[peevedpigeon]

★ AO3 ★

╰┈➤ Destiny and Doom [DS1&2]

Falling in love with Higgs Monaghan ruined your life, but his death saved it; how happy you were, until he rose from the grave. [finished]

★ Part 1 - Destiny ★ Part 2 - From the Grave ★ Part 3 - Say It [smut] ★ Part 4 - Love ★ Part 5 - Hate [smut] ★ Part 6 - Doom ★

╰┈➤ Homo Demens; Cult of Higgs [DS1]

A version of Death Stranding 1 where the Homo Demens are more of a cult, with none other than Higgs at their head, and you a devoted subject. Each part can be read as a standalone, but are listed in chronological order for a full story experience. [ongoing]

★ Part 1 - Russian Roulette ★ Part 2 - Reward [smut] ★ Part 3 - Lesson [smut] ★

╰┈➤ Two Faces [Pre-DS1]

There exist two faces to Higgs Monaghan; the particle of god, and Peter Englert. You have been witness to both. [finished]

★ Part 1 - Drowning ★ Part 2 - Peter ★

╰┈➤ One-Shots

★ Addicted [smut] ★ Pizza Delivery! [crack] ★ Ruin [smut] ★ Devour [fluff] ★ Need Assistance [crack] ★ Okay [fluff] ★ Don’t Get Distracted [fluff] ★ Stay With Me [angst/fluff] ★ Semantics [crack] ★ Another Pizza Delivery! [crack] ★

╰┈➤ Requests

Requests are open, so feel free to send me your ideas/prompts! That being said, I will not write for: noncon, any form of bigotry, anything underage, incest (also including fauxcest & mommy/daddy kinks), pregnancy (including breeding kinks) or real people (things may get added here as I remember them). I will write for pretty much anything else but I enjoy angst A LOT as well as darker themes and smut. :3

AUs ↓

★ Rockstar AU Part 1 ★ Rockstar AU Part 2 ★ Fem!Higgs ★ Redemption!Higgs ★ Cowboy AU ★

Smut ↓

★ Hot Spring ★ Jealous!Higgs ★ Artist!Reader ★ Male!Reader ★ Vampire!Higgs ★

Others ↓

★ Male!Reader ★ DOOMS Sufferer!Reader ★ The Luxor [angst] ★ Bridges!Reader ★ I am Yesterday [angst] ★

cr. @/eldritchblep for the banner artwork <33

cr. @/suupersonic for the divider <3

[peevedpigeon]

HELLO!! Long time lurker from Ao3 and decided to make a tumblr acc so I could see more of your stuff :)

First of all I LOVE LOVE LOVE the rockstar au and your cult of Higgs series. They’re both just chefs kiss~ but I can’t stop thinking of Higgs in his porter disguise from the first game and how he makes himself to be a shy little cutie pie. It’s probably asking for a lot since it’s not a super detailed request (I don’t write myself and I’ve never made requests before so bear with me) but I’d love to see something where a porter (that probably knows nothing about Higgs) is charmed by him at the workplace and he decides to keep up the act of being an awkward newbie at work just for fun. Something something maybe there’s an HR violation wink wink. I’m sure he would love playing pretend ;)

Again, your work is SO GOOD AND I EAT IT UP EVERY TIME so keep doing what you’re doing and thank you for what you’ve provided to the community of us Higgs whores <3

Also if it could be with a fem!reader that would be pretty cool 👉👈 OK BYE

Omg thank you so much!!! My poor AO3 is very neglected lol.. I’ll update it soon

As for your request, I have a few with similar concepts that I haven’t posted over there just yet:

Peter is a Porter!Higgs POV sorta thing; it can be read as a standalone but it’s technically a part two to Drowning.

This request is about a Bridges!reader that Higgs bothers at work. And this request is similar, without the established relationship (but with some fake dating 😌).

I hope those suffice for now, but I’m noting your request down and will get to it sometime in the future! I love the idea of Higgs acting awkward so much lol. That being said, I write a gender neutral reader in all of my work, or male if requested. I’m nonbinary so I just prefer writing in a way that’s inclusive to my fellow queers :3

But thank you again, your support means a lot to me! 🥲🫶

[peevedpigeon]

Another Pizza Delivery!

DS1 Higgs x Reader // 2k words // Obsessed With You - The Orion Experience

Part 1

In which you accidentally deliver a pizza to the most dangerous man in the world... for a second time.

Tags: crack (with a side of angst?), stalking, kidnapping, gender neutral reader, Higgs gets super jealous :3

A/N: While this one is technically a part two, it can still be read as a standalone! <3

Taglist: @starshinedowo @sanguis-ghouls-blog @mikaela-homura @raeyanetta @higgsmonaghanlvr @thehouseoflore @cosmiccomrade @higgstoucher (lmk if you wanna be added/removed! <3)

｡𖦹°‧⭑.ᐟ

Higgs was agitated. It had been a month since you walked so beautifully into his trap; delivering a pizza to his very home, meeting face to face, allowing him to bask in your presence… It had all been so perfect. Yet, you’d done a good job at concealing yourself since.

Your devices were always monitored by the man before, and now was no different. However, any time he tried to check in on you, all he was met with was a blank screen. Your cuff link was entirely offline. Perhaps he’d gone too far, scared you too much, made you feel unsafe. 

He sighed as he sat down at his computer. Glancing over at his stack of pictures of you, it saddened him to know no new ones had been added in so long. Even your shelter was abandoned by you. Just where did you go?

Well, time to see, he thought to himself, not at all hopeful that today would be any different.

Pulling up your hacked cuff link on his monitor, his heart nearly stopped when he saw your location back online. Not only was your information updated, but it was also moving; you were working a delivery.

He shot up out of his seat. Higgs’ eyes were glued to the screen, taking in the influx of information.

They’re on a delivery. Not too far from here actually. Should go see…

Without a second thought, he jumped from his shelter to catch a glimpse of the rabbit who managed to elude the hawk for far too long.

Landing on a hill, his eyes were swiftly able to find you by a river. He couldn’t help but smile as you struggled to place a ladder down. Shaking feet tested the structure’s integrity before you used it as a makeshift bridge, crossing the angry waters.

Then, it hit him; your pack was replaced with a thermal insulated one, and the way its contents were situated told him all that he needed to know.

You were delivering a pizza.

His eyes narrowed as he pulled up his own hacked cuff link. Sifting through your information, he was able to see where your destination was. Higgs wasted no time in jumping there while you continued to struggle on the wobbly ladder.

A simple prepper’s shelter; that’s where you were going? What made this place so special that you would come out of hiding? Higgs frowned, not liking any of the answers that flooded his mind. He jumped to the roof, hiding as he waited and considered how he would go about this newfound dilemma.

It took you another hour before you made it to the shelter, and it appeared as if you may have fallen into the river; soggy clothes and wet hair made you shiver. Higgs had to hold back a laugh as he silently cursed himself for missing such a perfect picture opportunity.

You punched in the delivery on the terminal, and the resident’s voice rang through after a moment.

“It’s so good to see you! Come in!”

Come in?! Higgs shot to his feet, uncaring if you would hear him.

“Coming!” You didn’t.

Higgs was downright seething now. He almost entered the bunker right then and there, to see who could get you all to themself in such a way. Patience, ultimately, was what he practiced.

Best to see for myself, after they’re gone. Don’t want to scare them into hiding again. No… Have to be smart about this. 

An hour passed. Two. Three. Higgs took apart and reconstructed his pistol numerous times. He cleaned the weapon. He aimed it at porters passing by. They couldn’t see him from his perch, but it made him feel better all the same. His stomach was twisting with anxiety.

Just who was this person in the bunker to you?

When the sky started to turn a fiery orange with the setting sun, you at least reemerged from the ground. With a final wave at the resident’s hologram, you turned and started your trek back to wherever your new home was.

Higgs was tempted to follow you instead, to see where you had hidden yourself, but his anger proved far more persuasive. Once you were long gone, he hopped from the roof and made his way down the staircase. Staring at the door as jealousy burned ever hotter in his heart, Higgs jumped into the person’s home.

–

It was a good day. You hadn’t picked up a delivery in so long, and it felt better than you realized to be back out in the world; it reminded you that you were in fact alive. The sun warmed your brow, the crunch of grass and rock underfoot filled your ears, and the smell of the cold river still wafted from your clothes.

After your accidental meeting with the notorious terrorist Higgs, it had been a bitch to take yourself entirely offline and move to a faraway safe house. You weren’t sure you were ever going to step outside again after the whole ordeal.

But can never be too safe, right?

After today, you were beginning to think you may have overreacted. Higgs probably didn’t even remember you, and if retribution was coming for discovering his own safehouse, it would’ve struck by now.

When your best friend reached out after not hearing from you in so long, you took the opportunity to test the waters. And nothing bad happened! Well, other than the river incident, but at least no one saw that. You went to bed happy that night, ready to start your life of delivering again.

For the first time in a long time, you rose with the morning sun. A sense of purpose had washed over you, and you intended to embrace it.

Rushing over to your terminal, you checked the list of available orders. A surprise greeted you in the form of another pizza delivery to yesterday’s residence. They really must’ve missed you.

“Hell, why not.”

This go-around you were familiar with the trek, and it went faster because of it. The bunker came into view around lunchtime. And the pizza wasn’t half-soaked this time either!

“Perfect timing,” you mumbled to yourself as you approached the terminal. Punching in the order, you waited for the familiar hologram of your friend to greet you.

It never did.

Odd.

Walking down the stairs, you went to knock on the door when you noticed it slightly ajar. Immediately, alarm bells started to go off in your head.

You tried to convince yourself you were still being overcautious. Your friend could’ve left the door open for you to make it easier. Paranoia was going to send you spiraling over every little thing so you pushed the door inward and stepped inside.

Should’ve listened to your damn gut.

Higgs sat on the sofa, legs spread as if he owned the place, with a gun in hand and a scowl across his stupidly attractive face.

“Been a while,” he drawled.

Fuck.

“W-what are you doing here?” Your voice shook with each syllable. The thought of running was very enticing, but worry for your friend kept your feet cemented in place.

“Could ask the same of you.”

“My job?” What was he getting at?

“What could your job possibly have ya doin’ in someone’s home? You’re supposed to deliver shit, not hang around.”

“This–” You cut yourself off. Was revealing this person as your friend a bad idea? Would he use that against you? Or was it already too late?

“Been wonderin’ where ya been. Honestly thought you would’ve reported me to Bridges by now.”

You stayed quiet.

“Why didn’t ya?”

“I don’t know,” you admitted not only to him, but to yourself. Why hadn’t you reported him?

“Huh. Anywho, got a proposition for ya.”

You gulped, not sure you wanted to hear what came out of the man’s mouth next.

“Where’s my friend?” The connection between you and them had already been exposed, no point in hiding it now. You were terrified for their wellbeing.

“Friend, huh?”

“Yes…?”

“Dead,” Higgs shrugged.

The word shot through you like a bullet. Before you knew it, your knees slammed into the floor as the air left your lungs.

Dead? Because of me? Just like that? I knew I never should’ve stepped foot outside again. I’m such–

Your swirling thoughts were interrupted as Higgs rose from his seat. The man walked over to you and kneeled down, catching your eyes with his.

“Hurts, don’t it?” He asked with a casual tone.

You couldn’t find any words to speak.

“I know, I know…” A hand reached forward and wiped some of the tears that spilled down your cheeks. “I felt the same, ya know.”

What?

“There was this… sense of betrayal. I dunno. I was so excited to see you again, damn near lost my mind. But then of all places, you come here, to some nobody in the middle of nowhere. The way you smiled at them…”

These were the ramblings of a mind long gone. Higgs was no longer wearing the mask he adopted. No. This was the real man under the facade; broken, obsessive, and far more dangerous than you initially realized.

Am I going to die next?

Before that thought could truly settle and terrify, Higgs continued. “So, about that proposition. Wanna hear it?”

Your bottom lip trembled as your tears turned from hot to cold on your skin.

“I’m gonna tell ya anyway. Want you to work for me.”

A moment of stunned silence passed as you weren’t sure you heard the man correctly. Work for him? How? I’m just a porter. And why would he think I’d agree after he killed–

More tears began to flow.

“Shh, shh,” he soothed as he wiped your face again. “Just want ya to be my personal deliverer is all. Nothing’s gotta change, just your destination.”

“I-I guess it’s either I agree or…” You trailed off, as you both knew what was on the line. Or so you thought.

“Oh darlin’ I’d never harm ya,” he said while brushing the hair that began to stick to your tear-stained flesh. “Get up.”

You obeyed.

“Either ya work for me, or…” He pointed to the closet in the far corner of the room.

“Please no,” you whispered, already shaking over what horror may await inside.

“Go look.”

“No,” you pleaded.

“I mean it.”

“No!”

“Jesus Christ,” Higgs huffed as he stormed over to the corner. Slamming open the door, you couldn’t blink as reality caught up to you.

Terrified eyes bulged as they locked onto yours. Bound wrists struggled as muffled noises escaped from the gag shoved deep in their mouth.

Your friend was alive.

You rushed over, but before you could make it to them, Higgs put a palm out, stopping you square in the chest.

“Get it now?” He asked.

You did. Unfortunately, you did. Your life wasn’t on the line here. There was no choice. “I accept, okay?!”

“Excellent!” Higgs clapped his hands together and then slammed the closet door back shut. Your friend made a noise of protest.

“I’ll send ya the details soon. And don’t you dare turn off that cuff link of yours again, mkay? Otherwise…” He jutted a finger back at the closet.

“I get it. I won’t.”

“Great,” he said with a wide smile. “See ya soon. Oh! And, don’t come here again either. I’ll know.”

“O-okay.”

He walked behind you, and pulled the pizza free from your pack. “Till next time toots!”

A flash of gold filled the room and the most dangerous man in the world was gone. You stumbled over yourself as you worked on freeing your friend from their bindings. Apologies were profusely made and before you knew it, you were back on your way home.

What the fuck just happened? Clearly you were on Higgs’ radar more than you realized. You replayed your first meeting in your head again and again.

What had I missed?

The answer would never be known to you, as close to the truth as you were. Higgs’ obsessive stalking of you went undiscovered in his shelter, after all.

A few days passed until your new job became more clear to you. You weren’t just going to be working as Higgs’ personal deliverer, no, you would be delivering something very specific for the man.

Fucking pizzas.

[peevedpigeon]

Semantics

DS1 Higgs x Reader // 1.8k words // Who's Ready for Tomorrow - RAT BOY, IBDY

In which Higgs just can't leave you alone while you're at work.

Tags: crack, texting, established relationship, gender neutral reader, Higgs being an absolute PROBLEM

A/N: The first texting fic I wrote was an absolute joy to work on, so I wanted to give it another go!

Taglist: @starshinedowo @sanguis-ghouls-blog @mikaela-homura @raeyanetta @higgsmonaghanlvr @thehouseoflore @cosmiccomrade @higgstoucher (lmk if you wanna be added/removed! <3)

☆*⁀‧₊˚

You weren’t sure how it was possible, but work had somehow managed to get more unbearable. A stack of papers greeted you upon entering your office, and you knew you were going to be putting in overtime that night. Bridges often forgot that its workers were people with lives, after all.

It’d been a few hours, and the paperwork you had to check and log showed only a small dent of progress made. You groaned, leaning back in your chair. The clock told you it wasn’t even noon yet.

“Ugh…”

Ding.

Lifting up your wrist, you checked your cuff link. At the very top of your notifications list was the nickname you’d bestowed upon the greatest annoyance in your life.

Asshole.

Before opening his message, you took a deep breath and prepared yourself. You knew it’d be better to not even look, but curiosity’s a bitch, and presently, you could use the distraction.

so i need ur opinion on smthing

What is it, Higgs?

The reply you sent was read instantly. Three dots appeared, then disappeared numerous times. Your patience was starting to wear thin, and just as you were going to close your cuff link, a response at last chimed through.

contemplatin this

Attached to his message was a picture of his favorite gun aimed right at your facility from far away in a field.

The fuck is wrong with you?

they get u all day :( its not fair

I’m an adult with a job. Get over it.

so am i!!!

Being a terrorist does not count.

keeps me fed, a roof over my head… probably make more than u

You don’t make anything. Whatever you DO have is stolen. 

semantics

Well, this was not at all pleasant. I’m going to get back to my job now, and don’t you fucking try anything.

sayin that rlly makes me wanna try smthing!

You rolled your eyes and slapped your cuff link shut. It wasn’t the first time Higgs threatened your workplace, and it wouldn’t be the last. So long as you were in that building, it was safe; you knew that, as did he. Though, it didn’t deter the man from being a pest.

Another dreadful hour passed as you worked through your stack of headaches and sighs.

Seriously? Can no one double check their work in this place?! Why are there so many mistakes… You thought to yourself as the idea of Higgs destroying your facility began to sound real nice.

Ding.

Speak of the fucking devil. You opened your cuff link, and took in his newest message.

u left me on read :(

Wanna watch me do it again? Say something stupid, please.

ur mean 2day. wats botherin u? or who~

Just usual work bullshit.

oh do i have the solution for u!

No. Considered it, but no.

y not?

Because I’d rather deal with this place than you all day.

:(

Need to focus now, so stop messaging me.

nah

No?

ya

Higgs.

me!

I will block your contact.

u wouldnt dare!!

Smiling wide, you pulled up his contact and swiftly pressed the block button. All messages disappeared, and you took pleasure in knowing the man was likely making a stupid face at his cuff link.

Your lunch break finally came, and with it, the smallest of reprieves. Part of you weighed the pros and cons of unblocking Higgs for just a few moments of entertainment. The cons, ultimately, proved to be far too much. You ate in the silence of your cubicle.

Ding.

A heavy sigh left your lungs as you already knew what awaited you. Some-fucking-how. Lifting your cuff link, you saw a notification from a number you did not have saved. Opening its message, it read:

ok. so. u dared.

Yup.

lets start over

What do you mean?

how r u :3

You rolled your eyes, and despite your previous pro/con list, gave in to the man’s antics. There was some time to spare, after all.

I’m tired.

u work too much

I thought we were starting over?

o ya. so like.. wat r u wearing

Yeah, no, we’re not doing that, either.

ughhhhh. okok. can i see u later?

Don’t know. Will probably be here late tonight.

>:(

Just how it goes.

not if i can help it

Higgs, we discussed this already.

yup. and im a terrorist, as also discussed, so i can do wat i want :P

Jfc.

love u!! :3

You cursed yourself for bothering at all and blocked his new number. Finishing up your lunch, you returned to your mountain of work and tried to put the man out of your head.

A few more hours passed and no new messages weaseled their way through on your cuff link. You figured Higgs likely found something else to entertain himself with for the time being, and were glad for it. Each time he reached out, it really destroyed your focus.

You typed away at your computer with a furrowed brow. The newest report you were logging contained a multitude of grammatical errors, and it was taking longer than expected to correct. A headache was building, and your eyelids were beginning to feel heavy.

Ding.

God, what now, you thought to yourself as an email came through on your computer. A silent prayer went off in your head as you hoped it wouldn’t be more work from a superior being added onto your plate.

alright so i can forgive the first time being left on read. but after i say i love u?! rlly?? thats low, even for u :(

How the fuck did he get access to my work email? You thought as you reread his message, trying not to panic over the weak cybersecurity of your facility.

This is my work email. Do not contact me through this. I will get back to you later, okay?

no, not good enough. my feelings are hurt now and i feel like smthing needs to be done over it :/

Are you five?

normally i like ur snarkiness, but rn it just isnt doing it for me

Boo-hoo.

mkay! was givin u the opportunity to apologize, but since u wanna be like that…

Before you could make sense of what Higgs meant, control of your computer was seized from you. Your mouse no longer responded to your inputs, and your keyboard was unable to type. You watched in horror as an email directed to your boss started to materialize before your very eyes.

This is my formal resignation. I would say it’s with great sorrow, but this workplace has become rather toxic for my mental health. I don’t wish you the best, as I honestly hate you and everyone here. I will be leaving today, and not coming back; I can’t spend another two weeks here. Truthfully, I hope the Homo Demens target this place next, as a pile of rubble would be an improvement over the idiocy that dwells within these halls. Goodbye, and fuck you.

You squealed as you pulled yourself from your stupor and jumped, sliding underneath your desk. Before Higgs could click send, you unplugged the damn machine from the wall, and slunk down to the floor.

What is his goddamned issue?!

A coworker passed by not long after, and questioned why your computer was off.

“Needs repairs,” was all you said in response. You were far too fearful to turn it back on for the time being. Knowing Higgs, he-who-never-seemed-to-have-anything-better-to-do, was likely waiting for the moment it came back online to send that life-ruining email.

Asshole. Really living up to that contact name right about now.

So, you were stuck doing things the old fashioned way. Your pen scribbled over each report, and your wrist soon began to ache. Every moment passed with all sorts of colorful curses directed at Higgs in your mind.

“Scuse me,” a man drawled from behind you. Unfortunately, you didn’t need to turn around to recognize the face it came from. However, the more alarming thought was how he managed to get there.

“What the hell,” you hissed, as you spun around in your chair and made eye contact with Higgs. He stood tall and proud in his stolen Bridges uniform at the entrance to your cubicle. “Are you kidding me?”

“Nope,” he laughed. Pointing at your computer, he continued, “Determined, I see.”

“Because you were way out of line!”

“Oh? I was?” His eyes narrowed. “You’re the one playing with my emotions, darlin’.”

“W-what?” Disbelief washed over you; he was actually being serious. “I’m not playing with anything. This is my livelihood that you’re putting at stake, and for what? Because you’re bored?”

“Yup.”

“Fuck you.”

“Sure thing,” he winked, and you dug your nails into the palms of your hands in response.

“How did you even get here?”

“Through the front entrance,” he said with a shrug.

“Jesus…”

“Yeah, security here is shit.”

“I’m realizing that,” you said.

“So c’mon,” he gestured to the exit.

“Uh, no? I still have work to do.”

“Oh, baby, I was not askin’,” he said as he pulled out a gun hidden from inside of his uniform. Taking aim at you, he went on, “Get it? You’re my hostage now, honey! Get up.”

You thought your workday already sucked given the sight you were greeted with upon entering that morning. Yet of course, Higgs had a way of making anything worse. Rising to your feet, you put your hands up in mock surrender as passing coworkers gasped in surprise. Alarms began to blare as someone hit the emergency lockdown. Higgs smiled through it all.

“I mean,” he whispered into your ear as you got close. “Told ya early on I was considerin’ this,” he said, shaking his gun in your face.

“I hate you.”

“No, ya don’t.”

Higgs wrapped an arm around you, while keeping his gun aimed at your head with the other. He walked the both of you through the halls, and your jaw clenched when you realized what he was doing. The bastard could easily jump the two of you out, but he was putting on a show; one that made clear to your coworkers and superiors that for whatever reason, you were a valuable hostage to the Homo Demens.

And a detriment to their company.

You wouldn’t have a job after this, and already you were considering how you were going to make Higgs regret his actions. A solid hit in the balls seemed like a good enough place to start.

But why wait?

You spun in his grip, slamming your knee into his crotch, and a loud grunt left the man. He started to keel over, and before his image could truly be tainted, he grabbed you and the room filled with chiralium.

The jump landed you both back in his camp, and the frown Higgs wore was the best thing you had seen all day.

“R-really? Think ya can get the one up on me?” He choked out the words.

“Seems like I did,” you cooed, amused by the sight of the man still unable to stand straight.

“Ya didn’t. You ain’t gonna have that job anymore, so.”

“And everyone there will remember that your hostage did a number on you, so, semantics.”

[peevedpigeon]

Not a fic suggestion but I have a 🌊 VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION 🌊

Who would win in a fight: Higgs Monaghan or Johnny Silverhand?

Asking the hard questions I see.

Hmm. After conducting thorough research, I do believe that Johnny could 100% out-sass Higgs. That being said, I don’t think I see him being able to take on a high level DOOMS sufferer. Chiral jumping and the summoning of BTs would probably be far too much even for our cybernetic terrorist.

However, if we’re talking about a one on one gun or fist fight with no DOOMS involved? Probably Silverhand. Higgs is always getting his ass handed to him and I don’t see that changing here. <3 He relies heavily on what Amelie gifted him, and at the end of DS1, we saw how quickly he lost to Sam without all of that.

So, in conclusion, Johnny could whoop Higgs’ ass in an equal playing field, and make him cry while doing so. (Higgs would probably like it though. Freak.)

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

[peevedpigeon]

wowza you genuinely couldnt have chosen a better time to drop that higgs taking care of injured reader fic cause i was just about to send a request asking for that 😭😭 sry i havent sent as much of my usual positive feedback ive spent sm time learning resident evil lore but i always love coming back to higgs and ur fics 🙏 keep on keeping on you amazing author

🎱 :)

i read your mind 🙂‍↕️ but also, thank you so much?! i appreciate hearing that a lot and it really does encourage me to keep writing 🫶

(side note: i fucking love resident evil, so hell yeah. still not over requiem)

[peevedpigeon]

Stay With Me

DS1 Higgs x Reader // 2.5k words // Semblance of Me - Seether

In which Higgs is desperately trying to keep you alive after he fucks everything up on a mission. During such a panic, it becomes clear how much you truly mean to him.

Tags: hurt/comfort, wound care, blood and injury, very brief mention of throwing up, gun usage, soft Higgs, gender neutral reader

A/N: So I've written the opposite scenario, you caring for Higgs, but considered, how would it go if it was HIM taking care of you? Had a lot of fun with this one. Soft Higgs is always a treat, both to read and write about <3

Taglist: @starshinedowo @sanguis-ghouls-blog @mikaela-homura @raeyanetta @higgsmonaghanlvr @thehouseoflore @cosmiccomrade @higgstoucher (lmk if you wanna be added/removed! <3)

⋆ . ࿔ ˚

“Fuck! Stay with me!” Higgs shouted, his voice a desperate plea to your fading conscience.

Your body was losing its warmth, the blood that flowed from you stealing your life away with each drop. Gloved hands pressed into the wound in your abdomen, attempting to stanch its flow, but the deluge of red continued.

“Look at me! Don’t close your eyes,” Higgs said, a shakiness coating each word.

Removing one hand from your injury, he grabbed your chin and shook your face. Fresh blood smeared across your skin, glistening in the light. Groggy eyes blinked slowly in response. You were still alive, but the pallid tone your skin was taking on threatened you wouldn’t be so for long.

“Goddamn it…” Tears spilled from the man’s eyes above you. Some landed on your cheeks, mixing with the mess of sweat and blood staining your flesh. “Don’t do this. Don’t you fuckin’ do this.”

You were in no state to respond, to tell the man you didn’t want to, that you were trying to stay awake, that you were scared. Your mind wasn’t working as it normally would; you were dying.

And Higgs was the reason why.

–

The clicking of footsteps on tile echoed off of the walls. Higgs walked at your side, the smirk he adopted since entering the building unable to leave his face. His stupid plan was actually working, and the ‘I told you so’ wasn’t enough for him, apparently. No, he needed you to really stew in his success.

In the form of his annoying expression.

“Stop that,” you mumbled.

“No way,” he said, shoving his elbow into your arm. “Knew it would work. Ya need to learn to believe.”

You rolled your eyes and adjusted your Bridges cap. The suit Higgs managed to scrounge up for you was clearly quite old. With a broken zipper, only half of the top portion could be closed shut.

“Where the fuck is the data room?” You asked quietly, glancing around. The workers who passed the two of you paid you no mind, but anxiety still coursed in your veins.

“‘Spose to be in the back somewhere. Didn’t memorize it.”

“What?!” You hissed, snapping your head to look at the buffoon beside you.

“What?” He stopped, matching your gaze.

“This is one of the few facilities that allows firearms. Ya’know, dangerous secrets and all that? Shit Bridges can’t have gettin’ out? Stuff worth killing and dying for?”

“Uh huh.”

“And you didn’t memorize where we needed to go to steal the network schematics? Are you fucking stupid?”

Higgs smiled, and placed his hands on your shoulders. “Darlin’, please calm down. You’re gonna start attractin’ attention.”

“Steve,” you said through gritted teeth, reading Higgs’ stolen nametag. “Why the fuck are you like this?”

“I got faith, honey.” He dropped his hands, and continued forward down the hallway. You paused for a moment while you exhaled your annoyance. Once your blood was no longer boiling, you had to jog to catch up with the man’s long strides. “And I got this,” Higgs continued once you were back within earshot, patting his side.

Hidden under his suit was his beloved old pistol. You were reminded of yours in your boot; your holster having been visible when worn properly. It wasn’t ideal. If a fight broke out, it’d be harder to reach, but you prayed it wouldn’t have to come to that. After all, the clearance Higgs stole for the two of you didn’t come with firearms permission.

“Shouldn’t have agreed to this,” you said with a shake of your head.

“Oh c’mon, you’re the best one for the job!” Higgs said, slapping a hand onto your back. “You’re good with people, you honestly look super natural in that uniform, and–”

Your glare cut off his sarcasm.

“Alright,” Higgs conceded, dropping his hand. “You’re my best locksmith. Don’t trust any of those stupid fucks back at camp with this, also.” His tone got serious, and for once, you finally felt a sense of calm wash over you. The two of you were in deep shit in that facility, and you needed Higgs to take it seriously.

A response formed in your head, and just as your lips parted to speak, the world came crashing down around you. Security rounded the corner at the end of the hall, rifles raised. Your breath held in your chest as you took in your surroundings. The hall had cleared, only you and the man who weren’t supposed to be there occupied the space. 

A goddamned trap.

“Higgs,” you whispered.

His hand was already deep into his suit, slowly pulling the gun from its holster.

“You gotta jump us out of here,” you continued.

“Don’t move!” The woman at the front of the security detail shouted. “You two are under arrest for attempting to steal government property.”

“Higgs,” you prodded again, heartbeat thundering loud in your head.

What the fuck was he thinking?

“We need this,” he finally said, whipping his gun out, aiming it at the first sorry soul he could.

BANG.

A man dropped dead to the floor before anyone could process the fight Higgs just started. You reached down for your gun, but the trigger guard snagged onto your sock.

BANG.

Another body at the end of the hall fell.

BANG. BANG.

The floor next to you chipped, and chiralium flashed as Higgs dodged the bullet meant for him. Your gun finally pulled free, and you stood up, taking aim–

BANG.

An explosion of pain blossomed from somewhere deep in your stomach. The world around you went hazy, as a burning hot sensation spread through your veins. Your legs felt weak all of a sudden, and you looked down.

Blood gushed from your abdomen, the full metal jacket having ripped through your body entirely. Then, all pain was gone. Your hands felt numb. Higgs said something. Another bang echoed in your ears. A flash of gold. Darkness.

–

Higgs pressed his hands deeper into your wound, tears flowing freely from his eyes. He wasn’t sure where he wound up after his chiral jump, but no one seemed to be around. Safe, for now.

Swiveling his head around, desperate eyes searched for anything that could be used to save your life. Unluckily for the both of you, all that surrounded were desks, computers, and Bridges branded fucking pens.

“Goddamn it!” Higgs clenched his teeth, eyes finding their way back to your face.

You had passed out moments before, after his pathetic attempt at keeping you awake. There wasn’t much time. He was about to lose the one person he’d grown to feel truly comfortable with.

Happy with.

“Ah!” A soft voice exclaimed, bringing Higgs’ attention to the doorway of the office.

An idea formed instantaneously. One hand remained pressed deep into your death sentence, while Higgs pulled another from its holster. Taking aim, he said, “Where’s your fuckin’ infirmary?”

The woman put her hands up in surrender, eyes going wide with fright. Trembling lips parted and replied, “I-it’s just down the h-hall…”

“Take me,” Higgs growled, slipping your body quickly into his arms. More of your blood seeped into his suit, and he tried to not feel sick over its warmth. Carrying you bridal style, he kept his gun pointed at the innocent from under your legs.

“T-this way,” she said, tears bursting from her eyes as she led Higgs down the hall and to the place with the only chance at saving you.

Stepping inside, Higgs took aim at the nurse inside. “Save this one’s life or I’m endin’ yours,” he snapped at the man, placing your body down gently on the table.

The nurse’s eyes were as wide as the woman’s, but he nodded. Higgs kept his pistol pointed at the man while he moved around, gathering supplies. The poor officeworker was put to work at the behest of the nurse as well, pressing gauze into your oozing gunshot wound. Higgs locked the only door leading into the room while they shuffled around.

Anxiety rattled Higgs’ bones. He’d never felt so afraid, not even when his Daddy almost brought his own oblivion upon him. This was his fault, he knew it, and if you died because of his mistake, he would never be able to forgive himself for it.

He paced. And paced. And paced.

The only sounds in the cold room came from the work the two frightened innocents were doing. Cleaning, stitching, dressing. It felt like it took hours, and hell, maybe it did. Alarms blared the entire time, the whole facility on lockdown as security swept the building. They likely believed Higgs left the premises already, but in his panic, he didn’t actually get that far. The place was large, and who knows how long he had until they eventually came across a locked room, with no response from inside.

He couldn’t think about that now. Looking back to you, his eyes burned as more tears started to bud; you looked so weak and so delicate; so human. Higgs wanted to destroy; to hurt the people in front of him, the very ones who were saving you. He wanted to hurt the asshole that put a bullet through you. He wanted to hurt himself.

“How’s it lookin’,” the question finally managed to form, surprising the people lost in their work.

“It’s not great,” the nurse replied. “The bullet avoided most organs,” he said as he wiped the back of his forearm across his forehead. “Will still be a long road to a full recovery, but the bleeding has finally stopped.”

“Are you done then?”

“Almost,” the nurse replied.

As more indecipherable time passed, it took everything within Higgs to not lose his mind while he waited. A bang from the door brought fight or flight back into his weary bones.

“Open this door at once!” A booming voice shouted from the other side.

“Hurry the fuck up,” Higgs hissed at the duo in front of him, raising his gun to emphasize his point.

The two people moved more frantically, finishing up your final dressings. Blood stained their gloves, turning the blue rubber into a deep purple. Higgs tried to not think about it.

“Get this open,” the voice beyond the door mumbled to someone else. The doorknob began to jiggle as a key was entered.

Higgs knew he couldn’t risk another firefight. You were his priority now, and getting you back to camp safe and alive was all that mattered. Fuck the schematics. Fuck revenge. He bounded over to where you lay, and shoved the man hunched over you who was cleaning up some of the blood on your face.

His arms slipped underneath you once again, and he lifted you up. Holding you safely against himself, the first thing he noticed was how much stronger your breathing had become.

“Thank you,” he whispered to the people he no longer wished to kill, and vanished in a flash of sour, gold chiralium.

It was the first time he ever spoke such words.

–

Your head bumped against something rather hard. A groan escaped your lips as your eyes peeled open from a slumber that was almost permanent.

“Shit,” Higgs said under his breath.

You were laying in the backseat of a truck. A migraine pulsed behind your eyes, but the terrible burn in your side was far worse. The vehicle hit another bump, sending your body jerking against the leather once more.

“Ow,” you mumbled.

Higgs gasped as the truck slowed to a complete stop. “You’re awake,” he whispered, turning around from the driver’s seat to look you in the eye.

“Wish I wasn’t,” you rasped.

“I know. We’re almost back at camp,” Higgs said, stringing the words together in a way that told you he was scared shitless. “Couldn’t jump us all the way back. Would’ve been too much on your system. The last time you kept throwing up…”

You cringed at the account you had no recollection of.

“Twenty minutes,” he continued. “Think ya can manage?”

“What else can I do?” You scoffed. Memories began to flood your mind of the day’s events. “I told you it was a shit idea,” you added.

“Yeah,” Higgs breathed out. “Go ahead.”

“I fucking told you so,” you said, relishing in the small victory that was throwing his very own words back at him. “You’re a goddamned idiot.”

“Uh huh, wanna keep goin’ or wanna save that strength of yours?”

You tried to sit up, but the pain quickly stopped you, so instead, you used said strength to get under Higgs’ skin more. “I told you so!” A pause to catch your breath as your wound screamed in response. “I was right and you were wrong.”

“Yup,” he nodded, seemingly not at all bothered. In fact, the man was smiling.

The fuck?

“Be mad,” you grumbled.

“No way, can’t,” he laughed. “You’re alright.”

Your amusement quickly washed away. The shake in his voice betrayed his usual holier-than-thou facade, and the tinge of red in his eyes told you he had been in battle with his emotions for quite a time. Apparently you weren’t as disposable as the rest, for those two final words were the greatest thing he’d ever uttered.

“You better figure out how you’re gonna make this up to me,” you said. Confronting such complicated thoughts was too difficult for your current state, so you chose to ignore it altogether. For now.

“Don’t worry,” Higgs replied. “Been mullin’ it over.” He seemed to appreciate your choice.

After all, Higgs himself was still reeling from how much his heart hurt over it all. Seeing the bullet rip through you, your body falling to the ground seconds later, the look of fear in your eyes as you tried to hold onto your fleeting life.

He always knew you were different; he liked you more than the rest. But now, he was realizing it wasn’t just that. Higgs needed you; not just for your skillset, but because of what you offered his mind. There was a calm you brought to his disheveled thoughts that he had subconsciously grown dependent on.

And that scared him almost as much as losing you.

“Ya hungry?” He asked.

“Not really,” you said.

“Well, ya will be. What’s your favorite kind of pizza?”

You smiled, and told him your preferred type. Pizza was Higgs’ realm, no one got a say in it other than him. It was, in truth, his form of an apology, but also, a small step towards confronting the scary emotions that had begun to swarm in his mind.

The ride continued in silence, and when you later had the appetite and strength to eat, the slice of pizza you downed was the best thing you ever tasted. Healing would be a long journey, but Higgs made it clear he was gonna take care of you every step of the way, and you were okay with that. The ‘I told you so’s’ continued, and Higgs was okay with that, too.

Because you were alive.

[peevedpigeon]

You already know, vampire higglet at your earliest convenience, please I beggeth thee. 🩸🩸🍕💀

YES YES!! Took inspiration from when we discussed this 🤝

Vampire!Higgs x Reader Smut

2.5k words // Tear You Apart - She Wants Revenge

In which an extremely high level of DOOMS manifests as a form of vampirism. Unfortunately for you, such a sufferer has taken quite a liking to your taste.

Warnings: 18+, smut, AFAB reader (gender neutral), consensual somnophilia, blood, biting, passing out, p in v, spanking

Taglist: @starshinedowo @sanguis-ghouls-blog @mikaela-homura @raeyanetta @higgsmonaghanlvr @thehouseoflore @cosmiccomrade @higgstoucher (lmk if you wanna be added/removed! <3)

⁺‧₊˚ ཐི⋆♱⋆ཋྀ ˚₊‧⁺

The time had come for Higgs to feed again. He’d tried, no, needed, to stay away from you for as long as he could; the last time almost ended your life, after all. But the thirst that his DOOMS brought on was getting too strong to bear.

Night had fallen, the sun a curse to one such as him. He slipped into your shelter, unannounced, but always welcome. You were still awake, typing away another report at your desk. He couldn’t help but delight in the exhilaration that flooded him then; a dangerous predator in your wake, and you, blissfully unaware of such a threat.

The twist deep in his stomach at last forced him into making his presence known. “Darlin’,” Higgs cooed.

Your head snapped away from the screen you stared at, taking in the visage of a creature on the verge of starvation. “Holy shit,” you said, standing up. “You look terrible.” Walking over to the man, you paused before you got within an arm’s reach. “When’s the last time you ate?”

“With you,” he whispered, voice a little hoarse.

“With me?! Higgs, that was a fucking month ago!”

“I know, but…” he trailed off as he stepped closer to you. “Nothing, no one, tastes as good as you do.”

“I can’t always be the one you feed on, you know.” A heavy sigh exited your lungs. “You need to eat in between.”

“Don’t wanna.”

“Higgs.”

“Look, I’m hungry. So why don’t ya show me that sexy neck of yours, and we can get on with it?”

“Higgs, I…” It was your turn for words to fail. The last time had been an anomaly; Higgs would often drink from you to the point of wooziness, but never unconsciousness. It was alarming, but afterwards, a stern reprimand took place.

“It won’t be like last time,” he reassured you, seemingly reading your thoughts. Perhaps he could; DOOMS as high as his were rare, the condition largely unresearched.

You remained silent as you considered. Then, denying sensibility, you nodded your head an imperceptible amount. With inhuman eyes, Higgs saw the approval anyway.

He launched at you.

Grabbing the back of your head in one hand, he held you in place by your hip with the other. He yanked your head to the side, revealing the tender flesh of your neck. With a lick of his lips he leaned in, and sunk his fangs into you.

A sharp, cold pain shocked your system, as it always did. It throbbed as his teeth dipped deeper into your skin, ripping you open for him to consume. Then, the numbing sensation began. Pain slowly vanished, and soon all you knew was the softness of his lips against your throat, and the sucking from his mouth.

Moans vibrated against your neck as he swallowed your blood. Higgs’ eyes were squeezed shut, losing himself in your taste, scent, and sound. Your heartbeat reverberated loud in his ears, attempting to refill what he was stealing from you. Subtle whines passed your lips, the knowledge of the act turning you on not lost on the man.

As your blood began to pump through his veins, a similar arousal grew within Higgs. His cock started to stiffen in his pants, and he couldn’t help but press his body into yours.

“Higgs,” you whimpered. Black dots were filling your vision; the blood loss already amounting to too much. He needed to stop.

The man ignored you, as he’d done the last time. Lips remained latched onto the now bruised flesh as he sucked and drank. 

“Higgs please, I’m getting dizzy.”

“Shh. Won’t kill ya,” he slurred against you. “Just need some more. A little more.”

“I’m…” Your sentence struggled to form as your mind began to spin. Your body felt light and heavy all at once. Thinking was getting difficult.

“Need you… need you so bad…” Higgs continued to babble, grinding his hard cock into you.

“You better make this up to me, you…” Your insult cut off, as unconsciousness at last worked its hands around your mind, pulling you down into its depths.

Everything went dark.

–

You were in a memory; the night Higgs first clawed at the door to your shelter aboveground. You’d let him in, unaware of his condition, concerned and far too kind for your own good, for timefall pelted the ground outside. He’d almost killed you then, but something stopped him.

It wasn’t a lingering hold onto his humanity. No. It was greed.

Your taste was the sweetest he ever had and he knew he would need to have it again. Ever since, an agreement had been made with the man; blood for survival, and the opportunity for you to research the unresearched. This was within your line of work after all, being an analyst for all sorts of chiral matters. You quickly learned that the act of feeding often led to other, more intimate affairs; all of such added into your little agreement with the man of death.

Everything started to get fuzzy. Images blurred and fluorescent lights warmed your eyelids. There was pain, and there was pleasure. An ache in your neck forced you to stir, the pleasure your body was receiving forced your eyes to open.

Higgs was dragging his tongue across your cunt, lapping at the arousal already dripping from you. His eyes were half lidded and staring at the display before him. Hands held your thighs open, the man in between hunched over and hungry for you in an all new way. Your clit throbbed as Higgs’ hot tongue pressed into it, and your walls clamped down onto nothing.

What the fuck was going on?

Lifting your head further, you saw that you were in your bed. Higgs was half sprawled on the furniture, head sunk in between your legs as his own propped him up from the floor. Teeth ghosted over your flesh before his tongue shot out again, lapping up all that you had to offer.

Then, it clicked. The two of you had spoken about this kink before, and now it was actually happening. You had reminded him of it just before you passed out, after all.

The safe word entered your mind, but you didn’t wish to speak it, even though you were mad at Higgs for lying to you. Fucking bastard sucked you almost dry, again, your body still feeling weak. The way his mouth made your cunt squeeze, however, indeed made up for it.

A loud moan finally burst free from your lips as Higgs sunk his tongue into your pussy.

Pulling back, his eyes found yours. “About time,” he grumbled. “Been rock fuckin’ hard for almost an hour.”

You scoffed. “Oh I’m sorry that me passing out inconvenienced you so much.” Your snarky reply earned a frown from the man.

“Y’all without DOOMS are so weak,” he said. “Forget it sometimes.” A shrug.

“You literally acknowledged to go easy this time,” you retorted.

“And you should know better by now that when I’m hungry…”

“Which is why you can’t just feed on me!”

Higgs’ eye twitched, whatever mean thing he wanted to say still forming in his mind. Irritation was working its way throughout you too, and the pleasure you had received was drifting away.

“Whatever. Get back to it,” you said, dipping your chin down to your crotch.

“Oh no,” Higgs said, crawling up onto the bed fully, caging your body in with his. “That was a courtesy, doin’ as ya asked. But gotta say, took your damn time wakin’ back up. Now I’m a lot more needy than before.”

A knot was forming in your stomach, one of both anticipation and anxiety. On a full stomach, Higgs had stamina. You swallowed, realizing you were in for a long night.

“Maybe if you learned restraint–”

Higgs’ hand cupped itself comfortably over your lips. “Don’t piss me off more. Need to fuck ya stupid already.”

Your eyes narrowed and after a moment of letting the man grow even more restless, you nodded your head. Higgs’ fangs flashed in his wide smile as he sat back on his legs. Pulling his cock out from his pants, it throbbed and leaked; red with your very own blood. Warm arousal spilled from your cunt.

Higgs reached for your thighs, spreading them further. The cool air of your shelter caused a shiver to run down your spine, the wetness leaking from your core losing its warmth. Higgs’ eyes were unable to look away from the feast that was you. It had been hard for him to hold back, but the look on your face as you stared at him with just as much want made it all worth it.

He still needed to bring regret into your heart for making him wait so long, however.

Aiming his cock at your entrance, both of your minds were already slipping away; his faster than yours. Pushing the tip of his dick into you, the action almost felt soft and sweet. He entered slowly, causing you to gasp as you took in how good he felt. 

It all vanished in a moment, as Higgs sunk the rest of his cock into your sopping wet cunt. A brutal and fast pace was set instantly; the man hunched over you, hands placed on your waist, guiding you onto his dick with each mean snap of his hips. 

You had grown used to his large size over your encounters, or so you had thought. The thick member spread you open more than his tongue and fingers had while you drifted through your dreams. Moans crawled their way out of your mouth, eyes squeezing shut from Higgs’ intensity. He was already hitting your cervix.

“Hah–” Higgs gasped in air he didn’t need, not relenting for a moment. You were sure he was going to leave your poor insides bruised.

“Fuck, Higgs,” you mewled underneath him, squirming.

“I know, darlin’, I know,” He whispered, eyes meeting yours.

You blushed, slinking a hand down to your cunt. Managing a few good circles on your clit, the pleasure only amplified. Louder moans left you, but Higgs’ brow furrowed. A strong hand snatched yours away, leaning in to hold it over your head.

“Don’t get fuckin’ greedy now,” he hissed at you. 

You couldn’t help but whimper as he kept up his rough treatment. His lower abdomen was hitting you with each deep thrust, returning the stimulation your puffy clit craved. You were getting so close.

“Gonna cum?” He whispered, bending down, dipping his face into your still bleeding neck.

“Y-yes…”

A warm tongue shot out, and licked up your precious lifeforce. Soft lips wrapped around your flesh, suckling at the wound. Your arousal grew, wrapping your legs around Higgs’ midsection, keeping him close. He took that as an invitation, and bit down on the flesh once more. Teeth sunk into a new spot on your throat, blood slowly oozing out in thick lines down your skin.

“Ah!” You moaned, both in shock and bliss. Whatever chemical entered you through his bite heightened all of your senses, while getting rid of the pain.

Should include that in my newest report, you somehow formed the thought.

Higgs drank from you with less vigor this time, but you could tell your taste was making him come undone all the same. His thrusts grew sloppy, grunts leaving the man as he struggled to fuck you while getting drunk all over again.

“Go easy,” you reminded him.

He groaned against your flesh, but this time he did in fact relent. Teeth pulled from your neck, and he leaned back, hands propped on the bed at the sides of your head. The smell coming off of you kept the man intoxicated, while your blood dribbled down his chin.

“Fuck,” he rasped, eyes wide as he tried to keep his composure. Leaning back more, he gripped your waist again and continued slamming into you with his ever rising strength.

Moans fell from the both of your lips as Higgs fucked you like the animal he was. You wouldn’t last much longer with your mind swimming as it was; the blood loss made everything feel so much better.

Higgs’ thumb reached for your clit, and pressed firm circles into the soft flesh. Your walls clamped down on the man as all of your noises rose in pitch.

So close. Right there. Just–

Another deep thrust of Higgs’ hips pressed the tip of his cock into your cervix, again. The act was pleasurable, feeling so full, while Higgs’ venom dulled the pain that it would normally bring.

Your clit twitched underneath Higgs’ hand, and soon your mind went blank as an explosion of pure bliss washed over you. Thoughts no longer could enter your head as you spasmed within Higgs’ hold. He kept fucking you through your orgasm, destroying what remained of your mind.

“Shit! Yeah, just like that,” he praised you, chasing his own high.

“Nngh,” you were only able to groan in response.

You felt so good, so happy, so complete.

Higgs’ pace increased, the sound of skin smacking skin getting louder and more wet. His thrusts weren’t in rhythm anymore, each push of his hips just a desperate attempt at getting himself to cum.

A loud noise left the man when it finally hit, almost akin to a growl. Hot seed filled you up as Higgs fucked you through his high this time. You continued to squirm on the bed, overstimulation a threat on the horizon, but enjoying the onslaught your body was receiving nonetheless.

“God,” Higgs moaned, not stopping once; his cock wasn’t even going soft. 

You sighed, realizing you weren’t getting a reprieve anytime soon, and steeled yourself for the next round.

You reminded yourself earlier of his stamina, you thought to yourself. You knew what you were signing up for.

All that existed in your head was soon whisked away as Higgs flipped you over, raising your ass high in the air. He gave it a good smack before sinking back into you, planning on filling you up all night long.

–

You slept through the next day, waking up with the rising moon. Higgs had left sometime while you slept, and in a way you were glad for it. Updates to your report were waiting for you, after all.

X Level DOOMS.

Manifests as a form of what the old world knew as ‘vampirism’. Persons with such a condition aren’t technically alive anymore; their connection with the other side is so strong, that their Ka exists somewhere in between.

Their Ha no longer produces blood as a result of that limbo. The blood of living beings is needed to survive instead, through oral consumption. Non-DOOMS sufferers are best, as their link to the world of the living is highest.

Sufferers gain immense positives after feeding. Their bodies grow substantially stronger, while their reflexes and stamina show increases as well.

 A venom is delivered to victims, dulling their pain while the sufferer feeds.

You reached your hands out to begin typing, considering for a moment. Then, with a shrug, added:

Such venom also makes the act of feeding pleasurable, and actually, desired. The sufferer also takes pleasure in the act. More study needed on this.

[peevedpigeon]

Hello! Would you be willing to write an NSFW male reader x Higgs fanfic? Maybe something to do with sitting in Higgs' lap! 🤭 TYIA! 🥰

Yes of course!! Also SORRY this took me forever to get to, my backlog is a little crazy right now

DS1 Higgs x Male!Reader Smut

2.1k words // Dirty Little Animals - BONES UK

In which a punishment from Higgs backfires terribly, much to your satisfaction.

Warnings: 18+, smut, male & AMAB reader, cockwarming, anal, biting, choking, overstimulation, crying from sex (in a good way ofc <3)

Taglist: @starshinedowo @sanguis-ghouls-blog @mikaela-homura @raeyanetta @higgsmonaghanlvr @thehouseoflore @cosmiccomrade (lmk if you wanna be added/removed! <3)

.ೃ࿐

“Higgs, you ready to tap out yet?” The words dripped from your mouth sweet like honey, but landed like acid.

The man underneath you hissed in response. “No way.” 

“I dunno…” You let the words trail off, making him sit with his torment for a moment. His tattooed eyebrows were furrowed, and the scowl that dragged his lips down had yet to leave his face. “You look like you’ve had enough.”

“Shut the fuck up, okay?” The scowl deepened.

You tried your best not to laugh, but seeing how much the man was struggling did numbers to your confidence. It had only been what? Ten minutes? And Higgs was already crumbling? Oh, victory was most assuredly yours. You couldn’t help but smile.

“It’s okay,” you leaned forward, and whispered into his ear. “Won’t think less of ya if you can’t take it.”

Before a retort could form in Higgs’ mind, his cock twitched inside of you, giving you an answer: He wasn’t going to back down. Not so easily.

“I said shut up,” he growled.

Fine. He wants to be stubborn? Let’s make him regret that.

The punishment Higgs was currently enacting on you, born from an argument, seemed to be backfiring on him. You’d messed with the organization of his guns, and the amount of displeasure it brought was surprising.

He’d said, “Gotta teach ya a lesson. You don’t just fuck with shit and expect to not get fucked back.”

A wink followed, and you felt yourself get hard, despite the ridiculous nature of it all. The two of you stripped; you fully bare, Higgs still wearing his pants and filthy boots. An attempt was made to get him to remove the footwear because he was tracking mud all throughout your home, but the annoyance you presented solidified his stance into not doing so.

You goaded Higgs into the cockwarming, insisting how much that would torture you and to please find another way. He knew you were begging for it, in truth, but what he didn’t know was how better you’d handle it than him.

Sweat trickled down his forehead. His bottom lip disappeared into his mouth, biting raw the poor flesh. The smallest of sounds escaped him, and you delighted in it all.

“Higgs.”

“Not another word,” he snapped back instantly. “Just. Don’t.” Your smile grew wider. “Tired of ya actin’ like–” Whatever mean thing Higgs was about to say cut off, as you grinded your hips forward the slightest amount. His cock swirled inside of you with the movement, and his mind went blank.

“Actin’ like what?” You asked, your words dripping with honey once more.

Higgs' breathing got heavy as he attempted to stop himself from cumming right then and there. His eyes were latched onto your stiff cock, tip kissing his stomach. The way your precum stretched in a line, from you to him, was hypnotizing.

He was going to lose, but that didn’t mean you had to win, right? A dangerous smile crept over his face as his eyes met yours once more. “Tired of ya actin’ like cocky son of a bitch,” he said.

You laughed, then said, “That is so rich coming from you.”

“I know,” white teeth flashed with his wicked grin. “But that’s my thing ain’t it? Must be rubbin’ off on ya.” Hands reached for your hips, fingertips pressing into the soft flesh. “But why don’t I show ya how it’s really done, hm?” Your walls clamped down on the man in response, his words turning you on further.

If he’s willing to throw away this trivial victory, that means I’m in trouble indeed.

…Perfect.

“Show me whatcha got,” you challenged. A part of you was relieved that the cockwarming was coming to an end, for you were able to put on the act well, but it was still getting to you. You needed him to fuck you, bad.

Higgs grunted, then moved a hand to your lower back. His other grabbed your asscheek, and he leaned you forward. Your chest hovered inches from his face, and the feeling of his cock moving with each shift in position pulled all sorts of soft moans from your lips.

“Where’d those steel walls go, hm?” His turn to tease you.

“Oh whatever,” you said as you placed your hands on the top of the couch behind his head.

Higgs hummed in response while he wrapped his arms around your midsection. A foot was placed on your coffee table, and if you could’ve seen the action, you most definitely would have scolded the man. Good thing you were too busy focusing on his dick so deep inside of you.

He shifted a bit, finding the angle he needed. “Ya’know,” he went on.

“Higgs, take your own advice, and shut the fuck up already.”

Whatever he was going to say was whisked away by his annoyance with you. His hold tightened, and then the man began to piston into you as hard as he could from underneath.

“Agh!” You yelped, the feeling all too intense, all too fast.

Your cock pressed into his abdomen, while sticky precum continued to pour from its slit. Higgs slammed into you, making your ass jiggle with each snap of his hips. Angry grunts left the man as his onslaught continued.

“Yeah,” he moaned, his hot breath caressing your collarbone.

You squeezed the couch until your knuckles turned white; your only attempt at staying grounded in reality. Higgs’ cock kissed your prostate each time he pulled back, and again when he shoved himself inside, all the way to the hilt. The burn his girth offered was intoxicating, the pleasure even more so.

“Ah, hah…” You bit your lip before something truly traitorous could slip out. That could be how he won and you couldn’t give him such satisfaction, you couldn’t– “Higgs!” The moniker left your mouth in a scream as he bit the soft spot of your neck.

“That’s my boy,” he whispered as he pulled his face back.

The elation that came with hearing his name only encouraged Higgs, hands moving to your hips once more. He slammed you down onto him with each of his thrusts, his cock now hitting you somehow deeper. Giving him such praise, you knew it was over for you. Best to accept defeat in grace, right?

No fucking way.

Keeping one hand on the couch to hold yourself up, you placed the other in Higgs’ hair. Tangling your fingers in deep, you snapped his head back and stared into his blown out pupils. Sweat coursed in thick rivulets down his face, his cheeks red and jaw slack. You licked your lips and leaned in.

Pressing against his lips, yours worked fast in regaining control. He kissed you back sloppily, his thrusts already losing power. Your tongue snaked out of your mouth, lazily dragging it over his bottom lip. His mouth parted, and his tongue slipped out soon after. The two muscles pressed into each other, lapping and swirling together in a wet dance.

Higgs stopped fucking you entirely. The way your ass continued to clench, and waves of pleasure still worked through you, kept your mind a little stupid.

But not enough.

Grabbing his jaw, you opened the man’s mouth more. “Stick your tongue out,” you commanded him.

He listened, like the good boy he was.

Your lips latched around the hot muscle, sucking gently as if it were the tip of his cock. A guttural moan left the man as his grip on you tightened. It only lasted a moment, but it was enough to prove victory wasn’t his yet; you still had a chance.

He pulled back, breaking the stupor that washed over the both of you. “Nice try,” he whispered, drool glistening in the beard on his chin.

You bit your lip, bracing for impact, but what he did next surprised you. Grabbing your sides, Higgs flipped you around, while still buried deep inside of your ass. Your back landed on the couch he was just sitting on. The way his cock swirled inside of you left you both breathless.

“Enough of this, yeah?” Higgs said as he crushed your hips in his hands, and started fucking you senseless again.

The new angle allowed him more and easier control, and all you could do was try not to cum before he did. Your legs felt weak as they dangled in the air at his sides. The couch was bending your neck forward an uncomfortable amount, but the view Higgs offered distracted from such things.

His muscles flexed as sweat dripped down his sculpted body. The nipple ring he had caught the light, and his balls smacked your asscheeks each time he sunk all the way into you. Your body was giving out; you wouldn’t last like this.

Mischievousness offered you salvation. Reaching up, your hand moved towards the man. Higgs didn’t notice what you were doing, as his eyes had squeezed shut moments before in pure bliss. With your index finger and thumb, you grabbed the piercing in his sensitive flesh, and pulled.

The man above you gasped, eyes snapping back open as he took in what the fuck you were doing. You gave him a smile as you tugged gently on the metal.

“You’re gonna regret that,” Higgs growled, as one of his hands found a comfortable place around your throat. He pressed the sides of your neck in with his fingers, and soon your head began to feel fuzzy.

“Agh, ah, mmh!” Incoherent noises left you, words now unable to form. Your eyebrows furrowed in irritation at not being able to return Higgs’ teasing.

He pounded into you harder, and his sloppy thrusts told you he was close. Just a little more, and he would lose.

Your premature celebration of beating the man at his own game came to an end only seconds later. Higgs grabbed your cock and started pumping you viciously as he kept up his brutal pace. Your hand dropped and your mind went blank.

Oh fuck.

You shut your eyes, trying to keep your body from betraying you, but the waves of pleasure that rocked in your stomach were far too strong. Your balls were beginning to clench. Time to pull a hail mary.

Your eyes locked back onto Higgs, and you forced tears to leave them. In truth, they were starting to form anyway, but you knew how much the man liked seeing you cry in pleasure over his cock. You made the burning tears spill.

Higgs’ breath hitched as he watched your display, and his movements got even more messy in response. His grip on your cock tightened as he pumped it faster, matching his uneven thrusts. Filthy moans fell from his lips as he watched yours tremble in ecstasy.

You looked so perfect then; so sweet and pliable and his.

One more mean snap of his hips, and he came deep inside your bruised ass. The hot seed filled you up, dribbling out with each drag of Higgs’ cock. He fucked himself through the orgasm, reaching a level of overstimulation that set his blood on fire. Tears threatened to form in his own eyes.

Tugging your cock faster, angry over losing the inconsequential fight, his eyes narrowed. The knot that formed in your stomach was winding so tight, until it became too much, and snapped with an intensity you were not ready for.

Cum shot out of your cock with such vigor that some of it managed to land on your face. Higgs stroked you through your high, and continued his movements long after. The pleasure morphed into pain, but you moaned in bliss all the same.

Eventually Higgs relented, and he flopped down onto the couch next to you. You both caught your breath as reality slowly came back into focus.

“I win, right?” You asked, voice rasping and weak, after a moment.

Higgs grunted, then said, “If losing feels like this, then sure. Whatever. You’re the one with cum on your face after all, I might add.”

“What’s that have to do with anything?” You turned to face him.

Higgs laughed, and took a few moments to calm down. He pointed at you and said, “Seein’ ya like that feels like a victory in and of itself, so…”

You rolled your eyes and noticed a smudge on your coffee table that wasn’t there before. “Higgs.”

“Yeah?”

“Did you put your dirty fucking boot on my glass table?!”

Higgs only smirked in response as an idea began to take root in his head. “Wanna have another go then? Your turn to teach me a lesson?”

You almost didn’t take in his offer, as anger over your dirtied furniture dulled your senses. Then, “You didn’t even– ugh, whatever. Gimme a few,” you said, standing up. Walking towards your bathroom, you didn’t look back as you continued, “Better be on your hands and knees when I return.”

[peevedpigeon]

Rockstar AU

Rockstar!Higgs x Reader // 2.3k words // No Jesus Christ - Seether

Previous part

In which you turn out to be exactly what the rockstar of your dreams needed.

Tags: weed/alcohol consumption, comfort, making out, mentions of sex, gender neutral reader

A/N: As requested, here's part two of the rockstar Higgs AU! Was originally gonna make this into smut but decided against it and went for something sweet instead. BUT. If there is a demand for a part three, I can deliver on the filth in that one, as I've already got an idea 🙂‍↕️

Taglist: @starshinedowo @sanguis-ghouls-blog @mikaela-homura @raeyanetta @higgsmonaghanlvr @thehouseoflore @cosmiccomrade (lmk if you wanna be added/removed! <3)

⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩 .𖥔˚

Lights blinded, bodies thrashed, and screams filled the nighttime air. Last Stranding was putting on another show for the ages, and you were lucky enough to be all the way up front. Fortune continued to shine upon you, as your presence there was by request of the lead singer; such a thought still sending butterflies swarming in your stomach.

Higgs beat his guitar as he jumped wildly across the stage. The band’s newest song was playing; Game Over. The track was angry, as most of their music was, and made fun of Higgs’ abusive uncle’s preemptive end. Apparently the man had died of suicide, and the song explained it as a poetic justice. The media didn’t take too kindly to the harsh song, but because of you, and other hardcore fans, it topped the charts almost instantly anyway.

Higgs shouted the lyrics, as the entire band lost themselves in their art. They were utterly mesmerizing throughout it all, but the man in the middle most of all. Eyes, decorated in heavy makeup, somehow were able to find yours in the crowd, sending a jolt of nerves through you. Golden lips smiled, and you returned the gesture, allowing yourself to get lost in the past for the briefest moment.

–

Your hands were shaking as you looked down at your phone. It was still hard to believe that the show you went to the previous night ended how it did. Being invited to Higgs’ trailer afterwards? Making out with him? Getting his fucking number?!

A deep breath was needed to calm your racing heart. You opened his contact for the umpteenth time that morning, while you attempted to muster up the courage to actually send something.

Okay. Here goes. He might be a sleaze, but you’re into that, right? Maybe? Doesn’t need to mean anything, just… Just fucking text him!

Hey! It’s me, you texted him your name, and tried to control your rising anxiety.

Almost the whole day passed, and you felt rather stupid after receiving no reply. That evening, however, your heart jumped out of your chest when you, at last, received a response.

fuck, was busy as hell today. good to hear from u sugar ;)

Okay. Okay. Play it cool.

How are you?

Really?! That’s the best I could–

fuckin great now. been thinkin abt u since last night

What ultimately scared you, turned into one of the easiest conversations you ever had with someone in your entire life. The two of you texted all throughout the night, and continued to do so for weeks following. Eventually, a proposition was offered to you; one that you had hoped would come up at some point.

so like actually wanted to ask u somethin

Oh? What is it?

can u make it to tomorrows show? i can get ya a ticket and whatever transport u need. really gotta see ur fine self again

You thought for a moment. Truthfully, you had work the next day, and the day after that. It wouldn’t be wise to…

Hell yes! You replied before the responsible thought could finish.

fuck yeah! lookin forward to seein u baby

–

Reality snapped back into focus. The song was ending; Higgs breathed heavily as the instrumental slowed, getting quieter. Cool autumn air washed over your skin, the warmth from the bodies surrounding you making it pass without a second thought. The cold didn’t seem to matter to Higgs either, because despite the black, fishnet tank top he wore, sweat dripped down his face. His makeup ran a small amount from the perspiration, but it only made the wild man even more attractive.

The show went on, and a headache began to thrum behind your eyes; the pain being worthwhile. When the last song of the night finished, your heart began to pound harder than it had in hours.

Higgs texted you before the show to find him near the private parking lot afterwards. You got lost in a sea of bodies navigating towards that destination, and eventually were able to break free from the crowd. Moving to the portion of fence that Higgs had told you to meet up at, your eyes searched for the man.

“Yo!” A voice called out to you after a moment of wondering if you were in the wrong spot. The culprit waved enthusiastically, coming out from behind a parked truck.

“Hey!” You mirrored the wave, and rushed over to stand in front of Higgs, who was now wearing a trashed Nirvana tank top and baggy jeans. His makeup had been cleaned off, fresh eyeliner applied in its absence.

“Fuck, you look good,” he said as his eyes took all of you in.

You blushed. “You too.” The reply was meek.

“C’mon,” he smirked, opening the fence. He took your hand in his as he led you back to his trailer.

For a second time.

Your mind was already swimming. Only months ago this man was your idol, someone to look up to and admire; just out of reach. Now that very man held you and, perhaps with a bit of delusion from yourself, looked at you with a longing of sorts.

“Been too goddamned long,” Higgs opened the door to his trailer, and moved to the side, letting you enter first.

“It has,” you nodded and stepped into the warm space.

The scent of nag champa entered your nose; incense burning away in the corner. After closing the door, Higgs walked up from behind, and wrapped his arms around you. A soft kiss was placed against your cheek, the smell of weed lingering in its wake.

“You guys were great tonight,” you blushed again, leaning back into his hold.

“Yeah?” He squeezed you tighter, giving a small nip to your ear. “And what’d ya like the most?”

“Well, that new song for a start,” you turned, meeting his eyes.

The response you were then given confused you. Higgs let his hold on you drop, taking a step away and pulling a beer from his minifridge. The smile that he wore since seeing you again had vanished.

Okay… what just happened?

Higgs tossed you a can, and walked you over to his couch. A sense of déjà vu began to flood your mind.

“It’s all a lie,” he said after getting comfortable.

“What?” Your mind dulled from a spark of anxiety.

“That song,” he looked at you, “it’s all bullshit. My daddy ain’t kill himself.” A scoff.

“Wait, huh?” You scooted closer to him, getting comfortable yourself. “I mean, a lot of famous songs aren’t based on truth, so–”

“Oh there’s truth to that one,” he cut you off, shrugging, “just twisted a bit.” The beer can met his lips, and he took a long swig.

“So what’s the truth then?”

“I just got ya back in my arms,” he wrapped an arm around your shoulders to emphasize his point, “don’t wanna fuck it up with a story like that. The truth don’t reflect well on me after all.”

Curiosity began to nag at you. “You won’t fuck it up.”

He let out a laugh but there was no amusement behind the sound. A shake of his head told you to let it go.

“I’m serious,” you probed anyway. “I’m well aware of your… issues,” your tone was joking, “so what’s one more?”

“Oh I dunno.” He paused to consider for a moment. Then, “How would murder work into that?”

The word caught you so off guard you forgot to breathe and your lungs started to burn from the shock. Thoughts began to race through your head.

Murder? He killed someone?

…His own father?! 

Higgs looked at you, his expression telling you that he was serious.

You inhaled deeply. “I’m sure you had your reasons,” you said, refusing to let the idea terrify you without knowing the full story.

“Sure as shit did,” he replied, taking another sip from his drink. You did the same with yours, knowing the tale would likely need it. There was a pause again as Higgs contemplated the right way to explain.

You leaned into him, resting your head against the crook of his neck, and that seemed to give him the confidence he needed.

“Abusive piece of shit,” he finally began, “sure you’re aware of that by now, from the song Death for Life.”

You nodded into him.

“Went on for years. His heavy fists; his version of love…” he said. “When I turned 16, I dunno, I just couldn’t take it anymore. Tried to run. Fucker wasn’t having it.” Another break, as an attempt was made to calm his own racing heart. “He wanted to kill… the way his eyes glassed over… I could see it; I knew it was him or me. So I chose me.” His breathing grew heavier, its sound loud in your ears.

You had to say something. Anything.

“Good,” the single word you offered helped soothe Higgs’ growing hyperventilation.

A small hum left his lips. “I shot him. Right in the head. He had the damn gun on me first, was able to wrestle it from him but… yeah. That’s the truth. Only me, that fuckin’ corpse, and now you, know.”

You weren’t sure what to even say. What could you say? Sorry definitely wasn’t enough. He deserved it didn’t seem like the correct comfort. Time will make it better…? Yeah, right.

“I’m glad you chose you,” were the words that ultimately left your lips.

Higgs’ body grew tense; the can in his hand forgotten, his hold on you tightening. None of it was on purpose, as the man got lost in thought. You started to worry that perhaps you chose wrong. He placed his beer down on the side table and turned to face you. Words often failed him; never knowing what to say and often choosing wrong himself.

So he said nothing at all when he leaned into you, and captured your lips with his.

You couldn’t help but freeze temporarily; eyes going wide as the moment caught up with you. Higgs’ lips were warm, and slightly chapped. His mouth tasted of his favored drug, beer and desire. You melted into him before a similar worry could wash over him.

He pressed deeper into you, shifting the both of your bodies so he hovered over top. The kisses you exchanged remained soft, sweet and surprising, to say the least. Laying down on the couch, your hand slipped out to the side, placing your own drink onto the floor.

Higgs’ hands ran up your sides, his tongue parting your lips. He moaned into your mouth when you let him in. The greedy muscle lapped at yours, getting lost in your taste once again, exploring what was once conquered.

You reached up, placing your own hands on the sides of his face, and pulled him closer. The kiss deepened, and when the two of you eventually parted for air, Higgs’ expression told you that something was different. His eyes lost their usual mischievous spark; a gentleness filling the cerulean. The way he stared at you caused your stomach to twist, for it was uncharted territory.

“I think ya might be trouble for me,” he whispered, before leaning in and kissing you again.

You smiled into him, the feeling in your stomach shifting to a happy warmth. His movements became a little more rough, your own matching his greed, and the two of you continued to kiss like people starved.

As the night progressed, your combined actions grew ever more intimate. The sex was better than you could’ve imagined, and when morning came, you knew you were in serious trouble too.

Higgs was beginning to steal not just your devotion, but your goddamned heart too.

–

Anticipation made your chest feel like it was going to explode. It had been a few months, Higgs, Peter, and you having developed a friends with benefits situation ever since his shocking confession. You’d grown closer since, and the nights you met up and spent together always managed to fill you with a thrill unlike any you had ever experienced before. Such thoughts vanished as the drumbeat picked up again.

He invited you to yet another show, with the promise of a new song being debuted that night. You were so excited, and couldn’t contain yourself as the only words he shared on the track was that ‘you’d dig it.’ Not much to go on, as you enjoyed all of Last Stranding’s songs, but the way he winked at you somehow amplified all of that exhilaration.

Pharaoh, the band’s most famous song, was coming to an end. The lights began to dim as melancholic notes rang out from Higgs’ golden guitar; notes you did not recognize. This was it. This was the new song. You leaned forward against the barrier as you watched the man of your dreams start to sing to a slower tempo.

Blinking ceased as you watched in awe. Higgs sang about being ashamed, afraid and undeserving. You, and the entire crowd quieted down, taking in the lyrics and their surprising meaning.

It was a love song.

A love song that shared Peter’s fears of being with someone too good for him.

Someone like you.

His eyes found yours again, and he continued to sing, watching the one who the words were intended for. Your eyes burned, not wanting to miss a moment of what was playing out before you.

People began to cry out and sway to the music, but you still found yourself in a state of paralysis. The lyrics carried a vulnerability that Higgs hadn’t offered before in his music. His eyes never left yours. The song was sad, as it was sweet; a perfect ballad for the two of you. He smiled.

You wanted nothing more in that moment to tell him how it made your heart swell. A stage separated the two of you, so you hoped the tears in your eyes were enough to convey what you couldn’t currently say to the man; to accept what he was proposing.

The way Higgs continued to sing with a passion quite unbefitting of him, told you that it was; that he understood.

On the stage, and in the crowd, the two of you took that step forward, towards something never expected of the rockstar.

Something akin to romance.

⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩 .𖥔˚

Another song rec for you all! This one is based off of the love song Higgs writes for you <3 The Gift - Seether

[peevedpigeon]

Don’t Get Distracted

DS1 Higgs x Reader // 2.4k words // On Melancholy Hill - Gorillaz

In which you seek refuge in a safe house after a botched mission; Higgs is bleeding, unconscious and there's only one damn bed.

Tags: fluff, forced proximity, wound care, gender neutral reader

A/N: YEAH OK I JUST WANTED TO WRITE THE ONE BED TROPE. But like, this is Higgs after all so of course had to make it a little (very) annoying <3 Also an apology of sorts for the angst I posted previously

Taglist: @starshinedowo @sanguis-ghouls-blog @mikaela-homura @raeyanetta @higgsmonaghanlvr @thehouseoflore @cosmiccomrade (lmk if you wanna be added/removed! <3)

☆. *. ⋆

You dragged Higgs’ body into the safe house. He was still breathing, but his blood loss coursed icy adrenaline through your veins.

You had to act fast.

Leaving him on the floor in the middle of the room, you ran to the cabinets. Frantic hands searched through all kinds of items until at last, a medkit graced your fingertips. Rushing back to Higgs’ side, you got to work on the wounds in his shoulder. A MULE caught him off guard with a shotgun blast at a distance, and the spray knocked the man unconscious almost instantly.

The memory of the MULE falling dead to the ground moments later entered your mind, your own pistol shaking in your hand. You couldn’t remember even pulling the trigger; all you recalled were the men's bodies falling almost in tandem with one another.

Small nicks decorated Higgs’ face. The shot luckily hadn’t been lethal, but the damage could still be. You pushed from your mind the memory of throwing Higgs into your pickup off-roader, and speeding as fast as possible to the nearest safe haven. There was work to do.

Peeling off Higgs’ many layers, his clothes started to congeal with blood. The smell was strongly metallic, your stomach flipping in response. You kept going, until the man lay there shirtless and bleeding still.

You disinfected your hands, and put your medical knowledge to the test. Ever since joining the Homo Demens, a vast array of skills had begun to settle nicely under your belt. Wound care was one such talent, having both worked on others and yourself in times of need. Higgs, however, was all new territory. Your hands shook with anxiety.

His eyes were shut, almost peacefully, as if in a deep sleep. Black eyeliner smudged down his cheeks, his lips half parted in what looked to be relaxation. The blood that dribbled from his face brought your mind back into focus.

You cleaned the various injuries first. Starting at the biggest in his shoulder, then to the smaller ones on the side of his face. You were grateful the spray was so spread out; if he were any closer, the birdshot would’ve struck like a cannonball.

Gauze was applied next, in hopes of stanching the bleeding. You worked your way through half of the supply, but at last, the crimson flow halted. Higgs’ brow furrowed in his dreamless state.

Your eyes danced over his well sculpted body. Lean muscles, scarred and tattooed told a story; one you were certainly curious about. The man was very guarded about his past, after all. A faint happy trail decorated his lower abdomen, dipping into obscurity behind his pants. The rise and fall of his chest, uneven and slow, worked worry back into your heart.

Don’t get distracted.

Stitches, medicine and then at last, bandages were applied. You sighed in relief when the work was done. Well, almost done.

I can’t leave him on the floor, you thought to yourself as you looked around, the bed in the corner catching your eye. This is gonna be a bitch. You looked back at the man and cursed his impressive height.

At least strength was one of those many skills you had acquired ever since joining up with the Demens. You sighed as you rose, and did your best to not disturb Higgs’ wounds when you grabbed him. Sliding him over, you awkwardly lifted the man into the bed; his torso first, then his legs. A few of his bandages began to soak red, and you knew you had your work cut out for you all over again.

You sunk to the floor when it was well and truly finished. Higgs’ blood stained your hands, but his breathing had become calm and even. The adrenaline that had kept you awake, all but left your body then, and exhaustion dragged you down into its murky depths.

When you awoke, your body didn’t wish to listen to you. Stiff and aching, you forced yourself upright, the tile having turned your bones to stone. You yawned, and stretched the petrification from your deadened limbs.

Fuck. Right. Memories of the night before launched you to your feet. Spinning, you ran to Higgs’ side. The man remained sound asleep and breathing. A sigh of relief. If he made it through the night, then he was in the clear, and so were you. To have his death on your hands was a thought worse than your own end. Catharsis washed over you, and a smile worked its way over your face.

The day went on, and you tried to keep yourself busy. You were without DOOMS, so you were both stuck until Higgs woke up. Moving him again would be a bad idea, so you waited. And waited. And waited.

A groan pulled your attention away from the meal you were preparing.

“Fuck,” Higgs rasped in an attempt to sit up.

“Whoa,” you rushed over, hand raised, “Don’t do that.”

“The hell happened,” he asked, not listening to you as he sat up. Blood seeped through some of his bindings.

“Asshole,” you mumbled under your breath, as you grabbed the medkit from a nearby table. “MULE shot you,” you said louder.

“Mmgh,” he groaned again.

“Here.” You sat down on the edge of the bed. “Your bandages need to all be replaced anyway.”

“Aw. Ain’t you sweet.”

You rolled your eyes as you got back to work. Removing Higgs’ ruined dressings, you noted that his skin was warm, but not too much.

Okay good, no fever, you thought.

You brought out the alcohol, and went to dab it against his biggest wound. Your hand halted. The man stared at you in silence, his gaze working a self-consciousness into you that wasn’t there prior.

“What?” The question left his lips calmly.

“N-nothing,” you whispered, the flex of his deltoid muscle distracting you for just a moment. It didn’t go unnoticed. Then, you leaned forward and began to dab his shoulder.

“Shit,” Higgs jerked back, forcing another wound to open up and pour the smallest amount of red.

“Stop moving!”

“That fuckin’ hurts,” he grumbled.

“Infection will hurt more.” You leaned forward, pressing the soaked cotton into the cut, and hoped he didn’t see the way your hand trembled.

Higgs let out a hiss, but stayed still. Then, “How long I been out?”

“Just through the night.” You moved to another one of his injuries.

“Shit, well, I’m hungry.”

“Was preparing something. I’ll get you some after I take care of,” you gestured up his body and to his face, “all this.”

He started to laugh, “I just realized…”

“Yeah?”

“You stripped me?” His nonexistent eyebrows wiggled.

Instead of playing into his antics, you shoved the cotton into another cut, bringing the man back to reality.

“Ow!”

You smirked, and worked in relative silence as you finished up his wound care for the third time. Rising from the bed, you gathered the supplies and moved to the kitchen. You put the medkit away, and listened to Higgs’ subsequent struggle.

“Goddamn,” he mumbled to himself as unsteady feet landed on the floor. “There any beer?”

“That’s the last thing you need right now,” you responded, returning your attention back to the MRE you had been prepping.

“Not my question.”

You sighed, and pointed to the fridge, knowing there was no arguing with the man. If the particle of god wanted a beer, then he was going to get one. Damn idiot.

The rest of the day passed slowly; Higgs reopened his wounds a few times, and the dwindling supplies were a cause for worry. His drunkenness was also cause for concern as the alcohol made him more susceptible to bleeding, however, when he passed out, you were grateful at least for that side effect.

Evening came again. You looked at the floor and deflated; your body still sore from a night against the cold tile. Looking to the bed, Higgs appeared as comfortable as a baby; on his back with long limbs spread over the mattress. Drool dribbled from his open mouth, and long lashes ghosted over his cheeks.

You walked over, and as quietly and delicately as you could, slipped a pillow free from next to the man’s head. Turning, you made your way over to the corner of the room and got as comfortable as you could.

Sleep didn’t wish to come. Your head began to hurt.

An hour passed, then two. Your eyelids continued to remain light and unburdened. A sigh left your lips as you shifted, still trying to get comfortable. Then, a yawn brought your attention back to the nuisance hogging the bed.

“What’re ya doin’,” a sleepy voice called out to you.

“Huh?” You sat up, and took in the image of Higgs’ head lifted slightly, staring at you in the darkness.

“Get over here,” his voice sounded a little slurred, and plopped back down.

What? Surely he doesn’t mean we’re to share? The asshole takes up the whole damn bed!

“Ya would rather sleep over there?” His annoying voice met your ears again.

“Not really, no,” you conceded.

“C’mere then,” he shifted over a bit, offering a small sliver of space at the edge of the bed for you.

How generous. You let out a long breath through your nose.

A bit of nervousness flooded your system after the annoyance worked its way through you. It had already been alarming enough being in such close proximity to the man’s body during your care, but to sleep next to him? Your mind drifted back to how awful your bones felt in the morning.

You grabbed your pillow, got up and slid into the bed next to Higgs. He had the whole blanket wrapped around him, not even a corner available for you. You attempted to get comfortable with what little room you had, and fluffed your pillow under your head. Higgs snored quietly beside you, already pulled back into his land of dreams. Heat emanated off of him, caressing your backside that you had turned to him.

The bed was soft. Your eyelids finally started to grow heavy, and despite your heartbeat thundering in your chest, sleep at last overtook you.

–

So warm. So comfy. Tired. What’s that…?

The lights of the shelter had come on, the inside of your eyelids turning red from their intensity. Your eyes opened with a grogginess you didn’t wish to yet face, as your mind caught up with your waking body.

A jolt immediately went through you. Turning your head, you noticed an arm wrapped around your midsection; the very arm whose shoulder was in need of fresh bandages. You shifted, and the arm moved with you. Lying flat on your back then, you got a good view of Higgs, still asleep and dreaming, as he held you close.

The blanket was still wrapped around only him, but his bodyheat kept you warm despite his greed. A leg had been jammed between yours, now awkwardly entangled with your own. Drool continued to pool onto your pillow from his mouth, his face only inches away from your own.

You held your breath.

He shifted in his sleep, and your eyes went wide. Something hard pressed into your side, and you did your best to not think about it too much.

That’s normal… yeah, a normal, bodily reaction–

Higgs’ eyes opened, locking straight onto yours. Your held breath hitched.

“G’mornin’,” he rasped, pressing himself closer against you. His very apparent hard-on went deeper into your side, and his eyes closed again.

Doesn’t he feel that?!

“Morning…” you shifted awkwardly, unsure of what to do. One one hand, it was a very comfortable spot you were in, but on the other hand, this was Higgs.

Your boss.

He moved again, pressing his face into the crook of your neck. His breath was soft, warm, and threatened to lull you back into sleep. A small hum came from him, one of contentment. His hold around you tightened.

You stared at the ceiling. Best to just get up. He needs his wounds looked at, and if he’s feeling better, then we have to go. Shit to do, after all. You looked to the side.

Higgs’ eyeliner had all but smudged away, and you realized that was the first time you saw the man without it. He looked… different, somehow; more man, than particle of god. Drool worked its way down onto your neck and a shiver coursed the length of your spine. You sat up.

Higgs groaned next to you, flopping onto his own back with your movements. “Why did you do that?”

You wiped your neck, and sat at the edge of the bed. Despite not wanting to, you could tell this was a dangerous trap you were falling into, and you needed to free yourself. “We gotta get back to camp, Higgs. Those idiots are probably burning shit down by now.”

Higgs chuckled, then sat up slowly, his injuries hindering him just a bit. “Yeah,” he sighed, “you’re probably right.” His bottom lip jutted out in a pout, “But maybe five more minutes?”

You looked over your shoulder at him. He smiled at you oh-so easily, blue eyes sparkling from the lights overhead.

Really? Don’t do it you fucking idiot. This is bad news. This–

“Okay. Five more minutes.”

Was it a horrible idea? Yes. But was your better sense still half asleep? Well, no, but you lied to yourself that it was anyway.

Five more minutes turned into two hours, but the rest was needed, and truthfully, it was some of the best sleep you got in your life. While Higgs never offered you any of the blanket, his larger frame did a good job at keeping you warm throughout, and it brought with it a sense of safety. That thought would’ve amused you; one of the most dangerous men alive making you feel safe at your most vulnerable, but you were asleep, and such thoughts couldn’t reach you.

Yet.

When the two of you woke again, it was Higgs that urged motion. You didn’t want to get up, not anymore, but you rose from the newfound bliss all the same.

The two of you were able to chiral jump afterwards, thanks to Higgs, back to camp. Nothing was burned down, other than your own personal walls you had built up ever since joining the captivating man.

And you found that you were actually okay with that.

[peevedpigeon]

Peter had only met Amelie a few weeks back, but she'd somehow boosted his DOOMS, and he was still mapping the edges of that.

He sits quietly in the safe house, a still cold body in a Fragile Express porter uniform laid out on the floor. The blood has gone dark and thick.

He reads while he waits, The Book of the Dead, a few heavy texts on quantum physics and dark matter. Patience, when it suits him, is something he's long since mastered.

In another life — ancient Egypt, say, one branch of infinite possible Peters — he might have prepared the body with some ceremony. Canopic jars, the whole ritual. The quantum texts stacked beside him suggested every version of that choice still existed somewhere. But in this one, the incinerator down the road isn't about ushering any soul anywhere. It's about keeping himself out of a void out.

A month ago he could have told you this porter's preferred routes and average delivery scores. Now the man is just raw material: chiralium building toward necrosis while Peter hums quietly and waits.

He'd sited the safe house within view of the incinerator on purpose. When the chiralium peaks and starts to leak, he can manipulate and work with it. Flesh sloughed away, teeth and bone transmuted into shimmering gold. A mask, forged through death, made for ruling.

He'd tried before, with mixed results. This time would be different. 🌊

for anyone interested in seeing what inspired my latest fic 🫶 (lovely idea as always 🌊 anon <3)

[peevedpigeon]

I am Yesterday

Pre-DS1 Higgs x Reader Angst // 3.9k words // Flightless Bird, American Mouth - Iron & Wine

In which a golden mask gets in between you and the man you love.

Warnings: angst, hurt/no comfort, established relationship, porter Higgs, physical violence & murder, gender neutral reader, Higgs loses his mind basically. that’s it. that’s the fic

A/N: The plot of this one is actually from the mind of my 🌊anon <3 Couldn't reply to their ask directly as it would spoil too much, so giving credits to them here :3 Will likely post their ask separately after this for anyone interested in reading their original concept!

Taglist: @starshinedowo @sanguis-ghouls-blog @mikaela-homura @raeyanetta @higgsmonaghanlvr @thehouseoflore @cosmiccomrade (lmk if you wanna be added/removed! <3)

𓅰 𓅯 𓅮

The soft buzzing of the shelter was the only thing keeping Peter grounded in reality. He turned the pages of a book he had read countless times now, humming to himself. The Egyptian Book of the Dead had taken on an all new meaning for him in recent days.

Reading was his attempt at passing the time. A corpse lay cold and stiff on the floor in front of him. Blood seeped from the multiple stab wounds in its chest, coating the tile with a murky reddish-brown. Peter brought his eyes back down to his book.

‘I am Yesterday; I know Tomorrow.’ Who then is this? Yesterday is Osiris, and Tomorrow is Ra. He smiled as he read. 

Amelie had become his own Ra, giving purpose to a life he didn’t before wish to even have; rebuilding him from her very own sweat and tears. Did this make him Osiris; twin soul to that of all existence? Beginning and end? Two halves of a single whole? He knew he was no longer Peter, but just who was he then, if not the man who killed in exchange for his freedom?

Someone who kills for the world’s freedom, perhaps? The man glanced over to his side, a stack of books on quantum physics whose words he had soaked in long before. Yes… that could work, he thought to himself before returning his attention back to his current read.

The smell in the small space was starting to go rotten. Its aroma also brought with it memories he had done his best to repress over the years, but his dead daddy’s face plagued his vision all the same. A sigh passed his lips and he closed the black book.

Not-Peter allowed his mind to drift to you instead; comfort always something that came with such thoughts. He reminisced about how the two of you met, both working for Fragile Express not too long ago. A soft smile plumped his cheeks as the memories led into the romance you shared; your first kiss, your first argument, your first attempt at make-up sex.

Your first ‘I love you’.

He shook the memories from his head. You fell in love with a counterfeit Peter, the true man having been put to rest long before you met. Not-Peter wore a mask, one of his own face, sure, but a mask all the same. You didn’t know what you were saying when you first spoke those three words. He didn’t know either, when he returned the proclamation.

If only you would have agreed to take that step into the end with him. If only you had said yes instead of… looking at him as you did. Perhaps then you would have gotten more than a glimpse of the ugly truth that lay underneath, and he wondered if you’d grow to truly love him, as he grew to love you, even still, in his own twisted way.

Standing, he stretched and looked down at the corpse in front of him. Necrosis was finally settling in; black tar seeping through the chest, and chiralium starting to form in the air surrounding the dead body. He could feel the presence of the BTs getting closer.

Not-Peter scrunched his nose, and walked over to the kitchen. Pouring himself a glass of water, he tried to tell himself patience, but after multiple failed attempts, it was getting harder and harder to practice. His eyes darted to the fake window on the wall as he drank. It showed the image of a nearby incinerator. The chiralium in the air was more dense in the region because of it, and the man hoped it would be enough.

Another chance. Don’t fuck it up this time. This corpse is special, after all, unlike the others.

He perched himself back in front of the body on the floor, glass of water in one hand, book in the other. His descent continued, as the room slowly filled with the promise of imminent voidout.

𓅰 BEFORE

“Peter!” You waved enthusiastically, happy to see the man return safe from another perilous trek.

“Hey, you,” the lanky man approached, smiling his signature grin. “How ya been farin’?”

“Can’t complain. Got caught in some BT territory yesterday, but other than that, pretty smooth sailing.”

“Well, BTs ain’t got shit on you,” he smirked.

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

He breathed out a laugh through his nose, then said, “I’d rather face their ire than yours.”

You rolled your eyes, and walked beside the man you had come to call yours. The two of you made your way into the city proper. Fragile Express had been picking up more orders lately, and you both found yourselves constantly busy. It was nice however, when the two of your deliveries lined up like this, and you could enjoy the other’s presence.

“Got somethin’ for ya,” Peter broke the comfortable silence after a moment.

“Oh?”

“Here,” he pulled a small trinket free from his back pocket. “That old sculptor ya like gave it to me. Said it’s supposed to bring good luck or somethin’.” He shrugged, “I think it’s ugly.”

You couldn’t help but laugh as you accepted the tiny keychain. “Gee, thanks,” you smiled, taking in the amateurly sculpted cryptobiote. “Archie has gotten better. It’s kinda cute, actually.”

“Are you blind? No it’s not.”

“Well, I say you’re cute. Am I wrong there too?”

Peter barked out a laugh in response, and the two of you made your way to a private room. You shared stories over your recent deliveries, and the people you met along the way. Talking eventually turned into a quiet only interrupted by the sound of your kissing. Such delicacy led to more intimate acts, and one thought stuck in your mind through it all.

I really love him.

The evening passed far too quickly; your time together always so enjoyable. Peter’s warmth engulfed your body, limbs entangled with one another. The sound of his soft breathing gave you peace, and by the way he slipped into his usual elusive slumber, you knew you brought the same to him. 

Life was good, as it was also cruel. You didn’t know it yet, but that night was the last you were able to spend in pure bliss with the man you loved.

–

It was a few weeks until you were able to see him again, and Peter was no longer himself upon your reunion. A solemnity had taken over the man’s attitude; curt responses and a lack of loving touches worried you.

He had kissed you upon meeting up, but there was no drive behind the act; it was chaste, and without passion. It made your heart ache, wondering what happened to cause such a shift.

Is it me? Is it him?

…Is it someone else?

“Are you okay,” you asked, voice gentle, despite the alarming thought.

“Fine,” he brushed you off, continuing to tinker with his reverse trike.

The sun was sweltering overhead, with not a cloud in the sky. Timefall had been persistent the last few days, so the change was welcome. In a way, it felt almost cruel; how bright the world had become without Peter’s own warmth.

“You haven’t told me how your last delivery went. Was out pretty far west.” you tried to probe. “Don’t hear much from out there, other than about that group of terrorists.”

“Uh-huh.” He continued to work on the broken axle.

“Peter.”

He ignored you.

“Peter.”

“What?” He finally looked at you, eyebrows furrowing.

“Please talk to me,” you begged, a desperation coating your words. “What’s going on with you?”

He was quiet for a moment, the tool in his hand becoming rigid within his grasp. His shoulders shook the smallest amount as he breathed out his annoyance, and you could feel a dread pushing down on your own.

“Just– I dunno. Got a lot on my mind lately. Don’t worry about it.” He got back to work, refusing to look at you.

It felt like a knife to the chest. You could recall the days when the two of you stayed up all night talking about anything and everything. Now, the man struggled to give you a full sentence. Your heart was threatening to break over the rift, but you gave him the space he seemed to need, and that was the worst mistake you made in your entire life.

–

Peter was furious. Why wasn’t it working? Amelie had given him access to immense power, but his ability to manipulate the other side still wasn’t manifesting as she had explained.

The body before him was shaking, golden chiralium pooling into the air from the corpse’s face. Black tar spread across the ground, seeping into the dull grass and locking Peter’s own feet into place. His hands were outstretched, small strands connecting his own mortality to the loss of such before him, attempting to pull free the golden skull that had begun to form amongst the dark liquid.

A perfect death mask, he had thought upon witnessing a body go necro just the day before.

He’d made up his mind by then, after struggling with what to do ever since meeting his beloved angel of destruction. Despite your fussing over him, Peter knew that Amelie was the future, his one true destiny, not you, even though a part of him wished to bring you with.

Hell, maybe he could still try; why not have two good things?

But that meant he had to rebuild himself. A real mask was needed this time; his own face would no longer suffice for who he was to become. No one would see it again, not even you, but that would have to be okay.

The corpse started to shake more violently, the humming the BTs brought reverberating in his heart. Time was almost up; thoughts of love and identity left him entirely. Pull the damn thing free!

Peter focused with all of his might on grasping the manifestation of death, the threat of the dead just below the surface. The jaw bone popped free, sparkling in the fading sunlight, the rest of the skull still obscured by tar. His finger reached in and touched its cool surface, breath hitching.

There was a moment of triumph. Chiralium fused with the dead man’s skull, bursting free from the grip of the other side, ushered obediently into Peter’s hands. His eyes flashed with reflected gold, and a smile wide enough to hurt stretching his face.

A deluge of tar burst forth from the ground, breaking his stupor, sucking the corpse and its golden promise down into its depths; out of time. The strands tugged his hands downward, dipping into the cold liquid. He acted as fast as he could, as defeat began to slow his mind, and severed the connection.

“Fuck!” Peter yelled, focusing his DOOMS elsewhere. He chiral jumped out of the field, a voidout decimating the landscape only moments later.

He could hear the boom wherever it was he wound up. Slamming a fist into a nearby rock, he felt the skin of his knuckles split. Sharp pain shot up his arm, as warmth spread down his digits. Tears formed in his eyes, but they did not fall.

Breathe, just breathe. There are always more corpses to be made. Death for life, right?

He shifted, and stared at the blood and tar that stained his hand. The smallest glint of gold sparkled on his one fingertip; a failure, but a start. Peter would get his mask, no matter how many tries it took. And once he did? The name Peter Englert would fall into obscurity.

But just… who would he become?

What name was worthy of one serving extinction?

–

You couldn’t move. You couldn’t think. You couldn’t do anything at all.

“Say something,” Peter pressured you, waiting for an answer to a question your brain no longer understood.

The private room’s lights were blinding. You blinked, attempting to refocus your reality. Peter remained in front of you, blood coating his side; not his own.

“S-say it again,” you whispered, hoping the words he spoke would be different than what you just heard.

He sighed, and took a step closer. You stepped backwards. Eyes narrowed. “Join me. Join the Homo Demens,” not a question this time, but a demand.

“Why?”

“Why? Why can’t you understand it?” Peter huffed an angry breath, “I explained it all to you already. The end is coming for us all; Amelie is proof of it. We can help her, be a part of it; make our lives actually fuckin’ mean somethin’. You, and me. Us, and her.”

He sounded crazy. Tears welled in your eyes as you felt your heart suffocating with a pain worse than when you thought he was unfaithful. You couldn’t pull him from the pit of insanity he had willingly crawled into. It was too dangerous.

You needed to run.

“I-I can’t…” Looking towards the exit, you cursed yourself for allowing Peter to get in between you and safety. You cursed yourself further for thinking such an awful thing about the man you weren’t sure you could love anymore.

“You can. I know you can,” his voice took on a reassuring note. No, a pleading one; he was convincing himself just as much as you. He was desperate.

“Peter,” tears trickled slowly down your face. The words you needed to say were far too painful, so you shook your head instead.

He watched your movements, and he realized at last that this would have to be where the two of you said goodbye. His heart would break, if he still had one, for Amelie made it clear that extinction had no need for such a meaningless organ. Peter’s body was a mere vessel, made to serve, and destroy.

At least, that’s what he tried convincing himself of. Tears began to burn in his eyes. Why couldn’t you see things as he did? Why couldn’t you just say yes? Why did he have to be alone in this?

A choice was made; Peter would have you, one way or another. His eyebrows furrowed, his fists clenched, and he launched himself at you.

𓅯 AFTER

The corpse shook violently. Not-Peter looked up from his book once more, the sour chiralium burning not just his nose, but his eyes as well.

It was time.

He suppressed all of the memories he’d told himself not to get lost in, but had managed to anyway. The look on your face haunted him still, when you realized Not-Peter had no intention of letting you leave that private room alive. His eyes went back down to the corpse.

A heavy sigh parted his lips and he stood up. “Let’s go,” he said to himself, and grabbed the lifeless body.

The sunlight outside had vanished. Timefall loomed on the horizon, moving in at a fast rate, almost sensing the death that spilled into the sky. A mountain obscured the land beyond, the safe house Not-Peter had been in, tucked away nicely within the valley of the incinerator. He could smell and feel the chiral density permeating the air. It would most certainly work this time. It had to.

The corpse felt heavier, weighed down by the tar leaking through it. Not-Peter dragged the body out into the field, and readied himself. He recalled the image of a swallow perched atop a red and green object from his beloved book.

Here begin the chapters of making transformations.

Thunder began to rumble in the distance, all light soon vanishing. His DOOMS offered a single warning; BTs were approaching.

Need to act fast, he told himself.

Kneeling down in the appearance of reverence, he hovered over the corpse. Hands outstretched as they’d done many times before now, he slowed his breathing. Small, black strands began to form, connecting his digits to the golden skull forming below the surface of tar and flesh.

The skin began to peel away, its rotten smell becoming stronger. Chiralium continued to drift upwards in the sky around the two bodies. Not-Peter leaned in, feeling his connection solidify with each passing moment; the location, and who the corpse was seemed to be helping his cause.

Golden bones started to rip away the rest of the flesh, tar pulling the skin down into its depths. The skull glinted, its metallic surface mesmerizing Not-Peter enough to not question how it could still sparkle without sunlight.

His heart was starting to pound in his chest, mixing in with the thunder’s ambience. Skin began to crawl, goosebumps covering his flesh as the hidden BTs got closer. He was running out of time again.

Not-Peter leaned in further, touching his fingers to the golden skull. It felt delicate; the bones still in the process of fusing with the surrounding chiralium.

Tar pooled across the landscape. It was now or never. He grasped the sides of the skull, and lifted it upwards. A cracking noise filled his ears as the bones broke by its eye sockets. A pang hit his heart, but he had to keep going. The tar and flesh didn’t wish to let go, but after a moment of using all of his strength, Not-Peter, at last, held within his hands a mask of death fit for the pharaoh he was to become.

He stood, casting a glance down to the corpse, now indistinguishable. “Goodbye,” he smiled a sad smile, and vanished in a flash of chiralium.

Standing atop a distant mountain, Not-Peter watched yet another voidout destroy the land. He wished he would’ve grabbed his books he had brought with him, but the thought was quickly whisked away when he looked down in his hands.

A golden half-skull stared back at him.

“I, even I,” he started to recite the passage that remained memorized in his heart, “know the hidden ways to the doors of Aaru; and, though my body be buried, yet let me rise up; and may I come forth and overthrow all my foes upon earth.”

He held the skull to his face, perfectly hiding his humanity. Peter Englert was well and truly dead.

“Higgs; the particle of god that permeates all existence. Yeah. That has a good fuckin’ ring to it,” words spoken to himself were slightly muffled behind the skull that he held up. Even his voice was no longer Peter’s with his beautiful death mask.

He had you to thank.

Tears welled in his eyes as the mask lowered. He placed the skull in one hand, his index finger of the other caressing its cheekbone.

“Gotta say,” he began, “wish things were different. But hell, it finally worked.” A wicked smile spread across his face. “Made a half decent sculpture at last, huh, Archie?”

𓅮 NOW

You sat in your shelter, news of Middle Knot City having been leveled by a bomb reaching you over the chiral network. It was said to be connected to Fragile Express, but in your heart, you knew it was the work of Peter.

Or whatever he was calling himself these days.

The urge to cry was strong, but you had to be stronger. He was not worth all of the pain you still carried in your heart for him. The man had tried to kill you when you denied him; your life only saved by a goddamned miracle.

You looked down to the cryptobiote keychain you never went without, clasped onto one of your pants’ belt loops. Archie had said it was meant to bring good luck, that’s what Peter told you, and luck it certainly brought.

You closed your eyes, and the memories all came flooding back from that fateful day.

–

Peter launched at you. The look in his eyes was crazed; fury and heartache driving him forward. Your heart leaped into your throat, the lump that formed there making it hard to breathe. Before you knew it, strong hands wrapped around your neck as he shoved you backwards into the wall. Breathing became even more difficult.

Hot tears streaked down your face as your hands desperately grasped at Peter’s own. Your lips moved in a plea for your life, but no sound came out. Tears fell from the man’s eyes as well, knowing the words you wished to speak anyways.

“You should’ve just agreed,” he cried. “If you said yes, I wouldn’t have to do this.” Another choked sob left him. “I just wanted you to be with me through it all,” he said, shaking his head. “But there is a way that can still happen.”

Your eyes felt like they were going to explode, the tightness in your head becoming too much. Fucking do something!

In your fading consciousness, a thought came to you, one perhaps not short of divine intervention. Your hand reached down, fingertips gliding over the table next to you, searching. The knife you always kept with you was there; you knew you placed it on the table after arriving, with the rest of your supplies. So where the fuck is it?!

Your arm stretched out more. Peter’s hold grew stronger, his eyes red and lips trembling, lost in the agony of his own creation. Black dots were filling your vision. Time was almost up.

A finger brushed against the small, crude sculpture from a long time friend. You smiled, as tears continued to course down your cheeks. That caused Peter to pause for the briefest moment, loosening his hold momentarily.

You pulled the keychain into your hand, looped through the hole at the bottom of your pocket knife. Fingers extended, and the handle slid into your hand next. You used the last of your strength, and shoved it deep into your lover’s side.

Peter’s eyes went wide, shouting out in pain. His hands left you, and he pulled away. You kept your grip tight, ensuring the knife stayed with you, and not him. Blood seeped through his clothes, staining his other side, this time his own.

Everything stood still then; your heavy breathing and Peter’s pained groans echoing throughout the small room. Then, a hint of something flashed behind the man’s eyes.

Relief?

“Someone else will pay,” he promised you after a moment, before disappearing from your life for good, golden chiralium filling the room.

Sinking to your knees, you cried until all of your energy was used up. You then laid on the cold floor, your tears pooling onto the tile alongside Peter’s blood.

Should you have just agreed? Would that have been easier? Could you have lived with yourself?

Your eyes closed, and you mourned all that could have been.

It was a few weeks after, when the madman now dubbed as Higgs left you a final communication. A note placed within your shelter simply read:

Archie’s dead. It’s your fault.

The words haunted you, and you never went to check to see if they were true. It was obvious they had to be, as deranged as the man had become. You apologized to the old man who had become a constant during your deliveries. His final gift to you wasn’t known to him, for it wasn’t the keychain, but in fact, your life.

–

Your fists clenched as you came back to reality. Tears threatened to spill once more for the lives of Archie and Peter; both ended because of Higgs’ delusions. Looking at the keychain again, you thanked Archie for his unknowing sacrifice.

You would carry him with you always, not unlike how Higgs currently did.

Still connected, despite it all.

[peevedpigeon]

oh that artist reader oneshot was yummy as hell thank you once again 🤭🤭 now what i’m requesting next needs an open mind okay…mecha higgs wireplay… is that anything… don’t ask me about logistics i haven’t made it to ds2 yet🫣 also that song thats trending (might not be and im just too online) called im the slime is 24/7 in my head and it reminds me of higgs like if anyone’s gross and perverted its higgs okay 🙂‍↕️

🎱 :)

youre very welcome, im glad you enjoyed <3 and about that request… theres a concept im gonna write at some point that plays a little bit into this idea, so stay tuned 🫶

and 100%!! always loved that song and definitely see it being higgs coded. rubio’s lament by waitress is also SO him 🙂‍↕️

[peevedpigeon]

I have officially made my Higgs obsession others problem, tho problem is a subjective word lol, anyway! I’ve been a couple times to this art class cause i’m ashamed of not contributing to my fandoms so yea i’m doing art lessons now and this class is like full of people aged 50+ doing like beautiful traditional art of like idk flowers and lakes and their children and then there’s me with my little fanarts 😭 got me feeling like the youngest person ever lmfao back to my point i’d love to read about Higgs finding readers drawings of him 🫣 throw some smut in there please and thank you

he’s so drawable it’s bonkers

🎱 anon

Okay so, love that for you! Pursuing passions due to fandoms spaces is so real <3 Also, I am very sorry this took me forever to get to 😭 I made it a little extra filthy just for you though, so I do hope you enjoy. This was a really fun prompt as always 🎱anon! 🫶

DS1 Higgs x Artist!Reader Smut

3k words

Warnings: 18+, smut, AFAB reader (gender neutral), p in v, creampie, fingering, smacking, hair pulling, not enough foreplay, mentions of blood/guns/death, (maybe slight dubcon due to power dynamics?)

Taglist: @starshinedowo @sanguis-ghouls-blog @mikaela-homura @raeyanetta @higgsmonaghanlvr @thehouseoflore @cosmiccomrade (lmk if you wanna be added/removed! <3)

*ೃ༄

It was hard to control yourself; every time Higgs graced your vision, something about him just drew you to inspiration. During meetings for field missions, even on such operations, or simply any time he passed you by, you’d find yourself holding your breath. Anticipation would make fingers restless until they could grasp their usual pencil and paper; such beauty deserved to be documented.

Hunching over in your tent, you used your knees to prop up your sketchbook. Higgs had looked extra riveting today; sharp eyeliner and a split bottom lip from a won fight made him appear alluring and dangerous. You loved it.

Using the tip of your ring finger to smudge the graphite, you worked on the shadows in his hair. A smile spread over your face just like his in the drawing. You paused for a moment, and briefly thumbed through the other drawings in the book; all of Higgs.

Oh, how would he react if he saw this? Embarrassment already began to suffocate you at the thought, No, he won’t ever find this. I always make sure to keep it well hidden. You shook the awkwardness you felt away and continued drawing the man that had wholeheartedly captivated you.

The next morning came with alarms. MULES were encroaching on the camp, and frenzied soldiers exploded into motion. You were no different. Launching out of your bed, you threw on your boots and grabbed your rifle. Joining in the sea of bodies ready for the fight, the thought that plagued your mind the night before all but slipped from your head entirely.

Your sketchbook lay next to your pillow, forgotten in your sleep and open in your carelessness. An oversight.

–

Higgs made his way through camp. He was pleased to see the problem being taken care of without hesitation. With a casual step, he lurked through tents, making sure there were no stragglers deserving of his ire.

Gunfire and screams filled his ears. The crunch of gravel accompanied his footfalls, and warm sunlight kissed his face. A good day.

Your tent came into view, its flaps thrown open haphazardly during your flight. Stalwart today. Good. He peeked his head in, and the smile he wore only grew. Now just what is that? Walking over to your cot, his eyes went wide at seeing his own face greet him back.

Well shit, he thought to himself, not half bad. Picking up the sketchbook, he began to flip through the rest of its obsessive pages. Tattooed eyebrows raised as mischievousness filled his heart.

A very good day.

–

You returned covered in blood. The corpse disposal team worked on gathering all of the dead for Higgs to discard with his DOOMS. You were grateful you were not a part of that team today. The fight took a lot out of you, and you were ready to get cleaned up and catch your breath. Making corpses was one thing, but to carry them? A shiver floated down your spine.

Sighing, you raised your hand and pulled back the flap of your tent. Very quickly you regretted all of that ignorant gratitude; today would’ve been a good day to be on the CDT after all. Higgs sat on your cot, turning the pages of your sketchbook with a slowness that meant one of two things; he was mad, or he was not. A lump formed in your throat.

Unsettling eyes met yours. Higgs’ lips formed a smirk before speaking, “Gotta say, this is really flatterin’.”

Okay… not mad?

“But, how much time ya spend on this shit? This why you were late to yesterday’s morning drills?”

Shit, okay. Mad.

“I um,” you stuttered, trying to find the right words to get you out of danger and to alleviate your embarrassment.

“Yes or no.”

“Y-yes.” Fuck fuck fuck.

“Right,” Higgs nodded his head as he placed the book down. “Come with me,” he rose, and walked past you out of the tent. The faint smell of a cologne almost worn off entered your nose; musky and faintly sweet. Green apples?

You tried to focus on anything but your heartbeat thundering in your chest. In the past, the Demens had been witness to many punishments on underperforming soldiers. Was Higgs going to discipline you in a similar fashion? If his mood was bad enough from the MULES… would it be worse than what you had seen? Your knees shook as you followed the man to his own tent. Surely not, you hoped, though not knowing for certain made the trembling strengthen.

“Close it,” he barked at you after entering, waving a hand to the entrance.

Doing as he asked, you noticed your hands shaking as well. A deep inhale through your nose failed to stop their motion. You turned, and confusion grew when you saw Higgs pull something out from the back of the space.

A mirror; about a foot tall, cracked in one corner and dusty. Higgs walked over with the piece of glass and propped it up on his desk, with you continuing to stare in perplexity.

Okay…? Where was this going?

“While I’m not happy you’ve been distracted, I suppose I can let it slip if,” he emphasized the last word and let it hang between you.

“If what, sir?” You shifted your weight between your feet.

“Hm…” Higgs stood still for a moment, lost in thought. Then, “How good is your memory?”

“Pretty good,” your confused voice replied.

“Alright,” he nodded slowly, “if you draw something specifically for me, I’ll be willing to look past your little fuck up.”

Well, alright. That’s not a big deal. I can do that. A map, maybe? Not in my area of expertise but… I can work with it. Breathing started to become a little easier. “Certainly, sir.”

“Oh? You don’t even know what I want yet.”

“Doesn’t matter, I’ll do it,” you said the words before fully considering them.

“Excellent,” Higgs smiled a devilish grin and approached you. “Take off your clothes.”

You froze, mind unable to comprehend what he just ordered of you. Then, slowly, like dew beading in the morning sun, your lips allowed a single word to form, “W-why?”

“You’re going to be the subject, dear,” he nodded his head to the forgotten mirror. “I’m goin’ to help ya get the position I want.” A pause. “Expression, too.” A wink.

Sweat began to bead on your forehead as endless thoughts flooded your mind. He’s going to pose me? But, what does he mean exactly by expression? Shouldn’t I have my stuff? And most jarring of all, I’m going to be naked?

Higgs began to take off some of his more bulky gear, remaining comfortable in just his clothes. He eyed you, “Don’t have it figured out yet, do ya?” Delight appeared on his face while watching your silent struggle. “If ya want; I can figure out a punishment instead? I’m feelin’ generous after all.”

No. No way. Punishments involved losing a finger to losing your life. Yours would likely be the former, now considering, but Higgs was unpredictable like that.

“No sir,” you shook your head. “But wouldn’t it be better if I get my supplies?”

“Nah. Want ya fully present for this,” he replied. “Didn’t lie to me now about your memory, did ya?”

You shook your head no again.

“Good,” he closed the distance between the two of you. “Truth is, ain’t a lot of good erotica these days.” An exaggerated sigh fell from his lips as you perked up over the subject, “Was hopin’ you could change that for me. With my help of course.”

Realization finally hit you as you noticed the bulge in Higgs’ pants. A lump reformed in your throat, but not one born of nerves. Your infatuation with the man went far deeper than the drawings you had created of him; you desired him. And judging by how the man now stared you down, stripping your clothes himself with his mind, you saw that he wanted the same.

“I–we can do that,” your head nodded for a change, accepting the truth of it all and offering yourself to him, “yes.”

White teeth flashed a predatory smile, as Higgs grabbed you and placed you in front of the mirror. “Go on then,” he urged, as he moved behind you, eyes watching you in the reflection.

You inhaled, and shaky fingers started peeling your shirt off. Blood still stained you, the smell of death and terror lingering on your skin; Higgs getting drunk on just that scent alone. The article of clothing was tossed to the side. Warm air greeted your exposed flesh, causing you to shiver despite it.

Higgs behind you breathed heavily, growing impatient as his hands moved around your waist. He unlatched your belt, and dragged your pants and underwear both down. You held your breath, embarrassed to be fully exposed, but the way the man leered at you, confidence soon flooded your system.

He was mesmerized.

“Shit,” he whispered into your ear as he stood up straight. A squeeze of your hips grounded him, and he couldn’t help but lean forward and drag his tongue across your cheek. “Lean down.”

Placing your hands onto the desk with zero hesitation, you watched the man in the mirror as he shifted behind you. Hands briefly left you as he unzipped his pants, pulling out his already hard dick.

He ran the tip against your folds, dripping wet with your slick. This earned a smile from the sadistic man as he continued his motions. A moan left your lips.

Letting go of his cock, he shoved a finger into your cunt. He pumped its length into you without an ounce of patience. You felt so full, your mind spinning from how quickly the morning had just devolved. Higgs was of a similar mind; the man daydreamed about fucking you endlessly, and he needed to sink into you, to feel you. Stretching you with another digit, he breathed heavily hoping it would be enough. Your whines seemed to tell him so.

Fuck the foreplay.

Pulling the soaked fingers from you, he offered you a single kindness, “Think ya can handle me?” He smacked his cock against your ass spread so deliciously for him.

“Yes!” You yelped immediately, and without any dignity. Feeling your cunt cinch around nothing, your mind was spiraling further away.

And that was all he needed. Higgs placed the tip of his dick against your entrance, not hesitating for a moment, and shoved himself in. The man was needy, and greed fueled him as he continued to push deeper into you. This earned a whine from you; the stretch from his girth far more than his fingers. Your jaw went slack from its delicious burn. 

Hanging your head, you squeezed your eyes shut as you focused on him. Higgs didn’t stop until he bottomed out. Your body protested against his size, but relaxing as best as you could, it started to melt around him.

“Fu-uck,” he groaned, stilling for just a moment, relishing in the way your walls hugged him so tight.

Your fingers curled on the desk, eyes still shut as you felt him twitch inside of you. A moment passed. Two. Then, fingers snaked into your hair, snapping your head back violently. Your body stood upright, flush against his.

“Watch,” Higgs snarled as his other arm wrapped around your torso, locking you in place. The hand holding your hair dropped, landing on your hip.

“Y-yes, sir,” your weak voice responded.

The man began to pound into you with the frenzy of an animal. Your cunt squelched, filling the tent with the sounds and smell of sex. Moans fell from your lips, your body still not fully accustomed to his size. You couldn’t find yourself able to care.

“God,” Higgs growled right in your ear, “takin’ me so damn well. Make sure ya get a good look, yeah?”

Whimpers were all that you could offer him in response. Then, your eyes fell obediently to the mirror; Higgs’ own were on you through the glass, watching your body bounce with each of his thrusts. Your face was flushed, tears brimming in your eyes. Sweat coated Higgs’ brow. His mouth was open, forming an ‘O’ as his tattooed eyebrows furrowed.

Your legs were starting to feel like jelly. His cock was slicing through you, hitting all the right spots, making your mind numb and stupid. Placing a hand over his arm that held you, you attempted to hold on to reality.

Sear this into your head, you told yourself. Remember every detail, he wants this drawn after all. The filthy thought turned you on further as you memorized it all.

He was grunting now, low and breathy. Skin smacked skin; another sound added to the song of your combined desire.

Higgs’ other hand moved from your hip and ghosted over the front of your cunt. Jamming his middle finger into your clit, you couldn’t contain the shout that came from deep inside of you. Pleasure rocked your body, convulsing under his touch and thrusts.

“Oh shit,” Higgs praised, “Yeah, let me know how good ya feel.” His finger continued to press harsh circles into the sensitive flesh, forcing the tears to spill from your eyes.

You moaned, cried, and whimpered; all for Higgs. He could feel himself getting close, just like you. His movements were growing messy, and the vision he was greeted with only amplified his impending end.

You were goddamned enthralling. The way your body arched into his, locked perfectly into place with him, the way your cheeks took on a warmer tone, the way you wouldn’t otherwise be able to remain upright if it weren’t for his hold. The way you looked at him.

He was going to cum.

“Tell me you’re sorry,” he snapped at you, his balls starting to clench.

You moaned, his touch becoming rough and unforgiving, “I’m sorry, Higgs! I’m sorry I, ah!” Your body jerked as he smacked your pussy. “I’m sorry I messed up. Forgive me! Please!”

It was downright pathetic. Higgs loved that he could do that to you. He forgave you. Hell, he wasn’t actually mad in the first place. But an excuse to get inside of you? Fuck, yeah, he was going to play that up. The man was surprised his half thought out ploy even worked in the first place.

He picked up speed with his assault on your sensitive clit. Feeling your insides grasp onto him tighter was almost enough.

Close. Both of us. Right there. Goddamn.

Leaning forward, his lips snatched yours. The kiss was far from sweet, or even good; his own mind entirely fucked out. You kissed him with as much passion back anyway, the angle straining your neck the smallest amount.

The knot within you snapped first; its warmth engulfing your body and a fog filling your brain. Waves of pleasure coursed through your being as you moaned into Higgs’ hot mouth. You could feel his lips smile into yours, his stubble wet from sweat. The finger toying with your clit didn’t stop as the man was lost in his own daze. It hurt so good.

His orgasm came next. He came hard inside of you, ropes of thick, hot, sticky cum painting your insides white. Consequences be damned, you felt too amazing for him to pull out. He kept fucking you through his high, making his body overly sensitive in the process. Higgs pulled away, taking in the wrecked sight of you. You did the same with him.

Everything next happened so fast. The man pushed you off of his cock, and you had to catch yourself on his desk. He moved away without another word, and you took the hint. Collecting yourself, you left his tent with his cum still dribbling out of you, staining your underwear. It felt bad, but you tried to not let it get you down. Higgs was Higgs. He took, he indulged, he left, and you had a job to do after all.

That night you got to work. Whilst not lying about your memory, that specific one would likely never leave your mind. You, however, wished to work while it was still most fresh. The crotch of your underwear soon became ruined all over again as you replayed the filth that got you there in your head.

I can’t believe that actually happened, your dampened mood lifted a little at the thought. After wanting him for so long… he just… You couldn’t help but smile in spite of his treatment afterwards. The fact he wants this artwork, too. Your smile widened.

The entire night was spent awake until you finished your work; a perfect replica of your lust. You felt that embarrassment return as you worked your way through camp in the morning, trying to keep the image hidden. Yet, when you offered it to Higgs, delight filled you with the way his eyes lit up upon seeing your efforts.

“Good work,” were the only words he offered, and sent you on your way.

That bad feeling came back; you had hoped for a little more from him since he wanted the piece in the first place. Maybe an offer to do it again? To give you the opportunity to create more? But you shook the greedy notion from your head. Probably not. Likely just a show of power. Control. But… You didn’t want to face the part of yourself that enjoyed that idea.

Higgs, however, couldn’t muster any other words at the time. Your work was better than just ‘good’, it was gorgeous, filthy, and exact; it made him rock fucking hard.

While you wallowed in your emotions, Higgs fisted his cock in the privacy of his tent. His eyes were unable to leave your graphite ones as he fucked his hand like it was your sweet cunt. His lips contorted in a sick grin as he recalled the memory you had spent all night reliving.

The art’s good, but what’s between their legs is even better, he thought to himself as he got lost in his pleasure. Whatever excuse he needed to utilize to create a next time, he’d find it, and you were a fool to think otherwise.

[eldritchblep]

Void Out

When @peevedpigeon wrote a fic about Higgs and the Luxor, introducing a chiral sphinx, I knew I had to paint it. A wonderfully rewarding collab, and a chance to explore making a brand new BT <3

[peevedpigeon]

Hey Ant! 🫪🫪🫪

I got a small request!! Im thinking cowboy au, where theres a bounty on higgs and reader goes to collect it! Can be anything! Maybe small scenarios where the reader almost catches him, his playing w them like a cat and mouse game?? Or whatever you want just cowboy higgs lolol

Hi Pepper!! You had me at cowboy. 🫡 A lot of action in this one, and also threw in some art I did at the end because this AU has taken over my mind, so THANKS lol. Also, was gonna make this longer, but this has been in my inbox for a hot minute and decided against it. That being said, if you want a part two… 👀

Cowboy AU Higgs x Reader

3.2k words // Folsom Prison Blues - Johnny Cash

Warnings: unsolicited kissing, Higgs horny af, blood and injury, gun usage, mentions of death, alcohol, allusions to SA (none takes place), fighting, choking, animal harm, gender neutral reader

Taglist: @starshinedowo @sanguis-ghouls-blog @mikaela-homura @raeyanetta @higgsmonaghanlvr @thehouseoflore @cosmiccomrade (lmk if you wanna be added/removed! <3)

⋆ ˚｡⋆

Tall, lean, long brown hair, blue eyes, bay mustang. There was no picture provided with the bounty, so you read over the specifics until they were seared into your mind. The last detail, however, made all others superfluous.

Forehead tattoos.

You knew nor heard of no other man with such. The mark would be easy to recognize for it, sure, but capture was a whole other ball game.

Higgs was a known name in the west, mongering fear and death wherever he and his gang wound up. The Demens, they called themselves. Small towns weren’t safe, lone travelers even less so. Such a reign of terror continuously failed to meet its end by the hand of many, now-dead, detectives, bounty hunters and rangers. You had no desire to join that bootless list.

There weren’t many left willing to take the bounty. A one way road to hell, it had been dubbed. Crumbling the paper into your pocket, you clicked your tongue followed by a squeeze from your legs. Your large quarter horse sprung into action, setting a comfortable trot under the midday sun.

Middle Town; it was a beautiful place to live, if you were privileged enough. Now, it was nothing but ash. Higgs had seen to that.

The sour smell of smoke and death made a comfortable home within your nose. As you worked your way through the ruined town, you couldn’t help but slow down, taking it all in. Higgs and his band of only 20 men managed all that carnage in less than a day. There were no survivors; there was no trail to follow. You continued onward with potential failure dampening your heart.

Your blood was soon invigorated however, when at last a blessing shined upon you. A woman, only addressing herself as Fragile, flagged you down when you passed through the next settlement.

“You a ranger?”

“Yes, ma’am,” you nodded your head to her.

“That Higgs,” she sneered, “came through here just last night.”

“And? Where’d he run off to, miss?”

“Just down south. There’s a river. His goons aren’t with him; think they might be back at Middle Town. Pillaging what’s left, likely.”

“So it’s just Higgs here?”

“That’s right. One man, but a very dangerous one at that. Our people aren’t safe. All day he’s been stealin’ our food, drinkin’ our ale and pushing himself on our women. Hell, the men too.”

“Don’t worry,” you tipped your hat to her, “I’m here to take him down.”

“Just you?”

“Just me.”

“Oh God help us all,” she muttered, shaking her head as she walked back into her courier shop.

Riding your horse deeper into town, a plan began to form in your mind when a saloon came into view. A smile spread across your face. Higgs was a maniac, but unluckily for him, so were you.

The rest of the day was spent watching the criminal from a distance. He harassed anyone that came too close, and it took everything in you to not march down to the riverbank and unload every bullet you had.

Patience, you told yourself.

Night came at last, and he reentered the town, walking the streets like he owned them. In a way, he kind of did.

Not for long.

Men like Higgs indulged, and tonight would be no different it seemed. Just as you’d hoped. You tied your horse to the hitching post just outside of the saloon. The large building was alive with the drunken rambling of men who tried to ignore the snake in their midst. You walked through the warm, crowded space and caught the eyes of a few locals. Fear was already spreading, and surely the bandit was getting drunk on not just his liquor, but by what he often sowed wherever he and his men went.

Your eyes tried, and failed, to find him in the crowd.

“Whiskey,” you muttered to the barkeep, leaning on the counter.

He nodded to you, following orders as if you were with the man scaring away his regulars. Sliding the glass to you, he jumped when a drunk threw a bottle at the wall behind him. You looked over your shoulder, locking eyes with the culprit, while missing the even greater danger that sunk down into the stool next to you.

“Ain’tcha easy on the eyes,” a voice drawled, bringing your attention back to your left.

Your breath caught. Tattoos decorated the man’s forehead. They were half-obscured by his black, cattleman styled hat, but they were there nonetheless.

You shifted, putting on an act that made you feel sick, and leaned into the man’s personal space, “Could say the same for you.”

“Well now,” a dangerous smirk tugged at his lips, “perhaps somethin’ should be done about that, huh?”

Had he really just made it that easy? You thought you’d have to spend more time getting him drunk, stupid and horny, but it looked like he had done that well enough himself.

“Perhaps so,” you purred, making a show of looking from his eyes down to his lips.

His gaze copied yours. You hated to admit it to yourself, but the man was actually pretty damn handsome.

Rising suddenly, he took your wrist in his hand. A spark of fear ignited in you, for if it wasn’t you, it would’ve been someone else. Someone innocent.

Time to put an end to it.

You stalked out of the saloon with the criminal, and he dragged you towards his famous mustang. Upon looking at you, the sharp-eyed beast grew restless. Higgs couldn’t see through you, but the mare definitely could.

“Calm down girl,” he ran his hand along the horse’s thick neck as he untied her. “Attagirl, shh, it’s okay, it’s okay…” The wild beast stilled, but continued to eye you wearily. “Ya got one?”

You approached your black stallion, untying him. Higgs whistled.

“Big one,” he nodded, “handsome.”

“Old,” you shook your head, stepping into the stirrup, and throwing yourself over.

“Sometimes that’s better. Seasoned, good endurance, knows the ropes.”

Your eyes caught his own for a brief moment. “Suppose so, but much slower,” you smiled, attempting to ease whatever tension you felt rising.

“Bah,” Higgs waved his hand, jumping into his own saddle. “Let’s put that to the test then. Looks strong enough.”

“What do you mean?”

“A race,” he winked. The moon had risen in the sky, and the light that sparkled in his eye should’ve comforted.

It didn’t.

Appease him, let him drop his guard further; get him away from the townsfolk. This was actually perfect for you, “Alright. Where to?”

White teeth flashed, and he kicked his spurs hard into his mare. She whinnied and her hooves pounded the earth as he turned her, running off east. A cloud of dust rose in the frenzy.

Panicked, you kicked your horse similarly and chased after the man. His mustang was fast, but your older horse didn’t disappoint. His well-trained stamina allowed him to keep a pace just behind the quicker, younger animal.

Higgs turned and looked back at you, and the wildness in his eyes told you one thing. You had made a mistake.

“All you rangers think you’re so fuckin’ slick,” he laughed, pulling his revolver from its holster.

The gun aimed at your face, and you yanked your reins hard enough just in time to avoid the death sentence. Its shot also failed to startle your stallion, allowing you to whip your own gun from its holster. Aiming, your arm remained steady despite the uneven terrain.

BANG.

Higgs grunted as blood spurted from his shoulder. He gritted his teeth, and kicked his horse again. Her hooves battered the earth with more intensity, kicking up all sorts of debris. Leaning forward, he pressed his body close to the animal, and looked over his shoulder again with panicked eyes.

His gun poked out from under his left arm. It aimed, and you saw it all too late. Your horse stumbled, and you were thrown from the saddle. Hitting the ground with all of your weight, the wind got knocked out of you. Laying flat on your back you tried to pull in air, with all attempts ending in failure.

Your stallion ran off, blood seeping from his chest. Trying not to cloud your mind with worry for the animal, you lifted your weapon at the approaching man.

“Drop it,” Higgs snarled, aiming his revolver at you from atop his horse.

At last, air flooded your poor lungs. You gasped, and furrowed your eyebrows. Aiming, you shot the ground near the mustang’s feet.

The young mare bucked, startled. Higgs was thrown from his horse in a similar fashion to you, and you used the opportunity to get to your feet. Dancing out of the way of the raging creature, you searched for the man amidst the dust.

A shot rang out, and pain exploded at your side. You ran, seeking cover behind a large rock. Reaching a hand down to your bleeding hip, you were relieved to find it was just a graze.

The mustang ran off, terror urging her away from the gunfight.

“Ya know,” Higgs yelled out, “when I saw ya ride into town all high and mighty like, I knew what you were. Considered takin’ ya out right then and there.” He tsked, “But I figured let’s have some fun. Just you and me. A dance.”

He knew, and yet he still allowed the two of you to go off alone? The man was more unhinged than you were originally led to believe.

“Why?” you called out, confused as to what his reasoning could be, if there was any at all.

“Didn’t say what kinda dance,” he drawled, his voice going lower.

Your jaw clenched. Raising yourself, you aimed your gun towards his voice. Squeezing the trigger just as your eyes caught him, you knew you weren't fast enough. He jumped out of the way, and returned fire.

The exchange continued until the two of you ran out of bullets. Your breathing was getting heavy, the pain in your side dulling your senses. You allowed the thought to comfort you, for it was likely true for Higgs as well.

Footsteps pounded the ground, and you shot up. Higgs ran at you like an animal, blood soaking the left sleeve of his jacket. Throwing yourself to the side, you were able to avoid his grasp. He spun, and caught your fist with his jaw.

His eyes went unfocused, and you moved in to throw another punch. Managing to collect himself in time, Higgs kicked out his leg and forced you to stumble. His own fist made contact with your stomach, and you felt bile rise in your throat.

Grabbing your hair, he pushed you to the ground. Landing on your chest, you put your hands on the dirt in an attempt to rise. He pressed a knee into your back before you could.

“Looks like I won this one,” he cooed, vicious eyes taking in your defeat.

Not quite. You whistled, and hoped to any and every god out there that you were correct.

A drumbeat sounded, and Higgs raised his head. Your stallion came bounding back to you, the bullet wound in his chest only a graze, matching your hip. Relief washed over you.

Higgs’ eyes went wide, and he jumped up. You moved with him, unsteady feet planting themselves on the ground. The horse came rushing to your side and reared, snarling angry breaths from his snout. Landing back down on the ground, he stomped at the criminal’s boots.

“You’ll be coming with me,” you spat a wad of blood to the dirt, pulling a secondary gun from the horse’s saddlebag.

Higgs looked towards the distant town where he left any insurance he had with the innocent lives, all for an egotistical play in testing his luck. He looked back at you.

“Well shit,” he smiled, blood coating his teeth.

–

Higgs would not shut the hell up. After hogtying the man and throwing him over the back of your horse, he decided it was going to be everyone’s problem. Singing, shouting, even moaning as loud as he could, all to get a rise out of you. For the first hour you endured. The second, not so much.

“Shut the hell up!”

“O bury me not on the lone prairie,” he sang, voice annoyingly beautiful. It was the fourth time he sang the famous ballad, and you were at your wits end.

“Stop!”

“These words came low and mournfully,” the song did not stop, despite your protest and elbowing the man in the face. “From the pallid lips–”

Higgs’ voice finally ceased, biting his tongue as you jerked your horse to a sudden stop. The two of you had been managing okay after you dressed the animal’s wound, then your own. You let Higgs continue to bleed, however, and with his subsequent torture on your ears, you were glad for it.

Jumping from the stallion, you moved towards your saddlebag that Higgs partially laid on. You pulled out another rope, and lifted it to his mouth.

“Aw c’mon,” he drawled, “ain’t no fun in that.”

“This shouldn’t be fun at all.”

“Was earlier.”

“That, especially, was not.”

Higgs sighed, staring at you, “Ya always this much of a killjoy?”

“It’s quite literally my job.”

He barked out a laugh and for some godforsaken reason, it caused your stomach to flutter in response. “I’m going to gag you now.”

“Wait,” Higgs perked up. “I don’t think you thought this all the way through.”

You stared at him, waiting for him to go on. Whatever he wanted to say was likely just a ploy to buy himself more time to irritate you, but you allowed it anyway.

“My men will be comin’ to that town. And if I ain’t there, all hell will break loose. They’ll rip that place, and those people, apart. Once they’re done, they’ll come huntin’ for lil ol’ me. Lady Red probably already made her way back there. That’s all they’ll need.” He paused, watching your face contort in thought. “Let me go, and I promise that town will be left alone.”

Bullshit. The next settlement, and its large law enforcement, wasn’t too far off now. All you had to do was get this criminal to justice, then you could send help for the innocents.

Right?

Doubt washed over you. Time was uncertain, and you saw firsthand that Higgs’ threat was no bluff.

But you couldn’t just let him go.

“How’s this? Let’s get a little personal, hm?” Higgs wiggled on his stomach. “Real name’s Peter. Don’t like goin’ by it no more, but that’s me. Peter fucking Englert. You?”

“Be quiet,” you needed to think, and his continuous rambling was making it harder.

“What kind of name is that?”

You slapped him across the face, and the way he smiled at you felt more dangerous than when he aimed his revolver at you. A pause. Your heart pounded faster. Harder. Fuck.

“I don’t have shit; you seen to that,” he broke the silence. “Let me go. You can get to either town quicker than me. Warn them, don’t, whatever; I don’t really care. But if we keep on like this, those lives in that dusty, old town? Their fates will be sealed; I can assure you that.”

“Goddamn it,” you muttered, dropping your hands and stepping away from him. You turned, and looked up at the distant moon.

Should I just kill him? Ride back to town and attempt to hold off the bandits? Would I alone be enough? Your thoughts began to overlap one another, and only one conclusion became clear in your mind.

Higgs had won after all.

Moving, you shoved the rope back into your saddlebag. Grabbing the man by his bindings, you threw him to the ground. A groan left his lips, as his bloodied arm took the brunt of the impact. Good.

“Ain’t the end of this,” you barked at him.

“Sure hope not,” Higgs curled on the ground, body at an awkward angle due to the hogtie.

You exhaled your anger, and grabbed your knife. Everything in you told you not to, but even if there was a small chance that he’d stick to his word, you desperately needed that to be true. Too many innocent lives were on the line. You’d be able to get to the next town before he returned with the warning, and hoped that its reinforcements would arrive before his Demens. After all, you couldn’t put your full trust in the most dangerous man in the west.

“You better not fuck me over,” you growled, leaning down and cutting away the rope.

“Only one way I’d like to fuck you, darlin’.”

You struck the pommel of the knife into his bleeding shoulder, forcing a hiss to leave his lips. At last, you did the exact opposite of what you were hired to do, and freed the man whose bounty remained in your pocket. The two of you rose to your feet. Your gun aimed at his face.

“Get on, then,” you said.

“Well hold on now,” he put his hands up defensively.

“No. Go.”

He lowered his head, and his hair covered his eyes. It was just enough. The pull of his lips distracted you; and he lunged forward, smacking a raised hand against the barrel of your revolver. It flew from your hand, and you were thrown to the ground with all of Higgs’ weight on top of you.

You reached down to your side, fingers desperate to grasp your hunting knife. Higgs snatched your sneaky wrists, and pinned them to the sides of your head.

“Don’t worry honey,” he whispered, leaning his head down. “Reckon I’d like to tango with ya again, it’s just,” his words trailed off and he pressed his lips to yours, “had to try ya out.”

His hands moved to your throat, and he squeezed. “Come and find me again. I’ll look forward to our next dance.” Black dots filled your vision as oxygen failed to enter your lungs. Your nails clawed against his gloves, attempting to peel him off of you. Your stallion huffed, but he moved to your rescue too slow; his own injury hindering his senses. You fell into unconsciousness, and were left with the parting vision of Higgs smiling down at you.

When you awoke, the moon was higher in the sky, and your horse was standing vigil over your body. Your saddlebag was gone; your gun, knife and all other supplies were also gone. Higgs probably would’ve taken Nirvana too, if he wasn’t such a loyal creature. You hoped he got kicked.

Standing, you coughed as you patted your stallion’s shoulder. “Alright boy,” you hoisted yourself up into the saddle, “let’s go.”

After riding with a quickness that definitely earned your horse as many apples as he’d like, you made it to the next settlement. The law enforcement gathered a decently sized band of men, and they rode off to the other town. You failed to mention that it was Higgs and his men they were after, but something needed to be done. Going to bed that night, fear filled your heart, but the following day, the feeling lifted.

The old town had actually been left alone. Higgs and his Demens were nowhere to be found, but no lives had been lost. You thanked him in your head for keeping his word, then promised to follow through with your own.

His reckoning would come; you would come. Again and again. No matter how long it took; his reign of terror would come to an end. Trying to ignore the other reason that had risen within you, you steeled yourself, and prepared for the dance to come.

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HAD to sketch Lady Red. I love drawing horses :3