Steven Starphase - Tumblr Posts

Day 17 [Steven/ Lucky/ Daniel]

Prompt: Working with an EX

Steven

This was going to be a tense situation. Steven knew that he'd have to work with you. Things hadn't ended nicely, the two of you last saw one another after a massive argument. Heated words and a few breakable things were thrown around like confetti.

It still ate at Steven.

Thankfully you were laying nice, for now. Steven was just waiting for the knife to drop, the first tense thing would be the worst. And Steven had so many things swirling in his head. Possible apologies he would say, the time he took to ruminate and found that he was the one in the wrong.

He blamed himself for--

"I guess that's it then." You turned to leave, "If Klaus needs me for another mission, he knows how to contact me."

"[Name], can we talk." Steven wasn't expecting you to just break everything abruptly, "Please?"

"Please doesn't sway this wicked and twisted soul darling." You looked up at him, "And why do you even want to talk? Don't you have to rush back to work?"

Steven rubbed the back of his neck. Yeah, that had been the whole argument in a nutshell. But he wasn't going to give up on this, he missed you.

.

Lucky

.

This was basic torture to Lucky, having to ask you to help after everything the two of you went through. Sure, things ended decently enough, but he still felt guilty about why the two of you broke up.

And here you were, helping him infiltrate a masquerade party as his date. The familiarity and comfort he felt as you held his hand, as you danced a slow waltz with him...

He should have done more to keep ypu in his life.

Even the way you instinctively leaned against his shoulder filled him with regret.

"Look over my shoulder." You whispered, "By the black double door."

The lack of animosity gave Lucky some hope things could go back to how it used to be. The whole mission had been a success, after all, the two of you still worked perfectly together. Lucky wasn't quite ready to let go.

"I should've been there for you when you needed me."

Him suddenly saying that caught you off guard. Turning to look at the older man, you tilted your head.

"Blitz." You didn't want to fall back into the same old routine with him, "Please don't start. We just weren't right for each other. And that's okay."

Daniel

Blinking after a quick double take Daniel couldn't believe that you were still around Hellsalem's Lot. Though you were part of Libra, so it wasn't that unreasonable...

But having to work with you for this. You being an informant between Libra and the HLPD and all. Even though right now, you were escorting him on a stakeout. Meaning the two of you were trapped in the same car... for hours.

"Listen [Name]," Daniel rubbed the back of his neck, "I know we didn't always see eye to eye. Given how we work for two different companies and all..."

"The worst part was the lying." You admitted, "I was always having to lie to protect you Danny. We can't go back to that. It wasn't healthy."

"My favorite lie was when you told me you love me."

You looked Daniel in the eye, unmistakable that the words had come from him.

"That was never a lie."

Day 19 [Steven/ Lucky/ Femt]

Prompt: "This wasn't supposed to happen"

Steven

Mere moments after his attempt to impress you by pouring a little wine from the bottle, right into a hot skillet, Steven realized his mistake. The flame caught his sleeve, but he managed to keep it off the bottle. You did the only thing you could think of and just threw the glass of cold tea on Steven.

At the very least, the fire went out...

Steven stood there sopping wet and embarrassed. Once the shock wore off, you began giggling at the situation. Making Steven blush and turn away a little.

"I-I-I'm sorry." You finally gasped out, holding a hand in front of you, "I... it just..."

You succumbed to loud chuckling, Steven joining in. He had to admit, it was pretty funny for him to mess up this badly, even if it was his own fault for trying something so dangerous in the first place.

"That wasn't supposed to happen though." Steven still tried defending his actions, "That usually works without the fire going up the stream."

Between his pouty face and slightly red blush, ypu couldn't help but delve into pure laughter. Until...

SNORT

You finally stopped, both hands covering your nose and mouth... and a little blush that flew in out of nowhere. Both of you just stopped, before Steven smirked. Maybe he hadn't ruined the night after all.

.

.

Lucky

Things like this don't just happen. No, this had been a carefully planned, carefully calculated attack against his partner. Lucky felt absolutely helpless saying what you'd become. Even if you were able to keep that part of yourself under control, there wasn't anything anyone could do to reverse the process.

Not even a little.

You didn't need sleep, not really. But it felt nice to lay next to Blitz. Knowing he still trusted you to be this vulnerable around what he knew to be a monster of sorts. He never called you one directly. In fact, He tended to clam up, becoming extremely cagey whenever his work involved other blood breeds.

"Zzz... no..." Lucky had developed a habit of sleep-talking, or maybe you just noticed because you were able to stay up all night, "Not... shouldn't... not right..."

You tried to calm Blitz down, gently stroking the side of his face. Unsure if you were even good at this anymore, given how cold your hands were now. A soft whisper into an otherwise empty room...

"I know this wasn't supposed to happen... but it'll be okay..."

Femt

One too many beakers in his arms and a poorly placed cord meant Femt was bound to trip eventually. Except this time, you were caught in the crosshairs. Several different types of liquids in various states of solidity had splashed across your arms, neck, and chest.

Both of you looked at one another, clear panic and fear before you collapsed. Writhing in pain and shrieking your head off. Femt unable to tear his eyes away from the sight of your body contorting in spectacular fashion.

He didn't know what to do. The experimental goops had already been absorbed into your body, there was a high likelihood that this couldn't be reversed at all.

Then you went still.

The fear that this had killed you crashed in around Femt's ears. He scrambled to your side and started checking your vitals. His hands slid over new protrusions ranging from thick horns to softer lumps that would surely contain new organs... or repeats.

Heartbeat? Good. Breathing? Steady. Body temperature? Definitely higher than normal, but this could be the new normal for you.

Or it could mean you would die of heatstroke.

Femt couldn't do anything except hope you'd be okay... and mutter to himself.

"Oh Dearie, I'm so sorry." He tried to control his panic and tears, "This was never supposed to happen."

Day 22 [Steven/ Zapp/ Femt]

Prompt: "I'll be fine"

Steven

"[Name], Amor, please. Enough!"

Steven's pleas were falling on deaf ears, you knew he was sick. You didn't know how he caught a cold this severe in the middle of summer but then again you didn't know what his job was either. So it was highly likely that the two were related.

Well, that, his intelligence, and the suit all made you think he had some kind of job in a research facility. Possibly one that dealt with dangerous chemicals or new-found illnesses. But you would never know. Probably. Maybe. He might crack if you managed to get him drunk without you.

"[Name]! I'll be fine!" Steven whined.

"And I'm gonna take a leaf out of your book by simply not listening to you and stubbornly take care of you no matter how much you protest."

Steven huffed, but accepted your help. He just didn't want to bother you with his problems. Even if it was just a head cold.

.

Zapp

Seeing Zapp laying in a hospital bed just didn't sit right with you. He had thrown you out of the way, taking the brunt of the damage. You didn't even know why he did it. Just a day prior he told you how much he didn't want you around anymore.

And you hesitated to enter the room where he was in. Uncertain if he wanted to see you after what happened. Though you couldn't say no to Klaus trying to assure you that Zapp would want to see you after that. But you still had your doubts.

It felt like you were being trapped in the room alone with Zapp. Though he was still his normal bull-headed and aggressive self, at least with everyone else. It felt like you were getting ignored the whole time. Yet you felt rooted to the tile floor. That was until you were the only person left with Zapp.

"You're being quiet, what gives?" Zapp grumbled, "Shouldn't you be yelling at me to be more careful or something? Or pissed that I stole your glory?"

"I don't know how I feel." You shuffled back into the corner, "I thought you weren't going to... since we fought..."

Zapp sighed, "One little fight isn't gonna stop me from wantin' you around. Honestly, you don't gotta stay all the way over there."

It wasn't easy to move closer to Zapp's bed. But you managed to sit next to him.

"Look, I'll be fine. I rushed in there because I didn't want you gettin' hurt." Zapp broke the silence, "But that doesn't mean you can just shut the hell down until I'm outta here. Don't make me flirt with the nurses in front of you."

You rolled your eyes, "As if I could stop you."

.

Femt

You stood there tapping your foot and staring at Femt, a large tentacle protruding from his back. It wasn't helping that Femt was giggling as if this was what he wanted to happen. He was just being his usual nonsensical self.

"Femt, just... why?"

"Oh don't worry about me, dearie. I'll be fine." He sighed dramatically, "Besides, this will wear off soon enough."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"Why not?"

You sighed, shaking your head. This man was always doing crazy things like this. But he rarely hurt himself with these experiments. You just had to endure his new appendage being just as weird and clingy as Femt was.

Day 23 [Klaus/ Steven/ Daniel]

Prompt: Worst way to find out your girlfriend is pregnant (time skip)

Klaus

Staring up at Bradbury General, Klaus had too much on his mind. He knew why today was so monumental, but even after the dust settled, there had been no sign of his beloved. She had been with them that night and had rushed in to save lives from the same dog that trapped the patients in cocoons. Yet there was no sign of you anywhere.

Had you been in one of the cocoons? Was this just a matter of waiting a little longer? Klaus felt he was going crazy just thinking about it. Until Dr. Estevez asked him for a blood sample.

"Might I ask why?" Klaus was thrown for a loop, "Is there something wrong?"

Dr. Estevez smiled a little, "It's just a protocol for a DNA test. Miss [Name] is certain about who the father is, but I brought up a DNA test for other problems that might have occurred during the Collapse."

Klaus blinked rapidly, muttering under his breath, "DNA test? Father? ???"

"I take it that neither of you actually knew about the pregnancy before the Collapse?"

"Not in the slightest," Klaus admitted sheepishly, excitement growing as he followed the small form of the doctor, "I'm afraid that this is a complete surprise."

.

Steven

The aftermath of the Collapse left Steven reeling. His beloved hadn't shown up in almost three years. The last he saw of you, Steven was almost certain you were dealing with the early symptoms of pregnancy. But now he was second-guessing the whole problem at large. You might have been dealing with some kind of illness brought on by the first stages of the Collapse.

But there was nothing about the situation that made complete sense. Steven couldn't help but try to guess where you might be. Until there was a news broadcast about a recently reappearing building in the middle of an abandoned lot. It was the small clinic Steven had insisted you go to visit.

Klaus didn't even bat an eye as Steven stormed out of the office, both knowing why he was peeling out in his car. Racing to the building before you even had a chance to step out into the new city.

Steven looked around, scanning the crowd for you. He jumped when he saw a woman who did look like you... but there was a small child on the woman's hip. But that was the only person that even looked like you, but Steven couldn't have been right about you being pregnant... right?

"Steven!?" He turned, it had been you, "Are... Is that..."

"You were...?"

Steven didn't get to finish his question before you hugged him tightly. He tried to stop from shaking, but he just couldn't. Looking at the small child you were carrying, he looked very much like Steven.

He wouldn't be able to deny that this was his child, but Steven finally managed to pull away. So many questions needed to be answered, and the time missed had clearly been critical. And this would take quite an adjustment period.

.

Daniel

A deep groan escaped Daniel, checking his phone for the millionth time. Knowing that there wouldn't be a new message from you. He desperately wanted to have some kind of response, even if it was just an angry one.

The cryptic message of "There's something I need to tell you face to face" haunted Daniel for the past three years. What was he missing? What could you need to tell him that couldn't have been said over text?

"All units, we have a 3-83 in progress. I repeat. A 3-83 at the corner of Youna and Judic Street."

Daniel didn't want to get his hopes up. A building coming back after all this time was likely, even somewhat normal. But he didn't even know if you had survived the Collapse.

Not that thinking like that helped Daniel any, he hated the idea that he had completely lost you like that. Without even a single goodbye...

His efforts in comforting the survivors and giving them enough information to cope in this new version of their home was all he could do. It was his job as a police officer. But, his efforts were almost instantly rewarded as he found that one of the last people he had to talk to was... you. And a small child you claimed was...

No. No! That couldn't have been... You hadn't been... Right?

Daniel tried swallowing his nerves as he approached you, "Pie, you're okay. And you had a... uh... kid."

"Yes, I know she's yours, Danny." You adjusted your little girl to the other hip, "How have you been holding up?"

What was with this light, coffee shop talk? You two hadn't seen each other in three years. But you were acting like you had only been gone for a week or two.

"I..." Daniel cleared his throat, "This city has changed Pie. I tried to change with it but..."

"Eliza and I aren't going anywhere any time soon Danny." You smiled a little, just plain relieved to be back around familiar faces, "So there'll be plenty of it to adjust."

Daniel barely met your eye, "Yeah. Yeah, there will be."

Day 26 [Steven/ Dog/ Aligula]

Prompt: "Why are you here?"

Steven

Hours ticked by, time lost on the dark-haired man as keys clacked rhythmically. Endless lines of code for God knows how many times this month.

You stood in the doorway, seven on the dot, arms folded with a very clear scowl across your face. Steven had taken one too many days in a row staying at the office. While you did have Klaus's word, which was better than the gold standard, you still doubted that Steven was actually resting properly... despite being locked in one of the spare rooms at the office.

Clearing your throat as you approached the long table in the middle of the office, You set a lunch bag right next to the key board Steven was still working tirelessly at.

And yet none of that got his attention...

"Steven!"

He jumped in his chair, blinking up at you as you frowned.

"Huh? [Name]? Why are you here? Its.... its..."

"Yeah, it's seven in the morning. You look like you haven't eaten anything of substance in days. And you promised you'd behave while I was on mission."

Steven hung his head, "For what it's worth, Klaus has been locking me in one of the rooms upstairs every night. But the lock is on a timer so five a.m. I get back to work."

You blinked slowly at Steven, frown deepening. He realized all too late how badly he just tattled on himself and was a mess trying to back peddle what he said versus what he meant.

.

Dog

How did you let things get this late? Trying to surprise Dog on his birthday was going south in a hurry, especially as you had underestimated how long it would take to fill so many balloons by hand.

But he shouldn't be here for another hour yet so...

You checked the cake again. Finally cooked all the way through thankfully, and with enough time it could cool and be iced before...

"Wow! Something smells tasty!"

Too late...

"Dog!" You tried to steer him away from the kitchen, hoping he wouldn't look in the living room, "Why are you here? And so soon... I haven't had a chance to clean up."

"Huh?" He tilted his head, "What do you mean? Your place is always clean, Peach."

You didn't want to tell him what you were doing, "Most of the time, but I had friends over last night. I just need another hour..."

"I don't mind helping you clean, Berry!" Dog smiled, "It'll be done in half an hour if I do!"

Think... think... think...

"Uh, actually I needed to get a couple of things." You panicked, "Would you mind doing that? Pretty please?"

"Sure!"

The door closed and you felt like sliding down it. Instead, you pulled your phone out and called K.K. she'd be able to help.

.

Aligula

This plan would go perfectly smooth, if only these meanie jerk-faces of Libra would stop getting in Aligula's way, she'd be happy. They only made her life harder, yelling about civil casualties and order and whatever else they seemed to care so much about.

"Object of Interest in view. Error, Object of Interest in path. Error."

Aligula scratched her head. No, you shouldn't be out and about today. You said something about needing to pick up a couple things, but that should be on the other side of town. Right? Aligula was going after Deldro and Hummer after all, you shouldn't be anywhere nearby.

Unless those meanie jerk faces kidnapped you too!

But no. You're little bike was just in the middle of the road. You weren't anywhere near it. Or you were in the store. Something like that.

Aligula parked, as well as one could park a tank in the street. You were just stepping out of the store when Aligula landed a few feet to the side.

"Aligula?" You tilted your head at her, "Why are you here?"

"I should be asking you that!" She huffed, "I thought you weren't going to be over here!"

"Oh, that." You held up the bag in your hands, "Well Jenik's didn't have the right thing so I had to come over here for it. I sent you a text."

"Huh. Guess I never saw it."

"I should have known. You check your phone maybe once a day, if that."

"Hey!"

Day 28 [Steven/ Zed/ Raju]

Prompt: "They wanted the monster they made..."

Steven

There had to be another way around this, there just had to be. Steven was currently watching you tear through people mercilessly. As if they were made of paper instead of flesh and bone. This was not like you, not in the slightest.

"[Name]!" He reached out, trying to grab your arm, to stop you if he could, "Please! This isn't like you!"

Steven's blood felt like pure ice as you turned to face him. It wasn't you looking back at him right now. He didn't know who you were in this moment.

"Steven, darling." Your voice was much crueler sounding, like when you tried crooning a villain monologue for laughs, "They want the monster they made. They asked for this and I'm happy to give them what they want."

You turned, pulling away from Steven, "Especially when I can finally ensure no one else has to suffer the way I did."

The grin on your face was sickening. A twisted contortion of ideals and morals that normally wouldn't even be possible for you.

And Steven knew it.

He latched onto your arm again, roughly tugging you back, "[Name], Amor. This isn't you." Steven made you look him in the eye, "We can figure out something else. There has to be another way to go about doing this. One where..."

You squinted at the sudden pause, "Go on, say it."

"One where you don't let them win!" Steven was desperate at this point, "Doing what they want you to do, being what they made you into. It's just letting them win. And I don't want to lose you [Name]. Not like this."

.

Zed

How could one human be this destructive? Was this even possible? Had you simply been holding back all this time? If so, why?

Had you been actively hiding this strength for a reason?

Zed couldn't take it anymore, he had to do something. Standing back and watching you sling these creatures, most of which were easily five or six times your size, around like rag dolls was getting out of hand. You were getting out of control and Zed needed to know why.

"[Name]! You have to calm down!" Zed just barely managed to grab your arm, yanking you off course a little, "Before you bury us in this building."

The chill of Zed's touch got to you quicker than his words did. As you looked down at his hand, the words mulled over in your mind. You knew he was right, it didn't take deep introspection to know Zed was right about the situation. But part of you didn't care, part of you wanted this. Deep down, you wanted to give in, to let loose on the people who wronged you.

You wanted to let your destructive tendencies run absolutely wild, just once.

"Zed," Your voice was low, not precisely ominous, though it was extremely close, "They want the monster they made. All this chaos, they brought it on themselves. And no one can change that."

There was a tense moment between the two of you, both looking the other dead in the eye. You moved first, stepping away from Zed.

"Not even you can change what I am."

.

Raju

None of this made any sense to Raju. Yes, he knew you had been captured by a blood breed when you were a child. He even knew you had been subjected to very dangerous procedures during that time. And while all of this information had been second-hand, being things you told him personally and not something he learned before he started dating you. Raju still had no idea what all that monster truly did to you, for you to be this vicious about slaughtering its underlings.

You were dead set on repaying the blood breed's cruelties ten-fold. Tearing through the lower-leveled monsters with ease. It would have been terrifying, had it not been Raju with you. He found this display of power to be very reassuring.

Because it meant you weren't a blood breed at all.

A deep, raspy breathing filled the silence as you regained your composure. Raju had been a little blind-sided by the sudden, violent outburst. All the chaos and destruction you were causing only solidified the fact that you would answer to no one. All the while, Raju just floated there, eyes clearly on you... though his face was as unreadable as ever.

"They wanted the monster they made, Raju." You started to explain, "I don't--"

"You're no monster [Name]." Raju cut you off as he floated closer to look you in the eye, "Hurt and upset perhaps, but not monstrous."

You couldn't understand this, you couldn't keep looking at him. Instead, you turned away. Though Raju wasn't having that in the slightest, he tugged your chin back to face him. Looking deep into your eyes, even though you still couldn't read him at all like this.

"We can easily show them why they never should have messed with you." He said, "And we will make them regret having laid even a single finger on you. I promise."

Day 30 [Steven/ Zed/ Raju]

Prompt: "I'm used to it"

Steven

This just rubbed Steven the wrong way. Being a first-hand witness to the discrimination you faced on a regular basis, or well, a semi-regular basis. And all because you had a tiny bit of Beyondian DNA. It was hardly noticeable after your surgery.

So what if you had a few feathers growing alongside your hair now? Steven thought it was absolutely beautiful. And the only reason anyone could see it was how you styled your hair. Was it really fair to you? Having to constantly do just the smallest things to "look human"?

Steven had half a mind to freeze the whole building and just the building. Until you tugged on his sleeve, trying not to pull him completely given the scene.

"Steven, please don't." He really didn't like the look on your face, "I'm used to this. It'll be fine."

He let out a tired sigh. Hearing that you were already used to this stung him a little. It wasn't fair, nothing about this situation was fair. All of it weighed on Steven's mind and his heart, especially with how upset you seemed.

But maybe he was just used to being surrounded by Beyondians...

"Amor," Steven cupped your cheek, "Perhaps we should find somewhere actually worth our patronage. What are you in the mood for?"

.

Zed

Zed groaned as softly as possible, he hated that you were being pulled into such low-brow insults because of him. Part of him couldn't help but feel as if there was a hint of merit to what the other humans were saying. It was possible you only dated him out of pity.

You could do so much better than him after all...

Though he still didn't want you getting hurt on his behalf. Tugging you back gently to hopefully avoid this altercation from escalating to blows. Zed would never live it down if you were injured for something this stupid.

"[Name], please." Zed urged, "Now isn't the time for this. I'm certain there's better places than here."

You half growled, before snorting at the woman blocking the entrance. Sure, Zed was right. That didn't mean you had to be okay with how people treated him. It wasn't right for them to judge on appearance...

"I still don't like how comfortable they were," You grumbled, "Calling you a 'walking fish' and all that. Completely uncalled for."

Zed let out half a chuckle, "You may be right, but it'll be okay. I'm used to this sadly. One of my coworkers won't stop with bad fish puns against me."

"Where does he live?"

"[Name], please no. Don't start anything."

"I wouldn't be starting anything." You pouted playfully, "I'd be finishing it."

"And possibly getting injured in the process." Zed moved slowly as he put an arm around your shoulders, "And I'd never forgive myself if you did."

.

Raju

Raju was about five seconds from torching several individuals for their rude comments. It was one thing to insult him, but once they started bringing you into the discussion... Raju was ready to fight. While he knew he was technically a Beyondian, calling you names was uncalled for.

"Raju, c'mon. Please?" You tugged on his cane, hoping to just pull him away like a balloon on a string, "I'm used to being called a monster smoocher. It's fine."

"It is not fine!" He protested, "One's love life shouldn't mean anything to others! You're a huma after all! They can't just attack you like that because of me!"

While you did manage to pull him away, some, you couldn't help but sigh. Raju had zero filters and no concept of romance, so it never failed to shock you when he said genuinely romantic things. But you had your own ways of returning the favor. Namely by sneaking a kiss on the side of his helm.

Though, before you could say anything about him being a sweetheart by saying that... Raju started ranting about you kissing his helm. Tapping his cane and essentially throwing a little hissy fit.

Still kinda adorable though, you couldn't lie to yourself about that.

Day 31-1 [Klaus/ Steven/ Leo]

Prompt: "You know what you have to do..."

Klaus

This wasn't a choice Klaus felt he should have to make. While he was no stranger to sacrifice, losing you was just one line too far. Nothing leading up to this point had been a choice. How could it be fair for you to be the one to give up everything for others' mistakes... for his mistakes.

You had been marked with a timer. If Klaus failed to act by the deadline, then you'd be corrupted with a demonic power that would take over your entire being. Unleashing a threat, the likes of which hadn't walked the Earth in centuries. Something that Libra simply wasn't equipped to deal with, nor could it be reversed.

He outright hated this with every fiber of his being.

"Klaus." Your voice, so quiet and frightened, it hurt the big man, "You know what you have to do. It's okay. I don't want to..."

"Liebling." THe tears in Klaus's voice broke your heart, "I'm so sorry."

"I love you Klaus."

The loud roar Klaus let out simply didn't register in his own ears. Everything seemed to crash around him as his own attack tore through your body, starting at that cursed timer.

Klaus hit his knees, sobbing at how things had to end.

"Auch liebe dich, mein Shatzi."

.

Steven

Oh no. This was bad. This was so very, very bad. How could Steven forget something like this? Had he really been that busy? That he would forget to plan anything for your anniversary?

What was he to do now?

While Klaus felt sympathy for Steven, most of the rest of the office did not. There was very little any of them could do to help, especially once Steven went into 'catastrophize' mode. Though one well-placed smack from K.K. made him stop long enough to realize he was no longer alone.

"Oh come off it Scarface." The blonde woman teased, "You know what you have to do. Don't sit there and pretend like you, of all people, can't come up with something before you ge home."

Steven groaned. Of course, K.K. would be right, Steven had at least half a dozen options off the top of his head. It would be all too easy for him to smooth everything over. But he was still stuck wondering how he managed to forget. You were the one person he would actually set work aside for after all.

It would all be fixed in a couple phone calls and a quick trip to the store to pick up a little wine on his way home.

.

Leo

Leo looked up at Sonic. The little imp had stolen his camera again, waving it over his head like some kind of prize. It wasn't enough for Sonic to just steal Leo's camera over and over again, no! The little white-furred demon had to keep taking lots of small, shiny things for his little collection. The camera was just the main reason either of you found his little stash. This was so frustrating. Why couldn't Sonic behave himself? Did he think he was playing hide and seek like this?

"Here ya go, Leo." You placed a slingshot in his hands, "This should work."

A tiny frown of disappointment formed on Leo's face as he looked at the small contraption. A simple stunning net contained in a tiny capsule, something made specifically to catch Sonic Speed Monkeys with.

"You know what you have to do." You urged, "It won't hurt your camera, trust me."

"But what if he falls?" Leo asked, "And how are we gonna catch both?"

"There's a built-in retractor thread." You pointed out how the seat of the slingshot had a fishing line tied to it, "Just don't miss."

"Loving the vote of confidence." Leo grumbled under his breath, "Alright then."

Interrogation [Everyone x Reader]

Requested by Anonymous 💬

The effort of knocking the target out left you feeling a little more bitter than normal. Though making sure everything was taken care of afterward would be a bit of a problem. You just weren't sure if it would be needed... yet.

"Let's just grab him and go." You didn't bother offering to pick up the man, "If I stand next to this gluten-free salad any longer, then I'm gonna start losing brain cells."

Klaus didn't hesitate, carefully lifting the enemy. Though Steven and K.K. were arguing about where to take them. As much as Klaus wanted to stop the fighting, it was you who had a plan.

"I know a place." You spoke up from where Leo and Zapp were arguing again, "It isn't that far either."

Chain landed on Zapp's shoulder, forcing him to fall over, "Good to know. But where specifically?"

"Couple blocks." You shrugged, "Not too far."

You had never shown anyone this apartment. It was for emergencies only. At least the cover stories were airtight. Not a single person in the nearby area could get hurt by this. And not a single one would question the number of people entering the apartment. Even if one looked like they just came from fight club.

~~~~~

Everyone looked around the simple apartment. Scented candles, soft tones, and not a single hidden compartment for weapons. No one expected this to be your apartment. Not even your lover knew about this place. And they were deeply concerned about just... why you had this and never told them at all.

Though, you didn't have the time to explain before your information target woke up. His wrists tied down to a chair, not allowing any kind of movement despite how much he tried.

"Oi!" He yelled, "Do whatever you want to me! You sprung a wild trap! My boss will find me and then this place will--!"

You couldn't take all these cliche statements. Slapping the man against the protests of Klaus and forcing him, almost forcing them all, to face what was going on.

"I rented this place on a shell corporation. My mail goes to another apartment building." You sneered down, "My neighbors think my name is Karume. My coworkers think my name is [Full Name]."

"[Name]," Klaus didn't know how to feel about this. Yes, everyone had their secrets, but a whole double life? "What of your neighbors? They could become accidental victims of this..."

No one knew what to say or think, not really. But the look on your face seemed to suggest you knew what you were doing. And it was true, here you typically acted like a meek, shy person. And in a building of tough strongmen, that meant you were perfectly safe.

Though you knew if you didn't explain something to Klaus and Steven at the very least then things could come crashing down. And so Steven and K.K. took over interrogation while Zapp dug around for some kind of booze.

Joke was on him though, you didn't even keep wine coolers here.

Once out of earshot, you turned to Klaus. He was clearly worried about you. Learning you had this place at all was quite a shock. It wasn't quite a betrayal, but it was something he didn't like to think about.

"[Name], What is this place for?" His hands were wringing themselves, "Your neighbors could be in serious trouble with all of us being here. Not to mention the tracking chip Leonardo confirmed to be in his neck."

"Easy big guy." You patted his arm, "This place is so far removed from Libra that it might as well be wrapped in a conspiracy, deep fried in a cover-up, and smothered in one of those tacky barbeque sauces that no one likes."

Klaus blinked a few times, visibly confused.

"It means that, at most, they'll find us." You sighed, "But they'll think we took pity on him and just wanted to help a poor man off his feet."

Klaus turned, that made sense on some level. He wanted to believe you, but something in the back of his mind just wouldn't rest. Though, the situation currently playing out was mostly to blame as Klaus could see the benefits of having something like this as a back up plan.

It wasn't long before Zapp caught ahold of your shoulders, "Alright Steven 2.0, I'll bite. Where do you keep the good drinks?"

"I don't keep alcohol here."

"Hanh!?" Zapp pushed off you, "What do you mean you don't keep alcohol here? What kind of hideout doesn't have booze?"

"The kind meant to keep a low profile, sparky."

Zapp rolled his eyes, "So why on Earth even have it?"

"Just in case." You sighed, "Ya know, when sh^t hits the fan."

"Bah!"

Zapp walked off as quickly as he showed up, waving you off like your place should meet his requirements. Not that anyone else was making any fuss over what was and wasn't around.

Though a loud smack from the living room caught your attention. Just barely having missed running right into Klaus on your way back into the room, you saw K.K. being physically held back by Steven and Zed, one arm raised over her head and both feet kicking wildly.

"K.K.! Relax! He's out cold." Steven gasped, "Why is this harder than the fight with the guy!"

You and Chain couldn't help but snicker at them. Though it would be far more difficult to get information when he wasn't awake. Unless Leo did a little snooping with his eyes.

Not that he could really pinpoint the information needed. Meaning the best you could do was prep a pot of coffee and hope for him to re-awaken soon. Though Steven cornered you quickly.

"[Name], I'm no stranger to keeping secrets." He leaned against the counter, "But none of us even knew you had a place like this."

"It's all legal if that's what you're asking." You folded your arms, "I wouldn't bring any of you here if it wasn't."

Steven nodded, setting his cup on the counter, "Why would you bother keeping this place like this? Other than situations like this."

"Sometimes I just need a place to exist, ya know? No expectations or anything." You sighed, "Sometimes that's here, sometimes that's my place. Just depends on me."

Steven nodded, "Yeah. I understand what you mean. Just a little worried about why."

You nodded. After having spent most of the day placating everyone, assuring them this was perfectly okay. Sadly Leo and Zed weren't convinced as easily as Klaus or Steven. But at least Chain wasn't trying to ask a million questions.

K.K. however, was not going to let that slide.

"Explain this now!" She had you trapped in a corner, "And none of that running around you normally do [Name]."

You sighed, "It's just a little backup plan for stuff like this. Nothing more."

It felt like K.K. was trying to stare into your soul. One eye against two as she kept backing you into the corner.

"I swear," You couldn't do more than raise your hands in surrender, "It's just a hideaway home. Only meant to wait in the wings for things like this."

The soft moan from K.K. as she tried getting more out of you was tense. You weren't sure why she was directing this toward you and not the target, because this kind of interrogation would probably make the guy crack in three seconds.

Snugglezzzzz [Steven x Reader]

The early morning sun shouldn't have reached Steven from here, but one ill-placed mirror had made things all the worse for him. He didn't bother to sit up. Though to his surprise, he was on the couch still. The supremely comfy pillow had turned out to be your upper thigh and the comforting feeling was just you, absently messing with his hair even in his sleep.

Steven did his best to stifle a deep yawn. And it seemed to work, as you didn't even bother to stir one bit. Just the same lazy barely going back and forth in his thick, dark hair.

The soft smile on the older man's face was one he didn't get to wear that often. No, he found himself frowning so much that a moment like this was just too serene, to the point it almost felt like a dream.

One Steven really didn't want to wake up from that is.

He tried to stretch, though all the movement caused you to wake up yourself. Barely moving, one arm rising slowly as you also stretched. Reluctantly, Steven sat up, watching as you rubbed your eyes.

"That was not the first time we fell asleep like that." You yawned.

Steven nodded, "Probably won't be the last, sadly."

"Sadly?"

"Well, I mean..." Steven looked like a little lost puppy, "With how late I work and all..."

It was so easy to calm your dark-haired lover. He readjusted without a second thought as you leaned against him. Though his thoughts weren't so easily tamed...

"Steven, hon." You looked up at him, pressed tightly against his chest, "You know I love you right?"

"Yes...?"

"And you know I understand the nature of your job, right?"

"Yes..."

"Then there isn't anything you have to be upset over." You kissed the tip of his nose sweetly, "It's a demanding position, and your boss trusts you enough to be his right hand. Late nights are a given."

The slight pause in your words had Steven sweating a little. He wanted to fill the silence, but you kept going.

"Makes the time we can be a normal couple all the more special."

"Yes." He relaxed, wrapping both arms around you, "I agree."

Interrogation 2 [Everyone x Reader]

Requested by @fandomjumper28 😬

Things were just going so very slowly, this guy was still not talking after nearly a day of hard interrogation. From trying to play good cop, bad cop, to just everyone taking turns. By the time it finally got around to your turn, you were tired of waiting around.

Pulling your emergency supplies out of the secret hatch in the closet, you were stopped by Klaus.

"Why... why is that bag clanking?" He wasn't sure he wanted to know, "What do you have hidden in this apartment?"

"It's fine." You waved him down, "This will just speed up the process."

"Not so fast [Name]." Steven tugged the bag, just enough that you dropped it, spilling a wide range of torture devices, "Yeah, no. Not going to let any of these touch this guy."

You let out an agitated sigh. For all of three minutes, the target was horrified by the scattering of metal objects. All the movement from across the room had been short-lived due to how quickly your ideas had been shot down.

"Alright then, plan B."

Leo and Zed picked up your "tools" so you couldn't sneak one or two into your pocket. K.K. was still busy with her turn of interrogation, so she couldn't scold you too. Though Zapp had to be held back by Chain using her phasing through his liver.

Klaus was almost beside himself when you came back with a large greatsword. At least it was in a scabbard, for now. And Klaus was going to make sure it stayed that way.

"[Name], this isn't proper interrogation protocol." He cut you off again, "Would you please put that away."

"Wait, where did you even get a sword?!" Zapp blurted out, "I thought you didn't keep any of this sh^t here!?"

"I don't travel anywhere unprepared." You crossed your arms, "And c'mon Klaus. He won't crack if we don't use a little force."

Steven sighed, "No, hand it over [Name]."

Groaning loudly, you handed Steven the heavy weapon. It was still your shot at the target. There was still one trick up your sleeve, literally.

They couldn't disarm you as you tilted the chair back, pulling a straight razor and pressing it against the man's cheek. Even with Klaus and Leo in the background trying not to shout at you for having something sharp so close to someone's neck... again.

Steven just had to hold both of them back, reminding them that one wrong move could end in you accidentally killing the only source of information Libra could even get close to. Zed was very busy holding K.K. back, needing to cling to the doorframe, several using his blood threads.

Spilled Tea [Blurb Cannon]

Requested by Anonymous 🔥

No one was expecting the lights to go out. Even more worrisome when a sniper laser began tracking through the living room. Klaus had been quick to put himself between danger and everyone within arms reach, following your instructions to duck into a narrow passage. Trusting you when you said it lead to a secret bunker. Given everything they thought they knew had long since gone up in smoke over the past 24 hours, it wasn't difficult to think you still had tricks up your sleeve.

What they didn't know, what you had to explain after the fact, was how you had planned the chaos. Using the cover of dark to wreck your own apartment with a slingshot while Detective Law pointed a high-power laser pointer to mimic a sniper. You had packed everything of value while others were fruitlessly interrogating the man you'd managed to capture. Explaining you planned to throw the place away with the end of the lease agreement happening the day after. Needless to say, it left everyone shocked for a couple days, with you stashing the "second-life kit" in your actual apartment.

.

Klaus

"L-Liebling," Klaus didn't like prying, nor did he want to tell you what to do... and yet, "Are you certain all that secrecy was necessary?"

Your raised eyebrow had Klaus doubting himself, "It's just that... You do know you can tell me when something feels off. I'd hate to hear second-hand that you were hurt or targetted or-"

"Klaus, it was never an issue of trust or feeling secure." You sighed, setting the teacup down on its saucer, "I just wanted to make sure I had a fail-safe for those... extra dangerous targets."

Scratching the back of his head, Klaus stopped mid-breath as you went on, "I mean, what are we supposed to do with targets like that? Risk taking them to HQ? Bring them here? Or to Steven's place? Or anyone else's for that matter? Having a place like that apartment in my back pocket just... it just..."

Klaus reached across the small garden table, gently squeezing your hand. He could tell you were at a breaking point, that explaining yourself and your feelings was still quite a difficult undertaking. But he also knew that simply reminding you it was okay to vent fully was the right thing to do. Klaus would always be there to listen, and to remind you it was all going to be okay.

"It just," You exhaled deeply, "It makes things just a bit easier for me to deal with knowing that I am prepared for every situation. Cause frankly, sometimes just carrying a f&^king tomahawk on my hip isn't enough."

You didn't want to admit to the bright pink rising on your cheeks as Klaus chuckled at your... non-joke. But for now, the matter was dropped. For now at least.

.

Steven

Finger's idly tapping on his mouse, Steven sighed. He had been mulling over that incident for the past two weeks. And none of it made much sense.

Sure, he could understand a few secrets here or there. A weapon stash, an arcane lock system. Even your preference for older 'junk' cars was perfectly normal to Steven. But a whole separate apartment? That felt like a little too much.

Unable to handle the weight of all these questions without answers, Steven picked up his phone. You mentioned needing to look for a new backup place, and he wasn't entirely sure about waiting for a face-to-face talk.

"Hello?"

"[Name], are you busy?"

"Not particularly, just signing paperwork. Why?"

"Can you talk?" Steven's eyes lowered from the monitor to the keyboard, "About the last place I mean."

"Not right now." That uneven tone meant you were trying to make this sound normal, civil. More secrets to blank-faced strangers who would never guess that the new neighbor was really a... "Could I call you back? Maybe an hour from now? Or I could just pop over for a visit if that's easier."

"An hour?" Steven's fingers drummed the desk impatiently, "Meet me at Broskette in an hour. We can get coffee before we get to my apartment."

"Oh, so you're still at work then?"

"Yeah. But there's not much left to do. Schedule's pretty clear and all."

"Alright, yeah. I'll see you then."

The talk over coffee hadn't gone nearly as smoothly as Steven had hoped. Resulting in quite the spat between the two of you, arguing over keeping secrets. Deep down, Steven knew he was just as bad, if not worse about keeping secrets. He couldn't truly have an open communication relationship, not when his secrets would get people hurt.

But you weren't backing down. It shouldn't matter how many secrets either of you kept, you would die on that hill. You couldn't help but feel like Steven was ignoring what you were saying. That you just wanted to be ready for situations like that, how it felt like he couldn't trust you to know what's good.

Storming out of his apartment with bitter tears clinging to your lashes was the worst feeling in the world. And as much as Steven instantly regretted letting you leave, he wasn't quite fast enough to catch you before you sped off. Tonight would need something a little stronger than wine to cope with himself. And tomorrow would come with a lot of explaining...

.

Leo

This whole thing was a little too much for Leo. He knew you were prepared for basically every situation, but for whatever reason, this felt like a step too far. But Leo couldn't put his finger on why.

Why did this bother him so much?

"Leo?" You nudged his arm from across the table, "Everything okay?"

"Huh?"

You tilted your head, "You're stuck in your own head again, aren't you?"

"It's just..." He scratched the side of his face, "The whole thing with the second apartment. The second life stuff."

"What does that matter? It's just a thing to fall back on."

That rubbed Leo just slightly the wrong way. He couldn't pin down why, but hearing you be so nonchalant was just a little too much.

"I mean, it's f&^ked sure. No one should really need a backup apartment. But then you get a job like this and..." You sipped your drink to avoid coughing, "Well, with a past of not being able to trust a whole lot of people. You can see why I didn't think to tell anyone. Even you."

That made things a little better, but Leo still didn't like how you could so easily dismiss it. This isn't exactly something he could forget about any time soon. Maybe this time it won't bug him so much, he already knows that you will have a second apartment. Maybe...

.

Zapp

"So, you and that other apartment... uh..." Zapp didn't know how to start this conversation, he wasn't the kind to talk. Especially not about this but, "Any other uh... things you wanna fess up to or...?"

"I don't have any other romantic partners if that's what you're asking." You were a little preoccupied with your game to really dive into this right now, "But I did find a decent little chuckle-f^ck neighborhood. Just gotta fill out the lease tomorrow and--"

"C*CK-S#^KING A$$ HOLE! MOVE OUT MY G*D D^MNED WAY SO HELP ME!"

Zapp leaned over your shoulder. For such a chill-looking game, it was full of fuzzy animals for f^cks sake, you always seemed to cuss at it like you were dying to a boss or something. Then again, if the same little f^cker was in Zapp's way and constantly talking... he could understand it at least.

"B^tch." You muttered under your breath, "Anyways, yeah. Everything'll be settled and sorted by tomorrow."

"M'kay, not exactly what I was getting at Steven 2.0."

"Then what?"

"What do you mean 'then what?'!" Zapp frowned, "You're basically domestic Rambo... or is it Metro Rambo?"

"I think the term you're looking for is prepared."

"It most certainly is NOT the word I'm looking for you walking armory! You're a mini Chief with Steven's disposition!"

You looked at Zapp, "If I didn't have that apartment, we wouldn't have gotten the answers we needed, right?"

"Well... I mean, I guess."

"So I'm not Rambo, I'm just prepared."

"Yeah right." Zapp scoffed, "You carry at least three blades on you at all times, even in the shower!"

"I do not!"

"You so do! I've seen them! You were pulling them out of your hair!"

"Those were bobby pins you demented orangutang."

Zapp was not about to back down from this. He knew you always had weapons on your person. This was going to be a long night...

.

Zed

It felt like Zed had brought this same topic up at least once a day, but he never was able to get a straight answer. As much as he didn't want to constantly pry, he did need some form of closure over this matter. In one day he went from believing he knew his partner to thinking they were a complete stranger again. It was the kind of mental whiplash that made his head hurt.

But he really didn't feel like he had much of a choice.

"[Name], I know you probably don't want to talk about this, but..." Zed sat up a little on his side of the couch, "You never have given me a decent answer about that apartment. Why you had it in the first place and why you feel you need another."

Letting out a deep sigh, "It isn't strictly to keep secrets or anything. I just... I feel better if I have something like in my back pocket, ya know?"

"No, I really don't. That's why I'm asking you." He shifted to face you a little better, "I don't understand what would drive a person to having a second apartment, even if does help with one's job."

You stopped. Normally Zed did get things like this, without the need for you to explain in detail. It wasn't exactly the kind of thing you liked fessing up to, since it would make it seem like you just didn't trust him. And that couldn't be further from the truth, you just never knew when the right time was to bring up a literal safe house to your partners.

But you couldn't very well keep stalling, Zed did deserve an answer at least... even if it was a difficult one.

"So, I've always struggled with being able to trust other people." YOu started, "And not knowing when to bring things up until it's absolutely necessary. That said..."

Zed's jaw hung limp. He wasn't expecting you to have that kind of a past. It had him feeling a little guilty about pushing so hard for answers. Then again, if he'd gone through the same kind of situation, he would likely want to be as prepared as you were at all times.

Suddenly your "obsession" with weapons made a whole lot more sense.

Aftermath [Steven x Reader]

Requested by Anonymous 😰

Follow up from Cheater!!

No mission was worth his love life. Steven really should have planned this better. Not being able to find you anywhere in the building had him worried beyond belief. Was he already too late?

He knew doing this had been a mistake.

A glimpse of your evening wear had Steven stopping in his tracks, swiveling on his heel to begin chasing you down properly. He had to explain himself, he had to try.

It felt like Steven just barely caught your arm in time. Tugging you back to himself gently as possible so as not to hurt you more than he already had.

"[Name], Amor." His arms wrapped around your waist instantly, "Please, what's wrong? Talk to me?"

You turned away, unable to free yourself from his grasp, "This wasn't how I thought our first date after a couple months of work getting in the way to go. And it makes me question a lot."

"It isn't like that, I promise." Steven tried pulling your chin to face him again, "I, I didn't want to..."

"But you did." Your hurt tone pierced Steven like a knife, "You brought me here tonight. I don't know what you were doing, but I know what I saw."

Steven's arms tightened around you, "It... that... I..."

"You can't even give me a straight answer, can you?"

The way Steven was fidgeting with the back of your clothes had you on edge. Either he was thinking of a lie or...

"I shouldn't have brought you to this." Steven sighed, "This wasn't exactly a date date. I needed to be here, to gather information about something for work. That woman was our best chance of catching a highly dangerous group of people."

You could barely think clearly to form a coherent sentence. Steven could barely look you in the eye. But he kept talking, even against his better judgment. It felt like he was digging his own grave with every word.

"You were never in danger here, mind. I would never have done anything like that. But I should have warned you what would happen. What my typical role at work is."

Steven couldn't help but shake, clinging to you loosely with his head down. He almost looked like a small child, knowing he would be in trouble for telling the truth.

"You're right." You finally broke the silence, "You should have told me upfront what was going on here tonight. Instead of framing it like a date."

The way Steven looked at you was just pitiful, like a lost puppy begging for a place to stay. But he didn't argue, he wanted you to be upset with him. Steven knew that if the shoe had been on the foot, if he had seen you with someone else like that... Well, he would have handled it much differently. But he would have been just as deeply upset at the situation.

"I'm not saying it wouldn't have still hurt to see all over some ridiculously attractive woman that I just can't compete with in a million years," You couldn't keep the hurt out of your voice any better now than earlier, "But at least I would have known what was really going on with you and not had to just find you like that on my own."

"Amor," Steven's voice was low with unspilled tears, "You would annihilate a woman like that in every sort of competition, especially when it comes to your looks. She was never any form of threat to how I feel about you."

The blush running rampant across your face was not helping, "Oh? You really think that silver tongue is going to get you out of trouble?"

"Uh, I uh..." Steven flushed a little, faltering at the sadly truthful accusation.

A soft sigh escaped you. It was clear how badly Steven was wrapped around your finger. For now, you could forgive and forget. Though you wouldn't be letting Steven forget to warn you over something like this.

Frozen Blood [Steven x Reader]

It put Steven on edge to be so deep in the pits of the Eternal Hollow, but saving you from your own kind was the top priority right now. Why the blood breeds were being so active had everyone on edge. No one knew what happened, no one knew what to expect. When a large, muscular blood breed just kidnapped you in front of Libra, everyone threw their best at the beast.

But it wasn't enough.

Now the eerily quiet, blood-soaked walls of the inner sanctum of a massive blood breed castle served to put everyone from Klaus to Leo to even Zapp on nervous edge.

"Christ, it's like a damn boss fight room." Zapp was just trying to fill the air with something, "How do we know this wasn't all a trap? I mean [Na-"

"[Name] wouldn't betray us like that." It was the closest Klaus came to snapping at anyone, "They were abducted against their will. You saw it clearly as the rest of us."

Steven kept his mouth shut. If it weren't for Klaus being so adamantly stubborn about your innocence, Steven would have likely killed Zapp long before now. He wasn't in a proper head space to think rationally, not with you in danger.

Or at least, he thought you were in danger. There was a nagging feeling that this was just a giant trap. Not one you were trying to be part of, no. Just that you were the clear bait for Libra to found here all at once. It only made Steven more desperate to find you.

A chorus of dark laughter caught everyone's attention, "So, you would risk it all for a single member, eh? What fools."

Hearts sank as everyone prepared for the worst. They should have known this would become a trap. But Klaus would never let a single comrade go through this alone.

"Forgive me," Klaus was never the first to be rude but, "The only fools are those who mess with our kind."

The laughter that followed Klaus's words made Steven's blood run cold, "Your kind? You can't possibly mean to tell me you think of [Real Name] as a fang hunter?"

"Of course they're a fang hunter!" Steven snarled into the shadows, "You don't know a thing about them!"

"We know they're weak. That they chose to be weak and ally themselves as a traitor."

A heavy sounding door slid open, a mass of limbs tossed out. The figure hit the ground with a sickening splat. Steven's heart seemed to freeze over, that was you. All broken and bloody, looking as if you'd been ripped apart by wild dogs.

The pure, unfiltered rage Steven felt caused him to shake, violently. He would make these creatures pay with their tainted souls for what they did to you. It didn't matter how many he had to fight.

"They're not going to be--"

"Enough Zapp!" Leo smacked the silver-haired man in the back, "[Name] would never turn on us and you know it."

Despite the heavy wounds that weren't healing over, you stood. Steven wanted to rush to your side, but he still had to be sure you wouldn't attack.

Steven Head Cannons

He has a small room, maybe just a closet he repurposed, full of books. Not research books, just novels he likes or wants to read at some point

He wants to try writing a book, but he doesn't have the time for it. Poetry, on the other hand, he will write Haikus in his spare time

He keeps a stash of spicy chips in the apartment, no reason for it... he just likes spicy foods and chips are convenient

He secretly loves watching cake decorating videos, he considers it art (especially the ones where the cake ends up looking life-like)

^ Yes, he loved the trend (and meme) of "Is it Cake?"

He only has social media accounts for work, he doesn't like social media at all (But social media loves him *wink wink*)

While he does love slow dancing with his partner, that won't stop him from just... dancing like the wine drunk aunt at the wedding (especially if it gets you to laugh)

He knows how to style hair... (do with this what you will)

He keeps a couple adult-sized onesies in the back of his closet for extra cold winters (and winter movie nights)

He adores being alone with his partner, even if he has to make up a reason why it'll just be the two of you

PKMN AU 1: He has a Dolliv (soon to evolve but he pampers it) that was one of the offspring of his Mother's Arboliva (which was descended from his Grandmother's Arboliva)

PKMN AU 1&2: He has a Scovillain. He found a little baby Capsakid and trained it

Children of Libra AU: He has a bulletin board in his private office at Libra office where he puts up drawings from his kids and other small projects like poems and short stories they've written

Splintered Blood [Steven x Reader]

Requested by @anonymous-104 😰

Seeing you shuffle forward slowly, Steven hated the edgy feeling. This was you, he shouldn't feel so uneasy as you approached. But you were still a blood breed, and you were hurt... badly.

It took every ounce of your concentration to ignore that sickenly dark call. You could easily drink your fill of fresh blood, but you weren't unhinged enough to mistake friend for foe. You knew what you needed, but you could never do that...

Steven sat up, sweating bullets and looking all around. He was still in the hospital, that fight had drained everyone to their limits. It was a miracle to get out of the Eternal Hollow alive. But the fact that Steven couldn't remember what happened, just that he woke up in the hospital... it was unnerving.

Worse yet, Steven didn't know where you were. Not knowing where you were and not knowing how they got out of the Hollow was doing a number on Steven's psyche. You were a blood breed after all, there wasn't much to suggest that you were capable of doing all of this while fending off other, seemingly more powerful blood breeds.

This whole situation had Steven on edge.

The taping on the darkened window sill didn't help any. Though the shadowy silhouette was vaguely familiar. A glint of red eyes and fangs was off-putting, but somehow Steven felt relaxed. Safe, impossibly so.

"I can't enter without permission." Your voice was calm for someone perched on a twentieth-story ledge, "Considering it's a hospital and all."

Steven couldn't get up to open the window himself, and yet, "Please, come in [Name]."

Sliding into the window, you stumbled upon landing. There was still a large wound on your side from how slowly you were getting blood. It was a delicate balance to not go after all the blood you needed to heal properly. Straightening up and approaching the bed, Steven watched every tiny movement.

"What happened?" He was ashamed that he was even slightly scared, "I don't know how I got here."

Stopping just shy of his arm, "Well, I almost lost control. But I managed to pull everyone out of there."

"And the other blood breeds?"

"I may or may not need to stay away from Libra for a while..." You rubbed the back of your head, "For everyone else's safety. I know there's at least seven more trying to track me down."

Steven sat there blinking, it was difficult to accept. Given that this could take a long time, perhaps longer than his lifetime. But he knew all too well about staying away from people to protect them.

"[Name], don't go just yet."

"I..." You tried taking another step to the open window, not wanting to leave Steven like this, "I have to... I don't want to put the rest of the hospital in danger."

"Please, just one thing."

Steven reached out, only barely capable of doing so. Beckoning you back to himself. You followed effortlessly, despite the nagging correct voice telling you to run.

Leaning over the dark-haired man, you hesitated to kiss him opting to bump foreheads instead. Slowly nuzzling, relaxing as his smell calmed you. Leaving would only be harder with every passing second, even if you could lean on Libra's help to deal with this problem... it wasn't entirely certain what would happen. And right now, they couldn't do anything until they were out of the hospital.

"You don't have to do this alone." Steven whispered, "We could help you with all these blood breeds."

Sighing softly, "Not until you're out of the hospital. And I'm trying to get this finished as fast as possible. Hopefully we won't have to be apart for too much longer."

Steven didn't want to let go, but he did. Watching you leave through the window was still heartbreaking, but he could hope you would let him help you. Steven wouldn't give the blood breeds hunting you any kind of mercy, he just needed you to let him help.

Kekkai Sensen characters as Jello Apocalypse's So This Is Basically Legend of Zelda video quotes (cause my brain is stuck on meme mode...)

Klaus: Sometimes he's young, sometimes he's hot, sometimes he's toon, sometimes he's not. But he's always HYEH!

Steven: I mean, you don't need that last Heart Piece Container. You'll just have nineteen of them up there on your screen, daunting you.

Leo: HYEH missed orientation and has to prove himself every game to the finicky goddesses.

Sonic: Where... Where'd you get that heart Picori? Where'd you get that?

Zapp: Uh... I'm feeling like a... pshshshbt... a pizza. A Hero's pizza, but its gonna need the sacred toppings.

Zed: Ever wanna kiss a fish on its fishy fish lips? Look at all these attractive fish! You can kiss this fish, or this fish, or this fish! The fish-abilities are end-fish.

Chain: Zelda chills out in a dungeon somewhere and makes HYEH pick up her dry cleaning.

Dog: Why did I get this thing again?

Gilbert: Good luck hitting me with that 19 year old control scheme! Ugh, they got the 3DS remake... doesn't count.

K.K.: Zelda doesn't have a personality, except in Windwaker where she's a cool pirate. Oops, boring Princess mode activate...

Daniel: Sometimes he shows up at the end of the game and uses the darkest magic of all... plagerism.

Raju: Ganondorf is a wizard, who doesn't know what wizards are...

Femt: Ganondorf wants to take over Hyrule for... reasons...

Aligula: In Breath of the Wild you can unlock her personality, yep... that's. That's what I'm focused on it these cutscenes...

Work Vacay

Steven just wants to relax... but first he needs to set up his little area to relax... and that means multiple trips between the car and the spot and just... meh

Memory Dump [Steven x Reader]

Requested by @anonymous-104 🫣

Throbbing pain in your head brought you back to reality. A bright light, the overpowering smell of clean assaulted your nose. Pieces were falling into place slowly, the last thing you remembered...

Mist settling in over the city, buildings lifting themselves. Ripping away from their foundations and flying off in slow circles. Bits of rubble floating off in strange directions as gravity upended itself.

Something had struck you in the back of the head. The most recent thing was a hazy image of Klaus and Steven hovering over you. Klaus must have taken you to the nearest hospital after you passed out. You weren't so sure that would help your situation.

Building up your confidence to ask Steven out had been going so well up until that point. But then he saw you like that and now your confidence was shot... again.

.

Steven was just concerned, he should have been able to catch you during the last mission. He knew that a fall from that height was far more serious than a normal battle. Jumping at the phone as it rang, Steven had his keys in hand the second Dr. Estevez mentioned that you were finally awake.

Two weeks of pacing around your shared apartment was torment. But you were okay, everything was going to be fine. Right. Right?

Only now Steven was pacing around the waiting room while Dr. Estevez questioned you. Klaus made his attempts to calm the dark-haired man, yet that fell on deaf ears. Everything felt like a hazy dream, good or bad remained to be seen.

"Well, she's cognizant," Dr. Estevez stripped off her latex gloves, "And seems to be in good health, except for a bout of amnesia."

Klaus stood, just barely catching Steven's arm from dashing right into your room, "Amnesia? Would you please elaborate Doctor?"

"Well, she seems to remember the Great Collapse..." The tiny doctor shrugged, "But I couldn't get much else out of her. Though part of it could be from the major concussion of the incident. We won't know for sure until after a two week observation period."

Steven didn't need an explanation, he needed to see you. Dragging Klaus like a bizarre parachute, Steven pushed through the door.

You seemed to be perfectly fine, sitting calmly on the bed. While Steven relaxed, you tensed up. Without a clue as to why Steven would be like this, you just tried to ignore how hard your heart was beating. He was too handsome, you knew this from the moment you saw him.

But Steven never seemed aware of this. Or your crush on him.

"[Name], how are you feeling?"

Looking down at your hands, "I'm okay. I will be at least, how much paperwork do we have waiting at the office?"

"You needn't worry about that." Steven sat next to your bed, "What matters is that you heal up and return home."

The squirming feeling deep in your stomach wasn't helped by how protective Steven sounded over you. Almost as if he were commanding your health into existence.

"Ah well, after what just happened..." Scratching the back of your head and looking to Klaus for some kind of help, "Is there even a home to return to?"

Both men stopped abruptly, blinking at each other. This was an interesting predicament.

"[Name]," Klaus tilted his head, "What day do you think this is?"

Tapping your chin, "Can't be more than a day or two after that crazy--"

They followed your hand as it waved, fingers wiggling in the open air. Words couldn't describe the Collapse, even now. But if that was truly what you remembered...

"That was three years ago." Steven sighed, "You're in here this time for falling off a building. Klaus managed to catch you, but you were limp before you could hit the ground."

~~~~~

This had to be Steven's worst nightmare. You were still here, but you weren't his anymore. He could tell that you were back to before your first date. Steven knew you were a complete stranger to him now, at least... He could say he knew you, but it wasn't the same.

You weren't the same person he was in love with.

And it took every ounce of his willpower to not do anything with you. Steven just wanted to be able to hold you again, this wasn't fair.

.

Sitting in the breakroom, you were talking with a new guy. He said he'd been here for a while, that the two of you were at least somewhat friends. You couldn't see a reason to not trust him. Even if he was lying, he was like five foot two, it would be all too easy for you put him in a headlock and force the truth out of him.

"So how's Steven been taking all this?" Leo asked, "You staying at the office and all?"

"What do you mean? Why would Steven care where I stay?"

"Well, cause the two of you are... Wait, do you not remember?"

Shaking your head slowly, you had no clue what he was talking about. Steven was far out of your league, and after what you heard happened you had all but given up hope. There was no way Steven couldn't find someone a thousand times better.

Leo groaned under his breath, "I probably shouldn't say anything then. Don't wanna risk hurting you."

"Hurting me?" You nibbled a fry, "Are you trying to say Steven and I are an item?"

Steven froze outside the door, just far enough away that there was no way either of you could notice him.

"Ah, well... I really shouldn't." The small male repeated, "It wouldn't be good if you relapsed or something. And Steven would be the least of my problems if that happened..."

Humming slightly, "I don't believe you. Steven can do so much better than me."

His jaw dropped, Steven didn't want to stand here and listen to you downgrade yourself like this...

"I mean, he's super smart, super handsome, and pretty much the one who gets sh^t done around here." You kept going, "At least when it comes to information gathering and paperwork. Like sure Klaus and Gilbert are forces to be reckoned with, but Steven's a whole other beast."

"Thanks [Name], really feeling the love." Leo sniped, "I get some of what you mean but-"

Nothing would stop you from steamrolling the conversation, "He just has this charm, ya know? Especially when he's a little bugged and tugging at his tie. Or how his voice deepens when he's muttering under his breath, the casual Spanish thrown in for good measure."

Leo covered his ears, "LA LA LA LA LA LA LA I CAN'T HEAR YOU LA LA LA LA LA LA."

Slowly dying on the wall just beyond the breakroom door, Steven had heard all of this from you directly. Sure it was softly, while the two of you were sleepy and about to pass out but...

"Ah, there you are Steven."

Klaus jumped back a little as Steven stood up straighter than ever. A little too loud there Klaus...

Seeing Leo and yourself poking your heads out from the breakroom, Steven wished he could melt. Or turn invisible, either one would work right now. The only face brighter than Steven's was your own, that silent plea for information confused Klaus. But Steven could only muster an apologetic look toward you.

Yep... you two were perfect for each other, with or without memories. Deeply embarrassed about the entire situation, neither of you could look the other in the eye... especially in front of others.

.

Later on that day, when Steven thought things had calmed down; he was determined to make a small attempt to fix the eavesdropping situation. Approaching you at the end of the day, slowly though... he didn't want to make things worse.

"Uh, [Name], do you have a moment?"

Turning to Steven, face flushing on command, "Uh, yeah... sure."

"I wanted to apologize for earlier." He scratched the back of his head, "Eavesdropping on you while you were talking to Leo that is. I didn't mean to do that."

"Ah... uh, well that's okay. Its gotta be pretty weird to hear something like from someone like me."

Steven grimaced slightly, "It really isn't. I can try to explain if you'd like."

Whumptober 2023

Day 2: "I'll drink myself to death" [x Steven]

Another quiet evening weighed heavy on Steven's shoulders, another heavy clink of glass on wood. Your injuries had been too severe, and it was all his fault. If only he had been more observant, if only he had been faster, if only... if only...

If only...

So many things he could have done. And you wouldn't be...

"Steven."

Jumping to face his friend, Steven had really hoped Klaus would stay away. Because the darker-haired man knew exactly what he was about to hear, what his friend would say.

"I know how you must be feeling, but this isn't-"

"Klaus, not tonight. I know [Name] asked you to check up on me. But I'm fine."

Gesturing at the bottles, "Forgive me Steven, but that doesn't appear to be the case. The amount of alcohol you're drinking feels excessive."

"I'm perfectly fine." He snapped, "It helps me think."

"Does it? Or does it allow you to blame yourself?"

The sharp clink of glass on wood should have broken the glass in Steven's hand, but he had just enough restraint to avoid that.

"[Name] wouldn't want you to be this harsh on yourself. It is a part of the job to--"

"So what?" Steven stood on wobbly legs, his poison of choice affecting him more than normal, "I should just act like this is a good thing? That I didn't f*&k up and get the love of my life hurt? Yeah sure, part of the damn job. But that doesn't mean I can't feel like sh^t when it goes tits up and I'm left alone due to my own careless error."

The apologetic look on Klaus's face was interrupted by the ringing of his phone. As if you had the ability to sense what was going on, calling from the hospital.

"Yes? [Name]." Klaus answered without hesitation, "Is everything okay?"

Steven felt his mouth go dry. Suddenly he wanted nothing more than to hear your voice. Even if that meant you yelling at him for drinking this heavily.

"Unfortunately he..." Klaus stopped for a second before holding the phone out to Steven, "They would like to speak with you."

Holding the phone as if it were made of glass, "Steven, what are you doing? Please don't tell me you're drinking all the liquor in the house again. What's wrong?"

Two words, out of all that, two words broke the usually calm and collected man. He couldn't answer for his throat going dry, seeming to close up with the things he wanted to say. Broken apologies clouding his mind's eye.

"Steven? Hello?"

"Mi Amor..." His voice was hardly a whisper, "I... I'm just..."

Collapsing back onto the couch, knowing he wasn't making any sense, Steven tried to figure out what to say. How to word this without making you worry more than you already were.

"I... I suppose I'm drinking myself to death." He finally choked out, "I should have--"

"Steven Alan Starphase," Your voice was much sharper than normal, thought this was normal for when you'd scold him, "Don't make me come home and put you in a headlock. Broken leg or not, I'll do it."

"No, please." Sobering up with only a little coaxing, "Just... stay in the hospital. Don't strain yourself too much. I... I'll stop. I promise."

"You better, or I'll have Klaus drag you back here."

Steven glanced up at the confused and concerned man, politely staying out of the conversation until it was over. The darker-haired man chuckled slightly, knowing Klaus wouldn't do so without good reason.

Then again, how much he was drinking and why was probably enough for the over protective man standing in Steven's living room right now.

"I'll behave. I swear." Steven's weak smile was being threatened with tears, "Please, get some sleep. It's rather late and after everything-"

"I'm not the one who needs a lecture about getting rest." You scoffed, "But I'll see you tomorrow morning. And if you have bags under your eyes and alcohol under your breath..."

"I won't." Steven straightened up, "I'll be there bright and early, mi Amor. Te amo."

"Te quiero mάs."

Steven handed the darkened phone back to Klaus. Slowly explaining what you had been threatening him with while cleaning away the terrible coping mechanism. Much to Steven's surprise, Klaus let out a soft chuckle himself; off-handedly stating that he would do so upon your request. If only to get Steven to behave himself.