Veggie Writes - Tumblr Posts

AHHHH! I LUV THIS! THANK U SO MUCH!!

2. Kissing their rosy cheeks when it's cold out.

Definitely reminds me of Host and Night in DemonHunter au! 😍

2. Kissing their rosy cheeks when it's cold out. ----------

Host let out a breath through chattering teeth, the snow slowly piling on his shoulders as he walked, his cane leaving lines in the snow on the sidewalk. He had stubbornly stayed at headquarters much longer than he should have. Despite several warnings of the upcoming snow from the others, he decided to finish his task and was now dealing with the consequence of his choice. 

“What are you doing?” A sudden voice made Host instinctively react and swing his cane toward the source. The cane got caught, and the strength behind the hold and how it got placed right back down told Host who was with him. “What are you doing?” Night asked again. 

“I am walking home.” 

“Alone? In the middle of the night? While it’s freezing and snowing?” 

“You sound like I am incapable of handling a simple straight-forward walk.” Host scoffed and started walking once more. 

“I know you can handle a walk just fine. You’ve had your fair share of killing Demons as well. But-” Night’s voice dropped, and he hugged Host from behind. “-there seems to be a very powerful Demon on the loose tonight that’s very hungry~” 

“Really?” Host let out an annoyed sigh but did lean himself back against Night. “Is this how you chose to flirt tonight?” 

“What? Am I being too forward?” Night chuckled, nuzzling his face against the crook of Host’s neck, his much warmer body feeling good against his cold skin. “You always seem to appreciate when I’m fairly blunt.” 

“Couldn’t wait until I got out of freezing snow?” Host’s tone was teasing. 

“What can I say? You’re very irresistible.” Night chuckled. 

“Is that how I managed to get the creator of Demons wrapped around my finger?” Host hummed.

“I wouldn’t put it like that.” 

“I would. If I told you to let me go and finish my walk alone, would you?”

“Oh, hush.” Night mumbled and kissed Host’s cheek, seeing how red they and his nose were. “You really are cold.” 

“Have we not been saying that it’s freezing out here?” 

“Enough, sass. Let’s get you home before I have a popsicle for a mate.” 

“Me? Sass? I would never.” Host’s smile was large as Night groaned loudly. 

“You’re lucky I’ve claimed you.” Night moved to the front of Host and picked him up, something they’d both grown accustomed to whenever Night wanted to go somewhere quickly. 

“What a shame.” Host chuckled, tucking his cane between his arm and side as his other arm went around Night’s neck, and he kissed the Demon’s forehead. “What a shame.” He repeated with another chuckle as he could barely hear a soft rumble of a purr coming from Night before they took off for his home.   ---------- Soft Kissing Prompts: Link

I feel like the Ipliers would be looking for their boyfriends only to find the all cuddling but they're asleep. They find it all adorable and take pics before they leave them be 😍

We still talking about cuddles on this blog XD

Imagine the Ipliers learning about the Septiceye cuddle-pile or witnessing it first-hand

Oh for sure. Dark would realize Wilford has been gone for a little while and then finds him in the cuddle pile with his JJ. He wants to sigh but he finds it kinda cute to see him like this and he leaves them be. 😊

We still talking about cuddles on this blog XD

Imagine the Ipliers learning about the Septiceye cuddle-pile or witnessing it first-hand

I love it! That spice at the end tho yowza 🥵

Ink Month 2023 Day 14

Precious

Night was sitting on the couch in the dimly lit room. The TV had automatically turned off at this point, and the only light source was a dying lightbulb from a lamp across the room. He didn’t care; he couldn’t move. Host had fallen asleep during the movie they were watching, his head rested in his lap, and Night couldn’t bear the thought of moving and waking him just yet. 

“So soft.” Night whispered to himself, running a hand through Host’s hair. “So peaceful.” He paused when Host hummed and nuzzled his head against Night’s legs a little before going still again. Host was known as a threat, cunning, and able to take down middle-ranks and possibly even high-ranks on his own with just a bat, but when he was asleep, it reminded Night of what he actually was.

Human. 

His Human. 

Host was fragile compared to him, but he was still the most wonderful and precious thing in his life. He’d fight and kill anyone or anything that would risk taking Host away from him. Night never thought he’d be with another again, let alone another Human, after what happened with Day, but…here he was. 

“You are truly one of the most unique Humans out there.” Night knew Host couldn’t hear him, lost in his dreams, and that made saying the words much easier. “I know there are several other Humans with Demon mates, well, ‘boyfriends’ for some of them.” He softly chuckled, knowing that those who weren’t claimed yet were likely to go down that route soon. Their adoration of each other was thick enough that Night could literally smell it. He honestly probably was radiating the same scent as he gently caressed Host’s face, rubbing his thumb against his cheek before tucking it under his cloth blindfold and then removing it. 

Night knew he had permission to remove said cloth when it was only himself and Host around. He and Edward were the only ones allowed to see him without it, never wanting to worry the others about the damage done to his face and eyes. Night didn’t know the story behind the scars, though. He wondered if he would be told one day or if that would just always remain a secret. 

“They may be with Demons, but I don’t think any other Human could be with the creator of them.” He continued as his hand slid down Host’s neck and then paused just past the crook of it, right where a claim mark would be. “And, maybe one day, you’ll be claimed by him as well…maybe even allow yourself to be turned into a Demon so he’ll never fear losing you to age.” Night could feel that temptation crawling up his spine. 

Host was asleep. He’d have no idea it was happening until it was too late, and they could live their full potential together. 

No.

He can’t do that.

Not unless Hosts tells me that he wants it. 

But until that day comes, or if it never does-

“I’ll keep you safe.” Night kissed Host’s forehead. That was the final thing to finally wake him.

“Huh? Night? Did I fall asleep again?” Host mumbled, opening his eyes and showing Night the wide, endless clouds that they were. 

“You did.” Night chuckled.

“We’re never going to get to watch a new movie at this rate.” Host grunted as he sat up. 

“I’d watch the same movie for the rest of eternity if it meant that you got some rest.” Night leaned back against the couch with another chuckle. “Since someone works himself too much.” 

“I do not work myself that much.” Host huffed, turning around and partially crawling across the couch until he found Night’s lap and sat on it. 

“Really? Because the last time I checked, I have to quite literally drag you from your office nearly every, well, I’d say night, but it’s basically morning by the time I get to you.” Night teased, resting his hands on Host’s hips. 

“Then you should get to me sooner if it’s that big of the problem.” Host teased back with a playful poke to Night’s chest. 

“Or I could make it so you won’t be able to work the next day~” Night purred and tightened his grip on Host. 

“I’d like to see you try.” Host would have been purring as well if he could. 

“Is that a challenge?” 

“It’s a dare.” 

“Get ready, then.” Night stood up, lifting Host with him like he weighed nothing, and was out of the living room and to the bedroom in a blink. 

Perfection thank you so much for this!!🥰 💞

Oh Veg I've had a rough week at work and I just finished my last shift today and I'm tired. If I can request a little Noist fluff to make it all better I will be a happy girl

Here’s hoping the weekend is better for you!

This takes place in the DemonHunter!AU

-----------

“So this isn’t your full feral form?” Host asked, gently running his hands along Night’s horns, feeling the bumpy texture and poking the tip with his thumbs to see how sharp they were. They were lying on the couch together; Host leaned against the armrest, and Night rested his back to his chest, eyes half-closed as he felt the other’s hands basically massaging his horns. Unlike the average Demon, whose horns, claws, and tails didn’t show unless they were feral, Night could summon his willingly, or at least the basic version of them. 

“Yep. Most would likely call this my true form, and when I go feral, the horns and claws grow thicker, longer, and even sharper. The tail stays the same, maybe gets a little longer, but I wouldn’t notice since when I’m feral, I’m not aware of anything.” Night answered, voice getting a little slower the more he spoke, and he finished everything off with a yawn. 

“Is someone getting tired?” Host lightly teased.

“No.” Night muttered as his eyes fluttered shut when Host was back to rubbing his horns. 

“I don’t think I quite believe you.” Host chuckled, feeling Night relaxing more and more against him, putting his whole body weight on top of his torso. 

“Not tired….just calm.” Night protested weakly. He was losing his fight against sleep with each passing second, Host’s voice sounding like a lullaby. 

“Hmm.” Host hummed and then continued humming a soft, deep tune. 

“Not…fair…” Night’s voice started drifting as his body did the same. 

“It’s okay, Night. You can rest. I’ll stay right here.” Host promised, pressing a kiss to Night’s head, right between his horns, and was humming once more. Night couldn’t even say words this time, just mumbling something before it died off, and soon he was gone to the world, falling asleep on his mate. “Adorable.” Host whispered as his hands dropped into a loose hug, allowing himself to relax, too, and eventually ending up taking a nap with Night. 

Haha!

Playing around a little more with horned!omegaverse with Phantom doing some touch-ups to Jackie’s horns

----------

Phantom softly hummed to himself as he iced some sugar cookies he made. He planned on going out and dropping off some of the cookies to the others. Mare’s sweet tooth seemed to have gotten worse since he and Mad became mates, so he made sure to make an extra batch just for those two. 

“Phan?”

Speaking of mates. 

“In the kitchen,” Phantom called, placing one of his finished cookies aside to have the royal icing dry before putting it with the others in the box. Jackie had fallen asleep on the couch earlier, and his hair was just as spiky as his horns. 

“Cookies?” Jackie asked as he smelled the air. 

“I got bored and wanted to try a new recipe,” Phantom explained as he sat his piping bag down. “And you look like you had the best nap.” He added with a giggle, reaching up in an attempt to fix Jackie’s hair. 

“Would have been better if you were there.” Jackie grinned and got another giggle from Phantom. 

“You are adorable.” Phantom guided Jackie down to kiss his forehead, getting a better look at Jackie’s horns. “When was the last time I freshened these up?” He asked with a hum, gently holding one of Jackie’s horns and rubbing his thumb against it. 

“Don’t know. We’ve been extra busy lately.” Jackie shrugged. 

“I have to wait for my next batch of cookies to cool off before I ice them. Maybe I can paint you while we wait.” Phantom offered. 

“I’m okay with that.” Jackie almost had a purr in his voice.

“If we also had tails, you’d be wagging it.” Phantom teased. “Come on, let me spoil you a little.” He took hold of Jackie’s hand and walked them to their bedroom. Jackie bounced up on the bed and laid on his back, having the biggest smile as he waited. Phantom went to the closet and took out his bottle of horn-paint, giving it a little shake. “Might need to get some more horn-paint next time we’re out.” He commented as he grabbed the rest of his supplies of brushes, paper towels, and a bottle of horn-paint remover. 

The look of the store clerk’s face was still fresh in Phantom’s mind when he had bought all of this stuff all those months ago. Usually, when an omega bought horn-paint, they’d avoid the remover. Not even looking in the direction of it and often even going to stores that didn’t even sell it. It was considered a jinx to buy both paint and remover at the same time, a sign to fate to ruin the relationship. Phantom didn’t care about superstitions and only cared about making the designs on Jackie’s horns as perfect as possible. Erasers were just as useful as pencils when it came to art. Remover was the same for horn-paint.  

“We should buy remover again. The clerk’s faces are always priceless.” Jackie laughed. 

“They think we’re tempting destiny to ruin us,” Phantom said as he crawled into the bed. He sat his supplies on the bedside table and adjusted Jackie’s head to rest on his lap. 

“It’d take more than destiny to take me away from you. I’d fight the universe you keep you by my side.” Jackie’s smile was soft and tender as he looked up at Phantom. Phantom felt his heart flutter, and he leaned over, kissing Jackie with his own soft smile. 

“I love you, too,” Phantom whispered against Jackie’s lips. Jackie fully purred this time and lifted his head to kiss Phantom back. Phantom kissed Jackie’s nose and sat back up. 

Jackie’s smile stayed as he watched Phantom work. How he poured a small amount of remover into the bottle’s cap before doing the same to the horn-paint. The look of pure concentration on Phantom’s face as he picked up one of the brushes and started painting over the slightly faded lines on his horns. He could even see the tip of Phantom’s tongue sticking out between his lips as he worked on the thinner lines, hand moving with precise grace and confidence. Eventually, Phantom started using the remover to sharpen the lines, and Jackie swore he fell more in love with this man every day. 

One day, he’ll have enough saved to add more rubies to the dark silver chains on Phantom’s horns. Maybe he’ll even ask for a raise soon. He wanted the best for Phantom.   

“And done.” Phantom half sang as he set his brush aside. “Well, with the front, I’ll take care of the back after this dries.” He took his phone out and turned the camera on, having it front-facing as he held it in front of Jackie’s face so he could see his horns. “What do you think?”

“Perfect as always.” Jackie praised, always adoring the lace-like pattern Phantom painted. “Just-”

“Just like me?” Phantom said for Jackie and got both of them to laugh. “You always say that.”

“And I always mean it,” Jackie said.

“You do.” Phantom agreed and went down for another kiss.

----------

@bookwormscififan

Meeting A Magical Man Pt. 68

Part 1: Link Prev: Link Next: [TBA]

“Chase?” Mad barely had time to process that Chase was at the room’s door before he was snatched away. “Chase!” He started to run off for him, but a strong gust of wind sent him stumbling back.

“You have other worries, Madrick.” Actor now stood in the way, hands glowing. “You have too many people in your life now. Too many people to care and think about. Too much to focus on. And that has always been your problem. You lack focus.” He cast the spell again, using the air to create another gust of wind and sending Mad back to the wall. The fire around Mad’s body faltered at that moment, not getting extinguished but flickering as he recovered. “Congratulations on finding a mentor who managed to get you to not burn yourself, but did they teach you how to fight? How to actually use that magic of yours? Are you just all show?” Mad felt a headache forming, pounding and causing a sharp pain behind his eyes. 

He did not miss Actor’s lectures, his rambles about how terrible Mad was, and how he needed to do what he said to be able to do anything right. Marvin has explained things to Mad, lessons and helping, trying to vocalize the complexity that was magic. It all made sense. Mad would cling to every word. And most important of all, it was not annoying.

“Shut up!” Mad snapped. “Shut up, shut up, shut up!” Mirroring Actor’s spell, Mad sent a gust of wind toward him and caused him to fumble back until he hit a wall. “I’m not your apprentice! I don’t have to listen to you anymore!” Mad felt almost childish with his shouts, yet felt so good and freeing to let them out. “I’m done with you! I’m tired of your shit! I left for a reason, and I have never been happier! You can-” He paused when he felt something invade the space of his fire. Jackie had called it his flaming Spider-Sense, which got laughs from the others but left Mad confused, but regardless of what name they wanted to give it, Mad could feel when someone or thing was in his space when his fire was around him. He turned and held an arm up, using magic to toughen his skin and causing the chair Mike was swinging down toward him to break. “Mike?” Mad blinked at him, piecing together how Mike usually was, and assumed that he wanted to knock him down and the chair was the only thing light enough for him to pick up but strong enough to do what he wanted. 

“Don’t…” Mike held the piece of broken chair that remained in his hands, frozen as if paralyzed and unaffected by the flames' heat. He was far enough away that he wasn’t getting burned immediately but would start soon if he didn’t move. “Don’t fight. Please. Just…just go. Get Mare, get your friends, and leave.” His eyes were wide, filled with fear. 

“Mike?” Mad repeated in a softer voice, fire faltering for emotional reasons this time. That falter was a mistake since he couldn’t feel Actor in his space and got tackled. 

Mad felt his brain spinning for a moment after Actor punched him. He’s been slapped plenty of times, Actor’s go-to method when he spoke too far out of line. But to be punched was a whole new feeling. He couldn’t hear Mike yelling at Actor to stop, that they’d gone too far, to just let it go. Mad could tell there were voices, that the world was still happening. But he felt lost.

The second punch brought him back.

“Get off!” Mad cried out, flames coming back in full force, and he kicked Actor away. Actor grunted when he landed and didn’t take too long to get back to his feet, and when he looked back at Mad, he was greeted by the sight of two glowing palms. 

“You wouldn’t dare.” Actor said flatly. 

“To quote a friend of mine. You can suck an egg.” Mad said before sending a powerful blast of magical energy toward Actor, causing the wall behind him to blow out and send the man flying through the hole and down to the first floor. Mad stepped over to the damaged wall and looked down where Actor had landed. He cracked his knuckles before jumping through the hole and using magic to cushion his landing. 

“Actor!” Mike fumbled over his feet in his panicked run, getting a few steps out of the room before seeing Chase, Dark, and Anti. He froze when Anti turned his head to look at him, gun in hand. Dark noticed Anti looking away and turned his head with him.

“Mike,” Dark stated. “Brave enough to try something while I’m healing a wounded man?” 

“I…I just want to go home.” Mike said after swallowing. “I just want to get Actor and go home.” 

“Really sticking by that man’s side?” 

“I love him.” 

“You love a piece of shit.” Anti scoffed.

“I love the man he is when he’s not stuck up his own ass cause of his pride. He’s loving and adoring when it’s just us, but he’s scared to look weak around others.” Mike said, and Anti glanced down at the ground, face showing that he understood and didn’t like it. 

“Whatever. Get out of my way.” Anti pushed past Mike and went into the room, finding Mare curled up on the ground. “That explains the fireball.” He clicked his tongue as he went over and crouched down. “Hello?” Anti poked Mare’s shoulder and didn’t get a reaction. “You’re going to be pissed and thankful at the same time.” He shook his hand in the air until sparks formed. “Time to wake up.” He placed his hand on Mare’s chest, sending the electricity through him. 

“Holy shit!” Mare cursed as he sat up. “Oh fuck!” He cursed again and put a hand over his chest. “Anti?” 

“Chase said to give this to you.” Anti held the gun toward Mare.

“Me? Why?” Mare said his words between sharps breathes. Getting air in his lungs hurt more than it ever should. His heart was racing from the electrical magic, and he wasn’t sure how long that’d keep him going.

“I don’t know. Chase got stabbed and told me to give this to you.” Anti said everything with a casual shrug. 

“He got-where’s Mad?” Mare hissed through closed teeth as he stood up. 

“First floor, fighting Actor.” Anti put the gun in Mare’s hand and then helped him walk over to the hole in the wall. 

“He’s…He’s fighting Actor.” Mare leaned against Anti as he watched the scene below. How Mad was surrounded by his flames, and Actor was getting off the ground, clothing covered in dust and rubble. 

“Think Mad’s got it in him to kill a man?” Anti asked. 

“I’m worried that he does.” 

----------

Tags: @brokentimewatch @bookwormscififan @d-structive @rainymae523 @ashtonisvibing

Damn what an ending

Meeting A Magical Man Pt. 69

Part 1: Link Prev: Link Next: [TBA]

Marvin turned his head at the sound of the wall being destroyed. He watched as Actor flew through the air and landed on the ground. 

Actor was still moving, still breathing. He was still alive. 

But with that look of pure rage in Mad’s eyes as he came down to the first floor. He might not be for long. 

He let his aura drop, more than confident that Mad could handle himself or, at least,  the others still standing would help since his mind returned and his focus returned to Chase. 

“If I wasn’t the one dealing with this poison bullshit, I’d be impressed.” Dark huffed as Marvin knelt down with him. 

“How’s he doing?” Marvin asked, placing a hand on Chase’s cheek and looking at him. 

He was pale. Very pale. 

“Alive. I’m certain adrenaline’s running out. Chase is going to feel the last bit of the healing. If you want to do that one trick you and JJ have, I suggest doing it now.” Dark was used to the smell of blood, but even he appeared to be done with it. 

“Hey, babe.” Chase held out the words and weakly laughed. 

“It’s okay, darling. You’re almost better.” Marvin knew he had handled the man who had done this to Chase. The cracking of his bones as he was slammed into the wall still echoed in his brain. He’ll get over it eventually. He always did.

“I’m, like, so warm, and-” Chase’s comment turned into a pain-filled scream. 

“Thought it’d hit sooner,” Dark said almost too casually. “Hold him still, or he’ll ruin everything I’ve done before I finish.” 

“Chase, Chase, sweetie, you need to stay still for a little longer.” Marvin pressed his hands to Chase’s shoulders. 

“It burns! Stop! Stop!” Chase screamed, legs kicking as if he was trying to run. 

“I need a minute!” Dark raised his voice so he could be heard over Chase. 

“I hate doing this,” Marvin said to himself. He shook his hands in the hair, getting them to glow before pressing both of them to the center of Chase’s chest. The glowing seeped into Chase and slowly started showing in his skin, going in lines that appeared to follow his veins. 

“I…I can’t feel anything.” Chase blinked away the tears that had formed in his moments of pain. His entire body was numb. He couldn’t move, paralyzed by magic. 

“It’s okay. Everything will be okay.” Marvin spoke through gritted teeth, tense with concentration. 

“Done.” Dark pulled his hands away. “Keep that up for a little longer to be sure he won’t start screaming again.” He looked at himself and his hands, caked in blood, and knowing that it was a miracle Chase was alive. 

“Shit.” Marvin only lasted a few more seconds before he stopped the spell, panting heavily and feeling pure exhaustion hit him hard. “I hate doing that so much.” 

“Longest you’ve been able to hold that spell,” Dark commented. “More practice and-”

“Shut up.” Marvin cut him off. “Not now.” 

“Understood.” Dark nodded

The three were too busy to notice Mike sneaking past them, walking with soft, deliberate steps before running over to where Mad and Actor were still fighting. 

Mad’s magic was more powerful, but Actor had much more training in fighting, knew how to move, to be one step ahead, and to conserve his energy. Actor was still going strong, but Mad was getting tired and stumbling, and Actor took one of his stumbles to his advantage. There were large chunks of debris from the hole in the upstairs wall, and, using some magic, Actor sent one of the pieces flying and slammed it into Mad’s side, knocking him over and pining him down with it. Actor knew Mad wouldn’t stay down long, so he lifted another piece and was ready to slam it down on Mad’s head. 

Everything happened in seconds, including the firing of a gun that sent a bullet through Actor’s leg and made him fall. 

Mad got the debris off of himself, beginning to feel the warmth of his own fire, a sign that he would lose control if he didn’t finish this soon. He stood up, legs trembling, desperation coursing through him, and felt a sickening coldness take over as he held a hand out toward Actor. A rope of flames came from what surrounded Mad and wrapped around Actor’s neck, hoisting him in the air. Actor screamed and clawed helplessly at his own neck, trying to get the fire off of him, but each movement caused the hole in his leg to bleed more, blood dripping to the floor, and his fighting got weaker and weaker. 

“He’s going to kill him,” Anti commented from where he and Mare watched. 

“Send me down there,” Mare said, dropping the broken, empty gun, hand pressed over his aching ribs, body begging for rest, but he refused to stop. 

“What? Dude, you’re a walking-”

“Send me down, or I’m jumping down there myself!” Mare snapped. 

“Fine, fine. Geeze.” Anti snapped his fingers and saw Mare appear on the first floor on Mad’s side of the room. 

“No!” Mike screamed, running to Mad and grabbing his arm, ignoring the pain as he got burned as well. “Let him go! Let him go! Please! Please let him go!” His voice cracked as he begged for Actor’s life.

Mad’s eyes looked empty as if he wasn’t there anymore. He didn’t react at all to Mike, to anything around him. He was tired. He was so tired and just wanted all of this to end. 

“Mad.” Mare spoke softly and walked up behind him. Even in his altered state of mind, Mad’s flames didn’t hurt Mare. “Starlight.” Mare placed a gentle hand on Mad’s shoulder and whispered in his ear. “Let him go.” There was a pause. It only lasted a second, but it clung to the air for what felt like forever. 

Eventually, Mad let his arm drop, nearly knocking Mike over, and his fire vanished. Mike scrambled over to Actor while Mad stared off at them. Mad sniffed and looked at Mare. 

“I want to go home.” 

“We will.”

“Wilford, mind healing up, Mare? He’s holding himself like someone with broken ribs.” Anti said after appearing next to Mare and Mad. 

“Ask JJ to numb him. It’ll make the healing go smoother.” Dark stated. Marvin and Chase walked over with him, Chase leaning against Marvin.

“We can do that back at the house.” Mare suggested. “I don’t think any of us want to stay here longer than necessary.” 

“Jackie?” Phantom moved his hands from Jackie’s eyes to his cheeks. 

“Are you done?” Jackie asked, voice soft.

“I’m done. I think I got your eyes are back to how they were before.” 

“Everyone else okay?” 

“They’re okay.” 

“Cool. Plug your ears.” 

“Why?”

“Trust me.” Jackie waited until Phantom covered his ears before letting out a shout. “Mother fucker! That hurt like a bitch! God damn! Holy shit balls!” 

“Jackie’s fine,” Marvin said with a weak giggle. 

“Dark.” Anti’s voice was quiet, but Marvin could pick up the firmness in it. “Don’t.” Marvin looked over his shoulder and saw that Dark had a glowing hand toward where Actor lay, Mike trying to cover him as much as he could with his own body.

“Hold him, please.” Marvin handed Chase over to Wilford. “I’ll be a moment.” He said before Chase could protest. 

“A dead man is a man we no longer have to worry about,” Dark said and breathed heavily through his nose when he had both Anti and Marvin lowering his hand. 

“We got this. Trust me.” Anti said, and when Dark said nothing, he moved to stand between Dark and Actor. “Do you trust me?” 

“I do,” Dark said with a sigh. 

“Then go wait with the others. Me and Marvin will only be a minute.” Anti waited as Dark hesitated before sighing again. 

“Fine. But I’m coming back if you take a second longer than a minute.” Dark warned before walking off to where everyone else was gathered. 

“Mare shot him somewhere he can recover from and still walk. He might have a limp, depending on how good the doctors you go to are,” Anti said to Mike, arms crossed and speaking casually. Marvin reached into his pocket and tossed a tube of burn cream. 

“I made the burn cream with magical elements. I’ve worked enough with Mad’s fire to know how to heal its effects. Rub that on his neck, and he’ll survive.” Marvin placed his hands on his hips. 

“What?” Mike picked up the tube. “Why?” 

“Because it’ll hurt him more to know he’s only alive because we let him live,” Marvin said. 

“Make sure he knows that if he ever tries to fuck with us again, there won’t be mercy.” Anti added. 

“Good luck.” Marvin clicked his tongue as he and Anti walked off. 

“We’re just leaving them?” Chase asked.

“Yep. Let’s go home.” Marvin took Chase from Wilford. “Can you send us back, Wilford? I think I’m out of juice.”

“Can do!” Wilford’s cheery tone felt strange with the rest of the energy in the room and, with a snap of his fingers, sent them all away from the mess of bodies, blood, and pain. 

----------

Tags: @brokentimewatch @bookwormscififan @d-structive @rainymae523 @ashtonisvibing

Don't Starve Emotions Ch. 11

AO3: Link

Beefalo Spotting

“So…what do Beefalo look like?” Jackie asked, both hands resting on his forehead, using them like a sun visor. 

“You’re just now asking this?” Phantom asked back with a laugh. “We’ve looked the whole day, it’s literally turning into dusk as we speak.” The sky changed colors while he was talking, adding to his point. 

“I was hoping you’d notice it first or it’ll be like really obvious but it just hit me that there’s a chance I’ve missed it because I know nothing about this game.” Jackie had a weak laugh with his confession. 

“Well, you’re right about it being really obvious and we definitely didn’t pass by them. Even without knowing you would absolutely have some sort of reaction if you saw massive mammoth-size fluff balls.” Phantom’s laugh was stronger. 

“Oh yeah, no massive mammoths.” Jackie lowered his arms when there wasn’t sun in his eyes anymore. 

“I hope we find them soon. If they’re too far away, we’ll need to move camp since we can’t use a whole day just to travel whenever we need something from the Beefalo, but we can’t be too close if we end up here through more than one season.” Phantom slipped off his backpack and pulled out the supplies to make some torches so they could continue searching through the night. 

“What changes with seasons?” Jackie asked, taking the grass and twigs that were handed to him. 

“Babies.”

“Babies?” 

“The Beefalos get red butts, get aggressive, and then they have babies.” Phantom went ahead and made a torch as the sky started going dark. Jackie quickly made himself a torch as well

“They get red butts and have babies?” 

“They go into heat.” Phantom held his torch so his face was lit perfectly for Jackie to see. “Can’t blame their aggression. Who doesn’t get a little spicy when horny?” He winked at Jackie before walking. Jackie had to pause and take a moment to get his brain back into his head, knowing the warmth on his face wasn’t from the fire he held. He only needed a few big steps until he caught up with Phantom.  

“Hopefully we get out of here before-” Jackie’s comment got cut off by a deep rumbling sound, something he just couldn’t quite place what it was, almost making him think it was a damaged trumpet. “What?”

“Beefalo!” Phantom cheered and took off. Jackie was again caught off guard and had to chase after Phantom, using the light from his torch to know where to go. “They’re even cuter in person!” 

“Holy shit.” Jackie knew Phantom said the Beefalos were going to be big, but he never imagined they would be that big. Mammoth was an accurate description since they were the size of elephants and looked like puffballs of fur. 

“Look at these handsome fellows.” Phantom chuckled, walking up to one of the Beefalo and gently petting their side. The Beefalo made another rumbling sound, much softer than what they heard earlier. 

“I get their name now,” Jackie said as he joined Phantom. “Like buffalo.” He smiled when Phantom laughed, a soft, kind laugh. 

“It’s not so bad once you get into it.” Phantom stepped closer to Jackie until their shoulders were touching. “A lot of things sound scary and confusing but it’s actually really fun and nice.” 

“Yeah…” Jackie nearly whispered his agreement, seeing that his hand was getting closer to Phantom’s. He thickly swallowed as he slowly moved his hand, feeling a flutter in his chest when he placed his hand on top of Phantom’s. That fluttering grew as Phantom kept his hand in place and looked at him. Even with the limited lighting, Phantom’s eyes were shining bright and his smile was even brighter. 

Jackie felt those thoughts from before returning, thoughts of how Phantom was never afraid to be himself, blunt in the best way but also willing to go out of his way for those he cared for. How he was fun and charming and able to make anyone laugh…and then that fear hit him as well. It hit him hard when he noticed Phantom leaning closer to him, the sun rising and adding beautiful hues to the world around them, making the moment perfect. 

It was more than perfect…

And that terrified Jackie.

“We should let the others know we found the Beefalo.” Jackie turned away, breaking the moment himself this time. 

Maybe he should talk with Chase about this. He hated the pain in his heart this was causing him and it stung more knowing he was likely hurting Phantom as well.

“Oh…okay.” Phantom tried not to sound disappointed, lowering his torch to make it stop burning as he walked with Jackie.

x~x~x

“The more seeds the better. If we find Beefalo, then we can make gardens and those make much better foods to put into our crockpots.” Mad said as he flipped through the blueprint book, noting what they’d need to make more supplies. “Berries are nice but we’re going to want more filling food before we run out of those.” He had been walking in circles, trying to put things into organized piles and Mare had literally grabbed his shoulders to make him be still for a moment and it technically worked, aside from Mad’s hands on the book. “When Phantom and Jackie get back, depending on where the Beefalo are, we might have to move camp, if not, we can work on making chests which means we’ll need a lot more wood and I mean a lot. If we’re trying to make everything while surviving we’re going to need a lot of things and some of the stuff we need doesn’t stack and we’ll need separate chests for those items so they don’t-”

“How do you still have air in your lungs?” Anti said with a laugh. “I don’t think you’ve breathed once during all that.” 

“I bet the talent was very nice when he and Mare were having fun earlier.” Marvin chuckled.

“Did you guys actually fuck out there?” Anti asked Mad, who went stiff and red in the face. 

“Much braver than me and that’s saying something.” Marvin nudged Mad with his elbow and he and Anti started laughing when Mad just blushed deeper. 

“Alright, that’s enough. We-”

“There’s Phantom!” Mad slipped away from the three and rushed to meet Phantom and Jackie. 

“We found Beefalo, about a day away, we might want to move just a bit closer,” Phantom said as soon as Mad reached him. 

“Were there a lot of them?”

“A whole field and then some.”

“Perfect!” Mad was back to buzzing with endless thoughts. “After Illinois and Yancy return with more rabbits, we’ll start packing what we have and use Bing’s map to decide the best place to go. Maybe there’s a rock field we can camp near as well, we’ll have to check for our bird friend, we’ll need to warn everyone about that and-”

“Mare, your boyfriend’s not breathing again!” Phantom called out with the biggest grin. 

“I am breathing!” 

You're tugging on my heartstrings 💔

Magicians Don't Need Superheros Pt25

First: Link Prev: Link Next: TBA

A quick warning that toward the end of the chapter, there is some discussion of medical trauma, but nothing too graphic in detail

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Marvin was slowly beginning to hate the examination room as he sat on the now fully flat examination chair with Jackie beside him. The mud on his body was drying and flaking, which meant it was doing the same in his hair and that feeling made him want to throw something across the room. Jackie was scratching off the dried mud on his hands, causing it to powder and make it look like he had ash all over his lap. 

“Considering that the redness is only within the iris of the eye, I do not think they have been given a disease,” Henrik said to the audience in the room, crowding it and adding to Marvin's discomfort. 

After word of the Ego being an Iplier got out, a handful of them showed up at the House, demanding answers. Well, Dark was demanding. Wilford, Illinois, Yancy, and Google seemed to just be there since it was expected. Henrik had asked where Edward was and apparently, Host was having, as Dark had put it ‘difficulties’ and was handling him at that moment. Anti and JJ were also in the room but on the other side, Robbie being the only Septiceye missing, playing with CJ and RJ outside. Marvin could see them through the one window of the room, chasing each other and throwing armfuls of leaves. He wished he could be out there right now, playing, not a care in the world. But no. Now he was back to being poked and prodded at to figure out what was wrong with him. 

“Marvin, I am going to prick your finger,” Henrik said, getting Marvin’s attention back to him. 

“Have at it.” Marvin held his hand out, watching Henrik use a similar method he had done with Robbie, taking a drop of blood before turning away to the counter. Marvin stared at the drop of blood that formed after the prick and just blinked when Chase used a tissue to clean it off and applied a small bandaid. 

“You good?” Chase asked.

“I want a shower.” Marvin sighed. 

“Can’t blame ya. Hen’s got this like fancy hair stuff you can borrow.” Chase gestured at his own hair.

“Jackie told me about that.” Marvin softly chuckled.

“That is…odd.” Henrik mused out loud. 

“Odd is not a good word to use after looking into a microscope,” JJ commented. 

“He says it about me all the time.” Anti shrugged.

“He’s looking at Marvin, not you.” JJ reminded.

“Ah, shit.” 

“I am going to need a bigger sample and one from both of them,” Henrik said. “Anti, can you text Madrick that I will need him and the other two? This is more complicated than I expected.”

“On it.” Anti clicked his tongue, pulling out his phone and typing away. 

“Let’s get Jackie done and over with,” Dark stated. “We’re missing Edward, so it will-” 

“No, no, no.” Jackie scrambled off the chair and to his feet. 

“You know how this goes. It’s beyond annoying that we have to, but to ensure the safety of yourself and others we need to follow Henrik’s directions.” Dark slipped off his blazer, as if worried about getting it dirty. 

“We’re not-no-no we’re not.” Jackie fumbled a bit, trying to be as far away from Henrik and Dark at the same time. Henrik held up his hands to show they were empty, but it didn’t help Jackie. 

“Jackie, bro, it’s okay.” Chase put himself between Jackie and Henrik. “Let’s just take some deep breaths.” Marvin noticed that Anti was helping Henrik out of his lab coat. “We can do a lap around the House while Hen takes care of Marvin, alright?” 

“I don’t think he should go outside in this state,” Google stated.

“Then we’ll do the lap inside,” Chase said through gritted teeth, not showing anger but trying to hint at Google to let him handle this. Jackie still looked panicked and tensed up more as Dark got closer. His eyes shifted around the room, trying to focus and he went still when he saw the lab coat in Anti’s arms. 

“Get away!” Jackie suddenly cried out, shoving Chase and Dark away from him. 

Anti yanked Henrik out of the way and caught Chase before he slammed into the counter’s edge and Wilford caught Dark before he hit the wall. Illinois moved in front of Yancy, JJ checked on Henrik and Google just watched everything as Jackie sprinted past him. 

“Jackie!?” Marvin called out and ran off as well. 

“Marvin, wait!” Chase held his sore chest as he tried to get up. He stopped when Wilford snapped his fingers, a puff of pink coming off of them. “You did not.”

“They need a moment,” Wilford said. 

“That’s not what I meant.” Illinois sighed.

x~x~x

Marvin lost his footing for a moment when the surface he was running on changed. The strong scent of bubblegum told him that Wilford had something to do with it. It took a second but Marvin soon discovered he had been sent to the basement of the House, standing in front of the steps. Jackie had seen sent with him and was curled up in a corner of the room. 

“Jackie?” Marvin walked over. “Jackie, are you okay?” 

“Don’t-!” Jackie flinched when Marvin got near, looking up at him and pausing. “I’m…” He swallowed and looked around. 

“It’s just me, Jackie.” Marvin sat down on the ground, crossed his legs, and prepared to wait. Jackie stayed tucked in the corner, almost a full minute of silence hung in the air. “That fear with the drawing blood stuff, it’s a lot more complicated, isn’t it?” Marvin asked when Jackie’s breathing began to even out. 

“Y-Yeah.” Jackie slipped down and sat on the ground, tucking his knees up and hugging them. 

“Have you talked to Henrik about it?”

“No.” 

“Have you talked to anyone about it?” 

“Not really?”

“Does anyone know?”

“Yes.”

“Who?”

“Chase and Anti.” 

“Those nightmares…are they memories?” Marvin moved so he sat right next to Jackie, leaning his back against the wall. 

“Yeah,” Jackie confessed, hugging himself tighter. “It’s from when-before-before they got me to the House. It was months before they could get me.”

“Months? I was out there for only weeks and that was hard as hell even with your care packages.” Marvin heard a light chuckle from Jackie, hoping that meant he was feeling even just a bit better. 

“I didn’t want to risk you doing what I did.” Jackie lifted his head, resting his chin on the top of his knees. 

“What you did?” Marvin echoed. 

“Previous me knew how to scrape by and make money when in desperate need. I was always on the move and kept making messes trying to figure out the world and how things worked and I ended up seeing the whole country several times by the time I got to a point that I knew I needed to settle for more than a few days.”

“Saw the country several times? How did you travel so much and fast without a car? I know you can run but that’s a lot.” 

“Trains, semi-trucks, big vehicles you can like hide on or slip into and just nap for a few hours. Sometimes I made just enough for a bus pass and I slept on there and got off at the last stop. It’s not easy, but I found a way.” 

“And then you decided you wanted to stay somewhere more permanently?” 

“Yeah. I had forgotten everyone by that point and it…it wasn’t fun doing that alone.” Jackie felt a hand on his back and he turned his head, seeing Marvin giving him a soft smile. 

“Thank you for being there for me. I’m sorry you had to do that without anyone.” Marvin could still feel that ache in his heart from that moment. He didn’t know if he could have done that without Jackie there. 

“It let me learn just how far my strength can go when I’m upset. Thankfully the building I found was abandoned so when it fell no one was hurt.” Jackie weakly laughed before clearing his throat. 

“What did you do after that?”

“I went to a city library and…borrowed a card from someone to use the computer. After some research, I found out about the city’s desperate need for blood donations and…other…donations.” Jackie let his legs fall and covered his face with his hands, rubbing at it as if trying to scrub the memories away. 

“You donated blood?” Marvin placed a hand on Jackie’s arm, gently coaxing him to lower it. He wasn’t trying to get Jackie to talk out of curiosity, but out of knowing that talking about the troubles helped process them better than bottling them up. 

“The first time went perfectly. They paid me twenty bucks and gave me a cookie and some apple juice. Then I came back to do it again and there were a lot more people than before. The kind nurse was missing and the doctor wouldn’t look at me while these new people took over and walked me into the back of the hospital. I thought that maybe something went wrong I didn’t hear about and they increased security.” Jackie grabbed Marvin’s hand and squeezed it, using it to ground himself as he just couldn’t stop talking. It felt so nice to finally explain this to someone. “Then they started asking a lot more questions about how I treat my body. What I ate, how I exercised, who my parents and grandparents and great-grandparents were. I tried to answer them but I didn’t know anything. They asked if anyone was waiting for me…I told them no.” 

“That wasn’t a good thing.” Marvin practically whispered.

“No…” Jackie shook his head. “They said-They told me they were going to help me. That I would be a hero by donating more since I could handle more than the average person. So I did. And they took blood. And they took and they took and they took and then they started taking more from my body.” Jackie’s voice cracked. “The bone marrow hurt the worse. They just stuck this massive fucking needle into my arm and there were days I felt so…hollow. They took all they could and left me in a white room for a day to recover and did it all over again.” 

“Holy shit.” Marvin squeezed Jackie’s hand back. 

“I thought I was a hero. That I was helping so many people but I was so empty. I couldn’t use my abilities when I barely had enough blood to breathe so I was trapped even when I wanted to leave. I told them to give me my money and let me go. But they didn’t. Then I begged to be freed, they could have their money, I just wanted to see the sun again.” 

“How did you get out?” 

“Anti and Chase found me. Host got a vision of where I was since I was finally in one place and they went to get me. Chase was assigned, and Anti was there to help.” Jackie was beginning to look tired. “Anti broke in and he…well…he took care of those doctors.” Marvin didn’t need Jackie to give details about what he meant. “Then he burned the place down and made sure everything was destroyed while Chase got me out. He held me while I cried, while I broke down and felt so lost and confused and afraid of everything. Chase told me everything was going to be okay, that he’d keep me safe.”

“Like a parent?” 

“Like a parent.” Jackie blinked away tears that were trying to form. 

“Would you like a hug?” Marvin asked, nearly falling back when Jackie just launched into him. “I said a hug, not a tackle, you dork.” He joked lightly, happy to hear Jackie chuckling at that. Marvin wished there wasn’t anything else going on, knowing Jackie just shared a lot all at once but their eyes were still red. And the mud was getting itchy. “Jackie?”

“Yeah?” 

“We’re going to have to go back to the room soon.”

“Yeah.” 

“And I really want to get this mud out of my hair.” Marvin was now the one chuckling as Jackie broke out into a laugh.