#yes i’m feeling overprotective of fang

[junghaesin]

genuinely don’t understand how people can see the way fang looks at tan and HAS been looking at tan since the first time they interacted and still have the audacity to say fang doesn’t like or doesn’t show interest in tan… like are we seeing the same character????

you’re telling me he doesn’t like tan?????

[azsazz]

Bleed for Me

Vampire!Azriel x Reader

Summary: for @hyemishii “I love it !! Maybe a next part with overprotecting Az at the meeting ??”

Warnings: blood

Word Count: will fill in later I wrote this on notes lmao

Notes: a lil vamp az is the perf bday treat, also not edited cuz I wrote this at work 😳

———————————————————————

“Hello there,” a soft voice greets.

You flinch, your nearly empty wine glass slipping from your fingers. You and the male who’s snuck up on you watch as the glass shatters on the ground, the dark red of the wine splashing against the bright stone floors like blood.

The room goes silent, and you’re entirely sure that the only sound in the room right now is the frantic pounding of your heart.

Glancing at the male, you take in his auburn hair, unruly and hanging slightly in his eyes in a way that looks so well practiced. His skin is pale, paler than most of the vampires in this room, making his freckles stand out across his strong cheekbones. It looks a little too closely like the wine splattered on the floor, and he takes you in with a hungry gaze, iris’ so burnt they almost look red.

“I—um, I’m so sorry,” you stutter. You don’t like the way that he’s staring down at you, tracing the lines of your body and pausing intently at the necklace of Azriel’s blood around your neck. He smirks and it makes your heart drop. “Let me…”

You trail off, sinking down to clean up the mess you’ve made. The male is wearing fine shoes, pristine and you want to hide, heat burning your cheeks because you see the flecks of wine on the caramel leather, and on the deep navy cuffs of his pants. You peek up around the room, grabbing blindly at chunks of glass as you search for Azriel.

You told him you’d be okay—demanded it really—while he went to speak to Rhysand and Cassian about some important manner. He’d wanted to take you with, but you refused. You don’t need his protection, you don’t want it. You thought it would be the perfect chance to escape, but now you just feel like a deer surrounded by bloodthirsty wolves.

Pain flashes through your finger and you hiss, jerking your attention back to the broken glass on the floor. You’ve nicked your finger, and a bead of red pools at the tip, your mouth parting in a curse as your body and all of the others in the room straighten and zero in on your wound, undoubtedly smelling the faint metallic that you can’t.

You shoot to your feet, searching the room for Azriel. He’s not here, you know it. You’d recognize the wings, the malicious aura that’s been pooling off of him since you were met at the door and he’d jokingly not been invited inside. You curse, wishing he were he now.

“Hurt yourself, did you?” The male asks, head cocked to the side. You catch the slight flare of his nostrils as he breathes in the scent of your blood. His pupils are pinpoints and his smile scares you. Taking a step back he’s already there, catching your wrist in his cold hands and bringing your hand up to his face, studying the wound. “Clumsy, little fawn.”

“Stop,” you plead., trying to pull your hand from his but it’s no use, you’re nowhere near strong enough. He brings you in, flicking his tongue against the crimson coating your finger and hums with pleasure.

“So sweet,” he answers, wicked grin flashing sharp fangs. “Has Azriel gotten a taste yet?”

You open your mouth to speak, to scream, but you flinch at the figure that appears over your shoulder, a dark mass that commands the attention of the room, even if he’s only a warrior and holds no power over courts.

“Yes, he has,” Azriel growls, a lie. “Unhand her. Now, Eris. Before you lose yours.”

Eris’ smirk widens for a moment, a tease, but he releases you and you fall back into Azriel’s chest. He tucks you into his arms and you hide your bleeding finger in the thick fabric of your skirts, feeling embarrassed and exposed in a room full of vampires.

“Azriel,” the male greets, smile turning salacious, “Don’t want to share like we did all those years ago?” The question makes your stomach twist, but you shove the feeling away. You don’t feel anything for the male who stills against your back.

He flashes his fangs at Eris, a warning. He won’t let anyone else touch you, that you know, but you can’t help but to think that there was a time when he’s let others play with his human companions. You’re not sure how to feel about the information, but you keep quiet.

Two more males flank his sides, and you recognize Cassian and Rhysand, the Night Court trio at your flanks. You belong to Azriel, to them, to their court. There is no doubt about that.

“We’re leaving,” is all Azriel says, before he’s taking your arm in his and guiding you through the crowd, glaring at every male who you cross paths with. His grip is firm on your arm and you wince, but you can feel the anger radiating off of him and keep it to yourself.

But, always attuned to you, he catches your flinch and lightens his grip on you, eyes going soft as you look over your shoulder at him but harsh again when Helion smirks your direction. He growls at the elder vampire, not giving a single fuck if it makes them enemies. You are his.

***

“You bled for him,” Azriel states. His attention is focused on the cut on your finger. It’s not deep and it’s already stopped bleeding, but he’s made it his mission to clean and wrap it for you, the image of your finger in Eris’ mouth burning behind his eyelids.

“I didn’t mean to,” you answer softly, because you don’t know how he’s going to react. Azriel is a ticking time bomb of anger and hatred, crazed and possessive, and you don’t know why. He could explode on you at any moment, even though you were trying your best to pull away from Eris at the party.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” he answers gruffly, refusing to meet your gaze. He stands, placing your wrapped hand back in your lap as he turns to leave the room. He can’t look at you right now. His hands are nearly shaking with anger. He hasn’t even tasted you yet, and Eris took that moment from him.

You shove off of the counter, following him into your room. “I didn’t do it on purpose!”

And he knows this, he does, but he doesn’t care.

“Doesn’t matter,” he hisses, charging for the door. He needs to fly it off or something, he can’t be around you right now.

Apparently, it does matter.

“Azriel, please,” you scoff, “It’s not a big deal, it was an accident.”

He spins on his heel and is on you before you can gasp. His body is a freight train against yours, grabbing your hands in one hand and locking you to his front. He hopes you realize right now that this is what could’ve happened to you at the party. Eris could’ve grabbed you and taken you and you wouldn’t have been able to do a fucking thing about it because you’re weak. Just a human. He wants to yell, hiss at you for being so careless in a room full of vampires. He wants to scream because he put you in that position, and he hates himself for it.

“When you bleed,” Azriel growls in your ear, tracing his fingers across your neck with his free hand. His blood has long since dried there and it flakes off under his tender touch. He leans in, his lips a whisper across the pulse in your neck that’s pounding so damn fast you almost don’t hear his next words. “You bleed for me.”

You gasp, his fangs scratching your skin. He holds you tightly to his body and you can feel the blood bubbling up from the shallow cut he’s given you. You squeeze your eyes shut tight as his tongue lathes across the wound, hot and demanding, owning. You bite your lip, holding in the moan at the feeling of him humming against your skin, tasting you, but you let your body melt into his front, the vampire holding you up with ease.

It’s like he’s set fire to your body, his touch blazing under your skin. You pant, lifting your chin to look up at him through thick lashes.

He’s already looking at you, staring down at you in a way that makes you feel naked. Warmth buzzes between your legs.

You open your mouth but he’s shoving you gently away, and you stumble before righting yourself, hands planted on the soft comforter of your bed.

“Az…” you turn your head to speak but your room is empty, Azriel gone.

[polaroidbills]

jake as your vampire bf  ˚✧₊ ( 🦇⚰️ ) sim jaeyun - a head cannon

genre/cw: bf!jake x reader, jake as a vampire, mention of blood, jealousy and overprotectiveness, jake is hot.

a/n: another request! thank you for all of the support too! honestly this isn't my best work but i still hope you enjoy it! please request some more!

jake would so love when you complement his smile, especially his fangs. “i love your smile so much.” “i love you so much.”

but i feel like he wouldn’t like to be called cute, instead he would want to be called hot and handsome. so whenever you call him cute he whines and tells you to call him handsom or hot instead. “babeee i told you to stop calling me cutee. call me hot insteadd,” he frowns but then smirks at the though of you calling him hot. 

jake would be the more jealous and overprotective type. whenever he spots a guy near you, he would pull you closer to him, even if that guy is a random man on the subway with his earbuds in, minding his own business. he would then proceed to glare at the guy, as if the guy is even paying attention to you or him. 

he would even get jealous of his members when you all hangout. for example, one time you and all the members were hanging out at the dorm, heeseung was sitting next to you on the couch as you guys conversed. you were talking about a show you both have been watching recently. “yes oh my gosh! that was literally my favourite part!” you laughed at heeseungs remarks, not noticing jake staring at the both of you. “jake! are you even listening to me?” sunghoon asks trying to get his attention. jake would then impulsively grab your arm, “let’s go y/n. we’re leaving,” he practically drags you out of the dorm. “but i wasn’t fini-“ he cuts you off. “yes you were. now let’s go.” when you get in the car, you notice jakes grip on the steering wheel, tight, his knuckles were white. the drive home wasn’t long, but it was silent. so when you enter the apartment you break the silence. “what was that? why did we leave so suddenly?” you put your bag onto the kitchen counter. “you were having too much fun with heeseung.” jake says coldly. you finally understand what just happened. he’s jealous.

and when you point out that he’s jealous or overprotective, he would deny it so hard. literally do anything in his power to deny it but it doesn't work. “fine i was jealous,” he outs his head down. “jake you know i only love you, you’re my boyfriend, i’m literally dating you,” you say reassuring him. “i love you,” he goes to cuddle you on the couch. but then you notice he’s smelling you neck. “jake?” you say confused. “hmm you smell really goodd,” he smiles. “you mean my blood smells really good?” “i mean if you wanna put if that way.” sometimes you forget he’s a vampire. 

everyone knows about his habit of biting his lips anywhere and everywhere. but what you love about it is when his fangs show when he does it. as much as you know how he hates being called cute, you can’t help it but call him cute. because he is.

@polaroidbills please DO NOT copy, plagiarize, or repost any of my work.

🏷️ @enhacolor

[tooweirdforyou]

Lookin’ Pretty For Me? » Baji Keisuke

A/N : @milkkai you said to do baji so here he is :3 I don’t think I’ve written dc before, my first time, sooo this will be fun and i hope it was okay :’)

(( I was the anon :3 ))

Warning!: 18+!, tw.dark content, incest, possessive/controlling brother, degradation, like one spank, dub-con(?), bit of dacryphilia, mean! Baji <3,

aged up baji and yes, I’m writing nsfw for baji. He’s the loml, don’t hate, just unfollow or ignore :/ I have a feeling I’ll get a ton of hate for this though.

Summary : you make plans to go out but your possessive older brother just doesn’t want to let you go. Who allowed you to dress like that, without him?

there’s nothing quite like the feeling than when your overprotective delinquent brother holding onto you to prevent you from leaving, much to your dismay.

“I already said no.”

“I’m sorry, do you control my life?”

Baji rolls his eyes at your response question and stands up when you get closer to the door. “Sit your ass down, [Name]. You ain’t goin’ anywhere dressed like that.”

You glance down at your attire, furrowing your brows at his words. You weren’t dressed strange, in your opinion. Thigh-length skirt with thigh high socks, and white off the shoulder sweater, you thought you looked cute.

“What are you talking about?— this is cute. You act like I’m going to do some pervy shit, I’m just hanging out with Chifuyu!”

“Tch.” Baji scowls and is quick to grasp your wrist, yanking you towards him which causes you to stumble and fall into his chest.

The fanged boy uses this opportunity to wrap his arm around your waist and peer down at you, eyes narrowing, his other hand holding your wrist tightly.

“You’re dressed like a slut, that’s what I’m talking about.” He hisses, eyes glinting dangerously when he’s able to see your cleavage at the angle he had.

Your jaw drops at his words, eyes widening as a little yelp escape your lips when his hand makes contact with your ass. “Kei-!”

“Hanging out with Chifuyu in skimpy clothing? What did you plan to do, seduce him?” Baji sneers as he gropes at your ass cheek, while you squirm in his touch, trying to pull away. “Keisuke! Quit it!”

“Nah, I’m good.” Baji smirks as he moves and spins around, pushing onto the couch nearby. The impact makes your short skirt fly up to reveal your black laced panties, which causes your dear brother to lick his lips.

“You know what? You were right, you do look kinda cute.” He chuckles lowly as he crawls over you, while you try to fix your skirt frantically. “Kei, seriously, stop—!”

“Did you decide to dress like this for me?” He questions, tilting his head as one hand grabs your wrist and pulls your hand away from skirt, letting his right knee lock in between your legs so you couldn’t close them.

“You knew I’d stop you, so you dressed like this on purpose. Wanted to let your caring, protective big brother see your slutty outfit, right?”

“N-No, I swear, Keisuke, please get off of me, I-“ your pleas falls on deaf ears as Baji leans down and licks your neck slowly.

You wince and shut your eyes, feeling Baji’s free hand run up your stomach before reaching your chest and pulling down your sweater to reveal that you were braless, much to your embarrassment.

He whistles quietly at the reveal and watch them bounce lightly after pulling the sweater down,

“Keisuke, this is wrong! Get off of me already!” You cry out, feeling the red flush spreading on your cheeks at the thought of your older brother seeing you in such a state.

What you hated more, was that you could feel the arousal growing in you, at his touches.

Baji continues to ignore you, flicking one of your buds and watching it perk, hardening quickly much to his amusement.

“How dirty, your nipples are getting hard, lil’ sis.” He laughs a bit as he twists them between his fingers.

“K-Kei..” you trail off, feeling the tears brimming the corner of your eyes at the unbearable feeling within you. The wetness growing in your lower region as you try to close your thighs together, hitting Baji’s knee in the process.

“What’s wrong? It’s not the first time I’ve seen you naked.” Baji points out with a scoff, making you cry out in disbelief. “Keisuke, that’s not the point!”

“And? You wanted this, didn’t you?” Baji smirks lightly, knowing he was right. “Just look at you. A mess, wanting a good cock in you, so needy.”

He was right. You were turned on by this. No matter how embarrassing it was, but now, you didn’t care anymore.

Baji nearly coos at the sight of your teary eyes, seeing your shifting legs that ached for friction so much, you unconsciously were grinding against his knee.

“You really are cute, [Name]. So pretty~” he caresses your face gently and glancing down, you can see his growing erection in his sweats. “So desperate for your big brother’s cock, am I right?”

Suddenly feeling shy, you avert your eyes and look to the side, shutting them to avoid his and disregard the heavy blush coating your cheeks.

“Answer me, baby sis, I don’t want to hafta punish you.” Baji clicks his tongue and cups your chin, turning it to force you to face him. He leans close ans steals a quick kiss to your lips, inches away as he waits for an answer.

His body is down low enough that you can feel the outline of his cock against your thighs, causing you to light rub against it.

“I.. want....” You mumble out quietly, making Baji tsk once more.

“Tell me, or I’ll take a picture of you and send it to Chifuyu right now, and show you the little slut you are, and the reason why you’ll be cancelling plans with him.” Baji threatens, gesturing to his phone on the table next to you both.

You gulp and shut your eyes tightly, swallowing your pride and slowly open your legs spread wide for him. “I want you, Keisuke..”

Satisfied, Baji traps your lips into another sweet, lustful kiss while his eyes flash dangerously into you.

“Of course, how can I refuse when my baby sister needs me, and dressed so slutty for me?”

uh idk whatcha think? It’s my first try lol but if it’s horrible than you know why I don’t write it a lot ! :3

I can’t write baji??

[manunelle]

{Ikevamp} How many kids would they have? {Headcanon #4}

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Since the rest of the routes of Act 2 are still not out, I’ll only finish these headcanons after reading the routes. I hope you all don’t mind this decision, because I don’t feel comfortable writing about a character that I still haven’t read the route. 

Hope you enjoyed these! If you have any doubts or opinions that you’d like to share, feel free to message me anytime! ;) 

Comte de Saint-Germain

Twins, a girl and a boy. 

The girl was the first to be delivered, and Abel was already crying so much from happiness, so imagine his face when his wife didn’t stop screaming and the midwife informed that another one was soon to be delivered. He hugged his son against his chest tightly, tears streaming down his face freely, a sob leaving his lips when the baby opened his eyes, staring at him with calm golden orbs. 

MC shed her own portion of tears at the sight, hugging her daughter with the same love that her husband did with their son. The two stayed a long time just hugging and gazing lovingly at their children, which resulted in Leonardo teasing the couple. 

Abel spoils them rotten. They don’t even need to ask for anything, because they probably already have it. It’s kind of frustrating when their birthday comes and they don’t need or want anything, so Abel needs to put his brain to work. 

Despite having the world in their hands, the kids are not arrogant or self-centered. They always donate their toys and clothes whenever they stop using them, which makes both of their parents very proud. 

The girl is an extrovert, knowing exactly what to say and how to make people feel better. She’s really interested in traveling abroad, but Comte is a bit reluctant to have his daughter leave his sight. Yes, he’s really protective of her. As she grows up, there will probably be one fight or another about his overprotectiveness, and MC will need to intervene. I believe that Abel will learn to control this side, however he will still feel a bit bothered that his daughter is not always by his side or whenever he sees her surrounded by boys at the ball that she accompanies him. 

The boy, on the contrary, is quieter, letting his daughter deal with the conversation part. Despite being more shy, he’s really fond of cuddles, almost demanding them from his parents and sister. Loves when Abel runs his finger through his golden locks, an expression of pure enjoyment on his face. He loves reading and writing, just like MC, and enjoys their conversations about literature and writing techniques.  

I haven’t decided yet if they are purebloods or humans – I thought about having the girl be a vampire while the boy is a human, but I’m not sure about it yet. 

Dazai Osamu

Dazai has a girl and a boy. 

The girl is about six years older than the boy, and she has MC’s hair and Dazai’s eyes. She’s a bit of a tsundere, and Dazai loves to tease her. However, if anyone else attempts to do so, the person themself will become the target of his mockery – no one messes with their children. No one. 

His son is a carbon copy of him. He’s really serious and quiet, and Dazai’s really worried that he inherited those dissociative feelings that he himself once felt in his youth. He is always drowning his son in affection and advices, showing big interest in his life and friends, always listening attentively to whatever he’s saying. 

The girl is really protective of her younger brother as well, often having to fight other children that pick on the boy. Dazai and MC are called often to the school because of that, but I imagine Osamu as a really supportive parent, defending his children from whatever injustices that might be thrown towards them. 

He sometimes feels overwhelmed and surrounded by those self-depreciative feelings, feeling that he can’t do this, that he can’t be a good parent, so MC needs to be really supportive and attentive. 

Even if he feels like that, this man loves his family and would defend them with fangs and claws if necessary. 

[goggles-mcgee]

OMG WISH ME AWAY IS PERFECT

Is there any way we could get just a smidge more? I loved it so much!!!

I feel like I should just start writing it XD huh?

But more headcanons are requested and so that is what I shall give!

• Cass is in love with Marietta from the moment she first meets her. She teaches her sign language right away too because she knows she's a smart baby and for the future when Cass may have a non-verbal day. The first time Mari signs Hi Sister, Cass may or may not have cried a little.

• If you haven't guessed it, Marietta grows to be a polygot (person who speaks at least 6 languages or more) Languages under her belt so to say: French, English, Mandarin, Arabic, American Sign Language, Italian, Korean, Japanese, a little Russian, a little German, and a little Greek.

She also speaks the Old Tongue, the language of the Kwami and the Order.

• Marietta's favorite movie hands down is the Lego Batman Movie. Yes it's a movie in this universe, the writers wanted to make the movie but they needed to give Batman an identity and they asked Bruce if they could write him as the man behind the cowl. Bruce didn't want to but Jason and Tim agreed for him. i.e Jason distracted him while Tim forged his signature.

• The family learned the hard way when Mari was 5 and in her glitter-stage, if you leave clothing out, and this includes costumes, you will have glittered and bedazzled clothes. This was another Joker fainted because of laughing incident because Batman showed up to a fight with a bedazzled and glittery black bat on his chest that had a bedazzled yellow smiley face on it.

• Jason learned he had to place his Red Hood helmets somewhere high and secure because he got his whole hood bedazzled red and had a little smile bedazzled onto the hood as well. Artemis and Roy didn't let him forget it for months.

• Dick was ESTATIC to find his Nightwing suit Bedazzled and proudly went out and kicked ass, even took some pictures for his BichIMightwing Instagram & Twitter accounts.

• When Duke met Mari he just looked at Bruce and shook his head, "You got issues." But that didn't mean he wasn't honored when she invited him to her tea party.

• Gordon was HORRIFIED when he met tiny superhero Mari, he met her as tiny Ladybug and he just looked at Batman and held baby Mari with his jaw practically on the floor. Batman held out his arms for the child but Gordon kept holding her out of reach which Mari thought was the funniest thing so she kept laughing.

"I TURNED AN EYE WHEN IT WAS THE FIRST ONE BATMAN, HE WAS EIGHT!! THIS ONE IS A BABY! A LITERAL BABY! NO!"

It took awhile for Batman to explain that she had "powers" and while they left her at home she found her way to them. Gordon was not happy about it what so ever but he didn't really know what he could do about it. And Bruce didn't really know how he could explain the fact that his daughter was the Guardian of tiny gods and they were overprotective of her and if he even suggested they get another Guardian, Plagg would probably create another...incident...

• Dinners with Jagged and Penny are always awaited with high anticipation, especially from Mari and Damian because Jagged always being Fang and he let's them play with him. Jagged spoils little Mari since he is her "Uncle." No don't look at him like that Bruce, she absolutely needed that all pink electric toy Barbie Jeep to ride in.

• The first time Marietta saw someone come home with injuries after a fight she cried and refused to leave their side. If someone tried to take her to sleep in her room she would wake up and start crying again. When they asked Tikki why she kept putting her hands on the wounds and humming and crying after Tikki explained that Mari used to be able to heal the wounds of others. Her child mind wasn't understanding why it wasn't working most likely.

• Sometimes they forgot that Mari had the memories of her past life, they tried to understand the best they could though. As she grew it became easier for her to work out what was memories, and for her to tell them about them from her perspective.

• Marietta absolutely adores Halloween and everyone has to dress up. Jason and Damian begrudgingly do so. (They won't admit they have fun doing so)

When she was 3, Mari went as Robin and went up to Damian and did a twirl and said, "Look shaqiq (brother)! I'm you!" Damian had to hold a tear in but he smiled and placed a hand over his heart because his little sister was too precious. Also the looks on his brothers faces was priceless.

• Cass teaches little Mari ballet when she gets old enough and Mari loves it. She admires Cass a lot and wants to be like her big sister.

• Buzzfeed made an article about little Marietta Wayne and why you will never be as fashionable as the little toddler.

• Riddler and Mari have a weird thing going on, it's not quiet a rivalry but it's close. She calls him Hook Man, "You know they're question marks! You know you little gremlin!"

"Hey! That's my sister Jackass." Red Hood said, he tried to sound angry but really he was trying not to laugh.

"Jackass?"

"Shit! No! No! That's a bad word! Don't say that! Fuuuuudge, B is going to kill me."

[showrunnerihardlyknowher]

Idk about you but that trope where a giant gets angry and accidentally scares a tiny and feels bad abt it afterwards makes me go absolutely feral,,

So, originally, I was planning for this scene to be in a future chapter of This Is Nothing Like The Disney Star Wars Trilogy, but I could never really think of a full story arc around it, even though I still really really really love this idea. In any case, if I happen to brainstorm a better plot and find a way to squeeze this in I might edit it into the main story, otherwise enjoy some classic Giant Catboi and Twink Solider fearplay >:3c

--

“Do you have any idea how dangerous that was!?”

As expected, the little one did not respond to his rhetorical question, though his tone certainly helped snap it out of its previous stupor as it released its death grip on his shirt in favor of squirming as soon as the bedroom door slid shut behind him. His aggravation at the situation was clear as day even without the usual language and cultural barrier that impeded any sort of deeper relationship Edix tried to form with the human. Red ears were still folded back against his curls and his shoulders tense, the stiff posture traveling down to his hands were they gripped the earthling to his chest perhaps just a touch more tightly than usual, not that it prevented it from trying to push and wriggle itself out of his overprotective hold.

Fuck no, he wasn’t ready to let it go yet, not when flecks of blood were still smeared against his knuckles as a result of an impromptu rescue mission. The satisfying snap of cartilage under his fist after one good sucker punch to Talan’s smug face still echoed in his mind, blood gushing from the surely broken nose while the biologist stumbled backwards into the shelves. Edix wondered if he would be reprimanded for that by the directors later, or if Talan would be too proud to report the ass kicking, maybe even taking the lesson to heart to not fuck with his things in the future. And yes, that included trying to vivisect his sweet little pet.

How was I supposed to know the stray belonged to you? He had asked with sarcastic innocence, as if the human in question hadn’t been seen with Edix a thousand times before, and wasn’t drenched in his scent, and didn’t have his ID code printed on the back of its little suit, Maybe if you weren’t such a wuss and actually put it on a shorter leash-

Asshole. He was lucky Edix’s only goal at the moment was to get the little one off the table and back to the appropriate sector rather than rip Talan to shreds with his own tools. A taste of his own medicine, perhaps. Still, he admittedly did have a point about the human, what with how much it would run off and get lost and damn near killed. He simply couldn’t figure out what was so terrible about staying in his company that the little one would risk injury and mutilation in a foreign environment as opposed to the safety and comfort he so desperately tried to provide for it. They might have had a bit of a rocky start, sure, but stars above that was far in the past now. There’s nothing either of them can do to change the facts so why not accept things as they are and make some type of effort to be happy in this new life? By all accounts, Edix was a great owner!

And yet, the little one still fought him every step of the way. Even now, having just saved it from a fate of having its tiny organs sliced while it was wide awake, it made it known it did not want to be near him anymore. It might have been clinging to him the entire walk back to the bedroom, but it must have remembered it was supposed to be oblivious to the notion of genuine love and safety because now it started to stutter out little squeaks on top of struggling. Normally, Edix adored any and all of the sounds it made, especially when it was directly trying to talk to him which only served to give him the mental image of a pup mindlessly babbling before they managed their first few words. This time, however, it only worsened his irritation.

“Stop.” He ordered, which the human somewhat complied with, though it probably had more to do with his harsher tone and the fact that he was already lowering his hand towards the bed to set it down. As soon as it was free of his hold, it scrambled back, looking at him with those wide brown eyes that were full of so much fear it made him sick. Why did it have to be so afraid of him? What could he have possibly done that even now, almost a cycle later, it was still overtly wary of his intentions. All he ever did was care for it. Feed it, pet it, cuddle it, protect it, and still nothing was good enough!

With a tired sigh, he rubbed his hand down his face and resisted the urge to tug at his hair. “I just don’t understand,” he pleaded, begging some cosmic being out there to suddenly grant the little one the power to understand what he was saying, “what can I possibly do to prove to you that I’m not going to hurt you? I’m trying to keep you alive and it’s like...I don’t know, you resent me for that or something!”

The sweet thing looked more confused at his words than anything, but he could tell his body language and voice were making it uneasy. The human was used to soft words and purrs and slow movements, rarely any agitation in his being. After a beat of silence marked by an intense stare down, Edix gave up on hoping the earthling would miraculously explain itself and open up to sharing its thoughts on the matter. He reached for it and it instinctively back up, flinching when a growl rumbled in his throat in response.

“Stop running,” it was a fruitless endeavor, but like hell if he wouldn’t stop trying. That was how new pups learned how to understand a language anyways, wasn’t it? To repeat certain words over and over until they got the idea? Maybe that’s all he needed to do here, maybe by now it already knew the Venandi words for no, stop, be good, and so on. He reached for it again and it did the same thing as last time, always sure to stay just out of the most convenient reach. Not that it mattered how much it inched away seeing how it was trapped on the bed with Edix directly in front of it, but it was the principal of the matter.

And it was then that something inside him snapped. Something primal as a result of dealing with an unruly pup far too long for his nerves to handle at this moment. He wasn’t even aware of his actions, belatedly realizing how he pounced on the bed in a flash, the human scrambling to get away but only having enough time to turn around before being roughly pinned on its stomach against the mattress. His teeth were bared and pressed tightly against its back, fangs scraping against the layers of its clothes to no doubt bruise the tender flesh underneath, though thankfully they didn’t break the skin. A loud growl reverberated though its entire body, shaking it to its core.

“Enough.” He hissed against its back, keeping his teeth pressed into its skinny frame for a moment longer before pulling away. The second he did, his glare softened, all the anger he felt gone in an instant as soon as he saw the sight underneath him.

The poor thing was absolutely petrified.

It was probably the worst it’s ever been scared, arguably. Not even the first time they met, when it had so gracefully tumbled down that hill and landed face first in front of him, compared to the level of fear that radiated off it. A split-second thought had Edix wondering if he had legitimately scared it to death. Soon enough, though, he was able to pick up the minute tremors that shook through it, almost like an aftershock of the warning that it felt more than heard. It was pale, baby face devoid of color not unlike that time before when it had been sick with fever. But its eyes...those sweet little doe eyes he loved so much were wide and wet with a sheen of tears that refused to fall, locked in a blank stare straight ahead towards the wall and refusing to look at him.

A small, choked hiccup made its body twitch every couple of breaths, but it refused to open its mouth to allow any of these sniffles to turn into cries. Shit, it refused to move at all, too terrified of Edix’s threat display that if it did anything he didn’t like there would be dire consequences to pay. He supposed it worked exactly as intended, in that case. It was still, it was quiet, it was technically obeying him after he just forced it to behave via alternative punishment. That didn’t change the fact that he felt absolutely, terribly, extremely awful about what he just did.

It was just a pup, as he always said, regardless of what Ylva would tell him about human adolescence and such. It didn’t know any better, it had never been raised in these situations before and needed much longer than a measly cycle to unlearn all of its prey behaviors it needed to survive on its home planet. Besides, it wasn’t that it didn’t fully know that it was perfectly safe with Edix, it was smart enough to know he was at the very least the safest option when presented with any other Venandi. Edix had been upset, and it knew he was upset, so of course it would want to avoid a potentially hostile predator before-

--before it snatched the little one in its teeth.

Fuck, fuck, he was an idiot. Maybe he wasn’t as cut out for this as he thought, not like Ylva who was the very essence of motherhood. No. Now wasn’t the time for self doubts and pity, not when the human was in such a state. Slowly, hands cupped around its shaking form, mindful to make sure his fingers were in its view so it wouldn’t be any more startled when he lifted it up, not that he was completely sure it was actually seeing anything in front of it. The little one hardly reacted to the movement, laying limp when he pressed it against his chest and moved to sit up against the headboard of the bed in a similar fashion to what he had done the first night the poor thing was on the ship.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, it’s okay,” he whispered to it, rubbing his thumb along the curve of its back just how it liked whenever it dozed, “you’re okay, we’re fine, it’s okay to cry. I’m sorry I scared you, I’m so sorry.”

Normally in these types of instances, he’d be purring and shushing the little sweetheart until he was able to get it down for a nap, but he had little confidence that any other types of chest vibrations would have its usual effect of making the human drowsy currently. When it finally started blinking again, the tears that had welled up ran freely down its cheeks, quickly biting down on its wobbling lip to prevent any sobs from escaping and get it in trouble for misbehaving. He softly clicked his tongue at it and cooed, anything to put it at ease with a softer demeanor. “I know, honey, I know. I won’t ever do that again, I promise."

Well, if nothing else, at least the little one’s apprehension of him wasn’t unfounded anymore, much to his dismay.

[bump1nthen1ght]

Thicker than Water (Demon x Reader) Chapter 1

Pairing: Female Reader x Gender Fluid! Demon

Genre: High Fantasy

Warnings: Arm Injuries, Several mentions of blood

Word Count: 1870 Words

Summary: A summoning gone awry ends up in your favor

Chapter 2

A/N: Alright, I know I literally just posted a demon story but this post showed up on my dash and my god if I have never been more inspired to write a fic. I legit wrote this in 2 hours in a frenzy. Also I plan this story to be multi-chap, but still rather short, so maybe 3 parts in total

Before that night, you had never known what nearly-passing out felt like.

Your mother had done it, once or twice, usually after a particularly stressful day at the shop. If you didn’t check on her between your studies she may forget to eat entirely, your father as well. But you had been lucky; Someone had always been there to catch her, to cradle her head and spoon-feed her strength back.

On the forest floor, surrounded by the smell of your own blood, you have no such luxury.

The black spots flickering in your vision blend into the desne canopy above you and your tears only muddle your sight. The iron and copper of the summoning circle drawn around you drown out the scent of fresh pine and grass, while your ears can only focus on your own heartbeat and the bickering of the four boys.

Oh, that’s right, they’re still here.

It seems you had lost more fluid than you realized, probably because of your incessant crying. You had tried to stop the flow, but your brain was losing coherent function with every second. The boys conversation sounds far away and hollow, bouncing off your eardrums and confusing your sense of direction

“You idiot, I told you not to go for the arm!”

“We needed a lot of blood!”

“But she needs to read the ritual dumbass! She can’t if she dies!”

Ah yes, the ritual, it all is flooding back to you now.

Having received a private education from your father at your family’s apothecary, you were already prone to isolation as a child. It didn’t help having no siblings, nor a lacking natural talent for friend-making. Although you had lived in the city all your life, the young people your age knew very little about you, and you them.

You knew they had rumors about you, The daughter the apothecary hides away; That your gaze can turn people to stone, that you can curse and poison people with a couple words and the right ingredients.

The truth was you weren’t so glamorous. You knew your way around a medicine cabinet, sure, but nothing about poisons or magic spells. You didn’t have any special abilities to compensate or explain your reluctance for socialization. Just some overprotective parents and a shy disposition.

So when the handsome postmasters-son began to pay you special visits, you let your guard down. You let him walk you to and from the market, memorizing your weekend route. You let him in for a bit of tea late at night, especially when it seemed so cold, and told him where the spare key was kept. And yes, you even told him about your favorite secluded spot in the forest, where the sounds of civilization were far away, where you could be alone.

And here, in these last moments of your life, you can’t help but feel so naive.

“Hey, hey!”

A boot taps your cheek, shaking you out of your revelry. Your glassy eyes look over to your right.

It’s one of the local merchant’s boys, you think his name is Nicholas? It doesn’t really matter. All you knew about him was that he was a bit rough around the edges; always nicking things from pockets, looking up ladies skirts, and skipping his lessons. That’s what your dad complained about anyway.

A page is shoveled in front of you, dangling over your face. Your eyes take a while, but focus on the words. Nicholas’ boot heel digs into your neck.

“Read it out loud, or we’ll kill you.”

Clearly I’m going to die anyway dumbass, why should I help you?

You might’ve retorted, if you were in such a physical condition to do so. But instead, you do as you're told, and start speaking.

To your left, the postmaster’s son, Richard, sucks in a breath with anticipation. Any false composure he had while luring you here is gone, his feet tapping with excitement as he holds your left arm and lef bound spread eagle.

Holding your right leg is Markus, another merchant boy. He picks at his teeth.

“What are you guys going to wish for?” He whispers. It goes in your ear and out the other, too focused on forming coherent sentences.

“A full-harem of babes, obviously.” Simpers Hunter, the son of a landlord. He isn’t ugly, only a bit plain, and has enough money to boot. Compared to the other bachelors in town however, he has had little luck in procuring a courtship.

“A million coins could get you that and more, idiot. That’s what I’m wishing for.” Whispers Richard.

“What are you going to wish for Nic?” Asks Markus

“Oh my gods, will you guys shut the fuck up?”

Nic snarls, unconsciously digging his heel back into your throat. You choke and stutter, but keep going. The runes around you, written in your own blood, begin to glow.

All of the boy’s eyes widen and they step back from you. Your limbs sink like dead weight as the words begin to flow out your mouth with no thought. The paper with the chant drops to the ground, out of your sight, but it's like your brain has been reprogrammed; You know the rest, know it in your bones.

The grass begins to simmer and burn under the summoning circle, smoke swirling into formation above you. When the final word whispers out of you, you feel your body go lax. You don’t even remember tensing up

I guess this is it. Sorry Mom, Sorry Dad.

You clench your eyes, just hoping the demon will be quick. That it will at least leave a recognizable corpse.

“Holy shit.” You hear muttered, unsure by whom.

Your eyes are closed, body teetering on the brink of unconsciousness, but your senses are still intact. A hot wave of breath washes over your face and the ground below you trembles with heavy footsteps. The boys are quiet but you can hear their hearts pounding. They thrum with life, while yours slowly fades.

“Why have you summoned me, mortal?”

Even half-dead, your muscles tense in fear. The demon's voice is deep and resonates like a crowd talking all at once. It reeks of inhuman power and cracks like thunder.

A brief silence passes, before Nicholas finds his courage.

“We have come to ask for a wish.”

Later, when recounting the story, you will mention that the demon looked over to Nicolas, unamused, despite never seeing it yourself. The demon huffs, the heat of it blowing over you once more.

“I don’t believe I asked you.” The demon mutters. The cacophony of voices blend together into one, bland and emotionless. Even in your state however, you are able to decipher a couple of louder tones which overpower the others. They seem...angry.

“But...you…”

“I asked….”

Your eyes snap open as a wet droplet lands on your cheek. Lingering above you, drool seeping from their unnaturally sharp teeth, is the creature. It’s face resembles that of a goat, but sharp fangs stick out from their lower lips. Their eyes are golden and shine in the night, piercing right into yours. Despite the part of your body screaming out in terror, another part feels oddly….comforted. It’s why you don't startle when they brush a hand against your cheek, their thumb wiping away your tears. Their palm is warm, not like a blistering flame, but like a thick quilt. Like hot chocolate on a rainy day.

“......What do you need of me, little one?”

Their hand, padded and calloused, slides down your arm, closing up the large gash on your inner bicep. In another movement, they do the same to the other. Power and vitality seems to sink back into your body, drip by drip.

Words escape you, but not Nicolas.

“Excuse me, demon, but we're the ones who summoned you.” The sarcastic tone of his does little to hide the quivers of his fear, especially when the demon's neck turns toward him at an unnatural speed. Still, he persists. “Not her. And we want-”

“Do you take me for a blind fool?” The voice bellows, sending all the boys to their knees. Markus clutches his ears while Hunter whimpers on the ground. Nicolas falls back to the ground, eyes widen.  The demon stands to their full height, several feet above all of you. “Do you think I was born without smell, without sense?” The step away from your body, swiping at the ground with their fingers, taking a small bit of your blood with it.

The demon sticks their thumb and forefinger in front of Nicolas’s face, causing him to yelp and fall onto his back. “Is this your blood which forged the connection? Was it your words that spoke me into existence? Was it your body which came to the brink, wrenched open the door and pulled us both through?”

Nicolas, trembling like a leaf, shakes his head no. The demon’s eyes jerk up to the others. “And was it any of these young men?”  

Richard furiously shakes his head, while Hunter stays collapsed on the ground. Markus pushes himself away, hands still clamped around his ears. The demon sneers, before turning and walking back to you.

The demon kneels before propping your upper body up with a gentle touch. A comforting claw rubs your lower back while another paw rubs the tension out of your shoulders.

“Now, mistress, what may you ask of me?”

Your muscles may no longer tire from blood loss, but your mind truly feels like it’s on the brink of breaking. The demon, with fearsome fangs and a soft look, looks to you for an answer.

“I-I…” You mutter as the demon continues to massage your back. They hum.

“Take your time, it is alright. Rituals are difficult, I can only imagine the toll your body feels.” The mass of voices have synchronized, fading from a hundred to a single, harmonious tune. It is cavernously deep, but pleasant. It reminds you of the portly older man who used to read stories aloud every holiday.

You feel your body unconsciously turn towards your captors. Nicholas stays stuck to the ground, the whites of his eyes almost glowing in the darkness. The others have slowly moved to their knees, all terrified with shaky limbs, and look like they might make a run for it. Markus is slowly inching towards Nicholas’ shoulders, trying to lift him up to his senses.

For the first time in your life, a deep, boiling hatred burns your skin.

Cowards. You sneer, with all the malice stored in your reserves.

“I want-I want…” You stumble as the anger bubbles out of your belly. “I want them to hurt. To feel humiliated.” Nails bite into the palm of your hand, letting out blood as you clench knuckles. “I want everyone to know what they’ve done, who they are, every fault they’ve ever been guilty of. I want them alive, but I want them to burn.”

The demon smiles, pulling you in for a hug. You collapse into their embrace, keeping your eyes locked onto the boys, those rats. The demon hums a contented tune as they rub your back.

“As you wish, my master.”

[amazingphanisnotonfire-imagines]

Sweet Pea//nothing i wouldn’t do for you

Request: Can I request a SP/Reader where reader gets hurt (twists her ankle or something minor) and everyone is like “we gotta hide it from SP” readers confused until he finds out and he like way overreacts and like carries her everywhere, aka too much overprotective-ness/caring

hey! how is everyone! i hope you’re all amazinggggg (you already are because you’re reading this) anyway, i hope you like this!! this is another one i wrote ages ago so it might have a little bit of a different tone than my recent things, but i think you’ll still like it! also, it was this blogs 5th birthday yesterday! so happy birthday!! and if you’ve been here from the beginning...why? (kidding, i love you!)

“This is bad. This is really really bad.” Fangs and Toni are stood at the foot of the hospital bed you’re sat on.

“Yep.” Toni agrees. “What are we gonna do?” 

“Guys. I twisted my ankle. Why are you freaking out?” You ask confused and they both shush you. 

“This is bad because if your boyfriend finds out he will go into overprotective mode, and overprotective Sweet Pea, is the worst Sweet Pea.” 

“I’m sure he isn’t that bad.” 

“Believe us. He’s bad. Fangs once broke his finger and Sweet Pea did literally everything for him.” Toni explains. 

“And I mean everything.” Fangs adds, shivering slightly. 

“Do I want to know?” 

“No.” They both shake their heads. 

“That was ages ago though, I can’t imagine he’s going to be that bad now.” 

“Last year me and Jughead were fighting and Jughead grazed my arm with his knife. Sweet Pea chased him around the Southside with a knife for a full day.” 

“He’d do that anyway.” You try to defend him your boyfriend. 

“He also refused to let me walk anyway, and he also sat outside my bedroom at night just in case Jughead came back to ‘finish the job.’” She adds. 

“Okay? So he’s over protective? Thats a good thing, it means he loves you. He probably won’t be that bothered by this.” You shrugs and they raise their eyebrows.

“We’re just Sweet Pea’s friends. You’re his girlfriend, the woman who loves him unconditionally and who lets him have sex with her. We thought he was bad with us, it’s gonna be a million times worse with you.” 

“So what do you suggest we do? Because I don’t want to lie to him.” 

“Its fine. We’ll lie to him. Its for the greater good.” Fangs nods. “We can figure this out.” 

“Yeah. He doesn’t know you’re here.” 

“You didn’t tell him!” 

“Of course not. Have you been listening to what we’ve been telling you?” Toni rolls her eyes. 

“So, we’ll drop you off at home and then we’ll figure it out.” Fangs says. “Now, do you really need that bandage?” 

“Yes!” You say annoyed. 

For two days you’d managed to avoid Sweet Pea. That was only because you’d been kept off school for a few days and when Sweet Pea asked Toni and Fangs if they’d seen you, they told him you were sick. 

However now it was your first day back at school and there was nowhere to hide. You, Toni and Fangs were talking in the corridor when Sweet Pea approached the three of you. His gaze immediately went to the crutches you were leaning on and the bandage around your ankle. 

“Baby, what happened to your ankle?” He asks, his voice full of concern and eyebrows furrowed. You look at Toni and Fangs who are sending you frantic looks, however you just roll your eyes. This was the stupidest thing they’d ever tried to do and you weren’t going to help them with it. Sweet Pea was your boyfriend, you weren’t going to lie to him. 

“I twist-” You start. 

“She’s getting ready for the new musical Kevin’s doing.” Fangs interrupts. Apparently you were lying to your boyfriend. Thanks a lot Fogarty. 

“Huh?” You and Sweet Pea asks. Sweet Pea looks at you confused before Toni starts talking quickly. 

“Its er a one woman show of a girl that wears a bandage around her ankle. Its the whole theme of the musical...” 

“Ya know. If it looks broken, it er, probably isn’t?” Fangs says, the sentence coming out more than a question that a proper answer. Idiots.  

“Oh, what’s it called?” Sweet Pea asks. Maybe they weren’t the only idiots you knew. 

“Me and My Broken Leg.” Fangs replies and you have to stifle a laugh. 

“It’s very unheard of.” Toni backs him up. “But it’s Kevin’s favourite.” 

“She’s gonna do the whole musical on crutches.” Fangs smiles at you.

“Its proven very difficult during the dancing parts.” Toni adds. They’re definitely running out of ideas. 

“But she’s pushed through it!” Fangs pats your back. 

“Thats great babe!” Sweet Pea hugs you and you glare at your friends. “I can’t wait to see you.” He smiles. 

“Yeah. Its gonna be...” You trail off. 

“Great!!” Toni and Fangs say simultaneously making you sigh.

“The costume’s so real too.” Sweet Pea says in awe as he looks at you. You’ve had enough. You about to tell him, however the bell rings for your first class and Toni and Fangs spring into action. 

“Well, see you later Sweet Pea. We have to get to class.” Fangs excuses the three of you. 

“Yeah, come on Y/n. You need to practice walking on those crutches if you want to be ready for opening night.” Toni says loudly enough for Sweet Pea to hear as you walk away. 

“Bye!” Sweet Pea calls. “I love you babe.” 

“I love you too.” You call back, despite being practically dragged away. 

“Me and My Broken Leg...I’ll have to google it.” 

-------

“I can’t believe you actually got away with that.” You scoff. Fangs and Toni had helped you to your next class, before sitting on either side of you. “Me and My Broken Leg? Seriously? What kind of name for a musical is that?” 

“I had to think of something!” Fangs defends. 

“Or we could have just told him I twisted my ankle, you know, because its the truth.” 

“Absolutely not. We are not dealing with overprotective Sweet Pea, and you won’t want to either. You’re looking at him with rose-tinted glasses on right now, but when he rears his massive, overprotective head, you’ll be wishing you’d gone along with this.” Toni replies making you roll your eyes. 

“I feel bad though. He’s still my boyfriend. I don’t want to lie to him.” 

“Its for the greater good.” They say together and you shake your head. 

“The greater good?” You repeat and they both nod. “Sure it is. Will it still be for the greater good when he’s broken up with me?” 

“He’s not gonna break up with you. You’re way out of his league, you could murder us brutally and he’d ask you to marry him.” 

“So it’d be a win win for everyone.” You mumble under your breath. 

--------

“Kevin!” Sweet Pea shouts down the corridor. 

“Yeah?” Kevin asks once the tall Serpent has caught up with him. 

“Do you need any help with the musical, like extra’s or behind the scenes stuff.” 

“Errrr.” Kevin stares at him confused. “Yeah? But is it really your thing?” 

“Why wouldn’t it be? I did the musical last year.” 

“True, but I just thought you wouldn’t want to do it again.” 

“I want to support my girl.” He smiles at the thought of you. 

“Your girl is...” He trails off. 

���Y/n.” 

“Yes. I knew that. Y/n isn’t in th-”

“Oh, you might have to tell me what its about though. I googled Me and My Broken Leg and nothing came up. Toni told me that its really unheard of but apparently its your favourite.” 

“I’m happy that you want to support your girlfriend and I’m honored that you came to me for musical help, but there’s no such this as Me and My Broken Leg. And Y/n isn’t in the musical this year, she was going to help out but when she twisted her ankle she had to drop o-” 

“She twisted her ankle?” 

“Yeah.” Kevin nods. 

“When?” 

“At the weekend. Toni and Fangs went to the hospital with her.” He explains. An angry expression settles over Sweet Pea’s face and he listen to Kevin talk. “I feel like I’ve just told you something I wasn’t supposed to. Bye?” Kevin quickly excuses himself, leaving Sweet Pea standing in the corridor.

-------

“You lied to me?” Sweet Pea’s voice booms through the quiet library.

“Here we go.” You mumble and turn around to face him. Toni and Fangs look at each other wide-eyed before starting to gather their stuff. 

“Sit down.” He tells them angrily. “You twisted your ankle and didn’t tell me?” 

“Believe me I tried, it was these two idiots who wanted to keep it from you.” 

“Why!” He shouts. 

“Because you’re a nightmare to be around when someone you love gets hurt.” Fangs sighs. 

“And we didn’t want the only girl that seems to want to be with you, to run away...well limp. It was for you’re own good.” Toni backs her friend up and Sweet Pea crosses his arms, his jaw clenched as he glares at the two of them. 

“I’m not a nightmare!” He argues. 

“Oh really?” They both ask, raising their eyebrows. 

“I really didn’t want to lie to you baby.” You try to defuse the situation. Sweet Pea looks at you, hurt swirling in his eyes. This definitely hurt more than twisting your ankle. “I felt awful, and I was gonna tell you when I was alone with you. But please don’t be mad at Toni and Fangs, they were doing what they thought was best. And I really am fine.” 

“I’m not upset about that.” He mumbles and the three of you look at him confused. “Well, I am. But I’m more upset at something else.” 

“What baby?” You asked softly and he sits beside you. 

“I asked Kevin if he needed any help with the musical.” He grumbles and the three of you share a look before bursting into laughter. “Guys, it’s not funny.” 

“We’re sorry.” Fangs says through laughter. “For everything.” He adds and Toni nods. 

“But you do get a little over protective.” She snickers. 

“Come on Y/n, lets go to class.” He says angrily. 

“Did you really ask Kevin about Me and My Broken Leg?” You ask. 

“Yes.” He mutters. “I wanted to support you.” 

“Awwww, baby.” You tease and pinch his cheek. 

“Shut up. I’m still mad.” 

“Put me down then.” You retort and motion to the fact that he’s carrying you bridal style down the corridor. 

“No way. How are you gonna get to your next class?” 

“Maybe Toni and Fangs were right.” You mutter. 

“This is just the beginning.” 

“Great.” 

“How exactly did you twist your ankle?” He asks. 

“I just tripped over a curb on the way home.” You shrug. 

“So I don’t need to threaten anyone with a knife?” 

“No.” You shake your head. “Unless you want to look insane.” 

“Right.” He nods. “This has no correlation to anything that has happened to you but, how do you baby-proof a house?” He looks at you and you narrow your eyes. “Just asking for a friend.” 

“Maybe I should have gone along with Toni and Fangs musical idea.” 

[geekgirles]

Your Heart

Chapter 9 -- Answers

Word Count: 17199

READ ON AO3

When Danny first visitedーor, more accurately, when he first crashed intoーthe Far Frozen, he shared the same first impression as Tucker; it was ball-freezing cold. 

Frostbite and his people’s homeland was a frozen paradise where blinding white snow went as far as reached the eye. What at first glance appeared to be a rather rudimentary village made out of small houses carved into mounds of ice and frost was infinitely more complex than that. The Realm of the Far Frozen was one of the most technologically advanced territories in all the Infinite Realms; even Technus coveted access to their facilities. A stark contrast to its inhabitants' simple clothing, for instance.

The ice huts were in truth the entrance to a far more elaborate citadel built underground and connected by countless tunnels and caverns, for it provided better shelter. Some shacks did indeed lead to the citizens’ homes, not unlike a rabbit’s den, but the vast majority of them worked as the gates to the tunnels leading to the metropolis beneath the snow. 

In fact, the only cavern that truly was a mere cave, despite its importance among Frostbite’s people, was the cave where Danny’s battle against Pariah Dark was recorded. In reality, everything about Far Frozen was proof that one should never judge a book by its cover. The ice-wielding ghosts had the fearsome looks of canine yetis; their claws alone the size of Danny’s head, their snouts filled to the brim with razor-sharp fangs; even now, standing at 5’9 feet tall, Frostbite’s colossal height and build dwarfed the halfa’s own developed physique, and the number of ghosts who shared the yeti-like species’ proficiency at cryokinesis could be counted with one handーaside from Danny himself, the only other ghost that came to mind was Klemper, and even he relied mostly on brute strength and freezing breath. 

And yet, despite everything that should’ve turned Frostbite and his people into some of his most formidable foes, they in turn were some of the biggest supporters of his rule. If you looked for the definition of ‘gentle giant’ in the dictionary, you’d see a picture of them. Frostbite’s people were noble, kind, and loyal. So long their way of living wasn’t threatened, should a crisis arise, they were always the first ones volunteering themselves to help Danny in any way they could. 

Not to mention Frostbite himself had more than once filled the role of the young Ghost King’s mentor. A role he had no choice but to exploit now. 

Landing gracefully on top of the snow, Danny waited patiently until the leader of the Far Frozeners came flying by on his hoverboard in the midst of his patrolling his land. Soon enough, taking notice of a shadow being cast on him, he looked up to see the ghost’s familiar face grinning down at him, by his side one of his subjects looked on with interest. 

“Great One!” he exclaimed before hopping off the vehicle and coming to stand beside his king, followed by a respectful bow. “To what do we owe the honour of this visit?”

Danny smiled appreciatively at him. “Hello, Frostbite. I know this is probably too sudden, but I could really use your help right now.”

“Nonsense.” The bigger ghost assured him with the raise of a dismissive paw. “My people will be forever indebted to you for freeing the Ghost Zone once and for all from the tyrannical influence of Pariah Dark.” He placed his large paw on his ruler’s shoulder, staring him down with a warmth that shouldn’t belong with a race of tundra dwellers. “Now, do tell, what can we possibly help with?”

Feeling uncomfortable, the halfa looked down on his feet and scratched the back of his head. He really didn’t want to go to Frostbite for help, knowing how cautious he was around the mere mention of them. Unfortunately, he didn’t know who else to go to. “I need your help with…the witches.”

He mumbled that part so low for a moment he worried his old friend might not have heard him, but the sudden look of urgency in his red eyes said otherwise. “Come, we must make haste.” With a nod of his head, Frostbite signalled to the hoverboard’s pilot to lower the vehicle, getting aboard right after Danny. “We will continue where we left off tomorrow at dawn, for now let us head back home.” He instructed the pilot as he ushered Danny to take a seat. 

“As you wish, sir.” The other Far Frozen replied as he changed course. 

“Thank you.” Danny said truthfully. “I’m sorry for bringing them up, but I think you might be the only one able to help me.”

Frostbite shook his head. “Fear not, Great One. My people and I understand you are doing everything in your power to protect us from their harmful ways. Even if we do not wish to come in contact of any kind with them, we will not hesitate to aid you in your quest.”

Even if on the outside Danny was smiling, his words made his insides churn. He felt like he was lying to his mentor. After his last encounter with Lady Arcana a part of him, probably the same part of him who originally told him this was a good idea, resented the way ghosts referred to witches. 

Jazz would probably say that was the result of personal growth. Since the Witch Queen went out of her way to make sure he was safe despite their mutual animosity, his mind had been opened to new horizons, meaning he now understood he’d been unfair to them based on prejudice and naysay, rather than first hand experience. 

At least, that’s what Psychologist Jazz would say. Overprotective, Older Sister Jazz would say something more along the lines of, “Snap out of it, little brother! You’re not fourteen and hormonal anymore; don’t let a pretty face fool you!”

Even so, here he was. Asking Frostbite for help even though it felt like he was just desperately looking for something, anything, that would debunk the reasons behind his people’s grudge against witches, if only to assure himself that his current, improved, opinion of their leader wasn’t unfounded. 

Come on, man, that’s not the only reason you’re doing this and you know it. He tried to reason. How much do you know about witches other than what you’ve been told? Nothing, that’s how much he knew about them. Exactly. You’re the one taking risks by working with Lady Arcana. What if your previous hunch was wrong and they really can’t help? Wouldn’t that mean you’ve been wasting your time? Okay, that’d be bad. Really bad. He only asked for their help because he was sure they were the only ones who could do anything about the portals, but if not even them had the solution to the portals opening, what was he going to do?! Right? And how are you going to figure that out if you don’t know what they’re truly capable of? Really, this is for the best. 

Danny didn’t want to sound conceited, but his inner monologue brought up incredibly good points to the conversation. He was doing this for the sake of Earth and the Ghost Zone alike. His personal opinion on the Queen of the Witches of Amity Park was irrelevant. 

A sudden jerk that almost sent him flying brought him out of his reverie. Looking around he noticed they’d finally arrived back at the village, and Frostbite was smirking down at him in amusement. “I have yet to see you use the powers that come with your position to their full potential,” he started between chuckles, “but I believe not even the Great One is exempt from having to use the seatbelt when travelling.”

Registering the way the leader of the Far Frozen moved his ice-encased arm to his lap, Danny realised he was the only person aboard who didn’t have his seatbelt on. When Frostbite unbuttoned his seatbelt with a pointed look, the green-eyed ghost could only flush in embarrassment. “Uh…oops?”

A low chuckle rumbled through the yeti-like ghost’s chest. “Come, Great One.” Resting his large paw on Danny’s back, Frostbite ushered him out of the hoverboard and began guiding him through his home’s numerous underground passages. They walked in silence, the sound of ice and snow being stepped on was the only thing that could be heard. Even though several detours were carved into the walls, his mentor kept directing him to go straight until he instructed they took a turn. 

Danny was sure his jaw was inches away from touching the ground as his eyes surveyed the colossal ice gates in front of him. Judging by their icy blue hue, they were thick enough to withstand practically anything. He doubted even one of his most charged up ecto-rays would be enough to crash into them. Many intricate designs ran alongside them, and they definitely had to protect something of great value to explain the two guards at each side. 

As if reading his mind, Frostbite supplied an answer for his unspoken queries, “The library, oh, Great One.” With a snap of his fingers, the two guards bowed down before they simultaneously turned the doorknobs and opened the doors for them, granting them access. 

“Wait, the library?” Danny frowned in confusion, which only doubled at Frostbite’s hearty laugh.

“Yes, Great One.” He smiled down at him as he led him inside. “If what you’re looking for is answers, I cannot think of a better place to find them than a library.”

Looking now at his mentor’s furry back, for he was surveying the different shelves most likely in search of a book that might have the information he was looking for, the young monarch blurted out, “How do you know I’m here for answers?”

Frostbite grabbed a book from the shelf he was currently facing, only to think better of it and return it in exchange for another one. “Usually, when you come all the way over here it is because you have questions you need answers to.”

Danny winced at the pang of guilt that pierced through his core. Was he always so self-interested he only ever came when he needed something?

“Worry not, Great One.” The yeti-like spirit said, not looking up from the book in his large paws. “My people will always be at your service. It is an honour to be able to help you, for we know you will always aid us in return.” He closed the book with a low thud, flashing him a friendly smile. 

Danny could only gape at the ghost before him, his mouth opening and closing in a fashion akin to a fish’s. Seriously, did the Far Frozeners have telepathy too?!

“No, we do not possess the ability to read minds.” Looking down at the certainly flabbergasted expression on the half-ghost’s face, Frostbite roared with laughter, the sound echoing throughout the walls. “I jest, Great One. I just know you too well. Also, your expressions speak volumes.” He commented offhandedly before returning his focus to another section of the library. 

And to think he’d managed to fool his parents all these years…Sliding a hand through his mess of shock-white locks, the Ghost King came to stand beside his old friend, scanning over the different titles as well. After a  while, he realised something. “Um, Frostbite?” He called out to his mentor. 

“Yes, Great One?”

“Are we perhaps looking for information to answer my questions about the witches?”

Never tearing his eyes away from the sacred manuscripts in full display in his people’s library, Frostbite nodded. “Precisely, your Majesty.”

“Just one question, though?”

“What is it?”

“How are we going to find a book that’ll help me, if I still haven’t told you what I need help with?” Danny pointed out, tilting his head to his side as he awaited an answer. 

The larger ghost’s red eyes widened in realisation. Indeed, that would prove difficult. “My apologies, Great One. In my haste to be of help I got ahead of myself.” Turning to his king, he bowed his head solemnly, unknowingly making Danny uncomfortable. Back in the day the halfa would’ve tried deterring him in his use of honorifics when talking to him, but it was a lost cause and getting him to stop bowing would be as well. In the end he simply chose to go with the flow. Raising his body, Frostbite used his ice-encased arm to gesture to a corner of the room, where a few chairs were arranged around a table. “Please, allow me to rectify my mistake by listening to your queries and answering them to the best of my ability.”

As soon as he got comfortable in his chair, which wasn’t difficult as the hair serving as upholstery was very fluffy and warm, Danny tried to voice his thoughts. “Well...um...you see…” Key word being ‘tried,’ in the end he blurted out, “How does their magic work?”

As Frostbite met his question with stunned silence, his head tilted to the side and a bushy eyebrow raised in confusion, the green-eyed half-ghost couldn’t blame him. How was it he always ended up asking the exact same thing to every person relatively knowledgeable about witches he talked to?

Before his old friend could ask for some much needed clarification, Danny hurried to deliver it himself. “I’m sorry, that was too random.” He pushed his bangs out of his face, trying to organise his thoughts. Better be straightforward with this one. “Why is it that their magic can touch us while we’re intangible?”

The question had been eating him alive for the last few days. Now matter how long he wracked his brain for answers, he came up empty-handed. Admittedly, most of the times he was hit by an opponent’s attack it was usually because, in the heat of the moment, he all but forgot he could turn intangible at will and effortlessly pass through whatever projectile was thrown his way. It was an embarrassing mistake that haunted himーhow ironic, huh?ーsince he first started gaining control over his powers. 

And yet, when he did remember to turn intangible at the sight of upcoming ecto-rays or laser beams, he could come out unscathed of anythingーother ghost’s using their powers against him, the Guys in White and their tax-money equipment, even his parents’ own inventions. 

Well, almost everything…

Valerie’s own arsenal of ecto-weapons was the only thing that could touch (or, more accurately, hurt) him when he was intangible. He could only guess what Vlad and subsequently Technus had used to create her suit and weaponry. Until now. Now he’d accidentally found out witches could nonchalantly wrap their magical, tendril-like thingy around his ankleーlast time in a successful attempt to help him, which was very much appreciatedーand it actually came as a surprise to them they were even able to do it! 

If only he could figure out why that was…

“Great One,” Frostbite sighed from his own chair, snapping him out of his reverie, “I fear I might not be of help to you. I know nothing of what you speak.” 

At that, the halfa jumped to his feet, almost pleadingly. “What do you mean, Frostbite? How come you don’t know, you know practically everything!”

A mirthless chuckle escaped the Far Frozener’s throat. “You flatter me, my King. But I really am as lost as you are on the matter. I could tell you many other things, but not that.”

“Then, what can you tell me?”

Rising to his feet, the yeti-like creature beckoned his hero and leader to follow him to another part of the library. Once they were in front of a particular shelf, Frostbite slid his finger over the different volumes until he found the one he was looking for. With a triumphant sound, he picked it up and started leafing through it as he handed the book to Danny. 

When the halfa took the heavy book in his hands he almost dropped it when he saw the intricate drawing between its pages. Pictured inside the book were very realistic, if slightly worn out by time, drawings of the Amulets of Aragon and portrayals of people Danny could only assume were Dorothea and her brother while they were alive. 

Frostbite’s booming voice forced him to look up to his direction. “Whatever knowledge on the sorceress’ nature beyond their affinity to magic and ability to free us from the chains that bind us to our world without the use of portals is long gone.” He delicately traced an invisible circle around the image of the amulet with one of his sharp claws as he explained, “After our people's separation, only remnants of their activity were left. 

“It is thanks to their prolonged presence in our lives, and the intertwining of energies resulting from our past interactions, that those with magic-based abilities can still survive today. Without the witches’ previous impact on our society, Princess Dorothea and her brother would have long lost the power to wield their amulets. And, as you know, it is thanks to them that magical items even exist in our world.”

“Yeah, don’t remind me…” He muttered under his breath, resentment coming back at full force. 

“On the contrary, my King. I am enlightening you.” Frostbite corrected, earning himself a confused look from Danny that encouraged him to go on. Instead of answering with words, however, Frostbite merely turned his head with a faraway look in his eyes, prompting the halfa to do the same. The moment his eyes laid on a particular object on the other side of the room, Danny could feel himself go jawslacked. 

With wide eyes, he turned his head so fast he almost gave himself whiplash. “The Infi-map is here because of the witches?” He asked with a strangled voice. 

Frostbite simply nodded. “It was a gift from them, to be precise. Legend has it, eons ago the Infinite Realms were desperately looking for ways to anticipate when the next ghost portal would open when an ancient witch queen from the Old World offered the enchanted Infi-map as the solution.

“She was especially close to my people, thus how we came to guard it. It is also why the Far Frozen is so wary of them now; how a race of beings we once shared such a close bond with could doom our very existence like they did was too much for even our benevolent nature to forgive.” He lowered his head in mourning. Maybe they only had stories of how things used to be, but it was clear the women’s betrayal was a deeply pierced wound that would forever be opening and closing at the very core of the Far Frozeners’ hearts. 

Seeing his friend’s dejected expression, Danny regretted even bringing them up almost instantly. “So there’s no way of possibly knowing how they can touch us while intangible?”

“As I said, only remnants of their presence remain.” Right after he said that, however, his downhearted expression turned thoughtful, his paw stroking his snout in thought. “Although, perchance, there is one ghost that might be able to shed some light on the matter...”

...........

Clockwork. 

He had to go and say Clockwork. 

Of fucking course. Why not? Couldn’t he have said Pandora? Despite her fierce and fearsome demeanour, underneath all that anger and aggression laid a very helpful gal! And besides, she was a spirit that had been roaming the Ghost Zone since the times of Ancient Greece! What could be more ancient than Ancient Greece? 

Okay, fine...maybe the very ghost who’d borne witness to the rise and fall of the Greek civilisation alongside countless others before and after. But his point still stands. 

At least this time he wouldn’t be visiting the all-knowing Ghost of Time by himself; Frostbite had offered to go with him seeing as it was per his suggestion he’d be visiting in the first place. Proof of it was the yeti-like ghost flying right beside him towards the Ghost of Time’s tower. And Clockwork always treated Frostbite with respect. 

Danny would admit he was being a bit harsh. In all fairness going to Clockwork was the most logical thing to doーif there was someone who’d have all the answers he needed, it was the very ghost who knew absolutely everything. The problem would be getting the answers out of him. 

Deep down, the halfa knew he should’ve gone to him from the beginning, it was just dealing with him could really take its toll on Danny, no matter how much he respected and appreciated his guidance. Was Clockwork a good mentor to Danny? Absolutely, he was sure he’d never made it as far as he had without his and Frostbite’s help. In the end, was the greater good Clockwork’s priority? Was it ever! The shape-shifting ghost would never hesitate to go against orders from the Observants (all too gleefully, might he add) if he believed it’d led them to the better timeline. Did his cryptic nature and that frustratingly annoying, knowing smirk he always wore when he needed his help with something sometimes encourage Danny to jump off a cliff in his human form? 

Maybe. 

He just hoped Frostbite’s presence would help matters, if only a bit. 

And speaking of Frostbite…“We approach the Master of Time’s lair, Great one.” Soon enough, the immense clock tower standing proud in the middle of the Infinite Realms could be sighted not far away from them. 

Danny sighed dejectedly. “Let’s get this over with…” he grumbled as he changed course in the direction the ghostly lair resided. 

Once they arrived at Clockwork’s tower, Danny reached a hand out to push the door open and let themselves in. It wasn’t like they were going to catch its owner off-guard, after all. As they ventured inside, their eyes scanning for the ever-changing form of the master of time, the constant tick-tock coming from the numerous clocks scattered around the place reached their ears. Like the ticking crocodile Captain Hook dreaded so much, the tower was a constant reminder of the passage of time. Even if the Ghost of Time had long ago explained to him the essence of his power was never as linear as most beings made it out to be, all Danny could think of whenever that incessant sound registered in his mind was one thing:

Time was running out and the end was nigh.

Shaking those thoughts away, for now wasn’t the moment to get lost in them, Danny cupped a hand around his mouth. “Clockwork?” He called. “Anybody home?”

In the blink of an eye, the child-like form of the ghost in question materialised in front of them with an amused grin on his childish face. When he opened his mouth to speak, instead of an appropriately high-pitched voice came a deep, baritone one, “I’ve been expecting you.” The fact it came from a kid’s mouth made it all the more jarring, but Danny was used to it by now. 

Whereas Frostbite respectfully bowed down in greeting, Danny just stared blankly at the ghost before him, his arms folding over his chest. “‘I’ve been expecting you?’ Really? What are you, a fortune teller?”

Changing to his adult form, a more fitting low chuckle escaped his throat. “We both know I’m one of the very few creatures in existence within his right to call himself that.” Then he added, almost like an afterthought. “Also, I felt like it.”

“Figures,” he muttered. Despite himself, the halfa couldn’t stop the lopsided smile from forming on his face. 

Clockwork then turned to the leader of the Far Frozen. “It’s good to see you again, Frostbite. What business brings you here?”

Standing up from his bowed position, Frostbite returned the greeting. “Greetings, Lord Clockwork. It is good to see you as well. Do forgive my impertinence, but I believe you must already know why I am here.”

The master of time nodded, now taking the form of an old man, the grip on his scepter just a little bit tighter for support. “Indeed, you’re here to support our young king. How noble of you.”

“I am merely doing what it is expected of me.” 

“That you do.” Clockwork agreed, nodding wisely. As the larger ghost had accurately pointed out, when one addressed the Ghost of Time, everything they did became expected. “That you do, my friend.”

“Um, could we please speed things up?” Danny suggested, growing frustrated with the pointless introductions. “As Frostbite said, you already know why we’re here, so why don’t you tell us if you can help us or not?”

“I said I know why Frostbite’s here, seeing as that is a staple in almost every timeline. That doesn’t mean I necessarily know the actual reason why you’re here since it’s more subject to change.” The Ghost of Time countered, but that devilishly knowing smirk of his was back on his face, all but screaming he did know exactly why they were here. “So, what are you here for, boy?”

Resisting the very strong urge to yank at his hair in despair, Danny managed to at least reply calmly. Sarcastically, but calmly. “As if you don’t know the answer already.”

Clockwork’s smirk widened. “Then humour me.”

Pinching the bridge of his nose and sighing through it, the Ghost King thought the best way to formulate his question. Just because the master of time was, well, the master of time that didn’t mean he shouldn’t try to at least make sense. “I need answers.” He finally admitted. “There’s a lot going on with Lady Arcana that I can’t understand. I originally asked for Frostbite’s help but, unfortunately, he didn’t have what I’m looking for. And honestly?” He sent the shapeshifting ghost a meaningful glance, hoping it’d be enough to express how serious he was. “I don’t think she has the answers, either.”

Clockwork arched an eyebrow, silently urging him to continue. 

“She can touch me when I go intangible!” Danny threw his arms up. Really, knowing how she could do that was all he needed. If he found out more about her people, wonderful! But as long as he got to know why one of his core powers seemingly meant nothing to her, he was golden. “Well, not her, her magic can.” He amended. “Just the other day, I was intangible and she wrapped one of her wispy tendrils around my ankle, yanking me down. How is that possible?”

For a moment, the Ghost of Time remained silent. With his head resting on his staff, his body kept changing its physical appearance as his deep, red eyes stayed fixated upon the young king. And Danny couldn’t honestly be sure if Clockwork was really thinking his next words carefully or just toying with him. He was an adult again by the time he finally spoke. “Danny, have you ever considered why ghosts can go intangible at all?” 

The unexpected question took him aback. “I...I always assumed it was a natural ghost ability.” He admitted as he scratched the back of his head in thought. 

Changing to his elderly form, the hooded ghost nodded. “And it is, but not without reason.” Next he floated over one of the many portals he used to oversee the passage of time. With a snap of his fingers, the portal began broadcasting many different instances where Danny or some other ghost had turned intangible. “You see, when we ghosts become intangible, what we do is tap into the Ghost Zone while we’re away from it. That is to say our bodies travel through dimensions.” With a movement of his staff, the image changed to show the times he, Tucker, and, surprisingly, Lady Arcana had phased through the walls. “That’s also why humans can phase through things in our world; even if their bodies are here, their essence never left Earth…”

As his mind connected the dots, the halfa’s eyes widened to the size of saucers. “...making them lose their physical mass when in touch with things from our world!” He finished, amazed, and from beside the portal Clockwork nodded sagely. “But what about witches?”

The portal abruptly stopped its broadcast. It was almost as if Clockwork didn’t want to show him anything related to Lady Arcana’s people. With that in mind, Danny feared for a second the master of time would choose that moment to close himself off and say nothing more, but luckily, he proved him wrong. “In terms of physical form, witches are still human, but their magic is something completely different.

“As the only human beings capable of tapping into their own essence, their animas are multidimensional, which is why the Witch Queen’s magic affected youーits’ capable of surpassing the laws of physics because it’s not bound to any particular dimension…”

“...just its holder!” Danny gasped out as understanding dawned on him, things were finally starting to make sense. “So you’re saying witches are akin to electricity generators? They depend on no one but themselves to do magic?”

“Pretty much.”

“Wow.” He breathed out, a hand outstretched and blindly looking for support until it met the wall. Noticing his king’s dazed estate, Frostbite hurried to his side to steady him as Danny slowly sat down on the floor. “This...this is a lot.”

“And it’s only the beginning.” The Ghost of Time let out cryptically. Danny would have to remember to think about the meaning of that later on, for now he’d already absorbed too much information in too little time. When his brain finally processed enough information for him to properly function, the green-eyed ghost stood to his feet on his own, thanking Frostbite for his help. “Thank you, Clockwork. You were a huge help today. I know how hard it is for you to reveal anything due to the nature of your job.”

“Don’t get used to it, boy.” The hooded ghost warned, the knowing smirk back on his face. “I’m only doing what I consider best for this timeline. Don’t think spelling things out for you will be the answer to all your problems from now on.” 

Despite his words, the smile on Danny’s face didn’t fall. It’d have been foolish to expect anything else from Clockwork, after all. “Well, thanks anyways. See you, Clockwork.” He waved him goodbye as he took off in the opposite direction, this time heading for the Fenton Ghost Portal; today was far from over. 

Having been left alone with the Ghost of Time, Frostbite approached him. “Lord Clockwork, are we certain we are on the right path for salvation?”

“Trust me, old friend,” a child Clockwork said as he ventured further inside his lair, a different portal opening before his deceivingly innocent, round face, the events being displayed in it pleasing him greatly, “everything is as it should be.”

...........

The FentonWorks sign loomed over her like a bad omen. Looking up to the enormous metallic construction welded to the more average-looking, brick building where Danny and his family lived, Sam couldn’t help but subconsciously grip the straps of her spider backpack tighter. Her stomach churning in nervousness, she lifted one hand up to knock on the door…

And, unable to bring herself to do so, let it hang in mid-air for a good ten minutes. 

Dear God, if anyone saw her lurking around the Fentons’ door they’d think she was some weird stalker who was crazier than they claimed the family to be, or a potential client who needed help hunting a ghost. So basically they’d think she was crazier than they claimed the family to be either way. 

One would think the only family of ghost hunters in town would be held in much higher regard after seven years of consistent ghost attacks, but rumour has it their equipment tended to malfunction or make things more difficult for everyone. Sam remembered one particularly funny, but understandably embarrassing, story Danny had told her about his parents’ accidentally humiliating his English teacher on more than one occasion. And since Mr. Lancer couldn’t punish two adults, he took his frustrations out on their innocent son who had repeatedly stated he wanted nothing to do with the family business.

Add to that the presence of an all-around more powerful and more competent town hero with actual ghost powers, and it was safe to say their credibility had taken a few major blows over the years. 

At first she’d worried about their financial situation. Who wouldn’t? They were professional ghost hunters but nobody took them seriously and any possible job they might have had was immediately handled by a far more efficient superhero who, to top it all, worked for free. With that in mind you’d expect them to have been evicted years ago! But Danny had been quick to reassure her and explain things to her. Yes, his parents’ passion was ectology and ghost-hunting, but they were primarily inventors and, even if their ecto-weapons could sometimes use some work, their more mundane inventions were typically sold like pancakes. So they were fine. 

She sighed at the memory. Oh, Danny…

Hard as she tried, she still hadn’t managed to shake the flutter in her chest off whenever she thought of him or something happened between them. No. Scratch that. She didn’t get that feeling when ‘something’ happened between them, because nothing ever happened between them! All those weird, little instances where her heart would malfunction after twenty-one years in peak condition were perfectly normal occurrences that shouldn’t send her heart running. 

They would simultaneously reach for the same thing, causing their hands to brush against each other. Their eyes would meet and she’d spend seconds that could have perfectly stretched into hours over-analysing every little thing she thought was going on behind them because she suddenly wanted to know everything about Danny. When that happened it’d usually be followed by the both of them hurriedly looking away and Sam feeling bashful for some reason, heat rising to her cheeks. 

And none of those reactions made sense because that was not the way one would react to their friend!

Those were all completely normal occurrences between friends. It was normal to want the same thing at the same time. It was only natural to look your friend in the eyes. And it made sense that you’d want to look away if you think you’ve been staring a little too long because anyone would feel uncomfortable by that. 

What didn’t make sense was the gnawing feeling at the back of her head telling her those little, insignificant moments meant so much more than that!

And now that she was beginning to think she’d misjudged Phantom? Now that she looked at him in a different light and noticed some of his...let’s say...more appealing features, both in terms of physique and personality? Now that her heart was beginning to malfunction at the thought of him too?

Now Sam was seriously contemplating putting an end to her misery and burning herself at the stake. 

Either that or go see a doctor in case she had some sort of untreatable heart disease. 

Regardless of the very strange position she now found herself in, Sam’s resolve in finding more about ghosts was genuine. Her and Phantom’s reactions to her magic being able to reach him even when intangible was proof enough that far too much knowledge on their people’s old friendship had been regrettably forgotten. 

The black hole incident demonstrated there probably was more to their partnership and combined abilities than what had been passed down to the younger generations. If Sam could find solid evidence on an unexplained synchrony between magic and ghostly attributes, then maybe her current alliance with the Ghost King wouldn’t be futile after all.

Maybe it even held the key to solving the portal crisis they faced off against…

The witch was abruptly broken out of her trail of thought when the door she’d been standing in front of for fifteen minutes suddenly opened, Danny’s head curiously poking around and eyes darting from one side to the other, clearly looking for something…

...or someone. 

As soon as their eyes met, the two of them let out startled sounds and subconsciously took a step back in surprise. Unfortunately for Sam, seeing as she was standing on the steps leading up to the door, her foot slipped when it found nowhere to stand on. Losing her balance, she was sure she was going to fall when Danny immediately rushed in to help her, his strong arms swiftly coming to grab her by her waist, their faces mere inches apart. 

Against her better judgement, the hazel-eyed girl couldn’t do anything to prevent losing herself in Danny’s baby blue depths. Certainly, nobody would blame her, not when their breaths mingled from the close proximity, or when his eyes reflected a worry she’d rarely seen beforeーhe was worried for her, she realised with a little too much gleeー, or when they were so, so close all she had to do was inch her head forward just a little to close the distance and feel those hypnotising lips of his onー.

“Uh...what’s going on here?”

Slowly, very slowly, even comically so, the two turned their heads to the direction of the voice. Only to find Jazz propped against the doorframe behind her brother and flashing them a very interested look, a smile dancing along her lips. 

The effect was instantaneous. The two scrambled to get away from each other, almost as if they’d suddenly realised the other was made out of hot lava and they were burning their hands, muttering excuses and such other nonsense Jazz chose to ignore completely. 

Oh, denial. Simultaneously one of the most entertaining and frustrating stages of admitting you like someone. 

Clearing his throat, Danny was the first one to find his voice, even though his cheeks still burned. “S-Sam! It’s great to see you! I was starting to believe you couldn’t make it in the end.”

“Oh! No, no.” She shook her head slightly with a hand raised up. “I’m sorry I made you wait, I, uh, I just had a little trouble finding the place. That’s all.” Fine, so saying she had trouble finding the one house in town with a humongous Ops Centre on its roof was a terrible lie, but no way in Hell was she going to say she found the place just fine but she took a few extra minutes with her hand raised about to knock on the door but finding herself unable to. 

That was just pathetic.

The slightly irritating grin never leaving her face, Jazz ushered their guest in. “Would you like to come in?”

“Yes, thank you.” She let herself be guided through the doorstep to the kitchen, which, judging by the outline of some furniture she could vaguely make out, Sam guessed led to the living room. The space was a large and bright-coloured room that combined a somewhat retro 50’s style with far newer appliances and...was that a toxic-waste container?

“That’s our version of tupperware with leftovers.” Danny came to stand beside her and now Sam was wondering if she’d just said that aloud or if he could read minds. When he looked down at her, though, his expression was dead serious. “If you value your life, don’t open it.”

“Duly noted.” 

She was about to ask where she could sit down when the younger sibling moved a chair for her, gesturing at it with a flourish and flashing her a charming smile. “M’lady, this way, please.”

Rolling her eyes fondly, Sam took his hand and allowed him to help her sit, setting her spider backpack on top of the kitchen table. Once he was comfortably sitting on his own chair by her side, she swatted his arm in mock warning. “Just so you know, I’m only letting you treat me like ‘a lady,’” she air-quoted, “because, as your guest, is the right thing to do.” 

“I’m much obliged, Miss Manson.” Danny countered with a fake posh accent. 

Before the girl could so much as flick him on the nose, Jazz came inside carrying a plate full of cookies. “Care for one, Sam?”

Eying the plate carefully, she had to decline the offer. “Thank you, but I’m good.” In truth she couldn’t be sure the cookies were vegan, but saying she wasn’t hungry was much more polite than imposing her dietary choices on them. 

Sensing her discomfort, Danny smacked his forehead as realisation washed over him. “Duh, that’s right!” Startled by his outburst the two girls turned to look at him, exchanging confused glances. “You’re ultra-recyclo-vegetarian! I’m sorry, Sam. I forgot. I don’t think we have anything for you.”

Bringing one hand to her mouth, Jazz gasped. “Darn! That’s right. I’m so sorry, Sam; it totally slipped my mind.”

Her mind still reeling from Danny, once again, remembering something about her, she didn’t have the heart to say anything. “It’s okay, really. As I said, I’m good.”

“Are you sure?” Danny insisted. “Because I’m sure we have something around here you might be able to eat…” He trailed off, clearly thinking about what they had that Sam could possibly consume without breaking her moral code. Biting down his lip, he tried, “How about water?”

The Goth girl couldn’t help but snort. “ A tempting offer. I might take you up on it.”

“I’ll get you a glass.” As he got up to do just that, his older sister finally took notice of the purple spider resting on the table. 

“Wow.” She breathed out, clearly impressed. “You have quite a collection of badges on your bag!”

“Oh, this?” Sam pointed at the assortment of metallic, glinting badges adorning her faithful spider’s fur. “They’re mostly from charities and previous protests I’ve been in.” She explained. “You could say when something matters a lot to me, I make sure to give it a place of honour.”

“Cool, just make sure my father doesn’t see or he’ll shove a handful of Fenton badges your way.”

“‘Fenton badges’?”

“They’re regular badges with the word ‘Fenton’ on them.” Danny explained quickly, setting down a glass of water before Sam just as he regained his seat. 

After her brother helped himself to some cookies, Jazz left the plate on the counter before picking a seat for herself. She propped her elbows on the kitchen table, her fingers intertwined and her eyes staring at the Goth seriously from behind her hands. The image reminded Sam of the principals from high school based sitcoms whenever the protagonists got in trouble.

The mental image only made her feel like she’d got in trouble. 

“Uh...is everything okay?” She asked carefully.

“Everything’s fine, Sam.” Danny assured her with a smile, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. That only worried the girl further. “We’re just morally obligated to warn you about a few things first.”

“Such as…?” Sam eyed the Fenton siblings suspiciously, her skin prickling at their uncharacteristically odd behaviour. 

“Such as our parents' eccentricities.” Jazz finished, her voice completely serious. “Don’t get us wrong, Sam; our parents are talented inventors and passionate ghost hunters...” She trailed off, having trouble explaining things to an outsider. They never really had to explain their family’s antics to anybody else, they all knew; the difference lay in how they processed the information. So far, the entire town bar Tucker thought of them as kooks.

“But they’re so passionate they tend to overlook things.” Danny added. 

“Especially if they don’t fit their agenda...” Jazz muttered darkly, probably thinking nobody heard. But she was mistaken.

Sam was legitimately taken aback by the unexpected venom laced in Jazz’s statement. Even though this was only the second time she got to meet the eldest Fenton sibling, their last encounter seemed to indicate Jazz was the type of person who always measured her words. Straight-laced, careful, mature...Maybe even calculating under the right circumstances. She seemed to place great importance on not letting her emotions show, for some reason. But, seemingly, their parents’ job was a sore spot for her. 

As her mind went back to their conversation at Verde Que Te Quiero Verde, Sam found herself thinking she couldn’t blame Jazz for her low opinion on their parents’ chosen career. Who wouldn’t grow resentful of a career path that, judging by Danny’s stories, not only had it brought shame and embarrassment onto their children their whole lives, but also led them to being neglected in favour of something most people didn’t even know existed until recently?

As much as she’d personally wished her mother would leave her alone growing up, Sam knew what emotional neglect felt like all too well. 

“I see.” She said finally, taking extra care in not letting her thoughts shine through. She needed to appear nonchalant, willing to listen. “So, what should I know?”

Danny and Jazz exchanged a look, silently discussing how to approach the topic. Understandably, Danny had been taken by surprise when Sam asked if she could come over and talk about ghosts. After all, who in their right mind wanted to talk about ghosts? Most citizens would just watch him fight them, sneer at him once the battle was over, and exclaim ‘good riddance!’ before turning on their heels to go back to their monotonous lives. 

The only exceptions to the norm were Team Phantom  (and even they’d only started showing interest begrudgingly, since they had no other choice), Danny Phantom’s fan club, and Valerie in her early days as a ghost hunterーnow that she thought she knew everything about mischievous spirits she could possibly need, she’d become more of an ‘attack first, questions never’ kinda gal. 

Luckily for Danny, the moment she noticed his blank expression, she was quick to explain it was her Gothic nature talking. Her passion for the paranormal and occult just couldn’t miss the opportunity of getting to know more from the town’s resident experts. 

Now, if only said experts weren’t almost as single-minded as a certain Red Huntress…

He wasn’t sure why, but a part of Danny just couldn’t bear the thought of Sam disliking ghostsーdisliking your ghost half, you meanーthe same way Valerie or his parents did. She was one of the most accepting people he’d met in a long time, he wouldn’t know what to do if Danny Phantom jeopardised that like it jeopardised his relationship with Valerie. 

That was why it was so important she understood! If he and Jazz could get through to her before their parents started feeding her their very anti-ghost ideas, then maybe he wouldn’t lose another person to Amity Park’s almost unanimous anti-ghost sentiment. He wouldn’t have to pretend to be somebody he was not in front of somebody else he cared about. 

With a nod of his head, Danny allowed Jazz to take the floor. “First and foremost, you should know our parents are far better in practice than in theory.”

Sam blinked, not following. “I don’t think I understand…”

“It’s just,” Jazz started, biting her lip, her hands fidgeting as she tried to find the right words to say, “they know the basics, you see? They know everything on how to take down a ghost and apply that knowledge to their inventions...with varying results,” she muttered that last part to herself. “But we don’t think they really understand what makes a ghost tick, you know what I mean?”

The Goth could only stare blankly at her, her brow furrowed in confusion. “But you just said they know how to take down ghosts...Doesn’t that mean they know what makes them tick?”

“What Jazz means is they don’t understand their motivations.” Danny corrected. “To our parents, all ghosts care about is causing mayhem and destruction, but not all ghosts can possibly be like that, can they?”

Although it was phrased like a question, there was something about the way he said it that made Sam see it as anything but. The certainty in his voice, the almost manic glint in his eyes askingーno, beggingーher to understand. It wasn’t mere, hopeful speculation. As much as Danny liked seeing the good in people, he wasn’t just giving ghosts the benefit of the doubt; it was like he knew they were far more than just ectoplasmic remnants of human conscience. 

Still, despite everything, her mouth started talking before her brain had time to catch up. “But do they even have any motivation at all?” She didn’t know why, but she felt like wincing when Danny’s hopeful expression turned dejected. Like a kicked puppy. “I mean, all ghosts do whenever they come to Amity Park is cause some sort of trouble or even go as far as plotting world domination.” 

Why did she say that? Wasn’t she trying to give the spectres the benefit of the doubt as well? She explicitly came here for answers that’d justify her sudden belief, her sudden need to believe, ghosts weren’t as evil as she’d been told. She was looking for that same reason that led her ancestors to trusting and forming a solid alliance with them all those centuries ago. 

Why was her mind trying to sabotage that?

Sensing his brother’s discomfort, Jazz was quick to step in. For reasons he wasn’t ready to admit, it was important Sam was on their side. “Take Danny Phantom, for instance,” she said, seemingly unaware of the way Sam’s breath hitched at the mention of his name. “Nobody knows what he’s up to, but for all intents and purposes, he seems to only care about protecting Amity Park.”

“That 's...true.” The Goth admitted, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach as she thought of the town’s controversial hero. “Except for a few incidents, he only ever appears if the town’s in danger.”

Sam didn’t say much, she was just stating the obvious. But hearing her admit he was trying to save Amity Park rather than destroy or rule it brought a grin to Danny’s face. “Our parents don’t get that. For them, it’s more like, ‘you’ve seen one ghost, you’ve seen them all’”, as he explained their parents’ mindset, Danny’s voice took on a deeper tone, causing Sam to guess he was making an imitation of his dad’s voice. “They don’t think Phantom, or any ghost for that matter, can be anything other than trouble.”

A dark, heavy cloud seemed to settle over the raven haired boy’s shoulders. His ocean blue eyes lost their shine, the corners of his lips turned upside down, and he suddenly looked much older than he really was. He seemed so...tired. As if he were carrying a huge weight over his shoulders and were exhausted from it. 

“They��” he began to say before he had to swallow the bitter lump in his throat. It was so difficult to get the words out, knowing what they entailed, without getting emotional. But Sam couldn’t possibly know just how much it all affected him. She just couldn’t. “They dehumanise them.”

Sam could only stand looking at Danny for a few more seconds before she had to avert her gaze, focusing on the kitchen counter instead as she bit down her lip guiltily. He looked so...un-Danny. She began picking at her nails as she realised his parents weren’t all that different from her; not even a week prior she’d also been convinced ghosts were nothing more than ectoplasmic scum. Cold, unfeeling, wicked. Even now, even as she came to understand she should give them a chance, she found herself having trouble trying to move on from that mindset her people had spent a good chunk of her life getting into her head. 

Hating ghosts was second nature at this point. 

“I…” Sam started weakly, clearing her throat to give herself a few more seconds to compose herself. This was going to be hard. “I think I understand. It’s like all those movies, isn’t it?” She said, her voice tinged with a lightness she didn’t quite feel. “Like...like those stories with over-complicated plots that can, ultimately, be summarised by ‘don’t judge a book by its cover,’ right?”

Actually getting the words out was proving itself to be a Herculean task. She didn’t even know what she was saying. Referencing one of the oldest tropes to ever exist? Really? No matter how hard she was trying for the sake of her alliance with Phantomーand not because, for whatever reason, she now wanted to believe he couldn’t possibly be as bad as she initially thought. No wayー, literally all ghosts that’d ever visited Amity Park except for the Ghost King had questionable morals, at best, or were downright diabolical, at worst. 

Just trying to get the words out made her stomach tighten! 

But then she looked over to Danny from underneath her eyelashes, feeling too shy and unsure for her comfort, and her breath hitched. 

Danny was positively glowing. For reasons Sam couldn’t understand, having someone try to see things eye to eye with him meant the world to Danny. The way his expression softened when he looked at her was almost too much to bearーher cheeks felt like they were on fire, but Sam still had half the mind to understand suddenly splashing her face with her, mostly untouched, glass of water would make some eyebrows raise in bewilderment. 

Her heart pounding in her ears and her mind screaming at her not to do anything weird or out-of-place (in a disturbingly similar voice to her mother), the hazel-eyed girl reached a hand across the table and rested it on top of Danny’s, who jolted in his seat upon making contact. “I can’t promise anything, but I’ll try to keep an open mind.” She said softly, smiling at him. 

His mind reeling from the feeling of Sam’s warm hand over his cold palm, Danny let out an almost inaudible gasp, his eyebrows shooting up to the ceiling. But as he registered her promise, he couldn’t help himself from giving her hand a gentle squeeze, his face morphing itself into an adoring expression as his heart did somersaults in his chest cavity. 

Where have you been all my life?

Startled by his own thought process, Danny roughly snatched his hand away from Sam’s, under her slightly hurt gazeーwhich she immediately tried to cover upーand Jazz’s questioning eyes. Before he could try and dwell on his thoughts, however, a booming voice came from down the lab and progressively made its way upstairs.

“Sorry we’re late!” Jack’s jovial voice came from the staircase. “We were finishing up some last minute adjustments.”

“Our latest invention promises to be our greatest one yet!” A feminine voice said excitedly. Sam could only guess that was Mrs. Fenton.

“There’s still much to be done, of course. But as soon as we work out a few twerks and we’re done designing the general outline, everything else will go smoothly.” Coming in before her husband, Maddie moved easily around her kitchen, going over to the fridge to grab some fudge for Jack before reaching up for some plates from the cupboard. She kept waltzing around the kitchen table and her children, so engrossed in her retelling she failed to notice the ebony haired girl sitting down beside them. “You kids haven’t touched the container unit with the ecto-weenies, haveー?” She trailed off abruptly, something far more interesting than her home’s ecto-induced food catching her eye the moment she turned around to finally face her kids. 

There, sitting around her kitchen table, right next to her son, was both the most unique and beautiful girl she’d ever seen him with. Any other mother would be taken aback to see her son with a girl with a side of her head shaved off and dyed purple and green (albeit only the little ponytail sticking out), wearing enough dark clothes to be confused with a mortician or someone in mourning, and heavy, dark make-up coating her face. 

But not Maddie Fenton. 

Oh no. 

Aside from being a ghost hunterーa career path that was, regrettably, not held in high regard by her entourageー, meaning she wasn’t one to judge others’ live choices, Maddie was just shocked to see her son with a girl. Period. 

The last time she’d ever even heard him gush about how pretty a girl was was in his Freshman year of high school. First over that Paulina Sanchez who, going by what Jazz told her, was Casper High’s beauty queenーit was only natural her teenage son would have a phase where he was after the head cheerleader; just like Jazz had a phase where she was into that motorcycle-riding bad boy with greasy hair. 

Whatever happened to that boy?

And a few months after that he seemed smitten with Valerie Gray, the daughter of Damon Gray; a former security expert at Axion Labs that’d helped them during the whole ordeal with the Ghost King. A pleasant man, but even he didn’t seem to hold them in high esteem. 

They went out several times all throughout the extent of two weeks, but just as she was about ready to squeal and tackle his little man for getting his first girlfriend and growing up, one day he dejectedly told them Valerie thought it best to remain friends. 

Ever since then, romance all but became a taboo topic around Danny. 

Aside from a few times he’d tell them he had a date (which never seemed to lead anywhere), not a peep could be heard out of him when it came to girls. Ever since he was well into his Freshman year, at the tender age of fourteen bordering fifteen, girl-talk became nonexistent. 

And, Maddie had to admit, there was a time she came to believe her son never brought girls up because he just wasn’t interested in them. Seeing as the only other person he ever spent time with was Tucker, Maddie once thought Danny was gay but too afraid to come out, fearing they might disown him or something. 

Only for that little theory to burn up in flames when she tried letting him know she knew and fully supported himーto which Danny almost choked to death on his breakfast, before fervently denying any sort of romantic relationship with his best friend. 

He swore up and down the reason he never brought up the topic of romance was because there wasn’t anyone he was interested in. Something he religiously followed, never even talking about a girl (or boy, Maddie still kept that possibility open) who he’d simply come to think was pretty in passing.

Until now. 

Now there was a lovely young lady in her kitchen. Sitting right beside her baby, who looked as embarrassed as if he were a teenager again and was being bombarded with a thousand photos of him and his date for Homecoming. Now, Maddie wasn’t quite knowledgeable on street fashion and subcultures as she’d been back in college, but just by looking at this girl (who was staring, wide-eyed, right back at her) she could tell she used her clothes to express herself and her individuality.

She knew who she was or, at least, who she wanted to be. Good. 

Straightening her back slightly, Maddie tried to put the girl at ease using her most motherly tone. “Oh, hello there!” She walked over to her and reached out her hand for her to shake. She noted with pleasure she had a firm yet gentle grip. Oh, dear God, please let this girl be the one for Danny! “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Maddie, Danny and Jazz’s mother.”

“Oh! Uh…” With a start, she smiled back at the kind woman in front of her, albeit feeling a little awkward. “I’m Sam. I’m friends with Dannyーnice to meet you.”

“Believe me, Sam,” Maddie’s grin widened, “the pleasure’s all mine.”

Feeling self-conscious all of a sudden, probably from the countless hours of etiquette classes her mother had drilled into her head, Sam jumped to her feet to greet the woman before her properly. 

The Goth was in awe at the sight before her. Mrs Fenton had to be a woman in her late-forties to early-fifties, given she’d given birth to two kids who were now in their early twenties, and yet she didn’t look a year over thirty. She had to be one of the most beautiful women she’d ever met, with her auburn bob cut that had only the tiniest hints of a grey hair or two; her smooth, wrinkle-free face that’d make Pamela sick with envyーshe’d spent a fortune on skincare products and even then she didn’t look nearly as young as Danny’s mother; and she had to have the best figure she’d ever seen, even after given birth twice! As unorthodox a piece of clothing as it was, her blue hazmat suit hugged her body perfectly, accentuating all her curves. Mrs Fenton was probably only second to Delilah in terms of voluptuousness, but seriously, that woman was basically a goddess walking on Earth. And her deep, purple eyes hid a mixture of motherly warmth and care as well as an intelligence and sharpness rivaled only by Grandma Ida. 

It was funny, Sam noted. Had Mrs Fenton been born a witch, and she probably would be ruling the coven now, not her. 

“And I’m Jack Fenton, nice to meet you kiddo!” Danny’s father exclaimed, trapping Sam’s hand in a deadly grip. He was shaking her hand so enthusiastically Sam was genuinely surprised he wasn’t shaking her up and down like a rag doll. 

“Nice to meet you too, Mr Fenton.” She said, taking a good look at the man who’d raised Danny. 

Mr Fenton was...how could she put this gently? The opposite of his wife. He wasn’t ugly by any means! But while Maddie looked like she could be on the cover of a fashion magazine, he was a rather plain-looking fellow. Jack was a man of great girth, although not necessarily overweight; he certainly had enough energy to get an electric plant running with nothing but his personality. Clad in a large, orange hazmat suit that somehow both matched and clashed horribly with his wife’s more classy blue, his age was far more apparent. Perhaps he didn’t look like he had a foot on the other door, but the years hadn’t been as kind to him as they’d been to Mrs Fenton. He still had a full head of hair, but his sideburns and his nape were already stark white, while the hair on his head kept some colourーa dark grey. The little bit of skin Sam could see (mostly his face, really), with his strong, squared jaw, was mostly unblemished, except for crow’s feet around his round eyes. He definitely didn’t look too old, just...older than his wife.

Even then, Sam could still make out enough details that showed this was Danny’s dad. 

At first glance it seemed both Fenton kids took mostly after their mother (a never-ending source of comfort for them, she was sure), but there was enough of Jack’s genes in their appearance to tell the kinship. 

Judging from his mop of grey hair, Sam figured he used to have black hair, not unlike his son’s messy locks. If she looked closely, the girl could make out Mr Fenton’s eyes; a dark shade of greyish blue, similar to Danny’s icy stare and Jazz’s inquisitive, aqua eyes. And last but not least, there was the issue with their height. Mr Fenton was huge! Probably the tallest member of the family, and that was saying something. Even Danny, standing at an impressive 5’9, was towered over by his dad. Jazz took after her mum in that regard, thank Goodness.

So, summing up.

A lovely, genius daughter working on her PhD; a charming, witty, hot-as-Hell (who said that?!) son about to work with NASA; a mother who was both gorgeous and another genius, and a huge father who might not be George Clooney but seemed to be a very decent human being (and, considering he was an expert ectologist and inventor, another genius to boot). 

What was this, the over-achieving family? A family specifically designed to excel in everything her own family already didn’t hold a candle to anyone to?! And did she really have to be so short in comparison!?

As much as the stereotypically girly part of herself she worked so hard to push down squealed over a healthy height difference between a possible boyfriend and her, the number of inches Danny had on her was just ridiculous. And now it turns out his entire family is better than hers one way or another. Unless she performed magic in their very kitchen, Sam had no idea how she could possibly impress her in-laws. Ever. 

And, she realised with a start, her mind was veering into insane territory again… She rationalised she was just thinking it’d be very difficult for her to impress the Fentons if she were to date Danny. Which she wasn’t going to do. Ever. They were just friends and her life was too complicated to even be thinking about romance right now. Besides, she’d never be able to live with herself knowing she’d have to keep her partner (be it Danny or someone else entirely) in the dark about a huge aspect of her life. 

Danny deserved way better than the kind of life her dad was stuck with. 

Almost as if sensing her inner monologue, Jack almost gave her a heart attack when he spoke next. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Sam. We thought it’d be Tucker who Danno would bring over.” He placed a hand on his wife’s shoulder and brought her closer to him. “So imagine our surprise when we see you here! We might’ve been a little too overzealous about it.”

“A little?” Sam heard Jazz whisper to her brother, her voice dripping with sarcasm. 

“That’s right,” Maddie agreed, her smile so wide her cheeks hurt and a sense of impending doom gripped her son’s heart. “It’s just been so long since Danny last brought a girlfriend home, and so beautiful too!”

His cheeks practically on fire, Danny was quick to shout, panicking, “She’s not my girlfriend!”, at the same time as Sam, equally embarrassed, exclaimed, “I’m not his girlfriend!”

The Fenton matriarch’s good mood deflated a little at that. “You’re not?”

“No, Mum. She’s not.” Danny confirmed as he scrubbed his face with one hand. Why was it that every time he brought home someone other than Tucker they immediately assumed he must’ve found the womanーor man, Tucker never let him live that one downーhe was going to marry? It wasn’t like he was such a recluse, was it? ...on second thought, better not answer that. “I already told you a friend was interested in meeting you, you told me you were okay with it and, well,” he said with some sarcasm in his voice as he extended his arms to his sides, making a flourish, “here she is.”

“Well, yeah. But when you said ‘friend’ we thought you meant Tucker, son.” His dad admitted, scratching the back of his head. 

“I have more friends aside from Tuck, you know?”

If his parents immediately assuming Sam was his girlfriend and openly addressing her as such right in front of her hadn’t been mortifying enough, the deafening silence that settled in the kitchen then certainly was. 

Was he really that much of a loser his parents didn’t seriously believe him capable of making friends with people outside of Tucker? Granted, most of his friendsーDora, Wulf, Frostbite, Cujo…ーwere the very same creatures from another dimension they’d sworn to hunt down, strap to a lab table, and dissect ‘molecule by molecule’, so they couldn’t possibly know about them. But come on!

Grimacing at the uncomfortable, and a little humiliating, atmosphere, Jazz cleared her throat to catch their parents’ attention. “I think what Danny means is that, if he’d really wanted to invite Tucker over, he wouldn’t have even asked your permission for it.” The moment her mum and dad crossed their arms over their chests and sent her a disapproving look due to the way she’d just disregarded their authority she was quick to backpedal. “A-after all, he practically spends more time here than in his own house! And he’s ever really been into ghosts to begin with, so…”

Jazz had a point. Maddie sighed through her nose, a little disappointed. “I guess you’re right.” Her expression turned cheery again almost instantaneously, clapping her hands before her face as she redirected her focus on the hazel-eyed girl still standing awkwardly near her kitchen table. “So! Sam, Danny’s told us you wanted to meet us, why’s that?”

“It’s not to place another restraining order on us, is it?” Her husband asked dubiously, his eyes narrowing on the young lady in suspicion. 

Jazz facepalmed herself while Danny was too busy all but slamming his head against the table. 

“Whaー? No, of course not.” Sam assured him, shaking her head and hands in front of her as it to emphasise her point. “I, uh, I asked Danny if I could come meet you because I’m really interested in the paranormal and such. I’m a Goth; you see,” she gestured vaguely at her form, “it sort of comes with the aesthetic. So when he told me you guys were ghost hunters I couldn’t help myself; I just had to meet you.”

Before the Goth knew it, the enormous man she’d been talking to grabbed her around the shoulders with just one arm and, with impressive strength, lifted her up off the floor, a broad smile playing along his lips. “Don’t tell me you want to get in the business?” He asked with the same excitement of a kid on Christmas.

“N-not r-really…” she gasped out, the force behind Mr. Fenton’s grasp knocking the air out of her lungs. “I-I’m just...really c-curious...t-that’s all…”

Panicking at the sight of Sam’s face turning blue, Danny jumped to his feet, followed closely by Jazz. “Dad, put her down!” In the blink of an eye he was by his dad’s side, gently coaching the raven haired girl out of his bone-crushing grip. The moment her feet touched the floor, Sam began taking greedy gulps of air, her hand in Danny’s firm but gentle ones and Jazz patting her back comfortingly. 

“Careful, honey.” Mrs Fenton scolded her husband lightheartedly, “You know you tend to get carried away.”

“Right. Sorry about that, Sam.”

Too breathless to dignify that with a verbal answer, Sam limited herself to giving him a thumbs-up. 

“How about we cut to the chase and you guys show Sam what you’re working on, huh?” Jazz suggested, one hand still rubbing her guest’s back soothingly. If after today Sam insisted on being friends with her brother, he would have a lifetime of making it up to her. 

“Great idea, Jazzypants!” Jack exclaimed excitedly. He and his wife then proceeded to usher their kids and guest out of the kitchen and down to the lab. 

Sam miraculously caught herself before she could snort. ‘Danno’? ‘Jazzypants’? She would’ve laughed at the ridiculous nicknames hadn’t she remembered her mother’s horrendous habit of calling her ‘Sammy-kins.’

Did everything that woman do have to bring nothing but pain and misery to her daughter?

Walking down the stairs to what the witch could only assume was the lab Jazz mentioned earlier, Maddie turned her head around slightly so she could look at Sam as she asked over her shoulder. “I don’t think we’ve asked you about your family, dear; not even about your full name.”

“It’s Manson, Sam Manson. My parents…”she trailed off, making a grimace. “Let’s just say in twenty-one years of existence I’ve never been able to understand what they do for a living.” That wasn’t technically a lie. Even if Sam was perfectly aware of her mother’s double life as a witch (mostly because she was destined to follow in her footsteps), the financial side of things always eluded her. For all she knew her dad could be a smuggler. 

“Wait, ‘Manson’?” It was Jack’s turn to turn his head to face her, an bushy eyebrow raised in surprise. “You mean like that stinking rich family living in the uptown part of town?”

Now it was Maddie’s face that lit up in realisation. “Oh, that’s right! Danny and Jazz did mention something like that when they came back from their night out.”

Sam shot Danny and Jazz a dirty look, to which they responded by smiling awkwardly in return and whistling a happy tune while averting all sorts of eye contact, respectively; “You know, before I knew you my family’s wealth was one of my best-kept secrets. Now it’s got to a point where I’ll be walking down the street and some random kid will point out at me and say, ‘Look, mummy! Look! It’s that rich girl!’”

“Come on, Sam,” a devilish smirk made its way to Danny’s face. “You’re making things up.”

“Maybe, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it actually happened.”

Stepping down the last step to the basement, Jack extended his arms high in the air as he announced, “Here we are! The Fenton Lab!”

The moment she descended to the basement and was able to see the family lab for the first time, Sam’s jaw all but touched the floor. Strolling down inside the spacious laboratory, she couldn’t help but spin around, trying to find every single nook and secret laying right before her, marvelling at the sight. 

The Fenton Lab was a greyish room with metal-covered walls and a tiled floor that occupied the entirety of the basement. Various machines whose workings Sam could only guess littered around the room, alongside several lab tables filled to the brim with test tubes, trays, notes, and neon-green liquids pulled up to the walls, as well as different beeping monitors. 

But what had to be, by far, the most impressive device in the entire lab was the large, octogonal gates standing in the far corner of the room. They were currently closed, their yellow and black striped doors in full display, and the big, red lightbulb Sam suspected would blink when used was turned off resting on top of it. 

Taking a step closer, one hand pointing at the machine, she breathed out in awe, “Whoa...What’s that?”

“You have a good eye!” Maddie complimented as she came to stand right beside her guest. One hand directed at their most prized invention and the other on her hip, it was obvious she was about to give a lecture worthy of any college professor. “This is the Fenton Ghost Portal. Our greatest invention yet.”

The Goth’s eyebrows shot up to the ceiling. “The Fenton Ghost Portal…?” She echoed, astonished. 

The hazmat clad lady hummed in response. “That’s right. This baby is our pride and joy; a little pipe dream we’ve had since college. Isn’t that right, Jack?”

“You got it, baby!” Mr Fenton agreed, crossing his arms with a proud smile on his face. “Except there’s nothing impossible about this beauty. Dreams do come true!”

“Although,” Maddie added, a grim look on her face, “we almost indefinitely put the project on hold after...an unfortunate accident back in our Sophomore year in Wisconsin University.”

Taking advantage of the distance between them, Sam, and their parents, Danny leaned in closer to Jazz to whisper in her ear, “Unfortunate in more ways than one.” If only his parents knew that day they created a monster...Although the time he travelled through time to their college days proved nothing could’ve prevented Vlad from turning into the frootloop he was today. The monster inside him had nothing to do with his ghost half.

Unaware of the exchange taking place between the siblings, the Goth girl asked, “An accident? What happened?”

“The prototype malfunctioned and ended up blasting good ol’ Vladdie in the face.” Jack explained, a distant look in his eyes. 

“Maybe if he hadn’t stuck his face right in front of the working portal, none of that would’ve happened…” Danny muttered darkly for Jazz’s ears only. 

“Or at least worn safety goggles.” His sister whispered back.

Their father went on, not having heard a word that was said between his children. “The exposure to the ecto-chemicals gave him a nasty case of ecto-acne that had him hospitalised for years. It took him over twenty years to forgive me.” He said sadly, only to immediately brighten up the next second. As someone who came from a family that usually only emoted silent judgement, fake cheer, or total apathy, Sam was having a bit of a hard time trying to catch up to all of Mr Fenton’s many emotions. “But we finally patched things up seven years ago and now we’re all buddies again!”

Danny smiled in satisfaction at the way his mum’s posture stiffened up, her arms crossed defensively in front of her, and her forehead creased in aggravation. “‘Buddies’ might be a bit of a stretch…” she mumbled angrily, before taking on a more neutral tone, “I don’t know Jack. I still think the years have turned Vlad into a bit of a freak.”

“Oh, don’t be like that, baby!” Her husband whined. “You’d be a little eccentric too if you spent all of your time alone inside a big, lonely mansion like he does!”

“I can attest to that…” Sam muttered to herself as she hugged herself, her eyes on the floor, years of lonely memories coming back in full force. Then she realised, “Wait, did you just say your friend lives in a big mansion all by himself?”

“I wouldn’t say all by himself,” Danny chimed in. “He has a cat keeping him company.”

Ignoring him, she pressed on, “And you said his name was Vlad?”

“That we did! Our good ol’ friend Vlad Masters!” Jack confirmed with a huge grin on his face. His was the only smiling face amongst his family. Something told Sam Mr. Masters hadn’t exactly won the crowd over…

The raven haired girl turned her head to face the Fenton siblings so fast she almost gave herself whiplash as she sent them a pointed look. “You guys are friends with Vlad freaking Masters and you think me having a little money is a big deal?!”

“Actually, you’re filthy, stinking rich yourself.” Jack corrected matter-of-factly and, for a moment, Sam wished she could just forgo her grandmother’s insistence on treating those older than you with respect and glower at the Fenton patriarch.

The only answer she got to her incredulous outburst were a pair of twin nervous laughs and shrugs.

The hazel-eyed girl took a deep breath as she pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration before turning back to their dad. “Um...and what exactly does it do?” She asked dubiously, redirecting everyone’s attention back to the portal with a jerk of her thumb. She just hoped it wasn’t what she thought it was. 

“It’s a portal to the Ghost Zone, where ghosts live and all that.” Danny’s voice confirmed her suspicions. 

With his hands sticking inside his pockets he, too, approached the enormous machine, coming to stand right beside Sam in the process. Turning her head to him, her brow furrowed in worry when she noticed the way his forehead creased as he beheld the portal. 

His face was bare of any telltale signs that would usually expose his true feelings on the matter; no creased forehead, no furrowed brow, no narrowed eyes, his lips were sealed in a thin, neutral line, and his hands in his pockets stopped him from clenching his fists. At first glance Danny was the perfect picture of calmness and indifference but something told Sam a very different storyーcall it sixth sense, call it her witchy instincts, or just plain care for her friend. There was something...dark hidden behind his eyelids. As well as something else. Something oh-so sad it made her heart squeeze in sympathy. Danny’s otherwise baby blue pools had turned the same colour of a troubled sea in a stormy night. Deep, and cold, and suffocating.

Lost in memories of times and misadventures caused by the eerie green hidden behind the portal’s doors, Danny started at the feeling of something warm sliding through his hands. Looking down, he saw Sam grabbing his hand in hers and giving it a reassuring squeeze. He didn’t realise he’d been smiling until his father spoke up again. 

“Well, Sam. What would you like to know?”

“Um...as much as you can tell me about ghosts?”

“Well,” Maddie took the floor, pulling her hoodie up and her goggles down. “That’s quite a lot, and I don’t think you’d feel comfortable staying at a house whose owners’ you’ve just met. So why don’t we start with the basics for now and you come back here anytime you want to continue this conversation?”

“I’d like that.” 

“Great. Now, come Sam. There’s so much to say and so little time.” With a motion of her hand, the ectologist gestured to the girl to follow her. Rolling his eyes and fearing what was to come, Danny pulled a chair out for his guest around a conference table standing in the middle of the room before taking a seat around it himself, Jazz following suit. Instead of sitting down like the youths present did, Maddie stood in front of them beside a blackboard Jack had dragged from the other side of the lab. 

Picking a chalk up, she began to scribble down on the board. “You see, Sam, the first thing you must know about ghosts is that they’re spiritual beings from another dimension, unlike pop-culture and legends where they’re described as the lost souls of the deceased.”

“That is not to say some of those spooks weren’t alive once.” Jack conceded. Unlike his wife, he’d ultimately sat down and was now tweaking with some strange-looking gun. “The thing is, whatever humanity or sense of morals they might have had once is long gone. Now they’re nothing more than ectoplasmic remains of human conscience.”

“Exactly.” Maddie agreed. “They think they’re intelligent, rational creatures capable of free will, but really those are just delusions caused by memories they no longer possess.”

Danny had to hold back a growl at that, otherwise Sam or, even worse, his parents might pick it up and ask him about it. With a furrowed brow he slumped down on the table and propped his head over his crossed arms. They really knew nothing, didn’t they? As excellent inventors as his parents might be, the way they approached ectology was closer to a pseudoscience than the discipline they claimed to have dedicated most of their lives to. As he and Jazz told Sam before, they were experts at everything one needed to know about a ghost’s innerworkings and how to exploit that to their benefitーand by extension his benefit, since he’d been borrowing their inventions for yearsー, but they were absolutely hopeless when it came to their motivations, their ambitions; what made them tick!

Listening to them going on and on about the same old, misguided story was just painful at this point.

Or course they had free will! It was precisely because of that he was constantly fighting ghosts, because they chose to fight him! Nobody said it was a smart choice but, hey, it was theirs. Just like many other ghosts chose to stay in the Ghost Zone and live their afterlives rather than cause trouble. The Far Frozeners, Clockwork, Wulf, Dora once she was free from her brother's abuse...Those were all examples of very powerful ghosts that chose to live peacefully!

But did their parents care? Noooooo! At this point he was sure they just wanted a lab rat. 

“The one thing that truly motivates a ghost to do the things it does,”ーit; could they be any more dehumanising?ー, “is its obsession.”

Okay. So offensive pronouns aside, that was accurate.

“Their obsession?” Sam echoed. She didn’t remember ever hearing about such a thing. 

“Indeed.” Maddie nodded, still scribbling furiously down on the board. “A ghost’s obsession is what ties them down to our world.” She explained as she made a diagram of a human head with the word ‘memories’ written on it and an arrow pointing at the silhouette of a ghost with the word ‘obsession’ scribbled down. “Remember when we said ghosts think they have free will due to memories they no longer possess?” Sam nodded. “Their obsession is those memories. It usually manifests in the form of something they used to hold dearー.”

“Or something that eventually consumed them.” Jack added, not once looking up from the strange device in his hands. 

“That’s right, hon. Something dear or that eventually consumed them that was so important to them it became all they cared about when they passed on. Fulfilling that obsession is what motivates them in the afterlife.”

“So, for example,” Sam started, a finger tapping her chin in contemplation, “if a person was so overworked when they were alive they ended up hating said job with a passion or even lost their minds over it, then anything related to it is their obsession?”

“Very well, Sam.” Maddie nodded appreciatively. 

As Mrs Fenton droned on, her voice became background noise. Sam was a mess. She didn’t know what to make of things so far. On the one hand, not only were the Fentons answering her questions and expanding on the knowledge she’d been brought up with, it confirmed everything she already knew! Ghosts were dangerous and unpredictable; they couldn’t be trusted because they’d turn on you on a whim. It’d happened before and that directly resulted in her people living in the shadows, terrified of being discovered, for centuries. 

Ghosts were immoral monsters.

And yet...she found she couldn’t fully believe anything they were saying. She didn’t want to believe what they were saying. If ghosts were truly that bad, then why did Phantom try to put her to safety? Why was he always fighting other ghosts for the sake of the town? Could it be that Amity Park was his obsession and he was just trying to defend his turf rather than the innocent? But that didn’t explain why he’d go out of his way to try and save her! Her, the Witch Queen, of all people!

Everything she once believed in and the questions that’d been plaguing her mind collided against each other. She didn’t know what to think anymore. But she did know one thing:

She’d promised Danny she’d try to keep an open mind. 

“Then what about Phantom?” She heard herself asking. When the Fentons’ questioning glances rested on her, she had to fight the urge to shrink under their gaze. Come on, Sam. You’re the Queen of the Witches of Amity Park and you’re doing this for your people, and nothing gets in between you and the sake of your people. She cleared her throat. “I mean, what’s his obsession?”

“Fudge if I know.” Mr Fenton mumbled, rolling his eyes. 

“Jack!” Mrs Fenton gasped. “Don’t cuss in front of the children!”

“I said ‘fudge’!” He defended himself. 

“And we’re not children anymore!” Danny and Jazz protested in unison. 

Rubbing her temple, Maddie let out a loud sigh. “What my husband means, Sam, is that Phantom is a bit of an anomaly.”

“An anomaly?” She raised her eyebrow in confusion. “An anomaly how?”

Once again, the Fenton matriarch turned around to write on her board, only this time she began a list. “For starters, the only sightings there’s ever been of him only date back to seven years ago, and even then he was already surprisingly powerful. Then, there’s the fact he’s constantly changing.”

“What do you mean?”

“For one, just when you think you got all his spectral abilities down, he surprises you with some new trick.” Jack explained, ignoring the way what he said next had his son scowling and his daughter giggling behind her palm. “He’s almost like a pageant dog. And then there’s his appearance; when he first appeared he looked like some prepubescent kidー.”

Must every ghost hunter assume I hadn’t already gone through puberty when I got my powers? Danny thought bitterly to himself. 

“ーand now he looks like he could be your age.” He finished. 

“His actions around here are both mysterious and suspicious, too.” Maddie added. 

“We’ve been trying to catch him since he first appeared, but the spook’s been managing to give us the slip every time.” Jack admitted.

His wife patted his shoulder reassuringly. “Aw, don’t you worry, honey. Sooner or later he’ll be all ours. It’s just a matter of time.”

“But by the time we finally catch him he might already be protected by the law or something!” He sulked. “Have you seen the sign when you enter the town? ‘Welcome to Amity Park; home of Danny Phantom!’” He scoffed, narrowing his eyes in disgust. “Might as well just call it, ‘The hauntedest place on Earth’, it’d be more accurate…”

“Uh, I think that’s already taken by some place called ‘Crystal Cove’, Dad.” Jazz pointed out. 

“Even if I do agree his increasing popularity is a cause for concern in terms of the town’s general sanity, there’s still many people who see him for what he is; a menace to society.” Mrs Fenton reasoned.

Just a week before, Sam would’ve agreed wholeheartedly with everything the Fentons said, but now she found herself squirming at the sound of their vile words. Had a few meetings with Phantom really warped her perspective on things that much? Looking down at her fidgeting hands resting on her lap, she had to deliberately stop herself from tucking a loose strand of hair behind her earーbecause she intended to push hair from the shaved side of her head away. When was she going to get used to that spell?

Unbeknownst to her, Danny was watching her every move. He wasn’t sure why, but the prospect of Sam siding with his parents and their misguided theories terrified him more than half the ghost fights he’d had in the last year. She was just so great...Even if they’d only hung out a few times, he already couldn’t believe there’d been a time where it’d just been him and Tuckerーand occasionally Jazz. 

She fit so well in their group it was like she was always meant to be one of them. Luckily she seemed to have taken their advice to heart and was indeed trying to keep an open mind; she even asked about his ghost-half. The halfa guessed it was probably an attempt to convince his parents (or maybe even herself) that not all ghosts could possibly be bad. And for that, pointless as it might be when it came to the Fentons, he was grateful. He just hoped she wouldn’t decide she was better off without him in her life.

It’d taken him twenty-one years to find her, he couldn’t lose her now.

Again, where did that come from?! 

He had to go back to trying to have a somewhat balanced sleep schedule. Sleep deprivation was doing a number on him. 

Just as he observed Sam, Jazz was keeping her eye on him. He looked so glum and tired...It was one thing having to hide who you are from your parents, but having to listen to them talk about how much they hate that thing you were hiding from them time and time again? It was enough to drive someone over the edge. 

Just by following his line of sight it became obvious this time he was far more worried about what Sam may think of this, may think of him. And if there was one thing her baby brother didn’t need, it was more things to worry about. 

Thinking quickly, the redhead scanned around the room, looking for something to divert everyone’s attention away from the topic at hand. As her eyes surveyed the dreaded Fenton Toaster (was that thing ever going to perish once and for all?), she took notice of an arrangement of pieces, wires, and circuit boards laying scattered on the floor. 

How could she have possibly missed that?

Her voice breaking everyone out of their own daze, she jerked a finger in the direction the pile of metal was, “Um, what is that?”

Following her pointing finger, her parents' expression brightened up. “That, Jazzyrincess, is our latest project; the Fenton Fermoir!”

“Dad knows French?” Danny asked, absolutely flabbergasted at the revelation. 

“I’ve known for weeks now and I’m still as surprised as you.” Jazz leaned back to whisper to him. Then she remembered something. “Wait, I thought you guys were going to make a special keychain for Danny; that is not a keychain.”

Squinting her eyes at the assortment of scrap metal on the floor, propelled by her arms, Sam leaned forward to the boy in front of her to join in on the conversation. “At least not one that fits inside a pocket.”

“Oh, don’t be silly, girls.” Maddie waved them off as she made her way to the yet-to-be-built Fenton Fermoir. “We finished Danny’s keychain weeks ago!”

“Which reminds me…” Jack rummaged inside his suit’s pockets until he fished out a simple set of keys with a badge with the company’s logo on it and handed it to his son. 

Bringing it to his face, Danny tried to appear enthusiastic. “Gee, thanks.” He stuffed his new keys inside his own jean pocket. “So. What does the Fenton Fermoir do?”

“Remember the portable ghost portal devices we created a few years ago?” Jack asked his kids, who nodded in response, then he noticed Sam’s blank stare. “Oh, that’s right. You weren’t there, Sam. The thing is, those gadgets could open up medium-sized ghost portals anywhere, so we thought we should perhaps try to create an opposite invention.”

“Wait, are you saying this thing’s supposed to be able to close ghost portals anywhere?” Danny asked. This was great news! If his parents finished the Fenton Fermoir and it worked, then he’d only need to power it up with his ecto-energy and the portal crisis would be over! He wouldn’t need to meet or rely on Lady Arcana anymore!

Somehow, the thought of not seeing the violet-eyed witch made his insides twist and his heart feel hollow. 

Man, sleep deprivation was getting worse each time!

“If we can get it to work.” Maddie lamented, kicking a cylindrical-looking piece around. “Whenever we try something happens and shuts it off! It’s almost as if our regular energy source isn’t the right one...or at least not enough.”

Well, there went his solution.

“So for now we’re stuck redesigning and rebuilding this baby until we find the right one.” Jack said optimistically. 

“It’s getting late, though, so why don’t we go upstairs and have dinner, hm?” Maddie suggested. “Sam, would you like to stay?”

The Goth was hesitant to reply. “Uh, I’d love to. But what are we having? It’s just...I, uh, I don’t eat meat.”

“Don’t worry. I always buy plenty of vegetables Danny and his dad barely even look at. You can have that.”

“Hey!” Both men cried out, offended. 

Giggling, the three women went back upstairs, followed closely by the still outraged men. 

During dinner, the weirdest thing happened. 

Nothing bad, really. But it was something Sam wasn’t used to at all. Most of the time, she only ever felt comfortable with her family when Grandma Ida was present, since she always acted like the understanding voice of reason she was beloved for back in the clan. And ever since she passed away, the atmosphere in her house was so tense you could cut it with a knife. The otherwise deathly quiet family dinners were only ever interrupted by her parents discussing how the business was doing, Mother’s next big, exclusive eventーsometimes they were true, sometimes they weren’tー, or to bring up her inadequacy as their daughter and, hence, heiress to then Manson name. 

The tension only melted away, even if just a little, when it was just her dad and her. 

But the Fentons…

Everything was so different. Animated chatter never left the table. Food was being passed around; conversations took place and questions about everyone’s day were asked; every once in a while someone would make a joke that would either elicit laughter or pained groans from everyone present...even herself. 

Their families really were very different. 

Despite everything, Sam loved her parents and knew, deep down, they loved her back. Her mother in particular just had a very selfish way of showing it. But the Fentons...They weren’t perfect. The way Danny and Jazz learned to rely on each other as well as their parents’ single-minded focus on their career were proof enough of that. But everyone sitting around that kitchen table, eating steak with a serving of mashed potatoes and peas, clearly loved each other very much.

When it came to family, life was a lottery. 

Sometimes you got heartless monsters, and other times you got loving people who were only humans and occasionally made mistakes. 

Maddie stopped mid-sentence, her fork with a piece of steak hanging in mid-air, because she noticed her husband doing something he shouldn’t. “Jack, are you still tweaking with that, even now?”

Stiffening up, for he’d been caught, he tried to play it cool. “Uh, no?” His wife’s arched eyebrow spoke volumes, making him give in. “Yes. But you can’t honestly expect me to stop now, babycakes! Not when I’m about to have a breakthrough!”

“I know I'm going to regret this” Jazz muttered, rolling her eyes, “but what’re you working on, Dad?”

The orange clad man replied by holding out his creation for all to see. It was a funny-looking, double-cannoned gun that had what seemed to be a compartment filled with goo in its back. “Behold, the new and improved Fenton Foamer!” He announced loudly before adding, almost as an afterthought. “Now in pocket size.”

Not understanding a word that was being said, Sam let the family talk, her focus directed at her stir-fried vegetables. 

“Is there something wrong with the old Fenton Foamer?” Danny asked. 

“No, but it never hurts to revisit your old work and try to improve it, son.” He replied, patting the device with one gloved hand. “Not only is this beauty more appropriate for travelling, but I’ve also been tinkering with a new formula for the foam. Trust me, nothing could possiblyー.”

All of a sudden, when the patting became too much for the prototype to handle, a ‘splurt’ sound could be heard at the same time as a bright, green goop flew across the table. Everyone’s jaws dropped in mortification. 

“ーgo wrong.” Jack finished lamely, earning himself the disapproving looks of everyone present but Sam. 

But that might as well be because her eyes weren’t visible. The goop had landed on her, covering her petite form from head to toe in the mysterious substance Danny prayed to anyone who might be listening wasn’t toxic. 

Panicking, he was by her side in the blink of an eye. He was trying to wipe the foam away with a napkin as he apologised profusely. “Oh, my God! I am so, so sorry, Sam. I promise, I’ll clean you up. Or, even better, I’ll pay for the dry-cleaning. Sorry. I’m sorry. I promise, my dad’s inventions aren’t usually harmful to humans; a little electric shock at most. I’m so sorry, Sam. Please, forgive me.”

Under the Fentons’ concerned gaze, Sam lowered her face slightly, enough so they could make even less of her expression. Then she began to shake, Danny was sure from rage, and make indistinguishable sounds. Just as everyone braced themselves for the worst, the Goth threw her head back and laughed so loudly she caught them all off guard for a second. She kept on cackling almost maniacally to the point she had to hug herself, holding her sides that were, most definitely, going to split open if she kept this up. 

A little unnerved by her behaviour, Danny could only ask, “Uh, Sam? Are you alright?”

“W-why...why w-wouldn’t...I-I be?” She replied with a question of her own as her laughter calmed down to giggles. 

“Um, not to be Captain Obvious here, but you just got covered from head to toe in goop…” Jazz pointed out uncertainly. 

“Oh, I know. Trust me, it’s fine.” The Goth said as she used her hands to wipe said goop from her eyes and face. She furrowed her brow in confusion when she finally noticed the family’s worried looks. “Uh...are you guys okay?”

“Oh! Yes, yes we are. It’s just...” Maddie began, unsure on how to address the subject herself, “ not many people react so positively to one of our inventions going awry.”

“Normally you’d have issued a restraining order against us already.” Jack explained so matter-of-factly it made the Goth girl wonder just how much time this family spent at court. 

“Yeah.” Danny agreed, still trying to help Sam clean up with his napkin. “Not even Tucker would’ve taken it so well.”

“I see. Well, what can I say?” She shrugged, smiling sheepishly. “I guess I just can’t get mad when I find this so awesome.”

“You find this awesome?” Jazz parroted, incredulous. 

“Um, yeah. I told you; I love everything paranormal and, you gotta admit, this is the sorta thing that would go viral on YouTube.” 

“I...can’t argue with that logic.” Danny conceded. He still couldn’t believe it; Sam just got bathed in slime and her first reaction was laughing it off? Could this girl get any more incredible?

When she finally got to cleaning her hair free of foam, Sam had to do a double take as she slid her fingers through her hair. “Have you guys ever thought about selling this as a hair conditioner? Because, I kid you not, my hair’s never been this silky! I have a friend who would kill for something like this.”

“You have other friends besides Tucker and me?” The question left his mouth before he could even register it. Sam’s murderous glare made it obvious she didn’t appreciate the jab. 

Then, as if on cue, everyone broke down laughing. They all spend the rest of dinner chatting amicably and sharing storiesーJack and Maddie even began to ponder on the benefits of selling the new Fenton Foam as a conditioner, like Sam suggested! By the time they were done eating, the whole family gathered around their doorstep to bid their guest goodbye. Danny, Maddie, and Jazz hugged her (Sam still wasn’t used to physical contact due to her Goth indifference but this was nice), while Jack patted her in the back with such force it almost sent her falling down the stairs. 

The moment the door to FentonWorks was closed, his parents were already asking Danny when was the next time Sam would come visit, prompting him to groan in exasperation and Jazz to giggle at her brother’s embarrassment. 

[darkstarnight02]

Why the Akuma Class Doesn’t Trusts Lila Rossi

Nino

This dude is a loyal friend

Like, he’s also a loyal boyfriend, so it’s hard when his girlfriend is siding with Lila

But he’s the one who’s like

“Dudes, we’ve known Mari for years there’s no way she would do the stuff this new girl we’ve known for five minutes says she did.”

He and Kim and Mari were besties since preschool, I think we all know that.  

Adrien

I hate it when people say he tries to defend her with the high road crap

When he sees her hurting people, especially Marinette

Because lets be honest, he cares about her alot

He’s less forgiven

Like do y’all remember the “BeCaUsE We’Re FrIeNdS, aReN’t We?”

So he’s not going to try and make her life miserable

But he is going to try to get her to stop

Chloé

Let’s be honest, she never liked Lila in the first place.  

So Imma give y’all bonus “how she figured out everyone’s identities”

So once she became friends with Marinette

Cause they formed a “we hate Lie-la” alliance

(tho since Mari’s still friends with the others its kinda awkward)

Chloe’s pretty smart.  

Like, she totally could have figured it out before they became friends

But she would never have believed back then that Mari-trash was Ladybug, her idol (and lesbian awakening, lesbihonest)

But now that she’s friends with her, it’s way too obvious

And she definitely already knew about Adrien because these guys are besties

And, dudes, she never had a crush on him, she was just an overprotective best friend

And a very touchy one

To her, it’s all pretty obvious.  

She thinks that its just whatever magic thats blinding everyone of the obvious, its immune to (like low-key Rachel Dare here)

But Sabine, Tom, and Jagged probably know to because they’re all Kings and Queens.  

So Chloe figures everyone out pretty quickly.  

Sabrina

She trust Chloe more than anyone.  

But I’m not just gonna use that because its kinda boring.  

Tho Chloe is her bi crush so that definitely helps secure loyalties

Its only when Marinette becomes MDC that she realizes

and yes, Sabrina probably knows because Chloe and she also recognizes the designs from some stuff she has in her own closet.  

So anyway, she realizes Mari is MDC and she’s some famous designer and Lila is not

And Mari also knows Jagged and Clara and a whole bunch of other famous people

And she never brags about it but there’s proof that she knows them

while Lila always brags about it but she’s never been mentioned and no one knows her.  

Alya

I hate it when people say she totally sides with Lila.  

This girl knows that her bestie never lies(or at least thinks)

and some things with Lila don’t add up.  

Like she doesn’t check directly if what Lila says is true

But she’ll be doing research for something else and see’s that it contradicts something that Lila said.  

So she’ll do more research and try to figure more stuff out

And she’s like holy f*ck nothing Lila says is true.

Or, alternatively, for those of you who have watched season 4

She immediately realizes Lila’s a liar right after Marinette tells her she’s Ladybug.  

Marinette

No explanation needed.  

Mylène

Mylene notices when Lila insults one of her classmates one day.  

Even if its subtle, or just piping on the edge of her blaming Marinette for something, she notices it.  

And a good person wouldn’t say something like that,  

Like Chloe, they all expect something like that from

No one every really liked Chloe in the first place

And Mari never says anything rude

Sure, she gets angry at Chloe and Lila sometimes, and she tries to prove what they say is wrong, but she never directly attacks someone.  

I don’t know who Lila was being a bitch to this time, but it cost her a follower.  

Alix

This girl is probably one of the most Gen Z kids in the Akuma Class, which is pretty sad because they’re all supposed to be Gen Z. 

She can smell bullcrap from a mile away

Not to mention the little hints older Bunnyx drops whenever she visits.  

With the mix of her being the future miraculous holder of time and being the daughter of a historian, she’s very aware of history and timelines and cause and effects and chain reactions

So when Marinette starts ‘acting up’ she tries to find when her personality switched over

And even if she seems more like a background character, this aro/ace queen always seems to know your secrets. 

So even before she knew Lila was a phony, she knew that Mari was MDC and that Jagged Stone was Juleka and Luka’s dad

So she definitely figured some stuff out that way

Honestly, next to Chloe, Alix was probably one of the first people to figgure out Mari’s identity.  

She’s a detective to rival batman

Ivan

I think Lila would make some sort of rift between him and Mylene.  

He loves her so much and it would be so hard

And mari and her friends would help him out

and he would see the truth

They wouldn’t like break up or anything

But he can just tell immediately when someone’s being a bad person.  

Kim

Probably something similar to Nino

But I think it’d be a bit more like he’s totally a die-hard fan of some of Marinette’s connections or some of Marinette’s work itself

And when he puts the pieces together its like everything makes sense in the world.  

He really feels super stupid afterwards.  

Ondine probably slaps him for not trusting his childhood best friend before some bitchy new girl.  

Max

This is the smartest dude in class

He made a f*cking robot with emotions you can’t tell me he doesn’t figure Lila out.  

A part of me believes that in the first episode with Lila when they were all waiting on her hand and foot they were probably aware that she was kind of delusional, but were giving into it the way you give into the tales of a six year old.  

Like ‘yeah, okay sweetie.  Sure’.  

I mean, at least that’s why Max went along with the napkin thing, because there’s no other excuse for that whole incident.  

Nathaniel

I don’t totally know how he figured her out, but I love the idea of her saying that she can introduce him to the creator of the Ladybug Comics.  

They actually sit next to each other in class, so he definitely is more aware of her weird behavior than others.

And since he’s an artist he’s very observant, always noticing things like her facial expressions and what seems more exaggerated than real.  

And we all know how kwami-damned done Nathaniel is with the class, so he probably knew all along.  

Not to mention that since the rest of the school is less submissive to Lila’s lies, Marc probably pointed it out to him at some point.  

There’s also the idea that since Nathaniel is pretty much never mentioned anymore, the class forgets about him and he ends up having to spend some time with Marinette and the other outcasts

In which he realizes that they are actually good people.  

Honestly, Nathaniel probably knew all along but he’s just not a drama queen about it so Lila never bothered him.  

Rose

Girls besties with Prince Ali, one of the key components of Lila’s lies

She definitely does not want to believe that someone is capable of so much evil, and she definitely gets Akumatized when she figures it out

She goes through a lot of denial but is eventually convinced.  

Juleka

Her dad is Jagged Stone, also another key component of Lila’s lies.  

After becoming Tigris Pourpre, the holder of the tiger miraculous (that’s canon in the future), she gets a little bit more invested in cat culture

And omfg I just realized that both of our models are kittens and I just wanna DIE because that’s so cute.  

And honestly now that I’m thinking about it if she was a celebrity she would totally take after Jagged and have an emotional support tiger like Princess Jasmine. 

ANYWAY, I’m kinda getting off topic here.  

So she asks Jagged about his cat, and he’s like 

“wtf I’ve never had a cat why would I have a cat I have FANG my CROCODILE”

And she’s like but your cat...

And he’s like “Jules, darling, I wrote a song about how I replaced my family with a guitar and I have three instagrams for Fang, why would I have a feline animal?”

And she’s just like

....

And honestly she probably already knew some sh*t was up before that

Because Luka obviously, despite only having met Lila, like, once, probably, dislikes Lila severely

And also Juleka is more of an observer than a do-er so she probably saw that some stuff was up.  

[se0kie]

heat of the moment- knj (m)

pairing: namjoon x reader

genre: pwp, it’s pure smut i’m so sorry

established relationship, werewolf!joon, classic heat trope

warnings: *deep breath* let’s see if i can get it all?? dom!knj, sub!reader, heat sex, possessive sex, marking, biting, nipple play, pussy eating, fingering, squirting, choking, rough handling, dirty talk, degradation, use of bitch/whore/slut, multiple orgasms, impreg kink, breeding kink, creampie, cumplay, mentions of blood, namjoon has a big cock (duh)

tagging @ironicarmy fellow microtip pen enthusiast ^3^

not edited oop so you’re just gonna have to ignore the shitty mistakes

summary: you love your werewolf boyfriend, heightened senses and all. you’ve also begged him to let you help him through his agonising heats that torture him every month but the overprotective man he is, he will absolutely not let you near him when he’s so feral. but now he’s standing outside your door and asking to fuck a baby into you. are you ready for that wild ride?

a/n: i have no explanations for this behaviour. this is like 0 plot and all filth, I am so sorry. Horrific overuse of ellipses and uhhhhh,,,,, yeah it’s a product of my inner whore thirsting for Namjoon that’s about it.

You had been having a quiet evening to yourself, safe in the knowledge that your werewolf boyfriend was out on a hunt with his buds and all your work had been done and dusted. You were free to have a peaceful weekend all to yourself filled with self care and trashy movies.

Your dear boyfriend, Kim Namjoon, you had met him in college when he was a senior and you were just a bubbly new freshman.

You had instantly clicked and went forth to become the closest pair in all of Saint Wilson’s Arts University.

Enamoured by his height and intellect since the very first interaction, you had spent a whole year and a half crushing on him like a fourteen year old schoolgirl.

He had told you about his supernatural genes a week before asking you out on a date. And you had been together since.

Werewolves and vampires weren’t unknown to you, you were aware of their existence, but you had never thought that you would meet one.

You adjusted to Namjoon’s wolf characteristics better than you thought possible.

Sure he was warm like a furnace, and yeah he did have a terrible habit of spending hours scenting you so that anyone within 50 feet of you would know you’re taken.

Despite his somewhat difficult behaviour you loved him with every fibre of your being. He looked at you like you had hung the stars in the sky and he swore he would give you anything your heart desired.

Well... except one thing.

Ever since you had been told about the mating behaviour of werewolves and the monthly period of sexual craze that they were subjected to, you had wanted to help Joon out with his.

You had seen documentaries and read papers on the topic. You had learned everything there was to know about werewolf behaviour yet their strange heats boggled your mind more than anything else.

The sheer amount of pain and need that they felt every single month for a whole week, it saddened you to know that you could be helping your boyfriend out but he wouldn’t let you.

Instead choosing to tie himself up with heavy, blessed chains and have his six best friends keep watch.

You had given up after trying for a year straight, deciding that he would entrust you with helping him with his heats when he was comfortable with the idea.

Namjoon was a big man, standing tall at 6 feet with broad shoulders, heavy biceps and sculpted legs, he was scared of hurting you while giving in to his most primal instincts to claim you.

He had chosen you as his mate, his one love for his one life, and being the alpha’s son it was harder for him to control his needs.

So being near fragile, human you when all he could think of was sinking his fangs into your neck and breeding you was out of the question.

Coming back to your peaceful evening, you had just cuddled up with your fluffy blankets and a mug of hot cocoa when you heard the bell ring, the shrill noise resounding through your home.

You weren’t expecting anyone but knowing how impulsive your friends were you got up to open the door nonetheless.

Imagine your surprise when you see your giant of a boyfriend standing outside the threshold of your home, sweat dripping down his large body as he radiated heat.

Your brows furrowed in confusion, “Joon? What happened? Weren’t you out on a hunt, are you hurt?!”

Concern washed over you as you scanned his frame to look for any possible wounds.

Namjoon shook his head, movements tight and controlled, “No Y/N, I’m fine. I had to leave the hunt halfway.”

“What? Why?” you questioned.

“My heat arrived early.”

Oh.

“Ohhhh...” you thought to yourself as realisation sank into you.

“Joon, sweetie is it okay for you to be here? Did you need something before the isolation?” You couldn’t fathom why he would be here if his heat was upon him.

Unless...

No, he wouldn’t. You shouldn’t get your hopes up.

Suddenly you realised that he was still standing outside your shared apartment like a stranger, you stepped aside gesturing at him to come in.

As he stepped inside you closed the door. You noticed how his movements were stiff and rigid, an aura of tension clouding him.

“Is it alright for you to be back home, Joon?” you said softly, “Y’know, considering your uh... situation?”

You could hear his breathing in the silent room; slow, deep and controlled.

“Y/N, what if I told you that I wanted to mark you right now?” he said in a sudden rush.

You heard your sharp inhale, the question surprising you. But you knew the answer already, it was easy.

“I’d let you. Why?” You said without hesitation, carefully selecting your words you asked, “Do you want to?”

“I wasn’t expecting my heat to arrive this early, I had no idea why it happened in the middle of a hunt... But then I understood when I was standing outside the door.”

He said, “Y/N you’re ovulating.”

“Oh... wow, Joon are you trying to say what I think you’re saying?”

He looked at you as if he was calculating what to say next so as not to scare you away from him.

“Y/N, my wolf refuses anyone else, I know you know of how I used other bitches from the pack to keep myself sated during my previous hunts,” he said casually, the word bitch had very different connotations for humans and werewolves you had come to know.

You could feel your heart twinge in jealousy.

It was a sensitive topic for you, on one hand you really wanted Namjoon to be as comfortable and safe during his heats even if it meant sleeping with someone else; but it also really, really hurt to picture him in bed with the other gorgeous women of his pack.

You were insecure of your mundane genes, often comparing yourself with the strong and fierce she-wolves who had helped your boyfriend through his heats.

Namjoon spoke softly, “The past few months my wolf has been rejecting anyone who isn’t you. He wants to mate you, mark you as ours. Your ovulation must’ve sped up my heat. I can’t go on anymore without making you mine Y/N... for good.”

You were feeling strangely warm, you had obviously had sex with your boyfriend but you knew heat sex was in an entirely different league of its own.

All you could do now was nod your consent.

Namjoon stepped towards you, hands reaching out to capture your waist as his head lowered to your face.

His cheek grazing against yours, his lips brushed your earlobe as he mumbled into your ear, “Let me fuck a baby into you, Y/N. Let me breed you, please.”

You whined unconsciously at his words. Your belly warm and heat seeping through your panties. You whispered back, “Y-yes.”

With a swift change in demeanour his lips came crashing down to yours, large and calloused hands grabbing roughly at your hips as if afraid to let you go.

He growled into the kiss, his usually soft lips now tasting different because of the sheer dominance that radiated off of him.

His tongue swept against yours, making you moan wildly into his mouth, your own smaller hands grabbing onto his broad shoulders, fingers finding purchase in the thick, soft hair that curled gently at the nape of his neck.

His hand roamed south to the flesh of your ass as he cupped them with his hands and squeezed a cheek, tearing a gasp from your mouth at the surprising gesture.

Begrudgingly he pulled away from the kiss, releasing soft pants courtesy of your little makeout sesh, “Y/N I’ll ask you again, sweetheart. Are you absolutely sure you want me to mark you?”

You didn’t know if you had it in you to verbally say it, so you nodded shyly.

One of his hands came up to your chin as he gently angled your face upwards to gaze directly into his eyes.

“Use your words angel, a nod isn’t consent,” he rasped.

“I want you, Joon,” you whimpered as your eyes fell to the floor once again, unable to face your boyfriend as you openly declared your need for him.

“I want to be yours, only yours.”

You felt, rather than saw the smile creeping onto his expression.

He cupped the backs of your thighs as he hoisted you up to wrap your legs around his waist. His bulge pressing against your core. You whimpered at the soft brushes of his crotch against your clothed clit with each step he took towards your bedroom.

You giggled, the rush of hormones making you feel lightheaded as you whispered into his ear, “You grew really fast, Joonbug. Happy to see me?”

Namjoon chuckled under his breath as he looked at the spot where your cores met, and then when he brought his gaze up to meet yours you could see the shift in personality.

Your little puppy was gone. This man right here in front of you was all wolf.

He smirked at you before he answered softly, “That’s just half-hard, angel.”

Your eyes grew comically wide, surprise etched onto your expression as you once again looked down to the bulge in his trousers.

That’s what it usually looked like when you fooled around before.

You looked back up at him with questioning as he answered your unasked question, “I... change, during my heats. A lot of things about my body are going to be different when I’m like this. But I promise I’ll be very, very gentle.” He said with a soothing smile. His voice calming you down even when loaded with lust.

Slowly his arms fell to your sides as he brought your (his) sweatshirt over your head and threw it aside, followed by your shorts and then your panties.

It felt weird, being naked in front of a fully clothed Namjoon. But it also somehow made you feel safe, as if you could trust him with every piece of yourself.

Namjoon then laid you down on the bed, his hands travelling from your neck down to your heaving breasts.

His mouth working at your jaw as his skilled hands massaged the flesh of your chest, palming your nipples as his fingers tweaked and pulled at the stiff peaks.

He kissed the spot at the base of your throat that had you gushing wetness out onto the sheets. His fingers skimmed across your stomach as he finally, finally touched your core, drawing a surprised gasp from you.

His middle finger swept across your sensitive nub as he spread your juices around, stroking it and sending jolts of pleasure through your nerves.

Two fingers sank into your warm opening as he gasped at the feeling of your tight grip around him. Slowly pushing them in, in an attempt to prepare you for what’s to come.

You could hear the wet, squelching noises emanating from your cunt as Namjoon’s fingers fastened their pace.

He was having trouble tearing his gaze away from the view, his thick fingers thrusting into your pretty, quivering pussy. Creamy juices flowing down your thighs as you gasped his name softly in a medley of moans and whimpers.

You tried to straighten out your legs to cope with the intense pleasure building at the pit of your belly, warmth flowing through your body as you felt yourself get closer to that familiar edge.

Namjoon’s fingers curled as the tips grazed against the spot inside you that had you seeing stars every time.

You could vaguely make out the sound of his voice, as if you were listening through glass, “Cum for me, angel. Feel my fingers inside your filthy, little cunt and cum for me.” That was all it took for the dam inside you to burst as you groaned in pleasure. Your cunt quivering around your boyfriend’s fingers as he helped you ride out your orgasm.

The both of you waited a few moments, listening to each other’s breathing when you sat up straight and leaned foward to whisper in his ear, “Come on, it’s my turn to help you out.”

Namjoon, to your surprise, shook his head in refusal. “If you suck me off I’ll finish in ten seconds and the only place I’m cumming tonight is in your pussy, baby girl.”

You could feel the goosbumps rising on your arms at his words. He reached out and pushed you down once again, “I’ve got to prepare you well if you’re gonna take my cock, sweetheart,” he said as he ran his fingers down your torso, “So lie back, and let me taste you.”

You could feel him grinning against your thighs, his hot breath on your messy cunt making you shiver in anticipation.

His tongue swiped a kitten lick up and down your lips as a single finger pressed against your abused clit. The warm and wet appendage nudging at your opening as you gasped at the sensation.

You reached down to your boyfriend’s head between your thighs and roughly grasped strands of his hair in an attempt to cope with the overstimulation.

Soft, long strokes against your core sending shocks down to your toes as you arched your back against the sheets. Already reeling from your previous orgasm you could feel yourself reaching the end once again, much faster this time.

You felt incredibly hot, sweat forming on your forehead as Namjoon teased your clit with his mouth, gently nipping the bud with his teeth.

His hot tongue poked at your entrance and ever so gently eased in, his nose bumping against your bundle of nerves making you gasp at the sudden intrusion.

He looked up at you with his mouth still on your core, smirking and the next thing you knew you were bursting with pleasure, hot liquid splashing on your thighs as your legs jerked violently through your climax.

You could hear Namjoon’s faint chuckles, “Whoa Y/N, did I just make you squirt?” You blushed and covered your eyes with your fingers to escape his shit-eating grin. But his strong arms pulled your much smaller hands away from your face as he sat up towards you and attacked your neck once again.

His soft, plump lips mouthing at your collarbones as he drew marks across the skin. Blood red splotches that were sure to turn purple the next day. Namjoon murmured softly, “You’re mine. All of you, it’s all mine. Isn’t it, Y/N?”

You hummed in respone as you threw your head back and relished in the feeling of his breath on your neck as he bit and marked you to his desire.

He pulled back after what felt like minutes, the faint light of the moon creating a halo behind his back.

His large frame towering over yours as he spread your legs with a grip on your thighs.

He rushed to pull his t-shirt off his sculpted torso as you fumbled with the buttons of his trousers, helping him to discard the last piece of clothing keeping you from him.

The sight of his naked cock drew an audible gasp from you, it was double the size you were used to and angry red in colour. The weeping slit at the head thoroughly wetting his shaft with precum.

Namjoon touched your cheek gently to calm you, he rubbed his cock up and down your messy cunt. You leaned into his palm as he finally nudged at your opening.

You tried hard not to scream as he pushed the rest of it in, pain and pleasure intermingling as you felt like you were losing your virginity all over again.

He leaned his face down close to yours and whispered, “It’s okay, angel. Relax, take your time and get used to me, okay?”

You mumbled a small, “Mhm, okay.” Your voice straining as you felt like you were being split open. Minutes flew by and gradually you grew used to Namjoon’s size and girth inside you.

You mumbled, “You can move now, Joon.”

You could see the result of holding himself back in his expression and the way his arms shook around you.

You knew being so close to you and still not going feral was extremely difficult for him, let alone impossible for younger wolves.

But you also knew that he would never do anything to hurt you, even if it meant depriving himself of his most primal instincts instead of fucking you senseless.

He nodded in response and gave you an experimental thrust. You couldn’t help but moan at the sensation. His cock was so large you were stuffed full with no escape.

But you wanted more. You were done with being treated like a glass doll, you wanted him to let go and fuck you like he would any other she-wolf from his pack.

“I thought werewolves were tougher than this when they fucked. Or is it just you who’s scared to hurt me?” you piped up, feeling unusually feisty.

Namjoon looked up at you, his eyes piercing into yours, expression hardening upon hearing your remark. “You wanted to fuck a werewolf so bad,” he spoke softly, “Well then, take it like a big girl, Y/N.”

He thrust into you exceptionally hard, your body moving up against the mattress because of the force. His deliciously thick cock dragging against the soft, wet muscles of your cunt as he buried his nose into the crook of your neck.

Your eyes rolled back into your skull while you tried to process the immense pleasure running through you. Namjoon’s hands gripping your thighs, his balls slapping against your ass as he pushed his cock in and out of you.

You could feel every ridge, every nerve of Namjoon’s cock plunging into your pussy.

The squelching, wet noises emanating from your sex making you feel even more perverse, the obscene sounds filling your ears as you turned wetter by the second at the feel of his blunt cockhead buried deep inside you, massaging the spot that made you see stars.

Pleasure shooting through your veins and warming your belly as you felt the mixture of your juices and his precum slide down your thighs and the cheeks of your ass.

Rough, calloused hands gripping at the soft flesh of your hips with such force you were sure to find purple bruises littered the next day.

“J-joon, please make me cum. I wanna cum so bad, I can’t take it anymore! Please!” you garbled through the impact of his powerful thrusts, the sheer speed and force slamming you back into the bed with each movement of his hips.

You could hear him chuckle in your ear, the bastard.

“Tsk-tsk Y/N, be a good girl for me. You’ll cum when I want you to.” He grunted, “For now, you’re just gonna have to take it.”

A whine of frustration left your lips, the sinful noises combining with Namjoon’s almost painfully big cock assaulting your poor pussy.

You could hear your boyfriend whisper above you, “I wish you could look at your pussy right now. Oh god you’re so swollen, you’re dripping all over my cock like the little cumslut you are, waiting for me to give you my seed.”

You clenched around his cock at the thought of being filled with cum.

His cum.

“Fuck! You just got so much tighter, angel. You like that, huh? You want me to fuck my cum into you, breed you like my obedient little bitch? Gonna fill you up with my cum so you can carry my pups, my pretty little whore.”

You whined at his words, just the image of your poor, abused cunt filled with his thick cum had you salivating.

To your surprise, he had you flipped over and onto your stomach in the matter of a second.

Your ass raised instinctively while he gripped your hips with one hand with the other secure on your neck, squeezing just lightly enough to let you breathe but tight enough for you to know who owned you.

His hips snapped into yours rhythmically, his groans falling like music in your ears. Your tits bounced against your chest with each thrust he threw upon you. His balls slapped against your clit with every rough thrust, adding more to your already throbbing core.

You could feel the hot tears run down your cheeks, the overwhelming pleasure becoming too much for you to process.

The luxurious ache returning to your core you moaned his name without a care for who listened.

You could feel his hot breath nearing your neck as he drew his face close to your shoulder.

His teeth sank into the flesh as you screamed in pleasure and pain. Searing hot shocks ran through your veins as Namjoon licked at the thin rivulets of blood running down your skin. The tears flowing once again as you gasped from the thrusts.

The thought of being marked and belonging to your man had you squeezing against the large cock inside you. Namjoon had stood you up so now your back was pressed up against his hard chest while he pistoned into your thoroughly used cunt.

The hand that was once at your hip came down to rub at your neglected clit as you gasped and moaned in pleasure, the incredible pressure inside you building rapidly. His hand at your throat gently squeezing, just the way you liked it.

Namjoon’s fingers were furiously rubbing at your nub using your combined juices as lube. You had barely the energy to mumble, “Joon, I-I’m cumming! Please, baby I wanna cum so bad, please let me cum!”

You knew you sounded pathetic but to your fortune Namjoon was close to his end too, his grip having gone considerably harsher and cock largened even more inside you.

“Let go for me, slut.” he growled into your ear as you crashed once again, this time even harder thanks to the added stimulation, knowing that you were marked and now rightfully intertwined with the love of your life.

Namjoon came with a grotesque growl, hot, thick cum spurting inside you as he laid you down once again.

Hovering over you as he shot rope upon rope of his seed inside your warm, welcoming cunt.

After a minute when he was sure he was all drained out he removed his cock and instead plugged two fingers inside you, saying with an apologetic, “Gotta make sure we don’t spill.”

You giggled at his strange, instinctive behaviour.

“You know that’s not how it works, don’t you?” you said with a tired smile.

He looked at you with overwhelming love and tenderness, that favourite smile of yours painting across his beautiful face.

“Wolf habits die hard, I guess?”

[statticscribbles]

Alpha

Summary: A/B/O Sweet Pea/Plus Sized!Reader Request: When the serpents were forced not to wear their jackets; reader being loud/outspoken for an omega standing up for him and the serpents and when a bulldog tries to grab her, sweet pea going all protective and “She’s Mine!!” On everyone and she calms him down? Maybe she likes to take his jacket cause it smells like him?

It was as much of a surprise to your parents as to you when you’d found out you were an Omega; both of them being Beta’s they’d thrown themselves into figuring out what you needed. Of course this meant far too many doctors visits and you’d kicked up a fuss at how overbearing and protective they’d gotten. Which got you labeled as a ‘problem omega’. Any omega who didn’t follow in the ‘sweet, innocent, silent’ vein was considered troubled or problematic. Thankfully your parents didn’t seem bothered by the revelation; and they even pulled back in their overprotectiveness.

Riverdale High wasn’t bad by any stretch but when the Southsiders arrive; when the Serpents are brought in you can’t help find yourself a little calmer, a little more excited to go to class and sit through the Alpha’s leering at you and the Beta’s rolling there eyes. You hope it isn’t obvious that it’s caused by Sweet Pea. You hadn’t meant to get so interested in them but both Fangs and Toni were two of the first you’d talked to and by default you were exposed to Sweet Pea through them. You’d grown close with all three of them; none of them seeming to care about you being an Omega.

You frown at the group of Bulldogs laughing in the student lounge; you see the source, Sweet Pea and Fangs in matching uniforms; a turtle neck pulled up to cover Sweet Pea’s tattoo. “New school rules for the ‘underpriviledged.” Toni winks as you both go to greet Sweet Pea and Fangs. The bulldogs seem to ease off and even the teachers don’t bother any of them enough to where they keep their jackets tied around their waist or draped over their bags. You don’t say anything, enjoying the lack of tenseness in the air. “I never thought it was so easy to skin a snake; and here we were trying to knife ‘em all it takes is a couple of harsh words and even the Alpha’s back down like they’re Omega’s.” You narrow you eyes and Toni winces slightly. You stand glaring towards the group of bulldogs.

“Least they act like Alpha’s when it matters.” You snicker and Toni joins in. Fangs smirks but you watch confused as Sweet Pea’s smile drops off. “Sweet Pea?” You’re about to say more when you can feel one of the Alpha’s leering over you. “What you say about us Omega?” You swear you can feel the grin they’re sporting curling on their lips and you’re about to turn to defend yourself but feel a hand clamp your shoulder. “I’d stay down if I were you.” Fangs mumbles and you nod watching as Sweet Pea muscle’s his way between you and where the bulldog stands. They’re just staring at each other and you can’t really make sense of it but you’re relieved when the bulldog just turns away. “That was weird.” Fang shrugs.

“Sweet Pea can usually just ‘Out Alpha’ them; he has that real menacing stare apparently. It’s why FP likes taking him on jobs.” Toni comments and you nod jumping slightly when Sweet Pea softly places his hand on your shoulder. “You okay Y/N?” You nod face flushing slightly. He smiles nudging something around your shoulders in place of his hand. “You seem cold.” He grins and you nod, curling under what you realize his jacket. You’re not sure why he avoids you for the rest of the day but you end up returning home with his jacket. Your parents giving you a side look which you make a point of ignoring.

“Y/N you okay?” Toni smirks when you glare at her. “Sweet Pea can die in a hole.” “Did something happen?” Her voice drops worriedly and you shake your head laughing a little. “No just; my parents saw me wearing his jacket and decided to give me a very long very awkward talk about safe Alpha and Omega relationships. So I blame him.” “Aww you poor thing, subjected to a horribly mistimed sex talk.” Toni snickers and you roll your eyes.

“I do believe we never finished our conversation from yesterday; although I don’t really want to; seeing as you’re a snake apparently.” You frown as Darren, the Alpha from yesterday grimaces. “I mean I guess bing a skank for the snakes must have some advantage..” Toni cringes. “Darren; stop, seriously.” Fangs tries to mediate and Toni nods empathetically towards Darren. You tilt your head at the sudden concern for him. “Oh but why would I stop at that; I mean theres no way I’m taking whatever Omega the snakes are using for themselves no telling what’s on her anyways.” “Darren quit while you’re ahead, seriously.” Jughead hisses at him and you’re confused at his involvement.

“Here’s the thing Jones, Y/N has been a thorn in my side for months before you got here; being able to point out how low she is, even as an omega; slumming it with.” You frown when Darren quiets you watch as he looks to the ground and you freeze when you hear a growl from behind you. “Holy shit.” Fangs mumbles and you watch Darren duck his head and turn his neck in submission before leaving with the rest of the Bulldogs that hadn’t ran off. Before you can turn around you can feel Sweet Pea’s arms around you. “You okay Y/N? He didn’t touch you did he?” You shake your head surprised when Sweet pea grins bumping your forehead with his chin. “Good, can’t have any of the Bulldogs hurting my Omega now can I?” He grins at the rest of the Serpent’s who nod fondly rolling their eyes.

“Come on you two we’re going to be late to class and the last thing we want is to be around you two longer than we have to.” “I haven’t even asked her out yet calm down.” “Asked me out?” You  watch Sweet Pea flush slightly. “I mean yeah; you’re wearing my jacket still so I thought… or are you just going to give it back to me?”

“No I wanna keep it; uh I mean, I like it. It smells like you. It’s nice.” You stammer and Sweet Pea’s grin widens. “So you do want to date me?” “Yes.” “Then keep it; I’ll get it from you at eight tonight.”

Support My Writing?

[roz-ani]

Okay, so first: I am so sorry it took me so long to respond, dear anon. I was really busy with school. Not to mention Tumblr wasn't kind enough to put this in my ask box, but I fortunately took the screenshot the day I received the message, while it got lost in all the other notifications.

Now, properly responding to your ask would require me to write a looonnngggg analysis. I have absolutely nothing against Bumbleby or Blacksun. In fact, I feel indifferent about both. I did say once I ship BS, but it kinda... disappeared? I think around V5. I'm not even sure what to think about Bumbleby at this point. I do feel like something is missing there, but I also don't think Blacksun should've become canon? Like I said, I haven't formed my opinion on the matter, but I'll try to explain it as good as I can while hoping to not write a novel XD

In volumes 1-3 we witnessed how friendship between Blake and Yang formed. After leaving Adam, Blake needed someone who would focus on positives, make her feel comfortable and offer emotional support. She found that in team RWBY. Did she form any special connection with Yang then?

I think this moment is one of the most important ones in their whole relationship. Yang told Blake she can't focus on fighting all the time - she has to rest too, with her friends by her side. She even winked at her, but I don't see it as something romantic. I'd connect it to Yang's playful personality.

After that, we didn't see anything really important. There were a few smaller moments between them, usually shared with Ruby and Weiss. Until the Fall of Beacon:

I've noticed many people pointing this out as the first evidence of Yang's feeling for Blake. For me it doesn't really make sense. I'm 100% sure her reaction wouldn't change if it was Weiss, not to mention Ruby.

After that, Yang expressed how disappointed and crushed she felt when Blake left. She obviously didn't blame her partner for what happened, but she was trying to protect her at that moment, she heard how she screamed after Adam hurt her. But Blake felt guilty and went to the only people she had left in her life - her parents. Sun travelled there with her, therefore they logically had to spend more time together. More one that later.

Now, them missing each other is understandable, but were they really that close? Yang wanted Blake to be with her. It was not the first time someone left her, when someone didn't give enough support after something tragic happened. Many people saw it as something romantic. I didn't. Weiss explained Blake's way of thinking to Yang and Sun did the same for Blake. However, many interpreted that longing as more than friendship. I honestly don't blame them. It really felt like they tried to work with something that... just wasn't there. Now, it all seems to come back to the moment when Yang lost her arm and Blake left her. And that's the thing that probably confuses me the most, so let's just leave it here and move on.

Volume 6, oh sweet, sweet volume 6. We started with Yang still being uneasy around Blake... for a moment. She said it'll take time for things to be normal again, but what mattered the most was the fact her partner came back. On the Brunswick farm Blake tried to show her support by promising Yang she'll protect her - Yang obviously wasn't happy with that. The audience received an information that there's still a problem, something's wrong... but then they started to talk normally again. Now, there were more important things to focus on, but it felt like the whole issue disappeared, it went absolutely nowhere. Then we got the fight with Adam. My biggest problem is his line "What does she even see in you?". It's really, really difficult, if not impossible, to not see it as something connected to love/romance. Would he say the same thing if it was Weiss not Yang?

After that we got the hug and hand holding. Was it romantic? Pretty much yes. Saying that the Renora airship scene from v4 was intimate, but this one wasn't seems kinda unfair to me. But why? Why was it romantic? What lead to those feelings? Where did they come from? There had to be something in v6. If we accepted the fact them missing each other was completely platonic then why it would suddenly become romantic?

Now, Blacksun. The first time we met Sun he immediately found Blake interesting and knew about her being a Faunus. 

And while he might’ve been a bit “insistent”, he kept supporting Blake while trying to get closer to her. It’s obvious he was the one initiating something, like inviting her to the dance. Then we got this: 

Now, blushes are something that can be interpreted in a few ways, mainly embarrassment or something more romantic. I think we can all agree it’s the second option. Again: why? When did Blake start to see Sun as someone she could possibly date? We obviously skipped some school weeks in the story, so it’s possible that they just spent more time with each other. Still, there wasn’t much we could pick to support this. At the same time it was more than what Blake had with Yang at this moment. While Sun became someone she started to develop feelings for, Yang remained her close friend.

Then came the Fall of Beacon. Blake ran away and Sun went after her. He felt like he couldn’t leave her alone, she needed support. Like I said, Sun can be insistent, but he’s still a great friend. The only time he acted like he was flirting with her was when he called her “his hero”. After that he kept being supportive, help her solve the White Fang problem etc. Blake on the other hand was constantly saying she doesn’t want his help and that she came here to rest. If there was any romantic development from v3 left, they both knew it wasn’t the right time for it. After Sun got hurt, Blake revealed why she ran away, why she didn’t want her friend to get close to her. She viewed herself as the source of their problems, wanted to be hated. Sun explained to her why her mindset isn’t healthy.  

He even knew Blake kept thinking about Yang. 

Oh, I almost forgot about the parents thing XD It’s obviously an old scenario: overprotective father and supportive mother meeting their daughter’s boy-friend. It’s always connected to romance between two young people, so I don’t blame Blacksun shippers for pointing it out. After that, we didn’t get much between the two. They focused on their mission, Sun kept supporting Blake in her fight. I v6 Blake expressed how much she'll miss him and kissed him goodbye. Sun told Neptune it was never about romance and it’s true to some degree. I’m sure he’d go after her even if he wasn’t in love. Sun is an amazing friend. He has his flaws, but you can’t deny his loyalty. 

Okay, I skipped a few things here and there, but there’s still something I want to point out: the audience perspective. I think it’s safe to assume that Blacksun was more obvious choice. Does that mean Bumbleby never had a chance? Absolutely not. It’s not about whether it was planned from the beginning or not. It’s about buildup. When Blake and Yang got separated it was obvious they’re going to reunite. I wasn’t part of the FNDM during v4, so I assume people expected Blacksun to become canon during v4-5. I think it was still important to remember the fact of Blake and Yang reuniting in the future, which would obviously be crucial for their relationship. I also believe it was pretty obvious Sun wouldn’t stay with the group, so Blacksun would have to be confirmed later. I think the biggest problem with Bumbleby people seem to have is how obvious it is now. We all know it’s going to be canon, some even say it’s canon now. It does make sense since it’s inevitable at this point. But let’s look at this: 

It seems like they’re trying to make up for what was lost in the previous volumes. Bumbleby technically isn’t canon yet. Blake and Yang seem to be fully aware of their feelings, it’s just a matter of time before they confess. Now, that may annoy some people, because we all already know it’s the endgame. At least that’s how I see it.

Now, which ship had more buildup? It’s honestly hard to say. Just because two characters shared more scenes together it doesn’t mean the ship is going to be canon. You have to look at the context. It’s also important to not have those characters be together all the time. It gets boring and annoying. Sadly, RWBY likes to do that (although v8 is doing a great job so far). I think both ships would need more time to be properly built up. Now Bumbleby is basically canon. The ship has its flaws when it comes to writing, but it’s not something that can be changed.

[dontcare77ghj]

Family

Tony x reader x Clint

Thank you @rvgrsbrns for the pairing ideas.

When Nick Fury had approached you about joining his super-secret boy band, you never expected it to turn out this way. With you in a long term relationship with the archer who never missed and Iron Man.

You had been alive for a thousand years and been with many people, but you'd never let yourself feel this way for any of them. This was mostly in fear. Fear of what your brother would do if he caught you having a relationship.

Klaus had always been overprotective. You were his little sister, and he loved you, but after being changed he'd refused to allow you or your siblings to have relationships.

He played it off as not wanting anyone to have roots that could lead to your father finding and murdering them. But, you knew the truth. Klaus was scared if any of you found love, you would leave him alone for eternity.

After your brother had daggered the rest of your family, you ran. You refused to be locked in a coffin at the whim of your brother.

You'd made it to New York after Klaus daggered Rebekah. You'd met Nick in 1986. You'd been working with Peggy Carter for a few years when you'd met the man and you quickly became close with him.

You hadn't left New York since you'd run and it just made it easy for Nick to recruit you in 2012.

It was almost two years later when you found yourself dating both Clint Barton and Tony Stark. 

Of course, everyone on the team knew each other. You'd all read the files when you became a team but after working and living together for two years, you'd grown closer. You were a family.

So, it made sense they all knew about you. Everything about your past, and your family.

It didn't scare the team, and it certainly didn't scare your boys.

"Morning," Clint whispered as you opened your eyes. 

"Too early." You whined, pressing your face into Clint's chest. "Turn the sun off."

"Can't do that sunshine," Clint said, smirk clear in his voice, before pressing his lips to your head. "You'll just have to get over it."

"Rude." You grumbled, rolling over so you were straddling the man's hips. "I thought you loved me." You cocked your head.

"I do love you." He hummed, resting his hands on your hips. "Just can't get rid of the sun. We need it to survive."

"Not this one," Tony mumbled, rolling over to face you. "Sun will burn her alive." He smirked, pinching your side.

"Better than sparkling." Clint smiled as you rolled your eyes. 

"If any vampire ever sparkles, I'll end them myself. Bloody disgrace to the species." You grumbled before letting out a short squeal as Tony pulled you onto his lap.

"I ever tell you I love that accent?" Tony questioned you, trailing his lips down your throat.

"A couple times." You breathed. "I think you even put it in your speech last night." You added, wrapping a hand around his neck as your other reached out for Clint. The ring adorning your finger sparkling in the morning light.

"He did." Clint agreed. "Right before the joke about you being dead which is fine because normally marriage kills people anyway."

"Am I wrong?" Tony asked, smiling at the man. "Come here, bird," Tony said, pulling him by the hand before kissing his male fiance.

"I think we should stay here a little while longer." You said, pressing your face into Tony's neck. "We have a lot of celebrating to do."

"I love the way you think," Clint said after pulling away from Tony. "Love it." He repeated before kissing you.

"Who's your friend, Natasha?" You asked hours later as the three of you entered the kitchen.

"Well, she's not my friend. I came in this morning, she appeared out of nowhere, I shot her, it went right through her and now your fridge has a hole in it. Sorry, Stark."  Natasha shrugged, staring at the blonde seated at the counter.

"Alright witch, you got three seconds to admit why you're here or I'm going to find you and drink you dry." You threatened, flashing in front of her.

"You have Klaus's mentality." The woman smiled.

"Look if Klaus has pissed you off, don't bring me into it. I haven't seen him in decades. Whatever he's done is his own fault." You glared at the woman.

"Klaus pisses everyone off, myself included, but I'm not here for revenge."

"Then why are you here?" Natasha asked, playing with the gun in her hands.

"Y/N is the only sibling I haven't met yet." The woman stated. “And Klaus asked me to find you.”

"Yeah pulling the family cards not going to work, love. You're not Rebekah." You rolled your eyes. "Tony remind me to call my witch later, I think I'm going to find her real form and drain her dry."

"I'm Freya." The woman introduced herself. "Klaus asked me to find you. He wants to talk."

"Freya died. Years before I was even a thought. You're going to suffer when I find you." You snapped.

"And you have Elijah's loyalty." 'Freya' mused. "I can't convince you that we’re family but you should believe me. Klaus wants to see you.I hope to meet you in person one day." She said before disappearing into thin air.

"She's going to choke on her blood." You growled. "If she breathes a word of my location to Klaus, I'm going to end her line."

"Babe, calm down," Clint soothed, moving forward and rubbing your arms. "Your fangs are showing."

"Clint, you don't understand. If my brother comes here, you and Tony are dead. He'll kill both of you and make me watch." You panicked. 

"He won't kill us," Tony said, standing behind Clint.

"He's done it before. I've watched him kill any man I've ever cared for. I can't let him kill you." You shook your head. 

"You said you had a witch cloak you, right?" Natasha asked. "And it's kept you from Klaus for this long?" She continued once you nodded. "Then you shouldn't worry."

"Nat's right. Your witch's spell has kept you safe for this long, it should hold up." Clint said, pressing a kiss to your head.

"Yeah, it should. You're right." You nodded and smiled weakly at him.

"Good. Now that's out of the way, show me this ring." Natasha said, pushing Clint and Tony to the side. "Damn Stark, you did well." Natasha complimented him.

"Always do, Rushman."

As your family began to move about their day as if your supposed dead sister hadn't just projected herself into your kitchen, you felt a bubble of panic begin to brew in your chest.

What if Klaus did find you? What would that mean for your fiances?

Whatever happened, if Klaus did or didn't find you, you'd fight for your team. You'd fight for Clint and Tony.

"I want you two to start drinking my blood." You blurted out that night.

"I thought we already did?" Clint asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Before big missions you do." You nodded as Tony sat next to you. "But I want you both to start drinking it daily."

"Is this about Klaus?" Tony questioned you. 

"Yes." You said, looking away from the two men. "But it's also so the two of you have a choice. If something happens, not even just Klaus, but if something happens and either of you dies, you'll at least come back and get to make that choice." You explained.

"Will this let you sleep tonight, and not stay up on watch all night?" Clint asked, sitting in front of you.

Slowly you nodded.

"Then I'll gladly drink your blood." Clint smiled, taking your hand in his. You smiled at the archer in thanks.

"Tony?" You asked, turning to him.

"I'll take any opportunity to kiss your neck," Tony smirked. "If it makes you feel better, of course, I'll do it. Plus there's something sexy about being a vampire."

"You can never take things seriously can you?" You rolled your eyes fondly.

"Nope!" Tony popped the p. "Now open that neck up. You're hoarding the red stuff." He said, pulling you into his lap.

"I love you two, you know that right?" You asked, using a fingernail to open your neck up.

"We know and we love you too," Clint said, leaning over to kiss you.

"We also know that you're a worrywart," Tony added, pulling away from your neck. "Which you need to get a handle on, you're going to give yourself wrinkles." He teased you, blood staining his lips.

"I'll work on it." You chuckled as he went back to your neck.

"Now you're hoarding the red stuff, Tony," Clint whined.

"Oh no, where are my manners?" Tony asked, pulling away. "Come here, bird." Clint shifted so he was right behind you, his mouth next to Tony's on your neck.

"Oh, I'm going to regret this aren't I?" You moaned as the two kissed over your shoulder.

"Probably." Clint agreed.

"Most definitely." Tony nodded.

It had been a week since 'Freya' appeared in the tower. The rest of the team had been made aware to keep their eyes out for anything strange but so far everything seemed fine.

"Mr. Stark, there are people at the front gate." F.R.I.D.A.Y. announced.

"Bring up the live feed," Tony said, sipping his coffee. F.R.I.D.A.Y. wordlessly brought up the live feed and your heart dropped.

"Sweetheart, you okay?" Clint asked, taking note of your pale face. You didn't respond before you flashed downstairs.

"Leave Klaus." You demanded, standing in the doorway. "You're not welcome here."

"Sister is that any way to greet your brother?" Klaus smirked. "Your own flesh and blood?"

"Leave Klaus, I won't have you ruining my life again." You shook your head.

"Bit dramatic. I'm not here to ruin anything but if you don't invite me in, I might have to go on a spree." He told you. 

"I won't join our siblings in a coffin, Niklaus. I have stayed out of your way and supernatural business for decades. Go home, Klaus." You told him.

"I've changed, Y/N." He said as you turned away. "For the better."

"Changed." You scoffed. "You just threatened to go on a killing spree. You haven't changed. You've said it before, Nik." You shook your head. "I have a job, a family, here. I won't get daggered because I was naive enough to believe your lies."

"I'm dying, Y/N," Klaus said.

"You're an original. A hybrid. Nothing can kill you." You said.

"Please just let me in," Klaus begged you. Your brother had never begged for anything in his life. "I'll explain it all."

"Nik, I don't think I can trust you."

"Please, Y/N. We're family. Always and forever. You promised. A thousand years ago you promised."

"Come in, Niklaus," Tony said, appearing behind you. 

"Tony!" You snapped as Klaus walked forward.

"Thank you, Stark," Klaus smirked, entering the building. "Where should we talk, sister?"

"Come to the living room. Just know there are vervain and wolfsbane laced bullets waiting if you try anything." Tony said, taking your hand and leading the way.

"Of course. Y/N's idea I believe?" Klaus chuckled as he trailed behind you both. 

"Tony, what are you doing?" You whispered. 

"Trust me." He soothed, squeezing your hand. "You need this and you know it."

The three of you entered the common room to see only Clint had remained sitting.

"Talk." You demanded once he and Tony sat. You remained standing. "And quickly."

"Impatient as ever little sister." He said, leaning back in his seat. "I'm dying."

"We've established. How?" You gritted out.

"The Hollow. It's a witches curse. She infected my daughter, almost killed her, but I absorbed it. Now it's killing me from the inside out."

"You have a daughter? You're a vampire."

"And a wolf." Klaus pointed out. "Nature found a way for me to produce more hybrids naturally. Her name is Hope."

"Can you be cured?" You asked, worry for your older brother setting in.

"No." Klaus shook his head. "I just came to bury the hatchet and to tell you our siblings are in New Orleans."

"You undaggered them?" You asked, putting a hand on the couch and leaning against it. Tony threw his arm around the back of the couch and subtly held your hand.

"Every last one. I told you, I've changed, Y/N. I just wanted to see you before I died. Just once." He said.

"Damn it, Nick." You cursed, racing forward and throwing your arms around your brother. "You can't die, Nick. You're my big brother, you said you'd always be around. You promised." You whispered, tears burning the corners of your eyes.

"I know. I'm sorry, N/N." He responded, running his fingers through your hair. "I'll still be with you, I'll watch over you. Always and forever. I love you." He murmured before placing his hands on your neck and twisting it.

Non-reader POV

The second Clint and Tony heard the telltale snap of Y/N's neck, both jumped to their feet. Tony's Iron Man suit was already forming and Clint grabbed a gun from under the table.

"Relax gentlemen I mean no harm," Klaus said, raising a free hand.

"You have a funny definition of it. You just snapped Y/N's neck." Clint snapped, unclicking the safety.

"And she will wake," Klaus assured the men, placing Y/N on the couch behind him. "My sister is not good at goodbyes and it will be better for her to wake with me gone. It is a kindness."

"You snapped her neck because you don't want to see her cry?" Tony scoffed.

"Partially. But I do want to talk to the two of you without her interfering." He said, turning back to them.  "A blind man could see the way the three of you feel for each other. Fortunately for me, though my strength and powers are fading, I can still see. And I can see the rock on her finger."

Clint looked over in worry to Tony who remained staring down the blonde.

"If this had happened a century ago, I would have killed you." Klaus nodded. "I can smell her scent all over you and I know she feeds you her blood. I would have killed you both twice."

"If this is supposed to make us feel safer, you're going the wrong way about it," Tony told the hybrid.

"The point is, I’m not going to kill either of you. It’s highly unlikely for Y/N to return to our siblings, especially once I pass, but I just want her taken care of. Considering your engagement, you are a part of my family. As a favor to me I want you to take care of her.”

“We’ve been taking care of her for years.” Clint nodded.

Niklaus did not say anything as he nodded at the men. A second later he had disappeared.

Reader POV

With a gasp you awoke and jolted upright on the bed.

“Good morning, sleepy head.” Clint whispered from your side. Looking to your side you could see Clint looking at you wide awake and Tony asleep behind him.

“Clint, where’s Nik?” You asked as he took your hand.

“He left after he snapped your neck.” He told you. 

“Did he hurt anyone? Did he hurt either of you?” You asked, squeezing his hand. 

“No. He didn’t touch anyone.” Clint assured you, pulling you back down.

“I’ve hated him for so long.” You whispered into Clint’s neck. “And now he’s dying and I don’t know what to do.”

“You can’t do anything.” Clint said, trailing his fingers down your spine. “But at least he knows you still love him.”

“I feel like Steve.” You sighed. “Waiting too long only to lose people.”

“You didn’t wait for us.” Tony said, sitting up. “And you’re a lot better looking than capsicle.”

“Don’t be mean to Steve.” You smiled at the man. “Now that you’ve met my brother, has he scared you off?” You asked.

“Honey, you grow fangs and drink blood. I don’t think anything could scare us off.” Clint laughed.

“Maybe if you grew a second head, I’d think about being scared off.” Tony mused.

“You can be an ass when you want to.” You smiled, reaching across Clint to grab Tony’s hand.

“You love me.”

“I do.” You smiled.

“So, me and Tony had a conversation while you were knocked out.” Clint started.

“Dead.” Tony interrupted. “Well, deader than normal.”

“Tomorrow, we think we should properly discuss the possibility of you turning us.” Clint continued, smiling at Tony’s comment.

“Seriously?” You asked, sitting up in bed. “Do you understand what that means? You won’t ever die. You’ll have to watch as friends do and you stay the same. Are you ready for that?”

“Darling, we’re in this for the long haul.” Tony assured you.

Sitting up you leaned down to kiss Clint deeply before doing the same to your other partner.

“I love you both so much right now.” You smiled widely.

“We can talk about this more tomorrow.” Clint said, pulling you back to his chest. “Go back to sleep, honey.”

You smiled as you relaxed onto Clint’s chest. This tower was your safe place. This tower was inhabited by all your friends. Your family. Clint and Tony were here and that was enough for you.

Tomorrow you’d discuss the potential chance of Tony and Clint becoming like you. And tomorrow you’d make plans to visit New Orleans.

But you didn’t need to think about any of that now. Because now you were in your men’s arms and for now, everything was okay. Or it was going to be.

Taglist

@rvgrsbrns @smilexcaptainx @hopingforbarnes @starlingelliot @piper-koko-barnes-rogers @jelly-fishy-babie @skeletoresinthebasement @agent-barnes40 @reann-loves-sebstan @skadikh

Coming soon

Dean x reader x Cas

Bucky x reader x Natasha

Meg x reader x Cas

Wanda x reader x Vision

Steve x reader x Bucky x Peggy

[imaginedhaven]

Rules of Engagement: Chapter Seven

Link to Masterpost

The new laptop is here and working so much better than the old one did! I don’t know how I hadn’t replaced it sooner, with the exception of the fact that I am an utter cheapskate lol.

But enough about me, I know what y’all came here for. ;)

~*~*~

Aelin woke up surrounded by a comforting warmth and burrowed into the feeling with a happy little moan. She hadn’t remembered her bedroll being this comfortable, but she was grateful for it nonetheless. The scent of pine and snow lingered in the air, meaning that while they had departed for Adarlan they hadn’t yet reached the border, and as her eyes fluttered open a pale shirt came into sight—

Wait. A shirt. She wasn’t alone.

She bolted upright, grimacing as her head and her muscles responded to the motion with a fierce ache.

A dry voice sounded above her, though amusement was woven into the soft lilting accent. “I see you’ve finally decided to grace the waking world with an appearance.” Gods, what had happened, that she felt so awful and that Rowan had stayed with her rather than return to his own bedroll across the campsite?

As memory came rushing back in, she let out a soft whimper. She had trained again, and lost herself to the fire that burned inside of her. A fire that was currently mere embers, an internal look revealed. “Are you mocking me?” she asked, trying for a lighthearted tone but sounding raspy and exhausted even to her own ears. “I feel as if you’re mocking me.”

Green eyes met hers, obviously examining her face, though a part of him seemed distracted and hidden away. “And if I am?”

Aelin attempted to stretch, hissing at the lingering pain running through her. “I may have to let you get away with it, today. I probably deserve worse.”

“Let this pain be a lesson for you,” he replied, “though I wish you didn’t have to experience it. When you lose control like that, when the magic owns you rather than you using the magic, it’s all too easy to burn out. You almost went far enough that we couldn’t have brought you back.”

“How long was I asleep?” she asked.

“Six hours. It’s only a little after dawn now.” As she watched, he looked around the campsite. Aedion was packing his and Lysandra’s things, casting occasional concerned glances in their direction, but thus far he remained silent.

“You sound distracted,” she commented. “What’s on your mind? I know you promised a lecture—”

“Maybe later,” he said quietly, as though he were much farther away than he actually was. “We’re not likely to make it to the next town on time, not with you as badly off as you are. I’m doing what I can to make sure we won’t be defenseless.”

“What do you mean?” she asked. She turned to face him properly, though she couldn’t yet bear to completely move away, so they were left with her legs tucked neatly against his.

“How does it feel,” he asked instead, “when you access your power? Where is it stored?”

Aelin frowned and cast her gaze inwards once more. “Like… a well,” she replied. “Like it’s all sitting in a well, or it would be, if I hadn’t…”

Rowan nodded. “The depth of that well is what differs between magic users, in addition to the actual contents. Some have very little magic, and can access most of their power at once. No matter what you’re thinking now, yours goes deeper. You’re drained now because your magic controlled you, and you didn’t—couldn’t—take the time to access it correctly, to pull it up from that well one piece at a time.”

“That’s what you’re doing now, isn’t it?” she realized.

Another nod, this one more absent. “You’ll take several days at least to be back to full strength. One of us needs to be ready to react if necessary. I can still do other things, but… a piece of me is there, drawing it up.”

“How long will it take?” she asked, curious.

She was met with a raised eyebrow. “That depends on the strength of the magic user,” he said.

“That’s not an answer.”

He chuckled, then, and a thrill went through her at the sound. It had taken weeks, but she had finally managed to coax an actual laugh out of the stoic warrior. “Some take hours. I take a full day. 

So his magic was as powerful as the rest of him. Of course it was. Aelin still had questions, though. “And when it runs out, I presume that only time will allow it to come back?”

“Correct, for the most part,” he replied. “The only other way is to take from your carranam using a blood connection, if you’re lucky enough to have found yours.”

“Carranam?” she repeated, something in her uncoiling in pleasure at the way the Old Language word felt to speak.

“It’s a rare bond, and most never find one. Just like mating bonds, only carranam are compatible magically rather than…” The sentence trailed off, but she understood well enough where it had been going to nod in reply. “It’s a risky move, though, and one that requires a great deal of trust. It’s easy for your carranam to take too much from you, and then you have two magic users burning out instead of one. Even if someone suspects, they’re more likely than not to never test the bond.”

If burning out felt anything like what Aelin was going through, she understood entirely, and said as much. “Did you ever find someone you trusted enough?” she asked.

Rowan shook his head. “I haven’t suspected such a bond in any of the people I usually work with. We work well enough together, but working well together has little to do with magical compatibility in that regard.”

Aelin hummed her understanding and moved to stand, only to have a large tattooed hand come down on her shoulder. “Don’t we have to move soon?” she demanded as Rowan stood instead.

“Ideally, yes,” he replied, “but you would’ve simply fallen down again had I let you stand unaided.”

Aelin groaned. Stupid overprotective hovering Fae males and their territorial protective instincts. Really, it was a wonder Aedion was managing to pack up the camp and not directly offering her assistance as well. Perhaps Lysandra had something to do with it, or perhaps he and Rowan had come to some kind of understanding in the night.

Still, she took his hand and allowed him to help her to her feet. Ordinarily, she would’ve argued her point further, but given the tremble she felt in her knees she grudgingly had to admit Rowan had a point.

~*~*~

As night began to fall around them once more, Aedion bit back a soft growl. They still had several miles to go before the next town, but now that night had fallen their odds of booking a room were slim at best. They could push further and exhaust Aelin even more than she already had been, but in all likelihood even if they did that they would still be spending a night among the trees and stars.

They had been traveling along the edge of the Oakwald Forest, though the way was slightly longer than sticking to the coast. While the Regent would likely have preferred the coastal route, Aedion knew these lands better than he knew the coastline and would be able to take them from town to town on their way down to Rifthold. Aelin had been thrilled at the prospect of camping, and Lysandra had simply been glad to get away from the palace for a little while.

At the thought of her, he looked to the head of their party where a ghost leopard was bounding along beside a white-tailed hawk. While she would never have said as much to Aelin, she had admitted to him on occasion that she grew tired of being within the palace walls. While it had been easy to bring her along in the role of Aelin’s stylist and handmaiden, the role she had assumed when Aelin had first brought her to the palace a little over two years prior, Aedion realized he would’ve fought to bring her along anyway.

She would never mention the looks she got around the palace, both as a shapeshifter and as someone who had once worked out of the alleyways in the city, but Aedion noticed them. It took more restraint than he cared to admit to let her handle the situation as she saw fit, but he knew attempting to fight her battles for her would only result in something large, fanged, and clawed visiting him in the night. It had already happened on more than one occasion, and waking up to a ghost leopard or a massive bear standing over him was not an experience he cared to repeat.

And so he bit his tongue and he exercised all of the control he had learned from Aelin’s father, and he let his mate fight her own battles because he knew she wouldn’t have it any other way. It didn’t sit quite right with his instincts, but those instincts hadn’t been fine-tuned to human mates. Her happiness was worth more than his pride, and it had been from the moment he’d seen her.

Aelin hissed in her saddle, one hand going to her side, and the hawk immediately flew back to her side before Whitethorn shifted back into his Fae form. She moved to wave him off, but accepted the chunk of bread he pulled out of a bag and shoved at her.

That had been a surprise, Aedion thought with a smile as he watched his cousin accept being fussed over for what was probably the first time in her life. Ordinarily he would’ve tried, and they would’ve likely scrapped about it, but as he watched he realized that the older warrior fussing over her instead felt… right, somehow.

As they came to a stop for the night, the ghost leopard approached him and morphed back into the face Lysandra usually wore. “So tell me,” she said as she tucked a chestnut curl behind an ear “is there a reason you’re not over there growling at Rowan for existing too close to her?”

Aedion shook his head with a smile. “It doesn’t work like that,” he insisted. “She’s my cousin. He’s more than capable of making her eat, and she may be my family but she’s not mine.” Not like you are, he let himself think, though he knew it would be dangerous to say aloud.

Her eyes lit up. “Wait, do you think…?” She stopped talking and he knew it was so the others wouldn’t hear her, though her gestures made clear what she was asking.

He allowed himself to glance over at his cousin and her trainer once again, this time taking in the hand she had placed on his shoulder and that he hadn’t removed. He watched the way she laughed and then grimaced, and the way he helped her sit against a tree and growled something he couldn’t quite hear, concern clear across his features.

“I’m not sure,” he finally said, “but whatever’s going on, he’s managing her better than anyone ever has. I’m not about to get in the way of that.”

Indeed, he had a feeling that anyone who ventured too close right now would meet an unpleasant fate. Instead, he wrapped an arm around Lysandra’s waist and smiled when she allowed him to pull her in close.

A soft hissing sound from the edge of the forest immediately set him on edge, and as he narrowed his eyes and focused on the spaces between the trees he froze.

They were not alone.

A quick look to Whitethorn confirmed that he had heard it as well, and soon the warrior was hauling Aelin away from the trees and closer to them so they could survey the threat together. “I’m not familiar with the creatures that haunt your lands,” he admitted. “What can you see?”

“It’s strange,” Aedion replied, gaze fixed on the long limbs he could see moving in the trees. “If we were closer to the mountains I would say these are Stygian spiders, but they don’t usually come this far—”

One of the creatures finally broke through the treeline, and Aedion cut himself off as he saw the horse-sized spider emerge, a cruel gleam in its eyes.

~*~*~

It didn’t take centuries of military experience to know they were outmatched, Rowan realized as he watched the threat unfold before them. If his count was correct, a dozen of the spiders were waiting in the line where the trees began to grow thin, and there were only four of them. Aedion was a warrior through and through, senses enhanced by his Fae heritage. He wasn’t certain of the shifter’s abilities, but from the way she held herself he could tell she would go down fighting rather than running. The problem was Aelin, and it didn’t take long to realize that at all.

Aelin was standing beside him unaided, but a hand still pressed against her side and pain was still strong in her expression. He had done his best to make sure she was cared for on their journey, but it had only been a day since she had almost burned herself out. It would likely be another two before she was feeling anything close to normal again, and it would be dangerous for her to draw on her own power.

He had pulled up most of his own magic at this point, but he was only one warrior, and he wasn’t certain of this enemy’s weaknesses. With that in mind, he turned back to Aedion. “Assuming you’re correct,” he said, quick and quiet, “what do you know about these creatures?”

“If I’m right, most of what I know is wrong,” the warrior replied as he quickly bound back his golden hair. “Stygian spiders don’t usually venture outside the mountains. They stay there, and barter their silk to those foolish enough to bargain away years of their life, or other intangible gifts.”

Magical creatures, then, and creatures that lived at a high altitude. It was unlikely efforts to choke the air away from them would be met with any amount of success. Ice and blades it would have to be. “Somehow, I don’t think these are here to bargain,” he said.

“I think you’re right,” Aedion agreed, and then the first spider was upon them, pincers snapping. A blast of frigid wind knocked it back, but Rowan could tell that the setback would only be temporary at best. These creatures were fast, faster than they had a right to be, and winds would only delay them and drain him.

A glance at the hardened shells of the creatures told him ice would be equally ineffective. He could trap them, certainly, but they would inevitably get free, and he couldn’t be certain they wouldn’t track him or anyone else in the group. 

He spared a moment to glance to his left, toward Aedion and his mate. The shapeshifter was obviously sizing up the threat, likely trying to decide the form that would deal the most damage to these creatures. He hoped for her sake that she settled on something with reach and sharp fangs or claws. Aedion himself had drawn a sword and positioned himself between the creatures and the shifter, though that would only last for so long against so many.

To his right, Aelin grasped for a knife, hissing slightly as her fingers wrapped around the hilt. He could tell the movement hurt her far more than he was letting on, but that she would fight to her last as well. Her movements, however, were slow and clumsy. For her sake, they needed to end this as quickly as possible, and that meant testing something he had come to suspect.

To Aedion, he said quietly, “We need to draw these things out of the trees.”

“Does that mean you have a plan?” came the reply.

Rowan nodded. “Our best chance is ending this as quickly as possible. That means drawing them out into the open so that we can deal with them.”

“It’s the ‘dealing with them’ aspect I was hoping you had a plan for,” Aedion quipped.

Rowan growled and grabbed Aelin around the waist. “I have a plan, but we need to be ready regardless. The shell looks like it has weak points in the underbelly and around the eyes, if all else fails, but if I’m right we won’t need to fight with blades tonight.”

Aelin glared up at him, but Rowan ignored her as he moved them back several paces. Aedion and the shifter followed, and as he’d expected the spiders continued to draw closer. An intelligent foe with their numbers would try to surround them, and he had seen the cold calculations in the first spider’s eyes. He was counting on them drawing closer, or else this last hope of a plan would certainly fail.

Once they had retreated a safe distance from the forest, he turned his focus back to Aelin. She had drawn two daggers now, but her hands were trembling enough that he suspected they would be largely useless.

Rowan took a deep breath as the dozen spiders he had spotted finally emerged, and as the shifter took on her preferred feline form and Aedion lifted his sword he turned to Aelin, one hand going to her chin and tilting her head so that she was looking at him as well. “Do you trust me?” he asked.

“I already don’t like where this is going,” she replied easily, though he could read the truth in her eyes at this distance. Just one more reason to suspect he was correct, and that this would work.

“If this works,” he said as he turned his attention back to the advancing creatures, “one blast. Surround them. Do your best to avoid the trees if you can. Work fast and burn hot.”

“I thought you told me not to touch my magic,” she frowned.

“I still don’t want you to touch your magic,” he agreed as he took one of her knives from her.

Aelin was now seething beside him, likely because of his theft of her weapon. “I’m going to need that,” she pointed out.

“You are. But I’m going to need it first.”

He looked back at her, her face flushed with anger, and held her gaze as he drew the knife across his own palm. As he handed it back to her so that she could do the same, he took a moment to send a desperate prayer to whichever god may be listening that he wasn’t about to get them all killed.

~*~*~

Aelin looked up at Rowan, eyes wide, as he handed her knife back to her. “You think…?”

“We can discuss this later,” he growled, pine-green eyes back to tracking the threat that surrounded them. “We need to deal with this now, while we still can.”

That was true enough, she supposed. With a hiss, she cut a shallow slice into her own palm, mirroring him. “A blood connection, right?” she asked.

He nodded, and extended his hand toward her. “One blast. Take what you need, but end it quickly.”

“It’ll be my fire that comes? Not your gifts?” she asked.

He glared back at her. Would I be doing this if it wasn’t your fire you’d be wielding? he seemed to ask. If I thought my own magic would be effective against these, I’d be using it myself.

“Fair enough, I suppose,” she said, and then their palms met and Aelin gasped as a whirlwind of ice and snow slammed into her.

From what he had said earlier, she had known he was a powerful magic user as well as a skilled fighter. She hadn’t realized the depth of his power, however, not fully at least. The blizzard swirled inside her, ancient and fierce, scented like the wintry pine forests she called home. The cold winds strengthened the embers of her own magic, stoking them back into flames, and she grinned. “One shot, you said?”

He nodded. “Make it count.”

Making sure to keep a hold of his hand, Aelin led them a few more steps back. These spider-like creatures were still too close to the trees, and she risked starting a larger blaze if she attacked now.

Rowan followed her movements, lacing their fingers together so they could maintain the connection. As the spiders drew nearer, she finally judged them to be near enough to make her move.

She didn’t quite listen to Rowan. Instead, she drew a small amount of his power to create a ring of fire around the creatures, ensuring they would be unable to move. The spiders shrieked and hissed, and she grinned. “It would appear you were right,” she said quietly. “They don’t seem to like fire at all.”

“If I wanted your opinion, I would ask for it,” he snapped. “Finish it.”

Aelin focused her attention back on the ring of fire, and within moments it was burning white-hot and tall. Within moments the screaming and hissing grew in volume and then stopped altogether.

Once the only sounds in the air were the crackling of the flames, she and Rowan both carefully released their grip on each other’s hands, and immediately she felt the loss of that powerful ice storm that had swirled in her so briefly and yet so profoundly. Instead, the pain she had come to know throughout the course of the day surged back in, and she winced and curled her arms against her midsection. The fire died faster than she had expected, and as she glanced to her left and saw the sweat on Rowan’s brow she realized he was working to extinguish the flames. Once they were low enough, Aedion moved to approach the bodies of the creatures, but Rowan called out to him. “Don’t,” he said as he continued to work. “There’s not going to be enough air for you to breathe, not yet.”

Gods, he could remove the air from that large an area, even after she had taken some of his power to create that fire? Aelin eyed him with a newfound appreciation of his mastery of his gifts, even as her knees began to shake from the exertion of the day.

Finally Rowan nodded to Aedion, and judging from the sounds her cousin moved in to ensure the spiders remained dead. Aelin’s eyes, however, remained on the Fae warrior as he stalked back toward her. “We should push for that town if you think we can make it,” he said quietly. “Even if we’re just camped on the outskirts, it’ll be safer than staying here.”

So he wasn’t going to address what had just passed between them, then. Rather than confront him just yet, though, she nodded. “We can move out once Aedion finishes… whatever he’s doing.” She wasn’t quite sure yet how she was going to manage, but she knew he was absolutely correct that they couldn’t remain.

A cool breeze blew across the back of her neck and she shivered, glaring at her companion—her carranam, she realized. “How are you still doing that?” she demanded. “I thought—”

“I have several more centuries’ experience than you managing my own magic,” he replied smoothly. “And I began this with my power largely untapped, whereas you had almost nothing left. Now, are we going to debate this or are we going to move?”

She gave him a look that she hoped said we are talking about this later and moved back to where the horses were tethered. They were still eyeing the dead spiders nervously, but it was easy enough to calm her own mount enough that she felt she would be able to ride. That was, assuming she could lift herself onto it in the first place.

A pair of hands rested themselves on her hips, but before she could turn or say anything in protest Rowan was already lifting her so she could settle astride the horse. When she did manage to glare down at him, he shrugged easily. You were taking too long, he seemed to say. Was it this link between them that was allowing her to interpret his gestures so easily? She would have to ask him later, when he finally deemed it safe enough to discuss.

His hands left her then, though she was left with an imprint of their warmth on her as though a piece of her fire now resided in him as surely as the memory of his wind and ice now resided in her. She wondered how long that imprint on her magic and her soul would last, whether it would just be a few days longer or whether she would still be feeling him when he inevitably sailed across the sea and back to the queen to whom he had promised his service.

It was strange, she realized, just how quickly the tides had turned. When he had first arrived she would have loved nothing more than to send him straight back, but now…

Now she had no idea what she would do when he left, never to be seen again.

~*~*~

Tagging:

@ireallyshouldsleeprn @queen-of-glass @fangirlprincess09