#yes this is new information to me okay I’m 19

[soullessjack]

learning that Cary Elwes was also Wesley Princess Bride has changed me in ways I can never reverse. Look at himmp ..

[autumnshighlady]

I've Always Liked to Play With Fire (part 22)

NESTA ARCHERON X ERIS VANSERRA X FEMALE!READER

summary: the face off with Beron Vanserra is finally about to happen, but the new discover of eris and the reader being mates makes things challenging

warnings: violence, misogyny, beron sucks so rip to y'all who liked him in chapter 20

word count: 3.3k

DO NOT REPOST ANYWHERE

a/n: i know this chapter is super super short compared to the usual but i wanted to split this scene up and leave y'all on a major cliffhanger because i am evil

part 1 // part 2 / part 3 / part 4 / part 5 / part 6 / part 7 / part 8 / part 9 / part 10 / part 11 / part 12 / part 13 / part 14 / part 15 / part 16 / part 17 / part 18 / part 19 / part 20

read on ao3

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Eris is my mate

The phrase played in a loop in your head as once again chains found their way around your wrists. You barely felt the weight of them, nor did you feel the dampness of the dungeon floor against your knees, or the agonising pain in your body from where Malgorm beat you. You didn’t care that you were in a dungeon, something that typically would have sent you panicking.

All you could think about was how Eris knew he was your mate, and he kept this information from you.

You knew what excuses he’d make – that it wasn’t the right time, that it was too dangerous for you to know right now. But you didn’t care. There would never be a good time to find out that the male who your mate was mated to was also your mate. The concept of it all made your head spin. Never before have you heard of a mating bond existing between three people unanimously. Sure, there were people you knew of in polyamorous relationships, but never with a mating bond. According to legend, the mating bond was designed to bring together a male and female who would produce strong offspring. Nesta and Eris made sense, and with the newfound discovery of your unexplored abilities it was safe to assume that you and Eris being mates somewhat made sense too. But you and Nesta could not create a child together, nor did you have any desire to.

It was too convenient. Too easy to have a mating bond happening to exist between the three of you. And to complicate matters, you knew Nesta still felt linked to Cassian somehow, despite not being his mate.

A thousand questions swarmed your mind as Saeros and Ivar closed the door behind them, leaving you seemingly alone in the cell, waiting for Beron and Eris to arrive.

(Y/N), You heard Nesta’s voice in your head, so close by as if she were whispering softly into your ear. I’m here. Azriel is hiding us in the corner to your left.

You did not reply. All you could do was stare blankly at the floor beneath you, inspecting the various cracks and crevices. The blood of thousands had probably been spilled into this very floor. Perhaps Beron would see right through your plan, and simply smite you into the stone. And perhaps it’d be a blessing.

Nesta’s voice came again, more worried this time. Hey, are you okay? Something’s wrong, I can feel it.

You laughed hoarsely, a harsh sound that echoed eerily throughout the chamber. That’s something you should ask your other mate. Or should I say, our other mate. 

Even the air seemed to still around you, surprise pulsing from Nesta’s end of the bond. I take it he didn’t tell you, either. You continued bitterly.

No. He did not. Did you just find this out?

Another cursed tear fell down your cheek, landing on the cold floor with a delicate plop. Yes, right after you and Azriel left, the bond snapped. He didn’t seem surprised, only… only remorseful. I can’t believe he kept this from me. I trusted him… and now…

You felt a gentle caress down the bond, a soft mist of silver soothing over the raging sea of emotions on your end. You could not see Nesta, or even sense her presence thanks to Azriel’s shadows, but you could feel her.

You could not feel Eris, having elected to put up an iron wall between you and him.

I know this is the last thing you want to deal with right now, but we need to focus on the plan. Nesta said sternly. Believe me, I know the emotional turmoil that comes with finding out Eris is your mate, yours made worse by the fact he lied to you. But none of this matters right now. None of us will be safe with Beron alive. Killing him is all that matters, for the next thirty minutes at least. Can you hold on, just a little longer? Please.

Your heart felt like it was being pulled in a hundred different directions. Deep down, you knew Nesta was right, that none of this mattered if Beron still held dominion over the Autumn Court. So you took a deep breath, forcing the stale air of the dungeon into your lungs. You closed your eyes. I am the rock against which the surf crashes, You told yourself. Nothing can break me.

You imagined Emerie’s hearty laugh, and Gwyn’s bright eyes as you repeated the Valkyrie mantra to yourself over and over again, willing your mind to still. 

You had to get through this. Not just for yourself, or Nesta, but for Gwyn and Emerie. For every female who had suffered like all of you had. For the chance at giving them a better life.

For them, you would do this.

It only took ten minutes before you heard the angry voice of Beron Vanserra, his footsteps heavy against the stairs that winded down into the dungeon deep within the Autumn Court prison. The pounding fuzziness of your head kept you from making out his words, but his tone said enough.

“She’s down here, father. Nobody else knows, I swear by it.” The coming of Eris’s voice was like the crisp autumn breeze that cleared away the dewey morning haze, bringing life to the world around it. Even though you had tried to block him out, his close proximity was too much, and the feeling of his approaching presence sent a tingling warmth through your body, defrosting your bones.

“Make sure your guards know if they breathe a word about this to anyone, I’ll cut off the head of everyone they’ve ever loved.” The High Lord snarled.

Moments later, the heavy door swung open, revealing a shocked but furious looking Beron Vanserra. His hair was slightly dishevelled, and he was clothed in extravagant red and gold robes. Evidently, Beron did not like being woken up in the late hours. Eris strode in behind his father, that familiar cold mask adorning his features. His amber eyes settled on you, and you fought the urge to squirm as he stared at you as if you were nothing.

You knew it was an act, yet it was hard to keep yourself from tearing up. There was no warmth in those eyes that had stared into your very soul with vulnerability as the bond had snapped into place. His lips were pulled down in a scowl that made you cower. It was hard enough to remind yourself you were all playing roles in this situation, but the contrast of the deep-rooted mating bond with the angerEris was looking at you with made the room spin before you.

You forced yourself to look up at Beron. There was no trace of the loving father-in-law facade he had put on in front of Rhys. No, his eyes were black pits in his skull, dark voids of hatred that knew no bounds. You didn’t have to fake your tremor as the High Lord stared you down.

“Eris tells me that Malgorm has been slain by your hand,” Beron said, his voice a thin layer of ice holding back a raging sea. “Do you deny this?”

You had no idea how long Eris, Nesta, and Azriel had planned on letting Beron interrogate you before they made their move. As you scrambled to think of what to say, Nesta spoke urgently into your mind. Buy us time. Eris’s guards need to secure the area in the next few minutes. Talk.

 “It was an accident, your Grace.” You sputtered, desperation seeping into your tone. “He came onto me in the middle of the night, and he brought a knife with him. I was just trying to get him off of me, I didn’t mean to–”

“Silence!” Beron hissed. “I ordered Malgorm to stay away from you. He is an obedient son, and would have listened to me. You must have snuck into his room during the night and tried to kill him to end this engagement.”

“Actually, that is not true.” Eris interjected carefully. “Several eyewitnesses confirm Malgorm was not in his room at that hour, and was seen headed towards the corridor where (Y/N)’s room resides. She is covered in wounds that only Malgorm would have inflicted. You know what kind of male he was, father. You cannot be surprised–”

“SILENCE!” Beron yelled sharply, spit flying from his lips as he shot a glare at Eris. “My son is dead, and you dare speak ill of him before a grave can even be dug for his body? You disgust me.”

Your breath hitched as the High Lord turned back towards you. “I offered you the greatest honour that a pathetic female like you could have hoped for,” He growled. “And you decide that is not good enough and murder my son. You will pay for this with your life, girl.”

“My Lord, may I suggest–” Eris couldn’t finish his sentence before his father cut him off again, unhinged anger coming off him in waves.

“You have no say in this, boy. Your mother made you too softhearted. You would never be able to rule this court successfully, and it is clear I have wasted my breath trying to make you my heir.”

Eris was utterly still, his eyes narrowing like a snake about to strike it’s target. “I will be a better High Lord than you or the bastards who came before you have ever been.” He said calmly.

And then the room exploded.

Tidal waves of silver fire exploded from the darkness, shadows peeling away like curtains to reveal Nesta. Her eyes blazed with silver, that otherworldly magic rippling off her as she used her flames to press the High Lord into the wall. The sound of his body hitting the stone was like thunder over the mountains, creating small cracks along the space behind him. Orange flames joined, entwining through the silver flames like a magical dance. Beron writhed underneath them, sending his own fire in an attempt to defend himself.

But it was no use against the fury of Eris’s fire, or the steel will of Nesta’s magic. Your jaw went slack as you stared at your mates, one bathed in orange and the other in silver. Red and dark gold hair flared around their necks, as if carried by an imaginary breeze. They looked like gods from another world, coming to unleash their power on the inhabitants of this world.

You heard the sound of keys jingling as Azriel’s familiar voice sounded in your ear. “Come on,” He said urgently. “Let’s get you out of here.”

The chains released your wrists, your arms falling to the ground with relief. You felt Azriel’s shadows curling around you, ready to winnow you away. “No.” You said firmly.

“This is not up for debate. I’ve been instructed to get you to safety the moment shit goes down, and I intend to do so.”

You turned around to glare at the shadowsinger, his hazel eyes glowing against the silver and orange light from the flames. He was still partially hidden, his shadows dancing around eagerly as if ready to join in on the action. “I am not leaving them until it’s done.” You insisted.

He grabbed your arm firmly. “I will not let you get hurt in the middle of this.”

“Then protect me. I cannot leave them behind. You cannot take me away… again.”

You saw the regret flicker across Azriel’s face as he evidently remembered the last time he stole you away at the Hewn City. It was a low blow, you knew. Especially after all Azriel was risking just by being here helping you. After a moment, the Illyrian sighed, muttering something about your stubbornness before saying, “Fine. Get behind me.”

A shimmering blue light formed around the two of you, shielding you from the angry flames. Azriel’s siphons glowed as he produced a wall of protection. You peeked out from beside his arm to witness the scene before you, heart racing.

“Your time as High Lord has ended, Beron Vanserra.” Eris said sternly, his eyes glowing, his voice an echo on the roaring wind of the flames. “Too long have you sat upon this throne and cast a shadow over this court. Nobody will mourn your death, father. Just as nobody will mourn Malgorm’s. When you see him in hell, what’s left of your souls can spend the rest of your miserable eternity there knowing there isn’t a single individual who wishes either of you were still here.”

You expected Beron to spew vile insults, to fight back angrily and wish a miserable death upon you all. But the male only laughed, a rasping sound like two stones rubbing together. “This is a truly pathetic show,” Beron said. “All of this planning and scheming, and for what? You can’t kill me. You needed the magic of your mate to help you while you strung your other mate up like bait. You’re weak, boy. Too weak to ever take me on properly. You’re a coward, and a fool.”

You felt pure shock coming from both ends of the bond. You couldn’t see Eris and Nesta’s faces from your angle, but their flames flickered for a split second, as if they too couldn’t believe what Beron said.

As if reading your mind, the High Lord snorted and continued. “Get that stupid surprised look off your face. Of course I knew this whole time. You forget, I’ve been in this world a long time and can sniff out mates before they even know it themselves. Of course I was aware of your disgusting threeway bond. It’s the only reason I didn’t slaughter you, boy, for getting engaged to the Archeron female without telling me. I thought marrying that Spring Court wench to Malgorm would take care of some of my problem, at least.”

Nesta spoke up, fury lacing her voice. “What?”

“You are a fool, Eris. Of course Malgorm obeyed my every command. Who do you think told him to attack the girl in her room tonight? I gave the order less than a minute after you left the table, you stupid boy. You handed me the opportunity on a silver platter.”

“Why?” Was all Eris said, his flames angrily licking at Beron’s fingers. A burnt smell began to fill the room as they burned the High Lord’s flesh. 

But like the madman he was, Beron continued manically, seemingly blind to the pain his son was inflicting on him. “A mating bond between three people is unnatural, a crime against all that we hold dear. She needed to be eliminated in order for your marriage to Nesta to work. I didn’t care what Malgorm did to her. I told him he could do as he pleased, as long as it ended with her throat slit.” He turned his beady eyes towards you, making you freeze. “I would have let him carve you up into a thousand pieces. A pity he didn’t get the chance to do so before you murdered him. He was weak. No son of mine would let himself be murdered by a stupid female.”

You weren’t sure you were even breathing as reality sunk in. Beron knew the entire time that the three of you were mates, long before any of you had even figured it out fully. The truth of that sinister cunningness beneath his gaze that had unsettled you made your stomach churn. He had been one step ahead the entire time, counting on Malgorm killing you to ensure a marriage between Eris and Nesta without complication. It took a great amount of self control not to vomit all over Azriel, who was watching the scene unfold with a look of pure horror in his eyes.

A spear of orange fire wrapped around Beron’s throat, leaving red scorch marks on the male’s skin as he gasped for air. “You will not talk about my mate like that, you fucking asshole.” Eris snarled viciously as the flames grey brighter. “I will kill you for this. I will slaughter you for everything you put her through. For everything you put all of us through. Nobody will miss you, you absolute filth.”

Silver and orange flames danced higher, rolling back like a wave about to crash down on the sand. But before Eris and Nesta could strike down the High Lord, the door swung open and the Lady of Autumn ran in.

“Stop!” She cried desperately, her eyes frantic.

“Mother?” Shock laced Eris’s voice, and just for a split second, his flames flickered and dimmed.

That split second was all Beron needed to cast forth a wall of angry fire, pushing Nesta and Eris’s flames away. He roared definitely as your mates were thrown backwards, landing on the cell floor with a loud thump. You tried to pull away from Azriel, but his arms wrapped around you, holding you firm behind his shield. You thrashed and fought, but were no match for the Illyrian. 

“Let me go!” You hissed, stomping on his foot as hard as you could. But he didn’t budge.

“What are you doing?” Eris gasped, making his way back onto his feet with unsteady legs. A thin trail of blood trickled down his nose, evidence of the toll that much power took on him. Nesta scrambled to her feet, silver flames already curling defensively around her hands. You couldn’t help but notice how they trembled.

“Please don’t do this, Eris.” Lirilla begged. “He is your father. I have already lost so many of your brothers, don’t take your father from me, too. Let him go.”

Eris looked utterly broken, confusion and sadness written plainly across his features. The arrogant confident mask he had donned moments ago was gone. “You know more than any of us what kind of male he is,” Eris insisted. “Let me free us of him. For good.”

“Please, no. Eris…” The Lady of Autumn sobbed.

Your heart shattered at the sight. Fresh bruises were visible on the frail female’s body, yet she stood here and begged her son to not kill the one who inflicted them. Eris’s mother had endured Beron’s abuse so long she seemingly didn’t know who she was without it or him. She could not dare hope that things would ever change, so she accepted her fate, finding comfort in the dark corner her husband forced her into.

You remembered how she offered you some sanctuary the other night, willing to endure more abuse to spare you from some of it. She had seemed so resourceful, so strong despite all she had faced.

Yet here she stood, regressed before her cruel husband as she begged for his life to be spared.

Rather than rushing towards Eris or Nesta, Beron’s dark red flames wound around Lirilla’s throat. Her eyes popped open as they suffocated her, and the High Lord stood himself up and came over to stand beside her, facing Eris and Nesta.

“Stand down, or your mother dies.” Beron growled sternly, a sick glee coming across his features.

Your heart was in your throat as you felt Eris being torn in too – closer to his goal than he had ever been before, but uncertain of what to do. “You’re bluffing.” Eris said, but his voice was weak as he watched his mother gasp for air.

“Am I?” Beron said, fixing a glare at Nesta, who was frozen in shock. “You too, girl. Stand down. Now.”

A heartbroken look passed between Eris and Nesta. You felt every turmoil of emotion through the bonds, ripping away at your heart as you watched Eris nod to Nesta. Silver and orange flames evaporated into thin air, leaving behind angry scorch marks.

Beron laughed harshly, psychotic dark eyes gleaming as he snarled at his son. “I told you, boy. Your mother made you too softhearted.”

Before any of you could react, a sick crunching sound echoed throughout the dungeon as Beron reached over with his own two hands and snapped the Lady of Autumn’s neck.

The light left Lirilla’s eyes as her body fell down onto the cold floor in a crumpled heap.

And Eris began screaming. 

taglist (comment if you want to be added): @queercontrarian @kitkat-writes-stuff @moonfawnx @sevikas-whore @weird-and-wise @jemandderkeinenusernamenfindet @kingshitonly @ladyofcherries @eerievixen @readingwritingwatching @peacecoffeeandflowers @a-frog-with-a-laptop @shadowqueen25 @lana08 @highladyofillyria @rachelnicolee @ladespedidas @little-darlingo @manonblackbeakquidditchteam13 @demirunner @terorovaerangi @hauntedandhopeful  @younxii @microwaveallthedemons @fanfictioniseverything @lovra974 @maddietheshoe @peaceandcrackers @emy1-9 @lostinfantasyworldsbi @issybee0611 @thoughtfulshepherdmongerkid @belledawnidk @whhyyynottt @dream-alittlebiggerdarling @littlebbb @piceous21 @sevendeadlyshins-blog @searchingford  @marigold-morelli @thesapphiclibrarian @nikovasbitch @chasing-autumns-chill @the-sweet-psycho @honeysuckle-daydreams13 @red-bees @daughterofthemoons-stuff

[toasttt11]

posts

private instagrams

luciathemoose - lucia hughes

rowdykcaj - jack hughes

qballer - quinn hughes

johnny - john marino

dyldylpickle - dylan duke

papaestpa - mark estpa

ethannnnnnn - ethan edwards

mattyb - matty beniers

adamooooo - adam fantilli

lucafants - luca fantilli

fridgey - rutger mcgroarty

sheamoomoo- seamus casey

franky - frank nazar

gavooo - gavin brindley

natethebaster - nate bastian

hisch_13 - nico hischer

dawsie - dawson mercer

nemofishy - simon nemec

lexholtzy - alex holtz

chicken - cole caufield

zmoney - trevor zegras

luciathemoose posted

liked by rowdykcaj, dyldylpickle, johnny and 20 others

luciathemoose paris ✔️

posted july 8, 2024

tagged: johnny

comments

zmoney BABY HUGHES HAS A BOYFRIEND! WHY WAS I NOT INFORMED!!

chicken i knew😁

zmoney SHUT UP COLE

chicken how did you not know?

zmoney shut up cole.

johnny 🫶🏻

luciathemoose 🙃

papaestpa i guess he isn’t to bad.

luciathemoose told ya

dyldylpickle he’s okay

ethannnnnnn he’s okay for now.

mattyb hello! what have i missed! text me everything you brat

luciathemoose maybe

rowdykcaj better be treating her right @johnny

johnny always.

natethebaster FINALLY!!!! i thought you guys would never get together

hisch_13 they got together a few months ago….

natethebaster WHAT! AND IM JUST FINDING OUT

luciathehughes whoops.

nemofishy i knew!

dawsie me too

lexholtzy me three

natethebaster i’ve been betrayed.

fridgey A BOYFRIEND!!!!!!!!!

dyldylpickle has started following johnny

ethannnnnnn has started following johnny

papa estpa has started following johnny

adamooooo has started following johnny

mattyb has started following johnny

lucafants has started following johnny

sheamoomoo has started following johnny

fridgey has started following johnny

gavooo has started following johnny

franky has started following johnny

luciathemoose posted

liked by mattyb, zmoney, johnny and 19 others

luciathemoose london ✔️

posted july 10, 2024

tagged: johnny

comments

zmoney you are just everywhere baby hughes

luciathemoose so are you z

qballer 💙

luciathemoose ❤️

rowdykcaj ❤️

rowdykcaj i felt left out.

qballer we know

luciathemoose we know

sheamoomoo is that our new dad?

gavooo new dad?!?!??

luciathemoose no.

franky but new dad?

luciathemoose no new dad for you three rascals.

fridgey was the food good?

luciathemoose yes rut. the food was good.

luciathemoose posted

liked by qballer, chicken, johnny and 21 others

luciathemoose spain ✔️

posted july 15, 2024

tagged: johnny

comments

johnny ❤️🥰

luciathemoose 🫶🏻🙃

rowdykcaj watch those hands marino.

luciathemoose shut up rowdy.

qballer for once i agree with jacky

luciathemoose 😶

rowdykcaj HA!

ethannnn pretty prettyyyyy

papaestpa pretty prettyyyyy

dyldylpickle pretty prettyyyyy

luciathemoose shush you three

dawsie russsttttyyyyyyyyyy!

luciathemoose dawsie

nemofishy did you see more nemo’s there?

luciathemoose yes nems we saw plenty of your kind

nemofishy cool!🐠

luciathemoose posted

liked by johnny, rowdykcaj, mattyb and 19 others

luciathemoose italy ✔️

posted july 19, 2024

tagged: johnny

comments

fridge was the pizza good?

luciathemoose yes.

zmoney is baby hughes smiling for a photo?!?!??

chicken maybe she’s smiling at someone!

rowdykcaj 🤔 @johnny

johnny maybe :)

adamooooo HOMEEEEEEEEEE

lucafants HOMMMMEEEEEEEEEE

luciathemoose dorks.

rowdykcaj come homeeeeeeeeeee you have been gone forever. 😔

luciathemoose i’m home tomorrow you big baby

[lulublack90]

Prompt 19 - Ice Skate

@wolfstarmicrofic Prompt 19, word count 639

Remus had been given a ticket to the local ice skating rink for his Secret Santa. Clearly, whoever had gotten him didn’t actually know him. Remus had never been ice skating in his life. The ticket had been sitting on his mantlepiece for weeks. The expiry date wasn’t far off. With a sigh, Remus decided he might as well use it, as a few people in the office had asked him about it. 

He arrived early at the rink. He wanted to make sure he had enough time to get his skates on. Maybe ask for some pointers. 

“Don’t fall down.” Great, that was an amazing bit of information from the ticket master. 

The skates were modern, clunky ones. Made for amateurs like Remus. He snapped each ice skate shut around his feet and clumsily made his way to the gate and out onto the ice.  

He thought he was doing okay. He hadn’t fallen yet at least. That was until black curls, swirling around their spinning owner, caught his eye. 

He didn’t mean it to happen, but for a second, he was unaware he was even moving. He glided towards the slim figure, and then he was crashing into him. His ice skate smashed into the other man's shin. 

“Ouch! What the hell?!” The ice skater yelled as he tried to untangle himself but only managed to fall more onto Remus. 

“I’m so sorry.” Remus groaned. “Are you alright? It’s my first time skating, and I lost control.” 

“Oh, it’s your first time?” The other man said, trying more carefully this time to extricate himself from Remus’s long limbs.

“Yeah, I’m so sorry.” He apologised again. The man, now on his feet, reached down offering Remus his hand. 

“Are you sure? I might take us both down again.” He was starting to feel the cold through his corduroy’s. He reached up and took the man's hand. He is surprisingly strong and gets Remus to his feet as though it were nothing.

Remus stared at the man awkwardly. Not sure what to do or say now that they were both standing. 

“As it’s your first time, I can give you a private lesson if you like?” The man said, breaking the silence. Remus felt himself reddening. 

“Am I really that bad?” He asked.

“Like you wouldn’t believe.”

He spent the rest of his hour listening to his new teacher's words and gentle critiques. He had introduced himself as Sirius, and with his tutoring, Remus felt he was starting to get a hang of ice skating. He’d noticed that Sirius moved with a fluidity that couldn’t be taught and that his ice skates looked expensive and well-maintained.

“That’s it, you’ve got it.” Sirius grinned from ear to ear as he watched Remus glide smoothly past him. “Next time you come out on the ice, you won’t be a danger to anyone.” Remus nearly fell again at Sirius’s words but caught himself and smiled sheepishly. 

The attendant alerted the skaters to the end of the session. Everyone began to make their way to retrieve their shoes. 

“Thanks for everything. Sorry again about taking you out.” He said to Sirius, extending a hand. Sirius took it but didn’t shake it. Instead, he used it to pull Remus closer. 

“You can take me out another way if you like. Coffee? There’s a good little cafe nearby. What do you say?” Sirius stroked his thumb over Remus’s knuckles. Remus’s mouth went dry. He swallowed a few times before he was able to speak. 

“Yes,” His voice broke, so he cleared his throat and tried again. “Yes, I’d love that.” 

“Good,” Sirius started skating towards the exit, pulling Remus along with him. “I’ll treat you to a Chocolate Éclair.” 

Remus silently thanked whoever had gotten him the ice skating ticket. Best gift he’d ever received.   

[cressthebest]

Crimson Rivers thoughts pt. 27

chapter 46:

1. WOLFSTAR MY BELOVED

2. god i hate that james is having a lapse of time. but also, i LOVE that zar is including their disabilities throughout the fic and not just making it a one-off thing

3. black brothers angst is hitting like a freight train

4. “"The plan was always to take James' place, but I'd be lying if I said the words didn't leave my lips a little easier knowing that Sirius would choke on them."” jesus christ

5. regulus and remus friendship means so much to me. i love that when regulus asked remus the worst thing he did, remus trusted him enough to tell him

6. LILY AND DORCAS FRIENDSHIP!!!!!!

7. also, i love the chaos dorcas knows she’s gonna cause chaos by breaking people out

8. “Lily fucking Evans, everyone.” -dorcas

and that’s the woman i’m in love with!!!

9. AWWW marlene showed up on dorcas’ doorstep!! i love them so much!!

10. “Regulus wonders if James still thinks he's beautiful.” jesus christ, what a way to start a pov

11. “"I didn't break up with you," James snaps. "I didn't exactly get the chance, seeing as we weren't together in the first place."

"Yes, we were," Regulus whispers. In his head, they were. In his heart, they still are.”

oof that fucking HURTS like a punch to the gut. i don’t know how reg is able to survive james being that mad at him

12. god, james is so mad thinking that reg lied about wanting to marry him, and reg meant it 10000%

13. 😶 reg just proposed, right? i read that right??

14. “”He stops, swallows, then gives Remus a soft smile. "You can say it. You probably shouldn't, but—"

"Come back," Remus whispers, like it's a sin, and Sirius' breath hitches.”

i haven’t cried in like five chapters, but this had me SOBBING. i love wolfstar more than the air i breathe

15. “"Do you know that you're the only person who has asked me that? Everyone else—they all just accepted it, what I'm going to do, and there was no one who even—I mean, no one even…argued, or protested. Maybe it's because I'm so stubborn and they know it wouldn't get them anywhere, but—but no one tried. And maybe it makes me selfish, but I'm so glad that you have."”

STOP IM CRYING HARDER NOW WTF THIS HURTS

16. “"I'd die for them, but I'd live for you."” YOOO THIS HURTS

17. “"No, no, I want to hear about this secret fantasy of yours to have sex on or against household appliances. Do tell me more, sweetheart. Give me all the filthy details."”

18. “"I'm partial to the kitchen table. It'd be nice, I think, splaying you out there and enjoying you like a meal. Wouldn't that be nice?"”

remus is so unhinged 😭😭😭

19. 🥰 dorlene mornings after sex

20. awww dorcas is cutting marlene’s hair. this is so intimate

21. god i’m so worried for marlene in this arena

22. james being a big meanie (i don’t blame him) and regulus breaking down and crying and james being like 😶😧😦😟 no! why are you doing that! stop!!

23. “James lasted ten years dealing with Regulus hating him, and being unkind, and ignoring him. Regulus didn't even last five days.”

awww reg is just a big softie

24. 😦 uh oh. dad and pop are fighting. they’re having the screaming match of the century

25. god, this whole fight is reminding me of when effie called regulus gentle.

26. “Not will you marry me, because James can't, but would you marry me, if you could?” i-

27. honorary authors notes from zar:

“oh, and *bursts into tears* THEY'RE ENGAGED 😭

well, okay, not really—but tell that to regulus, who will ABSOLUTELY be running with this new information lmaooo. this is the same man calling james his ex when they weren't even together. james just stating he WOULD marry regulus if he could—yes, regulus' brain has immediately decided they're engaged now. james, babe, you really should have seen that coming 💀

regulus: would you marry me if you could

james: yeah

regulus: so what im hearing is we're engaged now. we just got engaged. that's what this was.

james: ...that's...not... why do i even bother trying to keep up with you? sure, whatever you say!”

[andydrysdalerogers]

Cross-Check ~ Chapter 20

Andy Barber x OFC Leighton "Leia" Andrews

Summary:

Andy Barber is having the best year of his life. His game is on point. It’s gets to play with his best friend and his fiancé just... dumped him?!. 

Reeling from a sudden change in status, Andy decides it’s time to just focus on hockey. Until his best friend's sister comes out with news that rock the entire organizations world., 

Andy has always carried a torch for the untouchable Leighton but in her hour of need, is now the time to shoot and score or risk getting cross - checked again? 

Warnings: Cheating (but not by the MCs); slow burn; friends to lovers eventually; SMUT!; pregnancy; jealousy; handsome goalies, evil exes...

A/N: The tag list is open! Also, so sorry to be behind on this one. Life got in the way for awhile but I'm back!

A/N 2: This chapter has a sister chapter in my other fanfic "Troublemaker". You can check out that out here.

I do NOT give permission for my work to be translated or reposted on here or any other site, even if you give me credit. DO NOT REPOST MY FICS. Reblogs, comments, likes, and feedback ALWAYS appreciated

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

Banners by me!

Previous: Chapter 19 - Oh Good, You're Home

Series Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Chapter 20 – When Two Becomes Three 

Leia 

I’m scared.  

So fucking scared.  

The doctors and nurses are talking to each other as they push my gurney to the operating room. Jeremy catches up to us and takes my hand.  We get to the doors and one of nurses stops Jeremy. “We’re going to get her set up and then bring you in.”  

He nods and looks down at me. “See you in a minute.”  

I keep my eyes on him for as long as possible before the doors closed. They move me into position and drape a barrier between my head and my belly. I hear the door creak open and then I see Jeremy all masked up. “Jeremy,” I say and can feel a tear fall.  

“Hey, everything is still okay. I won’t leave.” He leans over and kisses my forehead. “You’re still the strongest woman I know.”  

“Andy’s going to miss it,” I whisper.  

“I know.”  

“He’s going to hate us.”  

“No, he won’t. He’ll be happy that you and the baby are healthy and safe. Don’t think like that.” He thumbs my tears away. “Don’t cry, he wouldn’t want you to cry.”  

“Ok, let’s get started,” the doctor says.  The phone rings right before and a nurse answers. “Yes? Oh okay, send him up.”  She leans over to speak to the doctor.  

The doctor’s eyes crinkle and she look over at me. “I’ve got a surprise for you.” 

Andy 

Three Hours Earlier 

Morning skate on game day are always light. We never want to expend all of our energy before a game, it's just to get our legs loose from the day before and sleep. I’m excited but a little nervous. I wasn’t expecting Leia to be left alone while I was gone.  I get it, Miranda has a job to do, but it made me nervous. At least until I talked to my girl.  She was bubbly and happy over the phone last night. It calmed me down.  

“Heads up!” Luke ices me as he comes to stop and I laugh, wiping the snow away from my face.  

“Asshole!” I smack his ass with my stick as he skates away. I move to do my laps and shoot at the net occasionally. We have a rookie in net, taking shots as backup to Linus Ullmark since Jeremy is out with a concussion.  I’m talking with the kid when I hear Coach call mine and Luke’s name.  I snap my head up and he waves us over.  I skate to him. “What’s up?” 

“Get your shit together and get to the airport.  Leia is in labor.”   

The world around me stops. She’s in labor. “But she’s early,” I say. This can’t be happening. I’m supposed to be there to hold her hand. To see my daughter being brought into the world,  

“Just go,” Coach orders. “Jeremy is driving her there. Sway, keep us updated.” 

Luke guides me off the ice as Coach informs the team about what’s happening.  “Luke, I...” 

“Don’t freak, just get dressed and grab your phone and wallet. I’ll have the guys grab our stuff from the hotel.” Luke turned to walk back through the tunnel to the ice.  I changed and then call Leia, but she doesn’t answer. No, I have to speak to her, or I am going to lose my mind.  

One of the team coordinators tell us that we have a private plane waiting for us and we take off in a company car. My leg is bouncing in the car, staring at my phone. I try to call again. “Come on baby, pick up the phone.” 

Luke’s phone rings. “It’s Jeremy,” he tells me.  “Hey, let me put you on speaker.” Luke turns it and I can hear Jeremy.  

“Hey, sorry, I saw you calling but Leia’s been having some intense contractions.  The doctor is with her now. I don’t know how much longer she’ll be in labor.”  

“Jeremy, is she in a lot of pain?” I ask.  

“Yeah,” I close my eyes at his response. “They are going to give her a shot or something. She asked me to stay with her.”  

“Ok, don’t leave her alone. We’ll be in the air within the next 20 minutes and we are about two hours away. Jeremy,” I took a breath, “please take care of my family.”  

“I will Andy, I promise.”  

I hang up as we pull into the private terminal. Climbing the stairs, the captain greets us. “Mr. Barber, Mr. Andrews, management informed me of the situation. I’ll get you to Boston as soon as possible.”  

“Thank you.” I took a seat and just stared out the window. My mind was fully on Leia. Our daughter is early, and I don’t know if she is in distress. My mind runs through all the different complications that were in all the baby books I had read. My brow started sweating as I thought of preeclampsia and cord asphyxiation.  

“Andy, take a breath for me.” Luke grabbed my shoulder and I turned to look at him. “C’mon buddy, breathe.”  

“She’s alone and she’s giving birth to my baby and what if everything goes wrong?” I could feel myself panicking and I couldn’t stop it.  

“Whoa, hey, she is not alone. Jeremy is there and while I’ve had my issues with him, he has proven to be a good man. He won’t let anything happen to her if he can.”  

“Luke, why do I feel like this? I’m terrified.”  

Luke smiled. “Because you’re about to be a dad. Soon, you will have two girls to take care of.  They are going to love you so much.” He patted my back before he went back on his phone.  

He’s right. I will have my girls to take care of from now on. And a thought runs through my head. Because, while everyone knows me to be that little girl’s dad, biologically, she isn’t mine.  That isn’t something I had talked to Leia about. And then I thought about the fact that I don’t have any legal rights to take of Leia if something were to happen. I would die if something happened to her.  

But we’ve only been dating for a few months. Though I’ve known her for the better part of 25 years. She’s my best friend for a reason.  She knows me and I know her. And I want to be in her life forever.  

And I know now what I need to do.  

“Hey Luke?” 

“Yeah bro.”  

“You know I love Leia, right?” 

“Duh.” He rolls his eyes.  

“Right. Well, do you think that it would be ok to ask her to marry me?” 

I probably should have timed that better as he was sipping a water when I said that. He sputtered and choked. I patted his back until the red color faded from his face. “You’ve only been together for a couple of months.”  

“Three and we’ve been living together for seven and have been friends since she was born. She’s it, man. She’s the one I have been wanting, who make me the best version of me. I love her and I want to make her my wife. I want to legally adopt our baby and be a family, spiritually and legally.”  

Luke goes quiet for a few minutes as I go back to staring out the window. “Why ask me?” 

I turn back to him. “Luke, you are her family and while I’m not really asking for your permission, I do want your blessing.”  

“Do you have a ring?” 

“Not yet. I was just thinking that I don’t really have rights over Leia, or the baby and I needed to fix that. The first thing I need to do is make her mine, legally. But I know she will never do it if she doesn’t have your blessing.”  

Luke nods. “You’ll still let me crash at your place and let me visit my sister?” 

“When Miranda gets pissed, you can hide at our place.” I chuckle a little. “So...” 

“I’ve always thought of you as a brother.” He sighs. “Just making it a legal thing.” He smiles. “Yeah, you have my blessing.” We awkwardly hug in our seats. 

I start looking at rings online, just to get an idea of what I want and prices when the captain announces our descent into Logan. I take a breath and hope that we are still in time.  

After landing and getting into the private car the team sent, we raced through the street of Boston. As we pulled into the entrance of the hospital, I got a message from Jeremy.  

Jeremy: they need to do an emergency c-section.  They are moving her now.  

“Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck!” The car barely stops when I’m running out the door.  “For Leia Andrews?” I ask at the nurse's station 

“Labor and Delivery 5th floor.”  

“Thanks.” I turn to run but the nurse yells. “Sir, I’m sorry but she’s been taken in for an...” 

“I know. But she’s my fiancé and I need to get to her.”  

“Hang on.” She dials a number and speaks to whomever.  She hangs up and grabs a plastic bag with a blue cloth in it.  “Follow me.”  

She walks as Luke and I follow her. “We already have someone in there with her but since your doctor is a big fan, she’s going to allow two. You need to put this on with the hat, mask and gloves right now.” The elevator opens and we climb in as she pushes for the floor.  I pull on the gown and hat and gloves as she ties the straps around me. “Mr. Andrews, I will walk you to the waiting room after to drop off Mr. Barber.“ Luke nods. We get to the floor and see directs me to the right room. 

I take a breath and push my way in. “Oh, good, Andy, you made it.”  I can hear Dr. Montgomery, but I can’t see her.  

“Hey doc.”  

“Andy!” I hear the gasp of my girl and see her turn her head to the left. She has tears in her eyes. “You made it.”  

“I said I would, my queen.” I look up and see Jeremy in scrubs and a surgical hat on her right. “Thank you.” 

“No problem.”  

“Alright folks, let’s get this baby out. Scalpel,” Dr. Montgomery orders.  

“What happened, baby?” I look at her and the tears silently fall. I lean over and kiss her forehead.  

“Her heart rate dropped, and they made me lay on my side to help but it didn’t, so they rushed us over here,” she explains. “I’m sorry Andy, I tried to protect her and...” 

“No, sweetheart, you did a fantastic job. Maybe she’s just being difficult, like you.”  

Jeremy snorts and then coughs while Leia scoffs. “I am not difficult.”  

“And baby is out and it’s a girl,” the doctor calls out.  But then it’s silent except for the beeps of the machines.  

“She's not crying. Andy, she’s not crying.” The look of panic made her eyes search wildly for her baby.  

“I know. Doc?” I saw them move the baby to the incubator that was waiting. She was surrounded by five people, working on my little girl.  

“Andy, Leia, the baby is...” 

And then we heard it, the most magical, joyous noise you could ever hear.  

Our baby crying.  

“Oh, thank God,” I said as I pressed a kiss to Leia’s forehead.  

“I was going to say, baby was having some difficulty. They are going to take the baby to the PICU for some test and observation. I’m going to stay to close.”  

“Can I go with her?” I ask.  

“I’m sorry Andy, but until they know she is stable, they won’t allow it right now. But Dr. Peters will keep you updated.”  

“I think I am going to step out,” Jeremy said.  “Great job mama. I’ll be in the waiting room.” He left and I stayed by Leia’s head.  

“She has to be ok, right? She has to be,” Leia kept repeating softly as tears rolled down her face.  

I tried to distract her. “Have you decided on a name for the Princess?  We can’t keep calling her that or the Baby forever.  She’ll get a complex.”  

“Shut up,” Leia said a watery giggle. “I really like Nora.”  

“I like Avery or Jamie.” I kept running my hand over her cap. “I guess we can wait until we see her.”  

I felt Leia tremble. “Are we going to see her?” 

“Of course we are. Love, she’s going to be ok. You have to believe that because otherwise, we’re just putting bad juju out there.  It's like say, ‘we might win the cup.’ No, we will win the cup. Positivity.”  

“If I could move, I would hit you, Andrew Barber.”  

We were in the operating room for another thirty minutes and then moved to the recovery room. Leia fell asleep from the pain relievers that she was given, and I was just pacing back and forth, waiting for news on my daughter.  An hour later, the pedestrian, came in. “Mr. Barber?” 

I turned to him and paled. “Yes?” 

“Do you want to wake Mrs. Barber?”  

Mrs. Barber. As much as I like the sound of that, it wasn’t the time. “Leia, sweetheart? The baby’s doctor’s is here.” Her eyes fluttered a little and blinked open softly. A smile started to grace her face when the realization of my words hit. Panic filled them but before she could speak, I took her hands. “Everything is ok, please relax.” She nodded and turned to the other man in the room. I sat next to her on the bed and nodded at the doctor.  

He smiled.  “He’s right.  Baby Andrews-Barber is going to be fine.”  

It felt like the pressure on my chest lifted and I could breathe for the first time in hours.  

“She had some fluid stuck in her mouth, which is why she couldn’t cry.  We cleared it, made sure there were no lingering fluid or obstructions.  She pinked up as soon as we had her in the PICU.  I’m recommending that you both stay here for a couple of days just to make sure.”  

“Can we see her?” 

“I’m having the nurse bring her in a few minutes. I just want to explain everything before you see her. She does have a tube in her nose and that’s just a precaution for the fluid.  We’ll probably remove that tomorrow.”  

Leia wept into my side, the stress of everything finally coming to an end. I kissed her head. “Thank you, doctor, so much.”  

“My pleasure. I’ll be back to check on her later tonight.” He walked out and I held onto Leia tighter. The door opened again, and a bassinet came through the door with a nurse. “Hi mom and dad. I have someone that would like to meet you.” She pushed the bassinet right next to Leia’s bed. She lifted her out and handed her to Leia. “Just be careful of the line. It's not connected to anything, but we don’t want to pull it out.” She laid the little pink bundle in her arms.  

Dark lashes caressed her cheek, espresso color hair peeked from beneath a pink cap. Her pink skin glowed and she had a perfect rosebud pout.  She wiggles a little and blinked, displaying Leia’s green eyes copied into her own.  

“She’s perfect,” Leia whispered. “Hi baby, we waited for so long for you.“ She kissed her head, “Andy, she’s here.”  

“She is.” I wiped at my own eyes. “You did a great job, Leia. She’s beautiful.”  

We stared at her for a few minutes before Leia said, “Avery.”  

“What?” 

“Avery Nora Barber. That’s her name.”  

“No Andrews?” 

“No, she’s yours, Andy, She’s a Barber.” She held her out to me so I could hold my daughter for the first time.  She was light in my arms but all I felt was joy.  

And I fell in love. 

“Hi Avery, I’m... I’m your daddy.” A tear fell onto her blanket as I realized I would do anything for this tiny human in my arms. That she and her mother were the center of my world without even trying. “Thank you, Leia.” 

We spent an hour together before Leia told me to take Avery to meet her uncles. I took her in my arms and went out to the waiting room.  When the doors swung open, Luke and Jeremy stood up. "Guys, meet my daughter,” I said with teary pride.  

Luke took the bundle and cooed at his niece. Jeremy peeked over his shoulder. “She’s beautiful Andy. Congratulations.”  

“Thanks Jer. Fuck, thanks for being here with her.” I shook his hand before I pulled him into a hug. “I was calm because I knew she was in good hands.”  I wipe the tears from my eyes.  “Wanna hold her, Uncle Jeremy?” 

He took the little miracle in his arms. “She’s got her mama’s hair and looks like Leia.” He smiles and kiss her forehead.  

“Welcome to the world, Avery Nora Barber.” 

NEXT

Taglist:

@patzammit @texmexdarling @slutforchrisjamalevans @firephotogrl74 @tinkerbelle67 @before-we-get-started @bunnyforhim @alexakeyloveloki @sunnyhummingbee @whiskeytangofoxtrot555 @peaceinourtime82 @saucy-sassy-sparkly @kmc1989 @kandis-mom @lokislady82

[venus-lou]

Mysterious dart

König X F!Reader

Reader’s call sign is Hestia. Hestia is the Greek goddess hearth, home, and hospitality, she is known to be gentle, kind and forgiving. However, don’t let her kind nature fool you. Hestia will do anything to protect her family and community.

A/n: I’m still trying to figure out the in’s and out’s writing, so I decided to try writing something since I’ve been reading fanfic for a while now. Please leave me any constructive criticism and feedback. I’m not that confident in my writing, despite that I wanted to put something out there. There’s isn’t much action in this, cause I suck at writing action scene >.<

Warning: Smut 19+ MDNI, P in V, unprotected sex. Bad writing/grammer, reader smokes cigarettes, inaccurate military scenes, kinda plotless(?)

Word Count: 4.5k

Finally some peace and quiet. You leaned against the fence post right outside the training field taking draws of your cigarette every once in a while. The last few weeks you, Soap, and Gaz were out on recon in Russia infiltrating a base to get any information about their latest plans and missions. Thankfully everyone came back unscathed, Laswell and Price seemed pleased with everything we got.

Flicking the last bit of your cigarette on the pavement and stomping it out, you head the kitchen to make yourself a cuppa. “Hey König, how was your morning?” You quietly approached him reaching for your mug. When you started talking to König after his transfer to 141, he was quiet and kept to himself. After a few small conversations it seems like he got more comfortable with you and the team.

“Morning Hestia, it was okay.” König replied before going back to his tea. Your conversation with König usually is filled with silence, not an awkward one but more of a comforting one. It’s always nice to be in someone's presence without having the urge to fill the silence, both you and König always enjoy these moments. You added sugar and cream to your tea leaning against the counter next to König.

“Hestia! König! Debrief in my office in 5.” Price popped his head in the kitchen before heading back to his office. “Oh! Bring me a cup too!” You both heard him after the door closed behind him. Looking up to König, you smiled softly pat his arm. “I’ll get him a cup, you think it’s another mission?”

König stared at you while before answering with a simple yes.

Looking over your shoulder “Well if so, it’ll be our first mission together! I think we’ll be the new Soap and Ghost duo.” You chuckled as you both walked down to Price’s office. He was thankful for the mask as heat started to rise to his cheeks. Despite how it seems König sought after your presence, you brought a sense of calmness with you that he thrived for. After every mission he went on, whether you notice or not he always kept you in his sight.

You guys walked into the office “Here ya go Price, its your usual” leaving the mug on his desk you sat down in the chair next to König. “Thanks kid, I assume you guys know why you’re here.” Taking a sip and sighing from what you hope is contentment. König starts fidgeting with his fingers while looking between you and Price. “The last recon got use some useful info, there’s a small compound a few klick west from the factory you were at before. I want both of you out on recon, it seems like they’re cooking up a type of bomb. Up in 20, I want you guys in and out.”

After the debrief you quickly got in gear, trapped a few extra magazines and knives to your vest. With a med kit and a few epi pens, cause you never know if you’ll need it or not. It seem like every time its a ‘simple’ mission it somehow goes sideways like that time in Urzikstan. You’re kinda excited to be with König since you actually never saw him in action before. It was hard for you not to notice the 6”10 Austrian floating around the base, at first it was hard to start a conversation with him you didn’t want to overstep or make him uncomfortable. After a few attempts you notice a small change, he no longer shy away from you instead he seems content with your presence. “Ready Hestia?” Lost in your thoughts you didn’t realize König was walking next to you. Looking up you can’t help but feel giddy “Yep! I finally get to see you in action.” You smiled at him not noticing how he looked away scratching his neck. “Ha, yeah but we’re only there to get info. We probably won’t even see any action.” Gasping you dramatically pressed your hand your chest “Don’t jinx it! You never know.” He looked down at you before getting on the heli “I don’t really believe in that, but if it does come to that just know I’ll always protect you biene.” Hopping in after him, you tilted you head asking what biene means only for him to shake his head and pat the seat next to him. “Fine don’t spill your secrets.” You joked signaling the pilot that you’re all ready for take off.

Price mentioned that the compound is pretty small, after a few weeks of surveillance it seemed that there’s only 4 armed guards and 5 other personnel in the building. Once you reached you dropped off point, Zior the pilot notified us that thermal picked up the 4 guards and only 3 personnel inside. It seemed like a simple job, bypass the guards and get intel on whatever they’re making inside. All you know is that it’s some type of explosive material, König was ahead of you trying to find a way past the guards. It surprised you how silent he could be despite his large stature. With hand signals you both were able to quickly get inside unnoticed “Hestia, I’ll watch your six, Captain said everything should be on the 2nd level.” König whispered while you both started making your way to the second floor. Nodding you made your way through the different rooms, oddly there seems to be no one here. You started to feel an uneasy feeling in your stomach. “König, something feels wrong. Didn’t Zior said there was 3 bodies in here?” Opening the last door on the floor only to hear a loud thump behind you, “König?” Turning around you found him on the floor face down.

Shit, looking around you didn’t see anyone. You pulled him in the room and locked the door. “Shit, König please be okay.” You whispered, he was still breathing, you let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding in. “Hestia to Zior, we got a bit of a problem. König is out, it seems like they knew we were coming.”

“Copy Hestia, are you able to make it out?” Sighing, you looked around noticing the paperwork and computers. “I can’t carry König out, we’re at the end of the west wing last window. I’m gonna see if I can find anything. On the bright side we seems to have found the jackpot, be ready for evac”

“Affrim, I’ll be ready.”

König slowly got back on his feet, “oi Biene are you okay?” You turned around gesturing him to sit down “Yeah, I’m okay do you know what happened? All I heard was you falling down. Didn’t even see a single soul out there.” There was a look in his eye you couldn’t pinpoint. “König? Do I have to stick you with an epi?” Tilting your head after he started to mumble phrases in German after he sat down you notice the little dart in his hand. “Ya, I’m alright Biene, I think someone shot a dart at me. I don’t feel side effects.” With worry eyes and burrowed brows you looked at him before nodding. You both quickly gather several files and transfer documents to the usb Price gave you. Still no sign of anyone in the compound. Guards haven’t come rushing in, something about this was too easy to be true.

“Zior to bravo 0-1 everything alright? You got 2 coming into the compound, suggest you make it quick before things get out of hand.”

“Copy, We’re almost done here, König was hit with something, no effects yet. Trying to find what they fucking shot him with.” You radioed back before turning to König, he was breathing and sweating heavily. “König, let's get you out of here we got everything on the computer?” he nodded while you filled your bag with any files that might be useful. You hoped it was just a low quantity tranquilizer that hit him, then again if it was he probably wouldn’t be walking around right now. All you could think about was König, what they fuck was in the dart and why the hell did they just shoot him and leave?

Just like before getting out of the compound was simple, you didn’t question it all you wanted was for König to get back on base to the med bay. “König promise me you tell me if anything is wrong” you looked up at him after you both sat down on the heli. “Don’t worry about me Biene. I’m just glad we both made it out of there.” König tried to look composed as much as possible. All he felt was a heat radiating all over his body, every time he looked at you the heat increased. You sighed “I’m always gonna be worried about you König, we’re a team I’ll always be there when you need support. So please, don’t lie to me cause you think it’ll make me feel better.” Once you both arrived at the base you took König to the med bay before you debriefed Price on what happened.

-

“Hey Kid, a word?” Price was smoking a cigar outside the training field when you walked by on your way to see König. You nodded, pulling out a cigarette looking out in the field. “What’s up Cap?”

“Good job out there today, just wanted to let you know König is with the doc. We were able to find out what the dart had on it. All I can tell you is he’s safe, it’s not lethal but I need you to stay away from him for a while.” He turned to look at you while puffing out smoke. Once you proceed what he was saying, you paused before taking another drag of your cigarette. “What do you mean? Why can’t I go see him?” You begin rattling out questions while Price stood there looking down at you.

“Look kid, it’s complicated, we don't even know if it’s the correct drug he was hit with. Just know the doc is handling it, like I said it’s non lethal so he’ll be fine.” Price made it clear that he didn’t want you near König. You couldn’t figure out why and to be honest you didn’t really care you were gonna see him one way or another. You decided to wait a while, he’s with the doc he probably needed to rest anyways.

Taking a seat next to Soap at the dining table, you still couldn’t get König out of your mind. “Hey lass, still thinking about your lover boy?” Soap leaned over to whisper in your ear. “Shut up! You don’t even know what you're talking about.” Hitting him on the shoulder rolling your eyes at him. Soap and Gaz exchanged looks and shrugged their shoulders. “Hey, what that look about?”

“I don’t know lass, all I’m saying is you’ve been in your head ever since you both got back from recon so it has to be about your giant tree friend” Soap looked back at you with a spoon in his mouth. “You gonna finish th-“ you sighed after letting him eat off your plate. “I’m just worried, okay?" Price said I couldn’t go near him and I can’t figure out why. And his our giant tree friend don’t you forget that” you told them about your predicament. Gaz looked at you for a while before he smirked “Well, he’s technically just our comrade and you’re his Biene, isn’t that what he calls you? What does that even mean? Plus there’s probably a good reason why Cap doesn’t want you to see him.”

“You’re gonna still go see him though right?” Soap questioned you with his brows raised. “What!? Of course not, you know I always listen to the cap.” You smiled at them, tilting your head to the left. They both rolled their eyes and dragged out a “right” and went back to their meal.

They were right, they’re always right. You stayed up all night to make sure everyone was asleep or in their rooms. It was nearly 0230 when you took a peek outside your door. Once you made sure there wasn’t any movement in the hall you quickly made your way to the med bay. You just needed to make sure König was okay, you needed to see him with your own eyes. As much as you trust Price, you couldn’t get König out of your mind. Was he okay, what the hell was the drug and why didn’t Price want you near him. Luckily when you arrived at the med bay, the nurses seemed to be off attending another soldier. You hope they kept him in the same room you dropped him off at, reaching the handle you quickly peeked inside relieved seeing his figure in the room. He was laying down in the hospital bed with several wires connected to him. Seeing him didn’t ease your nerves, why did they have all these wires on him? Did they actually figure out the drug coursing through his blood stream? Locking the door and pulling a chair next to him, you sat down quietly taking his hand in your. You lightly traced the scars and lines on his hand trying to prevent your mind from spiraling. “Please be okay König…” you whispered, closing your eyes. After a while, you felt him squeeze your hand. “Biene, what are you doing here? Didn’t Captain tell you to not come by.” You heard his raspy voice fill the empty room. Looking up you couldn’t help but feel somewhat relieved. “König…I wanted to make sure you were okay. Why did Price tell me not to come see you?” Your eyebrows furrowed hoping he knew what was going on.

“it’s dangerous for you to be near me Biene…I might hurt you” He whispered looking down. “Please I need you to leave.”

You didn’t let go of his hand, you couldn’t. Nothing is making sense right now, you knew he would never hurt you. Why didn’t he want you here? “W- what you talking about? Do you know what the drug was?” You continue to question him wanting an answer.

“I- it’s ah- a drug is dubbed Rati, they think it’s a drug that increase someone’s ah-“ König tried to put words together mumbling the end of the sentence.

You pulled your chair closer trying to hear him, leaning in closer you asked him to repeat what he said.

“Biene, please… go away…”

You sat back in your chair, looking down at your hand intertwined with his, “I don’t think you want me to leave….tell me how I can help please König.”

He sighed, “ah fuck, I can’t take it anymore.” He sat up in his bed with his legs hanging over the bed still towering over you. There was a look in his eyes, the same look when you both were in the compound. “Biene, you want to help?” His voice was deeper, drawing out every syllable as he pulled you from the seat leaving you standing between his leg. You felt your cheeks and ears turn red, the room become hotter making you take quicker breaths. You could feel his shallow breath on your face, breathing in you can smell a mixture of musk and his cologne. “König?” You looked up to him, all you can see is his eyes behind the mask he usually wears. “Please tell me what I can do to help?” His hands grabbing at your hip pulling you in closer to him.

“Mmmh I need you so bad Biene…” He nuzzled his face between you neck, you couldn’t help but whimper at his touch. Your hand wrapped around his neck slowing pulling him away from your neck. “König, tell me if I’m crossing the line here.” You lifted up his mask just above his nose, leaning down slowly until he brought one of his hand to back of your neck pulling you down to meet his lips. You let out a moaned as he deepened the kisses taking dominance. His hands rubbing small circle on your neck and hip, he couldn’t help but pulled you in bed with him wanting you close as possible. “Fuck Biene, I want you so bad. Let me take care of you the way you need.” He muttered into your neck. He started rutting his hips into you sucking and nipping at your neck. You could feel his bulge through his pants, making your core quiver with anticipation. You know you shouldn’t be wet right now, but all those times you imagined how König would feel between your thighs. How his hands would trace your hips, using his fingers to prepare you to accommodate his size. How fucking massive he would look when he was over you holding your legs over his should-

Your thoughts were interrupted by his hands hitting your ass. “Where’d you go mein Liebling? I can’t have you floating off now can I?” He whispered as he rubbed the area his hit.

You whimpered “Ooh König, please touch me” you should feel embarrassed with how desperate you sound but you didn’t care. He pulled off the wires that was measuring his vitals, before he could do anything else, you took his face in your hands. “I want you to know, you don’t have to take your mask off if you don’t want to…I want you to be comfortable. I want to help you.” Silence soon filled the room after you said that, you couldn’t help but feel like you ruined the mood. Before you could fall into a spiral of regret, he took your hands in his before he looked down and removed his mask while his hands still enveloped your smaller one. “Maus, I’m always comfortable with you.” He laid you down before pulling your shirt off along with his. You couldn’t help but admire how he looked, your face traced to scars on his face, his cheekbone down to his lips. You pulled him back down begging for another kiss, you couldn’t get over how he felt. With his hand running down your down he stopped at your pants, looking back up to you. With a nod, he peeled you pants down throwing them somewhere in the room. “König…” you whined lifting yourself on your elbows “I’m supposed to be making you feel better” he couldn’t help but chuckle at your desperation. “Mmh Liebling, just you being here makes me feel better. Be a good girl and let me take you how I know you need it.” He started kissing up your thigh, pulling you over the edge of the bed. You could help but gasp at how easy it was for him to handle you, making you even more wet than before. Peeling off your panties, he let out a deep groan at how wet your little pussy looked. “Mein Liebling…look how fucking wet your are.” He dragged his finger down your slit rubbing all over your lips up to your sensitive little clit. Before you can say anything, he bent down, slowly dragged his tongue licking up the slick you left for him. He let out a loud sigh as he begin licking your hole as his thumb rubbed your clit. “Oooh König…you make me feel so good.” Moaning as you felt him rumbled against your pussy. “Please, König I want to feel you.” Looking up from his position between your thighs. “Mmmh, you have yo be more specific than that Maus.” He slowed down as he kept eye contact with you.

“I want your fingers please.” Satisfied with your response he rubbed his finger up and down your slit before slowly entering into your tight hole. “Mmmh, maus you’re so fucking tight. I can feel you squeezing down on me” He slowly went in and out while he sucked on your clit. You’ve never felt like this before, your fingers never felt this good. His mouth worked wonders on you, while his finger started to get more rough rubbing your most sensitive spot. “Cum for me maus, I want to taste you first. Be a good girl and give me what I want” You feel yourself get closer, clinging to every praise he gave you “Fuck König, I can’t take it anymore” moaning his name and bucking your hips. “I know maus, just let go for me. I’ll take care of you.” He felt you squeeze down on his finger as you cried out, continuing to draw out your climax only stopping when he felt you nudge his shoulder with your foot. He stood tall, above you licking his lips as he rubbed his thumb against your lips slipping his finger in your mouth. “Taste yourself for me Liebling” You pulled him by his belt loop, tugging his trousers down. Taking the hint he quickly toss them off and climbing back on top of you. You laid back down pulling him with you, kissing him you can taste yourself on his lips. Moaning as he bite your lip before pulling away, “Can I Liebling?” He whispered against your lip as you nodded your head. “I wa- need to hear your say it maus.” You bucked your hips against his, throbbing for him. “König, please I want you to fuck me please” He let out a breathy ‘fuck’ as he slowly slipped his dick inside you. Whimpering as he stretched and filled you up “Oh fuck you’re so huge König” Curling your toes as you felt him flush against your hips, you moaned out his name and lift your hips up against him after you got use to his size. He pulled out just enough to leave his tip in before thrusting back inside. His thrust were excruciatingly slow but each thrust had so much force behind it rocking you against the bed. You two were so close in every sense, you could feel him deep inside, while he took his time making sure he felt every inch of you. You both were surrounded by each other, mixing breaths, your hands tangled in his hair and his leaving bruised on your hip as he held you in place. You were getting close, you felt yourself squeezing down on him every time he rubbed that one spot.

“Oh Mause, you can cum for me. I can feel you squeezing down on me” He groaned out as his thrust become quicker, he slid one of his hand down to your clit. Leaning down he caught your moans with his mouth as he kissed your. His other hand holding the top of your head while he took you both to your climax. “König, you feel so good…I gonna fuck-“ you felt yourself fall off the edge hooking your ankled behind his back as his dragged out your climax. His thrust got sloppier, as he felt you clench down on him. “König, I want you to cum inside me please” You hooked your hand around his neck pulling him even closer to you. “You sure Mause?” He paused his thrust for a second “Bitte mich darum, Ask me for it” He whispered in your ear. “please König I want all of you. I’ve want you for so long.” You whined against his ear. He kept you flushed against him, as you felt him cum and throb inside. You kept your ankles wrapped around him as he moaned every time you clenched around him.

You felt him collapse on you, as you both laid with each other basking in the silence and comfort of one another. “It means bee” you head him mumble against your skin. You let out a small hum as your question what he meant. “Biene. It means bee, you’re always buzzing around taking care of everyone on the base. Without you there would be no flower, no fruit. You’re a vital role in my life, like how bees are important in our ecosystem. Du bist die Liebe mines Lebens” He held you close as he turned you both around. Laying on his back with you pressed up against his chest, rubbing your back as you both whispered sweet nothing to each other. “It’s nice to have such a calm nature always next to me” you mumble before drifting off to sleep. König look down at you, press a small kiss on your forehead before closing his eye. He no longer felt his heart racing, he thoughts weren’t running rampantly around his mind. For once he slept soundly focusing on your soft breath and holding you close against him.

-

You woke to a pounding on the door and someone yelling behind it, waking enough to recognize Price’s voice yelling for you to open the door you shoot out of bed. Scrambling to find your clothes, however you notice your were fully clothed and König sitting on the chair you were in last night. “Morning Biene” He had his clothes and mask back on, you assume he dressed you while you wear sleeping. “König, are you feeling better?”

“God dammit Kid! You better open this fucking door before I take it off its hinges and smack that giant tree with it!”

You both looked at each other before looking back at the door. “You have to tell me everything later, including the drug!” You whispered in his ear as you wiggled your way through the window right before Price slammed the door open. “Where’s Hestia?” He looked around the room with his brows furrowed. König scratched his neck before shrugging “Didn’t you tell her not to come by, maybe she off with Soap and Gaz?” You quickly rushed to the training room not wanting to wait for the conversation to end.

“Holy shit lass, what’re you running from?” Soap let out a little squeak as you rush by his side. Looking up at him you smiled “running? Well I am in the training room so…?” You noticed Price and König join the training room after Soap continue to tease you. “Hey Cap! How’s your morning? König are you feeling any better?” Price narrowed his eyes at you for a second before grunting out he need his tea walking toward the kitchen. You smiled at König “See I told you we’ll get away with it” He shook his head before pulling you outside to explain what the drug was before Soap said anything to him.

-

After Price got his cuppa, he notice two of you out near the fence sighing as he put his cup down. “You know they both liked each other for a while now right?” Ghost asked Price as he walked into the kitchen. Price hummed in agreement as he saw you laid your head against König and his arms wrapped around you. “Yeah, I just didn’t think a fucking aphrodisiac would start their relationship. We’re still figuring out why they even created the drug, let alone nicked König with it.”

[dont-blame-it-on-the-kids]

Lin taking care of little Asami.

“Momma, will you brush my hair please ?”

Okay little bit of set up here. Au where the firebender kills both Asami’s parents and Saikhan and Akira take her in? Yes.

Kids ages. (St is start of show)

Asami 6 (18 st)

Oc kids

Rei - earth - 12 (24 st)

Emi - nonbender - 8 (20 st)

Eiko - earth/metal - 7 (19 st)

Haru - nonbender - 3 (15 st)

Taiyo isn’t born yet lmao he’s only 6 st

Lin stepped into the house for her usual dinner with Saikhan and his family.

“Chief Lin!” The younger kids all ran up to her excitedly.

“Asami is a nonbender like me!” Emi said excitedly as they took Lin’s hands. “And we’ve been doing all sorts of crafts together. Shes really good at drawing those SatoMobiles.”

“Oh she is?” Lin smiled as she greeted Eiko and Rei. “Have you all been nice to her?” All of the kids nodded quickly.

“She’s sharing my room and we’ve gotten bunk beds.” Rei informed Lin mater-of-factly.

“Good.” Lin nodded as she picked up the three year old Haru as he toddled up to her.

“I’m glad you’re here Lin, little Asami hasn’t left her room yet today and I don’t know what to do.” Akira said as she came to the room and saw Lin. “Could you talk to her?”

Lin frowned gently.

“It’s not good to keep encouraging her like this. I’m not in a position to take care of her.” Lin said softly and Rei quickly moved to herd the younger kids into the other room, taking Haru from Lin.

“Please Lin, I’ll go with you so she knows I’m here to help too.” Akira asked again.

Lins resolve dissolved easily.

“Alright. If you come with so I can direct her to you.” Lin agreed and followed Akira up to the girls’ bedroom.

Asami lit up when she saw Lin and she ran to her hugging her tightly, Lin caught her and pulled her close not wanting to upset the child.

“Hey ‘Sami, this is Lin,” Akira said even though she knew asami already knew her.

Asami nodded and pulled back as Lin knelt down.

“Hey, you gotta come out of the room for dinner.” Lin said somewhat sternly.

Asami nodded and moved to grab her hairbrush before turning back to Lin.

“Mommy will you brush my hair please?” Asami asked Lin her wide green eyes hopeful.

Akira teared up and had to step out of the room.

Lin sighed and shook her head. “You have to call me Lin, I know you’re scared but I’m not your mother.” She said gently as she moved to turn the child and carefully started brushing her hair.

“But you’re my new mommy, right?” Asami asked her small voice even smaller.

“No Asami, I’m not your new mommy. Mrs Akira is going to take care of you now.” Lin explained as she gently brushed out the young girls long hair.

[yowyowyaoi]

*Kakuzu, out to dinner with Deidara*

Kakuzu: Are you cold? Do you want my cloak?

Deidara: N-no …

Kakuzu: Are you sure? You appear to be shaking.

Deidara: I’m not cold, I’m scared, hm.

Kakuzu: Scared? Why would you be scared?

Deidara: Come on, Kakuzu! YOU offered to take ME out to eat?? YOU’RE paying?! You must have some really bad news to tell me, hm!

Kakuzu: No, no, it’s nothing bad. It’s just … well … Deidara you’re 19 now. You’re 19 but when you joined us, you were just a kid. You didn’t really have much experience with … some things.

Deidara: Eh? I’m confused.

Kakuzu: The others thought it would be prudent to make sure … I mean for you to be well-informed about … sex.

Deidara: *blushes red from his ears to his toes* W-what the hell -!

Kakuzu: I’m the oldest in the Akatsuki, and I’m the only one who’s able to give you a straightforward, no-nonsense talk about this. We’re out to eat because I assumed it would be less embarrassing for you, if everyone else wasn’t around to hear it.

Deidara: I don’t understand … Sasori is my partner, why couldn’t he talk to me about this?

Kakuzu: Well, frankly, Sasori is the reason that we feel it time you were spoken to about this. 

Deidara, blushing harder:  …

Kakuzu: Anyways, I gave this talk to Hidan, and Itachi, and now it’s your turn. Before we start, I want you to know that any questions you have, you can ask. Don’t hesitate and don’t be afraid. If you ask something I don’t know the answer to, I’ll do my research on it and get back to you with the answer. Okay?

Deidara: And … and we’re talking about stuff with girls AND boys, right? Not just s-sex but like, stuff about the body, too?

Kakuzu: Yes. Everything. It’s important that you have knowledge and that you’re mentally and emotionally prepared, just in case, someday, you … well. You get the idea. 

Kakuzu: *opens his menu* Now order something good, okay? Something that’ll last a while.

Deidara: Okay, hm. *scans his menu* Hmm, the veal sausages with pasta sounds good …

Kakuzu: Sausages? Perfect! Just the visual aid I need! Now if you follow that up with some kind of warm pie, this talk’ll really go well.

Deidara:

[toyybox]

Spiderwebs #19: Tape X (Rorschach)

Masterlist

content: lab whump, captivity, immortal whumpee, spiders, hallucinations, bad treatment of hallucinations, briefly implied death of a child, implied child abuse

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

“Do you see that?” he asked. “Size of Texas, I swear.”

Heather only frowned in response. By his estimate, it had been two days since the last experiment, if you could call it that. Two days since the paralysis agent. They had gone through several more rounds of drugs, with varying results. He had eaten three breakfasts, two lunches, and two dinners. Or was it three dinners and two breakfasts? Did Heather ever give him brunch? Anyway, some time had passed. It appeared that, at some point in between those languid hours, a spider had appeared in Jackie’s room. 

It was a normal spider, all things considered. Not aggressive at all, but it was larger than he would like. About the side of his hand. Black, furry, and completely still. Not quite as fat as a tarantula, but not any less disconcerting. He’d only seen spiders like that in Halloween stores.

Now, don’t take this information the wrong way. Jackie was no arachnophobe. He actually had a grudging respect for spiders—somebody had to deal with all those fruit flies and centipedes, after all. But Jackie was no entomologist, either. That respect only extended to a certain distance. The arachnid was on the wall across from the bed, and the basement was spacious, but that was still too close for him. He was starting to feel more and more claustrophobic by the day. The room might as well have been a closet. His new eight-legged roommate definitely wasn’t helping things.

“What do you mean?” Heather asked, when he didn’t supply an explanation. 

“On the wall.” Jackie gestured his head to the spider’s direction. “Right there. The spider.”

For the first time, Heather did not look angry or smug, or even bored, but instead confused. “Spider? What spider?”

The spider did not move. It remained an intimidating, fuzzy black shape out of the corner of his eye. Was Heather trying to mock him or what? Weird way of going about it. “The spider on that wall. Do you think it’s a tarantula? Are there any tarantulas in America?”

Heather glanced at the wall. Then back at Jackie. Then back at the wall. Then back at Jackie. Then back at the wall. Then back at—

“What are you doing?” Jackie snapped. “Haven’t you ever seen a spider before?”

“Are you trying to be funny? That’s a blank wall.”

Alright. He’d play along if it made her happy. “Sure. Can you get it out of here, though? Buy some bug spray. It’s creeping me out.”

There was that self-righteous rage again, though it was less razor-edged than usual. “Don’t lie to me. You know what I’ll do if you lie.”

“Yeah, I know, of course I fucking know, but I’m not lying. It’s right there.” He punctuated this statement with a few curt gestures. “Can’t you see it?”

“No.”

Jackie hesitated.

“There is no spider,” Heather continued. “Are you sure you’re not just…” She didn’t finish this sentence, seemingly at a loss for the alternative explanation.

“Whatever.” It wasn’t a big deal. Spiders were harmless, especially to an immortal like him. “Forget I said anything. Why are you here? Another experiment?”

“Yes, but I don't know if you're… ready to do the experiment."

“Ready?” Jackie should have been delighted by this opinion, but Heather’s apparently genuine worry was making him nervous. He felt the strange urge to convince her otherwise. “Why wouldn’t I be ready?”

And now she was giving him an odd look. The way people look at little kids who don’t understand certain concepts, asking where Mister Whiskers went after getting run over by an 18-wheeler. Something like condescending pity. Jackie glowered right back at her.

“Okay,” she said after a moment’s pause. “Tell me what you see on that wall.”

“What do you see?”

“Just answer the question.”

“It’s—“ He made a few indignant gestures towards the wall. “It’s a spider! Big black thing? With the—it’s just a spider, okay? What do you want me to tell you?”

“Where, exactly, is this spider?” She approached the wall. “Over here? Am I hot or cold?”

“More to the left.”

She shifted. “Is this it?”

“Yeah.”

Her palm smacked the wall.

The spider skittered away—the only motion it had made since its debut—but it wasn’t quite right. Spiders didn’t move like that. It was more the motion of a fluttering cloth, light and liquid, practically weightless. It stopped a few inches from her hand.

Jackie blinked again, hard, as if that would somehow right this visual wrong.

“Do you believe me now?” Heather asked patiently. Patiently, as if Jackie were a live wire that needed calming down. “It’s not real.”

He didn’t know how to reply to that. It looked real, but didn’t all hallucinations? Was he hallucinating? Why? He felt phantom touches sometimes, in the gray area between sleep and starting awake, sometimes saw a shadow figure or two, but those brief imprints barely counted as hallucinating. Never an entire spider. Never as realistic as this. Never for so long—two days, if he counted correctly. Forty-eight hours.

Oh well. He’d gone insane. That was the only explanation. It would have happened sooner or later. Really, this place would drive anyone mad. Repeating that routine over and over, stuck in a single room. At least this new roommate would bring a change of pace to Jackie’s life—a spider here and there to shake up the monotony. 

“I’m sure it’ll go away,” he finally managed. “Can I have breakfast now?”

“Yes.” Heather gave him a brief nod, although she had a distracted flicker to her voice. “Tell me if anything changes.”

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

He waited, glaring at the not-spider all the while. She returned with a plate of French toast and, of course, more pills. New ones. Two pale blue capsules, with a number printed on the side—39 250 mg, whatever that meant. 

Jackie wasn’t even hungry. It was just something he said to get her to leave, or at least leave the topic of spiders alone. Asking for food became like chatting about the weather. Small talk, really, something to move the conversation along. What else could he discuss? The gorgeous basement view? 

He ate anyway. He needed to eat whenever he got the chance, so the next time she decided to starve him he’d be a little more prepared. Besides, it was a bad idea to rock the boat.

“This is just something to calm you down." She placed the capsules in his palm. "A very mild sedative. I’m not lying this time.”

“Uh-huh.” He curled his palm closed. “And I can trust you because…?”

Heather stood and waited. 

Okay, fine. It didn’t matter. Trust was a non-issue. Trust was irrelevant. His compliance was expected no matter what. “I am calm, though. Why do I need this?”

She crossed her arms now, with that impossibly condescending air. She was wearing a neat white blouse today, and her hair was tied up with a thick elastic. Jackie wondered why she bothered to look put-together whenever she visited him. Her sense of style was not at the top of his concerns. Still, he could respect the effort. It made this whole situation a little less abrasive.

He put the pills in his mouth, drank some water, then swallowed. 

This was all she needed to see. “I’ll come back soon, alright? Tell me if—“

“I’ll let you know if the spider starts doing backflips, yeah.” 

“Okay, then. Bye.”

He waved her off. The door closed. And now, he had to wait. 

In one swift motion, he collapsed back into bed. What would this new pill do? Something to calm you down was a vague description at best. With his luck, it would be one of the worst experiences of his life. At least a solid seven on the scale. 

What if he threw the pills up? Stuck two fingers down his throat and emptied his stomach into the toilet? He was sure that would work—wasn’t that how you got rid of poison? Someone from his last foster home said so. That was so long ago, though, and he learned to never believe anything shared in a conspiratorial whisper since then. At any rate, Heather would notice. Somehow, some way. She would know.

Maybe she really was being honest. Calm you down. That sounded nice. Maybe it was an anesthetic again. That was nothing to get upset over. He would prefer the painless sleep of medication if she cut out another liver, or a lung, or another one of his arms.

Half an hour passed, by his estimate. The first thing he noticed was the hazy, dim fog that started to seep in. He thought it might just be fatigue—when had he last slept?—but, no, it was not as aching as fatigue should be. Not a bone-deep ache, but a steady and opaque weight over his mind. Seeping, slowing him down the same way mud stops the wiry twitching of hares. Mud, yes—all felt muddy. As if seen through murky waters, rather than the usual roiling, boiling pot. Jackie hadn’t noticed how wound up he’d gotten until the feeling was drowned out. 

He was definitely calm. It was a pleasant sensation, he had to admit. All the worries of the material world faded to a faint blur. The metal jaw of fear rusted away at the hinge. He could lay in bed all day and not mind it one bit.

These ambitious plans were interrupted by Heather’s hand on his shoulder. 

“Hello,” she said.

He lifted his head and blinked up at her. “Hey.”

“It’s working. Good.” Papers shuffled in her hands, with scrawled notes he could not read, some blotted with wide swaths of black and blue. “Get up. We’re going to do some psychiatry.”

“Psychiatry?” The drugs did not prevent him from giving Heather a short, incredulous laugh, though that appeared to upset her. “Aren’t you a chemist?”

“Biochemist,” she corrected him curtly. “I studied under a psychiatrist once, you know. Besides, how hard can it be? It’s just asking questions.”

“Questions.” He sat up on the bed. The world itself lost some of its sharp focus. All things blurred around the edges. There was no weight or depth to be found.

“Yes. A few questions, that’s all.”

She pushed the chair forwards, in front of the bed. There was that tape recorder, as always. When had she brought it out? It lay on top of his nightstand. The spools wound themselves in infinite circles through the small plastic window, round and round, again and again and again. That perfect voyeur. A watcher’s wet dream. He didn’t have the presence of mind to be afraid.

“Look here, Jackie.” Her voice pulled him out of that trance like a whistle. “What do you see?”

He raised his head and saw that she was holding up a paper. A shape was splattered across the front. It was an inkblot—Rocher inkblot, or something that started with R, maybe Rochester? It was inked in black, symmetrical, a wide design branching out like the splash of a puddle.

“That's easy," he said. "I see an inkblot.”

“Take this seriously, please. I’m trying to help you. I won’t know why you’re hallucinating unless—“

“I get it.” He leaned forward a bit and examined the shape. “It looks a bit like a wolf’s head, doesn’t it?”

“Really? I thought it was a butterfly.”

“Butterfly?” He tilted his head at the picture. “What kind of butterfly is that?”

“No, see here?” She gestured to the tip of the drawing. “That’s the wing, and that over there—“ She gestured to the middle. “That’s the body, with the antennae on top. What kind of wolf has antennae?”

“Butterflies don’t have wings like that. Those are ears.”

“Wolves have pointy ears, though.”

“Maybe the wolf is angry. The ears would be flat.”

“Well—maybe—“ She crumpled the paper up. “You know what? No more ink blots. Don’t know what’s the point of these damned things anyway. Bunch of pseudoscience, if you ask me.”

Normally, he’d point out the flaws in that statement, but he didn’t feel quite up to it today. He was perfectly content to just let her speak while he listened, understanding none of it.

“Now,” Heather continued, “I’m going to ask you a series of questions. Answer honestly. Are you ready?”

He nodded.

“Let’s get started, then.” She cleared her throat. “Tell me about yourself.”

“Anything about myself?”

“Whatever comes to mind, yes.”

“Okay. My name is Jackie Rockwell. You kidnapped me. I live here now. I was born in April. I have black hair. I think that’s about it.”

She nodded. “That sounds right. Are you afraid of spiders?”

“No.”

“Have you ever hallucinated before?”

“Not… really.”

“Yes or no, Jackie. I don’t have time to decode your answers.”

“No.” 

“Does anybody in your family have a history of schizophrenia?”

He shrugged. “I wouldn’t know.”

Impatience flickered across her expression. “What do you mean by that?”

“I wouldn’t know because I never asked.”

“Of course.” She sighed. “I don’t think you’re schizophrenic, anyway. But I’ll keep it in mind. How was your home? Your childhood?”

“What do you mean?”

“Was your home stable? Did you feel safe? Loved?” 

He recognized that she was simply covering the surface-level questions—did mommy and daddy love you, did you ever get hit on the head as a baby, et cetera—and it wasn’t meant to be a personal attack, but he still felt a sting of indignation. He leaned back to mask this, hoping for his answer to come off as casual. “Oh, I don’t know. It was fine. Normal.”

“Normal? How would you describe normal?”

“Uh…” It was harder to speak than usual. The drugs were cutting off the connection cables in his thoughts, washing everything out in low static.

“Did… did something happen when you were younger?” Heather leaned forward, narrowing the gap he’d made. There was a glimmer in her eyes usually only seen in curious children and stalking tigers. A sort of hunger. The thrill of the chase.

Jackie’s face fell into a slight frown. “Why would you even need to know that?”

“Listen to me.” She placed her hand on his. “You’re having a psychotic episode. If you don’t get help now, it’s going to get worse. I need to know why it’s happening, or I can’t help you. So, please, be honest. This is strictly for professional purposes. I won’t use it against you.”

He withdrew his hand. “Why do you want to help me?”

“I would rather not have a psychotic test subject. That would completely screw up my findings.”

This was a believable answer, if not a very nice one. He felt upset, but not as much as he should have been—more the upset of spilling a bit of water on the floor, or biting your tongue. Inconsequential upsets. Even though he was sure this answer would have consequences, however small. This moment would shift the delicate balance between them, even if the change was barely noticeable, even if Heather didn’t realize it. If only he had a clear mind. How was Jackie meant to be clever when he could barely remember his own name?

“This is one of those doctor things, eh, doc?” he said. “With the sofa and the clipboard. They’ve always got that chart that they point to. And then you ask me how I feel, or something.”

“I know you’re trying to change the subject, Jackie. But if the sedative works, this should be easy for you.” She tried for a smile that was probably meant to be comforting. “Answer me honestly.”

But to answer honestly was to jump from the frying pan into a slightly hotter frying pan—that is to say, it would not make him any happier. Even sedated, Jackie knew that. So, he said, “Nothing happened. It was normal.”

That made her slow down a bit. She leaned back in the chair, the glimmer in her eyes dented but not dead. She didn’t know what she was asking for. Curiosity killed the cat, right? She was too bold for her own good, or too naive, because Jackie was sure she would regret ever asking if he told her the truth. Or maybe that freak would relish every last gory detail. Either way, this was already more than he wanted her to know. Was he in a hostage situation or a psych eval? Why couldn't she just leave him alone?

Even if he wanted to talk about it, Jackie couldn't remember much. The unpleasant sensations, a few faint flashes, yes, and whatever images haunted his dreams—but he could never pinpoint the exact location or time or person involved. When the authorities took him in for questioning, they assumed his amnesia for shyness. Maybe shyness played a part, but he would have been as useful as roadkill even without the shame or fear. And he'd been so young—only twelve, if he recalled correctly. Only a kid. A stupid, weak child.

In the end, the cops got their evidence, and those were all the answers they needed. A few photographs, the weapon, and whatever the witnesses told them. What was left of his sister. The blood on the wall. The blood on the sheets. But Heather had none of that, and he intended to keep it that way. God knew she already had too much of him for keeps. Even if Jackie lost every other shred of privacy and dignity, she could pry those memories from his cold, dead lips.

His captor asked nothing else of this subject. Her expression was focused, but not on him. Those gears turned again behind her eyes, like a shadow puppet show. 

She knew enough. She knew too much. Did this fall under body, mind, or soul? All three, maybe. After all, one could argue that memory lived mainly in the body, in the repetition of muscles and the psychosomatic.

"Is the spider still there?" Heather asked at last. Her voice was distant. Distracted.

"No."

"That’s it, then. I'll see you tomorrow."

From the corner of his eye, the black shape moved. The spider's legs stuttered, as if caught by the motion of a laugh. A stilted, mocking shudder only Jackie could see.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️ !!!

Taglist:

@theelvishcowgirl

@lthrboy

@whumpy-wyrms

[hot-take-tournament]

HOT TAKE TOURNAMENT:

PRE-PRELIMINARY #1

Submission 142:

"Fallout 3 is just objectively a terrible game and people are too blinded by nostalgia/franchise loyalty to understand how deep it goes"

(Pre-preliminaries will be used to judge whether this submission qualifies as a hot take. Propaganda is encouraged!)

Submitted justification under the cut:

Every Fallout game since Bethesda took over has had a very distinct central theme. New Vegas is about the past vs the future, Fallout 4 is about personal identity/truth, and Fallout 3 is about ✨morality✨. Every choice in the game boils down to “I’m such a good person, just an innocent little vault baby who wants to help people 🥺” or “HAHAHA MURDER IS FUN I WANT TO EAT BABIES”. (And don’t get me wrong, cartoonishly evil actions can both be very fun and have always had a place in the Fallout series, but this particular installment both prides itself and is propped up by its fans as being a “dark, gritty, mature” on the Fallout setting). It’s always so annoyingly black and white, the only exceptions being when the main story forces you to be evil to progress. And it’s not in a grimdark way, the game seems to genuinely see no issue with it. The two major factions are a replica of the U.S. military that hates mutants and thinks they should be killed via eugenics, and a replica of the U.S. military that hates mutants and thinks they should be killed via genocide. Guess which one is the “good guy” faction! You literally can’t because they’re both basically the same thing and they’re both equally awful. Turns out the hero faction is the genocide one, but they saved you from some hostile mutants one time so actually they’re okay 🥺. Ignore the fact that the mutants are very provably sentient and the only actually selfless and good NPC is, himself, a mutant. It’s fine.

And brief sidebar here to mention that the main story LITERALLY ISN’T COMPLETED UNLESS YOU BUY A DLC. Like technically there’s an “ending”, but you just get to the eleventh hour and then either: a) Die or b) Have the game call you a coward and a bad person because you opted to have someone who is RESISTANT TO RADIATION step into a HEAVILY IRRADIATED AREA instead of killing yourself by doing it because… “thematic parallels” to when they fridged your dad, I guess? So then say you bought the rest of the story for enough real world money to get you like. A nice meal. Or a better game. Then what’s the new ending? Well, it seems at first to be a morally challenging decision! You’ve been sent by the Brotherhood of Steel (aforementioned genocide faction) to infiltrate the base of and then redirect a nuke to the Enclave (aforementioned eugenics faction). Yes you are their most important soldier now. The main character of this game happens to be the only Fallout protagonist with a concrete age (that being 19), but an adult’s an adult I GUESS.

You get to the terminal and prepare to direct the bombs, but you’re presented with a choice as to where to send them. You could direct them at the base you’re in right now, eliminating the Enclave (including innocent non-combatants), or you could choose to disobey your orders and send the, to Megaton, Rivet City, (two major settlements), Project Purity (your father’s life’s work, a lab meant to distribute clean water to the wasteland which has since been blockaded by the BoS because they want to turn a profit off of it), or the Citadel (the Brotherhood’s base of operations). If you choose Megaton, Rivet City, or Project Purity, the game will inform you that those were actually just false choices and you were supposed to pick something else. If you pick the Enclave base, then you get a little good ending cutscene where you’re informed that the Brotherhood is preparing for it’s next mission to go kill a bunch of mutants in the city. Yay! Fun! +100 karma points! But if you instead bomb the Citadel, then you get back and find it’s ruined remains. Grr. Bad. -100 karma. You’re evil now. And yes there was a child soldier there (technically a scribe, not a soldier, but Veronica from NV was also a scribe and she was 27 and killed people so yeah.), but in Fo4 we learn that that kid, as well as that whole branch of the Brotherhood, survived anyways! And need I remind you that there were also noncombatants in the Enclave base. So what’s the moral here? It’s good to be loyal to the racist technofacists that indoctrinated you into joining them when you were barely an adult and just lost your lifelong home? And that’s just the main story.

The karma system for companions is so dumb, really companions in general in this game are awful. But I’m going to get to karma first so that it’ll make more sense why they such so much. Karma fills a role similar to what reputation would later in the series, measuring how much people are inclined to like you based on your previous actions. Except instead of being faction based and measuring how people feel about how you’ve directly interacted with the specific groups they’re affiliated with, it just measures if you’re generally a Good Person or a Bad Person. Very nuanced. To be a good person, give water to homeless people, donate to the church, and take positive actions for the BoS. To be a bad person, steal things, kill non-combatants (oh wait), and take negative actions against the Brotherhood. So if you want to maintain a specific karma, you have to take actions that suit it. The game pushes you towards good karma at certain points in the story, and generally it’s very hard to maintain a neutral score without spilling into good or evil. Anyways, back to the companions. Your fun, unique cast of traveling partners are a series staple, so who do we have? A military robot who will only side with you if you have neutral karma. Your childhood bully who will only side with you if you have neutral karma. A retired raider who claims to be better now, but still does some really awful stuff (and who will only side with you if you have evil karma. A slave and an indentured servant who you can *buy the contracts of.* These are TWO SEPARATE CHARACTERS. They did this TWICE. Plus the slave (who is an asian woman) will constantly fawn over the player (who would have had to have evil karma to buy her) and act romantically towards them. YIKES. I could get into so much more but I’ve been at this for an hour with no music or anything, just venting/ranting. Thanks for putting up with it being so long, by the way, it was kind of cathartic. Just to close things off here: The gunplay is really clunky and unfun, the world is bleak, ugly, and blocked off by a ton of invisible walls that make it a drag to explore, almost all of the characters are a pain to sit through interactions with, and the graphics (though not a dealbreaker), aged really poorly. I’m begging you to just play New Vegas or Fallout 4 instead PLEASE. If you already have then try out the original isometric games. Or the so bad they’e kind of funny spinoffs. Or the mobile game. Or the board game. Or the tabletop roleplaying game. Heck, even 76. Just please don’t play Fallout 3 and stop acting like it’s good.

[pammei]

Our moms?!

Rindou Haitani x reader (chatfic) 

Chapter 1-3 from Our moms by pammeiwammei (me) on Wattpad

❥@Rindog has followed you.

'Rindou? Followed me?' I glare at my phone deciding if i should call hina or not. "Y/n, done with homework?" "Yes mom" She looks around "Oh by the way you know my new friend Sara? Well I met one of her sons and he goes to your school so I gave him your instagram."

Oh shit.

"Mom, why would you give my instagram to a stranger?!" I yelled at her thinking about what I'm gonna do in school tomorrow.

She looked at me with disappointment "Y/n watch your tone, and there's no harm in making new friends, is this about not wanting to be friends with guys?"

There she goes jumping into conclusions again. "No mom it's just he's not the nicest in my school okay?"

She just nodded and left

☕︎Instagram dms☕︎

❥Rindog: Yo y/n, seen ya around school but never talked to ya

❥Y/n_l/n: Um yeah.. Nice to meet you ig?

❥Rindog: No need to be so awkward i know imma lil intimating but i dont hurt girls

❥Y/n_l/n: Oh my bad for assuming

❥Rindog: all good👍

7:04 seen

❥@Randog has followed you.

'Oh shit, ran too?'

♡@Y/n_l/n has been added to group chat 'bros'♡

❥@Randog: Hey y/n its nice to meet ya ;)

❥@Y/n_l/n: Uh hi? Why was i added?

❥@Rindog: Ran wanted to meet ya Sorz for not askin before adding ya

'Why do they type like that tf'

❥@Randog: Its okay broski they shouldn't be offended over this LMAO

'Broski? BYE THE RED FLAGS'

❥@Y/n_l/n: Sorry my moms calling i gtg byebye.

❥@Rindog: See bro ya scared them away

☕︎Instagram dms☕︎

❥@Rindog: Hey sorry for ran he doesnt know how to talk to girls 4:28 seen Yo im real sorry if we offended ya 5:13 seen

❣︎ Meanwhile on the call with Hina and Emma:

"Why are they so desperate HELP" both I and Hina laugh at Emma's comment on the brothers.

"I don't know man but this whole thing is very suspicious, like how they keep dming me," I say as I try to clean my room "I mean it's funny how thirsty the popular guys are."

"Y/n, Sara just called and told me you've been ignoring her son." mom informs me as I try to hold my laugh

as soon as my mom left my room I look at the screen to see Emma and Hina looking like the skull emoji, then we all laughed so fucking hard I started choking.

"THEY-- REALlY TOLD THEIR- MOM PFFTTT." Emma said as we all started choking and snorting.

❣︎

@Y/n_l/n has added @drakens_bae4life, @Hina_Hanagaki to group chat 'bros'

❥@Randog: who the hell?

❥@drakens_bae4life: really? randog? 💀

❥@Randog: stfu

❥@Hina_Hanagaki: can yall not fight? 😕

❥@Randog can you shut up? 🥺

❥@Rindog: ran shut up for a second

❥@Randog: you a simp? │ ↳ ❥@Rindog: bro 💀  im just being nice bruh chill

♥︎@Randog is typing♥︎ ♡@Randog was kicked♡ ♡@drakens_bae4life was kicked♡ ♡@Hina_Hanagaki was kicked♡

❥@Rindog: y/n i understand that ran is an asshole sometimes hes just a lil messed in the head ya know? dont take the things he says to heart, he probs doesnt mean them just dont argue with him like if things go too far he might hurt you or your friends physically so just bear with him alr?

❥@Y/n_l/n: wow that kinda really nice of you to say thanks ill try but i am a little bit sensitive:(

❥@Rindog: completely understandable if anything he says or does bothers you just dm me ill deal with it Y/n reacted with a '❤︎' 5:48 seen

❣︎

"Y/n you're really quiet what's happening?" Hina asks,

"Rin's actually kinda nice.." I say awkwardly knowing it's gonna surprise them.

"who the fuck are you because you're not Y/n," Emma replied.

" Y/n, ARE YOU BLUSHING? GOODBYE GET SOME REST YOU NEED IT." Emma said and soon after left Hina also left not long after.

❥@Rindog: [link to a server]

❥@Y/n_l/n: sorryz i dont use discord 😋

❥@Rindog: want me to make ya an account?

❥@Y/n_l/n: forsure go ahead

❥@Rindog: user: bald ran#6969 password:ilovecatssm36

❥@Y/n_l/n: you like cats? nice

❥@Rindog: i mean sure but i just picked a random pass

❥@Y/n_l/n: logging in now ❤︎Read 10:19❤︎ As you log in you notice the two people in your friends list 'rindog#6969' and 'randawg#0690'. wow they really need new usernames.

☕︎Discord dms☕︎

❥Rindog: yo :wavingpenis:

❥bald ran: woah hi :catcrying: wait do i have the nitro thing or something?

❥Rindog: yeah thought ya might like it

❥bald ran: stop you didnt have tooooooo im gonna have to pay you back☹️

❥Rindog: NONO dont worry consider it a gift :)

☕︎Instagram groupchat: two married and one single person☕︎

❥@Y/n_l/n: EMMMA HINNAAAAAAAAAAJAJAHSHWHAHAU MEOWWQWWWWWWWWW

(Pretend you see the emotes.)MEOW RAWR MEOWMEOW

❥Hina: OH MY @EMMA LOOK ❥Emma: what? WHAT THE FUCK Y/N Y/N Y/N Y/N REPLY RIGHT FUCKING NOW

❥Y/n: meow 🤭

❥Emma: y/n

❥Y/n: what

❥Emma: you downloaded discord for him? i thought you were over that app after your e dating phase🤨

❥Y/n: BUT HE MADE ME AN ACCOUNT I COULDNT SAY NO

❥Hina: also tell that ran bitch to go eat dick he was suck a dick to me last time😢

❥Y/n: yeah forsure hina

❥Emma: downloading discord rn i was talking to mikey about what happened and he said theres a toman server. drakens there

❥Hina: INVITE ME TOO

☕︎Discord dms: Randawg#0690☕︎

❥bald ran: eat dick (from my friend you argued with last time)

❥randawg: bitch what send addy rn pussyio

❥bald ran youre not scaring anyone LMAO

❥randawg: jeez ok😢

"Y/n Sara just called, im disappointed why would you ever be mean to my friends son?" aint no way "💀"

☕︎Discord dms: Rindog#6969☕︎

❥bald ran: can you and your brother stop telling your mom that im being mean to you guys, i cant play roblox for a week now

❥Rindog: ran did that?🤭

❥bald ran: yes

❥Rindog: brb beating him up

❥bald ran: alright cya goodnight:)

❥Rindog: oh youre sleeping already? goodnight:) ❤︎Reacted with ♡❤︎

[wouldvecouldveshouldve]

I'm really confused about the whole drake + kendrick lamar situation, do you know anything? 😭 i'd love to hear your chaotic thoughts on it!

OKAY I'M SO HERE FOR THIS TALK. my friend at school and i, we listened to the diss tracks all today, and this is the information i've gathered from a couple of sources (friends, boyfriend, etc)

let's go through the kendrake debacle (my friend came up with the name ajskdkf)

so. first of all, on the 22nd of march 2024, there was a future song where kendrick dissed drake & j. cole in a subtle manner, right? he dismisses the notion that he’s in a “big three” with drake and j. cole, rapping, “it’s just big me.”

ofc, drake didn't like that. he let it linger for a couple of weeks, until april 13th 2024, where he leaked a new song named “push ups,” which had the lyrics, “you ain’t in no big three, SZA got you wiped down, travis got you wiped down, savage got you wiped down." which is clearly about kendrick, duh. drake continues to be like, "like your label, boy, you in a scope right now, and you gon’ feel the aftermath of what i write down, i’m at the top of the mountain, so you tight now"

really, really stupid, right? like come ON, these are literal 36/37 year old men!!! stop being petty!!! at least, that was my initial take on it!

it gets worse, apparently! drake, in the meantime while kendrick's writing his next diss track (💀), puts out a track on apr 19 (yes the day in which ttpd came out) called 'taylor made freestyle' WITH AI VOICES OF TUPAC AND SNOOP DOGG DISSING KENDRICK?!?!!? it did get deleted, i believe, but drake did come in the song and apparently taunt kendrick for not responding to the rap...?

it's giving middle school girl spamming her crush with texts because he's not responding. like 'come back pookie :( i miss you, talk to me, respond already hiss hiss boooo!'

this is where it gets really interesting though. on april 30th 2024, kendrick finally responds, with a track titled 'euphoria' which begins the incessant back-and-forth between the two rappers (smh). he disses drake's parenting style, his rumoured plastic surgery and his rapping abilities - mocking the use of ai too to help drake write! kendrick released another one on may 3rd 2024 called '6:16 in la', and god, it's all just ajskjdkfl.

drake is pissy, to put it simply. that very same day, on may 3rd, he releases a EIGHT MINUTE LONG TRACK to diss kendrick, and speculate about kendrick's relationship with his fiancee and questioning the father of kendrick's child.

that next day, on may 4th 2024, kendrick releases meet the grahams... just go listen to the song. it's insane.

and finally, that same day, kendrick releases 'not like us'.... it's a BOMBSHELL. he accuses drake of misogyny, pedophilia and literally says he wants drake dead!

idk if anything else is happening but i'm just like... shocked. my summary of this is: it should be a police report against drake, not a diss track, kendrick!!!

[frankenruth]

High School ver. Space Age Bachelor Man here we go.

[RICKY] :

You might see before you,

An ‘ordinary man’… ha!

An earthly illusion

All apart of the cosmic plan

Yes, long ago I visited

Those others from outer space

Informed me I’m the chosen one

To save the Zolarian race..

It’s true.. listen..

[NOEL, MISCHA] :

Ricky, we are a distant galaxy

A galaxy greatly in need

Yes, we would like to to save our planet

From the other species’ greed

[RICKY] :

They took me then to their daughters realm

The land of the Kitty-Cat Star

I know you’ve heard the legends of..

[ALL] :

The sassy cat women from Zolar!

[OCEAN, CONSTANCE, JANE DOE] :

Meow ow-ow

Meow ow-ow

[CONSTANCE] :

Prove your love for me, Ricky!

[RICKY] :

What?!

[OCEAN, CONSTANCE, JANE DOE] :

Meow ow-ow

Meow ow-ow

[RICKY] :

Okay..

[OCEAN] :

But there’s one more small thing..

Won’t you please help us save our galaxy,

[OCEAN, CONSTANCE, JANE DOE] :

Ricky?

[RICKY] :

..Sure!

What would you do in my place?

A mere mortal man,

With the fate of a galaxy before you

Millions of lives in your hand!

The lovely daughters of the realm,

All craving love from me!

You’d never guess the role I play,

In Zolarian hiss-tory!

I’m just a swingin’!

[ALL -RICKY] :

Ah!

[RICKY] :

Space age!

[ALL -RICKY] :

Ah-Ah!

[RICKY] :

Bachelor man!

Let’s dance, kitties!

[They actually dance instead of the.. other implication]

[Also there’s a bunch of meowing and I’m not typing all of that out but you get the point]

[RICKY] :

..it gets weird now

[NOEL, MISCHA] :

Ricky, you’ve tamed out daughters,

You’re our hero, our save and grace

But now there is a new challenge,

For Zolaria to face!

[RICKY] :

For they’re at war with K-19

Count Dogulous, that monster, that prick!

The generals are all standing by..

[ALL -RICKY] :

Tell us, Ricky

Should we pull the switch?

Meow ow-ow

Meow ow-ow

[RICKY] :

Oh my goodness what have I gotten myself into

[ALL -RICKY]

Meow ow-ow

Meow ow-ow

[RICKY] :

I mean, why are they asking me?

I’m a lover, not a fighter,

I thought I told them!

I’m just a swingin’!

[ALL -RICKY] :

Ah!

[RICKY] :

Space age!

[ALL -RICKY] :

Ah-Ah!

[RICKY] :

Bachelor man!

And so I told them,

I am just a man,

A space age man,

That’s all I am,

But I wanna hold your hand

All your hands

As I take your love tonight

Oh, I have no desire to rule the galaxy

Oh, to hold you close,

That’s enough for me

I’ll take your love, in zero gravity

[ALL] :

Oh, woah, woooaah!

[ALL -RICKY] :

(I haven’t decided if it’s gonna be just humming, “meow meow-meow”, “la la-la”, or “take your love” over and over again, so pretend it’s whichever one sounds the best in your head)

[RICKY] :

I’m the being you lo-ove the most,

Let me be

Let me be

Let me..

Beeeeeeeeeee!

And they listened

And they heard my message

For, I was singing notes that only cats or cat people could hear

A G-sharp five octaves above a middle-C

Incredible!

Peace was restored

I guess that’s what happens..

When you’re a swingin’!

[ALL -RICKY] :

Ah!

[RICKY] :

Space age!

[ALL -RICKY] :

Ah-Ah!

[RICKY] :

Bachelor man!

So I came back to the earth,

To show you the way

To lead you pretty people to a brighter day

We can save the whole galaxy with love from the heart

A sassy cat ladies,

That’s where we gotta start!

Yes I came back to this rock

With my love, you and me

Ladies, you got what I want

And you got what I ne-e-e-eed!

Cause I’m a swingin’!

[ALL -RICKY] :

Ah!

[RICKY] :

Space age!

[ALL -RICKY] :

Ah-Ah!

[RICKY] :

Ba-ba-ba bachelor man!

[ALL -RICKY] :

Bach-elor man

Meow!

[fyi, i am not a song writer. if it’s awful then.. *shrug*]

[swiftyangx12]

Don’t mess with Microbes

[Valorant]

[Gender Neutral!Agent!Reader]

[Synopsis]: What if the new agent is a specialist in Microbiology and also one of the few HQ’s doctors?

Let’s say [Reader] has a unique career as a microbiologist.

I mean, yes, they have assisted and helped many doctors and scientists of identifying undetected bacteria from patients.

Though, they only joined the Protocol because they were falsely accused of exposing a public area with a human-made pathogen that’s third most lethal than the Bubonic Plague and COVID-19. (It wasn’t them. I swear they did not release a dangerous bio-weapon for malicious purposes.)

They worked as another healer and doctor for the team.

Mostly stayed in their own lab experimenting cultures and observing microorganisms.

[HQ Laboratory]

Dr. [L/N]: Uh, Dr. Sabine? I think somebody from our team picked up a little nasty bug on their last mission.

Viper: *Looks through the microscope* Oh god.

Dr. [L/N]: It’s okay. I’m working on a vaccine for this one. Thank god I took a course on Vaccinology.

Viper: You studied Vaccinology?

Dr. [L/N]: As a minor in university, yes. Just hope nobody dies on my watch when experimenting.

Viper: *Impressed, yet concerned* Then do what you need to do. You’re responsible if somebody were to become deceased by your hands.

Dr. [L/N]: Understand, Dr. Sabine.

《🦠》

Dr. [L/N]: Jett, you look terrible. *Puts on their medical face mask*

Jett: *Sniffs* I’m fine! Just a little sniffle. ACHOO!

Dr. [L/N]: *Sprays Lysol in the air and area* Girl, go back to your room. I’ll inform Brimstone about your dilemma and in the meantime, no contact with the other agents.

Jett: *Sniffs* Okay…

[An hour later]

[Jett’s Quarters]

Dr. [L/N]: *In a biohazard suit* Jett, I made Kimchi stew.

Jett: *Coughs* You did?

Dr. [L/N]: I heard from Phoenix that you sometimes get homesick and after the Venice incident, it must have been difficult to go through when you were falsely accused for something you’re not responsible for to begin with. Believe me. I know the feeling by experience.

Jett: Oh, doc. *Sniffs*

Dr. [L/N]: Are you crying or is it the sniffles again?

Jett: *Cries out* SNIFFLES!

《🦠》

Dr. [L/N]: Annual vaccines! Line up!

KAY/O: You know I don’t need it.

Dr. [L/N]: I know. That’s why I purchased a sanitary station to disinfect your whole body.

KAY/O: Wow. You really thought of everything.

Dr. [L/N]: I have to keep everyone healthy and safe so we can kick Omega ass.

《🦠》

[Lotus]

Prions (Dr. [L/N]): *Creates a deadly pathogen to infect enemies within a second to drop paralyzed*

Omega!Skye: *Running away from Prions* Shit! Shit! Shit! I didn’t sign up for this shit!

Prions: *Shoots a patho-dart at the enemy*

Omega!Skye: *Drops down and becomes paralyzed*

Prions: Look whose become my next patient~ *Eliminates him with their Sheriff*

[Their team looks at the microbiologist with horror.]

Viper: I like them.

Brimstone: *Looks at her in disbelief*

[Tagged]: @hhurric4ne @l0serloki @radianights @luckyowl @theluckyr

[wutheringmights]

CTB Scrap - Impa's Ploy in Faron

This was meant to be in chapter 19, when the remaining members of the Chain are trying to decide if they can risk trying to find their missing friends.

Okay, so this is a doozy to explain. Originally, Warriors was going to realize that the rumors of a new hero were a part of a scheme Impa had to capture them. The reason was convoluted. The entire plan was based on contrivances.

I also got way too deep into the scene before realizing that Warriors was acting like he did pre-amputation. He needed to be way less calculating at this point of the story.

It just didn't work, so I scrap the idea entirely.

Note: this is an unedited scrap, so the writing may not be up to snuff. Also, everything include was deleted for a reason, so please do not take it as canon to CTB.

--

“Not possible,” Lincoln said. “We had to go through a nearby village. A regiment of troops had just marched through a few days ago.”

“Maybe you misheard, cook,” Hyrule said.

“No, I know what I heard.” Wild placed a bowl of soup on the map, blocking Warriors from making another mark. “Eat up. You’re a pile of bones.” He placed the other bowl in front of Hyrule. “Everyone was saying that the princess had some new hero.”

“It could be a bluff,” Time said, returning to his seat.

Warriors shook his head as he sat and slid his bowl closer. “What if it’s not?” He mulled over it for a moment. “Maybe it’s not a bluff, but a ploy. The Royal Guard couldn’t tell the people of Hyrule that their hero was dead, not without inciting panic. I’m not sure why they didn’t keep that information quiet to begin with— though I have the suspicion that rumors of my death was spread by the Knights of Hyrule in order to pin it onto Lincoln and legitimize your ousting.”

“Fair logic,” Lincoln said.

“A dead hero in times of conflict can only cause panic, and with the kingdom on the verge of outright rebellion, the Royal Guard would need to keep the people calm. So they would need a new hero to replace me.”

 “They could fake it,” Four said.

“Not easily, and certainly not convincingly. Here, a hero is a public figure. I had to be shown off to make my existence worthwhile. So whoever they got as a hero, they would need to have something that would convince everyone in Hyrule that they’re legitimate—the Master Sword, a Triforce mark, prowess in battle, something.”

“Are you saying they have our knight?” Time asked.

Warriors could think of a hundred scenarios that could land Sky in the hands of the Royal Guard. He liked none of them. “Maybe, but that’s beside the point. I’m thinking that they were projecting the news of the new hero just enough to get the people to calm, then started suppressing it.”

“Rumors are nearly impossible to suppress,” Wild said.

“On a large scale, yes. But with enough intimidation, limited contact from other parts of the kingdom, and a different set of news to spread, it could work in a limited area—say, for example, Faron.”

Time eyes widened. “They’re trying to lure us out?”

“Got it in one.” Warriors carefully picked up his spoon, making sure he had a good angle before dipping it into the bowl. “Impa had to have done the math and realized that we were heading to Faron. She might have even realized that we’re here in the temple. Since we slipped by the checkpoints, she’s making the gamble that she can catch us in the act of saving everyone else.” He frowned. “And she’s knows me. She knows that not knowing any information is going to drive me insane. She’s betting I’ll get restless and try to find answers myself. And if not that, then she’s betting she can lure out one of you for those same reasons.”

“It’s possible,” Lincoln mused aloud. “If I was spotted when I went back to my family’s home, it could mean that I inadvertently confirmed where you are.”

“Are you really such a hot commodity?” Wild asked Warriors.

“To Impa, yes,” Warriors said. “But again, it’s not just about me. It’s about all of us. The hero provides legitimacy in times of conflict. It’s like getting the goddesses’ approval.” Warriors frowned. “And if we don’t comply, then we’re too dangerous to be left alone.”

Time crossed his arms over his chest. “So what do we do?”

Warriors tried to think about it a moment longer, but his brain kept turning back to the same plan over and over again. He groaned, dropping his spoon into his bowl to pinch his brow.

Surely, he was still feverish. His brain had to still be muddied with illness. Why else could he only think of one solution, and a shitty one at that?

Proxi placed a hand on his elbow. “It’s not your fault,” she soothed.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Hyrule demanded. “You’re not thinking about leaving them there?”

Warriors grimaced, wishing for half a second he could have gently led them all to that conclusion. Instead, he had to deal with all of his friends objecting, raising their voices at once.

“Yeah, I’m not doing that,” Wild said.

“You’re abandoning them?” Hyrule said.

“There has to be some other way,” Time said.

“C’mon, think of something different,” Four said.

Warriors gritted his teeth, bearing through it. Let them shout. He deserved this. If only he had been a better hero.

“Calm down.” Lincoln’s tone brokered no argument, so much so that even Time immediately settled down.

It only served to rekindle bitter pang in Warriors’s gut, though he was saved from snapping at Lincoln when Hyrule, immune, kept shouting. “Every time we try to go along with one of your plans, something goes wrong and everyone gets hurt. Isn’t it time for us to stop worrying about that shit and start doing something?”

“Whoever is stuck in the Royal Guard made a calculated decision,” Warriors said. He wanted to be calm yet firm, but his voice sounded strained, even to himself. “The minute we rush in, they become a hostage and we put them in danger.” His hand wrapped around the stump of his left arm, squeezing what remained of his elbow joint. “I’m not saying I like it either. From the beginning, I swore that I wouldn’t repeat the same mistakes I made in the past. I fucked up that goal pretty thoroughly. I won’t argue that this isn’t the exact scenario I was afraid of.”

Warriors winced, realizing that he was squeezing his arm too tightly. But he didn’t stop. “I never wanted any of this to happen again. I swear I didn’t.”

Hyrule stared at him, wide-eyed. “Again?”

Warriors swallowed. Memories of the engineer played in his mind, consuming his eyes until they were all he could see. The engineer laughing, crying, bleeding—all because of him. Everything that went wrong was because of him. “I told you, didn’t I? I did a lot of terrible things.”

Hyrule opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but Lincoln cut him off. “If they were recruited, things won’t be apocalyptic for them,” Lincoln said. “Precarious, yes. But Impa won’t have any reason to mistreat them. We only have to worry about the possibility of them fighting on the frontlines, which may not happen for some time. I’m not sure how often any of you boys have fought in a war, but war is many weeks of doing nothing punctuated with battles. We still have time.”

Warriors’s stomach churned at the very thought, but he focused on Lincoln’s logic. Twilight, Sky, Wind, and Legend: they weren’t the engineer and Warriors wasn’t there to terrorize them. There was plenty of time. There was hope.

“I don’t like it,” Time said. “It feels like we’re leaving them behind—forgetting them, even.”

Warriors’s grip on his arm tightened until he felt a sharp pain. When he glanced at his arm, all he could think about was his dream of the child, how he had held the skinning knife in his hand as the child shouted over and over again why don’t you remember me?

“I understand what you mean,” Lincoln said. “Waiting here means I have to trust Linkle to find her way here on her own. I’m not comfortable with that idea either, but it’s what has to be done.”

This was important—some sign that Lincoln was as pragmatic as ever, but Warriors couldn’t focus on it. He was nauseous, and he could feel the meagre bites of soup he had taken swarming up his throat. Why would he think about that now?

“Captain?” Wild asked.

Warriors released his arm, if only to clutch his stomach. “Sorry. I can’t…”

Wild smiled. “Hey, don’t worry, I have some clear broth still.”