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fading-adhd-hyperfixator · 4 months

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TW.

This might become a chapter series~

THIS FANFICTION IS A XMAS GIFT FOR @calcium-cat!!! <3 IT TAKES PLACE BEFORE CHAPTER 21.

Major tw for drowning, blood, and trauma!

Plot based off of @orbital-inclination's Molten Dream oneshot and @calcium-cat's One Small Dream AU, plus her oneshot Shattered Dreams 1 and 2 on Ao3!

Please take this angst, Cal. This is only the first chapter, of course. Suffer as you made us feel with chapter 21 and 22~

Some things that should never have been said chapter 1 - the accident (Word count over 2000!)

Dream sat in his room, in front of the ripped up (and, now that he truly looked at it, it was bad, awful, just as horrible as-) drawing on the floor.

The ripped drawing, torn straight in half, showed him and Nighty. Well, Nighty before this. They were in front of the tree, the scribbled sun shining brightly. They had been holding hands before Dream ripped it.

Dream felt.. numb. Sad, angry, but he didn't want to alert Nightmare with his feelings, so he pushed them far, far down.

He didn't want to be here anymore.

He crumbled the pieces of the drawing, put on his cape, and waited.

He waited until he knew no one would be awake anymore. He had decided to break Nightmare's rules, to leave, to find a way out of this 'AU', they called it. (Dream still didn't understand the concept of 'alternate universes', he was still only just a child.)

He opened his door, hearing the almost silent creeak as it slid. Dream began to walk towards where he had escaped before, his footsteps falling silently on the stone below, as he began to let free some of that sadness by silently sobbing. His head ached. He wanted to get out now.. before someone caught him. As Dream wriggled through the window, he began to feel better. (Although the feelings he buried deep down threatened to stir, as he thought subconsciously what Nightmare would think.)

He began to run after a bit, his shoes making the leaves and sticks underneath crackle and snap. He had gotten far enough away that no one would hear him. He wasn't sure if that would be a bad thing or not.

(Of course, how would he know? He was purposefully trying to do this. He didn't want anyone to hear.)

~~~

"Dream, listen to me! Please-!"

"I CAN TAKE CARE OF MYSELF, NIGHTY!! I DON'T NEED YOU!! LEAVE ME ALONE!!"

His face fell, as Dream backed away before running away, far away. He began to lightly sob, as he processed this. His fingers gripped the soft grass below, as he-

..soft grass?.. The only grass around his castle was thick and piercing. This wasn't right. He glanced up. The Tree of Feelings.. and the village? He was confused, looking at himself. Purple clothing with gold accents. He gripped his forehead. A crown, with a moon engraving..?

This.. was not right. He needed to wake up.

And, as he felt the sharp, agonizing pierce of negativity in his soul..

..his eyelight opened. Nightmare sat up quickly, panicking at how sour and wrong this felt. He had never felt something like this before, not here. This was almost like a cry for help. This.. this was very, very wrong.

He pulled off the covers, silently slipping out and checking each room. All of them were normal.

..except for Dream's. Dream was gone. He was gone? This wasn't right, although Nightmare had very much established that before. This feeling was coming from somewhere else. Maybe he had left? But he knew the rules.Nightmare quivered, his negative goop dripping onto the stone floor as he pondered it.

...Maybe.. maybe he was still bitter from the fight. Maybe he didn't want to be with Nightmare and the others anymore. (Which, Nightmare would never admit this, but that possibility scared him more than death.)

He ran out into the (sickly) empty forest. So much fear filled him, he thought he would explode, as Nightmare ran through the forest, getting closer to the feeling..

He heard the rushing of the river. The river shouldn't be rushing right now. It was the middle of winter, for star's sake! Then it hit Nightmare that Dream could be inside the river. Inside.. those rapids.. the rushing water..-! He needed to find Dream. Now.

~~~

Dream couldn't see. He didn't know what had happened. Everything was cold, he had to hold his breath-

He had slipped, taken a few tumbles, and… fallen. Fallen into.. a stream? A river, perhaps? Dream couldn't tell. All he knew was that he needed to swim up. But which way was up? For all Dream knew, he could be upside down. He hit the bottom of the lake, crashing into a rock. Dream opened his mouth to cry out-

And water- horrible, bitter tasting, dirty water rushed into his lungs, his mouth-His lungs screamed for air, (metaphorically, skellies don't have lungs I'm just stupid) his eyesockets opened, and he spotted a light. The surface.

And then that light dimmed out. Dream was still conscious, he hadn't closed his eyes.. but what was blocking his vision..?

All he knew is that he was quickly thrusted out of the stream, coughing and choking out river water and bile onto the sandy shore below.

His vision began to fade as Dream collapsed, exhausted and scared. He didn't want this.. what was going on..?

~~~

Nightmare lifted Dream out of the rushing river just before he went out of sight, setting him gently on the shore as panic filled his soul, his entire being. “DREAM!!”

As Dream fell, he was lifted gently with a tentacle and taken into Nightmare's arms, as Nightmare hyperventilated a little. Sure, sure they were immortal to old age or any natural causes.

But murder or something like this could still kill them.

Nightmare frantically pulled out his phone, and sent a single text.

'River. Now. Bring monster candy and run.'

And he waited, holding Dream's shivering, small figure. Dream's soul was filled with fear.. and some incomprehensible emotion.. perhaps hatred? He looked down at the puddle Dream had choked out. How long had he been in that stream before Nightmare came? How long had he suffered?

Dream's HP was.. scarily low. Nightmare couldn't exactly heal it due to how terrified he was, but he could at least look for the wound.

There.

Nightmare lifted up Dream's wet shirt and stared at the fracture that ran through the back of Dream's ribcage and spine.

That.. that was bad.

Where were his boys?..Had they not woken to the text?Maybe he should call.Yeah, maybe that was it.

But as Nightmare stared at the bloody crack, he couldn't

move

a single

bone.

He couldn't even process how dull and cracked Dream's tiny soul looked. He didn't process Dream's health

slowly

depleting

to 1.

And, when he did, he still couldn't move. Nightmare stared at Dream's small, shaking body as panic set in, quicker and heavier than before.

“DREAM!! WAKE UP!!”

Where were his boys when he needed them?! He sent another frantic text, before calling Horror.

It took a moment, but eventually the phone was answered. “mmm.. boss?.. it's 3 in.. the morning..” Nightmare couldn't help but feel a twinge of humor at how ridiculously tired Horror sounded.

“You didn't get my text?..” Nightmare mumbled into the microphone in such a blank, sorrowful tone that disgusted him. He was the Guardian of Negativity, and he was upset. But, then again, he was upset over Dream.

“..I'm looking right now. You sound upset enough, I know it's probably important. .. I'll be there with Cross, Killer and Dust in a moment. Whatever it is, please be safe, boss.”

The phone clicked, as Nightmare realized the kindness in Horror’s tone.

And Nightmare sat there, holding Dream as he focused everything on making sure Dream didn't lose the last of his HP.

~~~

Horror pondered things while he dressed and woke the others. He went into the kitchen to wait.

Nightmare had sounded so sad..

He took a few bites of the leftover food that Killer had set out, before wondering why Dream hadn't come outside during all the chaos.

Probably just asleep.

It was too early for him, after all. He'd never get to sleep if he was up at this ungodly hour. He didn’t even know why Nightmare needed everyone, and he said he needed monster candy..?

All Horror knew is that none of his (brothers) co-workers were missing. It worried him.

Perhaps just a peek into Dream's room..

He started toward the cracked door, footsteps growing slowly faster when it seemed like he would never get there.He opened the door quietly, the whine of the squeaky hinges causing Horror to wince before looking inside.

Pieces of ripped paper and broken crayons on the floor. His Nightmare doll on the ground, like he had thrown it into the wall. Cape missing. Pajamas on the floor. Shoes missing. Bedsheets torn aside and strewn around the room.

Horror.. was now feeling his namesake, as he yelled at the others to hurry up. He ran as fast as he could to the medicine cabinet, grabbing every single monster candy they had and a few bandages, stuffing them inside his coat pocket.

He began to dash back out, before running into Cross. He almost knocked the oreo-looking skeleton over, quickly apologizing before trying to run again.

He felt a light pressure on his arm, and turned to Cross.“..You're never this upset, big guy. Tell me what's wrong, and take a deep breath, okay?..”

Horror felt a little relief, and sighed, explaining how broken Nightmare had sounded on the call....

and the fact that Dream's room was a mess, the small space no longer holding the small positivity guardian. Cross went silent at that, eye lights searching Horror’s face, concern and mild fear in them.“..Killer, Dust, hurry up. This could be something related to Dream. He's not in his room.”

Killer and Dust immediately picked up their pace, albeit not very much. Horror grimaced. “..I've got the candies. Grab some bandages and meet me out there.” Despite knowing he already had a few, he knew that he needed to prepare.

He ran out the door, eventually hearing the river rushing...

..and Nightmare yelling Dream's name. Oh, dear stars, his fears were true and Dream was hurt, he was hurt, Horror had a right to worry and maybe he would never even see that little smile ever again and yes that struck him harder than any blow he'd ever taken even from Undyne-

“HORROR! HERE, QUICK!!” Nightmare's dread filled voice cut Horror out of his panic attack as he ran over to look at Dream. Upon seeing how soaked, and shivering and cold the poor thing looked, he texted Killer ‘bring a towel.’

“Boss, tell me, is he hurt, how low is his HP, and how long has he been like this?!”

Nightmare took a deep breath before responding.

“He's got a severe fracture on his ribs and spine, I've been keeping him from dusting, he's at 1, and..”

Nightmare trailed off. Horror caught from the guilt on Nightmare's face, that Nightmare had not been here when Dream had fallen in. “..I brought bandages.” Horror mumbled before gently lifting the small bittybones’ shirt and taking a better look at the broken bones.

Oh.

Oh stars.

Oh stars oh stars oh stars oh stars-

“..Horror?..”

Dream was really hurt this bad? This could've killed him, he should've come sooner-“

..Horror, you're pulling at your socket, you're spacing out.”

And all that guilt came crashing down on Horror as he stared, filled with his namesake, at the bloody fracture.

“-Horror!”

He blinked as Nightmare waved his hand in front of Horror's face. He gently removed his fingers from the side of his face, feeling the sore pain of his soft eyesocket. “..We need to focus on Dream right now.”

Horror sighed and began to carefully wrap the bandages around the tiny bones, minding when Dream let out a water-filled pained cry through his unconsciousness, muffled through Nightmare's hoodie.

He turned Dream onto his back, popping a candy in his mouth before leaning back and attempting to take a deep breath.

That failed.

As did the next attempt.

He spaced out on the dark, cloudy sky, beginning to hyperventilate. He pulled his skull down in between his knees, barely holding back tears.

He stayed like that.

Maybe Horror believed that it was too late.

~~~

Horror still layed, spaced out in his bed, staring at the ceiling.

Killer, Dust, and Cross had arrived, and they had gotten Dream back to the castle. All Horror could see was that frail, injured, tiny, shaking, cold, wet body. Did what he feel count as feeling traumatized?

He didn't register the hand waving in front of his face.

He, of course, didn't register the voice saying his name.

Until it got louder, of course.

That hurt his already aching skull, as he went to groan and hold his head, he felt cold tears.

Had he been crying?

He hadn't noticed..

His senses slowly flooded back, and he registered Killer's half-gloved hand waving in front of his eyesockets.He turned his head, to see.. Killer was worried? He didn't have enough strength to register what Killer was saying, until it hit a quiet, shaking level of worry.

“..Horror..? ..You okay?.. You're k-kinda scarin’ me..”

He shook his head and everything flooded back.

“Oh.. oh yeah.. yeah, I'm okay.”

Okay or not, he felt an aching feeling pulling down his soul like blue magic. Fear. Doubt. Guilt?

He waved Killer away.

“..You should try to get some more sleep. It's 3:37.”

“Ah- y-yeah- of course-..”

Horror turned to the wall, trying to begin spacing out again.

But he noticed that Killer.. never actually left?

He looked back, seeing Killer hesitate

.“..We’re both worried, Killer. You should go to Nightmare. I think Cross is doing first watch on Dream tonight.”

Killer was silent, as he nodded stiffly and left the room.After a while, Horror's eyesockets shut.He had fallen asleep.

But that nagging guilt still tugged.

~~~

Dream was tired. He could make out that much. He felt the pain. He felt the cold, until someone had wrapped him up. Someone had given him candy.. and bandaged him?His head still ached more than anything. Hadn't they fixed it? Or maybe that was the adrenaline in his soul wearing off.

From all he knew, he had hit the bottom of the river. He had passed out after.. Nightmare saved him? Was it Nighty?

He really didn't know right now..

He wanted Nighty now.

He wanted to hold his goopy tentacle. Dream knew that Nighty was not near. From what little awareness he had, Crossy was with him.

He wanted to wake up.

Yes, that was what Dream wanted!

He needed to get up! And apologize!

After all, it was pretty early.

Or maybe that was just his head aching that convinced him of the time.. it could be the middle of the day for all Dream could know..

Eventually, Crossy swapped for Rory.

He wanted a hug from Rory.

Dream was in pain again.Like when he lost his tooth, but a billion times worse..

Okay, maybe he was overreacting.

Even a child could tell that much.

---

It's mine and a few others' headcanon that Horror pulls on his socket when he's nervous! :3

I accidentally cut off the last few sentences, but I'll pop them into the next chapter <3

merry christmas everybody!!!

#tw drowning #tw blood mention #tw trauma #one small dream #osd #tw child trauma

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everydaysimppy · 2 years

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Eyeless jack x M! Reader

NSFW MDI I don't think there's any TW I need to put but if I missed something let me know!

It was late when you heard the back door of your small home open, you weren't expecting anyone to arrive and not coming from the back door. A deep and rough voice came from the kitchen "relax it's just me babe no need to worry" of course, it was your boyfriend jack a tall gray demon with hollow eye sockets that would leak black goop, he was still wearing his blue mask along with his blood-stained hoodie. He brought up a claw hand to his mask and placed it on the nearby counter before taking a spot next to you on the couch, he had a cute smile with sharp teeth to most it would be horrifying to look at him but to you, he was the most handsome man you had ever seen.

He took a hold of your chin and gently pulled you in for a kiss, it was soft and loving almost as if he had missed you more than anything else in the world. He tasted a bit like blood as he pushed one of his many long tongues past your lips, he let out a soft but deep groan before pulling away from you. Your face was red from the unexpected kiss and the little noise he made during it "wh-what was that for?" You lean in a bit closer as you lay your head on his shoulder, he gently ran his hand up and down your back as he started to speak "I just missed you is all, missed the way you look, the way you act, the way you feel against me, I especially missed this~"

He gently pushed you back on the couch and slid his large hand down to your crotch, you were already starting to get a boner, and he only rubbed you through your pants. A chuckle rumbled from his chest as he looked down at you with a smirk on his face "aww you look so cute when you get all hard for me maybe I should start coming over more often if you'll be acting like this when I'm here~" he slowly lifts your shirt exposing your chest before leaning down and sucking on your nipple while he played with the other one, he switched between the two of them before moving down trailing his tongues down from your chest and stopping right before your belt.

The tightness in your pants was starting to become unbearable you started to beg him to help you release, you wanted no you needed him more than anything right now "ugh..stop with the teasing, please... Use your tongues on me please, please, please" you let out a whine as he ever so slowly unbuckled your belt, you tried to rush him but he only slapped your hands away as he let out a low growl as he sat up and pulled your pants along with your boxers down. Your cock sprung free and was already dripping with pre-cum, jack rubbed the tip of your cock using your pre-cum as lube as he began to stroke your cock

You squirm around a bit as you moan quietly, jack slowly leans down as he wraps three of his tongues around your cock his saliva drips down your cock as he takes you deep down his throat "huff..huff.. Fucking hell jack I love it when you do that with your tongues~" jack holds you by your hips as he slowly started bobbing his head up and down, you let out a loud groan as you place a hand on his head and started to tug on his hair. You felt a knot start to form in your stomach as you came close to cumming but just before you could have your sweet orgasm jack pulled away, he licked his lips that were covered in your pre-cum.

"Aww, you look upset~ what did you want to cum? You don't get to cum until I get to fuck that ass~" you looked shocked, you hadn't gone this far before you had never taken his cock before sure you've had it deep down your throat but never in your ass, words couldn't explain how excited you were. You quickly turned around getting on your hands and knees in front of him as you eagerly showed off your ass to him, you wiggled your hips a bit as you look back at him.

"Aww, how cute of you to be so willingly for me~" jack chuckled before unbuckling his pants, he pinned your arms behind your back before forcing your face down into the couch cushion, and he used his belt to tie your hands behind your back "there now you won't be getting away from me~" He kissed your shoulder as he pulled his boxers down letting his cock free, he spits in his hand and began to stroke himself "fuck I cant wait to use you like the toy you are for me~"

Jack teased the tip of his cock against your asshole before slowly pushing his cock inch by inch into your tight ass. At first, you felt pain but slowly it started to become pleasure. His cock felt so good inside you that you couldn't help but moan just by the feeling of him pushing himself inside of you "fuck jack~ give me more please~" once fully inside you he gave you a few seconds to get used to the girth and length of his cock before speaking "alright I'm going to start moving~" and with that, he slowly started to rut his hips into you.

Jack lets out a low groan as he throws his head back a bit, he held you firmly by your hips now the only sound that could be heard was the sound of skin slapping together and moans, along with the long-forgotten tv playing in the background, jack leaned over you as he brought one of his large hands and began to stroke your cock once again, you could feel a knot slowly starting to form once again. Jack picked up his speed and sunk his sharp teeth into your shoulder it hurt at first, but the feeling of your warm blood dripping down your body along with his tongue rubbing along the bite slowly started to soothe the pain.

You both were a moaning mess by now, Jack's thrusts were getting sloppy as he reached his end you weren't too far from cumming yourself "fuck fuck! So close!~" you whine as jack slowly kissed and nipped down your back leaving small bite marks across your skin, you soon felt your ass being filled with ropes of white cum, it overflows and leaks out of your stretched ass "fuck that felt so fucking good~" he stroked your cock for a few seconds before his hand was completely covered in your white cum.

He let out a small laugh before licking the cum off his hand and untying your hands, he picked you up and placed you on his lap as he kissed your shoulder where he bit you "god damn you did a great job for me~"

#eyeless jack #creepypasta x reader smut #creepypasta lemon #eyeless jack creepypasta #creepypasta #eyeless jack x you #eyeless jack headcanon #eyeless jack x reader smut #x male reader #x male y/n

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idontknowreallywhy · 4 months

Text

Estera - Ch 30 - Introduce

It’s been a while… nearly a fortnight, but they’re back ;)

What went before

I struggled with this one, dunno why, but most of the good ideas and one-liners are down to @sofasurf! So much so I’m tagging her in for the next one.

This chapter is 100% silly friends being silly and daft brothers being daft because everyone needs to let their hair down once in a while… And they need a break before anything else falls on anyone…

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

…

The three “your contact is typing” dots bounced for a while then stopped. Then bounced again. Then stopped.

She put the phone down and continued to make breakfast but within moments picked it up again, intrigued. What was he taking so long to write?

…

How’s your day?

…

Did you know stress balls are not actually indestructible???

Um, yeah - I’m a primary school teacher. That’s basically day 1 of training.

Huh.

I sense there is a story behind this… sharing is caring you know?

THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE INDESTRUCTIBLE!

O….K…. Imagine me saying generic reassuring things and patting you on the shoulder.

My shoulder is covered in stress ball goop. But thank you, that weirdly helps.

🤭 oh dear… that stuff is a beast to wash out

Well there’s another Italian tailor I have to avoid for the rest of my life…

Not again!

I have glitter in my hair 😭

I’m sure it looks beautiful. I’ll ask one of your brothers to send me a photo.

I’m not getting out the shower until it’s gone.

You will literally starve to death.

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

So today I had to confiscate an action figure which had Alan’s head, John’s torso and your limbs. Should I be concerned about these children?

That’s… horrifying. I’m never coming back to the UK. 😲

They all say hi by the way.

I’m too scared to say hi back to them now 😬

On the topic of the action figures…

Yes?

I have to know - what WAS wrong with Gordon’s novelty action figure of you? You never told me…

You don’t want to know.

Oh I really really do.

…

Oh go on, I’ll only be imagining worse.

…

The figure was making pancakes while wearing a frilly blue “Kiss The Chef” apron.

That doesn’t seem so bad?

Only the apron.

Oh my… 🤣

Speak of this to no-one.

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Hey Estera, got any plans this evening?

Aside from vegging out with Bez and watching Celebrity Alligator Wrestling?

I mean I wouldn’t want to tear you away from that…

I could be persuaded… :)

Well, we happen to be in Europe right now (John had a thing) and Penny is visiting some Earl near Exeter and suggested we pop by and go out for a drink.

John’s not Earthside very often so she takes whatever chances she can get to catch up with him (they are old college friends, did I ever mention that?)

ANYWAY as it’s not far from you I wondered whether you might like to join us?

Oh wow thank you that’s very kind of you to think of me! It would be lovely to meet John and Lady Penelope if you’re sure I wouldn’t be intruding?

Of course not!

Virgil is with us too and says you have to come because he’s already bored with mine and John’s company.

Ok, I must now tell you that he did not in fact use those exact words.

Or to say that.

Apparently I am maddening.

Hi Estera, it’s Virgil. Please ignore what my idiot brother is saying. It would be lovely to see you if you’d like to come but please don’t feel any pressure.

Girjebvaxbnnnnn&&&&&&&

It’s Scott again, I’ve retrieved my comm. Sorry about my annoying TINY LITTLE BABY sibling who snatches things that aren’t his.

😂 I think I’m sold. I can get to Exeter in an hour? Where and when should I meet you?

John says the place is near the Cathedral - send a message when you get there and I’ll come and find you?

Fab! Ok I shall do that.

Ha!

What?

F-A-B is kind of a thing for us.

Oh! Oh I should have known that!

Reuben and Alex refuse to use any other affirmative words.

Why though?

Long story, tell you later maybe.

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Estera rounded the corner of the cathedral and yelped as a strong gust nearly ripped her arm off in its determination to steal her umbrella. She wrestled it back and ducked into the shelter of the huge doorway only to conclude she should have let the wind take it as it was no longer any use to anyone other than as an art piece. “Mangled: A study in nylon and flimsy aluminium” perhaps. She tucked it under her arm and pulled out her phone:

Hi! I’m on The Green :) Don’t worry about coming out in all this, just let me know where you are and I’ll find you.

On my way!

Scott! It’s chucking it down! Just give me directions or somewhere to aim for.

I like the rain!

You’re a nutter.

A what?

… err British for ‘totally normal and rational’.

OK I will take your word for that and begin using ‘nutter’ regularly in a professional context.

Um… sure. I see no issues arising there.

😝 alright then

I think I see you!

She looked up and laughed as she spotted a lanky figure silhouetted against a streetlamp waving enthusiastically from across the green. She raised her arm in greeting, pulled her hood tighter around her face and then jogged towards him. She started out dodging the huge puddles with strictly limited success then gave up in favour of a direct route, swerving off course just the once to dump the useless brolly in a waste bin.

As soggy as she felt she was by the time their paths met, she wasn’t a patch on the drowned-but-grinning rat bouncing gently on his toes before her, hair plastered to his forehead and shirt clinging to him in a way she was relieved Barbara the receptionist couldn’t see.

Wait, shirt?

“Scott! I KNOW you own a coat.”

He waved a hand dismissively. “It always takes so long to dry the thing out. Cotton is fast.”

“Aren’t you freezing?”

“Nope!” He grinned and produced an umbrella with a flourish, pressing a button to automatically extend and open it and then raising it over her head in one smooth motion. The little squeak he emitted as he did so was anything but smooth however.

“Did I just hear an excited giggle from Mr Commander Tracy?”

“Also nope. Definitely not. Unrelatedly aren’t these just-press-the-button-and-SWOOSH-it’s-an-umbrella umbrellas just the best kind of umbrellas?”

Estera raised an eyebrow and wondered with amusement how many drinks he’d managed to put away already. “Certainly beats mine which I just ditched back there…” she looked at him smiling down at her from very much outside the umbrella’s zone of protection, water streaming down his face “although, given you have such a swanky brolly why did you not actually use it?”

“I told you, I like the rain.”

Estera raised an eyebrow. “Well, you’d do well living here then, we get a lot of it.” Shuddering slightly she shook water out of her sleeve. “Shall we get where we’re going before we grow gills?”

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“He’s going to get absolutely soaked isn’t he?”

Virgil watched his elder brother stroll casually towards the doorway and then launch himself out into the rain like an excited puppy. He couldn’t help smiling fondly.

“You know what he’s like about rain, John. Anyway the wet shirt look isn’t going to do him any harm is it…?”

“VIRGIL! Honestly you’re impossible.” John’s facepalm was a masterpiece.

“Well, before he brings this young lady back, somebody had best update me on what, exactly, we believe her status is.”

“Virgil is convinced they are an item. Scott denies it.”

“I didn’t say that. I just think she’s good for him. He is happy. I like that. So I’m inclined to like her. And if we’re about to meet our future sister-in-law that’s fine by me.”

Penelope chuckled, Virgil the hopeless romantic was certainly living up to expectation. John was frowning slightly however and that intrigued her.

“What do you think, John darling?”

“I’m interested in what has him so… interested. They seem to spend a lot of time talking, yet all I can see they have in common is shared trauma and an unhealthy approach to adrenaline.”

“That is more than many people have when beginning a friendship, John. That doesn’t mean it is all there will ever be. Look at you and I, all we had in common was the inability to escape the weight of our surnames and yet we’ve had some superb times.”

John smiled and raised his lemonade in a silent toast.

“Well, I’m excited” Virgil commented. “Let’s not scare her by being too… you know.” he gestured vaguely.

“Excellent social etiquette tip, there, thank you Virgil.” his brother muttered.

Penelope smiled into her cocktail. This was going to be an interesting evening.

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“You ok?”

Estera had slowed almost imperceptibly as they approached the door to the boutique pub Penny had selected and Scott paused as they reached the shelter of the porch, his hand resting on the heavy oak door.

“Yes! Uh, a little nervous I guess? Last time I spoke to John I was… rather embarrassing.”

“Aww, no you weren’t. You were just worried about me and that’ll go in your favour I promise. It’s pretty much a family pastime from what I can make out…” he pulled an exaggerated grimace and got a little smile in response.

“I can imagine.” She appeared to be steeling herself.

“They don’t bite, I promise. But…” he touched her shoulder lightly and ducked down a little to look her in the eye “if you’d rather not… we could go somewhere else and I can catch up with them later?”

“Oh goodness no. I’m looking forward to it. Honestly, I am! Let’s go inside, it’s freezing out here.”

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

“Hey look, John, Estera found a drowned puppy!”

“Goodness, doesn’t it look tragic?”

Penelope leaned backwards away from Scott as he responded to his brothers’ banter by shaking himself like a dog and showering the table with droplets from his hair before wringing his sleeve out down the back of Virgil’s collar who himself yelped like Sherbet in a snowdrift.

“Right for that you’re buying the next round big brother.”

“And this is novel, how?”

His friend hung back a little, watching the interaction with a mixture of amusement and mild confusion. Penelope gestured to Estera to take a seat beside her and cut across the brotherly jibing:

“Might it be an appropriate moment to introduce us Scott?”

The supposedly eldest and most mature of the pack looked up from where he’d flung his arms around John’s neck in what was clearly a weaponised soggy hug and smiled impishly before moving over and crouching down next to Estera’s chair.

“Estera, this is Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward - she is as lovely as she is fabulous and I’m sure you’ll get along.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt that for a moment. And please call me Penny!”

Estera smiled and offered a hand which Penny grasped with both of hers and gave her a conspiratorial wink.

Scott cleared his throat importantly “Next, I am delighted to present for your approval Annoying-Little-Brother-One who also goes by don’t-call-me-Johnny”

“Ha. Ha. Scooter. It’s a pleasure to meet you in person, Estera, although why you are wasting your time in the company of this absolute fool I cannot fathom.”

“And last but very much not least, either in importance or sheer bulk, here is Annoying-Little-Brother-Two who we refer to as short-stuff, the-tank, care-bear or, occasionally, Virgil”

Virgil leaned across the table to shake her hand. “You do realise what an insufferable creature our eldest brother is don’t you?”

“Oh yes, spotted that one straight away.”

Scott clutched his chest and gasped “I am hurt! A plague o’ both houses! I am sped!” before collapsing on to his back with melodramatic flailing and a range of choking noises before lying still with his tongue lolling and eyes rolled back.

Penelope giggled delicately while Estera tutted and rolled her eyes.

“You still have a couple of paragraphs of monologue before you’re allowed to expire, Mercutio. C+ must try harder.”

Scott pouted while John held up his hand for a high five.

Penelope caught Virgil’s eye and he grinned.

“Death doesn’t get you out of your round big bro. Get your soggy butt off the floor and over to the bar while we fill Estera in on some key anecdotes.”

Scott’s expression of dread wasn’t melodrama at all.

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbirds fanfiction #idontknowreallywhy fanfic #tb estera #estera #Scott Tracy #Virgil Tracy #John Tracy #lady penelope #Scott Tracy needs a friend #umbrellas are cool #Shameless cross referencing to other fic

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howlsofbloodhounds · 11 months

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A common interpretation I’ve seen of Killer is that he’s really horny and goes to Lusttale/Lust’s brothel to get his sexual needs met.

A common reason people seem to think he’d do this is because they think he would use sex as an unhealthy coping mechanism.

I don’t really see Killer as horny, in fact, i think that Stage 2 has a very low sex drive and that he experiences a degree of asexuality due to not only his trauma, but his emotional numbness and extreme apathy.

And since Killer was Sans once, and I remember hearing that Toby Fox once said Sans would be too lazy for a relationship (that paired with the circumstances of his AT), I don’t doubt Killer is a virgin when Nightmare takes him from his AT.

I think he’d turn to sex as a very last resort, mostly because I think he’d struggle to understand why people would allow others to touch them like that. How they could trust them like that.

Maybe his curiosity peaks when he reads a book about how things like sex could have a positive effects of humans, monsters, and even souls. But he never actually considers it until his Boss sends him on a mission to Lusttale.

An AU of Toriel notices him and approaches him and Killer reacts instinctively to another monster approaching him. Squaring his shoulders, glaring, ready to snap at her to go away until she opens her mouth and flirts with him.

He’s suprised by this. The Toriel is pretty, and he recalls how he vaguely had a crush on his Toriel when he was Sans; so he cautiously flirts back.

They’re having a fun back and forth, but the mission pulls Killer away and he pushes the thought of that Toriel away until he’s back at the castle. And, well, now he’s curious.

He isn’t really sexually attracted to the Toriel, although she is beautiful, but what’s the harm in giving this a shot? He used to see something in Toriels, he used to feel something for them before. Maybe he can do it again.

He cannot do it again. He runs into that Toriel at Lusttale again a few weeks later, and this time they actually managed to get somewhere. Only as soon as they’re in a bedroom, already half way undressed, and Toriel’s calling him Sans and suddenly he isn’t there anymore.

Physically, he is. But not in any other way. The world slips, turning foggy and gray. Toriel’s voice sounds like Killer is hearing her from underwater, and he struggles to breathe. Her hands on him feel too hot and tight, and not in the good way.

Toriel notices the eyelight in his right socket and calls it beautiful, and Killer shuts down; his target soul going deathly still. He robotically goes through the motions, fumbling occasionally as Toriel has to guide him back to where she wants him to be. He doesn’t have the presence of mind to be embarrassed about it.

Toriel’s hand brushes against his soul—accidentally, accidentally, it was an accident—and suddenly a knife is at her throat before she can blink. Killer’s soul is spinning erratically, the goop gushing down his cheeks, and he shortcuts away before Toriel can do anything else.

He ends up in alleyway somewhere, struggling to calm down as his soul wobbles and warps on his chest. It can’t decide which Stage to go in, 1 or 3.

He can hear faint, panicking voices in the back of his head; but he takes a deep breathe and tries to ignore it. Tries to ignore Toriel’s voice mixed in there, and the ghostly presence at his side.

“Shouldn’t have done that, Sans.” Their voice says. “What a sick thing to do. You’ve killed versions of her countless times.”

Killer doesn’t respond, but now he knows he can’t go for Toriels. Maybe not even Grillbys.

He leaves a blue hyacinth at the steps of the bedroom door they were in, as an apology, and takes his leave without a goodbye.

He doesn’t go back to Lusttale for anything more than missions his Boss sends him on, and he tries his best to avoid Lust’s brothel. He heard rumors about how this Lust was protective of his workers, and well, Killer wasn’t interested in being involved with anyone from Lusttale.

But as time goes on, and the more it’s just him and the Boss, he finds himself getting more and more lonely. It feels like he’s going insane, living his life from mission to mission; becoming a blur in his mind as the weeks melded together.

He vaguely recalls having meetings with that flame headed Sans. He remembers feeling happy, and safe. It never lasts long, as it doesn’t take long for Nightmare to show up. Nothing is feeling real. Nothing at all.

His usual but equally unhealthy tricks to stay grounded aren’t working, and he finds himself in UnderLust. He isn’t sure what the difference between UnderLust and Lusttale is supposed to be, but so long as he doesn’t run into anymore Toriels he really doesn’t care by this point.

And maybe this is where he officially meets UnderLust Sans.

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alpinefrsh · 3 months

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Okay so I'm super excited for the next TomTurtles fic (Love the series its one of my favs) but I'm also interest in the Tommy and LMK crossover you mentioned 👀

Oh, thank you!

ohohoho, okay, well, I'm gonna be honest, I have come up with A LOT of Tommyinnit crossover AU's (mostly between Rise and LMK)- but the one I'm low-key working on in the background rn is a space AU with human Tommy and alien Macaque.

Somewhat lengthy explanation below this cut, you have been warned.

Right now it's in Macaque's POV, but I could easily see it switching to Tommy's POV at some point because I love writing his POV. So, the base premise is Mac's on this middle of nowhere moon to restock on supplies yadda yadda, basic space faring stuff- except when he gets back to his ship, he notices an extra heartbeat, surprise surprise, it's Tommy. Since this is a bit of a humans are space orcs AU, humans have a bit of a rep for being strong and scary and all that, and pretty much anyone but Mac would have been freaked out be the human on their ship- unfortunately for Tommy, Mac is already personally acquainted with two other humans (kind of, Tang is a human in this AU and MK's half human half whatever Monkey alien Mac and SWK are). With that in mind, Mac clocks pretty easily that not only is this human a half starved adolescent, but he also looks like he just stumbled out of a crash site (he did), so he's not too worried about Tommy posing any kind of threat. He fully intends on booting Tommy out of his ship to go try his luck at the outpost- because he doesn't want to babysit a loud human child with a language barrier.

Which- funny additional fact, Macaque actually does know how to speak at least some basic human, the only problem is that the human language he was taught was actually Mandarin. A language Tommy doesn't speak. But back to the actual plot stuff- on his way to kick Tommy out of his ship, there's an unexpected knock. The person outside his ship is Jschlatt, who just so happens to be asking about something he "misplaced" Schlatt's the main antagonist for this fic, he was using Tommy as his scary human to keep subordinates in check, or something else along those lines. So anyway, Tommy recognizes Schlatt's voice and starts quietly freaking out and trying to stop Mac from opening the door. Macaque completely blames MK for his moment of empathy and begrudgingly decides to hide the human to the best of his ability in his tiny ship.

Once Tommy's hidden, Mac lets Schlatt aboard to ask his questions. Although Macaque denies any knowledge of a runaway human quite skillfully, this isn't Schlatt's first rodeo, so he plants a tracker on the ship just in case and has a couple of his men follow at a distance (Maybe Quackity and Slimecicle? Not decided yet)

Because Macaque hid him from Schlatt, Tommy decides that he's staying with the grumpy monkey man, thank you very much.

And since Tommy is a stubborn little bastard, Macaque caves and decides to just deal with it until he can dump the human on Tang and MK whenever he eventually gets to the main gang lives on. Most of the fic is Tom and Macaque struggling to communicate and annoying each other on purpose while the threat of Quackity and Charlie Slimecicle looms unbeknownst to them. Though I do think it'd be fun if like, Tommy started to catch on to the fact that their being followed. Not even a fully conscious realization though, just that general dread of feeling like there's someone watching you, but he can never quite place who it is, and even if he could, he's unable to effectively communicate his concerns to Macaque do to the language barrier that they're very slowly starting to take down. Hmm, on second thought, I think I just want Slimecicle to be following them. He can fuckin' goop and gunk his way around, sludging all over the place and disappearing into the sewers before Tom or Mac can spot him (I'm also moderately more confident in my ability to write Charlie than Quackity)

So yeah, slow build up of all that fun stuff until it all finally comes to a head with Schlatt executing his plan to retrieve Tommy. The whole ending section isn't too fleshed out yet, endings are very much prone to changing on a whim with me. Heavily depends on what the characters decide to do and how different scenes play out in practice. I have no idea if I'll actually finish this fic, it's kind of just a fun thing I work on when I'm in the mood, but I do have a couple of sketches for it.

My attempt to figure out what Macaque's ship is like because I was struggling to write them moving about the space without a pre-established layout of some kind.

While Tommy is in fact sixteen in this fic, drawing Macaque holding a small angry six year old brought me joy, so now you get to see it too.

Ignore the other sketches here, I had to go grab this off my phone and I'm too lazy to crop to just the relevant sketches- but I got both a Tom & Mac, and a Schlatt that I drew with this AU in mind.

Anyway, thank you for asking about one of my AUs, it made me very happy to ramble about it for a little bit. It is, however, past three AM, so I must be taking my leave now. o/

#inbox #it is becoming increasingly obvious that I have an addiction to giving Tommy various found family figures.#just having sbi isn't enough he needs to have more >:(#alright goodnight now

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halfawitch-willow · 2 months

Text

We'll Have Tomorrow ❁ WSoH Epilogue

After the events at the Garden Grove on Halloween night, the ragtag group make their way to Eilonwy's house to recover. There, Willow explains exactly what the hybrid plant was and how it ended up in the restricted greenhouse in the first place. As well as reveals the truth about herself and her own origins... Takes place October 31st (Nobody look at me, okay) Willow Shop of Horrors Finale and Thread List @eilonwy-notjustgirl, @foreverydinger, @edward-andalasia, @blight-magic, @winndeavor, @thegcldenguard, @darius-dues, @ianthedisastrous TW: mentions of blood, mild gore, injury, neck trauma, abusive dynamic with a plant, mentions past child abuse and bullying, triggers, Willow Has Goop Trauma ((LOOK. There are 9 characters in this thread and it's nearly 30 pages long, it took forever to wrap up. But it's done, it's here, and thank you again so much to everyone who participated and helped with this monster - heh- plot!))

WILLOW

When they made it to Eilonwy's house, Willow sort of just let herself be moved around. Winston carried her in and to the master bath at Eilonwy's directions, and Eilonwy and Amity stayed with Willow to help her clean all of the blood off and get her wounds washed and wrapped. She could feel the pixie dust getting washed away as well, and by the time she was wrapped up warm and dry in some of Laurel's old pajamas -- including a pair of tattered sweatpants that Eilonwy promised Laurel wouldn't want back, so Willow could tear open a hole in the back seam for her tail -- Willow felt almost empty. All of her strength had disappeared down the drain, right as she was about to face the hardest part.

They were going to have questions. And she was going to have to answer them.

Eilonwy and Amity helped her out to the living room, where there was a weird sort of energy amongst those who were gathered. Like they hadn't quite worked off all of the adrenaline, but now there was nothing to put it towards. The three girls made their way to the couch and the moment Willow was seated, she reached out for one of the potion bottles Hunter had placed on the coffee table. She cracked the wax seal in an easy, practiced motion and knocked half of it back before anyone could blink. The blood loss was making her head pound, and her whole body felt like one big gash.

She set her bottle down with a small sigh, before opening another bottle with the same blue liquid and gesturing to Eilonwy. "It's a Lesser Healing potion," she said, voice still rough and croaky. "It'll help with pain and any minor wounds, and there's four doses in each." Willow looked around the room. "Who else needs some?" she asked, scared of the answer. If anyone had gotten seriously injured because of her mistake, she didn't know what she'd do.

"We probably need some glasses..."

EILONWY

It probably wasn't exactly a good thing that Eilonwy was relatively used to ignoring her body's pain signals at this point, but considering it kept coming in handy, she was the last person to complain about it. Remnants of adrenaline and sheer will got her back to the Lightfoots house where she let everyone in so they could start cleaning up Willow.

She told Tony to raid Ian and Barley's closets for clothes for the boys and figured they would make themselves comfortable as she and Amity went up to care for Willow. She grabbed sweats of her own for herself and Amity considering they were close in size and then she focused on each step. Getting Willow clean. Getting her new clothes. Getting her downstairs. Getting food and tea into everyone.

Her left arm and her side were pounding dully in a way that she knew she would hate later, and she didn't realize she had pulled her arm in close to rest along her side.

As they walked in, she had to comfort herself with little touches - a hand on Hunter's arm as she walked by, a squeeze of Tony's hand, a moment of leaning against Edward - and then got Willow to the couch. The question made her jump back up again, too fixed on needing to take care of everyone else.

"I can get some glasses." She moved back towards the kitchen and began to pull them out to carry back over, using her light to make a sort of floating tray since she didn't trust her left arm right then.

TONY

Tony had already profusely apologized to Ian, knowing that this was precisely the kind of thing that Ian hated. People he cared about running off and getting themselves in danger without him able to help. "Hey, at least I didn't actually get hurt!" Tony had hoped the sentiment would help but he wasn't entirely sure it had landed the way he wanted it to.

Willow was being cared for by others and Tony raided Barley's closet for some items (making sure to be choosy and pick dark colors in case anyone was still bleeding) before grabbing some food out of the pantry.

"I can cook some warm food too, if anyone wants," he announced as he set crisps and cookies and all manner of snacks down for people to grab. "Laurel must've just gone to the store before this so we're in luck." There was also a lot of Halloween candy still laying about but sweets and junk weren't exactly the best for everyone here.

"Any allergies?"

IAN & EDWARD

Ian hadn't taken long to get to his mom's house once he knew what was going on, and spent most of his time, post-outfit change, with Edward in tow, since the latter was unharmed, or at least already healed if he had been harmed, and helpful, with a little direction.

Most of that had involved redirecting Edward to where things in the house were that the people who were injured needed.

"Catch your breath and please sit down for a minute," he reminded Eilonwy in passing, because the slight flicker in her light was too familiar for Ian not to notice and she wouldn't, in fact, slow down otherwise.

"Blazey, bed," he mumbled in passing with a scratch at the dog's ears, sending her off to her bed in the corner of the living room with Cai trailing behind while he pulled open the closet door in the hallway and handed off a stack of pillows and a few blankets off to Edward to take to the couch.

"It's fine, don't worry about it right now," he pressed a kiss against Tony's, vaguely dusty, hair and absently untangled a leaf from it. He never won the 'stay out of trouble' conversation, with either Tony or Eilonwy, and as unsteady as he felt right then over the situation that was really a sidebar to the bigger problems right then.

He wanted to suggest Tony sit down too, but didn't, he wasn't injured and cooking would, hopefully, calm some of it.

"Okay, mom isn't going to be here for a while," Ian returned to the living room, glancing at the collective group of misery occupying the couch and surrounding area, "but Edward's-" where was Edward? Ian glanced around, spotting him in the kitchen getting bottles of water for people, right, okay, "has the first aid kit, mom has an Arcadian first aid kit too if you need more than your potions."

Otherwise, most of it was just damage control, wasn't it, and giving everyone a chance to relax after...well, Ian still didn't know what had happened but he figured he'd ask later.

AMITY

"I don't need any," Amity said quickly when the offer came. She gently nudged the potion back toward Willow. "You can have my share."

She wasn't without injury, persay-- but the worst of Amity's pain was all internal. Her own shame, her own guilt gnawing away, like a splinter embedded deep within the skin. She couldn't help but think about the ways she could have prevented this if she had just been fucking smarter. She hadn't seen the danger in the hybrid. She hadn't realized how much pain and fear Willow was still holding inside. Or maybe...she hadn't wanted to see it, because she knew so much of it had been Amity's doing. She still hadn't made up for it. Would she ever?

She probably should have just gone back to the dorms.

But Amity was selfish, and worried, and couldn't leave Willow alone (not again.) And so she'd gone with her, along with Eilonwy and the rest. Though she knew she was a stranger in this house-- not part of the family like Eilonwy or Tony or even Edward-- she stayed planted next to Willow's side. She'd stay quiet, nearly invisible if she could manage it. Only there for Willow.

WILLOW

Willow shook her head, and the moment Eilonwy came back with the glasses, she gently tugged the other girl down to sit with them on the couch and set the glasses down herself. "Both of you need some," she whispered, trying to ignore the shaking in her own arms as she tried to pour out some of the potion into the glasses. Winston quickly came over to help hold her hands steady, and she gave him a tiny, grateful smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

Winston helped passed the two glasses to the girls while Willow picked up her own bottle and curled up on the couch between them, her tail curling around her feet. "Papa still makes it with scaberry extract," she told Amity, "so the taste isn't as bad as they normally are." There were still two glasses on the table for anyone who needed some, and a few more unopened bottles besides.

She took another sip of her own bottle and leaned against Amity's side, hoping that she'd at least have a little more time for the potion to work on her throat before she had to start talking in earnest. She'd gotten a look at herself in the mirror earlier and the bruising was... gruesome, so say the least. Some of it still peaked out over her bandages.

HUNTER

"I'm fine," Hunter said reflexively.

Hunter was fine. He was always fine. That was his job, right? To be fine, to wear the helm of the Golden Guard with his head held high? He was fine. He had some bruises, but nothing serious. He'd had far worse scrapes. He wasn't about to let anyone see him as anything less than capable.

(His heart wouldn't stop racing. He didn't know why. He couldn't get it to stop.)

Not for the first time, he felt like maybe he shouldn't be here. He didn't belong here. He barely belonged here.

He stood at a distance, back pressed against the wall, watching everyone. His eyes flickered to Amity and Willow on the couch, and he wondered what his life might've been like if he'd gone to school with them. He dismissed that thought quickly, and shifted his weight from one foot to another, wincing slightly. Perhaps he'd sprained something, or just got a bad bruise, but he could take care of that later.

DARIUS

Well, it's not like he'd been doing anything else for Halloween. He'd gotten dressed up, as per the custom, but wasn't planning on participating in any other significant way. No, he was just planning for a night in, looking fabulous, grading mediocre papers.

And then he got a text.

First, was the arduous task of decoding what was either a ciphered message or just a slew of typos. He managed to get as far as "Garden Grove", heading over there to try and assess the situation. What he found was...concerning to say the least. The fact that there was no Hunter, along with nobody else, was doubly concerning. Then it was another stretch of time of doubling back, asking around, and tracking, before he finally found the abode he was fairly certain was housing the young Golden Guard, along with anyone else who got caught up in this unfortunate scenario.

He ascended the porch stairs two at a time before knocking, sharply. He didn't bother waiting for an answer before knocking again and calling in, "Hunter?" It wasn't often he used his name outright, but this seemed like a situation that called for it.

When someone finally bothered to open the door, he looked to them before over their shoulder. "Is everyone alright?"

WILLOW

Willow wanted to protest -- no one who ever said they were 'fine' was actually 'fine', Willow would know -- and try to get Hunter to come to the couch and take a dose. If he even wanted to be near her. He hadn't said a word to her until that short reply, and Willow knew it wasn't the potions that made her feel squirmy and sick and guilty.

The knock at the door interrupted her before she could even begin to speak, and Willow quirked her head curiously until the familiar voice called for Hunter and she went deathly pale. Horror splashed across her features and Willow grabbed the sleeve of Eilonwy's shirt in a death grip as she sunk further against Amity's side. Praying to a distant Titan that Head Witch Daemonne wouldn't notice her. She was trembling like a leaf, and the few house plants in the Lightfoot's living room -- who had gone quiet after Willow had ignored their attempts to sooth her -- started to writhe and fluff up defensively.

EILONWY

Eilonwy was concerned. She couldn't leave Willow, not with the way the girl was pressed up against her, but she didn't like Hunter being so far away and sounding so distant either. She looked towards Edward and tilted her head towards Hunter, hoping he would be able to go over and bring him in closer so they could see if he was really all right. Amity at least she was planning to just shove the potion down her throat if she had to (she was better at enforcing care for other people than herself.)

But the knock had her head whipping around towards the door as she began to reach for one of the glasses. The name had her looking back towards Hunter, and she was about to say something as Ian pulled the door open when she felt Willow gripping her tightly.

In the corner of the room, Cai came to attention at the same time she did, motes of light rushing towards her as little bits began to spark again along her hair. She didn't know who this man was, but Willow was scared. That's all she needed to know.

"Stay back," she barked at the stranger. Yes, she was in pajamas with her sore arm curled against her side, but that didn't change the steel in her tone as she glared at him. "Who are you and what do you think you're doing here?" She hadn't directed her light - yet - but she was ready to shove him bodily back out the door if she didn't get answers soon.

TONY

Tony started toward the kitchen, beginning simple things like mac & cheese or some soup that was sat frozen in Laurel's freezer. Easy and warm, Tony could handle making a spread that would feed this motley crew. It helped with his own nerves to get away from the rest for a moment, to focus on a task once again.

Ian would handle things in the living room, this was his home after all, and Tony doubted that anyone here would be reckless enough to leave when they had only just arrived.

He heard the sound of a door opening, an unfamiliar voice following that, and finally Eilonwy's demand filling the air. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he tried to listen in, still standing at the stove.

IAN & EDWARD

With all the motion in the house Edward had opted to remain in the living room after seeing to what all needed to be gathered. And while Willow had a cluster of attention at the time looking after her his gaze quickly searched everyone else, who by the large looked well enough, except Hunter, unsteady on his feet.

"Perhaps you should sit," Edward coaxed, gentle in his approach given how tense Hunter was, lifting a hand slowly to the other's arm to, hopefully, ground him a bit. "Are you alright, I think-" his words were cut short by that knock, and moreso Hunter's name and the sudden shift in the mood in the room, his gaze instinctively drawn to the door with a step between that direction and Hunter, just in case, given Willow's reaction and Eilonwy's outburst.

Ian, already at the door, stood there, what was initially a passive expression thinking this was simply another person involved in the situation quickly shifted to scrutiny of the brightly-costumed individual standing there. He didn't know exactly what all was going on but he wasn't too eager to let anyone inside until he knew why everyone was so upset over the newcomer.

"I really think that's a valid question right now." Ian regarded the stranger evenly, remaining in the doorway for the moment; nearly half the people in the house were already injured, he wasn't taking a chance on letting just anyone through that door. Which was why his hand twitched faintly, easily overlooked but a pointed gesture, while he waited for an answer.

AMITY

Titan's tit-- "Darius Deamonne?!" exclaimed Amity from inside the house.

But how? No, that was a dumb question. Why? Was it the same reason that Hunter Belos was now in Swynlake? What about Lilith Clawthorne? Dread, as cold as ice, washed through Amity. Once, Darius would have been one of the sorcerers that she'd want to impress but now all the Emperor's crows were flocking to Swynlake, one by one, and there had to be a reason.

Naturally, Amity's paranoid brain thought first of Odalia.

But Odalia and Darius Deamonne fucking hated each other.

Whatever-- first, Amity had to deal with the fact she'd just blurted his name and now everyone had looked at her. "He's-- he's the head of the Abomination Coven," she said, feeling her cheeks colour. "I have no idea why he's there though."

DARIUS

Alright, he'd clearly stepped into something here. Hunter had barely given any information in his poorly composed text, so he'd not been expecting such a large crowd to be waiting for him, not to mention waiting to pounce.

He put his hands up innocently to show he meant no harm. Luckily, he didn't need to introduce himself, as it seemed to be done for him. "Thank you, Ms. Blight," he said, nodding in her direction.

"I was summoned with a message warning of a "minor disaster"," he said, air quotes and all. "I'm merely here to make sure everyone is alright. Help heal any injuries. Subdue any threats. Though it seems that's been taken care of, if the state of the Garden Grove is any indication..."

His eyes flickered between all of the children, taking stock of their injuries and general state. His gaze settled on both Willow and Hunter for a bit too long before he looked to the only other adult in the room. "Is this your home? I don't mean to say you don't have the situation handled, but I'd like to help, if at all possible. Some of these children are under my care," he explained, despite none of the children referenced knowing that.

HUNTER

In this time, Hunter had forgotten that he’d texted Darius.

It had been in a panic. There had been no other adult that he felt could handle this caliber of magical disaster. Mistress Clawthorne resented him, after all. He did not know the other sorcerers in town. So, Darius it was.

But he shouldn't have had to ask anyone at all! He should’ve been able to handle this, a simple plant!

Now, Darius was here and Hunter was embarrassed, but he had to save face.

“Darius!” It came out like a squeak. He cleared his throat. “I mean. Master Deamonne. Welcome! I, uh, texted him.” This was for the benefit of everyone else in the room. “On the way to the Grove, before we knew the extent of the damage.”

He turned back to Darius. “But, as you can see, we are all in one piece, albeit a little battered, so we clearly handled everything and you can definitely not mention this in any reports you might be giving.”

He swung his arm jauntily, the visor of his helmet falling on his face as he did so. Quickly, Hunter scrambled to shove it back up, before his breathing started quickening again and he flashed an all-too-bright smile to indicate just how well he was handling this situation!

WILLOW

Willow had watched everyone react to Darius with the stunned, horrified silence of someone watching a train wreck. How the fuck had she managed to drag them all to this exact moment of time!? It was a nightmare.

She bit back a squeak when Darius looked her over, wanting to disappear, but he glanced away quickly to look at Winston who was already shaking his head and gesturing instead to an annoyed-looking Eilonwy. Before that situation could devolve any further, Hunter jumped into the conversation.

Her heart jumped to her throat when it started to sound like Hunter might get in trouble for texting Darius. To save her pathetic ass from a monster of her own creation. Hunter looked like his face was about to crack from the force of his smile, and Willow was scrambling to lean over the back of the couch before her brain could catch up.

"It was my fault!" she croaked, voice wrecked and eyes wide and scared. "I'm the one who made the plants go crazy at the Grove. They just came to help bail me out when I lost control. They saved my life, please just-" Willow was horrified and embarrassed to find more tears trailing down her cheeks.

"Please don't report this, o-or tell my dads," she begged. "They don't know."

EILONWY

It appeared at least a few people in this room knew who this man was, and Hunter apparently trusted him enough to text him for help, so she would have to take that as a recommendation. Even if he did call them 'children'.

Although she didn't care for the sound of reports one bit.

As Willow began to cry again, Eilonwy reached out to wrap an arm around Willow's shoulders from where she was standing, expanding the light around her so it provided a gentle warmth and pressure on the other girl.

"This is my home. You are welcome inside," for now. "Willow had already gathered some healing potions that everyone will be taking," she gave both Amity and Hunter mild glares at that because she knew they had a tendency to downplay things, "and then if you feel up for it Willow, you can tell us what happened with the plants. But only if you want to."

She turned to look back at him. "As you said, the issue at the Grove has been handled. Which means I'm assuming the reports in question won't be an issue." She raised one eyebrow, assuming he would get the message.

Or Ian could still kick him out of the house pretty easily she was sure. Head Witch or no.

DARIUS

Oh boy. There was a lot happening here. He watched Hunter and opened his mouth to reply before he was cut off by Willow's cries and the blonde's remarks. His lips tightened in annoyance but he took a deep breath before replying calmly.

"Nobody needs to worry about any reports. It wasn't even in the question." He did not, however, make any mention of Willow's fathers. To promise that he wouldn't tell them in this instance seemed… irresponsible at best. At least, until he learned more about the situation.

Still, he was granted entry, so that was something. He stepped inside, the heels of his boots clicking against the floor. "Now, I have the capabilities to deal with any cuts, open wounds, sores, lesions, or damage directly to the skin, if needed. Don't be humble, I didn't come here to just stand around and look pretty."

WILLOW

Willow leaned a little into Eilonwy's embrace, being sure not to put too much pressure on her ribs and tried to wipe her cheeks dry. If she had been in her right mind, she would have caught how Darius had dodged the topic of her dads, but the relief from his reassurance was so great Willow visibly relaxed.

At Darius's offer, Willow looked around the room to check everyone. She knew, objectively, that her injuries were the worst - her blood loss hadn't made her that fuzzy. Hunter's armor meant she couldn't get a good look at him -- and wow, it was weird seeing him in the armor she knew so well from watching the news with her dads -- but everyone else was mostly in pajamas and costumes now, so she felt pretty confident she was the only one at risk of bleeding out any time soon.

"I think the three of us need the most help," she admitted softly, gesturing to Amity and Eilonwy. Hunter was still breathing kind of fast, and after a moment of hesitation, Willow held out her bandaged hand towards him in invitation.

"Come get some healing potion, Lony's orders," she said softly, voice almost a coarse whisper. "Sit with us, please?"

HUNTER

Hunter was fine.

He was fine.

Darius was here and he was fine.

Everyone was looking at him now.

He took a deep breath.

There were no reports, Darius said. Eilonwy said he should drink a healing potion. Willow agreed. Hunter didn’t want to do that, because he never liked the taste of healing potions. Not that the flavor itself was bad, but because the feeling down his throat was a reminder of —

What was it a reminder of?

Hunter couldn’t remember. His head was fuzzy. He was tired. He wanted to slump down on his knees and lean his head on someone’s chest.

He didn’t do that, of course. He shuffled forward slightly and took a hesitant seat on the edge of the couch.

“Pass the potion,” he said, holding out a hand.

DARIUS

Darius kept an eye on Hunter as he moved over, recognizing the nauseous look on his face. The kid was more wound up than Adrian's hair piece (on a good day) and he was fairly certain that a single mishap at this stage would completely unravel him. So he merely needed to keep things calm.

Looking over the three indicated ladies, he nodded. "Right. Before we begin, I want to preface by saying this is a perfectly sanitized procedure and there are no untoward side effects." With that explanation out of the way, he raised his gloved hands, and from underneath his cape, a stream of purple ooze shot out, suspended in midair before splitting between the three. It hovered before spreading and wrapping around the scratches and cuts, stopping any bleeding and healing the skin. Unfortunately, any internal injuries and pain would remain.

For Eilonwy and Amity, the process would be fairly quick. Willow's wounds were much more prominent and numerous, so he moved closer to her to keep an eye on the process. One cut at a time. He looked among the others. "So. Does anyone want to give a more detailed account of what happened?"

AMITY

Amity didn't want to take the potion either. She actually-- didn't want to be here at all. Now that Darius had arrived, she felt on edge. Her eyes kept darting to the door. She had this weird feeling like, somehow, she was betraying Alador by just being in the same room as him. Which made no sense of course. In fact, if she could talk to her dad (which she couldn't), he'd probably laugh at her for the thought. I haven’t even thought of Darius in years.

Still, he was a reminder of Amity's father. And the Boiling Isles. And her own magic.

Her hands were still sticky with golem, which helped dull the pain from the burns on her palms, and up her arm. Titan's blood, she wanted to leave.

But it was Willow's soft, croaking voice that kept her from bolting like a stray, injured cat. Carefully, without even saying a word, she moved with Hunter over to the couch, then sat down. She waited until the potion was passed and she took a swig from it obediently.

Then her eyes tracked back to Darius. She glanced at Willow and leaned in. "What do you want to tell him?" she murmured. It was so inconvenient that he had showed up here so quickly... it would have been better for all of them to get their story straight.

WILLOW

Willow let out a tiny sigh of relief as Amity and Hunter both sat on the couch, and she quickly -- or, well, as quickly as she could move -- poured them both doses of the healing potion. She looked up at Darius curiously as he approached, leaning in towards Amity to hear her whisper better. But before she could formulate an answer, or even open her mouth, Darius raised his hands and Willow watched in horror as abomination clay swam through the air and wrapped around her neck, arms, and legs.

She hadn't realized this was what he meant. Stupid half-wit.

Willow went stiff as a corpse, her head tilted back as she tried not to scream at the feeling of goop on her skin. She couldn't even feel relief from her wounds being treated, there was just the scent of clay and rot crowding out her thoughts. Her tail lashed out and twitched wildly until she grabbed it and held it down in her lap, trembling. She breathed in and out carefully. In for four beats. Out for four beats. Try not to cry.

This wasn't Hexside. This wasn't the Boiling Isles. She was fine. She could breathe.

In, two, three, four. Out, two, three, four.

EILONWY

As Hunter sat on the couch, Eilonwy passed him the potion, passing one to Amity as well so that they would both take a sip and hopefully feel better. She couldn't be sure exactly how injured either of them were, but this was one thing she could do to help.

This also finally brought Hunter close enough to her that she could slide her hand in his and hold it tightly, ignoring the way her sore arm throbbed in that moment, trying to pull him a little bit closer to her. She wanted her people close until she was sure they were okay, and there was only so much she could do.

Once again, she was reaching for the potion with her free hand to take a swig when she paused as the swirling purple ooze shot through the air. Her light pulsed for a moment reflexively and she had to bite her lip to stop it from expanding outward.

Until Willow reacted.

"Stop it! Stop it right now!" Ignoring the potion (again), she reached out to try and lay a hand on Willow. She didn't even realize that she was getting warmer, the ooze that had wrapped around her own wrist beginning to dry out slightly as the light gathered more intensely around her.

WILLOW

"It's fine," Willow said, voice cracked and shaky. "I trust him. J-just don't get any near my face."

She was tapping out counts of four on her lap, lips pressed firmly together as she tried to tough it out. He was helping her. This was meant to heal. She could breathe.

TONY

Tony listened quietly through this Darius’ entrance and introduction, allowing those close to the door to react even as his muscles clenched in anticipation of another fight breaking out. Instead of saying anything he used that feeling, that anxiety, to finish making the mac and cheese and the soup so that he brought it out into the living room with a slight clearing of his throat so as not to startle anyone (especially Darius who was using abomination magic around the injured???).

“Hot food’s ready,” he murmured, eyeing up the stranger. Tony had only begun to trust sorcery and what was happening to Willow certainly didn’t ease any of that suspicion. “I know you’re taking potions but.. eating helps. If not immediately for your wounds it’ll still help settle your nerves.” He set the tray of bowls, forks, and spoons down on the table.

He hesitated there, unsure if he should join Ian at the door or try to take a seat near those on the couch as well. Tony ultimately decided on the former both because he wanted to be near his boyfriend and because most of the people on the couch weren’t people he knew how to comfort, how to help. They probably wouldn’t even want it aside from Eilonwy.

“So this is a total shitshow, huh?” He whispered to Ian as quietly as he could.

IAN & EDWARD

Ian's lips were drawn to a thin line, he couldn't say he liked anything that was going on in that room. It was Eilonwy’s home, it was his home, and Tony’s, and as far as Ian viewed the situation that extended to the people there he barely knew but clearly needed it to be that evening. He couldn't imagine his mom would mind that, although she might have had a few interesting words for the stranger who wandered in and set everything, and nearly everyone, off.

She wasn't there, and Eilonwy was fueled by her own anxious, angry energy right then, which left Ian shutting the door and keeping a scrutinizing eye on the man, cautious. He was going to assume, for the moment, he was trying to help.

But that magic didn't do much to settle Ian's opinion on the matter and he bristled, fingers twitching, at that repulsive outburst of intrusive sludge.

He glanced to Tony in silent agreement, but his attention didn't sway far from Darius.

Even Edward was uncomfortable, although, already healed from his injuries, he was skirting the edge of the room. Ian noted the reflex, the way his hand dropped to where his sword would have been had he had it with him, at Eilonwy's sharp words.

He waited, equally perplexed and unsettled by the display, pushing that aside until whatever was going to be accomplished by it had, before speaking. "I think everyone would be more comfortable if you stepped back a little," he addressed Darius, the lingering tension on that couch was obvious even without his natural sensitivity to the presence of people. And a few steps was breathing room, that wasn't unreasonable.

AMITY

Amity glanced toward Willow and instantly felt terrible-- remembering how she'd gone to her in the shop, covered in golem, and hadn't thought twice. She'd just wanted to make sure her friend was okay. She just wanted to hold her. She just wanted...

Amity looked away again, feeling shame crawling up and down her spine. It sucked that this thing that Willow hated the thing that made Amity... Amity. (Didn't it? She had a weird relationship with abomination magic this day. But at the same time, it was the only magic she knew. It felt impossible to separate that magic from who she was as a person.)

She didn't say anything, just looked back at Darius. Her gaze was guarded, bordering on hostile. If he tried anything else without a proper warning first, at least she could, maybe, stop him.

WINSTON

Winston didn't know what to do, felt like he was at a loss. The only other adult in the room and, unlike the shorter man, one who had neither magic nor the know-how to fix any of it. So, he did the best he could to comfort, to hunt for things that could make the kids feel better - blankets, warm drinks from the kitchen, help Tony get the food - anything to feel useful.

He, to be quite honest, doesn't even notice when the children start to protest at Darius's actions. He's in the kitchen, leaving a voicemail for his office to let them know he'd not be in for a day or two.

At the...purple goop that was meant to help, meant to heal Willow, however, he has to put his foot down. There's terror there, true terror, but before he can, Willow tells them its okay, just don't go near his face.

Winston still didn't like it.

"That's enough," he says, voice calm, but quiet, firm, and gaze unwavering from Darius. "You're trying to help. I understand that but they've...they've been through a lot tonight. Give them space, please. Willow," he says, no longer addressing the other adult but gaze never leaving him. "You're okay, darling. Breathe. He's done."

HUNTER

Suddenly, Hunter felt defensive of Darius.

He wasn't sure what came over him. But everyone bristled, ready to lunge at Darius, all on the defense, and Hunter just felt -- well, he'd been the one to call Darius, hadn't he?

Hunter cleared his throat.

"He's just trying to help," he said. His fingers tightened around the health potion, and he could still taste it on his lips. He gulped, feeling eyes on him, and trying to look anywhere besides Darius. "I'm the one who called him, and I didn't do it on a whim; I did it because we needed someone who's dealt with magical incidents at the level. Or, I thought."

And then, because he still felt like this was his fault -- Willow's outburst, the sudden metaphorical daggers thrown at Darius --

"I'm sorry. If you have any issues with him, direct them to me."

DARIUS

Darius was attempting to focus on the task at hand. After all, healing through abomination magic was not a widely practiced technique, as one needed a deft hand to keep control while speeding up the body's natural processes.

He didn't notice Willow's panic at first, only the first voice calling out at him to stop. Then step back. Give them space. All of these commands and distrusting looks being hurled at him while he was trying to concentrate.

Before he could speak however, Hunter did first. He didn't look away from his work but the words settled upon him, upon everyone, leaving a blessed silence that allowed him to finish what he started. Pulling his hands back, all of the ooze pulled off of Willow, coalescing over his palms.

"Thank you, Hunter. That should be enough. I could be doing more," he said pointedly, "but clearly some space is required." With that, he took a few steps back. Another faint glow came from beneath the gloves as the ooze, now streaked with dried blood, began to spin rapidly, seemingly cleaning itself.

"You'll likely need supplementary healing in the coming days, but at the very least, all of your wounds have closed and there should be no more bleeding."

WILLOW

The moment the abomination ooze pulled off of her, Willow slumped like a puppet that had all of its strings cut and curled into herself. Her arms wrapped around her stomach tightly as she breathed through her mouth, forehead pressed to her knees.

This, more than anything, made her feel exposed. Weak. She felt like Willow the Half-Witch. Willow the Mudbreather. Weeping Willow. All of the false-courage she'd gathered over the months fled and left her trembling.

It was the press of Amity's knee against hers and Eilonwy's flickering light at the corner of her eye that made her reach out and snap her courage back up before it could disappear completely, dragging it back by the metaphorical tail.

She took a deep breath, let it out, then slowly uncurled until she was upright again. "Thank you," she said softly, voice a little raw and shaky. "I feel better now. I'm sorry I freaked out, I should have understood what you meant to do and prepared myself better. I apologize for worrying everyone."

It was almost clinical, and she knew she sounded like she had when she was sat in front of Principal Bump's desk, coughing up abomination slime her teacher had shoved over her mouth when she failed to make her own lump of clay so much as twitch.

Willow was still hugging herself tightly, mostly to hide the way her arms were still shaking. "I'll answer any questions you have, now," she said, meeting Darius's eyes but speaking to the whole room. "The best I can, at least."

EILONWY

Eilonwy could feel the clawing edges of her temper wanting to break free. She wanted to let the light go, wanted to shove Darius back until he was far away, the rest of them safe inside a shield of her own making until Hunter stopped shaking and Willow could breathe and Amity relaxed and she felt like she had the space to let everyone calm down in their own way. She didn't. But the temptation was there.

She was still running hot enough that the abomination clay couldn't fully settle against her, cuts closed but only barely so it wouldn't take much to open again by the time it was pulled away.

Darius's comment made her want to snap back at him that next time he should know to explain what he was doing before using unfamiliar magic around people. But Hunter's own defensiveness and his defense of Darius had her swallowing those words back as well. (Darius could probably read the sharp glare in her expression.)

But Willow was still the priority, and she gently rubbed her hand along Willow's back to try and provide a little bit of comfort.

It meant that even with the way she had to swallow back the temper that burned just under the surface, her voice was gentle as she said. "It's all right. Can you tell us about the plant? It seemed to care about you." Even as it was killing her, but that wasn't that strange to Eilonwy.

WILLOW

It did care about me, Willow wanted to say, and another rush of grief came over her. All those plants in the greenhouse, all gone because of her stupidity.

"It was a hybrid," Willow started, "between the Whisperers and Vampire Roses we kept in the restricted greenhouse. We keep all the more dangerous magical flowers back there, and I was in charge of them while Flower was away." Because I'm a Garden Talent, she added mentally, but couldn't bring herself to say aloud. Despite knowing she would have to.

"We usually take precautions to keep them from hybridizing, but I... I cut my hand on the watering can, and it got in the Whisperer's bed. I came back the next morning and it was there. And then it started talking. It wasn't violent or anything like that," she defended weakly, "at least not at the beginning. By the time it got bad enough for me to notice, it was too late."

TONY

Tony Rydinger had grown a lot in the decades but mainly over the last few years. One of those growing pains was learning to trust magic, particularly sorcery. He had been a Mundus and the curse had wrapped around him in ways he had had no ability to fight and he had seen time and time again how magic could cut people deeply. Especially those he cared about.

Willow was now one of those people.

He bit his tongue for most of the conversation but as Willow explained what had happened with the plant he grew restless, a sort of twitchiness seeping into his bones that he couldn’t quite contain. Composure be damned, he was scared.

“So it started… feeding off you?” He didn’t know much about magical plants, only that the name ‘Vampire Rose’ gave a particular conversation and he’d seen the way the hybrid had clung and cut into Willow

“Willow, I don’t know if you should go back to the greenhouse for awhile.” Or ever. “Though we should probably call Flower…”

IAN & EDWARD

Edward had made his way steadily closer to the couch, the entire bounce back and forth of the conversation and the tension drew him to the obvious action; making certain he was closer to the people who were injured, just in case.

He remained silent, most of the questions that crossed his mind were answered without his voicing them, but he wasn't comfortable. There really wasn't any way to be right then, so he settled for lingering at the side of the couch since he couldn't do much else.

Ian was listening, he didn't know most of the people in the room more than in passing, but there were a lot of things he could see weren't being said; between Hunter, Darius, Willow, Amity.

He decided not to focus on that.

Magic flowers and bloodthirsty plants probably weren't as outlandish as they might have been elsewhere, but he still felt uneasy hearing the bits and pieces of that story.

"At least not for now," he added to Tony's suggestion; he'd have to text his mom anyway so she didn't walk into the situation unaware when she got home, but she wasn't going to bat an eye at how occupied the house was. "Everyone looks exhausted and I don't know everything that's going on, but if nobody is in immediate danger it's better to just stay put and rest some." He reasoned, although he still wasn’t sure about Darius, given the push of his efforts, but he was less suspicious than he was cautious.

Ian nodded to the mention of Flower, acutely aware of how tense Tony had gotten as the conversation had continued, and stepped away from the door to give him a little nudge, grabbing his hand an instant before he called Blazey over from where she was pacing at the scent of that strange magic.

WILLOW

"There's nothing left in the greenhouse anyways," Willow said quietly. "I-" she choked on her tongue, tears welling up in her eyes. "Sorry," she murmured, wiping them quickly.

"It wasn't feeding on my blood until the end, we have bloodmeal for the Vampire Roses that was working. It... The roots went deep. I could feel it at the end, it was pulling magic from the ground and-"

Willow clasped her hands together tightly, watching them tremble in her lap. "And from me," she said softly. "I've... I was sleeping in the greenhouse a few nights a week. I think that's why it got so attached." Her tail curled into her lap and Willow held it tightly, like a child clinging to their teddy bear. "When I... I was getting ready for the party, a-and I got nervous, and it didn't want me to go where it didn't know I'd be safe. It freaked out and- and that's when I called Eilonwy."

Willow looked to the group. "I'm so sorry I put you all in danger like that," she said wetly, tears rolling down her pale cheeks. "I can't repay what you did for me, but I'll try to be deserving of it."

EILONWY

Eilonwy remembered the feeling of dry dust swirling in the air as she picked up her stolen sword and was sure that was true. The devastation they'd left behind would be a conversation for another day.

For now, it was more important to stay focused on Willow, on making sure she was steady.

"Hey, you did exactly right. I'm glad you called me and that we could be there for you. You don't have to do anything to deserve it - we're your friends. That's what we're here for."

What was a little life threatening danger between friends after all? This was Swynlake. They were lucky that no one had died this time around, and they were already sitting together afterward. That was what mattered more to her. She wanted to be the person that people called for help and knew that she would come.

She wanted to ask about the pixie dust, but she couldn't help glancing towards Darius, not sure if that was the kind of thing he should know.

DARIUS

Darius didn't realize the full extent of Willow's panic until he finally pulled away, his lips twitching into a frown as he watched her curl in on herself. He didn't understand what had necessarily caused the reaction--after all, he knew Willow had taken abomination courses at Hexside. However, he also knew from her parents that her experience at the school had not been the most pleasant.

"You're fine," he replied simply. "I will be more communicative in the future."

From there on, he hung back but listened carefully, taking in every detail and trying to fit the puzzle together. Unfortunately, elemental magic was not his forte. And he certainly wasn't going to approach Head Witch Terra Snapdragon of all people to fill in the blanks. He'd rather let the "Vampire Roses" have their way with him.

But finally, he did ask, "Is this your first time discovering a natural talent in earth magic?" After all, this was the first he was hearing of it. But you would have to have a certain level of specialty in order to bring life--a seemingly sentient life--to something like that.

WILLOW

Willow almost burst out laughing.

It was the exact same thing Amity had suggested, back in August after they faced the fear demon. It was the obvious answer, and the easiest. To have an earth specialty, like her Dad. But no, nothing was ever that easy for her.

"Not... not quite," Willow said softly. Instinctively, she reached out towards Amity, bumping her fingers against the other girl's thigh and breathing a little easier when her thin fingers laced inbetween her own. "I, um. I discovered recently that the information my fathers were given about my birth parents wasn't... entirely accurate." She took a deep breath.

"I was born on the Boiling Isles, but only one of my birth parents was a sorcerer," Willow said, voice trembling. With her free hand, she tucked her curls back and behind one pointed ear. "The other one was a fairy. I have a Garden Talent."

TONY

"Never apologize for what happened," Tony added to Eilonwy's sentiment. He didn't want Willow to think that she'd done anything wrong by asking for help. He stepped forward slightly, not fully leaving Ian's side but enough that he felt a little better about the distance. "You needed us and now you're going to be okay. That's all that matters here, Willow."

Knowing that Willow was a mixture of sorcery and fairy magic caused Tony to send Ian a sidelong glance. It wasn't quite the same, of course, but he knew that if anyone could understand what Willow was going through it would be Ian. Being a mixture of two seemingly opposing sides that caused one's magic to act strangely to both halves. "Once again I'm the most boring member of the group," Tony joked quietly, not even sure anyone but Ian would hear him.

Now he was sure she would be okay.

"Now if you people don't start eating food and drink your healing potions I'm gonna actually have an aneurysm. Forget monster flowers, that'll be what does me in."

WILLOW

Willow looked up at Tony with wet eyes and after a moment, gave him a small giggle and a smile. Then more giggles came, that turned into gasps, until Willow was stifling little sobs into her palms, trying to catch her tears with her fingers. Her tail coiled tightly to her knee and Willow wanted nothing more than to curl up in a little ball on the couch. It felt like she was a dam that had cracked and fissured finally starting to crumble. The pressure was agonizing, and though she knew (hoped) she'd feel better once the wall came down, the weight of it all threatened to crush her first.

"I-I'm sorry," she whimpered. "I shouldn't have lied, I just- I was an awful sorcerer, and I thought maybe I could be an okay Mundus." She laughed, wet and tinged with almost-hysteria. "I was pretty awful at that too, huh?"

She was clearly a terrible fairy as well. It had never been an issue of her magic, it was just Willow. The half-a-witch Mudbreather who was destined for failure.

TONY

Tony winked at Willow when she started to giggle but blanched slightly as she started to sob. It hadn't been his intention by any means to make her cry but the dam had to burst at some point. It wasn't sustainable to hold everything together with white knuckles and trembling fists, as he knew all too well. There were times that you couldn't be perfect, couldn't keep the pieces together all alone.

Tony crossed the room to kneel in front of Willow, ignoring everyone else in the room then. "You lied to protect yourself, that's nothing to be ashamed of. Sometimes there are no perfect solutions, sometimes lying's all we've got, but you're going to be okay."

He reached a hand up to squeeze her knee, a saddened smile gracing his features. He wasn't the best with advice but he knew that feeling, knew how much of a vice grip telling lies and half-truths could have. He'd done it for over half a century both willfully and not.

"You weren't awful, Willow. You just weren't doing what you're gonna be best at. We'll get this all figured out."

IAN & EDWARD

There was a little too much familiarity in that story to be comfortable, Ian noted, which was all the more reason he felt like he needed to listen. He didn't know Willow, not nearly enough to understand how to comfort her yet as well as he would have liked to, people weren't the same in needs like that, she had a bubble of people who did know her there around her. But there was a part that, best intentions and all, they didn't understand entirely.

"You're not an awful sorcerer," Ian ventured, leaving the door, Blazey taking that as the signal to cross the floor and sit herself down right next to Tony, big brown eyes on Willow waiting very patiently in case she was needed there, resting her nose on the edge of the couch just within reach.

"Or an awful anything, really, you're just something a little different and it's hard to piece that together right at first," he offered a smile, but it was a hint somber, "you're just not...a human sorcerer; you don't have to apologize for things you didn't mean to happen because of it."

Ian chuckled, softly, trying to keep his tone level, delicate. "If I still did that I'd be exhausted all the time," he reasoned, "you're really not alone in that, trust me, I went through that same feeling for a long time, and a lot of mess and magic going sideways because of it."

He paused, not wanting to crowd her with so many people already there. "You go from here, right, you've got a lot of people who want to help." That's what made the difference, didn't it? Not being alone.

EILONWY

Eilonwy shifted closer to Willow, sliding her hand around until she was able to hold Willow a little bit more as she started to cry. She was also familiar with those moments when feelings exploded beyond the barriers you had in place to control them. It felt like it happened to her all the time, although the number of people who witnessed it were still incredibly small and mostly in this room.

"I'm pretty sure everyone in this room has lied about at least one important thing sometimes. Sometimes you have to until you know it's safe enough to tell the truth. Especially an important truth. This was big and important."

She couldn't help glancing at Ian, Tony, and Edward. After all, they knew some of her biggest secrets, and even they didn't know everything. Some things were too big to share until there was no chance of hiding them anymore.

"But Ian and Tony are right - you weren't awful. You just weren't those things. Human sorcerers work with magic one way and mundus live around magic a different way. You're brand new to finding out how your magic does work. If what we saw tonight is what you can do when you're brand new, the magic you can do once you've had a little time to learn and experiment is going to be incredible. Give yourself time, okay? We're here to learn with you. I promise."

WILLOW

By the time the three of them had finished talking, Willow was crying so hard she'd gone mute. All she could do was take little gasps of air as she wept, each breath shaky with the weight of all the emotions from the... well, from the past several months, honestly.

She didn't know how badly she needed to hear all of that until someone had said it.

Willow leaned into Eilonwy's embrace, tucking her face against her shoulder to try and hide the way her face went all splotchy with color when she cried. Boscha had mocked her enough times about what an ugly crier she was. Her hand stayed laced tightly with Amity's, while the other fisted tightly on the couch. Blaze nudged against her fist with her nose, licking her pale knuckles softly, and Willow released some of the tension. She could feel the crescent-marks she was digging into her palms with her own nails, and tried to relax a little more.

"I'm sorry," she warbled again, voice weak, because every time she tried to say ‘thank you’ it got caught in her throat. They were being so much kinder than she deserved. ‘Thank you’ didn't feel like enough.

EILONWY

"It's okay," Eilonwy said, leaning more into Willow to try and provide as much comfort as she could. The light that had been so angry and defensive earlier had softened, wrapping around Willow like a gently warmed blanket.

"Now, come on, if we don't eat something Tony's going to give us all the saddest eyes and it's both annoying and effective," she teased gently, squeezing Willow yet again.

She wasn't really hungry herself, but she knew sometimes it was easier to do these things with company. It felt tough to let go of Hunter's hand, but she made herself do it so she could take the bowl of food that Tony handed over to her.

In what, for her, was a gesture of conciliation, she looked over to where the adults were still standing. "You're welcome to join us as well, if you wish." But she wasn't moving from this couch until Willow was okay. She didn't care if that took all night.

WILLOW

Willow tugged weakly on the hem of Eilonwy's shirt. "Drink your potion," she muttered wetly.

HUNTER

Hunter listened. That was all he could do really. He was in no place to make any judgment about magical ability. He knew he was nowhere near as strong enough as he needed to be, and the longer he stayed in Swynlake, the weaker he seemed to get. So, when he looked at Willow he didn't see a failed sorcerer, or a strange mixture of magic.

He saw his friend. His crying friend, who pressed her face into Eilonwy's shoulder.

Okay, technically Eilonwy was between them and Hunter couldn't really see anything or even really offer any consolation.

"I don't think you need to apologize," said Hunter, once Eilonwy had let go of his hand. (He stretched his fingers out a little, the absence of her touch magnified.)

"Magic isn't as black and white as we sometimes make it out to be, you know? You're not just good or bad at it." He shook his head, then added earnestly. "I must say, though, this is a fascinating turn of events -- your magic sounds very special."

DARIUS

Well, the news was certainly surprising. But other than a pair of raised eyebrows, he did not betray this in his expression, which remained neutral throughout. If anything, an insightful individual might be able to notice the tensed muscles and darted eyes of someone who really didn't know how to handle a crying child. He hadn't been able to when they'd first met, and he certainly couldn't now.

Luckily, her friends seemed more than capable. It was good, to know she was surrounded by so many supportive people. When Hunter spoke, he finally looked back, watching him. What he had to say sounded familiar--very familiar. Something similar had been said to Darius when he was growing up and struggling in Hexside. By someone he'd been close to.

At last, he cleared his throat. "Hunter is right, as is everyone else. While an unexpected development, it's not something that can't be worked with. Magic, no matter how unconventional, can always be mastered with the right tools."

He took a step forward. "That being said, it's nothing to be concerned with right now. For the time being, everyone should eat and rest."

AMITY

Once again, Amity was useless.

There was so much she wanted to say. In her head, she turned to Willow and an epic speech came out, and each word was a powerful incantation, which would heal Willow’s wounds, smooth over her scars, wipe her cheeks, and turn back time. She could stop Willow from ever thinking those things by– telling her way way way sooner that she wasn’t useless or weak. That she was strong, in her own special Willow way.

It’s my favorite way. I missed it, so much– I missed you, I love you, you’re my Willow, and you don’t have to be like anyone else–

The speech didn’t come out.

Everyone else’s did. It was easy for them, because they hadn’t let Willow’s hand slip from their grasp when they were young. They hadn’t turned their back on her. They hadn’t ignored her in the halls. They hadn’t walked past her, when Boscha was throwing insults. They hadn’t grit their jaw and said nothing over and over and over…

Here she was, saying nothing.

Who really was the useless one, huh? Amity was. Who really was the weak one? Amity was.

She swallowed, her eyes falling to her own burned hands. She pressed her fingers into her palms. When she finally looked up, Willow was sniffling, but looked relieved, and Darius was taking up the reins again as the adult in the room. There was a moment of silence, for Amity to fill. She desperately wanted to fill it. She wanted to tell Willow something, anything. Please, something, anything.

She glanced at Willow. “We’ll be here for you, Willow,” she murmured– her eyes falling again shyly, and she knew it wasn’t enough and she knew that Willow might not even believe her.

At least she had better friends now. Friends who had never hurt her. Friends she deserved.

WILLOW

Willow had honestly expected the worst from Hunter and Darius. It wasn't anything they had done wrong, it was just... they were from the Isles, just like her and Amity.

When she'd told Amity, the discovery had been fresh and she'd been desperate to tell someone, anyone, who might understand her confusion and her fear. Fairies were pests on the Boiling Isles, and the ones who did try to survive on the Titan were much different than fairies like Flower or any of the others Willow had met. The librarian from Hexside had been a fairy and she was terrifying, crueler than several of the teachers.

(Willow wondered now if that's what she would have turned into if she'd stayed in Bonesborough. Bitter and vicious and mean. Deeply and desperately alone.)

Willow had regretted telling Amity almost the moment the words had left her mouth, but Amity had stepped up and reacted... well, as well as she could have considering how awkward things had been between them then (and still kind of now). It had turned out okay. Now...

Hunter told her she didn't need to apologize. That her magic was special.

Darius had agreed, and treated it like she'd just chosen a new specialty that she could perfect. Not a lost cause at all, just a -- forgive the pun -- late-bloomer.

Amity promised to stay.

And Willow let out a relieved breath, somewhere between a laugh and a sob, and smiled. It was small, and her face was blotched with ruddy color from crying so hard, but it was genuine. The plants in the room, few as they were, brightened as Willow took a deep breath and felt the pressure wash away. They sung to her, wordless and gentle, and she let it fill her up.

She'd been caught at the end of her free-fall, and now she could sink into the arms that had caught her.

"Thank you," she said earnestly, voice wet and rough. She sniffed, reaching for some of the napkins Tony had brought over and wiped her face off before she delicately blew her nose. It didn't help much, but she felt a little less gross.

Okay, she still felt like she'd had a significant amount of blood drained from her by an evil sentient plant, followed by an absolutely exhausting emotional gambit, but like, her nose wasn't snotty any more.

The napkin got tucked into the pocket of her borrowed hoodie and Willow looked over the spread of food Tony had made and actually saw it for the first time. It looked amazing, and she was starving. She rested her hand on Tony's and gave him a small smile. "Thanks," she said again, meaning more than a few things. While she reached for a small bowl of food, her tail wrapped around the glass that held Amity's dose of potion and held it up to her. "You need to drink too," she said softly, rubbing a hand over Amity's knee before passing the other glass to Eilonwy.

"If you think Tony's sad eyes are bad, I just cried mine out so they're really effective," she tried to joke, but her voice was still strained and wet so it probably didn't work. Willow nodded to herself when she saw most of Hunter's dose gone, giving him a soft, gracious smile before passing the bowl in her hands to him and grabbing another one for herself.

EILONWY

Hunter and Amity's support was something Eilonwy had never doubted because she trusted in them after everything they'd gone through. Darius...surprised her a little bit more. She wouldn't soften her stance on him for awhile longer, but it was enough to make her a little bit less defensive of his presence.

The joke did make her chuckle and she gave Willow one last squeeze before unwrapping her arm so she could take the glass. Finally, she drank the potion, feeling the way it trickled down her throat and along her veins to continue the work of patching her together.

It would still be a long time before her ribs stopped aching. The potion helped.

She glanced over at Edward, giving him a small smile to try and communicate that it was okay for him to relax and come closer. Ian wasn't far, and she knew he would be by Tony so they would be fine. The rest of her friends were here with her.

She could live with that.

Quietly, she began to dig into the food in front of her.

TONY

Tony’s shoulders relaxed a hair as the others piped in. Willow needed that, needed the support, and Tony needed to see the light enter her eyes again. There were people that Tony had known for longer, of course, but the little time that their paths had crossed was all he needed to know that Willow was one of those people who would leave a lasting mark on him.

Now that the curse was broken he hoped he could return the favor.

“If you don’t like the food I need you all to pretend you do,” Tony joked. “I may have gotten off scot-free but a wound to my pride I don’t think I could survive.” He turned his head to wink at Ian and smirk at Eilonwy as he caught her eye as well.

“You all need to get better, dammit, because this is gonna be a killer goddamn story someday.” Levity thy name, tonight, was Tony Rydinger. At least now that the danger had passed and Willow seemed to be accepting she might be on the mend. The road wouldn’t be smooth, no, but it would be long.

IAN & EDWARD

Edward moved near enough to offer Willow a smile, there was very little left unsaid so he didn't have much to offer other than his presence, and he wasn't straying, but he did relax once it was clear everyone else was beginning to settle, there, together.

He of course was sound enough on his feet to tend to whatever was needed to let them relax, and that was what he intended to do.

"Tony is quite right," Edward mused, and it would, once the long night was behind them. Hopefully a story to look back on as a catalyst.

Ian turned his attention to quietly texting his mom, gathering a blanket or two for once fatigue set in to gnaw at everyone, casting a glance towards Darius and Winston in passing. "You should sit down too if you're staying," he suggested evenly; the weariness and sharp emotions needed time to lull.

"If anyone needs anything else I think we can handle it between the three of us," Ian gave a nod to Edward and Tony and another encouraging smile to the battle-worn cluster on the couch; a moment to catch their breath was probably the best thing he could offer to help at that point.

AMITY

The Blights used to have family dinners. But they were conducted like business meetings. Everyone sat and before you could eat, you had to report about your day. You had to share the good and the bad. Odalia liked to interrogate you too, if she felt that she had to– question after the twins about why they weren’t getting better marks in class– bother Amity about exactly how long she was spending in the labs, or what social events she was getting invited to. There had always been something to criticize. Either she wasn’t putting in enough effort to network with other important families, or she wasn’t spending enough time assisting her teachers, or practicing for grudgby, or in the labs, or the studio–

Dinners were exhausting. And this strange little affair was nothing like them.

Even though they were all tired, even though Willow was still sniffling, the atmosphere was warm. Amity didn’t even eat at first, mostly because she was distracted, her eyes flickering from person to person as she peered at their reagents. They smiled and those smiles brought new colors to life. Eilonwy’s hope and comfort glowed like embers. Tony’s words had texture– fuzzy and soft. Like a soft animal that curled up on your lap.

Amity didn’t even want to eat, honestly. She would be fine watching, and wondering if this was how it always was when Tony, Ian, and Eilonwy got together to eat. Like a real family.

She ducked her head though when she thought she saw Darius looking at her, and she didn’t want to be scolded for not eating. So she just ate quietly, having nothing else to add. But she was happy to be there, even if it was a happiness that she kept all to herself.

HUNTER

Hunter hadn't realized how hungry he was till he started eating. He needed to pace himself, but it felt like there was a ravenous black hole in the pit of his stomach. It was also then he realized how tired he was. The health potion must've hit, surging over the adrenaline rush and calming his frayed nerves. All he wanted to do now was close his eyes and rest his head on Eilonwy's shoulder.

He did not do that of course. Because there were two other people on the couch, though the idea of just resting and having all that warmth and weight around him was tantalizing almost. But he did sigh, leaning back and letting his always perfect posture slack for just a second.

"Thank you," he said, holding up the bowl in acknowledgement. "This is... nice."

DARIUS

As everyone began to eat and turn their attention away from him, Darius began to relax. But just as quickly, a shiver of awkwardness traveled up his spine as he realized he didn't know what to do with himself. He wasn't much interested in the food--he'd already eaten and simply did not desire mundus food--but he also didn't want to just sit down. Despite the boy's (whose house this was?) insistence, he was fairly sure he would not be able to just make himself comfortable. It was becoming obvious, from his unscathed body and his extravagant outfit, that he had not truly been a part of this experience. That he didn't belong.

Not that he needed to, but it did make his remaining presence a bit strange. With all eyes off him and the danger passed, he slipped away into the kitchen to give everyone their much needed space.

WILLOW

Willow still grieved.

Silently. She grieved the hybrid, whose only crime was loving too much. She grieved all the plants that had died in the greenhouse, burnt to ash with the scorching intensity of her magic.

Most of all, Willow grieved herself.

She grieved for the little girl alone in the back of the class with a useless wand, tears gathering silently in her eyes. She grieved for the teenager pressing herself as close to the wall as possible as the boiling rain came down, crying through each stinging touch against her back or calves. She grieved for the woman too scared to go out into the market on her own, frightened at the thought of being out in the world as such an obvious easy target.

She shouldn’t have had to live through all of that for Willow to be where she was now, but she had. Willow had survived it all to end up on this couch, surrounded by friends.

And now that scared, helpless little girl was no more.

‘Thank you for making it this far,’ Willow thought as the conversation went on around her. The familiar feeling of her Papa’s healing potion kicking in and picking up where Darius’s abomination clay left off lulled her into a sort of half-sleep, and Willow curled up against Amity’s side as soon as her bowl of food was done. Her awareness drifted in and out as the night went on, and soon the room was quiet. Willow could hear a distant conversation happening in the kitchen and someone had draped a blanket over her. Amity had curled around her back protectively, one arm around her waist, and Eilonwy had ended up draped over her front with one hand out towards Edward curled up next to the couch. Hunter had slumped over so his head was resting on Eilonwy’s shoulders and Willow had managed to throw her legs over Eilonwy’s lap and shove her cold toes under Hunter’s thigh. Tony and Ian were on the nearby couch, tangled together, with their two dogs splayed out on the floor between them all.

For the first time in almost six years, the idea of falling asleep surrounded by so many people didn’t terrify her into restlessness. She felt safe and sleepy, instead. Willow nuzzled into Amity’s shoulder, a small smile on her lips, and stroked some of Eilonwy’s blonde hair back from where it was tickling her nose.

Surrounded by her friends, Willow fell asleep, and in the morning, the house was surrounded by vibrant fall blooms, and not one of them could speak.

#willow shop of horrors #c. eilonwy llyr #c. tony rydinger #c. edward andalasia #c. amity blight #c. hunter belos #c. ian lightfoot #c. winston deavor #c. darius daemonne #p. sunflower #p. perennial #p. flowercrown #p. plight #p. daylily #p. lavender #p. winlow

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vexic929 · 4 months

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I have this idea for another Eris and Rick fic but my brain won't let me write it yet so I'll just tell you about it for right now (and maybe that'll convince me to actually write it out lol)

So they're out on a mission and Rick gets attacked by some sort of bug-like metahuman. They grapple for a bit, and the creature tries to force some kind of egg/goop into Rick's mouth (gross I know but bear with me). This is more from Eris' POV than his, so they don't see entirely what happens, but they manage to run in and kill the creature.

They finish the mission, and Eris is still worried about Rick, but he seems mostly okay. A little tired, maybe a little more subdued than he normally would be, but not too bad. He gets checked out by the doctors at Belle Reve once they get back, but they don't find anything unusual. Again, he's just a little lethargic, but hopefully some rest should help.

They get back to Rick's apartment and he goes to bed early. He's weak and kind of shivery at this point, like he's coming down with the flu. Eris joins him after a while.... and then wakes up in the middle of the night to realize he's gone. She finds him in the kitchen, mumbling something indecipherable under his breath. Now she's getting a little worried...

Eris calls out for him, and Rick turns - he's all pale and sweaty, his eyes are a strange reddish color instead of their usual amber, and he's strangely combative. He starts to round on them, looming over them and practically daring them to fight him. Eris has never been afraid of physical intimidation (Rick may be large, but they're a meta), but now they're a little scared. Rick is never so outright hostile, even with their usual back-and-forth bantering... and really, he's the one person they don't want to fight. Anyone else would be taken out in a heartbeat, but Eris can't move. He's the embodiment of discord and strife, and he can't make himself fight.

Finally they realize it's the parasite and use something to make Rick throw up. He vomits up the egg (now some kind of larva) and Eris promptly crushes it, and he's back to normal. He's disoriented, thinking he got some stomach bug (pun not intended), until he turns and sees the scene around him - Eris trembling, even crying, looking more hollowed than he's ever seen them.

Obviously he'd comfort them, and it would have a little bit softer of an ending, but I just think it would be kind of fun to explore a little role-reversal with them - Rick being aggressive and combative, Eris for once backing down from a fight.

Thoughts?

omg I freaking love this!!! it's gross and unsettling (in a good way!) and super dramatic with a sweet ending, and I'm ALWAYS down for a role reversal lol excellent concept!

#practically-an-x-man #practically an x man #vexic answers #vexic lives

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evadingreallife · 1 year

Text

Monoma Uno Reverses AfO

So uhhhh yknow, monoma is 1. Loud, 2. Has an Attitude™, 3. is in UA for heroics, and uhmmmm 4. Was at the summer camp sooooo

Yeah the league of villains kidnaps the wrong kid and never even realizes

Monoma was not, in fact, born yesterday, and elects not to tell his captors they've got the wrong shouty blond kid, hoping to keep it as an ace in his sleeve for emergencies

The time has come! The kamino fight ensues

He stumbles around trying to find some quirks to copy bc he's in an active fight zone and! He's functionally! Quirkless! 0/10 Would Not Recommend

So uh you know that goop warp thingy afo pulled out of his ass to teleport the gang to him yeah? Well, monoma lands reaaal close to afo and copies him right then and there bc he was the closest one.

Only that uhmmm this quirk is... hmmmm....actually pretty similar to his own? Tomato, tomahto and all that jazz. Well, at least he doesnt have to wonder how to use it

Problem is that while his quirks now have doubled they're! Still! Duds!! With no other quirks around!!! So he keeps on stumbling around hoping to Actually get something Useful from anyone else

He trips. Obviously. Down a hill. And lands in the middle of the ofa/all might showdown.

The Dots Connect. His grandma used to scare him to death with the Quirk Taker when he was a kid, him and all his brothers, saying the big bad boogeyman would come for their quirks if they didnt brush their teeth. Twice. Now, one mighty showdown later, he realizes that sometimes the monsters are actually real people, and the boogeyman is there. In front of him.

Pretty close actually since he fell in between him and all might.

He tries to get up, but his ankle is sprained. He falls again, but manages to catch himself on someone. Wonderful! A quirk! He uses his quirk on that immediately, rushing to bag himself some fucking advantage in this whole mess. Only that uhmmmm. The problem is. That. The quirk is used wasnt....actually....his quirk? It was the one he'd copied?? Look it's not even his fault for mixing them around, they feel pretty similar okay!! Anyways yes. He just unquirked the Quirk Taker. Has he... Has he won them the battle? Has he bested the Quirk Taker, the literal possibly centuries old Boogeyman?? What the hell is his life even.

AfO's body shuts down without all his hoard of self healing and longevity quirks and whatnot. He dead. It's over.

Meanwhile All Might just. Stands there. Bewildered.

The end

Ps. This is even funnier if you consider that monoma's version of afo expires after 5 minutes and that's it. A centuries old legacy. A nightmare. Vanished. Just like that.

#bnha #mha #boku no hero academia #monoma neito #kamino #uno reverse #monoma uno reverses canon AND afo in one single swoop #all might is just there like what the fuk #uno reverse saga: monoma #i have Ideas. for amajiki. but i probably need a priest and an exorcism #not to write them out here lol #poor amajiki ur so precious but your quirk is so fun to make up messed up stuff about

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limbusrailway · 10 months

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Hey, give me a rundown on your bus! I'd love to know what the squad is doing down there and a general dynamic for their interactions.

Too much goes down on the railway. Okay, maybe not THAT much, it's hard to beat the canon bus, but. They certainly aren't having a "good" time.

Kai is essentially a sociopath. He wasn't always that way, something happened in his childhood that eventually just kinda. Took away all his empathy and emotions. He claims to be searching for something but can't define what, and his body is always eerily cold. Despite being one of the youngest members on the bus that's already very young in general, he feels distinctly separated from everyone else and weirdly older.

Pan is definitely er... The Quixote, I suppose? At least at first brush. I have a friend who has a Peter Pan on their helicopter bus too, so I decided to take mine a slightly different way and lean into the second half of the name. He appears innocent and childish enough at first but he's kinda. An active agent of madness and chaos who wants things to be as interesting as possible, and the childishness is a pleasant filter people can put over things to excuse it. If he pries into your backstory it's easier to think of it as a young person not realizing you're uncomfortable and they're being rude rather than him actively trying to poke at you, y'know? He won't often physically hurt the other sinners but he will absolutely push everyone mentally and even play devil's advocate in arguments for the sake of it.

Dorothy, meanwhile, perhaps gives people too much credit. She believes Kai actually cares, she believes Pan has secret good intentions even if he knows how harmful he's being, that sort of thing. If someone is hostile to her she often just gives them the benefit of the doubt. What gets her angry/concerned it when people are particularly mean to other innocents. When it comes to what people on the bus count as people she'd get made for the sake of, I'd say the Manager, Momo, Aino, Billy, Charles Wallace, Candide, and under very specific circumstances Orpheus and Hallward. She will turn you into goop if you get on her bad side it's just not an easy thing to do. She's relatively motherly, and will try to calm down arguments between her coworkers.

Orpheus is a depressed man I haven't even decided if there's a chance of him getting his wife back. She might've distorted or she might just be actually dead it's TBD. Frankly I think he might not be sure what happened to her either, and his character is based off a sort of blind hope he holds onto despite everything, but he's willing to do a lot of selfish and questionable things to achieve his hopes under the justification that "so much has happened to him." He was originally (before the company) a relatively well-known and talkative person but now he's quiet and hides his music and such from everyone else. He hits shit with his guitar.

Aino doesn't trust anyone, even the people that seem to care for her most. Frankly, he barely even trusts the Manager. The only thing encouraging her to trust anyone else on the team is that most of them have been forced into this job as well rather than being here willingly. Before joining, she was being backed into a forced marriage, almost distorted over it. Her choices were essentially that or the company. And she was backed in by her family, who she thought genuinely loved her. So she turned the only other way she could and escaped as a Sinner.

Charles Wallace is... A weird kid? I'd say "resident company autism" but let's be honest like. Most sinners have some form of the divergence. He's detached but not in the way Kai is, he seems genuinely interested in everyone and all the things that are happening but to the point that he can sometimes get drawn into worrying ideas and topics, and could be convinced to betray the group with the right logic presented to him. Often what he talks about can sound like circular reasoning or mad blabbering to others.

Hallward is tired he's so tired. This man basically accidentally created an abnormality and is living with the consequences. He's scared to get too close to anyone else in fear that he'll ruin their life as well and push them into depravity. He's personable with everyone he has to have manners he can't be a degenerate himself but he keeps everyone at arms length, even more so if he thinks he holds genuine affection for someone or finds them "beautiful." Unlike Orpheus, who still has a passion for his art but isn't public with it, Hallward has essentially stopped altogether.

Momo is another weird child like, even younger than Kai, some people question if she ages? She's the resident group tank, and. Actually she's probably the resident group Meursault but a very different flavor. She is silent and will listen to you rant for hours on end until you solve a problem yourself, but if she thinks an order sounds wrong? She will question her manager about it. She wants people to be able to live a happy and carefree life as themselves, but doesn't necessarily articulate things like that, more by just questioning the necessity of a lot of things people say are just the way things are and similar means. She will genuinely listen to anyone on the bus even if she doesn't understand a word of it.

Candide is somehow even more tired than Hallward this man has been actively tortured. Multiple times. He got made homeless for kissing a girl all of one time. He's been through a lot. At this point he doesn't... Not care? His attitude is to just kind of keep trudging on and take what life throws at him, try to make the best of things even if everything in the world isn't for the best. He shits on optimism and pessimism alive, things are just what they are. For this reason he actually doesn't get along with Kai because Kai will actively look for the worst outcome of anything and Candide is like. "Bro. Bro."

Billy Pilgrim is... Er... Wow I truly have a bus full of weirdos, I mean, every single bus is full of weirdos but you know what I mean. He's constantly spacing out and not there because he's time traveling. Sort of. It's complicated. He believes he's had an experience with some sort of higher power and as such also just goes with things because he believes he's lesser as a human. It's not that he doesn't want to connect with those around him and more that they find it difficult to connect to him because he seems to see the world in such an incomprehensible way. I think he and Charles Wallace are actually weirdly familial and the bus is mildly... Confused? Disturbed? Unclear.

Darcy doesn't want to be here he's better than this most of this bus has no manners why is he here good lord. Like Hong Lu but if Hong Lu knew what life was like for other people and understood it fucking sucked but still clung to the status he has. He'd help people - he wants to - but he believes it kind of has to be done from within the system, and gets very uncomfortable if the gang ever has to actively defy a wing or another higher power. Like, he has things to go back to, a home and stuff, he just wants this over with and every bit of nonsense that happens is straining his good will.

Riviera is Pan but worse so much worse like not even just chaos agent active malice agent he will give another sinner torturous drug trip nightmares just because he thought it'd be neat and wants to see what happens. His claws are built into his hands and it wasn't something forced on him he actively got that of his own accord as with every other body mod on him. He might be an addict now because he'd die from withdrawal but he absolutely walked into every problem knowing the consequences and wanted them anyways. And yet he still tries to act suave and like an artist of some sort. If you don't look too hard you can get drawn into his depravity so easily by his silver tongue and then you're done for.

Alice has a horrible headache. She's lost her memory like Dante but not her head - as far as she's concerned, she doesn't even think she's from The City. She doesn't understand how she resurrects her team at all, she just kind of blacks out some of the time and comes to what they assure her is no more than a minute later and everyone is fine. They don't entirely get it either but are glad to have her. Half of the time she's just standing there with an absolutely baffled expression on her face, or absolutely terrified. This is in direct contrast to Lily who is only serious when she absolutely needs to be and is extremely blase about things for being a guide and a powerful Fixer. She acts like everyone on the bus is fine and gets along neither of these things are true. She will probably get in trouble with a higher up some day for spending money frivolously.

Nemo... Er... Drives the train and tries to stay out of all of this. They've tried talking to him a few times, he does answer their questions but all the answers seem contradictory or he carefully avoids revealing literally anything about himself.

#limbus company #limbus #project moon #limbus oc #fansinners #LCR (limbus company railway)#ace writes #oc #my ocs #ocs

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hyuge · 4 months

Text

Say Something

Chapter One

It has to be you, Kirishima.

Visions of hopeful, scarlet eyes smiling at Eijirou as they soared through the sky, filled his mind; only for that smile to immediately falter. Black goop burst forth from Bakugou’s mouth as he coughed and gagged. The hand that had reached for Eijirou’s slipped; fingertips brushed against his palm. Bakugou's cheeks flushed red, tears leaked from the corners of his eyes. He clawed at his throat as he fell out of the air towards the ground, out of Eijirou’s reach, until the black goop of the teleportation quirk consumed him. At the same time, the villains disappeared into the warp gate forced open by All for One on the ground. All hope for the future hero erased right before their eyes. Bakugou was gone, their rescue mission a failure, and Eijirou screamed.

His throat was hoarse as he was jolted awake from his slumber. The shout hadn’t just been something concocted from his imagination, it seemed. Eijirou reached for the glass of water on the nightstand, downing however much was left in a single gulp. He had the dream again. It was like a bad omen, meant to warn him of impending doom. Every time Eijirou had that dream, he had a run-in with the source of his nightmares, almost like a premonition, but his quirk wasn’t clairvoyance, it was hardening. And no matter how much he hardened his skin, it couldn’t ease the thoughts that plagued his mind. He could take a punch. He couldn’t take the psychological warfare that was his guilty conscience.

Eijirou swung his legs out of bed with a groan, scrubbing at his face with his hand in an attempt to wipe away the horrible nightmare. It had been years, and that day still haunted him – a permanent reminder of his greatest failure. Eijirou had strived to be better. He wouldn't lose anyone else the way they had lost Bakugou, and for the most part, he had accomplished that. Even through the war they had minimal casualties, but lives were still lost, and many were gravely injured. They had all been scarred over time.

Pale white lines wove against skin, disfiguring the ones who bore them. Years of therapy could never undo the trauma that had befallen Eijirou’s classmates. Some had it more difficult than others. Midoriya had taken things especially hard. He lost his childhood friend, his rival, his motivation to make himself stronger, but he also lost his mentor. Back then, no one knew the secret All Might and Midoriya shared, so they didn’t understand just how bad off he was. When Bakugou was taken away, so was All Might.

The number one hero’s attention had been pulled away from the fight. He had let his emotions get the best of him when his student was taken for a second time. Anger clouded his judgement, and his life was lost. All for One had been stopped, but at the cost of the Symbol of Peace. All Might held his fist up into the air, and he fell forward into the ground. Midoriya mourned the loss of his friend and teacher for months. Eijirou felt terrible, but he couldn't relate to Midoriya’s pain.

That small ball of green fluff went from the happy-go-lucky kid that he was, to one hell-bent on vengeance. Deku was no longer the name of a hero, but an antihero. Midoriya got the job done, but he was no longer the type to consider how another person felt. He was ruthless, and Eijirou blamed himself. If he had just done a better job at saving Bakugou, then he wouldn't have lost so many lives that night. If they had listened to the others and stayed put as instructed, then maybe the heroes could have saved his friend after all. The what ifs were endless.

Now, no one would ever know. Instead, he was forced to rise every morning, put on his hero costume, and pray no one else got hurt. He would not be the source of yet another tragedy. Eijirou ran his hand through his hair, feeling the greasy remnants of the last of the hair gel in his red locks that he hadn't washed out the night before. He would need to shower before work. Eijirou could only hope that the warm water would wash away the feelings of foreboding he found himself waking to.

He used to talk to the others about it—his sense of guilt and the dreams that plagued him—but after so many years, they had all moved on. They didn’t understand his pain, or his guilt. They would tell him it was the villains’ fault things ended up the way they did, and while that may have been true, Eijirou could never truly place the blame on the villains. He had been shouldering it himself for so long. It was his failure to grasp Bakugou’s outstretched hand that caused the destruction of the hero society they once knew. He could never take that back.

Soapy water swirled into the floor drain of his bathroom shower, spinning in circles like a whirlpool threatening to swallow him whole. Sometimes, Eijirou wished he could just disappear like the bathroom soap scum. It would be simple, effortless. He wouldn't have to risk his life fighting villains and he wouldn't feel as shitty as he did anymore. It would be someone else’s problem. Everything would be perfect, at least until the dreams started again. Or would they stop if he no longer put himself in a position to see the cause of his nightmares?

He stepped out of the shower, red hair hanging off his shoulders; water droplets falling off the tips, onto his skin, and down to the floor. Eijirou wrapped a towel around his waist, then grabbed a second one to dry his hair, ruffling the locks between the terrycloth. The shower cleansed him in body, but not mind. Eijirou stood there in the mirror, one hand holding the towel to his head, the other resting on his hip. He looked tired. The bags under his eyes were prominent and the shower did little to help energize him like he had hoped. It would make for a long day of work if he couldn't bring himself to perk up.

Eijirou knew he couldn't dwell on that day forever; years of therapy had instilled the fact that it was okay to move on, but every time he dreamt that dream, his smile would disappear. He spent so much time wondering what their lives would be like if they had succeeded. They had only known each other for a few months, he shouldn't have been so worked up about it, but they had grown close in that brief time—close enough for Bakugou to take Eijirou as his plus one on an exclusive island getaway. Like most things, it had been interrupted by villains, but they still had fun, given the circumstances.

He tossed the towel into the hamper and reached for a comb and his container of hair gel to make up his signature spiked look. Eijirou had been a pro long enough to know how to fake a positive attitude. He couldn’t let the citizens see him with such a sour disposition. When his hair was sufficiently spiked and his teeth were brushed, he slipped on a plain, black tank top and a pair of red jogging short. He would run to his agency. Some early morning fresh air could possibly be the thing he needed to help clear his mind. If not, then at least he would get his cardio in for the day.

Eijirou slipped his phone, wallet, and keys into his shorts pocket and kicked on his shoes, locking his apartment door as he left. He shivered slightly, goosebumps causing his skin to pucker, and he rubbed at his arms before starting his run. Spring mornings in Tokyo were always kind of chilly, but the cold never really bothered him too much. He would manage dressed as is, until he got to his agency. Eijirou had picked a medium-priced apartment complex only a few blocks from where he set up shop, so that he could quickly get to work in the event of an emergency. He was always on call, even with the others at his agency would yell at him to take a day off.

He couldn’t rest, not when lives were at stake. Eijirou waved to an old woman out walking her dog first thing in the morning. She was there every day. One morning, he had stopped and offered to walk the dog for her, but she said her walks were the only time she ever got out of her house anymore. Now when he has free time, he joins her. This morning however, he just gave her a small wave as he made his way to the brick building up the street. He was in no mood for small talk. She waved back with a gentle smile and the little white dog barked enthusiastically after him. So maybe the run was helping at least a little bit. Eijirou found himself chuckling at the dog’s excitement.

“Morning,” he greeted the young sidekick sitting behind the reception desk as he walked into the office.

“Mr. Red Riot, sir, I wasn’t expecting you here for another two hours!” The sidekick, Tatsuya, jumped to his feet.

Eijirou waved for him to return to his seat and the newbie sidekick obliged. He was a fresh recruit from Shiketsu Academy, and they were always so eager to please this early into their hero careers. Eijirou was reminded of his time with Fat Gum. Recruiting new sidekicks was always his favorite part about spring. The newly graduated students were always ready to take on the world and he was there to watch them grow. “I couldn’t sleep,” he simply told Tatsuya, patting the young hero on the head as he went. The fledgling hero nodded in reply.

Tatsuya was a diligent worker, and a strong young hero, with a highly sought after Quirk. Eijirou knew recruiting the kid was a battle. He had been given dozens of offers for agencies to join, but the Sturdy Hero held strong in the end.

Eijirou made his way to his office, shutting the door behind him as he walked in. He had a personal closet in his office where his hero costume was kept rather than using the communal locker room. His costume hadn’t changed much over the years, just some resizing for his increased stature. Eijirou secured the face mask around his head and slid the protective sleeves over his arms. As he laced up his boots, his stomach grumbled, and he regretted not stopping for breakfast on the way in.

He leaned over his desk, pressing the call button on his office phone to reach reception. Tatsuya picked up on the first ring. “Mr. Red Riot, sir?”

Eijirou shook his head with a smile, wondering when the kid would stop being so formal. “Hey Tatsuya, I’m getting hungry.”

“What can I get you sir? Do you want food from the bakery down the street? I can be there and back in fifteen minutes.”

He laughed. “No, no, no. I’ll go. I just wanted to see if you wanted anything while I was out.” Eijirou finished lacing the other boot and rose to his feet, scooping up the clothes he had worn to work and folding them to place in the closet.

“You can’t do that! I’m the sidekick. I should be getting you food.”

Eijirou rolled his eyes and pressed the red button on the phone, ending the call. He walked out of his office and leaned against the wall in the hall, arms crossed. “Kid, relax. I want to get you breakfast. You’ve been here all night.”

Tatsuya hesitated, but finally, green eyes looked up at Eijirou and he nodded. “Melon bread? And iced coffee?”

Eijirou smirked. “You got it.” He ruffled the boy’s sandy brown hair as he walked by, heading for the exit.

As Eijirou walked outside, he turned to stare at the giant red letters that read: Riot Agency. Even after two years of running his own agency, it still felt strange. Someone thought it would be okay to let him, Kirishima Eijirou, be in charge – mind boggling. Every time he looked at the logo, it reinvigorated him to do his best. Today would be no different. He would get breakfast for Tatsuya and himself, then send the kid home and route the agency calls to his cell phone so that he could go out on patrols. The other two sidekicks Eijirou employed would be in in the afternoon. Riot Agency was still small, but in the last two years, he had already climbed the hero ranks to secure the twenty-fourth spot.

His former classmates were all doing well in their respective careers as well. If only—he shook his head. Don’t think about it. Eijirou was trying to make his day better, not worse. He crossed the street and headed in the direction of the bakery. Eijirou could smell the scent of freshly baked bread coming from the shop before he even opened the door.

The baker was a kind old man that Eijirou had grown to know quite well over the last few years. His wife had passed some time ago, so his grandson helped out in the shop. It was too much work for one person, and try as he might, he could never figure out how to work the espresso machine. “Coffee shouldn’t be so complicated,” he would always grumble. It reminded Eijirou of someone else that had always insisted on only drinking black, drip coffee.

He wandered through the small aisles of the bakery and picked up a set of tongs. There was a tray by one of the displays and Eijirou set the melon bread Tatsuya requested on it. His crimson eyes roamed over all the sweet treats until he decided on a couple slices of cinnamon pound cake. With his tray of food in hand, Eijirou set the tongs in a wash bin and carried the bread to the counter. “Morning, Mr. Yagima,” he greeted with a smile.

Mr. Yagima turned around from his spot behind the counter and squinted his wrinkled eyes at Eijirou. “You should really wear a shirt, young man,” he chided, “you’ll catch cold.” That was routine with them. Mr. Yagima would always treat Eijirou like one of his own children, and Eijirou would laugh off whatever remark he made.

“I need a cappuccino and an iced coffee with extra cream today!”

Mr. Yagima grunted in reply. “I’ll get you rang up. Kenma is out back sorting the recycling. He should be back in a minute. He’ll get you your drinks.”

Eijirou smiled fondly and pulled his wallet out of the pants pocket of his costume. He rifled through for a thousand yen note and placed it in the weathered hand outstretched before him. “Things fairing okay? Those kids from the middle school not bothering you anymore?”

“I told you I could handle it on my own. Bunch of no-good punks,” Mr. Yagima muttered as he placed the money in the register.

“Grandpa, you would have literally started them on fire if it wasn't for Red Riot intervening.” Kenma appeared through a door behind the counter, carrying a tray of freshly baked loaves of bread in his arms. He was about the same age as Eijirou, but when he spoke, his voice held a wisdom that was beyond his years.

“It would have taught them a lesson!”

“It would have gotten you arrested,” Eijirou corrected with a chuckle. “Morning, Kenma.”

“Morning,” said Kenma. “Cappuccino and iced coffee?” he asked, knowing the drink order by heart.

“You got it!”

Kenma smiled, set the tray of bread down on a stainless-steel table, then made his way to the machine to begin the drinks. When they were done, he set them on the counter in front of Eijirou. “Be careful out there.”

“Always,” replied Eijirou fondly, then he took the drinks and the bag of food and headed out the door back to his agency.

Tatsuya was still behind the desk when Eijirou returned. He jumped to his feet and took the offered iced coffee when Eijirou handed it to him, then the melon bread. “Thank you, sir.”

Eijirou nodded. “No problem, kid. You can head home. I've got things covered until the others get here.”

“You sure?” asked Tatsuya tentatively.

“Mhm,” Eijirou hummed with a nod. “Go home. Get some rest. You’ve been on all night.”

“Thank you, sir.” Tatsuya gathered his things and made a beeline for the locker room.

Concurrently, Eijirou headed for his office to eat his breakfast. He would head out on patrol when he was done.

***

Patrols almost always started the same way. He would wander the streets with no real direction in mind, just making his presence known to all that were about. It was a deterrent for anyone considering causing trouble. It also gave the civilians peace of mind, which was something they needed after everything they had been through. The citizens of Japan arguably suffered worse than any of the heroes did from the war. The League of Villains might have been gone, but they left a permanent stain on the nation.

His quiet morning turned into an afternoon of chaos when Eijirou heard the all too familiar sound of explosions in the distance and his heart clenched. Much like his former classmates, he spent years chasing the sound of explosions only to come up empty every time. His attention was pulled to a cloud of smoke rising high above the buildings down the street. Those damn dreams really were bad omens. He knew the source of the destruction without even seeing it. The haunting image of angry red eyes, a smug grin, and fair blond hair plagued his thoughts every time he was out on patrol.

For years, the explosive villain eluded him and the other heroes, and Eijirou knew it was because they couldn’t bring themselves to lock him up. Try as they might, the moment they laid eyes on the villain known as C4, their attacks would falter. He was a constant reminder of Eijirou’s biggest failure. As he rounded the corner, a head of grimy blond hair came into view. Eijirou sucked in a breath. His heart thrummed wildly in his chest and his muscles tensed, body going rigid as he hardened his skin.

Sensing his approach, the villain turned to face him. “You gonna fight me, hero?” C4 spat, hands poised in front of his body defensively. There were shouts from other heroes on the scene and despite his loud antics, C4 had managed to escape his pursuers with ease.

Blood pounded in Eijirou’s ears, and he wasn’t sure what was louder, his heart or the shouts of injured citizens screaming for help. C4 needed to be stopped at all costs. They had let him get away with his terrorism for far too long. He faced the person he used to call a friend—the person he failed to save. The memory of Bakugou’s hand slipping through his as they were hundreds of feet in the air played on loop every time his eyes shut. Like a tattoo, the memory was etched into the forefront of his mind. The hope in those scarlet eyes disappeared before Eijirou’s as Bakugou coughed up the black goop that All for One used to teleport the league of Villains. He was gone, left to the mercy of the League, and brainwashed for years to come.

If only there was a way to stop him without having to fight. If he could reason with C4, that would be the best outcome. Bakugou was loud and abrasive, but he was not without reason. Eijirou had always hoped a part of him was still in there somewhere, but there was no life left in those red eyes, devoid of all emotion. Emptiness stared back at him. “I won’t fight you, Bakugou.” He had tried talking to him so many times, but Eijirou’s words always seemed to fall on deaf ears.

C4 furrowed his brows, unamused by Eijirou’s refusal to battle. Fighting was the only thing the villain liked to do. It was the only thing he knew how to do. That part of Bakugou was unchanged after all these years. “What kind of fucking hero won’t fight a villain?” He spat at the ground, digging the front of his boot into the dirt, and letting off a small warning pop from his hand. “Guess I’ll have to kill you then.” C4 lunged forward.

Fighting the villain never seemed to work. He always flew away as soon as it looked like he might be at a disadvantage. Eijirou needed a tactical advantage in which he could suppress the villain so that he couldn’t escape. He was so tired of fighting his former friend. Every time they encountered one another, another tiny piece of him died inside. Eijirou bit his lip and sighed, taking a step forward. “Okay,” he said. He relaxed his arms, spreading them wide, and shut his eyes.

C4 stopped in his tracks, palms heated to attack. “What do you mean, okay? Is this some kind of shitty fucking trick?”

Eijirou cracked open one eye and gulped. He needed to go for broke. He only hoped that a bit of sincerity could break through the villain’s hardened shell. “No. No trick. If I’m going to die in a villain attack, I’d rather it be from you, for failing to save you. I’m sorry.”

C4 stared at him—sizing up Eijirou. “What the fuck are you apologizing for?”

He opened his other eye, looking the villain straight in the eye. Eijirou pressed his lips together into a sad smile. “For failing to be the hero you needed all those years ago. Midoriya was wrong. It shouldn’t have been me. It was never me.”

A blond brow ticked up and C4 twisted his face into a snarl. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Kamino,” Eijirou breathed.

Unrecognizable red eyes stared back at him, as if trying to put splinters of broken glass back together. There were pieces scattered about, but too small and shattered to reattach in the puzzle of C4’s mind. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.

Eijirou swallowed, his chest tight and his breathing labored. “You remember, don’t you? You have to remember. We came to save you that night, your friends—I came to save you. The League of Villains kidnapped you.”

“I was never kidnapped.” C4 cut in. “I joined the League of Villains of my own volition. They were recruiting people with strong Quirks, and I have a strong Quirk.” The lines coming from his mouth sounded prerecorded, as if they had been recited a thousand times.

Eijirou curled his hands into fists, nails digging half-moons into his palms. His knuckles were turning white, but he fought the urge to grab C4 by the shoulders and shake him until he remembered. “No,” Eijirou corrected. “You weren’t recruited. They kidnapped you. They brainwashed you. That bastard Aoyama told them where we would be—where you would be.” When the news came out that Aoyama was the mole, their entire class had been shaken. Midoriya beat the man bloody. It wasn’t until the teachers stopped him that he relented. Aoyama betrayed their class, their friendship, and got Bakugou kidnapped.

“I don’t know anyone by that name. You’re making shit up.” The villain’s hands began to crackle as he set up small explosions in warning.

“What about Midoriya? You have to remember him!” Eijirou was desperate to make a connection. Anything. If there was even the slightest flicker of hope that the old Bakugou was still in there somewhere, maybe he could still be saved.

“Midoriya.” C4 looked as if he was mulling the name over, still trying to fit those splinters together. “Deku.”

“Yes!” Eijirou clapped his hands together. “Deku! That’s his hero name now.”

“Deku is the wielder of One for All. The hero Deku is at the top of the kill list.” The small explosions coming from C4’s hands grew in size. They were no longer a warning, but the start of an attack.

No! No, no, no! That’s not what Eijirou wanted. All he had done was remind the villain of his mission. “Bakugou, please! You have to remember. They couldn’t have taken everything from you. You’re too strong for that. You wanted to be the number one hero more than anyone else.”

“That was a fantasy. Being a villain is reality. It’s what I’m most suited for.”

Eijirou shook his head in dismay. “You can’t believe that! We fought villains together, side by side. The two of us.” C4 grimaced and Eijirou decided to give it one last push. He could hear the sirens wailing. Police would be on them soon and he would never get through to the villain once that happened. His voice was much softer now, barely audible with the sounds of destruction going on around them. “Did the I-Expo mean nothing?”

They never talked about what happened between them. As soon as they returned to Japan, they had to pack their bags for the training camp. It all went by so fast. But there was a moment before the villains attacked the island and they were wrenched into another battle, when it was just the two of them, alone in an elevator ascending the floors of the tower to a botanical garden Eijirou had read about on the plane. Time seemed to stand still in that small box, and they shared a moment that was never spoken of again.

“Did that kiss mean nothing?” he asked, a little louder.

The heat radiating off the villain’s hands dissipated, and he furrowed his brows. His lips were pursed in frustration as he tried to understand the question. Slowly, Eijirou could see the gears beginning to turn behind those dark, scarlet eyes. “It… it wasn’t… it didn’t—”

Before C4 could get out whatever it was he was trying to say, a squad of police officers came marching down the street, guns aimed on the villain. “Freeze! Put your hands up.”

C4 spun around, facing them, and shook his head. He pointed his palms down so that they were facing the pavement, and a large blast propelled him into the air. He was gone in a flash; just like always. Eijirou fell to his knees and a hardened fist slammed into the ground, cracking the asphalt. Son of a bitch! He had finally said something to get through to his old friend, and it was gone in the blink of an eye. Eijirou doubted the villain would allow him another chance like that again.

***

“You let him go.”

Eijirou slammed his fist down on the interrogation table, staring across the metal surface at Detective Tsukauchi. “I did not let him go! I connected with him. It’s the first time anyone has managed to do that in years!”

Detective Tsukauchi rubbed at his eyes between pinched brows. “Red Riot, please calm down. I understand how difficult this must be for you, but apprehending the villain is the fastest way we can go about helping him.”

“You mean locking him up in Tartarus for the rest of his life.”

The detective sighed, shaking his head. “Brainwashed or not, Bakugou Katsuki is responsible for the loss of hundreds of lives and countless destruction. There’s no guarantee the effects of the brainwashing can be reversed after such a long time. He needs to be detained. Only then can we attempt to help him, but he still has to pay for the crimes he has committed.”

Eijirou’s mouth felt dry, his tongue too thick to form words. He felt sick, like he might vomit at any second. He covered his mouth with his hand, breathing slowly through his nostrils. “Can I get you some water?” asked Detective Tsukauchi. Eijirou shook his head.

“Is there anything else that you need? Or can I head back to my agency?”

The detective grimaced but nodded in the direction of the security camera overhead and the door to the interrogation room opened from the outside. “You’re free to go. But please, Kirishima, remember that this villain is not the same person you knew almost a decade ago.”

Eijirou locked eyes with Detective Tsukauchi and nodded once before rising to his feet. “I know.” He knew better than anyone that Bakugou wasn’t the same person anymore. The others had run into him a number of times over the years, but no one more than Eijirou. He walked out the door of the interrogation room and followed an officer that escorted him to the exit. Eijirou gave the officer a small wave before leaving the police station and heading back in the direction of the Riot Agency.

He was sure to find his young sidekicks in a frenzy when he returned, but Eijirou decided to take the long way back. He needed a breather after the day’s events. Today’s encounter had been unlike any before and there was a lot to process. He made progress, small as it may have been, it was still progress. That meant there was the potential for him to get through to Bakugou. How many tries would it take? Could he even manage to convince the blond to listen to him a second time? Eijirou was lucky enough to breakthrough once. Twice would be a miracle.

Eijirou walked past a small park and took a seat on an isolated bench. He rested his head in his hands, propping his elbows on his knees. He had to think about what he could do differently in the future. If only they could figure out where C4 was hiding. The rest of the League had been done away with during the war. Only C4 remained. His friend was a puppet without a master. He acted on instinct and programming, nothing more. C4 was like a feral dog, abandoned by its owner.

Nobody knew how the villain got by on a day-to-day basis. Did he have an apartment? Pay bills? Go grocery shopping? C4 always looked filthy whenever Eijirou encountered him, but he wasn’t sure if that was from a lack of hygiene or just the throws of battle. “I wish I could follow him,” he said out loud, leaning back against the park bench. If only I had some sort of mobility quirk.

You can read it in full on AO3 or stay tuned for chapter updates every Friday until caught up to where it is at present.

#fanfiction #bnha #fanfic #krbk #kiribaku #mha #bakugou katsuki #kirishima eijirou #pro hero kirishima eijirou #villian bakugou katsuki #heavy angst #canon divergent au #slow burn #enemies to lovers #Say Something #hyuge writes

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