If any gif is yours (or you know who's it is) please let me know, so I can give you/them credit.
Gif credits go to - (In order) @spicyinsanity - @vsnom - @subredditag - @americangodsdaily - @schreiberpablo (Unless told otherwise.)
Year posted - 2021
Note - Blue text is them speaking to you.
----
•Mad Sweeny•
----
As soon as the words "Bruise my esophagus." left your lips - "Oh Dote you've know idea." 😈
☘ Oh you adorable woman, do you have any idea what you're asking for?
☘ Sweeny is backed up against a wall, leaning against it completely, his knees bent a little and his back slouched.
☘ He'll loom over you, just grinning down at you as he pat your hair down.
☘ Don't let that gentleness fool you, his attitude will switch as quickly as a light switch.
☘ If you weren't already on your knees, he'll shove you to the ground roughly, his fingers digging into your skin harshly.
☘ He pulls your hair into a messy ponytail, actually tying it off with a hair tie, one he kept around his wrist for this sorta situation.
☘ Then he'll grab ahold of your jaw, applying enough pressure to force your mouth open, but not enough to really hurt you.
☘ "You know what to do." He smirks at you, waiting for you to unzip his fly.
☘ Tease him and he will hiss down at you in Gaelic, his eyes glaring in warning down at you.
☘ When the action starts, his hands are holding your head surprisingly tinderly, but his thrusts are anything but gentle.
☘ "Is this what you wanted?" He'd growl as you choked on him, tears rolling down your cheeks, and drool dripping from your chin.
☘ When you managed to moan in response he nearly lost it, the muscles in his thighs shaking a bit as he tried to hold back from cumming to soon.
☘ A cocky chuckle leaving him when your eyes practically rolled back in ecstasy.
☘ "Who knew you were so filthy." He laughed as you peered up at him with innocent eyes. "Just another thing to love about ya." He'd taunt before cursing under his breath.
☘ As he nears his end he picks up his pace, not even giving you the opportunity to breathe properly, and he's as far down your throat as he possibly can be.
☘ His pace is relentless at this point, his teeth clenched as he starts cumming down your throat.
☘ For a second you think you might be drowned by cum, but the heavenly sensation of it all pushes that initial worry aside.
☘ It's safe to say he's satisfied with his work, and you can't hardly speak for a few days.
----
•Shadow Moon•
----
As soon as the words "Bruise my esophagus." left your lips - "What did you just say?"😳
🌙 You totally caught him off guard with that demand.
🌙 He totally blushed when you repeated yourself, a smirk tugging at his lips regardless.
🌙 He's definitely game though just give him a moment to wrap his head around the boldness of your request.
🌙 He's sitting on the leather couch with his legs spread wide, giving you plenty of room to make yourself comfortable between his thighs.
🌙 Shadows honestly the most tinder about it.
🌙 Like don't get me wrong he's gonna do what you asked, but he's gonna make sure you're okay the entire time.
🌙 He will let you have a moment to breathe very frequently unlike everyone else!
🌙 He's holding your hair back with gentle hands, his eyes might be soft as he looks down at you, but his thrusts are very rough.
🌙 "You're doing so good baby." His encouragement is laced with so much adoration for you, sweat covering his forehead and neck.
🌙 Shadow is moaning your god damn name like a prayer the entire time.
🌙 He's never felt so honored or loved by anyone so much, I mean you're literally trusting him with your life here. Encouraging him to choke you on his cock until he's satisfied.
🌙 He'll give you ample warning when he's about to cum, asking you if you want him to cum in your mouth.
🌙 When you look up at him with those innocent doe like eyes he's done for. But he is quick to pull out enough so cum onto your tongue and not directly down your throat.
🌙 He's praising you so so much afterwards, kissing you everywhere he can reach before going down on you.
🌙 He's a gracious lover after all.
🌙 Even though you asked for it, when he realizes how stranded your voice is, he feels guilty as fuck.
🌙 Be sure to assure him that you're quite content with the outcome of the night, even if you have to write it down for him.
----
•Mr. World•
----
As soon as the words "Bruise my esophagus." left your lips - "With pleasure." 😏
🌎 You're going to know the true meaning of cock worship you slut.
🌎 Oh he's going to tease the ever living fuck out of you before even allowing you to unzip his pants.
🌎 He's calling you all sorts of degrading names as he makes you suck on his thumb.
🌎 "Such a nasty little whore you are." His eyes are practically sparkling with excitement, the darkness lurking just beneath.
🌎 "So desperate for cock you're willing to risk your own life for it." He'd then slap your face, and pry your mouth open.
🌎 "Fucking slut." He'd hiss before spitting in your mouth, watching with a grin on his face as you graciously swallowed it.
🌎 All the while he's lounging comfortably in his throne like chair, while your on your knees hovering over his lap.
🌎 World is undoubtedly the roughest with you, he's got tears rolling down your cheeks before he's even let you touch his cock.
🌎 He doesn't let you free his cock this time though, he does it himself with one hand, while the other holds your face in a vice like grip.
🌎 When you lay eyes on it you're not surprised to see him rock fucking hard, he's throbbing already, the head an angry shade of red and dripping pre-cum.
🌎 A laugh escapes him as an idea pops into his head, then without warning he's slapping your face with his heavy cock.
🌎 He does it so many times you end up with an outline of his dick on your cheek.
🌎 "Open up whore." He'll demand in a growl, the hand that's been holding your face now yanking your head back by your hair.
🌎 There is no option to try teasing him, Worlds in charge and he's going to absolutely fuck your throat up.
🌎 He's pace is fast, and his thrusts are brutal, your lungs aching for air and your throat on fire.
🌎 But he knows you're enjoying this, he can practically smell your arousal.
🌎 World will give to one chance to catch your breath, and it's right before he's about to cum, so he only gives you a few short seconds.
🌎 He's hissing under his breath, sweat on his now red forehead, veins protruding along his neck as he chokes you with his cum.
🌎 A laugh rumbling in his chest when some of his cum shoots out of your nose, your eyes practically rolled back into your skull.
🌎 World fucked your throat so hard that you had to see a doctor about it... You couldn't speak a word for weeks.
🌎 And to ensure you don't try speaking before you've properly recovered, World locks you away from everyone.
🌎 And if you attempt to speak to him when he comes to check on you, he's glaring you down with malice.
🌎 Assuring you it's because he wants you to be safe and not hurt your throat further.
🌎 Sometimes even taking things as far as to hand feed you himself as a reward for being good.
----
•Technical Boy•
----
As soon as the words "Bruise my esophagus." left your lips - "On your knees then Princess." 😎
📱 Oh this is gonna be a long, long night. Hope you're prepared babygirl.
📱He's standing over you, watching your every move with calculating eyes.
📱On the inside he's kinda nervous as fuck, he's never done anything quiet like this before, so he's worried he'll disappoint you.
📱He's gonna work you though for as long as he can manage.
📱He's acting so cocky as he roughly ties your hair into a bun with the hair tie you offered him.
📱If you wanna fuck with him a little act like it actually hurt when he did that.
📱He froze as soon as you winced in pain, his demeanor changing in an instant.
📱"Sorry babe, you okay?" He asked with worried eyes, subconsciously brushing his knuckles across your cheek.
📱When you assure him you're alright he tries bringing the act back up like he wasn't just fawning over your well being.
📱Take the lead for a little while, help him get into this, and boost his stupid ego.
📱He finally relaxes when his cock is down your throat, his cocky personality washing over him all of a sudden, his eyes dark with lust and power.
📱He can't help but bite the fuck out of his lip as he thrusts down into you, the little moans you make sending a shiver up his spine.
📱When he's nearly at his peak he pulls you away from his cock, refusing to cum yet.
📱So to distract his body and calm down the high, he pulled you up to your feet for a make out session against the nearest wall.
📱When he's finally calmed down enough to feel like he isn't about to bust, he'll shove you back down to your knees before shoving himself back into your mouth.
📱 A cocky smirk on his face the entire time.
📱Every so often he'll freeze in place, just to feel the sensation of your throat trying to swallow him, pulsing around his cock like your greedy cunt would.
📱When he's finally ready to cum, after what feels like hours of him fucking your throat, he'll pull out just far enough that the heads still in, ordering you to swirl your tongue the way he likes as he cums.
📱 "Fuck fuck fuck." He is hissing through his teeth, his body shuddering a little as he comes down from that glorious high.
📱Afterwards he's getting you a glass of water, insisting that you drink the entire cup before trying to speak.
📱When you do speak your voice is harsh, almost unrecognizable to him, which only boosts his ego more.
📱Queue Tech sitting there like 😎 "Oh yeah I did that." 😏
----
•Low-Key Lyesmith•
----
As soon as the words "Bruise my esophagus." left your lips - "Aren't you just full of surprises." 😜
☞ Someone's eager, but who's more eager is a good question.
☞ You're both stripping out of you clothes as quick as possible, stumbling a few times, resulting in laughter and giddy stolen kisses.
☞ Low-key "accidentally" falls over at one point, pulling you down with him, relishing in the feeling of you laying on him as he kisses you hungrily.
☞ He's very content with remaining on the floor, having you on all fours above him, thrusting up into your mouth with a playful laugh.
☞ For the most part he makes you do all the work, a playful and amused gleam in his eyes.
☞ Don't let that fool you though, he's just waiting for the perfect opportunity to ruin you.
☞ As if he's totally unbothered by you sucking him off, he takes his time braiding your hair back, his nimble fingers threading through your hair like silk.
☞ "You're so pretty." He'll muse when he finished with your hair, brushing his thumb across your cheekbone.
☞ Then his eyes darkened and he thrust up into your mouth without warning, catching you off guard and gaging you.
☞ Which of course makes him giggle
☞ "Sorry Sweetheart, but this is what you wanted." He grins down at you, taking a firm hold of your head.
☞ When you moan in response around him, he sighs in delight a smile stretched across his face as always.
☞ He's not thrusting to hard, or fast even. Instead he's pushing you down onto his length, forcing you to take as much as possible.
☞ He'll be somewhat generous with how often he'll let you breathe, his thumb replacing his cock as you're panting for air through your nose.
☞ "You're so pretty when your face is wrecked." He mused at the tear stains on your cheeks, drool making a mess of your mouth and chin.
☞ He's praising you for being able to take so much of him, and for so long the entire time.
☞ Low-key will warn you when he's close, a laugh escaping him when you moan in response.
☞ He intends to finish all over your face, he always loves the look of your face covered in his cum.
☞ You're not able to talk properly for several days, but Low-key doesn't mind in the slightest, he'll talk for ya.
☞ Aka he's talking your ear off even more than normal, telling you all sorts of wild stories of old.
This was very triggering, that's why it took so long for me.
•
Hands stuffed in pockets, you walked down the concrete sidewalk. Pulled up, the hood of your dark hoodie obscured you from view. It was only a small comfort knowing that it was more difficult for something like a camera to pick up on your face.
A street light flickered above you as you passed by.
Remembering the effects the New Gods could have on technology, you turned around, looking for one of those weird “boxes'' they used. But the street lights all stayed on and none of the boxes materialized.
Stopping for a few moments more, you looked around just in case someone was there and you just couldn’t see them. You mentally cursed the loud chirping of the crickets. Even if someone was there --- you weren’t sure if there was or wasn’t --- you wouldn’t be able to hear them over them.
Finally, with one last look, you turned back to your back and continued down it.
As you approached the small apartment complex, you searched for lights in the windows. Occasionally, a neighbour or two would stay up until the wee hours of the morn. Tonight though, everyone seemed to have gone to bed except for you.
Carefully, you climbed the stairs to your flat. The hair on the back of your neck raised as the cold breeze passed by.
As you got to your floor, you looked down and around. It wasn’t a quick one look-see and done kinda deal. You analyzed everything, half expecting someone to jump out or come around the corner. Everything from the flicker of the old wall lamp, to the shaking trees, and the swarming insects around light was scrutinized.
Despite the months of being away from him, he was always in the back of your mind. You knew, despite being miles away from where he had you last, he could find you and bring you back under his thumb. He was more powerful than you ever imagined. He had eyes and ears everywhere. Here, even with no security cameras and out in the middle of nowhere, you knew he could still get to you. The trees may be plentiful and the people few and far between, but he still had power
No one jumped out, so you went to the door with your heart pounding in your chest.
Still scanning the hall, you patted yourself down in search of your keys. You couldn’t tear your eyes away just in case someone unwelcomed showed up.
You fumbled for your keys, too fearful of the unknown to search for them properly. The thought of someone or something popping out of nowhere took all your attention, the fear forcing you to scan the hall again and again.
Out of the corner of your eye, you thought you saw something in the shadows.
Whipping your head around to get a better look, your eyes widened as if they were trying to soak in as much of the area as possible. The possibility of your ex or his lackeys being right around the corner froze you in place. One of your hands gripped your keys while the other stayed tensed on the doorknob of your flat.
Quietly, you breathed and tried to calm yourself, but kept your eyes wide open. As you concentrate on your breathing, knuckles paling, your shaky, uneven breaths become even again.
It was just your imagination, your mind playing tricks on you. That was all. No one was there. No one at all. You were safe. He couldn’t get you here.
Eyes still glued to the shadows, you yank open the door and rush inside, slamming the door shut. Once inside, You pressed your body against the door, just in case someone tried to push it open, and deadbolted it as fast as you could manage without looking at the locks. The shadows did not move as you stared at them through the peephole on the door.
Stepping away, you take a few gasping breaths, shoulders and jaw tensed. Your heart pounded heavily in your chest.
Every time you left the flat there was a risk that your ex would find you. Any reasonable, sensible person who knew your ex would tell you leaving your flat was a stupid idea, that there was too much of a risk in leaving. But, you couldn’t stay inside all the time just because he terrified you. You had to live your life, not live in fear. There had been far too much of that.
You looked around the small flat and moved toward the windows, unlocking and relocking the windows.
Placing a hand over your heart, you breathed deeply in and out. You’d found it to be the best way to calm yourself over the past few months. Now, within the safety of your home, you could relax.
Turning, you found your way to the sofa and fell upon it.
The flat’s door stood opposite of you and you stared at it, expecting someone to start banging or barging in at any moment.
A backpack filled with your things lay next to the sofa. Not much was in it. Just some clothes, toothbrush and paste, and other such necessities. No unnecessary items.
The fridge sat mostly empty and the bedroom lay unbothered as if no one had entered it since the last tenant, and even the bathroom had little in it, just a bar of soap that hadn’t fully dried yet and its bag. The flat had barely been lived in. Hopefully, you’d soon have the courage to change that.
After many hours of paranoia, you fell into a restless, fitful, nightmare-fueled slumber. Even as you dreamt, he did not let you be.
•
A loud knocking woke you from a nightmare you couldn’t remember after you got up from the sofa.
At that moment, as you walked over to the door still dressed from the day before, things almost felt normal. It was as if the last 6 years hadn’t happened and you weren’t terrified and paranoid he’d find you.
Every last shred of that feeling dissipated after you looked into the peephole.
There, on the other side, stood two men in black and white suits. Both had an earpiece and sunglasses. They looked straight out of the Men in Black movie you remember watching when you were younger.
Your mother loved that movie. As did you.
Sadly, they were not the Men in Black from the movie. They were a different sort. The men who worked for your ex, Mr World.
Stepping away, you blinked as your heartbeat and fear steadily rose. Your breathing became shaky.
He’d found you.
“Mx L/N, we know you are in there,” one of the men said. “We just want to talk. Nothing more. Nothing less.”
Instead of responding, you ran to your sofa and threw the backpack on.
Outside, the two men had a conversation.
Your flat was on the first floor. It would be a quick two-story drop.
Scrambling to the window opposite the kitchenette, you opened it as quietly as you could.
The men knocked again. “Mx L/N, please open the door.”
Remembering the bar of soap in the bathroom, you stepped inside and grabbed it. You slipped the bar into the bag and stuffed it into your pocket.
It seemed completely asinine to grab it, but you didn’t want to leave anything behind. Especially not a brand new bar of soap.
You lifted yourself up the window so you could get out feet first. Going headfirst at any height could lead to serious injury, or, ya know, death.
“Mx L/N?”
You looked back at the door breathing heavily before looking back at the window.
For a moment, you thought about just giving in to him. Letting him keep you locked away and make you live in fear of him for the rest of your life. It would be so much easier. That or just killing yourself.
But you couldn’t do that, not when you had come so far. Not when you had almost enough to get out of the country and never see him again. Not when you could be free of him and the U.S. as a whole.
You didn’t know what had so attracted him to you, but you wished that whatever it was would stop existing.
“Mx L/N, please open up!” The man sounded more urgent now like he knew what you were doing.
Gripping under the window, you pushed yourself out. Instead of letting go immediately, you hung on. You dropped a little so you could get a better grip on the bottom of the windowsill. Swinging side-to-side, you set your sights on a nearby balcony.
Even though the sound of your heartbeat flooded your ears and the fearful doubts filled your mind, you could still hear the shaky, unsure breaths you were breathing. You breathed in through your nose and out through your mouth, closing your eyes, before swinging to the neighbour’s balcony and letting go.
The balcony was situated over another tenant’s old sofa. They’d put it out a few days ago and had yet to throw it away.
You landed with a forceful thud onto the sofa, even moving it a bit. It didn’t do much but it was better than concrete.
You pushed yourself up and turned, only to find a man in black with his gun out. Looking the other way, his partner came around the corner, his gun also raised.
“Mx L/N, we were given instructions not to hurt you, but we will if we have to,” one of them said.
You looked between them, warily.
They seemed to be twins. Everything down to the last detail was identical. Must have joined together and gotten paired up. Who better to trust in the field than your brother?
There was nothing but woods behind you. If you made a break for it, the best they could do was shoot an arm or leg, maybe a shoulder if they were brave. It’d slow you down and you’d need medical attention, but you’d live if you didn’t bleed out first.
One of the twins put his gun away and slowly approached you. “Please, we just want to talk.”
It was obvious he was trying to get you to trust him, but you wouldn’t fall for that again.
You took off running.
The other twin aimed but his brother chastised him.
•
After running through the woods for a while, you climbed up a tree, out of sight. If the men tried to follow, they, hopefully, wouldn’t look up.
As you fell into the almost bowl-like middle of an old oak, you breathed heavily and tried to relax.
You knew he wouldn’t leave you alone for a while. But it had been months. Months. Why was he still chasing? Was it because you knew what he was? Who he was? He had told you many secrets that he probably wouldn’t want anyone else to find out, usually when he wasn’t who he told all the others he was and was, instead, himself. But, you didn’t want anything to do with him or his world. You wanted a new start, a new life.
You waited in the tree for hours, thinking about him and the new life you’d start somewhere else in the world. Maybe Canada, Scotland, or New Zealand. Someplace like that. Somewhere that wasn’t the U.S.
Slowly, you fell asleep.
•
When you awoke, it was late. The full moon was at its peak and the stars were out bright in the navy sky. They all had much to show the world. But, more importantly, it was light enough for you to leave.
You couldn’t go back to your flat. It was too dangerous. You’d have to just pick a direction and keep moving. Hopefully, you’d find someplace then.
•
You had to admit, this was the first time you’d ever come out to these woods since you’d started renting here. It was definitely pretty.
The brown leaves littered the forest floor, but not in an ugly way. It was rather beautiful. The leaves almost looked like rich, dark soil in the night’s late hour. If it weren’t for the fact that you knew they were leaves by their crunch, you would have thought the forest floor had no grass. The leaves reminded you of a time long past, a time of innocence you no longer possessed.
With a smile, you jumped on a group of leaves making them crunch slightly. It was rather satisfying. Sadly, you knew you had to keep going and playing with the leaves just wasn't an option, so you trekked on.
Despite knowing you had to hurry to find safety, you still allowed yourself to enjoy the moonlight as it gave the forest an almost otherworldly, effervescent glow. Funnily enough, it felt more familiar than the word of concrete and metal you came from. It felt safe and comforting.
Twigs snapped beneath you every once in a while as you walked. You gripped your backpack’s straps tightly, occasionally looking behind you.
A part of you wished for this to be over, to be safe and sound elsewhere. Not awake in the middle of the night, walking through the woods on an empty stomach.
While looking behind you, you took a misstep and fell.
You groaned. Leaves stuck to your now dirt-covered hands and you pushed yourself up.
As you looked up, someone came into view.
A new stint of fear shot through you as you scrambled backwards.
“You do not need to fear me,” the person said. “I mean you no harm.”
As the moonlight cast down upon her, you studied the young maiden. What seemed to be a golden wreath of sorts sat upon her head, like a crown.
“I heard your prayer for safety, young one. I only wish to guide you to it,” she said, nearing closer.
Despite her soft words, you doubted her. You knew what she was and, in your experience, their kind never gave anything without wanting something in return.
She knelt in front of you. “My name is Soteria. Will you let me help you?” Soteria stood and offered you a hand.
Unlike other gods you’d met, she seemed kind. She didn’t have the same feel as the others. No malice or anger or lies.
Even though your paranoia screamed no, you couldn’t help but take it.
She lifted you up and gently touched your cheek, looking deep into your eyes. It was rather uncomfortable really. Her hand fell.
“Travel straight that way,” she said, pointing to her right. Her gaze followed her arm. “And you will find safety.”
You nodded, gratefully.
“Young one,” she said, turning back to you. “No harm shall fall on you if you keep this with you.” The goddess took your hands into hers and placed something in them. “You will survive and you will persevere.”
“How do you know?” You asked.
“Believe it and it will be so, my child,” she said, cupping your cheeks with a smile.
•
You pushed yourself off the forest floor and shakily rose to your feet.
“Must have really hit my head,” you mumbled to yourself.
You hadn’t realized you were tightly gripping something cold and sharp in your hand until it began to cut into your skin.
Taking a look at the foreign but familiar object, your sight is met with a metal circle hung from a chain, the face of Medusa filling the frame. Moonlight glinted off the metal, shading her horrific, severed head. Running your thumb over the pendant, you noticed her snake-like head raised from the circle. You could even feel the raised blood falling from her stump and the fangs of Medusa and her snakes. Said snakes had minute scales engraved into them. The gorgon's mouth hung wide open like a snake’s with flesh between the top and bottom at the corners of the mouth. She hissed, baring her fangs, at an unknown attacker along with her forward-facing serpents. Her slit-pupilled eyes spoke of the fear and anger she held before Perseus cut her head from her body. On either side of the pendant, golden laurel sprigs created a sort of half-wreath. You ran your thumb over the gold as well. The detail of the leaves was incredible. Tiny, minuscule veins wound through them. Small gems you didn’t know the names of decorated the sprigs, clustered together to resemble flower buds. It was a beautiful, albeit peculiar, necklace.
Upon remembering what Soteria said, you put the necklace on and gripped the pendant tight. It was strangely comforting.
You took a deep breath, turned to where the goddess had pointed and marched on with a strange, newfound confidence and determination. Knowing that a goddess was behind you and the Roman Medusa hung around your neck renewed you.
He wouldn’t get you. You wouldn’t let him.
•
You didn’t know how long you walked, but the moon had set and dawn had broken.
Birds, the noisy things, squawked and sung and annoyed the ever-living daylights out of your tired self.
Still, it was a better sound to be around than the New Gods and the shite they were always talking about.
The Technical Boy in particular. Him and his talk of being better than the Old Gods. But, he seemed to be the best of the bunch. Sadly, that’s not saying much.
Media was a snake who told you the prettiest lies and World, despite saying he cared for you (never love, only care), preferred a pretty lie over the ugly truth, telling you whatever would keep you the happiest and controlled by him. It took you a long time to admit he was manipulative, but once you settled that with yourself (not an easy task) it was slightly easier to see his lies and manipulative tendencies.
The Technical Boy didn’t give two shites about you, and, thus, didn’t care to lie. He always told you exactly what was going on. He was also, usually, really fucking blunt. The dude had no filter.
Eventually, your tired legs and sore muscles screamed at you to take a break. The dryness in your mouth and rumble in your stomach asked the same of you.
But you couldn’t. Not yet, at least. Your mind told you to keep going, that relief was just around the corner. And, you believed it. Besides, if you passed out now, who’s to say the fumes wouldn’t run out while you were resting? Or worse yet, someone aligned with World would find you.
A car rushed by, a flurry of leaves trailing behind it.
You clambered up the ditch, mud and leaves furthering to dirty your clothes.
Not to say they were clean before your escape. Too much could happen in the time it took to clean a load of laundry.
You walked along the road. Cars passed you occasionally, but it was far too early and the road was probably a ways away from the complex. That complex was also pretty far from any city.
•
Exhausted, thirsty, and hungry, you prayed you’d be able to stop soon even just for a minute or so.
As you walked, the faint outline of a building stood up ahead.
You sighed in relief.
Maybe there will be people there. Ones not attached to him.
All you could do was hope for that and maybe some water, that’d be nice, too.
•
As you got closer, you realized it was a motel. A Motel America with its neon blue and red. It, faintly, reminded you of the U.S. flag. That was probably the point of it.
You stumbled to where an attendant sat behind a desk. They didn’t notice you.
“Hello,” you said, voice raspy. “How- How much is a room?”
They looked up and their jaw dropped. “Are you okay?”
‘Must be worse off than I thought,’ you thought.
The floor under you swayed and you struggled to keep your footing.
“Mx? Are you okay?” the attendant asked again. “Do you need an ambulance?”
You shook your head. “No. Just- just a room. Please. Please don’t tell anyone I’m here.”
They nodded and grabbed a key, handing it to you.
You fumbled for your bag and tried to pay, but the attendant shook their head.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it. Just go.”
You mumbled thanks and stumbled away, rubbing your necklace.
“Call if you need anything,” they shouted after you.
A bout of relief spread through you and you thanked the attendant in your head. You also thanked Soteria. She was probably the reason you’d even got here.
•
The smooth, clean blankets covered you, wrapping you in their warmth. It didn’t matter that you were still wearing dirty, grimy clothes and hadn’t taken a shower in over three days. For once, you felt clean, and most importantly, safe.
Your muscles ached as much as your stomach growled. The emptiness of your stomach reminded you of your current lack of adequate resources. Sure, you had some cash stuffed away in your backpack, but not enough to last long.
Someone gently shook you awake.
With a groan, you buried your face in a pillow.
The person shook you again.
You turned to them, only to find the attendant from last night.
“Morning,” they said. “My shift’s been over for a while, but I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
You pushed yourself into a sitting position with more effort than you should need. “I’m fine.”
Your growling stomach betrayed you.
The attendant looked down to your stomach then back to you. “Sure about that?” They asked, eyebrows raised. “I got an extra sandwich in my bag. Want it?”
You nodded but refused to meet their gaze.
It wasn’t that you wanted to take advantage of their generosity, but you were starving.
The attendant slowly backed away like you were a wounded animal. They pulled something out of a bag and tossed it to you. “I’m Sammy, by the way.” Sammy pointed to the bathroom. “There are cups in there if you need them.”
“Thank you,” you said. “I won’t stay much longer. I have to keep moving.”
Sammy nodded.
You got the feeling they understood your position. Maybe that’s why Soteria had directed you here.
•
Night had fallen and the waning moon filled the sky with her beauty as her beautiful wives twinkled with her, though they did not shine with her same might.
You stepped outside your room onto the concrete walk, fiddling with the gift from Soteria.
Though you may not have been able to wash your clothes, a nice shower, some food, water, and rest did you wonders.
Sammy peeked out of their place and waved.
You waved back before setting out on the road.
There was a long journey ahead of you.
•
A fluttering of butterfly-like creatures caught your attention. Turning to the sound, a box sat with the creatures hovering above it. They disappeared when you saw the box.
You had been looking out for one of those.
World and the others had a particular fondness for them.
Your breathing quickened and you slowly stepped away before you started running down the road, your backpack bouncing up and down as you went. Though your muscles still ached, you pushed through the pain.
You couldn’t let this happen. You couldn’t go back. You couldn’t be trapped with them again, with him again. You had to keep running. You had to get away.
In a foolish move, you looked behind you only to see it gone.
When you looked back, headlights blinded you, stopping you in your tracks. You covered your face, wincing from the bright light. Stepping back, you realized it was Technical Boy’s limo. As you, again, stepped back, you knocked into something. Slowly, you turned around and looked into the faceless thing the New Gods called one of The Children. It grabbed you by your arms, holding you still.
Instinctively, your hand went to the necklace as you panted, staring at the Child. It had barely been a day and you already clung to it like a koala on a tree.
A flood of light and smoke came from the limo, bringing your attention back to it.
The door opened and someone, no, two someones stepped out.
A scowling Technical Boy and a pleasantly, fakely smiling Media stood up and faced you.
“Y/N, darling,” Media said, flourishing her arms out. “It is so good to see you again.” She wagged a finger at you. “You’ve been very naughty. Running away like that and all.” The goddess smiled at you. “Mr World has been very distraught over your absence. Oh, how he loves you so. The two of you are like Cesar and Cleopatra.”
Technical Boy snorted. “You mean World’s a creep and helped create a false narrative surrounding--”
Before he could complete his sentence, Media slapped him upside the head.
“Hush,” she hissed.
The boyish god winced and rubbed his head.
Media approached you, still all fake smiles and pleasantries. “Darling, Mr World really does miss you terribly. I’ve never seen him quite so distraught! Please, come home. We, well, Mr World, can take good care of you. You can be happy again. Just come home.”
“He wants me back?” You asked.
Media readily nodded.
“Then he should come get me himself.”
A smirk crept on Technical Boy’s face but he pushed it away. “Look, I admire your determination and tenacity, I do, really, but come on. He’s making life a living Hell for us. Just come back. I’m sure he’ll do better by you or whatever,” he said.
Your gaze shifted to him, eyes shining. “You know nothing of a living Hell,” you said, your voice breaking. Tears threatened your eyelids at knifepoint.
“Not helping,” Media sang with a strained smile at Technical Boy.
He looked down and rolled his eyes.
“Look, darling, I know Mr World can be difficult--”
You cut her off. “Difficult? Difficult!? You think he’s difficult?” You asked. “No, he’s fucking insane and manipulative. I want nothing to do with him or any of you. Just leave me alone.” Your tears cut through and spilt down your face.
Media opened her mouth to say something but closed it, not knowing what to do.
Technical Boy made a dismissive wave at the Child and it stepped away, letting you go. He carefully stepped toward you.
“I don’t like you,” he said. “I don’t know why World does. I don’t get what he finds so fucking interesting about a pathetic, squishy, easily killed human. But I know he wants you back and has spent every second he can trying to find you.” The god stopped in front of you. “He’s obsessed and, yeah, he’s manipulative and probably insane. That’s World for ya.” Technical Boy placed a hand on your shoulder. “Just come back, maybe punch him in the face, demand some shit or whatever. I don’t care. But World is fucking riding us like you used to ride him. He is up our fucking asses all day and it’s driving me insane. Please, for the love of fucking God, just come back before I lose my shit.”
You wiped away the tears and looked the arrogant son of a bitch in the eyes. “Go fuck yourself, Technical Boy.”
His hand fell from your shoulder. He turned back and shrugged. “I tried.”
It was obvious, even to the most socially inept, that he didn’t really care about you.
In the distance, a man struggled to maintain a straight line as he drove. Liquor bottles clink against each other in the backseat, and the passenger seat and floor.
Media stepped forward. “I understand your uneasiness, Y/N, but things can be different.”
The car got closer, swerving around. No one seemed to notice.
“No, they can’t,” you said. “He will never change.”
Technical Boy, who had been scrolling through his phone, looked up. He spotted the car and straightened. “Um, guys…”
“Not now,” she said, raising her pointer finger behind her at him.
Technical Boy slipped his phone away. “But--”
“I said, not now!” The goddess turned around to glare at him.
“Yeah, but there’s a fucking car!” Technical Boy said, pointing at the oncoming car.
You swivelled around, taking a look around the Child. Headlights filled your gaze, and, for a moment, you understood what it felt like to be a deer trying to get across a road. By the time you recognized what was happening, it was too late; you couldn’t get away.
The last things you felt was the Child’s body slamming into yours and the distinct feeling of dread.
You were going to die.
There was also a sense of relief, knowing that you would die free and not chained to him.
•
The sound of beeping woke you. The feeling of another warm body against yours was unsettling when you did wake. As you opened your eyes, your blood ran cold.
World was holding you, partially on the bed with one of his legs hanging off.
“Hello, my dear,” he purred. “It’s good to see you awake.”
You pushed him away and tried to sit up.
“Oh, no, no, no, we will be having none of that now, my dear. You are far too injured.” The well-dressed god pulled you back toward him, but you did not relax.
Slowly, he pushed you back into a lying position and kissed your forehead like a child. He even dared to pull blankets over you. World sat onto the bed and faced you, gently reaching out and stroking your cheek.
Some part of you wanted to react, to vomit or push him away, but you couldn’t. Every fibre of your being told you not to do anything to make him mad. After 6 years of that keeping you alive, the idea had become ingrained.
“I almost lost you, my dear,” World said, quietly. “The thought of never seeing you again was unbearable. I’m so glad to have you back, safe and sound beside me.”
Though he seemed to actually mean it, with shimmering eyes and kind movements, you couldn’t trust him now any more than you could any other time. It was all a facade, a carefully crafted one at that. He had manipulated you before and would do it again. This time, though, you wouldn’t let him, no matter what he did. This snake would no longer charm you.
Despite it being a majorly bad idea, you had to ask the question that had been running through your head since you’d run the first time.
“Why?” You asked, quiet as a mouse. “Why do you want me so badly? I don’t understand it.”
His hand traced a path to yours. “My dearest, you know better than to ask something like that. A partner like you best kept with their mouth shut and a pretty smile on it.” With his free hand, he tilted your chin upward, possessively smiling down at your frowning face with malice.
“That’s not an answer,” you said.
World’s smile became strained as he tried to hold back the urge to smack you. You could tell by his eyes that’s what he wanted. There was dark anger behind them. Instead, he chuckled lightly before roughly grabbing your jaw and bringing you in close. “It’s the only one you’re getting, my dear.” He leant in close, any semblance of a smile falling away, and looked into your eyes. “If you ever,” he said, trembling with rage. “And I mean ever, leave like that again, I will not be so kind as I am now. Do you understand me?”
Against his hand, you tried to nod, any form of confidence fading from you. In his hands, or hand more like, you were like a tiny, weak child all over again.
He roughly shoved your face into the pillow and it stayed there as you were too afraid to look back at him. You bit your lip and screwed your eyes shut, trying not to whimper or cry.
World stood. “Technical Boy,” he said.
The tech god slowly walked in, keeping his eyes on the ground. Even he was somewhat afraid of World. Technical Boy stood near the door, not daring to walk in any further without permission.
“Wassup?” He said, popping the p.
World glared at him, disapproving of his casualness, from the opposite side of your bed.
Your head still firmly placed on the pillow, you opened your eyes to look at Technical Boy.
He had a rather odd style choice that you’d become fond of over the years. Today was no different.
Today, he seemed to have a hard-on for neon. Neon yellow and orange shoes with shiny spikes around the soles. A multi-neon-coloured jacket that looked like someone took a paintbrush and just started painting diagonal lines in a thousand different neon colours. His pants were awful, too. Every type of neon colouring on it, just like his jacket. Neon pink suspenders hung from his trousers and a neon blue t-shirt with a giant, pixilated, neon green thing on it. It was one of those spaceships from Galaga Shooter from back in the 80s or whenever. You couldn't remember what they were called exactly. Maybe it was just spaceships from Galaga Shooter.
His hair was, much like his clothing, a weird story. Along the pulled-back sides were two metal pieces on both sides, going from the front all the way back. Maybe they connected around the back of his head. The top had pieces wrapped into little bowls all the way down the middle. On his shoulder was a braid pulled out from the back. More neon stripes decorated his hair, from bowls to braid.
World looked to you. “Technical Boy will be looking after you until you’re all better and you can come home properly.” There was plasticity to his voice that you’d only become recently aware of before you’d run from him. World walked around your hospice bed and stopped next to Technical Boy on his way out. He turned slightly, the tech god mirroring his action, and whispered something you couldn’t hear before leaving.
As World left, you watched the tensed Technical Boy with curiosity. He looked back at you, his eyes meeting yours.
“I guess we’re going to be spending a lot of time together,” he mumbled. The god looked around and found a chair.
As he pulled the chair to sit next to the door, you struggled to sit up.
“Don’t even think about trying to run,” he said. “I ain’t like the Spooks or the Children. I’m not stupid nor easy to manipulate or overpower. You running will only hurt yourself and piss World off.” He sat down and leant back into it, staring at the ceiling. “Why the fuck is he so fucking interested in you, anyway? You’re not that special. Don’t get me wrong, you’re attractive in a simple, human-ey way, but you’re not, well, you’re not geometrically perfect, or close to it, like, say, Jensen Ackles.”
“I wasn’t going to,” you said, finally in a sitting position. “I know there’s no point now.” You wryly chuckled, tears slipping from your eyes. “Fuck,” you mumbled.
Technical Boy watched you, uncomfortable. He wasn’t good with emotions, especially not others’. “You good?”
You wipe away your tears before looking over at him. Deftly, you flip him off. There was nothing Technical Boy could do to you that would hurt more than knowing you were, once again, trapped under Mr World’s thumb.
The god rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone. If he was going to be stuck here, he might as well play some games.
You look around the room, crossing your arms and rubbing them. It was a plain, white, rectangular room with your bed, a chair, and a nightstand. Otherwise, it was barren. The most interesting and colourful thing here was Technical Boy’s awful outfit, which looked, strangely, stylish on him, and the blankets on your bed. Their colours were stark in contrast to your hospital gown with the polka dots and barren room. The top blanket looked like a hand-stitched quilt with an array of warm colours and black decorated with images of cats and witches and other things like that. The others were larger child-like blankets with Bob the Builder, Care Bears, and other things like that on them. You ran a hand over the top one, enjoying the stitching and cloth running under your fingertips.
“World had those brought for you,” Technical Boy said, not looking up from his phone.
Your blood ran cold and your hand froze where it was. Slowly, your hands receded and you pushed the blankets away. Knowing that, even now, World was, in a way, touching you freaked you out. You needed to get away from it. You needed to get away from him. Barely registering what you were doing, you kicked the blankets over the edge bed and pushed yourself away from them and into the pillow behind you.
The quilt and childish blankets cascaded to the floor, unceremoniously falling into a heap.
The tech god looked up from his phone and stared at you as you curled up and hugged your knees, staring wide-eyed at the blankets. He continued to watch as you began scratching at yourself, trying to get the feeling of World off you. Technical Boy didn’t intervene until he noticed you bleeding.
Slipping his phone into his pocket, the god got up and walked over to you. He sat on your bed and grabbed your hands.
Out of pure instinct, you thrashed in his grip as he tried to calm you down. You could hear someone calling for you but you couldn’t stop yourself. He was here and he was going to hurt you.
“Y/N,” Technical Boy yelled over your panic. “Stop it. You're hurting yourself.” You continued fighting against him, kicking and thrashing. “Fuck’s sake, I need someone in here!”
Nurses came in and held you down before one stuck a needle into your arm and you passed out.
•
A year and a half ago
You lay in bed, texting a friend, one of the few World let you have. Smiling at your phone, you pulled a blanket over you, a quilt with sock monkeys on it.
World entered and took off his blazer, setting it on a fluffy chair. He rolled up his sleeves to the elbows. “Hello, my dear,” he purred, watching you.
You looked up and smiled. “Hi, bossman.”
He smiled, leant over you, and kissed your forehead. “Have you been good today?” He asked.
You shrugged and took one of his hands into your free one. “I did what you asked if that’s what you mean. I haven’t been out all day.”
“Good, my dear. Good,” he said before sitting on the bed and caressing your cheek. “I don’t want anyone else taking you away from me.”
“I wouldn’t want them to, love.” You smiled, gazing into his eyes.
As World started to say something, your friend texted you back a meme. Because of the addictive nature of technology, your head snapped to your screen. You laughed.
World’s eyes hardened. “Who are you talking to?”
“Just a friend.” You shut your phone off and tossed it to the side. You could worry about responding later.
“Just a friend, huh?” He asked. “A friend that makes you laugh?”
His sudden change in attitude threw you off and you sat up more. “Well, it was less my friend and more a meme he sent me.”
“He?” World growled.
He seemed to grow bigger, or maybe you were just pushing yourself into the bed more.
“I- I’m sorry,” you stuttered out. “I thought you said he was okay to talk to.”
World gripped your wrists, kneeling on the bed, and pushed you down. “I told you not to leave the house.” He jerked you off the bed and began to drag you out of the room in your underwear.
“I didn’t. I swear I didn’t. I was just talking to him,” you pleaded as you tried to stand. His grip tightened and began to hurt. “World, love, please, stop. You’re hurting me.”
Just as you had managed to get in a crouching position to stand, World yanks you down. You land with a thud on the cold, wooden floor.
“Hurting you? Never, my dear. No, I’m just punishing you for disobeying me.” He stood over you, his fists clenched.
“I- I didn’t. I didn’t go outside.”
That only seemed to piss him off more.
“I said not to leave the house. That means technologically as well. You disobeyed me, my dear. I really didn’t want to do this, but you’ve given me no choice.”
•
Present Day
You woke up in a fetal position in bed. Clenching your fists, you willed yourself to forget about the nightmare. Shakily, you pushed yourself up, blankets falling off you. A part of you expected, when you looked at them, you’d find the ones World had gotten for you. Instead, you were greeted by a different set, the top one with a close-up of a bunch of wolves perched atop a cliff with a forest in the background on it.
“I had one of the Children get some other blankets from a nearby store,” Technical Boy said, glued to his phone. “I didn’t tell it any specific type of blankets to get, so it just grabbed some. Hope you like wolves.”
Assured in the knowledge World hadn’t had a hand in getting these, you laid back down, pulling the blankets over you. You squeezed your eyes shut, breathing heavily, and curled back into a fetal position.
•
Weeks passed and you slowly healed. The Child that you had been in front of when the car struck had partially protected you, so you were better off than if it’d rammed into without any sort of cushioning. Still, rehab was fucking painful.
Technical Boy mostly said nothing, preferring his tech to others, particularly you. When he did speak, it was sarcastic and filled with a feeling of superiority. It tended to get on your nerves. But it was better than the alternative. Occasionally, he’d get a text and he’d be out the door faster than the Flash going at light speed. It was rare but still, you dreaded those texts because he’d always leave one of the creepy Children behind, or several depending on how he was feeling.
You’d talk to Technical Boy, of course. Well, not specifically to him, but you’d talk aloud to kill time. It was mostly rambling about one thing or another. Sometimes you’d talk about your parents and family, other times you’d talk about random things you’d learnt over the years. On very rare occasions, maybe once or twice, you’d talk about World and what it was like with him. It was nice, just talking without anyone listening but someone still being physically there. You knew he didn’t care and he probably wasn’t listening, but that didn’t matter to you. You just wanted to talk. Sometimes, he’d stop scrolling or playing a game for so long you thought he was listening. Thankfully, he was just reading something when that happened. Talking “to” Technical Boy was like talking to a brick wall in the best way possible.
Now, you laid in bed, throwing things at the ceiling, head relaxed against the headboard. You closed your eyes, groaning.
Out of pure boredom and nostalgia, you remembered a school play you’d been forced to do; The Wizard of Oz. You had played the Wicked Witch of the West for the second half of the play. Despite the rather enjoyable performance, you did hate the green face paint you’d had to wear. It didn’t feel good against your skin. As you remembered the play, you began to think about the song Ding-dong! The Witch is Dead that your Mum had always teased you with. That and the whole “I’m melting scene”. The song rang through your head as you tried to remember all the words, but the same lines repeated over and over again.
“Ding-dong! The witch is dead. Which old witch? The Wicked Witch! Ding-dong! The Wicked Witch is dead,” you sang, very much off-key but with a childish enjoyment.
Technical Boy joined in with his eyes still glued to his phone. “Wake up, ya sleepy-head. Rub your eyes, get out of bed.”
“Wake up, the Wicked Witch is dead!” You both sang out, Technical Boy was much quieter than you.
Your head fell forward and you giggled to yourself, covering your mouth with your hand. Technical Boy, unused to the sound, looked up at you, the edges of his mouth twitching up. But, when you looked at him, he looked away, his lips straining into a white line as he tried to cover up the smile. You curiously watched him for a while like you were waiting for him to do something. Upon deciding he was too boring to do anything of note, you started humming Ding-dong! The Witch is Dead to yourself. The song had ingrained itself into your brain.
Technical Boy typed something into his phone before speaking. “I can play it out loud if you want.” He showed you his phone’s screen.
You couldn’t tell what was on it as it was too far away, but you assumed it was Ding-dong! The Witch is Dead. “Sure. If you want.”
He pressed play and turned up the volume, but the noise was minuscule. Technical Boy gave it a confused look, frowning, and mouthed a “what the fuck”. For a few minutes, you watched him fuck around with his phone, trying to solve the problem.
Eventually, he turned to you. “Sorry. Volume isn’t working as it should. Must be some sort of hardware issue. I’ll take a closer look later.”
You considered, for a moment, that maybe Technical Boy wasn’t as good with his tech as he liked to boast. Then you remembered that TECHnical Boy was a TECH god and this is probably happening because he wants it to, on some level. You internally laugh at the thought.
‘Maybe he really hates that song,’ you thought.
“It’s fine. Maybe we’ll both be able to hear if you get closer,” you said with a small smile.
You could have sworn he was blushing at that moment. That was definitely peculiar. Your mind must have been playing tricks on you.
Technical Boy scratched the back of his neck, looking away from you. “Yeah, sure. That- that could work.” He got up, shuffling his sneakers along the tile.
As he neared your bed, he rewound the video and started playing it. Instead of sitting on the bed, he awkwardly stood there, holding his phone closer to you.
You laughed lightly before patting the bed. “You can sit down, you know that right? I’m not as easily broken as you might think.”
“I don’t think you’re easily broken at all,” he mumbled as he sat down.
“What was that?”
“Nothing.” Technical Boy drug the timer back to the zero second mark, replaying the video.
You shuffled around, listening to the song, before getting closer. Your chest pressed against Technical Boy’s back as you rested your chin on his shoulder. Surprisingly, he was very warm.
You’d expected him to be like his domain, cold and calculating, but, you supposed, he’d always been very angry and loud, just like the other part of his domain. You smiled softly, recognizing the duality to him. The angry, emotional, loud human-dominated Internet and the cold, logical, data-processing technology-dominated, well, tech. Then, you remembered how phones and computers were. It had been so long since you’d had one, it was like a far off memory. But, all technology tended to warm up as they were used and cooled when they weren’t.
You nuzzled into his strangely soft sweater, your cheek pressing lightly against Technical Boy's neck. Blood rushed up to his neck as his heart beat heavily, you could hear it more than you could hear the music. It was very calming. Though the rapidness of the beat was slightly concerning. Usually, humans have really fast heartbeats wasn’t a good sign, but he wasn’t human so maybe it worked differently.
Technical Boy glanced down at you, trying not to disturb you. A soft smile spread across his face. A blush did the same thing over his cheeks and his ears tinted pink as your hands found their way to his side.
You sighed, content, as you relaxed.
You hadn’t meant to get so physical with Technical Boy, but it felt nice to feel someone else’s warmth for once. To even be near someone again without fear of getting hurt was a huge relief. Though you knew if World ever found out, he’d kill you both or worse.
At the thought of the cruel god, you reached for where your necklace used to be. Instead, you grasped at nothing. The reminder that World had taken your necklace made you feel empty and cold even with the heater named Technical Boy letting you hold onto him. Your eyebrows knitted together as sadness filled your heart, weighing it down. Still holding nothing, you pressed your face into the tech god’s shoulder.
Technical Boy gently reached for the hand still on his side. He grasped it and pulled it around his stomach, gently rubbing your knuckles. “Are you okay?” He asked softly, just as surprised by his own concern and gentleness as you were.
If it had been anyone else, he would have pushed them away, but this was you and, after all the weeks you’d spent rambling, he felt like he knew you better than World did.
To be fair, most people probably knew you better than World did.
Still, Technical Boy had started to understand why World wanted you so badly. You were so human and so sweet, laughing at your own jokes and, in a way, treating him like a pet like always humans tend to do with technology. The way you so easily spoke to him about whatever was on your mind and the way you smiled even when you weren’t doing anything, was so human and he found that, despite how he had always viewed humans, he liked that about you. He wouldn’t say he felt anything stronger, but he did like it. Maybe more than he should.
You tiredly looked up at him, lips grazing his sweater (Technical Boy found himself wishing he wasn’t wearing one) and gave him a strained smile.
“I’m alright, I suppose,” you said. “I’m just wishing I still had my necklace. It helps calm me down.”
Technical Boy nodded, his phone turning off.
You didn’t know if he did that or it did it by itself.
“What’s it look like?”
His gaze seems to drop to your lips before darting back to your eyes, but you can’t be sure of yourself.
You shrugged. “Head of Medusa and gold sprigs of laurel shooting out from the pendant.”
Technical Boy nodded, mentally putting a yellow sticky note on a rough image of the necklace he had in his head with “find” written in red on it. “Sounds cool,” he said, meaning it but sounding rather casual about it. He mentally facepalmed.
You nodded, still touching the place the pendant once hung in front of.
Technical Boy noticed your despondency and put the yellow sticky note and the necklace under important.
You trailed your free hand down Technical Boy’s back, nails sending tingles all over his body.
This was something you both needed, but both rarely got.
Physical touch is the hardest thing you’ve ever come by, especially after meeting World.
As for Technical Boy, he was a lonely god surrounded by cold fellow New Gods and unfulfilling worship. Though he was necessary for the U.S. to function, the people’s belief in him wasn’t really belief IN him. It was a belief that technology is going to solve everyone’s problems. They do not view him as a deity and they do not know he even exists. It’s a sad thing for a god to be worshipped but not known truly within their worshippers. If that wasn’t bad enough, the other gods like Media and World didn’t really like him and they did nothing to hide it.
He glanced at you again. You caught it and smiled softly, wrapping your other arm around him, enjoying the warmth of him and the feeling of another being. The god leant into you, rolling his head back and closing his eyes. His hands found yours and he absentmindedly rubbed them.
“I’m sorry,” you mumbled.
Technical Boy snorted. “Why? You’re not doing anything wrong.”
“It’s just-- You’re Technical Boy. You don’t like humans, so you probably aren’t the biggest fan of this.” You shifted slightly but still held him close.
He turned to look at you. “If I wasn’t okay with this I would make it known. I tend to do that.” A slight, itty bitty smile surfaced. “I can show you if you want? Trust me, I can be really loud and annoying.”
You pulled away, covering your mouth as you laughed.
Technical Boy’s smile widened and there was a strange light to his eyes as he watched you.
You couldn’t help but smile back.
“Ya know, I’m really touch-starved, so, trust me, I’m enjoying this,” he said.
Silently, you reached for one of his hands and held it in your own. “So am I, to be honest. World was never really one for touching. I was often pretty lonely…” You trailed off, eyes wandering. “It’s not much like that now, though. Even with him looming over me, at least you’re here.”
“Yeah, I am,” he said. Part of him wanted to kiss your cheek, but his far more logical side decided that would be a dumb idea. Instead, he squeezed your hand and smiled. “Don’t think I’ll be going anywhere anytime soon.”
All you could do was smile.
•
The Child sat there in Technical Boy’s chair like an action figure not in use.
Laying on your stomach at the end of your bed, your head sat on your crossed arms as you watched the empty, motionless creation.
Technical Boy had gotten one of those texts and had to leave. One of the Children had taken his place.
Ever since that conversation a few weeks or so ago and all the touching that happened, the tech god had opened up a little more, willingly joking with you and talking. You’d finally gotten to know more about the god. Turns out he was moderately decent sometimes.
You continued staring at the Child, your head falling to lay down. Blowing out a breath of air, you flipped over and stared at the ceiling.
World, thankfully, had been too busy to stop by in ages.
Sometimes, you’d learnt, you were fine with his name and existence being mentioned. Other times, you weren’t. Sometimes, you were scared, but his presence didn’t make you freak out. Other times, it did. The whole thing was pretty inconsistent.
You’d missed Technical Boy. His presence had a calming effect on you to a degree you didn’t understand. Still, when he laughed, you smiled with pride. When he smiled at you, your heart clenched in your chest. And, of course, when you caught him stealing a glance at you, you could practically feel the blood rushing to your face.
The sound of the door unlocking and opening made you jump and you quickly turned to see who it was.
Silently, you hoped it was Technical Boy and feared it was World.
A familiar face walked in with something in his hands.
“Tech!” You smiled and sat up.
He grinned at you before slipping whatever was in his hands behind his back and walking in. Realizing the Child was still there, he gave it a look and it got up. It left and shut the door behind it.
“I got something for you,” Technical Boy said, turning his attention back to you. “I think you’re really gonna like it.”
Head tilting with curiosity, you look at him. “What is it?”
He chuckled and sat down on your bed. “You’ll have to open it and see,” he said, pulling a small box from behind his back. He handed it to you.
Gently, you took the box and opened it. Inside sat a shell-shaped compact mirror. Though definitely disappointed, you were more confused than anything. You took it out and examined it.
“Why did you give me a mirror?” You asked.
Technical Boy’s grin grew. “Cause, without it, you wouldn’t be able to see what I’m about to give you.” He slipped behind you on the bed and opened the mirror over your shoulders, placing it in your hand. “Now, close your eyes and don’t open them till I say,” he whispered into your ear.
You leant back into him, enjoying the closeness. Though you were reluctant and a little confused, you closed your eyes anyway, deciding to trust Technical Boy.
You listened as shuffled around. A sudden and strange, though familiar, feeling of something settling around your neck made you tense, but that tension faded quickly.
“Okay,” he said. “Open ‘em.” Technical Boy’s head settled on your shoulder and he wrapped his arms around your waist, watching you in anticipation.
Just as you began to open your eyes, he stopped you. “Wait, hold up.” You felt one of his hands cup yours as he adjusted the mirror. “Okay, now.”
You opened them, greeted by a view of your necklace shining in the bright, artificial lighting. Your jaw drops as you stare at the terrifying face of Medusa. A warmth finds its way into your heart as your open mouth turns into a grin. Gently, filled with disbelief, you reach up and touch the pendant. Realizing it was truly there and not an illusion or something, a weight lifted off you, knowing you hadn’t lost it. You sighed in relief and clutched the pendant, closing your eyes.
Out of excitement, you turn around and wrap your arms around Technical Boy, hugging him tightly.
For a moment, he doesn’t know what to do. He knew you’d be happy but he hadn’t anticipated this. Remembering all the fanfics, posts, shows, and movies put on the internet, he realized hugging back would be a smart option. That would definitely help with keeping his blush hidden. He hugged you back, nuzzling into your neck.
As you pulled away slightly, you looked at him, still smiling.
He shyly smiled back.
You knew he blushed rather easily, but the sight of his face so flushed and ears so pink was a little shocking. It was still cute, though.
You fell back into him and rested your head on his chest.
Technical Boy squeezed you tight, resting his head against yours. He closed his eyes, finding himself able to relax with you.
A few seconds of silence passed before you decided, on a random whim, to kiss Technical Boy’s cheek.
He froze.
If he was pink before, he was Hot Tamale Red now.
You giggled lightly before beaming up at him.
Honestly, you couldn’t say why you did it. All you knew was that it felt right.
The door to your room slammed open and World appeared. Both you and Technical Boy snapped your heads to look at him, eyes wide.
You scrambled away from Technical Boy and off the bed, eyes going wide at the sight of your terrifying ex.
"And what exactly is going on here?" World asked. He stepped into the room and glared at you
The tech god got off the bed and put himself between the two of you, pulling World's attention away from you. The last thing he wanted was for you to get hurt, especially because of him. He didn't care if he got hurt. Technical Boy was a god; he could handle it. You were human and World had already done enough.
"Nothing much," he said. "Just talking."
World got closer.
Your heart pounded against your chest. The familiar fear of his presence shaking you to your core.
The way he approached reminded you so much of how he used to right before he laid into you, all height and glaring. He was going to hurt you again. Or Technical Boy.
Gods, Technical Boy. You didn't want him hurt. He'd been so kind to you over the last few weeks and had really come out of his metallic and rude shell. The thought of him regressing and being cold to you again sickened you.
"It seems as though I've caught my beloved and you doing much more than “talking”," World hissed.
Out of pure fear, you hide more behind Technical Boy, placing a hand on his bicep.
"Y/N hugged me," the god said, maintaining eye contact with World. "That's it. They were thanking me."
World took off his fedora, his long coat hanging off his shoulder. "For what?" His head jerked unnaturally.
"For being here when you weren't and for getting them their necklace back," Technical Boy said.
You hadn't noticed how tense he was until World was nearly on top of the two of you. He was just as scared as you were. Technical Boy breathed heavily through his nose but refused to flinch.
World pointed at your necklace and growled, "You shouldn't have that."
Your hand shot to your necklace, clutching the pendant in shaking fingers.
"And who are you to dictate that?" Technical Boy asked.
World, angered by Technical Boy's insubordination, walked to him and looked him in the eye. "You will leave if you know what's good for you, Boy," he said unwaveringly. "And, if you know what's good for them." World turned away, his fingers trailing across the end of your bed. "Unless, of course, you want them to receive the worst possible treatment for their injuries."
Technical Boy's eyes went wide and his jaw tensed. He looked to you.
You didn't want him to go. You didn't want to be left alone with World. You didn't want to left alone at all. Despite that, you also didn't want to end up in a dark room to die and you didn't want Technical Boy to feel guilty if that happened.
Turning to the tech god, you nodded toward the door, mouthing the word "go".
He hesitantly tried to say something, eyes glistening with sorrow and guilt, but didn't, defeated.
As he left, his heart heavy, you gave him a pained smile and wave. Once he walked through the doorway, your smile fell and you wrapped your arms around yourself. You already knew what World was going to do.
He turned to you, scowling.
•
Outside the room, Technical Boy stood, already hating himself for leaving you to deal with him alone. The number of times World had hurt him because he wasn’t perfect or didn’t do what World wanted exactly as he wanted it done and had the shite beaten out of him for it was astronomical. He’d always wished Media had done something about it when it happened, but she never did. Now, he had done the same thing to you.
He heard you yelp and the distinct sound of a body hitting the floor. Your cries echoed in his ears as World beat you. Though the door was shut, it did nothing to mask what he was doing to you. Technical Boy could faintly hear him saying this to you. He couldn't fully make them out, but he knew, in his heart, they were as vicious and violent as he was.
It took all of the tech god's self-control not to rush back in and protect you. He'd shield you with his own body if he had to.
Sadly, the god knew you'd only be worse off if he did. So, he sucked it up and walked away, fists clenched.
He had to figure out a way to get you out of here before World made sure you'd never go anywhere again.
•
You laid in bed, curled up with the blankets Technical Boy had gotten for you. The cloth felt soft and strange against your skin like you weren’t used to the feeling of safety and warmth around you. Even though you’d been using them for months at this point, the blankets still felt foreign. They were better than any World could force on you, at least. And, they reminded you of Technical Boy.
Since the day you told him to go, you hadn’t heard a peep. It was like he vanished from your like.
Honestly, you were worried about him and thought about him a lot. You had no idea if he was alright or not. Unfortunately, you'd experienced just how cruel World could be when he was angry; your face and body were plenty of evidence of that. Though Technical Boy was a god and World couldn't kill him, you feared for Technical Boy's safety. Over the years you'd been with World, he showed an apathy toward Technical Boy, if not hatred for him. He'd been violent with the tech god before. You knew he would be like that again on a whim. That's all it ever took; a whim.
The door to your room opened.
Tensing, you pulled your blankets closer. You shook slightly, closing your eyes and letting out a fearful breath. A free hand laid where the pendant of your necklace should be.
You'd been expecting him to come back to teach you another lesson. World had come every day since he's taken Technical Boy off "Y/N duty".
Slowly, you steadied your breathing and opened your eyes. A part of you hoped he'd find no joy in it today, that he'd grow tired of you and toss you aside. Even if you ended up dying, it'd be better than living in fear of World for the rest of your life.
"Y/N," a familiar and gentle voice said.
You wiped the blanket off and turned to look at the speaker; Technical Boy stood there with bruises on his face. They didn't take away from how happy you were to see him.
The corners of his mouth twitched up into a smile, but his eyes screamed of pain. "Hey."
Of course, World had hurt him. You knew he would. It was World. But, that feeling in your chest, the feeling of your heart squeezing, the feeling you'd felt when World showed up randomly early on, the feeling of relief and love filled you as you looked at the tech god.
Without hesitation, you pushed away from the blankets and scrambled off the bed, not even thinking about them falling to the floor. You didn't give Technical Boy a second to breathe as you pulled him into a tight hug. Nuzzling into the crook of his neck, you screwed your eyes shut and breathed him in.
After the initial shock, Technical Boy slowly hugged back. He tested his head on your shoulder, breathing heavily. "Are you okay, Y/N?" He asked, pulling away and cupping one of your cheeks. His soft eyes searched yours.
You chuckled, tears of joy pooling at the corners of your eye. “I’m-- I’m better now,” you said with a smile.
Technical Boy relaxed a little, but still, his eyes stayed trained on your face. His fingers ghosted over your bruises and split lip.
It made you wince.
“Sorry,” he mumbled. “Did he do this to you?”
You looked away, not wanting to see the hurt in his eyes. "He cause those?" You asked, turning back and gesturing to Technical Boy's face.
For a beat, there was silence. Without having to say a word, both of you knew what happened.
You pulled him into another hug and he quickly reciprocated.
"I can't stay long. World doesn't even know I'm here right now. I hope he doesn't, anyway." Technical Boy pulled away and smiled at you. "I'm going to get you out of here, and soon. I promise." His eyes drifted to your chest, his eyebrows scrunching up in confusion before turning into anger. "And I'm going to get your necklace back from World."
You looked down, putting a hand over where your necklace should be. “Don’t worry about it. It’s just a necklace.”
It wasn’t, in fact, just a necklace. It was a gift from someone who actually, selflessly cared. Though you hadn’t talked to Soteria since you’d gotten the necklace, you knew she had been watching and trying to keep you safe. You knew it in your heart of hearts, in your essence, in your very soul itself. Maybe it was a want to have someone on your side or blind stupidity, but you had an unending faith that she was with you, that she was protecting you and guiding you even now. It was that faith you clung to when World would come in. It was that faith that kept you sane. Even before Technical Boy had been sent away, it was that faith that helped you get through even the worst days where your mind would plague you will horrible memories of World and your life with him.
Technical Boy shook his head. “It’s not just a necklace. It’s your necklace. It belongs with you, not him.”
You smiled softly at him, relishing in his gentle touch.
“I’m going to get it back for you and I’m going to get you out of here, so be ready to leave at a moment’s notice, okay?” He asked, looking into your eyes.
You nodded before hugging him again.
Real, genuine, caring contact with another being, no matter how artificial, is the only thing you wanted at the moment. Everything else be damned.
•
The door to your room opened in the night. No light shone in as all was quiet. It was past midnight. Of course, all was quiet. It’d be weird if it was loud and noisy.
Laying in bed, you slept as soundly as you could with the constant threat of World looming over you and plaguing your scarred mind.
Technical Boy looked back into the dark, empty hall before slipping into your room.
His own fear and doubt squirming through his mind and infecting him. Around every corner, his heart had beaten loudly in his chest as he could never be sure someone was just around the corner. Though the god knew how to manipulate technology, even recreate and control it to a certain extent, he was still afraid that World would pop up while Technical Boy had blinded himself by taking the cameras offline. It felt wrong to not be able to see everything through the cameras. It was too late to take it back though.
“Y/N,” Technical Boy said as he gently shut the door. When you didn’t respond he got close to your bed and nudged you. “Come on, wake up. We need to go.”
You groaned quietly and tried to pull the covers over your head but Technical Boy stopped you. He pulled them off the bed and stared at you.
You whined, trying to curl up, but the god wasn’t having any of that.
“Y/N, get the fuck up or I swear to God I will throw you over my fucking shoulder,” he said putting his hands on his hips.
You groaned again and flopped to your back. “It’s late.”
“I know,” he said. “Now let’s go.” The tech god pointed at the door.
You sat up, back stiff, and stretched. “Outside?”
He nodded. “I said I’d get you out of here, didn’t I?” Technical Boy smiled before offering you his hand.
The two of you shared a smile. Just as you reached out to take his hand, you remembered World and froze.
“What about--”
“Don’t worry about him,” Technical Boy said. “I’ve got a plan. Right now, we need to go.” He grabbed you and pulled you from the bed.
•
Outside the compound World had been keeping you in, you stared at the night sky. The beautiful blues and blacks melting together, and the points of white stars twinkling high above. You never thought something could be so beautiful. The stars danced in your eyes.
Technical Boy, holding the door to his limo open, stared at you like you stared at the sky.
Feeling his eyes on you, you looked to him and gave him a soft smile.
If it wasn’t so dark, you could have been sure of whether or not he was blushing. Instead, the darkness hid his embarrassment for him as he turned away from you.
“Get in,” he said, gesturing to the limo.
You nodded and walked over. Before you slipped inside the bright automobile, you gently kissed Technical Boy’s cheek.
He stood there for a moment, stunned as the tips of his ears turned pink. Swallowing hard, he gets into the limo, sitting next to you.
•
Standing in the busy airport, you looked around, clutching the carryon bag Technical Boy had packed for you.
Patiently, you waited for the tech god to appear. He had to get some things in order before your departure.
When he did appear, he seemed nervous, scanning the crowd with fearful eyes. He stopped in front of you, still scanning.
You understood his fear. It was a similar kind to what you had felt when you’d run from World.
Gently, you touched his arm, tearing his attention from the crowd. You gave him a gentle smile.
The god softened and weakly smiled back.
“Thank you,” you said.
Technical Boy shrugged, looking down. “It’s not that big of a deal.”
“It is to me.”
•
On the plane, a child kicked your seat from behind and the man at the end of the row was talking loudly on the phone. You felt bad for the grey-clad man sitting between the two of you. He was getting it far worse than you.
Looking away from the commotion, you watched the people outside the plane scramble around and grasped the necklace’s pendant.
You were so close to freedom. Close enough to taste it. Or maybe that was just the aeroplane smell.
Despite still being in the U.S., you smiled. Even if the plane crashed, you wouldn’t be stuck with World. Even if the plane gets redirected somewhere or there’s a storm and the plane has to make a landing, you could still stay away from World long enough to get another ticket out of here. It would be a terrifying ordeal, but you could do it. Even if, worst comes to worst, World finds out and finds you again, you knew you could find a way out of his grasps again.
And if none of that comes to pass, you leave the U.S. for good, and never see anyone here again, you knew you could be happy. Maybe find someone to settle down with or get an animal or something. Maybe find a good job that you can mostly enjoy that isn’t totally soul-crushing. Maybe, if you’re really lucky, you can get a few hobbies that bring you joy like nothing ever could.
If you’re lucky that is, but you’ve never really been that lucky. Who knows? Maybe that will change.
Requested by: Anonymous
Wordcount: 2052
Summary: Though you are just a human, and on the side of Wednesday due to your friendship with Shadow, World pays you a little visit.
Because of your friend Shadow, you were on the side of the old Gods, his father being Odin and all. But unlike Shadow who was the actual child of a God, you were just mortal and you were not very much help in this war. All that you could offer was your belief, your faith. But you had to admit, the more that you learned about the other side, although they were a bunch of dicks, the more curious that you became. Tech-Boy. Media. Mr. World. There were some others but those were the main three who came up in conversation time and time again. Mr World in particular. He seemed to be the leader of the whole New Gods operation. The only one who could keep everyone else even remotely in check. It was him that you had the most thoughts about. Mr World. The only comparison you could come up with was Mr. Worldwide - AKA Pitbull, but they didn’t sound the same at all. Curiosity killed the cat. You just hoped it wouldn’t kill you too.
Because though you weren’t looking for anything new to believe in, you were looking to meet something ... new. Someone who apparently could rule the world. And apparently, he was looking for you too. Because as you left your house one evening to find Shadow, there was a car waiting for you. A man was standing outside of it, head bowed, hat adorning it. He looked up while you were locking the door, taking tentative steps. No, he was nothing like Pitbull at all, your mind told you, almost making you laugh. But his presence was intimidating.
“I heard you were looking for me,” He said, his voice surprisingly high for such an interesting face. “Y/N Y/L/N.”
“How?” You asked. “I haven’t told anybody.”
“You typed it in, my tech-boy caught it. Now here I am.” Everything about him was immaculate, from the way that the hat was perfectly cocked, to the shiny shoes, to the spotless car. You spent a moment trying to take it all in. The black. The beige. For someone who is said to be the world, he dressed rather bland. But his face ... it was one of the most interesting ones that you had ever seen. “Get into the car. Sit. You’ll find that the seats are rather comfortable.”
You didn’t much feel like you had a choice right now. And his voice sent a shiver up your spine. But you weren’t afraid, no, it was something akin to excitement at that moment. So you got into the car, sliding on the soft seats. He was right, they were extremely comfortable.
The windows were blacked out for privacy. You put on your seatbelt, trying to see if anyone in the neighborhood noticed that you had gotten into this strange car. No one was giving a second glance. As Mr. World got into the car beside you, his knee grazing against yours, you tried to catch the eye of the driver, and then realized with a sickening feeling that there was no eyes. The driver was entirely faceless. It made you pause with horror. “How?” You asked.
“Hmm?” Mr World hummed.
“How is he going to drive when he doesn’t even have eyes to see with?”
Your question brought a surprised chuckle out of the God beside you. With a motion of his hand, the face on the driver changed into a generic male face, something from an advertisement you believed. Like a stock photo. The face blinked, turned back towards the road. “Does that make you more comfortable?”
“Much,” You admitted. “What is he?”
“You’re curious about the world, aren’t you?” He asked. “About the one behind the curtain. The one this war is all about.”
“Well, admittedly - yes,” You said, looking into his dark blue eyes. “Because my friend - Shadow - he’s involved in it all. And I just want him to be safe. So obviously I’m going to try to do some research on the other side of things. It seems the smart thing to do.”
“You’re not wrong,” Mr. World said. The car started to move. The ride was smooth and graceful, like the tone of Mr. World’s voice. This was a man who was never wrong. You could feel that. He had a confidence, like he truly believed that he ran the world. “I’ve been keeping an eye on the other side too. On you.”
“On me?” You asked, taken aback. “I think you have me mistaken for someone else. I’m a supporter, not a player.”
“I think you underestimate yourself,” He said, a smirk on his thin lips. “Humans are what this is all about. And I have something to offer to you.”
“I don’t want your money. I know that’s what you like to offer. I’m not interested in that whatsoever,” You explained before he could even think about what he was going to give you. Although it would be nice, you weren’t going to sell your soul for cold hard cash. “So don’t think about it.”
“I can give you what you want,” He said, his body turning so his chest was facing me, those cold, cold eyes as well. “Whatever you want. Nothing is out of my reach, so just ask.”
“Whatever I want?” You questioned with a little laugh. He was still so intriguing, so intimidating. But not enough to get you to cower. Not enough for you to turn your back on your friends. “What I want is for this to be over. For no one else to get hurt. On either side.”
“I see,” Mr. World said. “That is a difficult thing to ask for, but like I said. Nothing is out of my reach.”
You weren’t moving much, but you definitely froze in place regardless, staring at him. “Just what are you proposing?”
“I can end this war once and for all - though I will need your help to get Shadow and Wednesday to accept the terms. They are more likely to listen to you than to me.”
You started to laugh. You didn’t believe him in the slightest. “Even if I could get through to Wednesday, which is impossible by the way, why would you want the war to end? They would never just accept defeat. Odin is a war God. He’s got Czernobog. After your stunt with the eldest Zora sister, he’s gunning to have you dead. I don’t even think a surrender would work. He wants your head.”
“I know how to handle his kind. The obsolete. The worthless-”
“I wouldn’t go calling them names,” You said, still feeling the need to defend them. “I’m sure you’re all powerful and all, you’re Mr. World. But I think that just might be out of your reach.”
“Nothing,” He said, his face going into a blur for a second. Pixelated. It was terrifying to see up close. “Is out of my reach. But I will be needing something in return.”
“Of course you will,” You said, and your hand rested on the seatbelt buckle. You were finding him too compelling, too charming, and it made you distrustful. You had heard about how he sometimes treated his own, like Tech-Boy. You weren’t sure how he would treat you. “I don’t think I have anything I can give you in return. I shouldn’t even be here. Can you take me back home? Or even here, I don’t mind, anywhere. Wednesday would smite me for even talking to you.”
“He won’t find out,” Mr. World said, which sent a shiver down your spine.
“Oh fuck, are you going to kill me?” You grimaced. You undid the seatbelt, ready to jump out. A chuckle came from the powerful man beside you. “I’m glad that you find that so amusing.”
“I will never hurt you.” He spoke so earnestly. His hand even rested on your shoulder. It felt heavy. Like you could feel the weight of the world on his shoulders and it was being slowly passed to you. “You are so much more than just a human. I’ve had my eye on you for a while. You’re ...” Pause for dramatic effect, “Special.”
“Please let me out.”
The car pulled over to the side of the road. He let go of you as your hand went towards the door handle. “You’re free to leave - but I want you to hear my deal before you go. I don’t need an answer right away, but you can find me anytime when you make up your mind.”
You opened the door, letting some of the cool air inside to cool down your warm body. Just by being close to him, you felt like you were burning. “Tell me then.”
“I’ll go to Wednesday and I will offer my surrender with the conditions that no one else gets hurt,” He said, looking straight into your eyes, making you feel like he was examining your soul. The smile that started to form was mischievous. “And in return, all that I ask - is for your company.”
You weren’t understanding this. There had to be some sort of underlying trick. Your company? What the hell was that supposed to mean? “Uhh - newsflash, I don’t have a company - that’s you.”
He laughed. He had the AUDACITY to laugh. God or not, that ticked you off a little. “Yeah, I amuse you, I remember.”
“I don’t mean a business, I’m well aware of what it is that you do for a ... a living, so they say,” Mr. World said, still with that smile on his face. “What I meant was your presence. With a ce, not a t,” He added before you could say that you didn’t have any of those on you either. “You’re special. You’re .... something I haven’t seen in a long time.”
“So you surrender and I become your prisoner. Am I getting that right?”
“No,” He said, shaking his head. “Never a prisoner. Just some visits. You decide when. Out of your own free will, of course. And you could leave of your own volition, but it might result in some ... consequences.”
“You’ll re-start the war?” You guessed. And he nodded. “What is about me that’s so special anyway? Am I some sort of demi-God or something? Was I adopted this whole time? Come on, you love to talk, so why don’t you tell me, World. Why me?”
Another chuckle came from his throat.
“Because during all of the time that I have been watching you, every move that you make, I’ve fallen in love with you. It’s ... rare that Gods do so. Most Gods. Especially new ones. But times have been strange lately.”
“Uhh...” How in the hell were you supposed to reply to that? You could barely look into his eyes let alone spend time with him. And certainly not love him. “Am I supposed to thank you for that? Or - what’s going on? Some God version of punk’d? Is Ashton Kutcher a god of pranks? Oh god - I mean - oh gosh - is Ashton Kutcher Loki?”
A laugh, sharp and loud came from Mr. World’s mouth at your prattling. He made no move to keep you where you were, no motion to grab you or kidnap you the way that you had thought that he might. “He is a human, a funny one but a useless one.”
“Right, well, er -” You got out of the car. You didn’t close the door right away, but lingered. “How long do I have to think about it?”
“Until we go to war.”
“Right.” You said with a nod. That made sense. “I’ll think about it.”
You closed the door and started to walk in the direction of your house, away from where the car was heading. Your head felt heavy with these revelations, this important decision. You had a lot of thinking to do and not much time to do it.
Summary: Mr. World has tried to keep his little girl as far away from the daunting knowledge of gods and monsters but Wednesday puts a wrench in his plans yet again.
Terra's POV
My daddy is out for a couple of hours, but he trusts me because he says I am more responsible that kids my age. No he isn't neglectful. He is actually the nicest person I know, he once told me that he would do anything for me. Anything. Even buy me Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream and let me have it with dinner every weekend. So yeah even though he sometimes has to leave suddenly I would say he is really cool. I am playing in my room when I hear a loud crash. I run out to the hall way and look over the banister. I see a tall black man and older shorter white man standing in my living room.
Shadow's POV
"The fuck are we doing here?" I ask. I mean really, last time did something illegal we ended up getting yelled at about salsa, or that's what I got out of it really.
"We are here to send a message to Mr. World." Wednesday says matter of factly looking up at the banister on the upstairs level that looks over the living room. I follow his gaze. Wait the fuck? That's a god damn child! I look back to Wednesday and I know he is gonna do something stupid even for him.
Terra's POV
I lock eyes with the older man.
"Who are you mister and what are you doing in my house?" I ask in as strong a voice I could muster. The older man smirks a little and says in a gravely voice. The other man giving a very disapproving look at the man.
"Your father wanted to see us. We have come to talk to him." He says with a smile that could fool pretty much anyone. But I am not anyone.
"No he didn't. He would have told me because he tells me everything." I say defiently frowning.
"Well then. If you know him so well tell me his name." He says.
"Easy his name is Walter Johnson. Why do you ask? It's not like you would know that." I say looking at the man.
"Oh my girl you have so much to learn. Trust me, ask him about some one called Mr. World see how much you truly know then. Tell him Mr.Wednesday told you. Come on Shadow I do believe we have overstayed our welcome." They walk out through the door the man named Shadow looking behind his shoulder shooting me an apologetic look. When the have left I start wondering just what this could mean.
If this gif is yours (or you know who's it is) please let me know, so I can give you/them credit.
Gif credit goes to - @multifandom--imagine (Unless told otherwise.)
Year posted - 2021
----
"Are you planning on getting her back?" Media asked World, who slammed his fist down onto the table. "Of course!" He yelled angrily, his blood boiling at the thought of whatever Wednesday was potentially doing with his precious (Y/n). "How?" Technical Boy asked. "Oh you'll see soon enough." World smiled darkly, the atmosphere of the room becoming unnerving to the others. "I'll get her back, even if I have to tear that old man apart with my bare hands." World added as he rose from his seat, swiftly leaving the conference room, and the others behind. "This is not going to end well." Media commented as the door shut behind World, clicking her tongue as she thought about the potential outcomes of this situation.
Requested by: Anonymous
Wordcount: 1601
Summary: You run into your ex husband, the leprechaun Mad Sweeney. And it flares up your new love just a touch.
Warnings: Implied sexuality, some swearing.
Mad Sweeney was a difficult man to forget. Even if he hadn’t been your husband, there was no way that an eternity could go by without you thinking of him. That had continued, even after your bitter divorce. Not in the way of lawyers, Gods didn’t need marriage certificates, but in who was keeping what, and who was keeping who. Most of the friends that you had made stuck to your side, as Sweeney could be a bit of a grumpy brute, even when he was supposedly in a good mood. But there had been a few who stuck by his side. And even more who took neither side, remaining neutral in the face of all of the drama. But it had ended. And you had left him behind. So when he and Mr Wednesday approached you one day, over the pond in America, you were more than a bit taken back by the sight of what your ex husband had become.
Other than the height and the color of his hair, nothing else about him looked the same. The long dreadlocks that used to swing around in battle were gone. Now his hair was short. Still messy, but short. A touch more respectable. You used to bother him to get those smelly things cut off, back in the old days. He must have gotten lectured about cultural appropriation in modern times. “So are you going to feckin’ help us or not, ex wife?”
Ahh, there he was. There was the Mad Sweeney you knew. Never used your name, not even while you were married. You were just wife. And now you were ex wife.
“Your vocabulary hasn’t changed much,” You said coolly to Sweeney, and picked up your mug of coffee. They had gotten to you in the morning, before you were ready for such a conversation. And you made them promise to buy you a warm beverage in return for listening to this conversation. “Nor have your manners. Why did you bring the brute, Wednesday? Did you think that seeing my ex husband might soften my heart for your cause?”
“No,” Wednesday would chuckle. “No, I didn’t think that. He wanted to come.”
“And you thought that was a good idea?” You asked, raising an eyebrow. You took a sip from your coffee calmly. It was fun to watch your ex squirm. You hadn’t seen each other in - what? Two, maybe three centuries? And you knew that you felt better than you ever had. So you probably looked better too. Finding your true love - that was something which always brought out an inner glow in people. Let’s watch him squirm just a little bit more. “If you’ve got him on your side, Wednesday, then I am having nothing to do with it.”
Wednesday’s semi-good nature disappeared. He could be intimidating when he was angry. But after what you went through with World, which you was still forced to think of him despite knowing his true identity, nothing could intimidate me. That man, with his fine hat, his fine suit, his velvet voice - seeing how he had even Tech-Boy doing his demands, that was power. Odin was just an old man with nothing to offer you.
“I’m doing fine. I’ve got a penthouse apartment, I’ve got credit cards which cannot be maxxed out. I have love in my life,” Ooh, that one stung Sweeney, you were pleased to see. “And I have friends in high places that you reach. Not even you, Sweeney. But - thank you for the coffee.”
World was waiting for you around the corner. You didn’t even have to tell him where you were going, he always had eyes on you. You’d continue walking, and he would stroll alongside you, hat covering his eyes from the sun up above. But you could feel them on you. “Are you jealous?” You teased.
“I do not get jealous,” Mr World said, his words as sharp as a knife. But you had gotten adjusted to such things. It was usually a turn on, actually. But not when he was clearly in denial. “I have the world in my hand.” As if to prove that, he took hold of your hand. “And no leprechaun, especially one not worth his gold, is going to take that.”
“Was any of that supposed to make you not sound jealous?” You asked. He grumbled something under his breath in the way that he often did when he wasn’t speaking very articulately. You’d lean against him, resting your head against his arm as he walked you back to your apartment. You felt very well taken care of around Mr. World. And he was getting you new believers, new followers by the hundreds with his business stand point. The sacrifices of old weren’t enough anymore. You hoped in time Odin would learn that without further bloodshed.
-
You were with World when the message came to you. Your ex husband was dead. Killed with Odin’s own spear. The man that he hated, didn’t trust. But fought for regardless. And it was Odin’s son that had killed him - Shadow Moon - who would have guessed?
“How does that ... make you feel?" World asked, his oddly shaped nose against your cheek as he told you the news. You could feel the breath coming from out of his nostrils. Warm, almost human-like.
“I feel sorry for him,” You admitted. “He fought his whole life. He never stopped. And then he finally finds a war to join and he’s dead before it ever really begins. But will I weep for him? Not a single tear.”
“Are you sure?” World asked, arm going around your waist, pulling him in. “He’s dead and gone. You’ll never run into him again. Never hear him call you wife. Or even ex wife. That isn’t pulling at you at all?”
Here he went again with that jealousy thing of his. Instead, you smiled, putting your arm around him in return. “Are you worried that I’m going to go fling myself onto his grave? Or track down his lucky coin and bring him back like Shadow did with his wife?”
“You’re not denying anything...” He pointed out. His hold grew tighter. He knew that you were teasing. Gods, it was so fun. You laughed, pulling him in just as tight until you ended up being chest to chest with one another. You’d smirk up at him, looking at his eyes under the shadow of that hat that he always wore.
“Positive,” You affirmed. “I shed nothing for Mad Sweeney, may he rest forever some place far, far away from us.” You had no beer to toast with. He’d like that too much anyway. Anything that would put him in your mind, like a little bug just landing in the same place time after time, he would have enjoyed. You weren’t going to give him that. “But that also means that Wednesday is a man down, and that Shadow is a bigger threat than we thought. What’s our next step, love? Should we go in while they’re weak?”
“They’ll tear themselves apart. And Shadow is a wanted man now. He’ll either end up hiding in a place we can keep an eye on him, or get arrested again and we’ll take over the cameras. I don’t see any reason to change our plans.”
“Bilquis?” You asked. Tech Boy had been working on her for a while. Getting her set up online. Bringing her lots of worshippers to adore her, to eat up. But she still had not returned the favor. She hadn’t picked a side. And World was getting annoyed with the waiting.
“Along with other things.” The image of Mad Sweeney’s death was all over the televisions in the office. You were able to see it in stunning detail. High Definition like hadn’t been invented yet. Every single pore on that leprechaun face. A shame it happened. And you really did feel sorry for him. But that didn’t erase the years that he had made you feel like you were nothing but a sidekick to him rather than a partner. When he called you wife, barked orders, never let you help make decisions. Not in the way that World did. World saw you as an equal. Though he was possessive, he was always looking for your input. Your feelings.
His persuasive tongue wasn’t the only thing that made you take up his cause for the new Gods, despite being considered to be an old soul. His love, his affection - which he never did in public of course, was enough to sway you. Watching him be tough in the office, yelling at the subordinate when it was necessary - it was near enough to get you going in that seat. Tech Boy always teased you about your love. And you would always flick a few of his pixels out of place just to bother him.
“Then shall we ... get to work?” You asked, stepping back away from him, sitting on the long table, one leg crossing over the other.
“Yes,” He said, moving back in closer, hating to be away from you for even a second. No one else was allowed to see this side of him. It made you feel even luckier. Only you knew who he really was. What he really was. And so he kept you close, kept you safe.
Clothes shed. Both of you on the table. His favorite form. The strong but quiet voice, whispering dirty things in your ear. The image of your dead ex husband watching you.