#they just know he's a pain in the ass and also human and also insistent to get them back into the ghost zone | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

azaleaniath · 1 year

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~ AO'NUNG X FEM!HUMAN!READER ~

human tsakarem

summary: after the battle, Parker Selfridge leaves his daughter with the humans that formed an alliance with the Na'vi. She grows up to become a scientist herself and moves to Awa'atlu to keep an eye on Kiri's health. There she meets Ao'nung who can't keep himself from being curious about her.

includes: guns, foul language, falling in love, insults, lil' dash of angst, arguments, mentions of death, rejection, courting, fluff, reader being a little brat, avatars

word count: 9.9k | SFW

A/N: OMG I've had this idea for a while now. I know some things don't make sense like being able to have a call from earth to pandora but just imagine it ok? Leave your thoughts below! Also if you see typos, blink. U didn't see anything, nuh-uh.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The airship stood ready. Only a few humans were allowed to stay on Pandora and Parker Selfridge wasn't one of them. Neytiri's and Jake's eyes followed him as he stood in line, walking up to the airship with slow steps, his head hung low in shame and guilt. As he passed the couple, Jake had to hold his mate back from scratching his eyes out. It didn't stop Parker from walking up to them, barely finding the confidence to look them in the eyes.

"You know this isn't over?" he mumbled, but Jake didn't say anything. He only gestured him to board the ship. Parker swallowed heavily, turned to leave but ended up facing the tall couple again.

"Sully, I know I cannot ask this of you but... earth is no place for a child to grow up..." his voice was not much more than a whimper. Jake could see his wet eyes through his oxygen mask as he began to shake.

"She's all I have left, she's not responsible for my mistakes. I can't take her back with me, she's still too young for the cryo capsules. She will die, Jake."

For a second, the ex-marine's mask fell. He pursed his lips, closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"And you want me to take care of her?" Jake asked while Norm and Max approached as well.

Parker hesitantly nodded with his teeth clenched.

"I beg you..." he whimpered as shameful tears blurred his vision and his shaking intensified.

Neytiri didn't understand much of their conversation, yet she had figured out what he wanted. A man like him had only few to none weaknesses, but his daughter was one of them, probably the only one.

"I can't take her with me..." Parker whispered as more tears filled his eyes. Jake gave his two colleagues a questioning look and they shrugged.

"We're already looking after Miles, a playmate in his age can't hurt his evolution" Norm shrugged and Max copied his expression.

Jake only sighed and even Neytiri calmed down. Even if his daughter was a human, she was innocent. She couldn't hate a baby that had done no harm.

Parker's eyes switched to Norm, his shameful frown turned into a slight smile.

"You would take care of my little girl?" he asked for clarification, and the scientists agreed. What could one more human do after all?

~~~

It's been many years since that day where your father departed. He continued to live on earth, the planet that fell apart while you grew up on pandora. The scientists took good care of you even if they sometimes had the urge to simply throw you out into the wilds without your exopack. As you got older, Norm always shook it off as going through puberty while Max insisted on it being the genes of your father. An annoying teenager with a big mouth. A brat. An absolute pain in the ass, as the doctor liked to call it.

"Hey princess~" Miles, better known as Spider, sang from across the room, mocking you with one of the many nicknames your father gave you whenever he called from earth.

You looked up from the table you sat on, dropping the papers you held in one hand.

"Look, it's the monkey boy." you mumbled back unimpressed.

After all these years you had grown up like siblings, living together for all your life, but you wouldn't call him a friend. You two were way too different. Sometimes you even fought because of all the differences between the two of you.

He approached you with a grin, hiding something behind his back.

"I got you something!" Spider exclaimed as he took a seat on the table before you.

"How about you get yourself a detangling brush first?" you lifted one of his dreads with two fingers, dropping them to hit his face while your expression twisted in disgust.

Now it was Spider's turn to roll his eyes. "Good, then I'll keep it."

You crossed your legs and leant back against your chair, holding one hand out to him.

Spider crossed his legs too and dropped something into your hand. As you retrieved your hand you took a close look at the object he had placed in the palm of your hand.

"You gifted me... a piece of wood?"

"That's an arm ring! I've spent weeks carving it, you better be thankful."

With a confused look you tried it on but it slipped up to your elbow right away.

"Bit large, is it?" you scoffed, watching the wooden accessories dangle around your arm, checking how far it went up.

"You made me a collar, dude."

He only huffed and shook his head.

"I know what I made. Just wait, you'll see. Happy birthday you ungrateful brat." While Spider got up and left, probably to see the Sullys, you took a close look at the arm ring until Norm and Max walked in with a tablet.

They were currently on a call, so you didn't bother. Only when you heard your father's voice you sprung up and sprinted over to the two scientists, snatching the device from Norms grip, much to his dislike.

"Daddy?" an excited smile spread over your entire face, "can you hear me?"

You saw his visage on the monitor, he was dressed in one of his button shirts, as usual. Had you ever even seen him in other clothes anyways?

He had a little delay, but as soon as he saw your face in the camera his expression matched yours perfectly.

"Hey, my little princess, I'm sorry I couldn't call you earlier. Happy birthday sweetheart, how is my pretty girl doing?" he asked you as you sat down on your desk, leaning the tablet against a microscope.

You ignored the discussion about your audacious behavior between Max and Norm in the background and focused on the call with your father.

"Well, it would've been better if I would've gotten the cake that I specifically asked for!" The two scientists rolled their eyes as you raised your voice towards the end of your sentence, sending death glares to the two men who still argued how long it would take for Parker to come back to Pandora to kill them if they actually locked you out of the labs without your exopack.

"I'm sorry my dear darling, there must have been a misunderstanding. You'll get your cake, I- wait, what are you wearing, princess? What is that?"

Your father's look was struck with concern as he noticed your cropped tight shirt.

"Oh yeah, I cut it off. It's cool, right?"

You got up and spun around, but Parker only sunk his face into his hands.

"They let you run around like this? And your pants, what's this?"

"These are cargo shorts, dad. Calm down."

"Yeah shorts! They're too short! My princess, please put on some more clothing, will you?"

With a frown you looked down on yourself, not seeing an issue with your outfit.

"Good thing you're gonna have to change soon anyways."

You didn't understand why, until Norm and Max finally walked up to you after calming themselves.

"You know that you haven't been allowed to go to the med station, right? And now I can finally tell you why, my dear. Daddy organized for you to get your own avatar, isn't that cool? You get to connect with it and then you can go out and play!"

"Selfridge, we talked about that. It's dangerous out there, this is no playground." Max interfered, but Parker just shrugged while you squealed and cheered in excitement, clapping your hands while hopping on your chair.

"When do I get to try it out?! Can we go now? I can't wait to get outside without this annoying mask!" you asked Norm and he led the way.

"It's all ready and waiting for you."

~~~

You quickly got used to your avatar. The scientists weren't fine with the fact that you went outside in it alone, so you mostly snuck out without their knowledge getting scolded as soon as you returned, also by your father. He wanted you to live a happy and safe life on pandora. Sometimes you went out with Spider or the Sully kids, learning how to hunt and survive, but the Na'vi half breeds didn't take you in like they did with Spider. In the lab, you learned a lot about science. The older scientists taught you everything about all kinds of biological and medical knowledge. Even if you had a big mouth, they could at least work with you, and that made it a lot more bearable for them.

As the Sully's had to flee from their home and Spider was also missing, things changed for everyone. You still stayed in the lab until one day, your godfathers stormed in, telling you to pack up and get everything into the helicopter as soon as possible. He explained on the way to Awa'atlu what had happened and that Kiri needed medical help.

You were in your human body as you landed, jumped out of the helicopter and grabbed your med bag.

Many metkayina had gathered at the shore as the Samson landed. They were visibly terrified of the helicopter and, even more than that, afraid of Max and you since you both were humans.

Jake told his oldest son to keep everyone away while Lo'ak hurried over to you as well.

"Where is she?" you called out loudly, your voice fighting against the noises of the rotors. Lo'ak quickly lead the way, passing through the villagers which gave you all terrified or angry looks. They had been told that you were here to help but that didn't keep them from being frightened and yet curious.

You followed Lo'ak, making your way through the teal skinned giants as quickly as possible. Close to the marui that Kiri layed in someone blocked your path, gazing at you in curiosity. You looked up to the young metkayina man and clicked your tongue.

"Get your blue ass out of my way!" you snarled in perfect Na'vi, much to the boy's surprise. His blue eyes widened as he stared at you completely dumbfounded, jaw dropping as you pushed him away fiercly, leading him to stumble backwards.

His breath hitched at your touch. It was the first time in his life he had ever been in physical contact with a demon. There was something boiling up deep inside of him. No matter how much he wanted to murder those sky people, he was curious about your fierceness. He wanted to know more about you somehow. You were only a tiny little creature from another star and you still didn't seem to be scared of him the slightest. He blinked a few times, being completely perplexed by the fact that you just pushed him off and walked past him, the future olo'eyktan without the slightest bit of respect.

While Neytiri freaked out about her daughter you listened to Lo'ak who explained what had exactly happened to Kiri, so you got everything ready to run a few checks on the unconscious girl.

Soon, Norm in his avatar and Max rushed over too.

"Why did you bring this little missy anyways?! As if she's of any help!"

You heard Jake hiss, his fangs flashing.

"She has learned a lot, Jake. We taught y/n and believe it or not, she knows what she's doing." Norm answered, getting the equipment ready with you and the other scientist.

"Call me missy again and I'll sedate you, Sully." you growled while getting out more utensils from your back.

Jake watched you closely as you measured Kiri's blood pressure.

"Don't forget who I am. Without my father you'd still sit in that silly wheelchair. He payed your blue legs, remember that." you added, your eyes meeting his ones for a moment and he internally swore he'd kill you if you wouldn't be helping his daughter right now.

"Your father might be rich but that's not gonna help you here, so drop that attitude and do your thing!"

You simply rolled your eyes before refocusing on the unconscious Na'vi.

The three of you tried your best until Neytiri finally took matters into her own hands and Ronal, the metkayina tsahik worked her magic.

During that time, you decided to have a talk with Jake and your godfathers.

The problem was that they wanted someone to run test on Kiri regularly now, but they were both needed in the Hallelujah mountains. All eyes landed on you.

"Oh, and how exactly do you plan on doing this, smart heads?" you scoffed, crossing your arms in front of your chest. Max brought up the idea of bringing one of the link shacks over here, together with your avatar so you could take care of Kiri. The decision was made quickly and Jake went to ask Tonowari for green light, dragging you with him.

He led you through the village, the metkayina still stared at you in curiosity and angst. As you stood before the olo'eyktan you greeted him traditionally and in fluent Na'vi.

The tall man eyed you with curiosity as well, but spoke to you soon.

"You're a human tsakarem?" he asked, supporting himself on his staff.

"More or less. I'm a-" you thought about a way to translate it to him in Na'vi, "an explorer, a student. I learned about plants and animals, Na'vi too. I can heal people to a certain point too, yes."

He understood and nodded in silence while he mustered you closely. Next to him, two younger Na'vi appeared, also glancing at you, up and down.

One of them you had seen before, it was the guy that stood in your way earlier. His eyes especially drilled into your body.

The two of you tried to explain to the metkayina why they needed you here and how you had imagined it to work.

After careful consideration he allowed it and granted you to do as planned. It was the first time that their clan collaborated with a human, but if it was needed to ensure Kiri's safety he saw no other option.

During the entire negotiation, Ao'nung had circled you like a predator his prey but you weren't surprised. Bothered? Maybe.

~~~

Norm, Max and you went back home only to pack your things, prepare a link shack and bring it over within 24 hours. The three of you set everything up as quickly as you could.

Tonowari and Ronal watched the entire scene. Their daughter Tsireya had helped you carrying a few things into an empty marui where your avatar could rest properly.

Meanwhile their son Ao'nung was rather spooked by you which didn't keep him from annoying you. He stood next to his father but came closer to touch the link share for not much more than a second.

You watched him in confusion. 'As if my link shack is gonna kill him..' you thought and shook your head.

Lo'ak and Neteyam came to help you as well. As the younger brother passed you held him by his arm.

"Don't tell me that's the future olo'eyktan?"

Lo'ak huffed and nodded.

"Already beat him up with Neteyam some weeks ago. He's really a pain in the ass. Almost like you~" he teased.

"Like me?" you repeated in disbelief, raising your eyebrows at his words.

"You're both some offspring of men with influence, have a big mouth and you both have a problem with your attitude."

"One brat is already too much. Please don't befriend him, I can't even take one of you at a time." Neteyam chimed in before Tonowari called you, gesturing you to come closer and you did.

He had chosen his two children to help you get to know these lands better and shared that information with you, much to Ao'nungs disliking while Tsireya hoped to learn from you.

You turned on your heel, an unamused frown showing on your face before you called out to the brothers in english.

"You really had to jinx it, huh?!"

As your eyes wandered over to Tonowari's son, his gaze met yours. He was not happy about his father's decision but the knew that there was no point in arguing to he swallowed his protest and simply clicked his tongue.

Tsireya made her way over to you and kneeled so she was on eye level with you.

"How does this... thing work?" she asked, "what does it do?"

You mustered Tsireya from top to bottom. Even if she was still careful, Lo'ak seemed to be cool with you, and she trusted him.

"Come, come." With one hand you gestured her to follow you in, walking up the bright yellow metal stairs. The noise they made left Tsireyas ears twitching, but that didn't keep her from getting up, touching the iron stairs with her hand first before she followed with feather light steps. You held the door out for her and closed it as soon as she was in the airlock.

She didn't understand what you were doing as she crouched and observed how you pressed a few buttons.

"Don't get scared." you warned her with a monotonous voice. Before she could ask, a weird sound, too loud for her taste, filled the airlock and she could feel a windy breeze all around her body as she covered her ears.

You however took off your mask in relief and shook your hair a few times, taking in a very deep breath.

"Ahhh, this is so much better!" you cheered, running a hand through your hair.

The metkayina girl watched how you dropped yourself in your office chair, legs crossed.

"Look around, but don't touch anything."

The Na'vi did as you told and scanned the entire shack link. It was indeed rather small in here, but that explained why you were in your human body.

As you watched the ocean in the distance you took another deep breath. This was your new working place now. Far away from Max and Norm. From the forest, from everything you had known.

~~~

Tsireya was eager to learn from you to share her knowledge with her mother while Ao'nung circled you in silence. He often watched you through the window while you were working and he eventually grew more and more curious about all these devices. And about you too.

You got yourself a petri dish and marked it with a sharpie. Tsireya had brought you some local plants as samples so you could examine them closer. With one hand you adjusted your headphones that you wore during work. The cap of the sharpie was held by your teeth until you put it back onto the marker so it wouldn't dry out.

Once you placed the petri dish onto the table you turned to get yourself another petri dish as you looked up to a teal wall. Ao'nung towered you, blocking your way as he leaned over your shoulder to see what you where doing.

In panic you dropped the sharpie and raised your hands to rip off your headphones, shrieking loudly.

"How the fuck did you get in, idiot?! What are you doing here?!"

Ao'nungs eyes narrowed before he gestured towards the door. Sitting in your chair you were absolutely tiny next to his tall figure. You gulped as he came even closer but only to look past you and onto the table.

"I watched how you always get in. I'm supposed to be looking after you, remember?" he mumbled coldly before he straightened his back, hitting his head on the ceiling, causing the lamps to dangle around.

He hissed before he held his head and his empty gaze turned into a frown.

You clicked your tongue and facepalmed at his clumsiness, but it didn't stop there. As Ao'nung turned around he wiped half of your table with his thick tail, including the petri dish. The sound of glass shattering had you both flinching.

"Hey, careful!" you shouted at the man before he continued to check out the link shack. Your scent filled his airways and his pupils dilated. The sweet smell was everywhere, but apart from your desk it was strongest on your bunk bed and the link unit. With two fingers he poked into the silicone-like bedding of the link unit, slightly disgusted by the feeling. He got closer to the monitor next to it and accidentally turned the machine on with a few touches and presses as he tried to get a feeling for the material.

As soon as you were done cleaning the glass shards off of the floor and sorted the papers, books and other stuff from the desk back to where they belonged you charged after him.

"Stop fucking touching everything, god damn!" you hurried over to the link unit, squeezed yourself past Ao'nung and slammed the big red button to stop the machine from loading.

The boy only grunted and looked around some more, fumbling some objects in curiosity. You took a deep breath before exhaling with a loud frustrated yell, yet you silenced yourself as you heard your tablet ringing.

Too bad that Ao'nung stood closer to the device and grabbed it at the wierd noises it made. The screen showed something he couldn't read and two big circles.

"No, Ao'nung, you give me that right now! I swear if you press the green button-"

Before you could end the sentence he had done exactly what you told him not to do, just to see what would happen. There must have been a reason for your pale face as soon as the tablet made these alarming noises.

"Hey my pretty- y/n? Y/n?! Who is this, where is my daughter?!"

Ao'nung watched the tiny human that showed up on the display closely, baring his teeth at his foreign language and his aggressive tone.

"Dad, don't worry, I can hear you, I'm all good."

"Who is this savage!? What is he doing in your link shack, princess!?" Ao'nungs tail whipped angrily as your father got louder.

"He's a mess, daddy, that's what he is. Can you hang up and I call you back later?" you groaned as the metkayina boy growled, his fangs peeking out from between his lips more. Parker was completely confused what this indigenous boy did in your link shack and why he could only hear you but not see you.

"Are you alright? My sweetheart, please don't tell me you found yourself one of these indigenous monkeys!?"

Instantly you felt your face heating up at his words.

"Dad, no- what? No, he's supposed to be teaching me but right now he's just turning my shack upside down- I'll call you later, it's a long story. Can you please hang up? I can't reach my tablet cause this dumbass took it!"

The metkayina only growled louder and puffed his chest, tapping around on the screen wildly and ended the call accidentally. It probably was better anyway.

"Who is this demon?!He's not one of your people, is he?" he barked and dropped the device, you caught it in the last second before it could fall onto the ground.

As soon as you put the tablet away you grabbed the end of Ao'nungs queue and dragged him towards the airlock with all your force. He hissed in pain but gave in. Once you had gotten him into the airlock you sprinted back in and barricaded the metal door as quickly as you could. With one arm you supported yourself against your desk, panting quietly.

"Get out right now! You've messed up enough, idiot!" Ao'nung sent a deadly gaze through the window, still growling in fury. His ears tilted flat against his head and he turned on his heel and left in frustration. You held your forehead with one hand and sunk your face into your palm.

'Great... How do I explain this to my dad.."

~~~

Ao'nung wasn't allowed to get into your shack ever since. Tsireya on the other hand came around often, sometimes even for hours. You learned from each other, about the local plants and animals. Both of you were fascinated with the knowledge of each other and you took notes about everything, sometimes with Norm on the line to exchange some informations directly. You checked on Kiri every now and then, taking her blood tests and scans as Max had taught you.

Sometimes your father called too, to see how you were doing.

"You're telling me that Spellman and Dr. Patel took your link shack and avatar to an island far away to study there and take care of Augustine's daughter?!" Everytime you remembered his words, you pursed your lips and facepalmed yourself mentally. At least all of this left you with more freedom since you could come and go home whenever you wanted and work until the early morning without the scientists scolding you.

You walked through the village with a few leafs you had collected for research, passing your avatar's marui in the village. For a second you froze as you heard a familiar voice from inside.

"What is this?" you heard Ao'nung mumble, so you decided to take a peek in. He crouched next to your avatar and examined it closely. He held your arm up to check your hand closely. "Four fingers and a thumb, like the Sullys..."he mumbled to himself and compared your hand to his own. With crossed arms you watched him mustering your body curiously, fumbling with your tail.

"Baby tail..." he huffed, shaking his head with a grin that was hidden to you since you faced his back.

This was your chance.

Silently stepping backwards until you were out of range you turned around and sprinted to your link shack.

He lifted one of your avatar's lids. Yellow irises, like he had expected. As he let go, he noticed that your eye stayed open. "Oh, shit!" he whispered in panic, carefully trying to lower your lid. Both of his hands were held up and he prayed that he didn't break anything. A cold shower ran down his back, hoping that your eye stayed close.

He was about to run off quickly but you were quicker and ripped both eyes open, grabbing his wrists tight.

Ao'nung screamed, eyes wide open himself. As he tried to pull his arms away he lost his balance and fell onto his back. Once you let go of him he crawled as far away as possible until his back met the wall of your marui.

He felt a drop of sweat rolling down his forehead while his chest was heaving, jaw to the floor.

You sat up, unable to hold your laugh at his ridiculous look.

"You-" some more laughs escaped yoir lips, "you should see yourself!"

Ao'nung wasn't amused at all. He tried to calm and collect himself, returning to his usual cold gaze before he simply got up and left. Still laughing out loudly until your belly ached you followed him to the shore.

"Very funny, y/n." his eyes rolled at his own words.

"Why didn't you just tell me you wanted to see me in my avatar?" you giggled, holding one hand on your belly, but Ao'nung didn't even look at you.

"How could I? You locked me out of your demon box."

"Demon box?" you repeated in amusement, "more like 'your rage room'"

He had never heard that before but it was pretty self explanatory, even to him. With a loud call he had an ilu coming his way and he signalled you to get closer.

"My turn to have fun. Get on."

You huffed as the ilu rose it's head out of water, greeting you with a few fin slaps on the surface.

The look on his face told you that he wasn't joking around.

"I've never done this-"

"I know. But you are here to learn, so get on."

As the lesson ended, Ao'nung was indeed the one to laugh, much to your dislike. Yet it had fascinated you to learn about Awa'atlu. The animals, the ocean, the metkayina culture and also about Ao'nung. There was something about him that worked like a magnet on you.

~~~

As the weeks and months went by in no time, you found yourself spending a lot of time with him as well. He thought that, in your human form at least, he was always five steps ahead of you, but your big mouth and attitude easily kept up with his despite being half his size.

Like every day you sat on your desk, examining more plants. Ao'nung had gathered them at the bottom of the reef for you since he could hold his breath longer than you.

It was a pretty wholesome gesture. It felt like getting a bouquet of flowers. Many times you had woken up to some new samples in the airlock of your shack, but he was too proud to tell you that he had brought them. His sister on the other hand had shared this information with you.

A loud knock made you straighten your back and look to the door. Ao'nungs face was showing through the window next to the airlock, so you raised your hands and shoulders as to ask what he wanted. He pointed at a fish he held, so you decided to roll your chair back and grabbed your exopack to meet him outside.

Being the impatient brat he was, he opened the outer door and stepped into the airlock.

"You're not getting in here ever again!" you called out and gestured him to get back out, but he didn't listen. He pressed a button to his right which filled the small cabin with oxygen and opened the inner door.

"What did I tell you about my shack?!" you barked and blocked his way with the door and your petite body.

"Let me in."

You leaned against the door as he tried to push it open, but it didn't help much, you had no chance against him.

"I'm not touching anything."

"You better not, moron."

With that you closed the door behind him and walked over to your medical equipment, loading a tranquilizer gun, just in case. You quickly wrapped the belt with the gun holster around your waist, closing the buckle on the side.

Ao'nung placed the fish on a metal table on a corner as you turned back to him.

"My sister, uhm... she told me to bring you this." he muttered, scratching his neck with one hand, looking around to ensure he wasn't touching anything again.

"Your sister?" your brows furrowed with a sceptical look on your visage. "I didn't know she goes hunting too?"

"She doesn't but... i think she said she got it from one of the hunters."

Lying wasn't his stronghold.

You leaned against your desk and looked back to the bright colored fish before the corners of your lips curled up and your eyes softened.

"Then tell this random hunter that I am forever thankful for this rare, exquisite sample."

Ao'nungs eyes were gleaming in happiness, no matter how hard he tried to play it cool. His wagging tail betrayed him.

"Noted."

"This is the first time i get to see this species with my own eyes. Whoever caught it must me a mighty hunter. Well, too bad it wasn't you." you grinned, then crossed your arms.

Ao'nungs ears turned to you with his mouth agape before his eyes narrowed again.

"As if I care that much about you."

Awkward silence fell upon the two of you as you observed each other closely. In order to change the subject the young man cleared his throat, looking around your shack.

"What were you doing there?"

He pointed at the microscope and leaned in a bit, supporting himself on his knees. As you looked down to the desk you decided to take a seat, then waved him over to you. Ao'nung came closer and looked at the microscope as you leaned against the lenses, correcting the settings so the blurry image became clear.

You retreated and leant back into the chair, pulling the tranquilizer gun from it's holster.

"Look through here. But don't touch anything or I'll shoot a dart into your blue ass that will put you to sleep within seconds, you get that into your smooth brain?"

Ao'nungs eyes widened as you held the gun up to him, so he lifted his hands to his shoulders as if he would surrender.

He did as you told him to, examined the piece of tissue with an open mouth.

"What is that?" he mumbled, observing the structure of the cells he could see for the first time in his life.

"We call it microscope. Anything looks thousands of times bigger under there. I'm sure I could almost see your brain with that thing." you huffed, lowering the gun a bit as you noticed Ao'nung holding still and completely losing himself in the complex cell pattern.

He stared for quite a while before you got another sample from the fridge and switched the glass slides.

"These are the corals that someone got me two days ago."

He carefully supported his hands on the desk and you could see him smile at your words. Over the next thirty minutes you showed him some of the rarest and most unique samples you had collected over the last months. Neither of you would've thought that this actually interested him. Or was he just interested in what you were doing? Ao'nung himself couldn't tell.

"These look incredible..." he mumbled as you showed him the tissue he had gathered from an akula. How had he even done this? Nobody but him knew.

"The rich and wealthy demon brat actually has something interesting to show, huh?" he mocked and moved away from the microscope to which you only smirked and held the gun up to his neck for a second before lowering it again with a quiet laugh.

Your mind wandered off for a moment, forehead creasing at your thoughts.

"Why did you feel the need to disobey my orders and come in here?"

You asked, to which his expression softened for a second.

"I can't take you seriously with that weird mask. Looks stupid on you."

You couldn't help but frown, before he added something that actually caught you offguard.

"I prefer to see your full face like this."

A lump was stuck in your throat. It was the first time the na'vi actually made you an honest compliment.

"Ao'nung..." you mumbled in mental absence, your eyes fell on his lips for a second and he noticed, his ears tilted and his tail whipped around once. Luckily it only hit the underside of the table, which ripped you out of your trance for a moment.

"Wow, who could've guessed you can actually be nice, Ao'nung."

He didn't know what to say or do in this situation since his words surprised himself. Never had he thought he would grow fond of a human, not to talk about a human that aimed a tranquilizer gun at him.

You noticed how his chest was already starting to heave. All this time in here he had only breathed oxygen. Of course his lungs were well trained but he still started to struggle due to the adrenaline rushing through him. You too felt your heart pounding in your chest, up to your throat.

"Actually, no. You still look ridiculous, even without the mask." With that his usual expression returned. He'd rather tease you than to be in this weird situation and admit that you were on his mind constantly.

You stood up from the chair and tried to make yourself as tall as possible before him, gun in hand.

"pretty brave words for a fish face, now get out of my lab before I send you to earth."

~~~

Ao'nung held his promise and came by the next day, and the next, and it repeated itself every day for months. He had gotten you more fishes, grasses, shells, crustaceans and flowers. You didn't even know where to put them, but it had turned in some kind of ritual. Anything he found he brought to you, and now that he was even allowed in your shack again you often found a bunch of collected goods from all around, also his mother's ointments at your desk.

Sometimes you even woke up to him kneeling in front of the microscope, inspecting your samples or watching and listening to your video logs, even if he didn't understand your mother language. Who could've thought he'd get so obsessed with your work?

By now he had gotten familiar with your devices ans spent so much time around that he had to wear a mask as well for a few deep breaths here and there, that was all he needed.

As you got out of your bed and walked over to the young man he was already crouching in front of the desk, looking through the microscope.

"Don't you have to complete your iknimaya, smooth brain?" you asked mockingly while fixing your hair.

Aonung looked over to you with a cocky grin.

"Right, other than you I don't inherit my wealth, I work for it."

"Says the clan leader's son." you huffed with rolling eyes.

Ao'nung copied your expression before looking back to through the lenses.

"Ao'nung, can we talk?"

He didn't like the sound of your voice. His stomach turned at what you had just said, ears flat against his head.

As he looked up to you with narrowed eyes he could feel his heart rate quicken.

With one hand you flipped a switch on the microscope and turned it off before you took a deep breath.

"See, I'm happy you're helping me. Without you I would've never gotten all these informations, but it's getting... out of hand. It's too much. I have no storage space for all the samples you're bringing me. I appreciate it but please, tone that down."

Something about him visibly changed. His look turned all serious, a hint of disappointment reflected in his blue eyes.

"I understand..." he mumbled in a cracking voice once the big lump was gulped down, after which he got up and left your lab without another word. His head hung low as he dragged himself out and away, not looking back once.

You had expected it to be an unpleasant conversation, but Ao'nung acted as if you had just filed for divorce.

You quickly got into your avatar and went out to look for him, but he was nowhere to be found. As Tsireya and Lo'ak saw you searching for her brother they walked up to you, asking if you needed help and you quickly explained the situation.

Lo'ak earned a smack against his stomach as he huffed while you didn't understand what was happening.

She lead you into the marui she shared with her family as they where all gone. Lo'ak followed you and sat down with the two of you.

Tsireya didn't know how to say it or even where to start to Lo'ak took it into his own hands.

"You said you told him that you didn't want his gifts?"

You sighed and shook your head.

"I told him it's... too much. I don't know where to put all these things."

The girl took a deep breath and took your nervous hands into her own ones.

"You're not really that much acquainted with... courting rituals, are you?"

Her question had you blush slightly, cheeks tinted in a violet veil. A few blinks later you stammered a needlessly long version of a no, so she shifted her position a bit, trying to find the right words.

"So, if a male Na'vi is interested in a female, he goes hunting for her and brings her food. Now, since you're mostly in your human body and most things are inedible for your kind, i think he brought you some other rare things you value."

Speechless as you where you only continued to blink in silence, nervously biting onto your lower lip.

"He's trying to court you and rejecting his gifts, it's pretty bad. Ao'nung got himself into a lot of trouble for all the things he brought you, even father has argued with him already. But he took your words as a rejection, which in our culture translates to 'I don't value your life'. It's almost as bad as mating with someone else."

Now it all made sense.

You couldn't say anything for what felt like an eternity.

The inner corners of your eyes began to burn and soon, your vision blurred.

"Hey, you couldn't know, it's alright." Loak mumbled, placing a hand on your shoulder. Neither you nor him knew that you could be so weak and it was the first time that you felt this stinging pain in your chest. It hurt, but you were sure that Ao'nung was feeling much worse.

"We need to find him." Tsireya mumbled and got up, gathering a few friends to look for her brother before anything could happen to him.

~~~

It was already past eclipse and Ao'nung still wasn't back. Slowly but surely you got seriously worried about him. His friends had lead the party of you all to a few spots he liked to hang out at, but he was nowhere to be found.

Even his father helped searching eventually. As you paired up with him you apologized to the olo'eyktan for causing this trouble, but he wasn't mad at you the slightest. He knew that his son had never shown interest in anyone. He had rejected many pretty young women in the clan before, but you where the first one to -accidentally- reject him. In fact, he was happy to see him spending time with you after all. Ao'nung seemed to warm up a bit since he visited you on a daily basis and he eargerly talked about the things that he had learned from a human tsakarem. That was what they referred to you, as the clan leader had told you.

As you came back to the village empty handed you apologized to Tonowari once again for causing all this trouble. Your heart still ached in regret. Why hadn't you thought about these cultural differences before?

Your attention quickly got drawn to a few calls and cheers from the villagers and you quickly sprinted over to the gathered people. Making your way through them, your eyes landed on Ao'nung. His head was hanging low, his eyes were puffy and reddened.

You called out for him in relief, but he didn't look at you. He couldn't. His heart was still aching terribly. He was utterly disappointed and devastated.

Instead of looking at you he quickly turned away and walked home.

"I'll talk to him." Tonowari offered with a hopeful smile that settled the storm inside of you at least to a certain point.

~~~

The following day you did not wake up to any samples. No gifts and no Ao'nung.

It felt like something was missing.

You couldn't help but feel empty. All the money and the power you had always relied on had lost all it's worth. You remembered the day Spider had gifted you the carved arm ring he had made for your avatar.

"Happy birthday you ungrateful brat." you remembered his words exactly. He was right. You had been ungrateful, until you met Ao'nung. He had literally gifted you grass, rocks, leaves and it always made you smile from ear to ear.

Without him, work wasn't half as much fun.

He wasn't even watching you through the window anymore but instead tried to distract himself with hunting and preparing for his iknimaya.

You had told Max and Norm about it as well and they could tell that something about you, no, a lot about you had changed. You trained to become a real scientist and on top of that, you slowly became an adult. It was the right decision they had sent you here, even though these lonely days turned into weeks and by now, you couldn't even tell how long it was, but a long time passed in which you and Ao'nung did not speak one word.

Your head rose quickly as you heard heavy footsteps coming up the metal stairs. You couldn't believe your eyes as you saw Ao'nung coming through the airlock without a word. The look on his face concerned you, no matter how happy you were that he had returned to you.

"I knew you'd come back, all men do." you grinned in order to get him to tease you back like he always did, but he only grunted and sat down in a corner, in silence.

He just came back here after all this time and acted so weird all of a sudden. First he was spooked by you, then he liked you, tried to court you, ignored you and now he just came here without saying a word?

Confurion grew inside of you as he didn't respond to your teasing but only dropped himself into a corner, back hitting against the wall with his head back.

The your face relaxed a bit as you mustered him. He only closed his eyes and supported his hands on his shaking knees.

"Ao'nung? Are you okay?"

Still, he didn't respond.

His expression twisted at your voice as if his head was aching, and it did.

You swallowed before you walked over to him.

"Want me to sit with you?" This time your voice was a bit more quiet. The metkayina exhaled heavily and patted the floor next to him so you decided you sit next to him, legs crossed.

A good while passed like this. Just sitting next to each other in silence.

As you turned your head up to him he didn't react either.

"Ao'nung, what I did, I didn't mean-"

"Don't." he interrupted, raising a hand to signal you to stop talking.

"I don't want to hear a word about this stupid topic."

His voice was not much more than a breath and it seemed that these words weren't rolling off his tongue that easily.

"Your father..." he started after a long time, "he is... some kind of leader, right?"

As an answer you nodded slowly, so he asked another question.

"Does he have high expectations from you?"

A hard question.

"Well, in some kind. He doesn't like that I live amongst your race. He'd rather see me working for RDA. Wear fancy clothes and sit neatly at my desk, filling out confusing papers with overpriced pens, being the face of a huge company, ordering people around."

Ao'nung huffed, a slight smile crawled up on his face.

"Maybe we have more in common than you think..." he murmured under his breath, but in this silence his voice was still pretty audible.

"Did you have a fight with your father again?"

"Why do you think im here, the only place he never visits?"

You couldn't help but fake a mad expression.

"So my lab is only some hiding place for you, huh?"

As soon as your sentence had ended, he carefully poked his elbow into your arm and the smile on his face widened.

Again, silence fell upon you two.

After some deep breaths, the young man's voice disturbed this silence once more.

"I like being here. It's...calm."

"Yeah, if you don't run around like a wild thanator."

His ears turned at you remark and soon you felt his hand smacking your knee, causing a synched huff from both of you.

"You're not attempting to walk the path your father wants you to take, do you?" Ao'nung asked.

"Of course not. I think everybody should do whatever makes them happy. Fuck the 'rules', there are none. Only one self can decide what they want to do. That counts you in, smooth brain."

A warm smile appeared on his face, his eyes glistened with something you had never seen before. In your words he had found new hope. He was more motivated than ever to follow his heart, no matter what his parents said. He allowed himself to dream for a moment, to imagine what gteat things the future could hold for him and you.

~~~

Instead of spending most time in the shack you went to the village more often, adapting to the other na'vi and also the sea creatures. By now, Ao'nung had properly taught you how to ride an ilu and even introduced you to his spirit brother tulkun. You learned more about the sign language, about swimming and hunting, about their sacred rituals and everything these people had to offer.

During the day the young man rarely left your side. While hunting he always looked out for you. You enjoyed your life, and you wouldn't trade it against anything. Yet you had to return to your cabin every night. It was exhausting to switch between the two bodies, so you made a decision.

"I want you to transfer my soul into my avatar."

Ronal couldn't believe her ears. Ao'nung dropped his bowl of food instantly and stared at you with huge eyes. Tsireya was looking for words, and even Tonowari was completely speechless.

"Say that again." the tsahik whispered in disbelief, so you repeated "I want you to transfer my soul into my avatar. My conciousness, my spirit, however you might call it."

The tsahik looked towards her husband, shaking her head slowly.

"You can't be serious?!" Ao'nung blurted out while Tsireya still tried to process what you had just exclaimed while having dinner with them.

"Sully managed so I can do it too." Your voice was all calm since you had pondered this idea for some time already. Then you wouldn't have to run around with your exopack anymore and you could live amongst the metkayina. Become one of them. Finally have a place where you belonged to and the freedom to find a man.

The son stormed over to you and shook your shoulders as if he was trying to wake you up from a fever dream.

"This is dangerous! You might die!"

"Guess what smooth brain, i'm a scientist, I know."

Tonowari tapped the tips of his fingers together slowly, repeating your words in your head.

"Why would you want this?!" Ao'nungs face was on the thin line between angst and fury.

"What about your work, your lab, your father?!"

"It is what I want. I alone have the right to make this choice. It's stressful to switch and my human body is just not suited for this world. And since i don't intend to return to earth, I might as well become one of you."

Ao'nung pulled you up to your feet and dragged your avatar out of his family's marui in order to talk to you alone.

As soon as there was enough distance he faced you, grabbing your head with both hands. You whined at his unpleasant touch, but he couldn't help himself. His blue eyes darted straight into your golden ones, lips trembling, his entire body shaking in frustration.

"Why the hell do you want to do this?! What if you die?!" He spat with wild eyes.

"Then you better make sure to bring the prettiest flowers to my grave or I might haunt you. And visit me at the spirit tree-"

"You think this is funny?!"

You had never seen him in this state of fury but you had expected such reaction.

"Ao'nung, it's my life and my choice. You can't stop me."

He couldn't believe how by eywa you could stay so calm. His chest was heaving, blood ferociously rushing through his veins.

"This is madness, y/n!"

"I am a human in an incubated na'vi halfbreed body on a planet somewhere far away from earth where people and animals can literally connect their nerves to each other and you're telling me this is madness?"

He didn't know it was even possible but he got even more frustrated and enraged.

"For what reason y/n, what's it worth to put yourself through this?!"

Your face softened, lips forming a sweet smile as you stared into his bitter eyes.

"You."

Ao'nung swallowed hardly and his tilted ears stood up for a second. All his anger had dissolved, but only for a brief moment before he turned bitter again.

"Y/N... you can't be serious."

"Of course I am. Tsireya told be that you had some arguments with your parents about me. That you can't choose me as a woman. Don't you want to be with me? You must've thought about it as w-"

"Shut up." He growled.

His hands let go of you abruptly. He couldn't look you in the eyes for much longer, it pained him to see you as his thoughts formed into words.

"Of course I did. I dreamed about this for so long, but that's all it will ever be. A dream."

His words tore your heart into pieces, shattering all the pictures you had already painted out. Your breath hitched and you pulled both hands up to your chest.

"You know that this is not true. We can find a way-" you whispered into the air before he interrupted.

"Your 'way' is not an option. Which means there is no way."

Ao'nung took a deep breath and walked a few steps, only to come back to you.

"I'm not discussing my choice with you. I will talk about this with the tsahik." You mumbled quietly.

"If the great mother would've wanted you to be one of us she would have made you one of us!" his words were so loud that the distance between you and his family's marui didn't matter anymore. The entire village had probably hears him screaming into the night.

You slowly shook your head as he was done yelling.

"If the great mother doesn't want me to be one of you, she will let me feel that. You are not tsahik."

"Right, I'm the future oloeyktan! You should obey to what I say!"

He tried to calm himself but failed miserably. His fangs were bared, ears flicking angrily and his tail whipped around in fury.

"I thought you wanted to be more than a status..."

Here you ended the conversation and parted ways with him for today.

~~~

History repeated itself. Some days of not talking to each other at all followed, as well as him showing up to your shack.

He didn't apologize for his words, he simply walked in and sat down the same spot as always. Nothing in this village happened without his knowledge so he was already aware that you had talked to his mother and after a long consideration and deep talks with her husband she had agreed to your request. The ceremony was supposed to happen tonight so you had cleaned out your lab as you wouldn't be using it as much anymore.

You had called your father so he could see you one last time. He did everything but approve.

"Don't you dare! I will not allow this, are you mad?! What weird stuff did you smoke out there? These freaks clouded you brain! Don't tell me you're doing this for this boy?"

His words meant nothing to you. Either he accepted or not, but it didn't change your mind one bit.

"You really want to do this?" Ao'nung mumbled while you leaned against your desk, arms crossed.

"I will do this."

"You're pretty dumb for being such a smart girl, you know that?"

You only huffed and relaxed your arms before Ao'nung got up onto his feet again and made his way over to you. Both of his hands gripped around your waist and lifted you up to sit on the desk.

Your breath hitched at his actions and you couldn't help but blush madly. Not just your face but your entire body heated up as the metkayina came dangerously close to you, cupping your face with gentle hands unlike last time.

His blue eyes stared right into your soul before they fell onto your soft lips.

"Once the ritual starts, there is no return. Either your soul will transfer or..."

"Ao'nung, I will make it. Then I am one of your people." you flashed a wide smile at him.

"You are not just going to be one of us, y/n. You will also be mine."

He decided to waste no more time talking and let his actions speak, crashing his lips on top of yours. Instantly melting into the kiss you threw your arms around his neck, feeling your stomach toss and turn while he closed the gap between himself and your petite body completely, holding you close to his bare torso.

Both of you had longed for this for what felt like an eternity. In you he had found someone so different and yet so similar. No matter what you did, you fascinated him in every way. You actually managed to handle his ego and his rough personality, but he could also be vulnerable around you.

~~~

Ao'nung himself had carried your human body towards the cove of ancestors on his ilu where the ritual was taking place. He was praying to eywa that you would return from the eye of the great mother. Max and Norm had also shown up to the ritual, the Sully's too as well as the metkayina. Ronal and Tonowari stood next to each other, their daughter Tsireya right by their side as the ceremony was prepared.

The young man placed a last kiss onto your head before he had to let go of you and leave to the depths of the water as the spirit tree grasped out to you with it's strings, pulling you below the water surface until they were wrapped all around your body and your entire vision went black. All sounds were silenced.

No words were able to describe what you went through. What felt like an eternity probably went by in the shortest time before you were able to open your eyes again. A familiar face was right in front of you, holding your cheeks carefully. As soon as you detached from the spirit tree, you felt a pair of strong arms help you back up to the surface where you coughed out some swallowed water.

Before looking down on your own body your golden eyes searched for your human form which was completely covered from all these watchful eyes, deep below the surface. People cheered as your arms fell around the metkayina boy in front of you who pressed your dripping body against his shaking self. Some hysterical laughs escaped from both of you as you realized that the ritual had worked. Your chest was heaving in the tight embrace with the boy. His hands wrapped around your body as if he never wanted to let go of you again.

He pressed his relieved smile into your shoulder, still breathing out a few huffs in disbelief. As he felt your strong heartbeat, his own heart was pounding in excitement. Both your hands reached around his head only to pull him away from your shoulder gently to take a look at his visage. You got lost in each other's eyes, surrounded by luminous freckles all over your faces.

His thumbs traced over your blushed violet cheeks before you pressed your forehead to his.

"I see you, ma y/n." he whispered quietly and full of love.

"I see you, mao'nung."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

taglist: @luvlykrispy @zatarias-pandora @vviolaswrld @yeosxxx @lilgurlbeoncrack @philiasoul @itszzmoon @simp4ff @itsnotme02 @et-j-art @lovekeeho

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bearsbeetsbeskar · 1 year

Text

Restoring the Roots (Joel Miller x Therapist! reader)

Chapter 1: Pre-Contemplation

Chapter 2 here | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | main masterlist |

Pairing: Joel Miller x therapist! reader, post outbreak Rating: none, will be changed to explicit in future chapters (slow burn, eventual smut, age gap) Summary: Life after moving to Jackson looks drastically different for Joel, survival mode is over and now he and Ellie can finally put down new roots. Ellie adapts easily but Joel finds himself struggling to settle into this new life, in more ways than some. At Ellie and Tommy’s insistence, Joel begrudgingly finds himself in therapy to try and work through his struggles but what he encounters is more than just painful memories and deeply rooted trauma. A/N: I cannot say enough thank you's to the number of lovely humans who encouraged this idea and supported me as I embark on my very first fic! And what better Pedro character to be the guinea pig for this idea? Lots of this story draws on my personal knowledge as a social worker, as I am working towards becoming a certified equine assisted therapist. Consequently, there are lots of horsey terms, therapy terms, and vivid descriptions of trauma at certain points. Feel free like, comment, or reblog if you enjoy it :)

Taglist (for now): @beskarandblasters, @pr0ximamidnight, @theewokingdead, @atinylittlepain, @prolix-yuy, @swiftispunk, @harriedandharassed, @amywritesthings

If anyone wants to be on the taglist please let me know! If you don't want to be on it then also let me know lol.

~~~~~~~

You sat up taller in your chair, arching your back and rolling your shoulders in an effort to stretch out your spine, exhaling softly as you heard the cacophony of crunches and protests from your muscles. You had been hunched over your notepad for over an hour, eyebrows scrunched together and your mind running on autopilot, as you caught up on client notes that you had fallen behind on for the last couple days. The downside of having a small therapy practice, hell any therapy practice, was that there was a never ending litany of documentation to fill out. Seeing as you were the only therapist in the tiny commune of Jackson, there was never a shortage of clients and consequently, never a shortage of session notes that you had to write.

“Hun.”

You hear your name spoken in a warm tone from behind you. You barely look up from the page as you try to rewrite the word ‘diagnosis’ after what feels like the fifth time. The word has basically lost all its meaning at this point.

“Honey, c’mon, the sun is about ready to set and you can wrap that up tomorrow.” The cover page to the notepad closes on top of your hand and you look up to see your assistant, Tracey, giving you a knowing look and then glancing towards the front of the office. You follow her gaze to the front windows and take in the deep ember orange hue washing over the business faces and windows on the opposite side of the street, signaling the end of another day. Sighing softly, you lean back in your chair and cross your arms over your chest with a frown. You know she’s right and yet you still have the same dispute every day.

“Trace, you and I both know that if I don’t get them done today, they will just be added to tomorrow’s to do list, besides this is the last one I swear,” you say to her with a smirk, as if she has not heard that excuse before.

You were never the kind of person to half-ass your responsibilities at your job, including client documentation, even if there was no longer any governing body or association to uphold professional social work standards. You did your job with integrity, even the mundane administrative tasks that involved more writing than actual talking with clients. Tracey knew this of course, it was something she admired about you, how suited you were for this line of work. It was clear that you cared deeply for the clients that you supported. But it doesn’t mean it was not a fight when the end of the workday rolled around and she had to tear you away from your desk and practically shove you out of the office door.

She rolled her eyes at you and her lips curled into a small smile as she headed towards the door with her coat and bag in tow. “Promise me you will at least be out of here before the night patrol starts?” She points her finger at you as she stops just ahead of the door. You nod and wave her off as you turn your focus back to the notepad, smoothing your palm over the words etched into the cover ‘Restorative Reins.’

You had only been in Jackson for roughly over a month, though it felt like much longer. Much like everyone else who had survived the outbreak and came to find refuge in the small settlement after the world went to shit, you were grateful to accept any basic decencies of normal life that were afforded to you. Warm meals, warm showers, hell running water in general was a miracle in and of itself at that point. So when you actually arrived in Jackson, you were dumbfounded to see how much normalcy surrounded you. Children running and playing in the streets, storefronts of various thriving businesses, sheep being rounded up in a nearby corral - hold on, a fucking MOVIE THEATER?

While it took some time to grow out of the perpetual fight or flight mode that you were entrenched in from life on the road, you did eventually fall into a good pace in Jackson. Especially after getting involved in the community and taking up the job as the local therapist, you had never been busier, and you loved it.

The world felt unflinchingly obsolete post outbreak, but being able to support others with their mental health never failed to bring you joy and an unshakeable sense of purpose. You wanted to help others as they navigated their pain and broke down the mental blocks that entrapped them in their trauma. You wanted to help them realize the innate strength that they possessed. Sadly, you never got the chance to practice long term, as you finished up grad school just before the outbreak happened. But that didn’t seem to matter now as you had an endless stream of community members that you saw on a weekly basis at your practice, all with their own pain and struggles, seeking support.

It was crazy to think about the short period of time that had passed since you started at the job, how much you had done for the residents, how much more that you wanted to do. You were pulled from your memories when the office phone rang, internally groaning as you looked at your watch.

4:58 p.m. Of course.

Steeling yourself you picked up the phone, praying that it was a quick call.

“Restorative Reins Practice, how can I help you?” you answered.

“Oh! hi ma'am,” a warm, mellow Southern drawl greets you on the other end. “Are you the local therapist that has been helpin’ folks out around here with their mental health?”

"That's me,” you reply warmly, “what can I do for you?”

The man hesitates briefly, “Well, I was uh wanting to know a bit more about the business I guess, how the therapy process works, fees and stuff for someone who was interested in getting help. Not me though, it’s not for me, it’s for my brother, Joel. My name is Tommy by the way,” he mentions quickly.

“No problem Tommy, I can explain the basics to you including the different types of therapy I offer and how the process works,” you reassure him. You explain to him the different services, how the equine therapy worked, walk in hours, session lengths and so on.

“I should probably mention that my brother ain’t keen on getting help and reaching out to others when he needs it, he’s too damn proud to acknowledge it, so he really doesn’t think he has any issues and thinks everything is fine… but he’s having a real tough time settlin’ down here. He’s so haunted by his past and he’s been acting differently lately, more temperamental, well, more than usual,” Tommy adds. You smile to yourself and nod, as you’ve had many clients before who were stuck in similar struggles and closed off to therapy initially.

“I can definitely understand that,” you sympathize with him. “It sounds like your brother has been through a lot and you just want him to get some support, which is great. Therapy isn’t for everybody but I have worked with many individuals like him who were going through similar situations, and they found great success.”

“That’s great to hear. That’s all I want for him is to get some help,” Tommy states.

“Now with that being said,” you continue, “therapy is voluntary, I cannot force someone to attend, but if your brother would agree to a consultation with me, I could chat with him more about where he is at, the kind of support he could benefit from and go from there. No pressure to commit to anything,” you propose to him.

“Hmm, I think he could be persuaded to try that, now that you mention it like that,” Tommy chuckles, sounding pleasantly surprised.

“Awesome! You can tell him to stop by the office any time and we can discuss it more. We’re open from 9-5,” you tell him, silently relieved that it was an indeed quick call. He thanks you and hangs up.

Something else akin to curiosity creeps into your mind as you recount what Tommy briefly told you about his brother. Maybe more so intrigue. You wonder how resistant he is to therapy, what happened in his past to hurt him so deeply, but you catch yourself before your thoughts run away from you further, either way you look forward to helping another person in need.

~~~~~~~~~~~

“Tommy, I swear to god if you bring up this damn therapy shit again, I won’t hesitate to shoot you next time we’re out on patrol,” Joel growled through clenched teeth, as he walked away from his brother into the kitchen of the house.

“Boy, it ain’t like I never heard that before,” Tommy quipped sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he followed Joel into the kitchen, pausing in the doorway as he leaned against the frame, hands shoved into his pockets. He observed his brother's rigid stance, the tightness in his shoulders, as Joel stood over the sink, looking out the window.

This felt like the umpteenth time that Tommy had broached the subject of Joel getting help and talking to a ‘shrink,’ as he dismissively described it, for the issues that he was struggling with. Joel was fine. He didn’t have any fucking issues. He was doing just fine and didn’t need some professional to scrutinize him, reduce him to his vices, and open old wounds from his past life. He was encouraged to go to grief counseling after Sarah died but by some grace of God, or whatever godforsaken omnipotent entity existed at that point, the outbreak occurred. Forget mental health, physical health and survival became the only focus.

Tommy exhaled softly. “Listen, I'm only suggestin’ it because I care about you. Ellie cares about you. You both have been through hell and back in the last year, I mean shit, we all have. But it seems like everything y’all went through is still affecting you, holding you back from letting your guard down and settling in here,” he states plainly, sadness lacing his tone.

“That’s bullshit Tommy and you know it,” Joel snaps, turning to face his younger brother and leaning back against the counter, arms crossed in defense. His gaze narrows. “I go out on patrol don’t I? Pick up extra shifts wherever it’s needed, help out with the contracting jobs, go out with Ellie in town.” Joel stood up taller, puffing out his chest, challenging his younger brother. Tommy shook his head, running his hand over his face with an exasperated expression. Heaven forbid Joel did anything for himself that did not involve contributing or providing for someone, period. He just couldn’t shake that from his identity, and it broke Tommy’s heart as he watched his brother’s stubborn pride, ridden with guilt and trauma, swallow him whole.

“Man when are you gonna fuckin’ do something for yourself Joel?!” Tommy asserted, his frustration reaching a boiling point. “Forget the damn commune, forget the community, forget Ellie for a sec and think about the last time YOU did something for yourself, the last time YOU reached out for help goddamnit.” He pushed off the doorframe and crossed the threshold of the kitchen as he strode towards Joel.

“You’re not on the run anymore brother. You don’t have to just survive. You can have a life here. You can sleep without keepin’ one eye open and relax without lookin’ over your shoulder. Don’t you want that? Don’t you think you deserve that?! Don’t you think you deserve this?!” Tommy said as he gestured around the cozy kitchen and fixed his older brother with a pleading stare.

Joel’s eyes widened as he tried to step back, the edge of the counter biting into his lower back as he took in Tommy’s weary face, the pain in his soft brown eyes, mirroring his own. His younger brother rarely raised his voice anymore. The outbreak took its toll on his hot headed temperament that never seemed to simmer down, even after he was discharged from the army. Joel knew that Tommy cared about him, hell he knew how deeply his brother loved him, after all they had respectively been through in the last twenty years, it had to be serious for him to raise his voice.

Joel opened his mouth, ready to bite back but his brother raised his hands in the air in surrender, “Look, this is the last time I will bring this up, I swear. But yesterday I called up the therapist in town who’s been helpin’ folks out, and asked her about the therapy process and she seems real nice, and supportive. She said you could come in for a consultation and talk to her and see if you’re interested,” Tommy said quietly.

Joel’s gaze narrows as he scrunches his eyebrows together in incredulity, “You-”

“I had nothing to lose Joel. Absolutely nothing. And neither do you,” Tommy cuts him off, raising his chin in defiance. “At least go talk to the therapist, if you don’t like her or you’re not feelin’ it, then I’ll drop it and let it go. Okay? The office is on the main street, just beside the clothing store, adjacent to the stables and they’re open everyday from 9-5.”

“Jesus fucking Christ Tommy,” Joel leaned back as he looked up at the ceiling, wishing it would collapse in on him. Gotta love that brotherly love.

“Look I should be getting back now, Maria will be waiting for me. Here’s the number and address for the business. I’ll see you around okay?” Tommy patted through his pockets and retrieved a small piece of paper with writing scribbled on it, placing it on the counter beside Joel. He gave him a last placating look before he walked out of the kitchen, the front door closing behind him with a soft click.

Joel pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled sharply before turning back around to look out the kitchen window. He hung his head in defeat, rounding his back as he rested his elbows on the counter and glared into his matte reflection in the sink. He didn’t need any help. He was doing fine. He’s still upright and breathing, with blood coursing through his veins isn’t he? Albeit, he's not jumping out of bed like a sprightly thirty year old anymore. His knees pop and crackle when he gets up from crouching over machinery for too long, his joints protest the next day when he pushes himself too far, moving slower than usual on job sites.

Hell, even his memory is starting to get cloudy around the edges. If it weren’t for Ellie some days, he’s sure he would leave the house without pants on, what with her always reminding him where things are in the house, special events that are coming up in the community that he forgets about. He had been a bit more snappy than usual, as Ellie so lovingly pointed out one day, but that’s nothing compared to his normal demeanour.

“You’re becoming a grumpy motherfucker y'know that? Jeez, who shit in your cornflakes this morning?” She grumbled at him with a mouth full of cereal, after he snapped at her reminder that it was parent day at the local school. Parent day, P.A. day, Joel hadn’t dealt with any of this shit in over twenty years since Sarah was in school. Even then he managed to swiftly neglect many of the parental events, seeing as Sarah was the perfect student, with nothing but glowing reviews from her teachers. The fact that Ellie was going to school amidst a fucking apocalypse was enough for Joel to be content.

But still, he’s doing fine, right? Just fine.

“Maybe talking to someone that’s not related to you would help you, y’know? Being able to talk about shit that you can’t talk to me, or Tommy, or anyone else about you know?” Ellie proposed to him later that night.

As luck would have it, she was already home when Joel and Tommy spoke in the kitchen and she had heard pretty much the entire conversation. And like Tommy, she only wanted Joel to get support because she cared about him.

“Think of all the shit that we went through in the past year, forget the infected, and the raiders, and FEDRA, and almost dying,” she casually listed off on one hand as if she was reciting a grocery list.

“There's so much shit that we’re both carrying with us, demons from our past, and it’s gotta come out one way or another. Look, therapists aren’t there to judge you, or analyze you,” she continued, “they’re kind of like a sounding board for you to bounce your thoughts off of, and they help you process shit you’re going through. You never know unless you try it,” she said matter of factly.

“Like Tommy said, you got nothing to lose man. Plus the whiskey and pills will only help you numb reality for so long, you’re gonna go insane eventually,” she said, fixing him with a knowing look as she leaned back into the couch beside him.

Joel just grunted in response and frowned. Damn this kid for being too insightful for her own good.

Ellie might be young but she most certainly wasn’t naive. And as much as Joel would have liked to assume that her easy transition into life in Jackson was on account of her youthfulness, it really wasn’t. It was just the fact that she had never known a normal life, as heartbreaking as that was. She never had the chance to experience such normalcy before everything turned on its head. But she developed friendships with a few of the other teens in the community, namely one girl Dina, who she hung out with after school, went to the movies and other community events with.

She didn’t have to actively try to fit into Jackson, she just did. Joel would never acknowledge the pangs of jealousy he felt gnawing at his insides when he saw her getting on so well, but it didn’t mean they chipped away at his morale any less.

Ellie smirked at his lack of response, knowing he was mulling it over in his mind. With the relationship they had developed over the past year, she was grateful to be able to talk to Joel and actually get through to him.

“Damn maybe I should be a fuckin’ therapist, that was good advice wasn’t it?” she grinned at him, elbowing him in his side.

Joel snorted and shook his head. “Christ, I must be losing my mind for real this time if you’ve got me considering it.”

“Now c’mon,” she wiggled her eyebrows at him, “you owe me at least a few games of Boggle for that pep talk,” she said triumphantly, holding up the weathered board game that was on the coffee table.

#joel miller x reader #joel miller x female reader #joel miller x f!reader #joel miller x therapist! reader #joel miller x you #joel miller smut #joel miller fanfiction #the last of us fanfiction #tlou fanfiction #joel miller #the last of us #tlou #the last of us hbo #equine assisted therapy #equine therapy

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veespee · 1 month

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Vinnie is *such* a complex character i feel. And he makes me feel very conflicted, but here are some (personal) opinions about him: (kinda an analysis? idk i'm just rambling)

-Firstly, he's the voyeur, although unknowingly. The word “voyeur” has two meanings, the first one is.. we won't talk about it, but the *second* one is: a person who enjoys seeing the pain or distress of others. Now, i don't really think he actually likes seeing people in pain. Of course, he shows remorse and guilt over the deaths of his close ones, and even people he didn't know that where victims, so why voyeur? Why would HABIT describe him as a “voyeuristic fuck”?

So, i may be getting some lore wrong, and i apologize in advance, but it's revealed that he has led everyone to their deaths, due to his insistence to keep filming and find answers. Also, if i remember right, he had intentionally left out footage that caused him to be seen in a bad light, and it showed that he had led Jeff and Alex to their doom.

-Now, of course for any sane person, why would someone do that? The answer is… well, for answers. That's the word he seems to be infatuated with, ’answers’. And it's made pretty clear. He saw what HABIT was doing, he saw the state Evan was in, and he knew. He was fully aware, he's not stupid, and he knew what he was doing. If Evan wasn't going to do what Vinnie was telling him to, then… he was going to summon HABIT. He was also aware of HABIT's intelligence/experience with the human race, which was good for him, since he was going to get his questions answered.

-Now’s the trick question (for me at least), is Vinnie a horrible person? Well… yes, and no? I mean, he did do horrible things, that much can be said. He led everyone to doom, he purposefully ignored people's wishes (Evan's request for Vinnie not to upload the video about Jesse's grandmother dying), and of course, continuing to record after all of these things happened, despite Jeff's and Evan's wishes. But he feels incredibly guilty. “Sometimes you gotta do stuff that you don't agree with, but that's the price you pay. But you gotta remember, sometimes the price is too steep, and you just can't live with yourself... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry to everyone that I've hurt, to everyone that has died, around me or because of me.” (these are his own words).

I honestly believe he's a very, very flawed character. His goal is answers, and he will do anything to get them. He has the drive to get what he desperately wants, even after being tortured by HABIT. And i feel that HABIT has some respect for him because of that. And of course, his role was set from the start. Everything was calculated, and he was fulfilling his role, “the voyeur”, “the guardian”, whatever it may be. Everything happened for a reason, the God Killer was created, Vinnie's “purpose” was completed. I guess he could be described as a pawn, a follower that was blinded by his desperation for knowledge and control, but fell into the traps of the bigger entities at play.

thank you for reading! i apologize if i got any characteristics wrong, i just wanted to get my thoughts out. and this is very yap-y, so here's a TL;DR:

Vinnie is a complex ass character, who's blinded by his search for control and answers. He's guilty and self loathing, but avoids responsibility. Basically… opinions vary about him, you either love him or hate him.

#slenderverse #analysis #poetry #character analysis #ramble #vincent emh #vinny emh #everymanhybrid #emh #vinnie everyman #habit emh #vincent everyman #vinny everyman

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queenie-official · 6 months

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‘Baby it’s cold outside’ Modern!Ani

main masterlist

pairing: Modern!Anakin x reader

a/n: just some winter head canons with modern ani for you loves 💋💋

as we all know Ani is a human furnace so in the winter he’s the best person to have around.

❄️- your feet are cold? no problem: you’re both chilling at your house laying down next to each other and just enjoying one another’s presence while doing your own thing.

you’re under the blankets and even have socks on because of how cold your feet are but nothing seems to be helping. looking over to an unsuspecting Ani who’s not paying attention, to busy scrolling on his phone to notice the glint in your eyes as the idea forms in your mind.

turning onto your side to face him more properly you shove your feet right under his thighs- a small barely audible yelp comes out of him.

his attention snaps to you the feeling of your ice cold feet under his thighs making him wrinkle his nose in annoyance. you give him a big smile, fluttering your lashes at him and all the protests he has die on his tongue.

“you’re Annoying”

“and you’re warm so deal with it”

he rolls his eyes, focusing his attention back to his phone and you both carry on with what you had been doing previously. only now you have the luxury of warm feet.

❄️- Cold hands? don’t worry about that either: Anakin is well aware of your cold hand problem, and fortunately for you both he loves holding your hands.

you’re both outside walking towards a local cafe that you convinced Him you guys needed to go to. it was nice at first until you realized just how cold it was outside anakin did warn you but you insisted it’d be more fun to walk.

at first you hold back your complaints not wanting to prove a certain someone right, but your resolve crumbles just as quickly as the wind that blows around you.

you try to be subtle, moving impossibly closer to him as you both walk. now pressed against his side the warmth of his arm already beginning to seep into your own skin, you keep your gaze forward hoping that if you didn’t look at him it’d make you less noticeable as if Ani doesn’t notice every small thing you do.

you know he knows what you’re doing when you see out of the corner of your eyes a small smirk growing on the corner of his mouth.

he didn’t say anything yet, clearly waiting for you to admit he was right so he can say ‘i told you so’. but you’re stubborn and on top of that don’t like admitting when you’re wrong (something you both have in common).

waiting it out for a few more seconds before another cold wind blows urging you to make your next move quick. you not so subtly link your arm with his, moving your hand towards his.

“What’re you doing?” he asks with a raised brow, licking his slightly dry lips rehydrating them from the cold as he suppresses a teasing smile.

“i just wanna hold your hand” you half lie, and right as you’re about to grab hold of his hand he pulls his hand away from you.

“really? i’m not entirely sure i believe you Angel” he lets a chuckle out, holding his hand up and wiggling his fingers tantalizingly.

you roll your eyes looking away from him as you begin to pout, you wanted to hold out longer. but the icy burn you felt in your hand convinced you other wise. so with a reluctant mumble “my hands are cold” you say.

“what’s that?” he asks, moving his hand to cup his ears as if to hear you better.

you groan looking back over to him “you’re a pain in my ass” you say with crossed arms.

“yea look who’s talking Princess” he says with a smile before reaching for your hands, the warmth of his engulfing yours immediately.

part 2

AHHHH OKAY SO LIKE I HOPE THIS IS GOOD??? i definitely have more if y’all want them 👀👀 but uhhhh…. idk i felt like i was doing to much since it was supposed to be just head cannons but i ended up writing like mini fics 😭

also also i am working on a part 2 to this ask so keep an eye out for that! 😋

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deathmetalunicorn1 · 9 months

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RoR x Wednesday reader like reader has the same personality and skills like Wednesday Addams. Like she always has a deadpan expression and has a even tone so it’s hard to tell if reader is joking or not. Like there brother pugsley was being picked on and reader steps in. How would the god/human react after hearing about the incident or witnessed it?

Humans: Jack , Chen Gon , Lu bu, Nikola, Raiden, and Adam (platonic)

God: Hades, Odin, Poseidon , Hermes, Loki, Beelzebub and Buddha

-You were definitely…different, compared to other women at least. You were emotionless, had a very dry and dark sense of humor, never smiled, and anyone who ever met you always said there was something dangerous about you. -You enjoyed keeping others on their toes about you, they never seemed to know what you were going to do next, and you liked it like that- you liked them being afraid of you. -You were a fiercely independent person, you didn’t have to rely on anyone other than yourself and you could do anything, be it sword fighting to tending to plants to torturing those foolish enough to bully your brother, Pugsley. -Only you got to torture your brother. -There was some confusion on how you got into Valhalla, you looked like you would be more at home in Helheim, and to be honest that’s where you would rather be as well. It was too bright in Valhalla for someone of your delicate complexion- you couldn’t bear the thought of getting color on your face. -You were like a villain, enjoying the pain and suffering of others, finding pleasure in things dark and dreary, and found solstice in quiet and dark places, like graveyards. -You didn’t care that others didn’t interact with you, choosing instead to run in fear, which you didn’t mind, and you weren’t lonely, as you had Homer, your pet Black Widow spider, and the various dangerous plants that you kept, which reminded you sometimes of your mother. -There was one man who didn’t mind your odd way of life, he told you that it made you unique and he admired that you didn’t care what others thought about you, to which you replied, “I don’t care about what you think.” -To anyone else that could have been displayed as an insult, but he could see the amusement in your eyes, seeing that you were teasing him. -To be honest with yourself, you were impressed with him, he was able to take your personality in stride, even catering to it sometimes, like if someone threatened you for being weird he would crack his knuckles and threaten them, to which you would hold your cheek, “How romantic~” -To him, you were beautiful, because you were always yourself, you didn’t change for anyone and you didn’t cater to anyone else, like crying babies, you didn’t care if they were crying, to you that sound was as soothing as a thunderstorm. -You told him, after he had been coming around and spending time with you, that you tolerated him, which to him was basically you confessing to him, something that made him feel so much elation, even if he didn’t outright show it.

-You were a being of perfection, one that he was elated to have gotten for himself, he didn’t care if you didn’t smile or would shower him with affection, and he wasn’t going to force you. The two of you looked good together and were definitely a power couple, as you would hand him your umbrella to deliver an ass beating yourself and he would stare as if you hung the stars in the night sky just for him. You enjoyed his company as he didn’t annoy you like other people and you didn’t mind being in a relationship with him, as he didn’t force you to give him any affections- you did it all on your own terms, something you respected him for. You also enjoyed seeing him elated when you would give him soft affection, like holding his hand, he was rather cute- like a puppy. -Chen Gong, Nikola, Hermes, Loki, Raiden, Buddha, and Jack

-You were certainly odd, but no less deserving for love and affection, even if you said you didn’t need it. He insisted on making sure to spend time with you and give you plenty of attention and affection, letting you talk and just listening, or engaging in thoughtful conversations with you, usually about things like burial rights around the world or the different shades of black. He adored your individuality and that you were independent, but he made you know that you could always go to him if you ever needed help. -Adam and Odin

-He was a lot like you, not really showing emotions about anything unless if it was something he enjoyed or if was something that pissed him off, like someone insulting or upsetting you. He knew full well you could handle yourself and wouldn’t hesitate to just stand there, holding your umbrella and bag while you kicked ass yourself. There was only sometimes he wanted to fight and insisted on fighting, wanting to defend your honor and protect you, because you’re important to him. Loved your sense of humor and would usually at least crack a grin about your jokes, like about drinking wine out of the skulls of your enemies, and you asked, “Are they dishwasher safe?” he would make dark jokes as well, mainly about things like other people staring at you and he would sneer, “What would you say to a bouquet of eyeballs?” and your eyes lit up with a smile, even if you didn’t smile yourself, “That would be nice, fresh ones, right?” he chuckled, pecking your cheek softly, “Of course- nothing but the best for my Y/N.” you both scared people… a lot. -Lu Bu, Hades, Poseidon, and Beelzebub

#record of ragnarok #ror x reader #ror chen gong #ror nikola tesla #ror hermes #ror loki #ror raiden #ror buddha #ror jack the ripper #ror adam #ror odin #ror lu bu #ror hades #ror poseidon #ror beelzebub

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mageofseven · 10 months

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ITS ME ONCE AGAIN, HELLOOO

After the vampire event, I'm thinking about like what if MC was the vampire? Thus, here I am

"Vamp!MC asks the Boys if they will let Vamp!MC feed on them."

Mammon ilysm and the Nestling With Birdie series is so good omg

Edit: This took three days to write so despite down below how I mention the Boys, sadly I was only able to give you the Brothers. Sorry, my ADD was fighting me so this is all I have to show for it 😅

I hope you like it anyway.

Oooo ok nice idea. I sadly never got to finish that event but I love vampires~

Also awww, I'm glad you like Birdie's series so much hehe 🤭

Okay so I'll write this with these assumptions:

Bites do not turn the Boys. Maybe this a human strain of the Vampirism virus they caught that Soli's immortal immune system is too super charged for?

MC is handling their thirst worse than the brothers did in the event.

They will be cured regardless of whether they bite and drink anyone's blood; the cure is simply time consuming to make, but others are working on it.

•▪︎▪︎◇°●♡●°◇▪︎▪︎•

Lucifer:

The oldest was the only House of Lamentation member allowed in the human's room at this time; his brothers simply could not be trusted.

He was the one to check on the sick human (kinda? let's still call them that) and make sure they ate their meals (they still needed nourishment despite their condition; food helped, but was never quite enough).

As the week dragged on, the poor sick human's thirst became more and more unbearable.

"Please." MC gripped the pride demon's shirt, trying to force him down to give them access to his neck.

Lucifer sighed and stared down at his poor love guiltily. He should have been more careful with them, more observant with the culture; surely then he could have prevented this terrible infliction from reaching them.

He raised his gloved hand to their face, stroking their cheek lovingly as they leaned in with tears in their eyes, nuzzling his covered wrist.

Lucifer watched this for a moment, lips pursed, before sighing once more.

"We don't know what my blood will do to you." He insisted. "So just a bit to push back your thirst."

And with that, he took back his hand, removed his glove and pushed up sleeve before offering his wrists to them

Despite their previous begging, MC hesitated and looked back up at Luce's onyx eyes.

"It's alright." He spoke softly. "Drink. Take some of the pain away."

And so they did. MC gently took hold of his hand and lower arm before bringing his wrist closer to their face.

That's when the Avatar of Pride saw it; his love's eyes glazed over and they licked their lips before biting into the sensitive skin.

Luce didn't make a sound, but did squeeze his eyes shut at the sharp intrusion.

MC took big gulps, ready to rid themself of this special dehydration.

Once he felt his partner's body relax and desperation dissipate, he took his other hand and squished their cheeks be his thumb and forefinger, guiding them off his wrist and forward to look at him.

With messy lips and a little trail of blood runny down their lips, MC stared up at him with this loving, drunk expression.

They giggled, causing their boyfriend to raise an eyebrow.

"What's so funny, love?"

"Luuuuci looooooves me."

Okay so apparently vampires, whether all, human based, or human-turned, get drunk off of demon blood.

This...an interesting development, to say the least.

MC leaned in and kissed him, causing the man to taste his own blood.

Well, at least MC was no longer in any pain.

Mammon:

Devil, it was driving this man insane.

Yeah, he knows Lucifer told him and the others to leave MC be till the cure is ready, but it just wasn't that simple.

That was his human sick. That was Mammon's partner in there crying and begging to be let out.

And he was just so supposed to stay away from her room still Lord Diavolo got that cure all sorted out?

Hell no.

Late at night, when Lucifer was neck deep in his work, you bet your ass Mammon snuck into his human's room, finding MC curled up on the bed crying.

"Heyy--"

Before he came say anything more, his poor human scrambling off the bed and rushing to his side, practically falling into him as they embrace their boyfriend.

"Maaaammmmooon." They cry out his named, stretching out the sound of it as they hug him tightly.

"Eyy, none of that." He hugged them back. "I made it to you, didn't I?"

"It huuuuurrrts."

The greed demon froze.

Shit. It's getting that bad already?

MC squirmed against him staring up at his neck with tears in their eyes.

Not gonna lie, getting bit in the neck sounds scary as hell to this dude...but how can he let his human stay like this?

He slid a hand in their hair.

"It's alright, I gotcha." He told them softly. "It's my job to take care of ya, ain't it?"

And with that, he pushed their head to his neck, their breath causing the hair on his neck to stand to up and his beat race.

Their cries quieted swallowed in anticipation as they leaned in closer and slowly licked up their boyfriend's neck, an apparently sensitive spot for the demon by the way he let out a small moan--right before they dug in with their fangs.

Mammon cursed, tightening his fist in their hair as his other arm wrapped around their waist.

MC's breathing became heavier during the moments they'd stopped drinking to breath and her drinks became deeper.

It didn't take long for Mammon to start feeling light headed.

Shit. How does he get them to stop?

"Ey, babe?"

No response. His body was getting more tired.

"Treasure, listenin'--"

MC pulled away, giggling, before suddenly both toppled onto the ground.

The human was too drunk to get up and the demon was too light headed, but at least MC was more than content to cuddle with him on her rug 🥰🤭

Leviathan:

Okay, the otaku knew he was not supposed to be in here

But this was his Henry we're talking about.

How could Lucifer expect him to abandon the person he loves? The only one who truly understands him?

Levi simply wasn't strong enough to do it.

He snuck into MC's room in the middle of the night and found them laying on the floor, softly crying.

At first, the envy demon stood awkwardly in the doorway.

Should he...?

No. This is literally his partner. MC needs him now more than ever.

And so he closed the door behind him and joined his Henry on the floor, laying down next to them.

He shouldn't be so weird about it; after all, this wasn't the first time they've both laid on the floor and felt like garbage together.

"Henry..."

MC reached out and grabbed his hand.

"Levi...I can't take it anymore." They whispered.

He squeezed their hand. The demon doesn't know a lot about vampires and the disease, but thirst is known for being torturous and is used as an emotional element in many supernatural anime.

Throat ash dry, body weak, desperate for even a single drop; that's how newly turned vampires usually feel in shows; is this how MC feels now?

Tears started to fill his eyes.

"J-Just drink from me." Their boyfriend told them. "Please...it's okay."

Slowly, the human brought their linked hands down at an angle that brought his wrist to their mouth.

At first, MC simply pressed their lips over the big blue vein seen through his skin, as if kissing him in apology before parting their lips and sliding their fangs into his tender skin.

Levi cried out, but didn't pull away; he let his poor Henry weakly drink from his wrist.

The cure was truly taking a while, wasn't it? The others swore food would be enough subtain them till it was ready, but MC looked as if they have been hanging on by a thread this entire time.

His Henry needed this; they needed this and Levi felt proud of himself for breaking the rules in order to help his partner.

The more the human drank though, the more tired he felt.

Should...should he tell them to stop? What if they need more?

Luckily, MC had enough restraint to break away and smiled at their boyfriend with half-lidded eyes.

The human rolled on top of him, causing their boyfriend to blush.

MC leaned down and kissed his cheek before laying their head on his chest.

"Thank you..."

And like that, the tired and blood drunk human fell asleep.

Satan:

Anyone who thought he was going to listen to his father was freaking stupid.

That was his Kitten in there, sick and alone.

The wrath demon destroyed half the living room when Lucifer made the announcement about what MC's illness ended up being and how no one was allowed to be in their room or anywhere around them till Diavolo had his people make a cure.

But it was ridiculous. The vampiric virus was just the human strain and therefore Satan couldn't catch it.

The blonde knew the pride demon was more concerned about MC's bites, but it's not like he's ever been afraid of his Kitten's bites before; now they simply have a purpose.

Satan was determined not to let his partner suffer alone, no matter what.

The man approached the door and undid the lock charm before stepping inside.

The room was dark, but the hall light was enough to show the man that the human was sitting on floor with their back to their bed, knees to their chest, and face hidden in their arms.

Satan's heart ached at the sight. This infliction was bad enough, but the blonde knew what was truly getting to his poor Kitten: being left alone.

The demon turned on the light and stepped inside before closing the door; MC still hasn't moved an inch.

He sat on the bed and stroke his partner's head for moment.

"Come here, Kitten."

"But...but I'll hurt you..." They sniffled.

"I promise I can take it."

The human poked an eye out hesitantly before reaching a hand out for help up.

Satan took it and guided them up to his lap.

It was nighttime so Satan had on his sleepwear, including a tank top that revealed his shoulders.

MC laid their head on his right shoulder and Satan rubbed their back.

"You can do it."

And with that encouragement, the human sank their fangs into the space between his neck and shoulder.

Satan winced, but still held his Kitten close and rocked them as they drank from his body.

His Kitten will be okay soon. He knew the affect demon blood will have on them in this state and truthfully, it was better than what they must have been feeling this entire time.

The man listened to them sip deeply from him, but also noticed that they seemed strangely more controlled than he thought they would be; they even pulled back before he asked, face messy with their 'drink'.

"Thank you." They smiled, buzzed but not truly drunk.

"You can more, Kitten." He told them, but his partner only shook their head.

"I just want you to hold me right now." MC admited. "Is that okay?"

Satan smiled and kissed them, unbothered by the blood.

"Of course."

Even with how bad the thirst is, it was the loneliness that hurt his Kitten the most.

Once they have been held and kissed to a sufficient degree then they will drink more; for now, they just need comfort.

Asmodeus:

Asmo told the others he was go head to bed early, that his beauty sleep was calling and so he had to say adieu.

Instead, he snuck over to his Dolly's room and slid inside.

There was no way he was going to let them suffer through this on their own; not if he could help it.

The room was dark, but he found the sweet human curled up in bed, under the blanket.

The lust demon slipped in bed next their partner and wrapped his arm around them.

"Doll...I'm here." He spoke softly, caressing their arm.

"Azzy...you can't be here."

"Of course I can. You need me after all." Their boyfriend pressed some sweet kisses to their neck.

The demon sucked on a sensitive spot of the human's neck, a spot he knew was their favor, causing them to release a little gasp.

Azzy broke away.

"See? Let me take care of you~"

In truth, the man didn't particularly want his beautiful skin to be punctured, but for MC, it simply wasn't something he had to think about.

The human rolled over and stared at him anxiously.

Asmo smiled sweetly at them before sliding a hand into their smooth hair and gently leading them to his neck.

The human was nervous, but first decided to return the favor, playfully sucking on a sensitive area their boyfriend loved, causing him to moan before sinking their teeth in him as gently as they could.

Asmo played with his Dolly's hair as they drank. His poor Doll. Being sick is never fun, but being sick with a nasty vamp virus and having to hide away, all alone in their room with a burning thirst?

Take your time, sweetie; Azzy gots you.

MC drank for a while from the lust demon, but also drank small sips, savoring each drop that slid down their throat.

Their boyfriend didn't mind this; they were being quite gentle with him and he loved getting the chance to cuddle with them after so long of Lucifer keeping them apart.

Eventually, MC pulled back and looked at their boyfriend sweetly before leaning in for a sweet kiss.

The two had another activity to catch up on, something the human was only all the more interested in from drinking from a lust demon.

Beelzebub:

Beel was in the the kitchen making his usual midnight snack raid.

In truth...his heart really wasn't in it.

MC's room was right next door and, unlike the other men on this list, he was trying to follow Lucifer's orders.

His Muffin was sick so surely it was better for them to get rest till their medicine is ready...right?

The more time that passed, the less this man was sure.

Beely missed them. He wanted to hold them close and spend their days together like they always did 🥺😔

That's when he spotted them: iced tweety birds. MC likes munching on those bird shaped cookies as they study.

...Maybe his Muffin would like a snack? Granted, he understood food wasn't necessarily what their body was looking for, but still.

The big guy quietly left the kitchen with the little carton of cookies and opened the door next door to MC's room.

"Muffin?"

MC was sitting on the bed, hugging the big orange teddy bear he won for them at the Devildom's carnival and when I say big, I mean the demon sees the fluffy bear and no human.

The human responded by hugging the bear tighter.

Beel stepped in and closed the door.

"I brought cookies."

He shook the cartoon for emphasis and to let them know which type.

"Beely...I...I...I can't eat anymore."

The gluttony demon heart was shot. Their illness must be really bad if they can no longer eat food.

The man sat the carton on the desk before joining his partner on the bed.

He pulled them and the teddy into his arms and held them tightly (but not too tight, he was very conscious not to squeeze them too hard since they're sick).

Suddenly, the human dropped the bear and climbed onto their boyfriend's lap, kneeling on his legs to raise them to eye level with him.

"Beel..." Their voice was a plead that almost crossed into a whine. "I'm so thirsty..."

"Want me to get you a pop from the kitchen or something?"

MC laid their head on his chest and whimpered.

"Muffin??"

"Beel...I need blood. Please. Please."

Oh. Oh.

Right. Poor MC has apparently advanced this far.

"I got blood." He said simply. "You can bite me."

"B...b-but..."

Their boyfriend pressed a kiss to their forehead.

"It's okay." He spoke softly.

MC stared into his purple orbs for a minute more and watched him give them a small nodded.

The human leaned to their left and demon bent their neck out a bit, giving their partner more room.

MC made a small test nibble in the crook of his neck before looking back to Beel.

Their boyfriend was still smiling encouragingly to them so they turned back and bit in for real.

Beel has a high pain tolerance so the man didn't even wince at the bite.

He kept his arms wrapped around his partner and gently rocked them and rubbed their back as they drank.

The gluttony demon was such a big guy that the human didn't drink nearly enough to make him feel weak by the time they pulled away.

MC looked back up at him shyly, their face messy with his blood.

He chuckled and wiped their face with his hand before kissing their cheek.

"Good Muffin."

Belphegor:

Yeah, Lucifer really didn't think his little rule through.

Not only was it stupid in Belphie's eyes, his older brother should have known he wasn't going to follow it.

Still, the youngest pretended like it was any other day and slept through most of it, as per usually.

When night came and most brothers where asleep or at least off in their usual nightly rooms, Belphie left the planetarium and headed downstairs to MC's room.

The human was laying on their rug, staring up at the ceiling with dried tears on their cheeks and red eyes.

Their boyfriend's eyes went wide as they hurried to join their partner on the rug and pulled them to his chest.

He pulled his cardigan back to give MC more neck room.

"Drink. Come, just do it."

"B-But--"

"You've suffered enough, Butthead." He pushed their face closer to his exposed neck. "Now do it."

MC left out a small whimper before bringing their lips to his neck and biting down.

Belphie squeezed his eyes shut at the bite, but otherwise made no reaction.

His former scowl softened as he listened to his partner gently drink from him, slow tears sliding down their cheeks as they did so.

The more the human drank, the less they cried.

Soon, the burning in their throat ceased and so did their tears.

MC broke away, finding their boyfriend barely conscious.

"Belphie? Belphie?!"

"I...fi..ne..."

And with that, the sloth demon passed out it and in truth, it made sense.

'Donating' a lot of blood can make any one tired; it made some of the other brothers so as well

But when it's the Avatar of Sloth whose done so?

Yeah, you have nothing to worry about, MC; it's not your fault.

Just let your boyfriend sleep it off.

#obey me #obey me otome #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me leviathan #obey me satan #obey me asmodeus #obey me beelzebub #obey me belphegor #obey me vampire event #obey me mc #t: brielle043

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writing-whump · 1 month

Note

👀 Do I feel that *a little confrontation* between Matt and Hector is coming? Probably with Seline arriving earlier from her trip, just in the middle of.... well.

Isaiah, hang in there, you self-destructive boy, you have a whole team to take care of you, when they finally stop trying to kill each other... 🔥🔥🔥

(with their glances, of course)

Let's see nonny, what I can deliver ;) super inspiring ask btw, I was going in circles with another version, but this got me into a new direction I like much more :D Have some angstying, pained Isaiah with Hector and Matthew as caretakers.

At your mercy

Isaiah was helpless.

Since he was a pup, he understood that the world was all about power. The world of humans, too, but especially the world of wolves. Strenght of the body, of the shadow, resilience, capability, what you were able to give and what you were able to take. All of this decided your position, your respect, your comfort, how others treated you and cared for you.

Being useful, being influential, all of that was power.

And Isaiah knew this and he knew he could achieve it. From his name to his shadow to his natural talent, if he worked his ass off, he was going to get it. He could use it in the right way now, to protect the people he cared about and help those with less of it.

It was a better way to use it than what Father taught him, but it was still all about power.

But right now, he had none.

Isaiah sat in the passenger's seat of his younger, volatile brother's car. The tightness in his chest was constant, like a weight crushing him, but it had been like that for a few days. Gradually worsening. He could handle it. The burning hot knife, however, that was stabbing him right into the heart in irregular intervals, was a different matter.

When the stab came, he gasped for breath and shut his eyes. When the knife twisted, the world disappeared and for that eternal crazy moment, he was aware of nothing but the white-hot pain that took all over his senses.

Slowly, he came back to himself, to Hector's voice calling his name, to his vision hazily coming back together.

The twisting slowed. His heart drummed against his ribcage painfully, but only aftershocks of the attack, wave, stab, whatever appropriate term he was supposed to call it.

Then the nausea came, like filling a water with glass. It started in his stomach, which always stopped whatever digestive process was going on whenever his chest got too heavy. Like the heart episode prevented it from working. He was bloated up like he ate a ton instead of a glass of champagne and a small piece of bread and churning like it was filled with water.

And the water level rose after the knife got itself out, rising and flooding his lungs and ribcage and shooting up his throat.

Isaiah clenched his jaw tightly together, gulping against the water shooting up. He was not going to throw up all over Hector's car. That was simply unacceptable.

Isaiah pressed his forehead against the coolness of the window, panting for breath as he fought down the water level. It went down, slow milliliter after another. The urge tempered off, but the nausea didn't. He still felt sick and the car's movement wasn't helping.

"Isaiah? Hey, talk to me. Your breathing is-"

Isaiah glanced Hector's way, feeling a mix of humiliation and confirmation of absolute failure. He had let him see him like this.

Hector knows, Hector knows, Hector knows.

The chanting was scary in its insistence, especially since there was no logical reason why Hector should know. The pain didn't exactly write a glowing heading 'this is what Father did to me during training' on the top of his head.

It also didn't make sense why Isaiah was so terrified of him knowing, but here they were.

"Can I do something?" Hector asked, voice wavering.

Isaiah sighed, scrunching his forehead, watching Hector. He expected to be thrown off the car any moment, with Hector seeing this...this weakness in him.

Wolves didn't get sick and pained like this. And if they did, they had their shadows. And if they didn't have their shadows, they didn't let it show on them and they didn't become helpesss.

Isaiah was the eldest, the heir, the executioner. Even when all else failed, he had taken the power, the teachings and the techniques and made himself useful. Became powerful and influential in his own right, helping others, using that authority, that control...

Without it, everything was falling apart. He was a worthless piece of space. There was a scale in his head, between powerful to useful, with neutral good for nothings somewhere in the middle.

At the other side of the spectrum? Burden.

That's what he was becoming, the longer he was sitting here, biting back groans of pain and waves of nausea, while waiting for another stab of the knife to twist his insides and let it all disappear in a blur of electric pain.

"Almost there. Hang on just a bit longer."

Isaiah let his head lol towards Hector, watching him. His eyesbrows furrowed in a line, met in the center of his forehead. Like a bird flying in the distance, the two meeting lines like wings. Fascinating.

Maybe he was a bit more off than he realized.

Hector made another turn and Isaiah recognized the street. They almost reached the parking lot by his apartment.

Ah. Matthew was going to be there, with a 'told you so'. Or maybe he wouldn't be there at all.

Since Matt found out, Isaiah expected him to leave any day. He caught himself checking every morning, if his things were still in the cupboard. Who would want a pack member with debilitating pain like Isaiah's? Not to mention a leader.

The knife hit at that thought, successfully distracting him with agony shooting from his struggling heart into his chest. That was the explosion of pain there, but it kept running up his tissue, veins and muscles up until his fingertips. Small electrical jolts of pain.

The car stopped. Isaiah's vision came back before his hearing that was filled with thudding of his bloodstream. Hector said something, the furrowed little bird on his forehead even clearer. Then he left his vision, the car shaking as he left it.

That's when the water rose, as Isaiah should have known, should have expected it by now. But the shock of Hector leaving and closing the car made him hesitate just long enough for the water to overflood him.

Isaiah managed only to jerk forward as the flood of vomiting rocked it out of his throat all over the floor and carpet. He gagned once more from the sensation, the nausea hitting its peak. Isaiah struggled against the seatbelt digging into him as he strained, more watery vomiting going thicker and slimier at the end.

The car door on his side opened. The whole thing couldn't have taken longer than the time Hector needed to circle the car from the outside. So close. And Isaiah still couldn't make it.

The failure had him gagging and choking on air over himself as Hector crouched down next to him, hurriedly opening the seatbelt to help Isaiah turn outside.

The cold night air hit his lungs, the shock making him gasp, but he could finally breathe.

He coughed and heaved emptily as Hector took him by both shoulders, letting Isaiah grab onto his in turn. "Okay. Shit. You are alright. Breathe."

Isaiah spat on the ground between them, sagging in Hector's hold, his hands letting go of Hector's shoulders. But Hector still held his, guiding Isaiah to lean his forehead against his chest.

"Sorry-" Isaiah choked out, "sorry, I'm so sorry-"

"That's what got you so freaked out? Jesus, man. I don't care about the damn car."

Isaiah let his hands hang limply by his sides, dead weight against Hector, halfway out of the passenger seat. But Hector was steady. Strong and way more muscular than the suit showed, hard-coiled muscles under the clothes.

"Seriously. I have had so many worse things happen in there. Blood and bloody vomit and weirdly looking weeping injuries...heck, maybe I shouldn't have a fancy car, when I wanna be driving wolves around. Get injured way too easy."

Isaiah didn't know if Hector was saying that just for his benefit, but he didn't have the energy to care, letting his eyes close shut to prepare himself for the next part. Just letting himself breathe was nice.

"Thanks. I can make it on my own from here," he tried.

Hector scoffed. "Right. I don't see any wings sprouting from your back though, so that would be a no. I'm coming with you."

Isaiah squeezed his eyes shut in discomfort. He didn't want Hector seeing him like this, but that didn't mean Matthew was any better. If he was still there. He was scared to find out.

"...Or we can just go home to my place. You don't have to stay here, when you clearly don't want to," Hector offered. "Arnie will be glad."

If Isaiah was torn before, the mention of Arnie settled things. He already let two out of his four most important people in the world find out. No way he was letting a third one in on it. "Staying..."

Hector huffed a frustrated breath. "Alright. Come here." He looped his arm around Isaiah, easily lifting him to his feet and closing the car.

Isaiah lost himself somewhere on the ride in another stab of the knife. They just entered the elevator and he stiffened in Hector's arms as it hit, hands curling up in weird directions. Hector held him tighter but the movement of the elevator going up had Isaiah's head spinning and floating away in sparkles of pain.

...

"-knew this, and you still let him go there? To a wolf meet in his condition? They would have torn him to little scraps! What kind of pathetic second lets something like that happen?"

"Excuse me?! You didn't even know. Some brother you are..."

Isaiah frowned. He was lying on something soft and familiar. The fluffy white pillows from the living room, piled up underneath him.

There was a growl sounding a lot like Hector before a fight. "How dare you-"

"What the fuck was I supposed to do? Glue him to the freaking chair? He is an adult and an experienced wolf, he knows what he is doing-"

"Knows what he is doing! That was the act of someone with a death wish-..."

There was a sudden silence, striking after the yelling.

"I-I don't think," Matthew stumbled over his words. "He doesn't want to...like...he just doesn't really care, you know? About...yeah."

Another growl from Hector, more pained than frustrated. Then angry stamping of feet. "I don't understand. What is this? What's happening?" His voice sounded more distant, muffled, like he covered his face with his hands. "It doesn't make any sense. This isn't him. He is the executioner, the best wolf, the most fearsome fighter...he doesn't...he didn't make friends and have students and meddle with packs and leave his family behind to do solo crap in the city with lost causes like you..."

"I don't think that's the point."

Hector snarled. "What? You meant to tell him you know- that he told you?!"

"No. I don't know what happened. But he is a martyr and he suffers for everyone. If you and Arnie struggled with something, like with his absence, then he took on way way worse."

"Are you telling me it doesn't matter why he lef-"

"I'm telling you it shouldn't. I don't know what happened and I don't fucking care. I believe in him. In the Isaiah he is now. And that Isaiah would never hurt anybody, never do something without a reason, never let anyone get hurt if he could help it..."

"This is a farce. A mask. This can't be the real one."

"What if that before was the mask? What if he wasn't that different than he is now? There must have been one hell of a reason. I can tell something was super fucked up about your family and I wasn't even there."

Isaiah decided he had allowed this long enough.

He wanted to protest, but instead of a coherent sound, all he managed was a groan.

Another death silence followed.

"Isaiah?" Matthew's voice sounded closer.

Isaiah opened his eyes into slits. His chest was still hurting, the room was spinning. It was hard to focus on one single point.

"Hey, man." Matthew came up by Isaiah's ear, sounding relieved and happy, like Isaiah managed a great feat by keeping his eyes open. "You blacked out for a second. How are you feeling?"

Isaiah's mouth twitched. "You guys are...yelling too much. Can't sleep."

Matthew cracked a smile at that. "Yeah, sorry about that. But your brother is an idiot."

"Hey! I'm right here!" Hector protested. Isaiah relaxed at hearing the feistiness return into Hector's voice. He didn't like the broken edge from before one bit.

Isaiah watched Matthew with wide eyes, studying him as much as the blurry sight would allow. It was making him nauseous to try, but Matthew didn't look angry. Was he seeing wrong?

"What is it?" Matthew leaned closer, noticing his intent gaze.

"Help me up?" Isaiah said feebly, cursing the weakness of his own voice.

"Sure thing." Matthew shuffled around to get on the sofa next to Isaiah before hoisting him up. The rapid change of elevation had Isaiah groaning and squeezing his eyes shut, before he settled against Matthew's side. His breathing was still fast but came easier again.

Isaiah sighed, comforted by Matthew's warmth and strength, the other worries quieting for a second.

"Let's get him out of those clothes." Hector suddenly sounded much closer too. "I'll find him something in the room, you help him with the shirt," Hector bossed, although he had never been to Isaiah's room before.

Matthew huffed, but bowed his head to work on Isaiah's button-up with quick fingers. Isaiah's eyes widened at the plan and its resolute realization.

Hector brought new clothes and then to Isaiah's horror, knelt down to work on unzipping Isaiah's shoes, partly covered in vomit.

Both of them worked silently, getting him into a loose jersey and sweatpants. It was much easier to breathe in those, even if the weight didn't go away.

Hector obviously decided that if no one told him what to do, he could make stuff up. The next time Isaiah blinked, he was shoving a glass of water uncomfortably close to his face. "Drink this."

"I don't know if-"

"Just drink it," Hector said in frustration. Isaiah was so surprised at being bossed around he let Hector hold the rim to his lips and took a couple of careful sips. The nausea wasn't as strong as before, but he was worried it would upset the fragile balance again.

"Any painkillers?" Hector looked at Matthew as if Isaiah wasn't in his right mind to tell him.

Matthew shook his head. "Nothing that works against it very well. Would have to be specific, but there was no diagnosis..."

Hector grunted something in acknowledgment.

"Anything else we can do?" Matthew said when Isaiah's face slid down from his shoulder to his chest.

"Not really," Isaiah mumbled. "Stay?"

Matthew leaned back against the sofa, arm loosely wrapped around Isaiah's back to hold him in place. "Where would I go?"

Isaiah nuzzled against him. "Hmmmm. Thought...you would be angry." He spasmed as a surprising stab came down on him. It was a smaller one this time though. They were dying down.

Matthew tensed up under him the same, grip tightening. "I'm too busy being worried right now."

Isaiah went limp as the spasm passed, fingers tingling with the aftershocks. He was too tired to even react with a decent wave of nausea. It flared up and settled down again.

Isaiah forced his eyes open one more time, looking for Hector.

His brother was cross-sitting on the floor, his back to them. He didn't glance up or look their way, but he leaned his temple lightly against Isaiah's leg, which was hanging all the way to the floor.

Isaiah's eyes weighed a ton. He actually felt sleepy, which never happened during the episodes. This was somehow relaxing.

He was totally helpless.

Somehow that didn't feel so scary today.

@bellysoupset

#sickfic #emeto #hurt/comfort #whump #whump writing #bromance #werewolf wip #my writing #Isaiah

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robsterskellington · 1 month

Text

Well, if you all insist. Here's a cute section for those skk shippers.

Necessary context: this is about a year or so after Vanitas came to Yokohama, so his memories have since returned. Certain other characters from VNC have since made an appearance and some caused issues that won't be spoiled here, but just for the context Naenia *has* hurt Chuuya and made a small impact on his appearance, while also harming him mentally and physically. So this is Dazai trying to comfort Chuuya:

"A puppy?" Vanitas tilted his head, surprised at those words coming from Dazai's mouth- it had been a quiet day at the Agency, so Dazai had asked to borrow Vanitas for what he'd called *personal reasons*. It turned out that Dazai wanted to show his love to Chuuya in a new way, and wanted him to feel better after the last incident they had.

"I'm terrified of dogs, but Chuuya loves them. I want him to be happy, and he put up with so much of my crap." Dazai chuckled, though he was visibly shaking and had grown deathly pale, "I thought maybe I wouldn't be as scared if we got a puppy and raised it so it wouldn't be a vicious monster like the dogs I know."

Vanitas understood that, being afraid of something and worried that it would affect his life if he didn’t get over it. Also he was more of a cat person, so were most of the Agency, as proven by how everyone liked Atsushi. Obviously it wasn't the only reason, but it was a big factor. Humming to himself, Vanitas asked, "Are you wanting to go to the pet store, or..?"

That had been something else Dazai had to think about. He slowly shook his head, "I want to adopt from a shelter. Chuuya would love that, plus even I think it's a good idea, rescuing rather than relying on a possibly sketchy breeder."

Now, Vanitas had come to respect Dazai: he was capable of being cruel and calculating, but he had a heart filled with warmth and kindness, and that wasn't something that anyone could or would ignore. Even when it came to something he hated, Dazai chose the option that was best morally and logically. Yokohama had a lot of strays, so rescue centres were an essential, thus it wasn't difficult to find one. Dazai was terrified, both of the dogs and the thought of this new commitment, but...

Naenia had nearly taken Chuuya from him. He couldn't lose him, not Chuuya. So now, he needed to make sure that he never lost him again, without being manipulative or controlling. Not that anything could truly control Chuuya, he was far too *Human*. Dazai had already fucked up so many times, and it was too much- Chuuya had been the one affected, it was time to fix what he could and ease any pain.

Time froze when a giant grey dog started snarling and barking when Dazai got a little too close to its cage, and he immediately fell on his ass, trying to scoot away while hyperventilating; this was far more than just a fear, this was straight up trauma.

*****

"Stand up and fight, Shūji!!"

Shūji Tsushima was about five years old at this point, standing in a makeshift boxing ring with a metal chain fence circling the entire thing. He and his father were the only people there, but in the cage with him were three dogs at least double Shūji's size. His father was training him to become stronger, he'd said. Shūji wasn't unarmed, he'd been provided a knife, and a gun.

But those snarling fangs had absolutely terrified him, he couldn't even attempt to turn his back and grab the weapons he'd dropped the moment the mutts came out. One had jumped towards him and bit his arm, causing the poor boy to scream and cry, "Father, please help me!!" This wasn't how he wanted to die.

"Pathetic excuse for a son." His father's words was the last voice he heard before he passed out, but the last sounds he heard? Three gunshots.

*****

"Dazai! You're okay, just hold onto me."

That was Vanitas' voice... but wasn't he..?

No. That's right. Shūji Tsushima wasn't here anymore, Osamu Dazai stood in his place, but still had all those same fears, memories and visions. Vanitas was rubbing Dazai's back, slowly guiding him from his panic attack. He did hear the sound of a dog, but no vicious barking, just a whine. Dazai steeled his nerves and looked over at the dog who'd barked, and... it was the one whining. Actually, it looked really sad, like it knew it did something bad.

After taking some calming breaths, Dazai sat up properly and Vanitas reached into his pocket, "I've got chocolate on me, that should help you." The Agency Members always carried some form of snack on them in case Ranpo asked them to tag along, and Vanitas usually carried chocolate, claiming that it was medically beneficial, whatever that meant. However, since Dazai felt better after having a piece, he wasn't inclined to call bullshit.

"...that dog looks sad." It was weak and childish sounding, but Dazai wanted to make sure he was still sort of functioning. Plus, he found himself a little curious.

Vanitas gave him that explanation: that dog was female and had been used for breeding most of her life. She was seven years old, and had only just been rescued, though not before her abusers got one last use out of her. Apparently the name she was given was Viola, and she was expecting another litter of puppies within the next few weeks. It sounded like the sort of sob story that would pull at Sigma's heartstrings.

Once he'd calmed down properly, Dazai decided that after coming this far, he wasn't about to give up now. Vanitas stayed close to him, as they looked around. Animals are more intelligent than some people would make them out to be, and not a single dog barked after Dazai's panic attack. It helped him feel a lot more at ease, and he was able to look at the dogs without breaking out in goosebumps.

Eventually, one large cage caught his attention: the inside was full of puppies that had a mix of tan, white and blueish coloured fur. The mother wasn't with them, and the puppies were clearly a few months old, so they weren't dependent on milk but still very small. Most of them were playing with toys or playfully fighting each other, but there was one who was just... in the corner on its own. It must have been the runt.

Dazai didn't know why, but he found himself kneeling down and while he flinched when he got that runt's attention, he also felt warm inside. Its eyes, one was blue and one was brown, just like Chuuya's! Even in the same positions. The white colour that separated the blue from the tan looked peculiar, it was almost like the shape of lightning bolts, all across its fur. The puppy's ears were tall, far too big for its body, and when it tilted its head at Dazai, its entire body tilted with it, until it fell on its side with a squeak.

"Easy there," Dazai chuckled, carefully reaching out to the cage, letting the puppy catch his scent. The puppy nuzzled his fingers and gave a small lick. Dazai's eyes widened and his thoughts stuttered, *Wait, is this how most people react with dogs? That was so adorable, and I don't think I can leave here without this one.*

"Oh, he never usually goes to people!" The woman who ran the shelter had walked up, having heard about the man fainting in her workplace, "He usually hides in the back away from people. Would you like me to get him out for you?"

Of course Dazai said yes. He was still afraid of dogs, and it would take him forever to recover, but this puppy brought out a reaction that wasn't true terror. She scooped up the puppy and put him on the floor- he scampered up to Dazai, sniffing around him and flopping onto the floor when his ears turned against him again. Dazai smirked again, before stroking his fur, absolutely amazed by how soft it was, he imagined that this was what a cloud would feel like if he could touch them. The puppy yawned and curled up close to him, which sold Dazai completely. After all, if this dog liked Dazai, he would love Chuuya.

However, he looked over at Viola's cage and frowned- all alone in the world and pregnant. Didn't seem fair. Fyodor, Nikolai and Sigma had apparently been talking about getting pets, and while they weren't all on speaking terms, Dazai did keep in touch with Sigma and dialled his number.

*Ring... Ring... click.*

"Dazai? Is everything okay?" Of course Sigma would immediately worry. After giving a brief synopsis of the situation, and the detailed version of Viola's story, Dazai grinned when he heard Sigma's voice become laced with emotion and tears, "Luckily I'm in town. And we did think about getting dogs, so one and some puppies on the way? I think that's that. I'll be right there!"

Dazai laughed when Sigma hung up, likely sprinting here. He told Vanitas, who laughed as well and gave the puppy who claimed Dazai a little stroke, "He's adorable. This one is yours and Chuuya's dog?"

After looking down, and seeing the puppy give him a tail wag, Dazai nodded. This was their dog.

***

"I cannot believe you actually did that." Sigma was walking a cheerful Viola down the street with Dazai, who held a box containing the new pup. He also bought another surprise, but he kept that in his coat pocket.

"Which part? Getting that slug and I a pet, or calling you about someone who clearly needs you?" He teased, but when Sigma had arrived and saw Viola, it was love at first sight. Naturally, Sigma had sent photos to his boyfriends, who practically begged/demanded that he come home with the pregnant dog.

"That you faced your fear so well. And that little one is going to be much happier with you." That made Dazai smile, and he appreciated that thought. "...you are prepared, right? For a dog?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I always plan ahead, I actually bought a bunch of dog stuff and hid them on the top of the shelves and my closet so that the shortie couldn't see them." Ah, how long had it been since he'd had a dig at Chuuya's height? It wasn't a lie, though. Dazai had gotten everything necessary and hid it all from Chuuya so that he wouldn't suspect a thing.

After thanking Vanitas and congratulating Sigma on the new family member, and future family members, he headed back to the apartment. Chuuya should be home by now, so he was thankful that the dog had fallen asleep. It wouldn't be much of a surprise if the gift started barking, would it?

Once he opened the door, he heard Chuuya's voice- he was obviously on the phone, and he sounded anxious, maybe a little annoyed? "...so there's no mistakes? Fuck. No- yes, I'm fine. Just... you're definitely sure? This isn't something that you can-... okay, fine." Chuuya took a breath then cleared his throat, "...thanks, *Doc Glasses*. Bye- *yes* I said thanks, fuck off." He hung up the phone, then saw Dazai and lit up with a smile.

Dazai seemed surprised. Ango and Chuuya definitely didn't like each other to say the least, so for them to have an actual discussion with minimal cursing seemed off. But that didn't matter at that moment in time, as Dazai put the box down and went to hug his partner.

Chuuya was still drained and exhausted after Naenia attacked him, the new white streak in his hair showing and nothing could hide it. Dazai just thought it made him look even more beautiful, which he didn't even realise was possible. After a kiss, they sat on the couch, and Dazai made it clear that Chuuya's business was his own, but Chuuya just scoffed a little, "It's... to do with Verlaine."

Oh. No wonder Chuuya had been pacing. They weren't stupid, they knew Verlaine had been alive all these years, and was their superior at one point. Dazai held his hand and squeezed gently, "Wanna talk about it?"

"Not yet, but I will, I promise." Most members of the Port Mafia kept their promises, but the only two who truly kept them were Chuuya and Akutagawa. Sort of.

"Well, no rush. Anyway, I wanted to make you feel better, so I got you something." Dazai pulled out the small box from his coat and handed it over, an idiotic smile on his face.

"What have you done this time?" Chuuya would always be suspicious of any gift that Dazai brought him, since his presents used to be ridiculous in the past: toy slugs, a book about how to train dogs to be obedient, even a rubber knife to replace a real one he once stole then lost on a mission.

Dazai smirked, "Nothing~! It's just a gift to show my appreciation!" When Chuuya went to open it, Dazai quickly cleared his throat, "Ah, but you can't be mad at me."

Chuuya looked at Dazai with furrowed eyebrows, then at the seemingly inconspicuous box tied with a crimson ribbon, "There's not a bomb in here, is there? ...or a stink bug?"

Dazai shook his head, "No, just open it!" When Chuuya finally did, he tried to hide a smirk behind a glare, "What? It's perfect for my loyal dog!"

Inside was a pure black collar, with a tag in the shape of a bone. It didn't have anything engraved on it yet, but that wasn't really what Chuuya focused on, as he half-jokingly called Dazai every name under the sun. "Seriously, Osamu?! A collar?!"

Once he had his fun, Dazai turned serious. He couldn't hold it off any longer, after all. "Chuuya. I do have another gift for you, but I need you to trust me and close your eyes." He blushed when Chuuya *immediately* closed his eyes.

As if to carry on the joke, Dazai had slipped his finger through Chuuya's choker, tugging it slightly in order to pull Chuuya forward for a kiss. He acted as if he was going to completely remove the choker, only to leave it where it belonged and pulled away.

Taking another breath to steady himself, Dazai went to the box and opened it, seeing that the puppy had just started to wake up. His tail wagged at seeing Dazai, who scooped him up, and carried him over.

Swallowing his nerves, he weakly cleared his throat, "O-okay, you can open your eyes now!" Chuuya did, and he froze. Dazai was holding out the tiniest, most fluffy puppy out to him, "Surprise!"

The puppy let out a tiny yap, his tail wagging uncontrollably, and after seeing Dazai give him a look of *please for the love of God, take this puppy out of my hands*, he did, holding him close and letting him sniff, lick and nuzzle him. Dazai had looked really uncomfortable, though it was because he was scared that one wrong move could lead to him getting bitten or something, and yet Dazai was undeniably happy as well, his smile incredibly bright.

He started to cry, he couldn't help it. This was something he'd dreamed about since he learned about dogs, having a puppy of his own. "Is he ours?" He managed to say through his sobbing, which intensified as Dazai nodded. He nuzzled the puppy, who snuggled into him properly, yawning again. "Oh, 'samu. This is the best."

"I wanted to do better with my fear..." He sat with Chuuya and explained everything: the panic attack caused by a frightened Viola, how he was comforted by Vanitas and this puppy, and how they've both now got their forever homes. Chuuya leaned into him and kissed his cheek, making him smile warmly, "Glad to see Chibi thinks I made the right call."

"You really did." Chuuya stayed on the couch, and Dazai retrieved all of the dog supplies he'd hidden- food, toys, a bed, puppy mats, even some medicine in case he ever got sick. Dazai was prepared, and he wasn't letting his fear blind him to the fact that this was a living creature they were taking care of.

They let him roam and explore the apartment, watching him try to climb and run around like a maniac. Chuuya was silently thankful that the puppy didn't have the zoomies, otherwise Dazai would probably faint again. Now there was one last thing to discuss.

The one thing that the shelter didn't do was name the puppies, which naturally meant that the responsibility fell on Double Black. They both took note of the patterns on the puppies fur. Lightening bolts.

Bolt? Cute, but it didn't suit him. Thor? Too generic. Lightening? A bit too long. Zeus? ...actually.

"Zeus is a good name. He's got the lightening patterns, and he's got personality." Dazai couldn't argue with Chuuya's logic, especially since he looked at the puppy and found himself thinking that he *looked* like a Zeus, if that made any sense.

So that was the name they trained him to respond to. And Zeus was welcomed into their home, as a part of their little family. This was how far Chuuya and Dazai's relationship had come, and they loved it, just as much as they both grew to love their little Zeus.

*****

AN: *Psst.* This is what Chuuya looks like from this point, drawn by my cousin, HisDarkDisgrace on AO3:

#bungou stray dogs #the case study of vanitas #vanitas no carte #bsd #bungo stray dogs #vnc #chuuya nakahara #dazai osamu #vnc vanitas #bsd sigma #a guide to tainted sorrow #soukoku #skk #bsd skk #bungo gay dogs

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bunniekittiee · 7 months

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TCM headcanons pt.2:

TW: mentions of self harm

Johnny grew out his hair at one point as a teen, not as long as Chop Top’s but still long.

He cut it after a victim got the upper hand and practically scalped him.

So now he wears it shorter and slicks it back so it doesn’t get into his face

And also because he is fearful he will be nearly scalped again.

When they were younger, Nubbins somehow got lice and infected the household. So, Drayton shaved all of their heads.

It was horrifying for them.

But since Sissy knows her way of utilizing plants to create medicine, they don’t have to worry about shaving their heads if another lice outbreak were to happen.

Bubba enjoys it when Chop Top lets him comb his hair. It’s like a bonding experience.

When Nubbins feels under the weather, he likes to look at the pictures he took of his family when they are busy, having fun, or killing.

It makes him feel better knowing he has his family.

Johnny is a sick bastard and has taken Nubbins’ camera to take pictures of women he has fucked and killed. He keeps them in his room.

Mf pulls a Bo Sinclair.

Bubba has been the sorry soul that stumbled upon them and he freaked out.

Poor guy got scared and avoided Johnny for weeks.

When Bubba is sad, they do everything they can to cheer him up.

Either Chop Top or Johnny will take him to 7-11 to get him snacks, Nubbins will make him more bone jewelry, or Sissy will play dress up with Bubba.

It all makes him very happy.

He kind of is what brings the family together.

Johnny used to kill small animals when he was younger, but when he moved onto humans, he completely stopped cold turkey.

Never gets any urges to hurt animals, he would rather hurt people.

Wants a dog badly but Nancy insists that it is another mouth to feed and a nuisance.

So he has Daisy instead whose like an overgrown dog but in cow form.

Still really wants a dog though.

Drayton considered killing Daisy until Sissy told him how much Johnny enjoys her company.

So she was spared.

Chop Top jokes and says that they will turn her into ground beef when he’s gone out.

Johnny strangles him once more and Bubba has to separate them.

Sissy loves to put makeup on Johnny’s face when he’s asleep.

Wakes up looking like Tim Curry from The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Tries to fight Sissy but she gets away with it.

She has painted his toes before, pink and white to be exact.

It took a lot of bribing.

Johnny would hate to admit it but he felt like a pretty girl.

He understood why Bubba was adamant about makeup, nail polish, and self care, it makes you feel good!

Johnny does keep a guitar and will play when he has the time.

Will shred to Pantera.

Drayton smacks him with the broom when he’s playing too loud.

Nancy thinks it’s the “devil’s music” but Johnny does not give one shit.

As much as he loves her, he does not care for her opinion when it comes to what he likes.

Chop Top likes to pull pranks on the family.

One time he messed with Bubba’s dye and Bubba ended up dying one of his masks’ hair pink.

Bubba rocked that shit, he did not care.

When the kids were growing up, Bubba and Sissy played with Barbies together.

Johnny liked to make the dolls have sex which caused Sissy to beat his ass.

Nubbins snitched and Johnny was in deep shit.

Nancy was pissed at her boy, but Drayton thought it was kind of funny.

Chop Top wanted a tattoo as a teen but could not get one, so he had Nubbins brand him with the livestock branding iron.

Definitely not a fun experience, he still has a scar.

In order to punish him more so he would not make the same mistake again, Drayton threw salt on his wound.

Chop Top thought he was going to die.

Nubbins has a lot of scars from cutting himself, not out of sadness though, just because he likes the blood and the pain.

He’s a bit sadistic.

Johnny used to carve x’s into his arms with his blade when he was first gifted it, but it was out of boredom.

The scars are light and not noticeable unless you squint.

When Sissy was staying with the Manson Family, she missed the Sawyers to death.

Cried here and there whenever she was alone because she knew she could never find another family like them.

But the experience was freeing. It gave her freedom.

Nancy and Chop Top have gotten into arguments about him giving Johnny records or tapes when he was a teenager.

Nancy argued that he was a bad influence on Johnny but Chop Top argued back that Johnny was going to grow up to be “the epitome of manly men” and was going to have a liking for metal/rock anyways.

Part 3 will be coming out soon! This is what I have so far 😼

#texas chainsaw game #texas chainsaw massacre #bubba sawyer #johnny sawyer #johnny slaughter #sissy sawyer #nubbins sawyer #chop top sawyer #tcm game #tcm johnny #tcm bubba #tcm nubbins #horror #drayton sawyer #slashers #slasher community #slasher fandom

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syringesyrup · 6 months

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it’s shark week for me so i’m thinking about how horrible it is for infamous endometriosis havers cirrus and dew (i’m projecting) and how the pack loves to take care of them throughout the week

their cycles are synced up too so they’re a bit attached at the hip during that week and love getting pampered by the other ghouls.

cumulus is insistent on making them plenty of tea and gathering all the heating pads and softest blankets in the ministry for her ghouls 😿 she often gets squished between the two and becomes their personal pillow as she scratches all the right places behind their ears and horns. the ghouls Looove when lulu goes full mama mode and takes care of them (despite dew acting like he doesn’t need it). sunny is always there with her, doing what she can to help and always trying new ways to make them as comfy as they can be throughout the week. she keeps the room clean, helps them bathe if need be, and takes care of their chores.

mountain is always working with aether and phantom to make some remedies that will ease their cramps and irritability. dew Hates being a test subject for these things but he’d rather die than risk one of these things potentially hurting cirrus, so he lets himself be patient zero for whatever the hell the three of them cook up in mountain’s greenhouse. mountain is happy to roll plenty of little joints that will just take the painful edge off of their sore tummies and cramps (he’s also their favorite scratching / kneading post when they’re cuddled up in bed). aether and phantom do their best to ease the pain with some quintessence and help them get some rest throughout the week.

aurora will of course tell dew to SUCK IT UP LIKE A MAN but falls to her knees the moment cirrus gets a cramp. she has a tendency to make biscuits on cirrus’ tummy because she read somewhere that when cats do that, it heals humans. it doesn’t actually help but cirrus likes to see aurora all cuddled up on her and paw at her tummy. she has her gentle moments with dew when it gets bad, holding his hair back if he needs to vomit or even making sure there’s a warm bath waiting for him when he wakes up.

rain is always there to make sure the both of them are getting enough rest and keep them away from their instruments. he insists on them resting and not pushing themselves, especially when he knows the two of them are perfectionists. he will guard the practice room like a dog to make sure the two of them don’t lay a finger on an instrument until the week is over. he’s caught dew by the scruff many times and dragged him back to bed (he’s “punished” with many rain cuddles and kisses)

oh and swiss is just the absolute fucking Worst. seeing dew and cirrus in any kind of pain has him jumping off the walls. he will blow so much money on chocolates and supplies and just the little things that will make them smile. he’ll drain his quintessence just to help them sleep and is a bit of a mother hen during the whole week. he’ll cook any and every meal they ask of him, no matter how complex or expensive it may be. he’s happy to help, especially when he’s rewarded with getting crushed between the two of them and being their personal heating pad.

copia always makes sure to keep their instruments tuned and clean and taken care of throughout the week, perfect by the time the two of them get back to it. he has a habit of buying them little trinkets like swiss does, just little things that will make them happy. he will push aside all of his work just to make sure his ghouls are comfortable and taken care of. he has a habit of telling them bedtime stories as well, stories of his youth and all the trouble he got into that puts a smile on dew and cirrus’ face as they drag him down into bed and constrict around their papa.

they’re such a loving pack and if one of them is in any kind of pain, all the ghouls have their own way of feeling it. while they might not feel those painful ass cramps and sickness, there’s an energy shift that’s enough to set them all off and rush to cirrus and dew’s aid. the two of them Deserve to get pampered for a week anyways, and the rest of the pack is happy to give them plenty of attention and love :,)

#my art #ghost bc #the band ghost #dewdrop ghoul #sodo ghoul #fire ghoul #cirrus ghoulette #air ghoulette #cirrusdew empire it’s time to wake up #rise rise rise #hate shark week i need to project onto my ghouls

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shallowseeker · 3 months

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Hey shall, what's your favourite/fun headcanons on why cas keeps getting resurrected at first I tought it was cause god/chuck liked him (like remember when ppl in the destiel fandom talked about how chuck ships them... good times) Then yea, that just didn't turn out to be true lol

Ohh, this is fun. I have some nice uplifting ones and one very evil one. I could probably come up with a ton of these, and I'm not feeling super eloquent this week, but have my mental popcorn instead:

CHUCK/NETWORK NEEDED CAS -> Popularity ...and it bit Chuck in the ass because he accidentally allowed Cas to grow more and more powerful, even when he (and the writers) worked so hard to weaken him and kill him off. I don't have the exact quotes, but I know there are numerous instances that imply the writers worked hard to weaken Cas.

When the writers have to work to make Cas weaker, and to make Dean and Sam stronger, it shows that Cas is the bigger threat, in terms of cosmic power.

Emotional consequences: Because Cas is important to Dean, Cas is often resurrected specifically because Dean loses hope without him. After his first death, Cas literarily functions as The Lost Husband/The Animal Bridegroom/The Artificial Husband for Dean specifically. Unlike characters like Sam's Amelia (season 8), Dean is obsessed with clinging to his loved ones, saying to CAS: "I did not leave you!" and to NAOMI through CAS: "Take it! But you're gonna have to kill me first. Come on, you coward. Do it. Do it!" In his insistance to look for Cas in Purgatory and keep not giving up on Cas, he sets himself apart from his many mirrors. He's a lot like the human consort in many of the “supernatural spouse” tales, brave and insistent in his trials, even when death separates him from his lover. NOTE: Amelia Novak also becomes a heroine in this regard when she decided to go looking for her "lost husband," Jimmy Novak but becoming ensnared and dies in season 10. ANYWAY, Dean and Cas tend to die when the other isn't around, and they both get so depressed it makes for pretty abysmal watching. Chuck doesn't like Cas, but he needs Cas because Dean needs Cas. Dean won't behave unless he has Cas with him. DEAN from 13x03: "This life, hunting, monsters, there’s no joy in it. There’s nothing but pain, horror and death." And DEAN from 13x05: BILLIE: Maybe you’re not that guy anymore, they guy who saves the world, the guy who always thinks he’ll win no matter what. You have changed. And you tell people it’s not a big deal. You tell people you’ll work through it but you know you won’t, you can’t and that scares the hell out of you. Or… am I wrong? DEAN: What do you want me to say? Doesn’t matter. I don’t matter.

///

TETHERED TO A BROTHER or TWIN -> Functions as a thrown lifeline; i.e. one shield must fall before the other can

Not Cas-specific, but so long as your "tethered" twin is alive you cannot die. We see this with Amara and Chuck, that taking out Chuck requires killing Amara. This appears often in SPN, like with Charlie and There's No Place Like Home and the Wizard. It makes you wonder if Michael and Lucifer are similar. If you squint, Chuck does not seem able to kill Michael in 15x19 until after Lucifer has been killed. Makes you wonder if that was his intent on having them kill each other all along. That by having one kill the other, he could finally take out the son-rivals, as in the style of archetypical God-father who, because of their immortality, sees sons as threat to power. So what does that mean for Cas? Not sure, but he could be tethered to an angel that's still living. Maybe jack himself? (Or Dean's soul, for that matter.) It's assumed that Jack wakes up Cas, but there's juicy potential for it to have been Dean doing it all along, something Jack tapped into when Dean was screaming in grief during the Sam fight: DEAN: He manipulated him, he made him promises, said, ‘paradise on earth’ and Cas bought it and you know what that got him? It got him dead! Now you might be able to forget about that, but I can’t! [JACK looks distressed outside the room.] JACK: Castiel. [JACK’S eyes glow gold.]

///

MANY OF CHUCK'S REBELLIOUS CHILDREN ARE ACTUALLY CURSED TO BE RISING-AND-DYING GODS

As to quote Gabriel, "they are like cancer," he has to eradicate them, as they represent wars of old which are no longer needed. I know the rising-and-dying deity motif is something of a modern configuration, but since it appears in Remember the Titans, you have to wonder if this is a nature intrinsic to Cas himself. As angels are unable to sleep, they are unable to die. From 8x16: ZEUS: Tell me, has Prometheus experienced the child's death yet? [HAYLEY gives a nod.] How did he take it? Did he hurt? [HAYLEY nods again.] Good. ...I never get tired of watching you die. [ZEUS, holding SHANE up, says it right into his ear.] Your boy is going on the mountain. (Interestingly, the mountain forward-references to the episode Moriah.) From 14x08: COSMIC ENTITY: Stop interrupting! Start paying attention. I'm taking him. And where I'm taking you is worse than Hell… because at least Hell is something. Ohh. Ohh, God, they look scared. Does that hurt you? Good… because I want it to. In this interpretation, the Shadow is a higher God, and it has cursed Castiel for helping humanity the same way Prometheus helped humanity. It uses similar linguistics!

///

EVIL CAS/SHADOW MEANING -> God's most trusted double agent

Cas is resurrected by Chuck because he's secretly an intractable agent of Chuck, God's most trusted, analogues to how Ruby was "the best of those sons of bitches." This would take on a Christian overtone, that Chuck and Jack are the same person. Evil interpretation where Cas having been an agent of Fate all along. With this shadow meaning, "Cas helped" from 15x20 becomes especially ominous. But there's also "it's not the bait, it's the fish, I think they're beginning to anticipate me" from 15x06 right after Dean accuses him of being "the something that always goes wrong." There's something eerie in the idea that Chuck and Jack are in fact the same person, and Castiel is loyal to Him above all. "This lie won't hurt them," from Gimme Shelter etc etc. This would make Dean, like Sally in "Last Call" the real symbolic fish. If hunting is recklessness, fishing is patience, and Cas/God/Jack were being patient and fishing Dean's soul all along, baiting him with Love. Cas as a honey trap is a frightening thought, honestly, and although I don't prefer this shadow interpretation, it IS scary if someone wanted to explore it or have Dean simply fear this possibility, you know? Dean has an inherent fear of large powers, like Godstiel, and Jack's power, and he's right to fear it. At the end of the story, Cas and Jack are the only main characters still alive, so there's a real possibility that it is Cas who won the long game, not Chuck.

edit - there’s also cas has a soul theory, that he cannot sleep in the empty the sand way jack becomes aware of heaven in byzantium

#asks #cas and mortality #cas stuff #immortality

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backgroundcharacterno15 · 17 days

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LIGHT MODE JUMPSCARE but um for the 'send me a character and i'll list:' how about sara from yttd ?

DHJGIFHFHDHDHDUCJF MY FAV GINGER <3

favorite thing about them: I love how the killing game actually affected her in ways you don't usually see in horror. How she genuinely rises to a challenge but still suffers consequences in the most human way possible. I'm a big fan of this genre but I've never seen a protagonist so relatable before in how she deals with things and ajsnsksvskskgsjb you need to play this game people

least favorite thing about them: the fact that there are so many adults in this godforsaken killing game and yet Sara, a 17 year old, is forced to lead them all to avoid being murdered. Then there's Keiji's scheming ass who knows damn well this is a child yet is still acting like putting her through the anguish of responsibility for so many people is something to be proud of. Also you're a police officer?????? Shouldn't you be leading things if you insist on talking about it so much?????? I'm sorry I hate cops and Keiji is NOT an exception

favorite line:

"Joe... Please... respond... Open your eyes... Ryoko... your parents... You need to go home to them, don't you...? Let's go... to school together... with Ryoko..."

Haha pain 😀😀😀😀 Seriously though this hurt like nothing else in the world. I asked for more platonic guy and girl bffs in media and got the most heart wrenching conversation of my life. Especially after she tried saving him with the clicker...... I couldn't pick up the game for a month after that

brOTP: Joe or Ranmaru for sure. In my mind Sara is aroace bc I said so.

OTP: again, Sara is aroace to me so no one

nOTP: once again, probably everyone

random headcanon: she's got quite the knack for drawing but really doesn't see it herself. She thinks people are just being nice to her when they compliment her drawings and it drives Joe and Ryoko mad

unpopular opinion: I've had some people really not like the fact I don't ship Joe and Sara. I think Joe telling Sara he loves her on his deathbed meant quite a lot through a platonic lens. As Joe said, it's difficult for a guy and girl to say things like that without people thinking certain things. Which makes it even more of a tender moment as he realised it was literally do die.

song i associate with them: Our Word from 36 Questions. How Sara's view of her family is ultimately torn apart and if my theory of her Dad being involved in the killing games is true it would be even deeper.

favorite picture of them:

Ik this is more of a Gin pic than a Sara pic but THIS MADE ME SOB UNCONTROLLABLY THE FIRST TIME I PLAYED THEIR SO GOOD TO EACH OTHER HE'S SUCH A GOOD BOY

tysm for this ask mate!!! I always love an opportunity to rant about how much I love this game lol. Feel free to send more and have a good day <3

#yttd #sara chidouin #Fern's dumb hcs

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andro-dino · 5 months

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Hi sorry for the ask jumpscare. I've been craving some Nile angst recently and may you could provide some of that Nile angst. (bc I randomly remembered the unrequited love Nile/Kyouya clip a while back. But it doesn't have to be about that.)

oooouhhh Nile angst,,, I haven’t had any angst thoughts in a while.

I think Nile’s interesting bc despite what he goes through, he’s actually very levelheaded and calm about it most of the time. I think he’s a very logical person and able to kinda see a lot of situations two steps ahead already, so he’s able to keep cool (for the most part) in the present. I think there’s a lot you could do with that there. I think the most obvious one is the emotional repression angle, where he’s almost too far ahead to the point where he’s not really letting himself feel in the moment. Like, he’s surprisingly chill about Kyoya’s outburst and split off from the group in fury considering how close they are, and he justifies that knowing that that’s just the kind of person Kyoya is and he wouldn’t expect him to stay tied down to something for long, and yet there’s still something about it that makes his stomach turn. He knows Kyoya’s a free spirit and not necessarily the friendliest person, so this isn’t really that out of character for him, yet part of him still wanted Kyoya to consider him a little more. For how close he thought the two were, they weren’t really getting much time together, and now with this, it only made him feel less secure about their bond. It’s kind of a feeling of his rationalism clashing with his own feelings and attachments, yk?

Another route I actually remembered I have thought a bit about before is how much Nile worries over Kyoya. Nile cares for Kyoya a ton, more than Kyoya probably even realizes, but he also knows that Kyoya has NO sense of self preservation and just wishes he would stop being so goddamn stubborn and reckless all the time. This thought is kinda inspired by wild fang vs gan gan galaxy, where Kyoya is super beat up and in no shape to battle after his battle with Gingka, yet still insists on going out there, despite Nile’s protests. Again, Nile kinda just accepts this as part of Kyoya’s character, but it worries him so much. I can definitely see and argument breaking out about that, and I think it could be interesting if Nile argued in this case that it’s selfish of Kyoya to be so reckless because of how much it disregards everyone else around him. It’s selfish because every time he does it, Nile is worried sick about what might happen to him, and he doesn’t even take the time to think about how his actions are causing that and considering anyone’s feelings besides his own. Like, not to pull out the “Why can’t you take care of yourself, if not for yourself then for me?” right now but like basically that. I’ve thought about this idea more lightheartedly before (I have an old ass doodle somewhere of Nile bandaging Kyoya up while the two yell at each other, ala “THIS IS STUPID IM FINE CHRIST THAT HURTS” “WELL MAYBE IF YOU WERENT GOING AROUND OVEREXERTING YOURSELF AND THROWING YOURSELF INTO TORNADOES, NEITHER OF US WOULD BE IN THIS SITUATION”) but I think it’s a very easy concept to make more angsty if you add more heartache into it.

Nile in general strikes me as the kind of independent but lonely type. In my head at least, he has a kind of duality between being fine on his own, and even preferring it at most points, but so desperately craving human connection and care. I think that’s part of what lets he and Kyoya get along so well in the first place, both are very free spirited and independent, but are able to understand each other and mesh more comfortably because of that. And with that, since there is a degree of yearning and relishing in that connection once he gets it, it’s only all the more confusing and painful once it’s called into question. Him kinda being under the impression that their relationship was something they both enjoyed more than being complete loners most of the time, yet he’s so willing to separate and say he doesn’t need anyone at all. Nile kinda figured they both needed each other a bit, so it’s strange realizing that may have been more one sided than he initially realized.

#axel’s silly little thoughts #nile beyblade #my ask box is always open I love being insane about fictional characters 🫶#always looking for more excuses to talk excessively about things im insane about #Nile’s a character who I think is very easy to make angsty but I always worry it’s gonna be ooc for him since he is so chill in canon #it’s fun to think abt that though #I think you could also for the very easy route of Nile realizing Kyoya’s entire being revolving around Gingka and being like #’hey what the fuck’#but I’m not really a big kyogin guy so I don’t really like to think about it much lolz <3

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youngpettyqueen · 2 months

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Hi! So I feel selfish since I've already requested a fic from you, but since you posted that new prompt list, could you please do #10 from The Comforter list? I don't care who says it as long as they are saying it to Julian! ❤️

anon I love youuuu <333 never be shy about asking me for fics I will happily take 695876934 requests from you

so 10 from the comforter list is... "You're only going to make it worse by not resting." and I love that and I love it applied to Julian

I decided to spread the Miles/Keiko/Julian agenda with this one- hope that's alright! this is set sometime nebulously before Keiko's pregnancy with Kirayoshi, so sometime in s3 maybe?

anyways! please enjoy <3

It was only a matter of time before something like this happened.

The station's been dealing with an outbreak of Bajoran Red Fever. It's a nasty sickness, not fatal in most cases, but it can be pretty dangerous for younger children. It's also a pain in the ass to try to kick; the main symptoms being sky-high fever, dizziness and severe weakness, nausea, and some nasty joint pain. Luckily for the non-Bajoran occupants of DS9, it's a disease that really only affects Bajorans. There have only been a handful of non-Bajorans who have ever caught the diseases.

Unluckily, Julian is one of those non-Bajorans.

"How'd he even get it?" Miles asks, still trying to wrap his head around this whole thing, "I thought non-Bajoran cases were something like one in a million- that's what he was always saying, at least."

Nurse Jabara, wearing a face mask over her mouth and nose, gives a tired shrug as she rubs her temple. "The odds were slim, but not impossible. If I had to guess, I'd say the constant, repeated exposure on top of not nearly enough rest probably did it," She pinches the bridge of her nose, grimacing like she has a headache, "Whatever the case, he has it."

Keiko looks up from where she's checking the medkit Jabara gave her. "You said he fainted, right?" She asks. Jabara nods, so she follows up, "Did he hurt himself? Do we have to worry about, I don't know, a concussion? Anything like that?"

"No," Jabara confirms, and Keiko breathes a sigh of relief, "Lucky for him, Nurse T'Strei has great reflexes, and caught him before he fell. Speaking of which, she's probably not having a great time trying to keep him in bed," She gives Miles a look that is so, so very tired, "We've had patients coming in all morning. You can imagine how he's taking being laid up."

"Say no more," Miles doesn't need to imagine- he knows Julian will be about beside himself, "We'll take him off your hands. You said those shots you gave us will protect us from the fever?" He checks.

"You're as close to immune as you can be," Jabara nods, "There's one in there for Molly, too, just in case you can't keep her away from him. Believe me, asking your family to do this wasn't my first choice, but we aren't exactly blessed with options," She sighs, "Everybody who is resistant to the fever is busy working overtime to make up for everybody who's down with it, and I can't put him with anybody who's susceptible to infection. Commander Dax tried to insist, but joined Trill can contract the fever, and it could be deadly to her and the symbiont, and-"

"Jabara," Keiko steps in, places a gentle hand on the nurse's arm to stop her rambling, "It's ok. We'll take care of him." She reassures her.

Jabara pauses. Takes a deep breath. "Thank you," She breathes, "It's been... certainly one of the longer mornings of my career. Let me take you to him before T'Strei decides to sedate him." She says.

"If she hasn't already." Miles cracks, which earns him a nudge in the ribs from Keiko.

They follow after Jabara as she leads them further into the infirmary. It's pretty busy, mostly full of Bajorans, and all of them are masked up. The only people not masked up are non-Bajorans, though Miles notices that a few of the human staff are wearing masks. Probably since their human Chief Medical Officer went and got himself infected.

Speaking of the devil, it doesn't take long to find him. They just have to follow the sound of the arguing.

"This is hardly necessary."

"You are not presently fit to deem what is necessary."

Jabara stops, and gestures for them to go ahead into a separate area. Miles and Keiko both nod to her, and continue on.

Miles has to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing at the scene they walk into. Because, sure, he's worried about Julian. Of course he is. But it's also very funny to see Julian lying on a biobed, with T'Strei sitting beside him and effortlessly keeping him pinned down to said bed with one hand on his chest.

"I have patients," Julian is insisting, even though he looks half-dead himself, "I have to finish my morning rounds, and then I need to-"

"If you can push me off," T'Strei cuts in, sounding like she's said this a million times over, "Then you can go."

"That is so not fair." Julian pouts.

Miles decides now is the moment to clear his throat and announce his presence. Both Julian and T'Strei look over at him, though he directs his attention to Julian. "Julian," He says, crossing his arms over his chest, "Are you disobeying doctor's orders?"

"Yes." T'Strei replies flatly.

"I'm the doctor," Julian huffs, indignant, "I give the orders."

"Which you are not following," T'Strei points out. She looks at Miles, "I assume you both are here to collect him?" She asks.

Keiko steps closer. "We are," She confirms. She's got a much more gentle touch than T'Strei and Miles do, bless her, as she goes and puts a gentle hand on Julian's cheek, "Nurse Jabara called us. How are you feeling?" She asks.

It's like a magic trick- Miles watches as all the defiance drains right out of Julian's expression, melted away by the simple touch of Keiko's hand. With all his defiance goes all his energy, and all the colour in his face. God, he looks awful- pale under his skin, and his eyes too-bright with fever.

"I'm alright," Julian tells Keiko, in a raspy voice that's anything but alright, "Honestly, Keiko, you didn't need to come."

Miles and T'Strei exchange a can you believe this bullshit look.

"Liar," Keiko accuses gently. She brings her hand up to his forehead, presses the backs of her knuckles against his pale skin, "You're burning up, Julian. You're not well. You need rest." She insists.

"Which is exactly what you're gonna get," Miles puts in, stepping over to join Keiko at Julian's bedside, "You're comin' home with us. That way, we can keep an eye on you. Make sure you actually get some rest, which we all know you're not gonna be gettin' in here." He explains.

"Oh, I- I couldn't ask you to do that," Julian says, looking as pathetic as a puppy in the rain, "I could get you sick, and what about Molly? I couldn't-"

"We got our shots done," Miles interrupts, "And we have one for Molly, too. So, no arguing," He looks up at T'Strei, "We can take him from here, Lieutenant. We'll get him outta your hair."

"Human expression." Julian says quietly, as T'Strei frowns at the statement. Then she nods, and takes her hand away, stepping back to let Miles and Keiko each grab an arm and gently ease Julian up into a sitting position.

"Thank you, Chief," T'Strei bids, "Mrs. O'Brien," She nods to Keiko, "If he gives you any trouble, do not hesitate to call. I can be available for assistance very quickly." She gives Julian a pointed look as she says that last part.

"I'm sure we can handle him," Keiko says as they get Julian off the biobed and onto wobbly legs. Miles is inclined to agree with her, considering Julian's already leaning heavily into his shoulder, the act of standing up apparently a significant drain on his energy, "C'mon, Julian, let's get you home. I've got everything you need right here." She shows him the medkit.

"Computer," Miles summons, seeing no point in dragging Julian through the long walk, "Three to transport to Chief O'Brien's quarters. Energize."

Miles wraps his arm tight around Julian's waist to hold him upright through the transport. One second they're in the infirmary, the next they're in the living room. Julian sways slightly, wobbling, and Keiko puts a hand on his chest to help steady him.

"Easy does it, Julian," She murmurs, starting to guide him towards the couch, "You poor thing, what made you think you could work like this? You're barely standing." She admonishes, her voice laced with concern.

Julian doesn't answer until they get him sitting down. He doesn't so much lean back as he does fall back against the cushions, his eyes glassy and unfocused. "I had patients," He mumbles, blinking a few times- dizzy, probably, "I couldn't just leave them."

Miles takes a seat beside him. Keiko does the same thing on his other side. "You've got a perfectly competent medical staff who are more than capable of runnin' the ship while you're away," He points out, "How long have you been sick? Honestly. Cause somehow I doubt this started today." He hasn't actually seen Julian in days. Their usual holosuite date got cancelled due to the outbreak, so he hasn't been able to keep an eye on him.

Julian frowns, squinting as he thinks. "I don't know," He replies, and he sounds like he means it, "Maybe a couple days ago. It's... hard to keep track." He admits.

Keiko gently rubs her hand up and down his arm. "Julian," She says, in that soft voice of hers that could melt ice, "When was the last time you slept?" She asks.

There's the million dollar question. That's always the first thing Julian starts to go without- sleep. Like he thinks he's superhuman, and can just keep on going without it. Miles has known him to go days at a time without a wink of shuteye. He wouldn't be surprised if this is one of those times.

Julian looks at Keiko. "I don't know," He tells her, his voice very quiet, "I... I honestly don't know."

Even Miles can't keep up his usual attitude when Julian's like this. He sounds so goddamn tired and he looks even worse, with those big doe eyes of his all sad and pathetic.

"It's alright, Julian," He finds himself saying, a whole lot softer than he usually is, "Molly's got a big party all day, she won't be back till tomorrow. So you'll have plenty of time to catch up on your sleep here." He gives his hand a reassuring pat.

"You're only going to make it worse by not resting," Keiko adds, bringing her hand up to his cheek, "I know resting doesn't come easy to you, but promise me you'll at least try, ok?" She rubs her thumb affectionately over his cheekbone, "Promise me you'll let us take care of you?" She implores him.

Miles knows this game of Keiko's well. Nobody is immune to it. He's over here melting, and he's not even her target. Sure enough, Julian is cracking a smile. A small one, weak and watery, but a smile nonetheless.

"That's cheating," He accuses, his voice gone soft, "You know I can't say no when you do that."

Keiko gives him a smile of her own, a smile that could rival a sunrise. "That's exactly why I do it." She teases. Then she leans in, and gives him a gentle kiss on the cheek.

If Julian's face wasn't already flushed with fever, he's certainly blushing now, his cheeks going deep cherry red. "Miles." He says.

"Yeah?" Miles asks.

"I'm running away with your wife." Julian informs him, which makes Keiko snort and laugh.

"Not without me, you're not," Miles chuckles, giving Julian a playful nudge, careful to keep it light so he doesn't accidentally knock him over, "You can try that once you're all better. Until then, I'm not lettin' you outta my sight till you're better, ya hear?"

Julian looks over at him, still blushing, still smiling. "Loud and clear," He hums, "Do you have a kiss to go with that statement, or do I have to ask Keiko for another?"

Miles rolls his eyes. Keiko giggles. "At least you can still be obnoxious," He huffs. Even so, he does lean in and give Julian a quick peck on the temple, "There. Only cause you're sick." He tells him.

Julian's smile broadens into something resembling a grin. "You love me." He teases.

"Yes," Keiko leans in, gives Julian another kiss, this one landing high on his cheekbone, "We love you. And because we love you, we're going to take care of you," She gives Julian's shoulder a pat, "So you just lay back, and let us do the worrying for once, alright?"

Julian looks between them. And it's a subtle shift, but that mischievous grin softens, and turns into something much more affectionate and sincere. "I love you, too." He says to both of them, all sap and sweetness.

"Yeah, you're alright." Miles says, which gets him a laugh from Julian and an indignant swat from Keiko. What can he say, he's never been the best with all this sappy stuff.

Besides, they both know how he feels. He doesn't have to say it. He's never had to say it. They just know.

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