#you need to pick up on trends before they fade away. To do this
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Imperfect - Obey Me! Boys and an MC With Scars
Continuing my trend of hyper-specific self-insert fics lol
This is me projecting a little bit, I have quite a few scars. I'm diabetic, so I don't heal very well. Also, the scenario described in Mammon's part actually happened to me, so...yeah, ya boi is projecting.
There is a part two in the works, I just don't want to make this post too long.
Content Warning: Mention of self-harm in Belphie's part.
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Lucifer: “Can I ask you something?”
The two of them were enjoying a rare moment of peace, sipping on hot drinks together in the early morning. Most of the occupants of the House of Lamentation were still asleep, or the ones that were awake were busy doing their own thing. For once, it felt like the world was allowing them to take a break.
Lucifer set his coffee cup down and regarded them with the soft, fond look that he seemed to reserve for them alone. “Of course, my dear.”
“If you could…” the human cleared their throat, shifting their weight around nervously. “If you could get rid of my scars, would you?”
Lucifer’s expression hardened, and for a moment they were worried they had made him angry. An apology was halfway out of their mouth when Lucifer stood, making his way over to their side and cradling their chin in his gloved hand.
“If you wished it, it would be so,” he rubbed a thumb over one of the pock-marks on their cheek. Not only had cystic acne left a constellation of marks across their face, they had always bruised easily so even the mildest of injuries left scars.
“But you are exactly the way you need to be as you are,” Lucifer continued. “And I wouldn’t change a single thing about you.”
Mammon: “Did it hurt?”
At first the human thought that Mammon was attempting to use a cheesy and potentially blasphemous pick up line on them. But when they looked up from the TV show the two of them were watching while curled up in their bed, they realized that he was looking at the faded red-purple marks adorning their legs.
“Well, it didn’t fucking tickle.”
Mammon flushed. “I didn’t - I mean - uh, shit, um - “
They shoved him good-naturedly. “Don’t worry about it.”
Both of them sat in silence before they decided the awkward tension was too much. “You wanna know how I got these scars?” they asked, in a terrible Joker impression.
“Not if you’re gonna sound like Heath Ledger while telling me.”
The human snorted. “It’s not even that cool, honestly. I was helping move some furniture, and the house had a pretty long set of concrete steps. I was going backwards down the steps, lost my footing and ate it from about six feet in the air.”
“Fuckin’ hell,” Mammon hissed, wincing in sympathy.
“I have one on my arm, too, but that one’s a bit more faded,” they held up their forearm. The discolored patch of skin was barely visible in the dim light from the TV, but Mammon could still tell it couldn’t have been a pleasant experience. “Had a split second to chose between bashing my head in or fucking up my arm.”
“...I’m glad you chose your arm?” Mammon shrugged.
“Me too,” they laughed.
Leviathan: He was staring.
The human was starting to get a little uncomfortable with how intensely Levi was looking at their face. They knew the scar on the left side of their face was intense - it had been a constant reminder of the house fire they had survived when they were younger. But Levi didn’t have to stare at it like he was committing it to memory.
“I’m just thinking…”
“Thinking about what?” The human wished they had a hood to hide behind or something, they were starting to get angry.
Levi must have realized his error, because he suddenly turned bright red and looked away, hand covering the lower half of his face in embarrassment. The human felt a little bad, but at least Levi wasn’t gawking at them anymore.
“...y’look…lrpzuko…”
“...Come again?”
“I said you look like Prince Zuko!” Levi blurted before pressing his hand harder against his mouth. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that, I’m just gonna - “
“Wait,” the human pulled up their phone camera. “...I kind of see it, holy shit.”
Satan: “So where did this come from, anyway?”
He knew it probably was committing some sort of social faux pas to ask, but Satan was a curious creature by nature, and he figured that he and the human were close enough. Figuratively and literally, considering they were laying with their head in his lap while the two of them were reading.
When they made an inquisitive noise, he idly drew a clawed finger down the long, jagged scar decorating their forearm. He felt them stiffen against his legs, and when he looked up he saw the apprehension on their face.
“I…God, it’s so stupid…”
“Come on, it can’t be that bad,” Satan urged. They hesitated a bit before sighing.
“I was fighting with this kid in…it was either middle school or early high school. I went to walk away because I was kind of getting sick of arguing with the moron, but when I turned around they shoved me hard enough to knock me over. I kinda like…flung my arm up, to protect my face, y’know? And since it was outside it got all scraped up. Never healed fully, I guess, so now I have this.”
Satan hummed thoughtfully, tracing the outline of the scar. It was faint, barely visible in dim lighting, but it was obvious that the human wished it wasn’t there.
“You fought back, right?”
“Duh.”
Asmo: “You seem very focused there, darling. Don’t quite know your shade?”
The two of them had been standing in the foundation section of the local Dephora for a while now. Asmodeus knew the store like the back of his hand and had already scooped up all of his favorite products in addition to a couple new drops that had made their way onto Devilgram. The human, however, hadn’t moved for about 20 minutes.
“I mean…I know my shade, but…” they hesitated, hand idly drifting towards the side of their neck. “Coverage is more what I’m worried about.”
Asmo’s brows furrowed. The human had a scar from when they got splashed with hot oil as a child, and they were notoriously self-conscious about it. Aesthetically, Asmo understood - it wasn’t pretty, it looked like it had hurt and if he could he would use every bit of his magical power to get rid of it completely. But it was part of the human, and Asmo loved it regardless.
He slipped a hand overtop of the humans, causing them to look up at him with worried eyes. Asmo’s own eyes softened, and he leaned over to press a gentle kiss to their forehead. “Darling, if you do want to cover it up to boost your confidence, I will gladly help you pick out foundation and concealer. But you know you don’t have to if you truly don’t want to, right? That I’ll love you no matter what?”
The human looked away, but Asmo still caught the shy smile they wore as they leaned into his hand. “I know.”
Beelzebub: “Can I help you?”
Admittedly, the human was a little paranoid about whether or not people were staring at them. But this time, it was very clear that Beelzebub was staring at them, and they weren’t sure how they felt about it. They were cooking dinner, after all, they might not even be the thing that Beel was staring at.
“That mark on your shoulder.”
Immediately, the human tensed up. They had thought that the shirt they were wearing covered up the conspicuous birthmark on their right shoulder, but apparently not. “What about it?”
Beel paused for a moment. “It looks like a potato.”
They turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow. “Does it? I can’t really see it all that often.”
“Mm,” Beel nodded before unfolding himself from the stool he was sitting on and coming up to hug the human from behind. He leaned down to nuzzle affectionately against the mark, and the human felt their apprehension begin to bleed away. “I like it. It makes you, you.”
They remained silent for a moment before a small smile tugged at the corner of their lips. “Thanks, Beel.”
Belphegor: “Did you do that to yourself?”
It took a minute for the human to realize what Belphie was talking about. They had just changed into their pajamas, and they honestly had thought Belphie was asleep. But apparently he had been awake enough to notice the evenly-spaced cut marks along the insides of their thighs.
“...Yeah,” they muttered, hiding their face in his chest. So much for a peaceful night’s sleep. “A while ago.”
“Why?”
They shrugged. Honestly, thinking about that particular time in their life wasn’t something they did often, at least not consciously. Every time they did, their heart rate increased, their breathing sped up, and it suddenly felt like they were in that dark room again with nothing but their spiraling thoughts -
“You don’t have to tell me,” Belphe muttered against their hair. “Stay with me, now, okay?”
He ran a hand up and down their back soothingly, and it would never surprise them how gentle Belphegor could be for a demon.
“You want to know what I think?” Belphie allowed his fingers to trace the marks along their thighs, but the touch was distinctly platonic.
“Mm?”
“I think,” he pressed a kiss to the crown of their head. “That you were going through a lot, and those scars are proof that you made it through.”
The human stilled, processing, before they snuggled deeper into Belphie’s embrace. “You think so?”
“Mm-hm,” he hummed sleepily, hand stilling against the small of their back. “Not that I’m glad you have them, mind you, but nobody goes through hell completely unscathed and you shouldn’t feel ashamed of them.”
#obey me#obey me shall we date#obey me lucifer#obey me mammon#obey me leviathan#obey me levi#obey me satan#obey me asmodeus#obey me beelzebub#obey me beel#obey me belphegor#obey me belphie#tw self harm#self harm
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The Lines We Cross - Chapter 7
Bentley Comes Through
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See you met me at an interesting time
And if my past is any sign of your future
You should be warned before I let you inside
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The pit stop turned out to be a tiny store in Nebraska an eight-hour car drive away, sandwiched between a tattoo parlor and a private attorney's office on a quiet street in a quiet town. “Wiseturtle Tech” was emblazoned over the front. Sly stared up at the blocky, faded lettering and was thoroughly unimpressed.
“I don’t understand why you don’t just ask your boss for a new weapon,” he said for the hundredth time since they’d started the impromptu detour. “Seems a lot easier than going out of your way to a podunk place like this.”
“Shock pistols aren’t manufactured en-masse,” the cop admitted. “They’re custom weaponry that only higher ranks like inspectors can have. I didn’t want to ask Barkley for a new one right after he gave me so much expensive equipment already, and it would have taken a while for them to ship a new one, anyway.”
“What about a regular gun, then? Doesn’t Interpol have those?”
“They do…” Her lips thinned. “I just don’t like using them.”
“...Right.” He gave the storefront another once-over, then turned to look at her holster where her broken pistol was tucked safely away. “So, what makes you think some random tech guy can salvage a mess like that?”
“You'll see.”
Inspector Fox pushed open the door to let them both inside. A little bell overhead chimed in response, but no one was actually at the desk to greet them. The counters behind the desk were covered in dismantled machinery – phones, laptops, kitchen appliances, and a million other things Sly couldn’t identify. The one intact computer sitting on the desk had a screensaver of a little green turtle head bouncing aimlessly off the edges of the screen.
There was a wall offering various tech and accessories, so the raccoon wandered over that way. “Great customer service. Really selling me on this place.”
“Oh, shush.” She stepped up to the counter and rang the service bell. “Hello? Anyone home?”
A large pink hippo in a gray uniform shirt poked his head out of one of the back doorways. His eyes widened and a big goofy grin grew on his face as he recognized the person who had called for him.
“Hi Miss Fox!”
“Hi, Murray,” she greeted him with a warm smile. “Is Bentley here? I could really use his help.”
The hippo nodded emphatically. “Yeah! I’ll go get him right now for you!”
He disappeared from sight again, and she gave Sly a smug look, who only shrugged and went back to studying the wall of stuff. It was a bizarre mix, really – half of what was on sale looked brand new, state of the art and built for the latest tech trends, while the other half looked like it had been lifted from a RadioShack in the eighties. Even if the single camera he’d noted in one ceiling corner was just for show, nothing here was really worth taking. Not for his needs, anyway.
There was a clatter as Murray bounded back out from his hiding place, followed by a tiny turtle with giant spectacles and a little red bowtie over his shirt that matched his coworker’s. He climbed onto the chair across the desk from where the cop stood and only gave Sly a brief glance.
“Hello, Inspector Fox. It’s been a while,” he said in the most nasally voice the raccoon had ever heard. “Is your computer having issues again?”
“No. I’m here for something else today.” She lifted her ruined shock pistol and placed it carefully onto the counter.
Bentley’s mouth fell open. “What did you do to it?”
“Work-related. It was overloaded with electricity, but I can’t really share any more details than that,” she hurriedly dismissed with a wave of her hand. “Do you think you can fix it?”
“I can…certainly try.” The turtle picked it up by the handle between two fingers, as if afraid it might explode. “You know, every time I think I’ve seen every way someone can destroy their tech, you always manage to surprise me.”
“I will take that as a compliment!” She shot a glare at Sly when he snorted. “So, how long will you need?”
“A few hours at least. And that’s if I already have all the parts to replace anything damaged beyond repair. Otherwise, it could be anywhere between a few days to a few weeks.”
The inspector grimaced and shook her head. “If you can’t fix it within the day, don’t bother. It would be faster to get a new one.”
“Alright.” His gaze flickered over to the raccoon, who stared back impassively. “I’ll, uh, give you a call when I know for sure what the time estimate will be.”
“Thanks, Bentley.”
As they left the store together, Sly met Murray’s curious gaze. The hippo gave him a smile as wide as he had Inspector Fox, and Sly couldn’t help but give an awkward attempt at one back.
“Well, it looks like we have some time to kill,” he said the moment the doors swung closed behind them. “What’s the plan while we wait?”
She chewed her lip. “I need to figure out which member of the Five to go after first. And you still haven’t given me that evidence yet, Ringtail.”
“I will, don’t worry. Just wanted to make sure you didn’t high-tail it out of that apartment and leave me stranded.”
The two of them got back in her car, and the fox gave him a long, searching stare. “You’re really going through with this, huh.”
It wasn’t entirely a question. He’d let his emotions slip a little more than he’d wanted the other night, and she had seen his conviction because of it. Even so, he’d had a day and a half since then to think over his decision to rub shoulders with a cop – one from Interpol, no less – and although he had plenty of misgivings, Sly still believed it was his best option for now.
He might know where most of the Five were holed up these days, but that would only get him so far on his own. She had resources, and a seemingly genuine interest in seeing justice served, and it would be so much easier to let her blaze through their hideouts and move stealthily in the chaos she created than trying to break in by himself – especially once they realized he hadn’t been arrested like the rest of Muggshot’s goons. The last place they would ever expect to find him was at the side of the cop who was out to bust them all.
And, after seeing how she had miraculously won a one-on-one battle against the bulldog, he almost dared to believe that he’d be safe with her even if they did find him.
“Yeah, I am,” he answered, honest for once in his life, before pulling out the precious information she so desperately wanted. “Here. For your peace of mind.”
The cop grabbed them and began reading immediately. Her lips moved without sound as she did so; it was a small, almost endearing detail that made his mouth twitch just a little bit upwards.
“These are emails,” she finally said in hushed excitement. “Emails between some of the Five. Muggshot, Sir Raleigh, and Mz. Ruby. But…why would he print them out?”
Because they always wipe their communications but Muggshot has the memory of a gnat, he didn’t say out loud. “Probably because he doesn’t know how to tell the difference between print’ and ‘delete’. You’ve met the guy.”
Inspector Fox hummed, only half listening. Her nose was buried in papers. Sly had already read them while waiting on the roof of her motel, and he knew what she was going to find. He pulled the car seat back until it was nearly horizontal, flipped his hood up over his eyes, and laid his linked hands behind his head like he was going to take a nap.
“The most recent communications are between Muggshot and Mz. Ruby,” she mumbled to herself, “from the same day that I busted him. And the ones between him and Sir Raleigh are from two weeks ago. That’s interesting.”
“Mhm.”
“They all seem to be talking about the same thing,” the fox continued, in a slow, thoughtful tone. “Some kind of special package they’d been ferrying back and forth. Raleigh to Muggshot, and then Muggshot to Mz. Ruby.”
Sly stared at the tiny threadbare stitching of the inside of his hood.
“But…” She tapped a line on the page. “It looks like the latter two settled on a transfer date that’s still another week away. Whatever they were smuggling between them, it never made it to the alligator before Muggshot was arrested.”
He was so still he was barely breathing. “Doesn’t seem like it.”
“I wonder what that package was. These emails are so vague, all I can really tell is that it was probably fragile and priceless, and with all the stolen stuff we found in his penthouse, almost anything could fall under those categories.”
“Well, no use getting our tails in a twist over something they’re never going to get their hands on again,” Sly said, a little curter than he meant to.
She shifted next to him, obviously surprised by his blunt brush off, but then went back to reading without saying anything about it. After a minute of uncomfortable silence, the cop straightened in her seat.
“We’ve got locations!” She exclaimed. “The last transfer point was in Wales, and the next scheduled one is supposed to be in Haiti. That must be where Raleigh and Mz. Ruby are hiding out right now. I wonder what kind of awful schemes they’re involved in. Everyone had been speculating that the Five had gone into hiding in some kind of criminal retirement, but these clearly indicate otherwise.”
“I dunno a single thing about any of that, but between Wales and Haiti, I vote we go to Haiti first.”
“Why Haiti?”
The raccoon finally lifted the fabric from his eyes to look sideways at her. “Two reasons. Number one is that Haiti is way closer to the States than Wales is, and if Mz. Ruby hasn’t heard about Muggshot’s arrest by next week, then you have a chance to catch her at the exact time and place she’s planning to make that exchange with him.”
An exact time and place he was going to avoid like the plague if he could help it.
“Number two is that Mz. Ruby has premonition. The longer you leave her out there, the more likely she’ll look into the future, see her own arrest and disappear, or see her partners’ arrests and warn them to disappear. Then you’re screwed either way.”
“That’s true, but –” she paused suddenly, and narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion. “Wait. How do you know about Mz. Ruby’s powers?”
“Are you kidding? It’s one of the things she’s most famous for besides literally summoning the undead. Just because Interpol has its special top-secret info doesn’t mean some stuff doesn’t reach public knowledge.”
Sly held her gaze without blinking until she backed down with an acknowledging nod. Her wariness was frustrating but understandable, especially because of how she wasn’t wrong to have it.
Just for all the wrong reasons.
“Okay. Haiti, then.” Inspector Fox pulled out a tiny notebook from her jacket’s front pocket and began scribbling down notes as she scanned the printed emails again. “That’s going to be about a long flight, so I need to book plane tickets for the earliest possible flight I can find for two people.”
He must have let something show on his face about that, because she huffed and gave him an impatient look.
“What now?”
“Nothing. I just – I didn’t think we’d be flying.” As soon as it left his mouth, he regretted it. She stared at him like he was an idiot.
“How else are we supposed to get there, Ringtail?” She asked sarcastically. “By car?”
“No. I just…I don’t know. I wasn’t thinking. You don’t have to be crappy about it.”
The cop began to open her mouth again, and he just knew she was going to pry into things she had no business knowing. With an irritated sigh, Sly readjusted his seat into something actually vertical again so he could be level with her in more ways than one.
“I’m just not the biggest fan of flying, alright?”
The sharp retort prepared on her tongue vanished in the wake of confusion. “You’re not? How come?”
“Consider it a phobia. It paralyzes me.”
She squinted at him. He met her eyes without hiding anything. The truth was the truth, and he could see her defensiveness easing away as she realized it.
“Oh. Well, I’m sure we can get you something to help. Over the counter anxiety meds, maybe.”
The raccoon let out an audible snort. “Nothing short of Klonopin is going to help me with that. Trust me, I speak from experience.”
Before the inspector could respond to that, her cell phone suddenly went off. She answered it immediately albeit with a sharp glance his way, as if to say their conversation was far from over.
“Hello? Oh! Bentley, thanks for calling back, I – okay. Okay. But you – you can? Great! Thank you so much! Yes, we’ll come back later.”
Sly picked at the seams of his gloves, waiting patiently until the fox ended the call.
“He says most of the damage was in the charge port, and he has the spare parts for it,” she told him the moment she hung up. “But it’s going to take the rest of the day even if he skips the other projects that were in line before mine.”
“All day, huh? Pretty sure we’ll have figured out a route to Haiti way before then. That’s a lot of time to kill.”
To his surprise, she shook her head. “Not for me. I have to check in with my superiors about my plan to go after Mz. Ruby first, and get an update on the evidence they’ve been sorting through from the bust on Muggshot. If there’s any new information about his cohorts, I need to know as soon as possible.”
“Sounds…fun.”
“That’s one way of putting it.” The cop gave him a particular look that he decidedly didn’t like. “But it’s all confidential, and I can’t risk you eavesdropping on my phone calls again.”
“I thought we’d already established that it wasn’t actually eavesdropping if your boss was yelling so loud I could hear him across the room.”
“Regardless,” she continued, irritation seeping into her voice, “you can’t be around me for that. I’m not risking it happening again.”
Sly sat up straighter in his seat, not liking at all where this was going. “What, so you’re just going to kick me out of the car for the next six, seven hours ‘til you’re done? What am I supposed to do – sit on the curb with my chin in my hands all day?”
Inspector Fox began working her jaw; a tic he was starting to notice meant she was deep in thought instead of merely frustrated. Her eyes drifted up and down his hoodie.
“How prepared are you for a long-term trip?”
And that was how Sly found himself standing in front of a general merchandise store, watching his cop companion drive away, with the two-hundred US dollars she’d handed him in his pocket and explicit instructions to buy everything he needed for travel.
It didn’t bother him that she could tell he didn’t have many belongings to his name – the fact that he was still wearing the same clothes nearly two days after they’d first met had probably clued her in – but it did bother him that she seemed to think he didn’t have any money. It made sense, because to her he was just a civilian who’d probably been robbed and then captured by Muggshot’s men, but it still smarted his ego as a thief.
With a huff, the raccoon entered the store, grabbed a shopping cart, and made a beeline for the aisle with portable suitcases. Then he made a beeline for the clothing section.
It had been a long time since he’d been able to pick out things for himself. Clothes were always a necessity provided for him by the Five, and only when his previous stuff was starting to get threadbare. A few new shirts, and pants, and a pair of shoes if they were feeling generous. The hoodie he was wearing was courtesy of being stuck in stormy Wales for nearly a month before he’d come to Mesa, because as much as Raleigh hated spending money on the “orphan waif”, he hated having to deal with a sick orphan waif even more.
Even with his newfound freedom, Sly found himself following the same patterns he’d been forced to follow for over half his life; three shirts, three pairs of pants, and a single new pair of shoes were all he put in his cart. He only realized what he was doing when he compared the amount of clothes to the size of the suitcase he’d chosen. There was still far too much space left even if he added his backpack and what he was wearing.
That realization prickled his fur and made his cheeks burn, and so he doubled back and forced himself to pick another two of each despite the voice in his head screaming that he was being greedy for it.
Next up were toiletries.
The raccoon’s toothbrush was already safely tucked away in a side pocket on his backpack, something he’d always done just in case there was ever a chance for him to make a break for it, but everything else had been left behind when he’d been unexpectedly forced out of his room. He began pulling things off the shelves at random as he saw them – toothpaste, shampoo, a fur brush, nail clippers, a pack of razors, and so on and so forth. At one point he passed a jumbo first aid kit and added that to the growing pile as well, knowing that if he got hurt, he would have to rely on himself instead of the cop. She probably didn’t even know how to properly pack a stab wound; much less reset a broken bone or build a makeshift splint.
After that…Sly wasn’t really sure what came after that.
Inspector Fox had promised to be back to pick him up in a few hours, but he still had quite a lot of time to kill. He’d already gotten all the essentials he needed, and there was really nothing else to get that wasn’t wasting space and money.
For a brief minute he toyed with the idea of swinging by the pharmacy and swiping someone’s anxiety prescription meds if he could find something strong enough to last him the upcoming plane ride he was already dreading, but quickly nixed the thought. That was a particularly scummy thing to do even with his skewed ideals. He’d just have to suck it up.
He ended up wandering store aisles, looking at things that held no interest or use to him. So many frivolous, stupid things that people bought. Why buy a toaster and a toaster oven? Why get more than one bed spread unless you absolutely needed a new one? Why spend money on three different kinds of the same food?
Muggshot and Raleigh both loved to do things like that. Sly had lost count of how many times he’d watched the frog import wine worth thousands of Pounds a bottle, or the bulldog order glitzy chandeliers to hang from the ceiling of every room he spent more than an hour in. As a kid who had lived middle class until the night his world was shattered, it had confused him. As an adult who had spent the last eleven years surviving off what little he could get, it infuriated him.
At least Inspector Fox didn’t seem to be like that. Her accommodations were cramped, and a little dingy, but he would take it over glittering fakeness any day of the week. Well, except for maybe that shiny red convertible. That thing stuck out like a sore thumb and he very much hoped she’d ditch it before getting any further in this case.
Something caught his eye in the electronics section.
It was a digital camera, small enough to fit in his hoodie’s front pocket, advertised for taking quality pictures for scrapbooking needs and family vacations. SD card and charger port sold separately but at a bargain, it claimed, and the raccoon didn’t realize how long he’d been looking at it until he noticed an employee approaching him from the corner of his eye.
“That’s a really nice camera,” the deer said, giving him a smile perfected for customer service. “Are you interested? I can take it out of the case for you.”
Sly looked at them, then at the price tag. Two-hundred dollars with all the added accessories. He had nearly four-thousand from what he’d swiped from Muggshot. This would barely put a dent in that. But it still made him hesitate.
Greedy little thing, hissed the voice in his head, a familiar croak with a British accent. Always asking for more than you deserve.
“Yeah, actually, I am interested,” he said louder than necessary, ignoring the weird look the employee gave him as a result. “I’d love to buy it.”
What was he even going to use a camera for? No idea. But it shut up the stupid voice in his head for the time being and that was all that mattered.
When Inspector Fox pulled up to the sidewalk twenty minutes later in her dumb fancy car, Sly was waiting for her with a mostly-full suitcase, turning the camera over and over in his hands. She helped him load his luggage into the trunk alongside her own and all the strange cop stuff she had – was that a jetpack? – and appeared to be distracted by something that she didn't share.
“Why don’t we get something to eat?” She suggested.
“Sounds good to me.”
They ordered takeout and ate in her car instead of inside, at her request. It was quiet for a few minutes as she seemed to be lost in her thoughts.
“How’d your check-in go?” He asked after a while, surprising them both that he was the one to break the silence first.
“Good. It was good.” She hesitated. “They haven’t found anything useful for my case, though. Just stuff to help put Muggshot away for a very long time. That’s as much as I can tell you.”
“’S fine. I’m not really interested in all that cop mumbo-jumbo, anyway.”
“I figured you wouldn’t be.” There was another heavy pause as she studied him.
“Something I can help you with?”
“Sly…” The use of his first name made him tense. “Did you…”
The inspector stopped, took a deep breath, and steepled her fingers together. The look on her face was pinched and intense.
“I think we need to clear the air before this goes any further.”
Sly slowly brought his fork down from his mouth and eyed her cautiously. There were only a few things that would warrant a statement like that, and all of them made him nervous. “Uh, okay. You have something specific in mind?”
“A few questions.”
“Ask away,” he said, leaning back in his seat as nonchalantly as he could manage. “I’ve got nothing to hide.”
“Okay. First question, then – you said you didn’t live in Mesa. Where do you live?” Before he could open his mouth, she gave him a sharp look. “Honest answer, Sly. I want to know.”
The raccoon tapped one finger against his thigh, thinking for a moment. “Honest answer? I don’t have a place.”
Her brows furrowed together in an expression he couldn’t read. “You’re homeless?”
“I mean, I’d personally describe it as ‘between homes’ right now, but…yeah. Essentially.”
The strange look morphed into something that he definitely recognized as pity. He would have challenged it if not for wanting very much to keep his cool as she worked through…whatever it was on her mind.
“But you don’t live in Mesa.”
“Nope. Was just passing through. Really unlucky timing on my part, I guess.”
“Fair enough. Second question – do you have any family you could go back to?”
Sly blinked. “No. I don’t.”
“Any living relatives at all?” She pressed. “People who will worry about where you are or what happens to you?”
“Does it look like I do?” He snapped, tail curling around his ankle. “What’s with the twenty questions all of a sudden, huh? Having second thoughts about this whole thing?”
The cop held up her hands placatingly. “I didn’t mean to dredge up anything! I just wanted to make sure this is really something you want to do.”
“I’ve already told you twice that it was.”
“You did,” she conceded. “You’re right, you did.”
“What’s this really about, Inspector? You were just fine this morning and now it sounds more like you’re trying to come up with an excuse to get me off your back. Did –”
A thought occurred to him.
“…Did you tell your boss about this deal of ours? Did he tell you to ditch me, or persuade me to quit?”
She shifted uncomfortably, clearly called out, and a spike of icy fear shot straight through Sly’s heart.
“What did you say?” He demanded. “What did you say about me?”
“Nothing specific,” she was quick to say, watching him in that very peculiar way again. “I told Bar – my superior that I had found a civilian consultant who could help me get to my next target faster than expected. I didn’t tell him your name, or your species, or anything else. But I had to tell him I was traveling with someone, Sly!”
“Why? Is he your dad? Got a curfew you gotta follow, too?”
“He’s my boss, Ringtail. I have to be transparent in this profession or else no one would trust me. I know you have a weird – thing about the police, but I promise you I didn’t share anything that you didn’t consent to.”
He had most certainly not consented to being put on Interpol’s radar, but he kept that rebuke clamped down under an angry locked jaw. He should have expected this from someone like her; of course she would be as by-the-book as possible. The raccoon folded his arms and pointedly stared out the front windshield.
“What did he have to say about your little escort?”
“To do a background check on you and make sure you knew the danger you were getting into,” she told him. “So here I am, trying to do both before dragging you out of the country on a wild goose chase.”
He wondered if she’d tried to do a formal search on any raccoons named Sly. If she had, he knew without a single doubt that she would not have found anything.
“You want a background check? I’ll give you a background check.”
“That’s not –” she started to say, but he cut her off hard.
“I have no living relatives. My parents died when I was young and I’ve been on my own ever since.” He pulled his forged passport out of his backpack and flashed it just enough so she could see what it was but not the full name on it. “I can travel globally anywhere I want. You can do a search on me but you won’t find anything because I don’t have a criminal record. I don’t have any ties to any family, or friends, or anything in this country, so you don’t have to feel bad about ‘dragging’ me along.”
“Sly –”
“And since you’re wondering how I got those emails – because I know you’re wondering – I got them well before you saved me. I went snooping around in Muggshot’s casino while he was clearing out the locals and stumbled onto them right before those mutts you met came across me. They decided that I needed a full tour of their handiwork of the city since I obviously wasn’t scared enough of them and they were too fucking stupid to actually search my backpack because I gave them all the money I had on me when they demanded it.”
Inspector Fox was staring at him with wide eyes. He kept his chin held high.
“Well?” The raccoon challenged. “What do you have to say to that, Inspector?”
Her body seemed to catch up to her brain, because she suddenly leaned forward and locked her gaze with his, searching for deception. He didn’t even flinch.
“…Okay,” she finally conceded, backing down both physically and mentally. “Okay. Thank you, Sly. I’m sorry for putting you on the spot like that, but I appreciate the honesty. Honesty is important if we’re going to work together for the foreseeable future.”
It was a foreseeable future he was already starting to regret, but he wasn’t ever going to let her know that.
“Yeah, well…I’m just glad you’re satisfied. It’s not every day I spill my guts like that, especially to –”
“To cops. I know.” She finished for him, and there wasn’t as much annoyance over the barb as he would have expected. “You’re starting to get predictable, Ringtail.”
“Am not,” he grumbled, without quite as much bite in his voice. The confrontation had drained all his energy and left him tired more than anything else. “So did you get a flight planned out, or were you too busy gossiping about me?”
“Yes and no. I was mostly setting up hotel accommodations and making contact with the local Haitian police so we could jump right into work once we get there.” She checked her phone. “We’ve still got another hour to kill before Bentley estimated he’d be done, so there’s plenty of time to look at flights.”
“Great. I can’t think of anything more fun than that.”
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At 5 PM on the dot, with a route established and a flight to catch the next day – which Sly was pointedly not going to think about until he absolutely had to – the two of them reentered Wiseturtle Tech to see Bentley putting the finishing touches on the now-fixed shock pistol. Murray was sitting on a stool nearby to watch him work, idly swinging his legs and making the seat rotate back and forth.
Both employees looked up at the jingle of the doorbell, and both waved. Inspector Fox returned the greeting while Sly just nodded his head.
“I’m almost done, I swear,” the turtle mumbled as he went right back to crossing wires. “I just want to be sure I’m not missing anything.”
“Take your time,” she replied. “I’d rather you triple-check everything than rush a job.”
Her eyes trailed over to the wall of tech, then to Sly, then back. She grabbed his hand very suddenly, startling him.
“Come over here,” the fox said, leading him towards a row of simple flip phones. When he looked between them and her with a raised eyebrow, she sighed as if greatly inconvenienced. “Pick out a burner phone.”
“Why?”
“Since it’s clear we’re doing this together, we’ll need a way to communicate in case we ever get separated, and something tells me you don’t already have one of these.”
He gave her a flat stare, but she carefully avoided looking at him or any aspect of his appearance by gesturing to the electronics instead.
“Go on. It’d make me feel a lot better if I’m going to take you with me.”
Rolling his eyes without any heat behind it, the raccoon picked the cheapest one he could find. The thought of picking a more expensive one since she was paying for it popped up for about half a second, but he squashed it right away. There wasn’t any point in taking advantage of her generosity and potentially making her resent him.
Greedy, hissed Raleigh.
Sly gritted his teeth and practically slammed the phone onto the counter, making Bentley jump and Inspector Fox give him a disapproving look.
“I’ll take this one, please,” he said to the hippo, who had scampered back to his post as an actual employee so he could ring them up for their charges.
“Is this your first ever phone?” Murray asked, sounding strangely excited about the concept.
“Maybe,” he answered warily, watching out of the corner of his eye as Inspector Fox pulled her wallet out while Bentley handed her the fixed shock pistol. “Why?”
“Can I be your first phone number?”
Sly swiveled to look at him, confused. “Uh…why? I’m a stranger to you.”
“Well, sure, but – I mean, the first number in your phone should be someone you can rely on, right? And you can always rely on us to help, no matter the problem!” The hippo started playing with his hands, gaze dropping to the ground. “And – and it’s just…you seem like a really cool guy, too.”
That was…not anything he’d expected to hear at all. Sly blinked, completely caught off guard by the compliment and its sincerity, and didn’t immediately respond.
“...Sure,” he finally said, if only because Murray was starting to wilt like a dying flower as the seconds ticked by without an answer. “I don’t see why not.”
He doubted he’d ever call the guy, or even remember he had his number, but there really wasn’t any harm in letting him plug it in, was there?
The hippo beamed at him, wasting no time in doing so, and then passed the phone along to Inspector Fox, who deftly did the same thing with her own number.
“There.” She handed it to him with a smile. “Now we’re both all set.”
Sly watched her set her fixed weapon back into its holster, and thumbed the new device that was now hiding in his hoodie pocket right next to the camera. “Guess we are.”
“Thanks again, Bentley! And you too, Murray.” The fox waved goodbye to them, and this time the raccoon did the same.
“Bye! Don’t be a stranger!” Murray called after them enthusiastically. His turtle coworker watched them go with a pinched, pensive brow.
The moment they were outside, Inspector Fox pulled her pistol out to weigh it in her hands. She seemed satisfied by whatever she felt, because it went right back where it was supposed to without any further fanfare.
Sly watched her, still feeling the weight of the phone on his person. He’d never had a phone before. He’d never needed one before.
“Okay,” she said, turning to him, and all the levity she’d shown in the tech shop disappeared under determination and anticipation. “Next stop: Haiti.”
“Right.” He could do this. He was ready for this.
“Right after a six-hour flight.”
“.......Right.”
Or maybe not.
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A/N: Transitional chapter is important but still a transition. Hopefully a cameo by our favorite boys makes up for it!
A few notes on this one:
1) I did not mean for Sly to get so hostile near the end there. It was just supposed to be Carmelita questioning him to put her many misgivings to rest, but he apparently decided to take it personally and I wasn't about to tell him otherwise lol.
2) I've always had the headcanon that Sly enjoys photography either because of or separately from doing so much recon. It's such a neat hobby and I feel like it fits his introverted nature. We'll just have to see whether he uses the camera in this verse.
3) It was very fun (and kinda sad) to think up what life might have been like for Bentley and Murray if they had never crossed paths with Sly. While I do think he's the glue that pushed them all together, it's still very likely that the more "mundane" versions of them may have still built lives working with each other. Here specifically, Bentley is the tech guy and Murray helps him with deliveries and heavy lifting. Even so, they've both always felt like something was still missing...
Once again, thank you for reading!
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Love and Ambition
Another day at school has passed. So it's time to write another entry.
It was a cool summer day again. Yesterday I wrote that fall was coming soon, and if the trend continues we might be ready to leave the heat behind.
I love autumn. I just think that it has the best parts of every season combined, and more! I can choose whatever I want without worrying about freezing to death or frying myself alive. Add bugs dying out and rainy days, it's just the best time of the year!
All that aside, let's get to the part where I talk about my day.
It was quite a calm day. I studied like usual, and even spent some time with my friends, but I my mind was still busy with an issue.
I have been thinking about something that has been troubling me for a long time. I have never been very close with people, maybe it is temperament, maybe it is my trust issues. I have been yearning for something... Closer for the longest time. I never even had a date, and I never was closer than friends with people in general.
I have cleaned myself up lately, I picked up better hygiene and tried to improve my fashion sense, I even lost some weight. It was nice to get closer to my ideal body image and I have gained the confidence to at least try my hand at romance.
But I... Couldn't.
But I didn't...
I am a man of ambition. I always loved my work and the advantages hard work gave me. To be completely honest I had no choice because I was largely isolated at childhood, and everyone had high expectations from me. They still do, and I am sad to say that I sometimes expect a lot from myself as well.
When I wanted to try my hand at the dating scene, I sadly found that my ambition stops me from trying. Maybe it's just an excuse, but I have filled my schedule up so much that I just can't spare the time that I need to hold up a stable relationship. Even when I get a good lead on a possible partner, I take too long to make the right moves and the mutual interest just fades away...
There is a person I am interested in again. She's a very nice girl! I met her years ago in middle school, right when I was starting to recover from depression, and I would have considered her as a friend, even though I was pushing people away back then (actually the same problem of ambition turning into obsession) she was always nice to me. In recent days I couldn't help but notice that she was closer to me, and she started hanging out at similar places to me in recent days even though she is in another class. We chatted a little this evening and I thought for the first time if I would be interested in her romantically, and I had swallowed the bait. I would be interested. Maybe she just sees me as a friend/acquaintance but... Maybe I am looking for more.
Could have tried my luck, maybe I could have asked for a date, their number or maybe I could have just put more effort in the conversation to be closer to them. But I... Didn't. I am building a future, but I wouldn't want to ruin hers in the last year before college exams, and I can't spend the time that could help me go to the college of my dreams. Or at least that's what I told myself.
Damn it all! I want to love someone and to be loved in return. I want to be completely vulnerable to someone who would be vulnerable in return. It isn't even about what you think anyway, I just want a confidant, an equal to complete me. But I keep pushing everyone who could be that person away!
The girl haunting my dreams lately just has a personality is really similar to mine, and similar experiences as far as I know. She may be interested in me and on top of all that she's cute,she's beautiful. But I can't...
Sad Times.
Let's talk about my current romance partner, I guess.
I spent hours with my true love today. Hours and hours with my studies. Sadly, I wasn't as productive as I was yesterday, but weirdly I found myself spending more hours working anyway. I was a guest at a family function and I had to study harder material which led to slower progress, but I am still happy to say that I was reasonably productive. My day finally came to an end at 11pm.
So now I have become sleepy, the catcher of Z's (:
Good night everyone, and good luck!
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The Rise of Eyebrow Artistry – How to Find the Perfect Brow Artist for You
Having perfect, sculpted eyebrows has become an increasingly popular trend. On social media alone, you can find hundreds – if not thousands – of people all posting about their eyebrow transformations made possible by skilled brow artists. Whether it's a classic arch or bold ombre fade, the rise in eyebrow artistry is here to stay. But how do you know who will be able to give you the best results? That's where this blog post comes in! This blog will provide tips on how businesses can choose the ideal brow artist for them and their needs. So if you are looking for answers regarding finding a high-quality artist with excellent customer service, keep reading!
Finding the Perfect Eyebrow Artist
Whether you are a solo artist looking to up your game or an established business looking to find the perfect addition to your team, finding the right Eyebrow Artist in California can take time and effort. But businesses can find just the right fit with a few well-placed guidelines and some research! Here are some tips for businesses when it comes to choosing the ideal brow artist:
1. Do your research
Before you start looking for a new Eyebrow Artist, it pays to do some research. Look up reviews and testimonials online or ask friends and family for recommendations. You can also contact local beauty supply stores or training centers to learn about any highly-regarded artists in the area. Once you have a few names, look up their social media accounts or website to familiarize yourself with their work and see if they might fit your business.
2. Ask about experience
Experience is key in finding an Eyebrow Artist who can give you the results you're looking for. Ask about any formal training or certification the artist may have and their experience working with different types of brows. It's also important to find out how long they have been in the business and what techniques they specialize in.
3. Consider their customer service
Having excellent customer service skills is essential for a great Eyebrow Artist. After all, you want someone who can make your clients feel comfortable and confident while being knowledgeable and professional. It would help if you asked for references or reviews from past clients to understand how the artist interacts with customers.
4. Compare prices
Pricing can vary drastically between Eyebrow Artists, so it pays to shop around before committing to one individual. Compare multiple pricing models and decide which one works best for your business. Remember to factor in additional costs, such as supplies or travel fees, to ensure you get the best deal.
5. Think about the location
If you are looking for an in-house artist, it's important to consider where they will be located. Depending on the size of your business and the number of clients, having an Eyebrow Artist close by can make life much easier. If you are considering remote artists, think about how far away they may need to travel for appointments or if they offer virtual consultations.
6. Have a trial period
Once you have narrowed down your list of candidates, it's time to make the final decision. Arrange a trial period to ensure you pick the best Eyebrow Artist for your business. This will allow you to see how they work and understand their customer service skills before making long-term commitments.
7. Trust your gut
Trusting your instincts when finding the right Eyebrow Artist for your business is important. Be bold, ask questions, and ensure you are comfortable with their answers before deciding. If you feel confident about an artist, chances are they will be a good fit!
These tips should give businesses a good starting point for finding the best Eyebrow Artist in California. Keep these guidelines in mind, and you'll be sure to find someone who can give your clients the perfect brows they deserve!
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Hobby Farming: 5 Things to Know Before You Start
Anyone can be a hobby farmer - from full-time employees living in cities to part-time workers who are farming for some benefits. In this article we talk about some of the crucial things you should know about/expect from hobby farming before you decide to start your own.
Hobby farming, as the name says, is when you start to farm as a hobby. It is taken up by individuals who are passionate about farming or any activities associated with it and enjoy living in the midst of nature. It is more of a personal project and varies from person to person, farm to farm. There is a limit to what you can achieve as a hobby, in your free time. Hence, hobby farms are generally small in scale. Larger farms require greater time commitment and management.
Anyone can be a hobby farmer - from full-time employees living in cities to part-time workers who are farming for some benefits. It all depends on the resources available and what you want out of the hobby farm. This brings us to the crucial things you should know about/expect from hobby farming before you decide to start your own.
Know the purpose of your hobby farm
Do you want to grow veggies for your food? Or some delicious seasonal fruits? Maybe you just need a peaceful place to relax while occasionally reaping the benefits of farm life? Be very clear about why you want to start a hobby farm, what you’ll do with it and what kind of a life you envision. The purpose may also depend upon the resources you have.
Your hobby farm cannot be your primary income source
Just like your hobbies cannot be your full-time jobs, your hobby farms cannot function as a traditional farms. Using resources smartly can make you some extra money from your hobby farming. You can also grow some of your own food and save money considerably. However, if you’re expecting it to replace your current source of income, take a step back and reevaluate. Hobby farming is a passion project and not a business.
Be ready to put in some real effort
This goes without saying. No matter what the scale, managing your hobby farm will demand time, work and effort from you. So if you can commit the effort, your hobby farm will brim with potential.
You cannot do it alone
Maintaining the farm cannot be done by you alone. You will need to hire additional resources to look after the farm in your absence. Even if you are at the farm full-time, you will need help from local farmers to know how it's done. In addition, you will need people to tend to services like water supply/management, housing maintenance and security.
You cannot abandon this hobby once you’re bored
Farming is unlike any other passion project you pick up. You cannot abandon your hobby farm once you’ve invested a great deal of your time, money and resources in it. Make a fertile land is not gone to waste if your passion fades. And if it does, be prepared to make alternate arrangements.
Farming is a very personal experience. There is no right or wrong way of building a hobby farm. If you love the farm life, respect nature, food and living beings and have the resources to start your own farm, by all means, go ahead and grow a wholesome hobby farm.
Considering all the benefits farming, In India, we are seeing growth of startups which are encouraging more and more urban people a chance to take up farming as a hobby by offering managed farmlands near Hyderabad, Bangalore, Mumbai, and near other Tier 1 cities. In the coming years we hope to see this trend growing further, drawing people away from the concrete jungles of the urban centers.
Suhail Bagdadi is the Marketing & Communications Head of Beforest Lifestyle Solutions, a company providing managed farmlands in India. He holds an Advanced Permaculture Design Certificate from Aranya Agricultural Alternatives and runs a 15-acre alphonso mango orchard along the Konkan coast, which he is converting into a food forest.
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5 ways to take care of coloured hair and keep it radiant
Getting tired of how your hair looks? Want to freshen things up a bit by choosing a trendy hair colour? Even though some of us may be tempted to try out different hair colours, we restrain ourselves out of concern that the chemicals can damage the quality of our hair. It is a well-known fact that overdoing the colouring results in dull, dry hair that lacks its natural lustre. So it's best if we just don't do it, right? Well, by making a little more effort, you can have the best of both worlds. Really.
You certainly don't have to skip out on the fun with everyone going all out with the hair colour trends this season, from golden hair to dark chocolate. To maintain your hair moisturised and shiny, all you need to do is take additional care of it both before and after colouring. Here are some recommendations for maintaining coloured hair:
Magic mantra is 'hydrate'
The primary side effect of hair colouring is moisture loss. You must constantly remind yourself to moisturise your hair. Additionally, utilising conditioner or just shampooing won't be sufficient. You must incorporate frequent oiling and hair masks into your hair care routine.
Pick the right shampoo
Selecting the proper shampoo is an ideal hair care regimen to keep hair colour and highlights such as De Fabulous Treatment. Use a shampoo with colour protection for colour that lasts for a long time and sulfate-free shampoo to stop further moisture loss. Salty substances called sulphates have a tendency to diminish moisture and cause colour fading.
Use sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner
Numerous personal care products contain sodium sulphate, also known as sodium ether sulphate, which is a form of anionic detergent. This component aids in giving your shampoos and conditioners a foamy effect. Utilizing sulphates puts your hair at risk of losing its moisture and natural oils, which can therefore cause your gorgeous colour-treated hair to lose its colour (which you just spent hours and dollars at the hair salon to achieve).
To prevent the fading of your hair colour, try using a shampoo and conditioner without sulphates. There are excellent sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner options from L'oreal for all hair types, so whether you have frizzy, curly, straight, or even thin hair, you have options.
Use a protein hair mask for extra nourishing
Although the majority of us don't have the time, you must develop a rigid routine of using hair masks. Try to apply a hair mask one hour before shampooing to fully hydrate your hair. The amazing thing about protein hair masks is that they can help repair damaged hair such as De Fabulous Reviver Hair Repair Treatment
Try the magic of vinegar
Use a little vinegar diluted in a bowl of fresh water to enhance the lustre and durability of hair colour. Apply it next as the last rinse. Because of its potent antibacterial properties and acidic pH, vinegar will keep your hair clean and prevent colour fading.
Pick ultra-nourishing conditioners
Use an excellent, ultra-nourishing conditioner after shampooing your coloured hair. Home cures including avocados, bananas, yoghurt, honey, mayonnaise, coconut milk, vitamin E oil, and aloe vera gel can also be used.
Live-in conditioner
To keep your coloured hair bright and radiant, you must take good care of it and nurture it thoroughly. Apply a live-in conditioner for additional protection even after using a conditioner. Silicones found in leave-in conditioners guard against sun damage and frizz.
Keep away from heating hair tools
Last but not least, try to avoid using heated irons to straighten or curl your hair. High heat will cause coloured hair to lose moisture and is not good for it.
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BnHA Chapter 306: the beginning of the WHAT
Previously on BnHA: Nana and the Gang were all, “hey Deku, we can read your thoughts and feelings so we should already know the answer to this, but for some reason we want to quiz you on whether or not you’d be down to kill Shigaraki Tomura.” Deku was all, “um okay, well tbh, probably not seeing as Saving People has been my entire thing since literally the start of the series.” The Vestiges were all, “yes that makes perfect sense and again we already knew that, but well, good for you buddy and I’m glad we had this talk. Anyway I guess we should ask these two cryptic fuckers in the corner to finally turn around now before we run out of -- ” and then the chapter ended. Because OF COURSE IT DID.
Today on BnHA: Horikoshi is all “YOU DON’T NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT, WOULDN’T IT BE SO MUCH BETTER IF I GAVE YOU A CONFUSING CHAPTER WHERE EVERYONE FINALLY LEARNS ABOUT OFA, AND GOES BACK TO THE DORMS, AND THEN THE CHAPTER ENDS WITH DEPRESSED NOMAD DEKU STANDING ON A PRECIPICE WITH GRAN TORINO’S TATTERED CAPE FLOWING IN THE WIND.” Everyone is all, “???????????” Horikoshi is all, “also the parents are moving to the U.A. campus, and Jeanist’s neck is two and a half feet long, for everyone that was wondering.” Everyone is all, “WHERE ARE KACCHAN AND TODOROKI AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, WHO ARE THE SECOND AND THIRD USERS”, and Horikoshi is all, “:)” and fades away into nothingness like the fucking fae he is. Like a fucking imp who’s kept his end of the cursed bargain. What, the, fuck.
okay guys, so after the longest Thursday of my fucking life, during which I was secretly hoping that my spoiler containment net would be somehow be breached, inadvertently exposing me to theta spoiler radiation, so that I could be all “oh no... spoilers... there’s nothing I can do... I have no choice but to look” (which sadly did not happen), it is finally Friday and the chapter is finally out. so I’ve got my clown kit at the ready and other self-deprecating memes on standby, and I’m ready to go. and I should note that I’m also ready for Horikoshi to pull some absolute bullshit and be like, “oh you know what, we haven’t checked in with Rat Principal in a while have we” and spend the entire chapter on nonsense like that. I’M READY FOR FUCKING ANYTHING so bring it
(ETA: it would be nice if this man wouldn’t call my bluff every now and again.)
oh, right, we were due a color page! wow look at this
isn’t this supposed to be the future?? what’s with all of these staticky CRT TVs
anyway, so! is this the first time we’ve seen Tomura’s stylish finger prosthetic glove thingy in color?? because I didn’t expect it to be red. also, at some point you just have to give in and change your pants into cutoffs or something, Tomura. start a new trend of stylish villain capris
meanwhile Deku is dressed like he’s going on a journey into the desert to find a mystical oasis. actually this cape looks a lot like Gran Torino’s. I have to go back and see if Gran’s is all raggedy like this
(ETA: it wasn’t before but APPARENTLY IT IS NOW. I also forgot that Horikoshi had showed it sitting on a side table in the hospital a few chapters ago.)
lastly, AFO looks like someone’s thumb after they’ve been washing dishes for twenty minutes. you are just the ugliest dude in history, and as always, fuck you
HAHAHA SOB I KNEW IT
oh, Twowy McTwoface is finally starting to turn around? better CUT BACK TO DEKU’S HOSPITAL ROOM THEN. wouldn’t want to accidentally ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS or SOLVE ANY MYSTERIES, god forbid
well, whatever. whatever!! anyway so now someone’s knocking at the door. I say “someone” but we all know it’s Hawks
yep
they were actually standing outside the door for a while hoping they’d overhear another juicy plot conversation, but no such luck this time
lmaooo Jeanist wtf
acting all embarrassed, but you’re really just as curious as Hawks is. making him do all the dirty work for you huh
ARE YOU SERIOUS THIS IS AN INJUSTICE
so like two seconds after Katsuki gets dragged away you open the door for the rest of them!! well, fine!! I really want it to be a more private/personal moment between the two of them anyway so let the other kids check in on Deku first then
and in the meantime, time to see Hawks put the thumbscrews to All Might’s resolve lol
I wonder how much of it Hawks has already put together in the last five minutes. One for All is something connected to All for One that Tomura seems to want. Tomura was apparently targeting Deku. that’s more than enough to make a few deductions right there. I wonder how much Hawks knows about Deku’s quirk. he did watch the sports festival, and he ran into the kids interning under Endeavor that one time
okay well maybe he hasn’t put the rest of it together just yet, but Hawks is making a pretty reasonable pitch here to All Might
also this is a pretty spectacular view. is this a hospital or a hotel??
AHLKJLKJLKJ ARE YOU SERIOUSLY GOING TO TELL THEM
OH MY GOD HE IS?!?!
JUST LIKE WE ALL EXPECTED, THE NEXT TWO PEOPLE TO LEARN THE TRUTH ABOUT OFA ARE GOING TO BE HAWKS, AND BEST FUCKING JEANIST
-- LFKLKKLDK ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS. ARE YOU --
( •̀_•́ )
[sitting cross-legged on the ground pulling up little clumps of grass and letting them fall from my fingers one by one] yeah. sure. okay. fine. sure
-- OKAY, NO. NUH-UH. NO
everybody better hold tight cuz I’m about to pick up this whole chapter and yeet it into the ocean like a fucking frisbee lol
HORIKOSHI I DON’T CARE ABOUT THESE PEOPLE SITTING HERE WATCHING TV WTF
-- OH
well okay then. proceed. though lord help me if they’re about to reveal the secret of OFA to the whole fucking world skdkj
oh snap
well, there it is. pretty much what I expected, but it’s good to actually get to see this moment with him taking responsibility
though at the same time, thank you Horikoshi for not forcing us to sit through the rest of that
their fucking faces omg. okay but seriously, what nation doesn’t secretly love a good scandal
the Endeavor Pamphlets, part two. thank you for giving the country something to opine about on twitter in these trying times, Enji
so now they’re asking about Hawks and Jeanist but I cannot even focus on anything all of a sudden because what?!
is Jeanist even a real actual human being you guys?! are we sure he’s not three kids sitting on each other’s shoulders?? are you related to that one guy with the really long neck from the Jedi Council?? are you Orochimaru, bro??
so now Hawks is apologizing for the murder of Twice, and for hiding the connection with his dad
the fact that he has to give this serious formal apology and beg forgiveness for the shameful crime of Having An Abusive Father is really something else, though. just. it’s realistic, but I still hate it
moving on now to the one thing he actually does owe the public an explanation for
not to go all “Hawks did nothing wrong” on you guys yet again, but seriously. 100% facts. fandom can (and no doubt will) debate this until the end of time, but if Twice had gotten away they wouldn’t be having this press conference right now because there wouldn’t be any heroes left to give one. anyways though, I’ve already said more than enough about that in previous posts
so now some severe-looking lady with the weirdest fingers I’ve ever seen is saying that her mother was injured during Machia’s rampage
and she’s basically all “a fuck lot of good ‘I’m sorry’ does us all about now.” true true
wow she’s really getting fired up
and now Enji is basically saying that he understands that an apology isn’t enough, and what they really need now are solutions. okay, well! SO THEN WHAT IS THE PLAN THEN
hmmfsdgh
this eloquent PEZ dispenser makes a good point you guys
wait, hold up
CERTAIN citizens?? um excuse me, what??
ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh shit
holy shit. well, this will go over well
okay! so this tells me a number of things, though
basically the minute that Hawks learned about One for All, he realized that anyone connected to Deku (e.g. Inko) would be a target for AFO. AFO wants OFA, meaning AFO wants Deku, and one of the easiest ways to get to Deku would be to target his family
Hawks therefore realized that Inko needed to be placed into protective custody
but the fact that ALL of the hero course students’ families (and is it only the U.A. hero course, or all of the hero course students across the country?) are being given protection tells me that Hawks and co. don’t want to single Deku out as being important. so then it looks like they’re not going to tell everyone about OFA (or at least not the public. which, good). so rather than drawing suspicion by saying “we’ve got to protect everyone connected with this one kid”, they’re making it seem like all the U.A. kids’ families are getting this treatment
but since the heroes are now spread so thin, they can’t just send a protective detail to each and every family, so they’re bringing all of the families to the same place instead to better keep an eye on them
so that’s all well and good, and a very smart move. except that idk how all of this is going to go over with the general public, all of whom are probably feeling unsafe at the moment, and who will probably see this as preferential treatment -- basically just the heroes looking after their own and leaving everyone else to fend for themselves
(ETA: okay so @hanashimas’ translation clarifies that U.A. is offering their services as an evacuation shelter for everyone who wants it, not just the families of the U.A. students. that’s much more appropriate so I withdraw my previous “wtf” reaction lol.)
anyway though here’s Mitsuki and Inko
can we take this as confirmation that the two of them really are friends? that’s one piece of fanon that I’ve always hoped was true, so I’m gonna go ahead and say it’s confirmed
(ETA: also this means that Hagakure’s parents (or maybe “parents” in quotation marks) will supposedly be moving in as well. sure am curious as to how that’s going to go.)
now someone in the press crowd is asking whether U.A. can provide adequate security, which is honestly the LAST thing I expected these people would be outraged about lol. shows what I know I guess
(ETA: again though, this makes sense if the “certain civilians” thing was just a translation error.)
LMAO DAMMIT ENJI
YOU CAN’T JUST ALWAYS PULL THE “JUST WATCH ME” TRICK AND EXPECT IT TO SHUT DOWN THE CONVERSATION EVERY DAMN TIME YOU ASSHOLE
-- OH MY GOD RED ALERT
TIME TO ANALYZE THIS BECAUSE OMG
WASH CAN’T BELIEVE HIS FAMILY GROUP CHAT IS STILL SENDING HIM FUCKING MEMES AT A TIME LIKE THIS. HE DOESN’T GIVE A FUCK IF THE DABI DANCE IS TRENDING ON TIKTOK, MOM!!
FOR A MINUTE I THOUGHT MT. LADY WAS HOLDING MIDNIGHT’S TORN-UP MASK, AND BY THE TIME I REALIZED THAT’S ACTUALLY HER MASK AND NOT MIDNIGHT’S, I HAD ALREADY CONSTRUCTED AN ELABORATE HEADCANON IN WHICH MT. LADY AND MIDNIGHT WERE SECRETLY DATING BUT HADN’T COME OUT TO ANYONE YET, AND THEN TRAGEDY STRUCK, AND NOW MT. LADY IS GETTING READY TO SET OUT TO SEEK VENGEANCE. AND WELL, NOW THAT THIS HEADCANON EXISTS IN THE WORLD, I’M NOT SURE IF I’M READY TO GET RID OF IT
MIRKO HAS GOTTEN HERSELF A PROSTHETIC (ROBOT??!) ARM, NOTHING ELSE THAT’S HAPPENING IN THIS CHAPTER IS EVEN SLIGHTLY IMPORTANT!!! HELLO!!!!!
AIZAWA WITH THE EYEPATCH GOOD LORD. THE WORLD ISN’T READY. HE LOOKS LIKE HE HASN’T SLEPT IN NINETY-EIGHT YEARS, BUT SOMEHOW HE MAKES IT INTO THE HOTTEST THING EVER AS PER USUAL
WHO THE FUCK IS THIS FUCKING GUY. ARE WE SUPPOSED TO KNOW HIM? IS THIS KAMUI?? WAS THAT THING WHICH I ALWAYS ASSUMED WAS HIS HAIR ACTUALLY A HELMET OR SOMETHING WHAT
LOL AND MEANWHILE
you tell me, Dabi! weren’t you the one who said that wouldn’t be enough to kill him? what even is your endgame here. I’m starting to worry about the villain brain cell supply you guys. I feel like Compress took most of them with him when he left
OH??
“when asked about One for All, Endeavor fucking lied through his teeth.” well, well, well
SLKDFJLSKGDJLKLKGJL THE DORMS
( ⁰ ⌂ ⁰ )
SLDKJFLKJWLKJLK
WLKDJSLKJFWKELKSDJLKHGLK
HDSMFLKGKL:GDSELK
OCHAKO’S HAND IS SHAKING OH MY GOD
THERE’S YOUR KAMINARI, EVERYONE!!
RHA’S SCANLATION TEAM REALLY THREW DEKU’S HANDWRITING UNDER THE BUS HERE HUH
HE TOLD EVERYONE!?
WHY THE FUCK IS HE WRITING IT AS A LETTER
(ETA: 9. also if he really wrote every kid in his class then that means the U.A. traitor -- or Hagakure as we like to call her around these parts -- also knows about OFA, and knows that Deku has run the fuck off and isn’t at U.A. anymore. so that’s just great!)
OH HELL NO
the hell does that mean, you must leave. leave to go where. son you are not up and leaving to go power up and lead us all into a timeskip. and I swear to GOD, if you left Kacchan too...!!
MY GOD I CAN’T PROPERLY ABSORB ALL OF THESE OCHAKO FEELS RIGHT NOW BECAUSE I’M TOO TERRIFIED TO SCROLL TO THE LAST FUCKING PAGE, FUCK
I JUST GOTTA DO IT. I JUST GOTTA SUCK IT UP AND DO IT. FUCK
FUCK
WHAT. THE. FUCK
y’all I’m not even gonna waste your time with more keysmashing, JUST ASSUME THAT I AM DOING IT NONSTOP, FOREVER. and let’s just jump RIGHT IN HERE
okay so here I thought that All Might and co. had taken him away somewhere to train, but that is CLEARLY not what’s going on here. this kid is standing here in his Apocalypse Aesthetic hero costume which has CLEARLY seen better days, with Gran Torino’s cloak (GUESS THAT EXPLAINS THAT, THEN?? SO DID GRAN FUCKING DIE EXCUSE ME WTF), and a fucking backpack. this little green idiot has RUN AWAY FROM HOME. this is the absolute LAST THING ON EARTH I ever expected to happen so PARDON ME WHILE I SCREAM CONFUSEDLY INTO THE VOID
he does not look okay. you guys he doesn’t look okay at ALL. he has NEVER looked like this. this isn’t just a “I’m sad because I’m leaving all my friends behind” kind of look on his face, or even just a “Gran Torino died maybe and I’m still having emotions over it” look. this is an EXHAUSTED, dead look in his eyes. something terrible has happened
WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR ARMS DEKU. THE PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING DOWN WITH YOUR ARMS GODDAMMIT
love how this random building is just straight up collapsing, like that’s just a normal thing that happens every day now. lovely
APRIL MEANS IT’S NOW FULL ON SCHEDULED ALL-MIGHT-DYING-HOURS, BUT LET’S COMPLETELY IGNORE THAT THOUGH BECAUSE FUCK THAT NOISE
“THE SECOND USER? WHO KNOWS? CERTAINLY NOT ME” HORIKOSHI I SWEAR TO GOD
“BAKUGOU? NEVER HEARD OF HIM!” HORIKOSHI PLEASE
WHERE. IS. KACCHAN
did he go with Deku?? did he get a chance to talk to him before he left?? did he get his own private letter which he read and then promptly blew up in a fit of panicked rage?? is he going to go after him?? DOES HORIKOSHI KNOW WHAT HE’S DOING TO ME RIGHT NOW?? OF COURSE HE DOES, DON’T BOTHER ANSWERING THAT
omg. though actually the fact that we’ve already jumped a few weeks forward makes me hopeful that there won’t actually be another timeskip, or at least not much of one. I’m sure that’ll be the big debate of the week, but I don’t think we can jump too far forward here. for starters because of that All Might prophecy I mentioned. and also because TomurAFO isn’t just going to wait around for months. and also because I’m 100% sure that Deku’s running-away backpack is just filled ENTIRELY WITH NOTEBOOKS and this asshole cannot possibly survive more than 3 days on his own. UNLESS SOMEONE COMES TO HELP HIM THAT IS. OR SOMEONES, EVEN. OMG. omg omg omg. fuck this chapter lmao
#bnha 306#midoriya izuku#hawks (bnha)#takami keigo#endeavor#todoroki enji#best jeanist#all might#uraraka ochako#bnha#boku no hero academia#bnha spoilers#mha spoilers#bnha manga spoilers#makeste reads bnha
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Cant Handle This
Quackity's facade keeps breaking, and he tries to keep the pieces together. You're the only one who can make him show his true self
- Quackity x gen neutral reader
- this is a long one yall.
Now playing...
Can't Handle This (Kanye Rant)
Bo Burnham
0:01 ─●──────── 3:29
⚠︎ swearing, angst, mentions of mcyttwt, based on the song above, and ofc its not proofread
Part of my Inside Special!
Quackity sat in his chair currently streaming right now, he seemed like he was having a good time from your spot on his bed. You were currently laying on his bed after he invited you here to relax.
You two had laid in his bed just enjoying eachothers company until he got a call from Tommy saying he was ready for the lore stream which sent Alex into a frenzy. Alex sent out a quick "Im sorry" about the lateness of his stream and then quickly set everything up.
He then started to stream which left you alone on the the bed to your own devices. You were scrolling through Twitter looking at Alex's fans talk about what's happening on the stream and posting screenshots of his character and himself.
You admired him from afar as he ended the lore part of his stream, he took time to type on his phone to text you that he decided to stream longer to talk to his fans. He looked to you and you have him a nod with a smile and he gave one back.
"Hey guys! That's the end of the lore!" He exclaimed to his chat as he types at his computer setting a new background.
You continued to listen to him praise his chat for supporting him and making him be able to make those types of streams. You were always proud of Alex no matter what he did, you were always his number one supporter no matter what happened in reality or on the internet.
"So anyways! I wanted to talk to you guys! How are you all?" He smiled at his camera looking back and forth from his chat.
◇T0mm71nn1t: THE STREAM WAS SO GOOD QUACKITY
"Oh thank you! Im glad I could share this with you. It takes so much to put into these movite type streams, so I know now it is all worth it."
Quackity's pov. . .
He felt so overwhelmed, he shouldn't have began to stream again. The stress of putting everything together, plus being late to the stream made him rush into it more. He just wanted to lay back down with his lover who was enjoying watching him stream, and that's the goal he wants. His goal was to entertain, it was his job and he doesn't want to fail, he doesn't want to crack.
◇Mayatooni3: WE LOVE YOU QUACKITY
◇catiiequak: QUACKITY ITS MY BIRTHDAY CAN I GET A HAPPY BIRTHDAY??
◇yriaaolic: 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜
"Happy Birthday!" He said seeing the comment pass in a second. "Happy Birthday to anyone who's Birthday it is today."
Right now it was hard. It was hard to keep up when there was always a constant demand, the constant need to be perfect, his past being brought up, and trying to one-up his content everytime. He loved this, but at the same time it had the same weight as a job.
In the back of his mind he knew the "When is Quackity streaming???" is mostly lighthearted, he never wants to leave.
"Quack are you okay? Im fine! Just thinking about how to get something to eat at 2am." He laughed lying to his fans, he wanted to stop this stream.
He kept looking over to his lover lying their head on his pillow scrolling through their phone and alternating their vision from him and their phone. He always caught a glimpse of their small smile everytime he looked. He was doing something right.
"Do yall think Taco Bell is open? The only problem I have is that Im fucking starving."
He paused for a moment taking a deep breath trying to keep his emotions down. The stress was getting to him, and he fucking knew it, but he didnt stop. He was going to get burnt out eventually and stop streaming and YouTube all together, but he needed this. He needed a break, he needed to take time for himself and stop putting on a happy face when he isnt.
TTS ◇pulixsaxe: "Did you see what was happening on Twitter quackity?"
"Wait what's happening on Twitter?" He asked with a weary laugh.
I can sit here and pretend like my biggest problems are
Pringle cans, and burritos
The truth is, my biggest problem's you,
Your eyes widened as he mentioned Twitter. Truth be told he was trending because of his stream, yes, but also they brung up stuff from his past again in the wake of another content creator's past or present being brought up. You hadn't paid attention to that, you were only getting fueled up from Twitter bringing up an issue that he already had addressed.
Tempted to speak and tell him its fine, he already spoke up before you.
"I bet it's fine! I dont wanna... I don't need to look." He said with a smile. He always had that smile on.
Either it was a full smile or a half smile. It never left his face and it comforted you somehow. Maybe it was that you were his significant other, but you always wondered if anyone saw the same things as you. The things like his smile that never left his face.
"Yeah! I dont need to look at that." He waved his hand dismissing the comment away. He then sighed letting his shoulders relax as you saw his smile fade and his eyes close for a second and immediately put that small smile back on his face while his eyes were glossy, but bright.
He needed to end this stream soon. You saw his face fall then in a split second come back to life except his eyes were glossy with tears. You wondered if anyone else noticed.
"I want to please you
But I want to stay true to myself
I want to give you the night out that you deserve"
His eyes tearful as he tried to blink them away trying to not make a scene.
"Sorry! Allergies ugh!" He said as he wiped his tears away claiming them as allergies.
"Are you crying? No! Im not a pussy!" He yelled at his chat in a joking manner.
He was crying and he felt weak. He felt emotionally weak, and weak as in not strong, he didn't feel strong and his lover who was sitting on his bed with a concerned look on their face always told him that it's okay to feel weak. The only meaningful thing is how you pick yourself up, they always told him, bur now he felt at rock bottom.
He wanted to give his fans "himself", the goofy, lovable, loud, quick-witted, Quackity. But then again his lover always told him to separate Quackity from Alex. He wanted to give himself to his audience, he wanted to be authentic and share himself, but he cant. Alex isn't all laughs, he is serious, calmer, and when he gets on the screen is when he lets it all out then goes back to his more calmer self. That's not what they want.
"But I want to say what I think
And not care what you think about it"
Giving himself meant dialing back, he wants to tell how hes actually feeling, he wants to say what he thinks about Twitter, what he thinks about certain friends, about his fanbase, and then leave it alone. He wanted to delete social media and then speak his mind without knowing what anyone is saying about it. It was paradise to him, but of course it cant be that way and that's what he hates. He feels like a actor when he really wants to be himself.
"A part of me loves you,"
Alex loved his fanbase, he had such a supportive fanbase that loved his content. Some of them did atleast he didn't fully know, but they gave him the courage to do this time and time again knowing that his content is at least taking them from the harsh reality of real life for a few minutes or hours. This was the reason he did this, for them.
Alex would never admit this but they boosted his ego too, it would for anyone. The fact that there were people who wanted and enjoyed content from him made him feel good about himself.
"part of me hates you"
He hated the contant criticisms, he hates that they feed his ego so much that it makes him want to stream more to feel good about himself and to make people get away for awhile. Alex knew inside of his heart he couldn't truly hate his fanbase, they gave him everything he ever wanted. He hates them for that and that's such a scary thing. He never fails to wonder if he did the things to deserve all the love and hate he gets.
"Part of me needs you,"
They feed his ego, they make him want to go above and beyond. Alex knows that his fanbase is the reason he is here in this chair infront of three expensive monitors. He knows that this is some sort of a job that he needed. He needed the push to keep going and that was them, it was the 200k people watching his stream watching him answer questions about him and
"part of me fears you"
He was fearful of loosing himself to them. Loosing his authenticity to them was something he feared. He didnt want his funny, loud persona to consume him and make him forget about Alex instead of Quackity. He fears what they think as well, he claims he doesnt care, but he does he wants to please them. It feels like two parts of his brain fighting about if he should care or not.
"And I don't think that I can handle this right now"
The text-to-speech bot continued to speak out people's comments that theu paid for while he sat there quietly. He bit his bottom lip trying to not break down infront of everyone he needed to be strong. He needed to be strong.
If he looked up at the camera everyone would see his tears, they would see him breaking.
He played it off as he brough his shirt up to wipe the tears away, claiming it as sweat.
"Im good! Im sorry I spaced out for a second." He shook his head.
He saw you look at him with that same concerned look on your face. As he switched his gaze between you and his computer, he felt his tears come back again.
"I don't think that I can handle this right-"
"Alex." You tried to get his attention.
"Yeah guys Im fine!"
"Alex"
"I don't think that I can handle this right-"
"I have plans later for another lore stream, so Ill start doing that later tonight."
"ALEX!" You yelled and his head turned around to face you.
"What?" He laughed, biting his lip again.
You couldn't stop him doing this, you could try to course him into going to bed, but right now you couldn't find the words. You just stared at him while he looked at you with a somber smile trying to tell you that he was okay.
He felt his mind telling himself that he need to rest. He wouldnt allow himself to and thats why he was breaking down.
"I don't think that I can handle this right-"
Alex was blinking rapidly trying to keep his breathing and tears at bay while he answered his fans.
"My allergies are fine! And I drank water today."
◇moonchild21: WE LOVE YOU
◇sopusand: Why do you look like that?
◇wuackityoo: are you crying??
"Crying is for the weak! I am a strong manly man! Im crying cause I noticed how alpha I am!" He tried to play it off as a "Im a man" joke but you could see right through it.
"I don't think that I can handle this right-"
"I don't think that I can handle this right-"
You had sent a quick text to Alex which told him to end the stream for his own mental health, but he left the message unread. He began sniffing and the wiping his eyes again. It was a wreck and you couldn't seem to stop it without literally dragging him out of his chair.
Meanwhile the screens were getting to Alex. Alex's eyes were getting tired of the bright screens and the rapid messages that popped up on the screen overwhelmed him for what it seemed like the first time ever in his strraming career. He wanted to give them the fun night they deserved and wanted, but he knows it's getting hard to. He dosent know how long he can keep this up.
As Alex kept joking around about his eyes and physical state the chat was filled with "LMAO" and "HAHAHA" which fuled him more and then at the same time makes him want to stop.
Look at them, they're just staring at me, like
"Come and watch the skinny kid with a
Steadily declining mental health, and laugh as he attempts
To give you what he cannot give himself"
He cannot give himself the luxury of happiness. As he went on with his career it became more and more like a chore, there was mostly down days and of course there were up days, but recently Alex gave his fans the happiness and laughes they wanted while when he turned off the camera he couldn't replicate that same energy as he had before.
It messed him up, he felt himself become separated from his streaming. He wasn't being himself anymore he was being Quackity and that became more apparent as the days passed. He wanted to be himself on camera and at first thats what he thought he was doing. He was himself then it turned into a persona.
Alex wasn't okay and he he needed to take a break from the internet for a while, but he tries to act like he dosent have a dilemma going on inside of his head everytime he sits in this seat. Its for the fans.
"Think that I can handle this right-
I don't think that I can handle this right-
They don't even know the half of this right-
They don't even know the half of it"
"Alex you need to end the stream. Please?"
He looked towards you again where you moved your position from the middle of the bed to sitting up on the end of the bed.
"Ive told you millions of times." He paused for a moment looking down at his lap before looking back up to you. "Im-Im okay." He nodded trying to convince you.
"But I know I'm not a doctor, I'm a pussy, I put on a silly show
I should probably just shut up and do my job, so here I go"
"Cant you belive them!" He laughed to his camera. You scoffed at his comment but still kept an eye on him as he talked.
You didnt need to baby him at all, but right now you were worried about your lover.
Alex continued talking and talking, which you drowned out. You were focused on his face and how he faltered time to time just showing a small frown.
He laughed and showed them a good time even though he was hurting. He kept going and going and you were convinced he was going to hold out until you heard him sniff multiple times while trying to make a joke about the new Minecraft update and how the glow squid has no use.
"Stupid ass squid! Why- why? Its no use expect for glowing ink. Who voted for that!?"
You can tell them anything if you just make it funny, make it rhyme
And if they still don't understand you, then you run it one more time
"Dumbass squid!" He pulled up a picture if the squid as he yelled at it.
You began to worry even more as you saw tears running down his face. He quickly tried to wipe them away, but he knew everyone saw.
Handle this right
You don't even know the half of this right now
Right now (Haa!)
Now
Handle this right
I'll handle this right, I handle this right now
Alex leaned back in his seat and had a blank stare towards the monitor. Looked down for a second and then you heard sobbing coming from his spot. Alex had his head in his hands and was crying harshly into them.
He had finally broken, he couldn't stop the tears from coming and the loud sobs that came from his mouth. He was trying to desperately breathe in to be able to sob, but ended up hiccuping while doing so.
Your eyes widened as you rushed to him resting your hand on his knees and you kneeling infront of him.
"I cant do fu-fucking anything!" He yelled into his hands.
"Hey! I know. Its okay." You tried to console him.
"Its not I try so hard! And I-"
You cut him off. "You are a hard worker Alex and you deserve a week or two off. Take care of you self babe." You stood up bringing his hand with you and trying to make him stand up. He followed your movements and stood up with you putting his head on your shoulder crying into it.
"I just ca-cant right now!"
"You dont have to do anything right now babe."
"Im sorry!" Alex sobbed.
"Dont be." You said bluntly trying to get your lover to calm down.
You rubbed his back soothingly as he sniffled into your shoulder. "Im sorry for ruining your shirt." He tried to laugh through his tears.
"Dont be sorry! Please. You just need rest okay?" You kissed his forehead and he nodded in response.
Alex raised his head up an started to pepper kisses all over your face as you laughed. He gave you one last peck on the lips as he walked away to quickly change into night clothes. You smiled as he laid underneath the covers and continued to softly cry into his sheets. At least he was in bed and not makijg himself even worse.
He couldn't stop the tears from flowing, it was like a flood that could only be stopped with time. He felt like a boulder was lifted off his shoulders only to be replaced with smaller rocks. The smaller rocks was the guilt he held. He felt guilty of making his lover worry about him, he didnt want you to worry.
You rushed over to his desk and turned off the stream and his computers not even bothering to give them a goodnight or goodbye. After the computer lights were turned off it was quite dark in the room except for small light.
Finally you were where you wanted to be all day, in bed with Alex. But this wasnt the predicament you wanted.
"Forgive me. I just cant do shit right can I?" His eyes were still full of tears and he was getting tired.
"Alex dont listen to anyone but yourself." You tried to console him.
"That's what I'm telling myself."
Silence filled the room as you looked at him through tearful eyes of your own.
"Alex, you're so amazing and I cant even tell you how much I appreciate you, and how much you change my life. You do so much shit right its scary sometimes. Some days I think you're perfect, but there's-"
"There's no such thing as perfect." Alex finished your sentence.
"Exactly! Even the best people have their downfalls, they just dont show it. And Alex I know you struggle with that! All I can say is that I love you for you." You finished.
"Can I talk to you about my dilemmas?" He tried to laugh again.
"Tomorrow we can talk. We both need the rest." You said to him as he closed his eyes and nodded in response. He gave you a kiss on you lips before laying back down to sleep.
"Thank you."
"Thank you
Good night
I hope you're happy"
TRENDING
ARE YOU OKAY
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#SoundCloud#mcyt blurb#mcyt angst#mcyt fluff#mcyt x reader#mcyt headcanons#technowoah!#dream smp x reader#quackity x reader#quackity headcannons#quackityhq x reader#quackity x y/n#quackity x you#mcyt x y/n#mcyt fanfiction#mcyt imagine#quackity imagines#quackity fanfic#alex quackity#dsmp x reader#dsmp headcanon#quackity angst#quackity fluff#mcyt x you#mcyt imagines#inside special!
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lover is a day
a/n: hi pals !! here is a sort of angsty but fluffy fic inspired by another cuco song ! i cant believe tfaws is over i miss them already :[ lyrics in bold ! srry for any typos </3
buckys mind is racing all the time, you’re there to slow him down
word count: 3.1k
masterlist
will you love this part of me?
Bucky tried his damn best to keep you out of the avenging part of his love. He never introduced you to the team, only telling Steve about you and Sam finding out because he stole Buckys phone and you just so happened to call him.
You saw the trends on Twitter, seeing the videos of your boyfriend easily take down seven men in a bar in madripoor. You tried your best to not watch it, knowing he wouldn’t want you to. Curiosity getting the best of you, you clicked the trend, mouth dropping as you saw the way he fought.
His eyes were cold, he moved like it was second nature to him, it was frightening to see how easy it came to him.
You jumped as your phone vibrated, an incoming call from bucky pausing the video. You hesitated before answering, putting on a bright smile and trying to forget what you had just seen.
“hi doll face” Bucky smiled, you heard the thumping of music in the background.
“hi buck, are you at a club?” You questioned, a smile on your face as he let out a sigh, rolling onto his back on the couch he was on.
“I’m at Sharon’s place, she has this whole museum club thing going on” he explained, your eyes wide at the mention of the agent.
“Sharon? like Steve Sharon? Sharon from shield?” You questioned, bucky smiled at your interest, nodding along to your words, quickly replying when he realized you weren’t on FaceTime.
Bucky kept you in the loop, not wanting you to get caught off guard if anything were to happen. He just made sure you were never in danger and no one knew about you, as much as he’d want to shout from the roof just how much he loved you.
“that’s the one, I’ll explain when i get back” he spoke calmly, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands as he put you on speaker.
Bucky talked about some movie he wanted to watch, your mind drifting back to the video, your heart thumping in your ears.
“doll?” He asked, his voice echoing in you room.
“what, sorry i got distracted” you replied, trying to play it off. Bucky frowned, his heart sinking at the realization.
“you saw it” he spoke simply, moving to sit up on the couch again, his eyes focusing on the floor.
You wanted to lie, say you had no idea what he was talking about. But you couldn’t, mouth opening only to close seconds later.
“I never wanted you to see that part of me” he spoke, you stayed quiet, letting him talk.
“Doll, I’m not him anymore i promise” he hesisted, “Zemo made me do it and i didn’t think i would- i just im gonna go” he spoke, hanging up quickly, heart heavy.
Furthering my distance from you
Bucky was never the best at speaking his mind, always too caught up in his own thoughts to say what he felt, thinking it never mattered and he should keep to himself.
You texted him right after, telling him to please take care, that you loved him. He didn’t reply.
It wasn’t for another couple days when he came home, entering quietly trying to not wake you up in case you were asleep already.
He set his bags down softly, entering the room and expecting to find you curled up. Buckys heart raced as he looked up to see you staring at him with a smile on your face, getting off the bed quickly and throwing yourself onto him.
“i missed you so much james” you whispered, squeezing him slightly as your arms wrapped around him.
“y/n i-” he began, pushing you back softly. You let go reluctantly, knowing he wanted his space.
I’m okay as long as you keep me from going crazy
“Bucky, it’s okay” you replied, stopping him from going down a rabbit hole if you didn’t. You looked at him, the light from your bedside lamp only slightly illuminating the room.
“i know thats not you anymore, sometimes you have to do something’s to get stuff and i get that angel” you spoke, looking at him softly, slowly grabbing his hand and squeezing.
“i still love you bucky, with all my heart” you smiled, wishing you could see the way his cheeks flushed at your words.
He looked up from the floor, you could barely making out the way his lips turned up in a small smile.
“do you really?” He whispered, stepping closer so that your faces were only inches apart. You nodded, eyes flickering to his lips after a couple of seconds.
“I love you more doll” he replied, ears burning as you pulled him in for a kiss, holding the collar of his shirt to pull him closer.
You pulled away with a smile on your face, looking at him for a second before throwing your arms around him, holding him tightly. Bucky wrapped his arms around after a second, placing a kiss ontop of your head, never wanting to let you go.
You can’t get by with a lie
Bucky shot up, sweating and breathing heavy, looking over to see you stirring slightly at his movement.
“buck?” You mumbled, eyes still closed as you turned opening them slightly to reach for the super soldier. You placed a gentle hand on his vibranium one, looking at him with your fuzzy vision.
“nightmare?” you mumbled, sitting up and looking at him, his chest still heaving as he shook his head.
“no it- I’m fine” he spoke, “Cmon let’s get back to sleep” he smiled tightly but you shook your head, looking at him sternly.
“James we talked about this, please, talk to me angel” you looked at him, now fully awake and wanting to help bucky through his nightmares. He hesitated, sighing and fiddling with the edge of the blanket.
“okay” he nodded, heart racing as you helped him through his nightmare. You reminded him how he had changed, how he was a new person and he was trying his best to make amends.
“You’re okay, you’re here and you’re free” you spoke, hugging him tightly and stroking his arm soothingly. Bucky nodded, closing his eyes and focusing on your beating heart.
Funny thing about you is you read me pretty well
You clenched your fist, wanting to throw your laptop across the room as your work frustrated you once again. Your breathing was heavier and you let out a small sigh, not wanting to alert bucky.
After a couple more minutes you felt the tears pricking your eyes, squeezing them shut in hopes they would go away.
You got up quickly, heading toward the kitchen to get a drink of water, leaving bucky alone in the room. He turned to look at you, noting how fast you were walking and the way you were breathing shakily.
Bucky gave you a minute, waiting to see if you’d come back. When you didn’t return he followed you, seeing you staring out the cup in your hand with intense focus.
“doll, what’s wrong?” You looked at him, putting a smile on your face and shaking your head.
“I’m fine buck, just thirsty” he frowned, walking towards you and pulling you into his arms.
“i know you too well for that to work on me doll” he sighed, stroking your back softly as you but back tears, finally letting a sob out. “let it out doll I’m here.”
Me and Mr. Heart we say the cutest things about you
Bucky smiled at the way you jumped for joy when you saw a dog in the park, immediately talking his ear off about how you had always wanted your own.
“don’t you think we should adopt? I think we’re at that point y’know?” You smiled, starry eyes as you turned to look at him.
Never in his life had he felt more in love, he thought of how perfect you looked, with slightly messy hair from the wind and a stain on your shirt from the time he accidentally splashed paint on you.
He felt the world around him fade away, focusing only on you and your words, rattling off some facts about people with pets being happier in an effort to convince him.
Bucky thought of the way you had always cared for him, living him with all you were. He thought of how you were the most caring person in the world to him, how you were the most radiant person in the room no matter what.
He loved you so much and all he wanted was to make you happy.
“I’ve always been a cat person” he teased, loving the way you rolled your eyes with a playful smile on your face.
“we could get a cat, they’re calm and sweet” you nodded, taking his hand and pulling him towards the parking lot.
How could bucky say no when you looked so excited?
You held the white cat in your arms a few weeks later, a huge smile on your face as he purred into your touch.
“welcome home alpine” you smiled, setting the cat down and letting him explore.
Buckys heart grew in his chest, you seemed so unreal. You were everything he ever wanted and everything he ever needed. And you were all his.
You looked at bucky, a smile on your face as he picked up the cat, setting him gently on his lap.
“thought you were gonna get us a dog the whole time we were there” he spoke, looking at you as you stared at the pair, standing across the room and putting away some cat food and toys.
“you said you were a cat person” you replied, “plus you’re happy right?” You questioned, walking over and sitting down next to him, reaching out to scratch the back of Alpines ears.
“very happy doll” he smiled, eyes settling on the cat in his lap, wanting to place kisses all over the now sleeping feline.
“then I’m happy that you’re happy” you smiled, kissing his cheek softly, letting your head rest on his shoulder and enjoy the company of your now two favorite boys.
My lover is a day I can’t forget
“Do you remember how we met?” You asked suddenly, bucky smiled as he recalled the memory.
“doll it’s 3 am” he chuckled, the streetlight sneaking in through the curtains as you two lay in bed.
“so you don’t” you huffed, turning so your back would face him. Bucky smiled at your reaction, quickly turning you back around to face him.
“of course i do doll” he replied, a soft smile still on his face, “why?”
“what did you think of me?” You wondered, wiggling a bit to get more comfortable. You had a small smile on your face as he began talking.
“i thought you were too nice, they got your whole order wrong and you still ate the whole thing” he smiled.
Buckys eyes had immediately landed on you when he entered the small diner, seeing you smiling with a couple of your friends.
Steve was insistent on getting him to go to more places and this was #1 on his list.
“so those are my favorites you can always look through the menu though i guess” steve smiled, noticing his friends focus on you.
“thank you!” You smiled at the waitress, taking the dish from her, turning to your friends as soon as she left.
“i didn’t order this” you grumbled, your friends insisting you send it back.
“but what if she’s having a bad day already? and this is the last straw? It’s fine i can just eat it it’ll be fine” you shook your head, taking a bite and making a face.
“send it back y/n!” Your friend persisted and you shook your head, you were so stubborn.
“it’s not that bad!” You smiled, eating the whole thing, “wish it was the other one though” you giggled as your friends rolled their eyes.
Bucky kept glancing over at you, trying to not make it obvious. Steve decided against saying anything, making easy conversation with his best friend.
You hit your friend gently, a blush on your face when your eyes had landed on the two super soldiers.
“okay don’t be obvious” you began, “that’s steve rogers and bucky barnes?” You whispered, your friends all turning and looking at the table.
Bucky had just so happened the be glancing over, making eye contact with you, his face went red as he saw your whole table staring at the pair.
“You were so shy, you didn’t even have the guts to say hi” he teased and you punched him softly.
“you didn’t say anything either in my defense” you smiled, fiddling with his dog tags.
You turned back quickly, slapping a hand on your face as your friends laughed. “I said don’t be obvious did i not!”
“didn’t you say you would die for him? You talk about him almost everyday” your friend teased and you hit her, face burning.
“shut up! they’re super soldiers what if they hear you” you snuck a glance at their table, seeing the way bucky had a small smirk on his face and Steve was holding back a laugh.
“i hate you guys, i really do” you mumbled, “should i say sorry? I feel like i should say sorry right?”
“You just want an excuse to give that man sex eyes” another one of your friends spoke up and you rolled your eyes.
You snuck a glance at bucky making eye contact, you gave a small smile which he happily returned, waving slightly. You waved back, quickly turning back to your friends as your heart raced.
You and your friends paid and left not long after, Steve and bucky following a couple minutes after. You said your goodbyes in the parking lot, giving them tight hugs.
“you sure you don’t want a ride?” They had asked and you shook your head, waving her off as you walked to the bus stop down the street, sitting on the bench and scrolling through your social media mindlessly.
You looked up as someone sat next to you, giving them a small smile before realizing it was bucky. Your eyes went wide and you froze, eyes focused on your now locked phone. You could hear your heartbeat in your ears.
You glanced at bucky, face flushing when you made eye contact.
“you were so charming, i still don’t understand how you could be so calm” you spoke, looking at him as he let out a snort.
“i was shitting myself the whole time doll” he laughed, “I’m surprised i didn’t fuck up the moment i opened my mouth.”
“I’m bucky” he smiled, extending his had for you to shake. You smiled back, shaking his hand before replying, “I’m y/n.”
You were quiet for a second before turning to face him again, “I’m sorry for my friends in the diner, they can be a bit much” you chuckled, fiddling with your phone in your hands.
“don’t worry ‘bout it, I’m flattered honestly” he replied and you cocked your head.
“oh?” You replied, confused at his response.
“I mean to have a pretty girl like you thinking about me? An honor really” he spoke smoothly, a charming smile on his face as he looked at you.
“i- well- uh, thank you?” You let out a breathy laugh, and he smiled at you, moving onto another topic of conversation.
Next thing you knew the two of you were sat together on the bus, laughing as you two exchanged stories and talked about your interests.
“this is my stop” you frowned, not wanting to end the conversation yet. Buckys heart raced, debating on wether or not he should make a move or not. Steve would surely have his head on a spike if he didn’t.
“i- well, if you want i can walk you, it’s dark and i don’t want you in any danger” he spoke, stumbling in his words.
“I’d love that buck” you smiled and he looked at you with a grin on his face, following you out of the bus.
The evening air was cool, it felt nice against your flushed skin, a smile on both of your faces as you walked towards your apartment. The sound of your laughter filling the open air.
You arrived at your apartment building, exchanging numbers and saying goodbye, already looking forward to see each other next time.
“can’t believe you walked me back” you giggled, butterflies in your stomach as you remembered how flirty he was that night.
“i never told you but i had actually driven to the place” bucky blushed, “Steve had been busy earlier so we met up there” he laughed as your mouth flew open.
“so you had to go all the way back to get your car?!” Bucky smiled bashfully, “you even paid to take the bus!” You squealed, sitting up quickly and leaning against the headboard.
“I wasn’t gonna let public transportation stand between me and the love of my life!” Bucky replied quickly, sitting up next to you.
“you barely knew me!”
“i wanted to get to know you! that was the whole point” he shot back, a smile on his face when he noticed how flustered you were.
“you did all that for me” you looked at him fondly and he nodded.
“and I’d do so much more for you now” Bucky smiled, kissing your cheek softly before moving to your jaw and then your lips.
“I love you so much doll” he whispered, pulling you into his arms. You let him wrap himself around you, holding you closely to his chest.
“i love you more lovely” you replied, placing a soft kiss on his bicep. He held you for a couple more moments before letting go, letting you move back to his side and lay on his chest.
“you do so much for me doll, you keep me grounded, you make me happy, you keep me from going crazy, wish i could do the same” he mumbled, his fingers scratching at your scalp and making your eyes flutter shut.
“you do all that and more for me too james, you just never realize” you whispered, yawning as he continued his movements.
“how about we go to sleep, and I’ll tell you all tomorrow just how much you do for me, yeah?” You mumbled, opening your eyes slightly. Bucky nodded, laying down and getting comfortable, moving so that he could spoon you, draping an arm around your waist and pulling you to his chest.
“goodnight lover boy” you mumbled, he smiled at the nickname.
“goodnight dollface” he whispered, kissing your neck softly before closing his eyes, hearing alpines soft purring from across the room.
#bucky barnes#bucky barnes fluff#bucky barnes imagine#bucky barnes x reader#bucky barnes x you#bucky barnes x y/n#bucky barnes drabble#bucky barnes one shot#bucky barnes fanfiction#soft Bucky Barnes#flirty Bucky Barnes#bucky barnes angst#bucky x you#bucky x reader#bucky imagine#bucky fluff#bucky angst
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you cant go back (3)
warnings: panic, miscommunication, trafficking, non-consensual drug use, suicidal thoughts, food, mentions of torture, cliffhanger, these tags make it sound worse than it is tbh
-
When Virgil first opened his eyes, jerked out of sleep by sharp instinctual alarm, he’d thought for a moment that he was still dreaming.
It was the same face, after all, even with how frighteningly close it was, even with a vastly different expression painted across it. He’d been confused, almost relieved-- had they gotten away after all?-- and then he’d realized just what the Deathworlder had in their arms.
He’d lunged and come up short, forced to watch as the Human kept their arms locked around Patch even as the creature made unhappy little noises he’d never heard from it before.
It was so small compared to the Human, easily tucked under an arm and managed regardless of protests. Did they have no respect for the deadly grace of the other creatures on this planet?
They’d circled him from a distance, ignoring his warning twitches and outright hisses as thoroughly as they ignored Patch, and all he could do was watch, locked in place, hoping that Human prey drive wasn’t as high as all the rumors said.
And then the Human had left, taking Patch with them, and Virgil had been left to watch their fading heat signature and pray to Seryl that whatever the Human did would be quick. For both of them.
It wasn’t that easy, of course. The Human wanted something from him, badly.
He thought he had a fair idea of what-- or rather, who-- it was.
After all, he’d seen a near-perfect mirror of them, sitting bound and muzzled in their transfer ship’s holding cell where a Human absolutely shouldn’t be. Leond and her Second had been unnaturally gleeful for rotations before Virgil finally found out about the ‘successful pickup’, namely through stumbling across it by doing the routine security and safety checks that he didn’t trust the rest of these idiots to do themselves.
They’d cut him off before he could get to a comm to tell Janus, cornered him in the tight cell block hall, and offered him a deal: his silence for a cut of the immense earnings they would make from renting out a Human to any and all fighting rings.
He remembered the way the Human’s gaze had flickered between him and the others curiously as he argued, the way they’d struggled to bare their teeth derisively at Leond, even through the bars of their muzzle and the haze of whatever they’d been drugged with. It was one of the last things he’d seen before he’d ‘made a fuss’ big enough that his own crew had tranq’d him and ditched him on-planet to die.
“You’re right,” Leond had said, face smooth in the way that meant smug satisfaction for her species. “We haven’t fulfilled our half of the exchange, have we? We took an alien from that planet, so it’s only fair that we leave one behind.”
His limbs had been defensively raised since the beginning of the argument, but Virgil had fought side by side with these people before. They knew how to guard his blind spots, which meant that they knew his blind spots.
The Human had tried to speak through the muzzle, just before he’d heard the discharge sound of a tranq gun too close to dodge. He thought it might have been an attempted warning.
It hadn’t changed anything. He’d been the only one on that ship who’d opposed the Human’s abduction, and as a reward, he was going to be slowly interrogated to death by one of their clutchmates. The level of cruel irony was like something from one of Jan’s stupid operas.
Virgil felt another shudder of exhaustion. Stars, he hoped Janus would get out of there once he realized what they’d brought back. His best friend knew better than to fuck with Humans, and the crew clearly wasn’t going to listen to any interplanetary ethics lectures, so the best thing he could do was skip town. Better to rebuild than fall with the nest.
He hadn’t slept after the Human had left, flipping to his heat sensor vision and watching all night for their return, unable to relax after one of the most unpleasant awakenings of his life. And if it meant he didn’t dream about what could have happened to Patches, all the better.
The next day had come, and the Human returned, wielding that dull stick and asking more angry questions that Virgil couldn’t understand, let alone respond to.
The thing was, given enough time and exposure, he actually would be able to understand the specifics of what was wanted from him.
Like most long-term interstellar travelers, he had a Lator implant, and the more the Human talked at him, the more linguistic patterns and trends would be picked up and catalogued, making it much easier for him to put the pieces together.
Unfortunately, time wasn’t something he had an excess of.
Janus would have figured out at least the basics by now; in addition to being better with words, he’d gotten a more recent, effective upgrade to the implant’s software. Virgil had turned the offer down for himself, knowing that they needed to save money where they could, and figuring that he didn’t really need it. His job was to defend Janus. His First could handle the talking part of their missions on his own with ease, the chatterbox that he was.
It had seemed obvious at the time. A lot of good that logic was doing him now.
The Human said something at him, flashing his bone-white teeth as he spoke. Humans didn’t have guard plates over their mouths at all, and so every time this one turned to him, he felt as though they were either acting sickeningly overfamiliar or that they might lunge forward and try to bite him at any moment. He’d carefully kept his own plates locked, not willing to expose any teeth and have it mistaken for a challenge.
The Human was waiting expectantly. Virgil took a deep breath and replied, the same as he had every time he could, though he doubted Humans had access to translator implants.
“I am not here to harm anyone. I was abandoned here against my will. I can’t understand what you’re saying,” he recited in Guard-tongue, keeping the sentences brief and repetitive for easy translation pattern recognition.
The Human wasn’t extending him the same courtesy, his own sentences long-winded and full of unfamiliar concepts that kept tripping up the Lator programming. References, probably.
There was one Human word that he’d figured out fairly early on: Brother.
Clutchmate, family, the lookalike that was probably long gone by now.
He was almost glad that he couldn’t speak coherently. As it was, he didn’t have to be the one to break the news.
Almost, because the Human was stubbornly finding new and creative ways to freak him the hell out with each visit.
First, they’d figured out fairly quickly that he was slowly starving.
Virgil had flooded his plates right to pitch on their first meeting, and hadn’t been calm enough to stop the defensive reaction since, which had quickly drained what little hydration stores he’d had left. Between the drying out of his plates and the fact that he’d gotten too worked up and blacked out for a moment during an interrogation, his fading health wasn’t exactly subtle.
He’d panicked, because any enemy knowing his weakness was generally pretty fucking bad, let alone an enemy with personal motive and ability to twist that weakness like a knife in the spine.
The Human had verbally freaked out (a regular occurrence) and vanished for a while, before returning to the barn with an entire array of items (not a regular occurrence). They’d set the items out on flat fiber ‘plates’ and then slid them into range with that stupid stick.
Virgil had stabbed a few of them on principle before realizing that this was food, aided by the Human rolling his eyes pointedly-- a derisive gesture, he’d gathered-- and eating something from a plate of their own.
At that point, Virgil had been willing to risk poison. The way he saw it, he either died, or he ate something, and either way it meant stopping the slow, aching pain eating away at the pit of his stomach.
He’d even been willing to tolerate the Human staring at him, since apparently they didn’t have the manners to not watch a stranger eat. Or that wasn’t a thing on this planet. It didn’t really matter.
After a significant amount of time spent using his auxiliary limbs to delicately maneuver Human produce and meats into inspection range, he settled for what smelled the least concerning, avoiding any that smelled or looked too bright to be safe.
(The scrunched-up look the Human had given him after he’d crunched an egg in his throat had been hard to interpret, though.)
Anything he could safely ingest, he’d eaten. After the Human left, he’d even attempted the indignity of trying to lift the bowl of water in range with wobbly limbs, though he’d almost immediately spilled the majority of it all over himself. It didn’t matter, he could pull any and all hydration from what he’d eaten, though he didn’t dare get used to it.
This wasn’t his first time above the nest, and he hadn’t fooled himself into believing that this shocking show of generosity would last. The Human had only done it to make sure that their hostage wouldn’t keel over.
Starvation and dehydration were more-than-effective methods of hands-off torture, after all, and the Human really only needed to give him enough to keep him alive.
The impending mistreatment shouldn’t have shaken him as much as it did. He had the advantage of the Human’s ignorance on how much Chelcerae ate, and his own resilience, developed from years of scraping by on the barest of rations. He was lucky, really, to be one of the species with a water-storing organ.
Still, he spent the night wondering if it was worth it to keep fighting. There was no escape, so wouldn’t it be better to go out on his own terms, before anything truly horrendous could happen to him?
Probably. The real question was: would he have the fortitude to turn down food all the way to a slow and painful death-via-starvation?
He wasn’t sure, and he continued to be resentful of the fact that he even had to make such a choice all the way up until the next day, when the Human walked in with a plate covered in everything he’d eaten yesterday and slid it over to him, simple as anything.
“What?” the Human snapped after a moment of Virgil watching them for any indication of what to do, and he’d hurriedly flickered his heat sensor eyes in hopes of placating any offense. The Human had grumbled indistinctly, but didn’t attempt to remove the plate or even threaten to do so.
The next day was the same. Though the Human continued to try and interrogate and occasionally intimidate him, the food and drink was provided without stipulation or hesitation. It was… strange.
Virgil refused to read into it. Perhaps Humans just had meals so frequently that skipping a single day would be as barbaric as weeks of starvation for Chelcerae. Maybe once the Human had enough of his noncompliance, they were going to feast on his flesh and didn’t want a stringy meal. It was impossible to know.
The generous feeding schedule was nothing, though, compared to some of the other questionable tendencies the Human had.
They traversed the grounds in and around the barn with little wariness, apparently quite confident in their ability to defend themself on the Deathworld they’d grown up on. They brushed insects and plant matter alike off their person with little care for poisons or bites.
Their body language seemed to consist of every threat display in the wayfarer guidebook, and worse, only a quarter of these threat displays seemed intentional. Virgil was constantly tense, attempting to figure out which were intended to cow him, and how to keep his own body language from worsening the damage. Any signal of terrified compliance, even the obvious tremor of his auxiliary limbs, only seemed to prompt wariness and confusion from the Human.
They’d found his helmet and immediately put it on, which had made his fuzz prickle with hope for a moment, before remembering that the reserve battery of the headset was well and truly dead. No emergency translators for the Human, and no upturns in luck for Virgil.
Maybe it was better. Even if the Human could talk to him, he would seem just as guilty for their brother’s disappearance in their eyes. It wasn’t even an accusation he could reasonably defend against; if things had gone differently, if he’d made smarter choices, maybe he could have gotten the captured Human free.
Janus would have managed it. He’d always been a quicker mind than Virgil.
It’d been three days since the Human had found him, and Virgil had barely managed to parse a handful of imperatives and nouns from someone who was basically just yelling the same things at him over and over.
“You can’t ---- the ---- ---------, you ----- --------! I ---- what I ---- and --- ----- to it!” the Human yelled, essentially proving his point. Virgil resisted the urge to let his chin drop down to his collar in exhausted resignation.
It was difficult to focus past the old pains from the fight with Leond, and the new pains from being strapped upright for days on end. Even if he could bring himself to pay closer attention, it wouldn’t make it easier to parse words he had no context for. Lator technology worked best when both parties were exchanging words, or at the very least, when there was more than one native speaker prattling on at you!
The Human inhaled to continue and then froze, prompting Virgil to slink his shoulders up slightly, something that had worked to show his non-aggression once or twice before. The Human wasn’t focused on him, though, whirling around to face the barn doors with their body rigid.
Because he’d never been good at uncertainty, Virgil flicked his heat-sensor eyes open just as another Human-sized mass reached the doors, moving in a predator’s stalk.
Well, he thought as the door creaked open, I’m screwed.
#sanders sides#sanders sides fic#alien au#humans are space orcs#ts virgil#ts roman#ycgb#you cant go back#my writing#writing#space au#sorry for the late posting my nap ran long#food tw
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Seeing Red | bodyguard!Bucky Barnes x reader (part 7)
(part 1) (part 2) (part 3) (part 4) (part 5) (part 6)
series summary: bucky used to brag that he didn’t have a celebrity crush, or really care about famous people at all, which is what made him the perfect person to start working for a celebrity like yourself. except, of course, it’s just his luck that he’d fall for you.
word count: 2.5k
warnings: um just implied smut and fluff and a reference to bdsm I guess?? but it's pretty chill overall
Liked by starkcosmetics and others
y/n.y/l/n okay first of all, it takes an act of god to get a picture of this guy smiling, but it’s always worth it. he really changed everything for me and I can’t thank him enough for that. so happy ❤️
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caroldanvers 😍😍😍
flowercrowny/n oh my god this is so sweet i’m gonna cry
1 HOUR AGO
He smiled as he stared down at the post you’d made, remembering how much effort you’d put into finding the perfect picture (in your opinion; he thought he looked kinda dopey in it) as well as writing and re-writing your caption.
The speed at which your post gained likes and comments was inconceivable to him; even more impressive was the speed at which gossip rags were picking up the story. Sure enough, his phone’s alerts to new headlines about you were not only going off like crazy, but had started to include news about himself as well.
Y/N Y/L/N Shocks With Romantic Instagram Post, Confirms Dating Rumors
You’ll Never Guess Which Hollywood Starlet Is Dating Her Driver
Who is James Barnes? Everything We Know About Y/N Y/L/N’s New Beau
Skimming one of the articles, he was impressed at how much information they’d managed to get without actually getting anything from you or him. Born in Brooklyn, disabled Army veteran, worked a list of odd jobs before becoming your driver and bodyguard. ‘No social media presence, prefers to keep a low profile’ one of them said; you can say that again, Bucky chuckled to himself when he read it.
He found another from People and didn’t particularly appreciate that it spent half the time going through all your past exes and rumored partners (turned out ‘rumored’ is a fancy word for ‘a bunch of fans deluded themselves so hard that it somehow turned into news without any proof necessary’). But he still smiled when he got to the part that was actually about you and him.
‘The relationship is pretty new but they’re so happy together,’ a source close to the couple reported.
Close indeed; that statement came from your publicist, who he’d never even meet.
‘He’s a very private guy and she’s got this huge following, so they’re sort of an odd couple in that way, but she knows her fans are respectful and will let them have their own life outside of the spotlight.’
Bucky wasn’t sure that the respectfulness of fans was such a given here, but he hoped you were right. To be fair, they’d been very sweet on your original post insofar.
However, when he scrolled to the bottom of the celebrity magazine articles and realized they had their own comments section, he discovered that they were a little less forgiving than the ones on your Instagram.
Is this the best she thinks she can do? So sad tbh :(
a military guy…. yikes, she could get any guy she wants and she goes for a murderer.
He looks like a hobo that found a coupon for a free haircut lol
I don’t buy it, I know she’ll always love Pietro!
Pietro being your former co-star that so many of your fans were convinced was actually your soulmate. From what he’d heard from you, those speculations had made things so uncomfortable between the two of you that it killed your friendship. Those were nothing, though, compared to the comments about someone you actually had dated.
she’s obviously not over sam… they were so good together
He’d better watch out for her ex, he still likes tweets about her and they have so much chemistry
Wait, she’s not still with Sam Wilson?? I could’ve sworn they’d been dating for, like, five years.
You were scrolling through your phone with a smile as you walked past where he was sitting on the couch, and he just couldn’t help himself from asking even though he knew it wasn’t the best idea. “Do I need to worry about this Sam thing?” he blurted out, trying to play it cool and not sound too anxious. “People are really obsessed with you two…”
“Sam and I…” you sighed, staring off into space for a second. He made himself anxious imagining what you were thinking about in that moment. “I haven’t talked to him in… years? I think it’s just because our relationship was so public that people are still talking about it. And it had a lot of gossip material— we did a movie together, people thought it was sweet that we got together during production, it was great promotion for the picture… and from the outside, we made a lot of sense for each other. But he has his own problems. I loved him, but… he wasn’t ever going to be a one-girl kinda guy.”
“But you’re not just any one girl. You’re… you know, you,” he emphasized.
“You’ve been reading too many headlines,” you shook your head as you sat down beside him. “Please don’t turn into one of those guys who thinks of me as a celebrity first. Before that—” you pointed to your own name where it was bolded on his screen in the trending topics page of Twitter— “was popping up on movie posters and in gossip magazines, it was just my name. And I’m not perfect. Not even close.”
Bucky sighed and wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into him and holding you tightly. “And before I knew you were famous, or rich, or incredibly talented, I was totally obsessed with you just for who you are.”
“You’re too fucking amazing,” you sighed as you held his face and gave him a gentle kiss— the kind of kiss that instantly melted his heart and banished his worries. When you pulled back and looked up at him with a smile, it was like everything else just… faded away. “Don’t read the comments, okay? None of them matter.”
He smiled and brushed his thumb over your cheek, overwhelmed by not only the softness of your skin but of your spirit as well. In all his life he’d never been handled so… gently, with so much care. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me,” he mumbled, not even really realizing he’d said it aloud until you gave him a beaming smile.
“I can’t believe you’re my boyfriend,” you giggled pridefully.
“Seriously? I can… very easily believe it,” he scoffed.
“I just mean… you’re so…” you searched for the words. “You’re actually good to me, that’s the thing. I’m not used to that.”
“You deserve the world,” he assured. “I’m just gonna keep trying to give you as much of it as I can find.”
He watched his hand trail over your face, down your neck and to your chest where he played with the hem of your t-shirt.
"It's odd to know there are millions of people who are jealous of me,” he admitted quietly, remembering some aggressive comments from some very angry dudes who had apparently also watched your nude scene a few too many times.
"Do you like it? Do you like how it feels to know you're making them angry every time you touch me?"
"Couldn't care less," he refuted. "Nobody else matters when I'm touchin' you."
“Do you maybe wanna… touch me a little more about it?” you smirked, opening your legs slightly in invitation.
“Always.”
//
Bucky had, thankfully, not let the newfound fame get to his head. In fact, he had demanded that the two of you hunker down in the house, since he feared that going out would lead to being recognized. What he apparently hadn’t anticipated was that that might not be enough.
“Will you get that?” you requested when the gate buzzed, too wrapped up in the book you were reading to answer the intercom.
He hopped up and held down the button to communicate with the gate speaker. “Who is it?” he asked.
“I’ve got a delivery from Anjappar Chettinad on 23rd?”
Bucky didn’t even reply before hitting the green button and granting access to the driveway. BEEP BEEP BEEP! you heard the gate signal its opening, and the car pulling around up to the door. Bucky didn’t open it until there was a knock, greeting the delivery guy with a smile and the necessary cash.
“I’ve got a lamb korma, hyderabadi mutton dum biryani and an order of— woah,” the man suddenly stopped, staring at Bucky’s face. “Are you—?’
“Hungry? Yes,” he frowned.
“You’re the guy dating— holy shit, congrats man,” he beamed, smacking Bucky on the shoulder pridefully before leaning in with a mischievous smirk. “Say, is she a freak or what?”
“She is,” you piped up from the couch, making both men turn their heads; but one was chuckling while the other looked mortified. “You better not have forgotten my paneer pakora or I’m gonna chain you up and whip you.”
“Uh, I— no, I got it right here,” he promised weakly, handing the bag over to Bucky and starting to dash away before Bucky grabbed his arm, making the smaller man whimper fearfully.
“You forgot the money,” Bucky reminded him gruffly, stuffing the bills into the driver’s front pocket.
Finally, he let go, and the delivery man instantly pulled away, rubbing his arm and looking a bit like a kicked puppy as he went back to his car and drove away.
“You didn’t need to scare him that bad,” Bucky chuckled.
“I could say the same to you! Grabbing somebody with the metal arm like that will put the fear of God into them pretty fast.”
“I didn’t mean to grab him that hard,” he admitted, examining the prosthetic hand as he came back to the couch with the bag of food, handing it to you while he focused on watching his motorized fingers curl and uncurl. “I think I need to get this thing recalibrated… it’s been bugging out lately.”
“I dunno, it was working just fine last night,” you smiled, remembering how delightfully cool those fingers felt inside you.
Bucky seemed to miss it entirely, though, as he stared off into space. “I can’t believe I got… recognized.”
“You’re a star,” you winked. “And not just with random delivery drivers. I’ve had a lot of press requests, everybody wants to be the first one to get nice pictures of us together— we’ve had a dozen event invites as a couple.”
“Seriously?!” he scoffed, snapping back to reality slightly enough
“Yeah, and look what came in same-day mail this morning!” You leaned over to shuffle through the mail on the side table before finding and handing him a letter in a gold-embossed envelope, watching him read what you knew was inside.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association extends an invitation to Y/N Y/L/N and James Barnes to the annual Grant Banquet in support of the Young Artists Fund.
“It seems like a good first event for us,” you explained. “Relatively small and low stakes, it’s for a good cause…”
“Are you sure I’m ready to be, you know… seen? By people?”
You scoffed, hardly believing how insecure he could be sometimes. “You look great, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Will I have to talk to anybody other than you?” he asked, grimacing as if that were a form of brutal torture.
“Probably,” you admitted.
His frown deepened. “What if I say the wrong thing?”
“I’m not that worried about you,” you smirked. “You’re a lot better at this stuff than you think you are.”
“I don’t have anything to wear…”
You smirked, a little too proud of yourself, when you remembered the email your publicist had forwarded to you just this morning. “Hugo Boss will pay you $1500 to wear one of their suits on the carpet.”
“They’ll pay me to wear free clothes?” he repeated with wide eyes.
“Yeah, that’s one of the cooler things about fame,” you laughed. “I make a grand every time I wear this watch outside!”
“I guess I should send them my measurements then…” he trailed off. “Any chance I can get in on that watch deal?”
“No, but you can make $50 by getting papped at Jamba Juice.”
He paused for a moment, scratching the back of his neck as he thought. “Is the smoothie comped?”
“I don’t know. Do you want me to ask?”
“...kinda…” he admitted with a shy smile.
“Well, I will, and I’ll RSVP to this invite saying we’ll be there next week,” you decided as you started to open up the food, but Bucky stopped you by reaching for your hands.
“Are we really doing this?” he asked.
“If you want to,” you mitigated.
“Of course I do. I guess I have to accept that you’re actually willing to be seen with me,” he chuckled. “It’s just sort of hard to believe.”
You leaned in and kissed him; it was meant to be a casual, reassuring peck but he held you closer and you melted into him, moaning softly at his touch as you started to climb into his lap.
“The food’s gonna get cold,” he reminded you with a mumble against your lips.
Unfortunately, your literal hunger was a bit too strong to ignore, even with the growing intensity of a metaphorical hunger for Bucky. “Alright,” you relented, getting off of him and returning your attention to the meal on the table. “Just know that I really, really want to be seen together, in public, just in case anybody missed the news about us already. I’m not embarrassed by you or afraid you’re going to do something dumb. I…”
One of those words that can’t be unsaid started to bubble up in your throat and you coughed, banishing the thought.
“I really like you. I think we have something special.”
He smiled gently, giving you one more kiss on the cheek. “I think so, too.”
//
Since this was slightly less of a big deal than a premiere or press tour, you had managed to convince your styling team to let you dress yourself, which was why he was laying on the bed and talking to you through the bathroom door while you put on your gown.
“Do you want me to hire a new driver?” you prompted him, voice muffled slightly as he imagined your head covered in the fabric, trying to navigate through the dress. “I don’t want you to feel… I don’t know, like a servant?”
“A servant? You’re still paying me,” he reminded you. “You are still paying me, right?”
“Yes,” you laughed, “but still, I would hate it if you felt like staff. You’re my boyfriend!”
(His heart still fluttered every time you said it.)
“No new driver,” he decided. “I can drive just fine, and considering how things went between us… let’s not open the door for anybody else,” he smirked, making you laugh in that way you did when he made a stupid joke but you still liked it somehow.
“Okay, sure, but what about being my bodyguard? Is that too weird?” you continued.
“God no,” he scoffed, “if anything I’m gonna be better at my job than ever. As your boyfriend, keeping you safe is my job, but since keeping you safe was already my job… it’s, like, doubled-up now.”
He lost his train of thought when you opened the door.
“How do I look?” you asked as you stepped in and gave him a spin in your new dress. Your whole body was draped in red silk, with the exception of your back which was almost entirely exposed, as if it were begging him to run his fingers down your spine.
“Like everything I ever wanted,” he blurted out before he could stop himself.
And it was so odd that you questioned his desire to drive you, because those moments where he could steer with one hand and rest the other on your thigh, when he could catch a glimpse of you looking out the window at the city rolling by, when he got to listen to you ramble about something to kill the time during a drive; those were his favorite moments, and he wouldn’t trade them for anything.
After a relatively brief trip, you arrived at the venue, and all of a sudden he was doing what he’d fantasized about more than he’d like to admit: escorting you down a red carpet. It was almost overwhelming— yelling, chattering, reporters speaking into camera, flashes going off in every direction—
“Hey,” you whispered, bringing your hand up to his cheek and instantly taking all his attention.
“Hey,” he returned.
“Just follow my lead,” you instructed.
“That was the plan.”
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Demolition Lovers (Hargreeves x sibling!reader)
Summary: Klaus and Y/N helps their brother, Luther find a perfect date.
Title Reference: Demolition Lovers x My Chemical Romance
Word Count: 1.6k words
Warning: swearing, mention of sex
✤ · ✤ · ✤ · ✤ · ✤
It was a typical day at the Hargeeves mansion. Klaus and I hanging out as we lay across the couch next to each other, scrolling through our social media and sharing celebrity gossips that was trending that day.
Diego would then barge in, bothering us to get up and be productive but then end up eaves dropping and joining our conversation.
Then we'd have Vanya that'll feed us our daily snacks. She was like a mama bird; Hearing the rest of us complaining and bickering then feeds us the goodies to shut our mouth. It honestly worked every time and now I start to wonder if that was her trick all along.
After our snack was nap time, where Klaus and I would lay there for two to five hours, usually get up when the sun was down. Then we would plan our night, typically out for dinner or a night out if it was the weekend.
But our schedule, our precious paradise time was ruined by the one and only. Luther Hargreeves.
It wasn't supposed to be this way; Allison would go out to run errands, Ben worked all day like the responsible man that he was, and Five would just be Five, roaming town and doing God knows what. Luther would be home to research and dig through dad's old stuff.
Today however, wasn't the case.
He instead came in during mine and Klaus' precious nap time, groaning and yappin' about some girl on an app. Didn't know why he had to do this in the family room but there he was.
'Do you not see us sleeping here?' I complained as I lifted my head from the pillow, trying not to move a lot so that Klaus could stay asleep.
'Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to be loud.' He apologized as he stared at his phone, depressed and upset.
Klaus rolled his eyes. 'Well you are and you're still here.'
Luther froze in place, continuing to stare at the screen. Klaus and I looked at each other, nudging one another to see who was going to talk to him first.
The both of us got up, sitting down side to side as we looked at Luther and back at each other. Klaus seemed like he was unbothered, so I sighed and broke the silence. 'What's wrong buddy?'
'Nothing.' Luther frowned.
Squinting my eyes, I grabbed the pillow from the couch and threw it on Luther's head. 'You bitch! You woke us up from our nap and you're going to say "nothing" is bothering you?'
'Ow!' Luther rubbed his head. 'Okay, okay. Damn. It's this girl on tinder, she doesn't want to go on a date with me.'
'Well, what did you tell her? Did you say something stupid?'
Luther got up, 'See. This is why I didn't want to tell you guys becau-'
'Sorry, sorry.' I stood up and pulled Luther back onto the couch. 'Mind if I see the conversation?'
His face immediately turned red, 'Uhm. Do you have to?'
'If you want me to figure out why she's turning you down, yeah.'
Hesitantly, he pulled up the messages he had with the girl and then passed me the phone. Scrolling through the messages, I shook my head. 'Luther, she's DTF.'
'Yeah, I know that's why I don't understand why she turned me down. She brought it up first.'
Klaus blinked, 'What do you think DTF stands for?'
By the look on Luther's face, I knew he was confused. He looked over at the ceiling, thinking for a while before he replied to Klaus. 'Don't tell me I was wrong this whole time.'
'So what do you think it says?'
'Uhm... Date This Friday?'
Klaus awed, shaking his head as he left my side and took a seat next to him. He wrapped his arms around Luther, 'Buddy. No. That's not what it stands for. But that's cute of you.'
'Wait, huh? So this whole time me and her were on the wrong page? What did she mean then?'
'She wanted to fuck you.' I blurted, I felt bad that Luther was so confused. 'It stands for Down To Fuck.'
It was a dead giveaway that he had no clue what his whole conversation really meant, his whole face turned redder than ever. He buried his face into his hands. 'Oh no.'
'I didn't think you were talking to girls, honestly.' Klaus chuckled. 'You clearly got game, your noggin is just a little... outdated.'
'I got what? Game? No, I just deleted Candy Crush, it was too addicting.'
Klaus kept his laugh in, curling his lips as he slowly nodded back at his brother. 'Oh my gosh.'
✤ · ✤ · ✤ · ✤ · ✤
It had been about two weeks, helping Luther get a dream girl that he deserved. Despite Luther being the annoying sibling, he had been there for me countless times and I wanted nothing but the best for him.
We've tried talking to the girls on the app, few weren't looking for anything serious, some trolling in the messages. After constant matching and messaging, Luther found someone he potentially saw a relationship with.
'Did you check your message from Claire yet?' Klaus asked.
'No. I'm kind of nervous, actually.' Luther laughed a little under his breath, shaking his legs as he gripped onto his phone.
Resting my hand on his shoulder, I reassured him. 'Don't be nervous, I'm sure she said yes to your date.'
Luther sighed, turning on his phone and scrolling through his messages. As his face lit up, he jumped off his seat. 'She said yes!'
Klaus got up and cheered, hugging Luther tightly. 'I knew it! So what time and where?'
'Ah- Uhm. Why... do you need to know?' Luther paused.
'Cause we're coming to watch.'
'No, no, no. I don't need you two spying on me. I'm already nervous as it is.'
'Yeah, Klaus let's just let him be. He's a big boy now.'
'But-'
'Let's give him the space he needs, Luther definitely needs his alone time with his girl.'
Klaus rolled his eyes, 'Okay. Have fun and tell me everything when you get home.'
A smile hasn't fade away since he saw the text; He was grinning widely than ever, never seen him this happy in my entire life. 'This is going to be so awesome!'
'Good luck buddy.' I smiled as I watch him do his little happy dance going up the stairs to get ready.
Klaus groaned, crossing his arms and pouting like a little child. 'Why can't we go spy on Luther?'
'But we are. I just wanted him to think we weren't.' I wanted nothing but the best for Luther, if it meant that he was going to have a perfect night with his perfect date, I was going to be protective of my brother.
'Perfect! I need to get my spy gear on.'
✤ · ✤ · ✤ · ✤ · ✤
With the binocular in my hands, I looked into the restaurant Luther picked for the both of them. 'Oh my gosh, he looks so cute with his little bow tie.'
Luther was blushing, talking nervously with Claire. It seemed like it was going well, no awkward moment or embarrassing moment between them.
I looked over at Klaus, who was being too quiet next to me in the passenger's seat. He had a rather thick file in his hand. 'What are you reading?'
'Claire's life.' Klaus chuckled. 'She's smart as hell, really pretty. I'd say we did a pretty good job helping Luther.'
'How did you get a file on her life?'
Klaus smiled innocently, 'Ah. I followed Diego into his ex's job and got Ben to steal it for me.'
'You what?' I leaned my head back, staring at the car ceiling as I sighed. 'Klaus, Eudora is my friend. If she finds out that you stole someone's files from the police department, she'd hate me.'
'My bad, Y/N. If it makes you feel better, Ben rejected me a bunch of times. I made a deal with him that he could take over my body for three hours for the files.'
'Whatever.' Looking through the binoculars again, I asked him another question. 'So you didn't ask Diego to get it for you?'
Klaus shook his head. 'Nah, if I ever told him I knew he'd want to come with us to stalk Luther. I wanted some Klaus Y/N alone time.'
'Aw.' I said but immediately stopped. 'Are you saying this to make me forgive you?'
'Is it working?'
'Depends how the night goes.' After a sarcastic smile, I snatched the file off of his hand. 'Why did you want to steal this anyway?'
'You ask so many questions.'
'I know.'
It was rare for Klaus to do "the responsible thing", that was more of a me, Allison or Five's criteria. I couldn't think of a possible reason why he'd go out of his way to take a file to investigate on this girl.
'It's Luther, you know. I wanted to make sure he was going out with someone that won't screw him over again.'
'That's the nicest thing you've ever said.'
'Luther better appreciate this because I'm not going to jail for this shit.'
I smiled at my brother. 'Don't worry. I gotchu.'
A loud scream came from the entrance of the restaurant, Luther approaching us quickly as he eyed the both of us.
'Duck!' I yelled at Klaus as we tried to hide ourselves from his sight.
'Don't bother. I saw you guys from the restaurant!' Luther said as he knocked on the window. 'Why are you guys here? You told me you wouldn't come.'
'I know, I know.' I rolled the window down and squealed as I reached for his bow tie. 'I just couldn't resist! You look so adorable, brother.'
He grunted, 'Stop. Guys go home, you're going to ruin this date with the woman that I love.'
'Woah! Love!?' Klaus and I said in sync.
Luther covered his mouth. He mumbled into his hand. 'Pretend I didn't say that!'
'Pretend?' I laughed, 'Luther. I can't pretend, I'm sorry. That was sort of funny. A little little little bit cute but mostly funny as hell.'
Klaus reached over me to grab onto his hand. 'Dude, you're already whipped but that's okay. But Y/N's right. It's a bit funny not going to lie.'
'I'm whipped?' Luther cocked his head. 'I don't do that sort of foreplay during se-'
'Luther, that's not what it means!'
#tua one shot#the umbrella academy oneshot#tua fanfic#tua fic#the umbrella academy fic#the umbrella academy fanfic#luther hargreeves x reader#klaus hargreeves x reader#hargreeves x sibling!reader#hargreeves x sister!reader
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** evermore sentence starters.
willow.
“ i'm like the water when your ship rolled in that night. ”
“ you cut through like a knife. ”
“ i never would have known from the look on your face. ”
“ the more that you say, the less I know. ”
“ i'm begging for you to take my hand. ”
“ life was a willow and it bent right to your wind. ”
“ i could feel you sneakin' in. ”
“ you are a mythical thing. ”
“ i come back stronger than a '90s trend. ”
“ wait for the signal and I'll meet you after dark. ”
“ show me the places where the others gave you scars. ”
“ anywhere else is hollow. ”
champagne problems.
“ you booked the night train for a reason. ”
“ bustling crowds or silent sleepers, not sure which is worse. ”
“ i dropped your hand while dancing. ”
“ your mom's ring is in your pocket, my picture is in your wallet. ”
“ your heart was glass and I dropped it. ”
“ you told your family for a reason. ”
“ you couldn't keep it in. ”
“ no one's celebrating. ”
“ your hometown skeptics called it champagne problems. ”
“ love slipped beyond your reaches. ”
" this dorm was once a madhouse. "
“ don't think we'll say that word again. ”
“ sometimes you just don't know the answer. ”
" she would've made such a lovely bride. ”
“ what a shame she's fucked in the head. ”
“ she'll patch up your tapestry that I shred. ”
gold rush.
“ eyes like sinking ships on waters, so inviting I almost jump in. ”
“ i don't like that anyone would die to feel your touch. ”
“ everybody wants you. ”
“ everybody wonders what it would be like to love you. ”
“ i don't like that falling feels like flying 'til the bones crush. ”
“ what must it be like to grow up that beautiful ? ”
“ i see me padding across your wooden floors. ”
“ it fades into the gray of my day-old tea. ”
“ it could never be. ”
“ my mind turns your life into folklore. ”
“ i can't dare to dream about you anymore. ”
“ the coastal town we never found will never see a love as pure. ”
'tis the damn season.
“ If I wanted to know who you were hanging with while I was gone, I would have asked you. ”
“ it's the kind of cold, fogs up windshield glass. but I felt it when I passed you. ”
“ there's an ache in you. ”
“ but if it's all the same to you, it's the same to me. ”
“ you could call me "babe" for the weekend. ”
“ the road not taken looks real good now. ”
“ the holidays linger like bad perfume. ”
“ you can run, but only so far. ”
“ i escaped it too. ”
“ remember how you watched me leave ? ”
“ now I'm missing your smile. ”
“ hear me out, we could just ride around. ”
“ i won't ask you to wait if you don't ask me to stay. ”
“ i wonder about the only soul who can tell which smiles I'm faking. ”
“ the heart I know I'm breakin' is my own. ”
“ we could call it even, even though I'm leavin'. ”
tolerate it.
“ i notice everything you do or don't do. ”
“ you're so much older and wiser. ”
“ if it's all in my head tell me now. ”
“ tell me I've got it wrong somehow. ”
“ i know my love should be celebrated, but you tolerate it. ”
“ i greet you with a battle hero's welcome. ”
“ i take your indiscretions all in good fun. ”
“ while you were out building other worlds, where was I? ”
“ where's that man who'd throw blankets over my barbed wire? ”
“ i made you my temple, my mural, my sky. ”
“ i'm begging for footnotes in the story of your life. ”
“ always taking up too much space or time. ”
“ you assume I'm fine. ”
“ what would you do if I break free and leave us in ruins. ”
“ took this dagger in me and removed it. ”
no body, no crime.
“ he did it. ”
" it smells like infidelity. ”
“ that ain't my merlot on his mouth. ”
“ i think I'm gonna call him out. ”
" i think he did it, but I just can't prove it. "
“ no body, no crime. ”
“ i ain't lettin' up until the day I die. ”
“ his mistress moved in. ”
“ there ain't no doubt. ”
“ somebody's gotta catch him out. ”
“ i've cleaned enough houses to know how to cover up a scene. ”
“ they think she did it, but they just can't prove it. ”
“ i wasn't lettin' up until the day he died. ”
happiness.
“ i see this for what it is. ”
“ all the years I've given Is just shit we're dividin' up. ”
“ i can't face reinvention. ”
“ i haven't met the new me yet. ”
“ there'll be happiness after you. ”
“ there was happiness because of you. ”
“ there is happiness past the blood and bruises. ”
“ haunted by the look in my eyes. ”
“ leave it all behind. ”
“ tell me, when did your winning smile begin to look like a smirk? ”
“ when did all our lessons start to look like weapons? ”
“ i hope she'll be your beautiful fool. ”
“ no, I didn't mean that. ”
“ i can't see facts through all of my fury. ”
“ there'll be happiness after me. ”
“ in our history, across our great divide, there is a glorious sunrise dappled with the flickers of light. ”
“ i can't make it go away by making you a villain. ”
“ no one teaches you what to do when a good man hurts you. ”
“ now my eyes leak acid rain on the pillow where you used to lay your head. ”
“ after giving you the best I had, tell me what to give after that? ”
dorothea.
“ do you ever stop and think about me?”
“ you got shiny friends since you left town. ”
“ i got nothing but well-wishes for you. ”
“ this place is the same as it ever was. ”
“ it's never too late to come back to my side. ”
“ the stars in your eyes shined brighter in Tupelo. ”
“ and if you're ever tired of bеing known for who you know, you'll always know me. ”
“ you'rе a queen sellin' dreams. ”
“ they all want to be you. ”
“ are you still the same soul I met under the bleachers? ”
“ i guess I'll never know. ”
coney island.
“ break my soul in two looking for you. ”
“ if I can't relate to you anymore then who am I related to? ”
“ did I close my fist around something delicate? ”
“ did I shatter you? ”
“ sorry for not making you my centerfold. ”
“ lost again with no surprises. ”
“ it gets colder and colder when the sun goes down. ”
“ what's a lifetime of achievement If I pushed you to the edge? ”
“ you were too polite to leave me. ”
“ will you forgive my soul when you're too wise to trust me and too old to care? ”
“ sorry for not winning you an arcade ring. ”
“ were you waiting at our old spot? ”
“ did I leave you hanging every single day? ”
“ did I paint your bluest skies the darkest grey? ”
“ the sight that flashed before me was your face. ”
ivy.
“ i'd meet you where the spirit meets the bones. ”
“ your touch brought forth an incandescent glow. tarnished, but so grand. ”
“ i just sit here and wait, grieving for the living. ”
“ my pain fits in the palm of your freezing hand. ”
“ i can't stop you putting roots in my dreamland. ”
“ my house of stone, your ivy grows. and now I'm covered in you. ”
“ i wish to know the fatal flaw that makes you long to be magnificently cursed. ”
“ your opal eyes are all I wish to see. ”
“ clover blooms in the fields. ”
“ what would he do if he found us out? ”
“ he's gonna burn this house to the ground. ”
“ i'd live and die for moments that we stole on begged and borrowed time. ”
“ so tell me to run, or dare me to sit and watch what we'll become. ”
“ it's a goddamn blaze in the dark. ”
“ it's the goddamn fight of my life. ”
cowboy like me.
" dancin' is a dangerous game. "
“ now I know I'm never gonna love again. ”
“ i've got some tricks up my sleeve. ”
“ takes one to know one. ”
“ you're a cowboy like me. ”
“ i never wanted love, just a fancy car. ”
“ i could be the way forward. ”
“ the skeletons in both our closets plotted hard to fuck this up. ”
“ the old men that I've swindled really did believe I was the one. ”
“ now you hang from my lips like the Gardens of Babylon. ”
“ forever is the sweetest con. ”
long story short.
“ i tried to pick my battles 'til the battle picked me. ”
“ the knife cuts both ways. ”
“ if the shoe fits, walk in it 'til your high heels break. ”
“ i fell from the pedestal, right down the rabbit hole. ”
“ long story short, it was a bad time. ”
“ i always felt I must look better in the rear view. ”
“ missing me at the golden gates they once held the keys to. ”
“ but if someone comes at us this time, I'm ready. ”
“ i wanna tell you not to get lost in these petty things. ”
“ your nemeses will defeat themselves before you get the chance to swing. ”
“ rare as the glimmer of a comet in the sky. ”
“ long story short, I survived. ”
marjorie.
“ never be so kind that you forget to be clever. ”
“ never be so clever that you forget to be kind. ”
“ what died didn't stay dead. ”
“ you're alive, so alive. ”
“ never be so politе that you forget your power. ”
“ nevеr wield such power that you forget to be polite. ”
“ if I didn't know better I'd think you were listening to me now. ”
“ you loved the amber skies so much. ”
“ and if I didn't know better I'd think you were singing to me now. ”
closure.
“ it's been a long time. ”
“ seeing the shape of your name still spells out pain. ”
“ it wasn't right, the way it all went down. ”
“ i got your letter. ”
“ i know that it's over, I don't need your closure. ”
“ don't treat me like some situation that needs to be handled. ”
“ i'm fine with my spite, my tears, my beers and my candles. ”
“ i know I'm just a wrinkle in your new life. ”
“ it's fake and it's oh so unnecessary. ”
evermore.
“ i replay my footsteps on each stepping stone trying to find the one where I went wrong. ”
“ i was catching my breath. ”
“ i had a feeling so peculiar that this pain would be for evermore. ”
“ I can't remember what I used to fight for. ”
“ you cannot think of all the cost and the things that will be lost. ”
“ can we just get a pause? ”
“ is there a line that I could just go cross? ”
“ when I was shipwrecked I thought of you. ”
“ in the cracks of light I dreamed of you. ”
“ it was real enough to get me through. ”
“ i swear you were there. ”
#sentence meme#sentence memes#rp sentence meme#rp sentence starters#rp meme#ask meme#roleplay meme#lyrical meme#lyric meme#memes by j
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To My Love
Pairing ✨: Cedric Diggory x Gender Netural!Reader (implies reader is also in gryffindor)
Summary 💓: Cedric has just recently been murdered, Y/N is still trying to pick up the pieces. They soon discover a letter.
Word Count 🖊: 951
A/N 🗣: no one has stopped me writing these angst imagines so yes i will keep doing them and keep you all suffering, this is based on the part of “Rolling In The Deep” that’s trending rn
Warnings ⚠️: death/dealing with death, minor swearing, overall can be quite sad
Requested? 📮: no
Masterlist
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
It has been so difficult for Y/N.
The end of their Sixth Year wasn’t supposed to end like this. Their boyfriend should’ve won the Triwizard Tournament, he put so much of his energy and deserved to win the competition.
But that would make life too easy, wouldn’t it?
Voldemort had come back, Y/N didn’t care that they weren’t allowed to say his name, he murdered him. He took Cedric away from them.
It wasn’t fair, none of this was fair.
Y/N had spent so much time already thinking to themselves, what had they done? What could they have possibly have done to deserve to have their love taken from them.
Y/N and Cedric has been together since Third Year, and they were so excited to continue their relationship. Move in together, get married, have or adopt their children.
The dream had been crushed.
Y/N had spent most of their time in Cedric’s dorm after he had died, under his bed covers sobbing themselves to sleep every. single. night. They were thankful that Cedric’s friends were so understanding, not telling them to shut up or stop crying.
The school year was about to end however, and all of Cedric’s belongings were still scattered around the dorm, just like he left it before the The Maze.
Y/N had been desperately trying to not look at the photo of the two of them the entire time, it was painful to see them both happy in that photo. All the memories they had together.
God, how they wished they never met Cedric. That would have stopped the tears falling, stop them from rolling in the deep.
They wanted to take the photo though, it was their favourite picture. Plus they really needed one of Cedric’s jumpers right now, maybe to even keep. Just for his scent. Maybe that would make it less painful.
With a tear stained face, they climbed out of Cedric’s bed. They crouched beside his trunk and started to try and find their favourite jumper.
While lifting out his Hufflepuff knitted jumper, a piece of paper fell, it must have come attached to it. Y/N couldn’t help themselves, they became curious.
What they discovered wasn’t anything Y/N could imagine.
To My Love, Y/N
You might not need to see this letter, which I’ll be thankful for, but that might mean you’re no longer with me, which I hope to God isn’t the case.
Assuming I’m no longer here, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’ve left you behind Y/N. I’m sorry I’ve broken our promise that we’ll be together until the very end of both our lives. I’m sorry we couldn’t do all the stuff we wanted to do.
You know I wanted all that too.
Why am I writing this letter now you ask? Because I’m petrified, almost every year since Harry Potter’s been at school, You Know Who has come back in some sort of way.
You may already know this, but he’s coming back Y/N, I have a feeling. He never died that night. No one is safe.
You need to stay safe. You know I always tell you to never run into danger, but you’ve never given a shit about any of that, have you?
Such a brave and beautiful individual, one of the things I admire about you.
But for me, I beg, please be careful, if I’m no longer here, I don’t want you joining me. You’ve got so much to live for, love. Whatever happens with You Know Who, still make the most of your life.
You know where I’m going with this.
I need you to move on from me, Y/N. Find someone new, boyfriend, girlfriend, whoever. Enjoy your life with them. Do what you planned to do with us.
We could have had it all, love. But I want you to have your all with someone else. I can’t stand the thought you suffering because of me, I want you to be happy, and if that’s not with me, I’m okay with that.
Unless they start to treat you badly, then you know I’ll be haunting them as a ghost. If shit starts flying all over the place, you’ll know I’m getting them back.
But do that for me, alright? I’m insisting you do. It may take time, and that’s alright. But if you feel ready to move on, I hope you know that it’s alright.
I teared up writing that part! This is difficult for me to write, you’re here with me right now. Asleep on my bed, while I’m writing a letter to you if I die, strange isn’t it?
If you woke up and saw me writing this…I’m not sure what I’d say. So I’m hoping that you sleep peacefully and don’t decide to wake up.
You can take what you want from my belongings, I want you to have as much as you want. Perhaps the picture of us beside my bed, just in case you forget what that bloke you dated in high school looked like.
You’re free to take away any jumpers, lucky for you there’s no more need for me to beg for my jumper back. You can keep them.
The smell might fade, I’m not sure how to fix that. Have a look for a spell that can make the scent stay, there must be something.
I guess this is it.
I hope you never forget the memories and times we had, I know I never did. Good luck with your life, love. You deserve the entire world and more, so find someone who can give you that.
Love you forever and always,
Ced.
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
ehhh not sure about this one, but i tried! hopefully it’s alright!
can’t believe i’m already on 20 followers too!! thank you so much! i’m hoping to plan an event soon for 25!! :))
taglist: @malfoysstilinski @drearyxo @just-a-bittersweet-tragedy @fizzleberries
#wroetospotterwp#harry potter#harry potter imagine#harry potter fic#cedric x y/n#cedric diggory#cedric diggory imagine#cedric diggory fluff#cedric diggory fic#cedric diggory fanfiction#cedric diggory angst
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We Keep Going, That’s All
@whimpers-and-whumpers , this is for you. Hope your surgery goes well today!
CW: Aftermath of near-death, hospital whump, recovery whump, survivor's guilt, alcohol use, referenced drug use
Ryan shows up to the hospital with Coke bottles full of liquid that absolutely is not Coke - or not much of it, anyway - and Nate doesn't refuse the gift.
He twists off the plastic cap and takes a drink, wincing at the burn down his throat. "Jesus, Ryan, this is m-m-more Jack than Coke."
"Yeah, well. Figured we could use some relaxing." Ryan gives him a slight smile, and the bruising that's been along his jaw - the obvious press of fingers - is finally starting to fade. Off-white bandages ring his neck, hiding from direct view the deep, slowly healing gashes rubbed in by the iron collar he'd worn for a year.
There are other wounds, Nate knows, underneath the lightly-draped black t-shirt Ryan wears, under his effortlessly casual, perfectly-on-trend jeans.
There are deeper wounds still entirely underneath his skin, inside his head. Nate knows those even better. He doesn't begrudge Ryan the need to find some way to fuzz out the edges of what must be written in stark, bright blood in his memory.
Nate spent a year and a half doing the same, after all, before Bram came back for Danny again.
"How is he?" Ryan asks, settling into a hard wooden chair with plastic back and cushion in a dull pastel mauve. "Any different?”
"Then y-yesterday?" Nate exhales, slowly, rubbing at his unshaven jaw. The stubble prickles his fingertips, itches a little as it grows in. There's a razor in the private room's little bathroom, but he doesn't have the energy to use it. All of Nate's energy now is focused entirely around staying right here, being right here, for the rare moments that Danny is both awake and himself.
"Yesterday wasn't... great.”
"No, it wasn't." Nate sighs, leaning over in the chair he sits in, next to Ryan, reaching out with his good left hand to gently nudge a bit of wavy red away from over Danny's face.
The love of his life - the man he's killed for, twice, and would kill for again - lays on his stomach with his head turned to one side. The hospital blanket is pulled up nearly to his chin, hiding from view the fact that nearly all of Danny seems made of bandages these days, bandages and tubes and wires. He breathes slowly, a drugged deep sleep to let his body rest and try desperately to heal itself around the nearly-fatal place the knife went into his back.
He sleeps, more than he's awake. But Nate makes sure that when his eyes open, someone is here for him, every single time.
"Today has been a little b-better, I think," Nate says after a moment's though. He brushes a crumb from the corner of Danny's mouth. "He ate a l-little, this morning. Just Jell-O and a little bit of cereal, but...”
"But something." Ryan nods, takes another drink, looks out the window. Outside, the day is bright and sunny, with a cloudless blue sky. The courtyard below is full of visiting families and patients taking walks through the landscaped flowers, all of them in brilliant bloom. "Have you even left this room since we got here?”
"No." Nate doesn't bother to lie.
Ryan looks over at him, and smiles very slightly. "Remind me to bring you by some multivitamins do you don't die of Vitamin D deficiency.”
"I'm f-fine." Nate takes another drink, feels the warmth slowly spreading through his shoulders, relaxing the knots and tension that have been slowly building day by day. The 'bed' he has here is just a visitor's couch built into the wall, lumpy and hard, with exactly one flat pillow with a scratchy pillowcase. But he'd rather be here than anywhere else. He'll be here for every single second Danny needs him. "I eat oranges for breakfast every d-d-day. No sc-... sc-... scurvy for me.”
"Didn't we joke about scurvy once?" Ryan asks, slightly faintly, looking up at the ceiling. "After Danny came home the first time?”
"M-Maybe. Don't remember. Why do you c-care if I feel good, anyway?”
“My brother can’t fuss over you right now,” Ryan says with a casual shrug. “So someone has to. He’ll never let me live it down if anything happened to you while he’s here. I’ll get chewed out if you get so much as a headcold and we both know it.”
“I d-doubt-”
Danny shifts a little and both men go silent, watching him move in the bed - just an inch or so to the right, his eyes tightly closed, body tensing as even the slightest movement brings a wash of pain.
"It's okay," Nate whispers, and Danny's eyelids flicker, slowly open. The blue in them is hazy and clouded, but not empty. This time, at least, it's Danny who is looking at him, and not the other one, the one that Nate knows only as someone else. The one who runs Danny's body when Danny can't do it any longer.
"Hey," Danny says, in a hoarse whisper. He tries for a smile, and it's faded and wobbly, but it's there. Then he lifts his head a little, looking over to see Ryan. "Oh, you're both... here. How long was I asleep?”
"Four hours or s-s-so," Nate says, standing up - ignoring the twinge of pain in his bad knee - and moving the pillow under Danny's head to still support him even as he moves. A hint of freckled shoulder shows, with its swirling trace of scars from Bram's knife. There's a star carved into the back of his left shoulder that Nate did, at Bram's command, once.
Ryan's gaze be damned, Nate leans over to kiss it, and to kiss one by one the carved letters that are still there, faded, in the back of Danny's neck. A. D. N.
He tries not to feel the guilt that twists in him at the ownership Bram had meant to make obvious, there. His own first initial with Bram's initials, his own... his own culpability.
“How do you feel?” Ryan asks, leaning over close to Danny.
Danny’s nose wrinkles. “You smell like a liquor store.”
“Yeah, well. When your big brother scares the shit out of you by getting himself stabbed almost to death because of you, maybe you need a little pick-me-up now and then.” Ryan manages a half-cocked smile, but it’s fragile, and they both know it.
With a hiss of pain, Danny moves his hand up the bed, offering it to Ryan, who takes it without hesitation, leaning over so his forehead rests gently against Danny’s.
“I’m okay,” Danny whispers.
“No, you’re not,” Ryan whispers back.
Nate moves to sit back in his chair, then stands again, restless. He doesn’t want to sit there but he doesn’t know where he does want to be... until he looks at Danny, thin and dwarfed even by a small hospital bed. He sets down the mostly-jack-and-a-little-coke and climbs into the bed without hesitating, laying down behind Danny on his side, letting his good hand rest just next to a swirl of Danny’s hair on the pillow.
Danny’s smile widens - not that Nate can see that, from his vantage point. Although Ryan can. “I’ll be okay,” He corrects himself, watching his brother. “They said there’s no sign of paralysis. I’ll walk, I’ll probably even run after a while.” He tries moving and hisses again. “A long while. It’s going to be okay, Ryan.”
“You always were way more optimistic when you were high as balls,” Ryan whispers, and he and Danny laugh, until the action makes Danny whimper at a new spike of pain. “What do we do now, Dan, huh?”
“Keep going,” Danny says, voice low, barely audible even to the two men on either side of him. “That’s all. We keep going.”
“I keep thinking I should’ve died back there, ten times over,” Ryan murmurs. “But every single time, you took the pain for me. I should’ve died-”
“Nah. You’re my little brother. I need you here.” Danny manages to keep the smile, then, and his blue eyes are warm. “If you feel so bad about it, sneak me some of that booze next time, yeah?”
"Dan, I am not going to help you mix IV drugs and alcohol-”
“Just leave it in a really easy-to-reach place and I’ll help myself.”
“Danny. No.”
“Danny yes.”
“Daniel Michaelson-”
“Ryan Niall Michaelson-”
Nate’s rumbling laughter interrupts them. It’s such a rare sound that both of them go immediately silent when they hear it, and Danny even tries to look over his shoulder, gritting his teeth through the ache to see the smile on Nate’s face. It’s slight, nearly private - a smile barely noticeable by anyone who isn’t looking for it.
But Danny is, and through the fog of the painkillers still coursing through his system, he sees it.
“What?” Ryan says. “What’re you laughing at?”
Nate lays a hand over the star he once carved into Danny’s skin, and moves to rest his nose, just lightly, against the warmth of Danny’s neck, breathing in the scent of him under the hospital-smell that surrounds them. “Nothing,” He says, and Danny shivers a little as his lips move against the curve of the D at the back of his neck. “I’m j-j-just... realizing I’m g-going to listen to you two do this for the r-rest of my life.”
“Is that a bad thing?” Ryan’s voice is dry.
“No,” Nate says, eyes closed. He can almost feel them in the cabin, like this, just the two of them on days Bram was gone. Lying in the bed wasting the whole morning being warm, just them together. Warm and safe. It feels like being in Danny’s apartment during their year and a half of freedom, the way sometimes when Nate couldn’t get out of bed Danny would just stay with him, holding him, until the pain inside of Nate had lessened enough to let him stand.
Now it’s his turn to hold Danny.
-
@tiddiroki @whump-it @bleeding-demon-teeth @finder-of-rings @whumpywhumper @endless-whump @18-toe-beans @pumpkinthefangirl @goneuntil @swordkallya @astrobly @evermetnotforgotten @whumpiary @card-games-and-pain @raigash @whump-tr0pes @orchidscript @wildfaewhump @doveotions @eatyourdamnpears
#daniel michaelson's story#hospital whump#recovery whump#recovering whumpee#referenced stabbing#referenced drug use#alcohol use#caretakers#caretaker and whumpee#whump#aftermath whump#the bad arc#injured whumpee#survivor's guilt tw
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Virtual Sleepover
Read Virtual Sleepover on AO3
Masterlist
Written for Maribat March Day 4 - Internet Friends
Quarantine had been rough at Wayne Manor, but for Tim Drake, Marinette Dupain-Cheng was a bright light through it all. Tim was getting ahead of himself, though. The story of Marinette Dupain-Cheng started on March 20th, 2020. Panic over coronavirus was sweeping the nation. Bruce had gathered all of the members of the Wayne family into the dining room to explain the new rules of the house. No one was to go in or out. Groceries would be delivered to the house. There would be no superhero outings for at least two weeks. Tim didn't think his family would be able to survive, trapped in a house together.
So to preserve his sanity, Tim turned to the internet. There were hundreds of cold cases that he had put on the backburner and hundreds of forums and websites dedicated to solving cold cases. Tim turned to the most popular website and started dumping information, hoping for someone to show up and work through it with him. That's how Tim met Marinette. @MarinetteDC showed up on his page with a friend request, a wide range of technical knowledge about textiles and designs, and about seven different theories on a murder case Tim considered all but unsolvable. Her sleep schedule was just as chaotic as Tim's and she also drank a near-inhuman amount of coffee. Marinette Dupain-Cheng enthralled Tim. And when the chaos of his house threatened to make Tim lose his mind, Marinette became his lifeline.
"Can you hear me?"
Tim nodded. "Yep!"
"Nice!" cheered Marinette. Tim relished the opportunity to see her face, even if it was through a zoom call. "So what do we want to do first? I don't have class until Monday, so we have the whole weekend ahead of us."
"I think we should start with the iconic sleepover classic: truth or dare," suggested Tim.
"Alright. Truth or dare, Tim?"
"Dare." Tim was confident in his abilities to pull off any stunt she might come up with. However, his confidence started to fade as he watched a devious look grow on her face.
"I dare you to bake a batch of cookies - any kind of cookies you want - without using a recipe."
Tim blinked, trying to recall the last time he had baked. Besides a few times helping Alfred out in the kitchen, Tim wasn't certain that he had ever used the Wayne Manor kitchen for anything other than brewing coffee and heating frozen pizzas. "Could I have a new dare?"
Marinette shook her head, the grin on her face demonstrating exactly how much fun she was having, watching the panic in Tim's eyes. "I'll give you one hint on how to make them, but only one, so use it wisely."
Tim groaned, unplugging his laptop from its charger so he could move it to the kitchen. "I'm not actually certain I know all of the ingredients in cookies. Or how long you bake them for. I feel like an hour is probably too long, but I feel like half an hour might not be enough time."
On the other side of the screen, Marinette tried to stifle her giggles but was unable to keep them all in. "No offense Tim, but this is going to be a disaster. I can't wait."
Tim let out another groan. "Must you torture me?"
"How about you keep the laptop camera pointed towards the oven, that way I can tell you once something starts to burn?" Marinette joked.
Tim knew that she was teasing, but honestly, he knew he could use all the help he could get. Still, he wanted to preserve at least a little of his dignity. "Very funny," Tim said sarcastically, setting the laptop down on the kitchen counter.
"Start with ingredients," Marinette advised.
"What all goes into a chocolate chip cookie..?" mused Tim. He got out the flour, white and brown sugar, eggs, butter, vanilla extract, and three different types of chocolate chips that Alfred kept stocked.
Marinette raised an eyebrow. "Is that all?"
Tim cast a wary gaze upon his ingredients. It didn't seem like enough, but at the same time he couldn't figure out what he was missing. Tim sighed. "I'm ready to use my hint. Tell me what I forgot."
"You forgot to get out the salt, and more importantly, the baking soda," advised Marinette.
"Can I have a second hint?" asked Tim as he gathered his two missing ingredients.
"That depends on what you're asking," teased Marinette.
"I'm going to start listing measurements, and you tell me if it's too much or not enough."
Marinette pretended to think it over before replying, "I'll do it, but only because I want the cookies to come out edible, not because we're friends or anything like that. There are no friends in the Dupain-Cheng kitchen," said Marinette, her voice filled with faux seriousness.
"Lucky for me, these cookies are being made in the Wayne kitchen, and we're all very nice here, and we don't let Tim burn his cookies."
Marinette giggled. "You have a point there," she acquiesced. "Start listing your measurements."
Tim grabbed the measuring cup and starting approximating. "Two cups flour?"
"That will make about five dozen cookies."
"One cup of each type of sugar?"
Marinette shook her head. "You'll want a 3/4 cup of each."
The rest of the measuring process proceeded smoothly, with Tim guessing measurements of fluctuating accuracy (he correctly guessed that he would need two eggs, but his guess of a half-cup of baking soda led to Marinette questioning whether he had ever been in a kitchen before). Once Tim got the cookie dough mixed, spooned out onto a tray, and put in the oven, they resumed their game of truth-or-dare.
"Your turn, Marinette. Truth or dare?"
"Truth."
Tim tried to think of a good question to ask. "Since you've now seen how abysmal I am in the kitchen, I want to know one thing that you're terrible at."
Marinette scrunched up her brow. "It's nowhere near as bad as you're inability to crack an egg-"
Tim winced a little, remembering the painstaking process of digging out fragments of eggshell after he completely shattered it in his attempts to crack it.
"-But I have really bad depth perception. I trip over every little crack in the sidewalk. I'm probably the clumsiest person you'll ever meet."
Tim chuckled. "And here I thought you were perfect."
Marinette grinned. "Almost perfect. Truth or dare?"
"I'll pick truth this time, and hopefully avoid being humiliated again."
"I'll go easy on you this round. When was the last time you lied, and what was it about?"
Tim combed back through his memory of the past week, trying to pick out the last time he lied. "I think it was yesterday morning. Dick asked me if the coffee I was drinking was my first coffee of the day. I said yes, but really I hadn't slept that night so I just decided to arbitrarily count my start of the day at the time I would have woken up had I actually gone to sleep."
"So how many coffee's had you had yesterday?"
Tim shrugged. "Since midnight? Probably three or four. I've gotten away with a lot more coffee since I modified the Keurig in my room to stop making so much noise."
"I'm lucky," said Marinette. "My parents sleep so far away from me that they can't hear my Keurig."
"Truth or dare?" asked Tim, continuing the game.
"Truth."
"What's the most embarrassing thing you've ever done because you had a crush on someone?"
Marinette flushed red, and Tim immediately knew that this was going to be a good story. "Once I accidentally sent a text to my crush so I stolehisphoneanddeletedthetext." Marinette rushed the last few words, so fast that Tim couldn't quite make them out.
"What was that?"
"I stole his phone and deleted the text before he could read it. In my defense, I made a lot of questionable decisions at that age."
Tim burst out laughing. "How old were you?"
"I was thirteen," admitted Marinette.
Tim couldn't stop laughing at the absurdity of her claims. "You couldn't have asked him to borrow his phone and deleted it then?"
"I was in panic mode. It was between steal his phone or destroy his phone."
"Those were your two options?!" exclaimed Tim.
Marinette blushed even more furiously. "It's your turn. Don't expect me to go easy on you this round. Truth or dare?"
Tim kept up the trend. "Truth."
"What was the worst thing you did at thirteen?"
Tim thought back to his days as Robin, and the many, many stories he could tell. In the end, he settled on one that Jason still brought up when he needed leverage over Tim. "It's not as bad as phone thievery, but it's still a pretty funny story, looking back on it. You know how I have two older brothers, right?"
"Dick and Jason," Marinette confirmed.
"Well, one night I managed to convince Dick to let me drive Bruce's favorite car. Now, keep in mind, I had never actually driven a car before. Surprisingly, I wasn't that bad at driving. I made it home without incident - that is, until I tried to park the car back in the garage and accidentally crashed into Jason's motorcycle. For years after that, Jason used the threat of telling Bruce about my little car crash to keep me in line."
Marinette snorted. "You think that borrowing a phone to delete a text message is worse than borrowing and crashing a car?"
Tim shrugged. "It's a matter of opinion. Truth or dare?"
With a roll of her eyes, Marinette said, "Truth."
"What's one thing you would never tell me?" It was the sort of question that could only be asked during a game of truth or dare. In Tim's opinion, it was this sort of question that made the game worth playing.
Marinette pouted. "I don't like that question."
"Too bad. The rules of truth or dare state that you have to answer it."
"Fine." Marinette looked up at the ceiling, deep in thought. Just as she turned back to face her laptop, her face lit up. It was evident that she had an answer. "Usually I let people learn from their mistakes in the kitchen. However, I will now tell you - because I have to - that your cookies have been in the oven for too long. They're going to start burning if you don't take them out soon."
Tim jumped up to get his cookies out of the oven. They looked a little burnt, brown rather than the golden-brown that Alfred would make, but they still looked edible. "I'll accept your answer, but only because you saved my cookies."
"Now that your cookies are done, do you want to finish up our game of truth or dare?"
"One last question," decided Tim. "And I'll pick truth, to make it easy for you."
"What's the biggest secret that you've currently keeping from your family?"
After Tim's last question, he had expected Marinette to follow it up with an invasive question. Luckily, her question had a very simple answer.
"Easy question - my friendship with you."
Marinette looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"Most of my friendships begin through the connections they have to my family. Because of that, I've never really had serious friendships that my family wasn't actively involved in."
"It's not because you're ashamed of me, right?" Marinette sounded unsure of herself. Insecurity was a side of her that Tim had never seen before.
"Of course not," Tim assured her. "You're the best friend I could have ever asked for, Marinette."
"Good, because you're not getting rid of me that easy. I still have a lot to teach you about baking. I think we might try cupcakes at our next sleepover."
Tim laughed. "We'll see about that." He had no doubts that there would be sleepovers to come, and shenanigans involving baked goods to go along with them.
@maribatmarch-2k21
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Heza Codes
skyrimgirl1233
It's Not A Phase, Mom!