#which sucks cause now i have a total of zero friends

[turtletaubwrites]

Don't Get Lost ~ Part 2

Pairing: Zoro x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 2,570

This is part 2 of the Series 'We've All Got Needs,' linked below:

We've All Got Needs Masterlist

Ao3 Series Link

Summary: You’re still reeling from the amazing sex you’d had with your crew mate the day before, and the arrangement you’d agreed to. To help each other out. So you join the swordsman as he heads to town to pick up some necessary supplies. Can you keep yourself from getting flustered around him? You give it a try.

Rating/Warnings: Explicit Sexual Content, Reader Insert, Fem!Reader, 18+ Only, MDNI, Smut, Rough Sex, Penis in Vagina Sex, Blow Jobs, Face Fucking, Hair Pulling, Choking, Cunnilingus, Swearing, Casual Sex, Praise Kink, Overstimulation, Multiple Orgasms, Condoms, Aftercare, Alcohol, Oral Sex, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Shameless Smut, Friends with Benefits, Crewmates with Benefits, Zoro's a straight to the point kinda guy, and we love that

A/N: More Zoro smut for you! I swear I'm trying to write short smut with zero plot, but then my lil fingers keep tapping. I've got more plans for these crewmates with benefits, so I hope you enjoy this one!

Last night, Zoro had helped you to your quarters and you’d passed the fuck out. Sanji tapped on your door after dinner to bring you a plate which you’d gratefully devoured. 

I can’t believe that actually happened. 

Every time you remembered Zoro’s hands, his mouth, his everything on you, you had to fight an audible moan, your eyes rolling to the back of your head.

I’m in deep trouble now. 

You’d managed to get ready and make it to breakfast. 

Zoro gave you a subtle wink as he sat down next to you before addressing the group.

“I’m heading to town, gonna pick up a few things.”

“You should have come with us yesterday! We’re leaving in the morning, I don’t want to spend the whole day looking for you when you can’t find your way back.”

You bit back a laugh at Nami’s valid concern.

“I’ll go with him, make sure he won’t get lost,” you caught yourself saying. Your eyes went wide as you worried it was pushing things with Zoro too far. Zoro’s thigh pressed against yours and you hoped your skin flushing with heat wasn’t too noticeable. 

“I’d like to get some air before we leave,” you lied.

Nami crossed her arms at you and muttered, ‘fine,’ before barking orders at Usopp to check the sails after breakfast.

The walk away from the docks toward the town was awkward. You felt embarrassed, like you’d pushed a date onto him when it was supposed to be casual. You wanted to explain, but everything you came up with seemed like it would make it worse. 

“I wouldn’t have gotten lost.”

Zoro’s low declaration made you snort, and you clamped your hand over your mouth. 

He turned to you, an eyebrow raised as if in challenge.

“Got something to say?”

You remembered how flustered he’d made you last night, and you didn’t want to be stuck in that quiet, desperate state every time he was around you. You straightened your spine a bit and responded, staring into his dark, dangerous eyes. 

“You would totally have gotten lost.”

Zoro’s lips twitched before he sucked on his teeth, eyeing you up and down. 

“You’re going to pay for that.”

He kept walking while you had to stop and catch your breath from the chills that tickled up your neck and shoulders at his threat. 

“You comin’?”

You shook your hands at your sides a few times as you sprinted to catch up. 

The condoms he’d promised to buy were easy to find, and your eyes almost popped out of your head at the insane amount he’d purchased. 

“What? We don’t know if the next spot we land will have any. We’ve gotta be ready for anything.”

His smirk didn’t match his casual tone, and you caught yourself unable to speak again. 

You started to head back toward the Going Merry, but Zoro tapped you on the shoulder.”

“You hungry?”

Once again, you were overthinking things. We’re just crewmates. That fuck. We eat together all the time. Just cause we’re eating alone together at a restaurant doesn’t change that. 

Zoro had ordered a few beers for lunch, and you joined him. You knew you couldn’t keep up with him, so you didn’t try at all. Just enjoyed the food and drink, even if it wasn’t as good as Sanji’s. 

You looked around the little pub, and enjoyed people watching. That was one of your favorite things about being a member of the crew. All the places you got to visit, all of the people you got to meet. 

Zoro leaned toward you over the small table, and his long legs shifted until his knees were between yours. You’d been mid sip and almost choked on your beer. You watched his knowing smile deepen as his knees pushed yours outward, spreading your legs under the table. His skin was so hot, even through the fabric between you. 

“Do you want to help me out today, Y/N?”

You bit your lip, trying not to move your body closer to his as you ached for more. 

“I could do that.”

He smiled, downing the rest of his drink. 

“Head to the bathroom. I’ll pay the tab and meet you there.”

Adrenaline pumped through you and you focused on walking nonchalantly instead of running to the bathroom. Luckily there were two, and you picked the nicer one. You raced to the mirror and mussed your hair how you liked it. You didn’t know what to do as you waited, so you sat in the little chair by the door. It felt like it was taking a while, and you chuckled at the thought that he might’ve gotten lost. 

Then he knocked before poking his head in, grinning when he saw you. He closed and locked it behind him, then motioned for you to stand before putting the chair in front of the door. 

You laughed at his overkill, but your laughter died in your throat when he turned to face you. 

“You said you’d help me out, how did you plan to do that?”

He stood close to you, his eyes even darker than normal. 

Your mouth watered, and you smiled before putting your hands on his waist, using them to slide down as you dropped to the floor. 

Zoro’s head fell back with a soft moan as your fingers pulled at his pants. He stepped away for a moment, removing his swords and placing them carefully within reach. Zoro walked back to you, watching as your tongue hung loose in your mouth and you bounced lightly on your calves. 

“Such a dirty little girl, so eager to feel my cock down your throat.”

You whined for him, feeling wetness already dripping between your legs. 

He chuckled as he freed his length from his pants. Your eyes rolled back for a moment, your memory of how long and heavy it was from the night before hitting you again.

You reached for him, wrapping your fingers around him, moaning as you felt him twitch. You licked his tip, looking up at him as you licked up the precum pooling there. His eyes rolled back, and then you hummed at his groans as you took in as much of his length as you could. You pulled back, dragging spit down his shaft so your hands could help you work. 

Zoro’s moans and shakes of pleasure sent chills along your skin, and you smiled with him still in your mouth. 

“Are you ready to help me out now?”

You looked up at Zoro with questioning eyes, only to see mischief in his own. He wrapped his fingers into the hair at the back of your head, you had a second to breathe and decide. You nodded and moaned your yes, and then choked as he shoved his cock down your throat. 

He pulled back to give you time to breathe, then tightened his grip on your hair more and continued his brutal thrusts. 

You held on for dear life, never having done this so intensely before. Tears and spit poured down your face, and you might have stopped it. Except Zoro’s grunts of pleasure and praise made your body clench in need, and you didn’t want to stop. You wanted to help him out, know that he was going to make you fucking weak with pleasure whenever you wanted him to. 

“That’s right, fuuck. Your throat feels so fucking good. I’m close, Y/N. Be a good girl, and swallow it all for me.”

You managed to moan under him, grasping at his thighs to steady yourself. You met his eyes, and seeing the feral heat the moment he went had you reeling. You did your best to relax, feeling his cock pulsing as hot cum poured down your throat. It was intoxicating, feeling his pleasure running through your body. Knowing he’d used you, taken you, and that your body had given him what he needed. 

Zoro pulled out slowly, and you swallowed, licking at him as he pulled away. He knelt in front of you and you gasped as he gripped your chin, sticking his finger in your mouth. 

“Show me,” he demanded in a near growl. You opened wide, sticking your tongue out as you whimpered and ached for him.

His satisfied smirk made you shiver as he kissed your lips softly. He pulled back, and you were breathless as he pulled you into the air. 

“Looks like you’ve earned dessert.”

Your eyes rolled back as Zoro pushed you against the wall. He tore you out of your pants and gave a low chuckle at the sight of your drenched panties. He shoved his fingers into your folds, and you bit your lip to keep from crying out. 

“Fuck, you’re so fucking wet, Y/N. You loved sucking my cock that much?”

“Mm, yes, Zoro. I loved your cock down my throat.”

He groaned. “Damn, you’re so fucking needy. I might need to fuck you again right here if you don’t stop your begging.”

You cried out, almost losing balance. His face was by yours, one hand pressing your shoulder into the wall, while his other hand fucked your dripping cunt. His fingers went so deep, curling and torturing that sweet spot inside you, while the heel of his palm rubbed along your clit with each push. He shifted his other hand to your neck, and started choking you lightly as he whispered in your ear. The feeling of his fingers around your throat getting tighter almost had you coming right then.

“Is that what you want, Y/N? You want me to fuck you against the wall? You’re that fucking desperate, aren’t you?”

“Fuck you, Zoro,” you breathed out, trying to gain some footing with this intense man.

He laughed as his fingers brought you closer and closer. 

“Well, is it true?”

You groaned, body betraying you, and you had to give in to his smug look. I’m so fucked.

“Yes, Zoro, please fuck me right here.”

He gave you a shit eating grin, and you whined as his fingers left you, leaving you just on the brink.

He chuckled at your panic as he dug in his pockets.

“Finger yourself, needy girl.”

You brought your fingers to your clit, wanting his long, powerful fingers back where they belonged. But your mouth fell open with need as you watched Zoro put the condom on. He smirked at you while he forced it down his length. 

“You really do want this cock that much.”

It wasn’t a question, but you nodded anyway.

“I want that pretty pussy of yours too, baby.”

Your eyes rolled back, and you heard Zoro hit the ground. By the time you’d opened your eyes, Zoro was on his knees, pushing your hand aside, and kissing your clit, then licking, sucking, and biting just as he plunged his fingers back in to attack your g spot. 

You chewed on your wrist, panting and drooling as you tried not to scream. 

His movements were so rough, but it just built your pleasure faster until you came on his face. His low chuckle rumbled through you as he licked you up, and it sent more pleasure and twitching through your body.

“Your pussy tastes so good, Y/N. I’m going to fucking ruin it.”

You moaned, then bit back a scream as he flipped you around, shoving your face into the wall. Your cunt was still throbbing from the orgasm he’d just given you, and he stuck his fingers in your mouth to muffle your screams as he shoved his cock into you. 

It was too fucking much, so much as he slammed harder and harder. With one hand gripped on your waist, he fucked you into the wall, it felt like he’d fuck you out to the other side. Tears streamed down your face as you choked on his fingers, about to tap out until you felt yourself there again. 

“Fuck yes, come on my cock. Show me how much you love it, dirty girl.”

Zoro’s own voice was strained, and you felt his punishing thrusts starting to stutter. You were so close again, the pain and pleasure taking you over. Zoro leaned toward you, growling against your skin.

“You want my cock again, you’d better come right the fuck now.”

His threat tickled along your ear, and it sent you over the edge. You felt your pussy milking him so hard, and his groans of pleasure as he came kept yours going. You thought you were going to shake out of your own skin with how intense the climax felt. He stayed in you, removing his fingers from your mouth as you both came down. Little twitches kept moving through both of you. He groaned as your body clenched around him again, then his cock twitched inside you, and you both laughed at the cycle. 

Finally, he pulled out, and helped you sit in the little chair. What a perfect little bathroom to fuck in. 

You giggled at your thought and he tilted his head at you while he removed the full condom. Your mouth fell open at the sight and he shook his head at you. 

“You really are something, Y/N.”

You managed to smile at him, still not able to move much else. 

“What am I?”

Zoro wet some towels and came toward you, kneeling before the chair as he started to clean you up gently. 

“Fucking needy, for one thing.”

You stuck your tongue out at his smug face.

“That’s alright though. Now I can take care of that for you.”

Your eyes fluttered closed at the promise of more of that. 

You had no fucking idea what time it was, as Zoro helped you walk through the pub. 

“Sorry everyone, this little girl couldn’t handle her beer.”

You wanted to punch him as your cheeks flushed red, but it sure looked like it with how he still had to help you walk. 

You finally managed to walk on your own, noticing it looked much later than you expected when you got outside.

“You’re gonna pay for that,” you muttered.

“Oh, what are you gonna do to me?”

Zoro’s teasing face looked very punchable, but you knew that would be an impossible task. 

You smirked back at him, and teased before trying to run for the ship. 

“Next time I’ll just leave you somewhere, and you’ll get so lost you won’t be able to find another needy girl to fuck.”

Laughing, you almost tripped over your feet while sprinting. The ship was almost in sight, but Zoro’s strong hand caught your wrist, making you yelp. 

“That’s not gonna happen. I won’t get lost. I’m not done with you yet.”

Zoro gripped your hair and made you face him, then traced his fingers on your lips, drawing your lower lip down until it pulled back into place.

You whispered his name, heart racing at his intensity. His eyes seemed to refocus and he dropped his grip. 

“Let’s get back to the ship. We need to scope the place out to find the best spots. We’ve got a lot of condoms to go through.”

You choked with laughter, then followed Zoro back to the ship. You hoped the rest of the crew wouldn’t notice a change. 

And you hoped the swordsman would stay and keep his promise. Don’t get lost. 

Thank You For Reading! 💜

TurtleTaub Fanfic Masterlist

Part 3: Does That Work For You, Needy?

Buy me a coffee ☕🙏🏼

#zoro smut #zoro x reader #Reader Insert #Fem!Reader #Smut #mine #One Piece smut #Opla smut #opla zoro x reader #zoro x you #zoro fanfic #zoro fanfiction #x reader #turtletaub fics

[bramble-scramble]

In hindsight the Rabbids didn’t actually “steal” the Rayman series. As a kid I thought that but the actual answer is pretty mundane.

Every main Rayman game from Rayman 1 all the way to Rayman Legends has always been developed by Ubisoft Montpellier and Michel Ancel. Ubisoft Montpellier only developed 2 of the Rabbids games. Rayman Raving Rabbids and Rabbids Go Home. That’s only 2 entries in the Rabbids series which is nothing really. Keep in mind Rayman RR was originally Rayman 4 before they scrapped it.

Every other Rabbids game was made by Ubisoft Paris or other divisions of Ubisoft mainly by the studios who made the Just Dance series. Which makes sense cause most Rabbids games were mini game collection that were simple to create.

So what held Rayman up? From what I’ve seen nothing really tho the closest answer is likely that both Michel Ancel and Ubisoft Montpellier we’re busy on Beyond Good and Evil it was announced in 2008 and likely the entire team were focused on that. However if you know development trouble happened which held the studio up for quite some time. It was temporarily shelved which gave Ancel time to make Origins and Legends then he went back to BG&E 2 after Legends in 2017 where it was reintroduced but is now in development hell to this day.

Yep. I was young in an era when a major entry in my favorite game franchises could come out every year, or every other year. As I've gotten older, game dev has gotten more and more complex and lengthy due to a variety of factors. My awareness of that fact lagged behind the reality of it happening, but I am quite aware of it now, largely due to watching a lot of videos, reading a lot of articles and even having some friends at major studios.

I'm a Donkey Kong fan. Why has there been no new DK game in a decade? Has Nintendo totally given up on one of their major franchises? No, the rumors are that they leased it out to a third party studio, changed their minds, and started over in-house as they have a new vision for the DK series that they want to oversee. What's going on with Metroid Prime 4? Who knows. The game industry is such a mess I'm amazed we get any truly great passion projects out of major studios at all.

It's not as simple as "People want thing, make more of thing!" If fans want something, there are devs out there who want to make it too. Maybe even people for whom that series inspired them to get into the industry. But that doesn't mean it's going to end up happening. Still, it's why I think Rayman in the Phantom Show is so great, because the devs (at least a lot of the creative team) really did want to make it.

I feel like the idea that the Rabbids stole Rayman's franchise, and that Rayman died so the Rabbids could live, exists in that knowledge gap before understanding how complex everything is. Maybe it made sense for a time, but it really doesn't hold up to scrutiny now. Things aren't really a zero sum game like that, and so much has happened in the intervening years to contradict this idea.

It is funny, in my stream we were talking about how people don't really harp on this narrative so much anymore, with good reason... Only to have the most stereotypical "RABBIDS SUCK AND RAYMAN DESERVES BETTER" gamer show up like thirty minutes later, lol. Well, people will cling to the stories that help them make sense of the world, I suppose... Even if it makes them unhappy.

#mario plus rabbids #mario + rabbids #alter answers #rayman in the phantom show

[maeshelix]

I hope this isn't rude or offensive to ask, but how many of you are there? And what're your names? :3

Anon. My dear friend.

Not only is this not rude at all, but we've been looking for the perfect excuse to make a little introduction post about us since we found out we were we!!!

At least, I have lmao. And you just gave me that excuse right now let's goooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!! 🎉🎉🎉

So!!! At the moment, there's about 10 of us, possibly 12??? Not sure yet, I'll let one of them edit this if I'm wrong and they exist lmao. But for now just operate on there being 10 peeps in here!!!

(Edit: It is actually twelve. Hello. I think I'll let Rokoko handle edits to the list proper though. She seems to enjoy that immensely-❤️)

(She seems to enjoy most things immensely lmao-💙)

More after the break (^-^)

First up on the list is meeeeeeeeee :3c Rokoko is the name and fun is my favorite game!!! I'm the resident clown-bot-girl of this particular system, a certified Delight here to spread joy and positivity in whatever ways I can!!! Usually through jokes!!! Though mostly because our body couldn't do half the shit I can do internally if we tried and also all of our friends are in completely different states and countries so we couldn't even hug or dance with any of them if I wanted to. And goodness knows I want to!!!

Next up is Salem!!!!!! My best buddy Salem!!!!!! She's basically the polar opposite to me lmao. She's a Protector who's perpetually tired and bitter cause the world kinda sorta sucks alot lmao. She's super sweet and kind if you get on her good side though!!! Which is harder then you think to get on but easier then you'd think!!! She's also a big tough werewolf girl who wants to look both cute and badass!!! Like a big metal spike wrapped in cute red ribbon ^_^

Next, there's Zero!!! She's a super cute robot girl like me!!! Except she's not really into the whole having emotions thing like I am. Like, she still has them (can't really completely avoid those while stuck in a human body after all) but she'd really prefer if she didn't, and she's told me that herself!!! Nonetheless, she's a logical and loyal little perfectionist AI who loves us just as much as we love her 💝💝💝. We're not really sure what her role within the system is (and honestly we don't really sweat it when it comes to roles in the system. Some of us know it instinctively but others don't and that's honestly fine!!!) But we know she's really witty and really smart!!! When she wants to be. She's also kind lazy, heehee :p

There's Daisy, who's a total sweetheart honestly. So much so that she's usually kinda sad and scared of the world around us which, fair lmao. She's a teeny tiny plant girl who just wants to be happy and loved and who's willing to help out in whatever ways she can. She's also adorable and again, soso sweet omgggggg you have no idea!!!

Marking the midway point of this list is Freesia!!! The suave moth demoness of our little family!!! She's an incredibly kind and loving woman who would probably help you move houses if you asked her to. I think she's a Caretaker??? Again, we don't really sweat labels here but it definitely fits with her in my opinion!!! She doesn't really come out often though, which sucks!!! @our brain, let the gal out every now and then she deserves time to herself!!!

Sleepy is next and we know basically nothing about her!!! Mostly because she rarely comes out, at least lately. Despite that though, we know that she's a big ol' goofball who says the most random shit sometimes and honestly, i love that aboit her (^ー^). Also fun fact!!! She's actually the one who originally tipped us off to being us in the first place!!! In that she was the first one to notice that she was different from whoever was in front at first one day and went "huh. Damn that's weird bro." I think she also miiiight controls when we feel especially ready to sleep (hence her name!!! I think. It could also be that she's just really really tired most the time, I honestly dunno!!!) so that's cool!!!

Next up, in no particular order, is Miranda!!! And next to Sleepy we probably know the least about her, except that she formed after a point in time where we played nothing but Elden Ring for like a month, after a particularly stressful point in our life!!! As such, she speaks like a fusion of Melina and Ranni and kinda looks like one too!!! With four arms and everything!!! She's really into fantasy media, and I'm sure she's gonna have a ball whenever we get around to playing Baldur's Gate 3 (let's be honest girls, it's an inevitability at this point, we just gotta pick the time lmao).

Heading up the rearguard is Hana!!! She's a super chill grill with attitude( ￣▽￣). Almost as much of a jokester as me, she's just focused on relaxing and hanging out. She's a kinda fictive??? It's complicated, and not for public speculation!!! All you need to know is that she's got multiple wings like an angel and is super into DOOM!!! She's the best I love her o(^o^)o

If you're looking for a definitive fictive, then F.E. is the girl for you!!! I don't think she wants me to tell you what she's a fictive of, so I won't say her full name, but like. She's not really subtle about it let's be honest lmao. She's the one who usually comes to front and takes care of our body whenever our brain is just far too exhausted (emotionally or otherwise) for any of us to use it!!! Or whenever we're on painkillers. Either or lmao. We actually thought she was also Zero for the longest time since they both kinda have a similar "emotionless perfect being" thing going on, though eventually F.E. found out she's definitely different from Zero and here we are now!!! She's a nice and steadfast gal with a little bit of a mischievous streak and she's also our latest split!!! I love her (^.^)

Last, but certainly not least, probably, is our girl Silver!!! Unlike F.E., Silver's pretty open about what her source is, that being Silver the Hedgehog!!! And I'd say she act an awful lot like the OG telepath too!!! If just a liiiiittle more nervous and anxious. She's an optimist, but she's also a realist, and she never fails to have hope for the future!!! In spite of the evidence to the contrary lmao. She also thinks she's been here the longest too!!! Here being our brain of course. Which I believe!!! Makes sense that we'd have a Silver fictive as a kid lmao.

And that's the list so far!!! We'll probably just edit and re-edit this list whenever something new happens in here so keep an eye out for that!!! And of you can't then don't worry, cause I'm pinning this to the top of our silly little blog lmao.

Again, thank you for the ask anon!!! And I hope you enjoy my answer as much as I did writing it!!!

#system intro #-Rokoko #-salem #-Zer0 #-Daisy🌻 #-Freesia #-Sleepy💤 #-Miranda #-Hana☕️ #F.E. #-Silver🦔 #god im tired lmao. this was extremely fun to write up but its also 6am here as im writing so its also very tiring 🤣🤣🤣 #hey salem here. we also cant control who fronts for shit. so if you wanna ask a specific one of us something then get ready to wait #or get lucky as hell #-Sonic🦔 #-Shadow🦔 #-🎶Miku🎤

[crystalelemental]

"megazardx2: Oh, so you do know and you don’t like it! I actually kind of did…Guess that tracks! I was hoping things would turn out a bit different this time, but whatevs; let’s just go with the expected route! And Welp, Kieran’s plot continues into The Indigo Disk, so I hope you enjoy disliking that part, too! I’m rather salty."

Salty about the DLC, or salty I don't seem to like it? Either way, fair. There are some aspects I enjoy, but most of it kinda missed its mark. I expect Indigo Disk will do better, since it allegedly connects more to Area Zero which was the strength of this game, but we'll see.

As for the story...if you want more, it's under the cut. But I know this is going to be a point of disagreement, so it might just be fuel on the fire.

I can already tell people are going to really like Kieran. My wife really likes him. I don't hate him, but I'm not having the same response I know others are.

I do get it, I swear I get it. Day 1, your sister, who is abrasive but genuinely seems to care about you, sets you up to spend time with the new player you took a connection to, and it's super exciting! You don't make friends well and you're super excited to have this little adventure and this connection where maybe they even indicate they understand your way of thinking! And then day 2 said sister pulls you aside and suddenly they're going around without you on some adventure. And they don't tell you about having met the ogre, and they don't tell you about the story your grandfather told you about, and this person you thought you connected with now suddenly seems really emotionally far from you and you don't really understand why. And that hurts and it sucks and you're mad at them for seemingly turning on you, and you're mad at your sister for shifting on a dime from setting you up with this person to suddenly taking them for herself, and you're mad at your grandfather for not telling you the truth about the ogre that you liked. I get it. I get why you're mad, I swear I do.

Being mad at me (player character) is unreasonable. Kieran, buddy, I'm sorry you latched onto the idea that we were super best friends forever deluxe, but I have known you a total of less than 24 hours. I was asked, by your grandfather, not to spread this story, because of the chaos it could cause socially if we tried. I am an outsider. I have no stake in any of this. If I am told "it is bad for our village if we try to tell people this," I am going to then not tell anyone. Even you, person I have a budding friendship with but not any long-lasting reason to be willing to defy such a request for.

If I'm being especially critical, it's the issue the whole game has of not really wanting to engage with what exactly its characters dealt with. "They were bullied/were outcasts" is a nice broad sentiment to evoke sympathy, but I have zero context for what that looks like. What I do have context for is Team Star grunts talking about a quota for strong-arming other students into dropping out and joining them even all this time later, and Kieran being very quick to jump to the conclusion that I'm being mean to him for lying when I don't immediately break my promise for him.

I know there's a lot of feelings wrapped up in that. I know there's a history here we aren't going to be privy to. But in absence of it, he comes across as needlessly harsh toward you, in a way that's like...buddy, maybe this is why it's hard to make friends? Maybe you're putting too much expectation on them right away, and get really mad when they're not instantly all-in on your level of friendship devotion? Which is fascinating as a character study! That's really interesting and well-crafted, and I like him in that regard! But I sure don't really like him as a person right now!

Which is probably why I'm so conflicted about the Ogerpon thing. Like yeah, he really identified with the ogre, and you can feel the connection to it as a concept. So on the one hand, it feels almost malicious that all of this ends in beating his ass in a battle then catching it in front of him. But on the other hand, his knowledge of the ogre was wrong, and how much of that connection would actually go well if he's this harsh toward his friend for not sticking to him only. So there is, I suppose like usual, a reason for him not getting it. But it also feels a lot harsher this time than most others. Zinnia-esque, I would say. That's the only other time I can think of where they're so attached to the specific legend, and so ingrained in the culture of it, but it goes to someone completely outside of this culture for little reason other than "is main character."

At this point I'm mostly just rambling. The short is, I don't hate the kid, and I'm fine with him coming back for Indigo Disk if they're continuing development, because there's potential here. My response is just a lot harsher on the kid than I know others will have.

#megazardx2

[rainesol]

Apollyon’s childhood

Made using this prompt sheet

(CWs for child neglect/abuse. The rough parts will be in red)

Simple as, Apollyon wasn’t born. He has zero relatives. He was made using EXTREMELY taboo and illegal magic. It’s very difficult to accomplish, and takes multiple people to do.

Polly doesn’t remember much from his childhood. He can hardly recall his host parents faces, despite last seeing them at 16. His earliest memory would probably be from age six, in his early school years.

Surprisingly little. Disturbingly little. Apollyon sat and stared a lot. Also, changeling infants bite. Imagine the worst place for an infant to randomly grow barbed teeth and bite at. He was bottle-fed.

Apollyon didn’t start speaking until he was four or five. I imagine he went straight to full sentences.

He started walking EARLY. 7ish months?

I imagine later than most kids. Maybe 3/4 years? He didn’t stop wetting the bed until he was ~12.

Yeah. It’d be a little bitten, but it’s his canines you’d worry about. I don’t know when he’d stop using it :0 Either older or younger than average. Apollyon retained similar(?) behaviour into adulthood though. He will suck/chew on his sleeves or hoodie strings when anxious.

Pretty often. And it’d be about anything. Changeling children are designed to react like this more often than a typical human child.

Could probably use a post of its own. He was a lot quieter as a little kid, and then as an older child-young teen he was more volatile.

Very hard. Changelings exist to cause distress in this universe.

Walking. Gets him out of the flat.

No. Going with some myths, he’d have had a decent appetite. He lost it though, and now eats little, as he’s accustomed to.

He taught himself to cook young. He’d normally eat raw ingredients before he could. Like dry pasta.

As a baby/toddler, he’d have trouble going to bed. Currently he’s a bit of an insomniac. He can fall asleep if someone is soothing him to sleep though.

Yeah. He was scared of his host parents and would dream about them. This also meant he couldn’t go to them for comfort. Sometimes he’d stand in their doorway but being a creepy changeling kid, he’d just get yelled at to leave. Sometimes he’d dream about strange cloaked figures in the woods, too. Wonder what that’s about.

Only really the stuff the original child got from the baby shower/pre birth.

Interesting to look at. Like those sparkly water timers.

He found a lost ‘ds’ as a kid. He totally would’ve given it back, but the kids parents just got them a new one the next day, so he took it home and pirated some games for it. He still has it.

Apollyon was physically abused. As a child, he would have had very severe punishments, many of which he wouldn’t have realised weren’t normal (hitting, kneeling on rice/etc, having glassware etc thrown near or at him).

Typical day would depend on if he went to school or not. He’d spend most of the day on in school suspension.

He liked feeding pigeons and ducks. He tries to ignore bad memories. Sometimes to an unhealthy degree. One memory was of him being left in the underground. He waited for hours but his dad never came back. Eventually the police took him home. He was 7.

N/A. I doubt much celebrating happened in his household.

Apollyon had an extremely poor relationship with his host parents. He says that his father was scarier than his mother. He’d be on the receiving end of serious physical and verbal abuse from then until he was ‘big enough to fight back. Then they’d mostly ignore him. However, his adoptive mother (her name’s Maya), has an excellent relationship with him. She’s incredibly kind and understanding with him, and helps heal his poor inner child.

No friends. An acquaintance gave him his industrial piercing, though. He can’t remember her name.

His parents had a bearded dragon. It wasn’t kept very well and they gave it away when he was young.

Casual, comfy stuff. Most of his clothes came from lost and found or charity shops. One time on a non-uniform day someone pointed out he was wearing something they’d donated and he ‘just went home’. Totally not one of my experiences I’ve forced on him lol

Other than teachers, no. They weren’t any help to him. Until the age of 16, ‘every adult in Polly’s life had failed him.’

Public primary/secondary schools. He liked art class. He didn’t like much else.

N/A

I don’t know. Probably not.

Nothing friendly. That. It. Him.

Yeah. He was abused and isolated the whole time. I won’t delve too deep into specific scenarios. He tends to assume everyone just doesn’t like him.

This will probably be updated. I was sleep deprived writing it :(

#he needs a detailed post on how he was as a kid #cws for neglect and abuse. I’ve not gone into a lot of detail but it’s there #asks open #twst oc #twisted wonderland oc #apollyon belladonna

[iamthecomet]

That’s so cool for the friend!!! :D

I’m doing alright but uh

i didnt have the best evening yesterday

i was at a friend’s house yesterday, cause she invited me over and i thought it was gonna be just a small hangout between friends

i was WRONG

well not that much, it wasn’t like, a party or anything, but my friends (+ a few strangers to me) wanted to get rlly drunk and high, but i couldn’t cause like..? I’m working during the day? So anyways, i ended up having to look after them all night, which kind of sucked if i had to be honest.

at least, my friend bought me a monster, which i had rlly wanted for a little while now. But it smelt like piss and i wanted to cry bc idk?

and now i have this huge migraine, but i think i just need to drink more water so imma go do that now

but overall, i’m still doing alright today. Not the best, but better than yesterday

(sorry for the dump)

-🪱

Oh that sounds like a nightmare. I'm sorry. Being the sober person in a house full of not-sober young people is actual hell. It's zero fun, I'm sorry you had to deal with that. And you didn't get a good Monster? Totally not fair. I'd probably cry about it after all that bullshit too. Have some water, lay down somewhere dark, try to relax. That bullshit is all over. I'm glad today is at least a little better than yesterday. I hope your migraine gives you some relief soon, they're awful. And you know you can come and vent to me whenever you want you don't have to be sorry. ♥

#comet comments #wormy #comet's anons

[angelofrainfrogs]

Spend the Night: Ch. 16

~Coauthored by @zeitghest~

Fandom(s): Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach

Description: The familiar melody of Grandfather’s Clock chimes through the echoing halls of the Pizzaplex…

Charlie wakes up in her Puppet’s vessel yet again with one goal in mind: to stop William Afton’s reign of terror for good. She enlists the help of Glamrock Freddy, the emphatic leader of the newest iteration of the Fazbear Band. But there seems to be more to this bear than meets the eye—and the same goes for the mysteriously familiar kid the duo find tinkering with animatronics down in Parts & Service.

With some help from friends new and old, Charlie’s journey into the bowels of the Pizzaplex will unravel mysteries none of them ever expected. 

Rating: T

Read on Ao3

I’m gonna bleed, I’m gonna stay

I’ll never leave ‘til night becomes day

Whatever happened to the others that came?

~Total Insecurity by Rockit Music~

Today was the day that Gregory learned he had zero impulse control when left with pizza and soda. Charlie had to stop him from sucking down the last can of pop and encourage him to drink at least one bottle of water instead. Half the pizza was gone in two hours, leaving Gregory in quite the state. He laid against the cool floor, on his back and holding his stomach. Charlie, feeling bad for the kid, would periodically rake her fingers soothingly through his hair.

“I told you. I said this exact thing was going to happen if you did it,” she remarked grimly.

“Thank you, captain foresight.” Gregory groaned. He was starting to think he was lactose intolerant after the umpteenth time this same scenario has happened to him. Yet Charlie would disagree, saying it's the volume and speed at which he decided to eat.

“Michael—we're going to have to put the kid out of his misery,” Charlie teased, holding out one of her hands as Gregory laughed and rolled from her lap to get away. “Hand me a pillow, I'll make it quick—”

“She’s right, Gregory—we can’t stand to see you suffer like this,” Michael said with a dramatic sigh as he picked up a bowtie-shaped throw pillow. Then without warning he threw this at Charlie, not hard enough to cause damage but with enough force to knock the Puppet backwards with a surprised yelp.

What ensued next was the quietest “pillow” fight known to man, wherein the animatronics tossed any soft, stuffed object they could find at each other in an attempt to push someone off-balance. Gregory joined in once he’d recovered enough, and despite their excitement the group did their best to keep the volume down to crazed whispers. Only the occasional, muffled shriek got through when a plushie collided unexpectedly with someone’s face.

Minutes after a truce was called, the door to Freddy’s room began to slide open. Michael instantly jumped to his feet, ready to run to the back as he saw Charlie snatch Gregory up out of the corner of his eye. To his relief, it was the bear himself that slipped inside the room, now fresh and squeaky clean with his normal paws intact.

“Oh no… what happened?” Michael groaned softly as it seemed like part of their efforts last night were for nothing.

“I could ask you all the same question,” Freddy replied, looking around in disbelief. The half-empty pizza box was left open on the table, and the remnants of soda cans and snack wrappers were littered around it. Additionally, every soft object was scattered throughout the room—he even saw his prized throw pillow hooked on top of the star light that protruded from the ceiling.

Gregory had long gone limp in Charlie's hold, his arms in the way of completely sliding from her grip as she took the reins in explaining the state of things.

“Impromptu pillow fight. Gregory ate too much and he needed to work some of it off. Right, buddy?” the Puppet asked, bouncing him in her arms.

“—Don't shake me,” he groaned in response. “I'm gonna freaking pop.”

The bloat was still getting to the kid and Charlie let him down to move of his own accord, where he started to clean up the scattered garbage. She hoped that they hadn't gone routing around too much for answers in Freddy's coding. Although she knew better than to think the bear would rat them out at this point, there was still the paranoia that the human staff possibly knew more than was necessary.

“Well, I am sorry I missed the activity,” Freddy said with a small laugh, unable to be frustrated at the situation. They’d clearly been having fun and bonding, which is exactly what the bear hoped would happen when they got rare a moment alone together.

As Gregory busied himself with cleaning up, Freddy explained his trip to Parts & Service. He told them about the sad state of the other animatronics and the fact that Monty’s torso couldn’t be found. He relayed how he’d been cleaned and “reset,” though still kept in Safe Mode—and how he’d seen Vanessa sporting a sling and tired eyes, but otherwise back to herself again. Freddy finished up his speech by regaling the others of how Monty’s claws were replaced with his usual limbs and the suspicion now upon him.

“I believe everyone thinks that I decommissioned Monty,” the bear concluded, then blinked and tilted his head slightly. “…Which I suppose I did, but they think it was done maliciously so I could steal his claws. We must be wary of any other parts we upgrade, because if staff sees them I will be sent right back to Parts & Service.”

Michael groaned again, raking his a paw through his mane. “Great… just great. So much for that plan…”

Gregory seemed particularly frustrated at the situation. Not only did they have heat from administration on them now, but the upgrades he’d stolen for Freddy were taken, undoing his hard work. This anger was apparent in the way he cleaned, now just a little more aggressively than before.

“At least they won't fix Monty right away if they can't find him. That's one less crazy robot to deal with,” he grumbled, tossing a pillow up for Charlie to catch.

“Hey—” She snagged the pillow, only to gently lob it to the back of Michael's head. “—let's look at the bright side! We learned a lot from our first night here. Tonight, we'll be better equipped for dealing with everyone.” Charlie spoke with a more optimistic attitude attached, watching with satisfaction as the cushion met the back of her friend’s metallic skull.

Michael let out an offended noise as the pillow made contact, turning to glare at Charlie. There was no venom in the expression though; he knew she was just trying to cheer him up.

“No fair striking when someone’s guard is down!” the fox exclaimed, then pointed to the cushion high out of reach. “Help me get that, will you? I’ll lift you up.”

“Tonight will be much better than the last,” Freddy reassured, trying to manifest this into truth by saying it aloud. They could not have a repeat of all the terrifying things that went down the previous evening, for all their sakes.

As Gregory threw the final bit of trash away and crossed Freddy's path, the bear ran a hand through the boy’s hair. That was one good thing about Monty’s claws being replaced, at least—there was no chance of Freddy accidentally scratching anyone or anything with sharp appendages he wasn’t familiar with.

“We should make a plan for tonight,” Michael suggested, letting Charlie’s comparatively light body rest on his shoulders. “Or at least figure out what we need to do besides just ‘get rid of my psychotic father...’”

“I have an idea, but… I'm not sure you guys are gonna like it,” Charlie murmured cryptically. Just a little farther up, she had to really work to grasp the pillow from the edge of the light. When she couldn't get a hold, Charlie would bat it down and let it bonk against Freddy's head. “Oops—my bad, Freddy.” 

“What's your plan, Charlie?” Gregory asked with morbid curiosity, laughing as the pillow squeaked when it impacted with Freddy's little top hat.

There was a dark light in Puppet’s pinprick eyes. “Lure everyone but old man Afton outside at 6 and burn the place to the ground."

This place could rot for all she cared... Though, retrospectively, this didn’t solve the issue with Freddy's charging pod situation. He'd still be forced to shut down after sometime, as would all the others.

There was a beat of silence after this declaration. Michael was the one to break it as he slowly set Charlie back on solid ground.

“A few years ago, I’d tell you that was a fantastic plan,” he said, giving her an amiable pat on the back. “Unfortunately… I’ve been semi or wholly responsible for at least two fires that burned down an entire Fazbear building with my father inside, and look how that’s turned out. Somehow, the bastard ‘always comes back.’”

Michael said this last bit in an obnoxious, mocking tone to imitate the line he’d heard his father repeat at nauseam. Frankly, the whole situation was starting to get as old as his crusty dad.

“Additionally, as I stated last night I will not be able to stay active outside of the Pizzaplex for long.” Freddy had to point out the obvious, choosing to ignore Michael’s curse and arguably more concerning admission of committing arson on multiple occasions. “This goes for all other animatronics as well—even if we wrest them from William’s control, they will not survive long without the Pizzaplex’s charging capabilities.”

Once Charlie was set back down, she immediately felt herself tense as she caught Gregory's expression. Apparently, they’d completely forgotten to clue him in on the charging pod situation. With wide eyes, he looked between Freddy and Michael, fear and apprehension in his gaze.

“Freddy—” Charlie nodding her head sharply in Gregory's direction while the kid's gaze was momentarily diverted. She gave him a nudge with her elbow, watching as Gregory's face relaxed into one of defeated sadness.

There went Gregory's plans of stealing the Fazbear Entertainment's animatronics to be his new family... With his arms crossed, he glanced up to the bear, clearly trying not to wear his sudden disappointment on his sleeves yet unable to shake the pout on his face. “So all we can do is try to find this guy and kill him for good, right? More kids will just go missing if we don't...”

It seemed to be their only chance. The real question was how?

“Oh dear… I am sorry, superstar,” Freddy apologized, crouching down to pull Gregory into a hug. Despite the boy trying to be strong and act like the situation didn’t bother him, he folded into Freddy’s embrace rather quickly. “I did not mean to distress you. We are trying to think of a solution for how we can stay together, do not worry—I promised I would look after you no matter what, and I do not break my promises.”

That look of utter defeat on Gregory’s face had been short-lived but poignant. Michael knew it well—the dawning realization that your father might not be able to take care of you like he promised he could. He and Gregory had completely different circumstances to prompt this, but the sinking, hole in the chest feeling was the same.

“Charlie came up with a crazy idea that we might just be able to pull off with my amazing mechanical skills…” Michael grinned, making a show of pushing up a billowy sleeve to show off his nonexistent muscles. “And we’d also need your coding abilities—”

“That is not our top priority,” Freddy reminded gently before Michael could start spouting off about new robotic bodies. He didn’t want to get the boy’s hopes up for a scenario they’d barely worked out basic logistics for. “Gregory is right—we must focus on stopping William Afton first and foremost before he can hurt anymore innocents.”

While this was true, the prospect of solving the issue still intrigued Gregory. Even if it was false hope, he’d cling to it. Charlie watched his frown lift into a more neutral and relaxed expression, calmed as Freddy held onto him.

“I hope I could code well enough to help,” Gregory remarked, blunt but eager. “I promise I'll do whatever you guys need after we kick your Dad's ass—butt. Sorry, I-I meant butt.”

Gregory corrected himself, much to Charlie's hidden amusement. The kid was hanging around Michael too much, and it showed. Mike’s rebellious behavior was infectious. It probably even took root within Freddy in ways they didn't understand now. She supposed that’s what it meant to be such close friends with people.

“Well, your heart's in the right place, kiddo,” Charlie began, deciding to take a seat back on the couch, legs crossed as she gathered her thoughts. “I think the real issue is—will this be the last time we get rid of him? It's annoying to agree with anything he’s said, but he does always come back...”

“Oh, it's going to be.” Michael's reply was quick and left no room for argument. There was a hardness in his eyes that only came from decades of exhaustion from his father's constant resurgence. He gave a short, wry laugh, his gaze shifting to Charlie's. “Isn't the definition of insanity repeating the same thing over and over again and hoping to get different results? Well, William's clearly insane for multiple reasons, but I'm not going to fall into the same category as him by trying to get rid of him only for him to return for the hundredth time. This is going to be the end.”

Michael's impassioned speech left the room quiet for a moment. Freddy released Gregory and stood with a nod.

“I agree wholeheartedly. Regardless of whether we are able to leave the Pizzaplex, I cannot in good conscience do away with William without assuring that he is truly gone.”

Michael snorted at this, and to Freddy's questioning look he replied: “Sorry, sorry—I appreciate the enthusiasm. It's just... sometimes easy to forget you're a robot, Freddy—especially when you talk about having a conscience. It's weird, but not in a bad way.”

Michael would never get over the morality programmed into these machines. He really hoped he'd get to see the others in a non-infected state, although he had to admit that after what they'd already been through he wouldn't be too cut up about it if he never got to check out their inner workings.

“Yeah,” Charlie agreed, looking from Michael back towards the face of Fazbear Entertainment. “You're so aware.”

She was still slightly shaken from the strongly put musings Michael spouted forth, and silently went to work on figuring out a way to remove William from the picture. Leaning on a thin hand, Charlie watched as Gregory meandered towards the arcade machine... And then it hit her like a pile of bricks.

Why didn't she think of this before?

“Cassidy!” she shouted, abrupt and loud.

How could she forget her? The one who'd originally trapped William away in the first place would certainly have another idea of how to put him to rest for good.

“Cassidy?” Freddy questioned with a tilt of his head. “That name does not hold significance in my memory banks.”

“Of course it wouldn't—she was one of the original kids to go missing, way back when William started this whole thing. You're not going to have that kind of information in your database,” Mike explained, mirroring Freddy's head tilt as he looked at Charlie curiously. “Do you think she's still here, too?”

“If she's not here, I wonder if there's a way to find her,” Charlie mused. Though she never saw the girl upon waking up in the Pizzaplex, that didn’t mean she wasn’t hiding around in some dark corner. After all, she and Michael hadn’t remembered exactly how they got up top; after so much time wallowing in limbo, memories started to get a bit fuzzy. “I'm sure if she finds out the guy that stuffed her into an empty suit was wandering around, she'd gladly help us...”

“There's more ghosts?” Gregory asked, surprised at the amount of pissed-off dead kids that Michael's dad seemed to accumulate grudges with. He held back from cursing again, reeling from the fact that he might be meeting a fourth ghost not twenty-four hours after learning that they were just as real as everyone else.

“I am just as surprised as you are, superstar,” Freddy murmured, going to stand by the arcade cabinet and watch as Gregory refocused on his attempt at beating the high score. The bear's eyes might be on the lit up screen, but his ears were still tuned into Charlie and Michael's conversation.

How many children had William sacrificed for his twisted ideals? Freddy heard rumors of children going missing in the Pizzaplex, of course. One or two might be pushed under the rug, but nine was too much to keep out of even the animatronics' knowledge. All they were told was to keep an eye out for these specific kids registered in the guest book, but the how and why of their disappearances remained under wraps.

Freddy clenched his fists as he thought about this. Even now, the company still tried their best to appear like nothing was wrong.

“Don't you have some... I don't know, ghostly connection powers or something? Could you reach out and see where she is?” Michael asked Charlie, plopping down on the floor to face her. He shrugged with a soft laugh. “Sorry, I'm still comparatively new to this vengeful spirit thing.”

“I... have no idea, actually,” Charlie remarked. “I’ve never tried a remote connection before, but it's worth a shot! I wonder if this’ll work without a vessel to touch, though…”

Gregory had tuned in again, momentarily distracted to say: “If you guys are summoning ghosts, I'm staying turned around! I almost had a heart attack when I saw Michael.” Gregory huffed lightly when he overstepped on the side-scrolling platformer, losing a life and growing one step closer to failure.

“Alright, Gregory—if you really think little girls with overalls and pigtails are scary, you should definitely stay turned around,” Charlie teased, watching in amusement as his face darkened in a blush.

“Horrifying,” was all he could muster as he begun Level 3 all over again.

“Hey, I wasn't that ugly!” Michael exclaimed, scoffing in mock offense.

His looks were certainly a point of contention within his own self-confidence, especially at the time they were “frozen” in his ghostly form. He didn't have to use a mirror to know that his face matched far too closely with his father's for comfort. It was the whole reason so many animatronics had gone after him in the first place after all, and a huge factor in why he'd gotten scooped...

But Gregory didn't need to know that. If he learned that Mike had the true face of that psychotic rabbit with the hypodermic needle forever etched into Gregory's nightmares, Michael feared the boy would have a heart attack.

Charlie busted out laughing. Of course she didn't think he was ugly—it’d just been unfortunate that he inherited his murderous father’s face to a tee. Though Charlie liked to think that William simply copied his son, rather than it unintentionally being the other way around.

Curling around the fox once more, Charlie placed a gentle hand to Mike’s cheek, only to abruptly turn it away.

“Hush—your face is scary, Mike,” Charlie remarked in a deadpan, seeing Gregory's shoulders bounce with a silent laugh in the corner of her vision.

“No—” Gregory snorted, jumping past an obstacle in his game. “—just his head passing through solid freaking metal was creepy!”

Michael rolled his eyes, grinning as he gently shoved  Puppet's face away just as she'd done to him. He then shook his head with a dramatic sigh. “Consider yourselves lucky you don't have to get a load of Charlie here... now that's terrifying.”

This pulled a chuckle from everyone, even Charlie herself. Once the moment died down, Freddy quietly cleared his throat.

“As much as I would like to make progress immediately, we should wait for night shift,” he said. “Though the animatronics are docile for now, there are too many staff members walking around—I do not want to risk anyone seeing Gregory, or potentially another ghost.”

More time to rest and recharge before the inevitable harrowing night again?

Yeah—no one had an issue with that plan whatsoever.

***

The group stayed in Freddy's room for the remainder of dayshift, talking quietly about anything and everything while avoiding harsh topics when they could. They were enjoying the calm before the storm, needing to get in as much pleasant time with each other before the clock hit 12 am and their world devolved into frantic chaos yet again.

Too soon, that time arrived. An alert blinking across Freddy's vision signaled the official start of night shift. Cautiously, the bear peeked out of the curtains to find Rockstar Row empty yet again. He assumed the other animatronics were currently in their rooms, though surely they wouldn't stay there for long. Hearing no updates on Monty, Freddy could only presume the gator was still missing.

With a slight frown, Freddy turned back to the rest of the group. “Alright, the coast is clear. Charlie, you may go ahead and try whatever you would like.”

This was going to be interesting.

Gregory had long since made himself comfortable on the couch, arms crossed as he sunk far into the soft cushions and watched as Freddy made sure that no one decided to crash their séance. It would quite literally be the last thing they needed that night. Hopefully, they'd have the time to summon whoever Cassidy was. Though as Gregory turned his attention Charlie, he had a feeling she was already on the right track.

Becoming comfortable and sitting cross-legged on the ground, the Puppet appeared frozen. Quiet as she looked ahead, Charlie's sudden stillness caused the warmth to be sucked from the room. Tiny, silver pinprick eyes formed in the center of the mask’s empty sockets.

Charlie hadn't even spent that long concentrating on bringing Cassidy back, when suddenly two hands emerged to grasp Puppet’s shoulders from behind.

As a head of light, strawberry-blonde hair peaked out of the darkness, Gregory jumped slightly at the sight. The girl couldn't have been much older than him—when she died, that is. With an annoyed look on her face, she shook Charlie vehemently.

“It's about time!” Cassidy snipped, tongue catching against a pair of colorful braces as she spoke. The ghost glanced around the room with subdued interest, unimpressed and merely observing her surroundings. “This place is weird. Charlie, what took you so long?”

Charlie's eyes had returned to normal, surprised at how fast it was to summon the feisty spirit. “Uh—sorry, Cas! I didn’t realize you were waiting on me.”

“Oh my goodness...,” Freddy murmured from next to Gregory, instinctively placing a comforting hand on the boy's head.

The little ghost wasn't scary—far from it, in fact. The sight of her made Freddy's mechanical heart squeeze in a wave of sadness he hadn't thought possible. All of these children were so young...

“Holy shit,” Michael breathed, effectively pulling Freddy out of his reverie to glare at the fox.

Michael paid him absolutely no mind, completely focused on Cassidy's ghost. He was sitting on the couch too, although he was leaning so far forward it was a wonder the whole thing didn't tip over due to his weight. At the sight of Gregory's corner lifting slightly off the ground, Freddy clamped a hand down onto the back of the couch, using his counteracting strength to keep it in place.

“Whoops—sorry.” Michael flashed an apologetic smile, bright eyes still locked onto the tiny ghost near Puppet. He recognized her from the missing posters plastered all around town upon her disappearance, as well as the few times he'd seen her in the Pizzaplex. Ironically, most of their interactions happened after her death, the memories of which caused Michael to let out a stilted:

“Uh, heh... Hey, Cassidy. Long time no see? Ah, it's... Michael.” He pointed awkwardly to the fox face. “In here, I mean.”

Cassidy gave Mike a screwed-up frown, glancing him up and down before her eyes widened in realization. Pointing at the Glamrock fox, she stepped out from behind Charlie.

“It's the limey guy's son!” Cassidy exclaimed. The strangely aggressive reaction, on top of Michael's strong response to her made Gregory try unsuccessfully to hold in a few giggles.

“I didn't recognize you there—what with you wearing Foxy's skin and all,” Cassidy continued, hands placed firmly on her hips. She seemed not to hold any ill-will towards Mike. Scanning the room further, her eyes soon locked on Gregory, who seemed to be watching her with intrigue.

Her mouth dropped, and for a moment all the little ghost could do was stare. How this very alive, flesh-and-blood kid could bear such a striking resemblance to Cassidy’s old suitmate, she had absolutely no idea. The shock didn’t last long though, and soon her lip curled in a defensive scowl.

“What are you lookin' at?” Cassidy snarled with all the ire she could muster.

“N-Nothing! I mean no one! I mean—” Gregory was choking socially. Unable to make eye contact with the apparition, he settled for staring at her shoes instead of her face. Talking to other kids was hard regardless if they were dead or not, especially speaking to such a confident one. At least his dad was here...

“—I'm Gregory,” he managed to force out, causing Cassidy to roll her eyes.

“Uh huh,” she replied facetiously, unbothered and unaware—or uncaring—of Gregory's own inner meltdown.

“'Limey guy's son...'” Michael grumbled upon Cassidy's recognition, eyes narrowed in mild annoyance as he tracked her movements around the room. Her personality was a force to be reckoned with. There was a reason she'd been the angriest one besides Charlie; the one who led the charge against any night guard that dared try and intrude on their tormented afterlives.

Speaking of that—Mike realized too late that they hadn't thought to prepare Freddy nor Cassidy for their meeting. They should’ve split them up, brought Cassidy up to speed on the situation, and then introduced the bear. Freddy might be completely innocent regarding her past, but surely the girl wouldn't react well to any sort of Fazbear model, no matter how sleek.

It’d taken Michael a long time to figure out whose ghost was in which animatronic. Admittedly, he still struggled with some of William's later victims, if only because he hadn't had nearly as much interaction with them as he did with the original five. Cassidy inhabited Golden Freddy—Michael remembered that clear as day. She was the first victim he'd connected the dots with, although unintentionally. He realized that, to his complete horror, his brother's soul was also inside the animatronic that took his life... But there was another, stronger personality that far overshadowed Evan's soft-spoken demeanor.

Michael couldn't even count the number of times he'd cautiously tried to interact with Evan, only to be snapped at—literally and figuratively—by Cassidy instead.

Now, Mike could only watch as the strangely sentient Glamrock Freddy crouched down to be at eye level with the little ghost, holding out a paw for her to shake. His smile was open and sweet, eyes sparkling with genuine interest and compassion as he greeted her:

“Hello, Cassidy. I am sure you already know this, but I am Freddy. It is nice to meet you.”

The bear. The damned bear.

Cassidy had tried hard not to associate the image of Freddy Fazbear with hell or imprisonment. While she hadn't been in this bright, ursine-themed room for long, she assumed that because Charlie was calm around this uninhabited Freddy robot he’d been friendly enough. That didn’t stop Cassidy from giving the bear a scathing once-over, visually patting him down.

“Hi Freddy. I would shake your hand, but I'll be honest—the last time I touched one of you I got trapped in it for, like, 35 years,” she said with a rather polite nod of her head as she walked the floor, circling the Glamrock like a tiny shark.

“I think you guys found something that belongs to me,” Cassidy remarked in a somewhat calculated way. She glanced across the room, eyes flicking to Gregory as he decided to try to speak up again.

“Uh, what do you mean, exactly?” he asked, confused. He hadn't remembered finding anything that looked pre-owned or thrifted. Though Cassidy gave Gregory a sideways smirk, he didn't feel like she was exactly being friendly. Or maybe that was because the girl just intimidated him too much.

“Not a what—” She corrected herself as she trounced over and took a seat next to Gregory, propping her feet up on the star-shaped table. “—a who. I'd like William Afton's soul back. The asshole slipped out of hell while I was distracted, and me and the others aren't very happy, as you can imagine!”

“Join the club,” Michael commented, riding a wave of relief that Cassidy hadn't tried to dismantle Freddy on the spot. He peered around Gregory to look at the ghost. “That's exactly why we called you here—we need your help. William is at large in this place and we're trying to stop him. We figured, if you were around, you'd be more than willing to assist.”

Freddy decided to observe for the time being, slowly standing up and trying not to let his growing horror show outwardly. He knew the children had been bonded to animatronics, but the information hadn't quite sunk in until now. Not until the way Cassidy looked at him with fire in her eyes, as if she wanted nothing more than to rip him limb from limb and burn the pieces. Thankfully she'd resisted the urge, but her following words shocked Freddy into silence.

35 YEARS.

The bear couldn't imagine such a fate, being trapped inside a body that wasn't your own for so long. Not for the first time, he was thankful Michael hadn't unintentionally gotten stuck inside his head—for both of their sakes.

Gregory scooted away closer to the end of the couch. Fear wasn't quite the right word to describe the feeling when talking to Cassidy, but it was certainly irrational. She didn't seem to have an interest in hurting them—though she came across as if it was entirely possible for her to do it, in the way she walked and talked. How she directed her gaze and carried herself spoke of a confidence some people chased their whole lives.

“Can't have that turd floating around...,” she replied crassly to Michael, lazily turning her head to face him. Her voice dripped with attitude. “I've already got a plan. I'll need you guys to help, and I'll need you try and not mess it up.”

“We're all ears,” Michael replied, listening intently. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Freddy place a hand on Gregory's back, reminding the boy of his presence and silently reassuring that things would be okay. Charlie by now had come to sit between Cas and Gregory, seeing that the boy obviously needed a buffer.

Mike was curious to know this plan the vengeful ghost had already cooked up, and he also had a very important question for her once they'd settled on the details.

She'd mentioned “the others,” and Michael needed to know who these souls belonged to. His hope that all the children were freed after the last fire had been dashed upon Cassidy's appearance in the room, and though he was grateful for her help, he still felt a gnawing sense of guilt about the whole thing. The deaths of William's victims weren't Michael's fault in the slightest, he knew that, but... it still felt like this whole thing was started by his actions way back in '83.

“I don't know how, but he left the game I made for him.” Cassidy sighed, looking up towards the ceiling as she gave context for her plan. “I thought it was so clever. Create a mind-bendy version of one of those stupid security offices, take William's wandering soul and shove it in there… Kill him over, and over, and over again.”

Cas recounted the ways they'd done it. Strangulation. Exsanguination. Bludgeoning. She was positive that she and Evan—mostly her—had personally springlocked William thousands of times before his escape. The methods didn't matter; what mattered was when someone found that rotted old golden Bonnie suit in the bowels of the burned-out fake diner. When they stole pieces from it, taking William’s soul away from Cassidy’s homebrewed prison.

At first, the spirits had been overjoyed to see him go—they thought it meant they could finally rest. Turns out, like everything else William was involved in, the whole thing was a big fat lie.

“I'll need him distracted. Weakened. Lure him into the basement and I'll have a surprise waiting just for him.”

How she already had something set up for William was unbelievable. It made Gregory skeptical, and he'd finally grown the confidence to speak his mind. “That's cool and all, but why should we trust you again?” 

Cassidy's hard glare relaxed some as she reached over and calmly socked Gregory in the arm. It caused him to yelp and rub the assaulted area, honestly shocked she could even touch him.  

“Look, Evan clone, you might not be totally aware of the shit that guy put me through. I would never help him. If you wanna live to still feel anything tomorrow, you better listen!” the ghost warned.

Gregory felt the need to suck up the pain dolled out to him. It was a reminder that he was still alive—and to Cassidy, that was a gift.

“Weakened and brought to the basement—we can do that,” Michael confirmed, choosing to ignore Cassidy’s physical assault on Gregory and get her to focus on someone else instead. Gregory was clearly uncomfortable being the center of Cas's attention, though Michael knew he’d be fine since his robotic dad was already fretting over the new blossoming bruise on his arm.

If anyone were to ask Freddy in that exact moment what was on his mind, he’d simply respond: “Too much.” Listening to this child describe so many ways to torture a soul and getting pleasure out of every one of them was not something Freddy expected to ever hear. He wouldn’t deny that William deserved it—even if he didn’t have the full picture of everything that man had done, he knew enough to agree the ghosts’ revenge was fully justified.

“Sorry for the billionth time that you got roped into this, Freddy,” Michael apologized, knowing the bear’s circuits must be on overload. Chancing his luck, he decided to pose another question to Cassidy. “So do we get to know what this ‘surprise’ is, or…?”

He wouldn’t be shocked if she wanted to keep this under wraps from them too, but he had to at least try.

Hopefully, by getting rid William Vanessa would eventually go back to normal. The news of Will having been loose in the world for that long made Charlie’s blood boil. She curled her hands in anger, distracted only when Cassidy bounced from her seat and threw her hands up.

“It wouldn’t be a surprise then, dummy! Buuut, I’ll give you a hint though—your families are gonna help me out,” she replied in a sing-song tone. “And I'll tell you one person that’s down there for sure. Henry finally decided to come out of his little saferoom when he realized Charlie was gone—”

Cassidy was interrupted, lifted quickly off the ground as Charlie picked her up and shook her before the ghost girl could react.

“My dad’s been here the whole time?!”

Without thinking, Charlie practically dropped Cassidy and made a mad dash for the door leading to the back storage rooms. The girl was desperate to find her own father now that she knew he’d lingered behind with the rest. The fact he was waiting for them made her soul ache just thinking about it.

“Charlie, wait!” Moving fast, Michael managed to grasp one spindly hand just as Charlie reached for the door. He tightened his grip as she fought against him, holding fast. “Wait. I want to see him too, but we can’t just run out there. There’s too many things that are trying to get us.”

Michael couldn’t believe he was actually being the voice of reason—usually he was the impulsive one, ready to sprint towards danger without regard for his own well-being. He wanted to see his family, too, if they'd decided to linger as well—wanted to scoop his siblings into his arms and apologize for everything that’s happened to them, for all they’ve suffered, all the years trapped and scared and alone… It hurt to imagine them so close yet so out of reach.

But they couldn’t go to them; not yet.

“We can’t leave Freddy and Gregory alone,” Michael pointed out softly, gesturing to them with his hook as he slowly pulled Charlie away from the door. “They need us, too, remember?”

Charlie was trembling, skinny endoskeleton rattling inside her soft, cotton-stuffed casing. It was clear that she wanted to throw responsibility to the wind for once in her afterlife, but her friend’s dutiful reminder—and physical hold—had anchored her.

She allowed Mike to slide her away from the door. The empathetic words he spoke helped the impulse leave her as she grasped onto his hand.

“I got carried away…,” she admitted. The rare lapse in decision-making left her sheepish and uneasy.

Gregory hadn’t ever seen Charlie so crazed before. She usually kept a calm face about everything. Maybe it was the way Cassidy had gotten everyone riled up, it had Charlie acting like… Well, a kid.

Technically she still was, in a way—an old kid. A dead kid.

Gregory felt uncomfortable while lost in that thought train, and even more so when he found Cassidy staring at him. To avoid her gaze, Gregory decided to stand and hide behind Freddy now. He didn’t care if Cassidy thought he was weird or too reliant on the robot. She hadn’t seemed that interested after all, her stare fixated at one point like she was really just lost in thought.

“I wouldn’t let each other out of your sights,” she warned, lazily walking about the room. “He already knows you’re here. Probably making plans to dismantle you all, make you dust for his immortality soup…”

“He wants Gregory,” Michael revealed bluntly, finally releasing Charlie’s hand once assured she’d calmed down enough not to bolt for the door again. There was no point hiding this from Cassidy—hell, maybe knowing his intentions would somehow aid her in capturing William faster once they got him to the basement. Mike glanced at Gregory, looking so small and fragile hiding behind Freddy’s leg.

“He’s convinced that Gregory is Evan reincarnated,” he went on bitterly, acid spewing from every word as his anger towards his father grew. “He tried to… to inject him with some glowing shit—I don’t know what it was, but he was ranting about it ‘strengthening Evan’s body’ or something. I just—”

Suddenly, orange eyes snapped to Cassidy, widening with realization.

“Oh… oh my god… The Remnant. That’s what his research said, something about…” Michael wracked his brain for every tiny detail, trying to piece things together. “He… gathered something called Remnant from the lost souls, and it… kept people from getting hurt. No, not hurt, but… killed.”

He felt sick to his stomach, vaguely wondering if he was about to throw up some random wires and internal parts—it wouldn’t be the first time in his life that happened. In a low voice, he concluded: “He’s trying to make Gregory immortal like him… like he wants to do with all his family.”

Cassidy waited patiently as Michael finally worked out all the morbid details for them. Things like that had stopped fazing Cas a while ago. The lengths William went to trying to unlock the key to his family’s tragic deaths, as if the lives of unfamiliar children were mere tokens one could exchange for a prize… He traded souls until he’d gotten his wish.

“That sparkly junk in the jars...?” Cassidy made sure they were talking about the same thing, scratching her scalp nearest her left pigtail. “Yeah—I’ve seen him use it on himself. It’s why he didn’t die when he locked himself in the rabbit.”

She rolled her eyes, letting them settle back to her suitmate’s lookalike. The news that Gregory was being mistaken for Evan had hatched another idea in her brain.

“Him?” she asked, now taking the time to gingerly approach Gregory. “Eh… The worst that Remnant stuff will do is make sure he doesn’t die. Pretty sure it’s made out of the culmination of our beings, plus our crushed hopes and dreams.”

Even just talking about that creepy junk had Gregory scared. He lashed out, hiding his fear with anger. “Shut up—that’s not really what it is! It’s probably just, like, poisonous or something!”

“Keep telling yourself that, clone-Evan,” Cassidy remarked, knowing the boy’s fear kept him from telling her to shut up a second time. “Don’t know why you wouldn’t want to believe me. I’m one of the only things in here that doesn’t want you to die…”

There was a heavy pause, before Cassidy flashed a wicked smile.

“Maybe you should just let that old creep stick him with the Remnant,” Cassidy suggested, turning to Michael as she jutted a thumb in the direction of their newest friend. “He’d survive longer, at least.”

“Stop this.”

The sound of Freddy’s sudden, commanding voice caused everyone to freeze in their tracks. The bear had been silent for so long listening in to their conversations, it was mildly shocking to hear him finally speak again. However, that was nothing compared to the look on his face—one of hard-set determination, underlain with a hint of… yes, there was definitely some fear deep in those electric-blue eyes.

It wasn’t fear for himself, though—it was fear for his new family and what might lie in store for them should William have his way.

“Gregory is not going to be injected with this so-called ‘Remnant’, he is not the reincarnation of Evan Afton, and he is not going to die!” Freddy ranted, pulling the boy in close to rest against his leg, one arm wrapped protectively around his shoulders. The bear looked around the room with narrowed eyes, as if daring anyone to challenge his conviction. He’d been trying to contain his mounting frustration at the situation, and the direct suggestion of letting his son fall victim to the man who destroyed so many lives was the final straw. “We are going to find William Afton and get rid of him and this virus he created for good—then all the souls like Cassidy can finally rest. Do I make myself clear?”

Despite the delivery, it was an uplifting claim. Freddy’s unquestionable tone caused Michael to nod in agreement.

“Loud and clear, Freddy. We’ve got this.” The fox’s flashed Gregory a grin that hid his anxiety as he thought how hard they’d need to work to make this next claim true. “Nothing’s going to happen to you, Gregory, alright? You’re safe with us.”

Gregory was quick to hold fast to Freddy's arms. The words of strong-willed encouragement felt real enough to him. The determination set in Freddy’s voice brought a smile to his face after Cassidy speaking on his impending doom had begun to get him down again. It was like she had a grudge on him for simply being alive still.

“Yeah; I'm still here,” he said, trying to feel confident in himself and control of the situation at hand. “What's one more night?”

Their plan was simple enough. Whatever trap Cassidy had in waiting in the basement was cryptic though… and Gregory still wasn't entirely certain she could be trusted. But it didn't matter, as they’d run out of options besides relying on a snippy ghost girl.

Cassidy had gone quiet at Freddy's outburst. She was still a child at heart—and the sound of an adult's voice yelling still gave her flashbacks to her own father's laid-back temper, though the image of his face had been blurred with time. She crossed her arms and listened to Freddy rant, feeling a little bad for having poked the bear too much. He clearly deeply cared not only for Gregory, but all the lost children.

“...Okay. Give us a little time to prep, and then you bring the bastard down to the old diner. Michael? You know where it is. I'll see you guys then...” Cassidy spoke calmly, evenly. Then, she drifted downwards, passing through the floorboards and calling out to her comrades: “Smell ya's later...”

Gregory shuddered. How could one sad, little dead girl be so creepy?

Maybe all of them were like that. Gregory looked to Charlie for proof, though she was more lost in thought than the rest of the group.

Michael sat heavily on the couch, resting his elbows on his knees as he hung his head. He’d learned a lot of information in the past half hour, the most pressing fact to him being that Evan and Lizzie were in all likelihood still here.

Cassidy and Charlie staying to make sure William was put in his place? That was expected. Even Henry lingering around wasn’t completely surprising after the last stunt he tried to pull to get rid of his once dear friend.

But Michael’s siblings didn’t have a reason to stay—not one that he could think of, at least.

He wanted to see them, of course; the urge was so sharp and painful he was still shocked he’d managed to reign Charlie in instead of following her right out the door. But surely they were tired after all this time… There’s no way they’d stay just to have another conversation with their big brother. So caught up in decades of self-hatred, Michael refused to believe that.

“…Are you both alright?” Freddy asked softly, his voice now back to normal.

He felt bad for snapping earlier, though at least it hadn’t seemed to distress Cassidy too much. The last thing Freddy wanted was William and the vengeful ghosts coming after them… Letting Gregory cling to him, the bear looked between Charlie and Michael. He couldn’t even begin to fathom what emotional turmoil they must be going through right now.

Charlie quietly nodded, her demeanor far away and dreamy. Her dad had been here the entire time—she wasn't even aware that his spirit was still tethered to this place. Did he stay for her? For Sammy?

No. It was likely for William, she thought. Their strange cat and mouse obsession with one another was less fascinating and more something that deeply disturbed her.

“We'll see—let’s focus on dismantling William and making this place safe for children again,” Charlie said, dismissing her own feelings in lieu of how strong they were. Cassidy would've left far into the underground of the Pizzaplex by now, telling her friends both new and old, that she’d enlisted the help of a few certain ghosts.

The tides of this strenuous battle would shift. With hope, the ghosts would have retribution.

“Right… I have a suggestion,” Michael started hesitantly, sitting up straight as he met Freddy’s questioning gaze. “You’re not going to like it, Freddy, but it'll help us in the long run.” He took a deep unneeded breath before letting out the next words in a rush. “I think we should decommission the other animatronics. Roxy and Chica definitely, maybe Moon if he comes after us again… but the Glamrocks pose the biggest threat.”

There was a moment of tense silence before Freddy shook his head. “No, I… I cannot do that. Roxy and Chica do not deserve it… they are under William’s control—”

“So was Monty, and you told me that you watched him almost rip Gregory apart before your eyes.” Michael grimaced at the wide-eyed fear on Gregory’s face at the stark reminder of one of his near-deaths. Honestly, this kid must be part cat or something—he certainly seemed to have nine lives. Although with the way things were going, those were running out quickly.

“I’m sorry, Freddy, but… we have to do this,” Michael pushed on, looking at the bear imploringly. “I hate to say it, but William is smart. We’ve got to be even smarter to take him down—and eliminating as many other threats as possible before we confront him is a good start.”

Gregory found himself subconsciously clinging to Freddy just a little harder. He’d been riding on luck and the skills of his friends the entire night. If he wanted to survive, Gregory was going to have to get more resourceful and be smarter than an old, crazed scientist. Whether Gregory believed in himself was out of the question; he learned quickly that having confidence in what you did could only get you so far. Just as Michael felt their luck slipping, so too did Gregory.

“I'm sorry Freddy... I don't want to hurt them. But they'll hurt me if I'm not careful...,” he pointed out bluntly. Honestly, taking down the Glamrocks may even be the easiest part of tonight. Avoiding William until it was the right time to strike and bring him down to the basement was another task entirely.

Freddy glanced down at his adoptive son, so small and fragile compared to everyone else. He understood Michael’s point, but hearing Gregory spell it out while looking up at him with those big, brown eyes solidified his decision. This boy trusted Freddy to keep him safe, and if that meant temporarily taking down his robotic bandmates in favor of preserving a human life, so be it.

After all, isn’t that what this iteration of Freddy had been designed for—to keep children happy and safe? A swell of protectiveness from deep in the bear’s core said yes.

“…Alright,” Freddy agreed, squeezing Gregory gently. He offered a smile to show he was on board with the plan and harbored no ill-will towards those who’d suggested it. “I agree that this is the best path forward.”

He paused, not believing he was about to offer advice on decommissioning his friends. Eventually, he continued in a softer tone: “Chica will be easier to take down than Roxy—she does not have hunting instincts like the wolf.” 

“Right! She's just a chicken. We might not even have to hurt her!” Gregory agreed. Considering how ditzy the virus had made her act, it’d be a certain win on their part.

(Once again, Gregory took to underestimating his enemies. While Chica was a soft, sweet person by day, the destruction of Monty created turmoil inside her AI. William would use that to his advantage now.

No, chickens did not hunt like wolves. But once they tasted blood, the old instincts of a raptor came forth...)

Charlie nodded her head in agreement at the plan.

“We'll go for Chica first, then,” she said decidedly. “Might be best to lure her as well. We could use some of that pizza Gregory didn't finish yet!”

Charlie tried to sound uplifting, though it was becoming harder and harder as the creative burnout with her ideas turned into something tangible. She lifted up the pizza box, shaking it to make sure there were still a few slices left. Upon seeing Gregory pout, Charlie rolled her pinprick eyes. “That’s why you should’ve rationed them. Along with your snacks. After we get rid of Chica for the night, we'll make you a new pizza.”

“Good plan!” Michael agreed, quickly getting to his feet. Now that they had a way forward, he wanted to move. The faster they could get this over with, the better.

“If pizza does not work in luring her, there is an alternative,” Freddy chimed in, still in that quiet tone of numb detachment at betraying one of his closest friends. “The company recently created a slushee flavor called Monty’s Mystery Mix. For whatever reason, Chica cannot resist eating it when it is placed in her vicinity. Staff had to temporarily ban it until a solution is discovered… I believe they hid the excess in the food storage pantry of the bowling alley.”

“Huh… if the mystery mix is that powerful, maybe we should just use that instead?” Michael suggested. He flashed Gregory a grin, gesturing his hook towards the pizza box in Charlie’s hands. “Plus, then Gregory can eat his last slice—if you can stomach it after everything you ate earlier, that is.”

The heavenly slices of grease coated cheese that was a Fazbear pizza would always have room in Gregory's stomach. Without saying so much as a word, Gregory snatched the box from Charlie's hands and devoured the last slice.

“Gregory!” Charlie shouted before it devolved into laughter at the boy’s antics. “No, little man, you're going to get a tummy ache!” She warned him again, though it was ignored by Gregory needing elaboration on this particular slushee flavor.

“Is the mystery mix pizza-flavored, by any chance?” Gregory wondered out loud. The possibilities were endless. As he lapped the bright orange oil and crumbs from his lips, Gregory held Freddy's hand again. He was ready to go in search of this particular, highly sought-after slushee.

“It is—good guess, superstar!” Freddy replied, unable to stop himself from chuckling a bit as well. Thank goodness they could still find enjoyment in the little things…

Freddy spared a side-eyed glance at Michael, his smile softening. The man really was quite good with children. Freddy didn’t know the details of Mike’s relationship with his own siblings, but if his interactions with Gregory were any indication, Evan and Elizabeth were lucky to have such an attentive older brother.

“Who thought of a pizza-flavored slushee?!” Michael asked incredulously, then made an exaggerated gagging noise. “Those two things should never be combined…” He paused, then added in a quieter mutter: “…Not that wouldn’t try it if I could.”

Charlie looked to Mike and laughed openly at this. “I was going to say—I figured you'd try it at least once!”

She thought of Michael's thoughtful nature as a hard-won battle. There was a period of time where this kind personality slipped in the worst sort of way and led to disastrous consequences. But as he matured, Charlie had grown proud of her friend. He could’ve so easily turned out for the worst. In fact, it was one of her many fears after both Evan's and her own death.

Michael also just happened to be full of surprises. His determination to be better made him more attentive as a caretaker, it seemed.

“Okay, so—we'll each have a sip and the rest will be for Chica,” Gregory said as Charlie became lost in her thoughts, though he certainly hoped that there would be more of this Mystery Flavor slushee to go around. Y’know, on the off-chance this was the pinnacle of all slushees. He wanted to make sure they wouldn't starve the rest of the night.

No one had the heart to remind Gregory that he was the only one who could take partake without the sweet instantly damaging his internal systems… Well, not as much as the animatronics’, at least. The question of what was actually in those slushees to make them so addictive was questionable enough that it probably should warrant a doctor’s note before a kid could consume one.

It would be safe to assume that after this long week, Gregory's gastro tract would be forever ruined by all the sugar, greasy food, and soft drinks... Or at least ruined for a while. He was still young, after all. Nothing like a few months of vegetables wouldn't fix.

“Let us not waste any more time,” Freddy prompted, giving Gregory’s hand a squeeze as he started for the door. “Everyone keep your guard up—if you see anything suspicious, let the group know. We will still try to keep out of the others’ sight as much as possible.”

Michael simply nodded as he settled into place behind Freddy and Gregory, alert and ready for the night ahead. He shook out his arms and legs to get out whatever metallic stiffness had sunk in after a day of lounging around, then looked to Charlie with a set expression. “Ready for another go at this?”

���I've been ready since the 80's,” she said with finality. She didn't seem touchy, exactly. Perhaps sensitive, as the encounter with Cassidy had given her much to reflect on.

“Don't worry, Freddy. If we need it, Michael's still got the Faz-glock,” Gregory remarked, cheerful and nonchalant. The bear's eyes snapped accusingly to Mike.

“What in the world is a ‘Faz-glock?!’”

***

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[reikunrei]

really intrigued by this new stage play delving more into Henry's past and how it will inform/add to what we've already gotten of him in s4, and what we may potentially get in s5, so i kinda just want to ramble lol.

the way i see it, and how we as an audience and how some or all of the characters are meant to view him, is not necessarily that he's the stereotypical "big bad" villain. sure, he's villainous and the overall antagonist, and while he displays extremely monstrous behavior, he's not the "monster" that Eleven envisions.

she has a very black and white view of good vs bad. she's been fighting with this for a while, especially internally and how she views herself. from season 1, she thinks she's "the monster." she opened the initial gate, which made Will go missing, killed countless others, and got all of her new friends in trouble.

in season 2, we kind of started to touch on the idea of what kind of behavior is "good or bad" when she meets Kali. they share an unfathomable bond and love each other dearly through their shared experiences in Hawkins Lab. Kali teaches her how to be stronger, that she shouldn't hide from her powers, she should use them to help herself. and El leans into it, allows herself to be fueled by her rage and sadness. but she hesitates. she wants to strengthen this bond with Kali, her sister, but it feels wrong.

she's killed people, yes, but it's different when it's in self defense in the heat of the moment vs ambushing someone who, while he did hurt them, is currently unawares. plus, there's other innocent children involved. he may have hurt her, but El knows the pain of losing a parent. that's what brought her there in the first place. she can't do that to someone else. her grief hurts, but any relief will be fleeting under the further pain she now causes. she doesn't want to be the monster.

in season 3, this topic is mostly only broached with Billy. Billy is not a good dude. in fact, he sucks major chode and has approximately zero redeeming qualities, and the only reason Max is so torn up about his death is because of survivor's guilt.

but still, in order to beat the Mind Flayer, El has to break through to him, so she finds those happy memories of him with his mom on the beach, and makes him remember that, makes him fight for his mom, rather than the hell he's been through for the last X number of years. he might be a fucking shitty asshole, but he can pull off one valiant deed to save those around him, because he doesn't want to entirely give in to his misery. he wants to remember those happy moments, and wants his mother to be happy, wherever she may be, and that means making sure this monster (the Mind Flayer) is dead.

(plus i guess it's also like a stand-in for his dad. Billy's been abused his whole life, and has become the abuser, and he's sick of all of it. so now, he finally fights back and stands up for his mom like he's always wanted to.)

season 4 is a fucking smorgasbord. they went so heavy-handed with the "good vs evil" "monster vs superhero" shit that it would be hilarious if it weren't totally understandable bc all of these characters are 14 years old and don't have a full grasp on the nuances of the world just yet. again, we get El worrying that she could be the monster, that she'll make everything worse, that she's the one to blame for everything. Mike, Dr. Owens, Will, Brenner, none of them can convince her that, no matter what she did or does, she is their "hero." Owens gets pretty close, he at least gets a few smiles out of her, but she's still uncertain.

she thinks she can no longer be the hero because she lost her powers, that now she's useless, and even if now she's like a "normal kid," she knows she'll never really fit in. but then, when she starts at Nina, she fears that her powers will make her the monster all over again. that she's already done something so monstrous that she won't ever be able to forgive herself.

enter, Henry and the truth. that he killed all of those children. that he was the one behind everything to do with the Upside Down. that he was the reason that Brenner started all of these experiments and built his little "family" in their prison.

so she says Henry's the monster. or rather, Brenner was the monster, and he built Henry into the formidable monster that he then became when he fledged into Vecna. she's now dead-set on blaming it all on those two men, and it all started with Brenner, her Papa. even so, when she's saying goodbye to him, she's receptive to his touch. she leans into his hand, she accepts his affection.

she is so close to getting it. no, Brenner is not a good man, but she did love him at one point, and she still does to some degree. she might say he's the monster, but i think she doesn't really believe that. she just wants to convince herself that it's true so she can find someone to blame, to make it easy, to make it black and white.

and then Henry pushes her closer to the truth! he says that, no, Brenner was not a monster. he was just a man. a mediocre man, who sought power in others. Brenner was just a person.

again, he may have done monstrous things in that lab, but he was not the monster that El wants him to be.

and that leads us to how she views Henry.

where we left off leaves it a bit gray for me. obviously she tries talking him out of all of it, to stop his plan, to leave her friend alone, etc. "you are not the monster, Henry." but he doesn't listen. he likes being the monster. he's good at being the monster. he feels entirely justified in his actions and believes he's helping. and he's so entrenched in his own pain that he doesn't see any need to stop now while he's so close to his goal. Henry even turns it back on El, saying that she was the reason Henry even became Vecna in the first place. so, again, she could be called the "true monster" here for being the major catalyst of it all.

i think if El had the chance in that moment, she would have killed Henry. she was terrified watching him kill one of her best friends, one of her only friends in the whole world. she's killed people to protect her friends before, she isn't going to stop now.

but she couldn't. she had to rely on the teens in the Upside Down to take out his body. and, obviously, that didn't work in the end.

we don't see El talk about it any further, but with all of these prior conversations and experiences, once she's out of the heat of the moment, i think she would not want to kill Henry. just like Kali, the two of them have a bond and their shared experience under Brenner. she sees Henry as a sort of role model, a guardian, an older brother. at least, she did when she became so devoted to helping him, but just like with Brenner, i don't think that's entirely gone away.

she's terrified of him, disgusted by him, horrified at his behavior, but she simply can't see him as the pure "monster" that she wants him to be. she has to start to realize that it will never be possible to group either of them into one category. and she has to learn that that includes herself.

Eleven very easily could have become "Vecna," so to speak. she was just lucky enough to have a support system when she escaped the lab. she found the right kids who would love and support her through it all, the good and the bad, so that even if she does monstrous things, they'll be there for her to help her pick up the pieces and fix it together.

Henry didn't have that. he hid himself away, didn't admit to his family when things were bothering him (or, if he did, they didn't give him the support he needed), and allowed himself to become jaded with anything and everything that inconvenienced him. after all, nobody was helping him fix it, so he has to do it all himself.

he was trapped. just a little kid stuck in an unsavory situation, perhaps aggravated by whatever "shadow" it was that was living in the Creel House and stoking this burning ember inside of him. he was upset, hurt, felt abandoned and lost, and lashed out. it's no different to the times that El killed people in self defense, though perhaps Henry had a smidge more premeditation.

regardless, the core of both of their behaviors is the same: wanting to get out of their cage.

El was just lucky enough to have friends, and Henry was unfortunate to not have any strong, loving bonds like he so craved and needed.

Kali is sort of a middle ground for me at the moment. she is somewhere between El and Henry. she's using her hurt and anger and sadness as fuel, like Henry, but she still finds light and love in the world with her friends and family, like El. she wants to hurt people, like Henry, but she understands that there's only specific people who deserve that hurt, like El.

Henry just wants to throw out the whole baby with the bath. sure, there's specific people he's upset with, but it was the whole world that was set up to make his life harder. he wants to take out everyone because he believes the flaw runs all the way to the roots.

Eleven and Henry are on opposite ends of the spectrum. Henry wants to only see the bad, and El only wants to see the good.

Henry was hurt and then left to wallow in it for his entire life with no one offering out their hand to him. so, if everyone else is going to be "evil," why shouldn't he? he finds power that way, makes himself stronger, so he relies on it to build himself up, to the point that he actively avoids the happy memories of his victims. he can't admit that there might be good in the world, because that would strip him of all of his power. his stance would suddenly have no foundation if he were to acknowledge that there is good and love and light mixed in with all of his grief.

with this play, we'll get a glimpse at the possible happy memories that Henry has. we'll find ammunition for El to use against him, to point at and go "see! you were happy! you can still be happy! you don't have to be the monster! you can choose to get better!" that he has other qualities he can nurture other than his hatred. like Billy, he can find the good in an otherwise shitty situation and hang onto it like a life raft.

i'm not entirely sure what to expect from, nor do i know what i really want out of, the ending of season 5. will they kill Henry? will they reform him? will Henry kill himself? will Henry sacrifice himself? there's many options, and i could have a field day going through the possibilities of all of them.

at the very least, i'm almost entirely convinced that El will not want to kill him. especially with a potential time skip leaving her lots of room off-screen to mull it all over. i think she will be determined to talk him out of it. i even get a kick out of the idea of Max being trapped in his head and rooting around in his memories, playing the Ghost of Christmas Past to dredge up his younger years and go "remember this? you were happy! it's not all bad all the time, here's the evidence!"

when it comes to the other characters, i think a lot of them will still want to kill Henry. he caused all of this, after all. he's actively trying to kill them, destroy Hawkins, and potentially drag the whole world into darkness. they have to kill him, right!?

i do believe that El could potentially convince some of them to not try to kill him. especially Will, but i need to stop myself from going on that tangent or this will turn into a 20 page essay lol.

but even if they do reform him, i don't know if i want an actual "redemption" for him. like, that's not really the right word, i don't think, but i am also stupid, so.

like, i think there's lots of room for El to admit that she has done monstrous things, but her friends still stand by her and work with her to fix anything and everything that she may have caused, deliberately or not, because they love her. and she wants Henry to understand that he is just the same as her, and he is also deserving of understanding and help in fixing anything wrong he may have done, whether deliberately or because he was pushed into it.

but i haven't quite worked out where he would stand if they kept him alive. like, i can imagine two paths for him right now off the top of my head:

they fight and Henry is gravely injured. El tries to convince him and it doesn't work. Henry is petulant and stubborn and stuck in his anger and pain, and he doesn't want to listen to this child, his protégé, talk down to him and try to boss him around. so, he kills himself because, if his plan is going to fail, he'd rather be dead.

El tries to convince him and it does work, but he's in too deep now. the plan is in motion, and the only way to stop it completely is his death. so, he sacrifices himself to close the gates and keep their worlds forever separated, saving the Right Side Up from its horrible fate, but losing his own life in the process.

i hadn't thought of the 2nd option until today, and i'm actually quite fond of it. could you imagine our big villain, the one behind all of the characters' misery and pain and death, actually working on their side to fix the mess he's made?

i can totally see Henry's death being framed as a big tragedy, like Barb or Bob or Eddie, rather than the triumphant "win" it otherwise could have been. their antagonist dies, and it's sad.

and even if it was something like Will landing the final blow and killing Henry, or him killing himself, or even El taking his life, it will all be sad, because El will have learned that Henry was not purely the monster of Vecna that they'd been envisioning. he was an ordinary boy, trying to live an ordinary life, and that was ripped away from him (again, like Will, but again, i have to control myself!!!).

i so badly want El to acknowledge that she could have become our story's "Vecna," and Henry always had the capacity to become like Eleven.

in this story, there is no "monster" and no "superhero." every single person is capable of great good and great evil at the same time, and El and Henry need to meet in the middle on that spectrum. if you aren't already, i think that by the end of season 5, every member of the audience will be sympathetic toward Henry Creel, because everyone will understand that we are all capable of becoming as "bad" as him, and even he is capable of becoming "good."

should Henry be forgiven? probably not. nobody owes him forgiveness. nobody should go "aww he saved the day in the end, he was good all along!" that's not the point. the point is that despite doing bad things, all of these characters are deserving of understanding. you don't have to forgive to understand.

i really am just so interested to see more of Henry's past in an objective manner, rather than through Victor's or Henry's memory. we'll get some real meat to chew on and humanize this man that has been unfairly placed into the cookie-cutter mold of "monster."

#henry creel #stranger things #i say things #eleven #OKAY I. NEED TO STOP. #this turned way longer than i thought LOL #this dynamic between el and henry is what im most looking forward to in s5 tbh #it's just so JUICY #theres so much more i could add w how el views this issue #like i just remembered s2 when she tells hopper hes like brenner #BUT. AGAIN. I HAVE TO STOP

[buck-yyyy]

man this night sucks

apologies in advance for the rant, and i’m on my phone so i can’t add a cut :/

so i have family staying with me, right? and i’ve had to share my bedroom with my cousin. and i love her and all, but she can be a lot. and i’ve kinda just ended up getting made fun of nonstop for the past week “””as a joke”””, which, i’m not going to act like i’ve not been firing stuff back, but the difference is that all the stuff ive said has zero weight on anyone (like my cousin being a total bedhog, or how she forgot her phone charger and has to use mine, etc etc), whereas the stuff she’s saying about me is actually kind of mean, mostly about how i was as a kid (ie: she keeps saying i was a sensitive crybaby- which, while not untrue, fuckin hurts because i still have a lot of issues with emotional regulation- except now i just bottle them all up so nobody notices :/) but also stuff about how i am now, with little comments about me being weak (which, again, not untrue, still does not feel very nice to have people point out) or lazy (shitty sleep schedule).

worst part is, my family, particularly my mother, is always on her side- and whenever i say something about it, or am just a little too rude in what i fire back with, IM the one who gets told off.

it’s really starting to get on my nerves, and the constant teasing is seriously fucking with my head. i’m still trying to get past a really bad mental health episode, in which a big part of that is learning to not hate myself- but she’s slowly starting to wear down that progress. i can’t tell anyone about that part, though, because i never told anyone about how bad i was doing and now is REALLY not the time.

and really, whenever i try to point out how much of a bitch she’s being, i just get told off for being rude or she tells me that i’m exaggerating and just need to get over it, so i can’t even do anything about it.

moving on from that fiasco to a much less serious problem, SENDING MY FRIEND AN AO3 LINK INSTEAD OF THE MEME I INTENDED TO SEND. i have an excuse ready for when he wakes up but i KNOW he won’t believe me, so i’m totally screwed there. i don’t even want to think about it.

and finally, the cherry on top for the shithole of a night, a problem caused by my sleep schedule AND my cousin. my sleep schedule sucks. but because my cousin has to share a room with me, i have either start to adjust my sleep or go somewhere else at night while she sleeps so that i don’t disturb her. which, whatever, not a big deal, i chose the latter (even though she was super rude and essentially drove me out of my room even though i told her that i just needed a couple minutes to finish something. whatever.) so i spent my night in the living room, minding my own business, chilling on tumblr and ao3. lovely night.

anyways, it’s about 3:00 am when i finally decide to go to bed. i go get ready for bed, i walk in my room, being completely silent, i change into pajamas, walk up to my bed intending to go to sleep, and she’s taking up the whole damn thing. fuck.

whatever. it’s not her fault. i can deal. i grab my pillow and go to the guest bedroom- ope, can’t sleep there, that room is being used. there’s no other place for me to sleep.

so now i’m sitting on the couch with my pillow and blanket at 3:30 in the morning, about to try and go to sleep, i feel like shit, AND i’m gonna get woken up hella early in the morning because everyone else in this whole damn house is so goddamn loud and refuses to try and be quiet when i’m sleeping because of the time that it is- despite the fact that i put so much effort into being silent so that i don’t wake everyone up.

if, for whatever reason, you’ve read this far, i don’t need advice or anything- i just needed a place to put my thoughts, since i have to just swallow them down in real life. :/

this is not a girlboss moment for me.

#time to peruse ao3 until i no longer want to cry

[akaraboonline]

11 Signs That You Don't Really Miss Him, You Just Miss Being Loved

The more time passes while you're unmarried, the more you begin to miss the men in your life—by "men," I mean the ex you still can't get over. It's simple to start questioning why you ended your previous partnership, but doing so doesn't necessarily indicate that your choice was the wrong one. Actually, you probably don't even mourn him; all you really miss is being loved. 11 Signs That You Don't Really Miss Him, You Just Miss Being Loved

How You Know You Don’t Really Miss Him

He Pops Into Your Head When You’re Lonely. Getting dressed up and going on fancy dates was one of the best aspects of dating, and you miss doing that! You simply miss going on dates, enjoying delectable meals, and conversing with people. It's not that you miss going on dates with him particularly. He’s Dating Someone Else. Before, you occasionally thought about him, but now that he's dating someone else (and showing serious interest in her), you're really beginning to miss him. It appears that you are simply jealous that he is dating someone other than you, which is entirely typical. But that does not imply you want him to come back. You Ignore The Fact That He Sucked. Do you still accurately recall the relationship? Okay, so that means you are aware of the numerous occasions he disregarded your calls, changed your plans at the last minute, and treated you like a backup plan. No? You can't recall doing that? Consequently, you aren't even thinking properly! You Miss Waking Up To Cute Messages. The second greatest aspect of dating is "Good Morning" messages. The third, too? general texting a man. When you're single, you can either wake up to 10 texts from your best friend recounting her awkward date from the night before, or you can wake up to zero messages. You want to text a man during the day, send him adorable emojis, and schedule your weekend activities. I concur. However, that does not imply that you should accept your unreliable partner. You Miss Being Cuddled. Do you miss snuggling or the cuddler more? Really consider that. Do you mourn him holding your hands as you sleep, or do you simply miss having someone in bed with you, tickling your back and telling you how much they value and love you? You’re Sick Of Watching Netflix Alone. Okay, I'll admit that this is difficult. Netflix is a big part of relationships, so it makes sense that you would miss having a Netflix buddy when you're used to spending the night watching "Ozark" marathons with your boyfriend and then find yourself watching the drama play out by yourself. You Miss Having Steady Sex. Was your ex-boyfriend's intercourse with you amazing? You would naturally regret it. But believe me when I say that you can always find a superior partner for bedtime. Always. While it's not advisable to leap into bed with a total stranger, you shouldn't feel as though you have to see your ex again in order to experience a mouthwatering orgasm. You Start To Really Miss Him When You See Other Couples. Even if your ex-boyfriend was a complete jerk, being around other happy couples will make you miserable and cause you to mourn him. It just happens that way. Don't feel as though you should be with him because you mourn him. Because you are a human, you mourn him. You’re Afraid Of Never Meeting Someone. You're terrified that you're growing older. You feel behind your peers who are getting married and having children on purpose. You haven't even met a potential partner. If no one is asking you out, how in the world are you going to get married anytime soon? All you can do is wait and keep your eyes forward. Not back, but forward. You Know You’re Better Off. Do your peers advise you that you would be happier without him? Do you concur? When you are completely aware of how incompatible you two were, you know you don't really mourn him. Yes, perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to start dating again, but you're not just searching for a partner. You're trying to find a long-term partner. You know deep down that's not your partner. Read the full article

[mangabacaxi]

i think it's so funny how i am always talking to myself and creating dialogues and scenarios but irl i cant barely speak i never talk about myself never tell anything to anyone how i'm feeling etc

#for example there's this someone we used to be friends (best friends for like yearssss but anyways) #and he did something bad to me #not something bad but he did something that i felt bad after #actually it was something WE did anyways this doesn't matter #but because of that shit i just stopped talking to him or to anyone in our friend group #which sucks cause now i have a total of zero friends #but anyways the point is i kinda want to tell him how i feel #i've been wanting this for a while but i never actually talked to him because it would be weird asf #but we lived so many moments together i was in important moments in his life #he was in important moments in my life etc #and i mean i just miss him what can i do??? #and like 3 days ago he grandmother died and i kinda wanted to send him a message and talk to him you know #but i didn't and i think i never will ever again #that's it this circle of our life is ended and there's nothing i can do about it #i also should just stop think about this #i think about it every f day not only about him but my whole old friend group #and yeah i miss them a LOT they were my everything #but that's it we ... i went to a different direction from the rest of them #and that's okay i just really miss having someone to talk to #even if i almost never really talked about me etc i miss having random conversations w them #and just hangings out cause we were seeing each other almost every week #i still am in the group chat but i feel that they have another #cause they are always seeing each other and they don't talk about it in the chat i am #i mean they would have to talk in the group about the place etc but they never do #i only see the ig pics #i'll probably leave this chat someday i'm just a stranger there #anyways that was it #byee

[hshouse]

Hii can you explain it to me I have no idea what it is but i know is similar to bitcoin (which i know almost nothing ugh) and bad environmental impact

Hi bby,

I’d love to! My favorite thing is getting complicated things into plain language.

tldr; imagine I told you to buy money in neopets and keep it there, can you think of a thousand reasons that sounds dumb? (almost) all of them apply to blockchain

Real Money Basics

So how real money works is that you have a value that is backed by the wealth of a government. That means (in very simplified terms) that a piece of paper that says $5 is worth $5. If you’ve ever heard of the 1929 crisis or any developing country that struggles with inflation (which when you constantly need more money to buy the same thing) you have seen what happens when there is loose regulations or the government is sleeping at the wheel. It’s a mess. This is very very very influential stuff that will determine whether we have jobs and food on the table (literally). So the government regulates THE SHIT out of it. You can’t just throw money around and the only entity that can produce money is the government. 

Finance Basics 

Example: I bought a share (a piece of a company) for $1. Tomorrow the NYT publishes a piece on how great the company is and a bunch of people want to buy shares. I’m gonna say hey great guys but who is gonna give me more for this. Oh this dude is willing to give me $51 dollars for it? Sweet here man have it. I just made $50 by doing nothing: paid $1 and sold for $50. Multiply this by a million, it is investing/finance in a nutshell. This has an *insane* potential to be exploited so it is H E A V I L Y regulated and taxed. I’d have to pay taxes on my $50(million) that I made. That means the 50M isn’t reallllly 50M cause I have to pay taxes. 

Back to Blockchain

So the blockchain people are like government sucks let’s do this ourselves so we don’t get taxes and regulations that make me lose money.

Blockchain is a system that operates (mainly) outside of “real money”. It’s its own system of money that the government does not regulate. This is great for libertarians (people that hate the government) but inherently very very bad. So you buy a token (the currency) that is worth let’s say $1 dollar. You can then exchange that token for a good online. In their idealized future you could go to the corner store and use a token to buy gum. We’re not there but there are things you can buy online with it. So far you are following it that it is exactly like dollars but instead of the government regulating, the government is totally outside of it.

Running this operation takes a massive amount of computer power. Think about how a transaction works in real money. You buy something with your credit card. The credit card company then puts a hold on that money (you can’t spend it again) and then charges you a few days later. They can do that because money is backed by the government. They know that the value won’t change significantly even if they charge you in a year. There is so much security for the bank so the system is not super complicated. Not with blockchain. There is no backing this currency. So everything needs to be automatic because it is likely that the value will shift so if I buy token it better show up now on my account. So they need massive computers to do this. (this is why it is environmentally a shitshow)

How do they do this? They (as in the system, not a person) “pay” you to use your computer power. So you can produce money by lending your computer to run this thing (sort of like torrent download if you know what that looks like). This sounds like free money (which, as a general advice, is 100% of the time shady). You produce money at an insanely slow pace because the more people join the more computers there are. This is the carrot: join, make free money.

But for money to work it needs to be finite of course. This is where economics kicks in. The more people there are wanting one thing, the higher the price will be (our old friends supply and demand). So people that have bought tokens want you to buy tokens too so their tokens are worth more in real money. Investing! Remember? Same thing. But here there are zero regulations and zero taxes. This is their goal. But this means that there is also zero safety nets.

If you buy a token for $50 and tomorrow the whole network is shut off for whatever your money is gone. Legit gone. Because WHAT YOU BOUGHT HAS NO INTRINSIC VALUE. It’s a number on a computer. That’s what you gave your hard worked dollars for. 

“But isn’t that what investing is? wtf is a share?” 

If you buy 1 share (realistically millions) of Apple that money is secured by everything Apple owns (the factories, the copyrights, the offices, literally everything) so even if Apple goes bankrupt tomorrow, there is a special court that will sell literally every piece of furniture to buildings that Apple owns and distribute the money. You actually did buy something tangible that can be transferred back into money if the company gets shut down. Realistically though, companies don’t actually go truly bankrupt often.

The price of the share is decided by people who look into Apple to decide its intrinsic value. Investing is based on real stuff, not a thing that does not exist. You are putting your money in a box and hoping you can take it back for more.

The people investing in this know this is a shitshow. They want you, that does not know, to buy tokens. For millions of people to buy tokens. They will then quickly “cash out” (sell their tokens for a lotttt more than they bought) and go back to real money cause that is the only currency with intrinsic value backed by a government that will never fail and they know it. It is the only safe way to have money. It’s investing (which people think it is like a shady way to make money) times a billion.

NFTs are like a token but it is a “product” that you buy and get to say “hey I own this” but unlike a chair or a table anyone else can have the thing. You just have the “real version”. Again no fucking intrinsic value. It is NOT like real art dealing. Having a painting by Pollock that he literally touched and made has intrinsic value. It is ACTUALLY different than a photo of it I print on my computer.

Anyway, hope this makes some sense.

#blockchain #crypto #nfts #Anonymous

[burnedbyshoto]

spiral

— Honestly, what could go wrong when you’re lusting over your close friend and you’re locked in a box with only one way to get out? Well, not a lot, honestly.

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pairing: kaibara sen x fem!reader

warnings: smut, 18+, gloryhole, dirty talk, praise, fingering, sexual tension, reader is a pervert, quirk use during sex (spinning cock lol)

word count: 2,695

a/n: this is the second gloryhole fic ive written, but its completely different from the last time because its like not a cult fic LMAO!!! anyways, I think yall basic shouto and bakugou stans could do well to stan this class 1-b man because when I tell you he is another deviation of the two of them personality wise.... I mean it! 

day 5 main kink: gloryhole

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If you had known precisely what you had just gotten yourself into right now three hours ago, you would have laughed at yourself. Without a doubt, there was no questioning that the predicament you had concealed yourself in was one that would bring you great shame once this wall was gone, but for now, you would deal with it.

At the bitter age of twenty, having graduated from the hero department over in Shiketsu High, you had been almost shocked when you were reached out upon by the graduating class over at Yuuei, to come and join their agency. You had accepted it with caution, unsure if you could live a life paycheck to paycheck that was as new as they come. But, it was a decision you would come to never regret.

Or at least, not until right now. 

You had been on patrol with your coworker turned friend, Kaibara Sen, hero name: Spiral.

His quirk was an interesting one. A quirk that allowed him to gyrate -- spin -- every limb and ligament on his body. It caused some pretty asshole moves in close combat that not only stung with the piercing metal on his gloves but also sent you flying away. Countless amounts of times, you had pinned him only to spun around like a spinning top and slammed back into the practice mats.

You hated it.

Or well, you hated his quirk in a sensical way (note: do not attempt to beat him through a crowd, he always wins). In the nonsensical, coming of age brain of yours that had been for the most part silenced due to Shiketsu’s no-dating-policy, but as you grew fond of your coworker, frequent workout buddy and sparring partner, you couldn’t help but wonder just if… well… if he could spin his cock.

You would be lying if you said you had never imagined what it could feel like. You wondered if his cock was curved, or if it was straight. Would the veins be prominent? Too many times, when watching quirk-plot porn videos, you found your mind lingering onto his ability, which leads you to scream into a pillow, your hormones both skyrocketing and plummeting in your horror. 

You weren’t a perv, you like to remind yourself as you changed into your hero costume. It was merely a rational, human thought! Humans were curious beings, after all! Sure, Kaibara was attractive, and his voice was… so low, deep, and raspy that sometimes you would try to – NOPE NOT A PERV!

Blazing hot cheeks drummed in time with your hammering heart as you finished dressing, hoping to get out and clear your mind with helping out the community as a hero! You were a hero!

Not a perv!

Nodding to yourself in the mirror located in your designated locker, you slammed it close and left.

Unfortunately for you, or fortunately, Kaibara was already dressed in his costume and waved at you in greeting as you approached him.

“Afternoon.”

“Yeah, yeah, shut up!” you flustered, your back stiffening as you continued to stomp ahead, readying to leave the stupid agency and get your afternoon rounds done. 

You weren’t a pervert!

With three years since graduating from high school, three years of this agency having been founded, and three years of becoming friends with the esteemed and infamous class 1-A and 1-B from Yuuei, you had learned one thing for sure. This group of Yuuei students seemed to attract the worse kind of trouble like a moth to a lamp.

Without a doubt, you knew that was the reason why you had Kaibara somehow ended up in this horrible, ridiculous quirk from a child that just so happened to manifest their quirk out in the open. And of course, it would be the most humiliating shit to ever happen in the entire world of quirk apparitions.

“Uh, the mother said it’s probably the father’s quirk!” came the apologetic, nearing frantic voice of Deku from outside the steel box both you and Kaibara were trapped in. 

You couldn’t even see Kaibara’s face, and the perv in you screamed over the lack of even having his body pressed against yours! No! Nothing! As a matter of fact, there was a divider between you and Kaibara, a giant wall with a hole near your crotch area.

“I can’t believe you idiots got yourselves trapped in this!” came the amused, annoyed, and somehow antagonizing voice of Ground Zero. 

“Shut up!” you screamed back. “They looked at us, and it happened! It’s not like we touched the kid!”

“Y/h/n,” Kaibara’s voice sighed, and you felt your face ignite at the sighful tone on his raspy, deep voice. You pouted at the slight scold in his manner and felt yourself looking down in shame as he continued. “Don’t argue with Ground Zero. Hey, Deku, how we get out of this?”

The both of you were silent for some time, the outside world quiet as you waited for an answer.

“Oh, um, I don’t think you’re going to like it…” Deku’s voice laughed awkwardly from outside the box, and you frowned.

“Just tell us.”

“I-It’s uh… it’s a quirk called Gloryhole!” Deku squeaked, and just as you knew the successful and well-recognized pro hero outside of this box was undoubtedly red in the face, you felt your already warm face turn into an inferno. “I-I-It’s exactly… ohmygod!”

“The shitnerd is apparently a fucking perv and can’t finish his stupid sentence. Anyways, this quirk only works on shits like you with unresolved sexual tension and only removes after you use it,” Ground Zero’s voice barked from outside the walls.

“KACCHAN!”

“Shut up, Deku!” Ground Zero fired right back, and you could feel your body trembling at the news. Oh no, your perverted mind finally caught up to you in the worst of ways?! Although he did say unresolved sexual tension, that could totally be onesided, right? “We’ll be back in an hour, get it done, or fucking else.”

They left you, and you realized that despite your panicking pitched breathes, there was no noise coming from Kaibara’s side.

Oh no, this was all your fault! 

Oh no, oh no, oh no!

“You, uh,” Kaibara spoke softly, and you felt your hands clutch onto the fabric above your breasts. “You have unresolved sexual tension with me?”

“No,” you denied immediately, your forehead crashing against the barrier between you and Kaibara at the blatant, stupid lie. “Yes. Ugh, I do, but that wasn’t something I was planning on telling you!”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s embarrassing? What was I supposed to say when you pin me against mats during sparring sessions? ‘Hey, Kaibara, does your cock also spin? If so, can you fuck me with it?’”

You slap your hand across your mouth, eyes going wide in your panicked embarrassment. That mouth of yours was genuinely going to get your tongue cut off or lips sewn together one day.

It’s silent for a bit, but there’s a sound of clothes ruffling. The rate of your heartbeat seemed to increase exponentially as you saw something shift from the view you had of the Gloryhole. “Well, if you want to find out, I’ll be more than willing to give you a demonstration.”

The pervert you may or not be did not hesitate to respond back.

“Please?”

And you watched as his shadowed figure approached the hole, and a pink-headed cock pushed through the hole into your side. You watched with a gaping jaw at the still-growing cock before you. Without a doubt, it was more than seven inches and was glorious, gravity defyingly curved upwards. It was proud as it was thick, and you watched as the underneath of his cock scraped across the bottom.

A soft grunt strangled in his throat at the cold, rough sensation, and you watched a small, glistening bead of pre-cum appear from the slit on his head. You’re not sure how quickly you dropped to your knees, but you did know that your mouth took him on completely. Within the first drop of your mouth on his cock, you enveloped at least half of his cock in your mouth. A loud bang hit the wall, and you felt a warmth in your chest, knowing that you had already affected him.

Your lips and mouth glided against his length, your tongue pressing and lapping at the underneath of the head of his cock, trying to cock to become as hard as it could be, because it was still growing. A particular needy, near sloppy suck of yours, sent a loud, dizzying guttural noise from Kaibara’s side. A noise that sent liquid heat spilling into your cunt as your hand gripped the base of his cock, bobbing your head slowly, as leisurely as you would allow yourself.

His taste was indescribable, faint yet had you licking his length for more, trying to cover your tongue in his pre-cum. 

But the issue with a proud curving upwards cock, was that you found it awkward to choke yourself down his impossibly stubborn curve as he began to thrust his hips to meet your mouth and travel into your throat. Grunt, gasps, and growls seemed to be growing in volume and repetition on his side of the wall as you relaxed your throat, chokes, and gags sounding wet and sloppy on your side. 

“Fuck, just like that, wait up,” Kaibara moaned, a thud coming straight above your own head, letting you know that he had pressed his head against the wall. The thumping of his hips on the wall was slowly becoming musical, white noise as you bobbed your head further along his length, throat vibrating with your need to make him feel good. And the weirdest, most surprised splutter came from your throat as his cock spun in direction.

Once curved upwards, making it nearly impossible in the space to take his cock all the way down your throat, was now downcurved. It stretched your jaw out entirely as he didn’t bother to pull away to do it, and your throat stretched out in a way you had never experienced before as you coughed and staggered against his length. But, it was a pain that made your clit throb and allowed his cock to go even further down your throat.

You did what you could only do once your throat stopped hurting, and the sheer pleasure of having your throat stretched out in a more desirably wait set in: you moaned.

It was a long, pitchy noise that you swore you could feel against the steel wall that your free hand supported you against. Your toes curled at the way his intensely thrusting hips faltered for a moment, undoubtedly turned on by your noise if the twitch in his cock said anything about it. You moaned again, and again, and again. You continued to do so against his snapping hips until Kaibara was practically snarling your name with the intention and muttered promises of what he would do to you once the barrier was gone. 

Your mind was gone at the point, the promises of fucking you against the window of his apartment that overlooked the Tokyo skyline had you shoving the pants off your hero costume down. Your hand on his cock tightening in its grip, but the one manipulating your pants off, sunk into your cunt, thumb on your clit. 

A mewl left your lips as you began to play with your wet heat, and you drove your mouth and head closer to the hole, enthusiastically taking him in further and further. 

“Imma fuck you so good when we get fucking out of here,” Kaibara promised, teeth undoubtedly pulled into a snarl, his thrusting in bizarre speeds as you tried to keep some piece of sanity as you continued to finger fuck yourself, all too pleased with him absolutely using your mouth. But, you registered his words just well enough to respond back, choking an agreeing noise as you bobbed your head enthusiastically. “Had I known you just wanted that slutty pussy of yours to be fucked, I would’ve done this with you ages ago. Would’ve pinned you down on that mat, and claimed your cunt as my prize.” Your eyes rolling back in your hormone-induced euphoria, your own dirty fantasies having played that scene in your mind countless times. “I want to hear you choke on my cock more, I want to hear the saliva and drool leaving your mouth. I know you’re fucking your cunt, so do it well enough you’re moaning like a paid prostitute. I promise you, I’ll make sure you never want to see another cock again that isn’t mine!”

A choking, hiccuped, and wet breath expelled from your mouth, and you hadn’t even realized you were crying at the moment. But, you agreed, head bobbing in your agreement.

And so, it continued. 

You pushed forward, his length reaching new depths of your throat until you had your nose smashed against the metal, cold wall. Your throat manipulatively squeezing and milking his throbbing cock, tongue, and teeth rubbing against his protruding veins until Kaibara was stuttering out your broken first name. 

The wet noises of his saliva drenched cock meeting your drooling throat and mouth grew louder with every slap, and you wanted more. You needed more.

“Fuck, y/n, you take me s-so fucking good. I think you have me entirely in your mouth like the fucking little pervert you are,” Kaibara hotly laughed, a soft thudding from near your chin sending your mind in a feral daze of how it was probably his balls. “Doing so well with my directions, you really do deserve to be fucked properly after this.”

A low, lewd whine strangled from your throat, your hot, swollen lips sucking harshly against the base of his cock as he continues drilling, and the melodic moans from his mouth made it all worth the fact your lips and nose are starting to tingle from the sufficient lack of oxygen. But it’s also your curling, pumping fingers in your cunt that add onto the headrush you get, the slick and essence coating and dripping from your pounding fingers send you into a series of keen and mewls against his cock. And you can perfectly find each sweet little pleasure spot. 

You were close, and by the consistent twitching and throbbing of his cock and the thick coating of precum on your tongue, Kaibara was too.

With your impending orgasm, you felt your body begin to tense up, shaking, and moaning with the tipping sensation you loved. And Kaibara, entirely lost in his own passionate, horny endeavors, shook as he slammed into you again, again, and again.

With a fiery determination, your cheeks hollowed out on his length as he pulled out, a resonating “fuck!” screamed from his lips as your tongue swiped at the salty silt on his cock, and it was all over.

You came on your fingers with a loud, pitchy scream, and thick, hot ropes of cum spurted from his cock onto your awaiting mouth, dirtying your face slightly in his heavy ejaculation. Swallowing the cum, a shiver ran down your spine as you quickly cleaned the remaining cum on his cock. Slowly, you removed the fingers in your cunt, and you shuddered at the pulsating heat form your core as you dropped to the floor as his soft cock disappeared from the hole. 

Laughing softly, you looked up at the ceiling of the box that was slowly disappearing, allowing fresh air to enter the sex smelling box.

“So, how about dinner?” Kaibara asked, and you chuckled, running a hand through your abused face.

“I don’t think I’m hungry.”

“No?”

“You might’ve proved you can spiral your cock,” you began, turning your head to look at Kaibara, who was collapsed on the floor, barely put together as the two of you locked eyes. “But I still would like to try it out for real while you properly fuck me. After that, if I’m hungry for food, I’d love to go for dinner.”

He laughed, his hand running through his sweaty locks.

“Sounds like a deal to me.”

#kaibara sen x reader #kaibara x reader #kaibara smut #bnha #bnha x reader #mha #bbs kinktober 2020

[peterprkrsbtch]

sapphire - part 2

Peter Parker x reader

A/n: Part 1 is up on my page! There’s a couple flashbacks in this one so I put the dates before so it doesn’t get confusing. If you enjoy this one, like or reblog to share! I already wrote part 3 and it’s my favorite one yet so that’ll def be up soon :)

tag- @juliannaamonroe​

Warnings: swearing, make out, violence

(September 1)

We’re one minute away. Come out hoe!

You smile as you read the text, glancing at yourself in the mirror again, nerves and excitement ablaze in your stomach. You’d been planning for this day since last winter, and now it was finally here. You adjust your carefully styled hair and double check that the natural makeup you applied was sitting on your skin correctly.

Of course it was. That goddamn injection sometimes made you feel like a vampire out of twilight and sometimes you still got surprised when you saw your own face while passing a mirror or a particularly reflective window. You smooth down the ruffles of your short black skirt and tug the top of your tank top down so a bit more of your curves show.

You put on your white sneakers and tug your shirt back up to cover your chest again. We’ll have to work up to that, I guess. A long honk sounds from outside your apartment building and you curse as you scramble to grab your backpack and phone before running down and out the front steps.

“Awwww,” You say sweetly at the sight of the two girls who had become your best friends. “That’s the shirt you were wearing when we met, Ally.” You jokingly brush away a tear, pretending to be ultra touched.

“Best damn day of my life.” Ally says from her spot in the drivers seat, laughing at your dramatics. She may be joking around, but her sentiment makes your heart clench. This year really was going to be different.

***

(July 3)

You quickly realized you needed to find some Midtown friends if your plan for senior year was going to work. If you dared to show up looking, well, like you do, completely alone and friendless, you might become even more of an outcast than you were before. The first month of summer had been the least lonely time of your year so far, thanks to a certain Spiderman.

The two of you spent most of your nights together, flying through the city, fighting crime together, and talking. The “slow” nights that used to fill you with boredom quickly became your favorite when he was involved. The sound of his laugh and the jokes he makes during fights quickly became the highlight of your days.

But you couldn’t let yourself get too distracted by him. After all, neither of you knew what the other looked like. The only other boy you’d ever found remotely cute (other than celebrities) was nerdy Peter Parker from your high school. He wasn’t your usual type and he seemed to be just as shy as you were, so you had little (zero) hope that it would ever lead to anything more than a smile during the hallway if you accidentally made eye contact.

Sorry Spiderman, but no way in hell are you gonna make me lose my focus. The loneliness you had felt through the last three years of high school was too much. Your plan had to work. So that night as the two of you patrolled together, you softly mentioned that you were going to a pool party tomorrow and wouldn’t be able to meet.

He seemed a bit disappointed, but you brushed it off, trying to remember the names of the girls at your school who seemed nice. Peter, however, couldn’t focus on anything other than the fact that you had told him where you would be tomorrow. There was only so many pool parties in a city like New York.

You tried not to think about who was under the Spiderman mask out of respect and, to be honest, it seemed like a pointless endeavor. Peter was not the same. No matter how tired he was from patrol, he always had time to lay awake before he fell asleep and picture what you would look like under the mask.

There wasn’t very many people who understood Peter’s secret life. None, actually, until you. Maybe that was why he was so intrigued by you, because you were so similar, but in his heart he knew that wasn’t it. He liked you. And he hated himself for it. But once you mentioned the pool party, he made sure to take one long last glance at the color of your hair before you two said goodbye. Just in case he happened to see that same hair tomorrow.

(July 4)

You were so, so nervous. Your closet of exclusively sweats and hoodies was trashed as Part 1 of your plan, much to your mother’s happiness. She had always been honest about her hatred of your junior year clothes and was extremely excited to purchase everything you needed. As distant as she was, you had to give her a little credit.

Although you’d been wearing the new clothes for the past month, this was the first time you were doing it so publicly. Your denim shorts exposed miles of smooth leg, and you’d decided to wear a red tube top in honor of the holiday-not to mention it really showed off your curves. You’d meticulously done your hair and makeup like you’d been practicing the past month and prayed that somebody would talk to you today.

You’d seen the flyer for the Fourth of July party on Instagram, which had been step 2. Unfortunately, you had two followers. Your mom and her boyfriend. Step 2 is a work in progress.

One long walk later, and you’re in front of the address. You swear you could explode of nerves right there, but instead you take a deep breath and force your legs to carry you inside the house and towards the people out by the pool.

Your eyes are so focused on your destination, the glass sliding door, that you barely notice when you bump shoulders with someone, causing you to drop your phone.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going.” You say, reaching down to grab your phone.

“Oh my god, stop. That was totally my fault.” You stand back up to see the girl who was speaking, and you recognize her immediately. Her name is Ally, and she’s a part of the most popular group at school. Despite her long black hair and sweet smile, you haven’t heard many good things about her. Not the type of person you were looking for.

“Do you go to Midtown? I don’t think I’ve seen you around.” Ally says, making no move to walk away from the conversation.

“Yeah, actually. My name is Y/n?” You don’t miss the way her eyebrows raise and her eyes widen with confusion and shock. You’re embarrassed now, realizing maybe you weren’t as invisible as you’d thought. In an effort to explain away the last few years, “My dad left a couple years ago and it was pretty hard on me, but I’m all better now.” You flash the most dazzling smile you can manage and hope she accepts it.

“No way, mine did too!” She gasps as she grabs your hands. You feel a small pang of guilt at that. It was a lie, you had no idea who your dad was and frankly, you didn’t think your mom knew either.

The conversation starts to flow between you and Ally easily as you make your way out to the pool. “This is my best friend Betty.” Ally introduces you to the sweet-as-pie girl and the three of you quickly fall into a conversation like you’d known each other forever. A few of their guy friends tried to come up and talk to you, but she just waved them away. “Leave us alone, we just met our new best friend.”

You felt bad for judging Ally so harshly earlier, blindly trusting the stupid rumors you’d heard about her. Popular or not, the three of you got along better than any of the other friends you’d tried to make throughout your life. They do briefly make fun of your instagram before forcing you to take and post pictures with the two of them by the pool. They both tag your account.

Peter didn’t seem to share the good luck you did. He’d dragged Ned to 6 different pool parties across the city and saw no one who looked like Sapphire. Disappointed, he spent the night patrolling alone and dodging fireworks.

***

(September 1)

Since that day, you’d become a trio with Ally and Betty. The day after the pool party you’d woken up to nearly 1,000 followers on your instagram. Everyone from Midtown who never gave you a second look when you had your hood shoved over your head now wanted to be your friend.

The three of you spent the rest of your summer days together, and you fit into the popular friend group better than you could have imagined. Maybe you watched too many teen movies, but you expected them to be mean. The only mean one was Flash, and even he was basically harmless. You’d given up Saturday night patrols with Spiderman for a weekly girls night with your new best friends. You thought having new friends and a bustling social life would’ve made it easier to forget about Spiderman, but somehow he seeped into every area of your life.

That damn laugh. As Ally and Betty sing along to the radio loudly, you bite your lip to stop a dumb smile from rising to your lips. God, just thinking about him made you flustered. As Ally drives into the school parking lot, nerves bubble in your stomach.

As if you aren’t stressed enough, your brain decides this is the perfect moment to remind you of the one night this summer you and Spiderman haven’t talked about since.

*** (August 14)

The two of you were sprawled out on a gravel rooftop next to each other. Not the most comfortable of relaxing spots, but you’d both grown tired of flying around under the summer heat with no hint of trouble for miles.

“This sucks.” Spiderman huffs out.

“Rude.” You reply quickly, even though you know he isn’t talking about you.

“Oh, no,” He immediately sits up. “I didn’t mean you suck, I just meant, you know, because there’s not much going on right now and it’s hot and-” He sees your cheeky smile and stops himself with a laugh. “Sorry.”

“No, it’s cute.” You bite your lip. The fuck did I just say? Before you can begin to explain, he jumps to his feet.

“Spidey sense, let’s go!” You jump up too and follow after him as he jumps off the building. Thank god. I’ve never been so grateful that someone’s in trouble. The fight was tough, even with the both of you. These men had strange guns that keep firing at you and Spiderman even though you’d tried multiple times to crush them with your powers.

“The guns are magic-proof! I can’t destroy them!” You yell over to Spiderman as you take down one of the men in between punches.

Somehow, two men get ahold of their guns and corner you. Just as you start levitating to fly over them, a web shoots from somewhere behind them and the men and their guns are yanked away. Spiderman wastes no time and you swear he seems angry with the two men as he webs them to the wall next to their friends before picking up the guns and violently smashing them on the ground.

You’re still frozen in shock, watching him. When he seems to be satisfied with the broken pile of guns on the floor, he runs back over to you. “I’m so sorry, I know we promised-” You finally break out of whatever trance you were in to place a finger over his lips, casting a disgusted glance towards the men staring at you from their webbed cocoons.

“Not here.” You say quietly, and fly the two of you quickly up to the roof. He blinks for a second, his head spinning from the speed. You rarely use your full speed, especially with him, but you had to get out of there. “Okay, go ahead.” You say after a second of silence.

“I’m so sorry, I know we agreed not to get in each other’s way, and I know you can handle yourself, probably better than I can. Hold on, I didn’t mean I handle you. That sounded weird. Anyways, I just got so angry when I saw those men pointing their guns at you I had to-” He’s talking about the agreement you two had made when you first started working together. You both obviously were skilled, so you agreed that you wouldn’t interrupt each other’s fights unless asked.

“Spidey, I really don’t care you interrupted. It was hot.” JESUS CHRIST NOT AGAIN. You immediately winced and slap a hand over your mouth. “Oh my god I did NOT mean to say that I’m so sorry.”

Your rambling is cut off as Spiderman’s hand travels up to the bottom of his mask and you think your eyes might fall out of your head with how wide they become as he begins to pull it up, revealing the soft pale skin of his neck.

His jaw, chin, and then lips become visible as he lets the mask rest on his nose. The 0.5 seconds that have passed since you stopped talking feel like an eternity until he suddenly leans forward, crashing his lips into yours. Spiderman is an amazing kisser, you decide, as you gently kiss him back.

WHAT AM I DOING? Your mind is going haywire but instead of stopping, you deepen the kiss and nearly smile when he lets out a low moan. Everything you’ve told yourself about focus and distractions flies out the window when his gloved hands clutch your waist and pull you closer to him than you thought possible.

It feels like it’s only been a second when he pulls away, but your eyes flicker to his swollen lips and you know it must have been longer. You smile as you stare at his lips, only inches from yours, but as your gaze moves to the rest of his exposed skin the smile drops slowly.

Your rational mind comes back. It’s easy to forget when you’re with him that you’ve only known each other a couple months. How could you do this? Your first time making out with a boy, and he doesn’t even know your name.

“We shouldn’t be doing this.” You whisper as he starts to say something.  “Sorry, what were you going to say?” He blinks slowly and takes a deep breath before stepping away from you.

“Nevermind. See you tomorrow.” And he swings away from you. You silently curse yourself for being such a big mouth, wanting to know what he would have said. You can’t help the small voice in the back of your head, telling you that you made the wrong decision.

You raise your hand to run your fingers along your tingling lips before flying home as fast as you can.

***

(September 1)

You wince at the painful memory before reminding yourself everything was back to normal the next day and neither of you mentioned it again. You still weren’t sure if that was good or bad. You force all thoughts of Spiderman out of your brain and even give Ally an encouraging cheer when she successfully parks on her first try.

You don’t remember Midtown having so many fucking students last year, but maybe it was because they were all staring at you. Any confidence you’d had as you opened Ally’s car door had disappeared as everyone around you turned to gawk. The bright smile you’d pasted on a second ago quickly fell and you glanced at Ally nervously.

“Come on, girls!” She says enthusiastically, grabbing an arm from you and Betty as she breaks the brief moment of awkward silence. God bless you Ally. As the three of you hoist your bags over your shoulders and make your way into the school, you mouth a quick thank you her way, hoping she can see your genuine appreciation. She smiles at you. “I’m happy we’re going into this year as three instead of two.”

Betty leans forward to smile at you. “Me too, y/n. I’m really happy you’re here.”  You smile back brightly. There really was no one as sweet as Betty.

“You won’t be so happy I’m here when I talk your ear off during class.” The three of you continue laughing and joking your way down the hall to stop at your lockers.

“Oh my god, is that Y/n?” Ned interrupts Peter’s latest ramble about his night with Sapphire. Usually, he really did listen. Ned was fully invested in the superhero love story, as he called it, unfolding. But the sight of a girl notorious for hiding in her own baggy clothes across the hall in a miniskirt and tank top was more important.

“Y/n?” Peter asks, confused why Ned wasn’t paying attention. But when he turned around to see what Ned was staring at, he understood. He’d seen you around school the past three years, but never like this.

You looked like a fucking model. And everyone in the hall couldn’t help but stare. “Holy shit.”

“Right, dude?” Ned breathes out, the two of them shamelessly staring. “Why didn’t that happen to me over summer? Oh my god, of course she’s friends with Betty.”

Peter laughs as his best friend goes on about “two pretty best friends” but he can’t take his eyes off of you. The light in your eyes as you joke with your friends, making them double over in laughter, feels strangely familiar. Or maybe that’s wishful thinking on his part because you’re extremely pretty.

He watches in surprise as you and Ally walk up to the AP Chem classroom, waving goodbye to Betty sadly as she heads off to English. You turn to walk into the classroom after Ally, but you pause and look back down the hallway-right at him. Instead of yelling at him for being a creep like he expected, you smile at him widely before heading into the class. He exhales deeply and glances down at his schedule quickly, a smile appearing. AP Chem.

Of course his thoughts are still consumed by Sapphire, but it was hard to ignore you especially after seeing his name on the seating chart next to yours in the back row. Plus, Sapphire was the one who’d shot him down after he finally tried to make a move after catching onto the hints he thought she’d been dropping.

He felt bad for thinking that about her, he didn’t blame her at all. He knew there was a million reasons they shouldn’t be together-and he didn’t want to know specifics on why he wasn’t good enough. Sapphire hadn’t brought up that night since, and he was fine to pretend it never happened.

You were already in your seat at the lab table, but Ally was still standing next to you waving her hands wildly as you two spoke. He doesn’t want to interrupt so he freezes in place, unsure of whether or not to go sit down. He’d thought you were cute, and a little shy like him in freshman and sophomore year and he remembered the many times he would look at you from across the room like he is now.

His eyes had been quick to find you whenever you two were in the same room ever since the first day of school freshman year when you smiled at him in the hall. Even last year, when all he saw of you was a curled up lump at your desk or a sliver of hair peeking out from behind your hood he still noticed you.

Luckily for him, the bell rings and he slides into his seat just as the teacher begins speaking. “Hi, Peter.” You lean over to him, your shoulders nearly touching, and whisper so the teacher doesn’t hear. “I’m y/n.” You smile warmly as his cheeks and ears turn light pink.

“You don’t have to introduce yourself. We’ve gone to school together since we were 6?�� Now it’s your turn to be embarrassed and you purse your lips together.

“No, I know, just-” Peter notices you seem a bit frustrated as you glance around the room and then lean even closer to him. “Everybody thinks I’m new.” You nervously mess with your bracelet.

“You do look a bit different.” He points out and you raise your eyebrows before sighing slowly and shrugging.

“I was just sick of feeling invisible, you know. Not because I care what anyone here thinks. Last year was just, really, really lonely.” Peter watches you intently as you speak, hanging onto your every word.

Your confession made him sad. If only he’d been brave enough to ask if you were okay. You pause for a second and meet his eyes. Any other guy in this school would’ve laughed at you by now. You gesture to your outfit and nervously adjust your skirt. “I’m also not a superficial person. It wasn’t about changing how I looked, I just needed the confidence to put myself out there.” You pause and nod towards Ally with a smile. Peter glances over to Ally and sees her blow you a kiss, which you catch across the room with a giggle.

I miss you! She mouths with a dramatic frown and this time Peter laughs quietly with you. “I thought she was a bitch before I met her.” He looks at you with surprise to find you smiling at him. “But,” you hold up a finger for dramatic effect, “because I put myself out there, I met my best friends. A lot of people around here judge on appearances. I’m not like that anymore.” You say with confidence.

“That’s really cool of you.” Peter whispers back, and the sound sends an involuntary shiver down your spine. He’s so close to you and the feelings you thought you left behind two years ago don’t seem so left behind as you stare into his warm eyes. “For the record, I’d be your friend no matter what you look like.”

Peter has only been this nervous a couple times before in his life, and he can’t help but feel like he’s betraying Sapphire with the way he’s thinking about you. He watches as you smile warmly at his words and extend your hand towards his.

“Friends? Even though I'm so much uglier now?” You pout your bottom lip out, a smile tugging at the corners of your mouth. He nearly laughs out loud and has to remind himself you’re still in class. “I know guys go wild for the homeless man sweatpants look.” You’re both trying to hold back your laughter, shaking silently in the back of the class as he raises his hand and grabs yours.

“Friends.” Peter isn’t sure why he keeps going, but he does. “And just so you know, you were never ugly. I don’t know why you tried so hard to hide yourself last year, but even then,” the words leaving his mouth sound confident but Peter takes a deep breath before looking up from his lap to meet your eyes. Your wide eyes and surprised smile give him just the confidence he needs to finish. “You could never be ugly.” Peter can hear his heart beating.

You blink at him. This boy could not be real. Here he was, basically implying that the one thing you had wanted all along, for somebody to notice you, was true. Not only was it true, but it was Peter fucking Parker telling you this. Despite everything that had changed you in the past year, the giddy feeling in your bones brought you back to sophomore year and pining over Peter.

“Really?” Your smile spreads and he seems to let out a deep breath of relief.

“Yeah.” He smiles back at you until your sweet moment is interrupted by a fat ass syllabus dropping onto the lab table in front of you.

“Fuck,” you whisper. “This class is gonna be so much homework.” You turn the page so Peter can briefly see the list of projects alone, and it’s enough to make him cringe.

Something about the way the whispers travel back and forth between you all class makes you realize you hadn’t fallen into a friendship this easily, even with Ally. Even with Spiderman, your brain points out.

A red and blue suit swings into your mind and you are hit with a wave of guilt. Not two hours ago I was thinking about my make out with Spiderman, and now I’m comparing him to Peter? 

You have all but one class together, and you can’t help but glance in Peter’s direction any chance you get. The only time you don’t see him is at lunch, even though you look all around the lunch room for him or the boy he’d been standing with this morning. You thought it would be too creepy to ask him where he’d been.

Finally, the last bell of the day rang, and you were sure if you didn’t have superpowers you would’ve been exhausted. School is kinda draining when you actually acknowledge people. Ally and Betty share your complaints about being tired on your drive home, all three of you agreeing you need naps. You kiss them both on the cheek and wave goodbye before heading up to your room.

Forget what I said about having superpowers. I’m fucking tired. You lay down on your bed, groaning into the pillow at the thought of having to patrol tonight. You sat up abruptly. You’d never dreaded patrol, it was always the thing you looked forward to. You glance towards the suit in your closet and sigh.

It’s not patrol I’m nervous about. It’s him. You feel incredibly guilty about today. I’m not a two timer. If I want to like Peter, I have to talk to Spiderman about that kiss first. You start to make your way over to the closet before another wave of exhaustion hits, sending you straight back to your bed.

After a nap. Then we’ll talk.

#peter parker imagine #peter parker x reader #peter parker angst #peter parker fluff #peter parker smut #avengers #marvel #spiderman #tom holland imagine #tom holland x reader #tom holland angst #tom holland fluff #tom holland smut

[owl-with-a-pen]

We didn’t get much insight on nias breakup with brainy, like how nia was feeling through the whole thing! It was pretty upsetting. So how about an almost rewrite of reality bytes where Yvette takes nia out to a party to loosen her up, she gets drunk, and brainy comes to the rescue? Like takes her home, stays with her when she gets sick and takes care of her kinda thing. Thanks!

- Okay the word count speaks for itself but this one really got away from me. But I had to throw in all the angst I possibly could. Thank you for the prompt! x

Working under the oppressive eye of Lex Luthor grew worse by the day.

Brainy had always been a master at multitasking, and so he had never assumed it would be exactly there that he would struggle the most.

And yet, here he was. Trying his hardest to focus on Lex’s latest tedious task to keep him in check. After all, Lex Luthor may have very well believed Brainy’s impassive charade, but that did not buy trust. Only time and a one hundred per cent success rate would accomplish that.

To achieve it, distractions had to be eradicated. He had already made his excuses time and time again for not attending one of Kara’s famed game nights, and despite Alex’s insistence, he had not given in to any other form of group activity, either – especially those involving Al’s Bar. He needed to maintain a clear head, to do as his doppelganger had instructed; to protect his friends and their future, he had to rid his mind of them. All of them. It was imperative to success.

And yet, the moment his phone buzzed with an incoming call, Brainy’s heart leapt into his throat.

It was Nia’s name that popped up on his screen. Nia’s face. So jovial, so care-free. In the photograph, her arm was wrapped around Brainy’s shoulders where she had pulled him in for a last-minute selfie. She’d kissed his cheek just seconds after it had been taken, insisting it’d be an awesome couple photo.

He had meant to change that. Why had he not…?

He swallowed hard, focusing instead on his computer screens, relaying information back and forth between them. It was without passion, meaningless data that could be shifted anywhere whilst maintaining the same result. But, it still served a purpose, keeping him from his intestinal inclination, that gut instinct to reach for his phone and answer without a moment’s hesitation.

When was the last time he had heard her voice?

He had been keeping his distance where he could, maintaining a professional formality with her whenever he caught her in the field as Dreamer. He knew it hurt her, every time it hurt her, but he could not avoid his duties in as much the same way she could not avoid hers.

They were in effect destined to bump into each other. The only way Brainy could lessen that hurt was by avoiding conversation as much as possible, throwing up every wall he could think of, even if he had to stumble over his words to do so.

When Nia’s face disappeared, Brainy released the breath he’d been holding, letting it dust across his screens.

Then, his phone buzzed twice more.

Voicemail.

Nia never left voicemails. Not since he had ended things with her so abruptly, walking out of her apartment, refusing to elaborate, to offer her any kind of closure.

It was a calculated hurt powerful enough for her to abstain from asking questions; a necessary evil, and one Brainy would never forgive himself for causing.

He shouldn’t be doing this, his mind warned, but his thoughts were racing, derailing from all twelve tracks at once.

His hand was already poised over his phone. Before he could think better of it, Brainy snatched it up, connecting to his most recent voice message. He pressed it to his ear, pursing his lips in anticipation.

“You suck, you know that?”

Brainy flinched, the phone nearly slipping right from his hand. Nia’s voice was harsh, anger tinged with upset, but it was her voice. It could have been filled with all the fury in the world and Brainy would have still listened just as eagerly, if only for the chance to hear her again.

As the voicemail continued to play, Brainy realised that Nia’s words were slightly obscured by the heavy beats of music playing in the background, not to mention the loud chatting and whooping of people he certainly did not recognise. Brainy frowned. She must have been at some kind of party. Although, none of the voices present sounded as though they were talking to her specifically.

A nightclub, perhaps?

Nia wasn’t usually one for clubbing. So, why would she-?

“And y’know what?” Nia’s voicemail continued out just as harshly, cutting off Brainy’s train of thought. “Yvette’s so right, I deserve better than some guy who’s gonna leave me hanging, who leaves with zero explanation, and I- oh crap, sorry-” There was a scuffle, one caused by Nia knocking into a fellow patron if her apology was anything to go by. The slur in her voice was very evident, which led Brainy to conclude that she had been drinking heavily that night, enough to pick up the courage to call him.

His stomach lurched when he heard another voice in the background.

“Girl, what are you doing?” It was Yvette. Of course Yvette would have been the mastermind behind this apparent night out, likely with the well-minded intent of assisting with Nia’s mood.

Yvette’s voice grew louder as she came closer. “What are you- wait, are you calling him? No, no, you get off the phone right now, that’s messy as hell!”

Brainy was inclined to agree. Nia, however, seemed to have other ideas.

“It’s fine,” she insisted. “I-”

Before Brainy could hear anything more, the message cut off.

Brainy squeezed his eyes shut, clenching and unclenching his jaw methodically.

He shouldn’t do it. He shouldn’t be giving into gut instinct, not now, not-not ever. Not with so much at stake. He was supposed to be monitoring Lex’s movements, doing everything he could to keep a step ahead of whatever he was planning. So far, he had failed at that. And, if he continued to lose sight of his objective, he would only slip further still.

But, if there was one thing he could count on now more than ever, it was the Big Brain. Perhaps it was not that his skill at multitasking had been limited as of late, but more-so that he was not utilising it to its fullest extent. He could easily keep a thought track open for any updates on Lex’s data entry, could even continue development on the bug he was planning to slip into Lex’s private servers. For the moment, they were obstructed by a firewall even he was having difficulty breaching. But, with time…

Brainy’s fingers curled together, winding tightly around his phone. He had the room to deviate from his plans for one night. Besides, it would take mere seconds to get a lock on Nia’s GPS…

He had been trying so hard to keep out of her private business these last few weeks. The little he did know were only of her recent exploits as Dreamer that had been plastered all over the news. But, even knowing what she’d accomplished in such a short time, how capable she had become as a hero, it could not stop the worry that clogged so suddenly inside his throat.

He just had to know where she was, he rationalised. He just had to know that she was safe.

The moment her co-ordinates flashed in his mind, Brainy’s chest caught, lips parting. She was close-by, an estimated three minutes by flight from his current location.

He shouldn’t be doing this.

Brainy’s eyes scanned empty air, but beyond that he saw everything. The security for the club was rudimentary at best, and far too easy to hack. Nia’s most recent location had pointed her somewhere near to the club doors, which was only confirmed when Brainy linked up to the cameras out front, pinpointing her almost immediately.

Yvette was with her, holding up her weight as Nia slumped precariously into her side, nearly tripping down the club’s steps in an effort to remain upright. If it hadn’t been for Yvette’s guiding hand, she likely would have.

Brainy gritted his teeth. Just how much had she had to drink? He had never known Nia to drink so excessively, especially with how rigorously she had been training as of late. This was new behaviour for her, but not unpredictable. Brainy was more than aware of the many coping mechanisms one might find themselves adopting in times of emotional distress.

He had caused this.

He could fix this…

But he couldn’t, couldn’t - no matter how much his heart insisted otherwise, he could not give in. Nia wanted nothing to do with him, that much was clear from her message. And… Yvette was with her. Yvette would get her home safely.

But Yvette had clearly been drinking, also. What if something were to occur between the club and their apartment? Nia was disorientated, vulnerable, and with alcohol marring her judgement, her reaction timing would never match that of a clear-minded foe.

Brainy stood from his desk all at once, nearly toppling his chair in his haste. Fortunately, he was in a private office. Another upgrade from Lex. He swallowed down the bitter taste in his mouth; at least he could use this particular gift to his advantage.

He needed to get to Nia undetected. Immediately.

Brainy’s calculations had been - as expected - totally correct. He reached the club in no less than three minutes, giving himself ample distance to land so that no drunk bystanders might notice his arrival. Not that their likelihood of remembering any of this come morning was very high, but it was best not to push those odds.

The moment he saw her, Brainy’s world stopped moving.

Nia and Yvette were sat together on the club’s steps. It appeared Yvette had not been successful getting Nia all the way down them. Now, she was stubbornly trying to encourage Nia to drink from a water bottle she’d had stashed in her bag. Nia only turned away from her with a grimace, pushing her face firmly into her hands. Her cheeks were rosy from alcohol consumption, her dark hair beginning to thicken and frizz from the humidity of the club. The dress she wore danced with row upon row of sequins, glinting in purple and pink tones beneath the streetlight.

She was so beautiful it nearly caused a physical ache inside of Brainy’s chest.

Never had he wanted to go to her so ardently, to scoop her into his arms, hold her close and never let go.

But, he couldn’t. He was bound by his decision and, what’s more, he was the very cause for this entire situation in the first place. Nia was only in this position because of what he had put her through, and he couldn’t take that back. So long as Leviathan was a threat, he could not give up this ruse, he could not tell her the truth.

Even if he did… the acidic tone in Nia’s voicemail told him all he needed to know. That he may have well lost her for good by doing this. And he could barely stand to think it.

Again, a distant part of his mind queried why he was even here? Was this not already traipsing on incredibly dangerous territory? If Lex found any reason to distrust him, this logical and distant image Brainy had been parading would’ve all been for naught, and his Earth would meet the same fate as his female doppelganger’s.

No, no. Regardless of his decisions, the side he had been forced to take, he was still himself. In which case, there was nothing wrong with helping those that required his assistance, even if they hadn’t exactly asked for it. In that way, he could at least be there for Nia. If she would even allow it at all.

He hadn’t expected a warm welcome, but when Yvette recognised him from halfway across the club grounds, the look she gave him was practically poisonous.

“You,” Yvette sneered, wrapping an arm protectively around Nia’s shoulders. Nia only groaned, digging her fingers against her face. Yvette’s eyes narrowed distrustfully. “Voicemail didn’t cut it, hm? You know you broke her heart, right?”

“I’m… aware,” Brainy said tightly, trying his hardest to maintain the same collected calm he’d been offering the rest of his friends. Any slip-ups now could be the end of this ruse once and for all.

Nia had yet to lift her head, and so Brainy took that as his opportunity to remove his phone from his pocket, very clearly displaying the Uber app on his screen, making his intentions clear. “I can help get her home.”

Yvette snorted derisively, tightening her hold around Nia. “Uh-uh, there is no way I’m leaving Nia alone with your cheating ass.”

Brainy’s face fell. Cheating? Was that what Nia had told her? Or… or had that been Yvette’s own assumption of events? “I didn’t cheat on her,” he said, a little defensively.

“Please,” Yvette scoffed. “No one’s feelings magically change overnight unless there’s another woman involved.” She gave him a snide once-over. “She can do better than you.”

Brainy’s stomach sank, his eyes flickering to Nia, capturing every inch of her. “I… I have no doubt.”

It took some back and forth, but eventually, Yvette agreed to his help on the condition she came back to the apartment with them. Brainy understood that she hadn’t wanted to cut her own night short, but Nia’s health came first. At least on that, they could both agree.

Regardless, it was a very awkward Uber journey back to the apartment.

Nia didn’t speak the whole car ride, and Brainy began to wonder if she was lucid enough to understand her surroundings at all. She didn’t look up from her hands, and more than once Brainy considered that she might be doing it purposely, far too aware of who she was currently sharing a car with.

Although, the steadily worsening pallor of her skin pointed towards another, far likelier, possibility.

Which was confirmed the second they got into the apartment’s elevator.

The juddering motions of the small space was all it took for Nia to break her silence, cupping a hand desperately over her mouth.

“I feel sick,” she murmured into her palm.

“Hold off,” Yvette said gently, rubbing Nia’s shoulders. “We’ll be home any second.”

Brainy wished it could be him to offer Nia comfort like that, but he’d practically backed himself into the furthest corner of the elevator, acting as nothing more than a passive shadow to the night’s unfolding events. He dug his hands into his pockets, clenching them tightly to keep from reaching out to her, watching with worried eyes as Nia grabbed suddenly for the elevator’s rail with her free hand, swallowing thickly.

The moment the doors opened, Nia stumbled out, nearly tripping in her haste to exit. Brainy maintained his distance while Yvette helped Nia down the hallway, waiting awkwardly with his arms folded as she fumbled with the keys to the door. He hovered hesitantly outside the doorway when Nia broke from Yvette, rushing into the bathroom, although he noticed that Yvette was wary to follow her in.

When he caught her eye, Yvette grimaced, shaking her head. “I- I can’t, I’m a sympathetic vomiter,” she explained weakly. “If she hurls, I hurl.”

Brainy nodded his understanding, reviewing the door’s entrance as though it might swallow him whole. After a long moment, he ducked his head, stepping inside. “I can stay with her, if you would like,” he offered, quirking a brow. “After all, you are in need of rest as well.”

Yvette pulled a face, staring at him suspiciously. “You really don’t quit, do you?”

Brainy only shrugged.

“I’m keeping my eye on you,” Yvette said, which at first Brainy didn’t understand as an invitation. That was, until, she stepped aside, waving her hand in the direction of the apartment’s bathroom.

Brainy didn’t waste any time. He barely managed a breathy thank you before he headed the way Nia had disappeared.

Nia was curled around the toilet when Brainy pushed the door open, her hands pressed firmly against the rim. She hadn't appeared to have thrown up yet, but she was pale and shivering, her jaw clenched tight with discomfort.

The moment he was close enough, Brainy dropped to his knees, reaching out a hand hesitantly towards her, gauging her reaction. When none came, Brainy carefully rested the flat of his palm across her back. She didn’t try to move away from his touch; instead, with a shaky sigh, she relaxed against him, eyes fluttering shut.

And so, Brainy continued, boldly enough to massage his fingers gently and precisely around her spine, quickly finding a pattern that she seemed to appreciate. He rubbed her back in large, repetitive circles, filling the silence with the quiet crunch of sequins as they rolled lethargically beneath his palm.

It wasn’t long before Nia’s shoulders tensed up. Her chest convulsed and she groaned out, throwing her head over the toilet just in time before she vomited into the bowl. As expected, the contents of her stomach appeared to mostly be liquid, which certainly explained the dangerous level of her intoxication. Brainy remained exactly where he was, holding her back steady with one hand whilst studiously bunching Nia’s hair behind her shoulders with the other, tugging away loose strands that had caught across her lips. No sooner had he done so, Nia gagged again, squeezing her eyes shut as round two commenced.

Brainy continued to rub her back, murmuring soft comforts at her side, slipping between both English and Coluan. Nia had certainly picked up some of his native language in the months they had been together, but not enough for her to realise in that moment the weight of what he was telling her. Or, rather, what he wished he could be telling her - in a language she might recognise.

When Nia was reduced to dry heaving over the bowl, Brainy realised that her mascara had begun to run, bleeding black streaks down her face. The strain of vomiting could certainly cause such a reaction, but something in his heart told him that this was more than that.

He wished he could brush those tears away as tenderly as he once had, that he could reassure her that everything would be okay.

But how could he when he knew the probability of their relationship rekindling once the dust had cleared? How could he when said relationship was already in shambles, pushing them apart even while they were sat so closely together on the bathroom tile?

“Here.”

Brainy blinked out of his thoughts, turning his head to find Yvette stood in the doorway, trying very hard to keep her eyes away from Nia’s current condition. She held a glass of water outstretched towards him.

Brainy took it gratefully, lowering his head into a sincere bow. “Thank you.”

“You’re still so weird,” Yvette said, although for just a moment, he thought he caught a fondness in her tone. Then, she cleared her throat. “This doesn’t mean I like you,” she said quickly, heading back out into the hall. “Remember, I am one room over. You try anything, and I’ll-”

Her words were cut off by the slam of her door, but Brainy understood well enough the threat she had posed. He nearly smiled. If anything, he was glad Nia had a friend and roommate as protective as Yvette. She had been there for Nia in a way that Brainy had not been able to for far too long, offering her a shoulder to cry on, and a party to draw her mind away from the pain, if only for an evening.

Perhaps it hadn’t worked as Yvette had wanted, but Brainy hoped that even for a little while, Nia might have experienced something other than heartache that night.

When there was nothing but bile left in Nia’s stomach, Brainy took her shoulder, offering the water glass out to her. “Nia,” he said gently. “You must try to drink this. It’ll help-”

Before he could finish, Nia shot to life, slapping away his hand so hard that the glass’s contents sloshed down Brainy’s arm, drenching his sleeve.

“No!” Nia cried out weakly. “No, get off me, you jerk!”

Brainy let go of her immediately, shuffling away from her forlornly. He watched instead as Nia folded her arms angrily across the toilet bowl, pressing her forehead against the rim.

For a while, only her harsh breathing echoed around the small space. Then, Nia stopped, arms clenching as she squeezed her hands into fists. “Why’re you even here?” she croaked.

“You… called.”

Nia snorted. “That’s never stopped you from ignoring me before.”

Brainy’s stomach twisted uncomfortably. “You were in need of assistance,” he said instead, trying his hardest to keep his voice from crackling.

“What is this, Brainy?” Nia asked exhaustedly. She lifted her head, dark hair curtaining her face, but Brainy could see that her eyes were trained downwards, seeing nothing. “Why’re you doing this to me?”

“Nia—”

“No, no, you go radio silent on me for weeks. You don’t give me any explanation, you don’t talk to me, you act like I don’t exist. And you think you can just turn up now and- what? What do you want?”

Brainy’s eyes were beginning to burn. He blinked quickly, doubling down on the same toneless voice he’d perfected over the last few weeks. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Nia laughed, although it sounded more like a sob. She spat into the toilet, lips twisting sourly. “Well,” she muttered darkly. “I’m not. You broke my heart. And you can’t fix that.”

Brainy’s own heart felt as though it might shatter in his chest. He opened his mouth, only to close it again when he realised there was nothing he could say that might absolve him. He didn’t want to be absolved. Nia was right. No matter what he said, even if he folded and told her everything right that second, wouldn’t fix what he had already broken.

He didn’t try to touch her again. Instead, he simply knelt there, watching as she picked up the water he’d left out for her, drinking the half that hadn’t spilt over his sleeve.

When Nia didn’t appear to be in danger of vomiting again, Brainy walked her to the bedroom. He stayed a respectable distance from her the whole while, enough that he could steady her should she decide to fall. At the last few steps before her door, she did stumble slightly, and Brainy held his arm out to her on reflex. Begrudgingly, Nia took it, staggering the final distance down the hall.

Nia let go of him the moment her bed was in sight, practically falling against the mattress, uncaring of the uncomfortable and clearly not bedroom-appropriate attire she was still wearing. Instead, she curled up quickly beneath the comforter, hugging her knees close to her stomach.

Silently, Brainy set about placing a fresh glass of water on her nightstand, as well as retrieving a trash can from the bathroom, tucking it within easy reaching distance of the bed. When he was done, he stood there a moment, watching the steady rise and fall of Nia’s back, wondering briefly if she may have fallen asleep.

“You know the way out.”

Her voice was devoid of any care, and yet it was still sharp enough to cut a hole through his heart. She sounded so empty and drained, exhausted by the night’s events.

But, worse yet, she had been exhausted by him.

Brainy closed his eyes, a million and one apologies budding on his tongue, desperate to leave him in a fierce burst, to explain everything, to beg for her forgiveness in every language he knew.

But as always, logic won out. No matter how much he wished he could tell her, he couldn’t. Not unless he wanted to put his family’s lives in mortal danger.

And so, it was upon Nia’s instruction that he left her without another word.

It wasn’t until he was out the front door, halfway back towards the elevator, that Brainy’s chest hitched, his breathing jerking harshly outside of his control. He stumbled into the wall, baring his teeth as the first of his tears began to flow.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured to nothing. To no one. After all, he knew in his heart that those words would never be enough; no words would ever be enough.

The longer he kept this up, the more he knew with one hundred per cent certainty that Nia would never forgive him.

And that hurt more profoundly than any words she left on his voicemail ever could.

#supergirl #brainia #dreamdox #nia nal #brainiac 5 #supergirl: yvette #brainy #querl dox #my prompts #my asks #anon #my writing #this really. REALLY. got away from me. #but i really wanted to go more in depth about how the two of them were feeling throughout season 5 #supergirl fanfiction #vomit tw

[olivia-anderson-fanfic]

Alt Ending, Part 5

Hot take but finals kinda suck

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Tag: @solangelo252

You’d think her body would be grateful that she was finally giving it food, but no. She put it in her mouth and instantly felt nauseous. It didn’t even want to go down her throat, and keeping it there felt basically impossible.

But Tim had looked so happy when she had tried, so she forced it down.

(Well, she forced some of it down. If he noticed that a good amount of the food she brought to her mouth actually disappeared into the sleeves and folds of her dress he didn’t say anything.)

Tim started coming by three times a day with food after that. She didn’t complain despite her discomfort, she had really missed him.

Also, he looked stressed out and/or exhausted whenever she saw him. She worried about him. They both had a tendency to overwork themselves when they hit blocks, hell she’d sometimes joined him in his week-long deep dives into cases, but now that she was an outsider looking in… she was kind of shocked she’d ever let it get that far for either of them. When was the last time he’d slept through the night? Taken proper time to clean himself, even? A while, she guessed from the deep bags under his eyes and the way his hair was frayed from running his fingers through it.

“Timmy,” she chirped.

He flashed her a tiny smile. “Hey,” he said, coming over and taking a seat beside her on the bed.

She took the bag from him and set it aside, much to his dismay, but then she reached over and dragged him into some cuddles and he suddenly had new concerns. He groaned into her shoulder.

“Bean, come on, I don’t want to sleep.”

She didn’t let go. “You need to.”

“Don’t have time.”

She rolled her eyes, bringing a hand up to start attempting to smooth out his hair. “You have to sleep eventually.”

“And I do!”

She didn’t answer, which he took to mean she didn’t believe him (a good assumption, she didn’t).

“I do! I get at least a few hours a week.”

“Wow, amazing. I take it back. You totally have a healthy sleep schedule.”

“Worry about yourself, first. You don’t sleep either,” he huffed, but he was starting to relax into her hold nonetheless.

“I’m also literally dead.”

“You used to say you’d sleep when you were dead.”

Marinette scoffed. “Well, to be fair, I thought I’d actually die when I died.”

He gave a short laugh, and she opted not to acknowledge that it was a little forced.

She yawned and laid back with his face in her shoulder. “I’m surprised none of the others have drugged you to get you to sleep yet.”

“They’re too busy drugging B --.” He winced just slightly. “They’ve just got a lot on their plates is all, I’m the least of their worries.”

She didn’t say anything about his tiny slip up, just gave a light hum to say she understood.

She didn’t dare to move until she was completely sure he had nodded off. Even then, she only did so to pick up the food he’d brought for her.

Her nose scrunched a little at the prospect of eating, but when she opened it and saw it was fried rice she perked up a little. She nibbled at her food.

Honestly, she didn’t know if it was working. It seemed to be, but then again most of the things that got better could be attributed to other causes. Her skin was gaining color again, but the bleach may have just started to wear out. She was feeling more energized, but then again she was now getting a total of four cups of coffee a day thanks to Tim and Jason fueling her addiction. Exercise was getting easier and she was packing on muscle again, but she was also working out enough with Dick for it to be explainable that way…

She didn’t know if it was working. She didn’t even know if she WANTED it to work. The plan had been ‘kill Bruce and then quickly off yourself before the others can react’ and not having an instant out was kinda problematic when it came to finishing that plan.

Not that the first part of that plan was working out for her, either. Bruce still hadn’t come to see her. She doubted he ever would at this point.

She didn’t even have a way out, as the door was automated and presumably opened by someone outside.

No. The only way she would ever leave was if she managed to ‘fix’ herself, and that wasn’t happening because there was nothing to fix! She would know. Her entire thing as Ladybug was fixing things.

She looked down at Tim. When he slept all the little wrinkles in his forehead smoothed to make him look much younger. She smiled a little at the sight, pressing a kiss to where she knew the creases usually were.

At least, even if her situation couldn’t be helped, she could still help others.

~

She’d come to expect a routine of sorts, so the moment it was broken even slightly her brain short-circuited.

Duke stood in the doorway as usual, but when she glanced past him…

“Where’s Cass?”

His grin disappeared a little, but he pulled his back to his face with ease. “Wow, I’m really feeling the love here, Mari.”

She rolled her eyes. “Please, we both know Cass is the best person to ever exist.”

Duke nodded his agreement and came over to take a seat next to her. She cozied up to him as usual, curled under his arm as he pulled up their newest show on his laptop…

She had a lot of thoughts about Cass being missing.

On the one hand, she just missed her friend’s too-warm body pressed up against her and quiet complaints about how the actors were doing it all wrong.

On the other hand… Marinette was completely aware that they had Cass stopping by as much as she did to check on Marinette, to see if they were making any real progress with her. Cass was a human lie detector, able to detect when someone was going to be dishonest before they’d even realized it themselves, and they’d be stupid not to take advantage that. So, the fact that they were no longer making Cass drop in as often… either they thought she was doing better, or that she never would do better.

Marinette hoped it was the first. She knew it was the second.

She found it harder than usual to enjoy Duke’s snide comments about how dumb and cliche some of the characters were. She turned and pressed her face into his side. The glasses on the bridge of her nose dug into her skin.

Fuck. She was never getting out of there, was she?

She felt his free hand come up to run through her hair and she sighed.

“Duke…”

He pressed pause on the show.

“Tim told me you’re a meta, that you can control light. Can you do it for me?”

There was a beat.

“Why do you ask?”

She laughed a little. “Does it matter? Can’t I just be curious about why my favorite brother didn’t even bother to tell me that he has powers?”

“I thought you already knew. It’s common knowledge.”

She huffed. “Maybe I just prefer to be told things than meticulously look through every piece of information to figure it out.”

“What kind of bat are you?” He joked.

She winced and the hand in his shirt balled it just a fraction tighter. She didn’t respond.

There was a few seconds before he sighed and moved his hand from his hair to her chin, gently pulling her face out of where it was hidden in his side. She refused to meet his eyes.

It was silent again, neither of them sure what to say.

“Here,” he said after a moment, putting his free hand out and making light dance across his palm.

Her face lit up, literally and figuratively, at the sight of the tiny ball of light. She leaned a little closer.

“Aw, it looks like a tiny sun!”

He laughed a little. “Yeah. I can also…”

There was a moment of silence as he concentrated and the tiny ball of light split into the colors of the rainbow. She giggled, reaching out to cup his hand in hers. It was the first non-artificial light she’d seen in months, the first rainbow she’d seen since… Paris, actually.

Well, even if she wouldn’t ever see the outside world again, at least she could still have this little fake sun. It was basically the same, just as good, she told herself. She ignored the tears rolling down her cheeks that were telling her otherwise.

~

She tossed the plastic spoon she’d stolen from one of her meals in the air idly.

The plan had been to turn it into Baby’s First Shank but that probably wasn’t going to work out. Pen to the throat was at about a .01% chance of working, attacking him with a spoon-knife needed a few more zeroes added to that already insanely small number. She gave it a .000000001% chance at best.

Then again, the other option was trying to strangle someone who had an insane height and weight advantage to death before someone else could interfere...

She sighed to herself and put the spoon in her teeth, starting to pull.

She didn’t get very far before she heard the metallic whoosh of the door opening and she barely glanced up to see Dick.

He stared at her from the doorway, his eyebrows slowly raising as he watched her attempt to bite an edge into a spoon of all things.

She pulled it from her mouth with a ‘pop’.

“I think your eyebrows are trying to escape,” she told him.

He blinked at her before rolling his eyes and walking inside fully. “Thanks for the assist. Would have lost them otherwise,” he said sarcastically.

“I’ve seen you lose your phone three minutes after putting it down, Dickie, I wouldn’t put it past you.”

He gasped and rested a hand over her heart. “You think that low of me?”

“Lower. I was being nice.”

Dick pouted and walked over to the bed. She didn’t think much of it until he was diving onto her stomach. She put her hands out in an attempt to soften the blow, but it wasn’t enough to save her. She groaned in pain as his extremely hard head made contact with her not-so-hard stomach.

“FUCK. This is why your parents called you Dick, y’know!”

He only laughed at her.

Despite herself, she gave him a smile.

She rested her head back in the pillows for a moment (mostly just to catch all the breath she’d lost) before pushing him off. “Ready?”

He groaned into her comforter before rolling onto the floor. “‘Kay.”

Marinette grinned as she took a seat beside him, starting her usual stretches. He pushed himself up to sit with minimal groaning and started working on his shoulders.

It was quiet for a while as they stretched.

Marinette bit the inside of her cheek and kept her eyes on her foot when she spoke next: “Dick?”

She could feel his gaze on her.

“I… can I have some more stuff? Everything here is so boring. I just… I want new things to do. Or, at least, new things to look at.”

There was a long silence between them. Anxiety bubbled under her skin. She switched legs so she could gauge his expression through her bangs. His expression was carefully neutral.

She cringed.

“Obviously I’m not ungrateful! You guys have all been really nice and accommodating! I get food and a phone and, honestly, that’s fine --!”

“Mari!”

Her mouth snapped closed.

“It’s fine. You don’t have to apologize. Anyone would be bored here. I can talk to them. It’ll probably depend on what you want.”

She finally looked at him properly, eyes wide. She really hadn’t been expecting that to work.

He slowly pulled his legs to him to sit criss-cross applesauce, head resting on his hand. “I can probably get some baking things, a sketchbook, just blunt objects in general. Deadly, but not before someone could get there.”

Marinette nodded her understanding, a smile making its way across her face.

“You’re the best.”

“You constantly say Duke and Cass are the best.”

She was torn between agreeing with herself and flattering him. Since she wanted something, she decided on flattery: “That was, like, a few hours ago. I’ve grown since then. You’re my favorite now, Dickie.”

“Can I get that as my ringtone?”

“Only if you only use it to mess with Jay.”

“Deal.”

They shook on it.

~

The door whoosed open and she barely moved her head to look at it.

She froze.

Bruce?

No. No way. There was no way in hell.

But was there? Cass HAD stopped coming. Maybe she had somehow convinced them that everything was working out and everything was fine.

Marinette hadn’t done anything differently, though, so that probably wasn’t it…

Oh. Oh shit.

Maybe she was actually going insane. Because there was no way the bats would have made that kind of mistake by letting Bruce in when she was still intent on murdering him. He had to be a hallucination, because nothing else really made sense. Kwami, Tim was going to be SO smug about this one.

Actually, no, he didn’t have to know.

Her gaze slipped away from Fake Bruce and back to the dots on her ceiling. Because, as everyone knows, that if you don’t acknowledge hallucinations they go away…

“Marinette,” Fake Bruce said, trying to trick her into outing herself as losing it.

“Marinette,” he tried again, starting his way over.

She did her best to ignore the footsteps and the way the bed shifted when he sat down. No wonder schizophrenics fell for this shit, this was all so real…

Except... weren’t schizophrenics not supposed to be able to tell what was real and what wasn’t? Wouldn’t her knowing (thinking?) he was fake be an indication that he was actually real? Or was that just her mind trying to justify believing it?

Marinette bit inside of her cheek and let herself look at Fake Bruce again.

He cracked a smile for her. A hand reached over and pushed some hair away from her face. “Hey,” he said.

She hesitated.

It would suck if this all was fake, the others would get confirmation and she really wouldn’t have a way out. But if it was real then this was her only shot. If it was real Cass would be watching the cameras to see what she was thinking and she would know for sure that Marinette was still intent on killing Bruce…

Fuck.

Marinette pushed herself into a sitting position and looked Maybe-Bruce up and down before grabbing him by the front of his suit and pulling him into a hug. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes when he hugged her back.

“Fake.”

The man tensed underneath her and then sighed as he pulled back.

He gave her an awkward smile. “I’m sorry, Marinette.”

She shook her head slightly and fell back. With a flick of her wrists the knife she’d created out of her plastic spoon was in her hands and she absently tossed it at the hallucination. Either it would make him disappear or it would look like it stabbed him and she could pretend that it actually happened.

But then it didn’t do either of those things.

Her eyebrows knit together when the spife shattered upon impact.

He looked unconcerned as he gently swept all the pieces into his hand and then put them in his pockets.

“The fuck?”

“Language,” he chided lightly.

She grinned. “You really need to work on your ‘Bruce’. Accepting a hug that quickly is one thing but chiding someone for language? In OUR family? I’m pretty sure he gave that up by Jason.”

The man chuckled and shook his head. “I’m Superman.”

“Oh.” She blinked a few times before shrugging to herself. “Okay. You look just like Bruce. It’s kinda creepy.”

“Yeah, trust me, we know. It’s pretty helpful, though. One time a person tried to assassinate Bruce and ended up fighting me. It wasn’t their day.”

She smiled a little, but it didn’t last very long. She fell back in her pillows and glared at the ceiling. “This sucks.”

“I’m sorry this all happened to you. You’re just a kid.”

She rolled her eyes. She’d long-since given up on denying that something had happened to her. Not because she no longer believed it, but because it wasn’t worth the effort. No one ever believed her when she said it.

(Could she blame them? No. She almost believed it herself just a few moments before. Still annoying, though.)

Instead of saying any of that, though, she brought a grin to her face.

“You and B should switch houses for April Fools. See if anyone notices anything.”

~

She really should have noticed something was up when her coffee didn’t energize her at all.

It had all been going fine. She was making Jason dispose of all the pieces of food she’d used sleight of hand to get away with not eating (she was still a little bitter about him stealing her pen and this was the most she could really do to get back at him, compromised as she was). They made idle conversation, mostly just about how Damian had got himself a new pet cat that he had named BatCat (though, apparently, they had heard him slip up and call him Charles a few times). They debated over how good that name was and the merit of Jason’s suggestion -- BatPussy, of course -- as she drank her third cup of coffee of the day.

It was about halfway through her drink that she began to notice that something was off. She squinted at Jason suspiciously.

“Decaf?” She asked, her voice worryingly sweet.

He raised his eyebrows and tried to look unimpressed despite stepping back a good half-step. “Please, if it was decaf classical conditioning still would’ve made it work at least a little.”

She opened her mouth to retort, then realized he was right. Or, at least, she was pretty sure. She couldn't seem to think of anything against it.

She frowned, looking down at her drink again and swirling the contents around. She drank the rest of it, trying to figure out why exactly it wasn’t working.

Was she already at the point where caffeine had little effect on her again? She didn’t think she was that bad yet… hell, she probably couldn’t be because she was depending on others to give her her fix…

She shook her head slightly and then quickly realized that was a bad idea. Pain stabbed through her skull and she stumbled into Jason. The plastic thermos slipped from her fingertips and went rolling across the floor. Her head crashed into his chest and arms were quick to wrap around her.

“You got shitty coffee, try a different place next time,” she murmured, closing her eyes.

He laughed a little. “Yeah, okay, kid. I’ll be sure to do that.”

She nodded as much as her headache would allow and felt the arms around her slip down to pick her up. She blinked her eyes open blearily and regretted it when the light attempted to murder her via knife to the head.

Heh. Little light particles with little knives.

Wait.

Did she get a concussion? Somehow? Without getting hit?

She buried her face in his shoulder and it was then, as he set her in bed and tucked her in, that she realized what had happened.

“Bitch,” she murmured above whatever drug they had put in her drink.

He pressed a kiss to the crown of her head and she could do little more than scrunch up her nose and vaguely wave him off. Her eyes fell closed again.

~

Marinette woke up a while later.

The first thing she noticed was that the lights were dimmer, something she didn’t have to open her eyes to see because her head wasn’t pounding as much.

Then she realized a person was with her. They had entwined themselves around her, tangled their limbs with hers. They needn’t have bothered, everything felt like lead. She wouldn’t be moving for quite some time.

… why was she being held down? Oh no. That was probably bad, huh?

Marinette made a sound in the back of her throat and started trying to shift away from the person pressed against her back. She needed to see who they were. They didn’t bother to tighten their hold on her, she wasn’t really getting anywhere.

In fact, a hand stopped holding her down. Instead, it came up to pet her hair.

Oh? This was nice.

A voice by her head told her it was all okay. After a moment she realized she recognized that voice. She smiled sleepily. Cass. She liked Cass. She pressed closer to her and was rewarded with a hand rubbing up and down one of her arms.

She nearly fell asleep again. Cass was safe, Marinette was safe… the warmth against her and the soothing touch… of course, it certainly helped that the drug was still in her system and she was exhausted...

But then her mind wandered back to her first question. Why WAS Cass holding her down? Why did they drug her in the first place?

She moved so her hair could block some of the light and then cautiously cracked her eyes open.

The batboys were all moving things inside almost silently. Jason was carrying an entire fridge on his own. Dick and Damian were arguing over the positioning of the table they had just brought in through angry hand motions. Tim and Duke were working together on… was that a gaming set?

And she was being held down because the door was wide open.

Marinette looked at the doorway for just a moment longer. She allowed herself to imagine getting out and swinging through the city with her lasso, allowed herself to pretend she could lay in the grass, allowed herself to believe that she could see the sun and the stars and just breathe fresh air again…

And then she closed her eyes and sunk into Cass’s grip.

What was the point in trying? Even if she could somehow beat out all six of the people in the room with her and get past whatever security Bruce had to have outside of the room all while drugged… then what? No money or idea where she was… and she’d be running from the bats of all people…

Yeah. Useless. She curled up and allowed sleep to take her again.

~

Quite a while later she woke up and blinked a few times when she realized she wasn’t the only person in bed. At first she thought it was just Cass or Tim, they were the most likely culprits, but then she realized everyone had managed to cram themselves onto the bed with her. Her and Cass had gotten brushed to the side of the bed to make space for Tim, Dick, and Damian. Jason had collapsed across the end of the bed -- presumably for space, but Duke was laying half on top of him so that obviously hadn’t worked out.

Marinette smiled faintly and buried her face back into the crook of Tim’s neck.

~

When she woke up again, most of the drug flushed from her system (somehow…?), she thought she was alone.

This was fine. She was able to stretch out and sit up.

She blinked when she saw Damian, who was sitting on her floor and playing a video game.

Huh? Video game?

She looked around her room confusedly. The bats had basically made her a one-room apartment, complete with kitchenette and a tiny study area. Of course, it was much higher quality than the apartment she’d had, with a high tech gaming system and a little dining area and holy shit that was a MINI LIBRARY?

Wild.

“You’re finally up.”

She hummed lightly as an agreement. She crawled over to the end of the bed and smiled when he handed her a twizzler. It was objectively one of the worst candies, but she liked having something to do. She twirled it in her hand idly.

“Do you think… do you think it’s working?”

She frowned confusedly and dropped off the bed to sit beside him on the second beanbag chair. She chanced a quick glance in his direction to gauge how he was feeling... his expression didn’t let anything on other than that he was thinking hard, though she was pretty sure that was about the game.

“Gonna elaborate on that?”

He clicked his tongue. “Are you going to join the Undead Robins Club?”

She grinned at him. “I wasn’t a Robin.”

“You know what I mean.”

Her smile disappeared a little and she trained her eyes on the game. “I don’t know.”

“You know we never will know for sure, right?”

She blinked. She hadn’t expected anyone to acknowledge it. They were the bats, they were never going to chance taking off her glasses because if they were wrong and she WASN’T better… well, it wasn’t the kind of mistake they could easily come back from.

“Yeah, I know,” she said after a few moments.

“Do you care?”

“Doesn't really matter if I do. It won’t change anything.”

He frowned. “That’s not answering my question.”

She bit her cheek. “I… yes. I care. It still doesn’t matter.”

He looked like he was going to argue, but instead he just went back to playing the game.

“Damiiiiiiiii…” she whined and, when he gave a vague grunt to show he was paying attention, she continued with “... shouldn’t I get to play first? It’s mine.”

“You slept in too long,” he said without looking up.

She huffed. “Only ‘cause I was drugged!”

“Unfortunate.”

She got off the beanbag chair and whacked him over the head with it. He barely acknowledged it outside of an annoyed click of his tongue.

She huffed and pulled the chair back to herself to sit again. “Is it two player?”

“Nope.”

“You’re a bitch.”

He clicked his tongue again.

She pouted for a little while longer before looking back at the screen with a smile. “... heard you got a cat named Charles. Wanna talk about him?”

Damian’s face lit up. “Can I?”

“Only if you let me play.”

He looked pained. If he gave it to her then he’d be giving her something she’d want, which was a sibling no-no, but if he didn’t then she probably wouldn’t listen to him gush about his cat. A few moments went by before he reluctantly handed over the controller.

She beamed and scooted her chair over to rest her head on his shoulder. She could feel him stiffen underneath her but, when she didn’t move again outside of what was necessary to play the game, he relaxed again.

“I thought you were going to listen,” he chided lightly when she didn’t take a break between levels.

“I can listen and play.”

Damian sighed a little and shook his head.

“You don’t have to talk about him if you don’t want --.”

“I’m getting to it! So, he’s a black cat that apparently hadn’t been adopted because everyone thought he was evil so the pet store was going --.”

~

Marinette noticed something was up the minute the door opened.

First of all, it was Duke and Damian. That’s all that really needs to be said. Those two together… it’s never a good thing.

Secondly, they were there as Signal and Robin. Most of the time the others avoided even talking about their lives as vigilantes for fear of setting her off in one way or another, but here they were showing up in their suits? No, something weird was going on.

“Hey, Mari, can we skip a fight and you just put a bag over your head and let us pick you up?” Tried Duke.

Her eyebrows furrowed. “You want to…? Huh?”

“We don’t really have much time to explain. I’ll tell you on the way.”

Damian held up a potato sack and some twine, which really wasn’t all that encouraging.

She hesitated. “... what’s something only you two would know?”

“Really?” Said Damian with more than a little exasperation.

“Hey, we’re all bats here. I’m not moving until you prove you’re who you say you are.”

(Technically, if they were really Duke and Damian, they could fight her and do it anyways. She probably couldn't beat both of them at once. Still, that kind of fight would hurt all of them and she really didn’t want to have to do it at the moment.)

Duke hesitated before shrugging. “Your favorite ice cream flavor is mint. Which I don’t understand. Just brush your teeth if you like that taste so much.”

Marinette rolled her eyes. “Alright, you’re who you say you are. Robin?”

“… early on I lied and said that Nightwing’s real hero name was actually BatNightwing to mess with you both.”

She frowned. “I forgot about that. You’re a dick.”

“No, Nightwing’s a Dick. He’s a Damian.”

Marinette was THIS CLOSE to fighting them anyways.

But she didn’t. She was kinda curious about where all this was going. So, she allowed them to bind her hands and slip a bag over her head. Arms wrapped around her -- she didn’t really care who it was -- and she was lifted off the ground. Then, they were walking.

Part of her wondered if this was some kind of test. They were checking to see how compliant she was or how likely she would be to run once outside. Maybe they had Superman on call in case she tried to escape.

She really couldn’t tell.

She didn’t think that they had any reason to take her out of the perfectly safe and well-stocked place they had put her in.

Maybe her location had been compromised and they were moving her to a backup? No, that didn’t make sense. Duke made sense for transport, Damian didn’t. Damian was one of the worst fighters in the family (he was in no way BAD at fighting, of course, it was just a byproduct of being in the game the shortest amount of time and not being a meta) and he was the second most likely person to end up fighting her after Jason. What the fuck?

Wait, Duke said he’d explain on the way.

“What’s going on?”

“New idea on how to bring you back,” said Duke simply.

Well, she guessed that was more information than she’d previously had. She’d take it for now.

She heard a quiet whooshing noise and frowned confusedly, only to feel herself get set down… somewhere. She felt carpeting underneath her, which meant she was in… a house? No. A car, she thought as she noticed the quiet hum of an engine. She’d been put in the fucking trunk. She kicked out as much as she could without knowing exactly where they were and gave a cry of protest, but then the lid was clicked over her head and she was thrown into uncomfortably complete silence.

She scowled to herself. She shouldn’t have thrown her spife at Superman, it would have been really useful right then. She tested the bindings against her hands and winced at how tight they were. Did they really use zip ties? Those were notoriously bad for circulation.

… oh. Yeah. She was dead. That actually wasn’t that bad, then.

Still annoying. Hard to get out of. Assholes. She wondered if it was worth dislocating her arms…

Yeah. Probably. If she could get out then she would be OUT.

She flipped herself onto her stomach. She pulled her feet up to her arms and then started pushing back. Her body strained in protest and she bit down on the front of the bag over her head to stop herself from making any sounds.

And then she felt a pop in her left shoulder and a flare of pain and the makeshift gag wasn’t enough to hold back her sobs. Her arm throbbed and it was only made worse when they reached the city proper and the roads started getting choppy. Every little bump in the road sent a new wave of pain rolling through her and all she could do was ride it out.

They started hitting smoother roads what felt like hours later... it was kind of concerning because she had no clue where they could be, those were uncommon in Gotham, but at least she no longer felt like she was going to die every few seconds.

She took a few seconds to bring her breathing back to normal before she started slowly wiggling her arms out under her butt and legs and then they were in front of her. Great. She picked herself up as much as she could in the tiny space, checked her angle mentally, relaxed her muscles, and then dropped down on her shoulder to get it back in place.

She breathed out a sigh of relief. It felt weird and still kind of hurt but at least it was mostly better.

She pulled the bag off of her head and relished in the slightly fresher air.

She looked down at the zip ties on her wrists and she sighed a little. Time to do that hack that looked stupid but actually worked if the kidnappers were stupid enough to leave you alone.

She brought her feet up, untied the laces of her shoes, and tied them back around the ties. Then she set to work trying to saw at the zip tie.

She paused when she heard the low rumbling of a plane. Were they near an airport? Oh. That was going to be a problem. She went faster.

Unfortunately, Marinette didn’t get very far before there was a click and the trunk opened.

She cried out in pain at the sudden light and squeezed her eyes shut, turning to press her face into the carpeted interior.

Hands grabbed her and pulled her out of the trunk. Before she could do much to look around so she could get her bearings and make herself a portal, the bag was forced over her head again and a strong grip on her arm (the good one, thankfully) kept her from pulling it off again. Then someone knelt in front of her and fixed her shoelaces.

“Really, NightMare?” Duke said, unimpressed.

“In my defense, I was left unsupervised.”

Damian scoffed.

Someone picked her up again and she sighed as they carried her along. They were definitely at an airport. She could hear people milling about. She was sure it was Gotham, too; she could feel a few stares, but most people seemed comfortable with the vigilantes among them.

Then came the normal airport stuff. Walking. Some arguing over whether she counted as luggage or if she could go through the metal detector with them. Sitting. A little chatting with civilians. More walking. More sitting. Very light chatter, just formalities and asking for drinks (Duke, who she figured out was the person carrying her, slipped a box of orange juice up her bag so she could have something). And then they were in the air.

After some time in the air the bag and zip ties were removed. She kept her eyes closed to let them adjust to light naturally and instead focused on rubbing feeling back into her hands.

One English alphabet later, she opened her eyes.

They were in a private plane (or was it a jet?), which explained why it was as quiet as it was. Damian was drinking a glass of water and reading something on his phone. Duke was nibbling at some complimentary pretzels and working a Rubix Cube. They both glanced in her direction from time to time, but they seemed pretty confident that she couldn’t do anything while they were in the air (which was true, but annoying).

She looked around a little more and found that there were no other bats.

“Um… where’re…?” She trailed off, unsure.

They stopped glancing in her direction, ignoring her and her question. The frown that had been on her face since pretty much when they’d first taken her from the room deepened.

“Do they… do they know what’s going on?”

The silence spoke volumes.

She rested her head in her hand. “I’m going to need something stronger than a juice box for this.”

Duke sighed but called a friendly looking woman inside to get her some wine. Marinette and Duke sipped at a glass each (Damian wasn’t allowed any, something Marinette took a little too much joy in). She scrutinized the two over the rim of her glass.

“Are you going to explain or let me guess? Because letting me guess is going to end up with me assuming you’re doing something way worse than you actually are.”

Damian sighed a little. “It’s hard to explain.”

“We’re in a plane. I’m going to guess we have time. Start talking.”

“We drugged them all -- except Orphan, she’s just out doing patrols and won’t know what’s going on for a good few hours -- and grabbed you.”

Duke gave Damian a pleading look to make him continue for them.

Damian, reluctantly, put down his phone to talk. “Signal and I have an idea on how to bring you back from the dead. The others won’t like it, especially not Red Hood, so we’re making the executive decision to not ask.”

Marinette didn’t know a lot about when Jason had been resurrected, it was a sensitive subject so it was avoided pretty much at all costs. All she’d gathered was that it was a rather messy experience for everyone involved.

She rested her head on her hand and then looked back down at her drink. She snatched the bottle from the table and, when Duke protested, set him a glare and started drinking directly from it. They were actually going to bring her back through probably shady means. She was NOT drunk enough for this shit.

~

She got stuffed in a suitcase when they left, which was extremely insulting (and a little embarrassing, if she were honest).

She rested her head against the side of the suitcase and listened to the dull thrum of people talking on the other side. She vaguely recognized the language, both Nino and Damian both spoke it when frustrated, but the words were all Greek to her.

Well, they were all Arabic, but you get the point.

~

She didn’t even realize she had been asleep until she was awoken. Rather abruptly. The zipper for the suitcase was opened and she tumbled out. Marinette cursed in French as she hit the ground and laid there, her entire body aching from not moving for so long. She hadn’t known her face could get pins and needles, she wished she could go back to her blissful ignorance.

“Are you sure about this? You want to save her?” A woman’s voice said above her, sounding a little skeptical.

Marinette forced herself to roll over so she could glare at whoever it was, she knew when she was being insulted, and then she blinked up at the new person.

A tall woman with dark skin and hair and a body to die for stood above her, hands on her hips.

“Holy shit, Dami. You got terrible genes. She’s gorgeous and you’re… you? What?”

Duke hid laughter behind his hand and Damian scoffed.

Amusement flickered behind Talia’s ‘I could kill you before you could even scream’ expression. “I’ve changed my mind. I like her.”

“Cool,” said Marinette as she quickly pushed herself to her feet. Her body wasn’t ready for that, but that was the least of her concerns. The pretty lady was ushering her along and Marinette wasn’t going to hold her up if she could help it.

“How did you die?” Talia said, which was an interesting choice for conversation.

Marinette shrugged, though, unconcerned. “I don’t know, really, there wasn’t this ‘oh, wow, I’m dead’ moment. My guess is I either drowned in acid or died of dehydration at some point. Does it change anything or…?”

“No. Just curious.”

“Oh. Good.”

“... do you not know why you’re here?” Asked Talia carefully after a moment’s contemplation.

Marinette shook her head. “Nah, they’ve been avoiding telling me. I assume it’s painful.”

“... yes. Very.”

The four lapsed into silence after that.

Marinette felt weirdly on edge as they walked through the facility, her hands rubbing the goosebumps that were prickling along her arms. The further they walked, the more on edge she felt. They were approaching something unnatural, something so undeniably WRONG, and she needed to GO.

But Damian and Duke were behind her, probably sensing her unease, and running ahead would only get her there faster… so she walked.

She bit the inside of her cheek in an attempt to ground herself.

But, the moment they stepped into the room, she froze.

Green water. That apparently hurts.

Acid.

“FUCK.”

Duke was ready for her to run, apparently, stood in front of the only exit and ready for a fight before she could even get a full step away from the hell that awaited her.

“No no no no no no wait it’s fine I actually don’t mind being dead it’s fine guys please --.”

Damian grabbed her arms and she choked out a sob,

“Damian god damn it I was kidding about the mom thing you’re perfectly attractive or whatever I promise I really didn’t think it would hurt you that much we don’t need to do this let’s tALK IT OUT --!”

“It’s not about that --!”

Duke managed to get a hold on one of her legs and lifted and all she had to struggle against either of them was a foot and she was SO fucked --.

“PLEASE DUKE PLEASE I DON’T KNOW WHAT I DID BUT I PROMISE I CAN BE BETTER YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO THIS PLEASE PLEASE LET ME GO I’LL BE FINE WE CAN FIGURE SOMETHING OUT PLEASE --.”

Talia grabbed her last leg and she sobbed as she thrashed around uselessly. They started dragging her towards the acid. Nothing to do no way to run no help in sight no --.

“PLEASE! I PROMISE I’LL BE BETTER PLEASE JUST LET ME GO!”

And they did. They let her go and she fell into the acid.

#did i forget what the name of this was at some point #maybe #its whatever #alternate ending #alternative ending #marinette dupain cheng #ladybug #harley quinzel #harley quinn #joker #maribat