. No such luck, however, and so you left, the second-period bell forcing your hand. Spending the first period of your day - a bit of free time meant for studying, finishing homework, or otherwise enriching yourself educationally - up on the roof and unaccounted for by any teachers was a bit risky already, and you were a decent enough student. There was no way you could just sit there all day, skipping the rest of your classes. Sighing, you resolved to just give up the hunt for your destined main character and by extension the group of potential new friends.

＊

Often after school, you headed to the library, which stayed open along with a select few other areas of Shujin for student use after the last bell rang. Today, however, you felt drawn back to that place, back to that rooftop where you’d seen Akira, Ryuji, and Ann disappear hours earlier. It just wasn’t sitting right with you; you felt a stirring in your soul, like a tiny voice in your head, a shimmering blue butterfly in your stomach. Lucky for you, the rooftop was also open, though you’d never really spent time there. Certain students, including another third-year you admired raised plants up there where the sun could reach them, while others simply came up there for the view or the breeze, some private space to study.

Today, the breeze was indeed blowing, and you sat there writing as it whistled past your ears, polishing up some plot points, scrawling down ideas for your protagonist straight from the imagination, since it seemed you wouldn’t be finding any real-life inspiration anytime soon. It was frustrating, writer’s block, and for the past month or so, it’s all you could do to write a single paragraph. You always found yourself lost in the pages of the novels you loved, and you could identify great writing, appreciate the artistry of another writer, but it was sometimes so hard to put your own thoughts down on the pages of your journal. Why was it so hard? You knew what real romance was. You knew which themes and cliches were overdone and unrealistic. You had a mature and healthy outlook on real relationships and could pick apart the stereotypical female protagonist who was strong and independent until she met the man who would break down her walls or the toxic bad boy who women loved on paper but would cry their eyes out over in real life. You’d read thousands of books and fan-fiction, listened to hundreds of audiobooks, watched tons of romance movies, so why, lately, was it not clicking?! Where was the disconnect between having thoughts and transcribing said thoughts down into your very own masterpiece? Fantasy came so easily to you, sci-fi, non-fiction essays for class, mysteries, research papers, but romance, the genre you loved the most, seemed to purposely elude you.

You were shaken out of your frazzled state when something caught your attention out of the corner of your eye. Shaking your head a bit to try and focus your vision, you looked over your shoulder to see that the black spot on the fringe of your blind spot was in fact actually there. You rubbed your eyes just to be sure, but there it was, a wavering black inky spot hovering in the air. Another appeared, then another, now red in color. You were beginning to feel insane for the second time that day, but rather safe than sorry, you quickly stood, shoving your work and pencils into your bag and shuffling away from the blobs, which were now oscillating and dancing around each other, phasing in and out of existence like a fisheye lens. This was a bit too freaky for your liking, and you were beginning to feel a frightening chill up your spine. The hairs on the back of your neck stood up, and you elected to put some kind of barrier of safety between yourself and the floating bubbles. Like any rational person, your mind was screaming “unknown situation: possible threat: run!” but again, that little butterfly in the pit of your guts was saying there was something worth staying for. So, running to the door to the roof, you swung it open, a ringing in your ear starting to buzz and chime. You closed it frantically, pressing your nose up against the small glass windows that allowed a limited view of the roof. A small gasp escaped your lips, and you instinctively grabbed onto your bag a bit tighter.

The red and black splotches began to dissipate and fade like some kind of glitch in reality, and three figures appeared like mist, like ghosts before beginning to solidify and slowly become tangible silhouettes. Then, as if some kind of magic ritual was coming to a close, the figures poofed into existence, and your brain processed the scene before you.

“Holy shit…” you whispered. There, clear as day were Sakamoto, Takamaki, and the new kid. They were just standing adjusting their clothes, stretching their arms and legs, situating their personal items. It was just then that you saw a little furry head poke up out of Akira’s school bag. Your harsh, analytical gaze softened a bit upon seeing the small black cat that appeared. Had he been carrying that cat around all day? Surely not, right? How would he keep it quiet and still? “What the…?” The inquisitive glare returned to your features when they began… speaking to the cat. It wasn’t the cute baby talk people often use with their pets, either. It was a full-on, serious conversation, and the cat was meowing back, clearly, in response to their statements.

It was a bit muffled by the thick door, but you could make out bits and pieces.

 Metaverse? Palace. Shadows... treasure? Kamoshida? Great, that asshole, but what could he have to do with this? What even was this? 

You were questioning everything you knew. You were wondering if the juice you had this morning at breakfast was spiked. There was no winning in this scenario, either you were crazy, or these kids were. You looked downward, contemplating your navel as your mind tried to make sense of the events of today. You glanced up again, trying to eavesdrop a little better, get some more detail. You took a step closer, trying to will the sound of their voices through the door to be just a little louder, just a little clearer, when Sakamoto suddenly pivoted, stretching and cracking his spine with a sigh.

“Gah!”  You shouted out. His eyes met yours through the window and widened like a kid caught in the cookie jar. You jumped with a start, taking a cautionary step back and nearly tumbling down the stairs. It was a miracle you caught yourself in time, but your little outburst had definitely caught the attention of the group. Your cover was thoroughly blown. “Oh, no…” You cursed under your breath, spotting both Ann and Akira’s eyes on you now as well.

“Shit! Do you think they saw?” Ryuji’s hands flew to his hair, mussing and working out his frustrations on the dyed strands while simultaneously, Akira was already in motion, rushing toward the door to apprehend the unwelcome listener.

Your heartbeat sped up, and like a gazelle spotted by a lion, a fire was lit under you and you began to sprint, clumsily fumbling down the stairwell and onto the flat platform where the stairs rotated 90 degrees and continued downward. Inhaling sharply, your foot, nervous and supporting jelly-like legs, missed the final step. Your belongings, along with your body, spilled across the square, flat platform, and the door behind you slammed open.

“Hey!” Akira’s yell echoed through the stairwell, and your thoughts bounced off the walls just like his voice. Scrambling, you scooped only the essentials into your hands: your journal, the phone of course, a few homework binders, ditching the easily replaceable items like chewing gum and pencils. Taking to one scraped-up knee and ready to bolt, you felt a hand close upon your bicep and clamp down firmly. “Hey, hey… slow down.” Akira again, now gentler with his tone, spun you around to face him. You stood clutching your things to your chest like a life preserver. “I’m not gonna like… kill you or anything.” A breathy chuckle, and now he was on the platform next to you, scanning you up and down for injuries with his hands in his pockets. “So, uh… so don’t kill yourself by fallin’ down these stairs, huh?” He played off the tense feeling in the air with humor, but the sheer proximity of him, standing there in front of you mere inches away in the cramped space, it was like you could hear your blood pounding in your ears.

What was he thinking right now? Did he think you were some weirdo stalker? I mean, you’d just met him this morning and now you were watching him through a small window like a creep after school… after following him there. Wait, that wasn’t important right now! Was he going to kill you? He didn’t seem like the type of guy to do that, but then again, he didn’t seem like the type to phase in and out of existence either… neither did Ryuji and Ann… what were people with powers like that capable of?

Right now, you were just going to mind your business, and play it safe. It wasn’t worth getting mixed up with people who warp through a “metaverse” and talk to animals just for some good writing material, not if it turned out to be dangerous.

“Well…” you hesitated, “it’s none of my business, what I just saw, and I won’t tell anyone.” You breathed a little easier, tried to regain your composure, to not look too weak.

“So they did see! Awww, shit!” Ryuji’s head popped through the door, interrupting the uncomfortable conversation, and the hot air of the enclosed space was cut through by a gust of wind from the now open rooftop door.

“Now, just hold on, Ryuji,” Akira held out one hand to placate his rather temperamental friend.

“No, no really it’s fine that you talk to your… cat and just… vanish... and I’m sure it’s all fine and multiverse-y and…”

“Metaverse.” Akira corrected you with a small smile, bending down to pick up the rest of your scattered objects.

“Dude!” Ryuji ran a hand down his face in defeat.

“They saw us, no point in being tight-lipped,” he stood, handing them to you.

“Metaverse… right,” you took them, watching every move he made carefully. “Sorry, I’m… a bit more... eloquent in my writing,” you moved to the side, ready to sneak past and descend the rest of the stairs. Anything to get on with your day and escape this unbelievable situation. Akira shuffled, mirroring you and completely blocking the stairwell. There was something clever about him, something sharp and charismatic. He knew exactly what he was doing, what he wanted to achieve, and he knew how to calmly and smoothly execute his plans, unlike Sakamoto, who was far less… organized.

“Writing…?” He was keeping you locked into this conversation, as gently and amiably as he could, and you were not leaving until he was sure he could trust your word.

“Uh… yeah, that’s why I was up…” your eyes met his, quickly recoiling and looking toward the floor again, “...up on the roof. I was just looking for a quiet place to write.”

“What, uh, what kind of stuff do you write?” Ann had now joined Ryuji at the top of the stairs, leaving you feeling completely caged in. Ann threw Akira - who seemed like the leader of the small band of misfits - a desperate glance, a sort of look that seemed to ask: “Where are you going with this? Are we screwed?”

“It’s… it’s kind of private. It’s just… romance stuff. I don’t know, I do all kinds of different stuff, whatever I’m in the mood for.” Akira nodded, more to his friends than you, something you had a feeling you weren’t supposed to pick up on. He stuck his hand out flat, gesturing toward the rooftop behind you. You took the hint, heading a bit anxiously back up the stairs, Ryuji and Ann making way for you.

“You any good?” Akira followed behind you, and now on the rooftop once again, the cool air felt freeing, less constricting, though his question felt a bit insulting, a bit nosey.

“I don’t know… I’ve been told I am…” The three friends took a seat in areas that seemed very familiar to them, like they’d been up here warping in and out of this realm many times before. Now settled into place, Ann spoke up, obviously as apprehensive as you were:

“Well do you… do you think…?” Her high-pitched voice seemed to be hesitant, not yet confident in her next words, not sure if they were all on the same page.

“Yeah, my thoughts exactly,” Akira smirked as if the three had one mind. He turned to you, trying to make eye contact that you vehemently avoided. “How would you feel about helping us out?”

[me4gumi-moved]

Creepy Crawlies

REQUEST hi!! i hope you're doing well, i really love your writing! 😍 ❤️  this is quite random but i was just wondering... do you think any of the boys would be scared of any bugs in particular? and how would they react if they saw one, with their crush or S/O 🤣  wouldn't it be cute if their crush or S/O had to help them take care of it KEK it may just attract the boys even more 👀

GENRE crack, headcanons

CHARACTERS bakugou katsuki, midoriya izuku, todoroki shouto 

WARNINGS icky bugs

NOTE i saw your ask about saying you meant the bnha boys but you didn’t specify which ones exactly, so i went with the main three. if you or anyone else would like part two with any other characters just let me know <3

b. katsuki

stick bugs

he despises them. they look fucking weird and he doesn’t like the idea of a stick moving.

katsuki has seen those videos of them “dancing” on TikTok and he presses “not interested” so fast you cant even see his thumb move

if he saw one outside, he’d fucking book it. it doesn’t matter what he’s doing -- he could be on a date with you and he’d leave you in the fucking dust. you’ll never catch him anywhere near one of those freaky motherfuckers

hope you’re not scared of them either because you’ll be fending for yourself in that situation

m. izuku

oriental cockroaches, aka waterbugs

one time he was lying down in bed and felt something on his neck and went to move it off and felt whatever it was latch onto the skin as he tried to pull it away. he snatched that shit off and it was the hugest fucking roach he’d ever seen in his life. he one for all-ed that fucker out the window and cried

every time izuku sees one, he freaks the fuck out. he’s screaming, crying, babbling about how it better leave him alone -- going absolutely bonkers. 

if you killed one for him, he’d worship the ground you walk on

t. shouto

praying mantises

the first time he saw one, he was 9 and it was on the window to his room. you know that scene in gakuen babysitters where the tiger roars at the kids and they run away, except for kotaro who was so scared he couldn’t move or make a sound? yeah the praying mantis is the tiger and shouto is kotaro  

his reaction hasn’t changed much except he’ll say, “there’s a praying mantis” instead of remaining dead silent.

shouto will stop walking if he sees one on the ground and just look at it, unable to bring himself to look away. on the outside, he looks calm, but on the inside he’s freaking the fuck out.

eventually he’d just grab your hand and walk away from it, trying to pretend nothing happened. if he cannot see it, it doesn’t exist.

[wkemeup]

Guiding Light (7)

summary: It was supposed to be a simple mission. Get the intel and go home. Until everything goes wrong and you’re taken captive by Hydra and now, Bucky can’t breathe without you. Not until he brings you home. If he even can. pairing: bucky x reader chapter word count: 7.2k warnings: torture, angst™, graphic descriptions of violence,  🖤series masterlist // series playlist

It was unlike anything you could have imagined, even in the worst of your nightmares. The scar upon your forehead from an accident as a child, the identical wounds and swelling you’d sustained in your captivity, the flicker of a softer hue in your irises as the light touched it, the delicate fall of your hair, the curve of your nose. The clothing you had been held in for weeks, the same tear in the top right shoulder, the dirt smudged over your skin.

It was you. Entirely and completely you.

Except that it wasn’t.

The woman, wearing your face, laid upon the ground, still bound and restrained to the chair though her body slumped toward the concrete, lifeless. Her eyes open, unseeing, as a deep red pool surrounded her head from where the bullet had torn through the cavity, blood expanding along the floor and nestling into the cracks of the concrete.

“Freaky, ain’t it?” Cain chuckled, nudging the woman’s body with the toe of his boot, only for her to slump back into place.

You stared up at him, wide eyes, shock paralyzing your ability to speak.

“She’s enhanced,” Cain explained, an amused smirk upon his features. “Shapeshifter. Watch this.”

With the end of his gun, he prodded at a spot behind the woman’s ear, your ear, as the woman’s skin rippled over in scales, like cards bridging in a deck, replaced by an entirely new body. Skin and hair that was not your own, eyes staring far beyond the wall a different hue, scars and wounds that covered her face and arms now clean and replaced with small nicks and scratches of her own.

“Been holding onto this one for a special occasion,” Cain goaded, “so consider yourself special, princess.”

“You’re sick,” you spat, unable to tear your watering eyes away from the body of the woman at your feet. You tugged at the men holding you back. Strong, unforgiving arms wrapped around you; your body too weakened to do any damage. “You murdered this woman for what? To prove a point? That—That the Avengers are human?”

“To keep your fucking brainwashed boyfriend from finding you before we’ve completed what we have planned!” Cain bellowed, rushing at you in one fowl swoop and pressing the barrel of the gun under your chin. The metal was hot on your skin as he pushed it against you enough for you to stretch your neck higher, searching for a relief from the pressure. You struggled to swallow.

“Now, we can get to work in peace without the Avengers breathing down our necks,” Cain barked in your face, split flying onto your cheek and forcing you to wince. He stepped away and let the gun fall from your neck. You coughed to find the air the barrel had suffocated from you and shot him a glare. Cain only seemed to smile wider at that, amused by your pain. “Not going to keep searching for a dead body, now are they?”

You sucked in a harsh breath and the men dropped you from their grasp. Too weak to stand on your own, you hunched over on the floor, eyes darting over at the body of the woman lying just a few feet away.

Cain snapped his fingers and one of the men grabbed a harsh grip of the woman’s arm, hulling her into the air and tossing her body over his shoulders. It was too rough, too cruel for the way he carried her and you parted your lips to say something, but bit down on your cheek. This woman who was killed wearing your body was just that... dead.

She didn’t know the humiliation or the desecration with which these men handled her body. She didn’t know the pain of being hulled over a man’s shoulder with little remorse. She didn’t know anything. She was dead, as you imagined you soon would be as well. 

You crawled over to the mattress at the corner of the room as the door slammed shut, trapping you with the pool of blood staining into the concrete. Body slumping onto the hardened surface, stray springs poking at your skin, and despite Danny’s whispered calls of your name, the urgency and worry in his voice, you closed your eyes and cried until sleep was merciful enough to pull you under.

***

Familiar clicks startled you from your rest just hours later as Cain pushed his way back into your cell, rolling along with him a television from the early 2000’s strapped to a tall, plastic cart. He shot a wink at you as you turned sheepishly upon the mattress to face him, too weakened to goad him or even warp your face into a glare. He was alone, without his lackeys, which was unusual for his daily visits.

“Got something fun to show ya,” he taunted as he pressed a single click to the television. “Hope you enjoy, princess.”

Without another word, he retreated from the room, closing the door behind him.

You swallowed, the bile painful in your throat as you starred over at the television as it warmed up, the picture on the screen slowly fading from a dark black to reveal the picture beneath.

“What was that about?” Danny asked cautiously through the wall.

“Not sure yet,” you mumbled back, pushing yourself to your feet despite the aching cries in your muscles.

Upon the screen, a blonde woman came into view, wearing a navy blue blazer as she handled a stack of papers in her hand, tapping the edge of a pen on the desk she sat behind.

“It has been five hours since footage airing the assassination of renowned Avenger Agent Y/n Y/l/n of SHIELD was streamed live to every screen in Times Square,” the woman reported and an image of your headshot from your early days in the academy appeared on the top left corner of the screen. With a bright smile, skin free of oozing scars, and a light behind your eyes, you hardly recognized yourself.

“This comes following almost two months held as a prisoner in Hydra’s captivity. While the Avengers have been tirelessly searching to rescue their fallen teammate, it appears all roads have led to this fateful moment.”

You heard Danny curse under his breath, having heard the reporter through the speakers. The woman pressed her lips into a thin line, a heavy breath exhaled before she spoke again.

“We have obtained footage from the scene in Times Square where the Avengers were subjected to watch Agent Y/l/n’s murder live in real time, along with the civilian population.”

The screen filtered away from the newsroom to show a young man and woman standing in the middle of Times Square, posing in front of the series of colorful billboards, holding up a peace sign with wide smiles brimming on their cheeks. The film was in a vertical angle, with thick black bars filling the rest of the screen, filmed on a phone’s camera.

“Oh, my bad... it’s a video,” a voice chuckled nervously from behind the phone to which the subjects of the intended photo rolled their eyes and began to laugh along with him.

Then, over the man’s shoulder a silver van shot into frame, electric sparks flying from metal scraping the concrete, tires long gone. A horrible screeching sound had the couple pressing their palms to their ears. It crashed into a parked car and drew the attention of every pedestrian within the frame.

“Holy crap is that the Avengers!?” the voice shouted, zooming the camera in on Tony as he flew above the van in his Iron Man suit. The camera followed Sam as he touched down on the other end of the van, winds folding into his suit.

It was strange, to watch your friends from the point of view of civilians. It had a certain kind of theatric to it and you understood why the people adorned your friends as heroes.

Heart in your throat, you collapsed into the chair used to torture you as Bucky suddenly came into view, sprinting towards the SUV, not stopping until he ripped the door from its hinges and tossed it several yards down the street. The man recording the film was shouting, cheering him on, as the lens flashed to his friends’ excited faces.

The camera zoomed in closer as Bucky dragged someone from inside the van. Too far away to hear what they were saying, but Steve walked into the frame, shoulders stiff enough for you to recognize that he was advising Bucky to stand down, carefully reaching for his friend’s shoulder, only to be shrugged away.

Hair shielding his face, Bucky began to beat the man until blood splattered over his hands. The recorder of the video only egged him on, like he was watching some kind of fight in the halls of a high school. He couldn’t have been any older than sixteen.

You heart was in your stomach.

“Oh-- Oh my God. M-Miles, look!” the young woman to the recorder’s left gasped, the lens now aimed at the dozens of screens lining the street with your face, the shapeshifter’s face, upon it.

You pressed your hand to your chest in an attempt to ease the race of your heart, but it did nothing to aid you. The film followed Bucky as he rushed forward and you could see how violently his hands were shaking, even at this distance. A lump in the back of your throat and tears welled in your eyes, watching as he turned in a slow circle, taking in the hundreds of screens surrounding him.

The blonde woman appeared back behind the news desk, a solemn look upon her face. “We have cut the video as it displays the violent and graphic image of Agent Y/l/n’s death. The recording will pick up again after the Hydra stream cuts out.”

As she stated, the feed cut straight back to Times Square, only this time you could make out the faint sound of people crying in the streets, the couple who had posed for the picture just moments ago, now huddled together, reaching for their friend behind the camera. He shook them off, aiming the lens back at Bucky as he was lowering a gun that had been aimed at one of the screens.

The video was shaking, the hand of the teenager capturing it trembling, as Bucky stumbled on his feet, grasping at his chest before he collapsed to his knees. The scream that fell from his lips shook you to your core, goosebumps trailing over your skin, and a puncture so sharp in your chest, you wondered if you would survive it. Your hand pressed against your lips to keep the sob from escaping you as tears blurred your vision, a lump in your throat threatening to choke you.

The camera panned to the rest of your team, your family. Tony was punching holes into the silver SUV before he took off into the sky. Natasha was hulled against Steve’s chest, her shoulders shaking as Steve ran his large hands down her back, nervous glances back in Bucky’s direction. Sam was kneeling just a few feet away, head bowed, like he was praying.

Slowly, the camera returned to Bucky and his hands were horribly shaking, trying to grab onto fabric, something, anything, to ground himself how you taught him but nothing was working. His whole body shook.

You pushed yourself from the chair, wobbling legs carrying you to the television and you skimmed your fingers over the static of the screen, touching the pixelized image of Bucky as if it could reach him in some way, as if it could tell him that you were alive, but it was useless. A suppressed cry hitched at your breath and you wrapped your arms around your chest.

“Memorial services are being arranged all over the country to honor the fallen Avenger,” the reporter stated soberly as the image of Bucky faded away. “For more information, please visit our website at—"

The screen went black and you fell back into the chair. The first time you saw Bucky in nearly two months, just the blurry outline of his figure in the distance, the movements seen from fifty feet away, and it was worse than you could have imagined.

You’d never heard his voice like that before, not even when he woke up screaming in the dead of night with the horrors of his part flashing through his dreams in twisted memories.

This, was something else entirely; the crack of his voice, the desolation, the hopelessness, the worst of his fears coming true in front of his eyes, on display for the entire world to see, and he had no way of knowing it was a trick. A horrible, cruel illusion by Hydra to persuade the Avengers to stand down, to keep them from finding you as Cain put whatever his plan was into action.

They had proof that you were dead, watched the bullet tear through your skull on live television. They had no reason to believe it was orchestrated. If you had any doubts your family would find you, this newsreel only confirmed it.

You were never going to see the outside of this cell again.

***

Days later, as Cain continued to come for you each morning with a tray of knifes at his disposal, he was displeased to find you hadn’t submitted to him completely.

While you had lost your hope, you still held onto your anger with every ounce of your will. Anger for what they did to you, what they’ve done to Danny, for murdering that woman for no reason other than theatrics, for putting Bucky and your team through hell and subjecting them to a trauma they would never recover from.

Anger that festered and burned aflame each time Cain walked into the room and it only urged him on as he ripped and tore at your flesh until he chipped at the very edge of your sanity.

Soon, Cain grew tired of your unwillingness to submit and he began to bring you to a different room, one that you had only heard stories about, described through panicked breaths in the dead of night from the man who was all too familiar with the horrors that lied inside.

The room was dark, and cold, and surrounded by lab equipment and monitors. The unsettling high-pitched beeping of machines as they ran through their intended algorithm. Men and women in white lab coats stared at you with intrigue, dehumanizing you to your very core.

You fought them every time they led you to the chair, knowing what it would do to you, to your free will, but your body was weaker than your mind and they strapped you down with ease. Metal clamps snapped over your wrists and a lab tech shoved a mouth guard between your teeth as the machine roared to life, electric sparks jumping from the ends of paddles they soon would affix to the side of your face.

A scientist by the name of Dmitry Petrov hovered over you as he tapped at the edge of his clipboard, observing intently before they brought the paddles down to you. You had spat the mouth guard out at him as he dared to touch the side of your face, studying the wounds you had sustained from your time with Cain.

“You should learn some respect, princess,” Cain seethed from the side of the room, arms crossed as he leaned against the wall, watching.

“You’re a fool if you think you can restart the winter soldier program and get away with it,” you shot back, voice cold, unattached, like you had become.

Cain laughed at that, shaking his head as he exchanged amused glances with the men in the room. “Seems like you’ve missed the point, princess. We’re not making an army. We don’t need a whole team of soldiers to accomplish our task. Just you and you will serve your purpose.”

You gritted your teeth. “Which is what exactly?”

“Not your concern,” Cain smirked and Petrov shoved the guard back into your mouth. He pulled a lever and in one shift motion, the machine clamped down on the side of your face, electricity pulsing through you, singeing your skin, your hair, and with a pain so unimaginable, you blacked out after your voice had gone hoarse from screaming.

***

Nearly two weeks following your supposed execution on live broadcast, you were dragged back to the room with the machine on a daily basis. You tried to keep Danny in the dark about what they were doing to you because you didn’t want to scare him, make him question if there would be a day you didn’t come back to the cell, because each day you wondered it yourself; if today would be the day the machine fried your brain or rendered you permanently unconscious.

On the third week of the machine, Cain shoved you back into the chair with a grunt and though you tried to fight him, he clasped the restraints around your boney wrists.

“You need to start feeding her better,” Petrov commented, examining the bones protruding from your chest. The way his eyes trailed over your body made your stomach twist; clinical, unkind, and with a disgust that made you sink into yourself. He turned to Cain. “If she is to do what she is meant for, she will need her full strength.”

Cain rolled his eyes, thought he eventually relented.

***

It was the fourth week of being hulled into that room when they attempted to use the trigger words for the first time.

They were unfamiliar to you, words that were not a part of Bucky’s list, and in a language you didn’t understand, but eventually as they paired each shock of the machine with the words in a small, red book, Petrov explained that they must carry personal meaning for it to be effective.

You decided that the translation of the words didn’t matter, not with the electricity coursing in your veins and pain so excruciating you relished the moments your body gave out, lulling you to the safety of your unconscious and the cool blanket of darkness.

Petrov was infuriated each time you blacked out, like it was an affront to him in some way. He’d start the process over again after they injected you with some kind of serum that swept through your veins like fire. Your body didn’t allow you your sanctuary after that.

“Tell her what the triggers mean, doc,” Cain taunted one day from the side of the room. He sat upon the edge of the counter, gripping at the lip. He wore that same grin on his face that made you sick to your stomach.

“It is not necessary,” Petrov replied flatly as he gripped the side of your face to get a better look at the burn marks on your skin.

Cain jumped down from the counter. “Maybe not, but it’ll be fun. She’ll know their meaning and I want to see the look on her face when she realizes. Get her all emotional. See if it helps.”

He stared at you, lips curving in that sickening smirk and you gritted your teeth. He was always trying to find new ways to torture you, to break you down to nothing. Your upper lip twitched as you struggled to contain yourself; a staring contest of wills.

“If you must,” Petrov replied offhandedly, thick Russian accent as he adjusted the settings on the machine. He pulled out his book, flipped on a switch and a surge of energy ran through your veins. You tried to bare it, to grit your teeth and push through the pain because you knew Bucky had once been subjected to this chair and maybe you could tether yourself to him in some one, hold onto him enough to guide you through this.

“Марафон,” Petrov recited, pacing down the room, watching your vitals.

“Marathon,” Cain spat, a translation you could barely hear over the roar of the machine and then, a flash of Bucky running at your side swept through your vision.

Even as you screamed out in pain, as voltage ran through your bloodstream, you thought of Bucky’s light breaths as he jogged beside you, slowing down in pace when your muscles started to ache and he thought you didn’t notice.

“горький,” Petrov continued, sending a watchful eye in Cain’s direction.

“Bitter,” Cain sneered the translation at you and you could only think of coffee at five in the morning, hunched over the counter; a watchful eye as you stretched in the corner for weeks before you heard his voice for the first time.

“Бруклинский,” Brooklyn. The first time you took Bucky to New York. You screamed out; the pain unbearable as it pulsed through your head, like a damn about to break.

“скаут,” Scout. The little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird. Bucky’s favorite character in the first book in a series of novels you had put together for him. His catch-up list. The stench of burnt hair filled the room.

“боевой,” Combat. Sparing in the ring. Fighting alongside him in the battlefield. You couldn’t breathe. The heel of Petrov’s boot clicked as he paced down the room.

“возлюбленная,” Sweetheart. You let out a guttural cry as the translation hung through Cain’s vicious voice. A name so loving, so revealing, that hearing it come from a man so cruel, so opposite to Bucky in every way, was an act of violence in itself.

“мелодия,” Melody. Tears streaming down the sides of your face as you thought of sitting at the end of your bed, curled up on the floor, laptop between you as the soft strum of a guitar filled the room and Bucky’s sweet voice asking you to play it again.

“вена,” Vienna. Your first mission together. Cain was laughing out of view. Petrov tapped his pen against the clipboard.

“шестнадцать,” Sixteen; of twenty-sixteen. The year you met. You were teetering on the edge of consciousness, pain too excruciating to hold onto.

“страсть,” Petrov called out, one last jolt of electricity through your veins and slowly, the machine released from the sides of your face and your body slumped in relief. Breaths heavy in your chest, jaw locked around the mouth guard and hands clenched so tightly around the armrests you weren’t sure if you’d ever be able to pry them away.

Cain stood from his seat at the corner of the room, strolling over you to and grabbed a firm hold of your jaw, forcing you to meet his eye as he spoke the last translation, his breath hot on your skin.

“Desire,” he purred the final translation before he leaned in closer, lips pressed as if he were to kiss you and you spat at him, a growl in your throat and daggers in your eyes.

Cain stepped back with a fury over his face you hadn’t even seen in the months he’d been torturing you and he slapped you hard across the face.

You barely felt it from the lingering ache of the machine.

“It’s not working,” he spat at Petrov, wiping his face with his sleeve. “I thought this was supposed to make her compliant! Does she look compliant to you!?”

“It takes time, Cain. You must be patient,” Petrov sighed, scribbling on his clipboard as he examined the monitors displaying your vitals. “Our fathers’ generation had years to perfect the winter soldier and I have been given months. Even knowing that the Avengers will not come for her, her will is too strong. That is the difference between her and the asset. She still has something keeping her from giving in to the conditioning; something to live for.”

Cain nodded, turning to glare at you over his shoulder. The curve of a knowing smile that etched against his lips was enough to make your stomach sink.

“Then we’ll destroy it."

***

That night, you curled up on your side, thinking of the words they used on you, words that were meant to be personal, words they shouldn’t have been able to know about you, about Bucky. His favorite fictional character wasn’t something they’d be able to find in a newspaper. None of it made sense, but your head now had a constant unpleasant ringing at the base of your skull that made it difficult to focus on much of anything.

“What are you going to do when you get out of here?”

You stared up at the ceiling, struggling to keep your eyes awake as Danny’s tired voice carried through the small crack in the wall. Slowly, you turned to face the hole, the blurry figure of ginger hair and tan camouflage barely in view.

“I think I’d go back home, apologize to my ma,” Danny continued, answering his own question with a careful nod of his head. “I wasn’t always a good kid growing up. Caused a bit of trouble. It was a small town, you know? What else were a bunch of idiot teenage boys gonna do? She... she didn’t deserve the stress I put on her. I think she should know that I’m sorry.”

“I’m sure she does,” you said softly, your voice raspy and raw from the machine. Danny hummed in response, thankful.

“I’m gonna see a Yankees game, too. Think your pal Stark will help me out?” he asked with a slight chuckle in his voice though it sat against a deep unease that settled uncomfortably in your chest.

“Of course,” you replied as tears welled in your eyes.

Danny wasn’t naïve, not anymore. He knew he had as good a chance of getting out of here as you did, but this was how he hung on, how he kept himself from falling into the darkness. He imagined something better.

“Maybe I’d give college another shot,” he sighed. “I think I could do better this time. Maybe I could go for criminal justice or something. I’d have a pretty high up contact at SHIELD now.”

A laugh escaped you, broken, but the faint burn in the crack of your lips went unnoticed.

“What are you gonna do?” Danny asked, as he always did.

You usually gave him some short, convenient answer so you wouldn’t have to really think about, so you didn’t have to imagine what could happen, knowing that it wasn’t in your future. It was too painful and you needed every ounce of strength you could muster.

But you’d been put through the chair more times than you could count. Pain had become second nature and you had stopped seeing Bucky even in your dreams. You were losing him, details fading from your memory. He had a freckle on his forehead, something no sane person would notice, but it was something you caught onto in the moments he allowed you to be that close, to notice something so small and faint between the lines of his brow. It was a privilege to live in his details.

Only now you couldn’t remember if it was above his left or right eye. You couldn’t remember if his eyes were more blue or grey or if they were somewhere in between. You were losing pieces of him and it wasn’t the chair that was taking him away. It was time. Soon, you’d lose him entirely. You’d lose the sound of his voice, the crinkles by his eyes when he smiled, the curve of his lips. You’d lose him, more and more each day until he was gone from you.

“I’d tell Bucky he’s the best parts of me,” you confessed suddenly, surprising yourself as you brushed aside tears that had formed in your eyes. “I’d make sure he knew that none of this was his fault. If it took months or years, I’d remind him every day that what happened here wasn’t because of him. I’d tell him that he is so immensely loved and I’d spend the rest of my days convincing him if he’d let me because I know he’d have a hard time believing it. I’d get away from all this for a while, take Bucky to Alaska or New Zealand and just be with him like I always wanted... like I think maybe he has, too.”

“We’d come back home when we’re ready,” you continued, desperately trying to picture it all in your mind. “We’d come back and I’d spend time with the team; the only real family I ever had. We’d watch movies for hours and order pizza from Chicago and lobster rolls from Boston just to put Tony’s money to good use. I’d go back to that stupid hipster bookshop in Brooklyn and buy a thousand more books and sit in the grass down by the lake at the compound and read until I fall asleep. I’d finally convince Nat to teach hand-to-hand to the rookies with me and help Sam down at the VA. I’d thank Steve for taking care of the love of my life in the times I couldn’t. I’d... I’d find a way to forget this place.”

“That sounds really nice,” Danny said softly, and you closed your eyes, tears sliding down your temple as you laid upon the mattress.

Danny’s hand pressed to the wall, the lines of his palm barely visible through the tiny opening and casting shadows into your cell. You mirrored his gestured, your palm resting and the cool sensation of the concrete.

A silent acknowledgement of the fantasies neither of you would ever see.

Then, the sharp clicking of locks. Only, it wasn’t coming from your cell.

“Danny?” you called carefully as he pulled away from the wall in a sharp motion, scrambling into the corner. The door slammed open and hit the adjacent wall loud enough for it to send a jolt through your spine. You listened carefully, hands pressed to the wall now, sitting up on your knees as you tried to decipher what was going on.

“No, no, please,” Danny begged, his voice breaking and you clamped your hand over your mouth. “Please, no more--”

“Let’s go, kid,” Cain’s voice chuckled, muffled, through the wall.

Danny was scrambling away, instinctively fighting back. “Get off of me!”

A muted punch and Danny grunted, falling silent, and what was left of your nails dug into your cheeks to keep silent. Feet scrapped along the floor as footsteps retreated from the room and you could only picture them dragging Danny behind them. It wasn’t the first time it happened, that they took him off to some unknown room only to return hours later, bloodied and beaten, but it was never any easier.

You sat back against the wall, tapping on your knee anxiously and waited for the hours to pass before he came back. You counted cracks in the ceiling, wrung at your hands, fidgeted with the ends of your worn clothing to pass the time.

He’d be back. They always brought him back, you reminded yourself on an endless loop.

Hours passed and still nothing. You stood to your feet; body stronger now that they had graced you with meals again and you began to pace. Your legs had grown sore and tired and you lost track of how long you had been shuffling your feet.

Suddenly, clicks run out beyond the door of your cell and you narrowed your eyes, freezing into place as the door swung open. Cain strolled in, pleasantly surprised to find you standing, watching him suspiciously. His knuckles were broken and red with blood.

“Hey there, princess.”

“Where is he?” you spat, convinced now that Cain had discovered your friendship with Danny long ago. He’d been waiting for the right moment to strike, to do something about it. This was it.

“Who?” he grinned, feigning innocence.

“You know damn well who!” you shouted back at him, red faced and arms flailing out to the side, taking a step in his direction, only for Cain to pull out a gun and aim it right at your chest.

“Better watch your step, princess.”

“You won’t kill me.” You shook your head. Defiant. Confident. “You need me for something. Wouldn’t waste all that time trying to mess with my head for nothing, would ya?”

Cain shrugged, chuckling under his breath as he holstered his weapon, “you caught me. We need to keep your body preserved, healthy even, but your will to live, to fight what we will make of you, has been... irritating to say the least. Lucky for me, I think I’ve found a way to break you. Would you like to see?”

“Fuck off, Cain,” you rolled your eyes, arms folding over your chest. Hardened features against the burn marks on the side of your face from the machine and Cain only grinned at you. He gestured for someone beyond the door and the sound of rustling footsteps came from down the hall.

A man appeared in the doorway, in his right hand something that made your stomach drop below your feet. Ginger hair wrapped between dirty fingers, clenched in this man’s fist. Danny was on the floor, grasping at the man’s hand to find relief, blood pouring down from his nose and eyes widening in fear when he caught sight of you.

Your arms fell to your sides, lips parting in shock as you watched the man drag Danny further into the room, shoving him down by Cain’s feet. Danny groaned, curling up on his side as he nursed an injury under the fabric of his shirt.

“Danny,” you whispered his name, fear laced in your voice that only egged Cain on. Danny lifted his eyes, nodding subtly at you, enough to tell you he was okay.

“Danny boy and I have been catching up, haven’t we?” Cain taunted, nudging Danny with his shoe. “He has been so incredibly helpful. Ain’t that right?”

Danny grimaced, shutting his eyes as he turned his face to the concrete. You furrowed your brow, watching as he so intently avoided your eyes.

“Oh, she hasn’t figured it out yet, has she?” Cain snickered, laughing with the men behind him. He reached down and grabbed a fist full of orange curls and yanked Danny to his knees. Your heart lurched as Danny let out a whimper, wobbling and unsteady as Cain released him. “Go on. Tell her what you did.”

Heart beating wildly in your chest, you slowly sank to your knees, trying to find his eye, but Danny wouldn’t look at you. Seeing him now, in full view, only made your stomach twist further. He was so young, practically a child; hands quaking and tears in his eyes. Skinny and baby faced.

“Danny,” you soothed. “Danny, it’s okay. You can tell me. What happened?”

He shook his head, gritting his teeth. Cain, growing impatient, kicked him hard in the shoulder and he fell forward, barely catching himself on his hands before his nose hit the concrete. He pushed himself back up to his knees, arms shaking violently.

“I-- I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” he muttered, his voice thick with tears.

Cain rolled his eyes, stepping forward and knocking his fist to the side of Danny’s face, sending him spiraling to the ground. On instinct, you lunged forward at him, only for the barrel of Cain’s gun to return its aim on you. You froze, glancing between Danny and Cain.

“If he’s too much of a coward to tell you, then I’ll do it,” Cain grunted. “This punk’s been selling you out from the beginning; every time we dragged the little traitor from his cell, he’d let us know all the new fun facts you told him. Feeding us information you wouldn’t even give under the threat of a knife.”

Your breath hitched, a dread settling deep in your stomach.

It was how they got the trigger words; words they intended to use to rip your will from you and replace it with something dark, something evil and sinister and render you a witness to your own crimes. They learned these words from the kid who so innocently acted as your sounding board, who you confessed your memories and pieces of your heart to. They beat him and tortured him until he gave them up, unwillingly.

“It was his only purpose here, though he didn’t know that for quite some time,” Cain continued, pleased by the devastation on your face. “We knew that you’d never give up those details to me or anyone who tortured you long enough for ‘em, but we knew you’d tell some pathetic little army brat just to hold on to some kind of misguided hope. So yes, we brought in a naïve kid for you to bond with and eventually, he gave up all of the stories you told him. Didn’t you, Danny boy?”

Danny let out a cry, arms folding around his chest protectively and you leaned forward on your hands, outstretched as if to reach him though you knew you could go no further. He shook his head, fat tears rolling down his cheeks, face flushed and red with a shame he didn’t deserve to bare.

“Danny, look at me,” you urged, voice as gentle as calm as you could manage despite the rage boiling under the surface. Before Danny’s eyes could meet yours, you shot a glare at Cain, fury in your veins for the torment he put this kid through.

“I’m s-so sorry, Y/n,” he whimpered out, his youth and innocence on full display. Bright green eyes hooded under freckled, bruised skin, looked up at you, though his jaw was quivering. “They-- they made me tell ‘em and I—I tried not to. You have to b-believe me, I t-tried.”

“I know you did, honey,” you reassured him, tears welling in your own eyes. “Danny, it’s okay. It’s not your fault, you hear me?”

Danny shook his head, unconvinced.

“Not that this isn’t thoroughly entertaining,” Cain grumbled, “but we’re all gathered here for a reason and this little love fest ain’t it.”

“Just let him go, Cain!” you implored, slamming your hands against the concrete. “He’s practically a child! He’s done what you wanted! You don’t need him here!”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” he shot back, seething. “He was old enough to foolishly sign his life away to fly overseas and kill people for his government, maybe even get killed himself. I don’t consider that a child, do you?”

You were fuming, panting. It only made Cain smile wider.

“But you are right about one thing,” Cain shrugged, “I don’t need him. Not anymore.”

In one swift motion, Cain pointed the barrel of his gun at the back of Danny’s head. Your eyes went wide, breath caught in your lungs.

“Just so we’re clear, this is me destroying your last reason to live,” Cain smirked, pushing the gun against Danny’s head enough for his whole body to move in an attempt to relieve the pressure. Danny’s eyes were clamped shut; his trembling hands curled into fists.

You were frozen as Cain released the safety on the gun, the click of it echoing through the cell, deafening to your ears as time seemed to fall still. Heart pounding painfully, the thumping of it pulsing loud enough to hear, and your breaths coming out in shaky, uneven exhales.

Danny turned to look back at Cain and it kicked your adrenaline back into gear.

“Danny, no! Look at me!” you begged, urgency in your voice and you were met with the most stunning shade of green, hidden under layers of wet tears and red strain within the whites of his eyes. “Don’t look at him, Danny. Look at me, okay? I’m right here. I’m here with you.”

Danny nodded; his cheeks wet though a sudden calm washed over him. His hands fell still in his lap as he focused on you, on your breaths and your words, though they were breaking through your cries.

“Just keep your eyes on me, okay?” you urged desperately, not daring to spare a glance at Cain’s direction. “I’m right here. I’m here.”

You knew what was coming. You’d seen it weeks earlier as it happened to a woman wearing your face, but nothing could prepare you for the soft, impossibly kind smile that Danny gave you, the world around you stilling and moving in slow motion, a whisper of a ‘thank you’ on his lips.

“Danny,” you cried, voice breaking, “I’m here, I’m right--”

Deafening sound. Blood on your face. Copper on your tongue and the echo of a gunshot pierced your eardrums. Ringing and muffled voices as you swayed on your knees, staring ahead to the space Danny had been.

Paralyzed. Every movement of your arms felt like you were running through water, resistance against you. You didn’t hear Cain talking with the men in the room, barking next orders, not as you crawled along the hard surface of the concrete towards the body of the boy who had kept you sane for nearly three months.

Your hands, shaking violently, grabbed onto his shirt, turning him onto his back and a sob broke through you at the sight of his eyes, staring far off and in-between, glossed over, unseeing. You brushed your hand over his lids, closing them softly, and for a moment you could pretend he was sleeping. This sweet, kind, and gentle kid who deserved far more than this world gave him, lying in your arms, blood soaking through your clothes.

A hand gripped onto your bicep and you could barely feel it as you were dragged away, Danny ripped away from your gasp as your body skidding along the ground. You watched Danny’s figure fade from view as you were pulled out of the cell. You kept your eyes on him as long as you could, the most you could offer him, until he was gone.

Barely able to string your thoughts together, unable to feel anything other than the cold, numb ache that sat in your chest, consuming and expanding through your body, and you were strapped into the chair.

Staring off to the end of the room, body numbed and outside of yourself, you hardly registered the panels clamp down to the side of your face; didn’t care when the jolts of electricity burned through your veins and metal singed your skin. The words spoken in Russian, cold and detached, held no meaning, no memories to hold onto.

The faint sound of a man’s voice, dark and deep, a scar upon his face, taunted, “if we cannot control the soldier, we will destroy him with what he loves.”

You didn’t know who the man was referring to.

When the machine released and the pain drained from your body, you felt no relief. Only a cold emptiness.

Then, a man in a lab coat asked you a question. Words in a language other than your own slipped from your lips.

“готов соблюдать”

Ready to comply.

---

so to those who were suspicious of Danny... you were half-right? I actually wrote him as a full blown double agent in my first draft but I wanted the reveal and his ultimate death to have more of an emotional impact on Y/n so she’d be numb enough to succumb to the triggers...... sorry yall 

but I will say the next chapter is one of my favorites. Get ready for Bucky perspective in the months he still believes Y/n to be dead 😬

also! if anyone’s interested, the official playlist for the Witness is available now, too! ✨

tags 👯‍♀️ @musiclover1263 / @pies-wands-and-more / @buckygrantbarnes / @mywinterwolf / @breatheeagainnnn / @jewelofwinter / @panic-naran / @fairislesheets / @kaliforniacoastalteens / @captain-hammer-of-asgard / @daydreamsquad / @deanssweetheart / @maybesomedaytho / @montypythonsholysnail / @saharzek / @jillybeaner13 / @chubby-dumplin / @searchingforbucky / @alohafromhell1 / @tabalugax / @shesalatesh / @whyamidoingthistomyselfhelp / @aliensbecameourstyle / @bucksgoat / @serpensortiaaa / @trash-rats-unite / @hungry-pasta / @nervosaa / @lbuck121/ @get0verit / @obama-mia / @imsoft-barnes / @this-broken-band-girl / @michelehansel / @itz-kira / @forever157 / @grey-water-colors / @sebastianstan-posts / @sarcastic-and-cool / @no-clue-whats-happenin / @capsgrl / @happyeyesandsunshine / @slithredn / @13sunken-ships13 / @thefandomplace / @wxstedhexrt /  @jennmurawski13 / @galaxkay / @moonlessnight14 / @kittybritty7 / @sweetheartbarnes

[pandastern]

Gravity (Bakugou x OC)

Part 3: A Step too far? (past)

Bakugou x Vigilante!OC

Warnings: angst, explicit language, violence

Word count: 2200

Genre: enemies to lovers ; angst ; romance

When a new student makes an entrance, Bakugou has a real bad feeling. There is something about this girl that just doesnt feel right. From the flaming hair to the calculating glint in her green eyes, everything about her just pisses him off.

Little does he know that his fate is intertwined with the person he despises so much, defining his future path in a way he would have never expected.

Maybe it was because class 1A knew Bakugou better than Artemis did, or maybe it was because the little scene she’d caused in the cafeteria hadn’t gone unnoticed, but as she slowly made her way into the ring, all her classmates seemed to hold their breath.

All except for the ash blonde pissy pomeranian with anger issues. Bakugou looked ecstatic.

“Oh, I'm gonna kick your ass so bad you won’t be able to walk for a week!” he hissed.

Judging by his murderous eyes, she figured she was heading straight to a situation any normal person with a normal sense of self-care would want to avoid. Tough luck, though. She wasn’t a normal person. Sometimes she wasn’t even sure if she was a person to begin with.

“Now, now. That almost sounds like a proposition,” she chuckled.

Bakugou’s expression changed. Now he just looked like he wanted to tear her throat out. Lovely.

“Artemis.” Aizawa’s voice interrupted her little moment with Mr Anger Issues. “Neither you nor Bakugou know the other’s quirk. Why is this a perfect example for what you can expect as a Pro Hero, and why is it a good lesson?”

Tearing her eyes away from her opponent, Artemis focused on her teacher again. 

She scoffed. “We need to be ready for any type of quirk because we often go into the field blind. You cannot choose who to face on the battlefield.”

Her nonchalant tone made a brow rise on Aizawa’s usually bored face. A few hairs on the back of her head started to rise. So, her first impression of this man had been correct. He was a dangerous one.

“Correct,” Aizawa replied, pulling out a tablet. “Let's see how you pull your weight, newbie. Begin!”

Artemis took a deep breath and turned her attention back to her opponent. A devilish smirk had spread across Bakugou’s face. He was ready to throw down.

“Come at me!” he roared, his voice booming with confidence. “I'll show you what a real hero can do.”

She narrowed her eyes. The air around her was rather dry, so not much water could be drawn out of it. There were no fountains or bodies of water she could use, nor had she brought any herself. There were, however, trees and grass close to the ring. So, how best to start this?

Judging by what she’d seen of Bakugou, he was so full of himself that he probably didn’t expect much of her. She could draw out the water from the vegetation, but that would turn them into dust. Artemis shook her head. No, Aizawa probably wouldn’t appreciate her destroying school property, even if it was to defend herself.

Her best bet was to move fast and punch Bakugou as hard as she could. Preferably somewhere it really hurt.

Artemis moved. Keeping herself low to avoid exposing an opening, she rushed forward, swinging for his ribs on his right side. Bakugou was quick to read her movements and dodged, trying and failing to grab her by the scruff of her neck. She brought her foot forward and spun out of the way, plunging her elbow into his abdomen. At least, that’s what she thought she was hitting.

Something exploded in her side, sending her flying several feet. White pain exploded in her head as she hit the ground like a sack of flour, too shocked to roll her own body to avoid a harsh landing. The blast had knocked the wind out of her.

What the hell had just happened?

Bakugou’s laugh rang in her ears as she forced herself back onto her feet. Then it dawned on her. The weird scent of nitroglycerin in the cafe finally made sense.

“How’d you like that, fucking loser? Is that all you got?” Bakugou spat at her.

“So, an explosion quirk, huh?” she growled.

“Yeah so what? What do you think you're doing by not using your quirk against me? Do you think you can win like that? I’ll grind you into the dust, just watch!”

The familiar feeling of anger bubbled up in the pit of her stomach. This guy was really starting to piss her off. But he was right. Going against a power that could literally blow her up wasn’t really something she should take lightly. 

Grinding her teeth, Artemis shrugged off her singed jacket and rolled her shoulders. It looked like protecting school property was out the window, then.

“You want my quirk?” she growled. “Fine. Suit yourself.”

Bakugou charged at her, his speed boosted by another blast of his power, but this time Artemis was prepared. Reaching out with her powers, she spun to the side, evading his fist before grabbing hold of the water molecules in the air, a couple of trees and the grass surrounding her. She concentrated the liquid into a powerful blast and sent it racing towards her opponent.

Bakugou was caught of guard, the powerful blast pulling him off his feet, encasing him in a whirlpool and swirling him around like a shirt in a washing machine before smashing him back on the ground on the other side of the ring.

Watching him sputter and shake himself like a doused poodle, Artemis couldn't help but smirk.

“What's wrong, blasty boy?” she cooed, pulling the water back to herself, swirling it around her body like snakes. “Can’t swim?”

Bakugou glared at her, eyes blazing. Artemis could see that she had struck a nerve right there. Perhaps he wasn’t into her nickname. The swirling wisps of water separated from her body and morphed into needles of ice that surrounded her, their sharp spines pointed at Bakugou.

The palms of his hands started to smoke.

“I'm gonna kill you,” he hissed.

Artemis charged. Water and heat clashed as they exchanged blows, explosions scattering her ice needles before she hit him with another blast of water. They couldn’t have been more opposite in character and fighting style. Bakugou moved with the aggression of a hellflame while Artemis danced away, spinning, dodging his swings and landing her own blows in between blasts.

That was when she noticed something: the angrier this guy got, the hotter and faster his blasts came. The downside to her quirk was that she never had an infinite amount of water to draw upon, unless of course it was raining or she was fighting in a body of water. With every blast of Bakugou’s explosion more and more water evaporated. Damnit. If she didn’t get him on his knees soon, she’d run out of a means to protect herself, let alone attack. She had to admit, Katsuki Bakugou was an outstanding fighter.

“Where the hell do you think you’re looking?” A booming voice behind her ripped her out of her thoughts. How the hell had he gotten behind her in just a split second?

White light and heat exploded right in her face, hurling her through the air for a second time. Her body hit the ground with a nasty smack and she wheezed. The impact of her fall had squeezed the air out of her lungs and for a moment the world went blurry.

Bakugou breathed heavily as he watched the flame-haired girl writhe on the ground,struggling to take a breath. He had to give it to her, she was tough. Her quirk was something he’d never seen before. Where had she got all that water from in the first place? Then he noticed the dried up trees close by, along with big patches of dried up grass. Even the ground was cracked as if it hadn’t rained in years. Had she pulled it out of her surroundings like that? 

He heard Artemis curse as she struggled to her feet, and he narrowed his eyes. That last blast should have been enough to give her a proper concussion, and yet here she was back up on her knees, trying to steady herself. The water around her sprung alive again, swirling around her body protectively.

Her red hair had sprung free of its hair tie, falling wild and messy around her face. Then he noticed a good patch of the right side of her hair had been burned off by the heat of the blast.

He watched as Artemis slowly pushed a hand into her wild locks and pulled a good chunk of melted hair out of her bird’s nest.

Laughter bubbled up in his chest. “Well, seems like you finally got a nice haircut! Keep this up and you won’t have to worry about that crazy colour of yours.”

Artemis didn’t move. She just stared at the chunk of hair in her hand as if she were struggling to process what had just happened.

“What’s wrong, carrot head?” Bakugou taunted. “Have you had enough? Are you gonna cry about it like a little bitch?”

For a moment, the whole world seemed to stand still. Slowly, the girl rose to her feet. Then her eyes met his.

A chill ran down Bakugou’s spine, and he took a step back. There was a look in her freaky green eyes that made his stomach churn, as if a switch had been flipped and in front of him was no longer a 15 year old girl but something different, something wrong. Artemis’ eyes held no emotion. No humanity. Just a cold and endless void. There was death in her eyes.

His death.

A strange sensation bubbled up in his gut, making him shiver. Run… He had to run. Everything in him screamed to turn away and forfeit the fight, yet he couldn't move. He was like a deer in headlights waiting to be charged.

Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet started rumbling. The concrete cracked, then broke wide open as water tendrils shot through the stone, grabbing at him.

“Fuck!” he gasped. 

He propelled himself into the air, trying to evade whatever hell this girl had summoned. The water followed him up, encircling him like a snake, wrapping around his body, choking him, crushing him, extinguishing his explosions and rendering him helpless. Was she gonna drown him?

Then his eyes met hers again. Artemis was standing calmly where he’d last seen her. Her eyes were completely focused on him with a determination that made his blood freeze. In her hands was a bow made of swirling water, and she was aiming an arrow right between his eyes.

Bakugou tried to struggle against his restraints, tried to break free. He knew Artemis would shoot him without hesitation. This girl wanted him dead. Fear made his head spin. There was no way out, no way out!

The sound of a bowstring being released and an arrow slicing through air made his stomach drop. As if in slow motion, he saw the deadly projectile race towards him, ready to split his head like an overripe apple. All he could do was close his eyes and wait for the impact.

“Enough!” 

Aizawa’s voice echoed through the training ground.

The feeling of a sudden vaccum of power made Artemis’ stomach turn. Her knees buckled and she sank to the floor, shaking.

The red mist of rage that had made her feel so incredibly hazy started to clear, and slowly feeling returned to her. The sound of human voices, the echo of hearts shaken up by fear, pounded in her ears.

What had happened? The last thing she remembered was Bakugou’s blast sending her flying, the pain of having the wind knocked out of her, a handful of burned hair… and rage. Cold, deadly rage.

“F-fuck,” she rasped and curled up, trying not to vomit.

When she finally managed to look up, her eyes met the red ones of her teacher.

“This is a training session. A non-lethal training session!” he snarled.

She didn’t know what to say to that. Disgust bubbled up inside of her as she looked around and saw the carnage she’d created. Somehow in her rage, her quirk had taken control of the water that was running underground through pipes and had burst them, forcing the water upwards to attack bakugou.

The ash blond boy was on his hands and knees, sputtering and gasping for air.

Artemis realised that she’d gone too far.

She needed to get out. She needed to get away.

“I-im sorry… I… I’m sorry,” was all she managed to stutter.

Bakugou was being helped back onto his feet by a boy with spiked up red hair. His eyes met hers. The look in his crimson eyes told her everything she needed to know.

Artemis’ heart almost stopped. If Aizawa hadn’t stepped in, then she’d have… No… No.

“The class is dismissed,” the teacher growled. “Everyone go home. Bakugou, go get yourself checked out. As for you…”

But Artemis was gone. Aizawa’s eyes scanned around, catching a glimpse of red hair just before it disappeared behind a building. A groan rumbled in his chest. He’d have to go after her later. For how, he had to explain to the principal why the training grounds were in shambles. Fun. Why did he always end up with the most troublesome kids?

Something stirred in his gut as he remembered the look in Artemis’ eyes before she’d snapped. There was no denying it. Something wasn’t quite right with that girl.

[shikai-the-storyteller]

Homestretch....the final Cyberverse episodes... :’(

Season 3: Episodes 21 - 26

Episode 21

Ok so before we start, I gotta fess up and say I got spoiled for something because Twitter Sucks, so I know Tarn is in this series. Here are my predictions about that: 

Megatron said he rescued Astrotrain from a tyrant. I thought he meant an Alt!Universe version of him, but now that I know This Bastard is gonna be in it, I’m guessing it’s Tarn

If Megatron DID save Astrotrain from Tarn, it’d be hilarious if Tarn & co. weren’t actually planning to kill Astrotrain, they were just using him as transport, in which case Megatron essentially car-jacked (train-jacked?) them.

As much as I rag on Tarn and the DJD I actually do genuinely love the idea of an Autobot + Decepticon teamup against the DJD THAT WOULD BE SO FRICKIN COOL....

Anyways, on to the episode!

Pics taken 10 seconds before disaster, rip Cosmos.

MEDIA BOT and Cosmos! :D GOSH COSMOS REALLY IS CONFIRMED FOR BABY THAT”S ADORABLE.....I’m so glad he’s finally back in a cartoon

OH WHOOPS I FORGOT WINDBLADE WAS FRICKIN DEAD (ish)

LUNA 3???

The “FORBIDDEN” moon? 

Chromia: You can go there anyways! Bee: Huh?  Chromia: When have the rules ever stopped you before? Bee: Fair point

BRO WHY DO YOU HAVE A TOY OF SQUIDSCREAM

aw I love all those photos of him and cosmos, that’s cute

Oh no did he quit the business because he lost Cosmos???

METEOR-FIRE what a cool name

I like this dude a lot

I love that he’s obviously depressed about losing his partner but immediately gets convinced to go break into Luna 3 lmao

HE’S GOT CUTE CAMERAS WITH HIM I love that

LMAO I was gonna say “Wow you just flip the switches alright” THEN HE JUST RIPS THE CORDS OUT I love this guy

Hmm suspicious

Aw I love the space-shots of Cybertron, what a gorgeous planet....

Oh hello cannon-fodder #418

SHOCKWAVE SHOCKWAVE SHOCKWAVE!!!!!

IT”S THE GRUDGE LMAO

It’s probably a sim that shows you the scariest thing you can think of

BLURR!!! AW THAT’S SO SAD

Ok I take it back, it’s probably like MTMTE’s “Cyberutopia” thing where it reads your memory files

Watch the cameras Bee!!!

“Bee, I don’t mean to alarm you, but the alien presence has taken over my circuits” *HEAD DOES A 180* GOSH I LOVE THIS FRICKIN SHOW

The facial expressions in this show are SO FUN Bee’s so expressive I love that

I like that Meteor-Fire is so chill about this, this ain’t his first rodeo

He just snaps his neck back into place that’s so freaky and they play it off so well lol

PRETTY SPACE BALL???? PRETTY SPACE BALL!!! HEY HASBRO CAN YOU MAKE A TOY OF THIS I WANT IT!!!!!!

Gosh I’d legit buy a gem like this if it had constellations engraved on it THAT’S SO PRETTY I LOVE IT

It’s a good thing that Bee’s got Meteor-Fire with him, this is his field!!!

Oh lmao JUST KIDDING I GUESS

Well so much for the alien, rest in pieces

I think Saling already said this in their liveblog but I love that Bee’s collecting Windblade’s parts a-la-Megaman X2 style

COSMOS!!!!!! Yay I’m so glad they got him back!!!

Meteor-Fire: Look everybody, Cosmos is back!!! :D ME TOO BUD I’m so excited to see my space-baby

RODDY AND ARCEE!!!! I love that Percy took over for Maccadam, but that’s also so sad!!! ALSO WHY HAS HE NOT FIXED HIS EYES, RATCHET PLEASE HELP THIS POOR GUY

Episode 22  

OHH PRETTY PLANET

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: The background designers on this show are great

Rodimus: That place has nothing but bad memories for me Every Drift fan simultaneously: Mood....

I really don’t think they’ll bring Drift back (unless he’s like, a zombie, which would still suck) so that’s a bummer

Rodimus: *Talking about his trauma* Me, very distracted: Wow Bee looks really cute here

SERIOUSLY THOUGH THEY NEED RUNG IN THIS SERIES They need a therapist in every Transformers series, all these bots need therapy (though tbf they tried to give Starscream therapy and that sure didn’t help, pft)

GRIMLOCK MAYBE DON’T--oh ok too late WELL THERE THEY GO

Repugnis?? I don’t remember who that is

A CITY?????? PRETTY

INSECTICON

lmao the frickin voice actor for that grey dude cracked me up

BEE MAYBE DON’T IMMEDIATELY TRUST THEM

Energon masters???? What

Interesting that they used “She” for Grimlock

Affluence?? 

Oh great these guys are the Cybertronian bourgeoisie 

Oh boy they’re just wasting energon huh

THE SHOCKS????

That’s a pretty bubble but JEEZ

OH NO WHY CAN”T HE TRANSFORM??

WAIT WHERE”S THE AUDIO oh wait no OP did mention there was an audio dropout

Is Grimlock gonna make friends with the bugs!!!

OH RIGHT the bug is Repugnis 

Aw the bugs are way nicer than the bourgeoisie, surprising absolutely no one

HELL YEAH, EAT THE RICH GRIMLOCK

“If we let you go, things will change! We like things the way they are” jeez

I wonder how the Shocks came about

It frickin figures

PRISON BREAK BEE!!!!

EAT HIM GRIMLOCK!!!

“Well this is quite astonishing” cute....

YEAH I WAS WONDERING IF THEY HAD THE SAME ALT MODE they looked like they had bug-bits, I didn’t realize that thing was keeping them from transforming though

Episode 23   

Oh right Megatron has a Matrix of Leadership I FORGOT ABOUT THAT

I ALSO FORGOT WHIRL WAS IN THIS SERIES, MY BABY.....

JETFIRE WATCH OUT YOU BIG NERD

“Rack ‘n Ruin and Ratchet” OH IS THIS GONNA BE A RATCHET EPISODE??? PLEASE?????? PLEASE SAY RATCHET EPISODE

Aw poor Rack n Ruin...

RATCHET BABY BOY!!! I forgot he was a New Yorker in this series lmao

“I LOVE Jetfire!”  “I know, me too!” CUTE....

I love that every continuity has Ratchet stuck with someone who annoys him in a ship

I love that Ratchet’s not even concerned

RATCHET’S DESIGN IN CYBERVERSE IS SO CUTE...

Wait UNSPACE???? Isn’t that where they sent a bunch of bad people????

Different Quantum Frequencies??? Dimensionally aligned??? MAN I LOVE THIS GOOFY SHOW

“It’s a blue-purple” CUTE....

UH OH HERE COMES ASTROTRAIN throwing dead-end??

I love that Astrotrain is so HUGE compared to everyone else, thank you Cyberverse for my life

“Every time..” LMAO GOSH THIS SHOW IS LITERALLY THE BEST someone please make a gif of that. I love that this implies that every time someone rides in Astrotrain they get ejected at 100 mph and skid 50 ft face-first, that’s such a delightful mental image. I think this 5 second scene is legitimately one of my favorite goofs / scenes in this show IT’S JUST THAT GOOD

You can tell I really enjoyed something when I make a meme of it

IT”S ILLEGAL TO BE THIS CUTE!!!!!!!!

OK IT’S LEGITIMATELY A LITTLE FRIGHTENING TO SEE HOW HUGE ASTROTRAIN IS WHEN IN ATTACK-MODE, HE SO EASILY PICKED THEM UP but that’s why it’s cool for him to be SO much bigger than they are, I LOVE BIG CYBERTRONIANS

LMAO I LOVE ASTROTRAIN he’s such a turd to DeadEnd

“Time to pay Ratchet a house-call. ‘Cuz he’s a doctor!” I almost snorted my drink up my nose, I LOVE THE DORKY HUMOR IN THIS SHOW

I swear this series was made with me in mind

TWO HEADS, NO BRAINCELLS

You wonder if Shadow Striker and Soundwave ever just rock-paper-scissor to see who has to deal with the latest Autobot bs that day

“And we don’t” OH SHOOT THEY’RE BEING LEFT OUT OF THE DECEPTICON’S PLANS TOO...This is more dire than I thought

Man I really do love Shadow Striker and Soundwave, they’re the only competent Decepticons

OH NO NOT RATCHET!!! NO!!!!!

Ohh so Astrotrain is still a triple changer in this series!! :O

WOW A SHOT TO THE HEAD REALLY DIDN”T DO ANYTHING HUH

REST IN PIECES DEADEND lmao he and Percy both have good survival stats it seems

NICE MOVES GRANDPA glad your hips still work lol

Oh good I’m glad they actually kept the purple thing

RIP Rack n Ruin

DEADEND YOU DONT EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT IS

YEAHHHHH SHADOW STRIKER AND SOUNDWAVE!!!!!

“You’ve been told this area is off-limits” Oh shoot so Megatron really doesn’t trust them with this huh??? Must be some serious stuff they saw while universe-hopping

“Make us” SOUNDWAVE I WOULD DIE FOR YOU MY SASSY BOY

Love that he’s pissing off this dude who’s literally 4 times his height, love my son

Shadow Striker & Soundwave are Goth / Jock solidarity

Ratchet: Yeah yeah yeah I know Cuteeee

Wow they’re really not gonna help Shadow Striker and Soundwave????

THEY’RE LITERALLY JUST DOLL-SIZE IN HIS HANDS which is probably a not great reminder for Soundwave after that Dr. Tentacle Dude incident

Astrotrain: *bops their faces together* heehee Soundwave: BI Shadow Striker: >8(

JEEZ, BYE ASTROTRAIN

THE STYLE IS SO JARRING I LOVE IT!!! I LOVE UNSPACE AND HOW IT LOOKS (especially when contrasted with the regular drawing-style of the show. Really great artistic choice!)

Oh shoot so Astrotrain can just leave whenever huh

Aw what cute high fives, man this show has such good vibes

Episode 24  

NOOOO ONLY THREE EPISODES LEFT.....

:(((((

WINDLBADE!!!! I hope she’ll be ok

DID it work?? Wait you guys still have two frickin shards left, YOU”RE SO BAD AT THIS

A SHARK????? WTF

HE JUST PICKED HER UP AND DIPPED WTF WHO IS THAT

It’s not Skybyte obviously but he’s a shark too so WHO IS THAT

OHH IS THAT THE HALL OF RECORDS???? 

Wait wtf the Decepticons are attacking?? Oh wait RACK N RUIN DID YOU REALLY TELL THEM THAT

OH NO HE FROZE

WHOA  WHAT”S HAPPENING

WHAT OPTIMUS NO

WHAT”S HAPPENING!!!!! WTF

I WAS GONNA MAKE A BSOD JOKE BUT I TAKE IT ALL BACK OPTIMUS PLEASE BE OK YOU CAN’T DIE IN THIS SERIES

Is this referencing the other time when he glitched oh no....I knew that’d come back to bite us

In other news, I love that we’re learning more about the life and (cyber)biology of Cybertron, I’m so glad we got to have pretty much almost the entire series set on Cybertron

I MEAN JUST LOOK AT THAT!!! THAT’S SO COOL!!! This is the stuff I want to see in Transformers shows!!!

Hasbro could literally make a nature documentary set on Cybertron and I’d be ecstatic. Gimme more details about their world and architecture and city stuff

“Fellow Primes, why have I been summoned?” Oh shoot so the other past primes can just jack OP’s consciousness whenever??? That frickin sucks. I do love the Atlantis vibes I’m ge HOLY FRICK IS THAT MAC

AHHHHHHHH MACCADAM!!!!!!!!!!! GRANDPA!!!!!!! PLEASE GIVE OPTIMUS DAD ADVICE!!!!!! IM SO GLAD WE GET TO SEE HIM AGAIN

Chromia: Bee are you crazy?? Bee: YES! *jumps off the ship*

I love that this weird storm cloud area is basically like an ocean, that’s so cool

OH NO BEE!!!!!!!

Jeez that startled me, the shark sounds just like Bee

“Well you’re doing a scrap job” lmao Chromia please

Oh it’s the Argon Sea, it IS an ocean pft

“An ancient evil” hooo boy

BEE he’s so cute. Wait don’t just jump down a random hole AT LEAST WAIT FOR CHROMIA

CREEPY TENTACLE STUFF AGAIN, JEEZ CYBERVERSE

KICK HIS BUTT CHROMIA

Aw man, not you too Bee

MISTRESS OF FLAME!!!! I get so excited about every IDW reference haha, I love Caminus and I love that they’re letting that still exist

JEEZ THAT”S NOT CREEPY AT ALL

Is this a Titan???? IT IS A TITAN

It’s like a Cthulu titan huh

Chromia: That is THE creepiest thing I’ve ever heard THANK YOU CHROMIA, SAME THOUGHT

Chromia’s just like “This doesn’t even come close to my Top 10 list of BS I’ve had to deal with lately”

More weird smoke, oh great

JEEZ THAT’S A FREAKY TITAN

Me, crying softly: GAY RIGHTS....(and Bee). MAN THE FRIENSHIPS IN THIS SHOW ARE SO GREAT :’)

ALCHEMIST PRIME!!!!!!!!! I FRICKIN KNEW YOU WERE A PRIME

“But this is not about me” I WANNA KNOW MORE ABOUT YOU THOUGH

Wait why is a part of Windblade in Megatron’s Matrix

WHY WOULD THEY ALSO BE IN THE OTHER MATRIX oh they mean alt-universe them

It’s frickin HYSTERICAL that every time Optimus has some ~deep spiritual~ conversation with the past Primes he’s just standing there frozen while the Autobots wait for him to unfreeze like he’s some kind of ancient computer doing updates. Like, that’s legitimately one of the funniest pieces of information canon’s given us so far, thank you for my life Cyberverse writers.

I wonder if Arcee and the other bots ever take selfies with him while he’s frozen like that THERE’S SO MUCH POTENTIAL FOR COMEDY HERE

Optimus: *is frozen for a couple hours while talking to old Primes* Autobots: *put on PJs and unroll their sleeping bags so they can have a slumber party while waiting for him*

Heck now I’m just imagining them playing truth or dare or some similar game while waiting for Optimus to wake up. 

I’m sure at some point during their voyage on the Ark, Optimus froze and they all played the “who can do this silly / embarrassing thing in front of Optimus and get away with it before he wakes up” game. Like, Rodimus somersaults down the hall while spouting fire in front of Optimus, Bee does a handstand while singing the alphabet backwards, etc, and whoever’s in front of Optimus when he “wakes up” loses. (It’d be even funnier if Optimus kept pretending to be frozen while they played until someone did something REALLY embarrassing and he unfroze to freak them out. Then again, the Matrix going back into his chest would probably be too much of a giveaway huh)

OH NO I WAS SO CAUGHT UP IN THE EUPHORIA OF THIS IDEA I FORGOT THERE’S ONLY TOO EPISODES LEFT NOW....

Episode 25

I love Astrotrain’s design (both in bot-mode and his alt mode) because he just looks like a grumpy evil train and that makes me so happy.

Also RAIN!!! I love rain and this looks so pretty

LMAO ASTROTRAIN YOU’RE SUCH A TURD I had no opinion of him before this show but now I frickin love him

HE PULLED THE CHAIR OUT FROM UNDER HIM

“I HAVE HIS MATRIX” OH NO DID HE STEAL THIS FROM SHATTERED GLASS’ OPTIMUS OH FRICK

Megatron running like that while holding the Matrix in his hands reminds me so vividly of a younger sibling stealing their older sibling’s diary and fleeing at top-speed from said older sibling and that’s hilarious to me. Megatron is so petty

Dang, so that’s how his eye got messed up. Ngl it’s a good look

CYBER COWS!!!!

Wow that wall is so WEAK the Decepticons are so dumb lmao

Oh yeah they have a new furry on their team

Rodimus: Math isn’t my strong-suit.

Arcee: Especially me!  Arcee you are ADORABLE

OH SHOOT MEGATRON CAN TALK TO THE PAST PRIMES TOO...DANG

WINDBLADE!!! MAKE WINDBLADE A PRIME YOU COWARDS

Ok I know I said “Shattered-Glass Optimus” earlier but based on that spoiler some moron on Twitter posted, IT’S PROBABLY TARN...man I wish I hadn’t seen that spoiler but despite that IM STILL EXCITED

Makes you wonder how TARN got the Matrix though (not that I can’t guess 8( )

Oh my gosh I just realized we have the potential to see Windblade kick Tarn’s butt in this series. Cyberverse PLEASE, I’D LOVE TO SEE THAT

Ah so Astrotrain is the new scientist

Ur bugs are probably dead dude

LASERBEAK!!!!

RAVAGE??? Oh no that’s the furry dude MAN I GET SO EXCITED EVERY TIME, I KEEP FORGETTING

As much as I Die for loyal Soundwave, it’s really cool seeing him being his own character and acting on his own in this series and trusting his own judgement / surveillance! It’s so good. Soundwave you’re so smart (and I love that he loves Laserbeak :’) )

*SOBBING* CASE IN POINT...HE PET THE BABY..

OHOHO IT”S *THE* INSECTICONS

Oh shoot the Insecticons are deserting 

“No one can stop him. Not even you” dang son

“He doesn’t want us. He wants you” OH BOY

MY BABY WHIRL!!!! THAT’S MY BOY

SEEKERS!!! I forgot we still had a few who Starscream didn’t frickin kill

NICE JUMP-ATTACK OPTIMUS I love that he cuts the dude’s weapon in half meanwhile Grimlock just frickin eats the guy lmao. So much for Optimus’ mercy

FRICK FRICK FRICK IT IS TARN

OK TARN OBJECTIVELY SUCKS BUT AT THE SAME TIME I ACTUALLY DO LOVE HIM BECAUSE HOLY FRICK IS HE A DANGEROUS CHARACTER AND THERE’S SO MUCH TO PLAY WITH THERE, I CANT WAIT TO SEE HIM AND HOW THEY USE HIM FOR THE STORY AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dead End: Yeah, I see your point Lmao I love this guy

Everyone’s gonna frickin die in this series

OH NO WHIRL oh wait yeah he and Dead End know each other, Whirl’s fine

SOUNDWAVE CAN YOU AND SHADOW STRIKER CHILL FOR 2 SECONDS

I love Skybyte’s voice

WOW MEGATRON, YOU”RE ONLY PROTECTING HALF THE PLANET, JEEZ

OH SHOOT

OH SHOOT

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh so that’s why they had a wall, Megatron you turd

WHIRL NO!!!!!!! oh he’s fine thank goodness

Did Megatron get taller??? He looks taller than Optimus now

Just use Optimus’ matrix you big baby

“It’s time I called in that debt you owe me. Now it’s time for you to save me” I LEGITIMATELY SHRIEKED OUT LOUD, AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

THERE HE IS, THERE HE IS THERE HE IS!!!!!!!

SCREW PAST ME’S OPINION, TARN IS FRICKIN COOL AS HELL

OH SHOOT THERE’S A TON OF HIM WTF

WHERE’S THAT FRICKIN “THERE IT IS, THERE IT IS, THERE!!! IT!!! IS!!!” MEME BECAUSE THAT’S BEEN ME THIS ENTIRE EPISODE HOLY HECK

Episode 26

MORE PRIME NAMES!!! A) that’s very pretty B) LEGIT THOUGH IF WINDBLADE’S THE ONE WHO KICKS TARN’S BUTT I’LL GO APE

OH FRICK IF OPTIMUS IS THERE THEN TARN REALLY DID KILL HIM or it means he beefed it in that universe, as he usually does

“I wish I’d gotten to know you better” 8((((((

What happened to Alt!Universe Optimus!!!!!!! How did you die!!!

Windblade: Optimus, you’re speaking in riddles... Optimus: I always do, it comes with the job of Prime. Windblade: Oh right

“A perfect Decepticon race” HOO BOYZY.....

“All because I spared your life” MAN THAT HURTS

At least they aren’t attacking them right now?

HOW CAN THEY POSSIBLY RESOLVE THIS SERIES IN 10 MINUTES

ASTROTRAIN YOU COWARD not that I blame him, every bot for themself I guess

OH NO THE HURT PUPPY WHINE MAKES ME SO SAD

HELL YEAH SOUNDWAVE SAVE MY BABY BEE

I TAKE IT BACK TARN IS CANCELED, HE HIT SOUNDWAVE

*AND* HE GRABBED CHROMIA, YOU”RE CANCELED, ALL THESE CLONES ARE CANCELED

SOUNDWAVE IS THE ONLY VALID DECEPTICON

Optimus: Can’t keep-- Megatron: WE MUST! Me: *SOBS*

OPTIMUS AND MEGATRON BACK-TO-BACK FIGHTING AHHHHHHHHHH, IT”S THE LITTLE-THINGS

Definitely not the right time for this joke but: AU where instead of saying “Powers of Cybertron, unite!” they say “GAY RIGHTS” to activate their Matrix powers

Frick what if they kill MEGATRON in this series

HECK YEAH EVERYONE’S GETTING AN UPGRADE

Megatron: We must join our Matrixes together! Optimus: Now REALLY isn’t the best time for a marriage proposal Megatron: What Optimus: What

Thank you for telling Optimus to get down for once instead of just blasting him AND the Tarn-copies, Megatron

OH FRICK IT IS ALT-UNIVERSE MEGATRON NOT TARN WHO’S THE BIG BAD

I LEGIT STOPPED BREATHING DURING THIS ENTIRE SEQUENCE AHHHH

THIS IS INFINITELY BETTER (AND WORSE) THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE AHHHHHHHHHHHHH

THAT MEANS ALT!UNIVERSE MEGATRON DID KILL OPTIMUS...MEANWHILE OUR UNIVERSE’S MEGATRON SPARED OPTIMUS...MAN THAT HURTS ME SO BAD

MEGATRON NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OPTIMUS SAVE HIM SAVE HIM PLEASE SOMEHOW SAVE HIM!!!!!

OPTIMUS LITERALLY FRICKIN RAN ACROSS THE ROOM TO CATCH HIM, MY HEART CAN’T TAKE THIS DRAMA

NO!!!! NO!!!!!!!!!!! YOU CAN”T DO THIS TO ME CYBERVERSE

“Prime...one shall stand...one shall....” THIS IS THE SADDEST FRICKIN THING THAT”S HAPPENED IM LEGIT GONNA CRY, NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“Hold on...my friend...” IM GONNA BAWL MY EYES OUT OPTIMUS

I legit had to take a moment to get up and do a lap around my room while processing what happened LIKE OK I KNOW THEY PROBABLY (???) WON’T PERMA-KILL MEGATRON BUT FRICK DUDE THAT WAS SO EMOTIONAL

MEGAOP RIGHTS....BUT AT WHAT COST

What’s fricking me up rn (granted, several things are fricking me up right now) is that this universe’s Megatron knew he could’ve achieved his goals if he’d just killed Optimus. He said so himself; he could’ve had it all but he failed “all because I spared your [Optimus’] life”. Whatever he saw in that other universe convinced him that killing Optimus just wasn’t worth it (or perhaps, deep deep DEEP down, he really doesn’t want to kill his old friend).

I’m rewatching that last minute and this feels like a frickin fanfiction. I’m Living but also Dying

I KNOW THIS IS A VERY TENSE SCENE BUT MEGATRON’S “I won’t pay for anything!” MADE ME LAUGH

SOUNDWAVE STANDING BETWEEN SHADOW-STRIKER AND MEGATRON!!!!!!!!! STANDING UP TO MEGATRON!!!! SOBS I LOVE SOUNDWAVE SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!! BUT ALSO PLEASE BE CAREFUL MY SWEET BOY!!!!! IF YOU GET HURT ILL NEVER BE OVER IT

Two reasons he could’ve done that: to keep Shadow Striker from getting super pissed off and lashing out at this enemy who’s way above their level, or because the “jacked up Frankenstein experiment” thing is a sore subject for her and Soundwave recognizes that (and frankly I’m leaning toward option B because SOBS....I LOVE THEIR FRIENDSHIP)

GOTH FRIENDS!!!

OH OK THANK GOODNESS, MEGATRON ISN’T DEAD DEAD YET

Dang so Megatron did kill Optimus

OH NO WE’RE GETTING A FLASHBACK

FRICK THAT”S SO GRUESOME, HE JUST RIPPED OPTIMUS’ CHEST OPEN

YOU ALREADY KNOW THE MOST PERFECT DECEPTICON, HIS NAME IS SOUNDWAVE!!! YOU JUST DON’T APPRECIATE HIM YOU BIG BULLY

Oh shoot so the Quints came to that world too

DANG HE JUST WRECKED THEIR SHIP HUH....

I’m loving this throwback to the IDW design

WOW Y’ALL JUST IMMEDIATELY WENT “SURE WE’RE ONBOARD” (I mean, good way to stay alive but C’MON GUYS....)

“I have no need for any of you” WHOOPS SO MUCH FOR THAT should’ve seen that coming

THIS SUCKS SO BAD

NONONONO!!!! MEGATRON!!!!

HECK NOW HE HAS THE MATRIX

wow you guys really just let Megatron fall to the floor COME ON OPTIMUS WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR SMOOTH MOVES

NICE ONE BEE!!!!!!

YEAH WERE ARE ARCEE AND HOT ROD

FRICK YEAH WHIRL, MESS HIM UP!!!!!!!!!

YEAH SHADOW STRIKER!!!!!!

RATCHET PUNCHING TARN HELL YEAH!!!!!!!!!!

FRICK HE CAN JUST MATERIALIZE LIKE THAT TOO

WELL THAT DIDN’T LAST LONG

BEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“And now you will pay the price...for being a hero” DANG THAT”S A COOL LINE BUT DON’T HURT MY BOY

FRICK HIM UP OPTIMUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WINDBLADE NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO SAVE EVERYONE

YEAHHHH WINDBLADE!!!!!!!

Yeah don’t turn your back on the body please

YO Astrotrain came back

ASTROTRAIN THAT SOUNDS SO CREEPY AND ALSO THAT’S SUCH A BAD IDEA, JUST KILL HIM

I know this is a kid’s show but PLEASE DO SOMETHING TO MAKE SURE HE WON’T POP BACK UP IN A FEW YEARS WITH ANOTHER ARMY

IM GLAD WINDBLADE IS BACK AND IM LOVING THE HUG BUT DID MEGATRON LEGIT FRICKIN DIE????

WHAT!!! WHAT THAT CAN’T BE IT!?!?!? HOW COULD YOU END IT LIKE THAT NO!!!!!!! THAT WAS SO ABRUPT nO!!!!!!!!!! 

The last few episodes were such an adrenaline rush I CAN”T BELIEVE WE CAME DOWN FROM THAT HIGH SO QUICKLY....IS MEGATRON ALIVE??? KICKSTARTER TO FUND ONE MORE EPISODE???? SPARE ANOTHER EPISODE FOR A POOR FAN???

MAN I wish we could’ve stayed in the universe of this show for a little longer but dang!!! That was really really good!!! I’m so grateful we got to have such a wonderful series like Cyberverse! :’) Thank you to everyone who worked on this incredible show!!!

Man now I gotta wait for WfC for new Transformers content....at least I can look through the tag w/out getting spoiled now

A few more thoughts now that I’ve re-read my liveblog:

If Megatron could hop into the Matrix of Leadership he possessed, I wonder if he ever had a chance to talk to that universe’s Optimus Prime... :( based on what he said, probably not, but that makes me so sad!!!! Did they ever get the chance to work things out!!! IS MEGATRON ALIVE OR NOT.....

[sarbear94]

6x12 “Adjustment Protocol”

Okay guys too be honest, I wasn’t a big fan of this episode. It had its wonderful moments don’t get me wrong. But it was kinda slow, which I expected. It’s just a buildup, set everything in motion as we move into the finale. I can’t believe we’re there already.

Abby dying has been foreshadowed for a few episodes. And it the promo for 6x12 we recognized Abby’s profile in front of Russell with a stringer in her neck. And I don’t know if you’ve payed attention, but I knew that syringe was the “mind wipe.” There’s been only 2 main syringes in Sanctum. The “mind wipe” and the “paralyzer.” But we have seen that one a few times. Clarke and Bellamy both got paralyzed in previous episodes and in 6x11 Clarke used one on Madi. When Clarke was “dying,” the camera focused on Russell with the “mind wipe” syringe trying to talk to Clarke to get himself through what he was about to do. I still remembered that scene when I watched the promo for 6x12.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Abby but I said when Kane died that I didn’t think Abby would live happily ever after. I thought she might if Raven helped her through it, once she got off her high horse. And we got that too. But with Abby taking the night blood, plus learning that Clarke really is alive, plus mending with Jackson, plus mending with Raven, all of that was just confirming that she was gonna die. (And for those of you who think she’s not really dead-she was Emp’d. Alie said that only those with her code have the surgical mesh to cling to. Raven and Abby were Emp’d, frying Alie’s code.) Goodbye Abby Griffin, Welcome back Simone Lightbourne.

I know I might get some hate here but I absolutely LOVED the scene with Echo and Clarke in the tea house. Echo already had a feeling that Clarke was back before she even looked at her. I like Echos character and the scene in 6x11 with Ryker was kinda a let down cause she was just talking to him about doing better and wishing she could change but she killed him immediately after being freed. I can take that as Echo said it to save her own ass and learned nothing or I can take it as she knows who she is, she may not like it but it’s kept her alive, so why change? Like Murphy at any point in the show. Murphy’s changing, maybe Echo someday will too. Okay back on point, Clarke and Echo hugging was amazing. The last real memory Clarke has of Echos character was her almost killing Clarke in the church then their argument about a guy. From that to this is what I call growth! They are just thankful the other is alive and well, not holding grudges from the past and they’re not butting heads about a guy. 👏

My favorite part of this episode was the Murphy(Emori) & Clarke official reunion. The look and dialogue from Murphy was already a big change from who he used to be. Of who Clarke saw at the campfire in 6x01. Then Clarke saying she’s proud of him. Hksidjw-be still my heart! Cockroaches for the win!

The ultimate best thing about this episode was the costumes. A round of applause for that department, they killed it. There were so many costume changes this episode and Every. Single. One. was fantastic. Murphy and Emori looked like a freaking power couple. The guy liner was amazing. Richard looked hot with it. And Emori looked radiant. I saw a close up of the wrap for her hand and it was elegant. Turned her hand, who people called freaky and looked down on her for, into something to be presented. It said “look at it and be amazed.”

Clarke’s power outfit was a good mix of her and Josie’s style and it slayed. Bellamy in his “comfy cardigan” was a move that clearly said “dad.” Meaning leader, protector, reasonable. Bash on the cardigan all you want, I freaking love it. It represents who Bellamy is now compared to who he was on Earth. He doesn’t want violence anymore. He truly does want peace. He wants to do better, be better. Lastly, Paige, Good God, her outfit was fucking fierce. Paige picked out the dress herself. Which really works well with her skin tone. The lacey, rose cover was hand stitched to go with the outfit. I will take one, please! And the jewelry just tied everything together. She looked like a force to be reckon with. Nothing like how we saw Simone before. No, this was supposed to be different. It was going with the story of “Abby’s dead. Simone’s back” in visuals. It was supposed to show Clarke that it wasn’t her mom anymore. Most men think women are exaggerating when we say the perfect outfit “tells a story” or “says something.” We really aren’t. This is proof. Clothing says as much as whatever comes out of our mouths.

There were also, lingering looks and cracked voices between Bellamy and Clarke. But that’s my type of thing. I love everything about them, so I don’t need to go into it, cause my fellow shippers already see what I see, and feel how I feel. Nothing major happened between them so I don’t need to go into details. (I will though if you ask! I’m always up to talking about Bellarke(past seasons or present))

Let me know what you think!

With the finale I probably will not live blog(I’ll be too invested to tear my eyes from the tv screen) and I can predict that I’ll post multiple long posts about everything. So get prepared and ready. 6 more days to go til the finale episode of season 6. Fuck.

Until next time Tumblees! 💯❣️

[anefan]

bittersweet between my teeth

Rating: T

Words: 1.7k

Warnings: None!

~

It was quiet when Stiles snuck back to the Hale house, the clearing hushed like even nocturnal birds and animals were respecting the crime scene. He wasn’t sure why Derek would still be here, but he had a hunch. The hunch was: Derek had nowhere else to go. Even after all the terrible things that had happened in this half-acre patch of burnt woods, Derek still thought of it as home. Maybe the fresh coat of tragedy and gunpowder would be enough to make the idea of sleeping here less appealing than hunting for an apartment—if Derek stayed in Beacon Hills at all. That thought had hit him like a ball of ice, had burned through his exhaustion and driven him back here, to the most recent setting of his future nightmares.

The creak of the porch steps made him freeze, skin taut over racing blood, even as he reminded himself that Derek would have heard him coming a mile away. He took another step, then two, past the gaping front door ragged with bullet holes.

Stiles cleared his throat, as if that could keep his voice from cracking. “Derek?”

Silence was his only answer, but it was a particular quality of silence, one that Stiles had become pretty well acquainted with. He waited for his eyes to adjust to the dark.

“Hey,” Stiles said to the stiff shadow above the stairs. The dull gleam of unearthly red slowly expanded from slits as the new alpha’s eyes opened just enough to glare at him.

“Go home,” Derek said.

“I went,” Stiles said. He’d changed, showered, picked up the spare key for the jeep, and made Jackson ferry him back to the parking garage where Peter had threatened and abandoned him, a lifetime ago. Jackson had been white-knuckled and silent the entire way; small mercies. That wouldn’t last. “Now, I’m back.”

The red eyes vanished, and Stiles heard a soft thump as Derek dropped his head back against the wall. “Why.”

“Um.” Stiles kind of wanted to step further in and close the door behind him, but he wasn’t sure normal house etiquette applied to half-torched, bloodstained, bullet-riddled husks. He shuffled in place. “So. You’re the alpha.”

Silence.

“How’s that… going,” he tried.

The silence somehow gave him the impression that if he had werewolf powers, he’d hear Derek grinding his teeth.

“I just ask because… well. The last guy who was the alpha, he was… how do I say this? Nuts. Totally nuts.”

“Stiles.”

“He was so nuts that the drive to make a pack had him immediately deciding that his number one priority was to bite literally the first asshole he ran into, which was Scott. And you saw how that turned out for him. Not to mention, the whole string of murders afterwards was murder on—on my dad.”

Silence.

“So you see where I’m going with this.”

The red eyes flared again, brighter. The upper floor creaked dangerously as Derek leaned forward. “Are you asking?”

“I—.” Despite the open door at his back and that half the house was ripped open to the woods, Stiles felt like the air had been sucked out of the room. He took a few deep breaths. Licked his lips. “What?”

“Are. You. Asking.”

“For—am I asking for the bite?”

“Yes, Stiles. Are you asking for the bite.”

“No!”

“Then why are you here?” The eyes rose gracefully as Derek stood up to loom harder, brightening as they caught more light, or Stiles’s eyes adjusted. Or maybe the glow burned hotter as Derek got pissed.

“I just came to check on you! God! I don’t want you to bite me, but I—”

“That’s a lie.”

Stiles felt his heart leap into his throat, shook his head against the memory of Peters teeth against his wrist. “You can listen to my heartbeat from all the way up there? That’s—ha. Freaky alpha hearing.” The sudden sweat on the back of his neck was clammy as he wiped it away.

“Stiles,” Derek snapped, and whatever it was that always drew Stiles’s attention no matter how scattered, like a magnet, like a lightning bolt, it was stronger now. It rang inside him, echoing, reverberating, so that one word had him reeling like a struck tuning fork, answering before he could catch his breath.

“I’m not—it’s not a lie. I mean, who doesn’t want superpowers, right? But I—You said it could kill me.” And so had Peter. “I can’t do that to my dad, Derek. I can’t leave him alone.”

The palpable cloud of menace slowly receded. The red vanished. “Okay,” Derek said, strangely subdued.

Stiles gaped into the darkness, thrown by the simple acceptance. But. Derek knew something about being left.

So Stiles barreled on, rather than let either of them dwell on it. “That’s a yes on the instincts, I guess. If you’re just handing out wolf bites to whoever drops by.”

“Laura fought it for years,” Derek said, and even from the upper story, it felt close. Confessional. “I’ll—I can control it.” From how he was struggling to even say it, Stiles was skeptical.

“She had a pack,” Stiles pointed out. “She had you.”

Silence.

Stiles licked his lips again, heart pounding. Closed his eyes. “I know you can have humans in a pack. I know—your family had humans. And I’ve been in Scott’s pack. Since. So far.” Derek made a dark, derisive noise, and Stiles hurried to finish before he got angry again, or laughed. “If it’s okay that I’m human—that I stay human, I could—I would—"

He barely registered the shriek of the bannister as Derek leapt over, or the displaced rush of air. The solid landing, on the weakened floorboards right in front of him, almost brought Stiles to his knees. “Whoa, hey—"

“Don’t joke about this,” Derek said, eyes like a banked fire, too close to look away from, close enough that Stiles could feel the raw heat of him, breathed in the animal musk and ash and—pond scum, weirdly, like he’d jumped in a lake. His palm was hot through Stiles’s thin t-shirt, shoving him back against the wall, splayed fingers digging in like he could pick Stiles up like a basketball, like he could tear out his heart, and maybe he could. “Don’t say it if you don’t mean it,” he said, but it sounded like he was the one torn open, bleeding out. This close, the darkness weak between them, Stiles could see the wildness, the fear, that his whole façade was made up of cracks, barely strung together. Stiles realized with a jolt that if he pushed him just right, dug his fingers into the sensitive places, he could make Derek shatter.

Somehow, that made it easier to rest his hand over Derek’s, to lightly press that trembling power even closer to his heart. “I mean it,” Stiles said, meeting his eyes, steady, strong. “I want to be in your pack.”

Derek’s fingers spasmed hard enough that Stiles was pretty sure he’d have bruises in the morning, and the air between them was full again of that pressure Derek had reeled in earlier, the weight of his power. The scarce inches separating them were charged with a turbulent potential that Stiles could almost feel like static on his skin. Slowly, carefully, eyes burning, Derek leaned closer.  Stiles had to bite his lip and try not to hyperventilate, couldn’t help but glance down at his mouth as it opened, and he couldn’t keep in a gasp when the edge of Derek’s teeth shone in reflected starlight. The fangs. The fangs. His heart kicked into higher gear and he struggled, on instinct, lashing out, but of course he was stuck, trapped, pinned like a bug, like an idiot—

“Ssh,” Derek murmured, gentle, around his huge fucking fangs. “You have to submit.”

Stiles threw his head back with a high, sharp laugh, because what did that even mean? and then his whole body was shuddering, beyond his control, because Derek’s fangs were on him, on his neck, the barest pressure around his pounding jugular. “Ssh,” Derek said again, and the soft brush of his lips sparked a different kind of shudder entirely, the adrenaline and the heat and the way his skin always leapt to Derek’s touch crashing against each other in a way that was consuming, and mortifying, and entirely not his fault.

“Okay,” Stiles said, sucking in a deep breath, willing it to be true. “Okay, we’re doing this now. This is happening.” He squeezed his eyes shut, unclenched his abused muscles one by one until he could slump against the wall, let Derek take his weight as his warm breath dampened Stiles’s neck. Derek, the bastard, only hummed, giving him yet another sensation to try not to react to. “Ugh.” Not sure what to do with his arms, he tried awkwardly setting one on Derek’s gently heaving shoulder, wrapping the other around in an uncomfortable kind of hug.

Eventually, teeth that had gone human-blunt pulled back entirely, and Derek kind of stiffened. Stiles magnanimously decided to ignore Derek’s embarrassment as he came back to himself.

“You are rank, dude. Did you go run through a swamp?” he said instead, and the tension in his shoulders slowly deflated.

“Lake,” Derek admitted. “Shut up.” He nuzzled into the curve of Stiles’s shoulder a little, like he could do it stealthily. “Pack members should respect the alpha.”

Stiles rolled his eyes. “Oh, yeah? Well, you’ve met me, so if that was a requirement, you shouldn’t have said yes.” He risked a condescending pat on the head, Derek’s hair thick under his fingers. “I don’t think I could respect anyone who smells this fucking terrible.” He ignored Derek’s grumble. “If we’re going to get anyone else to join this pack, you’ll have to shower. Like, regularly.”

The scrape of Derek’s stubble on the delicate skin of his neck sent shivers all the way to his toes, and he felt Derek’s toothy grin in response.

This was either the best or the worst idea he’d ever had.

[jovialyouthmusic]

The Many Lives of Drake Walker

A Royal Romance AU fanfic

Drake and I invite our  new found friends over for some fun

6c Fun and Games in Valtoria

The next day I worked - and I was glad of the distraction, as I realised I was thinking of Drake more and more. What must it be like for him to have places and people so changeable, to not know how long I might be with him? I hoped he was doing something fulfilling while I was not there – or was he in some sort of stasis – how different was the passage of time for him? Was his normality bearable? He was always glad to see me, that was sure.

I had enjoyed visiting my friend’s characters and wanted to go back, wondering if my Drake would want to as well. Later after dinner I wrote, and again my partner went to bed and I stayed up – it was an arrangement that suited us, as he got up early while I slept later. We discovered early on in our relationship that time apart was just as important as time together – time to be ourselves, time to pursue our own interests.

As promised, I read some of the fics we had talked about, drew a deep breath before minimising, and there he was, waiting with a smile.

‘How was your day, sweetheart?’ he asked.

‘Uneventful – I was thinking of you’ He ducked his head and looked up at me through his eyelashes

‘Really? I hope they were wicked thoughts’ he smirked ‘Because my thoughts about you were scandalous’

‘I – I read those chapters we talked about’ I said, feeling stupidly embarrassed.

‘I know, I was there’ he grinned ‘you can consider me well and truly satisfied – for now’ There was a short silence and he held his palm up to the screen for me. Wordlessly I closed my eyes, reached out and was with him. He pivoted me round to hold me by my waist and nuzzle into my neck. We were in the library of the Palace that my friend’s fics were based on, the panel to the secret passage closed.

‘You write great sex scenes’ he said ‘You should write more’ I sighed, feeling warm and tingly.

‘I think you were more involved than me’ I joked. He stepped away and looked me in the eye.

‘You don’t get anything from it?’ he asked, dismayed.

‘I – well it umm – it gets me in the mood’ I said, blushing.

‘Oh Les’ he said sadly. He led me to the low bench that had found its way back into the library and we sat side by side, angled to face each other, He put his hand on my knee and paused, considering his words before holding my gaze. ‘The next time you read a steamy scene with me’ he said ‘I want you to enjoy it too.’ He took my hand and drew soft circles on the back of my hand ‘However you do it – if you have a toy, or your fingers – if you’re going to make me come, I want you to come too. Or you can go and make your partner a happy man instead, and think of me’

‘Oh, that last part is something I already do’ I admitted shyly ‘after so many years together I sometimes need a little inspiration. It’s helped our relationship a lot’ I felt my reservations and inhibitions melting away under his fingers and with his deep soft tones.

‘You said it got you in the mood.’ He said quietly ‘Just how turned on are you right now?’ I felt myself melt inside just a little more – to tell the truth I was very turned on. My face must have betrayed me, as he leaned forward and kissed me deeply, and I went with it. His hand went to the back of my neck, pulling me closer and he shifted toward me on the couch. I put my hand on his chest, feeling his heart beat, just a light pressure, resting my hand and making it plain I wasn’t pushing him away. We broke for breath and he rested his forehead on mine. My breath was ragged and I slipped my hand under his shirt and t shirt, seeking bare flesh.

‘I think you deserve a little release of your own’ he said huskily ‘and if I’m any judge, I don’t think it’s going to take much. We can channel a little Princess Charlotte if you like’ I moaned softly as his hand crept up my thigh, teasing. My eyes were already closed, so I changed my clothes in my mind, hearing him chuckle as I instantly changed from jeans to a summer dress, so his hand was gliding over bare flesh instead of fabric. It was so erotic that it almost pushed me over the edge.

‘Neat trick’ he murmured ‘One of my favourites. Personally I love undressing my women, but this’ his fingers gently started to probe further and I opened my thighs a little ‘shortcut is a huge turn on’

‘You’re welcome’ my voice was hoarse, expressing the desire that coursed through me. He tutted slightly as he pressed further.

‘Naughty girl, no panties’ he whispered, his mouth close to my ear. I thought I might melt as it sent a shiver down my spine. The thought that someone could walk in on us occurred to me, but I knew nothing on earth would stop the inevitable. He nibbled on my earlobe as his fingers slid deeper, and I gasped as he found the hard little nub that was begging for attention. I wondered if my body, sitting at the laptop, was responding too.

‘Oh God Drake’ I moaned ‘Don’t stop’ He chuckled again.

‘Oh I don’t intend to’ his voice was low, and I knew I was close. He nuzzled his way down my neck to my shoulder and his fingers circled the little bump that formed the centre of my universe. ‘My sweet Princess’ he whispered, and I crashed over the edge, waves of pleasure consuming me, walls contracting, and for a moment I was in both worlds – at the same time I was on the couch with Drake, and sitting with my laptop at home. I shuddered and gasped, and somehow I could feel Drake smile triumphantly. Carefully he slid his hand out from between my thighs and held me as I felt the deep ache of the afterglow, breathing hard, mouth dry, body soft and shaking.

‘Wow’ I gasped when I had the control to speak ‘That was intense – and quick’

‘And now you have that glow’ he smiled ‘which I hope to see more of’

‘I – I felt like I was in two places at once.’ I admitted

‘Yeah, I didn’t want to say anything, you went transparent for a moment. It was freaky but you stayed with me.’ He kissed the top of my head ‘There was this one time with a previous companion where she went completely, left me hanging’ I gasped.

‘Wow that must have been scary. Did you figure out why?’ I snuggled into him and he stroked my back, circling and massaging.

‘I think if you’re thinking about the other place, it creates a link, and the energy flows back and drags you back there. What were you thinking at the time?’

‘Oohh’ I replied ‘I was just wondering if my body was responding in front of the laptop’

‘There you go’ He replied ‘Best not to, keep yourself grounded here’

‘I wouldn’t want to leave you in the middle’ I said.

‘Yeah, it was messy’ he grinned.

I don’t want to know’ I said, alarmed. He sighed and gave me a squeeze

‘So apart from trying not to ravish me within an inch of my life, what did you have in mind for this visit?’ If we wait a while our friends will be along again, or we could spend some time alone.’

‘I really enjoyed our visit to meet them, but I was thinking – we never get time just to chill and do ordinary things’ I saw his expression soften.

‘You know, I’d really like to cook for you’ he said ‘we could kill two birds with one stone and have a barbeque’

‘I can’t imagine there being anything like that here at the Palace’ I replied.

‘Then we take our friends to the Manor at Valtoria’ he suggested. ‘And remember, let me do things, don’t magic too much up. Ingredients are fine, finished dishes are not’

‘I don’t want to wound your masculine pride’ I grinned. He grunted mockingly.

‘Okay, let’s go over now, and leave a note for Drake and Kate’ he said. ‘You can physically invite them when we’re ready.’ Holding hands, I thought ourselves to the firepit at Valtoria Manor. He told me what he needed to cook with and I conjured it all up, adding some alcohol to the mix. Luckily there was already a table there to serve food from, and a quick visit to the kitchens provided a few utensils, serving bowls and plates. I speculated that we weren’t the first to use the location for a barbeque and I wasn’t going to waste energy conjuring up staff and unnecessary objects.

‘How about the hot tub?’ He asked ‘If we fire it up now it should be ready by the time we finish eating’ I nodded, and went to pull the cover off, fill it up and turn the heat on.  It was tiring conjuring things up and working on the hot tub so when I’d finished I sat drinking wine while he fired up the grill and started to cook. I enjoyed watching him busy himself, his usual garb covered by an apron, and an idea popped into my head.

‘Shall get them over? I asked

‘Sure, it’s not quite ready but we can all have a drink while we’re waiting’ he said. I closed my eyes and imagined them there – and they appeared from the kitchen. I got up to greet them, going to Kate first to hug her and give her a peck on the cheek.

‘Hi Charlotte, great to see you – or Les’ she said, and her Drake looked awkward. She turned to him, realising he was effectively asking her for permission. ‘Go ahead honey, I don’t mind you giving her a peck on the cheek’ she said, and he smiled with relief. He held my shoulders and chastely kissed me on the cheek. Even that was enough to make my knees go a little weak, and my man looked over at us slightly disapprovingly.

‘Hey Les, don’t go enjoying yourself too much’ he warned. Kate looked at him and giggled – lettering had appeared on his apron that said ‘Will cook for Beer’. He looked confused, glancing down at the apron – which I immediately made plain. His counterpart wasn’t looking at the time, so I winked conspiratorially at Kate, and she switched instantly to a poker face.

‘So’ her man said ‘Is there beer? Normally I’d go for whiskey, but a barbeque calls for beer’ I indicated a cooler box, and he went over to get one out and crack it open while I poured wine for myself and Kate. ‘Want one?’ her Drake said to mine, but he shook his head. As soon as he looked away, I changed the apron so it said ‘Try my Sausage’ with an arrow pointing down.

‘No thanks, not until I’ve done the sausages’ Kate snorted and he gave her a funny look. He went on cautiously ‘How do you like your steak guys?’ Kate’s man was busy taking a swig of beer, and I blinked to change the lettering on the apron to say ‘I rub my meat’. Kate made a strangled noise and bit her cheek as I erased the letters before the men saw it. Again my man looked at us oddly, but I put on my best angelic expression.

‘Medium for me sweetheart’ I smiled. Kate ordered the same and DD went for medium rare. I busied myself getting the table ready, from time to time playing with changing Drake’s apron when only Kate was looking. ‘Prick with a fork’ made her purse her lips trying not to laugh, and ‘I’m flippin’ Awesome’ made her giggle. We sat down to eat the steaks and I gave the joking a rest, but my man was puzzled and kept shooting both myself and Kate odd looks.

‘Is everything okay, fellow Drake?’ Kate’s companion asked.

‘I don’t know’ he replied sceptically ‘I get the idea the girls are up to something’ I widened my eyes innocently

‘Whatever do you mean?’ I said with an angelic air, and Kate feigned surprise. My man shook his head

‘I’m watching you two’ he warned, and went back to chewing. I behaved myself for a little while as we ate and drank. However, as Kate’s companion went to get another beer I couldn’t resist, and the words ‘Real men pull their pork’ appeared on his apron. Kate stifled her giggle but it was too late – my man looked down, cocked his head, read the words and realisation dawned on his face. Kate gave in to her mirth and started to laugh out loud, soon holding her sides and rolling around. Her man looked over and grinned.

‘So that’s what was going on’ he chortled ‘She got you good my friend.’ Drake got up, a look of determination on his face.

‘Right that’s it, mischief maker’ he said. I got up and tried to run, dodging around the bench and keeping it between us. He dodged and weaved and so did I, then he launched himself at me, climbing over the bench and catching at my arm to grab me. I squealed in mock fear, and he picked me up easily and put me over his shoulder. Kate was laughing so hard now her eyes were streaming and she fought for breath.

‘Nooo Drake, what are you going to do?’ I cried and he carried me to the hot tub. ‘Oh no’ I struggled to get out of his clutches. He held me on the edge of the tub, balanced precariously.

‘This is what troublemakers get – a good dunking’ he threatened, but I held on to him tight. He glared at me mockingly ‘Do you promise to leave my apron alone now?’ he growled and I nodded vigorously. He rubbed his stubbly chin on my face and put me down. ‘The tub’s taking its time, maybe we should play a drinking game’ Kate had managed to pull herself together from her fit of laughing, and was obviously giddy from that and from the wine, and I felt quite relaxed myself.

‘ooh I have an idea’ said Kate ‘You two look exactly alike of course, but I wonder if we girls could tell the difference between you blindfold?’ Her Drake’s eyes opened wide

‘Really Katiebear?’ he asked ‘You don’t usually like me touching other women’

‘Oh pish’ she said, ‘I can trust Les – and Charlotte’ she laughed at the absurdity of it all. ‘How about having some music, you guys blindfold us and dance with us, and we can try and work it out. No clues, you have to stay quiet in case you give it away by saying something we can recognise.’

‘Okay, but what’s in it for us?’ asked her man. She grinned

‘A free pass silly – just as far as dancing goes, it’s its own reward. You get to dance with two hot women instead of one’

‘What do you reckon, Drake?’ my man asked

‘What the ladies want, the ladies get, and we may not be great dancers, but anyone can manage a slow dance, right?’ the other answered. The two men huddled together to talk while Kate scrolled though her smartphone to find some music and we plugged it in to the speakers that were set out on the deck. The men used tea towels to blindfold us and spun us round until we were giggling and dizzy, and couldn’t work out which man it was who steadied us and held us ready to dance.

‘Okay, is everybody ready?’ I asked. Kate answered yes and whoever held me gave me a little squeeze.

Drake’s POV

Kate’s proposal was an interesting one, and my doppelganger and I conferred. We agreed to start off with our original partners then swap, and try to shadow what each of us did. We matched the way we held the two women, and I watched to see if he had any moves I needed to replicate, though we had agreed to keep things simple, just a slow dance. At first I held Les at arm’s length, and slowly drew her closer. She smiled under her blindfold, and I savoured her soft curves that seemed to fit me just right. She put her hand on my chest, feeling her way up my neck to my jawline to feel the scratchy stubble. Shivers went down my spine as she put her palm on my cheek, and I smiled too.

‘I have no idea who you are’ she admitted ‘I think you’re my Drake, but I need to compare. We can swap when the music changes. How are you getting on, Kate?’

‘Same here’ she said ‘I thought I’d be able to tell by smell, but the smoke from the barbeque has me confused.’ The music changed and we changed partners. Kate was smaller than Les and it felt odd holding her, though I had already been virtually intimate with both Lucy and Charlotte that day. Again I held her closer as we went, and she snuck her hand around my waist to give my backside a squeeze. I tried not to make a sound or react and she chuckled.

‘This one’s a hard nut to crack’ she laughed ‘I still can’t tell, how about you, Les?’

‘Difficult’ she said ‘Can you switch again, guys?’ I nodded to my collaborator and we moved together, pressing the girls back to back. Les gasped in surprise and Kate giggled. ‘Hey we’re a Drake sandwich’ she laughed, and we spun the girls round so they faced each other then let go to walk around so that all four of us linked arms, the girls between us, then working our way in so we were between them again, back to back. I was now with Les and pulled her close. I couldn’t help nuzzle into her neck to breathe her scent, and DD followed suit with Kate.

‘oh, you must be my Drake’ cried Les, and we spun around again, the girls back to back and swapped again. We kept switching until the girls were giddy and giggling with mirth. Kate reached up to take her blindfold off. It was dark now, and only the light from the house and a few strings of led fairy lights illuminated the terrace where the fire pit and hot tub stood.

‘I think they’re cheating Les, take your blindfold off’ she cried, and she did so.

‘I’m so dizzy I can hardly focus’ she laughed ‘and they both look exactly the same. Did you switch at all, guys?’ I nodded and grinned, staying silent and at a signal we sandwiched Kate for a moment then switched to Les. Finally we went to our partners and held them close.

‘That was fun’ Les murmured ‘I think I know who was who – was it you to start with?’ I grinned

‘Yes, but who am I?’ I replied, and she laughed. I nuzzled into her neck again and inhaled, feeling as if I couldn’t get close enough to her.

‘You’re mine’ she whispered ‘Kate’s Drake wouldn’t be so bold’ I held her tight

‘Damn right, if he’d tried anything more I’d have dropped him’ I assured her. ‘Did you know Kate grabbed my backside to get me to react?’

‘And did you?’ she asked

‘Nope, I kept my cool.’

My POV

The guessing game over, we decided it was time to refresh our drinks and get into the hot tub. Drake eyed me hungrily as I stripped, revealing a swimming costume. He kept eye contact with me as he undressed, balancing precariously on one leg as he got out of his jeans, keeping his boxers on. The other two helped each other, more comfortable in their intimacy. Drake held my hand as I entered the warm water. I sighed as I settled onto the ledged seat and felt the currents and eddies of the water, and he slid next to me, putting his hand on my knee and leaning across for a kiss on the cheek. He stayed close to my ear to murmur huskily

‘Next time we’ll be on our own, and I’ll most definitely help you out of every stitch you’ll be wearing’ I shivered and leaned into him.

‘I look forward to it – and those boxers will be gone too’ I whispered. DD nudged Kate.

‘Not long to go’ he said ‘They’ll be getting it on any minute now’ She giggled

‘not while we’re here’ she said ‘I think they’ll be discrete.’ My man looked sheepish and cleared his throat in embarrassment.

‘So did I tell you about the time my man did a competitive strip with Liam for Charlotte and Olivia in the Royal Box at the races?’ I asked, and Kate’s eyes widened.

‘Not competitive’ asserted my man ‘More co-operative’

‘Do tell’ said Kate, and my man groaned.

‘To cut a long story short, Drake and Liam – who I named Brad at the time – lost a bet at the races and had to do a striptease for us’

(if you’d like more detail, read about it here)

‘Then Bastien came in, and we never found out how far Olivia would have got with Brad’ I laughed. Kate giggled

‘That sounds like fun, it was brave of you to give it a go Drake, I don’t think my man here would try’

‘Not in public, no’ he conceded. ‘In private maybe’ He wiggled his eyebrows at her. I looked knowingly at my man – in my fic he had indeed given a private show on the night he and Charlotte had finally consummated their physical relationship.

Kate’s man looked across the hot tub at the other couple, trying to imagine how much whiskey it would take for he and Nicholas to attempt the same kind of strip tease. Never gonna happen, especially not for the Olivia he knew. Kate was still grinning next to him, meanwhile under the water her hand was creeping up his thigh. Clearing his throat and laying his hand over hers, he addressed the other man. 

'Hey, I bet doing that lapdance and stuff must have really been outside of your comfort zone. I can relate. Just a few days ago I was onstage singing Karaoke in front of a bunch of screaming women in New York. Scared the crap out of me.’ The other Drake stared back at him incredulous.

(if you’d like to read about it, click here)

'No way, don't believe you. "Drakes" don't sing.' Kate laughed, inclining her head toward the man sitting next to her.

'This one did, and I thought Drakes didn't dance either and clearly they do that onstage too. I thought it was incredibly hot, until he pulled a pair of my panties out of his pocket. I probably blushed seven shades of red that night.' With a smirk Drake looked at Kate, then leaned in to kiss her cheek.

'Yeah, you did. Darn it was cute.' Charlotte laughed,

'And why were you carrying a pair of her panties in your pocket?' Drake shrugged, and then with a splash and yelp of surprise from Kate, he lifted her onto his lap. If Charlotte and Drake were going to cuddle in the hot tub he wanted some of that too. 'A souvenir of earlier in the evening. I bet your Drake over there has probably kept something of Charlotte's at some point as a memento of your time together.' Charlotte looked at her man, raising her eyebrows, knowing that he was self aware, and played in other fics with other women.

'Do you have a collection of souvenirs too?' she asked searchingly.  He stammered, blushing a little,

'Uh, no of course not.'  Across the tub Kate had her arms wrapped around Drake's neck and they started kissing. His voice dropped low as he looked into her eyes.

'Speaking of souvenirs. I picked up one fine, fine thing back in New York, and she's definitely a keeper.'  Holding his hands up and shaking his head, the other Drake spoke up.

'If he suddenly breaks into song I'm getting out of this tub before he embarrasses us both.'  Charlotte laughed, seeing how the other couple were basically ignoring them now and had gone back to kissing, claiming the hot tub as their own.

'I think these two need a room – time for us to go’ I said. We got out of the tub and crept away to leave the two to their alone time, just as I started to fade out and feel the pull of my own world.

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