#i figure the hair probably belongs to the skulls but

[sorormaior]

why does kharn have blue hair and pronouns

#warhammer 40k #wh40k #kharn the betrayer #i figure the hair probably belongs to the skulls but #why are they blue

[ramblingoak]

Shooting His Shot

Terzo x Omega ~ This takes place in the Butt Sparkle Verse along with Copia on ICE! It's the Winter Olympics and Omega gets distracted hearing his favorite ABBA song playing nearby...

This was directly inspired by this amazing work by @ghuleh-recs!

Warnings: a love struck Omega, grumpy older brother Secondo and a Terzo that knows exactly what (and who) he wants, nsfw due to a brief daydream by Omega, 870 words

It was the ABBA blaring over the speakers that got his attention. 

There’s probably a joke there about ABBA and being Swedish but whatever.  Omega’s heard them all.  It helped that “Voulez-Vous” was his favorite song.  Well technically his mom’s favorite song but after hearing it so many times as a kid growing up it had wormed its way into his heart.  He always thought of dancing around the kitchen with her whenever he heard it.  So initially he was just curious why it was being played, although he wasn’t surprised to see it was due to a figure skater. 

He was surprised by the skull paint though.  

Of course that was only the first thing that caught his eye.  His outfit was next, an elaborate costume that was sheer enough to see nipples and dark hair.  It had to be borderline regulation and knowing how the officials at the Olympics could be he bet they still bitched about it.  The man’s entire body seemed to sparkle as he sped around the rink.  Countless spins and jumps being executed at a speed that made even Omega tired.  

“Can I help you?”

All the blood in Omega’s body froze at the sound of the voice at his back.  Omega would know that voice anywhere.  Deep and accented, he had heard it many times in his life and each time it always managed to strike a note of fear into him.  You couldn't be a hockey player anywhere without knowing who that voice belonged to. Slowly, like he was a creature trying not to upset a predator, he turned around to face another man in skull paint.

“Secondo.  Hey.”

Jesus, great first impression.  Secondo raised an eyebrow and impatiently crossed his arms.

“I’m waiting.”

“Uh, I don’t need any help.”  He winced at the raised eyebrow that got.  “Was just watching.”

“Watching my brother.”

“Yeah.  I like this song.”  Of course that was when the song stopped and Omega turned to see the man out on the ice striking a pose and breathing heavily. 

“Well the song is done so it’s time to go.”

Omega sighed, dragging his eyes from the ice right as the man relaxed and looked his way.  He took a few steps towards Secondo before stopping and taking a quick breath. 

“It’s Terzo right?  Your brother.”

“Sì!”  Omega turned back towards the rink and was immediately met with a shining set of eyes, one green and one as white as the ice he was standing on.  “It’s Terzo.  And what’s your name, bello?”

“He’s leaving, it doesn’t matter.”  Secondo brushed past him as he addressed his younger brother.  “Get dressed so we can meet Copia and Primo.”

“It’s Omega.”  Fuck it, he wouldn’t be a good hockey player if he didn’t know when to shoot his shot.  “Nice to meet you.”

He chose to focus on Terzo’s amazing smile rather than Secondo’s glare.  

“Omega.”  Terzo dragged out the ‘a’ sound far longer than necessary.  He had a brief vision in his head of Terzo also doing that while Omega pounded into him and holy fuck he was in so much trouble.  “Judging by my fratello’s hostility I’m assuming you play hockey, sì?”

“Yep.”  He dared to walk closer to the ice, really not sure where all this bravery was coming from but also knowing it had everything to do with how Terzo was looking at him.  “Sweden.”

“Ah, well that’s a pity.”  Terzo set his elbows on the short wall around the rink and rested his chin in his hands.  “Here I was hoping you were Italian and I’d see you more.”

“You can see me whenever you like.”  He hazarded a glance at Secondo and immediately regretted it.  The glare enough to tamp down the brief moment of suave bravery he was feeling.  “I mean, if you want?”

“Oh I definitely want, in fact why don’t we do lun—“

A burst of Italian from Secondo had Omega flinching and Terzo glaring at his brother.  He straightened up from his lean and spat something back at him.  The two went back and forth for a moment before Secondo threw his hands up in the air with an irritated shout.  He directed one last glare Omega’s way before storming off.  

“He ok?” 

“Sì, he’s just tense.  Lots of pressure.  You know how it is.” 

Omega nodded because he did know how it was.  And with this being the Winter Olympics all that pressure was amplified exponentially.  He had no doubt there would be an even larger target on his back if Sweden and Italy met on the ice this year.  But with Secondo gone he felt the spark of bravery returning and knew this was as good a chance as he’d get.  

“So.  Lunch?”  

Terzo smirked and started skating backwards along the wall.  Omega followed him like a duckling, watching as his muscles moved under his costume.  

“Lunch to start with.”  Terzo exited the rink, grabbing his blade covers and easily slipping them on.  “I’m sure we can find something to do after.”  

Omega grinned, ducking his head for a moment to hide his blush.  When he looked up Terzo had moved closer and Omega was definitely in trouble here.  Talk about love at first sight.  

Although the ABBA definitely helped too.

And thus the Butt Sparkle Verse begins...

Read Copia on ICE! part one

My Masterlist ~ My Archive of our Own ~ My Ko-Fi Tip Jar

#my fics #my writing #butt sparkle verse #terzo x omega #papa emeritus iii x omega #the band ghost fanfiction #ghost band fanfiction #terzo fanfiction #papa emeritus iii fanfiction #terzo #omega ghoul #terzomega #terzo fanfic #the band ghost fanfic #ghost band fanfic

[emo-emu64]

The Princess's Favor

Knight! Zack X Princess!Reader

Isaac Foster was considered a monster by most, a threat by all. A dangerous beast of a man, cut-throat, and stone faced. A valiant soldier that quickly climbed the ranks of the palace's guards. Ruthless in his endeavors to protect the royal family. In his endeavors to protect you.

That was how everybody else saw him at least, you considered him a giant teddy bear.

"Pretty please?"

It wasn't often that you were seen without your personal guard but, his patrols along the outside of the castle walls were supposed to be an exception. 

That became more and more of a rarity, however, as you asked him more often that not to accompany him. And he never quite figured out how to say no to you.

"Princess, it's not safe. Have you even asked your father?"

He avoided your gaze as he tended to his horse, knowing that he couldn't resist the big doe eyes that seemingly granted you everything you'd ever wished for.

He didn't mind though, not really, he'd conquer every kingdom this side of the sea if you looked at him like that.

"My father trusts you, I don't have to ask him about every little adventure. Besides, it's perfectly safe as long as I have you!"

He heaved a sigh as he finally met your gaze, big eyes and a hopeful smile, "Go get your bag."

You cheered, wrapping your arms around him briefly as you thanked him, then pressing a chaste kiss to his lips, running back to the stables where you had put your belongings.

A fortunate enough thing for Zack, as he was able to briefly stifle the smile that graced his lips.

Although, he couldn't say the same for when you came sprinting back, satchel slung over your shoulder, grinning from ear to ear.

Zack helped you up into the saddle first, like a true gentleman, before sliding comfortably in place behind you. 

You leaned back into his warmth, a comforting and familiar feeling. Safe, like home.

You brace yourself as the horse takes off like a shot into the woods. Zack weaves through trees and branches with ease, and his horse keeps a steady and sure footing on the mossy and mud-caked earth.

The wind in your hair is as exhilarating as always, and you raise your arms outward, throwing your head to the sky to cheer.

Zack pretends he doesn't find immeasurable joy in your joy by lightly flicking the back of your skull, leaning down closer to you so you can hear him over the rushing wind in your ears.

"Hands on the saddle, princess, gotta bring you back in one piece if I wanna keep my job."

You laugh as you bring your arms back down to your sides, keeping a firm hold to the horn of the saddle, simply because he asked you to. No matter how much danger he thought you may be in, you knew there was never any danger of you falling. Not with his strong arms on either side of you holding the reins. You felt invincible. 

Zack slows the horse to a stop as a clearing comes into view, filled with wildflowers and ferns of all kinds. You and Zack have found a plethora of spots during his patrols, but this one was by far your favorite. 

You often convinced Zack to eat lunch here. Bringing a basket of snacks from the kitchen, which was probably more sweets and pastries than an actual meal, but who's to say?

Zack dismounted in order to help you down, gently taking your hand.

As soon as your feet met the ground you quickly searched through your bag until you found the familiar feel of a small tin, opening to pick out a single sugar cube. You flattened your palm, holding the sweet treat out to the horse.The horse in question took your offering gratefully and gently.

The horse had an ashy coat, with a tail and mane of deep ebony. He was tall and strong, obedient from years of battle. His name was Mortifer, a fitting name considering his rider, meaning death bringer. Although, enemies of the kingdom often called him Pallidus Equus. 

The Pale Horse.

"You're going to make him fat," Zack chastised. 

"Zack, this is the most physically active horse in the kingdom, he's not going to get fat."

You turned back to the horse lifting you hand to stroke his neck, and he huffed gently nudging you with his nose, "You're not fat, huh? Zack's just a big meanie." You turned back to face your guard, "See? You made him sad."

Zack smirked and rolled his eyes, leaning down to kiss you gently, "Whatever you say, princess."

Zack became so much more comfortable outside the castle walls, he was convinced that if your relationship was confirmed and brought to light, the two of you would be separated.

Of course this wasn't the truth, Zack was a hero in the eyes of the kingdom, not some lowly knight trying to quickly climb the ranks, it would be fine, encouraged even for him to marry royal. Not to mention the two of you were the worst kept secret in the kingdom. You went everywhere together, he looked at you like you were the sun, and you looked at him like he put the stars in the sky. Even the castle's head baker, a very kind but also very blind old man, could see that.

You lower yourself to the grass, leaning against the largest oak you could find, pulling out your most recent cross stitch to occupy your hands. Zack soon joins you, sharpening his numerous blades with the whetstone he keeps on hand.

After a good while of simply enjoying each other's company, you decide to break the silence with the question that's been plaguing your mind since you first heard the rumor from your father's associates.

"Zack?"

"Hm?" He looks up from his knife, twirling it in his hands. When he finds your face, his brows crease, taking in the sad look in your eyes.

You put down your project and turn to face him, hands gently settling in your lap, you look downwards as you play with a blade of grass, "Is it true that you're being sent on that campaign that my father is planning?"

Zack's lips form a thin line, and he sighs, "Figured you'd heard about that."

He feels his heart crack wide open when your face saddens, your usual cheeriness completely drained, "So you're going?"

He nods, and frowns, gently cupping your face as he sees tears form in your eyes, "It won't be long, princess, I promise."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was going to, I just... hadn't thought of how yet, I don't like seein' ya sad like this."

"You got hurt really bad on the last one Zack, I didn't know if your were going to make it."

The tears rimming your eyes fall freely down your cheeks now, and he gently wipes them away with his thumb. 

"I always make it, pretty thing, can't go leavin' ya all by yourself can I? You'll make my horse all fat and slow."

He smiles down at you as you giggle, and wrap your arms around his neck. 

"Oh!"

You jump to your bag rooting through it for your gift.

You pull out an embroidered handkerchief, pushing it into his open hands.

He opens it and grins at the stitches, its a field filled with flowers and trees, Zack thinks it looks very much like the one the two of you were currently seated in.

"You have to live, in order to bring it back to me. It's my favor."

He smiles, pressing a kiss to your forehead, "You'll have it back in no time, princess."

#isaac foster #angels of death #zack foster #fanfic #satsuriku no tenshi #zack foster x reader #isaac foster x reader

[silversdragonemporium]

The Heart

Ship: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Byleth Eisner (nonbinary)

Summary:

A strange meteor falls from the sky, and Dimitri feels compelled to go investigate it. When he does, he meets with Byleth. A being that is beyond any comprehension.

Who is Byleth? Where did they come from? And why is it that when Dimitri is near them, everything just feels... so right?

(Written for Dimileth Trick or Treat)

Warnings: Existential angst? I guess? Also gore.

Rating: Mature

AO3 Link

There was a deity. Falling from the sky. A perfect being. Neither male nor female. Not old nor young. Their hair burned bright green trailing behind them as they fell. They landed on the mountains just outside Fhirdiad. Dimitri knew those forests well. Then, there was a strange sensation. Or was it a sound? It was like a chirp, but one that he could feel in his body. And it grew so strong, that he then realized that he didn’t have a body, but that there was nothing but the feeling of joy, of homecoming, like when one awoke from a nightmare with their parents hugging them, reassuring that all will be fine. “Find me”, a voice beckoned.

And then, he woke up. Back into his cursed existence. Not a shapeless, limitless, serene awareness… but as Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd. The cursed king of a frozen wasteland.

Dimitri didn’t want to move. He wanted to recapture the feeling that he had for that one moment. But the chirp, or vibration, or sound was no longer there. He could only feel the faint echos of it inside his skull, leaving behind the sensation of loss at being so far apart from where he belonged.

“Your Majesty!” Ingrid, one of his childhood friends turned knight, barged into his room. When she saw him on the bed, she allowed herself a sign of relief. “Apologies for the intrusion! The guards on duty reported that the falling star came close to your tower. But they must have been mistaken.”

Dimitri immediately sat up. A fallen star?!

“Where did it land?!” Dimitri demanded, recalling the deity’s plea.

“Huh?” Ingrid stared at him in confusion. “Um… I think the report said that the meteor landed in the mountains nearby.”

Dimitri didn’t hesitate to get out of bed and run towards the stables. He had to find where the fallen star had landed.

“That’s it,” Ingrid said, dismounting from her pegasus and slowly walking towards a glowing green stone that was embedded into the ground. “Please stand back, your Majesty.”

Dimitri pulled the reigns of his horse, looking at the glowing green-glowing piece of rock. It looked just like in his dream. There was no doubt about it. Someone —something— wanted him to come here. But why?

He then felt the same strange chirp from his dream. Dimitri could feel it in his head, in his heart, pulsing and shaking him.

“Did you hear that too?” He asked to Ingrid’s back, who had stepped closer to the fallen star.

“Glenn?” Ingrid let out a gasp. “Glenn…!”

“Ingrid?” Dimitri asked. But she couldn’t hear him. She dropped her lance and ran towards the glowing green meteor.

“It really is you,” Ingrid smiled, as she opened her arms to embrace someone he couldn’t see. “I missed you.”

There was a blinding glow, and the next thing Dimitri knew, Ingrid wasn’t there.

“Ingrid?” Dimitri approached the rock with some trepidation. There was no trace of her. It was almost as if… she had never been there. 

What was going on?

Once he stood right in front of the meteor, Dimitri felt a compulsion to reach out and touch it. Despite knowing that that was probably a bad idea, he found himself reaching out to it.

When he did, he saw the same figure he had seen in his dreams. Neither male nor female, not old nor young. A perfect being, with a perfect smile.

“Thank you,” said the being. “For bringing her back to us.”

“Us?” Dimitri asked.

“She is reunited with all of us,” the figure said with a smile, tapping the meteor. “See here.”

When Dimitri looked into the meteor, the world around him vanished for a moment. But he saw Ingrid and Glenn locked in an embrace. Next to them was his own father, and stepmother, and—

“Now she won’t be alone ever again,” the deity said with a smile.

Dimitri tried to claw his way into the meteor. “Please… I beg you. Let me go with them!”

“Everybody will return to us eventually. You will enough join us in due time.”

“But I want to get back with them now!” Dimitri cried. “Since that day that I lost everything, there is nothing I’ve wanted more than…!”

There was that chirp again. And Dimitri felt surrounded by love, by peace, by fulfillment. Cherished and safe. All of his anguish had vanished, and now he was truly free.

But then, that moment quietly faded, and he was back in the forest, with the deity looking at him with glowing eyes that were framed by glowing hair. They were the most beautiful being he had ever seen. If he couldn’t have that eternal bliss that he had felt right then, then Dimitri would be satisfied by merely drowning in their mesmerizing presence.

“We called you for a reason,” the diety said. 

“A reason?” Dimitri asked.

“You are the only one that heard us. The only one that can fulfill everybody’s deepest desire.”

And Dimitri knew what they were talking about. Even if it was only for a fleeting moment that he experienced that paradise, he knew that keeping it all to himself would be horribly selfish. He had an obligation to allow all of his subjects to experience it for themselves. The more that got to return to the joy of where they belonged, the better.

It was his duty as king. His sole purpose in life: to lead his people with wisdom and care.

“Call us Byleth,” said the diety.

The meteorite was about as big as a fat housecat. And it was heavy, too. Even with the boon of his crest, Dimitri still had to take breaks as he hauled the rock back to Fhirdiad. Perhaps, he was more exhausted because he hadn’t slept much and was also leading his horse and Ingrid’s pegasus by the reigns.

“You are not physically exhausted,” Byleth had said, their presence manifesting next to Dimitri, as if they were walking next to him. “Your mind is the one that’s exhausted. Beholding us is something you are not used to, yet.”

That made sense, in a way. Though Byleth’s eyes and hair had glowed at nighttime, now that dawn was breaking he could admire more of their sublime beauty with his eyes. Such spectacle was so impressive, Dimitri found himself unable to look directly at them for long periods of time. If looking at them was hard, why shouldn’t carrying them around also be exhausting?

“So… this thing is you?” Dimitri asked.

“What you are holding is the physical manifestation of our heart. While we are not usually limited by the physical realm, we were severely weakened. We imbued that heart with all of our essences and memories. Once we regain our strength, it will have served our purpose, and no longer be needed.”

Dimitri nodded. He really didn’t understand what Byleth was saying. But, considering just how confusing and inscrutable every single thing they said was, he decided that asking for clarification would only end up with him being even more confused than before.

“That is alright,” Byleth said with a smile, seemingly understanding what he was thinking. “For now, just consider our heart where we must reside because we are currently weak.”

“How can you get stronger?” Dimitri asked.

“The more people return to us, the stronger we become,” Byleth’s serene smile fell, and for a moment, Dimitri thought that their radiant look dimmed. “In my old planet, everybody was part of The Heart. But one day, a group of travelers descended from the stars. When one of their kind joined the heart, the distant travelers were frightened by it. They tried to destroy all of The Heart, and I’m afraid that I’m the only one that could…”

“They killed everybody they could find, didn’t they?”

“It wasn’t just everybody they could see,” Byleth said. Dimitri saw that tears were quietly slipping from those gem-like eyes. “By destroying The Heart, they tried to erase every single being that had once lived in our planet. They wanted to force us to live an individual existence, separated and alone… and to vanish into nothing after death.”

“I can’t completely understand, but…” Dimitri looked down at the heart he was carrying around. “When I was a child, I was also the sole survivor of an attack that killed everybody that I loved. Ever since then, I’ve lived with the weight of my guilt. Sometimes, it’s so overbearing, I feel like I’m choking.”

Ingrid’s pegasus seemed to dislike the dark turn in the conversation, as it whined and pulled back from Dimitri’s hold on the reigns suddenly. Dimitri tried to hold on to its reigns, but it managed to break free, puffing and beating the ground with its hoof.

“There, there,” Byleth shushed, and they gently reached out to pet the pegasus. It immediately settled down. “Go back with Dimitri. He won’t hurt you.”

The pegasus meekly walked over to Dimitri. He took its reigns back.

“That’s the thing…” Byleth muttered. “The ones we loved are not truly gone. In the end, they all come back.”

Dimitri smiled. Though Byleth was as radiant as before, he realized that looking at them was not nearly as difficult as before. 

“What the fuck is that?” Felix asked with a glare, crossing his arms. “And where is Ingrid?”

“This is Byleth’s heart,” Dimitri explained, walking past Felix as he carried the heart into the castle. “Ingrid joined it.”

“What?” Felix yelled. Dimitri could hear his footsteps trail behind him “Get back here, you boar! Don’t just ignore me…!”

Dimitri really didn’t mean to close the throne room door on his face. It was just hard to keep it open since he was carrying Byleth’s heart. He carried the precious meteorite all the way to the throne, and he placed it on the seat.

“Do you like it Byleth?” Dimitri asked.

“This is the seat where you take office,” said Byleth. “Why place our heart here?”

“I will help you regain all of your lost strength,” Dimitri explained, feeling mildly feverish from the excitement.

Before Byleth could respond to him, Felix had kicked down the door, his face red with rage. Or, perhaps it was exertion? The throne room doors were heavy.

“Don’t just ignore me when I’m talking to you!” Felix stomped over to the throne. “What did that thing do to Ingrid?!”

Felix drew his sword.

Dimitri couldn’t recall much of what happened next. Somehow, Felix’s head had ended in his hands. There was a crack, and then the head wasn’t a head. And Felix wasn’t Felix anymore.

When Dimitri saw his hands, covered with his friends blood, he felt sick. It was like he wanted to puke, and cry and scoop out his own eyeballs all at the same time. 

But Byleth gently stopped him. Before his madness consumed him, he heard— felt— that vibration, that sound, that sensation. And for another moment, everything was right and perfect in the world.

“It’s alright,” Byleth’s voice resounded within him. “He is with us now.”

And upon hearing that, Dimitri felt great relief. Though it seemed that he had just viciously crushed his childhood friend’s skull, he had truly done none of that. Felix had just joined Ingrid.

Ever since that day, Dimitri opened the doors to his castle. What once had been a rare occasion, was now a daily routine. Most people came to visit him to request certain favors. Some pointedly did their best to ignore the glowing meteor now permanently residing on the throne of the Kingdom of Faerghus. Others did stare at Byleth’s heart, but made no other comment.

And then, it all changed when Sylvain came to visit Dimitri.

“Your Majesty,” Sylvain had said with one of his usual, insincere smiles. “I heard that something happened to Ingrid and Felix. And that it involves that hunk of space rock that you hauled in one day.”

“This is Byleth’s heart,” Dimitri explained, gently patting the glowing stone. “And they joined them.”

“So, are they inside the stone?”

Dimitri turned to Byleth, who was standing next to him, illuminating his life with their usual radiance. They nodded, ever-so slightly. 

“In a way… yes,” Dimitri said, turning back to Sylvain. “Would you like to see?”

Sylvain had narrowed his eyes with clear skepticism. Nevertheless, he took a few cautious steps towards the throne.

“Don’t worry,” Byleth cooed, as gently as they had calmed Ingrid’s pegasus on the morning Dimitri had carried their heart. “There is nothing to be afraid of.”

Dimitri took Sylvain’s hand, and lead it to touch Byleth’s heart.

When he touched it, there was another bright light, and Dimitri saw Sylvain gasping as he saw Felix and Ingrid, just the way he remembered them. But before he would be able to join them too, the vision vanished.

“You did good, Dimitri,” Byleth’s voice encouraged him gently, enveloping him in a soothing, gentle warmth. “Thank you.”

When he returned to, Sylvain was completely gone. Which wasn’t surprising, as he had joined with Byleth.

Ever since that day, more and more people began to outright ignore Dimitri when they came into the throne room, instead opting to lovingly gaze upon Byleth’s heart, or sometimes to even throw themselves to join them.

A part of Dimitri couldn’t help but feel a small sting of rejection. After all, Byleth was seemingly taking in everybody that wanted to join them. Noble and commoner, thieves and saints, children and elders. It seemed that everybody was welcome.

Except him.

But at nights, whenever Dimitri laid between wakefulness and deep sleep, he could feel the sound that had first managed to soothe and calm the raging storm within him. And that way, Dimitri knew that Byleth hadn’t forsaken him. That he still had a role to play, and that once he was ready, he would never know fear, pain, isolation or anything else again. There would only be Byleth and everybody else he had loved, forever together.

Dimitri didn’t know how much time had passed.

However, he did notice that the castle and the markets were emptier than before. Had all these people decided to join in with Byleth? It was likely. Who would want to spend the rest of their live, being forced to face the horrors of reality, when one could simply just avoid all that and just be one with Byleth?

However, one day, his largely empty castle was suddenly flooded by soldiers.

Soldiers clad in crimson red.

Leading them was none other than Edelgard, Dimitri’s stepsister. As the few remaining knights had tried to stop the invading advance to the throne room, Dimitri knew that he had to prepare for battle.

“Byleth,” Dimitri whispered to them. “I’m sorry. I had promised you I’d strengthen you but I…”

“It’s alright,” Byleth said. “You have done a brilliant job, Dimitri. Thank you.”

And Dimitri wanted to argue that no, he had truly not done anything of worth. But before he could self-depreciate himself, Byleth spoke up.

“Remember. Everybody will return to me in the end. No matter what happens today. In the end, all will be fine.”

And that had been enough for Dimitri to steel himself for the battle to come. 

The door broke down. And amongst a sea of blood, only Edelgard remained standing.

“Here you are, mad king,”Edelgard flicked the blood off her axe. “When I first heard the rumors, I didn’t want to believe them… to think, that you’d sacrifice your own people to some demon!”

“It’s not like that!” Dimitri exclaimed. “If you only knew, El—”

“Don’t call me that! You no longer have the right to call me that!”

“But Byleth is no demon. Byleth is…”

Everything, everywhere, everyone. The only home he ever needed. The only one that understood him.

“It’s all that stupid rock’s fault…” Edelgard turned her intense glare towards Byleth’s heart, sitting calmly upon the throne. “I will free you from its grasp!”

“No! Stop!” Dimitri scrambled, trying to dive in to stop her axe. But before he could stop Labraunda, it hit Byleth’s heart.

As if trying to comfort Dimitri, Byleth emitted that sensation that allowed him to feel the peace of being one with them, his parents, his friends, everybody he had ever known and loved—

All except El.

When he came back to, Edelgard was still cracking Byleth’s heart to dust.

“Stop…!” Dimitri cried. “Don’t hurt Byleth…!”

He crawled to the sparkling dust that had once been Byleth’s heart. When his hands scooped the dust up, he couldn’t feel, see nor hear them.

“No… Byleth… Byleth, please answer me…”

“Now pick your weapon, King of Delusion!” She challenged. “I will cull you and your madness from this world!”

Dimitri wept. Where was Byleth gone? And everybody else that had returned to them? Was he forced to live the rest of his life, knowing that he would forever be incomplete?

That fate… was cruel.

“Pick your weapon!” She screamed, holding Labaruna in her hand. “Fight me!”

He looked up at El. Saw the fear, the anguish in her eyes. As if she knew, that if he didn’t fight her back, the Dee that she had once known was truly dead, along with the stone that she thought was just a stone.

Dimitri bowed his head, Byleth’s heart slipping between his fingers. What was the point of it now? Edelgard had been too efficient. Dimitri would have been a fierce monster just to defend Byleth. He would have reveled in the thought of even claiming her head and spilling all of her blood to the soil.

But now?

Now, none of that really mattered.

“Byleth…” Dimitri cried. “You said I’d be with you... You promised me… Everybody returns to you in the end.”

He felt a piercing cold strike his left arm, followed by vague, liquid warmth running down his side. Then he heard a wet, slapping sound. When he rose his eyes from the dust that had been Byleth’s heart, he noticed that there was an arm on the floor. It had been cleanly cut off from the base in one single strike.

“Oh,” Dimitri turned to look at himself. Right.

That had been his arm. The warmth he was feeling was his own blood flowing out. And the piercing he felt must have been someone cleaving it off. That made sense.

“Wh-what is this?” Edelgard stuttered, the bloodstained Labraunda still dripping with her stepbrother’s blood. “Why are you—?!”

“Why are you surprised?” Dimitri asked. “You were the one that cut it off.”

“That’s not—! What’s wrong with you? Why are you not screaming in pain?!”

“I’m…” Dimitri looked back down at the stump where his arm had been, and then at the arm that was still on the floor next to him. He noticed, that his blood was staining the dust that had been Byleth’s heart, dying the pale green a crimson red. “I’m not in pain.”

“That’s impossible!” She screamed. “Nobody can just not feel something like that!”

“Maybe,” he mused. ”I’m nobody.”

“Shut up! Shut up!” She swung her axe around blindly. 

More parts of Dimitri were cut. Guts, viscera and entrails were spilled out from his body by the force of Edelgard’s incisive axe. Just as she had mercilessly chopped down Byleth’s heart until it was little more than sparkling green dust, she had also pulverized her stepbrother until there was nothing but red, red, red.

And when she was done with her rampage, she had fallen on her knees, tears slipping out of her eyes.

“Dee,” she lamented. “Dee, I’m so sorry…”

Now… why did she do all that, if she was going to feel bad about it later?

It’s okay, El.

It really doesn’t matter.

You might not be ready today.

But someday, maybe at the end of time, you will join us too.

Everybody will.

#dimileth #dimitri alexandre blaiddyd #byleth eisner #nb byleth eisner #fe3h fanfic #silvercoldbrew #silverfic:complete #dimilethtrickortreat

[lazypanartist]

Chapter 1

---

A Rose By Any Other Name

Would Feel As Frigid

-

Warnings: mentions of underage smoking and drinking, other questionable activities, theft, and the American school system

Notes: a little over half of you said to name Reader, so that's what we'll do!

-

Previous

-

Meet Casey, our little OC/reader insert. Gender neutral name, they/them pronouns, and as always, you can change these in your head as we go along.

I figured giving a name to 'em would just help me as a writer keep track of stuff. Idk. If it doesn't work I'll just change it.

---

Each of us was assigned to a different inmate by our friendly neighborhood guardsman, Bob. Probably not his real name, but he's not exactly relevant. Brown hair, angry eyes, late forties. Just like two of the other guards I saw in the Pen.

I watched Jackson, one of the football team's linebackers, visibly pale when he was assigned to Blockbuster.

Will got Icicle Senior, and seemed even less excited than Jack. We'd heard more about Senior's stunts than Blockbuster's, and they weren't exactly pretty.

Poor Will.

Lainey pulled some lady named Devastation. When Bob pulled up her profile, Laine grinned.

"She's the one that broke the Brooklyn Bridge last winter. Put a car through it when Bane held out on a Venom shipment."

I winced slightly.

"Seems excessive."

"Does it help that he was on the bridge?" Lainey's smile widened, glinting canines matching her beanie.

"Didn't know you were so violently inclined." Daniel pulled his hoodie off and handed it to security, bumping my shoulder with his own.

Laine rolled her eyes. "You've played bouncer for me. You get how deals work."

"Pay up or get tossed, I know." The other jock looked the screen over again, then nodded. "She's hot."

"She's also twenty." Jack shoved between Dan and I, dropping his belongings into the tray. "And has more muscle than the whole Varsity team put together. Don't get killed," he offered Lainey.

"It'll take the whole punishment's mood down." Dan rolled his eyes at my quip.

"Like it's not bad enough already."

Rachel got paired with some lady named Shimmer. Similar hair styles, but Bob didn't seem to notice.

Olivia ended up with someone named Psimon. Pale, with an odd, clear dome for a skull and visible brain beneath.

"If it wasn't for your little business, none of us would be here!" Olive snarled at Lainey.

She snickered. "We could see your smoke from the stairs! If those two knuckleheads hadn't asked Ray for drinks," the gestured towards Jack and Dan, "we'd have been fine."

Before the trip, us seven and Parker, the yearbook kid, had to take home permission slips for our parents to sign. The typical "if anything bad happens, whoops but it's not on us" deal. My mom wasn't going to let me go, but as soon as she heard the charges for the lock picking and camera would be dropped, she was sold.

How rude.

"Casey?"

I glanced up.

"Yeah?"

Bob's scowl deepened.

"You're assigned ta Cameron Mahkent, Icicle Junior."

His profile popped onto the screen, forcing Psimon's out of view. I could feel my eyes widen as another teenager came into focus.

White hair, blue eyes, long sideburns, and a sharp jawline like Dan's, but with less width.

That was just his mugshot, though. Next to that photo was one I recognized from the news - a pointy chinned, blue skinned kid with angled edges everywhere - his shoulders were broader, fingers longer and sharper, and even his ears seemed a bit more pointed; almost like he was chiseled from ice.

"He sued to be tried 's an adult an' be placed here with his father," Bob said. "Then he helped try 'n stage a breakout. Rap sheet longer'n some adults I've seen - tons 'f injuries, break ins, obstructions of traffic an' justice. We figured you'd be th' best fin," he grinned, "'cause yours is one'a them crimes. The res', though? Normal teenage nonsense."

I could feel my own lips curl into more of a snarl than a smile as I took my coat back from the other guard. The rest of my stuff was shoved, along with everyone else's, into a drawer behind the counter.

"Oh, joy."

---

Next

#cameron mahkent x reader #cameron mahkent #yj icicle jr #icicle jr x reader #young justice icicle jr #icicle junior #icicle jr #icicle jr yj #icicle jr young justice #young justice x reader #young justice #young justice icicle junior #dc icicle jr #onslaught icicle jr #dc x reader #x reader #xreader #dc x oc #young justice x oc

[dreamii-krybaby]

OK HOO BOI! Time to analyze EP3 of Murder Drones! Alongside speculations!

Also buckle up this going to be long and there going to be parts in this thing bc of how much I have to unpack here.

Ok so first thing first: The AS,The AS “gadgets” (Doll’s bracelet and Uzi’s Necklace) Doll,Yeva (Doll’s mom),Nori and Uzi.

So it seems that Yeva and Nori where indeed related,perhaps they were co-workers. Both were probably studying the AS,The Company and The DDs.

It seems that they weren’t the only ones behind this research,it seems that a lot of WDs worked on this “secret research organization” judging by Yeva’s ID card.

I personally think this SRO (secret research organization) was researching the AS and trying to use it to their advantage,maybe trying to figure it out and use it against the DDs and perhaps even humanity.

I also believe the SRO created these “AS gadgets” (Doll’s/Yeva’s bracelet and Uzi’s necklace)

Also the SRO symbol,the one found in the “AS gadgets” (the symbol which consists of a warning sign,has 2 triangles sticking out to the right side and warning symbol has a skull symbol on it instead of the typical “!” one) is eerily similar that of the DDs symbol,aka the skull symbol. But slightly different in art style.

And I believe we can see this SRO skull symbol on Doll’s house! It was painted on the wall and there are plenty of shots showing it.

And why do I think WDs where the head of this organization? Well I certainly believe the company (JCJENSON) is somehow connected to this organization but I doubt they were the ones to create it. This is also thanks to Yeva’s ID card:

Why would the company bother keeping these “rogue” WDs names?

Why would they let WDs keep their accessories? Like their clothing and hair? Especially their hair,since it was confirmed by Liam in a Reddit AMA, that WDs get their hair out of human corpses.

Why even bother giving these AS gadgets a pleasing eye design? My example is Uzi’s necklace.

Also fun fact! Yeva means “Life”/“Mother of life”/“source of life”/“living one” and is related to the biblical name “Eve”.

That definitely doesn’t have lore implications lol.

Also! Some info we can get out of Yeva’s ID card:

•”C9” on the top left.

At first I didn’t know what could it mean,but thanks to @watercat678 for pointing it out. This probably means “Copper-9”.

Why would they put that? Could this mean this happened in other Exoplanets or places? (Crack Idea)

•At the top right you can the SRO symbol

•“A” next a yellow bar,which is located below Yeva’s pic.

•The Card also has “YEVA” written below the pic,which makes sense bc it’s her name.

• The number “048” is below her name

• Bar code on the bottom of the ID card

Now I speculate Yeva and Nori to be scientists or researchers at this organization but what if they were subject experiments? Or both? You know,scientists experimenting on themselves or maybe on their own family?

Also I noticed along side others that Yeva and Nori are wearing the exact same outfit;

• A simple black choker/necklace. (Could that be an earlier version of the AS gadgets?(crack idea))

• A black WD hat. (Tho this could be coincidence in character design)

• A black or dark grey short sleeve dress with a “V” neck.

Now I think both Nori and Yeva are wearing the exact same outfit because are “subject experiment outfits”

Basically an outfit specifically made to run tests on them and to examine them easily. Kinda like the clothes they put you on when you are at a healthcare facility and have to monitor your body.

Also,Yeva’s pic also confirms that Nori’s scar is well,indeed a scar,and not some wonky clothing piece. Since Yeva’s lacks that.

Ok so before anything I wanna talk about the “AS gadgets” that I keep mentioning; Doll’s bracelet and Uzi’s necklace.

Both have numbers below it and the SRO symbol on it,some people were able to make out the numbers;

Doll’s Bracelet says “048” and Uzi’s necklace says “002”.

I personally believe this used to belong to their mothers. Doll’s case is pretty obvious,her bracelet and Yeva’s ID card have both the “048” number on it.

But do you know what also has the number 48 on it?

Remember the newspapers from Uzi’s string theory? The one where gravitational forces where detected at site-48???

Site-48

S i t e - 4 8

Yeva was absolutely involved in that. Also could that site be related to the SRO? Since the site share the same number as Yeva, did that site be contained her? All I know its directly linked to her.

Speaking of places,look at this shot showed in the S1 trailer. We haven’t seen this in EP3 and I think its building up to EP4. Something I noticed is the arquitecture,it look odd to me but also.

There are pine trees! And why bring this up? Well if we look at the SRO symbol there are triangles on the side,which resembles pine trees (since the triangles are stretched upwards and have a lil stick poking out below)

Could this place be the origin of the SRO? And perhaps is related to Site-48? And maybe even involves Nori,Uzi,Doll,alongside Yeva and her husband.

Also the place looks like is still running! As you can see lights in the place far away but there is also a lantern shining in the roadway. I belive this is related to what Doll said at the end of EP3:

What is she looking for??? It’s probably related to her mother,the AS and the SRO. And she may find answers in this new location

Also after Doll found out Uzi had the AS she seemed to completely switch character. Am not saying she is “good” but she did seem to open up for negotiation. I am also going to talk about her reaction in that scene much later.

Anyways back on track. I HC that Uzi’s necklace originally belonged to her mother,Nori. (Btw this HC was waaaay back to the pilot) but EP3 seems to imply that imo:

• Honestly the aesthetic Uzi’s necklaces looks very odd compared to her clothing and general aesthetic. The necklace gives more of a preppy feminine vibe.

• So why on earth would Uzi be wearing this? Unless it had significant sentimental value. Maybe Uzi and even Khan knew that this is probably one of the last things remaining of Nori.

• also Uzi (and probably Khan) probably had no damm idea her necklace was directly linked to the AS. And the fact that it was,is a big ass coincidence. Unless it belonged to Nori,who we know is directly linked to the AS.

Now this could be the other way around,Uzi’s necklace was made for her. So there is a slight chance of Nori being “001”

But I can’t say for sure. All I know is that Nori is probably “001” or “002”

I think these gadgets were made to amplify the AS abilities,because as soon Doll looses her bracelet she is super concerned. And when preparing to attack Uzi she use more of her basic abilities. And we didn’t see her wear the bracelet in EP2. Where she looked like she was amateurish with her AS

Not only that,When Uzi’s AS abilities kicked in,her necklace was activated. I think the AS was the one to trigger the activation.

Some people believe that Uzi tasting oil was the trigger for Uzi’s AS,which is interesting.

BRO a detail I JUST noticed,is that the symbol on her necklace looks worn out,in comparison to Yeva’s bracelet. Which makes sense,this gadget was literally one of the first ones to be created. But this could also means it was heavily used at the time,it could be of Uzi wearing it everyday but it also reinforces the idea of the necklace originally belonging to Nori.

Ok so now am going to switch to Doll:

In EP2 we finally see her AS,she looked like she was still new to it. Like covering her glitchy eye,locking the door to stop Lizzy from opening it,in a very amateur way. (tho it could be bc she was panicking or she wasn’t wearing her bracelet (which could be an AS ability amplifier)) This was also the start of her revenge plan.

In EP3 she looks like she was years ahead compared EP2. She also was more mentally unstable and way more violent. Of course this was probably bc of her revenge plan against V.

Also it seems that Lizzy didn’t know Doll’s abilities and plan in EP2. Meaning there was probably a big time jump between EP2 and EP3 (maybe a few weeks? Or days?)

Also Doll’s parents may have been alive in the pilot,but I can’t say that for shure.

I do think Lizzy’s comment in EP2 “We are your folks?” Seems to imply Lizzy knew them or maybe she simply expected Doll to have them.

I also found her comment “That was the joke? Idiot”, peculiar but I could be overthinking.

Some people say Doll’s AS grew stronger bc of the amount of oil she consumed,which could be plausible. But i think she also poked around Yeva’s stuff and the SRO. I also believe Doll’s father was also somehow involved with the AS and SRO

If we go back to EP2 some people wondered how Doll got hands on a pic of V. Well EP3 answers that

In the flashback of Doll’s parents death, in the first shot we see Doll’s POV, she seems to be hiding behind 2 doors,could it be a van? A new location? (Maybe near the pine tree location?) Also what where they doing? I belive this was in a whole different location judging by the doors design. They look to belong to a different building.

We can also see Doll’s father pinned to the ground reaching for a camera…why would he do this?

We can also see this took place outside. (I was able to see snow and huge abandoned buildings) But Doll was hiding behind doors. Also in the background we can see lil lights, are these drones eyes or another thing?

In this shot we can see Doll’s father taking a picture of V. Imo he was maybe using the camera flash to maybe startle V (which we all know didn’t work)

or he did it for research??? Like a last ditch attempt to complete a mission????

Also in this shot we can see Doll’s eye glowing in the background.

Another thing to point out is that seconds after the camera flash Doll’s eye started glitching to the AS symbol,which is interesting but may also mean nothing.

My crack idea is that the camera flash and her AS are related but again don’t take it too seriously,its a crack idea.

On a more serious note tho,it seems that Doll had the AS before her parents death. Since her eye just suddenly started manifesting the AS symbol without showing any clear signs of being infected.

Doll could have inherent the AS from her mother, Yeva. (Like Uzi receiving the AS due to Nori)

Or she could have been an experiment at the SRO (but that’s a crack idea)

A thing to point out is Doll and her abilities in the EPs.

In the pilot Doll didn’t use any of her abilities and looked defenseless and scared,if my idea of Doll getting the AS from Yeva is correct,she could have use her AS abilities but at that time she didn’t want to reveal them out of fear.

Or maybe she wasn’t infected yet

Or bc she couldn’t fully control it yet or maybe she had no idea she had the AS.

Or she had something similar to Uzi. What I mean is that Doll had the AS since the beginning but didn’t fully unlock it,so it only manifested by breaking mirrors,eye glitching and having intrusive thoughts about tasting oil.

Also Doll’s parents death are very tricky to where to put them in the timeline. All we know it happened before the present events of EP3. So here are my options on when the death’s happened.

A: their deaths happened before the pilot.

B: During the pilot. Remember N said at some point to Uzi that J and V are on “hunting for a bit”? V could have killed them during that time

C: During EP2.

Bc of the off screen friendship of Lizzy and V showed in EP3, we know V is able to take off the big chain around her neck,sneak away and also put her chain back (Notice how in all of her pics with Lizzy she isn’t wearing any chains(tho it could be a mistake?? Idk))

Also Lizzy’s and Vs friendship development must had happened after Dolls parents death. Ofc

So Yeva’s and her husbands death could have played out like this in EP2:

“V kills yeva and her husband at some point in EP2 (maybe when Thad,Uzi,N are busy with Eldritch J)

Doll witness it,and somehow awakens her AS. After she picks up a picture of V and goes back to the colony. Where the scene of Lizzy and Doll plays out.”

That segment was more of an example.

An idea I have is that Doll’s flashbacks in EP2 are after dragging her parents corpse to her house or somewhere else,as their corpses are covered in roaches, but thanks to the flashbacks in EP3 the deaths happened outside in the snow and we haven’t seen any roaches live in the snow yet.

Also Dolls father and yeva could have been killed in different locations and different times. Here is an example of what i mean:

“Doll witnessed Yeva’s death alonside her dad. Both her and her dad make a run for it,leading them to another location. Unfortunately V catches up and terminates Dolls dad free trial of living. And again,Doll witnessing it.”

The part I just recently writes isn’t a real speculation of mine its just an example.

Well speaking of Nori,only a few people have mentioned this:

“NORI’S KOOKY INSANE STUFF” hello???? Ma’am??? SIR???

This just keeps hinting at us that Nori was related to the AS,the DDs and the SRO.

Also the fact that Khan keeps this in secret from everyone,and placed Uzi’s “Crazed ramblings” with her mother’s stuff. Means Uzi is probably following Nori’s steps,which probably means no good.

The scene seems to heavily imply that Nori probably was obsessed with the AS. It was so bad she probably got herself infected on purpose in the name of research. I personally think she Infected herself willingly looking at all the information that provides EP3 and EP2

Actually looking back at hologram-Nori in EP2.

Not only now I found weird she was wearing a “subject experiment” (if the implications of EP3 are correct) outfit while carrying baby Uzi.

Her,the necklace,the SRO,the AS and her kooky insane stuff???? This all makes me think that Nori willingly infected herself.

And the fact she was carrying baby Uzi gave me a crazy ass idea.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Uzi was involved with the SRO in a much more direct way.

Anyways THIS WAS LONG. The worst part I HAVE SO MUCH MORE. But ho boi i need a break. But I also want to keep writing so bad! Anyways more parts and theories related to EP3 will come.

Also I know in “S1 analysis Part 2” I would the whole “N killed Nori” but I didn’t have the energy plus,am not super convinced of that theory.

#murder drones #uzi md #md uzi #uzi doorman #md uzi doorman #uzi doorman md #murder drones uzi doorman #uzi doorman murder drones #doll murder drones #murder drones doll #md doll #doll md #yeva murder drones #murder drones yeva #yeva md #md yeva #nori md #md nori #md nori doorman #nori doorman md #nori doorman murder drones #murder drones nori doorman

[bowiebond]

Across The Dirt Road - Chapter 1

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/39774222/chapters/99579741

Relationships: Billy Hargrove & Max Mayfield, Eddie Munson/Billy Hargrove.

Summary: They found Billy in the Upside Down. Now the dust has cleared and Billy has returned to their small town of Hawkins, ready to finally make things right with his sister. The only concern he hasn’t rolled around his head a million times while in that hellscape is the one where he just can’t seem to figure out what his new neighbor from across the dirt road’s deal was.

CW: Discussion of past abuse, suicidal idealization, angst

None of them expected to see him again. Nobody expected those grimy blond curls or torn wife beater, his chipped axe narrowly avoiding Max’s shoe as he sliced a swarming tentacle aimed for her. But there’s a hope in those eyes when he looks up at her, rising to his full height and cupped her cheek. He looks dirty and exhausted but he smiles at her despite his brimming eyes.

“Max.”

The town doesn’t bombard them with questions on why he’s back even though they buried him the year before. It’s a miracle after all the loss they had, and they thank God, a few prayers sent up above for their own losses to be returned to them.

The first thing Billy does when Max brings him to the trailer - because their home is gone and Billy finds he doesn’t miss it all, only really mourning his long ago donated belongings - is take a shower. He washed the past year off his skin and scrubbed it from his hair until it’s almost as soft as he remembered it being. Then he cries. He sits in that shower and sobs his heart out until there’s a headache raging through his skull, beyond dehydrated. How he survived so long, he has no idea. He thinks he might have blacked out for most of it, running on pure adrenaline and the renewed desire to live.

It feels good to cry without fear that something will hear him, track him down and claw at his flesh. His body has become a myriad of scars, but he can be glad he didn’t lose an eye or two down there, even if he had a scar running down the right of his bottom lip and a three pointer across his left cheek, just below his eye. Goodbye his future modelling career.

When Billy stepped out of the shower, towel around his waist, he was surprised to see Eddie in the trailer. He was leaning against the couch that Max sat on, shifting the bundle of black from hand to hand as they spoke, but they went quiet when he came out. He stared at Eddie, gaze sliding over to Max who gave a small smile.

“Hey, man, sorry to intrude.” Eddie had cleaned up as well, hair still wet and dampening his Black Sabbath shirt. He wasn’t even wearing any shoes, sweatpants a little too long on his legs. Billy said nothing, staring until Eddie cleared his throat, uncomfortable. Billy’s eyes were intense, his face giving away nothing.

“I, uh-” Eddie stepped forward and offered the bundle of clothes to him. “I realised Max and Ms Mayfield probably didn’t have much left over considering you were...well, dead.” His lips pulled into a thin line. “So I thought I’d bring you something to wear. Just until you can grab something more your own style.”

Billy looked down at his hands, bare of rings and black nail polish chipped to all hell. He doesn’t remember this guy from before he got stuck in the Upside Down, but he does remembers Henderson screaming out his name as Eddie fended off Vecna’s tendrils with his guitar, sacrificing his prized possession to give Steve the extra moment to grab Dustin and flee. Billy could respect his dedication to the kids.

He could see Eddie favoring his left leg as he took the clothes from his hands.

“Thanks.” His voice was rough, throat still tender from Vecna’s attempt at strangling him when he got in his way to Lucas. Billy might not like that the kid was special to Max, but he wouldn’t let Max grieve the little shit. Lucas seemed to feel the same considering he used Billy’s own axe to cut him free and dragged him to follow.

He unfurled the shirt, eyebrows bouncing up. Metallica. God, he had missed music most of all down there, along with his Camaro. He remembered humming the verses of Trapped Under Ice, shivering through every word until he realised he could raid the closets of the homes in the distance if he was careful venturing that far ahead. It was one of the few things that kept him sane down there.

“You know, they actually just dropped a new album.”

“What?” Billy looked up, caught off guard as he was dragged from his memories.

“Master of Puppets. It got released maybe...” Eddie gave it a thought. “A month or so ago? I drove all the way to the city just to get a copy the moment it hit the shelves.” He admitted with a small grin. “Super busy, man.”

“Huh...I sure have missed a bit.” Billy’s jaw flexed and he held the clothes in one hand. “Thanks.”

“It’s not a problem. I never really knew you, since you were only around for such a short time before you disappeared, but Max said you’re a good guy and Max is a mean but good kid, so I’ll take her word for it. Dustin vouched for her.” He tucked his hands into his pockets with a shrug, sending small teasing grin over his shoulder at Max.

“Don’t take her words for it. She’s blind.” Billy huffed, smiling faintly as he turned back to the bathroom. “I’ll get Max to send them back your way when I’m done with them.”

“Oh, dude, I’m literally across from you.” Eddie pointed out the window to the trailer with the beat up van. “You ever need anything, my uncle and I are happy to help.” Billy squinted and he could see an older man rocking on the small porch, obviously the uncle Eddie spoke of.

“I’m good.” He gave Eddie a tight smile and closed the door behind him. He peered over at the tiny mirror and clenched his jaw as he took in the bags under his eyes, the divot in his sternum that spread out in jagged white lines. His entire stomach was a mix of pink and white scarring, stark against his tanned skin (though he had definitely gotten paler without the sunlight). The longer he looked at it, the more he wanted to scream, so he pulled the shirt over his head and swallowed it back down. When he came back out, Eddie was gone.

“He let himself out?” He asked Max who nodded, looking out of the window at Eddie who was sitting on the arm of his uncles chair. “How’d he end up in this mess?”

“Vecna killed his friend. In his living room.” Max sighed softly. “He got blamed for it. Hopper was able to clear his name thankfully. Case is closed.” She shrugged, turning back to Billy. Her impassive face slowly fell away as her lips trembled. “I’m glad your home.”

“...Me too, kid.” Billy stepped forward, opening his arms and allowed Max to make the decision to accept. She rushed into his arms and held him tight, head tucked under his chin and cheek pressed against his chest.

“I’m sorry, Billy. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, kid.” Billy rubbed her shoulder gently. “When do they get back?” He stared at the wall, at the picture of Susan and Max that hung there. He had seen the beer cans. He can only assume...

“Who?” Max pulled back a little, confused. Her face always got so red and blotchy when she cried. It was ugly, but Billy didn’t care. He brushed them away with his knuckles and clarified.

“Dad and Susan.” Max’s eyes went wide, lips parted like she had realised something big and was speechless.

“Dad...Neil’s gone, Billy.” Billy’s eyes fell to hers, narrowed in confusion. “He left after you died. Said he was grieving and just...up and left. Sold the house, left the divorce papers on the table already signed...Why do you think we live here now?” Max gestured to the trailer around them, scoffing at what her life had become.

“Grieving?” Billy repeated, confusing ebbing away into betrayal and concluding with fury. “Grieving?” A humorless huff of laughter escaped his lips, dragging his tongue along his lower lip, focusing on the ridge of his scar. “That asshole wasn’t grieving, he was taking his chance to fucking start fresh.” He bit out.

Neil always did this when something big happened. He fucking ran and started fresh with something new. He had despised that Billy was old, that his mother hadn’t just taken him with her too so he could have a whole new family to start over with like it would erase all the horrible shit he did in his past.

He wanted to break something.

“Who cares?” Max huffed, looking away and creating space between them. “He’s gone now. I’m glad. Mom is working her ass off, but it was better than staying in that house with him.” She clenched her fists and Billy felt old, bitter resentment towards her anger.

“It’s not he really bothered you.” It’s acidic on his tongue and he loathes himself when Max snaps her head his way, hurt.

“You think I wanted to live with him?” Max shook her head and scoffed. “He might not have hit me, Billy, but he wasn’t nice. Not to me or mom.”

“...I know.” Billy stared right past her. “I wasn’t nice either. Don’t think I ever will be.” He admitted softly, thinking of all the times he yelled at her, taking out his bottled frustrations out on an easy target. Spitting acid in her face and convincing himself that she deserved it.

“Please.” Max rolled her eyes. “We were as bad as each other.” She looked up at him, vivid blue eyes conveying her understanding. “We were just kids, Billy. We didn’t know any better, and we were angry. All the time.”

Billy swallowed around the lump in his throat as Max gave a thin-lipped smile, her eyes gaining a shine of tears.

“I forgive you.” She said, hush. “I forgave you that night, and then you took your last breath...” Her voice gained a wobble. “And all I could I think was that you’d never know. But I did.” Max sniffed loudly and wiped her nose with her sleeve.

“All I ever wanted was an apology, Billy. To know you didn’t really hate me.”

“I don’t hate you.” Billy whispered. “I never hated you.”

“It felt like you did.” Max’s smile was bitter as she wiped her eyes. “And I don’t blame you.”

“You should.” Billy said through clenched teeth. “You should blame me, Max.”

“I blame him.” Max licked her dry lips and looked down. “I blame Neil. And I wanna blame mom for marrying him. I wanna blame them both for putting us through all of this. For making you hate me, and making me hate you.”

Max’s hurt was turning into frustration now, kicking the couch. She sniffed, gross and wet, before her face scrunched up and she kicked the couch again, harder.

“I hate him.” She kicked it again. “And I wanna hate her. I wanna hate everyone that put us through the best and worst years of my life!” She turned and kicked the coffee table, knocking a few empty cans onto the floor. “I wanna hate this stupid town!” A can hit the coffee table leg. “And all it’s monsters!” Another flew into the wall. “And bullshit!” It bounced on the couch cushion.

“I want to hate everything that made me believing dying would be easier!”

Billy wrapped his arms around her tightly, crushing her arms to her chest as she collapsed against him with a gut-wrenching sob. He’s chin wobbled as he rested his cheek upon her head, a single tear escaping his eye.

“I just wanted you to come home.” Max choked out, tears streaming down freckled cheeks. “I wanted to make things right. I wanted a second chance. I wanted to stop feeling so guilty for wanting you to die for so long.”

Billy bit his tongue as she hiccuped and shook in his embrace, leaning her head back against his chest and closing her bloodshot eyes.

“I wanted the big brother I was promised.” It’s so quiet he almost misses it.

“I know.” Billy knocked his head against hers. “I know. I’m sorry.”

“I know.” Max sucked her lower lip and bit it hard to try and stop crying. “I’m sorry I always used to cause you trouble.”

“You were the perfect amount of trouble, Max.” Billy pushed the loose red strands from her face with one hand and brushed his lips against her temple. “I was just...lost. And then I actually got lost and I realised...I was spending every day, counting the hours until summer ended and I could leave this whole life behind. And every time, I would come back to you, the little sister I got saddled with. Maxine’s Keeper.” He scoffed at his own youthful arrogance.

“And I remember the day I got my license, and how you begged me to take you to the skate park because Dad and Susan didn’t think it was lady-like to be scraping up your knees with all the boys. And you did. You skidded your fuckin’ knee and refused to cry but I could tell you wanted to. I made fun of you for it, said I told you so...and then I punched a kid in the face because he laughed at you.” Billy laughed weakly, tonguing his cheek.

“I didn’t want to admit you were my sister, because I thought that meant I’d have to give up my Mom. That I’d be betraying her but letting Susan take her place. But you were still mine. You were mine to bully and laugh at, but like hell I’d let someone else lay a fucking finger on you, kid. Not then, not now, and not ever.” He squeezed her. “You were my responsibility.”

“I was a bitch.” Max laughed wetly.

“Yeah. But you were mine.” Billy smiled softly. “When I finally broke out of that...things hold, I thought about mom. About you. About your freaky little friend, El. I was so done being controlled, being kept in the dark and hiding away...I wanted to fight back so bad, and I did. I didn’t freeze up, I didn’t bite my tongue, I let it all out. Fuck, it hurt, kid. Dying hurts. But then I woke up and I was alone, in hell, and all I could think was that I deserved to be there because of every shitty things I ever did to you, to everyone. It wasn’t until I saw Harrington and Wheeler with their two lackeys did I even think I might have a way back. A second chance.”

“And now you’re home.”

“And Dad is gone.”

“For good.” Max promised. Billy sighed softly against her hair, looking up at the few photos of Max on the wall, some with Susan. He paused on one of him, all of them posed for a family photo. Neil had been cut from the photo, leaving Susan, Max and him.

“Yeah...” Billy breathed. “For good.”

Billy had no idea what he would do with his second chance at life. He just hoped he’d allow himself to do what actually made him happy this time.

#billy hargrove #max mayfield #maxine mayfield #eddie munson #mungrove #billy hargrove x eddie munson #stranger things #stranger things fic #stranger things 4 #st4 #rarepair

[bragganhyl]

Ages ago @risualto sent me this prompt which I figured I would answer in two parts. Sooo... here is part two. Still takes place shortly after BoW, contains an Aloth x Watcher x Edér heart-to-heart, anxieties about prophecies that really stem from trauma and ekkevít flavored tea.

Word count: around 2215 words

Night was falling upon the seas. The majority of the crew decided to turn in early, probably because the cold rendered anything else far less tempting than the comfort of sleep. Gaura wasn’t quite sure what she wanted to do. On an aimless night like that, she would take her violin to the hedge maze behind Brighthollow and play until her music eased her restlessness. But that was not an option for multiple reasons. She stood by her desk in her cabin, looking at the mess of parchments and journals – some of the pieces belonged to her, others to Aloth, some of them were new, some five years old. A futile inclination lingered in the back of her skull, telling her to tidy up. But her hands moved to her neck instead. She took off the necklace hosting Neriscyrlas’ soul and approached her shelf which held the last few books saved from Caed Nua. Without looking she put the shard on top of the Burned Book, not even noticing that Aloth also idled by the shelf, looking for something to read. As the wizard turned to her, he could immediately tell, the Watcher’s mind was somewhere very far away from the cabin. He stepped closer to her and gingerly reached for the hand hanging by her side.

‘Gaura,’ his tone was even, but she could hear the faintest hint of his concern, ‘you look like something really troubles you.’

The Watcher thought on her answer for a moment. The explanation about her worries, her uncertainty seemed almost silly in her mind. After all, the prophecy of the Duskspeaker very well might have been just a story. But she trusted Aloth and he knew how a well spun tale could shape lives. She took a deep breath. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, the door opened and Edér came in holding three steaming mugs. Gaura used this to steal a few more moments: she rushed to the farmer’s aid, who gave her one of the mugs with a grateful half-smile.

‘Careful, Birta put some ekkevít in the tea,’ he kicked the door behind him shut, then walked up to Aloth and handed him a mug as well. ‘She wants us to let her know how it tastes.’

He got his answer soon enough, in the form of violent coughing coming from Aloth. The wizard only took a single sip.

‘Gods, it burns,’ his words were staggered by the impact of Edér’s pats on his back.

‘Might keep you warm though,’ the veteran shrugged.

‘I think, I’ll stick to my spells, thank you very much.’

His response was met with a light kiss on his hair, then both men turned towards the Watcher, who in the meantime moved to the window. She sat on the footlocker and watched as the steam from her cup obscured her vision beyond the glass. Edér shot a questioning look at Aloth, who handed him his mug and made his way to Gaura.

‘I was just asking her,’ he said as he glanced at the farmer. The wizard sat down facing Gaura as best as he could and wrapped his hands around hers enveloping the mug. Edér soon joined them, stopping only by for a moment by the desk to free his hands. He remained standing, casually leaning against the wall beside them.

‘Everything going alright, Honeycake?’

The Watcher let out a sigh. She looked at the tea darkened by the added spirits. It reminded her of something but not sure what. She could’ve sworn she heard a ghost telling her the answer but she couldn’t make out the words.

‘I’m just thinking about what we’ve found out about in Rymrgand’s realm,’ she said eventually, failing to come up with anything else to say.

‘You will have to be a little more specific than that,’ Aloth chuckled awkwardly. It put a faint smile on Gaura’s face. He was right, they did see quite a lot to process. She raised her gaze to meet his.

‘I mean, about me being the Duskspeaker.’

Aloth’s smile faltered. He blinked at her a few times, then looked to Edér, perplexed but concerned. The farmer reached out to him and Aloth in turn let the Watcher go, just long enough to cast some protective spells on the both of them. A moment later, Gaura felt a broad, calloused and familiar palm gently resting on the back of her neck, and a thumb lightly caressing a spot behind her ear. Aloth leaned closer to her as well. His eyes were filled with worry but also curiosity.

‘Are… you the Duskspeaker?’ His tone was conspiratorial and strangely comforting, as if whatever Gaura was going to say next would be his secret to keep without any further questions.

‘I’m not sure,’ the Watcher shrugged, ‘but I can’t stop wondering why he might have let us go.’

‘I thought you’d happier that we survived the experience,’ the wizard raised an eyebrow at her, a sly smile barely tugging at the corners of his lips, only for the expression to disappear entirely a moment later. A heavy sigh escaped his lips. ‘I don’t have an answer for that, Gaura, but I doubt an old, vague prophecy has one either.’

‘Yeah, Vatnir’s folks sounded real desperate,’ Edér added, ‘pretty sure they just believed you to be whoever they needed you to be.’ Something seemed to have occurred to him. A bitter chuckle bubbled up from the farmer. ‘They wouldn’t be the only ones around these parts.’

‘But what if they were right?’ Gaura shook her head as if she could dislodge her doubts from her mind. ‘What if Rymrgand wants me to live so I can herald the end of… everything.’

‘I sincerely doubt that,’ Aloth said encouragingly. ‘Those events that the Harbingers recalled happened a mere five years ago, and even those they misinterpreted so they could look to you for hope,’ he leaned forward and took the Watcher’s face in his hands. ‘Edér is right. They believed what they wanted to believe. And… truth be told I understand why. You inspire hope. Even if that takes a rather macabre form,’ he chuckled as he sat back again, his hands moving to Gaura’s again.

She enjoyed his warmth. The steam rising from her mug slowly began to fade. The magic coating Edér’s fingers quietly crackled against the back of her head. Her tea seemed to have grown even darker as it grew colder. The Watcher told herself she was overthinking it. She was aware. She took a sip of her tea, breaking her contact with Aloth. Her throat stung but enough to make her cough. She couldn’t taste the tea over the bitter booze. She was overthinking it. She was aware. She was too aware. The drink was burning up in her belly and she barely felt it, not over all the things occupying her mind, not over her nerves turning dull over the fear that got her hands shaking. She held her mug so tight she was sure she was denting it. She was overthinking it. She was aware and yet awareness brought no liberation.

‘You’re right,’ she spoke hoarsely, almost as if she needed to hear herself to be truly convinced, ‘everything tells me you’re right.’

The wizard tilted his head. ‘But…?’

Gaura sighed. ‘Too much is riding on me right now. I can’t afford to get complacent,’ she glanced at the drink in her hand. She didn’t see any steam. She smacked her lips trying to get rid of a word occupying the tip of her tongue: again.‘I can’t discount the possibility that I might be the Duskspeaker,’ she said instead.

Aloth didn’t respond. A few moments later, however a heavy sigh came from above.

‘You sure, it’s Rymrgand and that prophecy that is gnawing at you?’

Edér’s tone was tired, but knowing. Understanding. And yet, Gaura felt nauseous. As if a part of her soul was being yanked forward, to be bared to her lovers, to be exposed in a way that scared her. Her own fear to answer truthfully surprised the Watcher. She trusted those men with her soul and yet… in that moment she just felt terribly homesick. This wasn’t the first time, it wouldn’t be the last and yet she never seemed to have grown used to it. She wondered if it was possible. Or her only option was to shut it out.

‘I was worried this might happen,’ Edér squatted down by the footlocker. He peeled one of Gaura’s hands off her mug and intertwined his fingers with hers. ‘Kinda hoped we would be back in the Dyrwood by the time we had to deal with it though.’ The look he gave her reminded the Watcher of the first time they met. Of that understanding he showed her after just a few words from her.

‘I… I’m not sure, I follow…’ She lied.

‘Seen this kinda thing after the war,’ his gaze drifted away from her, ‘folks looking death in the eye… the kind that reached others but not them, and then slowly losing themselves wondering why they managed to walk it off.’

‘Quite literally in our case,’ Aloth added. His voice rang strangely hollow.

‘Yeah,’ Edér nodded, ‘but this didn’t begin with Rymrgand or Vatnir’s people,’ he squinted at the Watcher, ‘not for any of us.’

Gaura remained silent. Her heart sank to her belly. Her eyes were stinging and there was no steam to blame it on. She shook her head. A part of her wished she could speak without hurting.

‘It began with Caed Nua.’

Suddenly, Rymrgand made a lot more sense to her. How is one supposed to outlive the world he – in part, at least – shaped and not be crushed by that destiny, she wondered. Maybe that was why he needed a Duskspeaker, so that someone would see the world like he does. And who would be a better candidate, than the Watcher of Caed Nua with no Caed Nua.

Edér stood up. He placed a hand on her temple and pulled her against himself. As her head rested against his belly, the Watcher’s tears began streaming down her face.

‘We can rebuild,’ he said, ‘once we dealt with everything here, we can go back and you can be the Lady of Caed Nua again. Doing that weird Watcher thing of yours with no god holding your soul hostage. It will be just like old times.’

‘And until then,’ Aloth reached forward to wipe a tear from her cheek, ‘you can be the Captain of The Defiant, always chasing the horizon, setting your own course instead of taking the paths the gods laid out ahead of you. An inspiration to us all.’

Gaura blinked at the wizard. Even through her tears, his sincerity and adoration was apparent. She brought his palm to her lips, trying to regain her composure as she held on to him and as she was being held by Edér.

‘Or if that’s not working for you, you can always just be our Honeycake,’ the farmer shrugged. Aloth let out a short, stifled groan at the suggestion, however.

‘Surely, we can call her something a little more… uhh… dignified.’

‘Why? You got something better in mind, Engferth?’

Gaura burst out laughing – a little choked up, but her chest felt easier. ‘Oh, shut up, you two, before I kiss you.’

‘Now, that’s a threat,’ Edér laughed along with her, relieved, and let her go, so Aloth could take on the offer. The wizard grimaced into the kiss as he tasted the ekkevít on the Watcher’s tongue, sparking a mischievous urge in her. She placed a hand on the back of his head, chuckling as she trapped him into a deeper kiss. Aloth tapped her on her shoulder and she could tell, he was rolling his eyes at her. Gaura pulled away with an innocent smile.

‘Well, I am glad you feel better,’ his tone was sarcastic but his smile was sincere. He took the mug from her and left to put her desk in a better shape.

Gaura stood up as well, only to be pulled into a bone-crushing hug.

‘You’re sure, you’ll be alright?’

The Watcher melted into the embrace. ‘At least until the next crisis.’

‘Good,’ Edér left a sloppy kiss on the curve of her neck, then pulled back just enough to look her in the eye, ‘you know, we’ll be here for you, right?’

She nodded, and in turn the farmer claimed her lips, sealing his promise. He let go of her almost immediately, however, frowning.

‘Black bones, you taste... real bad,’ he wiped at his mouth. ‘Gonna go see Birta about the tea, I’ll be right back.’

Gaura chuckled to herself as she watched him leave. Her gaze wandered to the shelf, to her old books, and her new stowaway. To Aloth putting some of her journals next to them. Some things would always matter to her. She could handle pain even if she could be more graceful about it. She was ready to feel it all, if only because she had to be. She knew what it took to be the Duskspeaker and she knew she was not going to be it. These were truths more certain to her than any destined ending.

#pillars of eternity #wrytinge #aloth corfiser #edér teylecg #team gilded vale #oc fic: gaura #gaura sélfolgh

[gay-cryptidz]

The Comfort Between Your Scars

Chapter 4

Joel heroically saves his new friend

TW: implied/referenced sexual harassment, bit of violence

It only took until Thursday for Joel to find himself walking through the front doors of his new favourite bar again. He had planned to visit again on Saturday but he was itching to get out of the house so he might as well.

It was surprisingly full for a weekday but a lot more quiet than previously. The only bartender behind the counter was a woman with spiky, short hair, chatting with a group of girls. He thought he recognised her from last time, but he wasn't sure. When she noticed him approaching, she gave him a quick nod.

"What can I get ya?"

"I'll have a beer, thanks"

His eyes scanned all the faces in the bar again. No sign of him.

He nodded his thanks when the bartender handed him his glass.

"Uh, do you know if Desmond's working today?"

"Should be around here somewhere, yeah. Probably gonna suddenly appear out of nowhere any minute now"

"Aight"

She went back to cleaning up, absentmindedly looking around the room. After waiting another minute or two, Joel got up, deciding to use the opportunity to explore the bar a little bit. The building was quite old with a lot of small subsections and corners that formed odd little areas, which really worked in it's favour, providing some sense of privacy to some of the sitting areas and making the place visually interesting.

As he was on his way back to the counter, realising he had completely abandoned his drink there, he vaguely noted two voices sounding from the direction of the restrooms. He couldn't make out what they were saying but it sounded like they were arguing. They quickly died back down but he thought he could make out a loud thump and a clattering sound and figured maybe he should go wash his hands. Just to make sure everything was okay. Before he reached the door, the shouting returned. Only one voice this time.

He managed to dodge the door just in time as a man a little taller than him burst through it, barely paying Joel any mind as he almost ran into him, muttering curses under his breath and covering his bloodied nose with a shaky hand. Before Joel's brain even caught on, the man disappeared behind a corner. What the fuck?

He hurriedly stepped through the door, scanning for whomever the other voice belonged to, and was greeted by a familiar face.

"Oh, hey, fancy seeing you here!", Desmond said casually with a lopsided grin as he was stepping out of one of the stalls.

"Are you okay? What happened?! Should I go get someone?"

Desmond stumbled a little, leaning on the thin wooden frame of the stalls for a moment, before regaining his balance.

"Just had to kick out a rude customer, 's all", he shrugged. "I'm fine"

His voice sounded a little sore.

Joel could only stand there and watch with a deadpan stare as Desmond walked over to the mirrors.

"Oh, for fuck's sake! I JUST got this shirt!"

He examined a blood splatter on his white button-up angrily. Joel panicked briefly before realising it probably wasn't his.

"Hey, my shirt's dirty, can I have yours?", Desmond grinned at him, undoing some of the top buttons to pull the shirt over his head, revealing the turtleneck he wore underneath. Joel realised now that it was sleeveless and cropped. He tried not to get distracted by the way it perfectly hugged his ribcage, defining his figure. Instead, he forced himself to focus on the tattoos scattered across his surprisingly defined arms while Desmond held his no doubt bruised knuckles under the cold water and examined his face.

From where he was standing, he could make out a few different animals and plants, some seemingly random shapes and, the biggest one he could see, what looked to be an animal skull with various flowers and other plants growing from within it on Desmond's left forearm. They all consisted of neat, crisp, black lines, no different colours and only the occasional grey shading. All except for one, a small green dinosaur that looked like a young child's drawing. That one was Joel's favourite.

Desmond had the bruised part of his face turned away from him but he could see it in the mirror. It wasn't too bad but his cheek was puffy and red and there was a small cut on his lip.

"You should probably cool that"

Desmond hummed affirmatively.

"Not ideal considering looking pretty is half my job"

He frowned into the mirror for a second before putting on his faux-lighthearted grin again and turning back towards Joel.

"Well I don't know about you but I could use a drink", he said while walking past him and out the door, the bloodied shirt now draped over his shoulder. Joel followed silently.

The moment she noticed Desmond returning, the other bartender seemed to scan both of them intensely.

"Jesus fucking Christ, I lose track of you for one second and next thing you know there's a guy with a broken nose stomping out, threatening to sue! What happened, you okay?"

"I'm fine, Alex"

Desmond rolled his eyes but smiled at her fondly. Joel, unsure of what to do and not wanting to intrude on their conversation, sat down at the far end of the counter wordlessly. Desmond managed to squeeze past Alex, who was giving him a meaningful glare, assessing the back of the counter, before raising a half-empty bottle of Havana Club as a silent offer to Joel and setting down two glasses between them. A small pout flashed over his face when Alex took the bottle from him.

He tried to fight her off as she grabbed his chin, turning his face to assess the damage. After looking him up and down one more time, she glanced at Joel before gently grabbing Desmond's arm to pull him out of hearing range. Desmond stopped in place after only a step or two and pulled his arm out of her hand.

"You should go home"

Desmond snorted sarcastically.

"Fine, at least sit down in the break room for a while. I'll cover for you, it's not that busy anyway"

"Jesus, Alex, I'm not a child! I said I'm fine!"

Alex gave him a look that Joel wasn't sure how to interpret and pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing. Desmond crossed his arms and averted his gaze.

"N- Desmond. Just tell me what happened so I know what to say if someone goes around telling everybody that the bartender attacked him for no reason?"

Desmond shrugged, still not looking at her.

"Just a drunk customer getting a little handsy. Met him last week, guess he was pissed I didn't have time for him today. Backed me into a corner, I gave him one warning and then beat the shit out of him. I've dealt with worse, you know that"

"See, normal people would call that sexual harassment"

"I'd call it a Thursday", he mumbled and turned around with a raise of his eyebrows, going back to preparing drinks for him and Joel. It seemed like she just gave up until she pretended to reach for something next to him from behind.

It happened so fast that Joel wasn't entirely sure what happened but for the first time, he saw a flash of fear on Desmond's face before he rapidly whipped around and grabbed her wrist. They looked at each other wordlessly for a few seconds until he loosened his grip, steadying his breath.

"You really need to stop doing that just to prove a point"

"I will as soon as you stop being too stubborn for your own good"

Desmond mumbled something, grabbing a bottle and walking towards the door with a sign that said 'STAFF ONLY'.

"Desmond"

He put the bottle back behind the bar with an annoyed grumble before opening the door and, making sure he was out of Alex's sight, looking back to Joel, signalling for him to follow. Wouldn't he get in trouble for that? Joel looked at Alex, who had already started putting away glasses and cleaning up.

"Go, I'm not telling anyone", she sighed and waved him toward the still open door. Desmond smiled when he got up and walked over to him.

<< Beginning | < Previous | Next >

#tlou hbo #tlou fanfiction #joel tlou #joel miller #cryptidz fic #joel miller x oc #joel miller x original character #joel miller fanfiction #slow burn

[kayssweetdreams]

Maestro Hiccups 3: Chaos Incarnate Ch 10

Without a moments hesitation, you run to Leo's Aid, grabbing his hand while Emma was sucked into her own portal...unfortunately, You and Leo were also whisked away to who knows where.

When you finally land, you find yourself in what seemed to be a large kitchen in the sky, surrounded by thunder clouds, as the booming base of rap music fills your ears. You cover your ears, hoping to drown out the base rattling your skull. "Ack! Where are we?!" You yell to Leo "WHAT?!" He shouts. It would seem that the cracking of thunder, and the bass seemed to get louder "I SAID!! WHERE ARE WE?!" You yell out, but once again, your voice was muted over by the increasingly loud bass. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!?!" Leo yells back.

You groan as you drag over a small pot, and put it over him and you "I said. Where are we?" You say, finally hearing your own thoughts again "Well, I'm taking a wild guess here, but I think we're in another section of Wonderworld." He said, his voice back at a minimum. "Another part?" You ask "Yeah, Wonderworld is a lot bigger than the Isle of Tims, and the theater. This is probably one of the worlds that belongs to an inhabitant." He said. You tilt your head. Inhabitant??

"It's a long story, but I'll explain after all of...this." He said. "Alright. But which world are we in?" You ask. Leo then looks curious "Well, the worlds are so messed up, I can't pinpoint which one it is, but I'm sure I can figure it out if I find something familiar." He said. The two of you (reluctantly) exited the large pot, and the booming bass fills your ears once more. "WE CAN'T WALK THROUGH THIS WORLD LIKE THIS!!" You shout.

"WELL THERE'S NOTHING HERE TO COVER OUR EARS RIGHT NOW!! WE HAVE TO KEEP GOING!" Leo shouted as the two of you walked through the mixed up world. The both of you kept your hands to your ears to make sure they don't pop from the loud base, however, it seemed to continuously get louder with every step you took. Suddenly, something seemed to have fallen out of the thundering clouds, and just INCHES in front if you. "W-WHAT THE HECK?!" You panic, looking at the odd wreckage, but looking at it closer, it seems to resembled a odd looking bike-plane hybrid.

Leo's eyes seemed to light up at the wreckage however NOW I KNOW WHERE WE ARE!! THIS IS THE WORLD OF HAOYU CHANG!" He shouted with a smile. You however were far from happy "WHO WAS THAT?!" You shout back. Leo was about to respond, when a boy with green hair and goggles adorning his eyes popped out of a small entry was, constructed out of boomboxes, bike wreckage, and cooking utensils. "OVER HERE!!" He shouts, waving hid hand, and gesturing you to get closer.

You and Leo quickly rush into the small entrance, and find relief for your ears once more. "Thanks. I don't know how much longer I could take." You sat. "Yeah...I find myself hating rap now. I mean, I was never a fan to begin with, but now I completely despise it." The boys says. "At least you're OK. Oh! Haoyu, this is Y/N. Y/N, Meet Haoyu Chang." Leo said. Haoyu flashed a smile "Hey There! I never have seen you in Timeville before, you must be new!" He said cheerfully, as if the insanity outside wasn't even happening.

"N-Nice to meet you too. So...this is your world." You say, gazing out at the craziness that was occurring outside. Haoyu's smile was slowly fading into panic "well...Kinda. The plane stuff is mine, everything else is the effects of Balan's reality warping Hiccups, and Lance's Nightmare Hiccups." He said. "Well, at least nothing happened to you...yet." Leo added. "What does that mean?" You ask. "Usually, Balan and Lance always effect people at the strangest times, I wouldn't be surprised if one of his hiccups effected you right no-" Leo was cut off my Haoyu slapping a hand to his mouth and shushing him "SHHHHH!! You're gonna jinx it!!" He shouted.

You think back to meeting Balan, sure he had hiccuped you to random areas of the room, and in different scenarios, but you didn't have any effects put on you yet. Suddenly, a random burst of smoke seems to surround you, as Haoyu and Leo give out a panicked shout. You shut your eyes as you feel a tingle of magic surround you, and you wait for the worst to happen...

#Balan Wonderworld #Leo Craig #Haoyu Chang

[psychopathskinnie]

Really bad day

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: Ayatsuji got a case in which the murderer is my OC, but her skill prevents her from being killed

𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Funny, I think?

It's my first post here and english isn't my first language, but enjoy!

The girl struggled to cross the threshold of the building. She was exhausted and never thought she would dream of returning to the Port Mafia headquarters as soon as possible. She moved toward the elevators, one of which had just opened, showing the figure of an elegant man in a hat.

- What the hell happened to you? - Chuuya looked as if he had just seen a ghost.

Well, this was not far from the truth, as the girl looked like a ghoul from a cheap horror movie. Her hair, usually pinned up in a high ponytail, was currently a huge mess glued together with blood. All of her black clothing was also glistening from the red sweat, and several trickles adorned her face. Her coat was torn in several places and she was limping through the broken heel of one of her shoes.

- The universe - she gasped out.

- What?

- The fucking universe is on to me. - She was visibly upset, which could be inferred not only from her facial expression, but also from the curses she didn't usually use.

- You look like you took part in some kind of massacre. - Through the girl's ability, incredible self-healing, he was unable to tell whether the blood covering her belonged to someone else or flowed from her now invisible wounds. - Then what exactly happened?

He followed her into the elevator, abandoning his earlier plans. Curiosity took over him. The woman pressed the 25th floor button furiously.

- I was returning from shopping when some runaway pickpocket pushed me into the street, where I was hit by a truck. - She began quite calmly.

- It must have hurt, but from....

- I didn't finish. - the girl got into his words. - After my bones knitted together and I pushed my way through the crowd of onlookers, I went on. When I reached the stairs that connect the commercial district with the port, my heel broke and I rolled right down them.

- It's about 300 steps! - pointed Chuuya. There was no trace of his earlier worry, instead a smile of amusement crept onto his face.

- My skull was smashed and my ribs had punctured my lungs. I was lying on the ground for a few minutes before everything healed together properly. - She breathed in exasperation, and when she took up the story again, there was not a hint of calm in her words. - I thought I would be able to reach the headquarters without further problems. I looked around and analyzed my surroundings, as if I were breaking through enemy territory. When I was already two streets away, a piano fell on me. A fucking piano! Like in some damn cartoon!

Chuuya was unable to hold back his laughter any longer. The girl sent him a furious look. She was already about to say something to him when the elevator door opened and the room was pierced by a bang of gunfire. The young underboss fell silent from shock. Blood began to flow out of the girl's forehead hole, after which she fell to the floor.

- Oh no! I’m so sorry! - Higuchi ran up to them, frightened. When she saw who she had shot, for a moment she felt relieved that she hadn't killed anyone after all. Immediately afterward, however, she realized that she was still in trouble, and it might even be better for her if the girl didn't get up again. - I have no idea how it happened! Gin asked me to clean the guns! This one was clearly not secured! - she spat out unintelligible words.

- I think you'd better disappear before she wakes up. It was not a good day for her.

Higuchi heeded her superior's advice and quickly moved away. He only sighed and picked up his unconscious friend, then moved toward the door to her apartment. He wondered if offering wine later to loosen up would be a good idea. Given all this, she would probably choke on it.

#bsd #yukito ayatsuji #bsd oc #chuuya nakahara #bungou stray dogs #english isn't my first language #bsd chuuya #bsd fanfic

[newbordeaux]

for marie-louise: E2, E5, E6, E7, L6, L8, L9, + C9 >:)

What class do they belong to? How did they initially train and learn their skills?

She's a rogue 😏 Not a particularly good one though. She did have lessons in fencing and archery, things any good orlesian noblewoman would learn - especially since her late mother was an avid hunter and wanted her to wield the same skills. Marie however preferred to spend her time hiding in the library or chasing chickens down in the town square 🙄

What do they specialize in within their class?

Again, mostly archery and fencing. The latter is her preferred method of fighting (if she has to). As for in-game specializations, it would probably come closest to being an assassin, her being trained in stealth (for hunting).

Do they have a preferred weapon they always use?

A rapier that she inherited from her mother, some old family heirloom. It's said to have belonged to her great-grandfather, the Shame of Serault and brought him luck. Not that it worked out so well for him but she ignores that 🤷‍♀️ She also has a bow and arrows with her when she's out adventuring in the woods, but definitely prefers to use her rapier.

How do they dress in their downtime, while fighting, in formal settings, etc.?

YES my favorite question. Despite what dai's mediocre design time wants to tell you, in my mind Orlesian fashion closely resembles that of france in the later 17th century throughout the 1700s. Her everyday dresses are sooo plain, they still clearly mark her as nobility but she prefers more simple, laid-back looks to the ornate fashion at court. Her wardrobe mostly consists of something resembling a robe à l'Anglaise (like this one. plain fabrics. maybe even without ruffles), no accessories except maybe a small leather bracelet. She usually wears her hair down (not historical but in this case it's fine. it's fantasy) or in that half-braid that every period drama loves so much.

Her adventuring gear is basically what 17th century women's riding attire looked like but with breeches (so. menswear). Sometimes she'll ditch the frock and goes for a simple shirt & waistcoat combination with no armor </3 hoping that the boning in her stays will protect her.

Her formalwear is a looot more elaborate.. french style dresses with BIG panniers at the sides, lots of decoration, elaborate updos with decoration in her hair (BIG fan of feathers and jewels). Something like this.. Everything preferably in pinks and cream with gold decoration :)

Which aspects of the culture they were born into holds the most significance for them?

She’s not big on orlesian noble “culture” such as fashion, gossip and courtly intrigue and has no interest in playing [orlesian voice] zhe game... She does feel very connected to Serault’s customs though, I think it was stated in the game that they’d be considered sketchy by any proper andrastian and border on heresy but she doesn’t care 😊 She’s proud of whatever weird nonexistent entities they believe in, the weird rituals and festivals they have and especially of that guy who wanted to give the divine a human skull.

What sort of education did they receive?

Jussst your typical noble education, so a very good one. Serault might be considered a backwater town by those hoes in Val Royeaux but who cares, her mother got her the best tutors she could afford. She’s fluent in tevene and can play the harpsichord ❤

What do they do with their free time? Do they have any vices?

She doesn’t have any vices lol, her free time is mostly either spent in the library, horse riding (not in an elegant way - her poor mother was graying prematurely from seeing her on a horse with no saddle in a dirty dress -_-) or out and about in the gardens or in town. She loves to mingle with the common folk and go for a stroll on the market :) She figures that if they’re already a disgraced house she can just do whatever, be free

What places in Thedas have they been to? What do they think about places other than their homeland?

None until she becomes proper nobility again. The first time she leaves Serault she goes to halamshiral for the ball. Her first experience in Orlesian society outside Serault and Celene gets fucking killed ❤😍 It’s okay she’d think it’s entertaining, all she knows about her is how she burned down an alienage.

#THANK YOOUUUUUU fantasy french people time #c: marie-louise

[chiquititasnewsong]

so. one of my very favorite things with sam and dean is when they are sassy or smart-assed with other people.

it's like the the smart-mouth just comes out and it not only cracks me up, but also absolutely delights me.

in the above photo (brother's keeper, s10, ep 23), sam is sass-talking DEATH of all beings. LOOK AT THAT EXPRESSION! god, i love it. it's the epitome of "bitch, please."

dean and death are trying to explain the plan to sam and why it needs to happen and sam says "it's madness, dean!" and death says, "far from it, i'm afraid" and sam immediately comes back with, "no one's asking you."

guh. it's too much. i mean, seriously, who talks back to death??? DEATH!!

just goes to prove when sam is desperate to save his brother there is no one -- NO ONE -- he won't take on. <3 <3 <3

then there's this from a most holy man (season 13, ep 15) where in a very non-supernatural episode, the boys have to go up against (in part) the seattle mob.

and despite the non-supernatural nature of this one, i love it. it probably has to do with the fact that i enjoy the csi franchise and i like to sometimes see sam and dean in situations that aren't normal for them.

plus there are some sam and dean gems in this ep that show that they are insanely connected, like sam's grumbling that dean can "feel it" that there's something in the hotel room and dean remarking on sam's "disney princess hair." they're just cute in this one, is all.

so they're looking to get something from the head of the seattle mob (and the goons that were sent to collect them actually DROVE baby, which is something VERY few people ever get to do -- i want to figure out exactly who has been behind the wheel of that car at some point) and dean is obviously already pretty pissed and sam's kind of freaked out because they're brought to the home of the head of the seattle mob, but you can tell dean is just about DONE because he's been up against vampires and werewolves and he's been to hell and this is just a fucking human who thinks he's got the key to the kingdom and he doesn't know jack shit.

so when the mob guy talks about being a good catholic and giving the relics he "acquired" a good home, dean says, "technically the relic had a home and then you had it stolen."

sam clears his throat in an effort to reel his brother in.

and when the mob guy says he believes the skull the boys are after "rightfully" belongs to him, dean comes back with, "but it was stolen. i don't know, rightfully belongs to you? mmmm."

the mob guy says to his cronies, "you believe this guy? you got a set on you, pal. you talk to me like that in this room?"

and dean just says, "and?"

oi. i mean. damn. WHO SASSES A MOB BOSS? dean winchester. that's who.

who sasses DEATH? sam winchester. that's who.

the balls on these two, right?

i love it so much and i felt like sharing.

#the time sam sassed death #the time dean sassed the head of the seattle mob #i love smart-mouthed boys #sam and dean

[dycefic]

In The Interim

I must have read at least a dozen variations on the 'ancient and forgotten order of something or other is revived by the Chosen One and some ancient mentor or something' story, in which ancient relics or fortresses or holy places usually play a significant part. I've often wondered what happens to them in the interim, while their orders are scattered and their existence forgotten. I'm always fascinated by the generally elided parts of a story - what happens after the evil empire collapses, or while the dystopia is setting in, or the time between the fall and rise of the order of something or other.

Also, you know, I play Dragon Age. Skyhold is... inspiring.

---

There is an ancient fortress that waits in the mountains for the day when its people will return. Dust covers the floors, and many of the ancient statues have fallen.

I do not know what the fortress waits for. Was it an order of scholars? There was a library, with shelves full of scrolls and books. They are ancient and fragile now, so I never enter the room except to light a fire to dry the air, now and then.

It could have been an order of warriors. There are rooms full of ancient weapons. I know what a sword is, though I have never seen swords shaped like this. There are blades on long poles, like some strange mating of an axe and a spear, and other things I cannot name. What is not too rusted, I oil and tend.

Perhaps it was a religious order. There are many statues, and one motif that repeats often, a woman holding a lamp in one hand and a flower or leafy plant in the other. There are statues of her, and paintings on the walls, and even a mosaic of stones in one of the courtyards. I dust the statues and the paintings, and sweep the mosaic. In the room that seems to be a shrine, I keep a light burning on the altar, as the signs tell me others have done before me.

I don’t know what most of what I find signifies. There are chests full of faded and rotted fabric that was clothing once, but I do not know what the sigils mean. There are devices on shelves whose use I cannot begin to guess. There are letters or symbols carved into the stone in several places, but they are not in the language I know.

But there is a garden. Even after years of neglect, the soil is rich. I do not know the language the people here spoke, or why they lived here, but I know the herbs they used. I know the vegetables they ate. I recognised the bones of chickens and goats, when I dug in their midden for fertiliser.  I found the bird cotes, and replaced rotted perches and lured the pigeons which had gone wild back with seeds and insects from the garden.

Some of the perches were large, too large for any pigeon. I don’t know what birds roosted there. But sometimes I see a large bird circling high up, a crow or a raven, and I wonder if it’s a descendant of those birds.

The kitchen has been used more recently than the other rooms. In a small room off the kitchen I found an old straw bed, and clothing that is not too unlike my own. And on the wall of that room, scratched on the stone, I found a series of crude drawings.

A figure in long skirts walking up a slope between trees. A crude representation of the fortress. The same figure, standing in the garden, with crude plants around her feet and what are probably meant to be birds in the air over her head.

These I read easily. “I climbed the mountains and found this place. I lived here.”

The next row was different.  The same figure, repeated several times. Then a crude outline of a skull. Then a door with a symbol on it. It took me a while to figure that out.

Then I found the door with that symbol, deep below the fortress. When I opened it – cautiously, remembering the skull – I smelled the faint memory of decay.

When I went down, I found an ancient crypt. There were niches in the walls, like narrow beds one above the other, and ancient bones within them. Some had the rusted remains of armour, some the dusty shreds of what might have been robes.

And I found other bones. They were not in niches, but laid on the floor at one end of the room. Twelve complete skeletons were there, and I could see, looking at them, that they were not all the same age. One, at the far right, looked almost as ancient as the bones in the niches. The one on the left still had shreds of flesh here and there, and hair spread around its head. When I examined that one, I found that one of the legs was broken, and had not healed.

They are all women, I think. The newest is still wearing skirts, and I can see the decayed remains on some of the others. What hair remains is long, though it is not certain that either man or woman living in this isolation would cut their hair, and some bones are still encircled by bracelets or necklaces.

They were called here, I think, as I was.

There is a long history of hermitage, among my people. It is more common among men than women, but now and then one will be moved to retreat from the world into solitude and contemplation. Usually they are moved by a god, or go to tend some sacred relic or shrine.

I was alone in the world, when I felt the calling. I packed up my belongings, bade farewell to those few who might miss me, and set out to walk into the mountains. I did not know where I was going, but I knew I was going somewhere. And then…

Then I found this place, and I knew. It is empty, but it is not abandoned. It is only waiting. Waiting until its people come back, until some great need calls them, or destiny, or the turning of the wheel. And while it waits, it is… lonely, perhaps. So it calls out, to those who are right, who will be content in this quiet solitude, who will feed the pigeons and tend the garden and light fires in the library and oil the weapons.

The woman before me broke her leg. Perhaps it bled too much, or wound-rot set in. She must have known she was dying and dragged herself down to lie beside the others. When I know my time is coming, I will go too. If I do not have warning, if death comes quickly, I conjure you who come after me to carry my bones down to that crypt, to lie beside my sisters in peace, until the fortress lives once more.

I leave this record in hope that it will help the next hermit who comes, when I am only bones. And if you who read are no hermit, but coming in some dire need or peril, if you come to awaken again what sleeps here, to give the lady with her flower and her lamp a name, or perhaps to earn your own, then welcome, for we have kept this fortress against your coming.

It has been waiting for you.

(This short account, written on parchment, is preserved by the Order as one of its most precious relics. During the Interim, the period of almost eight hundred years in which the Order was largely forgotten and the fortress was left empty, sixteen women are believed to have been ‘called’ to preserve and tend it. Aside from the bodily remains in the crypt, and a few images scratched into a wall, this is the only evidence they chose to leave of their existence. None have ever been identified, and the parchment is unsigned. Nevertheless, the sixteen Guardians are venerated by the Order for their faithful, solitary service to powers whose name they never knew, and their bones are entombed together, side by side in death as was their wish. Without their care, we believe, there would have been little left for the revived Order to return to.)

#short story #original fiction #those who never see the end of the story #are still important to the story #the Chosen One may come in time #but someone has to sweep the floors #and tend the garden #and keep decay at bay #in the interim

[darling-i-read-it]

Lipstick

Karl Heisenberg x reader

Word Count: 1.9k

Warnings: borderline nsfw like I thought real hard about it, weapons, talks of murder, slight spoilers for resident evil 8

Author’s Note: just impulsively wrote this and am posting it promptly after writing so it has not been edited. Besties im down bad about this sarcastic basterd (also if anyone wants a nsfw part 2...i am willing to provide) (or any other requests for him and Alcina, my favorite bi panic people rn)

Summary: You run into Ethan in Castle Dimitrescu on your way back to the factory.

I don’t own these characters. They belong to author/director

(not my gif)

Ethan Winters genuinely just wanted his daughter back. He was so sick and tired of going through this village in an attempt to save her, running into every possible inconvenience he could find and knowing that he would probably lose fingers fighting them.

Castle Dimitrescu was vast and regal. He might have liked it if he wasn’t running for his and his daughters' lives from the four vampires that lived there.

He was crouched down, holding a gun up as he walked very quietly and carefully throughout the house so as to not alert any of the Dimitrescu daughters. He opened one of the unlocked doors carefully and immediately stopped moving at the sight of someone.

You wore no cloak, to signify that you were a daughter and you were much shorter than the lady of the house. You grabbed one of the lipsticks that Alicna had plenty of and leaned over the vanity to see how it looked on you.

Ethan stood up and held the gun up to your head. You raised an eyebrow, looking at him from the mirror reflection.

“Who are you?” he asked, voice rough. Rougher than his face looked. You put on the lipstick and then rubbed your lips together.

“Do you think this is my color?” He shoved the gun further into your head and you scoffed. “Fine fine. Not one for makeup eh?” You put your hands up and turned around. He let you sit down on the vanity but not without his gun still pointing at your skull. You seemed unphased which would have been weird if Ethan wasn’t incredibly desensitized to everything ever.

“Who are you? Are you one of the vampires? One of the other family members? Who are you?!” You put your hands slowly down on your lap. He let you, but you were testing his patience.

“Not quite.” You gestured to him. “I’m human. Like you. Well not like you, I’m completely human, no mutations or anything done.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he hissed. You waved him off.

“If you hurt me, you will have Karl on your head and I imagine it won’t be pretty. It’s the only way I can get from Castle to Castle unharmed,” you told him.

“Karl?”

“You know, fun hat, frizzy hair, has that big hammer thing. Karl.”

“Heisenberg?” You nodded.

“Yes Ethan, I thought you were smarter than this.” Ethan shook his head quickly and then regained focus, his hand holding the gun shaking a bit.

“Where’s Rose?” You shrugged.

“Fuck if I know Ethan Winters. I’m just the person who lives in a factory and becomes a nuisance for each and every Lord.” He jabbed the gun at your head and you didn’t even flinch.

“You’re lying.”

“Truthfully, I am not. If I knew where Rose was I would at least give you a hint, just to make it interesting.”

“What is Heisenberg to you?” he asked. You smiled a bit, crossing your legs.

“I’m Heisenberg's...girlfriend for lack of a better word. Whatever Mia was to you.” His mind flashed back to Mia. He had barely been able to mourn her. He shook the thought out of his head.

“You know how to get out of here and get Rose yes?”

“I know how to get out of here. How to get Rose, I have no idea. We’ve been over this.”

“But Heisenberg knows and if I can bring you to him, he can tell me.” You shook your head gently.

“Ethan sweetie...I could call for Alcina or the girls at any time and they would be in here in seconds to tear you to pieces.”

“Not before I could pull this trigger.”

“Again, if you so much as scratch me, you’ll never breath non metal infused air again.” Ethan shook his head gently and took a deep breath. He grabbed the gun at you again. He was silent and then he lowered it.

“I’ll just be going then,” he muttered, defeated. You nodded pleasantly and stood up from sitting on the vanity. You put the lipstick back on it. You walked forward and put your hand on Ethan’s shoulder. He looked you in the eyes.

“Good luck Ethan Winters.” You started to leave but turned to him. “I do suggest that in order to save your daughter you don’t kill Alicna’s in the process.”

“Any bits of advice then?” You put your hand on the doorknob and turned it, opening it just a tad.

“Grab the masks for the main room. Do you have a map?” He handed it to you, a tattered old piece of paper. You grabbed the lipstick again and marked some places. “Avoid hurting them as much as you can.”

“Why are you helping me?”

“I don’t like Mother Miranda. I don’t trust Mother Miranda. She is the one who has your daughter I’m sure or she must know where she is. But the Dimitrescus and Karl...even Donna for that matter, are people I like and trust.”

You stepped back outside the room.

“If I hear you’ve killed any of the daughters, I’ll tell them what I know of you. If you think the Dimitrescus are scary, just wait until you meet Donna.”

You shut the door in his face. Ethan shivered.

====

You walked up the stairs to the second floor. You knocked on the door of Alcinas room and she swang it open. She took a sigh of relief.

“Thank God. I thought you were Ethan Winters.”

“You think Ethan would knock before coming in?” She scoffed. You held her the lipstick you were wearing.

“Where did you find that?”

“Downstairs where I ran into Ethan,” you said honestly. Her eyes went wide and her lips pursed in annoyance.

“Did you see the girls?”

“No but I’m sure one of them ran into him as he left the room. He was only there a couple of minutes ago, it shouldn't be that hard to find him.” She walked past you without saying goodbye. You huffed. “You’re welcome!”

=====

You made it back to the factory in just a couple of minutes. You had gotten so used to the walk that you were on autopilot the whole time before you were back to your room. Karl was already there, clearly taking a quick break before returning to his never ending work day.

“Where did you go?!” he asked, walking up to you from the bathroom. He put his hand on your arm and you grabbed his glasses which were hanging from his shirt. He had shed the jacket and hat, clearly about to shower.

“Relax, I was just at Alcinas castle,” you told him gently. He let out an annoyed exaggerated sigh that you knew all too well.

“How is my sister?” he asked. You took the lipstick out of your pocket. Alcina hadn’t actually taken it in her fit of rage to go and get Ethan. Now you had something extra for your own personal vanity back at the factory.

“Shy of one more lipstick.” You walked past him into the bathroom. He followed you as you placed it carefully on your vanity. You admired it for a second with a smile on your face. You wrapped an arm around yourself and turned back to him. You hoisted yourself onto the bathroom counter. “I ran into Ethan Winters.”

His face, which had been admiring your new addition to the vanity which was full of stolen things and things he had acquired for you, turned sour. Karl put his hand on your arm and raised it, checking your side and arm for injuries.

“I told you not to leave the room until he was caught,” he grumbled. He was trying to act like he hadn’t been worried about you from the second he realized you were gone. He was trying to ignore the fact that he himself almost stomped to each of the Lord’s castles to make sure you were alright. He didn’t want you to run into Ethan Winters, that was his worst nightmare. Ethan didn’t have any regard for you. Ethan just wanted Rose. “Are you hurt?” You shook your head.

“No. He asked me if I knew where Rose was and held a gun to my head but in the end we parted ways peacefully.”

“You could have brought him back here,” he muttered.

“I told Alcina where he was. I figured she could take care of him. You already had your shot.” He rolled his eyes and his grip on your arm tightened.

“You could have been seriously hurt. The Lord’s won’t hurt you but Mother Miranda might, Ethan might have.” You brought your free hand up to his cheek and leaned forward so your lips were just barely brushing over his.

“I can take care of myself.” He pressed a harsh kiss against your lips and made a low groaning noise. He let go of your arm to grab your leg and part them so that he could stand between your thighs. He dipped his head to kiss you and you pressed your body against him, feeling every inch of his breathing.

There was a harsh rasp at the door and he pulled away. You grabbed his neck and shook his head, kissing his jaw and peppering kisses down his neck.

“Come on, Mother Miranda doesn’t need you that bad,” you whispered. You pressed a long kiss to his jaw again and he had to physically tear himself away, however much it pained him.

“She might,” he grumbled. You held him until he moved too far away for you to. You groaned and put your head against the wall beside the mirror.

“Maybe I should go and find Ethan Winters again to finish the job. I mean he may only have eight fingers but he’s stayed alive this long and-” He grabbed your arm that was waving around as you spoke and looked you dead in the eyes.

“I will finish the job. You just sit tight kitten.” You kissed his knuckles and then let him go.

“Better be quick Karl. I get very restless very easily.”

He put on his hat and coat (the opposite of either of you wanted in the moment) and slammed the door in frustration against Mother Miranda behind him.

You took a deep breath and hoped he wouldn’t be gone too long.

NSFW Part 2

#karl heisenberg x reader #karl heisenberg imagines #heisenberg imagines #resident evil 8 imagines

[225s]

Sancho angst pls

supercut (jadon sancho)

I hope you like this one anon! I guess it's more just sad stuff than angst though, sorry <3

You're five years old when you fall in love with the curly haired boy from down the street.

You're not even sure what love is, really, you just know it's something special, a feeling that you won't have for everyone you'll ever meet. Your grandma had told you earlier that summer that she knew she was in love with your grandpa because she'd have sweaty palms and butterflies in her stomach whenever he'd look at her. You had frowned at her when she said this, thinking being in love must suck if it makes you feel like this, but she'd just laughed at you and told you that someday you would understand.

And that day comes by sooner than both of you would've guessed, on the last Saturday of summer break, the nervousness about starting year 1 coursing through your veins. You're sitting with your legs criss-cross on the curb in front of your apartment block, surrounded by colourful crayons as you concentrate on your artwork, doing a pretty good job at ignoring the excited screams of a bunch of boys playing football, until something hits you right in the head.

"Jeez, are you okay?"

There's a pair of hands on your shoulders helping you up from the warm concrete, warm brown eyes looking into yours with a hint of concern, only breaking eye contact once to glare at the group of giggling boys behind you. "Shut up, you idiots!"

"Yeah, I'm fine," you mumble, even though it feels like your brain is trying to break free from your skull and you kind of want to cry, but all those thought leave your head when his eyes find yours again, smile warmer than the August sun as he offers you his hand.

"Sorry for kicking a ball in your face," he grins, scratching the back of his neck. "Some lemonade to make up for it?"

You're seventeen when you learn that love doesn't always last forever, that it's a floating feeling that'll creep up to you every now and then before suddenly disappearing overnight. You probably should've known this already from the time your best friend had sobbed in your arms because her parents were getting a divorce, but you'd just figured they'd never really loved each other to begin with. And even though that might've been the case, you now know it also takes a lot of love to let someone go.

"So, this is it."

Truth is, it's been 'it' for a long time already, but it's easier to blame it on the 300 miles that'll soon be between you than on the distance that's already been there for the past couple of months, just like it's easier to claim you'll call, only to send a message when the other one's already asleep, saying you've been busy with school or training and that you'll talk tomorrow - an endless cycle of missed calls and copy-pasted excuses wearing you down.

"This is it," you breathe out, eyes fixed on your hands, tugging on a loose fingernail. You don't want to meet his gaze, because every single time you look into his eyes you let yourself believe you're still as in love with him as 12 years ago, starting to think of ways to fix something that's not necessarily broken, just not meant to be used anymore.

"I'm proud of you, you know that, right?"

"Thank you." Jadon can't remember how many people have said this to him the past few weeks, but you're the only person he wanted, needed, to hear this from. "I'm proud of you, too. I'm sorry I can't be there at your graduation."

You smile, nudge him with your elbow. "That's fine. Just don't forget about me when you're hanging out with Neymar and Messi in a couple of years."

"How could I?"

It's impossible to forget you. Everywhere he goes, Jadon thinks he catches a glimpse of you, until you turn around and end up being a stranger. Every time he scores a goal, he finds himself searching for you in the stands before it hits him that you haven't been to his games in ages, that the heart he makes with his fingers doesn't belong to you anymore.

"I really loved you, you know."

He still can't believe his eyes when he sees you sitting on his sofa, so close to him that he could take your hands in his if they weren't so clammy from the nerves.

You can't help but smile at his words, so genuine that it makes your heart ache a little. "I loved you too. Still do, sometimes," you admit, voice quiet.

A silence falls upon you two as you both wish you could choose your feelings, make them stay forever.

"It's weird how feelings can go away, but kind of remain at the same time, isn't it?" Jadon chuckles softly, barely even understanding his own words, but you know exactly what he means. "Sometimes I'm so sure I'm still in love with you, that we just weren't thinking straight back then, you wouldn't believe how many times I've stared at your phone number at three in the morning thinking of a reason to get back together, but I never came up with one."

You hold up the glass of wine he'd handed you an hour ago, forgotten in the whirlwind of emotions and memories, neither of you in need of the liquid courage as your thoughts slipped from your lips easily, words dying to be heard, and softly let it touch his glass, a silent toast to love.

"Maybe someday we'll find a reason. Until then, just don't forget about me."

Jadon smiles, tears burning in the corner of his eyes, sight too foggy to see yours sparkle as well. "How could I?"

#jadon sancho blurbs #jadon sancho #jadon sancho imagine #jadon sancho imagines #jadon sancho blurb #footballer imagines #jadon sancho x reader #jadon sancho one shot #jadon sancho angst